The repeat purchases, pleasant surprises and products that were fine while they lasted—across makeup, L’Oréal skincare and Glow Recipe.
After comparing the mascaras I finished, it’s time for the rest of the empties.
This batch covers the products I finished—or, in the case of liners that dried out, took as far as I could use them. There are repeat purchases, some products I enjoyed without feeling particularly attached to, and one skincare cream I’ve already bought again.
Finishing something gives me a different perspective from a first impression. I know which products were easy to reach for, which fit into my routine and which I’ll actually miss. With skincare, I can sometimes say more about the texture and experience than a specific change in my skin. That distinction matters here too.
Disclosure: The L’Oréal skincare products in this article were gifted. The thoughts below reflect my experience using them.
Makeup
Mellow Cosmetics Gel Liner
I loved this black gel liner. It was creamy, easy to use and had the lasting power I wanted. The downside was how quickly it dried out, which mattered because I liked using it.
My takeaway: I would repurchase it, though the drying out was a drawback.
I was a huge fan of this one. The compact size made it easy to travel with, and I liked the natural-looking shadows it created. The color range is great, too.
It gave me the kind of contour I enjoy: definition that looked natural on me.
My takeaway: A favorite for natural-looking contour and the compact format.
Too Faced Killer Liner in Killer Queen
I loved the color. The wear was where this one fell short for me, particularly on the waterline, and it dried out quickly too.
A shade can be beautiful and still leave me wanting more from the product itself. That was my experience here.
My takeaway: Loved the shade; less impressed by the waterline wear and how quickly it dried out.
Caliray Freedreaming Skin Tint
When I first tried this in my Caliray review and spring makeup tutorial, the very fluid texture made me nervous, and I described the coverage as minimal. It impressed me more over time. By the end, I appreciated how much evening-out I could get from such a lightweight base, even though it was never a full-coverage product.
The finish wasn’t particularly dewy or matte, which I liked. It became a hands-and-go option for mornings when I wanted getting ready to feel easy.
My takeaway: A pleasant surprise for its coverage, even finish and easy application.
This is one I’m constantly repurchasing. I’ve bought it many times, and it’s still the most one-and-done brow product I’ve used.
It fits the way I want to do my brows without turning them into a whole project.
My takeaway: A repeat purchase, many times over.
Too Faced Born This Way Super Coverage Multi-Use Concealer
This feels like a cult classic to me. I liked the natural finish and lightweight feel, and a little went a long way. I could also use it as foundation, which made it a versatile product in my routine.
My takeaway: A favorite for its natural finish, lightweight feel and versatility.
Skincare: L’Oréal
I previously shared my experience with several of these formulas in my L’Oréal Paris skincare review. Here, I’m returning to the products I finished: which impressions held up, which formulas I enjoyed without feeling attached to, and which one I actually bought again.
L’Oréal Age Perfect Cell Renewal Midnight Cream
This is the skincare product in the batch that I’ve repurchased. I loved the rich texture and how plush my skin felt the next morning.
The version I used was heavily scented, which was part of the experience for me. Between the texture and that feeling the following morning, it became a nighttime ritual I enjoyed.
My takeaway: Repurchased.
I enjoyed this rich eye cream, but I didn’t notice a huge difference. It was pleasant to use; I don’t have a dramatic before-and-after story to tell about it.
My takeaway: Enjoyed using it, without a major visible change to report.
L’Oréal Paris Revitalift Triple Power Anti-Aging Face Moisturizer
I really liked this moisturizer. In my routine, it felt like the daytime counterpart to Midnight Cream: a thicker, comforting texture that worked well under makeup. Midnight was my evening ritual, while Revitalift gave me that satisfying moisturized feeling during the day.
I preferred it to the hyaluronic acid serum, and it stood out as a great drugstore pick.
My takeaway: A daytime favorite for its comforting texture and how well it worked under makeup.
L’Oréal Paris Revitalift Derm Intensives Hyaluronic Acid Serum
The serum was nice, but it wasn’t particularly impactful for me. I finished it without feeling as attached to it as I did to the moisturizer or Midnight Cream.
My takeaway: Pleasant to use, but it didn’t leave a strong impression.
Skincare: Glow Recipe
My full Glow Recipe review, updated in November 2025, covers the broader routine, individual formulas and my experience using them together. This empties edit asks a more selective question: after finishing these products, which would I want back in my routine? I enjoyed the system overall, but some individual products left a much stronger impression than others.
Cloudberry Bright Essence Toner
I enjoyed this, but Watermelon Glow was the toner that made more of a noticeable difference for me. Cloudberry was pleasant to use; it didn’t leave me with the same attachment.
