Naturalla Beauty

As a green blogger and, more specifically, after judging the CertClean awards last year, I literally have a shelf of deodorants that I rotate amongst, so it's a wonder I finished up any at all! These are two of my very favorites: the Ursa Major Hoppin’ Fresh Deodorant, which is the only natural deodorant I’ve used that actually mimics the feel and consistency of mainstream deodorants, and the Mabrook & Co. Clean Deodorant, a more ubiquitous coconut oil/baking soda formula, but one that's executed extremely well.  Both are ones I’ll happily continue to use!

I like tracking empties for a number of reasons, not the least of which that I find it really interesting to notice how much of various kinds of products we actually get through.  It's not always what you think.  Case in point: today I learned that I use a lot of soap.  Keep reading for the details + the lowdown on all the body products I've used up in the last 5+ months.  

Bar Soaps
I'm a fan of gentle bar soaps, especially through the winter months when my skin is more prone to drying out.  The Mamma Oceania Antioxidant Soap, SBT Seabuckthorn Berry Bar, and Rocky Mountain Soap Pumpkin Soap were my favorites of the bunch -- all three are very gentle, palm oil free, great for sensitive skin, and made by fantastic Canadian companies.  On a Branch's Apple Cider Soap -- also Canadian and palm oil free -- had the most amazing spicey cinnamon scent, but the bar got a little gloopy and melted away quicker than I would have liked, even left to dry in a draining soap dish.  I did have this particular bar hanging around for a good while before I used it, which could maybe have impacted it.  The Graham Gardens Lemongrass Milk Soap, sent to me by the lovely people at The Choosy Chick, smelled wonderful too and produced a great luxurious, rich lather, but it's one that I likely would not repurchase since it does contain palm oil.




Body Wash
I'm not sure why I've never used Acure's body washes before, but they're really lovely!  They have the feel and lather of a traditional shower gel, but leave skin feeling a lot softer and more hydrated than most gels.  I didn't notice any significant formula difference between the two, just the scents -- the Clarifying Body Wash is minty and fresh, while the Cell Stimulating Body Wash (now the Energizing Body Wash) smells like almonds.  If you're familiar with Acure's hair care, the body washes smell exactly the same as the Volume and Ultra-Hydrating hair products.  

Nourish Organics' Moisturizing Cream Body Washes are a longtime favorite of mine.  They have a creamy/milky consistency and are extra gentle on the skin.  Wild Berries was discontinued last year, but I still have a couple bottles stashed away.  I also like The Honest Co.'s Honest Shampoo + Body Wash, mostly for its yummy orange-vanilla scent.  This mini came in one of the company's trial kits, but I've also bought the full size before.  



Moisturizers
The Savannah Bee Company's Unscented Honey Body Lotion is a fantastic unscented lotion.  It's rich and nourishing but doesn't leave you feeling greasy or slippery, or take forever to sink into the skin.  No odd 'unscented scent' either, if you know what I mean.  I also really loved the Duckish Lavender Lotion Stick.  It's solid in the tube, but melts into the skin immediately on contact.  Rocky Mountain Soap's Dry Skin Butter is a similar concept, but the actual product is much more solid and slightly waxy.  It does a good job treating dry skin, but doesn't feel nearly as luxurious as the Duckish.  

I held onto this bottle of Rachel's Plan Bee Body Oil for far longer than I probably should have, but I really did love it.  It's pretty much the perfect body oil in terms of feel and consistency, but I couldn't always tolerate the scent, which is why it lasted me so long.  It's an undeniably beautiful orange-vanilla fragrance and completely essential oil-based, but it was a little too strong for me a lot of days.  As I've told Rachel before, if she ever creates an unscented version, I'd be all over it!  The Honest Co. Organic Healing Balm, from the same trial kit as the body wash, didn't make a strong impression.  It's a fine product, but I think there are better balms out there, so it's probably not something I'd purchase again. 



