Empties #1

Today, I thought I'd finally do my first empties post! I love the idea of these as it means I can review a large amount of stuff in one quick and easy post! Also, apologies for the appearance of the Lush toner - the packaging always wears with me!

Lush Eau Roma Water - I am a massive fan of spray toners, they're refreshing, soothing and great to use before makeup or on top of makeup when you're face is getting a bit sweaty! And this one is no different. The smell is lovely and soothing and I mainly use in my morning and nighttime routine. I've found it has really calmed down my skin - especially after using some harsh exfoliators that I chucked a while ago after realising they were doing more damage than good. Surprisingly, this bottle lasted a really long time and even when I got towards the end the spray pump still applied the product evenly! Especially as this product is really inexpensive and would definitely say it's worth your money and is suitable for all skin types.

Verdict - repurchased and already using!

Lancôme Gel Eclat - I got this free when I bought my Clarisonic Mia 2 {See review} and honestly I've never looked back! This gel cleanser works perfectly with my Clarisonic and leaves my skin literally smooth and squeaky clean. I prefer using this as a night time cleanse as my second cleanse to make sure my skin is fully clean and all make up has been removed. I would recommend this more so for oilier skin types than dry, purely because it's not super nourishing. I have super sensitive skin and it didn't even leave it irritated!

Verdict - repurchased and already using!

L'Oreal Paris EverPure Sulfate-Free Color Care System Smooth Shampoo and Conditioner - I bought these two waaay in America last year, and honestly wish I'd tried these sooner. These two are wonderful to use and are nourishing for even the driest of hair. The products are also sulfate-free and after all the controversy of circulating sulfates I was dying to try a product free of them, and I'm honestly surprised - I couldn't tell a single difference. The only main issue I found with these products are they're designed for coloured hair, it didn't help with my man-made blonde locks so I still had to buy other products to main the blonde. Sadly I cannot seem to find it in the UK, so I will have to wait till I go back to the USA to get my hands on these.

Verdict - will repurchase

Soap and Glory The Ultimelt - After hearing Caroline Hirons, the ultimate skincare guru, raving about this as a great, inexpensive morning cleanser I was desperate to get my hands on it. Especially, as due to having oily skin I used to restrict my morning routine to face washes that stripped my skin - which sometimes was not for the best. Overall, I liked how soft and silky the cleaner felt to use, and the fact for £10 it also came with a muslin cloth was great! Sadly, though it didn't cleanse my skin enough and actually irritated my eyes. Furthermore, after trying other hot cloth cleansers such as the Emma Hardie Moringa Balm {review} and the cheaper Body Shop Balm {review} they didn't love up to expectations.

Verdict - will not repurchase

Nude Purify Cleansing Wash - This cleanser sounded great on paper, listing all these qualities, balancing the skin without drying it, smoothing and soothing the skin, but sadly didn't live up to them. This is my first ever product by Nude that I've ever tried and I honestly expected more. It generally was quite a soft, simple, nice cleanser that didn't irritate my skin and had quite a weird creamy/gel-like consistency but for the price it wasn't worth it. I found the best use for it was as a morning cleanse, but even then the product leaves a residue behind that is not what oily skin gals want.

Verdict - will not repurchase

Thanks for reading,

Not Your Mother's 'Way To Grow' Shampoo and Conditioner Review

Hey lovelies,

Today on Victoria Louise Beauty is a review of the 'Not Your Mother's: Way To Grow' shampoo and conditioner which I've has currently been my haircare routine. A bit of background knowledge for my hair is, it's long, ombre-d at the end, extremely thick, dry and verging on damaged *yikes*.  If you want to view any of my other haircare related posts {click here}, they range from reviews of treatments, other shampoo and conditioners and monthly favourites. 

The Basics

Brand: Not Your Mother's

Name of Product: Way To Grow Long & Strong Shampoo and Conditioner

Purpose of product: To help grow stronger, healthier hair whilst limiting breakage. 

Price: Shampoo: £7.59 | Link , Conditioner: £9.20 | Link

Where to buy: Urban Outfitters 

How much product do you get: 237ml for both 

Who it's aimed for: All types or thickness, but especially dry, unhealthy, chemically treated hair.

