August Makeup and Skincare Empties!

I've used up so many things recently, and here I'm going to give a brief review/thoughts on each of them. I think seeing what products people actually use up is the most interesting thing ever.

Here's an overview!

Now I'll deal with the products in smaller sections.

Skincare:

First on the left are the Simply Gentle organic Cotton Pads. Sorry, this is really boring but these are what I use to remove my makeup every evening and cleanse in the morning. These ones are alright, to me it doesn't really matter which cotton pads I buy, I either buy the cheapest ones or just ask my mum to get some for me.

Top middle is the Neutrogena Visibly Clear Spot Stress Control 3 in 1 daily cleansing lotion. I use this not to remove my makeup, but after removing my makeup to just make it even cleaner and fresh. I don't know, it just makes my skin feel really very chemically clean, and I like having one product in my skincare routine that does this. The Garnier pure active pore purifying toner next to it is a very similar sort of deal. I didn't use them both in conjunction with each other, just switched up which one of these I used. I would repurchase both of them, I really liked them. I'd like to think they've been keeping my skin good and spots under control.

Underneath is the Witch naturally clear 25 cleansing and toning wipes. You may have seen these in a very recent haul of mine, they were gone within about three weeks which really isn't long. I used these not to fully remove my makeup, but after using a more effective makeup remover to take off the brunt of my makeup, I'd use one of these and swipe it over the face just to make it feel more clean. I did like these, and it's been nice to rediscover makeup wipes after over half a year of not using them at all, but in terms of makeup wipes I do prefer the other two ones I featured in that haul, the Neutrogena spot treatment ones, and the Simple ones. Those are amazing.

Bodycare:

These products are all from The Body Shop! Their bodycare products are obviously amazing and I love everything I have from them.

The two body butters are in Spiced Vanilla and Spa Widsom Polynesia (which I'm pretty sure is a really old-school one, I seem to have had it for absolutely ages and only just used it up.) In terms of formula, I think I prefered the Monoi Body Balm one, maybe because it's a balm rather than a butter it implies it's going to be more moisturising and sink into the skin better? Because that's what I found it did. I don't know if they even do this stuff anymore, but it was very nice. The scent was really subtle but fresh, and the spiced vanilla one was sweet and strong with vanilla, as I'm sure you can imagine. I have so many body butters that I'm not sure I'll be repurchasing any time soon, but I do trust the Body Shop heavily for body butters so if I ever run out I'll probably continue to buy from there.

Next is the Moringa shower gel, and I love their shower gels. The scents are, as always, absolutely divine and I just really like using these body washes in the shower as they leave a slight scent and make me feel fresh and clean. I will 100% repurchase, they're not even expensive or anything, I think usually about £2.50 for a massive tub like that.

Hair and Nailcare:

In terms of haircare, I used up a product I've had for so so long, the much raved about Macadamia Natural Oil Deep repair Masque. It's an in-shower 10 minute hair mask. It's one of those products that you buy and it's so expensive that you're scared to use it, and very rarely do. I don't normally buy things this expensive, I normally just stick to drugstore, so purchasing this, especially as it's a haircare product, was very out of character for me. It is a haircare miracle. As mentioned, I used it very rarely on special occasions, and it really helped when my hair was feeling a bit dry and completely revitalised it, since my hair is naturally blonde and I dye it frequently dark brown. It immediately and in the short term (a few days) gave my hair new life, making it feel soft and smooth, but still workable. If I can find it within me to spend the money on this again, or if I can find it discounted at TK Maxx again, perhaps I will end up repurchasing this.

I also finished the Burt's Bees cuticle balm, and the sweet lemon scent is the most amazing thing ever, it's beautiful, if a scent can be. You may have seen it mentioned in my nailcare megapost, I swear by this stuff. I don't need to repuchase it as I already have a backup, a slightly bigger size too, but after that runs out I probably will. It basically just smooths down my cuticles and moisturises them, and I like to use this a few hours before painting my nails if I can be bothered. It's not a cream but more of a thick, moisturising paste. And yeah, I really liked this product.

Makeup:

It's hard to tell what the two powders even are because they're so grubby and worn down!

The top product is the Natural Collection pressed powder in the shade 01, cool. This was a really nice powder for the drugstore, as with the one under it which i'll talk about next.

Underneath is the Rimmel Stay Matte powder in 01 Transparent. This is the second one of these I've used up completely, and I have a newer one I've just started using. I think that says quite a lot about my feelings towards this powder. It's the only one I've ever repurchased I think, I have so many powders but this one works fine for me. It does keep me matte and sets my makeup in place. I'm sure there's loads of better powders (I do prefer my Mac Mineralize Skin Finish natural), but this one is so cheap and convenient, and like I said, it does the job. So I will continue to repurchase.

The final product is the L'Oreal Super Liner Black Lacquer. This is hands down my favourite eyeliner ever. I repurchased it as soon as I got signs of it starting to dry up because I was devastated. Saying that though, this has lasted me for an eternity. Literally ages and I always use it when I go out (which you'll probably know if you've been reading my new set of posts I've been doing showing you some fun eye makeup looks I've been experimenting with because it features in every single one). It lasts all night, and trust me I've put this to the test, it's an intense deep black and it's so easy to use because it's somewhere in between a thin flexible liner and a stiff one- it bends amazingly and allows you to pretty much do a whole wing in one swipe. If you haven't already, I implore you to try this product, you won't go back.

