Empties October 2014

Seriously?!? 
I thought that September produced an impressive pile of empties but in October they just kept on coming. 

So many - 24 full sized and minis and 30 samples -  that this month I split them up into 'hair and body' and 'face, make up and perfume'.

Now of course I didn't use 3 full sized shower gels etc etc instead it was more of a concentrated effort to finally finish all of those things that were almost done. 

There were previously mentioned things I love (Bumble and Bumble Surf and Seaweed products, Carol's Daughter Hair Mask, Rituals Shower Gel), a couple of oldies but goodies that I haven't used for a while but finally finished (Kiehl's Amino Acid Shampoo, Oribe Dry Texturising Spray, Burt's Bees Hand Salve) and a new must-have, the Oribe Supershine Cream which is really lush, smells divine and does what it says without weighing down hair.

 The only things on the hair and body pile that I disliked were the Bayliss and Harding Body Balm and Bumble and Bumble's Invisible Oil Primer .

Skincare wise the Koh Gen Do Cleansing Wipes are the best if you really have to use a wipe and whilst I still love  Boots Botanic's Clay Mask for ease and convenience I really rate the Biore Self Heating One Minute Mask. I finally tried a nose strip, also by Biore and found it very uncomfortable and a little scary to remove - not for me!
The mini face washes that I used were all foaming ones that I used in the shower in the morning - easy to use but not my faves other than the convenience they afford when traveling. The Murad Active Radiance Serum felt surprisingly nice on my skin - a silky serum that left a nice glow - and I really like the Caudalie Vinosource Moisture Recovery Cream as an everyday (and night) moisturiser in warmer weather as it leaves me hydrated without being greasy. Goldfadden MD Bright Eyes Eye Cream was great and I have added one to my stash.

Make up wise three items bit the dust. No7 Instant Radiance Concealer is a constant in my bag, even though I use it more for highlighting rather than concealing. It's a cheapie that I really like but it always starts to get a little dry and smell a bit funky before its finished so it had to go. Likewise, the Pixie Eye Pencil wasn't totally finished but it was old - it's quite a hard pencil that I find doesn't last well on the waterline so it was time to let it go.  However, I did finish every last bit of Kevin Aucoin's Eye Shadow #104/soft clay. It's my everyday, go to, perfect nude shade and I have another  ready to crack open, although at the moment I'm enjoying playing around with my Too Faced Natural Eyes Palette. 

One last thing that's not strictly a beauty product but I included as it was in a  SpaceNK gift bag is  This Works Deep Sleep Pillow Spray. I'd heard lots about it and was very sceptical but it really does work! I went straight out and bought a full sized one as soon as the sample was done (I've also been using the Caudalie Beauty Elixir as a pillow spray and whilst it is relaxing it's nowhere near as sleep inducing).

After all these empties I'm expecting November's pile to be slim pickings but then again... you never know...