My shoebox of empties was overflowing, so it is time to do another empties post. I need to work on a post of products I'm trying to finish up, but I'm having some trouble deciding how I want to do it. I started making a list of products, and it was starting to feel too long. Then as I was doing my makeup, I saw more things that I'm working on finishing that weren't on my list. After that, I got to thinking that I should pull out the items that I own from brands that aren't cruelty-free and work on those.
Equate and Simple Facial Cleansing Wipes - I didn't love either of these. I used them to remove swatches from my arms and hands. Neither one of these brands is cruelty-free, but even if they were, I wouldn't be repurchasing them.
Bath and Body Works Creamy Pumpkin Anti-bacterial Hand Soap - I got this as part of the fall bonus bag. I liked the scent of this more than I expected. I don't usually purchase hand soap from Bath & Body Works, but I would happily use any that come in value sets or bonus bags.
Bath and Body Works Fresh Sparkling Snow Foaming Hand Soap - I got this soap in the Black Friday bag. The scent was nice. It was crisp and fresh smelling. Like the other soap, I wouldn't rush out to repurchase this but would be happy to use it again.
Dr. Bronner's Pure-Castile Soap in Citrus Orange - I really love the Dr. Bronner's soap in the almond scent, so I thought I would try this one. The citrus orange scent wasn't my favorite. It smelled more like the orange peel than the actual orange. Because of the scent, I don't think I'll repurchase this one.
The Honest Company Shampoo + Body Wash in Sweet Orange Vanilla - I liked this body wash, but I didn't love it. It lathered well, and the scent was okay. It's a great option if you are really concerned about the ingredients in your beauty products. I might eventually throw another one of these into my Honest Company bundle, but I'm not rushing out to repurchase it.
Jason Dandruff Relief Treatment Shampoo - I bought this shampoo because it has sulfur in it, which is what was in the Neutrogena T-Gel shampoo that I used for years to control my flaky scalp. I alternated this with my Nature's Gate Tea Tree Shampoo. It did a good job. I've already repurchased this and will probably continue to repurchase it in the future.
Bath and Body Works Sweet Cinnamon Pumpkin Body Wash - This was another item from the fall bonus bag. Even though I'm not a huge pumpkin fan, I really liked this scent too. I would definitely consider picking it up again when I've worked through my body wash stash.
Studio 35 Pure Honey Body Wash - I picked up a set at Walgreens over the summer that had this, a bubble bath, and a body lotion. I had a small milk & honey-scented body lotion a long time ago that I've been hoping to duplicate ever since. This scent didn't do it either. I don't know if Studio 35 is cruelty-free. I would guess they aren't. I don't plan on repurchasing.
Spectrum Organic Coconut Oil - I jumped on the coconut oil bandwagon. I've used it for an eye cream, a body moisturizer, a face moisturizer, and a hair masque. I bought this particular brand because it was the one available locally. I've already purchased another jar, and I have a jar from another brand on the way in a Vitacost order. I plan on keeping coconut oil on hand for the foreseeable future.
Acne.org Benzyl Peroxide Acne Treatment - As you can probably see, this bottle was huge. When I purchased it, I also purchased a mini bottle that I refilled with this large one. It has 2.5% benzyl peroxide, which from what I've read, is the best strength to use (higher strengths are too harsh). I've still got most of my mini bottle left. I'm thinking about trying Paula Choice's acne line next, but I would have no problems repurchasing this product in the future.
The Body Shop Nutriganics Smoothing Day Cream - This was in last year's bonus bag during The Body Shop's Cyber Monday sale, so I didn't pick it out myself. Day creams that don't have sunscreen in them drive me crazy. I rarely use a daytime moisturizer with less than SPF 30, so I used this at night. It was okay, but it wasn't good enough for me to consider repurchasing it.
Neutrogena Oil-Free Acne Stress Control 3-in-1 Hydrating Acne Treatment - I'm almost done with my back-stock of this product. After I finished this one, I started on my last tube. I'll be happy to finish that one and start using a brand that is cruelty-free.
Tata Harper Reparative Moisturizer and Hydrating Floral Essence - I won a set of mini Tata Harper products on Facebook a while ago. It sounds like a really great company. Although I didn't see it mentioned, I would be shocked if they weren't cruelty-free. I don't think the samples that I had were enough for me to decide if I loved these products. They are really expensive, so I couldn't afford to repurchase any of them if I wanted to.
The Body Shop Coconut Shower Cream Mini - I got this mini bottle as a bonus item in an Ulta order. I have the jumbo size in my body wash stash too. I like the scent and the amount of lather it gives. I might repurchase it eventually.
The Honest Company Healing Balm Mini - I think the primary purpose for this product is supposed to be as a diaper cream. It reminds me of Neosporin, and I have used it as a Neosporin substitute. I have also used it on my cuticles and on my heels, which are always really dry. If it isn't used quickly enough, it starts to separate and get really runny, which is a major downside for me. I have a full size tube already, and it is going to take me a long time to finish it up. I won't be getting another one any time soon.
Philosophy Creme Brulee Body Souffle - I loved both the smell and texture of this, but this particular formula is discontinued, and Philosophy isn't cruelty-free, so I can't repurchase, and I won't be trying other lotions from this brand.
