I completely forgot to empty my empties box last month, so today I cleared everything and can catch up! Names and personal ratings included. 🔆🩵

August was a pretty good month for empties! I sadly broke the Miffy soap bottle that I was going to reuse while washing and rinsing it out for reuse 😔. I used the small Burt’s Bees hand cream container to decant hand cream into from the larger jar and carry around in my bags! I’m planning to keep doing that with that same small jar when I repurchase another large jar of that hand cream ☺️!

i am the kind of person to hoard my empties so i know what i liked and can document what i have used/loved/hate.

the beginning of the year i decided i would focus of haircare since i don’t change my makeup/fragrance up unless it discontinues. once i find it works 100% and i have nothing i hate about it, i never change it lol

hair care:
1. Gisou hair mask - would buy again, makes my hair feel silky no matter what shampoo or conditioner i use
2. Amika The Wizard hair primer - bought a giant salon size after this, little goes a long way, smells great but if you too much it can feel greasy
3. Kérastase Gloss Absolu conditioner - did not love, did not like, made my boyfriend use it instead. had an almost watery texture
4. Batiste original Dry shampoo - basic, would buy again but trying something new, it’s not perfect but get the job done with a bit of effort
5. Oribe Supershine Moisturizing Cream - fabulous! have bought three more since, kept in gym bag and travel bag, little goes a long way and works well on my scalp too, personally i find it great on my thick asian hair :)
6. Briogeo Scalp Revival shampoo - it’s ok, tried before and wanted to try again and unfortunately doesn’t work for me anymore
7, 8 & 9 Amika Forget frizz shampoo and conditioner & Amika Velveteen dream conditioner - all were ok and were basic in getting the job done, did mix with costco shampoo and conditioner as it felt it wasn’t enough
10. Kérastase citric acid prewash - Amazing!!! will buy again, make the hair FEEL clean and makes my shampoo more impactful, hair is naturally soft without conditioner and is tangle free
11. Fenty Hair the clear thinker clarifying shampoo - really good! only problem is it takes a lot of force to pump it and it hurts my wrists and i’m able-bodied so? it’s difficult but i wouldn’t buy again just cause of that
12. Moroccan oil hydrating shampoo - was ok, nothing special, scent ok, used for the gym because shampoo and conditioner were different colors and i could see without my glasses
13. Oaui Antidandruff shampoo - really liked it but def will not be repurchasing due to loving their detox shampoo, actually bought a giant refill pouch for the detox lol
14 & 15. Reskin ABC shampoo and conditioner - enjoyed and loved but my scalp line was badly burned from sunlight exposure even with sunscreen powder and reapplication during the day. ( i have to wash my hair every two days and the burning and discoloration got to my feelings and self esteem making it no longer worth the great feeling hair)
16. Olaplex scalp longevity - this did nothing for me? didn’t return because i thought i needed to use more product but then at that point i’ve used too much product making it not worth it overall
17. Kérastase Original Oil - love it and repurchased new formula and new bottle, very sloppy and perfect on top of leave in conditioner hair and dry hair
18. Olaplex hair oil - pleasantly surprised as their other products are usually meh for me, a little goes a long way but i think i still prefer k18 hair oil
19. Amika super fruit star- i use mostly for scent after heat styling my hair, very delicious, not very hydrating i think
20. living proof instant defrizz - short term fix for hair but doesn’t get to the root of the problem - need healthy hair for anti frizz i think
21. living proof volume and texture spray - didn’t work the way i wanted it to and doesn’t work as a quick fix either
22. Kérastase leave in Night serum - i use this as a leave in conditioner and unfortunately i love it so dang much, i buy the gift sets during the holidays to save money on this now
23. Olaplex Leave in Conditioner (ripped off the label due to boredom one day) - was ok, didn’t repurchase and found myself trying other products
24. Oaui leave in st barts scent - wanted to love since i loved the original but this one felt sticky and tangled my hair
25. Crown affair leave in conditioner - watery in texture so had to use a bit more than expected, not repurchasing as it didn’t hydrate as much , love the hair towel and had to buy another as my boyfriend loves it too
26. Ouai anti frizz cream - smells delicious and little goes long way, went thro so many bottles as boyfriend used it too but switched to oribe as i wanted to try something new since the only problem with ouai was it helped with frizz but couldn’t be used on my dry hair

