Empties: May 2019.

In May I finished fifteen full sized products and twenty-one samples.

Skincare.

I used up two full sized cleansers.

I hated the packaging of Niod Sanskrit Saponins but liked the earthy smelling non-foaming cream inside. It rinsed away easily leaving my skin feeling comfortable. I bought this in a Black Friday sale and it was only $7.00 instead of $55.00. It was a bargain at $7.00 but I wouldn't pay full price for it even if they changed the packaging. 

Sarah Chapman Skinesis Ultimate Cleanse lives up to its name. It is a beautiful balm cleanser that comes in a pump and it smells lovely. It turns washing your face into a spa experience and you only need to use a tiny amount so it lasts for ages.

I used two facial sprays. 

Omorovicza Queen of Hungary Mist is lovely but not worth the high cost. I used one of these up last month too (both were gifted).

Vichy Thermal Water is a French pharmacy 'water in a tin' that is pocket-friendly. You can use this for many things - I like to use it for rinsing my face and misting over HA products for a little extra burst of hydration.

I was sad to finish my jar of Sarah Chapman Comfort Cream D-Stress. At first, I thought this calming moisturiser would be too rich but it absorbed brilliantly without any greasy feel. I absolutely loved this cream. It was good to use after a peel or treatment or if ever my skin was feeling tight or irritated. I'd happily use this every night however!

 I loved Sunday Riley Auto Correct Eye Cream. It absorbs well, doesn't sting, is very hydrating and appeared to depuff my eye area. It has a slight peachy pearlescence hue for cosmetic brightening and is an altogether excellent all round eye cream that I would definitely repurchase.

 Amazingly I managed to finish two lip balms!

Shea Moisture Shea butter Vegan Lip Balm was a thick balm that tasted of mint and ginger. It was so thick that it was a bit hard to get out of the tube, but it worked well and was inexpensive so I'd get it again.

Patchology Lip Service Gloss to Balm was excellent, one of the best lip balms I have tried in a while. It smelled and tasted of coconut and mint, looked like a clear gloss when applied and left my lips feeling soothed. I will definitely repurchase this once I have worked my way through all the lip balms I have floating around.

NuFace Gel Primer is an aloe gel that came with my NuFace tightening device. You need to apply a thin layer of this in order for the device to work but you can use a generic aloe gel which is what I am doing now as this one is quite pricy.

I used thirteen skincare minis.

Koh Gen Doh Cleansing Spa Water is a good micellar water, I use this for eye makeup removal but wouldn't buy it as there are more budget-friendly options available.

 I love Cle de Peau Softening Cleansing Foam. It is very soft and creamy, lasts for ages and removes makeup well

Kiehl's Calendula Herbal Extract Toner is a lovely gentle toner containing real petals. I'm more used to using a facial spray but this is very soothing and hydrating.

Revive Anti-Aging Eye Serum is a thinly textured eye product with a  pearly peach tone. It lasts for ages and is okay but not something that I would buy as it is very expensive. 

DermaE Vit C Concentrated Serum is lightweight and hydrating. It is inexpensive, I was impressed with this and think it is a  good budget-priced Vit C product.

Eve Lom Radiance Facial Oil is thick oil but it absorbs well. It smells a little oily but I liked this as an overnight oil, it left my skin looking plumped and radiant the next day.

Cerave Facial Moisturising Lotion SPF30 was quite thick but it absorbed well and was good for a drugstore sunscreen.

Zelens Hydra Shiso Balancing Moisturiser is a refreshing gel moisturiser that I like a lot. It is great to use in warmer weather.

Chantecaille Rose de Mai Cream is another lightweight gel moisturiser which smells of roses and is very nice indeed.

Clark's Botanicals Retinol Rescue Overnight Cream is a gentle retinol which didn't irritate me at all. It has an almost balm-like texture. I used this by itself for a few nights and my skin was nice and soft in the morning.

Coola Makeup setting Spray SPF30 was a good SPF but it smelled like hairspray and stung my eyes. The spray mechanism on this mini didn't deliver a fine even mist - perhaps it is better on the full sized version?

Chantecaille Bio Lifting Mask is an excellent hydrating mask but it is very costly.

La Mer The Intensive Revitalising Mask reminded me of Sisley Black Rose Mask. It was very hydrating and left my skin feeling very soft but it is another very pricy facemask.

Haircare.

I didn't finish any haircare products during May - I think this is the first time this has ever happened!

Bodycare.

I emptied one full-sized and one sample of Kiehl's Soy Milk and Honey Body Polish. This scrub smells delicious and can be used either as a scrub on damp skin or as a creamy body wash. It's not something that I would purchase (because of the cost) but these gifted items were a real pleasure to use.

Kiehls Soy Milk and Honey Whipped Body Butter also smells divine. It is very nourishing - an expensive but rewarding bath time treat leaves skin soft and nourished.

Nivea Oil Infused Body Lotion is definitely oilier feeling than the original Nivea Body Lotions but it absorbs well and is very moisturising. This one has a warm soft vanilla scent which I enjoyed and while I was happy with this there are other body lotions by Nivea that I prefer.

Crabtree &Evelyn Hand Creams are frequently in my empties pile. They are the perfect size to carry around, the formula is nourishing and not greasy and there are millions of scents to choose from so I don't ever get bored of them. This one was scented with Rose & Pineapple which was a soft and refreshing perfume.

Makeup and Perfume.

I managed to use up two full-sized makeup items.
You will have seen Chantecaille Just Skin in the shade 'Nude' here before as I use it every day. It is a medium coverage Tinted Moisturiser which contains SPF15 and a whole host of good skincare ingredients that offer anti-oxidant protection. I love this so much, it would be my dessert island skincare pick!

Too Faced Insurance Eye Shadow Primer works well and lasts forever. It is very much like the Urban Decay one but lighter in texture. It was excellent but I think that I prefer an eye shadow primer that is applied with a doe foot as it pulls on the eye area less.

