Cheaper alternative to Emma Hardie's Cleansing Balm???

This Christmas I got given a rather luxurious present; the Emma Hardie Cleansing Balm! I was so excited after reading so many reviews about it, and was not at all disappointed. It smells incredible, it feels amazing and it really does make a difference to your skin. It is honestly as good as everyone says it is! (you can buy it here) However, I do not use it regularly and when I do use it, I use it sparingly because I know how expensive it is and I share it with my Mum. My favourite thing about it is the balm texture and it got me wondering if there was anything similar to balm cleansers on the high street that I could actually afford to buy! The closest thing that I could find were hot cloth cleansers. So I bought 3 that were all under £10 to try out; I bought one that is a Superdrug's own brand, I bought one that is a Boots brand (No. 7) and then one that is from 'Soap & Glory'. I am not necessarily going to be comparing them to the Emma Hardie cleanser because I don't think that they will be an exact dupe, but I want to see whether any of the effects they have on my skin are similar. I will do 3 separate reviews and then a comparison post where I will declare my favourite!!! I have already tried the 'Soap & Glory' one out for a couple of weeks, so look out for a review in the next couple of days. Thanks for reading! 
     

Volumising Haircare

When I was a baby, my Mum thought that I may never grow any hair; I had the finest, shortest hair and was often mistaken for a boy! Thankfully, my hair did grow but it is not as thick as I would like it to be so I am always on the lookout for haircare that claims to give me big, volumised hair. In this blog post I am going to give you my opinions on 5 shampoos and conditioners for fine hair. Enjoy!

Herbal Essences Uplifting Volume


This was the first volumising shampoo and conditioner that I ever tried. I love the way it enhances my curls and I definitely think that it adds some volume to my hair. The zesty orange scent makes my hair feel clean but I don't think that it is the most nourishing formula in the world. It lathers a lot and I take that as a sign that it has quite a lot of parabens and therefore does not care for my hair as much as I would like it to. However, it claims to give you 'locks body and bounce' and I think that it definitely does that. It is also extremely inexpensive (£3.79 full price) and I bought my second batch of the shampoo and conditioner on offer!
You can buy it on offer at Superdrug at the moment for £1.86! BARGAIN!   

Samy Fat Hair

I love everything about this range; the witty name and slogan (Fat Hair '0' Calories!), the fact that it is sulphate and paraben free and what it does to my hair. It really does make your hair look and feel thicker, fuller and nourished. I remember feeling and seeing a massive difference after one use. I have bought several bottles and will continue to buy it. I would also really like to try some other products from the range. It is slightly more expensive than the Herbal Essences (£5.59 full price) but there is always a deal and I think that it is great at caring for your hair as well as giving it a bit of oomph!
You can buy it on offer at Superdrug at the moment for £2.74 each! ANOTHER BARGAIN!

 

TRESemme 24 Hour Body 

I got a pack of this shampoo and conditioner for £4 at Superdrug! For two 500ml bottles, I think that is an amazing price! I don't know if they still sell this pack but definitely keep your eye out for it! Anyway, besides from the amazing deal, this range is really nice. It has the signature TRESemme scent that makes your hair feel super clean and nourished. It claims to add 'body and bounce' to your hair without 'weighing it down' and I think that this is definitely accurate; my hair feels light and smooth but with lots of volume. I did not notice that the volume stayed for any longer than the other brands that I have tried but I bet if you layered it with other products from the range like the 'Body Root Boosting Spray' (which I have my eye on!), it would have better longevity! 
The shampoo and conditioner is normally £4.99 full price but you can get it on offer at Superdrug at the moment for £3.32 each! 

Pantene Pro-V Expert Age Defy

I first heard about this new range from Pantene when my Mum read an article about them in a magazine. As she was telling me all the sciencey stuff about it, I became completely sold and was desperate to try it! I normally steer clear of anything that claims to be anti-ageing but apparently your hair is the first thing to age, so I thought I would give it a go! Although it is not specifically for volume, it claims to 'thicken existing hair strands temporarily by coating'. It made my hair feel healthier and fuller and the biggest difference that I saw was that my hair was a lot shinier. I think that I would like to try the 'Keratin Repair' shampoo and conditioner from this range to see if they suit me more but overall, I really enjoyed using it . It is the most expensive of the lot at £6.99 each full price but you can get it on offer at Superdrug at the moment for £4.65 each!

L'Oreal Elvive Fibrology

This shampoo and conditioner is my most recent purchase and I am already loving them. I know that it shouldn't be a factor, but I love the packaging; it looks so cool and quite luxurious! It claims to 'expand the hair fibres' to leave you with thicker hair 'wash after wash'. I would say that this is the most volumising out of the bunch but unfortunately it can leave your hair a little frizzy. For me, it still enhances my curls but leaves my ends frizzy if I use it two nights in a row. I still really like the incredible volume that it gives me but perhaps for someone with straighter hair or hair that has a tendency to frizz, it might not be the best! I was really shocked at how inexpensive it was (£2.99 for the 250ml full price) and I bought it full price!
You can buy it at Superdrug along with other products in the range.

