
July seems to have flown by and here we are with another round of empties. I also keep noticing that I have a pretty big batch of empties recently, although that is easily displaced by the fact that I’ve been receiving and trying a lot of new products lately. Still, it feels nice to clear out some older products and open up some new fresh products.
SKINCARE

Sans[ceuticals] Goji Body and Face Cleansing Oil – is a deluxe sample I
picked up from Ivy Wild in DC. It’s a New Zealand-based clean beauty brand, and
this cleansing oil seemed great to take with me on trips, except that the
bottle leaked. The full size comes in a pump bottle so that was only an issue
with the travel size. The cleanser itself was pretty good – it felt emollient,
and rinsed off pretty well with water, though I felt it worked better with a
wash cloth so that it wouldn’t have any residue. I think I still prefer my
favorite DHC Cleansing Oil over this since it rinses off so nicely without the
need for a washcloth, but this is perfectly fine.
Wouldn’t repurchase.
Thayer’s Witch Hazel Toner – this is a lovely gentle toner that helped get rid of any leftover
residue from my cleanser, and it didn’t feel drying or harsh at all. I wouldn’t
call this an absolute must have in my routine, but most days I do like adding a
toner before I apply all my other skincare, and this one is effective and
affordable.
Would repurchase
Erno Laszlo Light Controlling Lotion – this toner worked really well at balancing my skin and
preventing any excess oil production. The big downside to this is that it has a
really strong floral-powdery scent that was a little too overwhelming to me
sometimes. I kind of have to be in the mood to deal with fragrance in order to
use this, but when I am, I like how it works. I have a full size bottle of this
to use but probably wouldn’t repurchase because of the scent.
Would not repurchase.
Milk Makeup Water Serum – this literally just felt like water? I suppose it felt pretty
refreshing, especially on a plane or on a hot day, but any moisturizing elements
were so light that I didn’t really feel like it made a difference.
Wouldn’t repurchase.
Iunik Rose Galactomyces Synergy Serum (gifted)is supposed to be a watery serum to hydrate and balance the skin to prevent
excess oil. While I loved the Synergy Propolis serum that I finished last
month, this one was not as effective for me. I didn’t notice any significant
difference in hydration or decrease in oil production when I used this.
Would not repurchase.
Lumene Bright Eyes All-in-One-Eye Treatment (gifted)
is a great affordable eye cream that has some light hydration with some
brightening and depuffing effects. I liked this especially in the mornings and
I thought it had some subtle but still noticeable brightening and depuffing. I
also love that it’s around $15 and will certainly buy it again when I need eye
cream again.
Would repurchase.
Ole Henrikson Invigorating Night Cream
was just an ok night cream for me. It has glycolic acid and other AHAs to help
exfoliate and brighten skin, and definitely was effective at that. I generally
just prefer my AHAs to be in toners or serums in higher dosages, but this would
be great for someone who is just starting with chemical exfoliation or has more
sensitive skin.
Wouldn’t repurchase.

Caudalie Overnight Detox Oil
was a beautiful oil that was on the drier side, which was great for my oily
skin. It was supposed to guard against environmental stressors. I loved how
hydrated my skin felt, even in the morning, and it helped my skin retain a
healthy glow. I also loved the earthy green scent, which I realize might not be
for everyone. I would definitely consider repurchasing in the future.
Would repurchase.
Supergoop SPF50 Setting Mist
– I loved the high spf of this mist, though it left me with a weirdly shiny
finish if I sprayed too much. I might repurchase but I’ve just started using
the Coola SPF30 mist which has a more matte finish that I like.
Might repurchase.
MAKEUP

