It has been a month and a half since my last empties post. I think the delay is on account of two things: holiday madness (during which I gained
a whole lot of new things to play with and wasn't at home to use up the old stuff) and the fact that I finished so many
jumbo-sized items last time, that this round was bound to happen slower than usual.
First, these aren't empties but things I gave away to my sisters. The below are some items I took to the Philippines and left behind. I don't need these sun protection products for the next 4-5 months and my sister needs them while living and travelling in Southeast Asia.
I also left her with the half-finished bottle of Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat. I know people say it gets goopy and weird halfway through, but I actually found mine to be in good working order. I'm going to bet that my sister isn't going to use it at all, or maybe just once or twice at most. But I didn't feel like wrapping up and lugging back half-finished bottles.
May she have better luck with the Shiseido sunscreen which I am guessing is responsible for the breakouts last summer. She happens to be a fan of Shiseido and we have completely different skin types, so hopefully no breakouts for her.
Once I came home, I gave my other sister the Pure Beauty Exfoliating Face Scrub which annoys the heck out of me with its super ultra fine buffing beads. I also gave her the unused Dior Serum de Rouge in #470 that came in
the Dior Tailleur Bar set. I like the Serum de Rouge formula, but the shade is way too pink for my liking. It's perfect for my fairer-skinned baby sis, though!
And now, the actual empties! The first three got finished in
Boracay. God, I wish I was back there right now.
Aveeno Sunscreen Lotion SPF 55 - Briefly mentioned
here. I've decided that I really like this sunscreen lotion. I prefer lotion to sprays and this Aveeno formula is creamy and absorbs nicely into the skin without having to rub too much. I experienced zero irritation and absolutely no burns while chilling a few degrees close to the equator. This may become my go-to drugstore sunscreen from now on.
L'Occitane Lait de Roses Body Milk (sample) - The texture is runny, since it's a "milk", but I was surprised by how well it moisturized. The smell is one of the better rose-scented products I've used in the past. It's not old lady and it's not too strong. After a full day on the beach and showering with a bar of soap, applying this body milk felt decadent and indulgent.
Another
Body Shop Tea Tree Cleansing Wipes. I went through these like air during the summer, but ever since my face got dried out by the Clinique toner in late November, these wipes have been stinging and uncomfortable. I've resolved to stop buying wet wipes unless absolutely necessary, so you won't see these around here again.
The next four products died in
Singapore.
EcoTools Travel Brush - I really like EcoTools and should get more of their brushes. This travel brush lasted a good five or more years, but I may have shampooed this a little too vigorously before leaving on vacation and the whole thing fell apart on my last day abroad. Brushes don't usually show up in empties posts but in this case, I can definitely say that
I finished a brush.
Philosophy Purity Made Simple One-Step Facial Cleanser (travel size) - My go-to makeup remover and cleanser. This was a 100 points perk at Sephora and was exactly the amount I needed for a two-week trip. I'm nearing the end of a jumbo size Purity at the moment and contemplating whether I should keep on buying Purity. Love it but kind of pricey.
Burt's Bees Tomato Toner for Oily Skin (travel size) - I never bothered to show this on the blog but I got it on a whim before I became serious about looking for toners without scent and alcohol. It's an older product that I think isn't sold anymore, and thank goodness because it was kind of awful. It stung my face badly and had that "natural but unpleasantly natural" smell that I hated all throughout. I used the decanted amount I took on the trip but dumped the remainder of the full bottle. It's not even going to make it into the empties post, it's so terrible.
Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer (sample size) - Regular readers should know
how much I adore this primer. I wanted to see how well it would hold up in the heat of the tropics and it performed adequately. I'm almost finished with the full size bottle and contemplating whether its hefty price tag is worth the splurge. On the deck is the Shu Uemura BB Under Base Mousse I picked up at the Tokyo duty-free. I guess we shall see in a month or so.
The rest are recent empties.
