Empties: October 2019.

I feel like I didn't finish too many products in October. I used up thirteen full-sized and fifteen minis/samples.

Skincare.

I've included a bottle of Simple Micellar Water in this months photo. I actually finished it last month but it failed to be included in the photo then for some reason! I like this inexpensive and effective Micellar Water a lot for removing eye makeup and strong lip colours.

I used a tube of Dr Haushka Cleansing Cream. This is a bit of a misnamed product for me as it is actually a paste made of ground almonds suspended in oil that you let down with a little water and use as a gentle gommage. It is very gentle as it is made from ground almond rather than shells and it left my skin feeling wonderfully soft. However, it does smell a little funky as it is a natural formula and I did find it difficult to rinse it away thoroughly. I ended up using this as a morning face wash because I didn't find it effective as a makeup remover and it was easier to rinse odd pieces of paste from my hairline this way. It was interesting to try but I wouldn't repurchase.

I used three tins of thermal water, a large one from Vichy and two small ones by Evian and Avène. I use these to rinse my face after cleansing it as well as as a cooling hydrating mist. I liked them both, the Vichy one feels more minerally, the Evian one is a little minerally and the Avène one more purified.

I finished a bottle of Hello Organics Vitamin C Serum. This was a nice hydrating serum which also contained Hyaluronic Acid. It absorbed well and wasn't tacky, my skin was left nicely plumped. I didn't have any areas of discolouration or hyperpigmentation to treat but it kept my skin looking bright and evenly toned. I thought this was a good inexpensive daytime serum.

I was sad to finish my Votary Rose Maroc & Sandalwood Oil. It smelled gorgeous and a couple of drops of this at night meant I woke up to plump fresh-looking skin, it absorbed well and didn't feel heavy on my skin - a lovely blend. It's not a cheap oil but this lasted me for a long time as you only need to use a few drops.

I finished a full-sized Goldfaden MD Bright Eyes Eye Cream. It is a good all-round eye cream. I've used a few of these over the years and while there are other creams that may 'do' a bit more this one offers a good burst of hydration and depuffs while feeling comfortable.

I also finished a tube of  CO Bigelow My Favorite Lip Balm. I'm not sure if it is my favourite but I do like this a lot. It is very light in texture but feels moisturising and has a clear glossy finish.

I used up ten skincare samples, two of which were gel cleansers. Drunk Elephant Beste Jelly Cleanser is a slightly foaming non-drying cleanser. It works well as a morning face wash and doesn't leave my skin feeling tight. Susanne Kaufmann Cleansing Gel is a slightly more creamier gel. I used this in the morning and also as a second cleanse. It left my skin incredibly soft. There's not much to choose between these two but I slightly prefer the Susanne Kaufmann one.

I love Natura Bisse Diamond Cocoon Hydrating Essence so much that I have bought a full-sized one. I use this before my serum in the morning for an extra boost of hydration and protection.

Chantecaille Bio Lifting Serum is a super expensive liquid gel serum. It didn't feel bad but this was a tiny sample so its difficult to assess it properly.

I loved a sample of Nannette de Gaspé Baume Noir for Eyes. It was a stretchy pale pink cream that absorbed instantly. It had an instant tightening/lifting effect and kept my eye area hydrated for the whole day. I was very impressed with this cream but unfortunately, it is very expensive.

I used two samples of moisturiser. I love Drunk Elephant Prontini, it's possibly my favourite moisturiser, it has a light texture and is deeply nourishing. I used 37 Actives Cream as an occlusive layer at night, its a little too thick and oily for me and I find that it tends to sit on my skins surface rather than sink in. I'm not impressed with this one especially considering its price point.

I enjoyed 3Lab Perfect Neck Cream, it was a light gel-cream that absorbed well but it is not something that I would purchase as it is very expensive.

I'm always torn about how I feel about Drunk Elephant Umbra Tinte SPF30. It is a tinted sunscreen, sometimes it can appear a little grey or make me look shiny, other times it works perfectly as a bare skin moisturiser. I think it probably depends on what I have on under it. Anyway, it falls into the group of products that I am happy to use but wouldn't ever buy.

