REVIEW: August's farewelled products

There were too many large emptied containers to arrange prettily on the windowsill for photos like I did last month so I've strewn them 'artfully' on the bench!  I've been charging through loads of hand and body products and I've noticed quite a few of the usual suspects in this lot...

Skin care

77) Nivea Creme (75ml)

This tin gave me a sense of nostalgia as soon as I opened it and inhaled the familiar scent.  Nivea's famous fragrance is something you never forget so this took me back to my childhood, and those lazy summer days before we all became 'sunsmart' when my Mum used to slather me with this uber thick cream.  I just loooove the scent, but the thick formula was a bit of an issue.  Over winter I used this to moisturise my dry limbs and I found it took time and patience to rub in and was impossible to use over damp skin - it just slid right off!  I probably used it for the wrong purpose and I'd recommend it for problem spots like knees and elbows rather than all over the body.   It DID do a pretty good job of providing deep moisture and it acted like a barrier cream! I'd repurchase as a specific treatment for extra dry areas.

78) Nivea Visage Daily Essentials Gentle Face Cleansing Wipes - Dry & Sensitive Skin (25 wipes)

These wipes also have that famous Nivea scent which you'll either love (like me) or hate if you dislike fragranced products.   While I like the fragrance the wipes were a bit average for me.  More often I found I need more than one wipe to get all makeup residue off my face and my skin did feel a little tight afterwards - surprising because these wipes are meant for dry skin and and are "...enriched with natural Almond Oil & Calendula Extract."  I won't be repurchasing.

79) Maybelline Express Care Eye & Lip Makeup Remover (90ml)
My HG remover because it's effective and inexpensive. Of course I'm onto my next bottle.  See my original review here.

Hand and body care

80) Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser (500ml)

Yep, my third 500ml bottle done for the year - and now that Hubs has discovered it in the shower I've already almost emptied my fourth.  Solution?  I've bought a 1 litre bottle!  I can't rave enough about this as an extremely gentle, moisturising body (and face) cleanser.  It comes in all sizes from mini travel sized bottles upwards so I'm covered for all situations.  I'll repurchase again, and again, and again...

81) RPR Hold Me Gently hair mist (300ml/10.56fl.oz)

This gave my fine, flat hair a bit of soft oomph without any of the crunch.  I bought a travel sized bottle last year and liked it enough to buy the full sized bottle.  I only need 3 to 4 sprays of product on my hair before blow drying so it lasted me quite a few months, however I did notice I would have drier, flyaway ends.   I've since discovered L'Oreal's Volume Expand mist which leaves my hair looking less flyaway and shinier so I won't be repurchasing RPR.

82) OPI Original Polish Remover (120ml/4 fl.oz)

My seventh bottle this year.  That is all.

83)  Palmer's Skin Smoothing Lotion with Alpha/Beta Hydroxy & Shea butter (250ml - 8.5fl. oz)

My third bottle this year and not surprising at all.  This partnered with the Cetaphil has brought my ugly keratosis completely under control.  My upper arms have never been smoother!  Repurchase, repurchase, repurchase!

84) Aveeno Intense Relief Hand Cream (100g) 

I turn to this in winter to relieve my dry, eczema wracked hands.  It's reliable, no-nonsense stuff, not sexy but effective and soothing.  Another one of my repeat purchases.  Click here for my original review.

85) Sally Hansen Massaging Cuticle Treatment (2.6ml/0.09fl.oz)

Not a bad little product for moisturising my cuticles but the packaging annoyed me because I couldn't see how much product I had left!  In any case I prefer Burt's Bees cuticle cream for softening my cuticles because it's a balm rather than an oil so I probably won't repurchase.

86)  L'Occitane LE Cocoa Flower Hand Cream (30ml/1.oz travel size)

Mmmm...the soft cocoa scent was amazing and the buttery texture of the L'Occitane Shea Butter hand creams is second to none.   The 20% Shea Butter content makes this cream rich and buttery smooth to apply and my dry hands would soak it in and say "Aaah".  Such a shame this was limited edition - I'd definitely buy more of it because it's so addictive and luxe.

