Empties: August 2019.

August is my birthday month and it has flown by. However, I did manage to finish quite a few products, in total I used up thirteen full-sized products and thirty samples or minis.

Skincare.

I only managed to finish four full-size skincare items.

Estee Lauder Daywear with SPF15 is something that I used to use sometimes in the distant past and I picked it up in an Ulta sale to see what I thought of it now. I still like its cucumber scent but that's about all, it felt a little greasy to wear during the day especially as I had to put another SPF on top - because really what is the point of including factor 15?

Rodial Dragon's Blood Eye Gel was a product that grew on me. I wasn't too impressed to begin with but over time I noticed that it softened fine lines in my eye area. It's a cool feeling gel that sinks in immediately leaving no trace of stickiness. I did run through this quite quickly though and the pump pot is quite bulky and uses a lot of plastic.

Heritage Store Rosewater & Glycerine is basically what it says on the label - water, glycerine and rose hydrosol. This is super cheap and easily available from health food stores. The pump works fine and there's nothing wrong with this but it is kind of boring and basic. I've always been interested to try this and now I have but I wouldn't repurchase it unless I really needed a facial mist and this was the only option.

Green Leaf Naturals Aloe Very Gel is something that I use with my NuFace device. It is inexpensive and quite liquid in texture and I like that it isn't sticky like a lot of other Aloe products are.

I finished fifteen skincare minis and samples as I was away for a good part of the month.

Seven of these were from Drunk Elephant so I'll run through those first.

Beste #9 Jelly Cleanser is a foaming cleanser, its okay as a morning in the shower face wash but not my favourite. It feels a little ordinary and it can be a little drying, I'm happy to use up the minis of these that I have but I wouldn't buy this for myself.

I would buy CTango Eye Cream though! I love this creamy hydrating cream, it works miracles on my eye area and is one of my favourite eye creams.
I also love CFirma a protective brightening serum, it absorbs well and is good at reducing hyperpigmentation or maintaining your skin's brightness. I especially love it layered with some BHydra which is Drunk Elephant's Hyaluronic Acid product. There are cheaper HA products out there but this one is a very good one that I would definitely purchase.

I have been totally wowed by Prontini from Drunk Elephant. I would say it's my favourite moisturizer at present, it is a gel-cream that is packed full of peptides and it absorbs brilliantly. I've been using this by itself as a daytime cream and mixed with a little Marula Oil at nighttime - my skin drinks this combination up! I have used up two of my mini Prontinis and one Marula Oil. The Marula Oil is okay used like this but not something that I would see myself purchasing as I find it a little heavier than I like even though it is quite thin in consistency.

I have been loving Natura Bisse Diamond Cocoon Hydrating Essence so much. It is almost like a very light serum, thick enough to apply with my hand and I have been using it as a pre-serum. It feels comfortable on my skin, adds moisture and also protects against pollution and blue light. I'm going to get a full size of this soon.

La Mer The Lifting Eye Serum is a very lightweight clear liquid serum, it was okay but I didn't notice it doing much, to be honest.

Omorovicza Rejuvenating Night Cream was an excellent night cream. It didn't feel too rich but it was very nourishing, I'd put this in my group of favourite night time moisturizers - it reminded me of the Zelens Triple Z which is possibly my all-time favourite

Chantecaille Stress Repair Concentrate is a creamy eye cream that absorbs well and temporarily smoothes my eye area. I like this but it is super expensive.

I used samples of three masks. 
Eve Lom Rescue Mask is a deep cleansing kaolin mask. It has a medicated type of scent and it does dry out quite a lot but it doesn't dry my skin. My skin looks clear and even when I remove this and it is also good for clearing areas of congestion, or I have used a dab as a spot treatment. I've never bought this but I have used countless samples and always found them to be effective.

Givenchy Hydra Sparkling Mask had a whippy gel texture and was very highly perfumed. It was a basic hydrating mask, I found that it just seemed to sit on top of my skin and not sink in, leaving a sticky residue. This was a bust for me.

Biologique Recherche Masque VIP O2 was a thin milky mask. By itself, it didn't do much for me but people rave about using it in conjunction with the Masque Vivant so hopefully, I will get to try it again in that way.

Coola Makeup Setting Spray SPF30 is something that I carried around to use as a sunscreen top-up during the day. It smelled like vodka and it stings if you get it in your eyes but it did offer sun protection. Definitely not a fun one to use for me but it did its job.

Haircare.

I managed to empty quite a lot of haircare during August. I used up four full sizes and six minis.

I used up two full-sized bottles of shampoo, both of which were drugstore and neither of which I much liked. They have been in my cupboard for ages and I have mostly used them for decants when travelling, I was happy to see them finally emptied! 
Garnier Fructis Triple Nutrition had a pleasant tropical fruit fragrance and it produced an abundant amount of bubbles but it left my hair feeling very stripped, I wouldn't recommend this one to anyone I'm afraid. Herbal Essences Hydra-Licious Shampoo smelled of berries and probably my least favourite of the many Herbal Essence products I have tried over the years. It didn't strip my hair but it wasn't particularly hydrating.

