May'23 Empties
Another month and another round of empties. During the month of May I emptied quite a few of pricey skincare products and so many candles. But my favorite product from this empties collection that will be missed is the Peach & Lily Ginger Melt Oil Cleanser. I go into detail as to why I enjoyed it so much! So keep reading to find out about the cleanser along with the other products I’ve finished this month.
Face Empties
Peach & Lily Ginger Melt Oil Cleanser
Price: $35 for 5.07oz
The Peach & Lily Oil cleanser is formulated with ginger root extract, pineapple extract, sunflower seed oil and Grapeseed oil to help cleanse the skin. I tend to reach for cleansing balms more than cleansing oils, but once I opened this one I couldn’t stop using it! The Ginger Melt looks and feels like a typical cleansing oil, but I would say the consistency on this one is a but thicker.
This cleansing oil feels so silky and soft on the skin. I find that it does a great job at breaking down my makeup and washing away clean. Being that it washes away so clean and always left my skin feeling so soft and hydrated, I often used it in my morning routine as my only cleanser
La Roche-Posay Micellar Cleansing Water Ultra and Makeup Remover
Price: $18.99 for 13.05 oz.
The LRP Micellar Cleansing Water is described as a face cleanser and makeup remover. I typically reached for this as a morning cleanser when I didn’t feel like I needed to do a full on cleansing. I used it by applying several drops to a cotton round and swiped it across my face. I also used this to clean up makeup – like mascara around my eyes. I found the formula to be very gentle on the skin- especially the eye area. Based on the price and how well it works, I would definitely repurchase it and recommend for others to try it out!
Price: $16.99 for 8oz
The Cerave SA line is formulated with Salicylic Acid and Lactic Acid to gently cleanse and exfoliate the skin. This is one of the cleansers from Cerave I can’t recommend enough. It does such a great job of cleansing my skin without over drying it. I used this on both my face and neck/chest areas. I really loved using this on my check and chest areas after work outs. The Salicylic Acid line is also great to use on areas of KP (keratosis pilaris) and rough skin. I really want to try the Cerave SA Body wash soon. Being that this wasn’t a cleanser I used daily this bottle lasted me about 9 months!
Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Setting Spray (full size)
Price: $38 for 3.3oz
At this point I’ve gone through several bottles of these! I absolutely love this setting mist so much! I know there’s a lot of brands that claim they have setting sprays- but in reality they’re actually refresher or fixer mists that melts all the makeup together to get rid of that overly powdery look. The CT mist does that along with setting your makeup in place to last for hours on end. I started using it during covid times when masks where in full force and this really helped with the longevity of my makeup throughout the day. Last summer I started wearing more cream based products and I honestly thought they would just fade away since my skin is more on the oilier side, but the CT setting spray really helped to keep my makeup last all day long.
Since I’ve been using this spray I noticed that there’s been a slight price increase. I highly recommend purchasing it when there’s a sale. Sephora tends to have these in mini kits and I’ve also seen them on the CT site. When I use the Airbrush Setting Spray I typically spray 4-5 times per application and the bottle lasts such a long time!
Tatcha Indigo Overnight Repair Serum in Cream Treatment
Price: $92 for 1.7oz
The Tatcha Overnight Repair Serum Cream is a serum in cream moisturizer that claims to calm the skin, strengthen the barrier of the skin and balance the skin. I can definitely say it does this and lives up to its claims. I typically used this 2-3 times a week and night. Upon application it feels like a blanket to the skin and my skin always felt noticeably softer and revived the morning after using it! I really like that the product goes a long way! As much as I love this I wouldn’t repurchase the full size since its so pricey, but I would and plan to repurchase it in the mini size for $22!
Price: $115 for 1 oz
The Byroe Truffle Eye Serum may just be the most expensive eye cream that I ever used! Maybe it due to the fact that the eye serum contains blend of black, white and summer truffles. The formula is said to infuse the skin with essential fatty acids and important antioxidants from its mixture of triple hyaluronic acid, avocado peptides and lupine proteins. The eye serum itself has a nice consistency to it- slightly on the creamy side. A little bit of product goes a long way with this one. After applied to the eyes there’s an increased level of hydration and it really helps to combat puffy eyes. I feel like the Truffle Eye Serum is great to use for morning routines. I feel like it did a great job of moisturizing my under eyes without being too heavy; thus making a great base prior to applying under eye concealer. If I could afford this type of price point of product regularly, this is something I would most definitely consider repurchasing.
