October 2025 Empties

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

1. now essential oils lemon oil: I'm so sad that I ran out of this oil. I like using it in my diffuser and it smells delicious! It has such a lovely, fresh, lemony scent. 

2. COVERGIRL Lash Blast SuperCloud Mascara: Although I liked this mascara when I initially got it, I find that it smudges like no one's business every time I'd go to apply lashes and would cause me to have to do a lot of clean up work. I would not get it again.

3. Physicians Formula Eye Booster Waterproof Ultra-Fine Liquid Eyeliner: I feel like we've already established that this eyeliner is a holy grail for me. I replace mine every 3 months to avoid eye infections and I feel like it works great and it really does make my lashes nice and conditioned over time.

4. DUO Quick-Set Striplash Adhesive: I feel like this isn't as quick-setting as it once was. Meaning it used to at least be tacky within 30 seconds but now I feel like I have to wait a bit longer for it to get tacky enough to glue lashes on. 

5. COSRX Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence: This is absolutely a holy grail serum for me because it really helps to rejuvenate my skin whenever it's dry and bring it back to life. It leaves my skin feeling plump, soft, and supple. 

6. Green Pharmacy Cactus Squalane Ultramoisturizing Face Serum: This is another really hydrating serum that I enjoyed using. I feel like this one is even more hydrating than the COSRX one I just discussed but it's a bit pricier too. 

7. Dr Teal's Prebiotic Lemon Balm Shea Sugar Scrub: I love how gritty this scrub is and how delicious and sweet it smells; it has a refreshing sweet-sour lemon scent. This leaves my skin feeling very soft and smooth and is great for shave prep. 

8. equate Island Coconut Shea Sugar Scrub: I love how gritty this scrub is and how delicious and sweet it smells; it has a sweet, creamy, yet refreshing coconut scent. This leaves my skin feeling very soft and smooth and is great for shave prep. 

9. berkley jensen Scented baby wipes in Green Tea & Cucumber: As I always mention, I used these primarily to wipe down surfaces and to remove makeup swatches from my skin. They smell really nice and stay moist for quite some time when kept upside down and last a long time so I'm pretty happy with them. 

10. The Creme Shop Flexible Fit 3D Faux Mink Lashes in Bossy x2: These are a beautiful thick, voluminous lash and they go on fairly easily. Occasionally they do want to pop off at the inner corners of the eyes but generally I find they stay put well.

11. Trader Joe's Oatmeal & Honey Pure Vegetable Soap x2: This is a holy grail bar soap for me. I mostly use it as hand soap, but it's fantastic for not only keeping my hand eczema at bay but also for keeping my hands gently hydrated. It's not irritating at all and produces a gentle. slightly hydrating foam.

12. equate Tahitian Vanilla Shea Sugar Scrub: I love how gritty this scrub is and how delicious and sweet it smells; this has a sweet, almost yeasty scent to it. I know yeast might sound gross in this context but I mean it in the sense of the scent that yeast gives freshly baking bread. It's very pleasant without being cloying. This leaves my skin feeling very soft and smooth and is great for shave prep. 

13. Compliment Lavender and Blueberry Clay Face Mask: I really liked this mask because despite being clay, it wasn't drying on my skin. It has a nice, blueberry yogurt scent to it and left my skin feeling both deep-cleansed yet soft. 

14. Bath & Body Works Pocket Bac Anti-Bacterial Hand Gel in Pineapple Mango: I am genuinely so sad at how this is gone now, because it smells absolutely delicious. I like that these hand sanitizers smell nice but that the scents aren't intense in the sense of, sometimes hand sanitizer smells really "sharp" in a way that I find bothersome. They do have quite obvious, long-lasting scents though. They also don't dry out my skin at all which I appreciate.

15. Compliment Banana and Guava Face Mask: Just as with the mask above, I liked that this has the deep cleansing properties of clay but without being dry or tight on the skin. This has a yummy, creamy banana scent to it.  

16. Wow Skin Science Apple Cider Vinegar shampoo: I like that this shampoo foamed up nicely, and due to the apple cider vinegar properties it kept any dandruff at bay and left my hair shiny. That being said, I found it somewhat stripping and not hydrating enough for my personal taste. I wish it had all those properties I described but would also hydrate the hair. 

17. Lebelage Snail Cleansing Foam: I found this cleanser worked ok, but it isn't my favorite because I wish it were more hydrating. It did leave my skin feeling clean without making it dry or tight. 

18. MIZON Multi Function Formula Snail Repair Eye Cream: I'm so sad to have run out of this eye cream. It is literally my favorite because it's so hydrating yet lightweight, it plays really nicely with makeup over it, and helps with undereye puffiness as well.

Disclaimer: I purchased all of the products mentioned above with the exception of the Wow shampoo which I received as a gift. 

May 2024 Empties

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

1. reese robert Faux Fur 3D Feather Effect - Amplified Volume lashes x3: These lashes are beautiful, they really do have this wispy feathery effect that makes them dramatic yet also soft at the same time. That being said, I do find that they have a habit of wanting to come off at the corners.

