Trash Diving: Makeup, Haircare and Nails

Welcome to a new segment on my blog that will be lovingly named "Trash Diving". It's a take on the "Product Empties", "What's in my Bin?" etc. videos/posts. Basically, I will be writing about skincare, makeup, haircare and nail items that I have thrown out or will be throwing out because they are finished, didn't work for me or because it's simply time for them to be thrown out. 

Today's post will cover makeup, haircare and nails and I will post about my skincare items soon. I find makeup and nails the hardest items to finish up whereas I can go through skincare a lot faster. These posts will not occur monthly which other bloggers and you tubers can do.. I simply do not finish products fast enough!

Makeup
Inglot Cream Concealer in 24
This is my "holy grail" concealer for blemishes. On my oily/combination skin it stays put all day and especially if you set it with powder. This colour was too dark so I purchased the same concealer in the shade 26 which is lighter. I mix the two together to get the perfect shade. 

Verdict? This concealer will always be my go-to concealer for blemishes. It doesn't budge once you set it with powder. Who doesn't love that?! I will repurchase this and have already purchased a new one! 

Revlon Grow Luscious Mascara
Lets me provide you with a quick overview of the lashes I have ... straight lashes that point downwards and struggle to hold a curl. I also struggle to find mascaras that don't smudge. Not the most ideal lashes to have are they? But you have to work with what you've got! 

This mascara claims to improve the overall appearance of your lashes and reveal longer, more luscious lashes. While I found that this did add some volume and length to my lashes (nothing to boast about), it did not hold my curled eyelashes and smudged after 2 hours. I used this only when I knew I'd be out for a quick lunch, coffee etc. Bit of a bother really. 

Verdict? I will not be repurchasing this mascara. Panda eyes are not cute. The end. 

Haircare
Lush - Rub Rub Rub
I bought this product initially as a body scrub; however, was told by the sales assistant when I bought it that it could be used as a shampoo too. I purchased it to replace my Lush - Ocean Salt which I previously used as a body exfoliator and since it was much cheaper (try $22.50 for 120g of Ocean Salt vs. $12.95 for 250g of Rub Rub Rub) I thought I'd give it a whirl. It does smell quite fresh (I'm terrible at describing scents!) and I quite like the smell. However, I have to admit that I much preferred the Ocean Salt in comparison to Rub Rub Rub in terms of its 'exfoliating abilities' but I much prefer my own scrubs to the Ocean Salt (see my DIY post here). 

As a result, I ended up using this more as a clarifying shampoo. The first ingredient is sea salt which helps get rid of the build-up from hair products and daily grime. I found it particularly good to wash out my weekly coconut oil hair treatment as I find my usual shampoo is not strong enough and I can be left with a oily cast in my hair. I only used this on a weekly basis though. It would be too stripping to use every time you wash your hair.

Verdict? I'm not going to repurchase this right now. I have the Bumble and Bumble Sunday Shampoo on my list to pick up (I may have already done a sneaky purchase on lookfantastic) as I've heard great things about this as a clarifying shampoo. If I don't like it, I will repurchase this but as a clarifying shampoo and not an exfoliator. 

Batiste Dry Shampoo in Tropical
I posted about this in my Colours of the Rainbow Tag (Link!). I love this dry shampoo. It does it's job well - soaks up excess oil from second-day hair and also adds volume to your hair. The only downfall with this product is that it can leave a grey cast on my black hair so I spray it under the top section of my hair to hide it. I have tried the Batiste version for dark hair but this also left a slight cast and I didn't like that smell as much. The tropical scent which smells like coconut is definitely my favourite. 

Verdict? Yes, I would definitely repurchase this. Unless I find a dry shampoo which I don't have to be too careful with a white cast left on my hair, it will always be on my dressing shampoo. Jodi on YouTube from Goo Roo Beauty recommended Toni & Guy's Dry Shampoo on one of her videos so I picked it up from Coles for $12 on the weekend since it was on sale. I have tried many dry shampoos so I will be doing a comparison post about them. 

Nails
O.P.I - Lincoln Park After Dark
Definitely a cult favourite nailpolish. It's a dark almost black purple but unfortunately OPI nailpolishes just don't last well on me. Don't get me wrong though, I love this colour and especially during autumn/winter. I'm throwing this out because it has simply dried up to the point where I can't even open the bottle anymore!

