Project Pan: Update 3

It’s been a while since I’ve done a project pan update and I’ve got a stack of items which I’ve used up. I’ve now moved back home and my project pan is officially over, however I still have a lot of products and I definitely want to keep going on with trying to use them all up! I think I may try and do some monthly empties posts (maybe in video format, let me know what you think!). Anyways onto the update!

I’ve managed to use up a few more of the Body Shop Seaweed Range: the cleanser and the night treatment. I do quite like the seaweed  range from the body shop. I think there are other cleansers and definitely night treatments which I prefer and so I don’t think I will be repurchasing either of these anytime soon.

Now another cleanser I have finished up is the Neutragena grapefruit daily exfoliating wash. I love this face wash. It smells great and I think it works really well with my skin. This face wash does contain small exfoliating beads but it is definitely a gentle exfoliant. Whilst using this I noticed that my skin looked so much better, I had fewer breakouts and my skin was less shiney. If you have combination skin then I would definitely, definitely recommend this. I tried to get hold of this again when I ran out but it was out of stock so I had to settle for the standard Neutragena daily exfoliating wash, which is good, but I’m definitely not as fond of.

I managed to finish a few makeup products. One of these was the Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Concealer, which is an amazing concealer. I consider this to be one of my holy grail products and I think I will continue to repurchase this again and again! It lasts so well on the skin and covers imperfections really well. If you haven’t tried this and are on the hunt for a new concealer then I urge to try this one out!

The other makeup item I finished was a Rimmel Blush in Autumn Catwalk. This blush contained 3 different pinky peach shades, too matte and one shimmery one, which I used swirled together. I did really like the shades contained in this blush and the product was very pigmented and so a light hand was definitely needed. I think this was a great highstreet blusher and I would love to try out some more blushers from Rimmel.

Lastly I finished a sample of the Lancome miceller makeup remover solution, for eyes lips and face. This was the product which converted me from facewipes to micellaire solutions and I enjoyed how easily this removed my makeup at the end of the day. I have since been using Bioderma and have a large stock of this, but as Bioderma isn’t quite so easy to get hold of I would definitely consider repurchasing the Lancome version.

So that’s the round up of this project pan update. Have you used any of the projects mentioned, if so what were your thoughts? 

Love Rae

July Favourites

 So August is here and it’s time for another monthly favourites! July was a busy month for me as I graduated from university, moved back home and spent a week in Germany. This month has flown by and I’ve barely had time to stop and catch my breath! Because of moving home I haven’t really switched up my makeup products and have been sticking to a lot of the same products which you saw in my last monthly favourites, but I have discovered a few new products this month too which I’ve really been enjoying using.

There haven’t been many new makeup loves this month. I’ve moved away from the BB creams and have gone back to my Clinique Moisture Surge tinted moisturiser. I love the light consistency of this tinted moisturiser and it really does moisturise my skin well. For mascara I’ve been wearing my MAC Dazzle lash mascara. I bought this when I was in Vietnam last summer as my lash tint had worn away and I hate how light my natural lashes are. MAC was a familiar brand to me and I bought it without really thinking. Initially I didn’t like the formulation as it was very wet and just clumped my lashes into one big clump so it’s been sat in the back of a draw. At the beginning of the month I thought I would give it another try. Once the mascara had dried out a bit it applied so much better and it now makes my lashes look really good! Lastly for makeup is a new product and it one of the Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in Romantic. I bought this to wear for my graduation as I didn’t want to have to keep applying lipstick throughout the day. This definitely lived up to the job and I now reach for it on an almost daily basis.

For my nails I am currently obsessed with French manicures. I love how simple and polished it makes my nails look. To create this I have been using Essie Mademoiselle and Rimmel Tip Whitener, which together make the perfect French manicure. At the beginning of the month I ran out of nail varnish remover, so went out with the intention of picking up the new Bourjois miracle nail varnish remover, but it was out of stock. Instead I saw this little tub of Pretty Quick Instant nail polish remover which retails for around half the price of the Bourjois one. I love this little pot and it makes removing nail varnish so quick and easy!

This month I have been completely in love with the Burberry Body fragrance. This is just a free sample I got through Facebook, quite a few months ago now but this month I have been reaching for it almost every day. I’m going to be sad when this runs out as a full sized bottle is so expensive so I’m just going to enjoy it whilst it lasts!

