I’m so close to using up more interesting products (such as actual makeup and things that you haven’t heard me mention before in one of these posts) but the products keep on piling up and I’m self-aware enough to know that if I don’t write this post now that I’ll keep on putting it off and the list will get massive; without further ado, I thought I would share my thoughts on products that I’ve used up.

Pureology SuperSmooth Sulfate-Free Shampoo ($60/ 1L)

While I can’t say that living at home during university is without its advantages — being able to escape campus and having the ability to spend irritational proportions of spending money on beauty products, to name a few — but along with the impracticalities of the commute, living at home leaves you subject to members of your family throwing out empty beauty products before you have the chance to stash them away. I’m sure you can now guess why I’m without the liter sized packaging of this one. Anyways, if you’ve been with me for the long-haul I’m sure you are aware of my intense love for this gentle shampoo. It seems really expensive but the litre sized lasted me for over a year even with other family members using it quite regularly and it’s the most amazing gentle shampoo that smells amazing and herbally. It doesn’t cause dermatitis on my scalp given that it’s formulated without sulfates but even more than that it’s a very concentrated shampoo offering that is quite possibly the gentlest shampoo that I’ve ever tried. I haven’t repurchased yet but I will be repurchasing this one or another variant from the same brand.

Jergen’s Natural Glow Daily Firming Moisturizer in Medium to Tan ($8.99/ 200 mL)

The whole firming claim of this product is ridiculous, so although it’s not a concern of mine, if it is a concern of yours I doubt this will help any other than reducing the appearance of cellulite because it darkens the skin; however, the firming line doesn’t contain irritating alcohols like the other and is fragranced with caramel itself rather than anything artificial and potentially much more irritating. The gradual tanner was a soothing hydrator on my eczema-ridden skin, ranking up with the best of body cream, interestingly enough. However, it was a natural-looking self-tanner that went nicely over irritated eczema patches all over the body without requiring any sort of exfoliation beforehand. I am nearing the end of my second bottle now, so obviously I’ve repurchased but I haven’t been using it as much because I’ve accidentally acquired some colour of my own and I’ve been reaching for richer creams on my legs that don’t require any sort of precision. I will repurchase again, however and I already have. And it smells like authentic caramel and not horrible at all.

Aveeno Skin-Relief Body Wash ($7.99/ 354 mL)

This body wash is fragrance-free and is the only thing I know of that washes the body with it’s soap-free formula whilst soothing the skin and not irritating my sore eczema in the slightest. My legs are my worst area and this is a life-saver when used to shave. I’ve repurchased this for ages but I spotted a near-identical formulation at Target titled the Eczema-Care Body Wash and picked it up when I couldn’t find this one – the only different I notice is that the packaging titles it as being ideal for the skin condition and that it costs the same for slightly less product. It’s a no-frills and unexciting product but if you have sensitive or irritated skin, this is the most amazing thing in existence.

Boots No 7 Beautiful Skin Cleansing Balm ($9/ 150 mL)

I’ve rambled on about this one enough, in posts such as the full-review here so I’ll try to keep it concise. It’s not exactly a balm-texture but rather seems to be a thick and rich cream textured cleanser that leaves the skin soothed and nourished, while removing face makeup like a champ. It doesn’t irritate the skin in the slightest and feels luxurious with its spa-esque scent despite its impressive pricetag. I technically haven’t repurchased this one yet because I went for the extremely similar Hot Cloth Cleanser from the same line instead and I’ll either purchase that one or the ‘cleansing balm’ again.

Bioderma Sensibio H20 ($22/ 250 mL)

Unsurprisingly, I’ve gone through another bottle of the fragrance-free makeup removing cleansing water that everyone raves about; it feels like water but removes makeup well with no eye irritation (or skin irritation) even on my sensitive eyes that seem to burn and turn red with just about anything else. It’s like irritation-free cleansing wipes in a bottle, so its the best for taking with you when you’re staying overnight with friends and I use it most nights to remove my eye makeup with almost no-effort. I will definitely be repurchasing this but I have been really enjoying the L’Oreal alternative that works just about the same at half of the price…

L’Oreal Professionnel Fix Anti-Frizz ($20/ 250 mL)

Because my wavy-curly hair is a menace, I rarely heat style it and hairspray is a nightmare to get out of my tangly hair so it’s taken me years to use up this hairspray but it’s a nice one. It ranks among the best for keeping style in my hair through humid conditions and it has a nice but un-offensive smell but it can get a bit crunchy but I used this for prom and my curls held for about 24 hours throughout the extreme humidity. I wouldn’t be opposed to repurchasing but I picked up the L’Oreal Sleekissime for a change and it appears to be quite similar.

Maybelline The Falsies Black Drama Mascara ($9)

As much as it saddens me to write this, my all-time favourite mascara has dried up so much that it is no longer usable — I do love the formula when it has dried up a bit, however. It’s not clumpy looking and adds buildable volume to my lashes that I rather enjoy without feeling heavy and it’s not a menace to remove. I will definitely be repurchasing, although I’ve been trying a few new ones in the meantime. It’s worth the hype. The only thing that would improve this one would be a slightly drier formula.

What have you used up lately?

Maggie, x.