May I continued to make headway with my mission to use up products I own but it's always sad to see Chanel in an empties post - and costly if I'm going to repurchase!
First is
Chanel Coco Mademoiselle Twist & Spray travel set, the final bottle since recently appearing in
my April favourites. A classic signature scent that I would typically repurchasing but for now I'll be enjoying
my new Summer scents and other perfumes in my collection and I'll save the repurchase for later in the year when I hit Duty Free - now if there was ever a mission to declutter that perfume collection.
Once again another 'holy grail' and favourite product,
Chanel Les Beiges Healthy Glow Sheer Powder which due to broken packaging, not reaching for so often of late and it being the 'final dregs' I decided to say goodbye. I'm certain this will be a product I'll repurchase but for now I want to try and use and test alternative products I own before I do so. I'm not back at work and this was previously a handbag staple so I'm keen to see if it's absence becomes something I need to replace urgently.
Regular staples and repurchases come in the form of
Sure Maximum Protection Deodorant* and an evening bubble bath. This month I'd tried
Imperial Leather Relaxing Sleep Bubble Bath and unfortunately wasn't a fan. A strange gripe was that I found it 'dolloped' into the bath rather than poured out of the bottle. I don't know why this bothered me but it did. I also found it didn't create as many bubbles as I usually find with my
Radox. For now I'm enjoying
This Works Deep Sleep Bath Salts.
Two hand cream minis,
L'Occitane Vitoria Regia and
Liz Earle Orange Flower Hand Repair both of which were enjoyable but nothing I'm rushing to repurchase. I found the L'Occtane a thinner formula than Liz Earle but the latter was a perfect mini size for travel or in your handbag.
I always enjoy when I find make up appearing in my empties, and more so at the moment as I continue my declutter. With a brand new
Clarins Bronzing Duo sitting untouched in my drawer it was madness I was clinging to this older version to avoid wasting. I've spoke of the Clarins Bronzing Duo often and remembered how much I loved it
back in March this year and it'll be nice to make a dent in a fresh one.
Another product that I dread to think how old it is (but I know my Mac lipstick collection moved from my parents to my flat over 7 years ago!) is
Mac Cremesheen Lipstick in Hot Gossip. I'm quite impressed that I obviously loved this product enough to have almost used it up but somewhere along the line it had become too hot and was broke and in a right old state so I've added it to a pile of products I have to 'Back to Mac'. For fans of Syrup lipstick from Mac you might like this shade. It's lovely for this time of year.
Wet n Wild Ultimate Brow Mascara is your typical product of it's type which I enjoyed using. I have since repurchased
L'Oreal Brow Artist Plumper which is not dissimilar although as a slightly smaller wand to work with. With Wet n Wild not readily available on the high street it's not something I'd need to hunt out but I might throw one into my basket when I'm next in the US.
The Portuguese toothpaste,
Pasta Medicinal Couto was one I used for travel and in later weeks everyday to use up and it's not for me. If you're a fan of the traditional toothpastes that taste more like bicarbonate of soda them you may favour this. The tube was also a nightmare to squeeze from.
Peel of masks have been one of the latest trends and a source of great amusement of late and even my friend tagged me in one on Facebook but I'm pleased to say that
Superdrug Black Seaweed Peel Off Mask* isn't one of the pain inducing ones. If you are one of those people who was a fan of painting your hands with glue to peel off then pick up one of these affordable masks from Superdrug at just 99p.
Containing Seaweed and Sea Buckthorn which will cleanse and detox the skin I didn't find this harsh at all and skin looked fresh and cleansed. I kept on for approx 15 mins and some of the thicker parts were still a little wet and had to be washed rather than peeled off but I appreciated that it was less messy than clay masks so can certainly see the appeal.
Skincare products used up recently including
ALGENIST Genius Ultimate Anti-Ageing Cream* after using in
Center Parcs and
my previous years holidays. As I've said in previous features it's a mousse like texture which is step up from a thinner lotion but not as thick as heavier creams. It's a high end brand so perhaps a little more than I'd like to spend but never say never.
The Hero Project is a brand I only
discovered last month and the
Hyasoft Instant Moisture Boost* was my least favoured of the products. It's a gel like product, similar to Pixi's H20 Skindrink Hydration Gel which I prefer.
Dermalogica is a brand I feature regularly and their
Intensive Eye Repair* is a great eye product I enjoyed using and as you will hear me talking often in my reviews of late I do feel that I have seen a significant improvement in my fine lines around my eyes and dark circles resulting in my concealers applying far better than ever without any creasing to speak of thanks to my under eyes being so hydrated.
It may be surprising that the only purchases I made from Sephora when I visited
Las Vegas last year were from the Sephora mask range. I'm not yet fully on the sheet mask band wagon although we did enjoy one or two in St Lucia and I do appreciate them for ease.
The
Sephora Collection Eye Mask, Pomegranate and Sleeping Mask are the ones I used prior to my first day back to work and both were pleasant to use. The pomegranate masks are to 'awaken and tone the skin' and reduce the signs of fatigue so it's something I picked as I was typically in the 'always tired' camp through lack of sleep.
I used some DHC eye masks during my trip to St Lucia and they were amazing, they are scheduled for review and whilst the Sephora versions were nice enough for their price they felt inferior to the DHC offering. They felt very thin yet evident on the skin and not quite the 'right fit'. As I say these are only niggles and wouldn't stop me using nor repurchasing but not quite a must have.
The Sleeping Mask was very interesting. It's size makes it great for travel and I was able to get two uses out of this capsule. It was somewhat like applying jelly to my face and I was particularly surprised how cooling it felt on the skin so I imagine it would be a lovely product in the current weather we're experiencing in the UK.
Another sad addition to my empties bag this month was
What Skin Needs Hydrating Facial Serum* which is a saviour for tired, dehydrated or dry skin. I was introduced to the brand via PR and it's one I will repurchase in the future most certainly. You can read more about my usage
here and I won't say much more because I just might have a little giveaway featuring this product very soon.
Maybe it's my age but I'm just not jumping on the full lip bandwagon so I was less inclined to be overly impressed with
Transformulas Lip Volume* than others but I can't denying, whether that placebo effect or not as I added a swipe in the mornings by way of my skincare regime I did feel like my lips look plumper.
I used the
This Works Energy Bank Skin Glow* as part of my Holiday Skincare Regime and continued using on my return. Interestingly it reminds me of my current serum from B. which I talked about in my
New In Skincare post. This Works offers hydration but is a light formula so was perfect for the Carribean climate and would suit the current one in the UK right - the last thing I'm keen to do is pile too many oils and heavy serums onto my face. I'm also a fan of the pump dispensers. I'm currently experiencing a rage against pipettes which I find one a product gets halfway used they seem to stop picking up an product so instead I'm pouring onto my hand.
I am laughing to myself as a I have read the blurb on
A-Derma Exomega Cleansing Oil* reading to link and have had the realisation that this cleansing oil is for the body not the skin which is how I was using it. What is a shower product for eczema-prone skin I am able to tell you was amazing as a cleansing oil on my face so you could argue it does double duty. Perhaps not my smartest move and it'll teach me to read up about a product before I pile onto my face although it's a shame as I really enjoyed using this product.
Finally is a travel size of
Colab Extreme Volume Dry Shampoo* a product I will certain repurchase in it's mini form as I love to have a supply of this in my handbag of desk at work to give myself a little volume throughout the day. I have
talked about Colab many times if you'd like to read more.
There ends my bumper post of empties throughout May; what products did you use up this month?
*this post contains press sample and / or affiliate links