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.

[itsfi]

April empties, mostly made up of loves or likes. Not many full-sized products, but I'm working my way through the ones that are open and may have more to show in the summer months.

LOVES:

Spoiler

The Q-tips, Shiseido cottons, and the last two sheet masks are repeated loves. I’m working towards just having reusable rounds and making my way through my supply of Shiseido cottons.

All the sheet masks are ones I’d happily repurchase, if they were easily accessible. The first and last ones are discontinued, and the second mask is a limited edition. The JMsolution Green Dear Rabbit Carrot Mask is a new hybrid mask material and one I intend to repurchase as a 10-pack, if available. I have a 10-pack of the Some By Mi Diamond Brightening Mask and love it for its brightening properties - this is one I reach for before a special event or if I need an extra glow to my mug! 😆💖

The Woodwick Whipped Matcha Candle is a new favorite and I owe a huge 'thank you' to @greeneyedgirl107 for introducing it to me. Thank you for this thoughtful gift! Looove everything about it - the light, fresh, creamy green tea smell, the cackle from the wick! I will be picking up a full size of this one. .

The products in the CosRX propolis line have been a nice addition to my skincare routine in the warmer months when my skin leans more combo-oily and I'm more prone to breaking out. I've found the antiseptic, antifungal, and anti-inflammatory properties of propolis to work well with my skin and the acne/maskne issues. This was the first time I tried the CosRX Propolis Light Ampoule - it has a thinner consistency than what I might associate with an ampoule, but in this case it works well as it layers really smoothly and nicely with other, slightly thicker products, without leaving skin feeling heavy. 

LIKES:

Spoiler

These are all likes. I was most surprised by the Laneige. I think they’ve reformulated so I'm not sure how the new version compares to these foils. The My Beauty Diary Sahara Scenedesmus Oil Balancing Mask left my face feeling soft, smooth and nourished, all things I find to be a plus. Its primary claim is to balance oils. I used this at a time when my skin was less oily so it was hard to gauge that but I would love to see how this one performs in the warmer months when my skin is oilier. The candles were great; made the house feel fresh and cozy at the same time; good scents for this time of year. I'll definitely be interested in checking out more candles from the brands, particularly the Jia brand as it is a local company and the brand has a few scents that are throwbacks to things from my childhood.

LIKABLE & LACKLUSTER: 

Spoiler

The first to rows are likable. If I had them lying around I wouldn’t hesitate to use them but they are not my favorites in their respective categories. Of this bunch, my most liked is the Supergoop (Re)Setting Refreshing Mist SPF 40 because of its practicality and functionality for reapplying SPF. I do have to be extra careful to keep it far from my eyes, as it can cause them to water pretty badly throughout the day.

The last row I found to be lackluster. The elle + mila Soy Polish Remover Wipes left a filmy slightly greasy residue on my fingers. The sample jar was filed with Origins Original Skin Cleansing Makeup Removing Jelly with Willowherb - it was more challenging to work with than I remember from past uses. It also left a film on my skin. Em Cosmetics True Gloss (Lotus Blossom) just wasn’t a good color for me used on its own. I ended up mixing it with balms or gloss. The lackluster designation has more to do with the shade than the actual formula. The Skinfix Barrier+ Triple Lipid-Peptide Face Cream was a little too heavy to use regularly on my face, but enjoyed it as a body cream or occasionally as an overnight mask on nights when my skin was extremely dry.

Edited to add: 

MTD = 28

YTD = 129

[CookieGirl1]

@itsfi I love the idea of the Supergoop spray but it's getting pretty sad reviews.  It's too bad that it isn't slightly better formulated and packaged!

[Mellmars1185]

@itsfi Thanks for sharing your empties! They are very neatly placed for your photos! 🥰

[RGbrown]

Time for a mid-month clean out 🗑️

YTD 138

Spoiler

Ulta acetone: basic staple, cheap filler when needed

BBW Blackberries & Basil candle: perhaps the most disappointing BBW candle I've ever had 😪 It smelled incredible for the first burn, then I never caught a whiff of it again.

