July Empties

Soap & Glory Fab Pore Hot Cloth Cleanser – I reviewed this cleanser recently, and although I did enjoy it I am just too loyal to my beloved Dermalogica Special Cleansing Gel to stray too far from it again any time soon.

Slatkin & Co Marshmallow Peppermint Candle – I loved the smell of this candle in the jar, but when it burned the scent didn’t throw very far across the room. For that reason alone I won’t bother repurchasing this. (Note: I’m planning on digging out that last bit of candle from the jar and using it as a melt in my oil burner, because I saw someone doing it on Youtube and it seemed like a pretty good idea.)

AlchemicMuse Marzipan Cream Soap – Oh boy. If you’re a fan of almond scented body products get your butt over to the AlchemicMuse etsy store and stock up on their Marzipan range ASAP. This product smelled like bitter almond sherbert, and the cream soap was really nice to use. It had a gritty sort of consistency, almost like it contained almond meal or something similar. I liked it, and plan on repurchasing more of the cream soaps from AlchemicMuse in the future.

Pantene Pro V Deep Fortifying Shampoo – I was glad to finally finish this up because it had been sitting in my cupboard for such a long time, but I was also a bit bummed when I ran out of the product because I really liked it. I found that it left my hair feeling silky and soft after use, but as with most Pantene products I’ve tried in the past I had to include a clarifying rinse into my monthly hair routine to help remove excess build up.

Marie Adele Spa Fresh Blends Romantic Discovery Bathing Ritual – I received this sachet in a deluxe sample subscription box and I enjoyed it. The smell was nice (a sweet rose scent without being too overpoweringly floral), and I liked how my skin felt after taking a bath in it. It was nothing outstanding though, so I won’t be repurchasing it.

MOR Honey Nectar Hand & Body Lotion – MOR, I love you but the packaging of this body lotion is all kinds of stupid. Once I’d made my way through 3/4 of the bottle the product stopped pumping up through the top, which was frustrating. What was even more frustrating was when I turned the bottle upside down to try and get the product out through the top, it all collected around the rim and because the plastic was so stiff I couldn’t squeeze the container it to get anything out. Annoying. It smelled pretty amazing though.

Bath + Body Works Twisted Peppermint Anti-Bacterial Gentle Foaming Hand Soap – This scent is basically Christmas personified. AMAZING.

Boscia Green Tea Blotting Linens – The Boscia linens are a lot softer than any I’ve tried in the past. I love them and I have spare packets squirreled away in my cupboard at all times.

evo Mane Prescription Protein Treatment – This is one of my all time favourite hair products, and one of the best hair treatments I’ve ever used. This was only a little sample sized container but I’ll be repurchasing another full size once I’ve worked my way through some of the other treatments I have in my cupboard.

evo The Therapist Shampoo & Conditioner – These were nice but the smell drove me crazy by the end. I don’t particularly like my hair smelling like men’s aftershave so that is enough to put me off purchasing full sized versions of these in the future. Also these little square containers are on par with the MOR body lotion packaging for being practically impossible to get the last dregs of product out.

L’Oreal Sublime Mousse Casting Cream Conditioner – Another leftover conditioner from an old box of hair dye. Nothing special.

Biore Ultra Nose Strip – I went into a mild state of panic when I saw how red my nose got after I used this strip (which didn’t fade for a few terrifying hours afterwards) but despite that I liked it. It’s extremely gross but oh-so-satisfying seeing how much crap you have stored in your nose, even if you don’t have any obvious blackheads.

Marc Jacobs Oh Lola Fragrance – Super sweet and fruity floral – not really my thing.

CK Shock Fragrance – I’ve mentioned previously how much I like this scent, but CK fragrances never last more than an hour on my skin so I won’t bother buying a full sized version of this.

Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Cream – My holy grail winter facial moisturiser. I have a full sized version of this that I’m working my way through, but I took this little sample with me on my road trip and finished it off during the month.

Terax Crema Conditioner – One of my holy grail hair care items, and I haven’t owned a full size tube of this in such a long time, getting to use this sample was a real treat. I love this product, and once I can justify spending money on conditioner again (ie: when I don’t have 5 bottles sitting in my bathroom waiting to be finished) I will definitely be buying this.

Kerastase Nectar Thermique – In the battle of the Kerastase thermique products, the Nectar won out over the Ciment, and I purchased a full sized bottle of this during July. LOVE IT.

July Lust Have It / June Lust Have It Review

Again, the Lust Have It Box came closer to the end of the month than anywhere remotely close to the beginning. I’ve noticed that a few unsatisfied customers have been tweeting at Lust Have It to complain about this, and I’m curious to see if they’ll take this feedback on board in the future. They’ve stopped including so much paper waste in the box itself, so that’s something. My first thoughts on this month’s box were: “Meh”, and looking at it again now I’m still not very excited about it.

Included in the July Box were: Baby Foot $29.95 per pack (those of you that know me well could imagine my reaction to the card that came with this product showing people with disgusting flaky feet – NO THANKS.), Mirenesse Velvet Lip Lift Moisture Shine $39.95 for 4.5g (I wonder if these were leftover from the last time they included them in the box?), Avene Cold Cream $35.95 for 400ml, Avene Rich Compensating Cream $57.95 for 50ml, Avene Eluage Firming Gel $30 for 15ml and Matrix Mix In Shine $20.95 for 89ml.

