April Empties

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The Body Shop Strawberry Shower Gel – I picked this up on a whim when buying a Christmas present for my secret santa at work, and it is now one of my favourite shower products. The fragrance of the gel stays on your skin for quite a while after the shower, so keep that in mind if you do not want to smell like a piece of strawberry hubba bubba bubble gum.
 
Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant – This product has been a staple in my skincare regime for many years now. I use it 2-3 times a week and I know that it helps to keep my skin clear because when I stop using it my skin sort of RIOTS. This is a really gentle exfoliant for people with sensitive skin.
 
Paula’s Choice Hydralight One-Step Face Cleanser – This is another staple in my skincare regime and I normally have a back up on hand and ready to go when I run out. This time I have switched to something different, but you can be sure that I will revert back to this when I’m finished with what I’m currently using.
 
NARS Creamy Concealer in Vanilla – This is my current favourite concealer, and one I have been using for a couple of years now. It is a perfect match for my skintone, which can be difficult for me to find so I think I’ll be sticking with it for a while. My only gripe with this product is the packaging. A substantial amount of product ends up getting left in the tube because it’s so hard to get the last of it out.
 
Aveda Damage Remedy Shampoo & Conditioner – Although I’m a huge fan of some of the Aveda hair care range, I wasn’t that fond of these two. This duo left my hair feeling quite brittle and easily tangled when I would comb through it after a shower. I won’t be purchasing these particular products from the range again.
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April/May Empties

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Terax Crema Moisturising Daily Conditioner – This is one of my favourite luxury hair items that I treat myself to using once or twice a week. I’ve been using this for years, ever since Liv Tyler (my Queen of hair inspiration) mentioned using it in an interview years ago. This is something I purchase from time to time as a bit of a splurge, and I’m so sad to have run out. Have I already purchased another tube? Maybe.

Kmart Prosecco Pear Candle – I picked this up mostly for the aesthetics and I was pleasantly surprised by how much I like the smell. It smells pretty much exactly as you would imagine the mix of prosecco and pear to smell. The biggest downside to this was the throw wasn’t great and it was only if you were in the general vicinity of the candle you were able to pick up on the scent, but for $9 I feel like I can’t really complain.

Bobbi Brown Corrector in Extra Light Bisque – This has been my favourite under-eye concealer for a few years now, but I think it’s time to move on to something different. This was an okay concealer but honestly, I’m starting to feel like I need something industrial-strength to cover my dark circles. These bad boys are genetic and I’ve had them since I was a little kid. So, for now, it’s farewell to this Bobbi Brown concealer.

[sample] Benefit The Porefessional Pearl Primer – I really enjoyed using this primer, I felt like it did a great job of mattifying my skin and keeping my makeup in place throughout my workday. I’ll be looking at picking up a full sized version of this once my Hourglass primer runs out.

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March Empties

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Tarte ‘Rainforest of the Sea’ Marine Boosting Mist – This was a product that came with a Tarte highlighting set Sebastian picked up for me in Sephora Singapore last year, and to be honest I was really surprised by how much I loved it. It somehow managed to hydrate my skin and make it look dewy and fresh with a couple of spritzes. It also smelled incredible, a fresh citrus scent that I found really uplifting. I will definitely be adding this to my list of things to buy when I’m wanting to treat myself.

asap Daily Facial Cleanser (with AHA) – Because I stick to using Paula’s Choice and Dermalogica facial cleansers for the most part, I’ve had Sebastian use up a few bottles that were sitting unused in my beauty cupboard. This cleanser did the job well for him, and Sebastian has noticed that he prefers skincare that contains AHA (to help control his milia), so this was right up his alley.

Philosophy Christmas Cookie Shower Gel – I purchased this as part of Sebastian’s Christmas present last year, and it was so tempting to steal this and use it all for myself. This smells incredible. If you are someone who loves vanilla/sweet scented products this is definitely for you. The Philosophy shower gels are always a pleasure to use, they lather up well, rinse off easily, and leave your skin smelling amazing. I would definitely repurchase this again – maybe as another little treat this Christmas?

Avène Micellar Lotion – Random fact about this product, I picked it up in Bali a couple of years ago because I needed to break some change in a pharmacy and this looked like something I might want to try. I didn’t like this at all, it had an overwhelming rose fragrance to it and I felt like it wasn’t the best for my sensitive skin.

