November - December's farewelled products

So here I am doing my blog housekeeping, clearing the backlog starting with my beauty empties from late last year.  Even though I hadn't fully jumped onto the cruelty free commitment at that stage it's interesting to see just how many of these items are cruelty free especially when it came to skin care. For reference I've marked all cruelty free items as CF.

Skin care

130) bareMinerals Instant Waterproof Eye Makeup Remover (47ml/1.5 fl.oz) CF - This is the typical dual-phase remover that I favour although this formula seemed more oily than some I've tried.  I've got a backup because of the handy travel size but other than that I don't think I'd rush to repurchase.

131) Natio Cucumber & Aloe Micellar Cleansing Water (200ml/6.7 fl.oz) CF - I really enjoyed this cleansing water.  No weird smell, no astringent tightness, just clean comfortable skin after using it.  

132) Natio Restore Delicate Foam Cleanser For Normal to Dry Skin (100ml/3.4 fl.oz) CF - The consistency of this cleanser made it incredibly hard to squeeze out of the tube.  The product itself was nice (it lathered to a creamy foam that felt rich on the skin) but not enough to make me want to go through the daily struggle of trying to get it out in the first place!

133) Sukin Super Greens Detoxifying Facial Scrub (125ml/4.23 fl.oz)* CF - This creamy scrub was gentle enough to be used every day if I wanted and I really loved the natural cranberry scent.

134) La Clinica Anti Ageing Stem Cell Complex 3 Night Cream (50ml/1.76fl.oz)* CF - This is one heavy-duty night cream that gets to work and leaves me with soft skin the next morning.  It feels very rich on the skin at first yet it penetrates quickly and is not greasy in the slightest. Another plus is there's no distracting scent or perfume which can - surprisingly - be an issue with some night creams out there on the market.  

135) L'Oreal Youth Code Luminosity Extraordinary Serum (30ml) - I bought this some time ago because it claims to correct dark spots and illuminate the skin. No dark spot miracles here I'm afraid.  It did illuminate the skin but honestly a good illuminating primer will do the same.  This serum had a lovely texture and delicately luxe scent but I won't be repurchasing because I didn't really notice any lasting benefits and L'Oreal is not a CF brand.

Hand and body care

136) Shore Soap Company Mermaid Kisses Liquid Soap (235ml/8 fl.oz) CF - This can be used as a body wash but I used it as a luxury hand wash in our powder room - to impress the visitors you know!  It has the most delicate yet not overly feminine scent, is really gentle and non-drying on the skin with its aloe-rich formula, yet as my son perfectly puts it: "It really cuts through the grease!"

137) Love Soap Handwash With Organic Lavender & Meadowfoam (200ml) CF -  This is gentle on my eczema-prone hands was a repurchase and I'm likely to buy it again.

138) Miller & Moore Moisturising Shea Butter Hand Cream (65g) - This was gifted to me as part of an older Christmas set.  I was surprised by how well this shea hand cream performed so I used it as my bedside hand pamperer. The Miller & Moore brand is one of those discount supermarket releases and seems to be discontinued so I can't find out much about it and I've got no idea of its CF status -although my guess is it's probably not.

139) Nivea Refreshingly Soft Moisturising Cream (75ml) - I'm sad that Nivea isn't cruelty free because this was a great multi-tasking moisturiser and very handy for throwing into my bag.  I still have several Nivea products so I will continue to use them but won't repurchase unless their CF status changes.

140) Vaseline Intensive Care Spray Moisturiser Dry Skin Repair (190g)* - See my full review here. I really enjoyed the convenience of this moisturiser but unfortunately I won't be repurchasing as Vaseline is not cruelty free.

141) Natio Mineral Body Wash & Polish (210ml/7.1 fl.oz) CF - This is really great soap-free exfoliating body cleanser, scented with orange, peppermint and rosemary so it was a great early morning pick me up.  Unfortunately it's been discontinued!!!

142) Miller & Moore Moisturising Shea Butter Body Scrub (100ml) - This was utterly useless with no scrubbiness at all so I promptly poured it down the drain.  

143) SODA & Co Sugar Scrub (Mint Burst 225g)* CF - I loved this concept of a body scrub and moisturiser in one.  If I have one criticism it's that I could easily get through a tub in a single week if I used it every day! Read my original review here.

