November & December 2017 Empties

I'm a little late with is post (life happened), but it's time to share all of the used up products I have from the last two months of the year, and go over the total products for the entire year.

I'll start off with skincare. I tried a deluxe size of the Dr. Brandt Microdermabrasion Body Exfoliating Cream, and was not very impressed. It didn't really do much for me and I don't think it's worth the money. 

The Boscia Detoxifying Black Cleanser was amazing! I think I already have a full size in my stash but I'm trying to focus on my foil and deluxe samples this year before I bust into my full size stash.

I have a whole box full of the Dickinson's Oil Controlling Towelettes, but am using them sparingly for now. My skin is less oily in the colder months so I need more hydration. I really like these towelettes though, and they do seem to keep my oils under control.

I'm not usually a fan of Lancome skincare due to all the fragrance in them, but the Bienfait Multi-Vital High Potency Daily Moisturizing Cream was pretty awesome! It felt nice on my skin, didn't make it feel overly oily, and I appreciated the SPF of 30 it has. 

I've had this deluxe sample of the REN Active 7 Radiant Eye Maintenance Gel for a while, and I surprisingly really enjoyed using it, despite having a drier under eye during Winter. I feel like this gave me a nice amount of hydration, and would definitely be perfect for Summer time use as well. 

Now we have a couple body and lip products. You all know I love the Philosophy shower gels, and the Candy Cane scent is no exception. I still have quite a few in my stash, but they are pretty expensive. I will probably use up the ones I have left and start using less expensive products. 

I've always loved Aveeno products, but haven't used any in a while. I had a nice sample of their regular Daily Moisturizing Lotion, and remembered how much I used to adore this stuff. It's light, yet moisturizing, and is fragrance free.

Finally I have some lip balms used up! I don't like the Chapstick brand much, but I had gotten this in a gift bag from when my daughter was in the NICU, so I didn't want it to go to waste. The Korres lip butters are a product I'm not sure about. People rave about these, and some days I loved it, but others I felt like I needed more hydration. I have one or two more to use up, but I won't repurchase any. 

For some hair care minis, I have the Herbal Essences Hello Hydration shampoo and conditioner that I had gotten when my daughter was in the hospital getting surgery, and I finally got them used up in December. They were alright, nothing too special, but the scent was really nice.

My daughter has a couple empties as well, the Little Remedies Saline Spray, and the Johnson's Baby Lotion. The saline spray is something I use quite often as she gets congested a lot and I'm constantly using the Nose Frieda on her. I'm not the biggest fan of the Johnson's brand, but we have so much that was given to us, so I'm using up what we have before I buy something else for her. 

A few random things I used up are the Crest Pro-Health mouthwash, the Bath & Body Works hand soap in Sparkling Pink Champagne and candle in Salted Caramel, and the Starlooks eyeliner was completely dried out and unusable. I love the Crest mouthwash because it is alcohol free and doesn't burn my mouth, and the candle smelled AMAZING! I never got the use the eyeliner, and I'm using up all the B&BW handsoaps I have but will repurchase less expensive hand soaps.

These products are declutters. I was not a fan of the Sun Si'belle Tinted Sunscreen or the Oz Naturals Age Defying Solar Shield. The tinted sunscreen is too dark and the Oz Naturals was too greasy. I've also had them for a while, so the SPF is probably expired by now anyway. 

If there was ever a shampoo and conditioner I hated, it's the Organix Ever Straight Brazilian Keratin Therapy shampoo and conditioner. These were just awful! The shampoo never made my hair feel clean, and the conditioner made my hair more tangled. I used this duo maybe 3 different times and couldn't make it work. Just stay away from this stuff!

Number of products used up: 22
Total used up for the year: 92

For all of 2017, I used up a total of 92 products. Last year was a rough one with my daughter being born 10 weeks early in October 2016, then going through open heart surgery in March 2017. Not an excuse of course, but I just did not care about taking care of myself, and wanted to focus on getting and keeping her healthy and safe. I want 2018 to be different, and I really want to make more of an effort in using up what I have, especially makeup. I'm in the process of reorganizing my entire beauty stash (which can take a while with an almost 15 month old), so I hope I can get a better idea of just how much product I have. This year, I do want to focus a lot more on using up all the deluxe and foil packet samples I have. My goal for this year is to use up 150 products. 

Did you keep track of how many products you used up in 2017?

October 2017 Empties

I know I recently posted my empties for August and September, and I was thinking of waiting another month, but October was a great month with using up products! I don't think I've used up this many products in one month for quite a while. Since I have a good amount of products to share, I'll be combining November and December empties, even if it's a long post. So, without further ado, let's see what I used up!

