Happy New Year!
I’m back today after an unexpected month off to bring you another empties post. I didn’t plan to have two empties posts in a row…but alas, here we are. The #newyearnewme wants to bring you more posts per month on this blog, but with a low buy set for 2019, I’ve been busy planning some posts that aren’t always focused on new collections.
More will come on that at a later date, but for today, we have empties. I have two sets of photos for this because I finished a bunch while I was traveling, and didn’t want to bring them all back just for the sake of a photo. I’m not that much of a hoarder.
I have mostly skincare empties, since I had a whole bunch of deluxe samples that I was using.
SKINCARE
The Estee Edit Dissolve the Drama Makeup Remover and Cleanser is like a cleansing oil that I used as my first cleanse. This is no longer available anyway, but I thought this did a fine job. It wasn’t groundbreaking, but it was nice to have a mini bottle for traveling.
Would not repurchase – discontinued
Chanel Gentle Biphase Eye Makeup Remover – I’ve heard good things about this, but I was honestly pretty disappointed. I didn’t think it did a great job of removing all my makeup, and I felt like I had to use a lot of it to get everything off.
Would not repurchase.
Clarins Instant Eye Makeup Remover – This is something I’ve also heard great things about, and while it was better than the Chanel, I still didn’t love it. I didn’t feel like it removed all my eye makeup that easily either, despite being advertised for waterproof an heavy makeup. My trusty Clinique eye makeup remover is way better than this.
Would not repurchase.
Kate Somerville Goat Milk Moisturizing Cleanser -I really loved this cleanser! It started to get really dry and cold, and this cleanser cleansed my face really well while still feeling moisturizing. I believe they’ve changed the packaging or formula for this, because it was prone to separating, and it was kind of a mess to use this in a tube. I would really only want to use this in the winter, so I’m not sure I would get a full size of this, but I’d definitely get a travel size.
Might repurchase.
Philosophy Purity Cleanser – I’ve used several full sized bottles of these back in the day, and I still really love this. It’s a basic gentle cleanser that takes off light makeup or works as a post-workout cleanser without feeling too stripping. It’s just as good as I remember.
Would repurchase.
Seoulceuticals Day Glow Serum – This was a really good Vitamin C serum for me. It smells like orange juice, but I also felt like it was pretty brightening and comparable to the Drunk Elephant C-Firma serum, even though it’s a little more gentle. However, for ~$15, I’m willing to have more subtle brightening effects instead of shelling out $80 for the Drunk Elephant. I’m testing out the Mad Hippie Vitamin C Serum now, but I’d definitely repurchase this in the future.
Would repurchase.
DCL Skin Renewal Complex 5-in-1 Refining Hydrator – I got this as part of a duo in a Dermstore BeautyFix box. I’m not sure this did anything for me other than be a moisturizer and a sunscreen, but it worked fine as that. It just wasn’t that special.
Would not repurchase.
Belief Hungarian Water essence – This was a pretty liquidy essence, and it actually felt more like a serum. I enjoyed using this, and I do feel like it helped hydrate my skin when it needed a little extra hydration. It’s not a totally necessary step for me, so I’m not feeling too inclined to get a full size but it’s a nice step.
Might repurchase.
Josie Maran Argan Daily Moisturizer SPF 47 – For winter months, this was a GREAT moisturizer with SPF. It is super moisturizing, and the high SPF is ideal for sunny and snowy winter days. It was way too thick and hydrating for any other season for me, but I enjoyed using this on cold and windy days. I’ve heard they’ve also reformulated this in the past year, so I’m not sure how it works now, but I’d recommend trying it out if you have dry skin!
Would not repurchase.
Derma E Hydrating Night Cream – This was such a thick cream that I didn’t really enjoy using it. It was hard to spread on my skin unless I mixed in an oil with it, and I think the thickness on its own would prevent it from being absorbed into my skin very well. This did not work for me at all.
Would not repurchase.
MAKEUP
What a lovely monochromatic set of empty makeup items this month!
MAC Prep and Prime Natural Radiance Base – I like the normal prep and prime base but this one didn’t do anything for me. Maybe my skin is just too dry for it, since I usually use the original prep and prime during the summer, but I felt like it didn’t do anything for my pores. It was pretty eh.
Would not repurchase.
