Empties from August and September

My last empties post also covered two months. I kind of like the idea of making this a bimonthly thing! Anyway, here's my most recent report of all the stuff I've managed to use up.

Lumene's Waterproof Eye-Makeup Remover makes yet another appearance. They changed the packaging earlier this year. Here you can see the old and the new bottle side by side. I like the new version a lot. I think it looks a lot sleeker and more current than the old, slightly tapered one. The old packaging on the right appears a bit bigger, but they actually hold the same amount of product.

These three make up my usual cleansing routine! I've talked about The Saem's Healing Tea Garden Green Tea Cleansing Water in my previous empties post. It's one of my favorite skin care discoveries this year. I usually get Nivea's Moisturizing Cleansing Milk for removing whatever makeup and grime remain after using micellar water, but last time I picked up the Gentle Cleansing Milk in stead. I don't notice much of a difference between them. This one is maybe slightly creamier, if that's possible? My last cleansing step is Nivea's Soothing Toner, as always. 

When I die, I want my body to be preserved in a 90 percent snail mucin filtrate. In the mean time I slather my face with Mizon''s Snail Recovery Gel Cream. It's another one of my staples! I wrote more about it here.

I regret purchasing Missha's Super Aqua Ice Tear Essence. I got it last winter when my skin was really drying up from the cold air. It seemed like a nice light moisturizing essence based on its description. Unfortunately, it contains alcohol, and I didn't notice it when I was reading the INCI. In the end, I used it up as a foot cream, haha. At least the experience taught me to always Ctrl+F for ingredients I want to avoid.

Benton's Snail Bee High Content Masks are my favorite sheet masks. I feel like I can actually see the difference before and after using one. My skin looks so plump and refreshed afterwards! I like to get the 10 mask pack.

Pore strips are kind of a controversial beauty product. Some people swear by them, others worry they might cause skin damage and permanently widen pores. I tend to use Nivea's Refining Clear-up Strips once a month or so, because I find it helps to keep me from otherwise attacking the sebaceous filaments on my nose. It's not something I'd recommend, though.

I got a few strips of A'Pieus NonCo Tea Tree Spot Patches some time ago, but they didn't really work for me. In fact, I think the tea tree oil in them just irritated my skin further. This was my packet of them, and I won't be purchasing them again. I'll just stick to CosRX's Pimple Master Patches, because I've had much better luck with them.

You can tell it was the end of the summer from these next items. I don't usually purchase Calypso's SPF 30 Sun Lotion or LV's SPF 30 Sun Screen for sensitive skin. My current preferred product is the Satin Protection Sun Lotion SPF 50+ by Hawaiian Tropic, but I didn't have access to it or it was out of stock when I got these two. They were fine, I guess. Both felt kind of sticky and a bit heavy, so they're not something I'd jump to buy again. Plus I prefer a higher SPF.

You know when you dislike a product so much you make it your mission to use it up completely to show it who's boss? I hated The Saem's Eco Earth Power Tone Up Sun Cream by the time I was done with the tube. I ended up just applying it on my hands and the tops of my feet, because it just was not right for my face. I made sure to squeeze up every drop of the sun cream, just out of spite. A'Pieu's Pure Block Natural Sun Cream is much nicer to my skin and so far my favorite sun care item. I have a full review of them both here.

I also went through another batch of Erioil's Aisti moiturizing emulsion and Batiste dry shampoo, but I forgot to take a photo of them. They're such staples that I almost take them for granted, haha. And on that note, it's time to wrap up this post. 

Empties from June & July

I'm back with my second ever empties post. I can't believe July is almost over! Time flies like a discount airline. 

The Saem's Healing Tea Garden Green Tea Cleansing Water is my current favorite makeup remover. It doesn't melt off mascara or eyeliner too well, but it does a good job getting rid of the bulk of my daily face paint. This big jug was a holiday release that I got around New Year's and I got almost six months of daily use out of it. I've already picked up a regular sized one for a refill. 

I've been using Nivea's Soothing Toner for dry skin for ages. I don't like to spend a lot of money on cleansing products, because I go through them pretty fast. I like this toner because it doesn't dry out my skin and it's available pretty much everywhere.

Hey, it's Lumene's Waterproof Eye Makeup Remover again! This is a GOAT-status product for me. Lumene re-did their packaging a few months back and I think the new version of the bottle is really pretty. 

I got a bunch of A'Pieu's Nonco Tea Tree Spot Patches some time ago. Sadly, I don't think they do much for me. Unlike COSRX's Acne Pimple Master patches, I didn't notice them helping blemishes heal faster. The adhesive is pretty strong, though, so they did stay on all night. Not repurchasing.

I'm a big believer in Nive Creme aka your grandma's moisturizing cream. It's a great multipurpose item! I have very dry skin, so I use it as a daily face cream. I love this stuff, but I don't think I have anything to say about it that hasn't been said before. It's one of my staples.

My second jar of Petitfée's Ruby & Bulgarian Rose Hydro Gel Eye Patch. I have a dedicated review of them here. 

A'Pieu's Pure Block is another product that I keep repurchasing. I have more written about it here.

The next two items aren't strictly speaking empties, but they've expired and I need to get rid of them, so I chose to include them in this post.

When it comes to mascaras, I tend to set the bar pretty low. All I want is that when I look in the mirror at the end of a day, I won't see two messy panda eyes staring back at me. This is my second tube of  the Double Needs Pang Pang Mascara by TonyMoly. I'm not sure that it noticeably volumizes or lengthens my lashes that much, but it's very cheap and it doesn't smudge. I'll most likely purchase it again.

