[Everything was purchased with my own hard earned dollars]
Without launching into a big reason for how long I've been away, let's get on to the reviews! There are some good things in this empties, and a lot of hopeful repurchases.
Hada Labo Arbutin Whitening Milk
This was not particularly "whitening", as I expected because I think products marketed as whitening usually end up more with brightening capabilities. I bought this mainly to hydrate due to the hyaluronic acid, but wanted to see if it could help me fade some pigmentation as well. I noticed it doing a great job of hydrating, but no brightening was visibly detected. It's a very runny, milky lotion that feels very light and I believe is even less heavy than the original line. Since it's kind of a strange step to incorporate into my routine (I initially used it at night but then moved it to a daytime moisturizer under sunscreen), I don't know that I would repurchase, but I can recommend this entire line because I think the quality and hydration claims are solid.
Clean and Clear Advantage Daily Soothing Acne Wash
Mainly purchased for the foaming dispenser, I bought this for breakouts around my collarbone area, not for use on my face. It smells good, but that also means its highly fragranced. The dispenser didn't dispense a large amount of foam, and instead had very thin amounts of foam with each push. I think it did a good job keeping breakouts away, but is not something I would repurchase because it was so inconvenient to use.
Kate Somerville Oil Free Moisturizer
A good, super basic, non-fragranced and light moisturizer that I think a lot of people would like as an easy daytime moisturizer for under a separate sunscreen. It has a nice texture that blends in with the ease of something I'd usually associate with a primer (looking at the ingredient list, dimethicone is listed which makes sense). It's only main result is moisturization and I don't think I will ever buy the full size. This came with the Kate Somerville cleanser in a Sephora point perk. It retails for over $60 and for that, there are better moisturizers on the market for sure. It actually reminds me of the Boscia Oil Free lotion and that one is more afforadable and contains a little SPF.
Kate Somerville Detox Daily Cleanser
Scented like citrus, this cleanser felt very nice and gentle. It contains some mild acids in here but I didn't notice any irritation at all and I used it regularly in the morning. This didn't foam up a lot, which I liked for mornings but I don't think it'd be very effective at removing makeup. The packaging dispenses out the bottom when you twist the cap, but you can't remove the cap entirely. While this is innovative, it means you are resting the opening of the product on a counter where any residue will rub off. I think using this in conjunction with the moisturizer, this line contains some very nice, non-irritating, basic products that would appeal to a wide range of skin types. Given the price, however, there are other options out there. I'm a fan of what I tried, but can't recommend everyone to run out and buy these products if I personally feel the price is exorbitant for what you get, which isn't necessarily visible results.
Bareminerals Renew and Hydrate Eye Cream
Not much to say here. I never notice a lot of results with eye creams and am really starting to think the whole thing is a scam. This had a balmy texture so it was thick and moisturizing. It was nice, nothing life changing. Would not buy the full size.
Missha Time Revolution The First Treatment Essence
Supposedly a dupe of SK-II, I enjoyed this. It has the same texture of water so it can feel like you're just splashing your face, but it seemed to slightly refine my skin texture. Towards the end of this, I started using my Clarisonic regularly again and realized that the Clarisonic gave amped-up results in a shorter time. This isn't super overpriced, and I think it is a good product so I may repurchase. If you notice the cap looks grubby, it's because the top layer of metal started peeling off towards the end. I am not a fan of the packaging and would probably buy the aerosol version next. Not something I will buy immediately, it's just one of those products I'll always keep in mind.
Ok let's try to ramp up to faster reviews since skincare took so much of this post. That's just the nature of the products I guess because skincare has so many relevant aspects to discuss.
Caress Daily Silk Body Wash
Absolutely loved the scent of this. It is powdery and floral, which will not be everyone's cup of tea, but I thought it was richly scented and lathered well. Would I repurchase? Yes.
Bath and Body Works Sensual Amber Creamy Body Wash
I preferred the old formula that actually came out like a dense body lotion. This is a pearlescent foam which isn't super moisturizing, but is very frangranced. I love amber scents, so I would rebuy this if the mood strikes me.
Body Shop Grapefruit Shower Gel
This smells great, very bright and citrus, but is a regular shower wash. I would only buy another Body Shop shower gel if I enjoyed the scent as I don't think it does anything special.
Chloe Body Lotion
This came in a scent with my Chloe perfume. If you like the scent, obviously you'll like this, though it smells a little different. This was light and not very moisturizing. Don't buy this on its own unless you need Chloe to last all day (which it already does and I am not someone who can get scents to last on me).
Bath and Body Works Carried Away Lotion
This smells good. Nice travel size. Probably got this in a deal of some sort. Would not buy on its own.
Moving on to makeup! Not everything is an empty, but things that I am purging from my collection.
Claires Mood Nail Polish in Peaceful/Confident
I just don't wear this shade of blue often and it has a matte finish that chips easily. Also the mood effect isn't very apparent on this as opposed to the pink/purple shade in this range. PURGE!
OPI Miss O Leary's BBQ
I thought this was a different shade when I bought it, so I was disappointed that this isn't a true berry, but had deep brown tones. I love the formula of all OPI polishes, but this was just getting old. PURGE!
Wet n Wild Party of Five Glitters
The glitter particles were not dense and I feel like it came with something else. PURGE!
Stila Smudge Stick Waterproof Eyeliner in Oscar Fish and Stargazer
These two came in a set for the holidays and they are probably my favorite high end eyeliner. Both were pigmented, smooth and very long lasting. Since neither was matte, I didn't use this too often in the waterline for fear of irritating my eyes, but they can last a very long time, even on my oily eyes. I would definitely repurchase these in a heartbeat and am so glad they came out with a bunch of new fun shades.
Clinique High Impact Curling Mascara
My favorite mascara of all time. I got a little tired of the removal so am trying L'Oreal Butterfly mascara currently but this one is still the best. Would repurchase in a heartbeat.
Jordana Mascara in Navy Blue
This didn't show up at all and was very dry (maybe I got a bad tube?). The limited edition Rimmel ones are much better and the light blue shade is a fave. I would not repurchase this.
