Project Empties #19

This month I have been focusing on working through the stash of sample size products that I have. I was saving them for occasions where I travel and need smaller size products, however I haven't got any travel plans for the near future, so it made sense to use them.

Of the products that I finished this month, I would repurchase the L'Occitane Essential Oils 3 Shower Gel, which I really liked the scent of, even though it isn't a scent I would usually go for. It has a mix of mint, pine and rosemary essential oils in and smells like a lovely mix of them and almost has a citrusy twist to it. I would also repurchase the Boots Vitamin E facial oil. I have a review of the Superdrug one here, but it also applies to the Boots one as they are basically the same thing. The Superdrug Aqua Hydrating Serum is another product that I would buy again, as it left my skin feeling soft and hydrated all day long. It has a light-weight consistency and sinks into the skin really quickly.

I'm undecided about whether or not I would repurchase the Lancome Bi-Facil Eye Makeup Remover, as it did a fairly good job at removing my eye makeup. However I don't usually like oily makeup removers, as they tend to leave an oil residue. The Avene Redness Relief Moisturiser is another product I'm unsure about. It has a rather plasticky smell, which I didn't really like and at first I didn't think it had much of an effect on my skin. However, after about 10 minutes, the redness in my skin did look decreased and my skin looked evened out, but on a day to day basis, I don't have the time to wait 10 minutes for my moisturiser to sink in and even out any redness. I can't really remember the scent of Thierry Mugler Alien, as I finished the sample at the beginning of the month. It's definitely a scent that I wouldn't have chosen straight away, as I tend to opt for sweeter perfumes. However, as far as I can remember, I grew to like it but unfortunately the sample ran out once I had changed my mind! I'll have to go and have a sniff at this next time I'm out shopping to see whether or not I actually like it.

I wouldn't repurchase the Clinique All About Eyes eye cream. I got this free with Glamour magazine a while back and when I first started using it, I really enjoyed it and bought a few back ups. Now, I'm not sure about it as I don't feel like it really did much.

What have you finished this month?

Thank you for reading. xoxo, Joy

Project Empties #14

This month has been quite a successful empties month. A lot of the products were products that were half full and had been hanging around for a while, so I am glad that I have finally finished some of them.

Starting from the left, going clockwise:

The Body Shop Brazil Nut Body Butter

Review: This smells yummy and the scent lingers, which is great. I hate moisturisers which smell nice in the tub, but the scent doesn't transfer on the skin. This left my skin feeling so soft and never felt greasy.

Will I repurchase? Yes

Impulse City Collection 'London'

Review: I love body sprays, as they're great to throw into your bag and use on to go. This one has a lovely sweet scent, which some may find sickly but I really like it.

Will I repurchase? I'm not sure if this collection was limited edition, but if it wasn't - Yes

Garnier Pure Active Spot Purifying Toner

Review: This was a nice toner that left my skin feeling fresh. It had a slightly clinical smell, which was a little off putting. I like that it has 2% salicylic acid in, as salicylic acid helps with blemishes. It claims to fight spots and fade marks. To be honest, I didn't notice any difference in my skin when using this.

Will I repurchase? No

Soap and Glory Face Soap & Clarity Foaming Face Wash

Review: This cleanser was alright. It was an effective cleanser and left my skin feeling soft. It foams up slightly, but never left my skin feeling dried out or tight. This cleanser had little pink beads, which get absolutely everywhere!

Will I repurchase? Maybe

Origins High Potency Brightening Pads

Review: Here

Will I repurchase? Yes

Garnier Body Tonic Sugar Scrub

Review: Here

Will I repurchase? Yes

Fade Out Active Fade Cream

Review: This cream has an awful scent and can feel quite heavy on the skin. However, it truly works. I used this on my body where I have some areas of pigmentation and it seriously helped lighten them and even out the skin tone. It does take time, but it's worth the wait.

