July Empties, part TWO

Part two

Aloha lovelies! 

My last post started to be a little too long, so here is part two to my July Empties! I'm sorry I haven't been posting regularly. I just haven't had much time to sit down and blog about something! Bad excuse, but true. If you want to know what I've been up to, check out my last post! When I get back home, I'll do a full post on my holiday. Promise.

Without further ado, part two of my July empties!

Cetaphil Gentle Cleansing Bar

If you have any of the following, consider making this purchase:

o Oily skin

o Sensitive Skin

o Dry skin

o Skin

Yes, seriously. If you wash your face, you won't be disappointed when you buy this guy. If you're a regular reader of mine (thank you so very much by the way) you will know I have a splended mixture of oily and sensitive skin. Yay me! 

So I'll be honest with you here. At first, I wasn't very drawn in to the idea of using a "bar of soap" on my face. So I was wrong. For a first, It's a soap-free product, which means that you wont need to put up with the possible pain of irritated skin. And second, it wasn't as inconvenient as I thought it would be. Yes, you have to buy a soap container to travel with it, and a soap dish - which I reccomend to use to keep the bar bacteria-free - to keep it in (which is cheap as chips), but really it is no compromise after you realize how effective it is at doing its job.

It does a great job at cleaning out your pores, removing makeup and freshening your face. It does leave your skin a tad dry afterwards, but it's nothing you ant fix with moisturizer, something you should be doing anyway. With all of these features, it's also got the added bonus of being light weight when applied.

It's also non-comedogenic (which means it wont clog your pores) which is something you should aim to look for when buying cosmetics and skin care products. 

The pricing is reasonable also, being around $10. You do get quite a lot of use out of it also (for me it was about six months).

All in all, I was very impressed with this product.

Rating: 9/10

Reason for rating: I'm not a big fan of soap bars, but that's a biased opinion, and couldn't rate lower because of that. However, it doesn't assist in clearing your skin/skin tone, and that is why it earned a nine. 

Repurchase?: yes

The Body Shop's "Cranberry Joy" Body Butter

If you have crazy dry skin on your body (excluding your face) this is the product for you, along with the rest of the body butters at The Body Shop. Actually, in fact even if you don't have dry skin you'll enjoy them all. I wouldn't recommend them for day use if you're not a fan of thicker formulas of body lotions, but they work miracles over night. As you can see from the lower picture of the two above, I've got a tiny bit left, and boy am I savoring it. This is from the Christmas range two Christmases ago, so if you go into stores and can't find this packaging, that is why. The packaging has changed this year, but it's still the same on the inside.

The amount of moisture it injects into your skin is crazy. My skin is dry, and after applying some - even to my dryer areas like my elbows and knees - to my arms and legs and letting it settle overnight, the next morning I discovered my skin had improved, and even more after a weeks use.

If your skin is sensitive, don't rush to buy the larger container. It is thick, and may cause some breakouts, or even a reaction. I strongly advise you don't apply this to your face no matter what because it isn't designed to do so.

The scent is beautiful, a sweet marriage of cranberries and (in my opinion) soft notes of vanilla. The scent also lingers on your skin throughout the day which is an added bonus.

The price is somewhat reasonable. Being $20 or so, it is a good amount of money to pay for something that may be what you've been looking for when it comes to boy moisturizing.

As a lot of my readers may already know, I love The Body Shop for what they do. They use fair trade (a label certifying that the labour used to make the products is in a fair condition) and don't use animal cruelty.

Rating: 8.5/10

Reason for rating: slightly too greasy. A little less greaser and it would be perfect.

Repurchase?: Yes

Olay Body wash plus crème ribbons with almond oil 

When I used this for the first time, I literally gasped. It was amazing. I was actually really surprised at how moisturizing it was and how well it lathered up. And that is just the reason it landed itself in my last monthly favourites. 

