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.

[RGbrown]

A few empties plus a small declutter this time!

YTD 109

Spoiler

Ulta Vanilla Frosting Body Sorbet: this came in a gift set with 3 scents of the sorbets and a double walled tumbler, which I bought pretty much solely for the cup 😆 I do love their sorbets...they are really thick and creamy, and soak in well, but this one is stinky to me...way too sweet with a strong chemically undertone. 

Hempz Sandalwood & Apple Body Lotion: I cannot get enough of this scent, and have several more travel sizes and two full size bottles lined up for the future (psssst: the full size is secret clearance at Ulta for half off, and to date, has always been included in previous bogo40 sales!) The scent is light, the perfect balance of woody + fruity...not too sweet, but not too dry either. The lotion itself is pretty nice as well; I'm not sure I find it any "better" than a basic BBW lotion, but I like basic BBW lotions, and this one works just as well for me. 

BBW Venice Dolce Berry Shower Gel: love the scent on this, and I never get bored or frustrated with their formula...happy to keep trying to use up my stash!

System Professionals Smoothen Mask: I really wish I had paid more attention to this brand before Ulta clearanced everything out lol. I've tried (and liked) their Hydrate shampoo, and this mask was very nice for me as well. It left my hair soft, frizz-free, and oh so shiny. I've got a few more random samples of various SP products to try, and if I were to stumble on a deal on this one elsewhere, I might be tempted to grab some.

Pacifica Pineapple Splash Lip Balm: perfectly fine balm, nothing fancy, but nothing terrible either. I dislike long caps on balms though, so it's not a repurchase for me.

Skyn Iceland Icelandic Relief Eye Pen: I love this stuff, the cooling sensation feels sooooo good. Sadly, my eyes don't love it back, as there's a 90%+ chance they will water all dang day if I use it. 😥

Sheet masks, all fine. The Biobelle gel masks are slippery suckers and like to slide around a bit, but are still passable. 

A small declutter of eyeliners and a couple other eye products. I never use the Stila shadows, so it was time to let them go. The Butter mascaras are easily 4+ years old. Eyeliners are mostly ancient as well, or else I have extremely similar shades in newer pencils or better formulas. I still kept more liners than I reasonably need, but hey, getting rid of these was a huge step forward!

[ChrisCupcakes]

I used to do empty videos in YT but haven’t done one in awhile! I love hearing people’s thoughts on products snd if they used them up 

[RGbrown]

Latest batch o trash 🗑️

YTD 82

Spoiler

Ulta Toasted Fireside candle: seems to be the exact same scent as Beachside Bonfire from the summer candles, and it's not my jam. There's no fire/smoky scent to it that I can detect, just a warm, somewhat powdery floral.

Yuni Calming Aromatherapy Mist: also not my jam. The bottle denotes neroli, geramium, and sage, and something in this mix just makes me wrinkle my nose. Declutter.

Bumble Pret-a-Powder (loose and aerosol): love both versions! I try to alternate powder and aerosols, and both of these are true loves. They don't leave me looking powdery, the scent is light, I get a touch of volume with no texture or stickiness, and the white stuff brushes out easily. I have more of both and will continue to use!

Redken Deep Clean Dry Shampoo: another favorite with a similar pro list to the Bumble above, with the added bonus of going on sale more frequently and being able to use non-prestige coupons on it at Ulta. Have more, including a purchased full size, and this tops my aerosol rebuy-list mostly since deals on Bumble are few and far between.

Tarte Rainforest of the Sea Deep Dive Cleansing Gel: I found this a touch too drying for me for everyday usage, but liked it enough as a second cleanse on makeup days (which are few and far between for me). The bottle is several years old now, and I've been refilling it with samples every time I had any. The freebie gravy train ran out for me last year, and the last little bit in the bottle has finally turned cloudy and smells off, so it's time to put this one to pasture. Not looking to rebuy.

Tower 28 SOS Daily Rescue Facial Spray: A solution of hypochlorous acid in saline. HClO can also be used in wound care, as a disinfectant and a sanitizer...it's gentle but effective for a wide variety of applications. The drawback is that it is moderately unstable, and breaks down relatively quickly, but supposedly new advances in manufacturing are increasing its shelf life, making it more widely available for use in a variety of products, such as this one. I sincerely thank Tower 28 for introducing me to this ingredient, but have sourced a cheaper alternative for my next bottle!

BBW Be Joyful body lotion: lovely spiced citrus scent

BBW True Blue Spa Look Ma, New Hands hand lotion: thick and rich, nice moisture. Perhaps a tad slick as a hand cream, but my feet loved it almost as much as their companion foot cream. Sad to see it gone, as BBW has discontinued the True Blue Spa line as a whole.

Benefit Roller Lash: Unfortunately, I opened this one right around the start of the pandemic, and only wore makeup a couple of times before it dried out. Would love to try again, as I felt it was promising on just those couple of uses, but I have so many others lined up...

