2015 Empties, First Quarter

My first quarter of empties leaves much to be desired in all honesty - I mean, it clearly shows that my household showers and wears mascara on the daily, but on the makeup front it's pretty woeful! I know that I'm on the verge of completely finishing up a few products from my Project Use It Up so I don't feel too bad about it, but I still think I need to put more work into creating a slim-lined stash in my beauty room/skincare storage. This trash-collection is about 3 months worth, and you can check out my last empties post here if you're interested - grab a cup of coffee and settle in for this one though, it's a big 'un!

 

MAKEUP

I was due for a mascara toss so out went three tubes which cleared up my daily drawer immensely - I have and would repurchase Rimmel ScandalEyes Rockin' Curves but Covergirl Flamed Out* and Maybelline Mega Plush Volum' Express* aren't my favourite (Mega Plush is my sister's favourite though!) I was pleased to see that my YSL Touche Éclat* had bit the dust as I have another two in the wings, and the Innoxa Daily Moisture Protection was a toss as I'm not sure why I bought it in the first place (and it's skincare, so I'm not sure why I threw it in with the makeup!)

 

SKINCARE

Am trying my hardest to burn through some skincare so my overflowing backup stash can return to normal - I don't even remember using the Clinique Mild Liquid Facial Soap and I hated the strong mango scent of the Swisspers Spa Cleansing Wipes so they are both getting tossed out. I mourn the loss of my beloved but pricey Lancôme Dreamtone Serum* - I loved that serum so much! I have just posted a full review of the Boscia Makeup Breakup Cool Cleansing Oil and will be doing a full review of the First Aid Beauty Facial Radiance Pads, too. 

HAIR CARE

My new hair cut (which I posted about here!) is definitely influencing my hair care empties - you'll be seeing lots more hairspray and dry shampoo in my future empties! I didn't get to try the Schwarzkopf 10 Carat Shine Hair Lacquer* as it broke in my hair care stash, but I fell in love with the L'Oreal Elnett Satin Normal Hold Hairspray* and can't wait for it to go on sale (currently 20% off at Priceline but am thinking of holding out for a bigger discount and using up my stocks first...) I used up some Girlz Only Dawn 'til Dusk and Batiste Cherry Dry Shampoo* as well - I prefer the other scents from both brands if it came down to a repurchase. As always I finished off a bottle of Garnier Fructis Anti-Dandruff Shampoo which is my staple shampoo, and the Goldwell Rich Repair 60Sec Treatment* which was lovely and had a faint vanilla smell which I really enjoyed.

SHOWER & BODY

We are all about Original Source in our household, and the Orange Oil & Ginger Shower Gel is deliciously fruity and I preferred it to the limited edition Dragonfruit & Capsicum Shower Gel that I picked up at The Reject Shop. I wasn't a fan of the Sanctuary Spa 2Day Moisture Shower Oil* (I didn't find it very moisturising, or cleansing really) but I liked the lavender scent in the Natural Instinct Body Wash* - throw lavender into anything right now and I am so there!

I enjoyed using the Gillette Satin Care Shaving Cream for Dry Skin but I often find it more cost-effective to buy the male version in a large size when it comes to shaving creams - this one was bought for our holiday, hence the teensy size! I used up a 100g bottle of Lush's famous Snow Fairy Shower Gel* - love the glitter aspect of this but you have to make sure you really love the scent, as it's strong and long-lasting! A can of Rexona deodorant is always featured in my empties, and the final product I used up was the gorgeous L'Occitane Arlesienne Shower Cream which I've just reviewed here.

Phew, I'm quite pleased that the first quarter of empties is over! I'm looking forward to featuring more makeup items in the next instalment as well as even more skincare as I work through my stocks, trialling and reviewing different products for you.

-Emma

*Marked products provided for consideration. Honesty, always.

Current Beauty Favourites

I've been all about a flawless base and warm lips lately, and my favourites also seem to reflect my efforts to wean myself off of an obsession with neutral blushes, with pink shades filling my blush drawers. I've taken to layering blushes often in an effort to spice things up, and with a new hairstyle comes new (hair) responsibilities so the rare hair-care appearance is in part thanks to that new development. All in all, a pretty stellar line-up of currently loved products!

L'Oreal Elnett Satin Hairspray* (Normal Hold)

Never did I expect to have 'hairspray' in a favourites post - no sirree I didn't see that coming! Now that I have a fringe though I need to set it every day with spray and I've tried 3 or 4 so far, and this is easily the best - no residue, holds well enough, brushes out and comes in both full-size and mini which is great.

 

Batiste Tropical Dry Shampoo (Mini)

It's a similar scenario with this - I appreciate a good dry shampoo like most people but using it to plump up my fringe is wonderful and the Tropical scent is my favourite from Batiste.

