Project Pan November 2024 Beauty Empties

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Yes, I am behind schedule, but now I am trying to catch up on my empties reviews! I want to tally up the number of products I used up in 2024 so I can go on to 2025. After finishing these mini-reviews, I’ll still have December to do. Ugh.

Skincare Empties

As usual, skincare products are my most popular category. I use so many, but eventually, they get used up…or else tossed!

• DHC Silky Cotton: On Amazon, there is often a terrific sale on DHC’s soft silky 100% cotton rectangular pads. There were 3 boxes for a price that was way lower than buying them on DHC’s website for $7 for a box of 80. Sadly, the 3 pack on Amazon is currently unavailable. At Dermstore.com, the same box is priced at $6. As much as I love Koh Gen Do, I don’t love their higher price of $9/box. Recommend? Yes, in practice, DHC Silky Cotton is my makeup remover pad of choice!

• #OOTD Intensive Face Serum: #OOTD Intensive Face Serum is one of my favorite skincare products that I discovered in 2024. It’s a lightweight, easily absorbed face serum that’s loaded with hyaluronic acid as well as Vitamin C. It’s positioned as a daytime serum, and that’s when I use it. It’s from #OOTD (I think that stands for Oxygen of the Day), a Korean vegan skincare brand. Recommend? Yes, I strongly recommend it. In fact, it’s on sale now on the #OOTD website for about $17 marked down from $30. It’s also sold on Amazon and Yesstyle.com, but I don’t know if it’s on sale there.

• Kat Burki Rose Hip Intense Recovery Eye Serum: I discovered this effective, lightweight eye serum with Vitamin C and Retinol in addition to Rose Hip Seed Oil in one of my recent Ipsy/Boxycharm boxes, and I fell in love with it. It is incredibly expensive, but it works very well to tighten the skin above my eyelid creases. Recommend? I believe that the regular price for the small heavy glass bottle is $135, but I managed to buy another bottle on Ipsy for about $20 – that’s one of the key reasons I continue my Ipsy subscription. But yes, I do recommend Kat Burki Rose Hip Intense Recovery Eye Serum, sold on the Kat Burki website as well as at Bloomingdale’s.

• Innisfree Daily UV Defense Sunscreen SPF 36: I’m a fan of Korean brand Innisfree because their products are affordable and easy to buy at Sephora and Amazon. Their chemical sunscreen is a lightweight white cream that is quickly absorbed and doesn’t leave a white cast or a greasy look. Recommend? Yes, I bought a replacement tube after I finished this one up.

• Derma E Ultra Hydrating Alkaline Cloud Cleanser: I was on the fence about Derma E’s Ultra Hydrating Alkaline Cloud Cleanser primarily because when I contacted Derma E to find out why this cleanser is alkaline and the person who responded to my email didn’t know. That’s not good. But this is why some people might want an alkaline cleanser: “Alkaline skincare products are often used to potentially balance the skin’s natural pH by neutralizing excess acids, which can be beneficial for skin conditions like eczema and psoriasis, as well as to cleanse the skin deeply…”. That could be a good thing for those with eczema or psoriasis, and it should have been promoted that way. Most of us have slightly acidic skin and should be using a neutral pH cleanser and skincare products. Another thing that I didn’t love was the pump that created an instant foaming cleanser that indeed looked like a cloud. I find that the self-foaming pumps stick over time and this one was no exception. Otherwise, it was a nice, non-stripping cleanser especially for summer. Recommend? The product appears to have been discontinued by Derma E. 

• b.glen QuSome Moisture Rich Cream: b.glen is a luxury scientific brand of skincare based on Japanese skincare principles but made in Los Angeles. I started using the firming QuSome Moisture Rich Cream (reviewed here) in the summer, and it was the perfect weight cream. I was sad to see it get finished up. Recommend? Again, not inexpensive at $79 (though $75 on Amazon now), but if you can afford it, it would be well worth the try.

• City Beauty Barrier Rescue Firming Night Cream: I’ve loved City Beauty Barrier Rescue Firming Night Cream since it was launched a year or so ago. It’s a peach-tinted, fragrance-free midweight cream that absorbs easily but makes my skin feel instantly hydrated without leaving a greasy look or skinfeel behind. In fact, I wear it day or night. Recommend? Yes, I think it’s wonderful. PS, you can always save 15% if there’s no ongoing sale but using my code NEVERSAYDIEBEAUTY at checkout to buy anything on the website.

• City Beauty Under Eye Recovery: I am probably not the right person to judge the efficacy of Under Eye Recovery because I don’t have under eye bags and though I have some darkness, it’s not too bad. Thus, I am neutral about the City Beauty Under Eye Cream. As a result, I prefer the cucumber-scented, blue color, super lightweight cream from The pHix Caffeine Eye Cream.

• Hey Honey Take Away The Drama Youth Boosting Honey & Copper Peel-Off Mask: I got this travel size peel-off mask a couple of years ago, and I forgot about it. Because it was old, it was difficult for me to peel off. In fact, it hurt to peel it off. However, I had the cleanest face on the planet! And I didn’t need to exfoliate for a couple of weeks, lol. The travel size is on sale for almost 50% off now on Amazon. The full size is $49 on the Hey Honey site. Recommend? Because I should have used it much earlier, it’s hard to say. I need to try it again.

