Well... technically not all are empties from my end! My boy helped me out with some..more on this below!
FEB 2016 - EMPTIES & QUICK REVIEWS
Here is a list of things I am chucking out this very morning -
- Yves Rocher Well Being Shower Gel - Lavender
- Yves Rocher Shower Cream - Organic Oats
- Aras Shower Gel - Lemon & Neroli
- Aroma Magic Eucalyptus Oil
- Garnier White Complete Fairness Cream
- SkinFood Galactomyces Cream
- Anand Spa Light Moisturizer
- Kama Ayurveda Brightening Night Cream
- Yves Rocher Argan Oil Body Scrub
- L'occitane Immortelle Brightening Exfoliator
- Garnier White Complete Face Wash
- Pond's White Beauty Pearl Cleansing Gel
- Plum Renaissance Face Mask
- Mirenesse Pebblesonic Night Face Wash
- Maybelline Great Lash Mascara
- Plum Kajal
- Maybelline Hypersharp Liner
- L'oreal Gelmatic Liner - Gold
- Maybelline Colossal Mascara
- Lakme Instaliner
PHEW!
Coming to quick thoughts around each of these empties -
BATH & BODY
YVES ROCHER WELL BEING SHOWER GEL - LAVENDER (Full size)This came free with my other Yves Rocher purchases. Mixed thoughts on this! A peppy shower gel yet drying on the other hand! I liked using this in my evening showers to beat stress and freshen me up! Shall have it reviewed in detail soon.
YVES ROCHER SHOWER CREAM - ORGANIC OATS (Travel size)
This was part of a five shower gel kit that hubby gifted me earlier. Loved using this organic oats variant - lotion-like consistency, lathers decently well, organic and bio-degradable ingredients, non-drying on the skin. Very handy for travel indeed!
ARAS SHOWER GEL - LEMON & NEROLI (Travel size)
This was part of the shower kit in the resort we stayed in Munnar, Kerala. I really loved how zesty the product is and asked for one from the management to take back with me. Earth-friendly, peppy formulation - ideal for Monday blues!
AROMA MAGIC EUCALYPTUS OIL (Full size)
My winter secret! I tend to have nose blocks frequently in the cold months and this is my go-to stuff to keep my nasal passage free. I add it to my bath water, a drop of it in the pillow, in the diffuser at my work area in home, wherever possible!
SKIN
GARNIER WHITE COMPLETE FAIRNESS CREAM (Full size)Setting aside the fairness claim, this is a decent cream - particularly for the oily-combination skinned. On my normal-dry skin I liked using this in my morning routine beneath makeup where it helped mattifying the skin to decent extent. For my skin type, this alone is not good enough as a moisturizer. I usually applied this mixed with sunscreen over serum.
SKINFOOD GALACTOMYCES CREAM (Full size)
This was part of the "Fermented Cosmetics" Memebox. I had great expectations from this and used it twice daily - both day and night. I liked the fluffy, light texture and how well it absorbed into the skin. It is like a gel-cream that is suitable for all skin types.
I didn't see any remarkable change in my skin with religious use of this - but it sure is a great moisturizer that kept my skin nourished without looking greasy.
ANANDA SPA LIGHT MOISTURIZER (Deluxe Sample)
This came in along with one of the "My Envy Box" subscriptions. It claims its a light moisturizer with rose and sandalwood in it. One sniff at it & its love! Its a great product too - very light in texture and on application, absorbs in a jiffy, keeps the skin nourished and the fragrance is very calming to the senses!
Inspite of the light moisturizer claim, I felt it kept me hydrated well enough even in these colder days.
I used it after the SkinFood Galactomyces cream got over for a day cream and it lasted me about 15-18 days of use! One of the best products I have tried!
KAMA AYURVEDA BRIGHTENING NIGHT CREAM (Deluxe Sample)
Received this sample sized night cream along with my Kama purchase. This small tube gave me about 12-15 days of use.
Another great find for me! I liked how it came in a tube rather a tub in the first place! The cream has an oily-herbal fragrance to it, as its ingredients! It gave my skin an instant glow and I liked how soft and smooth the skin felt in the mornings when I used this.
When I looked up online reviews for this one, came across mixed ones - a lot of them negative reviews, but this one definitely won my heart. Most bloggers who reviewed this product where combi-oily skinned whereas I am normal-dry skinned, that could be possibly why I loved the deep nourishment more than them!
GARNIER WHITE COMPLETE FACE WASH (Full size)
A decent face wash forgoing the whiteness claim! Lathers well and gives instant brightness after a use. But felt it made my skin a tad dry even after adjusting the quantities per use. Might be good for summers - not in the winters for me atleast!
