June Empties || Products I've Used Up

I've finally finished up the Dr Bronner's Magic Soap of which I had it in Almond. This smelt beautifully and washed my makeup brushes up a treat! I've already moved onto my next bottle of this but this time, in Citrus. I've used up the Not Your Mother's Way To Grow Long & Strong Shampoo & Conditioner which I thoroughly enjoyed using despite it not necessarily helping my hair grow longer and stronger quickly. I've finished up another Boots Build Up Removal Shampoo which I will forever repurchase as it does the job at removing product build up. I've used up the L'Oreal Ever Riche Nourishing Intense Mask which made my hair feel silky soft after every use!

I've used up another Garnier Simply Essentials Soothing 2 in 1 Makeup Remover which helps remove my makeup within an instant without drying it out. I've finished up the Clearasil Ultra Blemish+Marks Scrub which I thoroughly enjoyed using for the days when I fancied a manual exfoliator rather than a chemical exfoliator - I've already moved onto my next tube! I've used up the Soap & Glory The Ultimelt Deep Purifying Hot Cloth Cleanser which has to be one of most skin smoothing, hydrating cleansers I've tried. I've used up The Body Shop Camomile Gentle Eye Makeup Remover which is anything but gentle as it stung my eyes nearly every time that I used it! I've finished up another Pretty Perfect Twist & Out Instant Nail Varnish Remover which is the only nail varnish remover that I use. I've used up the Aveeno Positively Radiant Intensive Night Cream which I much prefer when my skin is a lot more dehydrated as my skin seems to drink it right up.

I've used up another La Roche Posay Effaclar Duo+ which has definitely helped keep blemishes at bay as well as reduce the appearance of scarring left over from blemishes. I've finished up a tube of Colgate Sensitive Pro Relief + Whitening Toothpaste which has made such a big improvement to the sensitivity and whiteness of my teeth! I've used up another L'Oreal Lumi Magique Pure Light Primer which I use as both a primer to make my skin appear more radiant as well as mixing it in with my foundation to make my base more dewy. I've finished up the No7 Extreme Length Extend Mascara which I prefer the sample size brush of rather than the full size as they seperate my lashes better than the full size however it's still a good all rounder. I've finally used up my No7 Instant Radiance Highlighter which I love using as a highlighter both underneath and over my foundation to help achieve a glowy look. I haven't quite used up the Sally Hansen Double Duty Base & Top Coat as it's started to dry up however it definitely did the trick as both a base and a top coat.

I'm trying to use up my ridiculous stash of Lush products before I buy any more bubble bath/lush products so I've used up the Blackberry Bath Bomb, Bombardino Bath Bomb, Cinders Bath Bomb, Dashing Santa Bath Bomb and Golden Wonder Bath Bomb which all helped make my baths that little bit better. I've used up two packs of the Wilko Maxi Oval Cotton Wool Pads which are the only cotton wool pads that I use! And lastly, I've used up a pack of the No7 Quick Thinking Wipes for everything but removing my makeup.

Samples I've Used Up 024

It feels like my stash of samples just isn't going down which is not surprising when everybody and their nan seems to be giving me samples of everything at the moment! I'm still making a conscious effort of using samples on a daily basis however it's getting harder with the amount of full size products that I need to use up as well.

I've used up a travel sized Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water which I've already tried in full size. This stuff is absolutely brilliant for taking off makeup and I've stocked up on these handy travel sizes as they were on clearance in my local Boots! I've used up some more satchets of Lancome's Visionnaire which I've been using every single night now and I've definitely noticed a huge transformation in my skin! If this wasn't so expensive then I would buy in full size in a heart beat!

I've finished up a little miniature La Roche Posay Effaclar Duo+ which I use on a daily basis. This helps keep spots at bay as well as help make scars from spots disappear entirely. This is quite literally one of those skincare products that I cannot live without! I've used up Lancome's Genifique which although my skin is too young to see the full effects from, it has been working wonders especially when combined with their Visionnaire serum! Lastly, I've used up a satchet of the Nivea Sensitive Day Cream which I liked but do not love enough to buy in full size.

