March 2016 Empties

Hey guys! March was pretty insane with using up products, and I'm so proud of myself! I know that probably is odd, but using up what I have makes me feel good, as well as getting rid of products that don't work well. So grab a snack or something, because this might get long, but I'll try to not ramble on as much! 

I'll start off with a few makeup products. The Korres Mattifying Primer was really an odd consistency, and I don't find it kept my skin more matte than normal. 

The L'Oreal Magic BB Cream in Fair is just god awful! It starts out white, then is said to adjust to the shade name. I'm not sure how the shade is fair, but I looked like an Oompa Loompa, not even joking. Even mixing it with a lighter foundation or The Body Shop Lightening Drops didn't work. In the trash these go!

I initially liked the Covergirl Plumpify Mascara, which I reviewed here. Over time, I realized just how ridiculously large the brush is, and I would constantly stab myself in the eye no matter how careful I was. The consistency also started to change a bit, so I'm just throwing it out at this point. 

I'm also throwing out The Body Shop Nature's Minerals Foundation in the shade 01. I've had this container since I worked at The Body Shop, which was almost 7 years ago by now. It's old, I don't like the shade for my fair skin, and it doesn't blend well. 

It's also time to say goodbye to the Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge. I'm going to be honest here, and I may get some flack for it, but I freaking hated this sponge with a passion! It is so not like a Beauty Blender no matter how much people try to say otherwise. It breaks apart easily and makes foundation and concealer look awful on my skin. Bye Felicia! 

Now for a few random empties. I used up my last big bottle of the Crest Pro-Health Mouthwash. I really liked this as it didn't burn my mouth, but I'm over it now. I'm on the hunt for a nice mouthwash that is alcohol free, so if you know of a good one, please let me know!

There's not much to say about Batiste Dry Shampoo, except I love it and would marry it if I could. This is the best dry shampoo I've ever used and have backups of backups in my stash. 

The Korres Yoghurt After-Sun Cooling Gel is said to be used after being in the sun too long and having some irritation. Since I'm a cave-dweller, I used this as a hand cream instead, and was happy with the results I got. 

You all know my love for The Body Shop Lip Butters, as well as their Body Butters. I used up the Sweet Lemon Lip Butter finally, and a mini size of the Cocoa Butter Body Butter. Their lip butters are fantastic to use before bed, and I think everyone loves their body butters. 

Now for some candles! I decided to start including these in my empties posts/videos, and last month I used up three. The first one is by a brand called Aroma-MIX and it's in the scent Holiday Cookies. This candle was a gift from an old co-worker, so I'm not sure where you can get them. I will definitely be keeping the container though, as I like to use them for makeup brush storage. 

Then I have two from Bath & Body Works. The first one is Peach Cilantro Twist, which smelled like a fancy drink, and the second one is Cinnamon Caramel Swirl, which made me want to bake and eat lots of junk food. Both are lovely, but B&BW candles are just so darn expensive, so once I use up my stash, I won't continue buying them, unless there's an awesome sale going. 

Now for some skincare! I was obsessed with Paula's Choice products many years ago before the line blew up and they started sponsoring bloggers and YouTubers. Their Hydralight Healthy Skin Refreshing Toner for normal, oily and combination skin is just incredible. All of the products I've tried from her line never disappoint and there are products for every type of skin. 

I received the Nourish Organic Moisturizing Cream Face Cleanser in a previous Ipsy bag, and it was a very generous deluxe sample. I got about 2-3 weeks of nightly use from this, and I ended up really liking it. Even though it was moisturizing, I felt like it cleansed my skin nicely, and it worked well with my Clarisonic. 

I used the Dermalogica Skin Hydrating Masque after using deep cleaning masks, and it was just alright. It's a gel consistency that sinks into the skin pretty fast, and you can use it as an overnight mask. It didn't wow me, and since Dermalogica products are so expensive, I will never buy the full size. 

I finally finished up the Amara Organics Retinol Serum, which I did a review on here. Now that it's used up, I feel it's just a meh product, and nothing you should rush out and buy. There are more effective retinol products on the market for around the same price.  

I completely adored the Origins GinZing Energy Boosting Moisturizer. I also reviewed this here, and I think this is one of the best moisturizers I've ever used. It's a gel/cream formula, but it was hydrating enough for when it was freeing cold outside. I was thinking I would need to switch to something heavier eventually, but this was fantastic. It smells like an orange field too, so it was great for in the morning. 

Lastly, I have some baby and foil packet samples. The Sephora Instant Moisturizer isn't that great honestly, and there was only enough in here for two mornings of use. 

I was so pleasantly surprised by the Phyto-C Velvet Gel. I've had this in my stash for ages, and I don't even know where I got it from. It just made my skin feel so soft and plump, and I got over a weeks worth of use from using it morning and night, underneath moisturizer. 

I hate saying this, but I thoroughly enjoyed the Kate Somerville ExfoliKate Intensive Exoliating Treatment. It made my skin look and feel brand new after only the one use, and it's tempting me to buy the full size, which is an ungodly price. The only thing I didn't like was the smell. It smells like grass and looks like it too. 

I've already used up a packet of the DHC Deep Cleansing Oil and loved it. This stuff removes every last trace of makeup on your face and rinses off incredibly well. 

