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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.

Empties

I don't do a month of empties at a time... I just batch them when my little storage bag is full, so this is about two weeks' worth. ❤️ Dr. Gross peels are great as always; the Hum Big Chill is a staple for menow too (this is my 3rd bottle); bought a full size of the Moroccanoil Don't buy the John Frieda, it was terrible and felt gross afterward. 🤷 Clinique is good but I might switch back to something more volumizing soon. 😴 Everything else was fine but not earth-shattering.

RE: Empties

Quite a bit this month as well. Top to bottom: Loved these and will or have already repurchased, except the Lancôme blush which was discontinued a couple years ago. 😞 Liked but probably wouldn’t buy again as there is another product I prefer. The Spingelles I won’t buy again because it’s so wasteful putting them into the landfill. Didn’t like—often because of the scent. I REALLY dislike the Bosnia products, and this one might be the worst yet.

Re: Empties

Few empties from this month:

Bumble and bumble Hairdresser’s Invisible Oil Heat Protectant Leave In Conditioner Primer 8.5 oz/ 25...

-I've been using this as a heat protectant for the last few YEARS. Yes, that's how long one of these has lasted me. I think it's been about 3-4 years since I purchased it and used it on my damp hair before I blow dried it. I love the smell, love the watery consistency and I would say it did a good job as a heat protectant as I heat style my hair everyday and my ends are not terrible. Definitely repurchasing this after I finish the bottle of Kerastase I am testing out.

 

Morroccanoil Shampoo and Conditioner- Another product that I feel has lasted longer than I anticipated (7+ months). The shampoo and conditioner have that typical Morroccanoil scent and did an amazing job of keeping my hair smelling fantastic and looking shiny and hydrated once dry. The shampoo lathered well and the conditioner conditioned well- not really much else to say. I would recommend it to someone looking for more of a hydrating shampoo and conditioner duo although I will add that this product was nothing truly noteworthy or special. It got the job done and left my head smelling amazing. This was a gift so I didn't need to purchase it but I will probably not purchase in the future because I am sure there are tons of products around just like it.

 

Pureology Refresh and Go Dry Shampoo- I was not a fan of this dry shampoo. I picked it up due to the stellar reviews it got on the Ulta site but I found that I was not fond of the scent or the super white cast it left on my head after I used it. I have used various dry shampoos in the past so I am used to the white cast but this one made combing the white powder harder than it should have been. It did a good job of soaking up the oils on my scalp but in the end, the scent was the biggest turnoff for me. I will not be repurchasing this nor will I recommend it to anyone sensitive to strong smells.

 

IMG_1174.JPGIMG_9261.JPGIMG_3526.JPG

Re: Empties

Love the B&B primer spray! I'm surprised it lasted so long for you haha, I go through one every 6 months or so.

Re: Empties

The latest batch! I'm still working through multiple minis and foils, and while there were a couple of "I think I'd like to try that again" items, this is mostly a "it's fine but not wowee" trash haul. 

 

Notes in the spoilers! 

LoveLove

Spoiler
Biobelle Happy Hour sheet mask: I have nothing but love for Biobelle's original line of tencel masks. Super thin fabric that adheres well, low scent, great moisture. Still my favorites!

Ulta Juice Infused Lip Oil: a great sub for Clarins Lip Oil, and I swap back and forth between the two. I don't think I have more of the Ulta oil in my stash right this second, but I do have a couple of Clarins that I need to finish up before rebuying. But I will absolutely get more in the future.

Fine, or might warrant further testingFine, or might warrant further testing

Spoiler
Sekkisei Kose Lotion: a nice alcohol-free non-acid toner. Does its job well on the days when I don't need to add more acids. Wouldn't go out of my way to buy it, but would use again.

PTR Hungarian Thermal Water Mineral Rich Atomic Heat Mask: that's a mouth full 😛 Receiving the PTR Gratis mask set made me realize I had a mini in my cabinet (that I went out of my way to get, no less) that I had forgotten about and needed to try! Ever since this came out, and seeing the clay in the ingredients, I thought this was going to be a standard clay mask...color me confused when it was more of a thick cream that seemed to melt with my skin temp instead of hardening up like a clay lol. It's a neat mask, the heating function is fun (if not a bit over the top warm, especially for summer), but this is one I can take or leave. Would use again (still have the one from the set, after all, but I'll save it for cooler weather), but won't buy.

