Recent Empties #4 (Last one from the past year!)

This is the last empties post from my stash and non-blogging period from the past year! If you have been reading this far... thanks, I appreciate you staying with me!

Clinique moisture surge intense. Best winter moisturizer ever. Seriously, I went through all of the harsh Toronto winter with NO dry patches. That has never happened before. I will repurchase and you should too if you have dry skin! Make sure to get the "intense" version, because I tried the other one and it was drying on me.

Face Atelier lip putty. I liked this product as a primer under pigmented lipsticks, as it sheered out the pigment a bit and prevented it from settling in my lines (I have a lot of deep wrinkles on my lips). Didn't work that well as a lip balm though. 

Perricone No Foundation Foundation Serum. This was a deluxe sample. Despite its sheerness, it was way too dark for me and I needed to blend it with a white sunscreen (Shiseido blue) to make it work. It worked well though and evened out my complexion nicely without making it look like makeup. I just wish they made a lighter shade of it so I don't have to mix it every morning.

Fresh Sugar Lip Polish. This is actually a deluxe sample that just took me forever to use up. I really like it though! It smoothed out the small flakes and left lips feeling moisturized and ready for lipstick!

Lancome eyeliner (LE). This was a seasonal one and I don't recall the exact name. I'm chucking it because of what you see in the photo below. The product has weirdly shrunk inside the pencil/wood! I'm guessing it dried out (which is odd for a pencil, I thought drying out was only an issue for gel liners!). When this product was fresh, it was inky and lovely, the pigmentation of a gel liner. It had been getting flakey and dry for awhile despite me sharpening it lots. So now I see that it's just dried out. I won't be purchasing any other Lancome pencil liners due to this.

Ok I made it through the past year of empties! Phew. It really does feel good to have finished and rid these products. Some of them got repurchased of course, so they will show up again in another empties post down the road :)

I'm not sure how often I will blog this summer. I have been trying lots of new products but not many truly excite me these days. It's nice to try new products, but after awhile they all become somewhat similar. I've been recently pondering how much I spend on beauty products as well (I'm embarrassed at the amount), and how much I stress-shop. I will be doing some self-examination over the next little while and working on other stress-relief ways, such as yoga and mindfulness meditation. Will see how it goes :)

Recent Empties #3 (almost there!)

It's another empties post! The "Recent Empties" series is from the past year, so there's quite a bit and it honestly feels good to have used up (or decluttered) so many products! More room to buy more right... (noooo...)

Velour white eyelash glue. This was even worse than the black one!! It was white, named "white", and dried white...not clear! I somehow expected "white" to mean clear, because glues usually come in clear or black, but white?!?! In addition to the usual black band of the falsies, it added a white band...what da heck was the point?! I'm just angry I wasted money. Just stick with Duo. Velour makes beautiful falsies but terrible glue.

Tom Ford Oud Wood shower gel (originally reviewed here). It was just an overpriced shower gel, I don't recommend it unless you are in completely in love with the scent, and I wasn't so in love with it to want to shell out $77 CAD again (and TF since then increased the price! Most recent price on Sephora is $87 >.<). 

Shu Uemura cleansing oil shampoo. This one I highly recommend and will repurchase after I finish off some of my other shampoo bottles. It didn't strip my hair, and I could do with or without conditioner after, which has never happened with any other shampoo as my hair is fine and dry and tangles easily. 

Belvada nail polish remover. This was great, didn't try out my nails at all. I just can't find it anymore! :( If anyone knows where I can buy it please tell me! I used to buy it from ftbbeauty but it's always out of stock there now. 

That's it for now, I have one more in a couple of days!

Recent Empties #2

 Another batch from the past year :) In this one I decluttered a bunch of lippies I was not loving. I admit, I'm a bit of a hoarder when it comes to makeup. Even if I was not using or loving it, I keep thinking I will use it one day (I will like it again, or will use it for swatching purposes etc.). I suppose this is some self-improvement moving on now!

Not too much exciting products in this batch, but a couple of highlights...

Shu Umera Cleansing Oil Conditioner. For its price, it should have been amazing, but it sadly wasn't... won't be repurchased. If you have lots of money feel free to try and see if you like it as it does have good reviews. 

