August Empties!

Hey, everyone! Apologies again for my absence lately. The new job has been great but it's been tough getting used to the schedule. Really hoping to get back on track with blogging soon!

A concrete example of my hectic schedule is that you're getting my August Empties post a full two weeks late. But better late than never! August was another month where I felt that I'd hardly finished anything, so I was pleasantly surprised when I poured out my empties bag to discover quite the trove!

August saw me finishing off a variety of hair care, skin care, and makeup products. Hopefully you enjoy reading a bit more about them!

Carol's Daughter Monoi Repairing Shampoo and Conditioner (minis)
A couple weeks ago I mentioned another gem from this line, the Monoi Repairing Hair Mask, which has been keeping my hair silky and hydrated over the summer. The Shampoo and Conditioner from the range were equally lovely! With an incredibly rich texture and a sweet, floral gardenia and vanilla scent, these were truly a pleasure to use! They're definitely best for when hair is parched, so I'll be especially tempted to buy full sizes of these during the winter months when my tresses tend to get particularly dehydrated. This was my first intro to Carol's Daughter and I was thoroughly impressed!


Clinique High Impact Mascara in Black (GWP size)
It's no secret that Clinique mascaras are my absolute favourite! Amazing quality for the price, they make my lashes full and dramatic without clumping or smudging. I'm not even tempted by the array of super high-end options out there! High Impact does a great job at lengthening and thickening the lashes, so I'm always happy to score a small tube of it in a gift with purchase. It's a slight runner-up to my all-time fave, Lash Doubling Mascara, but it's a close second for sure. To see me wearing it recently, click here! 


B.Kamins Purifying Mask*
B. Kamins is a brand that doesn't get a ton of hype in a blogosphere, but it's been a saviour for my acne-prone skin! The Purifying Mask is clay-based to deep clean and features glycolic and fruit-based acids to exfoliate the skin and reduce pigmentation caused by breakouts. It does sting like crazy when on the face, but it never leaves my skin tight, red, or irritated. It really worked wonders to keep my complexion clear and smooth. B. Kamins was kind enough to send me this full-sized product (after I tested out the mini version in the Clear Skin Kit, here!) and I'm definitely tempted to re-purchase!

Marcelle Essentials Purity Foaming Cleansing Gel
Including this one was a bit of a cheat, as I didn't really finish it up this month. But I found it lurking in my gym bag (yes, sadly abandoned for the past few months) and thought I'd feature it here since it was all used up! Marcelle's Foaming Cleansing Gel was my go-to for several months, as it did a great job at cleansing my oily skin without irritating it. This was probably the third tube of this I've polished off, which shows how much I loved it! I am trying to stay away from foaming cleansers at the moment, though, as they can be stripping to the skin, so I'm not rushing out to repurchase this. But it does deserve a mention as one of my most-used products from the past couple years!


Hard Candy Welcome Matte Translucent Pressed Powder
This gem of a mattifying powder has been discontinued recently, which is a huge bummer! Welcome Matte was a lovely, lightweight, translucent mattifying powder that kept oil at bay without leaving skin cakey or chalky. It's not quite as elegant as my go-to MAC Blot Powder, but for about $6, it was really a winner! So sad to see this one go; will have to start a new search for an affordable mattifying powder for times when I don't want to splurge on Blot. To see me wearing it, see here!


Jurlique Purely Bright Radiance Serum (sample)
I've mentioned before that one of my biggest skin care concerns is the fact that breakouts tend to leave reddish scars that last. And last. And last. So the search for a brightening/dark spot lightening treatment that suits my oily, sensitive skin has been on for a while now. I received a sample of Jurlique's Radiance Serum from Sephora recently, so was curious to give it a go! I was a bit hesitant, since many naturally-based products tend to irritate my skin, but I'd heard great things about Jurlique, which calmed my worry. The first few times I tried this, my skin looked amazing. Clear, even, glowing. I was ecstatic! While using up the rest of the pouch, however, the effect began to wane and the serum seemed to start irritating my face, potentially causing some breakouts. So, my opinion of this is understandably mixed, but I am tempted to grab another sample since the initial results were impressive!

REN Glycol Lactic Radiance Renewal Mask (sample)
After hearing what felt like dozens of raves for this mask, I was thrilled to receive a mini-sized version of it from Sephora recently! As with my hesitations about Jurlique, I had similar reservations about REN; though I'd hear such good things about the brand, botanically-based lines tend to disagree with my sensitive skin. But I gave this a try and I'm so happy I did! First off, the scent and texture are heavenly. If there were such as thing as pineapple honey (if there is, please let me know. I want it!), it would have the fragrance and texture of the Radiance Renewal Mask. It was a pleasure to spread over my skin and I was pleased to find that it didn't tingle  or burn my face whatsoever. After rinsing it off, my skin felt ultimately smooth, clear, and hydrated. So lovely! On the downside, I have suspicions that this broke me out slightly, so I definitely want to sample this again before I deem it as true love :)



Organix Nourishing Coconut Milk Conditioner
This is a product that I've gushed about on the blog a few times lately. In fact, it also made an appearance in my May Empties post, which means I went through this in about 3 months (another handy feature of doing Empties posts, I can keep track of how quickly I finish things up!). Though far from all-natural, this conditioner does an excellent job at hydrating my hair without weighing it down. And the scent is incredibly, like sweet, fresh coconut. If you have dry hair and love tropical scents, you need to give this a go!


Boots Long Lashes Waterproof Mascara in Black
Boots is another brand that has surprised me with the quality of its mascara. Last year Shoppers Drug Mart had several Boots cosmetics products on clearance (discontinued, perhaps?) and I snagged lots of the mascaras at around $4 each. My favourite that I tried was the Maximum Volume Waterproof formula (amazing volume!), but Long Lashes also did a pretty good job at adding length and volume without clumping or smudging. It was a great light-weight mascara to wear during the steamy summer months!


And that's it! Hope you enjoyed the mini reviews of all the goodies that saw their last drop in August. Here's a final, jumbo-sized shot:

Have you tried any of the products I featured here? Have I tempted you with anything? What have you finished up recently?

Thanks for reading! Happy weekend :)


*The product marked with the asterisk was given to me as a PR sample. Thanks, B. Kamins!