Summer Empties // Products I've Used Up (May, June, July + August 2016)

It's been roughly four months since my last empties post, so I've accumulated quite a large pile of empty products to talk about!  If you aren't familiar with these posts, this is where I share my final impressions of products after using them all the way through and discuss whether they're items I would purchase again or not.



SKINCARE



Andalou Naturals Citrus Kombucha Cleansing Gel
I love this cleanser!  I'm not convinced it does anything super amazing for acne or blemishes, but it smells awesome, cleans well, and doesn't irritate or strip my skin.  Repurchase? Yes!  After going through two bottles recently, I'm happy to use a different cleanser for a bit, but I definitely think I'll circle back around to this one soon.

Humphrey's Witch Hazel Astringent

Witch hazel is one of my favorite ingredients to use in homemade toners and I like that Humphrey's astringents don't include questionable preservatives.  Repurchase? Yes, but I'd probably get the organic version in future.

Chorus Supernatural Cleanse + Polish*   [Review]
I liked Cleanse, an interesting hybrid between a gel and creamy cleanser, a lot. I was less impressed with Polish, mainly because I prefer a slightly more abrasive scrub.  Repurchase? Probably not.  I didn't love Polish and as much as I liked Cleanse, there are other cleansers I'd probably re-buy first.

Crazy Rumors Ginger Ale + Raspberry Sherbet Lip Balms
No surprise here, Crazy Rumors are some of my favorite lip balms!  Admittedly some of the flavors can be hit or miss, but the actual balm formula is one of the best.  I loved Raspberry Sherbet, but Ginger Ale was not my favorite.  Repurchase? Always! I already bought a new Raspberry Sherbet.

Lina Hanson Global Face Serum (sample)
There's only so much you can tell from a sample vial, but I enjoyed using this oil.  It was fairly lightweight, absorbed into the skin well, and smelled great.  Repurchase? Maybe.

Devita Revitalizing Eye Lift Creme

I had high hopes for this eye cream, but it didn't do a lot for me.  Great for moisture, but I didn't see any results beyond that.  I actually ended up using more than half the bottle as an all over face moisturizer when I ran out of other products towards the beginning of the summer.  It worked fine in that capacity too, but I wouldn't buy it for that purpose.  Repurchase? No.

Niora Naturals Eye Therapy Replenishing Serum*
Again, wonderful for hydrating the eye area, but I didn't notice any other results.  I really think the cleanser and toner are the real stars in Niora's line -- I haven't been as impressed with the serums.  Repurchase? Probably not.

Juice Organics PomWash Exfoliating Cleanser    [Review]
I really liked this cleanser in the beginning but I inevitably moved on to other products and eventually finished it off as a foaming hand wash.  Repurchase? No.  I think it's discontinued at this point anyways.

BODY



Young Living Shutran Shave Cream + Thieves Hand Purifier
Technically I think the Shutran Shave Cream is intended for men, but it has a rich creamy consistency that worked great for me too.  It's gentle and especially good on delicate spots, although the small tube doesn't go very far if you're shaving larger areas.  The Thieves Hand Purifier is a staple in my purse and works great for times when you can't get to a sink to actually wash your hands.  Repurchase? Yes.

Weleda Skin Food + Sea Buckthorn Creamy Body Wash
Skin Food is excellent on dry elbows and feet, especially in the winter, and Weleda's body washes are all lovely and moisturizing.  The citrusy Sea Buckthorn is my favorite in the line.  Repurchase? Very likely - these weren't my first tubes of either of these and they probably won't be my last!

Mamma Oceania Gentle Exfoliating Soap   [Review]
I really like Mamma Oceania's soaps, which are handmade here in Toronto.  Super gentle, palm and canola oil free and made without any added fragrance or essential oils, they're especially great for sensitive skin. I like them a lot for shaving too. Repurchase? Absolutely.

