February 2019 ~ Empties

Another good month for empties. There were a couple of items that I used daily and have either replaced them with similar or will want to replace them soon.

 

WR - Will repurchase or already have repurchased.

MR - Might repurchase at a later date.

WNR - Will not repurchase. Either didn't like the product/didn't work for me or didn't like it enough to repurchase again.

 

Skincare Empties

 

* Naturado en Provence - Cornflower Water WR

I absolutely loved this floral water. It was gentle and soothing on my eyes and worked really well as a compress when my eyes were sore, tired or felt puffy. Great value for money, although I did have to buy online from France. I bought a similar(ish) product to replace this (Patyka Cornflower Micellar Gel Cleanser) but already I'm wishing that I'd just repurchased this! Will definitely repurchase when I've finished the Patkya - if not sooner!

* Pixi - Retinol Tonic WR - This Retinol Tonic grew on me and now I've not been using it for a week or so, I'm really missing it! I've started to use a Glycolic toner in it's place and although I didn't find the Glycolic Toner harsh previously, I'm noticing just how gentle the Retinol Tonic was in comparison. I'd like to try the new Pixi Vitamin C Tonic next, but I will definitely repurchase this in the future.

* Evolve Beauty -Hyaluronic Serum 200 - WR Luckily I already have a back up of this Hyaluronic Serum. It's a beautiful serum to use during the 'hydration' step of both morning and evening routines. Through trial and error, I did pinpoint this as being the culprit in causing some oils to pill after wearing this, but that wouldn't be reason enough for me to not repurchase.

* Dr Jart - Ceramidin Gel Cream WR - Again, luckily I've already got a back up in this, but this time a full size. Absolutely love this cream - it's my ideal 'water' cream moisturiser. After using several watery gel creams, I've realised that I prefer this sort of moisturiser as a day cream that best suits my skin.

* Biore - UV Aqua Rich Watery Essence SPF 50+ -  WR - Again, I already have a back up of this SPF, but my back up is the limited edition Peony. It's a bit of a pain having to buy this online from Korea, but it's just so good that I'm prepared to do that! This is my ride-or-die SPF !!!

* La Roche-Posay - Anthelios XL - MR - I picked up a sample of this to see if I could find a suitable SPF that I didn't have to buy online from overseas. It was good and would make a reasonable alternative to the Biore UV Aqua Rich Watery Essence but it's just not as good as the Biore and is also twice the price. Not sure - maybe I'll pick one up if there's ever an offer on somewhere.

* Herbivore - Brighten Glow Mask - WNR - It's not that I didn't like this mask, but it's harder for me to get hold of, is more expensive and there are many other masks that I like a lot more.

* Hylamide - Sensitive Fix WNR - I had this hanging around in my stash for quite a while, so when my usual daily serum ran out (Bielenda Dr Medica Capillaries Serum) I decided to see if this would do as good a job as the Capillaries Serum. Did it? It was a reasonable alternative and did a good job of keeping redness at bay, but it just didn't quite match up to the Capillaries serum, so I'm going to stick with that in the future.

 

Masks
* Biocell - Anti-Ageing Face Mask WNR - This came in a Latest in Beauty Box. It was only last week that I used it, but already I've forgotten all about it - which tells me that it can't have made much of an impression.
* My Scheming - L-Ascorbic Whitening Mask - WR - I love these budget Korean sheet masks. I usually buy about a dozen a time from eBay. They're cheap and cheerful but they always give lovely brightening and soothing instant results and are just a pleasure to use.
* Patchology - Illuminating Eye Gels - WNR - Another item from Latest in Beauty. These eye gel patches were very slippy-slidey and I didn't necessarily want to lay down wearing them to keep them in place, so there was an awful lot of constant repositioning. The effects weren't particularly apparent either, so I think I'm happy sticking with my cheapo Primark Vitamin E under eye masks.
* Dewytree - Madecassoside Melting-Chou Mask - WR - So happy that I bought a box of ten of these sheet masks from T.K Maxx. I absolutely love them! There is so much serum in each packet. Enough to wear the sheet mask for almost an hour, and enough remaining in the sachet to get a whole other sheet mask's worth! I love the serum too - it's soothing and cooling, brightening and nourishing. It also layers really well with other products in my routine.

 

 

Body Care, Makeup, Perfume Empties and De-Clutters

 

* Kathleen - Tranquil Fields Bubble Bath & Shower Gel MR - This came in a Skin Organics Clean Beauty box and it was one of the loveliest, creamiest, foamiest bubble baths that I've ever tried! With a beautiful scent of Lavender, Vanilla and Frankincense, this was such a joy to use. I preferred using it as a bath gel because I only needed a small amount on my sponge to get a lovely lather going - and this ensured that the product lasted for as long as possible. I'd love to repurchase in the future, but currently I have an abundance of shower gels which I need to use up first. Really loved this though!

* Rituals - The Ritual of Sakura foaming shower gel WNR - Another beauty box inclusion. Smelled heavenly and was a nicely foaming gel, but it didn't really stick in my mind as a favourite to be revisited.

* Butterbar Soapery - Cornflower and Frankincense Bath Soak - WR - Another product from a Skin Organics Beauty Box! I've loved every single product that I've tried from Butterbar Soapery and this is no exception. Milky bath soaks are quite a new discovery for me and I'm really enjoying them.

* Home made Foundation Cushion - Will be washing this and re-using it for another d.i.y cushion foundation.

* Weleda - Lavender Relaxing Body Oil - WNR - Although I won't be looking to repurchase this, it's not that I didn't like it, it's just that I have other body oils that I prefer! I also found that 10ml of body oil wasn't really enough to make a solid judgement about - I'm pretty sure I must use about 5ml of body oil in a single use!

* Natura Siberica - Extra Firming Hand Cream - WR - This was another Latest in Beauty product choice. I really loved this hand cream, but I got through it incredibly quickly. Natura Siberica are a brand that I would love to try more of their products.

* Ciate - Wonderwand Mascara MR - I've said it before and I'll say it again - I wish all mascaras came in these mini sizes! I absolutely loved this mascara! It was nice and black, was great for lengthening and defining my eyelashes without clumping and didn't smudge or flake. I'm going to keep my eye out for this in T.K Maxx as Ciate can often be found in there.

* Bulgari Man - Wood Essence EDP sample - WNR - Erm, can't remember too much about this so I don't think I'll be looking out for it again!

* Roger & Gallet - Rose Mignonerie - MR - This was a pretty floral scent - very light, maybe a bit too light for my usual tastes. Wouldn't rush to buy it but it's one that I'd be happy to wear again.

 

De-Clutters

* Etude House - My Dear Darling Tint - Sadly, this far-too-cutesy- purple/pink lip tint is just a bit too cutesy for me, so I'll be de-cluttering this one.

* Models Own - Sculpt & Glow Highlighter Stick in 'Moonlight' - Again, it's a shame, but this was always just a bit too cakey on my skin. I much prefer powder highlighters.