The Beauty Scenario Tag

I was tagged by the amazingly awesome Sheri to do the Beauty Scenario tag! This tag was created by one of my favourite youtubers, Lily Pebbles, and basically asks you what you would do in a number of beauty related scenarios! Let's dive in!

1. You have to get rid of all your foundations and only keep one high end and one drugstore. Which do you keep?

I don't own too many foundations, and only one or two that actually suit my skintone at the moment, so both of these sort of 'won' by default - though I do love both of them! For drugstore, I would keep the Neutrogena Healthy Skin Liquid makeup in the shade Natural Beige. Firstly, it's really hard to get here in Australia, so I would definitely want to keep it. I do really love its medium coverage, dewy/satin finish and the shade is spot on for me. I actually only own one high-end foundation being the Arbonne Perfecting Liquid Foundation* in shade Honey Beige. I do really like this foundation, it has good medium if not slightly more coverage and a nice satin finish that lasts really well on the skin.

2. You go to an interview and the lady interviewing you has lipstick on her teeth. Do you approach the subject or ignore it completely?

I would definitely ignore it completely for a number of reasons. Firstly, wouldn't it be awkward telling a complete stranger they have lipstick on their teeth in general, let alone an interview situation? Like "oh, I'm gonna have to interrupt you, you have lipstick on your teeth", I think it would be quite embarrassing for them and just plain awkies. I'd tell a friend any day but in this case, nup.

3. You're not feeling yourself and you need a pick me up lipstick. Which do you go for?

I would definitely go for a bold lipstick shade. I actually think that my lips are one of my best features, my eyes and eyelashes are not great, and I really don't have great bone structure, so I actually do feel pretty good when I put on a nice, bold lipstick to draw attention to my lips. I particularly love matte shades as I know they'll be longer lasting, and less likely to transfer onto my teeth/move around! I really like my corals/oranges and deep berry, plums. Just a couple of my faves are the Revlon Colorburst Matte Balm in Audacious and the Wet n Wild Megalast Lip Colour in the shade Sugar Plum Fairy.

4. You go back in time for a day to your teenage years; how would you do your hair and makeup differently? 

Weeeeell considering I'm still in my teenage years, I wasn't sure how to answer this. I think I was pretty lucky because I only started wearing makeup after I got into beauty Youtube channels and blogs, so I did have a basic knowledge of dos and don'ts, and I don't think I looked terrible? Hopefully? I will say that I was a stinge and didn't buy a whole lot of the essentials. I used to fill in my eyebrows with black eyeliner...Eek! But the eyeliner was pretty crappy - not very pigmented or creamy, and I brushed the heck out of them with a spoolie, so I didn't have crazy black eyebrows at least! I would go back and just be like, buy an eyebrow pencil or kit bro, just do it. Oh I used to also wear the original Garnier BB Cream which was quite orange, sheer and made me quite oily. I would stop that right in its tracks!

5. You ask your hairdresser for a shoulder length Pixie Lott cut, but they hear you wrong and give you a pixie hair cut. Do you a) Smile, say thank you, leave and call your Mum crying hysterically, b) Cry in the chair and things get awkward or c) Complain to the Manager and demand a refund? 

Now, realistically, I would hopefully notice them getting too short and stop them, but I'll go with the hypothetical. I think I would be a combination of a few of the options. Considering my hair is pretty long, and they cut basically all of it off, I'd like to think that I'd be like, "What?! Umm, I asked for a shoulder length hair cut, not a Pixie cut!", and hopefully the hairdresser would react and give me a refund. I probably wouldn't get all up in their grill and demand a refund but bish cut off all my hair, I would be pissed! Knowing me though, I'd probably chicken out and go for option a, but I don't think I'd be crying hysterically. I am super shy and literally suck at asking for things. My mum would probably then come out and demand a refund lol, that's just who she is.

6. Your friend surprises you with a 4 day city break and you have 1 hour to pack. Which 'do it all' palette do you pack in your makeup bag?

