Product Empties #2

This post is incredibly overdue, I actually had so many empty bottles that I couldn't even fit them all in one post, so expect another fairly soon! I had a lot of products half started and they all finished at once, which is good for this as it gives me lots to talk about, but replacing and repurchasing them was not so good for my bank balance haha.

I thought I would begin with shower products seeing as I seem to have gone through a lot of it in the last few months, which can only be seen as a good thing because it means I am very clean! First is a Ted Baker Body Wash Mini, which I wasn't overly impressed with. It didn't lather up that well and I wasn't a massive fan of the scent, however a good point was that the scent remained on my skin for a good day after using it. Next are a couple of shower gels from The Body Shop, one is cranberry, and the other is raspberry. I tend to use cranberry in the winter months, and raspberry in the summer. I love these; they lather up amazingly, they smell great, really fresh and fruity, and because The Body Shop always has offers on, they're dead cheap. Last in this section is the Soap and Glory Whipped Clean Shower Butter, which is a very moisturising body wash. It lathered up a lot more than I expected it to considering the texture, and smelt really comforting, making it perfect for autumn.

The next section is skincare, and I'll begin with the Clearasil Overnight Lotion, which I believe they don't actually sell anymore, which is a shame because I really liked it. You just apply it over your face and it acts as a moisturiser but it also helps prevent and reduce the size of spots. The Maybelline Dream Fresh BB Cream isn't really skincare but there was no other makeup so I slipped it into this group. I wasn't a massive fan of this, because although it's the lightest colour, it's very orange toned, and my skin isn't even that pale. It didn't last well on my oily skin but I've now purchased the one aimed at my skin type (Dream Pure) and can confirm that it performs much better. I purchased the Neutrogena Pink Grapefruit Moisturiser because it's oil free and I do think it works well and doesn't overload the skin, however I wasn't a big fan of the smell. I think it's because I enjoy drinking pink grapefruit squash and for some reason it made me feel a bit sick putting it on my face. However, I don't think other people would have this problem so I would recommend this, and besides, how can you not love the pink packaging! The Boots Skin Clear Deep Cleansing Lotion is a product that I used in the morning; I just quickly swipe a cotton pad of it over my face and then apply my moisturiser. It quickly cleanses my skin and helps to prevent spots. I've tried lots of these from many different brands and they all perform just as well so I tend to just buy whichever one's on the best offer.

This last section is just miscellanous products that were left over. First up is the Garnier Curl and Bounce Hair Mousse. I actually meant to get the volume one but got this one instead, however this did actually give my hair lots of volume when applied before blow drying, and to be honest the two products probably aren't much different anyway. I really like this and would definitly repurchase, but as this was my first mousse, I want to try a few others first to check that there isn't anything that's even better. Next is the Sally Hansen Strengthening Nail Varnish Remover. I really like this because I prefer to use nail varnish removers with acetone in as I find them to be so much more effective, but acetone can make your nails quite weak. Therefore I like this because the added vitamins cancel out the effect as they strengthen your nails, meaning your nails aren't damaged, but your nail varnish is quickly and easily removed. The final product is a Ted Baker Body Souffle Mini which has the same scent as the body wash, so I wasn't overly keen. It does it's job of moisturising the skin, however it wasn't as good as other moisturisers I have tried from brands that focus on bodycare.

And that concludes this empties post. Stay tuned for another one in the near future and I hope you enjoyed reading.

emma x

The Tuesday Review: Garnier Skin Naturals

Hey guys! As you can see from the title of this post, I've decided to add a new weekly feature to my blog called 'The Tuesday Review'. This is for two reasons; 1, I'm hoping that it will keep me motivated to blog more regularly as I will post one review per week, in addition to another post every Friday, and 2, I have bought a lot of new products over the last few months while I haven't been blogging as much, and I want to share my thoughts about them with you. So without further ado, on with the review... (see what I did there?)

Starting with the packaging, both of these products have very similar packaging, only the micellar water has a larger bottle. Both of them have good lids that seal completely shut, which is great for travel, and when opened, it is easy to control how much product is dispensed, meaning minimal wastage. I like the labels on the products too, simple yet still attractive, with the perfect amount of colour.

The Garnier Skin Naturals Eye Make-up Remover costs just £3.49 and is a biphase product. This means it has the addition of oils to make it even easier to remove waterproof mascara and other stubborn eye makeup. Having previously raved about the Johnson's Eye Make-up Remover, this had a lot to live up to, but for me this is even better! It removes my eye makeup super efficiently and the skin around my eyes feels really fresh after using it, with no sign of any residue. I've also noticed that I've lost less eyelashes since using this, a strange observation I know, but important to me nonetheless. I'm so pleased that I picked up this product because it is so much better than the one I was using, and I thought that was amazing!

The Garnier Skin Naturals Micellar Water costs £4.99 which is an amazing price when you look at the size of the bottle. For the same price as many other products of its type, you get 400ml of product, whereas most are only 200ml. This is the first micellar water I've tried so I can't say its better than any of the others, however for me this has been a complete game changer. I use this as a quick initial cleanse to remove the majority of my face makeup before I use a face scrub, and it is perfect for this use. One cotton pad of this and nearly all of my makeup is removed. It's just so effective. Another great use that I've found for this is as a quick freshen up on no makeup days. When I'm having a lazy day and not wearing any makeup, my skin gets oily very quickly, so about halfway through the day I like to give my face a quick swipe of this so I feel fresh and clean again. On garden days when I'm sunbathing I'll use this when I come in to quickly remove the residue of any suncream before I apply my makeup for the evening.

Overall, I'm so impressed with both of these products and would definitely repurchase them. Whether I will or not is a different matter though because I love trying new things haha. But I will know in the future that these are a safe bet if I need to pick something up in a hurry.

emma x