November Favourites

I've been trying lots of new products in November, and this is a selection of my favourite products that I was reaching for most last month. First is the Lee Stafford Hair Growth Treatment which is basically a treatment to be used in between shampooing and conditioning. I've only used this a couple of times so I can't comment on the hair growth aspect, but it does leave my hair feeling soft, strong and super shiny! I'm using the whole hair growth range at the moment, so I'll update with that in due course to see if it's working. Another hair care product I'm loving this month is the TRESemmé 24 Hour Body Plump Powder. I'm not really one for hair styling products as I usually just let my hair do its own thing, but recently I've been loving a tousled, slightly messy look and this product is perfect for just adding a touch of texture and volume without feeling like my hair is weighed down in product.

I recently bought a few MUA eyeshadow palettes, but the Undressed Palette is the one that I have been reaching for nearly every day. The quality of the shadows are amazing, and I rarely stray from a neutral eye so this is perfect for me. I finally succumbed to the Real Techniques Stippling Brush which has been calling my name every time I'm in Boots! It was on a buy one, get one half price deal so I couldn't resist any longer. I use this to apply liquid foundation and find it gives such a lovely finish, I can't imagine applying foundation without it anymore! I also use it to buff in cream blusher. Another highly blogged about product is the Rimmel Kate Moss Matte Lipstick 107 which completely embodies Autumn/Winter for me. It's the perfect berry shade, and I love the matte finish. It has a creamy formula, doesn't highlight imperfections and has amazing staying power. Lastly, I've included LUSH King of Skin which is a solid body butter applied when skin is wet, rinsed off and gently patted dry. This has been my saviour recently with the harsh winter weather, and it smells lovely - full of moisturising cocoa butter and shea butter.

Quite a few favourites from me this month, I found it really difficult to narrow it down for this post! What products have you been loving recently?

November Empties

Happy December, everyone! I know it's clichéd to say this, but how fast is this year going?! Christmas is looming and I'm trying to get through as many products as I can to make room for new things this month. I'm really rubbish at finishing products, I've lost count of the amount of half-used products lying around my flat. I think I get bored too easily and always want to try something new, unless I really really love something!

This month, I've gotten through 7 products which is really good for me! First up is a sample of LUSH Ro's Argan Body Conditioner*. It has the same concept of hair conditioner, you apply it to clean, wet skin and then rinse off. I've never come across a product like this before, but I have to say I am in love. This has the most divine scent, and that's coming from the girl who hates rose-scented things! It's a gorgeous sweet, rose scent and most importantly, it does its job and it does its job damn well. I got 2 uses out of my sample, and I am definitely buying the full-size tub ASAP.

Next is LUSH American Cream Conditioner. I won this back in September at a LUSH event, and it took me ages to use it up. It's marketed as a double strength conditioner, but I still felt like my ends needed that little bit extra moisture. It smells bloody gorgeous, but I don't think I'll repurchase because it just didn't have that 'wow' factor for me.

To round off my LUSH empties, I also managed to use up a fresh face mask this month called Cosmetic Warrior. This is packed full of fresh garlic and antiseptic tea tree oil, and is a more potent version of the popular Cupcake. It's basically Cupcake's big sister, perfect for battling breakouts and troublesome skin. I'm on the fence with this one, the smell was a massive turn-off for me and I don't feel like it did great things to my skin. It felt a little drying, but my normally oily skin has been a bit weird with the weather recently so that might not be the face mask's fault! I won't repurchase it any time soon because there are lots of other face masks I want to try, but I may well try it again in the future.

Much to my disappointment, my lovely wee bottle of The Body Shop Vanilla EDT ran out this month. I bloody love this scent, it's the perfect pure vanilla fragrance that lingers all day. And it's been discontinued. So I'm not a happy bunny, but luckily I do have a back-up bottle that I'll be using very sparingly now! If anyone has any suggestions for something which is similar to this, please let me know!

I finally finished up my État Pur Micellar Water which I received months ago in a Latest in Beauty box. I liked this when I was going through a cleansing water phase, but I now use an oil-based balm cleanser which I much prefer in the colder months. I probably would repurchase this because it really does its job, but I prefer it more in the warmer seasons.

Finally, a couple of make-up items! I finished up the much raved about Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer, and I have already bought a back-up to replace it because it is probably the best concealer I have tried and for its £4-something price tag, well, it'd be rude not to. I also used up my MAC Eye Brows in Lingering which was a good eyebrow pencil, but I have been using a cheaper alternative which I'm getting along fine with, so I don't think I'll repurchase.

So, those are my November empties! I'm now on a mission to use up more products before I buy new ones, but we'll see how long that lasts...

xoxo