December/January Empties

I've not posted an empties post in a long time - mostly because it's taken me this long to gather up enough empties to post about. Do any of you remember the months where my empties posts would have squillions of products in them?! My beauty routine has definitely been simplified recently (read: I've been lazy) so it's taking me much longer to use anything up.

Boots Expert Dry Shampoo

When my favourite Tresemme dry shampoo isn't on offer, I usually buy this one instead. It's almost as good and about a third of the price. 

Boots Essentials Nail Polish Remover

My all time favourite polish remover! I've not been able to repurchase this yet so I'm trying another one and it just doesn't compare. 

Weleda Almond Soothing Facial Lotion

This was nice but not nice enough for me to rush out and repurchase it. I'm in need of a new night time moisturiser though so if you have any suggestions, please leave them in the comments!

The Body Shop Spiced Vanilla Body Butter

I realise this was from last year's Christmas collection but I promise I only opened it in September! As with all Body Shop body butters it's nice and moisturising. I wasn't a huge fan of the scent though.

Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer in Medium 3

Does this product even require an explanation? It's one of my most used and repurchased beauty products by far. If you've not tried it, you should. I'm already well on my way to using up another tube.

L'Oreal True Match Foundation in Golden Beige

I must admit, when I picked this up back in August, I wasn't expecting a great deal. I've been pleasantly surprised; this is an excellent every day foundation. I'll be posting a full review soon...and buying a new bottle!

BeneFit They're Real 

This is the first of three mascaras I've used up recently and it's the only one I've rushed out to buy again. It's hands down my favourite mascara.

L'Oreal Volume Million Waterproof

I enjoyed using this mascara and it's the only one that's come close to being as good as They're Real. It's much easier to remove though, despite being waterproof! 

LUSH Eyes Right*

Formula-wise this mascara is nice. It looks really natural which is great for everyday use. I definitely won't be repurchasing it - the packaging is terrible.

Have you posted an empties post recently? Leave me a link!

Stace xx

My Top Five: Winter Skin Essentials

Whilst I love being able to wear cosy scarves and jumpers during the cold winter months, I don't appreciate it when the climate wreaks havoc with my skin. Right now my beauty routine is limited to say the least but there are five products I find myself reaching for regularly to combat dry skin, hands and chapped lips.

Clarins Hand & Nails Treatment Cream

£19

This is my all-time favourite hand cream because it does exactly what it claims to; it moisturises my hands when the skin is feeling a bit dry and 'tight'. I love the light, slightly fruity scent and I appreciate the fact this sinks into the skin fairly quickly. I've only got a little bit left in this tube so I've been using it at night before bed. This is definitely going to be on my Christmas list. 

Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream Skin Protectant

£21.25

I posted about this wonder product recently; I'm convinced everyone needs to own a tube of this funny smelling orange balm. During the winter months I'll use it as an all over face mask before bed to keep my skin looking and feeling soft. It also works well as a lip balm or on any dry patches of skin. A little goes a very long way with this product so whilst £20+ might seem a bit steep initially, it's an investment!

The Body Shop Body Butter

£13

The body butter in the photo is from last year's Christmas collection but any scent will do; there are loads to choose from. I'd recommend going for one of the dry skin formulas because I find I need to use less product for each application. I'd fallen out of love with my body butters during the summer months but now that the cold weather has set in, the love affair has been rekindled. You can usually find selected scents on sale - I've never paid full price for a tub.

Clarins Extra-Firming Lip & Contour Gentle Exfoliator

£19

This is one of those little products that deserves more attention, I think. It's expensive for a lip scrub but it's the best one I've tried because it's so gentle but still very effective. I work a small amount into my lips before wiping it off with a tissue. I do this a couple of times a week and that, in conjunction with the next product I'm going to talk about, keeps my lips smooth and prepped for whichever lip product I fancy wearing.

NUXE Reve de Meil Lip Balm

£9.50

My first impressions of this lip balm weren't great but I've really warmed to it recently. The matte texture is a bit weird at first but I'm used to it now and I've yet to find a lip balm which stays on my lips as well as this. I put some on before going outside and it helps protect my lips from the cold weather. I also pop some on before bed. This has surprisingly become my lip balm of choice!

