empties Archives -

September Empties

I have finished quite a few things up this month so thought it was time to share the old empties I’ve had stashed away. All too often, people try and throw this stuff away proclaiming it is rubbish and think I’m crazy when I explain I am saving it for a blog post…Moving on!

The Amie Spring Clean Cooling Clay Mask (reviewed here) *pr sample – I wasn’t impressed by this unlike a lot of people. I wouldn’t repurchase.

Wild Rose Revitalising Eye Pads – I received these as a present from Sarah from Life In A Breakdown. They weren’t the best I have ever tried but they sure did the trick in getting me to chill out for five minutes! Unsure about repurchasing.

Simply Pure 3 in 1 Cleansing Facial Wipes – Shock horror, there are some wipes in my empties! However, I rarely use these on my face unless wiping away some rogue mascara. Instead, I use these to clean my hands whilst swatching and blogging – something I multitask at a lot. It is all well and good swatching but do I really want that makeup all over my keyboard? Nope. These are okay and cheap so they will do.

Ole Henriksen Ultimate Lift Eye Gel – No idea where this came from, probably a beauty box. It was in my box of sample sachets so I thought I would give it a go. I wish I hadn’t. It burned so I removed it straight away. Never touching again.

Apivita Express Beauty with Apricot *pr sample – Talked about this at length, it is simply amazing.

Lots of smelly stuff as it comes to the end of summer..

Charlie Enchant body spray – Nothing to say here, it did its job. Will probably repurchase in the future.

Nivea Double Effect Anti Perspirant – Really liked this. Will repurchase in the future but have others to work through right now. Really helped keep me feeling fresh.

Dove Beauty Finish Deodorant – I love Dove deodorants so will buy again, however I also have loads of deodorants to get through right now.

So…? Sinful body spray – Gutted that I finished this so quickly, spritzing this really took me back! I know this will make an appearance again soon.

Charlie Red body spray – Iconic and something I used to wear when I was 14. Still love it. As with most body sprays, I will probably repurchase as it is cheap and smells great.

Co-Operative Mandarin and Lemongrass Shower Gel – I picked this up from my local Co-Op ages ago but since I could open my own bath products shop (I seriously have that many!), I only recently finished it. It smelt amazing but I am not sure if I would repurchase this.

Kelly Brook Couture Bath & Shower Creme – I don’t even want to think about how long it had been in my collection but there was a tiny bit left which seemed okay so I used it. Nothing to write home about.

Linen Blush Hair and Body Wash – I was given this by my friend Em. It was okay and did the job. Not sure I would repurchase though.

nspa Jojoba and White Jasmine Moisturising Shower and Body Wash (reviewed here) *pr sample – I quite enjoyed this and tended to choose it over other products however it didn’t last that long *sob*. I will definitely be picking up another soon.

Champneys Spa Indulgences Distant Shores Body Scrub – I need the large tub of this, it is amazing! The majority of us picked this up at the Herts/Beds meetup and safe to say, we all love it! It smells incredible and you can really see results. Amazing.

Lush Catastrophe Face Mask sample – Quickly put, this wasn’t the worst nor the best I have tried from Lush. Probably won’t pick up again.

Clinique Superbalm Lip Treatment – Loved this. A little on the pricey side but will definitely pick another up.

Ginvera Green Tea Exfoliating Marvel Gel (reviewed here) *pr sample – I love this. I hadn’t used it for a while, came back to it and loved it all over again only for it to finish! Luckily, I had spares! This is amazing, totally recommend.

Argan and Frankincense Cream – Trialled this away from the blog for a while and finally used the last dregs up at the beginning of this month. I used this as a day cream and found it to be pretty good.

Balance Me Wonder Eye Cream – I love this eye cream! I was so gutted to use it up and will be picking another up when I get a chance. I do have quite a few to use up first though.

LP Skin Therapy Refining Lip Exfoliator – Although I love the Look Beauty Lip Smoothie, this is probably the best lip scrub I have tried. Unfortunately, it is quite expensive so it would have to be a real treat for me to consider repurchasing.

MUA Shade 12 Lipstick – I had almost finished it when the lipstick died a death so I thought I may as well put it in this post. I used to adore this lipstick but things quickly overtook it. Whilst I almost used it up, I doubt I’d buy again.

