My Autumn/Winter Essentials So Far - B xo

So I’ve seen LOADS of people posting their Autumn/Winter Favourites/Essentials already this year, and every time I see one, I think to myself; wow. It’s only just really started to get yucky weather wise (In the UK anyway). So while I have a few bits that I would class as Autumn/Winter Essentials, I want to make it clear to everyone that these may change, or get added to, as Winter goes on! Okay, here we go.

We’ll go to skincare for my first product. It is, of course, Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser. You all know by now that I am head over heels in love with this product. Since I started using it a few months ago, I have not strayed from the path, I have been completely faithful. I haven’t even been tempted to stray. This is probably my favourite skincare discovery ever. I started using it in the summer and I’ll be honest, I did wonder if it would work as well for me in the colder months, as skin needs change depending on the weather. I had nothing to be worried about. I’ve used this constantly and had no problems whatsoever. Far from it, my skin has improved dramatically compared to before Liz Earle waltzed into my life. It removes every scrap of makeup with minimal effort and leaves my skin feeling quite frankly, luscious. At £13.25 for a 100ml bottle (more than I think I have ever paid for a skincare product, constantly at least) at first glance this may seem a bit expensive (to those of us that rely heavily on high street products). However, once you have tried this product, you will realise that you have got yourself an absolute bargain. You can’t afford NOT to buy it!

My next Autumn/Winter Essential is also of the skin care theme. It is… Astral Moisturiser! I am a bit of a moisturiser whore, I don’t mind admitting. I flit from product to product, never really finding anything that really floats my boat and just plodding along with products I deem average at best. When I ran out of my little Liz Earle moisturiser (which was really nice, just not for me), I was at a loss as for where to head next in my ever long moisturiser quest. Then one day when I went into Superdrug for a browse, I spotted this on display at the front of the shop. I recognised it immediately as a product that my aunty used to use. It was her holy grail of skincare, and I remember seeing it in her bathroom from when I was a tiny toddler to when she died. And as if that wasn’t enough of a sign, it was on offer. I think I paid £3.50 for a 500ml tub (or something along those lines). I LOVE this moisturiser. And I really never thought I would say that, but it is fantastic. My skin gets dehydrated quite quickly, but once moisture has been restored, it’s okay. This means that I normally struggle to find a moisturiser that deals with both skin situations. This does it, no problem. It goes on smoothly, sinks in to the skin beautifully and has left my skin feeling soft and radiant. I’m VERY impressed. And as it is getting colder here in the UK my skin needs a bit more help. I don’t imagine I will be leaving this behind any time soon.

Moving on from skincare to hair, another thing I would be lost without this winter, is Aussie Miracle Moist Shampoo. Again, this tends to be a little bit more pricey than the kind of shampoo that I used to buy but after using it religiously for a few months now (I’m getting much better at this sticking with products thing), I can totally see why. I tend to try and wait until I see this on offer to buy it, but regardless, it is definitely worth the price tag. No matter what I do to my hair, it is always dry. Before I started using Aussie, it would often be so dry that I had to condition for about 10 minutes before I could even dream of getting a brush through it. I have no more of that. The condition of my hair has really improved since I’ve stuck to this shampoo, and it smells gorgeous too!

My next product, is a fairly recent discovery. However, it’s one of those things that everyone has been raving about for ages and I’m just late to the party. It is, of course, the Revlon Colourburst Lip Butters. There has been SO much hype around these, I thought, I just can’t hold out any longer. These are around the £7 mark, depending on where you buy them and whether they’re included in some sort of offer. A little pricey for what seems at first glance to be basically a lip balm. Or so I thought. I was wrong. At first, I didn’t really get this product. Now that I do, I absolutely love it. The formulation of these are quite unique. They apply like a balm, but have the pigmentation of a lipstick. I find these to be uber hydrating and lovely, they make my lips feel gorgeous. The shade range is VERY impressive, although a lot of high street shops don’t stock them all. The staying power isn’t great, but as this isn’t actually a lipstick, I’m fine with that. The only negative comment I have about these is the packaging. I don’t like it. It seems cheap and impractical and just, not to my taste at all. Apart from that, I think these are brilliant. Definitely worth the hype and I hope to be expanding my collection sometime soon.

