SPOTLIGHT: December Empties+ Giveaway!...

Most products I finished last month were terrific - a couple of meh ones, but overall I'm very happy with these choices, and the majority of them have earned a place in my regular stash. As usual, there's a giveaway at the end, so off we go...

Body

Dermaveen Soap-Free Wash (500ml, RRP $16.99)

Reviewed HERE, this is SO good for solving winter dry skin woes ♥...

Repurchase?

Yes indeedy ♥...

Dermaveen Shower & Bath Oil (500ml, RRP $16.99)

Reviewed HERE, this is a can't-live-without! Two squirts of this will transform any body wash on your shelf into a hydrating wonder. LOVE it! ♥...

Repurchase?

You betcha ♥...

Essano Rosehip Repairing Body Wash - Jasmine & Fig (445ml, RRP $9.99)

Unlike the Frangipani & Paw Paw variety I covered in the November Empties article, I had no issues with this pump - I reckon the other one was just a bad egg on the production line so I won't hold it against Essano lol. My favourite scent of the two ♥...

Repurchase?

Absolutely ♥...

Thankyou Milk Body Wash - Botanical Lemon Myrtle & Goat's Milk (500ml, RRP $8)

If you enjoy lemon myrtle fragrance, then hot tail it to your local supermarket and grab this beauty - absolutely adore it! SO refreshing and SO hydrating, I haven't been this excited about a shower milk in a while. I really enjoyed their Geranium & Rosewood Body Wash (review HERE), but this one is totally my kind of thing all year round, but especially in the hot weather when I go for tangy crisp scents ♥...

Repurchase?

Forever ♥...

Face

Aveeno Positively Radiant Skin Brightening Daily Scrub (140g, RRP $13.99)

Full review HERE ♥...

Repurchase?

I have quite a few new ones on the shelf to try, and if none of them ring my bells, I'll be buying this one again ♥...

Beauty by Nicholas Eye Alchemy (15ml, RRP $49.99)

This was in the beautyheaven 10th Birthday swag bag - I won't give away too much here as I'll be doing a dedicated post on this product very soon, but let's just say it's my new HG eye cream ♥♥♥...

Repurchase?

I've already bought two more bottles, sigh ♥♥♥...

botanicES Face Creme (50ml, RRP $45)

Numerous raves about this cream (and the range in general) on my blog (main one HERE), it's the only face cream I buy over and over again. Perfection for the warmer months when my skin doesn't need an over-enriched moisturiser, but still needs to be hydrated and cared for ♥♥♥...

Repurchase?

Always ♥♥♥...

Harvest Garden Pink Grapefruit & Passionflower Lip Balm (5gm, RRP $6)

I'm crazy in love with their soaps, and this lip balm is just as wonderful. All natural ingredients - Sweet Almond Oil, Macadamia Nut Oil, Organic Shea Butter, Beeswax, Vitamin E and Essential Oils. It's softer and squishier than other brands, but that's what I love about it. Gonna try the Orange, Ginger & Turmeric one next ♥...

Repurchase?

Undoubtedly - promised myself I'd finish at least one more lip balm before I bought another, but this is top of my list ♥...

Innoxa Hydrating Micellar Cleansing Water (300ml, RRP $16.95)

Excellent performer, this cleanses thoroughly and has plenty of slip so the cotton pad never drags over the skin. Not so keen on the florally fragrance - it's pleasant enough, but I'd rather no fragrance at all, or something a wee bit more on the herbal side. Love that it's not tested on animals, safe for sensitive complexions, and the skinny tall bottle takes up little space on my bench ♥...

Repurchase?

Already have, but I probably shouldn't have as there's at least 5 more in the cupboard that I haven't even road tested yet - might be time to resurrect my Micellar Magic series! ♥...

L'Occitane Immortelle Precious Cream (50ml, RRP $87)

Magnificent cream that smells divine, and makes my skin feel so soft, supple and nourished. Some high priced skin care can be disappointing, but not this. I used to lust after La Mer and La Prairie, but after trying both of them, I found the formulations were too intense for my skin and I ended up with massively clogged pores, whereas the L'Occitane ranges are perfectly balanced for my combo face ♥...

