April 2013: Used, Abused & Reviewed.

Sally Hansen Insta-Dri: This has made an appearance in my empties a few times before and will continue to do so. It's a great purse friendly quick drying top coat but it does get gloopy a lot quicker than my all time favourite Nails Inc Kensington Caviar Top Coat.

Repurchase? Yes

Apivita Anti-Wrinkle Eye Mask With Grape & Hydrating Mask With Cucumber: These sachets come in sets of 2. I was only expecting to get 2 uses from each sachet but I got around 5 from one. I've still got another sachet to use up but I'm afraid it really didn't do much for me. I left it on overnight as directed but didn't notice any difference between using this and my regular eye cream. The Hydrating Cucumber Mask also comes with 2 sachets. My skin loved this! It felt so cooling and really made a difference in how my skin looked and felt. It did sting slightly when first applied, my mum experienced the same thing and she doesn't have sensitive skin but I did enjoy using it. I got 4 uses from 1 sachet.

Repurchase? Eye Mask - No. Cucumber Mask - Yes.

Jo Hansford Intensive Masque: I'm REALLY fussy when it come's to conditioner and this just didn't do it for me. It's a nice enough product and did make my hair feel soft and smooth but the results don't match upto the price tag which is a whopping £27!

Repurchase? No

REN Moroccan Rose Otto Body Wash: I've been trying to make this last as long as possible, it's gorgeous! The scent, the lather, the packaging - I love it all.

Repurchase? Not at full price but if it's ever on offer again I'll be stocking up.

Moroccan Oil Moisture Repair Shampoo & Conditioner: I bought this duo before I started my blog but the more I learnt about ingredients, the more I wanted to find organic hair care brands so for over a year both bottles have been lurking at the back of my cupboard. The ends of my hair have been quite dry lately which is why I started using them again. They're both paraben free which I only realised when I rediscovered them but they contain other crap so for that reason I've only been using them once a week. My hair feels a lot smoother after using them both but any more than once a week leads to flat hair and build up city.

Repurchase? Undecided

Macadamia Healing Oil Treatment*: I love this! Tames frizz, adds shine and makes my hair look healthy but does absolutely nothing for the condition of my hair, neither does Moroccan Oil. All it does is improve the look and feel of my hair untill I wash it out which is all down to the silicone. I've saw a lot of people say they slather this all over their hair as a treatment, you're just pouring your money down the drain. There's lots of oil's available to be used in that way but this (and Moroccan Oil) isn't one of them.

Repurchase? Yes

Beever Daily Revive*: This is without a doubt the best detangler I've ever used. It didn't weigh my hair down no matter how much I used and made my hair a lot easier to straighten BUT it contains parabens! :( You can read my post here.

Repurchase? If the Beever people ditched the parabens I would be loyal to this for the rest of my life!

O.P.I Nail Envy 'Sensitive & Peeling': Love this stuff, loathe the price! It's much the same as the original but designed for people with sensitive/peeling nails. I've tried so many different nail treatments from various brands but so far nothing has booted Nail Envy off its top spot. It strengthens my nails like nothing else and works well as a base coat.

Repurchase? Yes

Caudalie Enzymatic Peel Mask: This works in the same way as the Elemis Papaya Enzyme Peel and REN Glycolactic Mask but the texture is a thick white cream which applies easier with no chance of drips. After cleansing you apply a generous layer all over your face and leave it to do its thing for 10 minutes. After removing my skin looked brighter and felt smoother. The scent is barely there which is probably why it didn't irritate my skin at all.

Repurchase? Yes

Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer: I've read nothing but good reviews on this but for me, foundation primers are just an extra step that I can't be bothered with. I use them sometimes but with this I can't really say my foundation lasted longer or looked better.

Repurchase? No

Urban Decay NAKED Foundation: I can't remember much about this apart from being tempted to rush out and buy a bottle so I'm guessing I liked it.

Repurchase? I can't justify another foundation purchase at the mo.

Trilogy Rosehip Oil: This tiny bottle of goodness is a miracle worker! After getting a kitten at the start of the year my hands were used as a scratch post. They looked horrible and only now are they starting to heal. After asking for advice on Twitter on which products would be best at fading scars, Ali came to the rescue and recommended rosehip oil. Not only did it help with the condition of my hands but the redness has faded a lot!

