July 2018 Empties

I know I'm super behind on the blog, and I realized I forgot to share the products I used up in July. Oops! There aren't many, so this will be a quick post. August so far is going so much better with using stuff up, and I'll try to get that post up asap. 

This is sort of a mish-mash of products. I finally used up another can of Batiste Dry Shampoo in the Sassy & Daring Wild scent. I didn't mind this scent too much, but it was slightly overpowering. I honestly don't use as much dry shampoo as I used to because I don't leave the house much, so I don't mind if my hair's a bit dirty. 

I used to love the Bath & Body Works hand soaps, but now I just want them all gone! I did enjoy the Boardwalk Vanilla Cone scent, and I have only 3 unopened bottles left to use, then I'll be making my own hand soap with my Young Living essential oils. 

I really liked the DDF Ultra-Lite Oil-Free Moisturizing Dew. It felt awesome on my skin and left it feeling soft and smooth. I probably won't repurchase as I'm making the slow switch to Young Living skincare products. 

I've always hated EOS lip balms, and still do, ha! This one was alright, but I don't remember the scent. I know it had coconut mik in it, so maybe it was a strawberry coconut. Either way, I'll never buy EOS lip balms ever again. 

My last of the Philosophy hand creams are finished! I LOVE the Fresh Cream scent, and am tempted to buy more, but likely won't. 

Lastly, is my daughter Olivia's products. As I've been learning more about body products, especially for babies, I'm just wanting to get rid of everything I have for her. I did use up the Head-to-Toe Wash, but am throwing out about half a bottle full of the Baby Lotion. I also used up a sample size of the Dr. Smith's Diaper Rash Ointment. I don't think it did much honestly, and have found a much better and safer option through Young Living for her. 

Products used up: 8
Total for the year: 102

I'm finally over the 100 mark! I have a feeling I may actually be able to surpass my goal of using up 150 products, and that makes me feel so amazing! I've been on this journey of decluttering and switching over to a more healthy wellness lifestyle, hence all the mentions of Young Living. Let me know if you would like to learn more about Young Living! You can email me at skinstuffbykaty@yahoo.com

What products have you used up recently? 

July Young Living Essential Rewards

I've had my ER (Essential Rewards) order now for almost a week, and am so excited to share with you all what I got this month!

I'm so excited for this month because I finally was able to purchase the Ningxia Red ER kit. It comes with 4 bottles of Ningxia Red, plus a box of 30, 2 ounce packs for $187. It's by far the most cost efficient way to buy Ningxia Red. If you don't know what Ningxia Red is, it's basically Young Living's anti-oxidant drink. All you need to drink is 2-4 ounces daily (I drink just 2 ounces, and my daughter drinks 1 ounce) to get your daily dose of amazing health benefits. I also got the Super B supplement to help me with my energy levels, because I so need it with my almost 2 year old daughter. 

The essential oils I got were Rosemary, Elemi, Kidscents SleepyIze, and Valerian. Both the SleepyIze and Valerian are going to be used to hopefully help with sleeping better. I got Rosemary because I wanted to make this hair spray for my daughter called Mermaid Spray, to help her hair grow in faster and thicker. I've heard that Elemi is very similar to Frankincense, and I'm almost out of Frank because I use it so much. It's just so expensive, and Elemi costs much less, so I figured I'd give it a try!

Everything else pictured was FREE! Seriously, because I made a 300pv (basically $300) purchase, I got 4 oils and a spray all for free. LavaDerm is a great spray for if you get a little too crispy being out in the sun, or just need to cool down. The 4 oils are Lavender Vitality, Valor, Geranium, and Aroma Life. Lavender Vitality I hear is amazing mixed into lemonade. I cannot live without Valor! It's the oil that helps give me courage and feel more positive, so I'm glad it was a freebie this month. Geranium is good for the skin, and Aroma Life has a few different uses. It's said to be good for circulation, muscle tension, and skin and hair support. 

The other oil pictured in front of the little blue bag is called Loyalty. Now this is an oil you're not supposed to receive until you've been on ER for 12 consecutive months. I've only been on for 3 months. I did contact customer service and to make a long story short, I get to keep it since it was their mistake!

That is everything I got this month! Guys, I cannot explain to you how much Young Living has changed our lives. These oils help us sleep, calm me down, and keep me sane (well, as sane as I can be taking care of a special needs child!). And oils are just the tip of the iceberg! They have SO many wellness products, and we have slowly been changing over to all things Young Living. If you have any questions for me at all about these or other products Young Living has, feel free to email me at skinstuffbykaty@yahoo.com. If you've been wanting to sign up with YL and would like to make the jump in getting your Premium Starter Kit, you can sign up here! Shoot me an email after so I can add you to our education groups on Facebook, if you have FB, and send you a little welcome package. I cannot wait to have you start your oily journey :)

May, June & July 2017 Empties

 *Links are affiliate links*

I fell incredibly behind on updating you all on the products I've used up. Being a mom has, of course, taken precedence in my life, and my daughter has had a ton of appointments. She's also been wanting more attention, so I try to get things done during naps, but she doesn't seem to like sleeping either. Anyway, I have three months worth of empty products to share with you, and I'm quite proud of what I have!

