Skin & Tonics : Skincare Guides & Product Reviews

Skincare guides & product reviews for hydration lovers & the moisture barrier obsessed

July 2013 Empties

You guys, I apologize for the awful lighting in these photos. My black backdrop was getting gross, so I swapped it out for a beige backdrop a friend gave me, and the white balance setting in my camera just sort of lost its mind. I realize it looks like I have purple fingertips in these photos, and also like I’m trying to seduce these empty bottles with mood lighting and some R&B jams, but I assure you that none of those things are true.

July 2013 Empties

I’m pretty pleased with all my empties this month! Some of them were certainly expected, but there’s at least one surprise in this bunch for me. Here’s a run down of what I’ve used and what I’ve decided to repurchase:

July 2013 Empties Benton Aloe BHA Toner

1. Benton Aloe BHA Toner – No surprise here! Are you guys sick of all my Benton gushing yet? I love this stuff, for all the reasons outlined in my full review for this product. I definitely repurchased this toner.

July 2013 Empties - Benton Snail Bee High Content Essence

2. Benton Snail Bee High Content Essence – Again, no surprise. There’s a full review of this product available as well. I’ve already repurchased!

July 2013 Empties - TonyMoly Red Appletox Honey Cream

3. TonyMoly Red Appletox Honey Cream – This one had an interesting plot twist. It was in danger of never being used up – not because I didn’t like it – it’s a perfectly adequate AHA moisturizing product. I just needed to move on to other things, and this stuff didn’t impress me enough to make me want to put in the effort it would take to keep it in my skincare routine. ย Then my friend Jill told me she’d been putting this on her feet – this turned out to be a spectacular idea! It’s gone a long way to keep away dead skin flakes and impede my calluses in between pedicures. If you have dry feet, or issues with calluses, I highly recommend Red Appletox Honey Cream for them. I ended up repurchasing this for that very purpose!

Also, I’d like to issue an apology to anyone reading this who is as disgusted by feet as I am. I’m a firm believer that feet are basically the buttholes of our legs, no matter how pretty or dainty or well pedicured they may be. I promise you, this will be the last time I bring up feet on this blog, and I will never, ever, post a picture of my feet on Instagram. Especially not one of those vacation feet pictures with the beach in the background. Gag! Blech! Gross! No thank you!

July 2013 Empties - Innisfree Apple Juicy Eye & Lip Remover

4. Innisfree Apple Juicy Eye & Lip Remover – I received this as a gift from Alice of W2Beauty – it’s a personal favorite of hers. ย Don’t worry, everyone. I know this product’s name indicates otherwise, but I can assure you, this product will not remove your eyes or your lips. I’ve gone through an entire bottle, and my mouth and eyes are fully intact. This product does, however, do an amazing job removing eye makeup and lipstick. In fact, I’d say it’s right on par with Lancome Bi Facil and Clinique Take The Day Off removers.

It’s a similar product type – there’s a watery layer and an oily layer, which should be shaken up together before dispensing onto a cotton pad and effortlessly removing makeup. It even removes my heavy-duty waterproof stuff with no tugging necessary. Additionally, Apple Juicy Eye & Lip Remover smells like apples, and it’s less than half the cost of similarly performing products from Lancome and Clinique. I can’t recommend this stuff enough! It retails for $9 at I am Love Shop on eBay.

 

So, what were your empties this month?

 

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31 comments onJuly 2013 Empties

  1. Listen, I don’t see nothin’ wrong with a little bump ‘n grind.

    Have a fantastic birthday celebration! Three bottles of wine on me!

  2. Happy B-Day Kerry! The Benton Line indeed sound great, I may try it too.

    • Kerry

      Thank you, Cam! I do think the Benton would work nicely for you. I’ll be emailing you soon! ๐Ÿ™‚

  3. I’ve look into the eye&lip remover on some shops but they sells it for a quite a lot of cash coz I prefer to spend more on oil cleanser than just eye/lip makeup remover…

    • Kerry

      I like to use both! I find it much easier to take eye makeup off with a separate remover and then oil cleanse. But my sister is like you, and prefers to use an oil cleanser or balm to remove makeup. Different strokes! ๐Ÿ™‚

  4. A bunch of us need to go in on the Rose Rose shop’s wholesale purchase of the snail bee stuff. It’s quantities of 10 – but shoot, I am LOVING it. My skin is so hugely improved. First success I’ve had with my acne in 27 years!!!

  5. omg you’re killing me with the feet talk hahahahahaha i love you lmao. i always maintain that all feet are ugly except mine…LOL. seriously though, feet make me shiver.

  6. Happy birthday dear โ™ฅ
    Actually there are a lot of people having those thoughts about feet. I actually don’t bother too much, but I don’t need to have them displayed on pics all the time XD Anyways, I like to use the idea of using this cream on the feet. I’ll try this with some other leftover creams that still lay around unused.
    The first thing I’ll be buying, when my current skincare routine is done, is the Benton Skincare products. ๐Ÿ˜€ I’m so curious how it will work on me.
    Also, I’ve had the Lip & Eye remover (haha, I just realized how funny this sounds) on my wishlist for some time now. Maybe this will find a way into my bathroom sometime, too ๐Ÿ˜€

    • Kerry

      Yay! I can’t wait to see how you feel about the Benton products. I think you’ll really like them!

      And thank you for the sweet birthday wishes!

  7. “Iโ€™m a firm believer that feet are basically the buttholes of our legs” – Oh man, I lol’d so much. Not a foot fan myself, but that description. xD <3

  8. Hey Kerry!

    Your ravings about Benton skincare products made me decide to go ahead and order some of them myself! I just put in an ebay order for the essence and steam cream. How long did the essence last you? By looking at the dates of your reviews it seems like it lasted for about 4 months, is that true?

