Welcome to my December 2020 Empties!
Alrighty! It’s the end of the year and I have successfully accomplished my 12 month goal, re: to clear out my ever growing stash of products and write-up an empties post every month for a year. I can’t believe it, it’s December and there are 12 empties post this year (check out all the posts, here) and my beauty stash is getting smaller, horray! I mean, I guess the pandemic helped play a role since I was home majority of the time and had more time to dive into products I already have and not out and about buying products (and receiving samples) on an impulse.
There were a lot of hair and skin care products that I finished this year which I’m quite proud. On top of what I finished, there were a few products that I completly forgot to include under my empties posts before it was too late and was already in the bin, products included hand soap bottles, bar soap packaging, and lip balm tubes that I cut in half to dig out the remaining products into a jar. On the flip side, I barely touched any makeup related products such as makeup removers/oil-based cleansers and actual makeup like foundation, powders and lipsticks – although I did throw away a few dried up mascaras and old foundations.
With all that said, here are all the products I’ve finished in the month of December.
HAIR and SKIN CARE
L’Oreal Mythic Oil – Original Nourishing Oil
I’ve mentioned in a previous empties post that I have a few hair oils to use up – this L’Oreal Mythic Oil Original Oil was one of them. Like most sample size products, don’t let this little vial fool you, a little goes a long way and it took a good 2 months to finish. As for the product itself, it’s similar to most hair oils I’ve tried, this one does a great job on nourishing the hair and giving it a healthy shine that isn’t greasy-looking.
Beauty with Brains Face Detox Milky Lotion Cleanser Normal to Dry Skin
Beauty with Brains was a beauty brand I heard quite a lot about a couple of years ago and then it went radio silence. I received this sample during that time but never had a chance to use it until late last year. I’m not going to lie, I really like this cleanser. It’s a fragrance-free, milky cleanser and forms into a lather when it’s added to water. It removed all my makeup effortlessly, doesn’t strip away any moisture and left my skin feeling cleansed, refreshed and soft before going into my second cleanse.
Skinfix Ultra Rich Body Butter
I received this body butter at Generation Beauty Toronto in 2016, so it’s been a couple of years since and Skinfix revamped their packaging and product names. I browsed their website to see if the Ultra Rich Body Butter is still around, perhaps under a different name, but no avail. So it’s safe to say this product is discontinued which is unfortunate because I actually like this product. It’s in the name, this body butter is literally ultra rich. It’s super thick but once applied, it absorbed and moisturized into my dry skin like no tomorrow, leaving a soft and soothing skin texture.
Vichy Mineral 89 Skin Fortifying Daily Booster
I’ve mentioned this countless times on the blog, but Vichy is not only one of my go-to skincare brands but also one of the first introductory brands to skincare. That said, I’ve heard so much good things about Vichy Mineral 89 but have yet to give it a try until now, thanks to this sample. And let’s just say, I’ve been missing out. I absolutely love adding this booster into my routine (after cleansing and toner, before serums and moisturizer). It’s super light, absorbs immediately, and my skin feels smooth and hydrating after application.
Kate Somerville Wrinkle Warrior 2-in-1 Plumping Moisturizer + Serum
I received this Kate Somerville sample in a recent Sephora order. The samples in my order weren’t the ones I had initially picked out and technically not for my age range but nonetheless I found a way to use them. In this case, I went ahead and used the Kate Somerville Wrinkle Warrior on my neck because that’s the one spot I had neglected in the past and it shows. And since the claims and reviews online were pretty high up there, there was no harm in trying. I actually quite enjoyed using this product, the texture is gel-based, smells like calm clean citrus, and feels very moisturizing and hydrating. In terms of results, after using the entire sample (it took about a week to finish) it definitely smooth down the wrinkles on my neck. I’m not going to lie, I might need to pick up a full size in the near future.
Sunday Riley Tidal Brightening Enzyme Water Cream
This moisturizer had a very cooling and refreshing cucumber scent. The texture felt like a gel moisturizer but was more on the runnier side (hence, “water cream”). Overall, this was a nice moisturizer – it kept my skin hydrated and moisturized throughout the day but I wouldn’t consider it my holy grail and run out to buy.
Drunk Elephant Virgin Marula Oil
I love incorporating Marula Oil into my skincare and sometimes to the ends of my hair. My first introduction to Marula Oil was actually from Drunk Elephant. I loved it so much I purchased another one as a backup during a Sephora sale before discovering The Ordinary 100% Cold Pressed Virgin Marula Oil. Once I realized that they were very similar in terms of how they felt on my skin, there was no turning back to DE (no matter how much I loved everything, there was no justifying the price). With that being said, I still enjoyed using DE Marula Oil during my skincare routine, my skin (and hair) always feels hydrated, supple and moisturized.
Clarins Hydra-Essentiel Cooling Gel – Normal to Combination Skin
When I first tried the Clarins Hydra-Essentiel Cooling Gel, I honestly didn’t know what to think of it. I couldn’t tell if I liked it or not, the scent had a strong fragrance and the texture felt like a grainy gel. Some time passed and I decided to give it one more try. This time around, it wasn’t too bad when I went ahead and mixed it with an oil before applying. Overall, I really enjoyed using the moisturizer – my skin felt fresh and hydrated.
P.S., I might change my mind but for now, I don’t think I will be continuing to post monthly empties for the upcoming year.
What are your thoughts on my December 2020 empties? Have you tried any of the products featured? How did you do in terms of finishing products this year?