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.

[sister13]

Nice job! @MoniDJ

[curlychiquita]

Great February, @MoniDJ! I'm glad you enjoyed so many of your sheet masks.

[WhereYouStand]

great job on your empties and great job on the way you displayed your empties the presentation is perfect I think how you took the photos is a method  called flatlay photography  but I am not sure. at least that's what it looks like? I've been researching how to do that. I am not good with flat lays. I want to get better to try them on instagram. anyways great job all around !

[fieldsofclover]

Here's the rest of February! I'm hoping to "reverse-Rouge" this year and use up at least $1k of products, so this isn't too bad.

Spoiler

Will re/purchase all the loves, or have already... the GlamGlow and Shiseido will need to be on sale, but I'll pay full fare for everything else. Bought a full size of the Laura Mercier Bare Radiance before I had even finished the sample... one of my favorite SAs had been coaxing me into trying it for a while 😂

Likes: the Leaders brightening masks are good but the packaging has a bit too much waste for me to want to repurchase (this one has backing on both sides of the mask inside). Everything else was ok but not exciting enough to pay real money for. I really like the results of the Ole night gel but had set that bottle aside for a while because it pills up on me if I stack it with any non-Ole products.

No's: I like the regular MJ liners but the skinny ones dry out even faster! Mr. Big formula is nice but the wand is too annoying. I'm not the target market for lash primer so it didn't do anything except make my mascaras apply less evenly.

[sparklekai]

reverse rougeing was my initial goal too...somehow i'm already there? so apparently time for a new goal!

[fieldsofclover]

@sparklekai Hey that's great! Next for me will be reverse-Platinum (since I'm sure I'll make platinum at Ulta this year, if not diamond by the end of the year) so maybe something like that? Or reverse-Rouge every quarter if you're really near the end of a bunch of high-end stuff?

[curlychiquita]

@fieldsofclover, reverse rouge is a great way to put it!  I like it!  Good job in February on emptying so many products!

[heartsmyface]

Oh strange.  I wonder what’s making the ole pill on you.  I love their stuff and don’t ever have problems.  ...I tend to press skincare into my skin rather than rub it in so maybe that’s the only thing stopping it from pilling.  @fieldsofclover

[fieldsofclover]

@heartsmyfaceI think it's because I prefer oil-based emulsions or facial oils to water-based sleeping masks, so even if I take a lot of time between steps or there is another product in between, the chemistry just interferes somehow.

[Anonymous]

@fieldsofclover  That Ole product seems to pill up even WITH other Ole products. It pills with Truth Serum on me and Sheer Transformation (using them in tandem in different configurations is how I learned ST breaks me out horribly). And that one makes me sad because I like it / had better results with it more than any other peel or acid type product I've tried.  The only reason I've cheated on it is because of the pilling issue. 

[Aaliaa]

👍🏼 for Kale @fieldsofclover

[fieldsofclover]

@Aaliaa 🥗🥗🥗😂

[RGbrown]

Feb empties!

Loves

Spoiler

Spoiler

Ulta body wash: I did not like their "juice smoothie" line, but their regular stuff seems to be pretty much a dupe of basic BBW body wash. Would happily use more.

Caldrea Hand Lotion, Plum Nutmeg: heaven in a bottle. Sooo wish I had more.

Tigi S Factor Moisture Leave-In Spray: works well for lightweight moisture and detangling without weighing down my fine hair. Bought a backup after forgetting I had a bottle of a different detangler to try next, so I'm all set for a good long while

BBW Wild Honeysuckle Body Wash: Found this in the back of my stash while reorganizing, and it only had a little bit left. Love the scent, but I also see why I set it off to the side at one point...it could be come way tooo heavy/sweet floral after a few uses. Using here and there is a nice departure from my normal fruity/citrusy range though.

Tony Moly Foot Peel: This was my first foot peel, and I'm enamored! My feet are pretty tough though...it took 9 days for the peeling to start, and day 21 was about the first time I would have worn sandals again. I'd say it got about 75% of my calluses...the thickest ones are still there, but much thinner. I bought two since they were bogo50, so I'll be doing the second one soon and see how much more it gets off. Definitely interested in more of these or trying other brands.

Tarte Pack Your Bags eye patches: I'm not terribly experienced with patches of any sort...I think these were the first ones I've ever used. They felt great and my eyes seemed a little brighter/less puffy. Definitely open to more.

