May 9, 2025 7 min read Beauty & Skincare

May 2025 Beauty Empties: Honest reviews on finished products

Empties don't lie: they make for a mindful consumption of what you really used, loved and are not meant to purchase again, in a world with so many options.

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! 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 the 7 products I emptied in April:

WELLNESS

Aavalabs Marine Collagen Supplements

I have shared my most honest opinion about taking collagen powder and supplements here and how this brand really helped me in the process. When I am not brave enough to take the powders, I go for the supplements from Aavalabs. Even if they are less potent than a powder, they are reliable. Formulated with Hyaluronic Acid (the best for moisture holding!), Magnesium and Vitamin C, this supplement wants you to look your brighter best.

Let me tell you, people love to say taking collagen doesn't help with nails, hair, teeth as it promises but as I have alopecia, I have to say I feel my hair has definitely been stronger and falling a bit less in the past year. I don't know if collagen helped but it is for sure not making it worse for me.

Verdict: I would rebuy if I don't have powdered collagen at home. These are definitely easier to take.

NAIL CARE

Essie Speed-Setter Top Coat

You know where to find me on Sunday evenings? I am home, in my loungewear, watching a movie with my husband and doing my nails for the week. If you find me anywhere else, I may have been kidnapped and doing something else against my will.

What my Sunday evening Nail routine looks like: first I remove my nail polish (or whatever survived 7 days later), then I remove my cuticles (I am rubbish as it but I do my best), I file my nails, apply three coats of nail polish (Eternal Optimist or Lady Like or Fifth Avenue, all by Essie), a coat of this Speed-Setter Top Coat and when the whole process is done, I rub my nails and cuticles with a bit of Essie Apricot Nail & Cuticle Oil (it smells so good!). I love how my nails feel fresh and ready to tackle the week with this routine. I do not have the most beautiful nails - a lifetime of biting them has its toll - but doing the same process week after week makes me feel more confident about them.

The top coat really gives a new layer of shine and protection to your freshly manicured nails and makes the process a bit faster. I hate waiting for my nails to dry up completely - and destroy them and have to do them all over again - so this is a game changer.

Alas, this empty is not really an empty: after years of using it, the top coat becomes thicker and harder to apply, so I decided to part ways as it was starting to damage the nail polishing process and not enhancing as it used to.

Verdict: I would rebuy but I would pay attention to use it faster than over a year as it becomes denser and harder to apply

Reviews for: Aavalabs Marine Collagen | Essie Top Coat | Lumene Eye Cream | Rare Beauty Always an Optimist | Vichy 89 Serum | Chloe Perfume

MAKE UP

Benefit Cosmetics Volumizing Fan Fest Mascara

20 years ago, I was your Benefit girl. I lived in Paris and went to Sephora Champs Elysées almost every day. I used to buy anything they launched and review it on long unedited videos on Youtube. Oh I wish I could find those videos so many years later to cringe at my younger self (with a sense of pride!). As of lately, Benefit has changed its footprint into skincare and makeup. I used to buy everything from them, from their famous Erase Paste, to the Boooing concealer and the first version of Porefessional Cream which was such a groundbreaking primer in the beauty industry!

Fast forward to today, out of the 290 beauty, skincare and makeup products I currently own, 16 are from Benefit Cosmetics. As of late, I used their foundation (which I finished in the meantime) and it was discontinued since. I also used their blush cheek powders (I finished Rockateur recently but I have a smaller version in my beauty apothecary still to use!).

What I love the most about Benefit nowadays? I rave about their brow products (from the pencils to the gels). I think they are really focusing on that technology and absolutely nailing it. And a few months ago, I finished their They're Real Mascara, which is one of the best in the land. Fan Fest is a second favourite as a Mascara, With their curved Flex-Fiber Brush, you really capture all your lashes in its fan motion, to a maximum effect. I does not leave residue in the corner of my eyes at the end of the day (hate when that happens, don't you?)

Verdict: I love this mascara and would rebuy if I cannot find They're Real first.

SKIN CARE

Lumene Nordic Hydra Purity Dew Drops Hydrating Gel

Is it even a The Signature Jess empties review if I don't mentioned at least one finished Moroccanoil OR Lumene product?

For sure, I am loyal as a dog and here is my Lumene empty for the month.

I think this was one of my first Lumene products and it instantly became my favourite eye gel in the world. I love the texture and how it brightens my eye area. It was a part of my morning routine.

Verdict: I absolutely love it and would rebuy again if I ever finished the 10000 eye products I already have.

Rare Beauty 4-in-1 Always an Optimist Facial Mist

This product promises to hydrate, prime, set and and refresh your face but I mostly used it just after finish putting on my make up. I love the light fragrance and the glow it instantly gives me. The fact that it dries quite quickly is also great to use in the morning.

Verdict: I loved it and I already have a full size and a travel size waiting for me in my beauty apothecary. Means I would rebuy, always!

Vichy Mineral 89 Hyaluronic Acid Serum

I spoke about this one as it was one of the products on my evening skincare routine. And using it every morning allowed me to properly finish it.

I bought this product after I saw a Luciana Ferreira vlog talking about it. It promises to strengthen & repair the skin barrier, hydrate & plump skin and make our skin more resistant to visible signs of aging by exposome factors (UV, pollution, stress).

When I don't use any oils, I can also use it in the morning sometimes, but all these characteristics make for a perfect serum to use at night before I apply my night cream. I like the texture and how fast it dries on my skin.

Verdict: It was a good one. I would rebuy as it is reliable and if I don't find any of my favourites from Caudalie.

PERFUME

Chloe Eau de Parfum

It's the end of an era: this is the perfume I used when I got a job at my still current company 13 years later, when I got promoted at 27, when I went on a first date with my husband. This floral yet impactful scent will forever be a part of my autobiography. Such a deep tie into my life, I needed to write a whole article about it.