SKINCARE AND MAKEUP EMPTIES!
I've been painstakingly collecting my empty products for a while now, and I thought it was finally time to share. Hopefully I can provide some insight into what products are absolute gems or complete duds. Of course this was all my personal opinion, and what worked/didn't work for me may be completely different for anyone else out there. That said, having used up the entire product, I have a pretty good general idea of how it is (not just a first impression). I have collected so many empties that I've decided to split up the posts into: Skincare & Makeup, Hair, Bath & other. It's worth mentioning that I'm subscribed to a few subscription boxes, so I have a lot of smaller sized products, which is great because I get to try out even more things! The only reason there isn't tonssss more makeup is because everything I own has neeaaarly run out, but holding on by a thread. I'll try my best to give the best overview and rating that I can, so let's get going!
SKINCARE
First Aid Beauty Face Cleanser w/ FAB Antioxidant Booster
"FAB Face Cleanser is an airy cream that gently cleanses the skin. The formula is infused with a blend of botanical antioxidants to stave off abuse of the elements. It is well suited for anyone with sensitive skin."
In short, it's a face cleanser. It's recommended to be used daily, in the morning and at night. I found that this dried out my (dry) skin a fair bit, even though it's meant for sensitive skin. It didn't smell fantastic, and really it was nothing special. It comes at a higher price point than drugstore makeup, but actually pretty inexpensive for Sephora, coming in at CAD$13 for my medium size.
Rating: ★★★☆☆
Repurchased? NOPE
"This foaming gel cleanser removes excess oils, unclogs pores, and purifies the skin with a powerful combination of red clay, rosemary leaf oil, and botanical antioxidants. By drawing out the skin’s toxins, this clay cleanser controls outbreaks and reduces sebum production for a more balanced complexion."
This cleanser is the, THE, best cleanser I have used to date. It really does rescue the skin! Oh man, my skin had life after this stuff! It looked healthy, stopped my breakout in its tracks, made my skin soft, just really great! However, the trade off is the price. It's one of those Sephora products where quality correlates with the price, at CAD$30 for the full size.
Rating: ★★★★★
Repurchased? 100% YES
"When it comes to faces that are both dry and oily, it takes a clever cleanser to balance the two. This gentle, frothy face wash carefully does both jobs without canceling each other out. Skin feels comfortably refreshed after cleansing—never tight, pulled, or parched."
My best description of the scent is a... fresh chemical lemon? Despite how odd that sounds, I think I've hit it on the mark. I couldn't wait to run out of this stuff, to be completely blunt. It did feel really cleansing, but contrary to its description, my skin felt "squeaky clean" and really dry. For this to be truly effective and work wonders, I believe it needs to be used on someone with oily skin. However, it did feel very pleasant going onto the skin, so that was a tiny bonus. Price-wise, CAD$26.50 for a full size.
Rating: ★★☆☆☆
Repurchased? No
The Body Shop Seaweed Ionic Clay Mask
Rating: ★★★★★
Rating: ★★★☆☆
Rating: ★★★☆☆
"Detoxify and deep cleanse your skin with a weekly mask that uses natural ionic clay action to draw out impurities and control excess oil."
This is one of those classic face masks that WORK. It's rightfully placed in-between the really high-end brands, like GlamGlow/REN, and the Walmart type brands that we all know just smell nice but do, quite literally, nothing. Now I've tried masks that have changed my whole existence (REN), and as much as I wouldn't say this lived up to that standard, my skin felt more healthy, looked more pure, and didn't burn or irritate my skin at all. The full sized container costs CAD$23, but The Body Shop does sell single use packets for a fraction of that.
Rating: ★★★★☆
Repurchased? Not until I finish using up my other 50 or so Body Shop masks.
"A package of luxe quilted cloths to cleanse and hydrate with radiance-boosting vitamin C and reparative Coq10, sweeping away dirt, oil, and makeup."
If ever a description has undersold a product, it's that ^ one right there. Spoiler: these are my favourite face wipes that I have ever used. I use them all over my face (but not on the eyes, I let makeup remover take care of that) and my face GLOWS, it's just bright and vibrant. Lately, everyone's been on this glowing skin kick, and using this all over my skin before my makeup routine has given my skin the most healthy looking glow. These wipes have a very distinct smell as well, which I can't describe but I am very fond of it. The full size of these goes for CAD$19, which has 30 wipes, but Sephora also sells smaller packs of just 10 wipes for $10, if you want to just try them out without too big of a commitment.
Repurchased? YES, and alwaaaays will
"Deeply cleanse, exfoliate, and renew pores in one easy step. Uniquely textured cloths exfoliate while glycolic, lactic, and citric acids thoroughly dissolve dead skin cells. Purifying eucalyptus absorb pore-clogging dirt and oil for clarified, fresh-looking skin and AHA's exfoliate, remove dead skin cells, and smooth texture for a refined complexion."
These wipes are... an expensive replacement to washing your face. Or using any sort of anti-oily face cream. They're textured in such a way that they very much exfoliate your face, and they smell really strongly of what I believe is alcohol, and although they left my face feeling very clean, I have no empirical evidence that they actually do anything to help my skin. Not a must-have, I would say, unless you're looking for a quicker alternative to have a very clean and exfoliated face, like if perhaps you're travelling. These wipes also cost CAD$19 for 30 wipes or $10 for 10 wipes. Meh.
