April & May Empties 2017!

Last month, I decided I didn’t have enough empties to warrant a whole post as I’d used so many things whilst I was away and I hadn’t bothered to drag the empties back home! I thought i’d roll April & May into one post and now two months have gone by, my empties box is literally full to the brim! I wanted to try and use a lot of samples up as they seem to be taking over my room and I’m quickly running out of space! Hopefully that will explain the explosion of empties you’re about to see and why there are just so many minis!

MAKEUP:

• MAC Shanghai Spice Lipstick – This has been the most easy to wear lipstick! It’s a gorgeous peachy nude and just perfect for chucking on on a daily basis! I saved this for my back to MAC and I am hoping to get this lippie again in the future!
• Body Shop Instablur Primer – I honestly feel that this is one of the only primer I have ever used that actually works! Ive written a whole post on it so I won’t go into too much detail but I am definitely sad that this is over! I would definitely pick this up again!
• LA Girl Pro Conceal – This is a great concealer that also adds a touch of highlight under the eyes when you use a lighter shade! I’ve got some other concealers to use up but this is a bargain and I’d totally buy it again!
• Too Faced Born This Way Foundation – I can’t believe how quickly I made it through this bottle to say I use so little each time! It provides a nearly flawless base and blends in like a dream. The shades do lean towards the yellow end of the spectrum but personally I really like this! I have a few foundations to use up but I’d buy this again!
• Clinique Superbalanced Silk Foundation Sample – This is what started off my love for this foundation! This sample lasted ages and now I’m finally onto my full bottle!
• 3 MAC Nail Varnishes – These were in the shades Nightfall, Steamy & Rougemarie (I think this was the red one, i’m not 100% sure). These had just gotten old and seeing as I have acrylics now, I thought I would back to MAC them so I could FINALLY get a new lipstick with my empties!
• Chanel Mascara Sample – I honestly can’t even remember a) the full name of this or b) whether it was any good or not. In my mind that means it can’t have been too great so I’m not going to think much about it now!

FRAGRANCE:

• Chanel Chance Eau Tendre Refill – My God Mother bought me a gorgeous Chanel perfume set at Christmas which came with a perfume spray and 3 20ml refill containers to fit inside. I have made my way through the first one and in typical Chanel Chance fashion, it is fresh and easy to wear on a day to day basis! Lucky for me I have two more refills to go!
• YSL Mon Paris Sample – I can’t remember where I got this but it was pretty average. A bit sweet for my liking and not nice enough to make me want to buy it.
• Chanel Chance Eau Vivre Sample – Nordstrom have this amazing sample system where you can try things out at your own leisure before you buy. I completely took advantage of this and got so many samples! This was one of my favourite perfumes last summer and having this sample rekindled my love with it. Now I want a full size bottle, damn!

SKINCARE:

• REN Flash Rinse 1 Minute Facial – I really like this face mask but it goes off so quickly! Once oxygen gets to the tube the product goes a really weird colour and has a pretty gross smell. Despite liking it a lot, I wouldn’t buy it again as I don’t use it often enough to stop it going off!
• Evolve Beauty Hyaluronic Serum
• Simple Cleansing Oil – This is amazing and such a bargain! It left my skin clean and soft without feeling stripped! If you are on a budget then definitely pick this up, I honestly would pay double the price for this!
• Dior Hydra Life Micellar Water – I LOVED this but I made a boo boo and dropped it and lost a good third of the bottle on the floor! It’s pricey but I found it to be one of the nicest micellar waters I’ve ever tried. I’m trying to psych myself up to shell out over £20 for the full bottle. Damn you Dior!
• Lancôme Bi Facil Eye Makeup Remover – I’m pretty sure i’ve had one of these before and its a nice eye makeup remover but not so amazing that I have to run out and buy the full size.
• MAC Eye Makeup Remover Sample – I was pleased to see a new MAC sample available at the checkout when I placed an order a while ago! This was nice and unlike bi-phase it wasn’t oily in the slightest. I think I probably would pick this up at some point as it was so gentle yet effective!
• Tarte Maracuja C-Brighter – By far the nicest eye cream I’ve ever got to use! It brightened and nourished and was really enjoyable to use! If it becomes easier to buy in the UK i’d buy the full size!
• LUSH Ultra Bland Cleanser Sample – I HATED this with a passion! When I tried this in the store at the Nottingham event it looked really effective but one use of this at home on an actual face of makeup, it was useless. I didn’t even finish this sample and I definitely won’t be buying it as it left 90% of my makeup on my face!
• Clinique Take The Day Off Cleansing Balm Sample – In contrast to the LUSH sample, I really really enjoyed this and it was so effective at taking my makeup off without having to rub at my skin. I’ve got a stack of cleansers but I’m buying this when some of them have been used!
• Eve Lom Cleanser Sample – This was lovely but it is pretty pricey! Did the job but I think there are plenty of other good cleansers that are a hell of a lot cheaper!
• Kate Somerville Exfolikate Sample – I’ve read so many good reviews of this but I honestly found it did nothing. On my hand it showed great potential but on my face, nothing!
• Sunday Riley Blue Moon Cleansing Balm Sample – I’ve never tried any Sunday Riley products and this cleansing balm really was lovely. It felt luxurious but I don’t think it’s worth £46 in my opinion so I won’t buy the full size!

