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 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?

January 2014 Empties!

Hey guys! January wasn't too bad in the empties department, but I do wish I went through more products. I'm thinking February might be a tad bit better. Anyways, lets see what I used up this past month!

The first product I was able to use up is the Philosophy Purity Made Simple One-Step Facial Cleanser. I'm in love with this cleanser now! I remember using it back when I was probably 16 or 17 and I hated it. It did nothing for my skin then and it felt like it didn't clean well. I'm thinking now that I'm 25, my skin is much different and it now likes this cleanser. I'd probably repurchase this once I go through all the other cleansers I have, which is alot!

I used up another one of The Body Shop's Aloe Calming Toners. I pretty much go through one of these a month now with all the cold weather we're having. Love this stuff, talked about it multiple times that you're probably sick of hearing right now, so I won't go on and on and on about how much I adore this toner :)

I also used up a shampoo from The Body Shop called Ice Blue Shampoo. I purchased this a really long time ago, back when I worked at The Body Shop about 4 years ago. I think this product was around a long, long time ago so they decided to bring it back, along with the Banana Shampoo and Conditioner I've talked about. Of course they don't carry this now, but I actually liked it. It kinda reminded me of an anti-dandruff shampoo because it was very cooling on my scalp and seemed to lessen the amount of dandruff I did have.

I used up another one of the Batiste Dry Shampoos in the scent Clean & Classic Original. This works like the other Batiste Dry Shampoos I've tried, but I didn't particularly like this scent. Nothing about it interested me, but it was nice to try because I'm on a mission to try every scent Batiste makes!

I used up the Aquafresh Triple Protection Toothpaste as well. I only try to use toothpastes that are made with sensitivity protection, as I have teeth that are uber sensitive. Sometimes it hurts drinking water or eating soup that's not even too hot. This stuff was nice, it made my breath feel good and my teeth feel clean. Not sure if I notice any of my sensitivity lessening, but I am using another tube of this right now, so we'll see. I'm still trying to find a good sensitivity toothpaste, so if anyone knows of a good one, let me know!

I finally used up The Body Shop Sweet Lemon Lip Butter. I loved how this product smelled! It was kinda like lemonade that is really sweet. I don't think it's incredibly moisturizing but I do like how this particular scent doesn't leave a white cast on my lips. I still only used this at night because I'm pretty much terrified to use these during the day now. I don't think I'll repurchase this.

Now this next product came in an Ipsy bag. It's the Yaby Concealer in the color Buff. I hated this stuff! It was a horrible color for me so I never used it. It dried up finally, so I can toss it now. 

I decided to toss the Fairydrops Scandal Queen Mascara. I really liked this mascara when I first opened the tube, but everytime I use it now, it gets all clumpy and doesn't coat my lashes like it used to. It's going in the trash now!

Last two products! I'm so thankful that I used up the Mirabella Prime for Face and Eyes. This stuff sucked so bad. It didn't make my foundation last any longer and it kinda made my skin more oily than I like. I still used this up because I hate wasting product, but I would never go out of my way to buy this. It came in an Ipsy bag a while ago.

I'm deciding to toss the Aveda Lip Glaze in the color Rubisparks. I can't even remember when I bought this. It was years and years ago. I went to use this one day and it smelled funky and didn't apply nicely either. That's a good sign that this is bad now and I shouldn't use anymore! 

That's everything I used up! 10 products isn't too bad, it's really my goal to use up at least 10 products a month. Hopefully next month I can use up a little more!

What did you use up lately?

December 2013 Ipsy Bag

Hey guys! I know I said in my last post that this post was going to be a haul, but I just received my Ipsy bag in the mail, and I was really looking forward to what I got! So, lets see what's in this month's bag!

Now, I gotta admit, this month I don't like the actual bag everything came in. I do like the color black, but I just don't like the texture of it, or the look. I do like most of the products though!

The first product I received is a NYX Extra Creamy Round Lipstick in the color Ceto. I know I've mentioned before that I'm not much of a lipstick person and that I prefer gloss more, but I think I'm gonna start delving into the world of lipsticks. I do like the pinky nude color I received, so I'm much more comfortable with trying it out!

