Empties – October 2019

Hello-ween, ladies and gentlemen! (A bold choice for an October greeting, but I’m sticking with it). It’s finally autumn – the big coats are in and skimpy summer dresses are out, kidlets are throwing conkers at each other, everything is covered in pumpkin spice… like sands through the hourglass, so are the days of autumn in the UK. The tenth beauty empties post is up, and boy do I have a lot of empties this month. You got your mulled cider ready? Let’s go!

Total number of products used up: 23

Estimated retail value of products used up: £111.35

Total value of products used up this year already: £1517.28

Over £1500!! Alright, let’s get into it!

Fragrance

(L-R: I Am So…? Body Spray, Sylvain Delacourte Eau de Parfum Vanille)

I Am So…? Body Spray – 2/10 – I genuinely have no idea why I bought this. Beloved of many a girls PE changing room in the 00s, it was rolling around my gym bag and was finally used up this month. Cloying, sickly sweet, and a slight metallic scent from the can… I wouldn’t buy it again. The only reason it gets any points is because it was good in a pinch at the gym.

Sylvaine Delacourte Eau de Parfum Vanille – 8/10 – Ah, now we’re talking! I used up the SD Muscs collection last month and used up this lot this month – which to be honest I much preferred. A lovely mix of vanilla-based perfumes – my favourite was the Vanori which is described as a “sunny vanilla” – the only thing I’m knocking points off for is that these fragrances are expensive full-size. Like, take out a bank loan expensive. Really not sure they’re worth such a high price, but I will say that the sample packs are lovely to throw in your bag. And comparing them to the shit body spray above? Let’s just say my taste in fragrances has gotten

Skincare

(L-R: Garnier Micellar Water, Sainsburys Nourishing Vitamin E Facial Wipes, L’Oreal Pure Clay Purity Face Mask, Alpha H Liquid Gold)

Garnier Micellar Water – 10/10 – I’ve purchased and repurchased this multiple times, and will continue to do so. Cheap, cheerful, and does the job of removing my daily makeup mask quickly and painlessly. A holy grail product!

Sainsburys Nourishing Vitamin E Facial Wipes – 4/10 – Oh these were fine. Pretty bog standard, average wipes. They were cheap, I’ll give them that, but were they as efficient at removing my makeup as the micellar water? Nah, not a chance. Save the 99p and buy the micellar water instead.

L’Oreal Pure Clay Purity Face Mask – 8/10 – A lovely little budget face mask that I’ve repurchased a bunch of times. Made my skin soft and clear, and smelt lovely to boot. Perfect for a spa night. Knocked a few points off because every time I use it they make my dark grey flannels slightly mint green (it can be washed off, I’m just lazy).

Alpha H Liquid Gold – 6/10 – I might get crucified for this by the wider Beauty Community™, but I… didn’t really rate this. It’s a known cult favourite, beloved by skincare aficionados around the world, but I thought it was a bit meh. Overpriced (£33 a bottle, you having a laugh?), stung like hell, stunk of chemicals, and didn’t really do much aside from giving my skin a bit of a glow (which may or may not have been because of the amount of acid in there). I’m sorry fellow Beauty Junkies, I know I’ve let you down, but honestly, I’m not sure the hype is worth it.

Haircare

(L-R: Suave Keratin Infusion Conditioner, Herbal Essences Strawberry and Mint Shampoo, Alphosyl 2 in 1 Shampoo)

Suave Keratin Infusion Conditioner – 7/10 – I picked this up when I was in Florida last month – as someone with thick, coarse, long hair, I’ve long learnt that hotel conditioner just will not cut it – and it was surprisingly good. Made my mildly unmanageable hair smooth and silky, and smelt good to boot.  Would I make an effort to seek it out over my usual shampoos and conditioners? Probably not, but I’d buy it again in a pinch.

Herbal Essences Strawberry and Mint Shampoo – 8/10 – I used up the conditioner version of this last month, and have to echo my review again – it had a lovely scent and made my hair soft and clean. Nothing much more to say about bog-standard shampoo, is there?

