Project 10 pan, take two

After being inspired by Addicted to OPI’s latest post, I decided to start my own project 10 pan choosing nearly empty products to give me that much needed motivation.

My mission to reduce my beauty stash is going well, I gave away a lot of makeup and skincare to Project Shoebox for Christmas, threw out old makeup and have steadily been making my way through skincare products, look out for an empties post this week.

Empties #1

As I mentioned in my ’sorting things out’ post, I will be reintroducing empties to document how I am getting on with reducing my stash.

These are empties from the last month or so, and I'm glad that I have a lot of makeup products, I think it will be standard to showcase a cleanser or two but makeup always takes that much longer.

Spending ban empties

I am so glad I can finally throw these empties into the recycling. Having them piled up over the last three months was very frustrating, but there is a weird satisfaction now looking through the pile of the rubbish.

Minus a few bottles of shampoo, shower gel and a cleanser, this is everything I finished since the new year. I made a point of finishing products that were near the end of their life as well as travel sizes of products I had been saving for trips away. Not only do I not go away very often but when I do I tend to take what I know and like to use.

In total I used up 7 skincare products, 8 shower and body products, 8 hair products, 2 lip products and 1 alcohol gel.

There are only two products in the pile that I was disappointed to finish. The first was Liquid Gold. Having had a series of break outs and a rather bad spot disaster resulting in quite a serious scar I could do with the benefits of glycolic right now. Although I have the Nip + Fab pads, I can now see there limits and for me they are suited to maintaining good skin rather than helping to create it.

The second product was Rimmel’s Exaggerate waterproof eyeliner. I actually ran out of this quite early on and surprisingly don't have any other black waterproof eyeliners. I've tested out a few others in my collection since but I've been disappointed and instead I've started using liquid eyeliner more and leaving my waterline bare.

Products I was glad to finish we're the Bioderma micelle solution, which is something I don't understand the hype for, and the Coconut body cream from Bath and Body works, after so many months of using it I got sick of the scent!

I finished three makeup products, four if you count BB cream as a makeup rather than a skin care product, which based on my new rule, means that I can buy two makeup products. But other than repurchasing the Rimmel eyeliner, nothing I want springs to mind although a good review of any of the new CC creams may tempt me.

November empties

After a few slow months I finally managed to make my way through a decent number of products for this empties post.

Alpha-H balancing cleanser —  I reviewed this earlier this week. I love it, it is gentle and cleanses my skin really well. As soon as I finish a few more cleansers  in my collection I will be repurchasing this.

Victoria Secret bombshell shower gel and moisturiser — I brought these as part of a set, which also contained a body spray. The scent is sweet and delicate and using it all together felt like a nice treat. The scent didn’t stick around for a long time though and the moisturiser, although nice to use, was not very hydrating. This was an impulse buy at the time but I don't think I will be heading back for any more.

Bad Girl Scandalous Curl cream —I really enjoyed using this, my curls formed nicely and the product didn't leave a sticky residue in my hair. I picked it up from Savers originally, but I think their stock is random and unfortunately I haven't found it since!

Bath and Body works shower gel — This is in the scent Japanese cherry blossom, which I love. Not much more to say than that!

Super Facialist daily brightening cleanser — I've reviewed this recently too, it is a nice cleanser to use, but it doesn't remove all makeup with one cleanse so it isn’t something I will be repurchasing.

Benefit Porefessional —  I already have another of these, which I purchased in a set. This does lessen the look of pores and one tube lasts a long time, making it good value for money.

Elf Brow Kit (medium) — I know this isn’t finished, but I have made a good dent in it and I feel it is time to go. I brought this from the US over two years ago for $3, which at the time worked out as £1.50! Although I have enjoyed using it, I recently picked up two new products that are a much better match for my brows (which I will share soon) and based on the price and how long I have had it, I don’t feel too guilty about throwing it away prematurely.

