2015 Empties #2

Hello again readers!

It's that time again, time to clean out my bag of empties and get rid of the clutter! Not all of these are technically empty, some of these are just old, or broken, but bear with me. They needed to be thrown out.

Hair

Aussie 3 Minute Miracle*:
I really love this for  my hair, especially when it's longer. I went through this bottle really fast, because Emma had color treated hair when she was visiting, and she used a lot of it. It's cheap, it works great, and leaves hair feeling soft and smooth. I'm going to hold off on buying it again until I have longer hair, because since it's so short, it goes right to my scalp and leaves my roots looking a little too greasy.

Garnier Fructis Volume Extend Instant Bodifier Dry Shampoo for Fine or Flat Hair:
I thought I'd give this a try, since it got such good reviews. Now I wasn't in love with this, by any means. It did make my hair look clean, but I didn't notice any volume added to my hair at all, it still fell flat. After a few hours, my hair looked gross, and had the added product at my roots that I had to use my clarifying shampoo to get out. It didn't work for me at all.

Matrix Total Results Repair Conditioner:
A product left behind by Emma that I thought I'd try. I can see why it's good for color treated hair, because like the Aussie 3 Minute Miracle, it left my hair feeling so soft and smooth! I really enjoyed it, and she enjoyed it too for her hair. Kept her color lasting well into her stay. It was 12 dollars, something that I would never see myself paying for a conditioner (maybe in the future when I make a steady income), but it was nice to use this one up.

Herbal Essences Hello Hydration Shampoo (Travel Size):
I really think this one would work, if I had dry hair. I have an oily scalp, well, an oily everything. This product went into overdrive to deliver moisture to my hair, that within 12 hours, it would start to look greasy. I generally wash my hair every other day, so within 12 hours and it looks gross? No thanks!

Deodorant

Degree Dry Protection Cool Rush*:
I've said it a bunch of times, but this is my go-to deodorant. Neutral scent, works wonders for my armpits, and keeps the sweat at bay. Wonderful product.

Old Spice Foxcrest:
I was expanding my horizons and thought to give this one a try. It was okay, but I wasn't wild about it. It has a thick masculine scent that just overwhelms my own scent, and any perfume/cologne that I would wear that day. I could only pair it with other masculine scents, because anything else would be too much of a contrast. It was too much for me, but it did stick around for the entire day, which was good.

Dove Men+ Care Dry Spray Extra Fresh:
Thought to try this for not only my armpits, but my feet too since it's summer. I wasn't wild about this one, either. I love the soap from this line, but the deodorant is just too different. It's almost bitter, and whenever I sprayed it it lingered in the room for quite a while - up to an hour! It wasn't the best, but i was fortunate (or unlucky, depending on which side you're on) and I dropped it off of my TV stand, and the nozzle broke off. It settled in there nice for photos, but if I'd shake it it'd go all over the place. I was glad I didn't have to use it up, but also sad that I didn't get a chance to use it up either.

Face

L'Oreal Go 360 Clean - Ideal Clean Facial Wash*:
Gets my face clean, and doesn't leave it feeling dried out. The little scrubby pad is an excellent addition, and REALLY helps get my face clean. I was really impressed as I was expecting it to be a useless tool. Really want to try the other varieties of this line.

Garnier Nourishing Cleansing Oil*:
I was always really against using oils, but I love this one. Easily removes all of my makeup without hassle. It's fantastic!

Equate Oil-Free Makeup Remover*:
Another long-time favorite. Why mess with a good thing, because this remover gets rid of my waterproof mascara and liner easily, and even the stubborn eyelash glue from my lids. A really inexpensive product that works wonders.

Clean and Clear Morning Burst Facial Scrub:
I really wasn't a fan of this first off, because it smelled like orange bathroom cleaner... Very off-putting. Also I really don't like exfoliating too often, and this did nothing for my skin. It made me feel a bit more awake, but if anything all it did was make my face red and a little irritated, and I don't even have very sensitive skin!

Clearasil Ultra Rapid Action Pads:
These were painful! My sister really likes them, but they didn't do much for my face. When I would go to rub them in the spots I needed it (chin, between my brows, and around my nose) it would leave a burning sensation with how harsh it was, and just felt like I was peeling my skin off... It didn't even clear up any of my spots, so I was just disappointed.

Clean and Clear Advantage Acne Spot Treatment*:
I really love this acne product though, because it does work. It helps cut my healing time in half (which is a huge deal, because I'm a skin picker so anything that helps my spots and scabs heal quicker is an A in my book). It isn't too harsh, and really helps me keep my skin under control.

