AD/Gifted (This post contains products which have been gifted to me for consideration on a gifting basis only, all thoughts are my own).
If there is one good thing I can say about the lockdown, it is that I am finally catching up on my empties box and I am almost up to date. Almost. I have used up so many products since the start of 2020 and it does make me feel a lot better about my beauty stash. April saw my lowest amount of purchases for a while and I am so pleased. It can be hard to not buy things when you love something so much, that being said, I have made a Beauty Pie order this month as I am really keen to try out their new body care launches if you haven’t seen them then go on over and have a nosy, that look really nice!
So, a few things that I have used up in no particular order. First things first, the Emma Hardie Plump and Glow Hydrating Facial Mist. I picked this up in a Christmas gift set not last year, the year before. It wasn’t opened or anything so I take comfort in that it was ok to use when I did open it up. I used this up very quickly as I am at home and the central heating is drying my skin out. It’s a lovely facial mist, I found it to be really hydrating and soothing on the skin. I did notice that towards the end of this that you really had to give it a good shake. The reason being is that I was left with like an iridescent layer on my skin, it was shiny/glittery almost and I didn’t like it. This only occurred in say my last week of using it when I was at the very end. I would repurchase this in the future but not for a long while yet, I have a lot of toners/mists to use up beforehand. I also loved the packaging.
The second item I used and enjoyed quite a lot was The Ordinary Squalane Cleanser. I thought this was great, it was also super affordable at £5.50. My only criticism would be that the 50ml didn’t really last me very long, I would like to see a super size version of this in the future. I understand that this product can be used on all skin types and it can be used as a first or second cleanse depending on your personal preference. I used it as both on many occasions and would often mix up when I used it depending on other products that I was using on the day to cleanse. It is a lovely smooth texture and I would highly recommend it due to its hydrating factor, gentleness and effectiveness at removing my makeup.
Moving onto the Origins Modern Friction, this is an exfoliating product which works well on my skin, however, this makes my eyes sting really bad if it somehow gets in there, say for instance when rinsing off etc. I have to be really careful with this, which is why I probably wouldn’t purchase the full size. I am happy that I got to try this out though and I will continue to shop Origins as they do have some products that I really enjoy, for example, the Original Skin Clay Cleanser.
I also finally finished the Recover Correct and Conceal Concealer* which I received ages ago to review. It kind of got put on the back burner for some reason but I have now finished and can ultimately share my thoughts. First and foremost, I think the packaging is a bit unnecessary. I don’t like the applicator and find that it provides no aid to using this at all, I still have to blend it out with my fingers or a brush. The concealer itself is nice, it covered well and wasn’t drying on my under eye area. I do think it is expensive for what it is and I know I can purchase more affordable products that do a similar job.
The L’Occitane Aqua Reotier Water Gel Cleanser* was a lovely gel cleanser for the morning and I have missed using this in my routine. I found it hydrating, cooling and refreshing, all in all, a good start to a morning. This is a great gel cleanser which I would recommend, in fact, this whole range from L’Occitane is lovely! It is great for oily and combination skin types in particular. You can read more about this range here.
The Original Source Water Infusions Raspberry and Rose Water Shower Gel is one of my favourite lines from this brand. I adore all of the scents within the Water Infusion range, my favourite one being the pineapple version. These are great and are often only £1 which makes them even better. I would really like to see more scents added to this line as I would be the first to snap them up.
There is always a Batiste Dry Shampoo in my empties it feels. In fact, I had two this time but decided one would be enough in the picture to get the point across. I haven’t yet found a dry shampoo to beat this in my eyes, nor the price. Love, love, love.
I remember purchasing the Superdrug Vitamin E Nourishing Eye Cream on the way to do my Professional Skills Course in the city. I stopped by Superdrug as there are no local stores that close to me anymore so when I see them I do always go in for a browse. The Vitamin E line is lovely and very affordable which resulted in me picking up the eye cream and the hot cloth cleanser which I have used before; it’s a good one. This eye cream was nice, it was hydrating and gentle on the eye area. In truth, I wasn’t blown away by it but for the price, I can’t really fault it. I would purchase it in the future should I need a more affordable option.
It would seem that I finally discovered a sheet mask that almost fits my face. This is the Beautymory Real Glow Royal Jelly Mask which I featured in my post on the Suitcase x Tonic15 collaboration. This was the first product I have tried from Beautymory and I was very, very impressed. The mask, as I said fit very well, it was slightly large but not too big that it was just crinkling everywhere. It was incredibly hydrating and I felt the results of this were instantaneous. My skin looked so plump, youthful and hydrated and I must admit, I was surprised by how glowy it looked. A big thumbs up!
Oh gosh, I did not expect to enjoy these as much as I did but the Elemis Pro-Collagen Hydra-Gel Eye Masks got me good! Yes, they’re not the most affordable for one-time use (you do get a pack of 6 when you buy them) but I would buy these in a flash should I need a pick me up or something ahead of a big day. I got mine in the Elemis Glossybox and the InTheFrow kit from last summer and I loved them. They provided an instant shot of hydration to tired, puffy eyes and made the eye area look brighter, smoother and hydrated. There was a noticeable difference for me; I really do rate these.
Now, I have had this product longer than I care to admit but finally, finally I have finished t he Le Couvent des Minimes Rose and Berries Hand Cream*. This was gifted years ago, literally years but it still worked OK and smelt OK so I went with it. It was a simple hand cream that did a decent enough job, I found the results instantaneous but they didn’t last that long. I wouldn’t purchase it in the future as I think there are better ones out there, for instance, the L’Occitane hand creams which have a thicker texture that I do personally prefer.
So, that’s it once again, another empties done and dusted. Phew!
*This post contains PR samples, for more please read my disclaimer.
