Beauty Empties #3

I think I waited too long in between 'Empties' posts. I mean, LOOK at all that rubbish I had squirrelled away in my room. It's a wonder my OCD allowed such blasphemy.

That's the miracle of Christmas, kids.

Also, can we take a moment to appreciate the fact that my photos actually have QUALITY now?! Remember the days when this was the photo quality you'd come to expect on Christie's Take on Life? Dies. I finally got the Panasonic Lumix I'd been lusting after (now THAT'S the true miracle of Christmas) so it's goodbye hideous phone images, hello Panasonic beauty.

Anywhoo.
 Here's a look in to the various empty bottles, tubes and tubs that I've hoarded over the past month or so:

Simple Skincare Daily Radiance Cleansing Wipes

I've never been a fan of facial wipes (and rightly so), but I will always have a pack on hand to remove as much waterproof makeup as I can before cleansing.. Or for when I stumble home unable to properly wash the mess that was once smokey eyes off my face #Whitegirl.

Moving on.. I usually love anything Simple Skincare and the idea of these sounded appealing: 100% alcohol free, non drying,100% oil free, pH balanced, brightening but they just didn't work for me. The textured bumps were too harsh and I felt more like I was rubbing my skin off rather than my makeup. As for the brightening properties: I used a whole pack and I didn't notice any difference whatsoever to the brightness of my complexion.. Perhaps you may if you use them everyday. Perhaps. On the plus side, they had a pleasant scent so.. there's that.

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Repurchase? No Sir. I've since discovered Neutrogena's makeup remover cleansing towelettes which are much gentler on my skin.

Kim Kardashian Creamy Body Wash

I got this in a three piece set for my birthday. Nothing overly special to report on this one other than it's scent. If you love florals, you'll love this frangipani/jasmine scent. It's strong, it's feminine, and it's lovely. It hardly lathers at all, which forced me to use a lot more than I usually would, but it was luxuriously creamy, so I think the scales are balanced on this one.

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Repurchase? Not likely.

The Body Shop Mango Shower Gel

MANGO WILL ALWAYS BE MY FAVOURITE EVERYTHING AND I LOVE THIS SO MUCH OMG.

It's literally everything I love in a shower gel: an amazing scent, a rich lather, a soap-free formula, nourishing. The smell is so incredibly refreshing and lingers hours after use. The addition of mango seed oil to moisturise and nourish the skin just adds to the experience. Top it all off with that rich lather and you've got yourself a party. 

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Repurchase? Always.

Maybelline Fit Me Concealer (Light)

A much mentioned and compared concealer on this little blog o' mine. I use this over the top of Maybelline's Instant Age Rewind daily as an under eye brightener rather than alone as a concealer. It's easy to apply with it's doe foot applicator and creamy formula allows it to spread and blend beautifully, whilst not accentuating my dry skin. It also means it's a little on the oily side and tends to slide off on hotter days. The 'light' shade instantly lights up the area under my eyes, making me look more awake and it does a good job of hiding those blemishes and red spots.

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Repurchase? All day errday.

The Body Shop Coconut Hand Cream

This mini came from a gift set and I used it daily. I have always loved how moisturising and softening The Body Shop's hand creams are and the delicious coconut scent doesn't hurt either. The formula is perfect in that it's instantly absorbed and non-greasy, it protects the hands, it's light, and I can actually feel the difference in the smoothness of my hands when I use it.

It doesn't get much better than that.

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Repurchase? Yassss. All The Body Shop hand creams.

The Body Shop Japanese Cherry Blossom Shower Gel

Yet another mini for a gift set. Man. It's your typical (wonderful) Body Shop shower gel in that it lathers beautifully, is soap-free, and is nourishing. It has a delicate, yet potent cherry blossom and magnolia fragrance that stays on the skin for a mass amount of time. Lovely.

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Repurchase? Probably not this particular scent. I prefer my fruity smells.

Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Eraser Concealer (Fair)

I use this every day under my foundation. The formula is hard to beat: It's thick enough to cover the under eye area but also smooth enough to blend out nicely, filling in fine lines without settling into them or creasing, while still not accentuating my dry skin. In terms of application, though.. I love that it's a wind-up, meaning you can basically get every last drop from the tube, but I'm not a huge fan of the sponge nib applicator. You get used to it but it's still impossible to clean and is quite large, making it difficult to get the product into the smaller parts of the eye. The shade 'fair' is the lightest shade in the range and it matches my skin-tone perfectly however I like to buy a concealer that's a shade or two lighter than my face for brightening and highlighting purposes and this just doesn't do that. I use Fit Me on top to brighten, while this does it's job of concealing dark circles all day long.

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Repurchase? You know it.

Rimmel Stay Matte Pressed Powder (Silky Beige)
This is another product I use daily; on top of Rimmel's Perfect Match foundation.
I love it! It leaves my skin smooth, and not powdery, even if I use a lot. It's such a great setting powder, and will give a light coverage if you're heavy handed with it and even then, it doesn't give me that gross, cakey look or settle on dry patches or in to creases. It does it's job well, controlling oil while keeping you matte and your make-up in place majority of the day.
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 Repurchase? Yes.

AVON Glimmersticks Retractable Brow Definer (Blonde)
I use this to outline my brows for a more defined shape before going in with the powder from Rimmel's Brow This Way Kit. I absolutely love this formulation, and the colour 'blonde' perfectly matches my brows and being a twist up, pencil means no sharpening required. It goes on easily and with a light hand does not look overdone. It lasts a good while and is easily removed at the end of the day.
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Repurchase? Yes.

AVON Glimmersticks Waterproof Eyeliner (Blackest Night)
I've been using this eye liner for years now. Literally longer than I can remember. I've tried so many others, and this is what I keep coming back to. It doesn't glide on as smoothly as smudgeable formulas (obviously) but if you're looking for solid lines that stay put all day - this is your liner. It's waterproof, smudge proof, retractable (goodbye, sharpening), works on both the upper lash line and the waterline.. what more could you want?
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Repurchase? Yes