and Feb Empties 2021

 Like I mentioned last time February's flew by so quickly that I didn't even post my empties. Here I am with empties from Jan & Feb

Alps Goodness Shea Butter Shower Gel

200 ml

Decent enough. I'm not digging the scent. Will probably be buying a different variant in future. 

Gram flour

500 gm

I'm a huge believer in the power of washing my face with gram flour ever since it helped control a bout of adult acne 10 years ago. Since then I've incorporated it into my skincare routine. Sometimes I wash my face with a mixture of gram flour and fuller's earth; other times I just like to use it on it's own. Either way I get through this quickly. Will be repurchasing forever. 

Tulips Cotton Pads 50 pieces

Since the past 6 months I've been using super soft flannels to cleanse my face instead of cotton & this pack of 50 cotton rounds lasted forever & a half for me. Pretty decent. 

NY Bae Nail Lacquer Remover

30 ml

Average nail polish remover. Nothing exciting. 

Fiama Shampoo 30 ml

Fiama Body Lotion 30 ml

Why are these not getting done with? God knows I've been using these a lot. Trying to get rid of all minis from hotels etc

February 

Liril Berry Blast Body Wash

250 ml

I hated this one. Smells super sweet & I constantly felt like I was lathering up with mixed fruit jam! Never again 

Good Vibes Havana Mango Hydrating Gel

Good Vibes Aloe Vera Gel

10 ml each

I'm so glad I had the sense to buy the smallest size available for these gels. They are okay, definitely not the best & I will not be repurchasing when I finally finish all of them. Why in hell did I buy so many! 

Alps Goodness Cucumber Soothing Face Mask

29 gm

I like to use a clay mask every other day in summer. Like all of Purplle's in house brands, these are pretty average. I like the fact that they have tiny sizes available. Even if you don't like the product you will not be stuck with it forever. 1 down, 3 more to go

Maliao Rose Gold Elixir Face Serum

15 ml

Where do I begin with this one? As you can probably tell, this is a dupe of Farsali Rose Gold Elixir. When have I ever not liked a dupe & so bought this immediately. Its a bright yellow oil with gold flakes (really? At 200 bucks!). This is one of my pet peeves - why use gold/silver flakes in skincare? I strongly believe that it will aggravate acne. I used this on my neck since it was too heavy for my face. Smells like oil with no discernable scent & it stains. Who would add colorants to a leave on skin product? Stay away. 

Fiama Body Lotion 30 ml

Random Hotel Body Lotion

Seemingly endless supply.

Discards

Profusion Eyeshadow Palette

Bought this ages ago & loved it initially. Haven't reached for it in a long time

Lip balm

Super waxy, does not moisturise & smells of castor oil. Into the bin. 

Habit tracker for New Year Resolutions

 Since I had a couple of makeup resolutions this year I decided to use a habit tracker. Normally I don't have patience with sitting & colouring different blocks every single day. I did the only thing I could & moved it to my phone & replaced the colours with smilies. So much easier 

Sunscreen - This was the easiest thing for me. I've used sunscreen every single day since I was 15 & this just felt like getting back to routine. All I had to do was keep my sunscreen up front so I didn't have to hunt for it. 23/31 days

Eyeliner - I struggled with this one initially but now I can draw a neat line, close to my upper lash line in under a minute. 23/31 days

Blush - I used my cream & liquid blushes this month as they will be the first to expire. I'm surprised by how easy this was to master. In just a few days I went from clown cheeks to barely there I'm blushing from within glow. Practice does make perfect after all. 19/31 days

No Buy - The hardest thing for me. I steered clear of all shopping apps & was repeating "I have enough" like a mantra. It did help that I made a makeup inventory at the end of last year. It's easy to lull yourself with 'I don't have that many just a few here & there' but it does make a difference when you see them all together. However I saw a couple of good deals while I was ordering groceries & I really struggled with letting them go. I always stock up on face wash and body washes when they are on sale & this felt like wasting a good opportunity. (You can take the girl out of India but you can't take the Indianess out of the girl) It's taken an iron will & the realization that I have enough to last forever to stop stocking up. 31/31 days

I will be adding using an eyelash curler to these in February. Baby steps. How are your resolutions doing? 

