February Empties - Reviews and Reflections

Another month has flown by and it's time to reflect over my empties.

This month was definitely better than the last, but I still don't have a massive load of empties for February. My inventory numbers have gone down in my skin care/hair care/body care category, which I'm ecstatic about, but my makeup inventory has grown. The skin care inventory number decreased to under 30 this month. The goal for the category is 19 so I obviously still have work to do (finishing 9 products that is), but this is still a huge win in my book! My makeup inventory on the other hand has grown significantly. I had to buy some products for a formal fancy-pancy party that takes place next Saturday. A cool-toned eyeshadow palette, a setting spray, a blush duo and a bronzer duo entered my stash in February. Everything I had was too warm toned in contrast to my cool-toned dress, which didn't look very good. I'm the hostess for the party so I thought it'd be a good idea to not look like an idiot.

Planning the formal party has in all honesty been extremely stressful. I've had to really really fight my desire to buy everything and anything as retail therapy. The fact that I ended up with just three items in my cart was a miracle. Fingers crossed, March will treat me a bit better and I won't buy a single thing (other than shampoo) for the entire month.

This is the first time I'm reviewing my empties on my blog so let me know in the comments if you enjoy getting more thorough reviews here or if you prefer the single sentence ones on instagram instead. Now, let's take a look at the empties.

Dermosil Kitchen Soaps 7/10

Dermosil knows their soaps and these are no exception. They are made for kitchen use (but, I've used them in the bathroom as well) and do a great job to remove oil and weird odors from your hands. I haven't touched fish in years, so I have no idea if these particular ones remove the smell of fish from your hands, but other Dermosil kitchen soaps sure did do that 10 years ago.

The kitchen soaps do dry out your hands if you use them multiple times a day. Not a lot more than any other soap, but a bit. If you only use them after cooking there shouldn't be a problem at all.

Personally, I won't repurchase these, but that is simply because I've decided to completely switch to bar soap. These products are wonderful, but I want to live a life with less plastic in it.

Nurme Cleansing Bar 10/10

This cleansing bar was an impulse purchase that turned out to be among the best purchases I've made. I love this product so much. I bought it when I went to buy shampoo in December and decided my mother could gift it to me for Christmas since I was running out of face was anyway. I'm so happy I did that. The bar is not actually finished yet, but I'm not going to hang on to a cardboard box for 6 months so here we are. Even though I've only used it for three weeks, I highly recommend this product. The smell wasn't something I was sold on from the start, but it's nothing I pay attention to now. It cleans my skin and removes any leftovers from my oil cleanse. I think I've found my holy grail cleansing bar, folks!

Dermosil Vitamin E Deodorant 7/10

This aluminium-free deodorant is great. It keeps you fresh for a long time and the smell is pleasant. It lasts for a long time and it is easy to apply. If it came in plastic-free packaging it'd probably be a holy grail product for me, but I am still open to suggestions for aluminium-free deodorants that work. I have repurchased this product and I probably will until I've found a better alternative.

HumbleBrush Toothbrush 9/10

Toothbrushes and toothpast is not something I usually put in my empties, but I wanted to share this one. I've recently made the switch to bamboo toothbrushes and I am very pleased with the change. They are a bit more expensive than plastic toothbrushes, but they work just as well. There will be no more plastic toothbrushes entering this household again. Make the switch! It's so easy! Just remember to recycle it correctly.

I'm still waiting for something with biodegradable bristles, though.

Lumene Nordic Chic Mascara 4/10

I really wanted to love this product, but it just didn't work for me. It flaked like crazy on me and it made my lashes look lumpy. One of my best friends absolutely adores this mascara and it looks amazing on her, so I have no idea if I just got a bad batch or something. I won't repurchase it. I have my holy grail Urban Decay Perversion mascara and I have no reason to stray from it.

Dermosil Soft Lips 5/10

Another product I wanted to love, but just didn't. This is an eco certified lip balm that is of 100% natural origin and 93,5% of the ingredients are organic. Sounds nice, right? Well, I absolutely hated the taste of it. The boyfriend said it tasted like pear, but I'm not so sure I agree with him. It was nice an light under lipstick and I actually made the remaining few squirts of this into a tinted lip balm, but in my opinion there are better ones on the market. I will not repurchase this lip balm.

Milani Conceal + Perfect Foundation 6/10

When I first tried this foundation I thought I had found the perfect colour match for me, but boy was I wrong! It oxidized very badly on me and I had to use it up during the days I would constantly be wearing a scarf around my neck. It was a disaster. This foundation is also quite heavy and full coverage. Two things I don't like in a foundation. It wasn't very drying and it stayed put on my face pretty well. After a long day it had accumulated in my fine lines, but every foundation does that on me. I don't know what to call the finish it had. It wasn't matte, it wasn't dewy, it wasn't silky or skin-like either. It was just full coverage, you know?

All I can say about this foundation is that it'd be great for someone who likes full coverage, but if you want a natural looking complexion, this one isn't for you.

Have you tried any of these products? What did you think about them?