Continuing on with my "empties" posts from 2024 - I feel April was a pretty good month for me working through products, so there are quite a lot for me to write about, and to say whether I'd buy them again or not.
I started keeping a spreadsheet at the beginning of last year to track all the products I had to use, and how many I had remaining at the end of each month. Throughout April, I managed to reduce the overall amount of my backlog by 25, which I think is good considering I had replaced a few of my staple items too, as well as buying a few new setting powders to try.
So, here are the products I finished in April, and my opinions on them.
Haircare
- L'Oréal Paris Elvive Hydra Hyaluronic Moisture Boosting Shampoo - I do like using L'Oréal shampoos, and this one made my hair feel quite nice and soft. It had a pleasant scent too. I don't really stick to any particular shampoo, though, but if I saw this on special offer I would buy it again.
- Percy & Reed Turn Up the Volume Volumising Dry Shampoo - I don't tend to like volumising sprays, as I don't like the texture they leave in your hair, but this one wasn't as bad for that. It worked well as a dry shampoo on 2nd day hair, and didn't show white marks. I do prefer the Batiste dry shampoos, though, so I wouldn't purchase this one again.
- Batiste Dark Hair Colour Dry Shampoo - Despite the Batiste dry shampoos being my favourite, I think the formula had changed with the brunette spray, as it didn't seem to work as well as it used to. This spray felt wetter when I used it, so it didn't soak up oil as well as the original version did. I would keep buying the non-coloured sprays, but I wouldn't repurchase the brunette/dark hair version unless it was in the original packaging style (and, hopefully, original formula).
- Color Wow Dream Coat Supernatural Spray - I wrote about this in my January empties, and my feelings on it didn't change this time. It did leave my hair feeling nice and soft, and looking a bit shinier than usual, but I wouldn't say it created a barrier against moisture. This wouldn't be a re-purchase.
- Grow Gorgeous Defence Anti-Pollution Leave-In Spray - This was fine, it had a lovely scent, but I didn't really see any benefits from using it. I wouldn't buy it again.
- We Are Paradox Repair Game Changer Hair Mask - This mask smelt so nice, and made my hair feel really smooth when I used it, so it would definitely be a product I'd look to buy again. It's still showing on the LookFantastic website, but marked as 'coming soon', so, hopefully, it hasn't been fully discontinued.
- Bumble and Bumble Don't Blow It Fine (H)Air Styler - I don't really ever air dry my hair, so I used this as I would have any other blowdry cream, and my hair felt ok after it. It didn't leave my hair feeling like there was product in, which was nice, but it didn't make enough difference for me to consider buying a full-size version.
Bath and Body Products
- Dove Deeply Nourishing Body Wash - One thing I do really like about Dove skincare products is the scent - it's just so fresh and clean smelling. This body wash was fine, it did the job and left my skin smelling nice, but it wouldn't be one I would go out of my way to purchase.
- Dove Gentle Scrub Body Wash - Similar to the body wash, this smelt nice and was a very gentle exfoliating wash. I prefer a little bit of a coarser body scrub if I'm going to use one, though, so I wouldn't repurchase this.
- Feather & Down Sweet Dreams Bath Essence - This smelt divine, similar to the pillow spray which I used and enjoyed last year. It produced enough bubbles without irritating my skin, and made for a very relaxing bath. I would definitely repurchase this!
- Soul Energy 'Black Raspberry Vanilla' Bath Bomb Dust - Soul Energy is a small UK business that sells bath bombs, bath dust, whipped soaps, etc. I've used quite a few of their bath bombs, and they gave off amazing colours as they fizzed away, but if you have sensitive skin they might be a bit irritating. The bath dust/powder was nice to use and it had a lovely fruity scent. I'd consider buying more when I've worked through my stockpile of bath bombs.
- Gatineau Paris Defi Lift 3D Firming Neck and Décolleté Gel - I don't really use moisturisers or creams on my upper body much, as my skin there is a bit more sensitive to certain ingredients and fragrances. I did use this up, and it did irritate me a little at times. I didn't see any improvements in my skin from using it either, so I wouldn't repurchase.
- Soap & Glory The Righteous Butter - I adore the original Soap & Glory scent, so I really enjoyed using this product. The body butter was very thick, but soaked in really well without making my skin feel too sticky. I'll be buying more of it, although I do already have a few minis in different fragrances from Soap & Glory's recent advent calendar.
- Beauty Formulas Organic Aloe Vera Lotion - I really enjoy using creams and gels with aloe vera in, as I think they soothe and moisturise my skin really well. I wrote about this product in January's empties also, and although I like using the lotion, I would buy the gel version over it, as I think it feels nicer on my skin.
Cleansers and Skincare
- Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser - I finished one of these in February, and I'll probably mention them a few more times in the future as I had quite a few in my stockpile. I liked using this cleanser on days when I'd worn a bit more makeup, as it worked well at cleansing the skin more deeply than some other products. It had a nice, herbal scent and didn't irritate my skin, although I won't use it on my eyes as it can sting a bit if it gets in by accident. I still have some more of these to use, and I also received a set of them for Christmas - but it will be a product I'd continue to buy.
- Simple Moisturising Facial Wash - This must have been quite a few years old with it being the Little Mix limited edition one! However, it smelt fine and didn't irritate my skin, so I used it up. I do like this face wash - it cleans quite well without drying the skin too much. It wouldn't be my go-to, but I would repurchase it to have it as a backup.
