In the bin this February and March

We’re almost halfway through the year. Let that sink in. It’s crazy, isn’t it? In some respects, the last two months have been l-o-n-g. I’ve spent most of my time trying to get myself into a more emotionally stable place, and that shit requires time and effort (basically, it’s hard work!) Depressing crap aside, here are some great memories:

• My friend’s 30th birthday party (11 Feb) – That was great! She got cake pop type things from Sweet Lionheart and oh my word. I was in heaven.
• Movies with the Jess! (21 Feb) – We went to see the new 50 Shades movie (no shame) and it was actually better than the first one. Less cringey. Yay for get-togethers 🙂
• Dinner with ex-colleagues (8 Mar) – I love catch-ups and this was much needed. We went for sushi at Salushi’s. It was my first time there and wow, was it good. A bit pricey, though.
• Jess’ 30th! We went to this wonderful place called Kloof Street House and then went for drinks afterwards. It was great.
• Went to Peregrine Farm Stall with the mister for our 4 year anniversary on 21 March. God, was it hot. So hot. Like 40-something. I felt like I was dying. He felt like he was dying. But the food was yummy.
• Catch-up dinner with friends (25 Mar) at IYO Burgers. Yoh. The food was good. The company was better. So need to do this socialising thing more often!

Now, onto the stuff I’ve finished…

February

• Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Oil-free Cleanser (2 samples) – This smelled weird. I won’t be buying the full size.
• Lush Mask of Magnaminty Self-Preserving (125g) – I really, really liked this. It’s minty as the name suggests (which I really like… It makes my skin tingle) and has bits in it that exfoliate the skin. I’m just a little sad that towards the end (maybe the last centimetre of product), it got pretty hard and unusable. I’d buy this again! I really want to get Cup O Coffee too, but first, I need to finish up a few things.
• Theravine Crushed Pinotage Honey and Lime Buff (50ml) – This smelled like sweeties and was super scrubby. The jar is a bit shit as it is quite small and narrows at the neck, which makes digging out the product a lot harder than it should be. I can’t find this product on the Theravine website except for in a kit (which was sold out) so I probably can’t repurchase this, alas.
• Tony Moly I’m Real Avocado Nutrition Sheet Mask – This was pretty moisturising but like most of the Tony Moly sheet masks, it leaves my skin feeling sticky afterwards. I normally suck it up and put some moisturiser over top (which helps) because my skin always feels nice the next morning.
• Loreal Miss Hippie Mascara – I loved this from beginning to end. I didn’t repurchase it, though. I got the Clarins Supra mascara instead (which is AMAZING… but it does flake sometimes).
• BeautyBlender – RIP. I was washing it gently and it just…ripped. What. I got this last year April (I think) so it wasn’t even that old. I have some serious opinions about this sponge. Maybe I’ll write about it some time. I didn’t get another one.
• BeautyBlender Solid – I got this along with the BeautyBlender. It did the job. Previously I was using baby shampoo but I’ve realised that a solid soap is muchhhh easier to work with. I used this to clean my BeautyBlender (when it tore, I can confidently say the inside was clean!), my Real Techniques sponge and my brushes. I replaced this with a Lottie London solid brush soap (which is fantastic, and cheaper).
• MAC Paint Pot in Painterly – I have been using this solidly for like 2+ years and I finally scraped the last itty bit out of it in February. Proud moment. I switched to using Groundwork, but I did repurchase Painterly in April.

March

• Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer Light – I really liked this stuff BUT I don’t think it helped my makeup stay in place for longer and it didn’t really mattify my skin. It did make the product go on better, though, so there’s that. I haven’t repurchased because I have a Body Shop primer I want to use up (but I really don’t like it and feel too bad about chucking it).
• Kiehl’s Turmeric and Cranberry Seeds Energising Masque (sample) – I really liked this!
• Cettua Halfmoon Firming Eye Patch (1 pair) – This was really cooling. I still have a bunch left before I consider repurchasing. I may try another brand. I don’t feel too loyal about this sort of stuff.
• Garnier Micellar Oil-Infused Cleansing Water – Instant repurchase. I love this. I use it everyday to remove my makeup before I go in with an oil cleanser.
• Crabtree & Evelyn Avocado, Olive and Basil Hand Cream (25g) – I really didn’t like the scent of this cream (reminded me of salad) but it was moisturising.
• Loreal Super Liner So Couture – My favourite liner because it has a BRUSH tip, not a felt tip. Brush tips are just so much easier to use. I repurchased BUT I also bought L.O.V’s Royal Liner (also a brush tip), which is equally good and I think it’s cheaper than Loreal.
• Theravine Ultravine Advance Ros Night Cream (3ml sample) – I had no feelings about this stuff. I feel like I’ve used more moisturising options.
• Theravine Anti-Wrinkle Night Cream (3ml sample) – Same as above.
• Tony Moly Aloe Moisturising Sheet Mask – I really liked this. I get the same sticky feeling after I’ve used it, but I just ignore that.
• Soap & Glory The Scrub of your Life – Loveddddddd this. S&G really need to come to South Africa. I think they would do SO well here and I’d be the happiest person ever.
• Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge – This was great. It didn’t break, but it was getting really tatty, so I got a new one. I used my Clicks points, so I ended up only paying about R50 for this. The new one is COMPLETELY different, so if you didn’t like the original sponge, give the repackaged one a go. I must say, I like the new version a lot better.

Wow, did I finish A LOT of stuff. This always makes me happy but it also reminds me that I have so much shit (and I really shouldn’t have this much!) so here’s to more using up and less buying.