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

November Empties

Yeah, this post is a little late but we have had almost a week without internet at home and I am only just catching up on everything that fell behind because of that.

This month has been a huge month for using up products, mainly because of the amount of samples I receive now because of the monthly beauty sample boxes.

See below:

1) Marc Jacobs 'Oh Lola' Sample - I really loved this perfume and have been using it quite a bit. It's surprising how much use you get out of those little spray bottles.

2) Palmolive Naturals Shower Gel with Almond Oil & Vanilla - I can't even remember when I bought this shower gel as it literally lasted forever. I swear there were some little Palmolive elves coming into my shower every week and refilling this bottle. Talk about a good value shower gel. This is maybe one to keep as a backup in your bunker for when the world ends and you won't be able to make it to the shops for a while :-)

3) John Frieda Full Repair Shampoo & Conditioner samples - These were nice products to use but nothing to really rave about. I think I only got about three uses out of each one so not really enough time to come to any real conclusion.

4) Sunsilk Super Shine Shampoo & Conditioner travel sizes - I originally purchased these to put in my hospital bag when I was going in to give birth to my son and then completely forgot about them when I got home. I eventually found them again when looking through my bathroom cabinet and decided to just use them up. This is a nice no frills shampoo and conditioner.

5) QV Bath Oil - I love this stuff and put a little into every bath no matter what else I've put in there too. I've also put a small amount into my son's bath now and then if he had any skin flare ups. It leaves you feeling so soft and really helps with any eczema or dry patches you might have.

6) MOR Body Butter samples in Belladonna and Italian Blood Orange - It is no secret that I have a MOR fetish and I received these samples with my last full size body butter order. The Italian Blood Orange is just delicious.

7) Clinique Clarifying Lotion - This was a great toner and made my skin feel super clean and seemed to really help my moisturiser sink in. I think I received this as a gift with purchase many moons ago and was another product I found in my bathroom a while ago and decided to finally use up.

8) Kerastase Shampoo & Treatment samples - These sachets just didn't contain enough product to adequately cover my hair. I could manage to work in the shampoo all over but the treatment was nowhere near enough. I don't even have very long hair (it's only a few centimetres past my shoulders) and it's very fine so there's no way these would be enough for anyone with normal hair.

9) Erborian BB Creme and Elixir Au Ginseng samples - I was surprised at how many uses I got out of each of these samples. I think I got about 3-4 days out of the BB Creme because it was so thick and about 3 uses out of the Elixir. This BB Creme was thicker than most foundations I have used and was a little hard to rub into my face at times. A little really goes a long way and it covered everything! The Elixir was a gorgeous consistency and made my skin feel so super soft after use. I also liked the way it didn't make my face feel sticky after applying like some of these creams have a tendency to do.

10) ROC Complete Lift samples - I am in love with this cream and have been using it every day in the mornings before applying my makeup. It makes my skin look awake and feel super soft. I had a bit of raw red skin around my nose a week or so ago after having a cold that just wouldn't go away and this cream has healed this skin perfectly without any stinging or irritation.

11) Gatineau Anti-Wrinkle Concentrate sample - This sample was teeny weeny tiny and I think I only got 2-3 uses out of it so really not enough to tell whether it was much good or not. I did like the smell, I can at least say that much.

So that's it for November.

I hope everyone is looking forward to Xmas this year? This will be our first Xmas with our little man as a family so it should be super fun!