Another month has gone by and I still haven’t done my empties post for May! Soon, soon. But here’s August.
Skincare
Skincare empties take top billing this month!
- City Lips: As usual, there’s a new empty City Lips Clear. And I’m on my way to another empty Clear for September. Recommend? Yes, strongly. One of my all time favorites. I have a few tubes waiting in the wings.
- Korres Black Pine 360° Eye-Lift Super Serum: This is my third tube of Korres 360° Eye-Lift Serum. I think I’m a lifer because this stuff really works for me, though I have been working on keeping my skin above the crease from sagging. Recommend? Yes, I think it is worth a try for anyone trying to lift skin above the crease, especially during one of Korres’ 30% or 40% sales. I haven’t figured out there new point system yet, but I sure got a lot of free products with the old system.
- Coola Sun Silk Drops Sunscreen: Sun Silk Drops is a liquid chemical sunscreen from Coola for a number of years. I think this is my third or fourth bottle, and they last me a long time because I use it intermittently. It is purely a sunscreen, so I use a separate moisturizer along with it. Although there’s something about sunscreen (both chemical and mineral) that coats the skin with a shiny (also known as “glowy”) coating, this liquid is somewhat less shiny especially since it is covered by my moisturizer. But it plays well with moisturizer and foundation which is wonderful. The pump applicator gives me the right amount of product to use. Recommend? Yes, for me, it’s a good thing.
- Luma Leaf Hydraglow Cleansing Gel: This is my second bottle of Luma Leaf Cleansing Gel. I love it especially for warmer weather. It’s a viscous clear liquid that cleansing very well without stripping my skin. I love the cheerful label on the easily recyclable heavy glass pump bottle. Plus it’s sold at Target and Whole Foods, and it’s relatively affordable. Recommend? Yes. Great for all skin types.
- Murad Resurgence Retinal Overnight Treatment: This is the second bottle of Murray Retinal Overnight Treatment that I have used up, and I still haven’t written a full review of the product. My bad. The reason is that I am on the fence about it. Retinal is a form of retinol for older skin. It’s supposed to breathe new life into it and repair it. So, it’s supposed to be reparative rather than just anti-aging. Recommend? As I said, I’m on the fence. I haven’t seen a drastic change in my skin, and Murad’s version of retinal is expensive. Nevertheless, I bought a new bottle during a recent Murad sale. After I made my purchase, Murad came out with a refill for their primary container that is less expensive. I’ll keep you posted.
Skincare Samples
- Kate Somerville EradiKate 3% Sulfur Daily Foaming Cleanser Acne Treatment: Though I certainly don’t need an acne treatment, I used this free sample because I finished up my Luma Leaf Cleanser. The peach-colored cream smells strongly of calamine lotion, but it is probably the 3% sulfur smell. I couldn’t get past that. It’s a nice cream cleanser, but I didn’t notice that it really foamed up when I added water. Nevertheless, it cleaned well and, thankfully, my skin didn’t feel stripped. Recommend? I only used it 3 times, but if you do have acne or oily skin, this gentle cleanser seemed to work well despite the weird smell. BTW, Kate Somerville products are currently on sale for 30% off with code FAM30
- Dr. Dennis Gross All-Physical Lightweight Wrinkle Defense Broad Spectrum Sunscreen SPF 30: I got this small sample at Sephora in the early summer when I went into the store looking for a clear/invisible sunscreen that I saw advertised. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find the product I was seeking, but the SA gave me a sample of Dr. Dennis Gross SPF 30 Sunscreen. It’s a physical sunscreen, doesn’t really leave behind a white mask (the slight whiteness fades within seconds), and it really is both creamy and very lightweight. Although it leaves behind a bit of a shine, it’s not bad compared to others. Recommend? Yes, I do. I would say it’s one of the best physical sunscreens I’ve tried.
Bath & Body
- Mountain Mist Cashmere Vanilla Shea Creme: Oh, I love this rich delightfully scented body cream!! I’ve used up 2 tubs of it since we visited Asheville NC in March, and I’m now on my third tub. I liked it so much, I bought the solid perfume and the perfume oil to go with it to try to extend the scent. Recommend? Yes, for those with dry skin who love the fragrance of Cashmere (a caramel scent) and Vanilla.
- Gillette Venus Sensitive Deluxe Smooth Shaving Cartridges: I usually buy my Venus cartridges at Costco, but lately I’ve been shopping at BJ’s because it’s closer to me and they haven’t had the 5 blade cartridge that I look for. So, I bought this package of 4 measly cartridges at CVS with a coupon. Recommend? Yes, I really like this 5 blade cartridge with the SkinElixir strip for smooth shaving.
- Portsmouth NH Soap Company: I can’t believe it’s been 2 years since my friend K and I spent the day in Portsmouth NH! And sadly, K is moving to Cali soon 🙁 But this organic soap with blue and white was a nice accent in my shower. Like many of the bar soaps I buy, it was handmade ,and it smelled lightly “ocean-y”. The blue color didn’t run or stain which was a good thing. Recommend? If you happen to be in Portsmouth NH, stop into the Portsmouth Soap Company. They sell lots of stuff to make your bath and shower more enjoyable. And they teach classes too!
Fragrance
- Erbario Toscano Vaniglia Piccante EDP, travel spray: This is the brand of perfume that I wrote about on Tuesday here. Although the travel size fragrance didn’t last long enough on me, the full size spray bottle that I just bought seems to last longer and has somewhat greater sillage. Recommend? A travel size is always a good way to test drive a new scent!
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Soul Costume National Parfum, sample vial: I can’t remember which online retailer sent me this sample of Soul Costume National, a spicy, big oriental scent launched in 2015. I must have chosen it because the accords are definitely the ones that I like except one: warm spicy, oud, amber, vanilla, animalic, leather, aromatic, balsamic, patchouli, fresh spicy. Oud is the accord that I don’t care for, so maybe that’s why this was ultimately a no for me. Recommend? Although it didn’t suit me because of the oud, it might be the right thing for you or for someone you know this autumn/winter. 🙂 Someone on eBay is selling 2 vials for $13 if you think it might fit the bill.
Hair Care
- Malibu Hard Water Wellness Shampoo: I finally used up my bottle of Hard Water Shampoo by Malibu, the brand that creates the treatment my hair colorist uses every couple of months to remove the hard water deposits from my hair. After using it from time to time for over a year, I’m not as big a fan as I thought I would be. It lathers well, is lightly scented, and cleans well. However, used in conjunction with the conditioner (that I haven’t finished), I can’t say that my hair feels as good as it does when I use other color-safe shampoos. And because I didn’t use it consistently, I don’t know if it actually prevented my red color-treated hair from fading from the minerals in the water. Recommend? Probably not unless your water is even harder than mine.
Project Pan 2024 Totals
I ended July with 61 beauty empties not counting May which is yet to be reported on. In August, I used up 10 project with 3 samples that I won’t count toward the total. So far in 2024, I’m at 71 empties.
How are you doing in your quest for using up beauty products before recycling them? Any favorites?
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