Monthly Favourites // March 2014

'Tis that time again...favourites time! I am almost finished up all my assessment for my first term of grade 12 which is scary stuff! I'm excited though to get into the holidays (obvs) so that I can do some more bloggy things and also catch up on tv shows and books ;). Anyways, because I've just been at school (and attempting a spending ban, which will inevitably end with the coming of holidays) I haven't been using many new products. I did however manage to scrounge together a few things I've been enjoying this month!

Organic Everescents Organic Pink Grapefruit & Ylang Ylang Leave-in Moisture

If you guys didn't already know, I have pretty dang damaged hair which is the result of me having not had it trimmed for moooooonthss but it also means it's super long :) I am getting it cut soon anyways! I haven't been using any heat on it though so it's been better than it would usually. This leave in conditioner has an interesting consistency - one akin to a body lotion which makes it interesting to use. It says you can use it on dry hair, but I prefer it on damp hair as it rubs in and absorbs much better without making the hair feel weighed down or slightly greasy. My hair isn't particularly soft the next morning, but definitely feels nourished so I think their name of leave-in moisture is quite accurate. When I choose to do 'no heat curls' (twisting my hair into little bun danglies and pinning it (sort of like Princess Leia, but not)) and use this, I find it makes the curls much nicer and also my hair softer as it is soaking in it, as opposed to rubbing all over my pillow.

Trilogy Very Gentle Moisturising cream

This has been my night cream for a while now and one that I've really been enjoying. I mix it in with my rosehip/facial oil and the combination is really lovely and moisturising. It doesn't irritate my skin in the slightest (as the name would suggest) and I just find it to be a nice, basic moisturiser. Dry skins could even use this during the day I think.

Heroine Make Lasting Mineral BB cream in shade 2

As you know, my daily routine consists of using one of my three BB creams. Though I haven't been using this one everyday, I've been using it often and really like it. It deserves its own full review though so I won't go too in depth. I find this to be my highest coverage BB cream (light-medium but very buildable) and have the longest staying power. Seriously, this stuff controls oil and stays looking nice for the whole day. Even from 7am to 8pm I've only got an oily t-zone (which I would usually get with other products at 3 or 4pm). Awesome product!

Blush and Lip combo: Clarins Rouge Hydra Nude in 04 Nude Caramel and Tarte 12hr Amazonian Clay blush in Exposed
If I ever had a makeup habit, it would be that I match my lips and cheeks (thinking about doing a post about my fave lip-cheek combos) because using shades of completely different colour families seems weird to me - even though I haven't really tried it. Regardless, I think it looks nice to have a bit o' cohesion through the facial. My fave combo this month has been a subdued one and along the lines of nudey-pinky-mauve, though the lippy is a tad more peach. I've already done a full review on the lipstick, but one for the blush is yet to come. I do have a few gripes with the blush that I'll explain in the review, but ultimately I do really like it. Exposed gives a lovely natural nuded-rose flush to the cheeks that looks slightly sculpted.

What have been your favourites in March?

Empties #3

The third installment of my empties posts is probably long overdue (it's been about four or five months since my last one), but alas I don't have a huge collection of empty products to share. I just don't finish things very quickly! I don't get how people can accumulate bags full of empties after only a month. Anyways I thought I would share the products I've run out of recently and my thoughts on them.

Organic Everescents Moisture Shampoo and Conditioner

My mum won these in a pack from her hairdresser and she gave them to me as she prefers volumising products. I really enjoyed these! The are fully free of silicones, sulfates and parabens and are made up of really good ingredients. Also, the packaging is made out of recycled plastic! I didn't find these intensively moisturising, but they did leave my hair feeling soft and clean. The shampoo lathered pretty well despite being sulphate free.

Repurchase? Probably not as they are quite expensive and there are other sulphate free shampoos/conditioners that I would like to try.

Nivea Express Hydration Body Lotion

A nice, basic body moisturiser. It's a nice thin, lotion consistency that sinks in and absorbs into the skin quite quickly. It has a lovely clean scent too. My skin was soft and nourished after use and for the day following.

