Chloes September Empties

C: HAPPY DUE DATE MONTH TO MEEEE! And anyway… moving quickly on (hopefully I will have a nice gory detail labour post on its way to you soon), welcome to Septembers empties! Since moving house I have had a chance to look through my stash and select the half used products I wanted rid of. Not because I didn’t like them, but because they were already opened and needed using up. So this month I have exceeded my usual 5-6 monthly empties and have used up a whole 10 products! Because there are more than usual, I have split the photos up a bit to make my mini empty reviews easier to follow! So here we go:

Stretch Mark/Baby Related Stuff

Palmers Massage Lotion for Stretch Marks – this is the lotion I have enjoyed using the most, mainly because despite having a slight clinical use it actually still smells nice. Even though pregnancy sucks and all dignity is out the window, I still like being able to pamper myself and use products that seem at least slightly normal. This also keeps skin soft and supple so it can stretch without being itchy and horrid.

Repurchase? I already have!

Bio Oil – the jury is still out on this one, I think it has stopped my stretch marks from looking as red etc (they look like old ones rather than new ones really), but I don’t know how much it has prevented them so I maybe should just save this to use after labour!

Repurchase? Yep! 

Derma Mum Superior Moisturising Cream – I reviewed this here so won’t bore you all with another review!

Repurchase? Not now as it’s such a large tub. 

Montagne Jeunesse Face Masks

Blemish Mud – I absolutely loved this, and reviewed this in full here if you fancy a goosey

Repurchase? Hella yeah!

Passion Peel Off – this made my skin feel super soft and moisturised and did do a good job of calming my skin down, but the peely-ness just isn’t for me. It felt horrid to peel off and freaked me out/made my teeth itch. I know thats weird… but no thanks. Not for me.

Repurchase? Not a peel one no!

Hair Care

Batiste Dry Shampoo – not my fave dry shampoo but gets the job done – albeit with a slight white haze that needs lots of brushing through!

Repurchase? I always seem too! Although I have another bottle in my stash waiting to be used before I buy anymore!

Loreal Elvive Nutri-Gloss Shampoo sachet – I got this free in a magazine and thought it was about time I used it up rather than stashing it for some unknown occasion! I liked the smell of this, and it certainly made my hair soft and shiny but obviously its hard to tell how amazing a shampoo is from one go!

Repurchase? I would quite happily use this again.

Body Wash/Perfume

The Body Shop Satsuma Body Polish – I recently re-bought the full sized version of this in my Body Shop Haul post here, so you can tell I liked it!

Repurchase? Already have!

Soap & Glory The Scrub of Your Life – this is one of my absolute favourite S&G body products. It has the standard S&G scent, but is super exfoliating at the same time. However, it is also really gentle and can be used daily, as it doesn’t even upset my super sensitive skin. Winner!

Repurchase? I have a full sized version of this in my stash waiting for me, but after thats used up I will definitely be buying another!

Calvin Klein Euphoria Blossom Perfume – yes you have read that right… I have actually given in and finished up a perfume! Normally I leave the last few pumps for special occasions as I have perfume separation anxiety, but I went all out and used this up! I bloody love this, its floral but not too old-lady-esque and the scent lasts all day.

Repurchase? this shall be on my Christmas list for Santa!

And there we have this months empties! Hope you like my mini reviews! #twolittleowls 

Review: The Body Shop Ginger Anti-Dandruff Shampoo

C: one of the lovely side effects of being pregnant has been a delightfully flaky scalp – something to do with the same hormones that ruin your skin and nails apparently. Lovely. Obviously, as I am pregnant I didn’t want to be shoving loads of chemicals and nastiness on my scalp to sort the problem, but also didn’t want my scalp to keep falling off so I did a little research and found this beauty.

The Ginger Anti Dandruff Shampoo is £4.50 for 250ml or £6.40 for 400ml from The Body Shop, so not too expensive really, only a little more than your average drugstore shampoo. Now the hundreds of positive reviews on the Body Shop website speak for themselves, but I thought I would share my experience with you guys too. Basically… this stuff is amazing.

After one wash my scalp was no longer itchy/irritated and there was hardly any flakiness left. By the second use literally all evidence that my scalp had ever decided to fall off was gone. Literally, gone. Now I haven’t ever had this issue before, so I haven’t tried any other anti-dandruff shampoos to compare it too but with results like that I won’t be bothering to try any!

Also if you are worried about the scent, I am preggo with super human smelling powers and don’t like ginger… but it is fine to use. The scent isn’t over powering in any way and I actually enjoy using it. There doesn’t seem to be a matching conditioner, so by the time you have used your normal one there is no over powering ginger scent lingering about!

