Empties #1

3 years ago my bathroom cupboards were overflowing with bottles of things I had bought to try or because they were on special yet had never really bothered to use. So to stop the wastage and make myself accountable I started a Project Pan to make sure I used them all up. In the process I discovered that I had been buying the same things over and over that I didn't really like because I hadn't noticed that it had simply been repackaged or because I forgot why I didn't like it the first time around.

My project pan quickly evolved into a log of my monthly empties, complete with short notes of what I thought of the product to remind myself whether it was worth repurchasing and more importantly when NOT to buy it again.

In 2014 I managed to finished 126 beauty items from 4 categories: skincare for the face, skincare for the body, haircare and makeup, with these 31 being from the last quarter of the year.

October

* Eve Lom Eye Creme sample - I've been after a rich hydrating eye cream for a while now and while I was pregnant my choices were limited since I avoided retinols. The lovely ladies at Mecca suggested this and it fit the bill perfectly. It isn't greasy and wears well under makeup. I've since purchased a full size and use it both night and day.

* Dr Dennis Gross Hyaluronic Moisture Cushion sample - along the same veins I've also been after a rich hydrating night cream. I love the texture of Dior's Capture XP Ultimate Wrinkle Correction Night Cream and how soft it makes my skin feel but it does nothing for my wrinkles and is a whopping $170 for 50ml. I found this cream to be very thin and lightweight and didn't notice any extra hydration despite the fact that it has hyaluronic acid in it, and to top if off it had odd perfumed smell that I couldn't place and didn't really like. Won't be buying the full size of this.

* SHE Red-Rice Mattifying Lotion with SPF 15 - this came in a sample kit with 4 other creams/lotion and I only used it a few times because it was very thin, not moisturising at all, did not mattify and smells like a cross between feet and McDonald's pickles.

*SHE Wash Away Milk Cleanser - another sample sized tube from the same kit. I tried to use it in shower but it was horrible feeling and left an oily film on my face that I then had to clean off, ie one of those cleansers that you need another cleanser to clean up after. Completely pointless. Plus I hated the smell.

* Loreal Casting Creme Gloss Shine Enhancing Conditioner with Royal Jelly - these come with my hair colour and since I don't use conditioner at all (oily haired girls will understand when I say all conditioner does for me is make my hair greasy faster so I prefer to spray on a detangler on the ends only once I get out of the shower), I use these as treatments once a week or so.

* Loreal EverPure Moisture Leave-In Conditioner - another sample that gets a major thumbs down for me. I hated the medicinal smell of this and it left a greasy film on my hair even after washing it out. I can't imagine how horrible it would have felt had I actually 'left it in'.

* Indola Thermal Protector Smooth and Indola Conditioning Spritz Volume – got both of these from a salon a few years ago on one of the rare occasions where I have my hair cut professionally. I threw these out as between them they caused a ton of breakage which isn't surprising really when you read that alcohol is the second ingredient for both. No wonder my hair had been looking fried and strands snapped off everytime I combed or brushed.

* Garnier Thermo-Active Spray Volume Restructure XXL – same goes for this. Alcohol is the second ingredient, lots of breakage and not a whole lot of protection so it got chucked.

* Sally Hansen Strengthening Polish Remover with Acetone – this stuff is OK but the acetone evapourates really quickly and it does nothing to strengthen my nails. I've got one more bottle of this to get through but I don't think I'll be buying it again.

* Batiste Dry Shampoo - I went through 16 cans of these last year in varying scents and my favourite scent is this one, tropical, of which I managed to use 10! Definate repurchase for me as it saves me from looking like a total greaseball with day 2 hair.

* Garnier Clean Detox Refreshing Cleansing Gel - I have been using this for years. I love the gel consistency and the way it leaves my skin feeling completely clean and residue free but not stripped. I use it as part of my morning and night routine and even keep one in the shower.

November

* Rexona Pure Silver Crystal Deodorant Spray - I wear alot of dark colours so prefer deodorants that don't leave a white mark on my clothes and this performs pretty well. Can't really comment on the anti-perspirant aspect as I have a fairly low body temp so don't tend to sweat much or get overly stinky but it's nice to know that if I did break a sweat I'll smell nice.

* Batiste Dry Shampoo - it's not an illusion, this can is bigger than October's empty. I buy whichever size I can get my hands on when sales are on.

* Neutrogena Naturals Multi-Vitamin Nourishing Night Cream - also bought while pregnant because it has no retinols, this was so disappointing. It's a very thin and not very moisturising cream that I basically pushed through to use up. In fact I would often rub in 2-3 layers of it to try to build up the moisturising feel to a mediocre level. It had a heavy citrus scent which I was mentally wracking my brain trying to place, assuming that as it's so natural it must be due to an essential oil or some such but nope, it's just added fragrance. This cream is the reason why I'm in no hurry to try their hydroboost line or whatever it's called.

