Febuary Empties 2019

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Hi guys! It's empties time again already. If you read last months post, you'll have seen that I'm now giving each product marks out of 10 and saying if I'd buy it again and why. I'm now adding an extra bit on to that by saying if I'd recommend the product or not. I'm wanting to do this as I like to be fair to the products and brands as much as possible. I test a lot of products so there's bound to be plenty that I won't buy again. But that doesn't mean they're bad! They might not suit my skin type or fit my budget. I'm hoping that by reviewing products this way, it'll be more useful to you too! Let me know what you think!

Nura Uplifting Bath and Shower Gel (PR / gifted) - Really lovely shower gel. It has a light, citrusy scent which is uplifting as the name suggests! I loved that this foams up to a really good lather but is still very gentle and hydrating to skin. It leaves skin feeling lovely.

Marks out of 10: 7/10
Do I recommend it? Yes

Would I buy it? Definitely! Just not at the moment as I've got a stash of Christmas smellies to work through!

Dr Teal's Pure Epsom Salt Soaking Solution Relax and Relief with Eucalyptus and Spearmint* (Received from Boots Review Panel in exchange for an honest review, usually costs £7.99) - These were rubbish! You got a bit of scent when you first put the salts in the bath but that was it! I used a number of times, increasing the amount used each time to see if it made a difference. It didn't.

Marks Out of 10: 0/10

Do I recommend it? No

Would I buy it? No.

This Works Deep Sleep Pillow Spray* (bought myself - costs £18) - I love this lavender scented spray. I use it every night to spray my pillows. It definitely helps me relax and sleep better. 

Marks out of 10: 10/10

Do I recommend it: Yes!

Would I repurchase? I already have!

Eyeko Black Magic Liquid Eyeliner* (bought myself - costs £16) - This was an ok liner. It was pigmented and the nib was a nice thickness. It was easy to draw a precise line and it dried down quickly. It didn't flake but it did smudge and melt off during the day. 

Marks Out of 10: 5/10

Do I recommend it? No 

Would I buy again? No because it smudged.

Clinique Pep-Start Pout Restoring Night Mask* (won in a giveaway usually costs £16) - I really liked this lip mask. It's super thick, so much so that it's still on when you wake up the following morning! It definitely keeps lips soft and plump. The only downside was that I think it would give me occasional spots at the side of my lips.

Marks out of 10: 7/10.

Do I recommend it? Yes 

Would I buy it again? No because I prefer Laniege Sleeping Lip Mask instead.

Elemis Pro-Collagen Overnight Matrix cream* (bought myself, details below) - Wow this cream is gorgeous. It's a really unusual silky, gel type cream that loosens up when you apply it. It's got the same wonderful "spa in a jar" scent as the Pro-Collagen cleansing balm. It's full of amazing ingredients like drone peptides. I found my skin looked brilliant after using this. 

Marks out of 10: 9/10

Do I recommend it? Yes

Would I repurchase? Most definitely! I've actually already got a travel sized tube to go at. The only downside and the reason I gave it 9 not 10 is the price. It's very expensive. (£145 for 50ml!!) However QVC UK often have amazing Elemis deals. I bought this as part of one of them and think it was about £100 for a 30ml cream and other products too. That being said, I do think it's worth the money if you have the budget, it's a fabulous cream.

Tula Purifying Cleanser* (won in a competition - usually costs £22) - This was my favourite AM and 2nd cleanser for quite a while. It's a lovely, jelly texture. I bit like Drunk Elephant Beste No9 but thicker. It's got quite a strong but pleasant fresh scent. I was fine with it but I imagine others wouldn't be. It lathers up really well and leaves skin soft and clean, not stripped. It contains lactic acid to gently exfoliate.

Marks out of 10: 8/10

Do I recommend it? Yes

Would I buy? Yes but not for a while. As it's such a huge tube, I feel like I've been using it forever and have got a bit fed up with it. Fickle I know! 

Sjo Happy Honey Mask (bought myself, costs £42) - What can I say about this mask that hasn't already been said?! It's seriously special. This beauty contains just 6 ingredients, it's like a warm, hug for your face. It calms inflammation, gently exfoliates and leaves skin looking smooth and feeling soft. 

Marks out of 10: 10/10!! This wasn't my fave mask of 2018 for nothing!

Do I recommend it? Yes, to everyone!! 

Will I repurchase? Of course! I already have.

Omorovicza Queen of Hungary Mist* (bought myself, costs £15)- This mist might be expensive but it's a little bit of luxury! The scent of it is just heavenly and it's super fine mist is so gentle and hydrating.

Marks out of 10: 8/10 marked down due to price.

Do I recommend it? Yes

Will I buy again? I've already got another travel sized bottle in my stash.

Evy Technology Daily UV Face Mousse* (PR / gifted, usually costs £25 or less if you use my discount code!) - You can read my full review of this beauty HERE but just to recap. This lighter than air, mousse SPF is my favourite SPF for a reason! Use my code TORIA15 for 15% off on Evy Technology's website (website linked, affiliate code).   

Marks out of 10: 10/10 - as I've said, it's my favourite! There's no downside to this SPF.

Do I recommend it? Yes! Always!

Will I buy again? Obviously yes.

