Skincare & Makeup Empties #5

I always say that I'm going to put up empties post more often to save me from getting buried by a gazillion empty products, but it just doesn't happen. Oh well I guess I won't bother mention it anymore! Without any further delay here are the current empties..!

Cleansers, Makeup Removers and Toners

Simple Micellar Cleansing Water 
My current favourite Micellar Water, unlike the Garnier Micellar Water (which I've reviewed quite a few times on the blog, run a search if you wanna read), it doesn't leave my skin feeling taut or dry nor does it leave a residue on my skin. This on the other hand leaves my skin feeling pretty normal, it just feels like water, it's really gentle. I wouldn't say this is super effective in removing make up as I find that there is always some make up left on my skin regardless of how much I use, I know this because my white flannels have shown traces of foundation even when I thought I removed it well. This doesn't bother me because I use micellar water to remove the bulk of my make up and always second cleanse, I'd say it removes 90% of my makeup (doesn't stop me from using it on nights when I can't be bothered to go to the sink though haha!). Currently approaching the end of my second bottle, love the big size and will always repurchase. They've come out with a Water Boost version which I'm really excited to try!

Neutrogena Hydro Boost Gelee Milk Cleanser
This new line from Neutrogena had me really intrigued which I'm sure every other dehydrated skinned person was as well. I used this on a dry makeup-ed face as I found it worked better at dissolving makeup this way and then used a wet flannel to take it off. I must admit, it did leave my skin feeling supple and not stripped at all which was quite pleasant, I've even used this as a morning cleanse. It's not the most effective at removing make up but it wasn't half bad either, I'm curious to try the other cleanser in this line. Has a very fresh and cool scent, would possibly re-purchase.

Soap & Glory Peaches And Clean
I bought this once before ages ago but gave it away as I wasn't keen on cream cleansers, fast forward to now my dehydrated skin prefers cream cleansers so I wanted to give it another try. It's okay, not the most effective in removing makeup and works better at the sink with a wet flannel. This also needs a bit of a residue skin and leaves me feeling like I've still got make up on my skin, which I'm not keen on at all. I've tried other cream cleansers and balms that work a lot more effortlessly so I won't repurchase.

Bravura Purifying Calendula Toner
This is one of the three exfoliating toners that Bravura carry and probably my favourite. At 13% I really like how fresh and clean this leaves my skin feeling, ready and prepped for product absorption. With a ph of 3.8 I like to use this toner to lower my skins ph in preparation for stronger acid treatments or masks. From all the acid toners I've tried this one's my favourite so will definitely repurchase.

Bravura Revitalising Ginseng Toner
Reviewed many times on my blog already (run a blog search for an in depth review) with an acid level of 5%, this is meant to be a dupe for the infamous Pixi Glow Tonic, I do like this and this is a repurchase but there is something about it that I'm not too keen on, even though this is a weaker AHA compared to the Calendula Toner, this feels stronger and a little harsher on my skin. I don't know why to be honest, it may just be the zingy scent but I prefer the feel of the Calendula Toner on my skin, hence why I may not repurchase this Ginseng one.

Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser
I received this dinky sample in an order once and was keen to try it as I heard this was a decent gentle cleanser. I've used it up and I'm not thoroughly impressed, it's a bit meh to be honest, I don't have sensitive skin but I do like to use gentle cleansers so as not to strip my already dehydrated skin and damage it further. This is only best used as a morning cleanse which wasn't too bad I suppose but I've used other cleansers that work better for me. Won't repurchase.


Moisturisers, Oils and Balms

Bravura Azulene Moisturiser

One of the two non acidic moisturisers that Bravura carry and my personal favourite, I love the stunning blue glass packaging and the forget-me-not blue tint of the cream. Best suited for oily to combination skin, this moisturiser works really well on my skin, I find it nice and lightweight yet moisturising enough, the moisture level is perfect in summer months but also works well with a few drops of oil if I need more moisture. Love that I know what most of the ingredients are, will most likely repurchase but have cheaper and more easily attainable moisturisers.

Boots Soltan Sensitive Face Cream SPF50

Cheap and cheerful at £6 this cream has a rich, emollient thick texture which I could only use in the dead of winter, I think this is best for really dry skin, but at the same time I've grown accustomed to sunscreen that are really lightweight and really absorbent which this isn't. I wish they had a dry touch version of this sensitive formula, it's nice but I do prefer the Dry Touch version. Won't repurchase.

