My Empties

Salams everyone!

I hope you all are doing fine, and that you've recovered from you're done with Eid celebrations :) Let's talk beauty! I discovered this new concept, where ladies show their used-up products and review them. It provides better, more thourough reviews, since the products are used to the last drop. After a certain amount of time, you can see how your face/body reacts to them. Also, it allows you to assess the type of consumer you are. I, for instance, have realized I'm big on skin and body care, as a result, spend more on it than on makeup.

These are the emties I've been collecting for a little while. Here goes!

 

Oatmeal --  I commented on my newly found love a while back, and I'm still in love with this product! I use it in the morning, apply, leave it on for a few minutes, rinse off, still works its magic! I'm all the more happy that it's so cheap and long-lasting, which isn't always the case with conventional face cleansers. I've bought my third pack, I heart it. :)

Bioderma Cleansing Milk -- A good cleansing milk, lasted me a little while, removed most of my makeup without too much work. Would repurchase.

Sephora Soothing Cleansing Milk -- This product came up as a good surprise! I discovered this a few years ago, and being a Sephora-branded product, I didn't expect much of it. It proved to be a good, unexpensive makeup remover. It lasted me about a year, so you'd get a bang for your buck with this.

Melvita Damask Rose Floral Water -- I think I've found my HG toner. :) This rose water does everything I want: it leaves my skin moisturized, soothed, refreshed. Other toners I've tried made my skin feel uncomfortable, either too dry, coated, or plain uncomrfortable. The only downside is that this product is not available in all pharmacies/drugstores, nothing the Internet can't fix!

Embryolisse Rosamélis Beauty Toner -- I've been drawn to this toner because of its components. It's a blend of rose, orange flower water, cornflower and witch hazel, all known for their moisturizing and calming properties. It left a slight residue on my skin, which I didn't mind since my skin seemed to be more tender when I purchased it, and needed added moisture. Now that it's back to normal, I'd rather go for a more lightweight toner.

Lavera Q10 Hand Cream -- A really good hand cream, with organic + rejuvenating ingredients. It made my hands, cuticle and nails really moisturized.  My skin looked really glowy and tense, so I could tell the Q10 was there. It's pretty cheap, given the contents. Plus, all you need is a pea-size amount to do the trick. Its fast-absorbing abilites and its tiny size make it a perfect product for on the go. Will definitely repurchase (I already did :).

Les Cosmétiques Protective Hand Cream -- A drugstore brand hand cream. I bought it out of curiosity -- and because I needed a hand cream. Honestly, I didn't think it would turn out to be such a great hand lotion. It contains moisturizing agents, such as honey, to keep the skin nourished. It does the job very well, a little goes a long way, it's dirt cheap, easy to get, the perfect back-up hand cream when you need one quick!

Yves Rocher Repair Lotion -- This was a free sample that I got when I bought another product from the brand. At that point, I was running out of quality Shea Butter, so I used this as a replacement. I used it on the whole body, as well as on the dryest parts, like hands and feet. It didn't create a protective barrier like Shea Butter does, but it lived up to its claims, my skin was moisturized and nourished. This would be a nice lotion to have handy in the colder months.

Avène Cicalfate Repair Lotion -- A great cream containing restoring and antibacterial ingredients, ideal for recovering, irritated skin. A few months back, I've suffered from mild skin irritation, this product has helped solve the problem. It comes in a small tube, but the thick, concentrated consitency will go a long way. It's also great to soothe freshly waxed skin. I keep it in my stash, and if I feel any discomfort, I bring out the bad boy, and the matter is over with!

Embryolisse Lait-Crème Concentré -- I don't think I need to introduce this one to you. The heavily-raved face cream has earned countless praises in the blogosphere/YT world for its remarkable moisturizing abilities. I've already reviewed it a while back. Now, I noticed something strange about it: in the summer days, it would make my face hotter, not that mask effect, but more like a sensation of heat. So, when the days get warmer, I switch to lighter moisturizers. As soon as the French weather gets back to its grumpy, cloudy self, I bring my beloved back. :)

Amilab Moisturizing Lipbalm -- I wanted to switch up my lipbalms, so when I saw this favorite of mine on sale, I jumped on the occasion. Well, the product had nothing to do with the on I fell in love with years ago! First of all, the tubes have shrunken, so that's less bang for your buck. Plus, the consistency was so hard, it was impossible to apply without ending up with multiple layers and that oh-so-attractive whitish residue on your lips T.T. I couldn't use it outside, so I turned it into a night-time lip treatment. I'm not sure whether I got a wrong batch or the formula has changed, but something went wrong.

