L'Oréal Pure Clay Skin Masks

First thing first these Clay Masks are beautifully packaged. Before I'd even opened them properly I was dying to try them.

I've been having really shiny skin recently so I couldn't wait to get my hands on the Pure Clay Purity Mask which promised to both purify and mattify my face.

This mask contains 3 pure clays : Koalin, Montmorillonite and Ghassoul. The combination of the three L'Oréal claim will absorb the impurities and excess sebum from my skin, eliminate imperfections (a tall ask as my face is mostly imperfect haha) and help clarify my complexion. To top all of that off the mask is infused with Eucalyptus which gives it a heavenly scent that I love!

The mask was easy to put on and had a good thick consistency. I was a glorious shade of green. Ten minutes later, I grabbed a face wipe but I couldn't get it off. After a few minutes of sheer panic thinking I'd live the rest of my life out like an extra for Wicked,  a hot wet cloth did the trick. Maybe not the easiest to get off.

The result: my skin feel soft, smooth and definitely doesn't look as shiny as it did before. Unlike some mattifying masks, I'm pleased to say my face doesn't feel tight or dry. All in all, a big success!

These products were kindly provided by L'Oréal Paris (through bzzagent) free of charge for my honest and open review. I have received no other payment or reward for leaving a positive review.

Test Two (all at once):

Having already tired the Pure Clay Purify Mask, I was keen to try all three products at once to tackle my problem areas.

Each mask contains 3 pure clays : Koalin, Montmorillonite and Ghassoul. The combination of the three L'Oréal claim will do everything a woman could possibly want from a face masks. They each have a different ingredient combined with the clays to give you the desired effect.

The Detox Mask has charcoal through it. Well known for the properties of removing all the baddies from your skin. I used this on my lower nose and chin area where I have the most problems.

The Glow mask, has Red Algae through it to help let me have a beautiful glowing complexion. This I used for the rest of my face because who wouldn't want a lovely glow about their face!

The last one, the Purify Mask, I already knew did the job from my previous experience so I used that to tackle the problem areas of my forehead and upper nose.

I believe the masks work well but what I did struggle with is that using a combination of all three is a bit, well, messy. I ended up with clay all over my hands and the jars. Also I found it all a bit time consuming. As I finished used the last one, the first one was pretty much ready to come off. I then had the dilemma of how long I should leave it before washing.

My general impression is that the masks work really well but I think in future I would use a maximum of two at a time. Great products and great concept though.

VO5 Mega Hold Styling Mousse

The VO5 Mega Hold Styling Mousse promises quite a lot in a can.

Firstly 24 hour humidity protection to help prevent frizz. Now I don't have particularly frizzy hair and can't say I noticed a massive difference but I wouldn't say it offer 24 hours of frizz free hair.

Next up, an all day hold. I would 100% agree with this. Even in the windy Scottish climate my hair style held up for the day. Albeit with a little help from hairspray.

Healthy looking shine they said: oh my god yes! My hair looks great. Really smooth and shiny and all things wonderful.

The penultimate promise was no stickiness or flaking and again I must say VO5 delivered on this promise. After applying the product, I didn't feel the immediate need to run to the toilet and wash my hands.

Lastly a UV filter, which I'll need to take their word on. As I said I live in Scotland, it isn't overly sunny here but they've been true to their word on most the other benefits so I'll trust them on this.

All in all, a great product. No particular strong smell to the mousse. The only thing preventing me giving it 5 stars is that I would like to see how it holds up in a more humid climate. Well done VO5. I would definitely purchase again!

This can of mousse was kindly provided from Bzzagent for me to review. All thoughts and opinions are my own and I have not received anything in return for a positive review.

Thanks for reading!

