Empties #2

Hiya lovelies! How have you been?

First of all, thank you for all the lovely get well messages some of you tweeted me last week! You're all too kind and really cheered me up :) Unfortunately, as soon as I felt better my internet connection died on me so I haven't been able to post at all since last week. But it's not too late yet for my second empties post is it. Let me know if you like these kind of posts and I'll try to do them monthly!

This one is a bit Soap&Glory-heavy but I assume you're aware of my addiction by now haha! I'm trying not to ramble as much as I used to in the future so here's what I've used up since December:

Valentino Valentina eau de parfum sample - As much as I love my fruity sweet scents, this one is right up my street. It's a floral scent which is light but complex if that even makes sense. This was just a sample but I can definitely see myself purchasing a fullsized bottle in the future as I enjoyed using this a lot!

S&G Face, Soap&Clarity - This is my favourite everyday facial wash ever! It smells minty fresh and makes my skin feel squeaky clean without that drying feeling. The little pink beads are a nice touch but personally I don't think they're doing anything for your skin, it's not a scrub after all.

Essence Get Big Lashes - This is probably my 34567th tube of this, it's seriously the best mascara I've ever tried and I've tried loads from high street to high end! I'll also include it in my 200 follower giveaway, keep your eyes peeled as there are only 21 more GFC followers to go, yey :)

S&G Glad hair Day shampoo - Strangely enough I didn't like this as much as I should/thought I would. It left my hair quite dry [although the smell is amazing!] but then again, I haven't used any conditioner and just generally treated my hair like s*** last year, so I might give this and their conditioner another go.

Clinique Moisture Surge face spray - I really loved this! This came in a little kit with their Moisture Surge cream which was amazing as well and I'd definitely repurchase this. It made my skin feel nourished and refreshed without feeling greasy.

S&G Hand Food hand cream - Is this the bestselling hand cream already? I think every girl and their nan have tried this and fell in love with the non-greasy formula and lovely smell. Definite handbag must have! 

S&G Bright here Bright now radiance balm - This one's slightly shimmery hence the word 'radiance' on the tube. I've applied this as a primer and it felt silky soft, I had to get used to the scent though. Soap&Glory claims it can also be used without foundation but unless you want to look like a glitter ball I wouldn't necessarily recommend this. It's a lovely product nonetheless and I'll definitely repurchase this.

So these were the products I've used up recently and none of them has left me disappointed, yey! Comment below if you want me to write a proper review on any of the products shown above.

Have you tried any of these and what did you think of them? Which ones would you like to try? Let me know :)

Empties #1

For my part I love to read Empties posts, not only because you see bloggers use the actual products up because they like them or won't waste anything but mainly because I think you can give the most thorough review if you've used the products all the way through. So today I'm going to show you the products I've used up lately and I still have to get used to not throwing everything in the bin right away..Weird habits that come with blogging :) Half of these products are from German drugstores though, others are available in the UK as well, hope you don't mind.

So the product on the left is actually a Johnson&Johnson's one, which retailed by the name of Johnson's Softly Foaming Facial Wash in the UK [bebe young care in GER] and this has been my favourite cleanser of all times! It's a foaming cleanser which removed all of my makeup in one go so all I had to do afterwards was tone and moisturise. Sadly it's been discontinued as soon as I've finished the bottle boohoo!

The blue bottle by Balea is a simple toner without any benefits other than toning your skin if that makes any sense! It doesn't fight spots, doesn't mattify your skin etc but I would just pour some on a cotton pad to refresh my face throughout the day or on no-makeup days as I really like the fresh scent it has to it. I've already repurchased this one and another version for sensitive skin as it was only about 60p which is an absolute bargain!

The little nail polish bottle by p2 contained a base coat which dries to a matte finish and is perfect for preventing your nails from staining when you're wearing dark/red/pinky polish. It also slightly fills in ridges and makes your nails look neat when they're a bit brittle like mine. Already repurchased this one as well.

I'm so glad I finished this bottle of Herbal Essences dazzling shine 2in1 Shampoo+Conditioner as now I can claim this is one of the worst shampoos I've ever used. It doesn't do anything to my hair, it still felt very dull and dry afterwards and I don't see how this would work as a conditioner as well! The scent is okay but I know there are better ones in the range. So I won't ever repurchase this one for sure. Do let me know if this worked for you though.

The colourful bottle in the middle is a decent alternative to my beloved Johnson&Johnson's foaming cleanser which is heavily scented but since I like the grape scent thats okay with me [although I think it's supposed to smell like cranberries]. The brand is called Alterra which is a drugstore brand claiming to use only natural ingredients and to be honest with you, this is the first time I've tried natural cosmetics. Don't know why but I can't get rid of the idea natural ingredients don't do the job as good as synthetic ones which is probably very stupid as this product proved otherwise. Already bought 3 more bottles when they were on offer a few days ago aha!

Can't remember who said it, leave me the blog link please if you know her, but the Clinique rinse-off cleanser won't be repurchased as well as it doesn't remove my makeup, maybe half of it and it leaves your skin feeling weird, like you've washed it with soap and we all know how this makes your skin feel, don't we! Like squeaky clean despite not being clean.

Last but not least I've used up my first bottle of Garnier Purifying 24h Moisturiser which I can't recommend enough if you have spot prone skin. I've used this for about 3 months [yes it's lasted me that long] and hardly got any breakouts ever since. It also smells really fresh, like cucumber and leaves your skin feeling velvety soft which also makes a good base before applying your makeup.

So, have you tried any of the products? What do you think of them? Any recommendations on similar items to try next?