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2022 EMPTIES (WILL I REPURCHASE?) – PART 15

by liftbakeloveLeave a Comment on 2022 EMPTIES (WILL I REPURCHASE?) – PART 15

Back again with another 5 empties (fully finished products)! I have a bunch of empties this month, but, as usual, I am keeping these posts to 5 products to keep them short. As always, I’m super excited to take a good look at what I thought of the products I’ve finished and whether or not I’d buy them again. And, of course, thank you so much for being here, and it would mean so much to me if you subscribe here or on Instagram @liftbakelove for new posts.

Josie Maran Argan Daily Moisturizer SPF 47 (repeat empty) – This has been my sunscreen of choice for a couple years now since I first tried it. It’s both moisturizing and lightweight and doesn’t leave a white cast despite being an all-mineral sunscreen. I love that the formula doesn’t dry out my skin or have a tint that leaves my face looking a strange color like a lot of mineral sunscreens tend to do. It doesn’t pill, it great under makeup, and also smells amazing – every time I put it on, it just cheers me up and helps me get ready to face the day. This was a mini I used while travelling, and luckily, I already have another one that I can throw in my travel bag.

Caudalie Premier Cru The Eye Cream (sample) – I am testing so many eye creams right now that they’re all starting to blend together a bit. That said, this one didn’t cause milia, worked really well under makeup in the morning, and was very moisturizing. I didn’t have enough of it to see if it held up to its claims to naturally reduce the look of lines, dark circles, and puffiness and it’s expensive enough that it didn’t do enough to make me want to invest in a full size.

Matrix Total Results Miracle Creator (repeat empty) – This is a “totally fine but nothing special” product. I have tried so many other leave in conditioner/pre-styling treatments (let me know if you’d like a rundown of them), and compared to those, this feels like it does nothing. Somehow I ended up with 3 or 4 of these minis, so if you see it in my empties again, it’s because I don’t want them to go to waste so will still use them. I don’t think it’s anything you need to run out and get, and I will not be buying more of it.

PSA Skin the Most – I hardly ever do this, but I feel like the brand’s description is so spot on that I’m just going to paste it in here: “This nutrient-packed hydrating serum is like an island oasis for stressed out, hungover, dull, and dehydrated skin. It provides essential hydration immediately while helping skin cells better retain moisture overall for plump and supple skin.” My skin absolutely loves this serum, and I’m already on my backup. It’s amazing for dehydrated and dull skin, and I will probably buy it again once I get through all my other serums that I have lying around.

Bumble and Bumble Hairdresser’s Invisible Oil Primer – This is so much more effective and unique than the Miracle Creator mentioned above. This whole line, including the primer, are magic for my hair. It keeps my hair looking shiny, soft, and frizz-free without weighing it down. Plus, it smells amazing and compliments all the perfumes I own vs overpowering them (like DryBar products can do). Once I get through all of my heat protectants/leave-in conditioners, this is likely the one I’ll repurchase.

I’d love to know – what have you finished lately? Like I mentioned, I have a ton more empties that I will be posting about, and I’ll be sharing empties posts every other Friday all year. Let me know if there’s anything else you’d like to see here on LiftBakeLove, and thanks for reading! As always, some links may be affiliate links that support the blog, but all reviews/opinions are completely my own and unsponsored.

2022 EMPTIES (WILL I REPURCHASE?) – PART 1

by liftbakeloveLeave a Comment on 2022 EMPTIES (WILL I REPURCHASE?) – PART 1

Back again with another 5 empties (fully finished products)! I have a bunch of empties to go through, but, as usual, I am keeping these posts to 5 products to keep them short. These are all products I finished while travelling for Thanksgiving in 2021, which is why they’re all minis. As always, I’m super excited to take a good look at what I thought of the products I’ve finished and whether or not I’d buy them again. As always, thank you so much for being here, and it would mean so much to me if you subscribe here or on Instagram @liftbakelove for new posts!

Fresh Soy Face Cleanser – This cleanser took me forever to go through because I hate the smell and the texture. I know lots of people love it, so that might just be a me problem. It’s a lovely cleanser – it cleans without stripping, it leaves my face hydrated, and it washes off cleanly. But it feels like gross slime and smells like rotten cucumbers to me. With so many amazing cleansers on the market, I won’t be repurchasing this one and will happily never use it again.

Clinique Moisture Surge Face Spray – I used and loved this face spray for years before I started using my all-time favorite mist continues to be the Josh Rosebrook Hydrating Accelerator. It’s hydrating, doesn’t have a strong fragrance, and feels great on the skin. That said, I don’t feel like it does anything extraordinary, and I didn’t feel a huge difference when I ran out of it before my trip was over. I have a travel size bottle of the Josh Rosebrook and will likely keep refilling it when I travel, so I won’t be repurchasing the Clinique.

