September Finito's!

Yup, it is empties time again at camp emmabovarybeauty!

I am pleased with my efforts to make a dent in my sample/travel sized products, and I am happy to think that some of these are things I would like to repurchase sometime down the line.

Body Care!

 

Glad to finish the Aveeno Skin Relief Body Wash (sample)*, I thought I had already used up all of my samples but this one was found floating around and I burned through it. I am not a fan of unscented body washes, but this didn't irritate so it might be great for those against scented body washes. I would not repurchase.

 

The 1SkinSolution Vanilla Bean Body Cream (travel size)* was a delight to use, these last few months have seen me up the ante with moisturising my body and this was such a delicious scent. It's a runny liquid formulation that is moisturising, I will be repurchasing down the track.

 

The TREsemme Moisture Rich conditioner wasn't very impressive, it wasn't the worst conditioner I've used but it was only passable. I like the feel of Terax too much to enjoy most other conditioners...let me know what you think I should try next?

 

Lush Too Drunk Emotibomb was sadly a chucker, I bought this who knows how long ago and it went bad. I don't partake in baths often enough to make these purchases necessary, so the next Lush thing on my list is Ro's Argan Body Conditioner, as it is shower friendly.

 

Deodorants!

 

Spray Fresh Activ High Energy deodorant is one that Chris and I both used. It isn't too strongly scented but the fact that they leave out the 'e' in active irks me. I find it sometimes stings but Chris says my pits need to 'man up', and he has already repurchased.

 

Rexona Girl Tropical Energy deodorant is my all-time fave, it smells great and does a good job of keeping me fresh. I always have a stock of these in my bathroom cupboard (and already have another emptied for October empties!) so yes, repurchase.

 

Skincare!

 

I find the BeautyCareCo makeup pads to be a cheap option to throw in the cart when I am at K-Mart, but they do fall apart more easily than the Priceline branded alternatives. I am almost done with another pack of these (I bought a double pack) and though I prefer the Priceline ones, I will repurchase.

 

Avene Cleanance Oil-Free Emulsion moisturiser* was something I really enjoyed using during this transitional weather, though I needed something heavier in the evenings this was nice for day use. It made my skin feel smooth and sunk in fast, and I would repurchase this down the track and come back around to using it. It's hard when you change up skincare often, but knowing what I like is a nice feeling.

 

Clinique Turnaround Concentrate Visible Skin Renewer wasn't even mine to begin with, my cousin lived with us for over a year and left this behind. I loved the way it felt on my skin but don't know if Clinique still make this exact formula...I am tossing this because it's been around forever, but I would repurchase (you know how those Clinique GWP's sucker me in!)

 

Kiehls Cucumber Herbal Oil-Free Toner* was another travel sized product I was happy to complete, I used this after cleansing to make sure my skin was a clean slate for my serums. I loved the deep green colour of this liquid, and though I find toners hard to see results from, I think I liked this. It lasted forever!

 

Face of Australia Purifying Cleansing Wipes were a mad sale purchase, I love picking these up when K-Mart are having a $3 off FOA sale and neglect to exclude this wipes. They are thin but sturdy and I mainly use them for swatch clean up and the odd residue wipe off on my face.

 

 

How much did you finish this month!?

 

 

*Marked products were PR samples or sent for consideration, but the fact I used them up speaks volumes. Honesty, always.

 

 



Lime Thyme!

There is nothing better than hopping in a shower after a long, tedious day and being greeted by a bevy of bathtime beauties. The beautiful Australian bath and body care company 1 Skin Solution were kind enough to gift me some of their staple line, and this is the first product in the bunch to be reviewed. Introducing, the Lime Thyme Body Wash.

I generally use shower gels when in the shower, and so the idea that this is a body 'wash' didn't occur to me until I had tipped the bottle over onto my shower puff. A lot more than I intended gushed out, and I panicked thinking that I had used up the whole travel sized bottle! Fear not, I had overused it but I still had plenty left to go. The wide opening of the bottle is a factor in the overpouring issue, and is a negative aspect of this product in my opinion.

