I seem to be having some sort of 'unofficial end of the year resolutions' going on. Not only have I been trying to get up to date with book I have been making a diligent effort to finish as many beauty and bathroom products as possible before opening new ones.
Last month I emptied thirteen full sized and seventeen sample products and truth be told I wasn't expecting to finish many this month so I'm very pleased (and somewhat amazed!) to report that in November I managed to finish even more! Thirteen full sized products again and twenty three samples.
Skincare.
I took time out and used a Sephora Rose Sheet Mask. I have to admit to not enjoying sheet masks all that much, this one was supposed to be ultra moisturising and brightening. It was saturated with product but I don't feel that it made much difference if any to my complexion...
I only used up four full sized skincare items this month.
Skyn Iceland Pure Cloud Cleanser which is a gentle yet effective creamy cleanser, one of my favourites for both removing make up and cleansing skin.
Nip+Fab Glycolic Fix Night Pads Extreme are easy to use, effective and cheap. I have enjoyed using these nightly - they aren't at all 'extreme' as they only have 5% glycolic acid.
I was also impressed with First Aid Beauty 5 in 1 Eye Cream. It is relatively inexpensive and did a good job of smoothing and hydrating the skin underneath my eyes so it appeared brighter. Plus it didn't make my sensitive eyes smart and has practical packaging that was hygienic and handy for travel. Good for either day or night time use, I'm sure I will buy this again in the future.
I don't tend to use Caudalie Beauty Elixir as a toner but I do like to use it sometimes at night or when traveling. This bottle is still about half full but the spray pump is broken and I cannot remove it to decant the remaining product which is very annoying...
I'm not a big user of Micellaire Water but the Caudalie one is pretty good and it even removes waterproof make up effectively. Dermalogica Pre Cleanse is a simple but effective make up removing cleansing oil with a pleasant grassy fragrance.
Funnily, although I love the Nip+Fab Glycolic Fix Pads Extreme I'm not so keen on the normal version which have a strong cologne like scent. This small five pack jar was handy for a trip however.
Mila Moursi Lifting Serum is a daytime serum that does have a temporary tightening effect but this also has quite a strong cologne type fragrance that isn't to my liking.
Sunday Riley Good Genes is my go-to night time serum. I adore this product but this tube was even better than normal. I'm not sure if it has been reformulated in some way or if this was merely a production blip but this sample was thicker and richer in texture than usual - more of a silky cream than a serum and needless to say it was amazing.
Trilogy Rose Hip Oil is something of a classic product. I didn't dislike it but I didn't love it, it smelled a little too funky and earthy for me.
Malin +Goetz Recovery Oil smelt much better (of geraniums and herbs) and it absorbed easily but I did find that I needed to use quite a lot of it.
Rodin Olio Lusso however was lush. It smelled beautifully of jasmine, absorbed wonderfully and left my skin glowing and soft. This was so light and lovely I was even using it during the day and the small vial I had lasted for a good amount of time even with twice daily use. This is definitely going on my wish list!
I liked both samples of eye cream that I finished: Jouviance Restructive Eye Cream and Chantecaille Stress Repair. The Chantecaille cream was the richer of the two and best when used at night (it's also eye wateringly expensive).
I finished four face cream samples.
Rodial Bee Venom Moisturiser plumps my skin a little and feels very nourishing, I have to say that I am almost always impressed with Rodial products!
I also liked Garnier Clearly Brighter which is a daytime brightening moisturiser with SPF15. It was very comfortable to wear under make up and didn't feel sun screen like in any way. I thought that it was a very good affordable skin cream.
The Organic Pharmacy Double Rose Rejuvenating Cream was nice but not outstanding in anyway.
L'Occitane Comforting Cream Light was my least favourite of the four. I don't do all that well with Shea Butter face creams and this did give me a spot. I also disliked it's strong baby powder like scent a lot.
Body care.
Dial Coconut Water Body Wash is one of my favourite drugstore body washes. It smells very nice - not too coco-nutty, makes lots of lather and it doesn't leave my skin feeling dry and itchy.
The Body Shop Shower Gels also produce an abundance of suds and leave my skin feeling comfortable. I enjoyed this Papaya one which smelt delectably fruity without being cloying or overtly sweet.
C Booth Body Butters may be my favourite reasonably priced body cream. I always pick one up if I see them. They are intensely moisturising without being greasy and are free of parabens, sulphates and mineral oils. They also smell great, this one was scented with Egyptian Argan Oil which was warm and comforting.
I used three mini body lotions. Vaseline Intensive Care Advanced Repair and Aveeno Daily Moisturising Lotion are both effective but not very exciting to use.
Jergens Wet Skin Moisturiser with Monoi smelt great but I'm simply not into 'in shower moisturisers'. For me they don't seem to be as effective as 'normal' body lotions and I find I have to wait quite some time before dressing which is annoying.
Lastly, body wise, I used a handbag sized tube of Caudalie Hand and Nail Cream. This is a hydrating formula that isn't greasy and it smells light and fresh.
Haircare.
Juice Organics Repairing Conditioner was okay but not outstanding in anyway. I disliked the Repairing Shampoo which had an odd thick gel like consistency. I found I had to use quite a lot of it in order to get it to spread throughout my hair.
Giovanni Tea Tree Treat Invigorating Shampoo smelt of peppermint which was lively and invigorating but otherwise it was simply a basic shampoo.
Neutrogena Triple Moisture Daily Deep Conditioner was almost more of a quick mask rather than a conditioner. TBH I found it a little too thick and rich for everyday use but I would certainly get it again to use a couple of times a week.
I'm very much on the fence about It's a 10 Miracle Leave In Product. Some days I used it and my hair looked very good, other days it made my hair look and feel greasy and weighed down. I think that this is one leave in product that you need to be quite sparing with and not use every day if you have fine hair. It's a little pricey for a supermarket product but I might buy this again for occasional use.
A leave in product that I did like was Davines Oi All in One Milk. It smelt lovely and made my hair amazingly soft and silky without weighing it down.
Make Up and Fragrance.
I didn't finish even one small vial of perfume this month but I did manage to use three make up products. Another tube of Chantecaille Just Skin in my usual shade 'Nude' and a sample size of their Faux Cils Mascara, both of which are great.
At the other end of the price scale I finished off a somewhat raggedy looking tube of Maybelline Dream Lumi Touch (coincidentally also 'Nude') which is a very good drugstore Touche Eclat equivalent that gives decent coverage as it highlights and is very easy to apply and blend.
November produced a satisfying amount of empties. I really don't expect to have so many next month, but that's what I said last month! I'm interested to see exactly how many products I will have finished when I tally up the empties for the whole year...
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