Mybeautywaxstash

Author: mybeautywaxstash

  • Primark Mini Reed Diffusers

    Primark is one of those places I tend to visit when I need to pick up affordable and basic items, such as leggings, kids t -shirts and underwear. In all honesty it’s not my go to place for the majority of my shopping needs, never has been. Well, until recently, when my daughter decided to develop an all consuming addiction to Harry Potter then multiple trips were needed (their HP range is impressive and cheap!). While stalking their home section for wizardry items, Primark’s home fragrance products caught my attention. Since I now enjoy reed diffusers, I thought I would give a couple a whirl. I opted for 2 scents Fresh Linen and Oriental Orchard. Both the 30ml size at a cost of 80p each!

    Primark Mini Reed Diffusers in Linen and Oriental Orchid fragrances

    Why did I buy these?

    I thought I would go for these because the size and the price was a great way of trying them out to see what the quality was like. The scent selection was varied, with most being fragrances I like. If these minis performed well, I could easily buy the bigger versions as they were available too.

    Packaging.

    These are presented very well. Placed in long, thin cardboard boxes, each one has illustrations matching their scent on them e.g Oriental Orchid has images of flowers covering it. Both beautiful in look, both have a homely appeal to them and quite classic without being old fashioned.

    The diffusers themselves, because of the size, are absolutely adorable! Made of glass and cylinder in shape, roughly 11cm in height and 3cm in depth. Both have the fragrance name on the bottles. Oriental Orchid is lettered in gold, which matches the gold coloured lid on the top of it. Fresh Linen is in silver with their lid a matching silver tone to. Simple but very sophisticated in appearance.

    What do you get?

    You get a bottle containing the fragranced oil, a pack of 5 reeds and an instruction leaflet.

    Scent.

    Fresh Linen. Think of a clean, crisp, laundry type scent. Slightly powdery in notes and a hidden floral in there and this is what you get! Not dissimilar to the type of scents you get in wax melt and candle forms in the laundry scent family of a similar name. Really lovely scent which most people will like.

    Oriental Orchid. This one is a little more particular compared to Fresh Linen. This is obviously a floral. Floral, has a sweetness to it, but has an almost perfume style to how it smells. Doesn’t smell old fashioned. Very pretty and very pleasant in scent.

    How to use.

    On the bottle is a screw top lid you need to remove. Once it comes off their is a plastic stopper that you need to pull out which leaves the hole that you place the reeds in. Before you do that pop the top back on to finish and place the diffuser in your chosen place to enjoy the fragrance!

    Strength & Longevity.

    The only time I’ve noticed the scent of these is when I’ve placed them inside a cupboard (underneath the kitchen sink), and on a window sill in my children’s bedroom when the window was open. Other than that, scent strength wise has pretty much been non existent. In regards to longevity, you can’t have that if there is barely a scent at all! The packaging says these should last up to 4 weeks. By the end of a week most of the oil had evaporated, but got no scent as a benefit.

    I’ve turned the reeds around to see if the scent would improve and for a split second it did in that moment when I was close by, but it wasn’t long lasting. The position of these have been moved and even the rooms they’ve been placed in changed. This hasn’t made a massive effect on the fragrance these give off. So overall disappointing.

    Final thoughts?

    I love the idea of these mini diffusers for so many reasons. They look cute, could make great little gifts or part of a bigger gift. But they still need to delivery fragrance, which I think means they have to be bigger. Or the oil stronger and possible tweaking of the reeds themselves e.g thickness, length etc.

    Recommended?

    No. For 80p a go it was worth a try but besides looking nice these were useless. Such a shame as the fragrances when you get a good whiff of them from the top of the bottle are really nice and appealing. But that’s it!I am curious though to try out the more standard in size versions, to see if size really does matter in the reed diffuser arena. As for these? I will give them a miss on my next Primark shopping trip.

  • Aldi’s Lacura Avocado Bright Eyes Mask

    If you have read some of my previous skincare blog posts, you will know that my main facial concern is my eyes. My skin overall is in good condition, no major lines or wrinkles and the occasional spot or two I can cope with. But my eyes are the area I feel need the most love and attention. That’s why eye products are my credit card’s Kryptonite. I can’t help but coo over them and want to buy them all, hoping one will give me a well rested look. So I HAD to pick up Aldi’s Lacura Avocado Bright Eyes Overnight Retinol Sleeping Mask when it was released a few weeks ago. £4.99 for 15ml.

    Aldi’s Lacura Avocado Bright Eyes Overnight Retinol Sleeping Mask

    Why did I buy this?

    It’s an eye product! Eye products for me are hit and miss. I don’t expect something to give me a massive change but some small improvement would be nice. The ingredients listed on the packaging made me think this could be a good product for me. Its price point seemed very fair and affordable, and it was a new product, so already got my attention!