Elizabeth Arden 8 Hour Cream Lip Protectant – Okay, I shall let you into a little secret. I haven’t totally finished this up. There is a little amount in a small plastic tub sitting next to me on my desk right now. However, the bullet snapped whilst in the tube so I fished it out and put it in the tub for use. At the price this is, I am not wasting any especially when it is as good as this! I will definitely repurchase, however I hope I don’t encounter the same problems next time!

What products have you finished up this month?

In Fashion & Beauty

Empties | The June Edition

Rebecca Smith8 Comments

I say this is the June edition of my empties, but I’m not actually sure when I last did one…perhaps January? I actually started collecting my empties, forgot to write up an empties post for a couple of months and threw a load of stuff out – but I decided when I undertook my spending ban last month that I would actually write this post…which I meant to write at the end of May..Oops! Ah well, it’s finally here..

Okay, one or two of these products may not be entirely finished. The L’Oreal Eversleek shampoo & conditioner (reviewed here) was initially a hit with me and I repurchased. However, after using other shampoo and conditioners, I did start to notice that it no longer made my hair feel as fresh and clean as others – so it got added to this empties post and into a bag for my Mum. I am quite disappointed, especially as I liked it enough initially to go out and repurchase.

The Boots Bananarama hair mask hasn’t actually been opened; I won it on a raffle somewhere, found it in my collection and didn’t dare open it to try it! The little pot without a label is the Hairy Jayne Musk Treatment conditioner* sample pot that I mentioned here. I used this sparsely as I loved it so much and was really annoyed to get to the end. I will definitely repurchase at some point, once I’ve got through some other products in my stash. Finally, the L’Oreal Elvive Nutri-Gloss Shine Cream Conditioner is something I know I will also repurchase in the future.

The Collection Primed and Ready Smoothing Make Up Primer, complete with typical Collection packaging i.e the design rubs off; is one of the items I must always have in my make up bag. This feels so silky smooth, a little weird to apply at first, but this is a fantastic product and I am so happy that I received some in the goodie bag from the London meetup, because I really needed it! The foundation is from a set that I was bought a while ago by a family member, the Color Institute Silky Foundation Cream. I wasn’t particularly impressed, but it did the job okay. The Technic Prime It Illuminating Face Primer used to be my primer of choice, but has now been knocked off the perch by the Collection alternative. I would only repurchase if I had to.

I finally finished my holy grail lip product and have already started a new one – this is the Elizabeth Arden 8 Hour Cream Lip Protectant Stick SPF 15. This really helped to save my lips when they were at their worst and despite the price tag, I would always repurchase. The Simple Kind To Eyes Revitalising Eye Roll On is something I consistently repurchased for a while, but I am finding that it does nothing for me now. I am on the look out for an alternative product, any ideas?

This bronzer from The Color Institute was okay, perhaps a little too dark for me but I dropped it and can’t use it now. No real loss though.

Lots of mascara to get through – Avon Supershock Max was good, as all my Avon mascaras tend to be, but didn’t WOW me. I’m currently using a couple that really do impress me, but I will always repurchase Avon mascaras as an old faithful. The 17 Maximum Volume did provide some volume to my lashes but fell short of my expectations. I won the Collection Super Size Fat Lash with some other products late last year and was quite impressed by this; definitely something to pick up if on a budget. The Avon Extra Lasting mascara is another Avon product that I liked but isn’t my favourite.

I found the Avon ColorTrend Plump Out in my stash but unfortunately it had dried out – I used to love this but as I got newer and newer mascaras, this got pushed to the kerb a little. The Chilli Pepper mascara came as a set in a present and I never really got on with this, hence it being pushed to the back of my collection. I mentioned numerous amounts of times on Twitter that I was disappointed with the Rimmel Sexy Curves as it did nothing to make my lashes any longer, fuller..in fact, anything! Finally, here’s a random mascara from my stash which I remember posting about when I first started blogging, hence the reason this is being thrown out!

The Body Shop Strawberry Shower Gel is something I will always repurchase. Love it! I was given some little Wilko Fruity Lemon Shower Creams – they don’t last very long but certainly wake you up in the morning. Great budget buys! The Reb’l Fleur by Rihanna bath and shower gel smelt amazing, I have her perfume too but I am not sure if I would repurchase. Another empties staple is the Mama Naked Calming Bath Foam – I won’t go on about it as you know how much I love it. Another product I love is the Soap & Glory Clean On Me – I tend to pick up the travel sizes as I already have far too much shower gel in my stash!

