Space NK & The Gift With Purchase

When I hear the words Space NK and gift with purchase in the same breathe my heart starts to beat that little bit faster and my bank balance inevitably starts to sweat, but for once it needn't worry - with a minimum spend of £75 (instead of the usual £150) and with a wish list collecting cyber dust in my Notes section of my iPhone a strike was inevitable.

The first item in my basket was an easy repurchase, the REN Clearcalm 3 Clarifying Clay Cleanser is a product I'll forever have in my stash, it's that good and I got an extra 33% for exactly the same price as usual. What a win! My second add-to-bag came in the form of Kevyn Aucoins Celestial Powder, which I've eyed up for longer than I can remember. What finally pushed me over the edge? Using my friend Claires on her hen weekend that's what. Discovering cheek bones I never had before that weekend was something I refused to say goodbye to. Naughty Hannah, happy cheeks.

My last buys came in miniature form, one the Kiehls Creamy Eye Treatment and the other a Rococo nail polish in the shade Wild Roses, well for £3 why ever not? My Kiehls addition wasn't so much of a whim purchase but a seriously thought out one, I'm quickly approaching my mid twenties (plus one) and feel an eye cream should be part of my routine. Have my bags disappeared? Not quite but things are feeling a whole lot hydrated.

Now for that thing they call gift with purchase, Space NK know how to pull it out of the bag with their freebies (pardon the pun) and teaming up with Sewlomax was a stroke of genius. I'm absolutely thrilled with this cutie of a make-up bag and can't wait to give these prods a trial.

Do you have a huge Space NK wish list? Do you get giddy at the words gift with purchase?

Empties #5

Tomorrow marks the end of an era as Craig and I wave goodbye to our bathroom as we know it and welcome (roughly) two weeks of general chaos as it begins it's transformation from ugly duckling to beautiful swan. I. cannot. wait. With a general clear up taking place just this morning I couldn't think of a better time to share my recent empties with you...

Hourglass Illusion Tinted Moisturiser in Ivory - I'm currently on my fourth bottle of the Hourglass Illusion Tinted Moisturiser since welcoming it into my life last April, my only criticism of my go to base would be that a bottle only hangs around for about two months. That said this tinted moisturiser would take some serious beating - thicker than any TM I've tried before, a little goes a long way to achieve that flawless, glows-from-within, natural finish. I can't imagine ever being without this complexion miracle worker.

La Roche-Posay Serozinc - This cheeky French number was easily the most talked about toner of 2013 thanks to skincare expert Caroline yet after using this for the last couple of months I must admit I'm on the fence. I adore the fine, refreshing spray mist and how it seems to soothe my skin after cleansing but personally I feel like that's all it does. Am I asking too much from a humble toner? Could this be down to the hype? Honestly I don't know and frankly I'm in two minds whether to repurchase or not. 

Clarins Instant Eye Make Up Remover - As I frequently resemble a panda the morning after wearing mascara (FYI I don't wear mascara daily as I can't get to grips with wearing it to work with my glasses) I thought I'd give the Clarins offering a go after hating on almost every high-street eye make up remover I've ever tried. Now here's where I went wrong, I don't wear waterproof mascara or heavy eye make-up and I think this could be the key to using the Clarins IEMR. Don't get me wrong it removes nearly all my mascara without a struggle but the oily residue is not my friend. At £17 I won't be repurchasing but in no way am I product bashing, this just isn't the one for the gal who rarely rocks mascara.

Soap & Glory The Breakfast Scrub - This could be is the most divine smelling body scrub I've ever tried, who doesn't want to smell like maple syrup morning or night? This scrub is not only fantastic value for money (this huge pot has lasted me months) but a brilliant body exfoliator that comfortably sloughs away dead skin cells without leaving your skin feeling stripped, just silky smooth. An easy repurchase, well done team S&G - I'm yet to try a product from you that I don't love.

Dove Hair Nourishing Oil Care Leave In Spray - I have a teeny amount of this leave in conditioner left which is awesome as it's become a real staple in my hair care routine. As someone with seriously thick and unruly hair, frizz has always been an enemy but since using this oil spray (along with a couple of other products) I've noticed a huge change in the finished look of my barnet, with frizzy days being mostly a thing of the past. I spray this sweet smelling oil liberally after washing my hair but before combing it through, allowing the spray to act as an all round nourisher and a detangler too. At £3.65 this is a serious bargain especially since it's lasted over six months. What else do I need to try from Dove?

REN ClearCalm 3 Clarifying Clay Cleanser - Yes I've used another bottle of this seriously calming but not stripping cleanser from REN and I've got a replacement in my bathroom cabinet, that's how much I love it! I really need to control my product pumps though, I slap this on like it's going out of fashion which in some ways is a testament to how much I love this cleanser but not so much to my purse. You can read an in depth review of my favourite everyday cleanser here.