144) Nivea Stress Protect Clinical Strength Deodorant (40ml)* -  I didn't like the way the dry solid stick dragged across my skin on application and I didn't think this controlled perspiration exceptionally better than my regular choice.

Hair care

145) Original Mineral Conquer Blonde Silver Shampoo (250ml/8.4 fl.oz) CF - I use this salon quality shampoo every other day to tone done brassiness in my hair and I've since repurchased (again). 

146) Original Mineral Fine Intellect Conditioner (350ml/11.8fl.oz) CF - Another repurchased hair product because I like a conditioner to "condition" without weighing down my hair. 

147) Organix Moisture + Vitamin B5 Shampoo (385ml/13 fl.oz)* - Damn I wish this brand was still cruelty free because this shampoo cleansed my hair without stripping it and it smelt pretty good too.

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148) John Frieda 7 Day Volume In-Shower Treatment (118ml/4 fl.oz)* -  This treatment is applied after conditioning the hair, left on for a few minutes then rinsed out.  It's supposed to give added volume for up to 7 days but with my daily hair washing it only lasted 2 to 3 washes at best for me and then I had to go back to using my usual thickening sprays.

Cosmetics

149 & 150) Benefit The Porefessional - Yep this really does minimize the appearance of pores and worked well as a smoothing primer but I won't be buying it again because you know...

151) Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion (6ml/.20 fl.oz) CF - This worked really well to control shadows from sliding off my oily eyelids although I'm wondering if I'd prefer a more smoothing formula? 

152) Maybelline Dream Lumi Touch Highlighting Concealer (02 Nude) -  This is a long-time favourite that I've repurchased several times - and I still have one more backup - but, alas, it will be the last as Maybelline is not cruelty free.

153) Essence Shimmer Effect Eyeshadow (Cappuccino, Please!) CF - This was a repurchase as this satiny beige was a great dupe for MAC Shroom but unfortunately it's been discontinued.

154) Nude By Nature Pressed Mineral Cover (Medium)* CF - I have mixed feelings about this pressed mineral foundation - I love it for natural looking coverage but I was having issues with hard pan. I have a review in the works so I'll tell you all about it soon.

155) Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter (Berry Smoothie) - This was probably my favourite shade from Revlon's now discontinued Lip Butter line.

156) Chanel Glossimer (119) - This was quite an opaque, lightly shimmery gloss in a MLBB mauve and traveled everywhere with me as a result.

157) MAC Lip Glass (C-Thru) - Milky beige and great worn over a nude lipstick.

158) bareMinerals Marvellous Moxie Lip Gloss (Show Off) CF - I'm having a bit of a love affair with bareMinerals lipsticks at the moment and I didn't mind this lip gloss either! It has a subtle mint scent and has a long-lasting, bleed-proof formula. This particular shade worked perfectly as a topper for my bareMinerals lipstick in the warm pink shade Speak Your Mind so I might consider a repurchase.

Fragrance

159) YSL Black Opium EDP (30ml/1 fl.oz) - I received this bottle as a gift from my husband for Christmas 2014 and as I'd finished this warm gourmand fragrance in record time - and my husband loved me wearing it - I received a backup bottle this Christmas.   The fragrance notes are coffee, pink pepper, orange blossom, jasmine, vanilla, patchouli and cedar. I will be savouring the bottle much longer this time around.

160) Terry de Gunzburg Fruit Defendu EDP (1.5ml/0.05 fl.oz sample) CF - This sweet fruity cocktail smelt like summer to me and is now on my wishlist for a future fragrance splurge. Top notes are bergamot, mango and pineapple; middle notes are turkish rose and pink pepper; base note is white musk.

161) L'Occitane The Vert & Bigarade EDT (7.5ml/0.25 fl.oz) - This was another summer choice as it's a refreshingly green scent.  The opening notes are sparkling citrus in an accord of sweet and bitter orange, while the base includes notes of green tea.

That's 2015 all stitched up! I'm a bit exhausted after going through that lineup so I'm off to have an afternoon lounge out in the yard...

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

Autumn's beauty empties...

