A Massive Beauty Haul and an Important Life Lesson

Last week I finally received the money that I had been awarded in a court case that I won recently. It sounds more exciting or worrying that it was. It was basically to do with being ripped off by my old landlord who was trying to take advantage of me and my flatmates by overcharging us and failing to deliver a habitable home. Fast forward 18 months and we finally managed to get back the rent we paid (for a house we couldn't live in). This meant that for the first time in a long while I've had money that I can spend with an entirely guilt free conscience as I'd written off thinking that I'd never get it back. (We also won our legal fees, interest and our old deposits back, so it was an incredible success for us.)

This isn't necessarily the right place to talk about this, but I think that it is really important to fight for what you think is right. If someone tries to take advantage of you then you don't have to idly sit by and put up with it. As a student I have noticed that people really do try and take advantage of you because they assume that you're young, disorganised and lack the confidence to go after what you think you deserve. This is completely wrong and unfair. If you stand up for yourself, seek advice and get organised you can get the results you deserve. After finally being awarded our money we asked the lawyer we were working with to write a press statement (that was worded in such a way that we wouldn't get us in any trouble) so that we could distribute it to our local and student newspapers. No-one should have to suffer the stress (or physical danger from the house's condition) that we have gone through from the beginning of this saga until now. When something is clearly unacceptable you should say so, you should never have to put up with unacceptable behaviour.

Anyway! Now that little speech is over we can move on. It's been a very weird fortnight for me and I've been a little distant from my blog. Despite the relief of winning the court case I actually got some terrible news about a death in the family last week. The way I dealt with it, it would appear, was to shop, and I did in fact go on a bit of a shopping rampage It was all loosely within the budget I set for myself so it wasn't an insane move on my part, but it has added up to a lot of stuff. All the following (as well as a considerable wardrobe upgrade and a holiday I'm going to book for after I graduate) are my reward for standing up for myself and a celebration of the fact that we won, that all the organisation and work was worth it in the end. 

I know, I went a little crazy. But despite how it looks it was all quite a good deal! I went to T.K. Maxx, Boots, cashed in my Birchbox points towards the Korres lip products and then did a massive Fragrance Direct shop. I'm really excited about trying the new foundations I bought and I've already cracked out the Dainty Doll Lipsticks and they are gorgeous- I should have bought all of the shades! Reviews will follow, but not all at once (as you can imagine). 

If there is anything you want to see reviewed sooner rather than later then let me know in a comment and I'll put that at the top of my list :) Is there anything I bought that you really like the look of?

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REVIEW: The Body Shop's Tea Tree Blackhead Exfoliating Wash

The Body Shop's Tea Tree Exfoliating Wash is available online here for £6.50

I've just finished this product which I've been using as my main exfoliater since the beginning of January. I've enjoyed using it so much that I thought it deserved a review. I have quite difficult skin to manage as it is really very oily on my t-zone, quite dry on my cheeks and sensitive all over. Finding products that don't aggravate my skin is quite difficult, especially products like exfoliaters which in the past have really struggled to get along with my skin. I picked up the Body Shop's Tea Tree Blackhead Exfoliating Wash on a complete whim. I liked the way it looked as it didn't seem too densely packed with exfoliating beads and I love its tea tree scent. This purchase was an incredibly good one on my part. Not only has it lasted me very well, making it excellent value for money, but it has never once left my skin red, blotchy or irritated in any way. I also believe that using this alongside a good cleanser (which for me was LaidBare's DIY Two in One Cleanser and Toner- which I'd highly recommend - until I finished it) made a big difference in how my skin looked and felt. They were a really good combination for my skin!

The product feels like a mix between a gel and a cream, it's pretty light and there aren't loads of exfoliating beads as you can see in my photo above. For sensitive skin this provides a great option for light, gentle exfoliation which effectively exfoliates skin but leaves you very much in control of how rough the process is. The tea tree 'wash' is a really effective cleanser in itself, although when I used this I would always apply it after first using a cleanser. However, it really feels likes its working and on the days that I would use this on top of my cleanser I would notice that my skin looked and felt cleaner, smoother and (although it may have just been to my eyes) brighter. The tea tree element of it is slightly drying but on my oily t-zone it worked wonders for helping improve my skin (and I did see an improvement in my blackheads), I just always made sure to use it in conjunction with a thorough moisturising regime that catered specifically for my skin type. This meant using a toner to finish of my cleansing and exfoliating regime, followed by the application of a serum (on the days I felt I needed it) and then a moisturiser. As a part of this regime, which became second nature to me after a while and now I'm at a slight loss where to turn to with my skincare regime, the Body Shop's Tea Tree Blackhead Exfoliating Wash fitted perfectly and gave me every result I desired from an exfoliater. It it a product I would highly recommend for blemished and oily skin, especially if you also have found other exfoliaters too rough. I've purchased the Body Shop's Aloe Vera Gentle Exfoliater to use next as I was interested in seeing if it's more suited to my skin type, but even if it is I am still really happy to have tried this product.

What's exfoliater are you currently using? Would your recommend it?