Product Description

Made with essential vitamins, herbs and bioactive extracts for stronger, healthier hair to grow longer. Made for existing hair; it doesn't grow new hair. Safe for use with chemically treated hair. 

How To Use

I apply the shampoo first to damp hair and massage into a lather, for about 2-3 minutes. Then rinse off thoroughly, Following through with the conditioner which I apply to the bottom half of my hair and leave on for about 5 minutes before combing through and then washing it out.

Pro's

Surprisingly, I really enjoyed using these products. As previous to purchasing these I'd heard a lot of hype surrounding this collection and was nervous when trying them to see whether they would live up to their reputation. Which they did. I loved the fruity smell they left on my hair and that the brand doesn't state it will help magically grow your hair, only help what does grow to be healthier. *cough cough Lee Stafford*. The shampoo lathers really well and doesn't leave my hair feeling stripped. The conditioner also has quite a weird, foamy consistency to it but was still enjoyable to use. I also loved how both products were sulfate free and suitable for coloured hair. Out of the two, the shampoo was definitely my favourite.

Con's

Overall, there wasn't much I hated about the products. They left my hair feeling healthier and all-round happier. I did find the conditioner wasn't as 'intensely moisturising' as described nor expected it to be. I also found I still had breakage with my hair and sadly it didn't live up to the previously mentioned Lee Stafford Hair Growth collection | Link, which is my all time favourite hair care for long hair. But, to say you get a lot more product for your money and it still delivers an admirable result, I can't say I hate it.

Should I buy it? Do I recommend?

I do recommend it, most definitely for all hair types. Especially, on how much product you get for your money I say why not give it a try? It worked well on my hair to say what awful condition it was in to begin with. 

Rating

7.5/10

Thank you for reading lovelies,

if you've tried this product don't hesitate to let me know what you think or if you've tried any other haircare products that you've really liked!

Herbal Essences 'Bee Strong' Strengthening Shampoo & Conditioner Review

Hey lovelies,
Today I thought I'd do a review on a Herbal Essences shampoo and conditioner I've been using religiously these past few months. Just as starter information, I have very long and tremendously thick hair that can be quite dry - especially during these chillier months. I bought the 'Bee Strong' Shampoo and Conditioner as it claims to help deal with combing damage by strengthening your hair with ingredients from the likes of apricot and honey. So, immediately I was intrigued - due to my hair easily getting damaged by everyday use, such as combing.

Bee Strong Strengthening Shampoo

Initially, I did like this product as I adored the smell and especially because it lasted ages in my hair. Even more so, the shampoo lathers super easily and isn't difficult to work through my thick hair. But, there are many articles out there that claim herbal essence shampoos are full of nasty chemicals that are actually awful for your hair. But I didn't notice any difference in my hair - either it improving or not. So, overall I wouldn't purchase this product again as even though it smelt delicious it wasn't anything special and believe there are much better products out there that actually make a difference to the strength and health of my hair.

Bee Strong Strengthening Conditioner

Out of the two products, this is the one I preferred the most and would recommend if it came down to it. The thick, creamy conditioner easily detangled my hair and smelt just as luscious as the shampoo. It yet again sinked into my hair at a decent rate and the smell lasted for days after washing.  sadly, even though this was a decent conditioner it still didn't improve my hair. So, I yet again would not repurchase this product and it honestly was quite a let down. 

But I am willing to try the strengthening cream and intensive mask in the 'Bee Strong' range, purely because I loved the smell and the idea behind this hair care range. 

Furthermore, I don't think I would recommend the conditioner to very thin, or greasy hair types as the conditioner is quite thick. Which for my thick hair was great, but for others may weigh it down or increase greasiness.






















Thank you for reading lovelies!
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Mane 'n Tail Shampoo + Conditioner Review

Hey lovelies,

I thought I'd do a review on a new shampoo and conditioner I've been using for the past three months. Now, this isn't any ordinary shampoo and conditioner as this can also be used on horses! Weird, right? Now, when I first purchased the shampoo and conditioner I didn't actually realise it could be used on horses, I just thought they were marketing it that way, silly me. So, once I got over the craziness of using hair products that could also be used on a horses mane I got round to using it properly and not freaking out everytime I lathered the product in my hair.