May Empties and Fails

My first item is an out and out fail. Perfect Pout from Cougar. Whilst this does plump your lips up (briefly) the texture and smell of this product is just vile. I had got it in May's Pink Parcel (http://hansunahnah.blogspot.com/2016/05/pink-parcel-may-2016.html) and was keen to give it a go. It's thick, sticky,  gloopy and heaven help you if you decide to eat something whilst wearing it (unless crumbs stick to your lips is your thing). This is definitely going in the bin I'm sorry to say. This item is £29 and had I paid that for the item I would have been absolutely gutted.

I love baths and I'm currently trying out a range of Avon bubble baths to see which scent is my favourite. I've just finished up the last of the lavender one. Whilst this does bubble up nicely and it smells quite good, I don't think it's as nice as the white lily one I finished up in March

 http://hansunahnah.blogspot.com/2016/03/march-2016-empties-and-fails.html

Would I purchase it again? Probably if it was on offer, otherwise I'd be more likely to buy another scent.

As you can see I have squeezed and pushed every last drop put of this body cream from Rituals. Magic Touch in Cherry Blossom and Rice Milk is just such a lovely product. It goes on nicely without leaving an oily or sticky residue. It smells amazing and on top of that it really does make my skin lovely and soft. Looking on the Rituals website they have changed the name of product.
https://uk.rituals.com/en-gb/body-moisturisers/the-ritual-of-sakura-body-cream-70ml-4462.html
Would I buy this again? For shizzle. Only reason I haven't already is because I have so many body creams already!

Baylis & Harding's cleansing hand wash in Sweet mandarin & grapefruit did exactly what you would expect. It cleaned my hands and had a nice scent. I can't say it was the most nourishing of hand washes  which maybe explains why I wasn't the biggest fan of this product. I have really dry skin and for me this just didn't quite cut the grade so chances are I wouldn't repurchase it again.

I used up my last tester of Ren's cleansing water which nearly broke my heart. It is an awesome product. It easily removes my make up and the stress/strain of the day. It leaves my skin nice and clean and basically I am in love with this product. My first Look Fantastic Beauty Box sent me about a million cleansers so I'm gonna try then out first but if none of those are a winner then chances are I would repurchase this one again.

Although I've literally used up every last bit of this product I would say I'm a bit 50/50 about it. My Little Beauty 'Sweet Hand Cream' came in my November 'My Little Sweet Box' from their own beauty brand. http://hansunahnah.blogspot.co.uk/2015/11/my-little-box-november-2015.html?m=1

It smells amazing but the texture is a little overly thick for my liking. 

Would I purchase it again? Hand creams is something all too quickly supplied in beauty boxes and I have a surplus of them. This isn't a bad product but it isn't my favourite so I'm doubtful that I would buy it again.

 So that's my selection of this month's Empties and Fails and it's been a bit of a mixed bag. July I'll be back to tell you about June's selection of perfect products that I love and ones that I hated.

Pink Parcel May Products

First on my to try list was Cougar 'Perfect Pout'. I have a thin top lip and have been toying with the thought of lip fillers. I don't really have the excess cash to spare so I was hoping this was the miracle I had been praying for. Sadly it isn't. The texture is horrible and it's sticky. It stinks to high heaven. This is not a product I would recommend.
Before applying:

After applying:

Personally I see no difference  (except better lighting). Let me know what you made of it.

I haven't been keeping all that well recently so I haven't been able to get in to the salon for get my nails done. I opted to soak them off myself and paint with the True Brit 'It's a Monthly Thing' nail enamel. I wasn't overly fond of the formula and it chipped quite easily despite me using a top coat but I do like the colour so happy to keep this one.

After the hard work of getting my nails done, I felt it was time for a tasty treat so I eager tucked into Fudge Kitchen's White Chocolate and Raspberry Fudge Cube. The raspberry is definitely the main flavour but for me (even with my sweet tooth) it was a bit too sweet. I gave my boyfriend a nibble and he felt exactly the same. I was a little sad that it wasn't as good as I'd hoped. I'm fact I couldn't even finish.