Body Shop Amazonian Acai Energizing Radiance Mask: this felt so good...it was nice and cool even without refrigeration. Left my skin soft and bright.

Capri Blue hand cream, Volcano: another heavenly scent. Tropical fruity/floral with a nice burst of citrus too keep it from being too sweet. While I'd love to bathe in this daily, I have too much other stuff on hand right now, but I am considering a candle or something in this scent.

Pacifica Kale Detox Face Wash: "Squeaky clean" without being dry and tight. I never thought I'd be picky about cleansers, but as I use more and more samples, I realize that there really is a difference. If I ever get tired of samples and want a steady daily cleanser, this will be high on the purchase list.

Grace Cole Grapefruit, Lime & Mint bath soak: I don't have a tub, but used this as a foot soak while doing my foot peel. Smells so incredible! I don't like her lotion formula, but would totally buy more of this in bw or soak format if I ever needed something.

OH Truth Serum: staple in my morning skincare routine. Have multiple samples already in place.

Orland Pita Play Ampli-Tint Color Depositing Hair Mask: this stuff is fun! I have medium to darkish brown hair naturally, and using this strictly as a conditioner in the shower, I got a pretty nice red tone after 3 uses. If I had done it as directed and used it as mask for longer than the 5 or so minutes I left it in, it probably would have been even deeper in color with just one use. After playing with it that way, I dyed my hair red with my usual temp dye (Natural Instincts), and then used this as my conditioner after each wash. Normally the dye lasts maaayyybe a month on it's own, but I'm still sporting red hair over two months later. Noticeably red, as in now I have brown roots and have never had to deal with that before lol. I have another tube of this in the cabinet so I can play with red again maybe in the fall 😄
 

Likes

Spoiler

Candles: I think the first is a Glade and the second is an AirWick, and then the Yankee. All fine, nothing special. I used to love Yankee, but find more and more that they just don't burn well. There's probably 30% of the wax still left in the jar. Meh.

Indie Hair Dry Shampoo: I got a sample of this and loved it so much that I bought several full size. The scent is very nostalgic for me, though I can't put my finger on exactly what it is trying to remind me of. Something from my teens, and it's a very happy scent for me...wish I could figure it out what it is. But after getting through a couple of full sizes, I've decided it's not my HG after all lol. Works decently, but nothing spectacular. Ulta has stopped carrying it anyways, so I can't buy more without hunting it, even if I wanted to.

Redken Pillow Proof dry shampoo: works a little better than Indie, but very perfumey. Not my fave scent. Will use more samples if I get them, but not sure I'd invest real money in it.

Eucerin Intensive Repair foot lotion: it does the job, and have a couple more around here from my drugstore-couponing days. I have others I prefer, but this is squarely in the "perfectly fine" column.

The One by Frederick Fekkai Universal conditioner: Finished off the matching shampoo a while back, and somehow forgot about the conditioner. It worked well for me, which can be tricky for fine, thinning hair. I wouldn't buy again (I was actually curious enough about the brand to buy a travel set, since I've never come across a sample), but mainly because I just haven't allowed myself to think that $28 is an ok price for an 8oz bottle of shampoo or conditioner yet.

Delectable Coconut & Cream body lotion: smells heavenly! A little on the thin side though...even topping it off with body oil left me feeling a bit dry after 12ish hours. Might have been better off trying this one in the humid summer instead of during the dry winter. 

dpHUE ACV Detangling Spray: does the job very well. That smell though...

Shiseido Benefiance WrinkeResist24 eye cream: I like it fine. I'm prone to milia and breakouts in the eye/temple region, and this caused neither. I haven't noticed any reduction in lines or anything like that, but I feel soft and moisturized without being greasy or sticky, which makes this a solid choice for me. I have more samples, but will continue rotating though others as well.

Noxzema cleanser: I got an old-school wild hair to buy this probably 3 years ago. It was fun to use every now and again for nostalgia's sake, but it languished at the back of my stash for the most part. I used roughly 75% of it, but found it had turned when I pulled it out a couple of weeks ago.

Glow Recipe Watermelon Glow Sleeping Mask: I feel like a heretic after reading so many glowing reviews, but this was squarely "ok" for me. I also had a breakout while I was alternating between this and another mask for a few days. I kinda think the culprit was the other one, but I'm still giving this the side-eye just in case. Would need more samples before considering a purchase.

