January Favourites ’20

Guys we are officially into 2020 now and I can’t believe it’s already February! January flew by for me due to being in Japan for 2 weeks but even so, still can’t believe how quick the month went by!

I know for a lot of people however January was very slow… 😛

January’s favourites are going to be a bit odd due to being away in Japan, but at the same time they’re going to be good, I know they are! I’m not changing how I write my favourites at all. I’ll still be sharing 5 beauty related products I have been loving as well as my favourite TV show(s), movie(s), book(s), music and game(s). 🙂

I hope the start of 2020 has been great for you guys, my readers and I hope it hasn’t been rough at all.

On with the favourites!

• Japanese Character Bath Bombs.

Whilst I was in Japan I used quite a few of the character bath bombs they had for sale in the shops. They didn’t cost much (Between £2-£4 depending on the character and store) and were really nice to have handy in the hotel room if we’d had a long day of walking and needed a soak. Dane actually used and had more baths than me, which was a massive shock! We’ve brought loads of these back to the UK with us, as we loved them so much. They often come with the characters inside that is on the cover. For example I picked up a shiba dog bath bomb and hence got a little white shiba dog inside, so cute! These weren’t bad for the price and one bath bomb was definitely enough to feel pampered. I felt soft and smooth after using one of these in the bath. I honestly recommend them if you’re in Japan! I feel like they’re better than Lush to be honest with you… 😉

• Etude House Dear Darling Water Gel Tint in shade RD302 Dracula Red.

I bought this lip tint whilst I was out in Japan and I honestly regret not buying more! It’s a gorgeous dark red shade I have had my eye on for years! It wasn’t expensive either, which was even better. Aside from my Laneige lip bar, this lip tint (review here) was my go to lip product the duration of my holiday! It’s really easy to apply and a little bit of this product goes a long way. I mostly like to use it to give a bitten look to my lips, which wasn’t easy to do with this lip tint at first, but the more I have done it, the easier it has gotten. I will be writing a review on this lip tint, as it’s too good not to share on my blog!

• L’Occitane Zesty Lime Hand Cream.

I haven’t used this hand cream for quite some time, which is mostly down to using up other hand creams first! This is a gorgeous thick hand cream that smells of limes, yummy!  I remember stocking up on loads of these during my MA in 2015 so I have a lot to use up! I decided to take one with me to Japan to use during the day and it really was a treat to use in the mornings before we ventured out for the day, as well as whilst we were out and about. I’ve stopped using it since we got home, but this really did help my hands when they were feeling dry and sore. I was recently diagnosed with having a form of dermatitis on my hand, which kept flaring up during the trip. This hand cream really did help it on bad days, alongside my dermatitis creams.

• Tepika Hand Sanitiser.

I know this is a strange one to add this month to my favourites but I just need to mention it for so many reasons! First of all look at the packaging… It has a cute little happy raccoon on it! Due to this me and Dane called this the “happy raccoon” whenever we wanted to use it. Aside from the cute raccoon on the front, this was also really good because it didn’t smell overly alcoholic, was gentle on my eczema skin and the packaging was handy for how you get the product out… I feel like that last part didn’t make sense! Either way this stuff is amazing and I honestly need to try and figure out a way to ship some over to the UK!!!

• Marc Jacobs Decadence EDP.

This is a perfume I keep reaching for at the moment and it’s the one I took with me to Japan too. The scent is perfect for any time of year and any occasion. My brother bought it for me quite a while ago now and it was so funny how this perfume came to be my gift. Just before Christmas in 2015 I went to Fuerteventura with my dad for a few weeks. This perfume was quite new so I decided to give it a try and see what I thought of it. I loved it and was close to buying it… But instead me and my dad went to a bar for some drinks. Just as we sat down with drinks my brother called my dad and said, “I’ve given mom Nat’s Christmas present.” Fast forward to Christmas Day… My brother bought me Decadence… Which I had nearly bought! How crazy is that?! So yeah, this is one of my favourite perfumes and I always wear it when I fancy something unique and different. I also love the bottle is comes in, which is in the shape of a handbag, strap included… 😛

So now my beauty favourites are done, time to talk about the miscellaneous favourites of the month!

Favourite TV Show – Don’t F**k With Cats: Hunting an Internet Killer.

I actually watched this documentary towards the end of December but thought it was worth a mention as I really enjoyed watching it. What you think is a documentary about a cat killer, actually turns out to be a human murder. I remember Dane telling me about the murder not long after we got together, so when we discovered what the documentary was about, we were even more interested whilst watching it! This documentary is very triggering in various ways and upsetting due to that. I love watching stuff like this, so I really enjoyed it. Definitely go and watch on Netflix if you can!

Favourite Movie – Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.