I turned to Rococo's Honeycomb Crunch and that is one tasty bar of chocolate. Nice decent sized chunks of honeycomb and the chocolate is a lovely milk chocolate. I was very impressed. I don't know what else to say about this chocolate but it is delicious and well worth a try if you haven't already.

The English Tea Shop provided my cuppa for this month. The delicious sounding blend of Chocolate, Rooibos and Vanilla this was bound to make the cramps, headaches and general awfulness of your monthly visit a lot easier to cope with. Whilst I wasn't a massive fan of the smell of the tea, it did taste damn good  I'd definitely repurchase this tea again.

The make up brush from Lottie London certainly wasn't the best make up brush I've ever used. It certainly looks like part in my make up brush holder. Using it though I wouldn't say its the best make up brush I've ever used. In fact it just feels a little lacking. Probably won't be keeping this one.

I've been using Badger Balm most nights. As I've said before I really struggle getting to sleep most nights but I have found that the nights I use this balm I do get to sleep with much more ease. The scent isn't overpowering and I must say this will probably be a staple in my bedside table from now on. The added bonus is that I find a little goes a long way do it should last for quite some time now.

This is now my third Pink Parcel box and I must say I'm still super impressed. It is great value for money. In fact, it's gonna be cheaper from now on and they are changing what the do with the products so I am really looking forward to June's. I can't not wait to show you guys when it arrives. 

My Little Box May Products

I have bitten the bullet and cancelled my subscription to My Little Box. I've just been a little disappointed with it lately. This month I thought we would get some Italian brands because of the theme but nope. In fact I didn't really see what any of the beauty products had to do with the theme.

Anyway my review of the products. My favourite by a country mile is the ring. I've worn it loads since getting the box. It is very much my style and even the box is just lovely!

The hair turban has been another firm favourite. Whilst it isn't the sort of thing I'd wear out and about, I have been wearing it loads in the house. My other half even complimented me on it and I'll give him credit for being quite a fashionable chap. I love the colours and for me this was another good inclusion to the box.

Onto the beauty products, the Fille De L'Air from Courrèges isn't really my cup of tea. Whilst it isn't the worst perfume and I doubt hate it, I'm not overly fussed on it either. Due to it's small size it will be useful to keep in work or in my handbag but I can't say I would ever rush out to buy this again

The My Little Beauty product this month was a self tanning lotion. If you read my initial reaction to this product you'll know I wasn't looking forward to it. I'm so pale that I only use tanning products in trust and with good reason....this did leave me a little streaky and I know I wasn't the enough one to have issues the streaking.

The one saving grace from the beauty products this month was the body oil from Baïja. Now the branding from this company is enough to make you crave their products. Beautifully packaged and in fairness the inside of the bottle lives up to it's exterior. A semi dry oil that goes on nicely, smells good but not overpowering and makes my skin feel ace! This product gets two thumbs up from me for sure.

I think it was my high expectations of this month's box that left me so disappointed. I was hoping for Italian brands and really felt they could have made more of the theme. I would maybe resubscribe in the future to My Little Box but I really feel they would have to up their game a lot before I did. Here's hoping they do!

Look Fantastic Beauty Box

I'm sure my readers could have predicted this would happen and I'd be subscribing to another box. I've had my eye on Look Fantastic's Beauty Box for a while now. I've watched quite a few unboxings in YouTube so now that I've cancelled My Little Box I figured it might be time.

http://www.lookfantastic.com/offers/beauty-box.list

I opted to go for the 6 month's subscription offer as they giving you a £10 gift card for free if you went for that option. The 6 month subscription comes in at £12.50 a month so with this offer essentially I'm getting the first box for free.

If anyone already subscribes, please do let me know what you think of it! Xx

Pink Parcel May 2016

I haven't been having the best time of it with my monthly visit at the moment. In light of that I was really looking forward to my Pink Parcel arriving. They had some difficulties with getting the boxes out on time but they kept us well informed so I didn't mind.