I'm planning on going through my collection next month and getting rid of makeup that is too old or just doesn't work for me anymore. I'm finding that I'm grabbing things I have neglected for a while and tried to use them, only to realise they were neglected for a reason! The main culprits are eyeliners, so it is time to have a clear out!

Do you ever have a clear out of your makeup store? Or do you like to use everything up even if you don't like it? Let me know in the comments below.

October empties

Just a quick post to share what I finished last month….

Sainsbury’s own brand baby shampoo — I use this to clean my make-up brushes. The bottle is huge and cost a mere 99p! It lasted me over 6 months and didn’t seem to do my brushes any harm so I will be picking up more of this.

Impulse very very pink body spray — I haven’t used impulse since my teenage years but this was a freebie with some purchases and I ended up carrying it around in my handbag for times when I needed to smell a bit fresher. The smell was actually very pleasant but I doubt I will be repurchasing.

Nalene artificial nail and polish remover — I didn’t like this at all, it was so drying to my fingers and nails and since I have been using it for over 6 months, now feels like a good time to get rid.

Quickies nail remover pads — these are so much nicer to use for polish removal and I have lost count of the number of times I have repurchased these. I found these at the £1 shop recently and Savers, which is a bonus!

Mememe Seventh Heaven — I have blogged about my love for this primer/moisturiser. I have a few more primers that I want to test and finish but as soon as I do I’m sure I will be on my repurchase list.

Bath and Body Works twilight woods body lotion — I love this! The smell of all Bath and Body Works products are all delicious, this has a delicate scent of jojoba and shea butter and absorbs quickly into the skin and does leave my skin feeling smooth and hydrated. So all I need to ask is, B&BW when are you coming to the UK?!

September empties

I didn’t get through too many products this month but I am glad they are a few I have been wanting to finish for a while.

Aussie luscious long leave in conditioner — I really disliked the smell of this and it wasn’t a scent that grew on me with time. I didn’t notice any significant difference in the condition of my hair whilst using this either so, needless to say, it is not on my repurchase list.

Soap & Glory Greatest Scrub of All — I have mentioned this product in the past and it was something that I enjoyed using, however I’ve built up a collection of so many face scrubs that I just keen to testing out news ones and I don’t like having too many products open at once.

Molton Brown vitalising vitamin AB+C bath and shower gel — This came as a Glossy Box sample and as much as I did enjoy using it for its smell I don’t tend to spend a lot of money on shower gels.

Liz Earle Botanical Body wash — This was thrown in as part of a QVC TSV I purchased and as above it was nice but I won’t be repurchasing it.

Benefit They’re Real mascara — I realised that I have had this open for almost a year, since it was given to me for My Birthday, last October! I have loved using it and have reviewed it previously but it is time to go!

I hope that my October empties will be a bit more plentiful since I have a lot of products down to their last squeeze.

I am contemplating trying ‘blogtober', I have just made it to posting this in time for October 1, but we will see how I am feeling about that tomorrow. Let me know, would you like to see a post every day this month?

August empties

I’m very pleased with my empties this month, aside from not having them thrown away prematurely I managed to get through a decent number of products, quite possibly my highest number to date!

Sanctuary shower oil — I’m not going to lie I picked this up because of the Egyptian theme and my obsession with all things Egypt. Although I like using body and face oils, as a wash this didn't really work for me. Surprisingly unlike a regular oil this sat on my skin and didn't spread unless I applied water, at that point it was a race to get a decent lather before it washed off completely! This isn't on my repurchase list.

This works: clean skin — I’ve blogged about this previously, luckily I picked this up in the clearance section at Boots. At it's regular price it is a bit pricey for what it is but I did like using it and it cleansed my skin well. If I found it in the clearance section again or on special offer I would repurchase it.

Re-Gen cream — I love bio-oil but with the oil version of the Re-Gen cream considered its dupe I was curious about the cream version. The cream is light and runny, but it does soak into the skin well. Although this did a good job of moisturising it didn't help with my scarring too, which is what I love about Bio Oil.