What are your winter skin essentials?

Stace xx

August Empties

It's empties time again! I didn't get through a lot of products this month but I did use up more make up items than in previous months.

Garnier Body Tonic Sugar Scrub

I mention this body scrub far too much on this blog but it really is my favourite! I've already bought another tube of it.

Sanctuary Mum To Be Shower Oil

I got this as an extra in a swap once and thought it was a bit strange to be sent something meant for pregnant women but I decided to use it up anyway. It's just okay.

The Body Shop Green Apple Shower Gel

I love the scent of this product; it really does smell of apples. It's not the most moisturising shower gel out there but I still like it.

Osmo Berber Oil Rejuvenating Shampoo

I enjoyed using this shampoo. I recently reviewed a trio of products from this line (here) including this shampoo. 

Clean & Clear Dual Action Moisturiser

This moisturiser is great if you have blemish prone skin. I apply a thick layer of it before bed when I feel my skin needs it. It also works well under foundation so I sometimes use it in the mornings too. I've already picked up a couple of new tubes of this.

Revlon Lip Butter in Fig Jam

This is/was my favourite lip butter shade. It's a dark brown/plum shade that is a lot more flattering than it sounds! I actually tracked down a MAC lipstick to dupe this because Fig Jam is sadly not available in the UK. 

Estee Lauder Invisible Fluid Sample

I mixed this with my Chanel Perfection Lumiere foundation sample to help with staying power/oil control and loved the combination but I won't be heading out to pick up the full size of this.

Estee Lauder Pure Color Gloss in Electric Cherry

These glosses smell delicious and I love the non-sticky formula. This particular shade looks a bit weird on me (according to my boyfriend anyway!) and it was limited edition, I believe, so I'll not be repurchasing it. I am interested in trying other shades from the Pure Color gloss range, though.

Maybelline One by One Mascara

I liked this mascara and reviewed it (here) but I don't think I'll be repurchasing it for a while because there are so many other mascaras I still want to try.

Chanel Perfection Lumiere Sample

I used this up by mixing it with the Estee Lauder Invisible Fluid and loved the results but on it's own I wouldn't recommend this foundation. 

Make Up For Ever Smoky Lash Sample

I really liked the effect of this mascara but it was so dry and quite difficult to use so I'm not sure if I'd purchase the full size. Besides, I've not managed to find a UK seller which stocks this.

MAC 188 Brush

I want to cry about this one! This isn't an empty as such but I managed to break/ruin my MAC 188 brush. I was washing it and pulled a little too hard on the bristles so the whole brush head popped out. I've had this brush for well over a year and it was my favourite highlighting brush. Let this be a lesson to you all...be nice to your brushes. 

Sally Hansen Insta Dri Top Coat

I've already repurchased this. It's frustrating when I have to get rid of these when they're still half full but they just become too gloopy to use.

Did you use up many products this month?

Stace xx

July Empties

If you've read any of my previous empties posts you'll think this one pales in comparison; it definitely wasn't my month for using up lots of products! 

The Body Shop Brazil Nut Body Butter

I love this body butter, the scent might not be for everyone as it is a bit sickly but I like it. I tend to use this particular body butter more on drier areas such as my elbows and knees.

The Body Shop Africa Spa Hand & Foot Butter

I've already repurchased this; it's an excellent foot cream. I can't imagine using it as a hand cream, though.

The Body Shop Dewberry Shower Gel

Can you tell that I'm a fan of products from The Body Shop? This isn't my favourite scent but it's nice. Raspberry Ripple is my favourite scent from this range.

Vaseline Cocoa Butter Vitalising Gel Body Oil

This isn't technically an empty but I just can't bring myself to use it any more. It's horrendously greasy and takes forever and a day to sink into my skin no matter how little I use so it has to go!

Dr Bronner's Lavender Hand Sanitizing Spray

I'm going to be honest and say that I didn't love the scent of this but it was quite handy to use. I kept it by my bed in the hope that the lavender scent would help me get to sleep more easily.