I watched this film on the flight home from Japan and it was really good! I don’t recall if me and Dane wanted to go and watch it in the cinema when it came out here, but either way we got to both watch it for free! It’s about an actor and his stuntman, as well as some other characters throughout. It’s all based around true events, as well as fictional characters. Whilst it’s a great film, I did start to wonder halfway through, “Where’s this going? What’s the point?”. This was quickly answered however, in such an amazing way! I honestly recommend you watch this film if you get the chance to! It’s not the best from Quentin Tarantino, but it’s still decent. 🙂

Image taken from GIPHY

Favourite Book – …

I didn’t read anything as I was on holiday… This was not a holiday where I could lounge around and read… I swear I am going to start reading more now I’m back from Japan. I have so much manga to catch up on. I need to make a monthly list of which series/volumes I plan to read!!!

Favourite Album – My Chemical Romance – “Welcome to the Black Parade”.

With the announcement of My Chemical Romance coming to the UK for 3 dates in June, I have been listening to them loads both during my time in Japan as well as when I got back home. I tried to order tickets to the first 2 shows My Chemical Romance announced, but was unsuccessful, which sucked. I was definitely in a sulk about this… UNTIL my friend Claire brought it to my attention that they had announced a third show! I managed to get tickets which I was SO HAPPY ABOUT!!! That day I did nothing but listen to My Chemical Romance during my shift at work. It was bliss and I loved every moment of it. 😛 I’m so excited for June now, I’ll be going with Dane too and it’ll also be the third time seeing them live… YAY!

Image taken from Polygon.com

Favourite Game – Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX.

I know this game is only a demo at the moment but I have been LOVING it so much! I played both of the original Mysery Dungeon games this one is based off of and I was beyond excited to give the demo at go. I played a little of it on my way to Japan on the plane, but I played more of it on my way home whilst we waited to board out flight, as well as on the plane. It looks amazing and plays really well. I’ve already pre ordered the game and cannot wait for it to arrive! I’m going to finally be kept busy on my Switch again in March and I am beyond excited for that!

So my first favourites post of 2020 is complete! I cannot believe it is already the start of February. Can you guys believe how quickly 2020 is going by already?!

How was the first month of 2020 for you guys? Make sure to let me know in the comments down below, as well as what your favourites were this month!

Until next time all, take care and have an amazing weekend. 🙂

May Favourites ’18

It is already June and we are officially halfway through the year! It’s also one of the most exciting months for me and Dane are celebrate when we bought the house, as well as our anniversary. It’s a big one this year for us, as we’ve been together 5 years and in the house for 2 years. I’m excited for our week off together too, which starts today!

Throughout some of May I was rather quiet on my blog and sadly this was due to my mental health playing up. Blogging wasn’t on my agenda, hell not even reading manga or playing games was either in all honesty. All I did for one week was sleep, I was exhausted. Thankfully I’ve come out of that funk and I’m back to doing what I love! Playing games, reading manga, watching lots of Netflix and of course BLOGGING!

I cannot wait to bring you guys more exciting posts throughout June, as well as the rest of the year! I hope you’re all as excited as I am. For now however, it’s time to talk about my favourites from May.

Image taken from Soap & Glory

 

• Soap & Glory Sugar Crush Mini Hand Food.

You know when you forget about a product you love? Yeah that was me with this hand cream in May. I’m a real sucker for hand creams, especially ones that smell amazing and take care of my skin at the same time. As someone who is prone to eczema on their hands, I have to use hand cream all the time to avoid being in pain later. I remember buying the sugar crush hand cream years ago and falling in love with it. I used it all the time but for some reason, I stopped and I’m not quite sure why. I have a feeling I was savouring this in case Soap & Glory discontinued it. I had a look recently on Boots website and thankfully this is still available to buy! It’s just really helped my hands both at work and at home. I love the sugar crush scent as well by Soap & Glory so to have a hand cream that shares that scent just makes me so happy. I love using it throughout the warmer months, but I also love using it at Christmas as it reminds me of sugar crush gift sets I’ve received. Sadly due to using this hand cream up I don’t have it to photograph, so sadly all you’re getting is a stock photo. 😛

• Lush Santa’s Christmas Shower Cream.

This shower cream is amazing and I wouldn’t have dug it out of my collection so early, but as I picked up two bottles of it I thought I’d have one to use throughout the summer and then one for winter. It smells absolutely amazing, just like cherry cola but with a hint of vanilla too. Due to it being a shower cream it leaves my skin feeling lovely and soft, leaving behind a gorgeous scent! It also lingers in the bathroom for quite some time as well, which is always lovely. Sadly I’ve had a few issues with this shower cream the past month but I still love it so much! Sadly from using this as both a shower cream and bubble bath/bath cream I’ve noticed that the red colour of it stains my bath… Urgh! I made a complaint to Lush about it not thinking anything would come from it but thankfully it did! I’ll write about it properly soon but basically they offered to either refund me and I could send the shower cream back, or they could send me some goodies as an apology, I went for the latter. I’m planning to review this shower cream sometime this month. I know it’s a limited edition Christmas product, but it won’t hurt, will it?

