April Empties (It's not Denial - it's just Life)

Okay, so...I've been dutifully recording my empties in my handy-dandy Excel spreadsheet, I just haven't been dutifully posting my empties. Helps me  to keep track of what I've purchased, liked and not liked...but it isn't really helpful for anyone else, obviously. I'm not going to back too far with posting these, but I thought I would post my April empties today in preparation for putting May empties up soon.

The last few months have been particularly stressful at work and when I get stressed...I shop. This habit contributed to the size of my book collection, my yarn stash, my fiber stash, and now my makeup collection. Like there's been so much stress and so much shopping that I've put myself on a makeup no-buy for June AND July. I'm giving myself a couple of passes for some weekends where Mike and I will be on vacations (Paso Robles and Boston) but other than that - I'm on a no buy until August 1st.

So the plan (such as it is) for posting during my no-buy is this:

• Empties
• Favorites
• Fails
• Collection (in bite-sizes, because...well.)
• Reviews

Given my posting history, this is an ambitious plan, but blogging is like a muscle and I just need to work out my blogging muscle more!

So here are my April favorites - I don't have pictures for you, but will include a link to any product that I would recommend or repurchase. If you have any comments please let me know!

Brand	Product Name	Color	Size	Cost	Thoughts	Buy Again?
Chap Stick	Chap Stick	N/A		$    2.94	I have various types of lip balms tucked away literally EVERYWHERE, and there's always some Chap Stick in the mix. This was the original formula. I love the original and I'll definitely repurchase it once I've gotten through some of the other lip balms I have in rotation.	Yes
Lush	Karma Fragrance	N/A		Sample	I've had this for so long that it has turned. Honestly, the Karma fragrance by Lush isn't my favorite and I never found myself reaching for this. In lotions it is a nice fragrance, but on its own it is too Dr. Pepper-y. I am glad that I purchased a sample size of this.	No
Harvey Prince	Skinny Chic	N/A		Sample	Nope. Just nope. I've been trying to go through the samples I have and use up the entire sample before I judge the scent, but I could only wear this twice and then I was done. This is a relatively juvenile smelling scent. Too cloying, too sweet, and totally lacking in the types of complexities I like.	No
Batiste	Clean and Clear Original	Clear	6.73 oz	$    6.29	This is the second one of these I've finished in four months. I'm still a huge fan of this dry shampoo, unfortunately I go through them very quickly. The good news is that it at a price point where I don't feel bad using as much of it as I need.	Yes
Gucci	Flora	N/A		Sample	Again, nope. I didn't like this perfume. I used it once or twice but it simply isn't my type of fragrance. Anything too floral that doesn't have deeper muskier notes to balance it leaves me feeling like the scent is either too young or too old for me.	No
Physicians Formula	Super BB, All-in-1 Beauty Balm Compact Cream	Light/Medium	.28 oz	Sample	I purchased the light/medium but it's too dark for me, so I will be giving it to a friend of mine. What I really appreciate about many of the Physicians Formula products, even the powder ones, is the inclusion of SPF. This has an SPF of 30. I can't really give a good review of the product since it's not a color match for me.	N/A
It Cosmetics	Bye Bye Redness Concealing Creme	One Color		$  32.00	I'm calling this a primer since that's the category that it seems to best fit in. What I can tell you is that I do not want to be without this product. Like, ever. All you need is a small amount and then to buff it into the skin where you have redness and it evens out the skin color beautifully. This is light enough to wear under foundation without feeling like you've got too many products on your face, too. I truly love this product and feel like it has changed how my makeup and skin look. UPDATE: This may have fallen from HG status. Stay tuned.	Yes
The Body Shop	Caramel Stick	Caramel		$  10.00	This is a product that's been in my collection for the last, seriously, almost fifteen years. It's been at least ten since I used it. It was a great caramel-y color for the 90s, but it's time to just let it go.	N/A
Illamasqua	Hydra Veil	N/A	.1 fl oz	$50.00	I enjoyed this primer a lot. It's a gel primer and it really helped my makeup go on very smoothly. I would definitely consider purchasing a large size. I found that this helped keep my foundation from settling into pores and fine lines.	Yes
Origins	Matte Stick	Moon Rock		$  15.99	Similar to the Body Shop chubby stick, I've had this in my collection for nostalgia purposes only for many years. Loved it in the late 90s but am letting it go now!	No
Smashbox	Limitless Lip Stain & Color Seal Balm	Berry		DC	I really, really hate Smashbox. This product absolutely sucked. The balm wasn't moisturizing at all and the stain both didn't stay and DID dry out my lips.	No
Jo Malone	Orange Blossom Cologne	N/A		$60.00	I realized that I've totally bashed two other floral scents in my empties for this month, but I do love the Jo Malone Orange Blossom cologne. I wore only this every day for years and still love it. The fragrance is light, and although not extremely complicated, it lingers in a way that is really lovely.	Yes
