October 2021 Empties

All my monthly trash on display for you to see. :P

Sheet Masks Galore:

the Saem Oatmeal Natural Oatmeal Mask Sheet: I wasn't sure what to expect with this but it's a really nice hydrating mask despite having a clear serum. I find the serum to have a nice viscosity to it where it's not dripping all over the skin and feels very nourishing. 

the Saem Honey Natural Honey Mask Sheet: Much like the mask above, this is a very hydrating, softening mask with a nice viscous serum that tends to stay with the mask and not drip all over the place.

WONJIN Effect Power Rejuvenation Concentrated Essence Mask: This mask felt intensely hydrating and left my skin feeling really smooth. 

WONJIN Energy Infusion Concentrated Essence Mask: This mask is lightly hydrating and left my skin feeling smooth and soft. It also has a nice refreshing, "green" type of scent.

TONYMOLY I'm Rose Mask Sheet: This is a nice lightly hydrating rose-scented sheet mask. 

2. Essie Closing Night Gel Couture Polish: This is a really pretty elegant gray color and I'm sad to discard it but it's down to the bottom.

3.  Dr. Jart Ceramidin Cream: I was using this to treat my bodily eczema and have ran out. I really like that this is deeply nourishing without being a very heavy or sticky product. 

4. Bath & Body Works PocketBac in Banana Rama Beach? Alpaca Towel: I thought this was such a cute hand sanitizer because I always pack an extra towel for when I go to the beach for sitting on (because wiping oneself off with a sandy towel isn't exactly fun). This has a sweet banana scent that I enjoyed.

5. KISS Lash Couture Faux Mink Collection Lashes in Little Black Dress x2: As much as I love the look of these lashes in the box and on myself I wish that, especially given how soft and natural they look, that they had thinner, more flexible lash bands. I find them difficult to work with because they don't want to bend to my eye shape. I do find this annoying thick band frequently with faux mink lashes so that might be the issue. 

6. Suave Professionals rosemary + mint invigorating conditioner: This is a very hydrating conditioner that leaves my hair feeling very smooth and silky. I really like its herbal scent which shocks me a bit because I typically don't like herbal scents but I think rosemary smells delicious, so there's that. I really enjoyed using this and it lasted me quite a while.

7. wondergloss Blossom Balm: Honestly this is a great makeup remover but it's too thick and balmy for my personal preferences.

8. Dove glowing mango butter & almond butter Nourishing Body Wash: As I've mentioned in the past, I really like to use these to shave with because they're moisturizing, foam nicely, and provide a nice glide for my razor. It leaves my legs feeling super smooth and silky. It works great as a hydrating body wash also, leaving me feeling soft and clean. 

9. m-61 PowerSpot Clear: As I've mentioned before I really like to use this as a spot treatment because it really helps reduce inflammation and helps any of my breakouts heal quickly. 

10. Shea Moisture Lavender & Wild Orchid Calming Hand & Body Scrub w/ Shea Butter: I  really grew to like these scrubs as they provide good scrubbiness without being abrasive. This has a sweet lavender scent that i enjoyed.

11. Chantecaille Faux Cils Longest Lash Mascara: Honestly I feel like I was determined to dislike this mascara just because it is ridiculously expensive so I wanted to avoid, at all costs, falling in love with it. That being said, I genuinely enjoyed this so much! I have seen a difference in my lash hairs becoming longer and thicker over time and I'm not 100% that I can attribute it to this or to the fact that the makeup remover I'm using is hydrating and removes most of the lash glue so my lashes just have a better chance to grow. I also really like the rose scent that this has but I can understand how it might irritate someone's eyes. Overall I do like this a lot but I still don't think I would drop $72 on an item that needs to be replaced every three months. 

12. Ben Nye Luxury Powder in Rose Petal: Overall I liked this powder because it's brightening and this jar lasted me quite a long time. That being said, I find that it can look just a bit cakey on the under-eye area and can emphasize texture there. So if you're someone with a lot of dryness, texture, or lines on the under-eye I don't know that this is great on its own. It did work really well when I would use a sponge sprayed with good setting spray and press it into the powder but not all of the sprays I used created good results. So overall mixed feelings. If you don't have the issues I described above though, it's definitely a good value product because it'll last you. 

13. Tree Hut Shea Sugar Scrub in Exotic Bloom: The reason you're seeing two scrubs essentially back to back is because I was already low on this but I put it back in my stash and then took put it back out to use it up. Frankly, after all the other scrubs I've used, I find the sugar crystals here a bit TOO abrasive but not enough to bother me much. This smells delicious too, I really like its sweet floral fragrance.

14. Duo Brush-On Adhesive with Vitamins: I feel like this has become my standard go-to lash glue. It does the job and is easy to find and purchase. 

