Empties #6

Ive been slacking a bit on my empties. I keep forgetting to take photos that half empty bottles end up getting thrown out. But here are some of the things I still have that ive recently used up.

Matrix Exquisite Oil shampoo sample

Another one of these samples. Nothing special about this really in my opinion. It didnt leave my hair feeling that great considering all the oils in it. Wont be buying this but I have a few samples still.

Korres Guava body butter

I had high expectations for this as the full size is like 30 bucks or something. I used this with the matching shower gel that I also had a sample of, but that unfortunately got thrown out already. The shower gel I dont have anything amazing to say about. It was decent but I wont be running out to spend an unnecessary amount of money on purchasing a full size. But the body butter was nice. It left my skin soft and the smell lasted on the skin. If I wanted to treat myself, maybe id try another scent but again, wont be running out to buy this.

Avon Moisture Effective eye makeup remover

My "holy grail" eye makeup remover. Ive used this stuff for years and love it. Its a lotion so it doesnt irritate my eyes like almost all other removers ive tried. Its also almost always on sale for 99 cents. You cant beat that. I have about 6 backups in my cabinet. 

Avon Solutions Lighten Up Plus eye cream

My mum bought this forever ago and I thought since she wasnt using it, id use it myself. I know why she never used it- it didnt do anything but irritate my eyes by making them water like crazy. Its way too watery and im tired of looking at it so im binning it.

Arbonne fyi body butter

I loved this stuff. My aunt was an arbonne rep a while back and gave me a few things from the fyi line all in the 'mysterious' scent. It smells like melon to me although im pretty sure it was supposed to smell of mangos and some other fruit. Regardless, the smell was the thing that made me not want to use it up. It left my skin soft and smooth and smelling lovely. Im sad to see this go.

Pink Sugar shower gel

This came in a makeup bag with a matching body spray. I really only wanted the bag, and the smell of them is really too sweet. Ive had it sitting around forever and just wanted it gone already. 

Large cotton pads

Not a lot to say about these. But I found these larger pads that work great for using with micellar water to remove my makeup off my face, rather than the small ones that I like for the eyes.

The Body Shop Bath Set

    I  received this lovely set of Body Shop bath products for christmas. I do love a good pamper every now and now and have been enjoying a relaxing bath after a long day or on my days off, so I was very excited when I opened this up. It came in a beautiful round box and contains 5 products in the Shea scent, as well as exfoliating mitts. The products include a shower cream, beautifying oil, body scrub, mini body butter, and a lip butter. Lucky for me, I happen to love the smell of shea, but it may not be everyones cup of tea. Im going to briefly run over my thoughts on each of the items.

    The shower cream is currently in my shower and has been my body wash of choice as of late. Im really enjoying this stuff- it smells nice and the scent actually stays on the skin. It doesnt lather as much as a gel would but it leaves my skin feeling soft and nourished, which is great for winter and helping with dry skin.

    Ive only used the body scrub once so far, but their site says its a best seller. It has mixture of salt grains and sugar, as well as vitamins E and A, and soy oil to repair the skins moisture barrier and make it smooth and supple. Its not as abrasive as some of the other scrubs ive used, and it did leave my skin soft after. I used the exfoliating mitts with this and they help to make it work better then just using your hands I found. Ive also been using one when I exfoliate my face as its great at helping to remove dry, rough patches on my forehead. Maybe not the best thing to use, but its been helping.

    The mini body butter I like. Ive only used their butters once before and I absolutely hated the scent. But this one I enjoy. The good thing about having everything the same scent is that you actually get to enjoy the scent left on your body afterwards, not just for 5 minutes while you use it. This leaves my skin soft but I found if I apply too much it can take ages to sink it.

    Probably my favourite of the bunch is the Beautifying Oil. Its a multi-use product so you can use it on your face, body and hair. I probably will never use it in my hair, ive been using this in place of a body moisturiser and loving the results. It sinks in quite quickly (which is great so you dont have oily clothing), and leaves my skin baby soft and smelling divine. Ive also been using it on my face as its been dry as ever and flaking like crazy on my forehead. Not a pretty site. Its been working wonders and  leaving my face feeling soft and hydrated. Definitely think ill be looking into more oils in the future.

    The only thing I havent used yet is the lip butter, only because I have about 10 on the go already that I need to use up. But I have tried a coconut one a few years ago and it does leave the lips smooth.

