Empties | Summer 2016

This season has been busy for me and it’s been great! I hope you all had a wonderful Summer, whether you’ve gone on vacation or stayed at home binge-watching Netflix. Here are my empty products that I used up to the very last drop from the months of June, July, August and September 2016.

Makeup

1. Rimmel Match Perfection Concealer – Let’s call this the never-ending concealer. I used it for my under eye area and even though it’s from the drugstore, it’s probably my best matching concealer for my skin that I have ever found. In case you were wondering, I got this in the Light-Medium shade and it blended out like a dream. The brush tip made it easy to apply and I miss this product already!
2. (2) Stila Stay All Day Liquid Eyeliner – For years, I have been trying to perfect the winged eyeliner look and I can say that this product is great for beginners trying to achieve that lovely wing. The felt tip is not flexible, but it’s sturdy for beginners. I learned by making little dashes along my lash line and ultimately connecting those dashes carefully. Be patient; It’s takes time, people!
3. Kat Von D Tattoo Liquid Eyeliner – I recommend this for intermediate learners who already know the shape/placement of their winged eyeliner. The brush tip is flexible and is much easier to use if you’ve already had practice with a felt tip. Its flexibility is what makes the product unique and you’re able to get the sharpest, cleanest wing. The competition is high, and I still don’t know which my favorite is of the two liquid eyeliners.
4. Anastasia Brow Wiz – This is one of the best high end brow products I have ever tried. The pencil is super thin and pigmented enough to look like brow hairs. The spoolie at the end is great because it brushes up the hairs so you know where there are sparse areas. I usually start at the bottom of the brow and end with the top of the arch. Always make sure to blend out with the spoolie so it does not look too harsh.
5. Buxom Mascara – This was nice, but it was not a favorite of mine. I would not purchase this mascara. It coated my lashes and gave some volume, but there truly was nothing special about it. I even forgot that I used this up.
6. Falsies Mascara – This was a great mascara because just like its name, your lashes get more volume and length just as false lashes would provide. I would use this more for nighttime use, but I really like its formula. It never gave me any problems and always looked great.
7. Collection 2000 Concealer – Since this was a very hyped up product by European YouTubers, I needed to try it. My sister brought it back for my other sister and me from her trip! It was very exciting to get to finally try the most loved concealer. It was very smooth, the color matched and even brightened up the eye area, and it was able to cover up any redness. My only small complaint is that the packaging rubbed off more and more with each use.
8. Dr. Brandt Pores No More – The orangey product inside was too much for my sensitive skin. It did fill in my pores beautifully. It made the skin appear smoother. I think because it literally fills in your pores, it made my skin break out. It was lovely, until it messed my skin up. Can’t have that!

Hair

1. Batiste Dry Shampoo – Both Wild and Cherry were very strong scented dry shampoos, and I gravitate towards the Original formula. They did the job, but I don’t need those strong scents. I love all Batiste products, but people are telling me that it causes baldness? Because of that I only use it twice a week at most.
2. Not Your Mother’s Beach Babe – This texturizing sea salt spray has lasted me for over a year. A little goes a long way and I discovered that the salt can act as a dry shampoo to soak up the oils in the hair. I mainly use this when I curl my hair; because my hair is so dark, I like to be able to see the texture I made in my hair.

Skincare

1. Garnier Skin Active Micellar Cleansing Water – I mainly used this cleansing water on a cotton pad at night as my cleanser before I put my skincare on. It’s not the greatest at removing stubborn makeup, unless you have 4 soaked cotton pads – Who has time for that?
2. Swisspers – Speaking of cotton pads, these are the ones I use all the time. Doesn’t fall apart, but it’s nothing special either.
3. Philosophy’s Purity – Instead, I use this as my main makeup remover. It removes mascara, liquid foundation and the rest of stubborn makeup. I use a nickel sized amount on the palm of my hand, rub my hands together and apply to a wet face. From there, you can watch your makeup disappear. It’s gentle and never irritates my sensitive skin.
4. Aquaphor – This is the best remedy for dry, chapped lips. Within a day or two of using this, your lips will be completely healed. I usually use this in the winter time, but when my lips are acting up, I turn to this product. Nothing else beats the moisture you’ll lock in by applying aquaphor to your dry broken skin day and night.
5. DHC Deep Cleansing Oil – With makeup on, apply the oil to a dry face with dry hands. That is the most important rule to working with cleansing oils. If your hands are even a little wet, the formula does not work and you’re left with an oily mess of a face. This is awesome at removing stubborn makeup and almost feels like a spa treatment. It leaves the skin feeling smooth and hydrated after makeup removal.
6. Neutrogena Deep Clean Blotting Sheets(discontinued) – Oily girls, we need to keep these in our bags at all times. It’s quite the lifesaver and never disturbs makeup.
7. MAC Cleanse Off OilMAC Cleanse Off Oil – This is by far my favorite cleansing oil; Too bad it’s so expensive. I only have this because I bought so many MAC eyeshadows during a rare sale they had going on and I chose this as my sample because I love it so much. It was nice while the little sample lasted.

Fragrance and Body

1. DKNY Be Delicious – This apple scented perfume was a favorite of mine since I was 15 years old. I would always ask for it as a birthday present whenever I ran out of it, and this was my last bottle. I would wear it on interviews and even everyday wear. I will miss its unique apple shape and lovely scent. If I go through enough perfumes, (See my Perfume Collection here) then maybe I can purchase this one again.
2. Chloe – This is only a sample, but for me to finish a perfume sample out of the 40 or 50 samples I still have, says a lot. I really enjoyed how the rose/florals scent smelled on my skin. I will definitely purchase this probably during the next Sephora sale. (AKA the only time perfumes will ever go on sale!)
3. Neutrogena Beach Defense – My family and I used these little bottles of SPF and put them in my sister’s wedding welcome bags when we were in Cancun. They came in handy and we had extra bottles so we used them up for the remainder of the summer. Everyone’s skin was well protected and no one ever got sun burnt with this on. It didn’t feel greasy and was easy to blend into the skin.
4. Cetaphil Body Lotion – I used to put lotion on every single day and I want to be able to do that again – I’ve just been lazy. My skin always felt soft and smooth after using this product, and I will always remember that when I had a dry patch, nothing worked to heal it except for Cetaphil.

Thank you for reading about my Summer Empties. In the comments below, Please let me know your thoughts if you have tried any of the above products.

What was your latest empty product you’d like to share?