Monthly Empties - December 2020

 Last empties of the year or the first first empties post of the new year; depending on how you look at it 

Lacto Calamine 60 ml

I've been using this from forever. It's a life saver for people with oily skin. The only thing I don't like is the packaging... a lot of the product gets stuck at the shoulder (?!) of the bottle. Already have several backups. 

Maybelline Super Fresh Compact 8g

I cannot tell you how happy I am to finally finish this one. It seemed to last forever & a half! 

Vayam Eladi Moisture Restoring Night Cream 30g

Vayam is an in-house brand of Purplle & they are hell bent on copying all of Kama Ayurveda's products. When have I ever not loved a dupe? I bought this immediately to test. It's a nice, rich cream which absorbs easily & dries to a matte finish. As I have oily skin, I used this only on my neck for added moisture. The problem for me is the strong smell of Elaichi.. I constantly feel like I'm applying kheer. If you can tolerate the smell of cardamom go for it. The product is great 

Good Vibes Argan Facial Oil with Silver Leaves 10 ml

After a great experience using GV Rosehip Serum I used this one with great hopes. It's thicker than the Rosehip Serum and smells like oil (meh!). It's a transparent oil with silver leaf. Silver leaf seems a bit extra - I'm not sure it adds anything to the oil other than make it aesthetically pleasing. In any case, how much silver can you possibly put in a product that costs less than 200 bucks? Again I used this only on my neck as I felt it was heavy for my oily skin + I was scared the silver leaf would aggravate acne on my face. 

Nivea Roll on Deodorant 50 ml

I don't know how many of these I bought but I seem to have an endless supply. Good enough but bored now... Looking for a change 

Pond's Cold Cream 7g

I like to use this as my first cleanse as it can melt sunscreen and makeup with great ease. 

Tresemme Shampoo sachets 7. 5ml

Finally done with sachets 

Fiama Shampoo 30 ml 

Fiama Conditioner 30 ml

These seem to be multiplying where I left them. Every time I open the drawer there seems to be more than the last time. At least I'll not run out of shampoo and conditioner during my No Buy. 

How's the new year treating you? 

 I don't have a whole lot of bronzers & I'm so glad this category is more manageable 

SFR Color Baked Bronzer Pro Glow #1

* Love this, provides a subtle glow which you can build up. 

* No chunky glitter, very finely milled shimmer

* Love the swirly pattern

 * Packaging is great, does not feel cheap or plasticky

* Very faint smell, nothing disturbing

Mars Glow Highlighter Liquid in #7

Very subtle glow, no chunky glitter. I can even use it as a highlighter when I'm tanned. With 15 ml of product I don't think I'll ever reach the bottom of this bottle.

Monthly Empties - November 2020

 So happy to finally finish some long standing products from my stash 

Alps Goodness Mulberry & Rose Face Wash

INR 99 for 100 ml

I could have sworn this was a rose pink colour when I bought it. It seems to have deteriorated into a milky cream colour somewhere along the way. Alps Goodness's products are okayish, nothing to write home about. They do the job. However my main problem with them is the severe posturing, the trying to be "look, I just descended from the alps" thing. I hate it that ALL products have Swiss/German names when it's a home grown brand manufactured somewhere near Mumbai. What gives? 

O'range Menthol & Eucalyptus Shower Gel

INR 135 for 250 ml

I love the scent of this. Will probably be repurchasing after I finish all the shower gels in my kitty. 

Gokul Santol Pure Sandalwood Soap

INR 35 for 75 gm

Something I bought to qualify for free shipping on Amazon & have regretted ever since. I think I have one more of this. 

