Mybeautywaxstash

Month: August 2025

  • Is A £1.00 Wax Melt From ASDA Worth Buying?

    If you love wax melts you probably have a healthy stash of them some where in your home. I know this because I do! So buying more wax melts isn’t something that I need, but I did stumble upon one recently I couldn’t resist and bought. This wax melt was from ASDA, a part of their home fragrance range Wellness in the fragrance of Awaken. Cost? Was £2.00 down to £1.00. So what is it like?

    Packaging

    The packaging was the first thing that got my attention. Rather than the wax being in plastic, this is housed in a cardboard box. The box itself is exactly the same colour as the wax melt, which you can see from the open window on the front. A lovely sage colour, box is slightly textured and looks very neutral and natural.

    The wax

    This wax melt is what I call a wax melt snap bar. It’s made up of 6 chunky squared cubes which you break off to use. Sage green in colour, plain, but the fact its exactly the same colour as the packaging for some reason makes something so simple look really good.

    Fragrance

    This is an interesting combination of herbal and sweet. I get the cooling mint from eucalyptus, which is very fresh and aromatherapy like. But this also has a sweet, creamy, comforting element from it which is vanilla. This doesn’t come through as strong as the eucalyptus but it’s there. This mix is really good, many people will like this as it comes across very soothing.

    Strength & longevity

    I was worried this would be a very light one. When this first started to melt through, the scent was barely there. But it grew, thankfully! The strength was medium which made the fragrance waft beautifully and noticeably down my stairs. Longevity wise? I melted this over a good number of hours. I did feel the scent was still there but longevity could have been a little better and longer. But it really wasn’t a massive thing as the scent is so good! Although I did only use one cube, maybe two may have been better. Overall, performance of this wax melt was ok.

    Recommended?

    This isn’t a typical scent, but in a good way. It’s one of those scents that most people will like. It has the freshness, but not the powdery notes, of a laundry style scent. But has an aromatherapy style to it which makes it interesting. I love this! The fragrance is gorgeous and perfect for relaxation, the packaging is is great along with the price. So if you are looking for a cheap but nicely scented wax melt, check out your local ASDA for this one!

  • Is Superdrug’s Coconut Oil Clarifying Shampoo A Good Buy?

    Hair is a very personal thing. Its more of a minefield buying hair care products than skincare products. Why? Because hair comes in different textures, forms, lengths, conditions and people do various things to it to change the structure and look of it. As someone who has afro Caribbean hair, I’ve always grown up to think I can’t grab any shampoo and conditioner on the shelf to use. And that’s not wrong! Thankfully the market now is much more accommodating to this type of hair with much more products available to buy than 5, 10, 15 years ago. I recently tried Superdrug’s Coconut Oil Clarifying Shampoo. But did I like it?

    Superdrug’s Coconut Clarifying Shampoo
    Who is this shampoo for?

    Superdrug’s Coconut Oil Clarifying Shampoo comes from a range of products designed for tight textured, coily and curly hair types. So that can include my hair type, right up to someone with bouncy, loose curls. There isn’t much more information to say what this shampoo will do to the hair, except it shouldn’t strip the hair but effectively cleanse it. With the word ‘clarifying’ in its name I would assume it should focus on making sure the scalp and hair is clean and remove any residue or build up or products possibly used on it.

    Cost

    This costs £5.00 for 400ml, but regularly is on some form of offer. I bought this when it was 3 for 2, which is the promotion it tends to be on most of the time. For anyone that buys products from black hair care ranges, you will know that they’re a lot more expensive than £5.00. Rrp of shampoos for my type of hair, when not on any discount or promotion, can be around £9.00 plus mark.

    Packaging

    This shampoo comes in a standard, flip top plastic bottle. It looks like it’s a part of an own brand of Superdrug, and doesn’t look massively eye catching, but on a practical level does the job. What IS important is on the label it shows a basic illustration of what your hair pattern should look like to use this, which is very helpful.

    Fragrance

    This has a sort of coconut, tropical smell to it but it’s not a natural one. Quite synthetic, not awful, but for me not massively enjoyable. It’s fine, not great and thankfully not too strong.

    Look & consistency

    Liquid but not too loose. This looks cloudy in appearance e.g not transparent, with a shine. Easy to pour and use as it’s not too thick. Very much like most shampoos when it comes to consistency.

    In use

    With most shampoos they don’t really start taking to my hair until wash number 2. Wash one, it doesn’t foam up too much, my hair resists being wet and lathered! By wash two, the foam is coming through the hair and I can get on with washing it. I wash my hair at least a good 3 to 4 times. Excessive? Not really. With the amount of hair I have, it’s thickness and the fact my type of hair doesn’t get washed every day, I need to be thorough!

    The fragrance I didn’t love and I didn’t hate it. It was ok. But I’ve personally smelt better.

    I found my hair felt clean while washing it, but got tangled up quite easily. And I didn’t get that nice, clean feel to it. Clean? Yes. But something about my hair didn’t have that lovely feel to it. Hair and scalp were clean, but after finishing what felt like a hundred washes, it just lacked softness. And I really felt I needed to throw on conditioner to make it feel moisturised.

    Would I buy this again?

    No. And the reason for this is it wasn’t moisturising or nourishing enough for my hair. It did the basic job. But for someone who has hair in twists for a good number of weeks, I need every wash to feel moisturising and this didn’t. I wanted to give this a go to see what it was like and I did. But I’m going back to Black Castor Shampoo as this gave my hair everything it needed.

