moving out empties

Sooo I may have mentioned in my previous post that I was in the process of moving from London back home to Manchester to finish my degree. I finally made the move this weekend and given that ALL my stuff is packed in the next room here in Manchester I can't get to the rest of 500 products of summer before I go to Thailand on Monday. SO to make up for my 1.lack of posts and 2. my ditching 500 POS .. as I packed everything in my room I found a pile of empty beauty products...

HAIR

TRESemme Salon Silk Shampoo... I have talked about how much I love this shampoo before so I don't need to reiterate that it is a favourite of mine! Then there is the kms Hair Play Texture Spray, again I have spoken about before a while ago .. it is a really light texture spray that gives you a bit of oomph if you have flat hair. It smells lovely too, which is actually always something I pick up on in any beauty products.

BODY

To start, I need to say, the other day my friend said to me that I have an obsession for sprays.. and I am slowly realising it might be true! One spray I love is lynx, I actually have a men's lynx in my vast collection that I loooove. But this Lynx is actually the Attract body spray for her that I nicked off my mum! It's really nice and there is that classic lynx back fragrance to it, can't say it works attracting men as the adverts say but it is nice! Another spray I've emptied is Ghost Sweetheart that I got for Christmas, one of mine and my mums favourite affordable perfumes.. it's sweet and slightly musky too. It stays on all day and I always get compliments on it.. my mums dressing gown actually reeks of it! Then there is the wonderful and sadly empty bottle of St Tropez tanning mousse, again I have reviewed this product before.. my favourite tan of all time. I am actually getting the tanning oil that stays longer for my trip to Thailand.  Last but not least, the Revive Morning Bath & Shower Oil by Aromatherapy Associates, this little bottle of miracle oil is the only thing that made my 6:30 morning showers possible, a few drops rubbed on my belly get into the steam of the shower and make me feel so much more human! I love it.

HANDS

My hands always need to be looked atfer, as a nail art amateur I am always polishing and removing polish and so I need to always be moisturising. So it's only natural I have two empty hand creams and an empty polish remover. The Soap & Glory Hand Food is absolutely gorgeous, marshmallow fragranced light and silky hand cream that sinks in fairly quickly and doesn't leave a sticky layer which I hate! Another lovely hand cream is Nivea Express Hydration Hand Lotion which is made to sink in super fast and it does.. it disappears and hydrates your hands in seconds.. I love Nivea moisturisers they smell fresh and don't irritate sensitive skin. The Sally Hansen Acetone Free Polish Remover is a really nice and soft remover, I prefer acetone free because removers with acetone tend to hurt the cuts I get on my fingers and dry skin around my nails.

FACE

I try not to put a lot of things on my face or change my routine but my constant experimenting and curiosity means I do switch foundations and concealers and cleansers so here a few old products I've loved and used up. I've always struggled with foundations .. finding they weren't light enough or they were too thick, I think a foundation should look natural. I found this light liquid foundation last year, it's MUA Undress Your Skin in Porcelain it's really light and perfect for winter, it doesn't cover up my freckles and doesn't feel caked on. Then there is the Nip + Fab CC Eye Fix which is a colour correcting eye concealer, it's the perfect shade of orange (opposite to purple) that covers my under eye bags when I'm tired and worn out. I love the Porefessional primer by Benefit, my pores just disappear! when I am switching between make ups and cleansers my skin can break out, or just from a rush of hormones!!, I find my Witch blemish stick a complete must as a bedside essential, I sit and rub it on while I watch telly and by morning my spots have gone down by a mile.

So that's all my empties from moving out of my London house :( .. I will be posting again this week before Thailand with what me and Shauna are packing and then I will be away for a month!!

oiling up for summer

do not be fooled by my witty title - I am not here to talk about sun oil's, or applying vegetable oil on the beach, no no, I am white as the snow and unfortunately I am destined to stay that way. So these oils are the ones you may enjoy, like I do, and feel necessary in the run up to summer. Getting you all prepped and ready to show your hair, skin and nails :)

as you can see my new found brand is Aromatherapy Associates. Lush made to measure oils for every occasion seem to be my new love. It started in all honesty with the De-Stress Body Wash (not featured in this post as it is one of Aromatherapy's non-oily products!) that grew on me quicker than I expected, and their miracle in a bottle - Intensive Skin Treatment Oil. This oil is made to rejuvenate and repair the skin, perfect for scars/mishaps in the skin that you are unhappy with. I apply a few drops to my stretch-marks and operation scars and on my tattoo post-shower twice a week and I've seen results already. Needless to say I am in love, it also smells absolutely divine and is all natural and non-chemically aromatherapeutic goodness. And guess what is in it? - the one and only vitamin E, who'da thought?! (me hehe)