• L’Oreal Paris Smooth Sugar Clear Kiwi Face and Lip Scrub.

I picked this sugar scrub up quiet a while ago… I’m thinking back in April time and I’ve used it loads since then and I absolutely love it to be honest. You’re meant to use it 3 times a week, but I only use it once as I feel that’s more than enough alongside other beauty products I use. This is just such a great face scrub to use for a gentle, yet effective scrub all over the face as well as on my lips. As well as noticing how soft it left my skin after, it’s also helped clean out my pores and left me with lovely clear and clean skin! I cannot wait to review this sugar scrub on my blog this month! 😀

• Carex Fun Bubblegum Hand Gel.

I picked up this hand gel recently as I wanted a new one to keep on my bedside table. I also picked one up for work but that was in the strawberry scent, which isn’t as nice as the bubblegum scent. This is really light in scent and feels lightweight after applying it to your hands. This is never going to be as good as the Bath & Body Works hand gels but this is pretty damn good nonetheless and they only cost a 99p too. I’ll definitely repurchase this in the future as it’s such an amazing scented hand gel for the price!

• Victoria’s Secret PINK Happy Holiyay Body Mist.

This is an old body spray, probably from 2 Christmases ago to be honest with you I’ve only just got around to using it after using up OTHER products! I use this pretty much every day before I get dressed. I spray it all over my skin and the scent lasts all day! I just love using this, especially whilst the weather has been warmer and I need something light to wear instead of perfume. I’ll be sad once I’ve used all my VS PINK body mists up, but it just means I can grab something else in the future!

So now my beauty favourites are done, time to talk about the miscellaneous favourites of the month!

Image taken from GIPHY

Favourite TV Show – 13 Reasons Why Season 2 and Evil Genius.

Now I know a lot of people hated on 13 Reasons Why when it came out last year, so those same people if not more will hate on it this year. I LOVE this show so damn much and when I watched season 1 I was going through some shitty and dark places in my life. In theory this show probably didn’t make me feel better, but it made me feel less alone. So when season 2 came out last month I was anxious it would be rubbish. It wasn’t the best in the world, no but it was like seeing old friends again. I really did enjoy season 2 and I cannot believe how it ends! I’m not saying much as I don’t want to reveal spoilers. Let’s put it this way though, if you thought some of the scenes in season 1 were graphic, wait until you see season 2. I felt uncomfortable and that takes a lot for me to feel that way. Be cautious when watching it, especially if scenes from season 1 upset you.

As well as binge watching 13 Reasons Why, me and Dane binge watched Evil Genius in ONE EVENING! One of the girls I worked with was telling me about the documentary and had asked if I’d watched it. It was thanks to her talking to me about it that encouraged me to check it out myself. I LOVE crime documentaries and I’m a complete sucker for them (especially if they’re in the UK!) and from what I had found out about the crime committed in Evil Genius and what it was about, I knew I needed to watch. It’s basically about a crime that occurred back in America in 2003 where I man robbed a bank with a bomb around his neck. From here you find out who that man was, what happened to him, how the bomb came to be around his neck as well as many more. This is all explained in 4 episodes, all an hour each. If you liked Making A Murderer then you will LOVE Evil Genius. I’ve popped the trailer above so you can check it out if you fancy it!

Image taken from GIPHY

Favourite Film – Deadpool 2.

Come on, which film did you think I was going to talk about this month?! Of course it HAS TO BE DEADPOOL! Oh man I have so much I could say about this film. First of all, it was so much better than I thought it was going to be. I love Deadpool and I love Ryan Reynolds, so when the two merged together a couple of years back and brought us that sickening leaked trailer, I was so happy. Ryan Reynolds was destined to play Deadpool. SO when the second film was announced I was so excited, yet anxious all at the same time. I love Deadpool but I worried a second film may ruin it. Thankfully, good ol’ silver fox Ryan Reynolds did an amazing job yet again and brought to the screens the anti hero everyone loves. The cast was perfect, the acting was great and most of the the comedy had me fucking crying in the cinema. I want to go and watch Deadpool 2 again, but I doubt I will. I just cannot wait for it to come out now so I can watch it at home over and over again!

Image taken from Wordery

Favourite Book – Snotgirl.

I’m ashamed to say that I bought this comic back at the start of 2017 when it first came out and I have only just gotten around to finishing it. I’ve now ordered the second volume already because I am loving this comic book series already! It’s by Bryan O’Malley, the same guy who brought us Scott Pilgrim (which I need to read in the future!) and I discovered it through the YouTuber NinkComPoop when she was talking about it in one of her videos agggggges ago! I immediately ordered it from Amazon to read and fell in love. I forgot all about the fact I hadn’t actually finished it due to me and Dane moving our comic books around the house. I dug it out over the last bank holiday Monday and finally finished it! It’s about Lottie, a blogger who is out there, doing well and looks good! BUT behind closed doors she suffers with terrible allergies and is snotty due to them. There’s way more to the story than that, but I won’t say anything that gives away the story. I definitely urge you to read it if you’re a blogger and love comic books and manga. The only downside to Snotgirl is well… Lottie herself. She’s a bit of a twat and annoying but meh that’s her character I think. She’s just so pretentious and snobby, very up her own arse blogger, which I hate. That aside, it’s definitely worth reading!

