Empties Post Volume XVIII: February 2014 Edition

I was rather surprised that I used up so many full size products this month-- particularly since February is a short month. My biggest achievements were surprisingly with haircare products and makeup.

I managed to finish up my bottle of DermOrganic Intensive Repair Hair Masque (reviewed here). It is a lovely hair masque that did wonders for my naturally curly hair, and it is one that I will happily replace once I make my way through a few of my haircare products.

I also managed to finish up the DermOrganic Leave-In Treatment (reviewed here). This is a wonderful silicone and argan oil based product that does wonders for taming frizzy fly-away prone hair. I have many other similar products in my haircare arsenal right now, but will once again happily replace this once I have the need for this type of produce.

Tom's of Maine Sensitive Beauty Bar with Soothing Chamomile (reviewed here). I really loved this soap. I took to using it in the shower from my shoulders to my toes, and found it gentle and emollient enough to use for shaving. A definite repurchase.

Clarins UV Plus Ecran Multi-Protection SPF 40 (reviewed here). This remains one of my all-time favorite sunscreens. I apply it first thing in the morning, but my reapplications throughout the day are now done with Goldfaden MD Sun Visor Ultra Light Oil Free SPF 30 Mist (reviewed here) because this miraculous sunscreen mist does not disturb your makeup!

Aubrey Honeysuckle Rose Shampoo and Conditioner (discussed here): While I have never published an in-depth review of these beauties I have repurchased them many many many times over the years. They make my hair soft with shiny happy curls, and the scent evokes a spring stroll in a beautifully fragrant garden. I will definitely repurchase them before long!

80 Acres of McEvoy Ranch Verde Olive Oil Bar Soap (reviewed here). This smells and feels so good that I have to buy more! It is so emollient and moisturizing that it keeps my hands and body hydrated and happy!

Dr. Dennis Gross Alpha Beta Peel (overview here). This Two-Step maintenance program is so fabulous that a few sample packets was all I needed to convince me that buying a huge box was in order!

I don't usually include hand soaps in my Empties posts, but I really loved the Seventh Generation Mandarin Hand Soap so much that I had to include it. I found it on sale at the grocery store and purchased several bottles. Even during the colder months it didn't dry out my hands!

Of the samples used the two that were the most noteworthy were the Radical Skincare Youth Infusion Serum and the Aesop Damascan Rose Facial Treatment. These two are so fantastic that I have already purchased the Aesop Damascan Rose Facial Treatment, and the Radical Skincare Youth Infusion Serum is on my short list of must-haves.

Undoubtedly my biggest achievement was finishing up 7 makeup products (6 full sized products and 1 sample). On the "regular use" side I used up a sample size of Armani Maestro (I have a full-size bottle), and a Chanel Glossimer in Unity. Unity was already nearly finished up so I decided to use the last bits this month. The other five products illustrate my victorious "dent" in 5 out of the 9 products featured in my series Project Make-A-Dent (#projectmakeadent) learn more about this my series here. I managed to finish up a Rouge Coco Shine in Royallieu, a Chanel Glossimer in Glaze, a Rouge Bunny Rouge Tinted Moisturizer, a Covergirl Liquiline Eye Pencil, and a Chanel Lip Pencil in Beige. Therefore, I think that it is safe to say that I am very pleased with the number of Empties that I generated in February!

What did you finish up, toss, give away, or return in February?

Copyright © 2014 www.loassecretbeautyblog.com All Rights Reserved.

80 Acres of McEvoy Ranch Verde Olive Oil Bar Soap Review

 Gift (Affiliate Link)

80 Acres of McEvoy Ranch makes delectable body products by hand in Petaluma, California. Their ranch has acres of olive orchards from which they make the highest quality olive oil that is used in their luxury handcrafted products.

The bountiful land and a true intention to inspire thoughtful living are at the foundation of our line. The products are handcrafted locally in small-batch production; recycled packaging and organic ingredients are used whenever possible. Our signature scent, Verde, takes its freshness and green aromatic notes from our own gardens in spring. Lavender, scented with the essential oils of lavender, ylang ylang, lemon and lime, evokes our colorful hillsides in full bloom. With refreshing citrus essential oils and hints of neroli, vetiver and jasmine, Blood Orange evokes the citrus groves and wild jasmine that grow on the ranch. 

According to McEvoy Ranch,

Our handcrafted soaps combine moisturizing olive, palm and coconut oils with naturally-occurring glycerin. A cold-process method ensures the 84% organic ingredients in this luxurious cleansing bar remain intact for great benefit to the skin. Rich lather makes for a sensuous bathing experience.

Now available in Verde, Lavender, Blood Orange, Lemongrass and Peppermint Milk. Verde takes its freshness and green aromatic notes from our own gardens in spring. Scented with the essential oils of lavender, ylang ylang, lemon and lime, Lavender evokes our colorful hillsides in full bloom. With refreshing citrus essential oils and hints of neroli, vetiver and jasmine, Blood Orange evokes the citrus groves and wild jasmine that grow on the ranch. Lemongrass refreshes with bright citrus and herbal notes. Peppermint Milk awakens the senses with a cool, invigorating scent. 

