I promised several months worth of empties in the first few days of the new year, and I am back to deliver!  In yesterday's post I covered some items I was trying to use up so I could be done with them, as well as a few tried and true favourites.  Today, the products I will be writing about were all ones I was excited to try initially.  While some will make their way into my shopping cart again, there are a few I was less than pleased with.

I was able to recycle 6/10 of these products.


Favourite: Terre Verdi NeroliPom Moisturizer
When I received this in my The Cruelty Free Beauty Box, I was not impressed by the size and honestly wasn't too interested in trying it straight away.  Well, although the sample size was small, the product itself blew me away!  100% natural, 81% organic, vegan, cruelty free, Soil Association certified, and jam packed with antioxidant goodness, this moisturizer is most definitely on my keep list.  It has a really lightly fruity scent (not overly sweet, not sickly floral -- seriously perfect!), and sinks into the skin almost immediately.  My face is sensitive to changes, but this was so gentle that I didn't suffer from my usual 'I switched products' breakout.  The price tag is the only thing that has made me hold off from buying the full size straight away -- £41.00 for 50ml.

Ingredients: aqua,  camellia oleifera (white tea) seed oil*, cetearyl olivate, glycerin, sorbitan olivate, stearic acid, cetearyl alcohol, punica granatum (pomegranate) seed oil*, sodium levulinate, tocopherol (Vitamin E), aloe barbadensis lear juice (aloe vera) powder*,  glyceryl caprylate, sodium anisate, citrus aurantium (neroli) flower oil, citral**, geraniol**, farnesol**, limonene**, linalool**. *denotes organic ingredient, ** occurring naturally in essential oils


Least Favourite: Made By Coopers Apothecary Vanilla Rose Bath Salts
Don't get me wrong, the salts themselves were lovely.  I'm not sure if I got a bad batch or what, but the flowers in my packet almost seemed like they were half rotten.  They were brown and slimy and definitely not something I wanted to bathe in.  The smell itself wasn't awfully unpleasant, but I found it a bit sickly sweet.  I will stick to the other bath salts I have tried recently (Joik and Isla Apothecary).

Ingredients: dead sea salt, himalayan salt, epsom salt, coconut oil, rose buds & petals, vanilla essential oil, ylang ylang essential oil


The Rest:

Madara SOS Hydra Replenishing Cream
I am not a new user of the Madara brand thanks to my Love Lula Beauty Box, and so I knew whatever this product was, it would not be disappointing.  Since my skin tends to not like heavier creams, my partner actually used this sample up, but from the feel of it on my fingers (yes, I apply his products for him!), this is a highly moisturizing product.  It smells of a generic face cream, but the scent doesn't last for very long.  The product sunk into his skin pretty quickly, and his face did seem a bit more radiant afterwards.  The problem with sachets is you never really get enough to fully experience the product's long term effects, but from the few uses we got from this, the cream seemed great.  Unfortunately, I don't think he will want to spend the money, so will probably not be repurchasing.

Ingredients: Aqua, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil*, Alcohol, Glycerin***, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Glyceryl Stearate, Dicaprylyl Carbonate, Behenyl Alcohol, Rosa Damascena (Rose) Flower Water*, Hippophae Rhamnoides (Sea-buckthorn) Fruit Extract*, Sodium PCA, Lecithin, Aroma, Cetearyl Alcohol, CI77891 (Titianium Dioxide)****, Cellulose, Stearic Acid, Palmitic Acid, Urtica Dioica (Nettle) Leaf Extract*, Linum Usitassimum (Flax) Seed Extract*, Glycine Soja (Soybean) Sterols, Paeonia Lactiflora (Peony) Root Extract, Xanthan Gum, Sodium Hyaluronate, Sodium Phytate, CI77492 (Iron Oxide)****, Lactic Acid, Citronellol**, Geraniol**, Benzyl Salicylate**, Eugenol** *Ingredients from organic farming ** Natural Essential oils *** Made using organic ingredients **** Pure mineral pigments


Madara Micellar Water
To be completely honest, I still don't think I fully understand what micellar water does that a toner or floral water doesn't do.  But judging by the micellar water by Madara, it is a pretty good all-in-one item for removing makeup and hydrating skin.  I have the full size version of this that I received last year in my LL box, so I basically just used the sachet to refill a bit of my bottle.  There isn't much of a smell to this item, which I appreciated, and it doesn't leave much of a residue on the face.  I found it wasn't effective at taking off eye makeup, but otherwise it got the grime of the day off my skin.  I found this micellar water fine, but I think I prefer my regular toner and cleanser so will not be purchasing another.

