MEGA Skincare and Makeup Empties #3

My oh my! How long has it been? I've been meaning to do this post for such a long time and in the meantime the empties bag just got heavier and heavier! Since I'll be reviewing a heck of a lot of products, I'll try to keep the reviews short and sweet. So like they say... you might want to make a cuppa and grab some popcorn! I shan't dilly dally any further and shall commence with my mega empties...

Skincare:

Cleansers, toners and makeup removers:

As I've mentioned many times before, I'm not really a wipe type of person so I haven't tried many brands or versions, but these have come in handy for fixing makeup mistakes and of course for the late late night makeup removal, just to get the most of the cake off my face ready for cleansing. These B. Pure Sensitive Micellar Wipes are very very effective at removing makeup and surprisingly good at removing tough liquid lipsticks which I usually remove with baby oil, I don't find them especially gentle though, they definitely could've been softer and a bit more moist. Cheap and done the job fine, would probably repurchase when on offer and I think I may just have to keep a packet or two lying around for emergencies from now on!

Boots Time Delay Micellar Cleansing Water is something that I have used and reviewed before (find out why I love it HERE), I do like this Micellar Water, effective and doesn't leave my skin feeling stripped like some Micellars can. My skin feels soft after using, so would definitely repurchase when on offer.

I do enjoy using a creamy cleanser to melt off my makeup and this Good Things Manuka Honey Creamy Cleanser not only smells comforting but leaves my skin feeling nicely cleansed and comforted at the same time, a good option for dry skin folks, I use this to remove my makeup at the sink with a flannel or muslin cloth. Nice, gentle and effective, would definitely repurchase.

Keeping to creamy cleansers, the Boots Botanics Hydration Burst Dual Action Cleanser is another "at the sink with a muslin cloth" typa cleanser. Though I find this one melts makeup better than the Good Things Manuka Honey Creamy Cleanser. This is a thick gel formula which works better on a damp face than dry, this smells nice on its own but when mixed with makeup it smells kinda funky and not in a good way. I do like this but I have a few cons to mention. No.1 is that it's really hard to squeeze the product out the tube, I had to cut it very early on in its life just so that I could use the darn stuff inside (see multiple cuts on tube). No.2 when I use this to remove my eye makeup I would always be left with foggy clouded eyes so I'd be partially blind for a bit until I rinsed it all off properly. It's good but it's nowhere near perfect and the cons for this actually puts me off repurchasing.

Aaaah...! I have spoken about this desirable duo many times before. I ADORE the Dr Darren Mckeown AHA Active Radiance Cleanser (sadly discontinued even on eBay but raved about here) and when used with the St.Ives Daily Microdermabrasion Scrub, it's almost like angels hard at work on the surface of my skin leaving it smooth, soft and glowing. The texture of the St.Ives isn't rough at all, it's like a very dense but gentle scrub that doesn't scratch and mixed with the gel formula of the Dr Darren, it worked so bloomin well to gently take dirt and dead skin cells off my skin. Since the Dr Darren Cleanser is unfortunately discontinued and this bottle was my last, I will have to bid farewell to my old friend. Adieu old friend adieu, until we meet again (or you pop up on eBay hopefully sometime soon in the future).

Bravura Revitalising Ginseng Toner. I do love me some Bravura, apart from this being an affordable and identical dupe for the Pixi Glow Tonic, this works really well to properly prep your skin for some acid work. This brings down the PH of your skin so that any acid you use ontop works effectively, I will do an in depth review of my personal experiences with this and other Bravura products I own. But for now, yes this is good if you want a dupe for the PGT and some light acid toning, though personally I prefer their other toner (which is the Calendula one), I find this Ginseng Toner can leave my skin a little too tight for my liking. I'm on my second bottle now so yes, probably would repurchase as it's gentle enough to use for acid prep.