2. dermalogica Intensive Moisture Balance: I really like this moisturizer specifically because it hydrates my dry skin nicely while simultaneously being lightweight so it doesn't sit on my skin or make my skin feel sticky or like it's not absorbing. I really enjoyed using it.

3. Dr Teal's Shea Sugar Scrub in Cannabis Sativa Hemp Seed Oil: I really like these sugar scrubs because they're nicely abrasive and feel like they're doing a good job scrubbing while leaving my skin smooth.

4. Biore UV Aqua Rich Water Essence SPF 50+ PA++++: I love this sunscreen so much, it feels very lightweight but hydrates my skin nicely and works well as a primer underneath makeup and obviously on its own as well.

5. Tattoo Junkee Pucker Up Lip Paint: While I can still get this to sort of work, unfortunately it has dried out wherein it goes on dry and patchy. I think it is time for us to part ways.

6. Christophe Robin Purifying Hair Finish Lotion: I am unsure if this did much for my hair other than making it feel a bit softer and cleaner. That said, I feel like it has an intense scent and that the spray particles would get into, and irritate, my nose. 

7. Dove refreshing cucumber & green tea body wash: I like to use these body washes in place of shave gel because they hydrate my skin nicely and provide a slick base for my razor to glide over. This one has a really nice refreshing, as its name implies, scent that I really enjoy.

8. now essential oils 100% pure tangerine essential oil: This has a sweet, citrusy, tangerine scent that I find uplifting. That said, the oil is a very intense orange shade that tends to stain my diffuser.

9. Grandma Agatha's (Agafia's) Recipe Nourishing Hair Mask with Eggs: I found that this mask  hydrated my hair nicely. At the same time, it was somewhat thin which was nice because it didn't weigh my hair down and was still nourishing enough to provide the hydration my hair needed. 

10. pop arazzi Shell Me More Nail Polish: This nail polish is a really pretty minty blue. Unfortunately, it has become very thick and goopy which causes it to apply in a streaky fashion or just it just skips as I apply it. For this reason it is time for us to part ways.

11. Bath & Body Works Peach Bellini Cleansing Hand Soap: This soap smells really delicious but I feel like because I wash my hands so frequently, that I go through it too fast. The bottle only lasted me a week.

12. The Skin House Aloe Soothing Vitamin Gel: I really loved this as a cooling yet hydrating gel moisturizer, especially as the weather grew hot. That said, toward the end of its lifespan, this aired out a bit and therefore became kind of dry and goopy rather than remaining gelatinous.

13. Soapology Dead Sea Salt Soak in Rose: This soak smells delicious and I feel like this helped in soaking sore muscles and making my achy feet feel rejuvenated. 

14. Bath & Body Works Anti-Bacterial Hand Gel in blackberries & basil: This hand sanitizer just smells absolutely delicious. I loved using it while I had it. 

15. wet n wild photo focus Dewy Foundation in Shell Ivory: I love this foundation - it looks natural and dewy on my skin, making my skin look healthy and luminous. It also has great lasting power and stays on my face for 8+ hours even in hot and humid conditions. Currently, it is my favorite foundation at the drugstore.

Disclaimer: I purchased all of the products mentioned above with the exception of the dermalogica, Soapology, and Christophe Robin products, which was provided for testing. All opinions are my own.

October 2022 Empties

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

1. innisfree 3 Jeju Color Picker Real Color Nail: I've just run out of this nail polish, it's very goopy and mostly gone so it's time to say goodbye. 

2. AOA studio A+ Glam 3D Premium Faux Mink Lashes in Amsterdam: These lashes are beautiful but unfortunately they're very fluttery and don't have a base that lets you glue them on easily or anchors them onto the eyes. This causes them to pop off at the corners constantly which annoys me.

3. : I love the scent of this mask and that it leaves my skin feeling soft when I wash it off. That being said, I don't love its texture, it feels like it leaves a bit of a balmy texture behind.

4. AOA studio 3D Faux Mink Lashes in Krissi: I really enjoyed this pair of lashes - it gives my eyes definition and oomph while still being a bit natural and fluffy-looking. 

5. Duo Quick-Set Striplash Adhesive: I'm gonna be honest that I don't find that this sets any faster than the paint-on lash glue with the brush. That being said, it works just fine for gluing on falsies. Mine is getting clumpy so it's time to replace it.

6. lune+aster Eclipse Volumizing & Curling Mascara: While I liked that this is a tubing mascara that can be layered and created quite visible results I also don't love that the formula is kind of clumpy. I usually remedy that issue with a lash comb but due to the tubing nature of this mascara, it managed to clog up my lash comb. Overall I'm happy to have played with it but I'm also happy to move on to another mascara.

7. Physicians Formula Eye Booster Waterproof Ultra-Fine Liquid Eyeliner: Now this is a product I'm sad to be moving on from because it's my favorite liquid eyeliner at the drugstore. I find that over time (as in, it took about a year of regular use) that I noticed this really did make a difference on my lashes - they're so much fuller and thicker now and while I will say I've gotten better at applying falsies over the years I hardly ever have lashes come off when I take my falsies off.

