Empties! Products I Used Up in February

February was another good month for using up products and moving them out of my over stocked collection of skin and body care items.  Let's take a closer look at what I managed to finish up!

I finished two full sized scrubs - one for the body and one for the face.  The Ulta Beauty Brightening Vitamin C Body Scrub was nice but nothing something I feel inclined to repurchase.  The sugar in the scrub is small granule but still managed to give a nice exfoliation.  It suds up so works as a cleanser as well.  The citrus scent was pleasant and while I have no complaints about the product, it just was not a standout for me.  

The Farmhouse Fresh One Fine Day Shea Sugar Flawless Face Polish (see full review here), OTOH, is a favorite.  Love this stuff, and I believe this is the 3rd jar I've finished off.  I will repurchase once I finish up all of my facial scrubs, as it is my favorite to date.  

The Le Metier de Beaute Peau Vierge Tinted Luminizer in Shade 2 was another favorite, and this is the second full sized bottle that I've used up.  It's quite pricey at $125, which is more than I would ever pay.  I received mine as part of the the now discontinued VIP monthly subscription program, which allowed me access to LMdB products as a greatly reduced price.  Plus, I'm not quite sure of the status of LMdB these days, as I believe they are in bankruptcy proceedings.  

Another company that is experiencing lots of problems is Julep, which was acquired by another company about two years ago.  That company consequently went bankrupt and has sold off Julep AS Beauty (you can read more about that here).  Not quite sure what the future holds for Julep now, but it seems the Julep items as Ulta are currently 50% off, which indicates to me they are clearing out their inventory.  Maven subscription members also had a rude awakening on February 15th in the form of an email informing us that the monthly Maven subscription service was ending immediately.  Furthermore, all Jules points (points earned each month from the subscription that could be used towards adding products to your box at no cost) would not be honored going forward.  

I think that pissed people off more than the subscription cancellation, as no advanced notice was given so that people could spend their points.  Fortunately, I was never one to save up my points for months on end, and I had a feeling the end of the subscription was coming given the problems the company was facing.  I also had the foresight to get some of my favorite items prior to the beginning of my no buy - the Boost Your Radiance Reparative  Rosehip Seed Facial Oil and the Mattifying Face Primer.  So, I have another Rosehip Seed Oil ($36 for 1 oz.) waiting in the wings.  

I also finished another Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask, which I continue to adore.  I'm going through a jar a month at this rate, although these are smaller than the usual sized lip sleeping masks as they were part of a gift set with different flavors.  

The Farmacy Honey Potion Renewing Antioxidant Hydration Mask in the trial size gave me about 3-4 uses, and I enjoyed the slightly warming sensation, creamy texture, and overall experience.  I have a plethora of face masks to go through so no plans to repurchase, but I did enjoy this.

I finally finished the Tokyo Milk Bon Bon Shea Butter in Kabuki 09 ($22 for 2.3 oz), which I've had for several years.  I enjoyed the fragrance (Sugared Grapefruit, Lychee & Sweet Jasmine), although I don't find this to be moisturizing enough for my taste, so consequently would not repurchase.  I do think the packaging/presentation is lovely though.

I used up two No. 4 hair products: a foil packet of conditioner and the Super Comb Prep & Protect spray.  I love the scent of the No. 4 products and have generally enjoyed all of the products I've tried.  I believe I received these when I subscribed to Birchbox, which was quite a while ago.  So, I'm glad to move them on out to make way for the overflowing supply of foils/travel sized hair products that I've received as GWP's and in subscription boxes over the years.

I finished another travel sized dry shampoo from Klorane, as well as a K-beauty mud mask pod and fresh Soy Face Cleanser.  All were nice but not standouts for me, although if the Klorane dry shampoo was on sale I would consider it when it's time to repurchase dry shampoo.  

 Something I may very well repurchase in the future is the Benton Fermentation Eye Cream ($27), which I enjoyed enough to cut open the container in order to scrap out what wouldn't squeeze out of the tube.  Which was quite a lot - perhaps another month's worth of product, which I depotted into a jar..

The Nubian body wash in Patchouli & Buriti ($13)was something I picked up when Ulta carried it a few years back, and I just managed to finish it up right as it was hitting it's expiration date.  I enjoyed the rather spicy/woodsy fragrance, which I found unique for a body wash.  I had also bought the body lotion, but it went off rather quickly and got tossed a while ago.

