This month, I did decently at using up beauty products. Here’s what is being recycled or tossed for February.
Bath & Body
- Sol de Janeiro Bum Bum Cream, travel size: I love the fragrance of Sol de Janeiro Bum Bum Cream. It’s like summer in a jar. But the cream itself isn’t hydrating enough for my dry skin, and I haven’t experienced any tightening that SDJ talked about with this famed cream. Repurchase? If I buy another travel set, the Bum Bum Cream will come in the set. But I wouldn’t purchase it on its own.
- Rituals Ritual of Dao Shower Oil, travel size: I loved the scent of Dao Shower Oil. It is very soothing. Repurchase? I have a full size Ritual of Ayurveda waiting in the wings. But since I did like the Dao collection, I may buy it again in the future.
- Secret Invisible Solid Deodorant/Anti-Perspirant, Powder Fresh: Although most days I use a natural deodorant, for days when I am stressed or going to an event when I need to be sure I won’t perspire, I like to have a travel size anti-perspirant on hand. Secret Solid Powder Fresh is my favorite. Repurchase? I looked for Powder Fresh scent, but couldn’t find it so I ended up with a different scent. Boo.
- Molton Brown Holiday Bobble, scent Frankincense: Unfortunately, I didn’t love the Frankincense scent that seemed a bit too masculine for me, so it took me over a year to finish up this Molton Brown bobble. I’m relieved that it’s finally used up and recycled! Nevertheless, it was the Molton Brown Holiday Trio of Bobbles that introduced me to my beloved Muddle Plum, so I can’t complain. 😉 Repurchase? No.
Other Empties
- Bioderma Hydrabio Micellar Water, large size 500 ml: This won the prize for empties for me in February. I bought two of these on sale from Dermstore (I think) more than a year ago. It took me 10 months to use up the 500 ml size. Not bad. Repurchase? I’m onto the second bottle now. Bioderma and Koh Gen Do are my favorite micellar waters: gentle and effective.
- City Beauty City Lips, shade Sun Diego: I have had a couple of tubes of City Lips Sun Diego over the years, and it is a very pretty shade of peachy pink that’s great for everyday wear either alone or on top of other lipsticks. I like it. Repurchase? Next time I buy a colored City Lips rather than clear, I would like to try their red. BTW, if you ever want to purchase anything through City Beauty, use my code NEVERSAYDIEBEAUTY for 10% off, if there isn’t already a sale promo already.
- RapidLash Eyelash Enhancing Serum: This was the first tube of RapidLash I have used, and honestly, I love it. It definitely made my lashes grow longer. I had to stop using it when I had my eye surgeries, but I will be back to it soon. RapidLash is one of the few lash growth serums that doesn’t burn my sensitive eyes. Repurchase? I am hoping I have one more tube in my stash, though I have another brand to test out. Nevertheless, RapidLash and its sister product RapidBrow are my faves. I just discovered that they can be purchased at Costco for significantly less.
- Derma E Vitamin C Concentrated Serum, travel size: I loved this pump Vitamin C. The pump does a better job at protecting Vitamin C which is notoriously unstable than does a dropper. I also like that this comes in an opaque container to further protect the serum. Repurchase? I was so lucky that Derma E just sent me three products from their Vitamin C line, and a full size bottle of Vitamin C Concentrated Serum is among them. Yay!
- Glyderm Gentle Face Cleanse: I received this travel size Glyderm cleanser that contains glycolic acid in a beauty bag from Barney’s a couple of years ago. I kept it in my travel kit so I just used it up because I hadn’t been traveling as much as I used to. I liked this cleanser, and I assumed that the small amount of glycolic acid in the formula is a nice extra (though I don’t think it would be as effective as using a glycolic acid serum). Repurchase? Glyderm’s PR agency sent me some Glyderm skincare products a while back, so I have to see if the Gentle Face Cleanse is among them. Hope so. Otherwise, I am not sure if I would buy this product. Glyderm, I think, is a pricey brand, and as I suggested earlier, I would rather pay more for glycolic acid in a serum or moisturizer than a cleanser that I wash off my face.