I used a full-sized bottle of IGK Instafamous Blond Conditioner. I've had this a while because I only use it maybe every 10 days or so if my hair colour needs correcting. It is a purple conditioner that takes away any brassy tones. I love this thick conditioner it corrected my hair colour, left my hair in great condition, and unlike other purple hair products I have used it doesn't leave my shower messy or stained. I'd definitely get this again.

I used a full-sized Klorane Leave-In Detangling Milk Spray with Oat Milk. This was a water weight spray that had a fresh green fragrance. I sprayed it onto wet hair and it made combing it through very easy. I enjoyed this more than I was expecting too.

I used a mini of Philip B Peppermint Avocado Shampoo. This is very minty and awakening. It lathers and rinses well. I like this but it's not something that I would see myself purchasing a full size of as it doesn't stand out for me in any way except for its zingy scent.

I'm continuing to work my way through my stash of hair masks by using them as conditioners. Miriam Quevedo Platinum & Diamonds Luxurious Mask has a powdery perfume-like scent, it left my hair soft but using this every day was a bit too much as it is a very deep conditioning mask. Davines The Spotlight Circle is a quick 5-minute mask that I like. It is quite light and left my hair nice and soft. I also like the way this is packaged (although it doesn't reseal once opened) and its light fragrance was lovely.

Oribe FeatherBalm is a lightweight Leave-In Styling Cream that I used on damp hair as a leave-in conditioner. It is rare that I dislike an Oribe product and while this wasn't bad I found that it was so lightweight that I needed to use a lot of it so I would much rather use Supershine. It did smell very good though! 
Bumble & Bumble Repair Blow Dry is a leave-in creamy conditioner. I don't blow dry my hair but this worked equally well on air-dried hair. The fragrance had a slightly chemical scent but it wasn't noticeable on my hair.

The final haircare product I emptied was Ouai Wave Spray. This has Ouai's signature powdery scent and is the first wave spray I have used that didn't leave my hair crispy and crunchy. I applied this to damp hair, let it dry and it left me with soft piece-y locks. Very impressed with this one!

Bodycare.

I used four full-sized body products and one mini.

Ren Moroccan Rose Otto Body Wash is one of my favourite body washes. It's not cheap but I almost always manage to find it on sale after Christmas (usually in a set with its matching lotion). It has a 'clean' formula that leaves my skin feeling comfortable and a soft rose scent (it's not a green rose scent, it is somewhat sweet but it is very delicate and not overpowering). The sealed pump packaging of this works well and it produces a plentiful lather.
Rituals Ritual of Sakura Foaming Shower Gel is the best of the aerosol gel-to-foam body washes that I have tried. This is the only one that I have used that dispenses as a gel before foaming. The scent is quite a sweet rose, a little too sweet for me (I much prefer the Ren rose scent) but it doesn't linger. Overall I like these foaming gels and they are fun to use but I do find that I get through them very quickly and there are other fragrances that I prefer. 

Crabtree & Evelyn Avocado, Olive and Basil Body Lotion was very nice indeed. It had a fresh green lotion-like scent that I enjoyed and it sank in well leaving my skin soft and nourished. However, it was very thick, almost like a body butter, so the packaging of this one wasn't perfect and it spent all its life upside down so I could get it out of its solid plastic bottle which was a bit annoying!

Coincidentally I used a handbag-sized Crabtree & Evelyn Hand Cream in the same fragrance. I love the formula and format of these and they are frequently in my empties. I also used a mini pocket sized L'Occitane Hand Cream. This had a powdery fragrance and although it is quite similar to the C&E one I find it a little greasier in feel.

Makeup and Perfume.

I used one full-sized makeup product, a Chantecaille Le Camouflage Stylo. I love these for brightening my under eyes. They aren't really concealers, but they bounce the light back and imperfections appear lessened. The product is dispensed with a click onto a built-in brush so it is easy to apply and the formula is light and blendable and plumps out rather than settling into fine lines.

I used four perfume vials.

Versace Dylan Blue Pour Femme smelled like a fruity shampoo, definitely not my type of fragrance and the full size comes in hideous looking packaging.

Berdoues Azur Riviera is very fresh and aquatic. It has a summery vibe and is refreshing but it strays a little too far into aftershave territory for my liking.

The Harmonist Yin Transformation is an aquatic floral. It smells quite strong and has longevity but is a little generic for me. Its nothing special in my book and I must admit I was expecting something a bit more unique for the price this is.

Etat Libre d'Orange Cologne is a straight-up Cologne. It smells very 4711 on application then dries down to be more lemony. It isn't my favourite type of scent but it is very refreshing to use in very hot weather.

And that's all for my August empties. I'm on a mission to finish up lots of samples in September so I'm excited to see how that goes, wish me luck!