Right, I'm going to keep this intro nice and short because this is going to be a long post and I really do mean long. After my Mid-Year Empties I made it my mission to use up as many products as I could in preparation for a New Year clear out and I think I have achieved that as I'm pretty sure I have doubled the amount of products I had used up in the first part of the year.
I'm going to say straight away that I have not included every single product I have used up as some of them did find their way to the bin before I remembered that I was doing this post. So I have finished a few more products which did not make it to this post. Not only that but I have not included any of the products I have finished from MAC as I will be doing a separate post on them. Let's get into it shall we, or we could be here until Christmas.
Body
Jo Malone London - Geranium & Walnut Body Scrub
We are going to kick of this empties post with a bit of luxury, in the form of the Jo Malone London Geranium & Walnut Body Scrub. This is really bloody expensive at £40 but it is a very good scrub. This is quite gentle on the skin but it certainly gets the job done, especially if you use this daily. The crushed up Walnut shell creates the scrub particles whereas the Geranium contributes part of the scent. This is quite a thick scrub, compared to the Kiehl's Grapefruit Body Scrub I'm currently using. The creamy texture does not leave an oily residue so this is ideal for the Summer and fake tan season. I highly recommend this scrub and I would buy it again.
Lush - Buck's Fizz Body Conditioner
Considering I got this tub of the Lush Buck's Fizz Body Conditioner in the Winter sale at the end of 2017, this was in my collection for a long time. I stopped using it during the Summer as you use this in the shower and I like a HOT shower so it was simply too much during the Summer heatwave. I cannot shower in cold water, even during Summer it has to be boiling and it can feel slightly overwhelming. Buck's Fizz was part of last year's (and this years) Lush Winter Collection and it is a lovely product. It smells very citrusy and refreshing and it left my skin feeling really smooth. I only had two problems with this product, it left the bottom of my shower slippery and it is bloody expensive. I get Lush are trying to save the world but does it have to cost that much? For this size tub it costs £17.95 which seems a tad excessive which is why I wouldn't buy it again, unless I see some in the post-Christmas sales.
Jo Malone London - Peony and Blush Suede Body Creme
I say the Lush Body Conditioner is expensive but the Jo Malone London Body Cremes are even worse, they are £50 each. However it is an amazing moisturiser. I finished a Body Creme in my favourite scent, Peony and Blush Suede. I literally love the scent and I have every product you can have in the scent, despite the Luxury Candle. The Jo Malone London Body Cremes are a consistent feature in my empties because they have one of my favourite body creme formulas. They are ultra thick and they really hydrate and nourish your skin. These really do feel like a treat when you use them and they leave a delicate veil of scent across your skin. If you are looking for a pamper this should be included in your routine.
The Body Shop - Almond Milk Body Yogurt
Even though I really love the Body Cremes from Jo Malone London, they are super expensive and the closer we get to Christmas, the less I can afford to spend that sort of money on myself. Instead I decided to give one of The Body Shop Body Yogurts a go. There has been a lot of hype about these this year and I wanted in on it. This was my Summer moisturiser as it has a cooling effect but I have recently repurchased it. It is very light in texture and the scent is very soft as well. At £8.50 I think this is a beautiful product and that it is much better than the Body Butters from The Body Shop. I did a full review which I went into more detail about the Body Yogurt here: The Body Shop: Body Yogurt
Skincare
Cleansers
Liz Earle - Cleanse and Polish Mimosa and Angelica
I'll start with the only full size I have finished which is the Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish in the Mimosa & Angelica scent. I absolutely love Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish, it is probably the most gentle but effective cleanser I have ever used. I highly rate Cleanse and Polish and I think everyone should at least try it. I always smell the limited edition scents they launch and Mimosa and Angelica has to be one of my all time favourites, this smelt amazing. Mimosa is a very soft powdery floral whereas Angelica is quite woody so they balance each other out perfectly. I loved this product so I tried to hold on to it for as long as I could which is why this is featuring in my end of year empties rather than my mid year empties. You can't buy this scent anymore but their current limited edition is the one for Christmas which is Rose & Cederwood. I do actually really like it and I did buy it for myself recently so I will be doing a dedicated post for it in the New Year.
