Mid-november Empties + Mini-Review!

This is my first empties post and I'm super excited! Reason: I have tons of stuff that is near-empty and I keep on saving the last bit for no reason whatsoever. Ok.. I'm a HOARDER!! The very minute I started thinking of doing some empties post... it was all action after that. Started finishing my face washes and clearing my bathroom cabinet. It is such a good feeling. This in conjunction with my 1-month shopping ban (I mentioned that on our Facebook page..didn't I? which finishes today by the way!) has been a blessing in disguise. We are moving house soon and it's so not cool to carry near-empty bottles to a new place. Apparently that new place has even lesser storage space... Talk about cruelty!

So these are the empty bottles that I've been saving for this post since past few weeks!

1. Ck Euphoria for men:
Remember when I mentioned this in my 25 Things Part#2 post .. I love men's perfumes and this one tops the much loved list for sure! I totally dig it. Unfortunately it doesn't stay for long on me so I spray oodles of it. Finished it in 4 months flat this time. Top notes of this one are ginger and pepper; middle notes are black basil, sage and cedar; base notes are amber, patchouli, brazilian redwood and suede (Yeah I copied the info!!)
FYI.. I do know about women's version of Euphoria!

2. Dove Hair Therapy Shampoo- Intense Repair version ($7 for 300ml): I was sent shampoo, conditioner and hair mask from this range by Beauty Review for trialling and I'm quite impressed with it. It's targeted at dry and damaged hair and supposedly contains Fibre Actives and Micro Moisture serum. It doesn't compare to my absolute weapon against dry hair i.e. Joico's K-Pak but this one was pretty darn close. Lathers well, makes hair smooth, less frizzy and more manageable, works best in conjunction with the conditioner and mask from this range that I still have heaps of left. I always run out of shampoo first and so all kinds of conditioners have been piling up in my bathroom cabinet. Never seem to finish one up!! Can you?

3.) Sebizole shampoo ($25 NZD for 200ml)- It's a prescription one... Easily available in pharmacies though. Highly recommended! Contains 2% Ketoconazole that fights dandruff. Yup! Dandruff is the formost concern for my hair... dry hair is long down the list! Some-days, I get flakes out of thin air. A weekly wash with this shampoo ensure clean and flake-free scalp. This one is a pinkish red colored gel like liquid, that makes scalp squeaky clean, its a bit hard to lather though, gets rids of that itcy feeling and takes care of dandruff effectively. However, you have to keep using it religiously twice a week during severe dandruff outbreaks (!!!) which isn't ideal considering it's a medicated treatment and doesn't have much of that mositurising stuff. So, bottom line.. It's a necessary evil that I have to put up with during itchy days, that results in dry but dandruff-free hair.

4.) Deewal Ayurvedic Dandruff Treatment Oil:  While we are at dandruff, I'll mention this one as well. Bought this hair oil in India last year from one of the Khadi shops. I was going through dandruff phase then. Finally been able to finish this bottle. It contains Fenugreek, Neem, Sesame and lemongrass oil. For Rs. 150 (about $3) its a really good find. A purely herbal approach to dandruff. Smells a bit funky but does it's job well- Keeps dandruff at bay. I drench my hair once a week in it for a good few hours before shampoo. I'm definitely re-purchasing this on my next trip to India.

5.) Olay Total effects 7-in-one anti-aging eye cream ($33 NZD for 15ml): I have gone through countless tubs of this and have my back-ups sorted as well. I am big fan of eye creams and started using them a few years ago. Though I still have some time for the lines and wrinkles to show up..I use this religiously, mainly because I have dry and sensitive eyes and most moisturizers cause redness. It doesn't irritate my eyes and keeps the eye area moisturized. It's a tinted cream with really fine shimmer. So, a bit of concealer n eye care in one. It does help with dark circles as well, not majorly though.. just a tad bit. It claims to fight 7 signs of aging and I'm convinced it does a few. The tub lasts good 5 months on me. If you are young and looking for a decent moisturizing eye cream, I'd highly recommend trying this.

6.) Lotus Herbals Velvety Rose Lip Therapy: (FYI: Lotus is a very famous Indian brand)
If you ask me my first ever skincare item... It is this! It was about 10-12 years ago, when this lip balm retailed for Rs. 40/ $1 (now about Rs 140)...No I'm not that old.. I started with skincare pretty young! (Yeah right!!) It was a big deal for me back then. Over the years, I've finished countless tubes and tubs of this one. It's one item that is associated with me-This chic is never without her lotus lip balm. Unlike old days, it comes in so many variants/flavors now. Even the quantity has kept on getting lesser n lesser. Nevertheless, I'm one loyal fan!
The velvety rose version is a light pink colored balm with waxy texture that goes on sheer, super smooth and hydrates lips like anything. It's even got SPF 15. Love! My 'Everything Balm' has more or less replaced all my lip balms but I'll continue to purchase this (shipped from India) for solely emotional reasons. It reminds me of my DAYS. Bliss!

7.) Aveeno Intense Relief Hand Cream ($12 for 100 gm) : I blogged about this few months ago when I started the blog (here). Like other staples in the list, this one is a repeat buy too. It has everything you can wish for in a hand cream- hydrates, kind on sensitive skin, non-greasy, absorbs super quick,has natural goodness of oats and is fragrance free too. It's so perfect.. I'll be buying it again! My mum is a fan of it as well.

So that was it for this month. I hope you liked the post! So what all did you finish this month? I'd love to know.

Love
Nishu xo

P.S. The bottles are finally heading into the recycling bin! Space for more stuff! Yay!!
P.P.S.  Make sure you have voted for us (Lips n Berries)!! We've been nominated in Best Blogs of 2013 by Beauty Review. Make sure you register with this really cool website that sends you so many lovely products for FREE!