June 2018 Empties

June was an amazing month with using up products! I feel so proud of myself, and I'm excited to share what I was able to use up last month.

 I'll start off with the few skincare samples I used up. I have 3 packet samples: the Derma E Vitamin C Brightening Clay Mask, The Body Shop Drops of Youth Concentrate, and a Cane + Austin Miracle Pad +. I actually loved all three of these samples! Derma E makes great skincare, you all know I love The Body Shop products, and Cane + Austin is a new to me brand. 

I have 2 deluxes samples of moisturizer/sunscreen. The Peter Thomas Roth Max Sheer All Day Defense Lotion was a bit thick, but it sunk into my skin fine. The Shiseido Ultimate Sun Protection Lotion was not good. I used it 3 times and had to get rid of the rest. It smelled very strongly of perfume and made my skin look ghostly white. 

Next up is some hair and body care. I ended up getting rid of the Rusk Sensories Brilliance Color Protector. I just knew I wasn't going to use it and it's been in my closet for years. 

I finally used up the Arvazallia Restorative Conditioner. I thought this was okay. I used up the shampoo a couple months ago, and wasn't a fan of the duo. It made my hair feel nice for maybe a day, then it was greasy after that. 

I know a lot of people don't care for Pantene products, but I loved the Anti-Breakage Shampoo! It made my hair feel so soft and clean, and I might end up repurchasing at some point. 

I used up a shower cream and body cream duo from Perlier in the White Almond scent. I adore the scent, and of the two, the shower cream was my favorite. 

Next up is some random stuff. I had one wipe left of the Epielle Green Tea Cleansing tissues, but it was all dried up and not usable. 

I wasn't a fan of the L.A. Colors lip balm in the shade Boom. The tint was too much, so I just used it right before bed. 

I decluttered the Sonia Kashuk Radiant Tinted Moisturizer. It's very old and it was time to get rid of it. 

I also ended up getting rid of the Skin Food Cacao Hand Balm. I did not like how this just sat on my skin and didn't really provide much hydration. 

I'm on a quest to use up or get rid of all my candles. Now that I diffuse Young Living essential oils, I find myself not liking candles anymore.

I used up the two hand soaps I had in the kitchen and bathroom: Bath & Body Works Tuscan Vineyard, and Green Goo Lemongrass Zinger. Loved both scents, but once I use up all the handsoaps I have, I'll be making my own. 

Lastly is my daughter's empties! Mountain Falls is Amazon's brand, and their Baby Night-time Bath soap is awesome. It's not very expensive and smells like lavender. The mini Johnson's baby shampoo is what I use to clean my makeup brushes, or clean out my daughter's Nose Frida. The Boudreaux's Butt Paste was alright, but I discovered Young Living's diaper cream, and it's fantastic!

Products used up: 20
Total for the year: 94

Like I had said above, I'm so incredibly happy to have used up this many products. My goal for the year was to use up 150 products, and I just might exceed that! I'm really excited to see how the rest of the year pans out.

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?

June 2015 Empties

Hi everyone! It's been a while again, I know. I'm still not feeling too well and I'm just exhausted, so bear with me for a bit! Today I'm sharing with you all the products I used up last month. Looking at the bag of stuff I had saved, it turned out I used up alot more than I thought, which I'm very happy with!

Starting off with some skincare, I used up The Body Shop Tea Tree Skin Clearing Toner. I love this toner in the Summertime as it really helps to lessen the amount of oil my skin produces. I always have backups of these, but right now I'm using something different that I've really been enjoying. 

I used up the Philosophy Never Let Them See You Shine Cleanser. I can't remember if I talked about this cleanser here on the blog or Instagram, but I ended up not really being a fan of this. It does really eliminate any shine and oil you may have, but it was fairly drying to me. I don't think they even make this anymore, because when I purchased it, it was on major clearance. 

I also finished up the Origins A Perfect World Moisturizer SPF 25. I really, really liked this! I'm pretty sure I mentioned it in a favorites before, but this was just a great moisturizer. It felt nice and hydrating on my skin, but not greasy, and I loved that it had SPF in it, so I didn't have to worry about putting extra on. Not sure if I would repurchase though. I have so many moisturizers in my stash. 

Next up is the Dr. Brandt Microdermabrasion. I thought this was really nice. The scrubbing beads were very fine, but they made my skin super soft and feeling nice. I think this is an expensive product so I probably won't buy the full size. 