I used up two mini makeup products.
Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer is my favourite makeup primer. It does a fantastic job of prepping my skin and prolonging my makeup and it never clogs my skin or causes breakouts.
Mac In Extreme Dimension Lash Mascara was excellent! I loved this mascara even though the brush was scratchy sounding when I applied it.

Finally, I finished four perfume vials.

I loved Byredo La Tulipe which was a fresh green floral that smelled exactly like tulips.

Diptyque Fleur de Peau is another scent that I love. It is slightly musky and smells like warm skin. It is very subtle and easy to wear, this one is on my shopping list.

Juicy Couture Viva La Juicy Glacé is a fruity floral. It feels young and although it is a bit generic and not my usual sort of scent I do quite like it.

Serge Lutens La Fille de Berlin is pinky red in colour. It smells like a somewhat musty rose and didn't last long on me. I normally enjoy rose scents but I wasn't too keen on this one.

The Joy of Mini Masks.

There was a time when I considered the inclusion of a mask as part of a GWP to be something of a disappointment. I would have much rather had a mini face cream or cleanser. These days however a mask sample is greeted with smiles, I've turned my attitude around and think they are great additions to goody bags and if I have the option to choose samples and there's a mask available I'm likely to add one in. To be honest there was a time when I only used a face mask very infrequently. I'm also not on the sheet mask bandwagon. I have some and use them from time to time just because I have them but I'm not fond of the feel of them and don't find them as effective as a proper 'slap on a thick layer and rinse it off' mask. 

These days I try to do a set of three masks once a week (something clarifying, something peel like, and one that gives a deep hydration hit), usually on a Sunday and fit in another deep cleansing mask midweek. All this, plus the fact that I may need to use a targeted mask (calming if I'm irritated, moisturising if I have any particularly dry patches, something with sulphur if there's an erupting zit bubbling under) means that I get through quite a few of them. 

Plenty of samples mean that I hardly ever have to buy a full sized mask and of course it means that I get to try out a whole range of masks at no cost so when I do decide to splash some cash I know I'm going to really like what I have bought. Masks usually come in quite big pots, as I only use them once or twice a week at the most they take some time to finish, minis and samples mean that I get to use fresh, unopened products. I also don't need to make any investments in targeted treatment masks that I will use even more infrequently as I usually can find something in my stash that will address whatever skincare crisis I am having. Finally, these minis are so good for travelling with, not only because are they easy to carry, but also because I find my skin usually needs a deep clean and something calming and hydrating after any type of travel, especially flying.   

Pictured above are some of my current crop of masking samples and minis. There are some of my very favourite ones there (basically any mask by Sisley or Omorovicza, and the REN Glyco Lactic Radiance Renewal Mask). There are also lots of new ones for me to try!

Empties June 2018.

I'm a little late with June's Empties. I was away from home a lot in the last three weeks and I've been busy catching up with everyday things when I have been at home. At times like this no matter how much I want to sit around and pay with empty pots and bottles it is something that gets forced to the bottom of the to-do list!

Anyway finally, here they are eleven full-sized and an amazing thirty-five samples.

Skincare.

I only used up four full-sized skincare items as I wasn't at home all that much in June.

I usually prefer a balm cleanser to an oil for removing makeup but I enjoyed a sample of Caudalie Makeup Removing Oil enough to purchase a full sized one when I saw it offer. This is a straightforward cleansing oil, sunflower oil is the main ingredient and it also contains enough almond oil to make it smell deliciously almond-y which is a scent that I love. It's possibly a little overpriced for what it is, but it did a good job of removing makeup and washed off easily. Also, the pump on the bottle worked well so it wasn't a messy oil to use and the bottle lasted for ages. Another Caudalie product that I finished was a large can of their Grape Water. It's a very basic facial spritz for rinsing, layering between products or simply refreshing hot and bothered skin but it is one of my favourite and most used facial sprays.

I finished two moisturisers in June. REN EverCalm Global Protection Day Cream is something that I bought this to use when it was bitterly cold outside, it soothed my skin and gave it a good boost of hydration. It is a little too oily for me to use under makeup in warm weather but it also works well as a night cream and so I used up what was left in this way. EverCalm is a great range of products and I will certainly buy this again next winter along with the matching Gentle Cleansing Milk.

I bought a huge pot of Algenist Genius Ultimate Anti Aging Cream on sale and it was a pretty good all-around cream but not something that I would repurchase unless I found it at a bargain price again. It reminded me a little of Zelens 3T in texture but it wasn't as good. It was comfortable to wear both day and night and I did like it but not enough to purchase at it's full (pretty high) price.

I used a lot of skincare samples up so I will try to be brief.

Eve Lom Cleanser is quite a heavy cleansing balm. It does a good job of dissolving makeup but it is a little difficult to remove totally and its strong medicinal smell may not be to everyone's taste. I adore Sunday Riley Ceramic Slip, it feels refreshing and calming, is particularly good on oilier skins and is great for an A.M. or second cleanse. I also liked La Roche Posay Toleriane Hydrating Gentle Cleanser as an A.M. or second cleanse, this non-foaming gel was very basic but it did the job. 

I used three mini, mini bottles of La Mer  Cleansing Water. Cute packaging aside this didn't impress me much as it smelled quite chemical like and didn't work as well as Simple Micellar Water which is much, much cheaper.

I'm not much of one for physical exfoliation so it took me some time to use up African Botanicals Buccu Botanical Enzyme Polish which as well as scrubby particles contains fruit enzymes. I mixed a little of this into my morning cleanser about once a week and it was quite gentle to use in this way. I  prefer to exfoliate chemically and Malin+Goetz Brightening Enzyme Mask was gentle, effective, and quick to use as you only need to leave it on for five minutes. I liked this a lot. 

