There’s something quite satisfying about opening a new pot of moisturiser or a crisp clean mascara, but to get to that point, rather than continuously buying new products to try, I’m making a conscious effort to make sure I use products to the end….or at least blog about them if I don’t!  (Another The ‘Not Empties’ post! coming soon but check out that link to see what I’m talking about if you don’t already know!!)

During July, these are the products that I emptied.

The Ordinary ‘Buffet’ Serum

I have raved quite a lot about this here on my blog and also on Instagram as a peptide fuelled serum by The Ordinary that I am actually starting to notice a difference in my skin with.  The main difference as I spoke about in a previous post was the frown lines that were developing on my forehead aren’t as prominent as I once noticed them to be!    As I have talked a lot about this before, have a read of The Ordinary…..a few months on… for more detail on this.

Would I repurchase?

Yes….this is my third bottle and I do notice when I have run out that my skin feels like I am missing something from my routine.  I love it!

Clinique Moisture Surge

I have been using this moisturiser every morning for quite a while now and for my oily/combination skin it is the best thing that I have used.  It gives my skin a hit of hydration without any oiliness, stickiness or making my skin feel like it’s got a heavy layer on it.  It is lightweight gel-cream that is easily absorbed and works brilliantly under makeup.

Would I repurchase?

I’ve lost count of how many of these I have replaced and yes, will continue to use!

Clinique Moisture Surge Hydrating Supercharge Concentrate

This is a new one for me…..a new release from Clinique which I was pleased to find they sold in a travel size version so that I could try it without the commitment of the full size product.  This is a water-gel, designed to give the skin a boost of hydration with anti-oxident protection and when worn together with Moisture Surge (or any other moisturiser) it’s an added layer of moisture for the skin without causing any oiliness.

Would I repurchase?

Yes.  I haven’t yet purely because I have made other changes in my routine and want to give my skin a chance!!  I would buy the full size.  When I used this, I applied it morning and night under my moisturisers so in the morning it was under Moisture Surge and at night it was under Formula Absolute Sleep Cream.  It made my skin feel lovely and soft and didn’t interfere with makeup or make my skin feel heavy with the layered moisturising products which I thought it might!

Forever Aloe Ever-Shield Deodorant Stick

I thought I would include this in this month’s empties as I really like it and have used up what is now my second one.  2 years ago my Mum was diagnosed with and treated for Breast Cancer.  At that point I decided to make changes to things like deodorant to ensure that I was reducing my exposure to aluminium and parabens.  (I am not saying that everything I use is paraben-free…..I’m aware that they are in many items we use every day!)  However, my choice was to reduce my exposure to them so I started with a change in deodorant.  (I am also now more conscious when I am shopping about what products contain!)  This one from Forever is both aluminium and paraben free, yet still smells nice and actually works!  In a bid to change what I was using, I have tried plenty of products that claim to work whilst also eliminating nasties from their ingredients list….maybe it was just me but they didn’t work!  This does….simple as that!

Would I repurchase?

Yes….I have repurchased this before and I plan to continue to use it.

Spa Sanctuary Foaming Shower Mousse

I could easily jump straight to the ‘would I repurchase’ question!!  I love love love this shower mousse.  It is light, airy, smells amazing and leaves my skin super soft.  So yes…..I would and have repurchased this product!

Soap & Glory Smoothie Body Buttercream

This was one of three 50ml pots that were in a cute little set that my son bought me for Christmas 🙂  I tend to use these body creams after a bath or shower rather than on dry skin as I find they’re great for helping to keep moisture in the skin so applying to wet skin I personally find to be of more benefit.  These little pots are also great to keep handy as hand cream!

Would I repurchase?

This particular scent, not necessarily but I always try to stay away from taking too much about scent as it is an individual thing.  How something smells to me is not how it will smell to the next person so as a personal opinion this was nice but not my favourite.  I do love a lot of Soap & Glory products, especially for their scent but this for me just wasn’t quite right for me.  Don’t get me wrong though…the product itself, I would definitely buy … just in another scent!

Urban Decay Razor Sharp Eyeliner

This is THE best liquid eyeliner that I have used.  The black is called ‘Perversion’ and is ultimately my favourite eyeliner.  The brush is thin and easy to use with a decent handle giving great control over it.  I have had this for about a year (probably a bit longer than I should have) and whilst there is probably some still left in this, I am finding it quite drying now…but I don’t believe this to be at fault of the product, as I say, I have had it longer than I should!

Would I repurchase?

Yes, already have another one which is one of 5 that my hubby chose for my birthday in November so I have just opened my next one 🙂    I use this a lot and as you may have seen in my dance competition makeup looks, this is the eyeliner of choice alongside the shade ‘Bump’ which is a white eyeliner.  Both together look fab for dance makeup!!

Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara

This mascara really does get mixed reviews…….even from me…I’m still not 100% sure!  Sometimes I love it, sometimes I really don’t!   The brush is a novel design and I did like it to begin with but I’m back to not knowing what I think.  The mascara itself does give good length and definition to the lashes but the brush makes it difficult to get to the smaller lashes because of the wider areas of it.  Again as with the eyeliner, this mascara probably still has some product left inside it however I am fussy with mascaras and will only keep them for 6 months or so depending on how much I use it.  As you can see from the photo, this is pretty clumpy now on the brush so it’s time to be binned anyway!

Would I repurchase?

Possibly….I do like it but I don’t think I will buy it for a while as I’d like to try some other mascaras that are out there with smaller brushes!

Esteē Lauder Sumptuous Extreme Mascara

This Mascara was part of the My Estee Lauder Bargain!  I had used a sample size of this and love it so was pleased to see it was part of this offer.   I have been using this alternately to the Too Faced one which is why they are in the ’empties’ pile at the same time as this too is now quite clumpy.  As far as brush and performance of the mascara goes, this has a better tapered shape to the brush…still quite wide at one end so I do sometimes end up with mascara on my eyelid which is really annoying after spending ages on my eye makeup!!  However generally this has been one of my preferable mascaras to use.  Great for length and volume to the lashes and also looks great over Esteē Lauder’s Lash Primer Plus for extra oomph!

Would I repurchase?

Yes but as I said before, there are other mascaras that I would like to try first so this is a hit with me but more likely to be one I will come back to at some point rather than rushing out to replace.

So that’s all for my Empties this month.   Have you used any of these?  If so, what did you think?

Thanks for reading!

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