Beauty Empties #1

Somewhere around the start of the pandemic, I confess I fell out of the habit of posting about my favourite beauty products (or posting much at all, if I’m absolutely honest…). But while my beauty priorities have shifted somewhat over the past year – my daily makeup routine has gone from about 5 minutes to approximately 30 seconds for example, and I’ve gone from tanning twice every week to approximately never – my love of beauty has not. Indeed, when we spent 9 months out of the last 12 in lockdown and weren’t allowed to leave our houses for months on end (for those of us here in the UK), the simple joy of a daily skincare routine, weekly bubble baths + hair masks, and slathering on the products which felt most luxurious and pampering gained greater importance in a year that was all about finding tiny joys wherever we could.

If you follow me on Instagram, you might have seen that I do roundups of my beauty empties every few weeks on my Stories. While I often share the new beauty finds I’m excited to try, I actually think it’s better to tell you about the products I finish to the last drop. I’m a lifelong beauty lover and buy a lot of products myself, but I’m extremely fortunate enough to also be sent a lot of products to try and always have more than I actually need, which means I can be fussy about what I use on a daily basis. So to say I finished something all the way through – let alone that I’ve repeatedly re-purchased something and been using it for years – is a testament to how much I enjoyed using it. I’ll try and do one of these posts every couple of months to highlight my favourites of all the products I’ve finished and give my recommendations somewhere to live aside from Instagram stories.

Below, my favourites from all the products I finished the past few months:

Skin

Fresh Soy face cleanser

This is a longtime staple in my skincare routine, and probably my no.1 favourite cleanser (followed closely by this Cleanser by Aesop, which is very similar to this). It’s a lovely gentle formula (even for sensitive skin types like mine) and a gel-like consistency which gives just the right amount of lather; enough that you feel it’s doing its job, but not so much that it’s stripping your skin dry. Already repurchased and back in my shower.

Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Cream

This is a staple in our household, and one of the products my husband and I happily share. It doesn’t do anything especially groundbreaking, but it’s just a really good, everyday moisturiser. I’ll often use this over the top of an active serum (retinol, glycolic or lactic acid) as it’s gentle and non-irritating, but still very hydrating. Use the cream version in winter or if your skin is on the dry side, or the lotion for summer or oilier skin type.

Jurlique Rosewater face mist

I think this was one of the first beauty products I ever bought. Jurlique started in my hometown of Adelaide, Australia (where the brand still grows all of their botanical ingredients on their organic farm in the Adelaide hills), and my sister – who is 11 years older than me and used the entire range – got me on to this, and thus kicked off my lifelong obsession with face mists. To be perfectly honest, a face mist is not something anyone actually needs in their routine; it’s purely a lovely addition if your budget can stretch to non-essential niceties. I use a lot of face mists and have one in every single room in our house (as well as a mini bottle in my handbag) at all times, but this is probably my all-time favourite. The entire rose range is heavenly (I also regularly use the body wash and hand cream), and I use this as my toner in the mornings to help my skincare really absorb. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve bought this, but at least once a year for the last 20 years (wow, way to make myself feel suddenly old…)

Makeup

Stila Stay All Day eyeliner

The greatest eyeliner of all time. My friend Nicolette introduced me to this liquid liner when I first visited her in NYC back in 2011, and I immediately went to Sephora to buy it. Over the years I’ve tried every single liner that promises to do the same thing (Glossier, Charlotte Tilbury, Tom Ford, Kat Von D, Glossier, Estee Lauder, Mac…) but either they smudge during the day, don’t give the same sharp line, or quickly fade and lose their intense inky blackness after a few weeks. This stays good for months (even in Normal Times pre-pandemic, I’d use this every single day and only need to replace it every 4-6 months), and is the only one I always come back to.

