February Empties - Yes Please or No Thank You!

Hello blogosphere! Oh how I have missed you! Life seems to get in the way or maybe it is binge watching Netflix - either way I missed my quick hit posts of things I enjoy or things I could really pass on. What better way to get back on the horse than to do a little February empties post? I *love* empties blog posts and YT vids. I like to see how things actually worked out vs. hauls when everyone is so hopeful and excited about the pile o' goodies before them. I find I read/watch FAR few hauls than I used to, because unless I know how they worked for people I am less excited to try something. So here are just my few cents on these empties.

I didn't seem to finish a lot in February, but what little I did finish seems to be more around skin care than makeup. So here is the quick 411 of my Yes Please or No Thank you on these products.

  

Makeup(ish) Things

Maybelline Lash Sensational Mascara - I think this is still my favorite mascara of all time! Of all the expensive ones I own, this humble drugstore diva is my go-to. I like how wet the formula is, I get great buildable length and volume. They last a lonnnnng time! I throw them out before they dry out, but probably after the recommended time frame because I love it so much. (Yes, Please!)

L'Oreal Voluminous Butterfly Intenza Mascara - I got this in a Target beauty box and I liked it ok. It did a decent job with the volume, but as usual, I had to pair it with something else to get length. It is a more dry formula, which doesn't work as well with my lashes so it isn't my preference. If you like a dry formula that does a good job with volume this is worth trying. (No, Thank you!)

NYX HD Concealer - I love this concealer! I have two backups because I use this all the time. I like it for under the eye and down the nose for highlighting most especially. It works well for a little added coverage for hyper pigmentation or blemishes as well. I purchase it in two colors depending on where I am using it. Thankfully, Ulta often has sales for NYX so it is easy to get a good deal. (Yes, Please!)

Hard Candy Sheer Envy Shine Free Primer - No, just no. I am always on the hunt for a drugstore mattifying primer to love because the only ones I love are high end. Sadly, I am still at a loss for a good one. This one broke me out almost immediately and it did nothing to mattify my skin under my makeup. I would not recommend it for anyone with oily skin. (No, Thank you!)

EOS Coconut Milk Lip Balm - I don't find any of the EOS balms really moisturizing except for this coconut milk one. I don't know why this one is different, but it is somehow - at least for me. For moisturizing I like this one, but NO other scent. However, I highly recommend the EOS products (not the coconut milk) under liquid lipsticks. They seem to have a really good priming function to them (the coconut milk is too moisturizing so it interrupts the long wear property). (Yes, Please!)

Elf Lip Exfoliater - Still my go-to lip scrub. I like the scent/flavor (the original is like caramel, I think)  and I like the lipstick style application - far less messy than tubs and pots. I know people stress over the cleanliness of this scrub in the tube, but I only exfoliate after I wash my face and I spray a little isopropyl alcohol on it every so often to kill germs. (Yes, Please!)

Cleansing Cloths

Let me preface these by saying I do not ever use them for "cleansing" or "moisturizing" directly. I use them to remove makeup and then I wash my face with a liquid face wash and use a separate moisturizer. Sometimes I use them to refresh my face post working out or a morning face refresher if I am not showering immediately. So my expectations are very specific. 

Elf Studio Make-up Remover Cloths - Of the bunch, these are definitely my favorites. They remove mostly all of my makeup without burning my eyes or irritating my skin. I like the level of moisture in them, not too wet and not too dry; however, I do find they can get a little more dry by the end of the package. They have basically no scent, which I appreciate as I have a very sensitive nose. Since I can get them at Target (where I do most of my shopping) they are super convenient for me. I know everyone talks about how cheap they are, but honestly, they aren't that cheap. There are only 20 in a pack, which isn't enough to get me through a full month. I wear makeup pretty much every day so factoring in that I have to use 1.5 packs for one month they come out to being about the same price as a lot of other wipes. (Yes, Please!)

Yes to Blueberries Age Refresh Cleansing Cloths - These smell delicious! I love the scent, which is a soft lemony scent and not at all overwhelming or lingering. I think they work decently well for removing makeup, but I don't find it removes all my eye makeup very well so I always have to use a secondary product which is a little annoying. They also seem to sting my eyes - just a little bit, nothing too intense. They are decently saturated and don't dry up before I finish the package. (No, Thank you!)

