Beauty Empties for July 2019: Project Pan Continues

Have I met my goal of 100 beauty products used up? Do I have any more products to purge even though I haven’t finished them? Let’s see how I fared in July.

Bath and Body

• Sol de Janeiro Moisturizing Shower Cream Gel and Bum Bum Cream: I bought the SDJ Jet Set at Sephora during the sale in April. It came with the Moisturizing Shower Cream, Bum Bum Cream in a jar, and Body Spray.  This month, I used up both the Shower Cream Gel and the tub of Bum Bum Cream. I loved them both. The scent is perfect for summer and they are hydrating. Repurchase? Yes, I did. Even though I still have a little Body Spray left, I bought another Jet Set at Sephora about 10 days ago to last me through the rest of the summer.

• Sol de Janeiro Brazilian Bum Bum Cream (tube): I don’t remember where I got this travel size tube of Bum Bum Cream. The lotion in the tube has the same scent of the cream in a jar though it’s not quite as thick. This was a terrific body lotion for summer. Repurchase? I will at some point, but I just bought the Jet Set with Bum Bum Cream in a jar.

• Humboldt Soap Company Vanilla Frosting Body Mousse: I suggested to Arice, the owner of HSC, that she come out with a body product with a consistency similar to her fab Cremeplexion. She did, and I love the result of this creamy, hydrating Body Mousse. I have tried and used up 5 or 6 of the scents that she first launch with, and now I believe she has some new scents. In addition, she has developed an eco-friendly refill pack that can be poured into empty Body Mousse containers that you may have at home. Repurchase? I am eager to try her refill pack and some of the new scents, hopefully soon.

• Nature Island Botanicals Citrus Sunrise Lotion: I’ve been singing the praises of Daphne’s handmade natural bath and body products for over a decade. Citrus Sunrise Lotion is one of my absolute favorites. The citrus scent is so fresh and uplifting. The Body Lotion comes in a pump bottle, and it is very thick like body butter. Great for my super dry skin. Repurchase? Yes, I will when Daphne comes to the Gloucester Waterfront Festival later this month.

• Marvis Cinnamon Toothpaste: Last year, I received an embarrassment of riches from Marvis, the Italian luxury brand: about 10 tubes of their non-fluoride toothpaste in different flavors. I was looking forward to trying cinnamon because decades ago, I had used another cinnamon toothpaste and I loved it. The cinnamon Marvis toothpaste is more mint than cinnamon, so if you’re looking for a strong cinnamon flavor, this isn’t it. I liked the flavor but could have done with a bit more cinnamon. Repurchase? No. I’m on my last tube of Marvis, a strange flavor called Aquatic, I think. So far, I think Licorice, Jasmine and Spearmint were my favorites. Marvis has terrific sampler sets so you can try out the flavors.

Skincare

• Tony Moly The Chok Chok Green Tea Watery Essence: I am sad to have used up this wonderful lightweight hydrating essence that I got in my Ipsy Plus box a few months ago. It was terrific. Repurchase? I wasn’t planning to buy it right now as I am testing a hydrating essence from another brand. However, it looks like the Tony Moly Green Tea Watery Essence is out of stock on the Tony Moly US website as well as other places so I may pounce now before it disappears for good. It’s affordable and effective.

Makeup Removers

• Koh Gen Do Cleansing SPA Water: A year ago, I received Koh Gen Do Cleansing SPA Water and Cotton Pads from KGD to try out for review, and I became instantly hooked on both products. They are true luxury, but they are also highly effective. Since then, I have repurchased both products several times including this large 480 ml pump bottle that I just finished. Repurchase? KGD products in addition to being very high quality and also very expensive. There was a big sale on Bioderma Micellar Water a couple of months ago, and I bought two bottles that were equal to the size of the big KGD Cleansing SPA Water bottle for about a quarter of the price. At some point in the future when KGD or Lovelyskin.com has a sale, I’ll buy more of the KGD SPA Water because it is that good.

• Hanhoo Argan Oil Makeup Removing Wipes with Vitamin C: These are the best makeup removing wipes I’ve ever used. The wipes themselves are unbelievably soft, like cotton fabric. And they remove makeup so well and so easily with no tugging. Repurchase? I will when I am traveling. To be honest, I would use these everyday for makeup removal at home if it weren’t for the fact that they end up in a landfill and they’re larger than the cotton pad that I used with micellar water. But for travel, these are truly the best!

Fragrance

• Habanita de Molinard vintage eau de toilette sample: I belong to several groups of fragrance lovers on Facebook, and after reading about how wonderful vintage Habanita from Molinard was for spicy, oriental fragrance lovers like me, I had to try it. I managed to find two vials of vintage Habanita (from the 1950s, I think) on eBay, and I bought them. It was indeed a lovely, sensual, deep, feminine, oriental scent. But I have been going through a weird time where fragrances aren’t lasting on me, and Habanita, that appeared to be a “big” scent, would disappear within minutes. Repurchase? I still have some of the other vial left. Because it would cost me a fortune to buy a full size vintage bottle, I don’t think I would spend the money unless it starts to last longer on me. However, there are bargains to be had for the contemporary version of Habanita.

Nails

• Cuccio 7 Second Reactive Topcoat: I love this topcoat because it really does dry super fast. And it helps my polish last fairly well too. Repurchase? Yes, I did.

Purge Products

• LATHER Tinted Lip Balm, Plus Plum: I didn’t realize that this pretty deeply tinted balm had peppermint oil in it till I tried it. I hoped I could get past the peppermint oil, but my lips can’t abide it. Sadly, I am tossing it.

• LaVanilla Healthy Deodorant Solid Stick, vanilla scent: LaVanilla makes very nice non-aluminum deodorant, but the solid stick is a little difficult to apply. The stick is “hard” and it kind of flakes. Plus there are other brands that are more effective on me. Even though I didn’t finish this stick, I should toss it because it’s a few years old and I won’t use it again.

• Physician’s Formula Murumuru Butter Lipstick, spa 15, shade Mauvin’ to Brazil: I have a love/hate relationship with PF’s Butter line: some of the products I love (highlighter), other products I hate (most everything else). I bought this lipstick hoping for the best, but it was messy to use, and it has a musty smell/taste. I’m tossing it.

• IT Cosmetics Blurred Lines Lipstick, shade Je Ne Sais Quoi: I received this light pink lipstick in a trio I purchased on HSN a few years ago. The lipstick shade looked like it would be perfect for me, but on my lips, it hardly shows up at all. In spite of trying to like it, I can’t. Time to go.

• Seche Clear Base Coat: Unfortunately, the bottle leaked and it’s a mess. I was about 2/3 of the way done with the bottle, so I will toss it.

So in July, I used up 11 beauty products, and I purged 5. I only count products that I used up toward my Project Pan goal of using up 100 beauty products in 2019. I’m getting close! Last month, June, I was at 85 products used up. In July, I am adding 11 more for a total of 96! I had hoped I’m make my goal this month, but I need 4 more. On to August!

What did you use up this month?

Please check out the posts of my sister bloggers who are participating in Project Pan, Jen from Laugh Love Contour and Renu from CosmetopediaDigest.

Today's Author

Allison Cohen

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