Have you guys got any products you'd be totally lost without in the Autumn(Fall)/Winter Months? Let us know in the comments below :)

B xo

One Direction for MUA mini review - Little Things range.

Unless you follow my personal twitter/tumblr/any other social networking platform, most of you probably don’t know my deep dark secret. I am a HUGE (referring to my interest, not my dress size) One Direction fan. S kept this in mind when purchasing my birthday presents (she is fabby), and bought me a lipstick, lip polish and nail varnish from their new 1D for MUA “little things” make up range. As she knows that I have singled out Harry Styles as my one and only, she bought me his colours. This means that I have the “Fuschia Frenzy” nail varnish, Harry Loves Strawberry lip polish, and “Be Mine” lipstick. Now I knew that I wanted these products (I love makeup and I love 1D, of course I wanted them), but I’ll be honest, I didn’t have very high expectations for the quality. MUA, in my opinion, used to be a bit rubbish. Although recently they have seriously stepped it up, I will admit. I have had some really good pieces from them, and I know that Sam loves their heaven and earth palette. For such a reasonably priced brand, you can’t really complain.

So anyway, after receiving these from S, I was tres excited to try them out. I dived straight in with the lipstick. The packaging is nice enough. They all say kiss you on the outside, a cute little merger of a 1D reference and obviously, lips. The lid stays on, which is majorly important for me, and the bottom of the packaging is clear, so you can see what shade the lipstick is. It’s cute, and serves it’s purpose. “Be Mine” is actually a really nice shade. In the packaging, it looks a dark, cherry shade, but when applied it’s actually a very pretty, strawberry kind of red. Not matte, but not glitter overload. It has a shine to it, but you could apply a gloss on top if you wanted a different kind of finish. This product is impressively highly pigmented, and is lovely to apply. I’ve tried it with a lip liner and without and was pleased with it’s staying power. Overall, I really like this product. (And I think it’s so cute that Harry’s signature is on it, awh).

On to the lip polish. Now, I know that me and Harry are destined to be together because I love strawberry too! Coincidence or what? I am a big fan of lipgloss. I love the shine it tends to give, as well as the fact that I don’t always have a mirror to hand which makes applying proper lipstick a risky business. At least with lipgloss I know I can’t go far wrong,. The packaging of this polish is actually really cute. It’s fairly flat, which means it fits well in my makeup bag. It doesn’t look exactly high end, but I’m fine with that. It lids are coloured pretty much the same as the actual gloss, so that you can see what shade it is straight away. And, of course, the boys have their lovely signatures on top. The lids twist off, which is great for making it secure (is there anything worse than ending up with lipstick all over your bag? I think not). Now, the first thing I noticed about this product, the second I had untwisted the lid, was the smell. Harry Loves Strawberry smells amaaaazing. Like strawberries, weirdly. But it isn’t sickly or overpowering. It’s strawberryish in a lovely subtle kind of way and I like it a lot. I applied this product with my fingers. I didn’t need a lot, and it literally glided on. What I liked was that it didn’t make my lips feel too sticky, and it actually stayed on really well. The colour showed up a lovely baby pink. My lips felt extremely kissable (hint hint, come on H).

