|Empties|: December 2023

As we prepared ourselves to bid farewell to year 2023, it meant bidding farewell to couple of products I finished in the month of December. Here is a monthly round up of the products I finished in the month. 

Empties: December 2023 

1. Johnson's Baby Bath 

My go to baby brand for my kid is Johnson's. I have tried the locally available options as well and found Nexton to be a cost effective option compared to other brands without compromising on the quality. 

2. Listerine Original mouth wash

If you are a regular follower of my blog then you would know that Listerine is my go to product for oral hygiene and that too preferably in the original flavor. There's just something about that classic Listerine tingle that makes me feel like my mouth is truly clean.

3. Gillette skin soothing shave foam for sensitive skin 

Gillette's Skin Soothing Shave Foam has been my go-to for a while now, offering a smooth shave without irritation. It really helps making the shaving process a lot easier. 

4. Skin Deep International Kids Bug Off Natural Mosquito and Bug Repellant 

I have had couple of experiences in the past which have put me off from chemical or commercial bug repellant products. One was a kid's mosquito repellant from Boots UK which leaked in the luggage on the way from London to Lahore. I placed the bottle on my vanity and within a day it stripped off the wooden surface. 

Then another time when I used to apply Mospel on my body, my skin started turning dark. Its not only the case with Mospel but with other commercial repellants too. I am glad that we now have the option of organic bug repellents for kids, a form of luxury which we did not have back in our times. Skin Deep has this cute mosquito repellent which I used amply on my baby. In my opinion, its an average product that is effective for a short span of time. I won't be spending my money buying it again as there are better options available in the market. 

5. Enzo Salon Treatments fashion hair care 

So these hair masks or hair treatment products are widely available in the market. They are decent products but nothing outstanding. I used this hair mask as a hair conditioner for my hair. I prefer to buy large jars as I use conditioners in greater quantity due to my chemically treated hair which require me to use extra product for maintenance. 

6. Provate Lotion

Provate is a medical, oral solution for skin itchiness and redness. Its also helps with my seborrheic dermatitis. I apply it when the scalp itching and irritation gets too much, it helps in calming my scalp. 

 

7. Flormar cotton pads 

I am regular user of micellar water and toners so cotton pads are a must have product for me. I keep one bag in use and stock up on one as a back up. In my experience, Flormar cotton pads have been great. 

8. Glow Recipe Banana Souffle moisture cream

Its a sample sized product that I got with some purchase. I got 3 uses out of this product. Interestingly, I am using a deluxe size of the product these days. Its a decent moisturizer once you are able to get past the banana fragrance. 

9. Barrier+ Triple Lipid-Hyaluronate Serum

Another sample size I got to try. Since it lasted me a single use only, I can not talk about the efficacy or performance of this product. 

10. L.A. Girl Shockwave eye liner in Black out 

A great pencil gel liner. 

11. ST London intense eye liner pen 

Ever since the dollar hike and general price hikes due to inflation, I have shifted to locally available products due to affordability. I have been pleasantly surprised by some local products comparing their performance and price points to international brands like this ST London intense eye liner pen which has a very smooth and pigmented color pay off and stay on power. 

12. Maybelline tattoo studio sharpenable gel pencil in deep onyx 

This eye liner is flawless and has an excellent stay on capacity. However I find the price point to be a bit steep compared to other locally available options. I would definitely splurge on this one if the mood strikes. 

 

13. Eazicolor permanent hair color 

I did something silly. In order to dye my hair instead of using the emulsion developer, I used the powder one which is used to color cut the hair. I wasted my 40 minutes in this cold weather to dye my hair, only to find out, I used the wrong product. Since I had only consumed half the tube, I will use it next time. 

14. Pantene goodbye frizz shampoo 

This is such an under rated product for people with frizzy hair. The shampoo along with the conditioner really helps in toning down the frizz and making them a lot more manageable. This is most likely my third bottle of shampoo. I absolutely love the results of this shampoo when paired with its conditioner. 

15. Skin Deep International kids calming lavender top to toe moisturizing lotion 

I bought this moisturizing lotion as part of a set. I do like its mild lavender fragrance. Lavender is always very soothing. However the lotion is really very thick in consistency which makes it super hard to quickly absorb into the skin. You really do need a pea sized amount for application but due to its thick texture and greasy nature, it can only be used in Winter seasons. 

16. Jolen wax strips 

Jolen is an age old trusted brand when it comes to depilation and hair lightening. I remember using their skin bleach for the first time when I stepped into college. It was known to be the most gentle bleach available in Pakistani market back then compared to others. 

17. Selsun selenium sulfide 2.5% shampoo 

My go to anti-dandruff shampoo brand is Selsun. This yellow one is amazing coz it perfectly meets my requirements. However it is not always available at stores and has selective availability options. 

18. Ciate everyday vacay coconut setting powder

I had a love and hate relationship with this product. The powder did not work well for me during the humid season of Summers. Once the Summers got better, so did the performance of this powder. It set my makeup really well. 

19. Luminous Loose bush by Makeup Studio 

This is my favorite product of the year. This loose powder blush is perfection. Its finely milled, is buildable and the shade compliments my skin tone very well. A little goes a long way and the product can easily last you a year or so. Sadly the product has been discontinued since its no longer available on their website. 

20. The Body Shop elixirs of nature fragrance in Nigritella 

These perfumes were launched a couple of years back by The Body Shop and I was amongst the few people who got them at the launch event. The one I received was in the fragrance - Nigritella which is a sweet fusion of musky and floral fragrances. This range I believe has been discontinued by The Body Shop. 

21. Purederm Nose cleansing pore strip 

I try to clean the black heads and white heads from my nose at least once a month, if not twice. The easiest and quickest way to do it is by using nose pore strips. Lately I have been feeling that my black heads have gotten stubborn and don't get pulled easily by pore strips either. 

22. Essence Prime + Studio HD Hydra Primer Spray, With Coconut Water, Moisturizing + Energizing

These spray primers by Essence have been dud honestly. The last one I used had such a bad spritz that it was terrible to work with. This one has a working spritz nozzle but doesn't prime. I feel as if I have sprayed droplets of water on my face. 

23. Bachaa Party elegant body mist 

I bought this body mist for my kid but the spray bottle was faulty. I had to transfer the body mist to another empty bottle to use. The body mist is reasonably priced but I feel the fragrance is a little sharp. Kids should have milder and sweet body mists compared to the ones Bachaa Party has. 

24. Lash Glue 

I bought this brand less lash glue from Victoria Departmental store and it turned out to be a bad decision. The glue literally comes out making elastic strands which are so so long and unbreakable. It was messy to use this glue since it got onto surfaces and in my eyes. I decided to discard it. 

25. Eye lash glue pen 

I bought this eye lash glue pen from a local business. They have their shop set up on Instagram, I do not remember the brand name sadly. It was so good in terms of quality and performance that I would not mind repurchasing it. I had my doubts when I used it for the first couple of times that my fake lashes might come off and the glue might not be strong but it turned out that the stick on power was lasting. Best part it you can easily carry it in your bag, small clutches and its mess free. 

That is it for the round up of empties for the last month of the year. I am glad that I am consistently on this journey for a couple of years now as it has really helped my in decluttering my mounting stash. Inshallah, hoping that new year will bring in more empties for me to use and review. Stay healthy and beautiful. xoxo!!!