My next find in the Aromatherapy Associates collection of oils is the bath & shower oils. Pick which you think you need and soak yourself in a pool of wonderful aroma's and perfect harmony - or something like that. I have a few sample pots I got free when I treated my mother to their De-Stress Mind Bath & Shower Oil (which is her new found love) and I've also got the Essential Bath & Shower Oil set of mini bottles that I'm actually yet to crack open! - This is purely because I am so in love with the De-Stress Wash and am scared to layer my aroma's in case I overwhelm myself. I never would have thought I would like scents like these, I am a strawberry fluffy fruity pinky wonderful creamy kinda girl. Always going for your coconuts, vanilla's and berry bursts. But I may be becoming a woman and venturing into brave aromatherapy scents with these new shower oils. (I only use the shower so I rub on my arms and chest and tummy so the steam smells lovely and my skin feels just as). I have used the Support Lavender & Peppermint and Support Breathe oils so far, Breathe being my favourite - it is so decongesting and fresh! I am venturing into the Revive Morning tomorrow, hoping it will stop me feeling like death on my journey to work and think after my busy week at work I'll be needing the De-Stress Mind OR Deep Relax. I'm so excited! (And will be reviewing each one in a Bath & Shower Oil post once I've used them all).

The last Aromatherapy Associates product on my slippery list of oils is the Nourishing Face Oil. Not something I would usually go for to be honest, and the smell isn't something I would like but given that I am a new woman and all - I am really liking this product. I have combined skin, I get a really oily nose and this oil seems to help balance that out - nourishing and hydrating my dry skin patches and neutralising my oily patches. I have to say the strong smell of this product does frighten me when putting it on my face but I brave it because it works and it ain't as bad as you think it's gunna be, it's actually quite nice. 

Aromatherapy Associates is a rather expensive brand - but trust me. It is worth it if you want to splash out, whether on yourself or on a friend/family member. they will appreciate it and so will you.

Steering away from aromatherapy and into hairtherapy - Again I wouldn't normally think to get oil for my hair, afraid of how greasy it might get, but this is lovely and if you are worried about greasiness too - don't be! no matter how prone to grease your hair is. This One Gets You Silky Smooth Light Hair Oil, really does get you silky smooth, Just put it on the ends to avoid greasiness and get rid of the horrible dry look of split ends and grown out hair (my problem - I am growing my hair so reluctant to cut it! ipso facto .. dry, split ends!) and voila, shiny luscious smooth hair :) without having to soak it in conditioner or a hair treatment. Easy peasy.

Here we go - nails - Avon Nail Experts Strong Results. I rub this on my nails before my base coat when my nails are feeling particularly battered and bruised from all the polish I use. It's really light and not greasy, but isn't really like a polish at all so I class it as an oil. If you polish your nails as much as me I suggest you use this as well as a strengthening base coat.

I know Aromatherapy Associates took up a lot of room there - but they inspired the post AND deserve the credit as the products are just that good.

Which oils do you use?

PS any spelling mistakes I apologise for - I am tres tres tired. And remember all the names of the products link to where you can get them! - and follow me on twitter and instagram :D @curiousitybty

april favourites

so april is well and truly over - it went so fast - and over the course of the month I gained many new favourite products. Ranging from make-up to exfoliators, I have it all in my little beauty hoarding corner.

But my favourites make it to my dressing table, where I keep the best of the best. And here it is my first monthly favourites post, I'm also going to give away some hints on upcoming posts I have planned for the month of May.

body

I Love... Strawberries & Cream Exfoliating Shower Cream

Smells like a bottle of heaven, I get quite bad spots sometimes on my back and chest and this exfoliator has really worked wonders in making them go down! It is also handy to have a body exfoliator for when you start to get the fake tan out. Keep your legs, arms and torso free from dry skin and dead skin cells so your tan is smooth and perfected - it is very important.

