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]

Look at all these empties @Cissy63! Excellent work! Supergoop Unseen SPF was one of the first chemical sunscreens that I was able to wear without my skin being irritated. Still keep a mini of it on hand. 😁

[Cissy63]

Thanks!  I do like trying new products 

@itsfi 

[CookieGirl1]

Great batch of empties, @Cissy63 .

[Cissy63]

Thank you. @CookieGirl1 

[RGbrown]

YTD 113

Notes in the spoiler!

Spoiler

Ulta Shower Flower (2x citrus, 1x lavender): love these things! These particular scents are gone, but I have a few more, and will look forward to eventually trying the new ones too.

Cotton balls (Zoya, Ulta): basic staples. Zoya's are tiny and dense and a bit of a pain to work with compared to what I'm used to, but they still get the job done.

Hempz lotion (Pink Citron & Mimosa Flower): tart citrus scent, crisp, not bitter. Absolutely lovely, and while I can't buy any lotion at all in the near future because I have quite the stash, this is one I would absolutely use again.

Clinique Moisture Surge 72Hr Auto-Replenishing Hydrator: discontinued, so I'm not really sure what I think matters, but I found it to be just "ok". Might have been better for me in the summer when it's a little more humid, but it wasn't quite what I needed in the current drier atmosphere.

Little Barn Apothecary Coconut + Pear Refreshing Mineral Mist: used as my wetting agent when using my Dermapore. Not something I'd buy again, not really sure why I bought it in the first place as mists aren't a typical part of my routine at all, but it worked pretty well for what I needed. Burned my eyes a little from time to time though.

Ulta Lip Oil (Candy Apple): I love Ulta lip oils, they are absolutely comparable to the likes of Clarins and Dior. This was from a mini gift set a couple of years ago, so I can't rebuy it in particular, but I have several others on hand at all times.

Lip Balms - Lip Smacker (A&W Root Beer) and Burt's Bees (Ginger Lime): basic staples. I hate root beer, so it's no surprise that the A&W one wasn't my fave, but aside from that, both of these brands rotate through my balm stash pretty regularly.

Lipstick Queen lippies (Mornin' Sunshine, Hello Sailor, Medieval): these are all soft and balmy types of lipsticks with a fairly sheer tint, so I stuck them in my balm drawer to give then a shot at that at some point. Unfortunately, they aren't hydrating at all, and within an hour or so, I was pulling out a new balm instead. I don't wear any of these as lipsticks, and eventually will need to whittle my lippie collection down anyways, so I may as well go ahead and declutter these now.

Psssst! Nourish Dry Shampoo: This was ok, it worked kinda sorta well, but the powder was super clingy and hard to shake out, leaving me with a pretty severe white cast. I alternated it with another dry shampoo to prevent some of the build-up, but all in all, this one isn't going on my rebuy list.

Neutrogena Makeup Remover Cleansing Towelettes: these have fragrance, but all I caught was a weird chemically scent. They're also potentially several years old as I really have no idea when I got them, so perhaps they've gone off? Not sure what they're supposed to smell like as I've never used them before. In any case, they worked great, but I mostly used them up on swatch removal as I didn't like them near my nose.

BBW Aromatherapy Foot Cream (Eucalyptus & Spearmint): it seems BBW has discontinued their foot cream *again*, as a search of "foot" on their site now returns nothing 🙄 I love it, so of course it's gone 😕 I have a couple more in my stash to use up, but I'll be sad when I'm done!

Redken Deep Clean Dry Shampoo: true love, still my all time favorite, and not just by a little, but by a wide margin. The only dry shampoo I can use consecutively for five whole days without flaky buildup or white streaks I can't get rid of. It's scary white out of the can, but shakes out oh so easily, and does a fantastic job at keeping my hair looking fresh as long as possible. 

Sexy Hair Calm Leaf-In Leave In Conditioner: I used a John Frieda leave-in right before this one, and didn't even realize how many itchy bumps it had caused along my hairline and nape of my neck until I started using this and they all went away. This was pretty dang nice, added just a bit more frizz control, and really calmed my scalp when I hadn't even noticed it was angry. I've got other leave-ins I'm working through, but am paying more attention to any irritation that might arise, and would absolutely consider buying a full size in the future.

