June 2016 Empties

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Hey guys! I usually start off the month with my favorite products of the month prior, but in all honesty, I did absolutely nothing with makeup and hardly took care of my skin. If you've already read this post, then you know that pregnancy has been taking a toll on me. I've been exhausted and sick all the time, and just couldn't be bothered with anything beauty related. As of today, I'm just over 15 weeks along and feel (almost) like a new person! I'm still tired, but I don't feel like I could sleep all day anymore. I somehow did manage to use up a few products, so I wanted to share them with you!

I'll start off with the skincare and one lone makeup product. The When Snow Magic sheet mask was surprisingly pretty good! You all know I don't really care for sheet masks much, but this one surprised me. I actually noticed results right after, and when I woke up in the morning, my skin was so much brighter and softer. 

The Christie Brinkley Close Up Instant Wrinkle Reducer and Treatment was shit. Sorry for the language, but this was such an awful product, I have no idea why it was even made. I used it in the past as a smoother for the fine lines around my eyes and also around my smile lines. I followed directions to a T and I always ended up with flaky, white stuff on my skin. Forget putting makeup on top of this too, it makes you look like your skin is falling off. This was kindly sent to me for review, but it's time to throw it away because I will never use it. 

Next up is the DDF Amplifying Elixir. I used this as a serum underneath my moisturizer in the daytime, and I adored how soft this made my skin feel. It's incredibly liquid-y so a few times, I did squeeze out too much. This deluxe sample lasted me quite a while too. I'm not sure if I would repurchase, but it was nice while it lasted. 

The one time in June I wore makeup, I tried out the Tarte Lights, Camera, Lashes mascara. It was quite dried up, so in the garbage it goes. 

Lastly for skincare, I used up two sample packets of the Josie Maran 100% Pure Argan Oil. Now I can't use this directly on my skin, otherwise I breakout in tiny red bumps. What I did with these was put them into a clay mask that had dried up a bit to give it some more life, and it worked like a charm! I'm not sure what it is with this particular argan oil that I have such a strange reaction if put directly onto my skin, but mixed into a mask or a drop in my foundation is fine. 

Next up is some random body and hair products. I love Bath & Body Works handsoaps, but they're so darn expensive, even with a sale. Pumpkin Cupcake lived in my bathroom, and the Fresh Lavender stayed on my kitchen sink. Both were lovely and if I can find cheaper handsoaps in yummy scents elsewhere, then I'm abandoning B&BW unfortunately. 

I had gotten a nice PR package from Derma E and it included a deluxe size of their Scalp Relief Conditioner. This was nice, it felt cooling in my hair, but didn't do an amazing job at conditioning. I usually had to use extra leave-in conditioner after using this. 

I also have a deluxe size of the Softsoap Juicy Pomegranate & Mango Infusions Moisturizing Body Wash. The scent of this was pure heaven, and I was so sad when I was finished using it. There is a tiny bit left, but I couldn't get that out no matter how hard I tried. I may have to look for this brand next time I need body wash. 

Last up is some boring stuff, vitamins. Once I found out I was pregnant, I definitely tried my hardest to be good about taking my vitamins. Most times they made me sick, but I still tried my best! I managed to use up the Nature Made Fish Oil as well the Prenatal Multi. I would most definitely repurchase the Fish Oil, but not the Prenatal. I have a condition that I found out about and can't take vitamins containing Folic Acid. I need Folate, the real stuff. Folic Acid is synthetic, and with my condition, my body doesn't process Folic Acid like other people can. Ideally what I need to take is Methylfolate, but it's so hard finding an inexpensive vitamin that contains it. I'm still on the hunt!

Number of products used up: 12
Total for the year: 87

I didn't do too good last month. I mentioned before that my goal was to use up 250 products, and now that it's half way through the year, I don't think I see myself hitting that goal. Unless I use up a bunch of samples and deluxe sized products, it's gonna be tough. I'm still trying my best of course, and I'm making it my mission in July to start taking better care of my skin and wearing makeup more often. 

What did you use up last month?

Review: Christie Brinkley Authentic Skincare Closeup Instant Wrinkle Reducer

*Disclosure* I was given this product to review thanks to iFabbo. All opinions are 100% honest and my own, like always!

Hey everyone! I was given the chance to try out this Christie Brinkley Instant Wrinkle Reducer, and it's got some pretty bold claims. Lets see if this worked for me!

Here is some information, taken from the Christie Brinkley skincare site:


Description:
Get camera ready in a flash! An instant treatment that tightens the look of skin while firming and smoothing the appearance of crow's feet, fine lines, and wrinkles. Use around eyes, mouth and on forehead to erase years from your appearance. Eliminates the appearance of wrinkles by visibly restoring skin to its natural, smooth state instantly! Just a touch to eye, frown and smile lines, and the formula helps eliminate the appearance of wrinkles, so you look years younger in minutes and it will last for hours! 

Benefits:

• Immediate sensation of tighter and smoother-looking skin.
• Potent formula maximizes anti-wrinkle effects.
• Smooth under-eye bags and puffiness.
• Tightens skin on contact and takes years off appearance.
• Lasts for hours and can be reapplied throughout the day.
• Will wash off easily with water and no make-up remover required.
• Breakthrough discovery that tightens skin on contact to take years off appearance.

So you get 0.33 fluid ounces of product in a squeeze tube for a whopping $79.95. Yes, this little bitty tube is full size and almost a hundred bucks. It feels like a very light lotion that's almost gel-like. I was a little unsure of how to use this at first honestly, but I read about it a bit before I tried it, and it said it worked well under makeup as long as you let it sit for a few minutes. I always tend to do my eye makeup first, then my face, so I put this on as a primer, over my moisturizer, and let it sit for a good 10 minutes while I did my eyes. 

And honestly, I hate this stuff. It made it pretty much impossible to blend anything on my face, and I ended up having to use 3 different concealers to make my skin look somewhat normal. I don't really have wrinkles around my eyes, but I do have what I call a fold of skin underneath each eye (it probably is a wrinkle, but I'm trying to make myself feel better here). I also have one wrinkle across the top of my forehead that's not too noticeable unless you really look for it. It did absolutely nothing for those either. This didn't tighten my skin or smooth anything out. I truly have no idea why this product is so expensive, let alone exist. It does NOTHING! I hate bashing a product I was sent to review, but this is so not worth the $80 price tag. Save your money, and buy a good serum or moisturizer that's got more beneficial ingredients and will do more for your skin in the long run.

If for some reason you want to learn more about this product, you can do so here. 

Does this seem like something you would try? 
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