Not all products make it as far as the ‘Empties’ post … some just don’t get used up but not always for a bad reason.  Some, I may have just had open for too long, others I may have become bored of, then there will also be products I’ve given up on because I don’t like them or they simply don’t suit my skin / hair / colouring and so on.   It’s been well over a year since I last posted a ‘Not Empties’ post so I’d like to think I tend to choose products well … generally!!

Here’s what didn’t make it as far as an Empties post:

Urban Decay Naked Ultimate Basics

One product I really thought I would use all of the time is this Ultimate Basics palette from Urban Decay.  As you can see, I completely emptied the first shade and I did get use from the other shades too – especially ‘Extra Bitter’ from the bottom row as it was a lovely warm tone rusty colour.  So, why is it in this post?  Like many palettes, I wasn’t using all of the shades…but it got to a point where when I went back to using them and the colour pay off seemed to have depleted.  The black for example was hard to work with and was incredibly patchy…but don’t get me wrong, all of the shades worked beautifully well when I first got the palette.  I wouldn’t say I had it open longer than the suggested time before this happened either.

Would I repurchase?

As a Makeup Artist, perhaps I would use the product quicker these days but I’m not sure I’d want to take the chance!  I would however be more interested in buying the mini versions of this as I’ve had one of those in the past and loved it.

The Ordinary Mineral UV Filters SPF30

If you’ve followed my blog or Instagram for a while, you’ll know that I have used and loved a lot of products from The Ordinary.  Super affordable and on the whole well tolerated products as far as my skin is concerned.  When it was announced that Deciem were releasing a mineral SPF30 under The Ordinary, I immediately wanted to try it!  Whilst it was on order, I read blogs and watched YouTube videos to find one common thought – White Cast!  I did start to worry that perhaps this was a product that in my wanting rush, had made a mistake in buying.  As with everything though, not every product suits every person so I thought I would at least give it a go!  White Cast is unfortunately a bit of an understatement!  I looked like a ghost!  I’d say I’m quite pale already but nothing I did avoided the white mask that appeared when I used it.  Under makeup, the white cast showed through…I really wanted it to work but it turned out to not be for me.  I also didn’t like the fact it was a hard product to work with in terms of texture.  It’s pretty thick and doesn’t spread easily, going patchy around my eyebrows and corners of my eyes and nose!  I hate to waste products so this will be given away rather than binned … if a friend wants to try it that is!!

Would I repurchase?

Seems a little pointless to need to answer that after my account of my experience with it but no, I will not be repurchasing!

Too Faced Hangover Primer

I reaaaalllyy wanted to like this!  I had heard so many great things about it so when I saw it at IMATS, I picked it up.  I had admittedly only tested it on my hand and it felt lovely so was kind of an impulse buy (which are often mistakes!), but given the hype I thought it would be worth taking a chance!  I have tried this with three different foundations that I have and I cannot get it to work!  The foundations work fine on their own and with other primers underneath but this one for some reason just pills as soon as I apply my foundation.  I’ve tried applying my makeup with a sponge, with fingers and with a brush…nothing seems to work.  I have to admit, I am a fan of Too Faced and the face palette that I also picked up at IMATS is amazing!

Would I repurchase?

Nope, sorry Too Faced!  I will be offering this out to a friend again so as not to waste it.  Just because it didn’t work for me doesn’t mean it doesn’t work at all …

NIOD Photography Fluid

I bought this some time last year with a bargain set from NIOD which contained other products that I loved, Mastic Must, MMHC and CAIS.  The photography fluid can be used on it’s own or under makeup.  On it’s own is definitely not an option for me … disco ball city!!  😛  However under makeup, it does give a subtle highlight to the skin thanks to the light reflecting properties it has.  The reason it’s made it to this post as opposed to an Empties post is that I just don’t use it.  It’s not a product I regularly reach for if I’m honest.  It has been open for a while now and is almost at it’s shelf life expiry so will give this away quickly!

Would I repurchase?

Not likely.  Not because I think it’s a bad product at all.  It’s just not something I find a use for on a regular basis.  As you don’t need much to be effective, having this open for as long as I have is just going to be a waste.  It is something I would recommend looking into however if you like a radiant finish.

Skinkissed Serum

I was gifted this product to try, however I decided not to make a full feature of the product because it’s one that I am just not sure of.  I will say that it is a lovely, light serum that sits well when layering products in a routine and doesn’t have any negative effects on makeup application.  My issue is one that I tried to raise with the company but got no answer.  The serum seems to have oxidised as per this photo below:

The Vitamin C serum contains Hyaluronic acid and Collagen but at an undisclosed percentage so it’s impossible to compare to other serums that I have used containing those ingredients.  As Vitamin C is unstable in water, I am assuming this is why the product has turned this colour.  Another assumption is that it would be safe for me to continue to use the serum but the Vitamin C has probably degraded.  As I say, those are my assumptions!

Would I repurchase?

I’m afraid I wouldn’t because I like to rotate my skincare and I’m guessing this needs to be used consistently and quickly to avoid the issue that I had.

Hair Is Fabric – Volume Support

I have mixed feelings about this!  I loved it one minute and really didn’t the next!   The main issue I had with it was that after a few washes, I seemed to have a build up in my hair so when I dried it, my hair looked like I hadn’t washed it properly.  I contacted Deciem who confirmed it does need a really good rinse to wash it all away … sometimes this worked and sometimes it didn’t so I gave up with it…rightly or wrongly.  I will say however that it wasn’t all bad.  The times that it worked, my hair felt and looked great!

Would I repurchase?

No, I don’t think I would.  Not at £30 anyway.  If it was on offer again like when I bought this as part of a Black Friday deal then I’d possibly try it again but it really would have to be a good deal!!

The Body Shop – Japanese Cherry Blossom Deodorant 

I’m not going to sugar coat it – this didn’t work!  It may well work for plenty of people but for me, it didn’t work as a deodorant at all!  The product itself smells amazing but it isn’t effective in the slightest.  The reason I bought this was because I use deodorants that are paraben free and aluminium free, which this is, and when I couldn’t get hold of my usual one I opted for this as an in-between product.

Would I repurchase?

Nope – it’s not for me!

That’s it for my latest ‘Not Empties’ post…as I always say, just because it didn’t work out for me, doesn’t mean it won’t for you so this post wasn’t intended to put you off or stop you from buying, it’s just my opinions on those products!

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