Walmart Beauty Box (Trendsetter) Spring 2019.

Walmart Beauty Box is a subscription box which ships automatically four times a year once you have signed up for it. Containing a selection of full-sized products, samples, minis and money off coupons, the box itself is free but you must pay $5.00 for shipping and processing. There are two versions of the box intended to appeal to different age groups. I receive the 'Trendsetter' box aimed at younger customers, there is also a 'Classic' box for older customers. Let's take a look inside the latest Trendsetter box.

Skincare.

Soo Ae Unicorn Glow Hologram Mask.

This sheet mask is cutely packaged and contains Black Charcoal and Niacinamide to cleanse and brighten. It also says it is a 'Hologram Mask' - I'm not sure what that means but I'm guessing that the serum is iridescent? I'm not a huge fan of sheet masks but I have got into the habit of popping them into my travel bag to wear before or after flying so I will give this one a go, even if I wouldn't have picked a shimmering unicorn mask out for myself!

Olay Daily Facials.

This is a dry cloth that you wet and use to remove make up/clean your face with. It is a 5-in-1 makeup remover, cleanser, toner, scrub and mask.

I will give this sample (one dry cleansing cloth) a miss because I'm not keen on its ingredients and I don't believe that one cloth can do what this claims to - I actually like doing a long skincare routine!

Garnier SkinActive 3-in-1 Soothing Day/Night/ Mask.

Garnier has certainly been pushing this product! I have had samples of it from all over the place. It is basically a moisturiser, its ingredients aren't all bad and it has a pleasant rose fragrance but Shea Butter is quite high on the ingredients list and it is not an ingredient that my face can tolerate. I think I will repurpose my many samples of this product as an upper-body cream. It's quite nice but not nice enough for facial use as far as I'm concerned (#skincaresnob).

Cetaphil Hydrating Eye Gel Cream.

This is a generously filled sample sachet. I need to research the ingredients before I use it as I don't like the ingredient list of Cetaphil cleansers. If its good I will use it, if not I will let it go. 

Bodycare.

Curel HydraTherapy Wet Skin Moisturiser.

These wet skin moisturisers are a favourite thing for Walmart to put in these boxes it seems as I've had countless samples of either this one or the Nivea one. Honestly, I'm not a fan of them as I never feel properly moisturised afterwards and I hate all that 'patting yourself dry' nonsense.  I will probably use this at some point just so it doesn't go to waste and I do appreciate that it is a generously sized 2oz sample.

Haircare.

Pantene Intense Rescue Shots.

This full sized item is probably the standout item in the box. It is a treatment that you apply to the hair after washing to treat damaged ends and prevent split ends. I think it is probably intended for people with longer hair than mine but I will try this out after researching to see that it is compatible with colour treated hair (there's a lot of alcohol products in this and I don't want them to strip my colour). 

Miscellaneous.

This time the box also contained a makeup bag. It was a kind of cheap and plastic makeup bag, bronze in colour with a small tassel and a Walmart logo on one side. It went straight onto my donate/throw away pile. I really do hope that this was a one-off and that they aren't going to waste resources sending out a tacky bag each quarter.

Overall. 

If I'm honest, I'm not particularly thrilled with this season's box. I go back and forth about cancelling this box and I'm always saying 'well, if the next box is terrible too, I will' and guess what? That next box is usually pretty good.  

It's only $5.00 four times a year and I do enjoy receiving something in the mail and opening it to see what's inside - so for the moment, my subscription will ride for another quarter. 

If you would like to subscribe to Walmart Beauty Boxes you can do so by going to walmart.com Details and sign up can be found under 'special offers' in the online beauty section and you can sign up for both versions of the box 'Trendsetter' and 'Classic' if you wish.

Space NK Spring Beauty Edit 2019.

Space NK always has the most wonderful GWP events in the Spring and Autumn and I always plan my major beauty restocks around them. Not only do I replenish my favourite products I get a bunch of samples and mini sized luxury beauty products to try out!

This years event was open to NDulge* members on Tuesday 12th February and to all other customers on Wednesday 13th. It goes without saying that this would make a perfect late Valentine's/Galentine's Day gift to yourself - there are some gift bags still available but if you would like one do hurry as they go fast. 

