So I don't know how many of you are the same when it comes to using up their beauty products and accumulating empties but i'll go for months without fully using up skincare or makeup products and the next thing I know I have an overflowing basket of empty bottles that until I have blogged about, I guard or hide as if my life depended on it --- what has life come to?! For me, the wicker basket above soon filled with empty bath and shower products, various shampoos and conditioners and many empty skincare products. Since being discharged from hospital, I have become a bath-person who hardly wears makeup and therefore am finally getting through the dusty bubble bath products that have been neglected at the back of my bathroom cupboards.
I feel I may have already strayed from my initial point here somewhat, however more recently I have found myself almost completely out of bubble bath, body wash and in fact, my own 'shampoos conditioners , moisturiser and cleanser has also resulted in an impulsive Body Shop sale purchase online as I haven't had the chance to do a Boots or Superdrug splurge in a very long time.
After having a proper look through, from a basket full of various empty bottles, tubes of both budget and more expensive products - I have only perhaps 10 that are worth a mention, if they've not previously been featured. I have also come to realize that I'm yet to be fully faithful to particular brand of shower gel , except perhaps the Lush Snow Fairy shower gel ( which is Limited Edition anyway) or LUSH FUN which is a fab multi-tasking product that is great for a bubble bath and so I shan't be wasting my time ranting about the others that I've used up since the last empties post when I shan't be repurchasing those anyway.
Likewise, and on a more cheery note, I have found a couple of gems in the basket that had been hidden away among the 'rubbish' in the back of my wardrobe that I hadn't got round to raving about either; enter first the Vitamin C+ Brighten Skin Renew Cleansing Oil by UNA Brennan. This I bought ages and ages ago ( before the festive party season indefinitely) and so got lots of use and intense testing when I went out wearing thick foundation, red lipstick, festive eye makeup and lots of mascara - of which this removed with ease. If you don't mind the mess of a cleansing oil and take the extra 5 minutes to double cleanse with this, this is amazing and when I get round to having that Boots splurge I was rambling on and on about earlier, this will be straight into my shopping basket.
Superdrug Vitamin E Dual Phase Cleansing Oil 150ml
On a more negative note, I also used up the Superdrug Vitamin E Dual Phase Cleansing Oil, which no matter how I used this, I just couldn't get along with it, especially for eye makeup which was a big no no with this. I had hoped that the dual phase cleansing oil may have been along a similar lines to UNA Brennans oil, and would work well at cleansing my dry skin, especially as so many have raved about Superdrug's other vitamin E cleansers before. I was, however, very wrong and regrettably bought this on a whim, without reading up on blog reviews. Firstly, to use this you have to shake the bottle in order to mix the oils, then use a cotton pad to remove your makeup however I felt that this method was only useful if the oil didn't run off the cotton pad or separate before it had chance to remove your makeup. For that reason, and the fact that this irritated my skin, in particular my eyes, and was more hassle than it was worth, I shall not be buying this again and have since ordered the Body Shop's Chamomile Cleansing Oil to try.
Moving swiftly away from cleansing oils and onto facial oils...Since being sent the Trilogy* Rosehip Oil a while ago, I have become partial to facial oils and serums as with blemish prone ( but dry) skin I'd always steered away from oils expecting them to break me out more, which certainly wasn't the case with the Rosehip Oil ( above), that my younger sister Rach, aswell, took a particular liking to's . Instead, the Rosehip Oil leaves your face soft and smooth and gave my skin a great moisture boost.
Despite liking the Trilogy offering for its hydration, I have seen a more impressive improvement in my skin ( and breakouts) since I was given the Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate for Christmas and I keep telling myself that one day I shall part my cash for a new bottle when in John Lewis next. It's hard to describe how or what this does unless you try it for yourself, but where I used to attack my skin with spot treatments or harsh lotions and potions when I broke out, I drop a pea sized amount of this miracle worker at night, go to sleep and by morning the angry redness has almost certainly improved.It's really great as you hardly have to do anything and you see amazing results by morning and that in itself is worth a lot.
A final mention to the empty tub of Hydraulon Moisture jelly* that is also shown above and that I raved about in October which remained as a fabulous product however for me, as it is on the pricier side for a moisturiser ( £25), the couple of months it took to use up isn't justified when for £10 more I can get another bottle of Kiehl's magic. Nevertheless, it still did a great job and was hydrating on the skin without feeling greasy.
I think that's enough rambling for today and with that in mind, I want to know your thoughts on this more concise approach to my EMPTIES posts from now on; chatting only about the best and worst of the bunch instead of wasting words on mediocre deodorants or sample pots of £100 serums that ill never buy, let alone afford. I'm pleased to say that I'm finally going to go and pop my empty bottles in the recycling and start drafting up my Boots shopping list.
What have you used up recently that's worth ranting or raving over?
Beth xx
