Another month gone by, and another boatload of empties to share with you all. If you are ready to see all the skincare, fragrances, makeup, and more that I finished during the month of November, then keep reading. BUT … grab some popcorn because this is another long one.
Skincare
Whenever I have empties to share, skincare is always my biggest category. This month looks to be no different. In fact, I may have outdone myself thanks to all the samples and foils I used.
Daily Routine
A staple in my skincare routine is the Acure Seriously Soothing Blue Tansy Serum Stick. I absolutely love this product and the glow it gives my skin. Although, I don’t like the packaging when it gets to the end because it’s hard to get out the last bit of product without making a mess. The other Acure product I finished this month was the Acure The Essentials Moroccan Argan Oil. There’s nothing special about this oil, but it does it’s job of locking in my daytime moisture without breaking the bank. After hearing nothing but hype about COSRX Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence, I just had to try it! This is a nice hydrator, but is not particularly special. I would buy this again, but it’s not the holy grail product I hoped it would be.
With regards to the Lancôme Rose Milky Mist, the fine mist feels light and airy, but the heavy fragrance feels like I’m spraying my face with a generic floral perfume. I love the scent of rose, but not this rose scent. One of the highlights for this month’s routine was the Peach & Lily Glass Skin Veil Mist. The mist is light and fine with no noticeable scent. There is already a 2nd bottle waiting in the stash, so I would obviously purchase this again. The only thing worse than the Lancôme Mist was the Physicians Formula The Perfect Matcha 3-in-1 Beauty Water. It burned my face immediately and every time I used it. This is probably the worst product I used all month.
This month, I finished my favorite sunscreen, Supergoop! Glow Stick Sunscreen SPF 50. It makes my skin look glowy AF! I like the results from The Inkey List Retinol, but I don’t like the packaging. No matter how gently I squeezed the tube, the product just poured out, which made it hard to apply only a pea size amount. Bringing up the rear of November skincare empties is the Up & Up Baby Wash – Vanilla + Apricot, which I used to wash all my face cleansing tools.
Foils / Samples
- Belif The True Cream Aqua Bomb – Not a fan of gel creams for my dry skin.
- Clarins Gentle Foaming Cleanser – Really like how rich, creamy, and foaming this is without making my skin feel stripped of moisture. Since I have dry skin, I would only use this as a second cleanser.
- Clarins Hydra-Essentiel – Decent moisturizer, but didn’t wow me enough to want the full size.
- Clarins Sunscreen Multi-Protection Broad Spectrum SPF 50 – Very liquidity and felt lightweight on the skin. Has an initial bluish tint that looks horrible on my deep complexion and takes forever to disappear.
- Dr. Barbara Sturm Hyaluronic Acid – Nice hydrator, but this brand is too rich for my blood.
- Dr. Roebuck’s No Worries Hydrating Face Moisturizer – Rich cream with a thicker consistency that still absorbs quickly into my skin and leaves my dry skin feeling nourished and with a healthy glow.
- Estēe Lauder Advanced Night Repair – Wasn’t impressed; Would probably need a bigger sample to get a better feel for the product, but I’m not really interested.
- Exuviance Age Reverse Eye Contour – Very rich, creamy, and moisturizing, but I’m not sure about buying the full size at that price. Also didn’t like how the packaging started peeling.
- Farmacy Honeymoon Glow AHA Resurfacing Night Serum – I wasn’t impressed by the sample, but I would try the full size because I’ve heard rave reviews about it.
- Glow Recipe Watermelon Glow PInk Juice Moisturizer – This works best as a serum than a moisturizer for me since I have very dry skin. Smells delicious, but I don’t need this in my routine.
- Josie Maran Skin Dope Argan Oil + CBD – Nice oil, but not interested in buying the full size.
- Kiehl’s Cannabis Sativa Seed Oil Herbal Concentrate – Has an earthy, “green” scent and provides instant calm to my skin. It worked wonders when my face was on fire from the Physician’s Formula spray.
- Kiehl’s Midnight Recovery Concentrate – Used to be a staple in my routine, but I no longer use this regularly. It’s really nice, but I don’t like the price.
- Kiehl’s Powerful-Strength Line-Reducing Concentrate – Nothing impressive after one use; Not interested in paying the asking price to try more.
- Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Cleanser – Really like this cleanser; Gives the rich foam I like in a second cleanser without being overly foamy and leaving my skin feeling dry.
- Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Toner – My favorite hydrating toner; I wish it came in spray form.
- Lancôme Hydra Zen Anti-Stress Glow Liquid Moisturizer – Light, milky texture and smells very floral.
- L’Occitane Ultra Thirst-Quenching Gel – Not enough moisture for my dry skin.
- Mario Badescu Facial Spray with Aloe, Sage, and Orange Blossom – Standard MB mist. Out of all the scents I’ve tried, this has the lightest least noticeable scent.
- Milk Vegan Milk Moisturizer – Liked the moisturizer and would’ve been interested in buying the full size version, but learning how Milk Makeup treats their Black employees has made me uninterested in the brand.
