Hi everyone! It's time for me to share what I used up in the first month of the year. I have to say, I'm pretty impressed with everything I used up, and I'm going to be trying really hard to make a dent in my beauty collection for 2015. Lets see what I've used up!
The first product I used up is the Bath & Body Works Moisturizing Hand Soap in the Fresh Picked Strawberries scent. I'm more of a fan of their hand soaps with the little scrubby bits in them and this one didn't have those. I didn't really care for this hand soap because it smelled a bit perfume-y to me and my husband didn't really like it either. Glad to see it gone!
I then used up the ZenWise Labs Hair Growth Vitamins. I was sent his product from BrandBacker to try and I did a review of it here. I'm still sticking to my original thoughts on this, and that is it did help with growing my hair, but not with the thickness or new growth. My roots are showing like crazy now, so if you just want your hair to grow out faster, this product will help with that, but it won't help with making it thicker.
I used up a Degree Expert Protection Deodorant in the scent Linen Dry. I got this at Big Lots and it was pretty cheap, probably around $1 or $2. I liked how it smelled and this is supposed to release scent when it detects motion, and I did notice as I moved around I could smell it, which didn't bother me at all.
I used up quite a bit of skincare, so woohoo on that! The first product is the Peter Thomas Roth Aloe Tonic Mist. This toner is alcohol free and fragrance free, so it reminded me of my beloved Aloe Calming Toner from The Body Shop.This stuff is alot more expensive, but it worked the same at TBS toner, so I'll keep repurchasing that one for quite a while.
I used up a little baby container of the Josie Maran Argan Oil. I used this over moisturizer if I needed extra hydration and I also started using one drop in my foundation/bb cream. I got that idea from Wayne Goss on YouTube and that changed my life honestly. I don't think I'll do that trick in the Summer, but in the Winter it's great. It helps my foundation go on better and it makes my skin look flawless.
I also used up another baby container of the Juice Beauty Oil-Free Moisturizer. I remember I took this little tube with me on my honeymoon over a year ago and just wanted to finish it up since it still had about 4 days of use left. It smelled and looked fine though, so no worries about that!
I finally ran out of the little tube of the GlamGlow Thirstymud Hydrating Treatment mask. I did a review on this here, and I have to say, this is a Holy Grail product for me now! I can't not use it after I use a clay mask that's drying. I have a full size of this and will continue to repurchase despite it being so darn expensive. It makes my skin feel just amazingly soft and supple.
I used up The Body Shop Aloe Protective Serum, and I mixed this into moisturizer in the morning to add some extra hydration to my skin. I still love this product as it calms my skin but gives me the little boost I need this Winter.
I was happy to finally finish up the Philosophy Help Me Retinol Night Treatment. I will say, I think it did help my skin a little bit, but this stuff smells so strange! It's not like it was too old to use strange, but it just wasn't my cup of tea. It was a bit drying too so I had to follow up with an extra hydrating moisturizer.
I used up my morning time moisturizer from The Body Shop, the Tea Tree Sin Clearing Lotion. I absolutely love this stuff for my oily, acne-prone skin, but in the Winter it's really drying, so I used the Aloe Serum above mixed in and that helped out alot. This gel type moisturizer is definitely a Summer time moisturizer.
Now for a bit of randomness. I was so excited to finally use up the Massive tub of The Body Shop Shea Body Butter. I had been using this since last Winter and probably around the second week of January it was gone. I don't really use body butters in the Summer as I'm not as dry. Once in a while I will, but I usually stick to light lotions then. These body butters are no joke though, they hydrate your skin like crazy and this one smells so clean and fresh.
The Almay Oil-Free Eye Makeup Remover Pads were pretty awesome. I used one for each eye at night when I removed my eye makeup and I had no problems taking off mascara or dark eyeshadows. Occasionally these did sting my eyes a little bit, but it wasn't terrible and I always washed my face thoroughly after removing makeup.
I got the Figs & Rouge Hand Cream in the scent Rose Berry in an Ipsy bag, and I loved how this stuff smelled. It had way more berry than rose which I'm fine with, but I have to be honest, this isn't hydrating at all for me. I think it actually made my hands drier. I still used this when I was at work just so I had something, but most days when I got home, I had to put on a thicker hand cream to help my hands feel better.
The Urban Decay B6 Vitamin-Infused Complexion Prep Spray came in a 500 point perk from Sephora. I think this is the most gimmicky product. It doesn't do anything special for my skin and acts no different than other makeup sprays. I will never buy a full size of this.