Cuticura Citrus Hand Hygiene Gel

This is a bit big for my handbag so I kept it by my make up/skincare to use if I needed to. It's a good budget product to have around.

Bath & Body Works Fresh Picked Pairs Pocket Bacs

This smells absolutely delicious; I'm sad that I've used it all up. If I ever make it to the States, I'm going to buy hundreds of these Pocket Bacs because they're great for my handbag.

Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream Intensive Moisturising Hand Treatment

This is another product that I've not technically used up. It's very moisturising and sinks in quickly, which is great but it absolutely stinks!

L'Occitaine Shea Butter Hand Cream

I bought the smaller sized tube of this to pop in my bag and I've been impressed by it. It's definitely up there with my other favourite hand creams.

Head & Shoulders Citrus Fresh Shampoo

I always go back to this product when my scalp is playing up. It works well on my grease-prone hair and isn't irritating at all.

Clarins Water Purify One Step Cleanser

This is a decent cleansing water but I do think there are other similar products that are cheaper. 

Lierac Energizing Soothing Cream Sample

This has been my most used moisturiser recently and I've really enjoyed using it. 

Thierry Mugler Angel EDT Sample

I love the scent of this perfume, it reminds me of my granny because that's why she wears. 

BeneFit PoreFessional Primer Sample

I got this free with a magazine and it lasted me a good month or so. PoreFessional is one of my favourite primers.

Comfort Zone Renight Recover Cream Sample

It feels like forever since I finished up this sample. It's very thick so I can't see myself wanting to purchase the full size. 

Burberry Body EDP Sample

I've had so many samples of this perfume, it's ridiculous! It's just okay to be honest.

That's it! Let me know if you used up many products this month in the comments.

Stace xx

July Haul

I didn't think I bought too many products this month but I guess I was wrong!

I needed a new shampoo so picked up the L'Oreal Ever Strong Reinforcing Vitality shampoo; it's from their new sulphate free range. Having tried (and enjoyed) another (much more expensive) sulphate free shampoo, I've been keen to try another one. The E45 lotion was a necessity because the skin on my back and shoulders has been feeling so irritated recently. It's a decent moisturiser in general and something that's handy to have on hand when scented lotions are too irritating.

I popped into The Body Shop because it's my birthday month so I had a £5 reward plus a £5 reward on my reward card. I needed to replace my African Spa Hand & Foot Butter so I used my £10 of rewards on that.  From the sale I picked up a Raspberry body butter, a Green Apple shower gel and a Passion Fruit cleansing gel. I stupidly thought the Passion Fruit cleansing gel was a body wash, though. I added a Born Lippy balm in Pinkberry at the till and I've been enjoying this lip balm so much. It smells like a strawberry Opal Fruit.

I picked up the famous Rub Rub Rub body scrub from LUSH and have been loving it so far. The scent is really unexpected; because it's blue I was expecting it to smell fresh but it's actually a lot more floral.

I did a little blog sale shopping this month. From a US blog sale I bought a mini Make
Up For Ever Smokey Lash mascara but unfortunately it's very dry looking so I don't think it's usable. I bought two more Maybelline Baby Lips in Pink Punch and Cherry Me. Despite the naff packaging, these are great little tinted balms. I also picked up a Hard Candy 'bronzer' (what?!) in Tiki. It's a lovely highlight powder.

I accidentally bought another highlight powder from Lou's blog sale; this time it was Topshop's Sunbeam. This one is very pigmented and golden. I also bought a mini Burberry lip cover in Rosewood because I didn't get it in my Harrod's Glossybox and felt I was missing out! It's very cute.

I clearly had a thing for honey scented lip balms this month given that I purchased both the Nivea Milk and Honey balm and the Burt's Bees Honey balm. I have to say, I prefer the Nivea one. I picked up a couple of the new-ish Revlon Kissable Balm Stains in Crush and Rendevous. I wanted to try a waterproof mascara so picked up the L'Oreal Volume Million Lashes Waterproof in Black; I've been enjoying using it so far. I had to replenish my stock of Collection Lasting Perfection concealer in Medium, too.