POND'S WHITE BEAUTY PEARL CLEANSING GEL (Full size)
I somehow missed carrying a face wash while traveling and picked this at the local store in my in-law's place. Pond's has to first do away with this "white beauty" tag in each of its product!
This was a recent launch I believe.. in late 2015. A decent face wash that lathers well, but hurts the eyes like crazy. Raved by bloggers who got this for free! Seriously - for some 50 bucks? Or may be some long term "white beauty" collaboration!
I'm glad I got over this quicker and sorry about this purchase - made my skin dry!
MIRENESSE PEBBLESONIC NIGHT WASH (Full size)
Comes packaged along with the Mirenesse Pebblesonic Cleanser system. Not as impressed on this as the cleansing tool! Has great ingredients in it, smells fruity and lathers little.
Liked using this along with the cleansing tool but standalone I somehow didn't feel this left my skin squeaky clean.
L'OCCITANE IMMORTELLE BRIGHTENING EXFOLIATOR (Full size)
Got this along with the brightening cream from the same range over my Kolkata trip. The cream got over long back. I managed to finish whatever was left in this tube last month.
A good scrub this one - smells herbal but very soothing & not harsh! Good at kicking out superficial blackheads and whiteheads not those stubborn, buried deep-within ones. Leaves the skin bright after each use.
YVES ROCHER ARGAN OIL BODY SCRUB (Travel size)
Came free with purchase. Very uneven sized particles in this scrub didn't help at all in scrubbing. Leads to product wastage and I got over this 30 ml. tube in 2 uses - unhappy with the results both time!
PLUM RENAISSANCE FACE MASK (Full size)
A brand with good ingredients! I liked this face mask quite well. Helped curb my acne and dried them up quickly sometimes in just one use. Brightened and firmed the skin too.
Setbacks would be - the product is too thick and is a task squeezing out of the tube. The mask is also quite dry in texture and needs some medium like rose water or plain water to mix and apply.
I am not repurchasing this until they fix the product or the packaging!
MAKEUP
MAYBELLINE THE GREAT LASH MASCARA (Full size)One of the best mascara out there! Picked this up over my last US trip and now I know why it's a cult favorite! Adds length and volume without clumping or looking artificial. I look for mascaras that add volume withuot looking clumsy and this one fits the bill perfectly and at 5 USD for that only!
Stock it up if you have access is simply the word!
PLUM NATURAL KAJAL (Full size)
Impressed behind the thought and ingredients that went into this kajal - but it didn't simply work for me! Left me like a raccoon whenever I used in the waterline - smudged very badly! Didn't stay put long in the upper lash line as well.
I don't see myself using this anytime and hence chucking this out. The sharpener that comes along with the kajal is a nice product to have though!
MAYBELLINE HYPERSHARP LINER (Full size)
A very good product from Maybelline! Love how it draws the thinnest of lines - great for winged liners and office-goers who may not prefer going bold lined! Long staying, waterproof and smudge-proof too!
Very impressed than its counterpart from Colorbar and can be easily spotted in a bunch of liners, thanks to its golden cap!
L'OREAL GELMATIC LINER - GOLD (Full size)
Another of my favorite eye makeup products! Great shade, applies like a dream and stays put longer.
I loved this dusty gold a lot - sadly it dried up with no use over the past couple of months and it also tends to break easily while using. I also have the turquoise shade from this range which is total love!
MAYBELLINE COLOSSAL WATERPROOF MASCARA (Full size)
Thanks to my kid who thought this a shoe polish and ended up scrubbing it on his brown shoes - we can now throw away both the mascara and the shoes together! :)
Adds great volume, can clump sometimes and stays put as long as you don't remove! This is one of my favorite mascaras and I went mad seeing the result of the genius in my boy!
LAKME INSTALINER (Full size)
Another of my staples gone to the drain - thanks to my boy! I use this for a daily eye liner in the upper lash line or for drawing bindi patterns with Indian outfits.
He saw me applying nail paints the other day and thought this was one and ended up acting immediately with this on his toe nails! So much for saying "nail paints are not for boys"!
We had an extensive bathing session that day - you now know how I am occupied over the weekends (busy saving my vanity & wardrobe that is!)
Things I recommend or might repurchase:
1. Maybelline The Great Lash Mascara
2. Maybelline Hypersharp Liner
3. Maybelline Colossal Mascara
4. Lakme Instaliner
5. Aroma Magic Eucalyptus Oil
6. Ananda Spa Light Moisturizer
7. Kama Ayurveda Brightening Night Cream
8. L'occitane Immortelle Brightening Exfoliator
P.S. - Pardon the hazy pics - camera's Monday blues may be, just not focussing!
Can't believe its already February? The calendar is simply sprinting these days! Have a good one! :)