For various reasons (travel, family illness, life etc) my blogging schedule has been out of whack over recent months and it obviously saw me lagging in posting my monthly empties too - to the point where I was half-way through May and still hadn't done the March and April posts so figured I'd might as well carry on accumulating empties for the entire Autumn season and get them all out of the way in one rather LARGE post!  

For the sake of your sanity (and mine) I'll keep the reviews light and to the point - having said that, if you want to know more about any individual product just ask away in the comments and I'll let you know what you need to know.  Okay - here we go!  The fear is real...

Skin care

23) Kirkland Daily Facial Cleansing Towelettes (30 towelettes) - The second last pack in a bulk box from Costco.  More greasy than refreshing. Will not repurchase.

24) NIVEA Daily Essentials Refreshing Facial Cleansing Wipes (7 Wipes) - An impulse buy at the Target checkout one day and I took the pack away on our Queensland holiday.  Nice average quality wipes, with a hint of the NIVEA scent that I enjoy.

25) Swisspers Naturals Cucumber wipes (5 wipes) - I bought this on holiday after I ran out of the NIVEA.  There was nothing remarkable about these so I won't repurchase.

26) Garnier Clean Sensitive 2 in 1 Gentle Make-up Remover (200ml) - I bought this on sale at Priceline.  Not as effective as other waterproof makeup removers I've tried and for whatever reason I was always squeezing out far too much and flooding my cotton pads.  Will not repurchase.

27) Maybelline Makeup Remover Eye & Lip (70ml/2.4 fl. oz.) - Now this is one of my favourite drugstore makeup removers and it's a repeat purchase after the finishing the Garnier.

28) Shiseido White Lucent Brightening Cleansing Foam (30ml travel size) - Another miniature product in my holiday luggage.  I'd forgotten (and was happy to be reminded) how luxurious and velvety this foam cleanser feels. 

29) La Clinica Gly C Refine Facial Cleansing Wash Gel (200ml/7.4 fl.oz)* - Despite containing glycolic acid and Vitamin C this gel cleanser was gentle enough for everyday use and lasted for months. 

30) La Clinica Perfect Complexion Sunscreen Lotion SPF50 (75ml/2.63 fl.oz)* - Very high SPF without being greasy and can be used on the face and body. I have the backup ready!

31) La Clinica Gly C Refine Vitamin C Ultra Serum (30ml/1.05 fl.oz)* - This serum provides a very immediate "tightening" effect on the skin and demands an application of moisturiser afterwards.

32) Essano Rosehip Treat Your Skin Pack*  - I took this pack away on my holiday and really enjoyed using all the products.  I've since purchased full size versions of the body lotion and cleanser.  See here for my full review.

Hand and body care

33) Miller & Moore Moisturising Shea Butter Body Wash (150ml) - This was part of a gift pack I received from a friend. It smelt faintly like NIVEA and did a suitably gentle job of cleansing in the shower.

34) Mario Badescu A.H.A. Botanical Body Soap (236ml/8 oz.) - An exfoliating body wash gentle enough to use every day.  I will repurchase to keep my goosebumpy skin under control.

35) Aesop Geranium Leaf Body Cleanser (50ml/1.7 fl.oz) - One of my leftover souvenirs from the Tokyo Park Hyatt last year which came in handy for another trip! It's a very refreshingly green and mandarin scented gel body wash although I don't know if I'd actually fork out the big $$$ for a full sized bottle.

36) Palmer's Cocoa Butter Skin Therapy Oil Rosehip Fragrance (150ml/5.1 fl.oz)* - A quickly absorbed moisturizing oil with an almost dry oil feel. My only issue was the supposedly no mess bottle still ended up oily so I kept it in its box between uses.  See my full review here.

37) NAT.Body Hand Cream (100ml)* - My bedside hand cream.  A milky formula but surprisingly moisturising and kept the eczema under control on my hands. See my full review for this and the NAT.Body Cuticle Treatment Serum here.

38) NAT.Body Cuticle Treatment Serum (15ml)* - Very effective at moisturising my cuticles and the smallest pump dispensed enough oil to do the cuticles on both hands.

39) Love Soap Handwash With Organic Lavender & Meadowfoam (200ml) - This is formulated for children but I used it to wash my own sensitive skinned hands.  Very gentle and scented with lavender oil.  Will repurchase.

