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?

September 2015 Favorites

Hey guys! Today I'm going to be sharing with you some products I've been loving this past month. I was going to originally film a favorites video, but I didn't like how it turned out, plus I still feel pretty awkward talking to a camera. Anyways, here are the products!

The first product I've been loving is the Proganix Quench Coconut H2O + Electrolytes Conditioner. I do love the shampoo as well, but the conditioner is freakin' amazing! It makes my hair feel like silk, it makes it smell incredible, and I've noticed my hair feels cleaner longer when I use it. Amazing stuff!

Next up is the wondrous Tangle Teezer. I purchased this a little while ago because I've always heard good things. I have pretty fine hair that gets really tangled, especially after I wash it, so I wanted to see what the hype was about. This baby has been a miracle for my hair! I no longer struggle to get those little knots out, and I think it's been really helping to strengthen my hair as well. My husband has even stole this a few times since he's got incredibly thick, curly hair that can turn into dreadlocks if he's not careful, and he said he loves it. I will be buying his own soon!

Jaclyn Hill makes me want to buy EVERYTHING. Seriously, that girl can sell ice to an Eskimo. When I heard that she was collaborating with Becca Cosmetics in bringing out her very own highlight, I was excited for her, but not overly excited to buy it. Then she started using it in her videos and talked about it non-stop. I then had to get it, despite me not really being into highlighters. Champagne Pop is stunning, and surprisingly nice for pale girls like myself. I do have to use a light hand though, otherwise it will look like a stripe of gold on my face. So beautiful, and so worth the price. 

Next up is Revlon's lipstick in the shade Cherries in the Snow. I had posted this lipstick in my Favorite Fall Lipsticks post, and this is truly such a stunning red. It's got more of a fuchsia tone to it, which I feel is great for my skin tone. If only I had bought this lipstick sooner, because I think it may be my favorite red ever. 

My last favorite is from Ardency Inn, and it's their Modster Manuka Honey Pigment in the shade Hell. I cannot get enough of this shade when I want a darker bronze smokey look! It looks so gorgeous over the Maybelline Color Tattoo in Bad to the Bronze. I did a review of the two shades I have here, and I kinda bashed them a bit saying that the shade range isn't that unique. while they might not be, this shade gets more beautiful the more I use it. I now want basically every color they make. 

What were some of your favorites last month? I'd love to know! 

*Some links above are affiliate links*

Review: Proganix Quench Coconut H2O + Electrolytes Shampoo & Conditioner

*Disclosure* These products were sent for review purposes. All opinions are 100% honest and my own, like always!

Hello everyone! I had the awesome opportunity to try out the Proganix Quench Coconut line, and was sent the shampoo, conditioner, leave-in moisture and moisture balm. I haven't really used the latter two products, so today's review is just on the shampoo and conditioner. 

Here is a bit about the shampoo and conditioner:

Proganix's Quench Coconut H2O + Electrolytes Shampoo & Conditioner power-packed blend of quenching coconut water supercharged with electrolytes and weightless coconut oil, perfected in the salon to drench your hair in weightless hydration, transforming dry parched hair into silky shiny perfection.

These products are mainly to be used on dry or parched hair, but I have seen that it's for all hair types as well. 

Depending on where you buy this, I've seen a big price jump, ranging from about $6 up to $10 for each bottle. 

First off, this duo smells INCREDIBLE! If you're a fan of coconut like I am, you will love this. It doesn't smell overly heavy like some coconut scented products can. Since it's got a mix of coconut water and oil, it's alot more lightly scented. Everytime I use these, my hair ends up feeling silky soft and I get whiffs of coconut throughout the day. The shampoo lathers nicely and rinses out well, and the conditioner is very hydrating. I do have pretty fine hair, so for me it's great. If you have thick hair, the conditioner might not be enough for you, but you will probably like the shampoo. 

Overall, the Quench Coconut line gets two thumbs up from me. I haven't had any problems with my hair since starting to use this, but I find the price to be a bit high. I've found it's cheapest at Target online, and Ulta sells it the highest at $9.99 for each bottle. Would I purchase these myself? Eh, maybe. I have a pretty big stash of shampoos and conditioners to use up, so once I go through it, then I'd make that yes or no decision. 

Have you tried anything from this line? What do you think of it?

Ulta Haul!

Hey everyone! I did some shopping at Ulta recently, online and in-store. I picked up a few goodies so I wanted to share them with you!

These products are purchases in-store when I went shopping with a friend a couple weeks ago. The first thing I picked up is the Organix Quenched Sea Mineral Moisture Surge Treatment. Now, you know I love the Coconut line within this brand and alot of their products were on sale. This jumped out at me since I'm trying to take better care of my hair more. I hadn't really paid attention to this particular line so I did look it up online after I purchased it, and it's gotten some bad reviews. I'm still going to try this out, but I am wary now. Luckily it was on sale for about $5, so hopefully it won't be a huge loss if I don't like it. 