Karuna	Age-Defying treatment masks (Pack of 4)	N/A	.95 fl oz	$28.00	Used another one of these. Will definitely purchase more sheet masks from this brand. I love how hydrating these are and how soft my skin is after I use these.	Yes
Bioxidea	Miracle 48, Excellence Gold	N/A	1.05 fl oz	Sample	Received this as part of my New Beauty Test Tube. I had high hopes for this, and I really did like how well the gel mask fit on my face and the overall quality of the mask was undoubtedly nice, but I didn't see the results that this promised. It claims that it regenerates, is anti-wrinkling, moisturizing, nutritious (?), brightening, lifting, firming, controls sebum, detoxifies, smooths, soothes, and provides spot care. I would say it was moisturizing and soothing, but that's about it.	No
Hempz	Age Defying Herbal Body Moisturizer	N/A	17 fl oz	$  23.00	I absolutely love this moisturizer. It claims to be hydrating and firming, and while I can't say that the firming claim is true, it is definitely a hydrating body lotion. I love the smell and texture of this lotion. It has a light herbally smell that is really pleasant and not cloying at all. This is a body lotion on the more expensive side, but I often find it at TJ Maxx at a significantly reduced price.	Yes
Perricone MD	Blue Plasma	N/A	2 fl oz	$  98.00	This is definitely a pricy product - there's no way around that. You use this in the evening, between toner and serum and it's supposed to support cell turnover and regeneration. I purchased this bottle last July and it lasted almost 9 months, so for that period of time, I'm okay with the cost and in fact I already have another one of these in use. I found that this product definitely helped keep my skin looking bright and even.	Yes
Clarisonic	Refreshing Gel Cleanser	N/A		Sample	This came with my Clarisonic and I had it for almost 10 months before I found myself out of cleansers and needing to use it. It was fine, but really unremarkable.	No
Koh Gen Do	Cleansing Spa Water	N/A	3.38 fl oz	$  13.00	I purchased this as part of a three pack and I really liked it. There is no fragrance, and it really removes eye makeup, even stubborn eye makeup easily and without me needing to scrub my eyes and/or irritate them. I've heard this compared to the Bioderma.	Yes
Mario Badescu	Acne Facial Cleanser	N/A	6 fl oz	$  15.00	One of the things I am trying to figure out about my skin is whether to treat acne or age. I picked this up when Mario Badescu was on HauteLook and I did like it, but it's too drying for my skin overall. I like the Mario Badescu products in general, but this one just isn't appropriate for my almost 40 skin.	No
Neutrogena	Clear Pore Oil-Eliminating Astringent	N/A	Full Size	$    4.39	In my quest to address both acne and aging, I am finding that this toner, paired with cleansers, moisturizers, and serums that are more moisturzing keeps breakouts at bay.	Yes
Glam Glow	GlamGlow Supermud and Youthmud Treatments	N/A		$  69.00	I picked this up during the Sephora VIB sale last November and finished both treatments. I liked the Supermud better than the Youthmud, because what I'm really wanting a mask to do is remove impurities and keep my pores clear (I have huge pores and this is always a big concern of mine). I was able to get both treatments for 20% off of $69, so it ended up being a great value. Will definitely purchase again when on sale.	Yes
Beauty Diary	Red Vine Mask	N/A	30 g	$    1.56	This mask is supposed to whiten, tighten, and fight oxidation. I really liked this one.	Yes
Look Beauty	Masque Bar Pore Refining Crème Mask	N/A	.5 fl oz	$    2.50	I used another one of these and really enjoyed how brightening and tightening it was.	Yes
Chanel	Ultra Correction Line Repair	N/A	.1 fl oz	Sample	Finished another sample of this. Still would not purchase a full-size.	No
Dior	Eye Zone Boosting Super Serum	N/A	.05 fl oz	Sample	I received a sample packet of this and I liked it, but since I was only able to use it for a few days, I can't really give a solid opinion on it.	N/A
Kiehls	Powerful Wrinkle Reducing Cream	N/A	0.25 fl oz	Sample	This is a deluxe sample that I used over the course of a few weeks. I really did like how moisturizing this is and how it left my skin feeling very hydrated.	No
Biore	Make-Up Removing Towelettes	N/A		$    6.37	I found these to be very irritating to my skin and I didn't want to get this product anywhere near my eyes. I would not repurchase. I finished these up removing makeup swatches, not removing makeup from my face.	No
Rodan + Fields	Daily Cleansing Mask	N/A	4.2 fl oz	$  41.00	I wanted to like this line of products, and maybe other cleansers would appeal to me more, but I really did not like a cleanser that was also a mask. I didn't like having to apply it and then leave it on before I could wash my face. I found it to be an irritant in my morning routine and that prejudiced me against the product. I didn't notice any appreciable difference in my skin after using this.	No
Sephora	Super loaded age defy serum	N/A	1 fl oz	$  32.00	This is a very hydrating serum that does not break me out. I did have a sample of this that I really enjoyed and when I was in the market to purchase a serum, I chose this one. Here's what I did not like about this product: The packaging is deceivingly heavy and entirely opaque. This means that I had absolutely no idea that the product was low until it was actually empty.	Yes

So there you have it! Those are the products I tried and finished in April. If you have any questions about any of my opinions about these products, please let me know!

Stay tuned for May favorites and May empties!