Verde is one of those magnificent soaps that turns an ordinary shower into one that is extraordinary. The fresh green scent is uplifting and exhilarating, and fills the senses with its beautiful aroma. The creamy lather leaves skin richly moisturized, soft and silky. I love to work up a rich lather and use it for shaving, and it is even gentle enough for my delicate underarms. 

Rich lather makes for a sensuous bathing experience. Verde takes its freshness and green aromatic notes from the 80 Acres gardens in spring.

Paraben, phthalate, sulfate and BPA free.
Never Tested on animals
Made in California

Ingredients: Saponified McEvoy Ranch Certified Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Saponified Certified Organic Palm And Coconut Oils, Fragrance and Vitamin E. Olive oil content is 34%.

Overall assessment: Truly a treat for the senses and the skin. I have only tried their Verde and Lavender soaps, but want to try the rest of them as well. The Blood Orange and Lemongrass sound utterly delectable! This makes a great gift for yourself or for someone you love.

$9.00 for 5.4 oz. from McEvoy Ranch and Beautyhabit (on sale at Beautyhabit for $7.20 as of 2/6/14) (Affiliate link)

Copyright © 2014 www.lolassecretbeautyblog.com All Rights Reserved.

Empties Post: Volume II- September 2012

I should preface this post by stating that I made a concerted effort to work my way to the bottom of lots and lots of samples this month. With real determination, I managed to get through a great many little vials, jars, and bottles. I have a rather frightening pile of samples that I have been testing, and the first on my hit-list were those that were partially used. Also in fairness, many of the full-sized products were getting pretty close to empty, but not empty enough to make it into my August Empties Post. 

Skincare Products: Lots and lots of Suki Skincare empties this month! I finished up a full-sized bottle of Suki Renewal Bio-Resurfacing Facial Peel (fantastic, but probably too active for those sensitive skin), and piles of the small glass vials of travel sized Suki products. Since they are natural products, I figured that I should use them up before they went bad- most of them were partially used up- so it took very little effort to empty them. There were a few Sunday Riley empties this month as well. Also lots of little jars of various creams, lotions and cleansers. I also made my way through two Shiseido sunscreens samples, a Tatcha Gentle Rice Enzyme Powder (this stuff is extraordinary!), several packets of Sponge products (a truly magical line that has stolen my heart), there's also a Tata Harper sample, and then finally a full-sized jar of Bobbi Brown Vitamin Enriched Face Base- which was a really lovely oil-free lightweight, but moisturizing cream that works very well under makeup.

Body Care Products: The Erno Laszlo Hydra-Therapy Bodyskin Cream was a great moisturizer, but sadly it was one of the many things that they seemed to recently discontinue (hopefully they are planning on bringing it back). The Kiehl's Creme de Corps Soy & Honey Whipped Body Butter is awesome! It took very little time to get through the sample jar, but I still have a huge jar- so I am quite happy about that! I wouldn't usually even include a regular hand soap in my line-up, but all four that I featured were fantastic and worthy of mention. First the Green Tea French Milled Soap from Whole Foods is wonderful, and I will definitely repurchase it. The two Shannon's Soaps were lovely down to the last scraps, and definitely worth replacing. The biggest surprise was the In-Kind Natural Hand Soap that I grabbed from Pavilions (AKA Vons, Safeway) because it was on sale. It was a lovely moisturizing soap that I will definitely pick up again. The 80 Acres Verde Hand and Body Cream was a wonderful and delightful smelling and feeling discovery, and thankfully I have one of their soaps to try next. I made it through the small sized bottle of Shave with Benefits, and am now working my way through one of the full-sized bottles-- I love this stuff. Not that crazy about the Tom's unscented deodorant, but I am happy with the Lemongrass version that I am currently rotating with my Kai Deodorant (pure awesomeness). The Nourish Deodorant is a super natural deodorant made with Shea butter, cocoa butter and all sorts of emollient ingredients, but I found that it worked nicely.

Haircare Products: The Living Proof hairspray sample was quite nice, but I'm not much of a hairspray kind of girl. I loved the Oribe Signature Shampoo-- it was quite hydrating, smelled divine, and made my curly hair happy! The Davines Defining Paste was a great product-- I did dilute it with water in my hands and found that it gave me really nicely defined curls without feeling heavy or crunchy.

