Empties ~ May 2019
Spring cleaning isn’t really a thing in our house. I’m one of those clean freak wives that keeps the house (almost) spotless every day. But with that, I’ve also never been into decluttering. I don’t typically let things pile up in the first place. Unless we’re talking about anything beauty related, and then I have a hard time getting rid of it. I just love product, but I also like to keep things for my blog in case I need to compare something or whatever else. I’ve realized I have a lot of things sitting around that I haven’t touched in an embarrassingly long time and it’s just time to toss it.
Let’s start with two hair products I never liked from the beginning. The Pantene Smooth Anti-Humidity Hairspray and the Pantene Root Reboot Dry Shampoo. The hairspray was definitely not anti-humidity and the dry shampoo left my hair feeling even dirtier and heavier than before I applied it. Thankfully, I don’t think either of these products are available anymore.
Okay, so. I’ve been having this problem. I’ve used and loved the Clinique Acne Solutions All Over Clearing Treatment (moisturizer) for years. When I went to go repurchase it, I couldn’t find it anywhere. I even tried contacting them directly on their website. I can’t find any information about when it will be back in stock, or if they’re discontinuing it. So I didn’t have any other choice but to try to find something else.
I ended up with this Origins Zero Oil oil-free moisturizer, which is also no longer available anymore. It was more expensive than what I wanted to pay, but I figured I’d give it a shot. It was okay. I mean, I did finish the entire bottle. However, I still felt like it made my face feel greasy and I definitely didn’t appreciate that. I’m currently trying one from The Body Shop, but I’m still hoping Clinique brings back my favorite sometime very soon!
Facial toners are probably my favorite step in my skincare routine. It’s just so refreshing! The Nip + Fab Glycolic Fix Daily Cleansing Pads have been my favorite for the past two years or so and I will always repurchase them. I love the Pixi Glow Tonic and this Rose Tonic was also really nice. This one was more gentle and nourishing feeling on the skin compared to the Glow Tonic. I’d recommend them both, depending on your skin’s needs.
I used up two lash serums. The first being my DIY lash serum that I have already made more of. The second is the new L’oreal Lash Serum Solution that they just released. As you might have read in my full review of the L’oreal Serum, unfortunately I wasn’t as impressed with it as I thought I was going to be. I barely noticed a difference after 4 weeks of twice daily applications, so it’s not one that I’d repurchase or recommend.
I also used up two lip balms, both of which are my favorites. I finished one of the eos Lip Balms in the Summer Fruit scent. This is my favorite scent, but I decided to purchase one of the non-scented stick balms this time because I actually had to throw this away because it started smelling bad. I don’t know if that’s because of its ingredients or what. This is what I like to use under liquid lipsticks, matte lipsticks, or any other kind of heavy or long-wearing lip product.
The Smith’s Rosebud lip balms will always be my favorite. I use these at night and nothing has ever come close to the comfort or quality that these balms provide. The one shown below is in the Strawberry scent and I recently repurchased the original, but I love them all!
Aside from the Pixi Black Lacquer Lash Primer that I recently discovered and fell in love with, I really don’t use lash primers very often. Both of these are pretty old and needed to be tossed. They’re both white, which makes them difficult to conceal with mascara, and neither really did much for my lashes. If you see the Lancome Cils Booster XL Mascara Primer or the Wet n Wild PhotoFocus Lash Primer, save your money!
I had so many mascaras piled up in my collection, hoarding them for whatever reason. Only a few of these are completely empty. The others just weren’t very impressive and I never wanted to use them.
~Wander Beauty Unlashed Volume & Curl Mascara: loved it! I loved the brush, the packaging, the wand, the results. It gave me lots of length, volume, and held a curl nicely. It never flaked, but it also wasn’t the longest wearing mascara. It is pricey though, so I wouldn’t repurchase it.
~Lancome Monsieur Big Mascara: just okay. I wasn’t super happy with any aspect about this mascara. I always felt like the wand was too big, the formula was too prone to clumps, and the results were just kinda average. Full review here.
