Empties #17: January 2015 – Part 2

Welcome back everyone, to part 2 of my January 2015 empties! I’ve got a few makeup items this time round, and a lot more skincare products, so let’s cracking on!

Empties #11: July 2014 – Part 2

Now for part 2 of July’s empties! Continuing on the theme of ‘stash clean up’ from my first July’s empties post, I’ve also been doing the same clean out to my makeup stash – there’s a number of old makeup that are not actually ’empty’ but I just don’t think that I will ever use them again. Let’s take a look at what the rest of my July’s empties are!

Tag: Lipstick Addict

I was tagged by the lovely NerdyLibrarianGirl quite a few days ago; it took me awhile to do up this tag because I’m not usually a lipstick kinda gal – I like my eyeshadows, blushes and a slick of tinted lip balm to keep these lips soft and comfy. Lipstick are usually reserved for a special occasion when I can be bothered. But I shall try my very best to do this tag!

Final Swatch #1: Bobbi Brown Bronze Tortoiseshell Eye Palette

A sign that you’re obsessed with makeup is when you start having feelings for your makeup and can’t bear to part with them, even though you have not used them for ages. In my effort to reduce my stash, I gave away some of my old makeup – I know, some may think that this is not nice, but friends who receive them are fully aware of how old these are and wanted them, so I was not going to stop them. Anyway, I wanted to say goodbye to some of the more loved or memorable ones, like a final goodbye to them, for all the colors they’ve brought to my life!

The first up is the Bobbi Brown Bronze Tortoiseshell Eye Palette – this had a lot of sentimental value for me, and I almost didn’t want to give it away but I had not touched it for so long – I can’t even remember when I last touched it! This was the first makeup item that the bf bought for me, along with a makeup class session by Bobbi Brown – that’s when I know I’ve found the perfect bf! 😛 Sadly I didn’t actually use the palette much, as most of the colours look a bit odd on me and were also on the sheer side. I did use one color all the time when I first received it, so there’s a huge dent in one pan. I love the tortoiseshell packaging though!

When this post goes up, this palette would have left my hands forever. But hopefully, it will continue to be loved by someone else! 🙂

Review: Bobbi Brown Shimmer Blush in Coral

The Bobbi Brown Shimmer Blush in Coral is described on the official website as “a soft coral”. To my eye, it’s a medium-dark coral, leaning more towards orange, with gold shimmers.

My favourite part of this blush is the packaging – it is very flat and square, with no wasted space or useless cheap applicators. It’s plastic, with a clear window on the flip top, but has no mirror. The blush pan can be easily lifted out and reassembled into a larger palette. I just love how travel friendly it is, and how little space it takes up!

The texture is soft and silky smooth, but it is not powdery at all. The pigmentation is amazing, and I find that applying it sheer or full on actually gives different effects – applied sheer, it pulls more coral-pink, but with a heavier hand, it appears more orange-coral. As it blends out easily and evenly, I don’t have to be too careful about applying too much like some other highly pigmented blushes. Despite the shimmer, I don’t find it emphasizing my pores; I really like how it gives me a lovely summer glow.

Coral lasted well past eight hours on my cheeks without fading. For 4g of product, S$42 does sound pricy but I think the quality makes it well worth it.

Rating: 4.5/5

Empties #5: January 2014

I have a ridiculous amount of empties this month – way more than I ever expected to be able to finish! Obviously, I did not use up the entire amount in just one month! With Chinese New Year here, I wanted to spring clean so I made extra effort to use up all the already-opened and half-empty bottles. So let’s not waste time and dive right in for some quick thoughts!

1. La Roche Posay Anthelios XL SPF 50+ Spray
2. La Roche Posay Hydrating After-Sun Melt-In Gel
A couple of items that are not empty but I had to throw out as they have expired. I do love La Roche Posay’s sun protection series, but I just don’t go under the sun enough to complete them and I only use these on my body. I will repurchase them again for my next summer or beach holiday!

3. La Roche Posay Anthelios XL SPF 50+ Melt in Cream
This I did manage to complete. I’m actually a vampire morbidly terrified of sunlight, so I slather this on my face every day religiously. This has not broken me out and dries very quickly without messing up my makeup.

4. Plante System Rosakalm Cleansing Micellar Water
Reviewed here. Not a fan; won’t repurchase.

5. Himalaya Herbals Purifying Neem Face Wash
Although this was meant for normal to oily skin, I did quite enjoy it. The texture is like a gel; my skin felt nice and clean without being too dry.

6. Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser for Face & Body
7. Gillette Satin Care Shave Gel Avocado Twist
A few bath items. I only use the Cetaphil on my body as I didn’t think it did anything for my face; won’t repurchase. I did like the Gillette Shave Gel, but I’ve not actually seen a shave gel that doesnt work anyway.

8. My Beauty Diary Rose & White Peony Brightening Mist
This does smell nice and I appreciate the good spray nozzle, and does feel refreshing. It doesn’t have any real impact on my skin though.

9. Make Up Store Brush Cleansing Soap
I love this brush cleansing soap; it cleans very well – even week old foundation washes out easily to reveal the original brush hair color – without drying out the brush hair. I also like how easy it is to use; just sweep the brush back and forth on the soap itself, then rinse off. Will repurchase!

10. Beauty Blender Sponge
I don’t really understand all the raves for this. I was sucked into the hype and bought two! Since it was so expensive I continued to use them anyway, but once they’re all spoilt, I won’t be buying any more.

11. L’Occitane Pivoine Flora Eau de Parfum
I quite like the scent; it’s very feminine and floral, but also very light.

12. Biore Cleansing Oil-in-Cotton Wipes
13. Sulwhasoo Snowise EX Whitening Water
14. SkinFood Fresh Apple Sparkling Pore Toner
Some useful skincare items for the gym. The Biore wipes is a regular item that I bring to wipe off all makeup before I exercise. I also like bringing little samples of skincare to the gym; after sweating it out, it always feel good to do some basic skincare steps. I’m not too concerned about what I bring though, as I usually clean my face again when I get home.

15. Poretol Pore’s Care Cleanser Pack
This was supposed to be a pore clearing wash off mask; I really didn’t like it. It was messy, and did nothing for my skin. The texture is rather gritty, which I guess acts as a scrub as you slather it on. I liked the light fresh tingle when it first go on the skin. Will not repurchase.

16. Avene Skin Recovery Cream Calming Formula
Reviewed here. Really enjoyed it and will be repurchasing!

17. VMV Hypoallergenics Hydra Balance Smart Moisturizer
Hated this. This was supposed to be a “smart moisturizer” that keeps dry areas moisturized, without adding shine or clog pores. My skin is very dry, and I’ve rarely seen a moisturizer that can make me shiny; this is a really weird moisturizer that while its texture felt light, it made me feel unbearably oily the entire time I had it on. Will never purchase.

18. SKII Facial Treatment Clear Lotion
19. SKII Facial Treatment Essence
I used to love SKII items, but I find that with prolonged usage, the effects become less apparent. Maybe my skin are used to the ingredients? I haven’t used these for a couple of years, and after using these sample sizes my skin seems clearer, so I might pick up a few full sizes to see if they will work again on my skin.

20. Good Skin Labs Smooth 365 Intensive Peptide Serum
I quite liked this; it goes on slightly tacky feeling, but the tackiness just goes away after letting it dry for a couple of minutes leaving a very velvety smooth texture. The sample is too small for me to tell if it made a difference to my skin, but I did liked it while I used it so I might check out a full bottle.

21. Lancome Genifique Yeux Eye Illuminating Youth Activator
An item that I thought was pretty gimmicky with its rotating applicator that you use to roll under the eyes to apply the serum. I didn’t think that it did much for me. Will not repurchase.

22. Lancome L’absolu Rouge in 365
A really great find; got this as part of a Christmas Purchase-with-Purchase set. It was my go-to red lip for a while; goes on smoothly, very comfortable and is on the sheer side so I can use it everyday.

23. Too Faced Primed & Poreless Bronze Tint SPF 20
Another item that has expired. I barely used it as I’m too lazy to bother with primers, and I don’t really want to bronze my entire face.

24. Essence Long Lasting Eye Pencil in 15 Bling Bling
I think Essence has a really nice affordable line of eye pencils. While they’re not the most long lasting, they do go on smoothly with good color payoff and a little eyeshadow on top will extend its wear.

25. Bourjois Volumizer Mascara
Another gimmicky item; this mascara has 2 “dials” – step 1 is supposed to give defined lashes, while step 2 is meant to give dramatic lashes. I ended up only using step 2 as I didnt think step 1 did anything for my lashes. I liked the effect of step 2 though, my lashes were nice and big!

26. Bobbi Brown Skin Foundation SPF 15 PA+ in 3 Beige
One of my favourite foundations! It’s just amazing; it gives about medium coverage, and feels so light on. I really like how natural it looks on and I can layer it for better coverage without it looking like it’s caked on. I will definitely be repurchasing this.