Starting off with some skincare, I used up the AzureNaturals Ultimate Vitamin C Toner. I had a few skincare products sent to me from this brand, and they're not awful, but they're not great either. I wouldn't go out of my way to purchase anything myself. 

I've been working my way through the InstaNatural Youth Express Vitamin C Moisturizer for so long, I was getting so tired of using it! It's a decent moisturizer, but after using it all up, I feel like it just sits on my skin and doesn't sink in. 

I tend to shy away from Lancome skincare, mainly because it's so expensive, but their products are typically heavily fragranced. However, the Genifique Youth Activating Concentrate was lovely! There was little scent to it, and it really made my skin feel so soft and look brighter. Would I buy a full size? Eh, I don't know. I feel like there are better serums at a lower price, but this one is very nice regardless. 

Ole Henriksen makes some AMAZING skincare! I had a deluxe sample of their Sheer Transformation moisturizer, and I fell in love after the first application. I seriously think this may be in my top favorite moisturizers, that's now much I love it! I'm pretty certain I have a full size in my skincare stash, but I want to use a few more deluxe samples first before I open it. 

For haircare, I used up the Tresemme Platinum Strength Shampoo. The conditioner was in my previous empties, as my husband had used it a few times. I typically go through shampoos faster than conditioners, but I'm happy to have both used up now. They've been in my shower for way too long. There was nothing too special about this shampoo. It got the job done and is pretty inexpensive as well. 

I had purchased the Infusium 23 Color Defender Conditioner years ago after coloring my hair and wanting something different. I no longer color my hair, but wanted to still use this up. It made my hair super soft, but has a heavy fragrance. I got it from Big Lots for just a few dollars, so I have no clue if they even make this product anymore.  

Two body products I used up were The Body Shop Almond Shower Gel and the Philosophy Pomegranate Bubbly Exfoliating Shower Gel. You all know I'm obsessed with anything from The Body Shop, and the Almond Shower Gel was no exception. I also love Philosophy shower products, but this scrub was weird. The granules were too harsh and I wasn't a fan of the smell. 

I've used up more Bath & Body Works products! The Warm Vanilla Sugar Deep Cleansing Hand Soap, Vermont Sugar Maple Foaming Hand Soap, and the Vanilla Buttercream Hand Cream were all great! I love sweet scented hand products, and even my husband enjoyed the Vermont Maple Sugar soap. I've just realized how expensive all B&BW products are, even with a sale, so I'm slowly going through all products I have of theirs, and will likely not be buying anything else. 

 Lastly, I have a couple random products, and one of Olivia's. I don't understand why it takes me so long to go through mouthwash, but the Listerine Total Care Zero took me insanely long to go through. Possibly a year or more! Even though this has no alcohol in it, I still feel like it burned my mouth, but maybe I'm just sensitive. 

Call me gross, but I don't wear deodorant everyday. I'm home with my daughter, so I only ever wear it if we go out for errands, or have her physical/occupational therapists and family over. I really enjoyed the Dove Dry Spray Antiperspirant. It smells really nice, and the spray nozzle is pretty great as well. I think I got this in a previous Influenster box, but I may purchase myself in the future. 

The last product that was used up was the Johnson's Baby Head-to-Toe Wash. This was of course what I used for Olivia during baths, and it's just ok. We got so many different products for her and still have tons to use up still before we need to buy anything ourselves. I will likely switch to something else once we run out of everything else we have

Number of products used up: 14
Total used up for the year: 70

I'm honestly so proud of myself right now! I've been struggling using up products ever since my daughter was born, but I finally feel like I'm making progress. I had made a new goal of using up 75 products total for the year, and I can't believe I'm 5 away! I won't make a new goal now, as there is only 2 more months of the year, but I hope to make some good progress. I hope to use up a lot more or deluxe samples I have, as well as foil packet samples. I also need to really make an effort with using up makeup, since I have way too much for any normal person to go through! 

What are some products you've used up recently? 

Easy, Everyday Makeup Routine

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Hey guys! This post was meant to go up yesterday, but you know, life happens sometimes. Anyway, I'm getting into the habit of doing my makeup more often. Since becoming pregnant, I honestly didn't care one bit about makeup and didn't wear any for the longest time. I wanted to start wearing it again just to help feel more confident, even though I feel like a bloated whale. I have a pretty easy, go-to look when I don't want to really think about what I'm doing, and I wanted to share it with you. 