Hugo Boss, Boss Orange Eau de Toilette

My staple perfumes are Prada Candy or Ghost Sweetheart (cheaper option), I've stuck to these scents for a couple of years and on really special posh grown up occasions I use Vivienne Westwood Let it Rock. This perfume however has taken over as my day scent - it is a little different to the super sweet and fruity scents I normally go for at first, but the fragrance develops into a really light and sweet one. It is definitely a  new favourite.

Aromatherapy Associates Intensive Treatment Oil

A bottle of miracle oil that I don't want to ever run out of. I used to use Bio Oil for the stretchmarks and scars I have (from growing quickly on my hips to operation scars) but no difference was ever made and someone told me it is mineral oil, so doesn't actually do anything. This oil however is designed down the the last ingredient to treat scars. My stretchmarks are looking so much better these days and I am hoping will be practically gone by the time I go to Thailand!

hair

VO5 Volume Dusting Powder

I have previously bought the Schwarzkopf OSiS Dust it, Mattifying Powder form my hairdressers and I loved it in my college years where my volume was always ten times the size it probably should have been. These days volume is back and bouncing (I am going to review my favourite root raising products soon so look out for that) and this particular VO5 product has made the favourties list this month. Whenever I raid Juliette's cupboard (see more about her stash here) I hunt for this bottle of wondefullness and this month I invested. It's perfect for flat hair days and handbag size too.

KMS California Hair Play Playable Texture Spray

This product has become something I use every day. I have hair that goes frizzy and wavy with  a touch of static if I don't blow dry it and when I do blow dry it, it becomes flat and 'too straight' within half an hour. This spray ensures that whether I blow dry or not it works with me. I love it - I combine it with a lovely oil I'm going to post up to have a textured and smooth look (I'll show you what I mean later this week).

hands & nails

Nourish Skincare Anti-Ageing Argan & Kale Hand Cream

Never found myself looking for anti-ageing products but recently as I am officially out of my teens and into my adult years I find myself panicking about getting old and wrinkly. Given the benefits of this cream, especially with it's wonderful ingredient of Kale, (which I will expand on soon in an upcoming hand creams post - look out!) it is perfect for my mani regime and preventing me getting super old hands like my dear old mum. The scent also reminds me of climbing trees as a kid and biking around the woods - always helps with the anti-ageing process.

Sally Hensen Gel Cuticle Remover

You may have seen this product in the back of my nail posts or mentioned in them - but it is a new addition to my collection this month. I have a few oils and creams for my cuticles because they are terrible so I am always looking for new and wonderful ways to keep them prim and proper. This product is the best I've tried for removing cuticles during my mani process - it's definitely a keeper and so easy to use if you aren't a regular with cuticle removing.

Rimmel Matte Finish Top Coat

Having used GOSH's and George @ Asda's matte top coats in the past few months I have developed a love for them - it means there is no need for buying all your fave shades in a matte version, you can transform them with a quick coat of this polish. This one is my favourite because it isn't as thick as the others, but I would recommend GOSH's top coat too if you are looking to invest in a decent mattifying polish.

face

Aroma Actives Purifying Clay Mask

A down-priced collection by the wonderful makers of Aromatherapy Associates (a newly loved brand of mine you will see popping up here and there on curiousity), the Aroma Actives collection is full of treats. I particularly love this face mask, I've always been a fan of mud and clay on my face is appeals to my weak spots and works wonders on my skin. I am going to test it against another couple of my favourtie clay and mud masks to see which is truly the best and see what benefits they have, but for now this is the best one I own.

B. Brilliant Rich Colour Lip Gloss in Morello

Having not been brave enough in the past to try purple lipstick (and being ever loyal to my millions of red shades) this lippy has been in my draw for a little while waiting to be cracked open. I braved it the other day and asked the lovely people of my Facebook & Instagram world how it looked. It is now my new favourite shade of lippy. This one is quite a dark plum shade and I am going in the deep end with it (I don't do things by halves). If you aren't brave enough to go dark like me then try a lighter softer shade. If you have red hair, go for it because purple and orange are on opposite sides of the colour spectrum so they match perfectly :) 

there you have it, what are your new favourites this month?