EMPTIES | February '14 + Reviews


It's time to talk trash! Well not exactly, but this post is all dedicated to products I have used up in the month of February, including my thoughts on them and if I'd buy them again. You can see January's instalment here and this month many things seemed to come to an end all at once; a grand total of 9 products, ranging from skincare, makeup and a hair product too.


001. The Body Shop Tea Tree Skin Clearing Toner // Around $20
I've talked about the Tea Tree range from The Body Shop a lot on my blog, so it's no surprise that I have got through at least one thing from the line this month. The Skin Clearing Toner has lasted me about 5-6 months and I think it is around $20, so it is well worth its price. This helps to remove any leftover makeup residue on the face, helps to mattify and keep oil at bay and also treat blemishes. I've already purchased another of these, and I find that even though it has tea tree oil and tamanu oil (which helps the growth of skin and new tissue) - it is not drying and doesn't leave the skin feeling tight after use.


002. The Body Shop Tea Tree Pore Minimiser // Around $30
I was very intrigued when I first bought this product about 6 months ago and the packaging doesn't really give you much information about what it does or its use. Basically, I used it as a primer, so after moisturising, I would use about a fingernail-sized amount and concentrate it on my nose and cheeks where I have very visible pores. It feels quite cooling on the skin and sinks in very quickly. It's not like a silicon-based primer that instantly makes the skin feel smoother by making an obvious barrier, instead just feels like a moisturizer type product. It helped to mattify the skin and keep oil at bay for a little longer than normal. It also helped to smooth my makeup but was not revolutionary in really diminishing my pores. I would like to try out some other primers targeted at reducing/minimising pores before I rush out and purchase this again as it was quite expensive and didn't make a huge difference for me at least.

003. Natio Acne Clear Spots Purifying Spot Treatment // Around $15
This little tube has already featured in a Most Loved post from me and I clearly love it as I went out and bought another before I had even finished this one. This tube lasted me a couple of months, and I was using a pretty generous amount on my face each night. It helped to treat spots, reducing them overnight and making the heal/turnover time much quicker. It is a white, cream product that I dab on and around the areas with blemishes and just let it sit and sink into the skin overnight. It can be used at any time, but overnight works best as that is when your skin does all its good healing etc. If you get bad acne, or just the odd spot I would really recommend this and it is really affordable for how well it works.


004. Simple Kind To Skin Cleansing Facial Wipes // $10.99 [from Postie]
I did quite enjoy these makeup wipes, they didn't over dry the skin, nor did they irritate it (some face wipes can pretty harsh!). It removed the bulk of my makeup before going in and cleansing the skin and worked well on the eyes without stingy them. I would probably purchase these again as they did feel gentle with a nice fresh/clean scent.

005. Maybelline Clean Express Total Clean! Express Eye & Lip Makeup Remover // Around $10
As eye makeup removers go I am usually loyal to just one - the Neutrogena Oil-Free Eye Makeup Remover, but I decided to try this one on a whim and it has impressed me just as much as the Neutrogena one. It gets rid of eye makeup very quickly, I just hold a cotton pad on the eye for about 5-10 seconds and then wipe off and the bulk is gone - that is even including Benefit's They're Real Mascara which is notoriously difficult to remove. I wish that we could get slightly larger bottles as I get through this 70ml one pretty quickly, so much so that I am already halfway through my new bottle! [n.b. I did finish this early in Feb].

006. Almay Pure Blends Foundation in Ivory
Now this wasn't technically empty but was almost done and it was just a little old and I had two in my foundation draw (the other which is much newer). This is a good foundation for lighter coverage but it can be built up to almost medium coverage. The texture is very runny and quite watery, really great if you don't like wearing a lot of makeup but and it is 97.4% natural and hypoallergenic. I already have another which I got for super cheap on NZ Sale, but I have other foundations and BB creams that have a higher coverage (which I prefer) than this one, so not sure whether I would purchase again.

007. Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Under Eye Concealer in Fair
I feel like I have had this tube for such a long time (over a year - at least!!) and it was never ending, until this month that I finally got to the end of it! It was my go-to under eye concealer every day and did a great job. A little bit went a long way (that's why it seemed like it was bottomless!) and has good coverage and stayed put all day. I don't think you can buy this anymore, but I am using the Revlon Age Defying Moisturizing Concealer and it is pretty much exactly the same.

008. BYS Brow & Eye Pencil in Blonde
This made filling in my brows a total breeze; it has a slanted tip that you can use on its side to fill in the majority of the brows and then use the tip on the thin side to draw and define the line of the brows. Although the colour is 'blonde' I do find it to be quite dark, but matches my brow and hair colour perfectly. It is quite waxy and hard so it allows for great control with the colour, so you don't end up overdrawing your brows. I love this brow product and already purchased another as it is super cheap, around the $7 mark.


009. Angel Professional Hair Soften Spray // $21.50
My last empty product is initially from a Sample Bar box from July but I have really only been using it much more frequently in the past couple of months. When my hair was still damp I would spray this through and focus it at the end of the hair before blow drying and styling and really left the hair feeling soft and looking healthy and shiny (not like hair commercial shiny though - that's just unachievable!) I did enjoy this product but I don't think I would rush out and purchase it again; it was nice to try via Sample Bar but there are many other hair products out there that will probably do a similar job and be a tad cheaper.

Wowza, that was a lot of empty products I managed to finish this month! I don't think there will be nearly as many next month, but who knows... so stay tuned!

Tried any of these products, let me know your opinions on them in the comments below. 

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