September Empties

I got through a decent amount of empties in September, slowly chipping away before the gifting season comes. Here's my thoughts on everything I got through;

1. Lux Fine Fragrance Body Wash: I loved using this body wash, the scent 'Magic Spell' was sweet and rich, so perfect for the cooler months. I'm definitely going to try some of the other scents when I make a dint in my beauty stash.

2. Diggers Acetone: I bought this to remove acrylic nails but It also works great as a standard nail polish remover. It can be a bit more harmful on the nails, although I am definitely not patient when It comes to removing nail polish (especially glitter) and acetone removes it quickly and easily. 

3. Makeup Remover Wipes: Not too sure on the brand of these wipes but they were only $1 from Target so I thought I would try them out. I actually think they work really well and don't irritate my skin at all so I went back and picked up some more.

4. Solace Mineral Spa Body Scrub: I purchased this body scrub a few years ago when I went to some markets in Melbourne, so It was definitely past It's use by date. It smelt like lemongrass and It scrubbed really well, I liked using it before fake tanning.

5. Schwarzkopf Extra Care Blonde Toner: This toner has been In many empties posts as I love It and I will continue to repurchase.

6. Schwarzkopf Hair Repair Treatment: This caught my eye in my local Reject shop and for $3 I picked It up straight away. This In shower treatment actually worked really well for my damaged hair and smelt amazing. I wish I had picked up a couple of more bottles!

7. Nak Ultimate 60 Second Repair: Another fabulous In shower hair treatment. If you want a quick fix for your dry or damaged hair this Is the treatment to buy, I love it. 

8. Schwarzkopf Ultime Crystal Shine Conditioner: I recently reviewed a full size bottle of this conditioner and Its just 'meh'. I'm still trying to use up the full size shampoo so I thought I might as well use up the sample conditioner I had lying around to match.

As for samples/sachets I used up another Biore pore strip which doesn't do anything for me, some Estee Lauder Day Wear cream which Is beautiful and some perfume samples that weren't really my taste (I think one of the ones I tried was actually mens haha). So thank you so much for stopping by my blog and I hope October Is treating you well.

Monique xx

August Empties

I can't believe we are well and truly Into September already! Let me freak you all out a bit by saying 'only 3 and a bit months until Christmas'! I'm one of those weirdos who starts their christmas shopping early so I'm not too worried at this stage, I do need to get my but into gear though and start working through some more products before the gifting season begins! Here Is what I managed to get through this month.

1. Loreal Elvive Extraordinary Oil Hair Mask: I actually really enjoyed using this hair sample, It moisturised my dry hair and left it feeling silky smooth. If I can get through all the hair masks in my beauty cupboard I would definitely purchase it!

2. Vaseline Intensive Care Deep Restore Jelly: Another sample I enjoyed using, this moisturiser absorbed super quickly into my skin and left my legs feels hydrated and soft.

3. Black Head Pore Strip: I'm pretty sure I purchased these face masks quite a while back online. It's a black mask you put on troubled areas that sets and you can peel off, supposedly pulling any gunk out of your face. I find that with this mask along with many other pore targeting products It just doesn't do anything for me. It is kind of a fun process though so I'll continue to use them up.

4. Volume Million Lashes: Another product I purchased somewhere online yonks ago, and lets be honest I probably only bought It because It has a cat face on it. This mascara is white and is meant to prime your lashes before you use mascara, I remember it working okay ages ago but now It has dried up and Is pointless holding on to (besides the cute kitty face).

5. Estee Lauder Modern Muse Perfume: I am absolutely hopeless at reviewing perfumes so all I will say is that this perfume smells nice. Nice Indeed.

6. Calvin Klein Sheer Beauty Perfume: Smells a bit nicer than Modern Muse In my opinion.

7. Manicare Maximum Strength Nail Defence: I bought this as my nails are as weak as anything but sadly I knocked the bottle off the table and It cracked In half. I only got to use it about 3 times before It completely dried out. I wont leave a nail polish out ever again.

8. Indeed Labs Pepta Bright: This was a kind of weird product. It has the consistency of a moisturiser but is applied before any lotions and Is supposed to increase skin brightness. I found It didn't do anything for my skin and It smelt weird, I used it up regardless.

9. Schwarzkopf Crystal Shine Conditioner: I have used up a big bottle of this conditioner before although I had a few of these mini bottles lying around so I thought I would use them up whilst I'm still trying to finish the matching big bottle of shampoo (shampoo and conditioner never finish at the same time!). I find this conditioner isn't nourishing enough for my damaged hair but It smells nice so I can justify using it.

10. John Plunkett's Glyco Peel: I absolutely love this product! Whenever I use this product I wake up the next day with noticeable clearer skin. It can slightly burn when you put it on but pain is beauty right? This tiny bottle lasted me forever and I'm already onto my new one. I have a full review of the product here if you would like to check it out.

Thats my empties for August! Let me know If you start your Christmas shopping early like me or If you don't want to even think about Christmas yet!

