Empties and Repurchases ... Eyeshadow Primers and Eye Make Up Removers

After writing my  'Empties and Repurchases' post on toners, I thought I would write another post with the same theme, but this time on eyeshadow primers and eye make up removers. Although I have quite dry skin generally, I have quite oily eyelids and eyeshadows don't seem to stay for longer than a few hours, which when I'm at uni or on placement all day isn't ideal. I have tried an eye primer before, Lemonaid from Benefit, and it did work but it didn't find a place in my everyday make up routine, but I got a sample of the Urban Decay Primer Potion when I bought my Naked Palette, and it has quickly become an everyday staple. 

As you can see the first sample is pretty grubby, so apologies for that, but it has lasted a fairly long time (about 8 months) and it was quite a small sample. The packaging also held up pretty well even though the lid cracked, because I seemed to drop it every day! The small sample size had a doe foot applicator, which although it was handy, it didn't seem to be the most hygienic option, so I was quite pleased to see that the full size has no applicator and instead you squeeze it from the tube. Obviously (from the photo), I decided to repurchase the primer potion :) and I'm really glad I did because it is still an essential part of my everyday routine. It was £14.50 from Debenhams which seems to be a standard price and even though it is fairly expensive it is something I use so often that I think it is well worth the price. I would definitely recommend this product to anyone with similar problems with getting their eyeshadow to last! I bought the shade 'original' but there are other shades available in sin, eden and greed all at the same price £14.50 for 11ml! 

 Eye Make Up Removers

I have gone through phases of routines of removing my make up, at the moment I am removing my eye make up before cleansing because I was finding that it wasn't being removed effectively enough with just cleansing, and when I was a lot younger I used make up remover wipes. I finished my Nivea Daily Essentials extra gentle eye make up remover a couple of weeks ago and I really liked it. It was nice and light and sensitive, it didn't have a really strong scent and did take off my stubborn mascara without too much fuss. It costs £3.39 for 125 ml from Boots, and I was planning on repurchasing it however, when I went to Boots I saw another make up remover from Nivea that seemed interesting so I bought that instead.

L-R - Nivea Double Effect, Lancome Bi-Facil

I picked up the Nivea Double Effect Eye Make Up Remover instead of the 'Daily Essentials' one because the concept of the oil and the liquid really intrigued me. It was £3.59 for 125ml, so not that more expensive than the Daily Essentials eye make up remover. It works really well on my stubborn mascara, and doesn't leave a greasy residue, or smear my eye make up around my face. It is also really good for my sensitive eyes and doesn't sting at all. You have to shake it before you apply it, and then I put it on a cotton wool ball and the oil works to remove the mascara and any other stubborn products e.g. eyeliner, and the aqueous part removes any last traces and the greasy residue. It makes my eyes feel so clean, even when I've been wearing quite heavy eye make up. I would definitely recommend this eye make up remover, and will almost certainly be repurchasing it!!!

I was also given the Lancome Bi-Facil make up remover in a set for Christmas, so I have been sampling that every now and again as well. It is £21 for 125 ml in Debenhams, but mine is a 30ml sample size. It has a lovely scent, similar to my beloved Lancome toner, and it seems to work in a similar way to the double effect one with two phases. Although this is really nice, and good for my sensitive eyes, I don't think it is worth almost 6 times the price of the Nivea Double Effect, so I think I will enjoy it whilst it lasts but I doubt I will be repurchasing it. 

xxx

Empties and Repurchases - Toner

I've finished quite a few products in the last couple of months, so I thought I would share them with you and also if I've repurchased them or gone for something else. The idea behind this is that it will highlight the products I've loved enough to finish, and then whether I love them so much I've repurchased them! First off, I thought I would start with toners. Now, I seem to have gone through a lot of toner in the last couple of months but it really is something I can't go without. I know some people don't see why it is necessary, but I personally love how clean and fresh it makes my skin feel. So, these are the toners I have used up ....

L-R - Top-Lancome Douceur Hydrating Toner, Nivea Daily Essentials Refreshing Toner
Bottom- Simple Soothing Facial Toner, Garnier Soft Essentials Comforting Toner

Lancome Douceur was a sample I received when I bought the Lancome Hypnose mascara, and I absolutely loved it. It was so refreshing and I felt like it got rid of all the last bits of my make up. It had a lovely light scent, but I got through it quite quickly as the sample was only 50 ml, and at £34.00 for 200 ml I couldn't justify it when I hadn't tried any cheaper ones. 

So, the next toner I tried was the Nivea Daily Essentials Toner, which was quite a bit cheaper at £3.59 for 200 ml (in Boots). I did really like this one as well, however, it just didn't match the Lancome one for me. It didn't leave my skin feeling as refreshed, or prepare it for my moisturiser as well either, but at almost a tenth (yes a TENTH) of the price I still couldn't justify repurchasing the Lancome toner. So, I thought I would try another cheaper toner before I ran back to the Lancome counter. 

The next toner I tried was the Simple Soothing Toner, which was £2.99 for 200 ml at Superdrug. I love Simple as a brand, and this toner didn't disappoint. I was sad to see it go, but not sad enough to repurchase it. It did the job well enough but nothing special so my hunt continued... and I ended up picking up Garnier Soft Essentials Toner which is my last toner that I've finished. It has a really lovely scent, as it is enriched with rose extract, and is really refreshing. It is £3.40 for 200 ml at Tesco, so still in the same price range as the Nivea and Garnier toners but it is my hands down favourite out of the three. It is also for dry skin, and although my skin hasn't been dry recently, this toner really helps reduce that tight feeling you can sometimes get in between cleansing and moisturising that I really hate. It makes my skin feel much cleaner and I am really sad to see the end of it. However, you may have thought my journey to find my holy grail toner was over, but alas it is not so. I wanted to see if I preferred the Garnier toner to a more middle of the price range one, because if I do I will be repurchasing the Garnier one in a flash and I think it will be in my skincare routine for a while. So ... the toner I have just bought today is ....

Tadaaa! It's the Liz Earle Instant Boost Skin Tonic. It was £12.50 from Boots for 200 ml, so nowhere near as expensive as the Lancome toner but not as cheap as the Garnier one. I decided to go for this one because I wanted something in the middle of the price range, and I already use (and love) the Cleanse and Polish so I thought it would be a good one to go with. I have only just bought it today so I will have to update you on whether I like it or not, but first thoughts are that the scent is not as nice as either the Lancome or Garnier one. It is quite an earthy floral scent rather than the fresh rose scent of the Garnier toner. It also has a screw top sort of contraption rather than a simple lid, but I will see how I get on. 

I thought I should add that I do use the occasional spray toners as well, but not really as a staple part of my skin care routine, more of a when I fancy it sort of thing, so I didn't think it was really appropriate to include them in this post! I was going to talk about more than just toners in this post but I think we would be here all day so I think I will do another post like this for some of my other empties, rather than one long one. Let me know of any other toners you have used and loved and maybe I will find one that will beat the Lancome one! If I had the money I would never have strayed, but until that day I will carry on searching for an alternative :) 

xxx