Well, I'll be honest, July's empties was a bit of a sad one for me.
I really didn't want the Ole Henriksen Pure Truth Melting Cleanser to end, there is no make up that it cannot remove. So we will kick off empties with this one. Now, i have a lot of cleansers, I like to cleanse, I almost want my face so clean that you could metaphorically eat your dinner of it. This was always my first cleanse, post make-up remover or should I be lazy and not use a remover, this would do the job just nicely of getting rid of every trace of foundation and mascara.
I do need to repurchase this, and as soon as the budget loosens up again I will but for now, I'll just have to admit that is gone and move on to my many other cleansers. At £24 for a 118ml Jar I do think it is a mid-range cleanser, I got it at christmas so getting a good 7 months out of it was quite good (making it a cost of approximately £3-4 per month.
Next up, the Mary Kay timewise body anti-cellulite cream - I know I know, you can't cure cellulite with a cream. Forgive a girl for trying though -eh? I used this almost everyday in the run up to my holidays, to mostly improve skin texture and see if it would help the appearance of it all. Used in conjunction with body brushing the texture of the back of my thighs did improve. for cellulite to really shift you need to be living a healthy lifestyle as well, so coupled with my gym routine and only the occasional cupcake I was doing all the right things. Used for 12 weeks pre-holdiay so that it had time to make a difference (if it was going to). No cream is going to work miiracles over night. Now at £30, I wouldn't repurchase, I dont think it made a difference of that much signifcance to warrant a £30 price tag. Legs are smooth, but not £30 smooth. If you want to check it out, you can do so here.
Summer = Tanning, and the Rimmel Sun Shimmer self tan in matte (no glittery legs please) I find this one of the easiest tans to apply, it just glides on whether you are using gloves or a mitt. As with all fake tans the normal prep rules apply, it does say no smell but it smells almost like sun cream to me so you're not walking around smelling like a buscuit all day whicih is a WIN if you ask me. It developes in an hour - apparently, but i usually tan before bed so it's on a good 8 hours regardless.I find this tan to be quite a natural bronzed, and the staying power is quite good for a budget tan - again normal maintainence rules apply.
Next up is Mac Sutdio Fix in NW10 - I use this as my highlighting shade when contouring rather than a light concealer in the summer and it suits my caspar like appearance in the winter as an allover foundation so double use for this! Not something I am planning on repurchasing at the moment as i have a few concealers and foundations to work my way through but definitely one i would buy again, MAC is always a good idea for me because no matter what time of year they always have a shade of pale for me.
Where would we be without primer? - Lola's illuminating primer is one that I really like and find it brightens without being shiny or glittery. I find when something says "illuminating" what they really mean is "glittery" or "greasy". The lightweight formula is lovely on summer days I don't find that this clogs the pores and equally doesn't leave you disappointed on colder days. You can pick up a Lola primer in M&S, or online here at £17 it is an investment for only 30ml. If you're after a Lightweight easy on the eye day glow - go for this, want a glow with more of an impact go either Wonderglow by Charlotte Tilbury or That Gal / Girl Meets Pearl by Benefit. - Both a lot more hard hitting on the glow / glitter factor.
That Gal, Benefit was picked up for a weekend away and I had to pack very lightly. I found this little beauty in Boots who have a lovely selection of Benefit sample sizes at the moment - as mentioned above this has a bit more of an impact when it comes to getting your day glow on, I do find the slightly pinky tint works well as a very subtle highlighter if you just want to add a little pop of life onto your cheekbones. You can check out Benefit minis here, with Boots.
Next up Dr Organic's snail gel. Used mostly in winter, this is ultra hydrating on the face and anywhere you want to use it. I would recommend for the elbows and feet as a pre-tanning barrier cream as well. Snail Gel's main selling point for me was "Helix aspersa muller is naturally produced by snails to quickly regenerate their own shells and skin when damaged" (taken from Holland and Barrett website) anything that regenerates is good with me! Dr Organic is also brand that I love, I don't think I have found a product of theirs so far that I don't like. If you want to see more of Dr Organic, check out Holland and Barrett, here.
Last a La Roche Posay Rosalic UV intense, the slightly green tinted anti-redness is something I have used to the end, I found it hydrating and great at soothing Rosacea flare-ups but it is isn't great under make-up - it's just a bit on the greasy side so either, you have to wait ages for it to dry or not wear any make-up at all. at £16.50 for 40ml I wouldn't say it is worth the money, but if you want to try it for yourself, it's on Feel Unique, here.
Well I think that concludes the empties!
My Favourites this month and if they are worth the money will be up shortly.
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