Monique xx

Mo's Lowdown: Red Carpet Kolour Body Glow

Now tanning Is a scary topic for some of us fair skinned ladies out there, and It usually takes me at-least three attempts of a self tan product before I'm brave enough to rock it out in the real world. So what If I told you I was brave enough one night to try out an instant tanning product for the first time, AND go out to a birthday dinner AND wear white? And guess what, It was a success! Behold the magic product!

So the RCK Body Glow claims to be a product that adds instant warmth and glow to the skin, hiding imperfections such as scars, marks and cellulite. I am quite self conscious about the cellulite on my thighs so I was initially enticed to try this product when wearing short dresses or skirts out. The lotion comes in 3 shades, light, medium and tan. Being quite pale myself I figured medium would be a good choice as I could add a bit of warmth to my skin in the process. The product itself is a liquid that absorbs into the skin quite fast, I used a Bondi Sands tanning mitt to apply It all over my body.

Now the part I was most skeptical about was that this lotion supposedly doesn't budge once it's on. It was the end of summer when I first tried this product and It's Australia we're talking about, nothing stays on your skin for long! Anyway want-to-be-glowy Monique waited 5 minutes for the lotion to dry, put on a white top and went out to the birthday dinner feeling like a goddess, but was worrying the whole time there would be orange patches on her shirt by the end of the night. Thankfully there was nothing to worry about! To my surprise this product really is transfer proof, and once you allow it to dry it doesn't budge. I have really taken a liking to this 'tanner,' ('glower' just sounds weird) as it takes me less than 5 minutes to apply, I don't have to wait around for it to develop and Its easy to wash off in the shower at the end of the night. 

One application of the Body Glow really did warm up my skin, and although its hard to capture on camera It provides your skin with the most beautiful luminous glow, It look's so flattering especially on the décolletage and legs. I was so doubtful of this product at first but now I always find myself last minute rubbing this all over my body before a big event. Now I was sent this product for consideration although of course all my reviews are genuine, and the price always comes into my review. The RCK Body Glow retails for $49.99 from their website and I personally think It's a little steep for my beauty budget. That being said I have used this product about 5 times and It feels as if I haven't even made a dint in the bottle, so you definitely get your money's worth. I am really loving It and although personally I think It's a little pricey I'm going to be stalking any sales or Ebay listings thats for sure!

I give this product a rating of 4/5 due to price but I can't see myself giving it up any time soon. Thanks for checking out my review and let me know if you have tried out the RCK Body Glow!

Monique xx

July Empties

I have been super slack with posting my July Empties but before I can ramble on about some bad excuse I'll jump straight in!

1. Mitchum Roll On Deodorant: I have been using this roll on for years and It has never failed me. If you struggle to find a deodorant that keeps you smelling fresh all day then I would definitely recommend trying this one!

2. Nivea In Shower Body Lotion: I enjoyed using this product in winter as I hate standing around naked after a shower waiting for moisturiser to dry, this was super easy to use whilst in the shower and did make a difference to my dry skin. As you can see I had to cut the bottle In half to get all the product out, I have since noticed Nivea has improved the packaging by adding a pump so I'm definitely glad they made that decision! 

3. Schwarzkopf Blonde Toner: Another product that I have repurchased countless times. This toner helps removes brassiness from my blonde hair and doesn't damage it in the process. It's also as cheap as chips so I couldn't recommend It for blondes enough.

4. Schwarzkopf Ultime Crystal Shine Conditioner: This conditioner smelt great but it just wasn't moisturising enough for my damaged bleached hair. I'm still trying to use up the shampoo.

5. Lux Luminous Body Wash: This miniature came with me on my Sydney trip earlier in the year and it surprisingly lasted quite a few washes. It lathered nicely but didn't have much of a scent and I didn't notice any luminosity added to my skin.

6. Tressemme Colour Thrive Blonde Shampoo: I jumped for joy when I finally finished this bottle of shampoo, it lasted so long and I was keen to start making a dint in all the other shampoos I have in my stash. It actually wasn't a bad shampoo and it worked well for my hair, but onto better things!

Thanks so much for stopping by my blog, let me know If you are trying to finish up any products just so you can start a new one! 

Monique xx

June Empties

Well I know I'm so so behind in my blogging due to internet issues but guess what!? I got Internet as of 5 minutes ago! Woohoooo, praise the internet fairies! Im so excited to catch up on blogging as well as all of the beautiful blogs I missed reading so much! So I thought I would get straight in and post my very overdue June empties.

1. Hydraluron Moisture Boosting Tissue Mask: I always feel like a bit of an alien when I put these tissue masks on, unfortunately I didn't notice much of a difference after using this one but It was relaxing to use none the less.

2. Face Cleansing Wipes: These $2 cleansing wipes from Target weren't actually too bad! I'm always trying out new brands of makeup wipes but I wouldn't mind purchasing these again.

3. Pantene Moisture Renewal Shampoo and Conditioner: Thankfully these were the last two Pantene sample bottles I had to use up, I was starting to get over them as I just had so many!

4. Rimmel Wonder Full Mascara: This mascara contained argan oil and I honestly think It Improved the length of my lashes. It didn't create a super dramatic effect but it was nice enough for every day wear, I have a full review of the product here.

