Wednesday, January 1, 2020

December 2019 Empties

All my garbage of the month! :D
Sheet Masks Galore:
Etude House Madecassoside Air Mask: I found this mask to be really hydrating - it left my skin very soft and smooth.
The Face Shop Real Nature Face Mask in Rice: A really nice, lightly hydrating mask - I find that rice masks tend to have a smoothing effect on the skin which is nice. 
The Face Shop Real Nature Face Mask in Potato: I feel like this mask had a slight clarifying effect and left my skin feeling smooth and hydrated.
The Face Shop Real Nature Face Mask in Honey: As with many honey masks I wish this smelled more like honey - it smells floral. It left my skin feeling hydrated and smooth.
The Face Shop Real Nature Face Mask in Calendula: A nice lightly soothing, hydrating mask.
patchology Illuminating Eye Gels x2: I liked that these were gel in the sense that they felt more hydrating and cooling versus other under-eye patches. They left my under-eye area with the appearance of more clarity and slightly dewy. My eye cream went beautifully on top of the serum in here. 
The Face Shop Real Nature Face Mask in Pomegranate: I was somewhat disappointed in this product as I'm used to pomegranate products being more hydrating. It's also disappointing given how much I loved the Face Shop's Pomegranate Essence back in the day.
The Face Shop Real Nature Face Mask in Cucumber: This is a nice, lightly refreshing, hydrating mask.
The Face Shop Real Nature Face Mask in Green Tea: This mask has a nice, intense green tea scent that I really love. It left my skin feeling really refreshed it while giving it a beautiful glow and nice clarity.
patchology Rejuvenating Eye Gels x2: These feel REALLY cooling when applied, which I appreciated as my eyes were puffy and a bit irritated when I used these. They really helped to de-puff and rejuvenate (as their name implies) the under-eye area.
The Face Shop Real Nature Face Mask in Avocado: This mask smells the way most avocado sheet masks do - very refreshing and "green" - it's very, very hydrating which my skin really needed given the nippy weather outside.
patchology Restoring Night Eye Gels x2: Out of all the eye gels I felt that these gave me the most reduction in under-eye darkness. That said, with the rest, I kept them on for 20 minutes each - I only kept this on for 5 because I'm concerned that, with any longer, the retinol here would irritate my under-eye area.
The Face Shop Real Nature Face Mask in Bamboo: This mask has left my skin feeling hydrated and smooth.
The Face Shop Real Nature Face Mask in Kelp: This mask has left my skin feeling hydrated and smooth with an increased radiance and clarity.
innisfree skin clinic mask in Madecassoside: I used this mask after I had used a clay mask on my skin and the clay mask really stripped my skin dry. I don't know why but I feel like madecassoside masks are creamy in my memory (potentially because of the cream in the petri dish on the product packaging?) and this wasn't - it was just clear serum, so I wasn't expecting too much but I did find that it really softened, and rejuvenated my skin, while being really lightweight. It also gave me a nice glow.
The Face Shop Real Nature Face Mask in Blueberry: This mask has left my skin feeling hydrated and refreshed.
The Face Shop Real Nature Face Mask in Aloe: This mask has left my skin feeling hydrated and smooth.
innisfree My Real Squeeze Mask in Rice: I really loved this mask because it leaves my skin feeling hydrated and smooth while having a nice lightweight, yet milky, hydrating essence. It also has a soft, soothing scent.

2. ColourPop No Filter Sheer Pressed Powder in Fair: This is a wonderful setting powder that, while it doesn't give much coverage, gives a beautiful smooth finish to the skin. I really like how smooth, silky and finely milled this is and how it doesn't emphasize any texture in the skin. 

3Huda Beauty Lashes in Scarlett #8: I've had this pair of lashes since 2016 and wore them mainly for what I considered to be special occasions and occasionally at work. Unfortunately they've just disintegrated at this point but given how long I've had them I can't even be mad.

4. Indie Lee Overnight Facial Oil: This is a nicely hydrating, yet not too heavy, lavender-scented face oil.

5. Tree Hut Bohemian Firming Sugar Scrub in  Italian Mocha: I don't think that, after all this time, it's necessary for me to sing my praises to this product anymore but I love these scrubs so much - they're super scrubby but don't leave your tub all slippery and gross. 

6Dr. Barbara Sturm Eye Cream: I really like this eye cream in terms of its lightweight, yet intense, moisture, how it minimizes the eczema scales on my eyelids, and how makeup goes over it beautifully. That said, I don't think I can justify its exorbitant price point.

7. Ardell Flawless Tapered Luxe Lashes in 803These lashes are rather feather-like and beautiful; I really like the way they flare out. Unfortunately; however, one of them flew down the drain, hence I have to discard them. In addition, their band is rather inflexible and I had a tough time getting them to hug my eye and resist lifting off the edges.