Teeth
I'm pretty set on keeping my mouth care completely free of glycerin and the Miessence Mint Toothpaste is a new favorite.  It tastes a little salty, but is very minty and leaves your mouth feeling super fresh.  I wish Miessence was a little more accessible -- the only reason I haven't replaced this already -- but I'm sure I'll place an order eventually.  Tierra Mia Organics Healthy Dent Tooth Regime, on the other hand, didn't work for me at all, at least not as toothpaste.  Teeth felt clean after using it, but the mint was so subtle as to be undetectable, so all I got was a strong soap taste that would not go away, even after multiple rinses.  No exaggeration, it lingered in my mouth for hours!  Since they're basically just shreds of bar soap, I ended up adding the tooth chips into loads of laundry, just for the sake of using them up.  They actually worked great in that capacity and I'm totally sold me on DIY/bar soap laundry detergents now!



Essential Oils
Clearly essential oils don't sit unused around here!  Thieves is great for boosting the immune system and overall health through cold and flu season.  I like it as a preventative and also used it to help kick a flu bug I caught early in the fall.  Peace & Calming is one of my favorite blends to use before bed, particularly if I have trouble winding down or falling asleep.  Lastly, Orange and Cinnamon Bark (along with Clove) were frequently enjoyed in my oil diffuser through the fall months.  

Stay tuned for makeup empties over the weekend -- the last of this ginormous batch of empties!

We've barely dipped our toes into fall and already the green beauty world is full of exciting new launches!  With the industry growing in leaps and bounds, it's impossible to include everything, but here are seven new releases that have me extra excited this month....

RMS Beauty Swift Shadows
Most famous for their cream products, RMS has branched out with pressed powder eye shadows!  Intended to deliver the same light-reflective finish as the company's cream Eye Polishes in a longer-wearing, buildable powder format, the Swift Shadows ($20) can be applied both wet and dry and are pressed with wild-crafted buriti and organic jojoba oils.  The new eye shadow line is free of both talc and silicones and consists of 18 shades, divided into six color categories.

White & Elm Exfoliating Enzyme Mask
I've had my eye on White & Elm, a skincare brand that crafts simple and effective 10-ingredient or less products, for quite some time, and the new Exfoliating Enzyme Mask may be what finally gets me to take the plunge.  Made with glycolic acid and papaya and pineapple enzymes, the mask offers deep cleansing and exfoliation, as well as reparative and anti-aging benefits.  Gentle acids renew skin texture, diminish dark spots, and even skin tone, while Vitamin C, antioxidants, and flavonoids fight dull skin and boost radiance.  White & Elm doesn't currently ship outside of the US, but their products are available internationally through Eco Diva Beauty.

Nourish Organic Aromatherapeutic Skincare
Nourish's new aromatherapeutic skincare line consists of essential oil-infused cream-to-oil treatments intended to simultaneously improve your skin and your mood.  These USDA certified organic balms are multi-use products for face and body, and are comprised of organic shea, cocoa, and cupuacu butters, organic sunflower, coconut, jojoba, and rosehip seed oils, and organic beeswax, plus, of course, organic essential oils.  There are three varieties: Boost (Lemon + Cassia), Calm (Chamomile + Ylang Ylang), and Cool (Peppermint + Wintergreen), each retailing for $24.99, though they're all currently on introductory offer for $19.99.  You can also pick up all three for $49.99.

Alima Pure Liquid Silk Foundation + Cream Concealer
Alima Pure is well-known for their mineral powder foundation and I, for one, am very curious to see what they can do with liquid and cream products.  The Liquid Silk Foundation ($42) is described as a "sheer, buildable, moisturizing liquid foundation," and the concealer ($28 compact/$20 refill pan) as a "hydrating, vitamin-rich full coverage concealer that blends seamlessly."  Both products are available in 10 shades -- 5 cool/neutral colors and 5 warm/neutral. 

Inika Baked Mineral Foundation, Illuminisor + Bronzer
I'm not sure what makes baked mineral products so great, but there's something undeniably special about them, which is why I'm so excited to see Inika release these three items.  Baked on terracotta tiles in Tuscany, Italy, these baked powders are advertised as silky-smooth and breathable makeup with sheer but buildable coverage and color.  The Illuminisor ($65 AUD) looks to be a new color, but the eight foundation shades ($65 AUD) and Bronzer ($65 AUD) match up to shades already in Inika's loose powder line. They're only showing up on the Australian site right now, but hopefully they'll make it to the company's international sites soon too!

