November ’22 & December ’22 Empties
Better late than never with my November and December Empties. The holiday time was crazy, so I decided to combine both months together. One of my favorites from these past two months has to be the Peach & Lily Glass Skin Mist. If you’re interested in hearing more about it, keep reading!
Face Empties
Serums, Moisturizers & Masks
Price: $60
The Farmacy Honey Moon Glow is a powerful AHA/BHA 14% blend serum that aims to visibly smooth fine lines and clarify the pores. As with most Farmacy products, Honey Moon Glow also contains a blend of honey to the formula to act as an humectant and to soothe the skin. I was able to use this serum 1-2x a week max as I’m on Tretinoin, but my skin tolerated it very well. I didn’t notice any sensitivity or issues while using it. I honestly think the Honey Moon Glow serum lived up to the name and really helped my skin to maintain a nice overall glow without being too harsh. Being that the serum is formulated well, it’s unlikely that sensitivity upon application would occur. Even with that being said, this is still a pretty powerful serum and is not meant to be used daily. I would highly recommend to gradually introduce it into your routine once a week and then working your way up. I will definitely be repurchasing in the future and continuing to use it 1-2x a week max.
Price: $16.99
The Byoma Brightening Serum is a blend of Tri-Ceramide Complex, Niacinamide and hyaluronic acid to improve the skin tone and texture of the skin. I used this serum from beginning to end and I can’t say I saw much of a brightening effect. The consistency of the serum and how well it absorbs into the skin was beautiful- but that was pretty much it for me. Even though I don’t think this serum did much to brighten the skin, I actually loved using it as just hydrating hyaluronic acid serum. I love that it also contains ceramides, which helps to protect the skin. So, no I don’t think I would purchase this for it’s brightening effects, but I would 100% purchase this for the consistency, the moisture it provided and the fact that it’s formulated with ceramides. I also think the price range is fitting for how well it performed and how long it lasted.
Price: $26
Hands down one of my favorite Fresh Beauty products along with it being one of my favorite masks. The Fresh Rose Mask is one that I look forward to each and every application of it. The rose petals in the mask adds to the experience and the overall mask is soothing and hydrating to the skin.
Previously Reviewed Here -June and July Empties
Stratia Liquid Gold Moisturizer
Price: $49
The Stratia Liquid Gold is a barrier repair moisturizer that is formulated with ceramides, cholesterol, and fatty acid. It gets its gold shade from the two types of sea buckthorn oil. It’s a rich moisturizer that does not feel heavy on the skin, which makes it a great choice for all skin types. I try my best to always have some type of barrier support cream or serum in my routine as I use Tretinoin and at times can be kind of brutal to my skin. In comparison to other barrier support moisturizers with ceramides, this is more on the lighter side. This is something I actually love about the moisturizer. Many of the barrier support moisturizers tend to be super heavy, which only allows for me to use them in my night routines or during the winter months. With the Liquid Gold I was able to use it during the summer months as a moisturizer or even a apply a light layer during my morning routine. I can’t recommend this one enough!
Price: $44 for 1 oz
The GR Plum Serum is a hyaluronic acid serum that deeply hydrates and is enriched with plum, which functions as an antioxidant in the serum. The serum also includes vegan collagen and silk proteins to help support the barrier of the skin. The Plum Plump Hyaluronic Acid is made with a blend of multi-weight hyaluronic acids, which is great as HA is typically too large of a molecule to penetrate into the skin. As we know, hyaluronic acid is a humectant that draws moisture from both the air and deeper layers of skin to the upper layers to provide hydration. This is why it’s important to apply it to damp skin and not dry skin. The Plum serum consistency is more on the thicker side in comparison to other similar serums that I’ve tried. I found that the serum paired well with my other serums and didn’t experience any pilling or issues with it. As much as I do like the serum and how well it’s formulated, I do think $44 for 1oz of hyaluronic acid is a bit on the pricey side.
Face Mists
Osea Sea Vitamin Boost Face Mist
Price: $38
The Osea Sea Vitamin Boost is a facial mist that is said to provide anti-aging benefits of plumping the skin and providing a healthy glow with the usage of seaweed and pomegranate. The mister itself is more on the heavier side, so I wouldn’t recommend this to melt makeup or to wear over top of it. In my opinion this is more of skincare based product. I used this to provide quick hydration directly after washing my face since my skin is on the dehydrated side.
