Summer flew by. So sad to see it go. But it was a fun, busy summer for me. No complaints at all.
In fact, I was so busy that I didn’t get a chance to write an empties post at the end of July. Instead I’m doing a mega empties post for July and August. I have quite a bit of stuff to go through so grab a glass of water, a cup of coffee or a glass of wine.
Bath & Body
Nature Island Botanicals Blood & Sweet Orange Soap: As usual I finished up another gorgeous, fragrant, natural, handmade NIB soap. Repurchase? Yes, I just did.
Lather Oatmeal Lavender Soap: Lather also makes natural soaps with organic ingredients. I like the square shape. It smells lovely like lavender. But it was an exfoliating type soap with little bits in it. I’ve decided I don’t love soap with little bits that go down the drain or end up on the tub floor. Repurchase? No, not this particular soap, but I do like Lather products.
Bliss Lemon Sage Body Butter, travel size: I got this body butter as an amenity when I stayed at the W Hotel in San Francisco. I kept it in my beach bag, and I just finished it. I love the scent and the hydrating cream. Repurchase? Probably not because I have so much body lotion and body butter, but I would definitely if I didn’t have so much waiting in the wings.
Rituals Ritual of Sakura Hand Cream, tube: I bought this delightful and effective hand cream at one of the major department stores in Amsterdam. I should have bought more Rituals stuff (it’s a Dutch brand) because it was so much less expensive in the Netherlands, though it’s not overly expensive here. Repurchase? Yes, I bought it at Ulta in a pump bottle. This is one of the more effective hand creams as well as best smelling that I’ve ever used. I highly recommend it.
Perfectly Posh Hello Sweetie Big Fat Yummy Hand Creme sample: I received a bunch of tiny samples from a young woman who is a distributor or salesperson for Perfectly Posh, a natural and organic skincare direct sales company. The sweet scent of the hand creme was fantastic, and it worked well. Repurchase? Truth be told, I dislike direct sales and having to work with a salesperson, so no, although it was definitely a very nice product.
Skincare
Jan Marini C-Esta Face Serum: I liked this vitamin C face serum from Jan Marini a lot. It did help lighten some of my remaining dark spots. Repurchase? I would especially now during the Labor Day sales, if I didn’t have so much skincare to use and review.
Jan Marini Hyla3D HA Activating Complex: I also liked this hyaluronic acid complex. It did help my dry skin stay hydrated. Repurchase? Although this is a terrific product, I don’t think I would repurchase it because there are so many less expensive HA alternatives, and I own a number of them.
Paula’s Choice Boost Peptide Booster: I really loved this all around skin serum. It seemed to brighten, help soften fine lines, and just make my skin feel and look better. Repurchase? I already did.
SkinInc Pure Revival Peel: This is my favorite kind of chemical exfoliating mask: a gel that you apply and massage and watch the dead skin ball up. Repurchase? Because I found that The Body Shop Drops of Youth Liquid Peel is so similar and costs so much less, no. But if you feel like splurging on a terrific Japanese skincare mask, it’s wonderful.
NIP+FAB Glycolic Fix Cleansing Pads: I love a good glycolic acid toner pad, and I liked these from NIP+FAB. They were very gentle, and they removed any remaining bits of foundation after cleansing. Repurchase? I still have another jar of these for sensitive skin that I will use. When I repurchase from NIP+FAB’s Glycolic Fix line, I will get the stronger version of glycolic acid because I think my skin can handle it.
Natural sea sponge: I kept this natural silk sea sponge longer than I should have because it was so darn soft. Repurchase? I’ve been using natural sea sponges for decades, but you never know from sponge to sponge how soft or how scratchy they will be. I went back to the same natural food store, Common Crow in Gloucester MA, to repurchase and I bought the same brand. But the new one is so scratchy. Oh well. I’ll get another one.
Skincare Minis
IT Cosmetics Confidence In A Cream Moisturizer: I truly loved this pale yellow rich facial moisturizer! I was sad to use up this small sample jar. Repurchase? If I don’t have a million skincare products to test this winter, I will buy a jar. I liked it that much especially for the cold, dry winter weather.
Belif Moisturizing Eye Bomb: I got two minis of this fabulous eye gel in both my subscription bags, and I liked it so much, I bought a full size that I am almost finished with. Repurchase? Yes, I plan to buy it during the Sephora VIB sale tomorrow.
LaNeige Water Sleeping Mask: This gel sleeping mask from K-beauty brand LaNeige is quite wonderful. Put it on at night and wake up with soft skin. Repurchase? Although I loved it, I don’t need it right now because I’m drowning in skincare products. But this was one of my favorite LaNeige skincare products.
PCA Skin Hydrating Serum: Boy, I was sad that this was a little sample because I really liked this serum with hyaluronic acid. I brought it with me to hot humid Savannah, and it felt great. Repurchase? No, because I have so many HA serums at the moment, but some day I will.
PCA Skin Weightless Protection Broad Spectrum SPF 45: I brought this sample to Savannah too, and I truly adored this SPF. It was a high SPF and it really was lightweight. Worked so well under foundation or on its own. Repurchase? Not now because I still have some Paula’s Choice Sunscreen SPF 50 that is quite similar and less expensive.