I attended a make up lesson at Urban Decay that I'd won and the make up artist used this concealer on me. I really liked the coverage and texture of it so I picked up the Urban Decay 24/7 Concealer in AFI. Expect to see a review on this sometime soon. The final product in this haul wasn't purchased by me. A lady I babysit for gave me this because she didn't think the colour would suit her. I've been hankering after a NARS Larger Than Life lip gloss for a while so it was a nice surprise. This is in the shade Place Vendome. 

Swatches

Hard Candy Tiki, Topshop Sunbeam, Urban Decay AFI, Collection Medium

Maybelline Cherry Me, Maybelline Pink Punch, Revlon Rendevous, Revlon Crush, Burberry Rosewood, NARS Place Vendome

If you'd like to see reviews of any of these products, please let me know!

Stace xx

A Foot Cream Face Off: L'Occitaine vs. The Body Shop

It's taken me a while to feel up to writing today's post. I'm just going to put this out there; I hate feet. They freak me out. Even 'nice' (shudder!) looking feet make me feel a bit squeamish. However, this is a beauty blog and making my feet look a bit less disgusting is part of my regular beauty regime so it's about time I reviewed the products I use. 

I normally exfoliate my feet in the shower, then I'll apply a foot cream and put on some cotton socks. I prefer to do that before bed but I do try to use a foot cream every day or at least every two days so sometimes I'll just pop on the socks for half an hour before I have to leave the flat. Right now I have two foot creams that I alternate between and I like both of them, but for different reasons. This post is going to be a comparison of both products.

First up is The Body Shop's Spa Africa Honey & Beeswax Hand & Foot Butter. A bit of a mouthful! I can't imagine using this on my hands as it's very thick so I use it exclusively as a foot cream. The pot is a bit fliddly and unnecessary in my opinion. This is priced at £10 for 125ml (here) and I've been using this pot since the end of April, at least once a week.

I tend to use this foot cream once or twice a week at most partly because I don't want to waste it if my feet don't need such a heavy duty cream and partly because it takes quite a while to sink into the skin, meaning that I really do need to have this on overnight. 

The product itself smells gorgeous. It doesn't smell like a typical foot cream to me; I often think of them as smelling quite minty or herbal. It's the best foot cream I've used in terms of how moisturising it is. You do need to exfoliate your feet beforehand, but then any foot cream requires that step. If you find you struggle with dry skin or if you only want to have to use a foot cream once a week, this is definitely one to check out! I've already repurchased it.

PS - I bought this on Essiebutton's recommendation.

The second foot cream I use regularly is L'Occitane's Shea Butter Foot Cream. This is priced at £18.50 for 150ml (here). The packaging is functional and thankfully, a lot less fiddly! 

I bought this on a bit of a whim and at first I wasn't overly impressed by it but I like using it in combination with The Body Shop's Honey & Beeswax foot butter. If I use that twice a week, I'll try to use the L'Occitane cream at least three times and I find it just helps keep my feet hydrated. On its own it's not enough.

The texture is definitely more of a cream compared to the buttery texture of the other foot cream I use. That has its benefits because it means the cream sinks in a lot more quickly so I can easily use this in the mornings if I have to. I'm not in love with the scent; it's very herbal and not what I expected from a shea butter based cream really. However, that does mean it feels quite cooling and makes it nice to use on tired feet too. I'm not entirely sure it's worth the £18.50 price tag or the accolade of 'foot cream of the year' (according to InStyle) but it's not a a terrible product either, I just think there are cheaper alternatives or other creams that work better.

I hope this was helpful to some of you!

Stace xx

The Body Shop Vitamin E Eye Cream

I started using an eye cream daily at the beginning of the year and so far I've tried both Clinique All About Eyes creams and the Philosophy Eye Hope. Whilst I liked all three of those, something inside me baulks at the idea of paying £25-£30 (or more) on 15ml of eye cream, despite knowing that I'll only use a little each day. So, I decided to give The Body Shop's best selling eye cream a go.

