Empties: July 2017.

This summer has been somewhat hectic and I've been absent because sometimes you simply need to have a bit of down time instead of constantly rushing around trying to get a million and one things accomplished in a day. However, if there's one thing that's guaranteed to get me back on the laptop it's an empties post. I'm back and here it is!

In July I used up sixteen full sized products and seventeen samples.

Skincare.

I finished three full sized cleansers this month. 

I already wrote about Soap & Glory The Ultimelt in my Summer Cleansers post. It was something I really wanted to love as it did a great job of removing make up and had a luxurious rich creamy texture but sometimes it made my skin feel a little prickly. I have been using Dr Dennis Gross Color Smart Cleanser & Mask as a second cleanse when away from home It's packaging makes it travel friendly as does the fact that it's a dual purpose cleanser and mask. (I apply this and leave it on while brushing my teeth as it only needs to stay on for 3-4 minutes). I didn't find this great for dissolving make up TBH but when used as a second cleanse it definitely made my skin look a little clearer and brighter. On the down side I wasn't keen on the chemical scent of this and it was a little messy to use, being a beige cream that becomes orange as you massage it on your skin. I felt this was a little gimmicky and although I have another tube of this that I will use I can't see myself repurchasing it. Overall I felt it was a bit disappointing for a Dr Dennis Gross product. Caudalie Instant Foaming Cleanser smells lovely but it leaves my skin feeling tight and dry. I have had this in my cupboard for quite some time and as I didn't want to use it on my face I ended up using it as a hand wash. I also used a sample sized pot of Eve Lom Cleanser. I find this to be good for removing make up but I'm not at all keen on the fragrance and it is far too thick and heavy to use as a second cleanse for me.

I adored Omorovicza Queen of Hungary Mist which I used as a second toner as well as a refreshing spritz. This smells so good, I used this up in no time at all! I won't repurchase this, as lovely as it was, as it is very expensive and I don't feel that it does much more than refresh skin.

I finished a jar of Darphin Wrinkle Corrective Eye Cream which is a near perfect night time eye cream for me. It is rich, creamy and hydrating and absorbs well without leaving my eye area feeling greasy.

Aurelia Cell Repair Night Oil is beautifully fragranced with neroli and rose and I found it to be very sensory and calming. It's not too heavy, absorbs easily and as well as being an effective moisturising oil, it calmed and repaired my skin if it was at all stressed in any way. This bottle lasted me a long, long time and I will consider getting another when I next need a facial oil.

Alpha H Daily Essential Moisturiser SPF50 is my favourite facial sunscreen. I find it very comfortable to wear and it doesn't clog my skin. It also layers well with other skincare and makeup and it is invisible once on.

I used four skincare samples this month. 

Even though Anthelios 60 from La Roche Posay is a favourite of many and is advertised as being 'ultra light' it leaves my face greasy and shiny and if I use it for any length of time my skin tends to break out. I used Dr Dennis Gross Hydration Booster straight on my skin as a serum and found that it left my face feeling plump and juicy. It wasn't at all tacky as some Hyaluronic Acids can be and I would certainly get a full sized bottle of this to use as a daytime serum. Darphin 8 Flower Nectar is a delectable facial oil that smells amazing, another one for my shopping list! Finally, for skin care, I finished a generously sized sample of 111 Skin Space Defense Bright Eye Lift Gel. I generally prefer eye creams and serums to gels so this was just okay for me. I didn't notice any significant change in my eye area and didn't find it to be particularly lifting or moisturising which is rather disappointing when you consider the high price of this.

Haircare.

I used three sachets of Rahua Shampoo which may well be my favourite shampoo. Pantene Expert Intense Hydrating Shampoo was also very good, it had a pleasant fruity smell and it lathered well leaving my hair feeling clean but not stripped.

Another drugstore haircare product I liked was L'Oreal Expert Total Repair Extreme Conditioner. It smells like a boutique hair product, felt rich and slightly oily and left my hair shiny and bouncy. It did a good job of keeping frizz in check as well. It doesn't have the greatest/cleanest ingredients but it worked for me. Aussie 3 Minute Miracle Moist Conditioner is a product that I haven't used for years! For some reason I thought this would be heavy and weigh my fine hair down but it didn't at all. It's fruity fragrance was bright and summery as well.

I finally finished a tub of hair mask - Organix Macadamia Oil Intensive Hair Mask - which I have obviously had for some time as the company is now called OGX! I usually love products from this brand but this mask didn't impress me at all. I didn't notice much difference in my hair when I used this and it felt and acted more like a conditioner than a mask.

Sweaty heads and sun hats meant that I used up two texturising products this month. R+Co Death Valley Dry Shampoo and Oribe Dry Texturising Spray. I love both of these, they instantly tousle my hair adding volume and definition and both of them smell divine.

Body Care.

I'm still working my way through my stash of SpaceNK Life body products! I love the subtle yet uplifting citrus and mint scent of Jump Start Body Wash which as well as waking me up softens my skin with glycerine. Ultimate Unwind Body Lotion is lightweight and easily absorbed and I find it's light, slightly sweet, green tea fragrance to be both calming and energizing.

I've something of a soft spot for Yardley Body Washes finding that they are consistently nicer than their price would have you believe! Their Honey, Oat & Almond Creamy Body Wash was no exception, subtly fragranced this lathered well when used with a sponge and felt very comforting.

The Body Shop Polynesian Island Tiare Body Lotion was ideal to use in hot weather. It was very light and had a Gardenia type fragrance that was highly reminiscent of a tropical beach.

I thought I was going to hate I Love Raspberry & BlackBerry Hand Lotion for some reason, and although the strong fragrance was way too sweet and fruity for my taste the formula of this was superb. It was a very effective hand cream that I didn't find myself constantly needing to reapply.

Make Up and Perfume.

This month I finished a sample of Clinique Chubby Lash Mascara. I enjoyed this, it's brush grabbed every lash and made them look fatter and longer in a subtle way, it wasn't at all clumpy and was an intense dark black.

Finally, I emptied five vials of fragrance. I loved Diptyque Philosykos which I own already and I also liked Diptyque Eau Rose which is indeed rosy but has a spiky green element that stops it from being too sweet and sickly. I used another vial of Atelier Cologne Mandarine Glaciale which I'm pretty much indifferent about, a vial of Prada Candy which is way too sweet for my taste and another sample of Lady Gaga Fame was re purposed as a room spray as I find it much too heavy to wear.

I think I did a pretty good job at using things up in July and I enjoyed writing this post and it's mini reviews. I feel I may have got my blog mojo back!