The next product in my bag was a Mirabella Eye Blender Brush. I'm obsessed with any kind of makeup brushes, so I was extremely happy to have received this! I especially love blending brushes, and the quality of this seems really nice. The handle is good and sturdy and the bristles of the brush are incredibly soft. I'm excited to use this!

I then received a Be a Bombshell The One Stick in the color Flustered. Apparently you can use this on your eyelids, cheeks and lips, which to me seems pretty neat. This product seems like that Nars Multiple Stick, which I don't own but hear alot about. I'd probably only use this as a lip stain or possibly a cheek color in the Winter. My skin is far too oily for cream cheek products any other time of year. 

Next, I received the POP Beauty Bright Up Your Life Eyeshadow Trio in the shade Naturally Bare. I'm a neutral eyeshadow girl most of the time, so I'm very happy I got this one instead of the Smokin Hot trio. The colors in this look nice, but I haven't swatched it yet. I may actually wear this to work later today! 

The last product in my bag is a Nicka K New York Nail Color in the shade Classic Taupe. First off, the bottle is so pretty and classy looking, and the color isn't too bad either. I have to say though, I am a little over getting nail polish in these bags. I have so many nail polishes and rarely paint my nails these days. 

That's everything in my bag this month! Overall, I'm very impressed because the last few bags were just meh in my opinion. For only $10 a month, plus shipping for some, you really get an amazing deal with all the awesome products you can receive. Click here to sign up if you haven't already!

If you are subscribed, what did you receive in your bag this month?

May 2013 Ipsy Bag

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

What did you get in your Ipsy bag?

December 2012 Ipsy/Myglam Bag

Hey everyone! Sorry my December Ipsy bag post is kinda late, but works been kicking my booty! Anyways, I received it in the mail sometime last week and I wanted to share what I got. I will say, I'm not super impressed, but I'm still happy with it.

First off, I have to say that I lost one of the items in my house that came in the bag and they're the Mai Couture Highlighter Papier. It's basically a little booklet of face highlighter sheets similar to face blotting papers. I'm not sure how much use I'll get from them only because I think I'll feel weird putting it on my face. It's like I won't have much control or something. Plus it seems like a waste. I was also going to say that I love the bag everything came in! It's so cute and I love the color of it (sorry it came out a little funky in the picture). It's just a really pretty metallic grey from what my eyes can tell.

Anyways, the first item I got other than the highlighter sheets is the NYX Loose Pearl Shadow in the color Mocha Pearl. I've never tried a loose pigment shadow before and when I opened this little bottle, boy was it messy! I'm also not sure how I'm going to use it if it's so messy, but it's a pretty color so I'll find a way. I do have other eyeshadows this color it's nothing spectacular in my opinion. 

Next I got the Mirabella Prime for Face and Eyes. I don't think I'll be using this as an eye primer because it says not to get it close to the lash line, but I'll definitely try it out as a face primer. I have a lot of primers to use up, so this may be sitting in my collection for a little while. 

The next product I got is the Be A Bombshell Lip Gloss in the color Hot Mess. Now I gotta admit, I'm not much of a bright red lip fan, at least not on me. I feel like my skin is too pale for it and it's better suited for someone with a darker complexion. I haven't tried it yet, but I'll give it a shot and maybe try to sheer it out as much as I can.

Lastly, I got an Urban Decay 24/7 eyeliner in the color Zero. I already have a smaller version of this pencil, and I do like it, but once I got my hands on Perversion, I can't really look at another black eyeliner. I'll definitely use Zero, but usually now if I want to wear a black eyeliner, I automatically use Perversion. 

Swatches of lip gloss, eyeliner and eyeshadow

Well that's my Ipsy bag this month. Like I said, I'm not too impressed but I'm not disappointed either. I love Urban Decay Eyeliners, I'll definitely use the lip gloss if I can sheer it out a lot, and I'll use the eyeshadow too. I don't really have a use for the highlighter papers and I already have lots of primers to use up. Hopefully next months bag is better!