Ponds Rejuveness Anti-Wrinkle Cream:

I didn't really like this much. It was much too emoliant for my skin type, and if I'd apply it at night, it'd still be on my face like a mask by morning.... I also don't have an issue with wrinkles quite yet, so I'm not sure if it really does anything. It did leave my skin feeling nice, but it's just not good enough for me to want to buy it again.

Makeup Wipes

ELF Makeup Remover Cleansing Cloths*:
These makeup cloths are just amzing. They remove even the most stubborn makeup without too much effort. Great for when you're just too tired to do a full routine before washing your face, or when you just can't be damned to find a makeup remover.

So Fresh So Clean Makeup Remover Cleansing Towelettes:
I keep buying these to keep in my purse when I go makeup shopping. Great to just get rid of the pesky swatches off of my hand so it doesn't transfer onto my sleeve. I don't use these on my face, though.

Body

Alcohol*:
This is one of those products used for beauty, that always seems to get overlooked. Cleaning out acrylic containers after an eyeshadow spill? Alcohol. Want to sanitize your products? Alcohol. Have a cut? Alcohol. Well, maybe a cut isn't beauty related, but an infected cut is not very pretty! I always like to have a bottle on hand, and since I got two for a dollar a bit ago, I have a couple of backups.

EOS Pomegranate Raspberry Shave Cream*:
The best shaving cream I have ever tried. I love it, and I have yet to stray at all.

White Rain Moisturizing Shower Gel, Gentle Facial Scrub, and Facial Cleanser Makeup Remover:
I'm going to be making a separate blog post about these, but the gist is that I didn't like any of them. What a shame, they're so cheap and you get quite a bit in them!

Bath and Body Works AntiBac Hand Sanitizer - Noir and Dragons Blood*:
My go-to hand sanitizer. I have one on my desk, by my makeup area, and in my purse. I always have backups. Noir was really masculine, and though I liked the scent, it wasn't something I always liked on my hands. Dragons Blood is a long time favorite. Can't wait till Halloween so I can stock up on Vampire Blood (both are Plum scented, just named differently).

Eye Glass Cleaner:

Kind of shocking to ever showcase something like this, but I finally used up not one, but TWO bottles of lens cleaner. I'm like normal people with their lipbalms, when it comes to my lens cleaner. I usually lose them, before I use them up! I'm really proud with my progress, because I can just refill them so I'll always have some on hand. I want to take really good care of my frames, because I'm really fond of the ones that I have this time around.

Face Makeup

Wet n Wild Coverall Pressed Powder - Fair*:

I really fell in love with this powder. I was hesitant at first, because a lot of times with drugstore it's hit and miss, but this was just wonderful. A good light coverage that just evens out my flaws, while still letting my skin shine through. It's a great no-nonsense product, that I have really enjoyed, and will continue to enjoy as I have yet to find another powder foundation that I love as much as this.

Rimmel London Stay Matte Liquid Mousse Foundation Light Porcelain*:
I used the last of this little guy at the beginning of the summer, and I'm wondering if it's because the life of this foundation was over with, or if my skin has changed, but I don't know if I love this foundation as much as I did a year ago. I have another tube left, so we'll see...

Rimmel London Stay Matte Pressed Translucent Setting Powder:

I liked this at first. Having a pressed setting powder to mattify the face was a great idea (ELF has one that i put in my purse for on-the-go touch ups!) and I was happy to have a large size. Loose powders are great, but messy, and I thought this would be a good alternative. The issue that I (and many others) have with this, is that the more you use it, the gunkier it gets. It really gets disgusting, clinging to any oil and bacteria being transferred from your face to the brush to the powder, and causing a hard surface to form. It can be sanded away and santized, but it just forms again soon after. It's a hassle, and frustrating, and not worth it in my opinion.

Hot Topic Red Blush:

I used this as a sort of eyeshadow for years. It was too red for a blush, at least for me, and worked better that way. It took a tumble down onto my floor and shattered in the pan, and I just didn't see myself going through the effort to press it down again. I have other products I like much more for a red-eye look.

ELF Studio Powder Brush*:

This brush is my favorite, for both powder and liquid foundations. It just applies them so well, and flawlessly. It does however soak up liquid foundation, and it's a bit of a pain to wash out completely, but it's sooo worth it.

Lips

Make Up Forever Rouge Artist Natural Lipstick in N9 Copper Pink:
This lipstick was okay. I used it up, but clearly I wasn't in love with it if it took me about a year to finish off the deluxe sample. The formula was okay, but the color wasn't something I was in love with.

