October, November & December 2016 Empties

*Post contains affiliate links*

With my daughter being born early, I had no time to write up empties posts every month, let alone any posts really. I did still keep all the products I used up, and I'll have another empties post for the first 3 months of this year so far coming in the next couple weeks. 

I'll start off with some bath and hair products. The Pantene Volume Shampoo is one that both my husband and I used. I'm a big fan of Pantene shampoos and conditioners, and this one was no exception. I was sent the Derma E Scalp Relief Shampoo a while ago, and I did really enjoy it. It had a tingly effect on my scalp and made any dandruff I had go away. 

Two deluxe sized body washes I finished up were the Bath & Body Works Aromatherapy Stress Relief, and the other was the Dove Deep Moisture. I LOVED the scent of the B&BW body wash and am considering buying a full size once I use up my stash. The Dove I didn't care for. It really wasn't moisturizing to me and left my skin feeling rough. 

We used up two toothpastes the last 3 months of the year. A Colgate Total Whitening, and a Colgate Enamel Health. The Enamel Health was mine and I really liked how it made my teeth feel. I would occasionally use the Total Whitening, but it made my teeth too sensitive. 

While I was pregnant, I took the Thorne Basic Prenatal vitamin. I liked these because they contain Folate, not Folic Acid. Folic Acid is the synthetic form of Folate, and I have a disorder where my body cannot process the synthetic version. These are more expensive than other vitamins, but they were worth it to me. 

Lastly for health products, is a mini Degree deodorant. Since I was in and out of the hospital for the better part of 5 months with my daughter, I would take travel sizes since they were easier to manage. I liked this enough, but probably wouldn't buy again. 

For anyone that doesn't know, NICU's are very warm and very dry. My lips, hands and whole body took a beating, and I went through all these lip balms the last three months of 2016. I love The Body Shop lip butters, and this one was the honeymania scent. Families who have had babies in the NICU tend to give gifts here and there throughout the year,and in a gift bag I had gotten, there was the Blistex Fruit Smoothies lip balm in the Berry Explosion scent. I kid you not when I say I went through this tube in just two weeks! Last lip balm is the Serious balm in the Snickerdoodle scent. I love these balms and was sent a few, I wanna say last Spring. I still have the other two to use up and I'm sure I will get to them soon. 

Last up is some skincare! I'm fairly certain I used the BioRepublic Green Tea Detox sheet mask just before having Olivia, because I had zero time or energy to do any kind of face mask after she was born. I finally used up the First Aid Beauty Daily Face Cream that I had been working on for probably a year. I love this face cream because it's fragrance free and simple to use. The White Tea Facial Cleanser from Korres was nice, but slightly drying. I liked the scent, but this is better for me to use in the warmer months. 

I've used up more hand creams since, but the one I had finished up before the end of the year was the Neutrogena Norwegian Formula hand cream in the fragrance free version. I adore this hand cream as it's nice and thick, but is gel-like and sinks right in. I washed my hands probably 20 times a day, at least, while tending to my daughter, and needed something that would help heal the dryness and cracked skin I had. 

Total number of products used up: 15
Total for the year: 128

128 products used up in 2016 is not too bad! Considering having my daughter early, I'm pretty proud I did as well as I did. My lofty goal was to use up 250 products, and I initially wanted that to be my goal for this year as well, but I decided to be nice to myself and lower it to 150. Olivia has only been home for 2 weeks now, and we're still figuring out a good routine, so it may take a bit to get into a groove of using products efficiently. My husband and I would also like to move, maybe in the Summer, and I'd like to use up as much as I can before that. Anyway, like I said above, I will have an empties post for the first 3 months of this year up very soon, and will go back to monthly empties after that. 

Did you keep track of how many products you used up last year? 

YouTube Video: March 2016 Favorites!

Hey guys! I decided to film March's beauty favorites this time around, so I hope you take a look at what I was loving last month! Be sure to give the video a thumbs up while you're there, and subscribe if you want :) I've used some affiliate links below if you wanted to check out any of the products.

Products mentioned in the video:

- Exuviance Gentle Cleansing Creme
- Ole Henriksen Balancing Cucumber Face Mist
- Valentia Royal Rose Hydrating Serum
- Kognac Sponge
- Neutrogena Norwegian Formula Hand Cream
- Covergirl The Super Sizer Mascara
- Revlon Ultra HD Matte Lipcolor in Devotion
- Too Faced Chocolate Bon Bons Palette

What were some of your favorite products? 

November 2014 Empties

Hey guys! November was a decent month with the products I was able to use up. I really enjoy the feeling I get when I use something up as it makes room for more products! ;) Anyways, lets see what I used up last month.

I'll start with the more random products. I used up the Bath & Body Works Citrus Garland Anti-Bacterial Deep Cleansing Hand Soap. This was in my kitchen and took forever to go through. I usually wash my hands in the bathroom and just use a soap til it's all used up. I really love how this smelled. It smelled just like limes and was so fresh. I love these hand soaps, especially the deep cleansing ones because they seem to wash my hands better. They're even husband approved!

The next product is the Colgate Maximum Strength Sensitive toothpaste. I feel like I went through this toothpaste so fast, but I guess that's because it's such a small tube. It only had 4 ounces of product and I think I'm used to larger tubes. I usually just buy what's on sale and if I have a coupon or not. I didn't really like this though. It burned my mouth and didn't taste very good. The one I'm currently using is really nice, but I doubt I'll use that up any time soon. 

