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]

@CookieGirl1 

Slowly but surely I'll clear some of this hoard out 😂

[itsfi]

September 2021 empties:

Loves, Love-Likes, and Likes: 

Spoiler

Top row = LOVES: if I don't already have backups, I will be repurchasing.

• I wish I didn't need to love these Peace Out Acne Dots so much. The fall/winter season offers some reprise for me but until I stop breaking out, these will be staples for me.
• Cle Cosmetics CCC Cream is a new find. I've already put an order in for a full size. It's a lightweight primer-foundation with a creamy consistency and more coverage than a BB or CC cream. 
• My under eye area has been more raw and sensitive over the last couple of months as my need to wear masks has been longer and CosRx Advanced SNAIL Peptide Eye Cream has been a nice to help hydrate and soothe that area.
• All the sheet masks in this top row are ones I will be reaching for this fall and winter when my skin needs the extra hydration, moisture and nourishment. 

Middle row = LOVE-LIKES: All the products here are ones that sit between the loves and likes items. For the most part, they don't make their way to the "loves" category because there are other products that I prefer over these.

Bottom row = LIKES: These are products I would happily use again and may repurchase.

Okay, Meh & No:

Spoiler

Top row = OKAY: I wouldn't have an issue using any of these but they're not ones I would necessarily seek out.

Middle row = MEH: Not bad, but not great. 

Bottom row = NO

• I didn't see any results from the Glow Recipe Watermelon Glow Hyaluronic Clay Pore-Tight Facial. It may not be geared for my skin type.
• I wanted to like the Kosas The Big Clean Volumizing + Lash Care Mascara but it just wasn't for me. I heard that Kosas reformulated this product so if I happen upon a DS of the new, reformulated version, I'd be open to giving it a try. 

MTD = 61

YTD = 683

[Samtian]

@itsfi Wooo so much progress!!

[itsfi]

Thank you @Samtian! It comes in waves but finishing up some things is a good motivator to keep chipping away at products I have.

[CookieGirl1]

Dang, @itsfi, you made it through a lot of stuff!  Great job 🙂

[itsfi]

@CookieGirl1, thank you! Some of these full sizes take a lot longer to work through than others! 😆

[RGbrown]

@itsfi 

Dang, over 600?! Nice!

How's the Brooklyn Ellis Bee? I've been vaguely curious, but never think to go anywhere to actually test it 🤭

[Buootiful]

@itsfi @RGbrown. I bought the travel spray during f+f and I had to return it. It smelled like patchouli with a hint of honey. I am no scentspert but that's what it smelled like to me. I expected more honey than there was but the reason it went back is,  it didnt last long on my skin. It seemed more like an Edt than an Edp. The Sol de Janeiro Brazilian Crush Cheirosa ’40 Bom Dia Hair & Body Fragrance Mist  lasted waaay longer and smelled stronger.

[itsfi]

@Buootiful, I’m sorry to hear the scent didn’t work for you. It’s interesting how fragrances can wear differently on people. 

[Buootiful]

Ikr @itsfi ? Such different reactions too when it mingles with your skin. I remember getting a mini oerfume of the Moschino Windex Clean(?)and a lot of the bad reviews thought it smelled like Raid, lol. I thought it was a pleasant and unique scent that I still enjoy Today. To each their own😁.

[itsfi]

Yes @Buootiful! I love fragrance samples for that very reason. There was a scent that I wanted to love and it had good reviews but I smelled like root beer whenever I wore it. 😆 

[Buootiful]

Ha!🤣🤣🤣 @itsfi 

[itsfi]

@RGbrown, much of the 600 empties is due to going through foils and DS in the earlier part of the year. With work travel (or any travel, really) on hold for me, I decided to work through as much of my foils and DS as I could and not adding samples to my orders unless it was something I really wanted to try or I really liked already. So less intake and more output helped a lot. Last year, I went through 1000+ empties; I'm hoping to have less than that this year with turning my attention more to full size products. 🤞

Ellis Brooklyn Bee has a warm, sweet-but-not-too-sweet honey and light, creamy vanilla scent, with just a bit of something that leans on the smoky side. For some reason, the first spritz of this is always a bit sharp for my taste, but it fades away fairly quickly. I feel like Bee is one of her stronger scents (my favorite from her brand is Myth - there are some bolder notes in that one but to me, the fragrance as a whole comes across more understated). It took me a while to come around to Bee. I found that Bee smells best when I'm not wearing anything scented so as to compete with the notes in this one, so fragrance free shower gel, lotion, and the like. 