Noyah Cherry Lip Balm: perfectly fine; I find it fairly comparable to Burt's Bees in terms of texture and performance. Nothing special, but a good daily balm for my inner balm addict.

ABH Brow Gel: I have no real thoughts on this...I tried it once or twice maybe a year or two ago, but I don't typically focus on my brows, and never felt like adding this step to my routine. May as well toss it.

NARS Pro-Prime Eyeshadow Base: fantastic for my oily lids. I've moved on to Smashbox, my other top pick, but would absolutely use this again in the future.

Scent Organix So Serene (Green Tea & Mandarin): smells exactly like green tea and mandarin, ha! Fantastic pillow mist

Tula Purifying Face Cleanser: one of my favorite cleansers. The scent takes some getting used to, but it cleans my oily face without stripping it. Have many more samples to use, thankfully, as I'm cheap when it comes to actually having to buy something, but I've seen a few deals on this, and would likely buy with the right sale if I ever needed to.

Daily Concepts Multi-Functional Soap Sponge (Charcoal): perfectly fine for soap-in-a-sponge. Its "mild" level exfoliation wasn't enough to keep my scratchy feet at bay, but I didn't really expect it to either...I just didn't have much other use for soap in a sponge lol.

Ulta Aromatherapy Shower Tablets (Verbena + Lemongrass): true love, have more, will be sad when they are gone!

Sheet masks: finally finishing off my oldest of masks last month was a bittersweet milestone, as my next batch to work through contains a huge chunk of my beloved old school Biobelle masks. All of them are fantastic, and I will be sad when they are gone! I also like the Ulta foot mask, it's fabulously minty.

[haleyvvvv]

Oooh, love the B&B dry shampoo. Great empties, @RGbrown!!

[itsfi]

Look at all those full and DS products! Excellent work @RGbrown! "Ohhhh, old-school Biobelle! Sadly you were not long for the sheet mask world." 😢 Savor your next batch RGbrown! That True Blue cream is a blast from the past - that was another good line. 

[RGbrown]

@itsfi 

I've been surprised with how quickly my trash is piling up this year, since I've mostly decided to stop sampling all the new stuff and just focus on my loves. I guess I've stashed away enough loves in sample format over the last couple of years that I'll still have plenty of minis to bulk up my trash 😅 Finally using up some of these sheet masks helps the count too!

[itsfi]

The last half of my February empties:

Spoiler

The standouts of this bunch are:

Skincare

Pyunkang Yul Essence Toner has always been a favorite. This one will be a staple in my skincare collection.

Krave Beauty Oat So Simple Water Cream: a classic example of a moisturizer that just keeps it simple. Sometimes that what the skin needs, just a simple moisturizer.

Aquaphor is a must have. So many uses for this one - lip balm, hand cream, soothes dry skin, good for cuticles, etc.

Sheet Masks

% Dr. Ceuracle Royal Vita Propolis Anti-Oxidant Mask is biodegradable cotton cellulose mask saturated in a goopy, amber honey hued, deliciously scented, jelly-like essence that leaves skin soft, clear, supple, nourished and brightened.

Biobelle #SweetGlow Facial Mask Firms & Hydrates with Hyaluronic Acid & Collagen -  The volume of clear, lightweight, watery essence saturating this thin Tencel sheet makes it entirely possible to leave this mask on for close to a full hour without it drying out. Half that time was more than enough to douse my skin with a heavy dose of hydration and leave it looking fresh faced and awake.

Celloine Tears Mask:  Parched skin will be crying tears of joy after spending 30 minutes with  this clear, slightly viscous essence-soaked gauze-y sheet mask. I would break a sheet mask no buy to pick up more of the Celloine Tears Mask. 

% Dr. Ceuracle Hyal Reyouth Lifting Mask delivers on its claims  "to restore dry, dehydrated or rough-looking skin lacking hydrating."

Candles

Voluspa Spiced Goji Tarocco Orange - fresh, fruity, citrusy with hints of spice that gives it some warmth.

Voluspa Spiced Pumpkin Latte - this one just smells amazing - hints of pumpkin, cinnamon, vanilla - a wonderful gourmand scent

Voluspa Gilt Pomander & Hinoki is a warm, woodsy and fruity mix that just blends beautifully together

Forvr Matcha Business warms the house with the delicious aroma of hazelnut flavored coffee. 

Opal House Rose Cake was not what I expected - it was better. The rose in this is very subtle and blends with another floral scent I can't pinpoint, as well as some very light citrus and gourmand (vanilla maybe?) scents. 

[RGbrown]

@itsfi 

Seeing the old Biobelle sheet mask makes me so sad they changed their lineup! As someone who doesn't care for sheet masks all that much, old school Biobelle was a true love of mine 😫 I don't think I ever got a chance to try that one in particular, but I'm sure it was just as fabulous as everything else they had at the time!