Upon opening I found another True Brit nail enamel. As I've said in previous posts I've recently started getting my nails done by NAF! Salon in Glasgow so I didn't really have any need for more nail polish but they had no way of knowing that. With the appropriate name 'It's a Monthly Thing' this would be a fab everyday colour.

Next up is a brand I love: Simple. I have quite sensitive skin and need to be careful what I use on it. Simple is a brand I use regularly so I was happy to receive their 'Soothing Facial Toner' even if it is just a sample size.

I was delighted with the next product. I've been suffering with difficulty dozing off at night so Badger 'Sleep Balm' is the perfect thing for me to get. In a sweet little tin this relaxing balm has the perfect mix of lavender and bergamot to (hopefully) have me drifting off to sleep in next to no time. 

The next item I'm looking forward to testing out. Cougar 'Perfect Pout'. The branding does scream WAG wannabe to me but I'm forever moaning about wanting lip fillers and not being able to afford them right now. Hopefully this will be the answer to my prayers. Move over, Kylie J!

I love make up brushes and if you ask me a girl can never have enough brushes! Lottie London have supplied me with their 'Shade and Shadow Brush'. Beautifully packaged and in a lovely baby pink shade, this is another item I'm really happy with.

If you've read any of my other blogs you'll know that each month Pink Parcel supply me with a nice new cuppa tea and a sweet treat. This month though they are spoiling us with two tasty things to sample. First up from Fudge Kitchen 'White Chocolate and Raspberry Fudge'. I'm so excited to try this bad boy out! I love raspberries, fudge and chocolate. Only issue: it's gonna disappear in about 2 seconds!

Our other delicious looking goody is from Rococo Chocolate. Their 'Honeycomb Crunch' bar is so nicely packaged it almost seems a shame to open it....almost! I'll be honest, this one won't last long. Honeycomb is another favourite of mine so PP have nailed it with this one.

Lastly my tea. This month it comes from the English Tea Shop. Organic chocolate, Rooibos and Vanilla. Tasy combination and I can't wait to give it a go. The packaging is again lovely and makes it even more appealing! Really looking forward to this one!

All in all I'm delighted with this box again. I think it's incredible value for money. You got 5 panty liners, 20 tampons/pads (of your choice),  a feminine hygiene product and your box of goodies to cheer you up and cheer me up it most certain did! :) 

Values:

English Tea Shop Chocolate, Rooibos and Vanilla Tea £6.66 for 60

Rococo Honeycomb Crunch  £1.50

Badger Sleep Balm £4.99

Fudge Kitchen White Chocolate and Raspberry  £10 for 12

True Brit 'It's a Monthly Thing' £12.50

Cougar Perfect Pout  £29

Lottie London Makeup Brush £5

Simple Soothing Facial Toner  £1.29

My Little Box May 2016

It feels like only a few days since I reviewed the products in last month's box (because it was) http://hansunahnah.blogspot.co.uk/2016/05/my-little-box-april-products.html?m=1

But here I am posting my initial reaction to My Little Box for May named Dolce Vita. MLB had done major hints for this month's box. I'm not a big fan of the hints, I would have loved to have opened it and had the massive surprise of a box themed around Rome. Anyhooooo, I love Rome. It's one of my favourite cities in Europe which probably comes from my parents' love of the city (they got engaged here), so I was ridiculously excited for it to arrive.

As always Kanako has done a beautiful job of the illustration of the box. It just screams Roma to me. Upon opening we were treated with the card again. Hurrah! I missed not having one last month. Now I think my mum would love it but it's going to go great with my other ones in my dressing room so I'm going to keep it (sorry Mama)

First lifestyle item is a brightly coloured hair turban with a very bohemian artist in Rome type feel. Beautifully presented (as most My Little Box items are) in a box saying 'Rome is on my mind'. It isn't the sort of thing I would use as a fashion accessory but it will definitely come in useful to keep my hair out the way when cleansing or applying make up. Not an item I'm bowled away with but useful none the less.

