Haul // Surratt Beauty, H&M, MAC and more

My hauling habits have definitely changed over the past few years; when I once coveted and brought home every little thing I liked the look of, I'm now more sensible and think about if I would actually use the item, and how much I actually want the item as well. I'm sure I'll stumble again as time goes on but I'm enjoying shopping a lot more now, and being selective in my choices means my collection has never been more exciting to me! I recently spent some time in the city for meetings and tacked a round of shopping onto the end of it, and I thought I'd post a collective haul for you all.

A few homey bits made the cut, including a gorgeous foil Kikki K print, H&M Marble Tray and a bronze basket that I plan on using as my 'new product' stash holder on my desk. I also bought some new pens from Kikki K and the pink version of my beloved 'dog scarf' from Ishka - because one dog scarf is just not enough, my friends.

Bits from the new essence Brit-Tea collection made it into my shopping basket as well, and I found some Avene skincare on sale at Chemist Warehouse that I thought would be great to try after I use up my La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo+. A trio of Coco-Cola flavoured Lip Smackers were too cute to resist and I finally found the MAC Make You Mine blush I've been searching for since JemOrJerrica started using it in her makeup videos - lemming finally satisfied! Did you know that they've opened up a freestanding MAC counter in Melbourne Central, and that it sells pans just like the Chapel St Pro Store does? I just found that out and am very happy about it!

The crowning glory of my haul? This stunner from Surratt Beauty... 

After reading Liz's post on this silky smooth Surratt Beauty Artistique Blush beauty I knew I had to pick it up. After missing the shade Ponceau online when it sold out, I went to the Myer Melbourne Mecca Cosmetica counter to swatch it and I was immediately sold! Naturally I'm trialling it for a full review so be on the look out for that post soon.

Have you hauled anything fun lately?
Have you changed your hauling habits too?
-Emma

My Skincare Routine

I've really gotten into skincare lately, and I've found that keeping all of my products in a dedicated container makes it so much easier to maintain my routine.

I keep my face masks and spot treatments in there as well, as it saves me scrambling to find it when the time comes. Keep in mind that this post is a stack of mini skincare reviews, so is quite word heavy. Feel free to dip into the ones that interest you most if it is too wordy!

 

Garnier Clean Sensitive Eye Make-Up Remover

I must admit I'm not loving this as much as I've enjoyed other eye makeup removers. It doesn't sting my eyes, but it takes a lot of rubbing to remove my eye makeup. It leaves my eyes feeling a bit tight, so once I finish this bottle I'll be moving onto a different eye makeup remover.

 

Bioderma Crealine H2O

I've raved about this before here, but suffice to say this is a permanent fixture in my skincare routine. This is my second bottle (the first was PR provided) and I also have a mini for when I travel. This sweeps away my face makeup before cleansing so well, and is perfect for sensitive skin. I use this after I've removed my eye makeup to prep my skin for cleansing.

 

Avene Cleanance Soapless Gel Cleanser*

I keep this cleanser in the shower, and use it after the previous two products to deeply cleanse my skin. I like gel cleansers as they're thick and seem to clean my face really well. I slather a squeeze of this on and cleanse, before adding a bit of water which emulsifies it. It's easy to wash away, and though it leaves my skin a little papery (it is meant for skin oilier than mine, but works wonders on breakouts) it keeps my skin in a clear, happy condition.

 

 Kiehls Cucumber Herbal Alcohol-Free Toner*
This toner sample works well at soothing my skin, but as with many toners it is hard to see proper 'results' from this step of cleansing. I use this after hopping out of the shower, to prep my skin for serums/moisturiser. I've since moved onto a different Kiehls toner, but I think I prefer this bright green bottle of goodness.

Uriage AquaPRECIS Eye Contour Care*
This eye cream sinks in super fast, and while it is moisturising I don't find that it is too heavy and it doesn't cause milia under my eyes. I love tube style eye creams, and this one is lovely.

Kiehls Midnight Recovery Concentrate*
This is something I use every second night to nourish my skin. I find it keeps my skin hydrated without adding any oiliness to the surface, and though it takes a little while to sink in, waking up in the morning with soft skin is worth it. I recently had a twitter chat with others who have used this as I was wondering if my results were truly from this concentrate, and all signs point to yes as they love this stuff!

Avene Cleanance Anti-Shine Regulating Lotion*
I find that this really does help keep shine at bay, but because I also have dry patches on my face I need to use more nourishing creams at night to maintain moisture levels. It sinks in very fast and is a gel-like lotion, which smells pleasant and is nice, affordable and French!

Mario Badescu Buffering Lotion
I shake this up really well before applying every second night, mainly to my forehead and anywhere I'm suffering from bumpy skin and cystic acne. The alcohol scent of this knocks me for a six, but it works oh lord does it work! It takes a lot to impress me, but my smooth forehead high fives Mario B. for his hard work!

Mario Badescu Drying Lotion
I use this as a spot lotion to stop pimples erupting, but since I've switched medications and begun using the Avene cleanser, this has pretty much been left untouched! Never thought I would see the day, I was burning through this stuff quite fast but am still happy to have it on hand for 'that time' of the month. I use this with a q-tip, without shaking, and dip the tip into the bottle so that it is soaked in the liquid and some of the calamine lotion. You end up getting into bed with pale pink spots on your face, but it is worth it the next day.

Lush Mint Julips Lip Scrub

 Most of this just gets eaten, but I use this lip scrub every now and again to slough off dead skin and keep my smackers smooth. Chris always asks why I can't just use my toothbrush like he does, but I think he is just jealous of my sugar hit.

 

 The Jojoba Company Botanical Hydrating Face Mask*
This gives my skin a tremendous hydration hit (without making it shiny!) and I love the way it dries on my skin. It feels a bit tingly, which I attribute to the re-renergising aspect of it, and I love how soft my skin feels the next day. I am going to repurchase this when this tube is finito.

Queen Helene Mint Julep Masque
This famous masque is great at calming breakouts, so I tend to use this when my skin is acting up. It sort of brings out the blemishes, which in turn allows them to heal quickly and get off my mug sooner- a definite win! This is super minty and cooling, and I purchased it in this haul.

Alpha-H Gentle Daily Exfoliant*
Best exfoliator I have used, hands down. Gentle but sloughs off the rough skin, is fruit derived which I like in my exfoliators. I can use this often without a problem, and tend to use it once or twice a week depending on how my skin is acting.

 

I also keep mask samples in my skincare box, as well as cotton rounds (for toner and Bioderma) and cotton tips (for spot lotion) in a reuseable cotton tip box from Priceline. I like being able to lazily clean my face each night and know what to use, it stops me from switching up my skincare too often, and allows me to see the benefits of what I'm using right now. These photos were taken some time ago, so I have made quite a dent in all of these since! I haven't begun using that Ponds cold cream just yet, but I like to keep it in there anyway.

How do you store your current skincare?
Have you tried any of these products?
What do you think of my 'skincare box'?

*Marked items were sent for review. Honesty, always.

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.