Empties: February 2019.

February may have been a short month but that didn't stop me from producing a lot of empties! I managed to use up sixteen full-sized products, thirty-five samples and one sheet mask.

Skincare.

I finished eight full-sized skincare products

Tata Harper Purifying Cleanser is one of my favourite cleansers. It is a light non-foaming gel/liquid with a zesty lemongrass fragrance that is perfect to use as a morning face wash. It's not the cheapest cleanser out there but you don't need to use much so a bottle of this lasts me a good while.

I used up two facial sprays. Mario Badescu Facial Spray with Aloe Chamomile and Lavender was perfectly okay but I didn't find myself reaching for it that often for some reason. There was nothing wrong with this one at all but I much prefer the Rose facial spray from MB so I don't see myself repurchasing the Lavender one. 

I always have a spray canister of mineral water in my stash for rinsing, cooling down or making a hydrating layer between products. I'm not particularly fussy on which brand I purchase, it really comes down to whatever they have in CVS and lately it has been  Vichy Eau Thermal which I like a lot.

I finished three full-sized serums.  

I actually gave a little yelp of disappointment when I finished my bottle of Drunk Elephant C-Firma. I've been using this daily under a simple Hyaluronic Serum and a day cream, it is very easy to apply and sinks in beautifully, leaving my skin with a little extra glow. It protects my skin also. I've noticed a definite improvement since I have been using this serum and while currently, I have quite a few other Vitamin C products in stock I will certainly be getting this again in the future.

Ren Evercalm Anti Redness Serum is great to use in the cold weather. It is a wet serum that is hydrating and soothing, it also smells great.

Dr Dennis Gross Ferulic & Retinol Wrinkle Recovery Overnight Serum is a creamy retinol. I'm not sure of the percentage but it feels quite strong and I did get a little redness and flaking if I used it too frequently. However, it did appear to be effective so I can see myself seriously considering this when I need another retinol product.

Verso Super Eye Serum left my eye area looking a lot fresher. It's another retinol product (which normally I would avoid around my sensitive eyes) and while it was a bit too strong it did work. I didn't particularly enjoy this - it could leave my eye area looking quite red so I'm on the fence as to whether I would repurchase this one. Unlike the majority of eye creams, this is a big 30ml bottle rather than a 15ml bottle so it lasts a long time.

Lixir Vitamin C Paste is a quick morning face mask that you apply after cleansing and leave for a few mins before rinsing. I didn't notice this doing much my skin was already quite bright from the CFirma so maybe it maintained it) and I found an extra step in the morning to be a bit of a faff,  I'm also not sure how protecting a rinse off product can be. I'm happy I got the chance to try this but wasn't really impressed by it.

I used seventeen skincare samples in February.

Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Botanical Cleansing Oil is very effective at dissolving makeup. It is a really nice formula as well with Squalene and Lavender Oil. This small bottle lasted me for ages, I enjoyed this one! Omorovicza Thermal Cleansing Balm is effective and very, very nice. I used this as a second cleanse and loved it.

Goldfaden MD Bright Eyes is a great all-around eye cream suitable for either day or night time use.

I used Shiseido Benefiance Wrinkle Resist 24 Eye Cream at night as it was quite a thick oily feeling cream that took some time to absorb. It was okay but I prefer something that feels lighter.

Chantecaille Bio Lifting Neck Cream is a lightweight easily absorbed gel/cream. I was happy to use this but generally I don't see the need for a separate neck cream and I wasn't particularly keen on the smell of this one.

Maria Stella Maris Facial Oil was a blend of safflower and jojoba oils. It felt very heavy and oily and sat on top of my skin without sinking in. I didn't enjoy this oil at all unfortunately.

Dr Dennis Gross C+Collagen Deep Cream has a gel-like texture and a fresh scent. It was very moisturising while being light so you don't need very much - I liked it. Cowshed Quinoa Daily Moisturiser is also light feeling and fresh smelling. It is a great basic facial moisturiser that is pleasant to use, I always make sure to grab a couple of tubes of this after a Cowshed facial. I prefer La Mer The Moisturising Soft Cream to the regular La Mer Moisturiser as it is much less oily feeling. Its powdery scent is comforting but it's just an okay moisturiser for me that does nothing to warrant its high price tag. I used two of these small samples.

I'm almost out of sunscreen so I'm using up the ones I have that I like the least! La Roche Posay Anthelios Ultra Light SPF60 is a little too oily for my liking and leaves a little bit of a white cast on me. I did use up three of these though because any sunscreen is better than none. Farmacy Green Screen SPF 30 is too heavy feeling for me and also left a white cast. It took a while to sink in as well. I didn't like this one much I'm afraid.

Omorovicza Deep Cleansing Mask is my favourite clay type mask. It rinses easily and doesn't leave my skin feeling dry or tight. It's expensive but I have a full size of this as I like it so much!

Alba Botanica Hawaiian Detox Warming Face Mask came in a single-use sachet. it smelled like coconut and had a honey-like consistency. It warms slightly on application warms slightly and rinses easily. My skin felt nice and had an even tone no tightness. I would get this again.

Chantecaille Bio Lifting Mask has a slight tingle then feels cooling. I didn't notice any lifting effect but it was hydrating and was very nice to use. 

