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First Empties from Los Angeles!
Happy March and hello from Los Angeles! We aren’t fully settled here yet, but should get to settle in the next month or so. I won’t get into our move details in this post. But considering the wind chill was zero degrees in DC the morning that we left and the ground was still covered in sheets of ice, landing in LA on a sunny 74°F afternoon was absolutely incredible.
Let’s get into my February beauty empties!
Would I Repurchase?
- Trader Joe’s Hazelnut Body Butter mini: from the 2025 12 Days of Beauty Box. This smelled really good and didn’t irritate my skin. The scent is definitely more for cool weather, so I wouldn’t buy it for summer.
- Trader Joe’s Coconut Coffee Body Scrub mini: from the same box. I also liked this scrub, though their scrubs are a touch on the oily side for me. So I probably wouldn’t buy this if they made it full sized.
- Doctor Rogers Face Cream mini [gifted; affiliate link]: a lovely, gentle face cream. This was perfect for travel, and I also used it a bit after having a Fraxel laser treatment. Would totally buy full sized.
- It Cosmetics Confidence in a Cream [gifted; affiliate link]: this was an Influenster gift. I don’t know if I’d say I really saw any difference in my skin while using this cream, but I did like how my skin soaked it up. It didn’t feel like this cream sat on top of my skin like some creams do. Would potentially purchase it on my own.
- Trader Joe’s Hair Detangler mini: I don’t often condition my hair, so a bit of this detangler is helpful for my hair post-shower. Would potentially buy full sized (not sure if they currently carry anything like this).
- Fable & Mane Holiroots Hair Oil [affiliate link]: I bought this quite some time ago and used it fairly regularly, then forgot about it. Leading up to our move I began using it again before showering. I really don’t know if it did anything for my hair. Probably won’t repurchase.
- Bondi Boost Hair Growth Shampoo mini [affiliate link]: this shampoo smells really minty and refreshing, which I love in my morning showers. I only got maybe a week’s worth of use out of this bottle but wanted to try it and see if I liked it. I do think I would buy it full sized.
- Paula’s Choice Pro Retinaldehyde Dual-Retinol Treatment [gifted; affiliate link]: this retinol didn’t cause any irritation, and I feel like my skin has been looking good while using it a few times a week. I have also been using an LED mask and got Fraxel last November, so it’s hard to tease out what’s actually making my skin look good. I just purchased a bottle. Full transparency: I was going to buy the PC 1% retinol that I’ve used before but my Sephora was sold out, so I went with this one as a good alternative.
- Paula’s Choice Youth-Extending Daily Hydrating Fluid Broad Spectrum SPF 50 [affiliate link]: the brand has gifted me this product before, but I purchased this on my own. Love this SPF and I’m on my next tube.
Single Use
- Dr. Jart Vital Hydra Solution Mask: well, I’ve really enjoyed using this brand’s masks but will no longer be buying them because they are owned by Estee Lauder. Ronald Lauder is buddies with Tr*mp, soooooo I will be steering clear from EL-owned brands. This also happened to be my last Dr. J mask. No more.
- Peach & Lily Glass Skin Ginseng Collagen Mask [gifted; affiliate link]: P&L sent me three of these masks to try. After just a couple uses, I bought a 7-pack from Ulta. I do feel like these make my skin look dewy.
- Biodance Radiant Vita Niacinamide Real Deep Mask [affiliate link]: from a multi-pack of four different Biodance masks. This was the first one I tried, and I’ve since bought a four-pack of this particular one. It also made my skin look really good!
- Grace & Stella Energizing, Moisturizing, & Illuminating Eye Masks [affiliate link]: I’ve been enjoying these from a Costco multi-pack and would buy them again. Really good value.
- Dr. Dennis Gross Universal Daily Peel [affiliate link]: Still enjoying these as well and may buy again when Sephora holds their spring sale.
Thanks for reading! I’ll post more about our LA move once we get more settled.