I usually start off with my eyes, so these are the products I used:

- Maybelline Color Tattoo in Bad to the Bronze
- Urban Decay Naked2 Basics
- Lancome Color Design Sensational Effects Eye Shadow (these are usually in a gift with purchase set)
- Urban Decay 24/7 Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner in Perversion
- Urban Decay Perversion Mascara
- Urban Decay Supercurl Mascara

For the face, I went very light since it's so incredibly hot here lately:

- Sonia Kashuk Radiant Tinted Moisturizer in Fair
- Rimmel Match perfection Concealer in Fair

Lips:

- Sephora Ultra Shine Lip Gloss in Pin Up Pink

I'm super happy with this look, and yes, there is no blush pictured, because I really didn't think I needed it! One of the perks of pregnancy is the supposed "glow" everyone says you get. I never really noticed a glow until very recently, but I'm not complaining! I also do switch out brands and whatnot, but usually keep the look about the same. I'm a neutral girl to a fault, and I really need to step out of my comfort zone more!

What do you use in your everyday makeup routine?

Ulta & Sephora VIB Sale HAUL!

Hey guys! I'm so sorry I've been MIA for a few days! I haven't been feeling so great lately and really just needed to rest. Today, I have a haul to share with you of some products I've picked up within the last few weeks or so. I haven't really done much beauty shopping lately because I am trying to use up what I already have, but I wanted to treat myself a little bit!

First up is Ulta. I had placed an online order during their 21 Days of Beauty, where I picked up the Philosophy Purity Made Simple Wipes and the Too Faced Sweethearts Perfect Flush Blush in the shade Something About Berry. Each of those products were 50% off, and since I'm a Platinum member, I also received free shipping, as well as a good amount of points because Philosophy was 5X the points during that time! I've used the Philosophy wipes before and remember liking them, but I can't remember if I was wowed by them. They were only $7.50, so no real loss if I end up not liking them much. I had also been wanting to try one of the Too Faced Sweethearts blushes, but always thought they were a bit too expensive. They were only $15 at the 50% off sale price, so I ran with it. I have yet to try it, but will report back with a review!

I had gone into my local Ulta after not being in that store since October of 2015, because I had a 20% off coupon for Platinum members sent to me. I wanted to check out some skincare, so off to the store I went. I've really enjoyed being sent a bunch of goodies from Pur Cosmetics before, so I wanted to look into their skincare to see if I liked any of it. I picked up their In The Clear Clarifying Cleanser and the Soak It Up Intense Hydrating Moisturizer. A rep from the brand was there, so she was testing out a bunch of things on me to help me with my choices. The cleanser seems like it'll be great for use in the Summer as it's very cooling, and the moisturizer seems nice and light feeling, but still very hydrating at the same time.

I've heard so many amazing things about the Nip + Fab Glycolic Fix Daily Cleansing Pads, and have been very curious to try them myself. Unfortunately, I didn't look at the ingredients while in-store, and there's denatured alcohol in them. I'm trying to stay away from products that contain alcohol, and now for personal reasons (which I might mention later), I'm also staying away from Glycolic Acid. I will be returning this since I have yet to break the seal and open it. 

I really didn't have plans to buy anything from the Sephora VIB sale. In all honesty, I haven't shopped at Sephora, online or in-store, since the middle of December! Like I said above, I'm really trying to limit my purchases this year to buying mainly what I need, not just what I want. So, I limited myself to the NARS Pencil Sharpener, because the sharpeners I have just didn't cut it anymore, and the beautyblender Two.BB.Clean that comes with two regular sized original Beauty Blenders, as well as a 5 ounce Liquid Blender Cleanser. You all know my love for the Beauty Blender and I just adore their Liquid Cleanser as well, so for $40 minus the 15% discount, you really couldn't beat that. 

I finally had a reason to redeem some of my points, so I redeemed 100 points on the Lancome Bi-Facil Eye Makeup Remover, which is my all-time favorite, but it's freaking expensive. They also had a pretty great 500 point gift of Ole Henriksen products called Glow For it, which includes deluxe sizes of their African Red Tea Cleanser, Truth Sugar Glow Polishing Mask, Truth Collagen Booster (LOVE!), and Pure Truth Youth Activating Oil. I've been really into Ole Henriksen products lately, and this kit definitely seemed worth the 500 points. 

Did you buy anything from the Sephora VIB sale?

Ulta HAUL! Revlon, Makeup Revolution, Lancome & More!