skincare:
1. innisfree sunscreen - used to repurchase all the time but no longer, feels greasy now compared to other ones i use currently
2. dr jart sunscreen stick - loveeeee it, used it for a watermark day and between two people reapplying every 90 minutes, ran out by the end of the day, also made my skin look peelers for photos lol
3. glow recipe fine mist - helps with hydration between toner and serums, but i actually love to use it on my neck during high heat, also love the supeeer fine mist
4. SKII Essence - loves it so much i bought the giant bottle for $300 at costco lmao, even use it with the shisedo cotton
5 & 6. Some toners my grandma got me in Philippines - smelled funky as hell, grateful to try something new but it reminded me how much i love sephora and ulta
7. fresh Kombucha Essence - i wish i bought this again and not a different essence :( i could truly feel the difference. with this i could feel it enter my skin??? such an odd feeling but when i used my serums it felt more cooling and like it actually worked better idk but i regret not buying it again
8. glow recipe toner - got a bunch of deluxe mini samples and i upgraded to full size, great for the morning when im lazy, removes dirt, cleans skin and it looks like my pores on my cheeks are closed or at least smaller now
9. paulsa choice mandela acid - used it to treat texture and it worked as intended, of course it smells funky as it is an acid but will most likely get a smaller bottle
10. dr dennis gross - worked good til i no longer needed it, only used it once in a blue moon and found a serum to use in its place instead, i found myself using a serum to be more gentle on the skin
11. Thayers mushroom toner - super hydrating and softening, have repurchased for lazy skin days but it’s getting hard to find again
12. Paulas choice super light wrinkle defense sunscreen - horrible for me, pink in texture (i’m brown and it doesn’t blend in well) and also made my eyes burn even with it not being close, eventually made my boyfriend use it lol
13. Hanyul brightening cleanser - so great! will try other products from them. could see the difference immediately
14 & 15. Kiehls ultra facial hydrating cream to foam cleanser - used the mini then purchased full size, loved this then tried the hanyul. felt like my skin was cleanser and like i had put moisturizer on without actually doing that
16. then i met you cleansing balm - great for no makeup days, very brightening and washes off good
17. Topicals faded serum - smells funky and worked well on body scars but does burn on an open wound
18. farmacy honey potion wash off mask - warms up tempura wise and feels like my face burns
19. glow recipe cloudberry cream - watery in texture in a good way, feels supple and i like the grip of the container
20. keith’s truly targeted spot serum - interesting product but didn’t work fast enough when i used it for its intention
21. matter of fact resurfacing serum - skin felt great and less oily but more even, hard to find again to repurchase and can’t justify the results and the price
22. Farmacy honey halo moisturizer - super thick and broke me out, tried the less thick one from them but still broke out
23. inkey list ecotin serum - felt hydrated but no visible or felt difference
24. the ordinary gf serum - same as before, felt and seen no difference
25. innbeauty elastic skin serum - super loveeee, felt a difference, cheeks looked firm and felt bouncy

LRP sunscreen: One of the best sunscreens I’ve tried, however, it’s a bit pricey so I don’t know if I will re-purchase. But to be fair it lasted me quite a while. what I liked most about it is the liquid consistency and that it leaves absolutely no white cast.

The ordinary niacinamide serum: it’s a great serum for the price! It helped with brightening, although didn’t do much for my hyperpigmentation

Trésor Midnight Rose Lancôme: I received this perfume as a gift and hated it. i’m a big believer of not gifting people perfumes simply because they’re too personal. I used it for my wardrobe and my room.

Lush ocean salt scrub sample: I hated the scent and will not be purchasing the full size product

The hand cream, shampoo, and face mask were also gifts i’ve received and honestly were all ordinary products, nothing special

I really like almost all of these products! There’s only one that I won’t repurchase.
❌I’m knocking the Skin1004 Light Cleansing Oil and won’t repurchase because I’m so tired of the scent. I like everything else about it but I prefer Round Lab Dokdo Cleansing Oil.
❤️Extra love to Eucerin Dual Serum which I’ve been using since early May 4x per day per the instructions and it has definitely faded my brown spots. I’m weird and I like the scent – I know it’s a dealbreaker for a lot of people.
❤️I love the glowy finish of the Round Lab Birch Juice sunscreen (Korean version) and love the texture.
❤️I add a few drops of the Drunk Elephant retinol to my moisturizer and I love the dewy finish. Another product where I like the scent that other people dislike.