Body Shop Olive Oil Body Scrub -- A product my sister brought me, she knows I'm into skincare :) When it comes to body exfoliation, the good old exfoliating glove is a staple of mine. It's fast, easy to use, doesn't turn the bathtub into a slippery mess, and you can combine it with your favorite soaps and shower gels. I'm not that into body scrubs, but since I got it, I thought I'd give it a shot. I'd say it's a good one, exfoliates without being too abrasive on the skin, leaves the skin moisturized. It works pretty well on the roughest parts of the body, like feet, elbows, and knees.

Body Shop Cocoa Butter Beautifying Oil -- Another gift from my lovely sister! It's a good, multi-purpose oil. I was a bit overwhelmed by the sweet, fruity scent of the product, nothing too serious, though. It does the job, but I personally prefer natural oils, like coconut or argan oil, I find them to be cheaper, and more efficient.

Coconut Oil -- Although I own other oils, it was so raved about that I wanted to test it out. I bought it from the Indian store. I have to say the quality is meh. It's really grainy, doesn't have any specific smell -- I think it's been processed and refined, what you'd want to avoid to get all the nutrients. Nevertheless, it's still a nice way to be introduced to an oil without spending loads.

Avène Cicalfate Drying Repair Lotion -- A liquidy lotion, that I use as a deodorant, in remplacement for my trusted lemon, which I liked, but needed a changed from. This lotion is gentle and efficient, as it contains repairing + antibacterial ingredients. The downside is, you need to repurchase often, since the bottle is so little.

Fructis Nutri-Repair Fortyfying Conditioner -- Such a good surprise! I randomly picked it up at the super market, little did I know it would work wonders! I use it right after I shampoo/conditioner wash to bring back moisture into the hair. I leave it on for 5-10 mn, and my hair is back to soft, moisturized and supple. :)

Shea Moisture Deep Treatment Mask -- This was given to me by my product-junkie cousin. This is perfect to use to restore dry hair. It has a really thick consistency, similar to shea butter, so it's easier to use on damp hair. Smells really nice, with organic ingredients, it left my hair really soft, but it's more like a heavy-duty hair mask to me, I think it's good to have in the stash as an emergency product.

Elasta QP Olive Oil & Mango Butter -- My holy grail moisturizer. This hair cream was so praised on the hairbords that I decided to try it out. Best. Decision. Ever. It makes my hair really moisturized and light, with no residue, my hair is soft and fluffy. Nicely enough, the brand is  available on various beauty online stores, and at a fair price. And trust me, for what you pay, you get a lot! After using this, I don't even consider trying out another hair moisturizer!

Aphogee Keratin & Green Tea Restructurizer -- Another product given to me by my hair fanatic of a cousin. :) This seemed to be a miracle in a bottle, but it wasn't worth the hype to me. Although it's supposed to be a multi-purpose product, it didn't do anything special for me. I didn't get any adverse reaction, but there was just no added bonus to my hair. I wouldn't repurchase -- I didn't in the first place. ;)

Yves Rocher 360 Lenght Mascara -- Another product from one of our local brands. A brand which I tend to overlook. I'd tried several of their mascaras in the past, and they always gave me nice-looking lashes. That was before Maybelline and 'em distracted me. I'm back to these and I don't regret it. The 360 Lenght Mascara gives me fullness, lenght and curve in seconds! The older the mascara, the drier the formula, the better with this one! When it's time to buy mascara again, I will look into this one and his counterparts more closely. :)

MAC Concealer -- A concealer that I picked. As most of the MAC skin products I've tried, this works great. It matched my skin perfectly, doesn't look overdone, it's long-lasting... What can I say, it's good stuff!

BeneFit Fake Up Concealer -- I wanted to use this as a remplacement for my MAC concealer. The product is surrounded by Vitamin E, to moisturize the undereye area. It highlights as it hides imperfections, kinda like the YSL Radiant Touch, my all-time fave. It sounded really nice, but I had doubts about its crease-control abilities, given all the Vit. E in the product. I was wrong: it's fast and easy to use, perfect for when you're in a rush, blends easily. It did a good job of adding light to undereyes, and any other part of my face that needs it. It's a great product that I'd like to buy again!

KIKO Brow Pencil -- I don't have problematic brows, I just like them to be neat-looking. This product, although 98 % of it is gone, gives my brows the structure they need. You can build it up the intensity with extra strokes or pair it with another brow product. It matches my hair so well, it's amazing. I only wish it would be a tad bit drier, other than that, no complaints! Of course, as my European sisters probably know, KIKO is dirt cheap, and this product lasted me more than a year, imagine!