5. Makeup Remover Pads: Another $2 bargain, Ive gone through so many packets of these remover pads and I won't give up on them until I find something better at the same price point.

6. Oral B 3D White Toothpaste: I've already included one of these tubes in my empties as I love them! This is a really fantastic toothpaste.

7. Puretopia: Gentle Exfoliating Face Scrub: I swear anything Puretopia makes I'm bound to fall in love with and this scrub was no exception. The scrub granules were very fine but effectively exfoliated my face, It had a lovely fresh scent and contained no harsh ingredients, what's not to love?!

8. Swisspers Facial Cleansing Wipes: During the month of June my partner and I made a trip to Sydney for our anniversary, I had stupidly forgot to pack makeup wipes or remover so I ran into Coles one day and picked up this mini pack for around $1. I really enjoyed using them and the mini pack came in super handy for travel!

Thats the products I got through In June and I'll be posting my July empties shortly. I can't wait to get back into posting more content and even revamping my blog, so thanks so much for sticking around and being a reader of my blog!!

Monique xx

May Empties

Yay June and winter Is here! It's been a bit of a sad month for me on the empties mission and an even sadder month when it comes to getting the internet set up in our new house. But Thats a whole blog post in itself so before I use up all my Macca's free wifi allowance I'll get onto showing you the products I used up this month.

1. Johnsons's Baby Conditioning Shampoo: No I haven't recently had a baby if thats what you're thinking, I use this baby shampoo to deep clean my makeup brushes and it does a fantastic job! I have already repurchased another bottle.

2. Batiste Blush Dry Shampoo: Any dry shampoo from the Bastiste range is a winner in my books and I always have a few cans available in my stash as I use them frequently.

3. Ganier Miracle Skin Perfecting Cream: This 'skin perfecting' cream looks like any standard face cream until you rub it into your skin and it turns a peachy skin colour. I found the product didn't make any difference to my skin when used by itself although I enjoyed using it underneath makeup as a moisturiser/primer.

4. Schick Hydro Silk Razor: An absolutely fantastic razor, Ive already opened a new one.

5. Almay Eye Makeup Removing Pads: These lightly damp pads actually surprised me with how well they removed my eye makeup! They didn't dry out after having the container opened for a while, and didn't irritate my eyes whatsoever so I was really impressed.

6. Auromere Fluoride Free Toothpaste: I'm all about trying natural products, toothpaste included. I purchased this one of Iherb.com and when I opened it and saw the colour of the paste was brown I have to admit I was a little hesitant to try it. Surprisingly it was fresh and cleaned my teeth well, it has a subtle taste of liquorice so If you're not a fan of the taste I would avoid this toothpaste.

7. Veet Waxaway Sensitive Wax Strips: These strips were another surprise to me as they actually worked quite well! They didn't leave sticky residue on me like other wax strips I have tried and they were super easy to use! I would definitely recommend them.

Well thats all I've managed to get through this month, hopefully June has a better outcome. Thanks for reading and let me know if you're enjoying the cooler weather as I can't get enough of it.

Monique xx

April Empties

Well It's been nearly 6 weeks in our new house and we still don't have the internet on. But there's absolutely no way in the world I'm not posting my monthly empties, even If I have to connect to McDonalds wifi I will make it happen! So I apologise for the lack of posts but let me make it up to you a little by showing you my beauty rubbish for the month…

1. Nordic Blonde Toner: I have used up many tubes of this toner as I think its fantastic for the price. It removes brassy tones from my hair really well especially considering I bleach my hair myself. I need to pickup a new bottle asap!

2. Loreal Ever Creme Nourishing Mask: This is one of the better cheaper hair masks I have used. Makes my hair nice and soft and smells amazing!

3. Pantene Daily Moisture Renewal: These travel sized shampoo and conditioners are handy for trips away, but I unfortunately don't get to travel much so I'm trying to get through the other 10 bottles I have.

3. Medicos Aloe Fresh Sheet Mask: I'm still relatively new to the world of sheet masks, I find them very strange to put on but this one was quite refreshing and I enjoyed using it.

4. Black Head Pore Strip: I bought a bunch of these from ebay a while ago. The product is a black goo that you put on your face and when you pull it off it supposedly cleans out your pores. This one is fun to use but I don't see much of a result.

5. Biore Pore Strip: Biore pore strips do nothing for me, I'm just trying to use them up.

6. I love Lemons and Limes Bath Creme: I'm obsessed with anything that smells like lemons or limes so I really enjoyed using this body wash, I just wish the bottle was bigger!

7. Oral B 3D White: I don't usually include toothpaste in my empties posts but this one was really great!  Leaves your mouth feeling super fresh and clean.

8. Elf Brow Kit: I used up the Elf brow kit in 'ash' and I'm a little sad to see it go. It's a great formula, super inexpensive and the perfect colour for blondes. I would recommend everyone checks out this product. 

Well thats my empties for this month! Let me know how you did If you're trying to get through your beauty stash, and hopefully I'll be posting regularly again soon!

Monique xx