Organic Surge sale splurge

A while ago Organic Surge had a massive up to 70% off sale and I took thorough advantage of it! Their products are truly organic and chemical-free ( no sulphates or parabens). They also don't test on animals, always a bonus.

 Sorry this post isn't actually during the sale but I wanted to trial the products so I could actually give my thoughts and skincare products take a good few weeks of testing. This way I can let you know if it's worth the full price and inform you of my savings. 

 Left to right: Brown sugar body polish, super intensive daily moisturiser, blissful daily moisturiser and gentle cleansing lotion

Gentle Cleansing Lotion 

RRP: £5.99 

Sale price: £1.50

For the price I just couldn't resist this cleansing lotion. It promises to be gentle on the skin and suitable for even the most sensitive skin. I agree it is certainly extremelyy gentle. It isn't however completely fragrance-free. It contains lemon essential oils and rosemary which you can definitely smell during use. It isn't an overpowering scent but a required taste none the less. I quite like it myself and find it almost therapeutic.

In consistency it's quite a runny lotion and I generally use it in the morning due to its' light texture.
The instructions on the back tell you to use it on a cotton pad and swipe it over the face. I use it differently by massaging it in and using a hot cloth to wipe it off. I only feel my skin is truly clean when I use water - just my preference!  

Would I recommend it? Yes, although I'm not screaming its' praises at the top of my lungs. It is pretty  basic but enjoyable to use! You can't complain too much for £6 though, a purse friendly option. 

Blissful daily moisturiser

RRP: £8.49

Sale price: £2.12

Super-intensive daily moisturiser

RRP: £8.99

Sale price: £2.25

 I really fell in love with these moisturisers. I use the non-intensive moisturiser in the morning and the souped up version at night to inject extra moisture. The blissful daily moisturiser is made for normal/combo skin and it is so light. I love it! it absorbs into the skin quicker than anything I've used before which is exactly what I want in the mornings. It trumps the £18 Liz Earle moisturiser I was using previously. Again the scent is light and pleasant. The super-intensive version has a faint rose/floral scent which you won't like if you don't enjoy that sort of thing. It is much thicker in texture as you'd imagine and almost feels a tad 'balmy'. The blissful one is more on the herbal side. 

Would I recommend it? Definitely, they cater to different skin types and just a good all-round solid moisturiser which is pleasant to use and well priced. 

Million Dollar Brown Sugar Body Scrub

RRP: £32

Sale Price: £8.00 

This was the only 'luxury' product I purchased purely because it was on sale and I fancied a treat! I have to point out I think I'd only ever buy this if it was on sale because for me £32 is just too pricey for a body scrub.. especially when half of it ends up down the drain. That doesn't mean I didn't absolutely love it because I really did. As you can see from the photo above the oil in the scrub settles so you have to give it a good stir before using it. It smells mega strongly of orange to me.. In my opinion it isn't the best scent in the world but it's not offensive. The actual use of the product is what puts it in my good books. It leaves skin so so unbelievably soft and supple and exfoliated.

Would I recommend it? For the price tag, probably not. But if it was on sale definitely worth a try because the results are gorgeous and I'll be trying to find something similar.. 

What it should of cost:  £55.47

What I paid:£16.82 (incl delivery)

Total Savings: £41.60

A massive bargain i'm sure you'd agree! So have any of you tried any Organic Surge products? 

Much love, 

                          Natalie x

Empties #1

This is a new type of post for me but I absolutely love reading these kind of posts so I figured why not make it a series? I love the idea of seeing the entire product has been used up and a short, useful review. It just so happened I had a few well loved empty products lying around that I had yet to throw out! 

Here's the lineup:

 left to right: Lush Ro's argan body conditioner, TBS Moroccan Rose perfume, Batiste tropical Dry Shampoo, Liz Earle Moisturizer, L'Oreal Super Liner. 

1. Ro's Argan Body Conditioner

I have the tiniest bit left as you can see here, but nowhere near enough for a full body use. This is the small trail tub that I got as part of a gift recently. It's such an interesting concept that I thought would save time in moisturizing after a shower (..i'm lazy). It's a really great product. It smells like a hundred million roses packed into a little tub - I love the smell. If you like rose scents and turkish delight you'll love it. It did make my skin baby smoothh and I really enjoyed using it. Would I repurchase? maybe some day! I just have no need at the moment. 

2. The Body Shop Moroccan Rose perfume 

I'm noticing a rose-scented theme here.. I love me some roses. This perfume is not your stereotypical 'rose' perfume. It's slightly spicy making it alot more interesting. I initially bought this perfume because it was on sale and then absolutely fell in love with it. I would totally repurchase if I ever see it on sale again. 