8. wet n wild photo focus Concealer: I feel like I used to love this concealer more than I did when using it now. Firstly the color was a tad bit too dark for me, which was an error on my own part. But additionally, the product is more sheer than I remember it being and required quite a bit of layering to get the opacity I wanted. I also feel like it was difficult to get a good amount of product out of the packaging and even having removed the wand wiper I can't get all the product out of the packaging.

9. beauty 360 100% Acetone Pro Strength Nail Polish Remover:  This works great for getting nail polish off fairly quickly. My jar has gotten really gross so it's time for a new one.

10. KimChi Chic Puff Puff Pass Set & Bake Powder:  I love this powder so much! It's beautifully finely milled and super silky, it sets the under-eye and face area beautifully while looking natural and not creasing. I highly recommend it.

11. GLAMGLOW GLOWSTARTER Nude Glow Mega Illuminating Moisturizer: I really like the glow this gives my skin but, that being said, while its hydration level is alright I personally would prefer something a bit more hydrating because this didn't do very much for my face eczema and it's becoming a real issue for me as we head into colder weather.

12. Soapology Lavender & Vanilla Shower Gel: I'm a big fan of this because it smells so good! It's a very floral lavender with a hint of vanilla that smells sophisticated, not overly soapy or sweet. I was genuinely impressed with it. This foams up beautifully and left my skin feeling silky smooth.

13. Kosasport Serene Clean Chemistry AHA Serum Deodorant: Honestly if you're looking for a "natural" or aluminum-free deodorant I would highly recommend this one. It kept me stench-free from day one! That being said, it does nothing to keep you from sweating so if you sweat profusely and would rather not, this may not be the product for you. Additionally, I am someone who shaves my armpits and if I accidently nicked myself I'd know it because the acid would sting. It wasn't anything intensely painful but it was unpleasant. This lasted me several months and is incredibly lightweight and nonstick which I appreciate.

14. GARNIER green labs Brightening Gel Wash Pinea-C: Honestly I don't like how this didn't foam up much and it was also a bit drying to my skin. I need something somewhat more hydrating.

15. #I DEW CARE Cake My Day Mask: This mask is great for hydration but I feel like it leaves behind a bit of a residue when you wash it off and therefore is best for the driest of the dry skin types or is best used only on super dry areas that need the extra boost.

16. berkley jensen unscented baby wipes: As I've said in the past I really like to use these wipes to wipe down surfaces, clean my makeup with, and to remove makeup swatches with. They're well-moistened and last a long time due to there being 100 per pack. 

17. Soap & Glory Drop in The Lotion: This has a yummy coconut scent to it but I honestly don't find it hydrating enough. It'[s just barely hydrating enough for my legs and, as you can guess, isn't hydrating enough for the soles of my feet. 

18. now essential oils 100% pure peppermint: I like to sprinkle peppermint oil around as a deterrent for creepy crawly creatures and to use it in my essential oil diffuser to help clear my sinuses.

19. AOA studio 3D Faux Mink Lashes in Elidia: These are a really pretty, large fluttery wispy lash.

20. Trader Joe's Brazil Nut Body Butter: This body butter smells absolutely delicious and does a wonderful job of providing hydration for my legs and soles of my feet. I feel like the more I used it the more I liked it. 

21. Dr Teal's Shea Sugar Scrub in Black Elderberry: I love these scrubs because they give me a good intensity of scrubbiness where they leave my skin smooth and feel invigorating. This has a nice tart berry scent to it. 

22. A+ Setting Spray: This was a fairly nice setting spray that did a good job of keeping my makeup in place. I did feel like I had to use a lot to get that refreshing sensation I like from a setting spray, but for it being under $2 I can't complain.

23. Dove refreshing cucumber & green tea Nourishing Body Wash: As I've mentioned many times, I really love to use these body washes to shave with because they're very hydrating and more economical for me to have on hand versus shaving foams. This has a nice, refreshing, slightly sweet scent to it. 

24. Boheme Haircare Nourish Shampoo: I felt like I liked this a lot when I initially started using it - this has a nice, spa-like, herbaceous scent and left my hair feeling soft, clean, and full. That being said, over time I felt like I noticed shedding and thinning in my hair and I'm unsure if this is to blame but I have to say I feel like it didn't contribute to any improvement of my hair's quality.

25. innisfree brightening & pore-caring cream: I like that this is a lightweight formula but it gives the skin a nice boost of hydration overall. That being said, I have an eczema patch on my face and this didn't hydrate that bit at all. Additionally, I don't find that it does anything for my pores.

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

Disclaimer: I purchased all of the above with the exception of the Soapology, Boheme Haircare, innisfree, and KimChi Chic  products. 

July 2022 Empties

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

1. Maui Moisture Thicken & Restore + Bamboo Fibers Conditioner: While I can't say that this conditioner gave my considerably noticeable thickening effects, I did find that it provided my hair with a nice, lightweight hydration that left my hair feeling soft and silky.