Favourite Song/Album/Artist – Flyleaf and Ariana Grande – No Tears Left To Cry.

Two totally different artists, but that just goes to show the type of music I’m into and how diverse I can be! 😛 First of all let’s address the Ariana Grande song being here this month and why. Due to the radio being on at work (Heart FM) we listen to a lot of pop music, if I had it my way I would have my rock music on, Bam Radio or even podcasts. Some of the music that comes on catches my fancy and recently No Tears Left To Cry has done just that. At first I hated the lyrics and loved the tune, now I love both! I find myself getting excited when this song plays on the radio as it’s just so damn catchy, upbeat but also relaxing at the same time! I’ve never heard one of Ariana Grande’s songs before until now. Sadly the rest of her music really isn’t for me, but she did good with this one!

NOW onto Flyleaf, one of my favourite bands and a band I’ve been listening to for quite a bit of May! I love how I can go without listening to Flyleaf for months but when I come back to them it’s like seeing an old friend. I love listening to them on my way to work as I just enjoy singing along to the words and thinking about what they are and mean. That sounds soppy as anything, but it’s true! Surely others do this and it isn’t just me?!

Favourite Game – Detroit: Become Human.

If there is a game I have been excited for these past 4-6 years, it’s Detroit: Become Human. I knew I needed to get hold of this game as soon as it came out, if not beforehand via pre order. Sadly I didn’t get to pre order it in time so I didn’t get it on the release date, instead I picked it up the next day and oh man am I glad I waited to pick it up! Due to some Nectar points as well as a Sainsbury’s coupon, I saved £10 on this game, so instead of £47, I paid £37 instead!  In all honesty though, at full price this game would have been well worth the money! I’m such a saddo and over the bank holiday Monday, I completed the game in the 3 days! Oh man it is just so good and I cannot wait to replay it already! If you own a PlayStation 4 and have played either Heavy Rain or Beyond Two Souls then you will love Detroit: Become Human, which is by the same people as those two games.

So those were my favourites for May! I’m sure my favourites from June will be just as good. I still cannot believe we’re in June already. 2018 is going by so bloody quickly and whilst it’s great, it’s also so scary that my life is flashing by me.

What were your favourites from May? Make sure to let me know in the comments down below!

Until next time, take care all and have an amazing weekend.

September Empties

Excuse my language but holy shit I used up a lot of products in September! I don’t think I’ve ever had this many items in an empties post and it’s really surprised me.

I won’t lie, I am glad to be rid of a lot of the products I had as whilst most were good, it is good to have a clear out so that new things may be bought and wasted money on. 😛

I just want to get this out there now that when we enter into 2015, I’m not 100% sure if I will be writing up anymore empties posts as whilst I do enjoy doing them I do just think it’s a hassle to save up all the empty bottles in my bathroom. I am just putting this down to how much I saved up this month and I may change my mind, we shall see how the next three/four months go…

• Gillette Satin Care Shave Gel.

I’ve mentioned this before, if you would like to read more about it look here.

• Hello Kitty Liberty Body Wash.

I was given this body wash in a gift set from my sister-in-law and I really did love it! I saved it for quite a while until I decided to use it and within a few weeks it was gone and I have missed using it. It was softening on the skin, lathered beautifully and left my skin smelling gorgeous! It reminds me of the scent the old pink FCUK products that Boots sold at Christmas time in the early 00’s and it really did leave me with some childhood memories! If this is out again this year I’ll probably pick some up as I really enjoyed using this. I am really sad to see it finished.

• Philip Kingsley Body Building Shampoo.

I’ve had this shampoo for ages so when it finally came to its end I was really shocked! It just didn’t seem like it was ever going to run out. I’ve since repurchased this in a 1 litre bottle as I really do love this shampoo! If you want to read more about this it featured on my 2013 Favourites, you can find that here.

• Carex Strawberry Fun Shower & Bath.

I LOVED this shower and bath and when it ran out I was actually really sad, but at the same time I wasn’t as it only cost me a £1, YES A WHOLE POUND COIN! This really did smell like sweet strawberries and perfect for children or anyone who loves strawberries like myself. This really did remind me of The Body Shop’s strawberry shower gel and on a recently shopping trip I picked one up for my boyfriend, who loves it just as much as I do. This leaves your skin feeling great and smelling delicious and it was a treat to use in the bath alongside a fruity bath bomb. BUY IT if you want to try something good, you won’t regret it.

• I Love… Cosmetics Hand Wash in Mango & Papaya.

