September 2018 Empties

Hey guys! Catching up on my empties posts, so here is everything I used up in September. 

Bonapiel Beauty & Youth Serum - It smelled a bit too strong for my liking, but made my skin feel nice.Would not repurchase.

The Body Shop Aloe Calming Toner - You all know my love for this toner, and I only have a couple left. I will not be repurchasing, unfortunately. This is just too plain considering the price. 

2 Cane + Austin Miracle Pad - This was super intense, but it was effective in making my skin soft and glowy. Maybe would repurchase. 

Aveeno Daily Moisturizing Lotion - This was very light, yet really hydrating. I tend to like Aveeno products, but likely won't repurchase. 

Bath & Body Works Black Cherry Merlot Hand Soap - Love this scent, but you all know I'm using up my stash and moving along to something a bit better quality. Will not repurchase. 

Maple Holistics Tea Tree Shampoo - I surprisingly liked this! It made my scalp feel nice, but I did need extra conditioner as it dried my hair out a bit. Will not repurchase. 

Dove Men Clean Comfort Antiperspirant - I actually used this since my husband didn't like spray deodorants. It smelled a bit overpowering but did its job. Will not repurchase. 

Young Living Super B - I LOVE this b complex vitamin! I've actually used up more than this but forget to save the bottles. I'm slowly moving towards using all Young Living products in general, and have switched over all supplements completely. Will definitely repurchase!

Triple Paste - For my daughter's tushy. This was great stuff. It's got no scent, and takes away rashes quickly. I've found a Young Living product I like better, so I will not repurchase this. 

Crest Pro Health Advanced toothpaste - I did not like this at all. The scrubbing bits in it didn't help my teeth feel cleaner and the taste didn't last either. Will not repurchase. 

Products used up: 11

Total for the year: 124 

Next post will be October's empties, and I'm so, so close to hitting my goal! I'm tempted to up my goal a bit to 165 products used, but if I don't hit that goal, it's not a huge deal. It feels good regardless getting rid of all these products and making room for better quality products :)

November & December 2017 Empties

I'm a little late with is post (life happened), but it's time to share all of the used up products I have from the last two months of the year, and go over the total products for the entire year.

I'll start off with skincare. I tried a deluxe size of the Dr. Brandt Microdermabrasion Body Exfoliating Cream, and was not very impressed. It didn't really do much for me and I don't think it's worth the money. 

The Boscia Detoxifying Black Cleanser was amazing! I think I already have a full size in my stash but I'm trying to focus on my foil and deluxe samples this year before I bust into my full size stash.

I have a whole box full of the Dickinson's Oil Controlling Towelettes, but am using them sparingly for now. My skin is less oily in the colder months so I need more hydration. I really like these towelettes though, and they do seem to keep my oils under control.

I'm not usually a fan of Lancome skincare due to all the fragrance in them, but the Bienfait Multi-Vital High Potency Daily Moisturizing Cream was pretty awesome! It felt nice on my skin, didn't make it feel overly oily, and I appreciated the SPF of 30 it has. 

I've had this deluxe sample of the REN Active 7 Radiant Eye Maintenance Gel for a while, and I surprisingly really enjoyed using it, despite having a drier under eye during Winter. I feel like this gave me a nice amount of hydration, and would definitely be perfect for Summer time use as well. 

Now we have a couple body and lip products. You all know I love the Philosophy shower gels, and the Candy Cane scent is no exception. I still have quite a few in my stash, but they are pretty expensive. I will probably use up the ones I have left and start using less expensive products. 

I've always loved Aveeno products, but haven't used any in a while. I had a nice sample of their regular Daily Moisturizing Lotion, and remembered how much I used to adore this stuff. It's light, yet moisturizing, and is fragrance free.

Finally I have some lip balms used up! I don't like the Chapstick brand much, but I had gotten this in a gift bag from when my daughter was in the NICU, so I didn't want it to go to waste. The Korres lip butters are a product I'm not sure about. People rave about these, and some days I loved it, but others I felt like I needed more hydration. I have one or two more to use up, but I won't repurchase any. 

For some hair care minis, I have the Herbal Essences Hello Hydration shampoo and conditioner that I had gotten when my daughter was in the hospital getting surgery, and I finally got them used up in December. They were alright, nothing too special, but the scent was really nice.

My daughter has a couple empties as well, the Little Remedies Saline Spray, and the Johnson's Baby Lotion. The saline spray is something I use quite often as she gets congested a lot and I'm constantly using the Nose Frieda on her. I'm not the biggest fan of the Johnson's brand, but we have so much that was given to us, so I'm using up what we have before I buy something else for her. 

A few random things I used up are the Crest Pro-Health mouthwash, the Bath & Body Works hand soap in Sparkling Pink Champagne and candle in Salted Caramel, and the Starlooks eyeliner was completely dried out and unusable. I love the Crest mouthwash because it is alcohol free and doesn't burn my mouth, and the candle smelled AMAZING! I never got the use the eyeliner, and I'm using up all the B&BW handsoaps I have but will repurchase less expensive hand soaps.

These products are declutters. I was not a fan of the Sun Si'belle Tinted Sunscreen or the Oz Naturals Age Defying Solar Shield. The tinted sunscreen is too dark and the Oz Naturals was too greasy. I've also had them for a while, so the SPF is probably expired by now anyway. 

If there was ever a shampoo and conditioner I hated, it's the Organix Ever Straight Brazilian Keratin Therapy shampoo and conditioner. These were just awful! The shampoo never made my hair feel clean, and the conditioner made my hair more tangled. I used this duo maybe 3 different times and couldn't make it work. Just stay away from this stuff!

Number of products used up: 22
Total used up for the year: 92

For all of 2017, I used up a total of 92 products. Last year was a rough one with my daughter being born 10 weeks early in October 2016, then going through open heart surgery in March 2017. Not an excuse of course, but I just did not care about taking care of myself, and wanted to focus on getting and keeping her healthy and safe. I want 2018 to be different, and I really want to make more of an effort in using up what I have, especially makeup. I'm in the process of reorganizing my entire beauty stash (which can take a while with an almost 15 month old), so I hope I can get a better idea of just how much product I have. This year, I do want to focus a lot more on using up all the deluxe and foil packet samples I have. My goal for this year is to use up 150 products. 

Did you keep track of how many products you used up in 2017?

August 2016 Empties

*Post contains affiliate links*

Hey guys! It's time to share another month's empty products, and August wasn't that good. The past few months haven't really been that good with finishing up products, but I managed to use up a few things this time!

I had gotten the Dove Deep Moisture Nourishing Body Wash in an old Walmart box. I always have liked Dove deodorant, but wasn't a huge fan of their body washes. This one was no exception, sadly. I did like how thick and creamy it was, but it made my skin feel more dry. 

The Curel Itch Defense, on the other hand, was great! I had gotten this in an Influenster voxbox, and I really liked how soft this made my skin feel. I have been having much itchier skin lately, and this worked like a charm. 

I've always been a fan of anything Aveeno, so their Daily Moisturizing Lotion Sheer Hydration was nothing super new to me. I've been trying to go through a bunch of deluxe samples lately, so it feels good to have these three finished!

I finally finished up the last of the Citron Cedarwood candle from Bath & Body Works. My husband was a fan of this scent, but it was a bit much for me. I did like using it when I was cleaning to help make our house smell fresher. 

This little baby size of the Tarte Smooth Operator Finishing Powder took me forever to go through! I used this to set my face and for baking underneath my eyes, and it just seemed like the never ending powder. If I purchased this in the full size, it would probably take me years and years of daily use to go through. I highly recommend this though! It makes my skin look and feel so soft and smooth. 

The MyChelle Love Your Lips lip balm in the scent Black Currant Pomegranate is another product that took ages to use up. It's just such a massive tube, so I started using it on my cuticles and rough spots I had just to use it up faster! It was nice though, especially under very drying lip products. 

The very last product used up is the Colgate Sparkling White Toothpaste. I used this at night, but my husband was the one using it the most. I thought this toothpaste was kinda weird. It was more of a gel formula, and it foamed up a ton so it made my mouth feel super dry. My husband likes the Colgate brand, so we bought a different kind of toothpaste for him. 

Number of products used up: 7
Total for the year: 103

I finally used up 100 products! I'm a bit disappointed in myself honestly. I've mentioned before that my goal was to use up 250 products this year, but I don't see myself doing that unless I go ham with how much I use of everything, and that's just a waste to me. I definitely see September being better, as I already have 3 products used up and it's only the 5th! This pregnancy has seriously made me feel so exhausted all the time, even though I'm almost to the third trimester, so I've been slacking on doing my makeup and taking care of my skin most days. I need to get my butt into gear before baby Olivia makes her grand entrance, because I know I'll be slacking again once she's here!

What are some products you used up in August?

November 2014 Empties

Hey guys! November was a decent month with the products I was able to use up. I really enjoy the feeling I get when I use something up as it makes room for more products! ;) Anyways, lets see what I used up last month.

I'll start with the more random products. I used up the Bath & Body Works Citrus Garland Anti-Bacterial Deep Cleansing Hand Soap. This was in my kitchen and took forever to go through. I usually wash my hands in the bathroom and just use a soap til it's all used up. I really love how this smelled. It smelled just like limes and was so fresh. I love these hand soaps, especially the deep cleansing ones because they seem to wash my hands better. They're even husband approved!

The next product is the Colgate Maximum Strength Sensitive toothpaste. I feel like I went through this toothpaste so fast, but I guess that's because it's such a small tube. It only had 4 ounces of product and I think I'm used to larger tubes. I usually just buy what's on sale and if I have a coupon or not. I didn't really like this though. It burned my mouth and didn't taste very good. The one I'm currently using is really nice, but I doubt I'll use that up any time soon. 

Then I used up the InstaNatural Phytoceramides. I did a review on this here, and I honestly think it helped me. I noticed my skin was feeling less dry and more glowy. Now that I used it up, my skin is back to feeling more dry. I do have another bottle of this, but I wanted to not start taking it to see if my skin would go back to how it was before, and it did. I'm going to start the other bottle soon.

Now for some skincare! I finally was able to use up the Aveeno Ultra-Calming Foaming Cleanser. I swear, this stuff takes months and months to use up. I did only use it in the morning and it only takes 2-3 pumps of product to be effective at cleansing the skin. I've used this before and I do like it, but only in warmer months. Once it got cold, this dried out my skin so bad so I had to compensate by using a hydrating toner and moisturizer.

Next up is the Fresh Soy Face Cream. At first I didn't care for this, especially because of how it smelled. It's very floral smelling, and that can turn me off at times. It was very hydrating though and I only used it at night for that reason. I would wake up with pretty skin that felt nice and plump. 

I used up another one of my favorite sunscreens, the Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry-Touch Sunblock with SPF 55. I've raved about this in the past so I won't go on and on about it. This is definitely my favorite sunscreen of all time, but I am willing to try new things. Usually I end up going back to this product, though!

Then we have a hand cream from L'Occitane and it was lavender scented. I had this little tube for ages and finally used it up. I only used it at night because it smelled so soothing and calming, so it helped me to fall asleep a little better. It's not the most hydrating hand cream like their original one is, but I just loved the lavender scent.

The Dylan's Candy Bar Candy Lip Saver in the Chocolate Cupcake scent was interesting. I absolutely loved how this smelled, but after using it up, I didn't miss it. It didn't feel very hydrating and I found myself having to constantly reapply it. That's no good in my book.

I was going through my sample tubes I had and decided to start using the Coola Mineral Suncreen with SPF 20. I appreciate that this stuff is unscented, but boy did I look like a ghost with it on! It was so white on my skin and I couldn't seem to rub it in enough to make it less noticeable. I only got about a weeks worth of use, but I was glad to get rid of it.

Lastly, the makeup. I was doing my makeup for a Thanksgiving/house warming party my husband and I were going to and I wanted to do some winged eyeliner. I decided to use a gel because I felt like I could control it more. Well both of these MicaBeauty black eyeliners were dried up so bad, that I had to go over everything I did with liquid. I got these in Ipsy bags, but only used them a small handful of times. Maybe the lids weren't on tight enough, but I was upset with how dry they were. 

Once again, we have a ton of dried up mascaras. I think I'm gonna ban myself from buying any mascaras for a long time, because it's just a waste of money not being able to get any use out of what I have. Anyways, the dried up ones were the Cargo TexasLash Mascara. I wanted to use this so bad, but not a single speck of mascara would go onto my lashes. The Blinc Stop Painting Your Lashes...Tube Them! Mascara I think had zero product in the tube to begin with. Josie Maran Instant Natural Volume Argan Mascara was clump city the second I tried applying it. Dior Diorshow Extase was all dried up. Both bareMinerals Flawless Definition Volumizing Mascaras had no product on the wands at all. The only mascara I was able to get use out of was the Stila Forever Your Curl Curl Mascara. I used this 3 times when I decided it sucked. By the end of the day I ended up looking like a panda everytime I used this. 