Perricone MD High Potency Face Firming Activator is an exfoliating serum intended for daily use. I started out okay with this but after a few days it made my skin quite sensitive so I stopped using it and am getting rid of what is left as I don't want to finish it. This smells terrible by the way - like strong ammonia which can't be good, right?

Natura Bisse C+C Vitamin Eye is a new release. This orange gel feels lovely and absorbs well to hydrate the under eye area, it's also very reasonably priced compared with other Natura Bisse eye creams. I was pleasantly surprised by Dermalogica Stress Positive Eye Lift. It was a super hydrating gel cream that was easy to wear and non-irritating, I loved this one enough to put it on my shopping list!

Dr Barbara Sturm Face Cream Women was fine, a basic moisturiser suitable for day or night this layered well with serums and sat well under makeup. I was expecting a bit more of this as it is quite expensive so while there was nothing bad about it it was a bit disappointing. Another basic, but much cheaper, moisturiser was Andalou Naturals Hyaluronic DMAE Lift & Firm Cream, a gel cream with a prominent peach fragrance. I didn't much care for the scent and doubt that this is something I would buy, it was simply a bit too basic. Garnier Soothing 3 in 1 Moisturiser is a rose scented day or night cream that can also be used as a hydrating mask. I mistook this for a sleeping mask and used the whole 15ml sachet at once! It did absorb fairly quickly but I didn't notice any improvement at all in my skin, it wasn't even noticeably hydrated so this is a miss for me.

Final skincare sample was Shiseido Ultra Matte SPF50 Lotion. I've used this lightweight, yet powerful sunscreen before and its a good one for sunscreen haters as it feels and looks very natural on the skin as well as working well under makeup.

Haircare.

I didn't use any full sized hair care products this month as I have a heap of mini haircare products that I need to use!

I used two travel sized Shampoo and Conditioner duos. Both Pureology Fullfyl (Serious Color Care) and Verb Hydrating Shampoos and Conditioners were okay. They left my hair soft and manageable and I'd be happy to use them both again but I didn't like either of them enough to actually purchase them.

I used two travel sized hair masks by Miriam Quevedo.  Both Platinum and Diamonds Luxurious Mask and Glacial White Caviar Hydra Pure worked well as either intensive treatment masks or regular conditioners. Again I'm happy to use these but they aren't something that I foresee myself purchasing as I have a lot of hair masks in stock as they always seem to come in GWP's. The packaging of these was a little annoying as they both have a fair amount of product left inside that I can't get out without hacking the tubes open with scissors.

I used a mini Davines Oi All in One Milk which is a leave-in spray conditioner. I do like this but it has a tendancy to separate into a cream and a watery part which I find annoying, so again not something I would buy, although I'm happy to use samples of it. I repurposed a sachet of Fekkai Ironless Straightening Balm as a leave-in conditioning cream. I applied it to damp hair and it worked well, taming my hair without making it greasy or heavy.

I've used Oribe Apres Beach Wave Spray many times before and have even 

purchased it before. This time around I didn't enjoy this as much as in the past. It did give my hair beachy piece-iness but it made it look a tad oily. This definitely  worked better for me when my hair was longer so in the future I will stick to their Dry Texturising Spray. 

Bodycare.

I used up two body washes both by Nivea. Although I usually prefer a frothy gel body wash I do enjoy using their Moisturising Body Wash which feels mild and gentle on my skin. This one with Jojoba and Coconut had a soft beachy scent which was nice to use in the hot weather. Very different is their Foaming Silk Mousse Body Wash which reminds me of Rituals Foaming Body Wash but is more purse friendly. It doesn't produce quite such a rich lather but is fun to use and doesn't leave my skin feeling dry and tight. This was scented with White Peach & Orchid Blossom although honestly it smells simply Nivea-like to me and I find it difficult to detect much difference between the scents of the washes in this range. 

A mini Cleansing Hand and Body Gel by Diptyque in the scent Eau de Sens was a very luxurious shower gel which had a classic Neroli spiked Cologne type fragrance. It was very refreshing to use and perfumed the whole of my bathroom but it is expensive - great for a gift, however.

I used up two body lotions. I found yet another Space NK Life Jump Start Body Lotion in a travel bag. This is fairly old but it was unopened so I went ahead, used it and it was perfectly fine. I've had many of these in the past, it's a lovely formula, thick yet easily absorbed, with a zingy citrus and mint fragrance. I'm 99% sure this is the last tube of these lotions that I have - but I've said that before...

I also used up a huge bottle of Vitabath Moisturising Lotion in the Original Spring Green fragrance. I bought this because its fresh pine scent reminds me very much of Fenjel which is one of my all-time favourite bath products. I loved how this smelled and I also liked the formula. It contains Aloe and feels gel-like and lightweight but it isn't sticky as some Aloe lotions can be. This was lovely and fresh, perfect for hot weather, especially nice to use after a day of being outside (although it is not an after sun cream as such).

I used yet another handbag sized tube of Crabtree & Evelyn Hand Cream. It's rare that there's not a month with one of these on my empties pile it seems - the formula is perfect and the size and packaging of these are ideal for popping in your handbag. This one had a soft powdery Iris scent that I liked. I also used a mini ByTerry Baume de Rose Hand Cream, this had a lovely texture and a soft rose fragrance but I felt that this was more of a fragranced self-care product rather than something that you would use if your hands were a bit battered!

Makeup and Perfume.

Once again there's an empty Chantecaille Just Skin in the shade Nude in my empties. I use roughly two of these a year as I wear it every day. It is simply the best tinted moisturiser I have ever used! The coverage is ample yet it looks very natural and glowy. It also has SPF 15 and I feel that it just generally helps with my skin's overall condition as well as its appearance.

