December 2013 Empties - Beauty Edition + A Love Note

As this will be the last post of the year, I thought I'd get a little sentimental and sappy. Thank you so much for all of your love and support this year. The comments left on my blog, love notes through email, and interactions on social media encourages and motivates me to continue blogging and strive to make this blog better. With that said, I wish you a very Happy New Year filled with love, laughter, health and wealth.
Sap time over.
Ah, I love ending off the year having finished so many full sized beauty products. This will be my last post until the new year and what better way to end 2013 than with an empties beauty edition post?!
Jumping right in!

Andalou Naturals Apricot Probiotic Cleansing Milk - review here - What a fantastic cleanser. I don't think I realized how much I enjoyed it until I finished it up. It smelled great, cleansed well (after already removing makeup), and was very affordable. My only beef is that the pump stopped working when there was about 1/4 of the product left. Was super fun trying to use up the rest...it wasn't fun at all, that was sarcasm. Would repurchase though. Andalou Naturals Illuminating Toner - review here - Love! Already repurchased. Pretty Triple Rose Floral Water - review here - These are my favourite floral waters ever. I didn't love the rose scent, since I'm not a rose fan but it worked well as a morning "cleanse". Repurchased in Chamomile.

George's Aloe - no review - This product has been a favourite of many green bloggers for months. I didn't do a full review because there's no point. I used it in masks and as I would a toner or floral water. It was nice and the price point was fantastic, but it won't be a repurchase.

Weleda Calendula Shampoo and Body Wash - review here - LOVE, LOVE, LOVE. This was the ultimate multitasking product for me. It worked as a shampoo, body wash and AMAZING hand wash. I will repurchase for sure!

REN Glycol Lactice Radiance Renewal Mask - review here - My heart broke a little when I finished this baby up. It was such a beautiful mask that produced results and even though it contains phenoxyethanol, I would repurchased if the price was right. 

*Odacite Hydration Masque Sample - review here - I tried and wanted to love this mask, however, it just didn't do what I expected it to do...like hydrate.

*Delizioso Skin Care Dead Sea Mud Mask - review here - This actually dried out before I could finish it, so I added a little bit of water and used what I could before it grew a furry family. There are other mud/clay masks that I prefer though. Won't repurchase.

Badger Balm Cocoa Butter Lip Balm in Mint - review here - One of my fave lip balms. I hate how cocoa butter lip balms change texture in extreme weather, which is what happened with this one. I've already used up 2 and have another left. Will likely repurchase at some point.

Ladybug Jane Sweet Strawberry Lip Balm - review here - Ugh, the taste of this balm is delicious and it's vegan! Will definitely repurchase.

Pacifica Indian Coconut Nectar Solid Perfume - review here - I've had this for months and months, it's lovely! Worked as a perfume, brow wax, etc. Will repurchase at some point.

*aroma M Camellia Body/Bath Oil - review here - This body oil is lovely, except for the scent. It's a little too floral and mature for my liking but, the oil itself absorbs and moisturizes beautifully. Won't purchase the full size.

Deep Steep Hand Wash in Honeydew Spearmint - review here - Great scent, great ingredients, not great for my dry hands in the cold months. Would repurchase in the Summer.

*Corpa Flora Beaute Divine Cleansing Oil - review here - Gorgeous cleansing oil that lasted me a very long time. Removed makeup without irritating or breaking out my skin. I'm using something else now and will likely purchase the full size in the future.

Konjac Sponge Company - no review - I tried so hard to write a review on this sponge but, whenever I sat down I just couldn't type anything. It's a lovely sponge that works to remove makeup and cleanse the skin with or without cleanser. I still prefer my Sephora pad though. Won't be repurchasing.

That's it for my last post of the year! Are you ending off 2013 with a lighter bathroom? Let me know what you finished off this month.

*PR SAMPLES

December 2013 Empties - Food Edition

It's the last month of the year, felt like being Captain Obvious, and time for empties! I decided to split my empties into skin care and food because I've used up quite a bit of stuff this month. Come January 2014, I won't be including food items in empties posts anymore. Rather, I'll be dedicating one post a week (not sure what day yet) to food such as specific ingredients, recipes, tea, etc. 

Pukka Tea in Relax - This is now one of my favourite teas in the Pukka range. Chamomile, fennel and marshmallow root are all fantastic for soothing and aiding in digestion (which I need help with). It tasted really good and my tummy loved it. Will be repurchasing as soon as I find it in stores again.

Pukka Tea in Harmonise - I've already gone through a box and wasn't a fan of the taste, so imagine my surprise when I realized I picked it up again (meant to try Love). Won't be repurchasing.

Pukka Three Green - I love the mild and slightly sweet taste of this Three Green and have already repurchased.

Kumsi Tea in Boost & Be Cool - These two individual packs were given to me by Monique from Anise Apothecary. Boost is a blend of mate and green tea with cinnamon, ginger and cardamom. I love the scent as it reminds me of Ground Soap Backbone but, hate the taste. Be Cool, on the other hand, is delicious. It's a mild peppermint and liquorice blend that's so soothing from first to last sip. It reminds me a lot of the Cleanse tea from Pukka. Will the picking up other flavours of the single use packs to try.

Precision All Natural Rice Protein in Vanilla - I like to add protein powder to smoothies and certain foods. I prefer vegan protein and am having the hardest time finding something that actually tastes alright. My attempt at hemp and split pea proteins have failed, so I thought why not try rice?! Yah....it was pretty stale tasting. What I love about this particular brand is that it's 100% organic sprouted brown rice and it's free of soy, gluten, corn and dairy. My journey for a decent tasting protein powder continues. I'm open to suggestions!

Love Crunch Dark Chocolate Macaroon - Damn this stuff was so delicious! It tasted exactly like the name suggests...NOM NOM NOM! While it contains soy, it's non GMO verified and fair trade. I liked eating this as a snack, when I was craving something sweet, or mixed with yogurt. I also have the Dark Chocolate and Red Berries and it's equally as delicious. Will likely repurchase at some point.

Flora Udo's Choice Ultimate Digestive Enzyme - Picked these up after hearing people rave about how much it's helped their digestion and bloating. I already take probiotics and find they work well for me. These just didn't help, in fact they made my stomach hurt. Won't be repurchasing.

I'd love to hear what sort of food items you've finished and get suggestions on things to try. Let me know below!