Empties: Month of Foil 2018/Sample September.

What's a 'Month of Foil? 

It's nothing complicated I simply concentrate on using up all the sample sachets of product I have accumulated in an effort to use up old product and declutter, I try to do it once a year.  

If I had multiple samples of the same product I used them up one after the other. Obviously, with only one or two applications of product it's difficult to form a proper opinion of results (although I could pretty much tell with a couple of uses if I didn't like something) but if I had multiple sachets the cumulative use of them allowed me to be a better judge of them.

How did it go?

Well, if I say so myself, I had a rather successful month and I managed to use up a total of 110 foil sample sachets.

I was out the gate running with this project as I had plenty of samples to choose from and on the first day I opened a lot of sachets! I started ripping sachets open but soon found that some sachets are better made than others and after a few messy openings I learned to keep a pair of scissors to hand to avoid spills and waste. I did find that even with neatly clipped corners it was easy to squeeze out too much product and I certainly used more product than needed on quite a few occasions to use up what had oozed out or to finish a sachet if there wasn't enough product left for a second application.

On day one I was full of enthusiasm but a few days in I wasn't as enthusiastic or particularly thrilled by the prospect of only using samples. After a week I was a little fed up of samples and took a night off and made a routine that incorporated all of my favourite skincare items. The next day I felt a bit guilty and was enthusiastically back on the sachets!

Two weeks into the project I was accustomed to using sachets. I had got into the routine of selecting different products each day and choosing what to use up next, although I'm not sure if that was because it was easier as I had less choice of products perhaps? I had by this time used up lots of odds and ends and had used up certain categories of product such as body lotions and cleansers so I was back to using full sized products for at least some of my routine.     
At the end of the month, I was pleased to have put all those samples to good use. I had discovered a couple of new products to put on my shopping list and tried out a few things that I didn't like at no expense. A couple of times during the month I dipped into my usual products if I felt my skin needed special treatment/attention but overall my skin looked pretty good considering how many different products and combinations I had used on it - I did have a lot of samples though so I could still tailor my skincare needs.

The Products.

Skincare.

Altogether I used up fifty-four sachets of skincare. Nine sachets of cleanser, five of toner, eight eye cream sachets (I'll admit to being a little heavy handed with the eye cream on a few occasions), nine serums/oils, a whopping twenty-one sachets of moisturiser (again I tended to slap this on at night), one single-use mask sachet and one sachet of lip balm.

There wasn't anything skincare wise that I truly disliked although I wasn't too fond of Olay Deep Hydrating Eye Gel as I didn't find it to be particularly hydrating.
I enjoyed all the cleansers that I used. I was impressed by Omorovicza Omoroessence, it isn't something that I would ever purchase (purely because I already spend enough on skincare and don't need to add another step to my routine), but I liked the extra hydration boost that it gave me.

I liked Royal Fern Phyto Active Anti Age Serum a lot, but it is a product that is way out of my pocket price wise. A more affordable product that impressed me was Korres Wild Rose Oil, this was a lovely textured oil with a gorgeous rose fragrance. When I used this overnight I could see a distinct improvement in my skin the following day - my skin was plumped and juicy looking and I would seriously consider buying this face oil when I next need one.

I'd never heard of Dr Roebucks but their basic Face Moisturizer was another impressive product, no bells or whistles on this one, merely a great no-frills moisturiser!
I tried a selection of products from Derm Institute and I loved everything. While they aren't the cheapest range around they are comparable price wise to some brands that I currently use and I definitely think that I will be getting a product or two of theirs in the future. 
I'm always on the lookout for a good Lip Balm and Patchology Lip Service was a very good one indeed, this is another thing going on my shopping list.

Makeup.

I rarely hang onto any blister packs of makeup but I did have a few sachets of Smashbox Photo Finish Primer which I took away, on a trip. I used it once before recalling that I really, really don't like it. I hate the way this primer feels on my face and I have problems with it causing other products to pill. I abandoned the sachet that I was using and put the others in my giveaway bag.

Bodycare.

I used fourteen sachets of bodycare up. Mostly shower gels and body lotions but also a few sachets of hand creams. I loved Oribe Cote d'Azur Restorative Body Cream, it smells divine and melted into my skin, leaving it soft and scented (oddly I didn't like its matching Body Wash). The body cream is more expensive than I normally spend on body products so it was nice to have a couple of generous sachets to use. I'm hoping I find this on sale one day!

Haircare. 

I used up forty-one sachets of hair products. There were a couple of masks and one of Bumble+Bumble Don't Blow It Leave In Conditioner which is great and something that I regularly use, otherwise, the rest were shampoo and conditioner duos. Of course, I loved Oribe Gold Lust and was also taken by R+Co Atlantis but I also was impressed by two more budget-friendly options, Apothecare Rosehip, Geranium and Aloe and Verb Sea.

I made a good dent in my samples during September and I will certainly do this again but now I'm enjoying using my full sized products and trying out my new purchases which I will tell you about another time.