Beauty Empties Product Reviews: Volume 9 (The Hits & Misses)

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My empties posts always seem to be spaced quite far apart, but I am finally back with another roundup! I can’t believe we are already on beauty empties product reviews volume 9.

To be fair, my progress takes a while because I don’t include the same repeat products more than once—no one wants to read a repetitive review of the same shower gel three times. Plus, in the spirit of my intentional low-buy journey, it simply takes me ages to completely finish things.

From foundations that completely missed the mark to a bath soak that accidentally traumatised me, let’s dive into everything I’ve used up lately.

The Base Products

Nars | All Day Luminous Foundation

(Discontinued)

When I first tried this foundation, I actually loved it. But as time went on, I slowly realised that it just isn’t for me. This formula is definitely more suited to those with oily skin. Because my skin is quite dry, I had to put a massive amount of effort into skin prep just to make it work, and I quickly grew tired of the high maintenance. I hated the gamble of not knowing whether it would look smooth or completely highlight my dry patches. It has since been discontinued by NARS, and honestly? I’m not mad about it.

Repurchase?: No. I’ll be sticking firmly to NARS Sheer Glow.

Maybelline | Dream Satin Liquid Foundation

As soon as I heard that this affordable high-street foundation was enriched with a hydrating serum, I knew I had to test it out. Unlike the NARS one, this is beautiful for dry skin! It offers a lovely medium coverage that leaves a very natural, radiant, healthy-looking finish. My only issue was that I bought the shade 01 Natural Ivory, which turned out to be a bit too dark for me, so I found myself having to mix it a lot with custom mixers to make it work.

Repurchase?: Not right away, but maybe at some point in the future in a better shade match.

Body Care & Scrubs

Skinny Tan | Pre-Tan Primer

(Discontinued)

This body scrub was part of their limited chocolate inspired range and it smelled absolutely incredible. It had a rich cookie dough scent that made shower time a total treat. Formula wise, it was a very gentle exfoliator formulated with cocoa extract and vitamin E, rather than a harsh sand-like scrub. While it did a great job prepping the skin as a fresh pre-tan primer, it really wasn’t strong enough to scrub away old, stubborn fake tan. I also found myself burning through the tube incredibly quickly, which was a bit of a shame for the price. Unsurprisingly, this sweet-scented range has since been discontinued, so it’s officially gone for good!

Repurchase?: I much prefer other scrubs.

Lush | Rub Rub Rub Shower Scrub

I received this bright blue scrub in a gift set at Christmas. The texture is really lovely and it gives a great exfoliation, but my least favourite thing about it has to be the scent. It contains a heavy blend of fresh lemon juice, jasmine flower infusion, orange flower absolute, and mimosa absolute. It creates a very intense, floral-citrus hybrid scent that aggressively lingers in the bathroom and on the skin. It’s just not a scent profile I enjoy.

Repurchase?: No. I just can’t get past the heavy floral scent.

The Body Shop | Banana Bath Blend

Discontinued

The classic banana scent from The Body Shop was one of my all-time favourites, so picking this up in-store was a no-brainer. The first time I used it, I was totally in love… but I also happened to have the cold from hell. Because the scent was so powerfully strong, it was perfect at the time because it was the only thing my blocked nose could actually smell! Unfortunately, once I got better, the scent weirdly reminded me of being incredibly sick. I was hoping that negative brain association would fade, but The Body Shop has since discontinued the entire Bath Blend line, so the universe made the decision for me.

Repurchase?: I would of, but it has been discontinued.

Revolution Skincare | Rose Tonic 

Discontinued

First of all, this was a perfectly pleasant, lovely toner that caused my skin absolutely no issues. It didn’t break me out, but on the flip side, it didn’t really do anything spectacular either. I never felt like it made a noticeable difference to my skin’s texture or hydration levels. It was just a standard, nice toner. It had a very strong traditional rose scent (which I wasn’t overly fond of anyway). On the plus side, it was formulated with protective Vitamin E, and was completely Vegan and Cruelty-Free. Like almost everything else in this round of empties, Revolution has since discontinued this tonic!

Repurchase?: Nope. Even if it were still around, I’d rather save my budget for something that packs more of a punch.

The Empties Conclusion

Finishing these up has really reinforced my current low buy mindset. It teaches you so much about what you actually love using versus what you just bought on impulse. Walking away from high-maintenance foundations and toners that don’t do anything feels like a massive win for my minimalist routine.

Let’s chat in the comments!

What have you used up lately in your own beauty empties product reviews routine? Have you ever had a product scent totally ruined for you by a bad cold?

Thank you for reading!