I would definitely grab the theBalm Balm Jovi palette. It literally has every colour product in it - an amazing range of eye shadow shades and finishes, a highlighter, blush and two lip colours that you could also use on your cheeks. Also, it's super thin and travel friendly!

7. Your house has been robbed (don't worry, everyone is safe) and your beauty stash has been raided. What's the product your really hope is safe?

Basically anything that's remotely expensive or limited edition, because I probably couldn't afford to repurchase right away, or it's no longer available! I have a couple of products that I'd really, really hope were safe; the Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush in Exposed because these are still really hard to get here in Australia, and my friend got it for me all the way over in New York, and the Estee Lauder Signature Lipstick in Venetian Rose because I love the colour (it's the perfect nude-y peach) and it's a discontinued shade.

8. Your friend borrows your makeup and returns it in awful condition. Do you a) Just pretend you haven't noticed, b) Ask them to repurchase it or c) Secretly do the same to something of theirs?

Well certainly not c, because that's just plain rude. I would only really lend my makeup to close friends, and people I would trust with it. Also, I think that hopefully they would notice if they'd completely wrecked my product and offer to replace it anyways. Besides, they're my friend, and I think we would be on good enough terms that I could just ask them to repurchase it for me, if it was really ruined. 

That was a pretty fun and interesting tag to do, thanks Sheri for tagging me. I tag Vanessa, Jen, Nhi, Yige and Monica & Linny if you guys haven't already done it, and anyone else who would like to!

*Product was sent for consideration.

Monthly Favourites // January 2014

Yo y'all! We have come to the end of another month, and it brings the first monthly favourites of the year! Surprisingly for the first time, it actually feels like a new year (usually it takes me a bit of a while to get to grips with a new year). I've just started my final year of high school which I'm still in denial about :S but anyways let's get on to the faves! I have quite a few from my 2013 yearly favourites and also a couple of new products.

Biore UV Perfect Face Milk

This has been an absolute staple lately whenever I step outside. The Summer sun has been beating down and SPF is a must! This one is amazing, providing a very high SPF of 50+ PA+++ but honestly feels like nothing on the skin. It's an extremely thin, liquidy product that feels matte, almost velvety as you blend it into the skin and then proceeds to sink into the skin and mattify slightly.

Neutrogena Healthy Skin Liquid Makeup

Since I've been on school holidays, whenever I went out I opted for foundation. This one has been a go-to for me lately as it is pretty much a perfect colour match for me right now, it offers a good medium coverage or better and has a very natural, not too dewy or matte finish.

Heroine Make Mineral BB Loose Powder

This is essentially like a loose powder foundation but with the coverage of a BB cream. It's my first loose base product and it has been a nice experience! When paired with other products with a light coverage (BB creams) it gives a good medium/full coverage, or it can be worn alone with concealer for a similar coverage to a BB cream. Also I find it has quite good lasting power/oil control and it has a natural finish which isn't too matte!

Jane Iredale Bronzing Powder in So Bronze 1

Another multiple repeat favourite but I think I've become addicted to bronzer! I used to hardly wear bronzer as I thought I was already 'tan' enough, but I find the warmth and natural colour it gives the face is so pretty. I find my makeup looks incomplete without it! I've been wearing it every time I wear makeup.

Illamasqua Concealer in shade CC325

I picked this up on a whim to try my hand at some cream contouring. It's the darkest brown shade I own which is good as I've found others I own (Sleek Contour Kit in Light) to be only a bit darker than my skintone. The formula of this is quite a dry, stiff cream, one that I imagine wouldn't work too well as a concealer. I find it lasts extremely well on the skin (better than some powders) as it seems to just stick to the skin. I apply it with the Real Techniques Contour Brush which applies it really precisely but still blends the edges well.

