March 2014 Empties

Yep, so it's almost halfway through the month again and I'm only just getting to posting my empties for the previous month. I cannot believe how quickly time seems to fly these days!

Anyway, here's what I managed to use up during March as well as my thoughts:

1) KMS California Curl Up Conditioner - I was using this in conjunction with the Curl Up Shampoo but I always seem to finish conditioners before I finish a shampoo. Truthfully I didn't really notice any benefit to my curly hair after using this. If anything it made my hair seem less able to hold it's curl than normal so I don't think I will be repurchasing.

2) Jurlique Balancing Foaming Cleanser - This cleanser lasted for months and months and I really enjoyed the smooth, clean feeling I got after each use. My one main gripe and the reason why I probably wouldn't repurchase has to be the smell. It's got a very, very strong herbal smell that is just too overpowering for me and being that I suffer from migraines I had to steer clear of using this a lot because the smell could make me feel quite nauseous sometimes.

3) Jurlique Purely Age Defying Ultra Firm and Lift Cream - This was a very thick cream that I ended up using at night due to it being way too thick for my skin for day time use. It's one of those creams that you can literally feel sitting on the top of your skin so putting it on at night before bed suited me so I could go to sleep and not notice it so much. It did make my skin feel nice and soft in the morning but again it had a very strong herbal scent that was a bit too much for me on a daily basis.

4) Nivea Stress Protect Anti-Perspirant - I really love this deodorant and have already repurchased. Enough said.

5) Rubifresh Hydrating Body Gel - I didn't find this gel to be very hydrating at all but I have very dry skin that is prone to eczema so usually need quite a thick moisturiser to make my skin feel hydrated. It did have an interesting smell that was almost minty but unfortunately it's not something I would repurchase.

6)  Palmolive Ayurituel Joyous Shower Gel - This really seems to be the month of the bad smells for me! I thoroughly disliked the smell of this as it was way too intense for me. It reminded me of a shampoo type of scent and is not something I would repurchase.

7) Neutrogena Deep Clean Gentle Scrub - I really like this scrub and have used it many times over the years in either a full size or sample tube. It scrubs thoroughly without feeling too scratchy or irritating my skin and is definitely something I would purchase again.

8) Avene Rich Hydrating Cream and Soothing Moisture Mask - I didn't have any issues with either of these products but also can't really rave about them either as the samples are a bit too small to really get much of an opinion from them.

9) Gaia Skincare Lavender & Frankincense Facial Moisturiser - I really liked this moisturiser for the handful of uses I got out of this small sample. The smell is lovely and it was light enough to use in the morning without making my skin feel too greasy. I would most likely consider purchasing this if the opportunity ever came up. 

So that's it for another month. Until I wrote out this post I didn't realise how many products were bothering me with their scent over the past couple of months. Maybe my nose is just a bit too sensitive or something??

Oh well, I hope everyone is having a lovely weekend.

Michelle xx

June Empties

So it's been so long since I did an empties post and I kind of missed keeping track of what I use up every month so am starting them again. I guess that's the OCD part of me rearing it's head.

Anyway, here's what I used up in June:

1) Dermalogica Age Smart Renewal Lip Complex - I wasn't impressed at all by this (hence the reason I never bothered reviewing it). I didn't notice any different in the texture or fine lines around my lips and actually think it irritated me more than anything if I wore it a few days in a row.

2) Burt's Bees Soap Bark & Chamomile Deep Cleansing Cream - Not a big fan of this either. It had a cooling sensation on the skin which I just found uncomfortable in winter and it seemed to burn a little around the edges of my nose . My skin also never really felt clean after using this either.

3) Avene Ystheal Emulsion - This was a sample and didn't make enough of an impression for me to want the full size product. It had a weird yellow tinge to it that I could see on my skin which I didn't like at all.

4) Be in Awe Shaanta Night Balm - This cream smells like cough syrup which I found just odd when putting it on my face. It did make my skin nice and soft but was just so hard to get out of the container. My thumb is now able to break rocks from pumping the top on this thing.

5) Lancome Genifique Youth Activator - This is a lovely serum that makes my skin feel so smooth and my pores seem to just disappear after use. I just wish I could afford a full size tube of this!

6) Davroe Lemongrass Detangler - I absolutely loved this product and used it every time I washed my hair before trying to put a comb in it. It left my hair nice and soft and stopped a lot of frizz from happening. I've actually missed it since I finished it so will be looking into getting some more I think.

7) Dove Go Fresh Deodorant in Nectarine & White Ginger - I seem to use this deodorant religiously. I will try another in between and then always go back to this one. Unfortunately, this can is virtually full but the spray mechanism has seized for some reason and won't work so it has to be chucked, boo!

8) Clinique High Impact Mascara in Black - This is one of my most favourite mascaras and I have had so many of them over the years (I may have a bit of an obsession with getting Clinique gift-with-purchases and they always have one in there). My lashes always look so lush and long when I use this and it never clumps or smudges even after the longest or hottest day. I think the brush is awesome too.

9) Pure DKNY fragrance - I suck at describing fragrances so I won't even attempt to. I liked this enough to use up the sample but wouldn't buy it for myself. It just doesn't wow me enough.

10) OP Therapy Body Hydrator with Emu Oil - Oh boy, this has been a skin saviour for me since winter hit. It's such a lovely thick cream that makes my dry, itchy and eczema prone skin give a big sigh of relief when applied. It's supposed to be unscented but it still has a natural 'animal oil' kind of smell to it so isn't completely scent free. It just doesn't have any artificial scents added to it which I like. I will definitely be getting myself some more of this.

11)  Spa Fresh Blends Romantic Discovery Bathing Ritual - This was a gorgeous bath powder which had a lovely scent but I really disliked the 30,000 pieces of rose petal that was left behind in my bath each time I used it.

12) Emergin C Scientific Organics Phytocell Cream - I used this at night before going to bed and really liked it. There wasn't anything remarkably overwhelming about it but it was still a nice cream that left my skin feeling moisturised and soft at night.

13) Kerastase Resistance Ciment Thermique - I've had a few of these sachets to sample lately and I find it great to use when I straighten my hair but not for any other use. It's a bit too thick for my fine hair and weighed it down too much to use everyday.

So, that's what I managed to get through during June. It wasn't a huge month but good enough.

Michelle xx