Shiseido Ibuki SPF 15 Emulsion. I really liked this and went through two bottles and bought one for my mom. It's a runny texture but soaks into the skin nicely, leaves a bit of a sheen so may not be great if you have oily skin. My skin used to be combination but now is just dry dry dry, this is good for me :)

I have finished my last IOPE cushion refill! I really liked this product and used it almost daily for a long time. Despite it being great, I think I'm ready to move on just out of boredom and wanting to try other things. I may come back to it later, and thus would recommend it to anyone who hasn't tried it yet! It's glowy though so be only for those who like that.

Benefit They're Real mascara is one of my favorite mascaras. I have gone through a full size tube and this is a deluxe sample (I have many of these from Sephora, yay!). It holds curl and doesn't smudge on my bulgy asian lids :)

That's it for now, until the next batch :)

Recent Empties #1 (It's been a long time!)

It's been a long time since I've written a post! Work has been very busy, and I had returned to school. I'm finally on summer break, and it feels good to write again. I know it's just cosmetics, but I find it de-stressing to review :)  

I've stopped photographing a lot of new products I have been using, somehow haven't felt that excited to share. I have however maintained my photographing of empties, so have almost a years worth to share! This is the first batch... I will share some brief thoughts about the products that stand out, good or not (if I don't mention it then it means it was "meh" either way). 

The Murad vitamin C daily moisturizer was really good! Not too oily-looking, though wasn't quite enough for the tough winter months...

The Koh Gen Do Cleansing Spa Water... feels amaaaazing, and though very expensive, feels better on my skin than Bioderma. Too bad it's all out of stock for the Sephora sale :(

The two Benefit products were complete duds...I'm glad they were only deluxe samples and I didn't shell out money for them.

The Velour eyelash glue was also a complete dud (I posted awhile back about it exploding). I have tried to use it a few times after and it just performs poorly. I do not recommend!

The Balm Apples Cheek & Lip cream was not good for the lips but awesome on the cheeks! It blended out so nicely with a duo-fibre brush (though less good with fingers for some reason). 

MUFE mascara, great balance between length and volume and held curl for me.

The Freshstart dry shampoo was useless except for infusing its perfumey smell to my hair. It didn't rid the oil at all and somehow made my hair look more more limp. I don't recommend at all!

Oh YSL Tint-in-Oil... I had so much high hopes for you I bought 3...It was so slippery and watery and an awful taste kept seeping into my mouth (despite being very careful not to apply it too close to the inner part of my lips). It looks ok only, not worth the gross taste. 

Lancome Bi-Facil, hands down best remover. Have gone through many bottles.

Dr. Dennis Gross daily peel. This was a deluxe sample, and even though it was the gentle version it still stung. My face is just too sensitive for any peels or acids I think. It's got great reviews though so if you're not sensitive give it a try!

That's it for now, I got a couple of other batches to post soon... :)

3 Months of Empties: Jan - Mar 2016

Wow it's been a long time since my last post! I'm still using up stuff and buying new stuff (hangs head down in shame for the past 3 Sephora sale orders), but haven't really had the time or energy to write about anything. I still love reading other blogs and it's been great seeing what everyone else has been up to in the beauty world! I'm keeping to what I said in my last post, which is that no longer will I write about everything little thing I use/throw, only the stand-outs will get a mention (good or bad). Anything I don't mention means it was "meh".

IOPE Air Cushion - love this BB cushion! Great for winter, and I can still get away with it in summer if I slather on bronzer. Very natural looking and doesn't cake up or crease throughout the day

Lancome Grandiose mascara - wow this does something amazing to my lashes, enough said, you gotta try this if you haven't already.

The Caudalie moisturizer with suncreen, really good stuff! The Clinique black honey lip gloss, terrible! I don't understand this, it goes on like a goopy dark sticky mess, that makes me look unwell.

Elizabeth Arden 8 hour cream got me through the winter, it's just amazing for dry-anything. The tube in the middle that is sooo rubbed out is the Bare Escentuals Mineral Sunscreen, it's sadly discontinued but it was amazing to throw in my bag and do a sunscreen touch up midday, as it powders nicely over makeup (I hate how lotion sunscreens say to reapply every 2 hours, how am I suppose to put white sticky cream over my makeup?? I do not understand...)

These 3 were all terrible for me... The MUFE primer did nothing. The Bite lip agave mask was goopy and didn't really moisturize (I'd wake up in the AM with dry lips! So odd as it has good reviews from others, guess it just doesn't go well with my chemistry somehow). The Clarisonic cleanser was very drying and not gentle at all for me.

