neutrogena

[Empties] April & May 2015

Empties 1-3

Two months after finishing the shampoo, I finally finished the matching L’Oreal Elvive Smooth Intense Anti-Frizz conditioner. Gorgeous conditioner, it left my hair super soft and frizz free. I would definitely repurchase.

I’ve been using the Lentheric I Love Vanilla since I was about sixteen, I always received so many compliments when I wore it because it was like a mix of vanilla/cupcakes/sugar without being overly sweet. Unfortunately this product isn’t easily available in Australia so I don’t think that I’ll be repurchasing it anytime soon.

I love my Dove soap and this was the first time trying their deodorant. I absolutely LOVE the can and the cause, but the product itself was a bit average. It did what it was meant to do but I somehow prefer the Rexona and Garnier deodorants.

Empties 4-8

I actually managed to finish a Maybelline Babylips without losing it! This one was the berry flavour, it did a brilliant job of moisturizing and I liked the color too. I’ve already repurchased it but in different flavours.

I received a sample size of the Neutrogena Hydra Boost, not sure if it’s just me but this product actually dried my skin out instead of moisturizing it. I definitely wouldn’t repurchase, I’m actually disappointed because I normally love Neurogena products.

The Covergirl Lashblast waterproof mascara is certainly worth the hype, I loved the huge lashes that it gave me. I’ve already repurchased this, but not in the waterproof version because I found it impossible this one.

I also got through my Braun Silk Epil wipes, these came with my Braun epilator. The epilator itself is awesome but the wipes didn’t do much to be honest.

TRASHED!

I had to chuck out the three products above because they’re around seven years old. In particular, the Revlon molten metal liquid eyeshadow was gorgeous! It’s such a shame that they discontinued such a great product.

What products have you emptied this month? x

[Empties] January 2015

Empties: January 2015

Hey guys! I’ve been away for the LONGEST time, I was busy studying for the exams at the end of last year and then went to South Africa on holiday for a month. To ease back into blogging, I thought that I’d start with a post on the products that I’ve used up over the last few months 🙂

The Herbal Essences ‘Hello Hydration’ conditioner is one of my favourites, and not only because it smells absolutely amazing and makes me think that I’m away on a tropical holiday. It does a decent job of hydrating my hair and is super affordable too. I want to try out the rest of the Herbal Essences range, so it may be a while before purchase this particular conditioner again.

I received a sample of the Schwarzkopf Essence Ultime Omega Repair conditioner and didn’t think it was anything special. It has a pretty pearly appearance but didn’t do anything for my hair so won’t be purchasing the full size product.

The Body Shop’s Tea Tea Oil is one of those products that I’ll always repurchase, it does a fantastic job of reducing my blemishes and each bottle lasts me around a year.

Another sample that I used up was the Nivea stress protect deodorant so I might purchase the full sized product.

I wasn’t particularly impressed when I first started started using the Neutrogena Visibly Clear Pink Grapefruit Daily Scrub (reviewed in full here) but it grew on me towards the end.

Lastly the Bionike Defence B-Lucent Roll On Focus was something that I was using on my acne spots. It did work, but took ages for the blemishes to fade.

I can’t wait to get back into blogging! Hope that everyone has had a fantastic holiday 🙂

Fatima x

[Review] Neutrogena Visibly Clear Pink Grapefruit Daily Scrub

I first came across this product last year when one of my favourite bloggers recommended it on her blog. She mentioned that it had helped fade marks on her face and had given her face an overall glow. I couldn’t find this product in Australia, and ended up picking it up as part of my South African Shopping Haul.

Neutrogena Pink Grapefruit Daily Scrub

My review

The Neutrogena Visibly Clear range is aimed at preventing acne and blemishes and unblocking pores so I bought this product hoping that it would reduce my breakouts and give me a brighter complexion.

The scrub itself is a medium-consistency gel, containing microbeads. I absolutely ADORE the scent, it’s refreshing and so good to smell in the morning when I’m half asleep. The micro beads in this scrub are tiny, making this scrub gentle enough to use on a daily basis.

I have dry to normal skin with the occasional breakout but my main skin care concern is the marks on my face. After using this scrub for the last month, I have noticed a reduction in the amount of blemishes on my face. The product contains salicylic acid, which is a key ingredient in anti-acne treatments because it opens clogged pores, neutralizes bacteria within and prevents pores from clogging and allows new cells to grow. It does leave my skin with a fresh clean feel, as claimed on the package, but has not faded any of my dark spots unfortunately.

Another thing I found is that this scrub can leave my skin feeling slightly dry at times, so using a good moisturizer after is essential. For this reason, I have a feeling that this scrub would work much better on oily skin types.

Overall, I don’t feel like this scrub stands out from other drugstore products that I’ve tried in the past. That being said, I am really enjoying using it because it smells amazing and is doing what it claims to do:prevent blemishes. It comes at a good price, so I’ll definitely be looking at trying more products from the Neutrogena grapefruit range available in Australia.

Until next time,

Fatima xx

[Haul] South African shopping

Hi everyone!

My mum was recently away for a holiday in South Africa so I asked her to pick up some beauty items. The strong Australian dollar meant that I paid much less for some of my favourite brands. For example, the MAC lipstick worked out to $19 and my Estee Lauder foundation was just $35.

Here’s what I got:

The Body Shop Vitamin C Microdermabrasion
L’Oreal Ombre for dark hair
Neotrogena Visibly Clear pink grapefruit daily scrub
Bionike defence b-lucent
Woolworths caramel & cream body butter
Woolworths vanilla & brown sugar hand and body lotion
Woolworths berry crush whisked body butter
Revlon colorstay liquid eyeliner [repurchase]
MAC lipstick in Rebel
Estee Lauder double wear foundation in bronze [repurchase]
The Body Shop Born Lippy lipbalms in strawberry and raspberry [repurchase]
Cosmetic holder

I requested most of the products above based on product reviews and blog posts that I have read. The Body Shop microdermabrasion and the Neotrogena scrub are supposed to be really good for brightening the skin. I’ve never heard of the Bionike product before but apparently it’s really good for removing dark spots. The L’Oreal ombre kit for dark hair is not available is Australia and I’ve been wanting to do an ombre for ages.

Please let me know in the comments if you want me to review any of the products.

Hope that everyone had an amazing Australia Day, enjoy the public holiday off!