So basically, if you have any scalp issues you NEED  to try this! I have literally been recommending it to everyone! Has anyone else tried this? What did you think? #twolittleowls

Chloes May 2015 Empties

C: another month, another set of empties! Once again I have done super well at shopping my stash and using up lots of samples and half opened products, I had so many and it seemed ridiculous to pack them all up for my move! So here we go!

1. Valentina by Valentino perfume sample – Annie gave me loads of these samples just after Christmas from her mum, and I have found them super useful for keeping in my handbag/going away bag when you dont want to risk breaking a whole bottle of perfume! I loved this scent, it was so fresh and floral, yet lasted all day! I got so many compliments whilst wearing this, even from my mother who wouldn’t normally comment on that sort of thing!

Repurchase? this is definitely going on my Christmas list next year (I never buy myself perfume… no idea why!)

2. Weleda Millet Nourishing Shampoo – another Birchbox sample here I think. This smelt amazing, and left my hair feeling clean and soft so it was definitely a thumbs up from me. Unfortunately I don’t personally think you can get a feel for the shampoo from such a small sample as I only got two washes out of this, but I did enjoy using it!

Repurchase? Sure, but only because I love Weleda products, would deffo need a larger sample to really comment on the shampoo’s effectiveness.

3. KMS Curl Up Wave Foam – oh look, another Birchbox sample. Clearly it is Birchboxes fault I have cupboards full of samples! I won’t go on about this as I reviewed it here so make sure you take a little look if you are interested!

Repurchase? I already have!

4. Rimmel BB Cream in Matte – another product that I have previously reviewed here

Repurchase? I already have! I didn’t get the matte one though, as my skin was dry and I am a bit sad cos I didn’t like it… so I will have to go and buy this one again!

5. Naobay Body Radiance Lotion – the third Birchbox sample of the post! This contains olive oil, avocado oil and shea butter, so it was super moisturising. I also loved the scent, which to me smelt like limes… but I cannot see any lime in the ingredient so I am probably just wrong on that. Soz. I really enjoyed using this, it helped my dry skin and was just a pleasure to use.

Repurchase? No. Not because I didn’t like it, as I did. But because I think there are plenty of other products that do the same for less pennies, and because I have insane amounts of body butter/lotion to use up!

So thats my empties done for another month! Have any of you guys tried any of these products? If so did you agree with my mini reviews? #twolittleowls

A #dearsally Christmas OOTD

C: A Christmassy OOTD for you lovelies today! If you saw my #dearsally wishlist (which you can see here) then you may recognise this outfit!

After doing my #dearsally wishlist, the lovelies at Long Tall Sally were kind enough to send me the Christmas day outfit that I had chosen! So here is how it all looks together in real life, I added my favourite tartan scarf just to add to the festiveness as well as a red lip. What do you guys think?

The quality of the clothes is spot on, and I am especially in love with the boots! They are honestly just the perfect Chelsea boots, even L likes them – when normally he just moans I have too many shoes! The jumper is also a beautifully thin material, meaning it is perfect for being at work in those warm offices, or for Christmas shopping as you can look festive without being too hot! #twolittleowls

Chloe’s Hair Care Essentials

C: I was looking through the blog today (I like to have a quick squiz through and re cap on what we have been posting lately) and realised that we have hardly done any haircare posts! Considering the amount of hair (on our heads, we aren’t just super hairy creatures) we have between us, thats really quite shocking. I’m no expert… but here are my hair care essentials, and a few tips I have learnt along the way.

Lets just make it clear first, that I have very thick, long hair and so if you have short fine hair… clearly these products/tips may not work for you (or they might, in which case let us know in comments below!). My first essential is clearly a tangle teezer. We reviewed this here if you fancy a look, but since buying this I haven’t looked back. I use it every single day (okay, I’m lying, I sometimes “forget” to brush my hair) and it has seriously reduced the fly aways I get, as I am no longer ripping out my hair when attempting to de-dreadlock it.

On to the products… I haven’t included a shampoo/conditioner, as I tend to change them every time I buy a new one. There’s always too many new ones out! Once I have washed my hair, I spray through a detangler to assist my tangle teezer. My favourite is here but I wanted to try out some others, and I have been enjoying using this Aussie Miracle Hair Insurance detangler so far. It just provides a little extra protection to your hair, and makes it even less likely to damage it whilst brushing.

I then like to apply my KMS California Curl Up Wave Foam, which I previously received in one of my Birchboxes and have since bought the full size version. This helps add a little texture but also control to my frizzy curly hair, as I dont like to straighten it often – burnt hair = not cool. This allows me to leave my hair to dry naturally, which results in soft (sometimes still crazy) curls.

