Epic Empties (May-November)

 

Hello my beauties!!!

Welcome to the 4th installment of my 'Empties' series! These are all the products that I've finished in the last 6 months. Quite a few of these are repurchases and some are brand new products that I've been trying out. Not all of them were successful however at least I know what my skin does and doesn't like. Some I didn't like just because of the user experience and how they felt on my skin. I'm going to talk about each product and group them together by category (cleanser, toner, serum, moisturiser and sunscreen). So without further ado, let's just dive right in...!

Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser: This is a repurchase of a basic cleanser with no frills and just does the job. My only complaint is that it has gritty particles in the formula and gives my skin a squeaky clean feel. However I've bought the new formula so perhaps that will be an improvement on the old one (8/10, WRP)

La Roche Posay Effaclar Purifying Foaming Gel: Another repurchase which I've been using for the past year or so. I non-stripping, gentle cleanser that deeply cleanses and leaves my face feeling soft and smooth. I also love the way it foams up without drying out my skin. Definitely a Holy Grail and I can't imagine using anything else! (10/10, WRP)

The Face Shop Rice Water Bright Light Cleansing Oil: I didn't technically finish this product but I've been using it for the past year. However, I recently started noticing that whenever I used this to remove face makeup, my skin would become irritated and red spots would appear on my face. My theory is that the rice extract went bad due to the expiry date being reached which made my skin react to the ingredient. It does also contain fragrance, although I've never found it to be an issue (5/10, WNRP)

Avene Eau Thermale, Thermal Spring Water: This is basically water in a can! I use it for making my face damp before my serum in order to bind the moisture deeper into the layers of my skin. It's nice and refreshing and contains minerals that are beneficial to the skin. There's not much more to say! (7/10, WRP)

Benton Deep Green Tea Toner: I took a break from using this for awhile and then I picked it back up again. This is a nice watery toner with a touch of hydration. I apply it onto damp skin and let it absorb before applying my serums. I love how well this balances my oil levels and the anti-oxidant properties from the green tea. Definitely a Holy Grail toner! (9/10, WRP)

Purito Centella Unscented Serum: I've been using this serum for around a year and a half and I love it so much! I had doubts to begin with due to the consistency, as it's very lightweight, however it's grown on me since then. It has great oil balancing and calming properties, as well as being super hydrating. I apply this on a dry face and my skin just drinks it up. Love love love! (9/10, WRP)

Purito Pure Vitamin C Serum: I used this in replacement of my iUnik Propolis Vitamin Synergy Serum. I was interested in trying L-ascorbic acid for the first time and decided to dip my toe in the water. I found it to have a nice medium weight consistency that spreads really well and absorbs quickly into the skin. I did find that the residual serum around the top of the bottle oxidised very easily, leaving a yellow sticky mess. I'm not sure if it was more effective than the iUnik serum as it was at a very low concentration of 5%. I'm glad I tried it but I think I'll be sticking with my Holy Grail iUnik serum moving forward (6/10, WNRP)

Isntree TW-Real Bifida Ampoule: I was interested to try this due to James Welsh raving about it on YouTube. I also wanted to try a different serum for calming and skin barrier repair. The texture was very oily and medium weight, which I didn't particlarly enjoy. I also found that after I applied it it would sit on top of my skin. I think I'll be returning to my trusty Purito Centella Unscented Serum for soothing and reparing from now on (3/10, WNRP)

Aveeno Calm + Restore Triple Oat Serum: I started using this about 6 weeks ago as a result of a weakened moisture barrier from trying too many different products. I love the medium weight consistency and the faint scent of oat. I apply it to damp skin and find it to be very hydrating and immediately calming to my skin. I truly believe that this product has saved my irritated and sensitised skin. I've already bought 2 more bottles of this serum and am halfway through the second bottle already (9/10, WRP)