15. KISSME Heroine Make Smooth 01 Jet Black Liquid Eyeliner Super Keep: I know a lot of people really like this liner and feel they can get precision from it because it's so thin but honestly I found it a bit of a learning curve to use this because it's so thin. Overall it's not my favorite.

16. The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%: I genuinely wanted to love this because so many people say that it helps them with their breakouts and pores. Niacinamide is supposed to be a great alternative to Vitamin C as well, I hear, because it has anti-oxidant, brightening, and anti-inflammatory properties. That being said, I didn't notice any change to my skin while I was using this, and if anything, I broke out more than usual with cystic acne. With all that being said, I will most likely not be repurchasing this.

17. CVS Health Ultra-Soft Cleansing Wipes: These are fairly standard fare as far as baby wipes go - they do a good job of wiping down surfaces, especially on my makeup collection as well as removing swatches from my hands/arms when I take blog photos. 

18. Femme Fatale Glass Coffin Artisan Nail Lacquer: This nail polish is beautiful but unfortunately has gotten to the stage where I am unable to dispense enough from the bottle to go over my nails smoothly. 

19. Maya Chia Supercritical Omega-3 Chia Face Oil: This is definitely one of my very favorite facial oils because it's very nourishing to the skin and has a beautiful citrusy scent. Like I said in my review of this product, I think I will always come back to squalane because it really helps my skin's redness diminish this but this oil is a more nourishing, more luxurious-feeling alternative for hydration. 

20. Fourth Ray Beauty Turmeric Face Milk: Honestly I found that this isn't hydrating enough on its own and while this gives my skin a pretty radiance I can't tell if its the turmeric doing anything or if it's because this has a shimmery pigment in it. In addition, turmeric is supposed to have anti-inflammatory properties but I haven't noticed a difference in my skin's redness when I was using this.

21. Mario Badescu Facial Spray with Aloe, Herbs, and Rosewater: I think this spray smells great and it feels very refreshing when applied but I personally prefer sprays that are designed to keep makeup on and this is more just for refreshment. I don't mind it but I wouldn't get it again.

22. Chesapeake Bay mind & body Clarity peppermint Essential Oil: This is a really nice peppermint essential oil that worked well to scent my apartment, keep rodents away (mice don't like the scent of mint), and worked well in my diffisuer. 

23. Korres Body Firming Serum Spray in Lilac Hyacinth: I really liked this as a lightweight moisturizer for the summertime and felt that, despite its very lightweight, silky milky serum texture, that it provided really wonderful hydration. This leaves my skin feeling super silky, smooth, and hydrated. As always, this wasn't enough hydration for the soles of my feet but it left me legs feeling amazing post-shave. I LOVE the scent of this; it's a very fresh lilac scent. The scent always takes me back to my childhood as we had lilac bushes growing all over the neighborhood back in Minsk. It smells so good and I am sad to have used it all up.  Additionally, I can't say that this had any noticeable firming effect for me personally BUT I only use body moisturizer on my legs below the knee and on my feet, because I walk around a lot and worked retail where I was standing constantly, those areas are fairly firm to begin with. 

24. Christophe Robin Cleansing Purifying Scrub with Sea Salt: I am SO SAD to have used this all up as it is by far my very favorite scalp scrub - this is amazing for dandruff or otherwise dry, itchy scalp conditions because it will physically buff away the dead skin. The sea salt in this soothes inflammation and I find that this product does a great job of also cleansing the hair without being extremely drying. That said, because of the salt, I do suggest following this up with a deep hydration treatment or thick conditioner.

24. Shea Moisture Coconut & Hibiscus Illuminating Body Scrub: This body scrub smells so delicious and is a great level of gritty without being too intense.

24. Kiss Lash So Wispy Lashes in Pompadour: These are a pretty, voluminous wispy lash. They're very lightweight and fairly easy to apply which I appreciate.

25. Peter Thomas Roth Rose Stem Cell Bio-Repair Gel Mask: This mask had a very beautiful rose scent, is lightweight, refreshing, and adds a nice boost of hydration when applied.

26. Youth to the People Superberry Hydrate + Glow Dream Mask: I am so sad to have used up this mask because I just loved it so much. It hydrated my skin so beautifully, left it with a pretty glow, smelled nice, had a beautiful texture. I highly recommend it as a hydrating sleeping mask.

27. Dr. Teal's Pure Epsom Salt Soaking Solution Balance & Calm with Matcha Green Tea: Honestly I was hoping these would have more of a matcha scent which was there, but it was faint. In terms of efficacy these are as good as any of the other Dr. Teal's Epsom salts, they work great for relaxing sore muscles and feeling soothing overall. 

Please let me know if you have any comments or questions.

Disclaimer: I purchased all of the above with the exception of the Chantecaille, Mario Badescu, Christophe Robin, Peter Thomas Roth, Youth to the People, and TONYMOLY products.