I’ve been splitting my time living between two different places from weekdays to weekends so naturally, I have two collections of products per place as well as two different beauty routines. You can bet that collecting empties has been a little awkward and inconvenient but I’m making it work.
This compilation is not even half of what I’ve accumulated so far! The plan is to ultimately write about it all before the end of the year so that I can successfully throw everything out and start 2020 on a clean slate.
Let’s begin shall we?
+ Would repurchase
– Will not bother again
= Neutral/Indifferent
+ MAC Cleanse Off Oil
– Sukin Cleansing Gel
+ Witch Toning Lotion
+ Poppy Austin Hyaluronic Acid
= Clinique Vitamin C Capsule
+ Clinique Moisture Surge
+ Clinique Dramatically Different Gel+ (Jumbo size)
+ Bioré UV Gel Sunscreen
+ LUSH Sleepy
= Wilkinson’s Sword Quattro Razor Blades
+ Maybelline Age Rewind Concealer in Light
+ Etude House Drawing Eyebrow Duo
– Mizon Rice Real Cleansing Foam
*Please note that some of the empties are not pictured as I have thrown them out prior to making this post.
**I am also well-aware that this Empties features 13 products as opposed to 10. I always try my best to post around 10 despite the name of this Empties series.
Something that had been on my wish list for quite some time! Described as an industry-standard cleansing oil, I can definitely vouch for this. It melts off makeup in a matter of seconds and feels incredibly lightweight on the skin. I’m onto a new cleansing balm now but would be happy to re-purchase this in the future. It’s not quite my personal favourite but it’s functional and that’s the main thing.
Sukin Cleansing Gel [See haul post]
A new brand that I’ve been trying this year is Sukin. I have only managed to finish this product so far whilst in the midst of using the day lotion and night cream in my current routine. It’s a very mild cleanser perfect for if you have very sensitive skin. Personally, I prefer something that is…stronger? Perhaps the wrong word to use in this context but if you know, you know.
I’ve talked about this before so won’t go into too much detail. I usually purchase it from Poundland when it is available because it really is a steal. If you’re suffering from problem skin, this is one of the products I use to counter that.
Hydration is something I work on for the majority of my skincare routines throughout the year. I am sure that I’ve previously talked about this serum. It’s a nice-absorbing hydrator that won’t break your pocket. It’s also in a 60ml bottle which sets itself apart from practically all the serums out there! There’s some interesting ingredients in here such as witch hazel and aloe. All in all, a fail-safe serum if you ask me, and a good place to start for serums!
These come in packs of 4 or 8 I believe. This is a really expensive product (even by Clinique’s standards) so definitely no-repurchasing. I do however, love the concept of splitting a Vitamin C serum into capsules to keep it as fresh as possible. I’ve been taking these with me whenever I go traveling – each capsule meaning to last for about a week. It helps in brightening up my skin and re-energising it but I don’t think it gives it that much of a difference that it beats the other Vitamin C products that I’ve tried! You can definitely get more bang out of your buck elsewhere.
A summer re-visit. Overall, this may be my third purchase of it which says a lot. It’s a gel moisturiser and one that my skin loves drinking up. One of the best gel moisturisers out there if you’re after some thirst-quenching stuff.
Clinique Dramatically Different Gel+
Another standard favourite which feels more OG because it is. I was first introduced to it about 10 years ago (!!) and still to this day, I swear by it. The jumbo size lasted me a whole year or more on and off so it was definitely an investment that paid off.
I don’t want to go into too much detail with the next product because it’s been in a few posts now. [See here and here] You should know however that the Bioré UV Gel Sunscreen is my favourite sunscreen. Super lightweight and travel-friendly so definitely check it out if you haven’t already.
LUSH is just one of those stores where I aim to go in as few times as possible in a year. I can deal with the scents but I cannot deal with all the SAs who, although are lovely human beings, each one tend to be in-your-face and whilst you successfully (and politely) fend off one, another comes along to ask if you need help.
Anyways, enough on that.
Back to Sleepy – I love the lavender scent. This is definitely a product you use before you go to sleep. I’m incredibly lazy when it comes to body-moisturising but for the times I did use it, I saw changes straight away in my skin. Plus, I would say it’s eczema and psoriasis friendly!
Wilkinson’s Sword Quattro Razor Blades
Not much to say about this other than it gives a really close shave without irritating my skin or accidentally cutting it.
Maybelline Age Rewind Concealer in Light
Have I talked about how hard it is to buy this in my local Boots?! It is always sold-out! I used this to the very end with the sponge applicator eventually splitting. I made the decision to then tear the sponge off after a friend advised me to and it was still good to go! This is actually one product where I know I have used every drop I can get so definitely very efficient. It’s my favourite concealer along with Maybelline’s Fit Me. It’s just so brightening and blendable without ever looking dry and cakey.
Etude House Drawing Eyebrow Duo
This particular version appears to be discontinued (although not entirely, just without this design of a powder tip on one end). I adored this eyebrow product since it gave me the softest brow look (I am not a fan of strong eyebrows – it doesn’t look right on me). The product does however, have a tendency to break in bags so just be mindful of this. The lid on the powder end broke within a month and then recently, the pencil itself split. All in all, not the sturdiest design but it is super inexpensive so I guess you can’t have it all.
Mizon Rice Real Cleansing Foam [See post here]
A product that sits in a very grey area which makes it even more difficult and challenging to talk about. My skin can mostly take a lot but it can be mildly sensitive from time to time. The first few times I used this, I felt like my eyes were stinging in the slightest. I also felt like my skin wasn’t being cleaned and might potentially breakout at any moment. It never made my skin horrific so much so as to ruin it but good skincare should not make you feel this cautious! For the record, no it didn’t improve my skin either. (Please let me know if you have any similar experiences.)
I’ve placed all my empties in a Zara carrier bag and whilst I haven’t looked at it in a while, I have certainly tugged at its weight and it is getting heavy! I definitely need to make a list of products I want to make efforts in finishing next year though!
As always, thanks for reading. 🙂
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