Finished! November Edition

Few things are as gratifying to me as getting to the bottom of a product. It helps alleviate the guilt of having bought so much makeup. I’ve actually been very good lately and my spending has all but ceased. With the exception of one pigment set from the MAC Tartan Tale collection (does anyone want a post on that?), the newest Sleek Palettes (apparently there is ANOTHER coming out by the end of the month) some tinted lip balms and £1 glitter liners I haven’t bought anything in the last month. Oh... that’s actually quite a bit. Never mind. Anyway the following products have reached the end of their lives and are heading to the great makeup stash in the sky. Most of this stuff has been reviewed by me so check the tags for full reviews if you want.  Skin care first;

Simple Kind to Skin Vital Vitamin Night Cream – Some people complain that this is too basic and not rich enough for them but I find this to be perfect for my skin. I’m 23, I don’t need super heavy moisturisers but I do have the odd dry patch. This does the job beautifully and I have already started using my next tub. It’s £5.99 for 50ml but Simple’s stuff is always on offer in Boots or Superdrug. 

Estee Lauder Gentle Eye makeup Remover – I know some people love this but unfortunately for me it was a disaster. The skin under my eyes reacted really badly to the point of flaking and peeling. It stung my eyes too. Just goes to show what works for some won’t work for everyone. Thankfully I got this free as a gift with purchase but needless to say I wouldn’t buy it. 

Nivea Q10 Lip Effect lip balm – This is what appeared when I asked my husband to pick me up a ip balm at the supermarket. I think this is supposed to be an anti ageing lip balm... All I know is it tasted pretty awful and didn’t do a whole lot for my lips. As such it was relegated to the post of ‘bedside table lipbalm’ to be slapped on before bed. I wouldn’t bother buying it again. 

It’s been a bumper month for mascaras going off. I’ve noticed that all of these have the older style wire bristles and I’m sure this type goes bad faster than rubber wand. Here are all the makeup items I’ve finished recently;

17 Clear Definition Mascara – I used this for my brows. It still has plenty of product left but as you can see traces of foundation have turned it a delightful shade of murky brown. I liked this a lot but I won’t buy it again because (drum roll please)...... I have found an even cheaper clear mascara for my brows. Yes, cheaper than £4.69. Score. 

Lancôme Virtuose Mascara – As mascaras go this was nice enough but it wasn’t ‘oh my god this is amazing’. I’ve had cheaper, better mascaras. Like the 17 Wild Curls actually. At £20 a pop I certainly won’t be buying it again. 

17 Wild Curls Mascara – This was definitely a winner for me. For £6.29 you get some rather sexy packaging and a really nice mascara. It had started the flake off and smell a little funky though so I knew it had reached the end of its useful life. I’ll buy another one day but I have a tonne of mascaras to use up first. 

Estee Lauder Lash Primer Plus – This was a little sample that came in a gift set. It’s just a white base coat. I didn’t find this did much for me and I spend long enough doing my makeup in a morning, I don’t want to add yet another step in! If lash primers are your thing you might like this but I wouldn’t personally buy it again. 

Estee Lauder Projectionist High Definition Volume Mascara – Again this is a sample size. I actually really liked this. I have lots and lots of quite thick lashes so normally volumising mascaras end up giving me one great big eyelash all clumped together. This did a really nice job of separating my lashes whilst making them even thicker and more dramatic. At £18.50 I’d have to be feeling very flush to buy a full size tube but maybe one day I will treat myself to one.

Collection 2000 Illuminating Concealer - This was a decent undereye concealer but thepen applicator got properly disgusting towards the end. Washing it made it worse. I don't think I'll repurchase it though I do still like it as a concealer.

And finally my Maybelline Dream Creamy foundation has bitten the dust. I *think* this is the UK version of the US Smooth Mousse but correct me if I’m wrong. Now I don’t think this is a bad foundation. I can see that it would be perfect for someone with dry- normal skin who wanted a dewy finish and light-medium coverage. Why I bought it with my combination/ oily skin, preference for matte finishes and full coverage I will never know. It looked waxy and oily on me and lasted roughly half an hour on my super oily nose. I persevered and used it up but I won’t buy it again. 