I much prefer face moisturisers that come in tubes; I'm not the biggest fan of sticking my fingers in jars, especially when my nails are quite long. Eurgh! So, the Vitamin E eye cream gets points for coming in a tube. I find it really easy to control how much product I squeeze out so I don't waste any.

Texture-wise, it's a lot more lightweight than I was expecting. I actually prefer a lighter texture if I'm wearing it under make up so this is a perfect daytime eye cream. It's hydrating without being greasy or causing my under eye concealer to crease. At the moment I'm using this at night as well but I think when the weather gets a little colder, I'm going to want something a bit more heavy duty for night time. 

I have quite dark under eye circles because I have pretty sallow skin so I know that no eye cream will really help those and I've not noticed much of a difference when using this cream. I don't have a great deal of fine lines in the eye area yet either but I'm planning to go down the 'prevention is better than cure' route with those for now and I believe the hydration the Vitamin E eye cream offers is helping with that. 

The Body Shop's Vitamin E eye cream is available online (link) and in stores. It's £9.50 for 15ml. I think it's a great value product and I'd recommend trying it if you're not sure where to start with eye creams or if you want something light for daytime. 

Stace xx

June Empties - Products I've Used Up

I want to say 'this month has flown by' but I don't think June has to be honest! I've had so many different things to do this month that the 1st of June seems like a very long time ago. I think I've got a slightly more normal amount of empties this month and didn't manage to get through an awful lot of make up.

Simple Kind to Skin Cleansing Wipes 

I bought these because I had a coupon so got them half price. They weren't terrible but I prefer the No7 ones.

No7 Quick Thinking Wipes

I think these are in every empties post! These are definitely my favourite face wipes.

No7 Eye Make Up Remover

This was a decent eye make up remover; it didn't sting or irritate my eyes but it does leave an oily film so if you don't like that, you probably won't like this! I've went back to Boots Botanics for eye make up remover for now but wouldn't rule out buying this again if I had a £5 off voucher.

Clinique Moisture Surge Moisturiser

I love this moisturiser but I refuse to buy the full size because it's £30 or something and I get through it so quickly. It's a very light gel like consistency so it makes a great day cream.

Clinique Liquid Facial Soap

This was the little tube I took on holiday with me so I just finished it up when I got back. I have a full sized bottle of this and it's one of my favourite face washes. 

The Body Shop Vitamin C Facial Cleansing Polish

I picked this up alongside the Vitamin C scrub that I love and it's a nice face wash. I'd definitely consider repurchasing in the future.

Origins Vita-Zing Moisturiser

This was my second tube of Vita-Zing and I do like it but I've found recently that I prefer a moisturiser with a lighter texture during the day so I think if I am going to repurchase it won't be until the winter time. 

Soap & Glory Fab Pore Facial Peel

This is not what I expected - it's basically just a clay face mask. It leaves my skin feeling squeaky clean but sometimes it reacts with my face wash and burns my skin. I think it's a bit too harsh for me.

Aussie Mega Shampoo

I love the smell of this stuff - it smells like raspberry jelly or something! It does start to build up a bit and irritate my scalp though which is annoying considering it's supposed to be a daily use shampoo. I think the Luscious Long version is better.

Johnson's Baby Shampoo

I use this as a brush cleaner and sometimes as a shampoo (if my scalp is feeling a bit sensitive) and it works well as both! I'll always have a bottle of this around.

Aveda Smooth Infusion Style Prep Smoother

This was just a little sample and it's a nice product but nothing special really. I prefer my Macadamia oil.

Macadamia Natural Oil Rejuvenating Shampoo

I really like this shampoo; this is the little bottle I took on holiday. I probably will repurchase this when I need to replace another product from the range or something.

Boots Expert Dry Shampoo

I like this dry shampoo but recently it seems to have gone up in price quite a bit - I remember when it was 99p. It's not the first one I'd purchase if I had the choice but I will buy it when it's on offer. It doesn't leave any residue in my hair, which I appreciate!

