July was a very busy month for us. We moved (and most of my perfumes are still in boxes) and then immediately went to visit in-laws in Ohio for a week. It’s August and I still don’t have furniture. Fun!
Because I’ve recently been confronted with everything that I own, I have tried to take it easy on the purchases. My goal is to get through the stuff that I already own (and like) before buying more. That’s always easier said than done. An outlet mall outside of Cincinnati had great deals on YSL makeup, so I bought a few tubes of lipstick at a ridiculously low price. When I traveled, I ran out of lotion so I ended up buying a Moringa one from The Body Shop. And finally, I bought the BH Cosmetics Zodiac palette despite not needing another palette. A friend had it and it’s so gorgeous that I couldn’t resist.
Here’s what I emptied in July:
SKINCARE
I didn’t empty too much skincare because I started full-size bottles.
The Ordinary Ascorbyl Glucoside Solution 12% – This is the Vitamin C I prefer from The Ordinary because it’s cheap, doesn’t irritate my face and the formula isn’t gritty/gross. It brightens my complexion and fades post-acne marks.
- Repurchase? Yes. And I’m tempted to try some of their more expensive Vitamin C in liquid form.
La Roche-Posay Anthelios Dry Touch Sunscreen SPF 60 – This stuff gets high reviews from Consumer Reports because it works. But, gosh, it is not my daily driver because it leaves such an awful white cast even when you are being careful. It also dries my skin out. But, it works! Review here.
- Repurchase? Despite its flaws, I will. It’s my beach/desert sunscreen.
Innisfree Nourishing Mist with Canola Honey – I love the floral-y honey scent of this line and tbh, that’s the reason I bought the spray. I like the dewy finish the spray leaves. It’s a little sticky but that’s a look I’m going for.
- Repurchase? Probably. I can’t stay out of Innisfree.
Henné Organics Rose Diamond Lip Exfoilator * – It’s basically cocoa butter, sugar and smells like rose bonbons. Review.
- Purchase? I love it but I have found that I have been using physical lip scrubs a lot less these days.
Valmont Hydra3 Regenetic Cream (travel size/mini) – This is a lightweight gel that is like a Gatorade for dehydrated skin. It feels weightless; yet, it leaves skin looking plump and hydrated.
- Purchase?
Fresh Lotus Youth Preserve Rescue Mask (mini) – This smells like cucumbers and has flakes of seaweed in it. It’s a nice mask for skin that’s like “wth am I supposed to do with this dry, rough but also cystic acne skin?”. It doesn’t do much for me but it does leave my skin feeling nice and like I tried to fix my problems.
- Purchase? No because of cost and because I like other masks from the brand better.
Valmont Prime Lip Repair (deluxe sample) – No clue what this is actually for or what it does that an eye cream with a lip balm couldn’t do. But, I like it. It does smooth the area and make applying lipstick easier the next day.
- Purchase? No. It’s a non-essential product.
Valmont Prime Renewing Pack (deluxe sample) – My absolute favorite wash-off mask.
- Purchase? I will one of these days that I run out of samples.
Skinfood Fresh Apple Sparkling Pore Emulsion – I don’t even remember using this.
- Purchase? Yawn. What? Oh, no.
The Sheet Masks:
TonyMoly I’m Real Red Wine – Tonymoly masks are so basic but out of their “I’m Real” line, the Red Wine one is one that I like. It’s fresh, cooling and smells like tart pomegranate.
- Repurchase? Maybe if it is a good deal.
3W Clinic Fresh Green Tea – These are super cheap and usually decent (for like 50 cents) but the cut/fit of this one was comically bad for me.
- Repurchase? No.
Leaders Amino AC-Free Mask – Leaders is my favorite brand of masks and this is one of my favorite varieties. It’s for oily skin and actually has exfoliating ingredients.
- Repurchase? I still have a huge box of these left.
Skyn Iceland Hydro Cool Firming Eye Gels – My allergies have been awful. I used this one morning when my eyes were puffy and felt so bad. These really felt great! It took down some of my puffiness too.
