Emmie’s Empties – April 2023

Dear reader, I feel like an apology is in order. You see, I had the oh so brilliant idea in April to do a sample clear out. Because it’s been a little while since I last did one and my pile has grown considerably. Now, for the most part, I did pretty well. It does almost mean that this samples post is probably the longest I’ve done in a while. So much so that I did consider making it a two parter. But I know how much you love my longer empties. So grab a cuppa, your favourite snack, and strap yourself in! Because we are getting into this!

DIOR MISS DIOR EDP – $190.00 for 50ml
I went through a journey with this one! At first, I hated it. Then I tried it again and loved it. And then I went back to not liking it by the end. It’s the rose note that just hits me wrong. I won’t be picking this up.

MAISON FRANCIS KURKDIJAN AQUA CELESTIA COLOGNE FORTE – $198.00 for 35ml
This one was funky. And by far my favourite from the Aqua range. It was the lime that kept it unique for me.

TOM FORD BLACK ORCHID EDP – $232.00 for 50ml
Way too strong of a floral for me. This was headache inducing.

MAISON FRANCIS KURKDIJAN BACCARAT ROUGE 540 EXTRACT DE PARFUM – $346.00 for 35ml
I like the EDP. But this was the version that made me agree with the Anti-Baccarat girlies. It’s way too much!

ALLSAINTS LEATHER SKIES EDP – $125.00 for 100ml
This is supposedly a dupe for Santal 33. And if it is, it may have saved me $400. Because I wasn’t wild about this.

LE LABO SHOWER GEL BASIL – $55.00 for 250ml
I like a bougie body wash moment. And this smelled really unique.

KAT BURKI PH+ ENZYME ESSENCE – $166.00 for 100ml
It’s an essence. In a single sachet. I do not remember this at all.

CHARLOTTE TILBURY MAGIC EYE RESCUE – $80.00 for 15ml
I lowkey have a lot of affection for Charlotte Tilbury’s skincare. But this eye cream was just ok.

FENTY SKIN COOKIES & DREAM DETOX FACE MASK – $51.00 for 75ml
Now this was cool! It initially does look like cookies and cream ice cream. But as you rub it in, the ‘cookies’ (in this case, encapsulated charcoal) mixes with the rest of the mask. And it left my skin feeling amazing! I have a few masks I want to get through. But this is on my list now.

CAUDAILE VINOPERFECT RADIANCE SERUM COMPLEXION PERFECTING $104.00 for 30ml
A product that I’ve always wanted to try. And from the little bit that I got, I enjoyed it!

WISHFUL SKIN HONEY WHIP PEPTIDE MOISTURISER – $66.00 for 55g
Oh yeah, I didn’t like this at all. I’m still semi convinced it had gone bad because the formula was so unlike what I thought it would be. If you’ve tried this, can you let me know what the formula is?

WISHFUL SKIN PILLOWGASM CHERRY GLOW SLEEPING MASK – $60.00 for 55g
This, however, I already know is good because I have it and love it.

TBH SKINCARE ACNE HACK GENTLE CLEANSER – $24.95 for 125ml
TBH is a range I have to try more of. Everything that I have tried, I’ve loved. And this was no exception. I will soon be in need of a new cleanser. This is firmly on my radar.

VIVIOLOGY GENTLE FOAMING CLEANSER – $35.00 for 200ml
This however I’ll give a pass on. We are heading into the time of year where my skin dries out. And I felt a little stripped after using this.

PAT MCGRATH DIVINE SKIN: ROSE 001 THE ESSENCE – $147.00 for 100ml
Very bougie. Very fancy. Bit too much for my blood

CHARLOTTE TILBURY COLLAGEN SUPERFUSION FACIAL OIL – $100.00 for 30ml
Same here too. $100 is way too much for a facial oil. Especially when brands like Essano make amazing ones for a tenth of the price.

CHARLOTTE TILBURY CHARLOTTE’S MAGIC SERUM CRYSTAL ELIXIR – $110.00 for 30ml
Ok, I swear I do like CT’s skincare. Because this I would buy in a heartbeat! It left my skin feeling incredible.

DERMALOGICA INVISIBLE PHYSICAL DEFENSE SPF 30 – $69.00 for 50ml
*TGA Declaration – free gift with purchase* I suspected I wouldn’t like this. And I was bang on the money. When the white cast is visible on my pasty, Victorian era child skin, you cannot say this is invisible. Also, this reeked of lavender and it triggered a massive headache

CHARLOTTE TILBURY MAGIC NIGHT CREAM – $189.00 for 50ml
Now this was very cool. I don’t usually go for balm formulas. But I really liked how nourishing this was.