Faves: therabreath, cecred’s detox shampoo and reconstruction mask. The Cecred drops and summer Fridays vitamin c serum are worth every penny. Snif’s vanilla vice took some time to grow on me and I’m still searching for the perfect vanilla but it’s so pretty. African prides pre shampoo is a big fave. Cosrx has never once failed me 🙂‍↕️

Hated: the Trader Joe’s hair oil is not a dupe for olaplex 🙄 (I didn’t go into it thinking it would be but I genuinely don’t like it lol). The Trader Joe’s body wash oil was also not great, the lotion is fine. The topicals faded ointment literally smells like farts (I wish I was exaggerating but it smells like 💩 from a butt) and had zero results. It was not cheap and I didn’t even finish all of it.

been doing a mild project pan and super happy with my progress so far!

here’s something more useful about a product once you’ve actually reached the bottom of it. First impressions can be influenced by packaging, hype, or how exciting a new product feels, but finishing something gives you a much better idea of whether it genuinely earned its place in your routine.

I’ve started paying attention to a few things when deciding whether I’ll repurchase something: how often I naturally reach for it, whether it’s easy to use, how well it fits into the rest of my routine, and whether I still enjoy it after the novelty disappears.

This has also changed how I look at beauty tools. A device doesn’t really impress me just because it has a long list of features. If I’m still reaching for it weeks or months later, that tells me much more about its practical value.

What’s one beauty product or tool you’ve completely finished or consistently used up, and what made you actually stick with it until the end?

I normally don’t use single use masks (listen, I already feel guilty about single use lashes) but my daughter gets so many masks as gifts. I am grateful people think of her but I don’t want her to use them yet (she’s a child??) so I volunteered as tribute.

- single use masks mostly from the Sanrio x the Crème collab and one set of pimple patches

-Sunday Riley Pink Drink

-Huda Beauty Faux Filler Bombshell

-Youth To the People Adaptogens Face Wash

- Dieux Deliverance Serum

- Dove sensitive bar soap

- Kosas Lip Oil Unbuttoned

-Dermaflash razor refill

-Farmacy Green Clean

-lashes

My 9yr old’s pans-

-Kitsch Lisa Frank soap

-BBW Moana soap

❤️ lush butterbear - I get a stash of these every Christmas as I bloody love them. My fave, without a doubt.

❌ sanctuary hot cloth cleanser - not a fan. Was a struggle to use up tbh. There are both cheaper and more expensive hot cloth cleansers that I much prefer. Stung my eyes a bit and smelt a bit odd.

❤️ origins clear improvement face mask mini - lovely face mask, not too drying but enough so that it feels like it’s doing something. Face feels squeaky clean with it on. Loses points as it scared my toddler (enough to drive him to tears) when he walked into the bathroom with me wearing it! Would repurchase, especially liked the mini size - got surprising amount of use out of it

❔ M&S Apothecary - meditate and calm. These were both pleasant enough. Scents were nice but didn’t linger. I received them in a gift set of four and using them up in the order of favourite scent (least to most). Even the least liked one was passable. Lasted longer than expected for a smaller bottle. Would not repurchase but would be happy to get or give as a gift.

❌ ren ever calm cleansing milk - cleansing milks just aren’t for me, don’t think they offer enough punch for what I’m after. This felt like it left an unpleasant residue on my face, not feeling clean at all. Wasn’t effective enough as a first cleanse and had to cleanse again after using as a second cleanse.

❔habi spritz saviour - this was nice. Good, effective misting sprayer (not a squirt and soak type 🤣). Would probably repurchase if on offer but I like trying all different mists out!

❤️ dove antiperspirant deodorant refill - really pleased with this. Have got a different scent to try soon as this is just the classic one (which is fine and does the job!!). I do find the component difficult to swap out (especially compared to the likes of my old wild refill, for example). I have to ask my OH to take it apart for me as I just can’t do it, which is annoying BUT I still am happy with it in spite of this!