That's all for now, happy April everyone! Let me know if you have tried any of these and had a similar/different experience!

3 months of Empties and 2015 Reflections

Happy New Year Everyone! I'm posting less and less these days and even didn't get around to doing my usual monthly empties, so am now combining 3 months worth. A lot has happened in 2015. There was a break in, and identity theft for the bad things. I started weight lifting with a personal trainer, and my daughter is growing and developing in the cutest way possible for the good things. I didn't make any new year resolutions really, but have come more and more to realize that what needs cherishing is the people and moments of connection in my life, not the "things". Despite that, we all do need and use "things" in our lives, and part of that is beauty products! It's just about having the right perspective... nothing wrong with enjoying that moment of glee at opening a new lipstick, but my mood shouldn't be based on whether I can get the latest limited edition product, I will enjoy and use what I have.

Along with that, blog-wise, I've decided to no longer write about the "blah", or the "meh", or the "okay" products. Time is precious, and I don't want to waste my time or yours on those, that really tell both you and I nothing, other than that I forced myself through to the end using them up for the sake of "not wasting". So for these empties, I'll show a photo of the whole load I used but I'll only discuss the products that were great and of worth to recommend, or the ones that were so dreadful that I'd recommend you avoid. The stuff in between...there's too many of those to waste time on. Perhaps in 2016 I will also waste less of my own time and face on using those products at all, and focus really on using what I love!

First up, Enkore brush soap, ahhh-mazing! Highly recommend, easy to use and smells good, and gets my brushes very clean. Next, Nest Orange Blossom shower gel, smells oh so good and cleans without drying me out, I very much enjoyed using this up to the end! 

Shu Uemura Anti-Oxi cleansing oil, Shu's cleansing oils really live up to their hype, I really enjoyed using this and highly recommend it! It cleanses well and doesn't dry me out.

Hourglass Lip Treatment Oil, this is my HG lip care for bedtime, it's expensive but lasted me a very long time of daily use. So good for my lips and the gold tip is very soothing.

YSL eyebrow pencil in Ash, I always come back to this. It's very natural looking and I enjoy each pencil to the last bit (they unfortunately get used up very quickly as it's a soft pencil). 

Benefit They're Real Mascara, defines and lengthens without smudging, and is easy to remove, my HG mascara. 

That's all for now. I don't know when I'll post next but it'll only be for a product I really really love and will use daily. I wish you all a very blessed 2016! Share with me any reflections you had from 2015 and any beauty resolutions you may have made :)

Sept 2015: Empties + Declutteries

Wow this is incredibly late post...so late that it felt like I could have just waited until end of this month...but the OCD part of me still wants one of these posts per month so here we go :)

Bioderma Sensibio - I don't think I need to say more, pretty good stuff that I will repurchase

YSL babydoll mascara - this was a very very good mascara, volume and length without clumpiness, yay! Won't purchase for now though as I still have hoards of mascara samples to go through...

Clinique eye makeup remover - it's good, not as good as my Lancome fave, so won't be purchasing full size

Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer - I really like this formula for application, but it oxidizes to no end, and though the shade is too light going on, it's way too dark in an hour. Definitely won't purchase full size.

Face Shop Seaweed Moisture Mask - I was very impressed by this, it's a light gel-like formula, that sits on top the skin. It really helped with my dry patches!

Jack black lip balm - it's good, but not exciting. This is a declutter as it's expired, not nearly emptied enough.

I've been trying a lot of new products recently from my own stash (I sadly bought a bunch of things over the past year and never got around to even opening them), and though I've been taking photos, I've been feeling lazy to write the posts to go with them...hope I will get out of this funk soon as I really do enjoy writing.

August 2015: Empties + Decluterries

I realized that more and more of my empties posts contain products that I was just chucking out, which kind of clouds the point of empties (the point being to have a final say on a product that has been completely used up, which by then says more about it than my initial "omg I LOVE this!"). So I'm now going to do these posts in 2 sections. Click the jump if you're interested in my garbage from August! (ok that sounds terrible...but hopefully you are still interested...)

