Q1 2025 Beauty Empties

In my beauty routine, I like to find a balance between saving and splurging. I want effective products with beautiful packaging that won’t make me cry over my credit card statement. That’s what flights are for.

I can’t always get the holy trinity of effective, pretty, and reasonably priced, but I try. I will absolutely try a new product or brand simply because the packaging is pretty. I will keep searching for a more beautiful alternative if I’m not in love with the packaging of a product I currently use. What I won’t compromise on is a product’s effectiveness. It has to work. I don’t care how pretty the bottle is, if it doesn’t work, it’s a waste of money and counter space.

With so many products on the market at a myriad of price points, I like to give updates about what I’ve tried and emptied. Just because I emptied it doesn’t mean I liked it. Sometimes it takes using the whole bottle to give the product time to work or to make a final judgment about how I feel about it.

I go through most of these twice as fast because The Mister™ and I share a lot of things. If we both want to use a hyaluronic acid serum or exfoliating body spray, why buy two different bottles of them to use simultaneously? Use one bottle at a time and replace it when it’s empty.

Sidenote: MIL, if you’re reading this, thank you for making sure I didn’t have to teach a grown man how to wash his entire body and take care of himself. I wasn’t about to do that for any man I dated so Chanston and I wouldn’t be married if he didn’t already have this skill.

Since January 1st, these are the products I’ve emptied. I also made a video about this on my YouTube channel if you’d prefer to watch instead. This is not a transcript of that video. It’s two separate experiences talking about the same products. Watching the video will help me get my watch time up and monetize my channel, so if you have about 20 minutes to spare, I’d love it if you watched it too. ♥

Haircare

Paul Mitchel Tea Tree Special Shampoo

The bigger bottle of this shampoo is the best value, and I use a lot of shampoo. A dime-size or quarter-size amount of any shampoo is nowhere near enough to get my hair and scalp clean so I definitely look for value when shampoo shopping.

I’ve been using Paul Mitchell shampoo since my first loc retwist appointment. The stylist used it, and my hair never felt cleaner. Sure, it could have been her technique, but since using this shampoo, my scalp itches less often and my locs never stink. I’ve also never needed a loc detox, nor have they had that ashy, dull look to them.

They recently updated the label on the bottle, and I’m not sure how I feel about it yet. Worst case, I can get a cuter bottle to put the product in, but this one is in the linen closet most of the time. I only pull it out for my bi-weekly wash day, so I’m less inclined to care about what it looks like.

Céred Clarifying Shampoo & Scalp Scrub

This shampoo bottle is beautiful! Truly stunning. However, I found it a tad cumbersome to use in the shower. It’s textured so it doesn’t slip out of your hands, but the product was difficult to squeeze out, even when the nozzle was fully opened. I ended up squeezing it into my hand to distribute it like regular shampoo.

I might buy this again because the product itself did a great job at deep-cleaning my scalp, but I’m willing to look at other scalp scrubs.

Shea Moisture Coconut & Hibiscus Frizz-Free Curl Mousse

My natural hair is very frizzy. My tight coils like to escape and do whatever they want. I’ve learned to love this about my hair because it’s what makes her mine, but sometimes I need her to calm down. I saw a woman use mousse on her hair to smooth frizz and immediately added this mousse to my shopping list.

To say that this smells heavenly isn’t enough. It smells like preparing for a beach vacation. Like the excitement of packing a bag, knowing that you’ll be getting some much-needed sun and sand. Plus, it tames my frizz. A few pumps, run it through my hair, and either sit under the dryer for 15 minutes or tie it down with a scarf until it dries and the frizz is gone.

Bodycare

Being Frenshe Bergamot Cedar Body Wash

I’m smelling this body wash again to write about it, and it’s making me want to add another one to my cart. It smells like citrus, woody goodness that I’ve been loving this spring. The lather is wonderful and feels great on my skin too. They have more scents that I like too, like cashmere vanilla and citrus amber. Plus, they’re very affordable.

Tree Hut Vanilla Shave Oil

I prefer a shave oil to a shaving cream. To me, the oil lubricates the razor better, gets a closer shave, and makes it easier to see what I’m doing. I’ve bought this one a few times because it smells really good.

Ella + Milla Nail Polish Remover

Don’t get this nail polish remover if you value your time. It takes FOREVER to get regular nail polish off. I don’t have time for that. I enjoy doing my own manicures, but I don’t want them to take 45 minutes. 30 of those are removing the old polish with this remover. I only linked it so you can know what it looks like and steer clear.

