My first empties post of 2020! If you guys remember back to last year when I had quite a few empties posts, I mentioned that I was doing a low-buy and was working my way through products I had before purchasing new ones or repurchasing older ones that I love and would use regularly, regardless of a low-buy.
I did a clear out and found quite a few products that I haven’t used in a long time. Some I forgot about, some I didn’t like and some were just plain meh, so I gave up on them and to be honest, a lot of them I had actually forgotten I about. I actually have many more products than I realised to include in this post. 🙈 I knew I’d have a few, but I thought there would be less than there actually is, lol. 🙈 In this post, just as with my previous empties, I won’t include any photos because the post is quite long and I don’t want to make it too long.
I really hope you enjoy reading and if there are any products that you have been loving recently, I would love to hear! I love discovering new products and brands as well as hearing about your thoughts and experience with them!
Apivita Express Intense Moisturizing Face Mask — This was a lovely, lightweight mask to use. I wouldn’t describe it as ‘intensely moisturising’, but that’s just me. It did provide some hydration, but it wasn’t intense by any means, though it was noticeable. I wouldn’t rush out to purchase this, but if I got it in GWP or something, I would use it for sure. It was a lovely mask to use, it just didn’t do enough for my skin for me to go out and purchase it. Although the sachets look small, you get a decent amount of product in them, and I was able to get two uses from each sachet.
Benefit Roller Lash Mascara — One of my favourite mascaras and one I’m sad to have finished. I’ve raved about this multiple times and it’s one I will definitely repurchase it. It gives my lashes definition, length and volume. I love the wand and the curve that it has, it fits my eye shape perfectly.
Bobbi Brown Everything Mascara & Smokey Eye Mascara — Two gorgeous mascaras by Bobbi Brown, again they give my lashes definition, length & volume, plus they are super black. Highly recommend both of them.
Catrice Caribbean Vibes Bouncy Bronzer — These bronzers were part of Catrice’s 2019 Spring/Summer collection. I recently picked these up in a pharmacy for around €2 each and thought I would love them! I love the colours of them, however, they are very pigmented and far too metallic to be used as bronzers, for me at least!
They would make gorgeous eyeshadows or even highlighters, because they are so metallic. The colours are absolutely gorgeous and perfect for all year round! I dislike the jelly texture of them, and so, I have never tried them as eyeshadows myself, but the colours would be beautiful on blue, green and brown eyes. If you like jelly textures, you may well like these, but for me, I prefer a solid cream texture or else a liquid texture, but not a jelly texture! 🙈
Champneys Citrus Blush Enlivening Body Lotion — This isn’t empty, but I’m not a fan of it, so I’ve given it to my mum who likes it. This just didn’t do anything for me and so I found myself not reaching for it at all really, and I also don’t really like the scent of this. This particular range from Champneys was a bit of a disappointment really.
I reviewed their shower gel from the same range in my previous empties (here) and I wasn’t a fan of that either. There was a body scrub which again, I didn’t like, and a mini body butter, which I have yet to try, but I’m not holding out much hope for it really, but we’ll see when I (finally…) get to try it.
Cutex All-in-One Strengthener — This was pretty meh, to be brutally honest. I didn’t find it did anything for my nails, I certainly didn’t find it to strengthen my nails at all and I only used it on days where my nails weren’t painted and I just wanted a clear polish on. It was cheap at around €6, but I wouldn’t repurchase.
Dove Pro Age Body Butter — A firm favourite, and something I have a few back-ups of! This has become one of my absolute favourite body butters. It’s thick, rich and nourishing, but it doesn’t leave a greasy or sticky reside on your skin, and it absorbs really quickly too. I just love everything about it, and it is cheap too. It reminds of The Righteous Butter by Soap & Glory, but with a thicker texture, different scent and it’s also slightly cheaper too! If you see it in store, check it out if you love a thick and rich body butter!
Eucerin Acute Lip Balm — This is a lovely balm that I’m sad to have finished. It’s not as nourishing as my Nuxe Rêve de Miel Lip Balm, but it’s not far off it to be honest. I love this for applying over (and under) lipsticks to give a shine and some nourishment to my lips, but without giving me a fully on glossy lip. It’s inexpensive and widely available. It lasted quite a while on my lips before fully absorbing and even when it was fully absorbed, my lips felt moisturised.
GlamGlow Youthmud Face Mask — This is pretty meh, for me anyway. I just don’t find it to do anything at all. I’ve gone through endless mini sizes and my experience with it and thoughts on it never change. I have never and would never purchase the full size because for me it isn’t worth it.
GlamGlow Supermud Clearing Mask — My holy grail face mask! I absolutely adore this; I have done for years! It’s my most re-purchased product without a doubt, I cannot say enough good things about it! It’s expensive, but very much for it, for me at least.
IT Cosmetics CC Cream ‘Fair’ — This was a serious let down product for me. Everyone loves it, but for me, it just looked awful on my skin. It applied nicely and for a few minutes, it looked nice, but then it looked dry and powdery on me. I really wanted to love this as it receives so much praise but unfortunately it wasn’t for me. I got a sample of the shade Fair, but I may in future get another sample, perhaps of the shade Light. Full review of this here.
Iroha Nature Lifting Intensive Mask with Pearl and Hyaluronic Acid — This sheet mask was okay. I mean I didn’t really find it made any difference to my skin whatsoever. It was also absolutely saturated in product and I had to squeeze some of it out before being able to put the mask on my face. I got so much essence that I filled two big eye cream pots and had about a months’ worth of serum/essence to apply to my face daily.