I got the Eclos Plant Stem Cells Regenerative Cream in a previous Ipsy bag. I honestly don't even know which one, it's been that long. I thought maybe this was bad, but it smelled fine and wasn't separated, so I used it up. I used it only at night and got about a week's worth of use from it. I liked it, it made my skin feel soft and hydrated, but it's nothing special, if you ask me.

Now for a few makeup-type products. I finally used up the Soap & Glory A Great Kisser lip balm, and boy am I glad to be rid of this! At first I liked it. It smells nice, gives a nice glossy sheen to the lips, and it actually tastes good too. That's where it ends really. I didn't find this to be hydrating, it just sat on my lips without sinking in, and I just got tired of it real quick. I stuck it out and used it up because I hate being wasteful. 

I have finally used up The Body Shop Tea Tree Oil Facial Blotting Tissues. I had this one package for years, honest. Even though I have really oily skin, I could never really be bothered with blotting off extra oil during the day. I made an effort more and am really happy I used this up. 

Now I didn't fully use up the Too Faced Mood Swing lip gloss from the Smurfette Collection. Don't even ask me how old this is, because I have no darn clue! I went to use it, and it was all separated and it smelled funky so in the trash it went. I did like this gloss though as it gave me the prettiest shade of pink to my lips. 

Now for some health-type products! I used up this ginormous bottle of the Crest Pro-Health mouthwash. I was a fan of this, but my husband was saying someone told him this will stain your teeth blue with constant use. I'm not sure if that's true or not, but I had opened another one of these big bottles, so once I use that up, I may switch to something else. The reason I like this is because it's got no alcohol in it, so it doesn't burn my mouth! Mouthwashes like that are hard to find. 

I used up a Bath & Body Works antibacterial hand soap in the scent Berry Sangria, and I loved every second of using this. I had kept this in the kitchen, and it just smells wonderful, like you're sipping on a fruity cocktail, sitting on the beach. I am currently using the foam version of this in my bathroom, and that will probably be in this month's empties. 

I used up a Nature Made Super B-Complex. I had always read that B vitamins are good for boosting energy, but I never noticed anything. I'm starting to really streamline what vitamins I take now, so if I do repurchase this, it won't be for a while. 

I don't always wear my contacts, but when I do, I use Renu Fresh multi-purpose solution to clean them, and soak them overnight. This is the only contact solution that doesn't feel like I stick acid in my eyes when I put my contacts in. I will always and forever repurchase this brand as long as I'm wearing contacts. 

Last few random products! I'm so glad I'm finished the Not Your Mother's Clean Freak Refreshing Dry Shampoo. This did absolutely nothing for my greasy roots, if anything it made it worse. I was close to chucking this multiple times, but like I've said, I hate wasting product. 

I also used up The Body Shop Spa Wisdom Africa Ximenia & Marula Oil Shower Cream. This stuff was amazing! It smelled really nice and clean, and it did its job nicely. I had purchased this ages ago when it was on clearance, and I wish they would bring this back, it was that lovely!

My last used up product is the Udderly Smooth Udder Cream. Now I'm not sure how readily available this product is, but I would purchase these creams out in a little shop in Amish country (aka Lancaster, Pennsylvania). I have also seen them in some Walgreen's near me. I used to be obsessed with this stuff because it was incredible for dry, cracked hands. You could use this anywhere really, but this particular bottle didn't do much for me. I have had it for a while, so maybe it just thinned out over time, but this was my jam years ago!

Phew, that's everything! It's such a great feeling being able to use up all this stuff and get rid of clutter. How much did you use up last month?

June 2015 Favorites

Hello everyone! June was a long month for me, but July definitely seemed to creep up at the same time. Weird, I know. I wasn't in the mood to wear a ton of makeup last month, but I do have some favorites to share with you!

My first favorite is the L'Oreal La Palette Nude 2. I've done a full review of this here, and since using it more, I really love this palette alot! I find it to be a great drugstore palette, and while it's a little on the high-end retailing for $19.99, you can find sales quite frequently, and also Walmart sells it for about $16. I just think this palette is really nice quality and I love these cooler, purple shades.

