EMPTIES LATELY: LUXURY & AFFORDABLE SKINCARE HITS & MISSES

Skincare empties lately

It's been a while & I probably should have done it sooner. The time has come for another massive empties post because I can't be better organised & write it every month! This time we'll tackle mainly skincare, with few body & hair bits thrown in. There's so many cleansers & eye creams I managed to use up, I'm actually sitting here super proud. I get told often that I buy a lot of skincare, so at least this proves that I also use it up :) If you're interested what I thought and which ones I'll repurchase, please bear with me. Make yourself a cup of tea, or sit down with a bottle of bubbly (it's afternoon somewhere in the world, right?) and let's do this! 

Cleansers

My favourite skincare item is a cleanser. I double cleanse in the evening and cleanse once in the morning, so I use up a lot of cleansers. It makes me happy, because every time I do empties, I have so many recommendations in this category! 

Oskia Renaissance Cleansing Gel | 30ml sample | RPR £29.50 for 100ml | POST

I've been singing praises about this cleansers since I first used it. It's the best melting cleanser I've ever used and works beautifully as a second cleanse in the evening or a morning cleanse. This just give my skin some serious glow! Already have another one of these samples stashed and I'll purchase full-size afterwards. 100% recommended! 

Pai Camelia & Rose Gentle Hydrating Cleanser | sample 50ml | RPR £28 for 100ml 

I loved using this cleanser. It's super gentle yet works beautifully at removing all makeup and dirt from the skin. It's great to use as first and second cleanse. I prefer removing it with a hot cloth for added exfoliation. It's rich yet light and smells incredible. If you're into your natural skincare, Pai does it well. I found it to be one of the most hydrating cleaners around but it never broke me out or blocked my pores. Definitely a good one for dry to combination skin. I will most likely repurchase in the future.

Lush Ultrabland Facial Cleanser | full size | £12.95 for 100ml | POST

It's definitely a cult product and rightly so. This cleansing balm is a dream. It cleanses well, it's thick and norurishing and doesn't block my pores, nor strip my skin from moisture. Use as first or second cleanse, it does an excellent job at both. I'll repurchase at some point, but currently working my way through quite a stash. 

Simple Micellar Cleansing Water | £4.49 for 200ml or £5.99 for 400ml | POST

I spoke about it before and I say it again. It's by far the best micellar water on the market. I love micellar water for removing my eye makeup but most doesn't bode well with my sensitive, teary eyes. This does a beautiful job at removing makeup and it's super gentle on the eyes. Repurchase? You better believe it! 

Superfacialist Micellar Cleansing Water | not available  | POST

As much as I love Superfacialist, this is a no go for me. I already included it in my disappointing products, so no need to dwell on how much I didn't like this product. It removed makeup slowly and my eyes didn't like it. Just didn't. It's not love, but I've also seen worse. Just a meh from me. Won't repurchase. 

Moisturisers 

Origins Plantscription Eye Cream | £35 for 15ml   | POST

I've lost count how often I spoke about this eye cream but I had a reason. It's so creamy and rich but sinks in well. It works great layered thick in the evening as well as lightly patted on in the morning. I'll surely miss it and I'll repurhase at some point, but currently have so many eye creams to go through, so maybe a little later. 

Caudalie Premier Cru Eye Cream | sample 5ml | £49 for 15ml + set  | POST

I enjoyed used this cream. As with Origins it's quite rich and creamy in the formula so makes for a perfect evening eye cream. It sinks in quick enough and it's super moisturising. If I were to choose between them, I'd probably choose Origins as they work so similar but I found Plantscription to be better and cheaper. Repurchase? Not right now. 

Benefit Puff Off Eye Cream | sample 5ml | RPR £24.50 (offer £20.85) for 10ml

I liked using this cream in the morning. It has a peachy tint and makes under syes appear brighter. It's just not as moisturising as I'd like it to be and I found myself reaching for it the least. I managed to finish up the sample but wouldn't commit to full size especially given the price and that it's even smaller than your usual 15 ml eye cream.

Birch and Seabuckthorn Face Cream with Betulin* | full size | RPR £8.29

This became a holy grail moisturiser for me. Not only it's on a cheaper side but boosts all natural ingredient list and it's super rich and oily, perfect for the evening. Overnight, it transforms the skin. If you're sensitive, Sylveco Moisturiser contains no preservatives or fragrances, it's paraffin, silicone, PEG, paraben and phtalates free too. Main active incredients are betulin and betulinic acid are derived from birch bark soothe and regenerate the skin whilst Seabuckthorn Oil contains Vitamin C and carotenoids which fight free radicals, support cell renewal and have strong healing properties. Imagine your most expensive moisturiser and the feeling you get when you wake up after applying it at night. I guarantee this one will match it. So good! Can't wait to get my hands on the new one! Repurchase? Hell yeah! 

