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 empties! Maybe I need to burn more candles, I think I e finished one in 3 years! @RGbrown 

[RGbrown]

@sister13 

I burn candles in spurts, then forget all about them for a while. I've gone nuts buying them this year though, and have more candles than I have room to store them, so I'm trying to get some gone! I love having a nice scent all throughout my home ❣️

[haleyvvvv]

Nice set of empties, @RGbrown!! Nicely done!! 

[RGbrown]

@haleyvvvv 

Thanks so much! ❣️

[RGbrown]

YTD 374

Spoiler

Wella FusionPlex conditioner: true love, one of my top two favorite conditioners. It does a fantastic job of taming frizz and helping my curls pop without weighing down my oily hair. Absolutely amazing stuff. I'm also thrilled that the tube is easily refillable...when you pop the cap off, the hole is much bigger than normal. I have a liter bottle, but wasn't looking forward to putting a liter in my small shower, so I'll be keeping this tube and reusing it.

EVA NYC Freshen Up Dry Shampoo: not sad to see this one go. Works OK at best, but doesn't keep my hair looking fresh for a full day. It takes a lot to get halfway decent results, and that leaves flaky buildup on my scalp. 

H2O+ Beauty Sea Salt Mousse to Oil Body Moisturizer: this is pretty amazing stuff! I've had it in my stash for a couple of years now (the hazard of buying entirely too much body lotion lol) and I wish I had tried it out sooner, as it seems the brand has discontinued this format altogether now. It's an airy mousse that melts into my skin as an oil, and has great moisture for what seems to be a fairly lightweight product. This was super fun to use (as long as I was careful...on more than one occasion, I'd plop it onto my skin a little too hard and wind up splattering it everywhere lol). Light fresh scent. I have one more in another scent, and am so torn on whether to hoard it or use it 😂

Glisten & Glow top coat 2oz: true love, HG, and while "never say never" rings in my ears, I'm pretty dang sure I'll never stray. Super quick to dry, no shrink, nice shine!

Mamonde Calming Hydro Sleeping Mask: everything else from the brand I'm sniffed has been way too heavily floral scented for me, but this was a nice light scent. It's fairly light and thin for a sleeping mask, I could tilt the jar and give it a few seconds to just drip into my hand, but it was perfect for my oily skin over the summer...nice moisture without being too heavy. This isn't something I'd buy, especially as I have plenty of other sleeping masks, but I'd use another sample if I got one.

Goldfaden MD Bright Eyes Dark Circle Radiance Concentrate: The name makes it sound like I was supposed to use this in the mornings, but haha whoops, it was my nighttime eye stuff. Nice moisture. I don't generally have dark circles, so I can't really comment on that function anyways.

Lip Smacker Dr Pepper Lip Balm: so it appears this has been discontinued, and I'm not sure I'll ever get over the heartbreak. I have 3 more in my stash that I will treasure. This is just a daily balm for me, with a fun flavor that I love, perhaps not all that special in formulation, but one I've been keeping on hand for a few years now. Le sigh.

Ulta SPF30 Sunscreen Lip Balm: another discontinued love that I have a couple more of, this is the best sunscreen lip balm I've come across. It's not gritty or slimy, and feels just like a regular balm, no funny sunscreen taste. 

Aldi Spiced Cider candle: nice throw, burned well, great scent

CeraVe PM Facial Moisturizing Lotion: basic staple

Dionis Sole Keeper Foot Cream: my new tied-for-favorite foot cream. MINTY minty minty goodness, decently rich and thick. BBW is just a touch thicker, but leans heavy on eucalyptus scent-wise, whereas this has the better mint scent, and for a foot cream, mint is my jam. Love this and have more!

Declutters: I found more expired sunscreen 😞 I thought about keeping these just for the glitter, to use as a sparkle topcoat over a layer of non-expired sunscreen, but TBH, I didn't use these at all this past year, even for the glitter, so there was no point. The SheaMoisture body cream stinks (side effect of expired vitamin C perhaps? This is a couple of years old, so I'm not sure if it turned or just smelled bad to begin with), and also goes on white and takes forever to rub in. 

Biobelle is a true love as always. The Lancome one would be nice if it wasn't so heavily fragranced.

[itsfi]

@RGbrown, impressive that you went through a bottle of top coat! G&G is a favorite. ♥️ the Aldi spiced cider candle sounds like it would make the house smell warm and cozy. 

[RGbrown]

@itsfi 

Looks like I finished off my last G&G in February, so I'm going through 2oz every 9-10 months 😮

I've been really impressed with most of the Aldi candles I've tried! I've got one of their wood wick ones going right now, and the throw isn't quite as nice as I'd hoped, but otherwise, they've all been great. 

[itsfi]

Oh wow! That’s great that you can track your usage @RGbrown! Do you rotate through a lot of different top coats or do you just use the Glisten & Glow? 

