Empties! (Traveler edition!)

Hi All!
    Hope that this summer break is treating you well! I am really excited to bring you guys another batch of empties (no I did not pack empties from my home to take with me for this post) This is strictly a post of what I have finished on this trip so that I don't have to carry back to the USA a large bag full of empty plastic containers (I think TSA would find that kinda crazy too!)

So what have I finished?

Yes to Cucumbers Soothing Facial Towels:
These were okay towelettes, I bought the sample pack before my trip yet I
found that I didn't use them as much.  These just didn't feel like they actually
got all my makeup off.  Plus these stung my eyes. 

Make-up Remover Facial Wipes:

These I got from the Dollar Store, and didn't really like these for my face. They were small, and not very saturated.
I actually used these to spot treat my makeup brushes.

 Neutrogena Oil- Free Acne Wash:

This was another product I picked up in a previous haul
just so that I could try out some other facial products.  This was a pretty good face wash I might go back and purchase it in the future.

L'Occitane Shower Gel Mini (x3):
I had a whole bunch of mini L'Occitane products from my hotel and I really
like the way this smelled.  It had Rosemary and Mint and just felt so
refreshing! Would I purchase this on it's own...probably not because it is pretty pricy. 

Asira Body Wash:

This was from a hotel I stayed in YEARS ago (yep I hoarded mini bath products)
Anyways, I found that this wash dried my skin out, and anyways I can't purchase this any
place....so I'm just glad I have less crap hanging around my room.

L'Occitane Shampoo (x3):
Yep, I told ya I had a bunch of these minis! The shampoo was pretty good,
but it doesn't work better than drugstore shampoos like Garnier or Herbal Essences. 

L'Oreal EverSleek Reparative Smoothing Conditioner:
So this conditioner worked pretty well for my hair.  I think I actually like the conditioner
more than I like the shampoo (the shampoo always left my hair feeling greasy).
Would I repurchase it? I don't think so, because I like so many other conditioners. 

L'Occitane Conditioner:

ANOTHER conditioner (do we see a theme here?) Anyways this was also nice stuff
but I just can't justify purchasing the full bottle at that price when so many
other conditioners work just as well for much cheaper.  I think I'll
just enjoy it in the hotel sample bottle form.

Jade Hand & Body Lotion (x2)

FINALLY! This is like the last of many minis I had in my dresser drawer (but let's
not talk about the big vase full of minis that my mother has that I need to start working through). I
liked the scent of this lotion though, it had a light and fresh rose fragrance.  Yet, it was
also a hotel sample so I have no idea where to buy it.

Dove gofresh Cool Mini Deodorant:

This was a life saver while I was here in Poland the first few days.  I was still running around
trying to get all my little items and kept forgetting to grab deodorant (oye!)
I liked this for the few days that I used it, but I had the full size in the past
and got really sick of the scent after a while.  So I might repurchase a mini to keep on hand, but not the full size.

ELF Exact Lash Mascara in Black:

So after the big hoopla about lower lash tiny brush mascaras, I went out and bought
this thinking "AWESOME! It's cheap and I can really use it." First off, I don't usually wear
mascara on my bottom lashes, and Second...this sucked.  The brush handle was too short so that caused a mess, the formula was barely there, and at times it looks like it was dried out because no color would come off.  This was just a waste and I'm glad I used what I could (which was not much anyways). NOT repurchasing.

NYC Lipstick in 319 Violet Shine:
This is a beautiful lipstick color that has some shimmer in it.  This is very much a "my lips but
better" color, it's not very purply as the name suggests, it's more of a pinky with hint of purple.
I wore this a lot this year so it was going to finish out sooner or later.
I would purchase it again, but I have a lot of similar colors to this.
PS I was NOT going to dig out the color from the tube...not worth all the extra fuss. 