    What is this & what is it supposed to do?

    This product is designed to be placed under the eyes at night time. It’s supposed to make dark circles and dullness under the eyes improve while you snooze. Brighter, firmer. The eyes should look more moisturised, thanks to ingredients such as avocado oil and shea butter. Oh, and if you are into following skincare brands, this product and others from this same subrange, is supposed to be ‘inspired’ by a well known company. Use Google, you will find it!

    Packaging.

    This product comes in a simple but cute glass (I think) jar. The jar itself seems tinted green, and matches the colour of the lid. The sides are curved which makes it look even more cuter and interesting on the eye (no pun intended!).

    The jar comes in a box, which is striking because of the pattern all over it. Cartoon like halved avocados! The colouring of the box is mainly white, green with silver detailing. Fun, quirky, but I feel as if it’s targeting a younger audience because of how this product is presented.

    Texture & Fragrance.

    LOVE the texture of this! It might make some people nervous but it is very rich. You can tell its power packed with moisturising ingredients. It’s similar in texture to, I would say, a very rich face cream for dry skin and would even go as far to say it reminds me of a body butter! Not quite as thick and definitely not as greasy but does have a waxy feel to it. Although the pic below makes this look pale green in colour, it’s actually white. White, opaque and smooth.

    I expected fragrance to be honest. I find a lot of products that try to catch your eye with packaging done in a funky way (not all the time but some!) can be heavily fragranced. This? Nothing! I was glad about this because as much as I don’t have a problem with fragrance, I don’t want my eye product reeking of it.

    Application.

    You need to apply this like any other eye product. Take a small amount and lightly dab underneath the area, not too close to the eye itself. AND on clean skin. Although this product says it’s an overnight mask, it does suggest direction wise you can use this during the day but follow up with sun care. But I never used this during the day, just at night time. Using a small amount, I found despite how thick this product was, it patted under the eye like a dream. Easy, no dragging or pressure needed and left no greasy, oily look to the area. Felt quite light but under my eyes immediately felt and looked moisturised and hydrated.

    The day after the night before.

    The first thing I noticed after one application was how under my eyes felt plump and hydrated. They felt just as protected as they did when I first put the product on.

    Over 10 days…

    Every morning my eyes have felt the same as mentioned above. But what I have noticed as time has gone on is my under eyes overall have improved. Not massively. I don’t look like I’ve had eye surgery or anything like that. But they look a bit more rested, they look more awake and they seem to recovery quicker than usual e.g from too little sleep, ugly crying etc. I wouldn’t say my under eyes are exceptionally dark normally, but they have looked a touch less dead like since using this.

    Recommended?

    There is one thing I hate about Aldi. They bring out limited edition skincare subranges and you wonder hmmm, should I buy 1 or 3? You buy 1 because you don’t want to be silly with money just in case it’s not for you. And by the time you use it, and give it at least a good week to see if there are any results, you love it and it’s not in store anymore! That sums it up perfectly!

    This is an eye product I really like! The texture of it I adore, even for under the eyes as thick creams aren’t always good for such a delicate area. I love the almost everlasting moisturisation, and how it takes the edge off how life is making my eyes feel and look. I couldn’t ask for anything more really. Miracles is something I never expect with skincare products, but what little changes I’ve seen I’m happy with. For £4.99 it’s great value, you need the smallest amount, so if used once a day this should last me 2 to 3 months easily.

    If you are lucky enough to still see this instore, I think it’s a good purchase to make. But bare in mind how your skin reacts to textures on this area and what your general under eye concerns are, as this may not be needed or useful for you. But for me? I wish I bought a few more of this overnight eye mask and I am exceptionally sad now!

  • Dirty Fresh Cosmetics One Mill Bath Rocks

    Despite the warmer weather in the UK, who else is still enjoying their baths? I sure am. Hot, cold, snowing, sunny, I end my evening with a bath. So can you imagine how big my stash of bath bombs and similar types of products is? I’m going through my stash slowly but surely, and recently decided to grab Dirty Fresh Cosmetics One Mill Bath Rocks to use. I bought these when there was a sale on the website, but current and regular price is £4.20 for 130g.

    Dirty Fresh Cosmetics One Mill Bath Rocks

    Why did I chose this one?

    I like the idea of bath rocks because you don’t have to use all of them, just some. Or, if you have two different fragranced ones you can mix and match. So the versatility in using them is there. The colour of these was so appealing, and I fancied something that was inspired by an actual fragrance, so I hoped for a great scented bath time experience.

    Packaging.

    These bath rocks came in a recyclable white tub with a clear plastic lid.

    Appearance.

    Irregular, chalky textured, rock like pieces. Various sizes and shapes. Colour wise, these are so striking! Streaks of orange, blue, purple, grey and yellow. An absolute feast for the eyes!