2. Dr Teal's Shea Sugar Scrub in Rose: This scrub has a delicious rose scent that's, in my opinion, a bit more on the herbaceous side and not super sweet but it's still a nice rose scent. The scrub has a good grit to it that provides me with that intense exfoliation that I like and although it has a bunch of oils in it, it doesn't feel greasy, leave behind a residue, or have you slipping and sliding all over your bathtub or shower floor.

3. Essie Passport To Happiness: I am absolutely heartbroken to say goodbye to this nail polish because, as some of you who've been following this blog for some time may know, it has made it to several favorites and I just love wearing it. That being said, it's become really thick and goopy to the point where I struggle to get it to apply to the nails in a smooth, nice-looking way.

4. Physicians Formula Eye Booster Waterproof Ultra-Fine Liquid Eyeliner: This is my favorite liquid eyeliner at the drugstore. I find that it's very easy to use and get good precision with this. It deposits a good amount of color but it's also easy to go over without ruining the work you've done or having it pull on your eyes. I've already replenished this. 

5. Duo Brush-On Adhesive with Vitamins: This is my go-to lash glue. It works to my satisfaction in terms of getting falsies onto my eyes and keeping them on there throughout the day. 

6. Lancome Hypnose Doll Lashes: I remember absolutely loving this mascara when I first purchased it but I felt like it was alright when I used it now. I'm unsure if it's just that my tube of it is old or I'm just used to the effect of false lashes. 

7. now 100% pure peppermint essential oil: Honestly I've had to use this aggressively lately because allegedly vermin doesn't like the scent of mint so I've been sprinkling it all over the apartment to keep the creepies away. 

8. Colourpop just a tint lip Crayon in Chimichanga: I feel like I say this every time I run out of one of these balms but I AM SO SAD to have run out of it! It was such a pleasure to use and has such a lovely, silky texture and gives my lips a nice hint of color. I'm down to my last one of these and I'll be sad when they're all gone.

9. wet n wild Rose Addiction Photo Focus 3-in-1 Primer Water: While I do have a backup of this ready to go, I'm still sad to have run out because I just love this spray. It really helps my makeup stay put all day, works great as a medium to apply eyeshadow wet, and smells delicious.  

10. narciso rodriguez fleur musc for her: I really enjoyed this perfume while I had it. This has a nice floral bouquet to it that's rounded out by musky and slightly powdery notes. 

11. berkley jensen unscented baby wipes: As I've said in previous empties, I really like to use these to wipe down countertops, to wipe swatches off my hands/arms, and to clean my makeup collection.

12. SHIMA of Navajoland Blue Canyon Soap: This soap smelled really nice but unfortunately because of the way it happened to break apart and melt it only lasted me a week and a half. 

13. Trader Joe's Oatmeal & Honey Soap: As we all know I absolutely adore this soap so much! It's hydrating and gentle, fantastic if you have eczema or any other type of inflammatory skin condition. It foams up beautifully as well.  

14. Winsome Lash 3D Faux Mink lashes in Cloudless x2: Honestly, as is the case with many faux mink lashes, these have a thick lash band that just doesn't want to stay on my lash line. I feel like I have to fight with them to get them to stay put on my eyelids.

15. Dr Teal's Shea Sugar Scrub in Citrus: This is by far my favorite in the collection! It has this sweet, bright, orange citrus scent that is delicious. I love how scrubby this scrub is, it helps me wake up in the morning.

16. inm Out the Door Topcoat for Nails: This is a great topcoat that sets the nails quickly and has a shiny, gel-like finish to it. Unfortunately my bottle has gotten goopy and stringy so it's that time to discard it.

17. Dove renewing body wash: This body wash smells so delicious and leaves my skin feeling clean. As always, I really like to use my Dove body washes specifically for shaving and this leaves my skin feeling very silky smooth post-shave.

18. L'oreal Excellence Creme Conditioning Treatment: For whatever reason my mom doesn't use these after she dyes her hair so I end up using them instead. This leaves my hair feeling very soft, silky, and smooth. It gives my hair a nice shine.

19. COSRX Galactomyces 95 Tone Balancing Essence: While I cannot say that this had any anti-aging benefits for me, given that I *knock on wood* don't have too many signs of aging at this point, it left my skin feeling very soft and smooth. This toner provides a nice hydration boost to my skin as well.

20. Korres Lilac Hyacinth Renewing Body Cleanser: This is a nice, lightly hydrating, foaming body wash with a beautiful lilac scent. 

21. COVERGIRL + OLAY Simply Ageless Foundation: This is a nice, natural-looking foundation. I feel like I personally prefer something with just a slightly higher coverage and more dewy finish. In addition, I felt like I ran through this fairly quickly. I'm glad I got to try it out but I probably won't be picking it up again.

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

Disclaimer: I purchased all of the above with the exception of the narciso rodriguez, COVERGIRL, and L'Oreal products. 

November 2021 Empties

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

1. Kiss Lash So Wispy Lashes in Pompadour x2: These are a pretty, voluminous wispy lash. They're very lightweight and fairly easy to apply which I appreciate.

