January Empties: Products I've Used Up

This month, for the first time ever, I've managed to use up just skincare products, how strange is that?! Here are my January Empties and my thoughts about whether I'll be repurchasing any of these again in the future.

Evolve Organic Beauty Daily Defence Moisture Mist* (reviewed here)

Hydrating mists are a firm staple in my skincare routine and I absolutely loved this one from Evolve. It contains the likes of Hyaluronic Acid and Moringa Peptides which help to lock in moisture and protect the skin from the elements, including everyday pollution. Loved using it in the mornings and whenever I needed a quick refresh. Repurchase? Definitely.

Aveda Botanical Kinetics Exfoliant (reviewed here)

I've gone through a couple of bottles of this over the years and it still works very well for me. It's basically a liquid exfoliating toner/treatment that helps to shift dull dead skin cells for a brighter and more even complexion. Similar to PIXI Glow Tonic, but uses Salicylic Acid instead of Glycolic. Repurchase? Yes.

Antipodes Hosanna H20 Intensive Skin-Plumping Serum* (reviewed here)

If you have oily or combination skin and are struggling to find an oil-free hydrating serum, I highly recommend picking up this one from Antipodes. Hosanna H20 is one of my favourite products to add to my Winter skincare routine every year, as it makes a massive difference to my skin, yet absorbs quickly and feels super lightweight. Love it! Repurchase? Yes.

Temple Spa Trufflesque Ultra Hydration & Radiance Masque* (reviewed here)

Although I enjoyed using this face mask, I've come to the conclusion that it's incredibly expensive for what it is, and that I have lots of other hydrating/radiance masks in my skincare stash that I love a lot more. If you have the cash to splash that's great, but personally, I'd say save your pennies and buy something cheaper that does the job just as well, if not better. Repurchase? No.

Samaya Anti-Ageing Treatment Oil Kapha* (reviewed here)

One product that I feel is worth the money, but is still very pricey, is this beautiful face oil from the Ayurvedic skincare brand, Samaya. I almost cried when I finished this! It's my second bottle and this stuff literally makes my skin look so beautiful and glowy whenever I use it. I did find it a little heavy to use during the Summer months though, so it's definitely more of an Autumn/Winter treat. Repurchase? Sadly out of my price bracket at the moment!

White Rabbit Chamomile & Carrot Seed Eye Cream

A lot of people have recommended White Rabbit to me, so I decided to purchase this eye cream a couple of months ago to try out. It's very hydrating which is perfect for my dry under eyes and I mainly used it in my nighttime routine for this purpose, but I felt like it didn't do anything else for me. Repurchase? Probably not.

Living Nature Firming Eye Cream* (reviewed here)

This eye cream, on the other hand, gave me a lot more bang for my buck as it hydrates and does an excellent job of firming everything up, plus it perfectly smoothes out any fine lines and wrinkles. I think this is my second tube and I'll be sure to cut it open tonight to get the last bit out! Repurchase? Yes. 

Which beauty products have you used up this month?

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Mid-Week Pamper Treat: Temple Spa Trufflesque Ultra Hydration & Radiance Masque review

This week's Pamper Treat is a seriously luxe affair as it features a high-end face mask that contains truffles, champagne, silk and gold - intrigued? I've been testing out Temple Spa's Trufflesque Ultra Hydration & Radiance Masque for the past month to see if it's really worth the hype.

What is it and what does it claim to do?

The Trufflesque Masque is the latest addition to Temple Spa's award-winning, anti-aging Premium Truffle Skincare Collection. As the luxury spa brand is based around pampering and spoiling yourself, it made perfect sense for them to release a face mask into this range, and I was eager to try it out as I've seen a couple of raves from other bloggers who love Temple Spa's Truffle products.

Trufflesque promises "to help create an appearance of instant youthfulness, with plumper and more lifted skin that's super hydrated and silky smooth". It contains some interesting key ingredients such as:-

• Black Truffles (a natural antioxidant to brighten skin tone)
• Champagne Extract (gently exfoliates and regenerates)
• Syn-col (a trademarked complex of collagen boosting peptides to treat fine lines and wrinkles)
• Micronised Precious Gems (diamonds, rose quartz and sapphires to illuminate)
• Gold & Silk Actives (to fight free radicals and protect against skin stress)
• Happybelle-PE (a trademarked endorphin complex which gives a 'good news' glow to the skin)
• Kombucha (enhances skin smoothness and radiance)
• Strawberry Fruit Extract (tones and purifies)

The masque is an amazing gold colour, and it's insanely shimmery! I had a closer look at the ingredients and found that it contains a lot of Mica (it's fifth on the list) which explains all this bling. It's also heavily fragranced (again Parfum is about half way up in the ingredients) with a classic spa-like scent, so it's not something that I would recommend to those who have sensitive skin as this may be too much for you. Do a patch test first if you fancy trying it.

How do I use it?

After cleansing, simply apply a generous layer over your face and neck (avoiding the eye area). The masque comes with a little brush which works brilliantly as you can just 'paint' it directly onto your face, without getting it all over your hands - it's quite difficult to spread evenly if you try to use your fingers. Leave it on for 15-20 minutes, and then massage it in. Temple Spa have a dedicated Facial Ritual online which you can watch here for guidance on how to use it. After that's done, you can leave it on for another 2-3 minutes before removing it was a warm face flannel or muslin cloth. Recommended to use as a weekly treatment.

What does it feel like on?

At first, there was a slight cooling effect, but this quickly disappeared after a minute or so. From the anti-aging/lifting claims for the masque, I was expecting it to feel like it would tighten at some point, however it didn't. It felt sticky to the touch and didn't fully set towards the end of the application time, which made removing it a little messy. 

Results and overall thoughts?

When I removed the Trufflesque Masque with a warm flannel, I saw a slight difference in how much brighter my skin looked, but no real changes in how firm or lifted it was overall. However, the biggest positive difference for me was in hydration and smoothness - my skin was left feeling incredibly soft and smooth like silk, and it was also thoroughly hydrated and plumped up.

Due to the pricetag, this is the kind of face mask that I'd tend to reserve for special occasions only, but it's a lovely, luxury, pampering hydration skin treat to use during the cold winter months, and it helps to re-balance and restore the skin's moisture levels within a mere 20 minutes. I'm not sure that I would repurchase it for myself, but it's something that I'd love to receive as a gift if you know what I mean?!

Temple Spa Trufflesque Ultra Hydration & Radiance Masque* (75ml, £50) is available from Harrods and online from templespa.com

Have you tried any Temple Spa products?

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