The Beauty Graveyard

I have a whole new bag of used up beauty products to review for you!

*'s indicate how many times a product has been in one of my Beauty Graveyard posts, the more *'s you see, the more I love it!

Tesco Pro Formula Radiance Hot Cloth Cleanser

I was really surprised at how much I liked this cleanser. I used it with a muslin cloth and it removed all my makeup, even waterproof mascara. For less than a fiver you cant complain! Would definitely buy again.

Bioderma Crealine H20 ****

The original micellar water, love this stuff. Easiest and quickest way to remove your makeup, pour on a cotton pad and wipe all over your face. Removes both face and eye makeup and is a lot more gentle on your skin than a face wipe, no stinging eyes here! I do love Bioderma but L'oreal's Micellar water is just as good.

Champneys Spa Skin Super Rich Cleansing Balm

As the name suggests this is a super rich cleansing balm! Its actually a bit gritty so doubles as an exfoliator. I really grew to like this but you have to use a cloth or flannel to remove it. A few times I used this in the shower and tried to rinse with my hands, but because it is so rich you need some form of cloth to wipe it away. My mum loved this and I have already repurchased another pot for her, so I'm sure I will be dipping into that too!

Yes to Grapefruit Correct and Repair Daily Facial Scrub

Another one of my American purchases all used up :'( 

I love, love, love the Yes to range because every one of their products is made with at least 95% natural ingredients. Sadly I think the Grapefruit range is only available in America, but if you have access to this definitely try it. Lovely exfoliator, not too harsh or abrasive. I used this in the shower when I wanted more of a deep clean.

Elizabeth Arden 8 Hour Cream *

I do love a multi purpose balm and I have to confess to using this on my feet in recent months, yes they are that dry! If its good enough for horses hooves, its good enough for my size 6's! I would definitely buy this again and would probably try the unscented version next time. I'm currently trying out & Other Stories Plush Balm, which is another great multi purpose balm.

Kiehls Midnight Recovery Concentrate

Since discovering facial oils I haven't looked back and use one every night. Midnight Recovery Concentrate was the first oil I tried and remains one of my favourites. I like that its light, doesn't feel heavy on the skin and after a few weeks I felt my skin looked much healthier. 

Aussie Mega Shampoo ****** 

My favourite shampoo, if you suffer from greasy hair like me you need to try this!

Herbal Essences Moroccan My Shine Nourishing Shampoo and Conditioner

I cant believe how quickly I have got through the beauty products I purchased in America, guess it proves I made good choices ;) If you have dry hair or frizzy hair you will love this shampoo and conditioner. Its so hydrating and left my hair so sleek and shiny. Not the greatest choice for me though, as it was a bit too heavy for my grease ball hair.

Lee Stafford Poker Straight Dry Shampoo

I will never be a massive dry shampoo fan, I hate how dirty they make your hair feel, but the Lee Stafford version is one of the better ones I have tried and I liked having this little can in my bag in case of emergency!

Bumble and Bumble Surf Spray

I never used to like Bumble and Bumble's Surf Spray but I think that's because I was spraying too much in my hair. Go easy on this, leave your hair to air dry and you get perfect beachy, messy waves. I still prefer my Oribe Wave spray to this but the Bumble and Bumble works well to add texture when I have curled my hair.

Bvlgari Jasmin Noir Perfume

If like me you are a fan of more masculine scents like Tom Ford Black Orchid, you will love this perfume. A very sexy, winter scent. I will definitely buy this again.

Lancome Hypnose Star Mascara

A good mascara for adding volume and drama to your lashes. I probably wouldn't repurchase though as I'm pretty fickle when it comes to mascaras.

NARS Sheer Glow Foundation Sample in Sante Fe

I loved this sample so much I bought the full size. Full review here but I can honestly say this is now one of my all time favourite foundations.

Garnier Body Repair Anti Dryness Restoring Lotion ***

When it comes to body moisturisers I don't like to spend a lot of money as I get through them pretty quickly. This has been relieving my dry skin in these harsh Winter months and I love that it sinks in quickly.

Yes To Carrots Hydrating Shower Gel **

99.8% Natural ingredients, that makes me very happy! I will forever repurchase this.

Argan 5 Argan Oil Super Creamy Bodywash

I got this for Christmas and as much as I love my Yes To shower gel it was so nice to use something a bit more creamy and luxurious. I think I will  have to check out the rest of the Argan 5 range now.

L'Occitane Hand Cream *

The one beauty product I hate is hand cream, they are always sticky and I cant bear how they feel. The L'Occitane version is the most bearable I have found and I always get one when they are a magazine freebie!

