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

August Empties

These empties span the last month or so. It always takes me ages to finish things and I was shocked at how my poor my efforts were when I read Lola's Secret Beauty Blog's recent post. I seriously need to put more effort in! I'm actually toying with the idea of a project to start using up some of my lipsticks. It gives me the fear but honestly, I think I fear having to throw away barely used items that have gone off more. Anyway...

I used these moisturisers up a little while ago now and they had a mention in my skin care post at the beginning of the month. I love the Emma Hardie Hydrating Lighter Lotion*, as you might expect from the name, it has a light fluid texture and is really hydrating. I found it created a nice luminous base for my makeup, the only downside for me is the lack of SPF. The Perricone MD Moisturiser* also has quite a light texture, although it does have some strange knobbly bits in it. Of the two, the Emma Hardie is my favourite and something I am likely to re-purchase in the future.

I bought the L'Oreal Elvive Triple Resist Shampoo and Conditioner as I took too long dilly-dallying over what to try next and needed to buy something quickly. I've not used Elvive for years and I admit to feeling a bit naughty having strayed from an SLS free formula. I got on OK with the Triple Resist and it did seem to help with the knotty bits at the back of my head.

When I ran out of both Elvive bottles at the same time, I started using up all the sachets and odds and ends I had lurking in the bathroom including the Rahua sachet pictures. The Rahua Voluminous Shampoo and Conditoner doesn't suit my easily knotted hair but after much agonising over the cost (and enabling on Twitter), I decided to buy a full size bottle of the original Rahua Shampoo and Conditioner from Content Beauty. These have just arrived, so I will report back on how I got on in a few weeks.

I was really sad to use up the Apivita Body Nourish shower gel*, which I originally reviewed here. It has such a luxurious creamy feel and a lovely scent. Thankfully Apivita is available online from Marks & Spencers now, so I will stock up on more when I run out of the children's Apivita products too.

The Bioderma Crealine micellar water is something else that featured in my current skin care post. I wasn't sure about replacing it but decided it would be silly not to when I had the opportunity. I tend to use it when I'm feeling lazy, instead of resorting to wipes or to remove my makeup before a cream or balm cleanse. I know it has a cult status but unless you're a makeup artist, I would say it's useful but definitely not an essential.

It makes a nice change to include an item that isn't skin care. I finally took the reed sticks out of the  Jo Malone Red Roses Scent Surround Diffuser* at the end of last week, so it's lasted three and half months. Whenever the scent started to fade, I turned the sticks around and this worked well to refresh the scent. There's no doubting that the Jo Malone diffusers are expensive but it's great to know that they last well.

Hopefully next month I will have even more empties to share. I live in hope that one of these days, I'll actually be able to include some makeup!

* These items were originally sent without cost for review purposes.

Recent Empties

This post was originally scheduled for March this year. I didn't think I really had enough items for a full post, so I held off until I had a few more empties. I think the fact that it is now mid June speaks volumes about how long it takes for me to use things up!

The first three items pictured here are REN's Frankincense Revitalising Night Cream, John Frieda Root Awakening Shampoo and Caudalie Vinoperfect Day Cream. I received the Frankincense Night Cream* in an event bag a long time ago. I liked the texture of the cream but wasn't keen on the scent. I managed to tolerate the smell in order to use it as I found the cream suited my skin (it's quite light for a night cream) but this isn't something I would repurchase simply because I'm not a fan of frankincense.

The John Frieda Root Awakening Shampoo* was almost the reverse of the REN situation. I loved the smell but didn't get on with the formula. It is quite a thick cream shampoo and I found it difficult to rinse the product away thoroughly. My scalp would often feel 'heavy' with the residue and I noticed I would get spots around the hairline and back of my neck when I used this every wash. I got on better with it when used it in rotation with other shampoos. 

When I reviewed the Caudalie Vinoperfect Day Cream back in January, I had a little gripe about the price for a 30ml tube. I still stand by this, however I suspect I will re-purchase this in the future as I really liked the cream and found it suited my skin.

I bought this bottle of Mavala Mild nail polish remover in Sephora last year. Although it does contain acetone, I find this remover is less drying and better suited to my fragile nails than other acetone-free formulas that I have tried. I suspect you can buy this in chemists that have a Mavala stand but I haven't managed to find it anywhere other than online. A 250ml bottle costs £7.10 from Feel Unique.

These are some of my more recent empties. I'm cheating a bit by including the Emma Hardie Amazing Face Cleansing Wash* as there is enough left for a couple more washes. I know that foaming face washes aren't everyone's cup of tea but they're a staple in my routine and I particularly like how gentle this one is.

I wrote about the Kneipp Pure Bliss range* quite recently and mentioned how much I liked the body wash. I love the smell and will definitely be buying this again. Like the Mavala remover, I think it's easier to find Kneipp online. The Body Wash costs £4.95 from Victoria Health.

Trying the I Love My Muff range seems to have changed my washing habits permanently. Having previously used shower gel all over, I'm now quite used to using a separate product for my...erm, delicate area. The Apivita Intimate Wash* with tea tree & propolis has quite a strong herbal fragrance but is low foaming and gentle on the skin. I was really pleased to see that Apivita is now available from Marks & Spencers. They don't stock the Intimate Wash (too much shock potential maybe?) but they do have the lovely Body Nourish shower gel that I reviewed previously.

Are you good at finishing products or do you have a bathroom full of half empty bottles like me? What have you used up recently?


Disclosure: Items marked with an asterisk were received without cost either for review or as part of an event bag.

Apivita Body Nourish Shower Gel

I have been trying a number Apivita products recently and there are more reviews to come, but I did want to give this shower gel a quick mention. I know there's often not much to say about body wash: it foams, it cleans and it may or may not make you smell nice. However, I have recently discovered that not all body washes are created equal and it really made me appreciate how nice this one is.

The Body Nourish Shower Gel for Dry Skin with almond and lavender smells beautiful. It is more like a cream than a gel in texture, produces a luxurious foam and leaves my skin feeling soft and clean. I don't particular my skin to be dry but as I frequently don't have time to apply body lotion, this is actually an ideal product. The Apivita products are made from mostly natural ingredients (the exact percentage varies but the figure are on their website) and this product is free from parabens, proplyene gycol, mineral oil and ethanolomine. It also contains lavender, neroli, geranium and rosewood essential oils to 'lift your mood and relieve stress'. After all the sickly children and broken nights I've had recently, my mood definitely needs lifting first thing!

Apivita do a whole variety of different shower gels for different skin types, so you're sure to find one that suits you. The Body Nourish shower gel costs €12.20 (approximately £10) and shipping within Europe costs €9 for orders under €50, so it makes sense to buy a few things in one order. For orders over €70 shipping is free.


Disclosure: Sample was sent to me without cost for consideration for review.