Kjaer Weis Lipsticks
Kjaer Weis products are the definition of luxury green beauty, and these new lipsticks are no exception!  Made with shea butter and jojoba and rosehip seed oils, the lipsticks are available in five shades, each more opaque than the company's Lip Tints and with a rich velvet finish.  All shades except Love, a bright coral red, are free of synthetic dyes, although four of the five do contain carmine.  $56 is undoubtedly a steep price for lipstick, but they're, by all accounts, pretty fabulous, and the heavy silver bullets are designed to be refillable, just like the rest of Kjaer Weis' products.

100% Pure USDA Certified Organic Skincare
100% Pure has launched four new USDA certified organic skincare ranges: High Potency Reversal, Rose Water, Cucumber Juice, and Matcha.  I've seen a few people raise questions as to how some of these products got certified -- going off the ingredients lists, there's some controversy over whether or not they're fully compliant with USDA regulations -- but, for me, organic certification is a bonus, not a requirement, so either way I think the ingredients in these new launches are an improvement over much of 100% Pure's range simply because they're free of the Japanese honeysuckle that's so prevalent in the line.  I'm most curious about the Emulsion Toniques, hydrating elixirs that look to be a cross between a toner and serum and which fulfill a skincare step I've previously only seen from Asian skincare brands.

Will you be trying any of these?   What new launches are you excited about right now?

I've been diligent about writing monthly empties posts for the last couple years, but I've recently fallen out of the habit and have yet to post a single one in 2016!  Needless to say, that's left me with a whole bunch of products to talk about, so I'm going to split this into two posts.  Today, I'll cover the hair and body products, and the second part will include all the skincare and makeup empties.  I've also opted not to include samples -- with a couple makeup exceptions in Part 2 -- as I already posted mini-reviews of most of them while doing a sample challenge on Instagram.  


Dr. Bronner's Unscented Baby-Mild Castile Soap
Dr. Bronner's is one of the most talked about products in the green community and for good reason. This soap has a million and one uses and is basically just a great item to keep on hand.  I mostly use it for cleaning purposes -- makeup brushes, laundry, and more -- but it's also great as a body wash or hand soap.  I like the Unscented best, since it can be used as is or easily scented yourself with essential oils.  Repurchase? Definitely!

Aura Cacia Sweet Almond + Blueberry Seed Oil
This is a great oil!  Judging by the price, I'm sure it's somewhere around 90% almond oil, but the blueberry seed oil, however minimal, still manages to lend a delicate blueberry scent, and also offers additional antioxidant benefits.  It's a great multipurpose blend that I used for a variety of things: as a makeup remover, oil cleanser, body oil, and even hair oil.  My one gripe is that I can't stand Aura Cacia's bottles -- the squeeze mechanism always dispenses either too little or too much -- but it's simple enough to decant into another bottle, which is what I ended up doing here.  Repurchase? Yes.

Intelligent Nutrients Organic Styling Gel
Intelligent Nutrients is one of my favorite hair care brands and the Styling Gel is a nice product.  I like the minty scent and it has great hold, though it can leave hair feeling crunchy if you use a lot of product.  For that reason alone, I prefer my old standby, Kinky-Curly's Spiral Spritz, for day-to-day light-hold styling, but the Styling Gel is great for when you need a bit more hold.  Repurchase? Maybe.

Nourish Organic Fresh Fig Hand Wash
I love Nourish products and the hand wash is no exception.  Fresh Fig is a great sweet and fruity scent and the hand washes are creamy and moisturizing.  Unfortunately, Nourish recently discontinued them, but I really think the body washes are, if not exactly the same, very comparable.  I'll probably hang onto this bottle and refill it with those in the future.  Repurchase? Not possible.

Young Living Thieves Foaming Hand Soap
I like this hand soap for the kitchen.  It smells fresh and YL's Thieves blend contains a lot of purifying essential oils, so it's great to use while you're cooking.  The one negative is that I do find it can dry out your hands when used repeatedly within a shorter time frame.  Repurchase? Maybe.



