September 2014 Empties

Hi guys! It's time for some empties and this will probably be a long one because I used up a decent amount of products. Here we go!

First up is a can of Batiste Dry Shampoo, and this is the one with a hint of color for light and blonde hair. I didn't mind the color of this, which was a light yellow. It rubbed into my hair fine and left no strange color. I love my Batiste and will always repurchase, but probably not this one.

The next product I used up is the Garnier Fructis Hydra Recharge Fortifying Shampoo. I didn't use up this whole bottle myself, I had the help of my husband. He's not picky with shampoo, but I did like this. It definitely made my hair feel really clean and it smelled really nice too. I always like shampoos and conditioners from this brand so I'll always repurchase at some time or other.

Next up is a conditioner I've been tying to finish for probably a year or so, and it's the Pantene Sheer Volume Complete Therapy Conditioner. I don't know why this took so long to finish, but I didn't need alot at all to make my hair feel hydrated. This definitely made my hair feel so nice and less tangled. Worth it for how long it lasted, but I was so over it when it was gone!

I also used up the Organix Nourishing Coconut Milk Conditioner that also took me ages to use up. This conditioner is really good stuff. It's very thin and liquid-y though so at first I thought it wasn't going to work well. Boy was I wrong! This left my hair feeling so soft and made it smell so darn good! I would repurchase once I use up my stash. 

Oh look, mascaras! I gotta admit, alot of these were just dried up and I couldn't use them. The two Buxom Lash mascaras I've had for I don't even now how long, so they gotta go. The Benefit Badgal Lash I used once, but it seemed off to me. I used it before and liked it, but this tube just wasn't the same. Funny story about the Fresh Supernova mascara. The first time I went to use it, I got one eye done and loved how it turned out. Then the wand proceeded to fly out of my hand onto the carpet. Needless to say, it had hair and dust all over it so I had to toss it and find something else to use. I absolutely hated theBalm's What's Your Type? mascara in "The Body Builder". It did nothing for me at all. I was so in love with the Sephora Atomic Volume mascara and I got a good 3 weeks of use out of it before it started to dry out and not work as well. 

The next product Is actually one I'm throwing away because the color is hideous and it's the Elizabeth Arden Ceramide Ultra Lipstick in the color Brick. It's a horrible brick red color that makes me look so sick. This came in a gift with purchase so I'm not worried about throwing it out.

Then we have a Jouer lip gloss and the color is called Birchbox Pink. This obviously came in a Birchbox, but I haven't been subscribed to them in about 2 years, plus this smelled funny, so out it goes!

The bareMinerals Prime Time Eyelid Primer was pretty nice, but my shadows creased on me most days I used it. It wasn't terrible, but enough to be annoying. I did finish all of this and got a little over a month's worth of use out of this little sample. 

I'm just throwing away the J.Cat Beauty Sparkling Cream Palette. This glittery creamy mess is just not good and no one should ever use it. 

Onto some random bits. First up is a foaming hand soap from Bath & Body Works in the scent Coconut Cove. I absolutely loved this scent, obviously because it's coconut. I have about 20 different scents of these soaps because I always stock up during sales. 

Next up is my favorite contact solution, Renu Fresh. I know I've said before, but this is the only brand that doesn't burn my eyes when I put my contacts in, so I can't really buy anything else. This stuff isn't cheap either, so I'm learning to wear my glasses more just to conserve a bit.

I was sad using up this Crest Sensi-Relief Toothpaste, because it was so good! This has to be one of the best toothpastes that have helped my sensitive teeth and gums. This isn't cheap either and I did buy it at Walmart when I had a $1 off coupon to use. Normally I think it's a little over $4, which to me is high. I always feel like I shouldn't pay that much for something like toothpaste. I will repurchase eventually if I don't find something better, or cheaper.

I used up the Body Shop's Tea Tree Skin Clearing Toner, which I've been a fan of for years. I love this stuff in the Summer especially, because it's awesome for oily skin. It keeps my skin clear and fresh and I feel it helps with my breakouts. 

I used up my first EOS lip balm and I think the scent is either strawberry or raspberry. It never says on the packaging what scent it is, so I really am guessing. In my truly honest opinion, I think this stuff sucks. I didn't find it moisturizing at all. If anything my lips were drier making me use it constantly. I do have a few more of these lip balms in my stash, but I don't know if I want to just throw them out or not. 

Next up is another product from The Body Shop, the Elderflower Unperfumed Eye Gel. I loved this so much in the Summer because it felt so cooling and nice on hot days. It really has no scent either which for me is nice since I tend to have sensitive eyes. 