Number of products used up: 23
Total for the year: 52

I'm already doing great this year with empties! Like I've said before, 2016 is the year of using up and decluttering for me, and not just for my beauty collection. I'm wanting to declutter everything in my house and just get rid of the stuff my husband and I no longer use or need. Using up 52 beauty products in just 3 months really puts things into perspective with how much stuff I actually own. What are some products you've used up recently?

January 2016 Favorites

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Hi everyone! It's February now, and to be honest, I hope this month just flies by. Anyway, I have a few favorite products to share with you that have stood out to me whenever I use them. 

The first product I have to talk about is the Valentia Ultra Plumping Hydration Mask. I've done a full review of this here, but I just have to say how amazing this mask is! After I use a detoxifying mask, I use a hydrating one, and this was my go-to. It looks like I'm spreading banana on my face, but it leaves my skin feeling incredibly soft, plump and moisturized. There is a bit of a tingle that goes away after a few minutes, but it's not bothersome. If I'm being honest, I think this mask gives the Glamglow hydrating mask a run for its money. It does virtually the same thing, is a heck of alot cheaper, but the scents are different, which I feel the Glamglow wins on that. This one smells kinda strange, whereas the Glamglow smells like coconuts and the beach. 

Next up is an old favorite, Covergirl 3-in-1 Foundation in the shade 805 Ivory. I know I put this in my November favorites, but guys, this foundation is truly amazing. I have yet to come across a drugstore foundation that is just as good as this one. The only downside at the moment is that this is the lightest shade available, and I'm so pale right now that it's just a hair too dark, but I make it work. This foundation just blends so nicely, provides a solid medium coverage, and lasts on my typically oily skin. 

Another Covergirl product that has my attention is their Plumpify Mascara. I have a review of this here, and I feel that it makes my lashes look pretty darn good after just one coat. Once I start doing two coats is where I get a bit of clumping, but it's nothing a spoolie can't take care of. The brush is pretty massive, so it took a bit getting used to applying it, but once I got the hang of it, I feel like my lashes look longer and it keeps a curl all day. 

Something that I've been meaning to put in my favorites for the last few months, but keep forgetting, is the Real Techniques Pointed Foundation Brush. I don't think you can buy this separately, only in a set, but it's incredible! Now, I don't actually use this for applying foundation. Believe it or not, I hate using brushes for foundation. I use this brush to apply my face masks. Seriously, this is life changing for me! I think I saw someone on YouTube use a smaller foundation brush to apply a mask, and then it popped in my head that I had this brush that I never used before. So I used it, and found it applies the perfect amount to my skin without me using my fingers and wasting a whole bunch of product. I'm sure there are other brushes out there similar to this one, but I highly recommend buying the set this is in if you're curious about using it to apply face masks. 

My last favorite is the Derma E Firming DMAE Eye Lift. I have a review here, and I've been loving what this does for the skin around my eyes. The longer I use this, the more I notice that my eyes just feel better. It's helped so much with the tiny dehydration lines I've been getting, my eyes look brighter and the skin feels alot softer. I don't have wrinkles around my eyes, but I honestly think this eye cream may help with them with continued use. If I can see results after using this, then I think you may too!

Those are my favorites for January! What products were you enjoying last month?

What I Got For Christmas/ My Birthday HAUL!

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Hey guys! I hope everyone who celebrates had an awesome Christmas, and has a very happy New Year! December is always an odd month for me because my birthday is on the 8th, so presents that are given to me nowadays are for both that and Christmas, which I'm honestly fine with! Since I'm now 27 (hooray for being in my late 20's now...not!), I never really ask for certain presents anymore. I prefer either gift cards or cash so I can get something I know I'll enjoy and use. I also do treat myself to some things because, why the heck not?! So today I'll be sharing with you what I ended up getting with my birthday/Christmas money!

I had gone to Walgreen's hoping to find new products that I've been hearing about, but had zero luck. They did however have a major clearance sale going on, so I took some time browsing. I picked up the Wet n Wild Fergie Take on the Day Mattifying Powder that was on clearance for just a couple dollars. I'm hoping this is decent, but with it being marked down, it's probably getting discontinued. 

I also picked up one of the Megalast Liquid Lip Colors in the shade Red My Mind. It's a beautiful shade in the package, but that's it. It's an awful formula and flakes off my lips almost immediately after applying it. Luckily, this was just over $1 on clearance, and now I understand why every shade in this line was marked down. 

I've never tried the popular Wet n Wild lipsticks that everyone talks about, so I picked up the shades Smokin' Hot Pink and Cherry Picking. I always thought these were $1.99, but at my Walgreen's they were $2.49. No big deal really, so if I end up liking these, I'll probably buy more!

Burt's Bees wasn't on sale at all, but if you bought 2 of their lip balms, you got 1,000 points so I got the scents Honey and Coconut & Pear. I love lip balms, and Burt's Bees makes some great ones. 

Next up is Sephora! I had gotten the VIB Rouge giftcard in the mail for $25 off of a $50 purchase, and my mom also gave me hers to use as well, so I placed 2 separate orders, but lumped everything together. On one of the orders I had to buy hair ties because I wasn't quite at $50, but somehow I lost them already.

Anyway, I ended up getting the Philosophy Holiday Handbook hand cream set, which has the scents Cranberry Medley, Fresh Cream and Raspberries & Cream. I purchased a set of these last year as well and love them, so when I saw they had another set this year, I knew I had to have it. Fresh Cream is such a light, but amazing scent and I'm very happy to have it in hand cream form!