My next favorite is the Simple Refreshing Facial Wash Gel. I had ran out of my nighttime cleanser and was looking through my stash for something that was gentle, yet helped to get rid of any makeup residue left behind from a makeup wipe/cleansing oil. This cleanser is most definitely my answer to that! It's so incredibly gentle that I can use it on my eyes to help remove mascara, and it doesn't burn one bit. I love how this gel turns into a slightly foamy/milky consistency and it does get rid of every last trace of makeup, dirt and grease. Absolutely love this stuff!

Next up we have the Caudalie Instant Detox Mask, which I reviewed here. In my review I raved about how this has changed my skin, and I still mean that. When I don't use this for a while, my skin starts feeling more rough and textured. This mask totally cleans out my pores, evens out my skin, and gives me such a nice glow. It is a bit pricey, but it's worth every penny!

My last favorite is the e.l.f Therapeutic Conditioning Balm in the scent Orange Cream. I just checked their website, and they do still carry this lip balm but it's under a different name, and it looks like they no longer have this scent. That's such a shame because I've been obsessed with slathering this stuff all over my lips at night before bed. I do find this to be hydrating, but it doesn't last very long on my lips. I also tend to go through this pretty quick as there isn't a whole lot in the tube. I just started using it about a week and a half ago, and I already see myself using it up in the next couple weeks, if that. It's only $1, so it's not that big of a deal. 

That's everything! Might not be too exciting, but like I said, I haven't been in the mood to wear much makeup, plus I haven't been feeling well. Hopefully July is better! 

*Remember I still have my Summer Blog Sale going on!*

What were some products you were loving in June?

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June 2015 Ipsy Bag

Hi guys! I finally have received my Ipsy bag this month, after realizing how late it was getting. At first I wasn't really paying attention because alot is going on at the moment, but then others were posting what they got in their bags. I received mine yesterday, which is fairly late for me, but at least it didn't get lost in transit! Anyways, lets see what I got this month, as I have mixed feelings about it.

The theme this month is called Swim into Beauty, so to me that means these products will be waterproof/good for Summertime use when everyone sweats more. I really actually like the bag everything came in. It's really soft and has a waterproof feel to it. It's got a bright neon orange zipper, which I could do without since I'm not the biggest fan of orange. I see myself carrying this around with me if I ever go swimming or for travel. 

The first product I got is a trio of BioRepublic Skincare Sheet Masks in the scents Green Tea Detox, Cucumber Breeze, and Aloe Rescue. I haven't had luck with sheet masks in the past, but I will try these and see how they are. I'm trying to revamp my skincare and be more aware of the ingredients in products I'm using, and these seem to pass my test. 

The next product is the Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer. I've gotten a ton of these samples before, and I can't quite remember if I ever got one in an Ipsy bag. Ipsy promises to give you new products with each bag without any repeats, but if this one is a repeat for me, it's ok because I can always use a good primer. 

Next up is the J. Cat beauty Liptitude Hydrating Lip Stain, and I have no idea what the shade name is because the two colors they sent out look so similar, and the name is nowhere on the packaging. In any case, it's a pretty color and smells minty, which I do enjoy. 

The next product is the Ofra Eyeliner in the shade Turquoise. This is a pretty color but when I was swatching it, it felt pretty dry so I'm not sure if I will get use out of it. 

The last product I got is the tre'StiQue Mini Shadow Crayon in the shade Kona Coffee. This is a gorgeous dark brown color and it swatches beautifully. I'm pretty excited to use this as a base underneath different eyeshadows. 

Swatches of lip stain, eyeliner and eyeshadow crayon

That's everything this month! Overall, I do have mixed feeling about this bag. I like the eye crayon, lip stain shade, and the Smashbox primer, but I'm waiting for that one bag where I absolutely love everything!

If you want to subscribe to Ipsy, feel free to use my referral link here. You get a cute bag with 4-5 deluxe sized samples, sometimes full size, for only $10 a month, plus shipping for some.

If you're already subscribed, what did you get this month?

June 2014 Empties

Hey guys! It's time for one of my favorite posts, empties! I love reading these and watching YouTube videos of products that have been used up. I may be weird, but it's incredibly satisfying using up products. I didn't use up quite as much as I have in the past few months, but here is what I did use up!

