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Sunday 2 June 2013

May Empties!

Hi, everyone! Welcome to my first ever Empties post! I've read through so many Empties entries over the months, marvelling at how good other bloggers are about using things up. "I never finish anything up!", I thought. "My empties posts would be so boring!" I was determined, though, and made a point during May to pay attention to items that were near-finished and to save every last container that had been depleted.

So here's the result! I actually emptied more products that I thought I would, which was a nice feeling. I've included a brief review of each below. Hope you find it helpful!


Shu Uemura High Performance Balancing Cleansing Oil Fresh
I had previously loved and finished up a large bottle of the High Performance Balancing Cleansing Oil Advanced Formula from Shu Uemura (in the yellow bottle) and thought I'd give their combination/oily skin offering a go. The lighter texture and fruity scent made it a pleasure to use (in addition to the cute pink bottle!), but I think the Advanced Formula was a bit more effective at removing my long-wearing foundation, so I re-purchased a yellow bottle when I finished the pink. 

Lush Ponche Shower Gel
This was a limited edition Holiday offering from Lush that I totally fell in love with. Its zingy, spicy, citrus scent was great at perking me up in the morning! I used this on my hair occasionally and it left my tresses smelling lovely. Really hope this makes a return this coming Christmas. To see it among the rest of my wintertime shower goodies, see here!

Lush Whoosh Shower Jelly
This is the ultimate wake-me-up shower scent! The fragrance is super invigorating, with a zesty combination of lemon, lime, grapefruit, and rosemary. Plus, the texture is super fun to play with! I just pinch off a little bit of the jelly and smoosh it in my shower puff. It never failed to freshen me up! I bought a different Shower Jelly to replace it (Sweetie Pie) for variety, but I'll definitely be re-purchasing Whoosh down the line! To have a peek at it in my shower, see here.


Revlon ColourStay Whipped Creme Makeup in Buff
This is one of my all-time favourite foundations! I've been using the liquid version of Revlon ColourStay Foundation (the combo/oily formula) for years, so I was delighted to win the Whipped Creme version in a blog giveaway. This formula smoothed over skin like a dream and was incredibly long-lasting. It's slightly more dewy than the liquid version, so it has become my go-to winter foundation! To read a full review, see here

Organix Nourishing Coconut Milk Conditioner
Although this isn't as natural a formula as the brand would have you think, it's still full of lovely ingredients and has the most scrumptious coconut scent! It has a rich, creamy texture that does a great job at moisturizing my hair without weighing it down. Have already re-purchased it! To peek at it in my shower, see here!

Fresh Supernova Mascara in Black (mini)
I received a brand new mini tube of this in a recent makeup swap and was excited to try it! While Fresh is known for their luxurious skin care products, I hadn't heard much about the quality of  their cosmetics. My expectations were pretty neutral and I was pleasantly surprised! This did an excellent job at adding length and volume to my lashes without getting cakey or clumping. No complaints, really! To see it in action, see here!

Urban Decay Primer Potion in Original (mini)
This has been my go-to eye shadow primer for years. About a decade, probably! It's worked so well for me that I haven't been tempted to try another. That's saying a lot, because I can so easily get swept up in the "grass is greener" mentality. I pick up minis of this in sets and swaps when I can. They're perfect for my travel and gym bags! 


Anastasia Brow Powder Duo in Ash Blonde/Taupe
As with my Primer Potion mentioned above, this brow powder has been a holy grail product for me for nearly a decade. The shade suits me perfectly, which I found has been a difficult feat in the realm of brow colour. A lot of blonde shades are either too brown, orange, or grey. But Ash Blonde is a winner! It looks incredibly natural and truly lasts all day. Because who wants melting eyebrows?! To see  it in action, check out a recent Look of the Day, here.

Shu Uemura UV Underbase Mousse SPF 30 PA+++ in Beige
This was the second can of this that I've used up. The uber lightweight formula with a high SPF was so appealing to me! It really did an excellent job at evening out my skin tone and acting as a smoothing base for foundation. It is quite pricey, however, and I was concerned that the SPF in it wasn't as  potent as I'd like. So I haven't re-purchased this one immediately, but I very well may return to it in the future!

