February Empties: Skin Care

So my mission for starting a regular blog posting schedule has dramatically failed.  For some reason, just as I gained momentum, the momentum quickly ground to a full on halt.  I can't believe that I haven't posted since the end of January; it's the longest I've ever gone without posting anything...  I honestly can't believe we've hit March now - where the hell did February go?  It feels like it's only just finished being Christmas and here we are almost at Easter.  In fact, this whole year has gone fast - can you believe it's almost a year now since Liam and I came to first view our house?!  Even though I've not written a hello in a while, sharing my thoughts has still been on my mind and I've collected a nice box of empties again.

Probably the product I'm most sad about finishing this month is Soap and Glory's Smoothie Star Body Milk.  I absolutely love this moisturiser, but I have such a stash of moisturiser at the moment that I just can't physically justify buying another bottle.  It smells incredible, like an oaty, almondy flapjack.  It's also really light, but really hydrating so this would be an ideal moisturiser to use in the morning instead of a richer body butter, or on a warmer evening.  I also finished the Soap and Glory Whipped Clean Shower Butter.  It smells similar to Smoothie Star, but there is something about it that makes it smell a bit sharper than the Body Milk, and for some reason I didn't like it as much.  It was nice to use, but I wish it smelt identical to the Smoothie Star.  This lathered up really well, and left my skin feeling really soft.

From The Body Shop this month, I've finished up a sample size of the Vitamin E Moisture Cream.  I've already repurchased this in the bigger size and I love it - it smells amazing and really hydrates the skin.  I've been using this in the evening when I don't want a really rich cream to sit on my skin.  I've also finished the Camomile Cleansing Oil which again, I've already repurchased.  I don't think I can be without this anymore; I'll have a review up on this at some point, but if you haven't tried it, get on down to The Body Shop and get it.

I was sent the Eucerin Even Brighter Night Cream* quite a while a go now, but never really used it religiously.  It's supposed to even out skin with hyper pigmentation.  I think this would work for me in terms of acne scarring maybe, but I honestly don't think I used this regularly enough to see the benefit.  It was quite a thick, rich cream, but it was very easy to apply and you don't need to use much.  I'd definitely try this again to see if it lives up to claims of evening skin tone.

I bought the Clearasil Superfruits Refreshing Facial Pads on a Caroline Hirons recommendation as they were hailed as a high street version to the First Aid Beauty Facial Radiance Pads.  Now I've not tried these because they're expensive, so I gave these a go.  These smell super sweet, and leave my skin feeling really refreshed but not at all tight, or leave it looking red.  I think these have been helping with congested pores around my nose, and I'm already onto my second tub.  I am in a bit of a fluster now though, because I've gone to link you guys and can't track them on Boots or Superdrug so I hope they're not being discontinued!

Finally, the Neutrogena Visibly Clear 2 in 1 Wash and Mask is actually a repurchase of mine already.  I do actually really quite like this face wash.  Like the Clearasil Superfruits pads, this has Salicylic Acid in, and has a creamy, ever so slightly grainy texture.  It doesn't foam, and is just really nice to use.  I tend to see a difference in my skin when I've been using this daily, so I'll eventually repurchase this again.

That's all I've got for you for today, but I've still got some empties to talk about including some make up bits!  I'll be back again soon!

Have you tried anything from this months empties?

*This product was sent to me for consideration

December Empties: Skin Care

Continuing on from the last Empties Post, I'm back with some more empties, but this time it's skin care!  I've really been enjoying my skin care routine lately and have really enjoyed finding some lovely products that really work well with my skin.  Some bits I've been using haven't been great, but oh well...

My first empty is this pack of Yes To Cucumbers Face Wipes.  I don't remember the last time I bought a pack of face wipes, and I actually won this pack - I used to use face wipes daily, but y'know...Caroline Hirons and all that.  Basically my skin care has come on in leaps and bounds.  These weren't bad face wipes, but I don't think I'll be buying them again in the hope that I actually stop being lazy and use water and an actual cleanser.

Next up is The Body Shop Camomile Waterproof Eye Make Up Remover.  I love this.  So much so, I've already bought and am onto my second bottle.  I don't use this daily, but it really is great for travelling and using on the days where your mascara needs a little extra help.  It needs a shake as it's got an oily layer, but it's amazing at removing your make up  - I love the entire Camomile range, and would definitely recommend you try it!

This Nuxe Nuxellence Jeunesse Youth and Radiance Revealing Fluid was a real favourite of mine.  Unfortunately for me, this was only a sample size, but I got so many uses out of it.  It's a really light weight moisturiser that applies beautifully to skin.  It feels really velvety and not at all heavy.  I would love to own this again, but at £47 for the full size, it's not something I'll be purchasing any time soon.  But if this is in your price range, I'd highly recommend trying it out!  There is 20.15% off it at the moment at Escentual!

The Garnier Pure Shine Control Moisturiser was one I really liked at first.  It was great before it started to get really cold - it's a  light blue formula with a jelly like texture, and smoothes on really nicely.  I didn't notice anything spectacular with the oil control aspect, but I did notice how tacky it made my skin feel.  I don't think I'll be picking this up again.  I also wasn't too keen on the Neutrogena Visibly Clear Spot Stress Control Cleansing Lotion.  First up, it's not your typical lotion - it's not creamy, it's a full on fluid.  I didn't use this regularly, just in times of need when I thought that something must be able to help me battle my skin - I didn't notice any real action from this lotion, but I guess I was using it irregularly.  I just found it to be quite drying, and stripping so my skin wouldn't have liked daily use.

Finally, my favourite from the lot - the Origins Make A Difference Plus Rejuvenating Moisturiser.  I can't even begin to explain how much I loved using this, and how gutted I was when it ran out.  Firstly, it smells amazing - really uplifting, slightly fruity, but mostly refreshing.  It was really light weight, but also really hydrating at the same time.  A little does go a long way, so despite the £34.50 price tag, I really would like to pick another one of these up.  The pot I had is best suited for combination/dry skin, which was nice on my skin, but I would like to try the Make A Difference Plus Rejuvenating Treatment for combination/oily skin to see how it compares.

What skin care bits have you been loving lately?