Project Pan December 2023 Beauty Empties

Oh dear, 2023 has come and gone, and I haven’t yet caught up with my 2023 beauty empties. I will do the best that I can. I will do one post that includes July, August and September at some point soon, and this post will be December.

Hair and fragrances led the way in December. What was your biggest category for empties last month?

Hair

Vegamour GRO Revitalizing Shampoo: Angie of Your True Self Blog was kind enough to pass on the Vegamour Shampoo to me. It was the second tube of Vegamour GRO Shampoo that I used up over the past year and a half at least. I used it primarily on the top of my head and at my temples where my hair is thinning. It’s a lovely shampoo, smells lightly floral, makes a ton of suds. To be honest, I don’t know how to evaluate it in terms of its hair growth stimulating abilities, but it’s a nice shampoo. Recommend? Yes, I recommend it, but I probably won’t replace it again unless I’m gifted with a tube since it’s pricey.

Vegamour GRO Hair Serum: Yet another bottle of Vegamour finished. I am committed to continuing with this hair enhancing serum. Recommend? Yes, and I will keep buying it. Since it doesn’t have prostaglandins in it like some other brands of lash, brow and hair serums, I will keep at it and hope my hair will continue to fill in.

DefenAge 150K Follicle Serum: So I am beyond sad that I used up my last tube of DefenAge 150K Follicle Serum. I need to write an actual review on this hair and scalp health product. It contains defensins and other key ingredients that revitalize the environment surrounding the hair follicles, creating an optimal ecosystem to help the follicles to be vibrant and healthy and to create new hair. Recommend? I used DefenAge only once a day in conjunction with the Vegamour GRO Hair Serum instead of the twice a day recommended so it would last me longer. Frankly, I wondered if it was doing anything, and then I finally ran out of the 3 tubes I was sent. The baby hair that were growing on my left temple don’t seem to be there now when I run my finger over the skin. I wish I could afford to buy this product that worked for my serious problem area. During their 30% off holiday sale, I almost bit the bullet, but I chickened out. If you can afford it (and join the free DefenAge loyalty program to get a discount on every product) and you are concerned about hair thinning, give it a go and see if it works for you.

JOICO K-PAK Color Therapy Luster Lock Treatment: Yes, another tube of JOICO K-PAK used up. I still haven’t found another conditioning treatment that I like as much for my thick, coarse hair. Recommend? Yes, whole heartedly especially if you have coarse, dry hair like mine. I just bought another tube.

K18 Biomimetic Hair Science Leave-In Molecular Repair Masque: After using K18 Leave-In Molecular Repair Masque once a week for 6 weeks and then once a month after that, I finally used up the travel size bottle. It did work for me especially initially, but I found it difficult and time consuming to use. But that’s just me. In fact, I was discussing the K18 Masque with the young assistants at the Sassoon Salon last week, and they both were trained in how to apply it. They gave me a few tips, like doing the whole process in the shower, and applying it to the palm and fingers and running them through the hair to distribute the masque. Recommend? It does leave hair feeling great, so I may try another travel size bottle one of these days.

I tried a sample packet fro Leonor Greyl, Masque Fleurs de Jasmin. I don’t usually like jasmine, but this one smelled fine as I applied it to my hair. It’s a hydrating masque, and it did make my hair feel better, but maybe not enough to buy it.

Bath & Body

Redneck Beard & Shave Oil: I gave the Canadian Redneck Beard & Shave Oil that I received from Walton Wood Farm to Jeff to try out over a year ago. But Jeff is a minimalist, and though he said it worked fine, he prefers his current mode of shaving with soap. I decided to try it myself. Redneck Beard & Shave Oil was a thick oil made from a variety of seed oils and softeners. It worked very, very well for me. Plus it lasted for over a year, though it comes in a small 1 oz. glass dropper bottle. Recommend? Yes, enthusiastically! I bought another shave oil for women, and it didn’t work as well, didn’t give me as close a shave. Redneck Beard & Shave Oil is on sale at the Canadian online store, Heavenly Outhouse, but I also gave a link at The Vintage Flip in the Wisconsin.

L’Occitane Honey Harvest Hand Cream: I received this hand cream in a holiday bag of mostly samples that I received a while back. This was one of the full size products. Usually I do like L’Occitane hand creams. In fact, the Almond Hand Cream is one of my favorites. Though Honey Harvest works well on my dry hands, the 20% shea butter is a little sticky, and truth be told, I hate the fragrance. Recommend? No. It took me forever to use up the Honey Harvest Hand Cream. I think it’s awful.

Lather Lavender Lime Bar Soap: I’m a definite bar soap fan, and Lather natural, organic bar soap is one of my favorites. The lime scent, fortunately, overwhelms the lavender, and the soap smells delightful both on the bar and with the rich lather. The soap rinses clean but leaves my skin feeling lightly moisturized. Recommend? Yes, I love it.

Intuition “Under the Sea” Bar Soap: I bought this Intuition Under the Sea themed bar soap at the Waterfront Festival in Gloucester at the end of August. I love ocean themed soaps! Plus the artisan who made the soap was very nice. Recommend? Yes, if they come back to the festival next August, I’ll buy another bar.