To qualify for a gift bag you need to spend $285.00 (pre-tax) either in-store or online (us.spacenk.com and enter the code SPRING18 at checkout). I know that it is quite a lot of money to spend all at once but if you do need products now is a good time to shop for them as the gift bag has an amazing value of over $450.00. 

The samples and minis come packed in a blush cosmetics bag that is actually smart enough to be used as a clutch bag. All the samples are generously sized and all come from premium brands such as Omorovicza and Oribe.

Space NK GWP's tend to be quite heavy on skincare items as a rule which is something that pleases me immensely!
This year's bag contains sixteen skincare items.
There is a full-sized pack of face wipes from Patchology and two chemical exfoliants from 111 Skin and Malin+Goetz. I am very pleased that there were four serums (including my favourite Sunday Riley Good Genes) and a face oil by Emma Hardie as I have completely run out of serum samples. There are five face cream samples, two of which, Omorovicza Rejuvenating Night Cream and REN Glow Daily Vitamin C Gel Cream are generously sized 15ml ones. Finally skincare wise, for a deluxe pampering session, there are three masks, including one of my all-time favourites - Clark's Botanicals Deep Moisture Mask.

For makeup lovers there wae three lip products; a Kevyn Aucoin Lip Pencil, a tinted mini balm from Ilia and a clear sparkling Altered Universe Gloss by Lipstick Queen.
I was also happy to find minis of ByTerry Hyaluronic Hydra Powder and Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer which are both great to carry around and take on trips and I'm keen to try out Coola MakeUp Setting Mist containing SPF 30 as soon as the weather heats up.

Haircare items are all generously sized. 

To refresh and style my do there is a handbag size Oribe Gold Lust Dry Shampoo and a Bumble+Bumble Thickening Spray. To ensure my hair is in tip-top condition there are masks from Briogeo, Christophe Robin, and Miriam Quevedo, along with a mini Rahua Classic Conditioner and Waterfall which is a leave-in moisture and shine enhancer by R+Co.

  

The final treat is a mini Diptyque candle.

It goes without saying that I'm thrilled with my gift and can't wait to get stuck into the gift bag and discover some new favourites!  

*NDulge is Space NK's customer rewards program and it is well worth joining if you are not a member. As well as early access to sales and promotions, there are invitations to special events and every time you shop you are rewarded with points that convert to cash rewards that you can redeem on future purchases.
us.spacenk.com

Empties: January 2019.

Oh hello! Well it feels like it was only just the end of the year to me but it's already February (aka 'First GWP month of 2019') and once again I've a bag of empties to share before I sort them out and recycle.

This month I managed to finish eleven full sized products and twenty-one samples.