Then I used up the InstaNatural Phytoceramides. I did a review on this here, and I honestly think it helped me. I noticed my skin was feeling less dry and more glowy. Now that I used it up, my skin is back to feeling more dry. I do have another bottle of this, but I wanted to not start taking it to see if my skin would go back to how it was before, and it did. I'm going to start the other bottle soon.

Now for some skincare! I finally was able to use up the Aveeno Ultra-Calming Foaming Cleanser. I swear, this stuff takes months and months to use up. I did only use it in the morning and it only takes 2-3 pumps of product to be effective at cleansing the skin. I've used this before and I do like it, but only in warmer months. Once it got cold, this dried out my skin so bad so I had to compensate by using a hydrating toner and moisturizer.

Next up is the Fresh Soy Face Cream. At first I didn't care for this, especially because of how it smelled. It's very floral smelling, and that can turn me off at times. It was very hydrating though and I only used it at night for that reason. I would wake up with pretty skin that felt nice and plump. 

I used up another one of my favorite sunscreens, the Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry-Touch Sunblock with SPF 55. I've raved about this in the past so I won't go on and on about it. This is definitely my favorite sunscreen of all time, but I am willing to try new things. Usually I end up going back to this product, though!

Then we have a hand cream from L'Occitane and it was lavender scented. I had this little tube for ages and finally used it up. I only used it at night because it smelled so soothing and calming, so it helped me to fall asleep a little better. It's not the most hydrating hand cream like their original one is, but I just loved the lavender scent.

The Dylan's Candy Bar Candy Lip Saver in the Chocolate Cupcake scent was interesting. I absolutely loved how this smelled, but after using it up, I didn't miss it. It didn't feel very hydrating and I found myself having to constantly reapply it. That's no good in my book.

I was going through my sample tubes I had and decided to start using the Coola Mineral Suncreen with SPF 20. I appreciate that this stuff is unscented, but boy did I look like a ghost with it on! It was so white on my skin and I couldn't seem to rub it in enough to make it less noticeable. I only got about a weeks worth of use, but I was glad to get rid of it.

Lastly, the makeup. I was doing my makeup for a Thanksgiving/house warming party my husband and I were going to and I wanted to do some winged eyeliner. I decided to use a gel because I felt like I could control it more. Well both of these MicaBeauty black eyeliners were dried up so bad, that I had to go over everything I did with liquid. I got these in Ipsy bags, but only used them a small handful of times. Maybe the lids weren't on tight enough, but I was upset with how dry they were. 

Once again, we have a ton of dried up mascaras. I think I'm gonna ban myself from buying any mascaras for a long time, because it's just a waste of money not being able to get any use out of what I have. Anyways, the dried up ones were the Cargo TexasLash Mascara. I wanted to use this so bad, but not a single speck of mascara would go onto my lashes. The Blinc Stop Painting Your Lashes...Tube Them! Mascara I think had zero product in the tube to begin with. Josie Maran Instant Natural Volume Argan Mascara was clump city the second I tried applying it. Dior Diorshow Extase was all dried up. Both bareMinerals Flawless Definition Volumizing Mascaras had no product on the wands at all. The only mascara I was able to get use out of was the Stila Forever Your Curl Curl Mascara. I used this 3 times when I decided it sucked. By the end of the day I ended up looking like a panda everytime I used this. 

Well that's everything I used up! what products did you use up recently?

August 2014 Empties!

Hi everyone! August was great in the using up products department, so this may be a longer than usual post. Lets check out what I used up.

 I'll start with the more random products first. I used up a Bath & Body Works handsoap in the scent Candy Cane Bliss. I absolutely love this stuff man! I kinda have a thing for peppermint and this smells like a straight up candy cane. Love it and will repurchase if it comes out again this year!

I also used up a Lady Speed Stick deodorant in the scent Shower Fresh. I liked the scent of this and I feel like it did the job well. I bought this I think for only $1 but I honestly don't remember where.

I used up one of my favorite toothpastes, the Crest Sensi-Relief. I'm sure I've mentioned in the past, but I have super sensitive teeth and gums so I'm always on the hunt for a toothpaste that's good with sensitivity but also affordable. I think this tube retails for around $4 or so, but I wait til I can find a coupon to use. Definitely will repurchase.

 A couple more random products, I used up the Philosophy Happy Birthday, Beautiful! shower gel. Loved this since it did smell just like a vanilla birthday cake. I featured this in my July favorites and I'm really hoping they have a scent like this that's permanent because I'd stock up on this stuff!

Now this may be a strange product, but it's the Udderly Smooth Udder Cream. I used to use this alot when I was younger as a hand cream because it's got a good consistency that melts right into the skin but it's incredibly hydrating. I found this bottle and I think I have another one hiding in my stash, but it rekindled my love again. When I was at Walgreen's the other day, I actually saw a two pack of these things! I could only get them in Amish Country at a local store and would stock up when my mom and I would go. If you live in Pennsylvania, Amish country is in the middle-ish of the state, so like Lancaster/Harrisburg/Hershey area. It would take about 2 hours to get there but it was worth it.

Now for lots of skincare! The first product I finished up is the Clarisonic Gentle Hydro Cleanser. I featured this in my June favorites, and now that I've completely used it up, I wish I would've saved this for the winter time. It's a thicker cream cleanser that doesn't foam up at all, which makes for a good makeup remover. However, I did notice that as the Summer went on, it started feeling a bit heavy on my oily skin. I only used it at night and it is wonderful when used with the Clarisonic, but I feel like I would've gotten better use out of it when it's really cold outside. Oh well, live and learn! Would I repurchase? Maybe, I have so many other cleansers to use up before I think of repurchasing anything.

