Hello! The end of winter is practically here and I have collected a few empties so time to clear them out.
My Makeup Issues
Tuesday 26 March 2024
End of Winter 2024 Empties and Mini Reviews
Hello! The end of winter is practically here and I have collected a few empties so time to clear them out.
Friday 2 February 2024
December 2023/January 2024 Empties
Tuesday 12 December 2023
Summer/Fall 2023 Empties and Trash
Lots of empties to cover today! Let the summary reviews begin!
Thursday 9 November 2023
Winter 2022/Spring 2023 Empties
Let's dive into it!
Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion - I've tried a gazillion eyeshadow primers over the years and this one works best. I am not even interested in trying any others these days.
Friday 17 March 2023
Summer/Fall 2022 Empties
Marc Jacobs Fineliner Ultra-Skinny Gel Eye Crayon in Blacquer - I am constantly sighing as I type this. Marc Jacobs Beauty is no more and that is so sad. They had some solid products. This was one of them. Unfortunately, I bought this eyeliner from Sephora when Marc Jacobs was going out of business and when I opened this, the liner was completely dried out and it crumbled all my hands and pants. I was horrified. What was more horrifying was that for some reason I didn't return it. I have no idea why! I think I was busy at the time, I had ordered it online and then it slipped my mind. It was also on clearance so it didn't cost much. I still regret not returning it on principle alone. I noticed at the time that a lot of people were complaining online about the same thing. Must have been old stock leftover that we got.
Drunk Elephant Virgin Marula Luxury Facial Oil - This face oil is fantastic! Already repurchased. I know this and other Drunk Elephant products have been getting dragged lately for being overpriced and doing less than expected but before I got roseacea my skin never looked better than when I was exclusively using Drunk Elephant products. My skin glowed and I had been plagued with bad skin most of my life until then. Sadly, with the roseacea now, I can no longer use some Drunk Elephant products as my needs are different. I can still use this facial oil though and it is so moisturizing and feels heavenly.
Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion - I've tried a gazillion eyeshadow primers over the years and this one works best. I am not even interested in trying any others these days. When this product first came out I think it had parabens but Urban Decay got rid of them in there awhile back so I'm happy about that and have been a fan since. I've already repurchased 3 of these! Two are almost done and will likely be in my next empties.
Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Foundation in 5 Cool - I also had this in 5 Neutral but I gave it away as it was too yellow for me. I find in general this line runs yellow. Even the 5 Cool was a bit yellow and I have neutral undertones. This foundation is very much full coverage and that is what I liked about it. However, I will not be repurchasing it as it was a bit thick even when sheered out and it lacked the glowy finish I was looking for. It comes in a glass bottle which is always a plus.
Glow Recipe Watermelon Glow Pink Juice Moisturizer - This was a travel sized container. I didn't notice that it did anything for me. Since my skin is sensitive these days, I only put it on my non-sensitive areas like my forehead, nose and chin and it seemed drying. Maybe it would work better for someone with oily skin. Will not repurchase.
A La Maison Sweet Almond Hand & Body Lotion - I bought this at Winners I believe. Smelt ok. Felt a bit powdery. Moisturized ok. There are better and cheaper alternatives on the market. This company's hand soap is far better than their lotion.
L'Occitane en Provence Shea Butter Foot Cream and Intensive Foot Balm - So two products here. I decided to try the Intensive Foot Balm since I liked the foot cream so much. I didn't care for the Intensive version and found it less moisturizing than the regular foot cream. Considering the Intensive Foot Balm costs $10 more ($47!) it will definitely not be a repurchase. Sticking to the one I love - Shea Butter Foot Cream it is! Already repurchased that one.
Pat McGrath Labs LUST: Lip Gloss in Sunset Rose - Pat McGrath makes the most glorious eyeshadow ever, bar none. I love her eyeshadow and have now puchased a number of palettes. Words cannot express how stunning they are. Then there is this lip gloss. I hated it. This was a mini sized tube that I got in a set of 3. I have since tried a second one from the set and it is awful too. Pat really needs to go back to the drawing board on this one. The two glosses I have tried have almost 0 pigment transfer onto my lips. It's like they are clear glosses. This is not an issue I have ever had in my life with any lip gloss by any other brand including drug store ones. It's a bit mind boggling and disturbing. The smell is ok, vanilla I would say. The gloss feels ok on but it disappears sometimes in 20 minutes. You could probably go through a full sized tube if you used it daily and reapplied as needed in well under a month. I will use up the second and third mini tubes I have but I can't see me ever buying a Pat McGrath gloss again unless she reformulates.
