Products I've Used Up/Empties Vol. 4

I have a HUGE empty products review to share with you all! I have been accumulating this pile for a few months but never got the time to jot down my experiences. But now, I have decided that I am going to write about the used up products as soon as there are 5-7 of them. That will make this process way more easier and less time consuming! 

By the way, I am super impressed with this pile. If I can finish more products, I can buy more and try more :-)

Shahnaz Hussain Sharose Date Enriched Skin Toner: Shahnaz Hussain is a very loved and reputed “luxury” skincare brand in India. I remember finsing her products in the vanities of my cousin sisters back in the day Originally my sister bought this tube but she developed some allergy so I brought it here from my last trip to India. I really liked it. It is a potent toner! Not too strong but very efficient. 

Naturepro Herbal Sun Protect: I hail from India and Indian summer is brutal. It’s humid, sweaty and not at all fun for the skin. Because of the extreme humidity all sunscreen I had tried would sit so heavy on the skin that it was almost impossible to wear sunscreen without feeling like a sweaty hot mess. This rescued me. On application it gives you a cool feeling and it absorbs quickly! I buy it when I go home! This is my 2^nd or 3^rd tube. :-)

Himalaya Herbals Purifying Neem Face Wash (200 ml/150 INR): Current favorite brand from India. It’s a brand that markets itself as herbal and pure! Neem is an evergreen tree that has a lot of medicinal quality; in India neem has been widely used for ages for skincare purpose primarily for its antibacterial qualities. I use it as my morning facewash. I generally bring them when I go home annually but you can find them in most of the Indian Grocery store. I have gone through at least 5-6 bottles of this :-)

Ruby Crystal Ruby Falls Sugar Crush: The scrub itself was ok, but the packaging was awful. The opening was too tiny that it took me forever to squeeze out a decent amount to use in my whole body. The tube was getting splitting up at the side…basically it was a nightmare to use up. I refuse to waste any product so it was really annoying and needed a lot of patience to finish this tiny tube up. Definitely not buying a full size.

MURAD clarifying Cleanser (6.75 fl oz/$28): I bought this in a 15$ kit that came with 2 other acne clearing products. You are supposed to use it with each other. Anyway, when I first used it for a week I did not like it at all! It was too strong for me. I did not want to keep using it and almost thought of returning it. But after some gap, I was still suffereing from acnes and restarted using it. I do still have one or two occasional acnes here and there but it has stopped from being crazy. I did not use the other two products that came in the kit meaning I did not follow the instructiosn one by one. I was kinda scared that all three will be too strong for me to use at the same time. However I really enjoyed using it towards the end. But I am not really sure if I will repurchase it. 0.7 fl oz/21 ml.

Origins Clear Improvement Active Charcoal Mask (3.4 fl oz./$25): I first tried this over a year ago. I bought the set of 4 pods (just like “Out of Trouble” mask pods pictured here) and I am hooked ever since! I collect mini samples from Sephora whenever possible- I have the full size too. It clears up my pores, tightens my skin and brings a lot of liveliness to my skin! I simply LOVE this mask.

Perfume Samples: Marc Jacobs Daisy, Replica and Viva La Juicy! these are so convenient to keep in my purse for a mid day pick up application :-)

Nivea Hydrating Lip Care with SPF 15 (0.17 oz./$2.99): My most favorite lip balm from the drugstore. I love all the different types that comes in this line and SPF 15 in it surely is a bonus. I have a few lip balms in to get through but I am almost nervous that I have not repurchased it yet :-)

Marc Jacobs Lust for Lacquer in Kissability: I got this in the Sephora Favorite “Give Me Some Lips” set from 2014 (reviewed here). I did not expect to like this but I finally ended up loving it. First of all, isn’t the size adorable? It fits perfectly even in my smaller wallets. “Kissability” is a rosey-hued pink with some almost-unnoticeable golden shimmers in it! It has a bit minty tingling feel when you first apply, but nothing overwhelming. It’s light weight and applies very sheer; I loved to reapply it on top of my regular lipstick towards the very end of the day. I am not able to find this range in Sephora anymore but I really hope someday it comes in a small kit with 4 tiny tubes; that will make me a happy girl! :-)

Clean Skin Perfume (1 oz./ $38): I got this in a Sephora value set. It is a very clean fragrance and I absolutely love it :- ) And the size is just perfect for my purse and or handbag! I am thinking of investing in the Holiday set they currently have available.

Origins Out Of Trouble™ 10 Minute Mask (3.4 fl oz./$25): It’s a bit stronger than the charcoal mask. I was having horrible breakout a few weeks ago! It is by no means a miracle product but I do feel it has cleared up a lot of my skin trouble. I have 3 more pods to finish, but I do see myself buying the full size.

Loreal new Sublime Sun Suncreen (No longer available, cost me around $7): Can you tell how sincere I am with my sunscreens? This is another favorite. Absorbs quickly, sits well under makeup and is a very good sunscreen.

