Last month I got caught in a cycle of “I’m almost finished with x so I’ll just wait a few days for an empties post.” Two days later: “Yay x is finished! But I’m so close to finishing y, I may as well wait a day or two.” So now we’re in the last week of October and I’m writing what initially started out as September Empties. Now that I’m thinking about it, that basically sums up all of 2015.

Let’s look at hair products first:

Schwarzkopf Essence Ultime Diamond Color and Radiance Hair Masque

Product Rundown: This was a nice hair mask, my hair felt soft after using it, but it wasn’t anything extraordinary (to be honest, I seriously doubt that there is an extraordinary hair mask. They’re all pretty good, and that’s about as good as I think we can hope for). I will say that this mask smelled really nice. Sort of a soft floral vanilla scent.

I purchased this at Walmart.

Number of Times Purchased: 1

Would I repurchase: Yes based on the scent alone. But I tend to have a very short attention span when it comes to hair products. I like trying new things.

Nexxus Recharging Elixir from the Youth Renew Line

Product Rundown: From the Nexxus website:

Enriched with concentrated, 100% pure Elastin Protein and Liquid Pearl, our Youth Renewal Elixir is proven to combat 8 visible signs of aging hair. This breakthrough formula nourishes vulnerable hair deep within, replenishing and revitalizing each strand for visibly youthful looking hair.

Um…what? As if we don’t have enough shit to worry about as we get older, now we have to worry about aging hair? Not only that, but there are 8 separate ways that our hair shows signs of aging?! Not cool man, not cool. Also, this product did jack shit for my aging hair. But it smelled really really nice. BUT…it was hella expensive. Like over $20 expensive. I am extremely susceptible to marketing schemes and scare tactics. It’s a problem.

I purchased this at Walgreens.

Number of Times Purchased: 1

Would I repurchase:  No

L’Oreal Total Repair 5 Multi-Restorative Dry Hair Oil

Someday I’m going to start a beauty product brand and the titles of my products are all going to be two words. “Hair Oil”. Or better yet, one word! Oil! Let the people figure out what to do with it!

Product Rundown: This is one of those hair oils that is best to use at night and on wet hair because it tends to make hair look a bit greasy. It smells like peaches though! Not sure it actually does much for my hair.

Purchased at Walmart.

Number of Times Purchased: 2

Would I repurchase: Maybe just because I like the scent a lot. That’s the theme this month!

Moving on to Skincare:

CeraVe Facial Moisturizing Lotion – PM

Product Rundown: This is a fairly light lotion that is more of a gel than a lotion as far as consistency goes. This lotion gets some rave reviews and undoubtedly has some really good ingredients! However, I have dry (I’m starting to suspect that it’s sensitive and some of the dryness is actually irritation but that’s a whole different post) skin and this just didn’t cut it for me in the moisture department. It made my skin really soft but I would actually feel dry and a little itchy about half way through the day. This might be great for someone with normal or combo skin though. It does “absorb” quickly so it doesn’t leave you feeling greasy.

Purchased at Walgreens. Or CVS. I can’t remember.

Number of Times Purchased: 1

Would I repurchase: No

Benton Snail Bee High Content Steam Cream

Product Rundown: I really loved this lotion. I didn’t have issues with itching or dry patches when I used this and my skin felt soft and smooth. It doesn’t completely “sink in” so it creates a bit of a barrier against moisture loss (I’m a big fan of this). My issue with this is that I’m not really 100% convinced that the whole snail slime and bee venom thing is particularly awesome for the snails and bees. Every day that I used this I would wonder if bees had to die or snails were tortured just so my face wouldn’t itch. I just didn’t feel good about using this despite loving the actual product.

I purchased it from Cosmetic Love on Amazon.

Number of Times Purchased: 1

Would I repurchase:  Maybe. I would have to do significant research to feel ok about using it again.

Product Rundown: This is a moisturizing toner (lotion) with a consistency that is very slightly more viscous than water. The product is clear and dries down/sinks in fairly quickly. It does leave the skin feeling slightly tacky for 20 minutes after dry down but that goes away once you apply serum or moisturizer over it. Basically it adds a small amount of additional moisture to my skin.

This is relatively inexpensive (around $11.00) and I purchased this on Amazon from Japan-Subculture.

