Empties: January 2017.

After a slow start January has flown by! 

My bag of empties likewise started off slowly and then all of a sudden there was a big pile. 

This month I decided to try and finish up some of the many small hair and body items that I have amassed (the ones that I have been putting aside to use when traveling which I always end up leaving at home). I did finish quite a few and I'm happy with this project so I will carry on with it in February.

Anyhow, the total tally for the month ended up being eleven full sized and twenty one samples. Not a bad start to what has otherwise been a simply horrid year so far (globally not personally I hasten to add). Let's distract ourselves and take a look.

Skincare.

I finally finished MV Organic 9 Oil Cleansing Tonic, which I've talked about in just about all of my Cleansing posts. I consider it more of a treatment than a cleanser and can't recommend it enough if your skin is dry, dehydrated, congested or (heaven forbid) has had too much sun. It smells amazing - I would buy it for it's aromatherapy benefits alone - and it simply takes things in hand and improves your skin what ever the nature of the problem. It's magic!

Bio Essence Miracle Bio Water is a very good make up remover that leaves your skin feeling fresh. This bottle has lasted me for some time and it won't break the bank. Fresh Soy Cleansing Milk was a new product for me. It's a little oilier than Fresh Soy Face Cleanser but otherwise not that different.

I enjoyed Dr Dennis Gross C+Collagen Mist which I used as a hydrating toner. My skin looked and felt plumper when I used this as it gave it an extra boost of Hyaluronic acid. This spray felt nice as well. Nip+Fab Glycolic Fix Daily Pads were something I used when traveling, they are okay but not my favourites. I did finish my huge box of Dr Dennis Gross AB Extra Strength Pads, I love, love, love these, they have changed my skin for the better but I'm going to swap them out for the Medi Spa Peel Pads which you use once a week simply because I fancy changing my routine a little.

I also used another couple of Sephora Eye Make Up Remover Wipes which I like enough that I picked up a couple of boxes of them - they are so handy for travel.

I emptied a bottle of Sarah Chapman Hydrating Booster, which is my favourite daytime serum. I find it to be so hydrating and I will buy it again but not until when I have finished some of my other serums - the problem is I like this so much that if I have it it is the only thing I tend to reach for - yes, it is that good! I didn't notice any brightening effects from Tatcha Radiant Serum but I did find it to be quite hydrating. (And once again Tatcha produced amazing packaging for a sample!)

3 Lab Super Eye Treatment was excellent- so good! It's also way too expensive for me to even consider buying unfortunately. Odacite Ba+S Serum did wonders for my eye area. I could see it plumping fine lines, alas, only temporarily. I have been impressed by everything that I have tried from this brand so far.

For some reason all I used three gel moisturisers this month. They were all very soothing to use and all gave a good boost of hydration to my skin during the day but by far the best one for me was Dr Dennis Gross Hyaluronic Moisture Cushion. (The others I used were the old favourite, Clinique Moisture Surge, and Sunday Riley Tidal). Night time saw me reaching for a slightly richer cream and I finished a tube of Darphin Hydraskin Essential which was very hydrating.

Finally, I used up a tube of Caudalie Glycolic Peel Mask which is gentle yet effective and a jar of ByTerry Baume de Rose which I must say I find to be somewhat underwhelming and very overpriced. 

Bodycare.

I used two mini tubes of Curel Itch Defense Bodywash which were okay, not exciting, or fun or luxe, but they made me clean and a mini Aveeno Skin Relief Body Wash (same as above but with a slight coco nutty scent). I also used a mini Dove Body Wash fragranced with 'Sweet Cream and Peony' which I thought smelt very powdery, and not in a good way. As I also prefer foamy rather than creamy body washes this was a bit of a bust for me.

Both Cetaphil Moisturising Body Cream and Aveeno Skin Relief Lotion were fine. They were basic body lotions but I prefer to use a body lotion that is a bit more pampering so they weren't my favourites. 

I did not like Curel Hydra Therapy Wet Skin Moisturiser. I generally don't like these wet skin creams but this one took a long time to sink in and even then it left a film of product on my skin that made me feel grubby and got left on my towels. 

Haircare. 

It took me some time but I finally emptied these two enormous bottles of Nexxus Therapie Shampoo and Humectress Conditioner. It has been a while since I have used these and I had forgotten how good they are, so much so I'm planning a 'Product Love' post about them! 

Schwarzkopf Ultime Color+Radiance Shampoo is pretty good for a drugstore shampoo. It left my hair nice and soft but it does have quite a strong fragrance that I wasn't keen on.

Of course I loved the two mini tubes of Oribe Supershine Cream that I used! I think that this is my favorite leave in conditioner and I will certainly buy a full sized tube of this again in the future.

R+Co Death Valley Dry Shampoo gets mixed reviews but I liked it. I used it as a texturising spray and it gave me lift and volume without any residue, it smelled lovely as well.

Perfume. 

Finally I used two vials of Jo Malone Wood Sage and Sea Salt EDT. This is light and fresh, not the sort of scent that I would normally go for, but I like it very much, however it has no staying power on my skin and fades very quickly.

Wow, I feel that that was something of a ramble but there were quite a few products in the end. I wonder if I will finish as many items in February?!?