2013 Empties: March & April

Empties! This is always an exciting time, as it feels like I finish nothing, ever. LOL! Check out the video to see what I thought about all these products I finished. I've listed the products below, whether or not I'll repurchase, and linked the reviews too!

Not pictured, but I did also toss out a Diorshow Maximizer and Fairydrops Scandal Queen Mascara (Review). They weren't quite finished, but had just about reached the 5-6 month mark where I really shouldn't keep them any longer... Both of these are products I repurchase over and over again!

Bath & Body Works Carried Away Shower Gel This is something that I have repurchased, but won't in the future because the Softsoap body washes are a very similar formula and make just as many bubbles for a fraction of the price! Plus I'm loving Lush scents for my everyday shower gels.

Lush Happy Hippy Shower Gel* - REVIEW I love this scent, and would totally buy this after I've used up some of the stuff I have. One of my favorite Lush shower products, for sure!

Lush Whoosh Shower Jelly - REVIEW I've purchased this one after Lush sent me a jar. I love this fun product, and will definitely buy it again once I finish up more shower stuff!

Living Proof Prime Style Extender (Sample Size) I was loving this product in February and March and I am happy to have a few deluxe samples of it. I would definitely consider purchasing it once I've used up all the samples!

First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Concentrate - REVIEW This is a nice and creamy product that is great on dry skin, but I prefer the texture of the Ultra Repair Cream. Won't be repurchasing this but I was glad to try it!

Origins Make a Difference+ Moisturizer - REVIEW I would definitely repurchase this in the future, once I've finished up more stuff. I love how light in texture this is, and it definitely was hydrating in fall and the early bits of winter.

Lush Twilight Bath Bomb* - REVIEW I was quite surprised how much I liked this one, and will definitely purchase it in the future when I'm in need of a non-citrus bath bomb!

Neutrogena Oil Free Pink Grapefruit Wipes This was my least favorite product because of the scent! It was so artificial, and somehow so strong that I barely wanted to use these. Sad!

2013 Empties #1

I hope that 2013 will be the year of LOTS of empties, and here's my first installment. These are all the products that I've finished in January and February. Lush Ro's Argan Body Conditioner* is definitely a winter favorite. I love the sweet rose scent, and it is so helpful with moisturizing my skin for winter. Plus, it is easy and quick to use, and I love that! I really want to buy another, but I'm trying to be more economical... At the very least, I will definitely buy it next winter.

Also for moisturizing, my boyfriend and I finished a HUGE tub of First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream, which I have purchased multiple times over the last few years and convinced many friends and coworkers to buy as well. Love the stuff, and you have to try it.

I finished a small tube of Bath & Body Works "Look Ma, New Hands!" Hand Cream, which has been a favorite for at least five years. I've bought this many times in the past, but am trying out Kiehl's Ultimate Strength Hand Salve now.

On the hair front, I've finished Neutrogena Triple Moisture Daily Deep Conditioner, which I think is a nice and affordable conditioner. I'm a fan, but I'm interested in trying more hair products, so I won't be repurchasing at the moment. Same thing with Lush Olive Branch Shower Gel*, which is cool but I am excited to explore all the flavors! I also used a Lush Melting Snowman Bath Melt that my boyfriend picked out, and I was surprised to find I really enjoyed it! I didn't expect to like the spicy scent, but it was so moisturizing and the scent was actually quite nice!

I've also tossed a few products too, and that can definitely be hard for me sometimes!

It was a bit sad to toss the Shiseido and Supergoop products, but they were sample sizes and their consistency didn't seem quite right to me LAST SUMMER! (See what I mean about having a hard time tossing things??) Same thing with the Fresh perfume sample and CoverFX primer sample - something just seemed off about them. I also tossed a sample size Laura Mercier Full Blown Volume Mascara sample that I forgot to photograph! :)

So there you go! I am happy with what I finished so far this year, and I'm getting close on a few other shower products. Woohoo! How are you doing on your empties so far?? Fingers crossed that I'll have some makeup empties in the next installment! :)

Products marked with a * were provided for review.

