March 2015 Empties

I've used up loads of products in the month of March guys, and i'm going to share them with you

This is the second bottle of the Neutrogena Visibly Clear 2 in 1 face wash and mask I've used up. It's a really nice cleanser that I used in the shower (or as a mask on individual spots when they randomly sprung up) and it's really gentle on the skin. It visibly tightens- but not uncomfortably- the skin, and it feels super soft after use.

The cleanser was Lancome Bi-Facil which was a gift, and I'd not spend this much money on it again because I find my Nivea Double Effects (see full blog post) is a similar idea with the blue oil and clear water, but much cheaper and I actually find works better.

The Garnier Pure Active Toner was really nice, I used it after cleanser to tighten my face and on spots as well as just to make my skin feel so much cleaner, in an almost chemical way, and the scent is very strongly chemical. I feel this improved the quality of my skin, and will repurchase.

Lastly here is the Sebium H20 by Bioderma; I usually get the more popular one that everyone has with pink accents (instead of the green), but I found them the same. No idea what the difference is meant to be. A nice, inoffensive (no scent) cleanser to remove makeup or clean the face in the morning.

I've said before that I use cotton pads to put my makeup remover on to remove makeup every day, and I literally don't care which ones I buy, just whatever's cheapest or what's in the house. These three   are Sainsburys, Waitrose and Simply Gentle.

Thee moisturisers, all amazing. The Soultions range (found on the Avon website) is crazily cheap and their moisturisers are amazing. I used up the complete balance night cream which is almost a gel, sinks in amazingly but still hydrates the skin, so is perfect for oily or combination skin. I also used up their ageless bloom eye cream which is super thick but does sink into the skin, and is nice hydration for the under eyes before concealer.

I also used up the Garnier Moisture Match for combination to oily skin, which is probably one of my favourite moisturisers of all time, if not the favourite. I recommend this so highly.

Makeup time- I've really been trying hard to use up makeup recently so bear with me.

The ELF lip liner in pink grapefruit is a crazy colour, but had a really nice texture, similar to that of the Rimmel exaggerate full colour lip liner in Eastend Snob, which I was really upset to finish seeing as  I used it on practically every night out seeing as it's a tiny bit darker than my natural lip colour, making it the perfect liner for me. The only negative to both these lip liners for me is that they both are retractable, and I usually find with retractable lip liners that you're paying around £6 in terms of the Rimmel one for a ridiculously small amount of product. I really didn't get much in it. So i'm on the hunt for an affordable 'your lips but better' pink, but in pencil form.

The tiny double-ended pencil up top was my holy grail eyebrow product for many months- the natural eyebrow duo effect pencil from Rituals. I can't remember the colour as it got sharpened away, but it was for blondes. It was a perfect ashy tone and had a light concealer pencil on the other end for going around the edges of the eyebrow.

Slightly below that is an equally pitiful-looking pencil- the NYX jumbo eye pencil in milk. This is the best eyeshadow base ever. It doesn't crease and because it's white it makes eyeshadow stand out and colours pop to their true potential. Plus, for me, a white eyeshadow base is the best option as even painterly is too dark for my skintone- I want something closer to my skin tone (sometimes I'd mix them to get my skin tone to completely cancel out the eyes). I've already repurchased it from the Makeupgeek website whilst buying eyeshadows from them (haul coming soon!). LOVE LOVE LOVE!

The tiny empty pot is a sample blush from Coastal Scents (in pigment form), it was a weird colour on my skin tone, a little too dark, but the feel was nice.

The Me Me Me dew pot I had was in Hollow Haze, a beautiful golden colour. I bought this after seeing Pixiwoo rave about them on youtube. Their consistency is moussy, whereas I prefer a stable base like the Mac paintpots or the Maybelline Colour Tattoos. They creased hugely in the contours of my eyelids. Use with caution- only put on a tiny amount.

I used up the ELF lip primer and plumper- not sure if i'd repurchase. The primer was basically just a concealer, and the plumper as with all lip plumping products is just a tingly gel that you're not sure if it actually has any effect at all.

Three lip stains I used up, two were Rimmel Lasting finish 1000 kisses ones (remember when these were the big hype?); in perpetual plum, and nothing but nude. They do stain the lips quite well, but anything with a felt tip applicator stops properly being effective after a few uses. The other was a Revlon just bitten stain in Frenzy, and it had the same problem. 

My first Revlon Lip Butter to use up was the one in Sugar Frosting, it's really pale but not too pigmented (the lighter ones really aren't) so I'd use it just as a subtle product. I wouldn't repurchase though- I really didn't like the texture of the lip butters, I found they looked really odd on the lips.

And finally I have the Maybelline one by one mascara. It was really nice, and I like the tapered applicator. I just have so many mascaras that I often feel overwhelmed.

In terms of haircare, I used up the Elvive Smooth and Polish detangling spray which is really nice to use before blowdrying/straightening as it also has thermal properties, and the Batiste dry shampoo in tropical scent which everyone seems to have. I'll probably repurchase both of these although my life doesn't depend on having them.