This bottle of Neutrogena Oil-Free Moisture for combination skin lasted me ages! And by ages, I was using this when my husband and I were dating and I would stay over at his house. we've been together a little over 4 years now and married almost 1 if that says anything. I'd only use this at night but once in a rare while, mostly in winter, I'd use it during the day if my skin felt dry. This is a great basic moisturizer and lasts forever, so you definitely get your money's worth!

I used up a Clarisonic brush head in the deep pore version. Clarsonic recommends you change out the brush heads every 3 months, but I assume that means with daily use. I use my Clarisonic at most three times a week, so I stretch that out a little. After every use I always wash it well, so I feel I can get away with changing them out less often. I like this brush head surprisingly. It's not harsh on my skin which is great and I do feel like my skin is alot cleaner when I use my Clarisonic. I have so many backups of brush heads, it's pretty nuts.

Next we have the Philosophy Take a Deep Breath Oil-Free Energizing Oxygen Gel Cream Moisturizer. I'm pretty sure this is one of my favorite moisturizers I've ever tried! Honestly, it's got the best texture for oily skin, doesn't feel heavy, and it still feels hydrating. If I didn't have a million moisturizers to go through, I'd go out and buy multiples of this stuff, that's how good it is. I don't think I have a full size jar of this, but this sample size lasted quite a while, about a good 3 weeks I'd say. 

I used up the Clinique Spot Healing Gel pretty quickly. I must've had alot of breakouts or something, but this tube did not last long at all. I think it helped heal any blemishes I had, but the spot treatment I'm currently using blows this out of the water. 

I actually never got to use the Skin Iceland Icelandic Relief Eye Cream. When I ran out of a different eye cream, I went to use this and it was just a ball of goo and wasn't useable at all. I cleaned out the jar and I'll probably reuse it for something else.

Last skincare product is the Lancome High Resolution Eye Refill-3X. This is a sample size that came in a gift with purchase set. I didn't really care for it much, it kinda burned a little and didn't feel very hydrating. I looked it up online and the full size jar of this costs a whopping $64! I couldn't justify buying an eye cream that expensive, but hey, someone else may love this.

Now for the makeup! Basically it's all mascara and one eyeshadow primer. The first mascara I used up is the Covergirl Natureluxe Mousse Mascara. I talked about this in my May favorites and I pretty much loved this stuff. It made my lashes look so nice and I'm really sad it's discontinued.

The next mascara I used up is the Clinique High Impact Mascara. I really liked this too! It gave me decent length but was great in the volume department. I might repurchase this after I use up my mascara hoard.

Next up is the Lancome Hypnose Doll Lashes mascara. I thought this was alright. It clumped up a bit which I had to go back with a lash comb to remove but it gave me some nice length. I'm pretty sure I already have a full size of this to use up, which I'm kinda upset about since I didn't like it. I may just use it in conjunction with a different mascara.

Now I tried to use the Duwop Lash Venom, but when I opened it, the brush was flattened to the wand! I tried my hardest to make it useable but I figured it was just too dried up to use. It's a shame because I was really looking forward to trying this out.

I was using the Tarte Gifted Amazonian Clay Smart Mascara for almost a week when I noticed it wasn't really that great. It was giving me those little balls of mascara at the tips of my lashes and they were hard to get rid of. Unfortunately, in the trash it goes!

The one lone eye primer I have is the Tarte Lifted Natural Eye Primer. I used this for quite a while then it started to dry out on me and wasn't useable. It was alright while it lasted. It didn't really make my shadow last long, but it did make the colors pop. I'm pretty loyal to my Urban Decay Primer Potion but I do have a lot of primers to use up!

What have you used up lately?

Ulta Haul!

Hey guys! I know, another haul. I was trying out a spending ban, but failed miserably! Ulta was having a 40% off sale on some different brands, and there was a palette that I wanted since before it came out. Plus if you spent $60, you got an extra 300 points, which is pretty awesome. Anyways, lets see what goodies I got!

Thanks to Kate Spitz' review, I was dying to get the Lorac Pro 2 Palette even more so than I had thought. I'm obsessed with the original palette, so naturally I had to get this sometime, and while Ulta was having a sale with extra points, I figured it was time. I have yet to play with the colors, but I plan on doing a separate review and possibly some looks. 

Now I mentioned a few of the brands sold at Ulta were 40% off so I had to take advantage of that sale. Neutrogena was one of them and I did buy their Oil-Free Eye Makeup Remover. Sorry it's not pictured, I forgot! It's pretty much my favorite eye makeup remover next to the Lancome Bi-Facil. That stuff is mucho expensive, so this is a great alternative!

I really wanted to try the L'Oreal Voluminous Miss Manga Mascara pretty much since it came out as well. I think the idea behind it is so cute and I've heard mixed reviews so I'm excited to try it and see what I think. I didn't really NEED this since I have a ton of mascaras to use, but I may bust this open sooner than some of my others I have. I had a code for 20% off of one item and this was the item that got the extra discount.

I was curious about the NYX Butter Lipsticks even though I'm not a huge lipstick girl. I ended up with the colors Cotton Candy and Fizzies. Alot of the colors were sold out so it was slim pickings, but I'm still excited to try these. I hear good reviews overall, so I have high hopes. 

