May's farewelled products (and beauty diet update)

 

I was less voracious about emptying products in May so this will be a reasonably speedy post.  I can practically hear you all heaving a collective sigh of relief...

 

Skin care

 

47) Montagne Jeunesse Passion Peel-Off Masque - I enjoy the ease of using a peel-off mask for deep cleaning my skin without needing to wash it all off afterwards and these single use sachets are highly portable and just fun you know?

 

48) Milk Beauty Wipes (25 wipes) - I discovered these HG beauty wipes last year and I was always going to repurchase. To recap:  these are extra large, alcohol and paraben free, and are heavily textured on one side for exfoliation.

 

 

49) Simple Refreshing Facial Wash Gel  (50 ml) - I always say this is a no-frills cleanser, but inevitably and without exception it's the only cleanser I buy for travel. It does the job gently and effectively and the 50ml tube lasts for a good few weeks!

 

50) Chanel Precision Ultra Correction Lift Eye Cream (2 x 3ml sample tubes) - On the one hand I can't believe these two little tubes got me through a month!  On the other hand...Chanel promises minimized puffiness and dark circles with this cream but seriously I don't know that I noticed any real difference apart from softer skin.  A sensory pleasure only.

 

Hand and body care

 

51) Yes to Carrots Hand & Elbow Cream (6.76oz/191g) - I'm sure this gargantuan hand cream has been discontinued because it's no longer on the Y to C website.  I really liked it too although it had an unusual scent which my husband strongly disliked - I had to move it from the bedside table to the office desk where it kept moisturizing my hands for months.

 

 

Cosmetics

 

Now for this month's beauty diet empties.  Anissa and Norlin  are still at it too and another beauty obsessed blogger is about to join our support group very soon.   Now I admit sometimes the beauty diet does get tough going for me with all of those limited edition releases out there (and all those expertly styled pictures on social media) but so far so good!

 

52) Estee Lauder Crystal Lipstick (Crystal Cherry) - This was a very flattering glossy cherry red lipstick but unfortunately prone to bleeding.  I ended up using it as more of a soft lip stain to make it work for me.

 

53) Nude by Nature Natural Mineral Cover (Light Skin Tones) - This mineral powder foundation provides a natural looking soft matte coverage but definitely needs a primer to get the best results and longevity of wear.  Once I figured that out I grew to really like it.  Click here for a detailed review.

 

54) She Pure Magic Primer (30ml) - You know I bought this to wear beneath the Nude by Nature and it's the first primer I've ever tried.  It's a strange mousse textured product but it blended in smoothly to mattify the skin and hold my makeup in place.  I know this sounds contradictory but if I could change one thing it would be to make this perhaps a little more moisturising (I'm guessing?) because I noticed it emphasised dry patches on the tops of my cheeks from time to time. Since I've moved on to another product that hasn't been an issue.

 

55) Benefit They're Real! Mascara - Mostly this is great stuff! I love the brush because it gets right down into the lashes and the thickening, lengthening and hardwearing formula.  My gripe is this is absolutely hell to take off! Stubborn is the word that comes to mind when I think of this mascara but I still love it anyway.

 

Culled...

 

 MAC Amplified Lipstick (Molassie) - This brown lipstick has been sitting in my cupboard for years and I've finally let it go. I don't know how I got talked into buying this but I bought brown - and such a caca brown at that - because it never worked for me.  A brown lip hasn't worked for me since the '90's!  I've even toyed with the idea of using this as a cream contouring product but then I decided I'm not prepared to work that hard and admit defeat.  This is much better put to use as a Back 2 MAC swap for a more flattering lipstick!

 

Until next month's empties!



April's farewelled products (and beauty diet update)

Here we are again with another load of empties.  Let's see if I can talk about these without getting too wordy...

 

Skin care

 

34) Kirkland Daily Facial Cleansing Towelettes (15 towelettes) - Something happens to me whenever I go to Costco.  I always get caught up in the multi-pack mentality so without ever trying them before I bought a massive box of these!  They're not the best wipes I've tried but they're not the worst either.  They actually smell quite refreshing and one wipe is usually enough to take off the day's makeup base.  They seem to be quite heavily laden with moisturiser which my skin will probably appreciate more as the weather gets colder. Expect many more of these empty packs to pop over the months because as I said, I bought an entire box!