8.  dermalogica AGE Bright Clearing Serum: To note, I had no active breakouts while testing this product, I'm unsure if it kept them at bay but I did like that it was lightly hydrating without being heavy.

9. Christophe Robin Hydrating Shampoo with Aloe Vera x2: I like this shampoo in that it's lightly hydrating and gentle on the hair. If you're looking for a more luxury line to use as an "everyday"  or, rather, an "every shampoo' kind of shampoo I would highly recommend this. It also didn't fade out my color, which is nice.

10. fresh Vitamin Nectar Glow Juice Antioxidant Face Serum: I really like this serum because it hydrates lightly and gives my skin a pretty radiance. It also has a lovely citrusy scent to it.

11. Skinfood Black Sugar Mask Wash Off: As much as I originally liked this mask I feel that, over time, it's become a bit harsh on my skin. I did use it all up but, going forward, I think I'll be much more likely to get this in the honey or strawberry varieties as the sugar crystals in those are softer. I did love that it left my skin feeling like a baby's bottom but again, kinda too harsh.

12. Chantecaille Lip Chic Lip Color in Tuberose: This shade is a lovely peachy pink that is hydrating and looks beautiful on the lip. That said, I find that this wears off within an hour of having it on and, given its high price point, I would not consider purchasing it in a full size.

13. Clinique Pink Honey Almost Lipstick: I really liked using this as a light lip balm because it hydrated lightly and is a really pretty light peachy pink tone. I think it's a nice product for daily use.

14. m-61 PowerGlow Peel Gradual Tan x5: I'm going to be real with you all, I have no intention of tanning my face with this stuff, I'm more looking for it to give me a glow. Hence I will be using a pad maybe one or two times a week only. I really don't love the way these smell, kind of reminds me of coconut that's been  infused in acetone... not the nicest scent at all. To update: These don't give me a "glow"; unfortunately, they make me look jaundiced. Owing to the fact that I am using them kind of infrequently, the color doesn't last but the day after I use these my skin itself, like, radiance-wise looks nice, but color-wise looks an off-orange. :/

15. Pampers Wipes: As I've mentioned previously, I like to use these wipes to wipe down my makeup and just for every day dust removal because they're gentle and are a nice level of moist without being overkill.

16. dermalogica Sound Sleep Cocoon: This is a nice, lightweight-yet-hydrating facial gel-cream. I like that it has a slightly cooling sensation when applied to the skin.

17. Hourglass Brow Micro-Sculpting Pencil in Ash: I find these pencils are awesome for creating thin, hair-like strokes which... isn't really how I do my eyebrows. For someone with thin or patchy brows that need the appearance of hairs, this is a wonderful product. That said, my brows are thick and while yes, they're patchy in spots, I'm more looking to shape them into an arched position than I am to have individual hairs going on - I've got plenty in terms of that. I found that due to the way I do my brows I went through this product quite quickly and it was a bit of a learning curve to maneuver it into doing what I wanted it to do. If you're more looking for shaping I would get their original eyebrow pencils, which I love.

18. Bath & Body Works Mermaid Splash Turquoise Waters Anti-Bacterial Hand Gel: A lovely smelling hand sanitizer.

19. m-61 Hydraboost Eye Cream: I really like this eye cream because I find it to be very hydrating yet also lightweight. It sets and dries quite quickly which makes any makeup applied on top of it just glide over smoothly.

20. REN AHA Smart Renewal Body Serum: I have mixed feelings about this product. Let's start with the "bad" - this can sting/tingle horrifically when you put it on freshly shaven skin because of the AHAs - the sensation lasts for roughly 5 minutes so it's nothing I can't live through but it's highly unpleasant, it's also not hydrating enough for areas such as the soles of the feet. The good? It leaves the skin - even the soles of the feet - feeling silky and smooth (not necessarily super hydrated though... on those soles...) and it has a lovely creamsicle scent.

21. Formula X For Sephora Orbit: I'm so sad to let this go as you folks know I've had, and loved, this for so long but it's nearly all used up and kind of goopy so unfortunately I have to let go of my beloved.

22. Moroccanoil Moroccanoil Treatment: Alright so while I do not love the scent of this oil I do love that it gives my hair a boost of hydration without being heavy or weighing my hair down. I was concerned that the original formula might be a bit much but it's not heavy in my fine hair at all! Perhaps it's also because I have bleach and color damage but I really liked the effect of this oil in my hair and I like that the scent doesn't really hang around for long after application.

23. wet n wild Cool As A Cucumber Photo Focus 3-in-1 Primer Water: This worked quite nicely and felt refreshing on the skin. That said, its scent, while not unpleasant, is odd - it has this creamy note to it that is very strange with cucumber. It wasn't terrible but I probably wouldn't pick up this particular scent again.

