September 2015 Empties

Hey guys! This is my first real post in a while. I didn't get a chance to show you all the products I used up last month, so without further ado, here they are!

The first product I used up was a joint effort between myself and my husband. We both really enjoyed the Garnier Fructis Sleek & Shine Shampoo. It cleans my hair well and actually does make it shiny. Does it work for my husband's curly afro? Not at all with making it shiny, but he says it gets the job done. 

Next up is a Tom's Whole Care Toothpaste in the Spearmint flavor. I didn't care much for this honestly. I'm in love with their Sensitive toothpaste and it's always sold out when I need another one. I would only repurchase the Sensitive version.

Using up body scrubs can take a while for me. I honestly wasn't much of a fan of The Body Shop Coconut Body Scrub. I adore the scent, but it doesn't have enough scrubby action to it to make that much of a difference.

I used up a ton of skincare, which I'm really happy about! Of course it wouldn't be an empties without The Body Shop Aloe Calming Toner. I always go on and on about how much I love this stuff. Best toner of life. 

Next up we have the Purederm Choco Cacao Collagen Mask. This came in a Memebox ages ago, and I finally got around to using it. The only good thing about this is that it smells like chocolate. Otherwise, it did nothing for my skin. I just don't really like sheet masks, and I don't know why I keep trying to.

I had the Juice Beauty Green Apple SPF 15 Moisturizer sitting in my collection for ages. I did a sniff test (it smelled fine) and saw that there was no weird separation, so I used it up. I actually really liked this! It smells nice and blends in the skin nicely too without feeling greasy or leaving a white cast. 

I also used up a deluxe sample of the Dermalogica Oil Control Lotion. I had an oily skin kit from the brand in my stash and decided to finally try and use up the products. I used to be obsessed with this moisturizer about 7 or 8 years ago, but now it just doesn't work for my skin. It dried it out pretty bad. My skin must be alot less oily than when I was younger, which is nice!

Another Dermalogica product that came in the kit was the Dermal Clay Cleanser. Again, I used to love this cleanser as it also acted as a quick 3 minute mask to help soak up oils and get rid of blackheads. I also feel that this is just too much for my skin now. The only nice thing I liked about it, is that it feels so refreshing and cooling on a hot Summer day. 

I finally used up the InstaNatural Youth Express Eye Gel. I had done a review on this over a year ago here when I was sent the product to try. I really ended up liking this because it made my eye area feel tighter and brighter. I am glad that I was able to use this up, it sure took a while!

The Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant also came in the oily skin kit I mentioned above. This stuff is freakin' fantastic! Seriously, if I could afford the full size, I'd buy in bulk. This product is basically a powder exfoliant that you add water to, creating a paste. You gently rub it into your skin and when you rinse it off, prepare to feel the softest, smoothest skin you've ever felt. Seriously. This is most definitely gentle enough for daily use, even on my sensitive skin. I adore this product!

The last skincare product I was able to use up is the Radha Beauty Vitamin C Serum. I really enjoyed using this when I felt like my skin needed a glow booster. even though I have oily skin in the Summer, I am prone to some dry patches and dullness. This really helped to smooth out my skin and make it look pretty again.

Finally, we have a few makeup products! I used up my beloved Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Dark Circle Eraser Concealer in the Brightener shade. This is my all time favorite concealer for my under eyes, and also wherever I feel like I need some brightening. I do have a backup of this, but I don't want to crack it open just yet as I have quite a few concealers to go through first. 

I was so sad to use up this sample size Anastasia Beverly Hills Clear Brow Gel. I honestly don't do much to my brows, usually just some gel does it for me, and this stuff is magic. It literally is like hairspray for your brows. It keeps them in place all day and it doesn't flake or wear off. It's amazing. 

I technically didn't use up the bareMinerals Round the Clock Waterproof Eyeliner in the shade Midnight. I had gone to use it one day, and while I was sharpening it, the whole eyeliner color just fell right out onto the floor and shattered! I guess it had dried up too much. That's a shame too because I have Urban Decay 24/7 liners that I've had for YEARS, and they're still good and still perform amazing. Oh well, I don't go through liners often, so it's not a huge deal.

