My First Empties Post!!

Guten Tag!

I really like reading empties posts because unlike a haul you can actually say whether you like the product or not and if you would purchase it again. I have managed to collect a small handful of empty products over the past few months! Most of the products are skincare with a few haircare thrown in.

Hair Products

 After going through the products in the bathroom and finding at least 8 different shampoos, I made it my mission to use them up before purchasing anymore! "Glad Hair Day" by Soap & Glory was one of the last ones I used because the scent put me off. I do really love Soap & Glory a lot but a few of their products (especially the righteous butter which I do think is amazing apart from the scent) have a fragrance which I am just not a big fan of at all.  This shampoo has a milder form of this scent. But when it was the only shampoo left I had no choice. How glad am I that there was no other option that day! 

I absolutely love this shampoo! Whenever you read hair products they claim they can make your hair dreams come true and make your hair completely flawess and fix every imperfection you have ever experienced when styling your hair. It doesn't make your hair perfect but it does exactly all the things it claims to, "gloss, smooth, repair, strengthen". My hair has definitely felt smoother and there has been a noticeable difference on the ends of my hair. I have been attempting to grow my hair since January and the longer it gets the more attention it needs. It has felt flat and quite dry but this shampoo has given my hair a complete overhaul. I was always a believer of "lather, rinse and ALWAYS repeat" but with this there is absolutely no need. One application is enough which saves time and money because you are not having to go out and repurchase it all the time and at £5.50 I am extremely glad of this. I used this up about two weeks ago and haven't had a chance to buy it again and I have noticed a difference since I stopped using it. My hair feels drier and is a little frizzier than normal. I will definitely be repurchasing this and all the "Glad Hair Day" range and I have managed to get past the scent of this product after seeing what it has done to my hair!

 My "use up all the shampoos" mission extended to conditioners and this is one of my favourites. It is the John Frieda Brilliant Brunette Moisturising conditioner and is £5.59 from boots. I used to be a believer (or a complete sucker) in using the same brand of shampoo and conditioner because it will have better results but I have now realised that it makes little or no difference. I have used this conditioner on and off for a few years now and I love it. It really conditions your hair and leaves it soft all day.  I have found that some conditioners only make your hair soft when you are actually applying the product. The second you rinse it the nice softness disappears. But this conditioner leaves your hair feeling really soft with a nice shine and like the Soap & Glory shampoo a little goes a long way so you don't have to keep repurchasing it which is always a bonus!

Skincare

 As if anything else needs to be written, blogged, vlogged about the Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser. This cleanser has completely changed my life. 

Now that statement might sound a bit dramatic but when you have spent years and a lot of money searching for the perfect cleanser for dry sensitive skin that doesn't aggravate eczema then that response is understandable! My best friends got me this for my birthday and I will be forever grateful to them for that. I love everything about this product. It has made my skin softer and brighter. This will forever be in my group of holy grail beauty products. 

I got this Liz Earle Instant Boost Skin Tonic with boots vouchers I got for my birthday in May. This tonic has all the same great qualites as the hot cloth cleanser. It is extremely gentle and it brightens the skin. A lot of toners I have used in the past have left my skin feeling quite tight but I haven't felt that with this tonic at all. I also really love the packaging.  The cap twists up and down so there is no need to mess about with lids and it doesn't allow for the entire contents to spill out when you first use it. As with the cleanser I will be adding this to my list of holy grail products. 

(Apologies for the bottle looking a tad squished, it has since been "CUT IN HALF" in an attempt to get the last of the product out!)

I purchased this "Neutrogena pink grapefruit oil-free moisturiser" after I was advised by my doctor to get an oil free moisturiser even though I have extremely dry skin. I have completely forgotten the reason why this was a better option for dry skin but I definitely feel a difference since using it. I thought it wouldn't moisturise my skin the same but I was very wrong. The consistency of this product is very light and incredibly moisturising. It makes my skin feel refreshed and I have actually found that it works really well as a primer for my make up. The only thing I would say is that the scent is quite strong. I didn't realise when I was buying this that there is a fragrance free version so I will be picking that one up next time. This is a really good quality product for a great price (£3.33 from Boots). 

This "Enchanted Eye Cream" is from Lush and it is £11.50. I love lush. I had never really got anything from there except bath bombs until I was researching eye creams and this product had a lot of great reviews. I have to agree with the reviews I read. This is a really nice cream. It is a very light, gentle cream ideal for use in such a sensitive area as around the eye. I would say that this does make your eyes appear brighter and it it does soothe puffiness but for me it hasn't diminished my dark circles at all. This wouldn't stop me from buying the product again as I will probably have dark circles no matter what product I use. However just for variety I think I am going to try the Liz Earle eye cream as I have heard great things about that as well. This enchanted eye cream is a tad pricey for only 45g but that amount goes a ridiculously long way. I bought this in January and now in August it is only just coming to an end. I also love the packaging. I think most products like moisturisers and foundations should have a pump applicator because you don't waste as much product! 

Now  I have an excuse for a boots visit to repurchase all my favourite empties products on payday!! 

What products have you been using up recently? 

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Elf Loves Collection! - Part Dos

Bonjour!

And so to the second part of the Elf Loves Collection! - Lips & Face 

Lips

This lip tint is £3.50 and is in the shade "blush". It is incredibly moisturising and gives the lips a nice subtle colour, more than a lip balm less than a lipstick. I really like this product but if I were buying it I would probably have went for one of the darker shades like "berry", a deeper pinky, purple colour. This just gives me an excuse to add another thing to my evergrowing elf wishlist!

