Empties #10

I know, I know, it's been a while. Things have been super busy but I assure you I've not fallen off the face of the earth! I'm back with a nice long empties post to make up for it! As usual I'll be talking about all the products I've used up, what I thought of them and most importantly, whether or not I'll be repurchasing them!

Anatomicals Spray Misty For Me

This moisturising facial mist was given to me by a friend who wasn't too keen on it. I enjoyed using it as a toner but I definitely still prefer the Caudalie Beauty Elixir. Repurchase? No.

Botanics 82% Organic Softening Cleanser

A lovely cream cleanser that feels a lot more expensive than it's £4 price tag. Equally good to use in the morning as in the evening to remove makeup. Repurchase? Yes.

MAC Studio Fix Powder

I'm not much of a powder wearer anyway but I particularly disliked this one, I found it to be far too heavy and cakey for my liking. It was such a pain to use up! Repurchse? No.

Avon Aero Volume Mascara

Another product I didn't get on too well with. It wasn't terrible but it just didn't do much for my lashes. Repurchase? No.

Rimmel ScandalEyes Mascara 

This mascara on the other hand, was brilliant! It lengthened, volumeised, curled and made my lashes look jet black. By far the best 'drugstore' mascara I've ever used. Repurchase? Definitely.

Botanics 100% Organic Facial Oil

Another brilliant budget skincare product from Botanics. I used this a few times a week and loved the results, it plumped up and moisturised skin and helped even out my skin tone. Repurchase? Yes.

Sephora Exfoliating Cream Cleanser

I bought this cleanser quite a while ago and used it more as a mask to allow the exfoliating enzymes time to get to work. I enjoyed using it but have since found other masks that give me better results. Repurchase? No.

Lee Stafford Frizz Off Treatment

It's no secret that I love Lee Stafford products, I rave about them endlessly here on the blog but unfortunately this one wasn't for me. Although it did smooth out my hair a bit it didn't give it enough moisture or nourishment. This one would be great for those who have hair that's slightly unruly but not particularly dry. Repurchase? No.

Lee Stafford Shine Head Spray Shine

I've been using this hair shine spray for years and love it. I've lost count of the amount of times I've repurchased it. I have however recently discovered a similar product I love even more, the Argan Oil Anti Frizz Serum Spray (full review here) that one adds shine too but also moisturises hair, protects it against humidity, reduces frizz and I prefer the scent so I'll be buying it instead! Repurchase? No

Redken All Soft Supple Touch

A lightweight, cream textured, leave in conditioner. The product is lovely, it moisturises hair and controls frizz but the packaging is very annoying. The spray pump kept getting clogged up with product so I had to take it off and pour it into my hand. Not ideal! I'm not sure if this happens to all of them or if it was just mine but either way it meant I ended up using the product less often than I wanted too. Repurchase? No.

Clarins Hand and Nail Treatment Cream

I loved this hand cream, it was a mini that I got as part of a GWP that quickly became a handbag staple. It did everything a hand cream should do and smelt great too! Repurchse? Yes.

Estee Lauder Beyond Paradise

I was given this mini as a gift, it came in a set with a few other EL fragrances but this was the one that immediately stood out to me. I just love it! I've since bought the full sized version so I'll be doing a full on review soon. Repurchase? Already have!

The Body Shop Aloe Eye Defence

I seem to have used up a lot of budget skincare lately! This was a great sensitive skin friendly, hydrating eye cream that performed just as well as a lot of the high end eye creams I've tried. Repurchase? Yes.

Avon Naturals Lavender and Chamomile Room & Linen Spray

A relaxingly scented spray I spritz onto my pillow before bedtime, it relaxes me and sends me off to sleep. Maybe it's just phycological but who cares if it works! Repurchase? Yes.

What have you used up recently?

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Redken All Soft Supple Touch Review

This little gem, Redken All Soft Supple Touch has been my autumn/winter hair saviour. At times when the elements have been against me this has been well and truly on my side! 

Miserable weather over here usually consists of rain, drizzle or just a general dampness in the air. Which means my naturally curly hair frizzes up like crazy and resembles a dead animal on my head! That's where this wonderful product comes in, described as a softening cream-spray for dry/brittle hair, a few quick spritizes  smoothes out frizz and leaves a gentle wave behind instead, it's also really moisturising so it works a bit like a leave in conditioner as well. 

I often use it post hair serum, pre blow dry but mostly I use it for frizzy touch ups. When the weather is really bad this travels around with me in my handbag! On the rare occasions that I do wear my hair curly this works as a brilliant second day curl reviver. 