I have no reason to be buying more eyeshadow palettes, but the Too Faced Chocolate Bon Bons is one I just had to have! I had been hearing about it for months, thought the packaging was adorable, and the fact that it smells like chocolate always seals the deal. I have the other two chocolate bar palettes as well and color selection wise, I think I like this one the most. 

Kat Von D has been killing it with her makeup line within the past year, and everything I've tried so far, I've loved. I bought yet another Everlasting Liquid Lipstick in the shade Bauhau5 and a Metal Crush Eyeshadow in the shade Raw Power. You all know my love for her liquid lipsticks, but I've been dying to try out the Metal Crush Eyeshadows. I was torn between this and the shade Thunderstruck, but went with Raw Power because I love my burgundy's!

The birthday gift this year came from Nars and it included a Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in the shade Cruella, a Satin Lip Pencil in the shade Rikugien, and since I'm VIB Rouge, it came with an extra little sample of their Larger Than Life Eyeliner in the shade Via Veneto. I hear that both of the lip pencils and the eyeliner are great, so I'm excited to try them out!

Last but not least, I made a trip to Ulta. My lovely mother-in-law gave me a giftcard, and my dad gave me some birthday money. I also had the coupon for 20% off, which was good on everything I purchased! I had seen a review on YouTube of the Stila Trust in Love Gift Set, which includes an eyeshadow palette, a deluxe sized lip glaze, and a deluxe sized sample of their HUGE Extreme Lash Mascara. The wand on the mascara reminds me so much of the Too Faced Better Than Sex, which is probably my favorite higher end mascara, so we'll see if the Stila one compares. 

Real Techniques was on sale, so I picked up two of their Shading Brushes. I don't have these yet in my Real Techniques brush collection, but I love the size of these and think they will be good for applying shadow to my hooded lids. 

I've decided I wanted to delve into the world of lip liners, so I went a little ham with what I bought. I ended up buying three Essence lip liners in the shades 15 Honey Berry, 07 Cute Pink and 08 Red Blush. These babies were only $1.49 and with the coupon I had, it made them super inexpensive. I always hear good things about these lip liners too, so I have high hopes. I also purchased two other lip liners, one from NYX in the shade Cabaret, and one from Rimmel in the shade Rapture. The Rimmel lip liner was marked down to clearance, which may mean it's being discontinued. 

Next up is a new Revlon eyeshadow palette called Not Just Nudes, and the one I purchased is Romantic Nudes. They had another one that seemed a bit more warm toned, so the purple-y mauve-y pink shades in this stood out to me more. I love how drugstore brands are coming out with eyeshadow palettes, so I hope this is decent quality. 

The last product was the birthday gift from bareMinerals, and it's a Marvelous Moxie Lipgloss in the shade Birthday Babe. I don't think I've tried these glosses before, but I love the color of this, and it isn't very sticky either. 

That's everything from my birthday and what I got for Christmas! Did you get any makeup/beauty goodies that you're enjoying?

Cyber Monday/Birthday Haul!

Hey everyone! I finally got all my orders in that I had placed during Cyber Monday, and I also did some birthday shopping on Tuesday. My actual birthday was Monday the 8th, but my husband and I were both off Tuesday, so he took me to the Willow Grove Mall where there is a Cheesecake Factory for lunch. Of course I had to take a trip to the Sephora there. I do have a little rant though, so bare with me! I have to say, while lunch was amazing, shopping wasn't all the fun. The employees at Sephora were so damn rude and unhelpful and I felt pretty uncomfortable. Also, I went to Victoria's Secret to use up the secret rewards card I had and I don't know what was going on, but they only had one person ringing while probably close to ten people working on the selling floor. Now I'm no expert, but I do work retail. When you have a long ass line of people waiting to be rung up and only one person ringing, don't you think someone would come help the poor girl get through the line?! Honestly, it was unbelievable and I feel for the girl doing it by herself! It's not always easy! Anyways, thanks for reading my rant and here is everything I got! It's a long one, so get cozy.

I really wanted to place an order on Milani's website because they were having a 50% off sale on everything. I've been dying to try some of the Bella Eyes Gel Powder Eyeshadow, so I bought 8. The colors I got are Bella Cappuccino, Bella Taupe, Bella Ivory, Bella Bronze, Bella Champagne, Bella Caffe, Bella Purple and Bella Chiffon. If you want reviews of these, let me know! I didn't do swatches for this post since it's a long one. 

To get free shipping you have to spend $25, so I decided to try out their Eyeshadow Primer. I think EmilyNoel on YouTube likes this stuff, and I always trust her opinion. I also wanted to try out their Baked Blush in the shade Delizioso Pink. Shades like this always looks nice on my fair skin, and their blushes are great to begin with. 

Bath & Body Works had decent sales going, but I primarily only wanted to get the handsoap my mother-in-law loves, which is the Cucumber Melon, and you can't get it in-store anymore but I did find them online. They're not pictured because I already have them put away to give to her for Christmas. Their 3-wick candles were also on sale, so I picked up 4. 
-Apple Spiced Toddy, which pretty much smells like Leaves
-Stress Relief, which is eucalyptus mint
-Homemade Cookies
-Cinnamon Caramel Swirl, probably my favorite of the bunch

I didn't really think Ulta's online deals were that special, but they were having free shipping with only a $25 purchase. I decided to buy the Real Techniques Nic's Picks 2014 Brush set. This set comes with a Duo-Fiber Face Brush, Cheek Brush, Angled Shadow Brush, Base Shadow Brush and an Eyeliner Brush. I'm already a huge fan of Real Techniques, so I'm sure I'll love this set. 

