June 2018 Empties

June was an amazing month with using up products! I feel so proud of myself, and I'm excited to share what I was able to use up last month.

 I'll start off with the few skincare samples I used up. I have 3 packet samples: the Derma E Vitamin C Brightening Clay Mask, The Body Shop Drops of Youth Concentrate, and a Cane + Austin Miracle Pad +. I actually loved all three of these samples! Derma E makes great skincare, you all know I love The Body Shop products, and Cane + Austin is a new to me brand. 

I have 2 deluxes samples of moisturizer/sunscreen. The Peter Thomas Roth Max Sheer All Day Defense Lotion was a bit thick, but it sunk into my skin fine. The Shiseido Ultimate Sun Protection Lotion was not good. I used it 3 times and had to get rid of the rest. It smelled very strongly of perfume and made my skin look ghostly white. 

Next up is some hair and body care. I ended up getting rid of the Rusk Sensories Brilliance Color Protector. I just knew I wasn't going to use it and it's been in my closet for years. 

I finally used up the Arvazallia Restorative Conditioner. I thought this was okay. I used up the shampoo a couple months ago, and wasn't a fan of the duo. It made my hair feel nice for maybe a day, then it was greasy after that. 

I know a lot of people don't care for Pantene products, but I loved the Anti-Breakage Shampoo! It made my hair feel so soft and clean, and I might end up repurchasing at some point. 

I used up a shower cream and body cream duo from Perlier in the White Almond scent. I adore the scent, and of the two, the shower cream was my favorite. 

Next up is some random stuff. I had one wipe left of the Epielle Green Tea Cleansing tissues, but it was all dried up and not usable. 

I wasn't a fan of the L.A. Colors lip balm in the shade Boom. The tint was too much, so I just used it right before bed. 

I decluttered the Sonia Kashuk Radiant Tinted Moisturizer. It's very old and it was time to get rid of it. 

I also ended up getting rid of the Skin Food Cacao Hand Balm. I did not like how this just sat on my skin and didn't really provide much hydration. 

I'm on a quest to use up or get rid of all my candles. Now that I diffuse Young Living essential oils, I find myself not liking candles anymore.

I used up the two hand soaps I had in the kitchen and bathroom: Bath & Body Works Tuscan Vineyard, and Green Goo Lemongrass Zinger. Loved both scents, but once I use up all the handsoaps I have, I'll be making my own. 

Lastly is my daughter's empties! Mountain Falls is Amazon's brand, and their Baby Night-time Bath soap is awesome. It's not very expensive and smells like lavender. The mini Johnson's baby shampoo is what I use to clean my makeup brushes, or clean out my daughter's Nose Frida. The Boudreaux's Butt Paste was alright, but I discovered Young Living's diaper cream, and it's fantastic!

Products used up: 20
Total for the year: 94

Like I had said above, I'm so incredibly happy to have used up this many products. My goal for the year was to use up 150 products, and I just might exceed that! I'm really excited to see how the rest of the year pans out.

Easy, Everyday Makeup Routine

*Post contains affiliate links*

Hey guys! This post was meant to go up yesterday, but you know, life happens sometimes. Anyway, I'm getting into the habit of doing my makeup more often. Since becoming pregnant, I honestly didn't care one bit about makeup and didn't wear any for the longest time. I wanted to start wearing it again just to help feel more confident, even though I feel like a bloated whale. I have a pretty easy, go-to look when I don't want to really think about what I'm doing, and I wanted to share it with you. 

I usually start off with my eyes, so these are the products I used:

- Maybelline Color Tattoo in Bad to the Bronze
- Urban Decay Naked2 Basics
- Lancome Color Design Sensational Effects Eye Shadow (these are usually in a gift with purchase set)
- Urban Decay 24/7 Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner in Perversion
- Urban Decay Perversion Mascara
- Urban Decay Supercurl Mascara

For the face, I went very light since it's so incredibly hot here lately:

- Sonia Kashuk Radiant Tinted Moisturizer in Fair
- Rimmel Match perfection Concealer in Fair

Lips:

- Sephora Ultra Shine Lip Gloss in Pin Up Pink

I'm super happy with this look, and yes, there is no blush pictured, because I really didn't think I needed it! One of the perks of pregnancy is the supposed "glow" everyone says you get. I never really noticed a glow until very recently, but I'm not complaining! I also do switch out brands and whatnot, but usually keep the look about the same. I'm a neutral girl to a fault, and I really need to step out of my comfort zone more!

What do you use in your everyday makeup routine?