Bb Hairdresser's Invisible Oil Heat/UV Protective Primer - This is one of those products that I have wondered where it has been all of my life. It's a detangler, leave in conditioner and heat protector all in one. I have spent so much money over the years on detanglers that didn't work or paled in comparison to this product. It's simply the best. Already repurchase a full size and I have two travel sizes on hand.
Kopari Aluminium Free Coconut Deodorant - I just looked at Sephora's website and it appears they have stopped carrying Kopari??? Wow. That is a shame. As for this deodorant though, I was not impressed. I don't love the smell of coconut and this was coconut overload. The product was very wet and did not dry down much. Also, I found it wore off after a few hours and was no longer working well. I can't imagine how badly it would have performed if I was hiking or working out. Will not repurchase.
So that's it and that is an awful lot! Happy St. Patrick's Day everyone!
Sunday 25 September 2022
Empties 2021/2022 Part 2
Monday 11 April 2022
Empties 2021/2022 Part 1
It's been eternity since I did an empties post and the crap is really piling up! Enough is enough. I have so much I need to break it into at least 3 parts. Let's get to it.
Nivea Pure & Natural Body Milk - This is a staple in my empties posts. For quick hand cream or anywhere really Lotion, this is the best at the drug store as far as I am concerned in terms of quantity you get, decent quality and price point. Already repurchased like 3....
Aveeno Skin Relief Moisturizing Lotion in Cooling Menthol - This is the best lotion from the Aveeno line in my opinion. I've even seen it heal burn marks super fast! The one in the tube is thicker and a bit better. Already repurchased.
Nivea MicellAir Micellar Water - So disappointing! Not good at all. Doesn't take off makeup well. Raccoon eyes the next morning even when you think you got it all. Only bought this because when the pandemic hit I couldn't easily get my Klorane makeup remover easily anymore. Will never repurchase!
EOS lip balm - No idea what scent this is. It's almost finished but I had a reaction to it like so many other people. I keep finding them around the house. They must go!
Laneige Lip Glowy Balm in Gummy Bear - this is what I have been using in place of my beloved Bite Beauty Agave Lip Mask. I know Bite Beauty was sold and they changed all of the formulas. The reviews have been dreadful. Not sure I will ever try the new formulation. The Laneige product is not as good as the old Bite Beauty Agave Lip Mask but I like it enough. I've had 5 different flavors/scents so far and I liked the Gummy Bear the least. Doesn't smell or taste like gummy bears at all! More like a fake grape smell.
Origins Plantscription Serum x2 - I've used up two mini tubes. One of these actually lasts awhile. I've bought the big bottle which I am currently using. Used this for years. When I stop using it for awhile I feel like my laugh lines around my mouth look more pronounced. So I'm back at it using it full time.
Dr. Hauschka Rose Day Cream - I used this for years and swore by it. I got bored, tried other things. I'm back to using it here and there as it seems to calm my rosacea a bit and its supposed to be good for that issue.
IGK Hot Girls Hydrating Shampoo - This was a solid (by that I mean decent) shampoo. Smelt great and hydrating. Gives one hell of a lucious lather. I would consider repurchasing but at the moment I love my Bumble and bumble Hairdresser's Invisible Oil shampoo too much to use anything else.
Bumble and bumble Hairdresser's Invisible Oil Conditioner - Speaking of Bumble and bumble, another tube of their conditioner bites the dust. This is the perfect conditioner for my hair and I simply have not found anything better for me anyway.
Drunk Elephant Beste No. 9 Jelly Cleanser - Ever since my rosacea got wild, this is one of the only cleaners that doesn't make it angry. I'd love to give my skin a good scrub but can't so for now I use this and try to be content. Very mild, perfect for sensitive or angry skin.
Living Proof Perfect Hair Day 5-in-1 Styling Treatment - Another bottle done. Already repurchased two more. Nothing else compares to this in terms of prep for hot tools and styling. Hair shape lasts for days and you get really great volume. One of my holy grails.
blendercleanser solid - I love this smell of this and it really gets the job on my brushes done. The Sephora version is comparable (doesn't smell as nice) when it was at a lower price point but now it's about the same so that's no good Sephora! I like the blendercleanser just a bit more, however, I hear Sephora has reformulated their version so we will wait and see.
Drunk Elephant Protini Polypeptide Cream - Hands down one of my favourite moisturizers. Especially when mixed with DE's Virgin Marula Luxury Face Oil. Already repurchased x2.
Drunk ElephantVirgin Marula Luxury Face Oil - I can't seem to find a face oil as good as this one and I have tried a lot the last couple of years, a sample here, a sample there. This was a travel size. You will see in my Empties Part 2 post that I have also gone through a full sized one and I have repurchased it already...
That's it for now. Part 2 coming soon!