Happy Wednesday! Today I am really excited to share my December empties with all of you, and to discuss how my #365DaysofEmpties project went for the year. I decided to challenge myself to complete 100 products in 2016, and at the end of November it was pretty clear to me that goal would not be possible. Let me show you the products I used up in December, and then I’ll share my thoughts on this project for 2016 and whether or not I plan to continue in 2017.
SKINCARE
Michael Todd Charcoal Detox Deep Pore Gel Cleanser [BUY] – 1 bottle
- Mini Review: It took me over a year to use up this entire bottle of cleanser! I kept this in the shower, and I really like it. While this cleanser is gentle on the skin, it does an amazing job at cleaning my face and clearing it of dirt and impurities. I did get a bit sick of using it in the last few months, but it felt great to use this whole thing!
- Would I Buy it Again? I can definitely see myself going back to this cleanser at some point in the future.
Yes to Cucumbers Soothing Hypoallergenic Facial Wipes [BUY] – 1 pack
- Mini Review: I used up another pack of my current favorite face wipes! I’m not going to go into too much detail here, as I mention how much I love these wipes in a ton of blog posts!
- Would I Buy it Again? Yes! I have a stock pile!
Sunday Riley Good Genes All-in-One Lactic Acid Treatment [BUY] – 1 sample
- Mini Review: My skin was in a very bad place for a while, so I used this sample I got in a subscription box. Wow! Good Genes really brought my skin back to life! It helped clear my breakouts and balance out my skin tone. I did not like the pungent smell, and I do wish this product was vegan (though it is cruelty free!). Unfortunately, I would not be able to repurchase this even if it became vegan – it’s $105!
BODY CARE
Dr. Carver’s Easy Shave Butter [BUY] – 1 sample
- Mini Review: I got this sample from Dollar Shave Club, and it did not work for me at all. In fact, my skin felt quite irritated after trying out this shave gel!
- Would I Buy it Again? No!
The Body Shop Mango Sugar Body Scrub [BUY] – 1 jar
- Mini Review: I really like this scrub from The Body Shop. I didn’t use it as often as I would like because mango wasn’t a seasonal scent. I love using seasonal scents, so I need to plan my purchases a bit better going forward. For example, the only scrub I have now is pink grapefruit, and I haven’t wanted to use it!
- Would I Buy it Again? Yes, but in the summer!
Seventh Generation Natural Hand Wash Free & Clean Unscented [BUY] – 1 bottle
- Mini Review: This hand soap was a huge disappointment for me! First of all, it is not unscented. It has a chemically smell, which is ironic since this is supposed to be natural. Plus, I feel like my hands didn’t get 100% clean with this soap. Even if this soap was vegan, I would not buy it again.
DECEMBER EMPTIES: 6
TOTAL 2016 EMPTIES: 90
As you can see, I did not reach my goal of completing 100 products in 2016. I did come very close, and I am happy with my progress. I had no idea when I began this goal that I would be switching to a vegan lifestyle halfway through the year. This switch resulted in my decluttering many of my non-vegan products and repurchasing vegan items. This is especially true when it came to makeup. Of course, I still have a good amount of non-vegan products to use up, and you will see these in future empties posts until I decide I’m no longer comfortable using those products (or until they are all done!).
This was the first year I tracked all of the products I’ve used up, so it will be very interesting to see how I do in 2017. I will continue to document my empties with all of you on the blog, but I will do so seasonally instead of monthly. I felt like my empties posts seemed a bit repetitive sharing them every month.
My new goal for 2017 is to use up 120 empties, or an average of 10 empties per month. I do think this is an achievable goal, as I won’t be switching to a new lifestyle as I did in 2016, and thus can focus on my current stash. I’ve also become much better at only buying what I really need, and only using 1-2 products at a time. I also know that while it’s fun to give myself a specific goal to strive towards, my main focus in doing the #365DaysofEmpties project is to save money and not hoard excess products. I hope to be even better at this going forward!
Did you participate in the #365DaysofEmpties?! Please share how you did in the comments!
Some of the products in this post were originally provided for my unbiased review. This post includes affiliate links. All opinions are my own. See my Disclosure Policy for more information.