Tealish Oh Canada Maple Tea 
So the last two goodies on my list are non-beauty empties, but they are lovely items and I was happy to finish them up. I'm a huge fan of loose-leaf tea and Tealish is my favourite tea shop in Toronto. Their offerings are unique and delectable and their selection is amazing! I love teas that are rich and sweet, and Oh Canada Maple fit that bill perfectly! It's a black tea flavoured with Ontario maple sugar and highlighted with orange pops of safflower. Pretty and tasty!

Tealish Dreidels & Donuts Tea
Dreidels & Donuts is one of Tealish's regular holiday offerings. It's a black tea with pieces of strawberry and real chocolate chips (!) to pay tribute to the chocolate coins and jelly donuts that make Hanukkah a bit tastier. Sweet and fruity, this one really is amazing! Will definitely re-purchase next holiday season :)

And one final, jumbo-sized shot of the empties:


Overall, it was a great exercise to make a concerted effort to finish up more products this month and to revel at the result afterwards. Will definitely continue to produce a significant stash of empties each month (clutter, be gone!) and bring them to you here. So definitely look out for one next month!

Have you tried any of the products that I featured here? What did you finish up in May?

59 comments:

  1. Great post. Love me an empties post. The Organix line is a weird one for me, sometimes my hair loves it, sometimes it turns into an insane tangled mess!

    elliesvanitytable.blogspot.com

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    1. Thanks, Danielle! Yeah, hair care can mysteriously be hit and miss like that. Hope you find some products that work consistently!

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  2. That Revlon Colorstay Whipped sounds amazing, I may need to check it out in the winter :)

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    1. It really is fantastic! You should check it out for sure :)

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  3. I wish I could find the Revlon Colorstay Whipped in the UK!

    Emily x
    http://emilyandlife.blogspot.com

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    1. Ah, hope it reaches you soon! It really is fantastic :)

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  4. Organix is quickly becoming my favourite hair product brand!

    Jodie xo
    à la Jode - a blog about style

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    1. It really is fantastic, and at a great price. The coconut line smells amazing! xo

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  5. great post, you go through alot this month! :)#

    laurenlovesmakeupxoxo.blogspot.co.uk

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    1. Thanks! I really did surprise myself at how much I finished up!

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  6. Well done for your first empties post? It's such a satisfying feeling finally getting to throw everything away - I hope you kept the Lush pot for your free face mask though ;) x

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    1. Thanks! It really was satisfying. And yes, I did save the Lush pot. Thanks for the reminder! xo

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  7. Love reading empties post as you can see how much the person has really loved/or not loved the product! Also it's great to see how much you have managed to get through!

    www.littlepieceofbeauty.com

    xx

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    1. Glad you enjoyed the post! Definitely surprised myself at how much I was able to finish up! :)

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  8. Love the Organix shampoos, currently I am try a Macadamia oil one? We'll see how it goes! Great post!

    -Xo Maddy @ www.BeautyBanterBlog.com

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    1. Thanks! Hope the Macadamia Oil line works for you! :)

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  9. I love empty posts! I think I want to try the Organix shampoo when mine's empty!

    http://talisbury.blogspot.com/

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    1. You should definitely try it out! Quite affordable and amazing scents! xo

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  10. wow love the review! need to try something ;)
    very nice blog by the way :)

    kisses from Russia,
    Juliet
    RUSSIAN DOLL

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  11. I love going through products! I have a bag full of empties and I'm just finishing up on a couple more items! It feels so much better going shopping when it's specifically to replace something you actually finished. xx

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    1. Yeah, it was a great feeling to finish up so much! It definitely makes shopping feel better to know you're replacing something rather than amassing more stuff! xo

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  12. Wow! Thanks for sharing all of this! I love reading what other people have to say about products! Hugs from Cali! xx The Golden Girls

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    1. Thanks! Glad you found the post helpful :)

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  13. I love product reviews! This post was great!!

