I've been so busy that I'm a little late with April's empties but here they are. I managed to use up twelve full sized products and twenty-four samples and minis.
Skincare.
I always remove my eye makeup with a separate specific cleanser and generally I prefer creamy cleansers to oily ones, although I do also use Micellar waters. I was happy to discover Andalou Naturals Lid + Lash Makeup Remover as its a cream make up remover that you swipe on and off with a cotton pad. It is very similar to Kiehl's Extremely Gentle Eye Makeup Remover which was my go-to until it was abruptly discontinued. While this isn't quite as good as the Kiehl's one it almost is. I found it easy and effective to use and it only stung my sensitive eyes on a couple of occasions when I used far too much. The pump packaging works very well, it is inexpensive and does a stellar job of removing dark lip stains as well as eye makeup. I will definitely repurchase this one.
KatBurki Vitamin C Nourishing Cleansing Balm is so lovely! It has quite a curious whipped consistency with some harder small pieces suspended in it. I was using this as a second cleanse - it is far far too nice to waste removing makeup. It smells like an expensive bunch of white flowers, is lovely to use for a facial massage, and wipes off easily leaving skin perfectly clean and softened. Every evening was like a spa night when I was using this!
It Cosmetics Bye Bye Makeup Cleansing Balm is very effective, at removing makeup and easy to rinse off. This reminded me a lot of Clinique TTDO Balm but it has a slight lemony scent.
The Organic Pharmacy Rose Facial Cleansing Gel smells lovely and is ever so slightly foamy. It is nice as a morning face wash and it wasn't drying - overpriced though.
Omorovicza Moor Cream Cleanser is like a creamier version of Sunday Riley Ceramic Slip. I like it a lot but it is a bit too expensive for me to consider purchasing, happily, this one often pops up in gift bags!
I'm not much of a one for physical exfoliation. I never buy them as samples last me forever ( I use them perhaps every week or ten days). Tarte Frxxxtion Stick looks like a small black solid deodorant and contains a gentle exfoliating grain. It is a novel product that you apply by rubbing over damp skin and was fun to play around with but I wasn't keen on its slightly marine like smell.
Omorovicza Queen of Hungary Mist is another luxurious face product with a cult-like following. It smells amazing and can be used as a hydrating mist or as a refreshing spritz, and while it is exceptionally nice, I don't think that this warrants its hefty price. Part of the appeal of this one for me is the spray mechanism which produces the finest veil of mist, I'm going to keep this bottle and use it with a cheaper facial spray! I may even repurchase Shea Moisture Matcha Green Tea & Probiotics Soothing Toner and Hydrating Mist to fill the QOH bottle. This mist had a refreshing tea-like scent and did everything that the Omorovicza one does at a fraction of the price!
Shiseido Benefiance Wrinkle Resist 24 Balancing Softener was midway between a toner and an essence, I used this on a cotton pad after washing my face. It has a strong, almost hairspray like, scent that I wasn't keen on and honestly, I prefer to use a facial spray rather than this sort of product these days. I didn't dislike this but don't feel that it did anything other than dampening my skin and adding a little extra hydration.
I loved the non-bulky airtight pump packaging of Manuka Doctor Radiance Serum.
It was a silky feeling serum that was quite creamy in texture and it had a slight pearlescence effect to it (just the right amount, it added a glow rather than full-on shimmer). I used this both morning and night and it left my skin looking smooth and plumped, it layered well with other products and is great value for money.
Sunday Riley Good Genes is my very favourite night time serum and is much featured in my empties posts. I love everything about this lemony scented wonder and love how it keeps my skin balanced and makes it look radiant.
Cat Burki Vit C Intensive Face Cream is quite simply a dream face cream. It smells and feels amazing, it has a lovely texture, layers well with pretty much everything and left my skin softened and plump. It is a gorgeous product that delivers.
Natura Bisse The Cure Sheer Cream SPF20 is a thinly textured tinted cream. It doesn't give much coverage, rather it evens things out. It looks natural and is good as a base or on no makeup days. SPF20 is an added bonus but doesn't offer enough protection for outdoor days.
Chantecaille Bio Lifting Cream is a neck cream. I'm not keen on the fragrance of this but it's light and hydrating and easily absorbed.
Emma Hardie Brilliance Facial Oil smells good but is too heavy for me - I prefer a drier feeling oil.
Haircare.
Alaffia Coconut Reishi Shampoo with Henna was really, really good. Made with coconut oil it has quite a runny texture and is low foaming but it left my hair in lovely condition - very soft. I also loved its soapy coconut scent.
Miriam Quevedo The Gold Shampoo is light in texture, shimmery gold in colour and has a faint melon/tea type of scent. This was okay but not outstanding in any way, I was happy to use it but it was nothing special.