Peach & Lily Glass Skin Refining Serum: perfectly lovely, not something I'd buy simply because I have plenty of niacinamide stuff on hand, but goodness, I'm not sure I'll ever get through all the samples lol...this one definitely multiplies in the cabinet 😅

Tula Clear It Up Acne Clearing & Tone Correcting Gel: 2% salicylic acid that soaks in well, and has no discernible scent that I noticed, but I get way better results with Paula's Choice. After using this for a month, my cheeks were covered in tiny blackheads 😐

Kiehl's Avocado Creamy Eye Treatment: this has been oh so lovely for my drier than usual eyes this winter. I've got one more packet I'm working through right now, and might even consider buying some for next winter if I need something heavier again.

Coco & Eve Like A Virgin Hair Masque: this was ok...I didn't hate how my hair looked afterwards, but I think Briogeo Don't Despair makes my hair look and feel a bit better. It falls into "would use more samples" category so I could give it another shot, but I'm not looking to buy it.

Skyn Iceland Cooling Daily Lotion: I love the cooling sensation, but I probably should have waited another month or so for increased humidity...this is a light moisturizer, and while I've been oily my entire life, this winter gave me a taste of drier skin, and this wasn't quite heavy enough to counteract that. 

Homeworx Wild Crimson Currant: finally a Homeworx candle with really good throw...out of the several I've tried over the last three years or so, most were terribly disappointing. Unfortunately, I didn't like the scent much lol...it was a very rose-heavy floral. I have a few more candles from the brand in my stash from various sales that I will eventually use up, but overall, the brand is on my "nah, not even gonna bother" list.  

Ulta Cashmere Quince: light scent, not quite the level of throw I get from most other Ulta candles, but still not bad. Burned well as all of their others do for me. Not sure I'd rebuy this particular scent, but I'm always up for a deal on other Ulta candles.

Sand + Fog Clove & Cypress: also not a great throw, sadly, even though it had a very strong scent when cold. I could catch whiffs here and there, but I fully expected this to be almost overwhelming, and it wasn't. For $10, I won't complain, but I also won't rebuy.

Sheet masks, all good! Nice moisture, decent fit, low scent, and they stay in place well. I've only got 5 or 6 or so 2021 masks left, so yay, I'm almost caught up again 😅

[greeneyedgirl107]

@RGbrown A note on the Kiehl's Since 1851 Creamy Eye Treatment with Avocado:  I bought it 50% off a while back and really enjoyed it - so much so that I listed it as a month favorite.  Unfortunately, I now find this mediocre.  I think it has to do with the jar packaging.  I wonder if the samples worked better b/c they were sealed.  Of course you can get whatever you like, but I just wanted to offer some insight.  🙂

[RGbrown]

@greeneyedgirl107 

I hate it when a sample is amazing, but the full size disappoints. I've had that happen myself a time or two, and it always makes me gunshy about buying something. I think that's part of why I live off a lot of samples 😋 I'll be sure to keep it in mind, thanks! 

[itsfi]

@RGbrown, the Redken dry shampoo is your favorite? Hmm... may need to give that a try this spring / summer.

[RGbrown]

@itsfi 

It is amazing...I haven't found any thing that comes close to it in terms of actually making my hair look freshly washed, and not leaving even a hint of flakes or buildup. Normally for me, I can get one or the other...some leave me flakier than others, but there's always a few flakes at least by day 3 (if not earlier), or if it doesn't leave me flaky, it probably did little to nothing for me to begin with. I keep trying others because I'm always down to find a cheaper alternative, but nothing beats it so far*!

*Matrix/Biolage All-in-One Intense Dry Shampoo seems to be the same formula, just with a different scent, so I guess technically there are two true loves in my life lol. I like the Redken scent better though!