Huntington Home Tobacco Petals candle: Great throw, a little more petals and less tobacco than I would have liked, but overall a great candle if the scent is your jam.

Ulta Jojoba Carrier Oil: The base of my homemade cuticle oil, nothing fancy, just this plus some vitamin E oil and a little essential oil for scent. It took me roughly 2.5 years to through all of it (and technically, there's still a little in my various pens and bottles throughout the house), so it's super economical too. Just bought another bottle last week, and will mix another batch up soon!

FAB Ultra Repair Firming Collagen Cream: thicker than I normally go for, but my skin seemed to love this; it soaked right in and my face felt plumper than normal, with a bit of my orange peel texture receding a little. I seem to be transitioning from oily to normal or maybe even borderline dry skin, so figuring out new moisturizers seems to be a path I'm heading down, but so far, this is a strong contender.

Ulta Hibiscus Vanilla Aromatherapy Rollerball: a little too sweet and floral for me, so I never really used it much, and it seems to have gone rancid. Happy to have the rollerball though, will clean it out for more cuticle oil!

Urban Skin RX Retinol Rapid Repair & Dark Spot Treatment: I've used this retinol for a couple of years now and have been moderately pleased with it. I've got a few more of these minis to get through, but I'm getting that wanderlust that pops up from time to time, and will be trying a few other samples I've accumulated in the mean time, and will come back to this one if nothing else grabs my attention.

Sweet & Shimmer Lip Oil: thick and sticky, which I actually didn't mind at all for my intended purpose (as a topper over my nightly lip treatment), but the tiny applicator finally drove me to the brink of madness, so this is being tossed after only using half.

Exuviance Vitamin C Serum Capsules: My favorite vitamin C! 20% LAA in a waterless solution, packaged in individual capsules, which leads to incredible shelf stability for a vit C product. However, I recently discovered that No7 makes a near identical product at half the cost, so once I finish off the remaining jar of these in my cabinet, I'll be swapping brands for good! (seriously...both have 10 ingredients, and 9 of those are the same between the two!)

Ulta Watermelon Body Sorbet: excellent body cream. I normally hate tub packaging like this, but it actually works pretty well for this product. I can tap the tub sideways on my hand or the counter, and the product just kinda slides up the side as a solid mass, where I can scoop some right off the top without having to dig into the tub. Great moisture, soaks in well, good scent (fruity, but not overly sweet, not quite full on Jolly Rancher overload). I'm a fan! I've got the pineapple one to try at sme point, and can see myself buying more of these in the future too.

Lipstick Queen Megastar Longwear Eyeliner (dark grey): LQ eyeliners still make me giggle just a wee bit, but honestly, this has been one of my faves over the years. It applied easily, wore well, and I prefer grey to black for when I need a neutral line, so this was probably my most used eyeliner over the last 4 or so years. Sadly, it's all dried out now, but considering its age, that's not surprising.  

Kiehl's Avocado Creamy Eye Treatment: great moisture for my extra dry eye area this winter. I'm all out of samples now, and I don't think I'll need anything quite this rich over the summer, but would consider this again when the humidity disappears again next fall/winter.

Cleansing wipes: I have no idea how old the Evio ones are, or where I even got them in the first place (a sub box, I guess?), but they smell rancid, so they're getting tossed. I thought I had tossed all of these Sweet & Shimmer ones already, but recently found this pack while cleaning out my pre-pandemic gym bag (lol)...I don't like them for my face at all, but I cut them up and put them in a jar in my bathroom to use for cleaning swatches off (I need to do a massive lipstick swatch and declutter session soon, so they'll come in handy for that). The blue package is Pacifica Coconut Water Cleansing Wipes...they were fine for my lazy skincare nights, and great out in the basement fridge for cleanup after yardwork, but the coconut scent got to be a little too much for me, so I'm glad these are gone. I'd try other wipes from the brand, just not keen on coconut scents lately.

