Alright, it is time for round two of my 'products I've used up' blog series. I am happy to have made a serious dent in my stash (and as you saw in my latest shopping haul, I've already let myself buy some new products).
I am proud to say that I really refrained from using any of my full size products if I had sample sizes of something that did the same thing. I still have an insane amount of samples left and multiple duplicates of products that essentially do the same thing, but I am making progress! I also will admit to placing an order through the Sephora semi-annual sale last week, but that is being shipped to my Canadian home, so I won't actually see the purchase until the end of July! Sad kitten…
<-- This Clarins Gentle Foaming Cleanser was a very pleasant surprise for me. It was gentle on the skin and lathered up really nicely - I will definitely consider repurchasing this when I run out of my Philosophy Purity cleanser.
The Soap & Glory Hand Food is something I expected to love but didn't. There was such an insane hype over this product. Half of the youtube beauty community said it was a breakthrough hand cream, but to be quite honest I was really disappointed. It left my hands feeling greasy and the scent was okay, but nothing to write home about. The Ombrelle Face Sunscreen in SPF 45 was really just a sunscreen - and I know I should wear this everyday but I honestly hate sunscreen so using this up before it expired was a chore. There is still a tiny bit left in there but it is past date so no point using it up now. The L'Oréal Revitalift Miracle Blur was another one of these duds. It was so thick that it felt like I was tugging at my skin to rub it in, it left my face feeling oily, I didn't see nor feel a difference, the packaging made it difficult to get product out in a normal amount, and the product itself was so weird that I couldn't tell if it was a solid or a gel. Big thumbs down. Next up is the Clairins Extra-Firming Night Moisturizing Cream for Dry Skin. This was way too thick and moisturizing for my skin type, and I have dry skin… It left my face feeling greasy almost to the point where I wanted to take it off. I used it for a week's worth of nights on my face and then finished it by using it on my elbows, knees and feet. The Clarins Multi-Active Day Early Wrinkle Correcting Cream on the other hand was lovely! I probably wouldn't repurchase it simply because I've liked things better, but it is definitely one worth trying out. The Dior Créme Multi-Perfection was another one that I did like, but it was more of a borderline gel formula that probably would be better suited for normal skin types. Dior's One Essential Super Serum is just another serum to me. As I've said before - serums are one thing I haven't found necessary in my routine. I have yet to find one that I like enough to buy full-size, so until that happens, I won't be purchasing one.
Two mascaras were used up this month. Well, one was used up and the other I probably could have kept using but had been using it for way past when I should have been. The one I used up completely is the Benefit They're Real! This is another product I expected to love, and though it was an amazing mascara, is it worth the hefty price tag? This product was really great at adding volume and lengthening in a way that makes your lashes really stand out. (Left - Benefit's They're Real, Right - L'Oréal Voluminous) --> I do understand why people love it so much, but to be quite honest I don't think I would ever purchase this again. In my opinion, I have used several drug store and other high end mascaras that have the same effect on my lashes, so once I use up the ones I have in my stash, I won't be purchasing this again. The L'Oréal Voluminous Waterproof Mascara on the other hand was perfection. I will repurchase and repurchase and repurchase this product in the non-waterproof version. I hate how difficult waterproof mascara is to get off, and my lashes hold a curl pretty well regardless of what I put on them. I am already using the non-waterproof one and will give a full review when I finish it!
Johnson's Baby Shampoo is what I use to clean my makeup brushes. This is probably the 4th bottle of this that I've used and I am using another, but the larger size. I love this very much and it cleans my brushes so well, but I may try Dawn Dish Soap next just to see how it compares. I highly recommend this for deep cleaning your brushes. The St. Ives Apricot Scrub was a fine enough facial exfoliator but I probably wouldn't repurchase it. Not for any reason really, it worked fine, but I just think I would rather experiment and try others. I used up another one of my Bath & Body Works Sweet Pea Body Wash - this is the travel friendly size that I got in a gift set. I do love this body wash so much. It lathers great and smells even better, but as I mentioned I think once I finish all my body washes I will continue to repurchase the Bioderma one in my last 'products I've used up' post. I also used up a deluxe size sample of the Avenue No-Rinse Cleanser and Makeup Remover, which I found to be a very strange product. I have used several cleansing balms in the past and this was definitely not a cleansing balm, though by its description that's what I thought it would be! It really was a no-rinse cleanser… You apply it to your dry face and then use a muslin cloth to remove it. Though this did take off most of my makeup, I went in with my Bioderma afterwards and still had to spend quite some time removing makeup. Plus, it left my skin feeling like I needed to wash it, so obviously this cleanser wasn't doing such a great job.To the left are two types of pore strips. The first of which, the Biore Deep Cleansing Pore Strips are a classic and I will always purchase these. They just work. That being said, I am always willing to try out new brands because I feel like there is more out there. That is why I purchased these Japanese Charcoal Pore Strips, and boy did these work wonders! Not necessarily better than the Biore ones, to be honest the black ones came with a trickier application due to them slipping around a bit upon placing them on your wet nose, but I would still recommend them. I purchased these specific ones at Daiso.
Below are three samples of the Nuxe Reve de Miel Ultra Comfortable Body Cream. I have to say it was ultra comfortable indeed! It felt great on my skin and really hydrated it without making it feel greasy, but I could not stand the smell. I hate to say that I wouldn't repurchase it for that reason alone! I also have used up two more of the Nuxe Huile Prodigieuse Multi-Usage Dry Oil and regret to inform you that my stance is firm, I HATE USING OILS! Hopefully I just need to find the right way of using them. Luckily I have a million more of these samples to experiment with…
These Radical Anti-Aging Restorative Moisture samples were another pleasant surprise from Radical. Moisturising, not greasy and a pleasant smell. The Radical Peptide Infused Anti-Oxidant Serum on the other hand, is less than pleasant. I used up three more of these samples and I am glad they are gone. They smell horrible, they leave the skin looking orange (and still smelling horrible), and their effects are unnoticeable.
That's it for this 'products I've used up' post, but another will be coming shortly! Let me know your thoughts on any of these products and what you've used up recently!
<3 B
