Hello, beauties!

Today it’s time to talk about empties: the products I’ve used up and whether I liked them or not. When I was setting aside the products I finished, I realized it’d been a while since I posted about empties on here. In fact, the last post was from September! I apparently took some pictures for an empties post back in October, but for whatever reason I never posted it. So that’s why there are two different backgrounds in my photos. I normally don’t finish up this many products, but it just happened to work out that I used a lot of the same products over the last few months. So bare with me, and let’s get started!

Clear Scalp & Hair Beauty Therapy Frizz Control Nourishing Daily Conditioner

I love this stuff, and I was quite sad when I finished it up. I think it made a big difference in my hair, especially over time, so I’d definitely repurchase this in the future I think. Right now I’m focusing on trying to use more natural products, so check back in a few days to read about the awesome shampoo and conditioner I’m currently using!

Secret Clear Gel Deodorant Scent Expressions: So Very Summerberry

I was also sad when I finished this up because I really grew to liking it. I used to hate gel deodorants, but now I prefer them over solid deodorants because these don’t leave any residue. I also really love this scent, even though it’s not summer anymore, and I think I have a backup of this at home now. Love it !

Avène Eau Thermale Thermal Spring Water

I think I got this in an Ipsy bag a few months ago, and I wasn’t sure what I thought of it for the longest time. Once I knew that I loved it, I used up the rest of the product quite quickly haha. I basically used it as a refreshing mist in the mornings or at night, or whenever I felt like I needed a little boost. This stuff was so nice and refreshing, but I don’t think I’d repurchase it in the future because it’s basically just water you spray on your face. It’s nice, but not necessary, for me at least.

Bath & Body Works PocketBac Anti-Bacterial Hand Gel: Island Margarita

NEW FAVORITE SCENT EVER. Obviously my love for margaritas isn’t new, but you get what I’m saying. This stuff smells EXACTLY like an original lime margarita, so clearly it was perfect. I bought two backups after I used this up, and if it wasn’t a limited edition scent, I will keep on buying it because it is wonderful.

NYX High Definition Eyeshadow Base

Judging by the wear and tear on the packaging, you can tell I’ve used this for months now. I love this stuff, and I used it every day for probably six months or more before finally running out. My eyeshadows don’t crease, my undereye concealer stays on better with this and a little bit goes a long way. What else is there to say? I finally repurchased this last week, so I’m a happy camper!

Soap & Glory Hand Food Hydrating Hand Cream

I actually finished this up a while ago, set the packaging aside, forgot about it and then I just found it recently. But it totally still counts! This hand cream has a really nice, light scent to it, and I found it works really well and absorbs really quickly. I have another hand cream that I like better, so I won’t rebuy this one, but I did like it.

Josie Maran 100% Pure Argan Oil Light

I liked using this as my moisturizer at night, but I don’t get why there’s so much hype about argan oil. This was a sample size I got from Sephora a few months ago, and I liked it but didn’t love it. It wasn’t terrible or anything, but I just didn’t really notice a difference in my skin using this versus my usual moisturizer.

NYX Be Gone! Makeup Remover Wipes

I first heard about these a few months ago, but the Ulta here in Fargo just got them a few weeks ago. I was so excited to try these because I love pretty much anything from NYX. But I have to admit that these were a bit of a letdown. These were good, not great. They did the job, but they were drier than other makeup wipes I’ve used, so I felt like I really had to rub my eyes to get all my stubborn mascara off. It did a good job of removing makeup on the rest of my face, but I felt like I had to work too hard to get all my eye makeup to come off so I don’t think I’ll repurchase these in the future.

Olay Fresh Effects Everything Off Deluxe Make-up Removal Wet Cloths

I really liked these! I got these in my Walmart Beauty Box a month ago, and I have to admit that I liked these much more than I thought I would. These weren’t as dry as the NYX wipes, but they weren’t too saturated either; and they did a great job of removing my eye makeup without making me work too hard! I liked that these had a nice, light scent that wasn’t overpowering, and I would definitely buy these in the future.

Yes to Cucumbers Soothing Hypoallergenic Facial Towelettes

These have been my tried and true favorites for at least a year now. I will continue to buy these over and over again because they work great, they smell great and I just plain love them. ‘Nuff said.