Julep Nail Color in Grace:
This is a perfect "clean nail" polish.  When I wore this it just left my hands looking so fresh.
It did take about 4 coats to make it opaque (but it was still not fully opaque), and this polish
went very quickly because of that.  I don't know if I'm going to purchase this again
because of the price of the polish (14 bucks).  I have many similar colors
so I think I'll work on finishing out those colors.

NYC Loose Finishing Powder in Natural Veil:
Well, I can already say that I'm shocked that I finished this product out so fast.
I'm not a fan of loose finishing powders, and this one did not help keep my face shine free as long as I would have liked neither did it help my makeup from breaking down as quickly,
but hey it was a product I really wanted gone and done!

There was a sifter, but I popped it out and lost it. Oops

LaSource Relaxing Body Lotion from Crabtree & Evelyn:
I love Crabtree & Evelyn products but I just could not get behind this scent.  It was a spa scent but it
was also sickly sweet on me.  It's just not a fragrance I would have chosen
for myself.  I'd rather look towards the thick lavender or rose creme.

Vitamin C Tablets on Left, On Right LaSource

Vitalsss Plus Witamina C Tablets:
So these are just effervescent Vitamin C tablets that I took while my stay at the dormitory.
We have had 3 rounds of heavy sicknesses in our dorm and I took these as preventive measures.
Boy was I happy to have done that because I didn't even cough during my stay here!
Anytime I travel I always take a pack of these because it helps my immune system
battle and airplane bugs and transition to the climate colds.

Carea Cotton Rounds:
These are just generic cotton rounds that worked really well for taking off makeup.  There are 120
rounds and they cost less than a buck, so it's a win win situation for me.

TREsemme Freshstart Dry Shampoo:
So the first few times I used it, it was ok.  Then the second half of the bottle felt like I was spraying
liquid onto my scalp.  I've heard from quite a few people that they
also have this problem the with this particular dry shampoo.  I have to say, I'm not on the whole
dry shampoo band wagon though, I still feel gross when my hair isn't washed.
I might give this another go another day, but for now...eh.

NIVEA Stress Protect Anti-Perspirant:
So I have to say, I was a little skeptical when I first bought this antiperspirant, because it is
milky and not a heavy duty men's product.  But even on the 100 plus
degree days, this worked really well.  I wish the US carried this product (or
at least it was more readily available).

Timotei With Jericho Rose 2 in 1 Shampoo & Conditioner
I really liked this shampoo, I found that it kept my hair feeling REALLY soft despite the hard water here in Poland. I still did follow up with conditioner, but this lathered well and smelled really nice.  Sadly this is a product I've only seen here in Poland, so I probably won't see it in the US.  Oh well.

L'Occitane Body Lotion
This was another one of my tons of minis I had with me.  But this was probably my most disappointing products form L'Occitane that I've used.  The lotion was very thin and watery and did not soak into the skin.  The scent was ok, it strong resembles goat milk products, which I personally do not mind.

L'Occitane Conditioner (x2)
 Yep, I know...didn't I already post earlier about finishing one of these...well I finished two more and the way I've been writing about these products is as I go through them.  So you, my readers, will have to deal with a double on the list. I liked the conditioner...but still feel there are much more and better products for much lower prices.

St. Ives Apricot Scrub (Fresh Skin)
Um... someone care to remind me why I stopped using this product? (Erm...guilty I had too many face washes and couldn't justify going out and buying so much more until I finished a few...oops) I found that the scrub was nice and gritty and very useful for opening up the skin for another cleanser so that it could get in real deep.  When I get back home, I'll be purchasing a large bottle of this!

Clean & Clear Deep Action Cream Cleanser
This stuff makes my face tingle! But in a really refreshing and clean way.  Did it perform miracles when it came to my breakouts? Not really, and this surprised me.  I have a few other products that work a lot better and faster.  


Needless to say...it's been a busy summer of empties!
What have you finished?

Updated Empties

Hey all,
   So another installment of products that I have finished within the last eeeeeeeeh, month I suppose.  So this is going to be a bit longer of a post, so you have all been warned! (mwuahahaha). How is everyone else doing on their journey to finish out products?

