Empties #10

It's time for yet another round-up of the latest beauty bits that have made their way to the 'Empties' bin. I'm sure you all know the deal by now - can you believe we're on the tenth edition of this post?! - but if you're a newbie round these parts and need a catch-up, you can find all the previous ones I've done here. As is the usual for these kinds of posts nowadays, I'm only going to be featuring products that haven't been mentioned in an Empties post somewhere before, just to try and save me sounding like a broken record and getting all boring on y'all. Let's get started...

Maybelline Brow Drama in 'Transparent' - There sure seems to be a hell of a lot of makeup in this Empties edition, but I guess my recent makeup clear-out was partly to blame, with it leading me to discover a fair load of products amongst my stash which were either empty or all dried up. Starting with this brow gel, and one which has actually featured before - but in a tinted version. I've had this colour-less one kicking round in my stash for a while, simply because while I do like the whole premise of a brow gel, I never found myself picking this up on the reg. If you read this post though, you'll know that since then I've tracked down a brow gel which I have fell head over heels for and has in fact managed to implement itself firmly into my daily makeup routine. Win! (Although perhaps not so much for the Maybelline Brow Drama, which I doubt I'll be repurchasing again).

 

Avon Glimmerstick Eye Liner in 'Cosmic Brown' - Onto liners and I have quite the selection, starting with this kohl one from Avon. This has to be one of my favourite pencil eyeliner formulas I've tried. I actually received this shade as part of a gift set a couple of years back, but it's only in the last year or so that I finally cracked it out and I'm very glad I did. The colour is a perfect true chocolate brown that can pretty much pair with anything and everything and the texture's creamy and easy to apply (and blend too if you fancy it), yet sets down to a finish which stays in place all day long. Also, it's a retractable set-up - meaning no pencil sharpener needed.

 

Barry M Blink Waterproof Precision Eye Liner in 'Black' - Then we have two from the liquid liner camp and they're both in the easy peasy felt tip format we've all grown accustomed to - myself included. This one I think I picked up way back when I was attempting to get back into the whole cat flick thang again and so of course when it came to having that clear out last month, this was one of the first products I knew I had to say goodbye to. It's all dried up now (partly due to age of the line itself, but also the fact I did get a good amount of use out of it) but I do remember really liking this stuff when it'd seen better days. However, having now fell in love with Soap and Glory's Supercat Liner, I doubt it'll be one I'll be making a beeline towards anytime soon.

 

L'Oreal Super Liner Perfect Slim in 'Black' - ...And I guess the same can be said for this former liner love too. If I'm being honest, I'd say this is probably the one I'd opt for when pitted against the Barry M one as from what I remember it is a tad stronger in pigmentation and lasting power - though like I said, now I've found the Soap and Glory one I don't reckon I'll be looking elsewhere for some time. It is a close call, but compared to the S&G one, L'Oreal's offering requires a little more time and patience in the application and we all know that tends to be the deal-breaker when it comes to finding the perfect liquid liner for creating wings that are very much #OnFleek...

 

Clinique High Impact Mascara - You may well remember me banging on about in this mascara in a post a few months back and it wasn't too long after that documentation that it dispersed its last drop - can you tell I loved it? This was actually a freebie in a GLAMOUR magazine I picked up a while back - hence it being on the miniature side of things - but going on how well it performed, I'd certainly be tempted to purchase the proper full-sized version. This was a really good 'all rounder', delivering on all fronts - length, volume, curl, separation - and with a finish that (whilst seemingly not waterproof) stayed put without flaking or smudging. If only the price tag was a smidgen lower, eh...

 

Rimmel Exaggerate Lip Liner in 'East End Snob' - Lips-wise, I actually have a lip liner which is all used up - something I didn't actually think I would ever include in a post like this - but hey, it's happened people. I'm putting this one down partly due to just how much I loved it/used it, but also to the fact that I do feel the whole packaging set-up means you probably use a lot more product at once than you perhaps would if it was in a traditional pencil format. Whatever the reason, I really enjoyed using this lip liner - so much so I already have another ready and waiting to take its place. It's the perfect pinky-nude hybrid, matching up to my natural lip shade almost perfectly and just making things that tad more defined and fuller - whether used simply as a liner or coloured in all-over the pout. Love, love, LOVE.

 

PRO:VOKE Touch of Silver Brightening Shampoo - A couple of hair bits 'n' bobs come next and you have also seen this featured in a post or two round these parts in recent months, as it's now become my top choice in the purple shampoo department. Being an artificial blondie (I have the whole 'ombre' thang going on), a toning shampoo is essential for keeping those blonde locks just that - blonde. This corrects any brassy tones that may be forming, freshening things up and making things brighter and more 'alive' and giving my hair more of an ashy tone as opposed to an orangey one. This stuff is super pigmented and really does the job straight away, and it's pretty inexpensive too!

 

L'Oreal Studio Line Hot Straight Spray - This has also been a well-appreciated addition to my haircare routine recently, so much so that I've already made my way through my first bottle. I love a good heat protectant spray, and I think I may just have found a good'un in this one from L'Oreal. Obviously, it does the whole 'shielding your hair from heat' thang (or at least you hope it does), but with this one it also provides a bit of styling power too. My hair's rather frizz-prone, so I'm always on the hunt for products to combat that and this does so nicely. After spritzing some of this through my locks, my hair dries much straighter, has a sleeker finish once properly straightened and the effect lasts much longer too. Yaaasss. I've already got another lined up,. though it does seem to be much more difficult to get hold of - please don't say it's getting discontinued L'Oreal!

 

Soap and Glory Off Your Face Wipes - Last but certainly by no means least is a skincare item - though while I label it 'skincare', to be honest I've not really been employing it for that purpose. I avoid face wipes at all costs, preferring to use a micellar water to remove the bulk of my makeup at night. However, I do still like to have a pack of wipes in my sash - my makeup 'tools' stash, to be precise. The only way you'll ever catch me using a face wipe these days is for general cleaning up - whether that be the back of my hand that's full of foundation or a shed load of swatches or simply a makeup-related mistake - for me, that's where face wipes come in real handy. So, that's exactly what I opted to use this pack of Soap and Glory ones for when they popped up in a gift set I received for Christmas a couple of years back. They did the job and smelt rather nice too. What more could you want?