3. Batiste Dry Shampoo - tropical

I love dry shampoo, it is just the most convenient product ever and suchhh a quick fix if you have to rush out and your hair is looking a bit worse for wear. It adds a nice boost of volume and absorbs any greasiness you might have going on in the roots (yumm). Aside from the general 'lift' it gives your hair it smells amazing and coconut-y. An immediate transportation to a beach - ahhhhhh. If coconut is not your thing it comes in tons of different scents and it's reasonably priced. Would I repurchase? I'm on my way right now.. 

4. Liz Earle Skin Repair Moisturiser ( normal/combo skin)

This product was seriously lacking in any type of 'wow' factor to be honest. I would probably have needed the version for a dry skin type so that could potentially be what hindered its' ability to impress. It just is very 'meh'. I saw or felt no huge difference and whilst it does the job without many frills it just isn't worth the hefty price tag.. in my opinion. I think it's about £18 or so. I feel I could purchase something more effective cheaper. I won't repurchase anytime soon. 

5. L'Oreal Super Liner Black Lacquer 

I did enjoy using this liquid liner. It was pretty tricky initally but I did get better with it. What annoyed me about this eyeliner though was how it dried out exceptionally quickly during use so you had to dip back in the tube again all  the time. I was impressed with the wear time though and how it did not smudge throughout the day. Overall a generally okay product but I'm looking to try out more 'felt-tip' type liners with perhaps a thinner nib. Would I repurchase? Not anytime soon. I'm looking to broaden my eyeliner horizons. 

So that's everything, let me know if you guys enjoy this kind of post! 

Much love, 

                Natalie xx

My Origins facial experience

 Hello! I recently went for a facial at my nearest Origins counter and thought i'd let you all in on my experience. I'll start off just by saying I had a ball of a time and this is going to be a very positive post :) It's my honest opinion and believe me it's not a sponsored post. 

The facial service is a complimentary service Origins offer to ALL their customers, it's totally 100% free. that's right, you heard me.. FREE. And with no obligation to buy products I found myself asking "WHY have I not done this before?!" 

It was an utter delight to be pampered and enjoy the facial experience. The Origins worker was just lovely and very easy to chat to and asked me to fill out a form about my skin type so she could pick the best products for the facial. I had to write down my usual skin rountine and things like that so she could best fit the facial.

As it began she placed a hair wrap around my head to stop any product getting into my hair and tipped my chair back so I could truly relaxxx. She used the custom-designed range of products on me and talked me through each of the products as she was doing it. I can't even tell  you how therapeutic and relaxng it was. She used everything from serums to exfoliants to face mask to lotions and eye masks and creams. The products smelt absolutely amazing and it was just great. She even suggested I book myself in each month seeing as it's free! We had casual chat throughout the whole thing and it was all in all a pleasant experience. I think I'm going to make an appointment for my mum, it's the exact kind of thing a stressed out mum would love!

I became more familar with the ethos of the brand during my experience and how they're completely paraben free and very keen on being powered by nature. I think this is a really great concept and totally important when it comes to what we're putting on our precious skin. 

As the facial came to an end she sat down and showed me everything she'd used. She then asked if I'd like a sample of anything and I went home with a few sneaky samples! I am particularly enthused about their Gin Zing eye cream and I think I'll be enjoying that! I might go back and pick up the full size if it impresses me :) 

She put my samples in a little tester box and gave me a sheet on which she'd ticked all the products that had been used incase I was interested in the future. And if that wasn't pleasing enough she gave me the hair wrap she'd used as a little gift! I'm throughly impressed by Origins customer service and this excellent service that they offer. It's a great way of getting to really know the brand and find out if you might want to use it in the future! I love that there was no pressure to buy anything also, I don't like it when you feel intimidated or pressured by sales people.

I recommend you all try this out! what have you got to lose? 

My goodies from the experience

My personalised form with the products used

The Origins ethos

And that's about it! Have any of you tried out an Origins facial? 

Had any great or not so great facial experiences? 

comments welcomed!

Thanks for reading :)

Much Love, 

                           Natalie xxx

Skin Delights - My Routine

I'M BACK!

Deepest apologies guys for my absence but my latop is STILL broken and i've had to resort to using the main computer which is about 109024268 years old and rather tempermental. But what can I say, I just couldn't keep away from the blogosphere.
I thought a skin rountine post would be a fitting return and I hope you find it interesting! :)

 Just a small disclaimer - I'm not a specialist or anything like that and these products are what I've found to work for my skin type. Of course everybody's skin is different but these are just a few products I've found to work especially well for me. Nobody is obligated to rush out and buy them and they may not work as well on your skin type. Just letting you all know! Oh and as always, this isn't a sponsored post.