Number of Times Purchased: 1

Would I repurchase: Maybe.

My Beauty Diary Mexico Cactus Sheet Mask

Product Rundown: I’ve talked about this sheet mask before, I think a box of these comes with 10-14 sheets? This is a nice sheet mask but I have to tear the sheets to get them to fit my face.

Number of Times Purchased: 1

Would I repurchase: Meh, maybe. I would try other masks from this brand and this one is good, it just doesn’t do anything so amazing that I feel like I can’t live without it in my life.

L’Occitane Hand Cream – Delightful Rose

Product Rundown: My understanding is that every Christmas L’Occitane releases hand cream with a 20% shea butter content when they normally have something like a 10% shea content. I have no idea if that is actually limited to Christmas or if that’s just beauty folk lore. (I talked myself out of my laziness and according to the website, they have 20% shea content creams available all the time. Now I don’t feel so special anymore.) In any event, I bought a trio of hand cream last Christmas and this is the final tube from said trio. The scent was a little like sugared rose petals which was nice, rose, but not JUST rose. These are good hand creams, I like them but I don’t like them more than my Tokyo Milk Dark hand cream and I’m not entirely convinced that there aren’t cheaper options available. This does not keep my eczema at bay unless I apply it multiple times during the day and ain’t nobody got time for that.

I purchased this from Sephora but you can purchase directly from the L’Occitane website as well.

Number of Times Purchased: 1

Would I repurchase: Probably not but I didn’t dislike the product so…probably not.

Kiss My Sass Wiggle Wash – Beach Bum

Product Rundown: This was basically a jello jiggler with soap. Very cool concept and I’m not going to lie, I got a kick out of using this initially. I used this as hand soap and the trouble I had with it was that it started disintegrating after a few uses and giant blobs of jello stuff would crumble into my sink. It wasn’t horrible but it was annoying. This, like everything else in this post apparently, smelled REALLY FREAKING GOOD. I would provide a link to the website but for some reason there are no bath and body products showing on the site any more.

Number of Times Purchased: This came in a Lip Addicts Anonymous subscription so I’m not sure that counts as “purchasing”…man, I’m getting loopy over here.

Would I repurchase: No

Fortune Cookie Soaps Butter Beer Bath Oil

Product Rundown: Butter Beer Bath Oil. Do I really need to say more? This smelled amazing although the alcohol scent was more “rum” than “beer” but it was really nice. The Boy says this smells like a cappuccino which I can also see. This was not the most moisturizing bath oil in the world but it was nice. I have a couple of other products from this scent collection that I love.

Number of Times Purchased: 1

Would I repurchase: No. I would purchase other products in the line though! This just doesn’t beat my monoi oil however good it smells.

Christian Dior Creme de Rose

Product Rundown: This is a lip balm with a price tag that makes me a little uncomfortable. I think this was in the $30.00 range which is INSANE for what you actually get. The balm itself is incredibly smooth and very comfortable but it only lasts for 15 minutes or so and I almost think it leaves my lips more dry than before I applied the balm. It does smell like rose which is interesting in a lip product. Overall I really enjoyed this for the splurge that it was, I felt super fancy every time I used this.

I purchased this from a Dior counter.

Number of Times Purchased: 1

Would I repurchase: Probably not.

Kate Spade Twirl Perfume Sample

Product Rundown: This was a pretty generic perfume. It was light and floral and girly and unoffensive (or is it inoffensive? I can never remember).

Number of Times Purchased: Sample

Would I repurchase: No

Revlon Colorstay Whipped Foundation x 2

Product Rundown: This is possibly my favorite foundation that I’ve tried so far. I wear foundation so rarely that it almost always expires before I even make a dent in it (these guys are at least 3 years old I think…). HOWEVER, this has a nice demi matte, medium coverage finish that looks pretty natural. It didn’t do anything weird and it was comfortable.

I probably bought both of these at Walmart but they’re available at any drugstore that carries Revlon.

Number of Times Purchased: 2

Would I repurchase: Yes

L’Oreal True Match Lumi Foundation

Product Rundown: This is my second favorite foundation. I’m throwing it out because it’s a few years old and the last time I wore it I had some major breakouts afterwards so I’m assuming it has turned to the dark side. It’s a light coverage, dewy finish foundation that creases ever so slightly after a full day of wear but nothing unmanageable. It does have sunscreen which I’m not crazy about.

