The Neutrogena HydroBoost moisturizer has been on every ‘empties’ post I’ve done so far, which tells you all you need to know. It’s hydrating without being greasy, and I think it works well with oily skin like mine, even under makeup. I have tried a couple higher end products like the Peter Thomas Roth Water Gel moisturizer as well, and the HydroBoost gives you the best bang for your buck, in my opinion. Also, it’s one product where I feel that the generic versions (i.e. the CVS version) aren’t quite as good as the original. It comes in an unscented version as well, although I like the scent. I use the ‘cream’ version of the moisturizer in winter and it’s thicker, but somehow still doesn’t make my skin too oily.
This face wash is really gentle yet effective and I love it. It’s my favorite face wash I’ve used that’s not a luxury product, but it’s about double the price of all the other drug store face washes, so it’s not a steal or anything. What I appreciate about this product is that my face doesn’t feel tight and dry after I use it, but my face doesn’t get oily super quick either. It’s the perfect balance for me.
Okay somehow Living Proof just outdoes themselves every time they come out with a new dry shampoo. The Advanced Clean dry shampoo is pricy, but it’s by far the best dry shampoo I’ve ever used. I don’t feel the need to use it for work, but if I need to look good and I can’t wash my hair that day, this is the only product I’d trust. My mom has wavier hair that is dryer than mine and she didn’t like this product though, so I think it’s best for folks with the type of hair that gets oily within 24 hours like my own.
This Korres conditioner was gifted to me and I didn’t want to waste it, so I used the whole thing. It’s a good product and it does the job well, but I wouldn’t have purchased it on my own because the scent is not my favorite. It’s sort of shea buttery and it’s quite strong. Objectively, it smells nice, but it’s just not the scent I want for my hair. The product I linked is a different scent (it seems like they only have a couple scents available at a time), so maybe I’d like that one more.
This Aavrani mask is something I’ve been meaning to review for a while. There’s a part of me that wants to give it a raving review because it’s a South Asian American owned brand and I would LOVE to see them on the shelves at Sephora. I absolutely think there’s a large market for South Asian beauty products. This product is a shelf stable version of a pretty popular South Asian mask recipe that involves yogurt, turmeric, honey, and chick pea flour. The Aavrani mask smells so much better than the traditional recipe, I’ll tell you that much. I think it does brighten the skin, but in general, I feel like I don’t ever expect masks to make a huge difference. To me, they’re kinda more for fun than for getting big results, and I think that’s how I feel about this mask. I rely on my daily retinol and sunscreen and vitamin C to keep my skin in good condition and I don’t usually expect masks to do the heavy lifting, so I’m happy with this mask. If that’s your expectation as well, I think this mask is a good one to try. I wouldn’t expect it to TRANSFORM your skin, but it will brighten a tad!
The Shiseido sunscreen is so nice for the body! It absorbs quickly, doesn’t get your skin too greasy, and it leaves a nice sheen. I’m sure there are other good body sunscreens out there, but this one was gifted to me and it felt luxurious to use. I wouldn’t repurchase, only because of the price tag, but it was by far the best body sunscreen I’ve used.
In all honesty, this Hourglass concealer really isn’t an ‘empty’ since I didn’t finish it. I was really excited about this product when I bought it, but it didn’t look quite as natural on me as the way the brand’s marketing imagery made it look on the Sephora website. I believe I had the correct shade for my skin tone, but it just looked like makeup on my face rather than blending in seamlessly. I tried to like it but I didn’t reach for it enough, and I recently noticed it has a fishy odor, which is super unappealing. Obviously it’s gone bad, but I will say that no other makeup product I’ve had for a long time has developed such a stench. It’s not a bad product, I think it just wasn’t the right formula for me and it was probably higher coverage than what I wanted.
