Empties

[wendyomgwar]

I love seeing other peoples empties! So I decided to make a board where people could post pictures of their empties, or just tell us about them! I'd also be interested in knowing whether you're repurchasing anything or not.

[eshoe]

This is more fun than is really necessary. I have replaced and will continue to buy the Caudalie Micellular Water. It is great for sensitive, contact wearing eyes. The Burt’s Coconut Foot Creme is a thick, gel-like paste, and perfect for softening feet at night. Doesn’t go well with day time use though, as it can stain sandals. The Farmacy lip balm is great, would be a love but I only use it when I am masking to soften my lips after I wash my face, and for $10, I would rather just use a wee bit of my Bite Lavender agave mask. No complaints about it, though. Bottom masks were no good, I will stick to my skyn ones. I wanted to live the Josie Maran Argan milk, but it seems the Argan oils have an off smell more often than not. Glad I could try it out first! Finally, the UD-there is so much love for this product, I feel like I missed something but it didn’t ‘wow’ me.

[starsandbucks]

I don’t really do monthly empties. Usually just when I hit something significant or have collected a bunch to show at once. 

Yet another Sol de Janiero lip balm - Will repurchase. 

Sol de Janiero body wash - Will probably repurchase unless I can find something with a very similar scent for a cheaper price. 

Nest White Sandalwood perfume - My reason for posting these empties! I don’t remember the last time I finished a bottle of perfume before. Maybe the early 2000s and I think it was Gucci Rush. I bought this in April of 2015 and yesterday and it finally wouldn’t let me spray out the last teeny tiny amount of liquid at the bottom of the bottle. I still love the scent but I don’t know if I want to buy it again or use up other perfumes I have waiting in the wings or look for something new entirely. 

Clarins Eau Dymanisante Deodorant - Loved. I wish I had repurchased this instead of the Sedge and Bee deodorant I ordered. I like to experiment with aluminum-free deodorants so I bought the Sedge and Bee to trial and wish I had stuck with the Clarins (also aluminum-free). I’ll probably end up buying it at some point during a Friend’s and Family Sale. It lasted me forever too. 

Lilah B Aglow Face Mist - Wouldn’t repurchase but am keeping the glass bottle because it’s beautiful and a nice size. I’m sure I can transfer something else into it. 

Belif True Cream Aqua Bomb deluxe sample - Really Enjoyed. Considering buying full size. 

Bobbi Brown Face Oil - I am crazy about this and want to buy the full size but from everything I’ve read, the bottle it comes in is horrendous and a pain to use. 

Some random foil samples that I don’t remember my feelings on (Sorry!!). 

[eshoe]

I just tried my first Sol de Janeiro with the Beautyfix this month, and love it! I will have to check out their other products as well. Sounds like some don’t care for the scent but I loved it❤️

[RGbrown]

I really need to start posting empties more often than once a month...by the end, I've forgotten how I felt about the earliest stuff I finished, or else I remember not liking it but can't recall why 😄 

It's almost the end of month so I'm not that far ahead in my quest, but in any case, here's my latest batch of trash 😀

Notes in the spoilers!

Loves; will purchase again (or already have)

Spoiler

These make regular appearances in my trash, so I'll keep this short. The only new addition here is Hairfood Dry Shampoo, which was a surprise "wow!". The scent is a tad sweet, but thankfully dissipates pretty quickly, but the real star is the almost complete lack of white residue. It doesn't take much at all...I got way more uses out of this travel can than I have from any other brand, and it.just.works for me. Ulta just dropped the price on these from $6 to $3, so I assume they are getting rid of it and I will be stocking up with my 20% even though I still have a pretty sizable stash of other stuff to finish off (yes, hoarding is tough to stop 😛 )

Likes/passable; would reuse but probably won't buy

Spoiler

Ahava Mineral Mud Mask, Clearing: I'm actually not sure where this falls yet, but it's either going to be a love or a hate. I have a couple more samples to try before deciding. My skin is not sensitive at all. Not one bit. Things that make other folks tingle never tingle for me...I guess I killed that with 20+ years of high-alcohol-content products. This however...wow...that's one heck of a tingle, and if it tingles for me, I can only imagine it being a terrible, almost burning product for most everyone else. I adored how it made my face feel afterwards, though I don't know if I could handle it very often. This may be one of those products where I'm content with a couple of sample packets every few months...I don't think I could ever bring myself to buy a full size.

Capri Blue Volcano Hand Cream: love love love the scent enough that I bought a room spray. The hand cream itself is mediocre though.

Origins Plantscription Anti-Aging Cleanser: a moussey-textured cleanser that foams up a bit. Liked fine but perhaps a bit drying. Nothing spectacular.

