Empties – May 2015

As expected from last month’s post, I have finished quite a lot of products this month.. So I’m going to try and keep this post short and sweet 🙂

Whilst in France…

So for the Christmas holidays I went back home to France for a couple of weeks and, as you have probably already guessed, I have bought myself a couple of things as a Christmas present.

I don’t own many high end products mainly because 1) I have always been able to find some really good cheaper alternatives and 2) as much as I would like to buy lots of expensive products… I’m a poor student with little money to spend on make-up.

I’ve always wanted to try Nars products, mainly because their packaging is gorgeous (is it a valid reason for wanting to try a product?). As no one sells this brand where I live, when I saw a Nars counter whilst waiting for my flight in Heathrow I could not resist and ended up buying two products.
The Nars Creamy Concealer in the shade Chantilly is actually the first proper concealer I own…weird right? I never really felt the need for a concealer, and to be honest I could still easily live happily without it. However this doesn’t mean that this concealer is bad. As the name itself suggests, it has a very creamy, thick consistency, and it is so pigmented that you only need a little bit to cover any imperfection, which is good news considering it’s far from being the cheapest concealer out there. I believe I own the lightest shade available, it is a little bit lighter than my already very pale face, however once blended into the skin it is not noticeable anymore. I don’t think I will be repurchasing this product anytime in the future, but if you feel like treating yourself, then go for it, you won’t regret it 🙂
I don’t regret my second purchase from Nars,but I certainly didn’t need a new eyeshadow. I don’t own many, but I always buy the same colours! The colours are not as pigmented than I thought they would be which is a shame because I love how the colours have a tiny bit of glitter, but are still perfect for a simple everyday look. I have the shade Silk Road.

This Dior nail polish in the colour Carré Bleu is a Christmas present from my mother and you will probably recognise it if you have read my previous post. The formula is amazing – this nail polish lasted me 4+ days without a top coat which  is such a long time compared to other brands I have. The colour is simply beautiful, the applicator is very large (but not too large!) and you only need one coat of it.

Finally, I went to Sephora in Paris. Although I often go to Paris, and always walk past the massive Sephora in the Champs Elysées, this was the first time I had ever been inside. I desperately needed a new liquid eyeliner because my much loved Rimmel one is now completely empty and I couldn’t find it anywhere. I went for Sephora’s own brand (I have the normal one, there is also a waterproof version) – although the applicator is not as thin as the Rimmel one, it’s a very good, very black eyeliner which is easy to apply and lasts a long time.
My second and last purchase from Sephora is the Dior It Lash Mascara. My mother kindly bought it to me because she knew I needed a good mascara and she loved the Dior mascaras she had bought years ago. I swear it breaks my heart to say that this mascara didn’t impress me at all… I didn’t even have the courage to tell my mother when she asked me if I liked it. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not a bad mascara, but… It’s so average! I like big, very black lashes with lots of volume, and this mascara doesn’t really do any of these things. Maybe my expectations were just too high… who knows. I definitely will not be repurchasing this mascara in the future. Sorry mum.

Well, that’s it for me! Have you tried any of the products mentioned? What have you bought recently?

Lorraine x

Best (and worst) of 2014

Hello everyone! I know I’m really late with this kind of posts since it’s almost the end of January, however as I mentioned in my previous post I am currently not at home and I have had very little time to blog.. so hopefully you will forgive me! Also apologises for the lack of pictures and quality.. I had to take the cover picture with my phone and I don’t have most of the products mentioned here with me.

This has definitely been a very interesting year: as I started blogging last summer I started trying a lot new products and as a consequence I’ve had the opportunity to discover some great products.. as well as some really bad ones!

Skincare

Bioderma Hydrabio Light is by far the best moisturiser I’ve used in 2014. It was the first Bioderma product I had tried and it certainly didn’t disappoint me. I started using it during the autumn as the weather got colder and I had some dry patches whilst using another moisturiser, and I haven’t had one dry patch since. It might not be the cheapest moisturiser, as well as not being the easiest brand to find in the UK, but if you can find it on offer then it’s great value for money.

Talking about dry patches, my beloved Avène Cicalfate Repair Cream has been my saviour. I haven’t discovered this product last year, but I haven’t loved it any less in 2014, and I will definitely keep using this cream in the future as it is one of the few products I love so much that I am not interested in finding anything better. At only £7.50 this cream is super affordable and if you only use it when you need it it can easily last you for up to two years!

