September Empties Reviews

Lots of minis this month! The theme of September was definitely traveling: we came back from Tulsa, spent a week at home, then went to Crete for a week and a half for our fifth wedding anniversary. (This is also my excuse for my bad posting schedule. Hopefully October is calmer. So far all signs are pointing to “lol Lisa you’re silly.”) All that travel certainly tried to bamboozle my dry skin, so here are SOME of the products I used to help — the rest will be in my next post, September Openeds.

🍑 Peach & Lily Ginger Melt Oil Cleanser

It almost feels unfair to judge the Peach & Lily Ginger Melt Oil Cleanser based on this wee size, but I’m judgmental so here we are. My principle problem with this oil cleanser has been the same as any oil cleanser I’ve tried: a little does NOT go a long away. Indeed, this 5 mL size was, for me, four uses. Do I have a lot of face, neck and décolletage? Possibly (well, not on the décolletage front, but I do believe in carrying my skincare well below my neckline). That said, this did remove layers of sunscreen and sweat easily, and rinsed cleanly.
Opened: this month
Price: $32 USD / 150 mL; shown in a 5 mL travel size
Rating: 7/10

🥝 COSRX AHA BHA Vitamin C Daily Toner

Based on the name, one might expect the Cosrx AHA BHA Vitamin C Daily Toner to be a life-changing skin obliterator. It is not — and that’s a good thing. This is a very lightweight toner that layers up nicely both in the morning and in the evening. I’d even argue that it can function as a cheaper alternative to the Glow Recipe Watermelon Glow PHA+BHA Pore-Tight Toner, which I used in a similar fashion. The AHA here is glycolic acid and sodium lactate (the salt form of lactic acid). The BHA is willow bark water and betaine salicylate. The Vitamin C comes from ascorbyl glucoside, as well as the kiwi and apple fruits/extracts that make the bulk of this formula. This also includes niacinamide and allantoin, making it a remarkably well-rounded formula.
Opened: this month
Price: $22 USD / 180 mL; shown in a 30 mL travel size
Rating: 9/10

🌸 Rovectin Clean Lotus Water Calming Toner

I finished the Rovectin Clean Lotus Water Calming Toner almost a month ago now. It was a lovely, deeply hydrating toner that layers up well. There is a bit of a surfactant “thing” that happens with this toner in the bottle, and which I know has put some folks off it when they experience that same effect on their skin, but I never ran into it. This uses lotus water, as well as lotus extracts from the leaf, root and flower, as its main hero ingredients (it also includes hyaluronic acid — sigh). I’m rather tempted to give this a 10/10 — except that I’ve found that I haven’t really been missing it since I’ve moved onto other hydrating toners.
Opened: June
Price: $22 USD / 200 mL
Rating: 9/10

💦 Klairs Supple Preparation Unscented Toner

Fun fact: Klairs Supple Preparation Unscented Toner was my introduction to the joys of hydrating toners … years ago, at this point. I’m not the only one: in part because of its accessibility (it’s available at Ulta in both unscented and scented versions), this is most folks’ introduction to hydrating toners and the seven skins practice. It’s not as watery as some — it does have some nice body — but it still layers up nicely. This has a nice mix of everything k-beauty formulations usually have to offer, with centella asiatica extract, licorice extract, panthenol, beta-glucan, a vitamin C derivative and a copper peptide, among other things.
Opened: this month
Price: $22 USD / 180 mL; shown in a 30 mL travel size
Rating: 9/10

💒 Farmacy Honeymoon Glow

I love an exfoliant gentle enough to be used every day, and I think the Farmacy Honeymoon Glow delivers that. It claims to be 14% AHA, but the breakdown on the website shows that it’s 10% lactic/glycolic/citric/fruit acids, 1% willow bark extract and 3% flower acids, so it’s far gentler than, say, The Ordinary’s 7% glycolic toner. This is a fairly creamy texture, with honey, royal jelly and propolis (the bee trifecta), as well as several nourishing oils (jojoba, safflower, grape seed, sunflower) and antioxidant extracts beyond the floral ones ostensibly exfoliating. Having just tried the more expensive Sunday Riley Good Genes (almost 50% more), I’d say that this is a good dupe while still being mid-market or luxury. For my part, it’s still quite pricey but otherwise lovely.
Opened: this month
Price: $60 USD / 30 mL; shown in a 5 mL travel size
Rating: 9/10

💧 Farmacy Filling Good

The Farmacy Filling Good serum is billed as a hyaluronic acid plumping serum, but I disagree. Yes, it includes hyaluronic acid and sodium hyaluronate. But it also includes glycerin, prebiotics, the honey/royal jelly/propolis trifecta, a peptide, and various plant extracts. In my book? That makes it a classic k-beauty hydrating serum, minus the being made in Korea. This has a creamy texture, and none of the drying effect that happens to me so often with hyaluronic acid products. My one issue here is just the price, largely because I’ve been spoiled by said k-beauty serums.
Opened: this month
Price: $48 USD / 30 mL; shown in a 5 mL travel size
Rating: 9/10

🥛 Klairs Rich Moist Soothing Cream

The Klairs Rich Moist Soothing Cream is a medium-weight cream that I’ve been looking at for ages (even before it made its way into my stash last summer) but had not yet tried. The hero ingredient is beta glucan, which is a great hydrating alternative to hyaluronic acid for those of us that avoid it. In proper k-beauty fashion, there are also a lot of plant extracts for an antioxidant benefit. I used as my PM moisturizer while in Greece, occasionally in the mornings as well (depending on my sunscreen), and downgraded it to my hands as-needed while flying nearly halfway around the world. Unfortunately I’m not very impressed with it — it leaves that classic semi-greasy film on the skin that I dislike in so many body moisturizers. That said, it does moisturize well, even in skin-stressing conditions.
Opened: this month
Price: $26 USD / 80 mL; shown in a 20 mL travel size
Rating: 6/10

☀️ Isntree Hyaluronic Acid Airy Sun Stick

Isntree’s Hyaluronic Acid Airy Sun Stick was the first one I ever tried … and it has made me a convert to the format.I initially got it for reapplication while mountain biking, since taking off my gloves and dealing with sweat can feel laborious. I love it for that, plus any outdoor occasion, plus globe-trotting. It’s great for traveling: doesn’t need to go in the liquid bag; slips easily into a pocket or small bag; makes reapplication with dirty hands a non-issue. The texture does remind me of deodorant, but that’s a good thing because it also really seems to stay put. Before this was empty, I repurchased it (in the new packaging) — plus picked up a few other brands of sunstick for the Greece trip.
Opened: June
Price: $21 USD / 22 g
Rating: 10/10