Empties! The Stand-outs and the Rest

 I'm not a fan of empties posts, so I thought I'd try and find a different approach and have more fun with it..

The Stand-Outs

While the Aubrey Organics White Camelia Condition is not the prettiest bottle in the world, this is my favourite natural conditioner for my thick, coarse, bleached hair 'cause it works! Hair is left soft and nourished as it should be. Lush Lovely Jubblies was a fun cream to use because well, it is a breast cream :) (I'm not a good grown-up am I?!) The Essential Care Ultra Rich for Eczema & Psoriasis rescued me last year when I was having eczema flare ups and I will repurchase if I need to.  I usually don't like balms, but this has a soft, slightly grainy texture that is easily spreadable so it was actually lovely to use.  It's definitely a must for me, as while it doesn't relieve immediate itching, it prevents it in the longer term.  The downside? It only lasts a few months so this is not an emptie, but an overdue'y. The Essence Pumpkin Hand Cream is a nice little budget buy, thick but soft and easily spreadable. Some may find it a little greasy but my hands can get quite dry so I liked it. And my love, the Green People 24 Hour Fix. My HG day cream. 'Nuff said.

The Okay

The Mad Hippie Vitamin C Serum was something I really looked forward to but it didn't wow me on its own. Though it did help in my spider veins and I wrote about it here. The Paradise Organically Clean was a nice hand sanitiser and the Planet Earth Lavender Chamomile Body Lotion was actually better and I expected but it's inclusion of dimethicone puts me off buying it again.  The Acure Cleansing Creme was, well okay - nothing special, but I find it hard to knock a brand that is organic and fair trade (sigh, everything should be fair trade..).  Weleda's Pomegranate Firming Cream was very moisturising but felt rather greasy, a longer review was written here and Innisfree's Eco Curling Mascara was initially loved, but my repurchase didn't seem to have the same magic, less curling prowess and flaky eyes by the nighttime, so I don't think I will be buying again.

The Thank God it's Over

It too aaages to finish the Sukin Body Wash, it didn't induce my eczema so yay but it left my skin feel too squeaky clean. And the pump! It needed to be lifted up after each press and I had to use so much product to clean my whole body. And the Caudalie Solei Divine SPF 30 Sunscreen, was very greasy even on my parched skin. I've had so little luck with Caudalie products that I won't buy from them again, especially since they're also not a cruelty-free brand, something I'm starting to look into.

Phew! Those are all my empties! Now I finally get rid of this trash..!

What do you think of empties posts?

x mai-anne

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Ummm... | Antipodes Kiwi Seed Oil Eye Cream Review

The title says it all. I like it but I'm not shouting on the rooftops about it!

So as a serial dry skinned lass, I like my moisturising potions thick and uber hydrating. This eye cream isn't super thick, but it IS very hydrating. I love using it in the morning than at night because it feels light and cooling around the eyes and also sits well under makeup.  As it's been "summer" here (yes, I'm rolling my eyes at you temperamental Sydney summer) it definitely has been hydrating enough for me and I can see it doing well in winter as well.

You need the tiniest amount of this stuff as it spreads really easily and because it's stored in a jar, you just need to dip your fingers in it slightly and all you need is what you've touched. That is one of the downsides of it though - it has a 6 month lifespan and so you have way more product than you need. Unless you're like my mum. There was so much product I halved my pot with her, but after 6 weeks of usage she's almost done while I've made a small dent.  :O

The texture of this eye cream is a light with a creamy, lotion-like consistency. I think most skin types would love this consistency. I'm just a picky one and am always in the hunt for a butter-thick eye cream!

If you're wondering about fine lines and what not, mine haven't disappeared but nor have they deepened or form more, which I think is all you can ask for really :(

Here are the ingredients:

I hope this is a sufficient review, if you have any questions don't hesitate to ask :)  Antipodes is stocked at Naturisimo.com and Echemist.co.uk, both offer free worldwide shipping!

I've been meaning to do this review for awhile but I lost my blogging mojo in January (horrible, cursed month!) and now that it's happy February I feel like the year is really starting now!  Glad to back to blogging and excited to see how blogging will evolve into a part of my life :)

What's your favourite eye cream?

x mai-anne

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I have an iherb confession to make.. | Blogmas Day 4 (Post #7)

So as the title says, I have a confession to make. I just had a count of how many orders I've made at iherb this year, and this is my 10th one! How did I manage to rack up so many?! I guess I buy everything under the sun from iherb, and it's become quite a go to for so many of my beauty and personal care needs (plus not every order is huge.. :D ).  I've bought so many skincare, bodycare, haircare and personal care items from here. Not to mention vitamins (which need constant restocking), makeup, makeup brushes, presents (my mum loves her skincare) and even tea. It's really become my little green supermarket, and since you can more easily count your orders than trips to the supermarket, it seems like a lot! Plus, American pricing... :D

I ordered all these items during the Black Friday weekend and got an extra 10% off each item so this all totaled to $62.48 USD so I think it's quite bargainous. Here is a quick rundown of what I chose:

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