September 2023 Empties

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

1. Kose softymo Washing Foam Hyaluronic Acid: This was a nice basic cleanser, I found it did a good job of washing off any remaining makeup off my skin and left my skin feeling soft and comfortable. That said, I prefer somewhat more hydrating, cushiony-feeling foaming cleansers.  

2. inm Out the Door Topcoat for Nails: I absolutely love this topcoat and am sad to have run out. This gives my nails a nice, smooth, shiny effect and really does set and dry quickly. 

3.  Bobbi Brown Vitamin Enriched Face Base: Y'all this is another product that I am so sad to have run out of. Even though this is technically both a moisturizer and a primer, I used it as my night cream because this is so hydrating and nourishing. It really helped heal the eczema patch on my chin and overall left my skin feeling very hydrated and supple. 

4. Bath & Body Works Golden Sunflower Ultimate Hydration Body Cream: This has a really nice floral, creamy scent to it and made both my legs and feet feel very hydrated. 

5. Soapology NYC Waterlily & Jasmine Body Buttercream: This cream smells really lovely; it has a soapy, clean, floral scent to it. That being said, I wish it was a thicker, more emollient cream - I feel like this didn't provide enough hydration.

6. Freeman Anti-Stress dead sea minerals Clay Mask: I feel like when I had this in the sample packet that i really enjoyed this mask because it wasn't drying but felt deep-cleansing. That said, this tube version feels a bit drying and tight on my face - I didn't like it as much. 

7. Ardell Professional Studio Effects Lashes in Wispies x2: I really love these lashes because they're on the softer, more natural side but they still add a bit of length and volume.

8. e.l.f. Holy Hydration Eye Cream: As the name of this implies, this is a really great eye cream for hydration specifically. A little bit goes a long way and while this is really hydrating, it's also lightweight and plays nicely with makeup. 

9. skinfix inked Tattoo Balm: I did not get another tattoo, however I continue to have a patch of eczema on my groin that is just stubborn and itches quite intensely. I figured since this is meant to help heal tattoos that it might also help with the painful itchiness and dryness that the eczema presents with. While this helped a bit, I can't say it helped heal my eczema the way it helped my tattoo heal. 

10. Dr Teal's Shea Sugar Scrub in Shea Butter & Almond Oil with Essential Oils: This was a bit more liquidy than I'm used to these scrubs being but I feel as though it still provided a nice exfoliation for my skin and left my skin feeling soft.

11. Bath & Body Works Rose Water & Ivy PocketBac: It's been a while since I've had these hand sanitizers and I really appreciate having them. This smells really delicious and absorbs quickly into my skin without drying my hands out.

12. The Ordinary 100% Plant-Derived Squalane: Even though I had a backup, I'm still sad to have used this all up just because it is an absolute holy grail for me. I love how this oil is lightweight but that it also really helps reduce any redness, texture (i.e.: dry, flaky skin) and inflammation on my face. 

13. Neutrogena Rapid Clear Stubborn Acne Spot Gel: I'm unsure why they called this a gel when it's a cream but I have to say it is an excellent spot treatment. This helps clear up spots within a few days, helps cysts come to a head, and also helps reduce swelling. This tube also lasted me two years so I think it's a fantastic investment. 

14. Beauty of Joseon Calming Serum: Like the other serums in the kit I got, this provided a nice boost of hydration to my skin. I don't know that I would say, in terms of calming, that this particularly did anything to reduce redness on my skin.

15. ORLY Bonder Rubberized Basecoat: I really like this base coat because I feel like nail polish really does grip onto it well.

16. one+other Pro-Strength Nail Polish Remover Dip: The one I currently have has gotten quite gross and very discolored. I figure it's time for a fresh one.

17. OYAX Deep cleansing Nutrition Mask Avocado Sheet Mask: This mask hydrated my skin really well while leaving my skin feeling very soft and smooth.

18. OYAX Hyaluronic Acid HA Whitening Moisturizing Facial Mask: I can't say this mask really whitened my skin but I'm also paper white so there wasn't much work for it to do in that aspect. Additionally, I don't have any major wrinkles to speak of so I can't say if this would help those either. In any case, this left my skin feeling very hydrated, plump, and smooth. 

19. Freeman Hydrating glacier water + pink peony Gel Cream Mask: This mask did a nice job of providing my skin with an extra boost of hydration while also being lightweight and refreshing. 

20. Grandma Agatha's (Agafia's) Recipe Strengthening Hair Mask with Burdock: While I feel like this mask makes my curls look really pretty, defined, and shiny; I also feel like I wanted this mask to be more hydrating and will probably not get it again.

21. Maybelline Fit me! Loose Finishing Powder in 10 Fair Light: I am honestly relieved to have used this up because I feel like, it may not have been super noticeable but it was too yellow for my liking and it would crease under my eyes. Overall on the face though, this made my skin look really smooth which I appreciated. Additionally, I don't like that the packaging has a sifter that isn't removable - I feel like there are bits of powder I just can't get to because I can't get the sifter out without injuring myself. 

22. Givenchy Paris Mister Perfect Instant Makeup Eraser: I have held onto this thing for ages and I'm sure it's dried out or is otherwise no longer hygienic to use. I'd rather not end up with an eye infection.

23. OCC Black Dahlia Cosmetic Colour Pencil: This is a beautiful berry shade, however; I have sharpened this down as far as it can realistically be sharpened and have used it to the point where the wood scratches my lips when I try to apply this. I think it's that time to move on. 

24. 11 Village Factory Foot Peeling: I bought this because my right foot especially has been bothering me for a while, there's some scaly skin on the side of the foot that isn't callus but it's dry and nothing has been getting it off so I figured a foot peel might do the trick. I'm currently on day 6 post having used this and even though I've been soaking my feet nightly, there's only some very slight peeling around my toes and heels currently. I'm waiting for the soles of my feet to start peeling. Additionally, I am a size 10 in women's shoes and these were an extremely tight fit, I barely got my feet in there. I think they'd be ideal for someone with smaller feet. 

25. berkley jensen Scented baby wipes in Refreshing Green Tea & Cucumber: These wipes smell really nice - I like to use them to wipe dust off services, to wipe down my makeup collection, and to remove swatches when I take blog photos. 

Disclaimer: I purchased all of the above with the exception of the Soapology Body Buttercream which was a sample with purchase, the Givenchy product, and the OYAX masks which were birthday gifts.