Mini Monday - Beauty Protector Protect and Detangle

I received this in one of my Birchbox's and was interested to see how I got on with it. I haven't dabbled with leave in conditions for years thanks to my fine hair and only use drugstore heat protectors usually.

This makes several claims on the back

• instantly detangles
• provide thermal and UV protection
• seals cuticles
• smoothes hair
• locks in colour
• add shines
• is weightless, non greasy and suitable for all hair types.

On first use I thought I had a dodgy bottle as I just couldn't get anything to come out, but after a good shake it finally came out. This is more of a serum then a watery spray which I wasn't expecting. 

It is heavily scented of vanilla which I personally love but if you aren't a fan of scented products that may put you off.

Anyway scent aside did it deliver? Well yes I think it did. I don't know how you are meant to test whether it heat protects your hair and I don't have colour treated hair but I agree with all the other claims. 

My hair was noticeably softer and less frizzy, it also had more shine and needed less brushing. You do have to be careful with this as if I applied too much my hair did just end up looking greasy, but with the right amount it just looked like it was in really good condition.

I wash my hair daily so can't comment on how day two hair would look but as a daily washer this has become my holy grail heat protector. 

The only snag is the price and the availability. This appears to be a Birchbox exclusive and is £15 for 236ml available here

Mini Monday - Rituals Perfection Volume Mascara

I got this with the August 2013 Edition of InStyle. I have tried a couple of the brands shower gels and body lotions and loved them so was looking forward to trying this out.

I am not a massive fan of the wand as I prefer the plastic ones in general. I just find these type end up all over my eye lid and clump easily.

I did find that this gave a good amount of volume however it's not really a mascara that you can build up as it does start to clump. That said it is fine for everyday use, it didn't flake or smudge and was easy to remove.

This has no perfume or parabens which isn't something that is important to me, but makes me think it would be ok to use if you had sensitive eyes.

The only other thing I think that lets this down is the price. The full size is £15.50 which some people might not find that steep but I personally don't like spending over £10 for a mascara. After all you shouldn't keep them hanging around for months and they dry up quickly.

If you like these types of wands and don't mind the price this is available from uk.rituals.com

Mini Monday - L'Occitane Angelica Cleansing Gel

This was also in the Christmas Beauty Box from British Beauty Blogger along with the toner which I have reviewed here.

This has the same scent as the Toner which I really dislike, I just find it overpowering and unpleasant.

Unfortunately this isn't the only thing I don't like about the product. I am not sure whether this is because it is a gel as I have never used a gel cleanser but I find this can go a bit like pritt stick. You know like when you get it all over your fingers and they go all gummy and tacky. 

I might be able to over look this but this seriously dries out my skin as well. I have never experienced anything like it. It feels like my skin has shriveled up and shrunk. My skin has never been so parched and tight.

This is obviously only my experience but I have never used a cleanser which has dried out my skin like this. I can only think that my skin obviously doesn't react well to one of the ingredients.

This is available from feelunique.com for £16.00 for 200ml.

Mini Monday - L'Occitane Angelica Face Toner

I got this with the Christmas Beauty Box from British Beauty Blogger, which I haven't blogged about but guess it's a bit late now it's February.

I haven't tried any skincare from L'Occitane and was happy to try this and the cleanser. The first thing I have to mention is the scent, I really hate it. It reminds me of freshly cut grass and gardens in general. Now some might like it but I find it too over powering.

Scent aside this is a nice toner it doesn't include any alcohol and doesn't sting or irritate my skin. I find toners hard to review I would say that I prefer the Liz Earle one which I reviewed here. I just find that more refreshing and pleasurable to use.

I would recommend giving this a sniff before purchasing if the smell doesn't put you off, I don't think you could go wrong.

This is available for £16.00 for 200ml from feelunique.com

Mini Monday - Philosophy Purity Cleanser

I received this with the first beauty box from Bristish Beauty Blogger and was so excited to try something out from Philosophy.

I know that this has been a big hit with many so was eager to find out how it compared to Cleanse and Polish from Liz Earle which I have reviewed here and my current favourite from Superdrug.

This does have a scent but I didn't find it offensive or unpleasant and it didn't linger on the skin. It isn't a cream like the other two cleansers but felt lovely on the skin none the less. Like Cleanse and Polish this is fine to use on your eyes which I love as I often struggle to get all my mascara off with just cleansing water.

I have read some reviews that this dried out peoples skin but I didn't experience any tightness or dryness after using this.

Overall I thought that this was a nice cleanser I wasn't blown away with this but didn't think it was bad. I doubt I will purchase as I don't think that this does anything that the Superdrug Vitamin E Hot Cloth Cleanser doesn't do, you can read my full post on that here.

I would still love to try some of their bath and body products, does anyone have any recommendations.

You can pick up this cute 90ml size for £8.00 from boots.com or 471ml for £28.50 here.

Mini Monday - TRESemme 24 Hour Body Weightless Volume & Shine Conditioner

I bought this months ago for my travel bag, but after using up my last conditioner and never really travelling I decided to give this a go.

I can't say that this made my hair any more voluminous but then I am not sure much can. This didn't seem to hydrate my ends enough either. I felt like my ends were getting drier and drier however long I left this on. I do find my ends gets very dry when my hair is longer - my hair is about an inch and half below my shoulders. It doesn't really get much longer as it just seems to get really dry, split and snap.

I feel a bit bad for this product as I know this isn't a glowing review but my hair is a real pain in the backside. It is very fine with a very sensitive scalp, it also doesn't like being styled or growing. To put this review in context I felt exactly the same about Philip Kingsley Body Building Conditioner which is £15.30 for 250ml from feelunique.com.

