It’s that time of month again! The time where I round up all of my empties before they go in the trash or recycling, that is.
I apparently did a bad job of rounding them up, though, because I missed taking pictures of a couple products. Still, enjoy the read and my thoughts on what I used up this month!
BODY/HAIR
I actually have quite a few body and hair products! I really am not a hair or bath person, so I am super minimal with my body and hair products. I rarely have more than one or two of each product, and I only keep one of each type of product (shampoo, conditioner, cleanser, etc) open at a time, and even then, I feel like it takes me forever to use up body and hair products! I also just happened to run out of a lot of them at the same time this month.
Since I also don’t have any extraordinary hair needs thanks to my straight, only slightly oily with slightly dry ends, and I don’t have super sensitive skin, I’m not suuuper picky with my body and hair products. I am just trying to reduce waste and be a little more environmentally friendly, so I try to buy products with minimal packaging, no SLS for its *potential* damaging skin and environmental effects, and not too many harsh fragrances. Again, I don’t have particularly sensitive skin, but strong fragrances can just sometimes give me a headache.
*NOTE: I say potential effects, because there is not enough compelling scientific proof that SLS, or any chemical that “green” beauty companies vilify, are actually definitively damaging to skin. I’m not a scientist or chemist, but just based on my own light reading, I want to minimize my environmental footprint and exposure to potential irritants in places where it’s easy and convenient for me to do so. Everything is a chemical, so I don’t believe in the “nontoxic” beauty marketing, and “all natural” essential oils can actually end up being much more irritating. So there. That’s the end of my spiel for now.
So anyway, first is the Shea Moisture Fruit Infused Coconut Water Weightless Shampoo. I liked how this felt and smelled, and it really felt weightless. However, I felt that it dried my scalp out a little bit, making it feel more oily at the end of the day, so I won’t purchase this one again, but I have tried other Shea Moisture shampoos in the past and liked them.
Will not repurchase this particular one.
I’m back in the dry shampoo train since I’m trying to not wash my hair everyday. I know I’m forever behind on this, but with short hair and daily sweaty workouts, I always felt like it needed a wash everyday, but I noticed my scalp starting to get a little itchy, a sign that I was probably drying my scalp. Now I try to wash every other day, and just do a water rinse on the other days. I keep a mini dry shampoo in my bag to keep my hair looking fresh, and the Amika Dry Shampoo is one of my favorites. It is clear, so I never get a white cast. It absorbs oil really well and smells nice, so it’s a winner for me. I have a few more mini ones from various sets to finish, but I would love to have this again.
Would repurchase.
I finish body lotions and moisturizers pretty quickly, and the most recent empty is the Zoella Body Lotion. I received this in an Ulta gift with purchase (they have the BEST gwp’s, by the way). This was a pretty standard and decent lotion, but I didn’t really care for the floral scent,so I wouldn’t repurchase.
Will not repurchase.
I’m not really interested in bath products, but I do admit that a body scrub can do my skin good sometimes. I picked up the C.Booth Sea Salt Scrub and thought it was pretty nice. It had a nice ocean salt scent that is really refreshing to me, and I thought it was a nice thick scrub that wasn’t too abrasive for my skin. I will probably pick this one up again when it goes on sale at Ulta.
Would Repurchase.
I also have one fragrance empty this month, the Nest Fragrances Indigo Perfume. This was such as unique scent. It smelled most like a sweet fig with some darker notes (sorry, I’m really terrible with describing scents!). On Sephora, it is described as a Moroccan Tea (okay, now that I know that, I can smell a little), Kashmir Wood, and cardamom scent. I did enjoy wearing it, and it is a comforting scent for the winter, but it was a touch too sweet for me to warrant a full-size purchase.
Will not repurchase.
I should also mention that I finished a bar of soap, which I can’t show for obvious reasons. I have been trying to switch to bar soaps, mostly to reduce packaging and waste. The one I just finished was the Shea Moisture Dragon’s Blood and Coffee Cherry Shea Moisture Soap. This is a huge bar of soap (8 oz), and it probably took me nearly a year to completely use it up. I really liked it! It didn’t dry out my skin, it smelled pretty nice, and it didn’t leave a film. The only (very minor) downside is that it’s a bright red soap that stains my tub rather alarmingly, and for whatever reason, I can’t get the stains out. That aside, I would absolutely purchase this again, but I just purchased a couple bars of soap from Whole Foods that I’ll be using up first.
Would repurchase.