The only downside to this product? The pump spray seems to get clogged up quite often, which is really annoying! I've unclogged it with a pin a few times but when I'm in a rush I've had to resort to unscrewing the top, pouring a bit out, and working it into my hair with my hands, not ideal, but still a great product. 

Empties #4

I've been trying to use things up and avoiding buying new  products recently in an attempt to prepare for my house move next month. Here's what I've recently got through.

Ted Baker Hand Cream

I touched on this in my Project Use Up post, it's a decent hand cream which smells nice but doesn't seem to do much longterm. Repurchase? No.

Redken Extreme Shampoo

This protein enriched shampoo is brilliant for strengthening damaged hair (full review here). A little goes a long way with this one so it's lasted ages! Repurchase? Definitely. 

Caudalie Gentle Cleansing Milk

I feel like I haven't stopped talking about this stuff recently, it's a new descovery and I absolutely love it, massaged on and flanneled off it removes all traces of makeup and leaves skin feeling silky soft. (full review here) Repurchase? Already have!

Aussie 3 Minute Miracle Reconstructor

I loved this conditioner years ago and never used to use anything else but after trying it out again recently I don't love it quite as much. Most probably because I've tried a lot of other conditioners since and my hair is in a lot worse condition! That said it does leave hair feeling soft and lightly fragranced. Repurchase? Maybe, but there are some others I want to try first.

Sephora Express Body Scrub & Mask

I picked this up when I went to France in the summer and had very high hopes for it but unfortunately I wasn't that impressed. It's a 2 in 1 product that contains traditional exfoliating grains as well as exfoliating AHA fruit acids and can be used as either a scrub or a mask. For me it didn't do much because I like scrubs which are quite course and really 'scrubby' and found this one was too gentle for my liking. I didn't find the AHAs to do much either. Repurchase? No

Kerastase Reflection Chroma Cristal

This one was unfortunately another disappointment, I usually love all Kerastase products but this one is the exception. It's a shine perfecting mist take settles into two parts that you shake before you use. I found it to be very watery and therefore cause my hair to get a bit damp, obviously not ideal if you've just spent ages straightening your hair! It also doesn't leave a great finish, I much prefer my Lee Stafford Shine Spray which is a third of the price! Repurchase? Definitely not.

Schwarzkopf Got2b Oil-licious Styling Oil

This is a great budget argan oil serum, I've been using a few pumps on damp hair before blow drying and it leaves hair with a lovely finish. full review here. Repurchase? Definitely

The Body Shop Extra Virgin Minerals Cream Compact Foundation

It's not often I get through a foundation because I have quite a few on the go but I really enjoyed using this one on sensitive and dry skin days. It's very moisturising and leaves skin with a dewy finish (oily skinned girls this is definitely not for you. This was the only thing that worked for me when my skin was reacting to everything. Repurchase? Yes, if my skin gets reactive again.

Bobbi Brown Tinted Moisturising Balm 

This technically isn't an empty because I still have more than half the pot left, but I've had it a while and it has separated so definitely needs getting rid of. I didn't use it because it just didn't work for me, I found it to be very greasy and not last very long on the skin. Someone once told me it made my skin 'glisten like a basted turkey' needless to say I never used it again! Repurchase? No

The Body Shop Vitamin E Lip Care

This is a brilliant lip balm that actually treats dryness rather than just keeping lips comfortable till it disappears. It doesn't have a fragrance and leaves lips with a natural finish meaning it's great under lipsticks and on girls and guys alike. Repurchase? Definitely.  

My Favourite Shampoos

My hair is pretty awful, it's course, frizzy and very dry. To make matters worse, I colour it, blow dry it and straighten it, so left to it's own devices, it resembles brittle straw.

After a lot of experimenting I've finally found 2 shampoos that work amazingly well for me. The first is Redken Extreme Shampoo which contains protein to help strengthen weakened hair, I felt a major improvement after using it for just a few weeks, my hair was breaking less and felt more resilient.

The second is Kerastase Nutritive Bain Oleo-Relax Smoothing Shampoo, which is formulated for dry, course and rebellious hair. This is hands down, the best shampoo I've ever tried, I've been using it for a really long time and have repurchased it more times than I can count! I leaves hair feeling clean but also really soft and nourished, which makes styling a lot easier. I don't know how it works, it just does!  

With both of these shampoos, a little goes a long way as they foam up really well, so a bottle lasts a lot longer than most, making them worth the higher price tag. I tend to alternate them, which I find works the best for me, my hairdresser informed me that you shouldn't use protein products too much because your hair needs moisture as well as strength.