I was really sad when I used up this little sample of the Jouer Lip Enhancer Conditioning Lip Treatment. I think I got this in a Birchbox as well, but this seemed good to use. I absolutely loved what this did to my lips. It made them plump and feel so hydrated and lovely. I'm tempted to buy a full size of this honestly but I have plenty of lip balms/treatments to use up first.

The last product I used up is the Almay Oil-Free Makeup Remover Towelettes. I'm on the fence with these. I liked them but I didn't love them. They did seem to remove my makeup well, but they left a bit of a film on my skin and stung my eyes occasionally, which was odd. 

Phew! That was a doozy! If you made it til the end, tell me what you all used up last month! :)

Four or More TAG!

I came across this tag over at Kate Spitz' blog, and thought it was such a neat idea! If you have four or more of a product, that typically means you like it, right? I have four or more of so many different products, but I wanted to keep this a fairly short post. 

The first products that came to mind when I saw this tag were my beloved bareMinerals Eyeshadows. Now I only have four pictured here, but I literally have almost 50 of these! That's including smaller containers that I've gotten from kits and everything. 

It was hard to pick which colors I wanted to show because I love pretty much all the ones I have. Even though I love me some neutrals, I wanted to show some of the colorful ones that I love as well! 

The first shade pictured is Coconut Palm, and it's such a pretty coppery shade that's amazing as a one shadow look!

Next up is Masquerade. It's so hard describing this because in person it's like three colors in one. It's like a blue-ish/teal duochrome with purple throughout. Such a beautiful color!

Then we have Vintage Ruby, which is probably one of my favorites in my whole bareMinerals stash! I like using this beautiful bronzey shade by itself on my lids, then blending it out in my crease. Love it!

Last color here is called Mystery. Like the name of this shadow, it's very hard to describe as well because of all the different colors in it. It definitely leans more purple, but there's some taupe in there along with some gold throughout. 

As messy as these shadows can be because they're loose shadows, I love them regardless and will probably never run out of what I have because there's a ton of product, even in the smaller containers.

The next products I have four or more of are the Maybelline Eye Studio Color Tattoos. I actually have a few more shades, but these are my favorite ones. 

First off, I did swatch these pretty heavily just they showed up in the pictures, but you can definitely wear them more sheer. Anyways, the first color that's my all-time favorite is Bad to the Bronze. My favorite way of wearing this is sheering it out over my lids, then using a lighter, matte brown shade buffed into the crease. I throw on some mascara and I'm good to go!

Next up is the Metal Color Tattoo in the shade Barely Branded. I actually have to be careful with this one because it can go on a bit patchy on my lids. I don't really like using this by itself, I typically use it as a base for other shadows when I want them to be a bit more shimmery.

Then we have a limited edition matte shade called Nude Pink. Depending on the light, I do see some pink, but I mostly see mauve tones on my lids. This Color Tattoo is amazing when using the matte shades in the Lorac Pro Palette! Everytime I want to use that palette, I bust out Nude Pink and have a nice matte eyeshadow look.

The last Color Tattoo is also a limited edition shade in Seashore Frosts. I don't even think this picture does this shade justice, because it's so darn beautiful in person! It's a blue/grey duochrome with a gold shift to it that is just stunning on the lids. I'll wear this by itself and then use a shade from the Urban Decay Naked Basics palette in my crease. If you can somehow get your hands on this still, get it! You won't be disappointed!

 Now we have the Buxom Full-On Lip Polishes/Creams. While I love these lip glosses because they have some awesome colors, they are a bit sticky, so beware if you want to try these! 

The first one I have is the Lip Cream in White Russian, which is described as a nude pink. Honestly, I only really got this because I heard a bunch of hype about it. I do like it alot more than I thought I would for some reason. I try not to buy things based on hype, but I'm happy I did and I get good use out of this. 

The next one I have is the Lip Polish in the color Amber, which is a soft, shimmering peach shade. I love this color mainly in the Spring and Summer but it can be worn all year layered over colors. 

The next one I have was from a kit I had bought quite a while ago, and I believe this is called a Full Color Gloss, only because it is more opaque than the other Buxom glosses. The shade name is called Ruby, and it's definitely a burgundy color that looks so beautiful, especially in the Fall!

The last one I have is a Lip Polish in the shade Candi. I can't find this shade on the Sephora site, so I'm not sure if they still make it, but it's a beautiful mauve-y pink shade. 

I should also say, these glosses have a pretty strong tingly sensation, so if you don't like that effect, then you probably won't like these. Even though I love the ones I have, I probably won't repurchase any more only because there are so many good glosses at way better prices. These Buxom glosses typically cost about $20.

