April '22 Empties
Face care Empties
Price: $20 for 100 pieces
I’ve purchased and reviewed the Chanel Le Cotton pads numerous times at this point. I love that these are bigger and softer than most conventional cotton pads.
Price: $45
The Star Jelly is a 4 in 1 exfoliating mask that has a jelly like texture. The mask is formulated with star ingredients like Glycolic Acid, Lactic Acid and Niacinamide. This was a mask that I used once a week, but I also felt like this was a treatment that my skin would’ve been able to tolerate multiple times per week. I never experienced a burning or a strong tingling sensation while using it and I really liked that. After using it my skin felt softer and looked smoother. I was able to get many months of application with just this 1 bottle and I really like that it also included a brush for easy application.
Sephora Collection - Solid Brush and Sponge Cleaner with Pad
Price: $16
I find solid cleaners like this the best for cleaning my makeup brushes. I also feel like a solid goes a lot farther and you can get more worth for your money. The Sephora Collection Solid Cleanser cleanses my brushes well and keeps them in good shape. The best time to purchase them is when Sephora has a sale on their Sephora Collection products.
Price: $88
This is a light weight eye serum that is formulated with red algae, honeysuckle and caffeine. The serum is housed in a squeeze tube with a cooling ceramic applicator, which makes it easy to apply. I really enjoyed using this one for both my morning and night routines. I found the eye serum to be really hydrating along with being soothing to my eye area, which made it a nice base in my morning routine prior to applying my undereye concealer.
Garnier Green Labs Pinea-C Brightening Serum Cream with SPF 30
Price: $21.99
This is a three in one serum, cream and SPF 30. This particular formula is formulated with Vitamin C and Pineapple to help brighten the skin. Being that this a chemical based sunscreen, there’s no white cast and blends into the skin beautifully. I really enjoyed using this one days I wanted a minimal routine. The only con I would say is that this is heavily scented.
Peter Thomas Roth - 24K Gold Pure Luxury Lift & Firm Hydra-Gel Eye Patches
Price: $75 for 30 pairs (60 patches)
The PTR 24K Gold eye gels are formulated with caffeine, collagen and Colloidal Gold. This combination helped to depuff and firm the eye area. I really enjoyed using these on the mornings I was able to have a slower start. I do think they helped to depuff my eye area and provide moisture. The only downside is the price tag, but thankfully Peter Thomas Roth tends to have great sales and bundle kits, so there’s a great chance you can find these on sale at some point.
hair & Bodycare Empties
Price: $28 for 3.3 oz
I was kindly gifted this mask by one of my sisters. I don’t think this is something I would’ve rushed to purchase if it wasn’t for those circumstances. The No.8 Hair Mask is described as an reparative mask to to treat dry and damaged hair. I typically seek out hair masks in tubs that have thicker textures. I think this did a pretty good job at providing moisture.
As with most Olaplex products, the sizes are on the smaller side. I found myself having to use more than the recommended amount as per the bottles directions. I do feel that if I were to use this with every hair wash once a week, this would likely only last me a month or maybe a little longer. For someone like myself who needs a decent amount of product for my hair, I don’t think this is something that I would purchase on my own.
Price: $38 for 8oz
The Josie Maran Body Cream is like butter on this skin. It’s described as an oil infused body butter that is formulated with antioxidants to nourish the skin. I decided to give this one a try because it was in my skincare stash for a while. It absorbs well and leaves my skin looking and feeling conditioned. It was great to use during the cooler months, but I also don’t think it would be too heavy for warmer months. I love that the body butter is offered in different varieties of scents and also an unscented version.
Price: $20 for 33.80oz/1 Liter
The Bioderma Cleansing Oil has been a favorite of mine for years. If you’re interested in seeing a previous review, check out the review above. I love using the oil in place of body wash along with using it for shaving. It can also be used on the face, but I enjoy mixing mine in with my body scrubs for a more hydrating body exfoliation treatment.
Price: $28 for 8.4oz
The Glow Recipe Dream Body Cream is a lightweight cream that aims to hydrate and smooth the skin with the usage of Hibiscus AHA. The cream has a light watermelon scent and I love that it has a pump for an easier application. I enjoyed using the cream for it’s hydrating purposes, but I saw little to no change in my skin in terms of smoothing my skin. My guess is that a low percentage of AHA is used in the formula. I have KP on my legs and the back of my arms and in order to see a significant change, I need formulations that are on the potent side. As much as I do like this body cream, I don’t think it’s worth the price for what it claims to do.
Price: $36 for 60 pads
The First Aid Beauty Facial Radiance Pads are pretty popular in the skincare community and for many reasons! These pads are designed to as a daily treatment that is formulated with lactic and glycolic acids to gently exfoliate, tone and brighten. I’ve enjoyed using these on my face and I think this is a great option for those that are looking for a gentle treatment and even for someone traveling and wants to cut down on space in their bag.
I actually used these pads for my chest, neck and underarms. These areas that are known for being sensitive and my skin tolerated the radiance pads so well. I used the pads on neck and chest 1-2x a week and the pads for my underarms 3-4 times a week (pretty much every other day). While using the pads for my underarms I noticed that this combination almost functioned as a deodorant and gradually helped to brighten and exfoliate my underarms. Being that I only used like 3-5 pads per week, this jar lasted me a few months. While it was opened the pads didn’t dry out or lose moisture. I do have a backup of these pads and will continue to use them the same way.
If you plan on using them in a similar manner, be sure to follow-up with sunscreen when exposed to the sun.
Fragrance Empties
Price: $75 for 1oz
The Nectarine Blossom & Honey is classified by Jo Malone as a fruity floral. I’m not usually the biggest fan of fruity scents but I feel like this has a nice middle ground of being sweet and mature-but also a little playful at the same time. For me this is very much a spring/summer scent. Being that I enjoy it so much, I definitely see myself repurchasing it in the future.
Key Notes: Cassis, Acacia Honey, Peach
Price: $88 for 0.5oz
Santal 33 is coined as the scent of New York City, which I don’t understand because NYC could never smell this good IMO. When I originally purchased this fragrance almost 2 years ago, it retailed in the range of $70 something and since then the price has increased. Since then the fragrance has picked up even more traction and is pretty much on most fragrance lovers radars.
This is a scent I enjoyed, but I slowly realized I actually like more as a base to mix with other scents. Santal 33 has a pretty good longevity and I do think it can be worn year round. For me the scent was missing a little something extra. As much as I love the woody notes, I thought it be somewhat simplistic and this is why I often mixed it with other scents. If you’re thinking about purchasing a Le Labo scent, keep in mind that once the bottles are finished they can be brought back to the store or online to be refilled with a 20% discount.
The scent notes:
- Top: violet accord, cardamom.
- Middle: iris, ambrox.
- Base: cedarwood, leather, sandalwood.
Price: $25-$36
Noure Essentials is a small candle business that makes some of the most beautiful scents at a very reasonable price. What originally attracted me to the candles were the cute packaging and designs, but I was also happy to see how well the candles burned because they’re made with Coconut Apricot Crème wax. I can’t recommend these candles enough and after burning them you can upcycle the beautiful vessel to hold makeup brushes!