September Empties

I know this is a little late for a September post but I had a computer meltdown recently that meant a lot of my prepared blog photos were held hostage on a hard drive that my laptop was failing to recognise. I was surprisingly devastated about the loss of these pictures as September was a particularly prolific month for empties. Thanks to my local Apple Genius and a new hard drive cable, I've been re-united with my precious photos of empty bottles (don't say a word)!

Melvita Berry Body Wash* // Neal & Wolf Daily Cleansing Shampoo* // Haus of Gloi Pumpkin Butter in Odette // Apivita Baby & Kids Mild Body Was in Lavender and Honey* // Haus of Gloi Pumpkin Butter in Samhain // Lise Watier Foaming Face Wash // Tresemme Naturals Conditioner

I won't write about all the items in detail as there are too many to talk about in one post, instead I will focus on the most notable mentions. The Melvita Berry Body Wash* was a delight to use. I love berry scents and this has a slightly tart edge which prevents it from smelling too synthetic or sickly. It didn't leave my skin dry either which is essential for a good shower gel.

I set myself on a mission to use up all of my stray pots of Haus of Gloi with the promise of a new full size pot of Samhain once I was done. Of the two pumpkin butters pictured above, Samhain is my favourite. I can't claim to be any good at describing it so I will point you in the direction of London MakeUp Girl as she is infinitely better at these things and always spot on. Odette was described as a clean linen smell on the HoG website and I think this is pretty accurate. I liked the scent best when first applied as one of the notes seemed to develop on my skin after a while and become a little over-powering, losing that initial clean fragrance.

I have been meaning to talk about the Apivita range for children for ages and now that the range is more accessible in the UK, I feel less guilty raving about it. My children absolutely loved having their own shampoo and shower gel to test for me. Fortunately, they weren't terrified by the strange looking girl's head with saucer eyes and the body of a bee either (just me then!). I loved the gentle scent of this Lavender and Honey body wash* and it made them smell positively angelic just before bed.

Rouge Bunny Rouge Sketches on Water Tinted Moisturiser // Botanics Soothing Eye Make Up Remover // Organic Surge Peach Passion Shower Gel // Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer Sample

I was very sad to finish my RBR Tinted Moisturiser as it's been one of favourite bases for a long time. I purchased it in the shade Adansonia which at times I felt might be a little too light, however it always blended in extremely well. I have tried samples of the RBR foundation (you can request samples from Zuneta) with a view to purchasing a foundation as replacement but I actually prefer the coverage of their tinted moisturiser. I suspect I will re-purchase in the future but I need to finish up a few more of my foundations and tinted moisturisers before I can justify any more purchases.

Both the Botanics Soothing Make Up Remover and Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer are worthy of mention as products I didn't really get on with. I'm still a bit 'meh' about the Hourglass Primer as I expected to love it and I believe it's one of their bestsellers. It didn't seem to do anything for my skin or the lasting power of my makeup, I have a suspicion it was the cause of a small breakout on my forehead too. I didn't get on with the Botanics remover at all. It's a bi-phase remover and I should realise from past experience that I find these way too greasy on my skin.

Avenoo Hand Cream // Haus of Gloi Spring Tonic #1 Whipped Soap // Haus of Gloi Pumpkin Butter in Hearth // Lady Mitchum Roll-On Anti-Perspirant

The Avenoo Hand Cream and Lady Mitchum Anti-Perspirant are both staples in my life. My hands turns painfully dry soon as we hit mid-September and the Avenoo is the only cream that really repairs and protects them. I've already re-purchased a tube as I can't be without. I realise that anti-perspirant is not the most glamourous beauty item but an essential nonetheless. I've been using Mitchum for years and it's failed me on very few occasions.

I loved using the Haus of Gloi Spring Tonic #1 Whipped Soap as I mentioned in my recent Shower Favourites post. It was gone all too quickly and I'm tempted to try more of the whipped soaps when I place my next HoG order. One item I won't be rushing back for is the Hearth Pumpkin Butter (Christmas release). The fragrance didn't suit me at all and Mr MB would always know when I'd applied my 'cake cream' as it scented our whole house. Of course, I martyred myself finishing it up rather than putting it in the bin like a normal sane person.

Thanks for reading if you managed to make it this far. You'll be relieved to hear that October's Empties won't be anywhere near as product heavy!

* PR samples are indicated with an asterisk