The Repurchased

I've just spent a beautiful afternoon lazing about the house watching Bondi Vet and reading a stack of blog posts, and I have to say it made for a wonderful day indeed! I have a list of my regular reads along the left of my blog >>> and Tiffany from Will Work For Makeup is one of them. She recently posted about the products that she has repurchased (not just the ones she intends to repurchase!) and I thought I'd round up my lot and follow her lead. Great thinkin', Tiffany!

I was initially sent both of these products as PR press samples, and have since bought them a couple of times over with my own dosh - if that's not a good endorsement, I don't know what is! Urban Rituelle 'Cotton Candy' (original posts here and here) is seriously sweet and I keep this purse spray with me all the time nowadays - Mister adores the scent and it sits so nicely on my skin. Something else that sits nicely on me is the Face of Australia Face Base Oil Free Primer  - an affordable primer that has the same ingredients list as the pricy and much loved Napoleon Perdis Auto Pilot Primer!

Skincare is a tricky one as I am fond of trialling new formulas (typical beauty blogger, right?) but once I find products that really work, I am hard-pressed to veer away from them for good. Mario Badescu Buffering Lotion is the best anti-acne product I've used and I credit it with clearing up my congested forehead; this is my second bottle and I can see myself repurchasing this for years to come to keep congestion at bay. A gentler anti-acne cream is the much lauded La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo (this is the updated + version that I find works just as well) which I've burned through many tubes of, and a nice affordable repurchased product is the Garnier Moisture Match Light Softening Cream (Normal-Dry Skin)

I struggled to find repurchased makeup items that weren't foundation/powder which are frequently emptied around these parts. I came up with MAC Painterly Paint Pot which I repurchased in American late last year, and two colour products that I somehow managed to lose and couldn't be without, which subsequently ended in my making a second purchase to replace them. Nars Pure Matte Lipstick 'Carthage' has still yet to resurface but I'm content with my new tube, while my pot of L'Oreal Infallible Shadow 'Tender Caramel' did eventually show up so now I own two of the gorgeous taupe shade. Losing a bunch of beauty products, you say? Gives you a hint as to the state of my beauty room, doesn't it...

What products in your stash have you actually repurchased?
Have you ever lost or misplaced a beauty product before?
-Emma

*All of these were repurchased by moi, wouldn't you know it. Nothing to disclose! :D

Bought in May

The first half of May saw some great restraint on my behalf, but the latter half saw a little more indulging on beauty products and I just couldn't help myself. I've tried almost everything I bought and am loving it all, so I'd say it was a good month overall for me and I found that jotting down my purchases helped nip some silly choices in the bud.

The NYX Love in Paris palette in je ne sais quoi has been a nice workhorse palette for me after I became obsessed with hunting down another NYX palette to sit alongside the one I received for Christmas. I grabbed 78 Vanilla Ice Cream from essence for an inner corner highlight, though I feel I am hoarding a stash of essence highlight shades for a rainy day that I am not sure will ever appear...

I've already raved about the gorgeous Maybelline Color Elixir's here, suffice to say I am pleased with these and content to keep Caramel Infused and Fuschia Flourish in my current lip stash to mess about with. I've been tempted to buy more because they're half price at Chemist Warehouse but have so far not made it into a store.

Sally Hansen Glam Fest should totally be renamed to something more circus-y, because that is all I can think about when I look at the silver mixed with the colourful glitter. Moth to flame, no chance of leaving the store without this one.

An awesome purchase in May was these essence Long Lasting Eye Pencils which you wind up and never have to sharpen. I've almost used up one of these in the Hot Chocolate shade and wanted to repurchase a back-up, and Hot Scorch and Berry Merry fell into the basket and have made me very content with my eyeliner options at the moment.