[RGbrown]

@itsfi @

Thanks for the info on Bee...I really do need to check it out one day!

[itsfi]

@RGbrown, at some point, I think she’ll have a sample vial of them, maybe? as a gwp?? I often wish more fragrance houses would have those more readily available and accessible. Even for purchase. It makes it so much easier to know whether a scent will work for you. 

[RGbrown]

@itsfi 

I'm halfway looking at a set at Ulta that's got 5 x 5mL rollerballs, one of which is Bee. It's pretty low on my list though, so it may not make the cut if I do a points haul, but even so, I figure I'll wind up with a sample eventually 😋 I love getting fragrance samples! I know some folks hate seeing them as gwps and such, but that's always something I go for (unless it's the same old same old ones that I have in spades). 

[RGbrown]

YTD 293

Notes below!

Spoiler

BBW Flannel candle: love

Ulta Sparkling Clementine candle: also love, though I don't think this year's version was as strong as last year's. Still a great scent with good throw though.

Ulta cotton balls: basic staple

Kenra Platinum Luxe One Leave-In: I don't understand creams in a spray bottle at all...I had to just squirt it into my hand to avoid globs in my hair, though once I got it about half empty, I started adding water so I could spray it directly. I dunno that I have much of an opinion...it didn't weigh my hair down or make it greasy, so that's good, but I just cut all my hair off a few months ago, so it's main purpose for my routine (as a detangler) was kinda pointless, and this might be a step I can skip altogether now, though I keep doing it out of habit lol. Light scent, kinda fresh/spa like? Not sure how to describe it, but it was soft and innoffensive. Would use again, though I have no need to buy.

Ulta Berry Tart Body Sorbet: I *adore* Ulta's sorbets, and the scent on this one was just fabulous, a juicy berry scent, bright and sweet, but not cloying. I wish they'd make this a regular scent in the full size tub, as I'd definitely buy more if I could get it more often...normally they put out a 3pk of holiday scents that tends to have one or two I dislike, and it makes it hard to justify buying the whole set. 

Rituals Happy Buddha Body Cream: I adore this scent, and I am gutted that Ulta stopped carrying it 😞 Nice cream, fantastic orange and cedar scent.

BBW Lemon Vanilla Shower Gel: love

The Oozoo Fresh Capsule: I decided to try this one without the capsule to see if I disliked it any less. It was still milky, and still slimy, but the capsule seems to be the source of the cleaning product scent, so at least it didn't stink nearly as badly this time. I've got three more I'll slog through, but this is definitely not my favorite mask.

Oh K! Acai Berry mask: the material on this is fairly thick and stiff, and the fit wasn't that great, but the scent was nice (sort of a dry fruity scent, not too sweet, not too strong) and it had nice moisture, so it wasn't all bad.

Skyn Iceland eye patches: just working through the stash, they're fine. 

[itsfi]

Nice work @RGbrown! BBW Flannel is such a comfy, feel good scent! 💕 I somehow missed that BBW had a lemon vanilla scent - it sounds like a nice pairing - would you say it leans more lemon or vanilla? Or, is the scent pretty balanced?

[RGbrown]

@itsfi 

Flannel is such a great scent, so warm and cozy!

The Lemon Vanilla is likely "vintage", so I doubt they have it anymore...I don't think I've bought a BBW body wash in 5+ years, yet I have dozens I'm still working through. It's like my sheet mask stash, only way worse, and way slower to finish off 🤣 In any case, it was definitely more lemon, but the vanilla softened it up and gave it a creamy undertone, keeping it from being harsh or sour. It was truly lovely ❤️

[RGbrown]

YTD 282

Notes in the spoilers!

Spoiler

BBW Black Cherry Merlot candle: love

Burt's Bees Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream: I don't think I bought either of these intentionally, but I used to buy BB gift sets pretty frequently and wound up with a few floating around, even though I never really used it. I finally started trying to be more diligent about using them up, and the larger one is roughly 80% gone, but both of these have turned (ugh, they stink!)...not surprising since they are likely 10+ years old though. I found one more in my drawer, and I am working on it now, but this isn't something I'll buy in the future. I find it a little too thick/oily feeling for my taste, and prefer just a jojoba-based cuticle oil.

