
**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.**
Early Spring Empties
You know spring has arrived when the cherry blossoms hit peak bloom in DC, as they did last weekend. Even though there is a shitstorm taking place in this country, DC is truly beautiful in the spring.
I had more beauty empties than usual in March, and I decluttered a handful of products as well. Keep reading to see what I thought of everything.
Would I Repurchase?
- Dieux Skin Instant Angel Facial Moisturizer, Fragrance-Free [affiliate link]: this is the second tube that I’ve emptied. It’s a really nice, straightforward moisturizer that I like using in the AM. I appreciate that it plays well with my other skin care. Would repurchase.
- Paula’s Choice Barrier Protect Mineral Sunscreen Broad Spectrum SPF 30 [gifted; affiliate link]: this isn’t my favorite sunscreen. It’s pretty thick, so it takes a little more work to rub into my skin; not sure how well it would work on skin tones darker than mine. I also prefer a minimum of SPF 40, so I wouldn’t purchase this.
- Paula’s Choice SPF 50 5% Vitamin C Sheer Moisturizer [gifted; affiliate link]: I really liked this SPF. I don’t know if the vitamin C really did anything for my skin. But I appreciate the higher SPF, and it has a really sheer, peachy, luminous quality. The texture is pretty fluid, so it can be slightly messy to apply, but it absorbs quickly. Would purchase on my own.
- Paula’s Choice 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant [gifted; affiliate link]: always good for cleaning out pores. I typically use this a couple times a week—sometimes just on my nose and chin to help with blackheads. The brand has sent me many bottles of this and I’ve cracked open the next one.
- Tower 28 SOS Daily Rescue Facial Spray [affiliate link]: this was a nice mist that lasted me awhile. Would repurchase.
- Saltair Lagoona Volume Boost Thickening Shampoo [affiliate link]: I liked this shampoo and would repurchase. I do feel like it made my lame, fine hair look slightly more voluminous, and it added a nice shine.
- SK-II Facial Treatment Essence mini [affiliate link]: I only got a few uses out of this, but I liked it. I’ve tried a mini of this product before, but have never bought it full sized. Would probably not buy full sized because it’s so expensive ($99).
- Naturium Phyto-Glow Lip Balm in Latte and Clear [affiliate link]: LOVE. I don’t empty lip products super often, so when I do, you know they’re good. The formula is so hydrating, and while it’s a little sticky, it’s not intolerable. I have this balm in four other shades (Petal, Midnight, Crimson, and Ruby) and would buy more. They recently came out with shimmer lip balms that have a doe-foot applicator instead of the squeeze tube format, and I’m interested in trying those.
- Trader Joe’s Stone Fruit Scented Body Butter mini: from the 2024 12 Days of Beauty box. I like trying these little limited edition scents. They’re not often scents I’d buy on my own, but I did enjoy this one.
- Cocokind Chlorophyll Discoloration Serum [gifted; affiliate link]: I think this serum has helped fade pigmentation from a whitehead on my chin that popped up a few months ago. I have a second bottle gifted by the brand, which I have now begun using. I don’t know if this is something that I love enough to buy on my own (the texture is very sticky), but I’m happy to use it when I receive it.
- La Madre Tierra Tepezcohuite, Banana, and Bergamot Mask: Not pictured. Loved this mask that I bought at a cute beauty shop in Tulum last May. It was really unique and I would love to try something like this again.
Masking
- Dr. Jart+ Ceramidin Skin Barrier Moisturizing Mask [affiliate link]: I love this brand’s sheet masks. They always feel hydrating and soothing. I do buy fewer sheet masks than I used to because they’re not environmentally friendly, but I still pick up a set of Dr. Jart+ masks from time to time.
- Dr. Jart+ Dermask Soothing Hydra Solution PRO [affiliate link]: Ditto re: above.
- Rare Beauty Find Comfort Hydrating Under Eye Patches [affiliate link]: Love; I have repurchased and would do it again.
Declutters
Last month, I had enough declutters to necessitate their own section.
- Hello Sunday The One for Your Lips SPF 50 [affiliate link]: this was an okay lip SPF, but it didn’t taste great. I find that lip SPFs often have a little bit of a chemical taste. Ew. Despite that, the only reason this is a declutter is that it had hit its expiration date.
- Tower 28 SunnyDays Broad Spectrum SPF 30 Tinted Sunscreen in 10 Larchmont [affiliate link]: I loved this skin tint but didn’t use it up before it began smelling a little off. So it was time to toss it. But this shade is such a good match for my skin tone, and I would totally repurchase.
- Summer Fridays Jet Lag Skin Soothing Hydration Mist [affiliate link]: bought during the fall savings event; I didn’t get around to trying it until recently, when I finished the Tower 28 spray. Immediately I noticed a weird rubbery or plasticky smell. I sprayed it for my husband and he thought it smelled bad too. It’s too late to return this, but I’m not going to use it. Look…maybe it’s my fault that I didn’t open the product for four months after I bought it. But I feel like an unopened product should have a longer shelf life than that. I need to sniff a tester in-store and see what it’s actually supposed to smell like. I haven’t had luck with Summer Fridays products I’ve tried, so I think I’m done with SF.
- Glossier Lash Slick [affiliate link]: from a Sephora favorites set that I bought last fall. This mascara is not for me. It smudged and smeared so badly under my eyes. I only used it a few times before deciding to remove it from my life.
- Trader Joe’s Brown Sugar Lip Scrub: another product from a holiday beauty box, I believe from 2023. I used about half of this and it was nice, but it had been open for long enough that I figured it was time to toss.
That’s a wrap on my March 2025 empties! Did you empty many products last month?