Empties: June 2012

Happy Canada Day! You know what that means? That means June has ended, and that means Empties Time! This post is, of course, dedicated to the original Beauty Reductionista, Liz. Without further ado, here is my empties tally, collected from June 1 to June 30:

• Lollia Shea Butter Handcreme — Relax (118.3 ml)
• True Blue Mini Paraffin Super Softening Hand Lotion (30 ml)
• Bath & Body Works Body Lotion — Coconut Lime Breeze (236 ml)
• Principessa Beauty Fresh Fiore Creamy Body Wash (355 ml)
• MAC Cremewash (100 ml)
• MAC Lightful Marine-Bright Formula Essence (30 ml)
• Benefit b.right! Remove It Oil-Free Makeup Remover (177.4 ml)
• MAC Studio Fix Powder+ Foundation — NC40 (15 g)
• MAC Prep + Prime Face Protect SPF 50 (30 ml)
• Fairydrops Scandal Queen Mascara — Black (7.2 ml)
• MAC Haute & Naughty Lash Mascara — Black (9 g)
• MAC Liquid Eye Liner — Boot Black (2.5 ml)
• MAC Eyebrows — Lingering (0.09 g)
• Shiseido Facial Cotton (80 g)
• Slatkin & Co. 3-Wick Candle — Eucalyptus Mint (411 g)

Total: 15 products (14 full size, 1 travel size)

Bodycare/Haircare:

Lollia Shea Butter Handcreme — Relax (118.3 ml) — I got this, along with three other scents, on sale at Chapters about a year ago. Lollia's Handcremes are smooth, lightweight, and strongly scented. They absorb quickly and I love the honey and lavender scent of their Relax fragrance. They hydrate fairly well, but this is not repairing by any means, so if you have extremely dry, cracked hands, this won't be enough. These honestly feel more like a lotion than a cream. Lollia is all about luxury, about want and not need. Their packaging is gorgeous and these would make amazing gifts, actually. These are definitely nice to have, but not must-haves by any means. If you want a more heavy duty hand cream or you're averse to strong scents, don't bother looking at these.

Re-purchase? At a sale price, yes. At full price for $28 a tube, definitely not.

True Blue Mini Paraffin Super Softening Hand Lotion (30 ml) — Amazing, amazing, amazing. These travel-size tubes were on sale at Bath & Body Works a couple months ago (I think it was Buy 2, Get 1 Free), so I stocked up because they were cheaper than their full-size counterpart. It has replaced the much more expensive L'Occitane en Provence Shea Butter Hand Cream as my favourite. I use this at night before I go to sleep because it is fairly emollient (e.g. greasy). I didn't realize how well this cream worked until I started using it again. My hands are visibly smoother and more hydrated than before. This is seriously amazing at repairing super-dry hands.

Re-purchase? Yes, especially during Bath & Body Works' sales!

Bath & Body Works Body Lotion — Coconut Lime Breeze (236 ml) — I got this for free with a coupon (spend $10, get one free signature item). This is one of Bath & Body Works' classic fragrances (it used to be called Coconut Lime Verbena). Coconut Lime Breeze blends the scents of coconut water, lime blossom, and bergamot. This has been one of my favourite scents from Bath & Body Works since I started using their products (about a decade ago). For me, this scent is the epitome of summer: slightly sweet, kind of beachy, with a citrusy freshness. The fragance is quite strong, however, and will linger on the skin. I don't mind, but those averse to strong smells won't appreciate it. I don't think this particular formula is better than many of the other body lotions out there, but it's lightweight and non-greasy and good for warmer months when your skin needs hydration but not repairing.

Re-purchase? Yes, but only when it's on sale.

Principessa Beauty Fresh Fiore Creamy Body Wash (355 ml) — I got this in a set with their Dolce Dreams Whipped Body Lotion. This is a nice body wash that foams up well and leaves skin feeling soft. It has a light, floral scent that blends violet leaves, orange flower, rose petals, and neroli. It's soft and doesn't linger, but I got sick of it pretty fast.

Re-purchase? No, definitely not worth the $23 retail price.

Skincare:

MAC Cremewash (100 ml) — MAC's skincare is so underrated, but many of their products are surprisingly worth trying. This has quickly become my new favourite cleanser. It seriously takes off all my make-up (you're not meant to be using this in the eye area, but I do and it takes off everything, even stubborn mascara!), and leaves my skin feeling so soft and so smooth and so clean. It foams up beautifully and has such a rich, dense lather. And it smells really clean with a hint of sweetness, kind of like apples and flowers.

Re-purchase? Yes!