Hourglass Mineral Veil Primer - They say good things come in small packages and they weren't wrong, the Mineral Veil from Hourglass is the best primer I've ever tried by a mile and that's coming from an I-don't-need-primer gal, that's got to mean something right? Sure it's pricey but your make-up will not budge nor will your skin feel clogged. This tiny sample size lasted me a good few months so next time you attend a Space NK event you better hope there's one of these in your goodie bag. Hourglass, you've done it again.

Have you tried any of these products before? Are you tempted to give any a go?

Empties #4

When an assorted array of brightly coloured bottles and tubs start to set up camp in the corner of your bathroom you know it's time to bring it over to Cagney and Lace and talk empties, am I right?

Pureology Essential Repair Shampoo - As the owner of some crazy thick and unruly locks I'm forever on the hunt for the perfect shampoo. I'm a tricky customer as my scalp is easily irritated and whilst my hair craves moisture there's a seriously fine line between just hydrating enough and making my follicles greasy. The Pureology range contains no sulphates, is designed with coloured hair in mind and although pricey at £12 it's highly concentrated so you only need the tiniest amount. Compared to all the shampoos I've ever tried (and there's a lot) this is my favourite by far. I've just bought the Super Smooth shampoo by Pureology in hope of comparing the two so I'll report back soon. 

Rodial Dragon's Blood Hyaluronic Moisturiser - Another empties post, another bottle of Dragon's Blood Moisturiser I just can't get enough of this plumping wonder, it's genuinely is a joy to use every morning. I recently discovered this has a very similar ingredient to the Tom Ford primer which will explain why my make-up stays put when I use this moisturiser. How many bottles before I give it HG status? You'll just have to wait and see.

Body Shop Cocoa Body Butter - It wouldn't be an empties gathering without a Body Shop Butter rocking up. The cocoa scent has long been one of my faves and the rich texture is exactly what you'd expect from a body butter. I could frankly open a body care shop with the number of body butters I have waiting in the wings so I won't be repurchasing this one just yet although fingers crossed there's one in my advent calendar.

REN ClearCalm 3 Clarifying Clay Cleanser - Everyone has that skincare item they can rely on to tame their skin when the going gets tough and for me that's got to be the REN ClearCalm Clay Cleanser which I first got my mitts on last Summer. Whenever my skin decides to welcome a hormonal break on board this bad boy gets to work and soothes everything with just a couple of uses. At £18 I think ClearCalm Cleanser is fantastic value and I adore how you can see when it's running out, that said I should really have bought a back up...

Algenist Gentle Rejuvenating Cleanser - Hmmm is the only way I can describe this Gentle Cleanser from Algenist. Bought on a whim when my skin was having a really angry time in Space NK Manchester I was assured this would calm my skincare woes. Consistency wise it's quite thick and creamy with a pearlescent shimmer running through it - once removed with a flannel my skin feels soft and a little plumped but sadly I didn't notice a decrease in my breakouts. I think this would be ideal for someone with dull, lack lustre skin but I feel there's better options out there for me personally.

Have you tried any of these products before? What's your cleanser of choice?

There's still time to enter my Origins thank you giveaway here, have you entered?

Update: The Battle Of The Cleansers

So I'm practically horizontal writing this post, why you may be wondering? Well I'm currently staying at THE amazing Cowley Manor in the Cotswolds (blog post to follow) with my mum to celebrate a special birthday she recently celebrated. Although the weathers certainly not at it's best, some would say it's favourable to ducks, we're having a great time. I've  just got back from a lovely pedicure at the C-Side Spa, the therapist was really sweet although she wasn't allowed to tell me which celebs have been in- it must be Mossy! For you nosy lot, I chose Essie Power Clutch for my toes, a lovely khaki colour.

With the wind howling and the trees swaying away I thought it would be the perfect time to give you my thoughts on two cleansers I briefly mentioned back in mini haul posts. One is the Ren Clearcalm Clarifying Clay Cleanser, bought waaaay back in August and the other is the Liz Earle Limited Edition Cleanse & Polish, which I purchased at the beginning of September.

To recap the Ren Clearcalm Clarifying Clay Cleanser is a thick clay-based cleanser which I put all over my face and remove with either warm water or using a muslim cloth. It has quite a menthol smell and is similar to a milky face mask in consistency, rather than a milky cleanser. What can I say....I absolutely adore this cleanser! It makes my skin feel incredibly soft but not stripped or tight, it calms any angry red spots I may be experiencing (currently there's a fair few, but more about that later) and my skin feels balanced after using it. Like all Ren products this cleanser contains no nasties such as parabens or sulfates. At £18.00 for a massive 150ml I will certainly be running to replace this cleanser when it runs out.