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Glossybox Review March 2013

I received my March Glossybox yesterday and I thought I'd show you what I got! 

Treseme Salon Finish Extra Hold Hairspray 100ml 

This is one of the products in the box that I'll get some use out of. I haven't tried many Treseme products so I'm pleased that this is in the box this month, although hair spray isn't exactly an exciting product!

Juicy Couture 'Couture La La' Perfume Sample 1.5ml

I can't say how much I dislike receiving perfume samples in beauty boxes! You can pick these up for free at department stores! The scent isn't up my street either so this is an all round 'loser' of a product in my book.

Jelly Pong Pong Lip Blush Moisturising Lip Stain

This is the other product in the beauty box that I really like the look of. I'm a big fan of Revlon's Lip Balm Stain so I'm really hoping this is as good, or even better- especially as this has an RRP of £12!

Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream 7ml Sample 

I don't know how I feel about this sample, it's relatively small but the fullsize product is quite expensive so it is nice to be able to see if you like the product before chancing my money on it. However, sadly for me I've already tried this and not liked it! I'm going to be passing this straight on to my Dad who I know uses this product regularly, but personally this isn't something I was happy to see. (Doesn't mean you'd feel the same way though!)

Nail Inc London Nail Polish Sample in the shade 'St. James'

I was a bit disappointed with this sample to be honest. It's tiny! And it is in a shade that Glamour included as a free gift a couple of months ago, which meant that for less money I got a lot more product. It's a lovely shade though, so those of you who didn't take advantage of Glamour's freebies you'll probably really enjoy using this.

Overall, I really wasn't that happy with this month's box! I have enough Glossydots to get a free box next month but if I didn't I would be unsubscribing. I'd love to know how you feel about this month's box though. 

Angelica

(Gorgeous followers: If you haven't already, I'd really appreciate if you voted on what you'd like the prize to be for my "6 Months of Blogging Giveaway" that's starting next weekend. The Poll is on my sidebar!)

REVIEW: Roots and Wings Lavender and Chamomile Bath Soak and Hand Wash

Last month, Kerri from Nature's Healthbox very kindly sent me a couple of Roots & Wings products to try out. If you haven't yet heard of Nature's Healthbox, it's a really lovely website dedicated to making it easy to find and purchase the best organic, natural and eco-friendly products as well as offering first class customer service. From the interaction I've had with Kerri, one of the women who founded and runs the website, who was very quick to respond to all of my emails and who comes across as very friendly and approachable, I can totally believe that the customer service is indeed of a very high standard.

As for the products available on the website, they're like a dream for someone like me who loves natural skin care! It's a great place to find products from brands you already know and love, but it's also a real gold mine for finding new natural and organic brands that you've not heard of before! Just like Roots & Wings.

The first Roots & Wing product that I've been trialling is the Lavender and Chamomile Bath Soak.* I've used this a number of times but have reserved it for evening baths. I've found that you don't need to use a lot of it to create loads and loads of bubbles and that the scent is incredibly relaxing and soothing. The bubbles last a considerable amount of time in the bath too, they won't all disappear on you after five minutes! The scent lingers very pleasantly and I found being able to smell traces of Lavender on my skin really quite nice when I was wrapped up in bed. The product itself is also very gentle as I had absolutely no reaction to using this and my skin as been really quite sensitive, with small eczema flare ups, recently. I wouldn't be worried about using this even if you have mild to moderately sensitive skin, or on children with normal to mildly sensitive skin.

Also,  if you didn't already notice in the above photo, the bath soak is 76% Organic and the company donate 10% of all their profits to charity. I really love that not only does this product's ingredients support organic farming but if you purchase products from Roots & Wings you know that some of your money will be going to a good cause. For me personally, this all builds up respect for this brand and removes any guilt I ever may have had about purchasing one of their products.

The second item I was sent was a Lavender and Chamomile Hand Wash*. I know I go on about it quite a lot, but I have extrememly senstive and moderately dry hands. Hand wash is therefore an area in which I have to choose my products very carefully. I usually use solid soap instead of liquid soap, however, I have to admit that I do still like liquid soap and Roots & Wings' Lavender and Chamomile Hand Wash is really really nice. The scent is the same as in the Bath Soak and the hand wash really foams up remarkably well. It leaves your hands feeling very clean and also having just the touch of a scent to them which I don't personally mind at all. My hands aren't left any drier than they normally are after using this, and I don't get any red-ness or tightness in the skin of my hands after use. The product's packaging is really sturdy and I've knocked it off my sink a few times now (I'm a real clutz) with no consequences.  I also think this looks a lot nicer than other liquid handwashes do, and if I had a home to proud of (rather than my current student digs) then this would definitely be the sort of thing that I would put in my 'guest bathroom'.

All in all, I have been incredibly impressed with the quality of both of these products and the rest of the Roots & Wings range looks really tempting to me right now! Both the Hand Soak and the Bath Soak cost £4.49* and I now actually have my eye very firmly set on the Coconut, Almond, Aloe Vera and Ylang Ylang Bath Soak (and if you don't have a bath they also have a shower gel  in the same scent).

Have you tried any Roots & Wings products before?

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