Organic Shop Haircare*

It's that time of year where the sun is out, holidays are (hopefully) on the horizon and suddenly we can't hide under hats and scarves when we have a bad hair day.

Luckily a new haircare range has been launched from Organic Shop with a range of fruity and tropical scents which should help - and the best thing about it? It's all environmentally friendly. The products have none of those hidden nasties such as microbeads, parabens, SLS, mineral oils or GMOs. The packaging is recyclable and to top it off, The Organic Shop is totally against animal testing.

There's an impressive range of products to choose from such as:

Coconut and Shea - moisturising, softness and revival
Argan and Amia - nourishing, strength and lustre
Honey and Avocado - repairing, softness and vitality
Raspberry and Acai - volumising, strength and thickness
Pomegranate and Patchouli - invigorating, smoothness and perfection

To be honest, I have hair days where I need all of this together, but in the end I selected the Coconut and Shea range to try as my hair is quite fine, very dry at the ends and prone to frizziness the minute there's any moisture in the air (just think of the cartoon character Crystal Tips...). In particular this range was 'made for dry and damaged hair, the organic coconut nourishes strands to leave hair lustrous and shiny restoring damaged hair. Organic Shea provides a boost of hydration to repair split ends and smooth frizz leaving hair rejuvenated and revived'. Sounds exactly like the sort of thing I need!

First thing that always strikes me about using a SLS free product (Sodium Lauryl Sulphate) is that is doesn't have the foaming you get with other shampoos. Straight away you know you're using something with less chemicals that's kinder for you and the environment. Another thing I noticed straight away is the smell. I love coconut but sometimes artificial scents can be a quite sickly sweet and this definitely wasn't.

My hair is naturally curly and is very prone to tangling (I have been known to cut knots out in desperation before) so I found I always needed to use the conditioner after shampooing. The hair mask was a lovely extra treat which I used once a week and left my hair feeling super soft.

This haircare range is exclusive to Tesco and online at Organic Shop UK. At only £2.50, it's not going to break the bank if you want to treat yourself. I think I could be tempted to work my way through the range!

Plus, to celebrate the launch of this haircare range in Tesco, The Organic Shop are running a competition to win a holiday for two to Aruba. Check out their website to find out how to enter.

Thanks for reading

Cathy
xx

* items sent for review, thoughts and opinions all my own

Empties post - March & April

Hello there,

I seem to have been very frugal this last couple of months and didn't think I would have that many empties to start with. So this month is mixture of empties and favourites. I hope this gives you an idea maybe of some new products to try.

Nivea smooth nourishing hand cream with macademia nut oil

I get through a LOT of hand cream. I've noticed over the last few years that my hands are really starting to show my age. And as they're something that's right in front of you for most of the day, it was something that really bugged me.

This hand cream smells gorgeous, doesn't leave that horrible sticky feeling afterwards and most importantly - works! The blurb on the tube promises to deliver a "non-stop moisture supply from within the skin". I don't know about non-stop, but it certainly lasts a few hours. I always keep a tube nearby though to top-up whenever I'm heading outside as this is the one that works best for me. I also have various other brands of hand creams scattered through the house, in my handbag and in the car - prepared at all times!

Cutex Nourishing Nail Varnish Remover - nail whitening formula

I needed a new nail varnish remover and was tempted by the nail whitening formula. I only bought a little bottle as I wasn't sure I would like it (not as cost effective maybe, but better than having a huge bottle I hate).

I realised once I got home that it had acetone in it - damn! I normally try and get removers that are acetone free. And I have to say, at first my nails did feel tight and dry after using this. But...on the plus side, the whitening promise seems to work. So I guess I'll have to weigh up the pros and cons of this. It works with glitter nail polish, so I'm tempted to keep this bottle just for those days when I wear a dark polish.

Creighton's Beautiful Brunette conditioner with argan and chestnut

Now I admit, I bought this on a whim from Poundland. But wow! It makes my hair feel so so soft. Unlike a lot of conditioners, the consistency is quite thin, and I had to double check I wasn't using the shampoo by mistake. But no, it's a light conditioner and for someone with fine frizzy hair, it worked a treat. It's quite dark and I think I'd have to be careful using it around pristine white towels... I don't think it makes any difference to the colour, but that's ok. It feels good enough to ignore that. If you don't have a Poundland nearby, Tescos also sells it for a £1.

