Empties! January 2016

It feels like only a week ago that I posted my final empties for 2015! In reality it's been more like 3 weeks but this year seems to have got off to a flying start. Well, I'm at it again because I want to throw out this lot before I start accumulating the February stuff! 

As mentioned in my "I'm Cruelty Free!..." post I'm working at using up my non-CF products as well so these will be included in my empties. If you're only interested in my thoughts on the animal-friendly products look for those marked CF.  Oh yes, I'm not going to bother numbering every single empty this year but I will be keeping a running tally on my makeup empties to see how close I can get to 50 in my 2016 makeup use up challenge! Here we go with my first installment of 2016. I haven't finished any skin care yet so it's straight into...

Hand and body care

L'Occitane Arlessiene Shower Cream (70ml/2.3 fl.oz) - It's so sad that L'Occitane is not cruelty free because I love their products. This shower cream was no exception with its exquisite scent and velvety foam.

Mukti Botanique Wash Desert Lime & Lemon Verbena (100ml/3.5 fl.oz) CF/V - Yes this locally made wash is Vegan too! I originally bought it as a hand wash but swapped to using it as a body wash, then fell utterly in love with it. A tiny amount lathers up in the shower puff or sponge and makes for a refreshingly zingy shower experience! I will definitely repurchase this in a larger size if available.

MOR Body Butter (Italian Blood Orange) CF - This body butter had a fantastic orange sherbet scent but - of course - it's been discontinued so that's the end of that!

Miller & Moore Moisturising Shea Butter Body Lotion (150ml) - This was part of a gift set I received some time ago and actually did an okay job as it absorbed quickly to moisturize my arms and legs.

L'Occitane Zesty Lime Hand Cream (30ml/1 fl.oz) - I actually didn't care for this particular zesty fragrance as it reminded me too much of grated rind.

Crabtree & Evelyn India Hicks Island Living Spider Lily Hand Therapy (25g/0.9 fl.oz) - I only recently found out that C & E are no longer cruelty free so once I run through my current stash of hand creams these will be off the shopping list too. It's a shame because I really loved them and this was a very lovely, delicate white floral scented cream.

Hair care

Thann Aromatic Wood Aromatherapy Conditioner (30ml/1 fl.oz) CF - Just a little something I took away from the Raffles Hotel in Singapore I believe.  I grabbed it out of my travel bag to use while waiting for my next online hair care delivery and it served its purpose, preventing my hair from becoming tangled and snarled after washing. It has a nicely unobtrusive unisex orange, tangerine and nutmeg oil scent.

Original Mineral Hydrate & Conquer Conditioner (350ml/11.8 fl.oz) CF - I was worried this thick - and I mean really thick like a treatment - conditioner would weigh down my hair but it worked more like a volumising product. The combination of natural oils in the formula makes it smell rather deliciously like vanilla too!

L'Oreal Elnett Satin Very Volume Hairspray (55g/75ml) - It was good but not exceptionally great so reapplications were necessary. That's the last of my non-CF hairspray done!

Cosmetics

1) bareMinerals Marvellous Moxie Lipstick (Speak Your Mind) CF - I loved, loved, loved this lippy for its shade and formula!  There's nothing like a great everyday pink so a repurchase is planned in the near future.

2) NYX Mosaic Powder (Plummy) CF - I always wore the colours swirled together for naturally flushed looking cheeks all year round.  I'd probably repurchase if I wasn't drowning in blush!

3) Maybelline Define-A-Lash Mascara (Black) - To quote my instagram post, this mascara isn't meant for thickening but it did a great job of defining my lashes for a natural look.

4) Benefit Her Glossiness (Didn't Hear It From Me) - A milky gloss that's been discontinued.  I think I got it as a magazine freebie a couple of years ago.

Fragrance

L'Occitane Arlessiene EDT (7.5ml/.25 fl.oz) - Oh I'm feeling too lazy to try and describe this so here's the info from Fragrantica:  "[The top notes are]...the freshness of mandarin and the peppery character of saffron flower in bloom. The heart captures rose from Grasse complemented by lily of the valley. Violet at the base is accompanied by milky sandalwood, blonde woods and tonka bean."