Lorac had a little eyeshadow palette for only $15 and it's their Champagne Dreams Palette. The colors look beautiful in the palette, but I have yet to try it. 

I placed a rather large BH Cosmetics order, but two items aren't shown because they're gifts for a friend. Of course I have to treat myself as well, so I picked up the 10 piece Sculpt and Blend Brush Set. To me, these look like Sigma brushes, and I honestly like BH brushes, so I'm curious to see if these are nice or not. 

Me being the palette freak, I bought two. The Dark Rose Eyeshadow, Blush & Liquid Eyeliner Palette was only $10, so I figured I'd give it a try. I also picked up the Wild Child Baked Eyeshadow Palette. I love baked eyeshadows, so I'm gonna guess these are pretty good. It only cost $7.50 so if I don't like it, it's not a big deal. 

The last product from BH is their Studio Pro Matte Finish Pressed Powder and I got shade 205, which for me is the perfect color. I'm excited to try this as I only paid $4.50 for it!

I heard about the Stila Cyber Monday sale on a blog and thought I'd go over and take a look. Apparently the products on their sale page were between 50%-70% off, and I was shocked to see two palettes on there. The In the Garden and In the Light palettes were only $20 each. I also picked up their Brighten & Correct Concealer in the shade called Tone. I'm assuming these products are being discontinued  or already have been because I don't see them on the site anymore.

Last up is Sephora. These are a combination of Cyber Monday and birthday shopping and the first thing I truly wanted to get my hands on is the new Kat Von D palette called Innerstellar, and it's flipping gorgeous! I definitely want to do a review on this bad boy. I say that with everything and never do it, but this one deserves a review with how pretty it is.

Then we have the Sephora Collection 2-in-1 Eye Makeup Remover Gel. This was only $5 and I only got it to get up to $50 so I could use my $20 off a $50 purchase coupon. Hopefully it's alright. 

I picked up the Boscia Detoxifying Black Cleanser because it just seemed intriging. This is what I picked up in-store where I felt super uncomfortable. I would've shopped more, but I had to get out of there. I can safely say I'll be doing most of my shopping online from now on!

The Sephora Collection VIP Pass Eyeshadow Palette was just too adorable to pass up! It was only $10 and you get 8 neutral shadows that are perfect for travel or everyday use. 

A co-worker of mine raves about how much she loves the Eyeko Black Magic Mascara, but I saw a little duo set of it along with a tinted Brow Gel for only $15. I'm always on the hunt for a good mascara, so we shall see if it's as great as I'm told!

The birthday gift this year is from Makeup Forever that comes with a mascara, lipstick and eyeliner. I haven't even opened this yet, but honestly, I haven't tried much from Makeup Forever. Hopefully I like what's inside the box!

Lastly, I cashed in 500 points for the Clinique Eyes To Go set they have. It comes with a makeup remover which I already know I love, All About Eyes eye cream which I also already love, High Impact Mascara is also a love, Lash Building Primer that I have not tried yet and a Quickliner For Eyes Intense. I was excited for this because most items I know I already love, so it never hurts to have backups in mini form!

Phew! That's everything! I definitely did some damage this month and I also placed another order from The Body Shop a couple days ago that I'm waiting for as well, and also Ulta. I think my resolution is a no buy for a while!

Is there anything you've hauled recently?

October 2014 Empties

Hey everyone! I used up so many products in October, especially skincare, so I'm just gonna get right into it.

The first product I used up is the Colgate Optic White mouthwash. I thank everything that is holy this is used up. I hated this so much, it burned and didn't make my breath feel fresh at all. Hated this stuff!

The next product is a good one, and it's The Body Shop Satsuma Shower Gel. This product smells like heaven. I swear everytime I use this in the shower, it makes my whole house smell like oranges. I'm a huge fan of The Body Shop's shower gels and will always have one or two backups in my closet. 

Next up is a Hair, Skin & Nails supplement by Spring Valley. I like taking these supplements to help take care of my hair, but I notice a huge difference in the health of my nails the most. 

Then I have a small tube of L'Occitane Hand Cream. This hand cream contains 20% shea butter so it's ultra hydrating. I liked using this before bed so it could sink into my skin. My hands are really starting to dry out now, so I can already tell I'll be going through hand cream like crazy. 

I definitely used up quite a bit of skincare and the first product is the Hydroxatone AM/PM Anti-Wrinkle Complex moisturizer. This took me ages to use up because I used it at night and I did alternate between different moisturizers. This stuff is pretty heavy, but I didn't break out from it, which was nice. I did a review of it here and it was sent to me from iFabbo.

The next product I used up is the Boots Expert Sensitive Gentle Refreshing Toner. I think I may have put this in a monthly favorites, but don't quote me. I did like this toner alot. It was very inexpensive and did feel good on my skin. I don't know if I'll repurchase only because I'm so attached to the Aloe Toner from The Body Shop. 

Next I used up the Garnier Moisture Rescue Refreshing Gel-Cream Moisturizer. I don't like this stuff at all. It doesn't do anything for my skin and the scent is too overpowering for me. 