Skinfood's Salmon Dark Circle Concealer is a big cult favorite. I didn't realize it until I checked my email for the receipt, but I've had this particular jar... way longer than you are supposed to keep any makeup, let alone makeup you apply so close to your eyeballs. And it still has a ton of product left. My concealer pot runneth over! I got a replacement, so it's time for this guy to retire.

I buy Gillette's Satin Care Pure & Delicate in double packs whenever I find them on sale. It does it's job and I've got no complaints.

Nivea's Invisible Black & White used to be my go-to antiperspirant. It doesn't completely eliminate sweat stains caused by aluminum oxidization, but I think it's the least bad of similar products I've tried in the past. I often wear white tops, so I've decided to switch to a completely aluminum free deodorant in an effort to keep my clothes wearable longer.

I'm the type of a person that can't live without hand cream, but I'm not very picky about what I use, as long as it's deeply moisturizing and doesn't irritate my skin. Natusan's 24hour Hand Cream served me well. It's alright.

Kleancolor's Wizard Pads are some kind of sorcery! They wipe of my nail polish super quickly without drying out my nails. I've actually started wearing nail polish more often because of them. I was introduced to them by my bff Whitney, and she also gifted me a whole display box of them last Christmas. You'll probably see them in a lot of these posts.

That's it for the past two months! 

May empties!

I've always liked empties posts and videos. It's interesting for me to see what kind of products people use up and how they feel about them after going through a full container. So here I am, documenting all the stuff I slathered on my face/body last month.

I only used up two makeup products in May:

Skinfood's Royal Honey Cover Bounce Cushion in the color No.1 Light Beige is the first cushion base I've ever used. I know I'm really late to the party, but I was always a bit skeptical of the concept. The formula had an interesting texture. It was kind of sticky when I first started using it, but it seemed to become less so as the cushion got saturated. I really liked the shade, coverage and the dewy finish. You can really get an even application with the dispensing system. But to be honest, I'm still not really sold on cushions. Towards the end, I just started to find the whole thing kind of gross. I don't really like how you have to keep dipping into the cushion inside the compact. It just seems like a breeding ground for all kinds of germs. I probably won't write cushion products off completely, but I can't see myself trying another one any time soon. I also won't be repurchasing this guy. 

Next up is Missha's Perfect Eyebrow Styler in Light Brown. I'm a bit miffed to include this item in this post, because it ended up here prematurely. The actual color stick had detached from the base of the pen-casing, but I was set on finishing it up because there was only a little bit left. I guess the last time I tried to use it I had my hand tilted at a bad angle, because the thing flew out of the packaging and shattered when I opened it. I really liked this brow pencil, but since the packaging seems kind of unreliable, I won't repurchase it. 

The Saem Eco Earth Power Perfection Waterprood Sun Block was my go-to sun screen during the winter, but it started to feel a bit too dewy even for me once the weather warmed up a bit. It had a light beige tint, but it could still leave a white cast if I went a bit over board with the application. It's probably not my all-time favorite sun cream, but I'm going to keep it in mind when I'm on the market for a new one.

COSRX's Acne Pimple Master Patches are a staple for a lot of K-beauty lovers, myself included! They don't really make blemishes go away over night, but I do think they shorten their lifespan. Or maybe that's just my wishful thinking. In any case, I always stock up again when I run out. Though last time I got A'pieu's hydrocolloid patches instead, because I'm curious to see how they measure up - or if there's a discernible difference at all.

ACO's Lip Cerat lip balm is my favorite! It really saved my lips when I had to take isotretinoin to treat a bad cystic acne flare up a few years ago. I've since been lucky enough to have mostly clear skin but I've stuck with the lip balm. All the other ones just pale in comparison for me. 

I love, love, looove Mizon's Multi Function Formula Snail Wrinkle Care Sleeping Pack! I have a dedicated review of it here.

Innisfree's Jeju Sparkling Mineral Mist was a nice enough thermal water mist. I would spray it on if I applied too much power to make my make up look more natural, I'd spray it on kaolin clay to make my white clay mask, and it really came in handy during work outs when I needed something quick and fresh to cool my skin down a bit. I don't think it's the be-all end-all of facial mists, though, so I'm getting something else next time.

I've been using Lumene's Waterproof Eye Makeup Remover forever. It's like the nuclear option of eye makeup removers: I've yet to own a product it doesn't melt off. It removes all traces of eyeshadow, eyeliner, mascara and eyelash glue, Hell, it'll even remove the mineral stains from your bathroom floor! Don't ask how I found out. I've heard some people say it irritates their skin, but I must have built up a resistance over the years, haha.

The Erioil moisturizing emulsion is another another old faithful product I've been using for years, ever since I was a child. It's a very simple, no-nonsense body lotion without fragrance, bells or whistles. I always end up coming back to it in the end, even if I sometimes try something else.

I've been really into Batiste's dry shampoo in Bare ever since it launched. I love Batiste's dry shampoos! I used to use the Heavenly Volume and Beautiful and Brunette ones, but to be honest, I was never a fan of the fragrance. They'd just end up smelling kind of stuffy to me. Bare on the other hand has a more light and neutral scent, so it doesn't bother me. I'll probably stick to getting this one, because all the other brands I've tried so far have been really disappointing.

That's it for May! Do you have any skin care or make up staples that you keep coming back to again and again?