The Ordinary Natural Moisturizing Factors (NMF) + HA

Cheaper and more cheerful than the latter, I was super duper excited with this products launch, it has an amazing inci list, including a myriad of ingredients needed to support the skins moisture and hydration health, a mix of emollients, skin communicating cells and antioxidants all for a few quid. This has a thick primer like consistency, it's not very emollient or hydrating but works excellently as a last step to your skincare routine to seal it all in, I'd say this is perfect for oily to combination skin as it leaves no greasiness on the skin, but can work equally well for all skin types if you have a good regime for your skin type.

B. Enriched Restorative Facial Oil 

I love using facial oils and I would definitely include an oil of some sort in my list of dessert island products. Containing a mixture of various oils and emollients, this specific oil from Superdrug's premium skincare brand is targeted for those with elderly mature skin and has been a joy to use, reviewed here previously, this oil is lovely and nourishing, the added shea butter in this concoction moisturises my skin really well and leaves it feeling plump and supple. At £18 a bottle it's not cheap, so would suggest grabbing it when they do a half price deal. Would probably repurchase but really want to try some other oil mixes.

Pai Rose Hip Oil

I received this sample in the post, there was barely enough for 3 uses in the titchy tube, so I don't know why I'm reviewing this to be honest haha... no honestly I can't really say much because there wasn't enough to use it longterm and notice any differences, silly me for putting it in the empties bag and including it in the post! Errrmmm... what I can say is that it was a light oil with a slight smell, almost had the texture of a dry oil but a bit more nourishing... that's it really...sorry...how awkward...

Carmex Cherry Click Stick

Tube number gazillion. A definite holy grail desert Island product for me. I've tried a few other well reputed balms to see if I can move away from this, but nothing, literally NOTHING comes close to this, literally the ONLY balm that works to soothe and soften my forever dry lips. Will always repurchase.

Maybelline Color Bloom Colour Changing Lip Balm in Pink Blossom

My lips are quite grey toned, pale and discoloured naturally so I tend to look really ill and zombie-fied if I haven't got any colour on them (brown girl problems)! I've always been interested in tinted lip balms but it's actually hard to find one that compliments and works with asian skin tones and discoloured lips. This colour changing one from Maybelline starts off as a clear balm but leaves a pretty pink stain on the lips, so if you were to wipe the balm off there'd still be a stain left which I quite like for night time as it doesn't stain my pillows and it's actually a decent colour on me. I've only ever found it online, I get mine from eBay and it comes from India, they do a peach shade called Peach Blossom which I've just recently purchased but I do prefer the Pink Blossom shade.

Serums & Treatments

Superdrug's Simply Pure Hydrating Serum

This cheap and cheerful serum raved about by Sali Hughes reviewed previously here by me was a lovely affordable day time serum, well absorbing and including a good blend of skin benefitting ingredients. The formula was actually really nice to use but after using this regularly I found it done little to nothing for me unfortunately. Won't be repurchasing though there is word going round the blogosphere that they are adding more products to the line, at that price point it's very exciting!

Pestle & Mortar Pure Hyaluronic Acid (reviewed here)

This was an amazing addition to my routine, my dehydrated skin has been needing a product like this for yonks and I'm glad it was this one. After using this regularly day and night before my moisturiser I noticed the fine lines on my face had softened significantly, my skin now a little plumper had also seemed to have normalised and wasn't as dehydrated or dry anymore, it was pretty amazing. I finished it a while ago and am now using The Ordinary's rendition of Hyaluronic Acid which I do like but I can tell you it's just not the same. I can tell the difference between the two and my skin definitely liked the Pestle & Mortar one, which is kinda annoying as it's a lot more expensive than The Ordinary one. Will probably repurchase if I can find a good deal.

The Ordinary Buffet Serum and Alpha Arbutin Serum

These two affordable serums from The Ordinary both have really good textures, they are super absorbent, lightweight and don't interfere with the rest of your skincare. The Buffet is a multi peptide serum which provides some anti ageing benefits and surface hydration and the Alpha Arbutin is for pigmentation, apparently the skin converts it into Hydroquinone on the skin. With both of these products I didn't really see any significant differences. I used them alongside the Advanced Retinoid (AR) which my skin absolutely loved, but I did use them one after the other when one had finished so that I could see any differences between the two. The thing is I used the Buffet first with the AR and my skin was amazing at that time, so I don't know it it was the combination or just the AR on it's own. With the Alpha Arbutin I noticed next to no difference on my skin regarding pigmentation, now I don't know if it's one of those things where you have to use it longterm to see any change. Thing is I loved the formulas and the extra hydration and suppleness it'd provide my skin so for that reason I probably would repurchase both of them since they're so dirt cheap.

