Latest Skincare & Makeup Empties
It’s been a couple of months since I shared my last empties pile, and I managed to finish a few more products since then. As always, not everything that I finish was actually worthy of being emptied. Sometimes I pan products out of stubbornness, especially when I have high hopes for a particular formulation and put too much faith in seeing long-term results. Other times it would be something that my friends and other influencers are raving about, so I finish it hoping to finally get what the fuss is all about. But most of the time I just genuinely love something enough to use it up till the last drop, as simple as that. 🙂
SKINCARE:
1 // PIXI Glow Tonic* ($49) – This namesake jumbo bottle of Glow Tonic is an annual holiday gift to PIXI influencers, but the brand makes these 500ml limited edition bottles available for purchase a few times a year as well, and at the time of this post, you can get them at Ulta. At $49 it is by far the best value for your money, considering the regular 100ml size goes for $15. If you love Glow Tonic and use it regularly, then you should definitely take advantage of this deal. If you are not familiar with Glow Tonic, it’s essentially a mild Glycolic Acid toner with ginseng that can be used daily to improve the look of rough skin and gradually even out the skin tone.
Repurchase? I am grateful to PIXI for sending me refills annually so I don’t need to purchase, but I really enjoy this toner and often recommend it to friends who are just starting
2 // Naturopathica Vitamin C15 Wrinkle Repair Serum* ($118) – Naturopathica is one of my favorite “natural” beauty brands because they don’t shy away from safe, lab-made ingredients if they offer superior performance. This L-AA serum was an absolute delight to use, and you bet I finished it til the last drop! 15% is a pretty healthy amount of Vitamin C to offer both antioxidant and resurfacing benefits, and it helps brighten some skin discolorations, namely the post-acne marks and mild sun damage.
Repurchase? It’s a bit out of my budget right now but if the bottle was twice the size or money was no issue, I definitely would. This is a fantastic brightening serum and I’m glad I had the opportunity to try it and tell you guys about it.
3 // Naturopathica Argan & Peptide Wrinkle Repair Eye Cream* ($90) – Echoing my sentiments above, here is another example of the perfect marriage between science and nature. This formula has a silky texture that allows the moisturizer to spread easily on the skin without tugging, which is exactly what you’d want from your eye cream. I tried about a dozen different Naturopathica products and so far this eye cream is my favorite of them all. It’s pricey but despite being so tiny, the bottle lasted me half a year even though I used it almost daily. I experienced the promised skin-tightening and firming benefits within a week, and who doesn’t love instant gratification products, right? It also helped my eye area look brighter and firmer over time, reduced morning puffiness, and plumped the skin, effectively erasing the appearance of fine lines.
Repurchase? I actually might, even though it’s pushing the limits of how much I’m comfortable spending on a single skincare product.
4 // Oille Toning Intelligence Facial Elixir Mist* (N/A) – Toners are more of an extra product in my routine – they are kind of unnecessary but I find using them enjoyable and pleasant. This one was refreshing and had a nice herbal scent from being infused with a blend of essential oils. By the way, Oille used to sell this incredible oil blend for the undereye area and it was fantastic! I hope they bring it back someday.
Repurchase? No, but I couldn’t even if I wanted to – the product has been discontinued.
5 // Biossance Squalane + Probiotic Gel Moisturizer ($52) – I got this travel-sized jar in one of the Sephora Favorites sets, in fact, this moisturizer was the reason I bought the set in the first place. Many skincare influencers have been raving about it so I wanted to try it for myself, and I think it’s definitely a good lightweight option for people with oily and combination skin. Although this formula doesn’t claim to perform miracles, I still liked it because it kept my skin moisturized without suffocating every pore.
Repurchase? Maybe. I’ll add it to the list of products that my skin tolerated well.
BATH & BODY:
6 // Nivea Antiperspirant Spray “Powder Effect” ($3) – I bought this antiperspirant spray on a trip to Russia last year. This particular one is enriched with kaolin clay and works wonders for various areas of the body. TMI alert: I bought it to control my summertime nemeses – underboob and thigh sweat – and finally finished it last month. Good stuff!
Repurchase? Yes! It’s affordable and I thought it worked really well.
7 // diptyque Eau des Sens Cleansing Hand and Body Gel* ($42) – I used to dislike the smell of neroli water but now it’s one of my favorite scents in cosmetics. That’s probably why I love Eau des Sens from diptyque which encapsulates the essence of the entire orange tree – bark, roots, leaves, flowers, fruit… It’s really unlike anything else, so I was determined to try the entire collection, which includes a perfume, a hair mist, a bar soap, and hand & body wash. I’m only missing the bar soap now! As far as how well it works, it’s a pretty average hand & body wash, nothing to write home about, but people buy diptyque for the fragrances, and this gel is loaded with it.
Repurchase? Probably not because I still have the other Eau des Sens products that smell the same. But if you like the smell of neroli, this is the most intense neroli-smelling fragrance I’ve ever tried!
MAKEUP:
8 // L’Oreal Paris Voluminous Lash Paradise Mascara ($10.99) – Have you ever tried Too Faced Better Than Sex mascara? This one is a near-perfect dupe at half the cost, and it comes in regular and waterproof formulations. It’s by far my favorite drugstore mascara and one of my favorite mascaras of all time. It volumizes, lengthens, and actually holds the lash curl all day – it cements it in place so my lashes look like falsies.
Repurchase? Yes!
Do you finish all of your makeup and skincare products eventually or do you tend to own a variety of things and end up tossing products on occasion?
*PR samples (items without an asterisk were purchased by me)