I'm quite a big ring fan. I'll forget earrings and necklaces most the time but for most outfits I'll have at least one ring on. With this in mind I loved the ring. Gold colour leaf detail that comes in an adorable box saying 'Ciao Bella'. This was a great product for me. In fact it's probably my favourite in this month's box. 

Onto the beauty products and I'll get My Little Beauty's offering out the way first a gradual self-tanning lotion for your legs. Now I'm always wary of products like this. I'm what they call peely-wally in Scotland which basically means I'm so pale I look practically translucent! But in all seriousness most self tanning products are a no go for me so I'm kinda dreading trying this one out. It will more than likely go to someone else.

Next up so a perfume from Courrèges called 'La Fille De L'Air. This isn't a brand I have heard of before. It is a good handbag size and is the sort of thing I like to keep in work. It's a delicate scent which works well for me for Spring so happy to try this out. For a 50ml bottle they would charge you €69. So yeah it's a decent inclusion.

Lastly from a brand introduced to me and that I fell in love with thanks to My Little Box, Baïja have given us their Croisière Céladon Body Oil. Now if this product is even a quarter as nice as the body lotion supplied in October's box (http://hansunahnah.blogspot.co.uk/2015/11/my-little-box-october-products.html?m=1) I will be in love. As always with this brand the packaging is gorgeous and immediately you want to test it out. As an added goodie MLB subscribes are getting 20% off between May and June 10th.....only one problem...no discount code so I've no idea how to claim #heartbroken!

I'll be honest I have two issues with this box. Not many of the items said Rome to me. Like the last box, so much could have been done with this theme and I was left disappointed. I felt some Italian products wouldn't have gone amiss. I do appreciate that MLB is a French company, but if you are going to offer a Rome box, I would want you to deliver.

My second issue is that I no longer feel it's value for money. Yes they normally charge £11 for the hair turban and £12 for the ring, but I think I wouldn't pay that if I saw them in a shop. I'm just left incredibly underwhelmed and it is with much regret to say this is my last MLB for a while. If people could offer an alternative I would like to replace it with another subscription box. Please let me know in the comments. Sorry My Little Box but you let yourselves down with this one.

My Little Box April Products

It may just be me but after having had the box for a while its initial sparkle seems to have worn off. Let me get my negatives out the way first so I can tell you what was good.

First up, my little pop up garden was a flop. Having had a look at other people's comments on social media I am not the only one who had no success. Today was my last day of hoping the seeds might sprout and I came back to.....nothing. Not a thing. I has really being looking forward to growing it. This was a major let down so not off to the best start really. Considering they normally charge £7 for this, I would not have been happy to purchase it and have this outcome.

Next up the Balzac lingerie bag. Whilst this is a lovely product I have 2 issues: 1) when will I get to use it and 2) if I was travelling somewhere there isn't exactly all that much room for my underwear. Now I do not have the biggest boobs out there so I can only imagine how larger assetted ladies must have felt. With just one set of my underwear it was full. As you can see below definitely no more room at the inn.

Onto the bag of beauty products: the Nails Inc base coat was a nice touch but I have just started getting acrylics done again and I rarely paint my toes so I don't have much need for a base coat. Granted MLB can't have known this but I did feel a bit like "meh, it's a base coat". Also I can't see at all how this went with the theme.

Moaning over (kinda). The My Little Beauty Rosy Mornings face mask was easy to use, had a nice subtle fragrance and let's be honest who doesn't like a face mask. It's now the following day since using it and can I tell a difference in my skin....I can't say I do. For me this is maybe another of a meh product. Queue an unflattering face mask photo with orange skin!