Makeup
Benefit Bad Gal Bang Mascara, travel size: I have decided that where possible I will only buy travel size mascaras because I can actually use them up in 3 months even though I wear mascara everyday. For the past year, Benefit Bad Gal Bang has been my favorite mascara. It adds enough volume to my lashes, and I love how it lengthens and curls. Repurchase? Yes, I did and I’m almost finished with that one and just bought another one.
Urban Decay Perversion Mascara, mini: I can’t remember if I bought this UD Perversion mini or if I got it in one of my subscription bags. I like Perversion Mascara: it’s super black, has a wet formula, and really builds up lashes. Sometimes with my wonky lashes, it can be a little hard to work with. Repurchase? Not right now.
Haircare
Living Proof Restore Shampoo: I bought this during the winter about a year and a half ago, and I finally finished it. This is a perfectly fine shampoo, and I liked it when I first started using it. But over time, it just didn’t really suit my hair. Repurchase? No, not for me.
White Sands Orchid Bliss Revitalizing Conditioner: This is a good conditioner for my coarse, thick hair. It definitely made it easy to comb after shampooing, and it left it soft. Repurchase? Although I especially adored the White Sands Orchid Bliss Shampoo, I find that JOICO K-Pak Treatment works the best on my hair, so no.
JOICO Color Endure Sulfate-free Shampoo, travel size: Because JOICO K-Pak Conditioning Treatment is my very favorite, I thought I’d try one of their shampoos for color-treated hair. I bought this to take with me to Amsterdam. It was an OK shampoo, but not my favorite. Repurchase? No.
Rene Furterer 5 Sens Enhancing Dry Oil sample: I got this tiny sample bottle of Furterer 5 Sens Dry Oil in my fabulous Barney’s GWP goodie bag, and it’s another winner. This oil for hair or skin smelled lovely, and truly disappeared on contact with absolutely no greasy residue. Repurchase? I wish I could, but it’s too expensive. Nevertheless, if you can afford it, I highly recommend it.
Natrol Biotin 5000mcg: My nails look fantastic right now. Summer + biotin is a winning combination for me. Repurchase? I already have repurchased these tasty strawberry chewables at Costco.
Purges
I’m getting rid of stuff that’s old. It’s about time, and there’s much more I need to toss. But this is a start.
CoverGirl The Super Sizer Mascara: I’m tossing two tubes that are OLD. I loved this mascara when it first came out. I liked the wand with plastic teeth, and I liked the formula that was on the wet side that really lengthened. But after buying several tubes, I discovered the quality varied widely from tube to tube with some of them being very clumpy. I don’t know if they still make this formula, but I don’t recommend buying it because of the inconsistent quality.
Milani Liquid Lipstick Gloss (I don’t remember the actual name and it wore off the tube): I truly adored this liquid lipstick/gloss formula in the fantastic flat tube that fit so well in a jeans pocket. Why, oh why, does Milani always discontinue my favorite products? Unfortunately, these two tubes are also OLD, and they have thickened and taste chemically (they didn’t when they were new), so I have to toss them in spite of loving what they were in their prime.
Jesse’s Girl Glow Stix: While I love the fun, prismatic look that this Jesse’s Girl gloss topper provides, the tube oozes gloss and it can be messy especially if I put this in my makeup bag. I am sad about that because I love the flat tube that reminds me of the Milani tubes that I’m tossing, and as I said, I liked the look of the gloss itself. But after it oozed out and got all over my other makeup, it’s time to say goodbye.
MAC Extreme Dimension 3D Lash, mini: For some reason, this MAC mascara does absolutely nothing for my lashes. Frankly, it doesn’t really even coat them. Maybe I got a bad tube? I love MAC Upward Lash, but so far Extreme Dimension 3D Lash is anything but.
So these are the products I used up in July and August as well as a few oldies that I’m tossing. What did you use up this summer?
Great blog, I love empties! Really appreciate the reviews and if you are not repurchasing you list the product you prefer and why (cost, overstocked etc.) Always excited to read your emails when they pop into my inbox.
Thank you so much, Kim, for taking the time to comment xo I like doing empties posts, and I love recycling the empty packages to get rid of stuff, lol. There are so many good products out there, but it’s not possible to buy them all, and I’m always on the lookout for affordable alternatives 😉 Have a great holiday weekend!
Thank you, hope you have a great weekend too!
Very impressive empties! You used up a lot! I have been so busy with work that I haven’t done an empties post in close to 6 months! I love Rene Furterer products, and began using them when I was a teenager! This oil sounds divine!
The 5 Sens dry oil really is wonderful. Right up your alley, too!
You’ve impressed me with this load. I have been trying to save some empties but it’s slow going. I didn’t think to save my purges which just happened last week. With the MAC I remembered liking False Lashes but this mini doesn’t do it for me. I’m getting smudges under my eyes from it.
Definitely do a purge post one of these days!! That’s interesting that you liked MAC False Lashes in full size, but the sample didn’t work for you either. Hmmmm, maybe it’s the samples. My sample didn’t put enough mascara on my lashes to give me smudges, lol.
I love Urban Decay’s Perversion mascara. It’s one of my favorites!
You went through a lot of products this summer! I like that you have the purges in there and that they’re separate from the actual empties!