Once my hair is dry I like to apply a hair oil to the ends, just because my hair is super long and therefore super old and in need of as much moisture as it can get. I love this Carino oil by Aldi. It costs about £3 and does the same job as the billion pound oils. What more could you want? (We reviewed this here).

Lastly, an essential for any busy person with lots of hair – dry shampoo! We reviewed/compared lots here, if you fancy a goosey. Perfect for second (or third) day hair, if you want to put up your hair or need some extra volume (/grease hiding power).

These products combined allow me to look after my hair, and create natural loose waves without the use of any heat! Perfect. What products do you guys use? Have you tried any of these? #twolittleowlsblog

November’s Empties

C: It’s the end of November which means two things, I have cracked out the Advent Calendar aaand its time for another empties post! I haven’t used up as much this month, but I have a few of my favourites to share with you all so its all good.

1. No7 Beautiful Skin Cleansing Lotion. The No7 range is seriously underrated, I love it! This cleansing lotion is perfect for removing make up, moisturising and cleaning skin as well as calming down irritated, sensitive skin. It’s amazing. You can even use it on your delicate eye area to remove eye make up.

Repurchase? Definitely.

2. Beauty Protector Leave in Conditioner. I received a sample of this in my Birchbox and loved it so much I ordered the full size product. I won’t go on about it as I review this product here, but lets just say I am very sad it is all finished.

Repurchase? 100%

3. Soap & Glory Sugar Crush Body Wash. The very last of the Christmas S&G stash, sad times. Thank god its Christmas countdown time! I love this,  but I haven’t decided if I love it more than the other S&G shower gels as I love them all. The scent is so sweet but fresh and it doesn’t irritate my sensitive skin. Plus it looks nice in my shower which is always a bonus.

Repurchase? It’s on the Christmas list mayte!

Another positive empties post today, I have loved all 3 of these beauties! Have any of you lovely readers tried these? #twolittleowls

Review: Hair Culture Deep Cleansing Shampoo and Conditioner

A: I have been debating on whether or not to write this post for a while now, but I feel like I owe it to you all to tell you these amazing products. They aren’t your usual brand though and actually come from Aldi – not a shop at the top of every beauty bloggers list!

About a year ago, I spotted their shampoo and conditioner, which is in look-a-like Tresemme packaging, and I decided to buy them for my boyfriend; he usually steals my favourite shower products so I thought I’d let him have the cheap stuff and I could carry on using my expensive products… But one day I gave them ago and was so surprised by their quality for the price you pay. The Hair Culture Professional Quality Shampoo and Conditioners are just £1.99 for a whole litre of product. A massive bargain! They are so lovely to use because they have such a clean and light texture – I do find that some shampoos with lots of nice smells and extra products to boost shine can leave my hair feeling a bit lank and heavy. These do the total opposite and make my hair super soft and shiny, without any crazy added volume (deffo don’t need any help with that). They also smell so good, without being too overpowering – just fresh and clean. The shampoo is super sleek but doesn’t make your hair greasy at all, and the conditioner is lovely and creamy – but not heavy. Also, the package is perfect. No whistles and bells, just easy to use flip lids that let you use all of the product.

I can’t talk these products up enough, and I really would recommend you heading to your local Aldi to give them a go, you can’t go very wrong with £1.99 each, and they have one for coloured hair too for the same price. I use both of these as my long-term hair care products, and they have saved me a fortune! Plus my boyfriend really likes them too, proof that although they may not be amazing for every hair-type, they are so good for both of ours – and our hair-types are very different from eachother.

Have you tried either of these before? #twolittleowlsblog

The New Feature: Beauty Snooping

C: so something new for you all today… basically I had the genius idea to snoop round other peoples bathroom and see what beauty products they use. I love looking at what other people use, as its great for getting new ideas for products and I’m super nosey. So now I have an excuse for being nosey as well as spending money, as its “for the blog”. Obviously, not many people want me looking through their bathrooms… so I am starting with my mother. She doesn’t know I have done this, so lets be super glad she doesn’t read this and hope my sister doesn’t tell her. Okay. Lets get started!

Every year my mum says she doesn’t know what she wants for Christmas, so every year my dad gets her Estee Lauder perfume and the matching body lotion. Then every year she says “oh what a lovely surprise, I wasn’t expecting anything”, when clearly she knew she would get this bad boy. Don’t you just love parents? I love the smell of this, but its too “mature” for me just because it reminds me of my mum and I have a mental age of about 12 years so I like to smell like sweets. The body lotion is lovely though, it sinks in very quickly and is delicately scented (I use a bit every time I visit).

Next up we have the Clinique 3 Step system, my mum has always used this and the Dramatically different moisturising gel is still my Holy Grail moisturiser. Obviously mums know best, and I won’t bang on about these as we posted a review here.

