Hey lovelies,

Two months of posting empties in a row! Whaaaaat?? I've been making an effort to use up some of what I already have lately, because I have a sizeable stash of samples and skincare stuff that I should try to get through.




Great Barrier Island Bee Co Manuka Honey Intensive Hand & Nail Cream: This is one of my favourite hand creams, which I've already reviewed so I'll keep things brief (see my original review here). This smells nice, hydrates exceptionally well and absorbs quickly so you don't have to worry about icky greasy hands!

Coca Cola Lip Smacker: A classic and reliable balm from Bonne Bell. You can tell I've had this one awhile, you can't see the printing anymore! This does smell like Coca Cola and feels pretty hydrating.

Batiste Wild Dry Shampoo: I love Batiste's dry shampoos and this one does an excellent job. I'm not a fan of the scent however so I've been trying to use it up quickly. The 'Wild' fragrance is quite strong and reminds me of some of the Impulse scents myself and friends plastered ourselves with as teens. Just a bit dated to me, but I know others love it.

Fountain Total Moisture sample: This moisturiser has a light sweet chemical scent, which I didn't love but could live with. It contains milk peptides and snake venom (!) which claim to boost collagen production and reduce the muscle movement that causes facial lines, respectively. The texture is really thin, but in a good way - it's easy to spread over skin and it left my skin hydrated and soft, not greasy. I got three applications out of this sample, not long enough to see lasting effects but it definitely impressed me enough to want to try it again.

Etude House Collagen Moistfull Cream x2:
I got two applications per sample. After using this cream my skin feels soft and lightly hydrated and that feeling lasts all day.

Etude House Like 20 Finishing Cream: I'm not quite sure what a finishing cream is - I've just used it as a moisturiser. The Like Twenty cream has quite a soapy scent which I didn't love but it did a nice job of moisturising.

Clinique Liquid Facial Soap Mild: I'm not awesome with liquid cleansers but I like this stuff. This was a deluxe sample from a gift with purchase set years ago so I'm pleased to finally have made the effort to use it regularly and finish it. This cleanses my skin nicely without drying it out.

Purple shampoo & conditioner (samples from hairdressers): I'm not being very helpful by including these as I'm not sure what brand they are. I think Joico because the texture, colour and scent is the same but I can't be sure. They were great though and really reduce brassiness in my hair.

Tosowoong Miracle Skin Pore Tightening Pack: This face mask was really fun to use! It's a really dark brown, which looks really gross and makes me laugh. It tightens a lot, and my skin was quite pink after using it, but that faded quickly and gosh did my skin feel smooth.

Tosowoong Pore RX Tightening Serum: This feels more like a primer than a serum due to its silica rich formula. Paired with the Skin Pore Tightening Pack my skin felt so smooth and I did feel the appearance of pores was minimised. I'm keen to try this again.

Red Seal Zinc, B6 & Magnesium Supplements: I'm including these because while I didn't initially start taking them as a beauty product, they've rapidly become my BFF. My midwife recommended a magnesium supplement towards the end of my pregnancy with Patrick to reduce the intensity of Braxton Hicks contractions. These not only helped with the BH, they also strengthened my nails. I started having to file down my usually problematic nails because they were getting too long! They also survive impact I know would usually snap them right away - I can't tell you how many times I've broken a nail wrestling my children into their car seats! I definitely notice a difference in my nails when I forget to take this, so I've repurchased and will likely continue to do so :)

Tonymoly Floria Flower Energy Foam Cleanser: This cleanser was only meh for me. It does the job but left my skin feeling a little tighter than I'd like.

Pantene Pro-V 3 Minute Miracle x4: I've actually gone through four tubes of this and I love it! I tried out another hair masque in between the 3 pack I initially bought and the one pictured which I didn't like - so I quickly switched back to this and my hair loves it. Though my hair still has a way to go to being really healthy, this leaves my colour treated hair so soft. A definite repurchase.

Trivani Night Repair Creme: And rounding out this month's empties is a lovely night creme from an unfortunately not so lovely company, apparently. I was gifted this by my MIL and really liked it, it's moisturising without leaving skin greasy. I really liked using it after a shower when my skin was in need of intense hydration quickly. Trivani seems to have gone under though, so no repurchase possible.

Did you have any empties in April? Tell me in the comments below, and feel free to link me to your own empties post if you've done one :)

X
Lani