Feeling Good Over 40

Feeling Good Over 40

Sunday 15 November 2015

To Repurchase Or Not Repurchase?....That is the question.

I came to the end of quite a few things at once a couple of months ago, so, I decided to save my packaging and do an empties review. Some I would repurchase and some I would not but Ill explain that in each review. All of the products were either purchased by myself or were Birthday/Christmas gifts etc.

So...lets get cracking!

Laura Mercier Sweet Temptations Creme Brulee Honey Bath 



The first thing you notice about this product is it smells amazing, as the name would suggest. Its very luxurious and a little goes a long way. It does make your skin feels lovely and soft immediately after bathing but you still need a moisturiser after you have fully dried. Would I repurchase? Well actually my mom bought this for me as part of a set for Christmas and although it is lovely its pricey. £35 for the bath and body creme. So although I wouldn't repurchase it for myself due to the price, I would definitely buy it as a gift for someone or put it on my Christmas list.

 

Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water



Those of you who read my blog know I love this product! http://feelinggoodover40.blogspot.co.uk/2015/07/holiday-essentials.html Its great for removing make up as a first cleanse or as a morning refresher before applying your moisturiser. Its also great price...whats not to love. Would I repurchase? Hell Yeah!!!
Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water 400ml - Boots

 

Alberto Balsam Strawberries & Cream Conditioner



This conditioner smells lovely but unfortunately is was too thin in texture for my liking. Having long hair I like a nice thick conditioner that stays put so I can comb it through but this just seemed to run straight off with most of it ending up down the plughole. It didn't feel particularly conditioned either. On the plus side it isn't expensive and if you have short hair or don't like a thick conditioner then it may be worth trying. Would I repurchase...No.

 

Arm & Hammer Enamel Care Sensitive Toothpaste

This along with Sensodyne is my favourite toothpaste. Occasionally I will buy a standard whitening toothpaste if its on special offer but I always end up regretting it when my sensitivity comes back. That said, I recently read that a lot of supermarket own brands are just as good and my dentist told me when choosing a toothpaste to look at the back of the tube at the ingredients. The sodium fluoride content for an adult toothpaste should be over 1000PPM. I recently purchased a similar sensitive whitening toothpaste from Aldi which had a sodium fluoride content of 1450PPM which I believe is more than an Oral B toothpaste.Worth looking into if you want to save a few pennies. Would I repurchase? Yes, but I am going to take my own advice and try the Aldi toothpaste, I will let know how it performs.
Arm and Hammer Enamel Pro Repair Baking Soda Toothpaste Sensitive - Boots

 

Clarins Soothing Body Scrub  







As you can see from the photograph I have squeezed every last drop out of this baby. This was another gift from my Mom, thanks Mom your a great gift buyer (I have to say that she reads my blog ha ha), but seriously this scrub means business. I have used so called shower scrubs before which in reality have been no more than a shower gel with a few exfoliating beads thrown in but this baby has scrub aplenty. It really does leave your skin beautifully smooth. My advice would be to wet yourself in shower (oops just read that back ha ha), what I meant to say was, when your skin is wet, switch the shower off then use the scrub. It is expensive and its a shame for it do just go straight down the plughole. Would I repurchase YES definitely.
Clarins Smoothing Body Scrub 200ml - Boots

 

Soap & Glory The Righteous Butter 




Firstly I absolutely love the smell of this but if you have sensitive skin you may find the fragrance an irritant. The tub is pretty big so its does last a long time and its a pretty good body moisturiser. Its quite thick so you can slather it on without it dripping everywhere and it rubs in easily. Its a good price too, much less than many so called "high end" body butters and there is normally a deal on in Boots and of course at Christmas, numerous gift sets. This was in fact part of a Christmas gift set which is a great way to try the range. Would I repurchase YES but I don't think I will have to as I normally get a gift set from someone at Christmas...thanks Santa xxx
Soap and Glory The Righteous Butter 300ml - Boots

 

Emma Hardie Moringa Cleansing Balm



Ahhhh the beauty bloggers and You tubers cleanser of choice. How they rave that by using this product it transformed there lives. Suddenly their husband/partner turned into George Clooney or David Beckham. Their kids started tidying their own rooms without being yelled at and learnt to speak fluent Mandarin overnight. Their dog took itself for a walk and wiped its feet before coming into the immaculate kitchen that cleaned itself. Was I missing out on a wonder product that could change my life? I had to try it, so when Marks and Spencer starting stocking it I was first in the queue.

Don't get me wrong its a nice enough cleanser that does the job but I think a lot of it is hype. It is highly perfumed which doesn't suit everyone and it can be quite heavy when used around the eye area. The cloth that comes with it is lovely but you can buy them separately and use them with your normal cleanser. Its also bloody expensive, when I last checked it was £50! Clinique do a similar one that's half the price Clinique Take The Day Off Cleansing Balm all Skin Types 125ml - Boots

Would I repurchase? NO as my husband still looks like Rodney from Only Fools & Horses, my kids bedrooms look like a Stig of the dump has moved in and Taylor leaves paw marks all over my untidy kitchen!

 

Witch Doctor Skin Treatment Gel


This gel is great for burns, stings, chafing, spots, saving the world! Okay, I went a little too far there but you get the idea.  A great little item to have in your bag especially when your on holiday or during the summer months. Boots do their own version but in my opinion its not as good (sorry Boots). Would I repurchase YES again and again.

