November 2017 Empties

Hello, hello!

I’m slowly working my way through my stash and using up various bits and pieces. I didn’t finish up as many products as I had hoped, but progress is progress.

Lets take a closer look at what I finished, and whether or not I would re-purchase.

Make-up:

Eyeko Black Magic Mascara – This came in an Ipsy GlamBag, originally reviewed here. I had mixed feelings about this mascara when I first got it because despite it being fairly smudge proof, it didn’t hold a curl very well for me. This is not the mascara for me.

Beaute Basics Travel Face Blender – Another Ipsy GlamBag item, reviewed here. This sponge is too hard. I had hoped that I could make this little blending sponge work but I’ve tried washing it a million times and it just never softened up. Way too hard for facial use, not for me.

Bath and Body:

Joik Luxurious Rose Bathmilk – I bought this in August when we were visiting Estonia, the original review is here. I’m sad that this one is finished, as I absolutely loved this bath milk – it is skin softening and gloriously rose scented! I would re-purchase this one again – but until I clear out more of my stash, it will go on my wishlist.

Skincare:

MyChelle Dermaceuticals Incredible Pumpkin Peel* – Another one that I’m sad to have finished, review is here. This was a great pumpkin based facial mask / peel. If you like pumpkin, then this one is for you. If you have sensitive skin like me, it will probably tingle when you apply it (always do a patch test to make sure it is a pleasant tingle and not a melt your face off tingle). I’m currently using another pumpkin based facial mask, so I don’t need to re-purchase this right away, but again, it is on my wishlist.

Consonant DHE Mask – This was a gift from Stashy, and it just might be the best clay based mask that I’ve ever used, original review is here. It detoxifies, hydrates and exfoliates. I’ll be purchasing this facial mask very soon since I can’t imagine life without it!

Cougar Beauty Snake Superfood Booster Serum* – Original review is here. I never did do a long term check in review of this serum after using it for 8 weeks, but I think that this works similar to the way that a lip plumper works – giving a temporary topical effect on the skin. I have other products in my stash that seem to have a longer lasting effect on fine lines so I won’t be purchasing a replacement.

Hylamide High-Efficiency Face Cleaner – This super gentle cleanser is somewhere between a oil cleanser and a micellar water, originally reviewed here. It is great at removing makeup, and even put a good dent in my super waterproof mascara! I plan buy this one again once I use up another cleanser in my stash.

Have you finished up many products this month?

Disclosure: Products marked with an * are PR samples. The rest have either been purchased by me, or gifted from a friend. My opinion is my own, as always!

Empties March 2017

Hello, hello!

I think that I’m making pretty decent progress in using up items in my stash. I’ve also continued to go through all of my old lipsticks to test if any of them have gone off or dried out and culled them from my collection.

First up, skincare empties:

MyChelle Dermaceuticals Creamy Pumpkin Cleanser* – Originally reviewed here. I absolutely love this cleanser, it was so perfect for winter, as it made my skin feel super clean without any dryness or tightness. This is on my to-buy for fall wishlist, I am currently testing out something new for spring / summer.

Kate Somerville EradiKate – Originally reviewed here. I’m kind of mad at myself for forgetting to replace this one when I made my mini birthday haul from Sephora! I don’t breakout very often, just an occasional hormonal or stress related one but this one really works for my sensitive skin!

Sukin Hydrating Mist Toner – Originally reviewed here. This is on my to-buy wishlist for summer. I’m currently finishing up another facial mist in my stash. This is my second or third bottle that I’ve used up!

Sukin Purifying Facial Masque – Originally reviewed here. This is on my to-buy wishlist as soon as I clear up a few more facial masks in my stash. This and the Consonant DHE Mask are top two clay based facial masks.

Symphony Beauty Snow Cream Moisturizer – This was an Ipsy GlamBag item. It is too highly scented for me to use on my face, so I used it up on my feet. I will not purchase this one.

Cougar Beauty Hyaluronic Acid Facial Oil* – Originally reviewed here. I liked this  facial oil, but used it up really quickly due to its very watery consistency. Would I purchase? Probably not, because I have so many hyaluronic acid based products on my to-try wishlist.

Milani Moisture Lock Oil Infused Lip Treatment – Originally reviewed here. I really loved this when I first got it, but near the end, the consistency changed and it got sticky. I won’t be re-buying this one.

Concrete Minerals Electric Eye Primer – I don’t think that I’ve reviewed this primer, but I’ve had it since before I started blogging two years ago. It is one of my favourites as it is a great primer for loose shadows and pigments. Will I re-buy? Maybe, once I’ve used up a few more eye primers in my stash.

Brazen Cosmetics Goodbye to You: Light – Originally reviewed way back when I first started blogging in March 2015! The Brazen Cosmetics website is no longer there, so I don’t know if the company is gone or just on hiatus so I don’t think that I can replace it. This was a great banana type powder for setting the under eye.

I’ve continued to go through my lipstick collection, and culled a few more because they failed the tests for scent (does it smell rancid or like palydough), texture (has it dried out or melted) and / or discoloration (visible colour changes, or that weird almost fuzz look).

ColouPop Ultra Metallic Liquid Lipstick in Kween – this one isn’t all that old. Original review is here. This is my only disappointing liquid lipstick from ColourPop. It was dry and patchy when I first got it, and it is even drier now. Will I re-buy? Not this shade, and probably not any of the Ultra Metallics, but yes, I will buy other lipsticks from ColourPop.

