Empties #1 2021

I decided at the start of the year that I didn’t want to do monthly empties or empties posts 10 products at a time anymore because I get through a lot of stuff and I find them quite boring to write even though I love reading other people’s empties! Keeping everything I used up for a whole year was one idea that appealed to me but I think it would get out of hand so I chose to split them quarterly instead.

Read on to find out what I used up in the first quarter and what my thoughts are on repurchasing.

Skincare

Fourth Ray Beauty The Big Detox Mud Mask

This is a good clay mud mask and leaves the skin feeling really clean but Fourth Ray is Colourpop’s sister brand so it’s not easy to get in the UK. I would pick this up again if I need to get free shipping on an order but I wouldn’t go out of my way to repurchase.

PS…Naturals Balm to Oil Cleanser

Amazing for a £3 cleansing balm but you do only get 50ml of product. I don’t really use cleansing balms a lot so I would rather buy a cheaper one like this and I already have a backup from when Primark stores were open.

M&S Formula Hot Cloth Cleanser

I’m a big fan of M&S skincare and I thought this was a good hot cloth cleanser. It smelt like a spa and I loved the pump packaging until the end when it became more difficult to get out. Most of the time I used this with a microfibre cloth rather than the muslin cloth it came with and I found it removed makeup best that way. I have a mini version of this in new packaging to try already.

Lumene Nordic-C Brightening Lotion

I love Lumene skincare. This is an AHA toner that’s similar to the Ren one. It’s nothing amazing but it is brightening and did last quite a long time so I would maybe use again but in no rush to pick up another.

Biore UV SPF 50

This is my favourite facial SPF because it has a gel texture that blends into the skin really quickly and makeup applies easily over the top. It’s not too expensive but I got this on Yes Style so it’s also not easy to get in the UK. I have other SPFs to use up but I think I will go back to this one.

Revolution Hydration Boost

I love gel moisturiser and this one is a kind of water cream texture. Nothing special but it is hydrating and affordable.

M&S Formula Absolute Day Cream SPF30

I LOVE this stuff. I’ve heard a lot of hype around the night cream from the same range but this day cream is equally amazing. It also has really similar ingredients to the Charlotte Tilbury Magic Cream and is a bit cheaper than that one, although still fairly pricey. Will definitely pick this up again when I’ve got through some more moisturisers.

The Inkey List BHA

I expected this to be more like a serum but I ended up using it more like a spot treatment. Essentially, it’s just salicylic acid so if that works for you, this is a good option but it doesn’t do much for my skin.

No7 Early Defence Glow Serum

I don’t really remember what I thought of this so I think it was a nice serum and fine to apply but I didn’t really notice much of a glow effect so I wouldn’t repurchase.

CeraVe SA Smoothing Cleanser

I really like CeraVe as a brand but my skin became drier than it usually is and this felt a bit too harsh so I have since purchased the hydrating cleanser to try instead.

Eve Lom Rescue Mask

I got this in the Look Fantastic Beauty Chest. It’s a nice clay detox mask that made my skin feel clean and smooth but I’m not rushing out to spend the money on this.

Avon Micellar Water

This is just a travel size that I’ve had open for a while but I don’t have any thoughts really- its just a basic micellar water. I don’t really buy from Avon but I would use this again if someone gave me it.

Ole Henriksen Retin-ALT Sleeping Creme

I didn’t like this sample product at all on my face because it felt so rich and heavy but I loved the scent and I used this up on my neck and chest.

Origins Refreshing Eye Cream

This eye cram reminds me a lot of the GlamGlow Glow Start Moisturiser as it’s just a glowy cream that’s meant to make under eyes look radiant. It does work if you want to brighten the area but it also creases in fine lines so it’s not really for me. I have a full size of this but I don’t think I’ll be using it.

Charlotte Tilbury Multi Miracle Glow

This is the mini sample size but I do have a full size of this waiting to be used already. You can use this as a cleansing balm, as a mask or as an overnight balm. It’s super hydrating used as an overnight mask but it has a very strong floral scent. I also like it as a cleansing balm but I think that’s an expensive way to use it.

Sand & Sky Australian Pink Clay Mask

I didn’t really have any strong feelings about this but it did what a pink clay mask is meant to do and the sample size lasted quite a few uses.

Mario Badescu Facia Spray with Aloe, Cucumber and Green Tea

I’m not sure if this really counts as skincare. I do love spritzing these but I also don’t think I need to pick one of these up anymore as it doesn’t really do anything other than feel nice on the skin.

Makeup

Too Faced Lip Injection & Lip Injection Extreme Gloss

Putting these two together as I used them both up. I’ve used a Too Faced gloss up before so I feel like there isn’t much product in here. I’d probably get the Lip Injection Extreme again out of the two as it had the most noticeable effect on me. These glosses do sting a lot so you won’t like these if you’re not a fan of that.

