Beauty empties and used up products from September!
This is the month that I finally broke down and decided to toss the shower sponge and poof that I’ve had hanging up for ages. I stopped using them months ago because they’re more than a year old. When I look back at the photo from when it was new, it’s amazing how much the purple Exfoliator has faded. Now I am happy to regain some real estate among the hooks in my shower!
- unbranded poof: To be honest, I almost never use a poof anymore. I either use shower gel or foam straight or with a wash cloth. At this point, I think of poofs as a home for germs that ends up just going into a landfill. Repurchase? No, although I think I have another one that came in the package in my cosmetics stash.
- ViaBuff Body Exfoliator: My ViaBuff Body Exfoliator is more than a year and a half old, and the website says they last a “minimum of 90 days”. I should have tossed this ages ago. I liked it more than a traditional poof though I think I should have gotten one that was a little more exfoliating than the purple one (they come in different “strengths”). Repurchase? Oops, I just went to the ViaBuff page and discovered that ViaBuffs are machine washable! I’m going to toss this in the laundry and see what happens before I toss it, lol!
More Bath & Body Products
- Treets Traditions Relaxing Chakra’s Foaming Shower Gel: I have said previously how much I love Treets Traditions Foaming Shower Gel because it foams up so easily and produces mounds of foam. Relaxing Chakra’s, a cherry blossom scent, is my favorite scent so far. I use this instead of shave gel – I love that it’s a multitasking product. It’s also a little less expensive than RITUALS Sakura Foaming Shower Gel because I can use Ulta coupons to buy it. Repurchase? Yes.
- Nature Island Botanicals Pasticceria Chocolate and Raspberry Bar Soap: I adore NIB bar soaps because they smell so good, look so pretty, and are so hydrating. This one smelled great when I first got it, just like chocolate and raspberry. Repurchase? I didn’t repurchase this exact variety, but I bought two others from Daphne from NIB at the Waterfront Festival this August. Right now, I’m using the yellow-green-lavender one that’s in the photo below along with the chocolate-raspberry.
- Swisspers Cotton Rounds: As usual, I’ve used up another sleeve of Swisspers Cotton Rounds. I still love these affordable, soft, not pilling cotton rounds that I buy in bulk at Costco. I noticed recently that other bloggers use organic cotton rounds, and I started wondering if I need to switch. But to be honest, I don’t think I will unless Costco starts carrying organic ones. Since I’m not using organic micellar water, what’s the point? Repurchase? I already have a stash of about 6 more sleeves.
Skincare
- StriVectin TL Advanced Tightening Neck Cream: This is the fourth jar of StriVectin TL Advanced Tightening Neck Cream or Gel that I’ve finished up. It is truly one of my favorite skincare products. Repurchase? I buy it during sales and I have two more jars waiting in the wings.
- City Lips Advanced Formula HA Plumping Spheres, Clear: I don’t know if this makes my lips noticeably fuller, but I do know that City Lips does keep my dry lips soft and healed. Repurchase? I only buy City Lips when it’s on sale (which it is fairly often), so I already have some including a red one and a peach one on hand.
- Amaranthine Eye Lash Growth Serum: I didn’t know what category to put this in, so I put it in skincare. Maybe it’s haircare but I don’t have any other haircare empties this month so here it is. I was sent this eye lash growth serum at the end of the winter. I tried using it, but my problematic dry eyes prevented me from using it and reviewing it. It made my eyes burn, but truthfully, I think the problem is with my eyes not the lash serum. Just about every lash serum I’ve tried (except for straight castor oil) makes my eyes burn. I don’t see anything out of the ordinary or particularly strong in the ingredients (see below). So I don’t know if this works or not. I put it aside. I should have tried using it on my brows. When I rediscovered it the other day, I did try to use it on my brows but it had dried out (a little too soon in my book!) but I opened it about 6 months ago and maybe that’s what happens. Repurchase? No.
Ingredients:Ingredients: Aloe Barbadensis (Aloe Vera) Leaf Juice, Water, Glycerin, Gingko Biloba Leaf Extract (and) Olea europaea (Olive) Leaf Extract (and) Aspalathus linearis (Rooibos) Leaf Extract (and) Camellia sinesis (White Tea) Leaf Extract (and) Camellia sinensis (Green Tea) Leaf Extract, myristoyl pentapeptide-17, myristoyl hexapeptide-16, Niacinamide, Butylene glycol, dextran, acetyl tetrapeptide-3, Trifolium Pratense (Clover) flower extract, Hydrolyzed keratin, D-panthenol, Hydroxypropyltrimonium Honey, Lonicera Caprifolium (Honeysuckle) flower extract, Lonicera Japonica (Honeysuckle) flower extract, Sodium Hyaluronate, Biotin
Makeup
- IT Cosmetics CC+ Illumination Color Correcting Illuminating Full Coverage Cream SPF 50+, shade Light: Honestly, I could hardly wait to finish up this tube of Illuminating CC cream. I disliked the illuminating properties: I thought it made my skin look greasy. I’ll stick with the regular IT CC Cream instead. Repurchase? Absolutely not. I have a tube of the regular in the shade Fair waiting for winter use.