L'Oreal EverCreme Sulfate Free Moisture System Shampoo: So after my last experience with sulfate free shampoo and conditioners, I was very reluctant to try this product.  Even several youtubers had said this was not a good product, so when my father dropped off some shampoo that was on sale (aka this one) my heart sank a little bit.  BUT, then I tried it. This is actually a really nice shampoo, good smelling and did not make my hair greasy by the end of the day. I might repurchase if on sale.

Citre Shine Fresh Fusion Shampoo in Pure Energy: I love this shampoo, it had such a fresh scent and always leaves my hair with shine, less frizz, and just very healthy looking. I will repurchase this one.

Hotels in Venice Shower Shampoo in Milk Fig: I got this little sample or "travel-size" bottle from my time in Italy at one of the hotels.  I did not like this fragrance and it left my hair a little tangled. Needless to say, not a huge fan of it.  I have no idea how to even purchase it!

L'Occitane Repairing 5 Essential Oils Shampoo and Conditioner Packets: I love L'Occitane products, especially their lotions and perfumes.  These two samples were nice sized, and very nice on my hair. It felt so silky, and light. My one issue with this product is how herbally it smelled. Now this isn't a herbally in the sense of mint, basil, lavender etc. This just strait smelled of a potent concoction of mixed herbs that was not really pleasant.  I won't purchase because these are also expensive.

Camille Beckman Mango Beach Silky Body Cream: I enjoy Camille Beckman products, but this was just not a scent I am a fan of.  BUT the product itself was so thick and moisturizing to my skin.  My other issue with the product is more packaging, it's just a very thick plastic that makes it tough to get any product out.  Since this cream is so thick, I had to cut it apart to get to the rest of the product. I will repurchase one day, but in a different scent.

Ahava dermud Enriched Intensive Foot Cream for dry skin: This was a nice sized sample of the product and it was sooo nice on my feet. I'm not a foot cream user, but this was a very pampering product.  It took a little while to soak in, but pop in a movie and stay off your feet! I may purchase the product in the future.

Jennifer Aniston Perfume Samples (Two Samples): This perfume was very nice, the notes are floral and Sephora.com states that it has a musk to it. To me, it just smells of light honeysuckles. Don't get me wrong, I liked this scent and would purchase it, if the scent actually lasted on my skin.  I could spray myself and almost 30 minutes later the scent was gone. I went through two samples in roughly 2-3 days. I'd say this is more of a starter perfume for younger girls who don't want to smell sweet or sugary. But at 70 bucks for the bottle...x.x

Twirl by Kate Spade Perfume Sample: I really wanted this scent, this was so nice on my skin, but when I went to the counter and sprayed myself from the larger bottle, it smelled and dried on my skin differently (sad face!) It has a floral, vanilla and fruity sweet scent (again, not something I typically go for and even like), but it leans to more of a floral.  Since the bottle smelled differently than my sample size version, I passed on it.

Mark, White Vetiver Fragrance Sample: I got this sample from a mark. purchase, and honestly I did not like it at all. It just smells of fake floral and vanilla.  (Think of lip glosses with those fake vanilla flavors that somehow end up smelling similar to play dough) NOT a purchase.

Burberry London Delicately Floral Body Lotion: I got this a part of a box set with my Burberry perfume. I love the perfume, and the scent of the lotion is very similar although a bit more floral in comparison to the more spicy perfume.  One thing I noticed with the lotion is that it is very thin, non- moisturizing, and strong scented.  I don't know if I can purchase this separately, but it was overall nice if you are looking for something that you can layer with scents.

Mark. Glow Baby Glow Lip Gloss in Bubbles: I'd like to just say that I love this little sample size! I wish more brands gave out little samples like this so before you purchase you can really test it out.  This gloss is a pinky-purple gloss with baby blue shimmer. It sounds weird but looks so pretty on the lips.  I even used another lip gloss wand to dig out every last bit of it! I can see myself purchasing this the next time I order from mark. or Avon.