Empties: July 2015

Wow I'm very late this month for empties. I've been having a "blah" makeup month, unmotivated to try things or blog about them. I've only been wearing bases, and even skipping highlighter/blush on some days because I feel so blah. Must be some kind of cosmetic depression after my massive hauls fews months back (I will get to those products...), does this ever happen to you? Anyhow, I did manage to finish a bunch of deluxe samples (and tossing out some) so thought this would kick my beauty brain back into gear. 

 

Coconut water shampoo and conditioner, it worked well, but I wasn't wowed.

 Shiseido Benefiance day and night lotions. The day one has SPF18. Now this was good stuff. Made my skin look nice and smooth. I wish the SPF was a bit higher though. Don't be fooled by these little sample bottles these lasted me more than a month of daily use!

 Ojon rare blend. This works well to smooth out and shine out my hair, but I have to be careful to put only a VERY small amount. If I go over board even a little I will look like a slicky oily mess.
L'Occitane almond shower, this is the second deluxe sample bottle, it's good stuff.

 Reversa micellar water. This was no competition for Bioderma. It was basically working as a toner, does not remove makeup well at all.
Skindinavian finishing spray. I have multiple bottles of multiple formulations of this, it works very well to set my makeup all day, even in hot humid Toronto.

 3lab "perfect lips", how about perfectly useless. I've never been so disappointed in such a high end (or just highly priced) product before. This made my lips peel in the winter and in the summer was just barely tolerable. Why I continued for 2 years...only cuz it was so expensive. I've not finished this, but it's as good as gone to me. Good bye and will never repurchase (this has turned me off to 3lab and their too-high-priced skincare in general).

Shu uemura lip gloss. Now this was just a deluxe sample, but it was BAD. It smelled heavily like chemicals. Can someone who uses Shu regularly tell me if this is true of all their lipglosses or did I just get a bad one? It didn't even look that good, just like an ol' pink lipgloss. Disappointed for sure.

Estee Lauder makeup remover lotion. This was a bit of an odd product, consistency of a moisturizer, smear it on and wipe off with the makeup. It does work, but I think I prefer cleansing oils over this.

Clinique gentle liquid soap. This does what it says, it's gentle and foams and washes your face. Again, nothing to write home about and I keep getting samples so probably will never purchase full size.

My tone has been very negative eh this whole post...perhaps I need to go stash shopping and find something that excites me again :)

Empties: June 2015

Empties time! I've been really trying hard to not buy new things and use up current stash, so it feels good to review the progress!

 Murad Black Head clearing duo: this is a 2 part product, one part scrub, one part lotion. I used this once a week for a few months, and really didn't notice a difference. Too much trouble for not much difference. Won't buy the full size.

 Issey Miyake body lotion: I loved the smell, but performance was "meh", won't buy full size.

Grace Cole Hand Cream: loved this stuff! It was a gift from Asia, not sure where to get it here but if I see it will purchase.

 Bioderma Sensibio: not much need be said here, it's good stuff (for my face that is, I don't find it that good for taking off eye makeup). Already working on a second full size bottle.

Estee Lauder Gentle Eye Makeup Remover: it's gentle, but not super effective. Won't buy full size.

 Shiseido lipstick: I couldn't get too excited about finishing this, because I cut out half of it to make tinted lip balms. Loved the formula, will consider buying full size once I finish up more lippies...

Sugar Lip Treatment: oh I used to love this...great formula, but totally melted + smushed around this summer. Won't be repurchasing.

 Clinique de-puffing roll-on serum: works well and is super nice and cooling. Seems to last forever though as I've had this for a few years. It's being tossed due to old age. May repurchase, not sure.

Shiseido Glow Revival Serum: healthy glow while minimizing fine lines... this was good stuff, will buy full size. 

 Estee Lauder Sumptuous Extreme mascara: there's nothing "extreme" about this mascara at all...it's the most "natural" looking mascara I've ever tried, it barely makes a difference and doesn't hold curl well either. Won't be buying full size.

Clarins Body Lotion: very thick, works well, probably would have been better for winter. May purchase full size.

L.A. Colors nail polish remover: this is already my 5th or 6th tub...great remover that is acetone free and moisturizes my nails, they never look dry after. Already purchased multiple backups!

Have you tried or finished any of these products before? Let me know your thoughts!

Empties: May 2015

A little late, but better late than never! I was away for a large part of May and some empties got tossed, but here's what I saved: 3 full sized products and rest are all deluxe samples.

