October Empties: Honest Thoughts on The Products Our Team Finished This Month

Living in a cooler climate with combination skin requires me to be very diligent about the moisturizers I use on my face. I am a huge Tata Harper fan and have been using this product for 2+ years as my day moisturizer. While pricey, I mix two pumps into my tinted moisturizer daily and find that my skin is both well hydrated and glowing! A little goes a long way and it’s so worth the investment.

I made the switch to natural deodorant back in 2017 and haven’t looked back. Primally Pure is the most effective that I have tried, and I set up the automatic subscription so I get a discount while making sure I never run out! The lavender scent is my favorite, but all of them are lovely.

The season has come where just applying lotion to my dry skin isn’t enough. Having another layer of moisture on my skin will definitely help this fall and winter, and this body butter from Alchemy Body Shop is the perfect first line of defense. Once I hop out of the shower, I apply this vegan body butter while damp and it compliments my lotion so well. It’s so moisturizing, you might want to be beware of sliding out of your towel! It even came with a cute personal note from the owner, which was a great touch. This is definitely a new staple product in my arsenal.

Finding the right cleanser for my skin is a lot more complicated than one would think. The wrong face wash means breakouts and tight, irritated skin, which makes me wonder why I don’t stick to my cream cleansers with calming ingredients. Ranavat’s cream cleanser removes makeup and oil while keeping my skin balanced. Each time I have a breakout or over-exfoliate (which is at least once a month), it’s Ranavat to the rescue. This cleanser will always be in my medicine cabinet.

The amount of oil my skin produces routinely shocks even me, so I have to frequently suck some of it out with my beloved clay masks. Of my collection, this Origins one is a fave and frequent repurchase. I slather it all over my face on Sundays, wait 20 minutes, and then hop in the shower and I notice such a difference in the softness and glide to my skin. It’s also great for a quick spot treatment for a really oily blemish you’ve got living rent free. Highly recommended.

At the end of 2018, I went through quite a thing with sir Harry Styles. I mean, I’ve always loved him, but “Fine Line” attached to my soul in ways I can’t even describe. The whole album is rumored to be about his ex-girlfriend, model Camille Rowe. So, I went on a deep dive watching dozens of interviews and videos with her, all to discover that she is a lover of classic French pharmacy products and brands, like Embryolisse. I bought this immediately in an effort to have gorgeous Parisian model skin, and I’m not going to lie, it fits the bill. This is a thick moisturizing cream in a squeeze tube. It has dozens of uses, but my favorites are as a makeup primer (it really grips onto your skin and holds foundations well), a nighttime moisturizer, and as a sleeping mask when applied in a thick layer. I haven’t repurchased yet because I’ve been loving my Beekman 1802 Bloom Cream, but it’s on my list to reorder for the wintertime.

It’s rare that I want a sweet, pumpkin-scones-straight-from-the-bakery scent, but now that I’ve tried this, I know I’ll likely never need another (except ”Pumpkin Chai” by Nest , which I love describing as the most sophisticated pumpkin scent on earth… which might also explain the price tag). This is a pretty small candle, but it actually burned well and for a long time considering. I like sweet scents in my kitchen to make it always smell like baked goods when I step in to fill up my water bottle or peruse for a snack, and this little candle was the perfect treat to light during the day.

It is candle season, y’all, and I blew through this guy in a matter of a few weeks. I know there are some Leaves haters out there, but this candle is the most quintessentially fall scent there is. I love a fancy candle as much as the next girl, but when I just want my apartment to smell like there’s an apple pie in the oven (with freshly-picked apples from the orchard, of course) as I’m doing arts and crafts at the counter with cinnamon-scented pinecones, all while a campfire is blazing behind me, I’m going with Bath and Body Works’ “Leaves.”

I picked this up at Target after reading Maddie’s rave review on TEG. I absolutely love this product and think it rivals expensive deep conditioners and leave-in treatments on the market at half or a quarter of the price. However, I’ve suggested this to dozens of my friends with thick and even medium hair, and they’ve all hated it and felt like it did nothing. My hair is baby-fine and thin, and I don’t have a lot of it, so if you have a similar hair type, this might be the perfect conditioning treatment for you that won’t weigh hair down but leaves it silky and shiny. I will also note that I go through this—as the name would suggest—like water, but at the price point, I don’t mind reupping my supply every couple of months.

This is my fourth bottle of I can confidently say I will never go without this in my skincare arsenal. I’ve sung its praises before, but this product makes me actually want to wear sunscreen. It’s non-greasy, goes on clear, and sits perfectly under makeup while keeping my skin hydrated. It also doesn’t hurt that my actual dermatologist recommended it to me and you can buy it on Amazon. If you’re trying to get yourself to be in the habit of wearing sunscreen every day, try this out—you won’t regret it.

I never knew I needed a scrub specifically for the areas I shave, until I tried this Silk Scrub. This exfoliating treatment is gentle, soothing, and smells delicious, and using it has become the moment I look forward to most when I shower. I put it on my underarms and leave on as a mask throughout my shower and then keep it on for a shaving cream when I shave at the end to avoid razor burns and get smoother skin. It has also helped me avoid bad razor burns, nicks, and irritation I’ve always gotten on all ~sensitive areas.~ After years of awful razor burns, it really shouldn’t be this easy to have silky-smooth hairless skin, but alas, Fur Silk Scrub is here to save us all. It’s gentle enough to use on sensitive areas (even after shaving!), buff dead skin cells before shaving for a smoother shave, or it can be used as a scrub and mask underneath hair if you do feel your best with some body hair. I will absolutely be purchasing again because I ran out a week ago and am already missing this amazing scrub. My underarms are just not the same!

This Miss Dior Blooming Bouquet perfume has been there for me over the last two years during some of my favorite outings. It’s not cheap (as with most high-end, potent perfumes), so I used it sparingly but, whenever I did, I’d get so many compliments. I’m quite melancholy to see this go because it’s such a perfect light, floral perfume, but I’m still deciding if I’m going to use my money to replace it (which would be a safe option knowing that I love it) or to invest in another scent. Stay tuned!