I'm so sorry it's taken so long to get this post up. If you read my last post, you know I had a bit of a health setback, and I'm trying to get posts done when I have the energy. Today is a good day so far, so I'm going to try and get a few posts pre-written so I can schedule them for you guys!

What products did you use up last month?

*Post contains affiliate links*

Fall Inspired Makeup feat. Colourpop La La

Hey everyone! As promised in my last post, which was a review of the Colourpop Shadow in La La, I'm bringing you a full makeup look inspired by the changing season. Fall is probably my favorite time of year. The weather is perfect, the leaves are pretty, and I always feel it's the time for a life change. Here is the look I did!

Face
-Make Up For Ever Step 1 Skin Equalizer Smoothing Primer
-Make Up For Ever Mat Velvet+ Foundation in shade #15
-Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Dark Circle Eraser
-Laura Mercier Translucent Loose Setting Powder
-Laura Mercier Secret Brightening Powder
-Essence Silky Touch Blush in shade 10 Adorable
-Pixi beauty Bronzer in shade Subtly Suntouched
-Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed in Champagne Pop

Lips
-Bite Beauty Luminous Creme Lipstick in shades in Fig and Date
-Juice Beauty Lip Gloss in shade Pink (It's not very pink, more mauve-y)

Eyes
-Lorac Behind The Scenes Eye Shadow Primer
-Urban Decay Naked Palette: Naked in crease, Toasted in outer Corner and smudged on lower lash line
-Colourpop Super Shock Shadow in shade La La all over lid
-Clinique Quickliner For Eyes Intense in shade Intense Black Honey, smudged on upper and lower lashline
-Lancome Definicils High Definition Mascara and Covergirl The Supersizer Mascara

Overall, I really, really love how this look turned out! I was considering going dark with the lip, but I decided to go neutral as I wanted the eyes to be sort of the focus. By the way, I'm LOVING the Mat Velvet+ foundation! Expect a review in the coming weeks.

Do you have a certain makeup look you like for Fall?

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?

January 2015 Empties

Hi everyone! It's time for me to share what I used up in the first month of the year. I have to say, I'm pretty impressed with everything I used up, and I'm going to be trying really hard to make a dent in my beauty collection for 2015. Lets see what I've used up!

The first product I used up is the Bath & Body Works Moisturizing Hand Soap in the Fresh Picked Strawberries scent. I'm more of a fan of their hand soaps with the little scrubby bits in them and this one didn't have those. I didn't really care for this hand soap because it smelled a bit perfume-y to me and my husband didn't really like it either. Glad to see it gone!

I then used up the ZenWise Labs Hair Growth Vitamins. I was sent his product from BrandBacker to try and I did a review of it here. I'm still sticking to my original thoughts on this, and that is it did help with growing my hair, but not with the thickness or new growth. My roots are showing like crazy now, so if you just want your hair to grow out faster, this product will help with that, but it won't help with making it thicker. 

I used up a Degree Expert Protection Deodorant in the scent Linen Dry. I got this at Big Lots and it was pretty cheap, probably around $1 or $2. I liked how it smelled and this is supposed to release scent when it detects motion, and I did notice as I moved around I could smell it, which didn't bother me at all. 

I used up quite a bit of skincare, so woohoo on that! The first product is the Peter Thomas Roth Aloe Tonic Mist. This toner is alcohol free and fragrance free, so it reminded me of my beloved Aloe Calming Toner from The Body Shop.This stuff is alot more expensive, but it worked the same at TBS toner, so I'll keep repurchasing that one for quite a while. 

I used up a little baby container of the Josie Maran Argan Oil. I used this over moisturizer if I needed extra hydration and I also started using one drop in my foundation/bb cream. I got that idea from Wayne Goss on YouTube and that changed my life honestly. I don't think I'll do that trick in the Summer, but in the Winter it's great. It helps my foundation go on better and it makes my skin look flawless. 

