Ghosts of Beauty Products Past #2

It feels like I just wrote the original Ghosts of Beauty Products Past post, you'll probably see some repeat offenders that I just can't get enough of, I'll post them but won't go into too much detail so if you want to see what I really thought of them you can refer back to the original post!

Hair Care

It seems I've been finishing off a lot of products that have been on the go for a while now so I'm super stoked to share some of these gems with you guys! Everyone knows my love for Batiste dry shampoo so I won't go into that, BUT I've finally finished some of my favourites that I've been using for about a year now.

Difiaba Hydressence Conditioner:  I've been using this conditioner for over a year now and I adore it! It's super hydrating without leaving your hair feeling heavy, has the most amazing scent and is perfect for any heat junkie, styling addict or just general hair abuser that needs a little help getting those locks looking luscious again, this will definitely be a repurchase. You can find it here!

Difiaba Luminessence Hydrating Serum: This is an amazing treatment I use once a month, a combination of hair care and aromatherapy. I follow up my shampooing with a vial of the hibiscus scented hydrating serum, comb through and leave for five minutes before rinsing. For $36 here you get enough to last you a whole year! I've already placed an order for more.

Skin Care

MAC's Lightful Cleanser and Lightful Softening Lotion are staples in my skin care routine so clearly it's not a surprise to find them in another GofBPP post...

Delarom Revitality Cream: I used this cream for three months and when I first talked about it back in my What's My Age Again? post I thought I could never live without this cream but since finishing it off I'm not so sure I still feel so strongly about it. While I did notice a slight improvement in the fine lines on my forehead whilst using this product, I've found that since I've stopped using it my Keihl's Powerful Strength Line Reducing Treatment does just as good of a job at keeping the lines at bay, if not better and only for a fraction of the price! Needless to say I will not be repurchasing.

Omorovicza Thermal Cleansing Balm: This is a product I have yet to mention on the blog because I've been so on the fence about it and I still can't decide if I like it or not even after finishing the pot and here's why: the thermal mud is packed full of mineral rich goodness and because it's a cleansing balm it makes removing make up and cleansing the skin a piece of cake which is what everyone wants after a long day, is it not? So then you
may ask why aren't I head over heels in love? Well for starters it's £46.00 for a 50ml pot that barely lasts a month, which if it did amazing things for my skin would make it a little easier to justify but the fact is it just doesn't. I wanted to love this product, I've tried so hard to love this product, but in the end, I just can't. It's definitely worth a try (and if you're curious you can find it here) but it's not something I will be repurchasing. 

Body Care

Nuxe Huile de Prodigeuse: This is the third bottle of this glorious oil that I've finished off in the last six months and I've already cracked my fourth. For a full review of this product click here.

The Body Shop's Body Butter in Coconut and Chocomania: As far as I am concerned there is no other body butter in the world, or at least none that can compete with the Body Shops, I've already restocked my cupboards with four more of these bad boys!

Bath and Body Works Aromatherapy Body Lotion in Sleep:  I talked a little bit about this guy in my Night Routine post, and since finishing it I've realized two things about it; 1. It's not the most hydrating lotion and 2. The scent was way more relaxing than I had noticed, since finishing I've found my mind doesn't relax quite as quickly, hopefully my Aromatherapy Associates Relax Body and Massage Oil shows up soon so I can go back to sound sleeping!

Caudalie Divine Oil:  I first mentioned this in my recent post about beauty oils and when I wrote that I mentioned it was heavier than Nuxe's and almost sticky, but since switching it to an evening use only product, I've fallen in love. It hydrates scaly spots on my legs, tames parched hair and smells just heavenly. You can get your hands on a bottle of your own here.

Hand Care

Tokyo Milk's Tainted Love Hand Cream: While it smelled absolutely amazing it wasn't the most hydrating for my seriously dry hands, I think in the future I'll stick to the perfumes from Tokyo Milk because those never disappoint. 

Sanoflore Miel Nourricier Hand Cream:  I mentioned this in my January Favourites post after returning home from a romantic weekend in Paris with the boy. This was definitely a gem that I stumbled upon whilst ravaging the French pharmacies and am glad to have someone back in France to mail me some when it runs out because woah man is this stuff awesome! Smells amazing, super hydrating and calming if your hands are sensitive like mine and just all around amazing! There may be a tube of this sitting in my goodie box waiting for the next giveaway.... just sayin.

Holey Butt'r:  This product is designed for stretched earlobes, which is why I have it but it is good for so much more! It contains a blend of Karanji seed oil, Jojoba seed oil, Soy butter, soy wax, Candelila wax and Neem seed oil which are a potent blend of moisturisers and emollients to hydrate and heal dehydrated and stressed out skin. I like to put this on my elbows, knees, knuckles, heels and anywhere else feeling particularly crocodile like.

Make Up

L'Oreal Mega Volume Miss Manga Mascara:  I mentioned this in my February Favourites post as it was something I picked up from Boots on a whim whilst in Brighton back in January and I'm so sad I didn't pick up another because now that this one is done I can't seem to find it here back in Canada or anywhere online, we all know I'm queen of online shopping, and I'm struggling to replace it. There is a mascara shaped void in my life now...

