April 2018 Empties

I took another break from the blog due to family things and lots of doctor appointments for my daughter, but I'm back! I can't say how many times I'll be posting this month, but I realized I didn't get to share my used up products from April, and May's empties will be up in a couple-ish weeks. 

I'll start off with some skincare products. I finally finished off the last 3 packets of the Dickinson's Oil Controlling Towelettes, and I'm glad to be moving onto something different.

I have one sheet mask from a brand called Dermal called Bird's Nest. I got a huge lot of these off of Amazon for a really good price, due to a lot of awesome reviews I saw from a group on Facebook. I really enjoyed this and have to start taking better care of my skin again, because I'm majorly slacking. 

I used up a deluxe sample of the Origins GinZing Refreshing Face Mask. It's just a clear, gel type mask that dried down on the skin, and left it a bit more hydrated. It's nothing special honestly, but it felt good on the skin. 

I had been working on the NeoStrata Foaming Glycolic Wash for a really long time and I'm happy now that it's used up. It made my skin feel soft, but it dried it out during the colder months. I should've saved it for Summer, but wanted it done. 

This is the last of the products. I used up 2 Bath & Body Works products: a Spiced Apple Toddy candle and a Coconut Lime Verbena Deep Cleansing hand soap. Absolutely loved the candle, as well as the hand soap, but I'm slowly using up and not repurchasing anything from B&BW. I feel like their stuff is really expensive, and I'm working towards using better household products. 

I've been trying to use up the Arvazallia Color Care shampoo for a really long time as well. I don't wash my hair often, maybe twice a week or so. Now that this is used up, I don't really care for it. My hair didn't really feel clean, but it felt softer. I just used up the conditioner a couple days ago, so that will be in June empties. 

I used up a Little Remedies Saline Spray that was my daughter's. I use these sprays to help clean out her nose when she gets stuffed up. I like this but found a less expensive option on Amazon. 

I used up another Philosophy hand cream in the Raspberries and Cream scent. These hand creams are nice, but they don't do much when my hands are super dry from constant hand washing. 

Products used up: 11
Total for the year: 68 

I didn't do too bad. I was hoping to use up closer to 80 products at this point, but as long as I can really start taking care of my skin and trying to do my makeup more, I should have better success. I know my goal was to use up 150 products this year, and I'm still hopeful I can hit that goal. 

April 2018 Boxycharm

I received my first ever Boxycharm last month, and I just got April's box in the mail yesterday. Here's all the exciting products I got this month!

This month's theme is called Eye Candy. There are different variations to the boxes, and I'm happy to report I got everything I wanted! 

They were giving everyone a Colourpop eye shadow palette, and I received the Element of Surprise. This is the main one I had my eye on, and was hopeful I'd get it. I cannot wait to play with this baby. I've only tried Colourpop's Super Shock shadows, but not their pressed formula, and I've heard mostly good things. This palette retails for $16. 

When I saw a sneak peek of this month's box, an either/or product was a MAC Liptensity Lipstick or a Tarte liquid highlighter. I don't care for highlighters in general, so I was incredibly happy to see the MAC lipstick. I received the shade Burnt Violet, which is very pretty, but looks a bit dark for my liking. I definitely am going to try this out, but it may be one I only use in the Fall/Winter. This lipstick retails for $21.

I received brushes last month, and got some more this month. I received the SL Miss Glam Eyeshadow Brush and Eye Beauty Blender brush. I'm not sure if I'll like the eyeshadow brush, but the blending brush feels so soft and seems like it will blend shadows nicely. This duo retails for $38.50. 

You all know my love for face masks, and we all got the Dr. Brandt Pores No More Vacuum Cleaner Pore Purifying Mask. I absolutely adore Dr. Brandt skincare, but it is pretty expensive. I'm not sure if the tube I got is a full size product (it comes with 1 ounce), but the card says it retails for $47, yet Sephora says $42. 

The last product I got was the The Browgal Instatint Tinted Brow Gel in the shade Light Hair 03, which is the perfect shade for me. I don't know much about this brand, and I usually don't do much with my brows, but I'm curious about this product so I'll give it a try. This retails for $22. 

Total retail of the box is $139.50, which is incredible to me. I don't know how Boxycharm does it, but I'm more than impressed and already can't wait for May's box!

If you're subscribed to Boxycharm already, what did you receive this month? If you're interested in signing up, I'd love it if you used my referral code here!

April 2017 Empties

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I'm finally able to share the products I used up every month now! April wasn't the best for using stuff up, but I currently have a few products on their last legs. 