I definitely had to pick up another one of the NYX Butter Glosses and I ended up with Peaches and Cream. Again, alot of these were sold out and the one I really wanted was so I chose this instead. I haven't tried this particular one yet, but I'm already a huge fan of these glosses. 

The last product I purchased is the NYX High Definition Photo Concealer Wand and I got the color Fair. I've heard good thing about this concealer and I'm always looking for a good one. With the discount it only came to $3, so even if I don't like it, it's not a huge loss. 

What are some things you hauled recently?

December 2013 Empties!

Hey everyone! Today I'm going to show you everything I used up in December. Now if you remember my empties post for November, I said I wanted to use up a total of 20 products in those two months. Well, in November I used up 13 products, which wasn't too shabby. But in December I used up 14 products! I'm so excited that I made and exceeded my goal! 27 products in two months combined is pretty freakin' awesome for me, so lets see what I used up last month!

My husband was the main one using this Rusk Sensories Brilliance Grapefruit & Honey Color Protect Shampoo, but I helped use it too! He doesn't have color treated hair, but my mom had given us a bunch of these shampoos to use, and he's not picky so he took it. I do have color treated hair, but I don't care much for this. I feel like I have to use a ton for it to lather nicely but it does smell really, really good!

I finally used up the Suave Keratin Infusion Smoothing Conditioner that I was using since probably last Summer. For some reason it takes me forever to go through conditioners, but this one in particular took so long! I'm not sure what it is, but you don't need much of this to make your hair feel soft and healthy. I loved this stuff and will probably repurchase once I use up everything else I have, and don't come across something I like better!

I used up the Philosophy Shower Gel in the scent Sugar Plum Frost. This is one scent by Philosophy that I kinda didn't like, which is a shocker. I'm obsessed with these shower gels/shampoos/bubble bath combos. I don't ever use them as shampoo or bubble bath, but they're the best shower gels ever! I just didn't care for this scent but it did the job cleaning my skin!

I finished up (mostly) a Philosophy Body Lotion in the scent Cinnamon Buns. Now I say mostly because the packaging sucks at being able to get every drop out to use. I had to take the pump out inside and smack it on my hands to get anything out at the end and eventually I just gave up. I do however love, love, love how this smells! It really does smell like fresh made cinnamon buns and I loved using this after my shower. 

I then used up a tiny little body butter by the brand On10 in the Sweet Chocolate scent. I honestly can't remember when I got this, but I think my mom got it for me for Christmas a few years ago. I know that seems like a long time, but I made sure to do a sniff test and look at it and it wasn't separated at all, so it was fine! I probably got about 10 to 12 uses out of this even though it seems like a small pot. I didn't need to use alot of this to get the hydration I needed. 

I also used up a Natural Factors Vitamin D3 softgel. I take extra D3 because I hate the sun and feel like a vampire, plus I tend to deal with some depression. I keep reading that you get D3 from the sun and it can help with depression, but I honestly don't know if it's true or not. I still take it for the supposed health benefits anyways!

Man do I go through these Aloe Calming Toners from The Body Shop! I've mentioned these about a million and one times, so I won't ramble on about how awesome this toner is. Seriously, try it out! 

I used up a moisturizer that I was using in the morning from Clean Scene called Begging for Balance. This moisturizer was alright but I won't go out of my way to find it and buy it again. It did its job at moisturizing my skin and keeping it a little less shiny than normal, but it didn't do any kind of miracle for my skin.

I also used up my Neutrogena Clear Face Break-Out Free Liquid-Lotion Sunscreen SPF 55. Phew, that's a long name! I actually liked this stuff! I kept hearing so many people saying they hated it and it broke them out. Not for me! I think this actually helped my skin and kept it matte for a pretty long time. I don't know if this beats out my favorite sunscreen, the Neutrogena Dry Touch Sunblock, but this comes very close! Depending on pricing, I'll buy this again!

I finally used up the lip balm I was using for daytime use, and it was the On10 Lip Balm in the scent Lemon Lime. I like these lip balms because they have sunscreen in them and they smell really good! I still have so many lip balms from this brand to use up, so I don't need to purchase any for a long while!

I used up quite a few mascaras. If you remember me mentioning about the stye I had, I got a bit paranoid and got rid of the mascaras I had used during the couple days prior to my eye getting bad. The Maybelline Illegal Length Mascara is fantastic! This gives my favorite mascara, the bareMinerals Flawless Definition, a run for its money! I constantly got compliments when I wore this mascara and was even asked a few times what falsies I was wearing. *Confession* I've never worn falsies in my life!

I was also using the Sephora Lash Plumper Mascara and to me, it was actually pretty good. Once my stye came out in full force, I got rid of this and found another one in my stash, but the wand was so smushed and clumped, so I had to toss it as well :(

The Too Faced LashGasm Mascara is a surprise to me with how much I liked it! It gave me natural looking lashes that had good length and surprising volume. I like how I was able to get to all my baby lashes in the corners and overall, this was just a good mascara that I was sad to toss because of my eye. I may actually purchase the full size once I run out of mascaras! 

That's everything! Sorry this is a long post, but I was so excited to finish up all this stuff! I'm hoping this month is good with empties too. I'm doing a spending ban currently, but I do have some birthday/Christmas money to use up still so that doesn't count! I do have a little bit of a haul using some of that money coming up so stay tuned! Also, I got my hands on the much talked about Naked3 Palette the day it came out, so a review should be coming up very soon on it!

