Why do I say “legit”? Because I never empty a product! Haha. When I throw a product out, they’re still mostly half or a fourth full and I only throw them away because they have met their expiration date, or nearing it. I’m not one to empty a product because there’s just so many things I’m using and wanted to use. I usually forget the other products when they’re not working for me. I know, it’s too much of a waste but these brands come up with something all the darn time! Let’s blame them. Haha. But this time, I finished these mostly skincare products to the point that their bottles and containers are empty. Some of them still has some but I’m going to use them up before the year ends.
Please ignore the mess of products at the back.
When it comes to showering, I have a handy dandy IKEA drawer that holds all of our shower products from bath gels, shampoo, conditioner, facial wash, etc. I rarely indulge in taking a bath especially on working days. It only takes me 15-30 minutes to finish taking a bath during weekdays so I haven’t really gone through a lot of bath products a fast as I should have. I managed to finish the Sol De Janeiro Brazilian 4-Play Moisturizing Shower Creme that I got from Cult Beauty because of its small size. I love the smell of this. It takes me to a tropical paradise every morning and the scent just levels up with the corresponding Sol De Janeiro Brazilian Bum Bum Cream which launched my obsession with this line. I finished the shower cream so fast that I’m really grateful when Fashion & Makeup Riyadh gave us another one! I also finished the Bum Bum Cream and haven’t gotten a replacement because it’s quite expensive. I’m trying to replace it with the Bath & Body Works Warm Vanilla Sugar lotion for now. They have the same sweet, warm scent of toasted sugar.
Because I usually use bath gels and loofah, I tend to not use soaps on my body. But when the hype of the Namu Life Snail White Whipp Whitening Soap. What sets this apart from the usual soaps? It has a delicate net that makes a whipped foam-like texture when you wet and rub the soap. The idea behind it is that the whipped soap will be more gentle compared to lathering the soap directly on the skin. I mean, whatever. Haha! I think I will only take this seriously on my face. However, it’s not the net that I liked about this; it’s the effect. No, I did not turn white! Haha. My skin just had that certain glow to it. It also made my skin softer. Just a bit; nothing WOWWW! But that’s okay; I didn’t expect a lot in the first place. I also like the fresh scent of this soap. So far, I finished two bars. On to the third one!
Facial washes from a Korean brand
Before I had the Whipp Whitening Soap, I have tubes of the RA & Gowoori Facial Wash in different variants: Charcoal, Green Tea and Rice. Among these, I’m nearly done with the Green Tea and Rice. I enjoyed using these facial washes because they’re very gentle on the skin. I just don’t like the scent of the Rice at first but eventually, I got used to it. These didn’t break me out and it’s a good alternative to expensive facial washes. They lather nicely and softly.
I started using the Pixi Skintreats Glow Tonic this year as a makeup remover in the morning. I know I’m one of those girls who are too lazy to remove their makeup thoroughly after a long day. I usually just use the E.L.F. Cosmetics Makeup Cleansing Cloths to remove my remaining makeup at night and I’m done. When I really used heavy and full coverage makeup, I used the Banila Co. Clean It Zero cleansing balm but because I picked up the sampler, I used it up fast. So in the morning, I usually feel like my skin is not that thoroughly clean even though the ELF cleansing cloths are really awesome in its own way in removing the gunk on my face and providing some moisture and hydration. I bought two packs and emptied one out also (not in photo because I threw the packaging a while back). Anyway, so as a penance for my scant nightly routine, I make it up for it during my morning routine by using two toners. I used up this Glow Tonic and I love it! With its original 5% glycolic acid formula, it’s very gentle on the skin. It exfoliates to remove dead skin cells which is a good prep for all the other products I slather on my face. It helps in thoroughly cleaning my skin. I use this before I put my other toner next. I directly put the RA & Gowoori Real Kill Whitening Toner in my face. No need for cotton! I’ve been using this product for a year and a half and the only reason it’s not in this list of empties is because it still has an eighth in the bottle and I’m planning to use it up to the last drop.