Finally, came the ultimate test. You lot will probably know by now that I love to have my nails painted, and therefore am a huge fan of nail polishes. However, for some reason, every kind of polish that I put on my nails seems to chip within a matter of hours. I’m pretty critical of nail polishes, I don’t mind admitting. A lot of them, I think are rubbish. So to me, I’d saved the most interesting (and potentially disappointing) until last. My nails are currently in a bit of a sorry state. I recently had acrylics, and although I absolutely loved them, they didn’t last very well at all. I had to take them off and now my real nails are all short and sad. This means that I have the perfect excuse to paint them, and make them look a bit more presentable. Cue time to try out “Fuschia Frenzy”. Again, the packaging of this is quite nice. The bottle is a decent size, and all clear glass so you can see the exact colour that the product is. Plus it has a cutesy little plectrum of Harry’s face, attached, always a winner in my book. On opening the bottle, I had a look at the brush. Let’s be honest, a lot of brushes that come in nail varnishes are utter crap. They’re cheaply made, the bristles come off and end up stuck in your polish, or they just don’t apply smoothly at all. I was very impressed with this brush. A lot of product came out with one dip, enough to paint several nails. This was so easy to put on, I couldn’t believe it. Not much product was needed at all, due to the pigmentation and consistency of the polish. I applied two coats, more for peace of mind than anything else. Habit, I suppose. These both dried in record time. And, as of yet, they have not chipped. So weirdly ,the product I expected to be the least impressive, has been my favourite. Thanks, Harry! And thanks to S for my perfect birthday presents. Love you, kid.

B xxo

Garnier Moisture Match

Sorry about the lack of posts lately, I've taken on extra shifts at work and so finding the time has been a little bit tricky, but I'm trying to plan ahead so hopefully the blog won't go so long without a post again any time soon!

Onto the product(s) in hand, Garnier Moisture Match moisturisers. If you haven't heard about these (seriously? Their advertising campaign was massive, to have missed it you must literally not own a television) this is an assortment of moisturisers- 5 in total - that are each tailor made to suit a certain skin type. The five tubes are really similar to look at, but each a different colour. When I picked these up a few weeks ago they were on offer in Asda, so I managed to pick up three out of the range "Wake Me Up" for dull skin (the orange tube), "Protect and Glow" for normal skin (the yellow tube) and "Shine Be Gone" for combination to oily skin (the green tube). You'd be forgiven for thinking that these would contain similar products, each matching the colour of the tube, but I was surprised when I tried them out because this actually isn't the case. Wake me up is a sheer slightly peach tinged gel, Protect and glow is a glossy yellow cream and Shine be gone is a lovely matte green lotion.

As their marketing campaign promised, it seems like each really is tailored to a different skin type, and perhaps more surprisingly each one genuinely seems to do a brilliant job or at least certainly in the three that I picked I can't find a dud. Wake Me Up is for dull skin, and I can see how this would work really well for someone targeting that specifically. It goes on as a gel and settles as a sheen on the skin, too much for my oily skin but for someone who lacks moisture and natural shine, this would almost definitely give a lovely dewy finish. Protect and Glow is a weird one, it's a standard moisturiser as far as I can tell and it's smell is identical to wake me up. It's not unpleasant, and it's nice that it has an spf 20 but I'm just not as blown away with it as I feel like I am with the other two. Having said that, I'd still happily repurchase it as a Summer moisturiser.

My favourite out of the three is by far Shine Be Gone, though. This is a personal preference definitely, a dewy glow is something I will take off running from and I would always pick a matte finish. This is lovely, you only need a tiny bit for your whole face and although it has the texture of some primers (l'oreal studio secrets resurfacing primer springs to mind as the closest comparison for texture) I feel like it doesn't sit uncomfortably on top of the skin but sinks in nicely instead, and it does keep shine away for a decent length of time.

I'd recommend these three moisturisers in a heart beat, but if you're not sure which one is right for you and you're not willing to pay out for a few, you can do a quiz to find out which is probably the closest match to your skin. I'll definitely be trying out the other two when I get the chance, especially at £3.99/50ml.

Sammy xo

OXY

Ok, I'll say it; I'm a spotty teenager. Not so much now that I've started taking better care of my skin, and making sure I actually take all my make up off at night, but I still have more breakouts than I care to admit to. A few weeks ago, I felt like literally nothing was helping to get my skin clear, and so I emailed OXY asking if they had any samples I might be able to try to see if they'd help me get celebrity skin (or, I'd settle for just non-spotty). They very kindly sent me back some of their products, much to my delight.