Superdrug Vitamin E Refreshing Toning Mist. An Instagram @Ummbaby influenced purchase. This is good if you want to inject some quick moisture into your skin added with some Vitamin E benefits. Hydration mists are good multi use products, whether you want to layer moisture during your skincare, prep your skin for foundation, dampen your sponge, finish your makeup by setting it and taking away any powdery-ness or a midday hydrating top up, everyone should own a version of this stuff. This Superdrug's one is cheap and does the job okay, though I wish the packaging was less bulkier and perhaps slimmer for smaller hands like mine? If overdone this can get sticky like most glycerin based mists (for a non glycerin based mist check here). Repurchase? Maybe...maybe not, might try another brand since I'm your traditional product junkie.

Another face mist I finally finished is The Body Shop Vitamin C Energising Face Spritz. I much prefer the Vitamin E version of this, this one squirted instead of sprayed and left a tacky ish feel to the skin which I didn't really like, I don't think there are many if any Vitamin C benefits in this as it's too far down the list anyway so don't expect any major wow factors, the smell is strong which may be the only energising thing about it, not a favourite so will not repurchase, there're much better options out there.

Face Creams and Sunscreens:

I am a PROPER moisture junkie, I tell you no lie, I am on a mission to try them all out, one by one, just so that I can find the one! I think having dehydrated confused combination skin does that to you!

Simple Replenishing Rich Moisturiser. This is light and runny in texture yet has some emollience to it, I think if you have normal to dry skin this would be good for you as I don't think it's ideal for anyone with really dry, flaky or dehydrated skin types, you'd probably have to exfoliate and remove the layers of dead skin first to appreciate this moisturiser even a tiny bit. This wasn't enough for me on its own and worked better with some oil underneath. It can also feel a bit heavy and tacky if you try to pile it on. Now that I've tried it I can check it off the list. I won't repurchase.

When I bought the Botanics Hydration Burst Cleanser I also excitedly bought the Hydration Burst Hydrating Day Cream thinking this was definitely aimed at my skin type. Omg I'm going to cut this short and say not repurchasing ever, very highly fragranced, this broke me out in clusters of tiny painful whiteheads the next day, not only that the gel was also sticky in texture to begin with and never really sunk in properly. Not for me obviously!

A good few months ago right around when Winter kicked in, my skin was going through this awfully dry dehydrated phase (all it needed was some tlc and some acid of course haha!) so I was desperate for a moisturiser that would quench my skins thirst properly and so I decided to get the Eucerin Dry Skin Replenishing Face Cream with 5% Urea. This is thick in texture, emollient but not very creamy, I like creamy textures for my moisturisers. Sometimes I thought it wasn't enough, sometimes it was better with some oil underneath, it was definitely better after some acid exfoliation but it never really wowed me and for £11 it wasn't really worth it for me. I've read great reviews but my skins so darn fussy there's not much I can do about it.

Lush Imperialis Facial Moisturiser. Not just tonight, Josephine... Anyway like I said I'm always on the hunt for good moisturisers for my confused skin so when I saw the label on this and it read "great for skins that can't make up their minds" I thought hey, yes, that sounds like me, I'll give that a try! I have and it's okay, sinks in nicely, does moisturise but it's not quite enough and some areas were still feeling rough and unloved. So not for me unfortunately. Probably best for normal combo skin types. 

Along with the Creamy Cleanser I bought the Good Things Manuka Honey Daily Moisturiser too. I was so excited to try this, I don't know why? I think it was the generous size (100ml) which actually started to drag and took me forever to finish near the end haha! The scent is indentical to its cleanser, with SPF 12 (not written on packaging, had to contact them for this) it provides okay protection probably for British Winters, this is creamy and emollient but wasn't enough for me and left my skin looking and feeling a bit greasy but still yearning for a teeny tiny bit more moisture, I also felt like this gave me reoccurring small spots, again I think it's good for normal to dry skin types. I do like this but won't repurchase.

Another moisturiser I was itching to get my hands on, The Body Shop Vitamin C Glow Boosting Moisturiser. It's a gel formula, very refreshingly cool and wet when you put on, has a very strong smell which I don't think is entirely good for the skin tbh. Best suited for normal to oily skin types, anyone with dry dehydrated skin won't feel comforted or reassured with this on, there's just not enough emollience or creaminess in this, it can also get bitsy and ball up if you use too much or rub it a little too much. Nice burst of hydration for normal to oily skin. Not repurchasing.