I have two mascaras here, the Pop Beauty Smoky Lash Kapow!!!, and the Bobbi Brown Everything mascara. The Pop one was just dried out so I couldn't use it, but the Bobbi Brown one was fantastic! It made my lashes look amazing, but the only downside is it smudged on me. If it didn't smudge, it would be perfect in every way.
The final product I used up is the Tarte Clean Slate Creaseless Eye Primer. This is a white liquid-y primer that was just okay for me. It didn't really make my shadows last any longer and I still got creasing by the end of the day. There is still nothing that compares to the original UD Primer Potion for me.
What did you use up in January?
Remember I have my Borghese giveaway going on until the beginning of March, so there's plenty of time to enter! Also, I have my blog sale as well :)
Hey everyone! I know my favorites post is going up a bit late and I apologize for that! I've been pretty busy with work and I typically have alot to do on my days off, so blogging kinda fell off the priority list. This month should be better though, so lets get into what I was loving last month!
Starting off with hair, I've been loving my Garnier Fructis Sleek & Shine Intensely Smooth Leave-In Conditioning Cream. After I finished up the crappy Aussie product I was using, I saw this hiding in my cabinet and snatched it right out to use. I did a post here quite a while ago, and I still love it. This makes my hair less tangled and it feels so smooth and soft. I recently told you guys that I chopped off four inches of my hair, so I'm trying to be really good to my hair so it grows out happy and not sad and dry.
Since I did chop off my hair, I've been wearing it down once in a while, and I typically straighten it when I do wear it down. The Garnier Fructis Sleek & Shine Flat Iron Protector is fricken awesome! I can tell that it's really protecting my hair from the heat of my flat iron and it keeps my hair straight too! When I straighten my hair, it can sometimes start to get wavy throughout the day, but I swear this stuff helps with that amazingly well. I probably only straightened my hair twice last month, but I still wanted to mention that this product is an amazing heat protector. Plus, it's very inexpensive when you purchase it from Walmart.
Onto the one body product I loved! The Body Shop's Cocoa Butter Creamy Body Wash is fantastic! I've had pretty dry skin lately and this stuff helps my skin feel really soft and hydrated. I also love that this doesn't get super foamy, but it's a nice creamy lather that gets the job done. I will say though, I don't smell much cocoa butter in it. Honestly, I smell shea butter more, but that's ok for me, since shea butter smells really fresh and clean.
Whenever I wore a full face of makeup, I loved using the Almay Oil-Free Makeup Remover Towelettes. I think these makeup remover wipes are probably the best I've ever tried! They're 100% fragrance free, so they're great for my sensitive skin, and they remove makeup like a gem, probably because they're so moist (hate that word, but you get what I'm saying!). I do still use a separate remover for my eyes, then use this wipe on my face. These wipes don't burn or sting either. Definitely gonna have to buy again once I use up everything else I have.
I've been so obsessed with the Maybelline The Elixer lip glosses, and the color I've been loving is called Rose Redefined. This is such a perfect dusty rose-y pink shade, and it's just amazing. I'll probably end up doing a review on these glosses because I have a few others that I love too!
Last favorite is the Stila Artful Eye Collector's Edition Vol. 3. Now I purchased this on Sephora when it was on clearance, so I highly doubt it's still available. I just have to share this because.........
LOOK HOW BEAUTIFULLY PIGMENTED THESE ARE! Gosh, I've been so in love with this little palette and I wish I could find more! I love using the lightest shade, called Light Apricot, all over the lid and any of the other colors on the outer half of my lid. I use a different shade in another palette for my crease that's matte. I wish the second picture of swatches really showed how beautiful these colors are in person. Nifty little palette right here!
That is everything I've been loving! What were some of your favorites from April?
Also, I hope you guys like the new layout of the blog! I keep playing around with it, but I like how it looks now. I may keep tweaking things so I hope you don't mind! :)
Hey everyone! Yes, I know it's been ages again since my last post. I really hope you can forgive me! Work's starting to get crazy with the holiday's coming up, I've been feeling a little under the weather and I've been having issues with my back. It's weird too, I can't sit, stand or lay down for too long or my back hurts more. Anyways, today I bring you a haul post! Now, I didn't go and buy everything in one shot. I purchased all this within the last 3 to 4 months, and I do have a Sephora VIB haul coming up as well once I get my package in the mail! So, lets get into what I bought!
