In the wonderful world that we live in, there are many different ways to get the low down on the stuff that lives in the bathroom. And while it is wonderful that there are loads of people reviewing beauty products for us, I have decided to take a different approach, I’m going to show you guys my rubbish. Sure, this might seem like a strange way to tell you about beauty products but it’s a unique way at least. The idea is, I use the products up completely and then tell you about the empties.
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You can buy my empties (but full size)
As normal, I have provided you lovely people with affiliate links. If you fancy buying some of this empties stuff for yourself then you can click the links here. You get the product that you want and the site gets a small commission. Doesn’t that make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside? No? Not really? Alright then….
Rigel Teeth Whitening Strips
RIGEL Professional On The Go Teeth Whitening Strips
I had featured these strips in a past beauty edit but I stopped using them after I had done the review. To be honest, I forgot that I had them. Anyway, once I quit smoking I remembered I had them and started using them again. For any teeth whitening product going up against a smoker, it is going to be an uphill struggle. And they did kind of work when I was a smoker. But now that I have completely stopped, I can see the difference that the strips made. Wow! And what I really liked about them was how they could get into the gaps between my teeth and get the stains from there too.
Cussons Pure Hand Wash in Fruit Salad
6 X Cussons Pure Fruit Salad Antibacterial Liquid Hand Wash 500ml each
I love having a tasty handwash in the bathroom and this one smelt just like fruit salad sweeties. With having myself, two kids, a husband, and a kajillion different pets, hand washing is important and happens a lot. This was a big bottle that managed to survive an entire month in my house. That’s impressive! The plus side to having a nice smelling handwash is two-fold. One- the yummy smell encourages the little ones to wash their hands, and two- when you have just dealt with cat poo, it’s nice to have a nice smell waft up at you from the sink.
ActiDerm Lipo Sculpting Fluid
This is another product that was featured a while back and that has only just been finished. I really liked this stuff but it is a shame that you need to go through a rep to get it. I’m sorry but I find sales reps to be really pushy and annoying these days! I know we all got bills to pay but that doesn’t mean that I have the money to buy off you every month! Anywho, enough ranting about that. This stuff really worked, I have no idea how the science behind it works but it does. The only way that I can describe it is my belly became jelly. Fat in my stomach (and everywhere else) is pretty solid and a complete bitch to shift. This stuff comes with two bandages so you can do a compress wrap in your living room. Afterwards, the lard that was my belly (it was that solid) became more fluid like. And because it was all soft, it was ten times easier to shift! Hurray!
Vichy Idealia Smoothing and Illuminating Cream
Vichy Idealia Smoothing & Illuminasting Bream Normal To Combination Skin 50ml
This was a little sample size I was sent ages ago but I only got around to using it there. This cream had a really nice smell and was really moisturising. The effect that the cream is supposed to give is “even skin texture and complexion, smoothes wrinkles”. I will admit, years of smoking have left me with some fine lines around the mouth. Ladies, if you smoke, you will get them. Thankfully this little tub helped to iron them out before they could really set in and become saggy jowls. Overall I was pretty happy with this and I would imagine that continued use over a few weeks (rather than the couple of days I got out of the little tub) would give you some lasting effects that will make you rethink your foundation.
Pantene Instant Repair and Overnight Spray
I used this stuff on and off for months. It’s not that I didn’t like it, it was just one of those things. Mainly, I didn’t use it until I had to use it, if that makes sense? My husband had gotten me this from somewhere and it was an import. The instructions on the back were tiny and didn’t explain much. Only that you had to spray it on the full length of your hair and leave it overnight. That was fine and I did notice it had worked the next day. My only problem was I had no idea how often I should use it. Once a week? More than that? Less than that? Who knows? So I used it when I thought I should, so the bottle lasted ages. I would use this again but I would get the bottle in English so I know how to get the best out of it.