Lastly one positive: L'Occitane Pivoine Flora Shower Gel was lovely. Foamed nicely and the scent wasn't overly strong. The staying power of the scent is what I was really impressed with. Hours after showering I made a quick movement of my arm in work and was met with a lovely light floral fragrance. For me this was hands down the best product in the box.

Looking back this box was a bit of nothing box. It almost felt like something was missing and generally I think they could have done a better job with the theme. If the next box isn't a good one, I'm sorry to say I think it will be my last :( I have been really enjoying Pink Parcel which I'll carry on for sure but may need to start the hunt for my next subscription box. Any suggestions?

Pink Parcel April Products

We all know that during a ladies time of the month a girl needs a bit of cheering up, but I used this month's box to cheer myself up after the only thing worse for a singer like myself, a bad audition! Yes, last night I had an awful audition and a sleepless night worrying about it.

I was desperately in need of cheering up, so in the afternoon I decided to grab my Pink Parcel box and make myself a bit happier. First stop for a girl like me with a sweet tooth was my Mallow and Marsh bar. There are not enough positive words to describe how much I enjoyed this bar. Absolutely delicious and I can not at all believe it is under 100 calories. The offer is 20% with a code from Pink Parcel will definitely be getting used. My dilemma is if I should stick with the coconut or if I should try the Raspberry variety. If anyone has tried the other options can they leave me a comment to let me know if it's worth trying. But a huge thumbs up from me to Mallow and Marsh.

To go with my sweet snack, I thought what better than a good cuppa. Now as I've said in my previous Pink Parcel post I didn't get the advertised Teapigs teabag but instead Popcorn Tea. Otherwise known as Genmaicha tea from Japan, they have described it as "sugar puffs in a cup". As always with Teapigs the pyramid teabag is beautiful. The tea itself smells exactly like sugar puffs so I was worried it might be overly sweet. I needn't have worried. It was really lovely and just what I needed. Afterwards I went onto the Teapigs website to use my discount code and was a little disappointed that it didn't work but aside from thatI was super happy with this offering from Teapigs.

As we were due to go our the next product I tried out was the New CID Cosmetics i-smoulder pencil. The shape of the pencil makes it easy enough to make your eyeliner thick or thin. I don't find it all that pigmented so I found I had to go over the line again and again to get any real amount of colour.

Thin line vs thick line

Now for me the other side of the pencil is where the magic happens. The shadow is lovely and had a nice shimmer to it. I like the applicator and I am pretty happy with this product.

You may have seen from one of my other posts (http://hansunahnah.blogspot.co.uk/2016/05/naf-salon.html?m=1) that I have recently had my nails done so unfortunately I wasn't able to try out True Brit's Nail Enamel in 'Pink Parcel' on my hands. Although would be able to appreciate the gorgeous colour I decided I would give myself a little pedicure. You'll be delighted to hear I won't be sharing pictures of my toes. I can tell you though that it goes on nicely and is the perfect pink pastel for spring!

One product I've been carrying about with me since my Korres body milk ran out is the Boozi Body Care Hand Cream in 'French Martini'. I am in love with this product. It's the perfect size for my handbag, it smells amazing and is nicely branded. Only downside is that it doesn't absorb immediately, meaning opening anything after applying it is essentially impossible.

After coming home I decided to try out NPW's 'Pomegranate and Paw Paw Invigorating and Nourishing Face Mask'. Wow that is a mouthful! I was a bit sceptical when I noticed after 15 minute you are supposed to just wipe it off with a tissue. Regardless on it went.

It's a great look I know! Now this stuff smells fab and a little goes a long way. In fact this one packet gave both me and Christopher a full mask so it's really good value for money. Taking it off was easy enough and my skin feels ridiculously soft. 

Last but not least whilst waiting on my mask to dry, I made some oatcakes and cheese to munch on. Food heaven!

All in all, this was a cracking lot of products from PP. I am really impressed with the value and counting down the days till my next one arrives!