The last products here that I have four or more of are my very well loved Philosophy Lip Shines. I've raved about these for ages and I have way more than this, but again, I picked my favorites. 

First up is Pomegranate Bubbly, which legit smells (and tastes) like fruity champagne. I love this color so much and while I mainly use it in the Fall, I bust it out once in a while in warmer months.

Next up is the one I wore on my wedding day, which is Raspberry Sorbet. This smells amazing and makes me wish I had a bowl of actual sorbet right now!

Then we have the Candy Hearts Lip Shine, which if I remember correctly, came in a kit from a while back. This is supposed to be pink bubbly scented, and I do agree with that. It does smell a bit like champagne.

The last one may seem like an odd color, but if you know me, you know I love the Ginger Bread Man scent in pretty much every Philosophy product out there! Trust me though, it doesn't show up that color on the lips. If you put a tinted balm on and this over top, it just gives a very glossy look to the lips.

So that's my post on the Four or More Tag! I'm not going to tag anyone specifically, but I would definitely love to see what you guys have four or more of!

January 2014 Favorites!

Hey everyone! This is the first favorites of the year, and I'm really excited to share what I've been loving! I've been able to try out some new products that I've been really happy with and have also rediscovered an old favorite, so lets get into it!

First, I'll start with hair products. I've been absolutely loving the Organix Nourishing Coconut Milk Shampoo and Conditioner. These make my hair feel so soft and clean and I love how they smell! I purchased these huge bottles a long time ago at BJ's Wholesale, it's like a Costco or Sam's Club, before my husband and I moved in together. Finally glad I decided to use these!

Then we have a Batiste Dry Shampoo in the scent Floral & Flirty Blush. I'm surprised I like this scent as much as I do. If you read my blog, you know how much I love Batiste. I was unsure of this scent, only because I'm not the biggest fan of flowery smells. This one, however, isn't bad or overbearing at all! After I've rubbed this all in my hair, it leaves such a faint smell. I catch whiffs of it throughout the day and it doesn't give me a headache or anything. 

Oh Naked3, how I love thee! I can't get enough of this palette! I did a separate review here so I won't go into detail here about how wonderful this palette is. I just love it!

While putting together my Urban Decay palette collection post, I forgot how great the original Naked Palette is. Even though Naked2 is more up my alley because it's cooler toned, I can still work with this and make the look wearable. I've actually gotten compliments while wearing shades from this palette lately, so it must be a good one!

Time for some lippies! I've been loving the Buxom Full Color Gloss in the color Ruby. I apologize for this, but I believe this came in a kit of different products from the holiday's maybe a year or two ago. I pulled this out again because I love the deep berry/burgundy color for the Winter season. This is a little sticky but I get decent wear time out of it. 

Next up, we have the Revlon Matte Balm in the color Standout. I did a review of this here so again, I won't go on and on about this amazing lip product. If you don't own any of these, seriously, go out and try just one! This is one of the best lip products I've tried! 

Finally for lips, we have the NYX Butter Gloss in the color Vanilla Cream Pie. I know I've hauled these before, but haven't really talked about them. They kinda got lost in my lip product bag and I finally got a chance to pull one of these out to try. I love this color! It's the perfect pinky nude for me and it feels very nice on the lips. It's not sticky to me at all, but the color doesn't last very long at all. I think that's ok because I'm fine with reapplying anyway. 

Swatch of buxom gloss (left) and NXY gloss (right)

 That's everything I've been loving in January! What were some of your favorites?

October 2013 Ipsy Bag

Hey everyone! Sorry my Ipsy bag post is going up a bit later than normal. I received my Ipsy bag in the mail this past Friday and was away for the weekend so I didn't bring anything with me to be able to blog! Better late than never, right? Anyways, lets see what I got this month!

The theme for this month is called The Art of Beauty. I love the look of this bag! It's so cute with the all white and red lettering. This quote is pretty nice as well. Onto the products!

I'll admit, I'm not terribly impressed with the products I received this month. First, I received the La Fresh Eco-Beauty Oil-Free Face Cleanser Wipes. I've gotten wipes from this brand before in a past Ipsy bag but I haven't used them honestly. They're just sitting in my shoebox that I keep all my samples in. I will use them and the ones I just got eventually, but just when all my other face wipes run out.

I then received the Nourish Organic Deeply Nourishing Coconut & Argan Body Lotion. I've never heard of this brand before but I do love coconut smells so this seems promising.

