August 2024 Empties

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

1. Equate Watermelon Shea Sugar Scrub: I really like that these scrubs are gritty without being overly abrasive and are at an affordable price point. I don't know that I'd get this particular scent again, as it has that strong artificial watermelon scent to it. That said, on the other hand it reminds me of watermelon Bubblicious gum that I used to love as a child, which is nostalgic. I don't know that I want to smell like that gum though.

2. Vaseline Intensive Care cocoa radiant Lotion: I can't say this really adds radiance to my skin, but it is hydrating without being thick or greasy. As always, I wish it were a bit richer because it doesn't hydrate the soles of my feet - which is mainly where I use moisturizer - as deeply as I'd like. Other than that though, I like this lotion. I also like its delicate sweet, roasty scent.

3. NYX Professional Makeup Faux White Inner Eye Brightener in Mint Cream: I am really sad to have run out of this because I loved it as a waterline liner. It really helps make me look more awake and makes my eyes look a bit bigger and brighter. I also liked that this was a subtle mint because it sort of color-corrected any redness in the eye area as well. I'm especially sad because it seems like NYX has discontinued these and they were great in my opinion, I wish they'd come back.

4. Ardell Original Demi Wispies x: I love that these lashes are very easy to work with, glue close to the lash-line, and are very natural-looking. In fact I wish all lashes had lash bands like the ones on these because they make it so easy to glue these lashes on without them popping off anywhere the way that thick lash bands tend to do. My only issue is that if I take a nap and have these lashes on, they tend to bend easily and never go back to their original shape. 

5. Laura Mercier Rouge Essentiel Silky Creme Lipstick in Rouge Ultime: This is a beautiful classic red shade of lipstick. That said, this has gotten down to a point where I can no longer apply it neatly and when I try to put it on with a lip brush it goes on weirdly sheer in a way I don't like. I do use the tail ends of lipsticks to create a "Franken-lipstick" so this will go toward that but I'm done with it as a standalone.

6. Secret Powder Fresh 24Hr Invisible Solid Antiperspirant/Deodorant: I'm not sure what it is with the Secret brand, that it works best for my armpits without irritating them, but I really liked this deodorant, I found that it worked well and was gentle on my pits.

7. inm Out the Door Topcoat for Nails: I love this topcoat because it creates a thick, glossy, gel-like appearance. However, this bottle has gotten down to the bottom where it's difficult to coat the brush with product and the product itself has become sort of goopy. 

8. Equate Tropical Mango Shea Sugar Scrub: This scrub smells absolutely delicious - it has a sweet, tropical, fruity-floral scent that I really love. I love how scrubby the sugar is, it's abrasive enough where I feel like I'm getting a good scrub but isn't harsh on the skin either. 

9. Cococare 100% Natural Peppermint Oil: I use this oil as insect deterrent in my room as I was attacked by a waterbug late one night and don't want a repeat of that experience ever again. So far it seems to be effective.

10. Dove revitalizing cherry & chia milk body wash: I like using these body washes as replacement for shave gel - they really help my razor to glide nicely and leave my skin feeling soft, silky, and hydrated. This one has a really yummy cherry candy scent to it.  

11. Biore UV Aqua Rich Water Essence SPF 50+ PA++++: I feel like I'm always sad to run out of this sunscreen because I just love it. I love its lightweight, serum-like feel and how despite being so lightweight it keeps me from getting burned in the sun while also leaving my skin feeling comfortably hydrated.

12. boscia Matcha Magic Super-Antioxidant Mask: I liked how this felt like a deep-cleansing mask because it was clay based but it isn't drying at all. 

13. Milani Make It Last Original Natural Finish Setting Spray: I am so sad to have run out of this because I feel like the jumbo bottle of this lasts forever and I really like this setting spray - it's great for keeping your makeup on and for applying eyeshadow wet. 

14. Westman Atelier Vital Skincare Complexion Drops Dewy Skin Tint in N and 0.5: Honestly I'm unsure if I didn't like this because the samples that they sent to Sephora essentially have only enough product in them to get a decent color match and not to actually try out the tint and see how much coverage you can get with it. Frankly, I found this entirely too sheer for  my taste and while I like the glow it gives, I feel like this would be more of a glow-giving primer for me versus a tint or foundation product because I prefer more medium to full coverage. Additionally, at $68 I'm just not dropping it on something that doesn't even give me the kind of coverage I like. 

Edit: I did use the second sample as more of a slightly tinted dewy primer and I really liked the kind of coverage and glow I got out of my foundation when using this under it, but again, $68 just doesn't justify the cost of doing so, I can purchase any other glow-giving primer or even a tinted moisturizer or BB cream to do the trick and it would cost less.

15. TIAM Snail & Azulene Sleeping Mask: This mask is great in the sense of the jar lasted a long time, a little bit went a long way, and it added a nice boost of hydration and anti-inflammatory ingredients for my skin. 

16. Shop Miss A AOA Studio Dermaplaning Face Razor: I honestly realize that even though I use this for dermaplaning, I prefer using smaller razors designed for brows because they give me better precision. 

17. Givenchy Powder Puff: This is the one that comes with the Prisme Libre powder. I really like the powder puff in the sense that it feels soft and does a good job of depositing powder and is also great to pat across the face to touch up any spots like around the mouth after eating or on the nose if you were wearing glasses. That said, the strap on it broke quite quickly and I didn't love that aspect.

Disclaimer: I purchased all of the products mentioned above with the exception of the Westman Atelier product, which was provided as a sample. All opinions are my own.