Ciaté - Mini Mani Month

I had seen so many beauty advent calenders during December that I became a little bit sulky as I really, really wanted one. I had been trying not to buy anything new knowing that I would be getting lots of goodies for Christmas so resisted buying a calender for myself. 

Well... that was until the Boxing Day sales started and I spotted the Ciaté Mini Mani Month Advent Calender on the John Lewis website for £21 rather than the £42 RRP. It took me all of three seconds to add it to my basket and checkout.

I love the Christmas Jumper style packaging! Behind each door was a mini Ciaté nail polish that included a base coat, top coat, caviar pearls, glitter, sequins and a lovely range of coloured polishes.

I'm so glad I managed to get this in the sale. I'll get so much use out of the colours, the only thing I wish there were more of were darker blues and purples.
 I think they are still available so click here to go through to have a look.

December Empties

I want to say that I haven't used that much this month but actually it is only just "not much" compared to what I might usually go through!

Intelligent Nutrients Harmonic Shampoo & Conditioner - Loved the scent of this but click here for my full review

REN Moroccan Rose Otto Body Wash - I really liked using this shower gel, it has such a delicate rose scent which made it a pleasure to use. I have so many shower gels backed up so I probably won't buy this one again for some time

NYR Ginger & Vanilla Body Lotion - This sweet, spicy lotion was perfect for Christmas. Full review here

NYR Palmarosa Facial Wash - This 100ml bottle must have lasted me 6 months. Just one tiny pump was enough to wash my face and leave it feeling clean. Again, I have so many face washes stashed that I won't need to buy again for a long while

bodhi Neroli Lucé Face Oil - A stand out product for me this past year. This small bottle made a huge improvement to my skin. Review here

Herbfarmacy Lip Conditioner - I have loved using this lip balm, it feels good and it smells good. Will buy again

VMV Hypoallergenics Know-It-Oil 100% Organic Virgin Coconut Oil - I have used the super oil for everything and althought I have used coconut oil before, I have never had the same results (not even close) than I have with this brand

Indie Lee 100% Squaline Oil - A small sample but one that lasted ages as I needed such a small amount. Easily absorbed and great at reducing wrinkles. Will buy again but not just yet

Caudalie Divine Oil - Boy oh boy, this body oil was just as described - divine! A beautiful scent and so easily absorbed. I want to use it again already

Gwdihw Nail Wizard - Perfect size pot to keep by the bed and give my nails a bed time treat. Really liked this product but wont buy again at the moment as I have loads of hand balms to use up

S.W. Basics Shea Butter Cream - Super rich cream that was actually too much for my skin. I used it at night on my legs but won't be buying again

Peppy Galore Diva Face Moisturiser - a light an airy moisturiser that seemed to last for weeks! I would buy this again

Freyaluna Shine Control and Soothe the Sensitive Facial Tonics - These are perfect travel sized toners and both of them worked well

Freyaluna Soothe the Senitive and Regain Your Balance Facial Moisturisers - These were both a bit too heavy for my skin, even with it being Winter so I don't think I will use them again

Celtic Herbal Company Soap sample - a lovely little soap that lathered well and left my hands feeling clean but without drying them out

 During this month I am taking part in #NoBuyJanuary so I imagine that my empties post for January will be full of sample sized products!

Exposing my Stash for #NoBuyJanuary

For my first post for #NoBuyJanuary I am going to expose my collection of built up face and skin products.

It probably doesn't look like much to some of the more experience bloggers but it is enough to have me worried about things going out of date before I use them up!

Without further ado - my stash...

I'm going to hit the sachets, samples and trail sized products first and then work through things in order of how long I have had them for.

Well that's it- I'm looking forward to seeing what you have built up stocks of!

Salcura - Bath Oil, Body Hydrator, Hand Hydrator

Salcura was launched just over a decade ago with a range of products for those wanting an effective, natural alternative to chemical based products. Salcura offer ranges for specific areas of problem skin - including Acne, Eczema, Psoriasis and Dermatitis. In their statement regarding ingredients, Salcura use no artificial chemicals, cortisones, peroxides, parabens or paraffins. They choose their ingredients based on their scientifically proven ability to deal with infection, inflammation and tissue damage. 

They state that:

They never test on animals

Go Organic where they can

All products are suitable for Vegetarians and Vegans

They only use naturally sourced preservatives

None of the ingredients are genetically modified or engineered

I was contacted at the end of November by Salcura to see if I would be interested in trying out some of their range. I hadn't hear of the brand before this so I went and had a look at their website. After seeing that their ranges were primarily aimed at people with skin conditions, I responded and said that I didn't actually suffer with any skin complaints but that my husband did and would they be interested in sending something through for him to review on my behalf. 

The company actually sent me through 5 full sized products - two specifically for my husband to review (post will be up in about a week) and three for me. These included a Bath Oil*, Body Hydrator* and Hand Hydrator*.

Bath Oil* 225ml for £12.99 - Rich in Omega 3,6, 7 & 9 with Safflower, Olive, Borage, Wheatgerm, Flax Seed, Cumin Seed and Sea Buckthorn Oils. This oil works perfectly well as both a treat for a moisturising bath or applied directly to the skin. I found it to be light and easily absorbed into the skin with a very faint earthy scent.

My skin was left feeling rehydrated and my dry elbows feel less like sandpaper now!

Body Hydrator* 200ml for £12.99 - Another Omega rich formula that is quickly absorbed, non greasy and deeply moisturising. Ingredients include Sea Buckthorn, Avocado, Safflower, Lavender, Wheatgerm and fractionated Coconut Oil. This has become my daily moisturiser of choice after my morning shower as it is so nourishing without feeling heavy and I can get dressed straight away without having to wait for it to be absorbed. I have been trying to figure out what this smells like and the best I can describe it as a spicy coconut! 

Hand Hydrator* 75ml for £10.99 - This has a very slightly different formula to the Body Hydrator, with more focus on Wheatgerm, Sunflower, Marigold and Jojoba Oils. The Hand Hydrator soothes and restores sensitive and dry skin. I've kept this in my bathroom so I can apply after washing by hands. It does a lovely job of moisturising my hands and again, is really quickly absorbed.

I must add that I am a frequent visitor to Sarah from Sugarpuffish "Ingredients to Avoid" page as I feel this is a brilliant resource for those pesky chemicals. I checked each of the products I have sampled above against this list was happy to find that none of them were on it.

You can find the Bath Oil, Body Hydrator and Hand Hydrator on the Salcura website here.

*PR Samples