First up we have products I purchased from Drugstore.com. As you can tell above, I went a little Batiste crazy! This is definitely my all-time favorite dry shampoo and I have yet to find anything better. I purchased the Clean & Classic Original, two of the Coconut & Exotic Tropical, Floral & Flirty Blush and Cool & Crisp Fresh scents. Back in April, I was given the opportunity to try out Batiste for the first time and I picked the Tropical scent. I reviewed it here if you want to check it out.
These products also came from Drugstore.com. The St. Ives Timeless Skin Collagen Elastin Moisturizer was literally only about $3. I wanted to pick this up because since it's gotten so cold here, my skin is drying out pretty bad. I'm hoping my skin doesn't get too much drier because I have other products I want to use up before I open this up.
I also purchased the Boots Expert Sensitive Gentle Refreshing Toner. As you all may know already, I'm in love with the aloe toner from The Body Shop. That toner is a bit pricey for me at $12.50 and the Boots toner was I believe just under $5. I'm hoping this is just as good or better than the aloe toner because I don't feel like spending alot of money on a toner is necessary.
Then I purchased the Norwegian Formula Hand Cream in the fragrance free version. I've never tried this hand cream before, but my hands are also drying up with this cold weather, and I've heard alot of great things about this product. I do have other hand creams to use up, but I have a feeling I may go through those pretty quickly.
I've been wanting to try the Garnier Skin Renew Anti Dark Circle Roller for a long time now. I've heard decent things about this product, and I do have pretty bad dark circles, so I have hope for this. I'm excited to try it out!
I then bought a few products from the Paula's Choice website. I actually purchased the Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Gel from Skinstore.com but I'm lumping it in with the other two. I'm in love with this product and I've talked about it before. Holy Grail product right here!
I've been wanting to get another toner from Paula's Choice since I had tried one quite a few years ago. I decided to get the Hydralight Healthy Skin Refreshing Toner for normal, oily to combination skin. I can't remember if this is the one I tried years ago, but I do remember liking the one I did try.
I also wanted to buy another one of my favorite masks, and that's the Skin Balancing Oil Absorbing Mask. This used to be called the Skin Balancing Carbon Mask, and boy is it amazing! I did a review on this a long time ago, close to when I first started my blog. The review is here if you want to read it. I'll have to warn you, it's not the best review ever but hey, everyone starts somewhere, right?
Next up we have products from theBalm that I purchased from Hautelook! Now I know I did a post here about how disappointed I was with Hautelook, but I reached out to them and everything turned out amazing, which I had also talked about here. Anyways, I ended up buying the TimeBalm Skincare White Tea Juniper Oil-Free Face Moisturizer. I've never tried any skincare from theBalm before and figured I'd give this a go. Plus, it was pretty inexpensive on Hautelook.
I also purchased the Put A Lid On It Eyelid Primer. I've heard many, many good things about this eyeshadow primer so I'm excited to try this out and see what all the hype is about.
The final product I got from Hautelook is the Down Boy Blush. I totally forgot to take a picture of the color and do a swatch, but there are many reviews and swatches on the internet of this blush. I picked this color because it's a pretty baby pink color that I think would look nice on my fair skin.
I also did some damage on The Body Shop website! They were having an awesome 40% off sale, plus I'm a Love Your Body member so I got an extra 10% off, plus I had some points saved up and got an extra $15 off that. I made out pretty well! I wanted to try out a bunch of the new Honeymania line that's out, so I picked up the Body Butter, Body Scrub, two of the Lip Butters and a Shower Gel. When I opened up the Body Butter, I was pretty shocked at the smell. To me, it smells like organic, raw honey. I was expecting something sweeter smelling honestly, but it's not terrible. I'm very excited for the scrub because it's in a creamy base, just how I like scrubs to be.
I also picked up two Aloe Protective Serums. These serums are amazing, I love putting a bit mixed in with my daytime moisturizer for some extra hydration, or using it as a regular moisturizer in the Summer. The last product I got is the Aloe Eye Defense. This is an awesome gel-type eye cream that feels so amazing when you put it on, and it gives me just enough hydration.
Finally, we have a purchase from the Ulta website! They were having an awesome sale where certain brands were 40% off, they were offering free shipping on a $25 purchase and then there was a code for $3.50 off a purchase of $10 or more. Again, I feel like I made out well. I decided to try the Almay Oil-Free Gentle Eye Makeup Remover. I actually forgot about buying this until I looked through all the stuff I bought. I was worried about running out of eye makeup remover when I start my spending ban, but now I feel like I'll be ok. I've never tried this before but I think it'll be alright.
I also decided to try out the NYX Matte Finish Long Lasting Setting Spray. I've heard plenty of good things about this setting spray and I'm excited to try it!