Verdict? I will not repurchase this. This colour is definitely "dupe-able" and I'd rather buy a similar colour from Essie, Revlon or Rimmel which have a much better staying power on my nails. 

What products have you all finished lately?

Jess

xoxo

May Favourites 2013

I tend to stick to the same ol' products time after time, so I'm not too sure if these favourites videos will be a monthly occurrence but we shall see! Let's start off with makeup first! I always like watching youtubers and reading about other bloggers' makeup favourites the best :)

Makeup

My foundation of choice has been Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua this month. I apply this with my fingers and I find it gives me the perfect light coverage that I prefer. I'm not one to wear a heavy base, the lighter the better for me :)

I have been loving MAC Harmony Blush as a contour/bronzer. It's a warm brown shade that's not too orange. I dust it at the back of my cheek bones and slightly onto my temples. I then use my Napoleon Perdis Colour Disc in 66 which is the perfect rose coloured blush for me and great for work. The colour discs are actually eyeshadows but the make-up artist said it would be great as a blush and she was right! I'm not too sure if you can get your hands on it now though as I did buy it several years ago and it seems they have changed their packaging since. I'm probably pushing the makeup expiry boundaries here. Oops!

I find that the perfect pairing with my blush of choice this month has been Clarins Joli Rouge Lipstick in 703 Ginger. They are in a similar tone and work so well together. The lipstick is also smooth and creamy. I've really been loving Clarins lately. 

My favourite eyeshadow combination has been Urban Decay's Foxy from the Urban Decay Basics palette swept across the lids with MAC's Bamboo eyeshadow in the crease. Foxy is perfect for evening out my eyelids and bamboo warms up my crease. It's an easy 'I don't have to think about what I'm doing' combination! It's also not too heavy which is what I prefer since I have smaller eyes. 

Skincare

On days when I wake up and I'm having a good skin day I love using Origins Vitazing. I would classify this as a skincare/makeup fusion type product. It doubles as my moisturiser and gives me a tint at the same time. I find that when I first apply it, the tint doesn't appear straight away rather, it takes a little bit of time to develop. If you get oily I do recommend powdering in those sections as it can get a bit too dewy looking throughout the day. I like to powder my t-zone if I'm wearing this product on it's own; that is, no foundation over the top. 

Lush's Ro's Argan Body Conditioner is my skin saviour - blog post about this product has already been written here so check it out!

Hair

L'oreal Mythic Oil - I spoke about my love for this product in my 'Colours of the Rainbow Tag' post (Link!)

Fragrance

Chanel Mademoiselle has been the perfume I have been reaching for this month. I bought this when I went to Europe a couple of years ago so I feel like it's kinda special! However, my love for Viktor & Rolf's Flowerbomb last year saw this perfume receive absolutely no love last year. This year, it's quite the opposite! My flowerbomb has been tucked away while this receives all the attention. I only use this in the autumn/winter time though as I find it too heavy for spring/summer. 

What have been your favourites this month? I'd love to know!

Jess 

xoxo

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My Skin Saviour: Ro's Argan Body Conditioner

I've stated in a previous blog post that my skin gets extremely dry during winter. I received a sample of Lush's Ro's Argan Body Conditioner in a monthly subscription box and was extremely impressed with the results! It usually takes consistent moisturising on a daily basis to make sure my skin doesn't get to that ugly dry state. To be honest, I can find moisturising every night to be quite laborious (talk about lazy!). 

Ro's Argan Body Conditioner is like a hair conditioner, but for your skin! You apply this at the end of your shower on damp skin and let it sink in for a couple of minutes before washing it off. It leaves your skin soft and moisturised, so say goodbye to that dry skin of yours because it literally disappears after one use! And the best part? You totally don't need to moisturise after! Big win! The texture is like a thick moisturiser and it smells like roses, so if you don't like the smell of roses I'd probably stay away. But for me, I love the scent. I use it on a weekly basis, but more if my skin needs some added moisture. I will usually use my DIY Coffee Scrub (Link to my recipe!) to exfoliate, followed by my Soap & Glory Clean on Me Shower Wash (which smells amazing!) and then this body conditioner. The result? Baby soft skin :)

At $32.50 for the 225g tub, it's not the cheapest thing but it does it's job extremely well and lasts a decent amount of time! I've had mine for a couple of months and I haven't even hit the halfway point. Definitely check it out if you suffer from dry winter skin blues like me!

Jess xoxo