This is a little sample I received, The Organic Pharmacy Double Rose Rejuvenating Face Cream. The texture is alright of this, creamy and emollient for normal to dry skin but the rose scent was rather overwhelming, to the point it gave me a headache. So I wouldn't repurchase.

I've reviewed The Body Shop Vitamin C Daily Moisturiser SPF 30 before and have raved about it and loved it before but I do have some issues that I'm not too sure about anymore, it's emollient and can look a bit greasy, it's almost enough moisture for my skin but I don't like the tingly buzzing feeling I get when I put this on and the frangrance is way too strong for my liking. Isn't it amazing how your opinions can change of something over time? Wouldn't repurchase.

I much prefer the Simple SPF 30 Moisture Cream at the moment, I've reviewed this before but love it more now and am currently enjoying my third bottle of this. On its own it's not quite enough, but with a few drops of oil underneath it's just right. No strong scent, no excess greasiness, no heavy white cast on my tan skin. A list of emollients and skin conditioning ingredients, it's definitely a safe and reliable option for me. It's not as emollient and creamy as I'd like for when I want to put makeup on but is fine for no makeup days. I will definitely be repurchasing until something else as good and just as affordable comes my way. 

Treatments and Lip Balms

I have been a long and steady devotee to Carmex lip balms, let's say...around 8 years now. I've gone through many many many tubes, we have a very deep rooted bond Carmex and I. Carmex saved my life 8 years ago, being a long time and regular sufferer of cold sores and constantly chapped lips, no lip balm helped my suffering lips apart from Carmex. The Salicylic Acid in this really helps to keep the cold sores at bay. It really softens the dry flakes and kept my lips soft and hydrated. It's literally my desert island product. I adore the Cherry flavour and the fresh summery zingy and delectable Lime flavour has also become a firm favourite. The orange flavoured Everyday Lip Conditioner is okay, it has a conditioner type texture and sinks in and absorbs straight away but doesn't quite soften and hydrate chapped lips the way the balms do so won't be repurchasing that. Since I'm a product junkie I'm eager to try other products out but I'll always have a Carmex lying around. 

Vichy Normaderm Global Anti-Imperfection Hydrating Care

Oh I was so excited about this, I read so many good reviews. But unfortunately I don't like the texture at all, it's very similar to what La Roche Posay Effaclar Duo does, it helps with spots etc. I used this as a serum underneath products as well as on its own but never liked the texture, it bitses up and was never hydrating enough for me. I just couldn't get over the balling up. Because I didn't use this enough I can't really comment on its effectiveness, so won't be repurchasing.

Boots Botanics Super Serum Triple Age Renewal and Super Serum Radiant youth

These were another couple of products that I had really high hopes for which received really good reviews. I'll mention the good first, the texture of these are amazing, it absorbs so beautifully into the skin and doesn't ball up, it was wonderful layering products with this on and gave a bit of extra hydration and moisture to the skin. But they are extremely fragranced, I just couldn't get over how strongly fragranced they are. One of them legit smell like D&G Light Blue, I used them regularly and didn't notice any benefits to my skin, and any anti ageing ingredients were right at the bottom of the list. I also felt like it irritated my skin a little, so won't be repurchasing unfortunately.

Fragrance, Hair Care and Body Care

Soap & Glory Mist You Madly was one of the first products I tried when S&G first launched and I fell head over heels in love with the scent and the brand, I wanted to own everything in their range. This is one of those scents that are soft, sweet and comforting. The scent reminds me of something from the 70's...even though I wasn't around then haha! Would definitely repurchase but they need to sort out the packaging! It's so hard to dispense the spray, the narrow part is so hard to hold and control, the bottle keeps sliding down, so I have to hold the bottle in one hand and push the spray using the other and it still slips away. Love the product hate the packaging.

I also finished a bottle of Eau de Lacoste 30ml by Lacoste. It's a fresh / floral feminine scent with hints of orange similar to D&G Light Blue. It's not too bad, nice everyday scent. Probably wouldn't repurchase as I have other everyday fresh scents that I prefer over this. Pretty packaging!