I also finished the Origins' Ginger Body Gloss ($26 for 3.4 oz), which is a fragrance I really enjoy.  Unfortunately, I do not find most of the Ginger products to be long lasting scent wise, so no plans to repurchase in the future.

Overall I'm pleased with the rate of products I've used up this far in 2019, as it is slowly making a dent in the excess of products I've managed to accrue.

Empties! Products I Used Up in January

Disclaimer: I purchased these.

A whopping 55 items left my collection in January, which is quite the accomplishment.  I'm also doing a replacement only no-buy (low buy?) for makeup/skincare/beauty items, so that I can focus on using up what I own.  Which is a lot.  So let's take a look at some of the standouts (both good and bad) from January.

The Bubble & Bee organic body butters are some of my favorites, and unfortunates these went bad before I could completely finish them.  I got two-thirds through the Orange & Vanilla and three-fourths through the Unscented, but one was smelling off and the other was starting to grow mold.  I finished a Farmhouse Fresh body balm in A La Mode and the Sunflower Honey-Butter, both of which are lovely.  I would repurchase all 4, but considering I have 41 other sample and full size body lotions to get through, it will be a while.

I finished 2 sample sized dry shampoos, with the Detox by drybar being my favorite of the two.  I also finished 4 hand lotions: the limited edition Pure Hemp Herbal Hand and Foot Glaze (okay, not as moisturizing as I'd like), Tokyo Milk Dark Lotion in Excess (again, not moisturizing enough but did enjoy the fragrance), and a full and sample sized Caudalie Hand and Nail cream (nice, would consider purchasing in the future).  I've got 11 more hand creams to get through before I can purchase anything, however.

I finished five sample sized face moisturizers and 4 foil serums/moisturizers.  All were nice and did the job, but none stood out enough for me to want to purchase once I get through the other 36 mainly deluxe sized samples and foils I need to finish up.  I also finished a deluxe sized Ole Henriksen serum.  I prefer other vitamin C serums, although this one is not bad.

I finished one full sized and two deluxe sample sized face primers.  I enjoyed the Coola dawn patrol, but my favorite of the three is Julep's Blank Canvas.  I purchased another prior to my no-buy, but I also have 22 other primers to work my way through.

I also finished full sizes of a Leader's Labotica Bamboo Water Cleansing tissues (nice, would repurchase), a Vitabath shower gel in Vanilla Bourbon (nice, but I got tired of it and was happy to finish it off), a full sized shampoo in Blonde Sexy Hair (a blue shampoo, pretty good), and a full sized TreSemme hair spray (average at best).

I finished off 2 Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab perfume oil samples (Kurukulla: lotus blooms and roses, Lilium Inter Spinas, Hibiscus syriacus, white sandalwood, lily of the valley, apple blossom, and green fig) and another sample called Bollywood or Bust (rose, woody, warm spicy) by Smell Bent, plus am tossing 3 other perfume samples that I do not care for: Narciso Rodriguex for her and Dolce.  I have an obscene number of perfume samples and a more than healthy collection of full sized bottles as well, so I really have no business purchasing any fragrances for a long, long, long time.

I finished two mascaras, Monsieur Big by Lancome and Giorgio Armani's Eyes to Kill.  My favorite of those was Eyes to Kill, but no way am I paying $32 for a mascara.  The Guerlain Maxi Lash sample was dried out, and I did not like the benefit They're Real! mascara so tossed it after a week of use.  I have 31 more mascaras to work through, mostly deluxe sample sizes.

I finished a full sized lipstick, the Surratt Lipslique in Ladybug (full review here).  It was 3.5 years old and I did enjoy it, but at $34 it's overpriced for what it is.  The Laniege Lip Mask is a new favorite, they are as good as everyone says they are and have become a staple item for me.

I also finished a foundation, the Lauren Brooke Creme Foundation in Cool No. 30.  This is the second jar I've finished and I bought another prior to my no-buy, as I knew I did not want to be without it for as long as it will take me to go through my current roster of foundations (which is a whooping 34, BTW).  The finish on this foundation is the smoothest, most natural looking I've experienced, although it's best suited for the colder weather months with my oilier complexion.  Just so nice.

I tried the Milk Makeup Sunshine foundation and hated it.  The coverage is minimal and it never really dried down.  I tried using powder to help with that, and that just resulted in a cakey mess.  Just so bad.

I doubt I'll go through as many items every month, but I do think that not bring in new items is helping out and it feels great to have worked through these.

Empties! Products I Used Up in April

I finished up quite a few products in April, including some full sized items I've been working on FOREVER. So, let's get started! If I've done a previous review on an item, links will be provided.