* SHE Red-Rice Foaming Cleanser - oh where to start with this huge fail. Firstly it smells like a public toilet at a shopping centre, you know that sickly floral smell they love which is supposed to cover the smell of people who can't manage to pee in the bowl. Secondly, and more importantly, it Does. Not. Foam... or Cleanse. At all. Sigh. Nothing about this brand is what it claims to be so far. Thankfully I didn't waste any money on buying these samples.

* Gaia Belly Butter sample - I got this in the Bounty bag from the hospital. It lasted 2 uses and wasn't anything special in that it did nothing any other body lotion could do as well. It had an odd lemony scent and is loaded with essential oils so could be a potential irritant. This is not for me and I won't be purchasing the full size.

December

* Garnier Clean Sensitive Gentle Make-Up Remover - I shake this baby up (it's dual phase) and pour some on a couple of cotton pads then lay them over my eyes, count to ten and wipe it all away. I love this for removing all my eye makeup without ever stinging and I tightline alot so I wipe my waterline too without any irritation. Plus it's even great for getting stubborn waterproof foundation off my foundation brushes.

* Alpha-H Liquid Gold - a staple in my routine. I was put onto this by Ruth Crilly at AModelRecommends and haven't looked back. This stuff is magic at making my skin feel smoother and younger looking, plus it dramatically reduced my melasma on my cheek bones which didn't go away after having my older son.

* Garnier Hairspray with Bamboo Extract -this is the second of three that I bought when they were half price a few year ago - they're some of the items that kicked off the original project pan. There's no great difference between the strengths within this brand and these don’t hold very well. I mainly use it to smooth my second-day-dry-shampooed-hair ponytail flyaways. I've got one more to get through then will look for something else.

* Garnier Clean Detox Refreshing Cleansing Gel - another one of these used. This makes 4 for the year.

* Smartskin facial wipes - these are ridiculously cheap but are surprisingly effective for the price. I use them as the first step of cleaning off my makeup and have found them just as competent as much pricier wipes. I still like to try other brands but keep coming back to these since they perform exactly the same and are way cheaper.

* Benefit They’re Real Push-up Liner sample - I got this in the Marie Claire 'The Parcel' box for Spring 2014. I don't normally use cream or liquid eyeliner but gave it a go and found it was too thick and produced a really thick line which is fine for that look but not what I need. Plus when I tried to use it again a few days later it had dried so I couldn’t spread it. Wasn't impressed so I won't be buying the full size.

* Estee Lauder Modern Muse perfume sample - this is a musky, oriental floral which just isn't for me but I think it would be perfect for my mum who loves oriental scents like these.

* Garnier UltraLift Day Cream with SPF 15 - I finished 3 of these over the year and it is my standard day cream. Recently Garnier changed the formula and added mica which pissed me off no end as I simply fail to understand why on earth anyone would add glitter ball dust to a product aimed at women over 35. I don't go around pointing out my wrinkles and I sure as hell don't want my face moisturiser to. I had vowed to find an alternative once I had finished this last jar but then had a brain fade moment and bought one of the new ones before remembering that I wasn't going to get this anymore and thankfully the new formula is not shimmery. Phew! But still, why add mica??

* Loreal Casting Creme Gloss Shine Enhancing Conditioner with Royal Jelly - another one of these used up, many more to go...

* Lancome HydraZen Night Cream sample - this was a nice night cream though still a little light for what I’d prefer. It reminded me of my regular Garnier night cream in texture and was about as moisturising. It also has that annoyimg rose scent (I'm not a fan of rose anything) that is typical of the HydraZen range but it's not too overpowering and it doesn't linger. The main reason why I probably won't purchase the full size of this is that the Garnier Ultralift Night cream I usually use is 5x cheaper and does the same thing.

* SHE Instant Vitality Day Cream - I toyed with the idea of using this but really, who am I kidding. If I can't stand the essential oil blend stinking up every other SHE product I've tried so far which I get to then wash off, there was no way I was going to put this on my face and leave it there. Plus it has no SPF.

* Rimmel Eyebrow Pencil in 001 Dark Brown - I really tried to use this but it's just too hard and way too red.

* Gaia Skin Smoothing Lotion sample - this was like Sudocream, a nappy rash cream thick with zinc, and it pulled the skin as I tried to rub it around on my belly. It's intended to use as a body lotion on the face, nose, chin, elbows, knees, and bottom but there is no way I’d use this on a baby unless it was on their bum and I have no interest in putting a thick bum cream on anyones face.

* Gaia Baby Moisturiser sample - another generic moisturiser with that stupid aromatherapy stink that is a red flag for me putting anywhere near my baby's perfect, sensitive skin. There is a reason why so much baby stuff is fragrance free and Gaia seem to have missed that memo.

I'd love to start another project pan featuring some makeup items that are OK but not my favourites so I can clear out my makeup draw... and possibly replace them with higher end luxury purchases that I'm lemming, but this is going to be a busy year so we'll see.