Quick Heads Up! Alpha-H TSV on QVC UK Tuesday 19th August

Today I received a postcard through the post from QVC with details of their Alpha-H TSV which launches this Tuesday 19th August at midnight.

The TSV is called the Alpha-H 3 Piece Fresh Skin Anti-Ageing Essentials Collection. 

It contains the following products:

Protection Plus Daily SPF 50+ 50ml, a 3 in 1 moisturiser, sunshield and make up primer which helps diminish the appearance of wrinkles.
Liquid Gold 100ml, a powerful treatment which works to revitalise tired and ageing skin while you sleep.
Micro Cleanse 100ml, an invigorating exfoliant which helps banish signs of fatigue with cooling cucumber and refreshing mint.

Their postcard doesn't state the TSV price but I'm thinking around the £30 plus P&P (but don't quote me on that!).

Will you be buying it? I'm undecided at present. I do use Liquid Gold and I do like the sound of the other 2 products but I still have lots of skincare in my stash already... No doubt I shall watch the programme and be convinced that I NEED it all!

Thanks for reading.
Enjoy the rest of your day.
Take care,
CJ xx

Empties: Items I've Used Up in June 2014

It doesn't seem 2 minutes since I was writing my May empties post and here we are again already with my June empties. I've been making a concerted effort to use up products that I've had on the go for far too long so there are quite a few products again this month.

I'll start with face skincare items:

Collin Resultime Micellar Radiance Cleansing Water 50ml (RRP £5)
Would I repurchase? No.
This was the first time I had used micellar water and it was a gift with purchase. I did like using it but it is expensive, the full size is £19.50. I cannot justify spending that sort of money on a water that I essentially wash off with cleansing balm. I have since bought the much cheaper Garnier brand and I can't see much difference between the two.

Alpha-H Absolute Eye Complex 15ml (RRP £34.50)
Would I repurchase? No.
For my 60 day trial, results and full review see my post here.

Alpha-H Rejuvenating Cream 
Would I repurchase? Discontinued.
I've had this moisturiser for a long time and I tended to use it when I had breakouts because this seemed to help clear them. It did make my skin tingle which I wasn't keen on but it did the job so it's a shame it has been discontinued.

Collin Resultime Regenerating Collagen Gel 50ml (RRP £47)
Would I repurchase? Yes, and I already have.
I love, love, love this! Yes, it is expensive but it is divine! It smells wonderful, a sort of light floral smell but not at all over powering. My skin feels wonderful when I use this. I use it every morning, like a serum, before my moisturiser. I also use it at night and sometimes apply it thickly and leave on my skin as an overnight mask. My skin feels plump and nourished by morning. I am trying to source a cheaper alternative but, now I'm 44, I feel my skin deserves this!

Merumaya Youth Preservation Moisturiser 15ml (RRP £17.50)
Would I repurchase? No.
See my review for this product here.

Steamcream 75ml (RRP £12.95)
Would I repurchase? Undecided - although i do have another in my stash.,
I love the texture of this cream, it is very light although I feel I have to wait a while before applying make up. My main problem with this product is the smell. It smells of lavender, which is a scent I usually like, but this lavender scent is so strong. To me it is far too strong for a product that can be used on the face and is more suited as a body or hand cream. It can be used on face, body and hands. I have a couple more tins in my stash from beauty boxes which I will use but I am not sure if I would go out of my way to repurchase. I do love the tin designs, though. What do you use your empty Steamcream tins for? I'm thinking of using this one for hair grips/bobby pins because they are just too cute to throw away!

Next are my body product empties:

Australian Bodycare Tea Tree Oil Skin Wash 1 litre (RRP £30)
Would I repurchase? No.
I hated the antiseptic fragrance of this wash. I suppose that's the tea tree oil. To me, it smelt more like an antibacterial cleaning product, not something I wanted to wash my body with! I have repurposed this by pouring into empty hand wash bottles. It is perfect for washing hands but not my body!

Radox Nourish Shower Cream - Shea Butter & Ginger 250ml (RRP £1.99)
Would I repurchase? Yes.
This smelt so lovely. Every time I used it, it reminded me of holidays. I should imagine it is the Shea butter that gives off that beachy, sun cream smell. Can often buy this half price so it is wonderful for an every day shower cream.

