Sanctuary Spa active reverse facial 30 day thermal tranformation mask review

Wow that's a long ass name for a product....I had 2 samples of this so as they were sachets I emptied them into a couple of empty pots I had.

 

 

 

2 sachets, step 1 which is a peptide transformation serum and step 2 is a thermal rose clay mask. To use you obviously do step 1 and then 2, this is supposed to give a warm feeling. The initial mix of the clay onto the serum does give a warm feeling but I found this went after like a second. You then leave on for 15 minutes while the 'heating effect' cools, sadly as the heating bit didn't last it was just another cool mask. Rinse off and done. This is supposed to make the skin look more radiant but I didn't really see this, it did make my skin feel smooth but nothing super special.   

Step 1





Step 2

 

I was looking forward to using this mask for the warming effect as I haven't really used a mask like that before but I was quite disappointed with this. It got to the point where I just wanted to get it used up, I used this 1 - 2 times a week, sometimes 3 if I remembered. Not that impressed but at least I made some space in my boxes by using this up.

 

Full size is available from Boots here for £27.50

 



 

 

Ciao

 

 

 



Black Milk haul

For someone who isn't that big a fan of clothes shopping I think I've done pretty well with my recent purchases. Black Milk do some amazing leggings and they fit like a glove which is an actual miracle as I struggle to find good fitting leggings/jeans.

 Cheshire cat $75

Haunted house 2.0 $75

 Sistine chapel - limited $75

 Corpse bride $85

 King Tut $75

My favourite so far are the King Tut ones, because the waist band has the stripes I can wear these with a shorter top. All of the leggings are so nice to wear and even though expensive I would say definitely worth it. I have my peepers on the new Adventure Time collection, one of my favourite cartoons on some amazing legging, I can see another order being placed in the very near future!



                                                                    Ciao

Hot Topic Haul

Over a month ago I found a website that I have been obsessed with. Hot Topic is an American site which has clothing, accessories and collectibles from a lot of awesome TV shows, movies and bands. Being a lover of Alice in Wonderland and The Nightmare before Christmas I have partaken in a little purchasing as I have never come across clothing like this in the UK.

The prices once converted are actually quite reasonable and I think cheaper than places like Topshop or Miss Selfridge. One of the downsides though is the shipping which is high, my last order for 3 items was $48.40 (£30.44) so if you do order bear in mind the shipping adds a lot on. The biggest downside is the import, VAT and handling fee (of whichever courier is delivering it) once the package has arrived in the UK. I won't even start on this as I have already spent many an hour voicing my thoughts on the thieving shits who put on these charges, extortionate to say the least. Plus, how can a courier put on a handling fee when their job is handling mail?! I will say it can be anywhere from £11 - £30ish so again, something to think about before ordering.

This is over about 3/4 orders (with another on the way!)

 

Alice in Wonderland skirt $18.38

I love this skirt, it fits nicely around the waist and is a good length, not too long! It has a white slip inside and the print is perfect for the style I like.

 



 

The Nightmare before Christmas skirt $16.88

Another of my favourite movies so how could I say no? This is a little loose around the waist but that's obviously my fault and nothing to do with the skirt. This looks really nice on with one of the long tank tops.

 Alice in Wonderland tea party tank top  & Alice in Wonderland spoon tank top both $15.38
These are so comfortable but the gaps at the sides are quite big so I've been wearing a bandeau underneath. These are quite long so a good top to wear with leggings.

 Alice in Wonderland dress $34.50 & Alice in Wonderland croquet jumper $24.38
This dress is lovely to wear, it fits so well around the top and then just sits nicely everywhere else. I've not worn a dress in this kind of style for quite a while so was pleasantly surprised when I found I really liked it on me. The jumper is quite thin so not really one for when it's cold but it fits nicely, not too baggy. Love love love.

The Walking Dead Daryl tank top $18.38 & The Nightmare Before Christmas Lock Shock And Barrel tank top $15.38
What can I say, I just had to buy this. My favourite walker killer, I got this to wear when lounging in bed. This fits nicely, not as big as the other tank tops and it's the closest I will ever get to going to bed with him ha! Another of the Nightmare Before Christmas collection I seem to have started accumulating, a nice one to wear with some leggings.

The Nightmare Before Christmas Jack Leggings $18.55 (sold out) & Adventure Time Gunter leggings $19.88
I was really looking forward to these arriving but so disappointed when they did. The Jack ones are baggy around the thighs and bum and the Gunter ones are just massive! I can't believe they are an XS. I've put these in my draws as I'm not sure what to do with them, maybe one day I will fit into them *I say with no chance of this happening ever*

I have asked about sizes and it's a case of once a size or item is sold out they rarely get it back in. This is my justification for placing a lot of orders....why don't you come to the UK Hot Topic, why??!?!?!



                                                              Ciao

Empties #2

A few more items that I've gone through, not really that much considering the amount of products I have. I really do need to work on using more products before I run out of storage space!