Alphosyl 2 in 1 Shampoo – 6/10 – I bought this on Amazon to treat my scalp after a few flare ups last month. It had a load of good reviews online so I felt hopeful, and it did help things calm down for a week or so, but unfortunately the flareups came back and the shampoo seemed powerless against them. A shame really – on the plus side, it did leave my hair clean and didn’t smell as bad as the reviews claimed, but would I buy it again? Nah.

Makeup

(L-R Just For Men Moustache & Beard Dye, Rimmel Fix & Protect Primer, Essence Lash Princess Mascara)

Just For Men Moustache & Beard Dye – 8/10 – OK – I feel I have to explain this one. I know it’ll come as a shock to a lot of you, but I don’t have a beard or moustache… I actually used to use this to tint my brows! I read this tip on a forum ages ago and the logic is airtight – it’s a larger and cheaper pack, is still safe for facial hair use, and because this formula is made to last through daily face washing, it’ll stay longer than regular brow tint. It’s a no brainer if you think about it, and honestly, this did work really well. Knocked off a few points because it still didn’t last anywhere near as long as I wanted it to (I’m lazy and only want to do my brows every three months or so), and was slightly more fiddly than using regular tint (don’t use the brushes included – opt for cotton wool buds instead), but on the whole I’d absolutely repurchase. Or at least I would… if I hadn’t just had my eyebrows microbladed!!! (Post to follow!).

Rimmel Fix & Protect Primer – 9/10 – I’ll continue to buy this until they stop making it or my face falls off, whichever comes first.

Essence Lash Princess Mascara – 9/10 – See above. The best mascara I’ve ever tried, and a repeat purchase on RR.

Body Products

(L-R: Zoella Shower Gel, CVS Romance Shower Gel, Derma-V Deep Moisturising Foot Pack, Sanctuary White Lily & Damask Rose Body Lotion)

Zoella Shower Gel – 8/10 – I reviewed some Zoella products a few months ago and have made my way through the shower gel version this time. As much as I dislike Zoella and the concept of a professional Youtuber, I’ve got to say this was a lovely shower gel – iridescent which made me feel all sparkly and shiny, and had a gorgeous scent too. I would repurchase but unfortunately I think it’s been discontinued – I did buy more than one though, so I’ll probably see you next month, Zoella Shower Gel!

CVS Romance Shower Gel – 6/10 – Another last-minute purchase from my trip last month, picked up at the same time as the conditioner as part of my “stuff I forgot” shopping spree. This was…fine. Smelt alright, made my body clean (so good job, I guess, shower gel?), but was fairly generic. Would I buy it again? Probably not, but it did the job when I needed it to.

Derma-V Deep Moisturising Foot Pack – 5/10 – Bought this as part of a ‘spa night’ I lined up for myself to celebrate my new bath rack purchase (I’m in my thirties, leave me alone everyone). It was dirt cheap (99p!) and I wasn’t expecting a whole lot… which is a good thing as that’s exactly what it delivered. A fairly average foot pack with dubious moisturising properties, but it did smell delightful so it did have that going for it, I guess?

Sanctuary White Lily & Damask Rose Body Lotion – 7/10 – Ah, I love this scent. It was so delicate and floral, and was so nice to slather on before bed. That being said, the moisturising aspect wasn’t that great, and despite using it all up in a month, I don’t think my skin was actually that moisturised by the end of it. I’ve got another bottle of the stuff because I loved the scent so much, but would I buy it again after that? Probably not.

Miscellaneous

(L-R: Sensodyne Toothpaste, Nivea Protect & Care Deodorant, Bath & Body Works Crisp Morning Air Handwash)

Sensodyne Toothpaste – 6/10 – Lol, it’s toothpaste. It cleaned my teeth just fine, but it was slightly weirdly gritty and made my teeth squeaky, so I’ve knocked a few points off.

Nivea Protect & Care Deodorant – 8/10 – Lol, it’s deodorant.

Bath & Body Works Crisp Morning Air Handwash – 9/10 – Do I really need to say much more on these handsoaps? Love them, love them, OPEN UP A STORE OVER HERE B&BW!

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Until next month! Will I crack £2000 worth of products this year? Probably not, but I’ll give it a try!

R xx