Sunday, September 29, 2013

September Empties

Skincare Empties

Its cliched at this time of the month to wonder where the previous one disappeared to but seriously, where did September go? That aside I managed to work my way through and finish up a large number of products so lets get on with the job in hand, starting with skincare.

Balance Me Expression Line Filler* is touted as a natural botox for an instant smoother looking complexion. I'm well aware after my many years of frowning that there is no wonder product (in serum form) that will make them disappear but this product does seem to temporarily do what it says. I find that by the end of the day my lines are certainly more prominent and even more so if I don't use this product for a day or two. I'm currently testing two alternatives to see how they fair but this is one I'd certainly repurchase.

With every blogger expressing such love for Bioderma there was no way I couldn't give it a try myself. Was I overally impressed? Not really. I can't quite work out the hype. Yes it's a quick fix product but I found it no better than L'Oreal's Micellar Water and certainly not as luxurious as a cleansing balm. Would I repurchase? Unless I was shopping the aisles of Parisienne pharmacy with a view of the Eiffel Tower, then no.

St Ives Apricot Scrub* does have the best rep now that skincare trends are leading us to daily exfoliating toners and avoid the harsher scrubs. Whilst I tend to be a follower of those trends these days I have had this sitting in my bathroom and sometimes I feel like my skin needs that extra scrub and reach for the tube. It is harsh, it is gritty and I certainly wouldn't recommend this for sensitive skin types and I'm sure there are many of you that will avoid this all together but I've not had any problems. Would I repurchase? Probably no but only because of my use of the double tone. 

Which leads me nice only to Nude Purify Toning Water. I can never seem to find too many reviews or recommendations for toners other than exfoliating toners so when my faithful Liz Earle ran out I had a wander round the aisles of Space NK and this came home with me. It was my first time trying something from Nude and as toners go I have no complaints. Would I repurchase? Yes if I was in Space NK and wanted something at a fair price point but as I was in Boots knowing this was due to run out I returned to my old love Liz Earle. 

A few skincare samples that I used were the Origins GinZing Moisuriser. I love it, there's nothing more or less to say. It is on my list to purchase but until I've used up some other products in my collection I just can't justify it... for now! I can't say too much about YSL Forever Youth Liberator Serum as I think for the type of product it is you cannot get a full opinion of how effective it is with the small sample on offer, unlike Le Nuit De Chanel. If I can manage to avoid throwing a full size of this into my basket when I'm shopping in Duty Free two weeks from now I will consider my willpower to be exceptional. I loved this product. The smell is amazing and I just loved applying this for the few nights it lasted.

St Tropez Mousse

I won't go into too much detail about Sure Maximum Protection* and Dove's Purely Pampering Lotion* as you can find them reviewed here and here but they are both on the repurchase list. Another empty I can't say too much about is St Tropez Everyday Gradual Mousse. I've had this forever. I was obviously not very diligent at applying daily so when I did use it as it wasn't an instant tan I'd see minimal results. It's quite bizarre tanning with a white/clear mousse and of course there is the St Tropez smell - but then I'm slightly strange and like that! Would I repurchase? No but only because I'm braver these days and would go straight in for their instant products. 

Finally a couple of samples from Chanel of their Coco Mademoiselle Body Lotion. I've never been one for matching body lotions to my perfumes but having used this sample and being a frequent wearing of the perfume I would like to change that. Angel by Thierry Mugler was a lovely body cream to apply and a scent I've enjoyed. I've never used any of the fragrances but I would certainly give them a second glance now.

Shower Empties

I'm in love with Radox Pink Grapefruit & Basil shower gel* and a second bottle is sitting in my bag ready to head to Vegas with me. I am not in love with the next two products. I didn't enjoy the Nivea In Shower Body Moisturiser. I can't quite work out where it saves time. I found it greasy to apply. I didn't enjoy the step away from the shower method to let it soak in (surely this defeats the object!) and found I still wanted to use a body lotion on top of it. Definitely not one to repurchase. I'm a big fan of L'Occitane Almond Oil but the same can't be said of the Lavender Shower Cream. I would use this of an evening when trying to wind down after a long day at work but I didn't really enjoy it. I found it thick but not creamy and somewhat drying afterwards. 

September Empties

Moving on to some hand products, IOMA is a brand I'd not heard of till recently and was given their Cocoon Hand Cream* at a press event. I'm fussy about my hand creams but this one past the test (the test is can I lift my mug at work after applying!). I particularly liked it's pump/nozzle which dispensed a thin 'string' of product rather than the usual blob. It was much easier to distribute and I would definitely repurchase. As I would my favourite L'Occitane Hand Cream. I've mentioned this on many occasions so I will avoid repeating myself. 

Sally Hansen Acetone Free Polish Remover is a hangover from my acrylic nail days but still does the job of removing my polish. One tip of the bottle onto a cotton pad is usually sufficient to clean 1 or 2 nails so you can see this bottle would last a long time. I don't find my nails to be too dry after using and would definitely repurchase - in fact I already have!

I'm interested to see how different October's empties will be as I seemed to have got through quite a lot this month; thank you if you've made it this far.

As always link me up to your empties post and let me know if you've tried any of these products and what you thought of them.

*PR Sample

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6 comments:

  1. Awesome empties :)
    I personally love the St. Ives scrub and the St. Tropez tanner!
    AddictedtoOPI

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. A friend of mine swears by the mousse. I have another from St Tropez I'm planning to give a whirl this weekend.

      Delete
  2. Your reviews are wonderful Victoria. I've thought about trying Angel for some time and will now have the courage to spend the $$ to take the plunge, or should I say "soar" with the Angels? Thanks for all the advise. Your comments on the scents of products is very helpful. Scent is so important to me.

    have a grand week!

    Blessings, Edie Marie

    ReplyDelete
  3. i dont mind the longer posts - i like to read about the products! have you seen the balance me limited edition box? I ordered mine yesterday :-) I currently am loving their cleansing balm and radiance face mask! X
    http://www.youbeautydiscovery.co.uk/limited-edition-box/

    ReplyDelete

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