Repurchase?

I'd love to but I doubt it - I reckon I can get similar results from something less expensive, but if I wanted to give myself a luxe treat, either this or the Immortelle Divine one would be it! ♥...

Nutrimetics Restore Anti-Ageing Extreme Serum with Grape Stem Cell Technology (30ml, RRP $75)

Bought this on special - I would have been a tad disappointed if I'd paid full price. It's a lovely serum, but no better than products with half the price tag. I'm a long-time Nutrimetics fan - all their stuff looks and smells divine, but the performance of this serum was a little average. It hydrated my skin beautifully, but I was hoping for a visible improvement either in firmness or wrinkle reduction. Mind you I've since used another of their serums that was fabulous, and that mini-review will be in my January empties post ♥...

Repurchase?

No...

Yes to Grapefruit Daily Facial Scrub (113g, RRP $14.99)

Reviewed HERE ♥...
Repurchase?

Yes, but not for a while as I have a stash to clear ♥...

Face Masks

Skin Republic Gold Hydrogel Mask (25g, RRP $12.99)

I've waxed lyrical about this mask many many times ♥...
Repurchase?

Silly question ♥...

Facial Fresh GreenTea Cloth Facial Treatment Mask (RRP $8.95)

Not the most perfect fit, but a relaxing experience all the same. Calming & refreshing, these masks are only available in Australia from Bellabox. Couldn't smell any green tea, but who cares hey...

Repurchase?

Perhaps - the cloth mask market is expanding at a great rate of knots, already way too many choices lol...

Skin Physics Advance Superlift 3D Deep Hydration Lifting Mask (box of 3, RRP $59)

This is a wonderful formula, but the fit is very poor across forehead and nose, and while the neck flaps are a BRILLIANT innovation, they just flop around and don't stay stuck to the skin, so the design needs refinement. I do love how this makes my skin look and feel, but the annoyance at getting the darn thing to sit properly on my face counteracts the relaxation factor - boo!...

Repurchase?

These work out to be $20 each - for that price they need to be perfect, so no...

Purederm Botanical Choice Ginkgo Eye Puffiness Minimizing Patches (2 pairs, RRP $3)

Raved about these last month and I'm still raving - definitely one of my greatest finds last year, these are the go for reducing under-eye puffiness. I wear them to bed and they're still on the next morning! ♥...

Repurchase?

I have no less than 10 packs stashed away - YES! ♥...

Hair

Goldwell Kerasilk Color Shampoo (250ml, RRP $34.95)

Picked this up for free from beautyheaven's beautorium ♥ - it's just as brilliant at taming frizzies as the control one, just especially formulated for coloured hair ♥...

Repurchase?

Now that I'm not into bold bright hair colours, I'll stick with the Control version to maintain my Kerasilk treatment, but if I ever go red again, this would be a sure bet ♥...

Giveaway!

I've picked three faves from this month to giveaway to one of you lovelies ♥...

• 3 packs of Purederm Botanical Choice Ginkgo Eye Puffiness Minimizing Patches (6 pairs)
• 1 x Innoxa Hydrating Micellar Cleansing Water
• 1 x 50ml botanicES Face Creme

All products were purchased by me, the total value is approximately $70, and because of the liquid content, this giveaway is open to...

Australian Residents Only

Here's how to enter...

1. Leave a blog post comment on this page that answers the question inside the Rafflecopter (please note: if you don't leave a comment, you won't be included in the draw!)
2. Leave your email address inside the Rafflecopter so I can contact you if you win
3. Follow my blog one way or another from the many choices listed
4. Only one entry per person, please read the T's & C's inside the Rafflecopter

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This giveaway is now closed - check back later tonight to see who won!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Woo hoo! - random.org has chosen the beautiful Anna M. as the winner.  