Origins GinZing Gel Moisturizer: liked it pretty well. Lightweight moisture, didn't clog me up any worse than anything else. Would use more samples, but not in a rush to buy.

Burts Bees/SoftLips/Tarte balms: all perfectly fine. The Tarte formula was a bit soft, and would melt in my pocket, making it less than stellar for toting around on a day of errands, but no real issues with any of these. Have more BB and SL already in my stash to use up.

Philosophy Miracle Worker Miraculous Anti-Aging Retinoid Eye Repair: the texture is somewhere between solid bacon grease and diaper rash ointment, which took me a bit to get used to. Kinda slimy/oily, but it sank in well and felt nice. I didn't see any miracles though. Would use more samples, but wouldn't buy.

UD eyeshadows: already a staple for me lol. I'm not falling all over myself to buy these particular shades, but I have similar ones in the myriad of palettes I already own.

More likes

Spoiler

I'm relatively new to sheet masks, and don't have much feeling either way towards any of these. Didn't hate them, but I can also imagine living sheet-mask-free and being perfectly happy too. Nothing stood out as "omg I need more".

Nope nope nope

Spoiler

Shower pouf: this was one of the 5/$5 poufs from Ulta before Xmas. I swear I bought some last year and they weren't bad, but maybe I bought something else. These are way too small for my taste, and way too soft. At least I'll be motivated to swap them out more frequently than I normally do lol

Glade candle: the single worst burning candle I have ever had. The wicks were way too weak, and would burn themselves down to next to nothing. I couldn't get more than one to stay lit at a time. Smells so good though...I think I may buy some wicks and melt down the leftovers into something else.

Origins United State Balancing Tonic: alcohol 😞 I grew up on alcohol-based toners and while I haven't used one in years now, I still remember them fondly for some reason lol. This pretty much killed all fondness for them...I have successfully controlled my oil for a year now, and poof, like magic, I was an oil slick a couple of days after starting this.

Laneige lip mask: I tried valiantly to like this, but it's not for me. Using it at night in place of Clarins Lip Oil, my lips started peeling pretty badly again within a couple of days. Using it in place of my usual balms during the day, and I started to feel like my lips were lightly burning. Not like an allergic reaction, and not terribly painful...but they just felt chapped and dry, kinda like mild rug burn (or I guess wind burn would be the more appropriate term) on my lips. Destashing this after two weeks of trial.

UD Go Naked perfume oil: way too floral to be called beachy IMHO, and way too floral for my taste.

Catherine Malandrino: too floral/powdery for me

m-61 Vitablast A&C Eye: destashing as it had turned

Hempz Blushing Grapefruit & Raspberry Creme Color Preserving Shampoo: smelled nice, and worked well the first few uses, but after a few washes, it felt like it was weighing down my hair/wasn't cleaning well. I had to up my usage of my clarifying shampoo, which I was trying to avoid while I had my hair dyed. Meh.  

[Aaliaa]

Wow thats a great set of empties @RGbrown!

[pinyo]

You did an amazing job @RGbrown

[curlychiquita]

Awesome set of empties, @RGbrown! Thanks for your reviews!

[Anonymous]

@RGbrown  I love when these posts come with mini reviews.  I am filing away the Tony Moly foot peel info.  I have a Patchology, the original Babyfoot and one other with a panda on the package on deck.  I'm kind of excited to see how they compare.

I am hoping I like the watermelon mask sample I have.  I understand feeling like a heretic when cult products don't go my way.  I have seen a mini set of the blueberry cleanser and the mask if you don't want to commit to a full size.  I completely understand side-eyeing it.

And regarding your sheet mask comment, I can fully admit that I like the collection aspect and the packaging of sheet masks more than I like using them.  They're my pokemon cards at this point.

[RGbrown]

@Anonymous

I giggled at Pokemon cards 😄

My sis asked me if I had ever seen a sample of the Watermelon Glow not more than a few days after I had finished it off. I was all "um, well, yes but...if only I had known!"

