After a few months of fairly paltry empties bags, September saw me using up ALL THE STUFF. Well, maybe not quite all but certainly a big chunk of the hair and cleanser stuff.
September also saw me doing ALL THE DRIVING. Ok, again maybe not all but definitely a motorway marathon’s worth. Some thoughts on that here.
But first, September empties.
If you haven’t rummaged in the empties with me before, the deal is that every month this year I’m gathering my beauty empties in a washbag. Then I spill them out, peer closely and consider which one deserves the title of Product of the Month.
As before, in the September empties list below, anything marked with a * is a press sample sent to me for review. If there’s a longer review available then I’ll link to it. The rest of it was bought by me. Links to products may be affiliate, but this post is not affiliate-driven. Last month’s empties are here.
So what’s in the bag of September empties?
- ESPA Purifying Shampoo – Really good cleansing shampoo. Silicone and SLS free. Thanks Mum for the recommendation/Chrismas present.
- ProVoke Touch of Silver Brightening Shampoo – I alternated this with the ESPA. It’s great for brightening up blonde highlights, but it’s a bit drying so needs combining with a leave in conditioner, I find.
- Aveva Cherry Almond Leave in Conditioner – Speaking of which, this is a good lightweight leave in-er, gives lots of volume, smells delish and doesn’t weigh hair down
- NARS Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturiser – A repeat purchase. They’ve added new shades so I’ve now moved lighter from Groenland to Alaska.
- Malin + Goetz Rum Body Wash – Yes I did bring home the fancy shower gel from the posh hotel, thank you for asking.
- Emma Hardie Protect + Prime SPF 30 – A decent moisturising primer but not quite enough SPF for me.
- Skin Chemists Retinol Serum* – I suspect I kept this too long before using it up, so it didn’t really do a lot. Oops. Don’t hang around with skincare, friends.
- Eve Lom Cleanser – The scent of this isn’t to everybody’s taste as it’s quite medicinal but I love it.
- At1 Deep Cleansing Balm* – Winner of the fastest journey from review to empties.
- Yaoh Bubblegum Lip Balm* – From one of the first vegan skincare ranges I reviewed, back in those innocent pre-pandemic days.
Product of the Month – Malin + Goetz Rum Body Wash
Little hotel toiletries are something that will probably become extinct in the next 5 years because, you know, the planet and everything. Which is a good thing. But in the meantime, if I’m staying at a hotel and the toiletries are nice then they are definitely coming to stay with me in Brighton.
The scent of this delicious Malin + Goetz body wash takes me right back to a couple of nights in August at the Sea Containers Hotel on the South Bank of the Thames in London. What a place! It gets a rare two Opposable Thumbs up. If you’re looking for a well-located London hotel that’s fancy but modern; friendly and fab in every way, this is the one.