Freederm Gel
Technically this isn't empty but it's out of date so it needed throwing out. This is my second tube of this, it was what I used before I found the Origins spot treatment. This gel works in basically the same way as the Origins one, put it over the spot and redness is reduced while it dries the spot out. I would say the Origins gel is a bit stronger in formula and I saw results a lot quicker with it so while the Freederm one is good it's not the best out there, for me at least. I won't be repurchasing this.
JASON Lips Bee Healthier
This is a lip balm with aloe and beeswax which I really enjoyed using. This is the second tube I've gone through and if I didn't already have a massive stock of lip balm I would repurchase. Very minty smell with a nice texture, some balms can be too slippery? Not sure that's the right word but I'm sure you know what I mean.
Eucerin Even Brighter
I have a lot of freckles on my face, I've had to accept that I can't really get rid of them but thought I would give this a go and I have been pleasantly surprised. I have noticed that a couple of the freckles I've been putting this on have faded quite a lot. I will do a separate review as I also have the moisturisers which I'm not sure on. This has already been repurchased to continue the fight against the freckles.

L'Oreal Micellar Solution
I got this to remove make up and to use after face masks just to make sure all of the mask is removed. Both cases it works really well, I don't wear waterproof mascara so not sure how well it works on that but in general this gets everything off. No more wipes for me!
Mitchum Advanced Control Deodorant
An exciting empty I know. I got unperfumed as I don't see the point in scented when I'll be wearing a perfume anyway. I don't really sweat that much so I can't really put a deodorant to the test but this one suits me well enough.

Lee Stafford Hair Growth Shampoo
I've been growing my hair for about 5 years (on purpose that is, obviously it grows anyway) and have managed to get from just below shoulder to under boob and I still haven't reached my desired length. It seems to me my hair doesn't grow super quick so anything that can give it a kick would be very welcome. This shampoo did a good job of cleaning my hair and since using it I have noticed a bit more length but then who can tell if that's natural or the actual shampoo. I think in reality nothing can help with hair growth but there we go, I have another bottle to go through but I'm not sure if I'd repurchase.
Batiste Dry Shampoo
This smells very good but that is where my likings stop. This can leave white residue in the hair even if rubbed in properly. I have used other dry shampoos that have worked better, left no residue and just generally worked better in sorting out the hair. I'm currently using another Batiste as it was on offer, the volume one but once that's done I will be looking for a different brand.

Molton Brown Ylang Ylang Shower Gel
This smelt lovely and I really enjoyed using it but at £18 for full size I don't think I will be looking into buying it.
Balance Rescue Face Tonique
This I used after a face mask and sometimes in the evening after removing make up and I was feeling lazy...It felt really nice on the skin and lasted quite a while considering it was a small bottle.

I Love...Raspberry & Blackberry Shower Gel
All of the I Love...range smells lush although the scent doesn't stay on the skin for long. I found this quite a runny gel so a lot would slip straight out of my hand leaving me with not much to lather. For the price it is a good size but not one of the better washes I've used.


Now for the good bit, I finally get to throw all of these into the recycling and start again on filling up my empties box.

Ciao

Mail Samples





As the saying goes, it's the small things in life and it definitely is. I received this card from Philosophy through the mail a week or so ago and sadly it did make me happy that I had got 2 small samples from them. Now I don't know why more companies don't do this as samples as a major decider for a lot of people on if they will go on to buy a product or not.

 

 

There were 2 samples, hope in a jar day and hope in a jar night moisturiser. Everyone likes something for free right?

 

 

There was also a discount for £15 off and free P&P on your next order although you did have to spend £60 for this to apply. It does annoy me a bit when companies give you a discount but you still have to spend quite a high amount to use it. I use the past tense did as the date for this code was October 21st to November 10th so...yeah had this laying around for a while!

 

I know in the beauty boxes I get I've received samples like this and I've paid £10 plus P&P to receive them! If more companies did this it would then be redundant for beauty boxes to include the sachet samples and in place maybe a reasonable sized sample.

Come on companies, get the mail samples coming, everyone likes a free treat.

 

Ciao



BBB Christmas Edit Box 2013

Received my BBB box this morning, I know a lot of people were still waiting for theirs on Thursday so hopefully they have all been delivered by now. Sadly this sold out within hours of going live but fingers crossed we will get to see more next year.I was so excited for this as I really enjoyed the first one that was out in July. I made sure I didn't look at any posts regarding the box as I just love the surprise when opening boxes like this. 

This is basically my initial thoughts on it, I will be reviewing some of the items individually which I can't wait to try some of the items out.

