John Frieda Full Repair Range

I was recently given the opportunity to try out John Frieda's relatively new Full Repair* range. I have the shampoo, conditioner and deep infusion. The range is designed to 'revive overworked hair' with Inca Inchi extract. As I don't use heat on my hair very often and I never colour it I wouldn't describe my hair as 'overworked' so I enlisted the help of my friend to help me with this review.

The shampoo was my favourite product of the three; I've used it all up! The description of this shampoo sounds quite similar to the Osmo Berber Oil and Macadamia Natural Oil shampoos which are both favourites of mine so that might explain why I liked this product. It's a fairly standard shampoo; it smells inoffensive and lathers up nicely. I sometimes struggle with shampoos irritating my scalp and this one didn't which is a huge plus for me. It didn't leave my hair looking limp so I'd say that it somewhat delivers on its 'full body' claim but it's not a miracle product in that sense. Emma, my reviewing friend, also thought that the shampoo wasn't really anything special but that it worked nicely.

Before I even tried the conditioner I knew I probably wouldn't like it because I never use a traditional conditioner like this. Like the shampoo it's what you'd expect from a standard high street conditioner. I found it to be far too conditioning for my hair so only used it a few times. Again, Emma didn't think this product was anything special. 

I've been trying out is the Perfect Ends Deep Infusion which is the interesting product in the range. Its purpose is similar to a hair oil or serum but the consistency is really odd. It looks like water or a light oil but it comes in a pump bottle so it's quite tricky to use. I'm not sure why they didn't package it in a spray bottle because that would have been much more convenient. You only need to use a really small amount of this product; I overdid it the first time and my hair was horribly greasy within a few hours. I used this before blow drying my hair and did find that it made the ends look smoother. I don't think it'll be replacing my hair oils or my beloved Aussie leave in conditioner spray, though. Emma didn't particularly rate this product either.

This review probably sounds quite negative but on the whole the products aren't bad, they just don't work particularly well on my hair type. If I were to repurchase anything from the range it would be the shampoo. With prices starting at £5.89 the products are worth a try if you have colour treated hair or heat styled hair.

Have you tried anything from this range?

Stace xx

*PR Samples

Botanics Skincare Overview

I've always been a fan of Botanics skincare. I've liked most of the products I've tried from them and on the whole I think they're a great budget-friendly skincare brand. As most of you probably know, they recently repackaged and reformulated their range. I've been using five products from the new range and although I've reviewed a couple of them individually, I wanted to post an overview for anyone who's not sure about the new products and formulations.

First up is my favourite product; the Rosewater Toning Spritz. I used to use the Rosewater toner that Botanics made so I just picked this up as a replacement and I've been enjoying it so much that it's almost time to buy a new one. I've already reviewed this one in full if you want to go and read more about it. Basically, it's less harsh than a tea tree based toner so it doesn't dry my skin out. I also find that I use a lot less of this each time because it's a spray. If you prefer to use a cotton pad, you could still do so. This product is priced at £4.99.

The second product is also one I've reviewed already. It's the infamous Soothing Eye Make Up Remover. I say infamous because it seems that Botanics have been fiddling with the formula of this once much-loved eye make up remover. Whilst I don't think this remover is as good as the old one, it's still almost as effective and a decent product considering it only costs £3.99.

The Softening Cleanser was a new product to me and I have to say that initially I wasn't a fan. When I used it I found that it left my skin feeling sore and looking red. A friend of mine has also tried this cleanser and had a similar, if not more extreme, reaction. I continued to use it and found that after four or five uses my skin no longer reacted. The product is recommended for all skin types but if you have quite sensitive skin I'd say that it's best to avoid it completely. I actually quite like the product now; it removes my make up effectively (including light eye make up) and it hasn't caused any break outs or other reactions apart from those first few times. It's a very typical cream cleanser which I massage into my skin, remove with a cotton pad and repeat until every trace of make up is gone. The Softening Cleanser is £4.99.

My most recent purchase from the range is the Radiant Youth Microdermabrasion Polish. I was reluctant to buy it because I believe I've already found my favourite facial exfoliator (the Vitamin C Microdermabrasion from The Body Shop) but curiosity got the better of them when I spotted a few positive reviews. I figured that I'd be saving myself some pennies if I liked it as much as my favourite because at £7.99 it's a couple of pounds cheaper and contains almost twice as much product. Unfortunately I don't think it can compare. Although the granules are relatively fine, they're larger and more abrasive than what I'm used to so I found using this scrub a little uncomfortable. It did exfoliate my skin pretty well, it's just not my favourite. It's worth having a look at if you've never tried a microdermabrasion scrub.

The final product from the range that I've been using are the All Bright Cleansing Face Wipes.  I took these with me when I went home last month because I was out of my favourite No7 wipes. They're only £3.49 and they're not bad. I did find that they felt a tiny bit 'dry' even when I first opened them but other than that, they worked as I expected them to. I wouldn't rush to repurchase these now that I've used them all up; I don't use face wipes regularly anyway. 

Overall I like Botanics and a brand and I think they offer fantastic value skincare products. I like the new packaging and whilst some of the products I've tried haven't thoroughly impressed me I'd still like to try more from the range and there are a couple of products that I'll probably always repurchase. 

