I can hardly believe that its empties for November time already! November saw me using up twelve full sized products and twenty-seven samples. Let's take a look!
Skincare.
I only managed to finish three full-sized skincare products but I did use up seventeen samples which I'm pretty pleased about.
Goop Glow Morning Skin Super Powder was a morning supplement containing Vitamins C and E CoQ 10, Lutein and Grapeseed Extract - all ingredients that 'allegedly' contribute to skin health. I had five sachets and whilst I can't claim that I noticed a big improvement in my skin solely due to these, they did taste very good and I enjoyed drinking them. This is a kind of posh (expensive) effervescent Vitamin C type of thing and I would happily use them again even though I don't foresee myself purchasing them.
Simple Micellar Cleansing Water is a very good micellar water that I use for removing eye make up prior to cleansing. It's possibly my favourite micellar water and it is a bargain to boot.
ECooking Peel Mask is a Lactic Acid and AHA Exfoliating mask, it's quite strong but is quick and easy to use. It did leave my skin looking clear and even but it also irritated it if I left it on too long. I was a bit cautious whenever I used this and wouldn't recommend it if you are at all sensitive. Also I wasn't keen on its sour fragrance which was quite strong.
I used three cleanser samples. Dermalogica Pre Cleanse is an oily liquid that is quick and effective as a first (makeup removing) cleanser. Koh Gen Do Cleansing Spa Water is a micellar water that I used to remove eye makeup, I like it but prefer the cheaper Simple one. Drunk Elephant Beste No 9 Jelly Cleanser is a clear foaming gel cleanser that I found to be a little too foamy and drying. I used this as a morning cleanse but wasn't too keen on it.
Shiseido Benefiance Day Emulsion SPF18 is a daytime moisturiser with a milky consistency. It absorbed well and was good to layer with other products and under makeup. There was absolutely nothing wrong with this but it equally didn't 'wow' me in any way. I used two sachets of Vichy Mineral 89, a Hyaluronic Acid rich moisture boosting serum/moisturiser. I love this so much that I'm on my second or third full sized bottle of it. Drunk Elephant BHydra Intensive Hydration Serum is another Hyaluronic moisture boosting serum. I like this a lot, its one of my favourite DE products and is something that I would buy this if I hadn't already discovered the similar and more pocket-friendly Vichy 89!
I had a tiny sample of Garnier SkinActive Soothing Facial Mist. It smelled pleasantly of rose but ingredient number three is Alcohol Denat which is quite drying so I will give this one a miss.
ByTerry LiftEssence Day and Night Creams were both lovely rose scented creams that felt very firming. I really enjoyed these two samples.
Drunk Elephant LaLa Retro Whipped Cream is a lightly textured rich moisturiser. I used this at night as I found it too greasy feeling for daytime, I was a little disappointed as I found it to be just a basic moisturiser, but one that was a little too oily for my liking, and it felt like it sat on the surface of my skin.
Derma E Radiant Glow Face Oil was a dryish feeling facial oil with some golden powder to give an instant glow. I really liked this as it wasn't overly greasy and found myself reaching for it over more expensive facial oils.
I don't feel that I need to purchase a separate neck serum or cream but I'm always happy to use any samples I get. I used two samples of YSL Forever Concentrate which is a runny gel type of neck serum. It felt quite hydrating but had a fairly strong chemical (hairspray?) type of scent that I didn't like.
Drunk Elephant CTango Multivitamin Eye Cream is great! Its packed full of peptides and Vitamin C to repair and protect the delicate eye area. This feels quite rich but absorbs instantly and hydrates well. I liked this a lot and am currently using a full sized one.
I used two moisturising masks. Clark's Botanicals Deep Moisture Mask can be used as a mask or a moisturiser. A thick rich cream, this left my skin nicely plumped and I loved its potent jasmine fragrance. Kiehl's Calendula & Aloe Soothing Hydration Mask was a lighter gel mask, it felt soothing but I didn't find it to be particularly hydrating.
Haircare.