Morphe Continuous Setting Mist

I bloody love this stuff. It doesn’t do much to set my makeup but it does make everything blend into my skin nicer and I already have backups of this.

BH Cosmetics Eyelights in Fresh

These are really underrated IMO. You don’t get much product in here but you don’t need it as they do dry up. This is a lovely yellow with iridescent glitter but they do loads of pretty colours.

Tarte Buttery Lipstick in Nauti Nude

This was so cute and I loved the cardboard packaging. This was such a gorgeous nude balmy lipstick but I wouldn’t want to do a Tarte order just for this.

Tarte Lights, Camera, Flashes Mascara

Another Tarte product I wouldn’t rush out to repurchase is this mascara. I really like the original Lights, Camera, Lashes but this had a really spiky plastic wand that I always managed to poke myself in the eye with. I did like the formula once it had dried out a bit but I have other mascaras I prefer.

Avon True 5 in 1 Lash Genius Mascara

There is a bit left but I got rid of this because Avon mascaras only have a 3 months shelf life on them and I have had eye irritations from it before. I used to only wear Avon mascaras but this one had a gimmicky plastic wand and wasn’t my favourite.

Clinique Lash Primer

I’ve had this for years so definitely time to get rid! This was great at making mediocre mascaras look better but I think I will try a cheaper alternative next time I want a lash primer.

By Terry Baume De Rose Lip Balm

Lip balm isn’t really makeup but that’s where it’s ended up. I got this in a Look Fantastic box and it was a great luxury treat to apply but not something I feel like I need when there are a lot of affordable lip balms out there.

Bath & Body

Radox Bath Salts

Love these, great for a soothing bath and they’re super affordable. Always have a box in use.

Imperial Leather Moonlit Skies & White Cashmere Bath Soak

This is a great go-to bubble bath option and it’s affordable and easy to get hold of. I struggle with fragranced bath products so I’m holding off repurchasing but I do recommend.

Radox Stress Relief Bath Soak

A classic in the mix of so many bubble baths. You know what you’re getting with Radox but I’m not repurchasing for now for the same reason as above.

Avon Sweet Vanilla Sugar Bubble Bath

I don’t recall much about this but I’ve always got on with Avon bubble baths and this was leftover from Christmas time I think.

M&S Iced Pink Berry Bath Foam

I expected to like this because it’s fancy and glittery but it was disappointing. The packaging made it so difficult to get any product out and then the bubbles seemed to disappear really quickly. Looked pretty in the bottle but way better bath foams out there.

Lancome La vie est Belle Body Lotion

Perfume body lotions are hit and miss for me because I’m allergic to something in perfume and sometimes it’s in the body lotion too but I didn’t notice any problems with this and it smelt lovely- just not something I would want to spend the money on normally.

The Body Shop Shower Gel- Strawberry and Pink Grapefruit scents

The Body Shop shower gels are a classic but I’ve never used the Pink Grapefruit scent before and now I want the whole range.

Haircare

Garnier Hair Food Coconut & Macadamia Hair Mask

This was nice as a hair mask or just as a basic conditioner so I would probably pick it up again if I see it on offer.

Olaplex Minis- No3, No4, No5, No6

Everyone raves about Olaplex but I don’t think it did what I expected for my very dry and desperately in need of a haircut hair, sadly. I think this is a cute set though if you want to try it out.

Neautrogena T-Gel Shampoo

I won’t say much because this is in every empties post of mine but it’s just what works for my scalp so I’ll always repurchase unless something cheaper comes along.

PS…Nourish Shampoo

I was looking for the matching conditioner for this but I think I used it up in my last empties. Primark’s haircare range is pretty good for the price and I think I would use this one again if I see it.

Misc

Hum Daily Cleanse

I wasn’t sure if these did much for my skin but I did like the detox benefits. After I finished this 30 day supply, I feel like my skin broke out more so I’m not sure if taking these helped with that or not. I might consider repurchasing if I an pick them up on offer.

Mitchum Deodorant

I first tried this a few years ago and haven’t used another brand since. This really works for me and I usually stock up when there’s an offer on.

Soap & Glory Hand Food

I loved the pump packaging at first and kept this beside my bed to remind me to apply hand cream but there’s still a bit of product left in here and I can’t be bothered removing the pump every time to get to it. I don’t use hand cream as much as I should but this is a decent one that’s always in Soap & Glory gift sets.

Boots Biodegradable Wipes

I rarely use wipes anymore and never on my face, these re just for cleaning up swatches etc when I haven’t had makeup towel handy. Really impressed with myself how much I’ve cut down on my wipe usage to be fair so I’ll try not to buy any for a while but these aren’t bad for what I used them for.

Mermazing Total Hydration Sheet Mask

The only sheet mask in here and I don’t really recall what I thought of it other than it was such a weird fit on me and I don’t buy sheet masks anymore.

Recycle count: 20 products have packaging that I was able to recycle or reuse.