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

MAC Lip Conditioner: An Under-Hyped Gem!

I'm fussy about lip balms. I hate Vaseline or anything that feels too slippery, I don't like having to spend ages trying to get enough balm onto my parched lips and 99% of the time I can't bear to use one in a pot.

The one lip balm in a pot that slipped through the net was MAC's Lip Conditioner; this is my third pot of the stuff. They offer this product in tinted versions too but putting my finger in a pot of coloured, moisturising goop was a step too far for me, it seems. 

The consistency of this lip balm is great; it's soft-ish but not too slippery. It clings to my lips nicely and truly leaves them feeling 'conditioned' - which is the whole point, right? If I'm wanting to apply a lipstick afterwards, I only use a thin layer otherwise I apply it thickly (and end up licking at least half of it off anyway). It's one of those lip balms that you can put on before bed and you'll still feel it's there in the mornings. 

The other lip balm product I like for night time/extreme hydration is Elizabeth Arden's 8 Hour Cream but, let's face it, it stinks. Even the 'unscented' version stinks! MAC's Lip Conditioner, on the other hand, smells (and tastes!) delicious. It's not as sickly sweet as their lipsticks but it's still pretty sweet.

All in all, this is a really under-hyped product from MAC, in my opinion. It's £11 for 15 ml (here) which is pretty reasonable. Each pot I've had has lasted me about four to six months but I do reapply it very often and quite thickly. I've tried the versions that come in a tube and it just doesn't compare. It's definitely worth getting your fingers dirty for this one.

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

Maybelline One by One Volum'Express Mascara

I've been trying out Maybelline's One by One Volum'Express mascara alongside BeneFit's They Real (yes, I know, I will never shut up about this mascara...) and it's quickly become my favourite every day mascara. I bought it on a whim because it was on 3 for 2 and there were only two other products from Maybelline I wanted at the time.

Maybelline say:

"Up to 4x bigger looking, flirtier lashes.

You’ll discover lashes you didn’t know you had, for clean, clump-free volume, instantly!"

I'd say they're half right. I don't think it makes my lashes look four times 'bigger looking' but the brush does catch lashes that other mascaras don't so I do look like I have more lashes when I use this. I wouldn't say it's clump free; in the photos I've used two coats and you can see that it does clump a little.  I put this on one eye and They're Real on the other to do the Boyfriend Test. He preferred the eye with They're Real on it because the lashes looked a bit more defined, longer and thicker.

I do find that I get a teeny bit of smudging after several hours with the One by One but it is so much easier to remove than They're Real which is a plus! All in all, it's a nice product and as I said, a great every day mascara.

This is the first Maybelline mascara I've tried in a long time and I have to say I'm impressed. I'm thinking of trying another mascara either from Maybelline or another drugstore brand so if you have any recommendations please leave them in the comments!

Stace xx

PS - You can pick this up for £8.49 at Boots (here) or anywhere else Maybelline is sold!

First Birthday Giveaway: Win a MAC Lipstick of Your Choice!

I can't believe I've been blethering away on this wee blog for almost a year now. On the 2nd of July Ace Stace Beauty will be one!

I've been planning on doing a giveaway for a while as I recently reached 300 followers, too. I've decided to give away a MAC lipstick of your choice for a few reasons. Firstly, I love them, if I could only buy one brand of lipstick for the rest of my days, I'd choose MAC. Secondly, I'm pretty sure almost everyone has at least one MAC shade on their wish list.

Bear in mind that I will only have access to lipsticks from MAC's permanent line of shades. The giveaway is for a standard MAC lipstick only.

How to enter:

1) Follow this blog via GFC 

2) Leave a comment with your GFC name and contact email. To keep things interesting (and to help me out a bit!) I'd like to know which sort of posts you'd like to see more of on this blog. 

3) To gain an extra entry, tweet the following: "MAC Lipstick Giveaway on @Staceisace6 's blog. Go to her blog: http://acestacebeauty.blogspot.co.uk/ to enter!" Let me know your twitter name in your comment too.

This giveaway is for my lovely followers who've read and commented so any entries which do not follow all of the rules will be disqualified.

The give away will end at midnight on the 2nd of July and is open internationally. 

Good luck everyone and thank you again for reading!

Stace xx

Wishlist Wednesday: Illamasqua Lipsticks

I was looking at some swatches of Illamasqua blushes recently and came across swatches of their lipsticks. I've never owned an Illamasqua lipstick because I'm not a fan of matte finishes but some of the colours were just too pretty to pass up. This week's wishlist therefore features the Illamasqua shades I've got my eye on. They are priced at £15.50 each.

Scandal 

'warm coral pink'

Drench

'pink berry red'

Blaze

'bright orange red'

Obey

'bright peachy pink'

Howl

'deep terracotta red'

Have you tried any of these shades? Let me know what you thought!

