Reverse Rouge Empties Ep. 1
So I came across the concept of 'Reverse Rouge' while I was over on Hao's blog and I loved it. There's also an entire Reddit forum on this subject. Of course beauty/skincare bloggers get a lot of products + spend a lot on products. But the question is, are we using up as much as we're spending? I've been a Sephora Rouge member for the last few years (yikes) but am pretty proud of how much I use up on the regular. I thought this would be a fun little project to start. Even though I did an empties post back at the end of January, I'll just count from now moving forward cause I think some of those products were mixed in with things I had used up at the end of December.
I think it'll be a fun little project to see how much (in $$$) I use up for the rest of this year. If you're thinking about doing this, I definitely challenge you! So for Reverse Rouge, I believe that the idea is that you use the full price value as it would be too difficult to really look back to see if you got it on sale. If you use up a deluxe mini, just break it down by oz/$ and estimate the cost that way. I'll still keep up with the mini reviews of the products, but the cost factor will also be thrown in here now.
VERB Ghost Shampoo + Conditioner ($16/each) * | I won these in a giveaway around September of last year and have been testing these out for a while (almost half a year) and I'm not sure that I love them. While these are pricier than normal hair products I'd reach for, they definitely lasted a long time. Granted I was alternating these in with different products, they still last a good long while. They're both part of the ghost range which is supposed to be 'unscented.' Oddly, I find that they have a weird unscented scent - if that makes sense. These were really great lightweight hair products and I felt like my hair was extremely soft and voluminous after using these. I tend to like products that have a fresher scent so I probably won't be getting these particular ones again. But I'm definitely interested in trying out their other hair products! I have samples of their hydrating/volume products so I'll be giving those a try in the next week or so!
Live Botanical Oceania Coconut + Bergamot Milk Bath ($22) | I did get this one through Palm so it was slightly less, but ommmg did I love this. This was one product that I used while taking a bath and got out after thinking holy crap my skin is so soft. I got about 4 baths out of this stuff and it was magical! I'm definitely looking at more milk bath products now, but I am definitely thinking that I will repurchase this product in the future.
Sunday Riley Luna Sleeping Night Oil ($105) | I picked this one up quite a while ago (maybe 2 years ago?) and it lasted me so long. A little goes a long way and I would reach for this whenever my skin got a bit fussy and needed some putting back in place. I definitely miss having this in my routine and I think I'll be picking up the smaller version during the VIB sale this Spring.
Sunday Riley Tidal Brightening Enzyme Water Cream (~$10) (8 g / .3 oz) | I used this one up but was a bit underwhelmed by it. I really loved the CEO cream and had heard great things about this one, but it just wasn't for me. I think I wasn't a fan of how it changed consistency while open. It did last a long while but it got really watery (I know, the name) and difficult to disperse. I think at the end I just slathered this on my elbows and knees to get through it.
Kypris Antioxidant Dew ($72) | Kypris was a brand I was so excited to try last year! I absolutely loved this stuff and really want to repurchase it (once I finish up more of the products in my stash). This one was great for using day/night and I loved using it in the morning to help hydrate my skin / help with redness. It sinks into your skin easily which makes it perfect for AM use. If you follow me on IG, you may have seen me post asking for suggestions for good AM serums cause ya girl cannot be bothered to wait for products to really sink in cause I'm usually running late these days (looool). I also have the Midnight Catalyst product which I'm working through but I think I may want to try one of their Beauty Elixirs as well! If you have any favorite product recommendations from Kypris, please please let me know!
The Ordinary 100% Plant-Derived Squalane ($6.80) | This stuff is soo cheap and affordable. I won't really be talking about The Ordinary / Deciem products moving forward due to the drama surrounding the brand. I have a lot of oils and serums from them and while I'm gifting some away, I decided to use some for my body. I was able to use this up rather quickly on my arms and legs and it really did work well! More on that on my post coming soon!
MISSHA Green Tea Lip & Eye Makeup Remover (~$8) | It looks like they don't make this one anymore / have since updated the packaging! I really liked this stuff and it did not break the bank. IT also did not leave my eyelids oily at all - which was an issue I had with the Lancome Bi-Phasil makeup remover. I'm back to using my Bobbi Brown makeup remover, but and starting to find it to be a bit oilier than I remember it to be. I definitely think I'll revert back to the MISSHA ones in the future!
Peony Cosmetics Celery Heart Moisturizer * ($30) | I talked a little bit about this stuff in my Winter Project Use It Up post here, and I still stand by what I said. This stuff smells incredible! I did get bored with this towards the end / was too excited to use other products so I started using this on the rest of my body. This stuff seriously needs the smallest amount and a little goes a long way. If you're looking for a green beauty option for your moisturizer, I highly recommend this one! And checking out the brand overall.
Omorovicza Deep Cleansing Mask ($120) | I know what you guys are thinking, holy sh*t - $120 for a mask ?? I promise you I got this for significantly less - less than half (explained in my post here). I loved this one as I tend to love clay masks. This one helped pull all of the oil and gunk out of my skin without leaving it stripped at all. This was definitely a bittersweet one to use up and with the price tag, I'm not sure when I'll be picking this up again. I do have the cleansing balm which I really need to crack open soon.