I'll start with skincare, since that's what I have the most of. I used a When Glamour Base sheet mask, which I was a fan of! I feel like it did brighten up my skin and helped it feel more hydrated. 

The Caudalie Vinoperfect Day Perfecting Cream took me a while to use, considering it's a deluxe sample size. It has SPF in it, so I would only use it on days where I would leave the house. It seemed like it was fine, but nothing special. 

The Body Shop Tea Tree Toner used to be one of my favorite toners to use, until I discovered it has a high concentration of alcohol in it. This was my last bottle, thank goodness, so I won't repurchase again. 

I LOVED the Dermalogica Skin Hydrating Booster! I would put just a couple drops into my morning moisturizer, which really seemed to help with some dehydration I was having. I doubt I'd repurchase, since Dermalogica is quite an expensive brand. 

I had the Michael Todd Pumpkin Nutrient-Rich Facial Mask in my stash for quite a while, so I'm glad I was able to use it up. It was very tingly on my skin, and left it a bit red once I rinsed it off. It did, however, make my skin feel super soft. 

The Boscia Luminizing Black Mask is a love/hate for me. I love how incredibly soft it makes my skin feel, and it grabs any little baby hairs that are annoying. I hate how hard it is to remove. Seriously, if you get this anywhere near eyebrows or hairline, oh man does it hurt! I think I may have one more of these deluxe samples, but I wouldn't buy a full size. 

Origins is one of my favorite skincare brands, so it was no surprise I enjoyed the Make A Difference Plus Rejuvinating Treatment. I used it mainly as a serum before moisturizer, but it could be used by itself for very oily skin. I would consider buying this once my stash runs low. 

I used the Clinique Spot Healing Gel on any blemishes I may have gotten. Most times I only had to use this once, and the next day my skin was clear. I'm not too fussy when it comes to spot treatments, I just can't use benzoyl peroxide. 

I'm completely horrible with using body scrubs, but I adored the Tree Hut Shea Sugar Body Scrub in the Coconut Lime scent. I have so many scrubs to use, but I will likely buy this brand again when I use up what I have first. 

I go through lip balms like crazy normally, but I only have 1 I used up. I love the Badger brand, and their Lime Rocket scent of their Cocoa Butter Lip Balm is fabulous! Very moisturizing and kept my lips soft throughout the day. I have many different scents in my lip balm stash and don't think I'll run out anytime soon!

There's a sad story to the OXG Anti-Breakage Keratin Oil, since I didn't get to use it. I was cleaning up around the house and found the bottle laying on the floor, empty. I have no idea what happened to it, because my carpet is fine. I really wanted to use this too! My hair breaks easily, so I thought this would be great to use. Maybe one day I will purchase one for myself. 

I don't wear my contacts often, so it took a while to use up the Opti-Free Pure Moist contact solution. I surprisingly liked this, since most solutions burn my eyes, but this didn't. 

With how often I wash my hands, you would think I'd have more than one hand soap. Lemon Meringue Cheer from Bath & Body Works smelled amazing! Plus, I love these soaps with the scrubbing bits, although I think they end up drying out my hands more. 

Only one hand cream as well, also from Bath & Body Works. I absolutely adored this Island White Pineapple scent and would consider buying again. This is a great Summertime hand cream as it's not too heavy or greasy. 

We must've loved brushing our teeth the past few months! There's the Colgate Cavity Protection, Tom's of Maine Rapid Relief Sensitive, and a mini Crest that I had from when Olivia was in the hospital. The Colgate one my husband mostly used, and I always need a sensitive toothpaste. I was not a fan of this particular Tom's toothpaste, though. It made my teeth feel clean, but the taste wasn't very good, and I felt like I had bad breath really fast. 

I gotta include the baby products! So my daughter has fairly sensitive and dry skin. Because of that, her doctor recommended baths no more than twice a week, so we only used up two mini sizes of the Johnson's Head-to-Toe Wash, as well as a mini Johnson's Baby Lotion. I gotta admit, I'm not the biggest fan of Johnson's, but we have a ton of products we were given, plus I was able to take home what was used in the hospital, so we're likely set with body washes and lotions for the next year. 

The Hydraguard Phytoplex Silicone Cream is what was used on Olivia's diaper rash while she was recovering in the hospital from open heart surgery. Guys, THIS STUFF IS AMAZING! I kid you not, this cleared up her diaper rash so fast, and made her butt so soft! I went on a hunt for this because I had never heard of it, and I found it on Amazon. When I run out of other diaper rash creams, this is what I will be buying. It's a miracle! Plus it smells like cake batter. 

Number of products used up: 21
Total used up for the year: 43

I probably mention this in nearly every empties post, but my goal for the year was to use up 150 products. That includes full size, deluxe samples, foil packet samples, and now Olivia's products. Considering we have about 4 and a half months left to the year, I'm not quite sure I can make that goal. I'm doing well so far in August, and have a bunch of stuff nearly finished. I also want to start doing my makeup again, and I know I need to clear out some old stuff that hasn't been used since before Olivia was born! So maybe I will make my goal, who knows? 

What are some things you've used up recently?