What did you use up in December? Are you doing a spending ban as part of new years resolutions?

Large Beauty HAUL! Drugstore.com, Paula's Choice, Hautelook, The Body Shop & Ulta

Hey everyone! Yes, I know it's been ages again since my last post. I really hope you can forgive me! Work's starting to get crazy with the holiday's coming up, I've been feeling a little under the weather and I've been having issues with my back. It's weird too, I can't sit, stand or lay down for too long or my back hurts more. Anyways, today I bring you a haul post! Now, I didn't go and buy everything in one shot. I purchased all this within the last 3 to 4 months, and I do have a Sephora VIB haul coming up as well once I get my package in the mail! So, lets get into what I bought!

 First up we have products I purchased from Drugstore.com. As you can tell above, I went a little Batiste crazy! This is definitely my all-time favorite dry shampoo and I have yet to find anything better. I purchased the Clean & Classic Original, two of the Coconut & Exotic Tropical, Floral & Flirty Blush and Cool & Crisp Fresh scents. Back in April, I was given the opportunity to try out Batiste for the first time and I picked the Tropical scent. I reviewed it here if you want to check it out. 

These products also came from Drugstore.com. The St. Ives Timeless Skin Collagen Elastin Moisturizer was literally only about $3. I wanted to pick this up because since it's gotten so cold here, my skin is drying out pretty bad. I'm hoping my skin doesn't get too much drier because I have other products I want to use up before I open this up. 

I also purchased the Boots Expert Sensitive Gentle Refreshing Toner. As you all may know already, I'm in love with the aloe toner from The Body Shop. That toner is a bit pricey for me at $12.50 and the Boots toner was I believe just under $5. I'm hoping this is just as good or better than the aloe toner because I don't feel like spending alot of money on a toner is necessary. 

Then I purchased the Norwegian Formula Hand Cream in the fragrance free version. I've never tried this hand cream before, but my hands are also drying up with this cold weather, and I've heard alot of great things about this product. I do have other hand creams to use up, but I have a feeling I may go through those pretty quickly. 

I've been wanting to try the Garnier Skin Renew Anti Dark Circle Roller for a long time now. I've heard decent things about this product, and I do have pretty bad dark circles, so I have hope for this. I'm excited to try it out!

I then bought a few products from the Paula's Choice website. I actually purchased the Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Gel from Skinstore.com but I'm lumping it in with the other two. I'm in love with this product and I've talked about it before. Holy Grail product right here!

I've been wanting to get another toner from Paula's Choice since I had tried one quite a few years ago. I decided to get the Hydralight Healthy Skin Refreshing Toner for normal, oily to combination skin. I can't remember if this is the one I tried years ago, but I do remember liking the one I did try. 

I also wanted to buy another one of my favorite masks, and that's the Skin Balancing Oil Absorbing Mask. This used to be called the Skin Balancing Carbon Mask, and boy is it amazing! I did a review on this a long time ago, close to when I first started my blog. The review is here if you want to read it. I'll have to warn you, it's not the best review ever but hey, everyone starts somewhere, right?

Next up we have products from theBalm that I purchased from Hautelook! Now I know I did a post here about how disappointed I was with Hautelook, but I reached out to them and everything turned out amazing, which I had also talked about here. Anyways, I ended up buying the TimeBalm Skincare White Tea Juniper Oil-Free Face Moisturizer. I've never tried any skincare from theBalm before and figured I'd give this a go. Plus, it was pretty inexpensive on Hautelook.

I also purchased the Put A Lid On It Eyelid Primer. I've heard many, many good things about this eyeshadow primer so I'm excited to try this out and see what all the hype is about.

The final product I got from Hautelook is the Down Boy Blush. I totally forgot to take a picture of the color and do a swatch, but there are many reviews and swatches on the internet of this blush. I picked this color because it's a pretty baby pink color that I think would look nice on my fair skin.

I also did some damage on The Body Shop website! They were having an awesome 40% off sale, plus I'm a Love Your Body member so I got an extra 10% off, plus I had some points saved up and got an extra $15 off that. I made out pretty well! I wanted to try out a bunch of the new Honeymania line that's out, so I picked up the Body Butter, Body Scrub, two of the Lip Butters and a Shower Gel. When I opened up the Body Butter, I was pretty shocked at the smell. To me, it smells like organic, raw honey. I was expecting something sweeter smelling honestly, but it's not terrible. I'm very excited for the scrub because it's in a creamy base, just how I like scrubs to be.

I also picked up two Aloe Protective Serums. These serums are amazing, I love putting a bit mixed in with my daytime moisturizer for some extra hydration, or using it as a regular moisturizer in the Summer. The last product I got is the Aloe Eye Defense. This is an awesome gel-type eye cream that feels so amazing when you put it on, and it gives me just enough hydration.

Finally, we have a purchase from the Ulta website! They were having an awesome sale where certain brands were 40% off, they were offering free shipping on a $25 purchase and then there was a code for $3.50 off a purchase of $10 or more. Again, I feel like I made out well. I decided to try the Almay Oil-Free Gentle Eye Makeup Remover. I actually forgot about buying this until I looked through all the stuff I bought. I was worried about running out of eye makeup remover when I start my spending ban, but now I feel like I'll be ok. I've never tried this before but I think it'll be alright. 

I also decided to try out the NYX Matte Finish Long Lasting Setting Spray. I've heard plenty of good things about this setting spray and I'm excited to try it!