Emma Hardie - Morniga Cleansing Balm Sample
I believe I featured one of these in my mid-year empties as well. Buying the small travel size of the Emma Hardie Moringa Cleansing Balm is not cost effective at all but it allows you to have this balm in your collection which I think everyone should. This is a seriously good cleanser that cleanses thoroughly and leaves your skin feeling incredible. This is more of a balm which turns into an oil on the skin so it is much richer than Cleanse and Polish. One day I will treat myself to the full size but apparently this year wasn't the right time as I have kept buying the small size. I always wondered if this product was worth the hype but I can confirm, it most certainly is.
First Aid Beauty - Coconut Micellar Makeup Melter Sample
Much like the Emma Hardie Cleanser, the First Aid Beauty Coconut Micellar Makeup Melter was a sample size but I received this in the ASOS: Summer Skin Beauty Box. I had always been intrigued by First Aid Beauty as I hadn't tried anything from them. I did actually quite like this, I wouldn't want it as my main cleanser but as my second cleanse, this worked perfectly. I potentially wouldn't buy the full size but if I had it in my collection I would use it. As part of my Advent Calendar this year I did receive a second First Aid Beauty product so I am excited to give this second product a go.
Masks
Glamglow - Powermud
The Glamglow Powermud Mask is one of my go to masks. It is a 2-in-1 mask that firstly acts like a normal charcoal mask and completely dries down but as soon as water is added it becomes an oil. The mask helps to draw out all of the crap from your skin whereas the oil removes all of this dirt and gives you a really deep cleanse. As you only use this for 10-15 minutes this is a great mask to throw on after a long day at work. Using this more regularly seems to have helped my skin and this is easily one of my favourite masks from Glamglow. If you have sensitive skin I don't know how you would get on with this as it is quite a deep cleanse but I really enjoy this mask.
Boots - Tea Tree Witch Hazel Facial Mask
I've has this mask for quite a while and to be honest I only started using it again to try and finish it. This isn't a bad mask but for the price I much prefer the Charcoal Pure Clay Mask from L'Oreal. The Boots version is a lot more liquid than the L'Oreal version or even your typical Charcoal mask. It does smell quite nice but that is the Tea Tree. This is definitely good for spots and congestion but I probably wouldn't buy this again as there is definitely other masks I prefer. My best friend loves this mask and swears by it which shows how differently skincare can work on different people.
Clinique - City Block Purifying Mask/Scrub Sample
This was another sample size product and I got through it so quickly. I got this as part of the ASOS x Clinique Beauty Box and this is the only one I've used up so far. At first I thought this was the weirdest concept, a mask/scrub but it was actually really good. Much like the Glamglow Mask at first this acts as a Charcoal mask so it sets but as you add water, the scrub comes through. I was nervous about the scrub as I am not the biggest fan of scrubs but this was actually quite gentle and after using it my face felt so smooth. Once again this was a good one to put on after work as it took away the stresses that my skin had faced during the day. I would definitely buy the full size of this.
Other Skincare
Kiehl's - Creamy Eye Treatment
I've spoken about this eye cream quite a lot because this has been my saviour for a good couple of years. I am a contact lense wearer so I have to mess around with my eyes quite a lot and this helps to balance the abuse my eye area gets. This is a thick eye cream so you do have to warm it up between your fingers or it doesn't sink in properly. Since I have used this, my eye area has always looked good and most importantly always stays hydrated. I used to get dry patches but I don't anymore. I only had one regret in regards to this eye cream which was that I bought the big tub which lasted way beyond the 6 months recommended use time. I have repurchased this but I did buy the smaller tub this time.
Rodial - Dragons Blood Sculpting Gel
I received this deluxe sample size in my Beauty Advent Calendar last year and there was another one in my advent calendar this year which I am not salty about. I actually really liked this product, especially during Summer. This Sculpting Gel didn't really chisel my cheeks but it has the most wonderful cooling sensation which was incredible for the days when it was simply too hot this Summer. This gel smelt like a tropical cocktail and I just really liked it, the scent sort of reminds me of the GinZing Range from Origins. There is no way I would buy the full size at £85 but I will certainly use the second tube from my Advent Calendar.
Makeup
Foundation
I have included a section for foundation but I feel like neither of these products need an intro on my blog as they are the only two foundations I ever use. Over this half of the year I have finished a bottle of each foundation: The Fenty Beauty Pro Filt'r Foundation and Estee Lauder Double Wear. As this post is already super long, I'm going to skip over talking about these but I've spoken about both of these many times.
