I just wrote an empties post last month, but I finished a bunch more products since then. Here they are with mini reviews as needed. Most of these things are empty, but some I just wasn't using, and they were old, so I'm getting rid of them. It can't hurt to leave as much of 2016 behind as possible!
Starting at the top left, one row at a time:
Paula's Choice Moisture Boost Cream: This is a heavy moisturizer that I ended up using mainly as a hand cream, because it wasn't anything remarkable on my face. It wasn't a great hand cream, either, and obviously too expensive to buy for that purpose. I wouldn't get this again.
Urban Decay Perversion Mascara (travel size): Reviewed here. This travel size tube lasted over about 4 months, which is pretty good for $10. I'm not sure what the advantage of buying the full size would be!
Paula's Choice Hyaluronic Acid Booster: I like hyaluronic acid, but this particular product is just ok. One of the annoying things is that it really shouldn't be packaged in a dropper bottle. I think it's done that way to make it fit in with their other "boosters," but it's too thick. A squeeze tube or pump would be more suitable. (By the way, Lab Muffin has a great new post about how hyaluronic acid works.)
Nars Light Reflecting Pressed Setting Powder: Mentioned here and here. On the one hand, this does a really good job of reflecting light, just as it claims to, which made my skin look great in photos. On the other hand, it doesn't really do much in person, only in photos. And on some other hand, it's expensive, but on yet another hand, I used it at least 50% of the time that I wore makeup, and it lasted me nearly three years.
I'm getting rid of the Rimmel Stay Glossy gloss and the Milani Power Lip (reviewed here), because I don't use them and they're too old to give away.
Jack Black Lip Balm in Original Natural Mint (mini): These balms work really well for me, and I like that they contain sunscreen (SPF 25) without tasting bitter. I don't really like mint balms, but I bought this 4-pack and used the two mint ones as stocking stuffers. The others I kept for myself.
Paula's Choice C15 Booster (mini): I've said that this stuff doesn't do anything for my skin, but I ended up with another mini bottle, so I used it. It didn't do anything.
Paula's Choice 1% Retinol: Reviewed here. I settled on using this about once a week, and my skin is much better when I use it, so I'm on my second bottle now. This first one lasted over a year.
REN GlycoLactic Radiance Renewal Mask (mini): I love how soft and smooth this makes my skin feel. AHA products with just glycolic acid never really have any effect on my skin, but it likes lactic acid apparently. I think I will eventually buy the full size. It's usually $55 (yikes), but only about $30 on Amazon.
Pixi Brightening Primer: Swatched here. This stuff is old and also completely invisible, so I don't know why I held on to it for so long. Bye bye.
Kinesys SPF 30 Sunscreen: Reviewed here. I really like this for my face. I haven't decided if I will buy it again after I finish my current Biore sunscreen, but I'm leaning toward it.
And here is my last empty, which I forgot to include in the photo above:
Sephora Bright Future Gel Serum Concealer in Fondant: Reviewed here. This tube lasted me almost exactly a year of nearly daily use. Now I'm using the same concealer in Buttercream (swatched here). It's not the fullest coverage ever, but that's fine with me, because it doesn't crease as badly as most other concealers, and it lasts all day without fading. Those things are more important to me.
I used the Swoon wand in the photo to get the dregs out of the tube after the concealer wand wouldn't pick up any more. It's a stick with a pointy silicone tip, which is designed for lip gloss. I got at least a dozen extra uses out of the concealer, which is pretty great. I got this gadget as part of some beauty variety bag, but it's normally $12. It could be worth it if you use a lot of fairly expensive products in tubes. I guess some other kind of stick could work, like a bamboo skewer? But you wouldn't get splinters from this Swoon thing, at least!
That's it! Out with the old! Are you saying goodbye to anything in time for the new year?
my NARS RCC is on its last legs too after 2 years. did you pull out the stopper on the concealer?
ReplyDeleteDo you have any idea how to do that? I need help. I watched a YouTube video that told me to pull out the RCC stopper with a pair of tweezers, and I succeeded only in bending the tweezers. :P
DeleteI didn't, but I probably could have got a handful of additional uses that way, especially from the top half of the tube. That Swoon stick thing is thin enough to get most of it from the edges, though. I might have pulled out the stopper if it had been the right shade and I wanted to use every last drop.
DeleteYou reminded me that I meant to try Kinesys sunscreen. I like Paula's Choice sunscreens I used on my face most of the time, but I'm always open to less expensive options.
ReplyDeleteIt's a very different texture than most sunscreens out there, but that's why I like it.
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