87) Natio Wellness Hand Wash (240ml/8.1f.oz)
This gentle, non-drying hand wash contains chamomile, pomegranate, and wheatgerm.  I love just about all of the Natio products I've tried and this is no exception.  It's not too thick or sudsy so it doesn't need a lot of rinsing and it leaves my hands feeling soft and smelling rather like baby shampoo(!).  I've already repurchased from the Natio outlet just last week.

Cosmetics

EDIT:  This is for you Liz - observe the empty pans in all their glory!

88) Nyx Twin Cake pressed powder (CP10 Sand Beige)

I loved the versatility of this powder:  it can be used with a brush, or a dry or wet sponge depending on the coverage needed and all for $22AUD!  This is the second pan I've used and I would definitely repurchase.

89) Heavy Rotation Enamel Gloss (Berry)

So sad to this tube go - the 'Lip Gloss Terminator' strikes again as this is the 7th gloss I've emptied this year!

This was the perfect buttery caramel nude and if I didn't have to go all the way to Japan to buy it I'd definitely buy more.   When/if I go back I'll definitely stock up on more!  See here for a swatch.

90) MAC Eye Shadow (Satin Taupe - Frost)

I dropped the pan and smashed it, wahh!  Such a dramatic purple toned taupe and I'd hardly used it, see here for a swatch and brief review.  Oh well, it does count towards Back 2 MAC...

91) MAC Eye Shadow (Shroom - Satin)

The perfect mushroom pink-beige multitasking shadow and I'm not sure if this is the second or third pan I've finished up over the years.  I've a backlog of similar colours I'm going to use up but then I'm sure I'll go back to Shroom again.  Click here for my recent comparison review.

That's it for this month - I've been enjoying all of your empties posts as always.

Vita :)

REVIEW: Products farewelled in November

Somehow I finished a mountain of products last month without really trying!  It's always satisfying to see that I do actually get to finish at least some of the things I buy.  Here's the lowdown on what I thought...

Skin care

73) The Body Shop Shiso Whitening Moisture Milk (50ml/1.69 fl.oz)
I used this daily as part of three step routine (cleanser, serum and moisturiser) in my ongoing battle with my sunspots.  Daily application of this Japanese formula moisturiser is supposed to result in "brighter, smoother, more porcelain-looking complexion..." Well, after three or so months I didn't see any deterioration in my existing pigmentation but couldn't see a huge improvement either, probably because the main cause of hyper-pigmentation is sun damage and this product doesn't contain any SPF.  What I did like was the light milky texture and how well it absorbed into my skin, leaving my skin feeling soft without being greasy.  In summary, a reasonable but not fantastic product.  It's not my HG moisturiser so I've moved on.


74) The Body Shop Shiso Whitening Serum (30ml/1.0 fl.oz)
My second bottle finished this year and I've now had the opportunity to use the full range for three months.  As with the Moisture Milk this was a reasonable but unremarkable product.  Mainly because I'm fickle and keen to try something else I won't be buying another of these in the near future. Click here for my original review.

75) Kosmea eighth natural wonder revitalising facial serum (10ml/0.33 fl.oz trial size)
I found this lurking in my samples stash so I tried it after finishing The Body Shop's serum.  Kosmea is an Australian company specialising in natural skin care.  Its products don't contain artificial colours, artificial fragrances, mineral oils, petrochemicals or animal ingredients and are not tested on animals.  The magic ingredient in this is hibiscus extract which is supposed to 'freeze' fine lines and wrinkles.  I can't say that I noticed any difference to my wrinkles (damn) but I really liked the organic rose hip oil scent and it did absorb really well.  Nice, and I love that it's natural and animal friendly but not special enough for me to purchase.  

Hand care

76) Burt's Bees Lemon Butter Cuticle Creme (17g/.60 oz)
I really loved using this little tin of lemony goodness for softening my cuticles and it lasted absolutely ages, considering I used it a few times a day - probably because I found the lemon curd-like scent addictive!  This creme contains natural ingredients including sweet almond oil, lemon oil and cocoa butter.  My only peeve with this is it gets a bit difficult to get the last bits out of the tin with long(ish) nails.  I would definitely repurchase. 