I could do without this Big Sexy Hair Blow Dry Gel. Fun fact about me, I never blow dry my hair. Hell, I don't even own a blow dryer! Seriously, I shower at night and just let my hair air dry and in the morning, I just throw it up in a ponytail. Although, I did just buy a curling wand, so that hairstyle may change. Anyways, I have zero use for this product :/

Next, I received a Zoya Nail Polish in the color Giovanna. I do like Zoya nail polishes, but I have to admit, I'm a little tired of getting nail polishes in these bags! Don't get me wrong, I like nail polish, but I'm not one of those girls who constantly changes up their nail color. I'm lucky if I paint my nails once a month. I feel like all the nail polish I have is just sitting here in my room getting hardly any love. I'll use this, I'm just not sure when.

The last product I received is the Buxom Full-On Lip Polish in the color Dolly. Another meh product honestly. I have a ton of these Buxom glosses and I don't really feel like looking through all my lip products right now, but I'm about 95% sure I already own this color. 

Now I'm not complaining by any means, but when I look at the other products I could've received this month, I would've loved to have gotten either one of the two Ole Henriksen products, the Coastal Scents Shadow Brush, the H2O Plus Hydrating Treatment or the Wet N' Wild Eyeshadow Palette. 

I love Ipsy, and usually I love the products I receive but like I said, I'm not overly excited with the products this time around. I'm still staying subscribed because I know when I haven't really liked a bag, they usually redeem themselves later on! If you want to subscribe to Ipsy, you can right here! For only $10 a month, it really is a sweet deal! Even though I don't like every single product this month, the $10 spent is really worth it :)

If you're already subscribed to Ipsy, what did you receive this month?

HAUL! Sephora & Walmart

Hey everyone! Today I'm throwing in a different post along with the blog challenge I'm taking part in. I haven't done a haul post in what feels like forever, so I'm going to be showing you my recent purchases from Sephora and Walmart!

The first thing I picked up from Sephora is the Buxom Big & Healthy Lip Cream in the color White Russian. This has been talked about from a few beauty gurus I watch on Youtube and I love the regular Buxom glosses but I can't remember if I've ever tried the creams before. Anyways, I have tried this already and it has that tingle that all the Buxom glosses have and it's not too sticky either, which is nice. It's a touch too light for my complexion so I tend to use something darker underneath this. I do love the color of it though, but I'm still experimenting to see what I like best. 

The next thing I bought is the Sephora Collection Outrageous Prisma Chrome Metallic Eyeshadow in the color Outrageous Metallic Beige. I've used this already as well and I love this color! This is perfect for if you don't really want to wear much makeup but still look put together. Just swipe this on the lid and add mascara and you're good! These shadows were marked down on the Sephora website from $16 to $7 and I was really surprised to see them in my Sephora inside JC Penny. Alot of times I don't see clearance stuff I see online, in store. Which is why I picked up another color!

 

This color is called Outrageous Metallic Taupe. I haven't tried this one yet, but the swatch I did is so beautiful. I'm not sure if I'll use this as just an all over lid color or a crease color since it's quite pigmented. I have a feeling I might like it better as an all over color, but we'll see.

 

The first swatch is of the lip gloss. My lips like to naturally change color on me and the day I used this, they were a bit darker than the color of the gloss so it washed me out a little. I took it off and used a Revlon lip butter in Sorbet first, then the gloss. It turned out beautiful! The middle swatch is of the beige eyeshadow. I know it's a bit bright, but this was the best picture I was able to get. I love this color so much that I think I'm putting it in my everyday makeup drawer set I have. The last swatch is of the taupe eyeshadow. To me, the swatch seems a little bit darker which is fine, but I wouldn't call this taupe. I do love this color though and can't wait to start playing around with it!

If you didn't read my review on the Batiste Dry Shampoo, I basically said it was my holy grail dry shampoo and it changed my life. Well, I got to thinking that there has to be something just as good, or close to it, in the drugstore. I bought this Dove Refresh+Care Invigorating Dry Shampoo at Walmart for just under $4, so I'm hoping it's good. If anyone has tried this, let me know if you like it. I honestly love Batiste, but I don't love the price tag, and with how quickly I go through the stuff, I'd like to find a less expensive alternative.

I was really excited to see the Rimmel Wake Me Up Concealer at Walmart! If the foundation ever comes to the states, which I think it might, I'll probably pass because it sounds like it's better for people with drier skin. As for the concealer, I hope this does what the name of it says! I have ridiculous dark circles under my eyes, so this better wake me up! I got this in the lightest color 125 Very Fair, and it seems like a good match for me. I may do a review on this once I give it a good try. Also, the price of this was great at just $4.47. Can't beat Walmart prices!

Well that's my little haul! It might not be anything fantastic, but like I said, I haven't done a haul post in a while, so I figured I'd show what I purchased recently :)