The bottle, I will admit, irks me. I love the dark design that contrasts with the pale wrap around labelling, but the lid isn't something I find appealing. The gold makes the product less luxe looking, and it is also hard to screw back on (especially with slippery hands in the shower) I would much prefer a light lid to match the wrap around or even plain black would be quite nice. A flip top would also be easier to use in the shower.

Luckily, the scent of this makes up for these drawbacks. The lime shower gels that I am used to remind me of lime ice lollies and lime soft drink, fizzing and tart with a lovely edge. This is a different sort of lime altogether, and the mix of thyme into it is such a luxurious touch. I have quite a few herb-based shower gels in rotation at the moment, and this is one of the stand outs for being mixed in with a fruit that it a love of mine. The scent is relaxing and seems luxurious, and while the lather isn't overly creamy, I feel cleansed after using this and find it an effective body wash.

Pros:

-Australian based company

-lovely, surprising scent

-no animal testing

-available in a travel set

Cons:

-lid of packaging isn't cute

-opening too wide, easy to waste

-higher price than other brands

The 1SkinSolution range can be found at their site here.

Lime Thyme Body Wash retails for $27.50 for 500ml and can be purchased here.

 They also have a great promotion on at the moment, if you purchase their 3 piece body pack, (which includes Lime Thyme!) you get a free vanilla lip balm and free shipping! Check it out here!

What are your thoughts on herb scents in body care?

Do you try to support local businesses as well?

*This product was provided for consideration, which does not change my opinion on the product. Honesty, always.

Empties, January-March

I've had these piling up since the start of the year, and neglected to post them monthly like I usually do. Here are my empties from the beginning of year 'til now!

A stack of hair stuff, not all of it is completely empty but I'm sick of using hair products that don't help my dandruff just to use them up.

Garnier Fructis Sensitive Scalp shampoo- This is the first shampoo I've found that actually keeps my dandruff at bay! Will post a full review eventually, suffice to say I have already repurchased.

  

Terax Crema- the best conditioner I have ever tried, review here.

Cedel Anti-Dandruff shampoo- didn't finish this,it was quite a while ago that I used it so I can't remember much about it.

Sunsilk Scalp-Care anti-dandruff shampoo-Same as above, can't remember this doing much at all and so it was never finished.

QV Gentle Shampoo- not gentle, this made my head itch and flake like mad. Used this as shaving lotion to finish it up, and it wasn't good at that either.

Garnier Fructis Citrus Detox shampoo- this was decent, but I prefer the blue bottle so I won't repurchase this kind.

Cedel Dry Shampoo- I really like this, it's a little more expensive than the one I've been using but I think the bottle is nice and stands out on my cabinet. I will repurchase eventually.

Rexona Girl Dance deodorant-This scent wasn't my cup of tea, I prefer the Tropical version of this in the white and pink can.

Face of Australia Gentle Makeup Remover-this is a great affordable makeup remover, I was originally sent this but this is the one I repurchased. I will buy this again, my original review is here.

A whole bunch of empty face wipe packets as well as a Priceline lip wipes one, and some cotton round packaging.

Clinique Anti-Blemish Solutions Moisturiser- This was a nice moisturiser but I seemed to use it up too fast, so the price tag is a bit annoying. I will probably repurchase but not for a while.

Johnsons Holiday Skin Body Lotion-I remember this being a really nice gradual tanner, but it's so old that it probably doesn't work anymore so out it goes!

RoC Complete Lift Moisturiser- was so hard to squeeze anything out of these wincey sample tubes. I remember this being a nice consistency and creamy but nothing outstanding. I think the packaging just irritated me too much. These came in a beauty box, I believe.

 

Nougat London Fig and Pink Cedar hand cream*- This sample size was lovely, the scent is very strong but because I was fond of it I really didn't mind. I got this in a Primped sample bag ages ago, it's a very lovely introduction to the cute Nougat London range.

