Sep 6, 2025 8 min read Empties

September 2025 Empties: Honest reviews on finished Skincare & Beauty products

Charlotte Tilbury Magic Cream, Moroccanoil Treatment Oil, Uriage After Sun cream, Clinique Concealer, Lancôme Hypnôse Drama Mascara, Benefit Ultra Defining Brow Pencil and Aavalabs Ashwangadha supplements

Disclaimer: this content is not sponsored nor affiliated - I pay for everything that I use myself. This independence allows me to tell you what I have been loving the most with unbiased honesty.

I am fluent in several languages and one of them is beauty talk. As a self-confessed beauty junkie (and hoarder!), I’ve made it a personal mission to finish every product I own in my beauty apothecary before cracking open a new one.

It’s a small but meaningful shift toward more sustainable habits, as Project Pan is more alive than ever before among fellow beauty junkies! It also gives me the chance to properly test what truly delivers over time.

Do not forget to tell me about you in the comments: what have you finished up lately? Which product was completely worth your investment? What won't you buy ever again? I always love to read your reviews!

Check all past empties reviews:

Here are my 7 empties for September:

WELLNESS

AAVALABS Ashwagandha Root Extract

Starting with beauty-from-within, wellness is an integral part of my beauty regimen, so is exercise, food and sleep. Complemented with vitamins B1, B6, Magnesium, Manganese and Zinc, I have been a permanent purchaser of this Ashwagandha supplement for the past two years.

I explain all the reasons here and months later and as I feel so much better about myself, I truly feel the effects on levelling my cortisol and help me manage some of my cycle-related mood issues.

Lately, my husband has also started having this supplement close to bed time to help him rest and recover, so we are going through our stash, hence finishing two bottles in the past few months.

Verdict: we are both very happy with this product. And if you click here, you can also purchase it with a €8 discount on first purchase.

BODY

URIAGE Bariésun Repair Balm Après Soleil

I have been using two versions of this product: a bottle with a pump and a spray. I just finished the bottle one after a few years of usage and tested the spray for the first time and fell completely in love with the smoothness after application. Your skin feels relieved from the sun exposure, moisturised and shiny. And I love love love the smell, I immediately feel I am on vacation - whilst I am not! - after applying it because of that warm sunny feeling embrace.

Verdict: will continue to use this brand's after sun collection but I am loving the spray more than the pump to be honest.

HAIR

MOROCCANOIL Treatment Oil

You might feel you have already seen me talk about this product before? It's because I have indeed. I go through one every other month since 2012, I love putting a few drops with my hydrating or detangling cream before styling my hair in the morning. I just can't get enough of that amazing smell, that is why I also purchased the brand's new perfume.

Verdict: Will rebuy, always.

SKINCARE

CHARLOTTE TILBURY Magic Cream Moisturiser

Andreea Ali, my favourite MUA from Paris, raves about this Instant Turnaround moisturiser. I have already shared about this cream as it has been a part of my morning skincare routine. It is quite rich and packed with hyaluronic acid, one of the richest creams I have ever used. Yet it is easy to play with make up right after putting it on, which is great! The only negative I would share about it is that the packaging in glass feels luxurious but it is so heavy! I specially feel it when I am travelling and want my beauty bag to be light. Just visually compare it to my new moisturiser for Lumene, both containing 50 grams of product...

*The difference in the size of both packaging for the same capacity (50g) is astounding. Not even to mention how light one feels compared to the other...*

Verdict: It is a great cream with an expensive price tag. What I could do is buy the refill and only keep in the cabinet and never in my travel bag. To think...

MAKEUP

BENEFIT Precisely My Brow Pencil

Benefit Cosmetics has been my unsponsored "Brow Partner in Crime" every since opening their brow bars with Sephora in Paris in the 2000s. As they revamped and streamlined their collection, their brow products seem to be here to stay and where they are truly specialising with great success. I know most people use Anastasia Beverly Hills products for brows, but I have not yet tried that brand.

I just finished the brow pencil Precisely My Brow which I had bought in a Brow of Haul Fame - Shade 4 Deep Brown pack at the airport in Paris earlier this year, which also comes with a Gimme Brow mini gel for some brow tint and a 24-Hr Brow Setter to lock brows in place.

Happily, I already had a brand new brow pencil in Shade is 4 Warm Deep Brown - which is the same as just 4 Deep Brown but it's confusing to have two names for the same shade! - waiting for me so I will not be brow-less in the upcoming weeks.

Verdict: I have tried several brow pencils in the past and love this one. It lasts for a few months even using daily, application is easy and it lasts all day. Will repurchase.

CLINIQUE Even Better Concealer

I have very dark circles around my eyes and always look tired and exhausted. Having trouble falling asleep doesn't help at all. I have just truly learned how to use concealer under my eyes in the past year after several videos on Youtube and some trial and error in my applications. First I apply it and let it "sit" whilst applying the rest of my makeup. And almost by the end, I dab it under my eyes. On days I need more "support", I add some Huda Beauty Powder after concealer to keep it all in. I have been using this Clinique concealer in the shade 28 Ivory ever since. As a newbie, I am enjoying it and I feel it works, but I am sure as time will go on and I have more experience, I will be open to try new brands. In the meantime, I already had another one in my stash, so I will me a loyal customer until then.

Verdict: love it and will use it until I find something better when I become more experienced with applying concealer.

LANCÔME Hypnôse Drama Mascara

I started using this mascara after a Lancôme Haul I did at their beauty stand in Cape Town's Waterfront last year. I loved it from the start and how incredible it made my lashes look. My only criticism is on the black residue that I would find at the end of the day in the inner corner of my eyes, I hate that. But the more I would use the product, the less that residue issue happened. I don't know if it's about the "freshness" of the product or if I just got a better hand at applying it. But by the end, and as I know mascara's have a 3-6 months life expectancy, I had a hard time letting it go.