Pixi / Caroline Hirons Double Cleanse ($24) | I remember everyone was *freaking* out about this stuff when it first came out and I was so excited when I got my hands on it. I had seen someone post that their container developed mold which honestly grossed me out so much. That was one of the reasons why I didn't want to leave it in my shower, but I rarely used it at my sink. I started reaching for this a little bit more recently but it smelled really off so I'm tossing it. One of the many reasons why I need to remember to use less at once because tossing this makes me vvvv sad.
Pai Shau Supreme Revitalizing Mask * ($28) | I was kindly gifted this one and I love using hair masks. This one was particularly nice because it was in a tube. I think I got about 3-4 uses out of this one (I like to go a bit heavy on the masks) and this one left my hair SO soft. I had just colored my hair when I pulled this out and it really brought my hair back to life (overdramatic? maybe). This one had a pretty normal scent and wasn't overly headache inducing. It faded pretty quickly too so that was nice! I've heard pretty great things about their hair products so I'm excited to try more from them in the future.
Natura Brasil Energizing Face Cream * ($40) | This is a product I absolutely loved. I was slathering this on my face, neck, arms, and legs and it really made my skin look great overall. I also appreciate the eco-friendly packaging of this one! I finished this one up and posted about it somewhere (can't remember where), but someone at Natura Brasil found out and sent me a replacement (along with many other goodies to try)! I have a ton of products to go through so I'm highly considering throwing the replacement in a giveaway because I know someone else will love it too!
Lierac Paris Hydragenist Moisturizing Cream Oxygenating Replumping * ($50) | Another product I'll be mentioning a bit more in my body care post is this Lierac moisturizer. This one has an insanely short shelf life of 3 months, so it did slightly smell off and I was opposed to putting it on my face. One of the key ingredients in this one was Apricot Butter - a first in my books and it left my skin extremely nourished. It did feel slightly greasy when I applied but it would sink in in a matter of minutes. This claims to "replump" the skin and as I finished it off on my horribly dry legs, I can attest that this really did help with the overall appearance of my skin!
Glossier Moisturizing Moon Mask ($22) | I've had this one for a while and I reached for it the other day and it smelled off. So I had to toss it. I actually really liked this but had so many masks that this one got forgotten about. I'm sure I'll circle back to this stuff eventually, but I'll need to finish up more of what's in my collection before doing so. (Update:: I definitely picked this up when I went to the Glossier pop-up at Rhea's in SF.) The Mega Galaxy Greens mask is one of my all time favorites and that is one I'd easily repurchase in an instant. You can save $$ when you buy both masks together! Be sure to snag your Glossier orders through my rep link as I do make a small commission off each order made through my link :) + you'll save 20% off if it's your first order.
TATCHA Supple Moisture Rich Silk Cream ($30) | I got this in my Lucky Bag last year from Tatcha and decided I really needed to use it up. I absolutely loved this stuff and resorted to using it both day and night. As I have normal/combination skin, this one is perfect for my skin type. I paired this with the Tatcha Essence (as suggested on their website) and my skin looked so good. I was really sad that I finished this up within a week which makes me think it'd be a very expensive habit if I got the full size and used this on the regular. I'm definitely keeping this on my wish list of products to repurchase in the future.
MILK Makeup Flex Concealer ($28) | I looove this stuff and it's my alternative to the NARS creamy concealer. I love alternating between this and my Glossier Stretch Concealer, using the MILK one on days when I need a tad bit more coverage. This one is super comfortable on the skin, not heavy, and lasts all day (on me anyways). I already had a backup ready to go - that says a lot! On most days I'll skip foundation and just give a few swipes of this on my cheeks to cover redness and on any places where I may have hyper pigmentation scars.
Charlotte Tilbury Rock n Kohl Eyeliner in Barbarella Brown ($27) | I loved this but it is a tad pricier than the Smashbox alternative (mentioned below). It has a smooth glide and doesn't tug - one thing I always look for in eyeliners. This has a super nice dark brown black hue that I love.
Smashbox Always Sharp Eyeliner in Sumatra ($21) | How many of these have I gone through? Numerous amounts. This is still one my fav options and I'll probably keep buying them so long as they make it / I travel lol.
Smashbox Always On Gel Eye Liner in Brewed ($18) | This is the pencil version of the one above. This lasts significantly longer and still has the same dark brown shade that I like. Some have lighter brown undertones, but this is a dark brown, almost black shade. I have another one that I'm working my way through right now!
So the total cost of all the products above (without tax) comes out to be $693.80. Which is an eye watering amount to think that I *could* have spent this much on all of this. Granted I was gifted some of this stuff, it's still a crazy amount to think of. I think I'm clearly going to be able to meet the reverse rouge - but I’m a tad too lazy to do the calculations in the future. Let’s just say it’s pretty clear I can meet reverse rouge easily 😅
Will you be partaking in this "reverse rouge" challenge? If so, please let me know so I can follow along! What are some products that you have used up lately?