Bath & Body Works Japanese Cherry Blossom Bath & Shower Gel - I'm not a fan of this scent but my sister left me the half-finished bottle before she left for the Philippines and I obediently finished it to the last drop. It does the job, if a bit too well -- I feel like it's stripping of moisture -- and I doubt that I'll ever buy this one.
Frederic Fekkai Glossing Conditioner - Reviewed
here. Another "meh" product sold at a horrendous price. Not buying again, ever.
Dr. Dennis Gross Extra Strength Alpha Beta Peel (sample) - The last of my two sample packets from Sephora. I reviewed it briefly
here. My feelings about it haven't changed, especially now that I'm seeing such great results from regular use of the
Clarisonic Mia. Not purchasing.
Bare Escentials On the Spot Liquid-Filled Cotton Swabs - These are like a secret no one seems to know about. BE had them long before Almay came out with them and I had two packs that never really got used because I just use regular eye makeup removers at home. But these are fabulous for travel and I love breaking the tip to see the liquid flow down into the cotton swab. I'm also surprised that the price has remained steady at USD$5/CDN$6. I'm going to refrain from buying any but will scoop one up when travel plans loom on the horizon. (You can buy them at Sephora online
here.)
Guerlain Terracotta Skin in Brunette (sample) - Review forthcoming.
Bonne Belle Lip Smacker 100% Natural Pink Guava - Ranted about it WAAAY back when
here and still hung on to it! Hate it and see no need to suffer with a $1 lip balm that doesn't balm well. Toss!
PureDerm Green Tea Essence Mask - Sheet masks are all the rage but I'm not into them. I think they're great for dry skin types who could use a boost of moisture from the masks but have yet to come across one that works on an oily face. I just look like Hannibal Lector and get impatient with these sitting on my face for 20 minutes because I want to eat or drink something as soon as they go on. See?
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| Hee! |
And now for the unloved items being tossed. Six lipsticks and two glosses must go!
MAC Cremesheen in Modesty - Seemed like a good pink nude at the time but it's pink that clashes with the yellow in my skin tone and then it had to melt and bend in the strangest way, making it impossible for me to work with it. It's going in a separate bag for B2MAC.
Then we have:
- LORAC Cream Lipstick in Soul Sista
- Cargo Plan Love in Sam
- L'Oreal Colour Riche in Sunwash
- Clinique High Impact SPF 15 in Go Fig
I had a habit of picking brownish lipsticks that I thought were slightly deeper than MLBB shades. They actually make me look dated and unhealthy. The Cargo smelled pretty bad when I opened the cap so that had to go. The Lorac is a lovely creamy texture so it's a shame but I never reach for it. I've learned my lesson:
no more brown lipsticks.
This one here was a tiny gift with purchase and I don't even know the shade name. But it's a despicable shade of pink with gold shimmer that looks AWFUL on me. I don't know why I kept it this long.
And these two... they sort of floated back and forth between my sister and I for so many years that although they apply just fine, I feel icky knowing that they're about five years old at least and need to be buried. Or burned.
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Clinique Raspberry Glace
Lancome Bonfire |
And finally,
Voluspa French Bourbon Vanille Candle. It's creamy but not sweet -- and musky, too, without being overwhelming. It has 80-hour burn time and those 80 hours are
divine. It's a great winter scent that makes your home feel cozy and sophisticated at the same time. Good thing I got two of them for 30% off at Indigo!
Today's total:
- 7 lip products tossed
- 1 candle finished (doesn't count as a "product")
- 6 full-size finished
- 7 travel/sample-size finished
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
I counted up all the previous empties, and the year-end total, including today's, are as follows:
- Jumbo size - 6
- Full size - 47
- Travel/sample size - 17
- Tossed - 21
Going by my rule of (1 jumbo = 2 regular size) and (5 travel/sample = 1 regular size), I've emptied the equivalent of
62.4 products since June when I started keeping track of empties. That's an astounding number to me. That means we finish about a 100 products in a given year, give or take a few dozens depending on your beauty routines. Something to think about and chew on as we move toward making better choices in the new year!
Did you keep track of your year-end empties? How many products did you finish in 2011?
