I'm the opposite of a hoarder when it comes to everything except for beauty products. I'm constantly selling or donating things - especially clothes. But when it comes to makeup, I never want to part with it and that means never using it in its entirety. This is probably for many reasons, but three come to mind: (1) Makeup never holds its value unless it's a rare or limited edition item - so it has no resale value. (2) High-end cosmetics are expensive. (For example, when I'm at the end of my $90 perfume, I should want to use it up. But I want to 'save' it for a special occasion. So I don't have to repurchase it.) (3) I hoard samples for when I 'travel' - I travel maybe 10 days of the year so you can see the dilemma. I'm sure there are other factors, but this three are the main things.
Needless to say, I'm drowning in cosmetics. I shouldn't have to buy mascara or shampoo for a year. A few months ago, I discovered @beautyempties on Instagram, the founder of #100daysofempties. Through her Instagram page and other users joining along, I really felt inspired to participate.
I decided my main New Years Resolutions would be to destash/quit hoarding beauty products and reduce the amount of money I spend on cosmetics. The goal of #100daysofempties is to finish 100 products in 100 days. Basically, one product a day for 100 days. To go along with that, @beautyempties also introduced a no-buy challenge: #oneemptyonedollar. For every empty you complete, no matter the cost of that empty, adds $1 to your beauty budget.
Every week or two, I will be sharing the products I used up on Instagram with a mini review. At the end of the month, I will post my normal Empties post here with all products I finished that month and a more in-depth review.
My ultimate goal is to finish 100 products by April 11th and spend no more than $100 on beauty products. I'm not a big fan of single-use foil packets, so reaching this date may be a bigger challenge for me. Even I don't reach the date, I plan to still complete 100 products on my own timeline.
Spending exclusions: I am not counting 'necessary' staples - like skincare items, hygiene items, etc in my beauty budget. I am not counting Birchbox or Walmart Beauty Box in my beauty budget, as I purchased these subscriptions last year. I am not counting candles in my beauty budget or 100 products since I categorize these as a 'home' expense, but I will still list them in my empties posts, since I've mentioned them in the past. Gift cards and Birchbox points do not count in my beauty budget.
Empties:
Anastasia Brow Wiz in Caramel
This is a holy grail product for me; I won't continue to rave. The fine tip makes filling in your brows so easy. On the downside,.003 oz for $21 is ridiculous; I'm hoping to find an alternative.
Blistex Medicated Lip Balm
This was my holy grail lip balm, but the dermatologist said stay away because it does more harm than good. I haven't noticed my lips getting any better or worse since I've stopped using it.
Caudalie Vinosource Sorbet
(sample) I think I got this in a Caudalie sample set. I really liked this at night time. I'm contemplating buying the full size.
Clinique Take the Day off makeup remover
This is a holy grail product for me; I won't continue to rave.
Crest 3D White Luxe Glamorous White Toothpaste in Vibrant Mint
This is a holy grail product for me; I won't continue to rave. It doesn't tremendously help with whitening, but I really like the flavor.
Dial Crystal Breeze Antiperspirant & Deodorant
I used this until my UK Nivea deodorant arrived; I got tired of the scent halfway through. It worked pretty good; the scent just clashed with other products.
Dr. Jart + Pore Minimalist Black Charcoal Sheet Mask
I received this in my Birchbox. I'm a big fan of sheet masks. But I didn't really notice a difference after using this one. My face felt kind of sticky (you're not supposed to wash it off) after removing it.
Gillette Venus & Olay Razor Cartridge (2)
This is a holy grail product for me; I won't continue to rave.
Laura Geller GlamLASH Dramatic Volumizing Mascara
(sample) I really liked this, especially at the end when it thickened up a bit. I might purchase the full size.
Lierac Demaquillant Douceur
(sample) This is cleansing water, similar to Bioderma. I used this as an eye makeup remover, it was effective and didn't cause any irritation but I just prefer other removers.
Maybelline Dream Wonder Powder
(sample) I received this sample in my Walmart Beauty Box. I heard good things about this powder and was looking forward to trying it out. The color was too dark for me and I didn't really care for the consistency.
Neutrogena Makeup Remover Cleansing Towelettes (2)
(25 ct) This is a holy grail product for me; I won't continue to rave.
Nexxus Color Assure Conditioner
This was the only conditioner my roommate ever used. I found a $7 off coupon in a magazine and decided to give this a try. This smelled nice and was pretty moisturizing but it made no major difference in my hair. I probably won't repurchase it.
Pantene Aqua Light Clean Rinse Shampoo
I'm so happy to see this finally go. I purchased it on a whim because it was on clearance. I felt like it dried my hair out super bad. I will not be repurchasing.
Soap & Glory Hand Food
(travel size) This was the perfect purse size. This worked good and smelled great. I will probably repurchase in the future.
Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat
This is a holy grail product for me; I won't continue to rave.
Shu Umera Cleansing Oil Shampoo
(sample) This smelled nice but it made my hair feel kind of dried out.
Swisspers Cotton Rounds
(100 ct) Cotton rounds are a necessary staple for me. This brand is high-quality compared to others; I feel like I use less of these than generic ones because they don't rip.
Vasanti BrightenUp! Enzymatic Face Rejuvenator
(sample) I really liked this exfoliant: I'm considering buying the full size with my Birchbox points!
Candles:
Bath & Body Works Cardamom & Suede
(3-wick) I really liked this scent, I didn't realize it was a winter scent until it was too late... I should've stocked up! I hope it comes back around next year.
Bath & Body Works Cranberry Pear Bellini
(3-wick) This is my favorite Winter scent. I purchase one or two every year.
Bath & Body Works Merry Mistle Toe
(mini) I got this as a freebie a few years ago and kept forgetting to use it at Christmas. This is a good holiday scent. Mini candles are perfect for small bathrooms.
Ikea Tindra
(single wick) This was one of Brad's candles. I didn't really care for the scent. The candle burned unevenly, too. I wasn't impressed with my first Ikea candle.
Trapp White Fir
(single wick) Brad's mom gave us this for Christmas. I burned it immediately. This candle made the whole house smell awesome. It's a good holiday scent. I'm looking forward to trying more Trap candles.
Totals:
#100daysofempties totals: I've completed 21 products in 33 days.
#oneemptyonedollar totals: $5.04 remains in my beauty budget.
resolutions & empties,
-Kaitlyn
Follow / Subscribe / Twitter / Instagram