I hope you enjoyed reading about my empties that I've gathered up- let me know in the comments below what you've used up recently and if you plan on repurchasing!

January-February 2015 Empties

Empties!!!

During my dry months of not posting here (bad, I know), I had stored up many empties. So many that I even had to throw out one set of about 4 months worth before even writing reviews. Apologies for that, but I do still have a great selection of empties from the last couple months to share with you.

Haircare

Okay, I know I never mention haircare, but this is my ultimate favourite haircare product of all time. It's a shampoo, here I have the 2 in 1 shampoo and conditioner. Yes, it's Head and Shoulders. Sure it's known for being a product for people with dandruff, but I beg you all to give it a try. It works wonders on any hair, it smells amazing, nourishes your roots (very important seeing as my scalp has been dry recently due to bleaching), and leaves your hair feeling hairdresser-fresh. I will continue to repurchase this. Give it a go, you may change your views. It's not just for people with flaky scalps!

Skincare

I nearly always try out new cleansers, and this was one I tried out this year and the end of last year. It's the Garnier Pure Active gentle deep clean cream wash. It was amazing. It's perfect for sensitive skin as it has little fragrance and comes in a thicker cream consistency, to which you add water and massage into the skin. I really notice that after washing this off, my skin feels at least 5 times more smooth than it did before, having a much greater effect than other cleansing washes I have used. I may well repurchase.

Two spot treatments next. Both the Clearasil Rapid Action Treatment Cream and the Burt's Bees Herbal Blemish Stick are extremely chemical. They smell chemical, they feel chemical when applied to spots, and yes they do give a burning sensation if you have an open spot. They are extremely drying (good if you have an oily spot like mine always are, but perhaps use in consideration if you have dry skin) and can cause flakiness on the skin. But when something burns me I really feel like it's working, and although it's always hard to tell with skincare, I think these did both help me with the occasional breakout.

Burt's Bees is slightly more expensive and definitely harder to get ahold of in the UK so I'll probably repurchase the Clearasil one or try out another brand's version- as most drugstore brands have a very similar product on offer.

Fragrance

Okay, bear with me because I know this is Justin Bieber's fragrance 'Someday', but this was my favourite perfume ever and one of the nicest scents I have ever smelt. It became 'my signature' and I really have to repurchase. It's sweet but not sickly sweet, slightly fruity, but still a bit perfumey without smelling like that classic grandma perfume that really just smells of... perfume. This and the Lady GaGa Fame perfume are my favourites of all time- both amazing scents this one just lasts longer on the skin.

Makeup

The L'Oreal True Match foundation was one of if not my first foundation. And it has been my favourite for EVER. It feels lightweight but gives good coverage, a satin finish and lasts really well on the skin. People rave about this all the time, but I somehow feel it still deserves more. It's really good. Really trying to use up foundations before I repurchase this one again, but I am so sure all I need in my collection is this and the Max Factor 3 in 1 foundation because these are the best ones I have ever tried (although I would like to branch out into higher end foundations at some point, sure).

Clinique Bottom Lash Mascara. This one dried up on me/ I used it up- it's always hard to tell exactly which. Although the brush is so tiny it takes a while to build up bottom lashes, it's cute and worth it, especially because I find when taking my makeup off after a night out I can't get it all off- meaning I always have regular makeup-less upper lashes and yet long spidery bottom lashes. It builds volume and length, and the fact it's so long lasting means you don't need to worry about mascara falling down all over your face. Not sure if I will repurchase straight away as bottom lash mascara still seems a bit gimicky to me- I'd rather buy a thin small waterproof mascara I can use on both top and bottom lashes.

The ELF lip liner and blending brush in Wine was quite nice. The formula was not too creamy and not too thick and waxy and of course the price of ELF products is extremely cheap. They don't have a massive colour selection but this was a deep purpley reddy brown (does that make sense?) which I could actually use for a variety of lipstick shades- as well as on its own all over the lip. The lip brush on the other end though isn't the best- seems to remove product instead of blending it out.

This was probably my favourite clear mascara or brow gel I have ever had. It's The Body Shop's Brow and Lash Gel, and I found it stuck down my brows and set them firmly in place without being as aggressive as the ELF wet gloss lash and brow mascara which really feels like you've taped down your eyebrows. Some people like that, but if you really don't want to feel like you've got loads of product on your eyebrows, this is the one. Will definitely repurchase.

Thanks for bearing with me, we've reached the final product. It's a strawberry flavoured Carmex lip balm. Carmex is hands down the best lip balm ever; it really sinks into lines and soothes, as well as smoothing out your lips, instead of just coating your lips and making them feel all glossy for a little while. This one also had an SPF which surprisingly is hard to find in a lip balm, but extremely important.

Hope this was somewhat interesting or informative to you guys- stay tuned for more posts and definitely more empties.