• Kate Somerville Clarifying Skin Treatment Toner ($26) has been in my toner rotation for almost two years! It worked well for my oily skin, but then again so does the much less expensive Thayer's Rose Petal Witch Hazel, so I have no plans to repurchase.

• All four of the next products were part of a Manyo Factory Travel set that I got from Memebox.  The Manyo Factory Deep Pore Cleansing Soda Foam has a higher pH level than I like to use for a facial cleanser, so I used it as a hand wash instead. It worked quite well in that regard :-) 
• Manyo Factory Pure Cleansing Oil: This is a nice cleansing oil, with a variety of botanical oils and extracts in the mix (soybean, hazel seed, grape seed, olive, jojoba, rice bran, and lavender oils). I enjoyed it but the DHC Deep Cleansing Oil still reigns supreme for me.
• Manyo Factory Galactomy Clearskin AHA/BHA Toner: I enjoyed this as well, and find it's ingredient list intriguing: Water, Fermented Filtrate Of Galactomyces Yeasts, Aloe Leaf Extract, Centella Asiatica Extract, White Willow Extract, Lactic Acid, Fruit Extract, Japanese Pepper Extract, Korean Pine Extract, Usnei Borodulino Extract, Sea Water, Potassium Hydroxide, Witch Hazel Extract, Green Tea Leaf Extract, Citrus Fruits Natural Extract, Papaya Extract, Rose. I would consider purchasing this in the future, as it was my favorite from the travel set.
• Galactomyces Special Treatment Essence Cream: This was nice, although I can't say it made much of an impression on me. The biggest drawback for the Manyo Factory products for is their short shelf life due to their natural ingredients and lack of preservatives (not a bad thing at all), as I just have so much product on hand. I did make a point of using these items consistently in order to use them up, and I'd say the cleansing oil and toner were my favorites.

• Tata Harper Purifying Cleanser: This cleanser is supposed to combat the daily wear and tear caused by environmental stressors such as pollution and smog by effectively purging surface buildup and impurities, while maintaining skin’s moisture. In other words, it supposed to clean your skin without stripping it, and it did a good job of that. However, it's $66 for a full sized bottle, which is out of my price range. I did enjoy the sample and felt luxurious while using it.
• Master Exfoliating Body Wash by Fortune Cookie Soap Co.: I quite enjoyed this fruity shower wash, although I'm not sure how exfoliating it really was. It did lather nicely when using a mesh puff and my skin did not feel stripped or dry afterwards. It also lasted a good 6 months with about 3x's/week use, but it also went bad on me towards the end. In fact, I'm pretty sure it started growing something and the smell was definitely off. So, I would not stockpile these, as the shelf life is definitely limited. But still, I enjoyed it while it lasted!

Something bad is brewing

• Andalou Naturals DIY Booster SPF 30 Facial Serum: This is the second bottle that I've finished, so you could say it's a favorite. I'm already working on a third, which is sporting new packaging. Good stuff and I'm quite finicky about sunscreens!
• Algenist Genius Ultimate Anti-Aging Vitamin C+ Serum: My current holy grail vitamin C serum, although I'm still trying a few other brands to see if anything can to it. To date, nothing has, and my wallet is not happy about that ($118 a bottle). I was fortunate to snag this one at half off during an Ulta sale, but now I'm thinking that was more like a gateway drug kind of event ;-)

•  Sugar Lip Serum Advanced Therapy by Fresh: I liked this, and got really used to using it. Did it do anything amazing? Not really, but I did enjoy using it. No plans to repurchase, although if a good gift set comes around during the holidays, I might.

• Reve de Miel Cleansing Gel by Nuxe: This is a gentle cleanser targeted towards dry skin, but it worked just fine on my oily skin. I prefer lower pH cleansers as they are less stripping, and the Reve de Miel is a honey and sunflower based lipid-enriched cleanser that was my morning/shower facial cleanser for a good 9+ months. One negative was the overwhelming fragrance, a floral/honey blend that assaulted me every time I used it. However, it's a moot point now, as Nuxe has withdrawn from the US market. Bye Nuxe.
• Tarteist Lash Paint Mascara by Tarte: did not care for this at all, so am tossing. I found it clumpy and frustrating to use.

  

  Tarteist mascara

The standout face masks for me in April were the Donkey Milk Brightening Skin Gel Mask and the bonvivant Botanical masks in Niacinamide & Lime and Collagen & Olive.