The scariest thing about clearing out that much makeup and skincare products is when you realised that even after throwing out 26 items, it still did not make a dent to my collection! And I need to work on using up more actual makeup too! If you’ve managed to read through all I have to say about my trash, I hope it didn’t bore you out! 🙂

Empties #1: September 2013

My first empties post! I had a little weird sense of happiness as I wrote this; there’s just something great about completing a product, or dumping something out. A quick little overview below on everything that I have used up; I think this should serve as a nice reminder for myself of what I have loved, and what I didn’t, when I have to replenish my beauty stock.

1. Sally Hansen Moisturizing Fast & Gentle Polish Remover
I really do generally like Sally Hansen’s polish removers – I find that they remove polish effectively without really drying my hands.

2. Gillette Satin Care Dry Skin
3. Lactacyd Pro Balance Daily Feminine Wash
A couple of ladies products that I am sure nobody wants to read about. Or rather, I really don’t have that much thoughts on them.

4. Lush Coco Lotion Hand & Body Lotion
An overpriced body lotion; at 225g, this is a reasonably large bottle but as the expiry date was really short, I couldn’t finish it on time before it turned into a weird sour milk smelling gunk. It doesn’t have added fragrance, but does have a light natural scent that I cannot describe. It does quite a good job at moisturizing my really dry legs but at its price, I expect better and will not repurchase it. Thank goodness I got this in a sale for half price.

5. Revlon Colorstay Whipped Creme Makeup in 250 Medium Beige
One of my favourite foundations! It looks really natural on and has medium coverage; I don’t really need concealer except for really bad skin days. The downside is that I can feel it sitting on my skin, and it can sometimes feel a little too much under Singapore heat – and I have very dry skin so I can’t imagine what it’s like for oily skin! I am also not particularly a fan of the packaging. But, I still love how beautiful this makes my skin looks!

6. MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural in Light Plus
Favourite powder! I have tons of powders but I find myself reaching back to this whenever I have a major event that I have to look flawless for. It never looks cake-y on my skin and sets my makeup beautifully. I have already bought a new one because I just don’t feel safe without it.

7. Manicare Cosmetica Powder Brush
In my over-200 count of makeup brushes, I have to say that this is the worst brush I have ever bought. It’s very scratchy, the hair never stops falling out, and the last straw came when the handle broke! I have other Manicare brushes, but the Cosmetica line is the worst. Will not purchase another.

8. Supernail nail polish thinner
9. Ichikami Hair Treatment
The supernail nail polish thinner was rather forgettable – somehow it managed to evaporate even though the cap was tightly screwed on, and I have barely used it a couple of times. The hair treatment was pretty good – I managed to get about 3 uses out of the sample size and my hair did feel really soft after each use; would probably purchase the full size to test it out further when I finish up my hoard of hair products.

10. Sulwhasoo Essential Firming Cream
A rather thick cream that I slather on at night; despite its texture it sinks in rather quickly. I do like it and am quite obsessed with the signature ginseng smell of Sulwhasoo’s products. Not sure if I would repurchase this but I will definitely be checking out more of Sulwhasoo’s products!

11. Bioderma Photoderm Spot SPF 50+
A pretty good sunscreen in my opinion; I love that it has SPF50 and it doesn’t clog my pores. It does feel a little thick and sticky on application, but my dry skin soaks it all up within a couple of minutes.

12. Elizabeth Arden Ceramide Gold Ultra Restorative Capsules
My most loved serum/oil! I use this like a moisturising oil at night in place of a cream about once a week and I always wake up to freshly plumped skin with a beautiful glow. It is pretty expensive, but I have an endless supply of samples courtesy of Mum who is also obsessed with this; she buys the full size and asks for lots of samples for me. If my supply ever ends, I would gladly pay full price for it.

13. Bobbi Brown Extreme Party Mascara
I got this as part of a box set gifted by the bf. I’m not a big fan of this; I have a lot of rather long and dark lashes, and this doesn’t do anything for them. I wouldn’t call this “extreme” anything, but it’s ok for an everyday natural look. Definitely not for an extreme party. Won’t repurchase.

I’m kind of in shock at this moment that I have managed to use up 13 products! Okay, I didn’t really use them all up in 1 month – I have tons of products that had only little remnants left in them and I just decided to start clearing them out. Have you used up any items this month too?