Let's start with the Clear Pore Exfoliant. This is great, and like I've said before, I absolutely love a gritty exfoliator and this is definitely one. It comes out quite liquid-ey with a sand like texture, it's rough on the skin but it does really clear away any dead skin. It's too rough to use every day, but I've been using it every other day which seems to be working for me. I've then been following this with the Fresh Skin Wash. This is much more if a gel formula than the Clear Pore Exfoliant, but it does also have exfoliating beads in. This is soft enough to use every day, and it almost buffs my skin to a soft shiny level. Finally, the Deep Calm Balm, a moisturiser that again includes exfoliating beads.

Essentially, I've been swapping between a three step routine and a two step routine every other day (the exfoliant definitely isn't gentle enough to use every day) and it really seems to be having a positive effect. Whereas I've had some issues with clean and clear and clearasil in the past (I literally felt like I'd had a chemical peel with some of the products from the former), OXY's range is gentle enough that you can use at least one of the products every day, but effective enough that (touch wood) it actually does seem to be keeping breakouts at bay. Although there are 2 other products in the range (The Emergency Spot Treatment Gel and the Clearlight -Light Device) I would say just buy the three mentioned above if you're unsure, they work perfectly together and at £5.99 a piece you definitely aren't breaking the bank.

My one criticism would be I've been using the Calm Balm much more than the exfoliant, and so it irks me a little that the Calm Balm is in a smaller bottle. Admittedly though, I do probably use less of the balm each time so it evens out quite nicely. 

If you're looking for a spot treatment I can't recommend OXY enough, I'd even say buy it and use it as a daily routine, I've never had skin so soft and shiny. Plus, it's "natural skin science", which is never a bad thing.

Sammy xo

P.S. Although I received these products free as samples from OXY they were not in return for a review, the opinions above are mine and mine alone and were in no way influence by OXY, swear down.

Dermalogica Facial Treatment (mini review)

Okay, so this morning (Tuesday 16th July 2013 11am) I went for my first ever Dermalogica "facial". In the last few years I admit I have completely fallen out of the habit, and kind of out of love, with beauty treatments. I know exactly what you're thinking - a beauty blogger who doesn't show much interest in beauty treatments, what?! So I'm going to stop you right there. Calm down, there's no need to panic or start doubting my sanity or whatever. I am a seriously girly girl. I love any kind of R&R, getting glammed up being pampered etc. I just had a few dodgy salon experiences, plus when money is a bit tight I'd rather spend and splurge on something like a new makeup product. So when my step-mum came home all excited last week to tell me that our local salon was doing half price Dermalogica facials (just on a tuesday, some kind of promotional offer), I admit I was more than a little bit skeptical. But my aunty uses dermalogica, plus I'd seen some comments on the internet from you guys about it so I thought I'd put my name down.

I arrived just before 11 and the receptionist sat me down with a survey literally longer than my arm to fill out. I don't really like giving the ins and outs of my life out on forms but I thought, they obviously need the details for something, so I'll just fill it in and reserve judgement. The survey is actually your customer card. It takes note of things like your current skincare routine, lifestyle, allergies, types of medications, and what their habits are. I found out later that this is so the skincare specialist doing your facial can design your treatment specifically to you, so that you get the most out of it and so that they can avoid any problems or areas of hypersensitivity.

So I was led into a small treatment room at the back of the shop, where the specialist told me to drop down the straps of my top and get into the bed (under the covers, on one of the hottest days of the year...). She came back a few minutes after, and had a chat with me about how I felt generally about my skin. What my main areas of concern where and which kind of products I was using. She also examined my skin, in depth. I was told that my forehead was quite dehydrated, and the patches of redness I get on my cheeks are actually because I use a cleanser and toner that's too harsh for my skin type. I was under the impression that I had oily skin and therefore should be using a cleanser and face wash specifically for oily skin. This is actually incorrect, and as I only have an oily T-zone, I don't need such a product.

