Beauty Empties 3

Since I’ve gone back to work, blogging has fallen by the wayside yet again! Seems to be a bad habit for me now, doesn’t it? So I decided to ease my way back in with all my used up products from July. Better late than never, and who knew July would fly by so fast anyway??

The White Company Seychelles Bath & Shower Gel and Body Lotion

I was absolutely obsessed with these products! Having never tried any White Company body products I was a little bit nervous of how moisturising they would actually be, but I can officially say they got the job done! The bath & shower gel built up to a great lather and thanks to the scent (bergamot, amber and vanilla) will always and forever remind me of summer. As for the body lotion, I’ve mentioned before how picky I can be about what I put on my dry legs. Lotion is the right word as it wasn’t very thick, but it was surprisingly hydrating! The scent did last but wasn’t super strong, which I prefer as it didn’t clash with other fragrances. I was so surprised with the quality of these products, and now I’m dying to try the other scents and the rest of the range! Try my new favourite summer body scent for yourself.

Champneys Body Firming Shower Polish

For £10 this product is a lot of bang for your buck. As someone who goes through a ton of products a month, I can honestly say I don’t remember when I bought this and I used it every shower. It had a lovely fresh scent and the actual polish was quite fine, which meant it wasn’t too harsh on the skin at all. I loved this on rough skin areas like elbows and knees, and felt that it really improved circulation in my legs. Did it make my skin firmer? Who knows, but I’ll be repurchasing for the value for money alone. Try it out here.

Fresh Sugar Lemon Moisturising Hand Cream

Yet another hand cream of the month to counteract all the hand washing dryness. It has the same scent as the shower gel and body lotion I mentioned in May’s empties post, which I think I preferred on my hands rather than all over. Shea butter in anything hand cream related gives an extra burst of nourishment, and since I’m back to work and my hands are in and out of hot water a lot more I felt like they absolutely drank this up. Fast absorbing and super nourishing, I have absolutely no complaints about this lovely product. Try it out here.

Clarins Multi Active Jour

I’ve been making a real effort to use up some of my minis (can you tell?) before I buy anything new skincare wise. Clarins is always a safe bet for me, I rarely have come across a product I didn’t like - if ever. The Multi-Active Jour day cream has been one of my favourites for a while, as it sinks into the skin almost straight away and leaves no residue behind - perfect for people like me who are always in a manic rush to get out the door in the morning. The cream has a super subtle scent which didn't break me out at all and was extremely light on the skin. I’d have to use it for longer to be able to have an opinion on whether or not it counteracts fine lines, but it will definitely be a repurchase for me somewhere down the line thanks to everything else I said. Check it out.

Side note: how good are Clarins sample sizes?? This was a whopping 30ml, and Clarins always has good deals on with free samples!

Molton Brown Bath & Shower Gel (Various Scents)

Well I definitely went in on my Molton Brown minis didn’t I? Honestly, I usually keep these to take away with me as they’re the perfect weeks holiday size, but since I haven’t been going anywhere this year I’ve been using them up at home instead. All in one month apparently. The scents I had were Heavenly Gingerlily, Vetiver & Grapefruit, Fiery Pink Pepper and Relaxing Ylang-Ylang. I loved the pink pepper and gingerlily scents most (I like fresh and clean shower scents), and yang-ylang really didn’t do it for me. But this is why we have samples isn’t it? Lather wise, Molton Brown are always a good shout for bath and shower gels, as they always lather up great and leave a lovely scent on the skin afterwards. I love that you can buy travel size toiletry sets if you are unsure what you would like, and you can make a pick & mix of travel toiletries once you find your favourite scent.

Fresh Sugar Coconut & Sugar Lemon Hydrating Lip Balm

I’ve obviously been going in hard with all my Fresh products recently, and finishing up these two lip balms is no exception. I loved the sugar lemon for out and about, and the coconut was my favourite for before bed. I couldn’t fault the formula at all, my lips were left super hydrated and any dry skin on my lips was majorly reduced whenever I used these daily. The texture wasn’t sticky or gloopy (no hair in mouth situations here!) and I loooooooved the packaging which was super simple and flat, and tucked away easily into smaller handbags. I want to try some of the tinted balms next, but will be repurchasing the coconut one for my bedside next time I make an order. Check out the range.

Surratt La Vie En Rose Artistique Blush

I can honestly say that the only reason I’m getting rid of this is because it’s so old it’s started to go a wee bit funny (aka off). Looking at it, you honestly wouldn’t believe I used it every day for near enough a year and a half. Isn’t that always the way with blushes? You never actually finish them, you just have them for so long you wind up just having to declutter them. This was the first Surratt product I tried and I was so impressed. The product was so finely milled it blended on flawlessly, and left my cheeks with the most natural looking colour. I’m the palest of the pale which can make a lot of blushes look quite jarring on my face, but the ‘La Vie En Rose’ shade felt perfect for me. I’m already thinking about making my own palette.

Hourglass Caution Mascara Ultra Black

I will never be this obsessed with another mascara. Ever. Mascaras are so hard to get right, and for me the Hourglass Caution is the holy grail. I don’t tend to go for mascaras that are super lengthening and separating. I like my mascaras to add volume to my lashes without making them really clumpy. And since mine are naturally quite long, anything lengthening tends to make them look a little like spiders legs. Not my best look. The caution mascara is inky black and makes my lashes look fuller and thicker. They are left with the slightest clump, and no spider legs to be seen! Also, it doesn’t transfer to ly eyelids during the day or slide down my sweaty face. Safe to say I already have a full size one ready to go in my makeup drawer. I couldn’t recommend you try this enough.

Clarins Extra Firming Mask

Ok first of all, I know this is an anti ageing mask. And I know I’m not quite at that point yet. Although almost (hi, 30 this month). When I had my Christmas present facial (thanks mum!) the girl recommended this to me because it’s so nourishing and my skin tends to be really dehydrated. I won’t lie, I mostly bought it because it smells amazing, but you can tell by the fact that I’ve used it all up that I truly loved it. I generally slapped some on in the bath when my skin was feeling particularly parched, and found that when I got out my face felt a lot smoother and softer and looked a lot healthier. Who knows, maybe it actually did tighten up my wrinkles and I’m just in denial? Either way, I rate it! Try it out.

Well that’s another month of skincare heavy empties gone by. Although I am chuffed I got a couple of makeup products in there! I am not a user up of makeup, but I’m going to make more effort (that Surratt blush did a number on me when the texture changed). Hopefully next month will have a few more makeup bits included! As well as the usual skincare…of course.