I’ve made a few empties posts here and there, but never consistently because I keep itching to throw everything away. However, I’ve recently made a conscious effort to use up my samples—you know, a sample a day keeps the impending destiny of becoming a hoarder away—and sometimes, empties posts are actually useful!

The empties I have today are just samples. Samples are exciting, but they are also susceptible to forgetfulness and a future as waste. So, these are what I’ve used up since about late October.

Kahina Giving Beauty Night Cream — This was actually really nice, giving ample moisture and sinking in quickly. I woke up with pleasantly plumped up skin, even after using a retinol treatment, which can be drying. It has argan oil and red wine grapes, and I would probably repurchase it if it wasn’t $105. Excellent product, though.

Origins GinZing Energy Boosting Moisturizer — I liked this a lot, and it’s actually pretty emollient and rich. I was so surprised at how little product I needed to smear this all over my face in the amount that feels adequate. Rich as it is, it also sank in pretty quickly, leaving a base that’s ripe for makeup. At a little over $25, this is something I would repurchase if it was cruelty-free, though I did find reviews that said this caused white bumps to erupt on their face, so maybe not.

Origins High-Potency Night-A-Mins — This stuff smelled like cough syrup for babies, so I hated it right away. Still, I put it on my face. It’s nice—sinks in quickly, rich enough for night time use but not a potential pillowcase ruiner—but it’s still not something I would buy a full size bottle of. Because it smells like baby cough syrup and also because how annoying is that name?

Tata Harper Regenerating Cleanser — Holy crap was this good. It is a “daily exfoliating cleanser” that you can use morning and night, which I don’t usually do, but I made the exception for this because it made my skin feel so good. It’s a little bit on the expensive side, but if I had actual disposable income, I’d spring for this in a heartbeat.

La Mer The Moisturizing Soft Cream — I brought this to Korea since it seemed like it could last me 9 days and it did. This was a dry skin savior! I’m not going to repurchase, but as a plebeian, I’m glad to have tried at least a sample pot of it.

One Love Organics x Elizabeth Dehn Active Moisture Vitamin D Moisture Mist — I mentioned this in a previous S.S.S. post on One Love Organics. I love this mist, but I have too many right now to justify a repurchase. Something to consider if you are not a hoarder (like me) and are in need of a face mist. 🙂

One Love Organics Skin Savior Waterless Beauty Balm — One of my favorite skin care products ever. I already had the discovery size (1.3 oz) when I got this sample one from a sample set. I am currently rationing my tub because I don’t want to buy more skin care (currently using the humongo amount I have) but when I run out of this, I will have to buy it again.

One Love Organics x Elizabeth Dehn Vitamin C Serum — I liked this a lot. Definitely something to consider buying when I run out of my serums. It’s lightweight and smells nice, while giving sufficient moisture.

Addiction Tinted Moisturizer (buy) — I loved getting to try this out—the finish is semi-matte and the coverage light but ample—but the shade was a mismatch for me, and the SPF, at only 12, very minimal.

Sunday Riley Good Genes Treatment (buy). This stuff smells like HELL. I applied it as a mask after using a Clarisonic and it stung so many areas of my face, I didn’t even know what spot to pay attention to first. I have a bigger sample tube, so I think I’ll be trying this out every once in a while, just to confirm whether or not it’s shit for my face, but so far, no bueno.

Do Organic Cleansing Liquid — It’s OK. It’s a GWP/sample I got in Japan about two years ago (how sad is that). It gets the job done, but I don’t like it enough to actually hunt it down.

Cure Natural Aqua Gel — I know Liz is a big fan of this, but I couldn’t really get the hang of it/get the big deal. It’s OK, but not something I would use. At least, I don’t think so. It’s a bit hard to gauge from sample packets, but yeah. Nothing super special for me.

YSL Rouge Pur Couture Vernis à Lèvres / Glossy Stain in N°9, N°11 and N°7 (buy) — I was saving this for the longest time and wasn’t sure why until I realized that I hated having to apply lipstick that doesn’t have a bullet. This is a new thing I learned about myself… also, I still hate this—the smell, how it looks, how it feels. Sorry, YSL!

And that’s that! Quite a nice list, right? How proud of me are you right now? (I bet not very, heh.) My sampling fell by the wayside after November, but I plan on kicking it into overdrive for the next year.

Do you use up your samples or do they just rot away until you can’t stand them anymore and throw them out? Have you ever bought a full size of something because of the sample? Do tell!

This post is affiliate-link free. All samples were received as GWPs with my exorbitant ordering.