Although this featured in my favourites last month (read here), I really couldn’t wait to see the back of this product throughout September. It wasn’t a bad product but I found that due to its bright orange colour if you dripped any on the side, it would stain and has stained. I won’t be picking up this scent again, but I will pick up one of the others, preferably the coconut scent! Otherwise this was great, it smelt delicious and left my hands feeling clean and moisturised.

• Soap & Glory The Greatest Scrub Of All Facial Exfoliator.

Another product I couldn’t wait to see in the bin! I used to love this scrub, it was my holy grail and when I suffered with some dry eczema style rash on my face years ago, this was the only thing that cleared it up! However over the years I have grown bored with this and now I can’t stand using it anymore. I didn’t even finish this product up, it just one day seemed to go gloopy and I ended up just throwing the rest of the product away. The things I don’t like about this scrub is how greasy it feels on the skin after use, it makes me cringe just the thought of it! I think it’s just to moisturise the skin but I just don’t like it. As well as that the scent is disgusting, I don’t get soap & Glory’s scents but apart from Sugar Crush they all make me feel sick. Shame that as the past year has gone by, I’ve grown to dislike most of Soap & Glory’s products. It does make me rather sad.

• T-Zone Clear Pore Gel Facial Wash.

I LOVE this face wash and as soon as I was running low I picked up a replacement. This costs less than £2 to buy and it really is worth the money. I don’t know if it’s due to what food I eat, me getting older or the face products I now use but I’ve noticed since using this wash that my skin has improved a hell of a lot! I recommend this to teenagers with troublesome skin so SO much as this is what I used to use when I was a teenager and it really did help my oily skin. You can pick T-Zone up at great prices in Home Bargains and Body Care, so keep your eyes peeled.

• Sure Maximum Protection Deodorant in Sensitive.

I get through one of these every month and since May I haven’t mentioned one… I think because of the fact I always mention one and I always mention the same thing… Go and read about it here! 😛

• The Body Shop Coconut Hand Cleanse Gel.

I love my hand sanitizers and I REALLY loved this one! I bought it when I went to Bristol in June and since then it has been so lovely to use, having a sniff of the empty bottle now reminds me of summer and Bristol. Soon as I can I will be picking up another bottle. I recommend The Body Shop cleanse gels so much as not only do they keep your hands germ free, but they leave your hands smelling lovely too. Go and check them out!

• Carex Strawberry Laces Hand Gel.

Whilst The Body Shop cleanse gel was great, this was a let down and I couldn’t wait to finish the bottle! When you smell the bottle it has a light scent of strawberries, which is pleasant but when you use this on your hands it just stinks of alcohol and I hated it because of that. It wasn’t worth the money I paid (I paid £2 for 2) and I regretted buying it as soon as I started to use it. I don’t recommend, head to The Body Shop and pick up their strawberry cleanse gel, it’ll be worth the extra money and last longer! The cap on this was also rubbish and it opened inside my work apron and leaked everywhere, was really annoying. Don’t waste your money!

• Wilko Fruits Bath Bomb in Strawberry & Pomegranate.

The first thing I want to say about this bath bomb is how awful it is. My Mom bought me 3 bath bombs for £3, as she knows how much I love my bath bombs! As soon as she brought them home I knew I wanted to try one out, so I popped the whole bomb into the bath and had a good, long soak! I just want to apologise if I go into TMI here but I just want to get out there how this product made me poorly. Before using this in the bath, I was fine but the day after I didn’t feel myself, but the day after that I was rather poorly… And it turned out I had thrush. I suffered from it for a week and it was painful and uncomfortable and I KNOW for a fact it was due to this bath bomb. If you have sensitive skin (or sensitive bits like I clearly do!) then steer clear of this product as whilst it felt moisturising on my skin it really did leave me feeling poorly and run down. I haven’t used the other 2 bath bombs and I have contemplated taking them back to get my money back. I’m not going to bother wasting mine or anyone else’s money on the Fruits collection anymore. I am really disappointed as the collection has had a lot of positive comments. For a little money I would just prefer to splash out on Lush.

So those were my empties of September, I still can’t believe how many products I finished! I doubt it’ll be the same in October, but who knows!

I hope everyone had a great September and I shall see you next month.

Until next time, take care all.

September Favourites 2014

I know this post is a week late, but as they say, better late than never!

It’s late because I’ve honestly just been too busy to do any writing, although I managed to get my wish list written okay… I put that down to picture-taking though!

So finally my favourites post is here and I really have loved September. It wasn’t so bad and even involved a fresh start that I’ve needed for a long time! I’ve been at university for three weeks now and whilst I am extremely nervous, I am really enjoying it.

Without further delay, my favourites!

• N SPA Cherry Body Scrub.