Penhaligon's Elisabethan Rose EDT (50ml/1.7 fl.oz) - Penhaligon's isn't PETA or Leaping Bunny accredited but they state the following on their website:  "We have removed all animal by-products from our cosmetic formulations, including all fragrances, bath & shower gels, bath oils, hand & body creams, soaps, balms, talcum powders, shaving products and deodorants. These products are suitable for vegetarians and vegans."  I've also read they have recently been approached by vegan beauty and lifestyle website Logical Harmony to clarify their CF status so fingers crossed! Now onto the fragrance itself which is the purest old fashioned rose scent I've ever owned, and my husband forever complimented me on it.  The top notes are aldehydes and geranium; middle notes are chamomile, violet and rose; base notes are amber, musk and sandalwood. It is indeed old fashioned but delightful!

That's it until next month!


(All products in this post were purchased by me.)

November - December's farewelled products

So here I am doing my blog housekeeping, clearing the backlog starting with my beauty empties from late last year.  Even though I hadn't fully jumped onto the cruelty free commitment at that stage it's interesting to see just how many of these items are cruelty free especially when it came to skin care. For reference I've marked all cruelty free items as CF.

Skin care

130) bareMinerals Instant Waterproof Eye Makeup Remover (47ml/1.5 fl.oz) CF - This is the typical dual-phase remover that I favour although this formula seemed more oily than some I've tried.  I've got a backup because of the handy travel size but other than that I don't think I'd rush to repurchase.

131) Natio Cucumber & Aloe Micellar Cleansing Water (200ml/6.7 fl.oz) CF - I really enjoyed this cleansing water.  No weird smell, no astringent tightness, just clean comfortable skin after using it.  

132) Natio Restore Delicate Foam Cleanser For Normal to Dry Skin (100ml/3.4 fl.oz) CF - The consistency of this cleanser made it incredibly hard to squeeze out of the tube.  The product itself was nice (it lathered to a creamy foam that felt rich on the skin) but not enough to make me want to go through the daily struggle of trying to get it out in the first place!

133) Sukin Super Greens Detoxifying Facial Scrub (125ml/4.23 fl.oz)* CF - This creamy scrub was gentle enough to be used every day if I wanted and I really loved the natural cranberry scent.

134) La Clinica Anti Ageing Stem Cell Complex 3 Night Cream (50ml/1.76fl.oz)* CF - This is one heavy-duty night cream that gets to work and leaves me with soft skin the next morning.  It feels very rich on the skin at first yet it penetrates quickly and is not greasy in the slightest. Another plus is there's no distracting scent or perfume which can - surprisingly - be an issue with some night creams out there on the market.  

135) L'Oreal Youth Code Luminosity Extraordinary Serum (30ml) - I bought this some time ago because it claims to correct dark spots and illuminate the skin. No dark spot miracles here I'm afraid.  It did illuminate the skin but honestly a good illuminating primer will do the same.  This serum had a lovely texture and delicately luxe scent but I won't be repurchasing because I didn't really notice any lasting benefits and L'Oreal is not a CF brand.

Hand and body care

136) Shore Soap Company Mermaid Kisses Liquid Soap (235ml/8 fl.oz) CF - This can be used as a body wash but I used it as a luxury hand wash in our powder room - to impress the visitors you know!  It has the most delicate yet not overly feminine scent, is really gentle and non-drying on the skin with its aloe-rich formula, yet as my son perfectly puts it: "It really cuts through the grease!"

137) Love Soap Handwash With Organic Lavender & Meadowfoam (200ml) CF -  This is gentle on my eczema-prone hands was a repurchase and I'm likely to buy it again.

138) Miller & Moore Moisturising Shea Butter Hand Cream (65g) - This was gifted to me as part of an older Christmas set.  I was surprised by how well this shea hand cream performed so I used it as my bedside hand pamperer. The Miller & Moore brand is one of those discount supermarket releases and seems to be discontinued so I can't find out much about it and I've got no idea of its CF status -although my guess is it's probably not.

