January 2024 Empties

It's really been 6 and a half years since I last posted here!  A lot has changed in that time, but my love of nail polish, skincare and beauty products is still going strong.

I continued to subscribe to multiple monthly beauty boxes for a few more years since I last posted, but have reduced that down to just one now - the Lookfantastic Beauty Box.  And I do treat myself to their beauty advent calendar at Christmas too, as I think you get a good mix of products from a range of brands.

Due to these subscription boxes, and other purchases I've made over the years, I did build up a bit of an overwhelming amount of beauty and skincare products.  However, I have actively been working on using up as many as possible for a while now, so this is why I thought I would start doing monthly empties posts - to help me keep track of how many products I've worked my way through, and to share my thoughts on which I would re-buy, if any.

Haircare

• OGX Renewing Argan Oil of Morocco Shampoo - This shampoo was ok, but I felt my hair got a bit greasier more quickly after using it.
• Milk_Shake Normalizing Blend Shampoo - I would repurchase this one, as I didn't need to use so much of it to make my hair feel very clean.  Plus, it left my hair soft and smooth looking, and it also smelled lovely.
• L'Oréal Professional Vitamino Color Shampoo - It had a nice smell and left my hair feeling clean and soft, but I wouldn't go out of my way to re-buy it.
• Color Wow Color Security Conditioner - It was an ok conditioner, but it didn't do anything special for me to repurchase.
• Dream Coat Supernatural Spray - I used this product as directed - splitting my hair into sections, fully coating it in the product, then drying it - and it did leave my hair looking shiny and feeling smooth, but I wouldn't say it was any more waterproof after using it.  I did like that it didn't leave my hair feeling like it had any product on it though, but I wouldn't repurchase.  I do have another mini to use up though.
• Amika Flash Instant Shine Mask - My hair was noticeably shinier after using this, so I'd like to buy a full size and try it for a bit longer.  It also smelled lovely!

Body Washes and Lotions

• Sanex Zero Shower Gel (for normal skin) - I like that it was quite a gentle, simple body wash that didn't dry my skin out - plus it's very affordable!  I have another to use already, and would repurchase it in the future.
• Lola's Organics 'Tutti Frutti' Shower Soufflé - I bought this from a small business, it smelled delicious, but I didn't really like the texture of it on my skin, unfortunately.
• Superdrug Vitamin E Spray-On All Over Body Lotion - Body creams are one of the categories I have the most products for, as you often get them in beauty boxes, but it is the one part of skincare I skip most often - and I'm a bit picky if the texture isn't quite right.  This spray-on lotion went on quite nicely and did soak in ok overnight, but it was a bit messy, so I wouldn't re-buy.
• Beauty Formulas Organic Aloe Vera Lotion - I liked this product, but I prefer the aloe vera gel more than the lotion from the same company, as it's nice and cooling on the skin too.
• Maelys B-Foxy Inner Thigh Firming Cream - I do have another of these to work through, but I'm not sure if I'm seeing any actual results from it, so it may end up being a product I declutter in the next month or so.

Hand and Nail Care

• Lauren B. Beauty Polishing Hand Scrub - I wasn't very fond of the texture of this, it felt very thick and sticky.
• Human+Kind Moisturizing Hand Scrub - I have already repurchased some of this scrub as it smelled really nice, and I loved using it when I'd removed nail polish to freshen up my nails and hands.  I don't know how much longer it'll be available to buy though, as I could only really find it on eBay now.
• Duft &Doft Stockholm Rose Nourishing Hand Cream - I didn't like the feeling of this on my hands, it left a "sticky" feeling, and didn't soak in well.
• Cuccio Naturale 'White Limetta & Aloe Vera' Butter for Hands, Feet & Body - I have a big pot of this, but in the Lavender & Chamomile scent, that I've been using for quite a while - it has such a rich, creamy feeling and smells beautiful!
• Nails and Face 'Cinnamon Apple' Cuticle Oil Pen - I love using cuticle oil pens, they're so handy for taking out with you.  This one had a nice smell and nourished my cuticles well.  I wouldn't repurchase it though, because I've actually bought a lot of the ingredients used in the pens to make my own at home.
• Cutex Ultra-Powerful Nail Polish Remover - I paint my nails a lot, so I go through a lot of nail polish remover naturally.  This is one of my favourites to remove deep colours and glitters - and it does it well!  It is 98% acetone though, so it can be drying.  I already have more of this product to use.
• Templespa Aaahhh! Soothing Balm for Aching Feet and Limbs - I prefer thick creams for my feet, and this one was quite lightweight.  It had an almost menthol scent which wasn't unpleasant, and soaked into the skin well, but I wouldn't repurchase it.