After using up my body scrub I decided it was time to buy a replacement and whilst I wanted to buy a nice one for myself (The Body Shop, or Soap & Glory) I opted for this one by N Spa, to try and save myself a few pennies. I bought this one and a Raspberry one, which I am yet to try. This body scrub I at first thought would be rubbish but alas I was wrong and it’s turned out better than I thought it would be! There’s a few things I really like about this, first of all the fact it lathers up when applied to the skin! I use it with my sponge and it really does leave me feeling soft after use, but what else is great about this is how it smells delicious! Although I do sway more towards citrus and strawberry scents, I am a total sucker for cherry too and this is a nice black cherry scent that any cherry scent fan will fall in love with. N Spa is a great and affordable brand and I recommend it to anyone fancying trying something new.

• Simple Anti-Bacterial Hand Wash.

I know I used to say last year and the start of this year how after finding Dettol’s hand wash I would NEVER use another hand wash due to my eczema, but I have broadened my horizons lately, as regular readers will know and this is a hand wash I HAVE used in the past and had problems with. This is a mint scented hand wash and due to that I was already sold, the anti-bacterial  side of it was just a bonus really! However when I used this about a year ago my hands were left tight, dry, and extremely sore and due to it my eczema was worse than it needed to be! I vowed never to use it again, but I didn’t keep it. Recently my mom decided to bring this into the kitchen for us to use and as I thought it would be better for my hands than fairy liquid, I reluctantly started to use it. My hands have been nothing but soft and not exactly perfect, but not as bad as they originally were with previous uses of this hand wash and I was pleasantly surprised! So I decided to pick one up for myself and I am glad I did, especially for a £1! I recommend it, especially in the run up to Christmas as the mint scent really does remind me of the time of year.

• Dolly Mixtures Shower Gel in Pina Colada.

Dolly Mixtures is a new brand that Asda have brought into their stores and I have wanted to buy all the shower gels they sell, but as I don’t have the room, nor the money to buy them all I decided to just pick up one instead, which is Pina Colada. I’m a sucker for the drink, as it’s my favourite cocktail and I love pineapple and coconut scents, especially together. I wanted a bog standard shower gel to use before work and this one was the perfect choice! The scent really uplifts me and wakes me up in the mornings before I head to work, and the way this leaves my skin feeling and smelling is divine! At the time of buying this it was on offer at £1, but it retails for £2, which is definitely worth the money! As soon as this runs out I’m going to buy another scent to try! I can see me buying these for friends this Christmas as they’re really nice and for the price, a real sweet treat!

• Garnier Pure Active Wasabi Fresh Face Scrub.

This was a spontaneous purchase as my Soap & Glory face scrub finally saw its last day and I threw the rest of it away, I think I’d have it nearly 2 years and with a shelf life of just a year, I wasn’t going to risk using it anymore! I had a look at loads of face scrubs during a visit to Tesco and this one was half price so I had a look and decided to buy it. The day after buying I decided to give it a go and it was amazing! It foamed up, which I really like in a face scrub and just felt like it was really working to cleanse my skin, as well as wash away any dead skin, as well as clear my blackheads. After using it I decided to read the back of the tube a little more than I had done in the shop and as I read  more I read how it is formulated for men. YES, MEN! I bought a man’s face scrub and you’re probably shaking your heads at me or laughing, but does it really matter who it’s made for? I don’t think so and since using it my skin has really improved and even my boyfriends has too! I really want to try the face wash next as if the scrub has left my skin looking good, then I’m sure the wash will too.

• Maybelline Color Elixir in Fuchsia Flourish (review here).

I have never loved a lip product as much as I love Maybelline’s Color Elixir’s! I want to get more shades yet but out of the three I bought this one has been the most worn and therefore most loved. It’s a gorgeous dark pink and is wearable day-to-night and leaves a lovely subtle stain behind. I have really enjoyed wearing this for work but I’ve also loved wearing it for university too as it’s easy to apply, leaves your lips feeling soft and nourished as well as giving your lips a pop of colour. If you want to know more about it, go and read my review, it’s been linked in the title.

• Chapstick in Apple.

I LOVE apple Chapstick and when I spied 4 of these for a £1 in Pound World I decided to get myself some! This is probably my favourite lip balm ever as it smells and tastes delicious, just like fresh apples and keeps your lips soft and smooth, can’t really complain with that! I have really enjoyed using this at university as traveling to and from uni, as well as to and from lectures I sometimes just want to keep my lips hydrated instead of looking colourful so the days that I don’t wear lipstick/gloss there this lip balm comes in handy. Plus I love wearing it at work too!

• Simple Moisture Boost Hydro Mist Spray.

I bought this for uni and it’s really been a savior to use after work whilst I make my way to university! It really does refresh my face and I even use it throughout the day and after work even if I don’t have uni. I’ve never used it before and whilst it was half price I thought I would pick it up, as I have wanted to try it since it came out. I really like Simple’s products as they’re perfect for my sensitive skin and never break me out or cause any issues on my skin. With the moisture boost it really does help bring some moisture into the skin and refresh your skin after a long day. It’s really nice to use after a hot bath because of that too, as well as after using a face scrub or face mask. I recommend it if you’re busy like me and want something to freshen the skin up whilst on the go!