I haven't really heard much about the Neutrogena Healthy Skin 3-in-1 Concealer For Eyes. I can always use a good concealer for my dark circles, so I have high hopes for this product. 

And finally, we have NYX Butter Glosses! These babies came to just over $2 each after all the discounts. I ended up getting the colors Vanilla Cream Pie, Apple Strudel, Strawberry Parfait, Maple Blondie, and Merengue. Those are the colors from left to right in the picture. Again, I forgot to take pictures of swatches, but I'm sure there are plenty online. I'll be honest, I don't really get the hype with these. Yes, the color selection is great and they feel nice on the lips, but they're not as amazing as everyone makes them out to be, and I get that dreaded white line around the center of my lips when they dry. I'd purchase more of these when they're on a good sale, but they're not anything to be hyped up about. 

Phew! That took a while! I hope I didn't bore you and that you liked this post! I'll have one last haul post hopefully put up by the end of the week, and that's it for a while. It'll be spending ban time. What do you think of these products?

My Current Nighttime Skincare Routine

Hey guys! Remember me?! I know, it's been way too long since my last post. 10 days, if you want to get technical. I honestly am not sure why it's taken me so long to write up a post. I think part of me is feeling a bit blah in general, I've been exhausted from work, and when I get time to relax, all I want to do is just sit on my butt and do nothing. And with the holiday's coming up, my work schedule might be getting a bit crazy in the next couple weeks, so posting may be sporadic. I'm just warning you now! Anyways, sorry for the long intro, but today's post is going to be my current nighttime skincare routine. I did a post earlier this month on my morning skincare routine here if you want to check that out.

I shower at night, so I wash my face in the shower and I start out with Philosophy Purity Made Simple One-Step Facial Cleanser. I really love this cleanser. I featured it in a past favorites post and I just love how well it cleans my skin. I remember I used to hate this stuff but now that I'm older and my skin has changed, it's an amazing cleanser.

Next up, it should be no surprise that I use The Body Shop Aloe Calming Toner. I've talked about this product about a million times and it's still my favorite toner to use at night. I just started using it during the day as well because my skin is starting to get drier due to the colder weather. This toner really is so calming and when I feel like my skin is being sensitive, it just helps so much. 

Then I use the Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Gel for all skin types. I was using the lotion version of this for years and decided to try this one instead once I ran out, and I'm in love. Even with my skin getting drier, this product helps my skin feel soft and keeps my blackheads in check. I have incredibly large pores, so dirt and oil love them. When I don't use this, I start noticing my pores looking larger and my blackheads getting darker. This stuff is a miracle worker!

Now my moisturizer changes depending on my mood and how my skin is feeling, but the one I've been using regularly is the Neutrogena Oil-Free Moisture for Combination Skin. This moisturizer is incredibly light, but still hydrating enough to help with any dryness I may have. I've had this particular bottle for a really long time too since a little product goes a very long way.

The last part of my routine is an eye cream. I've been using the Own Lifting Eye Cream that I received from iFabbo. I did a full review on it here. I'm really loving this product alot. It's really hydrating but it still feels light. I'm not the biggest fan of heavy eye creams because they always seem to make my eyes puffy and sensitive. For me, this product is the perfect consistency for an eye cream.

Now these are products I switch out or use occasionally. When I mentioned above that I switch out my moisturizer depending on my skin, the next two products are what I use. The Own Firming Silk Concentrate is an awesome serum that I'll use by itself or I'll mix a couple drops in with the Neutrogena moisturizer for some extra hydration. If you have incredibly oily skin all year round, this would be a great moisturizer to use on its own. That's what I'd do in the Summer. I also did a review of this product here.

I'll also use the Hydroxatone AM/PM Anti-Wrinkle Complex SPF 15. Now even though this has SPF in it, it's too heavy for daytime use for me, but it's awesome as a night cream. I'll use this moisturizer after I've used a mask or some other treatment on my skin. After I use masks or other treatments, my skin can get dry at times, and this helps give me the hydration I need in my skin. Full review here.

For exfoliation, I tend to use a bunch of different products. I just ran out of a different scrub, so the one I fully switched over to is the Yes to Tomatoes Clear Skin Daily Pore Scrub. I did a full review of this here, and while I was reading it over again, I still agree with what I wrote about the first time. It's quite abrasive, which doesn't make for a good daily scrub. I'll use this 2 times a week tops. It leaves a film on your skin, so definitely follow up with a toner. I don't think it does much in helping with acne, but it does smooth out the skin. I probably won't repurchase this because it's too abrasive for my liking. 

I use a mask about once a week or so and I've been loving the Queen Helene Mint Julep Masque. This mask is incredible if you have breakouts and oily skin. I notice if I have a few spots on my face and I use this mask, they're gone the next morning. I don't know what they put in this to make it so effective, but it's amazing, especially since it's so inexpensive!

Two to three times a week, I'll use my Clarisonic when washing my face. I used to use it every single night, but I started feeling that it was doing more harm than good, so I cut back. Since Ive done that, my skin feels alot better and less sensitive. Currently I'm using the Deep Pore brush head with it. I typically use either the Sensitive or Delicate brush head, but I can buy these where I work, and I wanted to try out something different when I got an extra discount. To be honest, I can't really tell the difference between the brush heads, but I'll probably end up buying the Delicate ones again since I do like those. 

That's my nighttime routine! Let me know if you've tried any of these products! :)

I also am sorry again for my lack of posting, I really hope to get into a decent schedule soon!

