February Empties Review

February might be the shortest month, but you wouldn’t know it to look at my empties. Everything is listed in the order I finished it, more or less. Buckle in!

Biossance Squalane + Marine Algae Eye Cream

This wee eye cream came as a promo with some other Biossance I ordered last spring — otherwise, admittedly, I would never have dropped the money on an eye cream. That said, this has a rich & lovely slip texture that makes it nice for daily use around the eyes as well as on the lips. That said, if you’re not into eye cream, don’t worry about it, as it’s just hydrating and moisturizing.
Rating: 7/10
Price: $54 USD/15 mL for the full-size, shown here in a 3 mL promo size

SKINRx MadeCera Cream

This cream has officially made me a believer in cica creams for winter. As I talked about when I opened it, I had intended to use it as an AM moisturizer, and then ended up using it basically every routine. Between tingly cheeks from the cold winter air and generally stressed out skin, this was a lovely cream to be able to pop on as needed.
Rating: 8/10
Price: $36 USD/50mL for the full-size, shown here in a 15mL travel size

Rhonda Allison Drops of Essence

This product was recommended to me by my esthetician before I really got into skincare. (I KNOW. IT FEELS LIKE SO LONG AGO.) Since then I’ve continued rebuying because it does really soothe my dry skin when it’s feeling irritated. That said, now that I’ve gotten a rather … lengthy … routine, I’m liking it less and less. I find that I get the same benefits from other products, plus this just really doesn’t layer well. It was great when I was a skincare baby who could benefit from a simple serum-oil-moisturizer type product, but now? Meh.
Rating: 5/10
Price: $20 USD/15 mL

I’m From Mugwort Essence

This was my second essence (the first being the May Coop Raw Sauce), and honestly i’m about as “meh” about it as that one. I think it was hydrating, but in terms of soothing, redness-reducing effects, I really didn’t see any. I suspect that this works better for more acne-prone skin and the redness associated with that sort of inflammation, rather than the redness more associated with sensitivity and rosacea (which I don’t have, but it could turn into that if I’m not careful). It did have a nice body to it, though.
Rating: 7/10
Price: $40 USD/160 mL

Paula’s Choice Peptide Booster

I don’t even know why I’m giving this two stars, to be honest. I was so glad to be done with this tiny container. THE PILLING. OOF. No thanks. Sure, peptides, are great, but at what cost? (Too high, especially for the full size.)
Rating: 2/10
Price: $14 USD/5 mL for travel-size (pictured), $52 USD/20 mL for full-size

Banila Clean It Zero Cleansing Balm

I. Love. This. Cleansing. Balm. Truly. This is my second container of the stuff. I love how it turns into an oil in my hands. I love it’s light scent (from an extract, not an essential oil or fragrance). I love how easily it emulsifies when you add water. I love that it doesn’t sting or irritate my eyes (though I know this is not everyone’s experience with it). There’s definitely a reason it’s a cult classic!
Rating: 10/10
Price: $19 USD/100 mL

Chiasm Skin Custom Oil

I’ve been loving this oil so far. This “draft” bottle lasted me about a month, which isn’t too shabby. It’s got a glorious mountain wildflower smell to it — probably due to all the florals towards the bottom of the ingredient list — and absorbs nicely while still giving me that nice donut look that lets me know my PM routine did what I need it to do. Excited to be opening my full-size bottle!
Rating: 10/10
Price: $165 USD/40 mL — a 10 mL first draft and 30 mL final draft

Peach Slices Snail Rescue Intensive Wash-Off Mask

I blame this product for breaking my sad attempt at a no-buy January — I had to rebuy it. This is one of the few hydrating masks on the market, and really the only one at a drugstore-adjacent price point. It’s got a super funky texture (I think from the starch used to thicken it), but it goes on easily. Getting it off is a BIT trickier, unless you use a washcloth. I’ve been loving using it right after an exfoliating or clay mask. Definitely good for any skin type!
Rating: 10/10
Price: $17 USD/100 mL

Peter Thomas Roth Blue Marine Algae Intense Hydrating Mask

This hydrating mask smells oddly of baby powder. It goes on super thin and rinses off easily. Other than that, however, it’s fairly unremarkable. I didn’t find it irritating, but I also didn’t feel like it did much hydrating — if you want your skin to feel bouncy and hydrating, I feel like their cucumber mask does a better job.
Rating: 6/10
Price: $36 USD/150 mL for the full size

Cosrx Pure Fit Cica Toner

I’ve never been so glad to have won something in my life (granted, I never win anything). I won the Cosrx giveaway of their entire Cica line back in November, and opened this up immediately. I used two layers morning and evening and loved it. Now that it’s empty, my face already misses it. This is a watery toner, and it’s deeply hydrating. It really feels like your skin is being repaired when you use it. And because of the cica, it’s great for sensitive skin! Highly highly recommend. Will definitely be rebuying.
Rating: 10/10
Price: $22 USD/150 mL

DHC Deep Cleansing Oil

I reviewed this way back when … back when I had a more favorable impression of it. Even then my impression was “ehhh, it’s nice.” I didn’t finish it at the time because even then I felt so meh about it that I abandoned it for Banila. I started using it again because Banila ran out, and I continue to be roundly unimpressed. The olive oil base is such a glum experience that didn’t bring me joy. Indeed, it seemed to give me some spots. (Maybe I just don’t get on with cleansing oils? This happened with Biossance, too). So I wound up using it as a bath oil, and it didn’t even excel there (whereas the Biossance one did) because it didn’t protect my skin from being stripped.
Rating: 1/10
Price: $14 USD/70 mL for the travel size (pictured), $28 USD/200mL for the full size

Kate Somerville Kx Active Concentrates Omegas + Ceramides Barrier Defense Serum

I discovered this serum last summer when a small size of it was in the Sephora SPF sampler. I loved it, and promptly clutched my pearls when I saw the cost. That said, this was being rebranded so it was cheaper (it’s now one of the DeliKate serums and costs around $90), so I asked for this for Christmas. This was wonderful for the Colorado winter. I used a few drops in other serums both AM and PM, and it really kept my cheek irritation under control!
Rating: 9/10
Price: $59 USD / 30mL

Krave Beauty Kale-lalu-yAHA

I bought this exfoliant to replace The Ordinary’s Glycolic Acid Toning Solution, which was so strong it irritated my skin. This exfoliant is a world apart from it. At 5.25% glycolic acid, it’s a bit weaker than TO’s (7%), and I was able to use it as often as four times a week. The aloe juice and other extracts are a nice added benefit to make it feel like you’re doing more for your skin than just getting rid of the dead bits. I personally put it on a cotton pad to apply, to ensure I could get it everywhere, but you could probably just apply with your hands. I’ll probably end up rebuying eventually, but for the moment I feel a bit like I’ve grown out of exfoliating toners in favor of wash-off masks, so won’t do so until I’m also ready to buy something else from the line.
Rating: 10/10
Price: $25 USD/200 mL

Pyunkang Yul Ato Cream Blue Label

I LOVE THIS CREAM. So so much. I’ve recommended it to a ton of folks, and I just convinced a friend to get it as the k-beauty step up from the classic CeraVe Moisturizing Cream. It’s got a nice cream texture without being too waxy, so it’s eminently spreadable and great if you want something nourishing but not heavy-feeling. While it’s ostensibly also a body cream, I’ve just been using it as my PM moisturizer — it’s much too precious to me to smear it all over my boring old body skin. I love that it’s got nourishing oils and extracts while still having a lovely bit of occlusivity from the shea butter and beeswax. I mean it’s PKY, how could you go wrong?
Rating: 10/10
Price: $20 USD/120 mL