Empties // December 2013 & January 2014

With Christmas and New Years last month as well as 2013 favourites, my monthly empties post had sort of been forgotten about. I decided to pile two months worth of empties into one and I'll get back to normal for February.


When I'm writing my empties posts I always seem to say that I don't need to repurchase enter product name here as I already have a lot of others to use. I'm hoping that by the end of my spending ban I'll actually be able to say I need to go out an repurchase quite a few products as I'll have used finished a lot of products in my stash.

Philip Kingsley Exfoliating Scalp Mask  - Surprisingly I must have got about five uses out of this scalp mask when I thought I'd only get one use out of it. You dampen your hair and then apply the mask all over your scalp and leave on for ten minutes. This mask is designed for flaky scalps and I really notice a difference when I use this especially the eczema patches I have. Although it's called an exfoliating mask it doesn't contain particles like you'd expect so wont irritate sensitive scalps. Since my hair is already damp I use the Elasticizer by Philip Kingsley at the same time for extra benefit. I will definitely be buying another tube of this!

Original Source Pink Grapefruit Shower Gel - Why is it that I fall in love with all of the limited edition scents from Original Source? It was pineapple last year and now pink grapefruit this year. You can't beat these shower gels, they work great as a bubble bath and they all smell amazing. Needless to say I will forever be repurchasing these.

Inecto Pure Coconut Dry Shampoo - I got this dry shampoo in my July Glossybox and put it away in my stash as I don't often use dry shampoo. The night of my works Christmas meal I wanted to use one for volume and to refresh my hair so I reached for this one as I assumed it would smell nice. I go to spray it and nothing comes out, it didn't even spray any air!

Nivea In-Shower Body Moisturiser* - I really like the concept of this as I hate applying body lotion but I'm not a huge fan of the scent. It would be a lot better if the scent changed!. I would still buy it though, this one was a pr sample, as it's very moisturising and perfect for in the winter.

Boots Expert Build Up Removal Shampoo - Although this technically isn't an empty I thought it was about time it was thrown away as I'm sure it's out of date. I don't even want to count how many years I've had this as it's in the old packaging and they changed it at least a year ago! I used to love this back when I used a lot more products in my hair and heat styled it a lot. It's great to use when despite washing it, your hair just doesn't feel clean. Now though my scalp is extremely sensitive and dry that something like this would just irritate it so I won't be buying another bottle. I will do in the future though if my scalp changes!

Vichy Purete Thermale Micellar Solution - Although this micellar water from Vichy does not come close to being as good as Bioderma, it's still pretty good and up there in my top 5. It's removes make-up easily and doesn't irritate my skin. If it was on offer, I would buy it again but for now I'll stick with Bioderma. 

Phil Smith Dry Clean Dry Shampoo - I think I got this dry shampoo about a year and a half ago when Birchbox was still called Joliebox and I've only just got round to using it. So I reach for this one after the Inecto one not working and guess what, this didn't work either! I'm not sure if it's because I've had it for so long or it might have been a dud anyway but I wouldn't bother trying to buy another one and I'm going to stick with batiste. 

The Body Shop Olive Shower Gel - Despite hating the taste of olives, I absolutely love the scent of this olive shower gel. I used it in the mornings when I wanted a subtle scent that wouldn't mix with my perfume. This is another one I'd buy again but only if it was on offer. 

Seventeen Doll'd Up Mascara - I had a voucher from Boots for a couple of pounds off this Seventeen mascara when it first came out so decided to give it a try and it's really impressed me. It sits in-between being a natural looking mascara and one that really makes your lashes stand out. It holds a curl really well and gives length and volume as well. It has a plastic wand which is what I prefer and no doubt I'll be buying another tube at some point.

Caudalie Hand Cream - Although I didn't love the scent of this, unlike the first one I tried, I still love the formula and will be buying another tube again.

Antipodes Juliet Gel Cleanser* - I really loved this gel cleanser when I used it throughout the summer and when my skin was a little more on the oily side. It lathers really nicely but doesn't feel like it's stripping the skin. The scent is also amazing! Once the weather started getting colder though and my skin drier this didn't work so well and made my skin feel tight afterwards. So far this is the only gel cleanser I've really liked and I'll be buying another bottle next year but I'll only be using it in the summer months and saving my balm cleansers for the rest of the year.

Bourjois Nail Polish Remover Pot - When I first heard about this little nail polish remover pot I thought it would be a gimmick and not really work very well. I couldn't have been more wrong as I've used it so many times and have obviously finished it. I don't use this every time I remove nail polish, mainly when I've used a glitter polish as it makes it so much easier. This pot also works really well at taking off the Sally Hansen Real Nail Polish Strips. I already have another pot from a Latest In Beauty box but I know I'll keep on repurchasing it.

Sally Hansen Salon Effects Nail Polish Strips in Zip It! - You can see my NOTD of these here. I didn't love this design, I'm not a huge fan of silver but I'd buy other designs.

Liz Earle Skin Repair for Dry/Sensitive - Going back about 6 years, Liz Earle Skin Repair was my favourite moisturiser and the only one I used. I had the lighter version for oily skin and it worked wonders for how my skin was then. I bought the dry/sensitive version about a year ago as this is my skin type now.  I do like it but I found it a bit of a struggle to use it and actually finish it. It was a nice cream to mix with oils but on it's own it wasn't very impressive. I wouldn't buy another tub of this version again as I've since found better moisturisers.

Philip Kingsley Elasticizer - I love this pre-shampoo conditioner and the way it makes my hair feel and look. After I use this my hair feels incredibly soft and is a lot less frizzy. I got a lot more uses out of this small tube than I was expecting and will be buying the full size.

Nuxe Reve De miel Lip Balm - Dare I say it, when I came the bottom of this pot I was sort of bored of this lip balm. It just didn't seem to work as well as when I first started using it. I have a million other lip balms to use and am currently liking the By Terry Baume De Rose better.

OPI Avoplex Cuticle Oil To Go - This was the perfect cuticle oil to keep in my bag or on my desk at work as it's fuss free. It smells really fresh and reminds me of cucumbers. I don't think I'd buy this full price but if I found it on offer then I'd buy it again.

Rebel Nails for Toes - I found these nail stickers quite tricky to use as you have to heat them up with a hair dryer before applying. My toe nails are also tiny so I had to cut these up which then messed up the patterns. I got these in a beauty box but I wouldn't buy them.

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