Hissyfit Handywork SPF30 hand cream*- this sample was from the same Primped bag, and hi 5 to Hissyfit for making a hand cream with such high SPF! Lovely and sinks in fast, will repurchase (eventually, I have a lot of hand creams to use up!)

 

Sasy N Savy Rose and Lavender Hand Cream- loved the scent, but while I appreciate that the company are trying to stand out with their name, they're standing out for all the wrong reasons.

Original Source Shea Butter and Honey Shower Cream- Chris and I adore these, they smell amazing and are such great quality. We grab a whole box full when they go on sale at the supermarket or chemist (they're on sale at Chemist Warehouse right now...) Love, will continue to repurchase and will review soon.

1SkinSolutions Lime Thyme shower gel*- will be reviewing this soon, I really enjoyed the scent.

Imperial Leather Foamburst shower gel in Coconut and Tiare Flower- I found this to be really moisturising, and lasted quite a long time. I think the scent is nice, but for some reason I didn't love it like I knew I should. I may try this again as it lathers wonderfully, but will probably choose a different scent.

Trishave Shave Creme*- the tea tree in this made me feel great, as I knew if I were to nick myself it's sanitary. I liked that this was non-foaming and that they made note of it on the packaging, it covered the legs really well and was nice to use. Non-drying and affordable, win. Smell is very strong though, just something to keep in mind.

Items marked * were either free samples or were provided for consideration for review. This doesn't affect my opinion of the products. Honesty, always.

The Hunger Games: A Katniss Everdeen Look

The Hunger Games film came out in Australia last Thursday, and I was excited to see how the adaption would turn out! I have read the first two books so far and am holding out on the 3rd 'til uni holidays, but watching the movie has made me want to dive into it right now!
Chris and I went to a restaurant before the movie on Friday night, and I was inspired by The Hunger Games protagonist Katniss Everdeen when I was doing my makeup.

Katniss is quite a natural beauty in both the book and the film, and so I decided to create a healthy flushed look (from running around the forest!) with bright eyes to open my face up. A natural lip look was necessary as Katniss doesn't seem the type to wear makeup anyway, and wears simple balm for most of the film.

Face:

Bourjois Healthymix 52

YSL Creme de Blush in 02

Bourjois Chocolate Bronzing Powder

Benefits Watts Up! highlighter*

Maybelline Dream Matte Powder in Cream

Eyes:

MAC Painterly Paint Pot

Urban Decay Sin (Naked Palette)

Urban Decay Virgin (Naked Palette)

Lancome Hypnose Doll Eyes mascara

Ardell Clear Brow Gel

Lips:

1skinsolution Vanilla lip balm

Clinique Chubby Stick in Whole Lotta Honey

Katniss rocks quite a few brighter looks in the film when her stylist Cinna takes control over her look, and I can't wait to try some of them out! Cinna's gold liner is also gorgeous, and I will definitely be using him as inspiration in a look soon!

I decided to use my YSL Creme de Blush as I think it gives a great natural finish compared to powder blushes, and it lasts really well which is also part of the reason why it is one of my favourite products. I have an in-depth post coming up on these blushes, they are incredible.

I wore my khaki cargo pants and a long sleeved black top with chunky boots to see the film, I felt a bit funny semi-dressing up but it sure got me into The Hunger Games mood! I also wore my hair to the side with a plait to really channel Katniss' look, and I decided I really like my hair this way.

And now, I leave you with my 'I can't wait to see The Hunger Games movie' face.
 You're welcome!

This look has coincided with a challenge from Sara-May at Makeup Utopia as part of their regular challenges. This round has challenged us (here) to create a look inspired by The Hunger Games- I urge you all to have a look at some of the inspiration there and give it a go yourself! I had this post ready before the challenge but am glad to be finally involved in a challenge- I may give another look a go in the coming week!

Have you read The Hunger Games series, or seen the film?

What do you think of the look?

Are you Team Peeta, or Team Gale?

Do you think the film adaption did the novel justice?

Items marked * were provided for consideration.