May 2018 Empties

Sorry for the lack of blog posts lately! Work and life picking up at the same time means my free time to blog is severely decreased. I have SO many posts planned, and some are half done, but I just need to get my butt going and finish them all.

Anyways, I’m back today with an empties post. I won’t bore you with too much ramble, so I’ll just get going.

BODY/HAIRCARE

I’m trying so hard to get through any excess hair and body products, because I really hate having clutter in my bathroom. And most of the time, I’m not terribly impressed with the products I try to want to buy them again.

For haircare, I used up the C. Booth Bath, Shower, and Hair wash in Rosemary Mint. Or rather, my boyfriend used most of it up. It was a fine shampoo and body wash, and it lathered up REALLY well, but the scent was a little too “green” for me, and I usually love more herbal scents. It actually feels really refreshing after a sweaty workout on a hot day, but my boyfriend used this mostly in the spring, where I was still looking for warm or floral scents. I do generally like C. Booth and purchase their body products often, but I probably wouldn’t rebuy this particular scent.
Would repurchase a different scent.

I also used up a Davines Love Smoothing Shampoo. I generally love Davines products for being more sustainable and ethical, but this shampoo wasn’t quite right for my hair. It didn’t lather well and I think it was a little too gentle to actually cleanse my hair. I noticed my hair feeling greasy a lot quicker after using this.
Would not repurchase.

I finished another Maui Moisture product – their Moisture Heal and Hydrate + Shea Butter conditioner. It was a rich conditioner that was perfect for the winter, but feels a little too heavy now with the spring and summer. I’ll probably go back to their regular blue conditioner, but if my hair is feeling a little dry and brittle, I’d buy this again.
Would repurchase.

Moving to bodycare, I finished my first ever The Body Shop body butter in Pina Colada. Holy crap, these body butters are SO moisturizing, even for my dry scaly skin. I have used very few body moisturizer that made my body so moisturized, so I’m really impressed. The only (slight) downside is that while the scent is nice, it’s VERY strong, which is why I have hesitated from buying their products in the past. However, with the right scent (like a coconut or shea butter….mmmh), I would love having a strong scent.
Would repurchase.

I stayed in a hotel awhile ago that had Peter Thomas Roth products, and swiped an extra tube of the Peter Thomas Roth Mega-Rich Body Lotion. I used this mostly as a hand cream, and loved how moisturizing, yet light, this felt. I probably wouldn’t buy it just for price alone, but it was definitely a treat to use!
Would repurchase, but I have more affordable lotions/hand creams that I like already.

Lastly, a kind of bodycare products – the Sally Hanson Insta Dri Top Coat. This was a fine top coat, but not nearly as quick drying, nor as good in general, as my favorite Seche Vite Top Coat, which I already have back with me.
Would not repurchase.

SKINCARE

Since I’m not a huge skincare person, I’ve made it a mission to work through as much of my skincare collection as I can, and really try to resist buying anything new until I don’t have any backups left.

Starting with cleansers, I finished a mini size of the Origins Checks and Balances Frothy Face Wash. I didn’t love this in the beginning, but found myself liking it more as I used it. It really does froth up and foam nicely without using too much product, and left my face feeling clean. It’s a fairly basic cleanser for me though, so I don’t feel a huge inclination to repurchase it.
Might repurchase.

For weekend trips, I always like to take sample sizes if I can, and as far as oil cleansers go, I think the MAC Cleanse Off Oil samples are a perfect size for a short trip. They’re not my favorite oil cleansers, but it feels light and it does take off my makeup. It just tends to leave more of a film on my eyes than my normal oil cleanser.
Would not purchase a full size.

A physical exfoliator I finished is the Acure Organics Pore Minimizing Red Clay Facial Scrub Exfoliator. So, I’m not really a fan of physical exfoliators now that I have chemical ones that I use regularly, but this was really gentle and never felt abrasive on my skin. However, I didn’t notice any differences after using this, so it was probably a little too gentle for me.
Would not repurchase.

One product you’ve seen multiple times already is the Clarins Total V Contouring Serum. Man, I’m going through these every couple of months now, which, at $80 a bottle, is an expensive habit. I’ve repurchased this already, but I’m going to start looking at other products that can help depuff my entire face. So far, this is the only product I’ve seen that’s meant for your entire face and not just the eyes. I just bought a gua sha tool so we’ll see if that helps…
Already repurchased.

Another Clarins product I really loved was the Clarins Multi-Active Eye Cream, a light gel-cream that had some serious depuffing effects. I first used it on my flights to and from Japan, and they really helped soothe my undereyes. I’m definitely considering buying a full-size of this at some point.
Might repurchase!

Another travel sample is the Weleda Almond Soothing Facial Cream, which actually did feel soothing on my skin. I think this is more suited for dry skins, so I might consider this in the winter, but it felt a little too heavy for me.
Might repurchase.

Onto masks and things, I’ve been trying to knock out samples. The first is the Caolion Hot and Cool Pore Pack duo. I honestly can’t even remember where I got this from, but it wasn’t amazing for me. I’m also not the best person to judge most masks since I don’t love using them, especially twice in a row, but I think this helped with clearing my pores a little bit. The bubble texture of the hot pack was a liiiittle weird for me to feel, though.
Would not repurchase.

A mask that I do think is pretty good is the Glamglow Supermud Clearing Treatment. Like with most charcoal masks, I felt this cleared my pores right out. I saw similar results with the Origins charcoal mask, and it’s cheaper.
Would not repurchase.

During an Ulta sale, I bought a few Tony Moly sheet masks to help me get to free shipping, and I most recently used the TonyMoly I’m Cherry Blossom Mask. It’s supposed to be brightening, which I think I saw. I’ve used two different versions of the Tony Moly sheet masks and haven’t noticed big differences between the two, so I’ll use up the other ones I have and report back.

A total mask fail is the KNC Beauty All Natural Collagen Lip Mask. I got these in a Boxycharm awhile back, and they are just so so awkward. They are kind of like a silicone pad that you place over your lips, but they just slip everywhere, even when I try to lay down. I also don’t notice any effects that I couldn’t get from a regular lip balm, so no go for me.
Would not repurchase.

Finally, I used up a sheet of the CosRx Acne Pimple Master Patches. These are SO GOOD, and really help with any whiteheads or healing pimples. I don’t break out that often anymore, but these have significantly helped reduce how bad my scarring can get.
Would repurchase.

MAKEUP

I only have a few small makeup empties this month, starting with an old, limited edition, P2 Winter Compact. It was a slightly luminous powder that was like the kid version of the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powders. I loved this powder, but it was getting old so I’m happy it’s good.
Couldn’t repurchase.

I didn’t technically finish the Marc Jacobs Beauty Highliner, since it dried out halfway through, but I did enjoy using it while I had it. It is definitely budgeproof, and wore like iron. I have a full-size ready to go already.
Already repurchased.

And finally, I have some setting powders. I used up another Urban Decay All Nighter Setting Spray, one of my HG products to set my face and make my makeup last longer. I rarely actually buy these because I get them with GWP’s so often, but I did buy this smaller bottle.
Already repurchased.

A setting spray I knew I wouldn’t like after the first use is the Too Faced Hangover 3-in-1 Primer and Setting Spray. It was just way too dewy for my oily skin, so I finished using this up by spritzing it a couple times on a dry foundation brush to sheer my foundation out.
Would not repurchase.

And that’s it for this month! Definitely a good selection of hair and skin products, which I’ve been trying diligently to get through.

What did you use up this month? Let me know!