Empties, Volume 1

Wow, that last month flew by quick. If you ask me what I've been doing the past month, all I can say is I wasn't vigilant enough in protecting my mental health, which was why it went by in a not particularly enjoyable whirl. In between learning new ways to be stressed at my new job, I accidentally over-scheduled myself to meet people every day for one week and was also trying to plan a vacation to Yellowstone for next summer. Planning to go to Yellowstone, especially with a family, is its own beast. Every decision you want to make comes with a cascading set of research. For example, I originally started looking at going in July, but a friend told me that it's high tourist season so it's less enjoyable, so I pivoted to May, but had to research when the lodges/hiking trails/park in general opens (the answer: dates vary). Then after doing all that research, flying end of May was apparently prohibitively expensive, so I had to look into which week in June had reasonable flights...

I won't bore you with the rest, but my brain spiraled real hard for a couple of weeks. I had to consciously choose to step away and be kind to myself, hence some alone time this week and a precious sliver of time to read and write for fun. I finished up a lot of skincare last month and thought I'd do mini reviews of them!



1. Tatcha Cleansing Oil ($48 for 5.1 fl oz / 150ml)
For years, Tatcha's cleansing oil was my HG. It unfailingly removed even the most stubborn of makeups and didn't dry out my skin. It didn't feel too heavy, didn't stick to my skin after cleansing (yoohoo, Shu Uemura), and didn't have an overwhelming scent (L'Occitane, I'm looking at you). The only reason I am now partial to another cleansing oil is because I found another one I equally liked for a quarter of the price (Hada Labo, I love you). Since I use a substantial amount of cleanser everyday, seems like a no-brainer to switch HGs. I still love this Tatcha one though. I dream of the day they will create a cleansing body oil.

OMG. CLEANSING OIL FOR BODY. Gotta investigate this now.

2. Shangpree S-Energy Facial Mousse Cleanser ($35 for 4.73 fl oz / 150ml)
Okay, I took this photo over a month ago, and at that time I thought I was finished with this cleanser because it started pumping out air. Turns out, it had another month's worth of legs, which brings its total life span to possibly a year and a half of daily use. The mind, it's boggled.

It's definitely a pleasurable foam cleanser. For some reason, I currently have four other facial cleansers in my bathroom, three of which are foam types. All of them require vigorous hand rubbing to generate foam. I realize now that this Shangpree one is gone that I prefer the pump style much better, since it requires wayyy less effort. Usual requirements (not drying, no overwhelming scent) satisfied. If I ever run out of facial cleansers at home (current time horizon for that... 4 years?), I would repurchase.

3. Holy Snails Kadi Cleanser ($25 for 4 oz / 150ml)
Also a pleasure to use! The overall experience is understandably less premium than the Shangpree one since it's an indie skincare brand, but I think it's important to support small businesses. It creates a denser foam than the Shangpree cleanser, but that doesn't matter to me. Again, fulfills all usual requirements and would repurchase.

4. Holy Snails Shark Sauce ($29-36 for 30ml)
Briefly touched upon this serum here. I'm already using my next bottle! If you're interested in the brand in general, you can get 10% off using my referral link!

5. Haus of Gloi Pumpkin Butter ($10 for 6 oz)
Another indie skincare brand that deserves much love for making excellent but affordable products — $10 for a 6 oz jar that lasts through the cold months. Would I enjoy a more premium packaging design and experience? Probably. But I know I'll have to pay more for it and at the end of the day, it really doesn't matter. So there, please never change.

6. Tatcha Sunscreen ($65 for 2 fl oz / 60ml)
Recently learned that people cut tubes to get to the last of the product so I did that with my Tatcha sunscreen when I thought it was empty and there was at least one week's worth of product still in there. I learned a valuable lesson indeed. I've used this sunscreen on my face almost exclusively for years. I don't plan to change. Bonus: it's 20% off on the website right now.

Did you use up anything noteworthy lately? Let me know!