This lipstick is £1.50 and is in the shade "nude pink". This will be my first negative review of an elf product! First of all the colour is nothing like the colour on the website. It looks more like one of the other shades, "baby lips". Secondly this has a peppermint scent which  I am not a fan of at all as I feel that it actually makes my lips chapped (I'm weird I know). However this is just my personal opinion and if you are a fan of lip products such as the burts bees peppermint lip balm or carmex then you will probably like this liquid lipstick and at £1.50 it is still great value.

The last lip product included in the collection is the super glossy lip shine in "strawberry". This gloss smells amazing and it is "super glossy" on the lips. I did find it moisturising but slightly sticky at the same time (if that's even possible!). I don't tend to wear lip gloss but I would maybe put this on top of one of my lipsticks if I was going out of a night, just to give my lips a nice shine. 

Face

 "These lightly dusted shimmer sheets create a gorgeous glow on the apples of the cheeks". I have to be honest, it wasn't until I read this that I had a clue how to use these. When I opened the packet there was an explosion of glitter all over my room. Even now, a month after I received them I still find random bits of glitter in my room. It went too far when I found a speck of glitter on my toothbrush! How does that even happen?! I'm sure in the hands of someone who knows how to use these properly, you would achieve a nice glittery glow but I have only managed to make myself look like a disco ball! These are in the shade bronze and are £3.75 for 20 sheets.

This blusher is in the shade "glow". This is a really nice colour, a pale pinky peach shade. It is fairly pigmented and blends really nicely. It has a nice shimmer to it which I don't usually like in a blusher but this gives off a natural glow rather than just a shiny face (which I try to avoid)! My only complaint would be the brush that you get with it. It is quite rough and scratchy and the bristles were already falling out of it when I got it. Apart from that, this is a really nice blusher for £2.50.

This is my absolute favourite product I got in the collection and that is purely down to the scent of these wipes. I want to eat them (judge me until you smell them). They are vanilla and coconut lotion wipes that can be used wherever needed to moisturise and hydrate the skin. There are have many different scents available on the website but if I was buying them I would've definitely picked these ones anyway. They are super moisturising and if I haven't already mentioned they smell amazing (like summer). I will definitely be repurchasing these!

I was really happy with the majority of this collection and it was a great opportunity to try products which I might not have picked myself!! 

What are your favourite elf products? Have you tried any of the products mentioned? 

History Never Repeats.

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Elf Loves Collection! - Part Uno

I love Elf!

 Since Nikki (Lunar Lights) introduced me to it last year I now have a slight addiction. At one point actually considering just buying everything on the site so I would own it all. However the lack of funds and the fact that I don't actually need everything quickly stopped me!

 So imagine how excited I was when I found out that E.L.F were giving away their Elf Loves Collection for free when you spent £20. I couldn't resist!!

When it arrived, I was so excited to open the box, it was like a mini Christmas!! 

I did fear that I was going to receive three products that came to the total of £25 so I was happy with the amount of products I got! The only thing is it was heavy on the eye products (I can't complain though when I got it all for free) hence why I have divided this into two posts!

Eyes

This brightening eye colour is in the shade "silver lining".  These eye shadows are good if you are just wanting a little colour as they are not very pigmented. I especially like this because I am always scared of applying too much and looking like I am going out for halloween! These eyeshadows are very buildable and the lighter colours definitely do make the eyes appear brighter. The only thing i would say is that they are leaning more towards a glittery effect than a subtle shimmer which is what I prefer to achieve with an eyeshadow but they would be great for a nightout and at £1.50 they are great value too!

This glitter eyeshadow is £2.50 and is in the shade "nature girl". It is a silvery grey with undertones of a darkish green colour. This is a really pigmented eyeshadow especially when compared with the brightening eye colour so I would advise applying this lightly at first. It is a nice product I would say more so for night time use rather than daytime. 

This eyeshadow duo is a great product. I actually can't believe it is only £1.50. It is great quality and is fairly pigmented. This particular one is in the shade "berry mix". The two shades are really nice neutral colours and when blended together they create a nice subtle shimmer which highlights the eye beautifully. 

This waterproof eyeliner is again £1.50 (I love elf) and is in the shade "coffee". Before even using this I was just so happy to see that it was a brown shade rather than just normal black. Whenever I used to buy eyeliner I always just went for black but then would never be happy with the results. I have brown/hazel eyes and I felt using it made my dark circles look darker and made me look like  I hadn't slept for weeks. It was only when Nikki bought me a brown eyeliner pencil as part of my Christmas present that I realised, of course brown would be a much more natural colour for me than the harshness of a black eyeliner. This eyeliner  is in a really nice dark brown shade. It applies really easily and it doesn't drag the eye or feel scratchy. It is a great quality product which I would repurchase!

This pencil is £1.50 and Is in the shade "grassy green". I really like the colour (it reminds me of Wicked) and isn't too glittery plus I love the sharpener on the lid (I am a sucker for packaging). This eyeliner blends really well  but it doesn't have great staying power. Also I have a slight fear of wearing really bold colours, unless I was going on a night out or (in the case of this colour) I was going to see wicked , so I don't think I would wear this that often. 

Overall I was pretty happy with these products especially since they were free and they make a nice addition to my ever growing elf collection! In my next post I will be reviewing the lips and face products I received as part of this collection!

Are there any other elf addicts out there? Did any of you take advantage of this offer?

History Never Repeats.

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