A little later than usual but better late than never, right? I’m talking about my empties round up that usually happens at the beginning of the month but with April being especially busy this year, everything seems to be falling a bit behind for me. April seems to be the month everyone in my family “picked” to have their birthday and between that and work, Style As Needed seemed to be in the backseat but now that all the festivities are over, time for some new material 😊

This month was heavy in the “got it in my Sephora Play” department so you’ll see quite a bit of travel size products which is about the only products I consistently use up every month. There are some great products that I’m excited to talk about and some of them are just in time for the Sephora VIB sale! I’ll be unboxing what I picked in the “Round 1” aka early access for VIB Rouge in my Instagram Stories today so if you don’t follow me on there, make sure to look me up @styleasneeded.

Skincare Empties

Fresh Lotus Youth Preserve Face Cream – This was a really nice face cream. It was very hydrating and looked good underneath make up. The one issue I had with it was the smell. I didn’t love it. It smelled very strongly of cucumbers to me which I usually like but this time, there was something too overpowering about it. This cream is supposed to prevent signs of aging due to the “Super 7 Complex” in it but I didn’t use it long enough to be able to judge that. I usually love all Fresh products but I’ll have to pass on this one.

First Aid Beauty Coconut Skin Smoothie Priming Moisturizer – Now that’s a mouthful. I absolutely loved this primer. It was very “luminizing” and was great if I was going for a glowing look and was also super hydrating. This worked great with all my foundations and made the foundation look better all throughout the day. It smells like coconuts and has been one of my favorite primers I’ve tried in a while. I’m highly considering purchasing the full size during Round 2 of the Sephora sale. You can snag the mini version for $14 or buy the full size for $28.

Drunk Elephant TLC Framboos Glycolic Night Serum – I was so excited to finally try a Drunk Elephant product but I think this sample size was not big enough to truly judge whether or not it worked for me. I think my skin looked better after but I honestly can’t tell and this stuff is worth a pretty penny so I’m still considering buying a Drunk Elephant Kit to try out a bunch of their products instead of splurging on just one full size of one. Have you guys tried this stuff? What do you think?

Kate Somerville Wrinkle Warrior – I loved this stuff. I’m not sure if it did that much for wrinkles, cause let’s be real, I’m only 26 and you can’t tell if stuff like this works after a few weeks of use but as a serum in general, this stuff was great. I loved the jelly like consistency and loved how my make up went over it (very smoothly, in case you’re wondering) so I would definitely consider purchasing the full size of this serum.

P.S. Just looked up how much the full size is and am re-considering repurchasing lol

GlamGlow Supercleanse – So this is a very unique product, at least to me. It’s a mud cleanser that turns to foam once you add water. This cleanser leaves your face feeling very cool and was the only cleanser I brought with me on my Thailand trip. It does a great job scrubbing your face clean but is a bit of a messy experience overall. I liked it but not enough to purchase the full size.

Soap & Glory Speed Plump – Now, the superstar of the empties. This is my new favorite night time moisturizer. This leaves your skin looking amazing and honestly the best word for how your skin looks after is plump which is perfect considering the name. This smells divine as all S&P products and comes in a moussy consistency that is unlike any other moisturizer I’ve ever used. I love this stuff and have already re-purchased 3 more jars 😮 (taking advantage of the buy 2 get one free thing at Walgreens).

Make Up Empties

Benefit Bag Gal Bang Mascara – I was so excited to try this one and so greatly disappointed. I usually love Benefit Mascaras with the They’re Real and Roller Lash being some of my all time favorites but this one was just a giant clump fest. Not a fan and not going to purchase the full size. I will say though, the packaging of the full size is pretty cool with the studded cap so I’ll at least give them credit for that.

Jouer Matte Moisture Tint – I’ve been using this stuff for what seems like forever but it was finally time to let go. This is a “tinted moisturizer” that has so much coverage that I essentially used this as a foundation. To me, tinted moisturizers are something you can apply with your hands where this is clearly a job for either a beauty blender or an actual foundation brush. The downfall of this is that it only comes in like two or three colors but it has SPF in it and provides a really great finish. I don’t think I’ll repurchase but it was nice while it lasted.

Hair Empties

Redken Diamond Oil – This is an oil spray that adds shine to your hair. I love products like this and used this one for a while but can’t say I noticed a huge surge in shine whenever I used this. I still think the Drybar Sparkling Soda Shine Mist can outdo this one and I can no longer find it at Ulta anyway, so I won’t be repurchasing.

Living Proof Perfect Hair Day Dry Shampoo – This is a great dry shampoo that I’m definitely considering purchasing in a full size. It does leave a bit of a white cast but you can work that out very quickly and does a great job absorbing any oiliness and making your hair look clean again. I don’t like it as much as my Amika Perk Up Dry Shampoo but it’s still a good one.

That’s it for the empties this month and unless I start upping my product usage game, April empties are going to be on the lighter side! Let me know if you guys use any of these products and what you think!

As always, thanks for reading!

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