Project Empties #4

Sorry for the slightly sporadic posting and 'filler' type posts these past few weeks! I have been home for Easter and I've been super busy. Posting should resume as normal from next Monday when I go back to uni.

This month I've finished quite a few products. They were all pretty much on their last legs by the end of March and all finished around the same time in April. So typical! Throughout April, I only bought two make-up items - Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation and Garnier Eye Roll on, because they both had good offers on them. I only paid £1.99 for the Healthy Mix, because it was only £6.99 in Boots and I had a £5 voucher!

Boots Expert Sensitive Gentle Eye Make-up Removal Lotion
Review: I didn't read the back of the bottle before buying this, so I wasn't sure what to expect when I first used it. Upon using it, I found out that it was essentially expensive and slightly thinned out baby oil. It did remove my eye make-up well, even waterproof make-up, but left my eye area feeling oily and made my eyes go cloudy when I got it into my eyes.
Would I repurchase? No

Dove Pro-Age Beauty Body Lotion
Review: Here
Would I repurchase? No, I'm quite fickle with body moisturisers and chop and change all the time.

L'Oreal Elvive Renutrition Renourishing Shampoo
Review: This shampoo is designed for dry hair/dried out hair, but I don't really feel like it made much difference and didn't really live up to it's claims. It lathered up really well and had a nice smell to it, which I liked but that didn't last in the hair.
Would I repurchase No

L'Oreal Superline Carbon Gloss
Review: I loooove this eyeliner! It's nice and pigmented, dries quickly once applied and lasts well throughout the day (Although, after reading some reviews online, it seems that some people find that this flakes on them... So I think it's different for everyone). I really like the felt tip applicator. It makes application super easy and due to it being a point, it enables you to do really precise lines but can also build it up to thicken up your lines. As with most eyeliner bottles, it has got opaque packaging. I find this really annoying, because you can't see how much you have left.
Would I repurchase? Yes

CK In2U Perfume
Review: I love the smell of this perfume - It's fresh, fruity and sweet, without being over powering. It's perfect for all seasons, especially spring/summer. I like the unique bottle design, but it is difficult to see how much perfume you have left.
Would I repurchase? Yes

Finished Items: 5
Accumulative Finished Items from December 2010 to April 2011: 13

Have you finished many products this month?

Thank you for reading. xoxo, Joy

Picture Tuesday

Photo: Catherine Parkinson (Here)

If I Was A Rich Girl...

"Think what that money could bring,

I'd buy everything,
Clean out Vivienne Westwood
In my Galliano gown,
No, wouldn't just have one hood,
A Hollywood mansion if I could
Please book me first-class to my fancy house in London town"

I love Gwen Stefani! :)

Earlier this week, I went for afternoon tea at Laduree in Harrods (Nomnomnom) and a spot of shopping with one of my friends from school. While we were shopping, she treated herself to a pair of Christian Louboutins. I am so ridiculously jealous! Anyway, it got me thinking: If I had endless amounts of money and could buy anything, what would I buy? I used to waste so much time poring over Net-A-Porter, knowing full well that I can't afford anything on there, but just looking for the sake of it. Did/Does anyone else do that?

Clockwise from left:
Christian Louboutin Swarovski Crystal Peep-Toe Pumps (Net-A-Porter.com)
Burberry Cotton-Twill Trench Coat (Net-A-Porter.com)
Hermes H Enamel Bracelet (Hermes.com)

Alexander McQueen Skull Print Scarf (Net-A-Porter.com)
Ray Ban Aviators (Ray-Ban.com)
Clarisonic Classic (Clarisonic.com)
Cartier Love Bracelet (Cartier.co.uk)
Chanel Classic Flap Bag (Chanel.com)

Ahh, well a girl can dream! What would you buy if you had endless amounts of money?



xoxo, Joy

Superdrug Beauty Card?!

I just went on the Superdrug website to make a few cheeky Sleek purchases and saw a countdown for their new beauty card... When I saw it, I was just like "DGNjsgeahjgbfjWFND!" and in the end completely forgot about the products I had wanted to order. Oops! Has anyone heard anything about this? Or does anyone have any information about it?


I had a quick hunt around on the interwebzz and Wikipedia came up trumps. This is the information they have about it on there: "Superdrug will launch their first reward card on 11th May, 2011. The reward scheme will be launched with a full Televsion Advertising campaign starring, the face of Superdrug, Joanna Page. This will form part of Superdrug's 'Take Another Look' campaign and is another step toward the company becoming the Best in everyday accessible beauty. The card scheme will allow cutomers to earn and redeem points online and in store, gaining 1 point per pound spent. There is also likely to be a link to The Perfume Shops loyalty card scheme, allowing customers to use their cards in either store, more formal details on this matter have yet to be anounced." (Source: Superdrug on Wikipedia)

Even though I love my Boots advantage card and it gives you more points (4 points for every £) and has their relatively new Treat Street feature (which I'm loving!), I am super excited about this! Is anyone else excited about the Superdrug beauty card?

xoxo, Joy

Edit: I received a very informative comment from Chris a few days after I posted this blog post. It is below in the comments, but I thought it would be useful to copy it into my post as well: "Don't forget to get your card from in-store on May 11!!!! Don't forget to register your card on-line to get your personalized offers!!! Pick the things you buy to be able to earn extra points on the things you buy the most! Oh and girls another trump on the Boots Card! Part pay for things!!! So if you haven't got enough points to cover the cost of the transaction, don't worry, you'll accumulate the points for the transaction, the redeem 100 points and pay 99p if the product is 1.99!!!!! And Superdrug prices won't increase either to cover the cost of the loyalty programme! Bet you're even more excited now!!!!"