Tatcha the Silk Peony Eye Cream – I normally don’t do this but I actually think the description of this eye cream is very spot on: An eye cream that fights the signs of aging and melts to release a double shield of hydration with liquid silk and moisture-locking Japanese white peony for instantly youthful-looking, radiant eyes. It felt amazing on and made my undereyes look way more hydrated. I honestly loved this eye cream when I was using it and would consider getting it again if I didn’t like my HG Shiseido Benefiance Wrinkle Smoothie Eye Cream even more. Plus, I can usually get the Shiseido buy one get one free during the holidays (so $32 each) whereas the Tachta is $60, so I won’t be repurchasing it.

Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Finish Setting Powder – I got this as a mini so long ago, and it lasted a very long time because I kept it in my travel bag. It’s incredibly lightweight and blurring without being too matte or drying. It’s honestly a lovely powder, and I totally agree with everyone who has hyped it up for use on dry skin. That said, it’s more than $10 more than the Kosas Cloud Set Powder for less product in the full size, and I like the Cloud Set even better, so I won’t be repurchasing this.

Cocofloss – The only reason I floss every day is because of Cocofloss, and I love the pineapple flavor, so I’m not surprised it’s one of the ones I’ve made it entirely through (I switch through flavors every day). If you’re not familiar with Cocofloss, it’s a floss made from recycled water bottles and infused with coconut oil which makes it both sustainable and very effective. I’ve honestly tried to go back to regular floss after using this, and I can tell the difference in how much better it works.

I’d love to know – what have you finished lately? Like I mentioned, I have a ton more empties that I will be posting about, and not all of them are as positive as this group. Let me know if there’s anything else you’d like to see here on LiftBakeLove, and thanks for reading! As always, some links may be affiliate links that support the blog, but all reviews/opinions are completely my own and unsponsored.

I’m going on a no-buy for most of 2022 – what that means for me and for LiftBakeLove

by liftbakelove8 Comments on I’m going on a no-buy for most of 2022 – what that means for me and for LiftBakeLove

If you’re a long-time reader here (and if you’re not, welcome!), you’ll know that I have a fairly large collection of makeup, skincare, body care, haircare, and nail polish. And honestly, I just have everything I need and want to get to know and love my collection more. I can’t think of anything I need and don’t want to continue piling up products just to have them. So, heavily inspired by the amazing Hannah Louise Poston, I’m embarking on a no-buy experiment for 2022.

Here’s my list of rules:

  1. Anything I want to purchase in the makeup, skincare, body care, haircare, and nail polish categories goes on a wishlist for purchase during Black Friday sales. Based on my experience, by the time it’s been almost 11 months, I won’t even want or remember most of the things I put on the list and anything I do want will be heavily discounted. I’ve already started doing this and it’s actually been easier than I expected to just say “I can wait to get this until November 2022 and it’ll probably be at least 30% off – I’ll use what I have in the meantime.”
  2. I can buy replacements if I finish every single thing in a category (e.g., no brow products left at all so I need to get one) but I have a big enough collection I doubt that will happen.
  3. I’m setting a strict budget for all beauty related products, including the Black Friday sales purchases so I don’t go overboard when the time comes. I also have a small separate budget for limited edition items I know are coming in 2022 but I want to make sure I don’t buy them just because they’re limited edition so I’m really keeping it small.
  4. No buying products “for review” – I bought a bunch of products over 2021 to review for the blog, and while those reviews did well in terms of views, I didn’t need those products. I don’t actually make any money yet from this blog (thanks for your support if you use my affiliate links – it’s not enough to make a profit after just paying for the WordPress membership!), so it just doesn’t make sense to get products just to review on here.

What that means for the blog:

You won’t see as many new product reviews unless I get something as a present or in PR. I still have a bunch of products I got in the last few months that I haven’t reviewed yet, so there will be a bunch in early 2022 and then taper off. Instead, I’ll be doing (hopefully) more empties posts and shopping my stash posts. I’m planning on posting a no-buy update every month and would love to know if there’s anything you’d like to hear about in the comments! I’ll also likely post more fitness related content as I gear up for my next big competition in April 2022 and focus more attention on building up my squat, bench, and deadlift instead of shopping for makeup.

Please let me know if you have requests or suggestions for post you want to see – I’d love to continue to make this a useful place for you to visit! As always, thank you so much for being here – I love having this blog and can’t wait to see what happens with it in 2022!