I picked up the Gingerbread & Cookies hand soap from Poundland not long after Christmas but only got round to using it recently. It definitely has a Christmassy scent which can sometimes be a little overpowering so I don’t know whether I would repurchase. Two products I found in my stash were the Strawberry Surprise Body Cream and the Chocolate Fix Body Wash – I remember trying these and loving them, but I am not going to risk using them now. I mentioned the Joules Very Handy Hand Wash in a previous post and had been keeping this in my kitchen – it finally came to an end and I was very disappointed!

The Botanics Aromatherapy Lavender Gel has been knocking around my stash for ages and I’m actually quite glad to see it go – no real thoughts on this! I found the Avon Clearskin Blackhead Clearing Cleanser and used up the last of it, however I was never really impressed with it. A product I was really impressed by was the Avene Gentle Gel cleanser and will definitely purchase the full size once I’ve made a dent in my cleanser collection. The unbranded body butter was a sample I was sent to trial and was quite heavily scented so although I loved it, it took me a while to use it up as I found it a little overpowering at times. I can’t remember the brand name offhand but will be sure to look it up! Finally, the Vita-E Natural Vitamin E Cream – I reviewed this last year but have only got round to finishing my 3rd tub up recently due to trying out various other products along the way. Definitely something I will be repurchasing.

When it gets to the warmer months, you can guarantee that the speed in which I use up body sprays will triple – I hate the idea that I may smell of sweat so I tend to over do it when it comes to using them! I am gutted to finally finish the Funk Off! Limited Edition Little Chief Honeybee Body Spray – this was part of a set, created for charity in honour of one of my favourite bloggers, and the scent was amazing! Such a shame it was limited edition! Another body spray staple of mine is the Soap & Glory Mist You Madly spray which I already have repurchased – I bought mine from a blog sale because as much as I love it, the price for it is pretty steep!

Impulse Tease was nice but nothing special – I can always rely on Impulse sprays to keep me smelling fresh though. I finished up my Flowers by Kenzo perfume and do have another one but am keen to repurchase very soon – favourite perfume ever! The So…For Me spray was decent but not a patch on the others in the range. I used the mini can of So…Kiss Me within days – it takes me back to being a kid again and I will always love the scent.

I was given the Lush Angel’s Delight soap by Shona a while back and whilst I liked it, it wasn’t necessarily my favourite soap from them. I finally finished the First Aid Beauty Smooth Shave Cream – I used to love this but have since found cheaper and better products. I also finished up two toothpaste minis – I have a whole stash of them at home plus about four open big tubes..oops! These weren’t anything special but were free samples from the websites so who is complaining?

The Simply Pure 3 in 1 cleansing wipes were a little disappointing but since I am trying to cut wipes out altogether, it is no big deal. The Boots Essentials Cleansing Wipes still remain my favourite but I am finding myself using wipes less and less which can only be a good thing!

Lastly, I used up some samples from my little collection – the only thing to really write home about was the Elemental Herbology Facial Glow which I am planning to purchase and the Clearasil Face Wash – I don’t really know why I have samples as I have the full size of this…oops!

What have you finished up recently??

In Fashion & Beauty

January Empties

Rebecca Smith16 Comments

It is once again the end of the month and what does that mean? EMPTIES.

First up, some sachets. The Skin Doctors Eyetuck was something I have tried out before and I’m still not too sure how I feel about it. It is a nice enough product in sample form but I just don’t think I can make that solid an opinion on such a small amount. I have so many of these around my house, I need to use them up. The Montagne Jeunesse Peeling mask has been in my stash for ages now and was what I needed the other week – I don’t proclaim to be the biggest fan of MJ but for once, a mask of theirs really wowed me. The L’Oreal Lumi Magique didn’t wow me but again, a small sample size means I can’t form a solid opinion just yet.

Three little tubs from The Body Shop! I bought these at a charity event in aid of my best friends cousin and finally finished them up this month! The Vitamin E Intense Intense Moisture Cream smelt great and felt great on the skin, I’m definitely thinking about picking up the full size version. The Lemon Shower Gel was only enough for one use but wow, did this wake me up in the morning!

It is no secret that I love The Body Shop’s shower gels so I will definitely be adding this to my shopping list. Finally, the Seaweed Mask. This will teach me for leaving them for a while, by the time I got round to trialling this, it barely existed in the tub, having hardened and shattered. I have only heard good things about this product though so will definitely be testing it out in the future.

