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Empties

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.

Re: Empties

I have a massive shopping bag of empties somewhere, but cannot tackle that one, lol. I’m the meantime, here are a few recents. 

loves (well or already have repurchased) - 😍

Fine but not amazing - 😏

Okay but too small to tell really - 🤔


I may have another pic of some other empties that I took but didn’t post, let me look for that one. Also, gonna x-post to Empties V2 because I can’t keep track of the two! 💗💗

 

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Re: Empties

@sister13  I had a sample of Egg Mellow facial cleanser (I think the cleanser) but it was not anything exceptional.  Thank you for your post 😀

Re: Empties

YTD 383

 

Notes below!

 

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Spoiler
Aldi candles
-Cypress Mint: one of the weaker Aldi candles I've come across lately, sadly. Gorgeous scent when cold, fresh and woody, but low on the throw scale.
-Apple Prosecco: lovely crisp apple scent, decent throw.
-Mulled Wine: I caught more of a hot buttered rum scent from this one, it definitely had a creamy undertone I wasn't expecting, but it was a gorgeous scent nonetheless, and had amazing throw. This was from a holiday set several years ago, so sadly, not repurchaseable.

Ulta cotton balls: basic staple, perfectly fine.

BBW Vanilla-tini Shower Gel: bbw shower gel is a basic staple for me, true love category; this scent was fantastic, though I don't think it's around anymore.

Nioxin Instant Fullness Dry Shampoo: this has become a surprise "really like it". It's got a bit of a hairspray texture that I normally hate, but I've decided recently that a little lift is a good thing for my bangs, so I use this the first day after washing my hair. As a dry shampoo, it's kinda meh, not super effective for me after about day two, and I can only use it once because it builds up to where it's too stiff, but it's great on day one for a hint of oil removal and volume on my bangs. I've got another travel can in progress now, and could be persuaded to pick up a new full size with a deal (though I'm also now open to other texture type dry shampoos, so I'm not committing to this one for eternity quite yet 😛 )

Donna Karan Cashmere Mist deodorant: my oh my, this stuff smells sooooo good. Not sure I can bring myself to sring for a $30 deo in the future, but I got this mini in a GWP and have loved every second of it. I do have one more in my stash that I'll probably save for next summer, as it works incredibly well even through intense humidity and sweating in the southern heat.

Burt's Bees Pomegranate Lip Balm: basic staple. I only buy these now with a great deal, but part of that is because my balm stash is massive and I have tons to use up. Would buy again in the future, but not necessarily committed to making sure I have BB handy at all times like I used to. It's fine, and I've found that there are lots of other "just fine" options out there too.

PTR Pumpkin Enzyme Mask: true love, and I have tons more on hand, perhaps way more than one person should ever need, but this really helps smooth out my face and erase all sorts of buildup. I don't use it often...would like to settle into around twice a month, but that's just infrequently enough that I forget all about for a month or more at a time lol. Quite possibly my favorite scrub of all time (sure, enzymes possibly help too, but really the main feature of this, to me at least, is the scrub aspect).

Ulta Lip Oil (Spiced Vanilla): basic staple, true love, Ulta's lip oils are so freaking good, comparable to Dior and Clarins just in plainer packaging. This was a great scent, part of an old LE holiday scent...they really should expand their offerings with scents like this year round.

BBW Aromatherapy Foot Cream: true love, but discontinued 😞

Pacifica Island Vanilla Hair & Body Mist: fine, I guess. I don't think about body mists often, so this got repurposed as a room spray, and it was a-ok for that.

Ulta Shower Flower (Sweet Slumber): not much scent to this one. I think it has been discontinued anyways, they revamped the lineup a couple of years ago and this is an old one.

Wella Elements Renewing Mask: my least favorite Wella item to date. That's not to say it's bad (not at all!), it just didn't leave me with the wow hair I get after using FusionPlex or NutriCurls, and I am used to being astounded by Wella stuff lol. This mask was good enough to get me by, it didn't leave my hair looking awful, but it didn't give me the same results I get from some of their other lines. Worthy of trying if you are interested though!