Skincare.
I only finished two full-sized skincare items this month apart from sheet masks! I think that this is the least amount of full-size skincare products I have ever finished however, I did finish plenty of generously sized skincare minis and samples - ten in all.
One of the full sized items I finished was Algenist Genius Ultimate Melting Cleanser, a deliciously creamy gel-to-oil-to-cream cleanser. It was very very effective at removing makeup but worked equally well as a morning cleanser. It was also fantastic as a second cleanse as once melted it had a beautiful consistency that was perfect for facial massage and it was easy to rinse away. I have been very impressed by everything that I have tried from Algenist's Genius range.
I used a full-sized Caudalie VineActive Serum. I was a little disappointed in this as apart from being a lovely smelling wet serum that was nice to apply it really didn't do anything other than hydrate. Overall, I find that the more expensive products from Caudalie don't tend to do much for my skin, the cheaper hydrating ones are pretty good and in future, I will stick to these when buying from the brand.
I used Garnier SkinActive Micellar Cleansing Water for eye makeup removal only. I found that it wasn't as effective as Simple Micellar Water at removing stubborn waterproof mascaras. It was okay but I don't see myself repurchasing in the future.
Rodial Vitamin C Brightening Cleanser was a non-foaming gel cleanser which smelled kind of soapy. It was good to use as a morning face wash although I didn't notice any brightening effect from it.
I favour facial sprays over ones that you need to apply with a cotton pad but I did enjoy Kiehl's Calendula Herbal Extract Toner, it felt very gentle and was refreshing.
A sample pack of ten First Aid Beauty (F.A.B.) Facial Radiance Pads was perfect for travelling with. I like these gentle exfoliating pads which contain Lactic and Glycolic acids and have purchased a full sized version of them in the past.
Cerave Moisturising Lotion was a very good basic moisturiser, it was thick in consistency, almost gel like, not at all oily yet very hydrating. It's an impressive moisturiser for the price and great if you are on a budget.
CO Bigelow Deluxe Facial Moisturiser is another good basic moisturiser. Lotion like inconsistency and slightly oily in feel it worked well for me as a night cream.
I used two small tubes of Zelens Hydro Shiso Balancing Moisturiser. I love anything by Zelens and this didn't disapoint. I enjoyed the feel of this light and easily absorbed gel/cream, it had a delicate fresh fragrance and it layered well with other products. I mainly used this one during the day with a serum under sunscreen and makeup.
I prefer La Mer The Moisturising Soft Cream to the classic La Mer The Moisturiser as it's lighter in feel and less oily but I still think it's only okay and definitely doesn't warrant the high price tag that it carries.
Algenist Firming and Lifting Cream is slightly waxy feeling but it absorbs and layers well, It's one of those products that I wouldn't pick out and purchase but I'm perfectly happy to use it as a nighttime moisturiser whenever I am given it in a GWP or gift bag.

I'm not a huge fan of sheetmasks.  I prefer a tradition mask that you apply and wipe off but I have a few that I have been gifted that I'm trying to use up. I tend to pop one in my bag when I go away for a work trip and wear them in the evening. I  finally used up a box of five VitaBird Dual Masks, which were okay, the fit was reasonable, and they contained a fair amount of serum but didn't do much apart from adding a little moisture to my face.
I wasn't so fond of a Lala Fox Honey Nourishing Sheet Mask, the fit was terrible and it contained a thick sticky gel that just appeared to sit on my skin without absorbing.

Bodycare and Perfume.

Love & Toast Honey Nectar Bodywash has a 'clean formula' produces a good amount of foam, and a pleasant soft honeysuckle and apricot perfume. This was okay, I would use it again but it wasn't outstanding in any way and there are other shower gels that I prefer.
I used another bottle of Nivea Express Hydration Sea Mineral Body Lotion. This is my favourite drugstore lotion, it is light, non-greasy, easily absorbed, fresh scented, very hydrating, and cheap. I always have backups of this one!
Malin+ Goetz Vitamin B5 Body Moisturiser is an oil-free formula that feels very fresh and hydrating. It has a light citrus scent (grapefruit?) that I liked. The only thing wrong with this sample was that the product was too thick to be packaged in a bottle and it was extremely difficult to get out.
Susanne Kaufmann Ringelblumenöl Body Oil is a truly lovely body oil. It has a fresh floral scent and feels like a dry oil when you apply it, absorbing instantly and leaving skin feeling very comfortable and soft. These aren't the cheapest body oils but you only need to use a little so these mini bottles do actually last for some time.
Rodial Stem Cell Hand Cream is a lightly textured non-greasy hand cream with a delicate rose fragrance, and sleek stylish packaging. I wouldn't pay full price as I think it costs around $30.00 but I always grab them if I see them in TJ Maxx where they cost $5.00.
I don't normally include supplements in my empties but I thought I would include the 30 pack of Goop 'Why Am I so Effing Tired?' here as they are mostly sold in beauty outlets. Firstly, I must say that I was given these by someone, there is absolutely no way that I would pay $90.00 for a month's worth of vitamins. I must also add that obviously the best way to get the nutrients that you need is by eating a healthy diet (which I do but I'm also not averse to topping things up with supplements as long as they are not harmful). Goop vitamins are packaged in individual daily portion packs, which aren't the most eco-friendly but are handy for travel. This formula is designed to increase energy levels as well as adding to general wellbeing. Each pack contained what I would call a multi-vitamin, along with an Omega 3 oil capsule, a blended capsule of herbal extracts, and a Liquorice Boost pill. They tasted pretty awful and I can't honestly say I noticed any change in my energy levels so I'm very glad that I didn't actually pay for them.
I finished five perfume vials, two of which were Byredo Eleventh Hour which I loved. This fragrance had notes of rum, plum and fig - it was basically Christmas in a bottle, very seasonally appropriate.
I'm a big fan of L'Etat Libre d'Orange perfumes and enjoyed the two that I finished. Putain des Palaces is a big dusty floral powder scent. It's not the type of thing that I usually like but I love this and would buy a full sized bottle - and I love the saucy name! Jasmin et Cigarettes is a straight-up blend of Jasmine and Tobacco. I like a dirtied up white floral and this one is very feminine and easy to wear.
Versace Bright Crystal feels bright and sparkling but it is a little too generic for my tastes

