Empties ~ October 2018

It has clearly been way too long since I’ve done an empties post. My bin was overflowing so much, I could barely fit anything else in it! I knew it was overdue, I just had so many other content ideas that this kinda got pushed back. There aren’t as many repeat items this time around and I feel like there’s an even mix between the amount of these empties that I enjoyed versus those that I didn’t. There were even a few that I liked so much, I already had a backup waiting! That’s when you know it’s good.

Let’s start with skincare because that should always come as a first priority. I have two exfoliators that I finally finished. The first is the St. Ives Energizing Coconut & Coffee Scrub. St. Ives makes my favorite face scrubs. This is one of their new scents and I love it just as much as all the others. It is a slightly more rough exfoliator, which is what I prefer, and it leaves my face feeling squeaky clean. I will always repurchase my face scrubs from their affordable line.

I was hoping to like this Dr. Brandt PoreDermabrasion Pore Perfecting Exfoliator as much as I love their Microdermabrasion Age Defying Exfoliator, but this is much worse. I’d say it has the same amount of exfoliants in it, so it’s the same amount of dead skin that’s getting exfoliated off. This one just doesn’t leave my face feeling clean. There’s a thick, greasy-feeling residue that gets left behind. That’s honestly what took me so long to finish this product and why I never wanted to reach for it. At $58, there’s no way I could recommend this.
Most of the time, I think toner pads or any other kind of a “wipe” type of product is a waste, but I love both of these Glycolic Fix pads from Nip+Fab. They both make a huge difference in the texture of my skin, although I do slightly prefer the Daily Cleansing ones over the Extreme version. Every single pad is soaked with product and I’ve never had any dry up on me. These have already been repurchased multiple times.
As far as liquid toners are concerned, I did really enjoy both of these shown below. The Pixi Glow Tonic bottle has my name on it, so I will definitely be keeping that and cleaning it out to refill. The Callyssee Fresh Brew Toner was also really nice, but I won’t be repurchasing it because I can’t justify a separate online order for something that doesn’t target anything specific for my skin. Both of these were very gentle on the face. Toner has to be my favorite step in my skincare routine!
This Neutrogena Rapid Tone Repair Dark Spot Corrector lasted a lot longer than I thought it was going to. The packaging wasn’t as bad as I was expecting it to be, although it’s still not my favorite because the top doesn’t screw off. I didn’t have too many dark spots that I was looking to correct, but I do think it made a little bit of a difference with the texture on my cheeks. However, I don’t think it did as good of a job as their Rapid Wrinkle Repair, which is what I repurchased instead.
I have a bunch of mini lotions that I realized I need to start using up. They might be small, but they take up a lot of space when there’s enough of them. The Sol de Janeiro Brazilian Bum Bum Cream came in a Boxycharm and although I did really enjoy the scent and the texture, I don’t think it really lived up to any of its claims. The same goes for the Callyssee Smooth as Butter Body Butter - Vanilla. It smelled good and felt good, but it wasn’t impressive enough to justify the price.

I originally wanted to try the Dr. Teal’s Foot Cream because it has epsom salt in it. Epsom salt baths are great at healing sore muscles, so I thought this might relieve some pain in the feet throughout the day. It was a nice lotion, but I wasn’t a fan of the scent and I don’t think it really did anything so I wouldn’t repurchase it.

I did really enjoy the Revival Hand and Nail Cream from a brand called Qumran. This is one that I would repurchase if I knew where to find it. I have a small bag filled with a few samples of their products that I’m finally working my way through, I just don’t know where they can be purchased aside from searching for the brand website. This had an okay scent to it and I really think I could tell a difference in how smooth it left my hands.
The Finesse Restore and Strengthen Shampoo has been around for years, but it never caught my attention in the store. I got a few foil sample packets of it from Influenster and enjoyed it so much, I decided to try the full size. This seriously has to be the most affordable shampoo ever (only $1.98 at Walmart). It’s actually a really good shampoo, too. It made my hair feel very smooth and soft. The only reason I won’t be repurchasing it is the scent. It just smells a little dated and it lingered all day. If scents don’t bother you, I’d definitely recommend it!

Influenster also sent me this eos Shave Cream a long time ago and I finally finished it. It’s definitely a cream and not a mousse, which is the main reason I won’t be repurchasing it. Without my contacts or glasses (which obviously aren’t worn in the shower), it’s difficult to see where this is on my skin and I was too worried about cutting myself. I also thought the scent sounded promising, but it was very light and I could barely smell anything.
I ran out of another tube of my DIY eyelash serum. I have a pack of empty mascara tubes and made another mixture immediately. Over the past two years, nightly applications have made the world of a difference in both my lashes and eyebrows.

I also finished my Tarte Tarteist Lash Paint mascara. It takes me so long to run through a mascara, but I finally did it. This has been featured in many tutorials and it’s one I’ve really enjoyed. If I didn’t have 15 other mascaras waiting to be used, this is one I would think about repurchasing.
Some other makeup products I ran out of are my Smith’s Rosebud Lip Balm and the Elf HD Powder. Both of these are favorites that I always have backups of so I’ll never be without it. The lip balm is a staple in my nightly routine and the powder is one of the best at the drugstore.

I also finished up the Elf eyebrow pencil that I had. For being only $2, I was really impressed with it. I can’t say that I’ll repurchase it because the color was a little off and I’ve completely fallen in love with the Maybelline Brow Precise pencil, but this is still a good option.
I’ve made it my mission to go through all the candles that I have sitting around. My favorite scents are fresh and fruity, so I’m trying to use up those Summer scents to make room for warm Fall candles. The Scentsational brand at TJMaxx is usually my favorite. That brand has strong scents and I like that they’re soy candles, so they typically last longer.

I also finished one from the Target Signature Soy collection. That line is pretty good, too. Although a lot that I’ve tried have been hit or miss as far as how scented they are, so it’s not my first choice.
The last products that I have are all miscellaneous items that don’t fit into any other category. The Just for Men mustache and beard dye is what I use to dye my eyebrows. This box lasted me a little over a year before having to throw it away. There was still a lot of product left, but I could tell it wasn’t fresh anymore. For $8, it’s so worth it and I already repurchased the same light-medium brown shade.

Another eyebrow product is this little razor. They typically come in a pack of three at the drugstore, so I already had a backup waiting. I use these on the inner corner, above, and below my brow to remove any little blonde peach fuzz hair that I can’t get with tweezers.

I’ve had the Elf Contour brush for so many years, I can’t even count. It’s held up very well and finally had enough. I noticed that there were too many bristles falling out, so it was time to replace it. I went to Target and repurchased the same exact brush. I love this for packing eyeshadow into the crease and outer half of the eye.
Mannn, does it feel good to finally throw away all these products! I’m so proud of myself for going through so much as quickly as I did. My closet can get so full of bottles that I forget what I even have anymore. I can see things much better now! I love repurchasing my favorites, there’s something so exciting about starting a new product!

If you have any other questions, please feel free to leave them for me in the comments section. Have you tried any of these products before? What are some items you’ve recently used up?
XO ♥ Christina ♥

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