No Brand Shower Gel: I hated this product. This scent was so gross, it was supposed to be a berry scent, but it ended up being a strange floral. I got this as part of a gift from a friend a few years back, but I never plan to try to figure out where exactly I can get this.

Bath & Body Works Aromatherapy Sensual Body Wash & Foam Bath in Jasmine Vanilla: I've already done a review of this particular product. I love the shower gels from Bath & Body Works because they lather so nicely and only need a small amount per use.  But this scent was something I really disliked. I already have almost 10 bottle in my parents house of these body washes in scents that I love, so I don't need to repurchase anything just yet.

Mark. Three's a Charm 3-in-1 Body Cleanser in Lemon Sugar: I got this from a fellow blogger/ youtuber, Grace from reallygraceful (her youtube name). As much as I liked this product, it just wasn't something that really stood out to me.  It was a great cleanser, but the scent didn't quite tickle my fancy.  I'll have to check if they make other scents!

Opti-Free Replenish Multi-Purpose Contact Solution: I'm not picky when it comes ot my contact solutions. I typically go for whatever is on sale, or the less expensive brand.  My eye doctor suggested this brand when it comes to the lower end of spending scale. What can I say other than it works, and that I'll most likely be repurchasing it once I finish the other bottle.

Old Spice Fiji Deodorant: Yes ladies, I use a "mens" deodorant.  After reading an article on really ow similar men's and women's deodorants are, I just went out and got this one. It has a very fresh and crisp scent, and is something I will repurchase.

Fa Deodorant in Caribbean Lemon: This is a brand from Europe that is not the easiest to find in the typical American drugstore.  I like the scent, it leans to a more lemongrass scent and is fresh without being sweet.  I like it, and next time I'm back in Europe I'll probably pick up a few more.

Sally Hansen Advanced Hard as Nails Protective Base: I have to say, that this base coat was very fast drying.  But what I noticed for the period of time that I used it, my nails still got stained and they would flake so badly.  I do not have naturally weak nails, and I even ate my Jell-O to get some extra strength to my nails, but they would just splice apart.  I wouldn't suggest this and will not repurchase this.

Swan Nail Polish Remover: I think I got a bunch of these from my local Dollar Tree for obviously a buck.  It works well, even though it is not a pure accitone remover.  Hey I like it, it works, it's cheap (after spending 8 bucks on a bottle way back when and it not taking off polish -.-). I'll be repurchasing them until I find some magic product.

** random background story regarding these last few products: I travel a lot, and so I was cleaning out all my travel bags, I found plenty of half used tubes of toothpaste that I finally committed myself to using them all up so I don't have 6+ toothpastes half used. **

Colgate Total Whitening Toothpaste: This was a good one, I like that this toothpaste foams up nicely and just has a nice minty flavor that doesn't make me feel like I'm using baking soda.

Crest Whitening Plus Scope: I was not a fan of this one, I'm naturally not a fan of Crest brand ( I don't know why I just don't) But it cleaned my teeth so I can't really complain.

Colgate Total Advanced Plus Whitening: I can't vouch for the whitening because it is such a small tube, I feel like I would need to use a full-sized one to find out. I don't have badly stained teeth, but I drink my coffee and wine. (I'm 22 if someone is balking at my wine reference)

Marvis Classic Strong Mint Toothpaste: Recently everyone recieved from various beauty boxes this toothpaste, but honestly... it's nothing special. It doesn't stand out to me, other than it's from Italy and therefor is more expensive.  So save a few bucks and get your favorite toothpaste from the drugstore.

PHEWW! Wow, another large chunk of products that I really have no idea how I even finished. So my running totals are:

Lotions/ fragrance/ hair: 19 + 12 =31
Makeup: 10 + 1 =11
Candles/ scents: 6 + 0 =6
Cleansers/ Body Washes: 18 + 3= 21
Randoms: 4 + 9 =13

New Total: 57 + 25= 82!!!

xoxo,
Emily