Makeup & Lip Balms: I made my way through a few more makeup items this month (which makes me very happy)! The Tarte emphasEYES inner rim eye pencil did not wow me in the least bit-- it was stiff and kept crumbling. I'm not big on wearing liner on my waterline, but it was too hard to use in that application. When I tried to apply it to my upper or lower lids- I would eventually get it to apply, but not without lots of wasted product. I really liked the Clinique Quickliner for Eyes, and was actually pretty sad when it was gone. The empty square pan beneath the pencils was a Trish McEvoy Mineral Foundation- it was another gift from my mom. It was pretty meh on my skin, and despite the fact that I have combination skin I found it a bit drying, but I did use the entire thing up. Yes, I actually finished both the EOS and the Suki lip balms, but let's all be clear that they were both well worn. All of the sample jars were either foundations, tinted moisturizers, or loose powders-- I was pretty pleased that I tried them all for a few days, and then the jars were empty.

Fragrances: Fresh Vanilla Eau de Parfum and Fresh Heperides Eau de Parfum were both lovely scents that I finally finished up (they were getting pretty old). To the right of the Fresh bottles is an empty reed diffuser that lasted quite a while. Of course I also have a nice pile of empty perfume samples, and as always if I don't like the way that they smell on me- I use them as room sprays near the kitty litter box. The only sample in this pile that resulted in a purchase was the kai perfume oil.

Almost Empties: I am absolutely determined to finish this pile of makeup. The MAC Eyeshadow Duo is getting pretty close- which is so exciting. The Trish McEvoy Blush & Eyeshadow pans are also almost done-- these were both given to me by my mom, and I have pretty mixed luck with Trish McEvoy makeup in general. These two products are okay, but nothing special for me. The two MAC eye pencils (Uniform and Feline) are nice, but won't likely be replaced because I have plenty of other eye pencils to use up first. I do believe that I have a backup of Feline though- so I will have to pull it out and use it once this one becomes a stub that can no longer be sharpened. The Shu Uemura lip pencil is really lovely, and while it is nearly gone I also have a backup of this beauty.

I am finding that my partially used makeup is serving as a source of motivation to really use what I have. I haven't set any sort of moratorium on makeup purchases, because that will only make me feel deprived- which will make me want to buy more makeup. Instead, I am forcing myself to be far more selective about my makeup purchases because my stash is already bursting at the seams. That said, skincare is my weakness, and all bets are off there. If I see something that really intrigues me- it will, in all likelihood, end up in my stash.

Did you manage to finish anything up this month? Have you tossed anything out because you didn't like it enough to keep using it? Did you return anything that was a total fail? Are you imposing any buying bans on yourself? Do tell!

80 Acres of McEvoy Ranch Verde Hand & Body Lotion Review

80 Acres of McEvoy Ranch is a fantastic company from Petaluma, California that I just recently discovered. I received one of their soaps and one of their hand and body lotions for my birthday, and I have to say that I am madly in love with these products!

I was given the Verde Hand and Body Lotion, and it is now my favorite go-to lotion. My hands have been especially dry lately- to the extent that I really have to reapply hand lotion every time that I wash my hands. This lotion is so rich and emollient that it effectively soothes and moisturizes my dry hands, and it is so effective and long-lasting that I don't have to constantly reapply it. It is filled with so many moisturizing oils that quickly penetrate the skin making it luxuriously soft and silky. It also has a lovely clean green aroma that is positively intoxicating! I'm in love! My only regret is that I didn't discover this little gem sooner!

According to McEvoy Ranch,

Emollient and healing, this ultra-rich lotion is a blend of olive, sunflower, jojoba and grapeseed oils infused with aloe vera, chamomile and lavender. Rich in antioxidants and deeply hydrating, you'll want to take it with you wherever you go. The perfect size for travel or purse, this tube has a resilient metallic finish that won't dent or crack. 


Available in Verde, Lavender and Blood Orange. Verde takes its freshness and green aromatic notes from our own gardens in spring. Scented with the essential oils of lavender, ylang ylang, lemon and lime, Lavender evokes our colorful hillsides in full bloom. With refreshing citrus essential oils and hints of neroli, vetiver and jasmine, Blood Orange evokes the citrus groves and wild jasmine that grow on the ranch.

Ingredients: Purified Water; Certified Organic Aloe Vera Gel; Sunflower Oil; McEvoy Ranch Certified Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil; Glycerin; Octyl Palmitate; Cetyl Alcohol; Stearic Acid; Glyceryl Stearate; Sorbitan Stearate; Panthenol; Soy Protein; Hyaluronic Acid; Olive Leaf Polyphenols; Beeswax; Extracts of Chamomile, Comfrey, Lavender, Arnica and White Tea; Jojoba Oil; Flax Seed Oil; Borage Oil; Grapeseed Oil; Allantoin; Mixed Tocopherols; Soy Lecithin; Phenoxyethanol; Ethylhexylglycerin; Verde Fragrance (Phthalate-free Blend of Synthetic and Natural Scents)

Paraben and phthalate free.

Overall assessment: Awesome lotion- I can't wait to try their other products! This one is a definitely must-have for me!


2.5 oz. $11.00 Available in Blood Orange, Lavender & Verde