Ingredients: Aloe Barbadensis Rosa Damascena Hamamelis Virginiana Glycerin Benzyl Alcohol Sodium PCA Potassium Sorbate Lactic Acid Aroma Sodium Hyaluronate Paeonia Lactiflora (Peony) Root Extract Caprylic/Capric Glucoside Xylitylglucoside Propanediol Anhydroxylitol Xylitol Phragmites Communis Extract Poria Cocos Extract Rhamnose Glucose Glucuronic Acid


Balance Me Congested Skin Serum
I covered this in my last empties post, and as you can see, it is a regularly used item for me!  I love this stuff, and will continue to use and buy the product regularly.

Ingredients: Aqua, Oryza sativa (rice) bran oil, Glycerin, Moringa oliefera (moringa) oil, Aloe barbadensis (aloe vera) leaf extract, Iris florentina (iris) root extract, Papaver rhoeas (corn poppy) flower extract, Abies picea (spruce knot) extract, Anthemis nobilis (Roman chamomile), Lavandula angustifolia (lavender), Litsea cubeba (litsea may chang), Citrus limonum (lemon), Kunzea ericoides (kanuka), Eucalyptus globulus (eucalyptus), Syzygium aromaticum (clove bud), Chondrus crispus (carrageenan) seaweed gum, Sclerotium gum, Sorbitan laurate, Polyglyceryl-4 laurate, Dilauryl citrate, Benzyl alcohol, Dehydroacetic acid, Citric acid, Limonene, Linalool, Geraniol, Citral, Citronellol, Eugenol** *natural pure essential oil **naturally occurring in essential oils ***certified organic ingredient


PHB Anti-Aging Facial Tonic
Like I mentioned in my post on the PHB facial tonic range, I bought this product not for myself, but for my partner.  He has mature/dry skin, so this toner was perfect for him.  It has a light slightly citrus scent, and leaves no sticky residue.  I think I will actually buy him the full size spray, as he is so fussy and he didn't moan about using this!

Ingredients: Aqua, Melissa Officinalis Leaf Oil (Melissa), Citric Acid, Potassium Sorbate, Benzyl Alcohol. *Citral, *Geraniol, *Citronellol. *Occurs naturally in essential oils


Skin & Tonic Detox Mask
It took me a while to get around to using this, as I have so many face masks in my cupboard, but when I finally tested it out I was totally sold.  It smells gorgeous!  The scent, almost like lemon-lime,  isn't overpowering, but strong enough to fill the bathroom for a good minute or two.  I found it difficult to find the right water to powder ratio, and my mask came out more liquidy than I was expecting each time.  Despite that, it didn't dry out my skin like other clay based masks, and it didn't make my face have a massive break out the next day.  Once I have used up the rest of my clay masks, I will definitely have a think about buying the full size.

Ingredients: Illite (green clay), Zea mays (corn) starch *, Camellia sinensis (matcha) leaf powder *, Citrus limon (lemon) peel oil *, Ocimum basilicum (basil) oil *.  *Certified organic


Greenfrog Botanic Neroli and Lime Botanic Bodywash
I have received this product twice from the Love Lula Beauty Box -- one of the Geranium and Peppermint, and one of the Neroli and Lime.  While I haven't gotten around to using the second one yet, this was a pleasant surprise!  I am not usually keen on body wash, as my allergies tend to be triggered by strong smells, but this one was gentle and didn't send me into a sneezing fit.  It doesn't have a huge amount of lather, but I actually prefer that.  I definitely think I will be tempted to buy the full size once my other travel bottle has been used up.