From the offset I shall let you all know that I have pretty normal/combination skin. It changes constantly. Sometimes I suffer from an oily T-zone with clogged pores and I get dry patches in other places. Sometimes I get breakouts across the bottom of my chin - it tends to vary from season to season. My skin isn't overly sensitive but I have a fair amount of redness across the centre of my face due to me being very fair with pink undertones. I also get fairly blue/purple hues under my eyes.
I felt it was only fair that if I was going to do a skincare post I should probably let you all see the condition of my skin.... a photo is probably the best way to do this. 

*Cue scary no-makeup-on hideous photo* The things I do for you guys..

The lighting was about as natural as I could get it. Sorry i'm a camera novice. My camera also isn't the best possible quality so it's not a real high definintion close photo - i'm aware of this. I do have very visible pores I promise you. As you can see my skins not perfect but I think i'm doing pretty good atm. What I would say is I don't have acne or problem-prone skin. So if that's you my skincare routine probably isn't gonna be great for you. If this helps anyone at all though that would be great :)

So.. here's a shot of the current products in my regime. As you can see I like to keep it reasonably minimal. I know that sometimes if you use a shed load of different things they can all start to counteract or sometimes cancel eachother out. You will also be able to tell I'm a Liz Earle convert. The products are just great and after an enthusiastic recommendation from my boyfriend's mum (Who then went on to gift me some products for christmas - eeek! ) I found myself firmly in the Liz Earle fan club.

 

These are the basic things that I don't tend to change up much. I add some things in occasionally like a face mask or something (currently loving LUSH skincare's 'cupcake' mask), but because they're not a permanent fixture I decided to keep it to the basics. 

 My cleansing tools of choice

These are what I use in conjunction with my products. Nothing very special really. Just some 'Simple' face wipes to get all the grime/makeup off before I cleanse properly. This means I know my cleanser is really getting in there. I know face wipes are rather naughty and alot of skincare gurus detest them, but to be quite honest I can't always be bothered doing a full cleanse if it's late and they work all right for me. I like these ones in particular and tend to buy them when they're on offer.. gotta save those pennies :p I use the muslin cloth with my cleanser and the cotton pads to swipe some toner across my face. simples.

Item no.1:  Liz Earle Hot Cloth Cleanser. 

God I love this stuff. 

It didn't win lots of beauty awards for nothing. It's also highly raved about across the beauty world. Everybody whos everybody seems to have their hands on a bottle of the ole' hot cloth cleanser. I personally love it. It's creamy and gentle and pretty easy to use. You massage one or two pumps onto dry skin over face and neck and then rinse a pure muslin cloth in hand-hot water and wring out before gently wiping off the cream. It leaves your skin looking radiant and thoroughly cleansed in my opinion! 

The website says: Ideal for your morning or evening cleanse, this formulation works on every age and skintype, offering concentrated yet gentle cleansing power.Our plant-based cleanser has a two-phase action. Phase one is the cleansing. Free from mineral oil, it has a rich and creamy texture and swiftly removes all traces of face and eye make up, even stubborn mascara. Phase two is the polishing. Polish off the cream using the pure muslin cloth to gently dislodge dead skin cells and help reveal clean, soft and radiant skin.

Naturally active ingredients include eucalyptus and cocoa butter for smoother, cleaner skin.

I agree. A 100ml bottle will set you back about £12.75 which I think is pretty reasonable given the quality. Oh and the scent is pretty blah. It just smells quite 'natural' really. Nothing too perfumey or strong which I personally think is great when it comes to facial products. 

Item no.2:  Liz Earle Instant Boost Skin Tonic

 This is the next step in my regime. I simply put some on a cotton pad and swipe across my face. It really helps brighten up my complexion and refreshes me. Sometimes I'll do this just during the day to prep myself up a bit. 

The website says: This heavenly floral-scented, non-drying toner refreshes, soothes and brightens your skin. Gentle and alcohol-free, it also adds a fine layer of moisture.
Pour onto a cotton wool pad and sweep over face and neck after using Cleanse & Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser. Alternatively spritz over face and body to revitalise at any time.
Naturally active ingredients include aloe vera to revitalise and soften and calendula, chamomile, cucumber and natural source vitamin E to soothe and refresh the skin.