139) Nivea Refreshingly Soft Moisturising Cream (75ml) - I'm sad that Nivea isn't cruelty free because this was a great multi-tasking moisturiser and very handy for throwing into my bag.  I still have several Nivea products so I will continue to use them but won't repurchase unless their CF status changes.

140) Vaseline Intensive Care Spray Moisturiser Dry Skin Repair (190g)* - See my full review here. I really enjoyed the convenience of this moisturiser but unfortunately I won't be repurchasing as Vaseline is not cruelty free.

141) Natio Mineral Body Wash & Polish (210ml/7.1 fl.oz) CF - This is really great soap-free exfoliating body cleanser, scented with orange, peppermint and rosemary so it was a great early morning pick me up.  Unfortunately it's been discontinued!!!

142) Miller & Moore Moisturising Shea Butter Body Scrub (100ml) - This was utterly useless with no scrubbiness at all so I promptly poured it down the drain.  

143) SODA & Co Sugar Scrub (Mint Burst 225g)* CF - I loved this concept of a body scrub and moisturiser in one.  If I have one criticism it's that I could easily get through a tub in a single week if I used it every day! Read my original review here.

144) Nivea Stress Protect Clinical Strength Deodorant (40ml)* -  I didn't like the way the dry solid stick dragged across my skin on application and I didn't think this controlled perspiration exceptionally better than my regular choice.

Hair care

145) Original Mineral Conquer Blonde Silver Shampoo (250ml/8.4 fl.oz) CF - I use this salon quality shampoo every other day to tone done brassiness in my hair and I've since repurchased (again). 

146) Original Mineral Fine Intellect Conditioner (350ml/11.8fl.oz) CF - Another repurchased hair product because I like a conditioner to "condition" without weighing down my hair. 

147) Organix Moisture + Vitamin B5 Shampoo (385ml/13 fl.oz)* - Damn I wish this brand was still cruelty free because this shampoo cleansed my hair without stripping it and it smelt pretty good too.

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148) John Frieda 7 Day Volume In-Shower Treatment (118ml/4 fl.oz)* -  This treatment is applied after conditioning the hair, left on for a few minutes then rinsed out.  It's supposed to give added volume for up to 7 days but with my daily hair washing it only lasted 2 to 3 washes at best for me and then I had to go back to using my usual thickening sprays.

Cosmetics

149 & 150) Benefit The Porefessional - Yep this really does minimize the appearance of pores and worked well as a smoothing primer but I won't be buying it again because you know...

151) Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion (6ml/.20 fl.oz) CF - This worked really well to control shadows from sliding off my oily eyelids although I'm wondering if I'd prefer a more smoothing formula? 

152) Maybelline Dream Lumi Touch Highlighting Concealer (02 Nude) -  This is a long-time favourite that I've repurchased several times - and I still have one more backup - but, alas, it will be the last as Maybelline is not cruelty free.

153) Essence Shimmer Effect Eyeshadow (Cappuccino, Please!) CF - This was a repurchase as this satiny beige was a great dupe for MAC Shroom but unfortunately it's been discontinued.

154) Nude By Nature Pressed Mineral Cover (Medium)* CF - I have mixed feelings about this pressed mineral foundation - I love it for natural looking coverage but I was having issues with hard pan. I have a review in the works so I'll tell you all about it soon.

155) Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter (Berry Smoothie) - This was probably my favourite shade from Revlon's now discontinued Lip Butter line.

156) Chanel Glossimer (119) - This was quite an opaque, lightly shimmery gloss in a MLBB mauve and traveled everywhere with me as a result.

157) MAC Lip Glass (C-Thru) - Milky beige and great worn over a nude lipstick.

158) bareMinerals Marvellous Moxie Lip Gloss (Show Off) CF - I'm having a bit of a love affair with bareMinerals lipsticks at the moment and I didn't mind this lip gloss either! It has a subtle mint scent and has a long-lasting, bleed-proof formula. This particular shade worked perfectly as a topper for my bareMinerals lipstick in the warm pink shade Speak Your Mind so I might consider a repurchase.