Earthpaste Peppermint Toothpaste
I've gone through many a tube of Earthpaste and I keep going back to it for the simple fact that it's the most accessible glycerin-free toothpaste I've found.  I prefer the Wintergreen, but the Peppermint is fine too.  Repurchase? Yes, I already have.

Acure Moroccan Argan + Argan Oil Shampoo
I've used this shampoo for years and have repurchased numerous bottles, but I think this may well be my last. I'm not sure whether my scalp has changed, or if it's just gotten too used to this product after such a long time, but I started having issues with buildup a couple months ago and eventually traced them back to this.  I used to love it, but it just doesn't get my scalp clean anymore.  The last quarter or so of the bottle was finished off as a laundry soap.  Repurchase? It's unlikely.

Rocky Mountain Soap Apricot Hand Cream
Rocky Mountain's hand creams are loaded with nourishing oils and rich butters, but they still manage to absorb really nicely, without any kind of greasy residue.  Sadly, the apricot scent was less of a hit than the actual hand cream formula.  It smelled great in the tube, but quickly turned both sickly sweet and slightly sour as soon as it touched my skin.  Repurchase? Yes, but not in this scent.

Andalou Naturals Lime Blossom Shea Butter + Coconut Water Hand Cream
Again, a great hand cream formula, but not my favorite scent.  I don't find Andalou's hand creams ultra-nourishing, but they're great to reach for throughout the day, when you might not have time to wait for a richer cream to sink in.  I think this particular one would be a big hit for fans of coconutty and tropical scents, but, personally, I prefer the Clementine.  Repurchase? Yes, but probably not in this scent.

The Parkdale Butter Co. Peppermint Lip Butter
I received this lip butter in an event goody bag in the fall and although it had a beautiful chocolate mint scent, I wasn't a fan of it for its intended purpose.  Made with just four organic ingredients -- shea butter, cocoa butter, coconut oil, and peppermint extract -- and no waxes, the texture was closer to a whipped shea butter than a traditional lip balm.  On the lips, it melted away very quickly and didn't seem to really do much, but I did like it as a body butter.  There are other Parkdale Butter products I like more, but I wouldn't recommend this particular one unless you're looking for a purse-friendly body butter.  Repurchase? No.

Acure Ultra-Hydrating Body Lotion
I've made it pretty clear that I'm not a fan of this lotion in its current iteration.  I'd love Acure to return to the old formula, but as it stands now, the lotion is a lot thinner and waterier than I like and does a truly sub par job of keeping my skin moisturized.  Repurchase? No.

Stay tuned for Part 2 later this week for all my skincare and makeup empties!

The last couple months have been quieter than usual here on the blog, but there are lots of good things coming up, I promise!  Today, I want to talk about a few stellar skincare items that I've been using recently.  Here in Toronto, where the weather has yet to make up its mind between winter and spring, these five items have been keeping my skin healthy and happy despite all the back and forth temperatures.  

If you'd be interested in seeing a full skincare routine too, let me know in the comments and I can definitely put that together soon!


Batty's Bath Soothing Cleanser*
The Soothing Cleanser is a gentle, soap-free cleanser designed for sensitive, inflamed, and rosacea-prone skin.  It's packed full of nourishing oils, along with soothing aloe vera and chamomile flower water, and is a real treat to use.  Witch hazel and burdock root also offer anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial benefits, making it suitable for those prone to acne, eczema, and psoriasis too.  The cleanser itself is a bright yellowy-orange cream, courtesy of sea buckthorn oil, and is laced with red jojoba beads, making it quite fun from a purely aesthetic perspective too.  It also has a lovely fresh citrus and mint scent that I can't get enough of!

An exfoliating cleanser isn't normally what I'd think of first for sensitive or reactive skin, but the jojoba beads are smooth and rounded and glide over the skin very gently, offering just a hint of delicate exfoliation.  I don't have rosacea, but my skin is prone to redness and the Soothing Cleanser legitimately eliminates any color or irritation.  It's not uncommon for my skin to be pink and flushed for a few minutes after cleansing, but with the Soothing Cleanser, my skin is left milky, white, and above all else, calm.  When I have time, I like to leave the cleanser on my face for an extra minute or two before rinsing to let the great ingredients work their magic even more.  