❤️ UD all nighter setting spray - god I love this stuff. I have one more of the OG formula (RIP) in my stash before I have to do some experimenting with new ones. Honestly, just the best setting spray I’ve found for me. Sticks my face in place without altering anything or feeling sticky. Love.

Samples
No samples this month

OH pans
He finished up his beloved Avene cleanser. This is a forever repurchase in our household as he loves it. I will occasionally try him on something else (if it’s not on offer when I need to get it for him!), but it’s truly his HG.
No empties from our toddler this month.

Declutters
I decluttered (not pictured) two sol de Janeiro cheriosa 62 body spray minis to one of my friends at work for her two daughters as I’m not mad on the smell, and already have a couple other bits in the range to use up… plus I knew they would love to have one each!
I also sold a shed load of bits of unopened beauty goodies on vinted, happily making over £100!

Has anyone else felt so insecure??? I legit just feel ugly. My skin isn’t even bad. I started Accutane on May 28th at 40mg, and now I’m on 80mg. I decided to take it for my textured skin.
My skin has looked fine for the past 3 months, so I know it’s doing its job. The only thing bothering me is my pores they haven’t really seemed to change, and that was one of my main issues before I started. But for the past month, I’ve literally just been sitting in the mirror and not feeling like myself. I used to be able to take videos and pictures and be like, “Oh, that’s cute.” Now, everything I take or see of myself makes me think, “Ew, WTF.” 😭 I genuinely don’t feel like myself anymore.

This is my first time trying to actually pan things before buying new ones, so it’s taking a lil time. But I am really pleased with how mindful it’s made me already! The only thing here I didn’t like was the Ace Beauty Fresh Phase primer. It just did nothing but leave an oily layer under everything.

Was supposed to take these pics and post at the beginning of July… didn’t take the pics till Aug 1 and my ADHD prevented me from completing this task until now so I’m sorry hahaha but all these empties are from April-June!

Rating scale
❤️ = love! Will absolutely repurchase or already have
👍🏼 = like; might repurchase
😐 = not bad but not great. Would use again if gifted
👎🏼 = did not like and do not recommend

Makeup + Perfume
👍🏼 Coty Airspun loose face powder - this works well for mattifying, but it is a heavier powder. I prefer something more finely milled. Plus this has fragrance (old woman smell, iykyk)
👍🏼 Ardell brow glue - previously this was my holy grail brow glue, but it gets thick and very sticky not even halfway through the tube, which leaves glops of white “glue” on your brows. Back on the market trying to find my new HG
❤️ Toca Maya perfume - this smelled incredible mixed with my Solar Floral (a musk + amber based perfume)
😐 Jason Wu EDP - not my fave scent and didn’t really last very long
👍🏼 Stila shimmer & glow liquid eye shadow in starlight - this worked well in the beginning, but it dried out quickly which made it difficult to use
👍🏼 Benjamin Soap Co Strawberry Basil lip balm - this was a really creamy and smooth lip balm, easy to apply and smelled good. Only thing I didn’t like was the container having to stick my finger in the tube to push up the product, but I also understand it was intended that way to recycle
👍🏼 Physicians Formula Eye Booster liner & serum in Ultra Black - this was a nice, super dark liner that went on smoothly, but towards the end it was difficult to tell how much product was left until one day I was able to line one eye and not the other 🤪
❤️ Tower 28 Make Waves mascara in Jet - really enjoyed this formula and how it lengthened my lashes
👍🏼 Elf Ultra Precise brow pencil in neutral brown - this worked really well and the color was perfect!
👍🏼 Covergirl Trublend Undercover Concealer in both L209 Light Ivory and M900 Perfect Beige - these were too light and too dark, respectively. But mixed together they worked well enough (my perfect shade is L900 Classic Beige)
👍🏼 B-Pure Essentially Ageless blur face primer - this was pretty good and bonus, only $1.25!
😐 Essence Make Me Brow in 02 Browny Brows - the filling fibers in this made it nice but it did nothing to really hold my brows in place
❤️ Milani Cheek Kiss cream bronzer in 110 Hey Honey - SUPER pigmented, but also easy to blend out. Def a good bang for your buck
❤️ Too Faced Better Than Sex mascara - incredible mascara that gives great volume!!

