November 2018 Empties

Another month with more empties! I didn’t finish nearly as much stuff as last month, but I’d say there’s still a pretty decent selection of products that are now gone.

BODY/HAIRCARE

First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream Pink Grapefruit – I’ve finished so many of these, and love using these on my face or body. They do magic for my skin and always feel soothing. In a panic after using this up, I bought several other body butters to try that are not First Aid Beauty, but as soon as I finish those, I’ll be buying this again.
Would repurchase.

Zoeva Remove+ Nail Polish Remover – This is my favorite nail polish remover. It’s a little expensive at ~$10 a bottle, rather than the standard $3 acetone remover, but this is SO much more gentle on my nails, while still removing nail polish effortlessly. It even removes glitter without feeling like I’m ripping off my nail! This bottle lasted me over a year of weekly or biweekly use, so I’d say it’s well worth the $10.
Already repurchased.

Atelier Cologne Silver Iris Eau de Parfum – what an interesting scent this was. It’s both a bright floral that’s not too sweet, while being soft. It has notes of Iris and Amber (among many other notes) that I wouldn’t have expected to like together, but was really intriguing. I would consider buying a full size of this at some point if I ever scrounge up the courage and cash to spend $250 on it.
Might repurchase.

Giorgio Armani Si Rose – this was a sample of a more floral version of the Si scent. I really loved it at the time that I asked for this sample, but I think it’s too sweet for a rose scent for me now. I’m not sure I could even get this version anymore, but I wouldn’t purchase a full size.
Would not repurchase.

Bumble and Bumble Invisible Oil (not pictured) – this was just a sample vial, but I really enjoyed how this worked in my hair. My hair feels silky and moisturized, though I think it’s supposed to be used as a heat protectant and I don’t heat style my hair.
Would not repurchase.

Ouai Wave Spray – I really liked this sea salt spray, though I usually forget to use them. I found this one better at texturizing my hair than the famous Bumble and Bumble one. I don’t have much of an interest in hair products so I’m not feeling a big rush to buy this, but if I wanted a salt spray again, I would consider this one.
Might repurchase.

Verb Ghost Oil – This is one of the few hair oils that I’ve liked! I found it really effective at making my hair feel silky and reducing frizz without weighing it down. After I finished this, I noticed a difference in how my hair looked after it dried. It definitely just feels more fluffy and frizzy, which was very annoying.
Would repurchase.

SKINCARE

So many sheet masks!

Bliss Detoxifier Holographic Foil Sheet Mask – I received this as part of a fun package from Bliss, and really enjoyed this. The holographic part was just a packaging thing, but it had charcoal in it to detoxify skin. I’m not sure how effective sheet masks really can be with detoxifying, but I think it helped make my skin look just a little more clarified.
Might repurchase.

Farmacy Brightening Coconut Gel Sheet Mask – this was the best fitting sheet mask I’ve ever used! It has a very thin sheet that somehow just molded to the contours of my face. This was super brightening and hydrating, and I felt like I saw a noticeable difference in my skin compared to the results I see from other sheet masks. The only downside that at $8/mask, it’s also much more expensive than other sheet masks.
Might repurchase.

Farmacy Honey Potion Antioxident Renewing and Hydrating Mask – is one of my favorite hydrating masks. I’m too cheap to buy a full size still, but I’ve used several of these mini sizes, and I really do feel how soothing it is without being too rich for my oily skin. I use this most in the winter, when my skin is feeling dry and wind-blown, and because this slightly warms as you apply it, it’s super comforting to wear. I just try to hoard samples whenever I can.
Already have another mini deluxe sample.

Leaders Brightening Recovery Mask – this mask was also supposed to have coconut gel and be brightening, and while I noticed some slight brightening, I don’t think it was as effective as the Farmacy ones. It also didn’t fit my face very well, so it wasn’t the most comfortable to use.
Would not repurchase.

Clinique Take the Day Off Eye and Lip Makeup Remover – this is an HG product for me. It takes off all my heavy waterproof mascara without tugging at all, and it doesn’t leave a weird film on my eyes.
Already repurchased.