Starting off with a little bit of skincare, the first product I used up was the REN Mayblossom And Blue Cypress Balancing Facial Cleansing Gel. Phew, that's a long name! I did like this cleanser, but I could only get 2 uses out of it, so it's hard to say if I'd repurchase, if it's still available. It seems like it's nice for oily skin. 

I have been working on the InstaNatural Youth Express Eye Serum for ages! I have a review here and now that it's completely used up, my final thoughts are it's a nice product, but I don't think I'd purchase myself. If you don't have any eye issues except for a tiny bit of dryness, you'll like this. If you have lines, wrinkles, dryness, and every other issue with the skin around your eyes, this isn't for you. 

Last skincare product is from Borghese and it's their Intensifying Moisturizer. I used this as a serum underneath my regular moisturizer, and I really liked the extra hydration this gave. Even though I have oily skin, I've been battling dry, flaky skin in certain areas, and this helped immensely. 

For bath and shower products, I only used up two. My husband helped with the Garnier Fructis Sleek & Shine Shampoo, and we both liked it. It cleaned well, but I felt like it made my hair greasy faster. 

I don't think The Body Shop still carries this line of shower gels, but the Shower Gels For Earth Lovers in Cucumber & Mint was so refreshing, and my skin LOVED it! It lathered up nicely and left my skin feeling so soft and hydrated, I barely needed moisturizer after. 

The last sort of random product is the Wegmans brand One Daily Women's multi vitamin. What I liked about these is that they contain Folate and not Folic Acid. My body can't break down Folic Acid, which is the synthetic form of Folate, and it's surprisingly hard to find inexpensive multi's with Folate. Definite repurchase!

Number of products used up: 6
Total used up for the year: 22

AS I said above, I didn't do so hot last month. I'm hoping this month will be better so I can make my goal of using up 150 products!

What have you used up recently?

April 2017 Goals

I haven't done a monthly goals post since November, which I had failed miserably at achieving any. My life was put on the back burner as our daughter was in the NICU, and then going through open heart surgery. I want to get back into doing things for me and setting attainable goals for the month of April. 

- Reach 2,000 pageviews on the blog. In March I had just a little over 1,600 pageviews. That's not terrible, but my pageviews definitely took a hit during my time away with my daughter. This month I want to work hard on reaching more people and set a small goal of just 2,000. 

- Have some ME time! I'm my daughter's primary caregiver being a stay at home mom. My husband works crazy hours, typically putting in 50-60 hours in a week. While I totally love being able to stay home with my little girl, there are times where this mama just wants a little time to herself, whether it be to just hide away in the bedroom reading a book, or taking a shower and doing a face mask after. No matter what it is, I want to be sure I'm taking care of me as well. 

- Continue writing 2 posts a week. This was my goal when I started writing here again, and for April, I want to keep it up. Eventually, I'd like to work up to 3 posts, but for now, 2 will have to do. 

- Organize our house. I feel like this is a goal I have every month! Seriously, before Olivia was born, I was doing so well getting things organized and throwing stuff away or donating things we don't need. Then she decided she wanted to meet us 10 weeks early, and all that basically went to hell. It's not her fault by any means, we should've taken more time beforehand to really clean up and have things ready for when she came home. I'm slowly starting to make our house look much better, and we're only a few days into April so far!

What are some of your goals for this month? 

April 2016 Empties

Hi everyone! It's time again to share with you the products I used up for the month of April. I feel like I didn't do very well, and have plenty of products on their last legs that could've gotten used up earlier, but I haven't been wearing much makeup, or even taking that great care of my skin lately. 

I'll start off with a few skincare bits. Of course it wouldn't be an empties here without a bottle of The Body Shop Aloe Calming Toner. You all know how much I love this stuff, but the price of it has gone up so much in the last few years, that I'm actually considering trying something else once I use up what's in my stash. 

Next up is the Radha Beauty Miracle Retinol Moisturizer. Not quite sure how this is a miracle, since it dried out my skin and didn't do much for me. I always had to put another moisturizer on top of this because it gave no hydration whatsoever. 

I'm not sure if I mentioned it here or not, but I used to really love the Bite Beauty Agave Lip Mask. It moisturized my lips like no other and kept them soft and supple without having to reapply. I put it away for a while and came back to it again sometime last month. However, it started making my lips go completely numb about 10-15 minutes after applying it, and it wouldn't go away. It was so bizarre, and then I finally realized that the first ingredient is Lanolin, which is derived from wool. Wool makes me breakout in hives, so I figured I had an allergic reaction to this lip mask. In the trash it goes, because I'm not chancing something more serious happening. 