L'Oreal Pure-Clay Cleanser: really lovely. Thick clay-like consistency that lightly lathers up, and cleans well without stripping my skin. Would absolutely use more samples, though it does have added fragrance, which makes me less likely to actually buy.

Lip Smacker Skittles lip Balm (Strawberry): nice basic balm, fun scent.

Biolage Hydrasource Pack Deep Treatment: did nothing for my hair, just left me frizzy and poofy.

Briogeo Don't Despair, Repair Deep Conditioning Mask: meanwhile, this was really nice, and really helped tame frizz on the days I used my clarifying shampoo. It wasn't quite "run out and buy it now" worthy, but I'll absolutely be on the lookout for more samples, and maybe even make a purchase with a good deal. 

Ulta Exfoliating Body Scrub: perfectly fine. The grit is a tad finer than I would like, but I use it with an exfoliating glove anyways, so that's not a huge concern for me. Lovely scent, and it didn't make my shower slick.

18.21 Man Made Shampoo/Conditioner/Body Wash (Spiced Vanilla): this smells divine, a warm and spicy vanilla, the type of scent I love year 'round. Lather was meh though, and sometimes I'd have to add more to my poofy thing halfway through my shower.  

CeraVe Foaming Facial Cleanser: my sis and I both use this (she gets the big bottle in her shower, and I refill my travel bottle from it as needed), but I wound up with the empty bottle this time, so I'm counting it 😛 Basic staple that I've bought numerous times, will buy again, and always keep in rotation.

Batiste Dry Shampoo (Original): I loved the travel can I had of this, but the full size has left me with some mixed feelings. It's super white, but that all shakes out easily and seems to disappear, so it's not a huge concern to me in the end. But after 2-3 days, this leaves terrible buildup on my scalp, and I wind up with little white flakes/bits throughout my roots that I get super self-conscious about. In an attempt to mitigate this, I started turning my head upside down and really working it through with my fingers, shaking it out of my hair (borderline violently lol) before doing my final brush through, and that helped a good bit. But then, about halfway through the can, it was as if all the powder was gone. Shaking the can well before each use is an ingrained habit for me now, so I'm not sure that was my fault. I have more of these to use up (there was a sale, and I thought I loved it lol), so maybe I'll have better luck with the rest. It does do a good job of making my hair look clean again, even if it takes some extra effort, so it's not all bad.

Spoiler

Pacifica Purify Facial Wipes: the coconut scent is a little over the top for me, but they cleanse well. I have one more pack that I'll use up, but based on the scent, these wouldn't be a rebuy for me even if they weren't discontinued. Would try other Pacifica wipes though. 

DrPacker Vita Lightening Cocktail mask: light scent, decent fit, good moisture.

bioBelle Unicornglow Mask: I was thrilled when I realized that about half of my 2021 mask stash is made up of the old bioBelle masks, as they are still way above and beyond everything else I've ever tried. Super thin fabric, low or no scent, good fit, great moisture.

Soap & Glory Pore Refining Mask: strong eucalyptus scent I could do without, but overall, not a bad mask. Have a couple more that I will use up without complaint, though I likely wouldn't buy again.

Skyn Iceland Eye Gels: fine

Philosophy Purity Made Simple Cleanser (10 packets): basic staple for me. Falls into the "I'm not sure I'd buy it, but I'll happily use up whatever samples I get" category for me. I always reach for the mini bottles first, but recently discovered I've let over 50 packets build up, so now's the time to finish those off lol. 

Hempz Citrine Crystal & Quartz Lotion: I really liked the scent of this one, a sweet (but not too sweet), juicy citrus, tangerine maybe?, with perhaps a touch of a dry/woody undertone to ground it. Fabulous summery scent.

Peach & Lily Glass Skin Serum: I believe this is the last of my samples, finally. I like it fine, but have plenty of other niacinamide samples I like too, so it's not a rebuy at the moment.

Yuni Shower Sheet: I like the product fine, it does its job well, I'm just not keen on the scent, it can go a smidge sour on my skin. I have a few more I'll use up eventually, but won't be buying any.

[Samtian]

@RGbrown Haha I'm working on a Skittles chapstick right now! Great work!