Hey guys! So, I made a promise to myself that I would go on a no-buy at the start of 2016. I wanted to go three months without buying a single beauty product. Aside from buying shampoo that my husband and I ran out of, and my Ipsy bags that I get every month, I hadn't bought myself anything beauty related since December 26th, 2015. I was incredibly proud of myself for going a whopping 72 days without buying anything! On day 73 however (March 8th), I was tempted by an email I had gotten from Ulta a couple days prior saying that Platinum members received 3X the points, as well as free shipping on every order. Since I'm a cheapskate lately, I decided to place a few separate orders to be able to utilize the $3.50 off of $10 coupon code, and get the most bang for my buck. I spent much less than I thought I would, because a few things were out of stock that I originally wanted. Now that I've rambled enough, here are the products I purchased!

Makeup Revolution is one of those UK brands that I always hear pretty decent things about. My local Ulta doesn't carry the brand, but they have them online. I wanted to try out one of their eyeshadow palettes because they're only $10 ($6.50 with the coupon!), and all of the ones I saw online were really pretty, so it was a tough decision. I decided to go with the Run Boy Run palette as it seemed the most wearable to me. It definitely has more of a Fall vibe to it, but I love the color selection, and I also appreciate that the very bottom row is all matte shades. 

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think the Catrice brand is from Germany. I always heard Tati of Glam Life Guru on YouTube talk about how much she loved this brand, and when they were finally available at Ulta, I wanted to try something. The line is very inexpensive, and I picked up the Prime and Fine Smoothing Refiner and the Liquid Metal Eyeshadow in What Do You Sea? I was a littler nervous to buy the eyeshadow because alot of people who bought them online, received them broken. Luckily, mine was spared, and I cannot wait to try it out! I didn't really need another face primer, but anything that says it will help smooth pores, I'm all about that life. 

I've heard many different things about the newer L'Oreal Colour Riche Eyeshadow singles. Some people have loved them, others not so much. They're super inexpensive, and they were buy 2, get 1 free (I was also able to use the $3.50 off coupon!), so I figured it wasn't a huge hit to my wallet if I didn't like them. I picked up the shades 208 Violet Beaute, 203 Cafe Au Lait, and 204 Quartz Fume. Cafe Au Lait looks like the perfect matte transition shade, and I think Violet Beaute is a stunning deep purple with little flecks of shimmer. 

The last few bits are lippies! Revlon was also buy 2, get one free and I had been really wanting to try their Ultra HD Matte Lipcolors. There are people who say that these don't completely dry down matte, but honestly, I'm cool with that because I don't want my lips to dry out real bad the way other matte liquid lip products cause. I decided on the shades Addiction, Obsession, and Devotion. I can't wait to try out Obsession for the Spring/Summer! Devotion seems like a great everyday color and Addiction seems like a beautiful berry shade for Fall. 

The last lip product I got is from Lancome and it's their Color Design Matte Lip Crayon in the shade 320 Partner in Crime. I didn't plan on purchasing a high-end product, but any Lancome purchase was 5X the points. So on top of the 3X the points for Platinum members, this product alone gave me nearly 175 points. I couldn't say no to that, so in my shopping cart it went. I adore the beautiful fuchsia color this is, and I think it'll be great for Summer. 

Overall, I'm very happy with what I purchased! I ended up gaining a ton of points from everything, and I'm hoarding those for something special I want to buy later on. I know I keep saying it, but I'm very proud of myself that I didn't spend nearly as much as I thought I was going to. I'm going to continue trying to not buy as many products as I have in the past, as I'm trying to really just declutter my life and use up what I have, and that includes skincare, bodycare, makeup, etc. 

On that note, are you doing any kind of spending ban? Have you broken it at all? Also, let me know if you'd like reviews on anything here! I'm trying to get together products that I've had for a while that still need testing out and reviewing. 

December 2015 Empties

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Hey everyone! I've fallen behind a little bit on the blog here lately. I've been on this decluttering my house kick, and all I want to do is just clean. That's pretty weird for me since I hate cleaning, but I figured since we're in a new year, I should start getting rid of junk I no longer use or need. Anyway, today's post is going to be the products I used up in December. I initially didn't think I used up much last month, but it was more than expected!

Starting off with a few bath/shower products, I finally have managed to use up the Pura D'or Premium Organic Hair Loss Shampoo and the Argan Oil Conditioner. I had reviewed this duo here close to a year ago now, and it took forever for me to go through. Now that these are gone, I'm glad they are honestly. In the end, I didn't like these. They didn't do much for my hair, and if anything, they made it feel more dirty. The only good thing is that the conditioner smelled incredible and made my hair feel soft. 

I also manged to use up the Adovia Dead Sea Salt Scrub. I did a review on this here, and at first I really did like it. The scent is pretty strong that reminds me of a very fancy spa, and the scrubbing bits are pretty rough as well. That helped me with the rough bumps I have on my arms, but this scrub is oil based and it made the bathtub so slippery, which I'm not a fan of. I'm clumsy enough, so a slick tub and I don't get along too well. 