I had the biggest gripe with the Vasanti BrightenUp! Enzymatic Face Rejuvenator when I first received it in a previous Ipsy bag. The container wasn't even a quarter of the way filled with product and I thought I'd hardly get any use from it. Well, I did end up getting quite a few uses out of this and I'm very pleased with how well this works. It just makes my skin so dang soft and beautiful. I doubt I'd buy a full size, but this was nice while it lasted. 

Lastly for skincare, I have two deluxe sized samples of Ole Henriksen products. One is the Truth Serum Collagen Booster, which was freaking fantastic and is probably one of the best serums I've tried. The second is the Invigorating Night Gel, which I didn't care for. It did make my skin feel better, but also stung quite a bit upon application and I didn't like that, so in the trash it goes. 

Next up is a bit of makeup and a random product. I used up two of my all-time favorite mascaras, Tarte Gifted and Covergirl The Super Sizer. These two are probably my picks for favorite high-end (along with Too Faced Better Than Sex) and low-end. Once I use up what I have in my collection, I will be purchasing these two again!

I decided to just get rid of the Be A Bombshell Lip Balm in French Kiss. This felt very dried out and the color is a baby pink that looks awful on the lips. I already have so many lip balms to go through, so this won't be missed. 

Lastly is the Berry Twinkle Pocket Bac from Bath & Body Works. I loved this while I had it, and one day I found it hiding in a purse and it smelled awful and was incredibly runny. I dumped out what was left in the trash, which wasn't alot really, so now I can use a different one. 

Lastly, I have some random bath, body and health care stuff to share. My husband and I both used up the Sound Body Dandruff Shampoo. I get these bottles at Big Lots for just a few dollars and it's exactly like Head & Shoulders, just much less expensive. We already have another in our shower. 

You all know I have to use sensitive toothpaste due to my incredibly sensitive teeth and gums. This is the Topcare (Wegmans store brand) Extra Whitening Sensitive Toothpaste, and I don't really care for this much. I don't notice any difference in sensitivity and the taste is a little odd as well. 

I finally used up the Bath & Body Works Sweet Cinnamon Pumpkin foaming hand soap that's been in our bathroom for ages. I love these hand soaps, but they're really expensive even when there's a sale, so once I go through my stash, I'll look elsewhere for less expensive soaps. 

And lastly we have the final Bath & Body Works Shower Gel I had in my stash, which was Orange Sapphire. While this one smelled amazing, it did nothing for me. These shower gels make me itch and make my skin super dry. Plus they're really expensive for what they are. So glad to have these gone and I'll never repurchase. 

Number of products used up: 14
Total for the year: 66

I'm still doing good so far, and we're only in the 5th month of the year. I'm really hoping I can use up a ton more products. I think I'm making a goal of using up 250 products for the entire year. Last year I used up 177 products, so I have some work to do y'all!

What are some products you used up?

April 2016 Favorites

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Hey guys! I know, it's been a while since I made a real post on here. I honestly haven't been feeling very good lately and have also been feeling a bit uninspired with writing. I love this little space of mine and want to try and put in more effort, just being sick and all has really put a damper in things, so I truly apologize for my absence! I have just a few favorites to share with you from the past month, as I haven't even really been wearing much makeup lately. 

The first product that I've been loving is the Suave Creamy Cocoa Butter & Shea Moisturizing Body Wash. My husband is helping me use this, and I have to say, this is probably one of the best body washes I've ever used! First off, it's only about $2 or $3 with a good sale and coupon, and it's so moisturizing on the skin. It smells incredible and works just as well as any expensive body wash I've tried. Once I use up all the body washes I have, including samples, I'm going to continue buying just the less expensive body washes.  

Next up is a product I'm sure I've mentioned on the blog before, and it's the Garnier Fructis Sleek & Shine Intensely Smooth Leave-In Conditioning Cream. This stuff is freaking fantastic for my fine, but dry hair. I don't wash my hair everyday, and it tends to get dried out at the ends. When I use this after my shower, my hair is so silky soft, that I can never stop touching it. It makes my split ends look less noticeable and the overall look of my hair is better. You only need the tiniest bit to get the job done though, so this bottle lasts a very long time, and it's under $10. 

I was never the biggest fan of lipsticks. I had gotten two NARS lip pencils as a birthday gift from Sephora, and I completely fell in love with the Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in the shade Cruella. This is the perfect red for me! It's cool toned and has a soft, matte feel on the lips. It's not uncomfortable at all, it wears well, and I'm very tempted to buy the full size of this when I run out of this sample size!