SKIN
I got the Juice Organics Blemish Clearing Cleanser in one of Dermstore’s subscription boxes (which I canceled soon after because I was acquiring too many products!). I kept this in my bathroom and mainly used it at night after I took off my makeup. It has a gel consistency to it, and doesn’t really foam up too much. It’s supposed to be a blemish clearing cleanser, but I don’t feel like it really did much blemish clearing for me. It also may have just been my winter skin, but I also felt like this was slightly drying for me, so I immediately followed this with a moisturizing toner. I really like the idea of this brand, but might have to try another cleanser that’s not so drying!
WIll not repurchase.
I’ve spoken before about the Clarins Total V Contouring Serum before, and how it’s a pretty necessary product in my routine since my face is very prone to puffiness. I do notice a difference in using this and I do think that it helps reduce some of the puffiness.
Already repurchased.
Next up is the Mario Badescu Glycolic Acid Toner. I used this in the mornings, and on my bikini area actually, to prevent ingrown hairs. I thought it was a gentle AHA toner that definitely did its job. Since I’m using stronger AHA seems at the moment, I’m holding off on repurchasing for now.
Might repurchase.
Hey look! Another mask! I’ve had the Ahava Purifying Mud Mask for a long time now, and I used this when I felt a breakout coming on, or when my pores felt clogged. It was effective, but I think I prefer the Origins Charcoal Mask from my last emoties.
Would not repurchase.
My lip balm empty this month is the Purlisse Daily Lip Nourisher, from a Birchbox or Ipsy box awhile ago. At first, I hated this. I thought it was too thin and watery to be moisturizing, but I soon found that the time suggests applying a “liberal amount,” so once I started wearing a thick layer of this, it really was pretty moisturizing. I did enjoy this, but it’s not enough to tear me away from my beloved Jack Black lip balms.
Would not repurchase.
A new item to me that I absolutely loved are the Dr. Dennis Gross Alpha Beta Daily Peels. I received this from yet another beauty subscription box (I’ve had all of them at some point, and I’ve since cancelled all of them). I use this when my skin is looking dull and in need of some serious radiance. I like the two step process, and it didn’t irritate my skin, but those with sensitive skin might want to stay away. Due to the combination of AHA and Retinol, I could see this being very drying. I load up with extra moisturizer and SPF the next morning, and my skin always looks amazing. These are a little pricey, but I’m definitely thinking about repurchasing.
Would repurchase.
My favorite makeup removing wipes are the Neutrogena Makeup Remover Wipes. I’ve been using them for years and nothing else compares, especially for removing waterproof mascara. I use these for lighter makeup days. I always have backups of these, and stock up when I visit my parents so I can use their Costco membership!
Already repurchased.
MAKEUP
I actually finished a few makeup products!
The Lavshuca lipstick is long discontinued, I’m sure. It’s several years old and something my mom brought back on a trip to Taiwan. I’m not even sure what the name or shade is, but it was a glossy peachy-beige shade that was great to apply on the go. It was also very moisturizing.
Would repurchase, if I could.
Covergirl Lip Perfection Lipstick in Darling is a lipstick I’ve honestly just tried to finish for awhile. I kept this at my desk for work. I liked this formula, and most of this shade, but it had a slight shimmer to it that could easily take this into 1980s shimmery pink territory. But worn lightly, this was a nice pink shade that stained into deeper pink shade. The staining would normally annoy me, but I actually really liked how this stained on me. The formula on these also had a strange effect where it would make my lips peel when I first applied these after a few days of not wearing it, but then my lips would adjust to it and it wouldn’t peel after that. I have a few more shades of this lipstick in my collection that I will happily wear. I wouldn’t repurchase this shade even if it were still available, but I do like the overall formula.
Would not repurchase this shade.
A rare lipgloss empty is a mini Laura Mercier Lip Glace in Baby Doll. The baby pink shade is a little uncharacteristic for me these days, but I found this to be a great topper for the Covergirl lipstick above. I love the lip glace formula. They are moisturizing, long lasting, and smell like vanilla.
Would repurchase.
A mascara empty this month is the Maybelline Lash Stiletto Waterproof Mascara. I love this mascara as a layering mascara, since it feels really light, and is very lengthening, but doesn’t add much volume. This makes it perfect to layer more dramatic mascaras on top. I have used this several times over the years.
Would repurchase.
As you’re reading this, I’m actually on vacation in Japan and Taiwan. I packed tons of samples and mini products with me, so you’ll get to see everything I used and sampled in next month’s empties!
Do you see any items on here that you’ve used? I’d love to know your thoughts as well!
As always, thanks for reading.
Beauty Unhyped 