Fragrance

159) YSL Black Opium EDP (30ml/1 fl.oz) - I received this bottle as a gift from my husband for Christmas 2014 and as I'd finished this warm gourmand fragrance in record time - and my husband loved me wearing it - I received a backup bottle this Christmas.   The fragrance notes are coffee, pink pepper, orange blossom, jasmine, vanilla, patchouli and cedar. I will be savouring the bottle much longer this time around.

160) Terry de Gunzburg Fruit Defendu EDP (1.5ml/0.05 fl.oz sample) CF - This sweet fruity cocktail smelt like summer to me and is now on my wishlist for a future fragrance splurge. Top notes are bergamot, mango and pineapple; middle notes are turkish rose and pink pepper; base note is white musk.

161) L'Occitane The Vert & Bigarade EDT (7.5ml/0.25 fl.oz) - This was another summer choice as it's a refreshingly green scent.  The opening notes are sparkling citrus in an accord of sweet and bitter orange, while the base includes notes of green tea.

That's 2015 all stitched up! I'm a bit exhausted after going through that lineup so I'm off to have an afternoon lounge out in the yard...

(Products marked * were provided for my consideration.  All comments and opinions are my own.)

July's farewelled products

Oops, I'm just a little late with last month's empties so I'll get straight into it...

Skin care

78) Garnier 2in1 Express Eye-Makeup Remover (125ml) - This works just as well as any biphase makeup remover and I'm partial to purple so the purple tinted solution did win me over! Did it strengthen my lashes? I don't really know.

Hand and body care

79) Lemongrass & Ginger Aromabotanical Hand Soap (300ml/10fl.oz) - I really enjoyed the zesty freshness of this hand soap and the generous sized bottle lasted quite a while too.

80) Salus Eucalyptus & Rosemary Purifying Body Scrub (250ml/8.46oz) - This gel scrub smells strongly of eucalyptus but I personally find that scent very invigorating so it was a pleasure to use. Bamboo and pumice granules did an excellent job of exfoliating my skin without too much vigorous rubbing, and aloe soothed and moisturised my skin. In short - excellent spa quality stuff that I can see myself repurchasing in future!

81) The Body Shop Body Butter Duo (Sweet Pea) - This has been discontinued so I won't get into it too much. The sweet pea scent was subtle and not too distracting. On the minus side the supposedly lighter formula 'normal skin areas' formula took much longer to absorb than the 'dry skin areas'.

82) L'Occitane Dry Skin Hand Cream (30ml) - If you're a regular visitor here you may have seen this before.  This is simply one of my favourite extra-emollient hand creams that I particularly favour in the cooler months when my hands need extra TLC.

Hair care

83) Original Mineral Conquer Blonde Silver Shampoo (250ml/8.4fl.oz) - I've already bought another bottle of this purple shampoo because:  it keeps brassiness under control in my (back to) blonde hair;  it's the same brand my hairdresser uses;  it's free from parabens and other nasties;  and it's not tested on animals.

84) Original Mineral Fine Intellect Conditioner (350ml/11.8fl.oz) - I've repurchased this too because it boosts my fine hair and for all the other reasons I've listed above.

85) Marc Anthony Coconut Oil & Shea Butter Deep Nourishing Conditioning Treatment (50ml/1.69fl.oz)* - I got 5 or 6 uses out of this sachet on my short-medium hair for weekly in-shower hair treatments.  I loved the coconut scent and my hair was deeply conditioned without being weighed down.

Cosmetics

86) Savvy By DB Concealer (Light)* - This concealer did a great job of covering up blemishes although the light shade was not really light enough to brighten the under eye area which is the area I mostly use concealer for.

Fragrance

87) Tom Ford Velvet Orchid EDP (.05fl.oz/1.5ml) - A typically heavy, noirish, complex TF fragrance although perhaps just a little smoother than Black Orchid?  Top notes: bergamot, mandarin, Succan absolute (purified rum extract) and honey. Middle notes: an imaginary accord of black orchid blended with notes of velvet orchid, which gives the perfume its name; Turkish rose oil, jasmine and a new accord of purple orchid that grows in the wilds of southern Brazilian coast, orange blossom, rose absolute, narcissus, hyacinth and heliotrope. Base notes:  Peru balsam, myrrh, labdanum, sandalwood, suede and vanilla.

