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...

Put your best foot forward

Foot care, perhaps not the most exciting part of a beauty routine, but oh so important. If you think about how much we put our legs and feet through every day; we squeeze our feet into fabulous and narrow shoes, walk in towering high heels, stand up for long periods of time - that's a lot of pressure and weight, so no wonder that they get fatigued or the skin hardens to help act as a shock absorber. For some reason it seems more fun to take care of your feet during the summer since they're always more on display, but it's also important not to forget about them in the wintertime - keeping the skin nice, smooth and moisturised so when it's time to show them off again in strappy gorgeous heels at the seasons parties - you're well prepared.

Having a professional manicure or pedicure is very pleasant and relaxing but to be honest I do the same at home at least once a week, so it made sense to invest in some kind of tool to help with the buffing part. I must confess that I have a healthy respect for most types of electrical beautifying equipment, and for me using heated rollers is taking a giant step into the wonders of modern beauty care, but after much looking around I decided to get the Scholl Express Pedi, which is a tool to help smooth and soften skin quickly and effortlessly. It reminds me a little of an electrical shaver, but it has a buffing roller that you can easily replace when it starts to wear down. I use this after a long bath, when the skin of my feet is nice and softened, and after a couple of minutes of buffing they are left so smooth and any unevenness or hard areas has been gently removed. I was skeptical about it in the beginning and worried that it would be very rough or painful on the skin, but I was completely wrong. You'll get a gentle but effective buffing and it's great to use once or twice a week to keep your feet nice and soft.

After exfoliating, I like to use a nice and reach cream that softens even more any dry or rough spots, and Avon does a really lovely and affordable foot care range. A product that I've used for a long time is the Avon Heel Softening Cream which is a wonderful buttery and thick formula that  will help to soften the most stubborn of dry patches. It has a fresh and minty scent and the texture feels surprisingly luxurious to massage into the heels. I actually use this on my elbows as well as a treatment every now and then, and it make them very soft and supple.

Having given the heels some TLC, it's time to apply a generous layer of a foot lotion over the rest of the feet. There are a lot of foot lotions available, but a lot of them seem to contain lavender. Lavender in itself is a lovely scent, but it can be quite strong which is why the Burt's Bees Peppermint Foot Lotion is perfect for me. It's a gorgeous aromatic lotion dominated by the scent of peppermint oil and menthol, making it very invigorating and refreshing with almost that icy cool feeling you get from menthol. The peppermint helps to relax tired feet, but it also contains coconut oils to nourish, soften and hydrate any dry patches and beeswax to seal in moisture for a deeply moisturising sensation that lasts. 

To finish off my mini pedicure I'll spray on some of the Avon Watermelon Cooling Spray, which is a product that does exactly what it says on the bottle. It's nothing fancy and nothing complicated - it's a wonderful soothing and cooling spray that you can use at any point; either in the morning, during the day, in the evening, after a pedi - whenever you feel like it. As you may know with Avon they change their product range fairly regularly, so if you can't get hold of the Watermelon scent, there will be others, equally nice to use, but in a different scent. This is particularly lovely to use when you're in a hot climate, or if you've been out trekking, or wearing gorgeous but uncomfortable heels to relax and refresh your feet. After that, it's snuggle time with a warm and cozy pair of socks preferably worn overnight, to help the moisture cream really sink into the skin. In the morning you'll wake up with nice and soft skin, feeling refreshed as if you'd had a professional pedi - well close enough...