August Empties

Happy spring my little birdies! August was a busy month for me in terms of uni work, and I'm proud to say I got a lot of work done and stayed generally on top of things. Hoping to finish more makeup items in September though, to make room for the inevitable IMATS/ABBW haul.

So it seems the shower and removal of makeup process is the one most done this August!

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Rose Body Scrub, whose brand I am unsure of as I don't speak a language other than English. I purchased this from Daiso in Doncaster (Victoria) and found to be a wonderful light scrub for everyday. Sadly they had none left when I went to repurchase (though they did have matching items in same scent) but I will keep my eye out and definitely get this again.
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Avon Naturals Grapefruit and Mint shower gel 200ml. Dad bought me a set of these for xmas and I've only just gotten around to using them. A nice lather and scent, but I'd like the scent to be a bit stronger as I like them full on. From memory they're around $2 each at xmas time, and come in a variety of nice scents. Will be grabbing more come December.

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Crabtree & Evelyn Clarifying Body Scrub with Eucalyptus and Essential Oils (50g) was a punch in the face! Scent was powerful and formula was nice and gritty, so if you like eucalyptus this could be for you. Smells too strong for me, so I won't be repurchasing.

Priceline Re-Balance Vitamin Enriched Moisturising Complex Facial Cleansing Wipes (25pack) are my holy grail of wipes. Nothing has beaten them so far, and I really can't see it happening.

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Swisspers Facial Wipes (25pack) stung like crazy, and I really regret purchasing a double pack of them. I used this for swatching purposes and to spot clean brushes after use. Will not buy again.

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Priceline Round Cotton Pads (100) are great for removing make up at night, and I find these to be great quality and cheap. Will be repurchasing when I run out of the pack of random brand ones I'm using right now.

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Face of Australia Gentle Makeup Remover is used in conjunction with the above cotton rounds for removing makeup, this doesn't sting and gets the bulk of my makeup off really well. I have found it to have trouble with the mascara I'm using at the moment, but since I don't like the mascara anyway I will not hold it against them;)

Batiste Tropical Dry Shampoo is a life saver for me, as my hair becomes oily quite quickly the more I work with it. To make blow drys/curls/straight hair styles last longer I spray this on the middle layer of my hair (lifting up top section to avoid the 'grey' look) wait a while and then massage it in. I find it gives me hair volume, too, which I love. The scent isn't my favourite but now that I am in the midst of planning my Thailand trip, I think I'll fall in love with it again! Tropical hair and holiday, be mine!

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Benefit Bad Gal Lash mascara had a big wand that took me a while to get used to, but I did enjoy using it once I had a technique down pat. This is in my empties because I'm trying to be good and toss mascaras regularly, plus it had become quite dry and less comfortable on my eyes. This was a freebie with a magazine purchase, which was an awesome gift in my opinion!

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How much did you manage to use up in August? Have you tried any of the products I finished this month?

emmabovary xx

*Avon shower gel was gift from Dad, Benefit mascara was gift with magazine and the Face of Australia remover was a gift from PR which I have since repurchased. All other items were paid for by me, and I was not compensated for these mini reviews by anyone :)

Swisspers Facial Cleansing Wipes

I recently finished up this product in my February Empties post, and this is my review of them. Swisspers claims that this product : 'Cleanses, tones and moisturises without drying. Removes all make-up including mascara, oil free, alcohol free.' The wipes themselves are pretty thick, and of a decent size. They were effective at removing foundation, however I did not find them good enough for mascara. I have super-dry and dehydrated skin, and this did nothing to moisturise that. They left my skin feeling quite sore and tight, and I needed to immediately moisturise after use to alleviate the pain. I think that these would work much better on oily or combination skin, but even then I have my doubts, as Chris' Mum used the second pack (came in a duo) and wasn't a fan either. The fact that I forced myself to use this product up and gave away the other pack says a lot. I tried hard to be nice, but I am not a fan of this product and will not be repurchasing.

If you want to try them out for yourself, I puchased them at Priceline for around $5/6 for a two pack, but I'm sure they are available in other stores, too.

emmabovary xx

February Empties

This is my first month of 'empties', and I hope to continue this throughout the year and work thru the prodz I have lying around. I have seen a few bloggers completing the 'empties' themed posts, but the one who inspired me to give it a go was Beautifully Glossy, with her January empties post. Here I share with you what I used up in the last month.

*Swisspers Facial Cleansing Wipes (25 pack)

Full review is coming up within the week, all I will say now is that I am not a fan, and will not be repurchasing. This came in a two pack, and I gifted the other as I couldn't continue using them.

*Lux Shea Exfoliating Scrub (exfoliating body wash) with Shea Butter and Caramel. 75+ washes

Apart from the fact that this prod can't decide if it is a scrub or a body wash, I enjoyed using it. Could have been sweeter, but maybe that's just me. Review up within the week.

*Eco Aroma Shower Oil

This is to be tipped onto the shower floow to fill the area with 'great aroma'. They don't specify what sort of aroma, but whatever it was I didn't mind it. Felt a bit like I was cleaning the shower, but also gave a steam room sort of atmosphere. Probablly won't repurchase as wasn't that excited by it. Bottle lasted 2-3 showers.

*Formula no306 Verbene & Lemon Energizing Shower Gel (Received in the Primped 2010 goodie bag) 75 ml

Beautiful packaging, very lightweight with a silver lid and simple old-school label written in both French and English (ooh la la=) ) Raised branding on plastic bottle gave a luxurious feel. Average lather, but the smell was divine! The verbena cuts right thru the tart lemon and lifts it into a different dimension. Lovely prod, will repurchase.

*Body Shop Sweet Lemon Body Scrub

I was so very excited to buy this product, and it sadly did not live up to the hype I gave it. The mango version of this was tops, but the lemon was super tart and I wasn't always in the mood for that. My main concerns, however, were the slimy bits in it (what are they!?) and the oily feel it left on my skin. Will not repurchase, though I may try another scent and hope it's more like the mango scrub.

*I went thru some perfume samples in Feb, two mini spray bottles of Gucci's Flora and one of Paco Rabanne's Lady Million. Chris loves the 'Million', both guys and girls, and though I liked it I didn't like it enough to head out and buy it. I bought Chris the guys version, and he is in love. Smells amazing, better than the ladies, I think. Gucci's Flora, on the other hand- love! Not something I would have ever tried, but this subtle floral sat nicely on me. May repurchase in the future if funds permit.

*Sportsgirl 'Get The Tint' lip and cheek tint

Loved this with a passion late last year, and gave it a whirl again for a few times this February. Gives a super natural flushed look, as long as you blend fast (as with most tints). Not sure if they still make this one, I will probably purchase it again if they do.

*Revlon Colorstay Concealer

I'll admit this was already pretty much empty, but I made sure it was all gone this month. Nothing outstanding, but not caky either. Possible repurchase if no other concealer wows me.

*Clinique Anti-Blemish Moisuriser

Well this a shitty sample for me- got it in a pack with the rest of the 3-step and used it up much quicker than I used the other prodz! Luckily the lovely Clinique girl took pity on me and gave me another. Will be purchasing a full size of this very soon. Review up soon, too.