 

Lancome Miracle Eau De Parfum Spray



A vibrant, sparkling fragrance that opens like the dawning of a new day with fresh, dewy notes of Lychee and Freesia. Its spicy heart echoes with notes of Magnolia, Jasmine, Ginger and Pepper as its warm base notes envelop you in the sensual splendour of Amber and Musk.
Fragrance Family
Fruity-floral
Fragrance Note
A fresh start: A fruity floral accord that combines juicy Lychee with the sparkling accents of Freesia.
An ardent, floral-spicy heart: Delicate Magnolia pairs with passionate notes of Bourbon Pepper and Ginger.
A rich, radiant base: The deep glow of Absolute Jasmine kindled by the warm, sensuous notes of Musk and Amber. 
Okay, that's the blurb from Lancomes website explaining the notes and tones of the perfume but what does it smell like? Well its always going to be difficult to describe a smell online, so I'm going to suggest you have a test for yourself next time you are out shopping. The Perfume Shop are particularly good if you are looking for a new fragrance as they are totally impartial. They ask what your favourite perfums are and they use the notes and tones from that to recommend other fragrances in the same family. Would I repurchase YES unless Santa puts a bottle in my stocking. LANCOME MIRACLE EDPS 30ML | Perfume - Boots

 

NEXT White Jasmine Diffuser




A pretty floral bouquet with white lily, honeysuckle and jasmine notes form the basis of the room diffuser. Again, its very difficult to describe a smell online but I wanted a diffuser for my bedroom and I didn't think Hubby would appreciate a very girly scent. Next do a great range of scented candles and room diffusers at a good price too. This one lasted for ages but want too overpowering they also make great gift. Would I repurchase YES definitely.

 Thats it for now, see you next time.

Saturday 24 October 2015

Boots No7 Match Made Lipstick

I recently tested Boots No7 Match Made service as I wanted a new red lipstick.

You are colour matched for their foundation first and once that is established shades of lipstick and blusher are recommended.

My foundation shade is Calico so my "perfect" red was Soft Paprika




















I have to agree it really is the perfect red for me, it lasts ages, has a perfect texture, neither too matt or glossy and above all is super flattering.








As it was buy one get one half price on No7 products I purchased another lipstick this time in my "perfect" nude Pink Hint....well it would be rude not too!





                                                   




I would definitely recommend Boots Match Made service as its quick, easy and can save you money. How many of us have foundations and lipsticks that we never use as they looked great in the shop but never looked quite right when we wore them?

Give it a try and let me know what you think.

Saturday 17 October 2015

Learning to love trainers - A few Outfit Ideas


Those of you who follow me on Instagram and Snapchat know that I have recently been diagnosed with flat feet!

I had been suffering from severe heel and foot pain for a while so decided to see my doctor. He referred me to specialist who confirmed it was indeed flat feet AKA fallen arches and I needed insoles. No problem I thought I can just slip them into my normal shoes...think again Kerry...ballet pumps, slip on shoes and heels were out and trainers were advised as my everyday shoe. SAY WHAT!!! I'm 47 not 17 and The ONLY time I wear trainers is to the gym! Okay I do wear converses from time to time but they are DEFINITELY out as they are too flat...cue complete shoe breakdown!

For a couple of days I embraced the Sporty Spice look but it just wasn't me...so I headed over to Pintrest to get some inspiration.

I was surprised at how many stylish looks there were, okay a lot of the girls were young and gorgeous with impossibly long legs but I began to realise that I didn't have to live in tracksuit bottoms and I could adapt some of the looks to suit a more curvy figure.

Cue a shopping trip (I know its a hard life) after trying on a lot of different trainers I finally purchased a pair of Nike Air Max Thea.


Along with a selection of different scarves, wraps and snoods.




Above are a couple of looks I put togther using similar items I have in my wardrobe, let me know what you think.

I'm still finding my feet (excuse the pun) but hopefully I can finally give that 90`s tracksuit to the charity shop!

Saturday 3 October 2015

Stargazing in the Brecon Beacons Wales

It was my birthday a couple of weeks ago so we decided to book a weekend away in the Brecon Beacons hoping for a bit of star gazing.

Brecon Beacons National Park has very little light pollution and if you are lucky enough to get a clear night, I had read that the stars were amazing.

We stayed at the Ty Helyg Guest House and received a very warm welcome. We were given a front door key and were told to come and go as we pleased, which is great if you want to get out and about. There is also an honesty bar if you fancy a tipple and a roaring log fire that's lit during the chillier evenings. It is also dog friendly so there no need to leave your pooch at home. http://www.tyhelygguesthouse.co.uk/















Unfortunately when we arrived the weather was cloudy and we didn`t hold much hope in seeing the stars but around 6pm the sky started to clear, hooray!

Around 7.30pm we were about to head off to the National Park Visitor Centre when Lee, the lady who runs Ty Helyg, suggested an even better spot to see the stars! Lee is great at pointing you in the right direction no matter what your interests are, she even lent us a pair of binoculars.

We headed off to Ffrwdgrech and waited for darkness....


All I can say is WOW!!! I have never seen so many stars!!! It truly was breathtaking.

Unfortunately I do not have the right camera or the skills to photograph in total darkness, so I will leave the talking to this video by photographer Michael Sinclair, it is truly stunning!


At about 10pm we headed back to Ty Helyg for a drink and a warm by the log fire.


Breakfast the next morning was lovely! There really is something for everyone.

                                        We opted for the full English or is it Welsh? 

 

 



If you get the chance do visit the Brecon Beacons it really does have something for everyone.
Rydym yn mwynhau ein arhosiad a bydd bendant yn ôl yn fuan ! (we enjoyed our stay and will definitely be back soon)!

http://www.tyhelygguesthouse.co.uk/