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Empties November 2017: Buy or Bye?

I’ve never done an empties post before because I always tend to throw things in the bin when I use them up without thinking twice! So I’ve been trying my best to keep these empty bottles in my bathroom (although I accidentally threw away one!) so I can do a roundup of products I emptied out.

Check out my thoughts on products I recently used up below and whether I’ll repurchase them – most of these are actually my holy grails because I rarely use up products I don’t like!

Disclaimer: An asterisk (*) mark denotes products that were gifted for consideration, however all opinions expressed are unbiased and of my own. No monetary payment was received for this review. Post may contain affiliate links.

MAKEUP

GLOSSIER BOY BROW IN BLACK ($16)

This is so weird. When I first used it, I was like, meh, I can live without this. It’s a tinted brow gel. No big deal. But then I finished it up and had to live without it for a while. Then it hit me. I can’t live without this!

I love this so much more than the Benefit Gimme Brow and Anastasia’s. I use this every day, with or without brow pencil underneath, as it gives my brows volume, fullness and it’s the perfect shade. Even though the shade is named Black, it shows up as more of a dark grey and is the perfect shade for me. It looks so natural!

Buy or Bye? Buy. I repurchased mine already during Cyber Week. YAY! Get 10% off your first Glossier purchase here!

IT COSMETICS YOUR SKIN BUT BETTER CC+ SPF 50 ($38)

I’ve travelled with this throughout the Summer and recently finished it up during a trip to Chicago, so it took me about a month to finish it up which isn’t bad at all!

I like the coverage, and I like how it feels on the skin. I don’t believe in all the “anti aging” benefit gimmick but the product as a foundation works really well. This is my second tube that I used up and I recently repurchased one for my winter holidays!

I really love the travel size and have never purchased a full size only because this is the only foundation I’ve been travelling with for the past couple of years. When I’m home, I like trying new things, but when I travel, I need to bring something reliable that I know won’t ever disappoint me.

Buy or Buy? No “bye” option, only buy.

KAT VON D TATTOO LINER IN TROOPER ($20)

This is my holy grail eyeliner that I’ve repurchased more than a dozen times already. The Kat VonD Tattoo Liner in Trooper is the best liquid eyeliner in the market today. I’ve tried tons, even highly coveted Asian ones, but the longevity of the Kat Von D is like no other. I like that the consistency is not too runny, making the application process less of a mess, and that it doesn’t have a super glossy finish. The brush tip is also very sharp and precise.

I also like the Ink Liner, which comes with a felt tip, but the Tattoo Liner is better for creating a wing.

Buy or Bye? BUY! A MILLION TIMES BUY! Oh, but I wouldn’t recommend the travel sizes. They somehow last a very short time, mine dried out in a week – two weeks tops. So even when I travel I would prefer bringing the full size.

NYX SOFT MATTE LIP CREAM IN CANNES ($6.50)

I’ve reviewed them here so I won’t say much about this except that THIS is my favorite shade. It’s a gorgeous, my-lips-but-better shade that is perfect for any occasion, even a short errand-run.

Buy or Bye? Buy, already repurchased!

TOO FACED BETTER THAN SEX MASCARA ($23)

This mascara gives volume, length, curl… basically major drama for the lashes. It’s hands down the best mascara in Sephora. However, I’ve recently been so impressed by the L’Oreal Lash Paradise and it’s seriously giving the Too Faced a run for its money! I honestly think they’re comparable.

Buy or Bye? Bye. I would stick to the L’Oreal as it’s so much cheaper. BUT, I would still get this in travel size as they’re so handy to travel with! Too bad the L’Oreal doesn’t come in a travel size!

URBAN DECAY NAKED SKIN CONCEALER ($29)

There are three concealers in my rotation right now: Tarte’s Shape & Tape, Glossier, and this. It’s one of the most reliable concealers out there. It looks so natural, doesn’t crease, doesn’t cake up and lasts a looong time. I’m in the shade Medium-Light Neutral and it’s perfect for my under eye area and blemishes.

Buy or Bye? Buy. I swear by this!

 

SKINCARE

BLISS LEMON + SAGE BODY BUTTER ($6-12)

One thing I love about W hotels is their Bliss bath amenities! I stayed at the W in Chicago recently and took home a bunch of these body butters as they’ve been my favorite for years. They remind me of Bali as I always stay at the W in Bali and every time I massage them on my skin I’m suddenly taken back to Seminyak beach, the pool, the breeze, everything!

Anyways, other than all the nostalgia it brings, this body butter feels so smooth on the skin with zero sticky residue and tackiness. The smell is also very relaxing.

Buy or Bye? Absolutely buy. I purchased a huuuge tube from Nordstrom Rack already!

COSMEDIX BENEFIT CLEAN GENTLE CLEANSER* ($22-39)

I’ve reviewed this cleanser here and this is my third bottle (supposed to be my second but I broke the second bottle while it was brand new and Cosmedix generously sent a complimentary replacement YAY!) and I am 100% confident I will keep repurchasing this cleanser.

