Empties #1

I live in the tiniest apartment that barely has enough room to accommodate Mr. Page, myself and our most precious belongings (a fridge, full, 37 lipsticks and 49 pairs of shoes). A bunch of empty makeup and skincare containers just have to go. So, it is with the greatest pleasure that I type this empties post with one hand, while with the other I shove them into the recycling bin.

Clinique Take The Day Off Cleansing Balm: This is my favorite makeup remover of all time! I use it to take ALL of my makeup off, including waterproof mascara and lip stains. It’s an oily balm that I massage onto dry skin for about a minute and then rinse off with water. It doesn’t leave on oily film or any other residue and doesn’t dry out my skin. It’s amazing stuff and I keep repurchasing it over and over.

Queen Helene Mint Julep Masque: I find this clay mask overly drying and a pain to take off, so I won’t be repurchasing it. I recently bought Sephora Mud Mask instead and really like it (full review here).

BIODERMA Sensibio H2O and Sébium H2O: A couple of months ago, I did a post comparing these two micellar waters, check it out if you’re interested in the details. I’m currently using Garnier’s micellar water and, although I like Sensibio H2O a little better, I think I’ll keep using it even in the future because it’s much more affordable.

Avène Eau Thermale: I especially liked applying this thermal water after Mint Julep Mask, because it felt very soothing and calming on the skin. In general, spraying your face with this super fine mist feels really nice, but I wouldn’t consider it a game changer. I’ll probably buy it again, just not immediately.

Avène Cleanance MAT Mattifying Emulsion: Despite being formulated for oily skin, it made my face greasy very fast (check out my full review for further details). I’m definitely not repurchasing!

La Roche Posay Effaclar A.I.: I use this spot treatment as soon as I see a bump raising and it seems to make it go away faster than if I don’t use it. It’s not a miracle worker, though, it still takes days. I keep rebuying this mainly because I don’t know anything better… Any recommendations? Has anyone ever tried Mario Badescu’s Drying Lotion?

Clinique Anti-Blemish Solutions Liquid Makeup in 02 Fresh Ivory: This foundation isn’t really an ‘anti-blemish solution’ (at least on me), but it’s a great base nonetheless. It’s quite thin, so very easy to apply with fingers, it sets immediately to a matte finish and provides medium, very natural-looking coverage. I won’t be repurchasing immediately because first I want to finish my Chanel Perfection Lumière Velvet and then get Estée Lauder Double Wear (I’m using a sample of it at the moment and think it’s AMAZING!), but maybe one day I will. Anyway, the Anti-Blemish Solutions is a great foundation, I highly recommend it to people with oily skin. Just make sure you can find the right color match, as Fresh Ivory, which is the lightest shade available here in Italy, is a little too dark for me.

Stila Stay All Day Waterproof Eyeliner: This intense black eyeliner literally does what it says on the tin. Plus, it lasted over a year without drying out, which I find pretty impressive for an eyeliner pen. It’s definitely the best one I’ve ever tried!

Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara: The most volumizing mascara I’ve ever used! I’ve already repurchased it a few times and I’m sure I’ll buy it again in the future. It’s one of my favorites, if not my favorite.

Do you guys have any staple products you keep repurchasing over and over? Anything to recommend?

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