 Starting with haircare, the first product I used up is the Organix Nourishing Coconut Milk Shampoo. I always go through shampoo way faster than conditioner, so that's still in my shower! I absolutely loved this shampoo! I featured this and the conditioner back in a favorites post here and basically I just think this is amazing. It made my hair feel soft and fluffy, and took ages to go through since the bottle is so huge.

Next up we have the Rusk Sensories Full Green Tea and Alfalfa Shampoo. My husband was the main person using this, but I used it every once in a while. It was nice, smelled good too, but wasn't amazing. It's one of those shampoos that doesn't lather much, so I felt like I had to use more to make my hair feel clean. 

Last product for hair is the best dry shampoo to ever exist, Batiste Dry Shampoo in the Tropical scent. I've had these in multiple empties posts and my original review of it is here. The post is over a year old, but I still get views on it! 

Now for some healthcare stuff! I used up a Crest Complete Toothpaste in the Wintergreen flavor. Honestly, I didn't care for this much. It did its job, but I have really sensitive teeth so I have to use a sensitive toothpaste, which this one is not. I think I only bought it because it was inexpensive and I wanted to try something different.

Then we have some vitamins from Nature Made. Nature Made vitamins are my favorite brand for some reason. Their prices are reasonable, and drugstores usually have deals for buy 1, get 1 free and they also have multiple coupons available. I recently stocked up at Walgreens and paid just under $20 for 4 bottles of vitamins. They'll last me a while too. Anyways, I used up a Super B-Complex which is supposed to help with energy and D3 which is good for people who don't get much sun (I'm practically a vampire). 

 Lastly is skincare. I used up the L'Occitane Moisturizing Lip Balm. This has to be one of the best lip balms ever! I looked it up on Sephora recently and at first I couldn't find it, but it looks like they changed the packaging to a squeeze tube. Anyways, this stuff is really hydrating and it doesn't leave a slick look to the lips, it's mainly matte, which makes for a great base under lipsticks and pigmented glosses.

Next up we have the Murad Soothing Gel Cleanser. Honestly, I wasn't much of a fan of this. It cleaned alright but I just didn't like it. Won't be repurchasing!

The Body Shop's Tea Tree Skin Clearing Toner is a Godsend for my super oily skin in the Summer! This is a bottle I had leftover from the end of last Summer or beginning of Fall. It's way too harsh in the colder months, but I absolutely love using this in the morning to get rid of any excess oils from the night before. 

Next is another Murad product and it's the Essential-C Eye Cream with SPF 15. This stuff was great! It's just a tiny sample size I had but it lasted me a good 3 weeks or so. The full size of this costs a whopping $69 but I feel it may be worth it. It left my eye area feeling hydrated but not oily, and I suffer from greasy eyelids too! Murad, why you be so expensive?! 

Last product I used up is the infamous Glamglow Youthmud Tinglexfoliate Treatment. I have a review of this here and basically I think it's not worth the hype. Some people love it, and that's all fine and dandy, but I won't waste my money on this again. I'll use up the other small jar and little sample tube I have though, but I won't repurchase!

That's everything I used up! Hopefully next month we have some makeup since it's been a while! What did you use up last month?

June 2014 Favorites

Hey everyone! This past month wasn't too exciting product wise. I was pretty sick for most of June and I think I mentioned in my last post or the one before that I was doing physical therapy for my back. I'm still in physical therapy and I'm still trying to get over what I was sick with. Fun times, man! Anyways, there were a few products that did stand out this past month, so here they are!

 My first favorite is the Clarisonic Skincare Gentle Hydro Cleanser. This came in a kit when I got my Clarisonic for my 21st birthday. It's been hanging in my stash for a while but it works great! This cleanser says it's good for all skin types and sensitive skin. It's a very creamy cleanser, but doesn't make my skin feel more oily, if anything it's helping to balance it out. I use this at night and a few times a week I'll use it along with my Clarisonic. I love how it makes my skin feel and it takes makeup off amazingly well. Buying it on its own costs $25, which to me is a bit pricey for what it is. 

My next favorite is the Ole Henriksen Walnut Complexion Scrub. This scrub is fantastic! It smells so fresh and clean, but the scrubbing action is where it's at! It has the perfect amount of scrub to where it feels like it's doing something and it makes my skin look happy and glowing. This is a little 1 ounce container that came in a skincare sampler kit, and I'm seriously considering buying the full size of this, I love it so much! The full size product is 1.7 ounces and costs $24. 