2. Bumble and bumble Bb Hairdresser's Invisible Oil Heat/UV Protective Primer: I love this product so much! It's great as a lightweight leave-in conditioner, a heat/UV protecting spray as its name suggests, and a hydration booster for dry ends, or to add a little extra hydration and smoothing on humid days. In my personal opinion, it smells really fantastic as well! I'm sad to have finished it up.

3. Shea Moisture 100% Virgin Coconut Oil Daily Hydration Crème Coffee Scrub w/ Coconut Milk & Acacia Senegal: Honestly I really liked how hydrating this exfoliator is but I also found it to be more lotion-like versus scrub-like. The gritty bits in here are dispersed in this lotion-like fluid and thus aren't as consistently gritty as I personally prefer. I felt like I ended up applying too much of the product hoping to get the exfoliation that I was after. This also has a scent that I'd describe as being odd, it smells super toasty but isn't distinctly coffee or coconut which, frankly, is disappointing because I really love coconut coffee especially as cafe cot dua.  Overall it was alright, especially for providing hydration but I wouldn't get it again.

4. Odacite 552M Argan+Coconut Shampoo Bar: Honestly I really enjoyed having this shampoo bar. It lasted a long time, I want to say maybe around 6 months of me using it regularly. This has a delicious lemongrass scent and leaves my hair feeling clean, lightly hydrated, and very shiny. It foams absolutely beautifully despite being soap free which I'm sure can be attributed to the sodium cocoyl isethionate that is contains and is an alternative to SLS. 

5. now essential oils in 100% pure lemon: I really love this lemon essential oil for my diffuser - it has a nice, sweet, uplifting lemon scent. 

6. Trader Joe's Toasted Marshmallow Body Butter: I enjoyed this body butter - it has a nice thick, yet not overly heavy, texture that is very hydrating and nourishing to my skin. It has a soft, sweet scent that I would say does have a hint of toasted marshmallow but is mostly just sweet and sugar; due to its softness it's not an overpowering fragrance, a quality which I personally like.

7. Trader Joe's Exfoliating Sugar Cube: I honestly wish this was a permanent body scrub in their lineup because I liked it so much! This has that nice scrubby, gritty sugar texture that I enjoy and also has a really nice green tea fragrance. 

8. Fourth Ray Beauty Face Milk in Matcha: Honestly I found this to be just ok. It does an alright job o of being a lightweight moisturizer that still provides enough hydration for my dry skin. That being said I was hoping it would have a prominent matcha scent and that just wasn't the case. 

9. Virtue Curl-Defining Whip: Overall I found this mousse to be a disappointment. Now, it did define my curls but I found that it left this plastic- feeling residue in my hair. The residue would wash out in the shower but my hair just felt weird with this in it. In addition, the mousse dispenser just completely died on me, there's still maybe a quarter or even a third of this bottle full of product (I'm guessing just based on how it feels) that I cannot get out because it simply will not dispense out. Given its price point of $36 I genuinely feel like those issues shouldn't have existed in the first place. Overall I love Virtue and I'm sad to be saying unpleasant things about one of their products but I feel like a lighter weight formula might be able to solve both those issues.

10. AMNH Skincare Unicorn Dreams Whipped Body Butter: Unfortunately this was just way too heavy for my skin. Its base is mostly coconut oil and Shea butter so as you can imagine, in colder conditions, this would solidify and was a bit of an effort to spread and worked a lot better when my bathroom happened to be warm. That being said, this was still too heavy for my skin and just sat on my skin without really absorbing. The only spot on my body that this was genuinely helpful on was, yes, the soles of my feet. I feel like there needs to be some sort of compromise though where a body butter or lotion works well both on my legs and on my feet. This smelled really lovely, it has a sugary sweet-tart type of scent. 

11. Addison & Gates Lemon Verbena Soap: One of my friends gave me this and honestly I really loved using this. It has a lovely lemon verbena scent, felt hydrating, and produced a nice lather.

12. m-61 PowerSpot Clear: Alas I have finished the last of my backups of this. As I've mentioned many times I really liked this spot treatment because it really brought up all the gunk to the surface and helped clear up acne and its associated inflammation, irritation, and overall bumpiness and redness.

13. COSRX Aloe Sun Soothing Cream SPF 50 PA+++: I loved this sunscreen because it's lightweight, absorbs quickly, and provides my skin with moisture adequate enough to where I don't feel like I need additional moisturizer. As someone super pale, I appreciate its high SPF. 

14. Dove refreshing cucumber & green tea nourishing body wash: I've mentioned many times that I really like these to shave with and I have to give it a shoutout that when I had an eczema flareup in my groin region and was trying to use another body wash to shave with - I felt like it irritated the eczema whereas this soothed it. That being said, it's probably ideal to use the fragrance free one on eczema patches and avoid shaving the eczema-afflicted area altogether. In my personal defense, body hair really bothers me and makes me itchy, I shave it all the time for myself because I personally prefer feeling smooth and I feel like eczema treatments can better take care of my skin without hair interfering and acting as some weird barrier between the cream and my skin.  

