March Empties

Hi All,
It’s that time of the month again when I apologise for never getting the empties post up in something resembling prompt timing. I was in Switzerland for work until Friday night so I’ve written it up this weekend. Last month was a bumper one for empties with three cleansers, two primers, a spritz and a mask. So without further ado, let’s take a closer look…

First up is the Pendulum potion from May Lindstrom. This was in my last ‘Box of Dreams’ from Caroline Hirons and Cult Beauty and it was a box exclusive. The Pendulum potion hadn’t been released yet and was due to come out early this year. A quick look online makes me think it’s still unavailable as I can only find a waiting list on the May Lindstrom site where it’s $80 for 100ml.
So is it worth it?

It’s a great cleanser. Like all May products it feels really luxurious so I was using something else for a first cleanse to get all my makeup off and then this afterwards. It left my skin feeling lovely and soft but because of the thick black glass it’s impossible to know how much is left which isn’t ideal. The most annoying thing was that I was quite happily using it for a week or so before I shook it one day and black droplets came out with the yellow oil that I had only seen up until then. So it was a two phase system and I had no idea because there were no instructions on the bottle. So here’s a tip; if you buy this, shake well before use.
The other thing I wasn’t a huge fan of was the neck of the bottle. It has an insert to slow the oil down and release it in drops but you have to shake really hard to get anything to actually come out. On one hand it means you can’t spill anything but it’s also messy and not very user friendly. A simple pump would be so much easier.
It’s a good product and if you’re a fan of May Lindstrom I’m sure you’ll love it but as for me? Probably won’t repurchase.

My second cleanser this month is from another Cult Beauty box, but this time the cleansing box from back in July. This Eye Wash cleanser from Sonya Dakar was one I didn’t really see the point of back then and I’m afraid I still don’t. Maybe I just don’t wear enough eye makeup but I’ve never felt a need for a specific eye cleanser to use in addition to my normal routine. I used it up on my face as a makeup remover for all over followed by a cleanse and it was purely to get it off my shelf.
This is £32 for 15ml on Cult Beauty but honestly I say save your money.

My third cleanser this month is the Nourishing cleansing balm from Pixi. Another product from the cleansing box above.
This is very much in the vein of the Emma Hardie cleansing balm or the Eve Lom cleanser. Scoop some out and rub between your hands to melt into an oil. It’s a whizz at removing makeup and it smells just like roses – gorgeous!
I don’t think it’s the most well made product though, mine was full of hard little lumps that were really hard to break down between my fingers.

It’s a decent cleanser and at only £18 for 90ml it’s well worth the money. So yes I would repurchase this one.

The first empty primer this month is from Primark’s PS…Pro range and is a bargain at only £5. It came in my October Glossybox last year and I’ve used it pretty much every day since then so you get a lot for your £5.
It’s not my favourite primer ever. I found it a little bit slippery on application so if you have oily skin it’s not the one for you and it’s not very mattifying, regardless of what it says on the packaging but it does smooth the skin out before applying foundation. I don’t expect all singing and all dancing from a product in this price range but I would also rather save my money for a primer that ticks all my boxes so I won’t be re-investing in this one.

Speaking of primers that tick all my boxes…this offering from BECCA is pretty near perfect in my opinion. The Backlight priming filter was in my Anna & Lilly x Cult Beauty box wayyy back in May last year.
The reason this has lasted me so long is that I’ve been saving it for special occasions only.
Firstly it smells in-cred-ible. Sort of coconutty and sweet so it is genuinely a joy to use. It’s not a mattifying primer, it has a glow-y, dewy effect on the skin that I absolutely love.
The full size product is £32 for 30ml and worth every penny in my opinion. Definitely one I will be buying again soon.

This spritz, the ‘Queen of Hungary Mist’ from Omorovicza was also in the December ‘Box of Dreams‘ from above. It’s a light refreshing spritz but the range of the spray is very narrow and it took a lot of spritzes to coat my face which was very wasteful.
There are lots of claims on the Cult Beauty website but the line “magical, healing properties” should really be taken with a pinch of salt. Overblown, romanticised descriptions like this really annoy me. It’s a hydrating spritz and it does its job but it’s certainly not going to be life changing if you buy it.
I used this up but I much prefer my spritz from May Lindstrom so I won’t be re-purchasing this one. It’s £25 for 50ml or £48 for 100ml.

The last empty is this detox mask from Mudmasky. It came in my August Glossybox last year and I probably got 4 uses out of the 20ml in the sample. Back when I first reviewed this product I said that I wasn’t a fan of the smell, I’m still not but they actually took the time to read my post after seeing a link on Instagram (Little plug for me there. Seriously, let’s be friends) and wrote to me to explain the reason why it wasn’t fragranced beautifully like other products. I love that kind of customer interaction from a brand so well done Mudmasky.
The mask is good too. My skin was left feeling smoother and softer after using it every time so I was very impressed.
It’s a little bit pricey at £59 for 60ml on their website but I think it’s not something you use everyday so if you’re in the market for an effective detoxing/smoothing mask and you don’t find clay masks too drying then this could be the one for you.

And that’s me done for last month’s empties. It’s exciting when there is such a big batch isn’t it? See you in a day or two for my April Glossybox review, I’ve had my shipping email so it should be here soon!
Cesca X