 

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Sheet masks, mostly fine. As someone who hates anything around her neck (no turtlenecks, no chokers, not even crewneck tshirts unless it's oversized so the neck isn't bothering me; I can stand a scarf, but only when it's coooooold), I'm not sure why I even had this in my stash in the first place, but no surprise, I hated it, I think I lasted about 10 minutes before ripping it off and gasping for air lol. There's nothing wrong with it if you don't have weird issues with things touching your throat like I do though! Out of the rest, Patchology was a bit overly scented for my taste (perhaps mild to some, but I found it bordered on perfumey). Fairly certain I've reviewed the rest recently; out of them, I think the Tonymoly Collagen is my fave, it's the most hydrating of the lot, and that's really all I want or expect from a sheet mask.

 

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I thought I had cleaned out all my old topcoats like a year or two ago, but found a few I guess I decided to keep for whatever reason. I'm enamored enough with Glisten & Glow that these are completely unnecessary and will never get used, so I'll dump them out, clean the bottles, and save at least some of them for future mixing ventures or cuticle oil or something.

 

I've learned a hard lesson (again) about hoarding some things; Ulta lip oils definitely do not have an infinite shelf life, and I'm doing my best to race through my stash use what I have before the rest go bad 😕 The Sweet & Shimmer lip oil may still be fine, but the packaging annoys me so much that I tossed my last one half used, so I'm not hanging on to this one. The sunscreen lip balm is way past it's exp date, and is starting to smell funny as well.

Re: Empties

Yeah, I’m not a fan of neck masks either @RGbrown for the exact same reasons. 👊🏼 If they are included with a sheet mask I’ve picked up, I’ll apply the neck mask elsewhere; if it’s connected to the face mask, out comes my mini scissors. 😂 No can do. 

Yep, Glisten & Glow is my shiny top coat of choice. Good reminder, thank you; I need to do a declutter of the other top coats in my stash. At this point, it’ll be something  to add for my 2023 “to do” list, but I’ll try to remember to pull them when I run across ‘em in my bin. 

Re: Empties

Even though it is past mid October,  I have my empties from September.

 

I really liked all of these products.  Some were repurchasesI really liked all of these products. Some were repurchases

 

These were declutteredThese were decluttered

 

Re: Empties

Always nice to see empties @Cissy63! Out of curiosity, was the Lancôme mascara primer a declutter because it wasn’t working well for you or was it past its prime?

Re: Empties

YTD 352

 

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Spoiler
Ulta Aromatherapy Shower Tablets (Lavender Berries): love love love these, and after going through a bunch of different scents in my stash, this is definitely my favorite off all the ones Ulta has done. Long discontinued though, I'll have to ration out the few I have left.

Derma E Vitamin C Gentle Daily Cleansing Paste: pretty decent cleanser. I wasn't wowed, but I can't really figure out why...low scent, didn't strip my skin, light lather that rinsed well (and didn't get all foamy and difficult to remove from my hairline like some do). It has a few scrubby bits in it, but there were so few that I don't think they really did much, and they definitely weren't harsh or scratchy...they felt fairly well rounded, and just slipped around my fingertips. All in all it was a good cleanser I'd use again.

AG Hair Vita C Conditioner: sweet mint scent. Worked pretty well for my fine/oily/curly hair, though not as well as Wella Fusionplex. Might use again if I had more samples, but not looking to buy at all.

Matrix Biolage All-In-One Intense Dry Shampoo: Matrix's dupe of Redken Deep Clean (which is my HG). This is scary white out of the can, but shakes out so freakin' easily, and it's the best dry shampoo I've ever used on my fine but oily hair. Leaves my hair looking fresh and clean without any sort of stiffness or texture or grit, and just as shiny as if I'd just washed it. Truly amazing stuff ❣️

Verso Super Eye Serum: way back in my early BIC days, I stumbled upon this on Sephora's site and desperately wanted to try it (back when they carried the brand), so much so that I steeled myself for a Sephora visit specifically to ask for a sample for the first time ever. Turned out my store didn't carry it...womp womp. But I was thrilled when I got this in a sub box last year, and good grief, a 20mL eye serum? That's INSANE. I've been using this for what feels like eternity, even used a decent amount up on my neck just because I was bored and ready to move on 😅 It's lovely, a thinner texture than I expected, but with plenty of hydration for my sometimes drier eye area, and it never irritated my skin or caused any breakouts. Would use again. 

Peach & Lily Glass Skin Water Gel Moisturizer: lovely stuff. My face is oily, but can lean dehydrated, and this did a great job for me during the tail end of summer. Not sure it would be enough for me on its own in winter, but I'd bet adding one of my oils would amp it up. I've got two more of this size to use up (along with some other moisturizers), and depending on how that goes, it just might be a buy for me in the future...this is definitely in the running to be a regular feature in my daily routine.