Two makeup products this month and you have permission to slap my hand for one of them! Yes, that is the old packaging for the Rimmel Stay Matte Mattifying foundation in 001 Ivory. A little while back, I thought I had run out of this foundation, went out to repurchase and found out that they had changed the packaging. Just after Christmas, I was cleaning out my makeup drawers and what did I find at the back? This! I decided to stop using the newer one for a while in the hope of using this up, and that I did.

This has always been a staple foundation for me and I do have a few stored up (new packaging). However, after years of sticking to one brand, I’m trying to branch out a little and try other foundations too. The Rimmel Hide The Blemish concealer isn’t technically finished, however it died a very sudden death at work the other day. The small amount that was remaining just snapped off and fell onto my staffroom floor so I had to throw it away. This wasn’t a fantastic product anyway and it meant I could finally pick up the much raved about Collection Lasting Perfection concealer. I won’t be repurchasing this Rimmel one.

Let’s get the boring handwash products out of the way! I recently reviewed a pretty little set but I can’t resist picking up the cheap washes at the supermarkets. Don’t get me wrong, I love Radox and other branded versions- however, when it comes to price, the Co-Operative Aloe Vera handwash and the Tesco Everyday Value Handwash come up trumps. Both are bound to be repurchased soon.

Technically, only one of these products is finished: the Radox Moisturise shower wash. I will repurchase this over and over as I just can’t resist Radox shower products. The two Veet products sadly need to go as they are close to going off. I chop and change between shaving my legs and using Veet creams but recently, it has been all about the shaving leaving these two products rather unloved. Although I’ve used Veet for years, I’ve also noticed that the Hair Removal cream is no longer as effective as it used to be, not too sure why. I was also expecting great results from the Hair Minimising Body Moisturiser but was thoroughly underwhelmed with that too.

The final two: an Aquafresh Ultimate miniature toothpaste. I am going to have to start applying for all the freebies again – our stash is now depleted! This was okay, nothing special. I’m still searching for that toothpaste that is the one. Lastly, the Osmo Berber Oil*. I reviewed this here many, many moons ago and have only just finished this. I still remained underwhelmed with this product – there was just something that didn’t click for me.

Have you written an empties post? Leave your link below 🙂

In Fashion & Beauty

December Empties

Rebecca Smith16 Comments

Not as many as last month, however I am remembering to do this for more than one month in a row – so yay for me! Here’s what I have finished up this month…

FROM L-R: Batiste Blush Dry Shampoo Mini, Aquafresh Ultimate toothpaste mini, Vaseline Essential Moisture Clean Feeling Lotion mini, Wilkinson’s Desire body spray, Boots Essentials Cleansing Wipes, Funk Off’s Little Chief Honeybee Shea Butter Soap, Dove Original Anti-Perspirant Deodorant

You all know how much I love a Batiste dry shampoo and it took me mere days to finish this Batiste Blush mini after popping my Brunette can in my November Empties. I am slowly working my way through the range and I love, love, love the fragrance of this one! The Aquafresh toothpaste seems to be becoming a staple item in my Empties; I asked for a free sample months back and I keep receiving them through the post! I have loads of little samples from Aquafresh and Colgate in my house, which I am trying to use up alongside a big tube of Colgate! At least I won’t have to buy any for a while! It does the job but it isn’t the best toothpaste around.

The Vaseline Essential Moisture lotion was one of those products you have sitting around that you just want to use up, no matter what you think of it. I was not keen on this in the slightest so I am glad it has gone now. The Wilkinson’s body spray is something I cannot find on the internet anywhere, leading me to believe it has been discontinued. I have had this for ages, I am one of those people that leaves a body spray at home accidentally so has to buy a new one from the nearest shop! This has been hanging around my handbags and bathroom for ages so I just wanted to get rid. It was a nice fragrance but nothing special.

I keep coming back to the Boots Essential Cucumber Wipes. They do the job I need them to do and are nearly always on offer – what’s not to like? The Funk Off Shea Butter soap was a limited edition charity item (I finished the body lotion in last months empties edition) and I adored it! I only have the body spray left from the set now which I am gutted about, however, I knew this would happen when I bought something limited edition!
Lastly, the Dove Original Anti-Perspirant Deodorant roll-on – I have tonnes of these in my house, I always buy them when they’re on offer and they last for ages! I generally never stray from Dove when it comes to deodorants, I believe they truly are the best!