24. Dove Sensitive Skin Nourishing Body Wash: This really came in handy for several reasons - because it's getting colder, and therefore drier, this does a wonderful job of being a moisturizing alternative to a shave gel - which is mainly what I used it for. I also like this because it's hypoallergenic and has no fragrances, alcohol, or soap but is, as I mentioned, hydrating which helped take the itch out. This time around it wasn't because of my tattoo, but because of my eczema flaring up, that this gets brownie points.

25. Hourglass Veil Translucent Setting Powder: I really like the way this powder sets my makeup because it's silky and has a tiny bit of a pearl through it which helps to give my skin a glow.

26. Elemis Soothing Apricot Toner : This toner felt really refreshing on my skin, smelled nice, and left my skin soft. I can't say that it did anything significant but it was definitely a nice step in my routine in terms of just feeling refreshing and having the sensory experience of a nice smell.

27. Eylure False Luxe Silk Lashes in Marquis: These lashes are so pretty, fluffy, and somewhat natural-looking while still giving the eyes a nice intensity. I like them a lot.

28. Laura Mercier Pure Canvas Primer in Hydrating: So this is the repackaged hydrating primer from Laura Mercier and, not having used the older one, I'm not sure how it compares. I do like that this is very lightweight, lotion-like rather than silicone-y, and feels cooling/refreshing when applied.

29. Oribe Conditioner for Brilliance and Shine: While in the past I found this to be too heavy for my hair, given that my hair has gone through a lot of bleach and coloring, it wasn't now. That said, I don't find that it made my hair particularly shiny.

30. dermalogica special cleansing gel: This is a really great, everyday, simple, no frills, cleanser. It does a good job of cleaning my face and leaving it smooth. I find that it foams nicely but isn't anything crazy. It doesn't really have a noticeable scent either. I think it's a really great basic cleanser.

31. dermalogica Skin Smoothing Cream: I feel like I really loved this cream in the summertime because I found it lightweight yet hydrating but it isn't enough for this time of year. I was using it in a kind of "why did I like this so much? It doesn't hydrate!" mood when using it up.

32. Trader Joe's Tea Tree Oil: A really good all-purpose tea tree oil, I pick this one up nowadays because I do my frozen meal and snack shopping at Trader Joe's so I pick this up when I'm there. I use this to clean out my air conditioners because it's antibacterial and anti-fungal and I use it in my diffuser and foot soaks for the same reason.

33.MAKE UP FOR EVER M0 Lab Shine Metal Collection : Oh man it's sad to part ways with this gloss but it's quite aged and it's time, theey don't even make lab shine glosses and haven't in years - these were by far my favorite gloss because they stayed on the mouth but didn't feel sticky or gross. This was also fun because it was a semi-sheer black that turned a bit purple-y on me. The shade is quite pretty and unique.

34no-name foundation brush from Memebox Oval Brush set: I'm sad to report that this is biting the bullet but unfortunately these brushes weren't made too well and their heads tend to snap off the handles. I will say it performed well regardless but I feel like it is time to part ways.

35. Crown Brush Crown Pro C511 Brush: This brush is absolutely fantastic - I am discarding my current one because it's lost its original fluffiness and fullness but I love these because they're a great dupe for MAC's 217 brush which, overall, is a great multipurpose brush for general blending of powder and cream shadows, concealers, setting powders and for crease-work.

36. rms Living Luminizer Illuminator: I wasn't fond of this product because, while it has a pretty white-silver glow, it's tacky and feels very glycerin-ish on the skin - I find that setting it with a powder highlight causes the powder to clump on top of it, overall I find this product difficult to work with and wasn't a fan.

37Crown Brush Crown Pro C510 Brush: This is a great standard-sized flat shader brush that's great for packing color onto the lid and slightly into the crease of the eye. I love it!

38. Clinique Pep-Start Daily UV Protector Broad Spectrum SPF 50: I love how I suggested pairing this with a moisturizer in my original review of the product but meanwhile I was using this on its own. It's very lightweight but feels lightly hydrating which has been fine because I've been using an oil underneath it. Overall I really like how light this SPF is and how, despite being tinted, it's very sheer.

39. Bath & Body Works Tea & Lemon Scented Candle: This is such a lovely, comforting scent to me because I drank lots of lemon tea as a child and still do when I get a sore throat or just when I'm in the mood. I love to burn it when it's raining outside or when it's cold but... truthfully, I love it for anytime.

40. Trader Joe's Oatmeal & Honey Soap: This is a really nice basic soap - I was hoping it would have a more pronounced scent but, alas, not so. It did do a good job of washing my hands and body without being drying; plus it comes with two bars of soap so overall, I think it's pretty good stuff.

Disclaimer: I purchased all of the above with the exception of the patchology, Indie Lee, Dr. Barbara Sturm, dermalogica, Christophe Robin, fresh, Chantecaille, Clinique, m-61, REN, Oribe, Elemis,  rms, and Hourglass products. 

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