My Current Morning Skincare Routine

Hey everyone! It's been a little over a year since I've done a post about my skincare routine, so I thought it was time to show you all the products I'm currently using. Now the routine I'm about to show you is still a good part of my Summer routine, and the weather is just now starting to cool down. I'll probably stick with what I'm using now for a few more weeks, then I'll change it up a bit. 

The first product I start off with is the Soap & Glory Face Soap and Clarity 3-in-1 Daily-Detox Vitamin C Facial Wash. I just started using this a few days ago as I had ran out of what I was using prior, and so far I do like this. There are little exfoliating beads in this, but they're small enough where I can use this cleanser every morning without having it irritate my skin. The vitamin C in this helps to promote a glowing complexion, which I seem to really need right now. So far, so good!

The next product I use is The Body Shop Tea Tree Skin Clearing Toner. This was featured in my last morning skincare post, and for good reason! I absolutely love this toner when my skin is feeling super oily, especially in the Summer. It can be drying, which is why I'll have to switch this out soon. I always have backups for my backups of this!

After toning my skin, I follow-up with the Clean Scene Begging for Balance Moisturizer. I purchased this when the Clean Scene line was carried at Sephora, which was quite a while ago to be honest. I don't really care for this moisturizer. It doesn't do anything special for my skin and actually makes it feel a little drier than normal. I don't know if they still sell this anywhere, but don't spend your money on this. It's not worth it in my opinion.

I should've switched the last two products in the picture, because I always use eye cream after I moisturize my face. I've currently been using and loving the Philosophy Eyes Wide Open Instant Refreshing and Depuffing Eye Gel. I've talked about this in a favorites post, and I'm so in love with this product! It actually works when I wake up in the morning and I see I have puffy eyes. Seriously, I wake up sometimes and my eyelids are so puffy, it looks like I've been punched! This is a miracle worker for me, but I don't think they sell this anymore :(

The last step in my routine is, and always will be, sunblock! I'm currently using the Neutrogena Clear Face Liquid Lotion Broad Spectrum SPF 55. I know that seems like a high SPF, but I burn very easily so I have to use it. I'm really enjoying using this sunblock alot! It hasn't broken me out and it keeps my skin looking matte, but doesn't dry it out. I normally use the Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Sunblock, but had this one so I changed it up a bit. I do like this one and would repurchase once I go through my other sunblocks I have.

That's my routine! I'm going to be doing a separate nighttime routine post because that actually takes longer and has more products involved. I didn't want to make this post 10 hours long ;)

What products do you use in your routine?

September 2013 Empties!

Hey everyone! I went through a ton of products this past month so I'm not going to ramble and get into what I've used up! There's a decent mix of products, so I'm really happy to have used up so much.

Starting off with skincare, I finally used up a Paula's Choice 2% Beta Hydroxy Acid Lotion. This bottle lasted me well over a year, for sure. My husband and I got our own place back in July of 2012 and I was already about halfway through the bottle. I used this at night after I toned my face and I just love how this helps my skin. I have incredibly large pores that get clogged easily, and this stuff works miracles in helping them stay clear. I'm currently using the gel version of this and like it a bit better for my oily skin.

The next product I used up is the Philosophy Hope in a Jar Oil-Free Moisturizer for normal to oily skin. I liked this, but didn't love it. To me, it's a basic moisturizer that felt hydrating on the skin, but didn't make me feel like a greaseball. I didn't notice it doing anything special for my skin, but it didn't have any negative effects either. I probably won't repurchase this in the future.

My last skincare product I used up is the Freeman Facial Brightening Paper Mask in Rose. I used this the Friday before my wedding, and I have to say, this is the most awkward mask I have ever tried! Since it's a sheet mask, you take it out and place it on your face, but there are holes for your eyes and nose. The eye holes were way too small and not placed far enough apart and it burns like a mother if you get the liquid too close to your eyeballs. I didn't even notice any brightening in my skin. This was in the September Ipsy bag, and while it's awesome we got these face masks, they're so not worth it in my opinion.

I used up a Suave Keratin Infusion Smoothing Shampoo. I really liked this shampoo. It smells amazing and makes my hair feel so soft and clean. It's really inexpensive if you buy it at Walmart. I probably paid only $3 or $4 for this bottle. I'm currently trying to finish up the conditioner that goes with this. I always go through shampoos way before conditioner. I probably will repurchase this sometime in the future.

Next up is the Dove Refresh+Care Invigorating Dry Shampoo. This dry shampoo is complete crap! Seriously, this did absolutely nothing for my hair. It just made it feel greasier and dirtier and I just hated it. The smell is atrocious as well. Like an old lady's perfume. Nasty, don't waste your money! I only used this up because I hate to waste product. It was painful having to use this and I'm glad it's gone.

Next up we have some vitamins. I used up a Nature Made Multi Complete. I honestly don't know how effective taking vitamins is, but I didn't notice a difference in anything when taking these. I still take them pretty much everyday because I'm used to it.

I also used up a Natural Factors B12 chewable vitamin. My mom actually got these for me to help with energy. I honestly didn't notice any difference in my energy levels at all. I'm not sure if you have to take these every single day to be effective, but I only took one when I really felt tired and needed more energy. 

Well I finally used up a Dove Ultimate Go Fresh Deodorant in Cucumber & Green Tea scent. I say finally because it seems like it takes forever for me to use up a deodorant. I promise, I use it everyday! To me, deodorant is nothing special and I just buy what's on sale. I do like how this smells though, so that was a plus.