Lidl cotton wool pads

These are 75p a pack and are so good for removing glitter nail varnish - need I say more? They're hard wearing but soft enough for using on my face too. I always buy a few packs when in Lidl. No picture (it went awol sorry) but hopefully you get the idea!

Balance Me Tinted Wonder Eye Cream

This was a freebie with the April issue of Glamour. Now I'm a sucker for magazine giveaways. It's a great way to try something new without the financial outlay of buying the full product. Plus I can save the magazines to read when I'm on long journeys, stuck in waiting rooms etc.

I wasn't convinced this cream would work though, it looked far too dark. But it blends beautifully and doesn't leave my under eyes feeling dry, which has happened before. It's good enough for me to be tempted to buy the full size product when I finish this sample.

NSPA Radiant Flash Serum

I think I have yet to buy anything from the NSPA range which I don't like. It seems to be exclusive to Asda and I picked this up when there was a 2 for £8 offer. It feels like a moisturising serum, but I still used a bit of face cream afterwards. It's something I tend to use on those days when you've had no sleep and know you have a long day ahead! (most days then...).

Soap and Glory Whipped Clean

I originally received a tube of this as a Christmas present a couple of years, but I've repurchased so many since then. I read a review which said it's so moisturising, you won't need to moisturise afterwards - and on the whole, that's pretty accurate for me. Mostly I use it when shaving as it gives the perfect finish and smells gorgeous. It's not the cheapest though, so I always stock up when there's a 3 for 2 offer in Boots.

Lidl Suddenly Madame Glamour perfume

Another bargain from Lidl - this is a perfume that's supposed to be a dupe for Chanel's Coco Mademoiselle. I bought this originally last year when I was on holiday in Devon and realised I'd arrived without any perfume (great packing there). So I bought a bottle from the local Lidl in Okehampton reasoning that £3.99 wasn't too much too risk. I think I'm now on my 3rd or 4th bottle! It's a scent that really works for me. It seems to last all day (despite some reviews saying it doesn't) and unusually, it's one of the only perfumes I've bought that the other half has noticed and liked. So a winner all round (I wish they'd drop the Madame Glamour bit in the name though - makes me feel old!)

And that's it for March and April, I just can't believe the year is going so fast!

Thanks for reading

Cathy
xx

Empties post - January & February

Hello there,

I wasn't sure about doing this as I didn't think I'd have enough to talk about. But I know I love reading these sort of posts and for me personally it gives me ideas of new products to buy and if I'm undecided about something, it can often be the tipping point on whether I buy it or not.  So I collected empties for a few weeks, and here we are!

(and yes - I meant to post this earlier but the dreaded lurgy put pay to that!)

First up - and the type of product I get through the most - conditioners and shampoos.

Herbal Essenses - Hello Hydration conditioner

There's going to be a bit theme in this post, so I might as well start with it straight away - I really didn't like the smell of this at all. It wasn't a bad product at all and made my hair feel soft, but it wasn't enough of a 'wow' to make me buy it again.

Garnier Ultimate Blends conditioner - strength restorer

This was an ok product, but just that - ok and nothing more. Alarmingly, it made my hair really fluffy, which sounds nice but isn't always the look you're going for and it's not something I'd be buying again. On the plus side though, it smelt lovely.

Aussie Friss Miracle conditioner 

This was a huge disappointment for me - not only was the smell overpowering (am I the only one who doesn't like the smell of Aussie Hair products?) but it really didn't help with frizz control at all. I was finding a cheap basic conditioner was doing a better job of keeping the frizz under control.

Aussie Repair Miracle conditioner

I bought this the same time as the Frizz Miracle conditioner as there was a 2 for £7 offer in Tesco. For me, this was just an ok product and seemed better at controlling frizz than the proper frizz conditioner. At the moment, I'm thinking I wouldn't buy these conditioners again, but I just know in another 6 months or so, there'll be a special offer on and I'll be sucked in again. I still have a couple of Aussie products which I'm using with more success (3 Minute Miracle conditioner and Miracle Hair Insurance) so I'll review those on here soon.