Number of Times Purchased: 1

Would I repurchase: Maybe.

Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Dark Circles Eraser

Product Rundown: I like this actual product a lot. What I don’t like is the stupid freaking twist up top. I’ve had multiple tubes of this and every last one of them broke so I can’t actually get to the product inside without breaking the entire container apart. I’m done I tell you! No more of this nonsense!

Number of Times Purchased: 5?

Would I repurchase: No! Didn’t you hear me? Finished I say!

Maybelline Dream Lumi Touch Highlighting Concealer

Product Rundown: This is a thicker consistency than the L’Oreal highlighting pen, more of a concealer than a highlighter. I didn’t love this when I first opened it but it grew on me and I may actually like this as much if not more than the L’Oreal version! It definitely lasts longer than the L’Oreal, but it creases just a tad if I don’t buff it in with a brush.

Available at all drugstores.

Number of Times Purchased: 1

Would I repurchase: Yes

Make Up For Ever Smokey Extravagant Mascara

Product Rundown: This is a nice “full fan of lashes” kind of mascara. It’s one of the few higher end mascaras that I would actually consider purchasing. I dig it.

MUFE is available at Sephora.

Number of Times Purchased: I’ve been through 2 sample sizes I think.

Would I repurchase: I would say yes based on quality of the product, but realistically, I probably won’t ever be willing to shell out for this product. I am a cheap bastard.

L’Oreal Magic Nude Liquid Powder

Product Rundown: I got sucked in by the promise of a liquid to powder formula. This looks nice on the skin, it maintains my skins natural texture, but man oh man does it cling to dry patches. And it smells quite strongly of weird chemicals. I’m throwing it out because it has long since expired.

Number of Times Purchased: 1

Would I repurchase: No

Josie Maran Argan Color Sticks

Product Rundown: Cream blush with argan oil. These are somewhat sheer and pretty dewy. They don’t last all day, but they fade gracefully. I’m actually throwing these out because they’ve gone rancid, not because I hate them or because I managed to use them up.

Pricing and Availability: From the Sephora website (or the Josie Maran website). Around $23.00

Number of Times Purchased: One of these came with a set and one was given to me by a friend.

Would I repurchase: No

Lip Balm: EOS  Visibly Soft Lip Balm – Coconut Milk and Burt’s Bee’s Hydrating Lip Balm

Product Rundown: Both products smell like pina colada, both products are on the waxy side and both products do nothing for my lips besides create a short lived barrier. I used up most of the EOS balm before it went rancid but I only made it through half of the Burt’s Bee’s. Both of these are available from the drugstore.

Number of Times Purchased: I’ve been through multiple balms from both of these brands but this is the first time I’ve purchased either of these particular products.

Would I repurchase: No

Darling Girl Primped and Primed

Product Rundown: Eye primer. This was really nice initially, it didn’t give my eyeshadow a weird texture like most primers and it worked as a good sticky base. I had no complaints! BUT…even though I religiously wash my hands before I dipped my fingers into this, it still got contaminated or went off, I’m not really sure what exactly happened. Basically it ended up giving me a huge rash on my eyelids that itched and was horrible. Now that was months after use, I had no problems up until then (you can see how much of the product I actually used up) but I have to say, it was a bad enough experience that even though the product was good, I won’t be re-purchasing it because it’s in a jar and I just feel like there is unavoidable contamination with that whole situation.

I purchased this from the Darling Girl website.

Number of Times Purchased: 1

Would I repurchase: Nope, but it makes me sad to say that!

What have you used up recently? Have you hit pan on a product that you’ve been trying to use up? Are you sad about using up a favorite?

Tidbits:

• I just hit CTRL+T (for Tidbits…) instead of CTRL+I for italic. Yep, it’s been one of those days.
• I also ate a banana after dinner as my dessert and it was just way too much on top of dinner, I’m feeling uncomfortably full. This just goes to show that just because a food is technically good for you, doesn’t mean it’s good for you.
• I started reading Furiously Happy by Jenny Lawson yesterday and it’s wonderful. You should start reading it immediately so we can discuss.