- Dr Botanicals Cocoa & Coconut Superfood Facial Cleansing Bar - I'm not a fan of how soap can leave the skin feeling after use, but I still gave this one a go. It smelt pretty nice (even though coconut isn't one of my favourite fragrances) and did a good job at cleansing the face. However, I ended up using it on my body to finish it off quicker, as it made my face feel a little dry after a few uses.
- Superdrug Clearly Youthful Retexturising Glyolic Peel Off Mask - I really liked this mask - despite it being several years old, it still worked well for me. If I left it on a bit too long, it could make my skin a bit red, but it would also make my face look and feel really smooth. I'm quite sad they don't sell this anymore, and I've been searching around since for a similar peel-off mask, but there aren't many options. It would definitely be a repurchase if it hadn't been discontinued.
- Korres White Pink Volumizing Serum-in-Moisturizer - This was ok. I wasn't overly keen on the scent of it, but it worked fine as a moisturiser. It's not something I would look to buy again.
- Feel Free Antioxidant Eye Contour Cream - This was fine as an eye cream. I did like that it had hyaluronic acid in it, although I didn't really see any improvements to my under eyes. It worked ok under makeup, too. I wouldn't repurchase it.
- Elemis Superfood Glow Priming Moisturiser - This was an interesting product, as it was a moisturiser that had a bit of a tint to it. I ended up using it over my normal moisturiser, though, as I didn't feel it was quite as hydrating as I would have liked. It created a pretty nice base for makeup, but I wouldn't buy it again.
Makeup Products and Perfume
- Eylure Dybrow Permanent Tint for Brows 'Dark Brown' - I don't tint my brows often (mainly as I forget to do it!), but when I used this one, it worked well. It darkened some of my white eyebrow hairs and slightly tinted the skin at first. I wouldn't say it lasted 6 weeks for me, probably around 2 at most, but that could be due to the face wash products that I use. I'm currently working through a different brow tint, but I would buy this again when I've used that one up.
- Omorovicza Budapest Queen of Hungary Mist - I've received this product from beauty boxes a few times over the years, and it always feels like a luxury product due to the packaging. It had one of the softest mists of any facial sprays I've tried, smelt lovely, and felt nice on my skin. However, I wouldn't be able to justify the cost of the full size version when I have used other cheaper mists which made my skin feel similar after use.
- Barry M Feature Length Black Mascara - This mascara had such a skinny brush, but it made my lashes look really nice. It lasted well throughout the day and washed off ok, so I would consider repurchasing it once I've worked through my backlog.
- Baylis & Harding 'Midnight Plum & Wild Blackberry' Perfume Roller - I got this in a set one Christmas along with a matching hand cream, and the fragrance was absolutely beautiful. It was a perfect deep fruity scent for winter. It's just a shame that this doesn't seem to be sold separately, or I would buy it in a full-size bottle.
- Dr PawPaw Plumping Lip Oil - This was more of a normal lip oil to me, it didn't seem to have much of a plumping effect. The oil didn't last on my lips for very long either. I wouldn't repurchase this.
- Centrum Women Multivitamin Food Supplement - I've mentioned these in a couple of blog posts now, and I've decided to use up what I have left and then stop taking them, and just start taking a smaller selection of individual vitamins to see if there is a difference. I don't think this is a bad product - I just don't know if the multivitamins benefit me much. I do still have a few more packs to finish off, though.
Hand and Nail Care
- Molton Brown Vintage with Elderflower Fine Liquid Hand Wash - This was from the Christmas range and had glitter in it, so it looked really pretty. The fragrance was nice, more masculine than the usual hand wash fragrances I choose - the scent lasted on my hands for a little while after washing, too. I would gladly use this hand wash again, but it is a bit too expensive to be an immediate repurchase - if I saw it on clearance though, I'd snap it up!
- Johnson's Body Care 24 Hour Moisture Radiance Hand Cream - I didn't like this product at all. I tried using it to moisturise my hands and had to wash it straight off as I didn't like the texture of it. I ended up using it on my feet though, as I didn't want to waste it, and it worked ok, but I've used nicer foot creams. A definite no to buying again.
- Margaret Dabbs Fabulous Hands Hand Lotion - This was a really nice hand cream, it felt nice applying it, and it soaked in well. I've used the foot cream by Margaret Dabbs too, and I remember that being a lovely product. It is quite pricey, but it's sometimes sold on QVC in bundles for lower prices, so I will keep an eye out to repurchase it.
- Naobay Natural & Organic Orange Juice Hand Cream - This didn't smell as nice as I thought it would, it was more creamy than zesty and bright. It was quite a thick moisturiser, but I managed to use it up, mainly overnight. I wouldn't buy it again.
- The Body Shop Satsuma Hand Cream - This is an instant repurchase for me! It's my all-time favourite hand cream, and it's my favourite skincare scent - I've recently bought the Satsuma body mist, and it's delightful! The hand cream smells amazing, soaks in easily and makes my hands feel lovely. I have 4 or 5 of these in my stash, but will continue to buy them, especially when they're on offer. I just wish it was sold in the larger sized tube.
- A Certain Becca Lacquers 'Jelly Babies' Cuticle Oil - This was a nice smelling cuticle oil, and was fine to use. I've since bought the ingredients and have made my own cuticle oils, so I don't need to buy any for a while now.
Have you used any of the products I've mentioned this month? Are there any you really like, or dislike?
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