Empties July 2019.

In July I managed to use up twenty-four samples and fifteen full-sized products.

Skincare.

I only managed to finish three full-size skincare items in July

I used my last bottle of the old formula of Sunday Riley Ceramic Slip which has been a staple for me for many years. It was great as a morning face wash. I loved its earthy scent and how cooling and refreshing it felt. It was particularly good for greasier skins, and it left my skin balanced and clean without being stripping. I don't dislike the new formula which is meant for all skin types but it is less liquid and clay-like with more of a gel type consistency that I don't find as refreshing. I'm happy to use the new version but don't see myself purchasing it sadly.

Ark Skin Perfector De-Stress Serum reminds me of Caudalie VinoPerfect Serum. It is a nice lightweight, wet-feeling, fresh-smelling serum. It feels very hydrating and was great to use after masks and treatments for calming my skin. The dropper system worked well but I did need to shake it before use as it tended to split (this was mentioned on the packaging, I didn't get a dodgy bottle!). It is a little pricy and I probably wouldn't buy it as I'm not sure how easy it is to get in the US but I did enjoy it immensely and found it a useful product to have in stock.

Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Liquid Sunscreen SPF70 is inexpensive and it works! Comfortable, no white cast, layers well with other products and it doesn't make my face look shiny. I have bought this many times previously and will do so again. I also like that the bottle isn't huge so it is easy to carry around and I don't have to worry about it going off. 

I used fourteen skincare samples, four of which were cleansers.

Drunk Elephant Slaai Cleansing Balm is great, it whisks everything away and rinses away cleanly leaving no residue. I like this balm a lot and it reminds me of Clinique TTDO Balm. However, I do like an aromatic balm so I'm not sure if I would purchase a full size of this simply because it is unscented - I realise this is a positive selling point for many people but it isn't for me I'm afraid.

 I finished a deluxe sample of the new Sunday Riley Ceramic Slip. It was good to try this and the old one side by side, but as I said I probably wouldn't buy this version although I am happy to use samples.

Oskia Renaissance Cleansing Gel is an old favourite, a lovely gentle pink gel that smells like Turkish Delight. It is gentle, non-foaming, non-drying and effective. I would use this as a first or second cleanse but I mostly use it as a morning face wash. I have bought this many times and will continue to do so.

Drunk Elephant B-Hydra isn't an exceptional HA serum but it is a very nice one that I would definitely purchase in full size. I always enjoy this. It leaves my skin looking plump and hydrated and it works very well with other products.

Revivé Anti Ageing Eye Serum is very light and runny. It lasts for ages but I don't feel that it does much beyond hydrating my eye area. I expect more from an item at this price point.

Rodial Bee Venom Moisturiser is another spendy item. I finished two different-sized samples of this thick moisturising cream. It has a scent that reminds me of honey and it absorbs well and feels moisturising, It does prickle a bit on application which makes it feel a tad gimmicky, to be honest
 it is a little underwhelming for me considering its price.

Dr Dennis Gross AB Exfoliating Moisturiser is very light, almost lotion-like in consistency. I used it at night as it contains acids and while I didn't dislike this cream I didn't really form an opinion of it as I only used it for a few nights.

Drunk Elephant Prontini is a moisturiser with a light almost gel-like texture. I used this over serums during the day and mixed it with a little oil at night. It made my skin feel incredibly soft and balanced my skin not leaving it greasy at all. I don't often rave about a moisturiser but I think that this is exceptionally good and it suits my skin very well, I also found that I needed to use very little of this for it to be effective. I would definitely get a full size of this if I ever need to purchase a moisturiser (unlikely) and much prefer it to Drunk Elephant LaLa.

Dr Haushka Lip Care Stick is a solid lip balm in the manner of chapstick. It is made from castor and other oils and leaves lips with a little sheen. Its quite soft and I used this up fairly quickly. I felt like this was one of those balms that sit on top of the lips without really doing much and I needed to apply it fairly frequently. It's not something that I would purchase again.

 I used two samples of Natura Bisse Diamond Cocoon Pollution Protection Spray. It is a water weight spray that you apply over sunscreen or makeup before going out. It protects skin from pollution and also blue light. It felt nice and refreshing and sat well over my makeup but I'm not sure how effective it is given that it only deposits a fine mist on the skin.

Finally, Peter Thomas Roth Camu Camu Power C Sleeping Mask is a declutter. I actually thought this had oxidised when I used it but after reading many reviews online it doesn't appear to have. It is orange in colour and has an odd strong fragrance (I thought it smelled like a sweet dessert wine) that lingered on the skin. This gel-like cream seemed to sit on my skin whenever I applied a generous layer of it and when I tried to rub this in it tended to pill. Also because of its colour, I wasn't inclined to sleep in this on my white sheets. The only good thing I have to say is that the pump packaging was very efficient otherwise, it was a total bust!

Haircare.

I enjoyed Windle & Moodie Nourishing Treatment Shampoo with Rooibos and Argan Oil. The pump worked well as this was quite a thin shampoo. It lathered and rinsed well and left my hair feeling good. I actually preferred this to the matching conditioner and this bottle lasted me for a long time. I think I would repurchase this although I wouldn't rush out to get the conditioner from this range again.

