AD/PR Product (This post contains products which have been sent to me for consideration as a PR sample only, all thoughts are my own).
This is another big empties again as I don’t think I have shared one of these blog posts since I returned back to work after a stint of furlough prior to the end of June. Since then, I have accumulated too many empty products to count (some I have just got rid of without sharing) in order to get the basket under control once more. I have, however, selected a few products that I think are worth mentioning, this is down to one of two reasons. I either haven’t shared them on here before or they are much loved and I wish to share them with you once more. Either way, settle down, it is a long one.
First up is the Mitchum Powder Fresh Deodorant which is generally my go-to deodorant on a day to day basis. I tend to fluctuate between this one and the yellow cream version (which I do prefer, but is it slightly more expensive). In my opinion, no brand has come close to beating Mitchum in terms of it being able to combat and keep at bay sweat. Let’s face it, we all sweat and most of us, for the most part, want to manage that throughout the day. I would, however, add that I have recently tried their natural deodorant which is aluminium free and whilst I really like the scent, I haven’t found it to be as effective as their other deodorants. I would also like to see the brand go to re-useable refills or something along that line as any way to reduce the plastic would be fantastic.
Next up is The Body Shop Peppermint Candy Cane Shower Gel which I picked up a while ago now and only managed to get around to opening up in the last few months. I kept this at my boyfriend’s place as I had a feeling he would like it and I was right, this was used up in no time! This smells exactly like the mint candy canes that you hide in the tree at Christmas, I would 100% repurchase this if it were to be re-released.
Sticking with shower gels for one more moment, I feel as though I have to backtrack on my stance on expensive shower gels as whilst I do like them, I haven’t been able to justify them. That was until I discovered Molton Brown. I enjoy these shower gels immensely, the scents are gorgeous, uplifting, deep and sensuous and I am all for it. I feel like you can smell these long after you shower/bath and I can only hope to try more in the future. The most recent scent I used was the Delicious Rhubarb and Rose and it was divine, I absolutely adored it and I made a note to save it for occasions when I really needed to relax. This was a beautiful product and I was sad to see it go.
Now a brand which on a whole I really rate is Super Facialist, so when I stumbled across the Pure Sensitive Micellar Cleansing Gel in TKMaxx I decided to pick it up, having never seen this particular product before. I believe this is an older line that perhaps they don’t run with anymore as I cannot find any reference to it on their website. I didn’t hate this product, but I certainly didn’t love it. The scent reminded me of beer for some reason, which I wasn’t keen on. That being said, the cleanser itself was decent enough at removing my makeup and I had no irritation issues, I just didn’t like the scent at all which is why I wouldn’t repurchase if I were to stumble across it again. That being said, I like this brand a lot and would recommend a number of products from them, not least the Vitamin C Cleansing Oil and the Rose Creamy Cleanser.
Next up is the L’Occitane Amande Delightful Body Balm* which I first featured here. This is one of my favourite products that I have tried from l’Occitane, it is a gorgeous body butter and it is incredibly luxurious. I would definitely purchase this in the future, it is, of course, a bit of a spendy purchase as you only get 100ml and I find that it doesn’t last very long in comparison to other products; I found myself using quite a bit upon each application. That being said, I don’t reach for body lotions all too often so having something a bit more expensive isn’t necessarily a bad thing as I rarely get through them quickly.
Moving onto the Soap and Glory Thick and Fast High Definition Mascara that I have purchased numerous times, I also received one as PR. It is such a great high street mascara that does not flake off, it gives volume and length and it is often on some form of promotion. I still go back to this more often than not as opposed to higher-end mascaras as why pay more?
The Trilogy Make-Up Be Gone Cleansing Balm* was gifted within a Latest In Beauty Box and I recently opened it up in order to give it a try. In truth, it worked very well at removing my makeup and cleansing my skin, I have no issues with how it performed. The only issue I had is that it was joyless, there was no nice scent, there was nothing relaxing about the process of cleansing and I have to say, that for me is a big part of the experience. This just smelt waxy to me. I am glad I had the chance to try this during my ever-growing interest in trying out all the products under the sun, however, I wouldn’t repurchase.
This month I also say goodbye to the Kiehl’s Tumeric & Cranberry Seed Energizing Radiance Mask which is one of my favourite skincare products from the brand. I loved this, truly loved it. I first purchased this in 2016 in which you can read my initial review here, it has been firmly within my skincare arsenal ever since. I found that after I used this my skin looked so refreshed and vibrant, nothing really has come close to giving the immediate glow that this did. It is a great mask to use before a big event as it really does brighten up the skin along with giving it a gentle exfoliation, it’s brilliant! I would 100% repurchase in the future.
I will not go on about the Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant* too much, I have mentioned this a number of times as me and my boyfriend both like using this and together, we have got through a number of these travel sizes. It is a great exfoliant that leaves your skin looking brighter and also feeling so soft after use. I would definitely repurchase this in the future. You can read more about the Dermalogica products I have tried and featured on the blog here.
Next up is the Instanatural Vitamin C Serum* which is another product that I was gifted within a Latest in Beauty box. This product I used solidly for around two months, a little went a long way and it was extremely gentle on the skin. I know some vitamin c products can be irritating but this was perfectly fine. This leads me to question what the percentage of vitamin c is within this, however, despite looking I haven’t managed to find out. I also cannot find this exact product online as the version I have contains ferulic acid, whereas the only one online I can find contains hyaluronic acid. Overall I did like this product, but it was not groundbreaking. The scent was lovely, it was like taking a glass of orange juice to your face but in truth, I would say that the scent was the most enjoyable thing about it as I didn’t really notice much difference in my skin when using this, and I did use it solidly until it ran out having not used any other vitamin c within my routine. It was also bright orange which is no doubt due to colourants used witin the product. It is perhaps a good starter vitamin c if you are super sensitive, but otherwise, I would look for something stronger.
Onto a brand which I rarely see spoken about within the beauty community, and, until I won these products in a giveaway I wouldn’t have known about it either. The Frezyderm Moisturising 24hr Long Lasting Hydration Cream was a bit of a surprise to me. This was hydrating, gentle, soothing and generally just a bit of a hug for the skin. I really enjoyed this and have to say that I am looking forward to opening up the Revitalizing Serum that I also have to try. This contains ceramides to aid skin barrier protection and also antioxidants to protect against air pollution and free radicals.
Last but not least, the Avene Soothing Eye Contour Cream was a bit of an impulsive purchase after I had seen it featured on an Instagram account that I follow. This was a great eye cream which provided hydration, this was my main reason for purchasing it as the eye serum I had been using previously was not hydrating enough for me. This on the other hand was great, it didn’t do anything to mask dark circles but then again, that was not the reason behind the purchase. I wanted hydration and I got that, and not for a bad price either. The only downside is that this does contain mineral oil which is something to be aware of, I do tend to avoid this where I can in products that I leave on my skin but in all honesty, I missed this factor when I purchased it. I did like this though so I would consider repurchasing it in the future.
Overall, this was a huge empties to write, let alone read so if you did make it to the end, thank you!
*This post contains PR samples, for more please read my disclaimer.
*For transparency, in the past, I have been sent products to feature from Soap and Glory. Today’s post features products from that brand which I have purchased with my own money.
