Monday, July 6, 2015

Products I've Used Up/Empties Vol. 3

I believe in cherishing small victories in life. Modern day lifestyle can become so stressful at times that we don’t appreciate ourselves often enough! Not to sound too deep for a blogpost, but I strongly believe that for a beauty blogger this huge pile of empty products is a pretty decent victory! I am particularly happy about this set as I could finally finish up a few makeup items! So let me celebrate it :-)  

Mentioned in brackets are the regular size prices for these products! 


Ole Henriksen Sheer Transformation Facial Moisturizer (0.5 oz., 14$): It’s a white soft and light yet rich cream. The texture is light enough to sit well under makeup. This little bottle lasted me for 3-4 weeks. I did not have a lot of expectations, as I was not really a fan of the Sheer Transforming Face Crème. I really liked using the moisturizer while it lasted; however, I am not sure if I will repurchase a regular size product.

Peter Thomas Roth Pumpkin Enzyme Mask (5 oz., 58$): I reviewed a few PTR masks including this one here. I use this mask whenever I think my skin needs a good cleanup action along with some strong exfoliation. I do feel a very mild burning sensation for the first few seconds after application; but it’s not that bad. This mask makes my skin immediately feel so so refreshing; I really ENJOY it! And I have already repurchased. : -)

Dior Capture Totale One Essential Super Serum (1 oz, 100$): Oooh, fancy fancy!! Got this as a 100 point perk freebie from Sephora. Even though it looks tiny I was amazed to see how long this bottle lasted me. I used 2 to 3 pumps every other day and it took me more than a month to finish it off. The texture & look of the serum itself is like pimple-fuss; VERY gross right? :-) But I really enjoyed it! It gets very easily absorbed and feels really nice on my skin. When I was using it I saw very visible effect in reduction of some of the blemishes and scaring left behind from old pimples. I don’t know if that was for this serum or the few other products that I was using in conjunction. If it was not THIS expensive, I might have bought a full-size bottle ;-)

Caudalie Vinosource Crème Sorbet (1.3 oz., 39$): It took me 3 to 4 weeks to finish this tube.  It is a light moisturizer with a very nice fragrance! Even though the texture looks a little bit gritty but it’s very smooth to apply, weightless on the skin, absorbs quickly and is good under makeup too! I use this during Spring when I was in Florida for my projects and I have to admit it was a perfect face moisturizer for hot and humid Florida. After I finish up the all the moisturizer I have been hoarding, I might be picking up the full size version of it.

Maybelline Clean Express Waterproof Makeup Remover (4 fl oz., 5-7$): Now that I have tried a few makeup removers, I think that I like this one the best. It says oil free, but it surely leaves some oil behind. It removes waterproof makeup VERY nicely if I let it set for 1 min at least and it does not hurt my eyes. I am not able to see this in any stores anymore, but I am repurchasing it whenever I can find it.

Lotus Herbals Apriscrub (60g, around 10.99$): Lotus Herbals is a natural brand from India! I used their products regularly when I was in India. Anyway, this is marketed as a whitening scrub (Indian society is obsessed with fairer skin-tone!), but I don’t care for that part. It’s a gentle yet pretty effective scrub; I totally LOVED it. I used it once a week. It really helped me in handling the dry flaky patches on my face!

First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream (2 oz., 12$): I heard so much about it and I had great hope as it says “Intense hydration for dry parched skin” in its packaging! It was not that impressive. The formula is very thin; no disgusting smells but not entirely fragrance-free! If I would have used it during Spring months rather than in Winter, I may have liked it better! It last for a long time though! Overall it was an ok product but for me it just performed “OK”; I am not going to repurchase.

Bliss High Intensity 24-Heaven Healing Body Balm (1.9 oz., $32.98): I have reviewed this product in details here. It’s rich, thick yet creamy body balm! Because of its thickness it is not the most comfortable balm to "apply". I am very impressed with the product; it kept my skin moisturized the whole day. Even though it’s thick, it’s not sticky and it absorbs pretty quickly. During the harsh Chicago winter I needed to reapply another thin layer of this or my beloved Neutregena Body Oil before bed. But Overall, I am satisfied. I however do think that it is a pricy product so I am not really sure if I will repurchase this right at this moment. But if I can find a value set, I will surely get it. Or if my dry skin situation gets out of hand, I may buy it in regular size :-)

Caudalie Lip Conditioner (.15 oz., 12$): Hands down, the BEST lip balm that I have ever tried. It is a wonderful balm - velvety smooth to apply and helps to moisturize my lips for hours, even during peak winter. I already have two of these as back ups! You can never have enough lip balms, right?