- Sisley Hydra-Global Serum Anti-Aging Hydration Booster – Meh; This was a nice hydrating serum, but I already have plenty of hydrating products that are within my budget.
- Youth to the People Superfood Antioxidant Cleanser – Basic gel cleanser that doesn’t foam and has an earthy smell. I may give the full size a try in the future.
Masking Sessions
I am a masking fanatic and have a session about 2 times a week. The best of the month was the Peter Thomas Roth Hungarian Thermal Water Mineral-Rich Atomic Heat Mask. I love this creamy clay mask! When I leave it on, it feels like it’s both purifying and nourishing my skin. When I rub it in with a little water, there is a flash of warm heat that feels invigorating. I would definitely buy this again, but only if it shows up in another 21 Days of Beauty deal because $60 is pricey for a mask. While the PTR mask was the best, the Sephora Purple Clay Mask was the worst. Unless my face is bone dry, this burns like the dickens. I like the creamy texture and the light sweet scent, but I’m going to save my $3 and pass on this one.
For me, a masking session is never complete without a hydrating sheet mask. I used plenty of them this month! The EssenHerb Tea Tree Mask is a thick cotton mask with lots of serum that is saturated even after 20 minutes. It has an initial earthy scent that quickly dissipates. The JayJun Cosmetic Rose Blossom Mask smells like rosewater and leaves my skin feeling hydrating and plump. I had similar experiences with the Rice and Green Tea Labotica Skin Soft Mask. Both masks were composed of thin fabric that contoured well to my face and had plenty of serum. Those two weren’t much different than the Labotica True Nature Moisturizing Mask in Coconut. It also fit my face well and was loaded with serum. None of the Labotica masks had a noticeable scent, and they are all definite rebuys! Most of the time, The Crème Shop doesn’t steer me wrong, but The Crème Shop Hyaluronic Acid Face Mask didn’t have the amount of serum I expected. The mask was okay, but not one I am eager to repurchase.
Body Care
When it comes to body care, my empties are usually a mix between moisturizers, sunscreen, hand soaps, and fragrances. This month, I actually finished quite a number of fragrance samples and foils. That always brings me joy!
Daily Routine
As an avid body cream and lotion user, it’s easy for me to get through several different moisturizers within the month. To help keep my feet well moisturized everyday, I’ve been mixing Aquaphor Healing Ointment with whatever moisturizer I’m applying. A little goes a long way, so this tube lasted for months! I already have another tube in my current rotation. After showering I usually moisturize with the Kiehl’s Creme de Corps mixed with the CeraVe SA Cream for Rough & Bumpy Skin to help with my keratosis pilaris. Since using this cream, my skin is smoother and less bumpy. I am onto the jar that was waiting in the stash. The other part of my post-shower routine is spritzing some Sol de Janeiro Brazilian Crush Body Fragrance Mist because I freaking love the SDJ signature Cheroisa ‘62 scent! This lets me enjoy that scent any time of day since I only use the Sol de Janeiro Brazilian Bum Bum Cream as a daytime moisturizer along with the Supergoop! Play Everyday Lotion SPF 50, my holy grail body sunscreen!
Foils / Samples
- Chanel Coco Mademoiselle Eau de Parfum – Not a fan of this floral fragrance.
- Coach Floral Blush – Sweet floral scent that was enjoyable to wear; I would try this again.
- Givenchy Irresistible Eau de Parfum – Meh … The scent was nice, but didn’t wow me enough to want the full size
- Kiehl’s Creme de Corps – My holy grail body moisturizer!
- Kiehl’s Creme de Corps Smoothing Oil-to-Foam Body Cleanser – I didn’t get the foaming action I was expecting, and I’m not interested in buying the full size version.
- Kiehl’s Creme de Corps Soy Milk & Honey Whipped Body Butter – Great body cream that smells delicious.
- L’Occitane Almond Milk Concentrate – Smells delicious; I might buy the full size just for the scent.
- L’Occitane Almond Shower Oil – I love the scent, but the sample wasn’t enough to get a sense of my feelings. I recently bought a full size to give it the ol’ college try.
- L’Occitane Almond Supple Skin Oil – Love the smell, but I’m not a body oil person.
- L’Occitane Herbae Eau de Parfum – Smells like an herb garden, and I’m not interested in smelling like an herb garden.
- Ralph Lauren Romance Eau de Parfum – Nice, light floral scent, but I’m not interested in wearing this fragrance.
- Viktor & Rolf BonBon Perfumed Shower Gel – Smells like the fragrance and lathers well, but the scent doesn’t linger. I will stick to the fragrance.
- Yves Saint Laurent Black Opium Eau de Parfum – Sweet and spicy; One of the fragrances I love to keep in my collection.
- Yves Saint Laurent Libre Eau de Parfum – It’s listed as a warm floral, but I barely get a floral vibe. On my skin, I smell a sweet musk. I like it, and I might buy it in full size.