    Im not sure if this was something you could just get a christmas time (probably), but I think its a great set of items. The oil and shower cream were my favourites and of any of the things, id recommend those.

 

Antipodes Aura Manuka Honey Mask

     All my favourite bloggers rave about this mask, a deeply moisturising, cleansing and anti-oxidising treatment. Containing manuka honey, which is a New Zealand  ingredient used to hydrate the skin. With fragrance of vanilla pod and mandarine, this is said to balance your aura tending both your skin and spirit. I dont know about that, but it sure brings moisture to my dull winter skin.

    If your is anything like mine right now-dry, dehydrated, flaking, and in a need of a deep cleanse, this is a product for you. Its also good for breakouts. It has a nice scent and dries clear on the face (this was handy the other day when I had to walk the dog after I had application). Directions say to leave for 15 minutes, but I tend to leave it 30 minutes or longer. It leaves my skin feeling soft and well hydrated, and plumped up. Definitely a skin saviour and id recommend it especially to those dry skinned gals.

Benefit Goodtime Gals

Minis always get me. I love trying new things but dont have the wallet for it all the time. I saw this in Sephora and thought itd be interesting to try, as I havent tried many Benefit products. This mini trio comes with a posietiny cheek stain, girl meets pearl highlighter, and that gal face primer. 

Ive never been that interested in cheek stains so I wasnt all that excited about the posietint, although im glad it wasnt the original benetint.  Its a nice peachy pink so I think this would be a great spring/summer cheek colour. The highlighter and primer intrigued me however. I like glowy skin, so things to brighten and highlight are great. Ive said before that I dont usually use a primer unless I have a long day ahead, so having a mini size to see if I like how this works will be nice- id love to see how it compares to my current primer, Korres Vitamin E. I havent really tried this out where I checked throughout the day to see how it was holding up, so I dont have an opinion on it so far.

Ive only used the highlighter once or twice, so I dont have a whole lot to say as of yet. Its an iridescent pale pink that on me, doesnt show up too well. While I do like a more natural glow and look to the skin, im not sure this is best for pale skin. I think if I had a darker skin tone it would show up better.

 For a small price, I think little sets like these are great for those of us that love to try new things but dont want to risk blowing all their money on something they may not even like. If your interested in trying this out yourself, I got mine from Sephora for $18.

I got a pug!

Ive wanted a pug for about a year, and practically begged my boyfriend to buy me one. In December I set out to find the right one and it wasnt until the end of January that I finally went to visit someone selling a one year old and ended up bringing him home with me. His name is Cody, and while im not a huge fan of the name, it kind of suits him and I havent been able to come up with a better one.

He is a crazy little thing- very energetic and full of life, loves to play and chew on sticks for some reason. My brother is finishing our basement and often finds him chewing on his supplies. He loves attention; he'll follow you everywhere you go, and sit up right next to you on the couch or when your laying down ready to go to sleep. He always runs to the door the greet me when I come home from work, which puts a smile on my face after a long day. He gives me a good laugh too, I mean how many dogs sleep on their back and wave their legs around? So cute. While he can be a little monster, hes such a cutie that you forgive him for having an accident on the floor or wanting you to play with him 24/7. Anyone that follows me on instagram would have seen the overload of pug photos, but I just cant help it. Im a pug lover.

Song of the Week: Smother

Smother // Daughter

Colour Riche Balm in Caring Coral

Ive heard many rave about Loreal Colour Riche Balms and decided to try one out for myself. The one I chose was in Caring Coral, obviously a coral shade.  As ive said many times, im not someone who wears a bold lip very often, so these are great. It applies smooathly just as a balm would, and is great for this time of year when your lips are dry as the sahara desert. These are quite moisturising on the lips, and give a nice sheer wash of colour. The texture is great- not sticky and leaves a natural sheen. 

These are not pigmented like the Revlon lipbutters, so if thats the colour payoff you are looking for, youll probably be disappointed in these. However, I think I like these better than the lipbutters. I can apply this without really worrying that its going to be perfect and the sheerness is good for everyday wear for me. Im lazy and dont like reapplying throughout the day, so this is easier because I can apply on the go if I needed to.Overall im a fan. Id love to try some other shades so if you have any recommendations id love to hear them.