July 2017 Goals

I completely fell off the face of the Earth in June and the firsts half of July, and I apologize for that! There are times where I feel like social media and blogging take over my life, and I obsess over making everything perfect. Also, with having a daughter who has special needs, I cannot have that in my life. Her well-being is the most important, and so is my mental health. I took a bit of a break to regroup and now I'm back! Since I didn't recap my goals from May, I'll go over those and then let you all know what I would like to accomplish in July. 

GOALS FROM MAY

- Reach 2,000 page views: That didn't happen, yet again. Since I took a decently long break, I wasn't promoting anything either on my social channels, so page views suffered greatly.  

- Have a family day: That sadly still has not happened! My husband works his butt off 50-60 hours a week, so when he has a day off and we have no appointments for Olivia, or any other plans, he just wants to stay home. We did end up going out for lunch one day in June to Olive Garden, and that was Olivia's first restaurant experience! She did well, and was talking up a storm (aka. screeching and giggling). She also enjoyed licking their breadsticks...

- Do a face mask once a week: Nope, didn't happen in May, but I have gotten better doing masks in June and July so far. I need to use up some of my stash before they go bad. 

- Organize Olivia's clothing: Yes and no. I had a good handle on it and it was all sorted out, then it got all disorganized again. I need to still put away all her 0-3 month clothes, and organize her 3-6 month clothes again, which is what she fits in currently (yes, she's still really small, but she was a preemie after all!).

GOALS FOR JULY

- Promote older blog posts on social media at least 3 times a week: Doing that usually helps drive more traffic to my blog, and gets more of my work out there. 

- Try to get more sleep: I know you're probably thinking, "you have a baby, sleep doesn't apply anymore." It actually does! Olivia sleeps decently well, only waking once occasionally. I don't feed her at night anymore, so she tends to just shuffle around and goes back to sleep on her own. However, since she wakes me up when she moves, I tend to stay awake for a while. I also have a bad habit of being on my phone for an hour or so when I get into bed, and that needs to stop. 

- Use up more beauty products: Ugh, I've been awful again with taking care of my skin and need to really get into a solid routine and use up products. I've been really slacking with using up products lately and have sad looking empties posts as a result. I'll be starting those again in August since I'll have a bunch of empty products to share!

- Write and post 6 blog posts: I'm not putting a weekly goal or anything since we're already about half way through the month already, but I would like to publish 6 posts during the rest of this month, and looking at my blogging schedule, I just may be able to do it!

That's it for July! I'm so sorry again for the absence. I'm sure all my fellow moms can relate to life getting tough and needing a break!

July 2016 Empties

Hey everyone! It's time for yet another empties post, where I share with you all the products I used up the month before. July wasn't so great with using up products, but at least I finished up some things. 

I used up a few different skincare products, and the first one is the Ole Henriksen Balancing Cucumber Face Mist. I used this by spraying some onto a cotton pad and applying it to my face that way. If I sprayed it directly onto my skin, it burned my eyes pretty bad. Despite that, I felt this was a decent toner. It got the job done but it was pretty fragrant. I doubt I'd repurchase. 

I finally managed to use up the StriVectin Repair & Protect Moisturizer. I had done a full review on this here, and I much preferred this in the colder months versus the warmer months. I just had a little left, and even though it made me pretty greasy, I didn't want to wait until Winter again to finish it. This is an ok moisturizer. I found it made my skin a bit itchy though, so I won't purchase myself. 

Next up is the DDF Ultra Lite Oil-Free Moisturizing Dew. I freaking LOVED this stuff! It was a hybrid gel-cream formula that made my skin so silky soft, and it was great on days when I didn't go outside but wanted to hydrate my skin. I may repurchase this once I use up the moisturizers in my stash. 

Last for skincare is the Pur~Lisse Blue Lotus + Seaweed Treatment Sheet Mask. I was honestly pretty impressed with this mask! I've always said in the past that I wasn't a fan of sheet masks, but I think I'm starting to change my tune. I've realized that I need to tone my skin before I apply one and they work so much better. I definitely want to try more sheet masks but ones that are more affordable. 

 I feel like my husband and I go through the Sound Body Dandruff Shampoo fairly quickly. I don't use this often, but my husband washes his hair alot and mainly uses this stuff. Since it's been on the blog often, I won't go into this much, but we both like it and it's pretty much just like Head & Shoulders, just much cheaper at Big Lots. 

I did a review here on this Keranique Scalp Stimulating Shampoo and Volumizing Keratin Conditioner duo back in December. For lack of better words, I absolutely loathed these products so much! They did nothing to help my hair and actually made it feel like straw. Even though I was sent these to try, I hate wasting product, so I used these up but hated every second of it. Stay away from these!

Lastly, we have some bodycare. My husband and I both used up the Suave Creamy Cocoa Butter & Shea Body Wash, and I LOVED how this smelled! I just love shea butter in general, but this was amazing, and super inexpensive. I usually buy these at my local Wegmans when they're on sale and if I have a coupon, so I end up only paying about $2 for it. We will repurchase when we use up our massive stash. 

