Glamour Magazine Freebie: Kate Spade Nails Inc 'Uptown Glamour'

With this month's Glamour Magazine there are a choice of four different Nails Inc nail polishes all available for just £2 which is a steal considering that they're normally £11. I chose to pick up 'Uptown Glamour' because I liked the idea of having a gold nail polish to wear on Christmas day. However, what I found was that 'Uptown Glamour' is actually a whole level more beautiful than I ever could have imagined! It isn't straightforwardly golden, it's incredibly frosty and really does transform in different lighting. I've included two different swatches so you can see what I mean, the first (in the image above) makes it look almost silver whilst the second captures what 'Uptown Glamour' looks like in direct sunlight. You can see its warmth much better in the image below. Overall, I find 'Uptown Glamour' to be incredibly wearable for a metallic and I think it's a really sophisticated colour - I'm really glad I picked it up!

It's also worth knowing that this month's Glamour Magazine also features a Body Shop Christmas Joy Card which is a gift card worth either £3, £15 or £100! I used mine to pick up a little Body Shop treat for myself. Have you picked up Glamour Magazine this month? What do you think of Nails Inc's 'Uptown Glamour'?

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Boots' Own Brand Hairspray and Dry Shampoo: a Great Way to Save Money or a False Economy?

This post has been a little bit slow in the making. It all began during my spending ban, I ran out of a couple of (what I would call) 'essential' items and I wanted to replace them as cheaply as I could so as to keep true to the challenge of a spending ban. Two branded products that I replaced with Boots' own brand equivalents were Batiste's Original Dry Shampoo and L'Oreal's Elnett Satin Hairspray in 'Normal Hold'. Boots' ownbrand equivalent products were a bit cheaper so I decided to pick them up, I got Boots' Dry Shampoo in Paradise Island (a tropical scent) and Boots' Firm Hold Hairspray. If you're frugal like I am then this post may well interest you, I'm going to compare the branded and ownbrand products to see if this is an area in which I could consistently save myself some money.

Batiste is what I imagine to be the 'standard' dry shampoo; it's one of the easiest brands to get hold of, it isn't extortionately priced and as far as I'm concerned it does a good job. A 400ml bottle of Batiste (like the one shown in my pictures) costs £4.99 when there is no offer on and a 200ml bottle costs £2.99 (this is the same size as the own brand Dry Shampoo in my pictures). The own brand Boots' Dry Shampoo normally costs £2.29 for 200ml (although I bought it on offer for £1.50). So between the two different brands there is essentially only a 70p difference - it doesn't sounds like much but I probably go through 400ml of dry shampoo a month so over a year any savings do add up.

However, the Boots' Dry Shampoo was probably the worst dry shampoo I've ever tried, and I've tried numerous different brands and versions. The own brand shampoo was much harder to use - it didn't spray as finely, it left a white cast on my hair regardless of how delicate I was with my applications and it didn't really make my hair look clean! I also got through the own brand dry shampoo much faster than I had anticipated too, for once there really wasn't anything on this product's side. Batiste wins this battle hands down, there wasn't really any competition. Although it does sadden me to say so because I like an underdog.

Next up is L'Oreal Elnett Satin in Normal Strength and a 200ml bottle costs £4.20, although I must admit that this is a newly emerging favourite of mine so this test isn't entirely unbiased. The Boots' own brand hairspray for 450ml is only £1.60 (I can't find the price for 200ml) - here, unlike the dry shampoo, there is the potential for a considerable saving as you get more product for a lot less money.

The L'Oreal Elnett Satin in Normal Strength is great for when you want flexible hold. I like using hairspray to help keep volume in my roots, or to keep flyaways at bay, but I hate being able to feel product in my hair. With the Normal Strength version it is so light that you never feel it in your hair, even if you use quite a lot of product, and this is the quality that makes me love it. Boots don't make a flexible hold hairspray and the 'firm hold' is actually the hairspray they make with the least hold. For its price it is actually a very good product, it does a good job and it isn't too noticeable in the hair. It isn't as feather-light as the L'Oreal hairspray but I think that is to be expected. Although I would prefer not to, I could definitely get used to using the own brand hairspray without it being too much of a pain, and unlike with the dry shampoo it would be a small swap that would save me quite a bit of money! 

 I found this to be a good experiment even though it was a bit hit and miss! Do you ever opt for own brand products? Do you have any 'budget buy' recommendations?

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Elle Magazine's December Freebie: Benefit's Dandelion Lip Gloss

I know the world and their mother have been talking about this month's Elle Magazine and its dreamy Benefit freebies but I wanted to chime in. I have a subscription to Elle so I didn't get a choice in shade but this month there are three different lip glosses up for grabs when you purchase Elle for £4 - Dandelion, Hoola and Coralista. Dandelion is a milky pink shade with just a hint of shimmer - the lip gloss isn't even remotely sticky and considering how glossy and light it feels it lasts very well on the lips. I like it so much that I'm seriously considering going out to pick up the other two shades. For £4 I think this is a really great way to try out some of Benefit's products. Even though the size of these lip glosses (6.5ml) only gives them an approximate £6 value (so you're not really getting an uber deal, per se) you can't usually buy mini versions of these lip glosses. Normally you'd have to shell out £14.50 per lip gloss to even give one a try. This means that even if you were to buy all three for £12 you'd still be paying less money than if you were to buy one full size shade, and you'd be getting three very wearable options. I can only make maths work in my favour when it comes to beauty buying decisions...

Let me know if you've picked up one (or more) of these Benefit lip glosses, I'd love to know what you think of them!

