January Empties | 2019

Hey everyone! Welcome to my first Empties post of 2019! Let's check out all the items that I used up during the first month of the new year!

Face

Bioré Deep Cleansing Charcoal Pore Strips (8 count) - This claims to draw out excess oil with natural charcoal and that it is great for oily skin which I do have. They can be quite messy and you really need to get off the black residue left on your nose once you peel off the strip. I honestly feel like the white strips from Bioré are more effective and work the best for me. I purchased mine on sale at Walmart for $7. 

Neutrogena Hydro Boost Multivitamin Booster (30 ml) - I’m a big fan of the Hydro Boost line in general and it claims to intensely hydrate and energizes the look of skin which I do agree with. It contains hyaluronic acid which is one of my favourite ingredients and I really like the design of the bottle! It comes with a pump and it looks great on my vanity. This is an affordable product that you can purchase at Walmart and I got this in my Chick Advisor Showcase At Home Kit. 

Mario Badescu Facial Spray with Aloe, Cucumber and Green Tea (118 ml) - I have tried 3/4 of their facial sprays as the Orange Blossom Facial Spray is only available at Ulta and I have yet to try it. This is my second favourite one and the Rosewater Facial Spray is definitely my favourite! You can now find these sprays at Sephora Canada and also at Urban Outfitters in Canada which is exciting! 

Sheet Masks

Bubble & Chill Charcoal Bubbling Sheet Mask (20 g/0.7 oz) - This is my first time trying out a sheet mask from Victoria Secret PINK. I picked this up before their Semi-Annual Sale where they were having 40% off the entire store. I wanted to try this because I had never tried a bubbling/foaming sheet mask and had heard interesting things about it. The mask is charcoal and it fits comfortably on the skin without being too large. About 1 minute in while wearing the mask, I noticed that I can actually hear the bubbles crackling! When I got up and walked over to the mirror, the bubbles were developing faster on the sheet mask. I did have a decent amount of bubbles all throughout the sheet mask but after I took it off and tried to massage the product in like the directions said to, it was like I was rubbing soap mixed with water all over my face. I quickly grabbed a tissue, wiped it off my face and the result left my skin feeling sticky. I do feel that this is slightly gimmicky and it was fun to use once but I wouldn’t repurchase it but I do have to mention that my skin did look more radiant. Also, follow the directions and don’t wear this for more than 10 minutes and I definitely wouldn’t recommend this for sensitive skin types. This sheet mask is made in Korea and normally retails for $4.95 CAD.

Lavender Hydrogel Mask (28 g) - I am a huge fan of lavender and I also do tend to like hydrogel masks so I was inclined to pick this up from PINK when they were having 40% off the entire store. The mask comes in two pieces and it is cooling on the skin. It also says that it has bits of real lavender and claim to give you a ‘dewy glow.’ This was easy to apply and didn’t slide around like other hydrogel masks that I’ve tried in the past which is a pro! It was cooling and it smelled like real lavender! Lavender is meant to be soothing and calming which this sheet mask definitely was! My skin absorbed almost all of the product after wearing it for 20 minutes, except where it overlapped underneath my nose area as the mask did come in 2 parts. This may just be one of my all-time favourite masks that I’ve ever used and you only need to leave it on for 10-20 minutes! This mask also retails for $4.95 and is made in Korea. I can't find a working link.

Silver Belle Foil Sheet Mask (26 g) - Yes, this sheet mask is silver and yes, I did feel like the tin man from Wizard of Oz while wearing it. It contains nourishing vitamin B3 and the foil claims to lock in skin-boosting ingredients. I didn’t really care too much for this mask as the scent reminded me of soap and water. The mask itself didn’t do much for my skin and I feel like this is more of a gimmick. However, there was a lot of essence in the packaging leftover for another application. Can't find a working link.

Espresso Yourself Energizing Sheet Mask (28 g) - This mask is made with coffee extract and no, it does not smell like coffee. The packaging honestly made me purchase it and this is definitely a messy sheet mask that is drenched in essence! I left mine on for 15 minutes like the directions suggested to and it worked well! However, I went online and for whatever reason, this sheet mask is no longer listed on the PINK website so I don’t know if it is being discontinued or not. 

May Island Potato Sheet Mask (25 ml) - This specific sheet mask claims to help with elasticity and adds in moisture to the skin. It says to leave the mask on for 20-30 minutes. There is a scent that reminds me of my childhood that I can’t quite pinpoint. It doesn’t smell great but the sheet mask was refreshing on my face. It is made in Korea and I honestly just purchased it because I thought it was rather odd as well as unique that potato was a main ingredient.

Teeth

Crest 3D Whitestrips in Classic Vivid (20 strips) - These are a great affordable option that I picked up at Walmart. They claim to be enamel sage and that it can remove up to 5 years of tough stains. I drink coffee every single day so I have to use white strips to maintain my pearly whites. You only have to leave these on for 30 minutes and I always take some form of whitening product with me when I am traveling.