I succumbed to the lure of 3CE and selected one of their Lip & Cheek Creams while shopping with some fellow bloggers in the new Japanese store on Swanston Street. Swatches seem promising and I'm digging the packaging, it's all very kitsch Dior for me. I also picked up some Daiso blushes and a eyeshadow crayon while shopping with the girls, though as soon as I got home Mister Bovary was berating me for wasting money on cheap blushes when we know I prefer luxe brands. It's probably my only regretful purchase for May (but I haven't used them yet and they may turn out to be wonderful, I will keep you updated!)

The beautiful Ling brought back some YSL goodies I'd asked for while she was overseas. The famed YSL Rouge Pur Couture in 52 is something I'm scared to swatch, and the pure Gloss Volupte in 202 Rose Jersey is so pretty in the tube! Another winner was spotting the new Revlon Cheek Boutique and picking up 003 Mauvelous, easily the best shade from the launch. I also bought the Rimmel Moisture Renew Lipstick In Love with Ginger for half price after seeing it on a few blogs.

A little Mecca Cosmetica online splurge never hurt anyone ;)

 

I also bought a new little Muji storage and some house bits like photo frames and a bronze pear (it was a necessity okay?) and some Orly Cutique cuticle remover which I'm looking forward to trying! A few new pieces of clothing came home with me too but I'm yet to choose my yearly winter coat purchase - I'm thinking a nice navy one would be a good addition!

 

How much did you buy in May?

Do you find that keeping track of your spending helps curb your hauls?

Emma @ emmabovary

 

Current Skincare Routine

Keeping a track of the skincare I use helps me understand what my skin wants and needs - sort of like keeping a skincare diary but one that I share with you all! This is what I've been using for over a month now, though I have switched out a few products since snapping this shot. 

I've moved on from using my cleansing balms to this Shu Uemura Unmask Cleansing Oil* (how huge is the bottle!?) I'm not a big fan of the way it removes eye makeup, but it melts face makeup away with ease and doesn't break me out plus I adore the gorgeous design on the bottle and how it looks on my bathroom countertop.

I then use my Mario Badescu Enzyme Cleansing Gel (which I have since switched out for something gentler!) to cleanse my face. I adore this cleanser, it seems to have helped with my acne scars and it really cleans my skin well. I have found that my skin has become a bit sensitive lately so have moved onto a cleanser that targets that instead, but I would definitely still recommend this gel cleanser (I've used about 3/4 of it as a testament to that!)

In terms of keeping my spots under control I use the amazing La Roche Posay Effaclar Duo all over my face, then after it has sunk in I slather on some Aveeno Positively Radiant Night Cream*, or in the morning I use the newly reformulated Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturising Lotion +* which is nice and light for hot weather. I forgot to include my beloved Lancôme Dreamtone Serum* in these shots, but I'll have a full review up soon anyway.

For my lips (and my cuticles) I use the Suvana Certified Organic Paw Paw + Honey Balm*, which I much prefer over the cult Lucas Paw Paw which contains petroleum.

I have to admit that I don't apply eye cream as often as I should, but when I do I love using Indeed Labs Eysilix* which is nourishing but doesn't cause milia. If my skin is a bit rough I crack out the Mario Badescu Buffering Lotion, if I've got a spot I turn to the Mario Badescu Drying Lotion and dry patches are seen to with the RosehipPLUS Rosehip Oil Roll On* (perfect to travel with, score!)

 

At least once I week I skip all of my nightly treatments in favour of the Origins Drink-Up Intensive Overnight Mask, which smells delectable and leaves my skin oh so soft.

 

So that is the round up of what I have been using!

Have you tried any of these products?

What daytime moisturiser do you think I should try next?

 

Emma @ emmabovarybeauty

The Night Routine

 

Despite really enjoying the skincare I had been using, once again I’ve switched it up in order to explore new products and work on improving my skin. I’ve been slapping these on while watching FleurdeVlog after my nightly cleanse, and I’ve been loving the feel of the silky L’Occitane Essence Sublime serum*(on counter August 14th)! The packaging is really pretty, and undoubtedly better than the small necked Angelica Hydration Cream* which is luxe but hard to reach into. I’ve been trialling the L’Occitane products for over a month now, and the cooling Regard Radieux Eye Roll On* is a strange consistency (I’m used to eye creams over gels) but hasn’t caused milia, so thumbs up for that!