I was impressed with the single Zitsticka Pimple Patch I used. I wore it overnight and it dramatically reduced the size of an under the skin bump which then failed to materialize as a pimple. Impressive!

Bodycare.

I only used two body lotions and a hand cream this month.

Soaper Duper Zingy Ginger Body Lotion was a cream that absorbed well and wasn't greasy.

It did a good job of moisturising my skin. It smelled nice and I could detect a little ginger but it wasn't the bright, zingy awakening ginger scent I was expecting which was disappointing.

Crabtree & Evelyn Citron Honey & Coriander Body Lotion was quite light in texture and I needed to use a fair amount of it for my skin to feel soothed. On the plus side, its pump bottle worked very well and I liked its lemony scent that was bright and uplifting without being too sharp.

Crabtree & Evelyn Lily Handcream smells of Lily of the Valley rather than pungent Tiger Lilies. I love the formula of these and the size of them is perfect for carrying in my bag. I have used countless tubes of these hand creams in various scents over the years.

Haircare.

I used two full-sized haircare items.

Acure Pear & Fig Conditioner was a nice thick creamy conditioner that left my hair soft without weighing it down. It had a lovely fruity scent that wasn't sickly which smelled predominantly of pear.

Philip B Lovin Leave-In Conditioner was a lightweight cream leave-in conditioner. Its Passionfruit, Lemon & Chamomile scent was gorgeous and I liked how it lingered in my hair but it didn't feel moisturising enough and my ends were still a little frizzy. I feel like this would suit baby fine hair but otherwise, it may not be enough.

I also used a sachet of Living Proof TBD Multi-Tasking Styler which was another leave-in conditioner. The first time I used this I used too much and it made my hair look lank, but when used sparingly it worked well.

Miscellaneous.

I used a mini Ilia Fade Into You Soft Finishing Powder which I loved so much I purchased a full size. It is the best setting powder I have ever used, it is totally invisible and my makeup lasted much longer whenever I used this.

I used a vial of Diptyque Eau Rose EDT. This is a simple rose scent, very delicate, not too sweet, and very easy to wear.

I also used two sachets of Beauty Blender Cleanser. This is a clear liquid soap for cleaning makeup brushes and sponges. It works well but I don't see the need to buy a specific product to clean brushes so it is not something that I would ever purchase.

And that's all for October. I'm hoping to have a bigger pile of empties next month as I have a few things that are almost finished.

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!

Cheap Thrills: Nivea Lip Butter.

One constant in my beauty routine is a lip balm of some sort. I'm not a huge fan of the lipstick type ones which I don't find to be that nourishing which is a shame as they are so easy to carry and apply on the go.  Instead I much prefer the gloopier sort that comes in either a tube or a small pot.

Recently I have been using a jar of ByTerry Baume de Rose and while it's nice and it works just fine and everything, it isn't outstanding and for me there's something slightly obscene about the very high price of it. I mean it's a lip balm for crying out loud! (I must add here that I didn't buy the pot I'm using, it was part of a gift). At the same time I have had a tin of Nivea Lip Butter in Cocoa Butter Kiss on the go and guess what?  I prefer it by a mile! Sure ingredient number one is petroleum jelly which isn't for everyone but it also contains shea butter and almond oil and it makes my lips feel soft and smooth and comfortable. In other words it works a treat.

Some people don't like applying potions that you have to stick your fingers into but this really isn't an issue for me. The tin it comes  in is cute and seals firmly and so far I haven't had any mishaps or leaks with it. The cocoa butter flavour and aroma are delicious without being at all overpowering and if you don't like the scent or flavour of cocoa butter it is also available in caramel, vanilla, raspberry and  plain unscented/unflavoured versions.

   And it truly is a cheap thrill! You can pick it up for a few dollars in drugstores, supermarkets and beauty stores.
If you would like to give it a go at the moment it's on special offer at Ulta (ulta.com) where it costs a staggering $2.24 a pop! At that price it would be silly not to, right?