- Purchase? I’m really tempted…because I always have allergies.
FRAGRANCE
If you look at my Instagram Stories, you’ll see that I mostly wore Chanel Venise in July. I put a dent in it but didn’t empty much else. My perfumes were packed up, etc.
Malie Organics Linen & Room Spray in Plumeria – It’s a humid, slightly fruity plumeria soliflore. It smells like the real-deal, almost like gardenias meet fresh grapes.
- Repurchase? Maybe.
Samples I’d purchase or at least consider:
Montale Sweet Peony – Review. Well, I’ve been wearing a lot of different perfumes for a long time and my spouse did say this one was “wow, sexy”, so there’s that.
Diptyque Oyédo – Review. I’ve been obsessed with this stuff in July.
Samples I wouldn’t purchase:
Tom Ford Neroli Portofino – Review. tbh I remember liking this a lot more than I did this time. This sample smelled really synthetic and was heavy on the white musk. Reformulated? Most definitely.
Mugler Les Exceptions Hot Cologne – Review. I wore this during it a thunderstorm and the coffee note was much more present.
Ramon Monegal Impossible Iris * – Review
BATH/BODY
If there was a theme in this section, it was “summer gourmands”.
Korres Vanilla Guava Shower Gel – I forgot how much I love Korres body products. This smells just like vanilla extract – rich, sweet and boozy with a twist. It does have a faint undertone of overripe guava.
- Repurchase? Yes. It’s one of the few gourmand shower gels that I can tolerate. It’s oddly sophisticated for what it is.
Malie Organics Coconut Vanilla Body Cream – It’s a sweet, toasted coconut gourmand. Don’t let the packaging fool you. This really is a thick body cream so a little goes far. I thought I liked the pump until I got to the end. There’s still some in there that I can’t get out 🙁
- Repurchase? No.
Sally’s Box Friendly Cherry Blossom Hand Mask – These plastic cow udder looking gloves filled with essence are so weird but they do make me sit down and marinate my dry hands and cuticles. This one smells like cucumbers and cherry blossoms. It did a great job of making my hands look less corpse-y.
- Repurchase? Maybe if I see it around.
Sabon Passion Fruit Carambola Bar Soap (not pictured) – Honestly, I could barely smell this. I could tell that it was probably fruity.
- Repurchase? No.
Kneipp Body Wash in Soft Skin Almond Blossom (sample) – I was disappointed that this didn’t smell as funky as the bath oil. It’s still nice though.
- Purchase? No. I like others from the brand better.
Bliss Grapefruit & Aloe Body Butter (sample) – Has a grapefruit meets licorice smell. Leaves a nice moisturized sheen but then I realized that’s just coconut oil so it’s probably never going to “penetrate” my skin.
- Purchase? Mixed feelings. I liked the sheen and the smell but unsure about moisture levels with just this sample.
HAIR
For me, this is a lot of hair empties and I feel really proud of myself, lol.
Pantene Expert Collection Age-Defy Conditioner – This stuff really does smooth my hair and make it less frizzy and more shiny. I know it’s prone to build-up but dang, sometimes that is what my hair needs so that it will stay put.
- Repurchase? I would if I could find it. I think it’s been discontinued.
Roux Anti-Aging Color Protect Shampoo * – It’s a decent shampoo with a strong “soapy” aroma. It worked well with the Pantene above.
- Purchase? Nah.
ion Color Defense Detangling Shine Mist – A duo-phase product that does exactly what it says it will -detangle and shine. My hair loves this stuff, makes it a lot more manageable and sleek looking.
- Repurchase? Yes.
The Original Mane ‘n Tail Shampoo (huge size) – I absolutely despise this stuff to its core. I bought it because an aunt had used it on us as a kids. But, omg as an adult it literally breaks my hair and makes it fall out like I’ve never seen before. I lost so much hair using this. So, I demoted it to brush cleanser. It sucks at that too. It doesn’t clean and it even made my brushes shed like crazy. WTF?