Skincare

• Real Chemistry Fresh-Start Foaming Cleanser - This had a bit of an odd scent, and I didn't like the soapy, squeaky feeling of it on my skin.  It also left my face feeling a bit tight after using it, so I wouldn't buy it again.
• Pai Light Work Rosehip Fruit Extract Cleansing Oil - This was a nice oil cleanser which washed off well with warm water and left my skin feeling smooth.  I thought it had a bit too much fragrance though.  I would consider repurchasing it though, unless I can find a better oil cleanser.
• Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant - I didn't have any problems using this (I used it every other night), but I didn't see any effect from it in the time I tried it, so I wouldn't buy more.
• First Aid Beauty Facial Radiance Pads - I used these every night for 10 days, and didn't have any negative reaction but, again, I didn't see any positive changes to my skin either.
• Nip + Fab Hydrate Dragon's Blood Fix Essence Mist - I used this morning and night after washing my face, and it felt very refreshing and cooling.  I've got quite a few other face mists to try already, but I would consider repurchasing this one in the future if it's still available.
• Superdrug Vitamin C Invigorating Skin Booster - I've used this every day for quite a long time now, but I don't feel it has any really positive effects on my skin.  It's also quite a thick formula, and even when only using a little, it would sometimes cause pilling with other products.  I've got a different Vitamin C product to try now, and I probably wouldn't rebuy this one again, unfortunately.
• Avant Supreme Hyaluronic Acid Antioxidising DUO Moisturiser - This moisturiser felt really nice on my skin!  It seemed like it added so much moisture, especially in the winter, and made a nice base for makeup.  It's very expensive to me though - £100 for 50ml!  I'd love to buy it again, but only if it's on sale.
• Dr. Eve_Ryouth Vitamin C + Hyaluronic Acid Night Moisturiser - When I had any dry patches of skin from the cold weather, this would sting quite a bit (especially around my nose).  It had a nice texture and soaked in well, but I wouldn't re-buy it.
• Decléor Intense Glow for Eyes Dark Circle Corrector - I used this up even though I felt it made concealer under my eyes crease more than normal.  I didn't like the smell of it that much either, so I wouldn't repurchase.

Lip Care and Makeup

• W7 Jelly Jewels 'Gold Lust' Lip Plumping Mask - This was a weird product - it was a thin jelly formula, with glittery stars in, which you applied onto your lips and had to leave it on for several minutes before wiping off.  I wouldn't say that I saw any plumping effect on my lips, but I did feel a bit of stinging/tingling if my lips were a bit dry.
• Jelly Pong Pong 'Coffee + Coconut' Lip Scrub - This smelt really nice, but was a bit too thick and rough for my lips, so I couldn't use it very often.
• The Body Shop Hemp Heavy-Duty Lip Care - I loved using this over the coldest weeks, it moisturised and softened my lips better than most other lip balms I've tried before.  I'll definitely be repurchasing this!
• Barry M Coco Loco Lip Oil - To me this was more of a lip oil and gloss combo.  The texture was a bit sticky on the lips, and it didn't last long, but it did help with my dry winter lips a bit, although I wouldn't re-buy it.
• Barry M Ready Set Smooth Loose Setting Powder (Translucent) - The powder itself was quite nice and set makeup ok, though it didn't last as long as some others in terms of starting to look shiny.  However, the big negative with this product for me was the container - it was so difficult to get product out once about half had been used, as the powder would just stick in the little holes inside.  I wouldn't re-buy this.
• Revolution Aqua Seal Liquid Eye Primer - I tried this with a few different types of eyeshadows and I wouldn't say it worked the best for me, there was still creasing and some colour fading.  I'm still on the lookout for a great eye primer!
• Lottie London 'Savage' Eye Foil - There is still product in this, but it has dried up now.  I did really like this eye foil, it was super pretty and sparkly although it would crease quite easily.  I have quite a few other eye foils and creams to try now.
• Maybelline New York The Colossal Curl Bounce Mascara - I really liked this mascara, I felt it added length and some curl to my lashes.  It also lasted well and didn't flake.  The only negative would be when removing it - it would take more effort than others.  I will re-buy this mascara in the future.

Honorable Mention

• Aery 'Winter Thyme' Candle - I know it's not a beauty or skincare product, but I do also have a collection of candles and wax melts I'm working through, so I wanted to show those too.  Up close, this one had a lovely spicy and almost herbal scent, but I don't think it had much throw, unfortunately.  It burnt evenly and all the way down to the bottom, but I wouldn't repurchase.

That's everything that I used up in January, I think I did quite well.  I do want to continue working my way through my stash of products, but I don't want to be wasteful about it if I can help it.  Hopefully, next month I'll have a good selection of products too!

Let me know if you've used any of the products above, and if any of them are your favourites.