I realize I haven’t done an empties post for like… Never? Usually its one product here, and another one there; never felt like I could do a proper post on it as I never managed to gather more than two products within three months. And one or both products would often be a facial cleanser.
But as of late I’ve been super beauty-obsessed and bought more than I need. Which has resulted in me going on a no-buy (but I’m allowed to buy things I don’t have) as well as in a total of 7 products being emptied around the same time! Three of these are, of no surprise, face washes.
If you like more of these types of posts I might try to save empties for a little bit longer and do one every quarter. How does that sound?
If you have any additional questions or have tried these products, I’d love to hear your thoughts and experiences!
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Apoteket Deep Cleansing Face Wash
I wrote a bit more in-depth about it on Instagram (here).
It’s a soap-free gentle face wash for acne prone (typical teenage skin) with a low pH of 4.5. That also includes Salicylic Acid, Lactic Acid, and Glycolic Acid to gently exfoliate the skin.
This face wash did work well as a body wash to control my fungal acne on my chest and back that I occasionally suffer from because of sweaty clothes. But didn’t have a general impact on blemishes for either me or my boyfriend. Though it felt gentle and non-drying, I never really liked using it because of the clinical scent and that it left a taste on my lips.
Additional: Only sold in Sweden at Apoteket
Repurchase? Maybe as a body wash.
L300 Intensive Moisture Cleansing Mousse
I’ll be doing a more in-depth review with comparison to their other cleansers in the future, so I might repeat myself.
This cleanser is for dry skin types and I was doubtful at first, would it be too nourishing perhaps or even work at all? Although they also have a milk cleanser in the same range, I was asking myself how they dared to even sell a foaming cleanser for dry skin at all? It didn’t make sense.
Now, I don’t have dry skin per say, but it definitely doesn’t feel drying at all as some cleansers, but not as moisturizing as I imagined either. This cleanser made me fall in love with the mousse-format again, and it’s my absolute favorite foaming/2nd cleanser of 2017! I’d say it’s more for Normal/Combination/Dehydrated skin, and could possibly work as a second cleanse for very dry skin.
It’s cheap and is sold at most pharmacies around Sweden, and lasts a long time. It has a pH of 5.0-5.5 and contains sodium PCA, glycine, fructose, urea, niacinamide, and lactic acid, in a soap-free formula.
I’ve had a somewhat negative experience recently with a few mousse cleanser, where the foam would “die off” as soon as it came in contact with the skin. But this is a proper foaming cleanser, not one of those water-types. You don’t even need the pump to make it foam (I’ve tested it), the liquid does that naturally. And therefore it feels like it actually cleanses. The foam feels very soft, gentle and luxurious, just as claimed, and is one of the best I’ve had! Works even great with my FOREO Luna!
Additional: Only sold in Sweden/Scandinavia, found at most pharmacies and now even at Åhléns.
Repurchase? Will definitely come back to it in the future!
MyChelle Hydrating Cactus Mask
I haven’t changed my thoughts about it, since my review (check it out here). I remember complaining about it only being 35ml, but looking at it, it has lasted me 2 years! A little goes a long way! However, that’s a hint that I haven’t been using it a lot in the end.
Though it has Hyaluronic Acid and even Copper Tripeptide-1, I’ve come to the conclusion that I want something more from a hydrating mask. Less butter, more oomph and plump. Know of any face masks for dehydrated skin rather than dry skin?
Recently I’ve turned to sheet masks for hydration, as they rarely contain oils or butter, which is not really the kind of hydration I need. But I’d love to find something less wasteful and in a tube! All recommendations are welcome!
Repurchase? If I don’t find something better, otherwise no.
The Face Shop Rice Light Cleansing Oil
This was my very first K-beauty product which I ordered from iHerb. I’ve updated my review, which you can read here together with the rest of the products I ordered at same the time.
I’ve currently switched to Klairs black cleansing oil, but if it wasn’t for the perfume, I’d go back to this one in a heartbeat. Little hint of what I think of the Klairs lol
I haven’t tested out a lot of oil cleansers, but I truly loved how light this one felt and how well it washes off. Some say it leaves a film even after a second cleanse, I can’t say I’ve experienced this. Other’s, like Gothamista, has talked about this cleanser and said that it’s got a mild fragrance. Which you know, I can’t agree with. And it’s not just that it has a strong scent, I don’t even find it to smell any good. My wish would be that the Face Shop created a similar cleansing oil but with a milder or fragrance-free version!
Nonetheless, despite the heavy fragrance, I was surprised that my skin never seemed to react badly to it! And when I reached the bottom, the scent felt less bothersome. So unless I find something similar or better with none or milder fragrance, I might actually come back to this one consider the price. The Face Shop has for some reason not become as widely reachable as some other K-beauty brands here in Sweden, but it’s not difficult ordering it from other sites.
Repurchase? Yes, if I won’t’ find a similar light cleansing oil with less fragrance to none.
Giovanni Leave-In Weightless Conditioner
I bought this as I wanted to experiment with leave-in conditioners as I usually skip that step and rely on styling products and oils.
Although my hair seems to be fine without a conditioner, I’m still concerned and want to nourish my hair in some way.
I picked this up after reading a bunch of reviews and because it said “weightless” on it. My hair tends to get weighed down easily, so I thought, this must be perfect for me!
Unfortunately, despite it having 4/5 stars on iHerb and people truly loving it on LuckyVitamin, this didn’t work for me. You can read my thoughts on it here, as my opinion has not changed much since then.
It’s great that it’s silicone-free and natural, but it simply wasn’t what I was looking for and did not deliver the definition I wanted.
The way I’ve used this up is by using it as a regular rinse-off conditioner. It worked much better this way for me, but overall it didn’t impress me much. I might try other Giovanni products in the future and will try to not make this experience fall negatively on them just because of this one product.
Repurchase? No.
Dr. Jart Water Drop
I got this in the Dr. Jart K-Beauty A BB C’s-kit, together with their Micro Water micellar water and Premium Beauty Balm. (Read my post here!)
I’ve been using it on and off and it wasn’t until the end that I actually started liking it. On its own, it left my skin feeling a bit rubbery. But together with a face oil, especially Korres Black Pine oil serum, it worked synergistically and created a soft feeling and gorgeous dewy glow to the skin. Whenever I’d use this combo and post a morning selfie on Instagram, you guys would comment on it!
I already have another one stocked up ready to use because I bought another kit. But it’s not my favorite moisturizer. The Water Drop moisturizer feels more like a serum that needs something on top to really make it feel quenching. I saw a brighter and evener complexion for sure, but it needs to be combined with a light oil for ultimate effect and feeling.
Repurchase? Not the full size, but I don’t mind getting it in kits and so on.
ACO Lift & Fill serum
Read my review here. I still like this one, but overall, in the end, I think I like the other discontinued version better, to be honest. Like I mentioned in my review, this one has a better feeling to it, but the other one felt much more calming and moisturizing than this one.
I have so many other serums at the moment, that I won’t be repurchasing this one straight.
Additional: Only sold in Sweden in most pharmacies.
Repurchase? Not necessarily.
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