I've decided to throw away the Proactiv Mild Exfoliating Peel. I was going through my closet and saw this in there. I was actually going to use it then saw when it expired. In the trash it goes!

The last skincare product is the Own Firming Silk Concentrate. I did a review on this here, and now that it's all used up, I can say that I would not repurchase it. It was nice while it lasted. I mixed it into my night time moisturizer for extra hydration, but it did feel a little oily on my skin. 

I loved the Smashbox Full Exposure Mascara. It lasted for close to a month and made my lashes look nice. All other mascaras pictured were drier than the Sahara so in the trash they go. The mascaras are Pop Beauty Smoky Lash Kapow!!! (yes, it really has 3 exclamation points at the end of the name), theBalm What's Your Type? "The Body Builder", Make Up For Ever Smoky Lash, Korres Provitamin B5 & Rice Bran, and two of the Tarte Lights, Camera, Lashes. All of those were just so dry and un-useable.

Now finally some makeup products! The first product is the Pixi Flawless & Poreless Primer. I didn't find this particularly amazing. I think it did help foundation/concealer go on a bit nicer, but it didn't really do much for my pores or oily skin. I do have another one of these to use up though.

I finally used up my Maybelline Age Rewind Dark Circle Treatment Concealer in the color Fair. I love this stuff so much and will always repurchase once I use up some other concealers. I think this is one of the best concealers for my dark circles. 

I also finally used up my Rimmel Stay Matte Pressed Powder in the Translucent shade. This took me so long to use up since I don't use alot and mostly used it under my eyes. I love how fine this powder is and how it keeps my skin looking nice and shine free for a while.

I'm sad to say it's time to get rid of the Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge I've been using. It had started to get tears in it and little bits were coming off when I was using it. Even though this is way less expensive than the Beauty Blender, it doesn't hold up as well as the Beauty Blender. I've been using my Beauty Blender longer than I was using this Miracle Complexion Sponge and it's holding up so much better. 

I used up this tiny sample of the Chella Eyebrow Defining Gel that I received in an Ipsy bag. I actually did really like this. I don't do much with my eyebrows, so some gel to tame them a little is fine with me. 

The last product is the La Fresh Travel Lite Makeup Remover Wipes. This little package came in either an Ipsy bag or an old Birchbox. I used these because I couldn't find a large package of wipes and they kinda sucked to be honest. They didn't remove makeup well, so I mainly used them to clean up swatches. Even then they didn't clean well. 

What did you use up in October?

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?

HAUL! The Body Shop, Ulta, Wegmans, Sephora

Hey guys! Unfortunately for my wallet, I went on yet another beauty shopping spree. I tell ya, I can't resist a good sale and coupons! I went to The Body Shop, Ulta, Sephora and oddly enough, my local grocery store, Wegmans. Lets see what I got!

I'll start off with The Body Shop. They were having an awesome buy 3, get 3 free deal so obviously I couldn't pass that up. Once I got what I wanted, I was told I had my $15 gift to use if I wanted, so I said heck yeah! The girl there also said that anything else I got would be buy 1, get 1 free since I had already done the original deal. I made out like a bandit to say the least and with tax only spent a little over $50. 

Anyways, first we have two mini body butters. The one on the top is the Shea scent and the bottom is Cocoa Butter. If you know me or have read my blog for a while, you know how much I love their body butters. I don't use them much in the Summer since my skin isn't as dry, but the mini versions were just too cute to pass up. 

Next up we have one of my most beloved products ever, and that's the Hemp Hand Protector. Aside from the packaging being annoying, the actual product inside is amazing! I personally love the smell of this, but alot of people find it too strong. I love this hand cream in the Winter when my hands get so dry, they crack and really hurt. This hand cream pretty much solves that problem overnight. Love this stuff!

I decided to stock up on another beloved product, the Aloe Calming Toner. Y'all know I've talked about this a million times and it's in almost every empties post I write up. Holy Grail toner and I'll always buy this stuff in bulk.

I haven't used these next products in a while, but I've always loved their Aloe Protective Serum. This is great as a moisturizer for me in the Summer, or in the Winter I like to mix it in with a moisturizer for extra hydration. I couldn't remember if I had any at home, so I picked up two bottles. Of course when I got home, I did notice I have some backups. Oops!

Then we have the Aloe Eye Defense. I love this eye cream so much, mainly because it's incredibly gentle, yet it's still hydrating enough to make the skin around my eyes look and feel good. I also noticed I had a backup of this too. I need to start looking through my stash before I buy things!

Lastly for The Body Shop, we have two of their lip butters. I purchased the Shea scent and Coconut scent. I love these lip butters alot because they're incredibly hydrating and creamy, but they leave a white cast on my lips, so I only use them at night before bed, or throughout the day if I'm not going anywhere. 

Next up is Ulta! I was really wanting to go to Ulta because I had a 20% off coupon to use on anything, but the kicker was that coupon also worked on high end brands! Granted, it only took off 10% but hey, I wasn't complaining! I also had some points to use so I made out well here.

The first product I got is the Real Techniques Powder Brush. I love these brushes so much and while there wasn't a sale on them, I figured with the 20% coming off of this product, it wasn't a bad deal. I have yet to try this, but I'm sure I'll love it because I haven't been disappointed in any of their brushes I've tried.