Anatomicals You Need a Blooming Shower! Your Nose Smells Rose Body Cleanser 250ml (RRP £3)
Would I repurchase? No.
I usually love rose scented products, but this just didn't hit the mark for me. It just smelt too artificial and I was glad to see the end of it. I didn't even cut open the tube to get the last dregs out, which tells you all you need to know!

Finally, my hair product empties:

Batiste Dry Shampoo in Boho 150ml (RRP £2.99)
Would I repurchase? No.
I don't tend to use dry shampoo but, like the one mentioned last month,  I won this in a giveaway ages ago so thought it was about time I used it! I am not keen on dry shampoo because they tend to leave a white caste/residue on my hair and I'm afraid this was no exception. If anyone could recommend a dry shampoo that doesn't do this (I have ginger hair) then please comment below. Thanks.

Avon Advanced Techniques Leave In Conditioner 250ml
Would I repurchase? No, no, no!!!
I don't often use leave in conditioners but I think this came in a set that I bought ages ago. I can't find it in the Avon website so perhaps it is discontinued. I'm not surprised! It is so runny  that it was hard to get it on to my hair without making a big mess. I gave up less than half way through this bottle and binned it.

Percy & Reed Bodifying Cream 50ml (RRP £2.69)
Would I repurchase? No.
I didn't feel this actually did anything for my hair so seems pointless repurchasing. It also is highly fragranced. I don't mind a bit of fragrance but I don't want it to compete with my perfume. All Percy & Reed products are highly fragranced which I would overlook if it loved the product, but this one is not for me.

VO5 Weather Resistant Hairspray 100ml
Would I repurchase? Maybe
I bought this as a travel size when I had a weekend away. What can I say? It's a hairspray, it did what it said on the tin! I've never found a "Holy Grail" hairspray, I find them all much of a muchness. I tend to buy whichever is on offer. Prove me wrong - tell me which is the hairspray I HAVE to have.

Avon Moroccan Argan Oil Leave-in Treatment 30ml (RRP £5.50)
Would I repurchase? Yes.
This oil/hair serum can be used on wet and dry hair. I used it on the ends of my wet hair after washing. It helped ensure there was no frizz. It's frequently on offer, in fact at the time of writing it is priced at £3.30. A little goes a long way and it is a great little serum.

Well sorry for the long post. I didn't realise I had so many empties in May. Alas, most are items I would not repurchase - only 3 hits to 8 misses and 2 "maybes".
Thanks for reading.
Enjoy the rest of your day.
Take care,
CJ xx

Empties: Items I've Used Up in May 2014

Well this is my first ever "empties" post and I do apologise that it is a tad late for May but I didn't want to wait to include them with June empties at the end of this month because there are quite a few.

Let's start with face skincare items:

There are actually 3 cleansers this month. I always have at least 2 cleansers on the go and these 3 all decided to finish this month, but no worries because I've lots more in my stash...

Clinique Take The Day Off Cleansing Balm 125ml (RRP £21)
Would I repurchase? Yes - and I already have!
This balm is quite thick and is great for my evening first cleanse because it removes all my make up with ease. It is unscented so great for those with sensitive skin. I previously used Emma Hardie Moringa Balm and I loved the EH fragrance lots so was disappointed that the Clinique balm was unscented, but then I had a VERY bad reaction to Emma Hardie which I think must be down to the essential oils so I have had to be very careful ever since. 

Merumaya Melting Cleansing Balm 100ml (RRP £14.50)
Would I repurchase? Yes - once I've worked through my stash!
For my review of this product, click here.

Alpha-H Balancing Cleanser with Aloe Vera 200ml (RRP £23)
Would I repurchase? Yes - and I already have.
I tend to use this cleanser when I have breakouts because this seems to do a great job at calming them and clearing them. For me it is a "no nonsense" cleanser and isn't as luxurious to use as some of my other cleansers but it does a great job when my skin needs that extra help at certain times of the month.

Boots Essentials Fragrance Free Cleasing Wipes 25 wipes (RRP £1.50)
Would I repurchase? No.
I don't tend to buy or use wipes but I inherited my late step-mothers beauty stash. She died 20 months ago and I am still working my way through her stash of beauty products. It is taking time because I have a fair stash of my own too! Nothing wrong with these wipes, I just don't tend to use them but I have been using these to remove my make up and then doing a double cleanse.