What have you used up recently? Have you been trying to curb your makeup spending too? Let me know in the comment xx

*I bought all of the above items apart from the 17 Wild Curls Mascara which I was sent by 17*

Simple Kind To Skin Vital Vitamin Night Cream

Another Simple skin care product with an ironically complicated name. I’ve used a lot of Simple products simply because they are extremely cheap and they don’t contain any crap. With the exception of the eye makeup remover (which was awful) their products do the job very nicely and my skin reacts well to them. Here is what Simple have to say:

VITAL VITAMINS
Pro-Vitamin B5 actively restores, softens and smoothes
Vitamin E moisturises to improve skin condition
Vitamin F renews and regenerates

SKIN LOVING NUTRIENTS
Glycerin hydrates and nourishes
Allantoin softens and protects
Bisabolol soothes and calms

NO PERFUME, NO COLOUR
No unnecessary or harsh chemicals so it won't upset your skin

Normally I have combination skin. Enviromental disaster oil slick round the nose and Sahara dry on my cheeks. During my recent stint in Thailand however the whole lot jumped on the oily band wagon. Since then I’ve been able to get away with just using this at night and sunscreen during the day and despite it being moisturising enough to look after the dry bits when my skin is feeling more its usual self I don’t find this too heavy now my skin is oily. It sinks in very quickly with no oily residue.

I like the fact it doesn’t have a scent. I do suffer from irritant dermatitis and if, for example, I’ve used a face mask putting a scented moisturiser on afterwards can sometimes cause problems. No such issues with this product!

At £4.99 (and often on buy 2 get 1 free!) for 50ml it’s great value for money. The only place where the cheapness is apparent is the packaging. Its light weight flimsy plastic. So light weight that at first I thought it must be empty! Honestly though I could care less about the packaging. It does the job and it does it well and the price is definitely right. If you have super dry skin you may want something a little heavier but for most I think it’s a safe bet! I’ll be repurchasing soon x

*I bought this*

Finished!

I like the last post I did on items that I’ve finished recently. I think it’s useful to look back at a product, even if it’s already been reviewed by me, and ask myself whether I miss it enough to repurchase now that it’s gone. I may love or hate a product after the first few uses but by the end of a bottle/packet/pan you have a much better sense of it. Here are our goodbyes this month: (ones with a * have been reviewed here fully)

Simple Eye Makeup Remover * :
No no no no. I will not be repurchasing. I love many Simple products. This is not one of them. It stung the skin underneath my eyes and did not do a good job of removing waterproof mascara.

Lancôme Bi Facil Eye Makeup Remover * :
Love it! I will repurchase one day but not today. At just under £20 a bottle it’s just too pricey for me. This little sample lasted me a good long while though.

The Body Shop Mango Body Butter:
Mmmm this smelt so good. It was a rich, moisturising treat post bath. The cream is insanely thick and I found it to be very moisturising. I have another body butter on the go right now!

Simple Radiance Brightening Moisturiser SPF10 * :
I really liked this. It was a good, fairly light daytime moisturiser. The SPF could do with being a bit higher but at least it has some in it. It’s super cheap too. I’d be quite happy to repurchase this in future.

Garnier Makeup Remover Wipes * :
I hated these. They did a pretty shoddy job of removing my makeup and pulled at my skin whilst doing it. I won’t be repurchasing.

MAC Brush Cleanser:
The remnants of this are in a spray bottle but I need to pick up another ASAP (and will be back to MAC-ing the bottle once I have 5 more empties!). I love this stuff, I just wish they’d put a damn spray on it.

Boot Vitamin E Night Cream * :
I really liked this too actually and for less than a fiver I’ll be picking some more up in future. I’m currently trying a couple of other things though and when I was last in Boots they were sold out! Evidently I’m not the only one who likes this beauty bargain!

Lush Bubble Gum Lip Scrub * :
No I didn’t use this up. It exploded in my travel makeup bag whilst on a business trip. It took me 20 minutes to clean sugar out of my eyelash curlers... This was always the problem with this product though. It does a fantastic job for a reasonable price but it’s as messy as a toddler with a paint can. For this reason I won’t be repurchasing which means I’m on the hunt for a new lip scrub. Any suggestions?

Rimmel Stay Matte Pressed Powder:
Ah my dear, we knew it had to end one day. This thing is so old it’s in the old packaging and all the type has faded off. Look!

I really liked this stuff. I go through a lot of powder in an effort to keep my nose none shiny and this has been an invaluable companion in that quest. The Sam to my Frodo if you will (Ok who let the geek out?) Ahem anyway it’s a fab drugstore pressed powder that I will happily repurchase in all its shexy new green packaging. I need to use up a couple of other powders first but when I have I’ll probably buy it and give it the full review it deserves.

So it’s been a mixed bag. Some hits, some misses, some unnecessary Lord of the Rings similes. I always get such a sense of satisfaction when I finish a product. I prance about waving the empty container in my husband’s face in a triumphant demonstration of “see! I really do use all this stuff!” Do you get the same sense of satisfaction? Xxx

*I bought the above products with my own money. I always give my honest opinion of a product. For further info see my disclaimer in the menu on the left*

Simple Skin To Skin Hydrating Light Moisturiser

I’ve long been a fan of Simple skin care. My fussy irritable skin just seems to like it. My bank balance likes it too. This 125ml bottle is just £3.26. I’ve been looking for a lighter moisturiser for my combo skin now that the temperature in Scotland is occasionally getting over 15 degrees c and this has been doing the job very nicely. 

