Empties! February 2016

I'm later than usual so here we go...

Skin care

La Clinica Anti Ageing Stem Cell Complex 3 Day Cream (50ml/1.76 fl.oz)* CF - This made my skin feel firmer immediately after applying and I liked the non-greasy matte finish which provided an excellent non-slip base for makeup.

The Body Shop Camomile Waterproof Eye & Lip Make-Up Remover (150ml/5.0 fl.oz) CF - This is now one of my favourite removers as it's as soothing and refreshing as water but it shifts the most stubborn waterproof eye makeup. 

Sukin Micellar Cleansing Water (250ml/8.46 fl.oz) CF/Vegan - I liked this but didn't love it as it felt a bit astringent rather than refreshing on my skin.

NIVEA Vanilla & Macadamia Lip Butter (19ml)* - This used to be one of my favourite thick, emollient (and yummy) lip balms for overnight use but sadly I won't be able to buy any more until it's CF.

Hand and body care

Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Top Coat (13.3ml/0.45 fl.oz) - Another ex-favourite off my list.  This did a great job of quickly sealing in my manicures but I'm switching back to China Glaze for now.

L'Occitane Karite Rose Shea Butter Hand Cream (30ml/1 oz) - I feel a bit guilty because this was a magazine freebie from earlier this year.  I still have a few more backups lurking around as I used to stockpile this stuff because it's so good *cries*.

Avon Foot Works Cracked Heel Relief Cream (100ml) - I haven't bought this in over a year but I still have 2 tubes left.  I mainly use it in the warmer months to keep my heels silky soft and prevent cracking. No repurchases after that though.

Crabtree & Evelyn Lily Gift Set (Bath & Shower Gel, Body Lotion, Body Cream, Fragranced Soap) - This was a set I received as a Christmas gift over a year ago and it's taken me so long to get through my backlog and use it (along with the soap not shown for obvious reasons).  The quality was typically good as C & E products are but the scent was a standard floral so I didn't hate it or love it. 

Sukin BioNatural Skin Oil (60ml/2.03 fl. oz)* CF/Vegan - This is a really nice body oil and so easy and quick for an after-shower moisturiser to replenish and restore youthful silkiness to the skin.  I can see myself buying more because it lasts ages and is very affordable too.

Rexona Clinical Protection Summer Strength Antiperspirant Deodorant (45ml/48 g)* - It worked very well as an antiperspirant but not so well as a deodorant. The search continues...

Hair care

Schwarzkopf Extra Care BB 11 in 1 Hair Beautifier (100ml)* - I actually really liked this as a detangler and softener for my hair as it did the trick without weighing down my fine hair at all and protected it from any hairdryer-induced frizzies.  Not a bad drugstore hair care product but this was the last of my non-CF hair products.

Cosmetics

I'm back counting my progressive tally in my 2016 Makeup Use Up:

5) L'Oreal Miss Manga Mega Volume Mascara (Black)* - Some people don't like the flexible tapered brush but it was my friend once I got the hang of it and the volumising formula was great too for creating big lashes with minimal coats. Unfortunately not CF.

6) Benefit Stay Don't Stray Primer (Light/Medium) - Don't be fooled by the sample sized tube because this primer took months to finish.  It was a great brightening base for eye makeup and anchored it in place but Benefit aren't CF so this won't be on my repurchase list. 

7) Face Of Australia Eye Pencil (Brown) - Face of Australia used to be CCF accredited but sadly are no longer and I can't be sure of their CF status.  The pencil?  It was reasonably creamy and smudgeproof but I have a lot of dark brown backups in my collection. 

Now I'm off to toss out all the trash!

(Products marked * were provided for my consideration.  All comments and opinions are my own.)

Sally Hansen Miracle Gel: Block Party

Hiya! *waves excitedly*  I'm back in the blogging space again!  It must be time for a manicure post to get things started...

Summer is most definitely here in Melbourne so now's the time for brighter, juicier nails and Sally Hansen's Miracle Gel polish in Block Party fits the bill nicely. This polish was sent to me for review as one of the recent handy two packs released comprising a bottle of colour with a bottle of gel topcoat, which are available at a better price than purchasing each individually.