- Tatcha The Silk Canvas Protective Primer, sample: I got this sample size disk of Tatcha’s new solid primer along with a purchase recently. The blurring primer is similar to the blurring primer I bought from Tarte a few months ago, but I didn’t find this one as easy to apply as the Tarte that was less stiff and easier to spread. Purchase? No.
- Davines LOVE Smoothing Conditioner, single use sample: I must have gotten this sample along with the Tatcha. The packet had enough pretty lavender conditioner for one use for my thick, coarse hair. The cream was very thick and rich, and it smelled divine, a floral scent. I was skeptical about whether it would work on my hard to please hair, but it worked wonders. My hair is so silky smooth and manageable. I just noticed on the packet that it says for Coarse or Frizzy Hair – no wonder I love it. Purchase? I will check to see if Vidal Sassoon Salon carries this product from Italian haircare brand LOVE next time I go. I may buy some if it isn’t prohibitively expensive.
Expired Products
- Treets Traditions Relaxing Chakras Rose & Rice Bran Oil: I am kicking myself for not using this delightful after bath oil faster. It had a lovely scent that smelled to me like Japanese cherry blossom. Sadly, it has been sitting in my bathroom for about 3 years, and the scent has both faded and gone off. Time to go.
- LOC Highlighter/Eye Crayon, pale pink shimmer, mini size: I got this LOC mini in an Ipsy bag a couple of years ago before I switched to the full size Ipsy Plus bag. It was a pretty shade, but I forgot I had it and over time, it got hard. Time to go.
- Jesse’s Girl Matte Lip Color, shade Angelic: This is one of the very few liquid lipsticks that I could wear without tearing up my already dry lips. But I just don’t reach for matte lipsticks that often because I would rather wear a hydrating formula of lipstick or a gloss. Nevertheless, I used up more than half of the tube. I was just about to toss it, and for old time sake, I put some on over City Lips Clear that I applied this morning. Maybe I’ll hang on to it and use it that way for a bit longer. I am not sure if Jesse’s Girl Cosmetics still exists. It used to be sold at Rite Aid Drugstores, but even before Rite Aid was sold to Walgreens, Jesse’s Girl seemed to have disappeared from their shelves. Too bad because their products were cruelty-free and affordable as well as good quality. I tried to go to the website but got a warning from Google that it looked like it was a fraudulent website. Yikes. Amazon is selling a new tube of Angelic, a pretty pink-caramel shade, for $29, whereas the original price was $5.99, so I guess Jesse’s Girl Cosmetics is no more. 🙁
Project Pan 2020
I am participating again in Project Pan along with Renu from CosmetopiaDigest , Lola from Lolas Secret Beauty Blog and perhaps some other bloggers. Check out their posts, too!
My goal is, I think, 125 empties by the end of the year. I used up 10 beauty products in February. I don’t count single use samples or expired unfinished products.
Adding the 7 products I used up in January, I’m now at 17 empties so far in 2020. I’ve got a long way to go to make my goal!
How about you? What did you use up in February that you would buy again?
What’s your Reaction?
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I’m really enjoying this series, Allison.
Ann, thank you so much for letting me know. Sometimes, I wonder if it’s boring to readers, but I am always a fan of empties posts myself because I get a quick assessment of whether something is worth buying or not. Hope you’re having a good day!
Excellent job, Allison! You finished up so more than I did (as you will see!).
Lola Seicento recently posted…Empties February 2020
Hopefully, we’ll both reach our goals at the end of the year!!
I love it when you share your empties. Gives me a chance to see what I may or may not need to purchase. No more Jessie’s Girl….that I can find. You introduced me to the brand too. I had a small eye palette that I loved as it had shades that were gorgeous for my hazel-green eyes. If you ever see even a single eyeshadow that would work, please let me know.
