April Empties - Part 2

When I was writing a post on Part 1 of April Empties, I was worried that I might not have enough products for the second part. Obviously I was wrong, and I have plenty products to tell about.


First, let's start with 2 items I got or got and then got rid of during April. The first one is Ibiza Hair B4 round hair brush, which I had for a while, but never used. At one point in my life I decided that I needed a round brush, and decided that a brush designed for fine or color treated hair would be perfect for me. Oh how wrong I was! This brush is sharp (if I touch it, it feels like needles), and it doesn't slide through my hair, but tangles it instead. Not sure how it gets such great reviews, but for my long fine hair it didn't work at all. Anyway, after having it for a while, I tried my luck at returning it to the store, and they took it back.

Next unsuccessful item is Herbivore Lapis Oil Balancing Oil. I was never lucky with using oils for my face (I did like some for my body), but I decided to give this one a shot. The oil is pretty light, and I was hoping that drying out would be the worst it would do to my normal/dry-ish skin. Wrong!!! It clogged my pores so badly that I had deep painful pimples all around my face, and the worst part was that I had a wedding to attend that coming weekend. I stopped using the oil after few days, and worked on clearing my skin as much as I could. After a bunch of face masks (you'll see them below), I had perfect skin for the special weekend. I also had a lesson learned - not to try new product before special events.

-Alba Botanica Acne Dote scrub: I've been constantly talking about this scrub, and it's always in my shower, so this time I'll make it short. It's a great product, I love it, and I will continue using it!
-Deep Steep Sugar Plum liquid hand soap: I loved the smell, and it was perfect when I got it in winter. Right now I'd prefer something more refreshing, but as the soap, it was good, and I'd buy it again in different fragrance.
-The Natural Dentist Whitening Toothpaste: To tell the truth, I haven't noticed whitening effect while using this toothpaste, but that wasn't the main reason why I got it. I just love this brand, and nothing compares to The Natural Dentist mouthwash, so I tried the toothpaste too. I liked it as it cleaned the teeth well, and tasted nice without being overpowering.
-I reviewed Egyptian Magic all purpose cream recently, so not going to repeat myself, but as I said before, there are different all purpose creams out there that are very similar in quality, and way cheaper in price.
-Gillette Venus Original Razor Refills: While they did the job and I can't say anything bad about these razors, I'd still choose fancier ones with 5+ blades, extra soft soap protectors, and so on.

-Shikai Platinum Shampoo: As any blonde out there, I know how important it is to avoid brassy and orange-y tones in your locks, so once in a while I'll use purple shampoo. I keep repurchasing this one as the selection for such shampoos is very poor when it comes to natural/organic ingredients. It doesn't give the strongest effect, but it does the job.
-Earth Science Hair Mask: It's one of those products that I keep repurchasing over and over again. I'm sure I talked plenty about it in my blog, so all I'll say now is that I still love it.
-Madison Reed Reviving Color Gloss in Crema: This is another product to removed brassiness from blonde or grey hair. While the product worked wonders in giving back cool tone to the hair, I just hated the process of using it. The instructions tell you to apply it to dry hair, wait for some time, and rinse it out. The whole application was quite easy, but it took at least 15-20 minutes for me to rinse it out of my hair. Just like with Madison Reed hair dye, this gloss seemed to dry out my hair badly and they seemed to be glued into one big mess. I couldn't even put my fingers through the hair to properly wash it out, and had to use conditioner for a few times just to be able to reach all over my hair to rinse the gloss out. No matter how I loved the hair dye and the gloss, the effect is just not worth the pain I went through in the process of using them both.

 -Burberry London: I finally finished this 3.3 oz bottle! While I love the scent, I'm in a mood for something different now as I've used 2 or 3 bottles of this one.
-A bunch of different perfume samples, which I won't name. The only one I liked was Bulgari Omnia Paraiba, and while I liked it, it is not 100% my fragrance, so I don't think I'd get it full size.

. -Avene Thermal Spring Water: Just like I mentioned in my older posts, I hate the spray mechanism in these bottles as I can't get all the product out. I have to throw at least 1/3 or maybe even half of this bottle just because the stream is so weak, and I have to use extra strength to push the sprayer just to get a tiniest amount of product. This is such a joke that I'm not even gonna continue using it. Since I see no big difference when using this water, and I need to remind myself to use it, I will not repurchase this or any other brand spring water.
-Dickinson Witch Hazel Towelettes: I used a bunch of them while traveling last weekend. I like my regular Dickinson witch hazel toner, and the amount is better for the price, but while on the road, the option of having towelettes is great as you don't have to worry about any spills, about extra weight and extra space in the luggage.
-Andalou Naturals Instant Clarity Face Mask: This was a very nice single use mask. For those who tend to use smaller amounts of products, this could last for 2 uses. I love the light texture of the mask (it reminded me of mousse). It's hard to comment on the effect after one use, but I was happy with how soft my skin felt after it.
-A whole bunch of Montagne Jeunesse face masks: they all were more or less good, and I enjoyed using them. It's a great way to pack a face mask when going on the trip.