I have a hoarding issue... with empty bottles. Bottles of shampoo, mouthwash, body butters, cleansers, all empty...and all still in my house. My boyfriend found my "stash" under my sink and I knew at that moment that I could not keep it a secret anymore. He's threatened to throw it away when I'm asleep, and I'm not certain he's joking. I'm living in fear. So, before anything happens to my precious collection of empty beauty and body products, I will document every item. [Also, it's accumulated to the point that the drawer under my sink won't close, and I should really just say goodbye....and start a new stash for 2014 muahuahua.]
Now, this is huge. I mean, 6 months worth of empties huge. I had collected empties since the start of 2013, but then moved to a new place and just could not justify lugging the empties with me. So, like a crazy person, I started building my empties pile from the beginning again, slowly and surely.
I cut out all the "boring" stuff like toothpaste and mouthwash (yes....I kept those too. There's shame...) and will present the things worth talking about. I plan to continue this segment, but in monthly increments, because not even the most avid empties lover can handle 6 months worth of empties without getting bored. But I had all these things to share first and finally purge my bathroom (and my life) of.
I've also taken the liberty of highlighting my favourite products in pink so you can't miss them!
First off, face products. Clockwise starting from the top:
1. Forever Luminous Face Wraps - these are sheet masks I bought from TJ Maxx. Very affordable (5.99$ for 3 sheets) and I enjoyed using them. Would buy them again.
2. Olay Total Effects 7 in 1 Refreshing Citrus Scrub Cleanser - basic cleanser, smelt like oranges, good daily exfoliant, didn't blow my socks off. There's nothing wrong with it, but I probably won't buy it again.
3. Mario Badescu Enzyme Face Wash - Really did not like this stuff. It looked shimmery, smelt weird, and I didn't feel like it cleaned my face at all. Would not buy it.
4. Clean and Clear persa-gel 10 - benzoyl peroxide zit cream. Worked well for big and small zits. Would buy it again.
5. Olay Total Effects 7 in 1 Anti-aging Eye Treatment - can't really say if it did anything to anti-age and it didn't moisturize my eye area as well as some other products have. Would not buy it again.
6. Trader Joe's Natural Facial Cleansing Pads - these were tea tree oil pads that you wiped on your face and then rinsed off. I loved these! I used them twice a day. I felt they helped with oil control, acne control, and the texture of the pad gave a mild to medium exfoliation. Would buy it again!
7. Lush Let the Good Times Roll - the tub in the picture is in French because I bought it in the French part of Canada. Most people will say the best thing about this cleanser is the fragrance, and they're right. It smells like brown sugar cookies, and is a lovely treat in the winter. Does leave a residue, but that comes off with toner if you don't want it to stay. Really liked it, but didn't like the fact I had to stick my fingers into the tub and introduce bacteria and water. Would buy it again nonetheless.
I've also taken the liberty of highlighting my favourite products in pink so you can't miss them!
First off, face products. Clockwise starting from the top:
1. Forever Luminous Face Wraps - these are sheet masks I bought from TJ Maxx. Very affordable (5.99$ for 3 sheets) and I enjoyed using them. Would buy them again.
2. Olay Total Effects 7 in 1 Refreshing Citrus Scrub Cleanser - basic cleanser, smelt like oranges, good daily exfoliant, didn't blow my socks off. There's nothing wrong with it, but I probably won't buy it again.
3. Mario Badescu Enzyme Face Wash - Really did not like this stuff. It looked shimmery, smelt weird, and I didn't feel like it cleaned my face at all. Would not buy it.
4. Clean and Clear persa-gel 10 - benzoyl peroxide zit cream. Worked well for big and small zits. Would buy it again.
5. Olay Total Effects 7 in 1 Anti-aging Eye Treatment - can't really say if it did anything to anti-age and it didn't moisturize my eye area as well as some other products have. Would not buy it again.
6. Trader Joe's Natural Facial Cleansing Pads - these were tea tree oil pads that you wiped on your face and then rinsed off. I loved these! I used them twice a day. I felt they helped with oil control, acne control, and the texture of the pad gave a mild to medium exfoliation. Would buy it again!
7. Lush Let the Good Times Roll - the tub in the picture is in French because I bought it in the French part of Canada. Most people will say the best thing about this cleanser is the fragrance, and they're right. It smells like brown sugar cookies, and is a lovely treat in the winter. Does leave a residue, but that comes off with toner if you don't want it to stay. Really liked it, but didn't like the fact I had to stick my fingers into the tub and introduce bacteria and water. Would buy it again nonetheless.
Hand Wash L to R:
1. A La Maison de Provence Lavender Aloe - got this from TJ Maxx, really liked it, smelt good, moisturizing. Will buy this again.
