2021 Empties

Oh my goodness. Not me making my return to this lil ‘ol thing! Seven years later and we are still inconsistent. But there’s a bit of a refresh in the air. We’ve had a bit of a spruce up. (Courtesy of the wonderful Nathaniel at Sacko).

We are doing empties today, I managed to successfully keep most of my trash from 2021 to analyse and see how many products were used. This is only skincare, if I had kept body and hair my neighbours quite rightly would have assumed a landfill had overrun me. I have also not included deluxe samples or sachets because, frankly, they’re annoying and not a true representation of product usage. I have included travel sizes or smaller sizes if they are able to be purchased separately. However I’m not perfect (shocking to admit), and I know there are a couple I’ve accidentally binned and are absent from this tally. Just more proof that I am, in fact, mortal.

I also want to make completely clear that this is not a normal amount of product to go through. If you are using things properly, you should go through FAR less than this. Keep in mind that I am sent an abnormal amount of product, and I work the sales to my advantage. I overuse products and shift a lot of stuff. I have only included here products that went on the face, and discounted any that ended up on the bod, or as an aftershave product.

You can also view the IGTV’s of the empties on my Instagram. If you have a specific question about any of the products on this list feel free to get in touch via the contact page or dm me on Instagram.

With that out of the way, let’s get into it.

The Stats

Empty products total: 239

Top 3 most used products by number:

1. Avene Thermal Spring Water – 9
2. Avene Rehydrating Serum – 7
3. Tied: Avene Cicalfate, La Roche Posay Anthelios Invisible SPF 50+, NIOD Modulating Glucosides, Pixi Double Cleanse, Ultraviolette Supreme Screen – All 3

Top 5 most used brands by number of product:

1. Avene – 29
2. The Ordinary – 10
3. The Body Shop – 9
4. Pixi – 8
5. Tied: Kat Burki, NIOD – 7

Shock hit product of the year:

Skin Physics Dragons Blood Cleanser

Product of the year:

It’s a tie! Avene Cicalfate and Avene Rehydrating Serum.

Best smeller award:

Emma Hardie moringa cleansing balm, Tata Harper nourishing cleansing oil and Kat Burki nutrient c cleansing balm.

What Have I Learnt?

I really don’t need so many eye creams. They were one of the categories I used up the least in.

I might not be wearing enough spf. I would have expected more empties had I been using the proper amount. I thought I had been but it seems not. Let’s up it for this year!

I really have to force myself to use masks. I’m just not a mask kinda gal! It was a struggle.

I will reach for a mist over an essence or toner. Apparently I’m lazy.

The List
(I have used just one of a product unless otherwise stated)

Cleansers:

• Alpha H balancing cleanser
• Alpha H essential cleansing balm
• Alya Skin foaming cleanser
• AMPM milk cleanser
• Andalou coconut firming cleanser
• Asarai cleanser
• Ava & Coco foaming cleanser
• Avene antirougeurs cleanser
• Bare Minerals cleansing oil
• Caudalie vinoclean almond cleansing milk
• Cipher cloud melt – 2
• Clarins cleansing oil
• Darphin aromatic cleansing balm
• Elemis AHA cleansing butter
• Emma Hardie moringa cleansing balm
• Emma Hardie moringa cleansing gel
• First Aid Beauty cleanser
• Fresh Face Skincare soother cleanser
• Genus cell relief cleanser
• Holifrog tashmoo milky wash
• Ingredients face cleanser
• Innoxa cleansing oil
• Innoxa super sensitive cleansing milk
• Jordan Samuel aftershow cleanser
• Karinda purifying cleanser
• Kat Burki nutrient c cleansing balm – 2
• Kate Somerville goat milk cleanser
• Kate Somerville delikate cleanser
• Kopari tropical glow cleanser
• Kypris cleanser concentrate
• Natio rosewater cream cleanser
• NIOD sanskrit saponins
• Pixi double cleanse – 3
• Pixi glow tonic cleanser
• Pixi milky makeup remover
• Q&A grapefruit cleansing balm
• Sea Our Beauty cleansing balm
• Skin Physics dragons blood cleanser
• Syrene oil to gel cleanser
• Tata Harper nourishing oil cleanser
• Tata Harper clarifying cleanser
• Tatcha camellia cleansing oil
• The Body Shop camomile cleansing oil
• The Body Shop camomile cleansing butter
• The Ordinary squalane cleanser – 2
• Zelens cleansing balm

Miscellaneous:

• Andalou pumpkin glycolic mask
• Coast to Coast green clay mask
• La Roche Posay cicaplast sheet mask
• Zelens pha bio peel pads

Mist/Toner/Essence:

• Avene eau thermal spring water – 9
• Caudalie grape water
• Clinique moisture surge face spray
• Cosrx hyaluronic acid essence
• Dr Jart cicapair mist
• Indeed Labs hydraluron mist
• January Labs restorative tonic mist
• Josh Rosebrook hydrating accelerator
• Kiehls ultra facial toner
• La Roche Posay serozinc
• Laneige cream skin mist
• Revolution hyaluronic tonic
• Mario Badescu aloe vera toner
• Mere ionic dermal tonic
• Pixi milky mist
• Soroci morning drizzle bucket mist
• Tata Harper hydrating floral mist
• The Body Shop vitamin e gel mist
• The Body Shop drops of light essence
• The Jojoba Co mist
• Youth to the People adaptogen mist