[itsfi]

That's good to know @RGbrown! Dry shampoo's are one of the few category of beauty products where I don't have to whittle down my stash. Hahaha! Made a note of both the Redken and Matrix ones. I use IGK First Class dry shampoo and love it; just think it woudn't hurt to have another one to rotate between. 

[RGbrown]

@itsfi 

First Class tackled my oil well, but turned my roots to straw...it was way too drying for me 😖 I really liked their green one though (Direct Flight I think is the name)...it's billed as their medium strength one, but I found it did a great job without being quite so harsh on my baby fine and thinning tresses. It's one I would actually rebuy, if nothing else just to remind myself now how it performed, if I ever came across a good sale again (got it for $6 at Boxy a year or two ago, but I've struggled to find anything close to that since lol).

[Samtian]

@RGbrown Ooh a ginger lime Burt's sounds amazing. 

[RGbrown]

@Samtian 

It's pretty nice! Not too spicy, just a nice mix of earthy and tangy 💚

[Cissy63]

@RGbrown  Thanks for your review.  I have wondered about some products you mentioned.  The Skyn Icelandic lotion, Redken dry shampoo and Hempz lotion.  Gives me ideas of new products to try!

[RGbrown]

@Cissy63 

Oh yay, happy to help! If you try any of them, I hope they work for you! 

[RGbrown]

Small batch today 🗑️

YTD 82

Spoiler

Aldi candles (Tropical Escape and Winter Fireside): Tropical Escape was excellent, fantastic throw as with most every Aldi candle I've tried. Winter Fireside, this is my second one of this scent, and I think the throw was a bit better than my last one, but overall, it's not Aldi's best candle for strength. I don't know if it's just this particular scent, or if it has anything to do with the entire woodwick line, as it's the only woodwick I've tried from them. Would be willing to try another scent or two in this style for more testing, but I've only seen them at the holidays, so it may be a while.

Zoya cotton balls: I got these in a gwp or gift or something, and I'm glad I didn't buy them, as they are *tiny*. I mean, they're cotton, they work for my polish removal purposes, but I go through them soooooo quickly. One, maybe two fingers per niblet, and if I unroll them, I miiiiight get three (I can generally get 6-8 out of the Ulta cotton balls, as a comparison). I have another smaller bag I'm using up, and would use more if they showed up at my door, but I'd never intentionally buy them.

Zoya Remove+: long time favorite as a commercially ready remover. I've started making my own with acetone and glycerin because it's sooooo much cheaper, but with the right sale, I'd absolutely stock up on this again. In the mean time, I have a little left on hand that I use from time to time.

Lip Smackers balm (Skittles - Mango Tangelo): great flavor, and a decent enough daily balm.

Tatcha The Kissu Lip Mask (gratis): I used this once a day, right before bed as my overnight lip stuff. It's got a clingy jelly texture that sticks to my lips all night long, which is good. The scent is light, not overpowering, another plus, and I'd wake up with soft lips that weren't dry or otherwise uncomfy. These are all good things! But...it still runs a distant second to Sara Happ Dream Slip for me, for a few reasons. First, when I'm using SH regularly, I have to scrub my lips once, maybe twice a month, but with Tatcha, I was having to scrub at least weekly, if not twice a week...while my lips were soft and seemingly well moisturized, they stayed fairly flaky on a consistent basis. SH also lasted me waaayyy longer...I got over two years out of one tub of SH, whereas Tatcha gave me about 6.5 months; I found myself using way more Tatcha each night due to the thinner consistency, whereas SH is this thick, dense-but-spreadable texture that only needs the tiniest bit. I didn't dislike Tatcha enough to toss it early, and I did finish the entire jar, but it's not going on my rebuy list. Overall, I am thrilled that I got to try it as it's something I definitely never would have bought for myself (thank you Sephora!), but it didn't knock SH out of my HG spot.   

