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.  

Project Use Up

Being a bit of a beauty junkie comes with 2 main downsides the first one being storage, my ever growing collection seems to be taking up more and more space, and the second being that it's not exactly kind on the old purse strings! As I'll soon be moving house I need to tighten up my spending and the less stuff I have to pack and move the better.

So enter my solution, Project Use Up. It's pretty self explanatory really, these are the products that I need to use up before I'm allowed to buy anything similar. These are all products that for some reason or the other have been sitting around for a while feeling a bit neglected, I don't love them, but I wouldn't go as far as to say I hate them either. They just need to be used up to make room for an alternative I will love! 

First up is No7 Beautiful Skin Day Cream Dry/Very Dry Skin SPF15. I bought this last winter when my skin was going though a really dehydrated and sensitive phase in an attempt to get it back to normal. Unfortunately my skin was so sensitive at the time that when I put this on my face it just felt like it was burning! Long story short I managed to sort my skin out in the end by using  something else and this one got shoved away somewhere and was soon forgotten. It has quite a thick consistency so I think less is definitely more with this one, I'll try it out on my face again because my skin isn't at all sensitive any more but if I don't get on well with it I'll just use it on my elbows!

Next up is MAC Pro Longwear Foundation in NC45, there's nothing I dislike about this foundation, it just ends up getting neglected because I have other foundations that I like more. Seeing as there are some foundations that I'd like to try I thought I'd use this up to make room. This one might take a while as I still have more than half the bottle left! 

MAC Studio Fix Powder, I've had this one quite a while and it's served me well, but now that I favour a more natural looking complexion as apposed to my previous love of a matte complexion, this has started to feel a bit heavy. I haven't got a huge amount of this left so it won't take me long to get through it, plus it will be another empty for my back to MAC* stash. 

I find mascaras to be very much a personal preference thing, I like a wide closely packed bristle brush as apposed to a narrow plastic one like the Avon SuperExtend Extreme Mascara. I find that on me it tends to stick lashes together rather that creating a separated look. That said, it's nothing a quick comb through with a lash comb can't fix! 

I usually love everything from Soap & Glory, in fact when it comes to bath and body care, they're probably my favourite brand (alongside The Body Shop of course!). Unfortunately their Smoothie Star Deep Moisture Body Milk is an exception, I just don't like the smell at all. It has a very artificial almond smell which I think you either love or hate. I was also quite surprised and disappointed to see that it contains mineral oil, unlike their other body lotions/butters I've tried. None the less, I'll try and get though it as I have way too many body lotions on the go!

I mentioned the Ted Baker Hand Cream a few days ago in my Bedtime Beauty Post, it smells lovely but doesn't seem to really do much. As soon as a couple of hours have passed or I've washed my hands they just feel really dry again. I'll be going for something that works a bit better next time.

I don't use primers everyday, just when I need my makeup to last well or if the weather is humid. That said, I have tried quite a few and the L'Oreal Studio Secrets Smoothing Resurfacing Primer is probably my least favourite, it has quite a thick consistency compared to others and takes a bit more working into the skin. As well as that the pot is a bit difficult to use as you have to really dig your finger in to get any out! It does work though so I'll be putting in the extra effort from now on.

The last of the bunch is another foundation, it's The Body Shop Extra Virgin Minerals Cream Compact Foundation in 408 Rose Caramel. I actually really like this foundation but as the name would suggest it is very creamy so it's best suited for dry skin days. It's great for sensitive skin and so I used it constantly last winter. There isn't much left in it but I'll definitely be using it up when the weather gets colder and my skin gets drier.

* Back to MAC - Save up the containers/bottles of empty MAC products, take them all to a counter and you can exchange them for a free MAC lipstick of your choice!   

Bedside Beauty

Today I thought I'd share with you the beauty bits that live on my bedside table. I don't use all of them everyday but I like to have them to hand for when I do. 

First up is my Decorware Inc Milk Bath Remedy Candle in Sugared Hibiscus which I picked up from TK Maxx a while ago for 3.99. I can't seem to find a link anywhere to buy these online so if anyone knows where you can get them please let me know! This has a lovely sweet flowery scent that's really delicate and not at all sickly. I find burning candles before bedtime very relaxing just remember to turn them off before you fall asleep! 

If I've had a long day and just want to crash I tend to go for the Avon Naturals Lavender and Camomile Room and Linen Spray instead as the results are instant and I don't have to worry about accidentally setting the house on fire! This isn't your traditional straight up lavender scent, the addition of camomile really does add a certain something too it. I've been using this for a long time now and it's a smell that I now strongly associate with sleep, it really does help me drift off! I usually spray a couple of spritzes into the air and one onto my pillow for good measure!

Next up is my Ted Baker Hand Cream, I always have a hand cream on my bedside table, I like to try different ones and I'm not hugely fussy. This one smells nice but I'm not sure it really does much. It keeps my hands feeling soft till I wash them but once I do the skin feels really tight and parched again. I suspect the formula is full of mineral oil but I can't be sure because the tube doesn't have the ingredients listed on it. 

Lip Balm is my other bedside table essential as I always put some on every night without fail. This one is the Nivea Lip Butter in Raspberry Rose, I bought this after hearing lots of rave reviews about it on beauty blogs and I completely get why everyone loves it so much. It smells delicious, just like a yummy, creamy raspberry yoghurt! It's also super moisturising and leaves my lips feeling nice and soft come morning. My only niggle with this product? It leaves a bit of a pale cast on the lips, if you are very fair you can probably get away with it but if I put too much on I can be left looking a bit like a cricketer. Not a good look! For this reason I stick to just using it at night!

Origins Sensory Therapy Peace of Mind is an aromatherapy product in a gel formula. It has a really relaxing and soothing minty scent and is designed to be applied to pulse points and inhaled for instant calm. This is something I would never have bought for myself but it was a gift (actually it was a gift to Erik but he had no idea what it was and I promptly stole it!), but I absolutely love it! It's great after a stressful day to help calm down and it also has another great use I recently discovered. If I feel a headache coming on, I just use this and it seems to just nip it in the bud! 

Avon Nail Experts Conditioning Cuticle Pen is a much cheaper alternative to the Nails Inc version this is a simple and easy to use cuticle oil. You simple twist the bottom and the product is dispensed into the brush at the top, all you have to do is swipe it on. This really helps keep cuticles looking tidy and moisturised and encourages healthy nail growth. I wasn't using this nearly enough before as it was just bunged in with all my varnishes and I forgot about it, now that it has a new home it's being used a lot more and I've seen a huge improvement in my nails! 

Other things I have on my bedside table are a little trinket box I put my jewellery into before bed, an ipod dock which also charges my phone and whatever book/magazine I happen to be reading. I'm currently reading Story of a Shipwrecked Sailor by my favourite author Gabriel Garcia Marques and I'm really enjoying it! 

What beauty bits do you keep on your bedside table?