Stace xx

Bargains from The Body Shop

I don't think I've paid full price for a product from The Body Shop in a very long time. I used to view some of their products, like the £12.50 body butters, as 'luxuries' or things I'd get as a gift but I tend to stock up on them when they're on sale at half price or less so I can use them all the time. I do have their loyalty card so get 10% off all purchases including sale items but when I was in I'd received an email entitling me to 20% off all sale items. I thought I'd share what I picked up as there was plenty left in store when I was in so if you see something you like, you can probably still pick it up!

Spiced Vanilla 

Hand Cream - £1

Hand Soap - £2.50

Body Butter - £3

I love this scent, I know it's not particularly summery so I'll probably save it until it gets a bit colder (as if it isn't cold enough already here in Glasgow!) £3 for a full sized body butter is pretty amazing; especially since it ended up only being £2.40 with my discount. 

Cranberry Joy

Bubble Bath - £3

Body Butter - £3

This scent is really fruity; it's not spicy at all so I'd happily use these right now. We have a bath in our current flat but the sink kind of leans over it so having a bath is pretty much impossible. Our new flat has an uncomplicated bath so I'll be using the bubble bath as soon as I can!

White Musk Sun Glow 60ml - £7.50

I sprayed some of this on myself in store before going on holiday and thought it was really nice but it was £15 so I decided to wait and see if it went on sale, which it did! It's like a fruity version of their signature White Musk scent. I like these perfumes for putting in my bag or travelling as they're not too expensive so if something happens them it's not a total disaster.

Have you shopped in The Body Shop's sale?

Stace xx

My Current Make Up Routine

I've been using almost exactly the same products every time I wear make up at the moment so I thought I'd share! I've not been feeling too adventurous, as you will see. 

Face

BeneFit POREFessional Primer 

Bobbi Brown Corrector in Peach

Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer in Medium 3 

Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua in B40 

Clarins Ever Matte Powder in Medium Transparent 

NARS Orgasm Blush

TheBalm Mary Lou-Manizer

Eyes

Smashbox Brow Tech in Taupe/Soft Brown

MUA Clear Mascara

NARS Smudgeproof Eyeshadow Base

L'Oreal Color Infallible Eyeshadow in Sahara Treasure

Maybelline One by One Mascara in Black

It takes less than ten minutes and lasts pretty well throughout the day. In the photos I'm wearing the Chanel Rouge Coco Shine in Evasion. Once we've graduated and got settled into our new flat I'm going to have to make an effort to mix up my make up a bit!

If anyone has any tips on taking photos of their own face, please let me know. I was great at it when I was 16 but for some reason I'm terrible at it now!

Stace xx

PS - I have a blog sale going on if you're interested, almost everything is half price or less and the shipping is a flat rate so you can buy as much as you like without having to pay more for shipping!

L'Occitane Shea Butter Hand Cream

I picked up this travel sized tube of L'Occitane's Shea Butter hand cream a while back for a couple of reasons. Firstly, I wanted to see how it compared to my favourite Clarins Hand & Nail Treatment cream and secondly, because it's a handy size for handbags.

I've used about half of the tube now so I felt it's about time I reviewed it! Compared with my favourite from Clarins, it doesn't smell as nice and it does take a little longer to absorb into the skin.

However, all is not lost! This hand cream provides a nice amount of hydration to the skin on my hands and whilst it does take a little longer to sink in, it doesn't take more than a minute or so. I took this on holiday with me and ended up using it as a foot cream which worked pretty well. It was also the only moisturising product I had in my bag on the flight home so I used it on some patches of dry skin on my arms so it's a great multi-purpose product, in my opinion.

All in all, it's a nice product. It's not my favourite hand cream but if you tried the Clarins one and didn't like the scent, you might prefer the less powerful scent of this. 

Available online here and anywhere L'Occitane is sold. It's £8.00 for a 30ml travel size and £18.50 for the 150ml full sized tube. 

Have you tried this hand cream? If you have any other hand cream recommendations, leave them in the comments because I love trying them!

Stace xx

Holiday Preparation: My Favourite Body Products

Any of my regular readers will know I went on holiday at the end of May. I had planned on doing a post like this before going away but just didn't get around to it but I thought it'd still be useful since most people probably haven't gone on a summer holiday yet!

I use quite a lot of body care products on a regular basis anyway but before going away I try to incorporate a number of products which leave my skin looking smooth, even and perhaps a little more firm.

I seem to be a big fan of Garnier at the moment! It's not a brand I've ever really paid much attention to but the Body Tonic Sugar Scrub was recommended by Kelly so I picked it up and the corresponding body lotion. I loved the scrub instantly; it exfoliates nicely and smells great. I think this is my fourth tube! The one pictured is actually a new one since I used up the previous one before I went away. 