Well that's everything I used up! what products did you use up recently?

March 2013 Empties!

Hi guys! I feel like I went through a ton of products this past March! I had to actually categorize the pictures I took so everything didn't look so jumbled. First I'll show my skincare empties, then haircare, and lastly a mish-mash of things!

The first skincare product I used up was the Clean Scene Craving for Clean Cleanser. I did a full review on this in the beginning of January, which you can read here if you like. Back then, I had been using it for maybe two or three weeks, so this bottle lasted me for about three and a half months, which isn't too bad. I was only using this at night, so that's probably why. I really liked this cleanser because it made my skin feel clean without feeling tight and dry afterwards.

Next, I used up another one of my amazing The Body Shop Aloe Calming Toner. I know I've talked about this a zillion times, so I won't go into just how amazing this stuff is. Pick up a bottle, I promise you'll like it!

Then I used up The Body Shop Aloe Protective Serum. I'm pretty sure I've talked about this in the past as well, but I mixed this in with my morning moisturizer to give my skin a bit of extra hydration. I'll probably always buy backups of this along with the Aloe Toner, unless something more awesome comes along. Those two products are pretty much Holy Grail products to me.

Lastly for skincare, I used up The Body Shop Tea Tree Skin Clearing Lotion. Pretty sure I've mentioned this before, but this is a great moisturizer that helps prevent breakouts. I mixed the Aloe Serum in with this because it is very drying in the Winter, but in the Summer, it's fine by itself. I know I always have a ton of Body Shop products and you're probably getting tired of seeing them, but I do have a ton of products to go through partly because I used to work there, so I'd always buy alot because of the discount, and I just love the products! I always stock up when there's a sale, so I do apologize if you're getting tired of hearing me talk about The Body Shop!

Next up is haircare! I have finally used up the Garnier Fructis Length & Strength Fortifying Conditioner. I can't even tell you how long I've had this, but it's definitely longer than when I moved out of my parents house, which was last July! I really loved this conditioner. It made my hair feel soft, and made it less tangle-y. I don't really think it helped with my hair being stronger as I let it grow out. I still have tons of split ends and my hair still breaks very easily. I'm not sure if it's genetics or what because I don't blow dry my hair at all and I very rarely use a flat iron on it. I might just need a good old fashioned haircut!

Next I used up The Body Shop Rainforest Moisture Shampoo and Conditioner for dry hair. These were honestly nothing special. The shampoo gave me bad dandruff and the conditioner is probably the least moisturizing conditioner I've ever tried. It did absolutely nothing for my hair whatsoever. Trying to get a comb through my hair after using this was terrible, it would always snag, and I'd have to use extra leave-in conditioner to help get the tangles out. Not fun.

Lastly I used up the Suave Professionals Dry Shampoo Spray. I did a full review here, so I won't go into great detail about it. This dry shampoo wasn't bad at all, but it wasn't amazing either. In my review I did say that it took away the oily look I had but didn't take away the oily feel, which is why I'm still looking for a dry shampoo that does both. Shortly after posting my review of this dry shampoo, I was contacted to try out another brand's dry shampoo, so I'm super excited to try it and do a review on it. Stay tuned for it! I'll probably post it in the next few weeks!

Finally the miscellaneous products. I used up The Body Shop Shea Shower Cream, and I can't say enough good things about this! It's so creamy and hydrating, but still foams up nicely when you use a loofah or washcloth. The smell is very nice and light as well, not overpowering at all. The Body Shop's Shower Creams are pretty pricey so in the future, this will be a splurge purchase for me!

Next I used up two hand creams. The first one is Aveeno Intense Relief Hand Cream. I had this in my purse for ages, and finally it's gone. This isn't so special in my opinion. It took away the dryness I had, but not for very long. The bottle even says it lasts through hand washings, but for me, it didn't at all. My skin was dry and flaky again afterwards. The second hand cream is a different story. It's The Body Shop Hemp Hand Protector. This is the small tube they have, there is a larger one. I honestly can't remember if I've ever talked about this before, but this is probably the most amazing hand cream I've ever tried! For some reason I don't even think I put this in a monthly favorites post. Shame on me, I'll have to do a review on this, because it truly is amazing. This lasts through hand washings, and it's amazing if you have to wash your hands alot at work. I have alot of hand creams for backups, so I won't repurchase for a while, but once my very last one is used up, this is what I'm repurchasing!

