January-June Empties

Today, I’m sharing a post on my empties for the first half of the year. If you’ve followed my blog for a while, you’ll know that it takes freaking forever for me to finish my products. Read on to see what I finished in the last few months, and whether I would repurchase them.

Joe Fresh Nail Polish Remover

I don’t really have a go-to brand for nail polish remover, so I picked this up on a whim one day when I was running low on nail polish remover. It’s not that good; I feel like you really have to scrub harder at certain types of polishes. I’m not talking about glitter polishes, but even just shimmer polishes that usually aren’t too hard to remove with other removers.

Repurchase? No

Shiseido Facial Cotton

This stuff is the creme de la creme of cotton pads. I’ve probably bought two dozen packs of these in my lifetime, and haven’t been able to go without them since I discovered them about 6 years ago. This is why Stashy calls them crack cotton! They are so luxurious, and it reflects in the price. Stashy sent me a pack of the Muji cottons, which are supposed to be a dupe for this. I also found a pack of cotton at Miniso that also looks like it’s supposed to be a dupe, so I will be using those up first before deciding whether I want to repurchase these or not.

Repurchase? Maybe

 

Bath and Body Works Fiji Pineapple Palm Shea & Vitamin E Shower Gel

Bath and Body Works are my go-to soaps. I really enjoy the formula and how sudsy it gets, and I particularly loved this fruity scent. Would 100% buy again!

Repurchase: Yes

Bath and Body Works A Thousand Wishes Shea & Vitamin E Shower Gel

Since the formula is the same as the Fiji Pineapple Palm shower gel, I liked this soap. However, the smell is nice but I got sick of it pretty quickly – I’ve just realized that I enjoy fruity scents more than generic soap scents like this one.

Repurchase: No

Bath and Body Works Waikiki Beach Coconut Perfume

This was part of my Project Pan, and I ended up finishing this right before the Project Pan came to an end. It was a present from Stashy, who loves the scent and knew that I like it too. The bottle is super cute, and it smells like summer. Would totally buy this again!

Repurchase: Yes

The Body Shop Frosted Plum Softening Body Butter in Frosted Plum

The Body Shop body butters are also a staple for me. While some people find them too thick in the summer, I enjoy using them year round. I bought this LE scent during Christmas, and I really enjoyed it. It doesn’t smell 100% fruity to me, but it’s not a fully soapy or floral scent either.

Repurchase: Yes

Delectable Ultra Nourishing Hand Cream in Iced Gingerbread

This product made it into my beauty favourites for the first half of the year – I really enjoy the formula and how moisturizing it is. However, out of all five scents that came in the set, this is my least favourite (which is why I used it first to get it out of the way) My husband said it smelled like spoiled chicken, and while I wouldn’t say it smells like spoiled chicken, it just wasn’t a great fragrance.

Repurchase: Not this scent

Oribe Dry Texturizing Spray

This product also made it into my favourite beauty products post. It’s a really good hair product that creates a lot of texture without feeling too gritty, which I hate. The mist is also nice and fine, which means I don’t get clumps of hair that have been sprayed too much. The only thing stopping me from repurchasing is the price!

Repurchase: Maybe

Urban Decay Naked Skin Weightless Ultra Definition Liquid Makeup

I really, really like this foundation. It has a very natural finish with low-to-medium coverage, and most importantly, it doesn’t cling onto the dry patches of my skin or fade patchily. I did an in-depth review of this foundation here.

Repurchase: Maybe

Fresh Popcorn Lip Scrub

I used to make my own lip scrub, but I’ve been so lazy! Lush’s lip scrubs do a really good job at scrubbing away dead skin. The scent itself was pretty nice, but nothing amazing – I don’t particularly enjoy the bubblegum and mint julep scents, so the popcorn flavoured one has become my go-to.

Repurchase: Yes

The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5

I’m lukewarm about this product. It is pretty hydrating, but the huge negative of this is that it pills whenever you try to layer other skincare or base makeup on top of it. I’ve tried so many ways of applying this HA and it always pills regardless – it’s just that some application methods create more pilling than others. I do like that this doesn’t have a scent, which cannot be said for The Ordinary’s new Marine Hyaluronics. I also think it works better with the Vitamin C Suspension 23% + HA compared to the Marine Hyaluronics. I use them to get rid of the gritty texture of the Vitamin C, as well as to lessen the stinging, and I feel like the Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 does a better job at making it less gritty. It’s the only reason I would repurchase this product.

