Mybeautywaxstash

Tag: affordableluxury

  • 99p Tu Est Belle Body Spray By Designer Fragrances

    If you open my bag at any time of day, you will find the same items living in it. One of which is some form of fragrance, normally a body mist/spray. I carry one around with me so if and when I need to freshen up I can. One body spray which has been added to my collection recently is Tu Est Belle by Designer Fragrances. Bought from Home Bargains for 99p for 100ml.

    Designer Fragrances Tu Est Belle Body Spray
    Why did I buy this?

    I’ve bought and used other Designer Fragrances body sprays and enjoyed using them. This particular fragrance I hadn’t used before and I wanted to try it. Also the fact it was so affordable meant it was an easy, guilt free purchase to make which is a rare thing these days.

    Is this a dupe?

    The women and men’s body sprays are meant to resemble well know designer fragrances. I think this is inspired by Lancôme’s La Vie Est Belle. I can’t confirm or deny if this is the case as I haven’t smelt it.

    Packaging

    What I like about how Designer Fragrances package their body sprays is the fact they are all simple in look but individual, with each one standing out. All come in a typical aerosol type can, tall, quite thin and they are all coloured differently. Tu Est Belle is a pretty pale shade of purple/pink.

    Fragrance

    Tu Est Belle is a feminine and pretty scent. To my nose it’s made up of white florals, a little vanilla, and a touch of something musk like. Sweet, charming, youthful but very classic in how it smells.

    Strength & Longevity

    When I first apply this body mist, I would say this is a medium. It’s quite a punchy scent. If I spray this on myself for too long it does become a much stronger scent and a little overpowering, but that’s what I want! I apply this before I got to work and I want it to last for the duration of my time there. Longevity is fair. It does fade strength wise but not too quickly, the same as any other body spray. And that’s why it’s great this is the price it is so there’s no need to be sparing with it. A point to note is I never apply products like this to my skin but only on my clothes.

    Designer Fragrances Body Sprays
    Recommended?

    Oh yesss! This is a beautiful scent. It’s not a trendy fragrance or an old fashioned one. Tu Est Belle isn’t targeted at any particular age. It’s not for day time or night time use. This fragrance is for anyone, anytime and would smell just as good now as it would in 10 years time because it won’t date. For 99p this is brilliant value and a great buy if you can pick one up.

  • £2.00 Marks and Spencer’s Shea Butter & Honey Hand Balm

    It is COLD! We knew it was coming in the UK so it shouldn’t be a surprise. But it doesn’t mean we have to like it! Hats are on, gloves at the ready and woolly jumpers have been dug out of the back of wardrobes. As much as I’m all for grabbing these items to make myself feel cosy and human, there is one thing that’s been suffering like mad the last few days-my HANDS! They feel and look dry, lacklustre of colour and they need a much needed zap of moisture. So I thought I would give Marks and Spencer’s Shea Butter & Honey Hand Balm a go. For 75ml this cost just £2.00.

    Marks and Spencer’s Shea Butter & Honey Hand Balm
    Why did I buy this?

    I have various hand creams in my collection, but a hand balm sounds so much more moisturising, right? My hands look and feel slightly battered at the moment and I wanted something richer than my usual hand cream. I’ve used Marks and Spencer’s Hand Scrub, which I loved, and thought this would be a good product too. The fact it costs only £2.00 means it’s another affordable product to buy, use and hopefully enjoy.

    How to use?

    You can use this like a traditional hand cream (when needed). Or it can be used as a hand mask and use twice a week by applying a thick layer onto the hands for 10 minutes then rub into hands balm that hasn’t sunk in.

    Packaging

    This hand balm comes in a screw top lidded tube, which is standard. But it’s interesting in appearance because of it’s colour which is a vibrant shade of gold. It doesn’t look like it cost £2.00 but more.

    Fragrance

    I got a shock with this because I thought I picked up the almond version and this is clearly honey! It definitely does have a sweet, honey like scent to it. There’s an almost floral element to this as well, although very faint. If you’re not a fan of honey this won’t be for you. Personally, I don’t mind it but it’s not my favourite scent for a hand cream if I’m completely honest.

    Texture

    White in colour and holds it shape once squeezed out of the tube. Not runny like a body lotion but quite as thick as a body butter, it’s somewhere in between.

    On the hands

    I used a 5p sized amount of hand balm which I rubbed into my hands, which went in very easily. What makes this different from some hand creams is this has more of a slip to it. I won’t use the word ‘greasy’ but it’s obvious there is something in this giving it that feel (this contains Shea butter). My hands felt more moisturised and looked more healthy colour wise, but I expected more and felt I needed to get a little more balm for a second application. Just remember this is after one application and my hands are a bit rough! A plus point was my hands didn’t feel slippy after use and could use them straight away.

    The fragrance is very specific but not too strong, but it’s there. This is one of those scents I couldn’t or wouldn’t want to smell on my hands all the time but occasionally.

    Marks and Spencer’s Almond Milk & Vanilla Hand Scrub wit their Shea Butter & Honey Hand Cream
    Recommended?

    The fragrance for me probably is a no. This wasn’t the version I wanted and the Marks and Spencer’s Almond Milk & Vanilla Hand Scrub scent wise I found quite comforting and really liked. This doesn’t give me that same comfort. Formulation wise it’s nice to use and does improve the look and feel of my hands but I need to use this for longer to give it a true thumbs up or thumbs down. So I’m siting on the fence with this one, for now. But if you’re looking for a nice hand cream, and you like the fragrance of honey, this will be absolutely fine and make a good stocking filler. Available instore and online through Ocado here.

  • Bath Time On A Budget With The Body Shop’s Moringa Bath Bubble

    One of the easiest ways for me to relax is in the bath. Perfect time to switch off, unwind and have some important time to myself. So it’s no wonder I have so many bath products in my collection! One product I used recently which was given to me by a friend, was The Body Shop‘s Moringa Bath Bubble. This retails for £1.50.

    The Body Shop’s Moringa Bath Bubble
    What’s a Bath Bubble?

    The Body Shop’s Bath Bubbles when popped into the bath produce bubbles, fragrance and colour.

    How does it look?

    Wrapped in a small yellow coloured packet, Moringa Bath Bubble is a small, flat, yellow, heart shaped looking bath bomb/fizzer. Hard in feel and slightly chalky like a bath bomb. It’s very simple in look, very plain but still left me intrigued and wanting to use it.

    Fragrance

    Moringa Bath Bubble‘s fragrance is an uplifting, slightly sweet floral mixed in with a touch of plant like smell. I’m not a massive floral fan. But because this isn’t heavy and doesn’t have one particular flowery scent dominating it, I found this to be really nice.

    In the bath

    Under warm running water, I could see the outer layer of this Bath Bubble fizzing nicely and it started to produce small amounts of foam. By the time I came to turn the water off there was a surprising amount of foam created from such a small little item! White, fluffy, super soft and airy foam lay on the top of a slightly yellow/marine coloured bath water, which impressed me greatly. The original fragrance I could smell when I opened the packet was what I could smell in my bathroom, but it was beautifully subtle which I loved!

    This was a very relaxing and enjoyable bath. On my skin, I felt Moringa Bath Bubble was quite moisturising on the skin. I didn’t feel I needed to use anything straight away on my skin after I got out of the bath because my skin wasn’t dried out at all.

    Recommended?

    Before I was given this I didn’t realise that The Body Shop made these AND bath bombs. I didn’t realise that a small £1.50 love heart would be of such high quality and unbelievably affordable and create so many bubbles. Fab little bath time treat which doesn’t break the bank, so totally recommended!