To me if felt like I was just applying water to my skin when I used it. I didn’t feel like it provided any additional benefits from what I could tell. I thought this was going to be moisturizing and provide moisture that I could actually feel, but I didn’t really get that from this mist. I enjoyed using it for quick hydration to my skin, but it’s not something I wouldn’t seek to purchase in the future.
Peach and Lily Glass Skin Face Mist
Price: $31
This is currently one of my favorite face mists and I can’t recommend it enough. It does such a great job of moisturizing! I go into detail of it in my Top Products of 2022 post. Be sure to check it out!
Cleansers
Yensa CBD SuperFood Dual Cleansing Oil
Price: $38
I haven’t really tried out many skincare products that contain CBD additives, so I wasn’t sure what to expect and the benefits it would provide being in a cleansing oil. The CBD Superfood Cleanser is a dual makeup remover and cleanser.
It’s meant to be applied directly on to dry skin to help breakdown makeup, spf and impurities. By adding water to the cleansing oil it transforms into a milky emulsion. The pump packaging made it super easy to use and for the most part I kept it stored in my shower. I really enjoyed using this one as a first step cleanser and I think it performed so well. I also enjoyed using it as a morning cleanser on days my skin was feeling particularly dry or after a facial procedure (i.e. facial peel). I was a bit shocked at the price as I received this in a ispy bag. I do think $38 is a bit steep for an oil cleanser, but I did enjoy how well it worked for me.
Kate Somerville Goat Milk Moisturizing Cleanser
Price: $44 for 4oz
The Kate Somerville Goat Milk Cleanser is a cream based cleanser that is formulated with goat milk and manuka honey. The cleanser is said to help gently remove makeup, dirt, oil and impurities.
I tried it as both a first step and second step cleanser and here are my thoughts. As a first step cleanser it takes a while to really breakdown and remove stubborn makeup. Perhaps this would be more ideal if you just trying to breakdown a light layer of sunscreen and other light surface level products. I generally reached for the Goat Milk Cleanser as a second step cleanser. I found the formula to be gentle and moisturizing for my skin. On some occasions I also used in my morning routine and enjoyed it! Being that this is not a targeted cleanser that contain actives or anything specific, I do think it could work for most skin types!
Farmacy Peaches N Clean Cleansing Balm
Price: $36 for 3.4oz
The Farmacy Cleansing balms are some of my favorites! I love that they make so many scent variations of them. The Peach scent was such a nice scent that I looked forward to using every night. I can’t recommend these cleansing balms enough and I have a few other reviews of them throughout the blog.
Previous review: June’22 Empties
Bodycare Empties
Price: $26 for 1.7oz
The Topicals High Roller is an ingrown hair serum in a roller package. It’s formulated with AHA and BHA ingredients like Salicylic Acid, Zinc PCA and Glycolic Acid. This formulation blend helps to exfoliate and minimize skin irritation.
The roller can be used on the face, underarms and bikini area. I used this solely on my bikini area and I really do think it helped to lighten some of the marks that I had left behind from previous ingrown hairs. The roller on formula made it so easy to just swipe on. I appreciate the fact the formula is clear and completely dries down on the skin without leaving a film or sticky feeling. I also found it gentle enough to use after shaving and waxing. Being that I enjoyed it so much, I purchased another when I noticed I was started to get low on this one. I believe the first roller lasted me like 6 months give or take!
La Roche Posay Lipikar Daily Repair Moisturizing Lotion
Price: $20 for 13.52 oz
The La Roche Posay Lipikar Daily Repair Moisturizing Lotion is described as a lightweight body lotion. I loved this lotion so much and actually used it all over - including my face. I love that the moisturizer is not too light or too heavy and has a pump for dispensing. LRP is known for being great for those with sensitive skin and skin conditions and I can say it lives it up to it! I often reached for this during the times I was breaking out in hives and times that my skin felt super sensitive. My favorite time to use this was during the spring and fall months when my skin needed a decent moisturizer- but something that was not too heavy.
Scented by Missi Cocoa Butter Cashmere Body Oil Mini
Price: $6 for 2oz
I came across Scented by Missi while attending a local pop-up shop event in my local area. As a body care lover I’m always on the hunt to try new products and I came across her body oils. Each of the scents smelled so good, but the Cocoa Butter Cashmere took me by surprise. I swear it was love at first sniff! The Cocoa Butter Cashmere scent mixture is described as a complex blend of warm spices, rich cocoa butter, olive wood and a touch of coconut sweetness combine to create a truly relaxing fragrance. The oil itself it is super moisturizing and kept my skin feeling silly smooth for hours.