Kiehl's Calendula Herbal Extract Toner: just a basic toner, used to add a little extra hydration under the rest of my skincare. Falls into the "I'll use samples, but not interested in purchasing" category.

Paula's Choice Resist 2% BHA: true love, all time superstar, and I love the addition of peptides in this one. I always have more PC BHA on hand, mostly this one, sometimes the Clear version. Both are watery in finish, no oily feel like the original, and do wonders for keeping my blackheads at bay.

Victoria's Secret Vanilla Lace Body Lotion: long time true love, it's time to finally say goodbye to the very last of my bottles of this discontinued scent. This one is only about half empty, but I can tell the scent is starting to turn and there are a few black specks in it (ewwww). It's somewhere in the neighborhood of 7-8 years old, so it's my own fault for hoarding it for so long.

Ulta Black Salt Vanilla Body Lotion: love love love this one! The scent is amazing; I don't catch a ton of vanilla, at least not the typical sweet version of it, but there's a sort of mineral/salty woody freshness going on here that is simply divine. Unisex for sure, perhaps even masculine-leaning to some. I bought 2 more bottles at the last sale (and 2 candles, though the candles don't have as much throw as I'd like). 

 

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Spoiler
Ulta Sparkling Leaves candle: good throw. Still can't quite decide if I actually like the scent or not...it's a little woody (which I love) and a little floral (not always a fan). I don't hate it by any means, I keep buying it to try it again (this is my second, and I have a third on he shelf lol) but I'm still on the fence as to whether it's "good" to me or not.

Aldi Orange Blossom Apricot: fresh and fruity, could be a bit stronger throw-wise, but I've had much worse. Nice citrus + apricot scent. Burned well until it got close to the bottom, where the wick slid out from the center of the jar to the outside edge (hello melted label), and I caught it too late, winding up with a good bit more leftover wax than normal. 

Give Them Lala Stay Calm Sheet Mask: This is the second I've used out of a 5pk, and I really liked it again, perhaps enough to consider buying more. The material is super thin, and the serum is super hydrating...I can go without moisturizer until whenever my next face wash/full routine comes up in my day. Next to no scent. Two thumbs up from me!

Kwailnara Strawberry Milk Vitalizing Mask: the weakest one I have in my current stash, it's only so-so in terms of hydration, and I have to follow it up with moisturizer pretty much immediately. Light, creamy strawberry scent, thin and comfy sheet. It's fine, I'll finish off the rest of the box, but it won't be a rebuy.

TONYMOLY Master Lab Collagen sheet mask: low scent, decent hydration. Not bad, have a few more that I'll finish up happily (quickly, as Ulta sent out ones that expired in Sept 🙄)

Re: Empties

@RGbrown   Lots of good info.  I appreciate your comments on the Redken dry shampoo that you like and also the Matrix Biolage dry shampoo.  I have looking for a new brand 😊

Re: Empties

@Cissy63 

Happy to help! Redken is my fave, I like the scent a bit more than the Matrix one, but as far as I can tell in any other way, they are almost exactly the same...the ingredient lists between the two are nearly identical. 

I'm having a brain fart, can't remember if you're in the US or Canada, but if US, check JCP (is JCP in Canada? I don't know?!). They run one or both for $10ish fairly often (Redken Deep Clean is $9.90 right now!) 

Re: Empties

Thanks.  I’m in US. So will check out JCP!

Re: Empties

Another month, another batch of trash 🗑️ YTD 337

 

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Spoiler
Homeworx Citrus Mojito candle: disappointing throw as with many of the Homeworx candles I've tried

Aldi Palo Santo Eucalyptus candle: amazing scent when cold, though not as much throw as I'd like, maybe medium strength. Burns well as does most every Aldi candle I've tried, and I've got one of these in the larger jar as well, maybe size matters? 

Ulta Black Salt Vanilla candle: pretty much the same review as the Aldi candle, gorgeous scent that just isn't quite as strong as I'd like. Some days I wonder if it's my nose, not the candles...

TIGI S Factor Serious Conditioner: nice moisture, does a pretty decent job with my fine, thinning, wavy hair. Long discontinued now, I'm finally clearing out some stuff I had been saving up because I didn't want to run out of it lol.

Nioxin Instant Fullness Dry Shampoo: dry shampoo with a hairspray feel. Normally I hate texture in a dry shampoo, but I kinda liked this one? I'd use it on day 1 to give my bangs some volume, but I didn't like layering it on multiple days as it got too thick and made my hair stiff, so day 2 and forward, I'd use one of my weightless/texture-free dry shampoos. I like this approach!