Bumble and bumble Pret-a-Powder loose dry shampoo: I try and alternate loose dry shampoo with aerosol because aerosols are expensive and I go through them quickly. The drawback is that powders can be messy, and there's no "perfect" applicator. I decant it into an old Alterna "pump" bottle, which is the least frustrating package I've found for me, and it works relatively well. So far, this is my fave loose powder...it does a good job at zapping my oil without being too terribly bad with scalp buildup. It's not gritty, it shakes out easily, and the scent is light. I have a full size bottle on hand, though I have a sample or two of others to try as well

Matrix Biolage Hydrasource shampoo: eh, falls into "I don't love it, but I don't mind using it up". It's not nearly as hydrating as my true love Wella Fusionplex, but I've also used much much worse over the years. My hair needs a little extra conditioner after using this, but it doesn't feel completely like straw. Lathers well, cleans well, just not quite as hydrating as the name implies. Wella hasn't done a ton of sales lately, so I'm mostly just using this up to stretch my supply of my favorite, making sure I don't run out before there's a decent chance to stock up on it again 😛 

Biobelle and Leaders are good, low scent, nice moisture, decent fit. The Soap & Glory mask would be nicer if it weren't so strongly fragranced, but is otherwise fine with ok fit and good moisture. The Ulta mask is from one of their cutesy holiday sets a few years ago, and it was pretty terrible. The serum is fine, but the material is thick and a bit scratchy, and on top of that, the cute little reindeer face was painted on with something akin to acrylic paint...it was stiff and refused to lay down. And while there's no mention of child-sized anywhere on the mask (or on the outer carton that I can recall), it was *tiny*. Skip these sets unless you're buying for the young'uns in your life! 

[itsfi]

This is a great "small batch" of empties @RGbrown! Ahhh, sheet masks from the original line - wish the brand hadn't changed its material!! 😍

[RGbrown]

@itsfi 

I've got something like three of the old biobelles left, and then they are all gone 😢

[Mellmars1185]

@RGbrown Nice empties!

[RGbrown]

Thank you @Mellmars1185! ❣️

[itsfi]

I went through a lot of mini  / DS / travel friendly sized products in February.

♥️Love

⭐️ Like (and would repurchase)

🙌 Like (and maybe repurchase)

🤷🏻‍♀️ Limbo (as in "I'm in limbo" about these items; undecided)

😐 Lackluster

☹️ Loathe

Spoiler

😐 There’s not anything negative that I would call out from the Living Proof Perfect Hair Day Shampoo and Living Proof Perfect Hair Day Conditioner - the products do what they are intended to do, but they're just not ones that I feel would be my first (or second, or third or ...) items to reach for when washing my hair. I found them to be "meh" compared to other shampoos and conditioners out there.

🙌 On the other hand, I really liked the results I got from the Moroccanoil Extra Volume Shampoo and Moroccanoil Extra Volume Conditioner. I wanted to try these items after I heard the good things @lnum had to say about them. The only reason these fall in the maybe repurchase side of my likes is the scent - there are some days that I love the scent but others when it's too much for my nose. 

🙌 Farmstay Real Mango Essence Mask leaves my skin hydrated and could work for all skin types, including those with oily or sensitive dskin, as an everyday mask. The price isn't bad either - they're usually available as part of a variety pack which is nice for trying out product for I've seen them sold individually for as little as $0.60 per sheet mask.

⭐ I've been a fan of the Cocofloss floss for years now. While this strawberry flavor is just okay in my mind, the floss itself does a good job of getting in and cleaning away the stuff between my teeth. 

⭐ Tatcha The Rice Wash Soft Cream Cleanser leans on the thicker side and requires water to make it more easily spreadable, but is a nice second cleanser for dry, sensitive skin. The fresh, light, slightly citrus-y scent gives off both a relaxing and energizing scent. 

🤷🏻‍♀️ I'm undecided on the Nacific Real Floral Toner Rose. It feels and smells nice, absorbs easily and has some good skincare ingredients in it as well, but I'm not sure it is a standout compared to the toners I typically reach for.

☹️ I'm probably being pretty harsh on this one. It does pain me to not love this Sanctuary Spa Nourishing Rose Petal Hydrogel Mask as it has a lot going for it - the rose petals infused in the 2-piece hydrogel adds a lovely touch as does the smell of fresh roses. But as far as performance goes, it didn't really do anything for my skin, and for a mask that costs more than $10, it really needs to do something for my skin. 