Lips:

• Biologi lip serum
• Carmex classic balm
• Chapstick lip balm
• Caudalie lip conditioner
• Everyday Humans bomb diggity salve
• Fluff multi purpose balm
• Go To lip balm
• Kat Burki lip glossy
• Lanolips lanostick
• Luma multi purpose balm
• Lush mint julips lip scrub
• The Body Shop argan lip balm

Eyes:

• Bobbi Brown hydrating eye cream
• Clinique for men eye hydrator
• House of Immortelle tightening eye cream
• Kat Burki nutrient c eye cream
• Mere eye lifting catalyst cream
• Neutrogena hydro boost eye roll on
• The Body Shop drops of light eye cream
• Zelens triple action eye cream

Serums and Oils:

• Acure marula oil
• Acure blue tansy oil
• Alpha H vitamin b serum
• Andalou cannacell beauty oil
• Andalou coconut firming serum
• Avene rehydrating serum – 7
• Avene a-oxitive serum
• Bettyquette sleep on it
• Bybi bakuchiol booster
• Bybi buriti booster
• Cipher c shield
• Cipher the potion
• Clinique moisture surge serum
• Dear Klairs rich moist soothing serum
• Dermalogica biolumin c
• Dewy and Bae raw glow oil – 2
• Dr Jart ceramidin serum
• Drunk Elephant b hydra
• Fluff face oil #2
• Fresh Face Skincare soother serum
• Genus hydro therapy serum
• Genus bio rejuvenation intensive oil
• Herbivore lapis oil
• Hola seaweed moisturising essence
• Hylamide sensitive fix
• Indeed Labs hydraluron
• Innisfree green tea seed serum
• Josie Maran argan milk
• Karinda sacred youth oil
• Kat Burki lift and fill form control marine collagen gel
• Kate Somerville delikate serum
• Krave great barrier relief
• Medik8 crystal retinal 6
• Mere revival oil
• Mere biomimetic dermal vaccine serum
• Moogoo primrose and starflower oil
• NIOD multi molecular hyaluronic complex
• NIOD modulating glucosides – 3
• NIOD re pigment
• NIOD copper amino isolate serum
• Olay niacinamide super serum
• Olay cica super serum
• Pixi hydrating milky serum
• Pyunkang Yul moisture serum
• Revolution snow mushroom serum
• Revolution copper peptide serum
• Rosehip Plus rosehip oil
• Sea Our Beauty serum
• Sukin biomarine facial serum
• Sunday Riley ceo serum
• Sunday Riley luna oil
• Thankyou Farmer true water serum
• The Body Shop drops of light serum
• The Body Shop drops of youth serum
• The Inkey List hyaluronic acid
• The Inkey List polyglutamic acid
• The Ordinary argireline
• The Ordinary pycnogenol
• The Ordinary hyaluronic acid
• The Ordinary buffet + copper peptides
• The Ordinary argan oil
• The Ordinary marula oil
• The Ordinary niacinamide

SPF:

• Avene face emulsion
• Bondi Sands hydra
• Dermalogica invisible physical defence
• La Roche Posay anthelios invisible fluid – 3
• La Roche Posay anthelios ultra
• Natio daily defence spf 50 moisturiser
• Ultra Violette queen screen – 2
• Ultra Violette supreme screen – 3

Moisturiser:

• Alpha H beauty sleep power peel
• Avene cicalfate – 3
• Avene hydrating sleeping mask
• Avene skin recovery balm
• Avene aqua creme in gel
• Avene rich compensating cream
• Avene skin recovery cream rich
• Avene skin recovery cream
• Avene soothing radiance mask
• Bioderma cicabio pommade
• Bioderma sensibio rich defensive
• Bioderma sensibio defensive
• Bioderma sensibio rich
• CeraVe facial pm lotion – 2
• Cipher beam me up
• Clinique moisture surge
• Dr Jart ceramidin
• Hakko sake kasu overnight mask
• Hola seaweed repair cream
• Innoxa super sensitive day and night cream
• January Labs moisture balancing lotion
• Jelly Ko steam cream
• Karinda nourishing moisturiser
• Kat Burki vital hydration blast
• Kat Burki nutrient c face cream
• Kate Somerville delikate cream
• Kiehls ultra facial cream – 2
• La Clinica deep hydration moisture cream
• Laneige cica sleeping mask
• Mere night guardian mask
• Milk vegan milk moisturiser
• Moogoo skin milk udder cream
• Olivella moisture gel cream
• Perricone face finishing moisturiser
• Pixi rose ceramide cream
• Q&A camomile night cream
• QV face night cream
• Ren vitamin c gel cream
• Rosehip Plus night cream
• Summer Fridays jet lag
• The Body Shop aloe night cream
• The Ordinary natural moisturising factors
• Weleda skin food rich – 2
• Weleda skin food light
• Youth to the People superberry dream mask

If you made it through all that well done!

Thoughts, feelings, questions? Don’t be afraid to reach out. Until next time.

x Matt