Next up we have the Nars Blush in the infamous Orgasm shade. Everyone and their dog has either talked about or seen this product before so I won't go into how wonderful it is. I love it on my fair skin and it was pretty much the only blush I used all month when I wore makeup.

My last favorite is the Urban Decay Naked 3 Palette. I kinda stopped using this when I was going through all my makeup trying to use up different products. I fell back in love with this and the Naked 2 (which I can't find right now!) when I was doing my makeup one day, and used this for most of the month. 

What products did you love in June?

June 2014 Ipsy Bag

Hey guys! A few days ago I received my Ipsy bag in the mail, and I was really flipping excited for this month because I always look in my glam room before I actually get the bag in the mail. I'm probably weird to spoil what should be a surprise, but I just like to see what I'm getting beforehand. Anyways, onto the bag and goodies!

So apparently the bag was designed by Rebecca Minkoff, and I really actually like this bag! It's cute and Summery and I can see myself carrying this around with me. I'll be honest though, I don't really care if something is "designer" or not, but this is a pretty bag! Onto the products!

The first product I received is the Marc Anthony Dream Waves Beach Spray. I could honestly do without this because I don't do much with my hair, I just put it into a ponytail basically everyday. I haven't tried it, but the only thing I like so far is the smell. Holy coconuts does this smell delicious! Reminds me of The Body Shop's coconut body butter. LOVE!

Next up we have the Ole Henriksen Truth To Go Wipes. I was so ecstatic to get these because I've always wanted to try them. If I'm not mistaken, Fleur from FleurdeForce on YouTube raves about these. If she likes them, then I probably will too!

Then we have another awesome product, a NYX Butter Gloss in the color Eclair. I already have 5 of these babies and I prayed that I didn't get one I already had. Luckily I don't have this particular one, and I'm thrilled to add another to my collection! These glosses are fabulous and I want pretty much every color they have.

Be a Bombshell is starting to get annoying for me. I've received plenty of their products in past Ipsy bags, but I'm a mascara hoarder lover, so it doesn't hurt to try out another, right? I will say though, the smell is pretty pungent, like plastic overload. Kinda turns me off, but I'll save it for when I feel like trying it out. 

The last product I received is the Jesse's Girl Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner. I can't tell you how excited I am to try this! I've seen this given out in other bags before, but I was never lucky enough to get one, until now. I can't wait to try this out, it seems really black and also easy to use.

Swatch of NXY gloss and Jesse's Girl eyeliner

Well that's everything I got this month! Ipsy has totally redeemed itself for me this time, and unless the next few bags really are terrible, I'm staying subscribed for quite a while! 

If you want to receive awesome products like this every month, sign up here! It's only $10 a month, plus shipping for some.

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

June 2013 Empties!

June was an awesome month in using up products! I'm really happy with what I used up and I finally feel like I'm making a dent in my stash. I also wanted to mention that I'm doing another spending ban as of July 1st. It's going to be another 3 month long ban, and I feel like I can do it, especially since I did so well on my last one. Anyways, let me show you what I used up!

I'm incredibly happy I was able to use up a bunch of skincare products! I used up The Body Shop Tea Tree Skin Clearing Toner. I know I've talked about this toner before, but it's amazing to use in the Summer because it really helps to control my oily skin. I used this in the morning after my cleanser.

I used up a toner that I used at night after cleansing, and it's the Clinique Mild Clarifying Lotion. I prefer this toner to one of the 3 step system toners because this one doesn't have alcohol in it. I used the Clinique 3 step skincare program before and the toner I got burned my face so bad because of the alcohol in it. This toner is very gentle and made my skin feel clean and soft.

I also used up another product from The Body Shop and it's the Tea Tree Skin Clearing Lotion. I used this in the morning and it helped my skin stay matte and soft, but didn't dry it out either.

I used up one of the Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry Touch Sunblocks with SPF 55. I won't ramble about this as I've mentioned it a ton but it's definitely my favorite sunblock of all time. 

The Body Shop has gotten a bunch of love from me this past month and I used up the Seaweed Ionic Clay Mask, finally. I did a full review of it here, and I'm not quite sure why, but it's the most viewed post I have on my blog. This isn't the best mask on the planet, so if you're interested in it, read my review of it. 