Bravura 10% Glycolic Acid Peel

I've had this for so long so it's about time that it's finished now. One of the three cheap yet effective chemical exfoliants Bravura provide. It worked well to slough off any dead skin and left my skin soft, smooth and supple. I have a soft spot for Bravura as it was one of the first brands I used for chemical exfoliants, I felt like it was a big step for a small girl haha! This worked better for me when I used it after acid toning, without acid toning it would have little to no affect, so if you get this I recommend acid toning prior to use. I probably wouldn't repurchase as The Ordinary do a peel for a little cheaper and it's just as effective.

Body Lotions & Perfumes

Champneys Citrus Blush Enlivening Body Lotion

I got this bottle of lotion free when Boots where doing some promotional offer where if you spend over £50 you get a selection of beauty products. This was a lightweight lotion, had a pleasant sweet lemon and cardamom scent. But since I have ridiculously dry skin I tend to avoid these type lotions and stick to my trusty Garnier Body Repair one that I've reviewed a million times before as nothing else seems to work on me, but it was nice to change it up a little. I probably won't repurchase.

Crown Perfumes Classic Perfume Body Spray
This was a random body spray that I got from an Islamic store and I ended up really liking it, it lasts really really long and doesn't disappear like your typical Impulse body sprays, I find it's as strong and long-lasting as a perfume so it's well worth the money and very economic, this particular scent was a very feminine powdery musky scent that you can't go wrong with, not too strong and heady but definitely lingers. I probably would repurchase and try out the other scents from their line.

YSL Parisienne
A very unique scent in my opinion, carrying notes of damascus rose, violet, peony, cranberry, patchouli, vetiver, musk and sandalwood. It's quite a floral fragrance, a doable rose fragrance in my opinion, but not overbearing at all, I don't like highly floral fragrances and this wasn't too much at all, if you don't overdo it, I'd say it's quite a pretty but sophisticated scent, good scent for the office or even the evening out, probably more suited for women over their 30's, though obviously scent has no age, wear whatever tickles your fancy! I do like this scent but I don't think it's special enough for me to want to repurchase.

Nina by Nina Ricci
I love Nina Ricci fragrances, they are truly such pretty scents and this one's no exception, it's soft, but fresh, delicate yet a bit fruity, a little sweet, with enough musk to mute down the sweetness, it almost smells like a pleasant home and a bit more, if you get what I mean. For me this is definitely a casual day time scent and more suited for a younger audience, carrying notes of citrus, candied apples, praline, vanilla, sweet peony, moonflower, apple tree, white cedar, and blame musky notes you can tell this is a sweet and girly scent but honestly it's so much more than that. Will definitely repurchase and look into their other fragrances.


Makeup



Boots Time Delay Radiance Booster
Where do I begin with this one? I had owned this for a good while but never actually realised how brilliant it was and never gave it the chance really. Marketed as an intense hydration and glow booster, skincare/makeup hybrid, it's a lightweight peach coloured gel lotion consistency. I never got it to be honest, I never noticed the difference it made until I used it as a primer under my foundations. It seriously gave a new lease of life to my base products. I've used it under numerous bases, from tinted moisturisers to thick full coverage foundations and I got the same stellar results! It smoothens and perfects my skin without looking one bit unnatural. I really can't explain what it does, I feel with this one you have to see it in action to believe it. I used it under my Nars Tinted moisturiser once and the difference between wearing this underneath and without was beautiful, my skin just looked better, smoother, more healthy. It's not marketed as a pore filling or smoothing primer, but like I said, I've tried it under numerous bases and it simply makes the finish of them all look so much better. Please try it, it's usually on offer for £5, so it won't dent your wallet or anything! I have since repurchased!

MAC Face & Body Foundation in C3
I won't speak too much on this as I have a full review (here) make sure you have a read as it's proper love/hate relationship. A lightweight emollient foundation which provides no more than a light/medium coverage. I think it's a lovely product but I don't think I will repurchase as the cons of this put me off too much, I do think you need to have fairly good skin to enjoy this (which I don't). Also the colour C3 has a brilliant olive undertone but is best suited to someone more on the light medium side of olive and not so much medium tan with hyper-pigmentation like myself.

