February 2020 Empties
During the month of February I completed a fair share of beauty and body care items. Some of these items have been opened only a couple of months and others a bit longer. If an item has been previously reviewed, I’ll be sure to link or include the information to locate.
For this post I really want to focus on the items that have not been previously reviewed. The items that have been previously reviewed will be marked as such and will have the original blogpost link to it.
PLEASE READ DISCLAIMER: THIS BLOG POST FEATURES PR-SAMPLES AND MAY CONTAIN AFFILIATE LINKS. I DID NOT RECEIVE ANY MONETARY COMPENSATION TO WRITE THE BLOG POST.
Face
Previously Reviewed:
-Drunk Elephant A-Passioni-$74- Full Review Blogpost
-The Inkey List Caffeine Eye cream- $10- Gentle PM Skincare Routine Blogpost
-Fresh Youth Dream Lotus Cream (mini) $19- Gentle PM Skincare Routine Blogpost
-Drunk Elephant C-Tango Eye Cream
Price: $64 for .05oz *
The C-Tango Multivitamin Eye Cream is described as an eye cream that is formulated with 8 different peptides and 5 forms of vitamin c!
I’ve used the Drunk Elephant C-tango eye cream for the past year. But the past several months I’ve used it continuous within my morning and sometimes evening skincare routine. Prior to doing so, I always thought the eye cream was just moisturizing. Now that I’ve been using it so frequently, I can definitely tell a difference with the area of my under eyes. The area under my eyes appears to be brighter and not as puffy as it usually would. If you suffer from significant darkness under your eyes, you may not see a difference. But for someone like me who had a moderate level of darkness, I was able to notice a difference.
With it being an eye cream and one formulated with Vitamin C, I prefer to store mine in my skincare fridge. I don’t think this is a product where results will be noticeable right away. Vitamin C is one of those types of ingredients that requires daily usage and time for it work. I have a backup ready of C-tango storing in my fridge waiting to be used and I’m pretty sure I would purchase this on my own.
-Eve Lom Gel Face Balm Cleanser
Price: $60 for 3.4 oz•
I was gifted the Eve Lom gel cleanser several months back through the influencer gifting and reviewing exchange system, Octoly. I initially reviewed the gel balm cleanser for my Instagram feed. Being that I was given such a short period of time to review it, I knew I wanted to report back once the cleanser was completed. The Gel Balm Cleanser is described as gel to balm cleanser that is gentle but removes makeup and dirt/oil without stripping the skin.
I typically would use 2 pumps to use it as a first step cleanser. I don’t think this cleanser or even most alone can remove makeup, dirt and sunscreen. The cleanser has an earthy scent that is likely to be derived from the essential oil blend of clove, eucalyptus, hops, and chamomile oil. I typically try to stay away from products that contain essential oils but this particular blend did not bother me. I used this cleanser several times a week and the past month pretty much daily. I was surprised to see how long it actually lasted.
My biggest qualm with the cleanser has to be the price of $60 for a 3.4 oz cleanser. All of the cleansers that I enjoy retail for under $40 and are much bigger in size. The price to size ratio is one of the reasons why I cannot recommend this to anyone. I do think this price tag is pretty steeps for a first step cleanser.
Panacea Cream Cleanser
Price: $22
I was gifted the Panacea Cream Cleanser a little more than a year ago. It was actually one of the first products I received in exchange for a review. Since then the brand has decided to shut down its business. This was one of the first cream non-foaming cleansers that I used. I liked the cleanser a lot, but the formula was very simple. As time went on I used it less, but one day while in the shower I decided to try it out as a shaving cream.
The texture was so fitting and being that it’s a cream cleanser it actually helped to provide a nice close shave. Even though the item was gifted to me, I wanted to figure out another way to use it in my routine. Long story short, I much preferred this as a shaving cream instead of a cleanser. This is also taught me to play around with my products more. Before I discredit or write off a product, I try to test it out under various circumstances.