Max Factor Miracle Touch Creamy Blush in Soft Pink

A lovely warm pink shade that I've been wearing a lot lately as it complements quite a few of the lip shades I wore this month. The cream applies really well with a stippling brush and stays creamy without being too dewy.

Lorac Pro Eyeshadow Palette
I know, I know, could I mention this any more times? For eyeshadow this month though, I've pretty much been reaching for these solely along with some other cream eyeshadows. My particular favourite shades this month were Taupe and Gold. Taupe being an amazing crease shade for pretty much any look and Gold which can be a pretty intense coppery gold shade. I've been loving wearing it on the outer half with a lighter shade all over.

L'oreal Telescopic Waterproof Mascara
Ironically, if I were to ever do a disappointing products post, this would probably make it. It's been hyped up a lot by the likes of Anna from Vivianna Does Makeup and Suzie from Hello October (whose videos I've been OBSESSED with lately), but at first I honestly almost hated this mascara. With time though, it has gotten better, but it's still not my favourite. It's the only waterproof mascara I have open at the moment though and WP is a must if I want to hold a curl. It can be a bit clumpy on the lashes which is probably due to the brush which I do hate, but I just comb them through and it slightly lengthens and thickens my lashes naturally.

Dusk Tropical Summer Candle
Although it has been blazingly hot, there have been the occasional rainy or bearable day when I like to burn a candle. Tropical Summer is a really lovely light and crisp scent, whilst still being a bit fruity. The scent throw is awesome on this and it actually burns really slowly so you get quite a few hours out of a rather small candle!

Disney's Frozen
I saw this last week and oh my goooooosh it was ADORABLE. Also it had an awesome story line that was a bit different to your typical Disney love story. Anna is so quirky and I love her, and Olaf and Kristoff and Elsa - PRETTY MUCH EVERYONE. The music is so good too, I've been rocking out to it for the past week and a bit, and the songs have been stuck in my head constantly!

What have your new year faves been?

The Standouts of 2013

Hello 2014! I hope you guys all had a happy new year! I cannot believe another year has been and gone, and it will probably take me a while for the fact that we are in 2014 to sink in. Anyways lets live in the past and take a look at my most favoured products from 2013! I haven't covered all categories as I didn't necessarily have a FAVOURITE favourite for every area. Despite that, I still had trouble narrowing things down so you're in store for quite a few products! Also, I haven't touched on tools or skincare, haircare, bodycare or nails. For tools, pretty much all Real Techniques and for skincare, check out my skincare routine posts here, here and here. Reviews have been linked where applicable! Let's jump in!

Face:

• Laura Mercier Foundation Primer
• Maybelline Dream Pure BB cream in shade Medium
• Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum Foundation in shade Light Beige
• Neutrogena Healthy Skin liquid makeup in shade Natural Beige

I find the Laura Mercier primer generally good at prolonging the wear of foundation and keeping it looking better for longer. My BB cream favourite was hard to choose, but I found myself reaching for the Maybelline a lot. Good colour, coverage and finish. Foundation wise, for a lot of the year the Bourjois was a go-to but I found the shade quite light towards the end of the year. I've used it by mixing with other products and a hefty load of bronzer. Lovely finish on the skin and a nice light-medium buildable coverage. The Neutrogena is pretty much a spot on colour and offers a good medium coverage with a very natural skin like finish. Not too dewy or too matte.

Cheeks:

• Models Prefer Desk to Date
• The Balm Instain Blush in Toile
• Essence Silky Touch blush in Natural Beauty
• Sleek Contour Kit in Light
• Jane Iredale Bronzing Powder in So-Bronze 1
• The Balm Mary Lou-Manizer

I am a self-professed blush junkie but these three were probably my most worn. I like Desk to Date for an easy, goes-with-everything light peachy pink, Toile for something slightly brighter but still natural and Natural Beauty for a bit of a 'nothingy' cheek - it's the perfect blend of a blush, bronzer and highlighter in one. For contouring my main favourite has been the Sleek (mainly just the contour shade), a nice brown that isn't hard to work with and creates a natural looking shadow. For bronzing all over the face, Jane Iredale has been my pick. A nice warm brown that is only slightly darker than my skintone and gives warmth and colour to the face. Highlighter fave is hands down Mary Lou-Manizer. It provides an amazing champagne-golden glow which I love.

