September 2020 Empties

It’s been awhile since I’ve posted an empties post on my blog! Recently, I’ve found it easier to record a quick video on them recently, and you can watch them on my Instagram, @beautyunhyped. However, this month I felt like taking it back a few months and writing out my thoughts. Enjoy!

SKINCARE

I didn’t finish any cleansers this month, but post a morning cleanse, I’ve been enjoying a face mist. I finished using the Aster and Bay Rosewater Mist, which I enjoyed, but didn’t think it was super special. I typically use face mists just to keep my skin from dehydrating after being in the shower, so I’m not very picky about them.  For the evenings, I used and finished the Wishtrend Mandelic Acid 5% Skin Prep Water (gifted) , which was a great gentle acid toner. It was pretty strong, but effective. I do like it but not sure if I’d repurchase it.

For treatments and serums, I used up the MaeLove Glow Maker Serum (gifted), which is an affordable yet effective Vitamin C serum. For $28, I saw pretty good brightening effects, though it isn’t quite as potent as something like my favorite Skinceuticals C+E Ferulic Acid serum. But then again, the Maelove serum is just a fraction of the price and I did enjoy using it. I would repurchase this. I finished a small sample of the Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair Serum. This is a cult favorite, but I think this sample was too small for me to really notice any difference with it. 

I was sent a few Curology products, including the moisturizer and the custom-made serum, which has Niacinamide, Tranexamic Acid, and Azelaic Acid..I really liked both products, especially for a pared down routine while I was traveling. If I weren’t a skincare blogger, I think I would really love having a skincare subscription for my routine. 

The Tan Luxe The Face Illuminating Self Tan Drops are my favorite self tanner for my face, though I don’t actually use it enough to ever use up a full bottle. This is a mini size that I received as a gift with purchase, and it still went bad after I had only used up about ⅔ of it. I wish they would sell the mini sizes on their own because I don’t see how I could ever use up a whole bottle! 

I finished a mini travel size of the Peter Thomas Roth Pumpkin Enzyme Mask, which I loved and would repurchase. It is an exfoliating mask with AHA that leaves me with a great glow and really smooth skin. I would probably purchase this again since this is one of the few masks I’ve felt were truly effective. 

A mask that didn’t impress me was the Bliss What a Melon! Overnight Mask (gifted). It felt really sticky and even though it absorbed over night..it’s not a fun feeling to fall asleep with your face feeling sticky, without seeing any results the next morning. I’m decluttering this product.

For SPF, I really loved the Tatcha Silken Pore Perfecting Moisturizer with SPF 35 when I first bought it, but I’ve since found products I like better. It does a great job of giving me light sunscreen with great oil control properties, which is great for the summertime, but It’s really hard for me to justify paying $65 for this. I can find much more affordable sunscreens that work well during the summer – even if they aren’t *quite* good at oil control. The Anessa sunscreen is lovely and doesn’t interfere with my makeup wear, nor does it more me more oily like most sunscreens can. I may still repurchase the Tatcha if I’m feeling spendy..but it won’t be a regular purchase for me.

In the lip balm category, I finished a mini Bite Agave Lip Mask. This is their old formula before they went vegan and I heard the new formula isn’t as good, so that’s a bummer. I really liked the Hurraw Lemon Lip Balm. It was really lightweight while being extremely moisturizing, and it didn’t feel slippy or greasy at all. I was definitely impressed and I will likely repurchase again in the future.

MAKEUP

So..I tried using up the Becca Ever Matte Poreless Priming Perfector, but my skin is actually not oily enough for it anymore. A few years ago, my skin was SO oily that this primer was the only thing that could keep my oil at bay. I used up nearly the entire tube, but didn’t quite make it through. When I tried it out this summer, I found that while it’s effective still, I don’t really need it anymore. I have found other primers that are easier to work with (the Erborian Extra Matte Primer is my current favorite). The Becca one required a ritual of warming the product up in my fingers and delicately tapping it onto my skin before AND after foundation, while the Erborian primer works just like a regular primer.

I really enjoyed the Saint Cosmetics Concealer in Peach Medium for being a creamy and blendable concealer and undereye corrector all in one, but I started to notice that it didn’t last quite the whole day for me. I noticed fading around 6-7 hour mark, so that makes me unlikely to repurchase this again.

I finished 2 mascaras that had been around for a while – the Jill Stuart Blooming Blossom Curl Mascara in pink brown (gifted), which I really enjoyed. It was a tubing mascara in a burgundy shade that did an amazing job with lengthening and volumizing while doing a decent job at holding a curl. I may repurchase this again, although I notice this shade of mascara also comes in a waterproof formula so I may try that instead. I also finished the Glossier Lash Slick (gifted), which I had a love/hate relationship with. It held my curl better than a lot of tubing mascaras, but I didn’t really enjoy this until it was at its 4 month mark – when It started to dry out and build up to be more dramatic. I’m too impatient to wait 4 months for a mascara to work for me, and I’m not supporting Glossier at the moment. For more information, read through @outtathegloss posts for multiple accounts of racism and discrimination with failure of any action or accountability from corporate HQ.

Finally, a lipgloss! This lipgloss is ancient and discontinued now, but the Lipstick Queen Seven Sins Lipgloss in Indolence was really enjoyable to use. It was moderately pigmented, moisturizing, and smooth. 

BODY/HAIRCARE

I also enjoy using Rituals body products, and I used up a bottle of the Rituals Ritual of Sakura Shower Oil. This felt so luxurious and moisturizing. I loved it as a body wash on days my skin needed some extra pampering since it applies like an oil, and then starts to foam lightly. I would repurchase this again! 

For some lotions and creams, I used up the Pixi Hydrating Milky Lotion with Coconut and Shea Butter (gifted). I loved this as a summer lotion as it was really lightweight, sank in quickly, whilte being super moisturizing. I think it would be too light for fall/winter, but I went through this so quickly for the summer. I would repurchase this. For hand creams, I finished the Natura Brasil Maracuja Hand Cream (gifted), which was a really rich hand cream. However, I started to get sick of the scent by the end of this so I probably won’t purchase another one. I’ve also used the Soap and Glory Hand Food before and loved it. This is ultra moisturizing, and I don’t get sick of the marshmallow-y scent. I would definitely repurchase this.

I strayed from my usual Seche Vite Top Coat to try the Ella and Mila Quick-Dry Top Coat. I really liked it since it didn’t have the super chemical-y scent that the SV one has, and works *almost* as well. I would probably buy this one again at some point in the future, except I have a huge bottle of the Seche Vite Restore, meant to thin out the top coat that inevitably gets thick and gloopy about ⅔ of the way through, and the Restore did nothing for the Ella and Mila when it also started to get gloopy. It must be the difference in formulas, so I’m going to go back to SV until my bottle of Restore is gone…which will be forever since it’s a big bottle

The two haircare products were both hits. I tried the Christophe Robin Volumizing Rose Conditioner, which I really liked — and so did my SO, who actually used the majority of the bottle. It was really moisturizing and didn’t weigh down my hair. I did notice a slight volumizing effect when my hair dried. This is a pricey haircare product (for me), but I’d consider splurging for a full size to see how my hair works with it long-term. 

Finally, a beloved leave-in conditioner is the Briogeo Rosarco Milk Reparative Leave-In Conditioning Spray, which I always have on hand. This is just a small travel size bottle that I refilled over and over again until it just got too ratty. I recently got another travel size so I can retire this old bottle! 

I hope you enjoyed this little throwback with a written empties post! Let me know if there are any favorites in here, and anything you’ve emptied recently! 

As always, thanks for reading.