Beauty Empties Vol. 1

As a blogger I try SO many products. Although I'm not complaining in the least, it does get tough to stick to a routine when I want to try everything. At all times I'm practically overflowing with beauty/skincare products. I try to test as many products as I can so I can review them, but that means in the long run I don't get to finish a good number of things. However, I decided to start this 'empties' series on the blog for the rare occasion when I do finish beauty products! If I finish something it normally means I have strong opinions about it, however it can also mean it's just what I had on hand. I hate to waste, so whenever possible I do try to finish products. (Fun fact, a lot of shelters/donation places don't take opened items, so it makes it hard to donate products that don't work for me!) So that leaves me with a few products that I've used up and want to share with you all!

Amika Velveteen Dream Smoothing Shampoo

Recently my hair has been absolutely finicky. In the past my hair took DAYS to get slightly greasy, but now it seems the day after washing it's already a greasy mess. I'm just saying I'm thankful for dry shampoo now more than ever. This shampoo started off strong, but in the end I think it was too silky/smooth for my hair. It's a very thin and runny formula which I think contributed to the grease buildup in my thin hair. If you have thicker hair with more texture (mine has no texture/grit at all!) this would probably be great for you! On the plus side, it did smell great!

Amika Velveteen Dream Smoothing Conditioner

Unlike my shampoos, I actually don't mind a silky conditioner! With my hair being thin, it tangles easily and needs something smooth to loosen it up a bit. Used with a different shampoo than its partner, it did a good job at smoothing, de-frizzing, and made it easy to detangle after washing.

Spa Thyme Hazelnut Toffee Latte Scrub

I am obsessed with body scrubs and exfoliants. I've actually had this one from Spa Thyme for a while and made a review upon my first few uses in this post, however I finally just finished the tub! As I said I have to make it through a lot of products, and this one was just sitting in a drawer until I found it again a few months ago. Let me just say that I LOVE this stuff and am so glad I found it again. It has the best smell (think Starbucks during Christmas time) and feels great on my skin. There are essential oils and sugar in it to both soften and exfoliate your skin at the same time. I typically use it on my arms and legs, however you can use it for your whole body! My favorite part of this is
that the scent and oils are long lasting, so your skin smells and feels amazing for hours after.

Love Beauty & Planet Hope And Repair Shampoo

This shampoo was a thicker formula than the Amika one, and definitely added a little more grit to my hair. The smell wasn't my favorite, but it wasn't bad by any means, just not something I normally go for. It gave me an extra day without grease, but the grease did come back so unfortunately it's still not going to be something I go back to. I think for me it's the coconut oil that added excess grease, I know some people swear by it, but I've never been a fan of it.

Love Beauty & Planet Hope And Repair Conditioner

Once again I think the coconut oil didn't go well with my hair. When I used this conditioner my hair looked and felt greasy from the moment my hair was dry. Again, I'm sure someone with thicker/more textured hair would benefit from this product more than I did!

Fresh Lotus Youth Preserve Face Cream

This is actually the second tub of this face cream I've finished off because it's AMAZING. I have dry, sometimes combination skin and this moisturizer is the absolute best. I use it whenever my skin is starting to feel tight, and also after every shower (when my skin feels the driest). It smells like cucumber which makes it feel a little more relaxing when you put it on. The moisture is great and lasts the whole day/night so no need to reapply it multiple times a day, although I'm sure it wouldn't hurt. You also only need the tiniest amount so it lasts forever! I use this every day and the 1.6 oz jar lasted a little over a year.

PIN IT FOR LATER

That's it for my empties! Have you tried any of these products? What are your thoughts on them, and what products are you loving that you recommend?