Empties Archives - lululemon expert

Hello again! Like I said in my first ’empties’ post, this series is designed to mimic my favorite YouTube videos where Beaty Gurus show off the products they’ve gone through and describe their experiences of what they liked and what they didn’t like. Like I said before: since this is a blog, I may re-organize these at a later date to create categories, but for now, I’ll just be posting a few items at a time until I think I have enough to create “collections” of comparisons.

Vasanti Detox Nutirent-Rich Purifying Facial Cleanser

I got a sample of this in one of my makeup subscription box services. I believe it was BirchBox. The sample size is 20mL, and I got about 10 uses out of it, if not more. As with most of my products, I tend to be very sparing with my usage. Some might even call me stingy in that regard. But I would rather be regarded as miserly than wasteful. This product reminds me of other mid-range basic cleansers. The cleanser that comes with the Clarisonic when you buy it comes to mind. I would characterize this cleanser as relatively boring, but effective. My face felt clean after using it, but it wasn’t exciting or anything. I might actually buy this if it were cheaper, but $24 for the full-size of 150mL is too much when there are many other alternatives for basically the same price.

*** 3 Stars

Repurchase: Maybe for half off

Origins Modern Friction: Nature’s Gentle Dermabrasion

I really enjoyed this product. As I recall, I got it as a sample with purchase when I was buying my favorite mask: Clear Improvement. This sample size was only 15mL, but I got several uses out of it. Over 10 for sure. I really liked this product because even though it is abrasive, I really felt like it was exfoliating my skin. I felt as though I was able to get the rice starch particles all over my face, unlike other products which can be hard to maneuver. I would probably not recommend this to someone with especially sensitive skin, but I think this would work for most people. I’m not normally a fan of things that boast peppermint as an ingredient, but this exfoliator performs so well I can’t complain. I will definitely be considering this next time I need a new exfoliating cleanser. It’s $20 for 1.7 ounces on Origins.com, click on the title to buy. 🙂

**** 4 Stars

Repurchase: Yes

Matrix Exquisite Oil Biolage Micro-oil Shampoo

I got 3 samples of this from Ulta for free with purchase. I got 2-3 uses out of each sample, so I feel like I got to try this stuff out enough to have a fairly accurate opinion. I really loved the way this stuff smells. It’s divine. It works well; I find that most shampoos, so long as they contain SLSs (sodium laur* sulfates) work well. Right now this is available on Amazon for $12. I thought this would cost more since it’s a salon quality product, however I find $12 to be very reasonable for 500mL (or 16.9 oz). I might get this in the future, but I have a ton of shampoos and conditioners left to try out and go through, so I have no plans to buy anything for now.

**** 4 Stars

Repurchase: Yes

Matrix Exquisite Oil Biolage Oil Cream Conditioner

These samples came with the Shampoo ones and I got about the same number of uses. Again, this stuff smells amazing. However, I did not find that the smell was especially persistent after I got out of the shower. This works well, but not amazing, and I often found myself using another conditioner- either a hair mask or extra leave-in treatment in addition to this stuff in order to get my hair to be as soft as I would like. I would describe this as quite average and I would not buy it at any price. Yawn.

** 2 Stars.

Repurchase: No.

Jurlique Herbal Recovery Night Cream

I got a free sample of this and got two uses out of it. I liked that this stuff isn’t greasy at all, but I loathed the smell. Again, if you read my blog, you’ll know that I do not like strongly scented products on my face, especially at night when I will have to live with it while I sleep, and this was no exception. I though the cream performed OK overall, but I would not be tempted to buy, especially for $50. There are much better products out there.

** 2 Stars

Repurchase: No.

So, overall, this time had a couple resounding “no”s, but that’s just the learning process, and I’m glad I’ve had the opportunity to try out so many new products thanks to companies like BirchBox and Ulta. I hope my next post has some more “yes”s and valuable information for you all. Thanks for reading! 🙂

Hello Everyone! My FAVORITE YouTube videos are called “Empties” videos. Usually some Beauty Guru will go through a month’s worth of empty products that she’s used up and tell you all about why she did or did not like them plus whether or not she intends to repurchase. Because this is a blog I will try to eventually organize certain products by brand or category, but for now, I’m just going to go through some of my “empties,” and put them in this post. The titles will be links to where you can purchase 🙂

Here’s a picture of my empties box:

Let’s try to get through these one at a time, shall we?