• The Body Shop Strawberry Hand Cream.

I had the coconut hand cream on my favourites last month and now I have the strawberry one this month! All I’ve been using is the strawberry hand cream as it’s kept my hands lovely and soft, as well as smelling delicious! This isn’t a huge tube either so it fits perfectly into my handbag. It’s just a gorgeous light hand cream that absorbs quickly and leaves my hands feeling soft and smooth! I really need to review these in the future so keep your eyes peeled! I recommend these if you’re like me and don’t like thick, greasy hand creams.

• Viktor & Rolf BonBon EDP.

Oh my life I have been lusting after this perfume ever since it was announced late January and I finally got my hands on it in September! I didn’t have to pay for this 30ml bottle and it was worth £55. It wasn’t a gift and it did cost me something, but not cash. If I explain where I got it from and how I’ll also be talking about my job and where I work, which I don’t wish to do on my blog… ANYWAY I have it now and it’s one of my favourite perfumes! It’s such a gorgeous sweet scent and not only does my Mom love it, but my boyfriend really does too. I’ve already asked for one of these in a 50ml or 100ml for Christmas! I WILL be writing a post about this soon!

• The Body Shop Pink Grapefruit Hand Cleanse Gel.

As regular readers will know, I’m a total sucker for The Body Shop’s hand sanitizers and I love to use them for work and keep them in my bag for on the go. I think I’ve tried them all apart from Mango now and this is one of my favourites out of the all! It’s really strong citrus wise and when I use this at work it really does perk me up and wake me up. Like all the hand cleanse gels, it’s a strong scent and as soon as I use it I get comments, positive of course. As usual, I recommend these to everyone to try at least once!

So those were my favourites for September… FINALLY!

I’m sorry for the wait, but sadly my studies for university come first at the moment.

I shall have my empties post up tomorrow though, so don’t worry.

I hope everyone’s week has gone off to a good start and until next time, take care all.

Germaphobe!

I am a germaphobe, I won’t deny that and I have been for a very long time, if not all my life. I remember as a child my Mom when she first bought hand sanitizer, I hated the stuff. She picked up from school one afternoon and said, “Now you don’t need any water or towels to use this stuff, you just squib a bit on your hand and rub until it’s dry.” So I did as she advised and it was rubbish (in my mind anyway!) and I ended up wiping it off with a baby wipe.

Since then I have learnt that this stuff is wonderful and over the years it’s only got better as companies and shops have brought out more and more different alternatives, aloe vera, moisturising, sensitive, and of course scented!

Scented are definitely my favourite and in the past year and a half I have come to have loads in my possession.

So I thought for today’s post I would write a huge post on which scented hand sanitizers I recommend! It’s really cold lately and with autumn and winter coldness comes plenty of flu and colds, as well as kids and students alike going back to educate themselves once again where germs and freshers flu are all over the place.

Keep yourself germ free with these gorgeously scented beauties!

I’m going to talk about the only bad one first, just to get it out-of-the-way. I bought this hand sanitizer thinking it would be great, as I’ve used Carex’s Strawberry Laces hand wash in the past and it smells gorgeous! However, this doesn’t even smell that much of strawberry, let alone strawberry laces! I’m rather disappointed with it to say the least and I know I won’t be buying it again. I keep one of these in my handbag as a spare for work and on the go, but I’d much rather use one of my The Body Shop ones instead as they actually smell strong! These aren’t worth the money if you’re expecting a strong scent like I was, however if you don’t like strong scents or even a strong alcohol scent then this will suit you down to the ground!

I LOVE The Body Shop’s hand sanitizers and whenever I pop into The Body Shop I usually pick one up to add to my collection, or even try out for the first time. I’ve tried them all now apart from mango and absinthe. I doubt I’ll try mango, as I’m not a fan of that scent myself but absinthe is definitely one I’ll be giving a go next! The ones above are Lemon, Satsuma, Coconut, Strawberry and Pink Grapefruit. Lemon was limited edition and is now no longer available, however if you look hard enough SOME The Body Shop stores will have the odd lemon scent available. I have seen some before in the best and next time I see one I may pick it up. These cost £2.50 each, but are often in deals such as 3 for 2, or even buy one get one 50% off. My favourite of the bunch depends on my mood, but possibly coconut if I don’t want something strong and strawberry if I want something stronger. These are amazing for the money and I always get compliments whenever I wear these at work, or on the go. These are well worth the money and I recommend you give them a go if you fancy updating how you cleanse your hands on the go.

Saving the best until last, these are ALLLLLL my PocketBac’s from Bath & Body Works. May I just add, I have never been over the pond to America, but eBay does that for me, as well as my friend Poppy being my PocketBac dealer!

eBay is amazing for products from Bath & Body Works, but sellers aren’t cheap with these and if you can find a bargain on there then I suggest snapping it up straight away. Whenever I find any on there that I would like and are just under or over £2.00, I make sure to pick them up as they often don’t come up that cheap.