I used four full-sized and four samples of haircare
Rahua Shampoo and Conditioner are both superb. These two are some of my favourite luxury haircare products, I like their nutty scent and the fact that their formula is very natural. I love the way they leave my hair feeling and looking, and although they aren't cheap you really don't need to use much of them so these last for ages.
Christophe Robin Cleansing Purifying Sea Salt Scrub is a thick paste-like shampoo with a mineral scent containing large chunks of salt. I like to use this from time to time to deep cleanse my hair and always use it the day after colouring my hair as it does a good job of removing excess colour and leaves it looking fresher and more natural. This product does contain SLS and it produces lots of thick creamy lather which I find satisfying.
I used a sachet duo of R+Co Atlantis Shampoo and Conditioner, there's nothing outstanding about these but I do enjoy them and they smell great.
Another great smelling product is Carol's Daughter Monoi Leave-In Conditioner (all of this range smells amazing, if you like Monoi and beachy scents you will love them). This leave-in spray did a great job of detangling my hair and never left it looking limp or greasy.
Ouai Leave-In Conditioner was another leave in spray conditioner. I found this to be very similar to Davines Oi. I liked this but I prefer the Ouai Hair Oil as a leave-in product.
Aveda Smooth Infusion is a pre-styling product but I find little works fine as a leave-in conditioner/detangler on air dried hair. This size sample is great for travel, but it does have a rather odd curry type of scent.
Bodycare.
I got through four full-sized body care items and two samples. Everything was body lotion with the exception of a handbag sized hand cream!
Nivea Express Hydration Body Lotion is a frequent sight on my empties piles, it's immensely hydrating, light and-non greasy with a clean fresh fragrance, and it's great value for money.
Nip+Fab De-Stress Blend Body Lotion came in a huge bottle that lasted for ages. It had a nice consistency and was lightly fragranced with Sandalwood and Orange Blossom which I found very pleasant.
Shea Moisture Body Lotion with Frankincense and Myrrh was a rich cream that was very thick - in fact, it was so thick that it was very difficult to get it out of the bottle - it really should have been packaged in a jar. This was a great hydrator but it did need a little time to sink in. I liked the scent of this but it was a strong fragrance that lingered on the skin so it wasn't suitable for everyday use and also restricted the type of perfume I chose to wear.
Aesop Resolute Body Balm was another thick body product that also needed to be left to sink in. It was scented with Black Pepper and Patchouli and oddly I wasn't keen on the fragrance - usually, I love anything with Patchouli notes.
Bliss Lemon +Sage Body Butter is a nicely textured absorbent body cream, it has a creamy lemon scent with grassy notes that isn't bad, but I do prefer a zingier citrus scent for body products.
I almost always have a tube of Crabtree & Evelyn Hand Cream in my bag. I love the formula of these and the size and packaging are perfect for carrying around. 'Venetian Violet' was a lovely old-fashioned floral scent that I loved.
Makeup and Perfume.
I only finished one make up item but it was full sized. Sunday Riley Effortless Primer has sadly been discontinued. I loved this as a primer in the colder weather as it has a slightly oily finish that I found moisturizing. This primer did a good job of helping my make up to stay in place and it's light coverage meant that I could enjoy wearing it by itself on 'no makeup' days.
Finally, I used up five samples of perfume.
Chanel Chance is a little generic but it's very much a Chanel fragrance, young and floral. This disappeared from my skin very quickly.
L'Etat Libre d'Orange Fat Electrician is a creamy smoky woody scent that I love. It's marketed as an aftershave but I'm more than happy to wear it!
I used my final two vials of Loewe Woman 001. I've had numerous samples of this warm, woody, sensual scent with a hint of leather that I find very wearable.
Pinrose Secret Genius was a very basic vanilla-y fragrance on me. It reminded me of something from Bed, Bath and Bodyworks, I thought it was very youthful but not at all interesting or sophisticated.
Overall I'm pleased with November's empties but I'm hoping that in December I can use up a few more full sized items as I've got plenty of great new products that I want to crack open!
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