Haircare.

Philip B Peppermint Avocado Shampoo has just the right amount of peppermint fragrance. It claims to be scalp stimulating and give volume and it was a nice shampoo but I don't think that it warrants its luxury price tag.
L'Oreal Elvive Colour Vibrancy Conditioner is a berry scented drugstore conditioner. I rather like the Elvive range and there are several formulas within it that I rate. I often get these if I find them on special offer and it's a perfectly fine conditioner that I have no problem to use.
Ouai Treatment Mask smelled fantastic and left my hair feeling nice and soft. I used this more like a conditioner rather than a mask and it worked very well in this way. ( I've a lot of hair masks that I'm intending to use up in this way as I never get around to applying them and leaving them on for 20 minutes or whatever no matter how hard I try!)
Bumble & Bumble Don't Blow It (H)air Styler is a leave-in conditioning cream that also adds a little texture. It works well on my fine hair and I like that it adds a little body.  I have plenty of other serums/leave in conditioners at the moment but I will get this again at some point I am sure.
Ouai Hair Oil is a repeat empty for me and it's one of my favourite hair oils that smooths and hydrates my hair without weighing it down.
Living Proof Nourishing Oil didn't work great for my hair, it felt a little too greasy and left my hair looking lank. I was disappointed by this.

 I must admit I didn't finish up as much stuff as I was expecting to during January, but there are several things that I have made good headway into which I will hopefully finish very soon. I need a little room on my shelf for a few new products that I have incoming! 

Goodreads Reading Challenge 2018.

In 2018 I once again I signed myself up for the Goodreads Reading Challenge. 

I find that it is a great inspiration and encourages me to pick up a book to read which I find feels more rewarding than simply messing around online (enjoyable as that is...) It also provides an easy way of keeping track of what I have read and I always enjoy looking back at the books that I have (mostly!) enjoyed over the course of the year.

Each year I set myself the goal of reading fifty-two books. I spend a fair amount of my time commuting so a book a week is attainable for me and I find that this is about the right amount - I want to be challenged but I don't want to feel pressured to allocate more time than I reasonably have to reading so that it becomes unenjoyable and feels like a chore.

I was happy to look back and find that I had read fifty-seven books in 2018. (I read sixty books in 2017).
I'm going to aim to read fifty-two books again in 2019.

In general, I tend to read a variety of books. This year the most popular category that I read were thrillers/domestic suspense, I read twenty-six of these. I also read a fictional book based on a true crime ('faction'?) T Greenwood's Rust and Stardust.
I also read twenty-two general fiction books. I love memoirs and autobiographies, I read six of these and I read just one non fiction book, The Secret Lives of Colours. 

I love the statistics that Goodreads provide you with when you complete your year's reading. This year I read 19,882 pages! The most popular book I read was Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman which 229,901 other people read and the average rating out of five that I awarded to my books was 3.9.

It was very hard for me to pick a 'Book of the Year' as I read so many outstanding books this year. Ones I particularly enjoyed were My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh, White Fur by Jardine Libraire, The Followers by Rebecca Wait and The Only Story by Julian Barnes

My favourite biography of the year was To Throw Away Unopened by Viv Albertine.