Acne is something I like to keep at bay surprise surprise and as always I turn to Mario Badescu for that.  The Buffering Lotion is tops for under the surface bumpiness,  while the Drying Lotion zaps any big nasties without drying out my skin like other spot treatments do. Highly recommended!  I’ve been squeezing the last drops out of my La Roche Posay Effaclar Duo, and was elated to find out that my local pharmacy is not stocking the range- score! I tried to describe it to my sister today, and the phrase ‘skin perfector’ and ‘a damn miracle’ were involved, so there’s that for ya…

What are you slapping on your face in the PM?

Skincare Routine

Each time I am in the midst of a ‘good skin’ month, I feel the urge to post a round-up of the products that I’ve been enjoying. Despite suffering through what I believe was an allergic reaction to my hair mask (exacerbated by constant scarf wear!) I have been happy with the texture of my skin and am thankful for a range of products for helping me out in that respect. Since I am consistently rotating my skincare in order to review products on this blog, many are press samples or things that I only use for a 6 week period to keep the reviews coming. Just something to keep in mind!

In terms of my morning routine, I like to keep it quite simple and use cleansing water like Bioderma Crealine h20 to rid my skin of any remnants of my nightly routine. I’ll be honest and say that this isn’t always a step I undertake daily as I can be quite lazy in the mornings! I then pop on a full pump of Cetaphil Derma Control SPF30+ moisturiser*, which is broad spectrum and non comedogenic. This keeps my skin smooth and helps prevent acne whilst providing UVA/UVB sun protection. I find this to be a great moisturiser and I’m glad that the lightweight bottle is pump action and cheap enough when it comes time to repurchase! While this sinks in, I begin applying my eye makeup, then move onto applying primer and the rest of my makeup routine.

At night, I take a lot more time caring for my skin. I begin by removing my eye makeup before I hope into the shower, with Maybelline’s City Rescue makeup remover which I am about to run out of. I then use Dermalogica Precleanse* and Antipodes Grace cleanser* while I shower. I am still having a love affair with Precleanse, and am enjoying the touch of class that Antipodes brings to my bathroom. I find the creamy formula of Grace to still be quite lightweight, and it doesn’t add any oil or shine to my skin as I at first thought it might. I do still prefer my Soap & Glory Fab Pore Hot Clothcleanser* though, as I find it leaves my skin softer and smells a little nicer than this luxe metal tube. I switch up my facial scrubs quite often, and right now I’m using the Dermalogica Skin Prep scrub* (sample tube).

After cleansing, I move onto layering a few treatments and serums depending on how my skin is acting that particular day. I suffer from a little bit of acne, and so without these treatments my skin acts a fool! Mario Badescu is wonderful for acne prone skin, and I rely on the Buffering Lotion to take care of my bumpy forehead and deep pimples, while the Drying Lotion stops the spots about to erupt in their tracks. I also love La Roche Posay Efflacar Duo to keep my skin acne free overall, and will definitely be repurchasing when this tube meets its end. I sometimes use Lacura Hyaluronic Gel to help suck some moisture into my skin, but lately I’ve been favouring my Kosmea Radiance 24/7 Youth Boost*.

To end my skincare routine, I take time massaging in a night cream to moisturise the dry patches of my face. I was using a lightweight lotion during the heat wave we experienced earlier in the year, but now that it is chilly I have cracked open my tub of Aveeno Positively Radiant Intensive Night Cream*. Such a lovely name, isn’t it? I found the texture of this really strange, it is sort of like curdled yoghurt, and at first I doubted how hydrating it would be. Happy to report that I was way off, you need the tiniest bit of this to cover your whole face and it works so well at hydrating without being heavy or breaking me out!

 

 

Phew! That rounds up the skincare loot that has been slapped on my mug lately. Now it is YOUR turn! What products do you swear by for your skin?

 *Items provided for consideration. Honesty, always.