Charlotte Tilbury Pillow Talk Push Up Lashes Volumizing & Lengthening Mascara
Price: $29 (full size)
This particular mascara was on my Wishlist for the longest! I tend to gravitate towards mascaras that have the plastic silicone like wands that have comb bristles. This mascara is said to load, comb and lift. I definitely helped to achieve some of those claims but not all. I found the bristles on the wand of the mascara to be very short and because of this I don’t think it did a very good job at lengthen my top lashes. Even though I didn’t like it for my top lashes, I actually really liked it for my bottle lashes. I feel like the smaller bristles on the brush made the application for bottom lashes easier and not as messy. I would consider buying this one again if the mini size was available in the new Dream Pop (berry brown) shade.
Haircare Empties
Briogeo Be Gentle, Be Kind Avocado Moisture Hair Mask
Price: $39 for 8oz
The Briogeo Be Gentle, Be Kind Avocado + Kiwi Mega Moisture Superfoods Hair Mask is a protein free nourishing hair mask. Its formulated with Avocado, Kiwi and Spinach to help provide phytonutrients and moisture back into the hair. The mask smells like kiwi – but it’s not overly sweet and it has a pretty thick consistency to it. I typically reached for this hair mask every other week when I thought my hair needed extra moisture (i.e. winter months). I would usually apply this mask while I’m in the shower and let it process for 10-15 minutes. When washing it out I can definitely feel an immediate difference in my hair. It really helped to provide moisture and even help with finger detangling. This is definitely a mask I will repurchase in the future! This is also one I would recommend for all hair types- especially those with curly coarse hair.
The Nue Co. Growth Hair Phase Hair Supplement
Price: $65 for 90 capsules (1 month supply)
These past several months I’ve been dealing with a lot of hair shedding and breakage and wanted to incorporate hair supplements. I looked into the ingredients of the Nue Co. supplements and a few things about it stood out to me. These particular hair supplements help to support hair growth and hair density. As with most hair supplements these contain the general Biotin and Pantothenic Acid. But I noticed these also contain various vitamins/supplements that are not in my regular diet like Vitamin K, Horsetail Plant Extract, Reishi Mushroom and BiovaBio. The BiovaBio stood out to me the most as it is water soluble egg membrane, which overall helps to reduce hair breakage and improve hair breakage. According to the product information, expect to see results in 12 weeks.
One bottle is a 1 month supply, so I plan to continue my usage for the next several months and I’ll be sure to follow-up. After completing this first bottle so far, I’ve notice less hair shedding and breakage. I’m looking forward to see how these work out for over the next few months! If you’re interested in trying them out, I do have a 20% code that you can use on your orders directly from the Nue Co. site. TNCTONI ;
Curls Blueberry Bliss Curl Control Paste
Price: $9.49 for 4oz
I've been using the Curls Control Paste for several years at this point. At first I used it as an edge control product, but I found that it didn’t have the best hold for these areas. It wasn’t until I started using it in place of gel to do slick back styles that I fell in love. The control paste applied to slightly damp here provides shine and a light hold – that doesn’t flake. Over the years I’ve purchased countless jars, but I would say this lasts me several months at a time. I maybe purchase 2-3 jars per year! If you’re looking for a light holding product that will not dry out hair, this is one to definitely check out. At this point, this a holy grail for me. As long Curls keeps making it, I’ll keep repurchasing it!
Bodycare Empties
Grown Alchemist Intensive Body Cream
Price: $33 for 4oz
The Grown Alchemist Intensive Body Cream has an earthy rose scent. The texture of the cream feels more like a heavier body lotion instead of a body cream, but it definitely hydrates like a body cream! This cream performed very well for moisturizing my skin- even areas that are typically drier (feet, knees and elbows). I used this all over my body and it lasted me for several months!
