Empties March 2016.

After a somewhat slow start to the month I ended up with a big old pile of empties at the end of March. I used up eleven full sized products and twenty eight samples.

Body Care and Perfume.

Nothing new here, but these empties are all products I love!  Rituals 'Yogi Flow' Shower Gel is always a treat to use, Nivea Express Hydration Body Lotion is one of my all time favorite drugstore items and there's not often a month goes by without a handbag sized Crabtree&Evelyn Hand Cream finding it's way onto the empties pile. 

I used up four mini sample vials of perfume. It was the first time in many years that I had worn Thierry Mugler Angel and I had forgotten how much I liked this distinctive fragrance. I feel that it's a love it or hate it kind of scent but it is very unique. I also used a sample of Diptyque Eau Duelle which is another perfume that I have purchased in the past. Interestingly, both of these contain vanilla notes and whilst I wouldn't use a straightforward vanilla perfume I do like it's addition to a more complex scent.

Hair Care.

 I said last month how much I'm always impressed when I use Clear products although they aren't something that I think to pick up on a regular basis. 

I wasn't a huge fan of Herbal Essence Wild Naturals Conditioner in 'Thai Lemon Basil', it wasn't strongly scented and didn't do much for my hair. 

I did like Philip Kingsley Daily Damage Defence Spray a lot, it smelt wonderful and didn't weigh my hair down at all. I noticed that my hair was less prone to breakage when I used this and the spray bottle worked like a dream.

Skincare.

I managed to use quite a few skincare samples this month. Whilst they don't supply you with enough product to see the results of long term usage I find that a sachet or two of something can give me a general feel of things that are very good or very bad. For example Radical Skin Perfecting Screen did everything I wanted a facial sun screen to do. It was light and non greasy but felt nourishing and absorbed well, it made my skin look glowy and slightly highlighted and worked well as a make up base. However, Drunk Elephant Umbra Sheer Physical Defense didn't work for me at all. It felt heavy, blocked my pores, gave a grey cast to my skin and was a terrible base for make up. 

(Any ideas which sunscreen made it onto my shopping list?!?).

I also didn't enjoy 

Origins Ginzing Eye Cream. It absorbed well but it also stung my eyes a little and I don't think it had any beneficial effects. 

Lancome Visionnaire Night was too heavy a cream for me, even at night. It made my skin feel clogged and uncomfortable.

Laura Mercier Flawless Skin was a basic daytime moisturizer that was quite lightweight, there was nothing bad about it but it failed to impress me. 

Full sized skincare items that I finished up included  my favorite serum ever, Sunday Riley Good Genes. I also enjoyed Roc Retinol Correction Deep Wrinkle Serum, it's not as effective maybe but it's also about a fifth of the cost. Rodial StemCell Super Food Cleanser is one of my favorite cleansers, this cream cleanser does a great job of removing make up and gives a boost of hydration at the same time. 

I bought Alpha H Absolute Eye Complex mainly because I thought the packaging would be great for travel. The product was OK, it was a lightweight gel that gave a burst of hydration to the eye area but its effects were short lived and in the end the packaging proved itself to be terrible - I ended up decanting it into a pot. I won't get this again... 

Make Up.

Muji Face Blotting Papers aren't something that I use regularly but when I do they are very effective at absorbing grease without removing make up. They are cheap as chips so do yourself a favor and next time you are near Muji pick up a pack and pop them in your make up case. They make make up touch ups so much easier.

Finally, Givenchy get 10/10 for the packaging of the Noir Couture Volume Mascara. It is only a sample but the tube is heavyweight, decorative and truly gorgeous - it even closes with a click. Such attention to detail is the mark of a highly professional company as far as I am concerned  - most impressive and the mascara ain't bad either!