Bionsen remineralising cream — I picked this up in TK Maxx because of the word “remineralising” (I’m starting to realise there are a few key words that seem to suck me into buying products and I really need to watch out for that!) As soon as I applied it my skin felt really dry, I’m not sure why this is, but that certainly isn’t what I want or expect from a moisturiser! Safe to say, even if I knew where to get this, I won’t be repurchasing.

Lynx for girls — I was completely sucked in by the advertising with this one, I thought the ad campaigns were great. The spray on the other hand smelt ok but I don’t tend to use spray deodorant so I won’t be repurchasing this.

Liz Earle shampoo — another “natural” shampoo fail for me, although the product smelt good and did lather well compared to other natural shampoos I have tried, I still didn’t get a clean feeling.

Liz Earle hand repair — I kept this at my desk at work to apply throughout the day. It soaks in well and doesn’t feel too greasy on the hands but the scent is a little too herbal for my liking. I still have a few more of these at home from kits I have purchased in the past, otherwise it is a very forgettable product.

Liz Earle eye serum — this gel is designed to be used in the evenings and I have to say that I have noticed a difference in the lines and overall look of my eye area since using this. That being said, I am terrible at using an eye cream regularly, so I think the fact that I have used something rather than nothing might be the reason for the result?

Molten Brown lip saver — another item that sat at my desk. I wasn’t actually a fan of this so I’m glad to finally be rid of it. It doesn’t feel very moisturising but it feel greasy. Also I am not a fan of having to apply lip products with my finger.

L’Oreal studio fibre cream gel — this was an experimental purchase, to see if any product could work with my curls….. this doesn’t. I have previously used, and liked, the fibre gel from the brand Fudge (another product not specifically aimed for those with curly hair) and thought that this might give a similar result for a lower price. However, the consistency was a thick gel and it left my hair feeling sticky. I’m sure for anyone with short, straight hair this would be an ideal product for really structured styles but certainly not for my fellow curly heads.

Jergens daily moisture — I have also blogged about this product recently. It is something I would potentially consider for repurchase because it is so reasonably priced, but I have so many other moisturisers to get through that when it comes round to having to buy a new moisturiser I’m not sure that I will immediately pick up this.

That’s my lot for this month. I am hoping that next month I will have at least one makeup product featured, I seem to get through skin and hair care products at a reasonable rate but rarely use up my makeup, which is probably a reflection of how much I own rather than how much I use it!

July empties

Unfortunately my empties post is looking a bit empty this month. Mum very kindly decided to do a sweep of my room taking with it the pile of rubbish I had been collecting for this post.

I’m not going to lie there was a fall to my knees “nooooooo” moment, quickly replaced by laughing at the fact that only a beauty blogger would collect rubbish in the first place and then be upset about it once it’s gone!

I only remember two of the items I had — Tropic cleanser and Witch pressed powder — but otherwise here are my empties for this month.

Tropic moisturiser (and cleanser) — I reviewed this range recently. The cleanser is something I would consider repurchasing but not the moisturiser.

Liz Earle conditioner — I was going to review the shampoo and conditioner as part of my Liz Earle series but the post won't say much more than I will here, which is that I really don’t like these. I've had a mixed experience of natural based hair products and these products fall under the category of not leaving my hair feeling unclean and dry.

The shampoo leaves my hair feeling like straw and the conditioner does not feel like it is compensating for the lack of moisture. Instead I end up using argan oil and/or a leave in conditioner to get the moisture back. The conditioner doesn't have a very pleasant smell either.

I've probably gone over the acceptable 6 month limit with these mascaras from No7 and Estee Lauder. The Estee Lauder illusionist mascara is good at separating and lengthening lashes and I loved the sample size for keeping my handbag. However, neither of these are stand out enough for me to consider repurchasing them.

So there it is, short but sweet this month. As always please feel free to share your links below.