• Hanalei Kukui Oil Lip Treatment, Clear, travel size: Hanalei Lip Treatment in the travel size is one of my favorite lip treatment ointments to keep in my makeup case. Again, I was introduced to it years ago via Ipsy, and have repurchased it repeatedly. I now have the rose-tinted version. It’s sold on Amazon as well as the Hanalei website. Recommend? Yes, perfect for those with dry lips.

• SAMPLE PCA Skin ideal complex revitalizing eye gel: Although this was a sample I received with a purchase, I own the full size PCA Skin ideal eye gel and I love it. It’s great for helping to prevent milia since it’s a clear gel. It also works well for the skin above the crease. Sold on the PCA Skin website, Dermstreet where it’s currently 30% off, Amazon, Nordstrom, and Lovelyskin.com. Recommend? Yes, it’s a really good one.

Makeup

• Love + Craft + Beauty Eye Primer: Again, this is one of the two eye primers that I have been using over the past almost 2 years. I love that it doesn’t have a wand, and it is pigmented enough that it doesn’t allow my red eyelids to show through even the lightest eyeshadow. As I recently mentioned, I bought another tube to replace the empty one, but I have misplaced it somewhere in my house! Recommend? Yes, especially if you’re a fan of wand-less eye primers.

• Thrive Causemetics Liquid Lash Extensions Mascara: First, Liquid Lash Extensions is a tubing mascara, so if you don’t like them, you may not like this one either. Nevertheless, it makes my lashes look very long as well as volumized. It can be difficult to remove with micellar water, so I usually use an oil cleanser or a cream makeup remover to take it off. It doesn’t clump unless it is older than the few months recommended for use. Recommend? I really do like Thrive Liquid Lash Extensions for the aforementioned reasons, but it may not be right for everyone.

Bath & Body

• Liquid Hand Soap from Costco: Gee, I don’t even know what the actual brand is for this liquid hand soap. I bought a big box of 5 or 6 of these Italian-inspired soaps several years ago. Since then, I have noticed that Costco often has a similar box but with liquid hand soap bottles using different themes. It’s a decent hand soap to keep at the kitchen sink, IMO. Is it my favorite? No. It doesn’t suds up as well as some other liquid hand soaps, and the fragrances are OK but not great. Recommend? Not really.

• Chicadee Company Handmade Natural Soap: I bought this pretty soap at the Waterfront Craft Festival in Gloucester MA at the end of August. It smelled nice: clean and somewhat oceany, and it went with my master bath color scheme. It soaped up easily, didn’t make a mess by dripping on my shower stall, and it left my skin feeling soft and clean. Recommend? I think Chicadee Co. is based in Newburyport MA, so if I go up there one day, yes I will buy some more. If not, I’ll wait till next August till the festival comes around again. Recommend? Yes, I do. But I don’t know that I would go out of my way for handmade soap with the exception of Daphne’s handmade soap from Nature Island Botanicals that is no longer available because of Daphne’s age-related dementia. So sad about that.

• Portsmouth Soap Company soap: I bought a big bag of large-ish samples of Portsmouth Soap Company’s handmade soaps a couple of years ago when my friend and I visited Portsmouth New Hampshire for the day. I’m still making my way through the samples. Too bad that I can’t recall which of their many soaps each one is! Recommend? Not really.

Haircare

• KeraFactor Scalp Stimulating Solution: I was sent this hair growth supporting serum along with some other hair products a few months ago. I think the bottle of viscous liquid lasted me about 3 months of every night usage on the front of my scalp where my hair was receding. Frankly, I would say it did a good job encouraging my formerly dead hair follicles to regrow hair. And best of all, the viscous liquid stayed put on that part of my head! My regular brand, Vegamour, is a true liquid that goes running down my face because of where I need to use it. Recommend? Yes, although expensive at $169 a bottle, I think that doctor-recommended KeraFactor Scalp Stimulating Solution is worth a try if you have hair loss. Just remember that hair regrowth is not an overnight process but a longterm commitment.

• igk Expensive Clear Gloss Top Coat: I really like igk Expensive Clear Gloss Top Coat because it makes my hair extra soft and shiny. A little goes a long way, and it is also a terrific conditioner that’s great at untangling hair. Recommend? Yes, it’s a bit pricey so I try to buy igk’s products when they’re on sale like they are now, 30% off on the igk website. I really love this treatment/conditioner!

Health & Beauty

• Just Brands CBD Gummies, 1000 mg: You’re probably sick of my mini-reviews of Just Brands CBD Gummies, but these work for me especially in helping me sleep. Recommend? Yes, to those who are fans of CBD gummies or curious about trying them.

Project Pan 2024 Update 

Oh dear, I am more behind in Project Pan ’24 than I previously thought. I never posted my May empties, and I still haven’t posted my September empties. Maybe that’s what the plastic bag of empties in my closet is, September? Ugh. I should just recycle ’em all and start anew in 2025! But let’s see what I can do about the backlog.

I ended October with 75 empties. In November, I used up 18 beauty products, not counting the PCA Eye Gel sample. That brings me to 93 empties so far. I’ll try to keep going finishing up, though I may have to skip May.

How about you? Are you doing better than I am in keeping track of your empties?