This is the only cleanser I’ve tried that removes every single trace of makeup, even the most stubborn mascara. I usually double cleanse, but ever since I started using this cleanser I never do that anymore. I mainly use this at night with a full face of makeup on and it removes everything. I use two pumps for the face with Clarisonic, and one pump for the eye area massaged in with my fingers. As this is so expensive I only use this on days when I wear makeup LOL.

Buy or Bye? A one-step cleanser that works as a makeup remover? Buy! I repurchased another bottle already 🙂

DERMALOGICA CHARCOAL RESCUE MASQUE* ($47)

I’ve mentioned this many times on my blog (here’s one of them) because it’s my all-time favorite mask. It’s a detoxifying mask and exfoliator in one so it sucks out all the gunk and oil and bad stuff in our pores, and then exfoliates it using tiny little grains embedded in the mask.

Buy or Bye? Buy. Purchased already!

ENVIRON B-ACTIVE SEBUWASH ($44)

Environ’s B-Active range is formulated for blemish-prone skin and I used this when I had terrible breakouts from weaning my son a few months ago. I thought pregnancy acne was bad, turned out weaning acne was even worse! So I used Environ’s acne kit for a while, and sadly it didn’t work. This cleanser contains tea tree oil and I really like the scent, but I just don’t think it did anything for my skin. It didn’t dry or break me out, but for something so expensive, I wish it would’ve worked.

Buy or Bye? Bye.

KICHO ULTRA MOISTURIZING SUN CREAM SPF 50 ($36)

This is the second bottle that I used up and I love this day cream as it’s got SPF 50, but I’ve just been using another day cream with SPF 50 with more skincare benefits so I much prefer the other one I’m currently using (review will be up soon!).

This cream is more like a lotion and feels very light on the skin, it’s also amazing under makeup. I actually recommend this but for now, I won’t be repurchasing as I prefer using something with more active ingredients.

Buy or Bye? Bye for now.

LA ROCHE-POSAY EFFACLAR MEDICATED GEL CLEANSER ($14.99)

I got this 2% Salicylic Acid cleanser in the La Roche-Posay Effaclar System kit and it is very effective. One week in, all of my painful cystic acne disappeared. I started using this after I finished up my Environ Sebuwash and I just couldn’t believe my eyes. However, this acne doesn’t get rid of tiny clogged pores, it only worked on my cystic acne. So now I only use this cleanser occasionally, mostly during that “time of the month”. I love that it leaves a slightly cooling sensation on the skin!

Buy or Bye? Buy and bought another one already!

LA ROCHE-POSAY EFFACLAR CLARIFYING SOLUTION ($14.99)

I’m usually not too crazy about toners, I used to skip them all the time, but I’m now a convert and this toner is my HOLY GRAIL. I wipe this on my face with a cotton pad after I towel-dry my cleansed face and it removes every single residue of dirt and makeup, and leaves my face feeling fresh and clean. It really balances out my skin’s pH after being cleansed, and it also has a cooling sensation that’s very relaxing.

The 0.5% Salicylic Acid and 2% Glycolic Acid in here also helps with acne and skin cell turnover!

Buy or Bye? Absolutely buy and, yup, got another one already!

MANEFIT BEAUTY PLANNER MASK MUGWORT ASTRINGENT + PORE CARE ($10)

I got this sheet mask from an ipsy bag and I really like it! I’m not sure if I like it more than my holy grail SK-II (mentioned below) but it does make my pores feel tighter and smoother.

Buy or Bye? I’ll wait until I run out of sheet masks to buy more of this!

MEDIK8 HYDR8 B5 SKIN HYDRATION SERUM ($60)

I loved this serum, I use this after I tone my face before I put any other serums or creams on top. It’s very thin and light, it’s just meant to add a boost of hydration for the skin. However, as much I want to repurchase, I think it’s just too expensive. Once I used this up I started using the Vichy Minéral 89 Hyaluronic Acid Serum Moisturizer, which is only $29 (Amazon currently has a $5 off coupon!) with more product (50 ml, compared to Medik8’s 30 ml) and is very comparable to it.

Buy or Bye? Bye. I’m jumping on the Vichy bandwagon!

MEDIK8 RED ALERT CLEANSE ($40)

I had a terrible rash from over exfoliation when I was in Europe this Spring, and I had to use a gentle cleanser that eradicates redness. This worked really, really well, but after the redness is gone, it doesn’t really do much. So I would only use this when my skin has been sensitized and needs to be calmed down. However, ever since I finished this up I’ve been using the QV Face Gentle Cleanser, which is only A$10.69 from the chemist, and it works just as well.

Buy or Bye? Bye! Although if the QV stops working I will gladly repurchase this. It’s very reliable but just too expensive.

SK-II FACIAL TREATMENT MASK ($14-17)

This is my holy grail sheet mask that I have relied on for the past few years and it has never let me down. I don’t know how many times I’ve repurchased this and I won’t stop! This is so expensive but it’s the only sheet mask that calms redness, treats acne, and gives the skin a boost of hydration and moisture that will last for days. I use this after intense exfoliation so as to prevent my skin from over-drying.

Buy or Bye? Buy, but will wait until I finish up all my other sheet masks first!

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