Recent Empties!

I haven't blogged my Empties in a really long time, so here are the finished products that I could find, and if I come across any more I'll either throw them out or put them in next month's lot if they are worth talking about. I'm trying to de-clutter the house, so it will be great to actually throw this lot out once I've blogged them! On another note, I have a Giveaway coming soon so keep an eye out for that!

Alpha-H Liquid Gold
Love love love this stuff and I already have another bottle on the go! I use it the night before a special occasion, because it really gives me a brighter, better-looking complexion. I will always re-purchase this, but I wait for various discounts or offers!
Re-purchase? Yes

TN Dickinson's Witch Hazel
This is another staple in my skincare routine and I love that it's so cheap, because I can always stock up, guilt-free! Having said that, I've just bought a Tea Tree Toner from The Body Shop on sale, so I'll be using that instead for a while. But then I will.....
Re-purchase? Yes

Australis Fresh & Flawless Pressed Powder
This got low then broke up, but luckily I had already bought a new one in the Priceline 40% Off Cosmetics sale. This time I went for Light Beige instead of Natural though, which matches my skin colour more. Love this powder!
Re-purchase? Already have!

Darphin Exquisage Beauty Revealing Cream
I got this as a sample with an order or possibly in a Mecca Beauty Loop Box (thanks for playing along, memory!) and I really love it! Great results, felt good, no reaction, just an all-round great product. However I have too many other creams like this to use up, so....
Re-purchase? No

Uriage Aqua PRECIS Eye Contour Care
I really love this eye gel and found it to quite effective. My routine was to use this before bed, and my holy grail La Prairie Skin Caviar Luxe Eye Lift Cream in the morning. I won this tube and by a strange coincidence simultaneously redeemed my BeautyHeaven points on the same thing in a Beautorium, so I.....
Re-purchase? Already have a back-up!

Wotnot Facial Wipes for Normal/Sensitive Skin*
If you read my What's In The March Good Green Box? post, you'll know that these were in the Good Green Box! It only contained five wipes, so they are gone, baby, gone. I loved the smell of these and how gentle they were. I'm pretty interchangeable with my wipes though, so I will probably grab something else next time.
Re-purchase? No

Paula's Choice Skin Balancing Super Antioxidant Concentrate Serum
This is a tiny little sample tube that weirdly took forever to use! It had a surprising firm jelly like consistency that sort of was squishy but held together. It soaked in easily enough though and I enjoyed using it. But again I have too many other similar products in my stash to use, so....
Re-purchase? No

Lush Lord Of Misrule Shower Cream
Or shower SCREAM if you go by the most amazing product typo I've ever seen! OMG, this was 50% off in the Boxing Day sale and I have taken forever and a day to use this up. It actually expired in January this year and there were little grainy bits in it. Despite transforming me into the Incredible Hulk's shower double, I will give this bright green cream a miss and concentrate on using up my shower gels instead.
Re-purchase? No

The Body Shop Pink Grapefruit Body Scrub-Gelee
I loved this scrub! The fragrance was amazing and the formula was spot on! I found it refreshing and fun to use and would look at getting it again in the future, but I have enough other scrubs in my stash to work my way through first.
Re-purchase? No

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Disclaimer: Products marked * were provided for editorial consideration. Reviews are my honest opinion. There are no affiliate links in this post. Please see the Disclosure page for further information.

Have you tried any of these products?

Skincare Routine Update!

I haven't done a Skincare Update post in quite a while, so what better time than the present? Experiencing an extended period of shitty breakouts a few months ago really made me re-assess my skincare routine (or lack thereof!). After switching up a few products and sticking to a morning and nightly skincare routine, my skin is clear and looking pretty healthy on the whole. I'm not going to lie, I am using a lot of different products right now (partly because I'm trying to use up my samples). Most of them are geared towards either clearing and preventing breakouts or anti-aging, as those are my two main concerns. Here's what I'm slapping on every day....

I use Lush Ultrabland Cleanser (see my review here) when I don't have any spots. It leaves my skin feeling plumped out and super-soft. The thick, oily texture means I have to remove it with a washcloth, but it's totally worth the extra effort. When my skin's playing up, I cleanse with Paula's Choice Clear Pore Normalizing Cleanser (Blemish-Prone Skin) which is an amazing gel that clears my breakouts up fast. I would highly recommend this cleanser if you have problem skin.

Again, I alternate between two products when it comes to Toner. My old favourite is TN Dickinson's WitchHazel which I love for the super-cheap price (around $6) and its ability to minimise my pores and clear my skin. I also use, albeit less frequently, The Body Shop Tea Tree Skin Clearing Toner. Anyone else love the smell of tea tree, or is it just me? Confession time! When I can't be stuffed cleansing before bed, I actually use one of these toners to remove my makeup. Hey, it hasn't killed me yet!

I've pretty much switched from gritty to liquid exfoliants now. The two products I'm using are Alpha-H Liquid Gold and Paula's Choice Resist Daily Pore-Refining Treatment (with 2% BHA) both of which are pretty potent, so I only use them every two to three days. I like keeping my skin on its toes by using Liquid Gold before bed, then in a few days I'll use the Paula's Choice exfoliant, and so on and so forth. Although Liquid Gold isn't classified as an exfoliant (it's marketed more as an acid toner), that's the way I see it. It's actually a treatment containing Glycolic Acid and licorice that firms, revitalises and boosts radiance. The Glycolic extract does exfoliate, but I really appreciate the multitude of skin concerns Liquid Gold addresses. When a product reduces fine lines, tightens my skin, makes it glow, reduces pigmentation, smooths, clears and makes me look younger, I will keep using it.

