All Topics, Beauty

Product Empties | September & October

I only recently wrote my first ever Product Empties post and I’m not quite sure how I’ve managed to get through enough products to already be writing another one. It seems that sometimes everything just decides to give up the ghost at the same time and the last couple of weeks have definitely been an example. I guess it’s pretty lucky that I keep plenty of beauty backups for this exact reason, eh? The following are the products I’ve used up over the last couple of months and what I think of each.

Face

Sleek Lifeproof Foundation | £8.99

So I guess I cheated on this one and didn’t use the whole thing. My friend gave it to me on one of our ‘products I no longer use’ swaps (which I thoroughly recommend as you avoid waste and get to try out more products) so I received around half a bottle. I actually don’t think I ever would have thought to pick up a Sleek foundation but I was pretty impressed by this. If you’re looking for a medium coverage foundation for under a tenner that does the job and doesn’t cake, this should be a contender.

Estée Lauder Double Wear | £33.50

This is one of my firm favourites and I will of course be repurchasing (although I’ll probably wait until the nicer weather of the new year). I believe that this was my third bottle and it’s just a safe bet for lovely looking skin.

Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum Foundation | £10.99

A wonderful lightweight foundation which lasted me really well over the Summer. This isn’t one of those products that I want to scream about and recommend to everyone I know, but it is a decent drugstore foundation.

L’Oreal True Match Powder Foundation | £6.99

I’ve lost count of how many of these I’ve gotten through over the years but it’s definitely upwards of five. I find that this just adds a little extra coverage (on top of liquid foundation) and it lasts really well throughout the day. The (flip up mirror) packaging is perfect for on the go top ups if you’re anything not like me and won’t smash it about and break the pressed powder. A definite repurchase.

L’Oreal True Match Concealer | £7.99

I didn’t realise how much I like the True Match range until I sat down to feature two of it’s products after applying its foundation this morning. This isn’t a product that I’d rush out to repurchase but I definitely would consider picking it up again. It’s lightweight but does the job and I probably bought it in a L’Oreal 3for2 deal which brings the price down considerably.

Rimmel Wake Me Up Concealer | £6.49

I’m not overly bothered about this- it did the job well enough for regular use but I don’t miss it. It’s a fair product for it’s price point but it has a lot of competition. As someone with chronic dark-circles I don’t get the Wake Me Up branding either, it’s just your standard concealer and I’m not rearing to repurchase.

L’Oreal Super Liner Perfect Slim | £6.99

This is another product that I continually repurchase, who knew I loved L’Oreal so much? Not me. I’ve used this for years and haven’t found anything that compares as of yet. The ‘Perfect Slim’ is a crucial aspect for that easy sharp point liner application.

Benefit Goof Proof Brow Pencil | £20.50

This is okay but I definitely won’t be repurchasing. I typically enjoy Benefit products but do favour brow pomade over any other brow products; hence my lack of enthusiasm. I also think that the price point is absolutely crazy considering its essentially a brow pencil with a fancy formula and a slant for ease of application.

Body

Rihanna Rebelle Eau de Parfum | £20.00

A couple of years after receiving this as a Christmas present, I finally finished it. Although high-end perfumes are definitely my preference, this one has a lovely coconut like scent and is great for your day-to-day, nothing special use (although it is a little pricey for what I’d label as a cheap perfume).

Bilou Pink Melon Shower Foam | £3.99

This product scores highly for cute packaging and scent (think watermelon Wrigleys gum). Word of warning through- don’t use it in sensitive areas. Despite really enjoying this generally, I tend not to repurchase shower gels that sting because there’s no way I can be arsed to make the effort to use whole different shower gels for separate parts of my body. I also tend to steer towards slightly cheaper shower gels or foams, preferring to splash out (excuse the pun) on products that I’ll actually appreciate when I have time for baths.

Alice + Eliza Shower Gel

I tend not to feature shower gels in my empties (I say in the second shower product feature) because ordinarily my strategy involves picking up whichever is on offer whilst doing my food shop. This one though, was a gift (from Marks I think) so is pretty posh and pretty nice.

Avon Secret Fantasy Eau de Toilette | £5.50

I’ve had this so long that the branding has worn off and recently I was surprised to discover that it had retained it’s scent for all of these years. I owned this before I discovered my love for high-end perfume, leaving this little fella unloved in the back of my drawer. I won’t be repurchasing, purely because I felt that I actually had to make an effort to use it up. Saying that, if you’re on a budget or fancy picking up a perfume you can travel with and not worry about losing then this is perfect. I’ve genuinely never smelled anything nicer (in perfume not body spray form) for £5.50. This doesn’t have that cheap smell to it, so for its price its a good’un.

Skincare

Nip + Fab Dragons Fix Cleansing Pads | £6.99

These are essentially fancier versions of those cheap toner pads that my year group all used throughout high-school. I bought these a while ago because Snapchat (I think) claimed that Kylie Jenner loves them. If she does, I’m not sure why.

Doris Wagner Pore Refining Solution | £24.90

I mentioned this in my recent updated morning skincare routine, so typically it only lasted me a few days longer. Despite liking this, I’m not going to repurchase straight away, instead I’m planning on trying out alternatives to see if I can achieve more dramatic results.

Simple Replenishing Rich Moisturiser | £4.29

I mentioned this in a previous monthly highlights post, so you know I really like it. I won’t be repurchasing straight away (as I have so many others to get through) but I will be repurchasing eventually. It’s a great moisturiser for its price point.

Products Update

I really love trying out new beauty products and I’d say that consumerism is just part of my lifestyle. However, after a few months of storing all of my empties for these posts, I’m forced to throw away. I recently watched A Plastic Ocean on Netflix and although I’ve been environmentally conscious for a while now, it moved me much more than I could have anticipated. For that reason I’m currently partaking in ‘No Plastic November’. I am still using many of the plastic packaged products I already own but won’t be buying any new ones this month and I’m actively looking into more environmentally conscious brands. I’m also reducing waste in other aspects of my life and look forward to updating you with how I get on.

*  This post contains PR Samples which have been sent to review and give my honest opinion about. I was under no obligation to feature these products. All words, images and opinions about the suitability of the products are my own. Please read my full disclaimer for more information.