Next up is the it Cosmetics Bye Bye Pores Poreless Finish Micro Powder. I have never tried anything from it Cosmetics before and this stood out to me as a great finishing powder. I have really oily skin with pores galore, so I have high hopes for this.

The it Cosmetics Naturally Pretty Vol. 1 Matte Eyeshadow Palette is the original reason I wanted to go to Ulta in the first place. I'd seen review after review of this and everyone loved it. Even though I have both Lorac Pro palettes that have a good amount of matte shades in them, I wanted an all matte palette that had more than 5 or 6 colors in it. I plan on doing a review of this eventually but I have to say, the colors are stunning!

When I was checking out, the girl at the counter gave me this It's a 10 Miracle Leave-in Product as a free sample. I was so happy I practically yelled thank you at her! I've never tried this before but I've always heard good things about it. Can't wait to try it now!

Next is Wegmans. I'm not sure how many stores there are in the country but I have a feeling it's more of an upper eastern store. I'm in Pennsylvania, but I know there are stores in New York and they're constantly growing. A new store opened up next to the mall I work in, so it's incredibly convenient for me if I have to stop for groceries after work. 

Anyways, I usually check out what cosmetics/skincare/beauty stuff they have and I've been wanting to try the Garnier Clean Shine Control Cleansing Gel. This is a charcoal cleanser, and I really love charcoal on my skin. It really cleans it well and lessens the look of my pores. This stuff smells nice to me as well so I'm excited to try it!

Now we have the L'Oreal Youth Code Texture Perfector Serum. I have no idea if this is getting discontinued or my store is just not going to carry this anymore, but it was on clearance for only about $5. I'm pretty sure I heard about this product on YouTube and was curious about it, so when I saw this on clearance I kinda freaked. If I end up liking this and find out it's getting discontinued, I'll cry.

Lastly is another clearance item, and it's the Olay Fresh Effects Everything Off! Makeup Removal Cloths. I kid you not, these were only like $3 for this entire pack of 25. I also don't know if this is getting discontinued, or if it's getting repackaged, but I figured for $3 it wasn't too bad to try them out. 

Lastly, we have Sephora. Now these products are from two separate purchases. One was online and the other was from Sephora inside JC Penny. These purchases also renewed my VIB status through 2015, so expect another haul soonishly!

First up is the First Aid Beauty Facial Radiance Overnight Mask. I heard about this from YouTube and thought it seemed like an interesting product. You can use this on clean skin or after moisturizer, but you leave it on overnight and wash it off in the morning. It's supposed to brighten and nourish your skin, so I'm definitely curious to see what it does for me.

Next up is something I had been eyeing for a long time and it's the Urban Decay Naked Flushed Palette in Native. When the original one came out, I had wanted that but thought the bronzer was too dark. When they came out with different shades and I saw this, I had to try it. I purchased mine online, but when I was looking at it in store, the blush had barely any pigment to it! I'm thinking it's from all the lights because mine is way more pigmented and beautiful. I'll tell ya, it's the perfect pink shade and the bronzer doesn't look too dark or orange. I'm flipping excited that I have this now!

I was looking at the sale section online because, you know, I like a good deal. I came across this Sephora PRO Cream Shadow #28 brush for only $20. I haven't been using my cream shadows because I don't really like getting my fingers dirty, plus it gets under my nails and makes a mess. I saw this and thought maybe it would work for me. I have tried this and am happy to report that I love it! It picks up just enough product and blends it on my lids perfectly. I will start using more of my cream shadows now that I have this. 

Well, I caved and bought the Bite Beauty Agave Lip Mask. This is an expensive little bugger but it's gotten a ton of hype. I do tend to have super dry lips, so this could be worth the hefty price tag if it helps me. 

When I was looking at all the Bite Beauty products in store, I was surprised to see the Deconstructed Rose Lip Gloss Library as I think it's limited edition. I had heard FleurdeForce talk about this and she loved every single color. My store only had one left in stock, so after I had a little fun with the testers, I decided to buy it even though it was close to $50. The glosses aren't a huge size, but I feel it gives me a good enough amount of product to decide whether or not I like them. Bite Beauty in general gets good reviews, so I do have pretty high hopes for these.

The very last product we have is the Ole Henriksen 3 Little Wonders Professional Strength AM/PM regimen. This was online and was given out for free with a certain code. Even though they're sample foil packets, there are 7 days worth but if you're anything like me, I'll try to make it last longer. Ole Henriksen products are kinda expensive, so I'm definitely gonna try and get good use out of them.

That's everything! Sorry the post is so darn long, but I did get alot of stuff! Like I said above, Those Sephora purchases extended my VIB status and I got a 10% off coupon to use, so expect another haul soon! ;)

What have you hauled lately?

March 2014 Favorites!

Hey everyone! This past weekend and most of last week was nuts. Our power went out and when it was restored, I discovered that the internet modem was basically destroyed and we had to get another one shipped out. It was a bigger ordeal than it should've been because it was sent to the wrong house, but now we are back online and all is well in the world! Today's post is going to be my favorites for March. Lets see what I've been loving!

My first favorite is basically a 2-in-1, and that's the Z Palette and Makeup Geek eyeshadows! I decided it was time for me to get a Z Palette since pretty much everyone and their dog owns one. I love this thing! I actually did purchase this on the Makeup Geek website, and I'm very pleased with it. It's very sturdy and keeps everything in place well. Can't wait to fill this baby up!