    Scent.

    Now, this is an interpretation of a well known men’s fragrance, which personally I haven’t smelt so can’t say how close it is to this scent. But what I can do is explain how THIS smells to me. This definitely is more masculine in style because it has the strength and musky element you would associate with a male inspired scent. Strong, woody, clean and a tiniest bit sweet.

    In the bath.

    I was aiming to use only half the tub of these bad boys, but tripped, nearly fell into the bath and the whole lot went in! By this point half of the bath was full with warm water, and as the rocks fell in, each one created their very own bath art by releasing various colours. First there was a sizzle, then came colour. Bursts of pink, green, blue, purple, absolutely glorious to look at! And along with the colour, the fragrance wafted beautifully around my bathroom. It was a strong in strength but not overwhelming, which I enjoyed. Back in the tub was a small amount of white, soft, airy bubbles sitting delicately over the patches of colour.

    Once all the rocks had dissolved and the bright colours faded, they all combined to make a sea of deep, dark, purple verging on the black side shade. Bubbles didn’t last too long but were there for long enough.

    Overall, what I got with these bath rocks was some quality time in the bath, giving me some much needed pampering and providing me with plenty of sensory treats

    On the skin.

    In and out of the bath my skin felt normal and looked after. No drying out, no irritation and totally relaxed physically and mentally.

    Recommended?

    Oh yesss! I adored using these, and glad I used the whole tub instead of half if I’m honest! These look so good, they created a beautifully, coloured bath and the fragrance was amazing! Add all these together, and the fact these bath rocks were gentle on my skin, make a must to purchase for any bath lover!

    Want to feel like you are worth One Mill? Visit Dirty Fresh Cosmetics here to view and purchase. Enjoy!

  • Snap Wax Melts Party Time! Wax Snap Bar

    Oh to breathe again! Such an essential everyday thing which I take for granted during the seasons of Autumn, Winter and part of Spring. It doesn’t seem that long ago when I wanted to sleep all the time (no change there!), headaches, constant sneezing and unable to breathe. Thank goodness, for now, hay fever has loosened it’s grip on me and now I can enjoy my love of wax melts properly. Since it pretty much is Summer, I thought I would melt Party Time! wax snap bar from Snap Wax Melt, who kindly gifted this to me earlier this year.

    Party Time! Snap Wax Melt Wax Bar

    Why this one?

    Although I can’t say I’m party ready, I was hoping for this scent to be uplifting and energising in someway. It may not be very sunny or even warm at the moment in the UK ( while writing this post), it doesn’t mean inside should feel and be so drab.

    Packaging.

    A simple clear plastic sleeve with the company logo on front and ingredients list on the back.

    The look.

    Snap Wax Melt’s wax all come in wax snap bars. Long, rectangular and segmented in a bar of 10 squares. This bar is a beautifully pink berry colour with a gorgeous addition of different sized glitter on the top of the bar. Some are circular, some hexagon, tiny, a little bigger. Purple coloured, turquoise, teal. All such an eye catching mix of sparkles making this wax snap bar a stunner!

    Scent Description ( from Snap Wax Melt’s website).

    Fill the room with fresh fluffy vanilla sponge, lashings of sweet pink icing and sprinkles of sugar.

    How this smells to me.

    The first thing I thought about when I smelt this was how much it reminded me of rhubarb and custard! Why? I got the creamy vanilla for sure. That was what I smelt underneath a sweet and fruity strawberry/rhubard-esq style element which was at the forefront. A beautiful, mouthwatering, Summery scent which makes me think of sipping cocktails on a sun drenched balcony while being child and work free.

    In melt.

    I’ve found snapping off three squares with all the wax bars from Snap Wax Melt is the perfect amount for my warmers. They melt beautifully and even, leaving a lovely deep pink,almost purple wax pool. The glitter gave it a subtle sparkle which made it super pretty!

    Fragrance was released straight away. Warming, fruity, uplifting and very welcoming.

    Strength & Longevity. Strength for this scent was a medium. Ideal for this type of fragrance, and great for this time of year too! Longevity was very good. At one point I had two warmers on in separate rooms with Party Time! in them for over 3 days. Both on for a good number of hours at a time.

    Snap Wax Melt Snap Bars

    Recommended?

    Definitely! This scent is gorgeous! If you love your fruity fragrances, especially your fruit or rhubarb based ones, you will love this one. It’s not too strong, great quality of scent and as I’ve mentioned before an ideal one to melt during Summer!

    Do you want to have your own Party Time! wax snap bar to add to your home fragrance collection? You can order from Snap Wax Melt’s website here. Each bar is £3.00 which will provide you with many hours of fragrance time. I defy you NOT to order more than one of these beauties, their scent selection is impressive!