[itsfi]

The old school BioBelle masks were soooo good @RGbrown! It’s clearly a classic example of “if it ain’t broke...” All this time I thought this one I used was a new one; figures that is not the case and it explains why I liked this one so much. 😆 

[RGbrown]

@itsfi 

I'm still baffled that they took a stellar product line and decided to make it mediocre 🤔😥😣 I've still got quite a few of the old ones that I'm working through, and will be crushed when I run out!

[RGbrown]

Small batch o' trash! 

YTD 60

Spoiler

Bumble Don't Blow It: fantastic lightweight styling cream meant for air-drying. Does a great job at taming frizz and helping define my waves just a bit, with zero crunch or texture. I have a full size lined up already, though this is one category where I don't mind trying new things sometimes, so I'll rotate through it with some other samples.

Hask Purifying Dry Shampoo: not bad, but perhaps a bit more drying than I like. Works decently with low white residue, and doesn't make my hair stiff or sticky. Would use again, but not outstanding enough for my rebuy list.

Pacifica Himalayan Patchouli Berry Hair & Body Mist: patchouli is not my favorite scent, but it's not heinous to my nose either...used this up as an air freshener

Glisten & Glow top coat 2oz: simply fantastic! Quick dry, super shiny, no shrink. A staple in my nail routine...I have more and will continue to buy!

Valjean Labs Vitamin E + Ferulic Acid serum: Basic staple with a fantastic price point ($6.99 for nearly 2oz at TJM, and I can find it pretty regularly). I use this in conjunction with my Exuviance Vitamin C; it helps me squeak by with only half a capsule per day, thinning down the thicker formula and allowing me to spread it more easily. I have another bottle on hand and will rebuy as long as I keep using Exuviance.  

Sheet masks: mostly fine, minus the Glow Recipe one...it pilled like crazy on me, but so does their sleeping mask, so I wasn't terribly surprised by this. And, I have *finally* finished off all of my 2017/2018/2019 exp masks (!!), so now I'm only a year behind 🤣

[itsfi]

Yes, yes, yes to Glisten & Glow @RGbrown. I’ve been rotating through a few top coats and it’s one of the best ones I’ve used, if not the best one! 👍🏼 That’s fantastic news on getting through a bunch of your sheet masks. It’s so easy to accumulate them!  

[RGbrown]

@itsfi 

My sis introduced me to G&G several years ago, and I actually resisted her recommendation for a bit...at the time, I was really only into mainstream stuff and had no idea that indie brands were such a big deal (I was a dolt with the "I'm not gonna use something I've never heard of" attitude lol  🙄🙄). But once I finally tried it, I was blown away, and have been loyal ever since, with absolutely zero desire to even bother with anything else 💕💕

[CookieGirl1]

@RGbrown @itsfi I'm just at the very dregs of my G&G topcoat but I actually ordered a base and top coat from Vibrant Vinyls (which should be delivered on Monday).  I've heard really great things about both products and it doesn't hurt that you can even choose a scent to have added!  

[itsfi]

@CookieGirl1 @RGbrown I have a top coat from Vibrant Vinyls and like it. I’d say that one and the Glisten & Glow are my favorite top coats. I’ve not tried any VV base coats. It looks like I may need to pick up a base coat later in the year; will have to check out the selection at VV. Yaaay a nail haul on its way! 

[RGbrown]

@CookieGirl1 

I've got their Double Bond base coat, and while it is scented, I can't smell it once I top with polish. I'm curious to know how long the scent lasts from the top coat though...not sure that's something I'd appreciate long term, and it has stopped me from picking one up whenever they've got a scented one at PPU.

[itsfi]

@RGbrown, isn’t it interesting how we can be so set in our ways about certain things, including a top coat? 

I feel that way about Zoya nail polish remover - it’s the one!!! I’m just working through the last of the other ones that I have and then it will very literally be the only nail polish remover I’ll keep on hand. 

[RGbrown]

@itsfi 

Ahhhh, Remove+ is such a joy! That's another staple for me, though my sense of despair is setting in, and I'm wondering if they'll ever have another 70% sale. I've still got a little bit left, but it's so expensive compared to others, and I don't want to pay full price for it considering how quickly I run through it, so I found a knockoff recipe that I'm currently trying, and it's pretty good!

10 parts acetone

1 part glycerin

1.2 parts water

Glycerin won't dissolve in acetone on its own, but the water keeps them both bound together. It smells like acetone of course, but doesn't dry out my hands like plain acetone does. If/when Zoya does another nice sale, I'll probably stock up heavily on Remove+ again, but for now, this is my cheap alternative!

[itsfi]

Oh, good to have this in handy! Thank you @RGbrown. Hmmm... that very noticeable acetone smell. 👃🏼 I’ll just have to keep a nice scented hand cream around to use afterwards. That’ll help me get through some of my hand creams too! Yes!!! 😆 

Come on, Zoya!! Help us out!! I have a couple of Amazon gift cards that I may use to pick up Remove+, if I get close to running out. 

[RGbrown]

@itsfi 

Fortunately, the acetone scent dissipates pretty quickly...by the end of my mani, all I smell anymore is the polish, not the remover 😊