I'm going to finally wrap up 2015 by showing my last Empties for the year and tell you how I did with my Oct-Dec Beauty Goals. Oh, and this is a really long post...sorry!!

***All items either purchased by me or received as a sample with purchase. Links are non-affiliate. this is not a sponsored post.***

4th Quarter Empties 2015: Hair, Body & Nails

THE STAPLES: Living Proof Flex Shaping Hairspray, Aquanil HC Lotion (for the odd body rash), CeraVe Moisturizing Cream, L'Occitane Shower Oil, OPI Expert Touch Lint-Free Nail Wipes, Sachajuan Hair Repair - (this + Philip B Peppermint & Avocado Shampoo = my favorite hair combo).

Serge Normant Meta Velour Conditioner - Along with the Meta Silk Shampoo, both are my second favorite hair combo, after the Philip B Peppermint & Avocado Shampoo + Sachajuan Hair Repair.

Philip B Peppermint & Avocado Shampoo - I'm well into my first full sized bottle, and have another on the way...I love it THAT much!! See above comments for the Sachajuan Hair Repair.

Avedy Dry Remedy Oil - Best oil I've found so far for dry ends. I'm onto another bottle.

Keranique Hair Regrowth Treatment - I'm thinning a little on my left front side, and I was hoping this would help get things back. Honestly I wasn't at all consistent, so I'm not surprised I didn't notice anything. However, I did order another bottle and will be better about applying regularly. Fingers crossed.

Serge Normant Meta Morphosis (hair mask) - Hands down wins worst hair product I've ever tried. Went on like a creamy and really thick beeswax and took about 1/2 dozen washings to get it out. Save your $$$. So it's not an empty, but a purge.

Phytojoba Intense Hydrating hair mask - This is better than average, but nothing to write home about. I almost finished it until I just got tired of it. Purge.

Biotherm Oil Therapy body lotion - This was a favorite many years ago, and I stopped buying it shortly after Biotherm disappeared from Brick and Mortar stores in the US. It could still be bought online (and as of now that's the only place you can still get it in the States), but I got lazy and started trying other things. I started it up again and OMG why did I ever stop??? Smells like apricots, keeps me very well moisturized and super soft all day and into the next and actually helps keep my skin looking smooth and healthy. I've gone through I think 2 bottles since this one, and am onto yet another one. I purchased several backups during a 20% off sale (which they seem to frequently have). And this was actually the second review I ever posted on the blog over 6 years ago ha ha!! If you fancy a jaunt down memory lane, here's the link: review for Biotherm Oil Therapy (it since has undergone a name change).

Goldfadden MD Hands to Heart - Review HERE. Nice, but not my favorite and I won't be buying it again.

La Mer The Hand Treatment - I was sad to see this deluxe sample end, and I have since contemplated purchasing the full size. Not quite as deeply hydrating as my staple L'Occitane Hand Cream, but it's very close. Wish they sold this small, flat size because it's perfect for my purse & for traveling!

Dr. Hauschka Rose Deodorant - Doesn't irritate my underarms, and it works to keep me semi dry (not completely and during a hard workout or HOT sun I can still feel the sweat) and keeps the smelly away. I have since bought and finished the Sage Mint though, and prefer it to this Rose one. But at this point this Dr. Hauschka Deodorant is a staple.

Agent Nateur Deodorant - Review HERE. Did not like this enough to remotely finish it. Couldn't get past the damp feel!! Purge!

African Botanics Intense Skin Repair Balm - Review HERE. I almost finished this, but have since found out that I can't use Marula OIl anymore. Somehow I developed a case of dermatitis while using it (this is after going through at least a couple of bottles on my face and adding it to my body cream) and can't use it anymore.

4th Quarter Empties 2015: Face

My one and only MAKEUP EMPTY (hey a mini counts!!!), Laura Mercier Matte Radiance Baked Powder in Highlight 01 - Review HERE. This has been a favorite for over a year now, and I finally finished the mini before the year was up!!! Woooo!!! I repurchased another mini (came in a Holiday set) because the full size is much too big and bulky for traveling.

THE STAPLES: Sisley Eye and Lip Contour Cream (review HERE), Belif The True Cream Moisture Bomb - (review HERE), Aquaphor, Indie Lee Brightening Cleanser (review HERE).

Bioderma Photoderm Laser SPF 50+ (now called Spot instead of Laser) - Review HERE. At this point I've tried several additional sunscreens, and while I might have found a formula that's a little more cosmetically elegant, none seem to offer close to the same protection. I don't sunbathe by any means, but whatever exposure I do get from the everyday and from being 40,000ft in the air on the regular...well...when I wear this I don't feel like I get darker (has a PPD rating of 38). At this point it's a staple. I still buy from a seller on Amazon, which is annoying because it ships from Greece and takes a really long time and sometimes they are OOS. So this last order I stocked up and should have enough to last through the Summer, but I am on the hunt to keep stocking up! At this point I think it's safe to say this is a staple product!

Sunday Riley Start Over Active Eye Cream - Review HERE. Staple product for quite awhile. This has been repacked into a tube with a metal roller. I'll miss the more luxe glass bottle, but really appreciate the more travel friendly tube! I haven't purchased this again since I've been experimenting with other eye products (Amore Pacific, Dr. Dennis Gross), but now I'm really interested in getting it again to try out the roller!!

Glycolix Elite Facial Cream 15% Glycolic Acid - This is a purge. Bought this thinking it would be a nice change up from my (then) usual Glycolix Elite Fortified Facial Cream. Didn't like the texture of this at all, and it didn't seem to ever fully absorb.

