Nat’s Monthly Empties – Beauty Products Review
April 2021
#NATSEMPTIES
AFFILIATE LINKS
Good afternoon and welcome back to my third post of this kind 🙂 As mentioned before, ‘Nat’s Monthly Empties’ is a monthly round up and honest review of any beauty products that I have used up, ‘emptied’ that month or products that I have nearly finished, which I maybe just didn’t fall in love with.
This idea was born out of me constantly trying to find new products which ‘work’ before wasting my hard earned money on buying items which ultimately end up disappointing you and leaving you with regret. So I thought, what I would love to find on the internet, is someone with a similar skin ‘make up’ (oily/combination), colouring, hair, style etc. where they give honest reviews on products that they have bought, describing what they did and didn’t like about the products, so that I could make up my mind as to whether to buy them for myself.
So with that being said, I thought what better content could I produce by doing that myself and hopefully over time, you may come to look forward to these reviews, maybe even suggesting products that you would like me to try first before you purchase and/or by seeing my thoughts in my monthly round up, I may introduce you to a product that you have not seen before and inspire you to give it a try. And as an added bonus, I will also be picking my favourite clothing item of the month and adding it to the bottom of the post too 🙂
The format of these Posts will be to list 3 ‘empty’ items, give it a ONE word review using the words ‘NEED / TRY / PASS’ only and then follow up with a quick overview of what I think about the product.
Nat’s Monthly Item 1:
MAC Mineralize Skin Finish
PRICE: £27.00
ONE WORD REVIEW: NEED
I cannot believe I have finally finished this product and just how long it took to finish it. This is a product that I have had for well over two years and have used it to set my makeup and provide a soft and velvety finish to my skin, as soon as I have finished applying my foundation. As this is a product that I have been using for many years, probably near to a decade, this was a product that I had and used, way before the likes of the Laura Mercier’s Translucent Setting powder became famous and well used by all. I prefer to use the MAC powder to set my make up, as I have found that some of the popular setting powders available, often leave a ‘white caste’ shade over my skin. This may be because I have an olive/yellow skin tone to my skin, however, this is why I love the MAC mineralise powders, as they come in a variety of colours and you have the option to choose which setting suits your skin best. I use the colour ‘medium dark’ for a natural finish to skin, however, I think if I use a slightly darker colour, it could be nice for my skin tone, as the warmer months set in and my skin gradually gets a tan.
Another reason for me always reaching for this product again and again, is the compact itself. Unlike many setting powders, the powder itself is pressed into a baked dome-like shape in the compact, which means it is mess-free and doesn’t require you to a shake a little of the powder into a pot before using. This means you can feel comfortable throwing it into your handbag, so that you can top it up through out the day, easily and without any mess. Also, as an added bonus, there is a mirror in the top of the lid, which makes it convenient for any touch ups throughout the day as well.
Last of all and by no means least, the biggest selling point for me, is the overall finish that this powder leaves on your skin. It leaves your skin looking soft and smooth with a velvet like texture. Which, for me, is a win, especially as my skin goes through the ageing process throughout the years. This is a definite ‘NEED’ product and a product I am sure I will be buying again and again for years to come.
Nat’s Monthly Item 2:
NARS Climax Mascara
PRICE: £22.00
ONE WORD REVIEW: PASS
Now if you have been following these posts over the past few months, then you will know I am avidly looking for a new mascara which will give me the ‘false lashes’ effect. As before Covid I would regularly get my individual lashes applied each month. As a massive NARS fan, I was eager to try this product as it has consistently received very good reviews over the year.
For me, I can understand why this product regularly receives good reviews. However, I feel as if the final finish is a little to delicate for me… it definitely lengthens your lashes, for sure, but for me it lacks the real volume and ‘wow’ factor that I was looking for. This is a mascara, that I would be happy to use in the week when I am not leaving the house… However, truth be told, if I am not leaving the house I tend to wear no make up at all. And it is for this reason, why I have given this a one word review of ‘PASS’ and I will continue in my quest to find that mascara that will give me that false lash effect look.