- Mirabella Waterproof Lasting Lash Mascara: This is still one of my absolute favorite mascaras. I don’t usually seek out waterproof mascara, but I just like this wand (thin with plastic teeth) and formula. Repurchase? I already have.
- Milani Vivid Color Lip Intense, shade Fuchsia: I rediscovered a tube of Milani Vivid Color Lip Intense in a fuchsia shade the other day when I was looking for a bright fuchsia in my stash. This tube is probably 3 years old, and I probably should have tossed it a while ago. Unfortunately, it smells very chemically now, and I know it didn’t smell like that when it was fresh. Repurchase? I wish I could. I really liked this rich gloss formula, but I think Milani has discontinued it. 😥
So that’s it for this month. I’m pretty pleased to be able to recycle and get rid of a bunch of products that were taking up quite a bit of room in my bathroom and stash. Plus I’ve got a few near empties for next month. Yay!
How about you? What did you use up this month?
That Illuminating CC Cream sounds terrible for oily skin! I couldn’t work with the original either; it made me oily (not dewy) very quickly and they don’t have a shade choice between Medium and Tan.
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I also agree with you on the lack of shades for IT CC Cream. I’m between Fair and Light and have to buy both – it’s a pain.
Nice job, Allison! You really used up a lot of makeup!
Lola Seicento recently posted…Farmhouse Fresh Goats Milk and Whole Milk Soaps | Review
I need to go through my makeup and skincare as you’ve been doing and get rid of more stuff. I know I have that Milani lip gloss in red somewhere and it’s the same age as the fuchsia so it should go too.
Strivectin Neck Cream is in my list to purchase because of you, Allison! I don’t think I need one now (yet!) because I find using my usual serum and moisturizer on my neck is still sufficient. Once I hit 40 then I will definitely invest in it.
Shireen L. Platt recently posted…THE PALETTE EDITION: A LITTLE BIT OF HEAT
Serum and moisturizer are fine for your neck at your age, Shireen! Your skin is beautiful!
Empties are my favorite type of posts. It’s like a peek into what you truly liked or not. Thanks for sharing!
Great post! I love ’empties’ post!
You used up some great products! I also love that Treets shower foam, it’s so innovative!
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This reminds me that I have to change out my shower loofah more often, I think I used the same one for a year before changing it once I moved apartments :X
Mai recently posted…bareMinerals Gen Nude Matte Liquid Lipcolor in Bo$$ – Swatch and Review
It’s so easy to forget. I think that I should give up on them. I don’t use my poof or exfoliating sponge all the time and it just sits there absorbing germs from the bathroom 🙁
OMG, I just threw away a shower loofah too that’s been untouched for ages, yikes!!!
Hahaha, the loofas have lost their luster! I guess we all need to toss or recycle them 🙂
The Strivectin is what I want. I really should get on it. Maybe during the next sale. I’m with you on the Illuminating IT. I have a tube I barely touch yet I adore the regular one and will buy that again during the next sale. My poofs are gone except for a few I have in a closet for pictures – but where in the closet?
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That’s another good idea you have, Marcia, about using the poof in photos! I know I have a pink one somewhere, and if I find it, that’s what I’ll do with it! Sometimes the StriVectin website and even Ulta have the travel size of the StriVectin Neck Cream for $15. It’s worth trying it. It’s a very thick cream, and I like it a lot, but some women find it too heavy. StriVectin now has a version of the neck cream that’s a gel (have you tried it?), and I like that too especially in the summer.
Congrats on your empties! Thanks for reminding me to throw out my poofs, I think I have one from when I was in college that’s still hanging in my shower.
Stacie Cregg recently posted…Manicure Monday: Purple and Radioactive
LOL, mine is years old too!
I gifted my mom that Strivectin neck cream and she just finished the jar as well. She loved it too and will be buying more 🙂
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I’m glad she liked the neck cream too. The gel version is lighter weight but also a good one!
I agree with you on the poofs…when I used to use them they always smelled funky and I feel like my back would break out more when I used them. I haven’t used them in probably ten years!
I’m done with poofs now. Mine never looked or felt dirty. IDK why I never thought to toss it in the laundry but I seldom did.
Loved reading this and the mini reviews you included. I’m really hoping that ulta will have a 1/2 off on the strivectin again this year, but i sorta doubt it. Love that stuff.
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Actually, I think I did pick up another jar of StriVectin Neck Cream during that sale. Absolutely, I hope they’ll do it again this year too. Keep me posted if you hear about it and I’ll do the same!
I NEED to try that shower foam! I have a poof but I haven’t touched it in forever. I should probably just toss it. I just use my hands now!
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The Treets Traditions Shower Foam is great, and it comes in about 5 different scents. Yes, toss the poof! I’m just using my hands too – so much easier 😉
I started dating all of my products about a year ago. If a plastic bottle/jar I write the date opened with a sharpie. If cannot write on it I have some small stick on labels that I can write on. This really works for me I know how quickly I use a product or how quick i don’t use it.
Gloria, that is such a smart idea! Thank you so much for sharing that useful tip. When I didn’t have as much in my beauty arsenal, I could pretty much remember when I bought something. Now I need documentation to know when to toss something!