The final product I used up from The Body Shop is the Tea Tree Oil Blemish Fade Night Lotion. Honestly, this is nothing special. It's a fairly basic moisture that definitely has that tea tree oil smell and I don't think it helps much with blemishes.

Now I'm not too sure if you guys care about replacement brush heads for the Clarisonic but I'm throwing out the Delicate Brush Head that I've been using for I don't know how long. I know you're supposed to replace them every 3 months if used daily, but there was a time when I didn't use my Clarisonic for like a month, so that's why I don't replace the heads that often. I use my Clarisonic only when I wear a full face of makeup during the day, which is rare. I'm currently using the Deep Pore Brush, but you might not see that in an empties post for a long while.

Now for makeup empties! I'm throwing out the container to the ELF Daily Brush Cleaner, but technically it's not used up. I actually had to pour this cleaner into the Sephora Daily Brush Cleaner because the nozzle on this just did not work. I can't remember if I mentioned that I used up the Sephora Cleaner or not, but I used that up and poured the ELF cleaner in that container. 

I finally used up the Neutrogena Oil-Free Eye Makeup Remover. This got my eye makeup off pretty well, but my all-time favorite is the Lancome Bi-Facil. It's so flipping expensive, which is why I purchased this. I was hoping it would be comparable to the Lancome, and it kinda was. It's the same concept where it's a dual-phase liquid that you have to shake the bottle before you use it. I just think the Lancome one is better.

I also used up the Urban Decay De-Slick Makeup Setting Spray. I think this is alright. I just have insanely oily skin and it's been tough finding products to keep my face looking matte. I have repurchased this though as a backup once my Kat Von D setting spray is gone.

This product isn't old, it's just terrible. It's the Maybelline The Falsies Flared Mascara. I can't even begin to say how much I hate this mascara. I tried using this for as long as I could, but it kept making my lashes clump together, I never got an even application, and it flaked like crazy on me. I'll never repurchase this atrocity! 

The final makeup product I used up is by a brand called Love & Beauty and it's a Minty Lip Gloss. Now I had to do some research on this because I actually got this from a co-worker, and it looks like it's a Forever21 brand. I don't own any makeup from Forever21 but I kinda liked this lip gloss. It tasted really good and it was a nice color. It also wasn't sticky at all which is pretty awesome.

Here's the final mish-mash of products I used up. I finished off the Herbal Essences Dangerously Straight Shampoo for my fiance There was maybe only a quarter of the bottle left and he didn't want to use it up so I used it up for him! I'm in love with how good Herbal Essences Shampoos and Conditioners smell, and I'll probably end up buying some after I use up more of my stash.

I used up the Bath & Body Works Pink Sugarplum Shower Gel. I love how this smells but I think I may be allergic to this. It kinda made my skin itchy and I couldn't wait to put on moisturizer once I got out of the shower to calm it down. I've used other BBW shower gels and haven't had that happen to me, so I'm not sure why I had a reaction to this.

I also used up another Bath & Body Works product and it's the Fresh Picked Tangerines Antibacterial Moisturizing Hand Soap. I loved this stuff but it took me ages to use up. I promise you guys, I wash my hands on a regular basis, but this stuff lasted forever. 

I used up the Colgate Optic White Toothpaste I received in an Influenster VoxBox. I like this toothpaste, but the mouthwash to this is terrible. I feel like I'm foaming at the mouth using it and it burns like hell. The toothpaste didn't do that, fortunately. I won't repurchase this though as there are way better toothpastes out there.

The final product I used up is the Similasan Allergy Eye Relief Eye Drops. I know I've talked about this before, but this is my favorite brand for eye drops and I'll never purchase another brand. 

That's everything I used up! Not to bad, huh?

What did you guys use up in June?

June 2013 Favorites!

Hi guys! I know last month I was slacking a bit in the beauty posts with the blogging challenge I was doing, and I'm sorry for that. There is a challenge for July, but I won't be taking part. I want to focus more on beauty related posts, as this is what this blog is all about! Anyways, since it's now July, that means it's time for my monthly favorites, so lets get into it!

Starting with non-makeup related products, I've been loving the Queen Helene Mint Julep Masque. This is such an amazing mask for clearing up any breakouts I've been having and It's been amazing for controlling the oiliness of my skin. With Summer now in full swing, I'm a big oil slick and this is helping wonders!