It's rare that I finish a lipstick but when I do it's likely to be one by Lipstick Queen. This is one of their Sinner range in the shade Pinky Nude. It is a true MLBB shade for me and while it is quite pigmented, the formula of this is not drying even though it wears a little matte. It's great either by itself or under a gloss and it stays in place well. 

 Rodial Glamolash Mascara XXL had a deep black pigment and left my lashes looking naturally defined and volumised, it also stayed in place all day yet removed easily without any tugging. I liked this a lot, it reminded me of Chantecaille mascara, and just like the samples of those that I have had, the lid split after a while so that it dried up quickly. Urban Decay Troublemaker did everything a mascara should - thicker, longer, darker, more! But I found this tiny sample difficult to manipulate and this, coupled with one of those hard spiky plastic brushes that hurt like hell if you accidentally poke them in your eye meant that I only used this a couple of times.

I also used a sample of Lancome Le Base Pro Perfecting Primer. This clear gel had a silicone-like feel that I disliked but it did prolong the life of my makeup. It has great slip so you only need to use the tiniest amount, this 7ml tube lasted me for ages.

I used up five perfume vials. Two of them were Mon Guerlain EDP which reminds me a lot of Thierry Mugler Angel - strong and long-lasting, a little cloying, with a synthetic citrus like overtone and lavender and vanilla notes. I'm on the fence about Tom Ford Orchid Soleil. It is very well composed, a heady creamy white floral with a summery tropical beach feel and is warm and sexy but perhaps a bit too much so - it's very strong and a little too much 'in your face'. Byredo Rose Noir is a dirty, musky, woody, rose, with a sharp green spike to it. It isn't the type of rose that I would choose to wear but I do like it as a candle. Clean Reserve Warm Cotton is straight up aquatic fabric softener, not my type of thing at all. I only used this because I took it on a trip thinking it was Sel Santal and I had nothing else with me! 

Once again I'm pleased with how many things I managed to empty - it's always so satisfying to finish things up and it means that I get to open up something new!

A Major Beauty Declutter!

I have been watching a number of decluttering videos on youtube lately. I find them along with empties videos to be interesting as well as relaxing. They also inspired me to have my own beauty clearout, I hate throwing away unused items (of any sort) but there is absolutely no point in hanging onto products that I don't like, need or won't use and make up that is the wrong colour or an unflattering shade for me. There are also a few things that I have had in my collection that although I have loved using them in the past have been overlooked and are well past their prime.

Altogether I managed to get rid of eighty-four products. Forty-two of these were old and went in the trash, seventeen had been lightly used and I passed them on to other people. I managed to donate twenty-five products that were either brand new or were acceptable for donations.

Let's take a look at the categories of products I decluttered.

Lip Products.

The majority of products that I decluttered were lip colours. There were some that were old and which I hadn't used for some time as I had other similar colours or newer formulas that I preferred. I donated unused glosses, lipsticks and liners/pencils that were lightly used and could be sharpened. Most of the lip products I got rid of were from GWP's and most of these were decluttered because I didn't like/suit the colour.

Eye Shadows and Liners.

I donated lightly used, sharpenable liners and also any barely used powder colours. Again these mostly came as part of a GWP. I threw out a Too Faced Natural Eye palette because I had used all of the colours in it that I liked (it was kind of old, as well!) and a very old ByTerry Ombre Blackstar (remember those?) which I bought when I first started reading beauty blogs and never really used. I also threw some eyeliner pencils away which were old and dried out.

Cheek/Face Colours.

There were a couple of unused powder blushes that I had with GWP's that I donated. The rest of the face products were old ones that were the wrong tone and I threw them away.

Skincare.

I always manage to repurpose skincare! Creams that I don't like I use on my body and cleansers I use as handwashes etc etc. There were only three things that I threw away - a very very old tube of Beauty Flash Balm which is a product I don't have a place for in my routine anymore, and a moisturising eye stick that I found uncomfortable to apply. I also had a few nose blackhead strips that I find far too harsh to use so I passed these on to people who enjoy them.

Tooth Products.

I had quite a few tooth whitening strips which I passed onto other people along with some sachets of tooth powder.

Haircare.

I'm not sure why I have held onto a can of hairspray with a broken nozzle for so long but I finally threw it out! I donated some hairstyling products that I got from beauty boxes that I knew  I wouldn't use along with products that were for curly hair. 

Miscellaneous.

I donated a few odd items including an unopened nail varnish, some nail wraps, a few vials of perfume, and some sachets of body oil.

Overall.

I'm so pleased with my clear out! I actually enjoy having things organised and streamlined, it is a very satisfying feeling.

It's difficult to know what to do with excess/old anything but I always try to donate whatever I can. Unfortunately, shelters will often only accept unused unopened products so call ahead to find out what your local one will accept. 

If you have products that you can't donate locally please do check out these following sites who may take some of your excess products and pass them along to others who are in need.

If you are in the U.S. please check out projectbeautyshare.org where you can donate lightly used products. 

If you are in the U.K. then take a look at the organisation Beauty Banks (their details are on Instagram @the_beauty_banks) or take a look at Caroline Hirons' blog carolinehirons.com where you will find details of her Give and Make Up charity initiative. 

Kiehl's Healthy Skin GWP.

Normally I restock Mr C&C's Kiehl's products whenever there is a Barney's Love Yourself event but this year he needed quite a major restock and I split my buys between Barneys and Kiehl's as they had a great GWP available with any $75.00 purchase. 

The Healthy Skin promotion had a choice of three makeup bags containing different selections of products and although my preferred choice was out of stock by the time I put my order together I am still pretty darn pleased with my second choice. 

I'm keeping the new Calendua and Aloe Soothing Hydrating Mask which I'm excited try after my next at home exfoliating facial along with the Calendua Herbal Extract Toner. I do remember purchasing this toner in the distant past so I'm curious to revisit it, it is alcohol free and looks super pretty as it contains actual flower petals.

