My August 2026 Beauty and Health Empties and Reviews

In 2025, I set out on a mission to love my morning and night routine. When I took a look at my bathroom drawers, my piles of makeup, and my vanity, I knew there were products I loved in there, but all I could see was junk. I wanted to enjoy my time while putting on my makeup and while taking it off. Between all the items that were given to me and all of the ones I bought mindlessly, I was in a haze where I didn’t know what I loved and what I put up with. 

To put a stop to haphazard buying and begin purposeful purchases, I began reviewing every “empty” I had. In August, I was able to replace so many empties with cruelty-free and vegan brands, which I am hoping will now be my forever products. A lot of this month’s empties I had purchased in bulk a long time ago, so finally being done with them is so exciting because I can move on to buying items that I love from brands that I want to support. August didn’t have that many empties, but the products were really a weight off my chest in the entirety of this process. Thank you, August! 

TIRTIR Milk Skin Toner 

I bought this because my sister uses it and she really loves it. Unfortunately, that was before I decided to have exclusively cruelty-free and vegan products in my vanity. This toner was very hydrating, made my skin feel supple, and I liked using it in the morning in place of washing my face. If TIRTIR were cruelty-free and vegan, I would definitely repurchase this product. Because they are not, I will sadly not be. 

Repurchase: No.

Ma:nyo Pure Cleansing Oil

Ma:nyo is a tough cookie because they have a vegan section on their website for people who want only vegan products, but they cannot commit to being fully vegan. Similarly to the TIRTIR toner, I got this at Costco in bulk before I was dedicated to revamping my vanity. It was actually labeled as vegan on the packaging, but I learned now that is because the product itself is vegan, but not the company. Also, similarly to TIRTIR, Ma:nyo says they are cruelty-free, but have no way to prove it. If they were, I would definitely repurchase this product. I really liked using it; it took me so long to go through even if I was using it every day, and I do think that it worked. My skin felt cleaner after using this, so I couldn’t complain. At the end of the day, though, I will not be supporting this brand. 

Repurchase: No.  

Trader Joe’s Hair Oil 

Trader Joe’s products are all cruelty-free, and that is a big win in my book. I might end up switching a couple of things over. However, one of those things will probably not be the hair oil. I would consider repurchasing this product since it was cheap and worked well enough. Though, the pump didn’t work very well for me and would spit a little bit of oil out at a time, and it wasn’t the type of oil I like for my hair. I think I would much rather use an oily serum than this, as it didn’t sink in as much as I wanted it to. I am very interested in Trader Joe’s beauty products though, so I think I will try more in the future. 

Repurchase: No.

Kitsch Moisturizing Leave-In Conditioner

I did like this item, and I do think it works to a certain extent, but when I was using this and the heat protectant at the same time, I found that the heat protectant was just as moisturizing for my hair type as the leave-in conditioner was. If I had to choose either one, I would choose the heat protectant because I do typically end up using heat on my hair at least once between washes. If you don’t use heat, then I do recommend this leave-in conditioner. I thought it was nice and smelled really good. Actually, overall, a big benefit was the smell. It is super individual, and I think it lasts a good while. If I end up not using heat as much, I will resort back to this rather than the heat protectant. 

Repurchase: No.  

Kitsch Hair Perfume - Warm Sugar 

I was really interested in these hair perfumes, so I bought a pack of two. I bought this one alongside the pistachio latte scent, and I can understand why people really like this smell, but I actually prefer the pistachio latte. This was really sweet and smelled a bit like vanilla and cotton candy, which I typically would be really into, but on my hair, I found that the smell didn’t last a long time. For some reason, the pistachio latte smell lasts a lot longer. That is actually not why I am not repurchasing this, though. The reason I am not repurchasing this is because the perfume that I use daily is an oil-based perfume, and I can put that in my hair. So, I actually have no reason to buy a hair perfume outside of that, and I don’t want to lean into overconsumption. I am glad that I tried it, and I will recycle my bottle and call it a day. 

Repurchase: No.  

Kitsch Tea Tree Shampoo

I really like this shampoo. I bought this to use on occasion during my double shampoo process so that I could remove some of the hard water buildup from my hair. My hair stylist recommended this because of the area that we live in. I think it worked well, and as a shampoo overall, it left my hair squeaky clean. I don’t plan on buying this product again right away, but if I go to grab a shampoo that will help with hard water, it will be this one. 

Repurchase: Yes.  

No makeup empties in August! Check back next month ~

Smart Life Bamboo Toothbrush

I have really missed using bamboo toothbrushes. I love that a daily activity has become more eco-friendly. I don’t remember when or why I stopped using bamboo toothbrushes, but for me, I see no downside. I think that this is an easy switch, and I bought them in bulk so I will have toothbrushes for years to come. 

Repurchase: Yes.

PINK Body Mist - Warm & Cozy 

I was at PINK and made an exchange but had a bit of credit that I needed to use up to exchange my item, so I grabbed two mini body mists to match the difference. This used to be my favorite scent growing up, so I wanted to live in that fantasy world again. It was nice at first, but then I remembered why I stopped using these. The smell goes away so fast, and in my opinion, after a while of smelling it, all I can smell is an alcohol-like scent. I also don’t think PINK body lotions and mists are vegan or cruelty-free, so I won’t be making that mistake again, and I will come more prepared the next time I need to make an exchange. 

Repurchase: No.  

Walmart Loofah 

I really want to find an eco-friendly version of a loofah that will fit into my lifestyle. I have found loofahs made of recycled plastic or loofahs that are from eco-friendly brands, but I want to find something that sticks. I know the obvious answer would be to just use a washcloth, and I like using a washcloth, but for me, it doesn’t get and stay sudsy enough. Because, I hate to admit it, I love using a loofah. So, originally, I had this marked as a “yes,” but I changed it to a “no” to say to myself that I will try to find an alternative, and in the meantime, I will use a washcloth. 

Repurchase: No.  

Schick Hydrosilk Face Razors 

These have become so unreliable. I used these for so long, but I am finally separating from them. I was able to find a cruelty-free and vegan brand that sells equally sharp razors, so I will be switching to that brand. I used to really like these, but with my last couple of packs, the tops of the razors kept snapping off. I am shaving my face, so I’m obviously not even using a lot of pressure, but the tops would easily break off. I don’t know if they switched manufacturers or started trying to skimp on their quality, but whatever they did shows because the item barely works now. 

Repurchase: No.  

Interested in more empties reviews? Check out My July 2026 Beauty and Health Empties and Reviews!

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