Last Empties of 2012

I really stink at empties, but I am totally commiting to them in 2013. Really, I'll even count them! (This is all inspired by the lovely Liz over at Beauty Reductionista - I can never hope to have as many empties as her!)

Anyways, here's what I was able to finish up in the last few months of 2012.

Again, I managed to finish a decent amount of bath/body items. Fresh Sugar Lemon Shower Gel was a big favorite earlier in the year, and this bottle here was at least my second or third one. While I'm not committed to pricey shower gels, I am always tempted by really bright citrus scented options.

I also collected a number of half-finished products, and Origins Knot Free Shampoo was one I had purchased years ago (like... 4) and never finished. It is a nice shampoo with a subtle scent, but I'm enjoying the shampoos from Organix and Lush that I've been using the last few months and don't need to repurchase this one. (Although, this shampoo did help me in a time when knots were a big part of my hair existence lol)

For a while this year, my boyfriend and I also liked Softsoap Shower Gels. They're really great at making bubbles, actually, and come in a number of scents, and they're cheap! I think this one is called Juicy Pomegranate & Mango... or something! We will definitely purchase more of these in the future, but we definitely have lots of stuff to use up in the meantime!

I grabbed a jar of Bio Oil in the late summer in hopes of helping out some of my scars... In the end, it turned out to be one of my boyfriend's top picks for treating eczema and dry winter skin. I have another bottle that we'll definitely be using, and my boyfriend has already spotted a larger size (and mentioned it multiple times!) for us to purchase in the future.

While I greatly enjoy Ole Henriksen's skincare, it turned out that the Aloe Vera Deep Cleanserwasn't quite right for my skin type. I think this would be great for oily skin types, and I am currently using their On the Go Cleanser, which I love!

I've finished a number of Lush items the last few months too! Party Popper* and Snow Globe Soap* are not pictured, but were two of my favorite, citrusy scented items from the holiday collection. We also managed to finish a pot of Lush Whoosh Shower Jelly* and we have another one that is about 1/3 used up. Demon in the Dark Soap* is a fun minty/earthy scented one for the guy in your life. Hair Doctorwas an exciting hair mask with a short shelf life, and unfortunately I left it out of the fridge for a few weeks long after its expiration date. While I'm enjoying other hair products at the moment, I'd definitely consider purchasing this one again. I am also anxiously awaiting the return of Calacas Shower Jelly*, which I hope will make another appearance in upcoming Lush Halloween collections. 

I also had to toss a few mascaras that have been opened for too long. Actually, the Maybelline Great Lash Lots of Lashes has been open since October 2011, and I just feel bad throwing things away. (Don't worry, I hadn't used it since early spring!) Diorshow Maximizer and Maybelline Falsies Flared took me through a great summer and well into fall, and then I decided that 4 months was probably enough...(Does anyone else think the expiration of mascaras is ridiculous and sad? LOL) Oh well, at least I got another Diorshow Maximizer during one of the Sephora sales this winter!

While I feel good about this pile of empties that has taken me 2-3 months to get through, I know I still have a TON of products to use up. The shower is still FILLED with stuff, and I have so many deluxe samples of skincare and haircare...

In 2013, I will continue these posts in hopes of clearing clutter and reducing the collection. I'm also going to keep count of everything, except for sample packets. Now I just have to commit to one product in a category at a time...! Will you be counting your empties this year? :)

Empties!

I am super excited to be showing you guys my very first set of empties! Sadly, none of it is makeup, but I've now realized I have quite a stash of almost finished shower products too! Eek! Really, I think I am just a product hoarder. o_O And oh, I should admit that I've only managed to finish all of these products with the boyfriend's help. Many things were finished over the course of my summer in California, but a number of things were nearly empty from this past winter/spring. I can't account for all the skincare/shower stuff I used in the early months of this year, but it is definitely a proper record of everything that i've finished since May! It is so depressing how long it takes me to finish these things.