Repurchase: Maybe

Karuna Exfoliating Face Mask

This face mask is supposed to be for oily/combo/problem skin but I feel like sheet masks never do anything for me anyways…so I just decided to use this. As with every other face mask I’ve ever tried, it was too big on me but it did feel very nice. I’m not sure it was particularly exfoliating though…

Repurchase: No

Real Nature White Tea Face Mask

Decent face mask, fit big on my face like most face masks do. It smelled nice but I feel like it was pretty forgettable, because it didn’t do much for me.

Repurchase: No

Karuna Hydrating Face Mask

Now, this one is meant for my skin type: dry, dull, and dehydrated. For once, I actually felt like this made a difference in my skin, although the effects weren’t long term. After applying this, my skin felt really soft and supple the next morning.

Repurchase: Yes

Tarte Lights, Cameras, Lashes Mascara

I purchased this mascara last year, but didn’t get to using it until this year. I quite enjoyed this mascara -it made my lashes quite volumized and lengthy, without smudging or flaking. If you’re interested, I did a review on this mascara here.

Repurchase: Yes

Maybelline Total Temptation Mascara

While I enjoyed the Lights, Cameras, Lashes mascara, this one was only okay. I did a more in-depth review of it here.

Repurchase: Maybe

NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer in Custard

I’ve owned this concealer for the longest time and I really love it. It works perfectly for both the undereye area as well as for covering hyperpigmentation. It also looks natural on the skin and not cakey or drying. I will definitely be repurchasing this eventually, but right now I am in a mood to explore other concealers.

Repurchase: Yes (eventually)

QUO Blending Sponge

This is the second QUO blending sponge that I’ve gone through. I really love how well it blends foundation into the skin – the sponge is firm while still being soft at the same time, and it doesn’t absorb too much foundation into it.

Repurchase: Yes

Bite Beauty Luminous Creme Lipstick in Shiraz

I thought I lost this lipstick, but between my final Project Pan update post and this post, I found this lipstick in a separate bag from my empties bag. I loved everything from this lipstick, including the shade, the formula, and the smell. The Luminous Creme lipstick line has been discontinued, but I would love to try their Amuse Bouche lipsticks. However, I have so many lipsticks I need to finish that I’m holding off until I finish some off.

Repurchase? Discontinued

SAMPLES

Laneige Water Bank Moisture Cream

This came as part of a Laneige set of deluxe sample sizes that I purchased during Christmas. At first, I was worried that it wouldn’t be hydrating enough because it has a very thin consistency, but I actually really enjoyed this – not only did the light fragrance smell nice, but it was even hydrating enough in the winter. I would definitely purchase the full size of this!

Fresh Soy Face Cleanser

I’ve wanted to try this face cleanser forever since hearing people rave about it, and I can see why people really like this. This cleanser seems very gentle, and has a fresh cucumber scent. I only wish that I had one or two more of these samples to try it out more thoroughly to see if I would like to buy the full size.

Drunk Elephant Virgin Marula Luxury Facial Oil

I’ve wanted to try Drunk Elephant products since FOREVER, so I was really excited to have a sample of this. I’ve heard so much about the Marula Oil, but unfortunately, it felt really heavy and greasy. If I were to purchase Marula Oil, I would rather try the one from The Ordinary for $10 instead of the Drunk Elephant one for a whopping $90.

Pilaten Black Head Pore Strip

A friend gave me this foil sample, which contains a gel black head pore remover that you peel off after you dry. Most charcoal masks aren’t completely black – they’re more grey-ish. Well, this one is pitch black. It looks like you’re smearing tar on your face, and it dries shiny! It’s so fun to apply, as well as to peel off. It does make my face feel very soft after, but I feel like it’s only so-so in terms of black head removal.

 

Clarins Super Restorative Total Eye Concentrate

I found this eye cream to be really hydrating, but not heavy or greasy. I preferred it mainly as a night eye cream, but it was fairly decent for day as well – I just had to be careful about eyeshadow creasing on top. I do want to try a few more eye creams, but I would totally purchase the full size of this.

Tarte Maracuja C-Brighter Eye Cream

I’ve always been curious about Tarte skincare, but have never wanted to make the splurge because I’m always iffy about skincare from makeup brands. Unlike the Clarins eye concentrate, this eye cream was pretty dang forgettable -I felt like it didn’t do anything for me at all. I would not recommend this!

Have you used any of these, and if so, what did you think? What empties did you use up lately that you enjoyed?