May 2013 Empties!

I now get why in most Youtube empties videos they start with, "I can't believe (enter month) is already over". Time seems to be passing quicker and quicker every month. As usual, this will be a lengthy empties with some random products. I'm going to try and keep it short and sweet.

Skin Care

Pai Echium Biorejuvenate Eye Cream - review here - This is such a lovely eye cream. It's light, yet hydrated well, and did seem to slightly minimize the appearance of my fine lines. It worked great alone or under makeup. I've gone through two tubes of it and will likely repurchase.

Weleda Baby Calendula Face Cream - review here - LOVE.THIS.STUFF. It is so moisturizing, nourishing and just wonderful. I use it on my face and body on the regular and have already repurchased.

Camocare Organics Instant Radiance AHA Lifting Peel - review here - This was a nice chemical exfoliating product. Was it better than P+S lactic or Devita glycolic blend? No. I wouldn't repurchase.

Aura Cacia Avocado Oil - no review - I was experimenting with different oils and making my own blended facial oils in the Winter. I think Avocado oil is a bit heavy for my skin, so I ended up using it in my hair which worked great. I wouldn't repurchase though.

Thayers Cucumber Witch Hazel Toner - review here - I've gone through several bottles of this stuff, it's my absolute favourite toner at a such a great price point. I'm not going to repurchase right now because I've been experimenting with a DIY apple cider vinegar and aloe toner.

Scrubs

BambuEarth Sugar Cookie Body Polish - review here - This left my skin soft but the scent was too strong for me. Great company, great ingredients, just not the scrub for me.

Lush Popcorn Lip Scrub - review here - I really enjoyed the taste of this scrub. It's sweet and salty, and worked great at exfoliating my lips. Won't be repurchasing because I'm going to attempt (not like it's hard) my own lip scrub.

Samples

Suki Transformative Cleansing Clay/Bio-active Purifying Face Serum/ Exfoliate Foaming Cleanser - These sample packets were way too small to decide if they a. did anything and b. did anything. I've had multiple samples of the exfoliate foaming cleanser and that's lovely.

Dermalogica Daily Resurfacer - I was using the daily resurfacer while in my second skin care course and it worked really well on my skin. I found it reduced break outs and helped lighten acne scars. Obviously the sample was a one time use, but it gave my skin an overnight boost. It's pretty expensive and not totally natural, I likely won't purchase.

Dr. Alkatis Organic Cellular Repair Mask - review here - I didn't find this mask did anything special for my skin. I won't purchase the full size.

More Samples

Dr. Alkatis Organic Herbal Toner - review here - This was a nice toner. It hydrated, cleansed, didn't irritate or burn my skin, and smelled nice. A little expensive for a toner though, I won't purchase the full size.

Dr. Alkatis Organic Soothing Gel - review here - My face initially burned upon applying this soothing gel, but it got used to it. I found it helped heal acne and calm down my skin. I'm still unsure on if I'd purchase the full size. I guess if I'm that unsure, it's likely I won't.

Green Beaver Green Tea Facial Cream - I also used this in my skin care course as my moisturizer for each facial. So instead of whoever worked on me applying a chemical filled moisturizer, I used this and it was great. It hydrated and soothed my skin really nicely. I think I may purchase the full size eventually.

Tata Harper Hydrating Floral Essence - I kept this in my purse to refresh my makeup during the day. It's pretty miniature but one spritz is all I needed. It's very scented, overpowering really. It's not a scent that I could see myself getting used to. I won't be purchasing the full size.

I actually met Nancy and Patricia, who own Shoosha True, at The Big Carrot earlier this month. The line is geared towards babies and mothers/mothers to be. Patricia told me how the products can be used as skin care and how both (Nancy and Patricia) use their products on their face. Both ladies were super sweet and passionate that I ended up getting a couple of samples to try on my face.

Shoosha True Gentlest Baby Wash & Shampoo (Unscented) - It was nice, slightly foaming, unscented cleanser. It worked well at removing most of my makeup and keeping my skin hydrated. I still much prefer my Pangea cleanser though and so I won't be picking up the full size.

Shoosha True Rejuvenate Stretch Mark  Serum - Apparently this works wonders on both Patricia and Nancy. What really made me want to try it is the tamanu oil in it. Y'all know how much I love tamanu! Sadly, it gave me little red bumps all over my forehead. I ended up using it on some actual stretch marks (behind my knees, hips, etc). Of course, it's too small a sample to see a difference but it smelled really nice and could work with continued use.

Randoms

Pukka Tea in Chamomile & Vanilla, Harmonise, and Green Tea - Yes, I have a tea problem. I especially have a Pukka tea problem because I just love them. In all fairness, I think I have 2 bags left of both Chamomile & Vanilla and Harmonise, but in attempt to make space and throw out the boxes, I included them. I absolutely love C&V! It's so soothing and comforting, I've actually already purchased a backup. Harmonise was alright, I didn't find it to taste like much. I won't be repurchasing that one. The Green Tea was really nice because it's a blend of three different green teas. This was actually my second (or third) box. I'm going to look into a loose leaf green tea next, so I haven't repurchased.

More Randoms

Udo's Choice Flora Probiotic Super 8 Plus - I talked about this probiotic in my April Empties. I've noticed a massive difference since taking probiotics and this one is apparently really great. I've already repurchased but I go through them rather quickly, so I may look into a different brand next time.

Mega Food Women's One Daily - I really like taking a multi when I don't feel like I ate enough or ate nutritious enough. This one in particular is supposed to be a whole food multi, basically the vitamins and minerals come from actual food sources and can be better absorbed by the body. This is a great brand and even my boyfriend bought some as well. I haven't actually repurchased this brand. I'm trying another whole food brand that's a little more wallet friendly.  

Tossing

EOS Shave Cream in Pomegranate Raspberry - I bought this like two years ago, not even looking at the ingredients. I figured their EOS lip balm is pretty natural so their other products must be as well. A tip, from me to you, never assume! I don't shave often because I've had laser hair removal done, that's why this lasted me forever. It smells amazing but it's loaded with crap ingredients like fragrance, mineral oil, etc, etc.



Also tossing

Dr. Alkatis Night Crème - review here - I actually found this after I had tossed everything out, but since it's not being used I've decided to toss it. Both my mom and I don't enjoy this cream and we agree it's too heavy regardless of how much or little we use.

If you've made it through the entire post, I applaud you. It was exhausting to write, probably because it's late and I'm pretty tired, and I hope it wasn't as exhausting to read.

Let me know what you've finished up!