I loved the oil so much that I purchased the 8oz size during their Black Friday sale along with the matching perfume oil rollerball. I love using this oil for when I want my skin to be moisturized and when I want a nice lingering scent. I love supporting local businesses and I’ll be sure to keep you posted if/when I decide to try out more from Scented by Missi, but I can already tell you I’ll be repurchasing the Cocoa Butter Cashmere body oil as long as it’s available.
Skinfix Resurface + AHA Renewing Body Cream
Price: $48
If you’re suffering from Keratosis Pilaris/KP or other rough like skin conditions, this is worth checking out. Overall, is such a nice thick moisturizer and a little goes a long way!
+ Previously Reviewed | MY KP Body Care Routine
+ Previously Reviewed | May and June 2020 Empties
Taos Aer Lavender and Myrrh Deodorant Mini
Price: $9.59 (travel size)
Previously Reviewed | Top 10 Products of 2020
Previously Reviewed | July’21 Empties
Tatcha Gentle Exfoliating Body Wash
Price: $34 for 6.7oz
Wow, I was not expecting to like this as much as I did. The Tatcha Gentle Body Wash is an exfoliating body wash that also cleanses. The consistency is almost on the thicker side and contains Cellulose as an alternative to microplastic beads. I think the body wash did such a great job of cleansing my skin and providing a great level of physical exfoliation without being too harsh. I also like the suds level of the body wash. This is definitely a product I would think about repurchasing in the future!
Haircare Empties
Ouai Curl Cream Fragrance Free
Price: $32
The Ouai Curl Cream is a silicone free cream that helps to define curls, reduce frizz and add shine to the hair. The consistency of the cream is a nice middle ground of not being too heavy or too light for my hair. I actually had the opportunity of testing this when it was in production and I loved it! I have natural curly-coily hair and I’ve tried using this alone and also alongside other products. I was always pleased with my results of my hair feeling hydrated, my curls have a nice level of definition without my hair feeling heavy or with a cast of product build up. I can see this working for many different curls and hair types. For those that have really curly/frizzy hair, you may want to add a holding gel alongside the curl cream for extra definition in certain areas. Lastly, I love that Ouai makes this in both an unscented and scented version!
Sol de Janeiro Triple Brazilian Butter™ Hair Repair Treatment Mask
Price: $36 for 8oz
The Sol de Janeiro is described as a deep moisture and repair mask that is said to mend up 96% of split ends. The mask has the traditional Sol Bum Bum Scent and a very thick consistency. I typically applied this in the shower and would let it sit in my hair for about 10-15 minutes. When washing it out my hair always felt noticeable softer and smoother.
When styling my hair I also noticed less frizz. I really think the Triple Brazilian Butter Hair Repair Mask did a great job at providing moisture to my hair. I don’t think it did much for my split ends, but I looked forward to each and every use of it. I used it once a week and it lasted me several months – even with being heavy handed. This is definitely a product I would repurchase in the near future.
Misc/ Candles
Rituals - The Ritual of Ayurveda Scented Candle
Price: $29.50
The Ritual of Ayurveda Candle is housed in a beautiful a deep burgundy vessel with scent notes of Indian rose and sweet almond oil. I liked that scent lingered in the air without being too over powering. I burned this more on the longer side and usually for multiple days in a row. I do wish the throw on this was a little stronger, but overall I did enjoy the candle.
Price: $32 for 8oz
These candles come in the cutest tin vessel packaging. They almost look like little paint cans. The Silk scent has a scent blend of jasmine, coconut and Tonka beans. I love how cozy the scent made me feel and the fact that it has a wood wick.
I really wanted to keep this candle for as long as possible, so this was one that I only burned on occasion. But being that I did enjoy it very much, I also decided to purchase their Cereal Candle, which I think smells like fruit loops cereal. I know there’s been some complaints in terms of the wood wick and how it burns, but personally I haven’t had any issues with it and that’s why I ended up purchasing a second candle before finishing the first one. Based on the size and the throw of this candle, I would recommend it for smaller rooms (i.e. bedroom)
Total Empties Value: $656.08