My May 2025 Beauty and Health Empties and Reviews
In 2024, I took a look at my bathroom and vanity and saw a plethora of items that I either didn’t use or didn’t like. I owned them either because someone gave them to me or I bought them to try, but most were either half-used or not used at all. These products ended up looking like junk, and I wanted to enjoy what I was using on my body and face. Then I started my beauty empties series on TikTok.
Every product I finished, I reviewed and decided whether I liked it enough to repurchase or not. I set out to have one of each product that I deemed valuable enough, and get rid of the items that weren’t important to me without wasting the product inside. After deleting TikTok in January 2025, I wanted to continue my series to document my journey of slowly dwindling my product usage and finding what works best for me. With that, welcome to my beauty and health empties series!
PanOxyl 10% Benzoyl Peroxide Acne Foaming Wash
Review: I’ve been using this cleanser for a couple of years now, and it has to be my all-time favorite. I tried straying from it once, and that immediately backfired. If you choose to use it, make sure you are cleansing for two minutes for the full effect.
Repurchase: 100%
SKIN1004 Madagascar Centella Toning Toner
Review: I bought almost the entire Centella line from SKIN1004, and this was the product I finished last. It lasted me a very long time, I loved the way it made my skin look, and I believe that it was effective. When I purchased this, I could only get it from South Korea, but now it is sold at Ulta, and some people even find it at Michaels. I do like moisturizing toners, and for me, this was not that.
Repurchase: No, I prefer other toners more for my skin type.
CeraVe Resurfacing Retinol Serum
Review: I used to be on tretinoin prescribed by a dermatologist, and after going off of it, I waited a while to go back to retinol. When I finally did, this was my retinol of choice, and I have been using it since. I would like something a little bit stronger, so I am up for recommendations, but this works well enough that I wouldn’t play around with other brands for fun if they were not recommended to me.
Repurchase: Yes.
Glow Recipe Watermelon Glow Niacinamide Dew Drops
Review: I did not purchase it; rather, it was given to me, so I had no pressure on hoping this would work or not. Though I loved the smell, this is not moisturizing enough for me, and if I cannot use it as a moisturizer, then I have no purpose in spending money on it. I understand some people use this purely to give their skin a glow, but I moisturize and use sunscreen, both of which give me a moisturizing glow.
Repurchase: Since it cannot replace my moisturizer or sunscreen, no.
Que Bella Detox & Refine 3 Face Mask Set
Review: These were a gift to me for Christmas, and I thought they were very fun for a girls’ night as a simple mask to use. I believe there is a moisturizing set rather than a detox set that I would recommend (that the same friend gifted me), as I did see a bit of texture on my skin after using different masks in this box. While that may have been my skin detoxing, I don’t know, I prefer focusing on moisturization to soothe my skin rather than something like exfoliation.
Repurchase: No.
Carol’s Daughter Goddess Strength Fortifying Shampoo
Review: I have been trying to lean into reviving my curly hair this year, so when I found this shampoo, I was so excited to try it. I used to use Shea Moisture, but after they were bought, I’ve been trying to find a replacement. The smell of this shampoo? Phenomenal. That alone makes me want to repurchase, but unfortunately, I’m not sure I liked the look and feel of my hair enough after using this shampoo enough to buy it again. It didn’t fight against my frizz, which is primarily what I am looking for.
Repurchase: Sadly, no.
Garnier Whole Blends Hair Honey Repairing Serum
Review: I was looking for a hair product that would tame my frizz and picked this up. While I’m not sure it repaired anything like it says it will in the product title, I loved the smell, and I loved the way it soaked into my hair. I used this when slicking back my hair for ponytails or buns, and also when I straightened my hair and wanted to make it sleeker. I hope to find a product similar to this that repairs more and is a bit more oily.
Repurchase: Probably not.
Elizavecca CER-100 Collagen Ceramide Coating Protein Treatment
Review: I heard great reviews about this product online, but when I tried it myself, I was underwhelmed. I’m not sure if it isn’t for my hair type or if it was overhyped, but I didn’t see any difference in my hair after use. I even tried using it in different suggested ways I saw online, and nothing. If anything, I felt my hair was a bit drier, which, of course, is not what I am looking for.
