March 2015: The Empties

 

Bioderma Sensibio H20: I'm going to be doing my empties in order from best to worst this month, and this product makes it to the top of my list. I swear, if there is a better makeup remover/cleanser out there, I haven't found it. It seems to work for all skin types, since when I was oily in the summer and fall, it didn't break me out, and when I was super flaky this winter, it didn't dry me out further. I used to use the Sensibio to remove my makeup only before my actual cleanser, but now I use this as my primary face wash. I can't gush enough about it. All of the issues I've had with other products, whether they be cream, wipes, or liquid like this one, are absent. There is no stinging in the eyes, residue on the skin, or leftover product. All that Bioderma Sensibio H20 makes me feel, is clean. The only deterrent is the price. I've gone through about 4 of the 100ml bottles because at about $6.95 a pop, they don't break the bank, but I figured, if this was going to be my primary face product, I'd better invest the $26 and buy the biggest bottle offered. I'm hoping it will last me a quarter of a year at least! 

Julep Conditioning Nail Polish Remover: This is my #1 go-to nail polish remover. It will honestly take anything off my nails without effort or fuss, even glitter. I used to hate wearing glitter polish, only because it was so difficult to remove. Now? I have no fear and glitter manicures have become my favourite nail look to rock. It doesn't dry out my nails or sting or stink like other brands do, but it does leave my nails feeling a bit greasy. I have to give my hands a good wash and dry before attempting to apply anything else, even Julep's own Oxygen Nail Treatment. It won't adhere properly otherwise. The biggest downfall of the Julep Conditioning Nail Polish Remover is the price. You only get 4oz. for $10USD, and that's if you already have the pump, otherwise it goes up to $14. I always wait until it's available in a kit or Julep decides to discount it drastically. Even this month's Secret Store price of $17.99 for a pump bottle and refill couldn't entice me to repurchase.

Julep Freedom Polymer Top Coat: The company's claims of this top coat drying in 5 minutes are true. Not even Seche Vite works are quickly when I've got more than 2 coats on my nails. It's amazing when you want to do your nails, but not sit around and wait for them to dry before you can do things like go to the bathroom. Julep has the cost of this as $18USD, but unlike their polish remover, this top coat is always on sale. I don't think I've paid more than $6 for it. I do have two major issues with this though. The biggest problem that I have with the Freedom Polymer Top Coat is that it chips after about 2 days of wear. I can never keep a manicure for longer. At first, I thought it was just me being rough on my nails, but a few days ago I started using a different Julep top coat and all of a sudden I could get a good 4 days out of a mani. Because I was changing my polish and using the product up every other day, I only noticed the second problem towards the end of this bottle's life. The formula completely changed on me and became a clear sludge. Sure, it's always been a bit goopy, but it applied well, and the brush didn't glue itself to my nails if I took a bit of time to try and smooth it out.

This month has been pretty light on the empties for me, mostly because I've pared down my skincare routine. Also, it's dance competition season and all the free time I have has been spent trying to source the most cost effective necessities like tights, shoes, and costume accessories. I just can't bring myself to pay $24.99 for a plastic garment bag. Who do these people think they are??!!?

November Empties aka The Great Topbox Purge of '14

This month's Topbox was such a disappointment to me that I decided to purge my stash of the remaining products I received. I want to start a fresh beauty routine in 2015, and there is no better way to do that to de-clutter.

Here's what I managed to use in November, from worst to best (in my opinion):

Barefoot Venus Lip Fable in Honey: This is from a Topbox I received ages ago. I was saving it for the winter since I had heard such great things about this product.  What a letdown. Their website lists the retail value as $7.50, but I probably wouldn't pay more than $2 for this product. Why? I find the moisture effects hardly last and it just sits on top of my lips, rather than absorbing like the many other balms I use. The texture is a bit like Vaseline, and to be honest, I prefer the latter for dry lip season.

Redken Extreme Rescue Force Fortifying Treatment: Yet another Topbox sample product, and another that didn't do much for me. This hair mask has actually been discontinued by Redken and so it's hard to predict the actual value, but it works just like any standard drug store conditioner. Also, I wonder whether it was sent out by Topbox before or after it had been discontinued. Just another strike against the subscription in my book. I swapped out my Moroccan Oil Smoothing Conditioner in order to use this up, and while it's not terrible, when something performs slightly less than what I'm used to, I notice right away.

 Skinfood Facial Water Vita-C Cream: Another product I am indifferent to, but surprisingly, this one came from my favourite beauty box, Memebox. My skin is quite picky, and while this one kept my face hydrated as the weather got colder, without causing me to break out, I've received products that are far superior to this from Memebox. I did love the light texture and the morning pick-me-up it provided. Skinfood recommends keeping this cream in the refrigerator, and to anyone who has it in their possession, so do I. The card I received with my Memebox lists the value at $13. This is actually less than most of your run of the mill drugstore brands, which is what I would have to run out and buy if I was in a pinch. The issue is that the cream isn't readily available anywhere nearby and so I'd probably purchase something from Neutrogena before I got my hands on this again.

Bioderma Sebium Purifying Foaming Gel: I really enjoyed this cleanser, which I received in my September 2014 Topbox. It did take me a while to get to it since I was mad at Topbox for sending me three Bioderma products in a row. I was planning on boycotting Bioderma all together, but then my Clarisonic died and their cleanser stopped being as effective. I tried a few other samples I had in my stash and this Bioderma gel outperformed them all. I didn't break out, produce any excess oil on my t-zone, and my skin didn't feel overly tight or stripped of moisture, I got a good two weeks out of the 15ml sample and considering the full size is $20 and 200ml, the value seems to be there. I am really considering buying this again at my local Shoppers Drug Mart if the cleanser I'm using from Memebox doesn't work out.

 

Mizon Magic Peeling Foot: I am a foot peeling mask convert. The whole idea of this product was gross to me, mostly because I think feet are disgusting, but after trying my first one, I am a woman changed. This little sachet saved me from spending $40 on a sub-par pedicure. I admit, it took a lot of patience not to move around too much while the booties were on my feet (for at least an hour and a half), but I got to catch up on Arrow in bed instead of making strained small talk at a salon. I received this in my Foot Therapy Memebox, and while they have a retail value of $11 listed, I managed to pick up a few The Face Shop foot peeling masks on Black Friday for 40% off. I'm set for the whole season!

The Face Ship Lovely Me:Ex BeBe Lip Essence: This is my holy grail lip product. I am absolutely in love. I will probably use about five of them before winter is over. It's not necessarily the hydrating aspect that sucked me in, even though it performs in that department, but it looks so pretty on! This is what I use during the day because it actually makes me look like I'm wearing an lip product and not a balm. It makes my lips look soft and pillowy, and enhances my natural colour. I just cannot gush about my BeBe Lip Essence enough. It's $9 at The Face Shop, but I bought a few during their 20% off sale, and then more of them on Black Friday.