It is that time of month again!  And I feel a little sheepish after being so adamant that I could never get a good haul of empties in just a single month.  Well, January has truly proved me wrong.  I'm not sure if it is a case of having a lot of products that were already on their way out, or my partner insisting on his daily 'treatments' (he has been spoiled in recent months!), but I have an extraordinary amount of empties to share!

So many empties, in fact, that I may split this post up into two segments so none of the detail is lost.  But before I launch into specifics, check out my stash!



The full list of products is

Balm Balm Chamomile Hydrosol, 30ml
Caudalie Grape Water, 75ml
Elemental Herbology Facial Souffle, 5ml
Trilogy Rosehip Oil, 10ml
Esse Gel Cleanser, 10ml
Neal's Yard Remedies Ginger & Vanilla Body Lotion, 100ml
NUXE Melting Body Scrub, 50ml
NUXE Gentle Exfoliating Gel, 15ml
Aromatherapy Associates Revive Body Gel, 40ml
John Masters Organics Scalp Stimulating Shampoo, 10ml
Caudalie Premier Cru, 1ml
Hurraw Moon Balm, 4.3g/.15oz
Ciate White Choc Pot Nail Polish Remover, 30ml
Balance Me Congested Skin Serum, 7ml
Lavera Re-energizing Sleeping Cream, 1ml
PHB Brightening Eye Gel, (Size not described, but I am guessing 1ml)
Esse Refining Cleanser, 5ml
Alba Botanica Hawaiian Detox Sheet Mask, 1 mask

There were a lot of hits in this mix, but also a handful of misses.  My least favourite item this month?  The Ciate White Choc Pot.



Not only was this item not up to my usual ingredient standards, it also was a bit inconvenient in terms of removing the nail polish.  I found that once you used this with a darker shade of varnish (say dark blue, black, purple..), the foam inside started to stain the edges of your finger.  Not ideal!  I was sent this as a freebie in a subscription box ages ago, so I used it so it would not go to waste, plus the ingredients were not so bad that I felt truly uncomfortable using it.  It did have some hydrating qualities to it (marula and sweet almond oils) which was surprising seeing how it is a nail polish remover.  However, there are many natural brands on the market that I would rather use, so I will not be buying this in the future.

My favourite this month was so hard to choose, I ended up picking three to showcase!  Trilogy, Esse, and Hurraw proved to be brilliant as always, and I will more than likely end up buying more of all three of these items once I have used up more of my stash.


I received a different Hurraw lip balm (Papaya Pineapple) in my Love Lula Beauty Box in March last year, but it was not until recently that I actually started using it.  I love the consistency of the Hurraw balms, as they are really smooth, not too oily, not sticky at all, and incredibly hydrating.  After hearing rave reviews of the Moon Balm, I added it to my basket and could not be happier with the purchase.  It smelled SO good -- like the perfect blend of warm and relaxing.  The scent is firstly of vanilla and blue chamomile, but has softer notes that bring a light sweetness from the cocoa butter, peru balsam, and rosehip seed oil.  Also, I have to point out this is the first time ever that I have finished a lip balm!  It was that good!!

The Trilogy Rosehip Oil was another winner, as it was very delicate and not too heavy for my combination skin.  I found my skin had far fewer blemishes when I was using this facial oil, and it was perfect for night use as the scent was so delicate that it put me into a really relaxed state of mind.  I used about 3-4 drops of this for my face and neck every night, and it lasted me several months, so I can't imagine how long a full size would keep for.  I have loads of facial oils to work through (remember my Hunger Games battle??), but once I have cut down on how many I have, Trilogy will definitely work its way in as a staple.

Esse was a new brand to me that was introduced through my beloved Love Lula Beauty Box back in September.  I have used one of these samples up already, and my skin absolutely loves it!  The gel cleanser is light and refreshing, and works into the skin really effectively.  I didn't find it drying at all, and I seriously love the scent (you know me and peppermint!!).  I am still trying to decide between this Gel Cleanser and the thicker Refining Cleanser, as both seem to work well for me, but either way, this brand is one of my favourite LL discoveries in a while.  I have stocked up on samples for the moment, but once they are used up, this is going straight into my basket.



Overall, I was able to recycle every single product packaging except three: the John Masters Organics sachet, and the two PHB sachets.  Also, I had to throw away the foam material from the inside of the Ciate pot.  So let's say 15.5/19 items were recyclable!  Even better, I decided to reuse two of the packagings for my own DIY projects.

Keep an eye out for my follow up to this empties post, as I will be going into more detail about the other winners and middle of the road products I tried out in January.  And if you have not done so yet, make sure to subscribe and follow The ecoLogical so you can stay up to date with our posts!

Until next time! xx





Blogger Note: Every product mentioned in all of my posts are purchased with my own money, are gifts from friends or family, or were won in public competitions unless otherwise stated.  However, my posts may contain affiliate links. This will never change my approach to my reviews, nor will it influence how I represent the products I am writing about, as I only choose to represent or work with brands and companies that I 100% respect and trust.