L'Oreal Pure-Clay Detox + Brighten cleanser: a surprisingly nice cleanser. Not too drying, but does an excellent job. I felt like I had to use a bit more than I do with other cleansers, but for drugstore pricing, that's an acceptable con.

Paula's Choice Endless Lash Mascara: the formula was excellent, a nice blend of volume + length. No clumping, no flaking, no raccoon eyes. All around nice mascara. I hated the brush though, and never got the hang of not making a mess during application 😛 This is a very, very dense bristle brush, whereas I prefer the more open, silicone, nub-style brushes.

Jack Black Clean Break Oil-Free Moisturizer: wasn't too heavy for me, which is a feat in and of itself. I mix my oil and moisturizer together before applying, but the texture of this one didn't play so well with oil...it took a little work to get them combined in my hand. Not a bad product at all, but not a frontrunner in the HG search.

Supergoop Unseen Sunscreen: this was ok. The clearness actually turned me off a bit. While I certainly want my sunscreen to turn invisible, I kinda like seeing where I've got it as I first apply it so that I don't miss any spots. I know, I'm weird.

Urban Decay Primer Potion: a very very good eye primer, but I find I still have a little creasing every now and again. Smashbox 24Hr eye primer was ever so slightly more reliable for me.

Mario Badescu Herbal Hydrating Serum: provided nice, lightweight moisture. I'd love another sample or two, may actually consider a full size of this at some point.

PTR Blue Marine Algae Intense Hydrating Mask: I'm not sure about the "intense" part of the name, but this was a pretty nice hydration mask. I doubt I'd buy a full size just of it, but once I use a bit more of my stash, I'll be keeping my eyes out for sets that have this and don't have the 24K Gold mask 😛

Tarte Tight & Bright Mask Duo (the gold gel half): I was actually surprised at how well I liked this (and I loved the clay half when i used it last month). Of course, I finished it on the 1st or 2nd so now I've forgotten the details, but I do remember putting this duo on my radar to watch for a really good deal.

Not for me

Spoiler

Pacifica Super Detox Deep Purification Wipes: I wasn't a huge fan of the scent, and while I thought I had screened all of my Pacifica wipes for alcohol before buying them, I apparently missed this one. Grain alcohol? I don't even know what to think of that lol.

Ulta Clarifying Honey Peel Off Mask: I know I'm part of a very small minority here, but honey is actually something I avoid, both in skincare and food. I don't like the taste, the smell, anything. It's fine mixed in a recipe, but as a distinct flavor component, drizzled over or served with...nope. Notwithstanding, I thought I'd try to expand my horizons and see if I could maybe handle some honey skincare. Nope nope nope, not this one at least. The scent is floral/honey/baby powder, aka the three scents I hate most. It peeled off easily, but I don't recall much outside that, as the scent put it in the no column immediately.

Sheet masks: not much of a thing for me, but I'm trying to use up what I have. I bought a big pack of both the coconut and retinol ones, and they're fine I guess...I can deal. The Ulta bubbling one was a disappointment...it didn't bubble much at all. I felt a few pop up under the mask, but it was not the bubble-fest I'd hoped for. I might have actually liked that 😛 

Origins Original Skin Retexturizing Mask: fine as a clay mask, but not a fan of the rose scent

PTR 24K Gold Mask: I'm finally destashing this. I was trying to make myself use it up, but it's seriously pointless and I haven't touched it in months. This does *nothing* for me other than look pretty. 

Living Proof No Frizz Nourishing Styling Cream: I had to use 6 times as much to get half the results I get from Bumble Don't Blow It. 

Dermalogica Multivitamin Power Recovery Mask: smells like some sort of heavy-duty crafting glue I remember from my youth. Blech. I admit my masking is very clay and peel heavy, but I just wasn't sure what to do with this. It wasn't particularly moisturizing like I had hoped, and it wasn't really soothing either...it didn't make my skin any worse, but I never noticed any improvement after it either.

Tarte Pearly Girl: this may be an excellent maintenance product, but for someone with a terrible soda habit that has gone unchecked for years (like me), this didn't do much. I pretty well knew that going in to it, so I'm not dissing the product at all. I was trying to avoid more expensive items, and instead I just tossed some money out the window. My own fault. 

Dermadoctor Kakadu C peel pads: The product is fine but I hate the scent.

Salon Grafix Invisible Dry Shampoo: The pro: 100% invisible. I could have sprayed the whole can in one spot without a speck of white. Amazing!
The con: 100% useless. I could have sprayed the whole can in one spot and still looked like a grease monkey. (Half a can in one spot didn't reduce my oil by even a tiny bit, so I assume my hyperbole would stand to real world testing 😛 )  

[eshoe]

@RGbrown, did you notice any difference with the Kaduku C pads? I have been using them (along with the Serum in the AM on occasion) and am starting to think they aren’t doing anything. Curious about your experience. I agree on the scent; I don’t care for, either, but it seems the vitamin C serums smell that way. I have the Farmacy Serum and it seems interchangeable with the kaduku serum.