77) Cutex Strengthening Nail Polish Remover (100ml)
I bought this for a few dollars at a drugstore/chemist when I was away on vacation and OPI was hard to find.  The strengthening formula includes protein and pro-Vitamin B5.  I found it removed nail polish just as effectively as my usual OPI although it's a bit more drying.  The scent was pleasant too and not too overpowering.  I would repurchase this as a budget alternative although, yes, I've gone back to my usual OPI moisturising remover.

78) OPI Drip Dry Drops (9ml/0.3 fl.oz.)
My third bottle finished up for the year.  Yes, I'm onto my fourth.  Click here for my original review.


79) OPI RapiDry Topcoat
My second bottle for the year and by adding lacquer thinner drops I managed to get about 90% of the product out of the bottle.  I've read other bloggers complaining how the formula on this becomes too thick to use when there's still about a third of the product left - with a few drops of thinner there's a lot less wastage.  Although I'm currently using Sally Hansen's Megashine I still stand by RapiDry as a great quality topcoat and I'll definitely repurchase.  See my original review here .

80) OPI Polish Remover (non-oily, moisturizing formula)
My eighth bottle for the year - no, I'm not drinking it.  I promise!!!


81) L'Occitane Vanilla Flower Hand Cream (30ml/1 oz.)
Gorgeously scented rich hand cream with the 20% Shea Butter content.  I'm a huge fan of L'Occitane products generally and their Shea Butter hand creams are my fave.  They're a bit expensive but a small tube lasts a while because of the super rich formula.  These hand creams are also great as an overnight treatment.  A definite repurchase for me.

Hair & body care

81) RPR Hold Me Gently hair mist (50ml/1.69 Fl.oz travel size)
Another vacation purchase.  My hair's very fine and straight so I spray this mist onto damp hair for soft (not crunchy) natural volume and lift.  It gives my hair a nice soft scent too.  I liked this enough to buy a full sized bottle.

82)  Palmer's Olive Butter Formula Concentrated Cream (30g/1.1 oz travel size)
I had this in my stash for a while and I finally tried it after my Palmer's Shea Butter Concentrated cream ran out a few months ago.  It's basically the same sort of product and is targeted at treating dry skin on hands, elbows, knees and feet but with certified organic extra virgin olive oil as the key ingredient.  It has the same rich formula and it also absorbs super quickly.  I prefer the scent of this to the shea butter cream so now I've bought this in the full size tube.

Cosmetics

83) MAC Amplified Creme lipstick (Cosmo)

I've posted about this lippy before and took it away with me on vacation (see here for vacation post and swatch).  It's a perfect deep nude which goes with any look.  I love the amplified lipstick formula and these are probably my favourite lipstick line from MAC because they have great intense pigmentation, last hours on my lips without needing touching up and don't bleed at all.

84) Christian Dior Single Eyeshadow (622 Sand Beige)

Long discontinued so I won't say too much.  It sat it my stash way too long before I 'discovered' it and realised it was the perfect golden taupe for me.  I loved wearing this as a colour wash all over the lid for a simple chic daytime look.  622 you will be sadly missed from my collection :(

85) Avon Perfect Wear Long Lasting Mascara (black)

Not perfect at all! I was underwhelmed by the performance of this mascara.  It was clumpy, difficult to get good coverage on my lashes and dried out very quickly in the tube.  It only cost $3AUD but I won't be buying this again.

86) Maybelline Lash Stiletto Mascara (Very Black)

I love this little drugstore mascara and it was my staple weekday lash product.  It separates and coats each individual lash for a defined, lengthened look.  It won't be your cup of tea if you're after fattened lashes but it gives you softly long lashes due to its glossy formula.  My only complaint is the moulded plastic bristles are a little sharp and I have given myself an accidental painful prod at the base of my lashes.

If you've hung on so far, thank you!

That's all for this month's empties.

Vita :)