FACEMASKS & PACKETS:

• Sephora Lotus Face Mask – Possibly the best sheet mask I have ever used! It’s so nourishing and soaks into the skin really well. Damn Sephora for not being in the UK as I would definitely make sure I had a constant supply of these otherwise!
• Tony Moly Broccoli Face Mask – I’m still unsure whether the Tony Moly Masks actually do anything of real benefit. This was one of the better ones weirdly but not so much so that I want to buy more sadly.
• Daiso BB Face Mask with Hyaluronic Acid – I picked this up from the Daiso store in Seattle and it came in a pack of 2 for something like $1.85. It was definitely worth the price and was quite plumping and nourishing! Give it a try if you have a Daiso store nearby!
• Kiehls Ultra Facial Oil-Free Cleanser Sample – I didn’t like this at all, it felt very drying and stripping and just generally a bit too harsh for my liking. Totally not worth the hype in my opinion!
• Tarte Pack Your Bags 911 Undereye Rescue Patches – I really really enjoyed using these! They were so cooling and the jelly texture meant they actually stayed on my face for the duration! If I could pick these up easily, I would in a heartbeat!
• Aesop Parsley Seed Mask Sample – I’ve heard great things about this from bloggers and I did really like it actually. It’s a while since I used this sample but I have another one too so I’ll give you a better review next time i’ve used it as I just cannot remember! I know I really liked it though!

MISCELLANEOUS:

• Body Shop Vanilla Chai Shower Gel – I normally love Body Shop shower gels but this was incredibly thick and hard to get out of the bottle. The scent was a bit average too. It was limited edition at Christmas but i’m really glad I bought more of the Spiced Apple instead to last me throughout the year!
• Nivea Stress Protect Deodorant – Randomly I had a deodorant change as I seemed to have waded my way through my huge backlog! This was pretty good actually and lasted well through out the day! Nivea, Dove and Vaseline are definitely my deodorants of choice!
• Yankee Candle Small Jar in Sea Salt & Sage – Sadly another limited edition product! I couldn’t understand why as the scent was so lovely and fresh, however it was not very strong when it was burning. I mean I really don’t like strong candles but this was potentially even a little too subtle for me! I went through three of the votives in this scent too during May and I have one and a half votives left to use up.
• Bath & Body Works Pink Hibiscus Hand Gel – When I was travelling with Emily, she gave me this as she said she was fed up with the scent. I actually really liked it as it was fresh and not too sickly unlike many of the other Bath & Body works scents! I wish I’d got another one in this fragrance!
• LUSH The Mod Father Bubble Bar – This came from the Nottingham Event alongside a couple of other products in this empties post. However, this is the one i’m most sad about finishing. I think I counted that it lasted my 7 whole baths which is really good value for money! The scent was a refreshing orange fragrance and the bubbles were gorgeous! Thankfully it also didn’t stain the bath, which for LUSH is a minor miracle! It’s a real shame that this is only around for Fathers Day! 
• LUSH Tooth Fairy Sample – A very weird concept of using a powder rather than paste to clean your teeth, however I surprisingly really liked this! The flavour was bubble gum which would not have been my preference, however my teeth felt noticeably cleaner than when I use a normal paste! I think a little purchase may be in order!
• Mark Hill MiracOILous Hair Mask – Any hair masks with argan oil in are usually pretty good on my hair and this one was no different. It was nice and nourishing without weighing my hair down or making it greasy! Quite a good budget hair mask option!

Thank god we’ve made it to the end! I’ve had this post in drafts for a couple of weeks now and i’ve been trying to build up to writing it as I knew it would be a long one! If you read all the way through then thank you, you deserve a medal! What did you finish up this month?

Much Love

xoxo