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]

@gonerogue, I need to find a good shade match in that Laura Mercier foundation! 

[GG84]

@gonerogue 

All my Dior Backstages have never had a scent? How strange! 

[gonerogue]

@GG84  Really?? Mine has that distinct rosey, perfumey Diory scent like all my other Dior products. I wonder if it has something to do with when we each purchased our products? I got my foundation when it first launched a while back.

[RGbrown]

I've gotten bad about taking pics, but forgetting to post them. This is from the 31st, closing out May on the dot. It's prolly about time to check my bag again 😂

Notes in the spoiler!

YTD 169

Spoiler

BBW Lotion, Pretty as a Peach: lovely peachy scent that's sweet but not overwhelming. Their lotions are a current staple for me because I way overbought in the past. While I can see myself branching out to other brands in the future, I never get bored or disappointed with these, and am content to use up my stash.

Algenist Gentle Rejuvenating Cleanser: hard nope for me. I had trouble with significant congestion on my cheeks and chin throughout April and into May. Kept swapping moisturizers and oils around to try and reduce it, but none of those had any impact. Ditching this cleanser was the key. "Gentle" just isn't a good match for for my oily skin most of the time. 

Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Gel: The moisturizer I eventually gravitate towards when trying to get congestion under control. It's not fancy or terribly impressive, but it's a good basic that I know doesn't break me out. I don't plan to purchase again, but I have several samples and even an old purchased bottle that I'll happily use up.

Leaders AC Clear Treatment Mask: eh, fine. Decent fit, good moisture, not terribly offensive in the olfactory department. It doesn't wow me, but I don't hate it either.

Left Hand Soap Company Sugar Scrub, Peppermint & Sage: one of my favorite scrubs. It's very basic in that it's nothing but castor oil, sugar, and essential oils for scent, but I love love love the scent, and it does a good job. It doesn't leave my shower slippery either. I go through it fairly quickly, the oil and sugar both dribble away pretty easily, but I love supporting a small, local company. I have more, and will definitely rebuy again in the future as well.

CeraVe Moisturizing Lotion: another good, basic formula that doesn't break me out. If I ever finish off all of my bazillion samples, I could see this being my daily driver. 

Commodity Book and Sud Pacifique Vanille Blackberry: I ordered Zoya's hand sanitzer, and it's totally unscented...it's like sticking your nose in a bottle of isopropyl alcohol, so I decided to try scenting it myself lol. I dumped both Book samples (2mL) in the bottle first, but they made zero impact, so next I pulled out my larger Sud Pacifique samples (5mL ea). They helped a bit, but it's still quite alcohol-y. However, I'm out of room in the bottle for now, so I need to use more up before I can add anything else lol. I've also got to keep potency in mind...will need to do some calcs to make sure I'm not diluting it too much, if I go further with scenting it.

Nest, Sunkissed Hibiscus: a lovely fresh, maybe somewhat fruity, floral. Sweet, but not heavy. Warm and tropical feeling, without being the usual beachy scent. I really like this one.

OUAI Leave-In Conditioner: I straightened up and cleaned out my hair stuff, and found this in the cabinet. Why, I can't fathom. I hate the heavy floral/rosy scent, and have no idea why I put it back in the cabinet after deciding I could never make myself finish it a year or two ago.  

[sonnydee]

Hope you find something that would hide the alcohol scent without diluting it much @RGbrown but that's a good way to use up some perfume samples. I use them up as bathroom sprays myself

[itsfi]

Nice job on the empties @RGbrown! Pretty as a peach is one of my favorite scents from B&BW! Oooh, thanks for the review on Sunkissed Hibiscus - I’ve wondered what it smells like - it sounds like something I would like. 

[RGbrown]

@itsfi 

That Nest scent was like summer vacation, without actually smelling like anything that normally reminds me of summer vacation. Or a soft floral for someone that normally doesn't like florals. Not that either of those make a bit of sense lol, but I really liked it, and am glad I have a mini on hand too 🙂 

[greeneyedgirl107]

@RGbrown What did you think about the Derma e Vitamin C?  I was concerned about the "natural fragrance oils" being irritants.

[RGbrown]

@greeneyedgirl107 

Ahhhh, I can't believe I forgot to do that one! 

It was fine, no sensitivity or irritation for me (but I'm not sensitive to much as it is, so take that for what its worth). The C active here is SAP (and 15% is stuck in my head for some reason, though I can't find a quick confirmation or denial of that), so it's more stable than LAA, but it's also a bit weaker. My favorite C product is by Exuviance (20% LAA), and I could tell this was a bit of a downgrade from that, but for someone that's used to lower strengths and is looking to move up, or that doesn't want an LAA product for some reason, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this as one to try. Overall I give it a thumbs up, especially for the price ($20 for 2oz is tough to beat), even though it's not something I'm looking to replace for my routine.

[greeneyedgirl107]

@RGbrown That's super helpful!  Thanks!

[Samtian]

@RGbrown I have a lotion version of the peach, it smells so good. Great job!