Aveeno protect+hydrate lotion sunscreen (3 oz./$10.99): Another sunscreen! For last year or two I have been using this religiously. I did not have a lot of experience using it underneath makeup but it is really great as sunscreen. This has saved me from sun burn when I had long days working outside as a field engineer. I want to repurchase it once I am out if my current one but I cannot find it anywhere :-(

Aveeno Smart Essentials Daily Moisturizer (2.5 fl oz/$16.99): This is an expensive product from the drugstore. Actually this particular review comes from a friend as it is his used up product :-) It is a good product if you are just looking for sunscreen and moisturization. A nice mild smell would really make it a even better. I tried it under makeup and I loved it but I think Aveeno as brand has some good skincare products. 

Peter Thomas Roth Cucumber Gel Mask (5 oz./$45): As mentioned in their website, Cucumber and Rose masks have different purposes! But apart from their fragrance I don’t feel much of a difference. The Rose one is slightly heavier on the skin than the cucumber one. It is very light, simple and easy mask to incorporate once or twice a week in my skincare routine. I already have repurchased it.

Peter Thomas Roth Rose Stem Cell Gel Mask (5 oz./$45): I have reviewed the set I got from Sephora here. I love these masks! The texture of these is like soft jelly so it is pretty easy to put on. If my skin is feeling rough, dry and dehydrated I use this as rejuvenating mask. I used to travel quite a lot and whenever I had air travel, I would use this the night before! It surely helps in tackling the dry skin following air travel.

Philosophy Hope in a Jar Moisturizer for Dry Skin (2 oz./$42): This is my second bottle :-) I did not expect to repurchase it after the first bottle but Ulta had an incredible deal and I ended up buying it. I do like it :-) I have a very detail review here. It is a good moisturizer; but not enough for my dry skin during the cold chilly moths in the windy city. By the way Philosophy has reformulated this moisturizer.

Olay Active Hydrating Cream – Original (1.9 Fl oz./$6.49-7.99): Another nostalgic product! I remember my first encounter with this product very vividly. I remember how refreshing and moisturizing it felt on my skin. It was expensive compared to what I was using at that time and I could immediately notice a huge difference. I felt pampered! :-) I used it religiously for almost 3-4 years but I have now slowly grown out of it. (Mostly because I love testing out new products)…Maybe sometime in the future, I will buy it again :-)

Ulta Cotton Balls: Nothing to say about it. Gets the work done and I will definitely repurchase :-)

Simple Cleansing Facial Wipes (25 Ct./$5.99): I had to return the Miceller Water from "Simple" because it burnt my eyes :-( But I totally enjoyed these wipes. They were moist, removed my makeup gently, I have to use a face wash also but I totally enjoyed it. Will surely repurchase. 

Clarisonic Brushhead: I have been using Clarisonic off and again for per last 2 years and I intend to review it thoroghly some day.  

Bare Minerals Purely Nourishing Cream (1.7 oz./$28): It was tiny little sample jar. The consistence was very waxy and I totally did not like it. 

CK One Color Mascara (0.31 fl oz./$18): It was the birthday gift from Ulta last year, I used it idle for 2-3 months before I started using it. It was an OK mascara! It separates and gives decent looking lashes. But it smudges and it was so damn hard to wash off at night. It takes a lot of time to remove and I simply don't have the patience. Definitely not buying it! 

Laura Geller GlamLASH Dramatic Volumizing Mascara (0.28 oz./$24): I loved the wand on this. It's the perfect size for my hooded eyes. It's a good mascara, It does not give you the most luscious lashes which I don't prefer anyway! I would definitely like to get it in a value kit may be :-) as I don't typically buy full size mascara. 

Lakme ABSOLUTE Flutter Secrets Volumizing Mascara (7.5 ml/INR 675): This is the first mascara I ever tried and I loved it! I have already used one up but this one disappointed me. The wand tip broke off inside the tube just after 2-3 weeks of use; there was no way to use it after that :-) I blame myself because it was sitting unused for 2-3-4 months.

MAKE UP FOR EVER Smoky Extravagant Mascara (0.23 oz./$24): This is my most adored mascara till date. I got it from Sephora for my birthday last year! It is still in working condition but I should probably throw it out. It gives naturally voluminized look to the lashes, very simple and yet defined! I already have another mini in my stock.

Algenist Advanced Anti-Aging Repairing Oil (1 oz./$79): This is very light face oil. I used it during summer on my unfortunate dry patches. It's a crazy expensive product; it worked fine but I am not encouraged to invest in a full size. 

Ole Henrikson Truth Serum Vitamin C Collagen Booster (1 oz./$48): How adorable is this bottle? I really like this serum, it is not a miracle product but it is something I have grown fond of! I got this for my mom too the last time I went home and looks like she is enjoying it too! Good thing is that Sephora Favorites Set generally includes this in smaller size; I am currently using one such adorable bottle. 

Bath and Body Works “Japanese Cherry Blossom” Shower Gel: It would not be an “empties” blog post without a Bath and Body Works product! This particular flavor brings back a lot of happy memories; I believe someone gifted me years ago and it was the first beauty product from US that I tried back in India! I will definitely repurchase it.

Few more holiday kit reviews coming soon....Keep posted :-)

Love,
~Arrru