**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 will earn a small commission.**
First Empties of 2025
Oh, January 2025. You were an endless month, and I won’t miss you. I will, however, miss some of the products that I emptied. Self care feels even more important at the current moment, and it’s a real privilege to have products that I enjoy in my daily skin care routine.
Would I Repurchase?
- Trader Joe’s Fireside Velvet Scented Body Butter: from the 2024 12 Days of Beauty Box. I liked this smoky scent, but not so much that I would buy it full sized if TJs offered it.
- Fresh Black Tea Instant Perfecting Mask [affiliate link]: LOVE. This stuff is expensive, but I bought it on sale. It feels so cooling on my face, and I feel like my skin always looks more radiant after use. I especially enjoyed using this the morning of parties and special events. Would buy again, but at a discount (full price is $96).
- Fresh Black Tea Firming Overnight Mask [affiliate link]: I accidentally bought this during a Sephora sale, thinking it was the Instant Perfecting Mask. But I decided to keep it and ended up emptying it as a nighttime moisturizer. It’s the same price as the wash-off mask, so it’s quite pricey. I liked it, but I’m not sure I would purchase again unless it was at a discount. The scent is really lovely, though.
- Naturium Fermented Camellia Creamy Cleansing Oil [affiliate link]: really nice as a first cleanse in the evening. I like that it’s not a traditional oil; it has more of a gel-oil texture, so it doesn’t make a mess coming out of the tube. Would repurchase.
- Caliray Come Hell or High Water Mascara mini [affiliate link]: a declutter because it had been open for about three months. This mascara was pretty good; I experienced less flaking than with many mascaras. I would consider purchasing full sized.
- Versed The Purist Antioxidant Cleanser [affiliate link]: a pretty standard cleanser that I used in the shower each morning. I would repurchase, though the pump mechanism is inelegant and doesn’t work too well unless you press it down the exact right way.
- Cocokind Ceramide Barrier Serum [gifted; affiliate link]: a really good serum for my skin during the winter. I’ve moved on to the deluxed sized bottle that the brand sent me. Would purchase on my own.
- Salt & Stone Black Rose & Oud Deodorant mini [affiliate link]: part of the Mini Deodorant Discovery Set that I bought during the Sephora fall savings event. The scent is probably my least favorite of the set, so I wanted to use it up first. This deodorant leaves white marks on my clothing and I have had some kind of pimple in my right armpit while using it. I’ve moved on to another scent from the set, but I’m not sure my armpit skin likes the formula. I probably wouldn’t buy these full sized.
- Frownies Forehead & Between Eyes Wrinkle Patches: I’ve been using these overnight for a few months and I do feel like they’re helping smooth out the line between my eyebrows a little bit. I’ve started using them on forehead wrinkles as well, so I’ll see how that goes. I’m not expecting a perfectly smooth forehead like you’d get with Botox (which I’ve never tried), but I do think they help a tad. I got more of these as a holiday gift so I have a fresh new box.
- Kitsch Shave Butter [affiliate link]: I like using a shave bar because there’s less waste. I have purchased a more traditional shave cream in a tube, but I don’t like it as much and would buy this shave butter again.
Masking
- Boscia Pore Purifying Black Charcoal Strip: RIP Boscia. Removing pore strips and seeing all the gunk they pull out of your nose is so satisfying. I’m bummed that this brand closed up shop.
- Glow Recipe Watermelon Glow Jelly Sheet Mask [affiliate link]: a nice, hydrating mask. I have a second one in my vanity, and I would buy this again.
- Rare Beauty Find Comfort Hydrating Under Eye Patches [affiliate link]: these feel so soothing. Would repurchase.
How are you taking care of yourself these days? I have not sat down to intentionally read the news since a few days after the election (with a few exceptions, such as the devastating LA wildfires and this week’s horrible airline collision just a few miles from our home). Of course, I still see some of what’s going on because it’s impossible to completely avoid this stuff when you use social media. However, I did stay off of IG on inauguration day and a couple days afterward. I knew, based on how things went right after the 2017 inauguration, that things would completely blow up on social media. Also, I’ve unfollowed a bunch of news accounts and other accounts that tend to talk a lot about current events. I’m protecting my peace.
Avoiding the news as much as possible really has helped me reduce stress. I recommend taking a break if the news is really stressing you out. My feeling is this: I will not allow a constant firehose of news about an inflammatory and dangerous person (as well as his enablers) to stress me out to the point of harming my health. I’m sure I’ll go back to reading the news at some point, but right now is not the time for me. Now is the time for exercising, meditating, and doing more offline activities. I hope you’re also finding some peace here and there.
