The final two months of 2020 were somewhat busy in terms of dealing with the stress of life despite not having the freedom to do anything. It was also busy in terms of empties! Not the busiest I’ve had, but now that I’ve got rid of most of the partially used products, the ones I’m left with do tend to take a little longer to use up.
Skincare is as per usual the largest group, so I’ll do the other categories first. Let’s start with body care. I don’t usually mention my body washes but as this one was sent to me by a brand, I thought it would be good to mention. The Nivea clay fresh body wash in scent hibiscus and white sage was one of the nicer of the three scents. I don’t remember the purple one but I know that I really didn’t like it, this one on the other hand was quite lovely. I like these body washes because they feel like they actually clean my skin, and they lather up really nicely! I’ve recently stopped working with Nivea as they aren’t cruelty free, but I do really like this product.
I also finished a sample body cream. This was from a hotel, gifted by a family member. It was a nice lightweight lotion. It hydrated my skin without being too thick, and gave my skin a lovely light scent.
I finished one hair care item, the lee Stafford coco loco coconut hair mask. I got this in a big set in January 2019, so it was probably past its best. I don’t like the smell of coconut so I’m not sure this was a good buy for me. This also isn’t a great product for my hair concerns either. My hair is pretty strong and healthy, so I don’t need a mask that revives broken straw like hair, I just want something to add shine and. Hydrate my scalp. This would be better for other people, as it did feel nice when I used it, but I don’t need this.
Next is the climax mascara by nars. Again another brand that is not cruelty free that I won’t be purchasing from, but I do have a back up. To begin with I wasn’t sure about this mascara but I ended up really liking it! I like quite a natural lash, nothing clumpy, but a lot of people that do like clumpy lashes love this as well which baffles me. I suppose you get the best of both worlds with this. You can build it up nicely to get that big almost clumpy look, or wear it more naturally like I do. I’m not sure this mascara is worth the money for me, as I like something natural, I’m less likely to spend money on an expensive mascara that does the same thing as a cheaper one.
I also finished a sample of the smash box photo finish primer. I really hate the feel of this primer, but using this did make me realise that a primer does make a difference. My makeup looked smoother, applied easier, and lasted longer using this. I wouldn’t purchase this exact primer but would look for a similar one from a different brand. I’m not 100% happy with supporting Estée Lauder brands at the moment.
Next up we’ve got skincare. I’ll start with the 4 Clarins sample products I used up. I’ve never purchased from clarins but have tried a few samples from them. First is the hydra-essential serum. This is a dual phase serum designed specifically for hydration. This works fine, but I wouldn’t bother spending that much money on it. I also finished a sample of the lotus face treatment oil. This was an oil, it felt like an oil, smelled nice and aromatic. Again, nothing I’d spend extra money on. The monuskin oil I have is much cheaper and just as good, if not better. Another sample from the hydra-essential range was the eye mask. This was nice and hydrating, cooling and soothing. This was a great hydrating eye cream. It’s texture is more of a gel cream texture so not too rich. If you’re looking for a high end hydrating eye cream this ones really nice.
The final thing is this rose radiance cream. This was nothing special, if anything it was a bit of a hindrance to use. For some reason this pink cream slightly stained my fingers and face, which was not ideal. I didn’t notice it doing anything overly impressive in terms of hydrating, radiance, or age prevention. Maybe it would work better if I had some factors to compare it to, maybe it would help dehydration lines? Either way I won’t be repurchasing any of these products. I’ve not got a huge interest in clarins as a brand, and they aren’t cruelty free either.
Next are some cleanser items, starting with my Clinique take the day off balm. I’ve used 2 of these balms now, so I have a pretty good idea of it. It works really well to remove any and all makeup. It melts into the skin pretty well, though I do find sometimes there are small lumps that are less easy to break down. This doesn’t make a difference to how the product works, just effects the texture. It’s slick and easy to work across the skin. You also get a lot of product for you money with this product. Clinique is not strictly cruelty free so I won’t repurchase, though I am more of a fan of a cleansing oil personally.
