The E M P T I E S 009
Welcome to another empties post! I feel as though I've been doing a lot more of these as of late, and that's mainly because I've been on a mission to clear out those 'dead-space' unused/unloved products. I've been forcing myself to use up products that had a teeny bit left, and just ended up also tossing items that were not getting any love. Coming off my post yesterday on a way to boost your mood, it's surrounding yourself with a tidy space.
If you're feeling overwhelmed with your products, just get yourself to use one item at a time and power through. Go ahead and use a bit "more" product than needed, or pair multiple products more than you regularly would. If there's a product that's nearly at the end, just move those to the front of your cabinets/drawers or place them on your counter so you'll be sure to reach for them first. This has helped a lot and I've been able to power through a good number of products. Without further chatter, let's get on with this empties post!
- Liz Earle Brightening Treatment Mask / Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish: I actually picked these up a few years ago (4+) and never really got into them. To be fair, I wasn't a big fan of heavier face products so I didn't want to use them. I also should've read the description more closely when I got the mask as it says it's not suitable for sensitive skin (duh, Cindy). I held onto these intially as they're quite pricey, but it's been way too long and I'm a bit scared to put it on my face. So I'm (sadly) letting these go. If you're a fan of this, do you think I should give this another try? (Toss)
- NYM Way To Grow Conditioner: I really liked the scent of this and I really feel like going sulfate free with my hair products has made such a difference. My hair has been feeling shinier, healthier, and fuller - I'm a happy gal. I've repurchased this and the shampoo version to use once I finish up the bottles currently in my shower.
- NYM Clean Freak Purifying Shampoo: This one has a refreshing scent and even slightly tingles on your head. My hair always feels clean (hence the name) after using this and it feels great to use after a workout or a day of dry shampoo use.
- Nature Republic Bee Venom Mist: My brother picked this up for me in Korea a few years back and it was very refreshing to use. It actually mists (as the name suggests) and disperses evenly - big plus. I have had this for nearly 2 years so it's getting the toss. Probably won't repurchase but I'm quite interested in trying out an essence from another brand.
- Boscia Bright White Mask (Toss): I've had this for quite a while and while I love the Boscia Black Mask, this one was a dud. It does not peel off in one go (more like a million) and was just a pain to use. It's pretty old so I just decided to let it go. // I believe Boscia reformulated the mask - maybe I'll get a sample and see if that one works better cause I like the idea of it helping to brighten your complexion and fade hyper-pigmentation from scars.
- Aesop Parsley Seed Masque: I'm pretty sad to see this one go as it has lasted me for such a long time, but I've got every single bit of product out thanks to my trusty tube-wringer tool (which you can read all about in this post here).
- Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Gel Liner in Caviar (Deep Black-Brown): I love gel liners but using them and cleaning the brush after each use is a bit tedious - which is why I love liquid eyeliners so much more. I decided to try and use my gel liners again more but after a few goes, I figured this one was a bit too dried out to keep using. Toss
- Beauty Blender Liquid BlenderCleanser: I'm such a fan of the cleansing solid (which I'm almost running out of my 2nd bar of), but this one was rather disappointing. I felt like I needed a lot more product to get a deep clean, which is the complete opposite of the solid. $$ wise, the solid is much more worth it. The solid also takes up less space than the full-size bottle of this cleanser would take.
- The Body Shop Tea Tree Oil: Tea Tree Oil is my new discovery and I've already repurchased a new bottle. This helps banish unwanted blemishes without damaging my skin - and I've noticed a lot less scarring after switching from those products high in salicylic acid.
- Bare Minerals Stroke of Light Eye Brightener: I've had this one for quite a while and never really reach for it. I don't have dark undereye circles and actually hate the feeling of heavy product under my eyes. I sometimes applied this to the tops of my cheeks and layered highlight over, but this is quite old so I ended up tossing it rather than risk an unwanted rash/breakout.
I don't talk a lot about sheet masks, but eye masks are my current obsession. I want to use one every single day but that's not financially friendly. I've mentioned before that my favorite eye masks from The Face Shop are incredible, but often hard to get a hold of. I've been trial-ing a few other ones, including the skyn Iceland Hydro Cool Firming Eye Gels (pack of 8) and the Shiseido Benefiance Express Smoothing Eye Mask (I got the pack of 3 from Sephora but it's often sold out - as it is now). The skyn eye masks felt a bit strange and didn't do as much as I'd want them to, they were really just cooling and that's all it did. The Shiseido ones are nice but I feel they are a bit too pricey for what they are. I received the Etude House Eye Patch and Tony Moly Tea Tree Mask Sheet from YesStyle in my Korean Beauty Haul (which you can read about my thoughts on both of these in my post here).
I have a mini hoard of tiny perfume samplers and I'm making such an effort to use them up (especially during the #OctoberSampleChallenge). I think one sample tube can last me a few weeks and sometimes I just end up spritzing them in my room like an air freshener (anyone else? lol).
The four I've *finally* used up are:
- Elizabeth and James Nirvana White: I've actually used up 2-3 of these in my life and I've slowly become rather fond of it. And luckily for me these come housed in a bad-ass looking bottle. I'm waiting for the VIB sale to come 'round but I may just need to pick up a teeny bottle of this.
- DedCool Fragrance 01: DedCool is one of those cool-girl brands and is based out of LA. The founder, Carina Chaz, is such a sweet gal and I love her product aesthetic and that the products are cruelty-free. I did a post all about these products here, so you can read up more on this scent. DedCool is bringing out some new fragrances soon (some more floral ones) and I'm pretty excited to give them a try once they're released. The scent is a bit sweet (probably the vanilla) but for some reason I'm obsessed with it - the fragrance meshes so well with my skin and smells better and better throughout the day.
- Chloe - Roses de Chloe: I love rose scented everything so it's no surprise that I love the sister perfume to my signature scent (Chloe EDP). I'm trying to play with some new scents and although this one is nice, it isn't something I'm dying to buy right now. (I also have another tester tube - *I always snatch these on the Sephora checkout when I see it ^__^)
- Tory Burch (Fragrance): I think I've received 2-3 of these over time and I really quite like the scent. It reminds me of the Tory Burch store itself (prob what they spritz there), but it's light and sweet and lovely.
Whew we're finally done - this one seemed like a rather long post. Hope you've been enjoying #CHYtober/#blogtober! As always, let's chat below and let me know if there are any posts that you want to see in the coming weeks. I already have some exciting posts coming next week so I hope you're excited!