I used up a deluxe sized sample of the Perlier Honey Shower Cream. I have so many deluxe samples of many different products, and I want to get through them. I really enjoyed using this! It smelled a little more flowery than sweet, but it was still nice. I had a whole set of Perlier things sent to me a while ago and still need to use the rest of them up. I don't think I'll repurchase this though. 

Number of products used up: 9
Total for the year: 96

I was so hoping to break 100 products by now! I definitely think my goal of using up 250 products for the year is further out of reach, so now I'm going to aim for 150. I need to make it a priority to do my makeup more and treat my skin better, which will hep me clear out my massive collection. Being pregnant hasn't made it easy, but I'm almost half way through, so I need to get my booty into gear!

What did you use up recently?

July 2016 Favorites

Hey guys! After not doing a favorites post for June I wanted to make it a point to get one up for July. I've started to wear makeup again and taking better care of my skin. I only have a few products to share, so it'll be short and sweet. 

 *Post contains affiliate links*

The first product I have to talk about is by a brand called Aquation. I was kindly sent this Gentle Moisturizing Cleanser, along with a couple other goodies to review and this cleanser has just been so fantastic, I had to talk about it early. I won't get too much into it since I have a review post coming up, but this cleanser removes makeup like a champ, is gentle, and keeps my skin feeling hydrated without being greasy. 

Next up is a product I decided to revisit, the Wet N Wild trio in Walking On Eggshells. I'm trying to make more of an effort to use up products that I've had for a while but rarely used, and this was one of them. I've been so obsessed with the bottom eyelid shade as just an all-over lid color, and it's just stunning. 

My final favorite for July is the Covergirl Lip Perfection Jumbo Gloss Balm in the shade 250. The one gripe I have about these is there is no shade name on the packaging, so I have to search it online, and it looks like this one is called Scarlet Twist. This is a gorgeous shade and has just enough pigment to it, yet it's sheer enough to just slap on and go. I adore these balms so much and I'm actually trying to use this up completely as part of a project pan challenge I'm trying out. 

What were some of your favorite products in July?

July 2015 Empties

Hey guys! I'm fairly unhappy with the amount of products I used up (or didn't use up really), but if you read my favorites post where I posted my life update, I didn't really care to do much makeup/skincare wise. I managed to use up a few things, so lets see what I have!

The first used up product is the St. Ives Oatmeal & Shea Butter Body Wash. I originally bought this for my husband when he was having itchy skin issues, but decided I wanted to try it out for myself because it smelled so good. This stuff is amazing! It feels incredibly hydrating for being such a foamy body wash and it was super inexpensive too. We will definitely be buying this again once the stash is used up. 

Next up is one of the Foaming Hand Soaps from Bath & Body Works in the scent Berry Sangria. This scent is heavenly, but my husband and I both prefer to use the soaps with the scrubby bits in them. I'm slowly trying to use up all the foamy ones I have, but if this scent is still available in the scrubby one, I will buy it again. 

I like taking the Nature Made Fish Oil softgels because my husband isn't a fan of seafood and doesn't really like the smell of it either, so I don't cook it much. To still get the health benefits, I take a fish oil supplement, and this one has DHA in it which is said to help with heart health. I have another bottle of this, but I bought a different brand that I'm currently using. 

These are the last few bits! I used up the three mascaras I had been rotating. Too Face Better Than Sex, Lancome Grandiose, and Urban Decay Supercurl. I loved all these for different reasons. Too Faced is amazing overall, it lengthens and volumizes my lashes like no other mascara has and it's probably my favorite out of these three. Lancome for me is more lengthening than volumizing overall. Urban decay is the one I used if I got some clumps in my lashes because it's incredibly separating. I did also post reviews of the Too Faced mascara here and the Lancome mascara here. Out of these three, I'd probably repurchase Too Faced Better Than Sex.

I finished up a little baby sample of the L'Occitane Shea Hand Cream. This stuff is amazingly hydrating on parched, dry hands. I've been having a dry spell with my hands lately and you only need a tiny bit of this to get the job done, so it lasted a good while. The full size of these hand creams are pretty expensive though, so I probably wouldn't repurchase unless it's in a gift set or something.

The final product I used up is the e.l.f Therapeutic Conditioning Balm in the scent Orange Creme. I featured this in last month's favorites here and I completely fell in love, especially with the scent. The only gripe I had with this is it didn't take long for me to use up. Honestly, I probably used this up in about 3 or so weeks. I do love me some lip balm but I only really used this at night before bed. I think this is only $1 so it's no big deal, but I'd rather use something that will last me a little while. 

What did you use up in July?

July 2015 Favorites! + A Life Update

Hey everyone! I haven't worn much makeup this month, nor did I really do much with my skin either. I do have a few things to share with you though that I've really been enjoying so far. 

My first favorite is the it Cosmetics Your Skin But Better CC Cream with SPF 50+. I used this only a handful of times in July, but boy did I love every single time! The very first time I applied it to my skin, I fell in love. I do plan on writing a full review of this, I'm just not sure when I can. I just absolutely love it, it's good with my oily skin, and it didn't break me out. 