40) OPI Expert Touch Lacquer Remover (120ml/4 fl.oz) - A regular appearance in my beauty empties.

41) L'Occitane Arlesienne Velvet Hand Cream (30ml/1 oz) - This really did feel velvety textured on application and the rose, sweet violet and saffron scent is delightfully floral.

42) Crabtree & Evelyn Nantucket Briar Hand Therapy (25g/0.9 oz) - I'm yet to come across a scent I haven't enjoyed yet from Crabtree & Evelyn's hand therapy range.  

Hair care

43) Nak Blonde Plus Shampoo (1 litre/33.8 fl. oz) - I use purple toned shampoo to keep my hair from looking too warm or brassy.  This gigantic bottle lasted me many months and I quite frankly got bored with it!

44) RPR De-clorinate My Hair Shampoo (200ml/7.04 fl.oz) - I used this once a week to remove product buildup and refresh my hair.  It was effective but I'm loving the Moroccanoil version I'm using now a lot more so I won't repurchase.

45) John Frieda Sheer Blonde Highlight Activating Enhancing Conditioner (250ml/8.45 fl.oz) - A good drugstore conditioner although I honestly don't know if it enhanced the blonde in any way.

46) Original Mineral Maintain The Mane Shampoo (50ml/1.7 fl.oz travel size) - This is the same stuff my hairdresser uses so I bought the smaller sized bottles to take away on holiday and try before committing to the full size.  Yes it's good salon shampoo.

47) Original Mineral Maintain The Mane Conditioner (50ml/1.7 fl.oz travel size) - As above.

48) Original Mineral O & M Original Detox Shampoo (50ml/1.7 fl. oz travel size) - I used this deep cleansing shampoo to wash my hair after swimming pool sessions during our holiday.

49) & 50) Aesop Classic Shampoo & Conditioner (50ml/1.7 fl.oz) - Yet more travel souvenirs that came in handy.  Very nice and luxurious but I'd still think hard before buying the full size products because of the price.

51) Schwarzkopf Essence Ultime Crystal Shine Conditioner (50ml/1.7 fl.oz) - I bought this conditioner on holiday when I ran out of those I'd packed.  It was just okay and not particularly moisturising so I won't repurchase.

Cosmetics

52) Blinc Eye Shadow Primer (Light Tone)* - An excellent eye shadow primer which smooths and brightens the lids, and securely anchors eye shadow through anything.  See my original review here.

53) Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer (30ml) - I grew to really love this primer as the perfect everyday base which performed well under any foundation I applied.

54) Maybelline Dream Lumi Touch Highlighting Concealer (01) - My favourite drugstore concealer.

55) Silkygirl Magic BB Powder Foundation (01 Ivory) - I bought this from a drugstore in Singapore a couple of years ago and it gives fantastic, long lasting coverage for a powder product. 

56) INIKA Mineral Mascara (Black)* - This was okay but not great.  It took multiple coats to get any reasonable volume and didn't dry down 100% so was prone to smudging.

57) The Body Shop Super Volume Mascara (Black) - Another okay mascara.  I didn't bond with the brush so I probably won't repurchase this either.

58) Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Liner (Perversion) - I usually love these liners but this one was a huge disappointment.  The pencil core disintegrated, became crumbly and fell out so I sharpened it down to nothing.

59) Essence Matte Effect Eye Shadow (Blockbuster) - I generally love Essence eye shadows but their mattes are their weaker performers. I persisted with this as a browbone shade for quite a while but finally decided enough was enough with this chalky shadow. 

60) Revlon Lip Gloss (Nude Lustre) - Sadly this formula has been discontinued.

61) Chanel Glossimer (83) - I love the pigmentation of these glosses. I'm pretty sure this particular shade has been discontinued though.

62) Tom Ford Lip Color (True Coral) - This was my first TF lipstick so it will hold a special little place in this makeup addict's heart.

63) Burt's Bees Lip Shimmer (Rhubarb) - A great drugstore lip balm that provides a good hit of shiny colour.

Fragrance

62) Jimmy Choo Blossom EDP (2ml/0.06 fl. oz sample)* - Very fizzy, fruity and fun!  Top notes:  citrus and red fruits, including raspberry;  mid notes:  sweet peas and roses;   base notes:  sandalwood and white musk.

