Empties ~ February 2021

At the beginning of every year, I like to clear out my empties bin and get rid of old products to make way for new items. Surprisingly, I didn’t have as many empties as I was expecting but there were quite a few that I was more than ready to get rid of and replace with something better. There were also a few new favorites, as well as some permanent repurchases.

Starting with skincare and body lotions, I used up a bottle of the St. Ives Renewing Collagen & Elastin body lotion and a tube of the eos Shea Better Hand Cream in the Coconut scent. The St. Ives lotion is great because it’s lightweight, it absorbs quickly, doesn’t leave behind any greasy residue, and has a refreshing spa-like scent.

This was my first time trying an eos hand cream and I really liked it. The formula was thick enough to moisturize and protect my hands against the dry weather, but it didn’t feel heavy at all and absorbed into the skin quickly so I could continue on with my day. Both are great lotions that have already been repurchased!

As I transitioned to a sulfate-free hair care routine, I was using the Derma E thickening shampoo and conditioner. I was really impressed with how well the shampoo lathered, but it definitely needed the conditioner to soften and smooth the hair. This was easy to apply and rinse out, though I didn’t really notice any difference from its thickening properties.

Along with eliminating sulfates from my haircare routine, I’ve also stopped using retinol products on my face. Instead, I introduced a .5mm dermaroller to provide the same effects without the use of harsh chemicals. This creates tiny punctures in the skin, which will trigger more collagen production that plumps the skin and reduces the appearance of texture and fine lines.

I use this once every other week and have noticed a huge difference in my skin. Although it looks super intimidating, it doesn’t hurt at all! The roller has to be cleaned and disinfected with rubbing alcohol before and after each use. Now that I’ve used it for a few months, it needs to be replaced to keep the needles sharp and sterile.

One of my favorite products to use after dermarolling is the Peter Thomas Roth Water Drench Hyaluronic Cloud Hydrating Eye Gel. It has the most interesting gel-like consistency and the small packaging that it comes in is just precious. I didn’t notice this firming my eye area, but it’s great for hydration. A little bit of this goes a long way, so even though it is more pricey it lasted almost a full year!

Toner has always been one of my favorite steps in my skincare routine and facial pads are definitely the most fun way to apply it. I love trying new ones and two that I recently used up are the Dr. Zenovia 10% Glycolic Acne Control Peel Pads and the Naturally Serious Get Even Cold-Pressed Peel Pads. Both of them were fun to use and out of the two my favorite were the ones from Dr. Zenovia because they were thicker and came in glass packaging. However, neither became a replacement for my favorite Nip + Fab Glycolic Fix Daily Cleansing Pads.

The Maybelline Fit Me concealer has been my favorite ever since I first tried it eight years ago. I keep multiple shades in my collection so I always have a perfect match. It feels so lightweight on the skin, it provides the perfect amount of coverage, and the formula is incredibly easy to blend. This will always be a repurchase product!

The Tarte Big Ego mascara may look bold, but its results (as shown in my full review) leave much to be desired. In reality, this isn’t the worst mascara ever. It’s just not very impressive for a high-end product. While this formula may not have caused any clumps or flaking throughout the day, it did have a strong paint-like chemical smell that was not very pleasant. There are plenty of drugstore mascaras that provide more dramatic results for a fraction of the price, so this isn’t one I would repurchase.

Lip balm has been one of my most used products lately. With this dry Winter weather, I’m constantly reapplying throughout the day. The eos stick lip balms are my favorite because they’re easy to apply, the formula feels lightweight on the lips, and they’re great for moisturizing.

Based on my great experience with the stick balms, I also decided to try the eos The Hero Extra Dry Lip Treatment as a night balm. Unfortunately, it didn’t end up being everything I had hoped for. Unlike the stick balm, Petrolatum is one of the first five ingredients in this formula which made the product feel very thick and actually ended up drying my lips after continued use.

Sometimes I’m sad to see products go into the empties bin, but this time there weren’t many new favorites. After I had thoroughly tested the formula of the Tarte mascara and the eos The Hero lip treatment, I couldn’t wait to finish them so I could move on to something better. But for long-time favorites like the eos Stick Balm and the Maybelline concealer I already had backups ready to go!

I hope you enjoyed this post! If you have any questions, please feel free to leave them for me in the comments. Have you tried any of these products before? What are some of your recent beauty empties?

XO ♥ Christina ♥

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