Homemade Witch Hazel Toner
 As much as I appreciate the difference a good toner can make in my skin, toners aren't a product that generally inspires me to spend a ton of money, so I often resort to DIY-ing my own.  Witch hazel is great for keeping pores clean, and with just a few added ingredients, you've got yourself a great toner.  I shared this recipe on the blog several years ago and this variation more recently on Instagram, and I still come back to it, though I vary the essential oils depending on mood and skin needs.  I've also started adding a small amount of zinc oxide, which is great for calming down redness and minimizing skin sensitivity.  If you want to amp it up even more, you can also pre-infuse the witch hazel with herbs.



Niora Naturals Silk Basic Makeup Remover*
Niora Naturals' Makeup Remover has an emollient texture that falls somewhere between a cream cleanser and an oil.  It works best when massaged onto dry skin and removed with a damp washcloth or face wipe, much like you would an oil cleanser.  It's a light emulsion that removes makeup with the same ease as an oil, but wipes - or even rinses away - much easier.  With a base of organic jojoba oil and glycerin, the Makeup Remover is very gentle on the skin, but still manages to remove every speck of makeup -- even tricky things like eyeliner and mascara!  It does sting if you get the product directly in your eyes, but as long as I keep my eyes tightly shut while using it, I don't generally have any problems.

Dr. Alkaitis Organic Soothing Gel
I've raved about the multi-functional Soothing Gel before and I've discovered yet another use for it!  I already love using it on active blemishes and pimples, but I've recently learned it works great at stopping breakouts before they strike too.  Overall, my skin isn't very acne-prone, but, strange as it sounds, my eyebrows have a tendency to react to any brow makeup.  With an aloe vera base and tons of great herbs, the Soothing Gel has both antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties, and as soon as I started running a couple drops of it through the hairs before applying makeup, I noticed a big difference.  As I've said before, I find the gel a bit drying when used all over the face, but it's fantastic as a targeted treatment on smaller areas.

Nourish Organic Unscented Body Butter
My under eyes, along with a couple other small areas, have gotten extra dry the last couple weeks and, on a whim, I started using Nourish's Unscented Body Butter to treat them.  A longtime favorite of mine for dry patches on the body, I was happy to discover that it works just as well on the face.  The butter, made of mainly organic shea butter and sunflower seed oil, does contain coconut oil, but it's one of the last ingredients and, used conservatively on just small areas, my skin has not reacted negatively at all.



Have you tried any of these?  What skincare products have been helping you transition to spring?

Last week I wrote about armpit detox and shared tips and tricks for making the switch to natural deodorant, and today I want to continue on the same topic by sharing some specific product recommendations.  I've tried a lot of natural deodorants over the years and these are my absolute favorites.  I'm not one to fuss with reapplying deodorant multiple times a day and all of these work to keep me smelling fresh all day long.  

BAKING SODA OR NO BAKING SODA?
If you ask me, the first - and perhaps most important - consideration when choosing a natural deodorant is whether or not it contains baking soda.  Baking soda is one of the most effective natural odor fighters out there, but because it's so alkaline, in contrast to the slightly acidic pH of our skin, it can cause reactions and irritation for a lot of people.   

For that reason, I've divided this list into baking soda deodorants, baking soda-free deodorants, and what I like to call baking soda light deodorants.



BAKING SODA LIGHT DEODORANTS
Of the three categories, this is my personal favorite.  These deodorants DO contain baking soda, obviously, but in lower amounts than a standard baking soda formula, and in combination with other ingredients that balance out the baking soda and reduce the likelihood of irritation.  Even if you're sensitive to traditional baking soda formulas, these may work for you.

Ursa Major Hoppin' Fresh - Hoppin' Fresh has the most similar feel/consistency to a conventional product of any natural deodorant I've used.  The stick is very smooth and solid, and the deodorant, which applies clear, feels almost gel-like.  Along with baking soda, Hoppin' Fresh also contains hops extract, plant enzymes, and essential oils to fight odor, and aloe vera and shea butter to cushion and protect delicate skin.  