Rocky Mountain Soap Lemongrass Hand & Body Wash + Peppermint Shave Bar
Rocky Mountain Soap's liquid Hand & Body Washes are gentle castile-based soaps and the lemongrass scent is delightfully fresh and bright.  The Peppermint Shave Bar was good too, although I'm not sure it was any better for shaving than any of the company's other bar soaps -- they all work well for that.  Repurchase? Yes. I'm curious to try other scents in the Hand + Body Wash too.

Ellovi Chamomile Blossom Butter*   [Review]
Ellovi's butters are fantastic and the Chamomile Blossom is my top pick of the three I've tried.  To me, it smells mostly like mandarin orange, with just a hint of chamomile, and it has a lighter texture, silkier feel, and better absorption than some of Ellovi's other varieties.  It also also made my skin incredibly soft to the touch .  Repurchase? Yes!

Nourish Organic Forest Deodorant Cream   [Review]

The deodorant cream is one of the few Nourish products that I just don't like.  The screw-up packaging is cute, but ultimately ridiculous for this kind of product, and the actual deodorant is unimpressive too.  Although it contains baking soda -- which did eventually cause me some irritation -- the odor protection is not very good.  I remember it performing okay in the colder months, but when I finished the tube off during the summer, I had to reapply 2-3 times throughout the day to ensure I didn't smell -- and I'm not a very sweaty or stinky person to begin with.  Repurchase? No.

HAIR



Griffin Remedy Volumizing Conditioner*   [Review]

I liked this conditioner -- and it's matching shampoo, which I've still got a little bit left of -- a lot.  I didn't find the pair hugely volumizing, but they work great as everyday products.  The lemon verbena scent was also fantastic!  Repurchase? Maybe.  I'm also curious to try the Stimulating and Glossing lines from Griffin Remedy.

Graydon Hair Smoothie
I have mixed feelings about this lightweight conditioner.  For my hair, it only worked well when I used a TON of product.  I probably only got about 10 uses out of the entire bottle.  Repurchase? Probably not.  I'd rather use less of a richer product than so much of a lighter one.

Kinky-Curly Spiral Spritz   [Review]

Another consistent empty -- I go through one of these every few months!  If you're new or have somehow missed my many other raves, the Spiral Spritz is a great light-hold gel that I use for curl definition.  It doesn't hold up quite as well on the hottest, most humid days of summer, but for everyday and 9/10ths of the year, it's pretty phenomenal.  Repurchase? Yes! I'm already halfway through another bottle.

MAKEUP



Miessence Black Mascara*   [Review]
This mascara has one of the cleanest ingredients list of any green mascara I've seen and it works beautifully for natural, wispy lashes.  I noticed my eyelashes seemed softer and healthier while I was using it too.  Repurchase? Maybe.  I liked it a lot, but I think there are less costly mascaras that I like just as much.

Jane Iredale Black Ice Longest Lash Mascara (sample)

I used another sample of this mascara some time last year and loved it, but I think this particular one dried out before I used it, as it didn't perform at all like I remembered.  Repurchase? Maybe.  Again, the high price tag is the main deterrent for me here.

ELF Mineral Eye Brightener

A lot of ELF's mineral line have surprisingly clean ingredients and the Eye Brightener, a sheer yellow-toned brightening powder, is a favorite of mine for setting under eye concealer.  Unfortunately, I think it's been discontinued as I haven't been able to find it either in stores or on the ELF website.  Repurchase? I wish I could!

Silk Naturals Saddle Up // Pollen Cosmetics A Little Glimmer + Linen it Up (samples)
I decluttered a lot of eye shadows over the summer, but I'm also still trying to use some up, particularly samples.  A Little Glimmer and Linen It Up were both pretty enough, but Pollen Cosmetics is no longer in business.  Saddle Up is a beautiful bronzey-brown that's supposed to be a dupe for Urban Decay Sidecar.  Repurchase? Maybe Saddle Up.

Phew!  I'm happy to finally throw all these empties out! 


* Press sample.
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