Products I Used Up | June 2017

No, it's not a typo these are last months empties and very soon you'll have this months and a flurry of empties posts since I found a whole bag filled with my 'beauty trash' of products I've yet photographed and shared with you. If in any doubt my mission to work through the products I have before repurchasing is going well.

First we step into the bathroom and finally I have finished my Champney's Citrus Blush Shower Mousse*. I say finally only because I feel like I have been using this product, admittedly off and on, for years! This is a product I would repurchase and it's perfect for this time of year and unlike any product I've used before. If you're bored of the usual gels, then I'd say give this a try for a more luxurious shower companion. 

When I first started using wash products for 'the intimate area' I thought it would be too much bother swapping between that and a regular shower gel but it's become something I don't even realise I'm doing now. Soft & Gentle Daily Wash* is less intrusive than the more well known offering Femfresh in large part because it's less 'obvious' in the bathroom. If you're a little shy about these matters then this is the product to use. I would repurchase, although it was Femfresh I did this month only because it was on offer and cheaper.

Another month, another stick of Sure Maximum Protection and this month a small mini that I have been carrying around in my handbag to ensure that I'm not 'that commuter' on the London Underground. I think we know the answer is a resounding yes to repurchasing.

As I had a spring clean of my bathroom I was amazed how much shampoo and conditioner I had in half used states so it's been my mission to ensure that they make there way to these posts. Last month it was TIGI S Factor that I finally said goodbye to. You can read my original review of the range to find out more but the only reason I wouldn't repurchase is the packaging - no one wants to fight with a shampoo morning when they just get out of bed.

I've moved onto salt sprays in recent weeks but prior to that I was using Shea Moisture Fruit Fusion Texture Spray*. This is more subtle than a salt spray but still adds some texture and better suited to cooler weather if hair is already a little dry and brittle. You can read my review of the Shea Moisture Fruit Fusion range here. 

I've found that since returning to work I'm more active in applying hand cream once again and one I have used is Crabtree & Evelyn Pomegranate. This style of tube is one of my favorites as it's both small without lacking on product. I loved the scent of this as it was sweet and perfect for the Summer without being overpowering. 

The first three products that I used up last month you will note from my St Lucia Skincare regime and they are favourites. Liz Earle Instant Boost Skin Tonic is a long term favourite and I absolutely love it in the spritzer version. Again I'm trying to use the toners that still sit in my stash but I will certainly repurchase again in the future. Liz Earle Eyebright I'm not so sure about repurchasing. I do love it, it's fantastic when eyes are particularly suffering due to hayfever but it's a product I forget to reach for or think about it so it goes a little unloved. I think I'll see whether it's missed.

A product that is missed is the B. Effective Stubborn Make Up Remover*. I thought this was just a nice product and happily returned to the Garnier Micellar Water once it was used up but I'm not enjoying it so much and missing the former.  The B. Make Up Remover is a bi-phase solution and I find it gentler on my eyes which is what I use micellar waters and the like for. I'll definitely be repurchasing this again in the future.

Ren Glycolactic Mask I have little to say about unfortunately as I think it sat on my shelf too long and when I have attempted to use it the smell is a little off so into the bin it goes. Let me know if you've used before and whether it's something I need to seek out in the future.

Janjira Illuminating Day Cream* is a product from the stash sitting half used that needed to be used up. The packing for this product is sleek and lux and I like the pump dispenser to avoid product finding it's way under my nails. It's a nice light moisturiser to use in the warmer months when my skin is oiler and sits at a mid range price point of £24 I would think about repurchasing if there wasn't so many other offerings on the high street that I'm keen to try. Or more importantly a basket filled with moisturisers I need to use up first.

Finally is Perricone Md Blue Plasma Cleansing Treatment which I used as a second cleanse. This was an interesting product to use as my second cleanse as it's not one you use to wash off and it's somewhere between a liquid and gel that is nice to apply but I think I prefer my wash products and certainly those which aren't so expensive.

I was gutted when my travel sized Mac Fix+ came to an end and I had hoped to refill from my larger bottle but the cap has beaten me. For now I've got a couple of other fixing sprays I'd like to use first but I will be repurchasing soon as I love having this in my handbag to freshen up make up if I'm heading out after work.