Surprisingly, I only finished 1 bottle of hand soap this month, the Bath & Body Works Warm Vanilla Sugar Gentle Foaming Hand Soap. I guess it being a foaming soap helps it last longer. I love the scent of vanilla, so this is a definite repurchase! Of course, since ‘rona is still raging, I stay strapped with the hand sanitizer. This month, I finished the Bath & Body Works Anti-Bacterial Hand Spray – Eucalyptus Tea, which is very handy for the car and a definite rebuy, and the TonyMoly Aloe Chok Chok Hand Gel, a slippery jelly with a light sweet scent that is best for sporadic use because it’s a small tube on the pricier side.
I love how thick the Jenna Hipp Essential Nail & Hand Cream is, but it doesn’t have much slip, so I had to really work hard to rub it in. It was only $10 at TJ Maxx, but I probably wouldn’t buy it again. I also liked the MD Solar Sciences Daily Anti-Aging Moisturizer SPF 30 as a sunscreen for my hands, but even with using my FSA to buy it, $80 is much too high of a price for these tiny bottles. This time around, I decided to go with the Supergoop! Handscreen.
Hair Care
The Flora & Curl Jasmine Oasis Floral Hydration Hair Mist was a love and a hate for me. The fine mist provides a light layer of hydration to my low porosity coils, but I absolutely hated the scent. Instead of smelling like flowers, it smelt like fish to me. Since I bought the Pattern mister, I’m going to be making my own concoctions for the foreseeable future. For my pre-poo scalp treatment, I used the PHYTODETOX Pre-Shampoo Purifying Mask. I liked the tingling, but I don’t feel like this made any difference in my scalp health.
My tag team for increasing my hair’s health was the PHYTONOVATHRIX Ultimate Thickening Densifying Treatment for Hair and Scalp and the PHYTOPHANÈRE Dietary Supplement for Hair and Nails. Although I only use the PHYTONOVATHRIX once a week (The directions say use 3 times a week, but I only wash my hair once a week), I’ve noticed less shedding when I wash my hair.
Since I only wash my hair once a week, it can take forever to get through a full bottle of shampoo, so I prefer to use travel size shampoos. For the past few months, I’ve been using a brand that’s new to me. The Rossano Ferretti Parma 3.2 Intenso Moisturising and Smoothing Shampoo was neither moisturizing or smoothing to my 4C coils. I like the warm, musky scent, but that’s about it when it comes to this bougie shampoo. In order for my hair to feel less stripped and maintain some type of moisture, I mixed in the TGIN Quench 3-in-1 Co-Wash Conditioner and Detangler. I like how creamy this is, and my coils love it too.
Makeup
I am always super excited when I have makeup empties to share. For a hoarder like me, it’s hard to finish a product because my collection is just so big.
While the sheet mask was kind of a fail, The Crème Shop x Hello Kitty Celebrate Setting & Priming Spray was definitely a win! The light mister and the rose scent were perfection! I would definitely buy this spray again, but it was limited edition, so I doubt that’s possible. Last year, the Farsáli Liquid Glass Radiance Serum blew me away and became one of my favorite beauty products of 2019. Now that I’ve finished the bottle, I’m not sure if I still feel the same way. I still like how it makes my foundation more glowy, but I also have so many other products in my collection that also give me the glow.
I’m not one for lip plumpers, but the GrandeLips Hydrating Lip Plumper isn’t bad at all. There was a slight tingling, but it quickly dissipated. Although there wasn’t much plumping action, my lips were shining like my lipgloss was poppin’. As a fan of the Morphe Continuous Setting Spray, I was excited to try the Morphe Luminous Setting Spray, but this gave no luminosity. It’s a one and done for me, hunty.
It takes a lot for a mascara to wow me. Since I don’t wear falsies, I need my mascara to give volume and length. Giving me both this month was the Huda Beauty Legit Lashes Double-Ended Volumizing and Lengthening Mascara. Although I don’t like needing to use two different brushes, I loved how thick and luscious my lashes looked. I still don’t want to pay almost $30 for mascara, so I would only purchase this mascara during a sale.
Yes, I do have an eyeshadow empty this month! It’s the Stila Shimmer & Glow Liquid Eye Shadow – Vivid Smoky Quartz. I really like this product, but I hate that it dries up so quickly. This shade is absolutely beautiful and one I would absolutely buy again. However, I probaby should get through all the other shades I have first.
Home
Although this is the home section, I actually used the Bath & Body Works Wallflowers Fragrance – Autumn Woods for my office at work. Whew Chillay!! This thing packs a punch! To me this wallflower smells like a very strong, overpowering men’s cologne. I love a scent that fills a room, but this scent gave me a headache, and I would often have to unplug the wallflower after a couple of hours. The White Barn Concentrated Room Spray – Tiki Beach was used at home, mostly in the bathroom. It smells sweet, but not very tropical. Since I really like the bottle design, I would repurchase just for those aesthetics.