Fall Face Feat. Lorac Mega Pro Palette

Hello everyone! Today I wanted to show you guys a nice Fall inspired look I did using the Lorac Mega Pro Palette. It hasn't really been feeling like Fall this week since it's been a bit warm, but it's cooling down by the weekend! I used the products shown above and I must say, I'm very happy with how the look turned out!

Since I knew I wanted to use liner and shadow on the bottom of my eyes, I did my eyes first, then went to foundation, and back to the lower eyes. The first color I used is called Sepia and I ran that all through my crease. I then took the color Apricot and patted that all over my lids. For some more definition, I took the beautiful shade called Merlot and used that on the outer corners and ran it a bit through my crease. For a highlight, I used a combination of Cream and Vanilla. For once in my life I used eyeliner, and the one I used is by Urban Decay and it's their 24/7 liner in the color Corrupt. I also used that on my lower lash line. I did also use Perversion to tightline and used a bit on my waterline. I just forgot to picture it! To blend out the eyeliner on my top lashline, I took a color called Maroon, and slightly blended it out. To blend out the lower lashline, I took a combination of Maroon and Merlot and smoked it out a bit. For mascara, I used my new found favorite, Lancome Grandiose, which I did a review on here if you want to check it out!

Onto the rest of the face. For foundation, I mixed some of the Clinique Stay Matte Oil-Free Makeup in the color 02 Alabaster and mixed it with the Sonia Kashuk Radiant Tinted Moisturizer in the color Fair. I had to mix those two together because the Clinique foundation is actually too dark for me, so the Sonia Kashuk tinted moisturizer helped out with that problem. To blend it all out, I used my trusty Beauty Blender. For concealer, I ended up using two different ones. I first applied the Rimmel Wake Me Up Concealer in the color 125 Very Fair. It looked a bit yellow for me so I then applied the Rimmel Match Perfection Concealer & Highlighter in the color 125 Fair. Once I blended all that in with my Beauty Blender, everything was good! I topped off the foundation and concealer with the Mirabella Perfecting Loose Powder, which is just a translucent powder. For blush, I used a Tarte Amazonian Clay blush in the color Adventurous. This came in a holiday kit, so I honestly don't know if they sell it regularly. 

The lips are definitely what surprised me! I didn't think a full on dark, berry lip would go well with this look, so I took the Too Faced Melted Lipstick in the color Melted Nude, which did look a little dark on me. I decided to then use the Starlooks Lip Gloss in the color Guilty Pleasure, which added a bit more pink to the look and also made it look less matte. 

Here is the final look! I definitely love how this turned out but I'm so not used to seeing myself with liner on the bottom. Have to get used to that. Otherwise, I really like the color scheme of everything, and the nude/pink lip looks great to me!

Swatches of eyeliner & shadows used in order of application. Sepia, Apricot, Merlot, Cream, Vanilla, Maroon

Swatches of blush, lipstick & lip gloss

What do you guys think of this look? Do you switch up your makeup routine was the weather changes?

My Spring Beauty Must-Haves!

Hi everyone! It's such a beautiful day outside today and it makes me so happy that the weather is finally getting nicer and warmer. Since it's so nice out, it got me thinking about what my must-haves for Spring are. I do have a few skincare and makeup items that I love and want to share, so here they are!

Starting off with skincare, I need a good cleanser that's going to help clean my skin and not make it oily. I can already tell that my skin is getting oilier and oilier as the days go on. A cleanser that I'll be using this Spring once it stays warm outside is this Clean & Clear Morning Burst Shine Control Facial Cleanser. This cleanser will help clean my skin and leave it shine free. It's also supposed to help you with waking up, which I definitely need in the morning!

Next, it's important for me to stop using my heavier Winter moisturizer, and start using one that's oil-free and light. I can't wait to start using the Philosophy Hope in a Jar Oil-Free Moisturizer for normal to oily skin. I've heard some good things about this moisturizer, and it came in a Philosophy skincare kit, so this will be the perfect moisturizer to transition into Spring with!

Lastly, it's super important to be using more sunblock! It's always important to wear sunblock everyday, but if you don't use it everyday, get in the habit of doing so. It's one of the main things that'll help slow down aging, and I know everyone wants to have young looking, beautiful skin no matter what your age. I know I've talked about this Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry Touch Sunblock with SPF 55 before, and yes, this is still my all time favorite sunblock ever!

Now onto makeup! I've already mentioned that I don't wear the typical liquid foundation. I only use tinted moisturizers and BB creams. This Sonia Kashuk Radiant Tinted Moisturizer with SPF 15 will be perfect for the days I want some coverage on my skin, but don't want it to look heavy and caky. I also like this tinted moisturizer because I get the lightest shade, fair, and it's absolutely perfect for my skin! I'm so pale no matter what season it is. I never tan and I'm always slathered in sunblock if I'm going to the beach or I'm going to be out in the sun for long periods of time. I know this will continue to be my shade through Summer.