As part of my declutter process I'm trying to be more diligent at discarding mascaras when they have been in use for some months and it's been a success. I don't wish to tempt fate but I've not had what was a sporadic but frequent eye infection since I've been adopting this tactic. Last months mascara empties were two from Chanel, the Le Volume Mascara and the L'Oreal Superstar. Interestingly I had the smaller travel sizes of the Chanel Le Volume and loved it but once I'd purchased full size I was less impressed and actually found it disappointing and with fall out. The L'Oreal Superstar Mascara I enjoyed and would repurchase but mindful of it's something of a faff applying the primer first and it's quite large and bulky packaging for a mascara.

Wet n Wild Illumi-Naughty Highlighting and Concealing Pen is a great concealer perfect for the better days when you've had a good nights sleep, or at least want to fake having had one. It's not a must have in that I would seek it out from a UK seller but if I come across it when I'm in the US later this year I'm sure I'll throw one into my basket.

Finally a perfume that I enjoyed but didn't love, YSL Black Opium. It's a strong heady scent with a slight sweetness so it's perfect for Summer evenings.

What products have you been using up recently?

*this post contains press samples and / or affiliate links

Head to Toe Beauty Picks

My bathroom is slowly resembling a showroom for TIGI products and it's fast becoming one of my favourite haircare brands as I'm yet to find a product I do not like. Having put aside the Totally Bleachin range whilst I wait for the sun to reappear instead I've been using TIGI S-Factor Stunning Volume Shampoo* and it's complimenting conditioner.

The TIGI S-Factor range works with a 'body-boosting formula' that adds bounce to fine and flat hair which sadly is a category my hair falls into at times. Often my fear is that these types of products are too heavy and as I am washing hair less whilst spending more time at home, again I can find it actually has an adverse effect on my hair but thanks to Pro-Vitamin B5 and natural Jojoba Oil it adds no weight and cleans hair that requires minimal styling with enhance texture and definition.

My only complaint is with the TIGI S-Factor Stunning Volume Conditioner* which is really difficult to squeeze from the bottle. I appreciate this is 'first world problems' at it's best but when I'm in the shower I don't want to struggle with packaging - especially early morning. I have worked round this by unscrewing the lid so it's a little cumbersome and not ideal but worth the extra effort.

Also from the the S-Factor range is TIGI S-Factor Smoothing Lusterizer* a product I thought I would dismiss quickly but interestingly have found it's one I reach for after washing. Again this type of product can be in danger of weighing down hair but a little goes a long way to smooth the ends of my hair and leave them looking less like theres an urgent need for a trip to the hairdresser. If that sun ever does reappear it also provides protection against heat styling tools. I find it works best for me on weight hair and I just add a little to the ends.

From head to the toes and let me tell you that nothing identifies my age more than my disinterest in wearing painful shoes. When it comes to footwear, despite acknowledging that I feel better in heels, after five minutes of wearing them I'm retreating to my comfy flats but of course some circumstances require I suck up the 'pain' and bring out the heels especially the past couple of weeks as I've been embarking on interviews in London.

One of the problems I have is the sexy affliction of wide feet, but frustratingly so not so wide that if I buy shoes with a wide feet they are actually too big for me. It's like a great game of which irritation shall I choose, too tight or too loose?

Enter Sticky Heelz* which have come in handy and allowed me to utilise a pair of heels that were slipping off my feet - no one wants to lose a shoe walking into an interview - before I'm in a position to treat myself to some new 'back to work heels'.

Sticky Heelz are a twin-pad design, one side sticks to your shoe and the other is stuck to either your foot or will work with tights. I've used in both instances and find that it works better when I'm not wearing tights and I have been wearing for short periods of time but it certainly works better than anything I've tried previously.

Each pack of Sticky Heelz contains two shoe pads and four heel pads and again, depending on how you manage you'll get a couple of wears out of them. It can be a little fiddly trying to get your foot in your shoe to line up and stick to the shoe pad but as I expect like me you're dealing with a pair of shoes that are already 'too big' you'll have some room to play around with and practice makes perfect. I'd definitely recommend giving these a try before you discard a pair of shoes that are causing you problems.

And finally the book that's kept me company whilst between meetings is Kiera Cass, The One the final instalment in The Selection series. Finally revealing 'the winner' of The Selection process and finding out finally who will become the wife of Prince Maxon I admit by this point I was bored of the series and this book. Of course being a young adult book I can argue I'm not their target audience and once again I felt it repetitive and was really not warming to America, the lead in the story.

If you're a fan of the Hunger Games or The Bachelor then you might like these series and I found it an easy read that didn't requite much concentration or brain power which was reserved for impressing future employers.

*this post contains press samples and / or affiliate links