MAC Lightful Marine-Bright Formula Essence (30 ml) — Amazing at evening out skintone. You have to use it to believe it. All the redness in my face was much less noticeable even after a week of use. MAC's Lightful line is essentially their "whitening" line, so it's meant to fade dark spots and even out skintone. I don't know if my beauty marks and freckles are any less noticeable at this point, but it really does help with skintone.

Re-purchase? Yes.

Benefit b.right! Remove It Oil-Free Makeup Remover (177.4 ml) — I seriously bought this over a year ago and it's taken me this long to use it up because I don't generally use eye make-up removers (I usually use a multi-tasking cleanser).This is a really nice eye make-up remover; it's gentle and effective and doesn't leave a residue. The bottle is cute, but you have to be careful of the opening which can pour out way too much product.

Re-purchase? No, I don't use separate eye make-up removers often enough.

Make-up:

MAC Studio Fix Powder+ Foundation — NC40 (15 g) — I've been using this for years. I've realized that I actually hate using liquid and cream make-up products on my face, and was looking for medium-full coverage in a matte finish, and this powder foundation was the answer. It's sort of a love-it-or-hate-it product, but I am firmly in the "love it" camp. It's completely easy and effortless to use, and I get smooth, nearly full coverage in about 30 seconds. It's more ideal for combination-to-oily skin types, though, because it will emphasize dryness and is prone to caking on dry skin.

Re-purchase? Yes, I always have a back-up.

MAC Prep + Prime Face Protect SPF 50 (30 ml) — My go-to face primer. Aside from helping the wear-time of my foundation, it keeps my face looking completely smooth throughout the entire day and also helps to control oil so I only blot once a day. Plus, it doesn't leave a film on my face, and it has SPF 50!

Re-purchase? Yes, I always have a back-up.

Fairydrops Scandal Queen Mascara — Black (7.2 ml) — I've had this mascara for double the amount of time than I'm supposed to because I wasn't using it everyday, but I was determined to finish it. This mascara is amazing for adding length and volume, but what really wowed me was its ability to keep a curl! My lashes are really long but stick straight, and this seriously kept my lashes looking like they were freshly curled all day long. However, I find that it clumps like crazy (and not in a good way) because it contains fibres, so I would definitely recommend this more so for short lashes.

Re-purchase? No, not for $28. Plus, I've found better mascaras.

MAC Haute & Naughty Lash Mascara — Black (9 g) — This is my go-to mascara. I have really long, but really thin and straight lashes, and this amps up the volume like no other. And it doesn't smudge, even though it's not waterproof. I use the pink-lidded brush to separate and feather out my lashes, and then the purple-lidded brush for intense volume. The formula is really wet, though, so it can be prone to clumping and it can get a little messy around the tube opening... but the effect is totally worth it, 'cause I love huge, dramatic lashes. I seriously go through one tube every month.

Re-purchase? Yep, always have two back-ups.

MAC Liquid Eye Liner — Boot Black (2.5 ml) — I do classic, winged out eyeliner everyday; I generally use Lancôme Artliner Precision Point Eyeliner to draw out the line first, and then top it off with Boot Black to make it matte and more intense black. However, when I run out of the Lancôme one, this one works just as well — I just prefer the softer felt tip of Lancôme's.

Re-purchase? Yep, always have a back-up.

MAC Eyebrows — Lingering (0.09 g) — I have been using this eyebrow pencil for years. I love that it's self-sharpening and that it has the finest point I have ever seen on an eyebrow pencil. I have thin, patchy, asymmetrical eyebrows, and this really helps fill them and shape them with precision. And Lingering, a soft taupe brown, is the perfect shade for me.

Re-purchase? Yep, I go through one in about two months, so I always have two back-ups.

Miscellaneous:

Shiseido Facial Cotton (80 g) — Best cotton pads, ever. Ridiculously soft and fluff-free, and holds product better than any other cotton pad out there, so you end up needing less product. And before you think $9 is too steep for a package of cotton pads, think again. In terms of cost per pad, it's about the same as your typical drugstore brand. Also amazing to use to remove nail polish, because it holds remover like no other so it's always soaked.

Re-purchase? Yes, I always have back-up packs.

Slatkin & Co. 3-Wick Candle — Eucalyptus Mint (411 g) — Slatkin & Co. makes the candles at Bath & Body Works, and Eucalyptus Mint is a scent that came out for Spring, though they've had this scent in their hand soaps and anti-bacterial gels for a while. This is by far one of my favourite scents from Bath & Body Works. It includes notes of mint, citrus, ginger, eucalyptus, and jasmine. It's very fresh, clean, non-cloying, and surprisingly unisex. I think this is the third one I've finished, actually.

Re-purchase? Yes, when it's on the 2 for $25 sale.

Hope all my fellow Canadians are enjoying the long weekend!