I'm generously gifting Mr C&C the samples of Ultra Facial Cream, Midnight Recovery Concentrate and Daily Reviving Concentrate but I'm keeping a firm hold of the cosmetic bag that came with the gift, as for once the bag itself is the best part of the gift. Normally I'm all about the samples and I will gift or donate the bag that comes with GWP's (having said that I do have a fairly large drawer full of ones that I liked enough to keep!) but this one feels rather special.

It's the perfect size for a day to day make up bag and I like the design of it so much, I especially like the way the illustrations represent the heritage of Kiehl's. This bag is so well made. The fabric has a wipe clean coating on the outside, the zip is sturdy, and not only is it lined, it's padded so I won't end up smashing powders and compacts when I carry them around. 

Although this promotion is over if you love Kiehl's products it is worthwhile signing up for theirmailings as there are offers such as this frequently available.
There's also a members rewards program that offers a Lip Balm as a birthday treat, samples with every order and a yearly cash reward when you record your purchases. Kiehl's stores are a delight to visit but these days I tend to buy everything we need from them online as Ebates give a very generous cash back on Kiehl's purchases. You cam sign up for mailings at kiehls.com

And if you don't yet have an Ebates account why not open one at ebates.com? I will admit to having been pretty skeptical but it really does work. I pay my Ebates cashback into a Paypal account which I then use for Cult Beauty orders...Which makes my Cult Beauty purchases free! Brilliant!

Empties January 2018.

Well January has simply flown by! 2018's Empties pile got off to a promising start and I managed to finish up eleven full sized products and seventeen samples.

Skincare.

I  used up five full sized skincare items this month.

Dr Dennis Gross Color Smart Cleanser and Mask worked fine as a cleanser but I wasn't keen on it's chemical scent and it was so messy to use. It is an orange coloured cream that has quite a thin consistency and it ended up everywhere (tiles, shower curtain etc etc) as well as making a terrible mess of my washcloths!

Vichy Mineralizing Thermal Water is something I use as a hydrating or refreshing facial spray. I like to layer this between products to give my skin a little extra moisture. There are plenty of these French pharmacy type of water sprays out there and they are all pretty interchangeable for me. I did notice that this particular one was more 'minerally' that some of the others though and there was a build up of salts around the nozzle from time to time that I needed to brush away.

Darphin Hydraskin Essential is a great basic moisturising face cream. I prefer to use the light version in warmer weather but this regular one is perfect for the cold and to use as a 'topper' over serums etc either at night or when my skin is feeling very dehydrated. I like that this is lightweight feeling but very hydrating.

Kypris Beauty Elixir 1 is a lovely facial oil that smells of roses. I had been keen to try this so I was excited when it was in a Caroline Hirons Cult Beauty Box last year. I found that I only needed to use a tiny amount of this as it is quite a thick oil, if I used too much it didn't absorb very well. I liked this but I didn't love it. I'm happy to have tried it but I wouldn't get it again as there are so many other oils out there that I prefer that are also cheaper.

I was so sorry to come to the end of my pot of Omorovicza Deep Cleansing Mask. This clay mask not messy so it was easy to use and it didn't make my skin feel dry. It removed easily with a wet washcloth and left my skin looking clear and radiant and soft to the touch. Without doubt this is an expensive mask but I got a lot of masks out of this big pot and it was so good that I will most likely repurchase this in spite of the cost.

I also used eight samples of skincare.

Eve Lom Gel Cleansing Balm and Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Botanical Cleansing Oil both worked well but didn't 'wow' me enough to consider buying them. If you are a lover of Eve Lom products I think you will like the new cleanser though! I's lighter in feel than the original one, very reminiscent of their Morning Cleanser but without the mineral oils that that one contains. The Kiehl's Cleansing Oil has quite a strong lavender scent so it was nice and restful to use at night, if you like lavender this may be for you.

Clinique Moisture Surge Facial Spray is one of the first facial sprays I ever used. It's very refreshing and not too expensive. I like to keep these small sprays to refill and use when traveling.

I used a small sample of Rodin Olio Lusso. This is one of my favourite facial oils - it smells so good and reminds me of the Sarah Chapman Overnight Facial Oil.

La Roche Posay Redermic R Intensive is a night time retinol. I didn't use this for long enough to notice results but I did like it. It managed to feel quite gentle but I could tell that it had a bit of a kick to it. This definitely felt like a pharmaceutical product rather than a luxury beauty product - it didn't smell too great and was more of an emulsion than a cream. I was happy to use this but I don't know that I would part with cold hard cash for it! 

Dr Dennis Gross C + Collagen Vitamin C Serum is a gel serum that layered well with other products and felt very comfortable on my skin. This sample lasted me for a good amount of time and although I didn't notice my skin looking much brighter it did look plump and smooth. I really liked this as a daily serum!

I like Algenist Complete Eye Renewal Balm a lot - so much that I recently bought a full sized one! It's actually a cream rather than a balm and it addresses pretty much all of my eye area concerns. It does a very good job of smoothing out my under eye area and is nourishing without being greasy feeling or irritating to my eyes.

Nurse Jamie Dermalase AHA Exfoliating Mask had a fun stretchy jelly consistency and smelled fresh and fruity. I got quite a few masks from this sample and I liked the product a lot, it was a gentle exfoliating mask that was quick and fun to use.

Haircare.

I managed to use three haircare items.

This month I finished my bottle of Jo Malone Shampoo. Like the conditioner last month, I thought that this was a little underwhelming. It smelled gorgeous but it didn't leave my hair super soft or shiny or anything. I also used a mini bottle of Sachajuan Scalp Shampoo. I don't have any scalp issues but I have been wearing a hat all the time of late as it has been so cold and this cleaned my roots and scalp well and left my hair looking and feeling great.