15. Fourth Ray Beauty White Peach Body Milk: This body moisturizer smells really good but, in my opinion, it isn't hydrating enough. It's alright for my legs in the summertime but other than that I personally prefer something with a thicker, more hydrating, consistency. 

16. dermalogica redness relief essence: Unfortunately I didn't find this to have much of an effect on my redness. It boosted my skin's hydration nicely, which I appreciate, but I don't feel like it has its intended effect on my skin.

17. No 7 Laboratories Line Correcting Booster Serum: I really enjoyed the hydration boost that this serum gave me as well, but again I don't feel like its intended purpose was served here. I don't have much in the way of facial lines (thankfully!) so I can't say how well it would work on someone with significant lines going on.

18. Trader Joe's Frosted Cranberry Body Butter: Now this is an amazing body hydrator. This smells so good and has a wonderful texture that leaves my skin feeling hydrated, smooth, and silky. I wish they sold this in full-sized tubs.

19. Laneige Multi Cleanser: I think this is a really good basic cleanser if you're a fan of creamy, foaming cleansers. That being said, I personally like something with just a touch more hydration to it so while this did the job and I'm not mad at it; it's also not my favorite cleanser ever.

20. Garnier Whole Blends Repairing Shampoo - Honey Treasures: Frankly, when I don't do anything special to my hair, this shampoo can be a little bit heavy. That being said, when I had bleach in my hair I find that this really gives my hair the hydration it craves. I also find its scent warm, sweet, and comforting.

21. beauty 360 Original Nail Polish Remover Pad: Personally I wish that this was more saturated with nail polish remover but overall it worked really well and stayed moist enough for me to remove the nail polish from both my feet. 

22. Trader Joe's Peel-Off Charcoal Face Mask: I really wish this wasn't a peel-off mask because it has really good anti-inflammatory ingredients in it. That being said, this being peel-off really irritated my skin.

23. e.l.f. Halo Glow Setting Powder: I really wanted to love this powder, especially because I heard that it was a dupe for the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powders but, unfortunately, I just can't say that I agree. It looks nice on the face, like I'm not mad at it, it gives the skin a subtle glow. That said, I really wanted this to work well as an under-eye setting powder and it just creases like no one's business even when I use the trick of using a sponge sprayed with setting spray to keep it under my eyes. If anything, that trick makes this crease even worse. 

24. beauty 360 Strengthening Nail Polish Remover: This nail polish is nothing to write home about but it does the job. I realized that I personally prefer using straight up acetone because it really isn't more drying to my skin than any other nail polish remover but makes much quicker work of removing nail polish. 

25. now essential oils 100% pure tangerine: This oil smells wonderful and like a tangerine rind but unfortunately it really stains my diffuser orange. Just a heads up for any of you diffuser users out there.

26. Mario Badescu Rose Body Soap: This body wash smells so delicious! It has a rose scent that's a nice balance between floral and sweet. It did a good job of cleansing my body. 

27. Ariose Monde Ocean Bliss Bath Salt: This is a rather grainy bath salt and I don't super love its scent but it worked ok in my foot soaks to soothe and relax my feet.

28. Colourpop Hourglass Blending Sponge: I was really not the biggest fan of this sponge. It's easy to hold on to but it's not the best shape for blending makeup in my personal opinion, it's very hard to work around the eye area with this sponge.

29. Trader Joe's Chai Shimmering Body Wash: I have to start by saying that thankfully this body wash didn't leave me glittery in any way. It has a subtle chai scent that almost reminds me of spiced apple cider, without the apple note. Almost gingerbread-like. I think it smells yummy but it's not a scent that I personally want to smell like, so I appreciate that it's subtle. This foamed up nicely and left me feeling clean.

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

Disclaimer: I purchased all of the above with the exception of the Bumble and bumble, Odacite, Addison & Gates, dermalogica, No 7 Laboratories, Ariose Monde, and AMNH Skincare products. 

February 2019 Empties

All my garbage of the month! :D

                                                

1. Sheet Masks Galore:
florapy Chamomile Patchouli: This is supposed to be a sleepy time mask and while I was already tired when I was using it and it felt really nice on, I wouldn't say that the scent itself helped any. It smells heavily of incense which I can only guess is because of the patchouli in it. It also has a LOAD of serum in it which is annoying in the sense of what am I supposed to do with literally a quarter cup of serum. :/ I did put it on my chest, back, elbows, and arms but I just feel like it's excessive.
florapy Yarrow Lavender: Another sleepy time mask. Honestly there's a sour scent (maybe it's the yarrow? I'm unsure what yarrow is supposed to smell like) that's here along with the lavender and I wish it were just the lavender. I don't find the scent particularly relaxing. As with the other florapy masks this was just ok. I feel like because they're a gel mask that all the serum kind of gets absorbed by my skin before the 20 minutes are up and then there's nothing left over to pat into my skin. The packets themselves have entirely too much liquid in them that.... like I wrote above I don't know what to do with. :/ Maybe if you ever get these masks save some sort of little bottle or flask so that you can pour the excess serum into it and use it as you would a regular serum?
innisfree manuka honey my real squeeze mask: I found this to be really hydrating and refreshing. It left my skin feeling very supple. It smells a bit more floral than sweet which... I would've preferred a true honey scent here.
Chica Y Chico Urban Princess Mask in Aqua: This was a great refreshing, hydrating mask that gave my skin a nice glow. It has a soft floral-herbal scent.

