This post is so far overdue that I considered just waiting until next month, but I really don't want to hang onto all this stuff any longer, so let's get to it! This month's empties are a good mix of everything - skincare, hair care and body care, as well as some makeup samples I've been making an effort to try and clear out.
Avalon Organics Clarifying Lemon Shampoo
I bought this when I was having issues with buildup and an oily scalp and alternated between it and another non-clarifying shampoo. The combination worked well without over-stripping or drying out my hair. I figured out a few months ago that my scalp problems were more likely a mild case of seborrheic dermatitis, rather than just oilyness, and started treating that internally with oregano oil, and since then, my scalp issues have stopped, so I don't have any need for a clarifying shampoo anymore.
Repurchase? For the time being, no.
Rachel's Plan Bee Original Body Polish* [Review]
I've raved about the Rachel's Plan Bee body polishes several times now, so I won't go into too much detail here. These are one of my favorite scrubs. The texture is perfect, they don't separate, and they're highly moisturizing, but not overly greasy or oily.
Repurchase? Yes. There are a couple different scents I want to try in the future.
Meow Meow Tweet Grapefruit Mint Soap
I have problems with some bar soaps drying out my hands in the winter and unfortunately this was one of them. The soap smelled nice and has worked great during the summer, but I had to put it away in the colder months when my hands became dry and cracked.
Repurchase? Probably not.
Desert Essence Italian Lemon Hand and Body Lotion
I really enjoyed this lotion. It was scented with only essential oils and had a much milder fragrance than most Desert Essence products. My big nitpick is with the packaging. The label started wearing off early and quickly began shedding blue flakes. In and of itself, not terrible, but the flakes would magnetize and stick to anywhere I applied lotion, which became a big nuisance.
Repurchase? Maybe. The lotion itself was great, but I'm not sure I want to deal with the hassle of the label again.
Nourish Organic Wild Berries Body Wash
I featured this in my most recent favorites post, which is a pretty good hint about how I feel about this product. Nourish's body washes are a longtime favorite of mine and the berry scent is really lovely. It's sweet and fruity but also has an herbal/fresh note that keeps it from being overly saccharine or sickly.
Repurchase? Yes.
Weleda Almond Soothing Facial Oil* [Review]
This is a great multi-purpose oil to have on hand. Made with just almond and plum kernel oils, it has a light marzipan-y scent and is very soothing and gentle on the skin. I liked it a lot as both a regular face oil and to remove eye makeup, and I even used the last inch or so of the bottle as an allover body oil. I'm actually very tempted to buy it again specifically to use on my body, as it left me with the softest skin ever.
Repurchase? Maybe.
Weleda Rosemary Conditioning Hair Oil* [Review]
I mostly used this oil as a leave-in on my ends, but I also used it as a pre-shower treatment a couple times too. Honestly, my hair is easygoing when it comes to oils, so I don't notice a huge difference between different ones, but this one worked well. It smelled like rosemary and did a good job taming minor frizz and flyaway hairs.
Repurchase? I'm not sure
Acure Marula Oil
I'm a little conflicted on this marula oil. I loved it at first, but partway through the bottle, it stopped agreeing with me. It stopped absorbing into my skin at all and would just sit on top and feel greasy. I used the last half as a body oil and while it was fine in that capacity, it wasn't anything spectacular.
Repurchase? Probably not.
Yarok Feed Your Ends Leave-In Conditioner
I used another mini Feed Your Ends a couple years ago, and while the first one didn't impress me all that much, I really loved it this time around. On my hair, it feels very lightweight and non-greasy and I also enjoy Yarok's signature lemon scent. I used the spray mainly as a refresher on dry second-day hair, but it's also marketed as a heat protectant.
Repurchase? Yes. I have a couple other hair products to use up first, but I think this will be my next purchase after those.
Triumph & Disaster Old Fashioned Shave Cream (samples)
Triumph & Disaster is marketed as a men's line, but the Shave Cream certainly works for women too. With a lotiony consistency and a great cushiony feel, it worked really well and, though definitely more of a masculine scent, I thought it smelled great too. That said, as much as I enjoyed it, as someone who doesn't even buy shave cream half the time - that's what failed conditioners are for! - I can't see myself spending the extra money on a higher end shave cream. tl;dr: Great product, but a little pricey for what it is.
Repurchase? I doubt it.
Weleda White Mallow and Calendula Face Creams (samples)
I've used samples of both of these creams before, and they're okay. The White Mallow contains coconut oil, which doesn't tend to agree with my face, and I don't love the scent of Weleda's Calendula line, so I actually used these sachets on my body, not my face.
Repurchase? No.
Studio 78 Off We Go Concealer in At Dawn (01) (sample)
I'm going to do a full review of this concealer once I get around to ordering the full size, so I'll save the details for that post. Needless to say, I like it. It's a much-talked about product amongst green bloggers, but I'd say it's worth the hype.
Repurchase? Yes, I plan to very soon.
Ilia Vivid Concealer in Cassava (C1) (sample)
The concealer itself was okay - light to medium coverage and nothing extraordinary - but what tipped this product over for me was the smell. I don't even know what it smelled like, but it was fairly strong and I was not a fan. I know I swatched this in The Detox Market a few months ago and I don't remember noticing a smell then, so I'm wondering if this sample just went off or something.
Repurchase? Definitely not.
Mineral Foundation Samples
I've been working through an accumulation of mineral foundation samples the last couple months. I ran out of ones that actually matched me, so this batch is a mix of ones that, by themselves, did not, but I was able to mix and tinker between the lot to make them work. Lucy Minerals is still the biggest standout for me and unmatched by any other mineral foundation I've tried in terms of both coverage and lasting power. I also like Urban Minerals a lot and The All Natural Face foundation is okay too, though pretty light coverage. As I've said before, I'm not a big fan of the Alima Pure foundation, which I find disappears off my face by halfway through the day.
Repurchase? I'm leaning towards going back to Lucy Minerals when I next need foundation, but I'd also consider purchasing Urban Minerals.
Real Purity Desert Rose Blush (sample)
Desert Rose is a very pigmented matte mauvey-rose shade. I liked it, but it needed extra care and blending to not look ridiculous and clown-like on my fair skin. I enjoyed using the sample, but considering the number of blushes I have and the little bit of extra work this one required, I'm not sure I liked it enough for a full size purchase.
Repurchase? Probably not.
Total Products Used Up in July
Skincare: 2 (Lip Balms: 0)
Bodycare: 4
Haircare: 3
Makeup: 0
Skin/Body/Hair Samples: 5
Makeup Samples: 7
Total Products Used Up in 2015
Skincare: 23 (Lip Balms: 7)
Bodycare: 28
Haircare: 9
Makeup: 9
Skin/Body/Hair Samples: 54
Makeup Samples: 19
*Press sample
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Love that you are using up a lot of smaller makeup samples. These seem to sit and sit and get ignored in my stash. As usual a great blog post.
ReplyDeleteThanks Paula! Here too, plus I feel like they somehow multiply. That's why I'm really making an effort lately to work through some of them!
DeleteWow you have used up so much this month. I love the Weleda facial oil x
ReplyDeleteIt's a great product! :)
DeleteAmazing post! I'm in total admiration of how you keep track of everything you use up. I keep reading rave reviews about that Studio78 concealer, and since I'm actually looking for a future replacement, I might give it a go :) xx
ReplyDeleteThanks Liz! I only started tracking this year, but I like it! It's fun to see actual numbers on what I'm getting through. I was completely skeptical and expecting the Studio78 to be one of those hyped up products that falls short, but I was happily surprised! Definitely recommend giving it a try :)
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