This is on the other hand £1.49 for 100ml from boots.com or £4.50 for 500ml for the full size available here.

If your hair isn't as problematic I would definitely recommend picking this up over the Philip Kingsley as to me they are pretty much the same.

Does anyone have any recommendations for a good conditioner? 

Mini Monday - Rituals Honey Touch Rich & Nourishing Body Cream

I got this as part of a gift set last Christmas, you can read what else I got here. I decided to take this on my recent holiday as it smells amazing. I can't really describe the smell other then divine and heavenly. 

The product itself is quite thick, not so thick that you are furiously rubbing away to get it to sink in though. It isn't as emollient as L'Occitane's Ultra Rich Body Lotion which you can read my review on here, but I do prefer this.

If you use the correct amount, which is less then you think, this absorbs into the skin almost instantly. There is no residue left on the skin. Your skin is left feeling and smelling amazing with no greasiness or stickiness so you can get dressed straight away. If you use a lot this will take a little longer to sink in but it still isn't tacky and will fully absorb within a few minutes.

I have horrible skin on my upper arms but I do think that they look and feel better after using this. In my opinion my skin is smoother and less bumpy.

I have some other products from Rituals stashed away and after using this I can't wait to get started on them. I am always banging on about premium priced products not smelling luxurious or just not being worth the price, but I genuinely love this. This isn't cheap but if you are looking for a real indulgent treat or a lovely gift then I don't think you can go wrong with this.

That said I am not sure I would purchase at the moment as one I am on a spending ban (let's see how long that lasts) and I really don't need any more body lotion.

This is available from feelunique.com for £17 for 200ml.

Mini Monday - Estee Lauder Revitalizing Supreme Global Anti-Aging Creme

I got this at the beginning of the year, you can read the post I hauled it in here. I had high hopes for this after falling in love with their Advanced Night Repair, but to be honest have been a bit underwhelmed by this.

There are some definite good things about this.

Firstly the packaging is gorgeous but for the price it should be. The second thing I like is that this is not heavily scented and is lightweight in texture. It is more of a gel then a cream and sinks in very quickly. You also don't need a lot so this 15ml size has lasted a lot longer then I expected. I only used at night and lasted a good couple of months.

Onto the things I didn't like, I just don't feel that it did anything. As I said I only used this in the evening, as I preferred to use the Caudalie Vinosource Moisturising Sorbet in the morning, you can read my full post on that here. When I woke up my skin didn't feel noticeably different. I like my skin to feel softer and more hydrated in the morning after using a night cream but this just didn't do anything. It is marketed for Dry skin so did think that it would leave my skin more hydrated, but honestly products a fraction of the price offer more hydration in my opinion.

That leads me to the subject of price, 50ml of this will set you back £58. I know the Advanced Night Repair is expensive but hand on heart I notice a difference in my skin, this I don't.

This is obviously an anti-aging product and I am not sure what age you are 'meant' to start using these, but I still thought I would have noticed a difference. I don't think 28 is too young to be starting to worry about wrinkles and what not.

This is available from johnlewis.com for £58 for 50ml.

Mini Monday - L'Occitane Ultra Rich Body Lotion

I bought this as part of a gift set absolutely ages ago. I had high hopes for this after watching too much QVC. Does anyone have to ban themselves from watching their beauty shows?  And don't get me started on what I have to do to avoid their Nail Inc shows.

Anyway back to the product the scent surprised me I don't know what I expected, but to me this just smells like soap. I think I was expecting something a bit more luxurious to go along with the price tag, as this is not cheap.  That said the scent is very unisex and non offensive. 

Talking of unisex my boyfriend really likes this. No he doesn't moisturize his body but one evening he had a really sore back so I used this to give him a back rub. I am not sure how much I helped but he did comment on how nice this was.

I was also expecting this to be a lot thicker and difficult to work into the skin. In fact this is easy to smooth over the skin as a little goes a long way. It doesn't sink in very quickly and does leave a somewhat greasy residue on the skin. I don't find the residue unpleasant I just wouldn't recommend putting skinny jeans on after using this.

Overall I like the product and do think that it leaves my skin soft and smooth but I wouldn't purchase the full size. If I was going to spend £20 on a body lotion I would get the Molton Brown Coco De Mer Body Lotion which is £2 cheaper for 50ml more and smells amazing.

This is available from feelunique.com for £20 for 250ml

Mini Monday - Caudalie Vinosource Moisturizing Sorbet

I got this in my Christmas Stocking after some serious hinting. I have heard so much about Caudalie and was so excited to try out some of their products in these little minis.

To be honest this wasn't one of the products I had heard a great deal about but when looking through my collection of moisturizers I decided to give this a go.  This is seriously lightweight but strangely the wettest moisturizer I have ever used, if that makes sense. When I squeezed some out onto my hand I thought that this wouldn't be moisturizing enough but when you blend into your skin it so hydrating.

It doesn't leave any form of residue and sinks in very quickly which I love. It doesn't include any SPF but seeing as all my foundations do I can forgive it this. It can be used both day and night,  I have only been using the in the morning but would imagine that this would be great at night time too.

There is a faint scent to this which is very fresh and which I like but if you are sensitive to scented products I would take that into consideration.  The brand is free from parabens, mineral oils, SLS and many other nasty things.

I will definitely be purchasing the full size of this when I have used up all my moisturizer stashed away. I can safely say that this is one of the best moisturizers I have tried.

This is available from feelunique.com for £19.55 in the sale, usual price £23 for 40ml. Alternatively if you want to try a selection of their products including 10ml of this. This set is available in the sale for £10.44 usually £12.