Thank you, Sandy! I appreciate it ‘coz I really wasn’t sure if it was boring for everyone. But it really helps me use things up and recycle or get rid of them! It really is a shame about Jesse’s Girl. I tried to go to the old website to see if it were still there, but Google warned me that the site that I entered might be fraudulent so I gave up. I decided to eke out the last bits of the Matte Lip Color that I was going to toss because the color is so pretty and when I wear it over City Lips or Theraderm lip treatment, it doesn’t dry out my lips. I still have the Jesse’s Girl palette with several green shades. Is that the one you’re talking about? I haven’t worn it in a while, but I should dig it out because it was a very pretty palette, especially for the $9.99 or less that I paid for it. Which shade are you looking for in a single shadow??
I have been putting aside my empties and tosses but it feels like the box never gets fuller. I did finish a Rapidbrow and I’m working on finishing LiBrow. I’ll rebuy Rapidbrow though since the price is right and it works well.
I don’t go to Rite Aid often but the last time I did I didn’t see any Jesse’s Girl. I did like their brown liquid liner a lot.
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Thanks for the update on Jesse’s Girl at Rite Aid. I agree with you about their liquid liner – both the brown and the black! Are you buying RapidBrow at Costco? Coz at Ulta, it and RapidLash are either $39.99 or $49.99
Bioderma HydraBio is a holy grail for me and I always buy it in January when the stores are trying to clear out Christmas special so I get two for the price of one.
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I think that was when I bought the Hydrabio duo. Now can i make the new bottle last till next January??
I agree with you about the Sol de Janeiro fragrance, it is the sweetest and yummiest summer scent ever! Makes me want to go on vacation every time I smell it.
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I love SDJ, it’s my go to body lotion. For extra hydration, I apply first with body oil, then SDJ. Works like a charm.
That’s exactly what I had to do, but not something I want to be bothered doing all the time
Do you like the blue Hydrabio more than the Sensibio from Bioderma? I’m finishing my Sensibio 500ml up, and want to try out some of the other versions. Well done on so many empties!
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I prefer Hydrabio to Sensibio because my super dry skin needs all the moisture it can get. You may not need that
I was surprised I wasn’t fond of the Tatcha primer either. It gets so many good reviews but it didn’t work as well as Porefessional from Benefit for me.
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I’m curious about the new liquid version of the Tatcha Silk Canvas primer because it’s supposedly for face and eyes. I hope they’ll have a travel size so I can try it out in case it’s not for me
The Tatcha primer is a weird one. Some days I love it and others I’m more “meh” with it. I usually wear the same skincare under it and the same foundation on top, but sometimes it works better than others? I’m assuming there must be other factors at play. Tatcha just introduced a liquid version too, so maybe I’ll try that sometime.
I’ve only emptied an Olay body wash and an Olaplex shampoo. Well and a sample Murad cleanser. The first two I already had backups for, the cleanser was okay but I probably wouldn’t buy the full size.
Gee, I’m not sure how to explain the variability in the Tatcha solid primer other than environmental conditions or variability in your skin from day to day??? I saw an ad for the liquid version of the Tatcha today, and it showed how it made eye shadow pop on an arm swatch. It was quite amazing, but I wondered if they were recommending using it on one’s eyelids? I think they would have been better off showing blush. I like that Tatcha sells travel sizes. I was thinking that it might be worth it to buy the travel size of the new liquid primer. You did well finishing up big bottles of body wash and shampoo – well done!
The new liquid one is marked face AND eyes! I like your idea of seeing it with a blush too though. If it intensifies shadows I’d like to see what it does to cheek products. I love the travel sizes too. I don’t see one for the new primer yet but I bet they will do it. As for my solid version, I’m going to test times between applying skincare and primer and then primer and foundation. It could be that maybe something needs to “set” longer or shorter? I don’t usually vary my routine all that much but sometimes a minute or two is all it takes to swing the balance one way or the other.
OMG, face and eye primer is brilliant! I wonder if my dry lids could handle it. I really want to try the Tatcha liquid primer even more now! Hopefully they’ll come out with a travel size soon.
I like your scientific method for testing the solid primer. You rock!