November 2022 beauty empties
**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.**
An Abundance of Empties

Happy December! I feel like I always say this, but this year has flown by…it’s wild that 2023 is right around the corner. I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving! My family finally got together for to celebrate the holiday for the first time since the pandemic began, so our reunion was way overdue.

I emptied SO MANY beauty products last month! Many of them are minis due to my recent travels:

November 2022 beauty empties

Here are the minis and travel items that I emptied:

November 2022 mini empties

I also did more eye masks than usual last month…here are the sheet masks that I used:

November 2022 sheet mask empties

Would I Repurchase?
  • Whole Foods 365 Colloidal Oatmeal Body Wash, Fragrance-Free: I’ve used this in the past, but I’m not a big fan. I actually had to dump the last eighth or so of this giant bottle because when I returned from Thanksgiving, it suddenly smelled sour. EW. Probably won’t repurchase.
  • Gillette Satin Care Ultra Sensitive Shave Gel [affiliate link]: What I don’t understand is the inclusion of lavender and eucalyptus oils in a product that claims to be for ultra sensitive skin (essential oils can be irritating to some). At least this doesn’t irritate my skin, which is the biggest concern for me. I’ve opened a second can.
  • Cosrx Salicylic Acid Daily Gentle Cleanser [gifted; affiliate link]: Stylevana gifted me this cleanser along with some other goodies. I used it solely on my chest in the shower because I tend to get tiny pimples there. It has a nice lemony scent, but I don’t think it did much for my skin. Wouldn’t purchase on my own.
  • Paula’s Choice 5% Niacinamide Body Serum [gifted; affiliate link]: the brand sent me this serum in a gift set awhile back. While I liked the texture and the fact that it absorbed well and didn’t irritate my skin, I didn’t see any benefits other than light hydration. This one isn’t a necessity for me so I probably won’t purchase.
  • Tata Harper Hydrating Floral Essence [affiliate link]: LOVE. This is my second bottle. It’s quite expensive, so I’ll only buy this as an occasional splurge.
  • Cocokind Ceramide Barrier Serum [affiliate link]: got this in the Tower 28 x Cocokind Lunar New Year Bundle. I didn’t notice any benefits other than added hydration. I used it during the warmer months, so I’m curious if it would make a difference to use this in the winter. Would consider purchasing again.
  • Vanicream Moisturizing Cream [affiliate link]: love it. This is my main hand cream, especially in the winter when my hands get extremely dry and cracked. I just purchased another pump jar; I keep a couple of them in the house year-round.
The Minis/Travel Stuff
  • Garnier Micellar Eye Makeup Remover Pads: bought these when I forgot to pack eye makeup remover on a trip. They’re very small so it takes multiple pads to remove heavier eye makeup. Therefore, I prefer packing a mini bottle of the micellar water.
  • Elemis Dynamic Resurfacing Facial Pads [affiliate link]: I received these along with an order awhile back, maybe from Dermstore? They didn’t cause any irritation, which is good. But I didn’t really see any benefits. And I didn’t love the fragrance. Wouldn’t buy full sized.
  • Ilia Fullest Volumizing Mascara mini [affiliate link]: got this in an Ilia gift set. I didn’t love either mascara from the set; they both smudged under my eyes.
  • Youth to the People Superberry Dream Cleansing Balm mini [affiliate link]: the brand sent me a full sized jar of this to try out. It’s really nice, but I wish it would be reformulated to be less crumbly. I packed a tiny spatula in my travel bag to scoop this balm out of the jar, because it’s not as soft as other cleansing balms. It’s a really good first cleanse, though.
  • Paula’s Choice 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant mini [affiliate link]: this is a really nice exfoliant, and the brand has gifted me several full sized bottles. I would purchase it on my own.
  • Dove Advanced Care mini: I buy these for travel. Nothing special, just your basic deodorant.
  • Tata Harper Clarifying Mask mini [affiliate link]: only got one use out of this teeny mini from a Tata Harper mask set, but it was really nice. Would consider splurging on it at some point.
  • Tatcha The Dewy Skin Cream mini [affiliate link]: also from the Sephora birthday gift. I’ve purchased this full sized but it changed texture before I finished it. I was able to empty the mini without it changing texture, but I wouldn’t buy it again full sized.
  • Guerlain L’Or Radiance Concentrate with Pure Gold mini [affiliate link]: can’t remember where this came from. It has a really vintage-y makeup scent, which could be off-putting to some. Played well under my tinted moisturizer. Nothing extraordinary, so I wouldn’t buy full sized.
  • Tatcha The Rice Wash mini [affiliate link]: received this in the Sephora birthday gift this year. Gentle even though it’s a physical exfoliant, and smells great. Would buy full sized.
  • Oribe Supershine Moisturizing Cream mini [affiliate link]: got this in a Birchbox 1,000 years ago. I kept it in my travel bag and used it on occasion. It wasn’t exciting enough for me to buy full sized.
Masking!

That was a whoooooole lot of empties! I can’t imagine I’ll empty that many this month.

Enjoy getting into the groove of the holidays, folks!