March Empties

So I seem to be slowly trailing off on my empties, but I still managed to finish 3 full size products. Yay! 

I finally finished the bottle of Sponge Ladi Avokanto Oil that Gummy gifted me almost a year ago. (And I think she gifted it to me when it was only half full? Sheesh, I take my time.) One of the first oils I tried last year, I quite liked it in the beginning! This past winter though, I found it did not sink into my skin as well as African Botanics Marula Oil or Boscia Tsubaki Oil, and as a result left my skin feeling a bit parched. As I have other oils I want to try and ones to use up, I don't plan to repurchase this. 

I also liked the Sai Sei Mineral Bath Crystals (review), which were quite nice to use. I won't be repurchasing, as the jar is a bit pricey and I want to try other, less expensive options to see how different they are! And in terms of that big jar of coconut oil, I definitely plan to get another! 

On the sample front, there were a number of them that I liked. Most surprisingly, I loved the Korres Fig Showergel, a deluxe sample that I've had around for ages and ages. I also LOVE the scent of the Aesop Moroccan Neroli Aftershave. I'm contemplating picking up Bumble & Bumble Surf Shampoo and Jack Black Turbo Wash at some point in the future once as well. 

All in all, I still think this was an OK month for empties, don't you? What have you finished this month? Did you repurchase anything? I'd love to know! :)

February Empties!

I'm hoping to keep the streak going and finish more stuff every month this year! (See January's empties post here, in case you missed it!) 

*PR Sample

This month, I got through a lot of deluxe samples - I liked the Bobbi Brown Cleansing Oil, but I prefer Tatcha's by a hair. The Josie Maran Argan Oil was just ok, and while I liked Living Proof Full Shampoo, it didn't wow me. I used up another Lush Ceridwen's Cauldron Bath Melt* and really revived my love for the volumizing Lush Roots Hair Treatment*. Aveda Stress Fix Body Lotion had a nice and calming scent, and while I always like Philosophy shower gels, I don't plan to purchase these.

I prefer Shiseido over the Koh Gen Do Pure Cottons as they are much cushier, and while I enjoyed my little sample of Chantecaille Vital Essence, I'm too scared to think about the price and buying a full size one! I have the same thoughts towards my samples of Aesop Parsley Seed Facial Treatment and Omorovicza Gentle Buffing Cleanser - quite nice, but not for me to purchase until I use up more! Oh, the little jar of Sai Sei body wash was nice too - I loved how it didn't leave any lingering scents and made me really just smell like me. 

Oh, and as I was using the Eve Lom Cleanser sample, I was shocked to note that this seriously pricey cleanser has mineral oil, lanolin, and parabens. That seems like a whole lot of potentially unfriendly ingredients for a cleanser that retails at $50 for 1.7oz! 

I finally made it through the last bits of my much loved Diptyque Rose Duet candle, and I'm thrilled to be able to reuse this lovely jar somewhere around the house. My visit to NYC early in the month also gave me the chance to try some Molton Brown! I ended up using up a shampoo as well as the Ylang Ylang body wash and body lotion. I loved some of their other scents I've encountered, so I may look into those sometime. I also tried a sample of Aesop Fabulous Face Cleanser, which is a nice gel cleanser that gets your face feeling clean but not at all stripped or dry. 

And last but not least, I ended up clearing out a few items I had just let get too too old. Sad. Nothing much to say about them except why why why did I let my tub of Lush Ocean Salt* get water in it and get all weird? I definitely need more of that! 

All in all, I'd say this was a pretty successful month of empties! What do you think? What have you been finishing this month? I'd love to know!

January Empties!

I think the stars were aligned for me this month because I really managed to finish a lot of products! Look at that! So many full sizes! I feel like this has been my best round of empties yet, since I feel like I normally don't finish much at all. :)

I don't plan to repurchase Organix Macadamia Oil Shampoo or Lush Dream Cream, as there are options from both brands that I like even better. The Eucerin Skin Calming Itch Relief Lotion* (review) was a good one as well, but I'm fully obsessed with African Botanics at the moment so don't plan to repurchase.

I have previously repurchased and have backups of First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream (review) and Koh Gen Do Cleansing Spa Water (review). I definitely plan to purchase Lush Dirty Springwash*(review) again once I use up all my shower gels! 