Congratulations gorgeous! 

Anna please respond to the email I've sent you by

Wednesday 31st January to claim your prize :-)

Edit: Anna has claimed her prize ♥

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Best of luck to all who enter!

Take care of you,
kats xxx

CONFESSIONS: of a Scrubaholic (Part 6)...

Yikes, I almost forgot to post this next episode in the series - embarrassed to say Part 5 was back in June! But I've been a busy bee discovering more new and absolutely delightful face scrubs to add to my collection, so Part 7 is not far away. Meanwhile let's get on with some of these that have been on the market for a while...

Yes to Grapefruit Daily Facial Scrub (113g, RRP $14.99)

I use a scrub to cleanse my face every morning in the shower, and I need quite a few different intensities to choose from so that I can alternate (from gentle to heavy duty) to not overdo the sloughing effect on my skin, and this one I would classify as gentle to medium. This clear gel is quite runny, so care needs to be taken when dispensing - I do prefer something not quite so fluid, but it's manageable. Overall this is a lovely scrub - I believe the granules are grapefruit peel, and it also contains Vitamin C, Lycopene and Sunflower Oil. No parabens, petroleum or SLS, and it has quite a sour fruit scent, (a mix of grapefruit and lemon), but I enjoy it as it doesn't smell fake and there's no artificial sweetening. Another bonus is that it doesn't leave behind any grainy bits in my facial nooks and crannies - I've found that some do regardless of how well I rinse ♥...

Aveeno Positively Radiant Skin Brightening Daily Scrub (140g, RRP $13.99)

If you're after a gentle scrub, then this is the go! So kind and loving to the skin, the granules are super-fine and virtually invisible in the pearly cream - I haven't been able to find out what they're made from, but the label says "naturally derived". Great consistency and lovely fresh scent, this is mild enough for daily use, and leaves my face smooth and refreshed without any irritation. I have normal/oily combination skin, and while this isn't powerful enough to frighten away the relentless blackheads on my nose, I use it once a week to give my face a break from the other more rigorous scrubs on the shelf ♥...

Olay Regenerist Revitalising Thermal Mini-Peel Treatment (125ml, RRP $19.99)

While technically this isn't a scrub, it has an exfoliating component, hence it's inclusion here. As soon as it hits my face, it warms my skin - absolute heaven in winter! It has a delicate floral scent, the cream is a pretty pale lavender shade, and it leaves my skin feeling smooth without drying it out. The packaging looks modern and ritzy, but the tube needs some major refinement from a functional perspective - as the amount of product reduces, it get's harder and harder to extract anything from it. It kind of shrinks and shrivels with use (like a toothpaste tube), and the cap is so huge (and doesn't unscrew) so it's almost impossible to squeeze out the scrub that's left at the bottom  Another negative is that I found out (after purchase) that it's on the Microbead naughty list, so that means I will never buy it again unless it is reformulated - boo...

Nivea Daily Essentials Gentle Exfoliating Scrub (150ml, RRP $9.98)

Have had this on my shower shelf for almost 6 months and barely used it at all. Oh it's nice enough, does a terrific job of sloughing off the skin cells and ensuring my blackheads don't get the upper hand, but, well, I find it boring. Silly comment I know but hey, there are so many scrubs out there that don't bore me, so I asked myself why, and came up with "it's the fragrance". It's just kinda soapy and bland, and therefore there's nothing to grab me, or pull me in to look forward to using it over and over again. I was also concerned about the white exfoliating beads that don't dissolve, but I checked and it doesn't seem to have any of the "poly-xxx" ingredients that are so bad for the marine life. Anyways, if a body wash or hand cleanser has a mehhh scent, I add a few drops of fragrant oil to it, but I can't do that with a face scrub, so I bit the bullet and put it in the laundry for when I do gardening, and the dirt gets inside my gloves...

In summary, two winners out of four, but that's the way it goes sometimes. Do you use a scrub regularly? What's your favourite?

Take care of you,
kats xxx