March/April 2025 Empties

Welcome to another empties post with mini reiews! I didn't have a ton of empties in March so I lumped them together with April's. Let's dive in! 

Cerave Hydrating Cream-to-Foam Cleanser (Removes Makeup) - This was by far one of my best finds back in 2023. The fact that it is easy to get (any drug store) and is reasonably priced is fantastic. This cleanser is very hydrating, gentle, does not play with my skin barrier and removes my makeup including eye makeup! Makes my skin so clean! I tend to use this only at night but I think you could use it in the morning too if you want. Already repurchased. This is easily in my Top 5 cleansers. 

Summer Fridays Lip Butter Balm in Vanilla Beige and Iced Coffee - I got a mini set of 4 of these last Fall during the Sephora sale. I bought them as I wanted to try a variety of scents and colours. The Iced Coffee one grew on me quickly and I would repurchase that scent no problem. The Vanilla Beige was ok. I really like Summer Fridays lip butter balms and although I wished they lasted longer on the lips, I think they are one of the best lip balms you can get on the market. I have already repurchased a regular sized tube in Birthday Cake and will be reviewing that one for you shortly. 

The Inkey List Supersolutions 10% Azelaic Acid Serum - This product has been a lifesaver for my rosacea. I have already repurchased. Can't live without it now. This is a must have for anyone with rosacea and the beauty is you can layer it with other serums. I highly recommend using it twice a day for full effectiveness. I am not sure how many of these I have gone through now but I will be buying it likely forever. 

Sol de Janeiro Rio Deo Refill in Brazilian Jasmine & Pink Dragonfruit - I quite like this deodorant and have gone through a few of these already. I am starting to get confused with all of the scents. I think I like the original one the best. The refills never seem to sit right in the containers and the temporary lids are awful. All that being said, I do like this product and have repurchased. I would'nt say it is workout appropriate, you would need something stronger but it's great for day to day.

AOA Studio Super Soft PawPaw Wonder Blender - I don't care what anyone says, these sponges are far inferior to the Beautyblender. I don't find these to be as porous as the Beautyblender and therefore product tends to sit on top of the sponge and slide around more. You don't get as good of a blend. Also, I find these dry weird and can get moldy after a bit which I never had happen with the Beautyblender. Since I bought a bag of 6 I will use them up but then it's back to spending good money on Beautyblenders again and I am ok with that. 

Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask in Berry - I really enjoy a lot of these Laneige Lip Sleeping Masks and I have to say that the Berry scent is by far the best scent from their regular line. In general, I tend to prefer some of their limited edition scents. Already repurchased in a few other scents. 

Skin MD Natural Shielding Lotion - I bought this a long time ago online from the U.S. At the time, I couldn't find it here in Canada. I was starting to get some dry patches on my hands in winter and this was recommended by a beauty influencer that I follow. It did seem to work well and I think I had two bottles of them and this was the second one. First one is long finished. I hadn't used it in awhile. I noticed it was nearly empty so I decided recently to use it up. If this was readily available, I might repurchase, but I don't think it is. I also think other creams have come onto the market in recent years that are better so I would likely buy those first. 

Aveeno Restorative Skin Therapy Repairing Cream – This was one of the best Aveeno lotions that I have tried and let me tell you, they are not all created equal. I really liked this cream and I will likely repurchase.

Caudalie Hand & Nail Repairing Cream in The des Vignes (The Vines?) – I got a set of 3 of these in a Holiday Set a year and a half ago. I have used up 2 of them so far and am on my 3^rd and final one. I really liked this hand cream and I will be repurchasing once I have used up the last one I have. It’s great to throw into your purse and I do find that it moisturizes both my nails and my hands well. 

Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair Eye Concentrate Matrix - First thing I have to mention is that the wand inside broke off very quickly and I had to use a Q-tip to get the product out. That was disappointing. This s a sample size though so the packaging was not going to be stellar. I think the product was nice enough. It was soothing on the eyes and I think I may have looked a bit more refreshed when I woke up after wearing it overnight. I didn't really notice it doing anything for my dark circles in general though. It is an expensive product so not sure I will purchase it in the future, but I won't rule it out. 

Makeup by Mario Moistureglow Plumping Lip Serum in Rosewood Glow - I got this as a Sephora birthday gift along with a lip liner from the same brand. I liked the colour, but I think it is more of a autumn shade so I wouldn't rush to wear it in spring or summer. Even though this is a minty plumping product and not terribly tingly, I really detest plumpers and as a general rule, will not buy them. I don't need them and I don't care for the sensation. It was a decent product, but since it is a plumper, I will not buy it. The packing was awful and the inner tube would not retract if you turned it up too high. Since this was sample, I don't know if the regular sized tube would be the same. 

Biossance Squalane + Marine Algae Eye Cream x2 - I thought I only had 1 of these sample jars, but somehow I had two and was using them simultaneously. Part of my confusion was that I have the same sized jar by the same company with face cream in it. Anyway, I managed to finish both of the eye creams recently. I didn't find it was any better than any of the other eye creams I have used and it did didley squat for my dark circles. Some days, I even found it burned a little so I had to be careful to not place it too high up under my eye. Would not repurchase, but I love the glass jar and will be reusing it for travel with another product in it. 

Charlotte Tilbury Magic Cream- This is my ride or die. I've spoken about this at length so will spare you all. Already repurchased. 

I already have my May empties piling up so should be back soon with more mini reviews.