Skyn Iceland Hydro Cool Firming Eye Gels: these are fine, and I have a never-ending supply from gwp's. Will use up, but it's not something I'd buy.

Yes To Grapefruit Vitamin C sheet mask: perfectly fine; light grapefruit scent, nice moisture. The mask itself is a little big...I'm not even sure how...it doesn't seem all that long or wide, but it's somehow just baggy all over. 

Verso Super Eye Serum with Retinol 8: a lovely, silky serum that feels great and provides plenty of moisture. Not worth the price to me at all, but I would happily use more samples.

111Skin Space Defence Bright Eye Lift Gel: another lovely eye product...I could pretty much repeat my Verso description here.

StriVectin Advanced Retinol Intensive Moisturizer: all of my previous retinols have been stand-alone formulas (e.g. a serum or a booster, not in my moisturizer itself), and I think that's still my preference, but I'd love to give this one another try at some point...it seemed like my skin made a decent amount of progress while using this, but it's always hard to tell with a mini.

Dermalogica Charcoal Rescue Mask: Sulfur, tea tree oil, and eucalyptus...my oh my, this thing STINKS. But it is an excellent clay mask if you want a deep clean. Not sure I can bring myself to buy it, but I would absolutely use it again.

Schick Facial Razor: I still like Tinkle a wee bit better, Tinkle seemed to glide a bit easier and get more with just one pass, but these are a nice sub available at Ulta so I can buy with points/q's. Would use again, might even buy more once I finish this pack.

Skyn Iceland Glacial Face Wash: a thick, moussey cleanser that foams up almost like shaving cream (yes, that thick!). It does a great job of cleansing without stripping, but it can be tricky to rinse off...it takes a good bit of work and rinsing to make sure it's gone. Would be a love if it didn't require so much effort and attention.

Kiehl's Calendula Herbal Extract Toner: another nice alcohol-free, non-acid toner. I've decided the calendula petals in it drive me nuts though, so I've started straining them out of my samples. I might be on board with buying a full size bottle if I didn't have to go through that lol.

NahNah

Spoiler
Algenist Power Advanced Wrinkle Fighter Serum: I bought this at TJMaxx last year, mostly as a consolation prize out of disappointment for never finding the Algenist Advanced Eye Cream. I settled on using this in my morning routine, which is spotty as it is, and never used it often enough to see any "wrinkle fighter" results, nor did I feel like it added much to my other products. It's about 2/3 empty, and I just don't see the point in letting it continue to take up valuable space in my carousel. Plus, it's not an airless pump (and at $100-ish full retail IIRC, it absolutely should be).

Luxie 141 Mini Round brush: really liked it, but it came loose and snapped right off after only a few months of usage. Meh. 

Re: Empties

Here are my empties for April to June! I went back to quarter empties this time because I could not take the stuff to recycling. Most of it is I think from June anyways. 

 

All of it:

IMG_8459.jpg

 

Items that didn't work for me or I wasn't impressed with, these will not be repurchased. 

IMG_8462.jpg

Loved, will repurchase or already have!

IMG_8464.jpg

I'm not sure... I honestly can't really make up my mind on these items. I thought they were okay. Will I ruuuuush to repurchase? No. Will even repurchase, maybe.... I mean if they end of my collection okay. Cool.

IMG_8465.jpg

 

 

 

Items that I ended up using the last week and didn't have a chance to photograph with the rest. The retinoid is a HOLY GRAIL... I always have backups and I would consider repurchasing is Cremo. Everything else is meh...

IMG_8470.jpg

 

Empties

Week one for my challenge- my foils & my fs-sheet masks. No absolute loves but no hates either 🤗🤷‍♀️ foils cross posted from challenge thread-

RE: Empties

Okay it might not be truly flat/empty but I’m scraping my lips trying toapply now and I’m so excited that I will call it quits at the end of the week with this Bite Beauty lip crayon sample! I couldn’t wait to post! This is the Glacé sample included in the 2018 birthday gift set

RE: Empties

@KeriCherryDee Strong Work! I’m working on that lippie, right now and I can verify it takes a long time! 🙌

@KeriCherryDee, it's such a satisfying feeling! Congratul...

@KeriCherryDee, it's such a satisfying feeling! Congratulations on finishing!