🙌 Who doesn’t love hand sanitizer these days? This Bath and Body Works Anti-Bacterial Hand Gel The Perfect Autumn one smells lovely - like fall. These come in handy for keeping in my handbag, in the car, etc. 

♥️The mango scent is my favorite of the Sephora Collection bath and body products - it's fresh, fruity and refreshing. I plan to pick up another one of these Sephora Collection Hand Wash Mango along with a few other of the mango-scented products in the lineup.

♥️I purchased the JVN sample kit and enjoyed all the products included in it, some more than others. This JVN Nurture Hydrating Conditioner is my favorite from the set - there's something about it that gives my hair body and movement, which is a huge plus for a gal with stick straight hair.

⭐ Next to lip balms / lipsticks and hand sanitizer, hand creams make up the bulk of things that end up at the bottom of my handbag. The Body Shop Almond Milk & Honey Hand Cream feels soothing on my dry and sensitive skin, especially in the winter months and this scent is my favorite of TBS' offerings.

⭐I really liked the feel of the material in this no:hj Aqua Soothing Mask Pack - Honey - the sheet is made of traditional Korean paper handmade from the inner bark of the paper mulberry tree - it's soft, thin-ish and has certain elastic and dense components to it that make for an interest fit and feel. On top of that, it leaves my skin hydrated and moisturized.

☹️ I don't know if I just got around to this item well past its prime or what, but the Rituals Zensation Foaming Shower Gel Sensation did not live up to its name at all - there was zero foaming (I'm not even sure it worked itself up into even a lather), hard to call it a gel as it was pretty runny, and I wouldn't use the word "zen" to describe the scent (too perfume-y and strong) or the formula. It did do what it was supposed to do - clean, but that was about it. I have this feeling that this product may be one of the oldest in my stash and probably past its expiry date.

⭐I was surprised by how much I enjoyed The Creme Shop Rose Gold Special Edition Fusion Sheet Mask - it smelled like real rose petals and left my skin feeling soft, smooth and nicely moisturized, with a little bit of a bounce to it as well. 

🙌 The texture on the  Innisfree Perfect UV Protection Skin (Dry Skin) is very nice - it's lightweight but still moisturizing. There's a slight sunscreen smell - it's very faint, thankfully. It feels cooling on my skin and has a slight white cast on me initially (my complexion is on the light side) that fades away. Sinks in pretty well and leaves a bit of a dewy sheen that works well as a primer but may not be something those with oilier skin will like.   

🤷🏻‍♀️ Up&Up Gel Nail Polish Remover Foils - I don't have gel nails but find these pads to work well for removing glitter nail polish. This is my favorite brand of nail polish remover pads but it works. 

♥️Few products receive HG (holy grail) status from me, let alone a skincare item, mainly because a product really has to perform exceptionally well and be something I've used or repurchased for a long period of time. Bioderma Sensibio H2O Micellar Water Makeup Remover, however, most definitely deserves its HG status. It's been my "go-to" pre-cleanser-slash-makeup-and-SPF-remover for ... oh gosh, maybe 8 years now!! Every so often, I will try other micellar waters that hit the market, but always have this one on hand and come back to it time and time again.

🙌 I have not tried all of the body washes from this line, but so far, the Method Body Wash Pure Peace is my favorite and the only one of the bunch that I've repurchased. It has a nice floral scent and leaves my skin feeling soft, smooth and moisturized. I didn't find it to be too overpowering but if you are sensitive to scents and particularly floral scents, it's one you might want to avoid. 

♥️Over the years, I've acquired a love for oil in serum sheet masks, especially in the cooler seasons when my skin is dry and sensitive. The Illiyoon Oil Smoothing Mask is a new favorite - the sheet is incredibly thin (0.2mm) and lightweight, adheres beautifully to my skin and wears incredibly well. My skin just slurps up the oil serum and feels soft, smooth and moisturized after using it. 

MTD: 22 (of which 5 were sheet masks)

YTD: 62 (20 sheet masks)