I also used up another baby container of the Juice Beauty Oil-Free Moisturizer. I remember I took this little tube with me on my honeymoon over a year ago and just wanted to finish it up since it still had about 4 days of use left. It smelled and looked fine though, so no worries about that!

I finally ran out of the little tube of the GlamGlow Thirstymud Hydrating Treatment mask. I did a review on this here, and I have to say, this is a Holy Grail product for me now! I can't not use it after I use a clay mask that's drying. I have a full size of this and will continue to repurchase despite it being so darn expensive. It makes my skin feel just amazingly soft and supple. 

I used up The Body Shop Aloe Protective Serum, and I mixed this into moisturizer in the morning to add some extra hydration to my skin. I still love this product as it calms my skin but gives me the little boost I need this Winter. 

I was happy to finally finish up the Philosophy Help Me Retinol Night Treatment. I will say, I think it did help my skin a little bit, but this stuff smells so strange! It's not like it was too old to use strange, but it just wasn't my cup of tea. It was a bit drying too so I had to follow up with an extra hydrating moisturizer. 

I used up my morning time moisturizer from The Body Shop, the Tea Tree Sin Clearing Lotion. I absolutely love this stuff for my oily, acne-prone skin, but in the Winter it's really drying, so I used the Aloe Serum above mixed in and that helped out alot. This gel type moisturizer is definitely a Summer time moisturizer.

Now for a bit of randomness. I was so excited to finally use up the Massive tub of The Body Shop Shea Body Butter. I had been using this since last Winter and probably around the second week of January it was gone. I don't really use body butters in the Summer as I'm not as dry. Once in a while I will, but I usually stick to light lotions then. These body butters are no joke though, they hydrate your skin like crazy and this one smells so clean and fresh. 

The Almay Oil-Free Eye Makeup Remover Pads were pretty awesome. I used one for each eye at night when I removed my eye makeup and I had no problems taking off mascara or dark eyeshadows. Occasionally these did sting my eyes a little bit, but it wasn't terrible and I always washed my face thoroughly after removing makeup. 

I got the Figs & Rouge Hand Cream in the scent Rose Berry in an Ipsy bag, and I loved how this stuff smelled. It had way more berry than rose which I'm fine with, but I have to be honest, this isn't hydrating at all for me. I think it actually made my hands drier. I still used this when I was at work just so I had something, but most days when I got home, I had to put on a thicker hand cream to help my hands feel better. 

The Urban Decay B6 Vitamin-Infused Complexion Prep Spray came in a 500 point perk from Sephora. I think this is the most gimmicky product. It doesn't do anything special for my skin and acts no different than other makeup sprays. I will never buy a full size of this.

I have two mascaras here, the Pop Beauty Smoky Lash Kapow!!!, and the Bobbi Brown Everything mascara. The Pop one was just dried out so I couldn't use it, but the Bobbi Brown one was fantastic! It made my lashes look amazing, but the only downside is it smudged on me. If it didn't smudge, it would be perfect in every way. 

The final product I used up is the Tarte Clean Slate Creaseless Eye Primer. This is a white liquid-y primer that was just okay for me. It didn't really make my shadows last any longer and I still got creasing by the end of the day. There is still nothing that compares to the original UD Primer Potion for me.

What did you use up in January?

Remember I have my Borghese giveaway going on until the beginning of March, so there's plenty of time to enter! Also, I have my blog sale as well :)

May 2013 Ipsy Bag

Hello everyone! It feels like ages since I've written something here. Life has been a little weird. I got sick for a few days, my work schedule is pretty crazy and on days off all I really want to do is rest and do nothing. I'm back today though with what I got in my Ipsy bag! I'm pretty happy with what I got so lets get into it!

All of the products came in a cute teal and orange bag. I love teal, but orange not so much. I have so many of these Ipsy bags just laying around because honestly, I don't have much use for them. I'm actually thinking of going through all the ones I have and getting rid of some since they're not being put to use. This month's bag was customized from our IpsyMatch quiz, which I think was a pretty cool concept.

