Empties #5

What better way to kick off the new year with talking about products I used up last year and talking about whether or not I liked them.

Now these four have remained staples for me in 2014. I'm positive I discovered Vichy Normaderm in 2014, the rest maybe 2013 (the Boots moisturiser definitely before hand), but I absolutely love them. I thought I'd do a quick round up before going into the main empties.

The Garnier 2 in 1 Eye Make-Up Remover is absolutely fab, I think I've gone through about 5 bottles of this and I just keep repurchasing. It's a duo-phase one, so it's oil based so it keeps your eyes feeling moisturised.

The Botanics Shine Away Mattifying Day Cream is my go-to moisturiser and for some reason I can't find it on the Boots site, which makes me think that they've discontinued it, if that's the truth I'll be very upset. It has an SPF of 15 and is inexpensive and does the job at preventing excess oil on my skin. It's lightweight and does not irritate my skin.

Ahh the cleanser of all cleansers, I love the Vichy Normaderm Deep Cleaning Purifying Gel, I really feel like it has helped to stabilise my skin, it's one I use in the evening as a deep clean.

Lastly, my Smashbox Liquid Halo HD Foundation, I love this foundation I just don't love the price (it's also increased by £1 since I last bought it). I haven't repurchased it in month, but I need to because the glow it gives and the colour match is perfect for me and really creates a really lovely airbrushed look.

Olay Regenerist Micro Sculpting Serum - I purchased the Olay Regenerist serum whilst looking up Beautypedia for the best serums in terms of their ingredients. This one was one that I could get my hands on easily and one that was readily affordable. I can't tell whether I liked this or not, it was more of a moisturiser-like consistency but sunk into the skin nicely. It did keep my skin hydrated and at time plump, but I just didn't love it. It also has contains some pigments that make your skin look shiny, but I mostly used this in the evening because it wasn't made for my skin type. Also a note about the price - I purchased this last year may for around £16, it's now £24.99 in that link, which is insane, inflation cannot be that bad!

Would I repurchase? Maybe

Soap & Glory Scrub Your Nose In It - I love this stuff, that is actually my second tube of it. When I first bought this product, I thought it was a complete dud so I didn't use it for a while. Then when my blackheads started getting really bad I reached for it again and was honestly do shocked when I wiped it off - my blackheads looked cleaner and were just reduced. Every since then I've always reached for this when my blackheads just look icky. I try and use it consistently so it doesn't reach that point, but sometime I forget. I'm not sure what's in this product apart from AHA's but it works so bloody well. I only use this on my t-zone and on my chin as those are the areas where I get blackheads. This product is just a win for me.

Would I repurchase? Yes, already have.

Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser - I bought this cleanser at the same time as the Olay serum. When I first used this cleanser I was really disappointed and this was because it didn't foam like anything cleanser I was used to. I know foaming isn't great but this just didn't do anything. It felt a bit like washing cream into your face. I continued to use it and didn't really think it was great. It wasn't until I ran out of it and was using something else that I actually realised how good it is. As the name suggests it's a gentle cleanser and I feel like it just gives your skin a good clean without stripping it. I really feel it creates a good balance for my oily skin and it's such an inoffensive product.

Would I repurchase? Yes, already have.

The Body Shop Vitamin E Overnight Serum-in-Oil - This was my first ever serum/oil that I used. I started off loving it because it really did make my skin plump and radiant but then that started happening less and less (something I noticed happens to me with oils) and I started using it less and less. I also really didn't like the fragrance of this, I thought it was too heavily scented and it really put me off using it, there's just no need for the fragrance. This never did anything bad to my skin but I just didn't feel like it was very good for my skin in the end.

Would I repurchase? No

OGX Argan Oil of Morocco Conditioner - I bought this conditioner for my weave because the one I was rocking at the time was just incredibly dry and lacked any sort of life. I don't remember being wowed by this product, but I didn't hate it either. It did make the hair look less dry but overall it didn't get rid of the problem I had. That said it wasn't awful, it just didn't work for me. 

Would I repurchase? No

VO5 Give me moisture conditioner - I picked this up on a whim and have actually used about 3 bottles of this. I think it's such a fab conditioner for my weave, when you put it on you can instantly feel the hair going soft and after you rinse it out and dry the hair you can see that it is more hydrated. I haven't actually used this in a while because I'm a product junkie and like trying things out, but it doesn't seem to be readily available on Boots or Superdrug so maybe it's been discontinued? Either way I've always picked mine up from Morrisons. 

Would I repurchase? Yes

Nivea Soft Moisturing Cream - Hand cream is something I cannot do without and it also is something that I love trying from different brands. This one isn't actually a hand cream but I used it as one. I don't have anything bad to say about this product, but I don't have anything great to say about it either. I love using hand cream so I sought of want a product to blow me away. This was just as you'd expect from Nivea, inoffensive, not greasy and doesn't irritate. I didn't like the smell because it really didn't smell of much and I personally love scented hand creams. It did sink into the skin well and last for a long time. 

Would I repurchase? No

Soap & Glory Hand Food - Soap & Glory and their body products are just so awesome and this hand cream was no exception. I was expecting it to be good so I was really satisfied with this. It smells amazing for one, but it also sinks in quickly and keeps your hand moisturised. It is basically everything you want in a hand cream.

Would I repurchase? Yes

Rituals Rice (Milk & Cherry Blossom) Scrub Calming Shower Cream Scrub - I purchased this on a whim because I wanted a body scrub, but a sort of fancy one and I'd tried something from Rituals before. This ended up being just what I need - it was great at exfoliating my skin, smelled lovely and felt like a luxury product. It made my skin feel so soft after and it really is such a calming product, I think thought that's more to due with the repetitive action of rubbing the product into your skin. 

Would I repurchase? Yes

Heat by Beyoncé - I took this perfume from my mum because I was just looking through her stash. It smells so so lovely. I'm not one of those people who has anything against celeb perfumes, nor do I go crazy for them, I'm just not that interested in perfumes. But I was really surprised at this one, it smells so lovely. I'm not sure about what's in the perfume but it's a sweet scent and I'm just a lover of sweet scents.  It's also really inexpensive as perfumes go. 

Would I repurchase? Yes

Deep Sleep Essential Oil - This tiny bottle has been a great pal to me on my many sleepless nights (when I remember to use it). It doesn't always work to get me to sleep (some problems are just too big) but it has helped in keeping me relaxed. The one thing I love about this is that it is not heavily scented with lavender, I know lavender is meant to be calming but I hate the smell - I find it suffocating. So this was perfect for me, I'm not actually sure of what it smells like but it's calming and not potent. This is something you can put in your bath or an oil burner, but I do neither of those. I put a few drops on a hand towel and have it next to my pillow and that's what works for me. 

Would I repurchase? Yes

NYX Doll Eye Mascara (Volume) - I looooved this mascara - it really gave a decent amount of volume and combined with my other mascara I really liked the final effect on my lashes. I love the wand and I've actually done a review about it here, so you can take a look at the wand. I think this is great for the price tag and works really well. 

Would I repurchase? Yes

Phew - that was long - I hope you made it to the end! 

| find me on bloglovin’, twitter, tumblr & instagram |