Empties - Products I've Used Up #4 Cosmetics

My last post was also an Empties, but as I had managed to get through so many products I split them into skin, hair and body products & just cosmetics. This is the makeup post - all the products I have used up recently and what I think of them.

Empties posts do what they say on the tin - literally empty products. The beauty of a post like this is that being as I've used these items in their entirety I can give an honest opinion on what I thought and whether or not I would buy them again. 

So, let's get on with it! Here are the cosmetics products I have used up recently: 

bareMinerals Original Foundation 16g in 'Fairly Light' 

Over the past 7 or 8 years I've gone through countless pots of this. Perfect colour match, great blendable coverage. A product that I'll reach for and repurchase time and time again.

bareMinerals 'Touch Up Veil' in Translucent - £22

Oh yes, another bareMinerals product! Can you tell I'm a huge fan? I absolutely love the loose Mineral Veil but it's not the ideal product to pop in your bag, so I was super excited with they released a pressed compact version a few years ago. Unfortunately for me I just didn't love it as much as the traditional powder. Applied with the puff it was just too thick and left my face looking too chalky and pale - which, being as it was supposed to be translucent, was annoying. I instead used this with a fluffy brush which gave a much better application. I used it up eventually but I'll be sticking to the older version in future! 

bareMinerals 'Prime Time' Foundation Primer - £21

This was a super old bottle. I forgot I had it and then rediscovered it a few months ago. I probably should have chucked it as it was well past is recommended use by once opened date but I threw caution to the wind and used it anyway. A really great clear primer with a nice silicone feel. Something I would be temped to buy again but I do have another to use up beforehand. 

Nars 'Pro-Prime Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base' - £19.50

Two words. Holy Grail. This stuff is just amazing. I was gutted when this ran out. It makes your eyeshadow last all day and all night! If your eyeshadow creases or slides off your face after only a few hours you NEED this! Worth every penny and I'll absolutely be repurchasing if. 

Color Your Smile Gerard Cosmetics Lipgloss in Nude - $24

I love a nude gloss & this one was especially nice. I bought this while I was purchasing my youTube Vlogger fave Dial-A-Smile teeth whitening kit from the U.S. I stumbled across their glosses, which I think are formulated to make your teeth look whiter, & I couldn't resist. Perfect nude colour, not at all sticky. There's a mirror on the side which is handy but the light in the lid which illuminates when you open it is actually pretty pointless verging on annoying. I might purchase again but I think I may have found the ultimate nude gloss which is cheaper! Watch this space. 

Soap & Glory 'Archery 2 in 1 Brow Filling Pencil & Brush' in Blondeshell - £8

I did an entire Tried & Tested post (here) on these great double ended eyebrow pencils. With a super fine twist up pencil at one end and a great little spooly at the other, this pencil in the light brown colour is superb value for money. A product I will definitely buy again for sure. 

Lo'real 'La Touche Magique Perfect Match' Concealer -  £8.19

This was actually a really nice product. Just the right level of illuminating highlight with great undereye coverage without being too heavy or cakey. I used it up pretty quickly. I would buy again but after I've tried out another few.

That's it for another empties post! I hope you've found this helpful! Which one cosmetic product do you repurchase time and time again? 

Read my last body, face & hair empties post here. 

I'm off to use up some more makeup!!

Love Emma 

XOXO 

Empties - Products I've Used Up #3

It's that time again where you get to rifle through my rubbish, aren't you lucky? Seriously though, I really enjoy reading Empties posts - when someone has used up a product in its entirety it mostly means you get to read an honest review & most importantly if they would repurchase that item. 

So without further ado here are the hair, skin & body care products I've used up recently. (There's a whole cosmetics empties post coming up shortly). 

Wen by Chaz Dean Cleansing Conditioners in 'Pomegranate' & 'Sweet Almond Mint' - £27 each

I wrote about these guys in their very own post (read it here). A new concept on hair washing, a conditioner that cleans whilst it moisturises. Lovely products which I really enjoyed using.... but for some reason I stopped using them about 3/4 of the way through and it's taken me ages to pick them back up and finish them off. Quite pricey but they do a good job. I might buy them again but I'm not rushing out to get some immediately.

