Skincare Empties – February 2018

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Remember a couple of weeks ago when I shared my hair and makeup empties with you and said I would be doing a skincare empties post at some point? Well today is the day! It’s skincare empties day!!

I started saving my empties right after Thanksgiving, which is right around the same time I decided to start using up all the products I had before I bought any new ones. Like I mentioned in my previous post I get PR packages from companies filled with skincare products, both samples and full size, and I keep the ones I want to use and I give the others away. I had been hoarding all of these products while continuing to buy new products and finally had a “come to Jesus” meeting with myself and decided to use up everything I had. Since then I have cut my stash way down and it’s very freeing. I can look at that shelf in my closet and not feel overwhelmed by products!

I am skincare junkie so I had been holding on to a lot of skincare products and can’t wait to share them with you! Like in my previous “empties” post I will tell you which products I purchased myself, which ones were gifted to me and whether or not I would repurchase. Here we go!

I am breaking this post down into categories…cleansers, toners, serums, night time moisturizers/serums, eye creams and regular moisturizers! I had quite a few of each and a lot of them are travel size so let’s get to it!

Cleansers. I recently used up two great cleansers (actually three, but one I accidentally threw away before I could photograph it), one is a balm and one is a probiotic cleanser, and I can’t say enough good things about them. The balm was a gifted product from IT Cosmetics and seeing how I was already a fan of cleansing balms it is safe to say that I am kind of obsessed with this one. The thing I love about cleansing balms is the fact that they cleanse your face and get every bit of makeup off and aren’t harsh! My skin is sooo super soft after using this one!! This is a balm I would typically use first when I double cleanse. The balm is a definite repurchase for me!

I purchased this probiotic cleanser in a travel set to try and see if I liked it and I did! I don’t know if I liked it enough to purchase the full sized bottle because I already have a few other cleansers that I like better but I did like it! This is a cleanser I would use in my second cleanse of my double cleansing method, it won’t get the makeup 100% off your face but it will clean your skin really well once he makeup is already off your face!

Toners. I honestly don’t know why I used the plural of that word because I only have one empty toner sooooo…yeah. Anyway, this is my absolute, hands down FAVORITE toner to use when my skin is breaking out. I talked about what products I used for acne here so you can check out that whole post if you want but this toner is KEY. I purchased this myself and it contains salicylic acid, which works wonders on my acne when I break out, and the only thing you have to remember about this toner is to shake it up really good before you use it to mix it up really good. This is a definite repurchase for mead on the days I’m not breaking out I use my ride-or-die toner which is also by Clinique.

Serums/Primers. I am only recently a serum/primer user. I honestly didn’t know too much about them so I didn’t use them regularly until about a year ago and now I’m hooked!! To start I will tell you about a facial oil that is neither a serum or a primer, I accidentally took photos of it in the wrong category. My bad! I love this maracuja oil and used it as a part of my night time routine. I used it after I used my toner and before moisturizer. It helped my skin become super hydrated, even during the summer! This was a purchase I made myself and would buy it again! Next up is a probiotic serum that I absolutely love! I purchased it as a part of a set and love love loved it! I used this more as a primer after I would tone my face and before I would moisturize and put my makeup on. This is a repurchase for me!

Next up is a serum I grabbed on a whim in Dallas (clearly before I said I wasn’t going to buy anymore skincare, HA) and I was surprised by how much I love it! In fact as soon as it was gone I was online about to purchase some more and then remembered I have more serums to use up in my closet. Boo!! LOL!! This Glossier Super Bounce serum is super light and yet I felt like it did a great job at making my skin feel more bouncy and hydrated. It went on like silk and will definitely be a repurchase!! Lastly is a makeup primer that I have been using like a serum. This NYX Honey Dew Me Up is so so so good! It is a makeup primer that doubles as a serum and has a honey like consistency that is filled with gold flecks and collagen!! I use it after toning and before moisturizing and putting on makeup. LOVE IT and I may or may not have already repurchased it. OOPS!

Eye Cream. Eye cream is another new product that I have started using regularly. I have always used it sporadically but since I got Botox last fall I have been taking care of my under eyes like MAD. LOL!! I need the effects to last me a loooong time. The first eye cream I am going to share with you was gifted to me from VIIcode and was the first product that I used consistently. I used it both at night and during the day under my makeup and I think it really did make a difference!! It’s on the expensive side so I’m not sure about repurchase. The second eye cream I used up is from Tula and again, I purchased this as a part of a set. I really liked it and a little bit goes a long way and so I was surprised by how ling this tiny tube lasted. So if you are going for more more bang for your buck then you should definitely try this one. This is a maybe repurchase. If you want to check out a full review of these products I talked about both of them more in depth here.

Moisturizers. If there was one skincare product I would have to say that I swear on as being more important than all the others it’s moisturizer. Moisturizer is essential in keeping your skin hydrated and not aging as fast. Moisturizer can mean the difference between healthy, hydrated, dewy skin and old, haggard, wrinkled skin. I know several people who don’t use it because they think they have oily skin but trust me when I say there is a moisturizer out there for everyone! For me, I don’t like heavy products on my skin so I prefer gel moisturizers and super light weight formulas. Basically I don’t want to feel it on my skin. HA! The first moisturizer I’m going to talk about is from Tula. This is a heavier moisturizer than I would normally wear and so I used it as night time. I think it worked well but I have others as favorites so this is a maybe repurchase for me. Like I mentioned above I purchased this item as a part of a travel set. I think the travel set was the perfect purchase for me because that way I got to try the products without spending an arm and a leg, know what I mean??

The next (and final!!) product I am going to talk to you about is the Drunk Elephant TLC Framboos Glycolic Night Serum. I received this product as part of a Birch Box I got a long time ago and forgot I had! OOPS! I LOVE the Drunk Elephant Lala Retro Whipped Cream and so I was excited to use this product!! This is a great night time serum to use for anti-aging. It includes glycolic, lactic, tartaric, citric, and salicylic acids as active ingredients and aids in the resurfacing and refining your skin. Basically it’s like a mini peel in a bottle and isn’t harsh at all!! I LOVE IT!! I would definitely purchase this!!

So there you have it for my first skincare empties post! I hope I didn’t overwhelm you with all of that!! If you have any questions about any of the products please drop me a comment or shoot me an email! I am always here to answer questions!

What skincare products are you LOVING right now??