**Some product links in this post are affiliate links and are noted as such. If you click on an affiliate link and make a purchase, I’ll earn a small commission.**
Final Empties of 2023
Happy New Year! I hope 2023 closed out well for you. Let’s get right into the beauty products that I emptied in the final month of last year…
I also used a couple sheet masks and finished up some pimple patches:
Would I Repurchase?
- Cocokind Oil to Milk Cleanser [gifted; affiliate link]: this was a nice first cleanse at night for me. However, I didn’t love the smell. For that reason, I probably wouldn’t purchase this on my own, but if you like how it smells, why not go for it.
- Paula’s Choice 1% BHA Sensitive Skin Lotion Exfoliant [gifted; affiliate link]: my facial skin isn’t that sensitive, so I didn’t necessarily need this. I mostly used it on my chest, which tends to get small pimples. I do think the exfoliant helped a little. I appreciated the opportunity to try this for free, but wouldn’t buy it on my own.
- Drybar Liquid Glass Instant Glossing Rinse [affiliate link]: not sure I noticed much of a difference in my hair’s shine after using this. I’d like to try a different brand next.
- Verb Leave-in Mist [affiliate link]: I’ve had this mist for years and finally resolved to finish it up. It was fine, nothing special. Hair products are mostly ho-hum for me and my super fine hair. I don’t think I’d repurchase.
- Youth to the People Kale + Green Tea Spinach Vitamins Superfood Cleanser [affiliate link]: I love this cleanser. Coincidentally, YTTP sent me a bottle (+ a mini) just before I ran out of this one (which I purchased on my own). Perfect timing!
- Zum Kiss Shea Butter Peppermint Lip Balm: I love a basic minty lip balm. This one, which I bought at Whole Foods, did the trick. Would repurchase.
- Avène Very High Protection B-Protect SPF 50+: I bought this SPF at a French pharmacy while on vacation, and it was really nice. It comes out of the tube white, but quickly blended into a tint that adjusted to my skin tone. So it sort of functions as a high SPF BB cream. I can’t say how well this would adjust to deeper skin tones, though. I generally don’t go for tinted SPFs, so I would maybe skip this one in the future for that reason (I bought it not realizing it was tinted). But if they made an untinted version I’d totally be up for trying it.
- Maelove The Hydrator [gifted; affiliate link]: this was a sticky hyaluronic acid serum that felt hydrating and played well with the rest of my routine. I’d consider buying it for winter, but I don’t feel like I need a hyaluronic acid serum in warmer months.
- Paula’s Choice 1% Retinol Treatment [affiliate link]: this brand has gifted me products, but I bought this retinol on my own. I didn’t experience any irritation, dryness, or purging with this retinol, so that’s a good thing. I also don’t feel like I saw much of a difference, either. However, I think it’s probably a good retinol for preventing signs of aging, so I’d considering buying this again.
- Youth to the People Peptides + C Energy Eye Concentrate [gifted; affiliate link]: this eye cream had a nice brightening effect, but I didn’t like the pump. It dispensed more product than I like to use underneath my eyes. I wouldn’t purchase this unless they change the pump to something with more user control.
- The Inkey List Tripeptide Plumping Balm [gifted; affiliate link]: not pictured. this is actually a declutter, not an empty. It didn’t feel hydrating enough for my lips, and the applicator tip as well as inside the cap started to look like it was growing mold. I’ve experienced this with some newer lip products recently. I don’t know if this is what we sacrifice for not using preservatives, or what.
Masks and More
- Talika Paris Bio Enzymes Brightening Mask[affiliate link]: I really enjoyed this sheet mask that I bought at a pharmacy in Paris. Talika ships internationally, and the brand has a 24% off sale with code WINTER24 as of this writing. So I just placed an order. 🙂
- Masquebar Fantasy Reindeer Calming Sheet Mask: just a fun printed sheet mask from a gift set that I bought myself at Target. I used this one on Christmas morning and am looking forward to using the rest of the holiday-printed masks.
- Patchology 12 Blemish Shrinking Salicylic Acid Dots [gifted; affiliate link]: from the Breakout Box that the brand gifted me. These dots helped with some blemishes but not others…no product can work 100% of the time. I felt like the hydrocolloid dots from the box were a little more effective for me.
- Tonymoly Changing U Magic Foot Peeling Shoes [affiliate link]: I love a foot peel, and I’ve had good results with this one before. I recently bought two of these, and would buy again.
Thanks for reading! I’m a little afraid of what this election year has in store…we saw how things went last time around. Yikes. Fingers crossed for a peaceful election year, and for more peace and calm globally. I hope your 2024 gets off to a wonderful start!