Taking It All Off

There are just some days where removing your makeup at the end of a long day is the best feeling in the world. In my teenage years and early twenties I was all about the makeup wipes and I very rarely bothered to take my makeup off at night. Now I'm a bit older, a bit wiser (sadly that doesn't apply to important life situations!) and I couldn't even tell you the last time I slept in my makeup. I am religious about it now, even after a night out I have to cleanse my face. No more sleeping in false eye lashes for me!

Skincare is very personal, I am not a skincare expert by any means (actual beauty school drop out here) but these are the products I love to remove my makeup with and that work for me. I have typical combination skin, oily by the end of the day and I am prone to the odd breakout more often than not!

Clarins Pure Melt Cleansing Gel and Muslin Cloth - Cleansing balms and muslin cloths were a revelation to me and are what got me off makeup wipes in the first place. They are so easy to use, apply the cleanser of your choice all over, then wet your muslin cloth with warm water and wipe over your whole face. I normally will repeat this twice as I wear makeup everyday. This is my favourite method of removing my makeup as its so quick and you don't need to use a separate makeup remover first, everything just comes off in one go, face makeup, mascara, the lot!

The Clarins Pure Melt Cleansing Gel is one of my favourites as it feels so luxurious on your skin, I also love Liz Earle's Cleanse and Polish and Tesco's Pro Formula Radiance Hot Cloth Cleanser. All of these I use with a muslin cloth. 

Clarins Instant Eye Makeup Remover and Bioderma - If I'm not using a hot cloth cleanser and want to use my Clarisonic, I like to remove my makeup first with a cleanser. This stops your Clarisonic brush getting really dirty and ensures your face is properly clean.

Clarins Instant Eye Makeup Remover is the best I have found for removing waterproof mascara. For my face makeup, I love using micellar waters as they are quick and easy (can you see a trend?!) I just squirt some on a cotton pad and rub over my face, cant get much more simple than that. I am currently back to using Bioderma as my lovely Sister bought me back two bottles from Paris but L'oreal's Skin Perfection Micellar Water is just as good.

The Clarisonic Plus - My best friends bought me a Clarisonic for my birthday last year. The most simple way for me to describe a Clarisonic, is that its like a giant electric toothbrush for your face. I have always wanted to try one but I was a bit scared to spend that amount of money, so it was amazing to get it as a present. 

I have been using the Clarisonic now for about 3 months and if I'm honest I still don't feel ready to give it a full review. I can say that I love how clean it makes your skin feel and I do enjoy using it, but I don't feel I have noticed a dramatic difference in my skin yet. It feels a lot smoother and softer but in regards to breakouts I haven't noticed this having any effect yet. Having said that I don't use my Clarisonic every day, so maybe it will take longer for me to see a visible difference in my skin.

You can use any cleanser you like with a Clarisonic, although more watery cleansers work better. I am currently using one of the cleansers that came with my Clarisonic and Neal's Yard Rose Facial Wash. 

After cleansing I like to use a toner, I have two toners which both do different jobs. The Clarins Gentle Exfoliator Brightening Toner is a chemical exofilator, sounds scary but its not! I much prefer chemical exfoliators to traditional gritty scrubs as the chemical ones are stronger and you notice a real difference in your skin. I just spray some on a cotton pad and wipe (top tip - pour your toners into a spray bottle as you use so much less product!). If my skin is feeling drier I will use my Neal's Yard Rehydrating Rose Toner, which I love. This just leaves your skin feeling refreshed and clean.

Lastly I moisturise and since discovering beauty oils I haven't looked back. I love using a beauty oil as your skin feels so nourished and hydrated, I also notice that my skin looks so much better in the morning after using these. 

As I have combination skin, I only use beauty oils at night. I apply 2-3 drops all over my face and leave to sink in. I will be honest I don't moisturise my face again in the morning, I find I don't really need to as the oil is hydrating enough and I'm kind of picky about moisturisers. The only one I have found that I really love is the Kate Somerville Goat Milk which I have now used up and as its only available in America I'm just going to have to stick with my beauty oils.

I'm currently using the Josie Maran Argan Oil Light. I wasn't keen on it at first, as its a more greasy oil but I have been using it for a few weeks now and I'm enjoying it. You can buy Josie Maran in the UK from Net A Porter. 

My all time favourite beauty oil is Tarte's Maracuja Oil but I have done a post on my favourite beauty oils which you can read here.

Now I'm off to cleanse my face!

13 Beauty Favourites of 2013

Yesterday I shared my top 13 makeup products of the year and today I'm sharing my top 13 beauty products of the year. This includes skincare, hair, nails, tools and fragrance.