My next must-have is a makeup setting spray. I'm currently using the Urban Decay De-Slick, which is the oil control one, but if you have dry skin, there are other setting sprays meant for your skin. I just like this because it does help to control my oil longer than normal. I know I'll still get greasy throughout my day, but this helps to keep shine away for a bit longer than usual. I'll use this before I put on tinted moisturizer or BB cream, then after, before I put on powder products. I found that helps my skin out a little more. 

Next up is a lip balm with SPF. I'm currently using the On10 Cherry Chocolate Dr. Pepper lip balm that has SPF 15 in it. Can I just take a minute and tell you how amazing this stuff smells?! Seriously, it's like heaven. Anyways, any lip balm with SPF will do. No one wants sunburn on their lips!

Finally, I think it's fun to change up eyeshadows a bit, so having bright and fun colors to play with is always nice! I love this palette from Tarte that my mom got for me I wanna say around 3 years ago. It's the Flower Child palette, and I don't believe it's available anymore, but I love this palette! There's one matte shadow and the rest are and shimmer, you have your neutrals, which everyone needs, but then you have your pop of color that can be light and fun, or a bit more smokey for nighttime. There are a bunch of different looks you can create with this, but hey, fun and bright shadows will do! You don't need this specific palette :)

Last but not least, I figured I'd show some fun nail polishes that are nice for Spring! The first one is by Nails Inc, and the color is called Notting Hill Gate. This mini polish came in a set of Neutrals and Neons, and I absolutely love this bright neon pink color! It probably doesn't show up that well on camera, but in person it's literally bright neon pink. It's amazing. Next up is a minty color from Color Club called Blue-Ming. I received this in a Birchbox a while back and I think it's a beautiful color for Spring. My last nail polish is from Butter London and it's Primrose Hill Picnic. I think this color is gorgeous! It looks really pretty on the nails, and is still a bright pink color, but to me it has a hint of purple undertones to it, which I think softens it a bit, but still makes it stand out. I'm getting in the habit more of painting my nails and these three colors stood out the most to me for this time of year.

Those are my Spring beauty must-haves! I seriously can't wait until the weather stays this nice all the time! I love the Spring months, and this means I'm a few months closer to getting married! Eeek! So exciting!

What are your must-haves for Spring?

February 2013 Favorites!

Hi guys! It's the end of yet another month which means it's time for my monthly favorites! I don't have too many favorites this month again, but the few things I do have, I've been absolutely loving! So lets get started!

The first product I've been loving is the Cocoa Butter Body Butter from The Body Shop. The skin on my legs has been super dry lately and this body butter has been a miracle worker to soften them and just make them feel better. I'm in love with how this smells too!

My next favorite has been the Sonia Kashuk Radiant Tinted Moisturizer with SPF 15 in the color Fair. There were a few days this past month where I felt my skin needed some extra coverage and this was my go-to. I've probably mentioned before that I don't like foundation, so I prefer tinted moisturizer or BB creams. I just dot this on my face with my hands and rub it in a little, then I take my Real Techniques Expert Face Brush to blend everything else in. This matches my skin very well and definitely gave me the extra little coverage I needed.

Next, I've been loving the Maybelline Illegal Length Mascara in the color Blackest Black. When I first tried this mascara, I hated it! It made my lashes look spidery and thick, which I wasn't happy with. Then I thought to layer my favorite mascara of all time, BareMinerals Flawless Definition, over top of this, and I fell in love. I had the length I wanted, but then the BareMinerals one helped to get rid of the spidery, thick look. I have a feeling I'm gonna have to layer the BareMinerals mascara on top of any mascara I use because nothing has ever come close to it!

I've also been loving the Korres Evening Primrose Eye Cream. I've been using this at night and I have to say, this makes my eye area feel so soft and nice! The smell of this is a little bit much, but it wears off after a little while. I bought this at Sephora a while ago in a kit with some other Korres products, but I can't find this sold by itself on the site now. Of course, something I end up really loving gets discontinued :(

Then I've been loving the Maybelline Color Whisper in the color Pink Possibilities. I talked about this a little in my recent haul post here, but this little baby is amazing! It's so moisturizing, and gives a sheer wash of color, but you can definitely build up the color as well. I'm so glad I got this, and I'm gonna have to get a few more once my spending ban is over!

L to R: body butter, eye cream, tinted moisturizer, color whisper

Well, that's everything! I hope you all enjoyed this post and comment below what your favorites have been!

Also, don't forget to enter my giveaway!