Kosa Sport AHA Chemistry Deodorant

This deodorant was a no for me. I’ve done all the pit detoxes and everything multiple times to use aluminum-free deodorant, and I have finally accepted that they simply are not for me. First of all, I sweat too much for this. Secondly, I like smelling good, and this didn’t deodorize at all. I also don’t like feeling wet under my arms ever. This goes on wet and takes about 3 minutes to dry. Worst 3 minutes of my life. I’m exaggerating, but just no.

Necessaire Hand Retinol

I used to recommend this hand cream with retinol because it made my hands feel silky smooth, but I can’t deal with the smell anymore. Most products with retinol in them have a smell, but I can’t move past this one. I used this hand cream before getting in bed because retinol can make your skin sensitive to sunlight. I had to smell it for 5-10 minutes while trying to relax and drift off. It wasn’t the easiest thing to do so I won’t be repurchasing.

Makeup

Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer

I’ve bought this concealer countless times. It’s just good. It’s medium-coverage so it won’t mask everything, but it will make it less obvious. If you want a very natural makeup look, get this one. There’s a reason it stays on a lot of favorites lists.

YSL Lash Clash Mascara

This is the best designer mascara on the market. Argue with your mother about it. Not me.

Skincare

Summer Fridays Lip Butter Balm

I got this lip balm as my birthday gift from Sephora last year. I also got the Jet Lag mask, which is a moisturizer. I like the lip balm overall, and the vanilla scent is nice. It’s very moisturizing, but I can’t justify spending $24 on a lip balm when the $7 one I get works just as well sans vanilla scent. Summer Fridays’ packaging makes my heart skip a beat, though.

Tatcha Kissu Lip Mask

This is the best lip mask on the planet. I haven’t had chapped lips for years. I put this on before I go to sleep and wake up with pillow-soft lips. I like the golden spatula that’s on the top too. It makes the application a little more luxurious than just dabbing your finger in the product.

Sephora Collection Eye Creams

I like both of these eye creams, but I wanted something that was a little thinner and easier to apply. The brightening eye cream is thinner than the firming eye cream, but both are thicker than the one I’m using now. Plus, the new one is in a squeeze tube, not a tub.

TirTir Milk Skin Toner

I didn’t think I’d have strong opinions about a toner, but this one is phenomenal. At first, I was using the original formula and I liked it, but it took a while to absorb. I saw they had a light formula and I’m in love. It absorbs into my skin so quickly and hydrates so well that sometimes I can forget that I’m not done with my skincare routine if I’m distracted.

Ma:nyo Pure Cleansing Facial Oil

I’ve been double cleansing my skin at night after I remove my makeup, and an oil cleanser has been the first step. I tried this one on a whim and my skin loves it. I’m breaking out less so I’m inclined to believe that this one is getting more dirt, impurities, sebum, and makeup off my face every night. It smells a little fruity too.

Origins Charcoal Mask

I’ve bought this mask countless times because it works so nicely. I have oily skin so a clay mask that is made to draw out impurities will always be part of my routine.

The Ordinary Serums

Every single serum that I use is from The Ordinary. They are very affordable, effective, and the bottles are counter-worthy. I know using these serums has improved my skin’s texture and lessened how many breakouts I get. This go-around, we emptied the multi-peptide serum that we use in the morning and the mandelic acid serum we use at night. We also finished the ascorbyl glucoside serum we used in lieu of the alpha arbutin serum we’d used before, but it’s not as good at lightening dark spots as alpha arbutin, so we went back to that one.

The Inkey List Omega Water Cream Moisturizer

I love Tatcha’s Water Cream, but the price is a splurge. I could justify the cost per use, but I don’t want to spend that kind of money on a moisturizer every other month. I went on the hunt for something comparable and found The Inkey List Water Cream, and I love it! We love it actually. We went through two of them since the beginning of the year and are about to finish a third. Even better…it’s 1/6th of the price of Tatcha’s product for the same amount.

I clearly care about my skin since skincare always seems to the the largest category of empties each quarter. My goal is to have a somewhat high-maintenance beauty routine so I stay ready. Ready for what? Life. I don’t want to feel like I can’t enjoy a beach day or grab lunch without putting on a full face of makeup. I want to feel confident with no makeup at all. I do now and have for a few years since I learned what my skin needs to look its best. I still wear makeup and probably always will, but not daily. Skincare is a daily thing so I go through those products faster.

I have bought more makeup recently that I’m testing to see if I like. I’ll tell you all about them soon!

If you’re wondering what else I’ve emptied, check out the beauty products I emptied last quarter.