Empties #1

oh, and err, excuse the hair pin-woops! 

It's that time again when my skincare and beauty saviours start to hit the bucket, and I have to make the hard decision of which to repurchase. I haven't done an empties post before, as really, I don't often encounter them, but since drilling my skincare routine in and using more makeup, I often end up questioning myself about how on earth I could have used up a bottle of something, or why did I finish that so quickly? So what beauty babes and skincare favs I am without now?

I picked up the Colgate MaxWhite One on a whim- nothing new there!- as I feel that having whiter teeth gives you a more 'confident' smile. I didn't use this on a daily basis but in conjunction with another toothpaste as I often misplace the former, so I didn't get the really witness 'amazing' tooth-colour-changing properties! I think this one will be a repurchase though.

These cute Clarins minis from the Daily Energizer range (there's a post on that!) appeared on my skincare shelf after a successful trip to Boots, that included skincare advice from the lady at Clarins. I actually repurchased the Cleansing Gel, but as the other samples lasted me such a long time, I didn't bother buying them. I may do, however, in the future, but at the moment I'm very pleased with my current skincare routine.

Another skincare item is the sample-sized eye cream from Benefit - starting to spot a theme are we? The It's Potent! cream was another product that lasted me a long time, but I won't be buying the big sister to this mini as I still haven't fully used it up. Okay, it's not quite empty...

I couldn't believe it when I ran out of my Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Concealer! It seems like I only bought it yesterday. It's not strictly finished, but certainly on it's last legs, and this will definitely be repurchased!

The Boots' Own Eye Makeup Remover is one of those things that every girl needs- a box standard gel that I've mentioned in other posts. It isn't the best eye makeup remover ever, but it's good to have around if you're not too great at liner or bad at blusher...

El
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Beauty Wishlist #1

Although I do love makeup, I (unfortunately!) cannot spend all of me money on it-*sighs*. But there is a solution! The beauty wishlist...

The Clarins Eye Makeup Remover has been mentioned a couple of times on the blog. I first go a small sample for Christmas, which I used very generously (and therefore ran out fairly quickly-oops!). After hearing Alix from I Covet Thee and Anna from Vivianna Does Makeup talk about it, I remembered my love for it, but for £18, I don't think I can buy it when there are so many cheaper-admittedly not as good!- alternatives.  

Another recommendation from Anna of VDM, the Jouer Luminizing Moisture Tint Minis (£15 for 4 diddy ones) are a more recent addition to the list. However, as they would be an online buy from Cult Beauty, getting the right shade match would be a toughie. I do love a good Tinted Moisturizer though!

Sticking with the low-coverage base theme, Dr Jart's Water Fuse BB Cream is an interesting one. Unlike other products of the same family, this only comes in a 'one shade fits all' option, and as my Boots doesn't stock it, it won't be in my shopping basket any time soon.

Nail Polish had been on my radar recently, so when these babies from Illamasqua first came out, I was all for the Speckled Nail Polish look. Supposedly limited edition, I better get my hands on one soon, but for nearly £15, is it worth it for one nail polish?

I often find that my lips are dry or flakey, and I don't really have any good lip balms. The Korres Lip Butters first caught my attention whilst browsing the Feel Unique website, and at £8, I think I can spare the cash.


Another much-raved about product (thanks again Anna!) is the L'Oreal Telescopic Mascara. Again, not stocked in Boots, but fairly affordable, I think I'll have to hunt this one down!

Believe it or not, I don't own any Mac products. None, not a single eyeshadow, lipstick or anything else. But I've often heard Tanya Burr talk about the Coffee and Teddy eye pencils, both a brown colour. I think that lighter alternative to black liner really soften a look, but as my nearest Mac is quite far away, I may have to wait awhile for this one.

And last, but certainly not least, Estee Lauder's Stay On Shadow Paints. I don't really have a preference in colour, but I have seen a gorgeous pinky one that I unfortunately don't know the name of! However, they are nearer to 20 pounds than to a price I'm willing to pay.

Mini Shopping Trip to Boots...

As I was down on eye makeup remover, a trip to Boots was in due, which meant that I came home with a small bag of goodies! I didn't go crazy however, and only bought 3 things, but I thought I should show you them all the same.

left to right: Real Techniques Shading Brush, L'oreal Eyeshadow, Boots Eye-makeup Remover

My first purchase was what brought me to Boots in the first place! As eye makeup is the main feature in my everyday makeup look, I needed to buy something to remove it! As mentioned in an earlier post, I like Boots own gel one. It is very inexpensive, and is very good considering the price (£1.50).

Being the eyeshadow lover that I am, I figured it would be time to get a proper eyeshadow brush! Sam Chapman (from Pixiwoo) has a line of brushes, so I thought I'd pick up one of her highly praised Real Techniques brushes. I bought the shading brush, as all of the other eye ones are in a set, and for £8, I think it was worth it! I'm definitely interested in having a look at the other brushes in the range...

And in the spur of the moment, I picked up another whim product. L'Oreal eyeshadows (or any other product really!) have never caught my eye, but when I saw this little baby-165 Golden Rose- I couldn't resist picking it up. Do I really need any more eyeshadows?! At £6, I think it is fairly affordable.

This month's spendings have definitely stocked me up on eye products!

El
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Boots Skincare?

I love Benefit and Clarins skincare products, but when I'm a little down on dosh, Boots' own skincare brand has often caught my eye. What started out as a one-pound whim has now developed into a bit of a collection!

Walking around Boots with only a few quid in your pocket is never a good thing as, quite frankly, there's usually nothing under the £3 mark. I needed a cheap but fairly effective eye make-up remover and this was the first one I spotted. Nothing special, just a box-standard gel to take off your eye make-up, but that's kinda why I like it. It's basic- no ridiculous packaging or a fun name. And for just under £2, I wasn't going to be out of pocket if I bought it. So that's what I did. It's not brilliant, nothing really compared to the Clarins Eye Make-Up Remover that I had been stealing from my Mum's bathroom (that stuff is amazing, but much more expensive than the Boots' own one!) but it gets the job done! Admittedly, you do have to rub at your eyes a little, gently though, but I do find that it takes the bulk of my eyeshadow and mascara off. And yes, I think I will be buying this again!

To be honest, I don't even really remember picking up this product or the reason behind it- it was probably just another 'I'm broke!' buy. This exfoliating face scrub is from the Tea Tree and Witch Hazel range, and if you can get past the slightly overwhelming smell, is quite nice. Again, its another stripped back product, a simple but good face scrub. I try to use this 1-2 times a week, and really like it!

Everyone loves a good old face mask, and I particularly like mud or clay ones. I tend to stick to the one application sachet, especially if I'm trying something new, but this 3 minute Clay Mask caught my eye. And at £2, its not really breaking the bank. 

I think that Boots' own brand(s) are often underrated. People dismiss shops own brands in favour for more expensive and supposedly better quality products. Don't forget that brands such as No7 which isn't exactly cheap, and 17 Cosmetics are both owned by Boots, so next time you're in there, take a look and see what you think!

El

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