Hair

Garnier Fructis Wondermask + Coconut Oil (15 ml x 2) - I purchased this on clearance when I was in a Target in Michigan and I believe that I paid $1.24 for it. This lasted me a few washes and it’s an in-shower treatment mask. After you shampoo your hair, you leave in step one and then you follow with step 2 in order to seal it in. You leave it for 3 minutes and then wash it out. Yes, it’s two extra steps to do in the shower but my hair felt so soft and I really enjoyed using it! I would repurchase this again and I believe that it comes in other scents. This has been discontinued. 

Eva NYC Clean It Up Shampoo (1 L/33.8 fl oz) - I purchased the large size that comes with a pump from Marshalls on clearance for $11 CAD. That is such a good deal as it has lasted me such a long time and I actually never got sick of using the shampoo which is a rarity for me! The formula contains: keravis protein and organ oil. It claims to gently cleans, restores and nourishes all hair types. They do not test on animals and I also really enjoy using their hair mask which I own!

Bath & Body Works

’Tis The Season Scentportable (6 ml) - This is the second one that I have used up. I purchased a few of these last year during the Bath & Body Works Semi-Annual Sale for just a few scents. This is great to use during the colder months especially around Christmas!

Body

Secret Invisible Solid Antiperspirant in Paris Rose (45 g) - I purchased mine from Walmart and I wouldn’t say that it is invisible as I still noticed white marks on my clothes. This did the job and it smelled great. I would only repurchase if I was in a pinch.

Promo/Samples - Face

Drunk Elephant Beste No. 9 Jelly Cleanser (1.5 ml) - This was just a basic, average cleanser in my opinion. It did the job and my skin felt clean, without feeling stripped afterwards. For 150 ml of product, the tube will run you $42 so it is more on the expensive side.

Drunk Elephant Protini Polypeptide Cream (1.5 ml) - I found this cream to be very moisturizing, non-sticky and it absorbed into the skin quickly. I applied it at night to really hydrate my skin. The first ingredient is water and it is made in the USA. The full size is $84 for 50 ml which is a bit steep but it is a great moisturizer.

Update: It's now $89 instead of $84 on the Sephora website.

Clinique Moisture Surge Hydrating Supercharged Concentrate (7 ml) - I received this as a free sample from Sephora and Clinique products are very hit or miss for me in general. This one was just okay and I used it in the morning alongside my sunscreen. This claims to be for all skin types and that it quenches dehydrated skin for 24 hours. I live in Canada where it’s very cold and I felt that it didn’t do the job. Also when I would mix it in with my sunscreen, sometimes it would tend to ball up on my face which is one of my biggest pet peeves. It’s safe to say that I wasn’t the biggest fan.

Perricone MD Cosmeceuticals Cold Plasma (2 ml) - This was a free sample that I received from Sephora and the scent reminded me of fish oil pills. Random, but true as it was not the most pleasant. Your skincare is not meant to smell good and a lot of added fragrance can actually dry out your skin but I digress. This is recommended to be used after you cleanse your skin in both the morning as well as the evening, but I only used it at night. It was a pretty good product and my skin did look better but then again, I’ve been trying out a lot of different skincare products lately and I would have to use it for a longer period of time to really notice significant results.

Sothys Purifying Foaming Gel - This product is meant for combination to oily skin types which I definitely have and was a sample given to me by my facialist. It smells great and has iris extract in the formula. I noticed that it was more of a gel rather than a foaming gel. I tried removing my makeup with it after I went in with a cleansing balm and it worked well! I enjoyed using it but I’m not completely sold on it just yet. The first ingredient is water and this product is made in France.

Sothys Hydra-Protective Softening Emulsion - This is targeted for those with normal to combination skin. This is another sample given to me by my facialist. It smells great, it is a thicker cream and it helped to moisturize my skin. 

Lips

Bite Beauty Agave Sugar Lip Scrub (0.50 g) - I got this from Sephora as part of the free 2018 Birthday Gift. The full size goes for $29 (20 grams,) which is expensive and much more than a sugar lip scrub at LUSH (25 grams). It was a good lip scrub and they use raw brown sugar as well as papaya enzymes in their formula. 

Bite Agave Lip Balm (0.50 g) - I did enjoy using this lip balm as I felt that it moisturized my lips well and it goes on clear. They use both agave and rare Madagascan vanilla in their formula. The full size is $18 for 4.2 grams of product on the Sephora web site. 

Be sure to check out my December Empties | 2018!

Until next time,

STAY CLASSY

Berrz

FTC: This blog post is not sponsored and all opinions are my own. All prices are in CAD unless stated otherwise. Items under promo/samples were gifted to me and I did not pay for them. Some links are affiliate. 

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