So I'm going to start off with raving about it's formula, since that was the first thing I noticed about this product. I use it on a loafer, like all my other shower gels and soaps - I find I get better use out of it, and I'm using less each shower - and it lathers up incredibly on that. Only one small to medium sized dollop is needed, and you've got yourself a huge amount of luxurious, sweet scented foam that easily covers you're whole body, with more to spare. Now for the after-shower experience. You're skin instantly feels so much softer, so if you are a morning "showerer", and don't like following up your showers with body lotion due to greasiness, this is great for you. It doesn't leave anything behind, but you do defienetly feel a difference with how smooth and softer your skin feels. Repairing-wise, I've seen miracles. This body wash has done a great job in improving the dryness of my skin, and ever since I've moved onto my current shower wash, my skin just doesn't feel as great as it did when I was using this.

The scent is defienetly something that gives it top marks. It smells (as my Mum helped me describe) like a rose and strawberry milkshake. Odd mix, but true. The scent will continue to linger on your body for a little while, but not long enough to provide you a fragrance for the day.

Rating: 9/10

Reason for rating: it didn't get full marks because I just don't think it deserves full marks in comparison to some other shower gels I've used. But that doesn't mean that I don't love this product still, because I most certainly do.

Repurchase?: yes

L'ORÉAL Paris Dermo-Expertise Gentle Lip and Eye make-up remover for waterproof make-up 

This make-up remover from L'oréal is something that you're either going to love, or hate. You will most likely, however, be impressed at how well it removes your makeup. And yes, it does what it claims. It easily removes waterproof makeup with a couple of swipes. The element that may cause some people to dislike this product is the greasy residue it leaves behind, along with how it isn't non-comedogenic, meaning that it could clog your pores. However, it is a lip and eye remover, so unless you are in a rush and just want to remove your face makeup along with your eye and lip makeup, you don't need to worry. After using this I will go straight onto cleansing my face, and rinsing my skin free of what's left on my skin from this product.

I have sensitive skin, and so far haven't had a problem with this. However, I accidentally (yes, accidentally) left this on my face when I was tired one night, and the next morning my skin had broken out. 

Rating: 7/10

Reason for rating: it's not as impressive as some other makeup removers I've used.

Repurchase?: maybe

 

The Body Shop Oil Free Balancing Foundation SPF 15

This product will never again be in my shopping basket. I wasn't impressed in the slightest.

For starters, the amount of coverage you get is quite ordinary, and cakey, despite your application. Throughout the day it begins to grow a little patchy also, and majority of the shades are quite orangey.

So now time for the things it does well, clogging your pores. 

Ok, so I'm being a little harsh, but I hope this proves to you all that all my posts are honest.

So seriously now for the things that this foundation does ok with. First is its sun protection. I used this when I first lived in Vietnam, when my skin was adjusting to the amount of sun and heat. Along with the heat came melting. Yes, this foundation does melt off, and what doesn't melt off, sinks into your skin. Saying this, I didn't breakout too badly, and it's in my empties because I didn't know where I could buy foundations in Vietnam, and therefore was stuck with it for a while.

The price isn't too bad, but considering that it's not a very impressive product, it's a little pricey.

Rating: 3/10

Reason: I've pretty much summed it up above

Repurchase: no

Covergirl tru conceal concealer (Left: shade 1, Right: shade 2)

This is the first ever concealer and makeup I used (no, not the ones shown in the picture. The actual one is long gone, I promise you) and it will be no surprise to you why, if you've used it too. 

Everything is spot on for me in this product, except for maybe the coverage.

The formula is spot on. It's creamy enough to feel nice on your skin, yet not so thick that your skin feels suffocated. 

The applicator (I forgot to show in this picture, I apologize) is a small sponge that makes application clean, precise and easy. 

The sleek packaging is nice too, I must admit, but it for me, the packaging never determines whether or not the product is good. 