 Favourite thrillers/mysteries/suspense included The Perfect Nanny by Lelia Slimani, Friend Request by Laura Marshall, Sometimes I Lie by Alice Freeney, Cross Her Heart by Sarah Pinborough and The Night Visitor by Lucy Atkins.

There were a few duds in my book pile, ones that I kept on reading in the hopes that they would get better but didn't! 

The books that I least enjoyed this year were My Husband's Wife by Jane Corry, The Other Mother by Carol Goodman, Less by Andrew Sean Green and The Stylist by Rosie Nixon. I was also disappointed by Lethal White, the fourth book in Robert Galbraith's Cormoran Strike series which was something that I had been particularly looking forward to reading.

If you enjoy books and reading why not take a look at goodreads.com There are lots of great book reviews, an interesting newsletter that you can sign up for and it's not too late to set up your own Reading Challenge for 2019. 

If you would like to take part in the challenge simply visit goodreads.com and sign up where it says 'Reading Challenge'. It's a great motivator as well as a nice way to keep a record of what you've read.

If you are an avid reader or someone who wishes to read more go for it. 

Good Luck!

All the Empties: 2018.

In 2018 I managed to use up a total of one hundred and thirty-two full sized products and an astounding four hundred and thirty-eight samples! 

That's a ton of samples but I did do a 'Month of Foil' where I tried to use as many samples as possible and a hair product 'Month of Foil'. (And yes, I do still have lots and lots of samples!) 

Read on for a breakdown of full-sized products by type. No breakdown of the samples used though because I'll admit categorizing samples is too nerdy, not to mention complex, even for a list-lover like myself!

Skincare.

I used fifty-five full-sized skincare items. 

Eleven of these were cleansers along with two bottles of eye makeup remover.

My love of spritzes and facial sprays shows no sign of abating and I used up nine of them. I also used one full-sized bottle of Glycolic toner and one pack of Glycolic pads.

When it came to putting moisture back into my skin I did pretty well, using up three full-sized eye creams, three bottles of facial oil and nine tubes/jars of moisturiser. I also managed to get through nine bottles of serum of various types. 

I mostly use sachets and samples of masks but even so, I used up three full-sized masks. 

I could do better when it comes to sunscreen. I only used up two bottles but again I did use quite a few samples.

Finally, I made an effort to finish some of the many opened lip balms and treatments that I have hanging around and used up five of them.

Bodycare.

I always go through a lot of bodycare and this year was no exception. I used forty-four full-sized products.

I'm not big on body scrubs as I use a loofah but even so, I used up two tubes. 

Daily showers saw me getting through fourteen bottles of shower gel. 

I also slathered on fifteen bottles of body lotion.

Thirteen hand creams sounds like a ridiculous amount, but most of them were handbag sized ones.

Haircare.

I've been using more expensive haircare as a rule this year,  and I do find that I tend to use a lot less of it than I do drugstore products. However, I still used up twenty -three items, seven of which were shampoo and nine of which were conditioners. 

I also used up four leave-in conditioners/oils/serums and one large pot of hair mask.

I tend to 'wash and go' mostly so I only used one hairspray and one texturising spray.

Makeup.

Makeup takes forever to finish so I'm quite pleased that I used up ten items.

On my face, I used one primer, two tinted moisturisers and one concealer/brightener. 

I used up two full-sized mascaras and one single pan eyeshadow.

Finally, I finished two lipsticks and one lip gloss.

I wonder how many products I will use in 2019?

Empties: December 2018.

I'll be rounding up my empties for the whole year in my next post but for now here's a look at December. I'm pleased with this the final pile of 2018 as I managed to finish twenty-one samples and fourteen full-sized sized products.

Skincare.

I can't believe that I haven't used Emma Hardie Moringa Cleansing Balm before! It used to be difficult to find in the U.S. but I'm happy to say that that is no longer the case as after having finished my first jar I think it may well be my favourite cleansing balm. It smells lovely, melts away makeup, rinses off with ease, and feels gorgeous on my skin. The only thing that I don't like about it is the oversized clunky feeling jar. I do have plenty of cleansers at the moment but I will definitely repurchase this at some point in the future. 

