Empties #1

A round-up of the products I've finished over the past few months.

1. Bioderma Créaline H20 Solution Micellaire. By far the best make-up remover I've found and something I always feel sad about when reaching the end of a bottle. It's very gentle on the skin (no burning eyes) and takes make-up off so easily. Plus, a 500ml bottle lasts me ages. I wish it was easier to get hold of in the UK, but I stocked up when I went to Paris last year so should be set for most of 2013, phew.

2. Avène Extremely Gentle Cleanser. This is my second or third bottle of this; testament to how much I love it. I use it with a hot muslin cloth, which helps to leave my skin soft and smooth. I don't see dramatic improvements using this cleanser, but it is a great everyday one which can be used on the eyes (massive plus for me) and doesn't dry my skin out. Definitely a product I'll keep on repurchasing.

3. Oilatum cream. Another of my skin care favourites and one which I'll be adding back into my routine as soon as I run out of my current face creams (Embryolisse Lait-Crème Concentré and Avène TriXéra+ Selectiose emollient cream). Oilatum is a rich, thick cream which I like to use all year round. I'm interested to try the bath formula version, that could make for a nice, pampering Sunday treat.

4. Nivea Smooth Nourishing hand cream. I've gone through several hand creams in an effort to ward off dry and cracked skin in the colder months and this is my favourite of the bunch. The smell is very inoffensive (unlike a lot of other hand creams) and it sinks into the skin pretty quickly, leaving no greasy or oily residue. Definitely going to add the full size 100ml version to my basket next time I'm in Boots.

5. Clinique All About Eyes Rich. This was my first foray into eye creams and now my skin care routine feels incomplete without one. While I did enjoy using this and would repurchase, I'm interested to see if I can find an even richer (and possibly cheaper) eye cream. If you have any recommendations, please let me know.

6. Blistex Medplus for Lips. My lips are always dry, so I'm forever applying lip balms, sticks and creams and have been through my fair share. This one didn't stand out as being amazing, but it was ok. I liked the mild mint smell and the feel of it on the lips, but wasn't entirely sold so probably wont pick it up again.

7. Kate Moss eau de toilette. This brings back memories of my late teenage years and smells lovely. My (poor) attempt to describe the scent: youthful and musky, with floral hints (rose perhaps..?). I can't believe how cheap this is (£13.30 in Boots atm!), definitely an incentive to buy it again... and again.

8. Chanel Coco Mademoiselle eau de parfum. I was so sad to finish this up as it's been my favourite perfume since I got it for Christmas a few years ago. The smell is a delicate floral and fruity mix which is feminine but not overpowering. As lovely as it is, the hefty price means I won't be buying it again in a hurry, but it'd make a nice indulgent purchase.

A trip to Chanel

For my birthday, my sister booked me an appointment at the Chanel pop-up beauty store in Covent Garden; a half hour slot with make-up artist Mary Greenwell at a cost of £25, which was redeemable against a purchase. This obviously made my first splurge on Chanel justifiable, and logical, right? I arrived just before my allotted time and perused the store, thinking about what I might want the MA to try on me. I had in mind that I would buy the Holiday nail varnish, but it was way too orange for my tastes in person. Coromandel could have been better, but I’m not a massive fan of the sheen. The Lumière d'Artifices Beiges illuminating powder looked absolutely beautiful... the price tag not so much.

My session with a Chanel MA and Mary approached; my face was cleansed, toned and moisturised with Chanel products, which smelt lovely and felt very luxurious. I thought there’d be some kind of discussion about what I wanted the make-up to look like and what I wanted them to use, but this didn’t happen.

First step; foundation. The guy applied Vitalumière Aqua in B10, which I’d had a sample of before but was never wowed by. Luckily I had never splurged as it was clear the colour was slightly too dark for my skin. Mary then came across to take over the reins and applied a stick concealer instead, which comes in a lighter, more fair-face friendly shade. I felt like this was a little heavy for my dry skin and looked a bit cakey. Mary’s suggestion of "you need to blend it properly, and use the right moisturiser underneath" was not all that enlightening. Next up; blush. A yellow-based one (can’t remember the name) was put on, but promptly taken off as it was the wrong shade for my skin and looked muddy. A beautiful rose coloured one (72 Rose Initiale) was then applied, which I loved instantly. Very English rose-esque. The lips were the next step. Mary slapped on about seven coats of an über-red lip (again, not sure which), not something I would ever normally wear. This was followed by a sandy brown eyeshadow worked all along the lid up to the brow. It was decided the look didn't need mascara, probably for the best... didn’t want to attract too many weirdos on the train home.

I ended up buying the rosey blush used on me. With a price of £31 and the redeemable £25, I didn’t think £6 at all bad for a Chanel blush. The product is really finely milled and feels very soft, although it can be a bit powdery because of this. Pigmentation is decent, giving a nice natural looking flush and sheen. It is quite a glittery blush, which isn't something I'd normally opt for, but it's not at all offensive, and helps to give a nice glow to the skin. After reading that Lisa Eldridge used this blush on Kiera Knightley for the Anna Karenina premiere in London, I’m even more excited to own it.

Swatch on my arm - swiped on the left, blended on the right

As well as this, I received a complimentary goodie bag because my brainy sis, who saw it advertised in one of those free magazines you get outside the tube, had quoted a special code. This was really generous actually, with a blush brush (perfect!), a lip balm (in the beautiful Chanel packaging) and a sample of Coco Noir thrown in (cutest perfume sample I’ve ever seen).

All in all, good fun and I really enjoyed my first foray into Chanel make-up. Not sure the price is entirely justified, but nice to splurge every now and then. With the passing comment of a drunken chav on the train home, "Nice lipstick darling, beautiful", that was the end of my Chanel experience.