Empties – Joico, Clarins, L'Occitane etc...

I have quite the backlog of empties. It's bad – there are tubes, tubs and bottles spilling out of various hiding places. It's always difficult to get back into the swing of something after a long break, especially when the task has been slowly but surely growing into something that seems less manageable every day. Never the less, I'm going to start working on reducing my pile(s) of empties, so let's discuss the first round of many to come.

I hadn't dyed my hair since high-school, but a friend of a friend was looking for hair models for a Joico event, specifically a redhead, and something told me to reach out. I think I was in a bit of a rut and figured, what's the worst that could happen – it's just hair. It was a really fun experience, they melted several semi-permanent colours on me and I was gifted some Joico products to help maintain the result – the Joico Defy Damage Shampoo, Conditioner and Shield. I used all these up and while they're not something I'd rush out and re-purchase, especially since I haven't and probably won't colour my hair again, of the three, I enjoyed the Defy Damage Shield the most. 

Around that time I noticed my hair wasn't doing very well in general. I had a lot of breakage despite regular cuts and my scalp was very sensitive. I started using the Cutrin Bio+ Energen Shampoo, which is formulated for fine nordic hair, and specifically oily hair and scalp. I think it did help, but back then I hadn't cut out other products that were possibly adding to the chaos, and have since reset my hair routine all together. What really helped my scalp is going back to basics, not really using styling products and using a fragrance-free shampoo with salicylic acid. 

When it comes to products I use a lot of and need to re-purchase often, I tend to prefer cheaper options. Body care products would fall under this category. A while ago something came over me, I wanted a treat and tried out some more expensive options. 

The Clarins Tonic Treatment Oil has been around forever and is a cult favourite. A mere 100ml of product comes in a zero frills glass bottle. I was incredibly excited to try this oil, thinking the texture, fragrance and relaxing effect would be something out of this world. They... weren't. 

Overall it was just okay. I found it difficult to apply after a shower – the glass bottle with the simple opening made it uncomfortable to apply, plus I was constantly worried about dropping it on the ground. I thought the texture might be very special, for example a drop of oil spreading very easily across a larger surface, but actually, the oil had a very basic viscosity and was quite cumbersome to spread. Getting one layer all over me took a lot of time and product. I stopped using it like that after a few times, because it just felt very wasteful. I ended up keeping the oil next to my bed to use on my feet and forearms. Overall, I'm glad I tried it, but it's not something I would re-purchase

An oil I liked a lot more and have re-purchased multiple times is the Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream All-Over Miracle Oil. I think I originally gravitated towards this product because I liked the idea of having a body oil and was looking for something that would outperform the Clarins. Elizabeth Arden claim that you can use this oil on the face, body and hair, all of which I tried – for science. 

With my acne-prone skin, applying it to the face was a bad idea and I only did it twice (just to confirm). Someone with very dry, resilient skin might tolerate it on the face just fine, although oils aren't actually moisturizing, you need humectants for that, so they can make dry skin even drier – as counterintuitive as that sounds. I tried the product out as a hair oil, which wasn't ideal for my fine, oily hair, but would probably work well for someone with thicker, coarser hair than mine. I have however used it on trips in place of a conditioner on damp hair and found it worked well. It might also work well as a mask through the length and ends of the hair. 

While the list of purposes is extensive, I just like this product as a body oil. Occasionally I'll use it all over after a shower, but really it lives next to my bed and I use it on my feet and arms before going to sleep. I used to love traveling with it because the bottle is 100ml and the product is semi multi-purpose so I could have fewer toiletries with me. I love that the bottle is plastic and comes with a spray tip – you can spray some oil onto your palm or directly on your skin, getting a thin, spreadable layer. Given the choice I still prefer to use a body moisturizer, because it has humectants, while the oil works more superficially on softening the surface of the skin. My skin feels nicest when I alternate between the two types of products and give it the best of both worlds. I really enjoy the Miracle Oil, I think the price point is fair and whenever travel becomes a more normal part of our lives again, I highly recommend trying it out as a multi-purpose, carry-on safe beauty essential.

Speaking of body moisturizers, I tried L'Occitane's Shea Ultra Light and Shea Ultra Rich Body Creams. Honestly, I love both of these creams! I tried the light first because I touched it at a store once and was very amused by the texture. It's whipped and makes a crackling, foamy sound when you scoop some out. As fun as the texture is, it's a bunch of air that you're paying for. I ran out of the light cream very quickly, which is why I decided to try the rich version. The rich cream is a lot denser and has a buttery texture. They're both lovely, spreadable, don't leave a greasy film (although the rich cream does stay tacky for a bit), and smell lovely – well, to me. They are pricey, but I think well worth it as a semi-occasional treat. 

Another bathroom product I used up is the Molton Brown Fine Liquid Hand Wash in Re-charging Black Pepper. I like the more masculine fragrance and overall look of the product. I've purchased it several times again and enjoy the bit of unexpected spice it brings. Everyone always comments on how nice the fragrance is. It is quite strong and you need a tiny bit, not a full pump, so it lasts quite a long time. 

I finally used up the Elf HD Powder I'd gotten ages ago in the US. Remember when this was so hyped up? Whatever people see in this product, I didn't. That's probably because I love my Sensai powder so much and the Elf didn't hold a candle to it. It's a tiny amount of powder, but it took me forever to use up because of how small and annoying the jar is. You're probably meant to use a fluffy eye brush, which I didn't – I used my little blush brush, and was frustrated every time. Personally, I don't see a need for a separate powder for under the eyes. I found I was using it just to use it up and not really enjoying it. Needless to say, I won't be buying it again. 

Finally, two brow pencils I used up – one I love and one I loathe. I was told the Wet n Wild Photo Focus Eyeshadow Primer was a fantastic, affordable alternative to primers from Nars or Urban Decay (it is). While I was shopping for that, I figured if the primer is good, maybe other products will be great too. I found myself looking at the eyebrow section because I had just used up my beloved Shiseido Natural Eyebrow Pencil in BR704, and I was intrigued by the less than 3€ Color Icon Brow Pencils. Had there been testers, I would have never picked one of these up. This was quite possibly the worst eyebrow pencil I have ever used. Not to say that someone might not enjoy it, but it was the opposite of everything I look for in a brow pencil. It was extremely soft and greasy and remained so on the skin. It would become blunt after doing one brow. It didn't last very long and somehow I suffered through it, but never again. 

This was kind of a mixed bag – some loves, nots and mehs, of course through my subjective lens. I hope you enjoyed reading, added something to your wishlist (or removed something else), and I really hope you're not hoarding your empties like me. Until next time!

OR