I seem to be incapable of putting together an empties post these days until I've accumulated a ridiculous number of products, but there you have it! My last empties post was only about three months ago, but I've been making a dedicated effort to finish off older products and anything close to empty, so things have piled up quickly!
Keep reading for mini reviews of all the products I've used up over the last few months...
Soultree Nutgrass Face Wash*
Major love! The Nutgrass Face Wash is a fantastic soap-free gel cleanser made with chamomile, nutgrass, neem, and turmeric. I would 100% continue to purchase this if it was sold in Canada anywhere other than Amazon, but that's unfortunately a big deterrent for me.
Acure Seriously Soothing Day Cream
Major love! The Nutgrass Face Wash is a fantastic soap-free gel cleanser made with chamomile, nutgrass, neem, and turmeric. I would 100% continue to purchase this if it was sold in Canada anywhere other than Amazon, but that's unfortunately a big deterrent for me.
Acure Seriously Soothing Day Cream
The Soothing Day Cream is gentle and lovely. It's nothing fancy, but a great basic moisturizer. I’m not rushing to repurchase it immediately, but I would certainly buy it again in the future.
Terra Tribe Green & White Detox Facial Dry Mask*
Terra Tribe Green & White Detox Facial Dry Mask*
I’ve had this on my shelf way too long and, sadly, I don’t think Terra Tribe is in business anymore. Regardless, I loved this powder mask, which was a great blend of kaolin and green clays, willow bark, and green tea, and will be on the lookout for something similar to replace it.
Drunk Elephant Beste No 9 Jelly Cleanser
Drunk Elephant Beste No 9 Jelly Cleanser
I got this mini as part of the 2019 Sephora birthday gift, and, while I was happy to try Drunk Elephant, this particular product didn’t wow me. I think it’s an okay cleanser, but not something I’d go out of my way to use again. It took me a full year to use up this 1 oz size, which I think says it all!
Nuvsio Active Mineral Facial Treatment*
Nuvsio Active Mineral Facial Treatment*
This is a great gentle detox mask made with kaolin clay, diatomaceous earth, and minerals. It consistently left my skin looking better, and I especially loved using it in the shower since it worked best when kept moist and didn’t need to be left on for very long.
Ooh! Oils of Heaven Organic Argan Oil
Ooh! Oils of Heaven Organic Argan Oil
Ooh!'s argan oil was virtually scent-free and didn’t have the nuttiness that I’m used to in argan, which threw me off a little, but it was still nice. I think I’ll likely go back to Acure or Aura Cacia next time, but there was nothing wrong with this oil. I like using argan oil for both hair and skin.
Routine The Curator Deodorant
Routine The Curator Deodorant
The Curator is a great baking soda-free cream deodorant. The scent is unique and earthy, courtesy of cocoa butter and eucalyptus, rose geranium, patchouli, and black spruce essential oils, and the formula works very well. I do find Routine deodorants need conservative application and a few minutes to sink in to the skin or they can leave oily stains on clothes, but as long as you take that into consideration, they work great.
Another favourite, this time WITH baking soda. Whiffcraft’s formula is extra silky and creamy – the furthest thing from a crumbly or hard to apply deo! – and I love StinkPretty’s chamomile-heavy floral/herbal scent.
I think this is a double post, as I haven’t actually gone through another tubes since my last empties. I do have a second one that I’m currently using though -- it's a great hand cream in all ways!
Derma E Vitamin E Fragrance-Free Hand Repair Cream
Derma E Vitamin E Fragrance-Free Hand Repair Cream
I like having an unscented hand cream to carry in my purse – or at least, I did, when I was going anywhere! – and this one worked great. It’s lightweight but moisturizing, and while it has a bit of a scent from the ingredients, it’s very mild and unobtrusive. I haven’t bought another tube yet, but I likely will at some point in the future.
Godai Water and Sky Soap & Shampoo Bars*
Godai Water and Sky Soap & Shampoo Bars*
I like using smaller soap bars, so I usually chop full-size soaps in half, something that frequently leaves me with partial bars to use up. That was the case here, with these two Godai soaps that I reviewed last year. The bars are made with organic ingredients, scented with essential oils, and are palm oil-free. I tried them once or twice as shampoo, but really loved them most for hands and body. I would happily rebuy these two, which smelled of lavender, eucalyptus, and orange, and ylang ylang and tangerine, respectively, and any of Godai’s other varieties as well.
Bridlewood Soaps Cranberry Orange Soap
Bridlewood Soaps Cranberry Orange Soap
Another half-bar that had been hanging around my soap stash! Bridlewood Soaps is based here in Ontario and this bar was a lovely local discovery around Christmas. It was easy to lather and non-drying, plus offered gentle exfoliation from cranberry seeds and a sweet scent from sweet orange essential oil and benzoin resin. It's left me very curious to try more from Bridlewood!