innisfree skin solution mask Vita C Brightening: I found this mask did brighten my skin well. In addition, my wife says these have a really good fit and I agree! I feel like sometimes the masks produced for the Korean market tend to be for a more petite face and I like that these work well on faces that are... larger... for lack of a better word.
florapy Blackberry Primrose Deep Hydration: This has a very earthy, herbal scent and I wish it smelled more fruity. In addition, I found that it's ok at hydration but nowhere near as hydrating as hydration masks that have made it into favorites in the past.

innisfree my real squeeze mask in cucumber: I really enjoyed this mask; I found it to be very refreshing, hydrating in a lightweight way, and I like that it smells like cucumber.
innisfree my real squeeze mask in green tea: Similarly to the mask above this feels refreshing, hydrates lightly, and smells wonderful - like green tea! I really enjoyed using it!
innisfree my real squeeze mask in lime: While I found this mask refreshing and nice-smelling I wish it were a bit more hydrating. I think I'd like it better in the summertime.
innisfree my real squeeze mask in aloe: I found this to be hydrating but not as much as I thought it would be, given that it's aloe.

innisfree my real squeeze mask in broccoli: I typically like broccoli items in skincare so I had high expectations for this. Unfortunately I found it to be just ok - it's not as hydrating as I would've liked.
innisfree my real squeeze mask in bamboo: This mask felt hydrating and refreshing but overall I'd say it's not as hydrating as I personally like. 

innisfree my real squeeze mask in tea tree: x2 I really like that this mask doesn't smell strongly like tea tree oil. It kind of stung a bit where I had breakouts. Other than that this felt fairly refreshing and I think someone with oilier skin would like this mask.

2. MAC Cult of Cherry Lipglass: This is an absolutely gorgeous sparkly red lip gloss. Unfortunately mine has went off so it's time to say goodbye.

3. NOW Solutions Jasmine Fragrance Oil: Now y'all now that I love me some jasmine scents. This I am just not a fan of. It's a very clean, medicinal smelling jasmine and I suppose I like jasmine in arrangement with tea or other florals - i.e. rose. I tried mixing it in with lemon and sometimes peppermint but I am not a fan.

4. Asquith & Somerset 2017 Mermaids Club Sea Salt + Pearl Triple Milled Soap: My wife got me this for Christmas 2017 and it is a GIGANTIC chunk of soap. Towards the end though it broke apart into several chunks which wouldn't foam up so I ultimately threw them away.

5.  Dove Go Fresh Cucumber & Green Tea Scent Body Wash: A staple item - I really like these body washes to shave with because they're really moisturizing, smell good, and provide a good glide for my razor.

6. Trader Joe's Rose Water Facial Toner: I really enjoyed this toner. It smells really nice - a clean, floral rose scent, feels refreshing, and a is bit hydrating when applied. I think I'll be replenishing when I run out of my other toners.

7. Trader Joe's Apple Cider Scent Foaming Hand Soap: A really nice soap that I feel like I ran out of quickly because it foams. I feel like I always run out of foaming soaps quicker than others. Anywho, it has a really nice spiced cider scent and coconut based foaming agents - no sulfates here! Overall I probably won't get this again, despite it smelling really nice I went through it quick, as I've mentioned, and I found that it left my hands feeling a tad bit dehydrated.

8. Bath & Body Works Wildflower Meadow Scented Candle: I'm sad to be done with this candle as it has such a lovely wildflower scent. I was happy to burn it, however, because the scent reminds me of spring.

9. Incendio Beauty Dark Fairy Lipstick Potion: I'm sad to be tossing this as it's such a beautiful deep purple and is comfortable to wear. Unfortunately, however, it smells like mushrooms which is not what it's supposed to smell like so I have to say goodbye.

10. Nature Republic Green Tea Hand & Nature Sanitizer Gel: This is a nice hand sanitizer with a soft, sweet green tea scent.

11. Formula X For Sephora Xplosives Thunder: This is essentially so dried out that it's unusable. I guess I could pour some clear polish in there to revive it but I think it's time to face the fact that it's time to throw this away.

12. Clinique Smart Night Custom-Repair Moisturizer: I'm so sad to be tossing this because it has such a great texture - kind of whipped and lightweight but deeply hydrating. Unfortunately mine smells like fish so I'm assuming it's probably gone rancid. I'd rather not take my chances with it.

13. Sephora Collection Dramatic Volume Lash in Vivacious #34: When I initially saw these lashes I thought they'd be a good dupe for my beloved Huda Beauty Scarlett... they were not! These have a flimsier lash band and aren't as thick and voluminous as the Huda ones are. In addition, I found that they didn't adhere to the lash-line as nicely as I would've wanted them to.