Another it Cosmetics product is their No. 105 Airbrush Blending Crease brush. If you want a blending brush that's as soft as baby bunny fur and is one of the most effective blending brushes ever, buy this, like yesterday. I honestly think that this is now my all-time favorite blending brush to apply shadows to the crease or just to blend out harsh lines. It does it all. It's only $14 too, and if you're a lucky Platinum member at Ulta and receive their 20% off coupons, it works on these. I want to now switch out all my blending brushes for this brush, that's how much I love it. 

Next up we have a lip balm from the brand MyChelle, and it's their Love Your Lips Lip Treatment in the scent Black Currant Pomegranate. This smells lovely, feels amazing on the lips, and acts as a great primer for matte lipsticks. This is such a huge container too, and I see it lasting quite a while for me. 

My last favorite of the month is the Colourpop Lippie Stix in the shade Go Fish. I wrote a review of the two Lippie Stix I own here, and I'm a huge fan. For only $5 they're amazing quality. This one is a Hyper Glossy finish, so the wear time isn't the greatest, but I love this vibrant coral red shade. It's perfect for Summer, and has barely left my purse. 

What have you been loving in July? 

*Life Update* If you read my blog on a pretty regular basis, you may remember a few weeks ago I posted that my husband and I were pregnant. I took that post down, because about two weeks later, we unfortunately found out that we are no longer expecting. It came as a pretty big shock to us, and we're still grieving our loss. It's why I haven't really posted anything beauty related on here, because in all honesty, I just haven't cared. It's going to be hard for a little while, so please bear with me as I go through this process. I've been trying to pre-write some posts ahead of time so I can get some content out for you guys, but it's been pretty hard. I love each and every one of my followers and I want to do my best, but right now, I just need some time. I hope you all understand.

July 2015 Ipsy Bag

Hey guys! It's finally Ipsy time, where I get to show you what I received in my bag this month! The theme is Summer Lovin', and it's currently feeling very Summery and humid here, so the theme definitely fits. Lets see what I got this month!

So the actual bag that everything comes in, it's just alright. I'm not a fan of the color scheme or the design, and I personally don't think it looks Summery. That's alright, it's what's inside that counts, and I'm a bit meh with that as well.

The first product I received is the Nudestix Magnetic Eye Color in the shade Gilt. It's a pretty champagne color that says it's waterproof, easy to blend and long wearing. I've heard of this brand alot lately so I am curious to try this and see how it works. The cool thing is it comes with its own sharpener as it's not a retractable pencil. 

Next up is the Be A Bombshell Lip Balm, and I received the shade called French Kiss, which is a light pink. I'm all for lip balms, I can never get enough really, but this is just a plain ole balm that doesn't have any color payoff or scent whatsoever. I don't really understand why there are different shades. Maybe the other one that was sent out is more pigmented.

Next we have the Aurora Gel Effect Nail Polish in the shade 4 Alarm Fire. I do admit that the shade is very pretty, but I've said it many times before and I'm saying it again: I CAN'T STAND GETTING NAIL POLISH!!! Seriously, I've had so many bottles of nail polish sent to me in Ipsy bags, and I'm so over it. I never really do my nails that often, so most of the polishes I have are just sitting in a drawer, unloved. I've retaken the quiz and reviewed the polishes I've gotten to hopefully have them realize no more polish, but I guess it doesn't work.

Now we have the Vasanti Cosmetics Brighten Up! Exfoliating Cleanser. I was acutally pretty excited to get this in my bag, but when I picked it up, it's basically empty! I can probably try and get maybe 2 small uses at most out of this, but I'm incredibly disappointed that there is hardly any product in the container. 

The last product is the Coolway Beachy Salt Spray. I also don't really like getting hair sprays in my Ipsy bags either and I wish they would stop sending them. I'm fine with getting shampoo or conditioner products, as I will always use them, but anything that's a hair spray, texturizing spray, or anything that gives hair that crunchy feeling, forget it. I'll never use it! 

Overall, I am pretty disappointed this month. Now I could just be angry because of my pregnancy hormones, but I won't get use out of the majority of this bag. Normally Ipsy is pretty great and if I have a disappointing bag, the next month is usually better. 

If you're not subscribed to Ipsy and you would like to be, you can do so here via my referral link! It only costs $10 a month, plus shipping for some, and you typically get 4-5 deluxe sized products along with a makeup bag. Occasionally they will send full sized products, which is a nice treat!

If you're already subscribed to Ipsy, what did you get in your bag? Are you happy with the products this month?

July 2014 Empties

Hey everyone! This past month wasn't that great with empties, but it was enough to warrant a post of what I did use up. There are mostly skincare products but definitely next month I will have more makeup. I'm close to using up alot of different makeup, so that makes me happy. Anyways, lets get into what I used up in July!

I'm gonna start off with vitamins. I think vitamins are an important part of beauty because it helps your body feel good which should just help you feel good in general. I used up a Nature's Bounty Hair, Skin and Nails supplement. I honestly don't notice much of a difference in my skin, but my hair tends to grow a little faster and my nails are strong and healthy when I take supplements. I also used another Nature's Bounty Multi Vitamin for women. I don't know really what benefits I feel from these, but I kinda always took a multi when I was younger so I keep getting them. 

