Empties | April 2016

Today marks one third of the way through 2016 which I can barely believe; I know it's a sign of getting older that time seems to fly by, but there's simply no denying it! April has been a busy month for me, and I feel like I've barely had time to breathe, having had just five days off work all month... I think I need a holiday! I have, however, managed to finish off a fair few beauty products, so let's have a look through what will be hitting my recycling bin this month:

Sure Maximum Protection Sport Strength Anti-Perspirant Deodorant | I've been through a few sticks of this now and don't see myself switching anytime soon, it's the most effective formula I've ever used in terms of keeping me fresh and dry, which is important to me as I have an active job and the last thing I want is to end up a sweaty, sticky state at work. Repurchase? Yes.
Balance Me Pure Skin Face Wash (travel size) | I'm on the fence with this, as I seem to be with a lot of Balance Me's products; it was nice but nothing special. It left my skin feeling nice and clean, without stripping it, drying it out or causing any irritation or break-outs. However, my skin is oily and blemish-prone, so I tend to favour a face wash that can do a little more for me. Repurchase? No.
Beauty Kitchen Inspire Me Brightening & Toning Body Wash | I did love the scent of this and found the bottle lasted really well! I've really liked the Beauty Kitchen products I've tried and see myself ordering from them again in the future. I was a bit disappointed that the label rubbed off so badly, though - it's not a major product flaw but definitely something that could be improved in the future. Repurchase? Maybe.
Born Pretty By Nanda Loose Face Powder* | Again, I don't have a lot to say about this; it worked okay to set my make-up, although it wasn't brilliant in terms of keeping my skin matte. I did like that it didn't alter the colour of my base products and it didn't oxidise, though. Repurchase? Maybe, although powder tends to be something I pick up when I need it rather than ordering online in advance.
Soap & Glory The Righteous Butter (travel size) | I'm not a huge fan of Soap & Glory's Original Pink fragrance, so this wasn't my favourite body butter ever. I also find I need a bit more hydration than their body butters offer - I basically used this for the sake of using it up. Repurchase? No, although this came in a gift set and I would use it if I received it in a set again.
Murad AHA/BHA Exfoliating Cleanser (sample size) | I loved this, just used a couple of times per week as a second cleanse in the evenings; it's definitely too harsh to be used more frequently than that, which is a shame as my skin needs the AHA/BHA daily. However this was a nice additional step with a physical exfoliant and my skin did seem to really like it - it's definitely made me want to try more from Murad! Repurchase? Maybe, although it's a little beyond budget at the moment.

Soap & Glory Smoothie Star Deep Moisture Body Milk | I'm actually a bit ashamed of how long I've had this! (You can tell from the date of my review, if you're interested...) I love the Smoothie Star scent but didn't find this hydrating enough for my dry skin, so I've basically been using it on bits that don't really need moisturiser for the sake of using it up. Repurchase? No.
Naked Rescue Shea Butter & Olive Intensive Care Conditioner | How I wish I'd stocked up on this! It's perfect for my dry ends, a little goes a long way, and it smells bloomin' gorgeous. Sadly, Naked are no longer so I won't be able to get it again, which makes me sad. Repurchase? Sadly not.
Batiste Dry Conditioner | I loved this when I first used it but over time I found that the scent was just too much for me, I found it really caught the back of my throat and made me cough, no matter how lightly I sprayed. It did, however, leave my hair feeling really nice - although it was a silicone-y kind of nice and I do try to avoid silicone in my haircare these days... You know when you just go off a product? That. Repurchase? No.
Seventeen Miracle Matte Loose Powder | This did the job in terms of setting my foundation, but for me the term "miracle matte" was a step too far; it mattified my skin to begin with, but that only lasted a couple of hours, and frankly I expect more from something dubbed "miracle matte"! I do have excessively oily skin but I'd like to see it offering at least four or five hours of matteness. Matteing. Matteification. Whatever the word is. Repurchase? Maybe, if it was on offer.
Bee Good Honey & Propolise 2-in-1 Cream Cleanser | I really enjoyed using this, it left my skin feeling clean and nourished, whilst doing a good job of removing any last traces of my make-up - I used it as a first cleanse of an evening after removing my make-up with micellar water. It smells lovely and I really like that it's supporting a British brand and taking care of our bees ♥ Repurchase? Maybe. I love trying new cleansers so I won't be rushing to buy this again, but I do want to try more from Bee Good.

Facial Sheet Mask | I think this was from Home Bargains, it's just a generic unbranded sheet mask which claimed to add moisture, radiance and vitality to the skin. I do like sheet masks as they're easy to use and a bit less messy than clay masks or similar - this felt really refreshing on my face and did leave my skin feeling nice and plump and looking a bit brighter. Repurchase? Maybe, if I see it again!
NON.U Eyebrow Pencil* | I really like eyebrow pencils for filling in my brows as it's so quick and easy, and this was pretty good, with the angled shape making it easy to get a precise line. The shade match was okay for me, too, though maybe a little on the dark side if we're going to be super picky. Repurchase? Maybe, although I have a few other brow products to use first.
MONU Firming Moisturiser for Dry Skin (travel size) | Despite being aimed at dry skins, I really liked this; it didn't feel at all heavy or greasy on my skin, and had a lovely lavender scent - I'm not usually a lover of lavender but I really liked this for some reason. It really worked nicely to moisturise my skin; at the grand old age of 24 I'm not really at the stage of needing firming creams just yet, but it's definitely one I'd consider in future. Repurchase? Not at the moment, but maybe a few years down the line.
Lacoste L.12.12 Eau de Lacoste Jaune Optimistic & Blanc Pure (sample vials) | I wasn't a huge fan of Blanc, but I really liked Jaune; it's a gorgeous unisex fragrance which just smells like sunshine in a bottle! I actually mentioned it in my Spring Scents Wishlist a few weeks ago as I really enjoyed wearing it. Repurchase? I might pick up Jaune.
MAC Prep + Prime (travel size) | I've heard so many people rave about this over the years I've been blogging but I ended up being totally underwhelmed. At first I thought maybe I was just expecting too much of it, but actually, I found my foundation really didn't sit nicely over it, it did nothing to make my face last longer, and it certainly didn't keep me matte. Those are the three things I look for in a primer so for me, this really wasn't a winner. Repurchase? Nope.

I'm actually in two minds about my Empties posts; I've been writing them each month for over three years now, but I'm really not sure whether to carry on. Do you still enjoy reading Empties posts? Or if not, is there anything you'd like to see instead? I feel like these posts are in need of a bit of a shake-up, but I'd love to hear any thoughts you might have!! Please do let me know in the comments or tweet me @TheIndigoHours.

xo
[*Product provided for consideration.]