The last two things I used up are lip balms. The first one is Auquafina Flavor Splash lip balm in the raspberry flavor. This wasn't that great. It didn't moisturize my lips enough, and I went through this tube in like two weeks. The second lip balm is the e.l.f. Therapeutic Conditioning Balm in the strawberry creme scent. The product is definitely not as good as the name makes it out to be. It was like the Aquafina lip balm in my opinion. This smelled amazing though, and that's the only thing I really only liked about it.

So that's everything I used up! I really think I used up a ton of stuff and I'm sorry if this post was long! If you made it to the end, I love you :)

What all did you use up recently?

December 2012 Empties!

Okay, so I think I went through a ton of stuff this past month. It seemed like I went through everything within like a week and a half after the month started and at the end of the month, like maybe two or three things. Oh well, there's more room for other things! ;)

I finally went through The Body Shop Banana Conditioner. I swear, I go through so much shampoo but it takes forever to use up conditioner. I don't think I use a ton of shampoo at one time, but I might try and see how much I actually use. Anyways, I did a full review of the shampoo and conditioner here. I liked the conditioner alot and the smell actually stayed in my hair, but it's not obnoxious. 

I also used up one of my beloved The Body Shop Aloe Protective Serums. I love this stuff so much and I had a request to review the products from the aloe line that I've tried, so a review will definitely be coming up in the next couple weeks! 

The packaging of the E.L.F. Tone Correcting Concealer sucks so bad. The actual product sucks too but I couldn't get anymore product out of this tube no matter how hard I tried. I had another one of these in an empties post and this was my last one. This stuff only costs $1, but it really does not do a good job at all of concealing anything. There are so many amazing E.L.F. products that I love, this was just a total bust for me and I will never repurchase this. Ever!

I finally used up the Origins Well Off eye makeup remover and I liked this alot. It didn't leave any oily residue and took off my eye makeup really well. It also didn't sting my eyes like other eye makeup removers do. I put this in my September favorites here if you wanted to see what else I loved that month.

Next I used up a hand cream that I had been using for a long time and it finally ran out and it's the Olay Quench Therapy Hand Cream. I really, really liked this. I love the body cream they have in the Quench line as well. This hand cream did an amazing job at moisturizing and this might sound weird, but my hands looked "pretty" after I put it on. It was just an amazing product. I don't think they have this product anymore because I can't even find it on the Olay site. Bummer :(

It seems like I used up a bunch of skincare too. I finally used up the Aveeno Ultra-Calming Foaming Cleanser. I've talked about this before and it's just a very nice cleanser that doesn't irritate my skin at all .

I also used up the rest of The Body Shop Vitamin C Eye Reviver. I'm so sad this is empty because this was the best eye cream ever and I can't find if I have a backup of it. The Body Shop stopped carrying this and has something different now, which I'm sure I've mentioned before. There have been some things that I didn't care when it got discontinued but this makes me really, really sad. 

I used up another product from The Body Shop and it's the Tea Tree Skin Clearing Lotion. I have so many backups of this because this has been a go-to moisturizer for in the morning for ages now. I don't even know how many different tubes I've gone through. It's good at leaving skin matte and the tea tree helps prevent and clear up breakouts.

Then I used up the Paula's Choice Skin Balancing Carbon Mask, which I did a review on here and it's on the list of my favorite face masks here. I love this mask alot! It really helped to smooth out my skin and really clear out my pores. I have insanely large pores (gross, I know) and this mask was pretty much the only thing that helped them look smaller. I'll repurchase when I use up my other masks.

These are the last few things I used up! The big bottle of Alba Botanica Very Emollient Body Lotion took me well over a year to go through, but I didn't use it every single day though. I'm glad I can use up some of my body butters now that it's super cold out and my skin's really dry. I liked this lotion alot, but it definitely is thick. I always think lotions are thinner and meant more for Spring and Summer use. This stuff was really good though. It's gentle and doesn't have any smell so it didn't irritate anything.

I wasn't sure if you guys wanted to see what kind of eye drops I use, but I used up my Similasan eye drops for allergy relief. These are the only eye drops I use because everything else I've tried has felt like I was pouring acid onto my eyeballs. Not a good feeling.

I also used up the Berkley & Jensen Hair, Skin & Nails supplement. I'm trying to be better at taking vitamins and I want to keep mainly my hair and skin looking nice. 

The final thing I used up is The Body Shop Lip Butter in the scent Guarana. I've talked about this before and it's your basic lip butter that moisturizes your lips very well. The only thing is it leaves a white cast if you use too much or don't massage it on your lips enough.