Blissoma Scentless Stick Deodorant - According to Blissoma, the Scentless Stick contains half the baking soda of your average baking soda deodorant, plus it's balanced out with soothing and nourishing ingredients like zinc oxide, mango seed butter, and sunflower and coconut oils.  Clay, arrowroot powder, and diatomaceous earth also absorb sweat and help fight odor.  

BAKING SODA DEODORANTS
Baking soda formulas are great for odor protection, plus they tend to have the simplest and most basic ingredient lists of the three categories.  

Botanical Babe Deodorant Cream - With a base of organic shea butter and coconut oil, Botanical Babe's deodorant has a great creamy, buttery consistency that rubs into the skin without much effort.  The baking soda is buffered with arrowroot powder for a formula that feels soft and gentle on the skin.  Grapefruit, lemon, sweet orange, and juniper essential oils also help fight odor and give the deodorant a light and fresh citrus scent.

DIY Cream Deodorant - A few years back, the only deodorant I used was my own homemade cream, and while it wasn't an overly luxurious product, it definitely did the trick.  DIY deodorants are inexpensive, easy to make, and with tons of recipes out there, you can inevitably find one that will suit your needs.  The super simple, no-heat recipe I used can be found HERE.

BAKING SODA-FREE DEODORANTS
If you know you're intolerant to baking soda in deodorant, these are the ones for you!  While still effective, with gentle formulas that rely on other odor fighters, the chance of irritation is much lower.  

Weleda Spray Deodorant - The Spray Deodorants are basically just water, alcohol, and essential oils, but for whatever reason, they work better than any homemade spray I've been able to concoct myself.  Alcohol helps the spray dry quickly and works to kill bacteria, while essential oils provide a nice light scent.   The sprays work great both alone and in combination with other products, and I love the tiny travel sizes for on the go too!

Nourish Organic Fresh & Dry Deodorant - The Fresh & Dry deodorant is a moisturizing formula with very similar ingredients to those of a body butter, though it also includes organic corn starch to absorb moisture and plant enzymes to actively digest the bacteria that causes body odor.  The formula is probably the most gentle on the list, but I wouldn't consider its odor protection the strongest.  Your mileage may vary, but for me, this deodorant works great alone in the colder months, but I need to layer it with another product - like the Weleda Spray - during the summer.

Meow Meow Tweet Baking Soda Free Deodorant Cream - The Baking Soda Free Deodorant Cream is scented with grapefruit, bergamot, sweet orange, and lemon essential oils and gets its odor fighting properties from magnesium hydroxide.  Similar to baking soda, this food grade magnesium is an alkaline mineral that works by creating an inhospitable environment for odor-causing bacteria.  Despite its alkalinity, magnesium is not typically irritating to the skin.

Are you sensitive to baking soda?  What are your favorite natural deodorants?  

I'm a couple days behind schedule, but here it is: my final empties post of 2015.  If you aren't familiar with these, this is where I show you the products I've finished up in the last month and give you my final impressions after using the entire thing to completion.  I was also curious to see how many products I actually use over a year, so I've been tracking total counts in various categories over the course of 2015.  The final results will be at the bottom of this post.  


Beautiful Curls Curl Reviving Tonic
I've gone through four or five bottles of this spray over the last couple years.  It's fantastic on second day hair and really does revive and refresh curls, just as the name says.  Unfortunately the ingredients/formula changed a few months ago and it now includes phenoxyethanol, an ingredient I prefer not to use.
Repurchase? No.  I have one more bottle of the old formula, but after that I won't be buying any more.

Intelligent Nutrients Harmonic Shampoo   [Review]
I included this shampoo in my Top 15 Products of 2015, which pretty much says it all!  It's a great shampoo that gets the scalp very clean without making hair dry or brittle.  I still have 1/2 or 1/3 of a bottle of the matching conditioner, but I'll finish that off with other shampoos.  
Repurchase? Yes, but not immediately.

