August & September Empties 2020
I know I’m so late with my August and September Empties. But I promised myself that I would try my best to keep a record for the year and I’m sticking to it. You may notice that there’s quite a few repeats of products that I’ve reviewed in the past. Those products will be indicated and the original post will be linked.
Advertisement Information: this post discusses and includes items that were gifted to me with no obligation to post or review. All opinions express remain my own.
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Face Empties
Price: $13 for Qty: 50 count
A friend of mine is an ambassador for Clean SkinCare towels and always has such great things to say about them. She was so kind to send me a friend mail package that included clean towels. If you haven’t heard of these towels before, they are 100% biodegradable towels. They remind me of the paper towels that most people keep in their kitchen, but these are way softer and durable.
I love that the towels can be used to replace a washcloth to wash your face or face towel to dry your face. These towels are so gentle on the skin and really helps with cleansing my skin and even getting rid of dead skin cells. Being that the towels are a decent size, I cut mine in half and I’m able to extend my usage. I already purchased two boxes. I find these towels to be more hygienic and great for travel. I plan to keep them in my routine. The company tends to run lots of sales and offers through their emails, so I would advise signing up for them.
$16.90 for 8.3 oz
I love so many of the products from the Bioderma line including their Tonique. It’s formulated for sensitive skin and known for being calming and moisturizing. I typically used this as a toner with a cotton round in both my morning and evening skincare routines. I found that using it with a cotton round helped to remove any debris or sebum that may not have been removed while cleansing. Overall, I really enjoy the formula. I think it worked well to refresh my skin looks and I love the way it feels after using this. I would definitely repurchase and continue to use.
Price: $16 for 4oz
The Krave Matcha Hemp Cleanser is described as a gentle non-striping cleanser. The texture is more of a gel/jelly consistency that leaves my skin feel clean and toned. The formula contains 40% Matcha, Hemp Oats, Almonds, Vitamin B5 Sodium PCA and has a pH of 5.0-6.0. This was my go to second step cleanser. For the price and performance, I love it!! At the current time I trying my best to shop my cleanser stash, but I 100% plan on repurchasing this one.
Ingredients: Camellia Sinensis Leaf Water, Water, Glycerin, Coco-Betaine, Methyl Gluceth-10, Ethoxydiglycol, Dipropylene Glycol, Methylpropanediol, Sodium Chloride, Butoxydiglycol, Diglycerin, Glycereth-26, Xanthan Gum, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Powder, Quillaja Saponaria Bark Extract, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) Oil, Cannabis Sativa (Hemp) Seed Oil, Avena Sativa (Oat) Kernel Extract, Diethoxydiglycol, Coco-Glucoside, Caprylyl Glycol, Glyceryl Caprylate, Decyl Glucoside, Pentylene Glycol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate, Butylene Glycol, Octanediol, Panthenol (Vitamin B5), Citric Acid, Ethylhexylglycerin, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Sodium PCA, Disodium EDTA
Body Care Empties
Anthony Skincare Invigorating Hair and Body Wash
Price: $30 for 12oz
Anthony Skincare gifted me a few products from their line a few months ago. I’m slowly trying things out. Their motto is skincare developed for men but borrowed by women. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I tend to go for very masculine scents for my body care and scents. The scent blend for this body wash is Eucalyptus, Birch Leaf and Canadian Balsam and I really enjoyed it. I enjoyed using the body wash and I found the scent to be very refreshing. At this point I probably wouldn’t purchase on its own as it was a shower gel I would only use several days out of the week and not daily. I can’t attest to how it works as a hair wash because I only used it as a body wash.
Fresh Brown Sugar Bath & Shower Gel
Price: $23 for 10oz
This shower gel smells like a combination of lemons and sugar. I looked forward to using this for each and every shower. Even though the scent is very sweet, I found it to be very refreshing. This was my go to body wash during the summer and will always remind me of the warm weather. The shower gel is formulated with shea butter and I didn’t find the formula to be drying, but at the same time it was super moisturizing. Being that I love the scent so much I will definitely repurchase and try out some of their other scents.
Sol de Janiero Bum Bum Body Scrub
Price: $42 for 7.8oz
Described as ultra-fine sugar body scrub. Like everything in the Sol de Janiero line this scrub smells so good! I really enjoyed the course level of this scrub and found it to be very much in the middle ground. I really like how smooth my skin feels after using it and the scent it leaves behind. Even though this scrub is on the pricey side, I would definitely consider purchasing it if it were on sale.
Ingredients: Sucrose, Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil, Sodium Chloride, Cetearyl Olivate, Sorbitan Olivate, Olus Oil (Vegetable Oil, Huile Végétale), Parfum (Fragrance), Silica, Euterpe Oleracea (Açaí) Fruit Oil, Theobroma Grandiflorum (Cupuaçu) Seed Powder, Theobroma Grandiflorum (Cupuaçu) Seed Butter, Paullinia Cupana (Guaraná) Seed Extract, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Extract, Tocopherol, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Glycerin, Aqua (Water, Eau), Oryza Sativa (Rice) Bran Extract, Glyceryl Caprylate, Caprylhydroxamic Acid, Phenoxyethanol, Synthetic Fluorphlogopite, Tin Oxide, Benzyl Alcohol, Benzyl Salicylate, Coumarin, Limonene, CI 77891 (Titanium Dioxide)
Sol de Janiero Brazilian Body Buff Scrub
Price:$25 for 5oz
Like the other products from the Sol de Janiero line, this one smells just as great. The body buff scrub was a unique scrub. The course level provided excellent exfoliation and the base on the scrub was made with Kaolin. As much as I enjoyed the benefits of this scrub, I really disliked how messy it was. I know this had to do the Kaolin base. Every time I used the scrub I had spend extra time cleaning my bathtub. After a while it just became a nuisance and I stopped looking forward to using it. I also think the brand is phasing it out.