Dr. Dennis Gross Alpha Beta Peel Original - I used these awhile back, but stopped because whenever I would apply moisturizer on top the moisturizer would feel watered down a little and wouldn't be as soothing. Sounds weird, but it got annoying. Anyway! Spotted this box (of 3 I think?) as either a sample or reward perk on Sephora and thought I'd try it again since I'm mostly using oil on my face. WOW LOVE!!! They actually help my oil sink in better!! They are also really nice to use when I'm not using my Glycolix Elite Treatment Pads 20% - not as intense, but still feel like they are keeping things looking bright and smooth and helping with breakouts. Definitely looking to get a full size box of the travel packs, but am trying to get them when one of my sites has them on sale (Dermstore, Lovelyskin, SkincareRX).

MV Organics Pure Jojoba Oil - Though I won't be purchasing the full size, I'm SO happy I tried it...it led me to the Leven Rose 100% Pure and Organic Jojoba Oil which I absolutely love!!!

African Botanics Pure Marula Oil - Review HERE. As mentioned above, after going through bottles of this I finally realized I had developed some sort of dermatitis or allergy to marula oil in general. Not sure if it was some dormant allergy that was there all along and just wasn't that bad so I didn't realize it for awhile?? Or if somehow I had a reaction from using it for so long??? I don't know because I never went to a derm (LOL for self diagnosis, right?!!), but I'm really sad because I had just purchased another bottle of the regular Marula Oil and also the Neroli infused one. But once I stopped using the Marula the rough patches on my legs slowly started clearing up, and some random deeper spots on my face (that never came to a head) cleared up. And all this I only discovered after trying the MV Organics & Leven Rose Jojoba Oils. Weird. Anyway. Live and learn!!

Peter Thomas Roth Pro Strength 40% Triple Acid Peel - Bought the smallest box of this peel to test out. Bleh. Didn't notice or feel a difference at all, which was really disappointing. Thought it would be pretty intense given the name and that it's got 3 different acids. Nope. Will not repurchase.

4th Quarter Empties 2015: Random

MedicellAdvanced Moisture Eye Mask Duo - Review HERE. Staple product.

CosRX Acne Pimple Master Patch - Bought these from CultBeauty when I was looking for random things to try. Loved them, but they are hard to get in the US, so I went ahead and bought the Peter Thomas Roth Acne-Clear Invisible Dots instead (after trying the above pictured sample). Will purchase these CosRX ones at some point because they are definitely better than the PTR ones.

Peter Thomas Roth Acne-Clear Invisible Dots - These little patches are great and seem to work pretty well for a spot treatment. They are fantastic for travel since they take up pretty much no room, and don't count against your liquid allowance! They won't work all that well for deeper acne issues, but my 'lighter' spots seem to go away after a few uses.

Boscia Peppermint Blotting Sheets - Loved using these!! I love the Boscia blotting sheets in general, and am working my way through other packets. Would definitely repurchase at some point, but I'll wait until I finish more of what I already have (including Tatcha).

Empties Notes & Final Tallies

I did a ton of purging in the last quarter of 2015 (and have continued to do so up to now) and lost track of how much I either threw away, gave away, or ended up in the blog sale pile. Because of this, unfortunately I don't have year end totals for the purge categories. Buuuut...here's where I ended with everything else!

Oct-Dec 2015 Empties

Full size: 27

Foil packets: 0

Deluxe samples: 5

YEAR END 2015 TOTALS

Full size: 106

Foil packets: 14

Deluxe samples: 14

*****TOTAL TOTAL: 134*****

In 2014 I had 159 total Empties, so I fell short this last year. Regardless, I feel like I've cleared quite a bit out and anything over 100 I'm pretty excited about!!!

And remember those 4th Quarter Beauty Goals?!!!! Here's what I had set out to do in the later part of the year...

1. FINISH ONE LIP PRODUCT - Current lippies in the running: Burberry Lip Glow in Trench Kiss, Chanel Rouge Coco Shine in Intime

Didn't happen. I seriously got tired of Trench Kiss, and finally decided it wasn't worth it to finish 'just because'. I did use Intime quite a bit - for a couple weeks - then lost interest. I realized I don't like to commit to specific colors, or even formulas. I LIKE HAVING OPTIONS!!!! Ha ha!

2. FINSIH THE TOM FORD TRACELESS PERFECTING FOUNDATION - Feel like I can see the light at the tunnel! 

I finished about 1/2 of what's in the post picture above, so I think that's some progress!!! Then I decided I loved it so much that I was going to repurchase it, so what's the hurry??? Still love it! I *should* finish it this year though LOL

3. FIND A HYDRATING TONER THAT I LOVE - My forehead lately has been extra-uber-Sahara-Desert-dry. Seriously. By the end of the day or in the morning my forehead is starting to take that crepe paper look and has that under the skin itchiness. So annoying. Not sure what's causing it, beyond my skin just being dehydrated. So I'm trying to find something to add to my skincare that's very lightweight, but will still add enough moisture to solve this problem. I thought a hydrating toner might fit the bill. Current one in the running: Fresh Black Tea Age-Delay Instant Infusion Toner. 

When I started using the Jojoba oil in conjunction with the Belif Moisture Bomb, I found that combo solved my deeper hydration issues! I no longer have a need for a hydrating toner, but I'm keeping this so that I can use it as a midday refresher mist.

While I didn't 100% accomplish any of the goals, I don't feel at a complete loss - at least there was progress!! I'll take that!!

And that's 2015!!! How did your beauty year end up??