Sunday, February 09, 2014

- - Monthly Empties | January 2014 - -

Hi everyone! Happy Sunday!

Before I continue, I want to say a big thank you to those of you who have been following my blog for the past little while. Whether you leave comments, share my posts, or follow my blog from time to time, please know that I greatly appreciate your support and it encourages me to continue writing.
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Along with my "Monthly Manicures" series, I recently decided to jump on the bandwagon and start the year off with a "Monthly Empties" series as well. I actually don't usually go through a lot of products during the course of a month, but since I started receiving subscription boxes this past November, I am now gradually coming to the end of a few sample bottles. Please read further for a look at the products I finished in January...

1 || Shampoo, Shower Gel & Bubble Bath in "Coconut Frosting" (Philosophy)
       ($17.00 for 480 mL/16 fl.oz)
       (Link to product)

I purchased this product in August of 2012, and I think it was a pretty good investment considering I finished this bottle only last month. To be honest, it was a bit strange coming across a product that can be used as a bubble bath, a shower gel AND a shampoo. So while I used it as a bubble bath and shower gel at first, I did hold off for a few months before using it as a shampoo (I started because I actually ran out of my usual shampoo). I didn't find that this products left any residue in my hair.

I bought this flavour during my "coconut phase," which was a period where I bought quite a few coconut-flavoured products. I found that while the scent of this shampoo/shower gel/bubble bath did have hints of coconut, it wasn't really a true coconut smell - it had more of a chemical coconut scent. What I find really cool is that on the bottle there is an actual recipe for coconut frosting (there are recipes on the bottles of other flavours as well), which I think is a really unique idea.

Purchase? Yes, but in another flavour.
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2 || Shea Butter Hand Cream (L'Occitane)
        (Sample size: ~$2 for 10 mL | Full size: $30 for 150 mL)
        (Link to product)



I received this sample in the Winter (2013) Luxe Box and I fell in love with it right away. The sample tube lasted about 3 weeks because you don't really need a lot of product to moisturize your hands completely. What I like about this hand cream is that it absorbs pretty quickly. This is really important to me because I feel like I can't really do anything when I have oily palms. In addition to this, I am in love with the scent and I like that it has 20% shea butter. This has been my go-to cream during the rough Toronto winter we've been having.

I see this product as an investment - I purchased the full size tube in December and I started using it on the 31st of the same month. I'm roughly at the halfway mark and the rest of it will probably last me at least another month.

Purchase? Yes.
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3 || Moisturizing Nail Polish Remover For Dry, Brittle Nails (Sally Hansen)
        (Approx. $2 for 295.7 mL / 10 fl.oz)
        (Link to product

I picked up this nail polish remover at a Walmart sometime in November. I don't usually wear nail polish, so that's mostly how this product has lasted this long. Overall, this polish remover has been just OK. I felt like the bottle just didn't last too long. The opening is wide, so I often ended up using quite a bit of remover on a cotton ball. I was able to remove nail polish pretty well most times, but sometimes I had to really scrub, which used up even more product to. Glitter? Forget it. I understand that glitter is fairly difficult to remove on it's own, but this remover didn't really make it any easier. As for the moisturizing aspect, unfortunately I didn't really see one.

Purchase? No, but I am open to trying other polish removers from this line.
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 4 || Positively Nourishing Calming Body Wash (Aveeno)
         (Sample: ~$2 for 59 mL/2 fl.oz | Full size: $6.99 for 16 fl.oz)

         (Link to product)

I received this sample in my first every Beauty Box 5 box (November 2013) and it was by far my favourite product from that box. The lavender scent is heavenly! This body wash is moisturizing as far as I could tell, and it's also great for sensitive skin. I think that if I repurchase it though, it will be mostly for its smell.

Purchase? Possibly.
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5 || Green Tea Makeup Remover Tissues (Forever 21)
        (30 tissues for $3.80 CAD)
        (Link to product: Green Tea | other flavours)


For the past year or so I've been purchasing makeup remover tissues from Forever 21. Although this isn't a high end product, I've found that the tissues work really well and I've had a chance to try these in a variety of "flavours."Unlike recent brands I've tried, the Forever 21 tissues are quite moist and they remove makeup really well because of this. They don't cause my skin to have any kind of allergic reaction, which, when you're dealing with something as sensitive as your face, is always a bonus. I always wash my face after using makeup remover tissues - even though all of the brands I've ever tried state that it is totally safe to not wash the product off. I understand that some tissues have a moisturizing effect, but for me, I haven't really seen the point of keeping a product on your face if it has already done its job.

Purchase? Yes.
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That brings me to the end of my monthly empties for January 2014. I'm gradually finishing up a few other exciting products, so I'm already looking forward to sharing those with you at the end of February!

Have you guys come across any of these products? Let me know in the comments below!

Have a lovely day & thank you for reading! -A.~

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