Ahava Velvet Body Lotion in Tropical Pineapple & White Peach – This was a deluxe sample that came along with a skin care purchase I made a couple of years ago, and I finally made the effort to use it up. This was a really nice lotion that hydrated my skin without leaving too much of a residue. The smell was nice–fresh and fruity without being too sweet.

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February Empties

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evo Mane Tamer Smoothing Shampoo & Conditioner – Every now and then I come across a product that smells so good I want to eat it. This is one of those products. The scent of the conditioner reminded me of caramel mudcake, which lingered on my hair and made for a very pleasant hair-washing experience. Besides that and more importantly, as a shampoo & conditioner these both worked really well. My hair can get a bit dry and frizzy during summer, and these helped to tame my fly-aways during that time. I would definitely consider purchasing the full sized versions of these in the future.

Paula’s Choice Moisture Boost Essential Hydrating Toner – I rotate between three different Paula’s Choice toners, and this is my favourite. It makes a noticeable difference in the hydration levels of my skin, and is a lifesaver during the times of the year when my skin is drier than usual. I tend to pick up one of each toner when I place my Paula’s Choice orders, so no doubt I’ll be cycling back around to this again soon.

Tony & Guy Flexible Hold Hairspray – I told myself I needed to use up all of my hairspray stash before repurchasing another of my holy grail (O&M Queenie, for those playing at home), and this was the last product I needed to finish. To be honest, Sebastian used up most of this tube because he has discovered that the best way to tame his hair is not gel, it’s hairspray. This did a good job of both holding a curl in my fine hair, and maintaining control of his extremely thick and wavy hair.

Glasshouse Candle in The Hamptons (teak & petitgrain) – I picked this up to burn in our living room because it’s such a fresh and light scent. I love using Glasshouse candles in our living areas because the throw of the scent is far enough to fill a large space. I had a couple of friends comment on how nice this scent was while they were visiting, which is the sign of a good home fragrance for me.

Pantene Pro-V 3 Minute Miracle – This has been my little hair lifesaver for many years now. I try to pace myself with these because I don’t want to run out too soon, but one of these tubes is enough to give me three deep conditions of my hair. This never fails to leave my hair soft, silky, and shiny.

[sample] By Terry Baum De Rose – I was really disappointed by this. It had been hyped up for me for so long as being one of the best lip balms, but I found it to be way too heavily scented and felt like it was so thick that it just sat on my lips rather than moisturising them. It’s probably a good thing that I didn’t fall madly in love with this, because it’s certainly not an inexpensive product.

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January Empties

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Paula’s Choice Resist Daily Pore-Refining Treatment (2% BHA) – Truth be told, Sebastian used the majority of this product and it was because he had asked me for something that would help control the pores on his nose. There was a noticeable difference in the size and condition of his pores after using this, and he was pleasantly surprised. After finishing this up he asked if I had anything similar he could use, which I think is a testament to the quality of the product.

Mario Badescu Facial Spray with Aloe, Herbs, and Rosewater – These Mario Badescu Facial Sprays are my new obsession. I have one of these and one of the Aloe, Cucumber, and Green Tea in regular rotation. I sometimes use this in place of a toner, or just to give a nice refreshing boost to my skin throughout the day. This smells incredible, and has been such a treat to use during summer.

Paula’s Choice Redness Relief SPF 15 Mineral Moisturiser – This is my favourite facial sunscreen and I’ve gone through quite a few tubes of this over the years. I like this because it doesn’t leave a white cast on the skin and it has an almost mattifying effect, which is the opposite to all of the sunscreens I’ve tried in the past. It also works really well, which is saying a lot because my skin LOVES to burn.

Paula’s Choice Skin Balancing Invisible Finish Moisture Gel – I like to rotate my Paula’s Choice moisturisers, but after this round with the Invisible Finish Moisture Gel I think I’ll be giving it a miss in the future. I’m not sure if it was because my skin is drier than usual at the moment but this was not doing me any favours in the hydration department. I think I’ll be sticking to my old faithful Hydralight moisturiser for a while.

Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleansing Wipes – These are my favourite facial cleansing wipes and I try to always have some on hand for nights where I’m too lazy to properly remove my makeup. They are reasonably inexpensive, gentle on my skin, and do a good job of removing makeup.

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