Next is some body and health products. The Vaseline Spray & Go Moisturizer seemed like it was never ending! It lasted me through the Summer til the middle of December, with nearly daily use on my arms. I had gotten this a long time ago in a past Influenster voxbox, and I really freaking liked it! It's very light, sinks in nicely, and feels pretty hydrating considering it was so light. I have another one of these in a brown container which I believe is a cocoa butter scent. This one has pure oat extract in it, so it smelled like uncooked oatmeal to me. 

Next up is a Bath & Body Works Foaming Hand Soap in the Georgia Bourbon Peach scent. I adore these soaps, but prefer the soap with the scrubbing beads, so I'm trying to use up the foaming ones first. This scent was incredible for the Fall time. 

The Tom's Sensitive toothpaste is wonderful! It's fairly expensive and I only buy it when it's on sale, but it makes my teeth and gums feel clean and not irritated. 

Last up is a Wegmans brand Women's multivitamin. Nothing special about this, but I do like to take a daily multivitamin for the supposed health benefits they're said to provide. 

Lastly is some skincare and a lone makeup product. The sample size of the Lancome Definicils Mascara was awesome while it lasted. it gave my lashes amazing definition and length, but not the best volume, which is fine. I just use a separate mascara if I want the extra volume. 

You all know my love for The Body Shop is strong, and the Tea Tree Skin Clearing Toner is no exception. This makes my skin feel soft and not as greasy. However, I don't think I'll be purchasing this anymore, because it contains denatured alcohol in it. I haven't had any bad reactions because of it, but I want to start really taking care of my skin more and use products with better ingredients. I do have one left of these that I'll start using again in the Spring, but that'll be it once it runs out!

It took forever for me to use up the Radha Beauty Intensive Youth Eye Gel. I reviewed this almost a year ago here and overall, I think it's a nice eye gel. It's not incredibly hydrating, and if you have very dry under-eyes, you won't like this at all. I'd say I have normal under-eyes, so this worked fine for me, especially in the warmer months. As it got colder, I felt like I needed something a bit more hydrating. 

I used up a sample of the MyChelle Sun Shield SPF 28. Don't buy this stuff, it's awful! I'm not sure if the sample I had went bad, but it balled up immediately when I put it on my skin, and I had to wash my face all over again. 

The final product I used up is a deluxe sample of the Murad Perfecting Day Cream SPF 30. Murad products are pretty darn amazing, but they're expensive. I hate to say that I liked this, but I really liked this! I may have oily skin that turns more combination in colder weather, but this made my skin feel incredible and look amazing. 

So, I decided to be a little weird and tally up how many products I was able to use up the entire year of 2015:

January: 17
February: 16
March: 19
April: 15
May: 15
June: 15
July: 8
August: 11
September: 14
October: 10
November: 25
December: 12

So if my math is correct, I used up 177 products this year! I honestly didn't think I had used up that much, but it just shows how much stuff I really have. I'm making it my mission in 2016 to use up as many products as I can. Like I said above, I'm in decluttering mode lately. Mainly because the lease is up on our apartment the end of June, and I really want to be able to move by then because we'll have been living in the same place for 4 years, and I feel like it's time to move on to a bigger place. I figured I'd get a head start with cleaning up and just getting rid of stuff I no longer care for, use, or haven't used in years (which is alot honestly), therefore making the move a bit easier for us. I'm also putting myself on a beauty spending ban for three months, so I can't buy myself any makeup, skincare, bodycare, or haircare until April 1st. I don't foresee myself running out of anything in that time frame, so I should be okay. There are alot of new products out in the drugstore that I'm dying to try out, but they'll have to wait for now!

What did you use up last month? Any resolutions you have that you hope to stick with?

November 2015 Empties

Hi everyone! It's time, once again, to share with you all of the products I used up in November. I'm so happy with everything I was able to use up, and I'm even more happy that there are a whopping 25 products! That's got to be the most I've ever gone through in a month. This might be a long one, so grab a snack and a drink and lets see the products!

Starting with a few miscellaneous products, my husband and I both used the Head & Shoulders Total Care Shampoo. Even though this says it's for men on the bottle, I used it anyway because I do occasionally get dandruff, and this brand is really good with helping it go away. 

Next up is the Hershey's Honey Body Butter. I ended up just dumping out the product in the container because it had separated and smelled a bit funky. 

I adore the L'Occitane Hand Cream, and the one in this particular tube is my favorite. This is a smaller size that came in a kit a while ago, but this hand cream makes my hands feel so soft, and it smells very nice too, sort of like a light baby powder scent. 