Parachute Coco Aloe Gel

INR 50 for 50 ml

Average product. Got this as a gift with purchase. 

Amor Amor by Cacherel

30 ml

I'd bought this on my first trip abroad when I was going through a 70's phase + Cacherel was not available in India back then. Once home I realized that the perfume was too mature for me. Now 10 years down the line I still think it's too mature for me. Anyway managed to finish it within the year. 

This is the third perfume I've finished using up this year & I couldn't be more proud. 

Fiama Shampoo 30 ml

More from the hotel stash 

Tresemme Shampoo sachets X 4

INR 3 each

Getting rid of the sachets. That's the last of them

Discards

MN Curl Fix Mascara

Dried out completely 

Huda Beauty Eyeliner

This one too. Hadn't used it in a while 

Virgin Italy Eyebrow Pencil

Super hard texture + I don't even fill my eyebrows regularly

That's it for November. Have you finished any "I will not die" products? 

Makeup Inventory 2020 - Blushes

 Next stop, blushes. In all my years of using makeup I've never been more scared of any product than blush. It's taken years for me to finally be able to wear it outdoors. Bit of a personal battle. Let's start 

ADS Magic Blusher Shade 2

This is my oldest blush palette. It has a nice shimmery finish & because of that I hardly ever reach clown cheeks stage. Also the colours are pretty unique for something so cheap. 

Mars 5 Color Blush

I bought this because I loved the packaging and have a similar contour palettte as well. Supremely pigmented, you barely need a smidgen. 

Mars 5 Color Blusher Palette Shade 2

16 gm

Again superb pigmentation. Hard not to go overboard

SFR Color Flower Blusher 01

10 gm

How gorgeous is this! Made up of mostly pale, barely there shades; it works great as an everyday blush. 10 freaking grams of it! I don't think I'll ever make a dent on it. 

Faces Mineral Blush in Pink Topaz 

6 gm

An old favourite, a pretty coral 

Maybelline Cheeky Glow in Creamy Cinnamon 

7gm

Another favourite especially now that I'm over pink blushes in general 

Faces Cream Blush in Peach Glow

3.5 gm

I love this colour - neither orange nor peach but just right 

SFR Color Blusher in Naked Apricot

4 gm 

Slightly more deeper than the Maybelline one. I would highly recommend that you get it. The cute, magnetic packaging is a definite plus

Mars Glow Highlighter Liquid in 5

15 ml

Nice & glowy. The glitter is a bit much for my liking but I still make it work. 

P. S : The lighting is all over the place but please bear with me 

Makeup Inventory 2020 - Eyeliners

 Almost done with my inventory. Listing all my eyeliners today 

Hang Ling Liquid 

I only bought this for the packaging. Super cute. This is also the only eyeliner I have that has a stick applicator. 

Insight Waterproof Eyeliner

Decent enough. I like the fact that it has a long brush handle which makes it easier to apply. It stays shiny and does not dry down to a matte finish. 

Zovi Waterproof Eyeliner

I love this colour. Dries down matte and stays put forever 

Kiss Beauty Sequins Liquid Glitter Eyeliner

This one feels nice and expensive. Looks pretty on its own but can even be applied all over the lid for a sheer glittery finish. 

ADS Star Printing Eyeliner Pen

The pigmentation is not that good but I bought it only for the star print side of it. Okayish. 

Yanqina Eyeliner Pen

Wow! Super pigmented and stays put through anything 

Maliao Super Liner

Again a wow product 

Maybelline HyperGlossy Liquid Liner

Good old golden liner

ADS Cushion Gel Liner

Wow & a half. This one deserves a separate review 

ADS Pro Eyeliner ner Gel + Powder

Again a great product 

Castillo Eyeliner in Black, Brown, Gold, Teal, Grey & Taupe

I love these, they can be used on the waterline as well. 

Miss Claire Glimmersticks

A lovely colour. Doesn't stay put for a long time especially in the waterline

Phew! If I do the blushes next I'll be done