NYX Extreme Lip Cream Candy Land:
I don't know what it was, but ever since I bought this it was just... so strange. I had Absolute Red (which I gave to Emma, she LOVES red lipsticks!) but I wasn't fond of it. Candy Land felt thicker, and it was a patchier application, making me a little frustrated. Eventually it started feeling gross and smelling off, so into the bin it goes.

ELF Glossy Gloss Berry Blush:
I really did enjoy this gloss. It wasn't sticky, the color was great, and it lasted a good amount of time. Too bad they aren't really selling them much (they might just be discontinued) which is a shame. They were great glosses.

Softlips Sugar and Spice:

I really enjoyed this in the fall, and I had a little bit left for the spring. I ended up taking forever to finish, because every time I used it I kept thinking 'fall', and would want to keep it just a little longer. I eventually used it up unfortunately, so if I see this in store again I'm going to stock up.

ELF Lip Lock Pencil*:

I didn't even use this up, but I went to put the cap on, and the dispenser bit that stick up snapped off! I was pretty upset, I had a little more than half of it left. Oh well, guess it gives me a chance to go buy a new one.

Eye Makeup

Jordana Best Lash Extreme:

I used to love this mascara so much, because it gives great length, and volume. Unfortunately, since it's not waterproof,  I don't see myself reaching for it as often as my other mascaras, and it ends up going bad without too much use. It was great for just days when I was doing errands and didn't want to worry too much about my makeup, but it ended up becoming something that just sat and collected dust. I'm not sure if I'll pick up another tube in the future, because I did love it, but for now I'm moving on to other mascaras to try out instead.

Milani Eyeshadow Primer:

I wasn't super blown away with this. I've heard on the internet that it's similar to the Urban Decay Primer Potion, but in this case I don't think so. I've done a comparison post on different primers, and it was just okay. Sometimes if I used too much or it's been a long day, I'll notice my eyeshadow creasing through the day. It's not the worst primer I've ever used, but it's far from the best, so I'm not going to pick this up again.

Milani Infinite Liquid Eyeliner - Everlast*:

Still one of my favorite eye liners of all time. Pigmented, and could probably last through an explosion, although hard to get off.

ELF Eyebrow Treat and Tame - Medium:

So this is just the Tame side, but I can tell you this: I hated it. I wasn't a fan of the Light one I bought, I gave it to Emma since she had red-toned hair, but this one was just not that great for me. I have thin, light, almost non-existent eyelashes. It wasn't enough to give them body. The only time I really enjoyed this, is if I drew on my brows, and used this to seal them. I prefer a clear brow gel for that purpose, so I'm not going to be picking up another one of these, although I really like the 'treat' side, and I'm keeping that until I use it up.

Maybelline Waterproof Falsies Mascara - Blackest Black*:

I really do like this mascara, but not sure when I'll pick it up again. I know I will, because I love how it looks on my lashes, but I have a list of different mascaras I want to try out now, so I want to set this to the side of my "needs", and try some new ones out before I come back.

Physicians Formula Eye Booster 2-in-1 Lash Boosting Eyeliner + Serum*: 

Also one of my favorite eyeliners of all time. Easy to use, pigmented, and it lasts an incredibly long time, even for me and my oily lids! I'm really pleased with it, and I can't help but make sure I always have a back up in case I start running low, even if it lasts me a good while!

Nails and Perfume

Sephora Travel Glass Nail File: 

This isn't available anymore, but the large one is. I bought it for $8 quite a while ago, and it lasted pretty well, with rather rough handling. The plastic was eaten away from an acetone accident (the casing was still okay, just lost the purple in places) and the file itself was unharmed... until it took one drop too many and shattered on the inside. It was rather loose inside anyway, so I'm not surprised, just a little sad. I won't be replacing because I didn't really reach for it, and I can't replace it even if I wanted to since Sephora no longer offers it.

Wet n Wild Wild Shine Top Coat:

It's not bad, but about halfway through the bottle it started getting goopy and stringy. Not something I'm looking for in a top coat.

Daisy by Marc Jacobs Perfume Sample*:

I didn't think I liked this at first, but I felt in love. It smells so good on me, and it just makes me really happy when I wear it. I'm a little miffed, because it is a rather large chunk of change, but one day I will buy the full-size of this for my collection.

-----

*Asterisks are items I have backups of, or I plan to repurchase.

Edit: I didn't even notice I left an entire category un-reviewed, that's my bad!

Thanks for reading!