Eyes:

• Essence I love Stage Eyeshadow Base
• Estee Lauder Pure Color Stay-on Shadow Paint in shade Halo
• Maybelline Color Tattoo in shade Bad to the Bronze
• MAC eyshadow in shade All that Glitters
• Essence Gel Eyeliner in shade BBC All Night Brown
• Napoleon Perdis Ultimate Nude Palette
• Lorac Pro Palette, particularly shades Taupe, Espresso, Gold, Lt. Bronze and Pewter
• Dolly Wink Eyebrow Powder in shade Dark Chocolate

The sadly discontinued Essence eye primer has been my most used and loved this year. My two favourite cream shadows were from Estee Lauder and Maybelline. Bad to the Bronze made the perfect single shadow eye look while Halo was both a great base and all over lid shade. All that Glitters was definitely a favourite - I love the pinky-beige metallic colour! Also discontinued is the Essence Gel Liner which I used quite often for both a winged liner and smudged on the lower lashline. The deep bronzy brown made for a perfect casual liner look. The Napoleon palette is filled with matte shades which I used both on their own or to accompany other eyeshadows. Also filled with mattes is the Pro Palette which contains a bevy of shades to create a multitude of looks! Also some of the best formulas were found in this palette. Pretty much the only thing to grace my eyebrows was the Dolly Wink powder - perfect shade for my black hair!

Lips:

• Essence lipstick in shade All about Cupcake
• L'oreal Nutri-shine balm in shade Nudy Coral
• Estee Lauder Signature Hydralustre Lipstick in Venetian Rose
• L'oreal Nutri-shine Lipstick in shade Pink Nude
• Estee Lauder Signature Hydralustre Lipstick in Soft Amethyst
• NYX Butter Gloss in shade Peaches and Cream
• Witchery Lip Gloss Wand in shade Blossom
• Nivea Lip Butter

All about Cupcake and Nudy Coral were probably my most worn lipsticks of the year. All about Cupcake being the perfect my-lips-but-better (and more pink) and Nudy Coral being a lovely tinted lip balm with the tiniest hint of colour. Venetian Rose is sadly discontinued but is probably the best peachy nude I've come across so far. It's not really nude but it's really the perfect neutral peach for my skin tone! Pink Nude is just a beautiful colour. It's got hints of pink and peach, with a neutral tone - lurve it! For the wearable purply-plum lip, my fave has to be Soft Amethyst. Lovely formula and really flattering! It's purple without being PURPLE. The NYX gloss has a lovely texture and the colour is just really lovely. The Witchery gloss however, is the lipgloss that got me liking lipglosses. Probably my favourite lipgloss formula yet (though the NYX is rivaling it) - thin, non-sticky and pigmented. The Nivea lip balm has definitely been my fave. My lips have been very fussy and lip balms that I used to love seemed to irritate my lips. The Lip Butter saved my lips and has been pretty much the only balm I've used since!

Fragrance:

• Elizabeth Arden Green Tea Camellia

This scent has definitely been my most used. It's light, summery and really nice for every day wear.

So that concludes my beauty favourites for the year that was! I will be doing a part two concerning more 'entertainment' favourites I guess you could call them, including favourite TV shows, books, movies and other varying ways to procrastinate.

What have been your favourite products of 2013?

Skincare Routine | Morning

Hello all! Today's post will be the first in my skincare routine 'series'. There will be three; my morning routine, night routine and extra products I often use. In this post I'll be sharing the skincare products I use every morning!