The body lotion is marketed as a firming lotion and I have to say, I think it works pretty well. It's not as effective as another product I'll get to in a minute but when I use it every day over a period of time there is a noticeable difference (well, my boyfriend notices without me telling him I've been using it!) 

The other Garnier product I'd been using was the Intensive 7 Day body lotion in Honey which is targeted at those with sensitive skin. I've tried a few other scents in this range and I think Honey is my favourite; it's not very overpowering. The product itself is quite lightweight and sinks in quickly yet leaves my skin feeling hydrated. It's a huge departure from my favourite Body Shop body butters but I really rate these lotions.

I used a couple of other firming creams which I only use occasionally. The Sit Tight cream from Soap & Glory is excellent, it really works on any bumpy areas on the thighs. It feels incredibly tingly and warm so be aware of that before trying it! I used this for a week before going away. I used a Nip+Fab Tummy Fix gel on my tummy area too but I don't think it was as effective although I guess the texture of the skin there is very different. It also tingles but not as much at the Sit Tight. If you're wanting something that's a great quick fix, go for the Sit Tight.

Now we get to my favourite topic, feet. I'm kidding, I hate feet. I don't like my own feet, I don't like other peoples' feet...eugh! I use a foot file after I shower and always use cotton socks after applying a foot cream but I've really struggled to find a foot cream that works well. Until I found this little gem from The Body Shop. It's the Honey & Beeswax Hand & Foot Butter and it was recommended by Estee. It seems expensive for a little tub of foot cream but if you've struggled to find anything that works I'd definitely tell you to give this a go. I've used it a lot already and still have about 2/3s left. 

So those are the products I used, I hope that was helpful!

Stace xx

Wednesday Wishlist: Body Care

It's been a hectic few days for me; we've been seeing family and I was waiting on my degree results to come out. I'm spending the next few days cleaning our flat and getting rid of everything we don't need. I have a box full of make up to put in a blog sale so watch out for that over the next couple of days if you're interested. There's quite a bit of nail polish!

Anyway, I love doing Wednesday Wishlists because I'm not supposed to be spending a lot of money right now due to not having any! This week I've been eyeing up some (probably over-priced) snazzy body care products.

L'Occitane Almond Shower Oil 

£16.50 for 250ml

I've heard a lot of good things about this product but I've held off buying it because where we live right now the shower is over the bath which makes using an oily body product in the shower a bit tricky. We're moving to a place with a separate shower in July though!

Kiehls Creme de Corps

£27.00 for 250ml

Okay, so I'll probably never buy this since I think the price is ridiculous but that doesn't stop me from wanting to try it.

Nip+Fab Pistachio Sundae Dry Skin Fix Body Butter

£9.95 for 200ml

Now this is a product I plan to purchase sometime soon. I sniffed it in Boots a few weeks ago and it smells gorgeous.

This Works Daily Boost Body Scrub 

£18.00 for 200ml

This sounds great, I love shower products which help me feel a bit more awake and I'm always up for trying a body scrub. £18 seems a little expensive but compared to the prices of other This Works products, it's pretty cheap!

Dr Bronner Organic Rose Castile Liquid Soap

£5.50 for 236ml

I've been curious about trying this product since it was in a Glossybox a while back (I received a hand sanitizer spray instead). I think I'd go for either this scent or the Almond one. 

What's on your wishlist this week?

Stace xx

Boots Conditioning Nail Polish Remover Pads - Beware!

Warning: this post may be a *little* bit of a rant.

I took five or six mini Essie polishes on holiday. Some people might think that was excessive but I typically paint my nails every couple of days (sometimes every day!) and I knew I'd have to re-do my pedicure because walking around in flip flops usually results in a lot of chipping. I ended up only changing my polish once during the whole week and the main reason for that was that I brought these remover pads rather than my usual remover and cotton pads.

Now, I've used other remover pads before and every time I do I curse myself for buying them but these are the worst I've ever tried. I realise that they're acetone free so they're not as effective as my usual remover but normally I only use one cotton pad soaked in remover to take the polish off all ten nails. When I used these I had to use five just for my fingers! 

The worst thing about these pads is the awful residue they leave behind. I expected to feel a bit like I'd used a cuticle butter or hand cream on my nail area but no, there was just loads of horrible smelly liquid all over my fingers. Yuck! I had to wash my hands three or four times to get it off and even after that I could still smell it. I didn't notice any particular 'conditioning' benefits but I guess that's because I washed it all away!

So basically this post is a warning; buy these with caution! They are priced at £1.50 for 15 pads which I think is pretty pricey but I wouldn't have minded if they'd worked nicely.

Have you tried these?

Stace xx