Project Bottleneck is going rather well! All of my half-finished and unloved products have been used up and my products have been whittled down to a single basket (post of this will follow) of things I actually use frequently.Here are the products I've used up and actually remembered to keep around specifically for this blog post:
Dial Soy and Almond Milk Body Wash - This smells heavenly and I am quite tempted to repurchase solely for the scent. It reminds me of almond nougat and has a very gourmand fragrance. Not bad for less than $5, but it did make my skin feel dry, so I will unfortunately have to move on from this.
Neutrogena Anti-Residue Shampoo - Although I have been moving towards more organic haircare products, this is something I have been repurchasing off and on for the last 10 years! I like using this once a month to get rid of product buildup and it quite literally makes your scalp squeaky clean. I have already repurchased another bottle. I highly recommend using a good conditioner with this shampoo.
Crabtree & Evelyn Rosewater Bath and Shower Gel - I don't think I've ever owned any "rose" products that smell as close to the real thing as this shower gel does. I'm not usually a fan of florals in the shower (I much prefer fruity or bakery scents), but I did enjoy this. However, like the Dial body wash, other than a fabulous scent, it was a generic body wash which made my skin quite dry.
Neutrogena Triple Moisture Smooth Shine Anti-Frizz Cream - I'm pretty sure this is a discontinued product as I've had this for years! I only had a little product left so I finally decided to give this a boot. Although this is a lightweight cream, it didn't do anything for my frizz. So for an anti-frizz cream, that's a pretty big fail. I'm surprised because MUA has some awesome reviews of this product.
Giovanni Tea Tree Triple Treat Shampoo - As part of my shift towards more organic haircare, I decided to try out Giovanni. This felt very invigorating and made my hair feel clean but not stripped of moisture. Unexpectedly, the formula is very runny, so be careful when you are pouring it out. I sometimes see these sold in jumbo sizes at Winners. I wouldn't mind repurchasing this, but I still prefer Avalon Organics; Giovanni on the other hand is much more widely available where I live.
L'Oreal Ever Sleek Smoothing Deep Conditioner - I hated this product. It reeked of 60s hair salon and rather than smoothing my hair and making it more manageable, it turned my hair into a greaseball and it actually made it harder to comb through! This was a big chore to finish up and I'm glad it's gone.
Neutrogena Deep Clean Invigorating Toner - This is a "wake me up" toner which on some days I found so minty and cooling it was harsh. It also dried out my skin like a prune every time. Will not repurchase.
The Body Shop Cucumber Refreshening Water - This left my skin feeling sticky and tacky. Not exactly very purifying. Also, the cucumber smell was quite refreshing at first, but I quickly got irritated by the excessive fragrance.
Marcelle Essentials Soothing Cleansing Water - Bioderma dupe alert! This is my second bottle. In Canada, this is about 1 cent cheaper per ml (so not a huge discount, but anything counts). Full review here.
Neutrogena Visibly Clear Gently Exfoliating Wash - I really liked this product. It kept blemishes at bay and made my skin feel very soft. It also had a very clean scent which was subtle. Unfortunately, I don't think they sell this anymore.
Neutrogena Alcohol-Free Toner - Much milder than the Invigorating toner and the scent reminded me of Nivea products. But alas, this also dried out my skin. This seems to be a trend with Neutrogena products.
Secret Scent Expressions "So Very Summer Berry" Deodorant - I've used Secret deodorants for the last 8 years and these are my holy grail (only the white solid ones). I switch up the scents all the time, but to be honest, they also smell so similar that it doesn't even matter to me. The exception to this is the lavender scented one...I greatly dislike lavender.
Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Gel - I love this product!! I got this at a CCO for 14$ and it's twice the price here that I refuse to pay that much for it. If I come by this again at a CCO, I will definitely repurchase. It's very lightweight and ideal for combo/oily skin. Feels like a splash of water, as cliché as that sounds.
La Roche Posay Toleriane Fluide - Another lightweight moisturizer ideal for sensitive, irritated, blemished skin. I have other La Roche Posay products that I'm currently trying out (in the Effaclar range), but I know that if those fail me, I can always come back to this. Unfortunately this is about $30 for 40ml, so it is quite a splurge.
St Ives Blemish and Blackhead Clearing Apricot Scrub - I found this too harsh and scratchy for my face but it makes an excellent body scrub which leaves no residue and has helped with ingrown hairs on my legs. As a result, I get a much smoother shave/wax. I have since purchased the St Ives Invigorating Apricot Scrub in a tub version for my shower.