Urban Decay Revolution Lipsticks in Shame, Manic and Jilted – These are OLD, I never did review them, but they were my fave lipsticks from they time that they were launched!  Shame was dried out, but still smelled ok. Manic turned weird looking, almost fuzzy like F-Bomb from last month’s empties, and was starting to dry out, and Jilted was starting to discolour, and dry out. The Revolution Lipstick line has been discontinued, but these three were re-launched in the Vice Lipstick line. Re-buy? I will probably go test out and swatch the new Vice Lipsticks to see if I would purchase Manic and Jilted.

Annabelle TwistUp Retractable Lipstick Crayon in Kinky Pink and Royale – These are fairly old as well, but they still make this lipstick format, and both shades are still listed. Repurchase? Maybe. I’ll go take a look at some of the new shades since they were comfortable and long wearing.

Do you go through your lipstick collection to check to see if they are still good?

Thanks for reading and have a beautiful day! ❤

Disclosure: Everything purchased by me, except for items marked with an *. Please see original reviews for details.

 

Weekly Re-cap (Feb 20th to 26th)

Hello, hello!

Just a re-cap of the past week’s blog posts in case you’ve missed anything!

Monday, Feb 20th – Cougar Beauty Hyaluronic Acid Facial Oil Review

Wednesday, Feb 22nd – Cougar Beauty Snake Superfood Booster Serum Review

Friday, Feb 24th – Ipsy Glam Bag February 2017 Unboxing and First Impressions

So there you have it, the week’s blog posts!

Thanks for reading and have a beautiful day! ❤

Disclosure: Please see original posts.

Cougar Beauty Snake Superfood Booster Serum

Hello, hello!

Today I’m reviewing the second of my Cougar Beauty treats that were sent to me – the Snake Superfood Booster Serum with Hyaluronic Acid. For my Hyaluronic Acid Facial Oil review, click here.

Here’s what is says on the website:

Loaded with nutrients, ceramides, glycerin, natural ingredients and vitamins like C, K, E, skin serums are water-based products, that have the ability to penetrate deep within the layers of the skin, so that results happen faster and more effectively.

The Snake Superfood Serum is designed as a soothing & anti aging serum combination, with aloe vera to cool, and super fruit extracts to deeply moisturise and boost skin cell production and Synthetic Snake Venom Extract to provide the anti ageing benefits.  

Synthetic Snake Venom is developed to mimic the paralyzing effect that Snake Venom has on the skin. Actual Snake Venom causes muscular paralysis, which paralyzes the skin then the whole body.

To achieve the same effect for the facial skin, a synthetic derivative of the venom can be used to deaden the muscles in the face to prevent the formation or deepening of wrinkles.

Synthetic Snake Venom reduces muscular contractions in the face and reduces cell movement; thereby keeping the skin smooth and wrinkle free.

Reading the description makes this serum sound super scary! But I assure you, it is not. It is a milky gel type serum, and quickly absorbs into the skin. I did a patch test on my arm first, and then on my neck, because I’d never used a serum like this before, so I was a little nervous! Thankfully, my sensitive skin did not react!

I’ve been using this serum twice daily for two weeks now, and my fine lines are reduced and my skin looks smoother, but I still have movement / expression and not that creepy frozen doll face that I’ve seen some over Botoxed faces with.

I’ll have to come back and update this review once I’ve used it for 4 to 6 weeks to see if there are any further improvements in my skin.

Thanks for reading and have a beautiful day! ❤

Disclosure: PR samples, however my opinion is my own, based on my experience in using this product.

Cougar Beauty Hyaluronic Acid Facial Oil Review

Hello, hello!

I was recently contacted by the Rosdon Group to see if I was interested in reviewing some of their products – they have three main lines – Cougar Beauty, Snow White Oral Care, and Rogue Male Grooming. Of course I was interested in Cougar Beauty since it is a beauty and skincare line.

Here’s a little background info about Cougar Beauty (taken from their website):

The Cougar Beauty range has been formulated and designed for those who enjoy high quality products and are not prepared to compromise. Completely manufactured in the UK, we supply must have, niche products which aren’t in one month and out the next.
No cost has been spared bringing the most innovative formulas, designs and technology to make Cougar Beauty Products a leading international brand name.  All the products are new, edgy, of the highest quality and most importantly, they work. 
At Cougar we are passionate about preserving the Earth for future generations and are always looking for new ways to help our beautiful planet. All our products and packaging are manufactured in the UK, ensuring less green house gases are emitted during the manufacturing process. We have completely cut out transportation from the process as all ingredients are sourced locally. 
We take pride in the fact we only ever use Cruelty Free formulas, that are never tested on animals. All of our packaging is recyclable and any marketing material is made from recycled material. 

I chose to test out and review two of their skincare products, the first of which is their Hyaluronic Acid Facial Oil. I’ve used several different Hyaluronic Acid serums previously, but this is my first HA facial oil.

Here’s what it says about the product:

• Lightweight daily facial oil to be applied under moisturiser.
• Contains hyaluronic to deeply moisturize and plump
• Increases the moisture content of the skin
• Reduces small and larger wrinkles
• Makes the skin supple again
• Increases skin elasticity

This facial oil is very watery in texture and sinks into the skin quickly. It does contain fragrance which I don’t love, but thankfully it did not trigger any reaction in my skin (but remember to do a patch test if you have sensitive skin). It plays nicely with other serums and moisturizers, and with foundation. It works well to add another level of hydration and moisture to the skin – much needed in the cold winter weather!

On Wednesday, I’ll be reviewing the second skincare product that I received – the Snake Superfood Booster Serum.

Thanks for reading and have a beautiful day! ❤

Disclosure: In case you missed it at the beginning,  this PR sample, however, my opinion is my own, based on my experience with the product.