Empties + Mini Reviews

Empties + Mini Reviews

I have been attempting to use up quite a few products over the last six months or so, so be prepared for this huge list of Empties today! And this isn't even all of it! I used up several MAC products that I Back to MAC-ed, as well as some things I have showed in previous empties I thought I would skip this time. 


So enough babbling, let's get in to this round of empties which includes lots of makeup items!

All of these empties are products I will not be re-purchasing. Not that some of these products aren't great, I'm simply transitioning my makeup and beauty products to less toxic and more healthy options.


Like my reviews, I'll simply put "NEED IT" or "LEAVE IT", as to whether I think you guys should spend your money on these products!




Exuviance Sheer Refining Fluid SPF 35

$45 (1.75 fl oz)
Ulta


This daily moisturizer from Exuviance is supposed to help control oil throughout the day while still keeping your skin hydrated while providing sun protection of SPF 35.

I found that while this blended in easily to my skin, it always left a shiny appearance to my skin and never helped control the oil that built up on my face. Didn't irritate or bother my skin, but didn't do much for me.

LEAVE IT

Exuviance Sheer Refining Fluid

Philosophy Miracle Worker Overnight

$68 (2 oz)
Ulta, Sephora, Philosophy Website

Check out my full review HERE.

Philosophy skincare is favorite by many. This moisturizer is geared towards mature skin and meant to reduce wrinkles, which I don't have.

I used this moisturizer every night after cleansing my skin for about 2 months. I love that this left my skin feel hydrating, it didn't break me out, and didn't feel sticky or heavy on my skin, however because I oily and acne prone skin, this didn't provide my skin what it really needs right now. While my first impressions of this moisturizer were positive, overall, if you need this moisturizer for anti-aging, skip it, go with a serum instead.

LEAVE IT

Philosophy Miracle Worker Overnight

Jack Black Intense Therapy Lip Balm

$7.50 (0.25 oz)
Ulta, Sephora, Jack Black Website


I received this deluxe sample size from work and I had heard from reading Temptalia's blog, that this is her favorite lip moisturizer! Now I can see why! 

This moisturizer leaves your lips feeling moisturized, keeps them hydrated all day, and healthy. Plus it contains SPF 25 for added sun protection, which you need for your lips if you're outside! 

NEED IT

Jack Black Deluxe Sample Intense Therapy Lip Balm

100% Pure Vanilla Bean Moisturizing Body Cream

$18 (8 fl oz)
100% Pure Website


I was so excited to try this body moisturizer because of the natural and certified organic ingredients, plus I scored this on clearance, there's just something about getting a good deal on a product that makes it special, am I right? 

Unfortunately, while I loved the whipped and creamy texture of this body cream, and the smell was a nice warm vanilla but not sickly sweet, this did not keep my legs hydrated for longer than 24 hours. I have dry skin so for those of us who need the hydration, this won't be enough. I am convinced this product also contributed to some body acne, not good.

LEAVE IT

100% Pure Moisturizing Body Cream

Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat

$9-$9.50 (0.5 fl oz)
Ulta, Walmart, Target, Drugstores 

The Seche Vite Top Coat is a cult favorite. It helps lock-in your nail polish. This helps prevent chipping and make your nail polish dry faster, hence the name.

The product is just a clear gel, so you can use this over any nail polish. The only negative is that once you get halfway down the bottle, the texture becomes goopy and harder to apply. Still a great top coat, hopefully they will improve the formula so you don't have to waist half the bottle.

NEED IT

Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat

Bath and Body Works Amber Blush Perfume

$29.50 (2.5 fl oz)
Discontinued

I picked out this perfume from Bath and Body Works years ago as a Christmas present for myself. I absolutely loved the warm raspberry notes of this particular scent! 

Sadly, Amber Blush is now discontinued so you cannot get this at your local Bath and Body Works. However, if you find this during their Semi Annual Sales, I highly recommend picking it up! It is not particularly long-wearing, it does last several hours on the skin. I did prefer the perfumes over the body sprays from Bath and Body Works, and you can always use a coupon with these, so if you're in the market for a new perfume, give this line a try.

NEED IT

Bath and Body Works Amber Blush Perfume

CoverGirl Outlast Stay Fabulous 3-in-1 Foundation

$9.59-$11.99 (1 fl oz)
Ulta, Walmart, Target, Drugstores

The Outlast Stay Fabulous Foundation was once my absolute favorite full coverage drugstore foundation. It has a great shade selection, the price is good, and the coverage was great.

However, after using this foundation for a couple of years now, I realize the color oxidizes and looks orange by the end of the day, and breaks down faster than my now favorite, L 'Oreal Pro Matte Foundation. It just doesn't look as flawless on the skin, and the ingredients are not the best for my skin. If you need a full coverage foundation, go for the Pro Matte Foundation, better coverage, doesn't oxidize, and looks better on the skin.

LEAVE IT

CoverGirl 3-in-1 Outlast Stay Fabulous Foundation

Hard Candy Glamoflauge Heavy Duty Concealer

$6 (0.71 oz)
Walmart

This concealer by Hard Candy was one of the first "Youtube Made Me Buy It" purchases. This concealer provides full coverage for under the eye and the face, and now comes in a variety of shades.

I used this primarily on my face to cover acne and post acne marks. Under the eye, it looked slightly heavy and cakey, not as flawless as the Urban Decay Naked Skin Complete Coverage Concealer. On the face, it did a great job at covering acne, but it looked heavy and emphasized any dryness. The texture is slightly sticky and tacky, and reminds me a lot of the MAC Pro Longwear Concealer. I did not like that concealer either.

LEAVE IT

Hard Candy Glamoflauge Heavy Duty Concealer

BareMinerals Stroke of Light Eye Brightener

$22 (0.18 fl oz)
Ulta, Sephora, BareMinerals Website

Check out my full review HERE.