Ingredients: Water (Aqua/Eau), Kaolin, Oryza Sativa (Rice) Bran Wax, Pumice, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Zinc Oxide, Titanium Dioxide, Fragrance (Parfum), Cetearyl Alcohol, Magnesium Aluminum Silicate, Ceteareth-20, Cetyl Alcohol, Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate, Glyceryl Stearate, Glyceryl Caprylate, Quartz, Euterpe Oleracea (Acai) Fruit Oil, Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil, Theobroma Grandiflorum (Cupuacu) Seed Butter, Dimethicone, Xanthan Gum, Annatto, Dehydroacetic Acid, Benzyl Alcohol, Melia Azadirachta Leaf Extract, Melia Azadirachta Flower Extract, Lawsonia Inermis (Henna) Extract, Ocimum Basilicum (Basil) Extract, Curcuma Longa (Turmeric) Root Extract, Mica, Blue 1 Lake (CI 42090), Iron Oxides (CI 77492).
Etc. Empties
Price $12-$16 for 4oz
I’ve been using the Trader Joe’s Jojoba Oil for years. I really love how light weight the oil is and how affordable it was purchasing directly through TJ’s. This was an oil that I often used for my scalp. The fact that it’s lightweight but still very moisturizing appealed to me the most. Jojoba oil is also an oil that many people use in the skincare routine as a first step cleanser to help breakdown makeup and SPF. Being that Trader Joe’s make great quality products at very affordable prices, I will continue to purchase.
The Ordinary Multi-Peptide Serum for Hair Density- For All Hair Types
Price: $18-$24 for 2oz (To Purchase)
I’ve been using the Ordinary Hair Serum and is something that I’ve used on and off for months. This empty is my second or third bottle. The serum is aimed to increase blood flow to the scalp, target stem cells and increase hair density. The bottle has a dropper that helps for easy application of the serum directly to the scalp. According to the directions, the serum is to be applied to the scalp at night and then massaged in.
I really like that the serum did not need to be washed out the next day as I don’t wash my hair everyday. The serum does not have sent nor does it feel greasy. The texture feels very watery, which I think helped it absorb into my scalp and hair well. This is one of those products where I’ve seen mixed reviews of people saying it works well and others saying they didn’t notice much of a difference. I fit somewhere in the middle. I’ve been having some scalp issues, so I haven’t noticed a huge difference. However, some of the areas that I would apply the serum (i.e. edges of hairline), I would often see more baby hairs growing in. This is a serum that I think would need to be used consistently (like every night) and for several months to notice a big enough change. At this point I can’t say if I’ll purchase it again, but for now I’m exploring more affordable options and using a prescription based product.
Ingredients: Water, Propanediol, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Caffeine, Biotinoyl Tripeptide-1, Acetyl Tetrapeptide-3, Larix Europaea Wood Extract, Pisum Sativum Extract, Scutellaria Baicalensis Root Extract, Triticum Vulgare Germ Extract, Glycine Soja Germ Extract, Trifolium Pratense Flower Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Apigenin, Oleanolic Acid, Arginine, Glycine, Calcium Gluconate, Zinc Chloride, Lactic Acid, Gluconolactone, Dextran, Maltodextrin, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Xanthan gum, Pentylene Glycol, Dimethyl Isosorbide, Polysorbate 20, PPG-26-Buteth-26, PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Sodium Metabisulfite, Sodium Benzoate, Phenoxyethanol, Chlorphenesin.
Target Wellness Candle Lavender & Eucalyptus
Price: $10 for 10.5oz
The scent blend is described as lavender, cinnamon leaves, sandalwood and eucalyptus. I found the scent to a have a light aroma that wasn’t too over powering. I really enjoyed this candle during the summer months. Even though the candle appears to be on the smaller size, it burned well and lasted a decent amount of time.
YSL Black Opium Travel Perfume
Price: $29
The YSL Black Opium Perfume has been a favorite of mine for so long. I really love that the scent is a mixture of being sweet, feminine and still has a deepness to it. The scent blend is described as having notes of Coffee Accord, Orange Blossom, Cedarwood Essence and Patchouli Essence. The Black Opium scent is very much a fall/winter scent for me. As much as I still enjoy it, it’s a scent that I will no longer purchase. At this current time I’m enjoying more niche and unique fragrances.
Products that have been previously reviewed:
-Drunk Elephant Sweet Pitti (Blogpost: Drunk Elephant Body Care) $16
-Drunk Elephant Protini (My Instagram Review) $68
-The Ordinary Glycolic Toner (Blogpost: KP Body Care Routine) (To Purchase) $9
-Olaplex No 3 (Blogpost: Hair Care Favorites) $28
-Fresh Rose Mask (mini) (Blogpost: Top 5 Face Masks) $12.50
-Krave Beet Shield SPF (Blogpost: SPF for Comb Skin) $20
-Kinky Curly Knot Today (Blogpost- Hair Care Favorites) (To Purchase) $13