Repurchase? I've ordered 100ml bottle of organic rosehip oil but not from Trilogy. I'm hoping it works just as good.

Dermalogica Multivitamin Thermafoliant: This stuff is harsh! When they describe it as a powerful skin polisher they aint kiddin'! It also heats up slightly which made the whole experience feel too abrasive but it did make my skin feel incredibly smooth!

Repurchase? No, I'm trying to get away from mechanical exfoliaters.

Rimmel Lash Accelerator Mascara '001 Black': I was not a fan of this at all when I first bought it. It didn't do much to my lashes and was far too wet but the more it dried out, the more I liked it. It defined and separated my lashes better than most highstreet mascaras. The end result wasn't over the top and it never looked clumpy.

Repurchase? Maybe

Boots Acetone Free Nail Polish Remover: I've said it before and I'll say it again. When it comes to nail polish remover I won't spend over 2 quid if I can help it. I go through it too quickly and have never noticed much difference between the Boots removers and more expensive ones. If it costs more than a fiver I would be expecting it to come with someone who'll remove the polish for me.

Repurchase? Yes

L'Occitane Shea Butter Hand Cream: My Holy Grail hand cream! I've still got some tubes in other scents (Rose Petals & Mango Flower) On the go but the original is my favourite.
Repurchase? Yes

Pure Thoughts Raspberry & Almond Facial Scrub*/ Banana & Clay Natural Face Mask/ Tangerine & Jojoba Whipped Shea Butter*: The masks and scrubs from Pure Thoughts are in powder form which you then add water to to make a paste. The Raspberry & Almond Scrub smelt like raspberry jam and was so gentle on my sensitive. It was so gentle that I doubted it would be able to exfoliate effectively but it did! Sandra sent me the Banana mask which is the reason I placed an order. You can buy the masks in single use sachets making them great for travel. I own a full sized pot of the Mint & Jojoba Whipped Shea Butter and love it! The Tangerine version is just as nice and moisturises brilliantly.
Repurchase? Scrub - Yes. Whipped Shea Butter - I prefer the mint version. Mask - Yes.

Have you finished many products this month?

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*PR sample

Shopping My *Sample* Stash #12

I'm still on a mission to reduce my sample stash:

Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer: I very rarely use primer, I just see it as an extra step and a bit of a faff really but I've read so many great reviews on this primer so hopefully it'll work well for me too. It's a silicone based primer but paraben free. Hurrah!

Talika Skin Retouch: I've never tried anything from Talika but Skin Retouch is a fluid for face, hands and neck. As far as I can tell it's a moisturiser but I'll have a look on google to find out exactly what it's for.

Estee Lauder Double Wear: I already own Double Wear but after placing an order online last year I received this sample in the shade 'Cashew' I think it's from the new colour range? Look's far too dark for me but I might try mixing it with a bit of moisturiser.

Mirenesse Velvet Lip Lift Moisture Shine: There's no shade name on the tube but the gloss is clear with teeny flecks of pink glitter running through. I've tried this out a few times before but wasn't impressed. I'm not sure where the 'Velvet Lip Lift Moisture Shine' bit comes from, it's just a plain basic gloss.

Nicky Clarke Instant Calmer: I haven't tried anything from Nicky Clarke in years! Instant Calmer claims to soften, add shine and control hair for a sleek luxe finish. Sounds good to me, lets hope it does what it says.

Jo Hansford Intensive Masque: Hair masks are my best friend but I recently came to the end of my mask stash. Sad times. My hair is a complete nightmare and needs all the help it can get so I'm looking forward to giving this a try. It's a 40ml tube so I doubt I'll get more than 2 uses from it.

Dermalogica Multivitamin Power Firm & Skin Smoothing Cream: Multivitamin Power Firm is a treatment to combat visible lines around the mouth and eyes. I plan to use this at night along with the Skin Smoothing Cream. I have a feeling they would be too heavy for me to use during the day plus it contains silicone and most facial skin care products containing silicone tend to roll off on me when I try the layer another product such as foundation on top.

I found a few products I ended up loving from my last Shopping My Stash post. The Rimmel BB Cream is surprisingly good and really affordable, I bought the full size last week. :)

Have you tried any of these products?

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