MAC's Studio Fix Powder in NC15:  This has been a staple in my make up bag since I was about 13 but since my skin shifted more to the drier side I had been avoiding using it, now that I've got my skin back under control, a light dusting of Fix powder with a fluffy MAC 187 Duo Fibre Face Brush over top of my Jouer Matte Moisture Tint creates the perfect finish.

Bath and Shower

LUSH's Snow Fairy Shower Gel: I've ranted and raved about this stuff multiple times so if you want to see more about why I love it you can check that out here and here.

Soap and Glory's Sugar Crush Body Scrub: This stuff is amazeballs. Like seriously. I went into raptures here about my nostalgic love for this product and why I was so happy to see it back in Canada. If you're looking for a good scrub look no further!

Tokyo Milk's Tainted Love Shower Gel: This faired much better than it's hand cream partner I mentioned earlier in the post; it has that amazing combination of dark vanilla bean, orchid and sandalwood that lingers after the shower is over.

Pure Potent Wow Muscle Soak Bath Salts: If you lift heavy weights you're going to feel it the next day, and since I'm constantly lifting weights or running my muscles are always aching and sore and this stuff definitely helps me keep moving. I'm always trying out new bath salts so the chances of repurchasing this aren't very likely but if you're someone that enjoys a good bath on the regular these are a must try!

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A Week in the Life of My Hair

So I've had a lot of people asking how I keep my chemically abused hair so soft and shiny. It's not secret; I am a dye junkie (I haven't seen my natural hair colour for over a decade...),  heat styling villain and a teaser extraordinaire and this is what I do to keep my used and abused locks looking so luscious and healthy! 

Day One...

I like to start fresh with a deep clean. I usually make my own deep cleansing shampoo concoction using two parts shampoo one part baking soda, I give my hair a good scrub making sure to really pay attention to my scalp to remove the product and oil build up from the week before. I then follow this with a hair mask- right now I'm using and loving the Klorane Desert Date Mask, which I usually let sit for 20 minutes and then rinse out.

Before blow drying I work two pumps of Charles Worthington Pro Heat Repair Milk into my hair, it protects my hair from heat styling as well as added a nice glossy shine!

Bonus Step...

Every second week I like to ramp up my mask routine a bit; since adding the purple to my hair last month my hair has become a wee bit more maintenance. The deep cleansing shampoo has a tendency to strip some of the colour out of my purpley bits so to stop them from looking disheveled I like to whip up a hair mask using the Klorane Desert Date Mask mixed in with some of my hair colour, currently I'm using Lariche Directions Hair Colour in Violet.

Day Four...

By day three or four my hair is starting to get a little bit greasy and unmanageable so instead of filling it full of dry shampoo I go for a light rinse with Macadamia Natural Oil Flawless. I find that it gently cleanses the hair without stripping it of it's natural oils so you can go a couple days longer in between shampoos. I would however mention that I only recommend using this once a week because I did try to use it twice between shampoos and it left my hair feeling a bit oily and weighed down.

Days Five through Seven...

This is when I start to bust out the dry shampoo I love my Batist Dry Shampoo, I've tried others but I always end up coming back to this one. My hair during this phase usually goes from down on day five, to a ponytail on day six and to a top knot by day seven (the girls at work have even joked that they know how many days it's been since my last shampoo just based on the way I style my hair, looks like my secret is out!)

Before bed on day seven I like to thoroughly coat my hair with Charles Worthington Overnight Ultimate Hair Healer to give it that little bit of extra love at the end of a long week.

If you don't live in the UK and would like to try out the Charles Worthington stuff this website ships worldwide!

Ghosts of Beauty Products Past

Ghosts of Beauty Products Past

I'm a self processed YouTube addict; every morning whilst getting ready for work I've got the new videos from my subscriptions playing on my laptop on the edge of my vanity while I do my make up. One of my favourite types of video is the empties videos because thats when you get a real proper review, after you've squeezed the last drop from the tube; so here are the remnants of some products that I've squeezed every last drop out of!

Hair Care

Aveda Phomollient Styling Foam - I worked at an Aveda salon many moons ago and this is a product that's stuck with me ever since. A light weight styling mousse that adds volume and bounce to your hair; apply it to the roots wet or dry and then style as normal. I've never achieved the type of volume I get when I use this on my damp hair and dry it upside down, there's just not taming that volume! If there's no Aveda salon or store nearby you can get your hands on it here and while you're there try some of their awesome shampoos, I feel like I'm at the spa when I use the Rosemary Mint hair products!

Batiste Dry Shampoo - This is one of those items that I've seen popping up all over beauty blogs for the last year or so and I couldn't understand the hype behind some powder. so when my usual dry shampoo ran out I decided to give this a try instead. I can't place my finger on why I love it so much but I've tried several others after I finished this can - anywhere from drugstore to salon brands - and none of them did anything for me, I ended up giving up and purchasing another can of this and I won't stray away again. I've been trying desperately to get my hands on the tinted version for dark hair but even the original white isn't too bad on my black hair! Check out this video about dry shampoo by one of my favourite vloggers.

