April 2014 Empties!

April wasn't that great empties wise. The few months prior were much better, but I still want to show you what I did end up going through! Lets get to it!

These first items I didn't actually use up, they broke and basically were not usable anymore. The first product that broke is the NYX Mosaic Powder Blush in the color Dare. I received this in an Ipsy bag and to be honest, I didn't really like it. I used it a few times and it just wasn't the right color for me. I was going through my makeup drawers, saw this was busted and didn't really care. I'm glad I could free up some space though!

I had already posted about this from my last Ipsy bag, and this Elizabeth Mott Pop! Goes the Shadow in the color Champagne was sent to me already broken. I did email them and they said they were sending a replacement, but they sent a BH Cosmetics trio THAT I ALREADY HAD! I thought I was getting a replacement of this, but it's whatever. I'm honestly not too happy with Ipsy right now, so we'll see what I get in this month's bag. If I'm not happy again, I'll probably be cancelling and look for something different!

I purchased the LA Splash Cosmetics Illuminating Highlighting Eyeshadow in the color Exposed probably over a year or so ago. I can't remember if I already posted about this, but when I was checking out at Ulta, the girl who was ringing me up accidentally dropped this eyeshadow. I didn't think much of it at first, but when I got home, it was completely shattered. I was kinda upset, but I bought this on clearance for probably $3 or $4, so I still wanted to use it. I actually loved this eyeshadow as an inner corner highlight! It made my eyes look so bright and awake, but I figured it was time to get rid of it because it was fairly messy with it being broken.

I used up a little sample of the Makeup For Ever High Definition Primer. I used this primer on my wedding day and was really happy with my makeup look. I'm not sure what happened, but I didn't like this towards the end of its days. It didn't feel great on my skin and made my foundation look patchy. Definitely won't be purchasing this, ever.

I'm throwing out the Maybelline Mineral Power Powder Foundation in the color Classic Ivory light 2. When I first purchased this, I kinda liked it. It matched my skin and felt like any other mineral foundation I tried. When I went to use it one time, it looked so orange and nasty, I decided it was time to get rid of it. While I did enjoy this, I much prefer the bareMinerals Matte powder foundation. 

I finally used up the On10 lip balm in the Orange scent. I love these lip balms so much and I really wish Sephora would bring them back. I had purchased two sets quite a while ago of these during Christmas, and they're just great. They make my lips feel soft and hydrated, and they smell amazing!

This is a weird empty, but I used up a Super Kelp supplement. The main reason I used this was because I feel like I've had a sluggish thyroid and kelp has one of the highest sources of iodine, which is said to help with thyroid issues. Honestly, I probably have to see a doctor about it because I've been gaining weight like crazy, yet I don't eat alot and I'm pretty active when I'm at work since I'm in retail. That might've been TMI, but hey, it's all good. All in all, I didn't notice any difference while taking this, but before I do see a doctor, I'm going to try some natural remedies first.

I used up my beloved Hemp Hand Protector from The Body Shop. I've talked about this before and it's my favorite hand cream, especially in the Winter. This stuff is amazing if you work retail, in a restaurant, or a hospital/doctors office since you have to wash your hands a ton. This stuff lasts through multiple hand washings and you don't even need alot for it to work. Amazing stuff right here!

Last empty I have is The Body Shop's Spa Wisdom Polynesia Lime & Coconut Shower Gel. I purchased this when it was on clearance because it smelled amazing! That's really the only thing I liked about this shower gel. It had little scrubbing bits in it which did help with some exfoliation, but it didn't seem to clean very well. I love alot of their other shower gels and creams though, so I'll definitely repurchase them sometime in the future!

That's everything I used up! I'm starting to use up alot of little samples I have now, so I hope you guys don't mind if I feature them in these empty posts! What did you use up last month?

Holiday Smokey Eye Tutorial

Hey everyone! Again, I'm so sorry about not posting in a little while. Work is still kicking my butt (yay retail job!) and any day I have off, I just wanna be a bum. Anyways, one of the days I played around with my makeup, I came up with my version of a smokey eye that I think would be nice if you have a holiday party but don't want something over the top. It's nothing fancy but I love how it turned out, so here is my tutorial on it!

All products that were used

The very first thing I did was use my Urban Decay Primer Potion, like always. Then I put the Maybelline Color Tattoo in Bad to the Bronze (middle product pictured) all over my lid and into my crease. I then took a stiffer blending brush to blend out the harsh lines. I've noticed that if I use a regular fluffy blending brush, it doesn't do as good of a job so I gotta use my stiffer one. After blending out the color tattoo, I took the NYX eyeshadow in the color Sensual (last product pictured) and put it on the outer half of my lid and blended into my crease just a bit with my stiff blending brush. Next I used my all time favorite mascara, bareMinerals Flawless Definition Mascara and just put on one coat. If I use more than one, my lashes for some reason don't want to look nice anymore. After all that I decided to make the inner corners of my eyes brighter by using an illuminating highlighting eyeshadow by a brand called LA Splash Cosmetics in the color Exposed. I didn't take the lid off this when I took the picture because when I bought it, the girl ringing me up dropped it on the floor and I didn't realize until I got home, that it totally broke into a million little bits. I still use it though because it's an amazing highlight for the inner corners of the eyes. I just gotta be careful when I take the lid off. I also dusted a tiny bit of this on my browbone. This shadow is incredibly pigmented, so you really only need the tiniest bit. I bought this at Ulta on clearance so I'm not sure if they still carry it. Onto the final look...

There you have it. I really, really like how this turned out. I know alot of you (ok, most of you) will probably say that this isn't a smokey eye because I used no eyeliner. I probably have mentioned before that I don't really like or use eyeliner all that much but like I said in the beginning, this is my version of a smokey eye. Hopefully everyone likes this look!