Rituals Car Perfume - £10.00 from here
Mine is in Sandalwood & Copaiba, you can't really smell anything in the box so I don't know if I will like the scent or not. It works by attaching it to one of the fans in your car so when the air comes through it sends out the scent. Sadly I no longer have a car but I will see if mummy would like this in hers.
Alterna Bamboo 48 Hour Sustainable Volume Spray - £24 for full size here
I think I already have a bamboo spray but possibly from a different brand, I haven't used I yet. This spray is to be used on towel dried hair before blow drying. My only problem with hair products like these is the need to blow dry. I like to let my hair dry naturally plus it take very little time for it to actually dry. I do need some volume in my hair though so I think I will have to give it a go.
Washi! Hot Cloth - £6.55 for a pack of 7 here
A pure cotton cloth which is supposed to stay hot longer than a muslin cloth. It does feel really soft so this will be going into my rotation of face clothes. There is a 15% discount on orders using code BBB at checkout, it says valid for 14 days from when you receive your box so not sure when this ends.

 

Roger&Gallet Bois d'Orange Huile Sublime - £12 for 30ml here

A light non greasy dry oil, the scent is quite nice considering orange is not something I would go for. I tried this on the back of my hand and it sank in straight away, I hate oils that just sit on the skin. This will be nice for when it's too cold for lotion plus I probably won't need to wait around for it to sink in before getting dressed.

L'Occitane Cherry Blossom Hand Cream - £8 here 

I've not used anything from L'Occitane before but this smells lovely. Hand cream is a year round staple in my bag or by my bed so it's always a bonus when it smells good.

Mandara Spa Tropical Blooms Softening Bath Milk - £5 here

A mixture of jasmine, ylang ylang, sweet almond and star flower. This smells good, I can see it being a nice addition to my baths. I've not tried a bath milk before as I love a lot of bubbles so it will be interesting to see how it compares to good old bubble bath.

CND Vinylux Nail Polish & Top Coat - £8.95 per bottle here (I couldn't find this duo)
I got the colour Tropix which is quite a bright pink colour along with the clear top coat. This polish should last a week once applied so I will be interested to see if it actually does. I use a computer every day which usually leads to chipping quicker then normal so it will be put to the test.

 Maybelline Rocket Mascara - £7.99 here
One mascara I've not tried, I used to use the Colossal which was good so I have higher expectations for this one. I'll be saving this for when my Benefit one has run out.
Bourjois Eyeliner - £5.99 here
On the pencil I have shade 16 Ebene & Argent but can't see this on Boots or the Bourjois website so I'm not sure. Basically a black liner and a silver highlighter for the inner corners or a liner by itself. The silver feels creamy so it should be a nice one to wear. It gives a 16 hour wear time so we shall see.

Rouge Bunny Gleaming Temptations Lip Gloss - £15.35 here
My shade is Blameless which on the website describes it as a 'your lips but better shade' and I agree this is a very nice nude shade. Being pale I find some nudes don't suit me but this isn't too dark so as long as it isn't a sticky gloss this should be a nice one to wear everyday.

Urban Decay Moondust Eye shadow - £14 here
This is in the shade Zodiac which is a beautiful green with what looks like multi coloured shimmers through it. I love Urban Decay eye shadows as the pigmentation is amazing and the shadow is so soft. I think this will go really well with my brown eyes and just in time for a festive look.

L'Occitane Angelica Cleansing Gel & Toner - £16 each here & here
I like to use a toner after a face mask just to make sure all of it has been removed so this will be put to use straight away. Cleansing gel I will put with my current stash as I seem to have acquired quite a few! These smell very fresh so probably a good one for morning time.

REN Glycolactic Radiance Renewal Mask & Invisible Pores Detox Mask - £30 & £18 here
I'm looking forward to trying both of these, targeting blackheads and pores around my nose. I've tried other masks aimed at clearing out blackheads but they've never really worked so I've got my fingers crossed on at least one of these banishing them.

Indeed Labs Hydraluron - £24.99 here
An intense moisture boosting serum which has proven to be quite popular in the beauty world so with the colder weather pretty much already here this will be a good one to add to the skin care routine.

La Roche-Posay Redermic (R) Dermatological Anti-Wrinkle Treatment - £18.66 here
Designed for sensitive skin this is probably a suit all product. Even though I don't have wrinkles the also claims to even out skin tone so I will give it a try to see if this makes my skin look better.

Vichy Idealia Smoothing  & Illuminating Cream - £22 here
This one is for normal to combination skin which suits me perfectly. They also do one for dry so one for all skin types. Again a product for wrinkles and an even skin tone but this one also helps give a natural radiance which is always needed in winter.

Finally there was a little stocking in the box which is so cute, I will definitely be using this for someones Christmas gift.

This box cost £22 with £5.95 P&P and is approximately worth £150. A mixture of full size and trial size this is definitely a good way to try out a lot of brands and new products. Both BBB boxes have not disappointed and I think it's such a good way to try out beauty bloggers favourite products. Thank you British Beauty Blogger for arranging these boxes, I look forward to trying them all out!

 

 

Ciao