Dove Purely Pampering body wash

I think this is the first ever Dove product I've never finished - again due the smell. I like vanilla but this was just too overpowering. On the plus side, it didn't leave my skin dry after showering.

Colgate Max White One toothpaste

This is seriously the best ever whitening toothpaste I've ever used. It gives instant results so it's not something I use regularly but instead I save it for special occasions. As it's not cheap, it does mean it lasts a lot longer. The paste itself is a grey/blue colour but don't be put off by that - it really works!

Body Shop Peppermint Reviving Leg Gel

I was in two minds whether to buy this or not as peppermint is a smell I really hate. But I'd heard so many good things about this, I took the plunge when I had a voucher code for Body Shop. Yes, it's a really really strong smell which many people will love (I had to hold my breath!) but it's amazing at reducing puffy ankles and feet, due in part to the horse chestnut that's in here. I was suffering from occasional swelling after my ankle op last year so I used this - and it worked. So much so, I even have another bottle for those bad days.

Superdrug Brightening Hot Cloth Cleanser

I had heard this was a dupe for the Liz Earle range, so when it was reduced I bought a bottle. Now I have fairly dry skin and I'm in my late forties, so I wasn't sure this would be good match for me. Oh my goodness - I have to say - this is the best face wash I have ever used. I realised the other day that since using this regularly, I've had no major breakouts and I feel sure my skin looks healthier (even if I don't always feel it inside!). I've combined it with the Superdrug Brightening Moisturiser and I feel as if it's the healthiest my skin has felt for years.

NSPA Grapefruit shower and bath gel

The NSPA range (as far as I know) is exclusive to Asda. This grapefruit shower gel smelt heavenly and really helped wake me up in the morning, there's something about grapefruits that always reminds me of holidays. I haven't seen this scent for sale for a while though so I'm hoping it's not discontinued. At the moment I'm using the apple scent which is equally gorgeous.

So that's my empties for the last two months, far more than I expected. I'll try to keep collecting the empties and do another post in a couple of months.

Thanks for reading

Cathy

xx

Blogmas 18-20 - Christmas jumper day, a Triangle Christmas and mince pies

Hello there,

It's been a bit of an odd Friday and weekend. One of those weekends where you run around like a headless chicken and then end up wondering what you actually did - you know the ones I mean? So I've decided to round it all up into one Blogmas post.

Friday 18th was apparently Christmas Jumper Day. As I've been wearing them since the beginning of the month (maybe November too - shush!) it wasn't a hard task.

I bought this top from Next (size 22). Foxes seem to be everywhere at the moment and with the red sequin bow and beautiful bottle green colour, I was sold. It's still available on the Next website for £16 but I reckon it will be in the sale soon if any are left.

With so many stores starting their sales early, I found a few more tree decorations to go on the (already overloaded) tree.

Cute Santa's key from Asda

Garden gnomes from Sainsburys (yes - I also have a frog ornament too)

These were all half price and less. It really does pay to hang on until the last possible moment if you need any new decorations.

Saturday - the plan to was go to the local Christmas Fair near to where I live. It's an intersection of three roads and is known locally as the Triangle. I say plan, I did go, but failed spectacularly in taking any photos. There were carol singers, farm animals, snow machines and even Father Christmas himself made an appearance in the grotto. So as I didn't take any pictures, here's a great link to a short video of the day from the local community news site for Bitterne Park 

The rest of the weekend was pretty chilled - the first mice pies of the season were made,

Bit wobbly, but very yummy.

The Sephora Advent calendar kept up its tradition of good surprises and a few oddities. The treats this weekend were an eyeliner (yay), travel eye makeup remover wipes (yay) and another patterned tape.

And to round off the weekend - this happened!

Photos will follow in the next day or so once I find some good light - but verdict so far? Very pleased.

Thanks for reading my Blogmas posts. I can't believe we're now coming into Christmas week itself. This month has just flown by!

Cathy

xx

SHARE: