Isaya loves to play with my make-up and skincare products. So I started to collect and clean my empty bottles, jars and tubes for her, to have her own collection of “beauty products.” She keeps my empties in a box in the bathroom: those are her treasures. She likes to take them out and mimic me: putting pretend stuff on her face, eyes, lips and hair. I was looking at her treasures and realized I had repurchased some of these products multiple times. Others I used only once and probably won’t be buying again. And then there were products I used and loved for a good few years, but have moved on from anyway. I decided to share them with you: a bit of inspiration and advice on what to buy next. And it also turned into a face off between Origins and Clinique. So, lets take a look at my trash! I mean Aya’s treasures…

Bobbi Brown Hydrating Face Cream

I have repurchased this face cream five or six time in the past couple of years. It is perfect. I have not come across anything that comes even close. It’s very hydrating, it sinks into your skin very fast, it leaves your skin feeling very soft, it’s the perfect base for your make-up and you can use it as a night cream as well. When I first bought it I needed a little bit of time getting used to the scent, but now I love it. The only thing I wish Bobbi would change about this product is the package: I hate jars. I don’t like having to scoop up the cream. If it came in a tube or bottle with a pump it would be pure magic.

Clinique Pep Start + Take the Day off

I started using this Pep Start Eye Creme at the same time as I started using my Origins No Puffery Eye Cream, which is also a cooling roll-on for puffy eyes. Both de-puff, take care of dark circles and calm the skin. But I ran out of the Clinique one way faster: I just love it way more! It is the one I repurchased. The Origins Eye Cream is also nice, but the formula is more gel like, instead of a cream. The Clinique Pep Start sinks into the skin better and is a preferable base for my make-up. So after trying both I recommend Clinique over Origins.

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This Take the Day off product is for lids, lashes and lips. I talked about it in my evening skincare routine. This stuff is gentle, but does the job. It doesn’t irritate my eyes, blur my vision or leave an oily residue. I stopped using it because the bottle didn’t have a pump. I bought the Origins Well off Fast and Gentle Eye Make-up Remover instead, because Origins has pumps available. But! The Origins one is not gentle at all. It stings a lot. So I already went back into the store and repurchased the Clinique eye make-up remover. I will just put it into another bottle myself.

Clarins Toning Lotion and Cleansing Milk

This toning lotion and cleansing milk from Clarins have been part of my morning skincare routine and evening routine for three years. I especially love the toner with Camomile. I used the cleansing milk to remove my make-up before I cleansed my face. I used the toner after I washed my face, in the morning and in the night, before I put on my face cream or night mask. It’s only recently I switched to NUXE, a natural skincare brand I will be doing a review on soon. I wasn’t unhappy with my Clarins products, but I just wanted to try something new.  I always got the big bottles (400ML) because (again, obsessed I know) they come with a pump.

MAC Must Haves

There are three MAC products I keep buying over and over again (and once empty and clean make great toys for Aya). The first one is the Prep & Prime Transparant Finishing Powder. It’s perfect for setting or baking your under eyes and the areas around your nose and mouth, cleaning up your make-up look and creating a sharp contour line. Once you get the extra protective cap off, the jar is perfect to dip your beauty blender in.

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The second MAC product I highly recommend and is always in my make-up collection, is my MAC prep & Prime Fix+. I can not do my make-up without this product. I use it to hydrate and prime my face, before I put on make-up. I use it in the middle of my make-up routine, if my face looks too powdery. I use it after I’ve done my make-up, as a setting spray. I take it with me if I have a long day at work, to freshen up my look throughout the day. And, last but not least, I spray it on my eye brushes to intensify certain eyeshadows. That’s FIVE things, for ONE product. I love it.

The last MAC product I keep repurchasing is my MAC Brush Cleanser. I use it after I have cleaned my brushes with Aya’s shampoo. I find this product not only takes care of the last traces of make-up, but it also makes my brushes smell really clean and nice. It’s also very inexpensive.

Origins Face Wash and Overnight Face Mask

I have repurchased the Frothy Face Wash by Origins once. I really love it. I was looking for something a little more gentle than my Clarins Foaming Cleanser. This face wash by Origins is great for sensitive skin, smells nice and perfect to use with a Clarisonic. It doesn’t dry out my skin, it cleans my face very well and it is an affordable face wash. This will be the last tube I will be using for a while, because I just switched to an all NUXE cleansing routine. I still recommend this Face Wash by Origins though!

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The last Origins – Clinique face off. And I’m afraid Clinique wins again. I have used this overnight face mask from Origins for a year. A little goes a long way and it certainly does the job: it’s very hydrating. The only thing that kept bothering me was the tackiness. So when I came to the end of the tube I did some research and bought the Moisture Surge Overnight Mask from Clinique. After one night I already knew I loved it way more than my Origins overnight mask. I had to literally force myself to finish the Origins one. So, even though it is a great product, I will now recommend the Clinique overnight mask.

For my Dutchies: all of the products I mentioned are available at Douglas.