The 2021 sticky notes indicates I have finished off all of my 2021 masks. Yay, I'm caught up again! Saved the best for last for this batch, finishing the very last of my original biobelle masks; they will be sorely missed for their thin fabric, good moisture, and low scent. 

[heartsmyface]

@RGbrown great job getting caught up on sheet masks!   They accumulate too easily! 

[RGbrown]

@heartsmyface 

Way too easily! I have no idea how I got so many in the first place, but I'm glad to be getting the stash down to a much more reasonable level ❣️

[Samtian]

@RGbrown Wow great work! And congrats on finishing up 2021 masks!

[RGbrown]

@Samtian 

Thanks so much! I'm sooooo happy to be caught up again...hopefully I can stay caught up from here on out! 

[greeneyedgirl107]

@RGbrown That's great to know about the No. 7 capsules!  

[RGbrown]

@greeneyedgirl107 

I was *thrilled* to make that discovery! 💕

[greeneyedgirl107]

@RGbrown it's a much better buy!!!  How often does that happen?!

[RGbrown]

@greeneyedgirl107 

Not nearly often enough, that's for sure! 😋

[itsfi]

@RGbrown, beautiful mid month empties! You’ve worked through a lot - nice going! 😃 The tobacco petals sounds promising but I feel like with those two scents, it has to be the right concentration of each - I know, my nose is very picky. 😆 

Ohhhh!!! Present day sheet masks? Waaa-hooo! 🙌🏼 🙌🏼 That’s awesome! 👊🏼 Old school BioBelle - I loved that Tencel material they used. ♥️

[Skunk12puzzola]

Did you ever try this cologne from Jo Malone @itsfi ? if you like rose scents 🌹 and mild florals in general, this is a nice one! Jo Malone London English Pear & Freesia Cologne 

[itsfi]

@Skunk12puzzola, I have tried that scent. It’s not my favorite but it’s nice. Jo Malone makes some lovely fragrances. 

[RGbrown]

@itsfi 

If you like mild florals, the Tobacco Petals one was good. It wasn't overwhelmingly cloying or heavy, good throw but not too much, if that makes sense. My taste tends to run anti-floral, enough that I won't buy this one again, but it wasn't so bad that I hated it while I burned it. 

I'm not ashamed to say I had a moment of silence when I finished off the last biobelle 😥

[itsfi]

@RGbrown, that moment of silence was well earned, both by Biobelle’s first generation of masks and by you. Any idea what sheet mask(s) will take their place in your sheet mask rotation as a favorite of yours or one you like a lot?

[RGbrown]

@itsfi 

I'm not sure at this point. For the most part, I'm using mine up just to get them used and not let them go to waste, but the fact that I've been so behind on so many for so long kinda speaks to the fact that sheet masks aren't really my favorite to begin with. I thought I'd love them, bought a ton, and whoops, turned out I wasn't as big a fan as I thought I'd be, so I mostly ignored them 🤭 My routine now though is that I use one on the days I wash my hair, while my hair is still up in my towel, and I kinda enjoy them like that...that's once every 3-5 days or so, not so often that it's a hassle, not so time consuming that I can't enjoy it, so I can see myself keeping a few around in the future. Honestly though, it'll probably mostly just be whatever I can get at Ulta with a deal, maybe a few from TJM or other places I shop normally...it won't be something I go out of my way for. Although...I've got a bunch of different ones coming up soon, ones from a certain super sweet care package that a certain super sweet person sent me, so who knows, maybe I'll find a fave in those that I have to hunt down! 😏

[heartsmyface]

@RGbrown  I feel the same about cream or clay masks though maybe I’m warming up to them a bit.  I like that I can rip a sheet mask off if I need to be presentable in a flash.  

[RGbrown]

@heartsmyface 

Ahhhh, I love a good clay mask, but I've been terrible about forgetting all about my stash of them again. It's like I can only focus on one kind of mask at a time, and trying to use up my sheet masks has occupied the masking function in my head 😂

[Mellmars1185]

@RGbrown Great empties!