Empty 3

Hello again, is it really the end of March already? The months are flying by, it doesn't seem like 2 minutes since I sat down to write my previous empties post and here we are again, I hope this is somewhat helpful.

Asda skin system hand and nail lotion: I'm usually so bad at remembering to use hand cream but as winter came and played havoc with my hands leaving them rather dry I found myself reaching for this product. It is super inexpensive at only 80p for 75ml, I should warn you the packaging has changed from above but judging by the ingredients it is the exact same product. This is a lovely light, non greasy hand cream which absorbs almost immediately to give straight up moisture although I feel it leaves a teeny bit of residue and I don't believe this would be as affective for very dry, cracked hands. The moisture lasts a good amount of time, leaving your hands as soft as a baby's bottom, it does soften cuticles too which is an extra advantage. As for the smell, I find it hard to detect any in this product at all, especially when on the hands but in the tube there is a nice, mild normal hand cream type scent. Overall i'm pretty impressed and you know what they say, our hands are a sign of youth!

Mark Hill sexy straight re-hydrating shine conditioner: I dislike the fact that a shampoo or conditioner has appeared in every empties post so far as honestly I very rarely see a difference in the outcome no matter what shampoo and conditioner i'm using, this may be because I don't have very problematic hair unlike the beginning of the year when the condition was at its worst. I did set a new years resolution aiming to look after my hair but I think all it needed was a good trip to the hairdressers and some milder weather as it seems to have restored itself and is no longer a problem in terms of dullness and dryness although the thinness, tattiness and flatness does still annoy me slightly (any more 'ness' Rachael?). As a result of washing, my hair is left looking shiny and hydrated every time. I received this 75ml bottle in a Christmas gift set and am unsure if it is available full size as the most similar product I have found is the straight-a-holic conditioner (£3.66 for 250ml at Boots) so whether it's just a re-package and re-name or a entirely different product who knows. I like the look of the packaging but feel a squeezy tube would have made it easier to get the last of the product out as the conditioner is thicker than the shampoo. Personally I like the smell but it isn't anything amazing and like the shampoo the idea of straightness didn't affect my natural waves.

Origins brighter by nature skine tone correcting serum: I don't want to say too much as I really don't feel like I have given this a fair chance as I am very forgetful and have only been using this every now and then, often leaving a long gap between each use therefore I didn't see any results, of course the fact that this is only a 5ml sample adds to that. Origins claims that this helps create an even skin tone, helping the appearance of dullness, dark spots and discolourations. The formula is very thin and quite watery which is strange for me but it does sink in very quickly with a nice, unusual, natural type smell. At £30.60 for only 30ml at John Lewis I really don't think I could justify the price for just a serum but I do love the sound of origins skincare and have had a few samples which I have liked. 

Maybelline the colossal volum' express mascara: I have had this for such a long time, I believe I got this when it first came out and me and my best friend were going through a mascara loving stage where we would always want the newest mascara. This and the next mascara are actually both the first makeup products to be used up in my project pan, yey! I will admit this has been dried out for a while but I have kept convincing myself that it has still been making the smallest difference to my lashes therefore I will have to go from what I remember, I apologise! Anyways, I have the 100% black non waterproof version. This mascara has a pretty big brush, I did find it hard to work with at first as it makes it much easier to get the product on the lid but I did like the formula and result of long, very full lashes. However, this mascara does have a strange smell and did give me the ever so stylish panda eye look by the end of the day which really seems to put me off a mascara. This mascara is £7.19 for 10ml at boots.

No7 intense volume mascara: Once again, this mascara has been dried out for a while and I have finally accepted the fact that I need to move on and chuck it in the bin, this is only a little 4.5ml version from a gift set and I actually have a back up which i'm using at the minute so it's all good. This product retails at £11.50 for 7ml at boots which is a bit on the pricey side but I do like it! It doesn't add thickness but does add a lot of length and curl while separating lashes, the curl lasts a long time and it doesn't leave panda eyes which impressed me. The brush is a nice size, slightly on the bigger side and with the formula being quite wet at first I found it really hard not to get product on my upper lid and had to work slowly with it which wasn't ideal for a rushed school morning but otherwise my lid would be covered in blackness, not too attractive. However, once the formula dried up a bit this wasn't much of a problem.

Kleenex eye make-up remover wipes: I kind of feel like I have lied to you here when these two forms of wipes are concerned. I did mention in my previous empties post that I was on the lookout for a liquid eye makeup remover because that is what I prefer, I also told you that I will continue to use the boots essential facial wipes. So, why are these in this post? Well, I have a memory like a fish and my mam knew I was out of wipes so before I could remember to pick some up for myself she had bought these for me. Even after telling her last night that I was going to get the boots ones (and then forgetting to take my purse today...) she has just came home with some more different face wipes for me, oh well, she probably knew I was going to forget. Anyways, I had seen various things around blogger about the facial wipes from Kleenex but nothing about the eye makeup remover wipes. They are unlike any other wipes I have tried as they are so thin, they are made with ecoform natural fibres (65% cellulose to be exact) meaning they have a lower environmental impact. I like how it tells you all this on the packaging, it even lets you know what each ingredient does which is interesting. However, because they are so thin you have to be careful not to rip them while getting one out of the packet. These are for sensitive skin and I was actually really pleased with them, they didn't irritate my eyes and I felt like they gently removed pretty much all of my eye makeup. They have a lot of moisture to them but don't leave residue and they smell lovely. These are £2.99 for 24 wipes at Superdrug.

Spa deep cleansing facial wipes: Lastly, these are just cheapys from home bargains, I am unsure of the price as like I said, my mam picked these up. They are on the drier side and smell a little different to other wipes, probably due to the 'antibacterial action' but the scent isn't overpowering. I usually use face wipes in the morning as well as to remove my makeup at night, I did like them for giving my face a fresh feeling in the morning but felt like they didn't do a good job of removing my makeup, they seemed to drag and tingle my skin a bit, it definitely didn't feel like all of my makeup had been removed although I do like the idea of them being antibacterial. So yeah, not too pleased.

There we have it, another month, another selection of empty products. I am now finally off school for Easter, yay! Couldn't be happier about that, I am so ready for some time off. If you are on holidays too I hope you enjoy them. Thanks for reading. Love, 
Rachael xx