June/July Empties

Ugh, it's been a while. I just have no motivation to do anything at the moment. I haven't worn makeup or perfume in a couple of months, and writing just seems like way too much hard work. I hope I'm back to normal soon, because I'm pretty much over it. :-(

Anyway, I finally got around to taking a picture of my empties for the past couple of months so I could throw them out. I haven't been using much of anything, so I haven't really managed to work through much.

Dr Lewinn's Anti-ageing Foaming Cleanser
I was sent this in a group of five products to trial, and of all of them it was my favourite - I like a foamy cleanser to wash my face with in the mornings but most of them do make my skin feel tight. This one doesn't at all. Would I repurchase? Definitely, once I've used up the 45 other foaming-type cleansers I have.

Terax Crema
My favourite hair conditioner, and Noodle Arms has discovered its wonders now too so I'm getting through it a lot more quickly than I used to. I'll have to start buying the giant bottles again. Repurchase? Yes - over and over and over.

Vaseline Intensive Rescue Soothing Hand Cream
Meh. You get what you pay for with hand cream. I probably got this at my local IGA one afternoon when I just needed something quickly. It's okay, but it's a $5 hand cream - what more can I say? Repurchase? Probably - when I need something quickly again one afternoon.

Clarins Beauty Flash Balm
I have owned loads of these, but I'm sure I've only ever actually bought one - it's one of those products that seems to always be included in Clarins' GWPs (they have the best GWPs, seriously). I don't buy into the hype of this stuff at all - it's nice, but it's nothing special. Repurchase? No, but I don't really need to - I think I have two or three more around and I'm sure there will be future GWPs coming.

Dermalogica Ultracalming Cleanser
Jacquie gave me this because she didn't like it. I'm not really a fan of Dermalogica; I think it's over-rated and overpriced - or at least here in Australia (like everything else). However, I did quite like this - I used it to wash my face in the shower in the mornings, and like the Dr Lewinn's one, it didn't dry my skin out. It worked well with my Clarisonic as well. Repurchase? Maybe - only from Strawberrynet, though. I wouldn't pay full price here for it.


Dermalogica Multivitamin Thermafoliant
Another Dermalogica product I didn't mind - I got this as part of a trial kit a while ago and it had been sitting in a drawer unused. I don't generally like to use scrubs and grainy exfoliants but I had some flaky skin happening so I gave it a go. I have another trial size - possibly another freebie from Jacquie, I can't remember) that I'm working through at the moment, but it's lasting me a while as I only use it once a week. Repurchase? Undecided. Maybe if I saw a good deal on Strawberrynet.


Nivea Visage Triple Action Soy+ Eye and Lip Care
I bought this ages ago after seeing Jacie's trial results. It's a damn good eye cream for the price, and I would repurchase, but not for a while since I have about 20 other eye creams to use up first.


L'Oreal Voluminous Masacaras - Full Definition and Carbon Black
Oh, I wanted so much to love these! They give the false lash effect beautifully, but they smudge like a mofo. It's just ridiculous - at the end of the day it's reverse panda eyes all over the place. I'm glad I only paid about $3 each for them online, because L'Oreal mascaras are about $26 here (INORITE). And you can't even get these ones in Australia as far as I know. Why is that? WHY? Anyway, repurchasing is a big fat no, but it breaks my heart a little because for a couple of hours at least they just look freakin' awesome. *sob*

Urban Decay Primer Potion
This one was the freebie that came with the Alice in Wonderland palette. I wouldn't repurchase (I have another freebie that came with Nekkid) because I think it's highly over-rated stuff. It just doesn't seem that fantastic to me. I know lots of people love it and more power to you for finding something that works for you, but it's not my thing.

Cheap and sometimes cheerful...

I think I'm poorer at the moment than I have ever been in my adult life, but I have to admit, it's my own fault. I've supported myself (and then myself and Noodles) for many years, but six years living with a partner and having a ton of newly disposable income turned me into a profligate spendthrift. Since he moved out in May, I've been trying to get back into the habit of being responsible, and it's hard! Hopefully by the end of the year I'll be back on track, but for now one of my strategies is to drastically reduce the amount of money I fritter away on expensive vanity products. To that end, when I ran out of a few products last month, I decided that instead of stocking up on pricy cleaning oils, Clinique facial wash, and L'Occitane hand cream, I'd have a crack at the supermarket shelves. The results have been... hit and miss.

Olay Gentle Foaming Face Wash
I like to use foaming cleansers in the shower in the mornings just to refresh my face and cleanse off any overnight grime. I usually use Clinique Liquid Facial Soap, but even on Strawberrynet that goes for about $30, whereas the Olay Gentle Foaming Face Wash cost me about $9AUD in Safeway (or Woolworths as they call it here in Adelaide - should be called Safeway though). It's a very unexciting product - fragrance free, boring packaging - but it does what I wanted it to do, which is cleanse and refresh my face without drying it out. I think I will continue to buy this - a third of the price of my usual morning cleanser is okay by me!

L'Oreal Gentle Make-Up Remover for Eyes and Lips
I received this free in my recent L'Oreal haul, and all I can say is WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN ALL MY LIFE? I love this - it removes all of my makeup without stinging my eyes, and without me having to scrub away at my skin. It is a bit oily - and I've read a few complaints about that in various reviews, but I always cleanse after with a cream cleanser (Clarins Cleansing Milk), so I don't care about that. It's one of those Bi Facil products with the two separate parts, and you shake it up before you use it. I think it's about $12AUD, and you can get it from Priceline and supermarkets.

Garnier Skin Naturals Clean Sensitive 2 in 1 Waterproof Make-Up Remover
Another Bi Facil product you shake before using. Unfortunately, this one isn't anywhere near as effective as the L'Oreal one. I had to rub quite a bit to get makeup off, and even then I still had a lot of residue coming off when I did the second cleanse with my cream cleanser. I don't think this is a very good makeup remover at all, and certainly not for sensitive skin because you have to really work to get it off and that could only be irritating for you delicate flowers. It's about $10 in Woolworths; I wouldn't buy it again.

Vaseline Healthy Hand and Nail Conditioning Hand Lotion
Ugh. When it comes to hand cream, you really do get what you pay for. When I was in Woolworths buying these cheapies, I was actually looking for that Nivea Q10 anti-ageing hand cream, which I think is about $10-$12. It's not great, but it's okay. However, there was barely anything - bit slack on restocking the shelves there Woolies! - so I pretty much had to get what was available, which was this. It was about $4, I think. It's terrible. My hands are pretty trashed from constant washing - years and years of working in public contact have turned me into a bit of a germophobe. This hand lotion does absolutely nothing to moisturise them. In this instance I am definitely going back to the more expensive products, and I hope it's not too late to undo some of the damage!