Friday, February 28, 2014

Empties: February 2014



Happy end of February!  March is always a good month for me because it's my birthday month, but with two business trips to Cairo, my parents here for 10 days and an exam on the 7th April it's going to be a very hectic one!

Above all are my February empties.  I always seem to have tons and my posts were getting so long that last month I trialled a new way of doing 'empties' posts where I just pick out that stand-outs for the month.  I got good feedback so I'll do the same this month.


I chose 4 standouts-all for being great products!

First up is the Clarins Pure Melt Cleansing Gel.  I have been using this as my first, make up removing cleanse in the evening.  You massage the non sticky gel into your skin where it turns into an oil on contact.  I then emulsify it with water and finally remove any excess with a wet flannel.  It smells like peaches and does a great job at removing make up.  I loved it so much I immediately bought another one.  It feels like a really luxurious treat at the end of the day and feels lighter on the skin than the cleansing balms I have been using over the past year.

Next up is the Rimmel Wake Me Up concealer.  I was so impressed with this concealer for disguising under eye dark circles.  The texture was just right-not too thick that it creases throughout the day but not too thin that it doesn't conceal well.  For the price point I actually think it is better than the much hyped Nars cream concealer.

Next a hair product-the Bumble and Bumble Blondish Hair Powder.  This powder is fabulous for giving some oomph to my flat and fine hair.  It gives hair that matte and almost gritty texture that means styles stay all day and it keeps grease at bay too.  It's not cheap sadly, retailing at £28 a bottle but when I ran out and went back to Batiste I really missed this spray and am about to place an order for a couple more to get my mum and dad to bring over when they come in a couple of weeks.  After blow-drying I simply spray through my hair, let dry for a few seconds and then brush through.  

Finally is the Alpha H Liquid Gold.  I have read lots of reports on this but it is a holy grail product for me and I can say with 100% confidence the right way to use it.  It's NOT a toner-I saw Caroline Hirons rant about this recently.  It's a glycolic acid treatment for your skin that helps not only with improving cell renewal and anti aging but, more importantly for me cystic acne.

It's not to be used daily, every other day in the evening is the maximum amount of times you should use it.  You should thoroughly cleanse your face as normal and then swipe this over your skin using a cotton pad.  You do not use your normal toner before or after and you do not use any other skincare on top of it, you just let it dry (as you would toner) and then leave it on your skin to work overnight.  It will tingle until your skin gets used to it.  It's the AHA's getting to work.  Obviously if you have super sensitive skin you should patch test but don't think a tingle is 'wrong'.  This product really turned my skin around this time last year and I don't think I will ever be without it.  Now I don't use it every other night, I just use it as needed if my skin is playing up.  My review of the product and (awful) before and after pictures can be found here.

You can find out more information about Serozinc, Caudalie Vinosource, Perricone MD Cold Plasma and MD Formulations Facial Cleanser empties in my post about my skincare routine here.

You can read a review of the Givenchy mascara here (it's not very complimetary!)

Do you use and love (or hate) any of these products?



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15 comments

  1. Greetings from Singapore!
    A long overdue visit to your blog and so happy I did :-D
    Just about to pick up the Alpha H liquid gold, but still thinking this or cream... So good to know that is works for you! Now I can boldly go about buying it!
    xx,
    Bubbly Michelle.

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  2. Hi Helen! I am really loving Clarins at the moment too, I just picked up their new anti pollution cream cleanser from duty free today and their eye make up remover is amazing!
    The only reason the Fresh lip treatment wasn't a standout (because it is lovely) is that towards the bottom of the stick it began to get all mushy and soft meaning lots of product was wasted. I think it's quite expensive so I don't want wasted product! But the feeling on the lips is lush.
    Soap and Glory are a fab brand! xx

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  3. If you can get hold of it here then definitely give it a go, it's really good.

    March is a game of two halves-love my parents being here and my birthday and I actually enjoy going to Cairo on business but the stress of my exams looming is horrendous xx

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  4. Fab post, all these products look so tempting, being a Clarins beauty lover already but the fresh sugar lip treatment looks tempting and the Origins scrub as I am a soap and glory lover at the mo!

    H, xo
    adiamondinthenorth.blogspot.co.uk

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  5. It's such a great drugstore product! xx

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  6. The bottle here is the 'supersize' 200ml but they do do smaller and they do do even smaller bottles in like a 'try me' kit-I got one from Cult Beauty xxx

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  7. Oh I am sure you'll love the Clarins Vanessa, I absolutely adore it!! And the Rimmel is worth checking out for sure! xx

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  8. It's the opposite for me, when my skin is distressed it loves AHA's! I don't blame you for not repurchasing if it's not the miracle worker for you that it is for me! xx

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  9. Yup, I think my next cleanser purchase just might be Clarins Pure Melt, everybody seems to love it. I don't remember seeing this Rimmel concealer here, I'll surely have another look. I do like NARS which is a new addition for me but given the price I'd be real curious to compare the two as well. :)

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  10. For the pruce, Rimmel wins for me! x

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  11. I love the Rimmel concealer too! I love that it's not drying so often use it before I use a brightening pen because it just helps everything sit really nicely! xx

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  12. Hi Stacey!
    I'm really tempted to try that Rimmel concealer! At the moment I'm using one from Bourjois but I might give it a go anyway!
    That Alpha H liquid gold sounds divine! Want to try that one too! Damn you... LOL.
    Sounds like March will be cray-cray... Enjoy it! Happy Saturday! xx

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  13. Hey Stacey, I'm glad your skin likes liquid gold so much! For me the thing is I have to use it VERY sparingly, and not when my skin is distressed. If I temper with my skin when it's already not in good shape, it'll just hit back harder. If I use it once every two weeks or something when my skin is just normal though, it's fine. My bottle is ALMOST gone after about a year and a half, and I'm not sure I'll repurchase. It's not unforeseen though. My skin isn't that big on AHA!

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  14. Literally cannot wait to try the Clarins gel, I have a few other balms to get through first and then it will be mine! I will have to try the concealer, I really love the Nars creamy concealer, so if you say this is as good/better I will have to check it out xxx

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  15. The more I read about liquid gold the more I want to try it, but I would prefer a sample size, it sounds so good though x
    www.beautyqueenuk.co.uk

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