Merumaya Iconic Youth Serum 15ml (RRP £20)
Would I repurchase? No.
See my review for this product here.


Next up are my body product empties:

Nivea Happy Time Shower Cream 250ml (RRP £1.99)
Would I repurchase? Yes - once I've used up my stash.
Love, love, love this! It is an orange blossom fragrance and I love using this for my morning shower. It lathers well, is very creamy and is often on offer at half price so for 99p what's to dislike?! I want to buy this again but I am being good and working my way through the rest of my shower gels first but I do miss this.

Ted Baker Butterfly Wings set (RRP £10)
Would I repurchase? Maybe.
I received this little set for a birthday present last year. It contains a body spray, body wash, body scrub and body lotion. I do like the scent. It is quite a sweet scent which I am a fan of. Individually the products aren't fantastic, i.e the scrub doesn't do a lot, body wash doesn't lather as much as I'd like but, as I said, I DO like the fragrance. I wouldn't go out of my way to repurchase but, if it was in the Boots sale, then I would perhaps be tempted for the scent alone.

Molton Brown Oatmeal & Milk Exfoliating Bar
Would I repurchase? No.
This was another birthday present and it came in a box of 4 bars. I cannot find this on the MB website so perhaps it has been discontinued? I was totally underwhelmed by this. It didn't exfoliate at all and was more like a normal bar of soap with a few bits of oatmeal in. Unimpressed!

FoM Body Contouring Serum sample size
Would I repurchase? No.
I bought this sample from Latest In Beauty so that I could give it a try. To be honest I don't think any creams/serums etc can get rid of cellulite but I thought I would give it a go. It is called a serum but I felt it was more of a runny oil. I didn't like it because you had to apply to wet skin and I had to remember to do this as soon as I got out of the shower which more often than not I had towelled off before I thought about it. Too much faff!

Philosophy Pure Grace Body Lotion 8 fl.oz (RRP £15)
Would I repurchase? Yes - I already have a spare in my stash!
I love the smell of Pure Grace. To me it smells so clean, like freshly laundered washing. Mmmmm. The lotion absorbs well and my only gripe is that the container it comes in is not very flexible which made getting out the last of the lotion very hard. I think perhaps once I have used the one in my stash I would think twice to a repurchase due to the price. I do think it is expensive for a body lotion and if I could source a cheaper alternative with the same scent then I would. Does anyone know of a Pure Grace dupe please? Doesn't have to be body lotion, any dupe be it perfume, shower gel would be most welcome! Thanks.

Sure Women Crystal Clear Aqua Anti Perspirant 250ml (RRP £3.19)
Would I repurchase? Yes - already have, lots my stash!
This is my deodorant of choice. To be honest I do prefer a solid stick deodorant because I feel they are more effective, but they tend to mess up the underarms of any tops I wear so I have switched to spray deodorants now. Has anyone found a stick deodorant that doesn't leave any residue?

Ysatis Eau de Toilette 100ml (RRP £47.50)
Would I repurchase? Perhaps.
I have had this perfume for many years and I believe the packaging has changed now. This was my perfume of choice back in the late 1980's, early 1990's. It has lots of memories attached to it, so in a way I was sad to see it go. It was the perfume I wore when I met my husband and I wore it on our wedding day too. That said, there are many other perfumes I prefer these days. This is a heavier perfume than I tend to wear now. Perhaps one day I will revisit it for nostalgic reasons but for now I prefer a lighter, sweeter fragrance.

Leighton Denny Best Defence Hand Cream 30ml (RRP £5.50)
Would I repurchase? No.
My review for this product is here.


Finally, my hair product empties:

Batiste Dry Shampoo in Diva 150ml (RRP £2.99)
Would I repurchase? No.
I have had this so long I don't think they even do this fragrance anymore! I don't tend to use dry shampoo but I won this in a giveaway ages ago so thought it was about time I used it! I know a lot of people swear by Batiste, but I am not a lover of dry shampoo because I find they all leave a white caste/residue on my hair and I'm afraid this was no exception. If anyone could recommend a dry shampoo that doesn't do this (I have ginger hair) then please comment below. Thanks.

