Empties September 2019.

My aim in September was to try and use up lots of the sample sachets that I had accumulated over the past year. I'm pleased that I managed to use up 112 and my stash is now quite dramatically reduced.

Most of the sachets that I used were skincare and the biggest category was moisturisers and creams of which I used thirty-one. I used twelve sachets of serum, thirteen of cleansers and five of eye creams. I also used three sachets of lip balm and three single-use mask sachets along with one each of primer, essence, and sunscreen for a total of seventy skincare samples.

I also used four sachets of body wash and thirty-eight haircare samples which were all shampoo and conditioners.

In addition to the sachets, I also managed to finish thirteen full-sized products and eight deluxe sample-sized items.

Skincare.

I used nine full-sized skincare items.

I use Simple Micellar Cleansing Water to remove my eye makeup and strongly pigmented lip colours. It is cheap, effective and doesn't sting my eyes. I've tried this back to back with some expensive micellar waters and this one performs just as well so I will continue to purchase it.
(Not pictured)

I've used a few Rodial Glamtox Cleansing Balms over the years but it has been discontinued and sadly this was my last one. (I bought three on sale when it was discontinued as I loved it so much!) This balm was a lovely consistency with a soft lemon scent and it felt warming when you applied it to your face. It broke down and removed makeup well and emulsified into a milky substance that rinsed away completely with ease. It was an excellent balm and I'm sorry that I won't be able to use it again.

I finished two facial sprays in September. 

Andalou Naturals 1000 Roses Floral Toner contains Hyaluronic Acid and Aloe Vera so it adds moisture and calms the skin as well as feeling very refreshing. It has a deep floral rose scent which is heavenly, it is definitely the rosiest smelling of all the rose facial sprays that I have tried and that's a good thing in my book! It is a great spray for the price - I think it is around $12.00

Emma Hardie Plump & Glow Facial Mist also contains Aloe Vera and Hyaluronic Acid. This has a floral citrus fragrance and it is a truly lovely spray, however, it is on the spendy side and costs around four times the price of the Andalou Naturals one. Is it worth it? Well, I do like it better but I'm not sure I would pay that much for a spray, to be honest! The tube style packaging of this is pretty unique and it makes it very travel-friendly which is a plus, there is some left inside although that won't spray out - this is one tube I will definitely attacking with scissors!

I used a bottle of Vichy Mineral 89 which is a Hyaluronic Booster that you can use as a light moisturiser or as a serum or in addition to a serum. It's like a cross between a serum and an essence and I like it a lot. I have plenty of other products for now but I will repurchase this in the future as it does give my skin a plumpness and softens and fills fine lines temporarily. 

Manuka Doctor Radiance Serum is a lovely silky creamy serum that plumps and smooths skin. I liked this one a lot and used it during the day as it does have a slight light-reflecting shimmer in it. It worked well with other products and left my skin feeling comfortably hydrated.

I finished my full-sized Drunk Elephant TLC Framboos Serum and also used a mini of it from The Littles kit. It is an AHA/BHA gentle chemical exfoliating serum for nighttime use. I like this a lot but there are other exfoliating serums that I prefer so I don't see myself repurchasing this right now. The packaging is excellent and it lasts for a long time, however.

Dr's BotanicalsMoroccan Rose Superfood Facial Oil was wonderful. It is a blended oil with ingredients as diverse as Bakuchiol and Aloe Vera amongst others. It was very nourishing and absorbed beautifully. I also really loved the rose fragrance of this product and it is relatively inexpensive.

Beauty Kitchen 5 Minute Miracle Mask was a great quick mask that cleansed and moisturised. It felt like a creamy clay and wiped off easily. It was so fast and easy to use that I found myself using it in the mornings, I would simply put it on, brush my teeth and then it was ready to take off. This had a nice calming mallow scent that I loved and I also liked its airless pump packaging.

I finished five skincare samples including the Drunk Elephant TLC Framboos.

I used a sample of DHC Cleansing Oil. I have to say that this worked extremely efficiently and that this mini lasted me for some time as you only need a little but it was a very boring product to use. I like my evening routine to feel spa-like and this was simply too utilitarian for that.

I really enjoyed a mini Emma Hardie Protect & Prime SPF30. It was a lightweight runny cream that smelled of moringa and citrus and it worked well with everything I used it with. The SPF30 was adequate for me as I used it on days when I would be mostly inside.

There are so many La Roche Posay Anthelios products that they become confusing. I don't like all of them, some I actively dislike, but the Clear Skin SPF50 was a good weightless formula that I enjoyed.

Clark's Botanicals Deep Moisture Mask is a balm textured mask with a heavenly floral scent. I mostly use this over retinol products as an overnight mask and it works like a dream whilst I sleep. My skin is always clear and plumped the following morning.

Haircare.

As I mainly used sample sachets I only used up one haircare item and even that was a sample. Bumble & Bumble Straight Blow Dry is a protecting leave-in product intended to be used before styling hair but I found a dab of this in my damp hair worked well as a leave-in conditioner on air-dried hair also.

Bodycare.

I used four full-sized body products, one body wash and three body lotions.

Nivea Body Wash Care & Cucumber is scented with Cucumber & Melon. I love Nivea body products and this creamy shower gel smelled amazingly fruity and refreshing - a lovely bright awakening scent. This was a great drugstore buy that I will definitely repurchase. 

I used it with Nivea Aloe Vera Body Lotion which was a perfect lotion to use in the heat, it was light yet hydrating and had a fresh clean scent. This lotion felt very cooling because of the Aloe Vera but it didn't have any stickiness or tackiness.

REN Moroccan Rose Otto Body Lotion is a gorgeous lotion with a delicate rose scent, it has a rich creamy texture and is intensely nourishing but isn't at all greasy. I also love that it comes in an airless pump.

Andalou Naturals Body Lotion 1000 Roses is another rich non-greasy rose-scented cream that does a wonderful job of soothing and moisturising my skin. If you are looking for a rose-scented lotion at an affordable price then this is the one for you.

Makeup and Perfume.

 I used up two makeup items and they were both from Hourglass. Their Veil Mineral Primer is my favourite primer, it does an excellent job of making my makeup stay in place and doesn't cause my skin to become congested. I've used many bottles of this over the years but this is the first time that I have bought the bumper-sized tube and I prefer it in this format, I already have another tube of this open. I used a mini Hourglass Caution Mascara, I really like this one, it thickens and lengthens quite dramatically and never flakes or runs.

I used two perfumes. 

A small vial of Miss Dior which I liked a lot more than I was expecting to. It is an aldehydic synthetic floral that is quite powerful, it reminded me of Putain des Palaces without the dirty undertones.

 I also used a handbag-sized Diptyque Do Son. This is a Tuberose scent that is quite strong and heady at first but it softens up nicely to become a very wearable floral that isn't sweet or sickly.

And that's it for December. I'm pleased that I got through so many sachets and still managed to use a decent amount of other products. I hope I manage to do so well in October!