You all know how much I love the Philosophy Shower Gels, but the Gingerbread Girl one I didn't care for. It smelled fine, but there are shimmer particles in this that was kind of odd to me, and it didn't necessarily clean very well either. I never thought I'd see the day where I didn't like one of these shower gels!

I take a Biotin supplement daily, and the one from Natrol is pretty good. It's the maximum strength version with 10,000 mcg, which can upset alot of people's stomach, but I was fine taking this as long as I ate breakfast first. I'm starting to notice alot more that my hair is growing faster, it looks healthier, and I had family comment that it looks thicker as well, but I don't notice that honestly. 

Now for some makeup, which is a rare occurrence in an empties post! I decided to just get rid of the e.l.f. Everyday Eye Palette because most of the shadows have broken and I don't really like them, along with the BH Cosmetics California Collection trios. I got both from Ipsy, but really wasn't happy with them. The Lancome Colour Focus Palette most likely came in a gift with purchase, but I don't like these colors and I've had it for many years, so in the trash it goes. 

The Marbella Permanent Eyeliner Pen was fantastic while it lasted. It's very black, goes on nicely, and lasts all day long. The only downside is that it literally is almost permanent. I always had such a horrible time trying to remove it all from my lashline at night and could never get it off fully, which I didn't like at all. It finally dried out on me, so it's time to officially say goodbye. 

I also used up the Mirabella Perfecting Loose Powder. I got this in an Ipsy bag so long ago, and just now used it up. I loved this powder to set my under-eye concealer. It helped it last longer, but didn't look cakey or make me look like an old lady. 

Time for a whole lotta skincare! I finally used up the Simple Refreshing Facial Wash Gel. This was my nighttime cleanser, and I loved this so much! It's so gentle, has no scent, and takes off every last bit of makeup (minus the eyeliner mentioned above. That stuff doesn't go away!). It's amazing when used in conjunction with my Clarisonic, and once I use up my hoard of cleansers, I'll most likely purchase this again. 

I still have some deluxe sizes of Dermalogica products left, but I managed to use up the Multi-Active Toner and the Skin Prep Scrub. The toner is alright, but nothing to write home about. The scrub on the other hand, holy moly is this intense! The scrubbing grains are made of corn meal, which isn't harsh for me, but it sure does get off any bit of dry skin you may have. 

I had to throw away the Super Hand & Cuticle Cream because I'm pretty sure mold was growing inside the bottle. The product had changed from a white color to yellow and it smelled nasty, so it's going nowhere near my skin.

I really enjoyed using the Oz Naturals Hyaluronic Acid Serum. Even though I have pretty oily skin for most of the year, it can get very dehydrated, so serums with hyaluronic acid in them work miracles for my skin without making it more oily. 

I had used up some Ipsy points to get the Tarte Amazonian Clay Double Detox Facial Mask, and I don't know how I feel about this honestly. It had enough product inside for just one use, which was a complete waste of points used, and I didn't expect it to have grainy bits in it. It tingled quite a bit on my skin, but once I worked the mask into my skin when I rinsed it off, my skin was very smooth. I don't think they make this product anymore though, but I could be wrong. 

I also have both of the RevivSerum TelomErase Serums used up. I reviewed these here, and I honestly think that this is such a pricey product for what it is. The samples I got were so small, but if I had gotten a full size to try out more, my opinion could be different. 

I used the bareMinerals Purely Nourishing Moisturizer at night, and I absolutely loved it! It made my skin feel soft and hydrated, but it wasn't greasy at all. I had a hard time finding these products for a little bit, but it looks like Sephora does still carry some products!

If you have a sensitive nose to scented products like I do, stay away from the Shiseido Urban Environment UV Protection Cream SPF 40. This smelled so strongly of perfume, I almost threw it out after using it for the first time. It also made my skin look very, very white, if that was even possible, and if I didn't blot off the excess with a shine sheet, I'd get asked if I was feeling alright. 

I finally used up the Amara Organics Total Repair Eye Gel. This took forever to go through because I've been testing out a bunch of new eye gels/creams lately, but I did like this. It's a bit too light for the colder months coming up, but it's awesome for Summertime use. 

Finally, we have some samples I was able to use up. The BioRepublic Cucumber Breeze Soothing Fiber Mask wasn't too bad honestly! I'm normally not a huge fan of sheet masks, but this one did make my skin feel soothed after using a detoxifying mask that made my skin red and irritated. 