Repurchase: No.
L’Oreal Paris Infallible Up to 24 Hour Fresh Wear Foundation
Review: I’ve seen this product advertised as up to 32 hours of fresh wear, but all the bottles say 24 hours, so I find that suspicious, but either way, I loved this foundation. It was great coverage, and I think it stayed on my skin very well. This was also one of the foundations I could find with the closest color match to my olive skin, rather than showing up too pink or too yellow. I would like to try more lightweight products, but that doesn’t take away from how good this product is.
Repurchase: Yes, if I wanted a full coverage foundation.
Anastasia Beverly Hills Clear Brow Gel
Review: This product is so old that I think the packaging has changed completely, but no matter how old it was, it served me well until the last use. This was gifted to me, and I loved this product so much. If it were cheaper, I would probably repurchase, but I am a fan of cheap and good, not expensive and good. Right customer. Wrong tax bracket.
Repurchase: No.
KISS Lash Couture Latex-Free Super Strong Strip Eyelash Adhesive
Review: I love KISS lash glue, and I think it works very well, so I always repurchase. This was the black lash glue, and for me, it was a bit too shiny and not matte enough. I felt that when I put on the amount that I needed to make the lashes stay, you could see light reflecting off the glue, and I am not a fan of that. After I peeled the lashes off as well, I wasn’t a fan of the residue it left on my lashes and lash line because what is normally clear is now black. I will be going back to clear, but love you, KISS.
Repurchase: No.
Lancome Drama Liqui-Pencil Extreme Longwear Eyeliner
Review: Okay, I’m almost positive this product is so old that it is discontinued now, but it became so hard to sharpen, I had to give up. I also had to heat this product with a hairdryer for it to glide like I wanted it to. I was not very impressed with the application of this eyeliner, and that is very important to me because it is a product that goes around the eyes. I like something with easy application, so there is less pressure on the waterline and around the eye area.
Repurchase: No, but it’s discontinued, so I can’t anyway.
KISS So Wispy Lash Multipack - Pixie
Review: Since early high school, I have been a KISS 11 girl. The only reason I bought a pack of Pixie is because they were out of 11. I will say, I did use all of them, and I loved how they made my eyes look. They are a bit less dramatic than 11, so if you want something even more natural that still adds oomph to the look, I would say Pixie is a great choice.
Repurchase: If they are out of 11, sure.
Old Spice Men’s Wilderness with Lavender Antiperspirant & Deodorant
Review: I’ve always used Old Spice deodorant, but this was my first time using this scent. I wasn’t wowed, and I honestly haven’t been impressed with Old Spice lately either. I think their scent selection is going downhill, and I’m not sure if they changed their formula, but it hasn’t been working as well as normal for me, so I may try other brands soon.
Repurchase: No.
Vaseline Intensive Care Cocoa Radiant Gel Oil
Review: I loved the scent of this product, but the texture itself was too heavy for me and didn’t sink into my skin enough to make me love it. Though it is an oil product, it is very thick, so a little goes a long way, but since gel is involved as well, that made hair stick to my skin more as well (I have a long-haired dog).
Repurchase: No.
Nature Made Zinc 30mg Tablets
Review: Short and sweet. I was told to take zinc. Every time I took it, no matter the time of day, no matter if I ate before or after, it always made me overly nauseous to the point I thought I would be sick. I tried.
Repurchase: No.
Bath & Body Works Vanilla Buttercream Hand Cream
Review: I only buy stuff like this when I have a coupon, so I did in fact get this for free, with a coupon. The scent was amazing, and I loved the texture. It is a shea butter hand cream, so it was very moisturizing, and I didn’t need to reapply it often due to how well it worked. I’m a big vanilla and cupcake scent fan, and the smell stayed for a long time after application as well. Without the coupon, I believe this product is $8, which, for me, is outrageous.
Repurchase: Not without a coupon.