- Repurchase? NO! I can’t believe I have a huge bottle of it too.
Gloss Moderne Clean Luxury Masque (sample, 1 packet) – Smells tropical like cocoa butter and coconut. Does a good job of moisturizing and makes the hair feel soft. Is it HG? No, but it is good.
- Purchase? I like it but it is very expensive so that’s probably a no.
Aveeno Pure Renewal Shampoo & Conditioner (samples) – Very <meh> and has a strong soap-y unpure fragrance.
- Purchase? Nope.
Marajó Nourishing Cleansing Cream & Deep Treatment Butter (samples) – Really liked how both of these worked but need to try in a environment that doesn’t have sulfur well water!
- Purchase? Will try again with the water that I have at home.
Wella EIMI Perfect Me Lightweight Beauty Balm Lotion (sample) – It’s true that it is lightweight. My hair needed more moisture or to use this with something else.
- Purchase? No.
MAKEUP
I didn’t do too bad with makeup in July either. I think this was because I didn’t have all my options out and stuck to a few things.
Essence Colour Correcting Stick in Peach – It does a good job of disguising dark spots. I like the convenience of the stick. There’s a faint orange aroma. Only thing I didn’t like was that the cap broke and I worried it would make a mess in my makeup bag.
- Repurchase? Maybe. I like it and it’s cheap but right now I’m trying to use something up from MAC.
Maybelline The Colossal Big Shot Tinted Primer – I am so surprised to see negative reviews of this! I had great results and no flaky or irritation. It’s black so you can wear it alone for a very natural look or layer it under stuff for more drama.
- Repurchase? Yes.
IT Cosmetics Superhero Mascara (travel size) – This stuff provided very dramatic length for me. Paired with the primer, I could get volume. No issues with this either.
- Purchase? Probably not but I liked it. I’m just super cheap with mascara.
Benefit The POREfessional Face Primer (mini) – I’m not one to use primers because I think they are pointless. However, this one does exactly what it claims to do. Pores are temporarily less visible and the skin is more matte.
- Purchase? No but that’s because I don’t need something like this.
Total: 40. 19 full-size. 6 deluxe samples/travel. 14 samples.
I really didn’t think I’d empty this much in July. I really don’t remember emptying this much, but then again, I don’t remember much from July! It was a blur.
What about you? Which products did you empty in July? Did you buy anything new?
Disclaimer – If there is a /*/ next to an item, it was provided by PR/the brand. All other items were purchased by me or are samples/gifts with purchase/subscription box products.
*Sephora, Nordstrom, Beauty Brands, B-Glowing and Amazon contain affiliate links. Thanks!
No real empties in July….. hopefully I will have some for this month! I’m about to empty my Violet Nights bath oil from Lush and I want to cry. It smells so lovely. I wish it was always available.
I’m in the midst of a de-clutter challenge for the month of August. I have to get rid of x amount of items that correspond to the date. So today I had to get rid of 7 items. It’s really helping me go through my make-up to decide what I really use.
I also am trying to hit pan on a lot of eyeshadows this month and use up a lot of my skin-care samples so we’ll see how well that goes.
It never fails with LUSH that they will discontinue or make limited edition the products that I love! It’s just what they do.
Oh, that is a really good idea! I need to do something similar to de-clutter my stash (even shoes/clothes/other things I have accumulated too much of). I imagine this is a very tough process. But, you’ll be happy with the end result!
I hit the pan on an eyeshadow today!! I am very proud of myself, lol. My goal for this month is to empty a powder (so close!) and work on some bath/body products. In the last place, I had too many shower gels in the shower. Now I’m trying to only focus on two at a time. I hope that helps me burn through my backstock faster.
I think you did great for the month of transition! I still didn’t get through anything except cotton rounds because I have jumbo sizes of hair care or too many damn other things and rotate them every other day . No wait! I got annoyed by a sub-par felt tip eyeliner and threw it out.
