little white truths

Another month, another truckload of empties. Huzzah.

I decided to write my empties post a few days early this month. Not only did I have more than enough products to include (and indeed I had to hold some over for next month), we had a house full of wrapping and boxes after Christmas, and since the recycling man came this morning, I wanted to add as much to the bin as possible!

Swisspers Facial Cleansing Wipes with Mango Extract

These used to be my favourite wipes until I discovered the Essenzza Fuss Free ones. I still love them, but I'll probably only buy them now if I can't find the Essenzzas because those are just so good. What I like about the Swisspers ones is that they're nice and wet and clean well while still being gentle. I'm also a big mango fan so anything that's flavoured with that scent is ok by me! Repurchase? Maybe. 

Swisspers Makeup Pads

I've gone through quite a few packs of these since starting this blog, and for some reason I've never included them in an empties post or reviewed them. I guess like eg deodorant or toothpaste, they're on the 'boring' list of everyday staples and I've never thought to say anything about them. But I've included them this time because it's worth saying that these are decent pads and ones I keep buying, since there are different pads on the market and many don't work too well (generally the cheaper ones, which have a nasty habit of falling apart and leaving fluff all over your face. These don't). My only issue with these (and with all decent makeup pads I've tried) is that I reckon they're overpriced. Repurchase? Yes.

Eslor Rejuvenating Day Cream

Full review here. I got this as part of an Eslor travel kit, and while I really like it, I don't think it's the best cream from the brand (I prefer eg the Firming Collagen Day Cream). It's still a great product - thick and rich and plumps the skin nicely - I just think Eslor has better products. Repurchase? Maybe, if I bought the same kit.

Eslor Chlorophyll Lifting Mask

Full review here. This is a really great mask and one I've loved using. It's unlike any other mask I've used before (goes on as a gel and thickens to a tight covering, almost like glue) and I feel it works harder than your average face mask. I do notice a difference in my skin after use - it's fresher and brighter and more plumped. Fortunately I have a travel-sized back up of this waiting to be opened, otherwise I'd be rather sad that it's gone! Repurchase? Probably.

Dior Addict Eau Fraiche

Ach, another month gone, another perfume empty. It's not that I'm going through a whole perfume each month (!), it's that I've had far too many open at once this year and last, and they've started dropping like flies recently. Indeed, I'll have at least one more in January's empties post. I really really love this fragrance. It's grapefruity and so fresh - a great, light fragrance for summer. The only question mark is over its lasting power: it's definitely one I needed to re-spray throughout the day. Bummed I've finished it to be honest. Repurchase? Yes.

St Tropez Gradual Tan for Body

Full review here. I've mentioned this product a few times now on this blog and I probably don't need to include it in empties posts, but I can't help myself because I love it so much. Honestly, St Tropez produces the best tanning products on the market (at least in my experience). I've absolutely loved any product from the brand that I've tried, and this body cream is no exception. Not only is it a beautifully rich and hydrating cream, it does the tanning job well. And the best thing is, I'm yet to have paid for any St Tropez product - I somehow keep getting them as samples or from friends who don't use tanning creams. Yay to that! Purchase? Yes.

Aveeno Daily Moisturising Lotion

This was an LHI sample from memory. A lot of people rave about it - and it's my husband's favourite cream - but I really don't rate it. It's just not moisturising enough for me and I need to apply another moisturiser after use to make my skin happy. I also don't like fragrance free body creams - I like ones that smell wonderful and feel luxurious. This doesn't. Purchase? No.

Clarins High Definition Body Lift

Full review here. There's a lot of big claims attached to this product, but in short, it doesn't live up to them. It's meant to be one of those lifting and firming cellulite creams, but it doesn't deliver. Things like cellulite and stretchmarks are largely determined by genetics anyway, so be careful of falling for hype around expensive products like this one. Nevertheless, I did enjoy using it because it had a nice, cooling and tingling sensation when applied. Purchase? No.

Pantene Clinicare Shampoo and Conditioner for Dry Hair

Many lasses don't like Pantene products, but I've always had a good experience with them and return to them again and again. These handy travel sizes were included in one of the swaps I did with a lovely lady via a beauty product swap group. The shampoo cleans well without stripping my hair, and the conditioner is nice and rich, so my dry hair was very happy with these products. Purchase? Yes.

Davroe Colour Senses Ends Repair

This one's fine, but definitely not the best product I've used of this nature. Since my hair is naturally dry, hair oils work much better for me. What this product is good for, however, is taming the flyaways near the roots of my hair, when I don't want to add any oil near my scalp region because I'm not far away from a wash and don't want my hair to look greasy. That makes it a good one to keep in your handbag - especially if your hair looks frizzy and rubbish after it's been rained on or you've been in a humid environment. Since I have so many hair products in stock, I ended up using this one as a conditioner, just to get through it. Perhaps surprisingly, it worked very well for that purpose. Purchase? No.

Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics OCC Tint Tinted Moisturiser in Y3

Full review here. In short, this product was ok but I didn't love it. I think I liked it more to start with and got sick of it about halfway through the bottle (so I'm very happy it's gone!). It wasn't a tint I could wear on its own - it was too sheer for that and it doesn't contain sunscreen. What it was good for, however, was refreshing my makeup later in the day, if I was going out and didn't want to reapply a full face again. So it was useful in that sense and I carted it around in my handbag for that purpose. Repurchase? No. I prefer tints with sunscreen.

Invisible Zinc Tinted Daywear in Medium

Full review here. I got through this little 20ml size very quickly (and it's the second or even third one I've used) because it's great to apply throughout the day to keep up your sun protection. Like the OCC Tint above, it's too sheer to offer any decent coverage on its own, so I wouldn't rely on it for that. It is however great for freshening things up and making sure your skin's looked after when the sun comes out. Purchase? Maybe.

Skinria Smart 4.0 CC Cream SPF34 PA++

Nuxe Huile Prodigieuse