Empties June 2018.

I'm a little late with June's Empties. I was away from home a lot in the last three weeks and I've been busy catching up with everyday things when I have been at home. At times like this no matter how much I want to sit around and pay with empty pots and bottles it is something that gets forced to the bottom of the to-do list!

Anyway finally, here they are eleven full-sized and an amazing thirty-five samples.

Skincare.

I only used up four full-sized skincare items as I wasn't at home all that much in June.

I usually prefer a balm cleanser to an oil for removing makeup but I enjoyed a sample of Caudalie Makeup Removing Oil enough to purchase a full sized one when I saw it offer. This is a straightforward cleansing oil, sunflower oil is the main ingredient and it also contains enough almond oil to make it smell deliciously almond-y which is a scent that I love. It's possibly a little overpriced for what it is, but it did a good job of removing makeup and washed off easily. Also, the pump on the bottle worked well so it wasn't a messy oil to use and the bottle lasted for ages. Another Caudalie product that I finished was a large can of their Grape Water. It's a very basic facial spritz for rinsing, layering between products or simply refreshing hot and bothered skin but it is one of my favourite and most used facial sprays.

I finished two moisturisers in June. REN EverCalm Global Protection Day Cream is something that I bought this to use when it was bitterly cold outside, it soothed my skin and gave it a good boost of hydration. It is a little too oily for me to use under makeup in warm weather but it also works well as a night cream and so I used up what was left in this way. EverCalm is a great range of products and I will certainly buy this again next winter along with the matching Gentle Cleansing Milk.

I bought a huge pot of Algenist Genius Ultimate Anti Aging Cream on sale and it was a pretty good all-around cream but not something that I would repurchase unless I found it at a bargain price again. It reminded me a little of Zelens 3T in texture but it wasn't as good. It was comfortable to wear both day and night and I did like it but not enough to purchase at it's full (pretty high) price.

I used a lot of skincare samples up so I will try to be brief.

Eve Lom Cleanser is quite a heavy cleansing balm. It does a good job of dissolving makeup but it is a little difficult to remove totally and its strong medicinal smell may not be to everyone's taste. I adore Sunday Riley Ceramic Slip, it feels refreshing and calming, is particularly good on oilier skins and is great for an A.M. or second cleanse. I also liked La Roche Posay Toleriane Hydrating Gentle Cleanser as an A.M. or second cleanse, this non-foaming gel was very basic but it did the job. 

I used three mini, mini bottles of La Mer  Cleansing Water. Cute packaging aside this didn't impress me much as it smelled quite chemical like and didn't work as well as Simple Micellar Water which is much, much cheaper.

I'm not much of one for physical exfoliation so it took me some time to use up African Botanicals Buccu Botanical Enzyme Polish which as well as scrubby particles contains fruit enzymes. I mixed a little of this into my morning cleanser about once a week and it was quite gentle to use in this way. I  prefer to exfoliate chemically and Malin+Goetz Brightening Enzyme Mask was gentle, effective, and quick to use as you only need to leave it on for five minutes. I liked this a lot. 

Perricone MD High Potency Face Firming Activator is an exfoliating serum intended for daily use. I started out okay with this but after a few days it made my skin quite sensitive so I stopped using it and am getting rid of what is left as I don't want to finish it. This smells terrible by the way - like strong ammonia which can't be good, right?

Natura Bisse C+C Vitamin Eye is a new release. This orange gel feels lovely and absorbs well to hydrate the under eye area, it's also very reasonably priced compared with other Natura Bisse eye creams. I was pleasantly surprised by Dermalogica Stress Positive Eye Lift. It was a super hydrating gel cream that was easy to wear and non-irritating, I loved this one enough to put it on my shopping list!

Dr Barbara Sturm Face Cream Women was fine, a basic moisturiser suitable for day or night this layered well with serums and sat well under makeup. I was expecting a bit more of this as it is quite expensive so while there was nothing bad about it it was a bit disappointing. Another basic, but much cheaper, moisturiser was Andalou Naturals Hyaluronic DMAE Lift & Firm Cream, a gel cream with a prominent peach fragrance. I didn't much care for the scent and doubt that this is something I would buy, it was simply a bit too basic. Garnier Soothing 3 in 1 Moisturiser is a rose scented day or night cream that can also be used as a hydrating mask. I mistook this for a sleeping mask and used the whole 15ml sachet at once! It did absorb fairly quickly but I didn't notice any improvement at all in my skin, it wasn't even noticeably hydrated so this is a miss for me.

Final skincare sample was Shiseido Ultra Matte SPF50 Lotion. I've used this lightweight, yet powerful sunscreen before and its a good one for sunscreen haters as it feels and looks very natural on the skin as well as working well under makeup.

Haircare.

I didn't use any full sized hair care products this month as I have a heap of mini haircare products that I need to use!

I used two travel sized Shampoo and Conditioner duos. Both Pureology Fullfyl (Serious Color Care) and Verb Hydrating Shampoos and Conditioners were okay. They left my hair soft and manageable and I'd be happy to use them both again but I didn't like either of them enough to actually purchase them.

I used two travel sized hair masks by Miriam Quevedo.  Both Platinum and Diamonds Luxurious Mask and Glacial White Caviar Hydra Pure worked well as either intensive treatment masks or regular conditioners. Again I'm happy to use these but they aren't something that I foresee myself purchasing as I have a lot of hair masks in stock as they always seem to come in GWP's. The packaging of these was a little annoying as they both have a fair amount of product left inside that I can't get out without hacking the tubes open with scissors.

