The E M P T I E S | 012
I've been in that 'I need to do something about my overly cluttered, messy room' phase. I've been feeling so overwhelmed with products (new, gifted, half used - you name it). I just picked up a nice new bookshelf (courtesy of Ikea 'As Is' section), and I'm already on it with organizing. I also picked up some new acrylic storage bits which I'll most likely be sharing over on my IG stories - so hurry over! (@chyism). I'm hoping I'll get everything off my counters and I'll be able to sift through products that are unloved, past their use, and gift away any that may find a better home elsewhere. I gotta start somewhere though with the mounds of products scattered around my room so all (well, some) of the glorified trash I've been collecting over the last 2ish months are going into a little Empties Haul!
NYM Way to Grow Long & Strong Shampoo | I don't think it's a shock to see yet another NYM hair product, they're probably one of my favorite hair lines right now. I didn't check but I wouldn't be surprised if there was one in all my recent empties. I went in search of sulfate-free hair products and found that in NYM. I've tried a few of their hair lines, but I think the Long & Strong range is my favorite. I have a few backup bottles on reserve and will try my best to withhold using any new ones until all the products in my shower are used up. (Although to be fair, I have a NYM shampoo + conditioner in there ATM.)
Phyto Paris - Phytobaume Hydration Express Conditioner* | I was sent a tonnnn of Phyto Paris hair products and I gotta say that it is slowly turning me to the dark side of luxury haircare. I'm always up for investing in haircare products, although shampoo/conditioner isn't one I usually tend to splurge on. I used to have hair down to my belly button and washed my hair every single day - you can imagine how much shampoo/conditioner I went through. As I slowly started going every-other with my hair and chopped a good off amount recently, I think it's safe to say I can be a bit more splurge with hair bits. This one from Phyto was definitely a rich conditioner and a little actually went a long way - so this one lasted me quite a while despite how small it was. I liked pairing it with the Phytojoba Intense Hydrating Brilliance Shampoo, but it also paired well with the NYM shampoo mentioned above.
GlamGlow Gravity Mud | I bought this due to the IG hype of applying a silvery metallic looking mask that could be peeled off. I didn't have much luck with GlamGlow's __ mask, it burned the crap out of my skin and I was too terrified to use it again. This one does leave my skin feeling extremely soft and I actually appreciate very much that this mask peels off in its entirety. I've tried other peel off masks which peel off in about a million pieces which can be so so tedious and annoying. I probably won't be picking this one up again as it was pretty pricey and I don't think it did that much. I'm eyeing up a similar mask from Leaders Cosmetics - if any of you have tried it please let me know how it is!
Tatcha Camellia Cleansing Oil | For a long while I wasn't a fan of the idea of cleansing oils - would it make my skin oilier? Would it break me out? The answer is no - but it will leave you with a nice deep clean! I'm a night showerer and like to do most of my face washing in the shower. This works perfectly and I would opt for this on no-hair wash days, as I could hop right in and just apply this straight to my dry face. Along with my beloved Glossier MJC, this was one of my favorite double cleanse options. I have another mini ready to go once my lash extensions come off (probably one of the biggest down sides of having lash extensions and not being able to use cleansing oils and balms).
Complex Beauty Rose Glow (Glycolic Mask)* | I was sent the CB Discovery Mask set a while back, and with regular use most of their masks lasted me quite a long time. I was a bit clumsy and the last bit of this splatted out onto my bathroom floor (T__T) but I really liked this one! I have an overload of rose products and while I liked this, I think I prefer the Ocean Potion & Babyfacial masks from CB.
Tatcha The Essence (Sample) | I got this as one of those free gifts with purchase from Sephora a while back. I'm terrible at using up my samples as I'm a minor hoarder / I don't want to use them up in fear that I will want it. Well it happened, because I'm basically in love with this essence. It was my first time using an essence (I know, shock horror), but I really felt that my skin drastically improved. I was using this in conjunction with the Drunk Elephant TLC Framboos Glycolic Night Serum with a hefty layer of The Ordinary's Rose Hip Seed Oil afterwards. My skin is basically in love with these 3 and I need to buy the full size of the DE TLC & the Tatcha essence (or just any essence). Please send me all your recs for essences plz.
LUSH Cosmetics - The Olive Branch | I used up The Olive Branch a few times before, and this one was a pleasant change from Rose Jam which I used up last Empties post. This one is a great unisex scent which my boyfriend gladly appreciates when he showers at my place - too bad it's now Soap & Glory's Clean On Me shower gel (one of my all time faves) :D
Klairs Toner Mate 2 in 1 Cotton Pad (120 Count Each)* | I did a little post back in November last year detailing these pads here. Overall I really liked these pads, although I tend to just use one pad a night :B It felt a bit wasteful to use two pads in one go, so I'd usually use the compressed pad at night to wipe away a little more grime and the sponge pad in the morning for a gentler application. There's 120 pads in here and with almost daily use, it lasted me about 6 months. It's a bit pricier than your average pad, but if you're in for the splurge I'd recommend it! It also comes housed in a nice little box which I easily kept in my bathroom drawer - safe and away from any moisture.
SKYN Iceland Hydro Cool Firming Eye Gels | I finished up a multi pack that I picked up from Ulta a while back. Honestly, I am not a fan of these. Although they were cooling, I didn't feel that they did anything beneficial skincare wise. I've been buying a bunch from wherever I can find, and I think Asian brand ones are the best that I've tried. But yeah, probs won't be repurchasing this one.
Of course I found more used up empties that I had placed in random other places of my room after photographing/writing up this post lol. But another post will just come up soon then!
What are some products that you've used up lately?