[RGbrown]

@eshoe

I prefer the Henriksen Vitamin C serum; no floral scent.

These do seem to help, but I also can't seem to bring myself to use them regularly enough to make a real difference. I have over half a box left, but I'm thinking about ditching them completely and moving on to something else (probably stepping the OH serum back up, as I reduced my usage of it while using these).

[fieldsofclover]

trash trash trash

Spoiler

I've been using some of the other Korres black pine things, but hadn't tried the serum until now... dunno about efficacy but based on the rest I'd be willing to try a full size.

The Pyunkang Yul essence has been great. I timed my reorder poorly and am already missing it.

Finished my second mini of the Clinique and have moved on to a full size. Kinda basic but it's a really good defining mascara for me.

I like all the Sephora masks but the algae ones are a little more... something than the others so I use freebies but don't actually buy them. Vaguely tingly? Dunno, but I like the others more.

I like the TO hyaluronic serum and have a stash of bottles when Sephora was still carrying it, but I'm not planning to restock when I finally run out because all the drama has annoyed me.

[Aaliaa]

Nice Trash @fieldsofclover (said no one ever!). To replace TO Hyaluronic try the Hada Labo Gokujyun. It actually works out cheaper then TO and in some ways I think I might prefer it. Its a Japanese old school drugstore brand but ssooo good. I've tried 'Hada Labo Gokujyun Hyaluronic Lotion Moist' and the 'Hada Labo Gokujyun PREMIUM Hyaluronic Acid Super Moist Lotion' and recommend them both. The first has 3 different molecular weights of hyaluronic acid and the second has 5.

[fieldsofclover]

@Aaliaa oh, nice, I've been seeing that in other people's hauls and wondering about it! Thanks for the tip. I'll have to check the Japanese supermarket here and see if I can just pick one up easily.

[RGbrown]

@fieldsofclover

Another option if you're checking out tjmaxx/Marshall's at any time. They have Valjean Labs 2oz bottles for $5.99; their regular price is $15 at (Anthropologie, I think?). They've got 5 or 6 different serums that mimic TO, and hyaluronic is one of them. I've seen it at my stores here multiple times over the last few months, and it has been restocked pretty regularly. 

[scott1201]

Started keeping my empties finally! I’m only keeping them in a leftover makeup bag, so it doesn’t hold too much. Here are my empties for the past week:

Liked everything except the mascara and Lancôme Moisturizer. The Stila mascara smudged on me and I’ve never had that happen with a mascara before. The moisturizer was VERY scented and not only stung very badly but broke me out in the more sensitive areas of my face. 

[Shosh85]

@scott1201 Great job getting through empties and great job masking! 

I’d have to agree with you and  @bakeamuffin - that UD Setting Spray is definitely the bees knees! 🐝👌

[keana1]

@scott1201 WOW ! You’ve been seriously masking the past week! Which was the best mask you used?

[scott1201]

Hmmm I enjoyed most, @keana1! Love all the sheet masks - especially The Creme Shop 🙂

[bakeamuffin]

Excellent @scott1201! That all nighters setting spray is the bees knees ❤️ Are you getting another?

[scott1201]

I actually got this in a duo last holiday - so I have another full size to use 🙂 Amazing how long a bottle lasts! @bakeamuffin

[bakeamuffin]

That’s the best @scott1201!! 😄

[oceanics]

I’m so late in posting my May empties because I had such issues logging into my account on the iPad. First photos- LOVES, second photo- LIKES, third photo- NOT FOR ME. I’m down to my last mini bag of foils so this month is mostly full size products and deluxe samples.

[bakeamuffin]

Oh I just adore the Caviar moisturizing duo @oceanics, how did you like them?

[oceanics]

I love them as well @bakeamuffin. It’s the only shampoo/conditioner that has worked for my overly processed hair. By using both daily, it has made my hair soft and manageable.

[alkat]

My empties over the past few weeks! Loves: Benefit Porefessional, Physicians Formula Eye Booster Eyeliner, Beauty Blender, Oribe Dry Texturizing Spray, Moroccanoil OK: Biobelle #beautysecret, Ole Henriksen empower foaming milk cleanser, Marc Jacobs Daisy Dream, Batiste Dry Shampoo, Biolage Curl Defining Elixir, L'Occitane Creme Divine, Vita Liberate Self Tanning Gradual Lotion. Dislikes: Caudalie Vinosource Serum S.O.S. and La Roche-Posay Toleriane Hydrating Gentle Cleanser.