After the toners, I put serums. My first serum this year was the Origins Original Skin Renewal Serum with Willowherb (SR 265 / sephora.sa). Yup, that’s a mouthful of words for a product name. I love this product! First, it went well with the other products I use: my skin didn’t have any bad reaction when I first introduced this in my routine. On the Sephora website, this product is heralded as the solution to the “quarter-life skin” which is stressed, dull, and rough (are they talking about us? *cringe*). Honestly, I saw my skin as more radiant than ever. If you met me a few years ago, my skin is truly rough and dull with tiny bumps. But I can’t attribute the glow in my skin with this product alone but it was definitely a good addition to my routine. If it’s not too expensive, I’ll buy this again. After I ran out of this Willowherb serum, I used this tiny bottle of the InstaNatural Retinol Serum with Hyaluronic Acid and Vitamin C (SR 14 / iHerb), which I got as a free trial from iHerb. Oh my goodness, I love this! If you’ve been reading my Beauty Bets entries for a while now, you’ll know that my skin loves hyaluronic acid that’s why I tend to use face products that have them (hello Etude House Mask, also emptied). When I started using this, I saw a brightening effect after a few days. I use just a tiny amount but it works! I’m buying the bigger bottle of this and will let you know how it further helped my skin. Another serum I used in line with the Korean toner I’ve been using was the GK Propolis Honey Ample Light (SR 25 / Holy Grail PH/KSA). A lot of Filipinos have raved about this and I got sucked into buying it too. Uhuh, reviews get to me. I bought my first bottle from the Philippines and bought my second bottle from Holy Grail PH/KSA. I use this at night when I’m not feeling lazy. Haha. It helped in making my skin smoother and lighter. It’s an affordable product and I will buy it again.
My favorite moisturizer is hands down the Origins Ginzing Energy-Boosting Gel Moisturizer (SR 125 / Sephora). It’s so lightweight and gets absorbed easily. It refreshed and revitalized my skin. It’s so good that even my husband who’s not into this skincare hullabaloo was pretty amazed by this. He began using it without my knowledge. He used it for a few weeks until one day, one of our friends noticed his face and said that it looked better and radiant. I mean… radiant! Wow! Haha. So he said it’s because of this product and I was like… really??? We emptied out the jar and the one in the photo is a new one which I bought for him as a birthday gift! That’s how much he likes it. The Moroccan Treatment Oil was given to us by Fashion and Makeup Riyadh as a sample. I tried it and it was okay. It was too little for me to use and see a difference but I’ve read rave reviews of this. Of course, the Mac Prep + Prime Fix+ (SR 105 / Mac Cosmetics) is a staple in our beauty routine. I introduced this to Reina and she already finished 3 full bottles (or more that I didn’t know of). Not sure if she’s drinking it or what haha. Or her skin drinks up this perfect priming and setting spray and it’s effective! Another Mac product that I let go this year are my tubes of Mac lipsticks which I took back to Mac to get one new tube! Yes, the Back 2 Mac program is still in effect. Exchange 6 empty products in their original packaging to any Mac branch (lipstick, compacts, bottles, etc.) and get 1 new lipstick for free! I got my fave shade Cosmo.
I also managed to empty our two fragrance bottles, yay! I have never finished off any of my fragrance sprays or perfumes so I’m glad I finally got the value of my money for these fragrances: Nectarine Comb Dews from V&M Naturals, a Philippine brand, and Aqua Oriens from Van Cleef & Arpels. The first one is affordable at PHP 450 (around SR 30). I love its clean, citrusy yet sweet scent. It’s the perfect morning fragrance because it perks me up. It’s sweet, succulent nectarine goes well with the soft honey scent. The Aqua Oriens is the first perfume I bought with my own money and it hurt my wallet back then haha. It’s a perfume released in 2012 ywo years after the original Oriens. It’s scent is truly a “breath of freshness”. It has both floral and fruity notes of pear, orange blossom, and sweet lime. It’s fresh yet musky at the same time. While I like them, I’m so glad I used up these fragrances because I want to try more new scents this 2019.
So that’s it, some of the products I used up in 2018. I’ve been using some of them for years! And it’s high time I let go and find new ones. Or repurchase the ones that really worked for me. What about you? Any product you’ve emptied the last year? What new products are you trying this year?
