Welcome to the second edition of Empties, where I take you through my recent collection of finished skincare and beauty products. Here, I'll explain what I liked and if I would purchase them again. For your awareness, I have dry skin and also suffer from eczema. Lastly, before anyone has a go at me for 'publicly slandering a brand,' (yes, this has actually happened before) these are my personal opinions published on my personal platform and take them as such.
Tatcha Rice Wash cleanser – This is my favourite cleanser and I will go back to it time and time again. It is a unique meld of cream and granule texture that actually leaves your skin feeling polished and like it’s had a proper clean, which all good cleansers should do but I find not all actually do. I double cleanse at night with this one and feel like a new woman after application.
Dr Dennis Gross Vitamin C + Ferulic Acid – I feel genuinely sad when I finish a bottle of this! Not everyone can handle vitamin C and I have a handful of friends who have tried this and found it too strong for their skin, but for me, it’s perfect. Like all Dr Dennis Gross products, I see tangible results within weeks of consistent application, the results from this one being even complexion and brighter skin. What does brighter skin actually mean? Well, for me, it means that the skin under my eyes looks lively and the scarring I get from the odd pimple disappears quicker than it would if I wasn’t using this product.
Go To Very Special Retinal – I have used retinal for more than a year now after transitioning from retinol in 2024. I liked this, however, I wasn’t wowed by it. I find, if I’m honest, that for less cost, the Ordinary’s Retinal Serum does the same thing – brightens, evens, leaves me looking shmick. Do with that what you will.
Ultra Violette Supreme Screen SPF 50 – I need not bang on about this one any more than I already have because I think I have written about it in approx. five posts already. Go buy a bottle and ignore that Choice test that is *allegedly* so flawed and has been debunked by several dermatologists since it came out.
Mecca Eyebrow Gel – What is there to say about an eyebrow gel? As long as it holds your brows in place and doesn’t make them look clump you’re on to a winner, right? This Mecca Max eyebrow gel does the trick. No notes.
Reading:
The Cicada House by Ella Ward – An Englishwoman inherits a tasty sum of money, leaves London after her husband leaves her and flies to Australia where she takes up residence in rural Victoria. Would make a great holiday, by the pool read for those needing a read of this ilk.
Elise Taylor’s piece in British Vogue about Meghan Markle’s distinctly millennial Instagram profile – I actually respect Meghan for being wholeheartedly true to herself, this being 2014 Valencia filters and mood boards of magazine clippings. She didn’t modernise, she doesn’t photo dump, she’s just her. And I dig it. We need more people to treat Instagram like they did in the 2010s.
This article in the Cut about US sunscreens being shit that made me feel grateful for Australian sunscreen in a week where it felt like everyone was against them.
Watching:
Friends, if you couldn’t already tell by last weekend’s post – This is the first time in a long time that I have sat through and watched Friends in its entirety. Unpopular opinion but Ross is the best character and I also hate when Chandler and Monica get together. The early season style is the best and at times I covet the wardrobes of both Rachel and Janice.
Drinking:
Grenache – I have shifted into red wine mode, enjoying the darker side of life. I particularly like the Samuel’s Gorge Grenache and also the Alpha Box and Dice Tarot Grenache.
Coveting:
Sarongs! Didn’t realise I needed one but I do???? Obviously, I want a Pucci sarong but IT IS NOT IN THE BUDGET RIGHT NOW (I will probably buy one in about three weeks’ time, let’s be real), so I have been considering this by Significant Other as it is in budget and also suits my swimwear (which is black). Suggestions welcome!
How unhinged is this video from the ICC that is basically a fancam of their president and hardly anything of the actual players who won the World Test Championship?