Starting out with cleansers:

Clearasil Daily Clear Vitamins & Extracts Daily Wash

Lately, this cleanser has been my pick for morning time cleansing. It is a nice light, creamy texture that smells divine! I find it very gentle, and if I have any eye makeup that has appeared after sleep, I can remove it with this. It doesn't dry out my skin at all and in fact feels moisturising. My skin feels clean and refreshed! I also think that is does help somewhat with acne, my skin has been quite well behaved since using this consistently. It also functions as a mask, but I don't find it too effective in that regard.

Some other cleansers I like using in the morning are:

Clarins Cleansing Milk with Alpine Herbs

This is a really light, liquidy milk that is very gentle and can also be used around the eyes. In the mornings I look for very light cleansers as there isn't much dirt or makeup that needs to be removed, just the previous night's skincare and any yuckies that have accumulated overnight. This work really well!

Natural Instinct Foaming Cleanser (Full review)

When I feel like my skin is a bit oilier, I use this cleanser as it is foaming. It doesn't dry out my skin at all but it helps if my skin is feeling particularly oily. Like the others, it is light, refreshing and gentle around the eyes.

Toner time! I have full reviews of both of these toners which will be linked so I won't talk too much about them.

Natural Instinct Clarifying Toner (Full review)

This is my preferred of the two, but I'm running out of it! I'll probably repurchase it once I get the chance. I find this tones and refreshes the skin well, and doesn't leave the skin feeling dry or tight at all.

T.N. Dickinson's Witch hazel toner (Full review)

This one does contain alcohol so I do find my skin is left on the dry side, not tight or uncomfortable, but it is dry. It is an effective toner and I will continue to use it, but won't be repurchasing.

Indeed Labs Hydraluron

This is a hydrating serum that has gotten so much hype and good grace throughout the beauty community, particularly from Caroline Hirons ie. skincare goddess. To be completely honest, I'm not really sure I notice any difference in my skin when I use this, possibly my skin feels a little softer and slightly more hydrated, but nothing substantial. My skin is combination, oily in the t-zone and normal everywhere else. Maybe it's not really suited for my skin type, and I guess I was expecting miracles from this product.

Garnier Dark Spot Corrector Daily Illuminating Moisturiser (Full review)

I love this moisturiser, and this is my second tube. I find this helps brighten my face, even out my skintone and help fade acne scars. I have been using this for a long time (since the beginning of the year) and I can't really say that it totally makes my scars disappear, but it helps a lot. It's a nice moisturiser for day time too. It's lightweight and doesn't make my skin oily.

Lush Grease Lightning (Full review)

I don't hate this product nor do I love it. I find it works decently but not amazingly. I'm using it to finish it but won't repurchase. If you have spot treatment recommendations, let me know!

Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Suncreen

This is my second mini sample tube. I actually got my mum to get the gift too haha so I've been scraping out every last drop. I really like this sunscreen and it's not greasy or thick like others can be. I would purchase the full size, but I'm going to Hong Kong later this month and would prefer to try out some Asian SPFs which seem awesome! This one is definitely my favourite that I've tried so far though.

I hope you guys liked my first installment of my skincare 'series'. The others will be up soon!

What are your favourite products for the morning?

Healthy Skin is Happy Skin

Hi guys! Today I have a foundation review for you all. It is the Neutrogena Healthy Skin foundation. Sadly, Neutrogena's makeup range is not available in Australia (I wish it was!) so I was ecstatic when Cherie from Cherry Picking offered me hers. She very kindly gave me it as it was too dark for her. So, thank you so much Cherie, as it seems to be a near perfect match for me!

First up, the packaging. It comes in a glass bottle with no pump, and actually quite an inconvenient, large opening that doesn't make for easy foundation pouring. The packaging is quite simple and clean looking though, with a silver lid. It still contains the standard 30mL of product but the bottle itself is quite short and fat.

I have the shade 60 Natural Beige which, like I said, is a near perfect match for me! It's quite yellow toned, but I do believe that the Healthy Skin shade range is decent, offering both pink and yellow toned shades. 

