Products I've Used Up/Empties Vol. 7

I have a lot of products to discuss today so I am going to the point - here are all the empty tubes/jars/packetts I have been hoarding. I am very happy to finally blog and throw/recycle all these :-)

PETER THOMAS ROTH Max Sheer All Day Moisture Defense Lotion: I absolutely love this sunscreen. It was very light on my skin and it did not disturb the makeup over it. It has a pump which is always a blessing. Only problem is that you cannot exactly see how much of it you are using and when you are going to run out. I am currently using a few different sunscreen but PTR is currently offering a sale and so I bought two of 1 oz. tubes :-)

AVEENO protect+hydrate lotion sunscreen (3 oz./$10.99): This is my third tube of Aveeno sunscrre. For last year or two I have been using this religiously as my body sunscrren. This has saved me from sun burn when I had long days working outside as a field engineer and now when I go for my 30 min to 1 hr exercise session in sun. I desperately need to repurchase but I don’t know from where :-(

WHITEGLOW™ Oatmeal & Yogurt Skin Whitening Scrub (100 g/157 Rs.): I don’t have the faintest recollection of why I bought a “Skin Whitening” product. As a women born and brought up in India, I am dead against the “skin Whitening” concept. I must have been looking for a scrub, I like the brand. It was a good scrub. It was almost approaching the expiry date so the last 2/6^th of the tube using on my neck or on my body. I have come across better scrubs and I am not going to repurchase.

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 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.

ORIGINS Out Of Trouble™ 10 Minute Mask (3.4 fl oz./$26): 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 bought these 4 pod-packette an now I am using a full-size one.

GLAMGLOW YOUTHMUD™ Tinglexfoliate Treatment (1.7 oz./$69): Among all the Glamglow products I have tried, this might be the best performing one. I don’t get the hype. They are alright mask, nothing that has blown me over. I keep using the Gift with Purchase ones but I will not repurchase a full-size one.  

NEUTROGENA Body Oil Light Sesame Formula (8.5 oz./$9.99): I have reviewed this product here. This is one of my HOLY-GRAIL products. I cannot do without this oil, especially during the winter! And when winter lasts 8 months in a year, it's a savior :-) I have gone through many, many bottles of these and I am pretty sure I am gonna need many more.

AVEENO Daily Moisturizing Lotion (12 oz./$8.99): I like Aveeno, but this was a painful product to finish up. It is a good moisturizer however it did not have any fragrance to it. But in reality, it actually smelled a bit odd and it was just too boring to finish just huge bottle of odorless moisturizer.

MARIO BADESCU Hyaluronic Eye Cream (0.5 oz./$18): I absolutely LOVE this pproduct. I used to have severe dry skin under my eye. It was bad and then I moved to Chicago which made the situation even worse. I started to use this and it took care of this situation. Now it has become a bit heavy for everyday use. But every time the situation worsens, I resort to this. I will definitely repurchase.

CAUDALIE Vine Body Butter (6.7 oz./$34): This is a luxury product that I through and through enjoyed. It smelled divine; well everything from Caudalie smells damn good. It was a very good moisturizer. Thin consistency & it absorbed quickly. It did not get enough moisturization during nasty Chicago winters but I loved it for all other time of the year. I bought it in a value set, and unless I get another value set I am not spending that much money :-) but I really enjoyed while it lasted. You can also see a tiny little sample of some moisturizer from Caudalie but I could not remember what it was but I am sure I liked it.

FRESH Youth Preserve Face Cream (1.7 oz./$45): A very favorite product from this empties bunch! It’s such a light moisturizing cream. I love the smell, quite different, almost herbal-y but not overwhelmingly so! It’s an expensive product and I often think that my dry skin might need a more thicker moisturizer. But nonetheless using this makes me feel fancy and that’s something I need once in a while :-) This was my second bottle and I will definitely repurchase it.

ORIGINS Ginzeng Energy-boosting Moisturizer (1.7 oz./$27.50): This is my ABSOLUTELY favorite moisturizer. It has a thin gel-like consistency which is PERFECT for my dry skin which has currently become very acne-prone. It also smells very fresh and bit citrus-y. I have a new travel size bottle but I definitely need to repurchase.

PHILOSOPHY When Hope is Not Enough Facial Farming & Ligting Serum (1 oz./$45): Philosophy's "Hope in a jar" line of products are very hyped. I bought a value-set sometime in 2014, and then again in 2015. I think it costs me about $75 (I had a 20% off as well) for three full-size; it was a complete steal. So, this is my second tube and I absolutely enjoyed it. I am definitely interested in repurchasing but I am looking for a deal :-)

Yay, so many makeup empties :-)

BARE MINERALS Marvelous Moxie Lip Gloss in “Party Starter”: Technically this is not an “empty”. The bottle was licking so I transferred to a different lip gloss tube. I love this gloss, it tingles but just a bit. I pair with one of my favorite lipstick from Bite Beauty in Cin Cin. I also layer it over some of my nude lipsticks to add some warmth. I have almost gone through half the tube.

MAYBELLINE 24 hr. Super Stay Concealer in : So, this guy dried out. I bought it about 2-3 years ago when I needed to cover up some kitchen mishaps that left some marks on my neck. It worked great; I liked the way it covered up my burn marks. It was a bit dry so I could not use it on my under eye area. I am not going to repurchase but I liked it because it served the purpose. Plus, it was very affordable. I am not sure if it has been discontinued.