Next up is the bare minerals clay chameleon cleanser. This is a red clay cleanser that lathers on the skin. This cleanser has brightening properties, and is great for giving the skin that freshly cleaned feeling, without being tight. I have 2 more of these cleanser, which I’m happy to have, though I’ve realised that these clay cleansers aren’t what I prefer. I will be choosing gel cleanser from now on.
The final cleansing product is this Nivea naturally good cleansing tonic. I use this on a reusable cotton pad In the morning. I like this as a gentle cleanser to remove any dryness from overnight without stripping the skin. It’s gentle yet effective, and I prefer this type of product than a miceller water. I’d love to find something similar from a cruelty free brand.
Next up, I finished a few face mask samples. The first being the Elemis superfood berry boost mask. This is supposed to be a purifying pre-biotic mask, though I didn’t notice any difference on my skin. This may be a mask that benefited my skin, though if I don’t notice any physical differences it’s hard to convince me it’s worth the money. The next mask is the Peter Thomas Roth pumpkin enzyme mask. I’d used this a few times before and hadn’t noticed much difference, but I realised that I hadn’t been using it correctly. I used this every 4 or so days, correctly, and must admit my skin did look smoother and brighter. I needed up enjoying this product a lot, but sadly this brand isn’t cruelty free.
I finished the Revolution skincare multi peptide serum. I started using this a couple of months ago, and easily added it into my routine. I used this daily and managed to finish it within a couple of months. I can’t put my finger on what exactly it is I like about this, but my skin just looked nice using it. I’m not sure if I’d repurchase this exact product, or instead something similar, but I would like to have something like this in my routine in the future.
Throughout the year I’ve been using the boots vitamin c moisturiser when my skin is breaking our, or feeling sensitive. I’ve claimed this as one of my favourite products of the year. My skin absolutely loved this! This would always help my skin to look and feel better after a couple of uses. I’ve realised my skin loves vitamin c, so I’ll be looking to incorporate a serum or moisturiser into my routine containing this in the future.
An spf I finished was the bare minerals skinlongevity moisturiser with spf30 pa +++. There aren’t a lot of bare minerals products I’ll admit to not liking, but I will say this is probably top of the list of things I would admit to. This moisturiser is just far to thick feeling for me. It’s not something I’d want to wear under makeup daily. It’s horrible to run into the skin, gives a major white cast so not suitable for darker skin tones, and it’s not all that hydrating either to be honest. The complexion rescue defence moisturiser by BM is much better, though still has room for improvement. I’m still on the hunt for a mineral spf that isn’t too thick or has too bad of a white cast.
I finished a mini of the liz Earle eye right soothing eye lotion. I’ve had this for a while, and never really got into the groove of using it regularly. I did always enjoy this when I used it. It was perfect to cleanse the eye area in the morning. I don’t think I’d buy this again but if I were to ever get another one I would enjoy it.
I finished another mini for the eye, the benefit it’s potent eye cream. I acquired this from a benefit event at work, but didn’t use it for a long time. When I did, I found this was a fine eye cream. It was hydrating, slightly brightening, and worked well under makeup. It was a good eye cream, I wouldn’t say to avoid it, but I won’t be purchasing in the future as benefit isn’t a cruelty free brand.
The final thing, is technically a facial skincare item, though I used it on my body in the shower. The origins modern friction cleansing stick was a physical exfoliating stick that I purchased when I worked for Clinique. This was actually a really nice product. It cleansed well, didn’t feel too harsh and was easy to use. This had been open for a while, and I don’t use physical exfoliants on my face anymore, hence why I used it on my body instead. I prefer the version of this in a bottle, but either one wouldn’t repurchase as it’s not cruelty free.
That’s everything for this months empties. I’ll be continuing this in 2021 in a similar bi-monthly format. I’m hoping this year that I’ll be able to make more progress in my makeup and body care products.
I hope you enjoyed reading, thank you for doing so. I appreciate every one that takes the time to read and like my posts.
Until next time,
LipsNailsLife 