Finally for body and skin care items I have been loving my Body Shop Warming Mineral Face Mask. When applied to the face it really warms up and I find after using it my skin feels so much softer and that it really helps to calm down any breakouts. Lastly is the Lush Lovely Jubblies breast cream. This is supposed to be a firming cream and can be applied all over the body (not just the breasts!). I find that it works really well under the eyes if I’ve not had enough sleep and I’m looking a bit puffy. I love the scent of this and how soft it leaves my skin afterwards, it’s very hydrating but doesn’t leave my skin feeling greasy or waxy which I love.

So that’s it for my July favourites. Have you tried any of these products and what have you been enjoying this past month?

Love

R xxx

Holidays and Packing Tips

In just a few hours I will be heading off to the airport to spend 5 weeks travelling around North Thailand and Laos. I'm super excited and have been looking forward to this trip for the most part of the summer. Since starting uni I got the travelling bug and started to want to explore different countries, away from the usual family holidays to Greece. Last summer I went on my first backpacking holiday around Vietnam and, after a lot of saving this year, I decided to go back and explore SE Asia some more and spending some time working with elephants. I love travelling and there is so much more left of the world that I want to see. I wish flights weren't so expensive and holidays were longer but hopefully each year I'll get to explore more and more. 

So as I've been in packing mode for the past few days I thought I would share with you a few of my packing tips. I hope they are useful to you:

• Product samples are your friends! They're small size means less bulk and it also allows you to try out new products which you might not get around to otherwise.
• Lush solid shampoo and conditioner bars are great ways to reduce the size of your wash bag and stop me being paranoid about running out!
• Take lots of hand sanitiser, you never know when you might need it!
• You never need as many clothes as you think you will. Why take 15 t-shirts when 5 is enough?
•  If you're going to a hot country do you need to pack your normal makeup bag. Eyeliner, BB cream/tinted moisturiser, and water proof mascara is probably going to be enough.
• Take plenty of lip balm, preferably with SPF in it too. Burnt lips are never fun and very painful!
• If flying long haul it's a good idea to wear flight socks. They might not be sexy, but trust me neither are swollen legs. This particularly applies if you like to sleep for the majority of your flight.
• Lastly, some great advice from a friend to prevent you packing too much: for every item you leave behind, you can bring back two!

Over the next 5 weeks I have scheduled a few posts so that my blog isn't completely neglected. I hope you all enjoy the rest of your summer, whatever you are doing. I will be sure to write up a post when I'm back telling you all what I have been up to and any beauty products that may find their way into my possession from Duty Free! Do you have any holiday packing tips? If so I'd love to hear them!

Love 

Rae xxx

Review: Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser

First off, huge apologies for the lack of posts lately. A combination of life and a lack of inspiration struck and my blog got a bit neglected. However, after catching up on a hell of a lot of blogs and youtube vids, I've found my inspiration again and I'm back. So onto the review!

Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish is one of the most raved skincare items amongst beauty bloggers. A few months ago Red magazine were offering a 30ml sample and muslin cloth with the magazine. Eager to try out this hyped up product I rushed out to get a copy of the magazine and try it out for myself.

The consistency of the Liz Earle cleanser is a thick cream, almost like that of a moisturiser. It has a slight herbal, minty scent to it which, while is a little strange, isn’t off putting. The cleanser is plant based and contains rosemary and camomile which are meant to soothe and balance the skin, in a similar way to the Lush Angels on Bare Skin cleanser I mentioned here.

The Liz Earle cleanser should be gently massaged into dry skin and then any residue gently wiped away with a warm, damp muslin cloth which provides gentle exfoliation. After the cleanser is applied my skin feels instantly cooled and soothed which I found to be nice when cleansing my skin after a long day. Now, personally I don’t like the muslin cloth. I find it to be too flimsy to provide any real exfoliation and much prefer using a bog standard flannel to buff the skin after applying the cleanser. This may just be because I’m used to using flannels as I know a lot of people really enjoy using the muslin cloths. 

I used this product for around 3 weeks and in that period of time I didn’t notice any dramatic difference to the appearance of my skin. I am aware at how short of period of time and know that many people have said this is the product which really helps their skin. If you managed to get a sample of the Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish then I would definitely give it a try. I’m undecided as to whether I prefer the Lush Angels on Bare Skin cleanser or the Liz Earle one but I think I would definitely like to try a full sized bottle of the Liz Earle to see if it makes any difference to my complexion.

You can find the Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish online here starting at £5.50 for a 30ml bottle and one mulsin cloth or in John Lewis stores.

Have you used the Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish? What are your thoughts? Are you a fan of the muslin cloth?

Love 

Rae xxx