down to the last bottle — Melinda isn't..

Sep 10

Sep 10 down to the last bottle

I realise, from the photo above, that it doesn't look like I'm 'down to the last bottle'. And you're right.

But I was, and those are the replacements. Because despite the beauty industry's best efforts to entice me with something new (and my personal best efforts to see them succeed), I return to these products again and again. Some of them for years and years. Let's take a closer look:

fresh umbrian clay bar : purported to be a 'deep cleanser and detoxifying mask for the face', this little grey bar has seen me through years of spots. And I've not had a big issue with spots, but when I do, at those certain times, a little scrub with this bar has my skin refreshed and tightened quicker than you can say 'out damned spot'. It also travels well, through urban, suburban, and rural climes and their respective challenges.

Bb Thickening shampoo/conditioner : I'm not sure when this duo surfaced, but I've been using it - switching away from it - and coming back to it for years. And though I've linked to the Bumble and bumble site, you can find these gems in Target, aka 'the store that shall not be named'.

Embryolisse lait creme concentre / moussant sans savon cleanser : relatively new to me by comparison, I've used this face cream and soap-free cleanser for about a year. I'm very scent-sensitive, and I'll confess I didn't like either at first. But it's definitely grown on me, to the point where I find it oddly both comforting and invigorating. Probably because my face loves the cream, and I know I'm going to get clean 'sans' any drying, stinky-scented 'savon'. NB: not for girls only, but I don't know any boys who do. And I live in a house full of boys.vitamin e/primrose }

Nip+Fab multi-fix oil : my mother always keeps a bottle of vitamin e oil handy. (Perhaps that morphed into primrose oil at some point, I'm not certain). Regardless, and because like mother, like daughter, I've always kept a bottle handy too. A couple of years ago, when that store that shall not be named started carrying Nip+Fab, I tried their 'Multi-fix Oil'. And loved it. When my bottle of vitamin e ran out, I exchanged it for the Nip+Fab oil and haven't looked back. Great for skin-softening and rejuvenation.

One Love Organics Skin Savior : Birchbox kindly sent a sample of this last year and I burned up the phone lines telling my friends about it. I was constantly whipping out my sample pot and forcing it into their hands over coffee. Perhaps I was a bit fanatical, but the product made me do it. I bought a huge pot within the month and have reordered about every 4 months. A little dab will do ya. The smell is delicious (if you like oranges and vanilla). And despite what you might think at first sight, there is no stickiness or residue. Hero product.Toner : from the age of 10, my mother had me '10-oh-6-ing' my face. As a preventative measure. From the age of 12, she switched me to Clinique toner #2. As a preventative measure. And those pesky, typical teenage/young adult/young mother skin issues failed to surface.

As I approach - ahem - middle-age, I continue to tone, but have just placed an order for Oromovicza Queen of Hungary Mist. Technically I shouldn't go around professing to using it, let alone replacing bottles of it. But, eyes on the prize, here, people: it's all about the toner.

Great Lash mascara : an icon. A classic. And included on most every list I've ever read since I could read. Washable or waterproof, it's foolproof.Non-traditional 'empties': for now, I'll keep this list simple and to the point. A dry bristle brush for exfoliation and tooth floss. I prefer a wooden handle for the former and Oral B Satin for the latter.

Potential 'empties', aka recently added to the arsenal and currently loving: Bb Thickening Dryspray (recced by Annie at 'She's In the Glow'); Benefit Creaseless Cream Shadows (recced by Ruth at 'A Model Recommends'); Mitchell and Peach & La Roche-Posay Anthelios products (recced by Sasha at 'Liberty London Girl') - and - Rodin Face Oil, discovered last spring whilst sampling the fragrance.

And finally, a few 'lamentaions' for those products I loved that have gone the way of the dodo: Zazu lotion (and Arbonne hand cream, which had a similar scent); aveda 'Spessartine' lipstick, 'Hana' purefume, & Triple Accent pencils; Stila 'Puck' eyeshadow; and an honorable mention to Fresh 'Soy Face Cleanser' and Kiehl's 'Original Musk No 1', which underwent formula/scent changes. I may or may not have ebay-stalked and horded these.

Whew. Quite a list, kids. What say you? Do you have any 'everlasting' products? Any that you've recently added and think will be with you for awhile? Or any of those products you lament losing? Speak up and speak out in the comments below.

Onward.

All products described/mentioned/reviewed/shown are my own. None were provided for sample or in exchange for review/recommendation/secret family recipes. I simply like what I use - and use what I like.

:: POST UPDATE :: Wednesday 11 September 2013Look, dear readers, at what my mother emailed this morning: