REVIEW: January's farewelled products (& P10P progress)

 It's that time again to do a little show and tell of my empties for the month. I can't believe we're already one month into the new year and I'm back to work next week - Yikes! 

Hand and body care

1) Bloom French lavender scented paper soap (14 sheets)

This was in my sample stash and I think it's been discontinued so I won't ramble on.  Little leaves of soap are a cute idea for travel but in reality I found the sheets had stuck together so I had to try and peel them apart to use.  In summary, cute in theory but fiddly and not terribly practical in reality.  I'm not surprised this has been discontinued.

2) OPI Polish Remover (non-oily, moisturizing formula 120ml - 4fl.oz)

I used up 10 bottles of this remover last year!  I'll occasionally use other brands but always come back to this because it's effective and doesn't dry out my nails or cuticles.  My only gripes?  The price is around three times more than drugstore products and the wide necked bottle can result in spills.

3) Palmer's Skin Smoothing Lotion with Alpha/Beta Hydroxy & Shea butter (250ml - 8.5fl. oz)
This is my old faithful smoothing body lotion.  Its alpha/beta hydroxy formula keeps my keratosis (goose-flesh) under control and it has a very fresh scent.  I always have a bottle on hand and use this regularly on my upper arms, especially in summer to keep them looking smooth.  A definite repurchase!

4) Peter Thomas Roth Asian Sensation Buffing Beads (2fl. oz. - 57ml travel size)
Another treasure from my sample stash and I can't remember where it came from - possibly David Jones?? This exfoliating goo smelt deliciously zesty and had the texture of partially set grainy jello when I squeezed it out of the bottle.  I was dubious as to how effective it could be because I like to do a vigorous scrub in the shower but it was surprisingly effective at smoothing the skin on my upper arms (I also noted this can be used as a facial exfoliant but I only used it on my body) without being too rough.  The magic ingredients are:  "sebum emulsifying jojoba beads, whole leaf aloe vera and botanical nutrients".  Nice product that appealed to my senses.  Although it's a steep $44.95AUD for a 250ml bottle I'd still consider buying it as a luxe body product.

Fragrance

5) Narciso Rodriguez essence eau de musc EDT (1ml - 0.03fl. oz sample)
Let me say straight up that I have a full sized bottle of this soft musky floral fragrance which has top notes of iris and rose, middle notes of musk and a base note of amber. I used this tiny sample atomiser on my beach vacation last week.  It's soft enough for everyday wear and I love wearing it during the warmer months.

6) Estee Lauder White Linen EDP (5.3ml - 0.18fl. oz travel size)
This crisp floral scent isn't really my cup of tea but was part of a miniature Estee Lauder set gifted to me lasted year.  If I want a clean crisp summer scent I usually prefer more citrus-based fragrance, while according to the Estee Lauder this fragrance is a "lush floral" and has top notes of Bulgarian rose, jasmine and muguet, middle notes of violet and orris and base notes of vetiver, moss and amber.  Dare I say it?  It was something that my mother wore so it smells a bit too mature for me.

Cosmetics (Project 10 Pan)

I'm pleased to be out of the starting gate here with my first couple of products down, but at this rate it's gonna take me 5 months rather than the 3 I'd hoped for to complete my 10 Pan!

7) MAC Powerpoint eye pencil (Bordeauxline)
Ow, it really hurt finishing this because I have no back-up and I wore this purple eyeliner every other day as the colour really offset my green eyes.  Powerpoint pencils are my preferred liners because they don't run or smudge as other pencils have on me so I don't have to powder them in place. They're my go-to products for busy days when I'm working and I don't have the time to touch up.  I'll be running to the MAC counter once my make-up ban has lifted for a back-up!  In the meantime I've got my grey/brown Duck Powerpoint as a neutral alternative and I've been applying purple eyeshadow with a liner brush as a substitute (with varying degrees of success).

8) Essence Glossy Lipbalm (berry sorbet)
One lipgloss down, four more to go before I can buy any more this year!  I bought these in every "flavour" last year from the Essence stand but berry sorbet has been my absolute favourite, for its delicious lolly smell and the slightly shimmery raspberry shade.  I wore this on its own but also loved it topped over my matte Pink Gossip Rimmel Colour Show Off lipstick.  For a full review and swatches click here.

That's it for this month.

Vita :)