The second cleanser in close inspection is the Liz Earle Limited Edition Cleanse & Polish. This cleanser is a limited edition version of the classic Cleanse & Polish- both are hot cloth cleansers which are creamy in consistency and are removed with a muslim cloth. Unlike the Ren cleanser the Cleanse & Polish removes all your make-up, even waterproof mascara which means you don't have to double cleanse. I've been using the Cleanse & Polish every day for the past 3 weeks, either twice a day or just in the evening. 

At first I professed love; my skin felt incredibly smooth and clean. I also found my moisturiser sunk into my skin much better then before. I am however sad to say that I am no longer in love. My skin has broken out....big time. Now don't get me wrong, I am someone who does suffer from the occasional spot- usually along my jaw but this is different. I currently have spots in places, I haven't had spots since I was a teenager. The other thing I've noticed is that my skin has heightened dry and oily patches. To put you in the picture I have combination skin and often suffer from an oily t-zone and drier cheeks. Currently my nose and chin are very dry and everywhere else is oily. If I wasn't currently in the Cotswolds with minimal products I'd be waving a white flag and smothering on the Ren ClearCalm Clarifying Cleanser. I personally won't be reaching for the Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish anytime soon and I hope to restore my skin to it's former glory very soon.

Have you used the Ren ClearCalm Clarifying Cleanser or the Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish? What are your thoughts?

Skincare is very subjective and I don't doubt that the Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish works very well for others- it just doesn't sit well with me.

Mini Space NK Haul

I am so full of Sheffield love today! The wonderful Grazia magazine have done a feature in this week's issue all about my beloved home town, namely '10 hot things to do in Sheffield'. I am beyond chuffed about this- time and time again magazines cover the same big cities and the mighty Steel City never gets a mention so whoop whoop....fingers crossed anyone who hasn't visited might now consider a trip.

So back to beauty, as my last make-up post got so much love I thought it was time to do another on the beauty/make-up bus. Right back when I did my first post on my purchases from my trip to Leeds, I purely concentrated on the clothes I bought and failed to mention these beauties below. If you're anything like me a trip to Space NK is a complete and utter joy although not so much for the purse strings. I find it impossible to leave the store without buying anything especially when the staff are all so friendly and knowledgable about their products- other retailers take note! 

The two products I bought are the Institut Esthederm Adaptasun and the REN Clearcalm Clarifying Clay Cleanser. Why haven't I mentioned these sooner you may be wondering? Well these have been sat in the uber chic black Space NK bag waiting for a) a holiday and b) a bad skin day. Let me tell you there's been plenty of those a lately and as for a holiday...did I neglect to mention I'm off to Barcelona with my best gal pal on Bank Holiday Monday? I seriously can't wait, four days of sun, sightseeing and of course Zara.

The Institut Esthederm Adaptasun is a product I'd never heard of until a previous shopping trip to Space NK- yes it's addictive. As soon as I got home I began researching the brand and found lots of love for French beauty house particularly from bloggers Ruth and Anna. In simple terms the Institut Esthederm Adaptasun is a suncream which differs from the norm by allowing your skin to adapt to the sun and protect itself instead of just blocking the sun rays in the way a traditional SPF would.

At first I was a little skeptical, a suncream that doesn't use SPF- how ever will I know which to pick? Thankfully the range comes in varying levels depending on the type of sun you will experience. The lovely girls at Space NK advised me to apply the Adaptasun ten days before my holiday and then to wear whilst in the sun and top up like you would with a regular suncream. My initial thoughts on the Adaptasun is that it has quite a creamy texture and has a lovely scent of perfumed apricots. The real test however will be to see how it fairs in Barcelona....I will certainly report back although one things for sure, it will look fantastic on my towel- the packaging is incredibly simple yet expensive looking. At £42.50 it's definitely on the pricey side, particularly when you compare this to the usual SPFs but I hope to be amazed.

The second product I had to have was the REN Clearcalm Clarifying Clay Cleanser. Now REN is a brand I knew very little about but I had seen Caroline mention this cleanser on her blog and thought it looked like a bit of a winner. The Ren Clarifying Clay Cleanser is targeted at blemish prone skin and aims to purify the skin, combating the appearance of breakouts to leave skin clearer and calmer. 

I have combination skin which means I usually suffer from an oily t-zone with the odd dry/red patch, usually on my cheeks. As much as I look after my skin I still find myself partial to the occasional breakout, particularly on my chin and around my jaw area. I'd say I've used this cleanser about four times so far, certainly not enough to do a full blown review but I definitely feel like this not only soothes my skin but instantly makes it look brighter. I know I'll be reaching for this more in the next couple of weeks as I prepare to move house- I can sense my skin feeling stressed about this already. One genius thing about this product is the packaging, you can clearly see how much you are using. At £18.00 I feel this is reasonably priced especially for the amount of product you get (150ml).

Have you tried any of the Institut Esthederm or REN range? What are your thoughts on them?