Anyways, the first product I received is the St. Tropez Instant Glow Body Lotion. I'll be honest, I'm not a fan of bronzing lotions, or bronzing products in general. I'm not sure how Ipsy figured to put this in my bag, but I'm about 99% sure I won't use this. I embrace my paleness and don't feel the need to change it. 

The next product I received is a concealer from Yaby in the color Buff. This is nowhere near my shade. It's way too dark and looks orange in the pan. I might try it and see if I can work with it, but I'm not sure how it's gonna go. 

Next, I received the Mirabella Perfecting Powder, which is just a loose face powder. I'm actually pretty excited to try this because I usually love trying out different face powders, whether they're pressed or loose. Hopefully this one is nice.

Then I got a lip gloss by Juice Beauty in the color Pink. To me, this is not pink. It's more of a berry color, which is fine because I love berry colored glosses. This stuff smells so good too! It's like a mix of citrus and fruit loops, if that makes sense. I've tried this already and I love how it feels on the lips as well. It's not sticky at all. A+ on this product!

Finally, the last product I received is a beautiful Zoya nail polish in the color Julie, which is such a lovely light lavender color with shimmer in it. I'm so excited for this because I wanted either this color or the pink, so I'm happy! I haven't used this yet, but it's gonna be what I use next.

That's everything! I'm pretty pleased with what I received this month, except for the bronzing lotion. This bag was definitely worth the $10 this month, so I'm happy.

What did you get in your Ipsy bag?

March 2013 Ipsy Bag

Hey everyone! I know it's been quite a while since I've blogged and I'm so sorry for that. I've been sick and stressed and busy with work and just a whole bunch of stuff. I'm really hoping I can post a few more blogs this month, and today I'll be sharing what I got in this month's Ipsy bag!

The theme of the bag was called The Great Escape which I think was pretty cute considering were going into Spring and it's gonna be vacation time and whatnot. I think this bag is adorable with the anchor print but the bag feels very flimsy and cheap. The products on the other hand, I'm quite pleased with, which means I'm staying subscribed for a little while longer. Lets get into the products I got!

Finally, an Ipsy bag with skincare! I've been waiting for a bag with skincare for a while now, and I'm very happy with the first product, which is the Juice Beauty Hydrating Mist. I can't remember if I've ever tried this toner before, but when I was younger, I used a bunch of Juice Beauty products and was fairly impressed with them. I'm sure this toner will be nice when I want to refresh my skin.

The next product I received is by La Fresh and it's their Makeup Remover Wipes. I'm thinking of saving these for my wedding in September. I'm hoping to go on a little honeymoon for a few days, and these will be perfect since it's the cutest travel size package. 

This next product I was so excited for! It's the GlamRX Mini Freestyle Palette. It's kinda like a ZPalette, which I've been wanting for a while now, but this one is really small. I'm not complaining too much because I don't have many shadows that are only in the pan, but this is also very nice for traveling. I have read that you can't really fit MAC eyeshadows in here. Maybe two or three at most. I only own one MAC eyeshadow but it's still in the original packaging, so it doesn't really bother me. 

The last products I received are two eyeshadows from a brand called yaby. I've never heard of that brand before but I really like these shadows I got. The light color is called Seashell, which I think is going to be a beautiful highlight color, and the darker color is called Azalea Petal. This color, to me, is so beautiful! It's like a purple-y bronze color and I think this will be a nice all over lid color or crease color. 

Well that's everything! I'm so happy I got skincare and I can't wait to try out the eyeshadows!

I also wanted to mention that I extended my 200 follower giveaway another two weeks because not many people have entered, plus it'll probably be easier for me to get to the post office by the end of the month to send it out. So check out my giveaway if you haven't already!

November 2012 Empties!

Happy December everyone! This past month I really feel like I went through alot of products! It really is such a good feeling to be able to use something up, but then of course you have to buy more. So here is everything I used up!

So starting off with hair and body care, the first thing I went through is the Oscar Blandi Volumizing Dry Shampoo Spray. I honestly hated this stuff. It didn't do anything to get rid of greasiness if I didn't wash my hair the night before and it just made it feel dirtier. It took me a really long time to use up because I typically wash my hair everyday. I had this for probably over a year or so. 