Keratosis Pilaris

Keratosis Pilaris (KP) is a very common genetic follicular disorder manifested by the appearance of rough bumps on the skin. Primarily, it appears on the back and outer sides of the upper arms, but can also occur on thighs and buttocks or any body part except palms or soles. (From KeratosisPilaris.org). It is a hereditary skin condition, which unfortunately has no cure.

Just as a side note, this is not my arm...
Photo: KeratosisPilaris.org

I suffered from mild keratosis pilaris on my upper arms throughout my teen years. It used to really get me down, because I thought I was the only person that had this and none of my friends did. I would hate wearing short sleeved tops and showing the tops of my arms. I used to have to wear a sleeveless leotard when I did ballet and I remember always being so paranoid that people were staring at my arms throughout the lessons, especially since it seemed like no-one else suffered from KP. It was a few years before I googled 'red spots on my arms' and found out that I was suffering from KP. I really wish I'd researched it sooner! Since turning 20 this year, I've noticed that the number of bumps on my upper arms has massively decreased to virtually none and have also reduced in redness.

I've seen very few products on the market aimed at KP sufferers. The only products I can think of at the moment are by Dermadoctor and rather expensive. So, I wanted to share some of the things that I did to help get rid of it and/or improve the appearance. Please note: These tips aren't scientifically proved, just my experience, so they are not guarenteed to work for everyone.

1) Exfoliate, exfoliate, exfoliate! I cannot recommend this enough. I used to exfoliate with exfoliating gloves and my current shower gel every day. This was probably a little excessive, but I found that it really did the trick. Exfoliation shifts the cells which have built up in the follicle, resulting in a smoother surface. Nowadays, I only do it every few days. When I suffered from more severe KP, I would sometimes use my a little of my acne face cleanser (Which contained salicylic acid) to give my arms an extra polish.

2) Moisturise! Remember to moisturise every time you step out of the shower, especially if you have exfoliated. I would advise avoiding heavily scented moisturisers. I used a moisturiser by Eucerin (I can't remember the name, but I do remember it was part of their dry skin range) which contained urea. Urea is skin softening and there are claims that it helps KP.

3) Get some sun. I always found that my KP improved during the summer. So the weather is nice, bare your arms and get some vitamin D. Even if it's only 10 minutes, it will help make a difference. I have heard of people using sun beds, especially in the winter when there is no sun. I have personally never tried this, so I can't say how effective this is. Also by spending time in the sun, you build up a tan, which makes the appearance of KP look less red.

4) Don't pick at the bumps! As gross as it is, I used to do this to the biggest bumps. (Argh, so embarrassing!). I would definitely advise against this, because it makes them look even redder than before and it can potentially leave scarring.

5) Age. As you get older, the symptoms seem to disappear and ease off. My KP was worst when I was aged 15-18, but as I've gotten older, I've found that it has improved a lot.

I hope this has been helpful to you! I'm sorry that it's quite a boring, wordy post. Please remember that these things worked for me, but may not work for you. Also remember that you're not alone, because so many people all over the world suffer from KP with varying severities.

Do any of you suffer from KP? What do/did you do to treat it?

Thank you for reading. xoxo, Joy

Picture Tuesday

Photo: Kate Pulley (Here)

NOTD: Indigo

2 coats of Barry M Nail Paint in 'Indigo' and 1 coat of Barry M Nail Effects on the ring finger
Please excuse how messy it looks! I stupidly took the photo before I cleaned up the messy nails.

In the bottle, Indigo looks like a beautiful purple-blue. The colour doesn't translate onto the nails 100%, since it looks more blue than purple, but still has a hint of purple. It is a really lovely colour. Despite taking a million photos of my nails, I wasn't quite able to capture how it looks on the nails, since it looks like I've just painted a navy polish on my nails. As with all the Barry M nail paints that I have, it was easy to apply and was pretty much opaque with one coat. I did two just to be on the safe side. I've had it on for a couple of days now and have not experienced any chipping.

I love the effect of the Barry M Nail Effects. I can't believe I didn't buy this earlier!! I found it quite difficult to do accurately, since it says to not overlap and I think I put too much on the brush since it didn't crackle all that much. But I really like how it turned out.

xoxo, Joy

Giveaway Winner!

My 50+ follower giveaway closed at the end of March and I would like to thank you all for entering! :D I read through each comment and wrote up a list of all the valid entries. Then I used random.org to generate the winner.

Without further ado, the winner is...


STEPHxox
Well done, lovely! :D

I have emailed you, so please reply with your details (full name and address) asap and I will get your winnings sent out to you!! :)

Thank you all, again, for entering and for your continued support on Dear Joy!
xoxo, Joy