I'm not much of hair maintenance typa gyal, I don't seem to have the patience with hair at all. Which is probably why I like to use hair oils sometimes since it helps to get rid of knots quicker. I also like to do a deep treatment once in a blue moon and leave it on for a few hours or overnight. This Vatika Cactus Enriched Hair oil with garlic is meant to help with hair loss which is something I do struggle with. I couldn't tell you if it's helped with hair loss much as like I said I use it once in a blue moon or to quickly de-tangle the lengths of my hair. But oil is generally good for the hair and scalp so yeah, probably would repurchase. Lightweight texture and nice scent.

I have used up millions of bottles of the Garnier Body Repair Anti-Dryness Restoring Moisturiser and will continue to use it till my last breath, it's the only thing that really works for my dry reptilian skin, so when Garnier came out with the Balm version I was excited to try it out. I'm not too keen on the balm it bitses up when you rub it too much and it's not as moisturising as the lotion so won't be repurchasing, it also doesn't smell as pleasant.

Makeup

Eye Makeup:

I've binned a ton of mascaras in one go as I've been hoarding onto these dry sticks for far too long. To keep it short I'll only be repurchasing the original Max Factor False Lash Effect it's my holy grail mascara and gives me everything I could possibly want from a mascara, curl, lift, definition, length and amazing volume whilst keeping the transformation looking like my own natural lashes (or a set of falsies) and also completely clump free. The decent ones I would reconsider are L'Oreal Telescopic (definition and length), Avon Supershock (definition, curl and volume) and No7 Exceptional Definition (light natural definition).

I won't be repurchasing the remaining:
L'Oreal Volume Million Lashes: Some definition and volume but not enough to wow me, little lift.

Maybelline Falsies: Found it a little too clumpy and thick.

Max Factor False Lash Effect Waterproof: Clumpy, messy, wet and no lift or definition.

MUA Extreme: Clumps into small bits and flakes off onto skin, decent definition and lift though.

MUA Eye Define: Thick texture, flexible wand, flakes off onto skin, some definition but nothing special at all.

I also finally finished two eyeliners: 

Avon Glimmerstick in Bronze, pretty bronze shade, won't be repurchasing as it's not a modern day, long lasting, budge proof formula.

Barry M Intense Black Eyeliner, bog standard eyeliner but won't be repurchasing as it's too dry and hard to use, much better formulas out there these days.

Collection 2000 Black Gel Liner, which I haven't finished but it's a cheap gel liner which doesn't really stay put, for £5 it's not bad! I want to invest in the Inglot 77 gel liner next insha Allah!

Face Makeup

I've already made a post of my first #makeupmilestone on Instagram where I finished my first foundation: bareMineral Original foundation in Golden Medium, my holy grail everyday foundation, the first ever perfect match to my skin tone and a lovely natural undetectable finish. I've reviewed this here. I'm using the Matte version (review here) now but will definitely repurchase the original once I've finished the matte one. 

My little tester tube of Maybelline Fit Me foundation in 220 (reviewed here). A good dewy drugstore foundation and the closest I've come to a drugstore match. 

Sleek blusher in Sahara, as you can see this is ancient packaging and it's about time I chuck it away. Lovely matte rusty peach brown shade, great as an inbetween blusher bronzer for tanned skintones. Definitely repurchase!

No7 Instant Radiance Concealer in III. Decent light peachy concealer which I used up as under eye highlighter/brightener. Probably wouldn't repurchase as No7 products are a little overpriced and not well suited for Asian skintones. 

Garnier Anti Dark Circle Roll On. There is so much product in this tube and it doesn't seem to want to end! There's tonnes left in there. It's a bit too sheer for my liking so won't be repurchasing. 

LA Colors Cover Up! Concealer in Pure Orange (reviewed here), this technically isn't an empty because it simply went missing, like the stick literally fell off the face of the earth and all it left behind was the casing. I looked everywhere but never found it haha! Strange case (no pun intended) but has since been repurchased as it's my favourite drugstore orange colour corrector for the discolourations around my face. A favourite till something else effective comes my way!

We have finally come to the end of this ginormous empties post. If you made it this far then bravo! I'm impressed! Hopefully I won't be leaving it till this late again. Until next time lovelies, toodles!