March and April Empties

In this list, I got hair products (no surprises there), nail products (some surprise there), face products and even a makeup product. What is most surprising is that there is no body product 😄.

1. Clarins lip oil: this is deluxe size sample I got with some purchases. I have quite a few of them I left in different bags just in case I forget to carry one while changing bags. Due to limited travel, they got ignored and now being rediscovered 🧐🤓. This lip oil is quite hydrating and comfortable for an oil. I used it mostly at home even though it’s not too gooey. Will I repurchase - probably not as I would prefer tubes which are easy to apply outside.

2. Cocoved coconut oil: Lately I have been using some sort of hair treatment oils, either luxury or herbal and totally forgot about good old coconut oil. When I went to Andaman, I came across this in a souvenir shop and thought of going back to older habits. I did mix it with some other products, though none of them are store brought. I bought a hibiscus plant and used its flowers, dried and powdered along with curry leaves, fenugreek and few drops of Vitamin E. I wouldn’t say there is huge difference (home remedies usually take longer and mostly serve as preventative measures than cure), however, it is as good as any expensive treatments. I bought 2 bottles of other hair oils, but will definitely buy this one later.

3. Khadi saffron shampoo: this is one of my all time favourites and I already repurchased it multiple times. I wanted to get the same, but wanted to try out few other new brands (not new in market but to me☺️) to check if anything else out there work better. So bought MCaffeine cappuccino shampoo-never tried my favourite coffee in hair before and it got rave reviews 🤞.

4. CND nail oil: I do have dry cuticles, but they never bothered me so much until I went to UK (surprisingly it didn’t bother so much in my prior visit despite being in winter 🤷🏻‍♀️). They became so dry to the point of bleeding and hand creams ceased to work. On a whim I bought this one in T.K.Maxx. I did not notice any difference immediately but with time it helped a lot. After returning to India, I did not use it regularly, but as weekly TLC for nails. I wish I picked few CND nail polishes too😔 - in wish list for next time 📝.

5. OPI bubble nail polish: initially I liked this texture - even if I apply haphazardly it still looked decent. But didn’t take long for it to be gooey. Unfortunately it came in a set of four and last time I applied I got so irritated, I wanted to throw them all. But I am spending most time at home, so might as well finish them up 😓. 

6. Estée Lauder night repair serum: another deluxe sample and perfect size for me. For face moisturiser, my skin either gets immune faster or it’s needs change rapidly. Hence buying full size packs are pretty much a waste. Even this I didn’t use regularly, it gave best results only during initial uses. 

7. Mac technokohl kajal: Mac is one of my favourite makeup brands and I heard good reviews about this kajal. However, it took me a while to get my hands on this one and I already got a spare. Color is quite good and it doesn’t smudge very much - though with my oily face and habit of rubbing my eyes, I had to check constantly. It doesn’t tug while applying, yet I wouldn’t call it smooth. It did break towards the end - maybe because I didn’t use it in a while. I will decide if it becomes my go to kajal after the second one. 

8. Eau Thermale avene face spray: I lost count of these bottles by now. I finished it during my trip to Kasi and don’t have the empty can but I might have listed it quite a few times in the past. It again proved to be trusted companion in dry and hot climate of Varanasi. I guess I have one more pack for travel and using a bigger bottle of Kama Ayurveda Vetiver spray for at home. 

I am quite happy with this list for number as well as variety. What more, I might even do a monthly empties next time 👏🏻.