I had to toss a few deluxe samples - Juice Beauty Green Apple Peel, Lashfood Eyebrow Serum, Chanel Inimitable Intense Mascara - as I suspect they were too old or even in the process of drying up. (If you have those Chanel mascara samples, use them up fast cause this one was terribly packaged!) No purchases among the skincare sample packets, but I am already missing my sample of Pai Rosehip Regenerating Oil from the Spirit Beauty Lounge sample kit that I bought in the winter (review).  

I've loved and repurchased the Nars Pro Prime Smudgeproof Eye Base as well as Fairydrops Scandal Queen Mascara (review), and my latest love is for Neom Organics bath oils. Seriously, this little sampler kit was such a treat to use - the oils were hydrating and the scents were so luxurious. I will definitely be buying full sizes of these oils once I declutter the stash! 

And last but not least... empties from Mr. Bunny! My friend Gummy always shares her husband's empties, so I thought I would share my fiance's! Most of the time he just uses my products, but these were exclusively his. He was saving the last dredges of his Jack Black Body Rehab Scrub & Muscle Soak, and when he politely asked for a new one, I ran to hit checkout! He also loved his Anthony Logistics Deep Pore Cleansing Mask (review), but by the end he was curious to try something new. I got him a new mask today, so perhaps you will see his review of it on here soon! 

Do let me know if you have any questions about these products! What did you use up this month? Are any of these favorites of yours? :)

Last Empties of 2013! November & December

I didn't end up finishing as much as I was hoping at the end of 2013, but I thought I ought to share anyway. After all, the whole purpose of me posting about them was to keep track of what I was using up! 

*PR Sample

First, I'll start off with the items I don't have in the picture! 

Lush Holiday Bath Bombs: Bombardino, Shoot for the Stars & Luxury Lush Pud* 
My favorite of the 3 was Shoot for the Stars, but check out my original post here. Lush holiday items are always fun, and I definitely look forward to what's in store next year! 

Lush Ceridwen's Cauldron Bath Melt* 
I quite liked this cute reusable bath melt that softened my skin. Check out my original post here! 

Osmia Organics Organic Tea Bath* 
I always wanted to try a tea themed product for the bath, and this was a great start! Check out my review here.

Neom Luxury Organics Travel Candle in Sumptuous
I quite enjoyed trying this light floral orange blossom candle. Neom candles burn well and have a great scent to them, so I'm quite pleased with my introduction to the line! I would definitely purchase other scents once I use up the pile of candles I have. :)

Now onto the items in the photo above! 

Tatcha Pure One Step Camellia Cleansing Oil*
I'm totally in love with this stuff. Maybe you've heard me talk about it. ;) This is just perfect for my dehydrated skin - check out my original review here. I've totally bought another sample size AND a full size. :)

Beautannia Columbia Road Candle* 
I really enjoyed this Beautannia candle and am this close to hitting checkout on a sampler set of Beautannia candles. Check out my original review here. 

Lush Fair Trade Honey Shampoo* 
I quite enjoyed using up this shampoo, but was totally sad when I dropped the bottle and broke the bottom! Of the Lush shampoos I've tried so far, this one is my favorite for my fine hair. Will definitely consider repurchasing once I use up my shampoo stash. (Yes, shampoo stash. How did this happen??) 

Chantecaille Flower Infused Cleansing Milk (deluxe sample)
I quite liked using this sample but I don't think I would ever shell out $64 for it. I loved the creamy texture, which wasn't stripping on my dehydrated skin and kept my skin feeling soothed. This sample only lasted about two weeks, so I can't say if it made measurable improvements on my skin and I definitely can't bring myself to shell out the big bucks on a cleanser! 

Life NK Mighty Mitts Hand Cream (deluxe sample) 
I quite enjoyed this hand cream sample and loved the light fresh scent. I think it is the perfect hand cream for spring and summer! Check out my original post here. I would consider repurchasing this but can't seem to find it on Space NK's US site?? 

There was nothing of note in the pile of miscellaneous samples I tried, though I did use up a sample pot of Armani Luminous Silk that I had laying around. I had to toss a dried out bottle of Seche Vite - seriously, I think I bought this in 2007 and I don't even care that it is dead now lol. I also had to toss the mini Benefit Watt's Up because the product fell out of the tube onto the floor. GROSS! 

All in all, I didn't do so great on this round of empties. But I felt just a tiny bit better when I counted up my empties from the year. This is what I finished! 

• Full Size - 30 (lots of bath bombs though, so maybe that doesn’t count)
• Travel Size -17
• Deluxe Sample - 21
• Sample Packets - 55

So, how did you do with using up products in 2013? Did you find yourself using up a lot of products in November and December, or were you like me?? Hehe, I'd love to know!