The foundation claims include having an 'exclusive blend of antioxidants', an SPF of 20 and a lightweight, silky formula. The SPF 20 is a nice inclusion, however I've grown accustomed to wearing a higher SPF (30+) everyday anyways. Also, I've found this does flashback slightly, not anything drastic or ghost like, but my face does seem a bit paler in flash photography. I would agree with the lightweight and silky formula. It is quite a thin consistency, but not runny as it still has a creamy element to it. I find it blends and applies really well with fingers or a brush (my trusty Real Techniques Buffing Brush). This foundation also has a scent which I find quite pleasant actually! It's a bit fruity with hints of berry, but very light and not too offensive in my opinion.

 I feel the coverage offered is nearer the medium side of light-medium, but it is buildable. It covers most imperfections like redness, but I find I need an additional concealer for any acne or dark acne scarring.The finish is very natural looking. It's not totally 'skin-like' and is detectable on the skin, but not mask like at all. I would describe it as having a satin finish, it's not as glowy or dewy as the Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum or the Rimmel Wake Me Up. It simply looks very healthy and radiant as the name would suggest!

I find this foundation wears really well on my combination skin. I do find that I do get a bit shiny after about 4 hours of wear (set with a powder) but my face isn't overly greasy, nor does this product make my face more oily, it just doesn't control oil very well. I would say that oily skins could probably still wear this, but with a good primer and setting powder. It lasts me the full ten hours and still looks pretty reasonable at the end of the day, without touch ups. It doesn't fade or accentuate dryness as it wears either, which is a plus!

I really like this foundation! I find it's a really good middle-of-the-road foundation in terms of coverage, finish and longevity/wear. Thank you so much again Cherie for giving me this, as I don't think I would have had the opportunity to try it otherwise! 

Have you tried this foundation and/or any Neutrogena makeup products?

Monthly Favourites | August 2013

And so comes the end to another month! We are getting closer and closer to the end of 2013 - shocker!! I don't have very many new favourites this month, but I have also been testing quite a few new products which will probably crop up in next month's faves. Onto the goods!

First up my skincare favourite of the month has been the Soap & Glory Night in shining armour cream. I haven't done a full review on this yet but it's a work in progress! I've been thoroughly enjoying using this cream lately (not just through August). It's a pretty basic night cream as it does what it's meant to - moisturise the skin really well. I've also really been liking mixing in Rosehip oil to add a teensy bit more moisture but also to aid with dark spot correction.

A new product I've been using is the Laura Mercier Foundation Primer which my sister gave me. I hardly use primers, the only other one I've tried is the Napoleon Perdis Auto Pilot which I honestly found to do nothing for me. This one I find helps more so in the longevity department. I find my foundation just wears better and looks better by the end of the day when I use this primer. I'll probably do a full review on this one also, so keep an eye out!

My brush fave this month has been the Real Techniques Deluxe crease brush from the Starter set which I just reviewed. I really like using this for applying and blending out concealer. It's much quicker and easier than using fingers and it lends a much more flawless finish.

I've also really liked using the Neutrogena Hand Cream this month which I got in the sample pack a few months ago. I don't love this all over the hands, but more so in particular dry areas. The texture is quite weird, very thick and ointment like. It doesn't spread very well over the hands. It doesn't leave a very greasy or sticky residue though. Lately parts of my hands have been quite dry and itchy and I find this has been soothing those areas quite well.

A repeat offender in the favourites department is the Lancome Hypnose Precious Cells mascara. I seriously love this stuff! I am treasuring my little sample tube, haha, despite my love I don't think I could ever (at least in the near future) shell out that much on a mascara. I've talked about it enough but I seriously love the natural, thickened and fluttery lashes this gives me. Also no smudging - bonus!