Neutrogena Hydro Boost Sleeping Cream: There's not much that I haven't aready said about this product apart from that I fricking love this moisturiser and will keep using it forever! I've repurchased this product about 8 times and have 3 in backup already (10/10, WRP)

iUnik Black Snail Restore Cream: I bought this on impulse due to the fun stringy texture and the snail secretion filtrate. This was my first snail product and I wasn't disappointed! I loved how lightweight and soothing it was when applied. I used to use this after exfoliating as it has 9.8% of centella extract and snail mucin for calming redness. I thoroughly enjoyed using this but I'm not sure if I want to repurchase this as there are so many other moisturisers out there (8/10, MRP)

Rovectin Clean Lotus Water Cream: Despite all the rave reviews online I just wasn't impressed by this product. The consistency was like a watery lotion that melts into the skin. However, I found it to leave a tacky finish and I feel like I could find a better dupe for half the price. I would say that it's compareable to the Simple Hydrating Light Moisturiser which is alot cheaper. I just didn't like the experience of applying it and found that it would pill under my sunscreen as well. Abit of an Epic Fail for me unfortunately (3/10, WNRP)

Missha Aqua Sun Gel SPF 50+ PA++++ (x2): This sunscreen recently got reformulated this year however I love the old formulation. It has a leightweight lotion consistency that feels like a moisturiser and has zero white cast. My skin feels super soft after applying this on top of my moisturiser. It's even enough by itself if I'm in a rush and don't have time to apply a moisturiser. It sits well under makeup and leaves a matte finish which I like. Definitely a firm favourite! I've bought 2 bottles of the new formula but hopefully it won't be too different to the original as I had no issues with it (10/10, WRP)

Pixi FortifEye Eye Patches: These hydrogel eye patches are really pretty to look at and very soothing under the eye area. I love how they're fragrance free and come in a jar of 60 pieces. I don't use them very often, though, so this jar has lasted me about 3 years haha! (7/10, WRP)

Eucerin Acute Lip Balm: I've gone through about 4 or 5 of these tubes and each one lasts me about 4 months. I already have 2 back ups because I love it so much and it isn't always on offer. It was originally £6.50 but I usually buy it in the sale for £4.50. However I did notice recently that the price has gone up to about £5.25 (on offer). Ouch! (10/10, MRP)

I hope you enjoyed my lengthy list of empties as well as my honest reviews on each product. It's really nice to see that I have quite a few Holy Grails now. I have alot of new skincare to try but I always find myself coming back to my tried and true favourites. I really should stop playing chemist with my skin and just stick to what I love and that I know works for my skin. I'm currently testing a new morning cleanser which I'm really enjoying! It's the Geek and Gorgeous Jelly Joker Cleanser. It's a nicer experience than the Cetaphil and it doesn't give me a squeaky clean feel on the skin. I'm really liking it so far! I've also changed up my sunscreen from the Missha to the Nivea Super Water Gel SPF 50+ which is like a gel lotion and has a translucent formula. However, I don't think it's as moisturising so I have to wear moisturiser underneath.

Due to my weakened skin barrier I'm currently using the Pyunkang Yul Ato Moisturing Soothing Gel Lotion in the evening. I'm trying to focus on soothing and calming products that are fragrance free and won't irritate my skin. I love the consistency of this moisturiser and how a little goes a low way. It has a cooling effect when applied to my skin which I really enjoy. It's also in a 150ml tube which is gonna last me ages! It's perfect for exfoliation nights as well, when I need to soothe my skin. When my barrier feels stronger I'm going to try and add my iUnik Vitamin C serum back into my morning routine, as well as a treatment serum for the evening. I've noticed that since taking a break from vitamin C and alpha arbutin I've been experiencing more breakouts which take longer to heal. So I've bought myself a spot treatment to help target breakouts and heal them abit quicker.

Keep your eyes peeled for a comparison review of all the moisturisers I've tried for the AM, as well as another 'New Products Review' as I have a few new toners and serums to try.

Who Cares, We Care, Skincare :)