As you can see I so far have thirteen, although three are finished with now. They’re all in the order of which I have obtained them and most of these I have bought myself off of eBay, but as I mentioned my friend Poppy brought me some back this year and being the awesome person she is, she’s going to bring me back some more later this year.

L-R: Party Animal Confetti Cake, Fresh Picked Strawberries and Zippy Fruit Punch (A light refreshment of sparkling fruit punch).

Party Animal Confetti Cake Review

Fresh Picked Strawberries Review

Zippy Fruit Punch Review

Starting off with the PocketBac’s I’ve used up! These are all lovely starter hand sanitizers to start off with and are all fruity scents and were lovely to have over the spring and summer months. Party Animal Confetti Cake is one of my first favourites and smells delicious, definitely good enough to eat! Zippy Fruit Punch wasn’t exactly the nicest scent in the world but it was good enough to keep by my bedside table. I picked up Fresh Picked Strawberries really cheap for just a £1.00, but since then I haven’t found any other PocketBac’s that cheap. 😦

L-R: Twisted Peppermint and Pink Sugarplum.

Twisted Peppermint Review

These are probably two of my favourite scents, and they’re also from the Christmas line. As far as I know these come out every year, but I do know that last year the labels design changed which is a shame as they aren’t as cute as these ones are for sure! Twisted Peppermint is definitely my favourite scent and due to that and the fact its limited edition I don’t use it all that often, only if I fancy it as a treat. Pink Sugarplum is gorgeous and one that is really nice to use to cheer you up on cold winter days. I need to get more of the PocketBac’s from the Christmas range!

L-R: I Love S’Mores, Mr Fox Sugar Maple (The sweet scent of sugar maple, like a perfect drizzle of syrup) and Crisp Morning Air (Breathe in the invigorating scent of mountain pine, fresh juniper and pear).

Some of my newest scents, as well as an old favourite! I Love S’Mores is a definite favourite and it came out last year for autumn, and sadly I don’t know if it will be coming back out this year. I have a feeling it won’t… Although they have brought out Graham Cracker Marshmallow recently, which I want to get. The next two are my most recent purchases and already firm favourites. I recently watched one of HollieEatsLipstick‘s videos on YouTube where she was talking and showing off what she had recently bought from Bath & Body Works, which included Crisp Morning Air. She sounded in love with this scent and I knew I had to find out for myself what all the fuss was about, and I’m glad I did! This reminds me of autumn for sure! Crisp apples show through this and it makes me really happy, I have to say. It also smells like fresh air, just as the scent says and is named after. I love this and I really do want to order more of these to last me through until the end of the year and autumn time. As well as that I have Mr Fox Sugar Maple, which reminds me of maple syrup you get on your breakfast pancakes in Frankie & Benny’s. It smells sugary and just amazing and like something I haven’t smelt for a very, VERY long time. My boyfriend loved this too and the scent lasted on my hands for ages.

L-R: Fresh Picked Garden Strawberries (Succulent scent of sun-warmed strawberries fresh from the vine), Fresh Picked Meyer Lemon (Fresh and clean meets the legendary sweetness of Meyer lemon in this sun-kissed scent), Strawberry Cheesecake, Caribbean Escape (Lightly scented with crushed raspberries, sweet strawberries and warm musk) and Beautiful Day (Lightly scented with sun-kissed apple, wild daisies & fresh pink peonies).

Finally I have some PocketBac’s that my friend Poppy brought me back from New York. It was lovely of her to get these for me and I didn’t even ask her to pick me up any scents in particular, she just went off what scents I have smelt and liked on our days out together. Let me tell you, she did very well! Garden Strawberries smells just like Fresh Picked Strawberries and is one I keep on my bed side table to use before I go to sleep. Meyer Lemon is a beautiful fresh citrus scent that I am saving for winter mornings to perk me up. Strawberry Cheesecake is by FAR my favourite of the bunch as not only does it smell like it says on the bottle but it also have glitter/shimmer running throughout, which makes a pleasant change and also looks super pretty and girly. Now with Caribbean Escape and Beautiful Day I didn’t actually know if I would like either scents or not, but I love these both more than the fruity scents! Caribbean Escape reminds me of holidays as a teen as I used to use a body spritz just like this, it smells creamy and like coconuts, which I adore! Beautiful Day reminds me of spring in my garden, it smells of fresh apples and cut grass, which as a hay fever sufferer you think I would hate but this is delightful and light, something I will enjoy using during autumn and winter to perk myself up.

So those are alllll my hand sanitizers, and Pocketbac’s mostly as you can see. If you have seen any you are interested in finding out more about, feel free to request a review (or two), I’ll be happy to write some up in the future.

Until next time, take care all! I’m shattered, need a cup of tea and some much-needed sleep. Have a great bank holiday Monday!