My last favorite product of April is a lip balm. I had received the Olive Natural Beauty Moisturizing Lip Balm in the scent Refreshing Rosemary in a previous Ipsy bag, and finally pulled it out last month. I have such a hoard of lip balms to go through, it's quite sad. This little tube is quite small though, so I see myself using it up fairly quickly. I just absolutely love the way this smells, and it makes my lips feel so incredibly soft.

What are some products you've been loving?

April 2016 Ipsy Bag: The Dreamers

Hi everyone! I received my Ipsy bag a little early this month, yesterday actually, so that was a pleasant surprise! The theme this time is called The Dreamers. 

Now if you know me, you know how much I love my tie-dye! I'm a hippy at heart. I love the style of the bag, but I do wish it was maybe a different color scheme. 

The first products I received are two sheet masks from Purlisse. One is a Blue Lotus + White Tea, and the other is Blue Lotus + Seaweed. I was never really the biggest fan of sheet masks, but Purlisse is a brand I really do like, so I'm definitely going to use these and see how I get on with them. 

Next up is the Crown Brush C427 Duo Fiber Blush Brush. Now I'm not usually into Crown Brush for some reason, but this brush is incredibly soft, and I love how there are little dips in the handles for your fingers. It's so cool, and you can also use this for foundation or highlighter as well. I got a brush similar to this last month too, so I'm pretty overloaded in the brush department.

I hardly ever use eyeliner, so the Starlooks Luxe Longwear Eye Pencil in Jet probably won't be used much. I'll give it a go and see if it's nice for tightlining or something. 

I love Tarte Lip products, so I was pleased to see a mini LipSurgence Lip Creme in Wonder in my bag! It's a cute little sample and the color is very pretty, so that will definitely get use.

The last product I received is by Trust Fund Beauty, and it's their That Glo Tho Face Highlighter. Honestly, I'll probably never use this because it's a champagne-y gold color, it's a cream, and I just am not a fan of highlighters in general. 

I hate to say this, but this might be my last Ipsy bag. I've been with Ipsy since pretty much the beginning, and there are only so many sample products I can use without getting totally bored. While I've loved Ipsy, I think it's just my time to say goodbye. I might give it just one more month, but if I do, then that one will definitely be my last one, for sure. While I'm still deciding what to do, here is my referral link to sign up for your own Ipsy bag. You get 5 deluxe size products, sometimes full size too, for just $10 a month, plus shipping for some. It is a great deal, and some months are better than others, but I love getting products I had never heard of, or learning about indie brands that aren't as mainstream.  

If you're already an Ipsy subscriber, what did you get in your bag?

April 2015 Empties!

Hello everyone! It's time to look through my trash and see what products I was able to use up in April. I think I used up a fair amount of products, and it's such a rewarding feeling seeing it all. 

The first product I used up is the Philosophy Purity Made Simple Facial Cleansing Gel & Eye Makeup Remover. This took forever for me to go through since you only need a tiny bit to get the job done. It was an amazing cleanser for taking off makeup and overall cleansing. I probably would repurchase, but I have so many cleansers to go through right now. 

Next up is the Mario Badescu Special Mask for Oily Skin. Unfortunately, when I went to use this, it was all dried up so I had to dump it out. I'm saving the little pot though as I'm sure I'll find a use for it eventually. The Aloe Moisturizer was alright. It felt nice going on the skin, but it never really sunk in and made me feel greasy after a while. The drying cream was also a dried up mess and unusable. 

I wasn't much of a fan of the Sephora Supreme Cleansing Foam. It smelled really strongly of flowers and didn't clean the best either. I'm glad it was a sample size that I got through quickly.

The Pangea Organics Facial Cleanser was alright. It was super liquid-y but it did clean my skin nicely. I can't remember where I even got this little sample, but it lasted me quite a while.

Both my husband and I used the Pantene Sheer Volume Shampoo. He's not picky and neither am I really. This was good. It cleaned my hair nicely and left it soft and fluffy. 

I used up sample packets of the John Frieda Luxurious Volume shampoo and conditioner while staying at my Mother-in-law's house during Easter. I really liked this alot. The duo made my hair feel so soft and it looked amazing once it was all dry. I'd consider buying full sized bottles once I use up what I have.

I have to throw out the Radha Beauty Argan Oil. It smelled funky when I received it for review, and it smells even worse now. I don't know what is wrong with it, but I have to toss it. I feel bad though because I only used it a few times and I did like what it did for my skin and also my hair when I used a tiny bit. 

The Philosophy Peppermint Hot Cocoa shower gel smelled so amazing and made my whole house smell good after I took a shower. You all know my love for Philosophy shower gels, so I won't ramble on about how amazingly awesome they are. 