I found a tube of this Neutrogena Clear Face Sunscreen with SPF 55 hiding with all my other sunblock. I know I've mentioned a bazillion times how much I love the Dry Touch sunblock, but I wanted to use something different for once. I'm actually really impressed with this! It's so light and blends in incredibly well, and like the front of the bottle says, it doesn't cause any breakouts. At least not yet. I've only been using this for about 3 weeks, but so far, so good!

My next favorite is the Rimmel Lash Accelerator Serum. I've heard so many different reviews on this, and I'm really surprised with how much I like it! I haven't noticed too much growth with my lashes to be honest, but I have noticed that they're much stronger and when I remove my eye makeup at night, my lashes don't seem to fall out as much as they used to before I started using this. That's good enough for me, but I'll see if it helps with growth as I use it more.

Now onto the makeup goodies! I came across these NYX Love in Paris eyeshadow palettes from a Youtuber, so I wanted to look into them. I went on the Ulta website and NYX was on sale, buy 1, get one 50% off, so the first one was $9.99 and the second one was $5. The palette on the left is called Parisian Chic and the one on the right is called C'est La Vie. I love these eyeshadows! They're pigmented and they're a great price for what you're getting.

My next favorite is the Real Techniques Buffing Brush. With the same Ulta order, Real Techniques was also buy 1, get one 50% off so I decided to buy two sets and this particular brush is in the Core Collection. This brush is amazing with my bareMinerals powder foundation. I have tried it with liquid foundation and don't like it as much. I prefer the Expert Face Brush for liquid.

My last favorite is the Be a Bombshell Liquid eyeliner pen. This came in an Ipsy bag, but I can't remember which one, sorry! I've been trying to get better at doing eyeliner, especially doing the cat eye look with a little wing, and this has helped me immensely! I still think I suck at doing eyeliner, but this product is definitely helping me get better at it. 

Those are my favorites for June! I hope everyone liked this post and if you want to see a review on anything, let me know!

What are your June favorites?

June 2013 Ipsy Bag

Hey guys! I'm finally able to throw in a beauty related post in the midst of the 30 day blogging challenge I'm participating in! I'll be showing you what I received in this month's Ipsy bag. I'll say now, I feel a bit meh about it.

This month's theme was On The Wild Side, and I think the bag itself is so adorable! I'm usually not a fan of the neon highlighter yellow color, but it fits with the animal print design. Onto the products!

First off, sorry about the weird lighting. It's been gloomy and raining all day and I couldn't get good pictures to save my life. Anyways, the first product I received was the J.Cat Beauty Sparkling Cream Palette. I'll say right now that I'm about 99.9% sure that this will not be used. To me this is something a little kid would play with. Not a fan.

The next product I received is the NYX Mosaic Blush in the color Dare. I was really hoping for one of their regular blushes honestly. I'm glad I didn't get a cream one as it would just slide off my face. I'm still going to try it and see how I like it. I'm just worried that the darker colors will look muddy on me.

Next, I received the Chella Ivory Lace Highlighter Pencil. I wasn't really sure what I'd use this for, but I was reading other people's reviews and got some ideas for highlighting the inner corners of my eyes and maybe using it on my waterline. Hopefully it won't smudge!

The next product is from Cailyn Cosmetics and it's their Line-Fix Gel Eyeliner with a built-in brush. The brush is absolutely useless. I tried this out on Sunday when it was my fiance's and my anniversary and I love the purple color I received, but the brush, holy cow does it suck! Now I've mentioned before that I'm not a pro with gel eyeliner, but the brush didn't create an even line and it looked very patchy. I didn't want to fuss with doing it over again, so I tried my best in fixing it. Next time I'll try the eyeliner brush from Sephora I like to use when using gel eyeliner. 

The last product I received is a Starlooks Lip Pencil in the color Bare. I'm not too happy with this product, as I don't use lip liners. It looks like dirt when I swatched it too, but oh well. I'll see if I can use this as something other than lip liner. 

Like I said, I feel meh about this bag. I'm not super unimpressed, but I do hope next month's bag is better. I really like though how Ipsy is trying to tailor bags by the individual person receiving it. It makes it seem more personal. And honestly, for $10 a month, plus tax for some, you really can't beat it. If you're interested in trying Ipsy, here's a referral link to get started! 

If you're subscribed to Ipsy, did you like your bag this month?