recent empties: episode #01

I love watching empties videos on YouTube. The idea seems a bit silly; someone (usually halfway across the world) shuffling through and displaying their accumulated trash over the past few weeks/months. But I'm sure most of you would agree that it's one of the best ways to discover new products. I've also managed to gather a few empty bottles and tubs for the purpose of taking the above photo, and doing a mini review on each. 

As you can see, I've finished quite a few products from The Body Shop recently. Quite a while ago, there was an amazing gift with purchase event and I just had to spend the full $80 to get it. Both the Moringa Body Butter and the Body Butter Duo in Macadamia were freebies, and to be honest, I'm not a huge fan. Both sides of the macadamia were too greasy for my liking, and the formula for dry skin made my legs incredibly itchy. The moringa was better in terms of texture — less thick and not sticky, but the scent isn't my favourite. TBS body butters get such amazing hype, and I really want to love them, but it just seems like I haven't found the one for me yet. 
The Vineyard Peach Cream Body Scrub on the other hand; I really enjoyed using! The scent is absolutely delicious and that's what propelled me to buy it in the first place (besides the GWP). It isn't as exfoliating as some other scrubs I've tried, yet effective enough to create a smooth base for shaving. It's both gentle and moisturisng; great for when I don't want to use something too abrasive on my skin. I'm not sure if I'd repurchase as of yet, but I would definitely be keen on trying some of the other flavours.

This is the second bottle of the Bifesta Brightup Cleansing Lotion (￥1,050) that I've used up, and it served as my main makeup remover way back in 2011 when I lived in Japan. Micellar waters are huge amongst beauty bloggers, and it only took me 3 years to realise that I've been using one all along! I've forgotten how much I enjoyed removing my daily face with this (after switching to cleansing balms), and recently rekindled my love for it. I wouldn't use it as my sole cleanser; but it's great as a pre-cleanse on light makeup days (or when I'm just a tad too lazy to balm it up). 

Lastly, we have the Origins Super Spot Remover ($25). I picked this up from Mecca Cosmetica when I was suffering from an eruption of breakouts along my chin and jawline (something that happens every month or two — the joys of having blemish prone skin). The Origins offering definitely helped to reduce redness and the overall appearance of spots after a few days of use, but I would say it's more effective against minor blemishes as opposed to under the skin breakouts. It's not actually as drying as the sales assistant made it out to be, which is always a plus in my book.

As a beauty hoarder (ahem) enthusiast, it's very satisfying when a product gets used up to the very last drop. Time to get cracking on the rest of my collection...