It was actually pretty easy picking my top 13, as these are the products I use on an almost daily basis. They are all tried, tested and true and I highly recommend them all!

1. Oribe Apres Beach Wave and Shine Spray - I did not want to like this purely because of the price but of course what happened....I tried it and loved it. 

Now I do very little to my hair, I don't even blow dry it. This is because I naturally have very straight hair and if I use a hairdryer I look like Gwyneth Paltrow. Polka straight hair is not for me, so I leave my hair to dry naturally to get some movement in it. If I leave it to dry naturally and spray this in, I get actual waves. If I can do this and let it dry outside in the wind, I get my perfect hair. Of course I work in an office Monday to Friday so that rarely happens, but still! The other great thing about this product is that it doesn't leave any kind of residue in your hair, its not sticky, or greasy, or heavy, you really cant feel it.

Available from Space NK £18 - £33

2. Aussie Mega Shampoo and Conditioner - Thank God I found a cheap shampoo and conditioner after that spray hey! This shampoo was recommended to me by my Sister and I have used it religiously ever since. Ive lost count of how many bottles of the stuff I have got through! I am a greasy hair sufferer but this makes my hair feel so clean, it leaves behind no residue and also makes my hair super shiny. I loved the Bumble and Bumble Surf shampoo and conditioner but they were a little pricey for everyday. This however is under a fiver and works amazingly.

Available from Boots £4.69

3. Micellar Water - My bottle of Bioderma is pictured as that is the one I'm currently using but I think all Micellar waters are the same, so take your pick. I love Micellar waters, they remove all my makeup and are so gentle on my skin. I personally hate face wipes as they always leave my skin looking red, blotchy and slightly stinging. I tend to use a Micellar water to remove my makeup and then cleanse my skin with some form of balm. If you are a face wipe addict make the change, you won't regret it.

I love L'oreal's Micellar water and its a lot cheaper and easier to get hold of than Bioderma.

Available from Boots £3.33

4. Kate Somerville Goat Milk - This is the first moisturiser I have ever found that I really like and you can only buy it from Sephora (excuse me whilst I have a massive tantrum). It feels so light on your skin, its not heavy or greasy at all and I felt like I could comfortably wear it underneath my makeup, without it slipping off. My pot is now empty so I am going to have to make a trip to America next year to restock.

Available from Sephora

5. OPI Natural Nail Base Coat - The best base coat I have found and trust me I have tried a lot. This might seem pretty bog standard but it extends the wear of my nail polish, prevents my nails getting stained and has helped prevent my nails peeling. I wouldn't even bother trying another base coat now I have found this, I'm currently on my second bottle and counting.

Available from Beauty Bay £9.35

6. Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat - This top coat is quite honestly my number 1 beauty discovery of all time,  if they ever stopped making it I don't know what I would do. This drys my nail polish completely in 5 minutes. I mean completely dry, stick your hands in your bag, put your socks on, run your fingers through your hair dry. It also gives me the glossiest, shiniest finish, to the point where I am constantly asked if my nails are gel. Nah uh, its all because of this absolute beauty.

Available from Boots £9.00

7. MAC 217 Blending Brush - The only eyeshadow brush I need. This applies my eyeshadow and blends it at the same time. There are a lot of people I would love to introduce this brush to, let me tell you!

Available from MAC £18.00

8. Real Techniques Buffing Brush - The Real Techniques brushes are amazing and the Buffing Brush is my absolute favourite brush to apply foundation. Its only available as part of the Core Collection set, so if you don't want to buy the whole set, the Expert Face Brush is a good alternative.

Available from Feel Unique Currently on sale for £15.74

9. Topshop Celestial Nail Polish - Picking a nail polish was easy because this colour has been on my nails for pretty much half of the year. I am obsessed with this colour.

Available from Topshop 

10. Zoya Remove + - All of my nail care products are in my top 13 and that is because I have found the best of the bunch and don't even bother trying anything else. This might seem pricey for a nail polish remover but because I constantly wear nail polish, normal remover drys my nails out something rotten. This keeps my nails nourished, stops them drying out and I swear it increases the wear time of my polish. I don't know how many bottles of this I have got through but I refuse to use anything else.

Available from Amazon £10.55

11. Bobbi Brown Almost Bare Perfume - If you are very strange and want to smell like me, than this is what you should be wearing! This has a very light, fresh smell and I think the name describes it far better than I ever could!

Available from Debenhams £48.00

12. Moroccanoil - This would come in second place to my Seche Vite in my best beauty discoveries of all time. This stuff changed my hair texture for the better. Years of going from blonde to brown ruined my hair and left me with some serious dried ends. Applying this to the ends of my hair every time I wash it has quite literally saved my hair and I would now never be without it. Expensive but a 100ml bottle lasts me about 6 months!

