Empties: Items I've Used Up in July 2014

First up is make up. I rarely have any make up empties because a) it lasts for ages and b) I have so much make up, I am always chopping and changing so never finish anything!

Laura Geller Balance N Brighten Foundation in shade Porcelain (RRP £28)
Would I repurchase? Yes, I have lots in my stash already!
This is my go to foundation and has been for several years. It is so easy to use because it is a baked powder formula and seems to last for ages. I keep thinking about changing to a liquid foundation because I feel it may be better for my fine lines but I really don't like the feel of liquid foundation on my skin. Perhaps I just haven't found the right one for me so, for now, this is my Holy Grail.

Elf Wet Gloss Lash & Brow Clear Mascara (RRP £1.95)
Would I repurchase? Perhaps.
I wasn't that bothered about the mascara side but perhaps that would be ideal for younger girls who aren't able to wear mascara to school. The brow side was fine and I did use it to set my brows. It didn't "wow" me but it did an okay job and at under £2 I can't complain. My only reason for perhaps not repurchasing is because I can only order online and unless I place a large order I would have to pay postage which bumps up the price.

Next up are my skin care empties.

Omorovicza Refining Facial Polisher (RRP £65 for 100ml)
Would I repurchase? No.
Since I've been using an exfoliant toner, I no longer use facial scrubs but I received this little sample so I gave it a try. It smelled lovely. It reminded me of Radox bath salts or Badedas bubble bath, a nice clean, fresh smell. It's green in colour which is a tad worrying when it is applied but it left my skin feeling clean and refreshed. The reason for not repurchasing is not down to the product, but down to the price!!! If I am going to spend £65 on a skin care item, it would be a moisturiser, serum or eye cream but not a scrub.

Pixi Skintreats Glow Tonic (RRP £16)
Would I repurchase? Yes and already have.
I have been using this for over a year now and it really seems to help keep my skin bright and I rarely exfoliate with scrubs since using this. My "Holy Grail" that I don't want to be without. The packaging has now changed and the new bottle doesn't have a pump. Luckily I still have one with a pump which I shall probably decant into because I do find it better.

Balance Me Balancing Face Moisturiser (RRP £24 for 50ml)
Would I repurchase? No.
Nothing wrong with the product, just not rich enough for my skin. I think it's probably better suited to an oily skin rather than my normal to combination skin. Did stop the shine on my forehead though. I just need more moisture on my cheeks.

Archeia Rose Rejuvenating Cream (RRP £47.99)
Would I repurchase? No.
I decided to choose a little 5ml sample of this in my You Beauty Discovery box last month. The main reason being was, because it is so expensive, I wanted to know why! Well this pot lasted just 1 week - 10 days and it didn't wow me at all. On the plus side, the rose scent wasn't string and overpowering, it was quite subtle. However at almost £50 for a 15ml pot. (I think that's the size - their site doesn't say!?), it would have to work miracles for me to repurchase.

Onto hair products:

Herbal Essences Bee Strong Strengthening Shampoo & Conditioner (RRP £3.99 for 400ml)
Would I repurchase? Yes, already have bought the conditioner and will buy the shampoo once my stash is depleted!
I believe I got these samples sachets inside a magazine. I was very impressed with them. They smell lovely and the conditioner left my hair soft and shiny. A winner from me!

Avon Advanced Techniques Celloshine Treatment 
Would I repurchase? Discontinued
I wouldn't repurchase even if I could! It said it was a hair treatment but did no more than a normal conditioner and not even a good one at that!

Finally, my bodycare empties:

Original Source Vanilla Milk & Raspberry Shower Cream (RRP £2.30)
Would I repurchase? No.
I usually love Original Source shower gels but not this one. It's fine if you like smelling of a raspberry milkshake, but I favour a slightly more sophisticated smell! I guess the clue was in the name of it. I love the smell of vanilla and I like the smell of raspberry, but together in a shower gel was not for me.