My takeaway: Enjoyable, but Watermelon Glow is my preference.
I was really impressed with this one. It helped my skin feel more balanced and even, and I noticed the difference when I stopped using it.
My takeaway: One of the products in the lineup that felt worth it to me.
Glow Recipe Prickly Pear Peptide Vegan Mucin Serum
This initially gave me that glass-skin appearance, but it didn’t feel as deeply hydrating as I wanted.
My takeaway: Liked the initial look; wanted more from the hydration.
I enjoyed using this as part of my routine, but I didn’t get the burst of hydration I might have expected. It was more of an enjoyable ritual for me than a standout result.
My takeaway: Nice to use; the Plum Plump cream left a stronger impression.
My feeling about this was “nice to have, not need to have.” I enjoyed it, but I don’t have a clear change in dark spots to point to.
My takeaway: Pleasant, without becoming essential to my routine.
Watermelon Pink Juice Moisturizer
I liked how lightweight this was, but Plum Plump was the moisturizer I preferred.
My takeaway: Enjoyed the light texture; Plum Plump wins for me.
Love love. It gave my skin that plush feeling I enjoy, with a cream-gel texture that also worked beautifully under makeup.
My takeaway: A winner, especially for the texture and how it fit into my makeup routine.
I enjoyed using it, but I felt my moisturizers did much the same job in my routine. I didn’t come away feeling that I needed this additional step.
My takeaway: Enjoyable, but not something I felt was essential alongside my moisturizers.
Cloudberry Bright Moisture Cream
This felt thicker than Plum Plump and gave me hydration I enjoyed. I thought there might have been a brightening effect too, though I can speak more confidently about the texture and hydration.
My takeaway: An enjoyable thicker option, with hydration as the clearest positive for me.
Strawberry Smooth AHA+BHA Serum
This was a standout. In my experience, it helped keep acne at bay, and I noticed its absence when it was no longer in my routine.
My takeaway: One of the Glow Recipe products I missed most when I stopped using it.
Watermelon Niacinamide Dew Drops
Obsessed. I loved the consistency, the light hydration and the glow. I liked using it as a primer or as a final step when I wanted that finish.
My takeaway: A favorite for the glow and how it fit around makeup.
This was nice to use, but I didn’t notice anything drastically different.
My takeaway: Pleasant, without a major visible result to report.
I enjoyed the ritual of using it, but I didn’t notice obvious results that made it stand out.
My takeaway: An enjoyable step rather than a product I felt made a clear difference.
Avocado Ceramide Recovery Serum
I liked this alongside the hyaluronic serum. After stopping it, my skin didn’t seem quite as nice, though I couldn’t pinpoint exactly what had changed or attribute it confidently to one product.
My takeaway: A positive impression, with some uncertainty about the specific effect.
Blackberry Retinol Serum
I liked this, but Strawberry Smooth was the stronger favorite in my routine. That’s a personal preference between the products I used, rather than a claim that they do the same job.
My takeaway: Enjoyed it; Strawberry Smooth left the bigger impression.
The Verdict
Would buy again / already repurchased: Milk KUSH Fiber Brow, L’Oréal Midnight Cream and Mellow Gel Liner.
Favorites I enjoyed: Milk Sculpt Stick, Too Faced Born This Way Concealer, L’Oréal Revitalift Moisturizer, Watermelon Glow Toner, Plum Plump Cream, Strawberry Smooth and Dew Drops.
Pleasant surprise: Caliray Freedreaming Skin Tint.
Enjoyed, with reservations: Cloudberry Toner, Prickly Pear Serum, Plum Plump Serum, Guava Dark Spot Serum, Watermelon Pink Juice, Watermelon Sleeping Mask, Avocado Ceramide Serum and Blackberry Retinol Serum. Some were pleasant without feeling essential; others had qualities I liked without a clear result I could isolate.
Another texture I enjoyed: Cloudberry Bright Moisture Cream, for its thicker feel and hydration.
Fine while they lasted: L’Oréal Midnight Eye Cream, Revitalift Serum, Guava Vitamin C Eye Cream and Pomegranate Peptide Serum.
Loved the shade more than the performance: Too Faced Killer Liner in Killer Queen.
Those distinctions are the point of keeping an empties record. A finished product might become a repeat purchase, or it might simply have been fine while it lasted.
I included Glow Recipe’s Full Vault in my 2025 Sephora holiday edit. Looking back at a whole collection through its empties offers a different shopping perspective: the products I would replace individually are the clearest guide to what earned its place in my routine.
What have you finished lately—and what are you replacing?