Scentuals Bodycare Moisturizing Grapefruit Body Wash*   [Review]
This was a nice body wash.  I liked the grapefruit scent and it was actually quite moisturizing.  The texture is interesting too - kind of a creamy midway point between a typical body wash and aloe vera gel.  I used a good portion of the bottle to wash my makeup brushes and it worked really well for that purpose as well.  
Repurchase? Probably not.  I liked it, but there are other body washes I like more.

Nourish Organic Coconut & Argan Body Wash
Nourish's Body Wash is another product that made it onto my Top 15 of 2015 and is something I've gone through numerous bottles of.  Funny story about this one: I'm a big fan of the Coconut & Argan scent and had tucked this bottle away for most of the year after finding out it had been discontinued.  So, imagine my surprise to finally open it and discover the contents were actually the Almond Vanilla Body Wash!  Not a bad scent by any means, just pretty funny under the circumstances.  
Repurchase? Yes!  Obviously not in this scent, but I'll definitely be buying others.  

Young Living Grapefruit Lip Balm
I like the Young Living lip balms, but the grapefruit one isn't my favorite.  It smells lovely, but I don't find it as hydrating as the Lavender, which is my favorite.
Repurchase? Yes, but probably not this scent.

Balanced Guru Calming Masque  [Review]
Yet another Top 15 of 2015 product!  I've gone through a few of these small jars now and it's still one of my all-time favorite masks.  
Repurchase? Yes! I already have.

Sibu Beauty Sea Buckthorn Purifying Mask
I'm not as crazy obsessed with this mask as with the Balanced Guru, but I do like it.  It's pretty gentle and the fact that it's pre-mixed in a tube makes it super quick and easy - perfect for in the shower or other instances when I was short on time.
Repurchase? Maybe.



Weleda Pomegranate Firming Serum + Day Cream (samples)
I like a lot of Weleda products, but the serums just don't work for my skin.  They're glycerin-based and my face tends to break out from a lot of glycerin.  Since I didn't want the samples to go to waste, I used them on my chest and they worked nicely there.  The serum is hydrating but ultra-lightweight.  It sinks in almost instantly, leaving skin basically dry to the touch.  The Firming Day Cream was nice enough too, but after only one packet, it didn't make a huge impression.
Repurchase? No.

Sibu Beauty Sea Buckthorn Hydrating Serum
Another glycerin-based serum that I didn't have very high expectations for, but I ended up really liking it.  I also used it on my chest rather than my face, and it seemed to make the skin in that area look smoother and more even, even just in the five or six days the sample packet lasted.
Repurchase? Possibly.

Darling Girl Cosmetics Dr. Pepper Cake Eye Shadow (sample)
Darling Girl makes some of my favorite shadows, both in color and formula.  Dr. Pepper Cake - now discontinued - was a beautiful complex neutral: a shimmery mid-toned brown with some pink/mauve reflects.
Repurchase? Not possible.

Odacité Intensive Hand & Heel Therapy* (sample)   [Review]
I loved this cream and used it very sparingly to make the sample last.  It's a rich cream, but absorbs quickly to deeply nourish hands, feet, and other dry areas.  The ingredients are also wonderful.
Repurchase? Maybe.

Total Products Used Up in December
Skincare: 3 (Lip Balms: 1)
Bodycare: 2
Haircare: 2
Makeup: 0
Skin/Body/Hair Samples: 7
Makeup Samples: 1

Total Products Used Up in 2015
Skincare: 40 (Lip Balms: 11)
Bodycare: 40
Haircare:  12
Makeup: 15
Skin/Body/Hair Samples: 75 
Makeup Samples: 33

Total Full Size Products: 107 (!!!!)
Total Samples: 108

And that's a wrap!  I had fun tracking numbers this year and it really is interesting to see the rate at which you go through different kinds of products.  Having a better idea of how long things actually last has also made me more conscious when making purchases the last several months.  

What surprised me the most?
i) That I go through about a lip balm a month
ii) How few hair products I actually use.  Definitely something to keep in mind before stockpiling shampoos!

Thanks for sticking with me through this series!  I'm thinking of changing up how I do empties for 2016 - either by not doing them every single month, or maybe just showing noteworthy products, since some things seem repetitive after a certain point.  Let me know if you like these posts as they are, or if you have any ideas for mixing it up!