2019 Skincare Empies

*I do earn a small commission when you shop through the links in this post. That does not affect my opinion on these products, thank you for your support!*

Keeping it real with you, as I tend to do, this isn't all the skincare products I used in 2019, nor did I expect to do an empties blog post at any point. I decided early on in the year that it'd do individual product reviews once I completely used up all of the said product. Revolutionary, right?! haha but of course life got busy and I started collecting empty products (when I'd remember and if Matt didn't throw it away on accident), and now here we are. I used up a lot of old favorites (sometimes multiple times) and tried a lot of new products along the way. I'm happy to say that last year was a good year overall with the products that I used up, but there were some missed along the way. Let's get into the tea, shall me!

My Favorites:

Derma-e Vitamin C Concentrated Serum -  Vit. C serums are my go-to because they are acidic, taking away any dead skin hanging on for dear life in a gentle way. Because of this, they naturally smooth and brighten the skin, and after a period of use can aid in the reduction of scars and dark spots. I like to use Vit. C serums in the morning because it is gentle and I've never had any issues with putting makeup on top of it. If you've purchased a Vitamin C serum at any point, then you know they can be quite expensive. Last January I did my research to find one that works well and is cost-effective. I'm happy to say I found that in the Derma-e Vitamin C serum! It's stabilized, making it less likely to degrade over time, includes antioxidants to protect against UV rays and environmental stressors, along with hyaluronic acid which keeps your skin nice and hydrated. Derma-e is 100% vegan, cruelty-free and recyclable. Other Vit.C serums I've used would sometimes tingle or slightly burn when first applied, but this doesn't do that at all. It's super gentle and I love the slight citrus smell. This is a no BS Vitamin C serum that does exactly what it says it's going to do - I highly recommend!

Origins Make A Difference Hand Cream - Okay so this isn't for the face, but it most definitely is included in skincare in my option, just skincare for your hands. The winters in Minnesota can be quite rough, and it's no secret that our dry, cold air can cause havoc on our skin. I'm always washing my hands (hello, germ-ridden three year old onboard), so my hands take a beating. I deal with cracked knuckles most winters, that is unless I'm using this hand cream. This cream is infused with the self-hydrating rose of Jericho, also known as the "Resurrection plant". This ancient zombie plant can withstand almost total dehydration, looking completely dead, and come back to life with only a little bit of water. I've used this hand cream on and off for the past 15 years and I keep going back because it's the best. I know it can be a bit expensive coming in at $26 for a hand cream, but one bottle will last you the whole winter. A little goes a long way. If you're a skeptic, stop into your local Sephora or Macy's and request a sample. It's okay, I'll be on stand by ready to say I told you so. 

Biossance Squalane + Vitamin C Rose Oil - Now that we already know the benefits of a vitamin C serum, this includes that and soo much more! This includes Squalane, which helps lock in moisture; hyaluronic acid on crack. I received this little guy in a Sephora skincare favorites box I purchased, and it's my favorite new product I tried in 2019. I noticed an instant difference in the way my skin looked as soon as this serum was rubbed into my skin. Fine lines were smoothed out, my face appeared plumper and glowing, and the slight rose scent made me want to bathe in the stuff. Multiple times I wore this under makeup at work, and I'd get tons of compliments on how great my skin looked. Don't be surprised if you see me rocking the full-sized version of this bad boy in 2020 because I think you should be too!

Glam Glow Super Mud Clearing Treatment - I've talked about this mud mask loads of times because it is the OG for calming a breakout in its tracks. I'm also the type of person that likes to physically see results, and this mask delivers. As it dries, it brings all the gunk clogging your pores to the surface, which is both gross and satisfying at the same time. I prefer a mud mask over a clay one because unlike clay, mud actually helps lock in moisture instead of stripping it away. The only negatives I'd say about this mask is it does slightly burn when first applied, but I do have more sensitive skin and in some weird way, it makes me feel like it's working extra hard. It also has a pretty heavy licorice smell that does dissipate over time, but if you have traumatic memories involving Jagermeister, this might drudge that up for ya. Right now you can get a gift set including the full-sized version of this mask for cheaper than the mask usually retails for. You should hop on this before it sells out, I already did.

Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask - This is another great find of 2019. At first I thought this would be a gimmick and would essentially be a thick lip balm, but boy was I wrong! It includes Exclusive Moisture Wrap technology (they're keeping how that works a secret, and rightfully so) that boosts hyaluronic acid and minerals for a protectant layer across the lips. This technology locks active ingredients and moisture into your lips. You only need a small amount and somehow it'll stay on your lips throughout the night, revealing baby smooth lips in the morning. I was so obsessed with this that it'd try to use it during the day, but every time I drank or ate something it'd wipe away. I now own a few of these along with their day time lip balm so now I'm totally covered.

Elemis Pro-Collagen Marine Cream - You know those products that work better than you could've dreamed of, but the price tag is high so you're mad that you like it so much? That's this right here. I got this face cream in a BoxyCharm box meaning I got a crazy good deal on it and now I keep going back and forth if I need to buy it or not. This cream is packed full of ingredients that work together to firm, blur, and hydrate the skin. I immediately saw results and my skin was as smooth as ever by the time I finished the bottle.

Clinque Pep-Start 2-in-1 Exfoliating Cleanser - Don't sleep on Clinque because this brand has reinvented itself to show these new guys whos boss! This is a gentle cleanser and exfoliator in one, that's gentle enough to use every day. It has a slightly rough texture that's super fine, getting rid of dead skin while also keeping the skin hydrated. I used this cleanser every night until it ran out and it was the most satisfying feeling. I highly recommend this to people with sensitive skin that have had issues with exfoliators in the past because it's also fragrance-free.