Ingredients: Aqua (water), Potassium Cocoate, Lauryl Betaine, Coco-Glucoside, Sapindus Mukorossi Fruit Extract*, Glycerin, Xanthan Gum, Aloe Barbadensis (Aloe Vera) Leaf Powder*, Parfum (Fragrance) :Citrus Aurantium Bergamia (Bergamot) Oil, Citrus Limonum (Lemon) Oil, Citrus Aurantium Amara (Bitter Orange) Oil, Levulinic Acid, Potassium Sorbate, Citric Acid. Citronellol**, Geraniol**, Hexyl Cinnamal**, Linalool**. *Certified Organic Ingredient **Naturally occurring within essential oils


Balm Balm Face Balm (Fragrance Free)
So I feel like I sort of cheated on this empty, as it is not actually all used up.  I used about half the bottle as it was intended (a face balm), but then decided to experiment a bit and used the rest to make some DIY lip balms!  As a face balm, I found it worked okay, but it was stickier than I had been expecting.  It was really difficult to warm up easily in the tube, and without warming it up the balm came out fairly solid and grainy.  I prefer the texture of the Balm Balm beauty balm over this to be honest.  As a lip balm, however, it worked perfectly!  I dispensed the balm into little pots, heated it until it was liquid, then added a drop or two of essential oil (I chose lemongrass for one, and tea tree for another) and let the balm cool.  The grainyness of the product seems to have completely disappeared, and it is very hydrating on my lips.  I might just buy this to make some more lip balms!

Ingredients: Butyrospermum parkii (shea butter), Helianthus annuus (sunflower oil), Cera alba (beeswax), Calendula officinalis (calendula oil), Simmondsia chinensis (jojoba oil).


Earth Kiss Detox Mud Pore Cleanse Mask
I received this in a swap box, so I actually have no idea where I can repurchase, but once I find a stockist, I will be snatching up a few (as long as they sell them in a larger size -- not too keen on the wasteful packaging!).  The mask was incredibly tingly on my skin, but not in an unpleasant or painful way.  It almost smelled a bit like peppermint, but as you can see in the ingredients, there is no peppermint in it.  The mud dried super quickly (less than 5 minutes) which I liked as I am incredibly impatient, and it didn't make too much of a mess in my sink.  I would love to try this mask out again.

Ingredients: Aqua (Purified Water), Kaolin (Natural Clay), Clay (Thai Clay), Bentonite (Natural Clay), Maris Sal (Dead Sea Salt), Glucose, Xanthan Gum (Natural Thickener), Aloe Barbadensis (Aloe Vera) Leaf Juice, Glycerin (Plant Origin), Asphaltum Punjabianum (Shilajit) Powder, Cymbopogon Schoenanthus (Lemongrass) Oil, Citral*, Linalool*, Citronellol*, Glucose Oxidase (Sugar Origin), Geraniol*, Camelia Sinensis (Green Tea) Leaf, Cymbopogon Martini (Palmorosa) Oil, Emblica Officinalis Fruit Powder, Terminalia Bellerica Fruit Powder, Terminalia Chebula Fruit Powder, Limonene*, Cananga Odorata (Ylang Ylang) Flower Oil, Cinnamomum Camphora (Camphor) Bark Oil, Elettaria Cardamomum Seed Oil, Eucalyptus Globulus Leaf Oil, Citrus Aurantium Bergamia (Bergamot) Leaf Oil, Pelargonium Graveolens (Rose Geranium) Flower Oil, Potassium Iodide, Sodium Chloride, Citrus Limon (Citrus Medica Limonum) (Lemon) Peel Oil, Benzyl Acetate, Cinnamomum Cassia Leaf Oil, Pogostemon Cablin (Patchouli) Oil, Nelumba Nucifera (Lotus Blossom) Flower Extract, Potassium Thiocyanate, Lactoperoxidase (Milk Origin), Jasminum Officinale Flower Extract, *Naturally found in essential Oils








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