Now for the skincare. I used up The Body Shop's Tea Tree Skin Clearing Facial Wash. I love this cleanser in the Summer months as my morning cleanser to help prep my skin for the day and get all the grease and dirt off that collected from the night before. I usually have a few backups of these on hand plus I have alot of other cleansers to use up as well. Definitely a repurchase once my stash diminishes a bit.

Typically, I have yet another The Body Shop Aloe Calming Toner. I can go on and on about how much I love this toner but I won't. I use it all the time, mostly at night.

I used up a moisturizer by Benefit called the Triple Performing Facial Emulsion. This is oil free and has SPF 15 PA++, what ever that means. I honestly didn't like this much. I used it during the day because of the SPF, but it was just a meh moisturizer. It did feel a little hydrating but made me oily after about an hour or so. This is probably a good moisturizer if you have normal to combo skin. I won't be repurchasing this only because I'm super oily.

I finally used up my Queen Helene Mint Julep Masque. I love, love, love this mask! It's been talked about for ages, but it really is great for oily skin that feels congested. I love the smell of this and I might repurchase, but I have alot of masks to use up first.

Last of the empties! I used up the Maybelline Clean Express! Makeup Remover. This is the waterproof eye makeup remover and I was so in love with this stuff! I had originally bought this because I had a $1 off coupon for it when it was first released and I bought it at Walmart so I'm pretty sure I only paid about $3. Like I said, I loved this alot. It didn't burn my eyes and removed my makeup incredibly well. I will most definitely repurchase when I use up my other makeup removers.

I used up another Philosophy shower gel in the scent Ginger Berry Frost. This shower gel actually had little flecks of shimmer throughout that I wasn't really a fan of and I didn't care much for the scent. For me, it was a little too sweet smelling, which is definitely odd for me because I love sweet things. I think this came in a holiday kit from Sephora a while ago. 

I'm starting to get into the habit of using up some of my samples I have since they're overflowing. I decided to use the Givenchy Mister Light in the shade 4 Mister Macaroon. This was a bit dark for me, but when I used a Beauty Blender or the Real Techniques sponge, I was able to make it work. This was an interesting product. The texture of this felt great, it was creamy but light and blended well. However, there are shimmer particles in this that made me look a bit like a disco ball but when I used a good amount of pressed powder, it took it away a little. Seeing how much this is in pen form, I will not purchase this.

I used up another Similasan eye drops for allergy eyes. Love this stuff and it doesn't burn my eyes like alot of other drops do. I will always repurchase this. 

My last empty is Benefit's They're Real! Mascara. Alot of you will probably hate me for this, but I don't get the hype surrounding this mascara. It made my lashes look spidery and bad. Towards the end of its life, I would get balls of mascara on the tips of my lashes and I'd always have to use a comb to get them out. Not going to purchase. Ever.

That's everything! Like I said, next month should be better in the makeup department. What did you all use up in July?

July 2014 Ipsy Bag

Hey everyone! I got my Ipsy bag in the mail the other day, so it's time to share what I got! I was excited for this month when Ipsy posted sneak peeks on Facebook, but was slightly disappointed in the products I ended up receiving. This month's theme is called Sensationally Sunkissed so lets see what I got!

Now I love and hate the bag at the same time. I love it because it's a bright hot pink, my favorite color. I hate it because it's probably the cheapest feeling material I've ever felt in my life.  I mean seriously, the zipper is coming apart in one area and it feels so flimsy. Cute concept with the pink and scalloped edges, just cheap looking!

Onto the products! The first product I have here is the Purlisse Pur Protect Essential Daily Moisturizer with SPF 30. I can definitely appreciate a sun care product that provides a good SPF but this is for normal to dry skin so I most definitely can't use it, especially in Summer. I can maybe save it for the dead of Winter when my skin is drier, but I'm not sure if it will work for me.

Next up is the Models Own Nail Polish in the color Red Sea. Honestly, I'm pretty tired of receiving nail polishes in these bags. I haven't done my nails in ages and I don't really care for polishes that have chunks of sparkle or glitter. 

Then we have the Pixi Beauty Mini Tinted Brilliance Balm in the color Unique Pink. I haven't tried this yet, but it smells just like peppermint tea, and I find myself sniffing it for longer than I probably should. I'm weird, I know. I'm curious about the tinted aspect of this because it just seems like a clear balm, so we'll see if it works!

Now we have the bareMinerals 5-in-1 BB Advanced Performance Cream Eyeshadow Broad Spectrum SF 15 and I think I got the color Barely Nude. Oy vey that's a long name for a product! I have to say though that this is a really tiny sample. Reminds me of the free samples they give out when you order something online. I will try this because I'm curious to see how it performs and because I like the bareMinerals brand. 

The last product is the Clear Clinic Laboratories Vanished Clear Spot Treatment. I'm kinda terrified to use this because I took one whiff of this stuff and it smells like straight up alcohol! I know spot treatments are typically drying, but if something smells this strong of alcohol, I'm most likely not putting it anywhere near my face! I'm gonna have to research the ingredients in this more. 

Kind of a meh bag this month but Ipsy usually redeems itself if I don't like a bag. If you want an Ipsy bag yourself sign up here! It's only $10 a month, plus shipping for some, and you get 4 to 5 sample products in each bag!

