Empties Vol 1: favs and fails!

I've been sitting on this post since early last fall, so I feel it's rather symbolic that it should be my first one of the new year. You know, out with the old, in with the new and such. I'm going to combine two popular subjects and talk about the trash I've been saving, some of which has stuck around cluttering my space for years, and also, whether I liked it or not. There's no rhyme or reason to why I've kept these and not other tins and bottles I've gone through and discarded. It is what it is. I will be referencing older posts if I've already gone in to greater detail about some of these items, lest this post be a kilometer long. So, here we go!

1. Shiseido Instant Eye and Lip Makeup Remover

2. Lancome Bi-Facil

3. Clinique Take The Day Off Makeup Remover For Lids, Lashes and Lips

4. Bioderma Sensibio H2O and Hydrabio H20

5. Kanebo Sensai Gentle Makeup Remover for Eye and Lip

6. Chanel Démaquillant Yeux Intense

Items 1-6 were all part of my epic high-end makeup remover smackdown, which you can read all about here.

7. Vichy Aqualia Thermal crème Legere

8. Avene Antirougeurs Jour Redness Relief Moisturizing Protective Emulsion

9. Bioderma AR Crème Solaire Teintee spf50+

10. Bioderma Sensibio Eye

11. Bioderma Hydrabio Legere

12. Bioderma Hydrabio Serum

13. Vichy Aqualia Thermal Serum

I wrote about the bottles and tubes numbers 7-13 in detail in my post about French pharmacie skin care.

14. Shiseido Ibuki Protective Moisturizer

15. Balmain Volume Shampoo

16. L'Occitane Almond Shower Oil

17. Bamboo Smooth Kendi Oil Dry Oil Mist

The lovely products 14-17 all made my 2014 favourites post.

18. Matrix Vavoom Gold Heat Blow-In-Control Protective Serum

19. Kisby Dry Shampoo

20. Batiste Dry Shampoo

21. Balmain Dry Shampoo

22. Garnier Fresh Essentials Grape Toner

23. Shiseido Pureness Balancing Softener

24. Elizabeth Arden Visible Difference Gentle Hydrating Toner (for dry skin)

25. Guerlain Maxi Lash

26. Kanebo Sensai Mascara 38C Volumising

27. Kanebo Sensai Loose Powder Translucent

The Matrix serum (18) ended up in my possession after my mom got a goody bag at a beauty convention. It was actually the best out of many similar heat-protective cream products, but even so I had to force myself to use it. It felt like an extra step that didn't make a lot of difference, but at least it didn't make my hair greasy or flaky either, and it had a mild banana smell, which I liked. I'm not sure if this is even available anymore, and while I personally wouldn't purchase it, it's not a bad product if you keep something like that in your regular routine. I'd say give it a go.

As of 2014 I've decided I love dry shampoo. However, I've yet to find the one that is juuuust right. The Kisby (19) did nothing, in fact it felt like it made my hair even dirtier. The Balmain (21) did “something”, while also having a divine fragrance, but again, it didn't feel like it was actually absorbing that much oil or providing any volume. So, while it's not perfect (primarily because sometimes I suspect it gives me acne on my scalp), the many, many variations of Batiste dry shampoo (20) has so far been my favourite. It really feels refreshing and is especially useful on days that my hair is clean but my fringe no longer is, due to my oily forehead. I prefer the classic blue version.

The Garnier grape toner (22) is my go-to affordable toner. It feels refreshing and gentle, I'm fine using it on my eyelids and around my eyes, which is why the fact that it contains alcohol was quite surprising to me. I've since tried a number of high-end toners and gone back to the Garnier for now. I don't think it's perfect, but for me it's good enough when I'm bored, confused or can't think of anything new I'd care to try. The Shiseido softener (23) was the first high-end toner I tried. I really liked the packaging but I wasn't wowed by the formula. It didn't feel like it was doing much to be honest. I might revisit it at some point though. A high-end toner I did like and have re-purchased multiple times is the Elizabeth Arden (24) for dry skin. It's gentle, but still feels like it's cleansing the skin and tightening the pores, without leaving the skin dry and uncomfortable. It has a mild, pleasant scent that I enjoy. The only things I dislike about it is the lid and bottle opening, which are a bit cumbersome to use if you literally have zero counter space to unscrew, set aside, put down, pour and repeat the process in reverse. I prefer the ability to dispense product onto a cotton round with one hand, which generally means a flip cap, which most high-end products seem to have deemed too cheap of a design... Oh well.

I have a love-hate relationship with the Guerlain Maxi Lash (25). I desperately wish I loved it and that it could be my Holy Grail, believe me, but this mascara wears like garbage on me. First of all, I love, love, LOVE the packaging. It's like a bar of gold, it's ergonomic and incredibly pleasing to handle. Secondly, I love the brush. It'll feel big if your previous mascara has had a small wand, but overall it's a medium size, with lovely, no nonsense natural bristles. The brush gave me wonderful natural curl and plenty of volume. I achieved the best look after about a week of use, because at first the result was very blah – no length or volume, more like just a natural tint. The formula is absolutely terrible for me. After about an hour it would start to migrate under my eyes, and after about five, it would look like I've had it on for a week. Major, major panda-eyes. Now, you'd think since it had issues staying on my lashes it would be a breeze to remove? Oh hell no. This is the hardest formula I've ever had to remove. I would use 3 times the amount of makeup remover and take twice as long and still couldn't get all of it off. Even when I thought I'd had, I'd find more residue to following morning. I also ended up losing a lash every other night... Needless to say we were not on speaking terms by the end (not that I usually speak to my mascaras). Despite this negative review, I'm not deterred from trying it again sometime. Maybe they'll re-formulate it? Maybe the waterproof version won't smear? A girl can have a dream.

Finally, the last two products, the Kanebo Sensai 38C mascara (26) and loose powder (27) have shown up in my favs before. These are Holy Grail material! I prefer this volumising version of the mascara to the lengthening one. I totally got used to the curved want and have a new one opened in my daily routine now. The powder lasts me about a year and is an almost irreplaceable step in my daily routine. I've recently opened my third jar!

It's been a mix of everything, both good and bad, and I'm happy to end on a positive note. Hope this has been helpful. I'm not sure if I'll continue with posts like this, but then again, I myself often look for mentions of very specific products and don't always find what I'm looking for. Odds are someone else is in the same boat, so, if I've tried it and can satisfy someone else's curiosity, I will.

Cheers =)!