Hope this was useful and thanks for reading!

 

The Mascara that 'Does It All' for under £5

I always approach the 'Collection' display stand with a little bit of caution as I once wore their bright orange nail varnish one summer and ended up with yellow stained nails for months! But when I saw that they had a new mascara that claimed to curl, volumise, lengthen, condition and be long wearing, I couldn't not give it a try! The first thing that attracted me to this mascara is the tight fitting of the wand; I previously tried their 'Skyscraper' mascara (discontinued) and loved it but it dried out really quickly. The next thing that I noticed was that the formula did not seem clumpy like a lot of the other 'Collection' mascaras and the wand looked really intriguing too!

Without mascara

With two coats on top and bottom lashes

Colour - I got the colour 'Ultra Black' because I thought that the 'Black' looked a bit grey. They also have a waterproof version.

Wand - Its quite a long synthetic brush so you can apply it in a rush (oh that rhymes!). Also there are little bristles on the end which helps you get the lashes in the inner corners without getting black all over your face!

Best Bit - I love the way it separates every individual lash and makes them look longer and more volumised...Oh and of course the price! Get it here for £4.99!

Worst Bit - It builds really nicely however after two coats it gets a bit clumpy!

Longevity - I find that it lasts pretty well and doesn't make my eye lashes feel flaky or sticky

 

Drugstore dupe?

I was just watching a YouTube video and realised that the brush is a lot like the Benefit 'They're Real' brush! Excellent!  

 

Hope this was helpful!

Thank you so much for reading!

 

'Good Things' to come!

Hi there, my name is Mollie and welcome to 'Where's Mollie?'! Recently, I have become completely obsessed with skin care and make-up and I thought it would be fun to write a blog expressing my thoughts about different beauty products. As a 16 year old student currently studying my AS levels, I do not have much money to spend but I aim to review a variety of products that are affordable and accessible. I hope you find it useful and informative and happy reading!

The only shops that I go to in my local town for skincare are Superdrug, Boots, Holland & Barrett, The Body Shop and a small independent health food shop. I find it really difficult to find skincare that is suitable for me let alone products with natural ingredients and without parabens. So when I found the 'Good Things' range at Boots, I was delighted. It is free of parabens, SLSs, mineral oils and animal ingredients and has lots of natural ingredients that are gentle and very beneficial to the skin.

 The first product I tried from the range was the Total Wipe Out Cleansing Wipes. This was a couple of years ago when I was first starting out with skincare and make-up and just wanted something to remove my tinted moisturiser and make my skin feel clean before I went to bed. As well as all the amazing ingredients, I was extremely attracted to the price which is extremely reasonable at £3.49 for 25 wipes. They felt very gentle yet nourishing on my skin and I felt that I was doing my skin nothing but 'good things' (haha!!!) This product is heavily scented but it is a natural, fruity scent and I found it calming.

   I have also tried the 'Stay Clear Purifying Cleanser' which again, like all the products in the range, is an excellent price and an excellent cleanser. I have heard that foaming cleansers are not too good for teenage skin as they are drying and not good for blemishes. This cleanser doesn't foam too much but still spreads nicely over the face.

 I have also tried the 'Deep Clean Blackhead Exfoliator' which had very small beads in it. I have also heard that exfoliators with these beads are not good for blemish prone skin as they spread the infection but I am yet to find an alternative exfoliator that is affordable on the high street. However, this does get the job done and really effectively removes the dead skin cells and makes your skin feel very clean. As for the blackheads, mine must be very stubborn and don't seem to want to go!       

I have also tried the 'Blemish Control Gel Mask' which I was very excited about as it claims to have anti-blemish and oil clearing properties and contain Salicylic Acid. I made the mistake of putting this all over my face the first time I used it. I must have sensitive skin as it stung and made my skin very red. I now only use a very thin layer on my T zone and find that it is great for unblocking pores and clearing the breakouts that I get on my forehead from having a fringe and teenage greasy hair!

I have also tried the 'Stop That Spot Clearing Gel' which is very cooling on angry spots! I look forward to trying other products from the range and think that 'Good Things' is one of a kind for affordable, natural teenage skincare on the high street.

Also in the process of writing this blog post, I have discovered the 'Good Things' website which is really informative and interesting. So make sure you check that out by clicking here! There are also a links for places to buy here!  
 
I hope you have enjoyed reading my first ever blog post and please stay tuned for lots more to come!
Mollie :) x