Happy weekend everyone! I’m back today with another Project Empties/Project Pan update and I’m sure it won’t come as too much of a surprise when I say it’s a big’un! I’ve been trying really hard this year to reduce my single use plastic and one of the biggest challenges is still proving to be in skincare. Some things come in glass bottles which is great but a lot of it is still plastic-heavy. I’ve recently discovered Beauty Kitchen who have a reusable returns policy – praise be! I’ve tried a few things so far and I’m super impressed so when I’ve actually used the returns option I’ll do a post about it with all the info. Until then, here’s my empties part 3.
Hair
Let’s go in with hair first because I think I may finally have found the miracle product that can tame my frizz! I’ve been wanting to try the Bumble & Bumble Curl Creme for years but the price point has always put me off. At £26 it’s a big spend if it was just yet another massive failure. You can only imagine my joy when I found a 60ml trial size for a much more wallet friendly £9. I used it almost immediately and it is flipping brilliant! Not only does it give a really nice curl, it also smells delicious and a little went a long way. As soon as I’ve finished up the other million curl products that I have lined up in the drawer I will absolutely be re-purchasing. Hallelujah!
It was a very similar story for the BB Curl Primer. In fact both together work some kind of delicious-smelling miracle that leaves me feeling *quite* happy with my hair. Almost unheard of after a lifetime of product sampling, I would like to report that Bumble & Bumble have stolen my heart. And also my wallet cos it definitely ain’t a cheap brand. But these days if I can find something that works I am totally willing to spend the money.
The Briogeo Farewell Frizz was another fantastic discovery that I think I came across on Instagram Stories. I can’t recall exactly how or even why, but suffice it to say that it is another winning product that I really liked. The 51ml trial size was another great way to test it out in a more wallet-friendly way…but not such a great win in the trying to reduce single use plastic. As much as I did enjoy it, now that I’ve discovered my BB Curl love I think I may never stray.
Makeup
Just one for the makeup for this month – the pan hitting is definitely harder than the emptying. I did also finish up an eyeliner pencil and a lip pencil but both had been sharpened down to such a ridiculously small size that there was really no point trying to capture them on film.
The MAC Face and Body Foundation was another wedding purchase that I carried on using until it was completely empty. It’s a truly lovely product, blends easily, feels nice on the skin, you can layer it up to just a slight tint or go super heavy full coverage if you are so inclined. I’m pretty sure that it’s one the make-up artists use so it definitely has a great reputation and it totally lives up to it. The only reason I won’t be repurchasing is that I’ve reached the conclusion that I am more of a skin tint rather than foundation type of person, preferring the lightest of base and just a dusting of powder. What can I say? I’m a no makeup, makeup kinda girl.
Skin
You know this section is always the biggest so I’ll try and keep it as short and succinct as possible. Take a deep breath, let’s go!
Moisturisers
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – the French pharmacy products truly cannot be beaten. The Bioderma Hydrabio Creme was quite simply a joy to use. Described as rich moisturising care I could almost feel it sinking through each dry skin layer and quenching the thirst along the way. I quite literally scraped it dry with my little finger and would 100% repurchase.
I guess a very similar product, the La Roche-Posay Hydraphase Intense Riche with hyaluronic acid was also soooo hydrating, so lush to use and had a super clever internal packaging thing that allowed me to squeeze out every single drop – very unusual in a pump action bottle. As with the Bioderma above I would repurchase this one too.
Serums
Oh look, it’s another French pharmacy product! Do you see a theme running here? I’ve used Avene Hydrance Intense Serum before and it’s a brilliant product. It does exactly what it says on the tin. What I had forgotten, which is probably why I decided against buying it again, was that as you get to the end of the bottle the pump stops working and so there is no way to entirely empty the bottle of all the product. There’s still a good couple of days worth left in this current one but no way to get it out. Pah!
Breaking the French run up, this time we have a Superdrug serum! Optimum PhytoCellTech Skin Renewal Serum – this was definitely a falling for the packaging type situation. Slim, silver and oh so sleek, your girl fell easily and dropped this into my basket. It was definitely nice…but daily use made me realise that packaging is not everything. I recall it emptied much quicker than I was expecting and that’s probably because the bulk of the weight and size is the packaging. Note to self – don’t be sucked in.
Cleansers
Oh Pixi, you bring my heart joy. Every single product that I try from this brand I love and the Rose Cream Cleanser was yet another hero product. Lasted for ages, smelled delicious, was super easy to use and rinse off and left my skin feeling lush. Because I am a lotions and potions addict and can never settle to just use the same products all the time (you just never know what might be around the corner!) I swapped this out for another Pixi cleanser. Which I also like but don’t love. Will I learn my lesson when that one is empty and return to this one? Only time will tell…
Randoms
And thus we end with an eye cream and a balm. The Eucerin Hyaluron-Filler Eye Cream was super nice, lasted for a long time and saved my eyes from looking like the most tired things in the world on several occasions. A good price point for a very effective product. Can highly recommend and would repurchase.
And last but by no means least the magic balm. Paw Paw Papaya was a discovery deep in the darkest months of winter when your lips feel like they’re going to fall off, your legs are constantly dry and chapped from the cold winds and your skin is just crying out for some magic. I used it all over from my lips to my legs and it made everything feel so much nicer. I bought some for my sister. For my niece. For my mam. Recommended it to at least five other people and I have no doubt it will end up back in my basket when winter hits once again. An absolute belter of a product, buy it now before everyone else realises how good it is and you can’t find one on the shelves anywhere.
And there you have it. A few months worth of products done and dusted. I’ll be back soon with more empties. See you next time!
Chattering Claire 