I finally was able to use up the Juice Beauty Hydrating Mist. I hated using it by directly spraying it on my skin as it burned my eyes like hell, even though they were closed. It was much better just spraying some on a cotton pad and swiping it on my skin. It didn't do much for me though. I still am obsessed with The Body Shop's Aloe Calming Toner and nothing really comes close to it. 

Last few products! I absolutely loved the bareMinerals Firming Eye Treatment. It made my eye area feel so soft and hydrated, but it wasn't heavy at all. I only used it at night and when I woke up in the morning, the skin around my eyes felt really nice. 

The product next to it is the Jack Black Intense Therapy Lip Balm Balm in the Black Tea & Blackberry scent. It got lots of love from me as it usually was the one I brought with me to work. I loved this stuff. It made my lips feel nice and hydrated and it's a great base for drying lipsticks. 

The last product is the Urban Decay Complexion Primer Potion. This stuff was like magic for my pores! Seriously, it covered them up so I could put on foundation or concealer and not have to worry about my pores looking like massive craters. I would most definitely buy the full size once I use up other primers. 

What did you use up last month?

April 2015 Favorites!

Hey guys! I know everyone and their dog says this, but I can't believe how fast this year is flying by. Seriously, We're almost half way through the year already! Anyways, I have some favorites today to share with everyone. April was a good month with beauty products, so it was hard narrowing it down. Lets see what made the cut!

The first product is the Urban Decay All Nighter Makeup Setting Spray. Holy moly, this stuff is amazing! It really does keep whatever makeup is on my face looking nice for a really long time. I can do my makeup in the morning for work and by the time I get home, it still looks nice. I also love how it feels on my skin, it's very refreshing and cooling.

Next up is the Kat Von D Shade + Light Eye palette. I had been wanting this ever since I knew it was coming out. I picked it up during the VIB sale Sephora had last month, and I'm so happy I bought it! All of the colors are beautiful and I will be doing a full review of this soon, so I won't blab on about it right now. 

I just posted my review of the Marc Jacobs Style Eye-Con No.7 palette in The Lover here, and it's safe to say, I'm a fan. I will probably be buying another one of these palettes at some point, but I absolutely love this particular one I picked up. 

Next we have Bioderma. I have been hearing about this stuff for ages, but we couldn't easily access here in the states, until now. The website Beautylish is carrying Bioderma, so when it officially launched I decided to order some. I'm so glad I did because this stuff really lives up to the hype! I do want to review this as well, but a short one is it takes off makeup like a dream and feels lovely on the skin. Great stuff!

Lastly, we have two lip products. The first one is the Kat Von D Everlasting Liquid Lipstick in the shade Berlin. These bad boys are no joke guys! They're incredibly pigmented, have great staying power, and don't feel too drying. These are definitely worth the $20 price tag. The second lip product is the NYX Butter Gloss in the shade Cupcake. I love these Butter Glosses and this shade is such a beautiful, bright pink that's perfect for this warmer weather we finally have.

What were some things you've been loving in April?

April 2015 Ipsy Bag

Hey everyone! I'm really excited that my Ipsy bag came in the mail yesterday, and I hadn't even gotten a tracking code. Weird, but that's happened before! This month's theme is called Beautifully Bohemian, and I'm excited for this one.

I love the style of the bag this month! It reminds me of a thin weaved basket, which probably sounds strange. I love the strips of color added and I can definitely see myself using this bag in everyday life. Onto the products!

First up, we have the MicaBeauty Eye Primer. I'm always on the hunt for a good eyeshadow primer, and this one says it's waterproof so hopefully it's good for Summertime use.

Next, I got a theBalm Nude Dude Eyeshadow Single in the shade Flirty, which is described as a shimmering golden violet color. I'm a fan of the brand, but it's not my favorite. I'm an eyeshadow junkie though, so I will have use for this I'm sure. 

I'm actually really excited for this next product. It's a blush by the brand Hikari in the shade Tango. It's a beautiful peachy pink shade and I'm pretty sure this is a full size product. In that case, this by itself costs $15, which is pretty darn cool!

I've heard of Klorane products before but never tried them. When I saw I was going to be receiving their Dry Shampoo with Oat Milk, I was really excited! I love dry shampoos since I don't wash my hair everyday. I'm hoping I can get decent use out of this can because it doesn't feel like it's filled very much. 

The last product I received is a JulieG Nail Color in the shade Damsel. I don't really like getting nail polish in subscription bags, but this color is right up my alley. Since Spring is finally here, I've been in the mood to do something with my nails, and this bright pink color seems perfect. 

Overall, I'm really happy with my bag this month. I feel like I got a nice range of products and they will all get used at some point. 