    Congrats on a great blog:) I just followed you-

    If you can, check out ladolcemoda7.blogspot.com :)

    Xx

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    1. Glad you found the post helpful! Thanks so much for the kind words and for following! xo

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  14. great blog!
    www.3fstreet.blogspot.com

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  15. oo so many.. great! :D


    Thank you so much for your wonderful comment on my last post :)

    You are welcome to visit my First Blog Sale hosted on Facebook page. I'm selling New Items at one-third price as on websites For Indian Residents Only.

    Participate in my International Giveaway Each winner can choose her jewelry from Persunmall

    Love
    Akanksha

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    1. Thanks so much! Will visit your blog again soon :)

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  16. I need to try the Lush woosh shower jelly, the smell sounds ideal for me in the morning lol

    Ellen // A little bit Unique // Facebook // Bloglovin



    xx


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    1. Whoosh is definitely worth trying out! So refreshing! Thanks for stopping by :)

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  17. Great post. I'm dying to try that eye primer but always hear mixed reviews.
    I blogged my first empties post this month too!
    Check it out http://thepowderednose.blogspot.co.uk/

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    1. Thanks! I'd definitely recommend UD's Primer Potion to anyone; I don't understand the mixed reviews! Will check out your blog soon :)

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  18. I love empties post! always find it interesting to see what other ppl used up plus you really get to see what they like! those last two are very interesting to me. will def. be trying them sometime soon! thanks for sharing this! xx. gigi. food and beauty blogger @ www.gigikkitchen.blogspot.com

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    1. Glad you enjoyed the post! Thanks for stopping by, Gigi! xo

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  19. Hii! I totally agree with your review on Lush's Ponche! I looooved it too! I found it really good to wake up to! HAHA

    Great post!

    Xx

    http://luceindia.blogspot.com

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    1. Ooh, glad you loved Ponche too! Thanks for stopping by and and for the kind words! xo

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  20. Great products.. ** goes straight to see the review of the revlon foundation** xx

    http://holaflo.blogspot.com.ar/

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    1. Thanks! Hope you find the foundation review helpful! xo

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  21. I'm just thinking that coconut milk conditioner must smell delicious!

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    1. Yes, it really does! Thanks for stopping by :)

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  22. I use the Orange Shu Uemura cleansing oil. Isn't it great at removing stubborn make-up without drying the skin? :D

    Abi
    http://thebelatedbloomer.blogspot.com
    twitter and instagram: @BelatedBloomer

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    1. Yes, I've tested that one too! The Shu oils really can't be beat! Thanks for stopping by, Abi :)

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  23. I never finish anything!!:D Cross my heart, I always have to throw stuff out because it expired, not because it's empty. Except mascaras, I always finish those because I'm simply addicted to mascara.:)

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    1. I'm usually the same way! But I'm trying to be better :) I'm the same way with mascaras. Probably finish more of them than anything! xo

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  24. Love your blog! excellent reviews :) xxx

    Andrea
    phdfashionista.com

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    1. Thanks so much, Andrea! Glad you found the reviews helpful :)

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  25. Nice empties :-) I see so many great brands. Lush, Shu Uemura, UD,...

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    1. Thanks! Yeah, lots of fun brands here :)

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  26. Thank you for your tips, I'm sure they're great products!
    Come back soon to visit me on Cosa Mi Metto???
    Enter Colorswitch cases giveaway!

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  27. I love reading the "empties" posts and yours in no exception :). Loving all the products that you used, especially that coconut conditioner :).

    xx
    http://gita-oddsandends.blogspot.com/

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    1. Thanks, Gita! Glad you enjoyed it :) The Coconut conditioner really smells incredible! xo

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  28. Good for you! I've heard so many good things about the whole Colorstay line--especially the whipped version. I'm always a little leery of using drugstore foundations but I really owe it to my wallet to try it, lol.

    Jillicious Cosmetics

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    1. Thanks! I've tried so many foundations, from $5 to $50 and I always come back to Revlon! Definitely worth checking out :)

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  29. Even though Whoosh is a fun product, I find it very wasteful, it's like Flubber, it just flops right out of your hand haha! xx

    http://coquetnoelle.blogspot.com/

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All of your lovely comments make my day! Thanks for taking the time to share your musings, ideas, and opinions. Feel free to leave a link to your blog- I'd be happy to check it out :)