Head & Shoulders Shampoo in Cool Menthol 500ml (RRP £4.99)
Would I repurchase? Yes - I already have.
I suffer from psoriasis on my scalp and I have tried lots of shampoos, both prescription and over the counter but this seems to be the best at easing my itchy scalp. I've not found anything that clears it up completely but this helps the irritation. I actually find the Cool Menthol variety better for this than their Itchy Scalp one. I haven't been able to find the Cool Menthol in the shops but I have purchased one called Menthol Fresh which has the same packaging so fingers crossed it has just been renamed. I might have to drop them an email to check...

Dove Damage Therapy Intensive Repair 200ml (RRP £2.69)
Would I repurchase? Maybe.
This conditioner didn't wow me but I didn't hate it either. It did what it needed to do - conditioned my hair without weighing it down. I would perhaps repurchase this if it was on offer but I am still on the hunt for my Holy Grail conditioner.

Well sorry for the long post. I didn't realise I had so many empties in May.
If you are still here, thanks for reading.
Enjoy the rest of your day.
Take care,
CJ xx

Trial & Review: Alpha-H Absolute Eye Complex 60 Day Trial Results (with before & after pictures)

A couple of months ago I purchased the Alpha-H TSV from QVC which, besides Liquid Gold and the Balancing Cleanser, contained the Alpha-H Eye Complex.  I had tried both LG and the cleanser before, both of which I love, but I had never tried the Eye Complex.

Being over 40, I now need lots of help in the eye area. I have fine lines, redness, puffiness, dark circles and "scaly" skin (Milia? But thought that was white spots?). My eyes are also quite sensitive. I sound attractive, huh?!  I am still on the search for my Holy Grail eye product. The trouble is, unless the results are dramatic, it is always very hard for me to tell if any of these creams/gels actually improve the problems I have in my eye area.  I peer at myself in the mirror, willing the cream to have worked, but has it, or is it just wishful thinking?

Therefore I decided, instead of guesswork, this time I would do a 60 day trial on a product and take photos at the start on Day 1 and photos at the end on Day 60 and compare them.  As they say, the camera never lies!  I am terrible for chopping and changing products so for 60 days I only used Alpha-H Eye Complex around my eyes so that I would know that any results are down to this cream alone. This trial was supposed to be for 30 days but I forgot to take photos after 30 days so I just carried on for another month!

The Eye Complex comes in a 15ml pump so it is quite a dinky bottle.  I found the pump a tad temperamental. If I pressed down for a full pump, it dispensed far too much product for both eyes so I felt it was very wasteful. I did try to press the pump lightly so that less came out but I found this very hit and miss, sometimes it only dispensed a little and others far too much.  Perhaps I have a faulty pump, I don't know but I don't like wasting product when it is not necessary.

The Eye Complex is more of a gel formula than a cream. This is one pumps worth and a tad too much for both eyes here.

The TV demonstration said to apply it over the entire eye area, up to the brow, including the lids.  I applied it as instructed and a little seemed to go a long way.  I did notice a tingling sensation when I first applied it which concerned me a little to begin with because I had a bad allergic reaction to a different brand eye cream earlier in the year which resulted in me getting steroid cream on prescription to clear it up. The gel absorbed quickly and the tingling stopped after a minute. After approximately one week of use, I no longer had any tingling at all.

I applied this gel twice a day, morning and night, before any serum or moisturiser.

So here we are with the BEFORE and AFTER pictures without make up - sorry, I should have done a warning "graphic content" disclaimer earlier! ;-).  Eek! I look old and tired! Worse than I thought!

BEFORE using Alpha H Eye complex

AFTER 60 days usage

BEFORE Alpha H Eye Complex

AFTER 60 days usage

BEFORE Alpha H Eye Complex

AFTER 60 days usage

As you can see, I do have the aforementioned problems. I didn't expect the darkness to disappear because my dark circles are actually caused by the way my muscle lies under my skin which causes a shadow. I have always had it and have had to accept it. I had hoped that the Eye Complex would improve my other issues. Mainly the ageing!  I do realise no over the counter product can make wrinkles disappear permanently but I had hoped that this would perhaps help soften them.

So what do you think of my results? I have zoomed in and studied them in great depth, and my verdict is... I can't see any difference! I am so disappointed. My eyes are perhaps a little less puffy in the AFTER pictures, but I find that this varies on a day to day basis anyway so I really don't think it is down to this product.