If you want your own Ipsy bag, you can sign up here! It only costs $10 a month, plus shipping for some, and you get 4-5 deluxe sized sample products with an occasional full sized one, like the blush above!

If you already receive Ipsy bags, what did you get this month?

April 2014 Empties!

April wasn't that great empties wise. The few months prior were much better, but I still want to show you what I did end up going through! Lets get to it!

These first items I didn't actually use up, they broke and basically were not usable anymore. The first product that broke is the NYX Mosaic Powder Blush in the color Dare. I received this in an Ipsy bag and to be honest, I didn't really like it. I used it a few times and it just wasn't the right color for me. I was going through my makeup drawers, saw this was busted and didn't really care. I'm glad I could free up some space though!

I had already posted about this from my last Ipsy bag, and this Elizabeth Mott Pop! Goes the Shadow in the color Champagne was sent to me already broken. I did email them and they said they were sending a replacement, but they sent a BH Cosmetics trio THAT I ALREADY HAD! I thought I was getting a replacement of this, but it's whatever. I'm honestly not too happy with Ipsy right now, so we'll see what I get in this month's bag. If I'm not happy again, I'll probably be cancelling and look for something different!

I purchased the LA Splash Cosmetics Illuminating Highlighting Eyeshadow in the color Exposed probably over a year or so ago. I can't remember if I already posted about this, but when I was checking out at Ulta, the girl who was ringing me up accidentally dropped this eyeshadow. I didn't think much of it at first, but when I got home, it was completely shattered. I was kinda upset, but I bought this on clearance for probably $3 or $4, so I still wanted to use it. I actually loved this eyeshadow as an inner corner highlight! It made my eyes look so bright and awake, but I figured it was time to get rid of it because it was fairly messy with it being broken.

I used up a little sample of the Makeup For Ever High Definition Primer. I used this primer on my wedding day and was really happy with my makeup look. I'm not sure what happened, but I didn't like this towards the end of its days. It didn't feel great on my skin and made my foundation look patchy. Definitely won't be purchasing this, ever.

I'm throwing out the Maybelline Mineral Power Powder Foundation in the color Classic Ivory light 2. When I first purchased this, I kinda liked it. It matched my skin and felt like any other mineral foundation I tried. When I went to use it one time, it looked so orange and nasty, I decided it was time to get rid of it. While I did enjoy this, I much prefer the bareMinerals Matte powder foundation. 

I finally used up the On10 lip balm in the Orange scent. I love these lip balms so much and I really wish Sephora would bring them back. I had purchased two sets quite a while ago of these during Christmas, and they're just great. They make my lips feel soft and hydrated, and they smell amazing!

This is a weird empty, but I used up a Super Kelp supplement. The main reason I used this was because I feel like I've had a sluggish thyroid and kelp has one of the highest sources of iodine, which is said to help with thyroid issues. Honestly, I probably have to see a doctor about it because I've been gaining weight like crazy, yet I don't eat alot and I'm pretty active when I'm at work since I'm in retail. That might've been TMI, but hey, it's all good. All in all, I didn't notice any difference while taking this, but before I do see a doctor, I'm going to try some natural remedies first.

I used up my beloved Hemp Hand Protector from The Body Shop. I've talked about this before and it's my favorite hand cream, especially in the Winter. This stuff is amazing if you work retail, in a restaurant, or a hospital/doctors office since you have to wash your hands a ton. This stuff lasts through multiple hand washings and you don't even need alot for it to work. Amazing stuff right here!

Last empty I have is The Body Shop's Spa Wisdom Polynesia Lime & Coconut Shower Gel. I purchased this when it was on clearance because it smelled amazing! That's really the only thing I liked about this shower gel. It had little scrubbing bits in it which did help with some exfoliation, but it didn't seem to clean very well. I love alot of their other shower gels and creams though, so I'll definitely repurchase them sometime in the future!

That's everything I used up! I'm starting to use up alot of little samples I have now, so I hope you guys don't mind if I feature them in these empty posts! What did you use up last month?

April 2014 Favorites!

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! :)

April 2014 Ipsy Bag

Hey guys! So I know I usually post my empties after my favorites, but I got my Ipsy bag in the mail yesterday and (spoiler alert) I'm not so happy with it. Lets get into it.

 The theme this month was called Beauty Rocks, which is up my alley since I'm a rocker girl and I love makeup. The bag is cute with a vinyl/nylon feel and a record print on the front. 

The first product I got is the Urban Decay 24/7 Velvet Glide-On Pencil in the color Black Velvet. You probably already know I'm a huge fan of Urban Decay products and their liner Perversion is my favorite black eyeliner ever. Black Velvet has that same texture, but Perversion is more pigmented to me, so I prefer that. Not complaining about this though, you can never have enough black eyeliner!