Still haven’t dragged myself downtown to smell Chanel Venise.
I’m glad you mentioned that Mane and Tail shampoo because it’s been making me crazy to see it everywhere and not know what it’s like. I’m drawn to the retro packaging and the loony idea that shampoo you’d use on horse hair would be good for human hair. What! No way! …Sounds like No and I can stop feeling tempted.
I sound so bitter ugh!
I understand! I have 2 plastic totes (like the big ones) filled with back-up product like shower gel, body lotion, shampoo, etc. It’s my punishment to have to look at it. It’s my reminder that I can’t buy anything until this is all gone and to basically “check myself”. Somewhere back there, I got out of hand. My goal to get through it is to have less in the shower and use it up instead of having a different shower gel for every day of the week! Wish me luck, lol.
I want the other Eaux too.
Soooo I am sure it works for some people because that is how haircare is. Like I said, my aunt still uses it and has great hair. She used it on us growing up too and I don’t remember having issues. (But, we had the thickest hair and that is sadly not the case for me now). But, it took me too long to realize this was drying and breaking my hair off. After asking some other friends, the results were so mixed. There are people that like it and then there are people with hair totally different than mine that had the same experience (breakage, excessive shedding). All I know is that I will never try it again. I noticed a huge difference after switching (less breakage, etc). But, results will vary. I do like the packaging. I can see how that appeals to people.
I had a lot of empties in July so I apologize in advance for the long post.
The Saem Natural Rice Sheet Mask (Lightening) – The Saem makes basic but decent sheet masks. I love the scents. They each actually smell like the ingredient they’re touting.
The Saem Natural Rose Sheet Mask (Refeshing) – Smelled amazing and seemed good for my skin
Leaders Coconut Gel Mask with Tomato – I love the coconut gel of this mask, but the mask is so heavy and ill fitting it slides down my face
Belief Creamy Cleansing Foam Moist travel size- meh, interesting smell but I got tired of it
Farmacy Green Screen Daily Environmental Protector Broad Spectrum SPF 30 Sunscreen deluxe sample – This seemed just fine, if a bit overly greasy. But not as greasy as the PTR.
Shiseido Ultimate Sun Protection Lotion Broad Spectrum SPF 50+ deluxe sample – I loved this so much. Really pleasant, non-irritating scent and the lotion blended into my face really easily and even softened it.
Peter Thomas Roth Max Sheer All Day Moisture Defense Sunscreen Lotion Broad Spectrum SPF 30 deluxe sample – Made my face look so greasy for the first 30-60 min
Clinique Moisture Surge Hydrating Supercharged Concentrate travel size – Love this and still have two deluxe samples because my coworker keeps giving me more samples from her Clinique orders
Andalou 1000 Roses Floral Toner – A nice smelling basic toner
Chanel No 19 Poudre sample – Good stuff. I still have a decant to use.
Parfumerie Generale Cuir d’Iris sample – I’m crazy about this scent and am so sad it was discontinued. However, at the end of July a bottle turned up for sale on Basenotes and I bought it.
Bottega Veneta Eau de Velours sample – This is quite good but no sillage and didn’t have great longevity.
Amouage Ciel Woman sample – I really like this. A pretty, uncomplicated and easy to wear Amouage. Still have a decant from my mom’s vintage bottle.
10 Corso Como decant – This stuff is good, a top sandalwood. I still have a decant and would possibly buy a bottle when it’s gone.
Houbigant Oranger en Fleurs Parfum decant – Like but not love
Caron Narcisse Blanc (vintage) decant – I’m so sad this is so hard to come by and very pricey if you do find it. As the name implies it’s a not so noir version of Narcisse Noir.
Parfums de Nicolai Violette in Love decant – Nice little violet, but I don’t need to get any more.
DW Home Warm Tobacco Pipe Candle – Clearly I love this because I keep buying it.