Repurchase? Probably

Soap & Glory Night in Shining Armour Night Cream

I really liked this for a basic but intensively moisturising night cream. It wasn't too heavy or greasy feeling on the skin and absorbed reasonably quickly. It left my skin feeling very moisturised and soft in the morning, and I had pretty much no dry patches while I was using this!

Repurchase? Not at the moment, though possibly in the future.

Natural Instinct Clarifying Toner

I really loved this toner! It felt like a nice clarifying toner but contained really lovely ingredients that left my skin feeling refreshed rather that tight or dry.

Repurchase? Probably in the future!

Estee Lauder Idealist

A couple of samples I finished up that lasted me quite a while actually. I used it both as a slight (and subtle) illuminator mixed in, and a morning time serum. It was a pleasure to use and felt lovely on the skin though I don't really think it yielded any long term results in terms of brightening or evening out the skin tone.

Repurchase? No

Mario Badescu Buffering Lotion

I had a sample of this which lasted a decent while. I used this on any cystic or under-the-skin pimples which is what it is designed for. I found it did work really well on them, helping bringing them to the surface quicker and reducing any pain. Whether I found it to be more effective than your standard spot treatment...I don't think I had enough to truly ascertain.

Repurchase? Maybe, I might get another sample first.

La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo

Holy grail product. Helps clear up my acne as well as prevent it. I'm halfway through my second tube and have a third waiting in the wings.

Repurchase? Definitely!

Beauty Care Co Makeup Remover Pads

These are the cheapest cotton pads I've seen around - 200 for $2. Granted, they're not the best quality. They are thin and do fall apart quite easily, but for me they do the job. I'm not really fussed at all and honestly will grab the cheapest I can get. I've finished about three (100 pads per) packs and am working on one more right now.

Repurchase? Probably, unless I find something cheaper.

Beauty Care Co Green Tea Facial Wipes

These are a little on the dry side, but the towelettes themselves are decently soft and don't irritate my face or eyes. They remove everything bar waterproof mascara. I still go in with a cleanser as they don't completely clean my face, and definitely don't get deep down into the skin. These are also $2.

Repurchase? I'm halfway through another pack and unless I find something cheaper I'll probably buy them again.

Michika Complexion Synergist Facial Mask

My first experience with sheet masks and I quite liked using these. I still have three left. They left my skin feeling very soft and I do think it offered slight instantaneous brightening effects. Thye did sting a little in my eyes though, nothing crazy unbearable but just a little bit of irritation.

Repurchase? I'd like to try out other sheet masks before I come back to these.

Essence Lash & Brow Gel Mascara

Dayum, I'm pretty sure I used every last drop of this! It works well and does the job at a very low price. The packaging is super shoddy though, the spoolie broke off and the lid died a bit. Regardless, it was obviously still useable, albeit a little gross!

Repurchase? Yes - and already have!

Majolica Majorca Lash Expander Frame Plus Mascara

I really liked this but when it started to smudge on me and smell a bit funky, I knew it was time to bin it. It contained fibres which made my lashes look longer, and it held a curl like no other! A really lovely mascara!

Repuchase? If I ever have the opportunity again - maybe! Though I will try new ones before returning to this one.

Maybelline The Colossal Volum' Express mascara

I think I've had this WAY too long and it just needed to be binned. It was still useable though but towards the end I didn't notice it doing too much for my lashes. It was a nice mascara but since my lashes are pretty weak to begin with, it didn't have any extraordinary results.

Repurchase? No.

Products getting the chuck:

The Garnier BB cream is pretty atrocious - little coverage, quite orangey and left me very oily. Should have thrown it out long ago! Clinique lipstick that is sheer and frosty. The Napoleon lip glosses I actually really liked, I got them free a few years ago so they're pretty old now and the packaging was leaky and bad. They were a bit sticky too.

Hope you guys enjoyed this empties post! I feel like I might have a few more products next time (maybe) as I'm nearly finished a few.

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...