Skincare

Korres Greek Yoghurt Foaming Cream Cleanser: One of my favorite cream cleansers. I love it. It has a very light sweet fragrance that I don’t smell unless I stick my nose in the tube. It leaves my skin feeling cleansed but hydrated. Recommend? Yes, enthusiastically. I just ordered a replacement from this fab Greek brand.

Innisfree Daily UV Defense Sunscreen SPF 36, mini size: I received the mini size Innisfree Daily UV Sunscreen when I received an order from Lovelyskin, I think it was. I liked this chemical sunscreen so much that I bought a full size tube when I used up the mini after a couple of weeks. Recommend? If you consider chemical sunscreens, this one is worth your consideration. It’s a lightweight but still hydrating cream. It doesn’t leave a white cast once you rub it in.

Supergoop Glow Screen SPF 40, mini size: This is another “clean chemical” sunscreen like the Innisfree, meaning it doesn’t have the chemicals that may harm skin and reefs. However, I hate this sunscreen. I look like a disco ball after I use it. It goes beyond glowing to greasy. Recommend? A hard pass from me.

Skinceuticals Hyaluronic Acid Intensifier, mini size: I got this Skinceuticals HA sample when I ordered skincare from Lookfantastic. I always thought I hated Skinceuticals products, especially because I hate their Vitamin C & E with Ferulic Acid – the smell makes me sick. But I love this hyaluronic acid serum. Recommend? Yes, it’s wonderful. I would definitely buy it if Skinceuticals weren’t so darn expensive (regular price $110), and I didn’t already have HA products in my rotation.

I tried a sample packet from Racinne, a brightening white cream mask. I don’t usually buy brightening masks, but I enjoyed using this one from Korean brand, Racinne.

Fragrance

Molinard Ambre, month’s supply from Scentbird: Molinard is a venerable perfume house that makes many different fragrances. The Ambre was a very nice scent, but maybe not my ultimate oriental amber fragrance. Recommend? If you’re an amber fan like me, then try it if you find it in sample form or on sale. I may buy it again in the future, especially since FragranceNet is selling it for $40.

Lots of sample scents:

Lolita Lempicka Eau de Parfum: I got a sample vial from Ulta when I bought some staple products, and I loved it. It came in a clear glass vial. The fragrance was floral, a definite departure from my usual, and I surprised myself because I liked it a lot. I decided to search for a larger sample on line, but Lempicka now has so many flankers that I wasn’t sure which was the one I tried. I thought I found it on eBay, so I bought a lot of 12 new sample vials. When they arrived and I opened the cellophane wrapped packet of 12 samples, I opened one of the cardboard folders and saw that the vial was purple, not clear, and plastic, not glass. The spray mechanisms are also awful and some don’t work. Then I sprayed the scent, and it is decidedly different, though still floral. Sadly, it didn’t suit me as well as the original vial. I’ve tried 5 out of 12 so far (they have almost nothing in them), and I don’t like them any more than when they arrived. Next time I’m at Ulta, I’ll look for the original and see if they have a small version of the original!

Ombre Mercure Extreme by Terry de Gunzberg: Ombre Mercure is a gender-neutral chypre floral, my second favorite type/category of perfume. It opens with bergamot followed by violet leaves and iris, at the heart. Love it! I bought this sample as well as the Ombre Mercure (not Extreme) a couple of years ago. The non-Extreme version didn’t last, and didn’t project. Ombre Mercure Extreme is another story: lovely! If I can someday find a vaguely affordable small bottle of Ombre Mercure Extreme, I’ll get it, but right now, a small bottle on eBay is priced at $240 for 3.3 fl.oz. It will have to wait!

Dorissima Goldmund: I got this sample vial from Luckyscent a few years ago, and I finally used it up because I was saving and savoring it. The name of the fragrance is taken from Herman Hesse’s Narcissus and Goldmund. It’s a spicy floriental scent with notes of Tonka beans, vanilla, iris root, rose, powdery carnation, benzoin, sandalwood, soft musk, balsam notes, Peru balsam & allspice. Honestly, it has all of my favorite notes. The perfume was introduced in 2005, and unfortunately, doesn’t seem to be available in the U.S., not even at Luckyscent now.

Saphir Vanille: I read about the scent Saphir Vanilla from Les Fleurs du Golfe on line in 2018, and I bought a sample vial from who knows where, at this point. The scent is an oriental musk softened by vanilla. In fact, now that I think of it, it reminds me of the wonderful Erbario Toscano Spicy Vanilla diffuser scent that I wrote about yesterday. Right now, I can’t buy this, but I did fine it online for $95. We’ll see in the future.

Project Pan Summary for December

In spite of all these mini-reviews, I am going to say I finished up 12 products. The others were samples that were too small to count.

Because I don’t know how many products I finished in July, August and September, I still don’t know if I reached my 2023 goal! I think I have a bag or two of summer empties in my closet. I will dig them out and try to review them all together.

How about you? How did you do using up products in 2023? Or at least at the end of the year? Do tell!