[RGbrown]

@itsfi 

G&G is all I use!

I don't track anything heavily, I just looked through my album of empties pics to see when it last made an appearance 😋 I finished off the old one sometime between Jan 31 and Feb 21. I probably wouldn't have opened the new one until mid March or so, so perhaps even 8ish months 😮

[haleyvvvv]

So many empties, @RGbrown!! Congrats!!

I'm trying to remember the scent on the lancome masks (since I'm usually pretty sensitive to scents but like this mask).

[RGbrown]

@haleyvvvv 

While it certainly wasn't the most offensive out of all the sheet masks I've tried, it had a floral/perfumey scent that I just don't appreciate in skincare. I've got one or two more I'll use up eventually, the mask itself was nice and hydrating, the scent just didn't agree with me 😐

[itsfi]

November 2021 Loves, Likes and Loathes. Fortunately, no loathed products this month but plenty of items I found lackluster (aka just "meh"), more than I usually have in any month. I included thougths on a few, but not all, of the products, but if there's something that I didn't get to, I'm happy to follow up; just let me know. 

💖💖LOVE 💖💖  

Spoiler

14 loved products this month, with 5 products that I'd give the coveted HG designation to (as indicated by the heart); namely: 

Bioderma Sensibo Micellar Water - I've been using Bioderma for over a decade; it is a regular repurchase; a forever repurchase at this point. L - O - V - E 💖💖💖

I am a huge fan of the Tiziana Terenzi White Fir Candle; the price, not so much. 💸 Love the warm fire feels - both in sound and scent - from this beauty.  🔥

Farmacy Honey Potion Renewing Antioxidant Hydration Mask 🍯 is one of my favorite wash-off masks. The warming, the softening, the relaxation ... it's a winner all around. There's always been a foil / mini / promo / deluxe sample size available in sets, as a gwp or in the rewards bazaar so while it's a hands down HG product, I've never really had to purchase a full size. I would; I've just never had to

Peace Out Salicylic Acid Acne Healing Dots 40 Acne Healing Dots are one of those products I wish I didn't love. I've tried several similar pimple patches / acne dots and these are undoubtedly the best and will be permanent fixtures in my skincare collection until I stop suffering from acne - oh, if only that felt like a possibility . . . 

L'Occitane Cleansing And Softening Shower Oil With Almond Oil 8.4 oz/ 250 mL has been an HG product for years. @makeitup305 mentioned on another thread that Trader Joe's has a cleansing oil that is a dupe for it - that's on the shopping list for my next trip to TJ's. 

I love all these sheet masks and would be happy to buy them in bulk, but I'm at a stage in my sheet mask wearing life where I'm trying to be more mindful of finding a balance of tried-and-true loved sheets and new innovative masks. These are all loves, and in particular, the Etude House Soon Jung Sheet Mask - Panthensoside for its soothing properties and the Abib Creme Coating Mask for its nourishing effect, but it's too soon to call any of these holy grail sheet masks. 

😍 LOVE - LIKE 😍  

Spoiler

These beauties sit on the edge between a love / like product, the Beauty Pie Japanfusion 10 Minute Miracle Sheet Mask being the surprise of the month. I'd happily use any of these goodies and would seek them out if I were to run low on other similar products (ha! "run low on ... products" - that sounds funny just writing it.) The candles are Nest New York Rose Oud. 

 😁 LIKE 😁  

Spoiler

These are good products. I have and probably will repurchase some of these again. There are just others out there that I either like or love more. The candle is Nest New York Amalfi Lemon & Mint.

😐 LACKLUSTER 😐  

Spoiler

These were the 'meh' products for the month - the quintessential "it's not you, it's me" scenario. Clearly, I'm not big on supplements; or, maybe I just haven't found ones I like.

None of the sheet masks caused any irritation; the first two are promising, but there's just something about them that makes them unexciting when compared to other similar masks on the market - alcohol being so high on the ingredients list did in the Vitamasques Manuka Honey Sheet Mask. As for the Decorte Vita De Reve Sheet Mask, the mint-ish herbal scent is relaxing but there's not enough essence to the mask to last longer than 15-20 minutes on my currently combo-leaning dry skin. While 20 minutes is usually the recommended wear time for most masks, I like to wear masks for 30 minutes and save for daily sheet masks that are intended to be kept on for a shorter period of time, I can usually keep on a mask for at least an half hour, so there was a little disappointment with the wear time on the Decorte.

MTD = 53

YTD = 800

Compared to last year, my 11.2020 figures were 51 products MTD and 913 YTD. Looks like I'm getting through a similar number of empties this time of year - interesting. I'm most happy that I am on track to have gone through LESS empties in 2021 than I did in the previous year, as it means I have less things (especially foils and gwp deluxe size products that don't necessarily interest me) just lying around waiting to be used and I'm being more deliberate in what I use, and really, what I buy. 