  Block Party is a fun, vibrant coral cream and this colour feels a little bit retro but modern at the same time to me.  When I say retro it reminds me of some of the polishes I used to see around in my childhood, a long, long time ago...  Okay, let's get down to the biz of the review before I get too creative with my distant memories.  Firstly application was great and easy to control due to the evenly cut brush and the smooth formula - and I got full opacity in two coats.  As for wear?  My manicure lasted through a busy week with no major chips, although a bright shade like this is going to show up any nicks or chips, and after about five days it did start to look a little bit worn at the tips as I'd expect.  The glossy gel finish itself is long-lasting but the tip wear is probably the same as most of my manicures as I usually seal them with a good layer of top coat.  

All pictures taken in indirect daylight.

Have you tried these polishes? What are your thoughts?

(This product was provided for my consideration.  All comments and opinions are my own.)

January's farewelled products

 

What do they say about the best laid schemes of mice and men? Yes, well… despite my plans to post at least twice a week what happens? My 13 year old son drains our monthly internet allowance and I’m stuck with dial-up speed which means I can’t do anything blogwise for over a week – and I’ve had to resort to drafting blog posts as Word documents in the meantime, waiting (im)patiently for the chance to be uploaded to the internet. Grrr! GRRRR!!! With that roaring whinge out of the way let me get on with my first empties for the New Year…

 

Skin care

1) Face of Australia Gentle Make-Up Remover (125ml/4.23 fl.oz) – I think this is the same formula as I’ve previously used, just repackaged in a pretty new blue bottle. This remover’s good stuff and I’ve recently discovered that besides taking care of waterproof eye makeup this formula makes removing long wear lip products a cinch too!

2) Garnier Dark Spot Corrector Daily Illuminating Moisturiser (50ml) – Oh you know I’ve got to keep on fighting the good fight against pigmentation and this works well as a daily moisturiser too. Admittedly nothing performs miracles but this is one product I’ve returned to. The only thing that annoyed me this time around was the metal tube split at the side and started oozing…

 

Hand and body care

3) Crabtree & Evelyn Iris Ultra-Moisturising Hand Therapy (25g/0.9 oz) – I loved the fragrance of this hand cream sooooo much and of course this fragrance has been discontinued! I used only the tiniest amount at a time to make the tube last and I begrudgingly let anyone else get near it. Yes, of course like all C & E hand creams the formula is ultra-moisturising too – I’m obsessed with getting some more of this one if only I could...

4) Natio Meditate Body Butter (Yoga Scent Blue Lotus Attar) – This was the last of a trio of body butter tubs I bought over a year ago and unfortunately this range has been discontinued too.

5) Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Anti-Chip Top Coat – This is my latest favourite quick dry top coat because it doesn’t dissolve the colour underneath and it doesn’t shrink. I got more mileage out of the bottle with the use of lacquer thinner drops so this ended up lasting almost a whole year!

 

Cosmetics

 

6) SCOUT Cosmetics Mineral Lip Gloss (Heart)* - These are the lightest weight lip glosses I’ve tried and Heart was the perfect MLBB shade so I wore it almost daily over my summer break until I emptied the tube!

7) L’Oreal Miss Manga Voluminous Waterproof mascara (Black) – I bought my mascara in Hawaii late last year and these are just launching in Australia now. I’m a fan of the tapered flexi brush and actually started wearing mascara on my lower lashes for the first time in years!

8) Shiseido Maquillage Concealer Liquid (Natural) – Another overseas purchase from last year. I found this concealer lightweight and sheer but very brightening for the under eye area. I’ve noticed how much darker Western concealers are since moving on from this Japanese product and I miss that brightening effect.

9) Estee Lauder Sumptuous Extreme Lash Multiplying Volume Mascara (01 Extreme Black) – This was my favourite high end mascara for 2014 and I used it way longer than I should have but the formula didn’t show any signs of quitting and I loved everything about it: smooth and creamy thickening formula, intensely black, smelt of chocolate (?) when I applied it, never even a hint of a clump and the brush was the perfect tapered length to grab almost all of my lashes in one sweep. I could go on and on about this mascara because I haven’t been obsessed like this with a mascara in so long…

 

 

 

10) Revlon Custom Eyes trio palette – I’m not sure if that’s what it was called but it’s old. Yes this trio was well loved in its day but when I found it buried in my drawer and remembered that I last wore it when 'Ally McBeal' was on TV I realised that it’s well and truly time to go! Remember that dancing baby? What a quirky old show…


Well that’s it folks for my first instalment. Fingers crossed all goes well for a timely February post because that bag of empties is bulging already!

 

 (Products marked * were provided for my consideration.  All comments and opinions are my own.)

Sally Hansen Miracle Gel: Sugar Fix

Hello, I'm back again!