Lastly (she doesn’t wear make up, she is “beautiful enough without” apparently) we have Green Peoples Shampoo & Conditioner. She loves this, she said that this is perfect for her sensitive scalp as it doesn’t irritate her so she can use it every day. Obviously for research purposes I had to try these out whilst I was at my parental’s and I loved them. They are unscented, which is strange at first but actually quite pleasant to use. My hair felt fresh and clean, didn’t get greasy the next day and was perfect for my sensitive skin. Unfortunately she might be right once again, so I might have to purchase these for myself!

Hope you guys like this post, will be having a search through the mother in laws stash soon if I am allowed. So there will be more make up items featured! Let us know what you think #twolittleowls

Annie’s First Empties Post!

A: This really is my first empties post ever. It’s taken me 10 whole months to collect enough empties to write about and review…because I like using new stuff too much. I have a problem. So here it goes.

Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water – £4.99 from Boots

This is one of the cheaper micellar waters on the market at the moment. I have tried quite a few but I must say that this is my favourite. It feels super clean to use and is not greasy at all and leaves my skin feeling cleansed and ready for the day – and is great for sensitive skin too. It doesn’t have a scent, which suits me perfectly because these can sometimes irritate my skin. The 400ml bottle advertises 200 uses – in theory just 2p per use, which is massive value for money. I would highly recommend this for removing your make-up if you’re a fan of the micellar waters.

Re-purchase? No, but only because I have changed my cleansing routine recently. This actually didn’t help improve my skin and it’s blemishes – something which my new routine has done (don’t worry – I will be posting an updated night time routine soon!).

Clinique Anti-Blemish Solutions All Over Clearing Treatment – £25.00 from Boots for the 3 Step System

I bought this 3 step system from Clinique as a last ditch attempt when I was feeling super low about my spots and blemishes. I was stuck in a relentless circle of permanently having bad skin and assumed this would solve all of my problems because all of the online reviews said it worked for them. Unfortunately, it didn’t work for me. At all. If anything, it made my skin worse – especially for the first few weeks, I was expecting this so I powered through – but it didn’t improve . The scent, texture and packaging really do make them a nice product to use – particularly this clearing treatment. It sinks into your skin almost immediately and and makes it feel refreshed and super soft so I am disappointed this didn’t work for me – it obviously just contains something my skin doesn’t agree with. I don’t want to put any of you off of using this – please give it a try if you think it might suit you and read other reviews!

Re-purchase? No!

Beauty Protecter Daily Shampoo and Conditioner –  £14 each from Birchbox

These were in one of my Birchbox’s, and shampoos and conditioners are one of my favourite things to receive because they are perfect for nights or weekends away. I saved these for a weekend away we had planned and was excited to use them as a treat for my hair and because they smelt SO good (although a lot of Birchbox products all have a very similar scent?). Sadly, they were a little heavy for me and left my hair feeling lank and dull – not silky smooth and voluminous like I was hoping. I still haven’t found my HG shampoo and conditioner – and actually buy one from Aldi because it suits my hair the best (embarrassing but true). Have you got any shampoo tips for me?

Re-purchase? No, sorry – a little expensive too I think!

Embryolisse Lait-Creme Concentrate – £12.99 from Birchbox

I won’t bang on about this too much because I actually reviewed it a while ago on the blog, so if you want to know more – click here!

Re-purchase? Yes!

Urban Veda Radiance Exfoliating Facial Polish – £8.99 from Urban Veda

I love a good exfoliator and this is one of my favourites. It ‘naturally brightens and balances skin tone’ – which I really think it does! Plus it has lots of scrubby beads in it and for me, there’s nothing more annoying than an exfoliator with not enough beads.

Re-purchase? Yes, but I have a few more exfoliators to use first!

Bare Minerals Original SPF15 Foundation in Fair – £19.95 from Feel Unique

This is my favourite product. I have included this in my Every Day Make Up Look (you should click the link, even if it’s just to lol at my selfie), but never actually dedicated a whole post to it – but it deserves it. It’s perfect for minimal coverage, but also for applying as much as you need. I really do love it as a foundation – and I don’t get on with liquid foundations because of my insane amount of freckles. If you have freckles, please try this!

Re-purchase? Without a doubt! (already have two in stock from the Feel Unique sale!!)

Have you tired any of these products? #twolittleowlsblog     

Big News (it’s a hoooot!)

A & C: Hi guys! Just a little update to let you know that we have made a twolittleowls Facebook page! Would love it if you could click on this little link here and give us a sneaky like, meaning you can keep up to date on our posts more easily.

Let us know what you think #twolittleowlsblog

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