November Empties

This month I made a huge effort to use up products that were just about finished or halfway finished, as well as a large number of sample and travel sized products. I have found it very satisfying to put products into the empty pile however it hasn’t stopped my from buying new things. My biggest weaknesses are hair products and mascara, I have so many mascaras hoarded that I’ve been doing a big mascara series on my blog to write reviews on them all and get rid of the ones I dislike or that are past their use by date.

Swisspers Cotton Pads – Talked in more detail about these last month.

Johnsons Refreshing Facial Cleansing Wipes – My holy grail face wipes, no other facial wipes that I have tried can compare.

The Face Shop Hyaluronic Acid Sheet Mask – This was sent to me recently by Retrojetgirl and I really liked it. Used it after a long day at work and it was very relaxing. It was also an extremely wet mask, there was so much product on here I had to apply it very quickly as it was dripping everywhere! There was no English information on the packaging so I can’t tell you much about it.

The Face Shop Vita E Sheet Mask – This contained skin plumping milk and egg extracts, picked this up a while ago and I really liked it. I like face masks that have a gel like feel to them.

Dove Go Fresh Anti Perspirant in Cucumber and Green Tea scent (169ml) – I love this deodorant, it smells amazing – so fresh and clean without being overpowering or clashing with my perfumes. I use this in conjunction with the Cucumber and Green Tea roll on deodorant.

Origins Bright by Nature Brightening Anti Stress Lotion (150ml) – This is actually a toner and when I ordered it online I thought it was a lotion so I was disappointed with that but I’ve grown to really like this toner.

Le Tan Coconut Lotion SPF 30+ (110ml) – I absolutely adore the smell of this it always makes me think of summer. I also love that if I’ve put this on during the day, when I shower at night I can smell it all over again.

The Body Shop Hemp Hand Protector (100ml) – I’ve been using this for years and it would have to be my favourite hand cream of all time. It really heals my hands if they’re dry and cracking it also seems to leave a protective film on my hands once applied rather than just sinking straight in and leaving my hands dry again in a few minutes. I have quite a few hand creams to get through at the moment but once I’ve used them all up I’m picking this up again. Holy Grail hand cream for me.

Schwarzkopf Quick Fix Repair Spray Treatment (150ml) – I have no idea if you can even buy this anymore but it’s been kicking around in my bathroom cupboard for years so I thought is was about time I use it all up. This is great to spray into damp or dry hair to smooth and protect leaving hair manageable.

Aveeno Daily Moisturising Lotion (71ml) – Picked this up at the airport when I was flying to Sydney for The ABBW because I’d forgotten to pack a hand cream and there was no way I was hopping on a plane without it. This was nice but I didn’t think it was all that great at moisturising my hands so I’ve been using it as a body lotion just to get rid of it.

Sanctuary Fresh Faced Purifying Wash (30ml) – Picked this up in Ireland because I needed a facial cleanser, this is a gel cleanser and found this didn’t work very well for me. It couldn’t remove makeup and broke me out so it was living in my overnight bag just to use on work trips, glad to have finally used it up.

Clinique Even Better Skin Tone Corrector (15ml) – This was in one of those Clinique gift with purchase bags that they give out all the time and I have to say I have no idea what this stuff is supposed to do, it did nothing for me and it needed to be used with a moisturiser as well so I thought it was kind of unnecessary.

Colgate Total Toothpaste (45gm) x2 – I’m always getting given these small tubes of toothpaste at the dentist and they’ve been kicking around in my overnight bag for a while now so I thought I’d use them up and get rid of them. I seem to be including a tube of toothpaste in ever empties post (just as I suspected I would!) at least you all know I’m taking care of my teeth.

A Brilliant Brunette by John Frieda Shampoo and Conditioner (50ml) – Also picked these up in Ireland as travel sizes, loved these. They smell beautiful and include crushed pearls and sweet almond oil, these products make my hair really shiny and glossy. Would love to re-purchase these if I didn’t already have a huge stockpile of shampoo and conditioner floating around right now.

Pure Therapy Extra Gentle Shampoo and Moisture Replenish Conditioner (60ml) – Was given these at The ABBW  and at first I didn’t really like them but after using them a few times I grew to really like them and was actually sad when they ran out. I don’t think the shampoo worked that well to cure my itchy scalp but the conditioner was lovely and rich. I’d recommend these products over the QV Shampoo and Conditioner.

Pantene Daily Moisture Renewal Shampoo and Conditioner (40ml) – I’ve had these samples lying around for the longest time so am glad to finally use them up. I actually like using Pantene but I wouldn’t recommend using it all the time as it leaves quite a lot silicone in the hair which on the plus side does make hair smooth and frizz free but needs to removed from hair to prevent damage by using a good clarifying shampoo.

Urban Rituelle Organic Hand Cream (20ml) – I’ve already talked about this in my last empties, this is the sample I received in the Lust Have it! box from The ABBW weekend. Couldn’t stand the smell of this it was far too fragranced and sweet.

Haven Hand Cream Orange Ginger Therapy (60ml) – This isn’t even empty, I just hate the smell so I’m tossing it out.

Bourjois Volumizer Mascara – I’ll be posting a review of this at a later date, love it but this one has been in my makeup drawer for a while and has dried out and become a pain to use.

Max Factor False Lash Effect Mascara – I’ll also be posting a review of these as part of my mascara series, really like it but it is identical to Covergirl Lashblast which is far cheaper.

Covergirl Lashblast Luxe – This is Lashblast mascara with blue shimmers in it, I cannot see the blue shimmers on my eye lashes at all and the formula is inferior to original Lashblast. It’s a really nice idea but just doesn’t do anything special.

November was a very successful month for using up products for me, as the New Year approaches it’s nice to de-clutter and get rid of some of the products that have been hoarded away and forgotten about for a long time. I have a tendency to use travel sizes of product on trips and then abandon them when they get about halfway to a quarter of the way full. I’m paranoid of packing a half used product away on an overnight and then have it running out on me while I’m away!