Skin Care

MAC's Lightful Marine Bright Cleanser & Softening Lotion - So you've heard me mention this duo a couple of times and I'm still very much in love, I've already replaced these. There was a two day period where I was without my softening lotion and I felt like my world was unraveling. I won't go into too much detail but you can read more about these here.

Avene Thermal Spring Water - This first cropped up in the blog here and then may have made an appearance here so it's no wonder I've got one empty can and I'm already almost finished another. This stuff is a perfect step between cleansing and moisturizing, wonderful to keep your skin feeling fresh on a long plane ride, refreshing on a hot day and dang it just feels good all around! 

 Body Oils  

Nuxe Huile de Prodigieuse - This was the star of my very first proper blog post here and I've been using it religiously ever since. I finished this 50 ml bottle and I'm already more than half way through a 125ml I picked up in Paris. I add this to my bath water, spritz it in my hair to tame frizz and slather it all over my body right out of the shower, I love the way it smells and how glowy it leaves my skin looking. They've made a perfume of the same fragrance that I got a little bottle of in a box set with the 125ml bottle and the mini gold Huile de Prodigieuse pictured above.

Nuxe Huile de Prodigieuse Gold - I was interested in trying this variety of my already favourite body oil so when I saw it in a box set with a large format of the original (the 125ml bottle comes with a spray pump that is so handy!) and a small bottle of the perfume that I was also keen on trying, I figured it was as good a time as any to give it a go. I love the sun kissed shimmer that this gives the skin but I am a little sad that the fragrance isn't as apparent as the original and it's a drier formula, I layered it on my arms and chest over top of the original Huile de Prodigieuse to compensate for that. I have not yet replaced this but come summer I think I'll find myself reaching for it again.

Beauty

I'm not one to finish cosmetics very often since I'm always trying new things, in fact it's probably taken six months to accumulate these few in my Back2MAC bag (if you don't know what Back2MAC is: save your empty plastic and glass containers and when you've got 6 you can exchange them for a free lipstick, lipglass or eyeshadow. Who doesn't love free stuff?!) 

MAC Something Special Cream Blush - I was a little skeptical of cream blush when I received this as a gift for christmas (2011 - told you it took forever for me to finish things!) and it fell to the bottom of my make up drawer in favour of other blushes. But one day after finishing a blush and being too broke to replace it I found myself reaching for this peachy cream and I fell in love! Takes a little getting used to but once you do you'll be hard pressed to go back to powders; wonderful colour pay off and they wear FOREVER! I'm a true convert...

MAC Eye Brow Pencil in Strut - I usually use powders to fill in my brows but I found myself drawn towards this brow pencil quite a bit during my stint as a brunette, I love the definition it lends to my sparse brows and then I use a powder to soften the overall look.

MAC Lashes in #20 and #4 - I've got a friend that is renowned for stacking 20's and 4's to give the perfect natural, flirty, dramatic lash that so many women crave, thus this combination has been dubbed the "Lindsey Lash" in my circle of friends. #4's are a natural length wispy lash mainly used to add volume and #20's are corner lashes that add a bit of drama so these two work amazingly together, try it, you'll thank me!

Bits and Bobs

Jojoba Oil- This is another one of those versatile oils that's taking the world by storm; I love it for my skin, my hair, my nails, everything! I mainly use this before I shower, yes you heard me, before. I found that this winter my skin was taking a beating and my acupuncturist suggested something I'd never really even thought of. I exfoliate with a body brush like this one and massage jojoba oil into my skin before hopping in the shower and my skin's never been softer and here's why: the oil protects your skin from the hot water which will normally strip it of it's natural oils especially when we crank the heat like we tend to do in the winter AND the heat of the water will open your pores allowing your skin to better absorb the oil. You get out of the shower with soft non-greasy feeling skin and none one would guess you've spent all winter in Alberta...

Cinema Secrets Brush Cleaner - After hearing a couple people talk about this magical blue liquid (not that you can tell what colour it is from the empty bottle...) I had to give it a go myself and picked up a small bottle here. First let me explain why it caught my eye: 1. It actually kills 99.9% of bacteria that the bristles of our brushes play host to. 2. It leaves your brushes smelling like vanilla. 3. It will get ANYTHING out of your brushes. Anything. On that last note let me offer you a word of caution, this stuff is seriously strong and not to be taken lightly. If you're forgetful like me, set a timer when you put your brushes to soak in this cleanser. I forgot about my brushes (for like an hour...oops!) and the bristles sucked the cleanser all the way up into the handle and when I went to rinse my beloved MAC #168 all the hair came out in one clump, this stuff means business.

Bath and Body Works Wall Flower in Frosted Cupcake - I'm a fat kid at heart who loves smelly things, clearly I was going to love this. I'm a huge fan of the wall flowers because I find they have a wonderful variety of fragrances and last for a decent amount of time before needing to be replaced. I never find that I can smell them but it must be due to the fact I smell it every day as whenever I have guests over they always tell me it smells like I've just been baking. I will also be blaming my cupcake addiction on smelling this in my sleep every night...

Have you tried any of these products, if you have what did you think? Are there any products that you think I would love? Let me know in the comments below!

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