What products have you used up this month?

In Fashion & Beauty

November Empties

Rebecca Smith6 Comments

Wow, it has been a long time since I’ve done one of these posts! This is probably why there is quite a lot in the pictures this month – I’m awful for remembering to do them, but seeing Sandra’s & Sophia’s empties each month, I’ve been inspired to finish up as much as I possibly can!

The whole stash

Makeup

I used up three makeup products this month but one isn’t pictured as Jack threw the empty casing somewhere – the product missing is the Nivea Sun Protect Lip Balm – I have so many lip products so for me to actually finish one is quite an achievement. I also finished up my ELF Eyelid Primer in shade champagne. I love this product, it was recommended to me by the wonderful Charli and I just adore it so much! I will be repurchasing but I have a few others I want to try out before I do so. The last makeup product I tried was a sample of the Max Factor Face Finity All Day Flawless 3 in 1 foundation. I wasn’t impressed. However, I know it was just a sample so I’ll never say never.

Skincare

Three products in this category too! First up was the Beauty Formulas Anti-Age Care Night Cream. I picked this up ages ago from either a 99p shop or a Poundland. It wasn’t great but it didn’t break me out; to be honest, I was just extremely glad to see it go. Next up, the Rio Rosa Anti-Ageing Day & Night Cream. This was my second pot of this (find a review of my first pot here). I really do think the world of this. Again, this is something I will repurchase – but only once I’ve finished up everything else in my collection. Lastly, the Klair’s Rich Moist Soothing Sheet Mask. This was an extra in my Wishtrend package when they sent me my snail cream product for review – I wasn’t expecting any extras but there was a great abundance of them!! This was just one and it felt great. I am really getting into masks recently and am definitely thinking about giving this another try soon.

Body Care

The first product is the rather unattractive bottle to the left – this used to be a very pretty bottle until I dropped it in the bath and all the writing smudged – oh dear! This was from part of a limited edition collection by Funk Off, a cool, independent Etsy brand. I had seen that they were doing a few products inspired by the gorgeous Kaelah from Little Chief Honeybee and slightly fangirling, I put in an order for a couple of the products. The great thing with their blogger inspired products is that they donate most of the proceeds to the blogger’s favourite charity – how nice is that? This smelt great and felt amazing – it is a pity it was limited edition.

Next up (and rather unglamourous) is the Tesco Everyday Value Cream handwash. It may only be 38p but it smells nice and does the job, so it has become a staple in both the bathroom and the kitchen. I also finished up a bath cream, the Imperial Leather Soft Touch bath cream. As bath creams go, this was alright – not sure whether I’d repurchase or not though. A staple in my empties, it seems, is my Body Shop Strawberry Body Butter. This mini was given to me by a friend and you all know I love it, so I won’t go on! Lastly, there is the Chocolate & Cream soap from the Pamper & Preen Etsy shop. Unfortunately, they are closing down – so as much as I’d love to repurchase this divine product, I simply can’t!

Haircare

Something you should know about me is that I seem to finish off shampoos long before conditioners – hence the L’Oreal Elvive Nutri Gloss Shine Shampoo. Simply put, I love this. Everytime I use it, people ask me if I’ve had something new done to my hair. LOVE. Another product, which is an empties staple for most it seems, is a Batiste Dry Shampoo, this time the one for medium and brunettes. This took me a while to get through but I do like it and will repurchase at some point. I am currently trying out other products in the range first though.

Deodorants/Body Sprays

An Impulse body spray is not a rare sight in my collection; they are just so cheap, quick and easy to buy and pop in your handbag. This scent, Into Glamour, is nice and refreshing – not my favourite from the range though. The other spray is actually Steve’s – but I am well known for stealing his sprays at times (including this one!). This is the Champneys For Men Energising Anti Perspirant Deodorant. I loved this on Steve and loved the scent myself – I’m currently trying to persuade him to repurchase!

The boring stuff…

I wasn’t sure whether to include these, but hey, a gleaming white smile must be relevant to beauty, right?

These three (the Colgate Total, Colgate Sensitive Pro Relief and Colgate Cavity Protection) all do the job expected and are probably going to repurchased at some point. However, I seem to be receiving free samples of toothpaste from Colgate and Aquafresh on a regular basis now (I applied once as who doesn’t love a freebie?) and they just keep coming. I’m not complaining though, have you seen the price of toothpaste these days?

Have you written an empties post? I’d love to read it!