I haven't really heard much about the Neutrogena Healthy Skin 3-in-1 Concealer For Eyes. I can always use a good concealer for my dark circles, so I have high hopes for this product.
And finally, we have NYX Butter Glosses! These babies came to just over $2 each after all the discounts. I ended up getting the colors Vanilla Cream Pie, Apple Strudel, Strawberry Parfait, Maple Blondie, and Merengue. Those are the colors from left to right in the picture. Again, I forgot to take pictures of swatches, but I'm sure there are plenty online. I'll be honest, I don't really get the hype with these. Yes, the color selection is great and they feel nice on the lips, but they're not as amazing as everyone makes them out to be, and I get that dreaded white line around the center of my lips when they dry. I'd purchase more of these when they're on a good sale, but they're not anything to be hyped up about.
Phew! That took a while! I hope I didn't bore you and that you liked this post! I'll have one last haul post hopefully put up by the end of the week, and that's it for a while. It'll be spending ban time. What do you think of these products?
Hey everyone! This is part 2 of my huge haul, and I really think I did some major damage! I honestly think I'm going to put myself on another spending ban very soon because I really gotta start saving my money! Anyways, this is gonna be a long post, so get some popcorn and lets get onto the goodies!
First up is The Body Shop. They were having a deal online where everything was 40% off, plus I'm a Love Your Body member so I got an extra 10% off, then I had my 4 point gift, which was an extra $15 off my purchase! I got all these lovely things for very good prices with all my deals! The first thing I picked up is the Absinthe Purifying Hand Cream. I wanted to get this because it was a new product that came out and of course I love trying new products! I'm honestly not sure if I like it. I'm obsessed with their Hemp Hand Cream because of how moisturizing it is and how long it lasts, even through numerous hand washings. This hand cream is much lighter and the smell of it isn't that great. It sinks into the skin very fast, but doesn't feel that moisturizing. I'll have to try it out a bit more to give a proper review on it.
The next thing I got is the Shimmer Cubes Palette 23, which is an eyeshadow quad. I absolutely adore these little palettes! I have another one that I bought when I worked at The Body Shop about 4 years ago, and I still haven't made a dent in it. I seriously think these quads will last for the rest of my life!
I also got another one of their Cocoa Butter Body Butters. They were having a sale where certain body butters were only $10 instead of the usual $20, and this scent is one of my favorites! I have lots of body moisturizers to use up, so I didn't go crazy buying a ton of these body butters.
Then I got two of their new Flavoured Lip Glosses. The one on the left is Coconut, and on the right it Cocoa. I'm sure you all know how much I love coconut and cocoa scented/flavored things, so the purchase of these are totally justified. Plus, they were only $6 with the 40% off, so they weren't a bad deal either!
The last product I got is their Loose Face Powder in the color 01. I'm not entirely sure why I purchased this, but the reviews on the site are amazing. Every review gives this product 5/5 stars saying it's lightweight and gives a matte appearance to the skin, which is what I'll definitely need this Summer! I'm excited to try it out given the good reviews it has!
Now right after I made my last Sephora purchase, I got an email with a 15% off coupon for VIB's. That always happens to me! I always buy something, then right after I get a coupon or some other deal comes out! So of course my head thought that I had to buy more things, and the first thing I got is the Soap & Glory Flake Away Body Scrub. I can't wait to try this! Soap & Glory products are really amazing and I've never tried this particular body scrub before, so I figured I'd try it with the 15% off. I have to say, the smell of it is a bit overpowering, but as long as it doesn't linger very long, I'll be good.
The next thing I got is the Sephora brand Daily Makeup Brush Cleaner. I spot clean my brushes after I use them everytime. I don't know if that's bad for them, but I'm so weird about bacteria and whatnot, so I have to make sure my brushes are clean when I use them. This is my favorite daily brush cleaner. I'm currently using the one from E.L.F. and I don't mind the actual cleaner, but the bottle doesn't spray right, so I had to pour it into one of these containers because it sprays out the liquid better. You'll probably see the E.L.F. bottle in an empties post soon, even though I just used up the Sephora one.
The next product I got is a nail polish. Now I know I've been buying nail polish lately, but I've been getting way more into doing my nails, so I'm experimenting a little. This is from the Sephora X brand in The Pearlescents collection. The color I got is called Privileged and it's the prettiest dark burgundy color! I haven't tried this yet, but the reviews coming in of this nail polish are pretty positive so far!