I also used another bottle of Herbal Essences Hello Hydration Conditioner. This is very often in my bathroom. I think it is an excellent drugstore conditioner that is great value for money and I often grab a couple of these when I see them on sale.

Body care.

I used up four full sized and two samples of body care.

REN Moroccan Rose Otto Body Lotion is a truly lovely body lotion. It feels very luxurious and has a light rose fragrance that isn't too sweet. My skin feels soft and soothed when I use this. I like it so much and will certainly buy more if I find it on sale again.

I'm still plowing my way through my Space NK Life body product stash! This month I used two tubes of the Ultimate Unwind Lotion. I like the light fresh scent of these and I find it to be quite creamy without being greasy. It's simply a very good daily body cream.

I used up a full sized Crabtree & Evelyn Hand Cream for a change - it's usually the minis of these that end up on my empties posts! I love the formula and feel of these. This one was in the scent 'English Honey and Peach Blossom' which I must admit is probably my least favourite scent of the range.

I loved L'Occitane Almond Supple Skin Oil! It was a dry body oil with a natural almond scent, very soothing and softening and I only needed to use a tiny amount of it too.

I found OUAI Rose Hair and Body Oil to be too heavy to use on my hair, it left it looking limp which I found very odd as I have used the normal oil from OUAI before and liked it a lot. I re purposed this as a body oil and I thought it was okay but nowhere near as good as the L'Occitane oil.

Make Up and Perfume.

I finished a mini Benefit They're Real Mascara. I was a little disappointed with this mascara after having loved Benefit Rollerlash so much last month. I'm a bit scared of having hard plastic brushes near my eyes and I found the formula of this to be on the dry side. It applied easily but didn't add much curl to my lashes and I found that if there was even a touch of humidity that it became a little clumpy

I also used up five perfume vials, three of which were samples of Replica Jazz Club EDT. At first I thought that I quite liked this as I like masculine scents, but it wore a little too sweet for me and also had rum notes which I'm not fond of. I didn't dislike this but I was quite happy to have finished these samples!

The new fragrance from Gucci called Bloom is a heady white floral but I find it to be a bit too sickly and sweet for my tastes. Costume National Soul is an unusual Oud based fragrance. Somewhat sweet with warm notes of amber and vanilla, I quite liked this unisex scent even though it wasn't my preferred heavily wooded Oud type of frangrance.

I'm pleased with how many items I managed to finish in January and although February always seems such a short month I've quite a few things that are already almost finished so I think that next month is going to yield another healthy looking pile of Empties.

A Small Beauty Restock #3.

I've not exactly been on a 'no buy' kick but I have been trying to use things up so I have bought a lot less than usual over the past few months - beauty wise that is - clothes it seems are a whole different thing and I have made quite a few clothing purchases although in all fairness my wardrobe did need a bit of a re-jig.  

Anyhow I had some Space NK NDulge points to use and I also had a $20.00 off code to use so I stocked up on candles. There's nothing else that makes a house feel luxurious yet at the same time cozy and homely in quite the same way as a very nice candle I feel, and I've been yearning for a little bit of Byredo in my life! I love the sleek design of these candle jars and I adore the look of the black wax they are poured from, not only does it look surprising chic, should you overlook trimming a wick the wax isn't going to get dirty and nasty looking with soot and smoke. 

I bought Bibliotheque for our living room which is apowdery leather fragrance touched with my favourite notes of patchouli and violet (I love, love , love these two scents together!). It's a little masculine, very cozy and warm feeling - perfect for winter. For my bathroom I chose Burning Rose which wears its name well as it is a woody rose scent that smells somewhat smoky and also has notes of leather and violet to add to its complexity. Both of these are truly gorgeous and they compliment each other very well. 

(Diptyque you may have to stand aside I think I've found my new favourite candles!)   

Before Christmas I also received a $15.00 voucher from Sephora. I wasn't in need of anything in particular but I decided to put it towards one of their value sets and I picked out this one by Caudalie. I'm a big fan of pretty much anything by Caudalie so I was keen to try out their newest range, VineActive. This range contains polyphenols to protect and repair skin from damage caused by environmental pollutants along with Vitamin C to aid with pigmentation issues and increase 'glow'. In addition the eye cream is loaded with peptides and the serum contains Hyaluronic Acid.

The set includes a full sized serum along with a 15ml moisturiser and a 5ml eye cream. It contains $83.00 of product and retails for $52.00, which with the addition of my $15.00 voucher meant that this really was too good an offer to miss out on!

Sephora also had some rather amazing weekly deals in the run up to Christmas. I'm a bit of an eye shadow wuss - I know what I like and stick to it as a rule - but I have had my eye on the Urban Decay Naked Ultimate Basics Palette for a while as it's not a 'scary palette'! It has twelve wearable matte neutral shades and when I saw it was available for half price, $27.00, it was the perfect time to pick it up as a little Christmas present to myself.

 Finally I had a lot of Sephora points to cash in. I have a feeling that they now expire after a certain amount of time, am I right? I would hate to loose them so I have been checking out the Reward's Bazaar from time to time. I'm generally not too impressed by the offerings there (hence me having a bundle of points) but I thought that this Lancome reward was pretty enticing. I already like their Bi-Facil Eye Make Up Remover which is gentle and effective and this 1.7 fl oz bottles will last for a good amount of time. The kit also contains good sized samples of the new hydrating Energie de Vie range, these jars of day, night and eye cream will be perfect for my wash bag when I travel.

I'm very pleased with my new purchases and I'm eagerly awaiting a few more from the sales which I will no doubt feature in a Part Two of this post sometime soon!

All the Empties 2017.

My love affair with all things beauty wise showed no sign of abating in 2017 and I used a whopping total of one hundred and forty three full sized products and three hundred and eighty five samples! June's Month of Foil project accounted for one hundred and thirty two foil samples alone with the rest of the foil samples, minis and full sized products spread pretty evenly throughout the year.