~Neutrogena Healthy Lengths Mascara: more impressive than what the packaging leads you to believe. I definitely judged this one based on its cover and wasn’t expecting much, but it ended up being one of my favorites. It’s perfect for an everyday, easy makeup look and is one I’d repurchase again.
~L’oreal Telescopic Shocking Extensions Mascara: This used to be my all-time favorite mascara. I can’t even count how many tubes I’ve bought of this, but now it’s more difficult to find and I’ve found other mascaras I like better. Full review here.
~Lancome Definicils Mascara: There’s nothing super special about this one. It adds a lot of length, but almost no volume. I used to use this and the Monsieur Big mascara together, but only because I had them on hand. It’s not something I’d recommend for the price. Full review here.
~Clinique Bottom Lash Mascara: gimmicky. I fell into the trap with this one and thought I was getting a good deal because it (used to be) one of the cheapest products Clinique sells. Other than the smaller wand, there’s really no difference in this than any other mascara. Full review here.
Lots of makeup empties! The majority of them are actually empties, just two of them are getting tossed for other reasons.
~Milani eyeshadow primer: the best! I use this all the time because it’s so good for my oily eyes, but it’d really work great for all skin types. It’s just tacky enough to keep eyeshadow in place all day, but not too tacky to cause patchy application.
~Maybelline Fit Me Pressed Powder (Ivory): just okay. I got this in the lightest shade I could find and used it to brighten and set my under eye area. It wasn’t as brightening as I thought it would be and did take a little bit to build it up. It’s not one I’d repurchase, at least not for that same purpose.
~Maybelline Age Rewind Eraser for Dark Circles Concealer (Fair): my favorite! This is the most lightweight concealer that you can put underneath your eyes that actually makes a difference. I never have a problem with this creasing into my fine lines and the Fair shade both brightens and conceals. Full review here.
~Maybelline Brow Precise Micro Pencil (Soft Brown): another favorite! I love how precise and soft this pencil is. The formula is super buttery, which makes application effortless. The color matches me perfect and I’m anxiously awaiting the day I run through other brow products that I have so I can repurchase this one. Full review here.
~L’oreal Infallible Makeup Setting Spray: This is the one I’m tossing because it’s old. I got it years ago and can’t even remember the last time I used it. I don’t really think setting sprays make a difference for me and I don’t like the somewhat sticky feel it leaves on my skin. I’d rather spritz my face with the Evian spray instead because it’s more refreshing.
~Revlon Precision Dark Lash Glue: did not like this at all. Not only did I realize I don’t like black colored lash glue because it shows every mistake, I also think the latex in it bothered my eyes. Every time I wore this, my eyes watered constantly.
I really need to go through and clean out my nail polish collection, but these are the two that I’ve recently come across that needed to be tossed asap. Their both by Sinful Colors, which is one of my favorite nail polish brands. The green is called High Strung and the purple is Candy Coated. Candy Coated just got too old and goopy, and will probably be repurchased at some point. High Strung is one I regretted purchasing immediately. It wasn’t very flattering with my skin tone and it always stained my nails.
Nothing is better than a good smelling house! The two candles that I used up are Storm by Scentsational and Pineapple Splash by Soho Brights. I’ve had Storm once before; the Scentsational brand can usually be found at TJ Maxx and I’ve been happy with all the candles I’ve tried from them. Pineapple Splash smelled absolutely delicious. I can’t find this brand at Target anymore, but I have found Opalhouse that also makes strongly scented soy candles.
The last two empties I have are both essential oils. The first is called Relaxation that I found at Earthbound. This one smelled better in the store, but after I got it home and added it to my essential oil diffuser I didn’t like it very much anymore. The orange essential oil by Now Foods is one of my favorites. This is a brand I trust, especially when it comes to essential oils, and it smells like a freshly peeled orange.
This is one of the most satisfying empties I’ve ever done. Not only does it feel good to use up products, I feel so much better getting rid of things I’ve been staring at that I know I don’t like. I feel so refreshed knowing I won’t have to look at those hair products anymore, or have to deal with all those mascara tubes cluttering my collection.
I hope you enjoyed this post! If you have any questions, please feel free to leave them for me in the comments section. Have you tried any of these products before? Are you into Spring cleaning?
XO ♥ Christina ♥
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