I used up a Neutrogena New Hands Restorative Hand Treatment. I didn't like this stuff at all. It doesn't feel moisturizing and it burns really bad whenever I put it on. Even though this stuff lasts forever, I won't repurchase.

I used up a Colgate Total Pro-Shield Plus Sensitivity Toothpaste. I'm not too picky with toothpaste, but I do usually have to buy the kind for sensitive teeth because it feels better to me. 

I'm obsessed with the Bath & Body Works hand sanitizers and the one I used up is in the scent Snow Frosted Apple. This one smells so amazing and whenever I had a co-worker use it, they loved it too. I think this is a Christmas scent, so I hope they bring it back this year.

The next product is a Soho Beauty Sponge. I'm throwing this away because it's terrible and now that I have the Beauty Blender, nothing can compare to it. This one is such bad quality, it falls apart when you wet it. Good riddance to this!

I used up a little sample of the Lancome Cils Booster XL Super Enhancing Mascara Base. I really liked this stuff a long time ago because it made my lashes look alot longer. Now, I don't really care for mascara primers but I do have another one of these to use up plus an E.L.F. one, so once those are used up, I probably won't repurchase any.

The final product here is the bareMinerals Lash Domination Volumizing Mascara. I absolutely hated this, so technically this isn't an empty because I'm throwing it away. I only used it about 4 times and it clumped on my lashes every single time really bad and it's a super wet formula. I don't know why this is getting such rave reviews honestly. 

If you made it to the end, then you're awesome! I know this is a long post, but I told you guys I went through a ton of stuff! Hope you guys don't mind :)

What did you use up in September?

August 2013 Empties!

Be prepared guys, this past month I went through a ton of products! I honestly don't know how I did it but when I looked in my empties bag, it was practically full! Before I ramble on too much, lets see what I used up!

Starting off with hair care and body care, I used up the Garnier Fructis Sleek & Shine Shampoo. Now I won't take full credit for using all of this as my fiance was the main person to use it, I just helped him use it up since he started using something new! I probably finished off the last quarter of the bottle. This shampoo smells amazing, as does all Garnier shampoos and conditioners do, but it made my hair feel dry. I felt like I had to load up on the conditioner after using this stuff. I won't repurchase.

I used up another set of The Body Shop Banana Shampoo and Conditioner. I've talked about this numerous times and did a review post as well raving about them. I still like these, but I think I got bored of using them to be honest. They're still very nice, but I probably won't repurchase for a while, mostly because of the price. Luckily, these were the last bottles I had of these in my closet so I can move on to something else!

Now for body care, I used up the Neutrogena Body Clear Body Wash. I liked using this when I got breakouts on my back and chest (nasty, I know). I honestly don't know how well this works because body washes aren't on your skin long enough to have any effect so the ingredients go down the drain before they're given a chance to work. It also smells very chemically as well, which I'm not a big fan of. I probably won't repurchase this.

The last body product I used up is the Philosophy Pineapple Coconut Shower Gel. I've talked about these a ton as well, and everyone knows how much I love Philosophy shower gels. This stuff smelled amazing and made my skin feel soft and clean. I will always love these shower gels!

I used up a decent amount of skincare as well! The first product I used up is The Body Shop Seaweed Pore Perfector. I had this little bottle for ages and just always forgot to use it. I decided to finally use it up because it was just sitting in my bathroom. I don't really know how to describe this stuff. I guess it's basically a treatment gel to shrink your pores, but this did nothing to shrink mine. My pores are like craters anyways, so it's hard to find a product to help reduce them. I definitely will not repurchase this.

Next, I used up the Philosophy Purity Made Simple One-Step Facial Cleansing Cloths. I did a review on these as well so I won't go too much into detail about them. I generally did like these for removing my makeup, but the new packaging has 15 wipes less than the package I had so it's not that good of a deal anymore. Not going to repurchase because there are too many great drugstore options.

I also used up one of the wonderful The Body Shop Aloe Calming Toners. Again, I've talked about this product a bazillion times and still love it as much I have before. Will always repurchase!

Finally for skincare, I used up the Bliss No Zit Sherlock Purifying Cleanser & Toner. I used this cleanser at night and it was alright, but I felt like it burned my skin when I used it most times. I'm not sure why as I can't really tell from the ingredients what would irritate me. I know I won't repurchase this.

Now for a few miscellaneous products. I used up a Bath & Body Works Anti-Bacterial Foaming Hand Soap in the Black Cherry Merlot scent. This stuff smelled absolutely amazing! I actually enjoyed washing my hands with this stuff. I have tons of the B&BW handsoaps so I won't repurchase for a while.

Next I used up The Body Shop Skin Primer Matte It. I don't feel like this mattified my skin at all and it didn't help my makeup last either. I have difficulty finding a good face primer for my oily skin, so I'm still on the hunt!

The last product I used up is an On10 Lip Balm in a Cherry Chocolate scent. I'm not picky with lip balms and I did like this. It's got an SPF of 15 which is great for daytime use and it smelled awesome. I have so many lip balms as a backup so I don't need to repurchase any for a very long while!

Phew! If you made it til the end, you're so awesome! I'm incredibly happy I was able to use up this much. I even re-organized my closet with all my beauty stuff and was shocked to see some space! I have stuff in my bedroom though that will fill those spaces ;)

Remember my giveaway is still going for 5 more days! If you're in the US you can enter, so check it out if you haven't yet!

What did you use up in August?

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?