Then I used up The body Shop Banana Shampoo. I still have some of the conditioner left to use so that'll end up in my December Empties. I absolutely love this shampoo! It smells amazing and made my hair really soft. I actually have a couple more bottles of this and the conditioner left in my closet so I won't need to repurchase for a while. I also did a full review of this here if you want to check it out.  

Next I used up another The body Shop product and it was the Milk & Honey Body Lotion. I really like this lotion more for use in the Summer because it's very lightweight and now with it being more cold outside, it doesn't work as well. I just wanted to use this up because I didn't want it sitting in my closet til Spring/Summer. It's a bummer The Body Shop doesn't carry this anymore because it really is nice and smells amazing.

Onto skincare! I usually use up a bunch of skincare in a month and the first thing I went through is my beloved The Body Shop Aloe Calming Toner. I really can't say enough good things about this toner. I know I've mentioned it before in posts, but this stuff is really awesome! It only has like six ingredients so there's not much that can cause irritation. I have so many backups of this so I know I definitely don't need to repurchase for a long while. 

Next I used up the Juice Beauty Blemish Clearing Cleanser. I'm so glad this is gone now! I wasn't a fan of this and it didn't do anything remarkable for my skin so I won't repurchase. I do like other Juice Beauty products, just not this. I did do a full review of it here.  

Then I used up this Olay Regenerist product called Thermal Skin Polisher. This stuff was interesting. When you wet your face, put some in your hands and starting massaging this on your face, it warms up, alot. Sometimes to the point of almost burning. It said on the package you could use it daily, but my skin is way too sensitive to be able to use this everyday. I doubt I'll be repurchasing this in the future.

I also finally used up The Body Shop Black Velvet Apricot Lip Balm. I had this for years and I thought it was just okay. It moisturized my lips for a while but once I got to the bottom of the jar, there were so many shimmery sparkles and it actually started drying my lips out more. This was part of a holiday scent so I doubt they'll bring this back. If they do, I know I won't repurchase. 

The last thing I used up is The Body Shop Aloe Soothing Day Cream. This stuff is really nice. I actually used this at night when my skin started feeling drier than normal and it helped to bring moisture back to my skin without getting super oily. This particular jar I'd had since last year from not finishing it up, but it was still good to use since there was no product separating or funky smells going on. I have another backup of this once my current nighttime moisturizer runs out. 

Well that's everything! I really think this is a good amount I went through. Still no empty makeup, but I'm almost done a face primer, so that may make it to my December empties!

Review: Juice Beauty Blemish Clearing Cleanser

Today I'm going to review the cleanser that I've been using for almost a month now, and that's the Juice Beauty Blemish Clearing Cleanser. I think a month is a good time to review something because I tend to know if I like it or not by then.

I know this bottle looks empty, but it's laying on its side and I really have about half of the bottle left. I purchased this at Sephora a while ago and I just looked on the website to find it, but the whole Juice Beauty brand is no where to be found, so I guess they discontinued carrying it. I went on the Juice Beauty website and I looked up where I could find the brand, and it looks like it's mainly in Ulta now. Anyways, it says this cleanser is $22, but on Amazon it's $26.99, so not sure what that's about. Again, it's been a while since I purchased this so I probably did spend around $20 or so. There are a bunch of really nice ingredients like organic lemon juice which helps improve skin tone and texture, organic aloe leaf juice which is a very healing, anti-inflammatory ingredient and lemon balm leaf which has antiseptic and antiviral properties. So basically, this cleanser is geared to help heal any acne blemishes and to prevent more acne from happening.