Nat’s Monthly Item 3:
Allies of Skin – Peptides & Antioxidants Daily Treatment
PRICE: £105.00
ONE WORD REVIEW: TRY
Moisturisers. Now this, for me, is one of the toughest things for me to decide to buy as I find that there really are just so many options out there, all promising wonderful and magical effects. As a person who has previously suffered with adult acne, I am limited in my choices, as I still choose to only buy and apply moisturisers which do not contain oils. I came across this product after watching many people provide good feedback on it on instagram.. and truth be told the before and after pictures of them consistently using good skincare for two years helped to sell me this product.
At £105 per tube, this is definitely one of the most expensive moisturisers I have brought and it is because of its price point, that I did not want to give you a review on it until I had used two tubes of it.
When using the product, I find that using two pumps of the product is sufficient to cover the whole face and the moisturiser itself is good enough to work as a primer before applying your foundation to you skin. The moisturiser I feel has left my skin looking more plump and full as well as leaving it hydrated, which for me are all good results of a high performing moisturiser. The real sticky point for me, is the price point of the product, as whilst I do really like this product, it is expensive and I am not sure whether the price of this product is enough for me to stick at using it for years to come. It must however be noted, that others hold this product in high regard and in fact, I had to wait 4 weeks for this product to be restocked as it is a highly sought after moisturiser.
Whilst I do like the moisturiser and use it regularly, the price point, is why I have given this product a one word review of ‘TRY’ as I think it is is a good product, but not necessarily something my purse strings can continue to sustain. I will continue to look for other products at this price point that may perform better.
(At the time of writing this article, this product was sold out everywhere except for the link above – for future reference, they normally stock this product at SpaceNK, Lookfantastic and Liberty)
Nat’s Favourite Clothing Item of the Month:
Loewe – Straw Bag
PRICE: £395.00
THOUGHTS: NEED
And over to one of my favourite parts of this post. As I love to share with you all, what I have brought across the month and what has been my favourite purchase 🙂 This month, my favourite purchase has to be my straw bag. This is a bag that I was ‘umming and arring’ about buying last year and then it became sold out within the first couple of months of spring!
When I travelled to Ibiza and Barbados last year, I realised just how much I could have used a bag like this, for carrying things to the beach. In addition, I realised, I would get good wear from it, whilst going on walks, coffee dates and going on picnics. It is a good size, is very versatile, made of a strong material and personally I feel it elevates any type of spring/summer outfit, as by its very design and material it gives you that warm weather vibe, even if the warm weather isn’t present (welcome to England!). In addition, I have noticed that a lot of the designer beach bags are made of canvas, for example, I briefly had a cream Chanel canvas tote bag for the beach. However, I was so worried about it getting wet or the colours of beach towels transferring to the canvas, that I decided to sell it in the end. With this Loewe beach bag, I won’t have the worry of this, because of the material and in addition it is a fraction of the price.
I purchased this bag in the Large size, as I decided that I would like to use this to carry 2 beach towels whilst on holiday. Plus given my frame/height, I tend to find bags like these don’t overwhelm my frame and actually compliment it. That being said I would also buy this in the medium too – as it is perfect for coffee dates, normal day activities and works well, if you don’t have to carry all of your partners things to the beach as well!
Lastly, I found that the price point of this item for a designer bag is really reasonable and a lot cheaper by over half the price, than any other designer beach bags on the market. So if you are, just like I was, wondering whether to buy this like me, I say bite the bullet 🙂 As it is likely to become sold out soon this year too and I am sure this is an item that will be present in your wardrobe and used, in years to come.
(At the time of writing this article, this product was sold out everywhere and the only link I could find which had it in stock is above – grab it before it is gone!)
I hope you enjoyed this month’s post 🙂 If you do go on to buy any of these products, then please let me know in the comment section below.
I hope you enjoy the rest of your week all xxx