NEST Bamboo Votive – I liked it but not as much as I thought I would based on its scent before I burned it
Hem Sahasrara (Crown) Chakra Incense Sticks – Oh look, incense. I’ve been mostly burning candles and Blackbird incense cones (of which I still have a lot), so it’s been a while for an incense empty.
Kneipp Passionfruit & Grapefruit Body Wash travel size – Loved this, will buy again.
Kneipp May Chang & Lemon Body Wash travel size – Ditto, but I loved this even more than the other. It’s a perfect lemon.
Whole Foods 365 Fragrance Free Conditioner – My staple conditioner.
Bumble and Bumble Hairdresser’s Invisible Oil Conditioner deluxe sample – Damn, I really liked this and the honeyed scent. I may buy a travel set of this line.
I made quite a few purchases, but I’ll just list the perfumes. Other than the PG Cuir d’Iris, I found a bottle of Astier de Villate Grand Chalet on eBay and then got Smell Bent Prairie Nymph on sale plus a travel spray of 1999. Oh, I ordered the St. Clair sample set and love all three. Plus I ordered the Maison Margiela Replica discovery set and got a free travel spray of Iris Rebelle with it. There are only a few I really like from the Replica set and Iris Rebelle turned really boring after its top notes.
I’m using the Kneipp Almond Blossom Body wash right now and like you, it’s not my favorite. I like it well enough though. I placed an Yves Rocher shower gel and perfume order earlier this week (yeah, I have no sense), but I need to get another Korres shower gel one of these days.
Heck yeah! Look at all those empties!
I have a deluxe sample of that PTR and I was going to give it to my husband but if it is greasy, no way. He’s much more oily than I am. That Clinique, I love that stuff so much. I’m still on my sample but will buy it when I’m out (and hopefully during GWP time).
Caron Narcisse Blanc is one of my all-time favorite perfumes. Easily in my Top 5.
10 Corso Como – Not to be an enabler but it’s such a great “simple” scent. They bath/body stuff is great too and the packaging is super cool.
DW Home – I didn’t need to know that Amazon carries most of the scents. I can’t go into a Home Goods without one but now I have the Amazon temptation. They are my favorite affordable candles. That Pipe Tobacco is like TF Tobacco Vanille. Sooo good.
Kneipp – I love their fruity stuff so much (which I didn’t expect). I almost cry because May Chang is just so perfect. It’s just so juicy and realistic. It really seems like a mood lifter imo.
Korres – I don’t know why I ever stopped using their shower stuff. It’s so good. The scents are excellent.
Your purchases weren’t bad either. Even with the additional Yves Rocher, lol. I want to brag that it is 10 days into August and I haven’t bought anything yet. It’s little steps, right? However, Eileen Fischer has something on sale that I have been eyeing since spring sooo I don’t think I’ll get through to Day 11.
Oh, I forgot to mention all the orange lipstick I bought. Pretty sure this was all in a short span of time in July: Revlon Abstract Orange, Urban Decay Vice Sheer Lipstick in Snitch, L’Oreal Volcanic, and Maybelline Electric Orange.
Also, I checked my records and July was probably my spendiest month of the year so far. I also bought a Tom Ford Soleil Blanc mini, Flying Fox shower gel, 8 pairs of earrings!!!, 3 necklaces, a lot of vintage clothes, and two new shirts. Wtf…I need to stay at home for the rest of August and have my internet privileges revoked. To be fair, I went to the Renegade Craft Fair and that’s where most of the earring buying occurred. And having said that I’m about to head out to brunch and Goodwill shopping with a friend. It’s the big Goodwill in Ballard that I don’t go to very often, where I’ve found some great stuff in the past. Uh oh.
Getting all the oranges! I only bought one orange, YSL L’Orange which I love.
So did you find anything shopping? lol. I sort of gave myself a pass during Renegade because it was usually new-to-me stuff. I also know how much work it takes and it’s like if you see something, just buy it. They literally lugged that stuff out to sell it.
I haven’t done much with clothes but I did buy a couple of necklaces so far this month.