June empties

I think this empties post is my biggest to date. I’ve managed to get through a good mix of bath, skincare and hair products and yet my cupboard doesn’t look any barer….go figure!

TRESemme naturals shampoo — I haven’t liked many natural shampoos but this is the only one I would consider repurchasing. It lathers up well and it doesn’t leave my hair feeling greasy as quickly, plus the huge bottle means that it lasts ages!

Urban Fudge (messy stuff) —I love the packaging and presentation of this hair “fudge”. Although it is not marketed at curly hair it left me with really nice tight curls. I did find that if I was over generous with the cream my hair ended up “crunchy”.

Umberto Gianini curl and twirl shampoo (sample) — I don’t know if this does anything for my curls, but it smells great.

Hair conditioner (sample) — not a sample worth noting but something else to add to the recycling pile.

Avon Advanced techniques frizz control — I’ve featured this before, another bottle down!

Moroccan oil — I have reviewed this in the past. I would like to look for a cheaper alternative if possible, so suggestions are welcome.

Balance Me body wash — this was a magazine freebie, it smelt ok and felt nice on my skin but nothing special enough for me to go hunting for.

Organza shower gel — this came in a perfume gift set, the smell is quite overpowering as a perfume so I didn’t love this as a shower gel.

Liz Earle cleanse and polish and instant boost skin tonic — I’ve reviewed these recently. This is the last of my cleanse and polish so I am looking forward to trying something new.

Bourjois foaming cleansing cream — this came in the goodie bag at the Bourjois event a few months back, but I don’t believe it is actually available to buy so I’m not too sure why they included it.

Neutrogena 2-in-1 fight and fade gel — this is my favourite spot treatment. I stocked up on this when I was in the US and surprisingly this small tube lasts a long time. As the name suggest it can be used to clear up existing spots as well as help fade any scarring left behind. I haven’t found anything as effective in the UK.

Halo eye makeup remover pads — I love these eye makeup removers, cheap and effective. Check out my review here.

May empties

Another month has ended and I can finally throw away the pile of rubbish accumulating on my bathroom floor, but what was there you wonder?

Well, here’s what….

Satsuma shower gel (The Body Shop) — This shower gel has one of those gorgeous scents that fills the bathroom after you use it. The huge 750ml size meant that it lasted me months. All that said, unless it is on some sort of special offer I won’t go out of my way to repurchase it. However, I will look out for large sized bottles of shower gel they are good value for money and it means I throw out less plastic each month.

Get curls (Samy) — I have tried the Samy curl cream in the past, this does the same job but is a gel. It is a little too fluid for my liking but even when I do apply more than I intended it doesn’t leave my hair feeling crunchy. Definitely one I will repurchase in the future.

Skin repair moisturiser (Liz Earle) — I am not sure if anyone can relate to this but I have reviewed this product recently and although it wasn’t a negative review, I wasn’t hugely impressed with the moisturiser. However, compared to what I am using at the moment this is amazing and I almost miss it. I won’t be rushing out to buy it any time soon but if it is ever included in a QVC TSV again, I won’t sigh about it.

Instant boost skin tonic (Liz Earle) — Again, I have reviewed this previously and I really like this toner. I still have a few sample sizes floating around so no need to repurchase just yet.

Concealer pencil and brush (ELF) — I love this concealer, I will do a full review at some point because I am aware I have mentioned it in the past but never fully reviewed it. I always buy these in multiples and I am down to my last one now, which means I will have an ELF haul some time soon.

Cream eyeliner (ELF) — This is something that definitely won’t be on my ELF repurchase list. I purchased the shade copper and black at the same time. Copper is a beautiful shade (a great alternative to brown eyeliner) but had a much drier formulation than the black when it first arrived and dried out almost immediately. The black is on its way to being completely dry too, but hopefully I’ll get a bit more use out of it.

Cream eyeliner (Saffron) — This came with my eyeliner stencils and was very smooth and creamy but sadly this has also dried out.