I love Fresh products, but not the price of them, so any samples I can snag, I'm always happy. The Black Tea Firming Overnight Mask was heaven sent when I went through a dry spell with my skin. Having really cold weather one day, then unseasonably warm weather the next makes my skin freak out, and this helped to really make it feel nice and supple. I was able to get a good three uses out of the little packet. 

I'm not a huge fan of the Grace line of products from Philosophy, but the Pure Grace Foaming Bath and Shower Cream really surprised me. It really just smells clean, that's the best way I can describe it. If I didn't have a massive amount of shower gels/creams to go through, I'd buy a full size of this in a heartbeat.

If you made it here to the end, you're awesome! I know that was alot to go over, but I feel so proud of myself for using all this up. 

What did you use up recently?

*Post contains affiliate links*

Fall Inspired Makeup feat. Colourpop La La

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

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

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

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

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

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

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?

December 2014 Empties

Hello everyone! This is my last empties post from 2014! I used up a good amount of products in December, so lets see what I have!

The first product that was used up is the Silkience 2-in-1 Shampoo & Conditioner. I bought this at Big Lots for I think around $3 when my husband ran out of his shampoo. I didn't want to spend too much money, so he said to get whatever, he's not picky. After he used it a few times, he said he hated it, so I decided to try it out myself. It really is not a good shampoo. It didn't clean well, and didn't feel good rinsing out of my hair either. It felt like I still had product in my hair after using it. My husband has lots of curly, thick hair so for him it was really bad. We used it up though since we don't like wasting, but we will never repurchase!

It wouldn't be an empties post if I didn't have a can of Batiste dry shampoo! This is the Sassy & Daring Wild version, and I think this is my new favorite scent. I typically love the Tropical scent, but I can never find it in stores, and the last time I tried ordering it online from Drugstore.com, my package was lost in the mail, so I had to call and get my money back. So I'm either going to start buying it in-store at Ulta, or on the Ulta website. 

I used up the Nature Made Multi For Her vitamins and this brand of vitamins is definitely my favorite. They're always on sale somewhere, and they're a good price to begin with. Will always repurchase this. 

This perfume is so old! It's from the Victoria's Secret Pink line, and this was called Wish Pink. I remember first seeing these in store and thinking how cute the packaging was. This particular one smelled the least offensive to me, it's sweet with just a hint of floral. I honestly rarely used this as actual perfume. I used it mainly as an air freshener! If I felt like maybe the trash was starting to smell funky, or I just wanted the air to smell nice, I'd do a few spritzes of this, and everything smelled good again. They discontinued this line so long ago, I don't even remember when. 

I was glad to finish up the Bath & Body Works shower gel in the Vanilla Tini scent. I'm pretty sure I've said before that these shower gels aren't my favorite. The scents are nice, but I don't feel like they clean very well, and they make my skin feel drier than the Sahara. I have a few more of these to use up, but I'll never repurchase any. 

This Clarins Hand and Nail Treatment Cream sat in my stash for ages! Once the weather got really cold, I decided to finally use it up. I now know why it sat for so long. The scent is overbearing and it actually made my hands burn and feel more dry. I'm so glad this is finally used up.

I also used up the two lip balms I was rotating through. The first one is the Badger lip balm in the scent Vanilla Madagascar. I love Badger lip balms and typically buy a few when I see them. I have such a large stash of lip balms though so I don't need to repurchase any for a long time. I used this one mainly during the day as it was easy to just take off the lid and swipe it onto my lips. The second one I used up, I used at night and it's the Rosebud Strawberry lip balm. Oh my heavens, does this smell amazing! I love how this applies to the lips, and it gives a nice sheen where it makes your lips look so full and healthy. I usually loaded up on this stuff because my lips dry out alot overnight, but this helps a ton with that. 

I have finally used up the Biore Deep Cleansing Pore Strips that I've had since before my husband and I met. I always heard these were so bad for your skin, but they really cleaned out the pores on my nose and made them look so small. I typically used one after I washed my face, then I would use a deep cleansing mask afterwards, and it was a match made in heaven. I probably won't go out and repurchase right away (spending ban time!), but eventually I will. 

I used up the little jar of the Ole Henriksen Walnut Complexion Scrub. I was using this for ages because you only need the tiniest amount to get the job done. I could've sworn I had a review of this, but I actually don't. I do have the larger size jar to use up as well, so I may review it sometime soon! I really am a fan of this scrub. It makes my skin feel so soft and smooth, and the grains are the perfect size and not too irritating. 

I had a little sample size tube of the Sephora Instant Moisturizer hiding in my closet and decided to use it up. I have mixed feelings about this. I love how it spreads evenly on the skin and it makes it feel really soft at first. As the day goes on however, my skin turns into a big greaseball. The scent is also a little overwhelming, it's very floral-y. I probably will not repurchase. 