Garnier Intensive 7 Days Soothing Lotion in Calming Honey

I really, really enjoyed using this product. I think Calming Honey is my favourite scent/formula because it doesn't irritate my skin at all. I expect to repurchase.

The Body Shop White Musk Sumptuous Shower Gel & Smooth Satin Body Lotion

I bought these ages ago and have only just used them up. The body lotion isn't particularly moisturising but it's useful for layering and dries quickly. The shower get is just a typical shower gel really. I don't think I'd repurchase unless they were on sale.

The Body Shop Shower Gels in Papaya & Satsuma

I should point out that I didn't use three full bottles of shower gel this month, I took Satsuma on holiday and finished up Papaya at the beginning of the month. I often use shower gels from The Body Shop so I imagine I'll be repurchasing these, especially Satsuma; it smells so fruity!

Clinique High Impact Mascara

This was just a little sample. I used to buy this mascara all the time and it's nice but I've tried better mascaras in the past year/eighteen months.

Dior Addict Lip Polish in 001

The wand on this lip gloss is so weird - it rolls. I didn't like the scent/taste of this so I'll not be repurchasing but the shade is nice and natural and it does smooth out the look of your lips if you struggle with lines. 

Boots Conditioning Nail Polish Remover Pads

This is not technically an 'empty' - I just hate these things too much to use them!

Valentino Valentine EDP

This was a Glossybox sample, I believe. It smells quite nice but I don't think I'll ever buy it for myself.

Essie Fill The Gap Base Coat

I'm so sad that this has become too gloopy to use and I will probably repurchase it at some point but I'm trying something else right now (watch out for my haul post tomorrow!)

So...did you use up a lot of products this month?

Stace xx

My Thoughts on Beauty Reward Cards

If you live in the UK, you'll have heard of these four cards before. Boots have had an Advantage card since before I can remember, I think I got mine when I was about 14. That means it's almost a decade old...Probably shouldn't dwell on that so much! I've had two Love Your Body cards from The Body Shop, I've had the Debenhams Beauty Club reward card for a couple of years and I've also got Superdrug's reward card offering.  In this post I'm just going to tell you what benefits you can get from using these cards and which ones I like best. 

First up is possibly my favourite card. In fact, I think it is my favourite. This is Debenhams' Beauty Club reward card. You get points credited to your account when you present the card in store or enter the details when shopping online. In store you will receive 3 points per £1 when you spend over £25 and online you will receive 5 points per £1 plus free delivery. Debenhams regularly run offers for extra points when you spend over a certain amount; they usually offer an extra 500 or 1000 points when you spend over £40. Sometimes this is specific to certain brands and other times it applies to any beauty and fragrance products. Each point is equivalent to 1p but credit to spend in store is only loaded onto your card in £5 increments. £15 in rewards is the maximum that can be given each month but any extra points are carried over to the next month's balance. So, for example, if you gain 1765 points one month, you'll get £15 credited to you reward card at the end of that month and 265 points will be carried forward and added to any points you gain in the next month and so on. 

My top tips would be to shop online where possible as you get more points that way, try to shop only then the bonus points are available and if you're spending, say, £80, split it into two orders to get the maximum amount of points. The only downside to this card is that the credit you receive can not be redeemed online so if you don't live near a store this might be frustrating. However, the advantage is that your credit can be used  as part or full payment on any purchases so you don't have to save up enough points to cover the entire cost of what you want to buy unlike with the Boots Advantage card.

You can get a card from beauty counters in any Debenhams stores and immediately start collecting points. Once you've registered it online you can check your balance and will receive monthly statements letting you know how much credit you've accumulated.

Reward Card Rating - 4.5/5

Next up is Superdrug's Beautycard. This annoyingly shiny card is my least favourite of the four that I have. For every £1 you spend in store you will receive 1 point on your card. You can use your points as part payment for your purchases but only once you've earned at least 100 points and only in increments of 100/£1. So if your shop comes to £3.50 and you have 400 points, you will still have to pay 50p. You can also earn points online. Superdrug sometimes run promotions offering more than 1 point per £1 and I remember there being lots of those when the card launched. At one point you could earn 10 points per £1 if you shopped online so it's worth watching out for those although they definitely don't happen as regularly these days. There are also occasional in store offers of bonus points on certain products or if you spend more than a certain amount on a particular brand. Again, these offers have been much less frequent in the past eight months or so.