PTR Laser-Free Resurface Face Serum (1 oz., 75$): Such a pretty packaging! It’s a beautiful maroon sleek bottle, sturdy and comes with a pump! Very hygienic and travel friendly. This is a tiny size that came with a PTR skincare set. I used it on alternate days and it lasted me a little over 1 month. The only problem with the packaging is that you cannot really see the usage from outside the bottle. So you will never know when you are running out of the product.  The serum itself is red in color and has a gel like consistency. It feels really great and smells kind of medicinal! It’s really hydrating for my skin! I had a lovely time while it lasted but it may be a while I go out buying a regular size.


Wet n Wild MegaSlicks Lip-Gloss in "Mauve-jave Deserrt/Eclat mauve" (2.29$): Aah! This was my VERY FIRST makeup product that I bought in USA. I still vividly remember the day! It must be a hectic and tensed week in the life of graduate student; no car and no money, and thousand engineering calculation to complete. I just walked a mile to the nearest Walgreen and saw this in just 1 or 2$! Yay, Wet n Wild! I used it to whenever I had a little time or want to feel fancy for just going to the University! Remember this was way before I had this much interest in makeup. Anyway, I did get a lot of usage from this - 2.5 long years :-) it’s a very natural mauve lip-gloss with some shimmer in it! I still have around 20% left in it, but it started to smell funky so I threw it out.

Lakme Sheer Satin Lip Gloss (Rs. 325): Another product that brings back so many memories!  I will forever remember my trip to Lakme makeup counter back in India just before I left for USA. It was kind of last splurge with my own money before coming here and become a poor graduate student :-) This is a clear very glossy-gloss! And it is not at all sticky! It makes every lip color perfect! I know nobody loves glossy lips these days and I don’t use it as much as I did before but I still love it. I do have an unopened new tube :-)

L’Oréal Voluminous Hydraproof (.23 fl.oz., 7.99$): I loved it when I first applied it. It gave me such a nice fluttery and yet kind of dramatic effect! Its super black and this was their waterproof one, and let me tell you it is a pain in the ass to remove! I would have loved to repurchase it because I loved the effect! But it dried within just a few weeks so I am not sure now!

RevitaLens Multipurpose Disinfecting Solution: I am a regular contact lens wearer so this is a must have for me. I got this particular bottle when I got my eyes checked. But I use Bausch & Lomb on a regular basis! This one is not bad too!

Caudalie Beauty Elixir (1 fl oz., $18): Everybody loves Caudalie Beauty Elixir! And I do too! I have written a whole long blogpost on some of the Caudalie product here. I love its strong but very refreshing smell! And I love, love the thin and stylish bottle. It comes with a hefty price for a skincare spray; so I don’t use it on an everyday basis though. I feel fancy whenever I use it and we sure do deserve to feel fancy from time to time…I already have a back-up for it :-)

BBW Shower Gel Twilight Woods Shower Gel (10 fl. oz., 12.50$): J What shall I write about this? This is a warm scent and I really like it. I used it in rotation to some other bath products but I do like it.

The Naked Bee Hand & Body Lotion (Orange Blossom Honey, Lavender & Beeswax Absolute, 6.7 oz., 12-16$): I love this moisturizer for my dry skin! It's not too thick or thin; absorbs quickly and is really "really" moisturizing. It’s perfect during summer but for rough Chicago winter months, I use my beloved Neutrogena Body Oil in coordination with this. It is 70% organic product without parabens, mineral oil, any dye or pigment. It is also cruelty free which is always a major plus in my book. The only problem is its scarce availability!

Veet Fast Acting Gel Cream Hair Remover (6.78 oz., 7.99$): This is my absolute favorite product for removing the unwanted hair J - easy and fast enough!

Parachute Coconut Oil: Where do I even begin? I religiously use it for deep overnight conditioning of my hair once a week. I have been doing it for as long as I remember :-) it helps in maintaining the moisture in my hair. I cannot live without this and I hardly ever shampoo my hair without using this overnight. Holy Grail status! :-)

Neutrogena Makeup Remover Cleansing Towelettes (25 wipes, 4-6$): Now that I have tried a few makeup remover wipes, I think these are my favorite! They are effective and are able to remove face makeup to a good extent without being “too harsh”. I have stopped using wipes for my eyes at all, but when I did, it did work well enough for simple eye-looks! I buy them in bulk from Costco :-)

Equate Flushable Wipes (48 Wipes, around 2-3$): You know, sometimes you get what you pay for. These were very dry wipes. They are not marketed as Makeup remover wipes; but it was not at all effective in doing anything. I was still able to finish it up somehow :-P


I have been collecting this for the past 3-4 months, you know throughout my move from Chicago to Florida and then back to Chicago… :-) And I already have a few new empties to talk about! Hope you all had a wonderful and safe 4th of July!

Love,

~Arrru

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