 

I'll warm up with a manicure post featuring one of Sally Hansen's recently released Miracle Gel polishes - and my personal pick of the colours.  Sugar Fix is one of those irresistible (to me) periwinkle blue creams which I just keep quietly accumulating.  This is my first experience with any kind of gel polish so I didn't have any particular expectations apart from extended wear.  With this polish you skip the base coat, apply two or three coats of colour then finish with Sally Hansen's Miracle Gel top coat - this step is a must.  The polish will then 'cure' in natural light without any need for a special UV lamp. 

 

I found the colour polish a little on the thicker side so a little care was needed to avoid any streaks, and the top coat is not a particularly quick dry formula so took over 30 minutes to cure to my satisfaction.  Once dried the manicure was certainly long wearing and the fresh looking finish easily lasted a week for me with no sign of tip wear or chips.  I was impressed enough to wear another shade from the range for the first two weeks of my vacation and it stayed in fresh condition until around the 10 day mark when a few little cracks appeared in the finish, although it hung in there pretty well for the next few days by which time I was bored and well and truly ready to remove it! Speaking of which, removal is just the same as regular polish as the polish is easily dissolved with standard polish remover. 

 

Enough about the product - onto the pictures...

 

Sun

 

 

Shade

 

My next post will run through my vacation empties so I can get them out of the way before I share my Japan and Hawaii buys!

 

Chat soon :)

 

(Products were provided for my consideration.  All comments and opinions are my own.)

June's farewelled products (and beauty diet update)

And I thought June was going to be a slow month for empties. I'd better get this out before August rolls around...

 

Skin care

 

 

56) Kirkland Daily Facial Cleansing Towelettes (15 towelettes) - I bought a boxful of these from Costco a few months ago so expect to get bored by the repetition when it comes to cleansing towelettes. Click here for my initial thoughts on these. 

 

57) La Clinica White Brilliant Intensive Correction Serum Stage 1 (50ml/1.76 fl.oz)* - I've been using this serum morning and night as part of my current skincare routine.  It claims to promote more radiant looking skin and contains "Tyrosinase inhibitors" to counteract excess production of melanin and reduce pigmentation and "Biomimetic Peptides" to accelerate the removal of dead skin cells and promote new skin growth.  I still have pigmentation from previous years of sun damage but it's not getting any worse and my skin is definitely on the radiant side - I've been reaching for the bronzer lately! I find this serum leaves my skin feeling firmer too which isn't a bad thing at my age. 

 

58) La Clinica Rebalancing Vitamin A Facial Mask (100ml/3.52 fl.oz) - Ling gave this tube to me and I've been grateful for the introduction.  This gel-like mask really did rebalance my combination skin - and my son's too! I've used this for the occasional hormonal breakout on my chin and the next morning those potentially mountainous eruptions have - wait for the inevitable cliché - reduced to little molehills.  Love this stuff cos it works!

 

 

59) Face of Australia Gentle Make-Up Remover (125ml/4.23 fl.oz) - Great value for money at around $9AUD per bottle and as I've mentioned before it's oil free and paraben free too.

 

60) Lucas' Papaw Ointment (25g) - It wasn't that long ago this was bandied about as a cult beauty favourite but it's a little out of favour these days - plus there are a load of dupe products out there now.  I must admit I was surprised to discover last year that my precious papaw ointment contains a much higher percentage of petroleum jelly than actual fermented papaya fruit but I still have to say it works for all kinds of minor skin ailments - I use it for grazes and cuts as well as dry lips and cuticles. I'm sure I'll repurchase it again as a multipurpose product.

 

 

Hand and body care

 

61) OPI Expert Touch Lacquer Remover (120ml/4 fl.oz) - My fifth bottle this year.  A bit expensive but definitely effective. 

 

62) Butter London Powder Room Baby Powder Scent Acetone-free Lacquer Remover (59ml/2 fl.oz) - OMG! Baby powder scented polish remover?! I got this as a complimentary extra when buying two bottles of Butter London polish last year. It actually does smell very pleasant for a polish remover and it has a very gentle formula.  Unfortunately a little too gentle for me - I needed to use twice as much product to remove polish and I wouldn't even go near a glitter polish with it.  Also the bottle was decidedly leaky as I found out when I discovered it lying on its side in a powdery scented puddle in our bathroom cupboard - yes the lid was screwed on tightly.