Teoxane Perfect Skin Refiner | sample 25ml | 50ml RPR £75 (offer £68.95) | POST

Brilliant evening moisturiser. It sinks in almost instantly yet give the skin the rich moisture it needs. It contains a mixture of resilient Hyaluronic Acids for superb hydration and 10% Glycolic to renew and brighten the complexion. AHAs work overnight as a gentle peel and reveal a brighter skin with reduced pores in the morning. I recommend it to anyone and all skin types as it's not too rich, that only drier types can take. It's expensive and I'm not sure I'll repurchase, but I'd love to for sure!

Face Masks

Boots Ingredients Lotus Flower & Tiger Lily Radiance & Brightening | RPR £2.50 currently on offer £2.00 | POST

I love this mask! Love Love Love it! This is the most brightening mask I've ever used and it comes from Boots own brand! I'm shocked! The skin is left so radiant, there's literally no words for it. It's advised to wear for 15 mins but I love to leave it on for 20-30 mins instead. The radiant skin afterwards is worth it. As with any sheet masks this one is super refreshing at first. It's soaked in product and afterwards I like to massage the remainder of the product in. Can't recommend it enough. Already have backups and will repurchase again and again. 

Kore Beauty Anti-ageing Hydrogel Facial Mask* | RPR £35 for 5 | POST

Another amazing sheet mask with a twist. The mask is made of hydrogel which is super absorbing and much better suited to mask application than cotton sheets. I find this mask to stick to my face so much better which then delivers product more efficiently. Hydrogel is soaked in serum like mask boasting Retinol, Hyaluronic Acid, Vitamin E and many more anti-ageing heroes. It's pricey but if you're looking for facial at home experience this mask is definitely for you. With the new Radiance and Vitality masks launching soon, I literally can't wait to try them!!! Now you can also save a whooping 25% off purchase with code "bdq25" on checkout! That's a saving of £8.75 per pack!!!

b.liv Utmost Moisture Original Japan Silk Mask | RPR $25 for 10 | POST

I got this mask as part of my Secret Santa gift from a lovely Dagmara (check out her blog here) and it took me a while to use it. This one's soaked in a lovely serum like formula packed with Hyaluronic Acid. I used it on a day after I recovered from the worst few days cold I had in ages and my skin needed a moisture kick. It worked great. My skin felt nourished and hydrated with a kick ass glow. It's not as easily available here in UK but you US ladies, should definitely give it a go!

Tony Moly I'm Real Aloe Moisturising Sheet Mask | RPR £5.00 each | POST

I find it disturbing that Tony Moly masks are so overpriced here in UK as I got them at 1.50 euros each back in Sephora Spain. I had a stack of these and love using it. If moisture is what your skin is lacking, this one packs the hydration. It's also a great mask to use if you're been out in the sun, as aloe vera soothes the skin and refreshes it. I used my last one, I think and will be looking to repurchase when I'm in Spain next. Sephora here I come!

Nugg Revitalising Face Mask | RPR £3.29 for 10ml or £16.45 for 5 x 10ml

I love the packaging, it reminds me of Tassimo coffee pods. The mask comes with 10ml which I find is actually ok for 2 uses. Bonus! I enjoyed this mask more than I thought I will. You can certainly feel the mask work, which can be unpleasant to some but only lasts about a minute or so. Bear with it, because it's worth it. 20 minutes later I was left with a radiant complexion, hydrated and super soft skin. I will definitely repurchase as it's great value for money, the packaging is fun and it works!

Body, Hand & Hair Care

The Body Shop Fuji Green Tea Hand Cream | RPR £4.00 for 30ml

I fell in love with the Fuji Green Tea range as the scent is just insane. The combination of fresh green tea and citrus makes me happy. I was obsessed with this hand cream and used it every hour on the dot for a month at work. It's not the most moisturising and if you suffer with super dry skin on your hands, I probably wouldn't recommend it but if your hands are fairly normal and you love the scent, go for it. You won't be disappointed. Would I repurchase? No, it's not as moisturising as I would have hoped.

Beauty Protector Beauty Cream | sample 15ml | full size RPR £10.90 for 250ml

I got this cute sample in my Birch Box and I was obsessed. I don't like body moisturisers but I would repurchase the full size for hands alone! It is by far the best smelling hand cream I've ever had. It's ultra moisturising yet sinks in quickly.. I am obsessed with the scent, it's so sweet and lovely! I will need to hunt down either some samples or just buy full size and leave it at work. The scent makes me happy and my hands were loving the ultra moisturising formula. 

Batiste Dry Shampoo Floral & Flirty Blush | RPR £2.99 for 200ml

I think Batiste are one of the best drugstore priced dry shampoos and I go for this or tropical scent more than any others. I don't really care that much about the scent, but I find the formula to be the best and to refresh my hair best. It's dry shampoo, not much else to say about it, other that it works, it boost volume ever so slightly and doesn't leave my hair too matte. Already repurchased.

No7 Luxurious Foaming Shower Oil | RPR £11.50

This is neither luxurious or foaming. Given the price I was shocked to find that the oils used in this shower oil are cheap mineral oils mainly with a little add on of Argan Oil. Enough said! I didn't like the scent and you had to use a lot of product to cleanse your whole body. Definite no from me. It's not worth the price, it wouldn't be worth £3.00 mark, not to mention £11.50? No no no!!!

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Love