April empties

I didn’t get through too much this month. I think I am almost done with all my half used bottles of products and small samples, but that being said my cupboards don’t seem to look any barer.

Naked boost revitalising shampoo — I managed to find this in the 99p store! I still want to love natural shampoos but my hair always looks and feels greasy much more quickly after using theses so I have taken to shampooing twice, which has helped but I never felt the need to do this with regular shampoo. I have started alternating the shampoos I use though as I heard a tip from DermTV that this was good for your hair — I will of course update on this if I notice a difference.

Advanced Techniques frizz control conditioner — My aunty used to be an Avon lady and after she quit we ended up with what seemed to be hundreds of bottles of this conditioner. I really like using the serum in the same range but the conditioner is nothing too special in my opinion.

Umbertio Giannini dazzling shine in the spotlight mist — this has to have been in my cupboard for years, I’m not even sure if the product is still available. Very glad to be done with this, I just don’t care enough to use this on top of everything else for the sake of a little shine.

Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish — I did a review of this very recently. I am down to my last bottle now but I  know QVC has a special value coming up on Thursday!

No7 protect and perfect intense beauty serum — I love this serum, this was just a sample I had left over but I also have a full sized one to use, which is my third or fourth tube. I will post a full review soon.

Kleenex eye make-up removal wipes — I took these on holiday with me and still had some left over when I returned. There are 30 sheets in a pack and I only needed one each time to remove all my eye make-up, which makes these good value for money. I still prefer the Halo wipes though.

Soap and Glory clean girls body wash — another sample body wash. I really liked this, my skin felt soft and moisturised after using and it has a nice subtle scent. I would consider repurchasing this.

White Glo extra strength whitening toothpaste— I wouldn’t normally include my used up toothpaste tubes in an empties post but this was actually included in the February Carmine box so I thought it would be worth a mention. There isn’t much I can say about toothpaste but I did have a comment that my teeth looked whiter in the time that I was using this so I would be tempted to repurchase it if I could find it easily.

March empties

I don’t usually post twice in one day but I wanted to get this up before we got too far into April. March was a strange month for empties since I was away for most of it and I had decided to only take  with me sample sizes of products I had lurking in the cupboards so that I wouldn’t have to bring anything back and have more room for my shopping!

So here is some of what I got through…

Benefit Carmella perfume — I had three samples of this. It is incredibly sweet and although I did like it I wouldn’t want a full sized bottle.

Benefit refined finish facial polish — the exfoliating beads on this scrub are just perfect for feeling like you have exfoliated your face well without feeling too rough. I am not sure what the cost of a full sized bottle is but it is something I would consider repurchasing. 

Body Shop mango body butter — I have always been a fan of these body butters but stopped buying them after the company increased the prices! 

Mythic oil — this was only a magazine sample but a little goes a long way and I got a good number of uses out of this. Unfortunately, as with my shampoo and condition (not pictured) I don’t feel like I can review these properly since the water in Dubai made my hair feel like straw and wasn’t in the best condition for the weeks I was there. 

No 7 blissful body wash x2 — The scent was light and my skin didn’t feel dry after using it but it’s not special enough for me to go for full sized products.

Soap and Glory the daily smooth body butter — thinking back to it now I don’t really remember much about this product! At least I know it’s not worth going back for. 

Liz Earle botanical fragrance — I hated this when it was first applied but as it settled it was much more pleasant. I wouldn’t consider a full size bottle though.

Garnier Ambre Solair face protect cream SPF 30— very light and non-greasy, I already had problems with breakouts because of the water but gladly this didn’t add to my skin issues. 

Garnier Ambre Solair Golden Protect SPF 30 — I really didn’t like this sun protection purely because of the amount of shimmer it contains, I should have guessed from the bottle though! 

Jean Paul Gaultier perfume — I already own a full sized bottle of this and it was good to have something with me that I knew I liked and was long-lasting.