So many eye creams (mainly samples)! I love trying lots of eye creams, even though I know my Holy Grail is La Prairie Skin Caviar Luxe Eye Lift, a true miracle worker. I've not featured it here because I only use it for special occasions; I have a tiny amount left in a sample tube and the full version costs $380 for 20ml. I just can't bring myself to buy it yet. I've been using La Prairie Essence of Skin Caviar Eye Complex instead, which has a watery consistency and is still effective. I've also been enjoying Elizabeth Arden Prevage Anti-Aging Eye Cream and Philosophy Renewed Hope In A Jar Eye, both of these do work well. FreezeFrame Revitaleyes (which I wrote about in Five Fabulous Faves) has also been improving my under-eye area, and once a week I use Bobbi Brown Extra Repair Moisture Cream (not pictured) under my eyes for an added moisture boost.

I am loving facial serums at the moment! I'm using a number of different products, basically just depending on how I'm feeling that day. And again, I'm working my way through the various samples I've accumulated. La Prairie is a favourite brand of mine (why do they have to be so expensive, though?!) and the La Prairie Anti-Aging Rapid Response Booster is great. Their products work so well. Since hubby bought me the Elizabeth Arden GWP a few months ago (blogged about here) I'm falling more in love with this brand. I'm really enjoying the Elizabeth Arden Prevage Anti-Aging + Intensive Repair Daily Serum, with the Flawless Future Powered By Ceramide Caplet Serum a close runner-up.

Every morning I pop on Elizabeth Arden Skin Illuminating Firm and Reflect Moisturizer half an hour before applying my makeup, as it needs that amount of time to properly absorb. I love the way this makes my skin look as it really does give my face a firmer appearance. Nightly, I use Elizabeth Arden Flawless Future Powered By Ceramide Night Cream, another winner in my book. About twice per week I'll use Alpha-H Liquid Gold Rejuvenating Cream before bed instead, but not on a night where I've used Liquid Gold itself, as it might be a bit much for my skin. This cream is pretty sticky and I wouldn't even attempt to use it under makeup!

My go-to for any spots is Paula's Choice Clear Daily Skin Clearing Treatment, which I bought as part of the Clear Extra Strength Kit. This range is amazing and completely cleared up my persistent breakouts. I rarely need to use this anymore, but I like knowing I have it on hand, just in case. If you're interested in purchasing from Paula's Choice, you can use my link to get $15 off your first order, and I'll get $15 credited to my account!

I'm not really using Face Masks at the moment, because I don't love any of the ones I have. However I have found a few sample sachets and once-off masks in my stash (hello SK-II Facial Treatment Mask) so I might bring back Pamper Sunday!

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Disclaimer: All products were purchased by me, my husband or were free samples I got instore or with online orders. All opinions are my own. Using my Paula's Choice link means you get $15 off your first order and I get $15 credited to my account.

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What's your favourite skincare brand or product?

SkinCare Shopping Spree!

I've bought so much skincare lately, it's actually getting ridiculous. I need an Intervention! I have two issues I'm trying to address; the fine lines and dark circles under my eyes and my annoying breakouts. 

I bit the bullet and forked out for an expensive eye cream, Thalgo Exception Ultimate Time Solution For Eyes And Lips. With a $79 qualifying spend, this came with a bonus six-piece Mystery Gift, which turned out to be 2ml sample tubes presented loose in a plastic zip lock bag! Tres disappointing, but you live and learn, right? I'm using Thalgo Exception Time Solution in conjunction with Paula's Choice Resist Intensive Wrinkle Repair Retinol Serum (not pictured as that came in a beauty box I won a while back) and I'm seeing a vast improvement under my eyes in terms of puffiness, fine lines and dark circles. It's not Holy Grail level, though, so the search continues. I really want to try the Perricone MD Cold Plasma Eye next, but will try to refrain from purchasing it before I've finished the Thalgo cream!

I absolutely adore the Paula's Choice Resist Retinol Serum mentioned above, so jumped at the recent chance for $15 off my first Paula's Choice online order. I got the Resist Daily Pore-Refining Treatment 2% BHA, bought a Retinol Serum sample as a back-up and got to choose three free samples, too. And to prove how much I need that intervention, I have since placed another PC order, this time purchasing the Clear Extra Strength Kit (it was 20% off with free shipping, plus I read the reviews and they were amazing, even clearing customer's cystic acne). I need a solution to my persistent breakouts and I'm hoping this is it. Again, not pictured, because it hasn't arrived yet!

Next up are some tea tree products which have helped a lot, but not completely solved my problem. I purchased The Body Shop Tea Tree Skin Clearing Toner after my Lush Tea Tree Water Toner ran out, and the Thursday Plantation Tea Tree Face Wash For Acne (yay!) out of sheer desperation, a few weeks ago. Tea Tree is amazing for clearing blemishes and my skin has started to clear up since using it. Tea Tree Oil has antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties, acts as an antiseptic and is a great skin healer. My lumps and bumps have all but gone, but I'm left with red marks here and there that are stubbornly sticking around.

Okay, so I think I've got enough skincare in my arsenal now. I pledge to not buy anything else until Leo DiCaprio wins that elusive Oscar! Now you'll have to excuse me while I shed a tear for poor Oscar-deficient, millionaire Leo who is probably having a Cristal champagne-fuelled threesome with stunning, blonde supermodels on his luxury yacht in the South of France as we speak.

Disclaimer: All products bought with my own money, with the exception of the Paula's Choice Resist Intensive Wrinkle Repair Retinol which was in a beauty box I won. All opinions are my own. See my Disclosure section for further information.