Here's a breakdown of the full sized products that I used (because analyzing my use of samples and sachets is a bit too nerdy - even for me!)

Skincare.

I finished fifty eight items of skincare over the course of 2017. The largest category of which were, unsurprisingly, cleansing products of which I used thirteen in total made up of three milks, three gels, two balms, two creams, one oil, and one pack of wipes. I used one bottle of foaming cleanser which I re purposed it as a hand wash and I have included this in my count. In addition I used four separate eye make up removers, two of which were packets of pads and two of which were liquids.

I enjoy using facial mists and spritzes and used six facial sprays as well as four aerosol containers of fancy spring water. In addition to these hydrating toners and sprays I used four packs of glycolic acid pads and one bottle of glycolic toner.

I used ten bottles of serum and two bottles of facial oil along with nine facial moisturisers and three eye creams. I also used one bottle of Vitamin C powder.
Somewhat shamefully I only managed to use one full sized sunscreen but my daily make up and primer both contain SPF and I rarely sit in the sun and never sunbathe.

Body Care.

I used thirty nine body products of which eleven were shower gels and one was a bath oil. I also used one shower gel infused sponge. I need to moisturise after bathing and used up fifteen bottles of body lotions and three pots of body butter. As my hands are in water a lot I also slather on hand cream and I finished eight tubes throughout the year (some of these were handbag sized but I count these as full sizes as they retail as such).

Haircare.

I used twenty six hair products up in 2017.

I used a lot of sachets and minis during the year so there were only five empty bottles of shampoo but I did manage to use eleven bottles of conditioner! I used one tin of texturising spray, one salt spray and one hair spray. I also used three handbag sized dry shampoos which I used to add grit and texture rather than as cleansers. I used up one large pot of conditioning hair mask and three leave in hair oils/serums.

Make Up.

It takes so long to finish a make up product but I did try my best to finish a few things up and managed to empty fourteen. 

I used one primer and one eye make up primer. I used four other face products: two tinted moisturisers, one cream blusher and one highlighter. I used one single powder eye shadow, two eye liner pencils and two full sized tubes of mascara. I finished three lip products: a gloss, a balm and a liquid lipstick.

Miscellaneous.

Finally six products that I couldn't quite categorise: two facial sheet masks, one foot peeling mask, one bottle of perfume, one book of facial blotting papers and one bottle of top coat for nail polish.

I used up more products in 2017 than in 2016 so who knows what 2018 has in store!

Empties December 2017.

Well that came around quickly! I cannot believe that it is the New Year already and that it's time to wrap up the holiday season and take a peek at December's Empties. After a bit of a slow start to the month I managed to end up finishing eleven full sized products along with eighteen samples.

Skincare.

I finished my last ever box of Sephora Express Eye Make Up Remover Wipes. I loved these individually packaged wipes for travel but they are discontinued and I haven't seen them in the Sephora sale so I guess they are gone for ever...

Another discontinued item I finished was Rodial Glamtox Cleansing Balm which I love. I find that the light texture of this dissolves make up well and it emulsifies and rinses away like a dream. This also warms a little when you apply it which makes it feel even more special. I have one more of these unopened in my stash but after that this too is gone for good.
Tata Harper Purifying Cleanser is another favourite cleanser of mine. This is my third or fourth bottle and it won't be the last!
I also finished a mini bottle of May Lindstrom The Pendulum Potion which I used more as a treatment than a traditional cleanser - I applied a few drops of this before showering and let the steam from the shower help it to clean and balance my skin. It's a very aromatic oil and I did like it but there are other aromatic cleansing oils that I much prefer. 

I finished a bottle of Mario Badescu Facial Spray with Aloe, Herbs and Rosewater. This is one of my favourite inexpensive skin treats. I use it as a toner or to spritz between different layers of products, it is very soothing as well as hydrating.

Vitabird C12 Face is a high quality Vitamin C powder that mixes easily into serums. I found this surprisingly easy to use and it made my skin bright and luminous with regular use.

The Ginza Moisturising Emulsion is a very impressive basic moisturising lotion. I found it very nourishing and it was ideal to use at any time, day or night.

Darphin Exquisage Cream is a rich feeling cream that I used mostly at night. Usually I love Darphin products but this was only okay for me, I didn't think it did much beyond adding some moisture to my skin and I didn't like the scent of this at all (it smelled like a department store type of fragrance).

I used nine skincare samples up in December. Tula Purifying Face Cleanser was a little too foamy and drying for me, I also didn't like the fragrance of this one - it smelled a little too 'shower gel-ly' to my nose. I used another sample of Omorovicza Thermal Cleansing Balm which I think is one of the most gorgeous balms ever, it leaves my skin softened as well as clean.

Tarte Ready, Set, Radiant Skin Mist was a little too viscous, more like an essence than a mist, this was just okay for me.
I've had several samples of 111Skin Space Defence Bright Eye Lift Gel and they have all had defective pumps which is annoying. I find that this clear gel does have a lifting effect but it doesn't do much in terms of hydration, it's also very expensive. 
Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair Serum is an iconic beauty product and while I quite like it there are so many other serums that I prefer. Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Oil had a very nice fresh scent but I found it to feel quite heavy on my skin, I generally prefer 'dryer' feeling oils and I found that this didn't absorb very well.
Verso Night Cream was the one sample that really worked for me this month. I find that my skin reacts well with all of the Verso range and when I next need a Retinol product I will certainly consider this night cream which I found effective but also gentle without any side effects.

GoldFadden MD Fresh A Peel Mask was a huge disappointment to me. The first couple of times that I used this it felt a little uncomfortable (I'm usually fine with exfoliating acid masks and treatments BTW) the third and last time I used this my face became unbearably hot and even though I rinsed this off and applied cooling products almost straight away it left inflammation around my lip area. Luckily I had some cooling treatments to hand but I certainly won't be trying this mask again. 