Not Your Mother's Curl Talk Defining Cream: thicker than any cream I've used before, with a texture that felt a bit sticky in my hands, but I never noticed it weighing down my hair or making it look greasy. Overall it was fine, nothing amazing, but nothing terrible either. 

Dove Everyday Body Mist (Plum & Sakura Blossom): not my scent at all...this bottle moved with me to current place 8.5 years ago (!) lol. I will say, if Dove even makes a body mist anymore, this one lasted for what seemed like forever...I could smell it for hours after spraying it.

Pravana Intense Therapy Leave-In: the scent was familiar...cherry cough syrup-ish, maybe, and I freaking LOVED it. Not sure the product itself did much for me, but it didn't do anything bad either, and I'd use it again just to sniff it lol.

The Body Shop Pinita Colada Shower Gel: weird chemical scent, not much pineapple at all. Functionally, the shower gel was fine, but the scent was a dud.

Dionis Lip Balm (Sweet Berry): basic balm, nice scent, I really like all of the ones I've tried from this brand!

Zoya Remove+: HG, absolutely fantastic at removing polish in a flash while being a bit gentler than straight acetone. It's spendy, so I make a DIY dupe when I can't get a sale, but I love this enough to keep coming back whenever I can get a deal!

Hempz Fresh Coconut & Watermelon Body Lotion: the first Hempz lotion I've been disappointed with...this one was a bit thinner than any others I've tried, and wasn't nearly as moisturizing.

Butter London Nail Foundation: my all time fave basecoat for filling in some ridges and giving me a smooth base. This was my last bottle for now, I've got a few others to work through, but I'll happily come back to it in the future after finding a deal

Josie Maran Pineapple Enzyme Pore Clearing Cleanser: perfectly lovely, low scent, and cleansed well without stripping my skin. I have soooooo many cleanser samples that I can't even pretend to say whether or not I'd rebuy this one, but I'd happily use it again if it ever showed up in another gwp

Ole Henriksen Cold Plunge Pore Mask: forgot I had this, found it in my travel bag that was likely last packed somewhere around 3 years ago 😮  No longer cooling, and there's a slight weird undertone to the scent, so it's probably high time to toss this one.

 

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Sheet masks, all good! The Ulta one has a decently strong banana scent, but the rest are very low scent, and all left me with enough moisture to be happy going without moisturizer for a while. 

 

Re: Empties

@RGbrown  You did a great job!! I can never get through candles!!

Re: Empties

@Cissy63 

I tend to go through them in spurts...I'll burn one all day every day for several days, then forget I even own any candles for a while, then start back up again 😅 I love keeping them going though (at least when it's a good one)!

Re: Empties

@RGbrown you went through the biggie Zoya remover!  No surprise, lol.  I've also heard really good things about the Josie Maran cleanser but never tried it myself so I appreciate your thoughts.

Re: Empties

@CookieGirl1 

IIRC, I can go through one of those Zoya removers in something like 7-8 months? I'd have to look back through some of my older empties pics to double check that, but it was pretty quick. (ETA: 4 months 😮) This one has actually been open for well over a year, maybe even close to two now, but I had stopped using it for a while to make sure I could make my DIY brew close enough...I didn't want to run out in case I hated my homemade stuff, and then when my homemade stuff was good enough, I just kept saving the Zoya lol. But now I have a couple more bottles of Zoya, so I can start using it again without feeling like I'll run out any time soon!

 

The cleanser was good! 

Re: Empties

Lol, four months is pretty impressive, @RGbrown 😂.

Re: Empties

@RGbrown  Great job!!! 

Re: Empties

@ather 

Thanks so much! 💖

Re: Empties

@RGbrown my nose has been deceiving me, too, recently.   I dug out my BBW Merry Cookie candle and couldn't smell a thing.   Oh how I loved it in years past.

Re: Empties

@greeneyedgirl107 

It's so disappointing lately! Perfumes smell fine to me though, so it's gotta be the candles, right? But surely not every candle I burn is just mediocre......or maybe they are? I dunno, goodness knows I can't tell. I love burning candles, but not being able to smell them is driving me a little bonkers of late 🙃

Re: Empties

@RGbrown You have a very good point in noting that fragrance smells fine - which I think proves your point that too many candles are mediocre at best.  

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