Why did it take me so long to try Makeup Geek eyeshadows?! I'm super impressed with the quality of these and they were only $6 for the pan! If you want the whole compact, I believe they're around $8. Seriously, these eyeshadows are amazing! 

My next favorite is the Too Faced Chocolate Box eyeshadow palette. First off, this thing makes me want to eat it because it smells like chocolate, and everyone knows I love me some chocolate! It also doesn't hurt that the shadows are amazing too with how they blend and the variety of neutral colors along with a few extras. Overall great palette!

Next up we have the Origins GinZing Refreshing Eye Cream. This is a little baby sample I had because I can't find my full size one anywhere. I've been meaning to try this for ages now and finally decided to pull this out. This is a great eye cream if you have dark circles, but it by no means covers them up completely. It does have a tint to it that helps brighten slightly, but I do need concealer for more coverage. This hydrates nicely and sinks right into the skin. If I can't find the full size one that I know I have somewhere, I may have to bite the bullet and purchase another. 

Last favorite is the Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge. This is a Godsend! I love my Beauty Blender, and when this came out I was reading some awesome reviews, but I was on the fence about getting it because I do have two Beauty Blenders and didn't need this. Personally, I find this to be the best dupe for the Beauty Blender that I've tried. I purchased this at my local Wegmans grocery store, and they sell it for $5.49 but I had a $1 off coupon. I just love everything about this little beauty and I'm definitely considering switching to just this when my Beauty Blenders fall apart!

That's what I was loving in March! What were some of your favorites from last month?

Also, remember to check out the blog sale I have! There are still alot of things I'm selling!

Birthday/Christmas Money Haul! Sephora & Ulta

Hey guys! So today's post is going to be a haul! I know I said I was on a spending ban, but with my birthday and Christmas being in the same month, I had saved the money I was given to buy some makeup goodies! Lets see what I got.

Starting off with Sephora, they were having an online sale of their clearance items after Christmas of 20% off so I decided to purchase two items! The first is this Urban Decay Anarchy Face Case.

This is a pretty neat palette. When you open up the top portion, you get 5 different eyeshadows that are called Redemption, Fray, Vaporize, Provocateur, and Revolt. I love these colors like every other UD eyeshadow but my two favorites are Fray (second one in) and Vaporize (third one in). For my skintone, Fray is perfect for the crease and blending out any harsh edges. Vaporize is just such a stunning metallic gray-ish taupe color that I actually get alot of use out of. You also get a decent size of their 24/7 liner in Perversion, which is personally my favorite black eyeliner.

When you open up the second layer, you have two blushes called Fetish and Quickie. *Cough* Anyways, aside from their raunchy names, they're beautiful colors. Fetish is a mauve-pink and Quickie is obviously a bright pink. The highlighter, called Craze, isn't my favorite. I'm not the biggest fan of yellow-toned anything, so I'm not sure if I'll get much use out of it. 

I'm obsessed with the Super-Saturated High Gloss Lip Color in Scandal! I put this on and was amazed at how pigmented and beautiful it was. It's described as a bright metallic raspberry shimmer, and that's just spot on. I love how this looks with my fair skin, and with a very neutral eye, it's perfect! I'm thinking of doing a review on this sometime.

The last product I picked up from Sephora is the Lorac Mint Edition Palette. It also came with an exclusive Couture Shine Liquid Lipstick in the color Retro which is a nude-pink shade that's supposed to flatter all skintones. I haven't tried it yet, but it looks a bit light for me, but smells amazing, like cocoa powder!

Inside, you get 8 eyeshadows, 4 matte and 4 shimmer, along with a blush and highlighter. The highlighter in this palette is more my style because it's more of a pinky tone. The blush is a peachy-pink and I love blushes that color. 

I won't go into too much detail since I think I want to review this, but the matte eyeshadows didn't really impress me. I bought this for the mint shade, but that wasn't up to par with Lorac's other matte shadows, aka the Pro Palette. The shimmer shades are actually very nice! The taupe shade in the upper right hand corner is a beautiful lid or transition color depending on the look you're doing!

Now onto Ulta! I've been wanting to add to my Real Techniques brush collection because they're great quality but they're pretty affordable. When I was in the store, they were sold out of literally every Real Techniques brush except for two or three, so it was slim pickins. I did want to get the Setting Brush so I was glad they had it! I wanted this primarily for setting my under eye concealer. 

I then picked up the much talked about Mario Badescu Drying Lotion. My skin has been crazy lately. It's super oily and broken out one day, then the next day it dries out and I can't control that either. With all my breakouts, my usual zit gel I was using wasn't working as well, so I decided it was time to try this bad boy since I've heard amazing things. Again, I want to do a review on this, but I will say, this product is really nice!

I then picked up the newer Revlon Colorburst Lacquer Balms. They did have a few of the matte balms, but they were all tampered with. My biggest gripe with these is that they're only sealed with a tiny little sticker. I think that's just nasty, but I did find two that I wanted to try (and didn't seem tampered with!). The first one is called Enticing, which is a beautiful red shade. I put this on right away after I bought it, and I actually got compliments! This is a rare red that somehow works for my pale skin. The second color I bought is called Coquette which is a bright pink shade. I know it looks bad in the picture, so I apologize!