 

35) Montagne Jeunesse Cucumber Peel-Off Masque - I bought this on a whim to treat my slightly oilier than usual skin and it worked! My post-vacation skin was a little oily and congested so I spread this on, and (very easily) peeled it off 20 minutes later. My skin immediately felt cleaner and the next morning I noticed my forehead bumps were visibly diminished.  I've bought some more of these to keep on hand for those times I need a more clarifying mask - and when I just feel like a little bit of fun!

 

 

 

36) La Clinica Gly C Refine Gentle Facial Cream Cleanser (10ml/0.35 fl.oz sample size) - One of my travel bag products.  This cream cleanser is a great balance of rich creaminess with skin smoothing Glycolic Acid and Vitamin C.  First impressions of this product is it felt gentle enough on my skin and rinsed off easily. 

 

37) Lancôme Bi-Facil Non Oily - Sensitive Eyes Instant Cleanser (30ml/1 fl.oz travel size) - Another travel bag item.  It's been a long time since I've used this Lancôme version and now I grudgingly have to admit I think this might be the best dual-phase remover out there because it removes the most stubborn mascara (Benefit's They're Real! anyone??) formulas like nothing else. What a shame I'm a cheapskate when it comes to removers but $60AUD is a bit too much for me even for 125ml.

 

38) Face of Australia Gentle Make-Up Remover (125ml/4.23 fl.oz) - Another dual-phase remover and much more affordable than Lancôme as it only costs $8.95 for 125ml.  Okay, so this will take a little more elbow grease to remove the most stubborn eye products but at the price it doesn't matter if I need to use more product.  This is a repurchase and I will continue to repurchase because it's great value for money and is oil and paraben-free.  

 

39) Bioderma Crealine H2O (250ml) - So don't shoot me but after all the hype I just couldn't 100% love this product.  Sure part of me wanted to bathe in it because it felt so soothing and refreshing when removing makeup from my face - however...  It just didn't cut it with waterproof eye makeup removal.  I even tried leaving Bioderma-soaked cotton pads on my eyes for 60 seconds as I'd heard somewhere but it was still to no avail. I can't tell you how many times I woke up with residual mascara smudges! My verdict is obvious:  a great alternative to makeup wipes for cleansing my skin but not tough enough for waterproof mascara.  I won't be rushing to buy another bottle.

 

Hand and body care

 

40) OPI Expert Touch Lacquer Remover (120ml/4 fl.oz) - My fourth bottle for the year and counting. 

 

41) MOR Passionfruit Body Butter - I threw this into the travel bag too because the little tub (around 50ml) was just the right size for a week away.  These are now discontinued.

 

42) La Roche-Posay Lipikar Baume AP (400ml/13.5 fl.oz) - This massive bottle of anti-irritation body balm lasted me months!  I used it as a soothing lotion for my dry sensitive skin and loved how easily it absorbed and how well it soothed any itchy or flaky skin - a must have for winter skin and I can see I'll repurchase this in future.

 

43) Ecoya Body Exfoliator (200 ml) - I won this gorgeous jar in a giveaway.  I loved the rich scent of white lotus flower, vanilla and patchouli and this really felt like a luxe body product with its creamy texture. My criticism is that it was a little too gentle an exfoliator for me - I like to feel instant results - and the exotic floral scent faded away very quickly.  I guess it's just an excuse to layer really because Ecoya do have the matching body cream!

 

Cosmetics

 

Here are this month's additions to my beauty diet empties.  Don't forget you can also check in with Anissa and Norlin to see how they're progressing too!

 

44) L'Oreal True Match Blush (Nude Pink) - I've posted about this blush before (here) as it's an everyday staple which adds glow as well as natural colour to the cheeks. It's a great choice for fairer skinned women and I'd buy it again if I didn't have so many other options! 

 

45) Models Prefer Lip Gloss Pencil (Perfectly Polished) - These pencils provide the optimal mix of shine and colour.  Perfectly Polished was my first MP Lip Gloss Pencil purchase but I've added a few more since then because I love these!

 

46) MAC Lip Glass (Viva Glam VI) - I remember loving this so much that when I lost my original tube a few years ago I was so distressed I had to replace it then and there! I've gone off and back onto it a few times but recently I was really loving it layered over MAC Modesty Cremesheen lipstick.

 

 Culled...

 

 BYS Lash Fibre Pre-Coat - My one fail for the month.  Now that I have a much safer lash primer option (thank you again blinc!) I can toss this scary dry fibre product out.  I was always paranoid of those loose fibres falling into my eyes so out it goes!

 

 

That's it for another month...