Most of you know that I was away in California from May-July, and I wanted to see how many products I could get through in that amount of time.
While I managed to get through some smaller sized products and a good amount of samples, I've realized that my fiance is really the one who is accomplished at empties. He managed to finish a bottle of John Varvatos Artisan, a fresh lightly citrus scent that I even wear every once in a while. He also finished a jar of Ole Henriksen Nurture Me (review) that we had been working on for a while.
So here are the goodies that I finished! Read on to find out what I thought!
Lush Avobath
This bath bomb has always been one of my favorites. It has a light citrus scent and some moisturizing properties.
Repurchase?: Yes, and I have before!
Lush Secret Garden*
Released for Mother's Day, this fun pink and green floral bath bomb was fun. Check out my review here.
Purchase?: Maybe, when I'm not overflowing with so many bath goodies!
Lush Mumkin*
Another Lush Mother's Day release, this floral bubble bar was a fun treat. Check out my review here.
Purchase?: Probably not, as I much prefer the citrusy Brightside bubble bar!
Lush Back for Breakfast*
I quite enjoyed this citrusy shower gel from Lush, though I would say that their Happy Hippy one smells even better! Check out my original review here.
Purchase?: Probably not, as I would rather buy Happy Hippy when I run out of shower gels!
Dior Diorshow Maximizer (mini)
I love getting my hands on these mini diorshow maximizers, as it doesn't feel as wasteful to toss them after a few months. This is one of my staple items that I can't live without, and it just does wonders to define and volumize lashes. It works great with any mascara too!
Repurchase?: Yes, and I have many times before and will keep buying it forever!
Dior Diorshow Iconic Overcurl (mini)
I liked this mascara for how natural it looked and felt. It gave my lashes some nice curl too! Check out my review here.
Purchase?: If it becomes more difficult to buy Fairydrops Scandal Queen mascara, then I would definitely get this one or Extase from Dior.
Bliss "that's incredi-peel" (sample)
I wasn't sure what to expect from this sample, but my skin was definitely tingly when I wiped this on. Afterwards, my skin was nicely glowing and perfectly happy, which was a relief!
Purchase?: Not sure. I think if I ever made it through the masks I own and then piles of samples, then I would consider this, but at this point I'm not crazy about it to just run out and buy it.
Koh Gen Do Cleansing Spa Water Cloth (sample)
I love the Koh Gen Do Cleansing Spa Water, so I was excited to try this. I quite like makeup wipes for those lazy days, and the spa water always makes my skin look and feel good. This removed my makeup well, and made my skin look as if I had cleansed it properly.
Purchase?: Maybe, as it does seem to be a pricey product. I'll have to consider it more!
Kevyn Aucoin Candlelight Kit Candle (mini)
I burned this little candle from my hotel room, and it burned well and lasted quite a while. It did have a light musky scent that I can't really describe, but the scent didn't really disperse during burning like I would have expected.
Purchase?: No. There's so many other candles to have, and I'm not even sure that this one is for sale outside of the Candlelight Kit?
Aesop Parsley Seed Mask (sample)
i had heard so many good things about this mask, so I asked for samples at Barney's one day. This clay mask was quite pleasant, and hardened after a while. (Fun!) I wasn't breaking out much, fortunately, but I also couldn't test how well it treated breakouts.
Purchase?: Maybe. I have another packet around to try, and maybe I'll give that a go when I'm actually breaking out!
Aesop Sage & Cedar Scalp Treatment (sample)
I got a tiny tiny bit of this treatment in a gigantic sample jar, but from what I could tell, it was nice to massage it into my scalp. It did seem to soothe my itchy scalp and make it generally less itchy, but I'm curious how effective this could be in a haircare routine.
Purchase?: Maybe. I would like to try it out more, and I would consider it if it isn't terribly expensive.
Ole Henriksen Truth Serum Collagen Serum (mini)
I had wanted to buy this forever, as my fiancé always piled it on whenever we were shopping at Sephora together. I was happy to get a small deluxe sample as a 100-point perk at Sephora, and it lasted quite a while. Something about this formula seems to dry up around the rim of the packaging, and I've seen that clogs up the pump on the testers too. The product itself is decently moisturizing, but seems to have a bit of a tacky feel if you put on too much at once.
Purchase?: No. I like their Pure Youth Activating Oil better!
Korres Greek Yoghurt Advanced Nourishing Sleeping Facial (sample)
I was on the hunt for a hydrating overnight mask, ad this somewhat new release from Korres really caught my eye. The scent is a bit tart like yogurt, but this creamy product really hydrates. There is apparently a rose version as well, so I'm curious to try that out!
Purchase?: Yes! (And I did buy it for my birthday haha!)
Diptyque Satin Oil (sample)
This nicely scented body oil was a nice treat to try. I liked putting it on arms and legs, and I think it is such a great luxurious product for summer. I don't know how moisturizing it is compared to other oils out there - though I did find it more moisturizing than Caudalie Divine Oil - but I still would like even more hydration as my legs are dry! On my hair, it was ok, but I don't have much experience with hair oil either to really judge the product.
Purchase?: Maybe. It does seem pricey, and I would like to explore more oils first to compare.
Diptyque Precious Oil (sample)
This is scented like the Satin Oil and other body items from Diptyque. I didn't find this to be moisturizing on the skin at all, and while it scented the bath quite nicely, I would have really liked it to provide some moisture like many other products do.
Purchase?: No. I didn't' find it very moisturizing, so I don't think it would be worth the money.
Armani Luminous Silk Foundation in 6 (sample)
I picked up a sample pot from Nordstrom because I kept hearing good things. It has light to medium coverage, which I love, and the finish is pretty natural. I plan to do a proper review eventually!
Purchase?: Yes! (It was another birthday present for myself!)
Darphin 8 Flower Nectar (sample)
This oil is meant to boost the skin and tackle aging. It has a nice herbal and slightly floral scent, and was quite luxurious to use. The SA at Space NK that made me a sample said that it helped her a lot with hormonal breakouts, and I can't say for sure that it worked for me, but I sure didn't have breakouts of any kind when I used this.
Purchase?: No. It is too expensive, and while it did seem effective, it wasn't miraculous. I would love to try it more though!
Nude Perfect Cleansing Oil (sample)
I've been curious about cleansing oils and haven't had much experience with them. This did feel nice, but I wouldn't use it by itself to remove makeup. As a cleanser, while it did feel soothing, non-irritating, and non-drying, it didn't give me that nicely clean feel. There wasn't any residue, so that was good - I just never felt clean! Maybe I was doing something wrong?
Purchase?: No. It didn't do much for me.
REN No1 Purity Cleansing Balm (5ml sample, not pictured)
I used up a whole deluxe sample of this, and while it had a nice balmy texture and was not irritating to my skin, I wasn't super excited by it. It wasn't drying, so I suppose that was good. I don't know, maybe I didn't use it right?
Purchase?: No. It was ok, but I suspect there are better ones out there to try!
All in all, I feel good to be finishing things up, even if it is mostly small sizes and samples.. I feel like I'll never get through all of the products I own! What have you finished lately? Have you tried any of these products? I'd love to know!
P.S. You can look forward to a sample-centric empties post at the end of the month, featuring the things I've been using since I got home this past Saturday!
Products marked with a * were provided for review. All opinions are my own, and 100% honest! :)