Urban Decay Naked Skin Foundation in 4.0
This was the foundation of 2016 for me! I looooved using this and can't believe I have actually emptied the bottle out, definite Holy Grail for sure! I also have not one but two reviews of this so I won't go on too much here. A super lightweight foundation that provides medium to medium full coverage. The finish is super natural on the skin but beware if you have flakies as I've seen reviews where people haven't agreed with the soft demi matte finish on their skin. I probably will repurchase, though saying that I'd want to get one of those Cover FX Custom drops to deepen it a touch as even though this was a brilliant brilliant olive shade it was slightly on the light side, probably more so now as I'm sure I'm a bit more tan!

Urban Decay Naked Skin Ultra Definition Loose Finishing Powder in Medium Light
Oh I did love using this! An underrated gem imo, this lightly coloured loose powder finished and set my makeup beautifully, I think it's got a lot of silicone in it because it leaves my skin looking super smooth and proper airbrushed. A little goes a long way, you seriously don't need to use a lot as it does it's job perfectly with just a light dusting, too much and it can catch on dry skin or texture, trust me I'm fussy with my powders and I've used up this whole pot! It controlled my oils long enough and kept my makeup in place, when used correctly it worked really well with my fussy combination dehydrated skin. They've recently come out with a colourless power called the Velvetiser which from reading the description sounds right up my alley!

MeMeMe Beat The Blues Liquid Highlighters
I have had these for so long now, way before the highlighter trend actually! I loved mixing these in with my foundations and it always gave my skin a lovely glow. I had the gold one and the pink one and enjoyed both but preferred the gold one for obvious reasons. I stopped using these and went for more matte looking skin for some reason so these got forgotten and pushed to the back of the draw. They have dried up and need to be binned now, they were decent liquid highlighters but there has since been newer releases which I'd probably go for now instead.

Tarteist Lash Paint Mascara
This came in a bonus mini pack I got some time ago, I think it was old because it was rather dry and flaked off my lashes once it dried. Otherwise I think it was okay, the formula was thick and matte and not too wet, it separated the lashes well and left my lashes really black. I couldn't say if the actual formula is like this as I've not tried a full size. Also it has quite a prickly plastic brush so if you ever have an itch on your waterline, this'll sure get rid of it haha! I don't really buy high end mascaras unless I've used and enjoyed a mini, so probably won't repurchase.

Benefit They're Real Push Up Liner
This was a brilliant idea but such a disappointment unfortunately, it's a gel liner in a plastic mechanical twist up pen. It has a rubber angled tip which you'd think help in achieving a smooth flexible line but it was all just a disaster. This was my sisters but she gave up trying to use it and gave it to me and I'm now binning it because I've given up too. Don't get me wrong, the formula is brilliant, it's super black, pigmented and seriously doesn't budge but the applicator is kinda messy, finicky and you don't get a crisp neat line and getting a thin line is near impossible. Also I think the gel dries up really quickly so we'd just get really messy bumpy lines that skipped and jumped on the thin eye lid skin. Sorry but no.

No7 Fanomenal Lashes Mascara
Actually a hand me down, this had an interesting plastic wand and a pretty decent formula, it separated and fanned out my lashes really nicely, perfect for everyday definition. It's a good everyday mascara, nothing special but I think No7 products are way too overpriced so will not repurchase.

Avon Brow Definer in Dark Brown
I thought this was an eyeliner but realised weeks after that it was in fact a brow definer. I used this as an eyeliner and it done me okay, probably won't repurchase as it's number 1, not meant for lining your eyes and number 2, not a modern long lasting waterproof formula.

There you go guys, we have finally reached the end of this empties post, I hope this was useful or helpful in anyway. Also I need to apologise for my disappearance and inactivity on the blogosphere,  this specific post has taken me a few months to complete believe it or not and I've actually already accumulated more empties in this time (insert covering face emoji). I haven't been my self lately and have lost a little interest in blogging and beauty products, there have been many a times where I have actually dedicated some time and sat down to blog or even post on instagram but it never went any further. Once again I'm sorry and I do hope that I find the interest and zeal to get back into it again. Thank you for all your support and words of encouragement, it's always always appreciated.