I used a mini Davines Oi All in One Milk which is a leave-in spray conditioner. I do like this but it has a tendancy to separate into a cream and a watery part which I find annoying, so again not something I would buy, although I'm happy to use samples of it. I repurposed a sachet of Fekkai Ironless Straightening Balm as a leave-in conditioning cream. I applied it to damp hair and it worked well, taming my hair without making it greasy or heavy.

I've used Oribe Apres Beach Wave Spray many times before and have even 

purchased it before. This time around I didn't enjoy this as much as in the past. It did give my hair beachy piece-iness but it made it look a tad oily. This definitely  worked better for me when my hair was longer so in the future I will stick to their Dry Texturising Spray. 

Bodycare.

I used up two body washes both by Nivea. Although I usually prefer a frothy gel body wash I do enjoy using their Moisturising Body Wash which feels mild and gentle on my skin. This one with Jojoba and Coconut had a soft beachy scent which was nice to use in the hot weather. Very different is their Foaming Silk Mousse Body Wash which reminds me of Rituals Foaming Body Wash but is more purse friendly. It doesn't produce quite such a rich lather but is fun to use and doesn't leave my skin feeling dry and tight. This was scented with White Peach & Orchid Blossom although honestly it smells simply Nivea-like to me and I find it difficult to detect much difference between the scents of the washes in this range. 

A mini Cleansing Hand and Body Gel by Diptyque in the scent Eau de Sens was a very luxurious shower gel which had a classic Neroli spiked Cologne type fragrance. It was very refreshing to use and perfumed the whole of my bathroom but it is expensive - great for a gift, however.

I used up two body lotions. I found yet another Space NK Life Jump Start Body Lotion in a travel bag. This is fairly old but it was unopened so I went ahead, used it and it was perfectly fine. I've had many of these in the past, it's a lovely formula, thick yet easily absorbed, with a zingy citrus and mint fragrance. I'm 99% sure this is the last tube of these lotions that I have - but I've said that before...

I also used up a huge bottle of Vitabath Moisturising Lotion in the Original Spring Green fragrance. I bought this because its fresh pine scent reminds me very much of Fenjel which is one of my all-time favourite bath products. I loved how this smelled and I also liked the formula. It contains Aloe and feels gel-like and lightweight but it isn't sticky as some Aloe lotions can be. This was lovely and fresh, perfect for hot weather, especially nice to use after a day of being outside (although it is not an after sun cream as such).

I used yet another handbag sized tube of Crabtree & Evelyn Hand Cream. It's rare that there's not a month with one of these on my empties pile it seems - the formula is perfect and the size and packaging of these are ideal for popping in your handbag. This one had a soft powdery Iris scent that I liked. I also used a mini ByTerry Baume de Rose Hand Cream, this had a lovely texture and a soft rose fragrance but I felt that this was more of a fragranced self-care product rather than something that you would use if your hands were a bit battered!

Makeup and Perfume.

Once again there's an empty Chantecaille Just Skin in the shade Nude in my empties. I use roughly two of these a year as I wear it every day. It is simply the best tinted moisturiser I have ever used! The coverage is ample yet it looks very natural and glowy. It also has SPF 15 and I feel that it just generally helps with my skin's overall condition as well as its appearance.

It's rare that I finish a lipstick but when I do it's likely to be one by Lipstick Queen. This is one of their Sinner range in the shade Pinky Nude. It is a true MLBB shade for me and while it is quite pigmented, the formula of this is not drying even though it wears a little matte. It's great either by itself or under a gloss and it stays in place well. 

 Rodial Glamolash Mascara XXL had a deep black pigment and left my lashes looking naturally defined and volumised, it also stayed in place all day yet removed easily without any tugging. I liked this a lot, it reminded me of Chantecaille mascara, and just like the samples of those that I have had, the lid split after a while so that it dried up quickly. Urban Decay Troublemaker did everything a mascara should - thicker, longer, darker, more! But I found this tiny sample difficult to manipulate and this, coupled with one of those hard spiky plastic brushes that hurt like hell if you accidentally poke them in your eye meant that I only used this a couple of times.

I also used a sample of Lancome Le Base Pro Perfecting Primer. This clear gel had a silicone-like feel that I disliked but it did prolong the life of my makeup. It has great slip so you only need to use the tiniest amount, this 7ml tube lasted me for ages.

I used up five perfume vials. Two of them were Mon Guerlain EDP which reminds me a lot of Thierry Mugler Angel - strong and long-lasting, a little cloying, with a synthetic citrus like overtone and lavender and vanilla notes. I'm on the fence about Tom Ford Orchid Soleil. It is very well composed, a heady creamy white floral with a summery tropical beach feel and is warm and sexy but perhaps a bit too much so - it's very strong and a little too much 'in your face'. Byredo Rose Noir is a dirty, musky, woody, rose, with a sharp green spike to it. It isn't the type of rose that I would choose to wear but I do like it as a candle. Clean Reserve Warm Cotton is straight up aquatic fabric softener, not my type of thing at all. I only used this because I took it on a trip thinking it was Sel Santal and I had nothing else with me! 

Once again I'm pleased with how many things I managed to empty - it's always so satisfying to finish things up and it means that I get to open up something new!