@heartsmyface I was afraid of that...hate the price point on Babyfoot, but I guess sometimes a higher price does equal better 😕

[heartsmyface]

Baby-foot is by far the best in my books.  The others don’t deliver the same depth of peel.  @Anonymous

[Guessgal]

I just got to the end of these eye patches, but I’ve actually been wanting to talk about these for so long! They are amazing - they really do lighten my under eye circles. I find that they work best when I wear them back to back 2 days before a special event. (See spoiler for pics + details)

Spoiler

The first night I wear these, my under eye circles will lighten significantly. Then, wearing them the second night will take away the dark areas that are left (like the stubborn inner eye corners). The third night effects are usually about the same as the second night so I just stick to wearing them for 2 days at a time.

After first day

Excuse my makeupless face, but you can kind of see the shape of the patch where the undereye is lightened. I’ve attached a pic of how the patch is placed for reference.

[Mochapj]

FEBRUARY EMPTIES: I made a beauty resolution for 2018 to get through a chunk of my sheet mask stash. I'm not as ambitious as @heartsmyface - I'm only aiming to do 2x/week but so far, so good.  I enjoy sheet masking but I often forget to do it so they end up piling up under my sink.  That said, my skin has been looking more radiant since I started working on this challenge 🙂 

YEAHYEAHYEAHYEAHYEAH'S:

Spoiler

Farmacy Brightening (x3) and Firming Sheet Masks - Farmacy makes some of my favourite sheet masks because they work really well and are hydrogel so they stick to your face. The Brightening mask is a perennial fave but the Firming is quite nice, too.

Karuna Luxe Skin Restoring Face Mask - I really liked how plumped and hydrated this mask left my skin but I'm not sure where Karuna is available in Canada anymore so I probably won't repurchase.

Dr Jart+ Vital Hydra Solution - excellent hangover remedy mask.

Primary Raw DoYou Milk Peel - I love this peel (both for novelty and results) but I wish it was available in Canada. I have a stash of these from the last time I was in the US but I use sparingly to stretch them out.

When Makeup Base Mask - I've used this before but I forgot how great it is for special event makeup. Everything glided on like a dream afterwards and looked luminous and bright.

Look Beauty Pedi Feetreat - I use these a couple of times a year to keep my feet in good shape. They take about a week to peel (like most foot peels) but they are extremely thorough.

Consonant Hydrextreme - seemed like an expensive hydrating serum at the time but with daily use it ended up lasting me 15 months, which is more than I can say for any other hydrating serum I've tried. I would absolutely repurchase.

REN Ready Steady Glow - discovered via promo, this might just be my new favourite acid. My skin looked noticeably brighter with use and it's kept my recurring acne at bay. 

Odacite Jo+L - a regular repurchase.

NUDE Purifying Toner - found a half empty bottle in my vanity while reorganizing so I decided to finish it. I really miss NUDE Skincare 😞 because I love this toner and some other products of theirs.

???????'S:

Spoiler

Shiseido Facial Cotton - it's fine, I just don't really care that much about cotton pads. When I finish my stash, I won't repurchase.

Fresh Batch Pomegranate Bath Bomb - fell apart completely as soon as it hit the water, thus offering very little fizzing action. Smelled nice, though.

Demeter Cologne Sprays in Lilac, Fig Leaf - I like both of these as they are good examples of what Demeter does well - one note scents that are true to life.

H Is For Love Propolis Mask - managed to get 2 uses out of this sample and my first use it stung but the second use was fine. I wasn't in love with the results either way, so I probably wouldn't purchase.

Caudalie Micellar Water - this is just OK; truthfully I've used it more to clean up my arms when swatching than on my face.

Skin Laundry Hydrating Facial Mask - this is fine, nothing earth shattering. It doesn't fit my face as well as I'd like it to.

Cake Beauty Desserted Island - this was much too big of a size for this scent (for me) so it took forever to finish. Works alright as a bubble bath. 

Farmacy New Day Exfoliating Grains - these are fine as well and I've purchased in the past but I have other gentle exfoliators I prefer more.

NONONONONO'S: 

Spoiler

MV Organic Skincare Gentle Cream Cleanser - did not enjoy the texture of this at all; it felt like I was cleansing with a heavy moisturizer.

Demeter Cologne Sprays in Chocolate Mint, Chocolate Covered Cherries - found these when I was reorganizing my perfume vanity and they are SUPER old. I tried the last of what's in them and both were total scrubbers and waaaay too saccharine.