Osea Malibu Ocean Cleanser – This is a super gentle “clean” cleanser. It feels super comfortable on the skin, especially since it doesn’t have any surfectants. I really enjoyed using this cleanser in the mornings especially, as it didn’t feel drying or stripping, yet still left my face feeling fresh.
Would repurchase.

Clinique Moisture Surge 72-Hour Auto-Replenishing Hydrator – I think this replaced another version of their Moisture Surge creams. For some reason I have about 5 sample tubes of this one, and this is just the first of them that I’ve finished. It’s a pretty good moisturizer, though I wouldn’t call it 72-hour good. I don’t think it’s really anything that special, though I will go through all the samples I have.
Would not repurchase.

Odacite Grapeseed and Grapefruit Serum (not pictured) – This was a serum oil meant to help oily skin and reduce breakouts. But man, I did not enjoy using this. I couldn’t get past the smell – it did NOT smell like grapefruit, but it smelled very…green? And I did not enjoy putting this on my face. I also didn’t notice any difference after using this, although this was a pretty small sample.
Will not repurchase.

First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Lip Therapy – This lasted me 11 months of daily use! It was very very impressive, and I used this every night as a thick lip balm. It was always soothing, healing, and moisturizing for my lips, and one of the more effect lip balms I’ve used. It also doesn’t have petroleum, if that matters to you. I’m trying out a few lip balms right now, but I will need this back in my life.
Will repurchase.

MAKEUP

Cover FX Blurring Primer – this was a fantastic primer. It’s like Benefit PoreFessional without being so slippy and almost greasy feeling. My foundation always looks silky and smooth over it, and it did not make me more oily than usual, though I’ve only used this in the fall, when my skin becomes less oily any way. Ever since finishing this and using a different primer, I notice how differently (and less smoothly)  my concealer and foundation applies over it.
Would repurchase.

Make Up For Ever HD Powder – This is like the original loose powder that the internet went crazy for. I used this when it first came out and really liked it then, and I still enjoy using this. It’s super smooth and weightless, and it gives me an impressive amount of oil control. I’ve never had that dreaded white cast that this powder is infamous for, but I’m not really in flash photography that often. I’m not sure if this beats my favorite By Terry Hylaronic Powder, but it’s up there.
Would repurchase.

Ulta Medium Brow Tint – this came in a random Ulta GWP bag, and surprisingly, I really liked it. It was the perfect shade for my brows, and it gave me a good amount of a tint and just a tiny bit of hold. It was perfect for low maintenance days when I didn’t feel like drawing anything on. It isn’t super budgeproof – as in, if it was 100 degrees outside and I was sweating and happened to rub my brows, some of this would transfer, but all in all, I was thoroughly impressed and would buy it again.
Would repurchase.

Lancome Hypnose Drama Mascara – this was a pretty good mascara! It gave me really good length and volume over my first layer of waterproof mascara (an essential step for me), and didn’t smudge. I *might* repurchase this, but I think I still prefer Monsieur Big from the Lancome mascara line.
Might repurchase.

Clinique Almost Lipstick in Black Honey – oh, what a cult product. It breaks my heart to say that while I adore the sheer plummy brown shade, this was really drying on my lips. It’s supposed to be moisturizing, but it made my lips peel, so it is not my favorite formula. Bummer, because I seriously love this shade.
Would not repurchase.

Maybelline Color Elixir Caramel Infused – this is a discontinued gloss from Maybelline that I have a few shades of. The best way I can describe the texture of this gloss is cushiony. It’s not sticky at all, but it had a certain heaviness in the way that it coats your lips that felt plush and cushiony. It’s not a bad or good thing. I was actually surprised that I finished this because it was hard to tell how much I had left from the outside of the tube. It got to the point where I couldn’t get any more products on the wand, and I couldn’t pull out the stopper, so I gave up on it. Even if this were available, I’ve found many other formulas that I like better, but I still like the rest of the shades that I have.
Would not repurchase

Stila Lip Glaze in Guava – and this is the last on my lip glazes. Although it’s a thick and stickier formula, I felt that these were pretty long lasting and moisturizing. I’m kind of sad these are discontinue, but I have so many other lip glosses to be using, anyway.
Would repurchase if I could!

And that’s a wrap on another month of empties! What did you finish this month?

As always, thanks for reading.