Then I got a lip balm from the brand TokyoMilk and it's a Femme Fatale Collection Lip Elixer. I got the scent Coco Noir No. 60 which is described as, "Dark Rum, Maraschino Cherry, Sweet Milk and Cocao Bean." This seriously sounds like something I could eat for dessert or make as a drink! There are five other scents as well, but this one stood out the most.
Then I just got the Makeup For Ever High Definition Primer as a 100 point gift. I'm a little disappointed with how small this is for 100 points honestly, but hey, if it works, I'll be happy.
Onto Walgreen's! Now these things weren't bought all at once, I got them on three different shopping trips. The first thing I picked up is the Almay Oil-Free Makeup Remover Towelettes. I'm getting more into removing my makeup with a wipe first instead of just going in with my cleanser and Clarisonic. I haven't tried this particular brand's wipes yet, but Almay is a good brand, so I'm sure I'll like them.
Then I picked up the Almay Get Up & Grow Mascara in Blackest Black. I've heard Emily from Beauty Broadcast go on and on about how much she likes it, and Almay was on sale, so I figured I'd try it. If Emily likes it, then I'm sure I will too!
Now I said that Almay was on sale. It was buy 1, get one half off, plus if you spent $15, you got like 4,000 points, so I picked up this to get to the $15. I remember my mom mentioning that she likes these Oil-Free Eye Makeup Remover Pads, and she's got such sensitive eyes. I have pretty sensitive eyes too, but not like hers, so if she likes these, then I know they're good!
Then I picked up the much talked about Nivea Lip Butters in Caramel Cream Kiss and Vanilla & Macadamia Kiss. They were on sale for only $1.99 each and I haven't tried these yet, so because they were on sale, I decided it was time to jump on the bandwagon.
I also picked up two Wet N' Wild Megalast Nail Polishes because Wet N' Wild was buy 1, get one half off. These are only $2 to begin with, so I was pretty happy to see a sale on the brand. the Two colors I got are Candy-licious (left) and On a Trip (right). I've heard alot of good things about this nail polish, so I'm excited to try them out!
Then I got two more Wet N' Wild products when I went at a later date because the brand was still buy 1, get one half off. I finally decided to try one of their blushes in Pearlescent Pink, and I also got one of their eyeshadow trios in Silent Treatment. I have one of the eight color palettes, but this is my first trio!
Next up is Sally Beauty! I had only been to a Sally beauty once before, but it was one that wasn't close to my home. I wanted to go to the one near me and see if it was any better because when I went to the one farther from me, I wasn't impressed. I have to say I'm impressed now! The first item I picked up is Hair Chemist Macadamia Oil Deep Repair Masque. I bought this because for some reason my hair is so incredibly dry lately and I need something to make it soft and healthy again. I really hope this does the trick.
I was really excited to see that all their nail polishes were buy 2, get one free! You could mix and match between brands but I stuck with China Glaze. I only have one nail polish from this brand so I wanted to try out more. I picked up one of their Fast Forward Top Coats, and the colors I got are Love's a Beach and Seduce Me. I wanted the infamous Flip Flop Fantasy, but that slot was totally empty and I didn't bother asking if there were more hiding somewhere. I love the bright neon pink color of Love's a Beach. I may use that very soon!
My final purchase was from Sigma! This is my first ever experience with Sigma, and I'm already super impressed! I picked up and E35 Tapered Blending Brush, which you can see I've already used (and love!). Then I got the P88 Precision Flat Angled Brush, which I was so excited to try! I've been looking for a good brush to blend the concealer under my eyes, and this brush is AMAZING!! I've already used it a handful of times and I love how it works. I plan on doing a separate review post of this, that's how much I love it! The last brush I bought is an E55 Eye Shading Brush. Every beauty guru I watch has one of these and likes them, so I wanted to give it a try. When you spent $35, you got a free gift. I wasn't sure what to expect for the gift, but I received and E05 Eyeliner brush. I haven't used this yet, as I've been using the angled eyeliner brush from Sephora, but I'm sure once I use it, I'll like it! This is probably my most exciting purchase since it's my first ever Sigma purchase. I want to get some of their palettes in the future and definitely more brushes!
Phew! If you guys made it this far, I seriously love you! I'm sorry this was such a long post, but I was so excited with everything so I had to share! I know I said above that I'm going to be putting myself on another spending ban very soon, and I definitely will be! Seriously, I bought all this stuff within the past month and I know that's bad considering I have a part 1 to this haul! I'll keep everyone updated on when I start the ban...
Has anyone done some beauty hauling lately?