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Crushing on Lush: A Seriously Indulgent Lush Wishlist

After my spending ban ended last month I indulged in some shopping and on my rounds of Leeds' city centre I stepped into Lush. I've always liked Lush's products but something happened to me on that fateful day... I walked into the shop and everything started to appeal to me. One of the most helpful shop assistants I've ever come across guided me from product to product and I left with a handful of treats (as shown in my Lush Haul post) but craving a whole bunch more. Now, I'm not really in a position to just go out and buy all the items I'm going to be mentioning today but I do hope to try them all out eventually and naturally when I do I'll review them for on here for you guys. Some of the products I'll be mentioning I've been lusting after for a long time and others have only recently been brought to my attention but as far as I'm concerned all of these things are downright gorgeous! 

Hopefully this post with help you if you're looking for Lush products to try or maybe even if you need some Christmas gift inspiration (Lush products make wonderful gifts).

(all photos in this post have been taken from https://www.lush.co.uk/)

 Top row: Whipstick Lip Balm, Dream Cream Body Lotion, Yuzu and Cocoa Bubble Bar.

Bottom row: Snowcake Soap, Hair Doctor Hair and Scalp Mask, Honey Bee Bath Bomb.

Whipstick Lip Balm  £5.75 

I've had a love affair with Lush's Honey Trap Lip Balm all year long but next year I think Whipstick might be the lip balm I replace it with. Whipstick has a chocolatey-orange scent and like Honey Trap it is really lovely and nourishing.

Dream Cream Body Lotion   £11.25 (240g)

I've heard about this a few times on Evelyn's blog (the first beauty blog I ever started reading and one I still check daily) and I can't believe I haven't tried it yet! It sounds wonderful for dry skin and I regularly suffer from dry skin, and also from eczema flare ups, so from the sounds of it this is the perfect product for me.

Yuzu and Cocoa Bubble Bar  £3.25

Oh hold me! The scent, the scent ladies and gentlemen is just scrumptiolicious (it deserves a word all of its own). This is a bubble bar so you'd crumble this up under running water and the result would be mountains of delicately scented bubbles that would fill your bath. There is nothing I'd like more than to have one of these to hand on a cold winter night and sink down into a warm bath.

Snowcake Soap  £3.25 (100g)

Almond lovers, beware! Your heart might just be stolen by this soap. This is a Christmas Limited Edition product and it smells truly and thoroughly of almonds. It's warming, lathers like a dream and scents whatever room it is left sitting in. I'm definitely going to treat myself to some of this before the winters out.

Hair Doctor Hair and Scalp Mask  £6.95 (95g)

I've let my hair go a little bit too long without a hair cut so in the mean time, whilst it's not on top form, I like to help it along a bit with hair masks. This hair and scalp mask sounds perfect for me and for anyone who's hair isn't quite looking as 'happy' as they'd like it to be!

Honey Bee Bath Bomb  £3.25

This one of Lush's Bath Bombs - these don't produce bubbles like the bubble bars but they do scent and colour your bathwater. Honey Bee has a very gentle honey scent that will work for honey obsessives and for those who don't love overwhelmingly sweet scents. I find it delicate but moreish and I can't wait to give it a whirl. 

Top Row: No Drought Dry Shampoo, Randy Butter, Buffy Body Scrub, Let the Good Times Roll Cleanser

Bottom Row: American Cream Hair Conditioner, Oatifix Fresh Face Mask

No Drought Dry Shampoo  £6.75 (115g)

I've heard a lot of people declare their love for this dry shampoo and as a regular user of the stuff myself, I'm very keen to get in on a good thing! I haven't tried it, smelt it or any of that jazz for myself, but word on the street is that this stuff rocks.

Randy Butter Buttercream  £5.20 (100g)

This is only available online (unless you live near the Poole store) so again this is a product I know very little about. All I know is that from the description on the website it sounds like something fun. It's described as boozy, Christmassy - full of brandy and cinnamon. Who doesn't want to smell like a Christmas pudding?

Buffy Body Scrub  £6.25 (90g)

I always find that it's easier to keep my skin soft and hydrated when I exfoliate. The Buffy Body Scrub (apart from having an awesome name) seems as though it will offer a thorough exfoliation without being too harsh on the skin. It's also full of cocoa and shea butter so it will hopefully also inject a bit of moisture back into my skin as you use it. 

Let the Good Times Roll Cleanser  £6.35 (100g)

I've been really enjoying the Lush Buche de Noel cleanser and I'd like to try another one out when I finish it up. Let the Good Times Roll smells really nice, sweet but not overpowering, and the consistency seems as though it will lend itself well to cleansing. But if I'm totally honest, the name was what won me over.

American Cream Hair Conditioner  £4.50 (100g)

This was recommended to me on twitter not long ago and it sounds great! I have fine hair but it does get dry and I spend a lot of time trying to keep it looking and feeling lush (no pun intended..). With my trusty Kerestase conditioner almost at an end this seems like a perfect replacement.

Oatifix Fresh Face Mask  £5.95 (75g)

This is the only product on my wishlist that I've already tried. It smells amazing, oat-y and sweet and not too unlike the porridge soap which is one of my favourites. It's for dry skin but although I have combination skin the wind has been playing havoc with the dry areas of my face. Usually my oily t-zone is what I worry about most but now dry patches are my worst enemy! I need a pot of this in my life again, it works wonders.

You've now seen my extortionately long Lush wish list - I really hope I can give some of these products a try over the upcoming months! What Lush products are you lusting after? Or is there anything that isn't on my list that you would recommend? 

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