Next up we have the Demeter Jasmine Perfume Oil in a roll on form. I've said it before and I'll say it again, I hate perfume and I never wear it. This stuff smells too flowery and old lady like, so this is a big disappointment. 

Then we have the Cailyn Tinted Lip Balm in the shade Apple Pink. First off, it looks like there is hardly any product in the container. I remember I got one of their eyeliners in a previous Ipsy bag, and there was alot of product inside. I don't know what happened with this one. The color is pretty though, so I'll give it a try and see if I like it. 

The next product is the only one I'm half excited for and it's the Dr. Brandt Microdermabrasion. I'm a skincare junkie and hear a ton of good things about this brand. I believe I have some other samples from Dr. Brandt laying around that I should probably put to use. 

Lastly, we have the Elizabeth Mott Pop! Goes The Shadow in the color Champagne. I would've been excited for this since I've been wanting a nice champagne eyeshadow to use but...

 ...This happened! I couldn't believe it. In my whole time with Ipsy, I've gotten lucky with the fact that I've never had anything explode or break on me before. I immediately contacted Ipsy Care and let them know about it. I'm curious to see if I get a replacement of this or a different product. I may still try and see if I can make this work anyways. I just gotta be careful with how I store it. 

Overall, I'm a bit disappointed with this bag. They're usually pretty good and when I get a bag I don't really like, next month is typically better. I have good hopes for next month, otherwise I may consider cancelling :(

Sign up for Ipsy here to get your own bag in the mail!

If you're already subscribed, what did you get in your bag?

Also, don't forget about my blog sale!

April 2013 Empties!

Hey everyone! This is going to be a short post for this month's empties because I don't have nearly as many as I did last month! I still figured I 'd show you all what little bit I used up though, so here they are!

The first products I used up are The Body Shop Rainforest Shine Shampoo and Conditioner. I don't have much to say about these honestly. I love The Body Shop products, but their shampoos and conditioners aren't that great. They don't particularly clean my hair very well and the conditioner doesn't hydrate very well either. The only decent thing going for these products are they smell amazing! I think I still have one more shampoo and conditioner to use up from The Body Shop.

The next product I've had for ages and it's the Philosophy Handmade Hand Cream. I swear, this has just been sitting in my handbag for so long, and finally it's gone. I don't have much to say about this either, except for the amazing smell. It smells like a lemon custard cake! This product doesn't moisturize very well and doesn't last through hand washings either. I honestly don't know if Philosophy still carries this hand cream. Either way, I wouldn't repurchase.

My next product is another dud for me! I'm not sure what it is about this empties post, but I dislike everything so far (until my last product!). Benefit's The POREfessional, to me, should not be as hyped up as it's been. Seriously, this primer did absolutely nothing for my skin, and I have ginormous pores. I always hear amazing things about this primer, but it just did not work for me. This is just a little sample sized bottle and I may have more in my sample shoebox. To me, this is not worth the $30 price tag for the full sized bottle.

Now for my last empty, which is The Body Shop Cocoa Butter Body Butter. I can't get enough of these body butters! These have to be my favorite body butters of all time, no lie! Even their regular body lotion that comes in a pump bottle is amazing, and that's what I usually switch to when the weather gets warmer. Anyways, I know I've mentioned numerous times how much I love these; they're hydrating, they smell good and they have community trade ingredients in every product they make, which is amazing. You all know I'll be repurchasing these!

Well that's everything! I know this wasn't a very happy post with how I liked everything, but I'm sure May has some much better products! I should have way more empties than I did for April!

What did everyone else use up?

April 2013 Favorites!

Hey everyone! April is over which means it's time for another monthly favorites post! As you can tell from my hauls this past month, I got a chance to try out some new things that I've been loving so I want to share them with you!

The first product I want to talk about is the Sigma P88 Precision Flat Angled Brush. Now I only got my Sigma order in the mail probably a week and a half ago, but I am so in love with this brush! Seriously, this is probably one of the best brushes I've ever tried in my life. The bristles are incredibly soft yet it blends concealer around my eyes like a dream and doesn't leave any streaks or splotches. Best $16 I've ever spent. I'm definitely going to be doing a full review post for you guys just on this brush alone!

My next favorite is the Covergirl Outlast Stay Fabulous 3 in 1 Foundation in the color Ivory. I received a coupon from BzzAgent for a free foundation from this line in my shade choice. I was so excited to get that coupon because I've been wanting to try this foundation since it came out, despite the fact that I'm not much of a liquid foundation girl. I'm pretty impressed with this to be honest. It evens out my skin tone, and for me, it's a light coverage foundation. I'm currently uploading a video reviewing this foundation as I write this, but I'm having issues with my internet, so it may take a while. 