[Samtian]

@itsfi Wooo congrats!!!

[itsfi]

Thank you @Samtian! Trying to use up my stash. 

[Samtian]

@itsfi And you have done amazing!

[haleyvvvv]

800 empties!! Wow, @itsfi!! I love your "L" tiers. Lackluster and loathes especially.

[itsfi]

Hahaha! Yeah, I was bored one day and wanted to come up with a fun theme for empties so Love, Likes, Lackluster and Loathes came to mind. I've tried a few different themes over the years but these L categories may be the ones that stick. 😂 

Thank you @haleyvvvv! I'm happy that I'm working through my stash of products. My goal is to have fewer and fewer empties each year, because for all of last year and the earlier part of this year, I had more than my fair share of foils, DS and partially used products that I just kept around for the sake of keeping - ugh! 

[EsinaJ]

@itsfi @ Oh wow, thanks. I love the L'Occitane Almond Shower Oil, so a Trader Joe's dupe is an exciting tip! I switched to The Body Shop Hemp Shower Oil for the price and like it, incl. the earthy scent, but the TJ's ingredients look very similar to the L'Oc. I'm gonna have to try it. ☺️ Thanks for posting your takes!

[itsfi]

@EsinaJ, if you try the TJ cleansing oil, I'd love to hear your take on it. I picked one up but haven't opened it yet - trying to work through a few of body washes I already have opened - "trying" is the operative word here. Ha! Is the earthy scent on TBS Hemp Shower Oil really strong? I find that my nose can be a little sensitive to earthy scents that are really potent. 

[EsinaJ]

@itsfi Ha. The body wash work-through; I get it! I'm cycling through washes too, so I just got back to the Body Shop Hemp oil. To me, the scent is what I think a hemp hut would smell like. Mildly of dried grass, mildly patchouli. It's definitely on the musky side, not sweet or fresh or green floral. If musk is not for you, I'd probably skip it. 😉 Will definitely let you know when I try the TJ oil. (It may be a while. I've banned myself from buying any more shower gels atm! 😂)

[RGbrown]

Slowly but steadily trudging along; last year I hit 370 and didn't think I'd come close to it this year, but it looks like I will meet or even beat that after all. YTD 355!

BBW Candle (Grateful, aka Apple Cardamom & Crisp): fantastic spicy apple scent, true love.

FAB Ultra Repair Cream Pink Grapefruit: I like FAB cream, and used to love this scent, but suddenly I can't stand the smell of either of these tubes. Perhaps they've gone bad, or else my nose has changed, not sure which, but these are declutters. 

Hempz Sandalwood & Apple lotion: I adore the scent of this one! A warm, woodsy apple, not sweet, not too dry either. The lotion itself is nice as well, plenty moisturizing for a daily hand or body lotion for me.

Murad Prebiotic 4-in-1 Cleanser: This was a nice cleanser, not too drying, but cleansed my oily skin well. I have one more I'm working to finish off. I won't buy it as I have plenty of cheaper options that I'd purchase first, but this falls into the "would use again" category.

Lip Smacker Dr Pepper balm: just a basic staple, a cheap daily balm that's a true love.

CeraVe PM Facial Moisturizing Lotion: I love some tubes of this, but sometimes I get one like this one that feels a little slick to me, almost like it doesn't soak in. I dunno what that's about, but it reinforces my belief that my fave CeraVe moisturizer is the regular lotion, not this specific facial one. I've got a few more of these, Ulta loves to drop them in multiple gwp bags all the time, so I'll use them up, but I'll stick to buying the other one when I need more.

Clinique Fresh Pressed Vitamin C: neat concept where you mix the serum and powder when you open it, reducing the chances of it oxidizing before using it. I found this a few weeks ago buried in my stash, and pulled it out to test because I was sure that even without being mixed, it surely would have gone bad by now (likely 3ish years old, maybe more? I think code AA7 might be 2017...whoops!), but no, it was fine, surprisingly. It took about 2.5-3 weeks for it to start to yellow dramatically, and I only used it a couple of times a week, so I didn't get to finish it off before it turned, but all in all, it's a good system for adding longevity to a product that isn't all that shelf stable. I've got a couple more that I'll pull out at some point soon.

Fizz & Bubble Shower Steamer (Relax-Black Amber & Lavender): the F&B shower cubes can be hit or miss, but this smelled really nice, especially considering that I normally dislike lavender. I have one more that I'll be happy to use!

Sheet masks: I still adore Biobelle, and the Dearpacker one was nice, plenty hydrating. I dislike The Oozoo one, but am relieved I have finished off 3 of the 5 now. It's not a bad mask, I just don't like milky serums in general, and this one is touch slimy for my taste as well. Good hydration though.