InstaNatural Argan Oil hair mask
This big tub of awesome was sent to me for free to review ages ago. Like, really ages ago. I was working at another website ages ago. Anyway, I finally got around to finishing the tub, mainly because it was so huge. Another reason was I had gone off it for a while. Honestly, for a while there I got sent nothing but argan oil stuff for my hair and after a while of nothing but argan oil products, my hair got a bit weighted down. But never mind my yapping, I did really like it. What I liked the most was how you could use it. If you left it on for ten minutes, it was a hair mask. But, if you ran out of conditioner, you could use this stuff daily by leaving it on for a few minutes.
Tesco Real Extracts Cranberry Shower Gel
This might come as a shock to you but yes, I do use Tesco products on my fair skin. I had gotten this as part of a Christmas present and it was pretty decent. I go through shower gel like…well I can’t think of a nice way of putting it. Trust me, it’s a lot in the month. This was a dinky little bottle that smelt lovely. I know, cranberry is more of a Christmas scent but even in the early spring, it was still nice and fruity to use. This only lasted a couple of days in my shower but I enjoyed it while it lasted.
L’Oreal Elvive Smooth-Intense Anti-Frizz Conditioner
L’Oréal Paris Elvive Smooth-Silk Intense Anti-Frizz Conditioner, 400ml
This was another argan oil hair product, but this one wasn’t a freebie. My husband had picked this out for me. He saw all of the argan oil stuff in the bathroom, spotted this on offer, and got it for me. Bless his little cotton socks! This stuff worked really well for my hair after swimming. My daughter has the worst hair (we are talking so coarse that it matts together) so this was a god-send for her. I didn’t have the shampoo to go with this so I have no idea if it works better with it but on its own with a random shampoo, it was pretty good.
Avon Advance Techniques Instant Repair 7 Shampoo and Conditioner
I used to love Avon shampoo when I was younger. My teenage hair loved it. My grown-up hair is a different matter. Would the new Advance Techniques be a match made in heaven with my old lady hair? ……..Sort of. I’ll be honest, this was ok. The shampoo gave a good lather, the conditioner left my hair nice and soft. Overall, it was a winner but it didn’t have the “repair” factor that I expected, if that makes sense. But what it lacked in that area, it made up for being great for everyday use.
Collection Pressed Powder
Collection Pressed Powder – 03 Translucent
I love cheap makeup! There, I said it. No harm to the beauty industry but I am not in a position to spend £20+ on a pressed powder, not when I only use a tiny bit at a time to help set my foundation and prevent shine. This powder from Collection does everything that I need it to do. At the minute, I’m trying to find my feet with all the techniques that are in vogue for beauty. And I am not using expensive stuff when I am experimenting and messing it up. I’m happy with this powder, it’s cheap and cheerful and does what I need it to. Can’t say more than that.
Cuccio Pomegranate and Fig Body Butter
Cuccio Pomegranate And Fig Butter Blend 8oz – 3088
When I got this I did not like it at all. That sounds terrible, doesn’t it? But it is true. When I first opened it, the smell was really intense and it was too much for my wee nose. It was only when I started using it on my feet (to avoid the smell) that I realised that it was actually nice. The butter was thick but not so thick that it didn’t absorb into the skin. And it didn’t take forever to absorb in either. The smell, despite being really strong in the tub, was really nice once it was on your skin.
Nivea Daily Essentials Gentle Eye Makeup Remover
Nivea Daily Essentials Extra Gentle Eye Make-Up Remover, 125ml
This was by the far the biggest disappointment of the empties collection. Now, don’t get me wrong, it was gentle on the eyes. But, I wear a lot of eye makeup and I just couldn’t cut it with my eyeliner and mascara. This stuff left too much makeup around my eyes. I actually used this, washed my face with soap (including the eye area) and used it again, and I still had makeup around my eyes. If I only wore eyeshadow, no eyeliner or mascara, then it removed my makeup fine. But anything more than that and it was kind of useless.