Dr. Brandt 24/7 Retinol Eye Cream - Dr. Brandt has yet to release a product I haven't fallen in love with. Because Dr. Brandt's Needles No More eye cream is soo wildly popular, I feel this one has flown under the radar. I'll be honest, I didn't notice a huge difference until I stopped using it, and realized it actually helped the discoloration under my eyes while plumping them up. I have soo many eye creams in my collection at my moment, but you bet when I run out, I'll be picking this bad boy up.

Cetaphil Rich Hydrating Night Cream - If you're looking for a good drugstore dupe for the First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream, look no farther! Cetaphil is the brand we trusted on our daughter as a baby, so when I saw this at Target I had to give it a try. It has a nice wiped texture that isn't oily or heavy. I would say it isn't as thick feeling on the skin as the First Aid Beauty, but it still does the job for normal to dry skin. I do suggest if you're a super dry girl like myself, making this your daytime moisturizer because it does soak into the face nicely and doesn't mess with the appearance of makeup.

Make Up For Ever Sens'Eyes - I can't tell you how many times in the past I've used an eye makeup remover and my eyes would burn the rest of the night. I received this trial size and was amazed that I didn't have that happening, and it removed my eye makeup super easily. I bought the full size and it's only halfway gone after being used over the past year. You only need a little bit and nothing compares to removing waterproof eyeliner and mascara, not even cleansing balms.

Tatcha Water Cream Moisturizer - Remember when I mentioned that I hate products sometimes because I love them soo dang much and the price tag messes with my brain? Yeah, Tatcha likes to do that to me in general but especially with the water cream. I have a soft spot for Korean skincare products, especially Tatcha. This is a lightweight moisturizer that feels like bubbles of water are being locked into your skin. I like this more for the summer months, I still have one more trial size that I'm saving for this next summer.

It Cosmetics Confidence in a Cream Hydrating Moisturizer - Can you tell that I love my moisturizers? I use this as my nighttime moisturizer in the winter months. This moisturizer has all of my favorite ingredients for dry, aging skin, is stupid hydrating, has anti-aging ingredients, actually works, and a price to match. This is my favorite moisturizer I used in 2019 and I have a backup I know will be used before the year is up. 

Glow Recipe Blueberry Bounce Gentle Cleanser - Glow Recipe is a new brand for me this past year. I've found their products to be quite pleasant. Pleasant is the perfect word to describe them. They're Clean at Sephora certified and super gentle on the skin. This cleanser has a lightweight gel texture and has plant-derived AHAs for gentle exfoliation.

Soo last decade!

Luckily only a few products didn't make the cut this year and it wasn't because I had some sort of bad reaction to them, like what's happened to me in years past (knocks on wood). This is a total personal preference, so here are the details on these products. Who knows, maybe you'll love them! 

Sunday Riley Good Genes - I fell into the hype back in 2018 and got my hands on the Power Couple duo set as soon as I could. I heard great things like baby smooth skin which made me justify the $85 price tag. Not only did I not notice a difference in my skin's texture while using this, but I ran out of product less than a month in. I investigated farther and discovered the product was actually kept inside this little bag inside the jar - talk about misleading! Of course, the bottle says .5 fluid ounces in tiny letters on the bottle, but I do think they packaged it in a way to make you think it was the standard 1 fl oz size they also offer. I'm sure you may have also heard the drama with Sunday Riley that affects this product in particular. They paid people including their own employees to give false positive reviews online. All of this is soo shady to me so I don't think I'll be purchasing anything from Sunday Riley in the future. 

Tula Probiotic Skincare Face Cleanser - Also known as the never-ending face wash that lasted me half the year! If I had liked this face wash, that wouldn't have been an issue, but unfortunately, it wasn't for me. It's very harsh on the skin, stripping away all of your natural oils making your face feel super dry after using it. It reminds me more of body wash than a face wash and smells like it to. It smells exactly like Dove soap, which isn't a bad thing, but not something I'd want to put on my face. If you have super oily skin that easily gets clogged, then maybe you'd like this one.

Caudalie Vinoperfect Dark Spot Serum - I really love this brand and it's a well respected high-end skincare brand that's been around for a hot minute. I started using this serum to get rid of my dark spots caused by acne. It did help minimize the appearance of scars, but coming in at $79, I expected more. Now that there are soo many options out there on the market, I feel they are other products that can do an even better job at a lower cost, like my Skin Of Gold face cream for example.

Ole Henriksen Truth Advanced Moisturizing Creme - I know it doesn't seem like it from this post, but I'm super picky about my moisturizers. I have kissed a lot of frogs in the moisturizing department so I know what works well for me. I want it to hold up to my dry skin, leaving me feeling plump, my face smooth, and my laundry folded. The first turn off for me was the smell. It has a very strong orange scent that lingered, not a soothing night time scent in my book. My face also somehow felt oily and dry at the same time. I'd look in a mirror, and see this oily shine, and when I smiled, I could feel how dry and tight my face was. I know this is a face cream that a lot of people swear by, so many I somehow got a bad patch. Anyway, I already have soo many options as far as moisturizers are concerned so I think I'm covered.

Although I didn't accomplish nearly as many product reviews in 2019 as I would have liked, I think doing this empties style review is a great way to give you the scoop on multiple products all in one place. If you've seen my latest IGTV video where I talk about my goals for 2020 (If you haven't you should tap here to check that out), then you already know my budget for beauty products is taking a major dive this year. I hope to add more empty reviews either here on the blog or in an IGTV video as I use up items from my collection this year. I hope you enjoyed this post, I'd love to hear your experiences if you've tried any of these skincare products, or if you plan on trying any of them out for yourself! Let me know in the comments below.