Re: Empties

It just keeps piling up! More trash! 🗑

 

Seeing so many folks tally their numbers lately, I went back and counted my empties to date. 264 😮😯 That's a lot of empties!

 

Notes in the spoilers

YeeeesssssYeeeesssss

Spoiler
Julep Boost Your Radiance Reparative Rosehip Seed Facial Oil: I think this has become my favorite daytime oil; it's light enough that it doesn't feel oily or heavy on my oily skin, and works well under everything I've tried over it. After going through a few minis and packets, I recently picked up a full size for $9 and will be happy to use every last drop.

Ulta SPF 30 lip balm (watermelon): I started this one after finishing a pomegranate one, and the shock as to how sweet this one was in comparison was a bit startling at first, but it wore off and I found it quite pleasant after a couple of days. I'm really liking these as my every day basic balm, and SPF is a great bonus.

Inglot Duraline: fabulous for making your own liquids out of powders (hello completely budge-proof eyeliner for those oily or watery eyes!), or reviving liquids/creams that have dried out (like my dried out Stila Glitter & Glows :(). I already have a backup on hand.

Esfolio Foot & Heel Peeling Mask: quite possibly the best foot peel I've tried to date, and the price is even better! Most peels I've tried have started peeling at 9 days, and I was done around day 21; this one started peeling in 6 days, and I was done on day 18, so it knocked a few days off the process, and it seemed to pull more/thicker skin off than most I've ever tried. The closest contender for me was TonyMoly, which I'd also happily buy again. The one con is this is the only peel where I've had the bootie split; I was only about 15 minutes shy of my desired removal time when I realized it (though I have no idea how long it had been split...it's hard to tell your slippers and socks are wet when your feet are wet anyways lol). Regardless of the split, the results were fantastic.

Biobelle Primer sheet mask: I actively avoided this one for a long time for some reason, but wound up with a couple when the company subbed some in one of my orders, and finally got around to trying one. It was quite nice, reminiscent of pretty much all of their other masks lol. Light scent, though it does have a touch of tea tree oil in it which gives it just a bit of an unpleasant undertone to my nose. I dunno about the "primer" aspect of it, but my face felt refreshed and hydrated, and I'd absolutely use it again.

Better Skin Co Lava Magik Cleanser-Scrub-Mask: I can't imagine using this as a cleanser or mask, but it's my favorite non-acid scrub. The scrubbies are extremely similar in size and grit to the PTR Pumpkin Mask, and are really concentrated in here; just a pea size dab is more than enough once I spread it out on wet skin. I only use it every couple of weeks or so, and this tiny 0.25oz has lasted me 5 months. I have a full size on hand which I now calculate should last me around 3.3 years 😛

Clinique TTDO Cleansing Balm: Love this as my first step cleanser. I have some other samples I'm going to work through for a while, but I already have a full size on hand as well.

Paula's Choice Resist Daily Pore-Refining 2% BHA: Salicylic Acid is a MUST in my routine; even on the laziest of days where I pare down to next-to-nothing, BHA still gets used. I've tried several of her liquid formulas, and I think this one is my favorite, even though it's a smaller bottle for more money. It's got peptides in it, which is a great addition to any skincare routine. I have a little more in a travel bottle to finish off, and I will absolutely be repurchasing this shortly. 

Good, but not greatGood, but not great

Spoiler
Biobelle Rise&Shine and RoseAllDay masks: I was shocked and dismayed to put two of their masks on my OK list instead of my Loves list. Rise&Shine doesn't say "tencel" anywhere on the package (even though the promotional image on Ulta's site does) and the fabric was way thicker than normal...I couldn't stretch and adjust it like I can with their thinner ones, and it didn't want to lay quite as flat. Plus, I felt like the eye and mouth holes were much smaller than their others. Fit was still decent overall, not too long or too short or too wide or too narrow, and the scent was fine, that general "sheet mask fresh" that's not overwhelming or offensive. All in all, it was OK, and falls into "would use again", but I don't think I'll buy more of this one, as it wasn't quite as outstanding as others I've tried from them.
RoseAllDay is tencel, and was just as thin as the ones I love from the brand, but it has a pretty overwhelming rose scent that turned me off. This one also seemed to have smaller eye and mouth holes than I remember from their others. This is another "would use again" (because I have two more, sigh), but the scent just isn't for me.

