A love letter to my used up beauty products

A peek into the things I've finished recently

I’m hours away from running off with my husband for our long-awaiting honeymoon (it was delayed a little bit because he injured himself *sighs* skateboarding, so we decided to wait until he was fully recovered to embark on our little post-nuptials adventure). With that being said, this week I’m keeping it relatively short n’ sweet and throwing it back to one of my favorite, albeit old-school, kinds of beauty content.

When I was working full time at The Strategist, I was constantly being sent press boxes filled to the brim with new products and entire shade ranges to try and test out for articles. This was, of course, an enormous privilege, and I was always genuinely so excited to swatch and play with all of the incredible new innovations and formulas that brands were releasing. But I basically had enough stuff to stock a Sephora—you could literally open any cabinet or drawer in my Brooklyn apartment and it would be jam-packed with lipsticks, nail polish, and serums. When I moved, I donated, gifted, and returned almost everything, and now I keep things relatively reserved—so much so that all my products could probably fit into just two makeup bags. Sure, I’ll indulge in the occasional Ulta or Sephora run when I’m back in the states, but I’ve become pretty tame, and it’s nothing like it was when I was a full-time beauty staff writer. It might sound strange, but this change has made me appreciate every product I own on a whole new level.

So for this week’s newsletter, I’ll be sharing my favorite “empties” from the last few months. It’s a lil peek into the products I’ve loved so much that I’ve (almost) used every last drop.

Sunday Rain Rose Body Scrub: I've only ever been able to find this product in England, but it’s only £6 and has this amazing true tuberose scent (it literally smells like a fresh, dewy garden, not that artificial rose smell). It also leaves the skin feeling ultra smooth.

Seen Shampoo Fragrance Free: I know I talk about these products all the time, but if you’re super sensitive and acne-prone, I can’t recommend them enough. This whole line is formulated specifically for acne-prone skin, so their shampoos and conditioners are free of any of the standard triggers such as sulfates, silicones, phthalates, parabens, dyes, pore-clogging oils, formaldehyde-releasing preservatives, cocamidopropyl betaine, or gluten. I’ve worked through so many of their products, but I’m finally at the end of yet another shampoo.

Dior Nail Glow: This is one of my all-time favorite polishes (it’s what I wore on my wedding day!) for a sort of your-nails-but-better manicure. It’s a glossy top coat with a blush hue that, when applied to the nail, has this remarkable brightening effect that just makes your nails look radiant and healthy. There’s just something so special about the specific, reflective bluish tone in Nail Glow’s pink tint that cancels out yellowness in the nails and leaves them looking particularly vibrant.

Skin 1004 Sunscreen: I really, really love this SPF. If you like a hydrating sunscreen but don’t want anything overly shiny or greasy, this one is incredible. It uses hyaluronic acid and Centella asiatica to moisturize and soothe the skin with SPF 50+. It looks so good under makeup, which is really important to me because I hate when sunscreens make my concealer pill or crease.

Diptyque Do Son Perfume: This is one of my most complimented scents. This bottle is enormous, and I’ve been working through this since about 2022. It’s a tuberose scent at its core (as you can tell, I love a rose smell), but it also has this unique floral musk to it that really lingers on the skin and makes the scent incredibly warm and inviting.

Espressoh Eyeliner: I’m sort of remarkably terrible at eyeliner, but I swear, for whatever reason, this specific eyeliner makes wings doable for me. It’s a felt tip that deposits the perfect amount of ultra-black liner, and its fine tip allows for easy little flicks.

Glossier Boy Brow in Clear: I mean, this is a cult classic product for a reason. It fluffs up my brows, it’s totally flake-free, and because of it’s little size, I always throw it in my purses for touch-ups on the go.