    Your results were awesome; I hope my skin makes even a little progress with those products. Of course, you also sold me on the idea of the Asian Skincare Routine, so I’ll be purchasing other products, too!

    Thanks for introducing me to Benton. ๐Ÿ™‚

    • Kerry

      Hi Chelsea! My first bottle of essence only lasted me about 4 weeks. I expect that this was, in part, because there were many nights when I went bananas with it and slathered on 5-6 pumps two times a day. I was excited, what can I say? ๐Ÿ™‚ Anyway, I truly think that 2-3 pumps is equally as effective. The current bottle of essence I’m using is on track to last me about 6 to 8 weeks, using 2 pumps twice a day. I hope that helps! I think you’ll be happy with the results – I would love an update after you’ve had a chance to use it for a while!

      • I was wondering about that! 4 months for a bottle that size would be crazy! Ive been using the essence & cream for 10 days now. I use 2 pumps, too; I want to make sure I’m using enough for it to work! I think it’ll last for 60-65 more days, based on my measurements of how much I’ve used & how much is left.

        The powerful snail bee high content steam cream’s smell is stronger than the essence, but it’s slowly growing on me! Of course, the smell disappears after application.

        I’ll write back again once the products get used up or if I see any major changes. So far they’ve been great at balancing my skin and keeping it moisturized.

        • Kerry

          Can’t wait to hear your updates! ๐Ÿ™‚ So strange that yours has a smell! What does it smell like? Mine doesn’t smell like anything!

  9. I recently discovered your blog, great stuff!

    I love the idea of using Appletox Honey Cream as a foot cream… I’ve been using it for an “alternative” purpose lately myself. I sometimes get a little bit of acne and dry bumps on my upper arms, and using a bit of the Appletox cream after exfoliating really helps.

    I haven’t tried the Apple Juicy makeup remover, but I *LOVE* the cleansing oil from that line. It smells soooooo good. ๐Ÿ™‚

    • Kerry

      Rebecca, using the Appletox Honey Cream on the upper arms is a GREAT idea! I have some KP (keratosis pilaris) on my arms, and you’ve got me curious to see if the Honey Cream will help with that. Thanks for the tip!

  10. I’ve been a silent reader/follower for a while now, but your love for Benton has made me decide to buy their products!
    I’m just wondering though… I was originally planning to get Mizon All-in-One Snail Repair Cream & Missha First Treatment Essence, but would that be necessary if I get the Snail Bee Essence? (Basically, is the essence better than those 2 products combined?)

    • I cant vouch for mizon all in one cream. (I use the Mizon gel though and it was the best thing I ever done to keep my acne from appearing). I used the Missha essence as well, and although it is nice in making the pore on the side of my nose slightly smaller, and my skin softer, I didnt see significant changes for me to warrant another purchase). The benton essence, however, is WOW. The first time I put it on, I could see the changes immediately. My skin is sensitive at the time so I feel a tingling sensation, but not anymore. The numerous scars I have on my cheeks is fading at lightning speed. And my skin is so plump and shiny. It doesnt look dull anymore. I think the Benton essence is a skincare product that produce the most dramatic effect I ever tried. Just my 2 cents ๐Ÿ™‚

      • Thanks Annie!
        Those results sound amazing!!
        Just a question: Did you use the Mizon gel & the Benton essence together? Because, I’m a bit greedy and want to use the Mizon snail cream & the Benton essence together, but I don’t know how that’ll work out on my face.

    • Kerry

      Hi Dana! I haven’t tried the Mizon All-in-One yet (though I do have a jar in my possession and plan to give it a try soon). As for the Missha First Treatment Essence – even though it has “Essence” in the product name, it’s really more of a toner/booster product, and I think it works beautifully with the Snail Bee Essence. However, if you were only going to choose one product, I agree with Annie – I think the Snail Bee Essence would definitely give you the most dramatic results. I would love to know what you end up getting. Please keep me updated! ๐Ÿ™‚

      • Please do give the Mizon snail cream a try, because I really want to see a review on it from you~

        I’ve decided I’m gonna go for the Benton essence (and the Mizon snail cream, because I really wanted to try it for the longest time from reading all the raves out there. :P)

        • Kerry

          I’ll definitely give it a try soon! After you’ve had a chance to use the Mizon for a while, I would love to know what you think of it too.

  11. Hi there,

    Im in Korea for my first time and eventhouhg I dont really use skinvaret, besides almond oil and aloe Vera gel, I want to try some korean products, since it seems that they make miracles!
    I really want to try out some of the Benton products. I’ve searched and searched but you’re the only one mentioning them.. I don’t understand. Is it not possible to buy the products in a Korean physical store?? I leave Seoul in a couple of days… I hope you can help me ๐Ÿ™‚

    • Kerry

      Hey Elena! As far as I know, Benton is currently an online only brand and not available in a physical store. I know that’s not nearly as exciting as seeing it in a store, especially if you’re in Seoul for the first time. I would still highly recommend trying it! Have you visited any other skin care or cosmetic stores while you’re there? ๐Ÿ™‚

  12. Hi!
    I’ve been reading your fantastic reviews, and I think I’ll buy the Benton line and missha’s FTE, but I’ve some doubts about them: would missha’s FTE replace the Benton toner or the essence? or neither?
    Thanks!

    • Kerry

      Hey Cassandra! The FTE would replace the Benton Toner – despite the name, the First Treatment Essence is actually a toner. However, I have been known to use both – I’ll often use the FTE in the morning and the Benton Toner in the evening. ๐Ÿ™‚