January empties

This might sound a bit strange for a shopaholic who shows no restraints at all when it comes to buying new things, but often when I get something new it take ages before I actually open it and use it - and that takes quite a lot of restraint I can tell you. Mostly it's because I want to finish something else up first and I also quite enjoy knowing that there's a "shiny new toy" waiting for me when I've been good and disciplined enough to use another product up first. That leads me on to the empties of this month, and since I've been quite good I think I can reward myself with finally opening one of my new goodies.

I don't think there will ever be a monthly empties post where I don't have a dry shampoo since it's a staple item for me, so let's get the dry shampoo out of the way first... I'm sure I'm not the only one who rely on dry shampoo to refresh the hair in between washes, or maybe even use a little for added texture, even if oil control isn't needed. The one I finished the past month was Batiste's Paisley (£2.99) which is quite a rich, flowery and slightly spicy scent. For some reason I can't find it anymore online, although I have seen it in Boots but there are of course so many other lovely Batiste scents to choose from and I've already got my next one lined up.

Last August I did a post on the wonderful Avon Apricot and Shea Butter product range, and since I quickly discovered that it was a very limited edition, I've cherished it and only used it every now and then to make it last as long as possible but the day has now come when I've finished the 2-in-1 Shampoo & Conditioner, Shower Gel and Body Lotion. I only use 2-in-1 shampoo and conditioners every now and then as they can be quite harsh on the hair, but since this one contains shea butter it doesn't strip down the hair and I was surprised at how easy my hair was to detangle after I'd used it. I like a lot of Avon products but I also find that some of the products from the Naturals body care range smell lovely but don't always add a lot of moisture, however this is not at all the case with these. It's probably because of the shea butter, but both the shower gel and body lotion were quite thick and creamy to use and felt really luxurious especially since they made the skin feel very soft and hydrated for a good few hrs after the shower. But let's also talk about the amazing scent for a minute - it's a lovely soft and juicy mix of fresh sweet apricot and subtle vanilla from the shea butter, and it reminds me of a yummy and irresistible ice cream sundae. It's absolutely gorgeous and I so wish that Avon would bring it back - I would be first in line to pick up 10 of each product!

The lovely Caudalie Beauty Elixir (£25.59) has been a part of my daily beauty routine for a few years now and I finish both my morning and evening cleanse with a refreshing spritz of this amazing facial spray and I love it so much that I actually carry it with me in my handbag and use it throughout the day too. Why do I love it? - well I'm glad you asked... First of all the dispenser sprays just the right amount to add moisture but without making your skin wet, and it settles on your skin in a fine mist that adds radiance and hydration. Secondly, the scent is wonderfully aromatic with lovely zingy mint, warm rosemary, a hint of orange peel and subtle rose - divine, and lastly it really perks up not only my skin, but my mood too - so what's not to love? It's an indulgent treat but after all, we all need a little indulgence in our lives.

Over winter I've really focused on hydrating my skin and that goes for not just my face, but my body, hands and feet too. It's oh so easy to ignore the tootsies so I quite like to have a really pampering, lovely cream to motivate me to being nice to my feet, and the lotion I've used the most is Burt's Bees Peppermint Foot Lotion (£12.99) which has a lovely fresh and icy cool scent of menthol and peppermint oil. It's quite a milky lotion, and not as rich and buttery as I would usually go for, but it absorbs quickly, nourishes and hydrates the skin as well as locks in moisture. The feet feel so refreshed and energized after using it, and it's a great excuse to put on some cute socks afterwards to help the skin soak up all the moisture even more.

Since I wanted to make some space in the perfume drawer for any goodies that Santa might bring me in December, I made a real effort to finish up some perfumes that only had a little bit left in them. This meant that I had to do something I don't do very often - wear the same perfume several days in a row, and this herculean task meant that in the end I actually finished off my Marc Jacobs Honey (£33.15). Contrary to what you might, think this is a very sunny, playful scent with lots of fruity notes; fresh pear, sweet and juicy mandarin and orange with only a subtle golden honey sweetness to it. At the same time it's soft, warm and inviting and not sharp or zingy in any way. For me it's a lovely balanced and uncomplicated scent and while it probably is a typical summer scent I think it works just as well in the winter since the cooler temperatures really brings out the crispness of the fruit. It's a delicious and sparkling scent that I've definitely enjoyed wearing, but for me it's a little bit on the light side and for that reason I don't think I'll be repurchasing it at the moment. 