 

63) Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Anti-Chip Top Coat - My current favourite fast drying top coat.  Doesn't dissolve the colour underneath, doesn't smell too toxic, doesn't shrink, dries my manicure quickly and makes my manicure last. 



 

 

64) Natio Meditate Body Butter (Yoga Scent Pink Lotus Attar) - I loved this little tub of creamy, beautifully calming scented body butter but damn it's been discontinued.  At least I have two more tubs in other scents to console me I suppose.  I heading back to the Natio warehouse sale in a few weeks so I'll snap more up if I see them!

 

65) Dirty Works Glow Girl! Buttery Salt Scrub (300ml/10.1 fl.oz)* - I really enjoyed this beachy, salty scented scrub and my only criticism is the runny formula.  Click here for my full review.

 

 



Cosmetics

 

Now for this month's beauty diet update. Sophie has now joined  Anissa, Norlin and myself on this exercise in moderation!

 

66) Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion - A very good colourless eye base for preventing creased eye shadow.  I don't know if I'd give it HG status though.

 

67) MAC Powerpoint Eye Pencil (Bordeauxline) - My favourite MAC liner because it's purple! I'd normally run to the MAC counter for an immediate backup but I've decided to show my restraint by using the other two purple liners I found in my collection. So far the Physician's Formula twist up liner for green eyes isn't too bad at all either!

 

 

Culled...

 

Chanel Eye Colour Collection Quad (24 Interferentiels) - I'm sure this has been discontinued for over a decade! Anyway it lingered in my collection as my prized first ever Chanel quad and it's at least half empty as I'd finished the gold and pink duochrome shades years ago through daily use.  It was well loved but served its purpose. Farewell to my first Chanel...

 

 

Fragrance

 

68) Labdanum 18 Le Labo (samples) - Damn I thought I'd found my perfect resiny amber fragrance at Mecca Cosmetica but it was out of stock and then they rang to further disappoint me it was out of stock in the whole country! If you're curious the notes are:  french labdanum, castoreum, civetta, musk, vanilla, birch, resins, cinnamon, patchouli, gurjan balsam and tonka bean.

 

 

Until next month - actually now just a fortnight away!



 

(Products marked * were provided for my consideration.  All comments and opinions are my own.)

Sally Hansen - Commander in Chic

Greige has become a bit of a winter classic for nails and I enjoy wearing it when this time of year rolls around. 

Sally Hansen's Commander in Chic has been around for quite a while now and is very much the perfect greige.  Commander in Chic is a medium grey cream with warmth added by just a hint of brown so it doesn't give me 'dead' hands.   As I've found with all of my Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure polishes, even though I wear them without a separate base coat this does still need a top coat for extra gloss but then it lasts an entire week without chipping.  This is two coats of colour with top coat.

All pictures taken in indirect daylight:

I'll always have a shade like this in my polish collection.


Sally Hansen polishes are available from Woolworths, K Mart, Target, Coles, Chemist Warehouse and Priceline stores around Australia.

 

 

(This product was provided for my consideration.  All comments and opinions are my own.) 

Sally Hansen Triple Shine: Vanity Flare

 Today I'm posting another shade from Sally Hansen's Triple Shine range and after the last two pearly polishes this time it's a cream.

Vanity Flare is a high shine grape purple and just the right kind of polish to ease me into winter.  It's subdued enough for the season but it still has a kick to it at the same time so I still feel as though I'm wearing colour.  This is two coats with top coat.

Indirect daylight

Sun

What do you think of this kind of shade for winter?

Sally Hansen polishes are available from Woolworths, K Mart, Target, Coles, Chemist Warehouse and Priceline stores around Australia.

 

 

 

(This product was provided for my consideration.  All comments and opinions are my own.) 

Sally Hansen Triple Shine: Blow Bubbles

I have another pearly polish from Sally Hansen's Triple Shine range to share with you, and quite appropriate for a Wednesday because it's pink!   For those Mean Girls fans who go by the motto "On Wednesday's we wear pink" this one's for you! Yes this week's making me go just a little bit silly...

 

Blow Bubbles is a medium pink pearl finish with blue undertones.  As with my Pool Party swatch this translucent formula took 3 coats to build up full opacity but the result was a streak free shimmery, subtly iridescent finish.  This one's a very unapologetically girly polish and suits the name Blow Bubbles because it has a very youthful, almost tween feel about it.

 

All pictures taken in indirect daylight:

 

 

 

Fun fact:  these polishes actually contain natural crushed pearl.

