I think I did much better about saving my trash this time around, because I have… a lot of it. So much of it that I think it will take at least two blogs to actually get through it all. It’s a lot, y’all. As a reminder, my Empties/Trash blogs are where I save all my trash and then I review it all for you. But I really like Empties blogs a lot because I can really give you my real feelings about a product (for the most part) after using it all! I even saved the samples I tried so I can tell you what I thought of those as well. Jill really likes this idea, too, so we might be going through HER trash sometime soon as well! I am really excited to hear her husband’s reaction when he finds out Jill is saving her trash. (I am wondering if it will be the same as Matt’s, who looked at me like I was insane.)
This particular blog will go through skincare, makeup and hair.
Skincare
Korres Wild Rose Advance Brightening Sleeping Facial ($48): I have purchased the full-size version of this a few times before and I’ve really enjoyed it and I may possibly get it again. I’m currently using a few other night treatments but I do feel like the combination of this plus the Ole Henriksen Truth Serum made my skin look great.
Caudalie Vinoperfect Glycolic Brightening Essence ($42): I really enjoyed using this little sample, and wish I had a bigger version of it to try. However, I only used it for a few days so I’m not sure if I really saw a difference. I have been using the Glossier Solution which also glycolic acids amongst others that do a similar thing, and that one is only $24. (Currently out of stock)
Drunk Elephant C-Firma Day Serum ($80): This is currently my very favorite vitamin C serum. But as you can see, it’s hella pricy. Damn you, Drunk Elephant, and your great, expensive skincare. I usually wait for Sephora VIB sales to re-up because ain’t nobody got time for $80. I hope Sephora will put out some cool Drunk Elephant sets this year because those typically help you save some money as well. I think this serum helps my skin look clearer and brighter when I use it. I especially love the packaging which ensures none of the unused product is exposed to the air, which would make the potent ingredients less potent. (Like, if the serum was in a dropper component.) I will say that this serum kind of smells like uncooked hot dogs, which… isn’t super pleasant, but it dissipates upon application so it really doesn’t bother me.
Drunk Elephant TLC Framboos Glycolic Night Serum ($90): This is Drunk Elephant’s night serum and I have to be honest with you – I know people swear by this stuff, but I really didn’t love it! I really couldn’t tell if it was doing anything positive or negative to my skin. I am glad I got it in a little Drunk Elephant set and didn’t spend the whole $90 on a full-size version. I don’t know – it’s possible I would try this again sometime, but I’m currently happy with the Sunday Riley Luna Night Oil. The Luna Night Oil is not cheap either, but you do need less, so you can make a smaller bottle last longer.
Skinfix Foaming Clay Cleanser ($19.99): I liked using this after I worked out because I feel like it got my face REALLY clean, but like, not squeaky clean, not too dry. My skin just felt really clean and I appreciate that after a very sweaty workout. I’m not sure I’ll buy it again, since I’m not too married to any particular face wash. I like using the samples I receive in boxes for my face wash at the gym, so I tend to cycle through those. I don’t think I would buy this again, but if you have oily skin and you’re looking for a new cleanser, this one is really nice!
Tatcha Pure One Step Camellia Cleansing Oil ($48/full-size): I have often heard this is the greatest cleaning oil of all time, but in my opinion, my Julep cleansing oil is just as good. I won’t re-purchase this. It just seemed like a pretty basic oil cleanser, so I think paying $50 would be a mistake when you can get just as nice of an oil cleanser for much less.
Tatcha The Deep Cleanse ($38): First of all, this stuff smells incredible. It has small little granules that seemingly help with exfoliation but honestly, they feel like they don’t do anything. They sort of felt like flakes of salt, rather than grains of salt, if that makes sense. It wasn’t a bad cleanser but I certainly wouldn’t pay full price.
Belif Moisturizing Eye Bomb ($48): This is currently my very favorite eye cream, and I am so sad I am currently out of it. I have others I am working my way through right now, but when I am ready to buy a new one, you better believe I will be getting more of this. I felt like this was light, wore well under makeup, but still felt extremely moisturizing. I just love it.
Lancôme Genifique Yeux Eye Cream ($67): I thought this was just as good of an eye cream as the Belif, but seeing how the Belif is less expensive, I’ll be getting that one. This one was almost a gel consistency, but very moisturizing and wore very well under makeup.
Bite Beauty Agave Lip Balm ($18): Bite Beauty makes some beautiful lipsticks and liners but I really do not like this lip balm at all. It is so waxy and difficult to spread across my lips and it just feels generally unpleasant to me on the lips. I prefer the Laneige Overnight Lip Mask to this, bar none.
Neova Cu3 Intensive Lip Repair ($22): This is an interesting lip balm because it feels more like skincare than an actual balm. I do prefer a more balm-y balm, but I think this is different because it’s also meant to be used around the lips. So because it’s not like a shiny lip balm, you can put it all around your lips without looking like a child who doesn’t know how to use lip balm, ya know? It dries down upon application. Like I said, I prefer a regular, “shiny” lip balm like the Laneige Overnight Lip Mask or the Rosebud Salve ($7).