Vincent Longo Lip and Cheek Gel Stain – I rarely see Vincent Longo products talked about but these are the best lip/cheek stains! I have so many shades of them, and I use them all.the.time. They are great on bare skin or over makeup to touch up, and I find they actually work as a lip stain without immediately sinking into lip lines. These are some of my HG products, so I will always have them.
Already have backups.
Physician’s Formula Eye Booster Liquid Eyeliner– I am definitely mourning the loss of this eyeliner. I LOVED this formula and the brush tip, and this was probably my 3rd or 4th one. It applied effortlessly, and even though it isn’t advertised as waterproof, I found that it never smudged or ran. One pen lasts me around a year or near daily use, so having gone through multiples really shows how much I’ve loved this. BUT I’ve heard they just reformulated this, and that the new version is nowhere near as good, so I’m hesitant to try another one. I’m trying a couple other formulas right now, but I’m not sure anything will top this!
Can’t repurchase.
Mineral Fusion Volume Mascara – I did not enjoy this. It’s a very thick and dry formula that was really hard to apply on my lashes. I TRIED to like this, but it had such a natural formula and was so annoying to apply, I honestly gave up on it. If you like basically an eyelash tint, this might be for you, but I like some DRAMA on my lashes (and nowhere else in my life, thank you very much).
Would not repurchase.
Eyeko Sport Waterproof Mascara – I had some mixed feeling on this. At first I hated it, because it didn’t seem to hold a curl, but then I realized that it’s just a finicky mascara and only holds a curl when it’s not humid outside. After I figured that out, and got used to the very waxy formula, I found that it actually worked well as a natural mascara on its own, or as an effective base layer. That said, I have other mascaras that I love that can be worn on all weather conditions….
Would not repurchase.
BODY/HAIRCARE
CD Waterlily Paraben Free Cream (German Name: Feuchtigskeitscreme) – This was a survivor from a discovery from a college study abroad, and then a backup from a more recent trip to Germany. I don’t even know how I found out about this cream, but this is near HG status for me as both a body cream AND a facial moisturizer. It was cheap as chips, and only available at one of their drugstores (Rossman), but I’m only half joking when I say I’m planning another trip to Germany so I can stock up on this again. It’s lightweight but super moisturizing without being greasy at all. It somehow works for all seasons for me, and it comes in plenty of sizes that I can travel with or keep in my bathroom.
Will repurchase.
Hempz Pomegranate Herbal Body Moisturizer – I’ve heard amazing things about Hempz, but I’m not sure this lived up to the hype. Yes, it was super moisturizing and smelled great, but I’m not convinced it was worth the higher price tag of these products. I did enjoy this mini version, but I may have to try more to have a better opinion of them.
Might repurchase.
Kiehls Creme de Corps – I know this is a cult favorite, but I did not like this at all. Yet another well loved product that just didn’t work for me, but I didn’t feel that this was hydrating for my skin, and I felt that scent was a little …plasticky? I’m glad I only had a 1oz bottle, which I used up in about a week, because I’m not sure I would want to keep using a larger bottle.
Will not repurchase.
Rituals Magic Touch Body Cream – Now THIS was a great body cream. The best way I can describe this is silky. It feels like silk without being too greasy, wet, or too dry, and my skin felt amazing after using this. I also LOVED the sakura scent, and didn’t feel that it was too overwhelming for me. I already have another one of this to start using, but I am definitely considering getting a big size of this, and I do think this is worth the price tag of $33 for a full size 7.44oz tub.
Will repurchase.
And one last hair product to round things out! The Beauty Protector Protect & Detangle Leave in Conditioner is a nice lightweight spray conditioner that did its job. I’ve tried a couple products from this brand through Birchbox, and while I do enjoy the products, all of them have a very cloying vanilla sugar scent that is a bit much for me, and prevents me from wanting to try more of their products.
Would not repurchase.
Man, I feel like this past month had a lot of fails for me. I can be a pretty harsh critic when it comes to products, but I’m glad that most of these were travel sizes or deluxe samples that I didn’t pay a lot for. At the same time, there are definitely some favorites that I will keep on buying and using, so it wasn’t all fail. I hope these were helpful reviews to inform any future purchases for you!
Have you tried any of these products? What do you think?
As always, thanks for reading!
Beauty Unhyped 