August 2018 empties #2

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Well, once I've written this post I'll have finally cleaned up the mess that busy August left behind so that has to be a positive. Yes I'm a week late, but I would rather get things finished so I can draw a line under August and start to focus on September's posts.

Anyhoo! Empties.

In no particular order...


Laura Mercier Lip Glacé in Bare Naked

Full review here. I loved this gloss, I must say - and I do have another one so I'll look forward to opening that soon. I loved that it was hydrating enough so I could rely on it for moisture, and I also loved that it didn't sit in lip lines.

Plus the formula had a yummy vanilla scent and it plumped the lips up nicely. If I'd known how good these were, I might have bought some before Laura Mercier left Australia. Hoh well. My wallet isn't sorry about that. Purchase? Yes, but I can't.

Marc Jacobs Enamoured Hi Shine Lip Lacquer Lip Gloss in Rah Rah!

Everyone loves these Marc Jacobs glosses but the two I own just haven't worked for me. I have various issues with them, including that they dry out my lips so I can't wear them alone. I've reviewed this one here.

It was a gorgeous coral shade and although I loved the colour and loved having a high-end gloss to reach for because the packaging made me feel a bit special whenever I held it, I wouldn't buy it again because it didn't perform well. Not only did it not nourish my lips enough, but it also travelled outside my lips and settled into lip lines. Not for me. Repurchase? No.


Stila Huge Extreme Lash Mascara

This was a good mascara and it reminded me of Too Faced's Better than Sex Mascara - the brush is very similar and the formula is too. I've reviewed it here.

So if you're one of those people who can't wear Too Faced's offering because it flakes on you, it's worth giving this one a try. It gave me beautifully full and long lashes, and it stayed put throughout the day. There was too much product in this sample-sized tube so it spewed out of the top before I removed some, but it got a lot easier to apply after that and maybe it's not an issue with the full-size. Purchase? Maybe.

Becca Eye Primer

Sadly I don't even know what this product is called because they've discontinued it now and I couldn't find any reviews of it online so I can't give you a complete title, but I still wanted to include it in my empties post because I like to see how many products I finish each month - and I did spend months panning it so it warranted a mention.

Essentially it was a tinted eye primer and it worked to even out the skin on my eyelids a little but it wasn't a great eye primer and my shadows creased over it, so I ended up using it as a foundation darkener. I'm glad it's gone. Repurchase? No.


Skinstitut Ultra Firming Eye & Neck Cream

Full review here. I've tried a lot of products from Skinstitut over the last two years and while most of them were ok but not my favourites, I did enjoy this one and I would recommend it.

It's a white cream that's quite rich and hydrating while still being light enough that it doesn't weigh the skin down. I only used this on my eyes because I don't think you need a separate neck cream, and for almost a year this was my overnight eye cream.

It worked. It kept my dry eyes comfortable overnight and I'm missing it, now that it's gone. It also only cost about $30 for 30ml, so it was good value too. Repurchase? Yes.

First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream

This product came as a GWP along with a Sephora order, and I was looking forward to trying it because it sounded like it would work for my skin. Unfortunately it didn't, but it wasn't terrible so it's not all bad. I've reviewed it here.

What I found with this cream was that it gave the appearance of being a hydrating product because it was thick and rich, but in practice I don't think it absorbed well so it didn't nourish or moisturise my skin as much as I needed it too. It was more of a protective barrier cream than anything else, and my skin always felt dry underneath it. Purchase? No.


The Ordinary Caffeine Solution 5% + EGCG

Full review here. I've used a lot of products from The Ordinary over the last year or so and this is one of my favourites. While some of the brand's products don't do much for me, this one did and I recommend it.

I used mine in the morning because it wasn't hydrating enough for night use (not for my dry skin) and also because I liked the effect it gave: it firmed and toned my skin while brightening it at the same time, so it was great for morning use and it sat well under makeup.

Of course, it's also very cheap (especially by eye cream standards) and you get a decent 30ml of product, so it lasted me a long time too. Definitely worth trying. Repurchase? Yes.

The Ordinary Buffet

This was one of The Ordinary's products that didn't work well for me, and I'm glad I've finished it so I can move on to something else. I've reviewed it here.

It was quite a sticky product and it also left behind a tacky finish that won't be for everyone. Plus I found that it coated my skin, rather than sinking in and delivering nourishment, so my face always felt dry underneath it. 

For this reason I couldn't use it at night because my skin felt too uncomfortable and the tacky finish meant that my moisturiser couldn't absorb properly over the top. Not for me. Repurchase? No.


L'Oreal Pure Clay Exfoliating Scrub

Full review here. This product was ok but it does contain some nasties (like artificial fragrance, dye, SLS and SLES) so I wouldn't buy it if you're concerned about ingredients or if you have sensitive skin.

It was a clay scrub that contained little exfoliating grains and the grains were honestly the best thing about it. They polished my skin nicely without feeling too harsh, and while I did enjoy that part of using it, it did dry my skin out if I used it too often so in the end I used it as a body scrub, just to get through it. Sure, it wasn't terrible - but I have so much good skincare that I wasn't going to keep using something like this on my face. Repurchase? No.

Garnier Pure Active Micellar Cleansing Water All in 1

While this product was fine, I prefer the original Garnier micellar water (reviewed here; it's the one with the pink lid) because I found it to be more effective, although this one was ok and it worked well enough. I've reviewed it here.

While it removed most of my makeup, it didn't work well on my eye makeup and I also found that I needed to soak the makeup pad more than usual in order for it to work properly. This of course meant that I got through it faster than I would other makeup removers so it wasn't great value for me personally. Still, it did the job well enough so I was happy to use it all up. Repurchase? No.

In sum

Hooray to finally finishing off my empties posts for August! Yes we're now well into September, but sometimes I'll have a month like August where everything falls behind and I just have to live with that.

My favourite items in this lot were the eye products from Skinstitut and The Ordinary, as well as the Stila mascara and the Laura Mercier lip gloss. Everything else I can take or leave.

That's all from me. Hope all's well with you, and speak soon x


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