 The specialist didn't actually tell me what she'd be doing to my skin, so unfortunately I can't go into too much detail about what happened in the next hour and a half. This did nothing to ease how skeptical I was. However, after just a few minutes under her touch I was the most relaxed that I have ever been. She started off with some inhalation techniques, cupping her fragranced hands over my face and encouraging deep breathing. To be perfectly honest I kind of zoned out not long after this. There was a lot of cleansing and massaging of the face, shoulders and neck.The first part of the treatment was done under steam, which was very pleasant, and even though I was practically in another world I was aware of the specialist using different kinds of products on different areas of my face; adding and removing cleansers, oils, masques, exfoliaters and many more things I'm sure. She did tell me that she had mixed together two different types of face masks to make the perfect blend for my skin type, and as she applied this I became aware of a pleasant tingling sensation all over my face. She then quietly told me that she was leaving me under the face mask for 10 minutes and then she'd be back. I'm pretty sure I fell asleep at this point, it was honestly the most chilled out I've ever felt in my whole life. By the time the treatment was finished (90 minutes long), even the 5 minute walk home was a struggle as I felt so relaxed I could have just slept the whole afternoon. I left the salon with my skin feeling as though it had been cleaned right down to the pores. It was the softest I think it's been in about 10 years, and had a visible glow despite me being so sleepy! I was also given a pouch of sample products suited to me, to try out. All this for just £20 (I know it was an offer but still) really was an unbelievable bargain. I would definitely pay full price for this treatment if I had the money, and could not recommend it highly enough. My skin feels amazing and even 10 hours later I'm still so relaxed I think I'll get into bed now! Check your local salons to see if this is available near you - I love it.

B xxo

Homemade Sugar Scrub

In the spirit of blogging , I've found myself following the crowd and spent one afternoon early in the week making ... This .

Looks so gross, right? I know. But hear me out on this one. This is my very own homemade sugar scrub, and I was shocked by how easy it was to make . I'm not normally very thrifty, so homemade sugar scrub is probably something I would have just scrolled past if I was at home, but instead I'm in the middle of rural Spain, and exfoliator (or a decent exfoliator in any case) is nigh on impossible to find. So, in the spirit of getting a non streaky fake tan, I set about finding a recipe that used components I'd be able to find in a village that doesn't even sell make-up. After reading through a couple of online recipes, I found out the basic components were just olive oil and brown sugar. Ok, that I could do. So, I set about making it, with the help of some diluted lemon juice (to help counteract the smell of the brown sugar which is, well... Rank.)

I won't lie it wasn't successful , I mean sure it worked , but the smell made me want to retch, and I'd added way too much oil, I found myself having to drain it every time I went to use it.

Ok, time for round two. This time I used about equal parts of white and brown sugar (probably more white , I ran out of brown not so far in, but it was pretty close to half and half), the addition of the white sugar took the edge off the horrible smell. To this I added enough lemon juice  to cover the sugar and about 5 capfuls of olive oil. When this soaked in, about a quarter of the sugar had dissolved away so I mixed in more sugar and added a tiny bit of water and a few more capfuls of oil (if you feel like you've added too much water it's pretty easy to drain off) and I ended up with the picture above.

Ok it looked gross but so does a streaky tan, so I gave it a fair go. I have to say , it works. I'm keen on quite a rough exfoliator and this is one, more so than a shop bought one. It really works, so much so I'm considering swapping it out for my regular soap and glory flake away when I get home.

If I made it at home in England, I'd probably use all white sugar, add some food colouring and maybe a mint or vanilla essence to achieve a nice smell, but even my gross looking, dubious smelling one does the job so well, it's worth putting up with .

Have you ever made any DIY cosmetics or skincare? If not , why not give it a try?

Sammy xo

June's Glossybox(es)

It seems like modern day women simply can't shy away from the miracle invention that is the beauty box, a monthly subscription service in which you are handed (well, it's delivered to your door) a small sample of beauty products from highly acclaimed or up and coming beauty brands, depending upon which company you choose.

