Quick answer: In this video Nikol Johnson walks through the beauty products she uses to the very last drop—cutting tubes open and scraping jars to finish every bit. They're all third-party favorites spanning haircare, skincare and body: a heat protectant, a rose hair mist, a Chanel hand cream, Youth to the People cleanser, an Hourglass eye balm, two moisturizers (including Crème de la Mer) and two hydrating masks.
Key takeaways
- An "empties" list is the most honest review format—only products finished completely make the cut.
- Nikol's last-drop favorites are all third-party skincare, haircare and body products—no Nikol Beauty items appear in this video.
- Her picks lean hydrating: cleanser, eye balm, two moisturizers, two masks, plus hair and body sprays.
- Cutting tubes in the middle, scraping jars with a bent Q-tip and decanting sprayers can recover product you'd otherwise waste.
Hey ladies—the truest product review isn't the first impression, it's the empty jar. Here's a look at the staples Nikol has repurchased for years, plus exactly how she squeezes every last drop out of each one.
What are "last-drop" beauty products?
They're the products you don't just finish—you refuse to waste. Nikol calls it her "obsessive" version of an empties video: the items she's reached for year after year and loves so much she'll cut a tube open or bend a Q-tip around a jar to rescue the final smear. If a product only performs for a few uses before it pills, irritates or gets shoved to the back of a drawer, it never makes this list. The ones that hit the bottom of the jar are the ones that earned it.
Which products does Nikol use to the last drop?
Everything here is a third-party favorite she buys herself (or was gifted and kept repurchasing). Third-party brand names are shared as plain reference—nothing below is a Nikol Beauty product.
- A lightweight heat protectant — a French "reshapable heat lotion" she's repurchased for roughly eight years; it shields her hair and grays without weighing it down or feeling greasy.
- An affordable rose hair mist — her budget-friendly stand-in (about $85) for the pricey Baccarat Rouge 540 fragrance; a lighter, wearable take on that scent.
- A Chanel hand cream — the "egg"-shaped day version plus the nighttime one; it feels like "invisible gloves" and lives permanently in her purse. Heads-up: it's an airless bag inside, so cutting it open won't get you extra.
- Youth to the People Superfood Cleanser (kale, green tea and spinach) — a gel cleanser she's used since 2020 that leaves skin clean but not stripped.
- An Hourglass intensive eye balm — made in Japan; hydrating around the eye without feeling heavy or slipping. She's on her second jar.
- Two moisturizers — a refill-pod "rich cream" she slathers on face, neck and décolleté, and La Mer's Crème de la Mer, whose glass jar she scrapes with a bent Q-tip.
- Two hydrating masks — a "moisture shock" mask and a second moisture mask; she halves the tubes to reach every bit (cut in the middle, not the top).
- A Clarins body mist — a 94%-natural, after-bath-style splash she's loved since the '90s; when the sprayer failed she decanted it into a backup bottle rather than waste it.
How do you get every last drop out of the packaging?
These are the exact tricks Nikol demonstrates in the video:
- Cut tubes across the middle, not the top—most of the product settles at the bottom, and a middle cut keeps it easy to reach.
- Store pump bottles upside down so the last of the product collects at the nozzle.
- Bend a Q-tip and run it around the inner lip of glass jars—there's almost always more hiding in the rim.
- Warm stubborn airless or sprayer bottles under hot water to get them flowing again.
- If a sprayer dies for good, decant what's left into a fresh backup bottle.
- Once you cut a mask tube open, use all of it—exposed product dries out quickly.
A quick reality check: not every package rewards the effort. Airless "bag" cartridges (like some hand creams) are sealed pouches with nothing extra to recover, and any product that's been exposed to air for a while is worth a patch test before you slather it on.
Do any Nikol Beauty products get the last-drop treatment?
Not in this video—it's all outside brands Nikol personally reaches for. But the same loyalty shows up in her own line: customers tell us the Eye Primer gets repurchased before it's even empty, with the Rose Lip Balm right behind it—daily staples that get scraped clean, exactly like the favorites here.
The bottom line
An empties list is the most honest review there is—only the products you actually finish make the cut. Want that repurchase-forever feeling from your makeup bag? Explore our best sellers, the tried-and-true classics, and lip picks like the Rose Lip Balm in lips.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does it mean to use a beauty product to the last drop?
It means finishing a product completely—often cutting tubes open, scraping jars with a bent Q-tip, or decanting from one bottle into a backup—because you love it too much to waste a single bit. It's the most honest endorsement a product can earn.
What kinds of products made Nikol's last-drop list?
A mix of skincare, haircare and body favorites: a lightweight heat protectant, an affordable rose hair mist, a Chanel hand cream, Youth to the People's superfood cleanser, an Hourglass eye balm, two rich moisturizers including Crème de la Mer, two hydrating masks, and a Clarins body mist.
How do you get the last bit of product out of the packaging?
Cut tubes across the middle (not the top) so the product stays reachable, store pumps upside down, run a bent Q-tip around a jar's inner lip, and warm airless bottles under hot water. For masks you cut open, use everything at once—they dry out fast.
Are the products in this video from the Nikol Beauty line?
No. This is a purely third-party empties video—Nikol shares outside brands she personally repurchases. If you want that same last-drop loyalty from her own line, customers point to the Eye Primer and Rose Lip Balm as the staples they finish and rebuy.
Is cutting open beauty packaging worth it?
For products you genuinely love, yes—scraping a jar or halving a tube can recover a noticeable amount you'd otherwise toss. Just avoid airless bag cartridges, which are sealed and hold nothing extra once empty. Patch-test any recovered product if it's been exposed to air a while.