The essence/serum was grand, didn’t really do anything to be honest. It was VERY sticky and never really fully absorbed and I found that any products I applied over top didn’t really absorb well over this so I ended up just using this on my body tbh. Wouldn’t repurchase and wouldn’t recommend, unless you want a sticky face/body parts all day long!
Kiehl’s Buttermask For Lips — This was highly disappointing. I had read some review (not many, admittedly) and they were positive so I thought I’d like it – but I absolutely didn’t. It didn’t do anything or make any difference in terms of hydration or moisturisation to my lips. It absorbed very quickly, but once absorbed, it was as if I hadn’t applied any product and my lips were just as dry as they were previously.
This stuff is pretty pricey, and for what it costs I’d expect it to do something, but it did nothing. I don’t recommend it and I wouldn’t repurchase it. I much prefer my Nuxe Rêve de Miel Lip Balm, and it costs a lot less than this!
La Roche-Posay Hydraphase Intense Serum — If you read my May 2019 Hits & Misses (here) you’ll know that I didn’t like this and it was something I really struggled to finish. I ended up mixing it in with my moisturiser just to use it up. This did absolutely nothing for my skin at all. It just disappeared into my skin.
It has a very, very light, runny gel texture and when I apply it to my skin, it absorbs and that’s it. It literally disappears and does nothing for my skin. I usually love LRP products, but this was a big miss for me.
La Roche–Posay Toleriane Ultra Eye Cream — A gorgeous, lightweight eye cream that is very soothing and comforting on the eye area. Because of how light it is, it’s perfect for the summer where you want moisturisation but don’t want a rich, thick or heavy cream especially on a warm day.
It’s very affordable too, it’s under €20 in Boots, which is a great price and regularly LRP products are on offer in Boots and on other websites, so you’ll often get it for less. I love the packaging and the pump, I much prefer pumps to pots, so the packaging is right up my alley. Highly recommend and I’ll definitely repurchase in the future.
Lee Stafford Dehumidifier Spray — There’s not much left in this, but I’m binning it. It has been a long time since I’ve used this, because it was meh, really. I didn’t find it to do anything at all, so I gave up using it a long time ago. I can’t even remember when I used it last to be totally honest, I just found it during my clear-out, so in the bin it is going. I can’t find this in stock anywhere so I’m guessing that it is discontinued? Though I could be wrong
Marc Jacobs Velvet Noir Mascara — My favourite mascara! I absolutely adore this. It gives me everything I want from a mascara, and then some! It literally ticks all the boxes, and few mascaras do! It’s pricey, but well worth it! Full review here.
Maybelline SuperStay 24hr Foundation — This foundation isn’t actually empty, but I don’t reach for it much and now that my skin is drier, I figured it was better to give it away and let someone else enjoy it, rather than have it sitting in my drawer unused and unloved.
This is a lovely foundation, but if your skin is dry, it’s going to look very matte on you. I do think that if your skin was normal, combination or oily, this may be one of those foundations that looks better throughout the day as your own natural oils mix with it, as they’ll take away the flat-matte appearance.
As I mentioned in my review of this, it does oxidise and that’s one thing that I really dislike, especially because it oxidises quite badly, so it’s one that I needed to mix with a moisturiser or wear when I wear fake tan really. I would advise getting a shade or two lighter to allow for how much it oxidises. Full review here.
Mauli Supreme Skin Face Serum — Not a fan of this at all! I’ve spoken about it it in my March Hits & Misses (here). It irritated my skin and I hated the scent. The scent of this was very strong, too strong for me to be honest. I wasn’t a fan at all. My eyes streamed when I applied this, and even when I rinsed it off, they were still streaming.
I don’t remember ever having a reaction like that to any product, and I’m pretty sure I would remember! Oils are something I don’t usually have any issues with, but this is definitely a no-no for me anyway. If your skin is in any way sensitive, I would avoid this like the plague!
NARS Climax Mascara — This was a lovely mascara, but it didn’t do anything exceptional for me to be honest. I did notice some minor flaking after using it for about a month, so I’m guessing that maybe it was starting to dry out a bit and that’s what caused it. It’s not a mascara that I would purchase the full size of to be honest because it just didn’t do enough for me. I much prefer my BadGAL Bang and Roller Lash by Benefit.
Nuxe Huile Prodigieuse — This is an absolutely gorgeous oil and one that I’ve been really loving mixing in with my CeraVe Moisturising Cream (in the tub) and the two together have been wonderful for my dry skin, especially now the weather is colder and the central heating is drying out my skin a little more.
This smells fabulous. It is one of the nicest smelling oils or body products I’ve used, when I use this, I don’t need perfume, because this is like a perfumed scent, although it doesn’t cause any issues with my skin or cause reactions etc. Highly recommend checking this out if you see it in store.
Origins Clear Improvement Charcoal Face Mask — This was crap, to be honest. I just want a fan. It didn’t do anything for my skin and it was messy to rinse off. When I was rinsing it off, it would turn slimy and just feel horrible to be honest. Wouldn’t recommend and wouldn’t purchase a full size.
Origins Modern Friction Face Scrub — This was okay, it was nice. It left my skin smooth and soft, as all physical exfoliators, but it’s not one I would repurchaseas I prefer the Oskia Micro Exfoliating Balm. I do prefer physical exfoliators these days, but if I was to purchase a physical exfoliator, it would be the Oskia one as it’s my preferred one.
Origins Out Of Trouble 10 Minute Mask — Another crap mask! Again, this did absolutely nothing for my skin! It had a nice scent and did tingle slightly when first applied, but then the tingling sensation went away and when I removed the mask my skin looked and felt no different to before. Wouldn’t recommend or repurchase.
That rounds up this empties! Thank you for reading, until next time, take care xx
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