The bottle is plain lightweight plastic. It looks and feels cheap which is fair enough, it is cheap. I like that it’s not a pot so you aren’t sticking your fingers in it which can be unhygienic. The moisturiser itself is a funny texture. It’s kind of a cross between a cream and a gel. It feels very lightweight and disappears into my skin within a few seconds. This means it isn’t too much for the oily bits and yet it provides just enough moisture for the dry bits. It probably wouldn’t be enough for my skin in winter but for spring/ summer it’s just right. 

That’s all I have to say really. It just works for me! I’ll be picking up another bottle when this one is done.

*Bought by me*

Simple Kind to Eyes Soothing Eye Balm

I’ve been on a bit of a Simple kick lately. Wait, that sounds wrong. I bought a lot of their stuff on offer. Hence the flurry of Simple skincare posts.

They continue their winning streak for me with this lovely little eye cream. The box claims it will refresh tired eyes and reduce puffiness whilst being gentle on even sensitive eyes. And do you know, it does! Something about applying the cold gel like cream to my eye area just clears your head like nothing else. It’ll wake you up more than that second cup of coffee will! The skin under my eyes feels less tight too.

I have a different eye cream that I use during the day as it has SPF which this doesn’t. This however does just the trick for soothing and refreshing the skin around my eyes after I’ve removed my eye makeup. It’s only £3.69 at Boots so it doesn’t break the bank. You don’t need a lot either so your pennies will stretch a fair way. Another win for Simple!

Simple Radiance Brightening Moisturiser SPF10

I heard an interesting thing yesterday. Apparently the SPF in makeup only works if it is directly in contact with your skin, not layered over other products. I don’t know if this is true or not but it does worry me a bit. It also makes me doubly determined to find a moisturiser that I like with SPF as it’s the first thing to go on my face before primer and foundation. Here is the first contender.

This cheap (£6.49 but usually on a buy 2 get one free in Boots) and cheerful offering claims to “visibly brighten” with “mango goodness for healthy glowing skin”. The back of the box waffles on about light reflecting particles and vitamins E, C and B5. It all sounds wonderful doesn’t it?

Well I’m pleased to announce that after the Simple evil eye makeup remover disappointment this is a pleasant product. I have combination skin, incredibly dry on my cheeks and oil slick greasy on my t-zone. This moisturiser manages to sooth the dry bits without exacerbating the environmental disaster that is my nose. It claims to have no perfume but there definitely is a slight chemical/ mango whiff. It is too slight and fades to quickly to be of any bother to me. The cream is thick, spreads well and is absorbed quickly making it a good base for my makeup. And so far no breakouts!

Does it “illuminate” my skin? No. I have never noticed any such effect. I sometimes think that my skin tone is more even after applying this which is always a plus but if you’re worried about the light reflecting particles turning you into a human disco ball you need not fret. If you are looking for a product that does brighten your complexion this probably won’t do the job but as a good light-ish moisturiser designed for sensitive skin with SPF it does everything I want it too. And it does it pretty well! I will definitely consider repurchasing this.

Hope everyone has a good week ahead of them! Euch... Mondays x

Simple Kind to Eyes Eye Makeup Remover

Having used up my Superdrug Sensitive Eye Makeup Remover I went digging through my box of ‘to be used’ products and found this. Now I wear ALOT of eye makeup. And over the last few days it’s been waterproof for cat related reasons. Therefore a dedicated eye makeup remover that can cope with copious amounts of waterproof mascara is a must in my evening routine. I also have really quite sensitive skin under my eyes so I can’t be swiping away for half an hour in order to avoid panda eyes. According to the blurb on the bottle this should be right up my street then!


Erm no. Oh Simple, you promised to be kind to my eyes! And I quote, “effectively remove even waterproof mascara”. Ok so it does remove waterproof mascara but by the time it’s done this “effectively” the skin under my eyes is stinging. Bizarrely my eyes themselves are fine but it’s just not comfortable. It also makes my mascara come off in weird flakes which have a tendency to get in my eyes if I don’t make sure I get rid of every last flake.

Essentially I got this for free as part of a buy 2 get 1 free deal at Boots so I’m not bitter (honest) and I don’t remember the exact price but I *think* it’s less than £2 but honestly I wouldn’t repurchase. I hate throwing things away so I’ll use it (thank goodness it’s a fairly small bottle!) but I will do it with a sour expression on my face and mascara in my eyes. In short - DO NOT WANT.