 

Rimmel Provocalips 'Make Your Move'*

Seen in action here, this long-last lip colour wasn't a colour I thought I'd fall for but it works so well with my pale skin and I've been reaching for it a whole lot since it hit my desk! Sometimes I find the formula a touch too drying but it's only happened twice so far, so perhaps it's a hint to load up on the balm at the beginning of my makeup prep.

 

Bite Beauty Matte Lip Crème 'Gavi' (mini Holiday edition)

It's definitely in the same colour family as 'Make Your Move' so I guess warm lip colours are floating my boat at the moment! The formula of these is actually insane, they feel so comfortable on the lips and look amazing, too.

Lancôme Dreamtone Serum*
My only wish is that this was within my current price range for skincare...*cries* I honestly believe that this changed the texture and tone of my skin and the acne scarring on my left cheek - it's empty now and the heart breaks! See my full review here.

Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette (in particular, Verve)
Obsession isn't even the word for this shade, and the palette in general to be frank. I've reached for it over all of my other beautiful shadows and am enjoying dipping into shades I've neglected and just generally playing around and getting to know this palette. That is such a #beautyblogger thing to say, isn't it?

Revlon Colorstay Whipped Crème Foundation (150 Buff)
I'm all about the full-coverage base right now - give me (almost) flawless skin all day errday. This bad boy is wonderful, shame it took me so long to dip into the glass jar but I'm making up for lost time now (whilst still indulging in Illamasqua Skin Base in an effort to use it up...)

Maybelline Master Glaze Blush Stick 'Just-Pinched Pink'*
Love how pigmented this is, and the shade is a neutral pink that totally suits my complexion!

In2It Blush 'Sensation'
I pulled this from my blush drawers to admire the pretty embossing (now almost gone!) but fell in love with the easy colour and the thought of how little time it will take to use up this tiny little pan...I've been dusting a bit of this over the top of the aforementioned Maybelline Blush Stick and they are a great pair!

 

Current blush loves? Dreamtone dupe? Favourite Naked palette shade?

-Emma

 

*Products provided for consideration. Honesty, always.

Dreaming of Dreamtone

Who doesn't dream of a flawless skin tone? I personally battle with some lovely leftover blemish marks and general redness on my face, so was all gung-ho to try this new release from the skincare giant Lancôme.

First impressions? I love the ombre pink bottle, and the twist top open is a nice touch that I find really easy to use, and it keeps the application hygienic as well. This luxe serum targets dark spots (buzz term of late, don't ya think?) and comes in 3 variations for different skin tones/areas of concern. 

-Dreamtone 1 is targeted at fair complexions and is supposed to fight redness.
-Dreamtone 2 is for medium skin tones and fights sallow skin
-Dreamtone 3 is for dark skin and targets blemish marks.

I personally take these variation types with a grain of salt, and was sent Dreamtone 2 despite my very fair complexion. I was dubious about this serum, but also quite excited at the thought of using something so lovely and had hopes that it would help improve my skin overall. I am so pleased to say with hand on heart that I found this to make a noticeable difference in my skin, and it not only fought any dullness and redness but also helped fade some of my stubborn acne marks. Now you see why I think all 3 serums are very similar!

I generally use one or two pumps of this at night as I apply it all over my face, and the pale rose coloured serum smells luxe and floral which I am personally a fan of. Those who are sensitive to scents like this should try to nab a sample before splurging for a bottle thought, just in case. If you were wanting to stretch the serum out you can apply it only on areas of darkness or redness, but I figure that the whole lot needs help so on it goes!

Without meaning to sound totally lame, I actually look forward to applying this and love the way it feels on my skin. I have found that since using this, my skin is more even and I can head out without too much slap on if I feel like it, which is quite a thrill for me. It didn't take too long for me to see the results as well, which is a good thing since this bottle is pretty pricey and I was uncertain when I began using it. It didn't flare up any acne for me (in fact, it was a player in the skincare routine which seemed to calm my recent skin flare up!) and I've noticed that if I skip this for a few nights, my skin gets a little upset with me.

My only misgivings about this beauty of a skin serum? The face that I can't see how much I have left, and the price tag! Sitting at $105 AUD (close to US price, woohoo!) this is definitely a skincare splurge, but I can actually envision myself trotting down to Myer or clicking onto Adore Beauty for a repurchase when this press sample runs dry...wallet be warned.

Lancôme Dreamtone retails for $105 AUD and can be purchased at Adore Beauty.

What luxe skincare have you found to really work for you? Or do you stick to budget skincare and splurge on lipsticks instead?!

Emma @ emmabovarybeauty