If you're already subscribed to Ipsy, what did you receive in your bag?

July 2013 Empties!

Hey guys! I wanted to get my empties post up sooner, but I've been sick the past few days and haven't been motivated to do much of anything. I'm feeling better now and have the day off from work, so I figured I'd get it done today! I don't have many exciting things that I used up to be honest. Since I haven't been feeling well and with work getting in the way, I haven't been using many products, or even washing my face at night! (So bad, I know). Anyways, Lets see what I was able to use up in July.

The first product I used up is the Gillette Satin Care Sensitive Skin Shave Gel. Now honestly, I can't tell if this is truly empty because the bottle still feels like there's product in it, yet when I push the tab down, nothing comes out. Oh well though. I don't particularly like this stuff anyways. It was very inexpensive at Walmart, but I think I'll pay a little extra for something a bit better.

I'm very sad about using up my Batiste Dry Shampoo in the Tropical scent! I made a whole post on it here, as it was sent to me for review. It's just such an amazing dry shampoo and I'm still so happy and grateful I was able to try it out. It is quite pricey though, so I'm not rushing out to buy more, even though I really, really want to. I'm currently using a dry shampoo that I hate and can't wait to finish up, but I'm still on the quest for a good dry shampoo that I can get at the drugstore. If I can't find one I like, then I may bite the bullet and buy Batiste.

I was so excited to finally use up The Body Shop Coconut Body Scrub. This container is made from the old packaging, so I've had it for a while. It took me ages to use this up! Granted, I didn't use this often, only when I felt like I had dry skin to deal with. I'm obsessed with how this smells. It's like you're on the beach with a nice cold pina colada, soaking up the sun. It's lovely. It's also not the most abrasive scrub, which I think is nice for Summer. I like the more abrasive ones for Winter use, as I have much drier skin then. 

I used up another one of my beloved Aloe Protective Serums from The Body Shop. I go through these like crazy, but I love mixing this in with my morning moisturizer in Winter to help moisturize a bit better, so I'm trying to save what bottles I have left for then. I've talked about this numerous times, so I won't go on and on about it.

The next product I used up is the Korres Evening Primrose Eye Cream. I purchased this in a Korres skincare kit from Sephora, but I believe this isn't sold separately anymore, if it ever was. I kinda liked this, but not too much. I find it funny though that I had this in two favorites post a while ago, but here I am, hating on it now. Just shows you have to use things up completely to get a good view of it! This felt like it didn't hydrate very well and just sat on my skin. It also made my eyes burn a little bit at times. I'm pretty sure I have plenty of eye creams to use up that are better than this one.

I also used up another one of The Body Shop Coconut Lip Butter. I only use these lip butters at night now as they leave your lips looking white. I used to use it during the day as long as I put lip gloss on top, but I figured I'd use it only at night instead. This stuff is pretty hydrating and makes my lips feel nice and smooth. I have tons of these to use up in different scents, so I'm set for a while.

 I'm not sure if people care which contact solution I use, but I used up the Renu Fresh contact solution. This is the only stuff that doesn't burn my eyes like a mother, so I stick to this. I can usually find a coupon online and I always buy the double pack of these at Walmart since they're a bit cheaper there. 

Now this brush here technically isn't an "empty" per se, but it just sucks and I'm throwing it out. I had to use this one day because my other blush brushes were dirty, but no matter how much product I swirled on the brush, nothing would go on it! And any product that made it on the brush just looked blotchy on my face. This brush came in a kit from when I was in cosmetology school, so I can understand why the quality is so bad, but I still have brushes from that kit that actually work pretty well. I went to cosmetology school almost 7 years ago, so that's saying something. 

Well that's everything that I used up! I know it's nothing amazing, and I still have no makeup products used up, but maybe soon!

What did you use up in July?

July 2013 Favorites!

Hey everyone! I know, it's been a long while since I've posted anything on my blog here. Not really sure if I have a  good reason as to why I haven't posted, but life just gets in the way sometimes. Anyways, it's the end of another month, which means it's favorites time! I have to admit, I haven't experimented too much with products as I haven't bought much lately, so I don't have a bunch to talk about, but lets get on to the few things I have been loving!

My first favorite this past month is The Body Shop Aloe Cooling Body Gel. I don't think The Body Shop makes this product anymore, which makes me pretty sad. Anyways, my fiance and I went to New Jersey to go to the shore for a day with some friends. I, of course, put sunblock on four times while we were there, yet I still got burned on my right arm and a bit on my shoulders and chest. My poor fiance however got totally burned on his chest and legs. I tried to tell him he should be reapplying sunblock every couple hours, but he never listens to me. Fast forward to the end of the night when we got home, and he was in pain. I found this in the closet and slathered some all over his chest and legs. I also put some on where I got a little burned as well. The next morning, I felt fine. Still a bit red, but this helped soothe me quite a bit. My fiance said he felt better too, but he was really, really red for a while. I kept putting this stuff on him so he wouldn't scratch or hurt himself more. I love how cooling and soothing this feels. I really wish The Body Shop didn't get rid of this :(

My next favorite came from an Influenster VoxBox, and it's the Luster NOW! Instant Whitening Toothpaste. Now I gotta admit, I haven't noticed any significant whitening on my teeth. It could be because my teeth are fairly white to begin with, so if there has been any whitening, I can't tell. What I do like about this product is how clean it makes my teeth feel. It's actually pretty amazing. I haven't had a toothpaste make my teeth feel so clean in ages. I have weird teeth and gums though. I have a prescription toothpaste that I have to use at night, and in the morning I typically use a toothpaste for sensitive teeth and gums. I'm not sure if those kinds of toothpastes don't make teeth feel as clean or what, but I really do like this stuff!

