March 2014 Empties

In preparation for my holiday you may remember I decided to take a spending ban which whilst it may have fallen by the wayside as I stock up on new clothes to take on my trip I've been strict with the beauty products and been able to work my way through a number of products this month.

First up are two fragrances, Jil Sander No 4 which I spoke of in this post and Cleopatra by TOCCA link. As my previous post Jil Sander No 4 link is a favourite of mine and I will definitely be treating myself to some more when I return from my holiday (if there is any money left in the bank!) but Cleopatra was a nice scent but not something I'd purchase again. I received this for Christmas quite a few years ago it seems and it was never the bottle I would reach for on my dressing table and when there are so many other faithful scents why waste time on one that doesn't hit the spot. 

A quick tip from me is to remove lids from perfume bottles and pop them in laundry cupboards or underwear drawers - I find the scent gently fragrances the drawers which is always pleasant.

Two bath favourites are Molton Brown's Relaxing Yuan Zhi link and Radox Muscle Therapy* link. Relaxing Yuan Zhi has been a long time favourite of mine from Molton Brown and I know most people would choose the luxury option over a bottle of Radox you can pick up in the supermarket but I have to say it's quite likely the Radox will be the first I'll repurchase to use in-between Jo Malone Pomegranite Noir baths. You can read more about Radox Muscle Therapy in this post.

Like the perfume bottles the Mahogany Teakwood tumbler link will also be going in one of my cupboards. The smell from this candle is amazing and still going strong despite and as I type this post I'm getting a strong scent. If luggage allowance allows I will certainly be picking up the larger size of this candle when I'm in Bath & Body Works next week - and if you have any other candle recommendations please let me know.

I reviewed Palmers Intensive Hand Cream link fully in this post so I won't ramble too much here. It was the perfect hand cream for Winter and quite timely that it has come to it's end as we approach Spring and I can opt for lighter alternatives. Come next Winter I will be stocking up.

My first haircare empty is a little bit of cheat but worth noting. MOP Glisten Finish Flexible Hold Spray was a favourite many years ago and then had been left to languish in a drawer until recently. A great hairspray for up do's that you don't want to move but for freshly washed hair this will leave a sticky, crispy firm hold which prevents running fingers through hair although

QUA Baths & Spa shampoo and conditioner were from my hotel room at Caesars Palace last year and yes despite the overflowing bathroom shelves I still pinch the toiletries from hotel rooms. Usually I wouldn't give the shampoo and conditioner a second thought and these certainly weren't the products I would use on a daily basis they were adequate for days when you want clean hair but don't require the usual shine from regular shampoos.

Cynthia Sylvia Stout Beer Shampoo link from Lush was a random purchase a few months ago followed by Veganese Hair Conditioner link. We have surely all heard a story from our mum's about washing their hair with beer 'back in the day' and I couldn't resist trying the non-alcoholic version. I enjoyed both of these products - especially the lemon scent from Veganese and would repurchase.

The scandal of seeing facial wipes in an empties post! The good news is these are Heaven Skincare Facial Wipes* link which got the thumbs up from me in this post. I've finally found my way with a good skincare routine which I will blog about soon but I'm human and there are some days when I resort to the lazy option - on the bright side it's taken me 6 months to get through them so I'm not too lazy too often!

I think it's safe to say nothing short of botox will tackle the lines on my forehead but we can live in hope that there is a less intrusive option that works so well. Until then I've been using Bare Minerals Multi-Wrinkle Repair* link. I'm fairly skeptical of the effectiveness of this/these types of product but I don't think my lines are any deeper and there were certainly days when I didn't use this product that I felt like my lines were more prominent. I'm on the fence whether I would repurchase this, only because I'd be intrigued by other options and for now I've moved onto Kiehls Line Reducing Concentrate that is already in my cupboards.

Next month's empties post will mark a year of their featuring on Florence and Mary (read previous posts here) and it should be an interesting one as instead of the usual trip to Boots to buy toiletries for my holiday I am making use of the abundance of samples and products I already own so it may well come from the good old USA - stay tuned.

Don't forget to link me up to your empties posts and let me know what products you said goodbye to in March.

*PR Sample