Latest High End Empties
I’ve been pretty diligent about finishing products lately, and today I have a few empties to show you. I had an idea to prioritize high end brands this time, because holidays are right around the corner and a lot of us will be treating ourselves to something nice to celebrate the seasonal festivities. Without further ado, here are five high end empties, and my final thoughts on each of them.
SKINCARE:
1 // Drunk Elephant C-Firma Day Serum ($80) – I bought a couple of those cute little discovery kits at Sephora, so I actually had a chance to try a variety of DE products. I finally have some empties to report on, including this Vitamin C brightening serum. In my experience, it does work well for brightening for the first month or so, but even inside the airless pump packaging the product oxidizes wayyy too quickly. I can almost guarantee you that you won’t be able to use up the entire bottle before it turns from light amber to a brownish shade [example of fresh C-Firma vs oxidized]. From what I read so far, it seems that if you use a product with twice-oxidized Vitamin C in it, it can be potentially damaging to the skin. I still need to do more research on that, but it does seem plausible.
Repurchase? No.
2 // Sunday Riley C.E.O. Rapid Flash Brightening Serum ($85) – With all the negative coverage Sunday Riley has been getting lately [fake reviews], I thought I’d share something positive. The texture of this serum is absolutely heavenly, in fact it’s more like a milky lotion than a serum. I can even use it instead of the moisturizer under my sunscreen. This product is gentle and effective at evening out the skin tone, but I don’t see results as quickly as with more aggressive brightening serums like the C-Firma I mentioned above. If you want instant gratification, this would not be the ideal product to splurge on. If you want lush, creamy texture and brightening over time, then it may be worth a try.
Repurchase? Maybe.
3 // Drunk Elephant T.L.C. Framboos Glycolic Night Serum ($90) – Out of all the DE products this serum is my favorite. It’s a mix of AHAs and BHAs so it targets the skin’s surface and reaches into the pores as well. I first used it when my skin was troubled with hormonal breakouts, and it subsided the puffiness and reduced the redness pretty much overnight. I used it by mixing one pump of serum with one drop of DE Marula Oil in my palm and gently pressed the mixture into the skin. The best frequency of use for me was the following: once a day in the PM until the breakouts clear up, then once or twice a week for maintenance.
Repurchase? Yes, once I finish other similar products in my stash (or at least try them).
4 // Erno Laszlo Hydra Therapy Memory Sleep Mask* ($95) – As much as I rave about Erno Laszlo Firmarine Moisturizer SPF 30, this sleeping mask didn’t agree with my skin at all. At first I thought it didn’t really do anything, and I didn’t notice an increase in hydration or the overall plumpness of the skin. As I kept using it, I started experiencing a burning sensation in areas of my face that are prone to sensitivity – chin crease, nasolabial folds, and some parts of the skin closer to the eye area. I probably should have discontinued use as soon as I felt discomfort, but because it’s such an expensive and much raved about product I wanted to give it a fair shot. In the end those sensitive areas became inflamed and started flaking off, so I finally stopped using the mask. 🙁 I’m not saying it’s a bad product, but something in it is irritating my skin so I can’t use it
Repurchase? No.
BATH & BODY:
5 // Kérastase Bain Elixir Ultime Beautifying Oil Shampoo* ($33) – Well, I stretched out this luxurious shampoo as long as I could and it’s finally empty. This is one of those rare shampoos with sulfates that doesn’t dry out my hair, leaving it looking airy, voluminous, and lush instead. If I had the budget to keep purchasing this one regularly, I’d use it once or twice a week as my clarifying treatment. Plus, it smells absolutely heavenly! However, as much as I enjoy this shampoo, I think that Kerastase products are way overpriced for what they are, because the ingredients are not really all that fancy if you take a closer look. There are other hair care brands in the same price range that gave me better results [hello Teadora, Oribe, Christophe Robin etc]. Everyone’s hair is different though. and Kerastase has plenty of devoted fans worldwide who won’t use any other hair care products but theirs.
Repurchase? No.
*Indicates PR samples.