These next favorites have been the lip combo I've been doing for most of July. I make sure my lips are soft and smooth by applying a hydrating lip balm, then I put on the Maybelline Color Whisper in Pink Possibilities (left) and after that I apply the Liplicious Lip Color in Pineapple Juice (right). The gloss doesn't give much color payoff, but the sheen it gives is amazing! And everyone knows I love my Color Whispers, and Pink Possibilities is probably my favorite color. 

Now my last favorite is probably one of my all-time favorite products even though I've only had it for a few weeks. This is part of the Sephora Disney Collection and it's the Storylook Eyeshadow Palette Volume 3. Yup, I got me the Little Mermaid eyeshadow palette! I was so excited when I got the email saying it was in stock and I rushed to buy it. Shortly after I placed my order, I saw it was permanently discontinued. I got a bit worried seeing that and thought I wouldn't be getting it, but I got the confirmation email that it was sent out, and I squealed a little I was so happy! My fiance was even happy for me because this palette was all I could think about since I heard they were coming out with it.

This little baby is all mine, and I've been loving playing around with it, seeing what looks I can come up with. This palette was basically all I used this past month, aside from a few days where I used different eyeshadows. I might try to use this sparingly as I don't want to use everything up to quickly. Also, these shadows are surprisingly pigmented and they last a long time as long as I use a primer underneath. Ahhhh, I'm so happy I have this!

Well, that's everything! What were some of your favorites for July?

Also, take a look at the blog sale I have going! I still have a good amount of products left!

July 2013 Ipsy Bag

Hi everyone! I feel like it's been a while since I've posted anything on here! My work schedule has been kinda crazy and on days off my fiance and I typically have things to do so I've rarely had time to post. Sorry guys! Anyways, I received my Ipsy bag in the mail a few days ago, and I'm pretty excited for it! This month's theme was Beach Beauty.

The bag everything came in is so adorable! My favorite color is pink and I think this is so cute for travel or just to put a few things in your purse without having them get lost. I also love that we got some skincare goodies too!

The first product I received is the Coola Mineral Sunscreen with SPF 20. I've heard of the Coola brand before but have never tried anything of theirs. I'm a little hesitant to use this only because the SPF is a bit low for my liking. I usually go for at least SPF 30, but I typically use SPF 50. I do like that this is unscented so hopefully it won't irritate my skin.

The next product is the Healthy Sexy Hair Soy Renewal Beach Spray. I'm excited to try this if I go to the beach at all this Summer, or if I go to a friend's house to go swimming. My hair tends to dry out from the chlorine in pools and with this having argan oil in it, I'm hoping it helps with conditioning my hair. I'm definitely taking this with me on my honeymoon too.

Second skincare goody! I get so excited when I can try out new skincare products. This is the derma e Microdermabrasion Scrub. I've never tried any products from this brand before but this looks promising as it's supposed to help diminish the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles and acne scars. I love how this smells too! Kinda like a minty lemon, which is awesome to me and perfect for Summer.

Next up is the POP Beauty Pouty Pop Crayon in the color Coral Crush. This is just another one of those twist up lip crayons everyone's raving about. I've tried the Covergirl ones but not this one. I think this is a UK brand but apparently you can find it at Ulta. I've never seen this brand at my Ulta, but then again I've never really looked for it. 

The swatch of this came out nicely pigmented and it felt nice on my skin. It seems to be pretty moisturizing. I'm not the hugest fan of corals, but this color looks more pink on my skin, which I'm totally fine with. If it's an orange-y coral, I'd probably not use it.

The last product I received is the BH Cosmetics California Collection Eyeshadow Sample. I was actually really excited to get this because I have quite a few BH eyeshadow palettes and I love the quality of them. Their prices are also really good and there are always sales going on the website. I love the colors in this little palette, but wasn't impressed with the swatches...

These barely show up on my skin! Granted, I didn't use a primer underneath these, but still, the other palettes BH has are amazing! I was super disappointed in the purple shade because it looks so dark in the palette. The yellow was the most pigmented and the bronze color is alright, but I'll have to try these on my eyes with a primer to see how they really look. I probably won't get the California palettes. I'll stick with the 88 and 120 color palettes, since those have never disappointed me.

Overall, I'm pretty happy with this bag! I'm really happy to have finally gotten some skincare and I can't wait to try out everything. Ipsy has come such a long way since I've been with them, and I feel it's a good investment for only $10 a month, especially since I've gotten to try products from brands I've never tired before. If you've never tried Ipsy and want to, I'd love it if you used my referral link to sign up! Thanks for reading!

What did you get in your Ipsy bag?