MARC JACOBS Mascara: I think this is a tubing mascara, but I let it sit idle for a long time and I guess it lost its charm. It was a wet formula and removal wasn’t really that easy! I actually did not get to use it thoroughly before I decided to toss it away.

MAKE UP FOR EVER Rouge Artist Natural in N-9: I loved this shade! It was a birthday gift from Sephora and I already have another backup sample. These are actually nice, decently creamy lipsticks that are quite good for everyday wear. They are not matte but they are not overly satin either. They last about 4-5 hrs., but I can easily reapply. I think MUFE has discontinued this formula and has very recently reformulated these to Artist Rouge Lipstick. I have tried that as well and they are nice too.

TARTE 12-hr Amazonian Clay Blush in “Dollface”: This freaking tiny little sample took me 2-3 weeks to finish. It definitely deserve to be legitimate “empty”. I simply LOVE Tarte blushes. They are easy to apply and last the entire day and they are so very pigmented. They are also very forgiving on my porous cheeks :-) this is a very cool-toned baby pink not the most flattering on my skin but I can wear it. I have “Tipsy (reviewed here)” and “Flush (the old one reviewed here)” and I love both; Tipsy is one of my absolute favorite blushes.

O.P.I. Lay Down The Base: I enjoyed this product so much; it is excellent base coat and for the life of me I cannot find it anywhere. I need to repurchase if any of you have any idea where to buy it please let me know.

MAC Prep + Prime Fix+ (3.4 fl oz./$23): This is a VERY popular product from MAC; it is basically a water solution with vitamins, mineral, green tea, chamomile etc. It is supposed to add radiance, be used as a makeup finishing spray (but not as a setting spray)! The smell is so refreshing it immediately makes me feel invigorated; I also do feel it helps in prolonging the wear time of my makeup. I have seen people saying that it is extremely easy to prepare it at home; I am not sure if I would love to try DIY-ing. I have been loving Fix+ and I am currently using a full-size bottle.

MARIO BADESCU Seaweed Cleansing Lotion (8 oz./$15): It was actually nice to incorporate this in my routine. I have many similar products so I don’t need a full-size right now.

FRESH Rose Floral Toner (8.5 oz./$40): I actually like it very much. It felt mike a stronger type of a tonic. It’s quite expensive I do think there are similar-performing products that are much more affordable.

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 :-)

MACADAMIA PROFESSIONAL Nourishing Moisture Masque Packette (1 oz./$6): I think I got this as a sample with some purchase. I was able to use this packette for lmost 3 times. I was completely blown away after the first use and I convinced myself that I need to buy the full size. It is excellent as a deep moisturizing hair mask after shampooing.

BUMBLE & BUMBLE Don’t Blow it (2 oz./$15): I got in a Sephora play box (reviewed here). It is meant to add texture on air-dried hair. Because I typically air-dry my hair this was perfect. It was one of the products that can be deemed unnecessary but it sure DOES help. I use it as a conditioning cream after washing off, it sure makes my hair appear softer and easier to handle. It was a tiny little sample and it just lasted for 2 usages. I enjoyed it but not really need a full size right now.

PARACHUTE Coconut Oil: HOLY GRAIL! Nothing else to say. I have been using it for as long as I can remember and I probably would use for the rest of my life. I apply mainly as an overnight hair mask before washing the next day. On peak winter, when my skin gets really dry and flaky, I do use it on my legs and hands before going to sleep.

IT'S A 10 Miracle leave-in Plus Keratin (10 oz, $39.96): I absolutely love this leave-in conditioner! It’s been much more than a year since my last hair-straightening treatment and hence my original hereditary crazy waves are coming back! May be because of that its effect has not been as mind-blowing as before. But it still does a great job in managing my uncontrollable wavy hair and makes them look smooth and presentable. I will continue to use it.

L'ORÉAL Oleo Therapy Deep Recovery Mask (8.5 oz./$8.99): This is almost similar as the Macademia one. The later just feels a bit luxe and a little bit more effective. But yes, this is another hair mask that is really, really worth the price.

SCHWARZKOPF BC HAIRTHERAPY Q10 Plus Time Restore Shampoo (8.5 oz./$20): I got my hair chemically smoothened few years back and my hair stylist suggested this line and I have been using it ever since! I like the “smooth shine” ones but Ulta does not carry that particular version for some reason. I typically buy 21L bottles when Ulta has their 21 Days Hair Event! It is not the greatest product out there but it has been decent for my hair.

MAYBELLINE Clean Express Waterproof Makeup Remover (4 fl oz./$5-7): Now that I have tried a few makeup remover liquids, 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. It is kind of difficult to find it everywhere, so whenever I see it, I buy it in bulk.

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 (I recently have found better ones though)! 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 :-).

OLAY Clean & Mild Makeup Remover Cloths (20 ct./$1.24): I liked it and can see myself buying these again.

Cotton Pads: Okay, for cotton balls I buy from Ulta. I don’t like the round pads from Ulta and I prefer them from Sephora. There is nothing more to discuss, ha ha!

BIOTRUE & RE-NU Contact Lens Solution: For past year or two, I have been wearing my contact lenses almost every day. So I go through these solutions like water. It’s good that Costco has deals for this. I buy whichever brand is available on Costco :-)

Love,

~Arrru