NEST Grapefruit & Verbena Fragranced Body Wipe: the scent is really nice, and it was a quick way to refresh and de-stinkify lol. I don't think I'd ever spend the money on these, but I would happily use again.

Oh K! Hydrating Bamboo Water Sheet Mask: Not bad, but the serum was a little thick, borderline slimy, and that gave me a bit of the heebie jeebies. Light scent that didn't bother me, and I seem to recall the fit being fine. Nice hydration.

Pacifica Super Green Detox Kale & Charcoal Detox Facial Mask: these are the ones with heart shaped eyes, which are kinda cute, but not particularly well fitted for most folks. The fit is pretty terrible too...I have what I consider to be a long face, and this was still somehow laying in my hair above my forehead and hanging several inches off my chin...but it was nowhere near wide enough. Scent was fine, and the moisture was fine, but not impressive enough to overcome the awkward fit.

Indie Lee CoQ-10 Toner: a nice non-acid toner that I just can't bring myself to commit to for some reason. When there's a nice sample or gwp glitch at Nordstrom, I'll happily grab another travel size as my purchase, but I don't think this'll enter my HG inner circle quite yet.

AG Hair Coco Nut Milk Conditioning Spray: has a touch of mint to it, and I adore the smell. Not sure the product itself does much for me though in terms of conditioning or detangling. Would use again for the smell, but can't see myself purchasing it just for that.


NopeNope

Spoiler
Pacifica Indian Coconut Nectar Body Butter: I love the scent in the tube, and I have a rollerball of it that I love as well, but the body butter changes scent dramatically once I put it on. I have no desire to smell like marshmallow play-doh. I feel like I decluttered one of these a couple of years ago as well, and now I remember why.

IGK First Class Charcoal Detox Dry Shampoo: it did a great job as a dry shampoo, but it made my roots feel like straw, and I don't think I've ever had a dry shampoo that literally dried out my hair so badly.

Murad Night Fix Enzyme Treatment: I tried and tried to tolerate this, but nope...it's way too highly scented to be good for your skin, and the scent isn't all that pleasant to me to begin with. It's supposed to be a soothing nighttime aromatherapy type scent, lavender etc, but I just found it harsh and artificial.

Victoria's Secret Passion Struck Lotion: I wasn't terribly keen on the scent to begin with, but had it in my truck as my "just in case" lotion. It's been in there, oh...5 years? and finally turned. Glad to toss it lol.

 

Re: Empties

@RGbrown Good to know about that Esfolio foot peel.  Have you tried the Baby Foot one?  I have several brands and having too many means I can't make a choice on which on to try first.  (Patchology, Esfolio, and Baby Foot)

Re: Empties

@tinobiscuits 

I have the Babyfoot one, but haven't used it yet; I'm scared it's gonna be my favorite and I'll be stuck wanting $25 foot peels instead of $5 ones lol, so I keep using my cheaper ones first.

 

Patchology did next to nothing for me; I had a little flaking all over, but I never got to peel any large sheets off (which frankly is my favorite part), and what did come off was quite thin. When my feet were finally done flaking (it still took 21 days, even though it didn't take off much), I could hardly tell I had done a peel at all. I've read a lot of great reviews on it, but it was a solid nope for me.

Re: Empties

@RGbrown Okay, then!  Esfolio it is.  Thanks for helping me choose.  😄

Re: Empties

@tinobiscuits 

Good luck! I'd love to hear how it turns out for you! 

Re: Empties

@RGbrown Awesome empties! Congrats on 264!

 

Best,

Rebecca

Empties

My trash for June! only one absolutely dislike. Drybar Southern Belle. it dried out my hair so bad!😤 it took me forever to use it all up but I did & destashed my foils of it! why they discontinued Texas tea😩😢 it's the middle of the year so happy to report 145 empties so far. I think I'm going to make july a -fun with foils month though!

RE: Empties

@sonnydee Totally agree with you on the Southern Belle. Turned my hair to straw!

RE: Empties

@sonnydee I’m with you on Drybar! I loved how my hair felt with Texas Tea—I haven’t tried Southern Belle yet as a replacement but I’m crossing my fingers!

Re: Empties

@sonnydee WOW, 145 empties! Great job 🙂

 

Best,

Rebecca

Re: Empties

145?!  Wow, @sonnydee, that's awesome 🙂

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