2016 Empties - Fourth Quarter

Finishing my 2016 empties series with a bang - I'm quite proud of the empties this quarter and also of the things I'm choosing to toss into the bin! I definitely need to streamline my beauty stash in 2017 and alongside gifting out items I think my emptying habits will serve me well for this.

SKINCARE

I think it's quite evident that my face was kept clean in the final quarter of 2016 - I finished off a 250ml bottle of Bioderma Sensibio* which I adore, a tube of Olay Regenerist Luminous Brightening Cream Cleanser* and Griffin + Row Cleanser* which will be reviewed shortly, and two sample sized cleansers (Philosophy Purity* which I'm not a fan of and Kiehl's Ultra Facial Oil-Free Cleanser* which was a bit too squeaky for me but overall decent) Also leaving my stash is a tube of the Paula's Choice Hydralight Moisture-Infusing Lotion that I won from The Belle Lumiere, unfortunately I just couldn't get past the strong scent and even when I gave it to Mr to finish up the smell drove me crazy, but I'm happy that I gave it a go and used most of it up anyway. The Cetaphil DermaControl SPF30+ Moisturiser* is only being tossed as it has expired, but I've bought another fresh bottle for this summer. 

HAIRCARE

Evidently nothing exciting happened in the realm of hair this quarter - I used up a bottle of my new staple Cedel Anti-Dandruff Medicated Shampoo (Garnier discontinued my previous staple anti-dandruff shampoo!) and a tub of the Garner Fructis Grow Strong hair mask, which was quite nice.

SHOWER & BODY

All the body washes, cleanliness is king! Palmolive Heavenly Vanilla Body Wash is thick and smelt divine as you would expect, Lush Ponche* really did smell like a cocktail, Original Source Daily Scrub in Cranberry and Honey is much more of a body wash than anything else, and the Bath & Body Works Oahu travel sized shower gel was a fun wash I took away for our anniversary to try and drum up some Hawaiian vibes while on the Mornington Peninsula...I also used up a sample sachet of Natralus Paw Paw Moisturiser* which I am really enjoying at the moment!

MAKEUP

This is definitely the category I am most proud of this quarter! I finished up two bases that I adored (Rimmel Matte BB Cream in Light* and Revlon Whipped Creme Foundation) and a gorgeous champagne coloured eye pencil, NYX Retractable Eye Liner in Silky Cashmere. I was happy to see the end of an eyeliner but was also planning on repurchasing this shade, but I believe it has been discontinued so am heartbroken! Does anyone have a good champagne liner recommendation for my lower lashline?!

I finished a Covergirl Full Lash Bloom mascara, Rimmel Fix & Protect SPF25 Makeup Primer* which was a nice daily base for foundation and am tossing a melted and bashed up Tarte lip crayon in the shade Achiote. 

Last but certainly not least...I finished a blush! Fellow blush fiends and beauty addicts in general will rejoice with me for this one, it's not the first I've finished but it sure felt great to finish it at a faster pace than I normally would. It's the Max Factor Creme Puff Blush in Nude Mauve and it was a brilliant product, I wore it to work all the time and the lasting power was impressive, but I think that this too has been discontinued so that is a bummer!

That's it for my 2016 empties - I've already made a start on the next lot of empties, hurrah!

-Emma x 

*Products provided for consideration. Honesty, always.

Recently Read - August 2016

Despite already flipping onto August on my desk calendar, I'm less than halfway through my 2016 reading challenge and that fact has begun to annoy me. I am focused on a few new areas of life at the moment and have also been enjoying social media more than I once did, all of which sucks time away from moments to sit down with a good book. I really need to get back into reading and take advantage of the library stack teetering in my office! These are a few library books I've read recently.

The Girl on the Train - Paula Hawkins
Let's be real, I read this because everyone was talking about it! Last year I focused on reading current new releases and this year I'd like to do the same, but taking book popularity into consideration. I know that many people avoid doing that, but I like to be able to have a say on the latest hit so it suits me fine - plus I like having other people choose my books in a way! I quite enjoyed this novel despite it being unlike the books I normally pick up - the ending was neat but didn't bother me all that much, and I liked the shaky feeling I had around so many of the central characters.