Kate Somerville Eradikate Cleanser (bought myself, costs £32, available from Space NK, Cult Beauty and Kate Somerville.co.uk and .com) - I love the Eradikate Blemish Treatment (read my review HERE) so had to try the cleanser from the same range. I'm really undecided as to whether I like this or not. It's a thick cream texture that turns to a light almost mousse like consistency when put onto damp skin. It doesn't smell the best, I'm guessing because of the sulphur. It cleans skin well and doesn't dry my skin out. I'm not sure how much it helped my acne though. One thing that I did like was that as it is really thick, you can apply it like a mask. I used to leave it on whilst I was in the shower. 

Marks out of 10: 5/10 this was a bit meh for me.

Do I recommend it? If you have acne, yes it's worth a try. If not, no.

Would I repurchase? No. I didn't find it an enjoyable cleanser to use either, which for me is really important. If it had helped by acne, I could have looked past that.

Clark's Botanicals Intense Radiance Mask (bought myself, costs £58, sold at Space NK and Clarks Botanicals.com) -  I've loved this mask! It's a clay mask promises to brighten and purify skin, both of which it does brilliantly. It's the most gentle but effective clay mask I've tried. It's does a great job at controlling oil too without stripping skin.

Marks out of 10: 9/10 - I'm only marking it down by one due to the price, it's not the cheapest. 

Do I recommend it? Yes

Would I buy it again? Definitely! 

 Herbivore Jasmine Green Tea Balancing Toner Mist (bought myself, costs £20 for this size 60ml or £33 for 120ml, available from Space NK and Herbivorebotanicals.com) - This mist is great for oily skinned types like me, it's hydrating and refreshing and also contains willow bark to help keep pores clear. 

Marks out of 10: 8/10 it definitely helps keep my skin hydrated.

Do I recommend it? Yes

Would I buy it again: Yes!

Tula Illuminating Serum (won in a competition, usually costs £62 and is available from Beauty Bay, QVC UK and their own website Tula.com) - This light, milky serum has been a staple of my AM routine for a while now! It plays well with other products, hydrates skin really well and brightens skin tone. 

Marks Out of 10: 7/10 it does as promised!

Do I recommend it? Yes

Would I buy it? Probably not. As lovely as it is, I can get similar results for less money. 

IGK Low Key Cleansing Walnut Scalp Scrub (got as part of a Christmas set, full size available for £32 from Space NK) - This is my second mini tube of this now and I enjoyed it as much as the first! It's so minty and cooling on your scalp. My only gripe is that it's in a tube. It's so thick that it makes it hard to squeeze out and it blocks the cap so you can't close it properly. It then leaks out! It would be loads better in a tub. I cut the tube so I could get it out better.

Marks out of 10: 9/10 (marked down for the tube issue)

Do I recommend it? Yes. 

Would I buy it again? Most definitely! I love it despite the packaging. 

Paula's Choice Clinical 1% Retinol Treatment Serum (available for £53 from Paula's Choice and Look Fantastic UK and USA)

This serum is my favourite retinol product so far. It's strong and effective. Read my full review HERE.

Marks out of 10: 10/10

Do I recommend it? Yes!

Would I buy it again? Most definitely. 

Ouai Finishing Cream (available from Space NK and Look Fantastic UK and USA for £20)

I got this in a Space NK GWP and I'm glad as I would never have bought a cream hair product. I usually love serums instead. First of all this smells amazing. It smells classy and expensive. It's such a light cream, it weighs hair down enough so that it's not all over the place but not too much that it makes it lank. It really does just finish hair off and leave it looking sleeker and polished. It's amazing. As you can see I've cut the tube to get every last bit out!

Marks out of 10: 10!!

Would I recommend it: Yes

Will I rebuy it? Of course!

 Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair serum (received as part of a GWP, the writing has rubbed off the bottle, available from Look Fantastic UK and USA and Boots and loads of other places! Price dependant on size but usually about £55 for 30ml) - What can I say about ANR that hasn't already been said?! It's the OG, the very first serum ever! How amazing is that? It's a brilliant light runny gel consistency that absorbs well without being sticky. It plumps skin really well. It's a great every day (night) serum.

Marks out of 10: 8/10 it does what it promises!

Do I recommend it? Yes.

Will I buy it again? No. Only because I marginally prefer Clarins Double Serum. But if I ever got a bottle in a GWP again I'd be pleased.

Tula Volume Defence Deep Wrinkle Serum (won in a competition, usually costs £78 available from Beauty Bay, QVC UK and Tula.com)

Another gorgeous serum from Tula. It's light and milky, easily absorbed. You can feel the tell tale Retinol tingle when applied but I'm not sure of the actual strength of it. I'd class it as a maintenance Retinol serum, perfect for everyday use. 

Marks out of 10: 7/10

Would I recommend it? Yes it's a lovely serum that works as expected.

Will I repurchase? No. I prefer stronger retinol serums personally and the odd maintenance one that I do use, is much better value than this. 

I've also has a huge clear out of my makeup this month, passing on what I could, but mostly binning as it's past it's best. I'm not going to review everything as we'd be here all day but if there's anything in the photos below that you want more info on - just ask!

And that's it for this month! Thanks for reading.