Ursa Major Stellar Shave Cream
Ursa Major Stellar Shave Cream
I love Ursa Major, but the Shave Cream just didn’t do it for me. It’s a thick cream and had a tendency to gum up my razor, making it very hard to rinse clean. Ultimately, it's just not worth the extra fuss for me, though it did smell good and feel nice on the skin.
Ste. Anne’s Skin Nourishment Hydrating Lotion
Ste. Anne’s Skin Nourishment Hydrating Lotion
Another product I’ve had hanging around for an embarrassingly long time! Made by Ste. Anne’s Spa in Grafton, Ontario, this was actually a really nice body lotion, but, for whatever reason, I found myself reaching for other things. I did enjoy it when I finally set my mind to finishing the tube, and would love to try more from Ste. Anne’s.
Consonant Skincare Ultra Moisturizing Face Cream for Dry Skin
Consonant Skincare Ultra Moisturizing Face Cream for Dry Skin
I love a lot of Consonant products, but their face creams have never worked the best for my skin. I got this mini as part of a holiday kit with the intention of using it on my hands/body, and that’s what I did. It worked fine, but, obviously, I wouldn't buy it for that purpose.
I’ve used a full bottle of this Face Wash before and do like it for its intended use too, but I ended up decanting this one into an easier foaming pump bottle and repurposing it as hand wash. My hands have been suffering from all the extra washing through the pandemic, and this mild castile-based wash was perfect and gentle. I’ve actually really missed having it by my sink ever since it ran out!
Crazy Rumors French Vanilla Lip Balm
Crazy Rumors French Vanilla Lip Balm
I think I've used more lip balms from Crazy Rumors than any other brand! They work incredibly well for my lips and have the best buttery, creamy consistency. I typically go for the fruity flavours, but French Vanilla was a nice change – a sweet and genuine vanilla. I’ll happily continue to buy these, though Canadian availability has become more challenging since iHerb, my usual source, has recently stopped stocking the line.
Green Beaver Ultra Moisturizing Lip Balm
Green Beaver Ultra Moisturizing Lip Balm
Another big lip balm hit! I really enjoy softer tube lip balms and this was a great one! The ingredients have changed slightly since I bought this, but I’m hoping the updated formula is just as good. I’ll definitely be buying a new tube at some point.
Inika Organic Pure Primer
Inika Organic Pure Primer
I’m not a big face primer person, so this was a take-it-or-leave-it product for me as an overall primer. I did, however, really enjoy using it as an under eye primer. The extra hydration right before concealer was really nice, and I do miss it a little, but I can’t imagine spending $60 on the full-size just for that, not to mention that I'm sure I would never get through the bottle!
Lauren Brooke Cosmetiques Dulce de Leche Creme Eyeshadow
Lauren Brooke Cosmetiques Dulce de Leche Creme Eyeshadow
Dulce de Leche was a great skin tone shade for me and I loved using it as an eyeshadow base/primer. It evened out any discoloration and veins, and did a good job holding onto powder eye shadows. I’m trying to use products that I have here first, but I plan to buy this again after finishing a couple other things.
Clove + Hallow Conceal + Correct (01)
Clove + Hallow Conceal + Correct (01)
I’ve struggled for years to find a concealer to cover my dark circles, and Conceal + Correct is my current top pick. Excellent medium coverage and super lightweight and blendable. It sits really nicely under the eyes and the peachiness of 01 is especially perfect for that area too. I removed the stopper to get every last bit out of this tube and plan to replace it soon.
Broo Thickening Shampoo and Conditioner
Broo Thickening Shampoo and Conditioner
I think Broo’s craft beer shampoos and conditioners are some of the best inexpensive haircare out there and I’ve used them on and off for years. I’m trying a protein-free hair experiment right now, which rules these out, but I will likely circle back to them at some point.
And that's a wrap! If you have any questions or would like more details on anything, feel free to reach out -- either in the comments here or over on Instagram.
*Press sample
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I just wanted to say how refreshing it is to see a green/clean beauty blogger say they won't buy a product because it's only available via Amazon... I don't get how more and more bloggers are setting up their Amazon personal pages or whatever they are while trying to tout ethical and responsible brands.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much! I actually thought for a minute about taking that line out of this post because of how heated discussions about Amazon can get, so I really appreciate your comment. Amazon certainly doesn't fit with my idea of ethical shopping -- I find it disappointing how prevalent blogger amazon stores are becoming recently too:(
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