Hello February! We survived the first month of 2019!
This month makes six years that we've been living the FIFO life.
I've
been in declutter mode for the last few months. I'm going through my
clothes, make-up, skincare, the kids toys and anything else that comes
into sight. It's fun and satisfying. I've still got a long way to go,
but every little step makes a difference.
BX Earth Bodywash
Regular
readers have probably had enough of seeing this in my empties. It's a
staple in our house. We love that it's gentle, non drying, smells great
and isn't expensive.
Tarte Drink of H2O Hydrating Boost
This
is a gorgeous product for adding a light but hydrating layer in summer.
I used it on hot days in place of moisturiser. Whilst it wouldn't be
hydrating enough for winter it works very well in humid summer weather.
Palmers Facial Cleansing Oil
I
enjoyed using the Palmers cleansing oil, but it's not a favorite and I
won't repurchase because I can't use it on my eyes. I like a cleansing
oil that I can use all over, this one irritated my eyes so I won't buy
it again.
Lush Rose Jam Shower Gel
I'm
thrilled that Rose Jam is now permanent, I used to buy it and hoard the
bottles when it was limited edition. This is one of my all time
favourite scents, I have the fragrance spray too. If you like rose
scents, this is worth checking out.
Black Chicken Axilla Deodorant
All
the hype about Axilla deodorant is right, it's a great product. If it
came in a tube it'd be perfect. I use the sensitive version, there's a
regular version for those that don't have sensitive pits. I love that
this also comes in a small size, which I carry in my bag so I can
reapply in summer.
The Physic Garden Soothing Skin Salve
A
few months ago I decided to add a retinol product to my routine.
Despite starting slowly and only using it once a week my skin was not
happy. It took two months for the dryness to go away and the product
that got my skin back to normal was my Soothing Skin Salve. I'd apply a
layer every night and slowly but surely my skin got happy again. This is
great for sensitive or irritated skin and something I'll always have in
my collection.
Baby Bum SPF 30 Sunscreen
Now
that the weather has warmed up my empties posts will feature lots of
sunscreens. Baby Bum is what we use on Eljay's face. Like me, he has
sensitive skin and most sunscreens irritate him. Sun Bum is one of the
few he can use. He prefers Baby Bum over the SPF 50 Sun Bum because he
says it feels nicer on his face. I'd prefer that he use a SPF 50
sunscreen, but getting sunscreen on him is such a struggle that I
compromise and let him wear this one on his face.
La Roche Posay Anthelios XL Ultra Light Fluid
I
didn't mind this so bought the full sized bottle, which I've since
given away to my SIL. Whilst it's a good sunscreen I really don't like
the chemical smell. The scent does fade quickly but is noticeable for
long enough to put me off.
That's
a shame because it's quite a nice sunscreen. It's light, absorbs
quickly and doesn't irritate. I do find that it's very dewy, to the
point that if I don't powder over the top I look like a grease ball.
Given the dewy finish I'm not sure how it'd work on someone with oily
skin.
Skinfood NZ Exfoliating Scrub
I
was sent a range of Skinfood NZ products to try and loved them all.
It's a gorgeous range of natural products and most of them smell like
coconut. Their exfoliating scrub is gorgeous. It has a creamy base with
enough exfoliating particles to give a good scrub. The particles are
round so don't scratch and irritate skin. I'll happily purchase this
when I've gone through my current stash of exfoliants.
Simplicite Hydrating Floral Toning Lotion
I
have no idea why I stopped using facial sprays, I've always loved them
but for some reason I just stopped using them. Now that I'm using my
facial sprays again, I have no idea why I stopped. The Simplicite facial
spray was sent to me a while ago and it's one that I plan to purchase. I
like the light, natural scent and how hydrated it makes my skin feel.
Glow Lab Facial Serum
If
I was younger this would be a great serum, however I need serums that
do more than just hydrate. If you're after a hydrating serum, you'll
probably love this.
Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Fluid
Yet another sunscreen I can't use on my face. I used it on my chest and arms, it did the job.
Sun Bum Sunscreen
Eljay
and I both use this, it's one of the few sunscreens that doesn't
irritate us. I don't use it as my daily facial sunscreen due to the
scent, I'll use it when we're swimming. If they made a fragrance free
version I'd happily use it as my daily facial sunscreen.
Avene Eu Thermal Facial Water
I've
started using facial sprays again, they make a big difference to my
skins hydration levels. This is a good, non irritating one that's easy
to find.
Olay Daily Renewal Cream
Whilst
I found Daily Renewal Cream pleasant to use, it isn't amazing and I
won't purchase a full size. There's nothing wrong with it, it hydrates
and kept my skin feeling soft, but I just didn't love it.
Danearth Antioxidant Rich Moisturising Serum
You
know a product is great when your skin goes to crap after you stop
using it. That's what happened when I finished my precious Danearth
serum. I didn't make it to the markets to get another bottle, so now I
have to wait with rough, unhappy skin until the next markets.
I
purchased this after seeing the difference it made to my sisters skin.
She was glowing and her dark spots were significantly lighter. It can be
used as a moisturiser if you have oily skin, I use it underneath
moisturiser as I have dry skin.
The Body Shop Banana Body Butter
I'm
so sad I finished my Banana Body Butter, it smelled so good. I love how
quickly this absorbed, it was great for my scaly legs. What's with
that? My legs aren't usually dry but this summer they've been terrible.
Anyhow, I'd happily repurchase this but it's no longer available. Eljay
loved it too and keeps on asking me for the banana moisturiser.
Glow Lab Gel Cleanser
I'm
a bit annoyed that I didn't pick up another one of these during the
Priceline sale. It's a lovely, gentle cleanser. I use it as my second
cleanse, having said that, it easily removes my make-up and doesn't
irritate my eyes. I love that it has a pump top, all cleansers should
have a pump.
Neutrogena Hydro Boost Hydrogel Mask
I've
never used a two piece mask before, what a brilliant idea, they fit so
much better! Hydro Boost is a great mask, as the name suggests, it's
very hydrating so great for dry, parched skin. I didn't experience any
irritation or redness, just soft, moisturised skin.
Wrinkles Schminkles Chest and Decolletage Smoothing Kit
I've
already replaced my Wrinkles Schminkles. It's one of those products
that works instantly. When I don't use this I wake up with chinkles
(chest wrinkles), when I use it, I wake up wrinkle free. Brilliant.
16 Brand Sage Tea Mask Pack
I had a reaction to this and had to take it off after about a minute.
Palmers Zero Break Pre-Shampoo
This
was a Chemist Warehouse purchase which I got to qualify for free
shipping. It's quite a nice product, you put it in before shampooing
then wash it out. I got four uses out of the packet. It left my hair
feeling very soft which was nice. My hair is in good condition so I
won't repurchase again, however if my hair needed help I'll definitely
buy it.
Tatcha Polished and The Deep Polish
I'm
not sure what the difference is between these two, they seemed very
similar to me. They were both nice to use, I managed to get the water to
powder ratio right and my skin felt very smooth afterwards.
There are plenty of cheaper powder exfoliants, so I won't be purchasing either of these.
This is the result of my pencil and red lip declutter, plus I've been going through my use it or lose it pile.
I
tossed my Herbs and Heart Face Mud, it'd gone all hard and unusable. It
was about ten months old, so I'm not sure why it went bad but I didn't
really like it anyhow. Last year it was all over Instagram and everyone
was raving about it, now I don't see or hear anything. I suspect that
they were sending it out to influencers and now that's stopped no-one is
talking about it. Funny how that happens. If a product was that great
people would keep using it and keep talking about it.
Lush
Tooth Fairy had to go because it's started to irritate my gums. I've
used two tubs of it before so I'm not sure why it started to irritate,
but it was making my gums itchy and that's not a nice feeling.