Suitable for all skin types

 What I will say is that I LOVE the scent of this. It's really lightly floral scented and it's just delicious. You have to smell this stuff. Sometimes I just grab it and give it a good whiff, it's amazing. The bottle also lasts you ages because you only need a small amount. A 200ml bottle like mine will cost you about £12.50 on the website. Once again I think if you're looking for a high quality product it's a good price to pay!

Item no.3:  St Ives Naturally Clear Blemish Fighting Apricot Scrub

 

 

 

You'll see i've stepped away from my beloved Liz Earle for my exfoliant, for the simple reason that I just love this St Ives one. If you have sensitive skin this probably isn't for you. It contains quite decent sized kernels which can be quite abrasive. It means you really get a good scrub on and slough away that dead skin...yummy. I just love the feeling of really getting into those pores and it also smells pretty fruity which I love. It also contains Salicylic acid which is known to be really good for your skin and blemishes. This particular one is also oil free :) I'll use this about 2-3 times a week depending on how my skin is at the time. You just use it like any other exfoliator - moisten your face with water, massage it over your face and rinse off. Volia! 

The best thing about this bad boy is that it's only £4.29 in Boots (UK drugstore). So for that price i'm more than happy to stick with it. I love what it does for my skin :) 

Item no.4:  Liz Earle Skin Repair Moisturiser

 I use the one specifically for Normal/Combination skin but they also do ones for different skin types if you're interested. I usually just put this all over my face after i've done all the other stuff to add some moisture into my skin, unless I'm using my Origins mask which I will tell you about bellow. It has a nice consistency, it isn't too thick and it sinks in fairly quickly. It has the same kind of plain 'natural' scent. At £18.97 however for this 50ml jar (!!!) I think I might test out something different next. But there is no denying it's a bloomin' good moisturiser.

The website says:  This perfectly balanced moisturiser softens, smoothes and conditions skin for a naturally healthy-looking glow. Rich in natural actives, including borage oil (a rich source of the essential fatty acid GLA) and natural antioxidants beta-carotene and vitamin E to replace lost moisture and help protect against dryness. Massage into face and neck, morning and night, after Instant Boost Skin Tonic. Naturally active ingredients include borage and avocado oils to moisturise and smooth

Item no.4: Origins Drink Up Intensive Overnight Mask

 This is quite a different product to the rest. I first heard about it through a couple of youtubers (Viviannadoesmakeup and Lily pebbles - check them out) who raved about it and got me interested. I was suffering from some dry patches at the time and really needed some help. I looked up some reviews online and soon found out lots and lots of other people loved it too. I took the plunge and payed out the £20 it cost... that hurt. But I will say right now it was worth it. You apply it all over your face before you go to sleep and during the night your skin literally drinks it up. I woke up with plump skin which was unbelievably soft and supple. It also smells like apricots which is a delicious bonus. Go down to your nearest Origins counter  and smell this baby, you won't regret it. I use this just when I need it which is usually about 2 times a week. I think this is quite possibly my favourite product of the lot. 

The website says:  Helps skin feel smoother and hydrated
Skin depends on water for its youthful functioning. But all day long, skin loses vital moisture. And the busier you are, the more it loses. This intense moisture replacement mask deeply quenches compromised moisture reserves and builds a reservoir for tomorrow. Japanese Seaweed repairs skin's barrier to prevent future dehydration and signs of premature aging. 

There's not much else to say about this product other than I just love it. 

 
Item no.5: LUSH Bubblegum Lip Scrub

This was a pretty recent purchase as you can see but I've used it a good few times (The thing just never seems to go down!) and it's found a place firmly in my routine. It smells unreal and tastes amazing too. You pretty much just rub it over your lips to get off all flaky skin (mmm) and your lips are left baby smooth. Then you just lick it off your lips.Simple as that! I've found it's great because lipstick looks horrible on dry flaky lips and this provides an excellent base along with some lip balm. I do this every night now. It'll set you back about £5.25 from Lush.

 The website says:  Our lip scrubs are made from castor sugar to act as a gentle scrub and jojoba oil to be wonderfully moisturising but light enough not to leave you feeling greasy.
Keeps lips in tip top condition, for kissing, pouting, talking or anything else you wish to do with them. Provides a great base for lipstick, which looks much better on smooth prepared lips.

So that's it! thanks if you've stuck along with me up until this point and read the entire thing. I know it's long but I felt I had to get it all out there! Skincare is a complex thing. 

Just incase anyone was interested the nail polish i'm wearing in this post is Porchester Square by Nails Inc!

Thank you all for reading :) 

What are your skincare saviours? what works best for you?

I would love to read some comments from you all :)
 

Much love, 

                         Natalie xxxx