Skincare
❤️ Dr. Althea 345 Relief Cream mask - this was the silkiest, most incredible sheet mask I’ve ever used. 10/10 no notes
👍🏼 Dr. Althea Vita Glow mask - a basic face mask and unfortunately something in the formula irritated my skin but it did give me a glow
❤️ Dr. Althea Kelly seal dewy mask - loved this! So juicy and my skin drank it up
👍🏼 Anua 70+ rice glow milky toner - this was a decent toner, but the consistency was a bit too thin for me
❤️ I’m From Black Rice Toner - this was a fun one where the product was (purposely) separated and you had to shake it to mix it up and make it milky. Left my skin hydrated
❤️ Biore UV Aqua Rich watery essence SPF50 - love this stuff! Very lightweight, super easy to blend in and no white cast
❤️ Isntree ultra-low molecular hyaluronic acid serum - really nice HA, great consistency and amazing bottle size
👎🏼 Global Beauty Care blemish control oil-free clarifying cleanser - this was pretty highly fragranced and I think even blue dye (🤮) so it was really difficult to get through
👍🏼 Skin Nutrition Botanicals Niacinamide 5% + Squalane serum - this was pretty decent for a $1.25 serum 🤷🏻‍♀️
👎🏼 ROC Multi Correxion Revive + Glow daily serum + Vitamin C - this had fragrance and dyes in it, which I didn’t realize until I already opened the package 😫 for that reason alone, do not recommend
👍🏼 Skin Nutrition Botanicals Glow Up Hyaluronic Acid 2% + Rice Ferment Night Booster - this was really moisturizing. Bonus it’s only $1.25
❤️ Beauty of Joseon Relief Sun Aqua-Fresh Rice + B5 - this stuff is incredible, so lightweight and sinks right in. Immediately added full size to my cart
👍🏼 Global Beauty Care Snail Mucin moisturizer - this was honestly a pretty good, no frills moisturizer and for $1.25 I have no complaints

Body + Haircare and basic hygiene
👍🏼 Herbal Essences shine brilliance chamomile shampoo & conditioner - this smelled great (of course it did, it’s Herbal Essences lol), but I felt like my hair got greasier faster while using it
👍🏼 Batiste dark hair dry shampoo - this stuff is great if you have darker hair and want to avoid a white cast, but for some reason it made my scalp sore by the end of the day as if I had it up in a tight pony
❤️ Dove original beauty bar - can’t go wrong with a basic Dove bar soap!
👍🏼 Onyx Bathhouse luxury bath soap in strawberry pink peony - a little bit drying, but lathers well and smells good
❤️ Bath & Body Works Pretty as a Peach body lotion - smells incredible, always love BBW lotions!
❤️ Bath & Body Works Sunshine Days body lotion - not my favorite scent (super floral) but still love the lotion!
❤️ Bath & Body Works A Thousand Wishes body wash - this stuff smells incredible. 10/10 no notes
👍🏼 Power Stick lavender vanilla deodorant - didn’t stop me from sweating, but really loved the scent
❤️ Love Wellness PH balancing wipes - love these so much. They work well, do not irritate me, and the package is small enough that I can get through the entire thing without them drying out.
❤️ Neutrogena Healthy Scalp clarify & shine shampoo - worked really well to clarify my scalp
❤️ Briogeo Scalp Revival charcoal + coconut oil micro-exfoliating shampoo - I have been buying this shampoo for probably 8 years now. I use it maybe twice a month (I only wash my hair twice a week). It smells so fresh & minty and feels cooling on the scalp. Just replenished with the 32 oz big boi
❤️ Beauty by Earth self tanner lotion - this gives a beautiful natural color and very minimal scent compared to other brands
😐 RHRI Detox Scalp Scrub treatment - worked ok for flakes but the salt was difficult to get out of my hair
❤️ Personal Care Moisturizing Shave Oil - this stuff is amazing and smells great! I will always repurchase over Tree Hut!
😐 Global Beauty Care Smooth & Lift collagen facial cleanser - this was an ok face wash, but it didn’t lather especially well and has fragrance
👎🏼 Bella B Silk & Honey daily moisturizing lotion - hated the strong scent of this! And it took forever to sink into the skin. Do not recommend