Repurchased? Nah
"Helps remove makeup and impurities. Quilted for deep cleansing with triple tea antioxidant complex."
These wipes are actually what I use to take my eye/face makeup off if no makeup remover is available to me, or if I'm too lazy to take out a cotton pad, and do the whole process manually. They get the job done, in fair time as well, though I definitely prefer my trusty Nivea Cleansing Wipes or Exact-brand wipes. Back when they still had Target in Canada, these Up & Up brand wipes cost around $5-$6 I believe. However, as everything always seems to be cheaper in the US, these sell for USD$1.29 at Target.
Repurchased? Can't, but wouldn't anyway.
"This light moisturizer with retinol has a unique complex of ingredients that will visibly improve the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles, and skin tone to leave skin looking and acting younger."
Wow! If only they sold this somewhere in proximity to me, I'd buy myself an endless supply! However, as I got this in one my Birchboxes, I haven't been diligent enough to find a place that sells it around me. This moisturizer sinks right into the skin without forming any sort of layer on the skin; it's very light and doesn't irritate my skin. My skin just feels so refreshed and healthy after this product, in an almost revolutionary way! On the Paula's Choice website, the full size sells for USD$32 and on the Birchbox website, it sells for CAD$36. Pretty expensive, but I have yet to find something similar to this for a lesser price. Though if I do, you can bet that I'm hanging onto it for dear life.
Rating: ★★★★★
Repurchased? In my wildest dreams, yes. On my current budget, no.
"Provides long lasting care and protects from dryness."
Now there are three different lip balms/opinions to touch on: first off, the Essential lip balm. This one goes on super thick and I definitely recommend putting it on before bed because having a layer that thick on the lips isn't the funnest way to dillydally around town. With the super dry climate here, I find that with the majority of lip balms, my lips still feel dry and rough when I wake up, however with this stuff, it's still partly there when I wake up! Great for sleep, too thick for daytime. Next, Fruity Shine. Oh boy. Let me start off by saying that this is the single lip balm I use religiously every day for yearssss. It gave me a tint to my lips while feeling super nourishing. That is, until the geniuses at Nivea decided to go change the packaging, and along with it, the scent. I now find it insufferable. Just gross. SO HEADS UP, if the logo is in a circle, that's new packaging. New = ew. If the logo is sideways, it's old packaging/scent. Old = gold (star). This is the only Nivea lip balm that I've found this applies to. Finally, Chamomile & Calendula. Although it's hard to track down, this has to be one of my faaaaavourite lip balms of all time. And I have quite the extensive lip balm collection. This goes on a bit thicker than the Nivea Hydro Care lip balm, which is another favourite for sure, but the smell just makes my life better, and the formulation of Nivea lip balms is my absolute top 10000% favourite. It's just thick enough for my lips to feel taken care of, light, and unlike 90% of the lip balms out there, it doesn't disappear in 10 minutes and leave my lips feeling dry (SoftLips I'm looking right at ya). They all retail for about CAD$2, depending on the type and amount in the pack.
Rating: ★★★★★
Repurchased? YES, no doubt about it! All of them, and more!
MAKEUP
The Body Shop Camomile Gentle Eye Makeup Remover
"This cleanser gently melts away eye make-up in seconds, while conditioning skin around the eye area, removes eye make-up, leaves lashes and lids feeling soft and clean, suitable for sensitive skin and contact lens wearers, fragrance and color-free."
This makeup remover is my favourite with which to touch up my makeup on a Q-tip (fix that water-proof liquid liner, remove smudged mascara, or even go for removing the whole eye look). It's so incredibly gentle that it won't hurt even if it gets IN the eye, nevermind that sensitive skin around the eye! It's super powerful still, and will easily remove the most powerful water-proof makeup. It's unbelievable how gentle it is, while still being a hardcore makeup remover. Amazing! The Body Shop sells this in full size for CAD$16, or in a travel size for $6. I like to buy the full size and gradually pour it into the travel size bottle (because I have both) so it's easy to bring wherever I need it!
Rating: ★★★★★
Repurchased? I'm on my third bottle and will soon be purchasing a fourth!
Revlon Photoready Concealer
"All over face concealer helps erase imperfections and camouflage dark undereye circles."
I used to swear by this stuff for all my concealer needs, and recommend this to everyone who was looking for a great, reliable, make-your-own-coverage concealer. I've since changed to creamy concealers for the under-eye area (though I'll sometimes add this over top for my really dark circle days). The rest of my face sticks to this concealer and nothing else. You can make this sheer using a light touch, medium coverage, or really pack it on for a full coverage. It blends right in and looks completely natural. It comes in stick form so you use the amount you would like and it's easy to put on/remove and won't look cakey For a drugstore concealer, this really has me impressed. Walmart sells this for CAD$10.46, and it's well worth the price, imo.
Rating: ★★★★★
Repurchased? Yes!
Well, it seems we've come to an end of my skincare and makeup empties for the time being. It seems that I haven't come across and completely failure products, though there are definitely some I'm working through now that I want out of my life, so those will be featured soon! Coming up, I have hair, bath, and other random empties. Thanks for reading! ♥