Another month has come and gone, and with it another bag of empty products. The last bit of empties from 2014. Whoa. The first empties post for this blog, however! I’m not sure if this will be a monthly post, we’ll have to see if I have enough empties month after month, but here is what I’ve used up last month.
Carlson Labs Norweignan Cod Liver Oil in Lemon – I’ve tried taking fish oil pills before, but I am not the biggest fan of swallowing pills, so adding more to my daily regimen never stuck. I always ended up forgetting to take them. After hearing about this from YouTube makeup artist Jaclyn Hill, I decided to give the liquid form a try, and now I can’t rave about this product enough. The consistency is much like olive oil, and while I wouldn’t necessarily classify the taste as pleasant, I don’t find it offending either. The lemon makes it a bit smoother and gives it a slightly enticing smell (sliiightly). This oil has amazing benefits for you skin, as well as benefits for your hair and overall health. I’ll go into more detail about this product and my experience in a future Skincare post, but I’ve already repurchased and plan on repurchasing it again for literally the rest of my life. I bought the 8.4 oz bottle originally because it was the smallest and I didn’t want to commit to a large, but this size is actually the perfect size for one person to use up in the recommended time. Available on Amazon, iHerb, and in various health food and vitamin stores.
Degree MotionSense Deodorant & Anti-Perspirant in Sexy Intrigue – Degree is a brand I tend to gravitate to when it comes to deodorant. This one does a fairly good job of keeping me dry through the day, but it’s claims to be an “invisible solid” are a little of…it IS invisible on my skin, but definitely leaves behind white marks. I absolutely love the scent, and used to buy the body spray back when that was a thing. I haven’t been able to find that in forever, sadly, so I’ve bought this to supplement. I’ve bought this particular kind a few times over the years, but I recently bought a different deodorant, and am unsure if I’ll continue to repurchase in the future. It’s a little on the pricier side for some deo, and I’m getting a little tired of the white stains. This one also melted on me when I got to the end of it. Some deodorants crumble and crack but this just…melted. So odd. Plus it’s gotten to be a little mentally weird, having my underarms scented…especially if I’m wearing a separate body lotion or perfume. If they brought back the body spray in this scent I would definitely purchase that! Available at drugstores.
Vichy Purete Thermale 3-in-1 Calming Cleansing Solution – One of my favorite discoveries of 2014! This product is what’s known as a cleansing or micellar water. It’s used much in the same way as facial wipes, but OH SO MUCH BETTER. Again, this is a product I’ll get more detailed about in my upcoming Skincare post, but it recommend this stuff to everyone. I use it primarily after cleansing my face as somewhat of a toner, or in the morning in place of my water and daily cleanser. Although I have and probably will test other cleansing waters, this is what sets the standard for me. Available at Ulta, select Target’s, and online.
Caramance Chamomile Pure Facial and Body Mist – This was an impulse buy when I was searching for a facial mist to give my skin a boost of hydration throughout the day. I went in for a different brand, but this one was on sale, sooo… I got two travel size mists in a pack, and they lasted me a fairly long time with somewhat regular use. I’m not sure if it really soothed my face, but in the warmer months it felt refreshing to use and in the cooler months helped keep my skin from going crazy. It had a fine mist and had a very faint sweet, honey-like scent that faded quickly. I’m not overly excited about this product, however. It worked. It did what it was supposed to. I, for some reason, was left feeling a little blah. I would probably pick it up again if I found it on sale as I did before, just to have something to throw in my kayak or keep in my car. It was available at Ulta, but I haven’t spotted it, for sale or otherwise, in a few weeks, so maybe I’m not the only one who was left underwhelmed.
Mario Badescu Facial Spray with Aloe, Herbs, and Rosewater – I am in love with this facial spray. Although not a mist like the Caramance version above, I find I don’t mind this feature at all. It does have quite a strong scent of roses, so if you’re someone who is not a fan of roses or stronger scents then this is not for you. I love having this in my bag to give my face a quick spritz during the day. I also use this in combination with my moisturizer on days I feel I need a little extra hydration. This is also a great thing to throw in your gym bag to use after washing off after a workout. It’s soothing, moisturizing, and you can’t beat the price. I have and will continue to repurchase. Available at Ulta, Nordstrom, Urban Outfitters, and online.
Smashbox Photo Finish Color Correcting Foundation Primer in Color Adjust Green – This used to be my go-to primer. I have a light reddish tint to my entire face due to scarring, and this helped to take the edge off and helped my foundation go on smoother. While it didn’t banish all of my redness, I thought it did a decent job, and would sometimes simply apply this in place of foundation or BB cream on those no-makeup days. It is a silicon primer, so I had to be careful not to use this too many days in a row or too heavily because it would clog my pores and cause breakouts. I liked that it could be bought in a travel size version, and have bought a few of the travel size over the years. Probably not economical, but the travel size lasts me a long time since it isn’t an everyday product for me, and is obviously easier to travel with for those weekend trips! Like I mentioned earlier, I have found a different primer that I prefer over this one, so I won’t be repurchasing. Available at Ulta, Sephora, and other fine department stores.
BeautyBlender in Original – a much hyped about product, I was super excited to use one of these! It took a moment to figure out how to use (tap/bounce, don’t roll or pull) but once I got the hang of it I loved the outcome. It applied my foundation seamlessly, as well as my concealer and cream blush, and blended the products like a dream. I wish it came with a little bit more instruction for how to care and store it, which is why mine is being tossed. Your products do stain it just a tad, from my experience, but I think I needed to use a different type of soap than I used (I believe I used my face wash), and more importantly keep it completely out to let it dry. I used the case in came in to make a little drying stand and set the beautyblender on top like an egg, and when it dried enough to shrink it fell in the cup and I simply replaced the cap and stored it on my dresser. However, I don’t think it was completely dry, and after a few weeks I began to notice black spots. I googled it (of course) and found out it was mold! It was a common problem for people not cleansing and storing it properly. So, lesson learned. I did buy a new one, and am taking much better care of it this time around! Available at Sephora.
Maybelline Great Lash BIG Washable Mascara in Brownish Black – I didn’t like the original version of this because of the wand, so when I saw this version I was intrigued. Unfortunately, I didn’t like this one either, but for a completely different reason. The wand was fine, as you can see in the picture both of the mascaras are wandless because I wash and keep them to use again, but I can’t even review how i felt it performed because the formula was so wet! I haven’t come across a mascara that wet in ages. I know everyone has their preferences, some like fresh tubes while others like a mascara once it’s a few weeks old, and I typically fall in the first group, but this one took that to the extreme. I had this for months and it never dried up even the slightest! Which is not a compliment in this case. It was literally like putting colored water on my lashes. Definitely disappointing, but because I’m one of the few that doesn’t like the cult favorite original, I can’t say I’m surprised. Needless to say, I will not be repurchasing. Available at Ulta and drugstores.
L’oréal Voluminous Original Volume Building Mascara in Blackest Black – another cult favorite, but this one I can appreciate. It gave me dark, full lashes. It was a bit if a heavy formula, so my thin lashes couldn’t hold a curl using this mascara alone. It also would smudge if I wore it all day long on my oily eye area. If I used this for a typical day or few hours at a time I was pleased. I tossed this simply because I’ve had this for a moment now and I have a box of other mascaras, so it was time. This mascara didn’t knock my socks off, so I am on the fence about repurchasing, but it is a solid choice. Available at Ulta and drugstores.
Whoosh! So there you have it, my empties for the month of December. Have you tried any of the products I used up? Did you use up any products that you think I should try out? Let me know in the comments section!
XOXO, WSM
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