Hair & Body
Ritual’s Body Scrub- Rice Milk and Cherry Blossom
Price: $16.50 for 13.23 oz
Up until a few months ago, I’ve only heard briefly about the brand Rituals. I remember passing their store front, but never venturing in or taking the time to find out about them. While on a beauty brunch outing a few months back we stumbled in here and I’m so happy we did. One of the sales associates tested out this body scrub on my hands and I loved it, so I bought it.
The particular body scrub is actually a sugar scrub. The formula is mixed with various moisturizing oils. This scrub has to be one of the more coarse ones that I used, but was also why I enjoyed it so much. If you’re someone who has very sensitive skin, I probably wouldn’t recommend this one to you. But if you like a really good body scrub, I would highly recommend this scrub. After using it my skin feels super soft and moisturized.
I definitely plan on repurchasing this one once I finish off some of the other body scrubs that I have.
-Save me From –thermal obsession: Tip To Root Hair Reboot
Price: $78 for 3.4 oz
I have to admit I was surprised by this deep conditioner. When I first read into the hair conditioner, it stated that it was for thermal styling. As someone who doesn’t frequently put heat on my hair, I put this mask to the side for many months. One day I decided to open it up and further check out the texture.
This hair mask is aimed to moisturize hair that uses heat styling from items such as hair dryers, curling irons, straighteners, blow dry bar. I found this hair mask to be super moisturizing and very thick in texture. I really enjoyed using it, but the price tag is super expensive. I cannot see myself spending this much on a hair product of this price.
-Camille Rose Lavender Quench Deep Conditioner
Price: $15.99 for 8oz
Camille Rose is natural hair care drug store brand that focuses on nourishing naturally curly hair. This is the second hair item from the brand that I’ve purchased. The Lavender Quench Deep Conditioner aims to stimulate the scalp for hair growth and is infused with lavender oil.
For the price and performance of the conditioner, I really enjoyed using this deep conditioner. I typically used it once every 2 weeks or so and this lasted me several months. This mask left my hair super soft and I really think it helped to ease my hair detangling. In the near future I’m hoping to pick up more of their deep conditioners and styling agents.
Makeup
Previously Reviewed:
- Tarte Lash Primer -$22- "NO MAKE-UP" MAKE UP ROUTINE” Blogpost
Maybelline Total Temptation Brow Definer
Price: $7-$9
Shade: Deep Brown
I’ve been using this brow pencil on and off for a few years. I finally decided that I like this better than the Anastasia formula and this one is half the price. This applicator is more of a definer style and can easily be used to achieve bold brows or precise precision. I find that the pencil lasts me a few months longer than the Anastasia one too. This will continue to be in my everyday makeup brow routine!
Sheet Masks
Previously Reviewed:
-Innis Free- Rose Water Mask $1.80- December Empties Blogpost
Price: $6.00
This Dr. Jart Mask has to be one of my favorite sheet masks that I’ve recently tried out. I purchased it at a sample sale and at the time I picked up a couple.
This sheet mask is extremely moisturizing as its formulated with Ceramide, which is a liquid found in the cell membrane. The Dr. Jart Ceramdin line focuses on strengthening the skins barrier and prevents moisture lost. After using this my skin was baby soft. I would highly recommend this to everyone and all skin types. I love the benefits that this provides for protecting the barrier of the skin.
Dr. Jart Pore Master Patch
Price: $2.99
The pore master patch is a 2-step deep pore cleaning system. The first step is like a typical nose pore mask. I don’t feel like the nose patch did much to remove any of the impurities from the nose area.
The second step is a hydrating nose patch that is applied to the area. As I mentioned, I didn’t see much of a difference with the two. But I do have another set to use and I’m interested is seeing if the results will be the same. I think for the price and the results, this isn’t a bad product to test out. I was unable to find the product which makes me think its likely the brand is phasing it out.