I'm continuing to use up my stash of hair masks by repurposing them as conditioners. I used up three mini Briogeo Don't Despair Repair Masks in this way. It is a rich, thick, slightly oily feeling mask with a light berry scent. It did leave my hair feeling soft and feeling somewhat thicker but it also left my bath scummy with oil which was annoying.

I'm trying to transition to better (ie more expensive ) hair care but one drugstore item that I can't see myself giving up is L'oreal Elvive Extraordinary Oil! I love this inexpensive leave-in hair serum/oil. It smells like Argan Oil, smoothes and detangles, keeps frizz away and leaves my hair feeling soft without ever weighing it down or making it appear stringy.

I used Oribe FeatherBalm Weightless Styler as a leave-in conditioner too. It smells divine as you would expect from Oribe and whilst it did detangle my hair and make it more manageable I found it difficult to know how much to use. If you have very very fine hair this may be good for you, otherwise, I would stick with Supershine because you just end up using too much of this version.
Living Proof Restore was a water weight leave-in conditioning spray. It worked well and didn't weigh my hair down, I liked this and was impressed that the pump on this sample was so efficient.

Sexy Hair Love Oil did work pretty well as a leave-in conditioner but it was very silicon like in feel and left a lot of build-up in my hair. I also hated the cringe-worthy name.

John Frieda Frizz Ease Glossing Mist is a declutter. I have had this finishing treatment sat on my shelf for so long. Every so often I will take it down and realise that the reason it is still on my shelf is that it makes my hair look oily when I use it.

Bodycare.

I finished six full-sized body products: two hand creams, two shower gels and two body lotions.

St Ives Purifying Sea Salt & Pacific Kelp Body Wash was surprisingly good considering how cheap it was (I think I paid 99cents for this as I found it on special offer and had a coupon!). This was a creamy body wash so it didn't make tons of lather but it was frothy enough. It had a fresh minerally sea scent and big chunks of sea salt for a natural exfoliation. I enjoyed this more than I expected to.

I didn't enjoy Olay Cleansing Infusion Body Wash, however. It was another creamy wash but it made my skin feel a little itchy after use and had silica for exfoliating. I bought this because I love the smell of ginger but it wasn't as gingery and zingy as I would have liked. Also, the silica scrubby bits stuck to my shower which was very messy.

I love Nivea Original Daily Moisture Body Lotion. It smells like classic Nivea and is very moisturising but it is one of the heavier lotions that Nivea make and is a bit too heavy for warm weather. Nothing wrong with this at all but it is much better suited to winter use.

What is great as a summertime body moisturiser is Bliss Grapefruit and Aloe Body Butter! While it is thick I wouldn't call it a body butter as it feels light in texture and the Aloe makes it more of a gel-cream. This literally melts into the skin and feels very soothing and hydrating. It has a subtle grapefruit scent that isn't too sharp and the Aloe lends it a cooling effect. I'm going to get more of this and I'm a bit gutted that I have stuck with the Bliss Lemon & Sage Body Butter in the past as I much prefer this one.

I used two hand creams. Grove Bergamot & Orange hand cream was lightly scented and had a light fairly runny texture. I liked this subtle orange scent and it did an okay job of moisturising my hands without leaving them feeling greasy. I love having mini Crabtree & Evelyn hand creams to carry in my bag, the formula is one of my favourites and this Festive Fig scented one smelled sweet and raisin-like without being lingering or sickly.

Makeup and Perfume.

 I used a full-sized bottle of Diptyque Philosykos EDT which I think is the best fig perfume, it is the perfect blend of sweet fig with a spiky greenness and creamy base notes. I always wear this scent in summer and have a mini backup in stock already. I will definitely be buying another full-sized bottle very soon.

I used up four perfume samples. Kate Spade In Full Bloom is a generic mixed floral scent with strong rose top notes. I found it to be not outstanding in any way and honestly it wasn't all that nice.

Giorgio Armani Si Passione is a strong, long-lasting fruity floral. This smelled quite apricot-like on me, it was an old fashioned department store type of scent that I found overly sweet and cloying, definitely not one for me. Juicy Couture Oui is a sweet fruity floral. It is youthful and easy to wear. I preferred it to the two above scents but it is still one of my least favourite offerings from Juicy.

L'Etate d'Orange Libre Cologne is a great warm-weather fragrance. It is very uncomplicated compared to other perfumes from this house, opening with strong classic 4711 Cologne like notes and soon becoming very lemony. I wouldn't say this is my favourite sort of scent but its very refreshing to have a spritz of in hot weather and its very easy to wear.

Finally, I finished two makeup items.

 I love Chantecaille Faux Cils Mascara, it adds darkness length and thickens without ever clumping. It gives a very natural-looking enhanced lash but it is very expensive - more than I would pay for a mascara - so I'm happy that I frequently get samples of it.

Hourglass Ambient Primer in 'Luminous Light' is a declutter. I love Veil Primer from Hourglass but this one failed to impress and I've had it sitting around unloved and unused for too long. It did even out my base colour and add a highlight effect but I felt like it sat on top of my skin and didn't really bond with other products in the way that Veil does.

And that's all for my July empties. I'm hoping to use up a lot of things in August as I will have some purchases coming up soon as GWP season is upon us!