  • Why I Like L’Oréal’s Hyaluron Expert Eye Serum

    Have you ever saw a product and thought, should I buy a few but opted for one to be on the safe side? Then used the product and thought I wish I bought more? I’ve done it on many occasions. The flip side is giving into that urge and finding you have 3 to 4 bottles of a product which you hate using. But one product I don’t hate using, and actually like using, is L’Oréal Paris 2.5% Hyaluronic Acid Eye Serum. Why?

    L’Oréal’s Hyaluron Expert Eye Serum
    What is this & what is it supposed to do?

    This eye serum is designed to help the appearance of dark circles, wrinkles, puffy eyes, while moisturising and brightening the look of the eye area. Not only is this down to the serum itself (containing caffeine, hyaluronic acid, niacinamide, glycerin) but also the applicator you use that this comes with.

    Cost?

    This isn’t cheap usually! I was lucky enough to grab this from Home Bargains when it was only £1.99. But this retails from anything from £20.00 plus.

    Packaging

    20ml of L’Oréal Hyaluron Expert Eye Serum comes in a bottle not that much different in look to a bottle of nail polish. Clear, slightly tinted in purple with the serum applicator being attached to the lid. Unscrew lid, take out the applicator which consists of three small metal balls which is a triple roller. This gently moved over the under eye area provides a massaging action..

    This comes boxed. Typical L’Oréal in look and style. Eye catching, informative in regards to the product and doesn’t look cheap!

    In use

    Applied onto clean skin, this can be used morning and evening. The box itself tells you how to use the applicator but I just gently sweep it a few times under each eye and dab excess serum in those areas. Quite a bit of serum is held onto the applicator, so there’s always excess. The mix between the serum and applicator provides a cooling sensation, especially as I have this in the fridge. You can feel the the massage action clearly with this, and the serum remains there while doing it, which is important. The serum, if applied too much, can be on the sticky side. But overall provides a very moisturising and protective shield under the eyes without making them look shiny.

    My eyes after using this do look slightly rested. But is this the applicator, serum or both? No idea. But what I will say is the serum keeps them well moisturised. They look and feel it. And the applicator feels great on the skin and is a simple and quick way of pampering an area on my face I have issues with.

    Recommended?

    I like this product, a lot! I enjoy using it. It’s quick, easy but strangely rewarding. It hasn’t changed my undereye area but it has taken a slight edge off looking half dead. But for a product that can be as pricey as £30.00? I couldn’t afford it. Under £10.00? From anywhere, possibly. Under £5.00? Buy it! Under £2.00? Grab multiples! Nice product, I would buy if much cheaper than the usual rrp, but not at full price.

  • My Trip To Amsterdam & What I Found

    I took my two teenage children to Amsterdam this August for a city break. 4 days 3 nights of praying we didn’t fall out, argue or send each other mad! Anyone travelling with kids of this age will know exactly what I’m talking about! I made it my mission to visit places that were interactive and fun, to make sure no one was bored and everyone was happy. In between the organised chaos we visited a few shops to make some purchases. Could I resist looking at products available to buy skin or body care wise? Of course not! So here are a few things I found in the store ACTION (a store that sells a variety of different things like B&M), while enjoying Amsterdam:

    Products I found in Amsterdam
    Gotta Love Nature’s Aloe Vera Care Body Cream

    200ml of super affordable and generously sized body cream, which aims to be soothing and comforting on the skin. Containing aloe vera juice and Vitamin E, this only cost €1.29.

    Gotta Love Nature’s Aloe Vera Care Body Cream
    Betty’s Nature Aloe Vera Gel

    Containing 92% aloe vera with calendula, this product looked and sounded like a great all round product especially to use during warmer weather. Aloe vera is a great skin conditioner but also perfect to use as an after sun product if skin needs cooling down and comforting after being exposed to the sun. 300ml cost €2.22.

    Betty’s Nature Aloe Vera Gel
    Booty & Body Cream

    I noticed this came in various fragrances including Coconut Milk & Pink Rose and Amber Sun & Salted Toffee. All versions contained hyaluronic acid (helps to keep moisture in the skin) and coconut oil (moisturising). Only €1.99 for 240ml.

    Booty & Body Creams
    Lavato Body Scrubs

    Such eye catching scrubs thanks to their vibrant colours and rich looking textures. Lavato’s Body Scrubs were in in 2 different versions: one with dragon fruit scent and the other passion fruit. Both contained sea salt to provide a thorough exfoliation. Glycerin and jojoba oil is in the ingredients list, so this isn’t a dry scrub but one with an oily texture to it. 400g for €1.99.

    Lavato Body Scrubs
    Guasha Jade Stone

    Used to help improve the circulation of the skin, helping to soothe, smooth and massage helping improve the look and feel of the face. Only €0.89.

    Guasha Jade Stones
    Body & Facial Cleansing Set

    I was very tempted by this set of tools! A variety of different plastic brushes that can be used on the face and body. These will exfoliate the skin, improve circulation and help to prep the skin for further treatments and products. Very cute look wise and at a cost of €2.49.

    Body & Facial Cleansing Set

    There were so many affordable, budget friendly and fun products in this one store alone. Of course, there are branded items available in lots of different stores and shops. But if you’re looking for a lower price point to buy products for yourself or gifts, there’s plenty to choose from in ACTION!