Since writing my first ever post about empties only last month I’ve acquired a taste for this topic. It’s the satisfaction of used up products, the tubes squished into twisted shapes as I extract that last drop of cleanser, the glass bottles scraped clean with a mini spatula to coax out the last of the moisturiser. I’m a compulsive declutterer, to the great annoyance of my husband who turns to me when his random saved up bits of DIY scrappage go missing. When it comes to my beauty collection though, in his eyes I don’t declutter fast enough, as yet another bottle of facial oil clatters into the basin from the over-stuffed bathroom cabinet. Sound familiar? I hope I’m not the only one here. So these empties posts are proof that I am working my way through my beauty stash. I hate waste so the products I use get used up to the very last drop. The ones that don’t work for me are donated. Here are the seven that met a beautiful end with tips on how to avoid waste when you near the bottom of the packaging.

Love Beauty and Planet Shea Butter & Sandalwood Conditioner

The brand contacted me when they launched in the UK to review some of their hair and body care products, this was over a year ago so I should have finished their Shea Butter & Sandalwood Conditioner ages ago. It was the last remaining product of the five I was sent and I got side tracked by other hair care products. So it remained half used for a few months until I had a clear out and re-discovered it stashed at the bottom of the bathroom drawer. It left my hair feeling soft and hydrated but didn’t wow me (which is probably how it ended up forgotten in a drawer). Still I unscrewed the large disk top cap to shake out as much of the conditioner as possible, as the viscous liquid has a tendency to collect around the bottle edges.

Fushi Biovedic Daily Face Cream

I really really liked this moisturiser. Combined with the Radiance Face Oil from the same range it delivered a big dose of hydration, tackling dry patches on my cheeks without causing breakouts on my T-zone. I was happily pumping one dose for each application until the pump ran dry. When I unscrewed the bottle I realised that the tube attached to the pump was short so it didn’t reach the bottom of the glass bottle. This meant that there was still 2 weeks’ worth of cream stuck there. There was no way I was going to let this product go to waste so I got a wooden skewer from the kitchen and used that to scrape out all the remaining cream. You could try one of those spatulas that come with some pots of cream, but the ones I had weren’t long enough.

Evolve Beauty Custom Blend

Another product I absolutely loved. Not least because I had blended it to my skin’s exact requirements at one of Evolve’s launch events: sebum-regulating jojoba oil to keep clogged pores at bay, radiance-boosting rosemary oil and anti-inflammatory baobab oil. With the exception of soap bars I think oils are the easiest beauty product to use up entirely as they just glide out of the bottle. Even once the pipette can no longer reach the liquid you just need to tip the vial upside down to coax out the last drops into your hands before rubbing them together to warm up the oil and smooth onto skin.

Relaxayvoo Renewal Night Face Oil

Another oil vial emptied this month as I make a conscience effort to finish the half-used ones rather than flitting from one to the other. This rich oil made up of 8 natural oils felt satisfyingly nourishing without leaving oily residue on my pillowcase. As with Evolve Beauty’s oil this one comes in a glass bottle with a pipette, and with both of these the label peels off easily, so I will be washing them out with soap and re-purposing them.

Murad AHA/BHA Exfoliating Cleanser

I discovered Murad when I booked a facial advertised in Stylist, on a whim. My skin was playing up at the time with breakouts so the therapist talked me through the products he was using to target that skin concern. I came home with a fantastic anti-ageing blemish control cleanser (a huge tube which I’m still working my way through) and this sample. This mechanical exfoliator polishes skin without drying it out, removing dead cells and tackling blackheads. I was impressed with this product so it’s a surprise I didn’t whizz through it quicker, but minis tend to only get used when I shower at the gym. Maybe that says more about my gym attendance than I care to acknowledge.

Herbal Essentials Gentle Renewal Scrub

I’d never heard of Herbal Essentials until a PR agency sent me the Radiance range. The scrub ended up being my favourite item in the collection. It manages to smooth skin thanks to walnut shell powder, pull impurities from pores with kaolin clay, yet feels super creamy. I felt I got most of the product out of this tube by flattening it then folding back the top ends to push trapped liquid out, but quite often I will cut the tube across the middle to reach into the corners.

The Merchant of Venice Andalusian Soul

With the lockdown currently in effect I’ve unsurprisingly been using a lot less makeup and fragrance, hence the complete lack of any colour cosmetic items in this post. I did however manage to finish this purse spray with its warm vanilla and amber notes. I still have five more of these to go from The Merchant of Venice Murano discovery set.

What beauty products have you recently finished? Please leave a comment below to let me know.

Features gifted products.