I also picked up two of the Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponges. Real Techniques was BOGO 50% off that day, and I love these beauty sponges alot so I picked up two. I think these are honestly really nice dupes for the Beauty Blender, although I do use both. I figured I'd just buy some more of these since they were on sale. 

The last product I bought is the Tree Hut Shea Sugar Body Scrub in the Coconut Lime scent. This little jar was at the checkout area and it was just so darn cute, plus it smells like coconut, so I couldn't pass it up. 

Ulta recently had a 40% off sale on a few of their brands they carry, so naturally I had to buy some things online. I got a good deal on these too. I had a bunch of points to use toward this purchase, plus I had a $3.50 off a $10 purchase and there was free shipping at $25. After all the discounts and everything, I only spent just over $20, including tax! Woohoo!

Anyway, the first product I got was the Physician's Formula Shimmer Strips Custom All-in-1 Nude Palette for Face and Eyes in the shade Natural. I've heard some pretty good things about this little palette and I think I'm mostly going to use it for eyeshadow. I have pretty oily skin, so using highlighter on my face typically doesn't look too good after a couple hours. 

I also got a Sexy Booster Sexy Glow Bush, also by Physician's Formula, in the shade Rose. I honestly thought the packaging was adorable and it was only about $7 on sale, so I thought I'd try it.

An Ulta haul would never be complete without buying some Nyx Butter Glosses. I picked up the shades Cupcake, which I've wanted for ages but is usually sold out, Peaches and Cream and Red Velvet. I love these glosses so much, they're probably my favorite glosses in the drugstore. Also, at only $2.99, who can pass up a deal like that?!

I added another Revlon Colorstay Moisture Stain to my collection and the color I got is called India Intrigue. It's a really pretty berry/pink color but I have yet to try it out. 

Let me know if you'd like reviews of anything here! Also, have you bought anything lately?

September 2014 Empties

Hi guys! It's time for some empties and this will probably be a long one because I used up a decent amount of products. Here we go!

First up is a can of Batiste Dry Shampoo, and this is the one with a hint of color for light and blonde hair. I didn't mind the color of this, which was a light yellow. It rubbed into my hair fine and left no strange color. I love my Batiste and will always repurchase, but probably not this one.

The next product I used up is the Garnier Fructis Hydra Recharge Fortifying Shampoo. I didn't use up this whole bottle myself, I had the help of my husband. He's not picky with shampoo, but I did like this. It definitely made my hair feel really clean and it smelled really nice too. I always like shampoos and conditioners from this brand so I'll always repurchase at some time or other.

Next up is a conditioner I've been tying to finish for probably a year or so, and it's the Pantene Sheer Volume Complete Therapy Conditioner. I don't know why this took so long to finish, but I didn't need alot at all to make my hair feel hydrated. This definitely made my hair feel so nice and less tangled. Worth it for how long it lasted, but I was so over it when it was gone!

I also used up the Organix Nourishing Coconut Milk Conditioner that also took me ages to use up. This conditioner is really good stuff. It's very thin and liquid-y though so at first I thought it wasn't going to work well. Boy was I wrong! This left my hair feeling so soft and made it smell so darn good! I would repurchase once I use up my stash. 

Oh look, mascaras! I gotta admit, alot of these were just dried up and I couldn't use them. The two Buxom Lash mascaras I've had for I don't even now how long, so they gotta go. The Benefit Badgal Lash I used once, but it seemed off to me. I used it before and liked it, but this tube just wasn't the same. Funny story about the Fresh Supernova mascara. The first time I went to use it, I got one eye done and loved how it turned out. Then the wand proceeded to fly out of my hand onto the carpet. Needless to say, it had hair and dust all over it so I had to toss it and find something else to use. I absolutely hated theBalm's What's Your Type? mascara in "The Body Builder". It did nothing for me at all. I was so in love with the Sephora Atomic Volume mascara and I got a good 3 weeks of use out of it before it started to dry out and not work as well. 

The next product Is actually one I'm throwing away because the color is hideous and it's the Elizabeth Arden Ceramide Ultra Lipstick in the color Brick. It's a horrible brick red color that makes me look so sick. This came in a gift with purchase so I'm not worried about throwing it out.

Then we have a Jouer lip gloss and the color is called Birchbox Pink. This obviously came in a Birchbox, but I haven't been subscribed to them in about 2 years, plus this smelled funny, so out it goes!

The bareMinerals Prime Time Eyelid Primer was pretty nice, but my shadows creased on me most days I used it. It wasn't terrible, but enough to be annoying. I did finish all of this and got a little over a month's worth of use out of this little sample. 

I'm just throwing away the J.Cat Beauty Sparkling Cream Palette. This glittery creamy mess is just not good and no one should ever use it. 