 

Sally Hansen polishes are available from Woolworths, K Mart, Target, Coles, Chemist Warehouse and Priceline stores around Australia.

 

 

 

(This product was provided for my consideration.  All comments and opinions are my own.) 

Sally Hansen Triple Shine: Pool Party

Now you know if I was going to buy some new nail polish I probably would have walked right past Pool Party and not given it a second thought.  Anyway thank goodness it was sent to me for review so I could see past my first impressions.  Never judge a nail polish by the bottle!

  While Pool Party was not a typically 'me' choice looking at the bottle it translated to a beautifully flattering pastel aqua blue pearl on my nails.  The pearl finish did not streak at all and coverage was not quite as sheer as I thought either as I got this opaque enough for my taste in three coats.  I would love wearing this one in summer on fingers and toes.

Sun:

 

Shade:

 

What do you think of pearl nail polish?

 

 

 

(This product was provided for my consideration.  All comments and opinions are my own.) 

Sally Hansen: Midnight In NY

Midnight in NY is the second of three Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure polishes I'm posting and the one which looked most interesting. 

Midnight In NY is one of those sneaky, teasing polish colours.  It appears flat black in most situations - and yet when caught in bright light it lightly shimmers with a multidimensional galaxy of tiny sparkles.  Damn those sneaky polishes because I always expect so much more of them!  This time I remembered to skip the base coat so I needed 3 coats of colour to get complete coverage and despite the 7-in-1 claims I still needed to apply top coat the next day to bring up the shine.  On the positive side wear time was easily one week and removal was quick with no messy staining on my nails - I was a little worried about that because of the lack of base coat.  These pictures show the results of 3 coats of colour with no top coat.

Sun

 

 

Indirect daylight indoors

 

 

What do you think of the subdued sparkle?

 

 

Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure: Peachy Keen

When we went on our beach vacation I really wasn't sure if I would have the time or inclination to change my manicure so I decided a pale nude polish was the way to go.  Cue Sally Hansen's Peachy Keen.

 

Peachy Keen is a warm peachy nude cream which almost seamlessly blended into my pale skin - the perfect low-maintenance shade for when I didn't want to be worrying about the usual manicure wear and tear.  It reminds me very much of one of my old, old OPI favourite nudes:  Coney Island Cotton Candy.   This polish is one of Sally Hansen's 7-in-1 formula Complete Salon Manicure range, with inbuilt base coat, strengthener, growth treatment, colour, top coat, featuring gel-like shine and chip resistance. 

 

I found application quite easy with the flat brush although with the lighter shade I needed 3 coats to get sufficiently even opaque coverage.  Out of habit I'd used a base coat so perhaps because of that mistake I found my manicure was taking a longer than usual time to dry and I caved in to finishing off with a quick dry top coat.  Wear time was fantastic though and my manicure easily lasted the 10 days I wore it, looking fresh and glossy with only a few little chips which didn't appear until around day 8.  I have a few more autumnal shades from this range to try so I'll make sure to remember to FORGET the base coat and top coat next time!

 

All pictures taken in indirect daylight:

 

 

 

Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure is available from Priceline, Priceline Pharmacies, Target, K Mart, Terry White Chemists, Chemist Warehouse, Good Price Pharmacies and independent pharmacies nationally.

 

Have you tried Sally Hansen's Complete Salon Manicure polish?

 

 

(This product was provided for my consideration.  All comments and opinions are my own.)

 



Sally Hansen Sugar Coat: Bubble Plum

I remember when I thought smooth and glossy was the only way to go with polish but I have really embraced textured polish in a big way these days.  Sally Hansen got in on the act a few months ago with their (unfortunately) all too limited edition range of Sugar Coat polishes.  When they originally released I passed them over, only buying 2 shades when they'd already started to disappear from stands.  I'm actually kicking myself now for hesitating because my first impressions as posted here are really positive. 

Bubble Plum is a matte pink-purple (or purple-pink) which obviously brings bubble gum to mind but I also think it's a good candidate for a variation on Pantone's colour of the year Radiant Orchid.   Two coats applied really easily and precisely, and dried down quickly to reveal the textured finish.  Because there's no sparkle or glitter it looks like a crazy coloured concrete render job on my nails but I really fell in love with it. I was expecting removal to be challenging but it was extremely easy, and much the same as a more conventional polish.

I'd really love to see this finish in dark autumnal shades like burgundy, navy blue or a regal purple too.


Sun

 

 

 

Shade

 

 

Until next time!