The blush I've been using pretty much everyday this month is the Estee Lauder Tender Blusher in Fresh Plum. This has been discontinued unfortunately :( and it's actually my mum's haha, but I adore the shade! It is a lovely dusty plum/mauve perfect for the cooler weather (which will soon be gone)! Despite its deeper, cooler tone it was still quite brightening on the face and also quite natural. 

The perfect complement to that blush is the Estee Lauder Signature Hydralustre lipstick in Soft Amethyst. I've worn this lipstick all through Autumn/Winter so it's more of a seasonal favourite than a monthly one, but I still wanted to mention it! It's a gorgeous plummy mauve shade that is purple but very wearable and nice for any occasion!

The other lipstick I've been reaching for a lot this month is another repeat fave, the Essence lipstick in All about Cupcake. This is a great shade that I gravitate towards all the time. It's a pinky-nude shade which I find is a great My-lips-but-pinker shade. It is sheer and glossy with a slight moisturising factor.

Hand cream, All about cupcake, Soft Amethyst, Fresh Plum

I also want to sneak in a bit of an UNfavourite this month - not makeup related- but it was hands down the The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones movie which came out recently. I have been reading the books (currently on the latest one!) and have been really enjoying them. I was super excited for the movie but honestly, and many a fan (of the books) can attest, that it was a complete and utter fail. It did not stay true to the plot of the books, most of the acting was poorly and there was hardly any chemistry between the main couple. They completely butchered the plot! They put things in from two books away, and spoiled major aspects of the future story lines. The only good thing about the movie was Robert Sheehan (who played Simon) because he is such a cutie and honestly one of the only good actors in the movie. I would not recommend seeing this movie, but if you do, please don't judge the books on the merit of the movie! The books are very good! Rant over, haha.

Ugh, I can't bear to look at it.

Those were my favourites for the month of August! I expect I'll have a much more exciting one for next month - yay Spring!

What have you guys been loving this month?

Empties #2

Hey guys! Today I have another empties post as it has been about 3 months since my last one! I finished up a few products but I also culled a few makeup items from my collection! Let's get into it!

Hair and body first!

Salon Professional Repair Mask:

This was a small size hair mask which I used up. I quite liked this and it claimed to repair the hair, etc. but you can't really tell if it does can you? I found that it was only slightly more moisturising than my conditioner so I didn't find it particularly great as a mask. As expected though, it left my hair feeling soft and nourished.

Repurchase? No, there are better hair masks out there.

Organic Everescents Organic Bergamot Conditioner:

I finished up a travel size (100mL) of this conditioner for normal/dry hair. I really like this brand as it is totally organic, no sulphates, etc however I did not really like this product. I found that it didn't really do anything for my hair - it sort of just went on then rinsed out, without providing any moisture. I ended up using this to clean my brushes in the end. I have tried the moisturising shampoo and conditioner from this brand which I much prefer!

Repurchase? No

Neutrogena Sport Face Sunscreen:

This actually isn't empty but rather expired (about a year ago too...whoops!). I really enjoyed this sunscreen however I like the Dry Touch one much better (also from Neutrogena). I find this one is slightly more greasy, but not at all bad for wearing under makeup.

Repurchase? No

Crabtree & Evelyn Summer Hill Body wash:

Another mini body wash, this one also from a gift set I received. I like to alternate between body washes and the Dove beauty bars so I'm mostly trying to use them up! They're all pretty much the same to me, and the scent wasn't bad but I got pretty bored with it.

Repurchase? Nope, already moved on to other body washes!

Some skincare - yay!

Garnier Dark Spot corrector:

I've already got a review up here so I won't talk too much about it. I thoroughly enjoyed this product and loved it as a morning time moisturiser. I found it actually really did help with my acne scarring in lightening it, however it did not totally diminish them. 

Repurchase? I already have!

Origins Super Spot Remover:

I also have a review on this here. I found this a little bit underwhelming probably due to the fact that it was very raved about. It wasn't a bad spot treatment by any means, but I found it didn't clear up spots that quickly, and they still left scars.