Patchology Just Let It Glow Sheet Mask fitted well. Strangely there was no extra serum in the packet. It contains Niacinamide but I didn't notice it having a brightening effect. It did leave my skin feeling nicely moisturised but overall it was just ok and the iridescent sparkly serum felt gimmicky.

Haircare.

I used three full-sized haircare items and eight samples.

Kerastase Reflexion Shampoo has a berry scent and made a good lather. It has quite a thin consistency so you don't need to use much. However, I didn't find it to be any different from a drugstore shampoo and it didn't feel particularly indulgent in the way that other luxury haircare brands do. I also didn't like the packaging - I thought that it looked dated and the twist off top was impractical and cumbersome.

Pantene Pro v Foaming Conditioner Breakage Defense was also berry scented. It didn't feel very moisturising. I thought it was somewhat gimmicky and wouldn't recommend it.

I find the tube packaging of Phyto 7 Hair Cream a little odd as it is more of a milky lotion than a cream but it is an exceptionally good leave-in conditioning product that leaves my hair looking sleek and straight with no frizz. This is the first time in ages that I have used this but I will certainly get it again soon.

Aveda Invati Thickening Conditioner is a really nice conditioner. It left my hair feeling very soft and had a deep earthy patchouli like scent that I liked.

Davines Quick Fix Circle Hair Mask is a quick three-minute mask. I was a bit freaked out by the deep terracotta colour of this and while I appreciated the minimal packaging it was odd that it couldn't be resealed once opened. It did leave my hair soft and manageable though.

Rahua Omega 9 Hair Mask smells nutty. It left my hair straight and soft but not weighed down. I used two sachets of these as a conditioner and found them to be very good.

Pantene Pro-V 3 Minute Miracle has a lively fruity fragrance and works well as a conditioner.

Garnier Whole Blends Repairing Hair Mask was another three-minute mask. It had a lovely honey scent and a thick consistency. This intensive treatment was a bit too heavy for my hair.

Garnier Fructis Damage Repairing Treat was a one minute mask with a fruity scent. This was good but I felt that it was a conditioner rather than a mask.

Oribe Dry Texturising Spray smells amazing and a quick spray of it is an instant cure for 'hat hair'!

Bodycare.

I used four full-sized and four samples of bodycare.

Rossano Ferretti Vivace 24/7 Hair and Body Shampoo was okay. I only used this as a body wash, it foamed nicely but I wasn't overly keen on its aftershave like fragrance. (I'm not a fan of multi-purpose products I'm afraid).

Dial 7 Day Moisturising Lotion - Soothing Care Collagen Infused was a huge bottle of unscented lotion. It absorbed well and was hydrating. Although it was a bit boring I would repurchase this as its cheap and effective with a pump that works well.

I love Korres bodycare. 'Japanese Rose' Body Butter had a lovely rose scent with touches of almond and cherry. It leaves my skin lightly veiled with fragrance and very soft. I  appreciate the 'clean' formula of Korres products and their easy-to-read way of labelling is very informative (see photo below).

I don't normally include hand soaps in my empties but I'm making an exception for the super pricy

Byredo Suede Handwash. (I got this by redeeming Space NK NDulge points, I would never spend $60.00 on a hand wash!) It smells divine as you would expect a Byredo product to, Suede is a strong white floral scent that lingers in the air, but otherwise, it's pretty unexceptional. The formula is SLS rich so it didn't condition my hands at all (although to be fair it doesn't claim to). I was also disappointed by the packaging of this, the plastic bottle feels rather basic and isn't presented in a box so it doesn't even make for a sumptuous gift. For the cost, I think a refillable beautifully boxed glass bottle would be more suitable. All in all, this wasn't worth the money (or points) for me. 

Aveeno Skin Relief Body Wash smells of coconut and lathers well, I probably wouldn't buy this but I was happy to use it.

Garnier 3 in 1 SkinActive Day Night Mask smells delightfully of roses. Although it's a facial moisturiser I used it on my upper body as it contains shea butter which can cause me to break out. I found it worked well as a body cream!

Makeup and Perfume.

I used up four makeup items and three perfume vials.

Clinique QuickLiner '03 Intense Chocolate' is a twist up pencil liner. I haven't finished this but I'm letting it go as it has dried out. When it was useable I did enjoy it and I like having a brown eyeliner for the daytime as it is a little less harsh than black.

I found It Cosmetics Superhero Mascara to be claggy and clumpy. On the plus side, it was very black and didn't flake off during the day.

Hourglass Caution Mascara gave thick defined lashes but they weren't subtle, its a mascara to be used for a night out rather than during the day. I was impressed that it doesn't smudge and removes easily. 

Covergirl Katy Cat Eye Mascara had bulky packaging and a large brush that I found unwieldy. It was very clumpy - I disliked this mascara and barely used it.

Diptyque Eau Rose EDT is a fresh green rose scent that I like. It is light and easy to wear but doesn't have much longevity.

ETRO Rajasthan EDP  is another easy to wear fragrance. It is a powdery floral citrus, not unpleasant but I find it a bit boring.

Le Labo Another 13 is a sweet pear scent on application that dries to be warm and a bit musty but with clean notes like paper or linen. It is one of those non-fragrances (like Essentric Molecules) that I find myself a little puzzled by if I'm honest!

I must admit that I'm very pleased with February's empties. I managed to use up a number of things that I have had open for a while and I've made room for some new skincare and beauty goodies!

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