88) Penhaligon's of London Peoneve EDP (.05fl.oz/1.5ml) - I adored this fresh, natural spring floral scent and took to liberally dousing myself with the small vial.  It's not complicated, just pretty, as demonstrated by the simplicity of the notes.  Top note is violet leaf; middle notes are jasmine, rose and peony; base notes are vetiver, musk and cashmeran.

And behold the month's samples...

So there you have it until another month flies by!

(Products marked * were provided for my consideration.  All comments and opinions are my own.)

Online shopping at Natural Supply Co

 

It's my first haul post of the year -  and it's all for the purposes of blogging research you know! Yes, seriously!

Okay, so being serious, one of the highlights of my blogging experience over the past year has been getting to know and review products from smaller, independent beauty brands I may not have otherwise come across. More recently that has extended to local online businesses in the beauty and lifestyle industry and this post is about my online shopping experiences (and picks) from the Natural Supply Co site.

Natural Supply Co is a Melbourne based company established late in 2014 by close friends (and genuinely lovely ladies from my dealings with them) Celeste and Catherine who wanted to make it easier for customers to find "...natural (yet delightful!) beauty, skincare and lifestyle products, along with meaningful information, in one place."  All of the brands available on the site focus on natural ingredients, are cruelty free and are environmentally friendly in their manufacturing and packaging.

 After only a few months the site's brand listing has grown to a total of 37 local and international brands (and counting it appears as it was 35 only a few weeks ago) including Badger, Bite Beauty, Grown Alchemist, O&M Original Mineral Haircare, and Shore Soap Co.

 

 I've actually shopped the site twice now, initially before Christmas and just a week ago so this is a combined haul post...

 

 

My online shopping experience:

I found the site easy to navigate either searching by brand (by clicking on brand logo's on the main brand page) or by product in the dropdown category listings.  Apart from looking at a few specific brands I had in mind I found it just as easy to scroll through product categories to explore the range.  I like how each brand has an introductory 'Who Why What' page so I could read all about them before I made brand selections and link back to the 'Shop' page. 

 

On both occasions the products were promptly dispatched within 24 hours and delivered within 48 hours.  As you can see above the packing is in keeping with the company's environmentally conscious philosophy, using unbleached paper rather than plastic or foam padding and everything is prettily hand wrapped and ready for gifting if I'd wanted to gift it to someone other than myself!

 

So here's what I chose.  It was a balanced mix of necessities and pretties I think...

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December's haul

 

Salus Eucalyptus & Rosemary Purifying Body Scrub - I always have a body scrub in the shower for regular exfoliation and I wanted to try this luxury home spa version.

 

 

 

Yard Skincare Balmoral Bliss Bloss - This crazy sounding product is one of an irresistible range of natural lip balm/gloss hybrids referred to as 'Bloss' and come in 7 shades.  Balmoral Bliss Bloss is a sheer candy pink, smells like chocolate mint and glides like butter on the lips - yum!

 

Bite Beauty Cashmere Lip Cream (Crianza) - Another matte liquid lipstick to add to my collection and another Bite Beauty product to try.  Crianza is a dark pink-red or red-pink depending on how you see it.



 

January's haul

 

O&M Maintain the Mane Mini Set - My hairdresser uses O&M products on my tresses so I bought this travel-size pack ready for my next trip coming up in a few months.  I like being prepared ahead of time obviously!



 

 

Love Soap Organic Lavender and Meadowfoam Hand Wash - I bought this child-friendly moisturising hand wash for my own sensitive hands and got it straight into action in my bathroom to wash my hands without stripping them of moisture. 

 

 

 

Bite Beauty Whipped Cherry Fruit Scrub -  Confession:  this will be the first time I've tried a lip scrub!

 

 

 

Kester Black Nail Polish (Sky) and O&M/Kester Black Limited Edition Nail Polish (Conquer Blonde) - This will be my first time trying these 5-Free Australian made (Melbourne made actually, so very local!) nail polishes.

 

 

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 I'm slowly working my way through these products so let me know what you'd like to see reviewed first!

 

Australian readers:  If you want to check out Natural Supply Co for yourself shop the site here.