Hey everyone! This past month wasn't that great with empties, but it was enough to warrant a post of what I did use up. There are mostly skincare products but definitely next month I will have more makeup. I'm close to using up alot of different makeup, so that makes me happy. Anyways, lets get into what I used up in July!
I'm gonna start off with vitamins. I think vitamins are an important part of beauty because it helps your body feel good which should just help you feel good in general. I used up a Nature's Bounty Hair, Skin and Nails supplement. I honestly don't notice much of a difference in my skin, but my hair tends to grow a little faster and my nails are strong and healthy when I take supplements. I also used another Nature's Bounty Multi Vitamin for women. I don't know really what benefits I feel from these, but I kinda always took a multi when I was younger so I keep getting them.
Now for the skincare. I used up The Body Shop's Tea Tree Skin Clearing Facial Wash. I love this cleanser in the Summer months as my morning cleanser to help prep my skin for the day and get all the grease and dirt off that collected from the night before. I usually have a few backups of these on hand plus I have alot of other cleansers to use up as well. Definitely a repurchase once my stash diminishes a bit.
Typically, I have yet another The Body Shop Aloe Calming Toner. I can go on and on about how much I love this toner but I won't. I use it all the time, mostly at night.
I used up a moisturizer by Benefit called the Triple Performing Facial Emulsion. This is oil free and has SPF 15 PA++, what ever that means. I honestly didn't like this much. I used it during the day because of the SPF, but it was just a meh moisturizer. It did feel a little hydrating but made me oily after about an hour or so. This is probably a good moisturizer if you have normal to combo skin. I won't be repurchasing this only because I'm super oily.
I finally used up my Queen Helene Mint Julep Masque. I love, love, love this mask! It's been talked about for ages, but it really is great for oily skin that feels congested. I love the smell of this and I might repurchase, but I have alot of masks to use up first.
Last of the empties! I used up the Maybelline Clean Express! Makeup Remover. This is the waterproof eye makeup remover and I was so in love with this stuff! I had originally bought this because I had a $1 off coupon for it when it was first released and I bought it at Walmart so I'm pretty sure I only paid about $3. Like I said, I loved this alot. It didn't burn my eyes and removed my makeup incredibly well. I will most definitely repurchase when I use up my other makeup removers.
I used up another Philosophy shower gel in the scent Ginger Berry Frost. This shower gel actually had little flecks of shimmer throughout that I wasn't really a fan of and I didn't care much for the scent. For me, it was a little too sweet smelling, which is definitely odd for me because I love sweet things. I think this came in a holiday kit from Sephora a while ago.
I'm starting to get into the habit of using up some of my samples I have since they're overflowing. I decided to use the Givenchy Mister Light in the shade 4 Mister Macaroon. This was a bit dark for me, but when I used a Beauty Blender or the Real Techniques sponge, I was able to make it work. This was an interesting product. The texture of this felt great, it was creamy but light and blended well. However, there are shimmer particles in this that made me look a bit like a disco ball but when I used a good amount of pressed powder, it took it away a little. Seeing how much this is in pen form, I will not purchase this.
I used up another Similasan eye drops for allergy eyes. Love this stuff and it doesn't burn my eyes like alot of other drops do. I will always repurchase this.
My last empty is Benefit's They're Real! Mascara. Alot of you will probably hate me for this, but I don't get the hype surrounding this mascara. It made my lashes look spidery and bad. Towards the end of its life, I would get balls of mascara on the tips of my lashes and I'd always have to use a comb to get them out. Not going to purchase. Ever.
That's everything! Like I said, next month should be better in the makeup department. What did you all use up in July?
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!
Hi guys! I know last month I was slacking a bit in the beauty posts with the blogging challenge I was doing, and I'm sorry for that. There is a challenge for July, but I won't be taking part. I want to focus more on beauty related posts, as this is what this blog is all about! Anyways, since it's now July, that means it's time for my monthly favorites, so lets get into it!
Starting with non-makeup related products, I've been loving the Queen Helene Mint Julep Masque. This is such an amazing mask for clearing up any breakouts I've been having and It's been amazing for controlling the oiliness of my skin. With Summer now in full swing, I'm a big oil slick and this is helping wonders!
I found a tube of this Neutrogena Clear Face Sunscreen with SPF 55 hiding with all my other sunblock. I know I've mentioned a bazillion times how much I love the Dry Touch sunblock, but I wanted to use something different for once. I'm actually really impressed with this! It's so light and blends in incredibly well, and like the front of the bottle says, it doesn't cause any breakouts. At least not yet. I've only been using this for about 3 weeks, but so far, so good!
My next favorite is the Rimmel Lash Accelerator Serum. I've heard so many different reviews on this, and I'm really surprised with how much I like it! I haven't noticed too much growth with my lashes to be honest, but I have noticed that they're much stronger and when I remove my eye makeup at night, my lashes don't seem to fall out as much as they used to before I started using this. That's good enough for me, but I'll see if it helps with growth as I use it more.
Now onto the makeup goodies! I came across these NYX Love in Paris eyeshadow palettes from a Youtuber, so I wanted to look into them. I went on the Ulta website and NYX was on sale, buy 1, get one 50% off, so the first one was $9.99 and the second one was $5. The palette on the left is called Parisian Chic and the one on the right is called C'est La Vie. I love these eyeshadows! They're pigmented and they're a great price for what you're getting.
My next favorite is the Real Techniques Buffing Brush. With the same Ulta order, Real Techniques was also buy 1, get one 50% off so I decided to buy two sets and this particular brush is in the Core Collection. This brush is amazing with my bareMinerals powder foundation. I have tried it with liquid foundation and don't like it as much. I prefer the Expert Face Brush for liquid.
My last favorite is the Be a Bombshell Liquid eyeliner pen. This came in an Ipsy bag, but I can't remember which one, sorry! I've been trying to get better at doing eyeliner, especially doing the cat eye look with a little wing, and this has helped me immensely! I still think I suck at doing eyeliner, but this product is definitely helping me get better at it.
Those are my favorites for June! I hope everyone liked this post and if you want to see a review on anything, let me know!
What are your June favorites?