I had a sample of Andalou Naturals Apricot Probiotic Cleansing Milk in a gift bag and enjoyed it so much I went out and bought a full sized one almost immediately. I must admit that this doesn't do the best job of removing makeup but as a skin cleanser it is lovely with a consistency and slip that is just right for facial massage. I already have another bottle of this wallet-friendly cleanser as I enjoy using a milky cleanser in the winter when my skin gets stressed and dry.

The toner from the same range, Andalou Naturals Blossom+Leaf Toning Refresher, is another winner for me. It feels soothing and refreshing and has a floral scent with Geranium and Neroli notes that was very pleasant. The spray mechanism on this isn't the best as it doesn't deliver a fine mist so I decanted it into an older glass bottle with a good spray nozzle.

Vichy Eau Thermal is a drugstore product that often shows up in my empties. I always have one of these cans of water to hand as they are very useful. Not only can they be used as a cooling, refreshing spray, I like to use them if my skin is delicate or compromised, they are great to use to 'rinse' off products, and, of course, they are very hydrating.

Vichy V Mineral 89 has become a staple in my routine. I like to use this as a 'booster' applying a thin layer over serum, before cream, in the morning. This Hyaluronic Acid rich product holds moisture and leaves my skin looking and feeling plump and juicy.

I actually gave out a yelp of disappointment when this next product gave me its last pump! Drunk Elephant CTango MultiVitamin Eye Cream lives up to its hype, rich but not greasy, it absorbs instantly, and addresses all of my eye area concerns. I have a few other eye creams in stock but this is a product that is definitely on the repurchase list.

Tata Harper Purifying Mask was a very good clay mask that left my skin feeling clean and looking bright and evenly toned. I liked this a lot but it works out to be quite expensive - I was shocked when I saw how tiny the jar was! Although I loved the results I won't repurchase this because the cost per use doesn't make sense, even Omorovicza's pricey masks which I prefer, work out cheaper.

I managed to use up sixteen skincare samples.

Shiseido Ultimune Power Infusing Concentrate is a pre-serum-serum which apparently makes your serum perform better. I did like this wet serum-like-lotion but I don't think I need to add another step to my routine. This one belongs on the 'happy to use but would never buy' pile!

Sunday Riley CEO Serum is an orange scented, creamy feeling, 15%Vit C serum. Easy to wear, I enjoyed this but didn't use it long enough to see if it gave results.

Dr Lancer Omega Hydrating Oil wasn't my favourite facial oil as it felt a little heavy and greasy, I used this as a final top layer at nighttime to seal everything in. I do enjoy the texture of Sunday Riley Luna more and this gentle feeling retinol pairs well with Good Genes at night, I'm not keen on the scent or the blue colour though.

Embryolisse Lait Creme Concentrate is a basic moisturising milk. There is nothing wrong with this but I don't find it to be moisturising enough for my skin which becomes easily dehydrated at this time of year. My bad call with this one, I should have used it in the summertime.

Lancome Energie de Vie Water Infused Cream is a cooling gel cream. Although it is intended for daytime use this reminded me of a KBeauty sleeping pack and I used it as an overnight moisturiser.

111Skin Space Anti-Age Day Cream is such a heavy greasy cream that I can't imagine anyone using it during the day! It also has a strong chemical fragrance that I dislike. I did use this up as a night time top layer but only because I know it's expensive and didn't want to waste it.

Weleda Skin Food is a multi-use cream. It is another thick, greasy cream but I like applying a layer of this occasionally and leaving it to slowly absorb overnight if my skin feels very dry.

La Mer Moisturising Cream is yet another rich thick cream, it is okay but I prefer their Soft Cream (however I don't think that either of them warrants the high price tag that they carry).

Malin+Goetz Advanced Renewal Cream was lovely. I enjoyed its lightweight texture and lavender scent. It did a good job of moisturising my skin and left it feeling soft.

I love all of the standard Derm Institute skincare range but I can't say that their extremely expensive Youth Alchemy Cream stood out in any way for me.

Malin+Goetz Brightening Enzyme Mask is fantastic, it is quick and easy to use and instantly brightens. I also loved REN Wake Wonderful Night Time Facial, which made my skin look plumped and fresh the morning after I used it.