I also used up the Valentia Even Glow Serum, which I reviewed here. This serum is amazing! It felt so lovely on my skin, it sinks right in, it smells like oranges, and it helped brighten up my complexion when it was looking really dull and tired. I'm tempted to buy this, but with the massive amount of skincare I have in my stash, and it being $35, I'm going to pass on it for now. 

I've been trying to use up alot of the samples I have, and I wanted to try the Lancome Visionnaire Advanced Skin Corrector. This product is no joke guys! I know the bottle is really tiny, but I noticed a difference in my skin the next morning after using this. This is supposed to help with wrinkles, pores and evenness, and I swear to you, my pores were almost invisible when I used this. I do have another one of these little bottles to use, but I won't buy the the full size. A 1 ounce bottle costs $79, and the 1.7 ounce costs a whopping $115!

The last product I have used up is the Korres Wild Rose moisturizer. I didn't like this really. It felt heavy on my skin, even with it being so cold out, and the rose scent was too strong for my liking. I do think I have another one of these small tubes to use up, so I'll probably use it up soon before it starts to get warm, otherwise I'll be an oily mess after using it. 

Well that's everything I used up in December! I have to say, I was curious to see how many products I had used up this past year, so I went through all my empties posts and counted the products. From January through December, I have used up 181 products! I can't believe that! I was in shock when I saw that. But hey, that just leaves room to buy more products to try and use up, after my spending ban of course! ;)

What did you use up in December? Did you count how many products you went through?

Fall Face Feat. Lorac Mega Pro Palette

Hello everyone! Today I wanted to show you guys a nice Fall inspired look I did using the Lorac Mega Pro Palette. It hasn't really been feeling like Fall this week since it's been a bit warm, but it's cooling down by the weekend! I used the products shown above and I must say, I'm very happy with how the look turned out!

Since I knew I wanted to use liner and shadow on the bottom of my eyes, I did my eyes first, then went to foundation, and back to the lower eyes. The first color I used is called Sepia and I ran that all through my crease. I then took the color Apricot and patted that all over my lids. For some more definition, I took the beautiful shade called Merlot and used that on the outer corners and ran it a bit through my crease. For a highlight, I used a combination of Cream and Vanilla. For once in my life I used eyeliner, and the one I used is by Urban Decay and it's their 24/7 liner in the color Corrupt. I also used that on my lower lash line. I did also use Perversion to tightline and used a bit on my waterline. I just forgot to picture it! To blend out the eyeliner on my top lashline, I took a color called Maroon, and slightly blended it out. To blend out the lower lashline, I took a combination of Maroon and Merlot and smoked it out a bit. For mascara, I used my new found favorite, Lancome Grandiose, which I did a review on here if you want to check it out!

Onto the rest of the face. For foundation, I mixed some of the Clinique Stay Matte Oil-Free Makeup in the color 02 Alabaster and mixed it with the Sonia Kashuk Radiant Tinted Moisturizer in the color Fair. I had to mix those two together because the Clinique foundation is actually too dark for me, so the Sonia Kashuk tinted moisturizer helped out with that problem. To blend it all out, I used my trusty Beauty Blender. For concealer, I ended up using two different ones. I first applied the Rimmel Wake Me Up Concealer in the color 125 Very Fair. It looked a bit yellow for me so I then applied the Rimmel Match Perfection Concealer & Highlighter in the color 125 Fair. Once I blended all that in with my Beauty Blender, everything was good! I topped off the foundation and concealer with the Mirabella Perfecting Loose Powder, which is just a translucent powder. For blush, I used a Tarte Amazonian Clay blush in the color Adventurous. This came in a holiday kit, so I honestly don't know if they sell it regularly. 

The lips are definitely what surprised me! I didn't think a full on dark, berry lip would go well with this look, so I took the Too Faced Melted Lipstick in the color Melted Nude, which did look a little dark on me. I decided to then use the Starlooks Lip Gloss in the color Guilty Pleasure, which added a bit more pink to the look and also made it look less matte. 

Here is the final look! I definitely love how this turned out but I'm so not used to seeing myself with liner on the bottom. Have to get used to that. Otherwise, I really like the color scheme of everything, and the nude/pink lip looks great to me!

Swatches of eyeliner & shadows used in order of application. Sepia, Apricot, Merlot, Cream, Vanilla, Maroon

Swatches of blush, lipstick & lip gloss

What do you guys think of this look? Do you switch up your makeup routine was the weather changes?