Never people to jump into, well... Anything, without fully researching it first we set about googling companies. After eventually deciding upon the fact we would try one of each of our top selection every month until we settle on individual favourites, we both fell for the allure of the Glossybox for our June beauty box. The boxes are pretty and pink with the Glossybox simple black crown in the centre, the products are wrapped in shredded black paper, wrapped in a blanket of even more black tissue paper, and then secured with a pink ribbon and a Glossybox sticker. This, as well as the fact that the products inside were claiming to be tailored to us (you fill in a fairly extensive questionnaire upon subscribing) and the seemingly bargain price (£12.95 per month including postage) had us signing up before the end of the day. 

Figs and Rouge "Coco-Rose" lip balm in blush pink (£4.95/12ml)

Received by both

Ultra-hydrating & Multi-tasking. Figs & Rouge Coco Rose Lip Balm is a 100% natural and nourishing balm that keeps lips super soft throughout the day. Packed with Natural Anti-oxidants & deeply penetrating skin conditioners – keeps lips supple & hydrated.

Sammy:I really wanted to love this, the packaging is retro and sweet and it attracted me by being 100% natural. The shimmer was just right for me, and the colour really complimented my skin. Staying power wasn't great and it was annoying to apply with a tube but I used very little at a time and found applying with my fingers was easy enough, so this wasn't the end of the world. Seems like it would be close to a perfect product, right? Sorry, but no. Not for me anyway, I had to abandon this on day two because the natural fragrance and taste was making me gag (it reminded me of accidentally biting into a paracetamol). Overall, I feel I can recommend the brand, I imagine the cherry blossom lip balm would be gorgeous, but this product just definitely wasn't for me.

Nuxe Huile Prodigieuse OR multi-purpose dry oil (£21.00/50ml)

Received by both

Precious benefits for my skin. Your face and body are left feeling soft and silky. Your hair is supple, soft and shines with health. The sensual golden particles leave a subtle shimmer on your skin and enhance your every move.
 
Sammy: I simply cannot reccomend this enough. I applied it to dry hair, wrapped it in a towel and left it for forty minutes (should have been twenty, but I got distracted) then simply washed my hair and blow-dried it and the end result is gorgeous, really shiny and super soft, with no signs of looking greasy nearly 24 hours later, something I've suffered with when using other hair oils. I wasn't keen on the smell (think playdough) or the fact your hands get covered in glitter, but the smell washes out when you wash it so it's no big deal, and I've found out full sized bottles have spray applicators rendering the glitter on the hands issue moot. A little bit pricey but one use will convert you, even my thrifty side is begging me to buy a bottle on payday, especially seeing as I've barely made a dent in my 10ml version, so I can only imagine how long 50ml will last me!

Bek: Of all the things I recieved in my glossybox, this is by far my favourite. Sam's right, we really cannot recommend this product enough. After recently discovering the magic of argon oil, I was excited to find a new type of dry oil in my box. However, after just the first application, I realised that for me this runs rings around argon oil. I've since tried several different methods of using this on my hair; applying on wet and dry hair, washing out and leaving in. And I must say, I was amazed to find that all of this works wonders. As someone who has extremely dry and damaged (years of dying/bleaching etc, ooops!) yet thick hair, this product has made such a difference. It leaves my hair feels immensely hydrated and silky to touch - yet no signs of grease, unlike the argon oil. Although I am yet to try this on my face or body, for the benefits to my hair alone I absolutely love it. 

MeMeMe Cosmetics Long lasting nail gloss in 57 Elegant (£5/12ml currently 3 for £10)

Received by both

Premium long-lasting, high-shine nail gloss complete with maxi-brush for one-stroke application.