Now finally for what a concealer should do, and how well this one does it: concealing (shock horror). Is concealer has good coverage, however there are some possible steps needed to be taken before and after using it. First off, a primer. I have found that this concealer does a good job a slipping and sliding throughout the day without a primer on under neath, or a setting spray afterwards. Next, powder. Even translucent powder is fine here, but the finish isn't quite right unless you've got some form of powder on over the top to set it. I use the Maybelline loose face powder, and I find it does a good job.

I highly recommend this concealer if you're looking for another one, and if you have acne prone or sensitive skin.

Rating: 9/10

Reason: coverage could be a little better, as could lasting power.

Repurchase: already have, always will.

Maybelline Make Up Remover Eye & Lip

This makeup remover is a hard one to talk about as it really doesnt have many impressing aspects to it. It does remove your makeup, but not as quickly as many other makeup removers I've used. And it'd quite a dull comparison to other makeup removers also. It says it "efficiently removes all waterproof makeup" and it's true, it does, however again as I said before, it takes a couple more swipes than, for example, my L'oréal makeup remover.

It, too, leaves a greasy residue, but again that can be solved with simply rinsing whatever is left on your skin off with water or a cleanser.

All and all, I found this makeup remover quite underwhelming. 

Rating: 5/10

Reason: because it does work, and isn't bad just underwhelming I can't rate it any lower.

Repurchase: only if I had to, otherwise, no.

Dove Nourishing Oil Care nutri-oil serum with nutri-oil essence

If you have crazy dry hair, suffer from split ends and dull hair, this may just be the alternative to Morroccan Oil for you.

I quite like this product, not only because it is light on your wallet, but also really does help improve the health of your hair.

It's below $5 I believe (please correct me if I'm wrong, it's been a while since I've bought it) and I say it's worth more than that. The texture is weird; when first pumped out, it's quite oily and greasy, but when smoothed in your palm and your hair is becomes a little thicker, and finally seeps into your hair. 

I used this product for about three weeks until I saw much of an improvement, and since I've stopped using it my hair has become drier, so I know the I improvement was from this serum. I apply this every other night (after i've washed my hair) on damp hair. I stopped using it on my scalp as it made my hair a little greasy (and you really don't need to either as your scalp produces natural oils that nourish your hair anyway), but using it on the full length of my hair (excluding my roots) when my hair is dry, or tips of my hair regularly to maintain the health of them, I have found has worked great.

The smell certainly is a treat. It's not sweet, nor is it fruity in any way. It has a softer almond scent, but don't get me wrong here, it's not a strong scent. It claims to have coconut in it also, and that adds to the fragrance slightly. 

I recommend this to anyone looking for a cheaper alternative to the Morrocan Oil. Please don't expect the same, quick results, however, of Morrocan Oil, as it is no where near to its superb level of awesomeness.

Rating: 7/10

Reason: purely in comparison to Morrocan Oil here, as Morrocan Oil earns a 10/10 on my scale. The scent could also improve slightly, however that is just my own personal preference.

Repurchase: yes

 Clean&Clear Oil-control toner 

I've decided to wrap up the products with one that I have found has impressed me the most, and for the longest. You are seeing four bottles amongst five emptied ones, but I don't have many hands. 

This is the amazing Oil-Control Toner from Clean&Clear. It does everything it claims, and claims everything it does. I have found that using this before applying makeup, and before moisturizer, it helps to - get this - control your oil. Being part of the Essentials line of Clean&Clear it also contains salicylic acid, which I find is an effective and more gentle (for me) way of controlling my acne.

It's incredibly refreshing also, and has become my favorite part of my skin care routine.

I recommend this to anyone looking for a new toner.

Rating: 10/10

Reason: it's been great for me, and the reasons are above.

Repurchase: yes

That's it for today everyone! Thanks for reading, and keep an eye out for more upcoming posts! I again apologize for not being diligent with regurlar posts, and am working on sparing time. I'm open to suggestions on future posts, so if you want to hear about anything, or see me post anything please let me know in the comments below!

Until next time,

Lots of Love,