Onto some random bits. First up is a foaming hand soap from Bath & Body Works in the scent Coconut Cove. I absolutely loved this scent, obviously because it's coconut. I have about 20 different scents of these soaps because I always stock up during sales. 

Next up is my favorite contact solution, Renu Fresh. I know I've said before, but this is the only brand that doesn't burn my eyes when I put my contacts in, so I can't really buy anything else. This stuff isn't cheap either, so I'm learning to wear my glasses more just to conserve a bit.

I was sad using up this Crest Sensi-Relief Toothpaste, because it was so good! This has to be one of the best toothpastes that have helped my sensitive teeth and gums. This isn't cheap either and I did buy it at Walmart when I had a $1 off coupon to use. Normally I think it's a little over $4, which to me is high. I always feel like I shouldn't pay that much for something like toothpaste. I will repurchase eventually if I don't find something better, or cheaper.

I used up the Body Shop's Tea Tree Skin Clearing Toner, which I've been a fan of for years. I love this stuff in the Summer especially, because it's awesome for oily skin. It keeps my skin clear and fresh and I feel it helps with my breakouts. 

I used up my first EOS lip balm and I think the scent is either strawberry or raspberry. It never says on the packaging what scent it is, so I really am guessing. In my truly honest opinion, I think this stuff sucks. I didn't find it moisturizing at all. If anything my lips were drier making me use it constantly. I do have a few more of these lip balms in my stash, but I don't know if I want to just throw them out or not. 

Next up is another product from The Body Shop, the Elderflower Unperfumed Eye Gel. I loved this so much in the Summer because it felt so cooling and nice on hot days. It really has no scent either which for me is nice since I tend to have sensitive eyes. 

I was really sad when I used up this little sample of the Jouer Lip Enhancer Conditioning Lip Treatment. I think I got this in a Birchbox as well, but this seemed good to use. I absolutely loved what this did to my lips. It made them plump and feel so hydrated and lovely. I'm tempted to buy a full size of this honestly but I have plenty of lip balms/treatments to use up first.

The last product I used up is the Almay Oil-Free Makeup Remover Towelettes. I'm on the fence with these. I liked them but I didn't love them. They did seem to remove my makeup well, but they left a bit of a film on my skin and stung my eyes occasionally, which was odd. 

Phew! That was a doozy! If you made it til the end, tell me what you all used up last month! :)

June 2014 Empties

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

January 2014 Favorites!

Hey everyone! This is the first favorites of the year, and I'm really excited to share what I've been loving! I've been able to try out some new products that I've been really happy with and have also rediscovered an old favorite, so lets get into it!

First, I'll start with hair products. I've been absolutely loving the Organix Nourishing Coconut Milk Shampoo and Conditioner. These make my hair feel so soft and clean and I love how they smell! I purchased these huge bottles a long time ago at BJ's Wholesale, it's like a Costco or Sam's Club, before my husband and I moved in together. Finally glad I decided to use these!

Then we have a Batiste Dry Shampoo in the scent Floral & Flirty Blush. I'm surprised I like this scent as much as I do. If you read my blog, you know how much I love Batiste. I was unsure of this scent, only because I'm not the biggest fan of flowery smells. This one, however, isn't bad or overbearing at all! After I've rubbed this all in my hair, it leaves such a faint smell. I catch whiffs of it throughout the day and it doesn't give me a headache or anything. 

Oh Naked3, how I love thee! I can't get enough of this palette! I did a separate review here so I won't go into detail here about how wonderful this palette is. I just love it!

While putting together my Urban Decay palette collection post, I forgot how great the original Naked Palette is. Even though Naked2 is more up my alley because it's cooler toned, I can still work with this and make the look wearable. I've actually gotten compliments while wearing shades from this palette lately, so it must be a good one!

Time for some lippies! I've been loving the Buxom Full Color Gloss in the color Ruby. I apologize for this, but I believe this came in a kit of different products from the holiday's maybe a year or two ago. I pulled this out again because I love the deep berry/burgundy color for the Winter season. This is a little sticky but I get decent wear time out of it. 

Next up, we have the Revlon Matte Balm in the color Standout. I did a review of this here so again, I won't go on and on about this amazing lip product. If you don't own any of these, seriously, go out and try just one! This is one of the best lip products I've tried! 

Finally for lips, we have the NYX Butter Gloss in the color Vanilla Cream Pie. I know I've hauled these before, but haven't really talked about them. They kinda got lost in my lip product bag and I finally got a chance to pull one of these out to try. I love this color! It's the perfect pinky nude for me and it feels very nice on the lips. It's not sticky to me at all, but the color doesn't last very long at all. I think that's ok because I'm fine with reapplying anyway. 

Swatch of buxom gloss (left) and NXY gloss (right)

 That's everything I've been loving in January! What were some of your favorites?