 Lancome CILS mascara primer: this white primer is HG for me, I've gone through 2 full size tubes and get the deluxe samples like this whenever I can. Definitely will repurchase, it makes virtually any mascara smudgeproof!

Lancome Hypnose Doll mascara: this is definitely volumizing, a bit too much for me as up close looks clumpy, won't purchase full size.

 Benefit benetint: I've realized I don't like these liquid tints. Though they give a natural flush, I find it much too hard to control the product. It either goes where I don't want it to go, or it's too light until it becomes too much. More finicky than it's worth, won't be purchasing full size.

barefoot v argan dry body oil: this was a topbox item, was a basic spray on oil, kind of "meh", won't purchase full size.

 Anastasia tinted brow gel: this is good stuff! I had "granite" and it was a perfect shade for me. Will repurchase.

miracle10 toner: good solid toner, wouldn't say it stands out especially from others though. Not sure if I will purchase full size.

Lancome Bi-facil:  my HG eye makeup remover! This is easily my 5th or 6th bottle now (full size), have already repurchased (I always have a backup!)
Philosophy miracle anti-aging lotion with SPF 30: this was a great daytime moisturizer for summer, and was relatively demi-matte and lasted me a good part of the year. Unfortunately not moisturizing enough for winter. May repurchase.

Philosophy miracle worker overnight cream: I'm so glad this was just a sample, cuz it burned!! I gave it one more try without any exfoliating prior and it still burned. Will never purchase!

Clarins HydraQuench cream mask: This didn't do much for me, good thing was a deluxe sample, won't be purchasing full size.

Clarins multi-active day cream: this is very thick, great for winter, felt too thick came spring but didn't cause breakouts. May purchase full size next year.
dermadoctor KP duty: I've already purchased 2 full size tubes and given one to a friend, it's that good. Amazing for winter dry skin and for the annoying KP I have on my upper arms. When I stopped using it on vacation my KP got much worse.


What did you empty this month?

April 2015 Empties

I usually do photos/tally for empties at the very end of the month, but there has been a lot this month so I cut myself off early last week, otherwise this would turn into a ridiculously long post (I like to give a good final word on these). 

 

 This is a Korean face mask my mom gave me. I have a bunch of others from this brand that I've been using recently (didn't save all the packages). I have no idea where you can buy this here, if anyone knows please share, as I quite like them (no comparison of course to SK-II, but at that price better not be).

 Julep Bare Face Cleansing Oil: definitely one of Julep's better non-polish products. It works well, and previously I thought about repurchasing. Now that I'm using one of Shu Uemura's oils though, I've been converted and I won't be repurchasing this. If you find Shu too pricey this is a good alternative, I think it was around $20.

 B.Kamins Sunscreen SPF30: I love this, a great non-greasy non-slick sunscreen, no white cast either. I'm not repurchasing this season only due to a pile of other sunscreens I need to use before their expiration. Will repurchase next year probably.

Clarins Hydra moisturizer: this was ok, very thick. Won't purchase.

 Hourglass mascara: loved this! Would purchase full size if not for the pile of deluxe mascaras I still need to get through...

Benefit Gimme Brow: I liked this at the beginning, but it really started gunking up near the end and was difficult to blend. Undecided about repurchasing.

 Clinique all about lips: this felt like a face moisturizer for my lips, didn't really do anything special. I used it up for the sake of it, but won't repurchase.

YSL Touche Eclat: I'm so undecided about repurchasing...it's a great product for my "no-makeup" days, but did it do anything that special to warrant $50...I don't know.

Clarins eye makeup remover: not bad, still prefer my Lancome Bi-Facil so won't be purchasing full size.

Lise Watier Day/Night serums: the night was ok, the day one was terrible, felt like sticky glue on my face, and remained sticky. I didn't bother to finish it as there's no way I'm putting that on my face again.

Hourglass liquid lipstick in Canvas: I loved this product in Icon, but this shade sucks. The color itself is actually nice, but the formula was super drying, not at all slick like Icon.Won't be repurchasing

Estee Lauder brown eye pencil: obviously not "empty" but it has become more hard and dry and more difficult to use overtime. Won't be repurchasing.

EOS lipbalm: it was cute while it lasted, but overall performance was "meh". Won't repurchase.

L'Occitane Almond Oil Shower: This came from a Topbox and I really liked it! I got another deluxe size from a GWP so will use that up first then likely will repurchase.

What did you empty this month?