The Piano Man Project - Kat French
I adored this novel, and felt like the protagonist was really well written. I wasn't expecting too much from this sort of romantic narrative but French built her characters really well in my opinion, and I found the romance a lot more rough and relatable than other novels I've come across.

The Life Intended - Kristin Harmel
Don't you just love that feeling when you read a book you really connect with? I could have put my judgeypants on with so many aspects of this story, but instead I leapt in with an open mind about it all and really enjoyed the strange and painful life that the main character was living. The only part that bothered me (and this may be a spoiler, but I think the blurb says just as much) is any section with her fiancé, who was so much nothing I couldn't even handle it.The ending was one I anticipated earlier in the book but I didn't know if Harmel would go there...well, she did and I surprisingly didn't mind. Would love to hear from anyone else who has read this one - it's made me order some more books by the author at the library.

What have you been reading lately? How is your reading challenge going, if you are doing one?
-Emma x

 

 

  

2016 Empties - First Quarter

Why did I leave the first instalment in this years empties so late? Purely because I am forgetful, but I want it up for my own personal record so this will be short and sweet with the next instalment up this Friday!
SHOWER

I'd purchase all of these shower products again - The Body Shop makes amazing shower gels, Original Source is my affordable go-to, Palmolive scents are divine and Lush is lush - need I say more?
PERFUME + HAIR

I was disappointed with my Hollister Silver Strand Beach Body Spray that I ended up using as a room spray - I adore the scent and ambience of their stores but think their true scents are the way to go as this smelt of alcohol to me. I'll miss the addition of a classy rose scent in my collection now that I've finished up Bvlgari Rose Essentielle, and it will be a while before I purchase the lovely smelling Schwarzkopf Ultimate Repair Anti-Damage Mask again as I'm trialling a stack of other hair products now.
SKINCARE

This is the section that makes me feel most accomplished. For the first quarter I used up Maybelline Make-Up Remover* (wasn't effective) My Beauty Diary Red Vine sheet mask (enjoyed this) Biore Deep Cleansing Pore Strips (automatic repurchase) and am tossing the Yes to Cucumber Wipes* as they dried up before I could finish them. I was sad to finish off my Dermalogica Precleanse as it's my favourite cleansing oil, and my love affair with La Roche-Posay Efflaclar Duo+* is well documented on this blog. I also used up an adorably teensy Bioderma Crealine H2O and Caudalie Cleansing Water, which was okay but I still prefer the classic Bioderma or Garnier cleansing waters.

 

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What products do you find most satisfying to use up? It's always frustrating if the product is limited edition or hard to get your hands on, but even finishing my favourite skincare can be annoying because it just means I have to fork out more cash to have it back in my routine!

-Emma x

 

 

*Marked products were provided for consideration.

Birthday 2016 // Gifts I Received & Casual Celebrations

It's been over a month since my birthday but I wanted to post about the gorgeous little gifts I received and about the day in general, for reflection and a record of my special day. I'm a big fan of birthday shopping sprees but unfortunately I had to work through this year, so Mister took me out for breakfast beforehand which was really lovely. After work our family came over for pizza and cake to celebrate, and we finished off the night, as we often do on my birthday, with some board games!

breakfast with Mister- thick French toast slathered with butterscotch sauce + banana!
my cookie cake!
with Mumma Bovary
playing Logo and snacking

Gorgeous Sue Sensi bracelet from my brother and his family! 
I also received a gorgeous handmade card from my niece, it was gorgeous!

Mister bought me the perfume I'd been asking for, the new Britney Spears
Intimate Fantasy.

Mister knew I was sad to miss out on my usual Doncaster birthday shopping day,
 so he gave me a raincheck and a voucher!

Super cute black patent Colette by Colette Hayman crossbody bag with gold hardware from my sister and her family.

Golden snakeskin passport holder from my sister, also from Colette
I used this on our trip to Bali the next week!

Lisa T for Target rose gold paper bag style plant pot holder, how cool is this?!

Since we were flying to Bali the week after my birthday I received a lot of spending money (which you just know I blew in Bath and Body Works, right?) I also bought myself a new bottle of my all-time favourite perfume Guerlain Champs Elysees with some birthday money and I am so happy to be reunited with my signature scent.

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Do you have any birthday traditions?
Are you a fan of low-key birthday celebrations, too?
-Emma x