if you like big posts of empties (and getting caught in the rain)
Truly getting desperate for titles now.
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CeraVe Hydrating Cream-to-Foam Cleanser
The good people at CeraVe decided to give us indecisive girlies what we want, and I thank them for it. Not to get all Goldilocks on you, but combining the gentleness of the cream formula with the cleansing powers of the foaming one – just right! As with all CeraVe cleansers, it gets the job done admirably.
The Inkey List Hyaluronic Acid Cleanser
I bought this when we were going on our honeymoon because the packaging was fairly travel-friendly, and actually ended up liking it a lot. It’s a simple, hydrating cleanser with a very light foam, and left my skin feeling clean and fresh but not dry. I’d definitely pick it up again if I was in need of a handy-sized face wash.
The Inkey List Oat Cleansing Balm
This is a GOOD makeup remover. I really rate emulsifying oil-to-balm-to-milk cleansers like these – they get every scrap of foundation and mascara off. I’ve heard some people say that it can be hard to squeeze out of the tube, but I’ve never had that problem. I keep my skincare in the bathroom (which is apparently a cardinal sin) and perhaps the steam stopped it from hardening up. I’m never beholden to one cleanser, but I will add it to my growing list of Affordable Options.
Bondi Sands Daily Moisturising Face SPF50+
I went on a bit of a journey with this. There is so much to love about it – it’s under a tenner, very moisturising, looks great under makeup, and according to many, many tweets, it doesn’t leave a white cast on black skin, which can be a problem with many SPFs. However, my skin has been going through it recently (it’s dry, it’s oily, it’s breaking out, there’s what I suspect is rosacea… I’m so tired) and I found it left me looking quite greasy under these circumstances. I don’t think this is a fault of the SPF, more my unstable skin, because I loved it for months. I’d be interested in re-trying it when things have settled down.
Biore Aqua Rich Watery Essence SPF50+
When I first bought this, I wondered if I would pay four times the Japanese price to have it again, and I’m sorry to report that the answer is yes. It’s a cult classic for a reason – light, hydrating, easy to apply. I have another one I brought back from Japan, but I actually saw it in the Superdrug in the Jervis the other day, so I’ll probably get it there in the future.
The Inkey List Omega Water Cream
This was also in my last empties post so I won’t go into too much detail again, but for the TL;DR crowd: It’s a really nice, no-frills moisturiser that feels lightweight but mighty. Would use again!
Paula’s Choice 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant
This is a product I’ve been meaning to try for years, so I got the mini to see if it was worth the hype. When my skin was behaving, I really loved the glow it gave and how it kept blocked pores at bay – I had a nice little routine going with this and my Obagi retinol. Yet as we have acknowledged, my skin is no longer behaving. I’ve pulled way back on exfoliating to allow it to recover, so I probably won’t repurchase this unless I’m 100% sure it’s not going to freak out again. I have the Aldi knockoff version, but I can’t tell you if it’s a true dupe as I’m probably only going to use it on my body.
La Roche-Posay Toleriane Dermallergo Soothing Eye Cream
I wrote in my last empties post about how not one but two tubes of The Inkey List Caffeine Eye Cream gave me extremely dry eyes, and along with hydrocortisone on the particularly bad days, this was the only thing to put things right again. I stopped using it for a bit in between bottles and my eyes once again became red and sore, so I think me and lil Toleriane here are just gonna be buddies for the foreseeable. See what I’m saying? There’s just too much going on with my skin at the minute.
Kate Somerville Quench Hydrating Face Serum
I think this product has been discontinued, so I’ll be (kinda) brief – it’s a hydrating serum with lipids, a “HSC complex” that I can find absolutely no information on, and retinol, which bothers me as I’m already using a separate retinol (why do brands do this? I feel like a pinch of retinol in a serum isn’t going to accomplish very much at all). The first three ingredients are silicones, which means it feels very smooth and spreadable. I think it’s easy to confuse that feeling with hydration. It was fine, but I’m not sure if it actually did anything.
