{Old} Empties, part II: toners and moisturizers

Hey there! How was your weekend? I had a good one. I got to relax a bit on Saturday, so that balanced out the rest of the time that I was busy. I really think the Monday after the Super Bowl should be a national holiday. Who wants to go to work after watching the biggest game of the NFL season? Especially if your team lost. While I am not a Panthers fan, I do like Cam Newton. I feel so bad for him; he seems so devastated by their loss. Understandably so, given the great run they had in the regular season. But he good at what he does, so I'm sure he and the Panthers will be back soon. Besides, there were some entertaining commercials in between the game...and who wasn't here for Queen Bey's performance?

Anywho, I am back with the next part of my {old} empties, featuring a few toners and moisturizers!

From left to right: Dickinson's Original Witch Hazel: Pore Perfecting Toner, Thayers Alcohol-Free Lavender Witch Hazel Toner, theBalm's Vanilla Oil-Absorbing Face Moisturizer, Befine Food Skin Care Daily Moisturizer with SPF 15, L'Oreal Youth Code Skin Recharger

Dickinson's Original Witch Hazel: Pore Perfecting Toner
I originally started using toner as an attempt to eliminate the oiliness my t-zone tends to experience during the warmer months. I found this at CVS at a reasonable price. While the label touts the all-natural claim, this product still contains alcohol, so it was not the gentlest nor best smelling product on my skin. I have not purchased any more since using this bottle, nor do I plan to since discovering...

Thayers Alcohol-Free Lavender Witch Hazel Toner
I first learned of this brand via Mattieologie's YouTube channel (she also has a blog). Enticed by her review and the packaging, I sought out this toner and found it at my local Vitamin Shoppe. I fell in love with it and have been using it ever since. Not only does it provide a soothing, gentle skin treatment, but it also has a light, pleasant scent! I originally tried the rose petal scent, but I have since switched to lavender, which has calming properties that suit me much better, as I now use toner every morning and night. Thayers has other scents in its witch hazel, as well as an unscented variety. The company recently changed the product's packaging. While smaller and more contemporary, I have an affinity for the retro look. Holy grail product!

theBalm Vanilla Oil-Absorbing Face Moisturizer
After trying and loving some of theBalm's makeup, I wanted to try something from its skincare line, Time Balm. I bought this during one of HauteLook's flash sales featuring theBalm. It has a nice, light scent and spreads across the skin well, so one or two pumps will suffice. I tried using this during the summer to aid in combating my oil t-zone. I suppose it helped somewhat, but I did not observe any earth-shattering results. While I probably would not purchase this particular moisturizer again, I would be willing to try a different one from theBalm.

Befine Food Skin Care Daily Moisturizer with SPF 15
I received this generous 1.5 oz bottle in one of my Ipsy bags while subscribed to the beauty service. I had not heard of this brand prior to receiving the product, so I wasn't sure what to expect. Unlike many moisturizers with SPF, this one did not have that noxious sunscreen smell. While it did have a consistency pretty typical of a sunscreen, it did not feel as heavy as the kind one may apply to the whole body. I preferred this to The Body Shop's Seaweed Mattifying Moisture Lotion SPF 15 that I was using around the same time. This was decent; I may want to try other facial moisturizers with SPF before trying this one again.

L'Oreal Youth Code Skin Recharger
Quite some time ago, I received a sample of the L'Oreal Youth Code Day/Night Cream in an order from HauteLook. I LOVED the product from the sample! The scent, the consistency, the way it left my skin feeling so supple...I knew I had to get a full-size of this product...until I saw the price. I know some people argue that one should not put a price on skin care, but compared to prices I typically paid for skin care products, the prices of some of the drugstore skin care products from L'Oreal, Olay, etc. surprised me! I said I would wait to catch a sale...to get a coupon I could use toward the purchase...but I just could not justify the purchase. Recently, I noticed this product was marked on clearance at Kroger...and later at CVS and Walgreens. I used the markdown as my chance to finally try it, even if it meant not being able to get my hands on the product again. While I still liked the scent and the consistency, as well as the way the product made my skin feel, I was not impressed. I did not feel like this product met its claims. My skin did not look any brighter or more hydrated than usual, and I have had some rough nights of sleep here lately. Maybe I did not see much difference because my skin is still youthful...? I would not purchase this again...sale or not.

Part III coming soon. Have a blessed week!