Empties! Products I Used Up in April

I finished up quite a few products in April, including some full sized items I've been working on FOREVER. So, let's get started! If I've done a previous review on an item, links will be provided.

• Kate Somerville Clarifying Skin Treatment Toner ($26) has been in my toner rotation for almost two years! It worked well for my oily skin, but then again so does the much less expensive Thayer's Rose Petal Witch Hazel, so I have no plans to repurchase.

• All four of the next products were part of a Manyo Factory Travel set that I got from Memebox.  The Manyo Factory Deep Pore Cleansing Soda Foam has a higher pH level than I like to use for a facial cleanser, so I used it as a hand wash instead. It worked quite well in that regard :-) 
• Manyo Factory Pure Cleansing Oil: This is a nice cleansing oil, with a variety of botanical oils and extracts in the mix (soybean, hazel seed, grape seed, olive, jojoba, rice bran, and lavender oils). I enjoyed it but the DHC Deep Cleansing Oil still reigns supreme for me.
• Manyo Factory Galactomy Clearskin AHA/BHA Toner: I enjoyed this as well, and find it's ingredient list intriguing: Water, Fermented Filtrate Of Galactomyces Yeasts, Aloe Leaf Extract, Centella Asiatica Extract, White Willow Extract, Lactic Acid, Fruit Extract, Japanese Pepper Extract, Korean Pine Extract, Usnei Borodulino Extract, Sea Water, Potassium Hydroxide, Witch Hazel Extract, Green Tea Leaf Extract, Citrus Fruits Natural Extract, Papaya Extract, Rose. I would consider purchasing this in the future, as it was my favorite from the travel set.
• Galactomyces Special Treatment Essence Cream: This was nice, although I can't say it made much of an impression on me. The biggest drawback for the Manyo Factory products for is their short shelf life due to their natural ingredients and lack of preservatives (not a bad thing at all), as I just have so much product on hand. I did make a point of using these items consistently in order to use them up, and I'd say the cleansing oil and toner were my favorites.

• Tata Harper Purifying Cleanser: This cleanser is supposed to combat the daily wear and tear caused by environmental stressors such as pollution and smog by effectively purging surface buildup and impurities, while maintaining skin’s moisture. In other words, it supposed to clean your skin without stripping it, and it did a good job of that. However, it's $66 for a full sized bottle, which is out of my price range. I did enjoy the sample and felt luxurious while using it.
• Master Exfoliating Body Wash by Fortune Cookie Soap Co.: I quite enjoyed this fruity shower wash, although I'm not sure how exfoliating it really was. It did lather nicely when using a mesh puff and my skin did not feel stripped or dry afterwards. It also lasted a good 6 months with about 3x's/week use, but it also went bad on me towards the end. In fact, I'm pretty sure it started growing something and the smell was definitely off. So, I would not stockpile these, as the shelf life is definitely limited. But still, I enjoyed it while it lasted!

Something bad is brewing

• Andalou Naturals DIY Booster SPF 30 Facial Serum: This is the second bottle that I've finished, so you could say it's a favorite. I'm already working on a third, which is sporting new packaging. Good stuff and I'm quite finicky about sunscreens!
• Algenist Genius Ultimate Anti-Aging Vitamin C+ Serum: My current holy grail vitamin C serum, although I'm still trying a few other brands to see if anything can to it. To date, nothing has, and my wallet is not happy about that ($118 a bottle). I was fortunate to snag this one at half off during an Ulta sale, but now I'm thinking that was more like a gateway drug kind of event ;-)

•  Sugar Lip Serum Advanced Therapy by Fresh: I liked this, and got really used to using it. Did it do anything amazing? Not really, but I did enjoy using it. No plans to repurchase, although if a good gift set comes around during the holidays, I might.

• Reve de Miel Cleansing Gel by Nuxe: This is a gentle cleanser targeted towards dry skin, but it worked just fine on my oily skin. I prefer lower pH cleansers as they are less stripping, and the Reve de Miel is a honey and sunflower based lipid-enriched cleanser that was my morning/shower facial cleanser for a good 9+ months. One negative was the overwhelming fragrance, a floral/honey blend that assaulted me every time I used it. However, it's a moot point now, as Nuxe has withdrawn from the US market. Bye Nuxe.
• Tarteist Lash Paint Mascara by Tarte: did not care for this at all, so am tossing. I found it clumpy and frustrating to use.

  

  Tarteist mascara

The standout face masks for me in April were the Donkey Milk Brightening Skin Gel Mask and the bonvivant Botanical masks in Niacinamide & Lime and Collagen & Olive.

The E.G.T. Timetox and P.D.F. A.C. Defense left no real impression, other than I really do not like two piece gel masks. They do not stay in place like I want and feel rather slimy

I also finished some three Algenist and and one Dr. Dennis Gross vitamin C serum samples, and will be reviewing the Dr. Gross ones once I finish up all the samples I have

All of the items below have been reviewed in my #365 Days of Samples series that I typically post every Sunday or Monday, but as you can see, I'm making headway in finishing up lots of samples!

Last, but definitely not least, is the Yogi Soothing Rose Hibiscus Skin DeTox tea. I love this stuff - it tastes delicious and whether or not it gives my skin a healthy glow, I enjoy drinking it. It certainly can't hurt, and I've already repurchased another box!