That's everything I used up! I'm pretty happy with all those products but I don't know how much I'll go through when January is over so we'll see!

What did you guys use up in December?

TAG! How Much Does Your Face Cost?

I've seen this tag going around and basically what it is, is you total up everything you use on your face in the morning. I'll be going over my typical makeup routine and my current skincare routine. I'll have to look up prices of these because I can never remember what I pay for things. This seems really fun, so here is my how much does your face cost tag! :)

Starting off with skincare:

-Aveeno Ultra-Calming Foaming Cleanser- $6.47
-The Body Shop Aloe Calming toner- $12
-The Body Shop Aloe Protective Serum- $21
-The Body Shop Tea Tree Skin Clearing Lotion- $13
-The Body Shop Vitamin C Eye Reviver- $22 (they no longer have this exact product, so I priced it by the replacement they have now)
-Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry Touch Sunblock SPF 55- $7 (couldn't find the price for the SPF 55, so this price is based on SPF 45

TOTAL: $81.47

Now onto the makeup. I couldn't fit everything in one picture so I'll total each picture then do a final total:

-Sephora Anti Shine Primer- $17 (Sephora no longer has this product, however they do have another anti shine primer that's in a different package and it's the same size as this one, which I used the price of)
-Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion- $20 (old packaging, pricing from the new squeeze tube)
-The Body Shop Black Velvet Apricot Lip Balm- $6 (I honestly don't remember if this was $6. It was a holiday flavor from like two years ago but the rest of their lip balms are $6)

TOTAL: $43

Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette- $50
Philosophy Melting Marshmallow Lip Shine- $10
bareMinerals Flawless Definition Mascara- $18
Maybelline Color Tattoo Eyeshadow in Bad to the Bronze- $5.84 
NYX Eyeshadow in Aloha- $4.99

TOTAL: $88.83

bareMinerals Matte Foundation in the color Fair- $27
The body Shop Blush in the color 04- $16 (they must've repackaged these blushes because different ones are on the website)
The Body Shop Lightening Touch in shade 01- $14.50
e.l.f. Tone Correcting Concealer in the color Ivory- $1

TOTAL: $58.50


GRAND TOTAL: $271.80!

Good grief! I never thought about how much all this stuff actually costs! But there you have it folks. That's pretty much everything I use on a day to day basis. There are days like today, when I'm not wearing makeup and then there are days where I add a few more things to my routine, but this is really it on a typical day for me!

My Morning Skincare Routine

Hi Everyone! The weather has been really beautiful lately which is why I haven't posted in a while but today I wanted to share with you guys my current morning skincare routine. As of right now, my skin hasn't been too finicky with what I've been using so I'm very happy with this routine! So, lets get started.

Now the first thing I do in the morning after I wake up is my skincare routine. For some reason, I just can't stand not washing my face right after I wake up. It feels so good washing off all the oil and grease that's built up overnight and the cleanser I've been using as my morning cleanser for I wanna say about a year now, is the Aveeno Ultra-Calming Foaming Cleanser. I've read that this cleanser is mainly for dry skin, which baffles me because in my opinion, it would make dry skin even drier. I just love how gentle it feels on my skin and it doesn't strip my skin either. It just makes it feel clean and soft.

Next, I use The Body Shop Tea Tree Skin Clearing Toner. I know I've mentioned this in a blog post before but I wanna say again how wonderful this stuff is! It leaves my skin feeling soft and matte, which really helps control the oil on my face. I will have to retire this toner in a few weeks because of Fall approaching and I'll have to use something a bit more moisturizing as this usually makes my skin too dry during the colder months. I can't wait to bring it back into my routine when Spring arrives again though!

After toner, I use the Garnier Nutritioniste Moisture Rescue Refreshing Gel-Cream. Okay, now I know I've said before that this isn't the best moisturizer and I'm gonna say it again. It's not that good in my opinion. I don't care for all the fragrance it has either. It smells too much like perfume to me. It's almost gone which I'm happy about because then I can use something I know I'll like better. I know you're probably wondering, "why use it if you don't like it?" The answer is because I hate feeling like I'm wasting product if it's just gonna sit there but it's not absolutely terrible either. It hasn't broken me out at all and it keeps my skin somewhat moisturized. Unfortunately, I do have another one of these in my closet to use up, but I won't use it again until it gets warmer outside.