What did I think of the June Box?

LonVitalie 24K Active Golden Yulan Oil Facial Mask & 24k Active Gold Full Eye Mask – I haven’t had a chance to try either of these out yet, but I’m planning on giving them a go soon. I like sheet face masks in general, so I have high hopes for these.

Batiste Blush Dry Shampoo – I’ve used the Batiste Dry Shampoo in the past, but not in the Blush scent. I really don’t like the smell of this product, and the bad thing is that the scent doesn’t fade once you’ve applied the product to your hair.

b Collection by Bloom Shade & Line 3 in 1 – This was probably my favourite item from the July box and I’ve used it nearly every day since receiving it. The shade I received was St Mark’s Square, which is a really gorgeous black/purple colour that gives the drama of a black eyeliner but with a hint of purple that looks great on green eyes. It lasted well on my lids and I would consider repurchasing this product in the future.

Marc Jacobs Lola Fragrance – I’d received a sample of this fragrance in a Lust Have It box before and enjoyed it, but it’s not something I’d buy a full sized version of for myself.

Chloe L’Eau de Chloe Fragrance – I liked this but again it’s not something I’d buy for myself. My best friend loves rose scented fragrances so I ended up giving her the sample to try after I used it once on myself. It’s just a touch too floral for me.

Product Review: Clinique Chubby Stick in Super Strawberry

I was late to the party with the Clinique chubby sticks but now that I’m here I’m glad that I came because they’re one of the best products I’ve tried this year. I had a hard time choosing a colour, but ended up opting for Super Strawberry because it looked like a nice deep pink colour that could work well for Winter. I was right, it’s pretty much perfect.

First things first, the chubby sticks roll up from the bottom so you don’t have to worry about finding a sharpener big enough to fit the pencil into – bonus. The colour is buildable, so you can just dab a little bit of the product onto your lips for a light stain effect, or you can build it up to be a bit heavier and something similar to the coverage of a sheer lipstick. The wear lasts pretty well, and when I duck into the bathroom before going to lunch at work (approximately 4 hours after I first apply the product) my lips still appear to have a bit of colour in them. I don’t find the chubby sticks to be particularly moisturising, but they’re not drying on the lips either. I really like this product because it’s so easy to use and I can see myself buying more chubby sticks in various shades in the future (I’ve already purchased Woppin’ Watermelon). The Clinique Chubby Sticks retail for $35 AUD and are available for purchase at Clinique counters nationwide, or from the Clinique online store. If you’re quick, there are still a few different shades up for grabs on Strawberrynet.

Shop My Stash: July

In an attempt to try and utilise some of the products that I own but rarely use, I’ve been grabbing a few items out of my collection at the start of each month to try and work into my daily makeup routine. I’m going to do a little roundup each month of the products I’ve been using and what I think of them. These are the products that I shopped from my stash during July –

Benefit Girl Meets Pearl – I’m usually pretty loyal to my Benefit High Beam, but I’ve been using this liquid illuminator quite a lot recently. It gives a pretty peachy gold sheen to the cheeks which helps to brighten my corpse-pale face on early winter mornings.

Becca Lip & Cheek Creme in Rosebud – Honestly, I can’t wait to finish this blush. Not because I don’t like it but because it’ll be the second blush I’ve ever finished completely and that is a massive achievement. Hooray for me!

Benefit BeneTint – I completely forgot that I owned this (possibly because it’s so tiny and I had it tucked away at the back of my makeup storage) but I’m really glad that I dug it out to use it again because it gives the prettiest rosy tint to the lips. It’s designed to be a dual-use product but I stick to using it as a lip stain only.

MAC Paint Pot in Bare Study – I wear this on my lids on most weekends when I can’t be bothered putting in much effort. A simple swipe of this across the lids gives a lovely champagne sheen.

MAC Gleam Eyeshadow – My friend gave me this eyeshadow because it didn’t really suit her makeup style anymore, but it is absolutely perfect for me. It’s very similar to MAC’s Naked Lunch eyeshadow in that it’s a neutral champagne colour with a satin finish. Which is what around 75% of my eyeshadows are. Nice.

Strawberrynet Haul

I hadn’t planned to buy any more products this season, but after I used up my last sample sachet of the Kerastase nectar thermique I felt the urge to buy myself a full bottle of the product because I loved it so much. So I did. I also ordered another packet of the Boscia blotting linens (I ran out of a packet this month), another Clinique chubby stick (this time in the shade Woppin’ Watermelon) and two of the Jack Black lip balms.

Etsy Finds: Glitzy Thingz Evil Eye Necklace

One of my favourite things to do at work on days when I eat my lunch at my desk is to browse Etsy for unique pieces of jewelery. On this particular day I was searching for a pave disc necklace, and happened to stumble across the Glitzy Thingz store. Although I was initially tempted by the simple silver pave disc necklace, I opted for the evil eye version and I’m glad that I did because it’s absolutely beautiful. Do you have a favourite Etsy jewelery store? If so please leave a link in the comments below because I’d love to check it out!