Will I repurchase? Yes

Elemis Balancing Lavender Facial Mist (Free GWP)

Review: This smelt lovely and felt refreshing on the face. If you spray too much, it can leave your skin feeling a little sticky but I like having a small face spray in my bag to refresh my makeup every now and again.

Will I repurchase? Yes

Caudalie Beauty Elixir

Review: Here

Will I repurchase? YES

Tesco Cucumber Cleansing Wipes

Review: These are my favourite face wipes. I have repurchased them so many times now. They're great for the lazy days where you can't be bothered or after nights out.

Will I repurchase? Yes

Avène TriAcnéal

Review: Here

Will I repurchase? Yes

Phew! I hope my Project Empties progress continues, as I really want to downsize my skincare and make up collection. I have way too much stuff for one person to use!

What have you finished this month?

Thank you for reading. xoxo, Joy

Review: Avène TriAcnéal

I first came across the Avène TriAcnéal while browsing the skincare ranges in Boots, but was put off by the price - £23 for 30ml. Then I had a look around online for reviews, as I'm not one to purchase things on a whim, and came across the reviews on Make Up Alley. It had a 4.4 out of 5 rating on, which completely swayed it for me! I had a look around online and found it on eBay for approximately £14 (including postage).

TriAcnéal has 3 active ingredients: Efectiose to reduce inflammations, Retinaldehyde to eliminate imperfections and Glycolic acid, a powerful exfoliant to smooth skin's surface (Boots.com).

I do like this product as it does help with my breakouts. I haven't noticed much difference in blackheads or the closed skin-colour comedones that are predominantly on my forehead, which is a little annoying as these are what the majority of my skin imperfections are. But I have found that it is good on spots that are brewing under the skin and for helping to shrink those big beastly spots. I plaster it on those at night and the next day, the spot doesn't appear and has shrunk. However be careful when applying a large quantity onto small areas, as this product contains glycolic acid and can leave you with a minor acid burn.

With a bit of trial and error, I find this works best when you use a large quantity of product on a smaller area, rather than thinnly blended onto larger areas of skin. I have also found that it's best to not put any moisturiser on on top of it, as I find that it lessens the effects of the TriAcnéal.

Unlike other typical spot treatments, I experienced no irritation to my skin. I had no dryness or redness either, which is great as I have used other spot treatments (e.g. high % of Benzoyl Peroxide) which have left my skin looking burnt and feeling sore. I did find that it can sting on application on open skin, but that only lasts momentarily. It has a light floral type smell, which I personally find quite pleasant.

It is recommended that you only use this once a day, so I have been using it every night for the past few months. You are best off using this at night, because it comes out a creamy yellow, but dries to a bright yellow on the skin! If you blend it to a thin layer over the skin, it doesn't look as obvious. I have to also add, be careful if you have white or light coloured pillow cases!

Avène TriAcnéal

It comes in a handy tube, which is nice and hygienic. It generally works well, as you can squeeze out as little or as much as you want. However, sometimes the product comes out super fast, resembling a thin thread and ends up wrapped around the nozzle and making a mess.

It is quite a pricey product at it's RRP (£23), especially in comparison to over Avène products which usually retail somewhere between £6-£15, however like I said before you can find it online for cheaper. The tube does last for a long time though, as you really don't need a lot, so it does end up being cost-effective.

Have you ever tried this product?

I'm really liking Avène products at the moment. Are there any that you would recommend?

Thank you for reading. xoxo, Joy

Collective Haul

I'm sorry I haven't been blogging very regularly lately. I have had writer's block for a while now, which ultimately made me post less as I didn't know what to blog about. I have also been super busy with uni, as I am in my final year (eek!). Hopefully posts will become regular again soon - Probably around March time :)

Today I have a collective haul from the past few weeks to share with you. I say it in the video, but sorry that some of the stuff has been worn! I think it's nice to keep the labels on for hauls, but I can never wait to wear new clothes! Is anyone else like that? Hope you enjoy :)


Thank you for watching. xoxo, Joy

Project Empties #8

Hey everyone! I hope you all had an amazing Christmas and I hope Santa got you everything you wanted! :D

Today I have a few finished products to share with you. I've realised that I hardly ever have any finished make-up to show! So I really need to make more of an active effort to start working through my collection as I am trying to downsize. Let's hope there are some more make-up items in my next Project Empties post!