The Background Basics

Just to make it clear to anyone reading this review; I have very thick hair that's slightly dry at the ends and can get tangled pretty easily. My hair is also pretty long and has recently been dyed - but when using this product my hair was all natural. I washed my hair with these products about 2-3 times a week as normally the third time I would swap a few of them round for either a deep conditioning treatment or a cleansing shampoo.

The Original Mane 'n Tail Shampoo, buy here for £7.00

Mane 'n Tail states the shampoo is supposed to help to

maintain and achieve fuller, stronger, longer, healthier-looking hair.

Now, I already have long, full hair so I didn't notice a major difference with the fullness of my hair but surprisingly my hair has grown quite a bit using this (and the conditioner)! I've had multiple people comment on how long my hair has grown and quite a few people ask if my hair is my own, natural length or if I've got extensions in. I also have quite a sensitive scalp and surprisingly this product hasn't irritated my sensitive skin - which is great!
But, I must admit it hasn't made a major difference to the strength nor health of my hair. Unlike the 'Lee Stafford Hair Growth', see review here, products that I could notice a massive difference after the first use. Especially, as price difference wise the Lee Stafford product is cheaper, only by 1p, and therefore surely you'd expect the mane 'n tail to have similar effects. But you do get a truck load of more product. Furthermore, I don't really enjoy the smell of the shampoo which for me is a massive must with hair products. I find it smells a tad floral-y, but if anything it smells of pretty much nothing. So, if you enjoy unscented products then this is it for you. but for me I wanted something you could actually smell!

The Original Mane 'n Tail Conditioner, buy here for £7.00

 Mane 'n Tail claims the conditioner is supposed to

promote stronger, fuller, moisturised, healthier looking hair.

Now, out of the two products this is definitely my favourite. I feel it is lovely and moisturising and like both products is suitable for any, and all hair types due to it being so gentle. I'd say yet again it's a pretty simple conditioner and doesn't have any magical properties that would lead me to repurchase. My only major downside to this product is that it's not brilliant at detangling which is quite a big issue for me, especially as I comb through my conditioner whilst in the shower and do not enjoy ripping half my hair out.

Overall, I wouldn't massively recommend this product due to the fact it's pretty pricey to say it doesn't really do much. But, this is definitely safe for any hair type so if you've got a sensitive scalp or are struggling to find a basic shampoo and conditioner that does the necessities then this is it, as long as you can get past the horse part.

Thank you for reading!
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Victoria Louise x

Worth The Splurge: Lee Stafford Hair Growth Review

Hey lovelies!
Today I thought I'd do a review on the Lee Stafford Hair Growth collection. I've been wanting to try this for a while, especially since my younger sister uses it and it has made her hair look so healthy and luscious! Now, undeniably my hair is pretty long as it is, reaching just below my boobs but in Year 9 I went through an indie phase where I had my hair hacked and chopped into resulting in short, choppy layers. Resulting in, due to my thick hair it looking frumpy and uneven. So I was hoping using these hair products it would help grow my layers out.

Now I got the shampoo, conditioner and leave-in hair treatment for Christmas so I didn't have to pay for it but ultimately I will definitely buy them again. Both the shampoo and conditioner are £6.99 for 200ml, which doesn't sound extremely expensive but how little product you get does leave it to be pretty pricey. The leave-in hair treatment is as expected more expensive at £11.99 for 100ml. Now, my only let down with these products are the fact you get so little product, the shampoo and conditioner have lasted me from the start of January till the start of March - using both twice a week. Luckily, the leave-in treatment is still going strong even though I do use that two times a week. Obviously, people with shorter hair will most likely get more uses out of the product than someone like me with longer, thicker hair.

The product claims to

"help hair grow faster and reach its maximum potential length!"

Now I feel this product walks on a very thin line as I don't fully agree with my hair growing any longer but I feel it would have a much greater impact with people with shorter hair, as obviously their hair will take to it much easier. But I do love these products, especially the conditioner and leave in treatment as they're amazing at detangling. I love the smell of them and how amazing they've improved the health of my hair leaving it looking so shiny and glossy! I also love how there is a visible difference between when I use these products and when I don't.

So overall, I definitely recommend these products to pretty much anyone that wants their hair to look healthy and shiny - which should hopefully enhance the growth rate of your hair.