C.O. Bigelow Lemon & Pomegranate Cream Body Wash - I always enjoyed all the lemon scented things from C.O. Bigelow, but for some reason this scent never caught on. I am quite picky about scents and many scents can make me nauseous in the morning... Anyway this had a nice creamy texture that was great for springtime. I won't be repurchasing this scent but might consider another one if this winter dries out my skin!

C.O. Bigelow Lemon Shampoo - As I mentioned before, I love this scent. Don't recall the shampoo doing anything special, so I won't be repurchasing even if it does smell so good! :)

Suave Rosemary & Mint Shampoo - I bought this because it was SUPER cheap, like probably $2, and it smelled good. It has a fresh mint scent, but it isn't too strong and the rosemary adds a nice element to it. For $2, it was a reasonable shampoo - cleaned well and left my hair shiny and nice. But I can have a tough time with volume, (ie my hair can often be flat!) and this didn't do anything for that, so I ended up looking for shampoo that would give me volume!

Softsoap Scentations Lemonade Berry Splash Body Wash - My boyfriend and I were OBSESSED with this limited edition spring scent. I think we made it through 2 bottles by early summer. I love these inexpensive shower gels, and they make great bubbles for a bath too. We also finished a bottle of the Sweet Honeysuckle & Orange Peel, which is not pictured. (Have you noticed all I want in a shower gel is a fresh citrusy scent? LOL!)

Organix Rejuvenating Cherry Blossom Ginseng Shampoo - This shampoo smells good (spot a trend here?) and offered a nice shine. It also made my hair feel clean, and wasn't icky if I managed to leave some in my hair (something I tend to do often, yes I fail as a girl!) Most importantly, my hair now has some body, even as it is growing out all the nice layers I used to have! I just started using the macadamia oil one, and am liking that just as much!

Bath & Body Works Paris Amour Shower Gel (travel size) - Sometime last year, I discovered that these shower gels made for amazing bubble bath. Like HUGE 1+ foot bubbles to the point where I think my bath is overflowing! My boyfriend picked out this scent, and we enjoyed it. We also finished a travel size of the Carried Away Shower Gel, which is not pictured and has been a favorite of mine this past year. I don't think I need any shower gel for months, (actually, NOT ALLOWED!!) but I would definitely pick out one of these for bubble baths in the future!

Neutrogena Blackhead Eliminating Scrub - I've been using this since I was a teen, and I don't know why my skin doesn't seem to have the best texture unless I'm using this! Well, I've been faring well with my Ole Henriksen cleansers lately, but really, I want to buy another tube of this ASAP. Unless my skin really changes, I think this will be a favorite for a long time!

Ole Henriksen Sugar Glow Face Scrub (x2) - I thought this was my favorite scrub, but seriously, in comparison to the Walnut Scrub, this has much larger particles and could be harsh for some! I am obsessed with the African Red Tea scent that is in this scrub and a few other products in the line, and this did really brighten my skin when I first started using it a while back. I'm having too much fun trying out other exfoliators so I won't be repurchasing this one again.

I also managed to finish a small size Aspen Bay Capri Blue Volcano Candle, which is my absolute favorite candle ever and I'm amazed at how well it burns. I bought the larger jar, and it is just as amazing. I plan to buy that candle FOREVER! We somehow also managed to get the bottom of a pack of Yes to Cucumbersface wipes to dry out, but I also enjoyed a few packs of those over the last year or so. I won't be repurchasing this again, as I've fallen in love with Koh Gen Do Cleansing Spa Water and will just save my pennies for the bottle and wipes every time.

I have some other things that could be finished up with some focused use, so hopefully I'll have another empties post for you before the end of the year! Maybe next year, I can aim to finish makeup too, lol. Anyway, what are your thoughts on these products or empties in general?? Any advice on using things up? :)