The Stroke of Light Eye Brightener was the very first under eye concealer for correcting that I ever tried. It's a light coverage liquid concealer that just helps lighten up the eye area and make you look more awake.

I used the shade "Luminous 1", which is slightly pink toned. The texture is smooth and easy to blend, it looks flawless and doesn't look heavy or cakey under the eye. If you have light under eye darkness, I think you'll love this, but if you have moderate to dark under eye circles, this will not be enough coverage for you.

NEED IT

BareMinerals Stroke of Light Eye Brightener

Tarte Smooth Operator Amazonian Clay Finishing Powder

$33 (0.32 oz)
Ulta, Sephora, Tarte Website

The Smooth Operator Finishing Powder is nothing fancy, just your typical translucent loose powder. I loved it when I first got it. It helps to set creams and liquids and prevent them from creasing and lasting all day.

I found that this powder is drier in texture, it doesn't feel as finely milled as the It Cosmetics Bye Bye Pores Powder. I used this to set my under eye concealer, and it always emphasized my fine lines and didn't look flawless or flattering. Plus, it caused flash back in photographs. Skip it, go for the It Cosmetics Bye Bye Pores or the BareMinerals Mineral Veil.

LEAVE IT

Tarte Smooth Operator Loose Powder

NYX Rouge Cream Blush in "Natural"

$6.99 (0.12 oz)
Ulta, Target, Select Drugstores

This was the very first product I ever reviewed on this blog. Don't look, please, I was young, terrible just terrible. This cream blush is very soft and creamy in texture, easy to apply to the face and blend out.

The shade "Natural", is the perfect nude pink that will suit fair to medium skin tones and look perfect for every day. I loved using these blushes to layer under powder blushes to make for longer staying power. On  their own, they give your skin a healthy dew, particularly if you have dry skin this will look beautiful. They're highly pigmented, the only downside is they do not have a long wear time, the Stila Convertible Colors have longer wear time and look more flawless on the skin.

NEED IT

NYX Rouge Cream Blush in "Natural"

Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Bronzer

$30 (0.35 oz)
Ulta, Sephora, Too Faced Website

I received this deluxe sample size of the cult favorite Chocolate Soleil Bronzer as a free gift from ordering off of Too Faced's Website. And let me tell you, this lasted forever! 

These bronzers smell like cocoa powder, are matte, but are not chalky or look dry on the face. "Chocolate" is a medium dark brown, in-between "Milk Chocolate", the light brown, and "Dark Chocolate", the warm dark brown available in the line. I loved using this color to bronze up my skin during the summer when I had a slight tan. If you're fair to light, go for Milk Chocolate. If you want to see a comparison between the "Chocolate" and "Milk Chocolate", click HERE. (Please forgive me for the terrible lighting in those old pictures) It lasts all day, blends out nicely, and gives your skin a healthy glow.

NEED IT

Too Faced Deluxe Sample Chocolate Soleil Bronzer

Palladio Herbal Brow Gel

$5.99 (0.28 fl oz)
Ulta, Sally Beauty Supply, Palladio Website

I was on the hunt for a paraben-free brow gel, and for the longest time, this was my only option. This clear brow gel is meant to keep your brains in place without leaving a crunchy or hard feeling to your brows.

This gave no hold to my brows. They fell flat after an hour and didn't have any shape to them. It felt like I was just adding water to my eyebrows. Thankfully they came out with the NYX Tinted Brow Mascara, which gives me firm hold to my brows and keeps them in place!

LEAVE IT

Palladio Herbal Brow Gel

Benefit BADgal Waterproof Mascara

$19 (0.19 oz)
Ulta, Sephora, Benefit Website

The BADgal Waterproof Mascara was my first high-end mascara purchase. It is one of the few high-end mascaras that make a waterproof version.

Unlike the non-waterproof version, this one has an hourglass shaped wand, which makes it easy to get into my upper and lower lashes on my teeny tiny eyes. This mascara is tricky. It has it's golden period of about a month where it gives you the most full looking voluminous lashes without any flaking. But for the first 2 weeks, the formula is thin and watery, and then after the month of grace period, it becomes dry and flakey. Mascaras use time is about 3 months, so I guess the flaking means it's time to be thrown away. Still one of my favorite volumizing mascaras!

NEED IT

BADgal Waterproof Mascara

Almay Get Up & Grow Waterproof Mascara

$8.49 (0.21 fl oz)
Ulta, Walmart, Target, Drugstores

The Almay Get Up & Grow Waterproof Mascara is my go-to mascara. It always gives my lashes volume, length, and does not smudge or flake throughout the day.

The hourglass shaped wand makes it great for everyone to use. It's hypoallergenic, so if you have sensitive eyes, you'll love this. I always recommend this mascara to anyone looking for a good mascara that does it all, adds length, volume, lasts all day, no flaking. Thank you Emily Noel for recommending this mascara on your channel.

NEED IT

Almay Get Up & Grow Waterproof Mascara

Lancome Color Design Lipstick in "Love It"

$22.50 (0.14 oz)
Select Ulta's, Lancome Website

This was my first high-end lipstick. My local Lancome counter had this included in a great Gift with Purchase years ago, and I surprisingly loved this color!

"Love It" is a beautiful light neutral pink that will suit fair to medium skin tones. The color is not completely opaque so it looks beautiful for everyday and goes with most looks. The formula is creamy, doesn't skip, and feels very hydrating on the lips. The only downside is the longevity, it lasts about 2 to 3 hours before needing a touch up. The formula reminds me of the Bite Beauty Luminous Creme Lipsticks and the Essence Long Lasting Lipsticks.

NEED IT

Lancome Color Design Lipstick

Love It
Color Design LipstickLancome