COSRX Acne Pimple Master Patches
Hydrocolloid patches are designed to absorb the nasty stuff from open spots and protect the area from bacteria, kind of like a blister plaster for the face. I picked these up in Seoul when my maskne was reaching its peak – I like the variety in sizes and also how invisible they are on bare skin. Considering my other acne patches are enormous Hello Kitty heads, it was good to have a more subdued option for Zoom calls, etc. I will probably repurchase them, but also hope I don’t have to. Please, acne, leave me alone.
The product? Gorgeous – I loved the fragrance, how soft it made my hands feel, and how quickly it dried in. The packaging? Also gorgeous – until I had to try and squeeze out the last few drops and nearly punctured my palm with my own fingernail. She did not want to relinquish the final spoils, let me tell you. Packaging has really been a problem for me lately, as a few more of these empties will prove.
First Aid Beauty Facial Radiance Pads
I didn’t actually use these on my face, but on my legs to prevent ingrown hairs in between my laser sessions. First Aid Beauty makes pads specifically for this use with slightly different ingredients, but I think they’re basically the same product. I’m not sure if this was the reason for my decrease in ingrowns, or if it was just the fact that I don’t have much hair on my legs any more – I suspect the latter, but either way, I am significantly less bumpy than I used to be.
Jouer Cosmetics Essential Lip Enhancer
All the words on the tube have been rubbed away, so I had to really think about what this was. I have several lip balms on the go at all times, and this was the one that sat on my desk – it did its job, I liked it, but I feel no urge to repurchase it. (I’m already deeply involved with the Laneige Lip Glowy Balm.)
Every time I finish one of these, I want to put it on my CV. “Skills: Finished two Laneige Lip Sleeping Masks.” I just think it shows devotion, consistency, and the type of can-do spirit employers are looking for. You know the drill: I love this. I’m already on to the next one (switching it up just a tad with the Apple Lime flavour this time). I’ll probably always have one on the go because it’s the best. End of.
JVN Hair Complete Air Dry Cream
Another one I reviewed in a previous empties post! I keep meaning to buy a full size of this, but every time I’m distracted by some other lovely set – this time, it was the one with the scalp oil and Instant Recovery Serum that got me. I still really like this on my short hair, even though it curls completely differently now (and the left side simply refuses to, which is so weird). A great product for those of us who are allergic to blow drying our hair.
When I first got this, I loved it. I credited it with making me want to do liquid eyeliner again. The brush tip was so tiny and precise, the hue was so deeply black, the finish was so matte. It was everything I wanted a liquid liner pen to be. However, it started to get a little leaky after a couple of months of use and then dried up altogether – I’ve seen more than a few reviews from people with similar woes, so it must be a flaw in the component that I’d love them to resolve. It’s so good otherwise, Vieve! Let it be great.
Glossier Brow Flick and Boy Brow
I mentioned in this post that I had replaced these with a NYX brow gel and pen – I appreciate the accessibility of a NYX stand when we’re talking about products that need to be repurchased regularly. Towards the end, their lustre had dulled for me. I found Brow Flick lost its precision too quickly, while Boy Brow had very little hold (but my eyebrow hairs defy even soap, so that’s probably on me). I still think the tiny Boy Brow brush is perfect, though. If my NYX one could shrink even slightly, I’d be delighted.
Charlotte Tilbury Beauty Light Wands in Pinkgasm and Peachgasm
These babies are OLD and DRY, much like myself. Peachgasm was too light on me to work as a blush, but I was really into Pinkgasm for a spell. The packaging is just so bad though. There has got to be a better way to house liquid products, but no one seems to want to figure it out (me included, but I’m not a cosmetic chemist). I held on to these for way longer than I should have because they were “viral products.” At the end of the day, I am nowt but a sheep.
Thanks again for reading Vanity Project! I very much appreciate it. Love writing and reading about empties, if you haven’t guessed by now.