No7 Cleansing Body Polish - £9.50

This body scrub is one of the more gentle finer scrubs I've used. Yes, it says it's gentle enough for everyday use but for me it was just too gentle. I don't use a body scrub everyday so when I do I like them to be seriously scrubby. Smelt lovely but won't be buying it again. Perfect if you're after a super fine scrub. 

Sanctuary Spa Body Wash - £5.50

Classic product. Love the scent. Long lasting, rich foam, will defo buy it again. 

Bio-Oil - £19.99

Left over from my pregnancy days, this is a really great body oil which I used all over my huge preggo belly. Ive only just got around to finishing this up. Nice and light weight, super hydrating, a mum-to-be must have. 

Lush 'Snow Fairy' Shower Gel 

A limited edition christmas product (I can't actually remember the price). This smells so good. So so good. Classic lush product which fills your entire bathroom with its scent whenever you use it. Love Lush shower gels! 

Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water - £3.33

Another all time fave product. Totally fantastic considering the low price point. I use this to remove all my eye and face makeup before going to go wash my face. Does a great job and lasts for ages. Has been in an empties post before and will be in future posts without a doubt. 

First Aid Beauty Face Cleanser - £14

Love this stuff. It's been in my Empties post before. A super creamy and gentle face wash which leaves my skin soft, clean and not at all tight. Will absolutely buy again. 

Environ AVST 2 Moisturiser 

I got this face cream from my local beauty salon. As it's super high in vitamin  As it's a product you have to build up to use and not one you can pick up anywhere. Annoyingly I can't remember how much it cost and as you can't buy it online I can't google it either, I think it was around £50. A lovely cream which left my skin feeling fabulous. I will repurchase but I have a few other products I'd like to try out first. 

The Body Shop Vitamin C Skin Reviver - £15

This a light gel type formula packed with vitamin C and Brazil nut oil. I'm not sure if I really liked it or was completely not fussed by it. You use it after your moisturiser for a smooth & healthy glow. I can't say I noticed any difference but it did feel really nice on my skin. Probably wouldn't repurchase at the moment. 

So there you have my first Empties post for 2015. Watch this space for my cosmetics Empties!! You can read my last Empties post here. 

I'm off to the recycling bin! 

Love Emma 

XOXO  

What's in my Memebox #5 - Superbox #811st Anniversary Box

The funny thing about ordering two beauty boxes close together means that they arrive just as close! ;) I feel like I've only just written a post about my last box when this next box arrived. In future I definitely think I'll spread my purchases out a little so that I don't have too many new Korean products to play with at once.

Anyway, if you're not too familiar with Memebox here's a little more info: Memebox is a beauty box that offers Korean beauty products - the most popular and latest beauty items direct from Korea - at a great price. Unlike other beauty boxes you don't have to subscribe. You just take a look at their selection and choose the one (or more than one) you fancy. They offer all kinds of boxes from make-up, skincare, body & hair - all containing the hottest, most wanted Asian products.

So, this box immediately caught my fancy as being billed as the most popular and best products from Memebox in 2014 - Superbox #81 1st Anniversary Box. Priced at $29 plus $6.99 shipping (£23) it was a box I really wanted. 

So here's what I got in my box. 

The Contents Card

The must have of the box, the double sided contents card which explains what you've got and what to do with it. As all the product's packaging is in Korean this card is vital! I was pleased to read that this box contained all full sized products. 

Tosowoong 'Bee AC Control Toner' - $15

This series of products are formulated from naturally derived ingredients including bee venom (sounds scary), galactomyces (sounds like they grow in a cave) and bifida ferments (sounds like they belong in a yoghurt drink). This is for sensitive or problematic skin - neither of which I particularly have but I like the idea of the bee venom. Used like a normal toner it fights against dryness and the external environment. Interested to see how it goes!

Unni Recipe 'Make Skin Smooth Firming Pact SPF25 PA++' in Light Beige - $24

So this is a foundation - not a product I need but it sounds interesting. It claims to let skin breath plus it's packed with galactomyces (here they are again!), bifia (i'm starting to see a pattern) and a special 'Silky Balance Network' (no, I don't know what that is either). 