February empties

It has been a good month for empties, I have almost got through all of the half used products in my cupboard, which means more space and the chance to start testing out some new products.

So here is what I finished in February….

L’Oreal gentle eye make-up remover — I did not like this at all, it didn’t remove all my eye-makeup first, second or even third time. Recommendations for a new, decent remover would be very welcome!

Body Shop vitamin C cleansing polish — I have reviewed this previously, nothing special and I doubt I will ever repurchase it.

Naked style gorgeous curls cream — I liked this but not as much as the Samy products I have used previously. Although my hair curled nicely, the product built up and left a greasy feeling.

Dove intensive repair — this was a sample I received in a magazine. It did leave my hair feeling soft immediately after washing and I liked that you only needed to leave it in a minute to get the effect, but the fact that it didn’t really last means I probably won’t purchase a full size.

Davidoff Cool Water — another perfume finished this month. Not one of my favourites but I am emotionally attached to it, it reminds me of University days, so I probably will end up repurchasing this at some stage.

Avon perfect wear liquid eyeliner —I really liked using this, but it dried up after about three weeks and although I would like to try the felt-tip style again I’m not sure if others will all end up in the bin as quickly too.

Johnson’s 3 in 1 cleansing lotion — this isn’t a great cleanser but it does leave skin feeling really soft and smooth and is great when you are feeling lazy and want to do everything in one quick step.

Clinque 3-step — I picked up the 3-step starter kit since always wanted to try it. The cleanser and moisturiser lasted me the whole month of February and I will have a review up soon!

Crest 3D whitestrips — Another product I have blogged about previously. I found these too harsh to use for a full treatment cycle but I would repurchase something else from the range.

Nail polish remover — just a cheap one from Asda that I am glad to be done with.

Body shop white musk body powder — I abandoned this for a long time but enjoyed finishing this up. I used it after showing and it left a nice subtle scent on my skin.

Chinese miracle — this was one of the first products I ever reviewed. Although I did like it I’m glad to have the extra space in my cupboard.

Well, even if I do say so myself I am pretty impressed! The plan for the month of March is to start using up all the little sample products I have accumulated, hopefully I will find a few gems and at the same time free up more much needed space. 

January empties

January is over already! Since I enjoy reading empties post I decided I would start doing these each month, there have been quite a few products I have actively made an attempt to use up since they have been hanging around my bathroom far too long.

So here we go…..

Excuse how grimy these bottles look but they spent a long time in the bottom of the shower! 

Schwarzkopf Seah hairspa cashmere cream masque — In keeping with my new years resolution I have treated my hair more. This is a really rich and nourishing masque, which smells gorgeous and left my hair feeling really soft and moisturised. It came as part of a gift set originally so I don’t know how much it would cost to buy, definitely a contender for the repurchase list. 

Johnson’s baby oil — I use this after showering to moisturise my skin. I like to apply any moisturiser to damp skin to help lock in the moisture so having this in the shower worked really well for that. Being an oil it meant it lasted ages and is also super cheap! 

Soap and Glory the fab pore face mask— I really liked this and will probably repurchase once I get through the rest of my face masks. It lasted ages too and I was using it at least 3 times a month, which makes it great value for money. 

Avon face perfector — I did a review on this recently. I am actually cheating and chucking this out without finishing it, but I noticed that after using it everyday I started to get some nasty breakouts, and I couldn’t put it down to anything else, so it had to go.

Urban Decay primer potion — finally reached the end of this sample that came with my book of shadows III. I really like this and would repurchase it, although I do have high expectations of my Bella Pierre primer.

Emporio Armarni Diamonds — this is my second favourite scent of all time and I already have a replacement for it.

Bella Pierre foundation — I think it has taken me about a year to get through the 9g of foundation, I have raved about this product many times and have already replaced it.

I feel quite accomplished getting through all of these and I  am glad to see my cupboard emptying. Do you enjoy empties posts as much as I do?