Tarte Tarteguard SPF30 was a little too greasy feeling and took a bit of time to absorb, I wouldn't buy this. It's rare that I don't finish a product but I failed to use up MD Solar Sciences Mineral Tinted Cream SPF30. It felt extremely uncomfortable on my skin and made me look very grey, I really disliked this one! I used my last Dr Dennis Gross Alpha Beta Glow Pad. These are a super easy to use self-tanning facial product that leaves my skin with a touch of colour and increased radiance.

Bodycare.

I love REN body care so I was keen to try their new-ish Atlantic Kelp & Magnesium Anti-Fatigue Body Wash. It produced abundant lather and had a relaxing mineral/ozone scent but I'm not sure that it relaxed or soothed my muscles any more than any other shower product. I can see the bath products in this range being effective but if I were going to get another REN shower gel I wouldn't choose this one again as I much prefer their others.

Juara Candlenut Hydrating Shower Gel and Body Cream were both lovely. The shower gel smells creamy while the body cream has a more spa-like scent.

I've had this bottle of Weleda Pomegranate Body Lotion sitting around for a while. Honestly, it's not my favourite but I was determined to use it up! I find it to be too thick and oily and it never absorbs completely so the scent, which has a funky health food shop kind of note to it, lingers on your clothing.

Dr Barbara Sturm Anti-Aging Body Cream was an unscented body lotion that did a good job of hydrating without being greasy but it was a little basic and boring to use. It is very expensive and if I am going to spend a lot on a body product I expect it to smell wonderful and feel very indulgent, so this was a miss for me.

Kiehl's Ultimate Strength Hand Salve is something that is often on my empties pile. This doesn't leave hands greasy but does sooth and hydrate them efficiently. I also like its clean smelling eucalyptus scent.

Haircare.

I only finished one haircare item this month. I didn't even know that Crabtree & Evelyn made haircare but when I saw their La Source Revitalising Seaweed Conditioner on sale in TJ Maxx I thought it was worth investigating. It was a very nice lightweight conditioner with a fresh mineral scent that left my hair soft and detangled. I enjoyed this and will pick up more if I see it on sale again (I paid around $5.00) but I don't think that it is worth its full-price which is $20.00 or so.

Makeup and Perfume.

A wee sample of Urban Decay Eye Shadow Primer Potion lasted me forever. It does do an excellent job of keeping my eye makeup smudge and crease free but I prefer eyeshadow bases that apply with a doe-foot as I find they drag less on my eyelid.

Chantecaille Just Skin Tinted Moisturiser in the shade 'Nude' is my 'ride or die' face product. It is pricey but a tube lasts six months and as well as giving a medium coverage this helps protect and also improves my skin so it's well worth the cost as far as I'm concerned.

Kiehl's Lip Balm #1 is a very basic petroleum jelly balm. I feel that it doesn't actually do a lot for my lips but I have a few of these from GWP's etc lying around that I am trying to finish up.

Lipstick Queen Belle Epoque 'Belle Wine' was a very nice tinted lip balm which felt nourishing. The pigment in this wasn't too strong, the 'wine' colour wore as a deep yet wearable pink that I found to be both flattering and long-lasting.

I used two perfume vials in December. 

Maison Margiela Replica By The Fireplace is a warm and cosy scent with woodsy berry notes. I don't dislike it and it's very suitable for this time of year but I do always think that it would be much better as a scent for a candle.

Narciso Rodriguez Fleur Musc For Her was a very sweet powdery floral. Initially quite strong this faded very quickly on me which was good as I didn't much care for its overt sweetness.

And that's my final empties pile of 2018. If you like lists check back for my year-end round up of all the empties soon, and of course I'll be back at the end of January with another 'normal' empties post.

Happy New Year!

ULTA GWP: Cyber Funday 2018.

I don't shop at Ulta all that much, even though I love the store and its easy to browse mix of high end and drugstore products, not to mention its excellent reward's program. However, I do place an online order from time to time as they stock the hair dye I use which none of my local shops sells (John Freida Precision Foam Color, in case you were wondering) and it is also a good way of buying bumper sized bags of Epsom Salts as it means I don't have to lug them home from the shops.