If you are interested in buying the Alpha-H Absolute Eye Complex it is available at all the usual online stores (Beauty Bay, Cult Beauty, etc) for £34.50 or for a couple of pounds more you can buy it at QVC which also comes with 50ml Alpha H moisturiser with SPF50 so better value for money.

I have a couple of applications left of this Alpha H so the 15ml  lasts about 2 months but, once I have finished it, my hunt for my Holy Grail eye cream continues... 
I have a couple of different products in my stash so I shall be starting a 30 day trial with one of those very soon. Watch this space...

Have you ever used this Eye Complex?  Do you have a Holy Grail eye cream/gel? I would love to hear about them.

Thanks for reading.
Enjoy the rest of your day.
Take care,
CJ xx

*purchased with my own money

Recent Purchases: Beauty, Clothes, Jewellery and more...

Hello,
I did a little shopping this past week so I thought I'd share my purchases with you because I love reading "haul" posts.

First up - Beauty.

I succumbed to the recent Alpha H TSV from QVC.  It was a good deal, the whole set cost less than a bottle of Liquid Gold so it was a no brainer really.  I already use the Liquid Gold and occasionally the cleanser but the Alpha H Eye Complex is new to me so I am looking forward to trying that out.  I am planning on doing a 30 day trial with it and will write a blog post about it later this month.  I can't post a link to the TSV because it has now sold out.
I also purchased 2 more Real Techniques brushes - a blush brush and a shading brush from Amazon. I was lucky enough to receive the Core Collection and Starter Kit for Christmas and I'm really happy with them so decided to add a couple more brushes to my collection.
Finally on the beauty front, a couple of little purchases - hair grips/bobby pins from Matalan and a Collection Lasting Perfection concealer from Morrisons.  I was really happy with the latter because it went through the till at £2.09 - bargain!  I only use this for blemishes as it is too drying for under my eyes.

Next up - Clothes.

My mum came over for the day so we decided to have a look round the shops.  We hadn't been to Matalan in years so decided to take a look. Neither of us were expecting much but I picked up a mint green slouch jumper for £14.  I don't have anything in my wardrobe in this colour and I love it, it's perfect for Spring.  It's a cotton mix so quite a light jumper and it has a metallic thread running through it which I like. The best news is, I fit in a size small!!  Don't worry, I'm not deluded, I know with cheaper clothes the sizes are very hit and miss.  I also picked up a simple T shirt in a denim blue colour for £3.

Now onto Jewellery.

Whilst in Matalan, a lovely necklace and earring set caught my eye. It was priced at £8 which I was happy with, but it went through the till at £3, another bargain. It looks gold toned in the photo, but I think that is the reflection from the other pieces because it is actually silver toned.  
I also bought a few bits in the Lisa Angel sale. Two bold necklaces, one with gold leather effect panels and the other with silver.  I couldn't choose which colour to have but because they were only £3 each I decided on both! I was a tad disappointed that the leather effect on the gold one has got marked in transit but it's not a huge deal.
I also ordered two bracelets.  One is a bright pink corded affair with a heart and a couple of other little charms on it for £2.50. I do like it but think it might be a little "young" for me.  What do you think?  The other bracelet is silver in colour with a purple heart charm (I'm a sucker for anything with a heart!) I didn't realise that the silver beads were plastic so it reminds me of those elasticated bracelets I wore as a little girl.  I can't see me ever wearing this but at £3 it is not a huge loss.

Finally, a couple of other miscellaneous things.  

I saw this little clock in Matalan and because it was only a fiver and it had a heart in it, I couldn't resist!  It's nothing exciting but fits well into the dining area of my kitchen on the mantelpiece.  I live in an old cottage so I was into "shabby chic" way before it became popular, although my home is probably more shabby than chic! The last item I bought was Jo Wheatley's Home Baking book.  Jo won The Great British Bake Off a couple of years ago.  I love baking so when I saw this was just £2.50 from Sainsbury's entertainment I couldn't resist.

Well, that's everything I have bought recently.  I hope you haven't found it too boring and frumpy but my days of wearing spaghetti strap tops and short skirts are long gone and comfort is the order of the day for me now (although I'm not quite ready for thermal underwear or crimplene skirts just yet!).
What are your recent purchases?  Please leave me a comment below.
Thanks for reading.

Enjoy the rest of your day.
Take care,
CJ xx