June Birchbox Review

I cannot believe that we are now coming towards the end of June! Where has the year gone?! Birchbox have certainly made this half of the year has gone moment a lot better as they've collaborated with French Sole to bring this months edition. There are three different designs to choose from and I went ahead and chose the From Paris With Love design as nothing really can beat some good ole' nautical! In addition to a beautifully designed box, there's a matching shoe bag which you can use for a number things and not just for storing your shoes in! Let's delve in and see what I received in this months edition..

Firstly, I got a very generous sized bottle of Cowshed Gorgeous Cow Blissful Body Lotion (£20) which contans wildcrafted essential oils of ylang ylang, rose, palmarose and lavender to help evoke a happy, blissful mood whilst soothing and balancing the mind at the same time. Now, I'm not sure about you but this reminds me an awful lot of cinnamon which I detest so I'll be passing this along to a family friend who I'm sure will got a lot of use out of it.

The next item is a teeny tiny sample pot of Premae Mild Dermabrasion Face & Body Scrub (£25) which is a skin-loving vegan body scrub containing italian olive granules to help decongest, brighten and smoothe the skin whilst being gentle enough to be used on the face too! I love a good manual scrub to use on days when I'm not using a chemical exfoliator so this will definitely be getting used at the next given opportunity. As it is such a small sample pot, it would even be good for taking on holiday with too.

I was little underwhelmed when I saw a sample of Penhaligon's Iris Prima Perfume (£85) as I seem to have acquired a lot of perfume samples in a short space of time. Regardless, these are handy to have to throw into a clutch or going on holiday with as they hardly take up any room. This particular fragrance smells rather fresh yet comforting at the same time.

I'm currently in the process of stocking up on travel sized hair products for my holiday away in October so this generous sized sample of HIP Ultra Shine Shampoo (£15) is a welcome addition to my stash! This contains a blend of peppermint and eucalyptus oils to help detoxify the hair whilst boosting circulation and soothing the hair as well giving it an unbeatable shine for healthy, happy hair.

The only makeup addition to the box and an apparent Birchbox exclusive is the Cynthia Rowley Beauty Creamy Lip Stain in Poppy (£14) which is a pretty coral-pinky-red hue that stains the lips whilst moisturising them and giving the shine of a gloss. I wouldn't personally pick nor wear this shade so this will be getting passed onto a friend.

The last addition to the box and is an extra beauty bonus are the STYLondon Temporary Metallic Tattoos (£7.99) which are some beautiful, golden temporary tattoos that you can use on both nails and skin. I feel that these are a little childish for me especially considering that I've got real tattoos however I can seem them being perfect for festivals or a night out.

Boots Tea Tree & Witch Hazel Exfoliating Pads

I will admit that I do spend more time at my other halfs than I do at home and I try to stick to the same skincare routine although sometimes it's hard, especially when you don't fancy carting round your skincare and risk leaving it there. As I don't want to spend a fortune on buying the same products but having them at the others halfs, I've instead decided to buy cheaper alternatives and one such product is the Boots Tea Tree & Witch Hazel Exfoliating Pads.

The Boots Tea Tree & Witch Hazel Exfoliating Pads (£4.99) are essentials 60 pads that are soaked in an exfoliating concocotion of antibacterial tea tree oil and skin calming witch hazel that helps to keep the skin clear by fighting spot-causing bacteria, unblocking pores and smoothing the skins surface.

As I don't use these consistenly, I can't really say that these have vastly improved my skin. However when I have used them, I have noticed that my skin does look slightly more smoother than before and any existing blemishes are reduced in size and redness. I would assume that if you used these consistently then you would see greater results especially if have blemish prone skin. These definitely do the trick whilst I'm inbetween my better skincare products and I'll carry on using them for the time being.