Repurchase? Not at the moment, I wouldn't rule it out, but I definitely want to try others first.

Clinique All about eyes eye cream:

Another sample size, however this one lasted legit AGES. I swear, eye cream samples are, like, a full size product in themselves. I found this moisturising and if I put it on on a late night or before an early morning (pretty much if I'm not going to get much sleep) it helped prevent the puffy eyes I tend to get. I don't have problems with dark circles so I can't comment on that.

Repurchase? I've actually got another of these waiting in the wings, but I probably wouldn't purchase it - it's expensive and I like trying new things!

The next three products I spoke about in my Little Luxuries post so I won't ramble too much!

Clinique Moisture surge intense:

Lovely moisturiser! Very light on the skin, but intensely moisturising!

Repurchase? I would consider in the future, however I've got another night cream I'm using now.

SKII Cellumination Essence and Whitening Source Derm Brightener:

Honestly, I didn't notice anything drastic with these products. They are only sample sizes so they didn't have a lot of opportunity to work wonders. I noticed maybe, a slight, brightening effect with the Cellumination Essence, but not much. I'm actually using another of the Cellumination Essence, so we'll see how it goes!

Repurchase? No, they are very expensive and I wasn't impressed with the samples.

Maybelline Baby lips in Mango Pie:

I've finished about five tubes of this stuff (different flavours) and I used to be infatuated! However, I've come to quite dislike the formula. It is quite cream-y as opposed to a gel or a balm and inexplicably it feels weird on my lips, coupled with the scent and taste of the product. Not a bad lip balm at all and I like the inclusion of SPF 15 however I feel I have out grown these!

Repurchase? Maybe in the future, but probably only the menthol flavour as that was my favourite.

Estee Lauder More Than Mascara:

I do believe that this has been discontinued but this was my favourite mascara at one point. I loved the very natural, fluttery lash look it gave me with no clumps in sight! It didn't flake or smudge on me and I absolutely love the wand. I do think that this has a nourishing formula for the lashes? I actually did notice that my baby lashes grew quicker with this (maybe it's my imagination?).

Estee Lauder Double Wear concealer:

This was a smaller size and I enjoyed using it. I found it quite long wearing however it did accentuate dry patches as it wore. It was suitable under the eyes and on blemishes, however like I said it did cling to dry skin.

Repurchase? No, there are many other concealers I would like to try!

I wouldn't typically include sachet samples but I thought I would share my thoughts on these.

Peter Thomas Roth Camu Camu brightening serum:

This 2mL sample lasted me quite a little while though and I have to say I quite liked this! It smelled of oranges which was very enjoyable. I didn't love that it left my face feeling sticky though. In terms of brightening, suprisingly I think it did help miniscule-ly in fading dark spots. 

Purchase? Probably not, at least not until I get my hands on a few more samples.

Jurlique Fruit Enzyme Exfoliator:

I had two of these so I have a resigned opinion on them. I was very excited to use these as they contain AHAs (exfoliating acids) which I've wanted to try for a while, however these sort of did nothing for me. I didn't feel any sensation that indicated that they were working, and my skin texture nor appearance improved after use. Humph.

Purchase? No

The stuff I'm clearing out are pretty much a bunch of lipglosses and a mascara. The mascara is the Maybelline Sky High Curves which has long since been discontinued. It left my lashes a clumpy mess with little length, volume or curl. The lipglosses are mostly sticky and yuk (Model Co and Lancome Juicy Tube minis) or old and yuk (Designer brands). The Designer Brands ones actually weren't that sticky but I've had them for long enough, and the shades are too sparkly for my liking.

WHEW. That was a long ass empties post. If you made it to the end CONGRATS. I realise I wouldn't repurchase the majority of these products which is sad, but I absolutely love trying new things and hardly bog myself down to one product and a lot of these didn't work too well for me, and I feel there are better ones out there yet to be tried! And so, we wait for the next empties to roll around...