I have such a love hate relationship with products that come in these metal tube packaging. I love the way they look, but towards the end of usage they tend to get cracks and spill out. The Grown Alchemist tube package wasn’t too bad and the this actually didn’t occur until I reached the very end of my usage. This is definitely a product I would repurchase in the future and I would actually like to try out more from the brand.
Strivectin KP Care Texture Smoothing Body Cream
Price: $40 for 6.7 oz
The Strivectin KP Care Body cream claims to improve the appearance of bumpy, rough skin after 1 week of usage. The cream is formulated with a PHA/AHA blend with ingredients such as Lactic Acid and Maltobionic Acid along with nourishing ingredients. The KP Care Body Cream is designed to use alongside the KP Care Bump Exfoliating Body Scrub, which is how I used the system. The Texture Smoothing Body Cream has a more fluid like consistency, but it’s very much a cream. A little product goes a long way and if you use too much it will take longer to rub in. When I used the cream I felt like it did a pretty good job at moisturizing my skin. As for the results of the KP, I do think it helped to nourish my skin and provide a light level of chemical exfoliation. I do think I would have probably seen better results if I used it more frequently with the scrub. I actually reached for body cream more often than the scrub since it was easier to use.
I wasn’t particularly fond of the scent, but I was able to get past it. Based on the results and how well it moisturized my skin, I would definitely repurchase this in the future!
Bath and Body Works - Sweater Weather Shower Gel
Price: $14 for 10 oz.
Inspired by Golden Autumn Leaves, Bright Blue Skies & Crisp Apple Slices
The Sweater Weather candle from Bath and Body Works is one of my favorite fall scents, so I was happy to see that they’ve extended the line to body care products. I really enjoyed this shower gel and I think it lathered really well. Definitely one I would repurchase in the future.
Candle Empties
Price: $44 for 8oz
Overall my thoughts are the same on the Ouai candles. But I did notice with the North Bondi scent that it was extremely light. Many of the times I burned it, it was hard to pick up the scent. This made me burn the candle longer and finish it pretty quickly (around 2 months). If you’re interested in trying out the Ouai candles, I highly recommend going with the Melrose Place Candle.
Previous candle review: March’23 Empties
Mrs. Meyers Orange Clove Tin Candle
Price: $4.99 for 2.9oz (12 hour burn time)
This candle was given to me as a gift and Orange is not a typical scent I gravitate towards – unless its cleaning products. But this one can be described as a warm spicy citrus scent. For a mini size, it burned pretty well! I was able to get quite a few months of usage with this one! I kept this one near my front door and it gave a pretty good throw for the area. I can’t say if I would repurchase it because this scent as it did not wow me. But if I were, I were to purchase any in the future it would be the Peony or Honeysuckle scents.
Palm Trees & 80 Degrees- Tokyo Blossoms
Price: $25 for 12 oz. (60 hrs of burn time)
Top: Magnolia, Cherry Blossom, Ozone
Middle: Cherry, Rose
Base: Sandalwood, Tonka Bean
The Tokyo Blossom candle may possibly one of my favorite scents from Palm Trees & 80 Degrees. Cherry Blossoms happens to be one of my favorite scents and flowers - especially around the spring season. The scent notes together makes for such a beautiful scent. I love how well these candles burn and the scent throw. The Tokyo Blossom is a slightly sweet floral scent.
I love the matte black vessel of the candles and I will definitely be saving this beautiful vessel. The Palm Trees & 80 Degrees candles are reasonably priced, hand poured, soy wax candles and they are created by a small black business. As of right now I’m currently eying the Dipped in Santal candle.
Bath and Body Works - French Baguette Candle
Price: $24.95
Fragrance notes: slow rising dough, crispy crust and a pat of butter.
I stumbled upon this candle scent while browsing the BBW site one day. I wasn’t sure what to expect with the scent name of French Baguette - especially I usually don’t associates scents when I think of bread. But this one smells like a lightly sweet bread. The throw when was pretty good. This was a candle I typically burned on the weekends and mornings. I must admit though, every time I burned it it made me crave sweets. This is definitely a scent I would repurchase!