Whenever these items are running low I make sure to check the Ulta emails I receive and take advantage of their best online offers. Recently I managed to get all of the above goodies thrown in with my order (I think it was a $65.00 required spend to get this offer), as well as earning points towards future purchases, along with cashback from ebates. 

Here's a quick look at what I got.

Skincare.

Patchology Mood Mask Just Let It Glow. 

Although I'm not a sheet mask fan I'm looking forward to trying this one out as I have been impressed with the other Patchology products that I have tried. (Their Lip Service Gloss-to-Balm Treatment is currently my favourite lip product.) In addition to moisturising, this sheet mask contains antioxidents to protect and Niacinamide to brighten which sounds like the perfect post-party skin pick me up treatment.

Garnier Skinactive Micellar Water - 1oz. 

This generous sample is going straight into my travel bag! I love getting samples and minis of Micellar Water as they are so handy to take along on trips and use for removing eye makeup, or even a full face of makeup in a pinch if needed.

Mario Badescu Cucumber Cleansing Lotion - 1oz. 

This toner has Isopropyl Alcohol as it's the second ingredient and as this can be quite harsh and drying I don't think I will use it but will pass it along to someone who may. 

Boscia Detoxifying Black Cleanser. 

I already have a couple of sachets of this cleanser which warms on application. It sounds interesting and I'm curious to try it out sometime soon.

Juice Beauty Stem Cellular Anti Wrinkle Moisturiser. 

I don't know too much about Juice Beauty, but you can't really go too wrong with a sachet of moisturiser. There are very few moisturising samples that I won't use as they can always be used as a top occlusive layer or even as a body lotion in a pinch!

L'Oreal Yuzu Lemon Pure Clay Mask. 

I used another of the L'Oreal Pure Clay Masks a while ago and found it to be a little drying but I'm intrigued by a brightening clay mask and love single-use mask sachets so will give this one a go. 

BlenderCleanser Liquid. 

These are always handy to receive as although they may not be the most exciting sample they do prompt me to clean my brushes.

Makeup.

Ulta Gel Eye Liner 'Mink' (full-sized).

 It's nice to get an eyeliner that isn't basic black for a change so I'm pleased to get this.

Maybelline Master Precision All Day Liner 'Black'. 

Maybelline is really pumping this product out in gift bags, I already have a couple of these, plus numerous other black liners so will pass it on.

MAC In Extreme Dimension Lash Mascara. 

This is the cutest mini mascara! I rarely use MAC products but I'm always happy to receive mini mascaras as it means I rarely have to buy a full sized one.

Too Faced Glitter Glue Shadow Primer. 

This is so not my type of product lol, I'll pass this one on to a teenager.

Ofra Single Eyeshadow in 'Bliss' 

This looks to be a nice easy to wear neutral shade but as I have a lot of neutral shadows I will put this into my donation/giveaway bag.

Julep Whipped Matte Lip Mousse in 'Bisou. 

This wine toned lip colour has a strong pigment but it's a great colour for this time of year so I will pop it in my bag.

Haircare.

Herbal Essence Argan Oil Conditioner - 100ml. 

Herbal Essence is a bit of a guilty pleasure of mine and I love getting decent sized samples of hair conditioner as I always use up bottles of conditioners much more quickly than bottles of shampoo.

Living Proof TBD Multi Tasking Styler. 

I'm a real 'wash n go' type but I will try and use this as a leave in conditioner/detangler.

Sexy Hair Love Oil Moisturising Oil. 

The name of this makes me shudder, but I love a good hair oil so I will certainly try it out.

Perfume.

Narciso Rodriguez Fleur Musc. 

I already used this sample. It's easy to wear but a little sweet for my liking and it did fade away pretty quickly.

Juicy Couture Oui. 

I've yet to try this but I was pleasantly surprised by the last perfume I tried by Juicy Couture so I'm hoping I will like this one too.

If you're impressed by this GWP/sample haul why not sign up for emails at ulta.com They frequently have offers such as this and I'm sure that their post-Christmas sale will be excellent as well.