Once my moisturizer has settled into my skin a bit, I put on my favorite eye cream of all time, which is The Body Shop Vitamin C Eye Reviver. If you've read my All About Eye Creams blog post, you know I raved about this stuff there. It truly is the best eye cream I've ever used and I'm very sad they decided to discontinue making it. They made another version of it but to me it just doesn't compare. Check out my eye cream post to learn a little more about it. 

Now this is the most important part of my skincare routine. I use the Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry Touch Sunblock in SPF 55. I've said before how pale I am which is why I use such high SPF and I know I've raved about this sunblock in plenty of my posts. It feels very light on my skin, has a light, fresh scent and doesn't make me greasy! Which by the way, is a total miracle for me. I absolutely love this sunblock and the only way I'll use a different one is if I totally run out of this and can't go out to buy a new one. 

There you have it. That is my current morning skincare routine. It will be changing as the seasons change because my skin is fussy like that, so I'll definitely do updated routines later on. Have an awesome day and I will talk to everyone later! :)

How to Treat Your Body Skin: Body Lotions and Creams

Hey Everyone! Today I'm going to be talking about different body lotions and creams. I'm such a sucker for all kinds of different lotions. Anything that smells really good and keeps my skin moisturized is a keeper in my book. 

Now when you think about your body skin compared to your facial skin, they can be vastly different. Like with me, my facial skin is typically super oily and my body skin is usually pretty dry. It really depends on the season. Right now my body skin is getting a little bit drier than it was during the summer because the weather is finally changing some. I'm still using the moisturizers I was using in the summer because I want to use them up before switching to something richer. I'm not particularly fond of one lotion I'm using at the moment, only because it doesn't do much for my skin, it just smells really good and that's the Body Shop Milk & Honey Body Lotion. As far as I know, they don't even make this anymore but there are a ton of other body lotions they have that are amazing. I use the Milk & Honey lotion on my legs as they're not the driest part of my body at the moment, and it's an okay moisturizer, but like I said, not amazing.

The second lotion I'm using at the moment is Alba Botanica Very Emollient Body Lotion. I use this on my arms because they're always super dry, and this stuff works wonders. I have those nasty red bumps on my upper arms and this helps smooth them out and doesn't irritate my skin at all. I have about a third of the bottle left and I'll be kinda sad when this runs out because I really like it. I have to use up everything else I have though before I can buy another one of these babies!

Now for drugstore body lotions and creams, there are a ton that I like. I use a ton of creams and especially body butters in the winter because my skin can't get any drier. I mostly use the body butters from The Body Shop, but those aren't drugstore so I won't talk about them much (although the shea butter, coconut and cocoa butter ones are my favorites! :)). Okay, so one of my favorite body lotions is Olay Quench Daily Lotion. Omg, this stuff is freakin' fantastic! Every time I put it on after my shower, I practically drown myself with this stuff, it's that amazing. I shower at night, so when I wake up in the morning, my skin is so soft and hydrated, and it stays hydrated all day. I also love Aveeno body lotions and my favorite one is the Daily Moisturizing Lotion. A very simple, but very effective product. The skin on my body is rarely sensitive, but sometimes in the dead of winter, it can be and this lotion is amazing at hydrating and calming my skin. 

There are so many options for body creams and lotions. Seriously, go into a Walmart or Target or any drugstore and look at the different options. It can be pretty overwhelming, especially being a product junkie like I am! But hey, I love all my lotions and potions and makeup, and wouldn't trade it at all :)

Take care everyone!

How To Take Care of and Treat: Oily skin

Since my last post was about the different skin types, I figured I'll write about how to take care and treat your skin type. Today, I'm starting with oily skin because that's my skin type and it's the type I know most about. So, lets get into it! 