14. Trish McEvoy Lash Enhancing Liquid Liner Pen: This has to be by far the most pricey, and the worst, liquid liner pen I've ever used. It doesn't have a good flow of liner into the tip which results in me having to drag the felt tip over my lash-line over and over again, or apply a lot of pressure to it, which causes irritation. In addition, I had to always make the line thicker than I wanted to because this wouldn't go on smooth and I had to smooth out the skip lines made. It did nothing to really enhance or grow my lashes as far as I could see. Maybe mine was a dud but I'm not looking to get this again.

15. Jeffree Star 714 Velour Liquid Lipstick: This has acquired quite a chemically scent and I figure it's best to toss it.

16. Pampers Baby Wipes: I like to use these to wipe down surfaces or my makeup items and I find that they work well for that purpose.

17. Patchology Pedi Cure Poshpeel: I just did the peel last week and my feet are in the peeling stage so I can't speak to how intensely this peels quite yet but I will say that the areas where this has peeled off from feel VERY soft so I'm excited to see how my feet feel when the peeling stage has completed.

18. G9 Skin Self Aesthetic Butterfly Nose Strip: For starters I didn't expect this to work as well as it did because, although my nose is congested with comedones they're not so intense that many of them stick above the skin in a "this looks like it'll be easy to squeeze out/remove" kind of way. This did pull a lot out. That said, I don't find its butterfly shape worked any better than the average nose strip does. In addition, I find that nose strips in general are funny in that they never seem to pull the comedones out that you think look like they're right at the surface, and therefore easy targets. They'll pull out the most random ones! *shrug*

19. Indie Lee Squalane Facial Oil: Once again I am so sad to be done with this oil. It works so well for my skin, making it smooth, soft, and supple and reducing the redness I often experience.

20. Tree Hut Shea Sugar Scrub in Tropical Mango: This was the first scent I ever got and it got me hooked on these scrubs. I'd say they are BY FAR my favorite - I love their degree of scrubbiness and how they don't leave your shower floor oily.

21. Bath & Body Works Rainkissed Leaves Shea & Vitamin E Shower Gel: This is a beautifully foaming, fresh smelling shower gel that leaves my skin feeling clean without being stripped. I like it a lot.

22. Julie G Nail Color in Fairytale: I'm so sad to be letting this go because it is truly my ideal shade of lavender - perfectly balanced pastel where it's obviously lavender and not too white, a slight hint blue-y... A perfect nod to spring or heck... if you like pastels perfect for whenever! Unfortunately, however, it has become very thick and goopy; as such I have to let it go. I mean... given I've had this bottle for 7 years (!!!! it doesn't seem that long ago!) I guess it's time to say goodbye!

23. Lune + Aster Prep+Go Realglow Primer: Another product that I am genuinely sad to part ways with. Although, technically I'm not even parting ways, I've used it all up. This is a wonderful, brightening, glow-giving primer that's lightweight yet feels hydrating when applied to the skin.

24. Briogeo Scalp Revival Charcoal + Peppermint Cooling Jelly Conditioner: I found that this conditioner does really help cool the scalp. That said, I don't find that it hydrates my hair as deeply as I wish it would and has a scent that sort of makes me think of sweaty armpits. :/ It dissipates quickly but alas I certainly don't love it enough to buy it again.

25. Red Cherry Lashes in #76: These were cute when I first started using them but overall I found them kind of flimsy in quality. One of them curled on the outer edge funny and while a spoolie that I sprayed with water kind of helped reshape it, it was wonky ever since. :/

26. Nature Republic Hand & Nature Sanitizer Gel in Honey: This is a honey scented hand sanitizer. It makes my hands feel sanitized but that's pretty much it.

27. Clinique Blended Face Powder in Transparency 3: This was just ok. Mostly because it was a tad too dark for me but sort of still worked. I also found that it emphasized texture when I used it to set my under-eye area. Like I said, it's ok and seems to work alright for setting makeup, but I wouldn't go out and buy this.

28. Belle Ame Hand Wash in Cucumber Mint: This smells very cucumber-y and does a good job of cleansing but it feels kind of watered down, texture-wise.

29. Tisserand Aromatherapy Pure Essential Oils in No. 7 Lemon: A really nice lemon essential oil. This smells delicious!

30. Bath & Body Works Deep Cleansing Hand Soap in Ocean Citrus: A delicious watery yet citrusy scent.

31. Bath & Body Works Tiki Beach Scented Candle: I'm so sad to see this go as it smells absolutely amazing and is one of my all time favorite scents. Alas, it's all done with.

32. Versace Dylan Blue Pour Femme: Honestly I feel like this scent is a bit too intense and heavy for me.

Disclaimer: I purchased all of the above with the exception of the Asquith & Somerset (my wife gave me one for Christmas), Clinique, Trish McEvoy, Indie Lee, Lune + Aster and Jeffree Star  products.