Sammy: On first impressions this was probably the item I liked least when I peered into my glossybox, I wouldn't say I've been converted since but I'm definitely coming around. The antique gold colour is a little bit old fashioned for me, but it's working on my toes as a summery colour for Spain. Staying power is good, barely any chips and I love the wide brush. It took literally one application for the nail varnish to look perfect, something that can really swing my opinion on nail varnish, so that's definitely working in it's favour. I've scoped the website and they have some gorgeous colours I'm considering ordering to give it a more fair chance. Once again I find myself reccomending the brand just not the colour that I got in the varnish.

Bek: This product is an interesting one, because being freakishly alike, me and Sammy usually agree on such matters. But in regards to this nail varnish our opinions differ dramatically. When I found this in my glossybox, I was thrilled. I've recently become a big fan of classic colours for my nails so when I saw this old style gold I thought it would be perfectly for me. I quickly realised I was very mistaken. On the first application, I discovered the low quality, very wide brush that made it extremely difficult to get an even finish. I will admit, it didnt chip, but after just a day it seemed to simply be wearing off. I will try it again as I really want to like it but so far this product really isn't working for me. 

John Frieda frizz ease hair serum (£3.99/25ml)

Received by Sammy

This multi-award winning hair serum from John Frieda is a must-have product for anyone wanting to achieve a smooth, polished style that’s free of frizz and flyaways. The serum has been designed with all dream hair styles in mind, whether that’s defined curls, beachy waves or super sleek and straigh

Sammy: A classic! Does exactly what it says on the tin, and has a lovely smell. I have found out the hard way that too much can make my hair flyaway, though. Lasts a long while too, so is well worth the money.

Helen E shimmer eye powder (£5/1.5g)

Received by Bek

Shimmer Eye Powder - Sprinkle a little stardust and dazzle all who gaze upon you! These Powders sparkle and shimmer in the shifting light. You can be sexy or ethereal, but never unnoticed.

Bek: I don't really have a lot to say about this product. Eye makeup is paramount to my everyday look, so this was a good choice for me by the people of Glossybox. While I wouldn't use it all over my lid it sweeps on nicely as a top shimmer coat to whatever colour eyeshadow you favour. The shimmer particles are very, very small, which I like a lot, and it's easy to apply. 

Q: Balance ; the fine fragrance body spray (£1.53/100ml)

Received by Sammy

Q is a collection of lighter, high quality fine fragrance body sprays for wearing everyday. The female range – Radiance, Balance and Awe – is a blend of fine fragrances and soft sense-active deodorant protection.

Sammy: I really didn't know what to think about this when I first looked it up, as some of the first words I read were "a grown up impulse" and essentially, that's what it is, a body spray intended for adults. I have to say though, in the last few days I've found myself searching for this in my bag on multiple occassions. It's not quite strong enough to use as deodrant and I feel like it wears off quite fast (or I get used to the smell? It quite difficult to tell.) but it's lightly floral and has made a nice holiday replacement for my heavy perfumes that I left at home. It runs down pretty fast, but it's really cheap which is always a good thing. Not a beauty essential by any means, but definitely a nice addition to your bag, especially on holiday.

Monu hydrating moisturiser SPF 15 (£29.95/50ml)

Received by Bek

Soft focus technology helps to blur imperfections and to correct skin tone. We use Zinc Oxide to provide a physical barrier against the sun’s harmful rays. This provides broad spectrum UV protection with good UVA to UVB ratio. Includes Vitamin E, an antioxidant, to fight free radicals. The best way to stop your face from ageing is to protect it from the sun.

Bek: I decided to look this product up before using it on my skin, and was very curious about the description that accompanied it. I really like this moisturiser. I use it in the mornings after my normal skin care routine, before I apply any makeup. It goes on nicely, you don't need to use a lot of product, and it makes my skin feel lovely and soft, as well as hydrating it, without leaving it greasy. It also makes a great base for my foundation. However, for me, it certainly does not blur imperfections or correct the skin tone as it claims to. Which is fine, because I didn't really expect it to - I just don't like false advertising. I do like the fact that it comes with an SPF of 15. It isn't a product that I would buy again, but I am enjoying using it at the moment.