Estee Lauder The Smoother Primer was a fine primer, though it was one of those
very silicone-heavy primers. Silicones don’t really bother me, but I don’t love
the feeling of them. They just tend to always feel heavy, even if they have smoothing
properties. I didn’t love this.
Would not repurchase.
ELF Peachykeen Blush – this was actually a really beautiful shimmery peachy blush. I liked the glowy finish, and it was kind of a blush-but-no-blush kind of blush. It was pretty powdery, which is how I was able to go through it so quickly. I have so many blushes it’s hard to imagine me repurchasing this specific one, but if I were in a pinch, I would certainly reach for this.
Might repurchase.
Chanel Ombre Premiere in Memory is not really an empty, but a cream shadow I’ve hit pan on. I use this pretty frequently, especially when I want a bronze base, and I love how long it lasts on my lids. I will definitely keep using this until it’s gone.
Laura Mercier Caviar Eyeshadow Stick in Rose Gold
was a great neutral cream shadow that I loved using. It provided an ultra
subtle shimmery base that also worked great as an inner corner highlight. However,
I do find that these crease on me more easily than other cream shadows,
although it’s not something that’s so noticeable that it bothers me. I have a
few other mini sizes of different shades that I will happily use.
Might repurchase.
Benefit Bad Gal Bang Mascara
was actually a really nice mascara. It was a very defining mascara that added
some light length and volume, but is not a super dramatic mascara by any means.
This made my lashes visible, but didn’t quite give it an oomph, which is pretty
much the effect that I go for everyday. I wouldn’t purchase a full size but I
would use free samples if I got another one.
Wouldn’t purchase a full size
HAIR AND BODY

Elizabeth and James Nirvana Bourbon Dry Shampoo
is an HG dry shampoo that is unfortunately discontinued! This has the most
wonderful smoky warm scent while also being an amazing dry shampoo. It applies
pretty much invisible but makes my hair look volumized and revived without
feely gritty or heavy at all. I have a couple backup bottles but will be devastated
when I run out. If anyone knows of a similar formula, please let me know!
Would repurchase…if I could
Jungle Botanics The Ecru Clay Soap
(gifted) was a great soap that lathered up well and felt really cleansing without
being dry. I have super dry skin on my body and the whole time I used this
soap, I didn’t feel that my skin was super dry when I got out of the shower. I
am really lazy when it comes to buying soaps, and this is only available
through Wishtrend,
as far as I know, but I would love to have this around again.
Would repurchase.
Essie 5th Avenue Nail Polish
is a gorgeous bright red nail polish. This was a gift from a friend many years
ago and I obviously used the crap out of it. I felt polished (ha…) and chic
wearing this polish. Although I have a similar shade from Butter London that I’m
using now, I would repurchase this again.
Would repurchase.
FRAGRANCE
Atelier Cologne Orange Sanguine is
an old favorite of mine. I love the bitter orange scent that was bright while
still being complex. I don’t think this is quite my signature scent but
I always love having this around – so I would definitely buy a rollerball, but
probably not a full bottle.
Would repurchase.
Bulgair Omnia Paraiba was a nice summer scent. It was light and slightly fruity
without being too much for me, but I generally don’t gravitate towards fruity
scents.
Would not repurchase.
Fresh Citron de Vigne was what I’d describe as a green citrus scent. I enjoyed it about 75% of the time I used this sample, but the earthy green scent was just a little bit too much for me to really justify a bottle.
Would not repurchase.

Have you all tried any of these? And let me know what products you’ve finished lately!
As always, thanks for reading.
I’m not much of a commenter, but I wanted to say I read all your posts and really, really enjoy them. There’s something so refreshing (dare I say old school/good-era-of-blogging) about what you write!
Did not know the Nirvana Bourbon stock issues were because it’s being discontinued. I’m bummed about that. I do like the Klorane dry shampoo, but it doesn’t have as much oomph as the E&J.
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Do you find Pomelo Paradis as good as Orange Sanguine? I’m a bit confused because I see Pomelo in the pics while you are talking about Orange in the post. I still have a bit left of Orange Sanguine (i have the same travel size version) and even if at the beginning I was not such a fan, I think I like it much more now and yes, it’s a great scent for the summer.
Also that Caudalie oil is discounted as well as the whole line… Again, I liked it too (i had a trial set) but as soon as I decided to buy a full bottle I saw the info that they stopped making it.
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