63) Prada L'Eau Ambree EDP (10ml miniature) - The last little bottle of one of my favourite scents and I fell in love with it all over again.  The top notes are Cedrat Lemon, Mandarin and Neroli;  middle notes are Benzoin, May Rose and Gardenia; base notes are Amber blended with Patchouli, Vanilla and Opoponax.

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If you made it all the way to the end I applaud you for your tenacity!  

Until my next, considerably shorter post...

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

Online shopping at Natural Supply Co

 

It's my first haul post of the year -  and it's all for the purposes of blogging research you know! Yes, seriously!

Okay, so being serious, one of the highlights of my blogging experience over the past year has been getting to know and review products from smaller, independent beauty brands I may not have otherwise come across. More recently that has extended to local online businesses in the beauty and lifestyle industry and this post is about my online shopping experiences (and picks) from the Natural Supply Co site.

Natural Supply Co is a Melbourne based company established late in 2014 by close friends (and genuinely lovely ladies from my dealings with them) Celeste and Catherine who wanted to make it easier for customers to find "...natural (yet delightful!) beauty, skincare and lifestyle products, along with meaningful information, in one place."  All of the brands available on the site focus on natural ingredients, are cruelty free and are environmentally friendly in their manufacturing and packaging.

 After only a few months the site's brand listing has grown to a total of 37 local and international brands (and counting it appears as it was 35 only a few weeks ago) including Badger, Bite Beauty, Grown Alchemist, O&M Original Mineral Haircare, and Shore Soap Co.

 

 I've actually shopped the site twice now, initially before Christmas and just a week ago so this is a combined haul post...

 

 

My online shopping experience:

I found the site easy to navigate either searching by brand (by clicking on brand logo's on the main brand page) or by product in the dropdown category listings.  Apart from looking at a few specific brands I had in mind I found it just as easy to scroll through product categories to explore the range.  I like how each brand has an introductory 'Who Why What' page so I could read all about them before I made brand selections and link back to the 'Shop' page. 

 

On both occasions the products were promptly dispatched within 24 hours and delivered within 48 hours.  As you can see above the packing is in keeping with the company's environmentally conscious philosophy, using unbleached paper rather than plastic or foam padding and everything is prettily hand wrapped and ready for gifting if I'd wanted to gift it to someone other than myself!

 

So here's what I chose.  It was a balanced mix of necessities and pretties I think...

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December's haul

 

Salus Eucalyptus & Rosemary Purifying Body Scrub - I always have a body scrub in the shower for regular exfoliation and I wanted to try this luxury home spa version.

 

 

 

Yard Skincare Balmoral Bliss Bloss - This crazy sounding product is one of an irresistible range of natural lip balm/gloss hybrids referred to as 'Bloss' and come in 7 shades.  Balmoral Bliss Bloss is a sheer candy pink, smells like chocolate mint and glides like butter on the lips - yum!

 

Bite Beauty Cashmere Lip Cream (Crianza) - Another matte liquid lipstick to add to my collection and another Bite Beauty product to try.  Crianza is a dark pink-red or red-pink depending on how you see it.



 

January's haul

 

O&M Maintain the Mane Mini Set - My hairdresser uses O&M products on my tresses so I bought this travel-size pack ready for my next trip coming up in a few months.  I like being prepared ahead of time obviously!



 

 

Love Soap Organic Lavender and Meadowfoam Hand Wash - I bought this child-friendly moisturising hand wash for my own sensitive hands and got it straight into action in my bathroom to wash my hands without stripping them of moisture. 

 

 

 

Bite Beauty Whipped Cherry Fruit Scrub -  Confession:  this will be the first time I've tried a lip scrub!

 

 

 

Kester Black Nail Polish (Sky) and O&M/Kester Black Limited Edition Nail Polish (Conquer Blonde) - This will be my first time trying these 5-Free Australian made (Melbourne made actually, so very local!) nail polishes.

 

 

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 I'm slowly working my way through these products so let me know what you'd like to see reviewed first!

 

Australian readers:  If you want to check out Natural Supply Co for yourself shop the site here.