[RGbrown]

@Samtian 

I can be picky about some fruity scents, but BBW did a good job with this one! 🍑

[sonnydee]

April, light this month but I think its because I forgot to save some trash😬 Really separate these into 2 categories-Top: Love or like enough to use again. & Bottom:Meh....use if i got it for free & had to. 15 for April 120YTD

[itsfi]

Those are some excellent choices for your loves / likes @sonnydee! ♥️

[sonnydee]

Thanks @itsfi it looks like I was slacking in April😜

[RGbrown]

It's been a bit since I took this pic (oops) so let's see how much I can remember about these 😋

Notes in the spoiler

YTD 156

Spoiler

Andalou Naturals Luminous Night Cream
Awake Sweet Hydration Moisturizer
Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream
I'm going to lump all three moisturizers together, because all were too small to get a true read on long term usage, and all three were used during a time when my skin went a little bonkers with increased congestion. They were all...fine, I guess...but I never had enough of any of them to do any sort of "is it this or not?" testing for the goop that piled up on my face for a bit. I think overall the cleanser I was using at the time was a big contributor, but...I'll never know for sure if these might have made it worse or not.

Burt's Bees Coconut Foot Cream: an oily ointment-type of texture. It's terrible if you plan on putting on sandals and running out the door, but I love this when I am planning on putting socks on. I've used it off and on for years, and would absolutely pick it up again at some point in the future. If Ulta carried it, I'd probably already have a backup or two lol

Sweet & Shimmer face wipes: eh, I disliked 'em enough that I'm tossing half the pack. I (unfortunately) have a couple more that I've put out in my basement fridge, they'll be fine for cooling down after yard work, etc, but they annoy me greatly. They've got no slip whatsoever, and it takes two hands (and a surprising amount of frustration and work) to try and glide them across my skin. They just want to drag and stick in place. Urgh.

Skyn Iceland Berry Lip Fix: I've seen a lot of negs for this one, but I really like it...as long as it's paired with something else. I find this to be almost like a lotion for my lips, but it needs an oil or something waxy to seal it in...otherwise it disappears pretty dang quick. I've got one or two more I think, and I'll happily use them, but I don't think I'll buy more in the future.

Tinkle brow razor: dermaplaning staple. Not much to say other than it does its job quite well, and is extremely reasonable in price.

Sheet masks: fine. Daylogic (Rite Aid's house brand) would be a great daily driver, basic hydrating mask if I still had RA down here. No added fragrance, comfy sheet, plenty of serum, and does a great job of hydrating. TonyMoly was ok, the serum is milky and that always makes me a bit squeamish for some reason. IIRC, the scent was a bit floral? All in all, it was ok I think, but didn't wow me.

Too Cool For School Rule of Mastic Facial Tonic: this was a nice non-acid toner, and I liked it enough to buy a couple more while Ulta had them for something like $5-6. I use this occasionally, in the AM; non-acid toners aren't something I use often or have many complaints about, so I'm not sure I have much constructive feedback other than "sure, I likey" 😛

DevaCurl Supercream: Ok, but I didn't find it to do much more for me than my fave, Bumble's Don't Blow It, in terms of curl definition or hold, and Supercream made my hair crunchy while Bumble doesn't. While this wasn't quite a hate-pan project, I was glad to see it empty so I could move on to something else.

Glisten & Glow quick dry top coat: t.h.e.b.e.s.t. Hands down phenomenal. Super quick dry without the shrinkage Seche Vite is prone to. And glossy glossy glossy! ❤️  One bottle like this and a 2oz refill lasted me about a year (technically a little longer since I still have a bit in my current refill, but this bottle has become so cloudy and polluted over the year that it's time to bid it adieu). I pulled out my new bottle last week, and have another 2oz refill on hand as well...will never go without!

Eva NYC Freshen Up Dry Shampoo: ok, but not great. The scent is strong, and hangs around a while. I didn't mind it, but also dunno how to describe it...definitely has some floral aspects, but maybe woody also? It does a pretty decent job, but also left a fair amount of residue...after three days, it was pretty noticeable.

Bumble Pret-a-powder: still a favorite

Laura Mercier Translucent Loose Setting Powder: eh, not bad, but not great for me. I found it could be cakey sometimes even though I don't have dry skin. It also clings to my peach fuzz sometimes (I'm not always good at dermaplaning regularly lol), and that's never a look I enjoy. I like my Almay better :shrug:

Paula's Choice Resist 2% BHA: staple and daily must have. I like the Resist formula since it has peptides that the others don't. I supplement with 4% occasionally, and am even testing the 9% right now too, but 2% will be a part of my regular routine forever and ever, hallelujah, hallelujah 😛

[RebeccaBT]

Hi @RGbrown,

What a great set of empties. 

Best,

Rebecca

[RGbrown]

@RebeccaBT 

Thank you!

[itsfi]

Nice empties @RGbrown! I like that Burt’s Bees foot cream, but I agree, it’s not one to use if you’re planning on going anywhere; it does do a very nice job of making my feet soft. 

I have that top coat on my wishlist for polish pick up with month! The PC BHA is on my list of things to try for my next order. Im finding her BHA products to be very good for my skin. 

[RGbrown]

@itsfi 

Paula really does a nice job with BHA; it's an ingredient that many brands seem to either overlook or just don't care about. Maybe PC has so much of that market locked down that they don't even bother? 🤔😅

[itsfi]

@RGbrown, before Paula's Choice, my experiences with BHA product has been that it's either way too strong or not strong enough at all. Her line has options at different points of that spectrum and it's nice to have those options. It's a market that other brands are missing out on, though I'm seeing more brands dipping their toes into that pool, which is good for consumers and for the brands as they work towards developing better formula and products. 🙂