The next product I've been loving is the Own Skin Health Firming Silk Concentrate, which I received from iFabbo. This product is basically a serum that you use after cleansing and toning, but before moisturizing. I'm so in love with how this makes my skin feel! I like using this serum after I've either exfoliated or used a mask because it helps to put back some moisture into my skin. I've only used it at night as it can make my skin a little greasy, but I don't mind that at night because when I wake up in the morning, my face is all glowy and soft.

I only have one complaint about my next favorite, the Covergirl Lip Perfection Jumbo Gloss Balm, and that is it doesn't have the name on the tube! I have to look up the names all the time, and the one pictured is 215 Watermelon Twist. This is such a beautiful pink color that has a hint of coral to it, at least on my lips. It's very moisturizing, but I still like to put a gloss on top sometimes for some extra hydration. 

My next favorite doesn't have a name to it, but I just call it my Pinkie Pie Nail Polish. I guess this was from a My Little Pony collection because at Hot Topic where I got this, there were other colors with the ponies on the bottle. I bought this on clearance for $3.50 but I honestly am loving this! I was so surprised with how opaque it went on in one coat, but I still did two coats. I absolutely love the color of it as well, pink is my all-time favorite color! Any shade of pink will do, but the bright pinks like this get me all the time.

My last favorite is a surprise favorite, and it's the Urban Decay Naked Basics Palette. I remember when I did my haul post saying that I didn't need or want this palette but when I saw it, I fell in love! I am truly amazed at how much I reach for this little guy. Naked 2 and Faint are my favorite colors in this palette. I can do a full review of this if you want, but I know there are about a million other reviews on it. 

That's it for my favorites this past month! I know this wasn't a long post with many favorites, but these were the products I reached for the most and I'm super excited I got to try some new things! (Especially the Sigma brush!)

What were your favorites for April?

April 2013 Ipsy Bag

Hey guys! Yesterday I received my Ipsy bag in the mail. I was really excited for this month because the theme was Pretty in Pink! Pink is my favorite color so I really couldn't wait to see what I got. Once I was able to see on the site what products we were getting, I kinda got a tad bit disappointed because the whole bag consists of this or that products, whether it be the actual product, or color of the product. Anyways, let's see what this month's bag brought me!

The actual bag itself is pretty cute. I'm not the hugest fan of white because it gets dirty too fast, but I love the pink at the top! I forgot to take a picture of the inside, but there are thick pink and white stripes and it says Ipsy...beauty by you, on some of the white stripes.

Onto the actual products! The first product was a this or that product. You either get this MicaBeauty Mineral eyeshadow in the color Earth, or you got a Two Cosmetics Duo Eyeshadow in the color Heartache. I was honestly hoping for the duo, only because I have so many mineral eyeshadows, it's getting overwhelming! The Mica eyeshadow isn't a bad color, but when I swatched it on my hand, it felt very chalky and flaked off my hand a bit. I'll be showing a swatch of this at the end of the post!

The next thing I got is the Healthy Sexy Hair Soy Renewal, which is a nourishing styling treatment. Now you either got this product or the Big Sexy Hair Powder Play, which is basically a volumizing powder. I'm happy I got the Soy Renewal. I don't really care for volumizing products, and the soy renewal is made with Morrocan Argan Oil, so that's exciting to me!

Now this Sation Nail Lacquer came in one of two colors. You either get this color, Love At First Byte which is a light peachy pink, or Of Corset I'll Call you which is a romantic lavender-rose. I was really hoping for Of Corset I'll Call You! I prefer purple-y pinks rather than peachy pinks. I'll see how I can make this color work for me.

This last product, a Be A Bombshell blush, came in one of two colors as well. You either got this color called Sweet Cheeks which is a medium rose pink with shimmer, or Beach Please which is a bright matte pink. I was actually hoping to get Beach Please not only because the name of it is really funny, but I don't think I have a bright matte pink blush in my collection! Swatching the one I got, I'm actually pleased with it and I feel like I can get use out of it this Spring and Summer. 

Swatch of blush on left, eyeshadow on right

That's everything I got in my bag! Overall, I'm happy with it, but not super happy because I didn't really get the colors I wanted. Oh well, for a $10 monthly subscription service, this really isn't too shabby. Especially because the blush is full sized and I believe the eyeshadow is as well!

What did you get in your Ipsy Bag? If you don't subscribe to Ipsy, what do you think of the products?