Neutrogena Makeup Remover Cleansing Towelettes - These remove most of my makeup, including eye makeup - but sadly I hate them. They burn - I MEAN LAVA BURN - my eyes. Unlike any other product, they irritate my eyes. Which bums me out because they remove makeup so well and it is a brand I have liked for years, but no matter how many times I try them they burn my eyes and sting my skin. My skin is a bit pink after I use them, which doesn't happen with any other wipes. Which causes my skin to be irritated when I put on my serum or moisturizer on. I am finished with these, there are too many other ones out there to keep trying to make them work. (No, Thank you!)

So Fresh, So Clean - Hello Sahara Dessert - welcome to my cleansing cloth! These are soooooo dry! I had to moisten them under the faucet to even be able to use them. I thought maybe it was a bad batch, so I bought another one - same issue. Maybe it is just my luck or maybe these just suck. Either way they didn't do a good enough job, once moistened, to warrant my trying again. I think I picked these up at 5 Below. (No, Thank you!)

Skin Care

Skin Food Peach Sake Toner - Love, love, LOVE this toner! It is a Korean product - and I tend to love Korean skincare - this toner is geared to oily, acne prone skin. I have used several bottles of this product, so I can confidently say that, for me, it does what it should: helps reduce breakouts and keeps me matte. It is mild and doesn't irritate my sensitive skin nor does it dry me out at all. The peach scent is light, not overpowering and doesn't linger. This will always be a go-to toner for me (especially now that I can get it on Amazon with free shipping) as long as I have a more oily skin profile. Note: I am more dry in the winter and still find that this products works well, not irritating to cold weather skin changes. (Yes, Please!)

Simple Micellar Water - I have done an entire post on just this product - check it out here - suffice it to say I *really* love it and I will continue to buy it. There are other micellar waters out there and this is my favorite so far. (Yes, Please!)

I am testing out Bioderma now, but that has other properties in it for my oily/acne prone skin so I am not sure it would be a fair comparison. 

Boots Botanics Mattifying Cleansing Mousse and Shine Away MattifyingToner - I really wanted to like these, but sadly I didn't. They weren't bad, but they weren't great either. I don't feel that they did what they claimed to do - my skin was no less oily or any more mattified. My skin was clean and it didn't irritate or break me out, but it didn't *do* anything for my skin either. I didn't finish the toner, because I have used other toners that I love far more and would rather use those than waste more time with this one. In general I didn't feel like these two products accomplished anything, which bummed me out since I have always read great things about Boots products. Everyone's skin is different, so what works for some doesn't work for others - and I was in the others category on these two. (No, Thank you!)

Lather AHA Hand Creme with Evening Primrose - I am torn on this product - I love it and hate it at the same time. Love: super moisturizing, isn't sticky and repairs my winter hands. Hate: the scent and the pot format. I have found that I am just not a rose person, even with a lighter scent like primrose. I also don't like getting lotion in my nails, it annoys me to death. So while I think this product is awesome it just isn't for me, no matter how hard I try. Hopefully, I will be able to find it a good home because it really is a great product. (No, Thank you!)

Hair Products

Healthy Sexy Hair - Soy Tri-Wheat Lean In Conditioner - This is my favorite leave in conditioner. I like the subtle scent (it doesn't linger), it helps my brush get through my mass of long thick hair without any pulling or tearing. My hair is super shiny and soft when I use this and it doesn't *feel* like I have product in my hair. Highly recommend this product! Pretty much everything I have tried by this company is a thumbs up from me. (Yes, Please!)

Macadamia Oil Control Hairspray - I originally tried this from a sale on HauteLook and found that I loved the hold - firm but not crunchy, the shine - it doesn't dull my hair when I spray it on and the scent - it doesn't linger or choke me. Then Ulta put them on clearance so I bought all of them! Sadly, this is my last bottle, but in searching for a link for the blog I found it on Amazon for a great price - it is now IN MY CART! (Yes, Please!)

And more....

Bath and Body Works - Winter Cranberry Foaming Hand Soap - I am only going to include this once since I bought a dozen during the sale after the holidays (and I had a half dozen stashed away from the year before - don't judge me!). This is my all time favorite scent from BB&W. They rename it every year or every couple of years, but thankfully they haven't changed the scent - cranberry with a tiny hint of peach. Perfection! Funny enough one of my cats *loathes* this scent - she runs away after I wash my hands with it - odd duck! (Yes, Please!)