Last few products! I decided it was time for me to buy some Prestige mascara. I picked up the popular My Blackest Lashes, but then I also wanted to try My Biggest Lashes. I have yet to open these but I'm pretty darn excited I own these now!

The last products I picked up are these Rimmel Scandaleyes Eye Shadow Paints in the colors Chestnut Taupe, Manganese Purple, and Rich Russet. I'm pretty sure these are new products because they were on a different display away from the other Rimmel products. These babies are flipping awesome! You gotta work fast with these because they dry quickly, but I put some on my lids with the applicator, then take a stiffer blending brush to buff away harsh lines. These literally dry down like paint, but they make an awesome shadow base! I haven't worn these by themselves yet, but I have a feeling they'll last throughout the day.

That's everything! I hope you enjoyed reading this post, and let me know if you've hauled any new products lately! :)

2013 Beauty Favorites!

Hi everyone! Instead of doing a monthly favorites for December, I'm doing my favorites for the whole last year. Now, there's no real rhyme or reason behind my favorites. I just picked what products I used the most throughout the year. There's a bit of skincare, makeup and tools!

  Starting off with skincare, if you read my blog on a regular basis, you know how obsessed I am with The Body Shop Aloe Calming Toner. This is one product that is always in my skincare routine no matter what. I go through it faster in the Winter time because I use it morning and night, but in the Summer I only use it at night. This is a Holy Grail product, and anything I try that's similar doesn't compare.

I've been loving the Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Gel for a long time. I started out using the lotion version of this, but I felt it was getting a bit heavy for my skin so I switched to this gel version. My skin loves this! I only use this at night after toning, and when I wake up in the morning, my skin looks and feels so soft. It keeps my pores looking cleaner and overall, this is just such a great product if you have oily, blemish prone skin with stubborn blackheads.

Next up we have some palettes. The Lorac Pro Palette is one palette that I constantly reach for. When I'm not sure what to do with my eye makeup, I pull this out and come up with something. With the range of matte and shimmer shadows you have, there are numerous looks you can create. I used this palette on my wedding day and had some amazing compliments because of it. I will never regret buying this!

The Urban Decay Naked Basics palette is a palette that I wasn't sure of at first. I kept reading different reviews on it, and at first I wasn't going to get it. I saw it in store and fell in love! I can't say how many times I've used eyeshadows, then pulled this out to add a highlight or a crease color because I didn't like anything else. I use this palette almost everyday with my eye looks. 

Time for some face products! I'm typically not a foundation girl. I'll pretty much just use some concealer under my eyes, powder up, then go. I like no fuss or anything. When I do feel like wearing a bit more makeup, I go for the Covergirl Outlast Stay Fabulous 3 in 1 Foundation in the color 805 Ivory. This foundation is incredible! If you have oily or dry skin, you can use this. I always set with powder because I'm super oily, but if you're dry, you can put this on and go. It gives good coverage and keeps my skin looking flawless for quite a while.

My favorite concealer of all time is the Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Eraser for Dark Circles Treatment Concealer in the color Fair. This concealer is a Godsend for my horrible dark circles. I don't sleep well, plus it's hereditary so I have constant dark circles. This stuff covers them up well, and if I set with powder, I'm good for the day.

When I set any foundation, concealer, etc. I like using a setting spray and my favorite one has been the Skindinavia Bridal Makeup Finish Setting Spray. Ever since I bought this for my wedding day, I was hooked. It made my makeup last for hours and even at the end of the day, my makeup still looked nice. I'll probably repurchase this once I run out of the other setting sprays I have. Love, love, love this stuff!

*Honorable mention* I really just forgot to picture this, but the Rimmel Stay Matte Powder in the Transparent color is also something I use pretty religiously. I love how it makes my skin stay more matte than normal and it never looks cakey on. I love using it to set my under eye concealer most. 

The Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion really needs no explanation as to why it's a favorite of the year. I used this every single time I used eyeshadow in 2013. I do have other eyeshadow primers to use, so this tube will be put aside for a while. Until I find something better, this will continue to be my Holy Grail eyeshadow primer!

Maybelline's The Rocket Volum' Express Mascara in the Blackest Black color is fantastic! You've all heard me rave about the bareMinerals Flawless Definition Mascara, but this comes so close to being better. I have another of the bareMinerals mascara, so I'm curious to use it again and see what I think about that versus this one!

A new edition to my beauty arsenal is the Beauty Blender! I got the black one because it came in a double pack that was a better deal than buying just one. I never knew foundation could look so amazing before using this! Using this along with that Covergirl foundation is near perfection. I love how you can cover larger areas of that face with the sides of this, then get into the corners of the eyes or nose with the tip. This little miracle sponge is so worth the splurge in my opinion.

Next up in the tool department is the Real Techniques Deluxe Crease Brush. This. Brush. Is. Amazeballs! Seriously, I love this brush for applying and blending out concealer under the eyes, or when I put on cream eyeshadows to blend out the harsh lines. I'm usually messy with cream shadows, so I need something to help blend everything out. This brush is also one of the softest brushes I own, so that's a big plus!

My last favorite for the year is the Sigma E35 Tapered Blending Brush. I use this brush pretty much everyday when putting eyeshadow in my crease. It's the perfect size and applies just enough color. It's also another really soft brush so it's nice to work with.

Those are my favorites for the last year! What were some of your favorites?