Category Archives: Empties

NARS Sheer Glow Foundation in Mont Blanc – Another one bites the dust! This is my current holy-grail foundation and I have it on regular rotation. I run out, I repurchase. What I love most about this is how buildable it is. I prefer a lightweight look when it comes to my foundation, so I can apply this as light coverage most days and it’s really easy to build up on days where I need just that little bit more.
 
Kevin Murphy Staying Alive Leave In Treatment – I’ve discovered that my favourite after-shower hair care is anything that comes in a spray bottle. The convenience just cannot be beaten. I enjoyed this, I mostly used it on the ends of my hair after washing it (which, tbh I do most days). I did feel like it made my hair easier to comb through, which can sometimes be a struggle for me, but I don’t think it had much of an impact on the overall condition of my hair.
 
Glasshouse Candle in Coney Island – Glasshouse discontinued this fragrance, and I’m sad about it because it’s one of my all time favourites from their range. It’s the perfect combination of sweet and salty, like spun sugar with a sprinkling of sea salt. The official fragrance description is “Burnt Sugar and Fig”. It is delicious, and I don’t know why they’ve stopped producing it. Bring it back, Glasshouse!
 
Paula’s Choice Hydralight Moisture-Infusing Lotion – I really need to stop running out of my favourite products, it makes empties posts quite repetitive. Or maybe I should be trying more new things? Nah. I will likely be churning through a lot more of these in the future, as it’s now the moisturiser Sebastian is using as well. It’s the perfect lightweight moisturiser for sensitive skin, and I will continue using it throughout 2021.
 
Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleansing Wipes – Oh look another favourite product that I’ve used up. On nights when I am feeling especially slack when it comes to my skin care routine, I’ll reach for these. And let me tell you, I reached for these a lot in 2020. They’re a great product to use on sensitive skin, and are a staple I always try to have on hand.

Ecoya Candle in French Pear – French Pear is one of my favourite Spring scents, so it was lovely to have this burning in our living space this season. I am a big fan of these Ecoya candles, they have a long burn time and the throw of the scent is really good, even in an open area like our living room. I’d recommend picking this up if you’re in the market for a spicy pear fragrance for your home.

Mario Badescu Facial Spray with Aloe, Herbs and Rosewater – This is one of my favourite products from the Mario Badescu range, and my favourite of their facial sprays. I have once again popped the four pack of these sprays on my Christmas wish list for this year, because I enjoyed having them as part of my beauty routine throughout the year.

Paula’s Choice Hydralight Health Skin Refreshing Toner – This is a holy grail item in my beauty cupboard and I go through these tubes fairly regularly. This is a lovely lightweight toner with a refreshing cucumber sort of scent. I like to use this all year round, and it’s my favourite from the Paula’s Choice toner range.

NARS Creamy Concealer in Vanilla – I am a total convert to NARS base makeup now, and this is my new holy grail concealer. I think this is around the fourth or fifth tube I’ve made my way through since becoming a fan.

Paula’s Choice Hydralight Moisture-Infusing Lotion – Yet another staple in my skin care routine, I tend to make my way through one of these moisturisers every couple of months. This is the perfect lightweight moisturiser and it will be a staple in my skin care routine for years to come. I wish they would come out with a bigger version because I feel like I run out of this way too quickly.

The Body Shop Vitamin E Gel Moisturising Cream – This is Sebastian’s favourite moisturiser. I am not a big fan personally because I find that it has too much fragrance in it for me and my skin, but he loves it.

NARS Sheer Glow Foundation in Mont Blanc – My current favourite foundation, and not just because I’m glad I’ve found the perfect colour-match for my face. I like that this can be worn sheer or built up to a heavier coverage if I feel the need. One thing I will say about this though is that you need to have smooth skin for this to sit well on the face, so regular exfoliation is needed.

Soap & Glory Smoothie Star The Breakfast Scrub – This is the ultimate cold weather body scrub, and one of my all-time favourite shower products. This is definitely a product that should come with the warning label “do not eat”, because it smells absolutely delicious. Not only does this smell delicious, but it’s a hard working body scrub that does a good job of keeping my skin refreshed without irritation. This is something I will repurchase time and time again because it’s a winner for me.
 
Morphe Continuous Setting Mist – This is one of the few setting mists I’ve tried that has a very fine spray, which makes it incredibly pleasant to use. I received quite a few compliments on how ‘glowy’ I looked during my time using this spray, and as nothing else in my routine had changed much I am contributing it to this product. Because of that, you can bet I have a second bottle lined up and ready to go.
 
Living Proof Perfect Hair Day Weightless Mask – I’m a recent convert to the Living Proof haircare brand, and I enjoyed trying this sample size of their weightless mask. It wasn’t something that I would purchase the full-sized version of as I didn’t feel that it was hydrating enough for the ends of my hair (which can require some serious help), but it was a decent lightweight mask that I can see working well for people with fine hair that isn’t too much in need of heavy duty hydration.
 
Mecca Max ‘Bring On Bright’ Illuminating Primer – This is the second tube of this primer that I have finished up, which is a true testament to how much I enjoy using it. This is the perfect primer for those who need a bit of a glow-up before applying their makeup. I have recommended this to a few friends who are still using and loving it, and it’s at a decent price point for a primer, which is an added bonus.
 
Dermalogica Special Cleansing Gel – When I know that I like a cleanser I tend to go all out and purchase the jumbo size to keep in my shower. Having said that, you can probably tell how I feel about this cleanser by the sheer size of it. I tend to alternate between this and the Paula’s Choice Hydralight Cleanser. There isn’t too much variety in my skincare routine these days, which is because have spent many years finding products that work well for me. This is one of them.

Kora Organics Balancing Rose Mist – I love a good rose mist and this is one of my favourites because it has a nice (read: subtle) rose fragrance to it that doesn’t smell artificial. I also like that the mist itself is quite fine, as sometimes these products can have a heavy spray that makes it feel like you’ve turned a hose on yourself.
 
O&M Original Queenie Firm hold Hair Spray – The good thing about this product is that it’s my all-time favourite hair spray and is the only product that manages to keep a curl in my hair for an entire day. The bad thing is that Sebastian has also grown to love using it on his hair, which means I go through bottles much faster than I used to. If you have fine hair that struggles to hold a curl I highly recommend trying this, it works wonders for me.
 
Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant – This bottle was instantly replenished and replaced in my beauty cupboard because it’s a staple in my skincare routine. I gentle enough to use on sensitive skin, and I try to use it two to three times a week in the shower to help keep my skin clear and bright looking.
 
Mario Badescu Facial Spray with Aloe, Sage and Orange Blossom – I love these Mario Badescu sprays but they definitely fall under the “makes it feel like you’ve turned a hose on yourself” category for product design. The smell of this was lovely and light, with orange blossom really coming through. I probably wouldn’t purchase this again on it’s own, but I enjoyed having a chance to try it out in the set of four I received as a gift for Christmas last year.
 
Aveda NutriPlenish Shampoo & Conditioner (Deep Moisture) – I really loved this duo. I felt like it did wonders for my hair and when I used it I received a lot of compliments on how shiny my hair was. I decided to try the light moisture version after using these, but I think I’ll switch back to this version once I’m finished with those.
 
NARS Sheer Glow Foundation in Mont Blanc – Ever since Givenchy discontinued their Photo Perfexion range, this has stepped up to be my favourite foundation. A little bit goes a long way for me, and I’m really glad to have so easily found a decent shade match for my pale ass face.