Derm Institute Anti Oxidant Hydration Masks are amazing! Very cooling and immensely hydrating, I love the fact that these are packaged in individual sachets which makes them perfect to use when traveling (I use these before getting on a plane to prep and protect my skin and again after flying to repair and replenish it). 

Haircare.

I used up two full sized and two mini products, none of which were new to me. I like Herbal Essences Hello Hydration Shampoo a lot, it's one of my favourite drugstore bargains and I found the beachy scent of this cheering even though it's freezing outside! Shea Moisture Weightless Creme Rinse is another product with a summery scent, although this one reminds me of a fruity creamy drink or dessert! I find this to be more of a detangler than a conditioner, but I like that it doesn't weigh down my hair at all and leaves it manageable.

It's a 10 plus Keratin leave in conditioning spray and Davines Oi All in One Milk are both multi functional leave in products. I like the effects of both of these but find that they both need to be shaken vigorously before use as they tend to separate into a water like liquid and a cream.

Body Care.

REN Moroccan Rose Otto Body Wash is a very lovely shower product, it feels gentle, lathers well and has a rosy fragrance that manages to smell like roses without being cloying and sickly. The only downside to this is the somewhat bulky packaging and the fact that the bag inside the container still contains a fair amount of product that I can't get out without attacking it with scissors. Even though I'm not a bath taker I managed to use up a bottle of Therapie Equilibrium Bath and Shower Essence by applying it before I got in the shower. This oil smelled amazing and left me with soft skin but I wouldn't repurchase it purely because it is more of a bath than a shower product and it is rather expensive.

I used up a huge tub of The Body Shop Body Butter, this one had the warm, floral scent of Moringa blossom and while I did enjoy this, I have to confess to being a little bored of it by the time I reached the end!

I used up a mini, mini L'Occitane Hand Cream. I find the Shea Butter in this very moisturising in the cold weather.

Make Up and Perfume.

I took a small sachet of Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer with me when I went on a recent trip. This is my favourite ever primer and I'm happy to report that I managed to get five uses out of this tiny 1ml sample.
I loved Benefit Roller Lash Mascara! It enhanced my lashes in every way without any clumping and I found the almost bristle-less applicator a dream to use. I don't often buy mascaras but if I ever need to this will be a strong contender.

I used two perfume vials: Elizabeth & James Nirvana Bourbon, a powdery vanilla, which reminds me of a sweeter version of Diptyque Eau Duelle and Replica By the Fireside whose sweetly, spicy notes remind me of a Christmas cookie. I didn't dislike either, but also they didn't make it onto my wish list. By the Fireside would make a fantastic candle however! 

Before the week is over I'm going to be totting up all of my 2017 Empties - list lovers this one's for you! - and as always I'll be back with a look at January's Empties at the end of the month. (I'm hoping for a big pile as February sees the start of Spring GWP's!)

Sephora Weekly Specials #3: The Gift & Receive Sample Bag.

In addition to some very good weekly special offers before Christmas Sephora also step up their game with the gifts that come with online orders. This year there were three different sample bag promotions, all of which had a choice of several different bags. I opted for one of the 'Gift & Receive' bags which were available with orders over $35.00. Five different bags were available and I opted for the 'Moisturize and be Merry' version, pictured above.

Skincare

Fresh Rose Face Mask is one of my favourite moisturising masks! It is a gel mask that smells amazing and does a great job of hydrating skin, leaving it softened and plumped, It also feels cool and calming and I like to use this after a peel or treatment. This sample is a generously sized 15ml one, enough for three or four uses. 

Clinique Hydrating Supercharged Concentrate (7ml) is a gel like serum and the newest addition to Clinique's popular Moisture Surge range. Although I don't use Moisture Surge products much these days I was a big fan of them some years ago. The products are hydrating gels rather than creams and they do an excellent job of adding moisture to dehydrated skins without being overly expensive. I have tried this serum once before and I did like it a lot - enough to consider buying it in fact.  

Biossance 100% Squalane Oil (4ml) is a multipurpose oil for body, face and hair. I've never used pure squalane but I have used products containing it and found it to be very moisturising. I am a bit put off by body/face/hair multi use products, but I am keen to try this out as I am considering getting The Ordinary Squalane when I do another Deciem order and feel that this is a similar product.

Bodycare

There is only one body care item included in this set but it is a good one - a 15ml sample of L'Occitane Amande Supple Skin Oil. I always use some sort of body lotion/cream/ oil after showering and I am very fond of almond scented products so this is a great sample as far as I'm concerned!

Perfume

Hmm, knowing that the bag's theme is moisturising I do find the inclusion of two perfume samples a bit odd but I sort of get it - these are both clean, fresh, watery scents.

I have to admit to finding Replica Lazy Sunday Morning a little too 'fabric softener like' for a skin scent, but it is very light and wearable. Although it isn't to my personal taste I will wear it when I need a mild inoffensive perfume. 

Clean Reserve White Cotton is a little stronger, and more floral but it's a similar sort of scent, again it isn't something that I would pick for myself but I will wear it. 

Make Up

 Finally, there is a  generously sized (half sized?) sample of Smashbox Be Legendary Liquid Lip which is a gloss finish liquid lipstick. I don't know the name of the shade I received but it is a dark toned nude with a mauve-ish undertone. I'm not big on liquid lipsticks as I find them to be quite drying, but as this is included in a moisturising set I'm hoping this one will be the exception to the rule. It's a very wearable colour also so I will certainly use this as long as it doesn't make my lips feel dry.

Overall

I do love getting a fistful of sample to try! I like that this bag not only included new things for me to try it also contained a few old favourites. There is a good range of products in this set but it would have been even better if there had been a haircare item included (in place of one of the perfumes perhaps?). All in all though I love this and everything came packaged in a sturdy make up bag which makes it feel even more of a gift!