I didn’t think I would ever find a great cleanser as I’ve only ever tried average ones, but Eucerin DermatoCLEAN Refreshing Cleansing Gel proved me wrong.. so wrong that I dedicated an entire blog post on this product! It’s so refreshing on the skin, it cleanses really well and removes make-up perfectly… what more could you ask for?

I’ve always had a love/hate relationship with make-up removers as most of them are way too aggressive on my sensitive eyes, and this year has been no exception. Last year I’ve only found one good make-up remover, which is the La Roche-Posay Physiological eye make-up remover: it is water based and removes make-up effortlessly without irritating my eyes. One thing I’ve recently realised is that it’s very difficult to find products that don’t contain fragrance, which is a problem as perfume seems to be one of the components that irritate my eyes the most. Therefore I should learn to read the labels before buying anything! As you can imagine, I’ve also tried some very bad make-up removers, but the worst one has to be the Avène Micrellar Lotion. I manly use micellar waters to remove make-up, and as you may have noticed all of my favourite products are from pharmacy brands. Which is probably why this product is even more disappointing compared to other bad drugstore micellar waters. Despite this micellar water being targeted for sensitive skin, my eyes can’t stand the fragrance in it and I always end up crying whenever I remove my make-up.

Bodycare

I only have one product to mention in this category: The Body Shop Strawberry Shower Gel. Isn’t this one of the nicest smelling products in the world? Also, a little goes a long way, which is good considering this product is far from being the cheapest shower gel for the amount of product you get. However, I will definitely buy some more when they are on sale!

Haircare

I haven’t been impressed by any shampoo or conditioner last year, but I haven’t hated any either. However, I have found one great and one not-so great dry shampoo. Do you hate that white powder you get with Batiste dry shampoos? Or these powdery residues which make you want to wash your hair as soon as possible? If like me you answered yes, then you will love the Klorane Gentle Dry Shampoo with Oat Milk. No more white powder, how good is that? It leaves you hair feeling really clean and it absorbs all excess oil. The smell is very fresh and natural, probably not something that everyone would like, however it is not overpowering at all and fades really quickly. Again, not the cheapest product for the amount of shampoo you get, but it is an excellent product and you can easily find it on sale online. I’ve already mentioned this product a couple of times, and I keep reading negative reviews about it, so this has to be the worst dry shampoo of 2014. If you have tried it, you probably guessed I am talking about the Aussie Miracle Dry Shampoo Mega Instant. I am so disappointed because this dry shampoo could have been a cheaper alternative to Klorane, as it does not leave any white residues. However I have only been able to use this shampoo three times before the can stopped working. I know these things happen, but half of the reviews I have read are negative because most people have had the same problem!

Make-up

Although I haven’t tried many foundations last year, L’Oreal True Match foundation is the one that impressed me the most. The shade Rose Ivory matches my skin tone perfectly, it feels very light on the skin and the formula is not thick at all.

I’ve only used one eyeliner throughout 2014 and it is the Rimmel Glam Eyes eyeliner. It is such a great product if you want a very precise and black line, plus it lasts a very long time! Rimmel ScandalEyes Precision Micro Eyeliner, on the other hand, didn’t impress me at all, and I haven’t been able to use it properly. It is incredibly dry, not easy at all to use and more grey than black.

Rimmel Stay Matte powder has probably been many people’s favourite powder: it is incredibly light, it keeps my face shine-free for a decent amount of time, and most importantly it does not look cakey at all, as opposed to other compressed powders I’ve tried.

I am going to end this long post with nail polishes. My favourite one is a recent buy and it’s a Dior nail polish in the shade Carré Bleu. The formula is amazing, it stays on for 4-5 days without chipping (which doesn’t sound a lot but it actually is a really long time for me) and the brush is large which makes the application effortless. I love wearing this with my new favourite glitter top coat, Essie’s Summit of Style. I used to wear glitter nail polishes when I was 13/14, but this is so beautiful that I haven’t stop wearing it since I’ve bought it.

That’s it for my 2014 favourites! Again, sorry if this post is late but I haven’t had the time to write this before. What did you love (or hate) the most in 2014? I am really looking forward to trying even more products in 2015!

Lorraine x