It has a super creamy and soft consistency - incredibly light and feels lovely on the skin. Great colour for me however I applied it and then a bit later on looked in the mirror... and noticed my face was covered in a slight hint of glitter. Actual glittery particles. When I re-swatched the foundation on the back of my hand I was super surprised to see that it was glittery. Why oh why would they put glitter in a face makeup? Very disappointed - not a product i'll use, I much prefer my whole entire face to be glitter free. Such a shame. 

AHC 'Whitening Cream SPF 35 PA++' - $38

Whitening Creams are a product i've heard quite a lot about - they're incredibly popular with the Korean market. This lovely silly cream combines a moisturiser, sunblock, brightening cream and complextion correcting cream - a 4 in 1 mega product. It contains vitamins and a whole host of other goodies including hyaluronic acid and kamu kamu berries (what's that?!). It promises to replenish dry skin and visibly correct uneven skin tone. Love the sound of this and really can't wait to put it to the test! Thankfully it's glitter free too. 

RiRe 'Cool Dr. Scalp+' - $11

I've read the contents card over and over and still can't work out exactly what this is or what it does. From what I can gather it treats the scalp by removing excess oil - but it's explained as a product that "cools down the scalp temperature for preventing possible hairless and also to remove unnecessary impurities and dead skin cells from your scalp". See what I mean?! You squeeze a bit out, rub it on your scalp and leave it there. I'll give it a go! 

RiRe 'Hot Speed Manicure' - $11

When you hear the word manicure you automatically think of your nails, right? Wrong. This is another hair product. This one penetrates into the hair cuticles to deliver "abundant nutrition and creates a strong protein layer". My dry ends need some serious TLC so i'll definitely be putting this to the test for sure. 

RiRe 'Capsule Mask Pack' - $22

So this product was a randomly selected choice out of 3 - Moisture, Whitening & Anti-aging. I got Whitening. Yes, another whitening product. I'm starting to think that maybe Memebox are trying to tell me something. 

This is a spray mask, which you can squirt onto clean skin or over the top of makeup for instant moisture. Love the cute packaging. I might pop this into my bag for a quick pick me up. Think i'll use this most when the hot weather eventually rolls round. 

So, over-all a mixed box. Some really nice products but also some really strange ones too. I'm looking forward to trying them out. Out of all the items the only one I won't use is the glitter-tactic foundation so not too bad. 

This box cost me $35.99 (£23) with shipping but the contents is worth $121 (£78) so another great value for money box! If you're interested in trying a Memebox click here!

I'm off to manicure my split ends!!

Love Emma

XOXO

Be nice - it's free!

Happy New Year one & all.

Today's post is a short but hopefully sweet one. As you may or may not know I recently became a Younique presenter, which is just incredible. To cut a long story short there are different ranks of presenters, each a different colour. We all start as white, then progress to yellow, pink, blue and so on. 

When you hit your promotion it's a pretty big deal but this progression doesn't go unnoticed. You get mentions and shout outs in your team Facebook pages but that's not all. Younqiue send you a super cute charm to congratulate you on your new status along with a letter of encouragement.

So far since November I have promoted 3 times and I am officially a Blue Status presenter. A few days ago all my charms arrived in the post. Each coloured rank has its own matching coloured charm. These trinkets are very small and simple however when they arrived I was SUPER excited. Such a small thing made me really happy. A tiny gesture that acknowledged my hard work and progression.

It got me thinking. Do we thank people enough? Do we offer support and encouragement without being prompted? We really live in a take take take world but I think it's so important to take the time to think of others, to thank them and to give our praise but not just for big things. My charms are tiny but represent so much. A small thing that brightens up my day and each time I look at them I'm reminded just how well I've done. 

This year I am going to make more time to make others feel good. To thank people. To offer support and encouragement. To lend a hand. All these things are simple and free and could really put a smile on someone's face just like my pretty little charms.

If someone does something for you take the time to acknowledge what they've done. If you notice someone's not themselves drop them a text later that day to check they're okay. Simple things that can make a difference. Never ever take someone or the things they do for you for granted. In simple terms, be nice! 

Yes, this is a bit of a random post but I just wanted to try and put my thoughts into words. I hope you all understand what I'm trying to get across!! 

That's all for today folks! Go on, be nice! You know you want to. 

Love Emma

XOXO