"Being the beauty lovers we are at The Everygirl HQ, we wanted to share a different side of our beauty routines: our empties. They’re the products from beyond the grave that we’ve completely used up. The concept is simple: show everyone what’s in your trash and talk about if you loved it, if you’ll buy it again, and how long it took you to use up. Every month, our editors will share a few of their own empties—from skin, hair, and makeup products to candles and vitamins and home items—and give our unfiltered review on each of them. Some of them we’ll love and need to repurchase ASAP … and some we’ll celebrate finally finishing them up. If you’ve ever wondered what our absolute favorites (and not-so-favorites) are, this is the right place to be.
Purple shampoo is a touchy product for most; they tend to be hella drying, but are pretty necessary if you don’t want to be a super warm blonde. I’ve tried a million purple shampoos, and this one hits the Goldie Locks juuuuust right factor of both eliminating brass and not making my hair feel like straw. I use this about every third wash, and it keeps my hair the neutral tone I want it to be. This shampoo has a permanent spot in my shower.
—Maddie Galassi, Associate Editor & Fashion Content Manager
Usually when a ton of hype surrounds a product, I have the tendency to pick it up pretty quickly to try it out for myself; but for whatever reason, it took me years to try this out even after hearing people claim that it’s the best thing since sliced bread. I am here to tell you that the hype is very, very warranted. I apply this in the morning after I do my skincare—whether I’m wearing makeup or not—and it gives my skin an alive, blurred glow that’s literally the closest thing to a filter you could find. It doesn’t leave you glittery or looking artificially glowy like many products do—it just makes you look healthy. I picked up another bottle of this before I even ran out of this one, so it’s definitely here to stay in my routine.
—Maddie Galassi, Associate Editor & Fashion Content Manager
Stress shows up on my face in all sorts of fun ways, and lately it's been so noticeable under my eyes that I wake up looking like a Tim Burton character. In an effort to do everything I can besides just getting a full nine hours of sleep, I've recently added these gel eye masks to my lineup, and I absolutely love them. They are very large so that the edges bleed onto my cheeks and up toward my temples, which is exactly what I want from an eye mask. My hollow under eyes require an aggressive surface area solution, and Loops is here to help. I also deeply appreciate that one side of the gel is slightly textured so you know which side should touch your skin (I always worry with masks that I've somehow put them on the wrong way, and I'm not soaking up any of the serum. This is probably not something that actually happens, but still. Loops gets me and all my needs). I've been using the masks once a week, and I have noticed my skin is just ever so slightly plumped when I remove them which honestly is everything I hope for from a topical product. The excellent branding and packaging is just a cherry on top.
—Kelly Etz, Online Course Director and Senior Graphic Designer
This is the first time I’ve successfully finished a collagen product, and it’s all down to the capsule form (rather than powder). My memory is an absolute garbage fire, and I cannot be trusted to remember to add powder to my coffee or smoothies whereas these capsules are so easy to take just before I brush my teeth in the morning. They even have a slightly minty flavor. As for noticeable results, I really see the difference in my nails (not so much in my hair or skin). I have very brittle, breakable nails and after taking these for two months, I’ve noticed less splitting and tearing. My nails are at their healthiest they’ve been in a very long time, and I credit these capsules and consistent cuticle oil use with it all. Already repurchased another bottle.
—Kelly Etz, Online Course Director and Senior Graphic Designer
When I say I’ve had this same bronzer tube for three years, I’m not kidding! Even if I’m breaking every beauty law in the book, this product has been my favorite for years. I didn’t even realize how much I reached for this product until it was gone (of course). It’s creamy, blendible, and has a clean ingredient list. I had to purchase this product the day after I ran out.
—Hope Ann Flores, Social Media Coordinator
I didn’t give in to the K-beauty product trend until I found these acne treatment
dots by Precision Beauty. A small colony of acne on my face prompted me to
finally test this overnight spot treatment out after an impromptu buy. After
washing my face and applying a dot to each acne bump, overnight my pores felt
unclogged and my skin was less inflamed, helping my acne go away in a day. This
spot treatment is now in my skincare arsenal for a quick solution to my random
skin breakouts.
—Blair Bedford, Contributing Editor
I’ve tried what feels like one million products to help with the keratosis pilaris on my arms, and this is one of the few things that actually makes a difference for me (if you’re wondering, this and the CeraVe SA Cream are my dynamic duo). No product will ever make KP completely go away, but this has definitely reduced the inflammation and made my skin smoother overall. I will definitely be repurchasing, and unless some miracle product comes along, I don’t see a time when I would stop using this.
—Jessica Welsh, Junior Graphic Designer and Assistant Editor
Until very recently, I despised sheet masks. I couldn’t understand how anyone used them, never having found a sheet mask that did anything but annoy the hell out of me. Then, I went through a phase the last few months in which I am obsessed with sheet masks, especially using them in the morning before makeup. This one was gorgeous, and writing this blurb is reminding me to reorder ASAP. It was super moisturizing, affordable, and easy to use.
—Beth Gillette, Associate Editor & Beauty Content Manager
I reluctantly ordered this $$$ cleanser at the recommendation of my dermatologist who said it was the perfect daily wash for acne-prone skin. I’m just as reluctantly admitting defeat: I am now a person who can’t live without an expensive ass cleanser. This truly is the ideal cleanse for someone with combination skin. It cleans really well and foams up, but I don’t feel dry whatsoever after I use it. My acne is much better contained when I’m using this. If you want to splurge on your skin, you can’t go wrong with the one product you have to use every single day. I haven’t repurchased yet because I have tons of cleansers to use up, but when I finish my next one, this will be an immediate rebuy.
—Beth Gillette, Associate Editor & Beauty Content Manager