2. BBW Iced Gingerbread - Really liked the smell of this, I had it in my kitchen. Would buy it again.
3. BBW Twisted Peppermint Antibacterial Deep Cleansing - Liked how this smelt, but it was goopy and always stuck to my sink. Would repurchase the scent but in the foaming formula.
1. BBW Aromatherapy Sleep Body Lotion - came in a fancy glass jar (heavy as f&^% though). Smells really warm and soothing, definitely a light moisturizer. I have a back up of this, but I probably won't buy it again.
2. Body Shop Blueberry Body Butter - I liked the scent at first, but then it somehow gradually smelt like B.O. on me. I still used it at night (hehe) and the scent was gone by morning. Good, thick, hydrating butter. Will not buy again because of the scent issue though.
3. Body Shop Passion Fruit Body Butter - This one smelt wonderful, same texture as the blueberry body butter. Will buy this again.
4. Trader Joe's Pumpkin Body Butter - a stand out butter of 2013 for me. A really interesting, thick texture. Extremely hydrating. Probably my favorite out of the three. And so cheap! TJ also makes a coconut one that I'd like to try. This scent was only out in the fall, but I would buy it again.
Hair, L to R:
1. Boo Bamboo Shampoo and Conditioner - sulfate free, paraben free, vegan (I believe). These products smell so good (kind of sweet smelling, like sugar cane) and they lathered and cleansed so well! Definitely would buy again.
2. Garnier Fructis Sleek and Shine conditioner - smelt like passion fruit, felt like a standard hair conditioner. Did a good job, nothing to write home about. But yes, I would pick it up again.
3. CHI Silk Infusion - I used this product for years (5 to be exact) as a leave in conditioner when my hair was wet out of the shower. Smells really good, and never made my hair look greasy, but kept it super soft. I'm totally sick of it now, but I would recommend it.
4. Moroccanoil Oil Treatment - I liked how this felt, it was very similar to the Silk Infusion. I would buy it again.
5. Garnier Fructis 2 in 1 - Has the standard fruity Garnier scent (which I love and makes me nostalgic). Good shampoo/conditioner. Would buy the full size.
Almost there. Body washes L to R:
1. Neutrogena Body Clear Body Scrub - I bought this to use on my back when I had back breakouts for the first time in my life (no shame!). Then I started using it all over my body because it did such a good job scrubbing, lathered well, and had a nice clean feeling. Not moisturizing, so maybe not a day to day product for dry skins. I would buy it again.
2. Victoria's Secret Pure Seduction - oh lord I have a bunch of these to go through. This is my 2nd favorite scent. But I probably will not buy these body washes again. I don't find them very hydrating, nor extremely lathering (I've learnt I like cream body washes better). No, will not buy it again.
3. Wash With Joe CoffeeMint Body Wash - smelt so weird, and did not lather well. Will not buy.
4. Pure and Basic Bath and Body Wash - pump dispenser is very useful. Smelt nice, good lather. Indifferent. Will not buy.
5. BBW Warm Vanilla Sugar Body Wash - same thing with the VS body washes, not very hydrating. Smelled very good though. Might buy it again for that.
Makeup. 2 Covergirl Lash Blast mascaras (my favorite of all time probably), 1 Physcian's Formula Organic Wear (hated this, will not buy ever again), Maybelline Big Eyes Mascara (did like this, would buy it again), and a Revlon Colorstay blue eyeliner that dried out (would buy it again though) and a Rimmel shimmer eye stick (I don't think they even make this anymore, and this one smells like plastic and dirty socks, so I'm chucking it).
Lastly, Randoms, from L to R:
1. Skintimate Flirty Mango shave gel - good shave gel, but the last one I'll ever buy. I've gotten into using cream body washes or hair conditioner for my shaving needs.
2. Soft and Dri Aerosol Antiperspirant/Deodorant - I liked this but wanted to use it up. It works well, but takes up a lot of storage space, and I've decided not to use any more antiperspirants and just stick to deodorants. Has a powdery scent, if you're into that (I am). Will not be buying it again.
3. Hydrogen Peroxide - lolz. I use this in my laundry to keep my white sheets bright. I toss about a half cup in with my sheets about once a month.
4. 3 Bath and Body Works PocketBacs - I love these, they smell great and are a good size for my purse. Would buy these again (although I have enough to last me a long time).
So there you have it. I'm already building up a mini pile of January Empties, which I will write a blog post about, and hopefully a video. I actually enjoyed going through all my junk, remembering how I liked it or didn't like it, and also feeling accomplished for going through the items. Which I think is what people search for in doing empty hoarding...satisfaction. I definitely feel satisfied in my 2013 use up. Although I haven't gone through much makeup...maybe this year. I've decided to not buy any more makeup until the next holiday season. Wish me luck!