Are you a fan of Botanics? 

Stace xx

Real Techniques Brushes

I was pleased to hear last week that the Real Techniques brushes designed by Sam Chapman (one of the Pixiwoo sisters, for anyone who's been living under a rock) are going to be stocked in selected Boots stores from the 15th of February. I've already tried a lot of the brushes so I'm going to do a quick overview of them to share my thoughts.

I have a lot of good things to say about these brushes in general. They're all pretty soft and since they're synthetic, I find them a lot easier to use with cream products such as foundations, cream blushes and cream shadows. They're also so much quicker to wash; I've washed most of these several times and I've not experienced any shedding or colour bleeding. I think these are great brushes for the price. I'm not sure how much they'll be in Boots. I bought mine from Love Make Up so I paid around £10 each for the individual brushes and £21 for the collections. 

I do have a couple of minor issues with these brushes, though. I find the handle shape annoying because I store my brushes upright in a tin and the large bases on the bigger brushes makes it difficult to get them in sometimes. I think they'd look a lot better with normal handles. I'd prefer if the brushes were all available individually as I have ended up with some brushes I won't use much. I can't complain since I didn't spend all that much money but I did buy two of the collections just for one brush from each. I'm not a fan of the travel cases that come with the collections but each to their own on that one!

Enough negativity! The brushes I have in the above photo are (from left to right): Powder, Stippling, Buffing, Contour, Pointed Foundation, Detailer, Deluxe Crease, Base Shadow, Brow, Pixel Point Eye Liner and Accent.

I like using the Powder Brush for translucent setting powders but I prefer using other brushes with coloured face powders so I do use it but not all the time. I've used the Stippling Brush almost every day since I bought it in the summer so it's definitely a favourite and one I'd recommend to anyone who wears liquid foundation. It's also nice for cream blush. The Buffing Brush is also lovely for liquid foundation - I've not had this one for very long. It's nice to use with cream and powder blushes too.

I'm a bit ashamed to say I've not used the Contour, Pointed Foundation or Detailer brushes yet. I've only had them a little while but I'm kind of struggling to find a use for them, to be honest! I only bought the set for the Buffing Brush. The Contour brush may work with cream blushes/highlighters, though.

I have previously owned the Blush Brush but I found it was much too floppy and hard to control for me so I no longer have it. 

The Deluxe Crease Brush should be called a concealer brush. It's really nice for blending out concealer. It can be a little hard if you apply too much pressure but it's my favourite brush for concealer by far. The Base Shadow Brush is okay, I use it with cream shadows mostly as I don't find it to be very good for packing on colour. The Brow Brush is nice - it's a lot bigger than some other brow brushes  I've tried. I've been using a pen for my brows lately so I've not been using this much but I do like it and will go back to using it with my powder brow products.  The Pixel Point Eye Liner Brush is quite thick so it's not great for gel liner if you're looking for quite a thin line. It makes a great lip brush, though! I use the Accent brush to smudge out pencil liners or to apply a light shimmery shade to the inner corners of my eyes.

My top picks are definitely the Stippling, Buffing and Deluxe Crease Brushes. 

I hope this was helpful! Let me know if you try any of the brushes.

Stace xx

Overview: The Body Shop - Body Butters

I could quite happily use these, and only these, to moisturize my skin for the rest of my life. If you've not tried one yet - where have you been?! 

I have relatively normal skin which is a little sensitive. I sometimes have reactions to other body lotions and always need to moisturize well after shaving my legs. I used to hate the sticky feeling from using a body lotion after showering but if you apply a thin enough layer of these body butters, they sink in pretty quickly and as they're not slippery like a lotion, you only need a little. I love to use a thicker layer after a bath and just before bed. In summer I'll moisturize around two or three times a week whereas in the winter I try to moisturize every day.

Prices:

50ml - £5.00

200ml - £12.50

I don't think I've ever paid full price for one though. The Body Shop always has great sales and offers so it's best to buy then! The last time I purchased any was back in June where I got four of them for a mere £11.70 thanks to a sale, a gift voucher and my discount card. Even at £12.50, they're still pretty good value for money, particularly if you buy one with a thicker consistency as you end up using very little each time.

I  currently own Blueberry, Papaya and two Brazil Nut butters. I have owned Brazil Nut once before and love the scent. I'll admit that it's not for everyone, though, as it's quite strong. It's for dry skin so I'm more likely to use it in the winter time when my skin needs more moisture. I have owned Blueberry before too and it is also for dry skin, however, the texture feels a little lighter than Brazil Nut. I've not used Papaya yet; it claims to be for normal skin but the texture actually feels more like the Brazil Nut.

I have tried and would repurchase Coconut, Shea Butter, Satsuma and Mango. 

I have tried and would not repurchase Wild Cherry (the texture was weird - like a Petit Filous), Sweet Lemon and Strawberry (the scent of these really put me off; it smelt very synthetic).

I would love to try Moringa and Buriti Baby (it smells lovely!) next.

Olive is one scent I will never be trying. Bleugh!

I hope this was useful and that you try some of these if you haven't already!

Stace xx