Beauty Empties: Every Product I Used up Over the Past 11 Months.
A lot of Rich Cream was used.
I didn’t mean to write this post. I just let my empties pile get really, really bad… to the point where it warranted a long-form post vs. story slides! That being said, I enjoyed writing this post a lot so maybe I’ll move empties over here going forward.
As background, I typically share my various beauty empties on Instagram. There’s a highlight for that over there if interesting. For whatever reason, over the past eleven months, I didn’t share any! I just let them pile up until my empties tote was overflowing. Before I knew it, it had been nearly a year. (I posted my last empties story to Instagram on June 15th of 2023.
It was so much to share that it felt like Substack was a better place to share it vs. 1,000,000 story slides. So let’s dive in and see what a monster I am! But also: the products that were good enough to use to the very last drop.
Skincare
3 bottles of Augustinus Bader The Rich Cream. Extremely indulgent, but it also tracks. A bottle usually typically lasts me 3-4 months, and this is over 11 months, so here we are. This is definitely my most expensive beauty habit and IMO, one of the most important. I’ve used it since it first launched and it’s changed my skin.
Elemis Pro-Radiance Cream Cleanser. I really like this. It’s a good cleanser. It reminds me a lot of Noxzema, which gets it bonus points for nostalgia. I don’t feel fanatical about it, but I’d buy it again.
Farmacy Strawberry Shortcake Cleansing Balm: This was a limited edition of the wonderful original that is sold out now but I like it! One of my favorite cleansing balms. More about that in this post.
U Beauty The Mantle. This, I really truly loved. It was my shower cleanser and I’m sad it’s gone. I would absolutely buy more of this, it is one of the best cream cleansers I’ve tried. I love the velvety texture - feels so good on the skin. (GRACEATWOOD will get you 20% off).
Lotion P50 1970. I do love me some P50. This is the smaller bottle and it lasts forever because I use these cotton pads. If you use a toner or acid, BUY THESE. I would say that I probably use 50% less toner. They will make your P50 or whatever you use last twice as long!
Deodorant
Is deodorant a beauty product? I consider it a fragrance, so my take is YES!
Megababe makes my favorite deodorants, generally speaking. This is so much about body chemistry. The Rosy Pits formula smells so good but doesn’t work on me. Meanwhile the more opaque ones work great for me. The pink smoothie is my personal favorite. It smells so good and works really well.
I also used up a bottle of Necessaire’s eucalyptus acid deodorant which is a fav. I love anything eucalyptus!
Bath / Shower
I’m honestly surprised I only went through 3 shower gels (I love body wash and always have at least 3 or 4 that I rotate between; also: my BF has a very heavy hand!) but remembered I have several almost empty bottles in my shower right now.
Goop Martini Detox. The fact that a bath can promise you an “emotional detox” is truthfully a little bit eye-rolly to me BUT this really is a lovely treat bath and heaven after a long day. Himalayan pink salt… frankincense… this stuff is luxe. It will leave your tub a bit dirty, but the relaxation benefits are worth it!
iota Lemongrass + Eucalyptus Leaf body wash. As with the goop bath, I think some of the brand claims here are a little crazy (microbiome balancing? Uhhh ok…) BUT I do really like this body wash. It smells fantastic and it’s really gentle.
Necessaire Eucalyptus Body Wash. A forever favorite. I just love the fragrance!
Soft Services Comfort Cleanse. A nice, soothing body wash. If you like unscented products, this is for you. I actually prefer fragrance so netted out meh on this.
Body
U Beauty Resurfacing Body Compound and Super Hydrator. This combination is amazing. Alas, v v splurgy. I was gifted this set and loved it. I almost wish I didn’t know about it because I love the products so much but this isn’t a price point where I’d spend my own money. (Again, GRACEATWOOD will get you 20% off!)
Maelys B-Tight Body Cream. This stuff makes my cellulite noticeably less visible but you do have to use it every day. And if you stop using it, the results will go away. But it does work, which is more than I can say about most cellulite creams! Also just a warning that it feels very, very warm wherever you put it. There’s a longer review on my blog if you’re interested in learning more.
Sol de Janeiro Brazilian Bum Bum Cream. My holy grail favorite body cream. Leaves my skin super silky and that salted caramel fragrance is just to die for!
Tronque Body Serum + Body Cream. This combo (also gifted) is very luxe. It’s similar to the U Beauty system in that it’s a resurfacing/exfoliating serum paired with an ultra hydrating moisturizer. And I’m just not going to spend $275 on a body care routine. I go through body products too quickly! (And for the record: if I had body lotion f-u money I would 100% go with the U Beauty!).
Necessaire Body Cream. This is nice but not my favorite. I generally obsess over everything Necessaire makes but this was a “meh” for me. Honestly (even as a very dry skinned person!), I prefer their original body lotion (the one in the white tube). It takes a while to rub in and the benefits were just medium. There just wasn’t anything about it that felt special to me.
Hair
Virtue Smooth Shampoo + Conditioner. Really like these and would 100% repurchase.
Briogeo Don’t Despair, Repair Conditioner. Probably my favorite conditioner (I love the shampoo too). This is great if you have dry, frizzy hair. I am always testing out something new but when I’m not, I come back to these.
Jones Road Styling Cream. Loved this. Planning to repurchase once I use another (similar but inferior) product. Keeps my hair smooth and frizz free! I will say that I am only medium on the scent. I wish they would put the scent from their fragrance (which I LOVE) into this product!
Whew! That was a lot. If you’ve made it this far, well done.
Grace - I always trust your rects. I just purchased the Tyler Laundry detergent and it is delicious (caveat- also expensive !)
Love this. I always trust your recommendations!