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So there are all my empties! I really hope you enjoyed this, let me know your thoughts below in the comments.

SO MANY EMPTIES!

About three months worth of empties have been piling up...

I'M GOING THROUGH that stage of trying desperately to use previous items of makeup and general care which have been lying about in my collection, hardly touched. It's that satisfying feeling of using a product up which I love, and also it allows you to skip the guilt next time you go shopping. PLUS, it's been eye-opening using these products and helped me realise which products I love and which aren't up to scratch; something which you can only really get from using one product singly for a long period of time.

First here's a general selection of body-care, I guess we could classify these three products as. On the left is the Superdrug own brand Mango and Papaya Body Butter which was absolutely amazing, and I would repurchase. I used it twice a day for about two or three weeks and it left my legs feeling smooth-non greasy- and smelling fruity but not too much. In the middle is the Burt's Bees Coconut Foot Cream which I got in a gift set a year ago and have been using recently. It's extremely thick but did the job and left my feet feeling good as new! The Sure Mineral Fresh Deodorant was okay, but not my favourite deodorant ever and I don't expect to repurchase.

In the last few months I have used up four sets of makeup wipes. The ones on the right are the Simple Kind to Skin Cleansing Facial Wipes. What I loved about these was how drenched they were in product. They don't get every bit of makeup off but are good to run across the face after the initial makeup removal is done. I always repurchase these. The others are the Freederm Deep Pore Cleansing Wipes which in terms of removing excess makeup and more importantly getting rid of spots- yes these really are a miracle product- they do a great job. I bought them initially on a recommendation from a friend and I will definitely repurchase. They got rid of my spots- simple as.

I also used up three sets of makeup removal pads, two Superdrug 100% Pure Cotton Wool and one Essential Waitrose Cosmetic Pads set. The Waitrose ones were smoother and more gentle on the skin, but the Superdrug ones were cheaper and not too much worse, definitely for me easier to buy, so I think those will be the ones I continue to use in the future.

 Next, what I use to actually remove my makeup. Clearly I've been trying out a few different products here, and one stands out. The Bioderma Crealine TS H2O is a people's favourite, but to me although it is good it doesn't live up to the hype. I have another 500ml bottle I'm using up but I found that it didn't remove all my waterproof makeup, and so in the future I won't go out of my way to buy it. Next is the Nivea Daily Essentials Extra Gentle Eye Makeup Remover which I've been using from the very beginning, and it is good and non-irritant, like the Bioderma. But my current favourite and complete makeup-removing MIRACLE product is the Nivea Daily Essentials Double Effect Eye Makeup Remover and I beg you all to try this because it's amazing. It effortlessly removes all my makeup, and a full rave review is coming soon. The little tub at the bottom is an Avon product, the Clearskin Professional Clarifying Toner Pads which I was using after cleansing and before bed just to tone my face. These smell amazing and had loads of product soaked into each of the pads. And they definitely helped whenever I had a few bad spots. Next time I do an order from Avon, these will be in my basket. Avon also is extremely cheap, and great quality- I recommend it to everyone.

Here are two products I used for spot removal. The first, the Dr Sebagh Breakout Spot-On which my mum bought for me ages ago and I only recently used up, was a disappointment, especially since I love their cleanser which worked miracles for me. It didn't work for me but that's not to say it won't work for you. The Neutrogena Visibly Clear Rapid Clear Treatment worked extremely well for me, however. It is very very strong though and does have a tendency to burn- this stuff is for real. It works though so I can't complain. I will be repurchasing this, it's really cheap from Superdrug.







Here is the makeup I used up. The orange ball is an EOS Lip Balm, you know those dome-shaped ones. I have about 5 of these and finally used one up! I love them they're great. The smell of the orange one reminds me vividly of a particular time so getting rid of it will be hard. The ELF Waterproof Eyeliner Pen is one of the worst products I have ever bought. It comes out not pigmented at all and has a tendency to drag across the eyelid so I hardly used it, but I'm throwing it away. The next two are Random Lipglosses I got a while ago and am throwing out now, one was from Primark and another from a magazine ages ago. They were good, nothing special. Primark surprisingly has some really good makeup and makeup brushes, I can do a specific post on this if people want. The mascara I used up is the Maybelline Waterproof Illegal Length Mascara which I got ages ago and wasn't particularly impressed with. It just didn't do too much for me but I'm tempted to try it again this summer as it had a really great brush and I need a reliable waterproof mascara for the hotter times (hopefully) approaching. Last here is the Rimmel Stay Matte Powder which here is in 002 Pink Blossom. I really liked this and purchased another one, this time in translucent. I much prefer the translucent one but anyone with a darker skin tone might want to find one closer to their skin colour to avoid any white caste. But for me it worked, great for the 'drugstore' price and availability.

PHEW! Onto the last empty product! And not a particularly interesting one either- sorry! Just some Superdrug own brand Acetone Free Nail Polish Remover. This was a bright light blue colour which was really nice, smelt the same as all other nail polish removers I've ever used, worked the same. I really seem to have no preference to nail polish removers- is it me or are they all the same? If anyone has any suggestions of good ones let me know.








Have you used any of these products above? What is your most repurchased beauty item? Let me know in the comments below.