As you may remember I bought a lot of Lily-Flame candles (£8.50) before Christmas that have filled the house with different wonderful festive scents that I hadn't tried before. I love candles that have a very distinct scent and that really capture a mood, and Christmas Spice did just that. It's a homely, warm and welcoming scent of cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves - absolutely lovely. I've raved about Lily Flame candles before - they have a great range of scents to choose from, look good enough to eat, are very reasonably priced and last but not almost most importantly, the burn so well. Burning time is about 35 hrs and they burn really REALLY well - from side to side, completely down to the bottom of the tin with no waste at akk as you can see in the photo, now THIS is how a candle should burn in my view. If you haven't tried Lily Flame candles yet I highly recommend them and have actually just placed a new order for more scents to take us into spring.

The last product of this month's empties is the Urban Decay All Nighter Makeup Setting Spray (£9), which over the party season has been absolutely brilliant at helping my makeup stay on longer. It's a nice, non perfumed spray that somehow mysteriously lowers the temperature of the makeup, so that it stays in place without any smudging or shine. It feels lovely and cooling on the skin and I've used about 4-5 spritzes of it both after foundation (but before powder) and once I've finished my makeup completely. The only thing I would say is that the spritzer isn't brilliant and instead of a fine mist, it's a bit more watery so I spray this quite a bit away from my face and then lean into it, if you see what I mean. Despite this I still really enjoy it and will definitely repurchase it and this time, I'll go straight for the big size.

That's the end of the empties, time to start over on the batch for next month and I've set myself a goal - to finish up even more products for February's post. Do you think I'll manage? - well there's always the prospect of starting to use a shiny new product to keep me motivated...

Avon's Apricot & Shea butter products

There are some things that I look forward to every month, e.g. pay day, the new edition of In Style, new nail polishes and the latest Avon book. Every time I get a new book it's time out. I'll make myself a lovely vanilla latte and sit down to go through it - pen in hand, ready to place my order. First I go through all of the brochure quickly to spot "highlights", and then I go back and look at what I've spotted in more detail and make my decision: To order or Not to order. I have tried something from most of the product ranges; perfume, hair products, makeup (LOTS of it) and nail polish - but I have an extra soft spot for the body care products. Avon has this uncanny ability to come up with products in the most amazing, fruity combinations, that to me are sheer temptation and when I spotted Naturals Apricot and Shea Butter products a while back, I knew straight away that I had to try them.

I loved the idea of Apricot and Shea Butter so much that I actually bought 5 products (only 4 shown in the photo); Shower gel, Body lotion, 2-in-1 Shampoo & Conditioner, Leave in treatment and the Room Spray. I've surrounded myself with this scent and it was exactly as beautiful as I thought it would be. It's a gentle, delicious mix of sweet and juicy apricot with luscious shea butter and together it creates a whipped fluffy ice creamy scent. It a tiny bit synthetic, but in a way that makes the apricot smell even fresher than it does in real life.

The shower gel and body lotion are both nice to use, although like with many other body lotions in the Naturals range they don't actually give as much moisture as I would like. The Apricot and Shea butter lotion is a bit thicker than the other body lotions, which is nice since otherwise they tend to be a bit milky and seem to not always absorb properly into the skin. After you've applied the body lotion you'll definitely smell amazing for a while, but for me that moisturised feeling is superficial and it disappears fairly quickly.

I really like the Avon 2-in-1 Shampoo & Conditioners and I have a few with different lovely scents. It's a great product for when you don't have a lot of time e.g. after a workout, and it cleans your hair well without leaving any residue or drying it out. Personally I only use these 2-in-1 products every now and then, since my hair definitely needs a separate conditioner (a lot of it) and I wouldn't recommend that you only use 2-in-1 products since it can make your hair dry and frizzy. The gorgeous scent is re-enforced if you use the Leave in treatment as well. The consistency is a bit like a thin conditioner, and you should apply a little bit to towel dried hair and then style as usual. It'll leave your hair feeling very soft and silky and you'll smell of irresistible summery apricot ice cream!

I had prepared this post a few days ago, and when I was going to add the most recent links to Avon there's no information about any of these products at all on their web site. Avon is a great affordable option (I think I paid about £10 for all 5 products) and offers some nice products but I REALLY dislike the fact that many items are only available for a very short time, and then they're gone. So if you're interested in this heavenly fresh Apricot and Shea Butter series, check with your Avon representative if they're still available or go on eBay where I know for sure you can find them.