Yes to Coconut Hydrate & Restore Cleansing Wipes

These wipes were a huge letdown for me. I love the various Yes to brands, and I love coconut, so I thought I would really love these. But…no. These wipes were strange, frankly. The coconut smell seemed a little too overpowering, and they were weirdly both dry and saturated. I don’t really know how to explain it, but really these didn’t remove my makeup well and I didn’t use these on my eyes because I tried once and they kind of stung my eyes. These were just a big flop for me.

Revlon Colorstay Makeup for Combo/Oily Skin: 110 Ivory

This foundation lasted me about six or seven months, so you definitely get your money’s worth! I really loved this foundation for the first few months, but then for some reason I started to dislike it in the last month or so. I really liked that this line of makeup came in two lines: one for combo/oily skin and one for combo/dry skin. Most foundations try to be kind of “one size fits all” for who could benefit from it, and most of those make my face shiny halfway through the day, but not this one. I would say it gives more of a satin finish than matte, so I always add a matte finishing powder on top. This has great lasting power, although I don’t think it lasts for 24 hours like the packaging says. Overall, this is a good drugstore foundation for combo to oily skin. It’s better than I expected, but it’s not my holy grail, can’t-live-without-it foundation.

NYX Mineral Set It & Don’t Fret It Matte Finishing Powder: Light/Medium

This is a great matte setting powder! I’ve tried a lot of different setting powders, and most don’t mattify me the whole day, but this one did. It worked no matter what foundation I was using, and I was really sad when I used this up. I ran out of this about a month ago, and I just bought a replacement, so all is right in the world again. This is one of the best setting powders I’ve used because the loose powder blends easily into the skin, and it helps me stay matte almost all day. I’d highly recommend this to someone with combo to oily skin!

bareMinerals Prime Time Foundation Primer: Oil Control

I got this for free at work a few months ago, and I have to admit that I liked it more than I thought it would. I wasn’t expecting much, but this really did make a different in mattifying my face, especially my forehead, throughout the day no matter what foundation or powder I used. I probably wouldn’t buy it again, as it’s fairly expensive, but it did work well f or me and a little bit goes a long way.

Urban Decay De-Slick Makeup Setting Spray

I bought this sometime last year and I used it for a while, forgot about it and then started using it again. Maybe it’s just me, but I don’t get setting sprays. It felt nice to refresh my face after applying my makeup in the morning, but I don’t think it really helped my makeup last longer throughout the day. I know a lot of people swear by Urban Decay setting sprays, but it just didn’t do anything for me so I won’t be repurchasing this in the future.

Secret Scent Expressions Clear Gel Deodorant: Ooh-La-La Lavender

I’ve really been liking Secret clear gel deodorants lately, and this scent was really nice! I feel like it lasted nicely throughout the day, and I’d buy it again. Not much else to say about a deodorant other than it smells good and works well!

L’Oreal Paris Voluminous Carbon Black Mascara

I really loved this mascara, so I’m sad it got dried out. I had had it for a while, so it happens, but this was one of my favorites for sure. The brush was pretty full, and I thought it gave me great volume and length, but it wasn’t too much volume that it looked fakey. This was perfect for wearing day to day, and you could apply more coats to make it more dramatic for a night look. I’d highly recommend this mascara, and I will definitely be repurchasing it in the future.

Maybelline The Rocket Volum’ Express Mascara

This is another favorite mascara of mine, and I’ve already repurchased a backup. You only need one coat to get great volume and separation, and it lasts all day. I’ve found that it clumps up if you use more than one coat, but also you don’t need more than one coat to get great results, so it works out. Great mascara, great volume, great separation, great price!

L’Oreal Paris Youth Code Pore Vanisher

I finished this sample over a month ago, but I remember I liked it. It has a slight tint to it, and it did a nice job of covering my pores. It wasn’t life-changing or anything, but I did like it. I have other primers that help with pores already, so I’m not looking to buy a new one at the moment, but this was nice.

Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer

I’ve heard bloggers and YouTubers raving about this product for months, and I got these samples from Sephora a few months ago. I really liked the light texture and consistency, and I felt like it did help my makeup last better throughout the day. If it wasn’t so expensive, I’d definitely look into buying this.

Dr. Brandt Pores No More Pore Refiner Primer

I believe I got this in an Ipsy bag a few months ago, and it took me longer than I thought to use it up, which was nice. It also has a slight tint to it and a nice scent, and it did cover up my pores and made my face feel really soft and smooth. I liked it, but I probably won’t buy it.