Simply Me Lavender Body Lotion - A friend gave this to me because she either didn't like it or just didn't use it. I liked that it had alpha hydroxy acid in it, and I didn't mind the lavender scent. As a lotion it wasn't bad, but it wasn't amazing. I don't know about Simply Me's cruelty-free status, and I didn't like this enough to hunt down that information.
Pacifica Island Vanilla Body Butter - I LOVE this scent! I have a rollerball perfume in this scent too. The body butter was nice. I would probably buy it again if there was a good sale on it or it came in a good kit.
Olay Bikini Moisturizing Lotion - This came in a set with a razor and a bikini trimming blade that I bought years ago. It really annoyed me when I read in the small print on that back, "Also sold as Olay Advanced Healing Body Lotion." I thought it was a lotion made specifically for the bikini area, and it was just their regular lotion in different packaging. At this point it really doesn't matter. Olay isn't cruelty-free, so I'm not longer buying their products.
Bath and Body Works Midnight Pomegranate Body Butter - I like that this scent is a darker - for lack of a better word - fruit scent. What I mean by that is that it doesn't smell like summer to me. This is a great scent to use during the winter months. It is no longer part of Bath and Body Works's regular line though, and I don't know if it is one that still reappears during their semi-annual sale. The body butter is nice and heavy. I think I mostly used this on my feet before putting on fluffy socks in the evening. I would repurchase it in the future.
Bath and Body Works Black Raspberry Vanilla Body Lotion Mini - I think this is one of my favorite Bath and Body Works scents, and it isn't in the regular line anymore either, which makes me sad. It is a great scent to wear year-round. If I ran across this during a semi-annual sale, I would probably pick some up.
Bath and Body Works Fiji Passionfruit Body Lotion Mini - This scent was nice and summery. Like the other ones, it isn't available anymore. I don't think I would repurchase it if I did happen to come across it.
Luxury Lane Soap Nourishing Body Lotion in Blackberry Tea - I really like the formula of this lotion. I probably would have ordered more when I placed an order with Luxury Lane Soap in December, but I have too much lotion to work through first (I'll be tacking on a picture of my stash at the end of this post). The Blackberry Tea scent is one that I really liked, but my fiance said it smelled like soap. The scent was also really strong, which made me feel self-conscious using it in public. I would repurchase both the formula and the scent.
Mario Badescu Papaya Body Lotion - This was one of my free samples in an order I placed right before it came out that Mario Badescu sells in China. I won't be buying from Mario Badescu again.
Bath and Body Works Stress Relief Body Lotion in Eucalyptus Spearmint - This isn't a scent I would normally buy for myself, but it was part of a gift. I liked it, but I didn't like it enough to repurchase it.
Tarte Clean Slate Poreless 12-Hour Perfecting Primer - This was a decent enough primer. I've had issues with primers in general lately, so I'm not really loving any of them. I don't plan on repurchasing this one.
Kiss My Face Lip Balm SPF 15 in Strawberry - In my hunt to get lip balms with SPF over the summer, I ended up ordering somewhere around six of these. I like the formula a lot. It lasts a while on my lips but doesn't feel overly waxy. I wish the SPF was higher, and it does get softer as I get to the bottom of the tube, but it is one of the best SPF balms I've found. I will probably repurchase when I run out.
Lip Smackers Lip Balm in Jelly Donut - This was part of a Disney lip balm set that I got on clearance at WalMart last year after Christmas. I hadn't used a Lip Smackers balm in years. Sometimes it felt really waxy and sometimes it felt okay on my lips. I don't know if Lip Smackers is cruelty-free. I want to say that they are, but I don't plan on buying more after I finish the ones that I have.
Simply Lip Balm in Pomegranate - In my last post with finished products, I said I had used the last Simply Lip Balm in my stash. Then I found two more hiding in the couch. I really do like this balms. I pulled up their website to remind myself which flavor this particular balm was, and I also visited their Facebook page, and I discovered that they are only being sold on Amazon. One listing that I saw had 20 for $14, which is a fantastic deal. I think they might just find their way into my next Amazon order.
Shea Moisture Organic African Black Soap with Shea Butter - I got this in a set a long time ago. I never even used it on my face. I just used it on my body. It had some natural scrubbing particles in it. I've accepted the fact that I just don't really like bar soaps. I won't repurchase.
Lots of samples - Most of these aren't cruelty-free. I love Kate Sommerville's ExfoliKate, but I don't know about that company's cruelty-free status. Urban Decay Primer Potion is my favorite eye primer; the sample pod was the new anti-aging version, which seemed to work just as well as the original. Really, I'm just happy to have all of these little packets out of my life.
Taylor Swift Wonderstruck Scented Body Lotion - I mentioned in my Josie Maran Coconut Water Cheek Gelee review that I had a nasty rash break out on my arms and legs from a lotion. This is the offending lotion. I didn't finish it, but it is definitely going away.
And now for the promised picture of my lotion stash:
This is the majority of the lotions that I own. There's still a few more that are scattered around the house that I didn't bother to collect. As you can maybe tell in this post, I'm making some headway. I'm making a point to apply lotion to my arms and legs every morning and night. Last night I went through and pulled out all of the ones that aren't cruelty-free or have a questionable status, and I'm going to work on those first.
Note to self: Don't wait so long between empties posts.
What have you finished up recently?
Disclaimer: Most of the products mentioned in this post were purchased by me. A couple were giveaway prizes or were given to me by a friend. All opinions are my own.