Christophe Robin Cleansing Purifying Scrub with Sea Salt is a thick paste with large flakes of salt in it. This product baffled me at first but it is basically a deep cleansing shampoo. A little goes a long way as it produces lots and lots of lather. I love the salty mineral scent that this has and find it works extremely well when used once a week or so to remove product build-up. I also found this useful to use a few days after colouring my hair to remove excess dye and knock the brightness of the tone down a little (probably not how it's intended to be used and you may not want to do this yourself!)
I enjoyed Herbal Essences Bio-Renew Argan Oil Conditioner, it had a nice thick consistency and smelled like Moroccan Oil. It left my hair soft and tangle free and didn't weigh it down. I'd certainly get this again as it felt and performed like a more expensive hair product.
Rahua Classic Conditioner has a 'clean' formula and lovely nutty scent. This is probably my all-time favourite conditioner, it always leaves my hair in exceptionally good condition.
Coco + Eve Like a Virgin Hair Mask. I used this 5-10 minute mask as a conditioner andI loved how it smelled - its fig and coconut scent was like a tropical beach. It left my hair in okay condition but that was all, it's a pricey product so I was expecting it to perform better.
Tresemmé Botanique Intensive Mask with Pomegranate & Camellia Oil is a quick 3-minute mask that worked perfectly as a conditioner. This sample sachet contained 42g of product which was enough for four generous uses. Its fruity floral fragrance was sophisticated rather than sickly and it left my hair soft and frizz free. I think this is a great budget hair mask!
René Furterer Karité Mask was another quick 2-minute mask that again I used as a conditioner. It worked well and had a beautiful white floral fragrance. I liked this one but its not something that I would ever buy as it is expensive.
Ouai Hair Oil is one of my favourite leave-in treatments! It softens without weighing hair down and smells great.
Bodycare.
Softsoap Body Wash 'Hydra Bliss'. Softsoap make some of my favourite bargain drugstore body washes. I enjoyed the formula and its plentiful lather but the blueberry and coconut scent was heavy on the blueberries and low on the coconut so it was too sweet smelling for me.
Method Body Wash in Energy Boost was a nice formula with a fairly 'clean' ingredient list. It lathered well and wasn't drying but I wished the Citrus, Ginger and Sea Buckthorn scent had been a little zingier. It is at the expensive end of the scale for a drugstore body wash.
Aveeno Stress Relief Body Lotion scented with Lavender, Chamomile and Ylang Ylang has a light scent that doesn't linger. The lotion itself is okay but a little waxy in feel. My skin was comfortable and it absorbed well but it isn't something that I would repurchase - I didn't dislike it but equally I didn't really enjoy it
La Roche Posay Lipikar AP Balm is an unscented body lotion which feels very hydrating. It is a bit boring but very effective!
I love Kiehl's Creme de Corps Body Lotion, it leaves my skin so soft and it has a creamy buttery scent that is perfect, not too sweet. It is more than I care to spend on a body lotion though so I will stick to samples!
Crabtree & Evelyn Spiced Earl Grey Hand Cream. C&E hand creams are almost always in my empties! It is the perfect hand cream formula in an easily transportable tube. I love the new packaging design and the fresh clean tea-like fragrance of this one.
Makeup and Perfume.
Nars Velvet Lip Gloss in the shade 'Bound' was a flattering easy to wear mauve toned nude. It was easy to precisely apply from its chubby doe foot, it stayed in place exceptionally well and left my lips with a stain. I'd class this as a liquid lipstick rather than a gloss as it was quite matte but it was very comfortable and non-drying. I'd definitely purchase this if I needed lip colour but unfortunately, I already have so many.
Rodial GlamLash Mascara XXO enhances lashes in a very natural looking way. This mascara stays in place throughout the day yet is easy to remove. I also love the way that this puts and holds a curl in my lashes.
I finished my second bottle of Diptyque Eau Duelle. It is a very easy to wear, warm subtly spiced vanilla scent that is not at all sweet and sickly - this is a sophisticated take on vanilla, perfect to wear year round.
Maison Margiela EDP 'Mutiny'. Hmmm, nothing Mutinous about this scent! It is a sweet and rather sickly fruity floral that smells very generic. I was expecting something woody that smacked of piracy and rebellion, rather than this young girl scent. Disappointing.
I like the sleek minimal packaging of Commodity EDP 'Bergamot'. It has a clean lemony scent that veered a little too much into aftershave territory for me. Unisex and good for warm weather but not my personal cup of tea.
And that's it for a rather late edition of April's empties, May's empties will be here before I know it!