Available from Feel Unique £31.85

13. Clarins Gentle Exfoliator Brightening Toner - I much prefer using a chemical exfoliator to a more traditional gritty one, as I find the gritty ones can aggravate my skin. The Brightening toner by Clarins is my favourite chemical exfoliator, I just pour some of this on a cotton pad and wipe over my skin after cleansing. I notice such a difference when using this.

Available from Boots £25.00

I cant believe I didn't include my Tangle Teezer!

On My Dressing Table

So technically this isn't a dressing table but who cares! I keep some of my most reached for things here and as I shared my favourite makeup brushes with you yesterday, I thought I'd share the rest today.

At the front I have my incense burner which was a present from my Sister all the way from Bali. In the empty Yankee Candle jar I keep my cotton wool pads and next to it all my favourite skincare products:

Origins Super Spot Remover Blemish Treatment Gel - I need this close to hand for emergencies!

Tarte Maracuja Oil - My favourite face oil

Kate Somerville Goat Milk Cream - The best moisturiser I have every used, perfect for combination/oily skin. I'm going to be devastated when this pot is finished.

Clarins Gentle Exfoliator Brightening Toner - I have decanted this into a spray travel bottle so I use less! This is a toner which contains fruit acids, these act like an exfoliator and get red of dead skin cells leaving my skin looking much brighter and smoother. I love this stuff.

Neal's Yard Rehydrating Rose Toner - A birthday present from my Sister, I like to use this after I have cleansed my skin. I love the rose smell and it feels very refreshing.

Hydraluron - Love this stuff, I apply a blob of this before my moisturiser.

Moroccanoil - I keep my Moroccanoil out as I use it every time I wash my hair. This would definitely be in my top 5, may even top 3 beauty items of all time! (So dramatic aren't I!)

Clarins Instant Eye Makeup Remover - I have used up all my L'oreal eye makeup remover and have now moved onto this. Although I really like the L'oreal one, its useless at removing waterproof mascara. This on the other hand is amazing and removes waterproof makeup like a dream.

Bioderma - After saying I wouldn't buy Bioderma again as the L'oreal Micellar water is just as good, my Sister bought me back 2 bottles from Paris (woohoo). I still love Bioderma, its just the L'oreal is cheaper and easier to get hold of.

Urban Decay All Nighter Makeup Setting Spray - My secret weapon on a night out and in the Summer, keeps your makeup on your sweaty little face!

At the back I have my empty Diptyque candle jar which has all the brushes and tools I use on a daily basis. Behind I have my Tru Blood pint glass with eye brushes and next to that I have a Kellogg's jug with more face brushes. Poking out the back are all my eyeliners and lipliners which don't get as much love since I gave up wearing eyeliner. 

On this shell dish which I got from Zara Home years ago, I keep the jewellery I wear most often. My beloved Great Frog skull ring, Marc Jacobs earrings and Deer Love necklace which I got in America. I also keep a spare hair tie and my favourite perfume, Bobbi Brown Almost Bare.

Lastly I have this Alice in Wonderland tin from Paul & Joe's Disney collection. Inside I keep all my hair bands and clips.

Trust me, it doesn't normally look as tidy as this!

L'oreal Skin Perfection 3 in 1 Purifying Micellar Solution

Now I'm not the most frugal person when it comes to make up. I remember when I was about 14/15 years old, Versace used to have a makeup line. I used to save up the money I earned sweeping the floor in the local bakers (FYI this was the year 2000, not 1952) and buy these Versace lip glosses from Allders in Croydon, they were my pride and joy. Sadly both Allders and my beloved Versace lip glosses no longer exist, but my expensive taste in beauty products has remained.

Now, as much as I love my expensive makeup and beauty items, I do love finding cheaper high quality alternatives and the L'oreal Micellar Solution is my latest discovery.

Micella waters are makeup removers, which look and feel just like water. They are so gentle on your skin and you don't need to wash your face after using them. Just pour some on a cotton pad, and your good to go. They are so quick and easy and so much better for your skin than wipes, which strip your skin and leave your face looking red and blotchy after use. Bioderma is the most famous of the micellar waters and since discovering this last year I have not used makeup wipes at all.

As much as I love Bioderma its hard to get hold of in the UK as the brand is French. You can only buy online and it costs around £15.00 for a 500ml bottle. L'oreal's Micellar Solution is widely available and only costs £4.99 for 200ml. I cant tell any difference between the two, they both remove my face makeup easily and are very gentle on my skin. I will definitely be purchasing L'oreal's verson from now on.