1. Pantene Pro-V Expert Collection Age Defy Rejuvenating Hydration Masque.

I got this on sale half-price at my local Walgreens. I loved it after using it a couple of times so I already have a back up. It makes my hair very manageable and completely removes tangles. I usually put it on in the shower and keep it on for 5 minutes while I do other things. After rinsing, my hair is soft and silky. Love this product!

5 STARS! *****

Repurchase: Yes

2. Williams-Sonoma Hand Soap: Basil With Essential Oils

I got this as a gift from my mother-in-law. I really don’t like it. I am pretty allergic to it and every time I use it I can’t help but to sneeze. I used it all, but I am glad I’m done with it. Yes, she reads this blog. Yes, I told her I wasn’t a fan. It’s fine, as soap, and it lathers well and everything, but the smell gets to me. There are too many good hand soaps out there to settle for this one. Also: I just learned, it has been discontinued. Fantastic 🙂 But hey, if you really want it- you can get it on eBay. You can always get whatever you want on eBay.

2 Stars **

Repurchase: No

3. Pond’s Cleansing and Makeup Removing Towelettes.

I couldn’t find a good link to these exact wipes anywhere. I have a feeling Pond’s has changed the packaging, but hey, you can buy them at Future Shop! LOL! I also think they’re available at Pharmaprix and Shopper’s Drug Mart. I really liked these wipes. I really didn’t know how good I had it with these until I got some bad ones- we’ll get to those in a minute! These smell very pretty. They have a clean/ moisturizer scent. I found them to be moisturizing and the soap on them was not harsh on my skin. They were adequately moist when I opened the package and didn’t dry out too much. Also: they work! They remove makeup very effectively. I would use them on my face, and (in order to avoid getting soap in my eyes) I would switch to an eye makeup remover and cotton pads for the rest. I really enjoyed these and if they were still available, I would repurchase. Unfortunately, I can’t, but I will be very open to trying other Pond’s makeup removing products in the future.

4 Stars ****

Repurchase: No

UPDATE!!! While rifling through my beauty supplies I found TWO MORE packs of these! So happy! They must have been on sale so I bought three. Yea! Now to find a replacement for when I run out of these…

4. Absolute! Make-Up Cleansing Tissues by Nicka K Cosmetics

Nicka K Pomegranate Makeup Removal Wipes

First off let me say that I am happy that I did not have to pay for these. I got them in an Ipsy bag. These were absolutely horrific. And I don’t believe I’m exaggerating. First: They were relatively dry when I opened the package. That was fine, I thought, so I just moistened them before use. The “use” part really got to me though. They were rough- I think they are made from unprocessed bark, or maybe sandpaper. I don’t have sensitive skin, but these were just way too rough. They didn’t remove my makeup either. They just don’t work. Anyways, I can say one good thing: they smelled pleasant. I’ve read other reviews, however, that said that they found the scent too strong. I thought it was bearable. I used them to remove makeup on my hand after swatching things and playing with my makeup, but they were useless otherwise.

1 Star *

Repurchase: No

5. Secret Outlast & Olay Smooth Solid Antiperspirant/ Deodorant

Let me just say that this is not a true solid deodorant, and the “smooth” part of it makes it almost a thick lotion consistency. I tried this because it was on sale and I needed deodorant. One good thing about it is that it smells nice, but I won’t be buying more for two reasons. The first being that I now believe that the ‘moisturizer’ in this is gimmicky, and secondly, I feel like I use way more because the moisturizer causes it to be thinner in application overall. So, personally, I suppose I just prefer the solid, and after I go through this last one, I’ll be sticking to the plain boring “baby powder” scent original secret, unless y’all have any suggestions. Yes, I just asked the internet for deodorant suggestions.

3 Stars ***

Repurchase: No

That’s it for this round. I think I’ll try to do one of these posts with 5 items per week, eventually I’ll organize these by product category and it’ll be a little review showdown post for each category.

Tag: Empties

Empties… A Beauty Post #2

EMPTIES! A Beauty Post…