My main issue with this card is that I'd have to spend £100 in order to get £1 back. Let's be honest, who spends hundreds in Superdrug? Boots offer 4 points per pound so if something is the same price in both stores, you're better off buying it from Boots. As I mentioned, the offers for bonus or additional points per £1 have not been as forthcoming since the hype around the card's launch died down which is a shame. The system of using the points as part payment is annoying too because it's so specific. If you have £20 of points on your Debenhams card, you can buy something at £17.50 and essentially get it for free or if you're in Boots and have enough points to cover what you're buying, you can also walk away without having to spend anything whereas in Superdrug you always have to pay something. Once I had to hunt around in my purse for 22p, it was annoying.

This card gets a thumbs down from me. I still use it if I'm in a Superdrug but I've not built up enough points to get money off my purchase for a really long time as it takes so long to get anywhere near 100 points these days. It's worth having if you shop in Superdrug a lot and you keep an eye out for the elusive bonus offers but I'm not telling you all to rush out and get one if you haven't already. These can be picked up from any Superdrug store and can be registered either online or by post.

Reward Card Rating - 1/5

The Boots Advantage card; it's an oldie but a goodie. As I said, I've had mine for a long time and over the years have used my points to make 'special' purchases, usually from Chanel! For every £1 you spend you collect 4 points. Boots often run promotions for extra points on certain brands or specific products. To benefit fully from your Advantage card check for offers at the in store kiosks and keep an eye out for vouchers sent in the post. There are lots of opportunities to earn 250 extra points on a £25 spend, 150 points if you buy three products from 17 or whatever. One thing I would warn you about is not to get sucked into buying things you don't want just because there's an offer of extra points, it probably won't be worth it. However, if you were going to buy those 17 products anyway, for example, it's nice to get a little extra back in the process. 

You can spend your points whenever you like but the issue with this card is that you must have enough points on your card to cover the cost of your purchase. You can not use these points as part payment, hence why I don't use the points on this card so often. You can spend your points in store and online which is handy if you're a fan of online shopping.

You can pick up a card (if you don't have one already...I imagine almost everyone does!) online, over the phone or in stores. 

Reward Card Rating - 4/5

Finally, I have a Love Your Body card from The Body Shop. This card works differently to the others as you don't gain points when you shop. You pay £5 for the card but there's usually some sort of free product worth at least that value if you buy the card so it's usually technically free or almost free. Look out for a sign up incentive that you actually want. I believe I got one of their sulphate free shower gels and it was lovely. For your £5 you get 10% anything you buy for a year. The discount is applied to full price items, items in multi-buy offers and items in the sale. In fact, during the most recent sale (still ongoing, I believe) I had an email offering Love Your Body members an extra 20% off sale purchases and if you scroll down the blog a bit, you'll see a bargainous haul! In addition to the discount you get a stamp for each £10 you spend and once you've spent £40 (i.e. have four stamps) you get a free product worth up to £5. Once you have eight stamps you get a free product worth up to £10. You also get a free product worth up to £5 in your birthday month. There are also offers of freebies or extra discounts throughout the year.

When it comes to online shopping, you can still get your 10% discount but if you want to have the stamps added to your card for each £10 you spend, you have to take your receipt into the store and have them do it for you which is a bit of a faff. It's not the most online-friendly reward card out there.

I would recommend this card to anyone who thinks they'd spend around £80 in The Body Shop in the space of a year in order to take advantage of the freebies. However, since the card usually ends up not really costing you anything, if you want the free product that comes with signing up, I'd say to just get it. If you never, ever shop in The Body Shop then this one obviously isn't for you!

Reward Card Rating - 3.5/5

Phew...that's it! Sorry it was a long one this time but I hope it was helpful and that if you don't have some of these cards, you'll be able to pick them up and start saving a little money.

Stace xx