Glossier Boy Brow brow gel

The brow gel that launched brow gel. I’ve been using this since it launched years ago, and it’s still very good if, like me, your brows need a little help to make an impact. It comes in clear (if all you need is hold) and a good range of shades to add a hint of colour, fill in + fluff your brows, and keeps them in place if they’re prone to unruliness. If you’re doing a Glossier order, then definitely add this to your basket. But otherwise, the Hourglass version is a very good alternative that’s more widely available on this side of the Atlantic.

Hair + Body

Aesop Resurrection hand balm

Fun fact: one of my first ever weekend jobs was working in my local Aesop store while I was at university in Australia in the early 2000s. I’d been a fan of the brand before, but that job made me a lifelong loyalist because I just fell in love with the products and the company. This is my probably my favourite hand cream, and I adore the fresh citrusy scent of the Resurrection (while my husband likes the more woody Reverence). I have one of these giant bottles on my bedside table at all times, and it’s one of my favourite pre-bedtime rituals. Not exactly cheap, but even with daily use this bottle lasts me a year or so (but it also comes in a smaller tube if you prefer).

Philip Kingsley Elasticizer hair mask

Hands-down the best hair mask I’ve ever tried. It’s a little bit tedious to use in that you have to wet your hair before applying it, leave it on for as long as you can be bothered, and then wash your hair – which is the only reason I don’t use it every single weekend. But it’s 100% worth the hassle in that it transforms even the most dry, brittle ends into bouncy, silky, well-behaved strands. I haven’t had my hair done in 9 months (thanks to lockdown #2 and #3 here in the UK), and this mask is one of the only reasons it still looks healthy. A tiny bit expensive, but a little goes a long way and one jar lasts a very long time.

Marvis Whitening Mint toothpaste

I am all about upgrading the ordinary products we use everyday so that they feel like a luxurious little treat rather than a chore, and fancy toothpaste is one of my favourite ways to do so. I first discovered Marvis when I went to Italy years ago, and couldn’t resist buying a few to try (I have a weakness for a good heritage brand). At that time, you could only find it outside of Italy for a small fortune at Liberty and Net-a-Porter, but it’s thankfully now more affordable + widely available and all I use. I’ve tried every single flavour they make and will say that while this one if great if you like a classic minty flavour, I personally prefer the non-minty varieties such as Jasmine, Black Forest, and Rumbas. Disclaimer: once you try fancy toothpaste, you can’t go back!

Fragrance

Diptyque Do Son fragrance

Diptyque candles get a lot of love for good reason (I’ve ranked every single one of them in this post), but their perfumes are equally exquisite and highly underrated. Do Son is a beautiful bouquet or tuberose, jasmine and orange blossom, and if you’re a fan of the brand’s Tubereuse candle, then you’ll love this. My husband and I share Eau de Sens (bergamot and neroli) in the summer months, but this is one of my longtime favourites for autumn through to spring.

Jo Malone Sweet Almond & Macaroon candle

Anyone who knows me knows I love a beautiful scented candle, and Jo Malone make some of my favourites. This particular scent – which smells of marzipan and Laduree macarons – is one of my favourites for the colder months, and I’ll usually burn this in the dark depths of winter once Christmas has passed and ‘holiday’ scents no longer feel appropriate but spring has not yet arrived. I recently treated myself to the porcelain version of this candle which I won’t light until next Christmas, but which is looking very beautiful on my entryway table until then. One of the questions I’m asked the most is ‘are expensive candles worth it’? In my opinion: yes, but I think you get what you pay for because I haven’t met a cheap candle which doesn’t make me sneeze or give me a headache (lord knows I’ve tried, because my fancy candle obsession does not come cheap…)

Products: Fresh Face Cleanser, Jurlique Rosewater Face Mist, Kiehl’s Face Cream, Stila eyeliner, Glossier Brow Gel, Aesop Hand Balm, Philip Kingsley Hair Mask, Marvis Toothpaste, Diptyque perfume, Jo Malone candle.*

Do you have any favourite new finds or holy grail beauty products? Let me know in the comments below. 

Love, Briony xx

*Contains some affiliate links (if you make a purchase through one of my links, I may receive a small commission)