This isn't the greatest cleanser in my opinion. Even though it foams nicely, you have to really work it in your hands to get it to foam, and it's so runny and thin that a lot of it can run off your hands if you're not careful (trust me, I know). I don't get too many blemishes anymore, but if I do get some, I don't particularly notice that this cleanser helps them in any way. I've said before, I don't know why so many companies put nice, beneficial ingredients into a cleanser when it just gets rinsed down the drain. They should really put them into a serum or moisturizer instead. Don't get me wrong, I'm not bashing this cleanser at all. It actually does a decent job of cleaning my skin, it does feel soft after I wash it too and it smells pretty good as well. I just haven't noticed a huge difference in my skin's texture and I definitely haven't noticed a difference in any blemishes I get.

Overall, this isn't a terrible cleanser, but it's not great either. If I could give it a grade, I'd probably give it a C+ only because I don't notice a vast difference with my skin.

My Nighttime Skincare Routine

Today I'm going to be going over my nighttime skincare routine. Some people may think I use a lot of products but this is how I've been doing my routine since I was a teenager so I'm used to a lot of steps. So lets get started! 

First I start off with my Juice Beauty Blemish Clearing Cleanser. I'm still on the fence with if I like it or not. It's very liquidy which I don't particularly care for, but I can get it to foam up alright. I have had this cleanser for quite a while so I don't remember if when I bought it, it was a thicker consistency or not. It's an okay cleanser though. Doesn't smell too bad and rinses off nicely. I haven't noticed if it's helped with any blemishes I've gotten and I probably won't repurchase, although I do love other Juice Beauty products. I use this when I'm in the shower, sometimes with my Clarisonic as well. 

After my cleanser, I follow up with The Body Shop Aloe Calming Toner. I absolutely love this cleanser and I have no idea how many I've repurchased over the years. This toner will be replacing my tea tree toner soon that I use in the morning because of the changing weather and this definitely keeps my skin more hydrated in the cooler months. I think I've mentioned before that there are only six ingredients in this, so in my opinion, there is no reason for this to have any kind of bad reaction on your skin. It is a very basic toner, so if you like more bells and whistles, you might not like this. Another really nice thing I found is if you stick it in the fridge, it feels amazing when you put it on a cotton pad to rub on your face, especially if you've gotten sunburned. I think this will be a staple in my skincare routine for a long time.

After I put on my toner, I use Paula's Choice 2% Beta Hydroxy Acid Lotion. This stuff is particularly good of you suffer from super clogged pores and blackheads like I do. It also comes in a gel and liquid form depending on what skin type you have. Now I know the lotion says it's for dry skin on the website, but I bought this when my skin was going through a dry spell, but I just want to use it up because I hate wasting product. I have to say, since I started using this, my skin has gotten a lot softer and my blackheads have diminished quite a bit as well. I'm always going to have blackheads no matter what I do, but as long as I can control them a bit, I'm okay with that.

Now for the next step, I actually mix these two products together. They are The Body Shop Aloe Protective Serum and Tea Tree Blemish Fade Night Lotion. I just put half a pea sized blob on my hand of each, rub my hands together and put all over my face, neck and chest. With all lotions, serums and creams I use, I always bring them down my neck and chest because you have to take care of that skin too. I am in love with the aloe serum. It's got no smell and it really helps calm down any redness I get. The blemish lotion I like, but I don't love it. I love the smell of tea tree in general, but this product has an overwhelming tea tree smell. Sometimes, I'll even skip the tea tree lotion and just use the serum. I do like that this lotion hasn't done anything bad to my skin though. It hasn't broken me out and it's not overly heavy, but it is definitely a night lotion like the name says. 

Lastly, I use The Body Shop Vitamin E Eye Cream. This is a very simple, but nice eye cream that helps hydrate my eyes when they're feeling a little dry. I definitely prefer a heavier eye cream at night to help hydrate and protect the skin around my eyes as I sleep. Even if you have oily facial or eye skin, I always say use some heavier products at night because they'll help keep your skin nice and it heals and protects your skin better than lighter products would. That is my opinion though and what I've noticed for my skin. Some people may break out from using heavier products, so just be careful.

There you have it! That's my night time skincare routine that I'm currently using. Definitely by the time it gets colder outside, my routine will change so I'll be doing an updated routine probably in a few months. Talk to you all later! :)

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.