Makeup
Maybelline Total Temptation Mascara ($6.99): I actually hated this mascara. I have pretty decent lashes, they are just blonde. They can hold a decent curl. Except when I use this mascara – it’s like I put weights on my lashes, these fall so straight, so fast. And the formula itself didn’t do shit for me – didn’t make my lashes longer or thicker. I’m really annoyed about this whole thing, tbh. (I would have taken a picture of it open like the others except it BROKE, and the thing that helps clean off the excess mascara was no longer working, so I just kept it shut. Not impressed at all.)
Cover Girl Peacock Flare ($7.89): This is another mascara I hate, but I don’t hate it quite as much as the Total Temptation. I mostly hated this one because of the stupid brush. It curves around in sort of a spiral, which actually does nothing in case you are interested. I don’t think it made my lashes look any longer or thicker, so it’s a no from me, dawg.
Wet n Wild Megaslim Skinny Mascara ($4.99): Now, this is a mascara I happen to like a lot. I don’t love it for my top lashes but I think it’s great on my bottom lashes because the wand is very skinny. And at $5, you can’t really beat it.
Glossier Boy Brow ($16): I have sung the praises of Boy Brow for years now. I have bought so many and I will definitely buy it again. I recently discovered the Milk Kush Fiber Brow Gel in the shade Dutch ($18), and it might actually replace my beloved Boy Brow because it’s a bit easier to obtain. I get free two-day shipping at Sephora, along with occasional discounts and a reward program. However, you can bet that when I place a Glossier order, it will likely have a Boy Brow in it. I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to quit completely. But for now… Milk Kush is winning.
Hair
Philip Kingsley PK Prep Perfecting Spray ($33): I actually received this in exchange for a review awhile back and I really ended up liking this! The mister in this bottle is honestly one of the best I’ve ever used in a hair product. I feel like it distributed the product so evenly in my hair, and I think it really helped protect my hair without weighing it down at all. I’m not sure if I will buy this again because I found that I really like the Kristen Ess Blow Dry Mist ($14) that I can get at Target. However, the PK Prep was really, really nice, and if you felt like splurging on a blow dry spray, I think you’d be really happy with it.
Alterna Caviar Anti-Aging Miracle Multiplying Volume Mist ($30): I really like this stuff but I’m not sure if I like it for $30, ya know? I feel like it gave my hair a little something extra in addition to being a good blow dry spray. I’m not sure I will re-purchase, but I’m not ruling it out. I think if you were to buy it, you would be happy with it.
Dove Refresh + Care Fresh Coconut Dry Shampoo ($4.89): This is a dry shampoo that I really wanted to like, but I feel like it made my hair a little… too dry and crispy? I felt like I needed to stop using it because I noticed too much of my hair falling out in the shower after using it. I think that some hair loss is normal with dry shampoos because when you spray dry shampoo near the roots, some hair that would be falling out normally, just sort of sticks in with your hair because of the product. So when you aren’t washing your hair every day, those few hairs you’d lose in the shower anyway sort of build up with your dry shampoo. However, when I used the Dove dry shampoo, I felt like I was losing more than a regular amount of hair for some reason. I used up one of these Dove dry shampoos but then stopped using the next one because of the reasons I mentioned.
Dove Refresh + Care Volume & Fullness Dry Shampoo ($4.89): Same situation as above.
IGK Direct Flight Multi-Tasking Dry Shampoo ($14): I wanted to try this little dry shampoo because it claims to provide good volume in addition to soaking up oils, which are the qualities I look for in a dry shampoo. It was just OK. I really, really liked the scent most of all, but I don’t think I will buy it again. I think I prefer the effect of the Not Your Mother’s Clean Freak Dry Shampoo ($4.69) which is a third of the price of just the TRAVEL SIZE of the IGK. I’ve also been enjoying the Kristen Ess Dry Shampoo ($14) which is more than the NYM, but the full-size is still the same size as the travel-size IGK.
L’Oreal Elnet Satin Strong Hold Full-Size ($12.99) & Travel Size (can’t find online but you can find it in Target stores for like $5!): I swore by this hairspray for a really long time until very recently when I found the GOAT hairspray (more on that later) but I do thing this is a really nice hairspray, but I no longer think it’s the best, ya know?
Not Your Mother’s Clean Freak Dry Shampoo ($4.69): As you just read above, I really like how this helps get rid of excess oils, but also gives me really nice volume. The only issue with this dry shampoo is that it’s really white. So if you are a brunette, I would definitely not recommend this at all. But for me… it’s great.
Rahua Classic Shampoo ($34) and Classic Conditioner ($36): I normally don’t have super strong opinions about haircare but I really hated this stuff. This is one of those shampoos that doesn’t lather, but unlike the one from DevaCurl that you feel like you can work through your hair, this one is hard to work through your hair and just feels rough and terrible and I hate it. The conditioner was fine but absolutely not worth the money.
So that’s it for Part 1! Stay tuned for Part 2, where I’ll go through Makeup Removers, Body Products, Masks, Nails and Miscellaneous Things. Tell me about some of your most re-purchased products. I want to know!
xo,
L
laurenelectro
A self-proclaimed beauty junkie/hoarder with a serious Sephora problem. This blog is a total rationalization of that problem. Everything is TOTALLY fine. Her free time is a mixed combination of making fun of reality TV with her husband, hanging out with cats and finally trying to figure out how to do her hair.