Now, I'm going with personal experience here and let everyone know what I use and also recommend what I like, but I'll give some other options and recommendations as well. So, once you've decided your skin is oily, the first step is to find a good cleanser that's preferably gel-based or foaming (I love both honestly). I actually use two cleansers because I also have sensitive skin on top of the oiliness. One in the morning and the other at night. In the morning I use Aveeno Ultra-Calming Foaming Cleanser, one because it's gentle enough for my sensitivity, and two because it's foamy enough to clean my skin but not strip it and dry it out. This has been my regular morning cleanser for about a year or so now. At night, I recently started using Juice Beauty Blemish Clearing Cleanser. I use this to help keep my breakouts at bay and it also does a good job at taking off any makeup I wore that day (along with using my Clarisonic, but a review of that will be in another post! :)). Another good cleanser that is actually very popular is Cetaphil Daily Facial Cleanser for Normal to Oily Skin. Now, I haven't used this cleanser in years, and by years I mean since I was around 13, so that's a good 10 years but I remember it being kinda like a creamy gel consistency but not too creamy and it left my face feeling clean and soft. If drugstore brands aren't what you're after a good cleanser that can be found at Sephora is Boscia Purifying Cleansing Gel. I can't say enough about this cleanser! This is the cleanser I used as my last night cleanser and it is uh-may-zing! Pairing it with my Clarisonic made it a zillion times better. My skin was always soft, smooth and clear and took every little bit of makeup off my face. It's just a wonderful product.

This next part isn't an absolute must in your skincare routine, but I use it every single day, and that is a toner. Now, like I said, you don't have to use a toner but because my skin gets so greasy, especially now with how hot and humid it's been, I'm gonna talk a little about them. Again, I use two different toners for morning and night. In the morning I use The Body Shop Tea Tree Skin Clearing Toner. This stuff is fantastic. It mattifies my skin and makes it feel really soft. The toner I use at night is another The Body Shop toner. It's the Aloe Calming toner. Again, this stuff is amazing too. There are only six ingredients in it, so it's perfect for sensitive, fussy skin. It's also good for in the morning if you're feeling lazy, you can just splash your face with lukewarm water, dry, then swipe that toner all over. You can even put it in the refrigerator if you got sunburned or just want to cool off. Another good higher end toner is BLISS Daily Detoxifying Facial Toner. I'll be honest and say I haven't tried a drugstore toner but I hear there are good ones from Neutrogena and Olay.

Onto Moisturizers. A lot of people who have oily skin think they don't need a moisturizer, but we really do! We just need one that's not a heavy, thick cream. We need more gel or light lotion based moisturizers that help balance oil production. For in the morning, I just started using Garnier Nutritioniste Moisture Rescue Refreshing Gel-Cream. This is actually pretty nice, it keeps my skin moisturized and hydrated without making me oily. The only downside for me is that its smell is a tad too strong for my liking. I try to stay away from very fragrant products because of sensitivity, but some people may like it. (EDIT: another downside is the packaging. It's way too bulky and I've already dropped it twice.) At night, I combine a serum and lotion together. I use The Body Shop Aloe Protective Serum and The Body Shop Tea Tree Oil Blemish Fade Night Lotion. (Can you tell I like The Body Shop Now?) Anyways, I just squirt half a pump each into my hands, rub them together and onto my face. I will say though, it can make my skin a little greasier than I like, but it doesn't bother me too much since I'm using it before I go to sleep. When I wake up in the morning though, my skin looks and feels so soft and clear so the extra grease doesn't bother me. A good higher end moisturizer is Philosophy On a Clear Day Oil-Free Moisturizer. This is really nice and keeps your skin looking soft and matte. A nice drugstore one is Clean & Clear Oil-Free Dual Action Moisturizer. This is just a nice, simple everyday moisturizer for oily skin. 

Now I'm going to talk a little about sunscreen. Everyone knows about it, everyone knows they should use it, but not many people do, especially on a regular basis. This to me is probably the most important step in your routine. If you do nothing else but wash your face and put on sunscreen, I'd be a happy girl. Every morning I use Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry-Touch Sunblock SPF 55. I know, I know. The SPF is super high, but I'm paler than Casper the ghost so I need it, trust me. I say try and go for at least SPF 30 but if that's still high, 15 is as low as I'll suggest. This is probably the best sunblock I have ever used in my whole life. It does tend to make your skin look really white at first but if you blend it well, it goes away. But this stuff doesn't make my skin greasy, it doesn't clog my pores and it makes my skin feel softer. I use this every morning on my face, neck and chest area. I will put it on everywhere if I'm spending the day outside, though. I'm not even going to recommend another sunblock for oily skin because this truly is by far the best one I've used.

 If you're still reading at this point, you're awesome! I know this blog is very long but hey, I'm trying to give you all the best advice I can. I'm definitely gonna go into exfoliators, treatment masks and so on for different skin types, but those will be in separate posts after this little series. The next blog will be on how to take care of and treat dry skin. Anyways, thank you to everyone who takes time out of their day to check out my blog. Please leave any comments or questions and I'll respond as soon as I can.