Champneys Spa Indulgence Distant Shores Body Scrub (RRP £10 for 200g)
Would I repurchase? No.
I did quite the scent of this but I felt I needed to use a lot in order to get a decent scrub. Therefore it is not very economical so for that reason I wouldn't repurchase.

Dove Visible Effects Body Lotion
Would I repurchase? Discontinued??
I did like this lotion. It was a free sample I received a whole ago and I felt it moisturised well and smelt nice too. Unfortunately I cannot find it for sale anywhere so perhaps it has been discontinued.

Ellie Saab Le Parfum L'Eau Couture (RRP £31 for 30ml)
Would I repurchase? Perhaps.
This was a nice enough perfume, not my usual scent. I wouldn't go out of my way to purchase it, but if I had it bought for me, then I would happily wear it.

So out of my 12 product empties this month, I had 3 Hits, 5 Misses, 2 Maybes and 2 discontinued. Hmmm, not a very good hit rate there, but then aren't we always on the search for our "Holy Grail" perfect product?

Thanks for reading.
Enjoy your day.
Take care,
CJ xx

Magazine Freebies! July 2014

Well, it looks like it's another great month for freebies!
First up is Cosmopolitan priced at £3.70 and out now.
There is a choice of 4 items from New CID - a black mascara or a choice of 3 different shades of lip & cheek tint. Collectively they are worth £60. 

They only had 2 of the shades of the lip & cheek tint in my local shop so I chose the shade Plum Cordial, swatch above. It looks a little bright for me but I've yet to try it on my lips or cheeks but will do a review in due course.
I've never tried anything from this brand before so I thought I would give it a try.
UPDATE: for a review and swatches of all 3 shades, see my post here.

Next there is Harpers Bazaar, out now, priced at £4.20. 
This comes with the choice of 4 L'Occitane fragrances worth £8 each. 
I didn't buy this but I peeked at the fragrance names, although our shop only had 2. 
They were Jasmine & Bergamote and Thė Vert & Bigarade (green tea and bitter orange). 

Elle magazine, priced at £4 has a little skincare set from Malin & Goetz worth £10. 
This travel sized set comprise of a grapefruit cleanser, vitamin E moisturiser and a lip moisturiser. 
I'd not heard of this brand before so I passed on it because I have so many skincare samples already. Now I have looked it up online, I am tempted to go and buy it! 
Have you tried anything from this range? Is it good?

Red magazine, also priced at £4 has a free Rodial lip balm worth £19. 
I did pick this up but then thought better of it because I have numerous lip balms already and returned it to the shelf. 
Again I have never tried this brand before so again I am tempted to return to buy it! Argh! These magazines know what they are doing don't they?! Have you ever tried this lip balm?

The August issue of Instyle magazine comes with a free gift of Neal's Yard hand cream worth £10. 
I didn't go for this because I have several hand creams in my stash and to be honest I rarely use the ones I do have.

Marie Claire, priced at £3.90, has the choice of 2 items from the Balance Me range, collectively worth £25. 
The free gifts are the Cleanse & Smooth Face Balm 25ml or the Moisture Rich Face Cream 40ml. 
I have heard that this magazine is available at WH Smiths for just £2.50 this month but, because I don't have one local to me, I cannot verify this. However, if you have one locally it may be worth trying there first.

Finally, we come to Glamour magazine. This months free gifts are from Clinique. 
There is a choice of a High Impact mascara, Dramatically Different Moisturising Lotion or 2 Chubby Sticks in the shades of Super Strawberry or Woppin Watermelon. 
I was thrilled to hear of this freebie so set off to buy both shades of Chubby Sticks. After driving to no less than 4 supermarkets and 7 newsagents and rifling through a hundred or so Glamour magazines with the mascara and lotion attached, I could not find the elusive Chubby Stick. I am so disappointed because this was the only freebie I really wanted this month. Never mind, there are worse things in life than not owning a Chubby Stick! Were you lucky enough to find one? I hope so. 

Well that's it for the freebies this month. Please let me know in the comments if I have missed any. Which freebies did you go for this month?

Thanks for reading and enjoy the rest of your day.
Take care.
CJ xx