Benefit - Hoola
It is very rare that I would actually make my way through a powder product as they last for such a long time but I guess this is a testament to how much I have loved my Hoola by Benefit. I actually really liked Hoola and I can see why it is such a cult classic. The powder is finely-milled and this gives such a good colour. Towards the end of this product, I used it as my bronzer and as the crease colour in my eye look because it was so easy to use. I think everyone should try Hoola at least once.
Mascara
L'Oreal Paradise Extatic Mascara
I've already done a full review on each of these mascaras as I have been on a journey of mascara discovery this year however the L'Oreal Paradise Extatic Mascara was definitely one of my favourite mascaras of the year. It gave me bold, thick, long lashes. I like a bit of a clumpy lash and that is certainly what it gives. As the cheapest mascara I tried this year, it was certainly a surprise mascara and I would definitely buy it again.
Clinique - High Impact Mascara
This is a not the full size, this is their travel size and to be honest I am glad I only got a travel size in this mascara as I didn't like it. At the time of writing my review I wasn't too brutal about this mascara but when I sat down to compare all the mascaras I tried this year, this did not sit in the top mascaras, it actually sat quite low in the rankings. With a name like High Impact I expected big things but I do not think this mascara gave me what the name suggested it would. I think if this even extended my lashes it wouldn't be too bad but I didn't feel anything about this mascara was more than average. I wouldn't buy this again.
Givenchy Beauty - Couture Noir Volume
The Givenchy Beauty Noir Couture Volume Mascara was one of the final mascaras I used this year and it was a sample I was sent from the Glamour Beauty Club. I mean what a boujie sample, the packaging is actually incredible for a sample. When I first tried this I thought it would be one of my favourites but the more I used it, the more it smudged around my eyes. This did make my lashes look amazing but the smudging was disappointing. I would potentially buy this but I would be more likely to try other products from Givenchy Beauty.
Brows
I'm pretty sure that for the duration of this year, I have repurchased the same brow products every time I run out and they are the Soap and Glory 2-in-1 Brow Pencil and the Soap and Glory Volu-Boost Brow Gel. I have to say I get through the pencils quite quickly but I think I've only been through one brow gel this year. These are my dream team when it comes to brows: they are cheap, they work and they match my brow colour quite well. I highly recommend checking them out, the shade selection is pretty pants but the two products are pretty good.
Charlotte Tilbury - Miss Kensington Lipstick
I have to say this is a product I am pleased to no longer have in my collection, the Charlotte Tilbury Miss Kensington Lipstick has been a disappointment to me for years. I bought this because I had seen it online and Charlotte Tilbury used it in a video she did with Millie Macintosh and it looked great on her, I did not get the same results. I went all around London to try and get this lipstick and when I got it I was disappointed. The colour was too much like my natural lip shade and this just made my lips look dry. I made it my mission to finish it this year and I finally have! Just when I had finished Miss Kensignton, Charlotte Tilbury relaunched it on their website just to rub it in.
Perfumes
Jo Malone London - Blackberry & Bay
I bought this perfume on a whim and to be honest it has only really seen the light of day during Autumn but I love this as an Autumn fragrance. I feel like it encompasses the feeling of the transition into the colder weather; you have the sweetness of the blackberries which come in more summer fragrances but the base note is more woody which moves it more into Winter. I love this scent but I don't feel I use it enough to buy it again. Hopefully I will in time for next Autumn as that is really when this scent is in its prime.
Ghost - Eclipse
Once again this was a perfume that sat in my collection for a long time but then I put it in my work bag and I eventually used it up. I had a sample of this perfume many years ago and then I bought a Christmas box set with the full size and a body lotion. This was a cheap perfume that I actually like. I didn't find the scent lasted too well but it was good for topping up. This smelt very fruity and citrusy. The top note is super citrusy with notes of Bergamot, Lemon, Orange, Peach and Apple. Then the heart note is very floral with two of my favourite notes being Rose and Freesia. The base notes are Amber and Musk but I don't think these add much to the scent. I don't think this has strong base notes for the price but this is a good perfume.
That concludes my empties for the second half of the year. I feel like there really hasn't been as much as I thought there would be. Also I know there were a couple of other products I used up but I binned the container so I haven''t spoken about it in this post but I feel like if I spoke about many more products, this post would be way too long. I always really struggle with empties posts as I speak about so many of the products individually but I hope you have enjoyed this post.
I can't believe there are only 2 days left of Blogmas!! Come back tomorrow for the conclusion of my Beauty Wishlist.
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