Recent Beauty Empties | Winter 2019

Hello friends!

A big goal of mine this year was to make it a point to use up what I have while bringing  Ipsy samples in; in total, I wanted to have 65 empties for the year.

I am so happy to say that I’m doing very well in using my stuff up!  This goal has forced me to keep up with a good morning and nighttime routine and I feel like it’s also helping to promote healthy skin for me.

Loverecipe Acai Berry Sheet Mask & Loverecipe Aloe Sheet Mask – I thought that this was an incredibly average sheet mask.  It didn’t fit super well on my face, so I had to readjust it regularly for the 10-15 minutes it was on.  It was very saturated with the product which was nice, but it ended up dripping down my neck.  I couldn’t tell a distinct difference between either of the masks; they performed essentially the same.

Tony Moly Red Wine Sheet Mask – Another sheet mask that I wasn’t super impressed with!  It was very average.  The fit wasn’t great and had to be adjusted a few times, and I thought it actually burned my face a little, but that could be because the mask was pretty old at that point.

SkinInc Pure Revival Peel – I only had a sample packet of this stuff, but I definitely enjoyed it!  I thought it worked well; you put it on your face, rub it in and then wet your hands and rub it in again. I saw so much skin come off, which is gross but also so cool!  I’m not sure where I got it, but it was a great chemical exfoliator that probably costs a fortune.

Tarte Frxxxtion Stick – This is a cleanser and exfoliator that I enjoyed as well! It’s definitely a physical exfoliator and you can feel the granules while you rub it into your face.  It was super easy to use because it’s in a stick form, but I’m a bit concerned about how hygienic it is because you just put the cap over the wet product and save it for next time. Still, I thought it was a fun product to use and I would be happy to get it again!

Up & Up Basic Cotton Rounds – These were a basic cotton round as you would assume, and they worked just fine!  I’ve repurchased them again.  Usually Target has 5% off, so you can get a small discount when you buy them!

Kopari Coconut Deodorant – I wrote a dedicated post about this, and I liked it quite a bit!  I think it’s a great deodorant that smelled and felt good, but I had to use a lot to make sure there wasn’t any smell by the end of the day as I tend to sweat a lot (totally normal!).  I want to use up the rest of my deodorants and then I’ll probably purchase this from Ulta.

Drybar Detox Dry Shampoo – I’m pretty sure I’ve heard good things about this stuff, but I wasn’t a huge fan!  It has a super strong smell that Kory hated, and the spray was full blast.  It also had a slight brown tint to it but left a major grey cast in my hair, which might have been because I held it too close to my head.  Either way, it made my scalp itch right after so I wouldn’t purchase it.

Derma E Hydrating Night Creme – I thought this cream smelled amazing, just like apples!  It was easy to rub in and sank into the skin well.  It left me feeling moisturized, which is very important for dry skin folks like me!

Naobay Oxygenating Cream – To be honest, I don’t remember much about this moisturizer at all. I used it at night and it was a thick cream; nothing memorable.

Purlisse Blue Lotus Essential Daily Moisturizer – I used this as a morning moisturizer because of the SPF 30 in it and I really liked it!  I’m actually kind of sad that it’s gone, so if I make it through all my other samples and I’m still thinking of this I’ll probably purchase again.  It was very lightweight and sunk into the skin right away; I felt very moisturized throughout the entire day.

Thisworks In Transit Camera Close-Up Moisturizer – This is labeled as a 3-in-1 mask, moisturizer, and primer.  I personally only used it as a moisturizer in the morning, but I wasn’t very impressed.  It didn’t hydrate well or absorb, and so it sat on top of my skin and felt hard and tight like a mask.  I personally feel like with my dry skin I can’t use combination products like that; it doesn’t seem to hydrate quite like I need.

Hey Honey Propolis & Honey Soothing Moisturizer – This is another daytime moisturizer that I really enjoyed!  It smelled bad, but I thought it worked well; it was meant to help even out redness.  I would absolutely get this again and use it on no makeup days to help with an even skin tone!

Farmacy Skin Dew – I thought this was a great toner, but I’m not sure if I’d spend the money on it.  I liked spraying it onto a cotton round and wiping my face with it instead of putting it directly on my face.

Eminence Stone Crop Hydrating Mist – This was another good toner, but I wouldn’t purchase this either.  I used it by spraying on a cotton pad and rubbing my face.  I also thought this smelled a little musty, which wasn’t appealing.

Milk Makeup Cooling Water – I’m not sure what this was specifically supposed to be used for, but I used it under my eyes.  It felt nice and cooling in the beginning, but by the end of the tube I couldn’t feel it anymore.  Once I got close to the end of the product, I actually had to be super careful using it because the plastic edge would scrape my undereye area and it hurt.  Overall this stuff was fine, but I wouldn’t purchase it.

Avene Eau Thermalle Hydrating Serum – I don’t remember much about this serum; it was a thin formula that went on like any other skincare product.

Lue Balance Hydrating & Calming Serum – I thought this serum was alright, but nothing too special! It was relatively thick and felt like it was kind of drying and made my face tight. The tightness didn’t go away when using a moisturizer afterwards, so I had to use a lot of serum to counteract that.

What products have you used up recently?