The E.G.T. Timetox and P.D.F. A.C. Defense left no real impression, other than I really do not like two piece gel masks. They do not stay in place like I want and feel rather slimy

I also finished some three Algenist and and one Dr. Dennis Gross vitamin C serum samples, and will be reviewing the Dr. Gross ones once I finish up all the samples I have

All of the items below have been reviewed in my #365 Days of Samples series that I typically post every Sunday or Monday, but as you can see, I'm making headway in finishing up lots of samples!

Last, but definitely not least, is the Yogi Soothing Rose Hibiscus Skin DeTox tea. I love this stuff - it tastes delicious and whether or not it gives my skin a healthy glow, I enjoy drinking it. It certainly can't hurt, and I've already repurchased another box!

Empties! Items I Used Up or Tossed in March

Yes, I know it's almost the end of April and I'm just now posting my March empties, but it is what it is. I've got a fair amount of items I used up however, so let's get to it!

Estee Lauder makes some of my favorite mascaras as well as my holy grail lash primer, and I loved pairing the Sumptious mascara with The Little Black Primer (full reviews of both here). I've already moved on to another tube of The Little Black Primer  and would definitely purchase both going forward. I also finally finished the Re-Nutriv Softening Lotion, which is a nice albeit overpriced ($60) moisturizing toner. I made it about 1/3 of the way through the Re-Nutriv Ultimate Lift Age Correcting Eye Creme, but I just do not like it. I could not tell it did much for my eye and it did not play nicely with makeup, so I'm tossing. Maybe the formula went bad, as I've had it for about a year now (full review here). The black topped jar is the bareMinerals Mineral Veil, which I really like. I would purchase but I've got a mammoth jar of powder from Le Metier de Beaute I need to finish up first. The Lauren Brooke Cosmetiques Creme Foundation is a favorite, and I've already repurchased (full review here).

Sorry for the blurriness of this photo, my bad. I'm a big fan of Hask shampoos and the Kalahari Melon Oil did not disappoint. I'm currently trying a new brand, but I'll revisit Hask again soon. April by Buxom was part of my Finish 17 by 2017 project pan, and was actually part of a project pan I started in 2016. Finally finished her :-) The Galactomyces 80 Eye Cream was part of a giveaway I won, and the I raced to use it up before it's expiration date.  It's a BIG tube for an eye cream, but I also used it as a neck cream, and I liked it! No plans to repurchase. The Algenist Retinol Firming & Lifting Serum made me start paying attention to Algenist as a brand, I liked it that much. I just can't bring myself to pay it's $102 price tag.

Finished a few foils outside of my #365 Days of Samples series:

• belif The True Cream -Aqua Bomb: nice, and I think I've got some more samples to go through.
• Hask Monoi Coconut Oil shampoo and condition: I like.
• davines Oil Conditioner: I like all of the davines products I've tried and have come close to purchasing several times.  
• Klorane Shampoo with Chamomile: I liked this as well, but no plans to purchase.

These are under eye gel masks by GoToSpa. I'll be doing a full review soon so will hold my thoughts until then.

The mask standouts for me this month were the Dr. Troubex Sparkling Mask and the Donkey Milk Healing masks.  

While I'm a fan of the inexpensive bonvivant masks from Memebox, I think some of mine have started to go bad, based on smell :-(.  They are not that old - or at least I purchased them not that long ago, so that's not a good sign. The particular offenders were the Chamomile and Tea Tree Botanical Masks. I did use one and it had no detrimental effects, but the smell just seems off. I've got quite a few of these in my collection, ah yi yi.

I'm tossing two mascaras that did not work for me: Essence Forbidden Volume and Rimmel Scandaleyes Rockin' Curves. The Forbidden Volume mascara didn't have much impact and smudged, and the brush on the ? was a nightmare for my small eyes. Nothing frustrates me more (makeup wise) than getting mascara all over my eyes, and this one did just that.

Scandaleyes Rockin' Curves

I won the Aurora DeJuliis Soft Papaya & Pumpkin Masque in a giveaway and used about half of it before it went bad. It didn't make much of an impression on me and was hard to tell if it did anything for my skin.

The Sweet Milk & Chamomile Exfoliate by Farmaesthetics was nice (full review here), but it was white when I bought it back in 2012 and has now turned yellow, so it's way past it's prime. It smelled fine, but still.

Last up are the samples that I used up as part of my #365 Days of Samples series. I won't go into detail on them as I already did in the original posts. I do think doing this series is definitely helping me get through more samples than I normally would, which is a good thing!