Avene Extremely Gentle Cleanser Review: To be honest, this cleanser isn't really anything special. However I really liked it! It's super gentle, which was great for times when my skin was feeling delicate or when I broke out and it is pretty effective at removing make-up. I like that it's scentless and you get a generous amount of product for £8 or so. Would I repurchase? Yes
Clarisonic Gentle Hydro Cleanser Review: This had a strong cucumbery scent, which I didn't like and I didn't like the texture of it either. I liked that it was nice and gentle, so it's perfect for sensitive skin. It worked well with my Clarisonic, however I used it a few times on its own and didn't find that it was a particularly great cleanser. It didn't dry out my skin and left it feeling clean and soft.   Would I repurchase? No

No7 Radiance Revealed Exfoliator Review: Here Would I repurchase? Yes
Clean&Clear Shine Control Daily Facial Moisturiser  Review: This moisturiser was a bit pants to be honest. It claims to help control shine, but I found that it made no difference. It is a light moisturiser, which I sometimes felt wasn't moisturising enough. It has a lovely citrus and zingy scent, which is nice for the mornings.  Would I repurchase? No
Boots Witch Hazel Review: I've been using this witch hazel as a toner or as part of my DIY toner. It's a great size bottle for only £2-ish and it has lasted me ages. Would I repurchase? Yes
Clearasil Overnight Serum  Review: I bought this on a whim, as I was looking at in Boots (for £7-something) and then saw it for sale in none other than Poundland! It made no difference whatsoever on my breakouts and I'm glad I only paid £1 for this.  Would I repurchase? No
Next Diamonds Review: This is supposedly a dupe of Dior's 'Miss Dior Cherie'. I'm not sure if it is, but it is a lovely sweet and girlie perfume. I thought it was a perfect scent for summer, so wore it loads through the summer and autumn months, before recently transitioning to a heavier scent (Chanel 'Coco Mademoiselle', in case you're wondering). I had this for approximately a year and a half and noticed that the scent changed a little as I neared the end of the bottle, so I would advise to get through this quickly if you do purchase it. It's a great price at only £6 for 30ml! Would I repurchase? Yes
L'Oreal Voluminous Review: Here Would I repurchase? Yes    Finished Products: 8 Accumulative Finished Items from December 2010 to December 2011: 40! What have you finished up recently? Thanks for reading. xoxo, Joy

Recent Purchases

Happy Valentine's Day to you all! ♥

I quickly popped into a couple of stores today whilst I was in town and bought a number of things. I decided to document it in a video, because I thought it would be fun to mix up my posts a bit and have something different to just posting pictures, like I normally do. I also thought it would be less time consuming since I didn't need to resize and tag all my photos, however I forgot that I'd have to edit the video, oops. Once I'd gotten the hang of iMovie, editing the video didn't take me as long as I thought.

I was a little hesitant in posting the video, but I thought I would to see what reaction I get and to ask if it's something that you guys would like to see more of.

As a pre-warning, please excuse the quality of the video (I just filmed it on my Macbook) and how jumpy the video is! (I will work on that if I make another video). Be kind, please!

Please let me know what you think, would you like to see more videos? If so, what would you like to see? I'm tempted to do a 'What's in my bag' video, since I love watching those and maybe do some OOTDs? I'd love to hear your thoughts - If you never want to see my face on your screen again, please feel free to tell me!

I just wanted to quickly add in, I noticed that my follower count has creeped up recently. Thank you all so much! :D I really appreciate it and I am glad that people are finding my blog interesting, since it makes me keep working hard to make it as best as it can be. When I hit 50 followers, I'm going to do a giveaway. :)

Thank you for reading/watching. xoxo, Joy