CHARLOTTE TILBURY MAGIC CREAM – $125.00 for 50ml
And this is still a legit classic. I already have a full size.

DERMALOGICA DAILY GLYCOLIC CLEANSER – $55.00 for 150ml
Not a bad cleanser at all. This was super gentle and not at all stripping.

ROSE INC SKIN CLARITY GENTLE EXFOLIATING CLEANSER – $60.00 for 120ml
This was ok. I loved the musky scent. But I would purchase the Dermalogica before I purchased this

SUNDAY RILEY C.E.O. BRIGHTENING SERUM – $203.00 for 50ml
Out of all of the samples I tried in April, this was the one I came the closest to buying. Holy moly, I loved this. It was so light and it didn’t pill under my moisturiser.

KLORANE STRENGTHENING QUININE AND ORGANIC EDELWEISS SHAMPOO -$12.99 for 400ml
This smelled like men’s body spray. I’m not sure how I feel about that.

THE INKEY LIST CAFFEINE EYE CREAM – $18.00*
One of the better affordable eye cream’s out there. It helped a lot with the puffiness under my eyes.

GUINOT LOTION HYDRA BEAUTE TONING LOTION – $54.00 for 200ml*
I tend to not have a lot of opinions when it comes to toners. But this was pretty good. I was very kindly sent a backup of this already.

NATIO DAILY DEFENSE FACE MOISTURISER SPF 50+ – $21.95 for 100ml
*TGA Declaration – free gift with purchase* Natio doesn’t get the hype it deserves. So allow me to give them their flowers. This moisturiser is fantastic! Moisturisng enough to wear on it’s own. And the sun protection is a massive bonus. This also often goes on sale for 50% off.

MECCA MAX WATERCOOLER CALMING HYDRATION SERUM – $25.00
In my top three products I used up for sure. An amazing (and stupid affordable) hydrating serum that I would repurchase tomorrow had I not already had 1000 hydrating serums in my cabinet.

LA ROCHE POSAY ANTHELIOS INVISIBLE FLUID SPF 50+- $30.49 for 50ml
*TGA Declaration – free gift with purchase* You already know. Amazing sunscreen is amazing.

QV FACE GENTLE CLEANSER – $10.39 for 250ml
Yeah, this needs more hype! The QV Face cleanser would be a great pick for those with dry skin.

OLE HENRICKSEN DEWTOPIA 20% ACID NIGHT TREATMENT – $90.00
This was a Best of 2021 winner. But I will admit to neglecting it towards the end there. It’s still a fantastic serum. But not for my skin anymore.

ALPHA H MELTING MOMENT CLEANSING BALM – $70.00 for 90g
I liked this. But I’m not sure that I love it. It removed my face makeup like a dream. But it struggled with my mascara. Guess I need Alpha H to send me a tub. For science purposes.

BORING WITHOUT YOU FOR FACE SAKE COMBINATION SKIN MASK – $54.00
The best thing I used up in April. And the ONLY reason I haven’t repurchased it is because I have a few other masks I want to use up first.

TOO FACED PEACH PERFECT LOOSE SETTING POWDER – discontinued
OK, I know what you’re thinking. Where’s the Too Faced packaging? The truth is while I freaking loved this powder and am now sad it’s gone forever. I hated the sifter on it. So, I decided a while ago to decant it into my beloved Rimmel container. I flew through it then.

NIVEA RICH LATHER SHOWER GEL & BODY WASH WITH ALMOND OIL – $17.00
I was in need of a big ass body wash. And this was half off when I got it. This was fine,I guess. But my cat did break the pump early on and it became a bitch to use.

LIVING PROOF FULL CONDITIONER – $53.00 for 236ml
My third fave from this month. Living Proof is one of those brands that I used to see get hyped up back in the day. And if the products are this good, I can see why. This felt weightless in my hair.

HOURGLASS VEIL SOFT FOCUS SETTING SPRAY – $81.00
I still wish this was a continuious mist. But this is a criminally underrated setting spray.

GUINOT BRUME BIOXYGENE MIST – $76.00*
I believe this is meant to be along the same lines as the SDSM from Niod. And if that’s the case, it’s not as good. But I still liked it.

PIXI BEAUTY HYDRATING MILKY PEEL – $42.00*
This peel has the same problem that a lot of these peel products have. It’s a pain to rinse off and as a result, it gets stuck in my peach fuzz. The Wishful Skin one is the only one that rinses off easily from my experience.

And we are done! I used up a grand total of 39 products in April! That’s crazy. I hope you enjoyed this bumper empties. Because this was a long one to write. Let me know what you used up in April.

Cheers and love
Emily xo