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?

April 2016 Ipsy Bag: The Dreamers

Hi everyone! I received my Ipsy bag a little early this month, yesterday actually, so that was a pleasant surprise! The theme this time is called The Dreamers. 

Now if you know me, you know how much I love my tie-dye! I'm a hippy at heart. I love the style of the bag, but I do wish it was maybe a different color scheme. 

The first products I received are two sheet masks from Purlisse. One is a Blue Lotus + White Tea, and the other is Blue Lotus + Seaweed. I was never really the biggest fan of sheet masks, but Purlisse is a brand I really do like, so I'm definitely going to use these and see how I get on with them. 

Next up is the Crown Brush C427 Duo Fiber Blush Brush. Now I'm not usually into Crown Brush for some reason, but this brush is incredibly soft, and I love how there are little dips in the handles for your fingers. It's so cool, and you can also use this for foundation or highlighter as well. I got a brush similar to this last month too, so I'm pretty overloaded in the brush department.

I hardly ever use eyeliner, so the Starlooks Luxe Longwear Eye Pencil in Jet probably won't be used much. I'll give it a go and see if it's nice for tightlining or something. 

I love Tarte Lip products, so I was pleased to see a mini LipSurgence Lip Creme in Wonder in my bag! It's a cute little sample and the color is very pretty, so that will definitely get use.

The last product I received is by Trust Fund Beauty, and it's their That Glo Tho Face Highlighter. Honestly, I'll probably never use this because it's a champagne-y gold color, it's a cream, and I just am not a fan of highlighters in general. 

I hate to say this, but this might be my last Ipsy bag. I've been with Ipsy since pretty much the beginning, and there are only so many sample products I can use without getting totally bored. While I've loved Ipsy, I think it's just my time to say goodbye. I might give it just one more month, but if I do, then that one will definitely be my last one, for sure. While I'm still deciding what to do, here is my referral link to sign up for your own Ipsy bag. You get 5 deluxe size products, sometimes full size too, for just $10 a month, plus shipping for some. It is a great deal, and some months are better than others, but I love getting products I had never heard of, or learning about indie brands that aren't as mainstream.  

If you're already an Ipsy subscriber, what did you get in your bag?

August 2015 Ipsy Bag

Hi everyone! I received my Ipsy bag yesterday, and I'm happy for once that it's a bit earlier than previous times. The theme this month is Prep School, since school is starting again soon for alot of people. 

The actual bag is alright. It's got a hounds-tooth pattern, which I'm not a huge fan of. It also feels like it's made of plastic and it has some texture to it as well. 

The first product I received is the Swissco soft Touch Slant Tweezers. Out of all the products they sent out, I got flipping tweezers! The last time I got a Swissco product in an Ipsy bag was December of 2014 and it was an eyelash curler. Didn't need that either. 

The next product is the Starlooks Luxe Longwear Eyeliner Pen. I very rarely wear eyeliner, and if I do, it's usually the Kat Von D Tattoo Liner in Trooper. This eyeliner seems smudgy when I apply it on my hand and rub it after it dries, so I don't have the highest hopes for this. I'll still try it just to see how it works.

Next up we have the Beauty Without Cruelty Leave-in Conditioner. This will definitely be put to use as I haven't done a whole lot with my hair recently, and I can tell it's suffering. I think it smells wonderful too, very herbal scented. I'm a fan of scents like that though, but I can see it being too much for some people. 

Next is the Hikari Lip Gloss in the shade Salsa, which is a classic red. I was hoping I would get the intense red mauve shade called Merlot. I always feel like I can't pull off the classic bright red shades as I need something more cool based for my skintone. I'll give it a go and see if I end up liking it. The only thing that's really turning me off is the scent of this. Right when I take the wand out, the smell of chemicals wafts into my nostrils, and it's not pleasant. 

The last product is the City Color HD Powder. I already have so many powders in my stash, but I'm curious to try this as it promises a matte finish and preventing shine. An oily girl like myself might appreciate something like this, as long as it works!

That's everything I received this month! Overall, I just feel a bit meh about it. I'm not overly excited about anything really, but am curious to try the powder and leave-in conditioner. 

If you want to sign up for Ipsy, you can do so here via my referral link! It only costs $10 a month, plus shipping for some, and you typically get 5 deluxe sized products to try. Occasionally, there will be a full size product too! 

If you're already subscribed, what did you receive this month?

March 2015 Favorites!

Hey guys! It's time for me to show what products I've been loving in March. I was so sick yesterday when I wanted to get this post up, but it's only the 2nd, so no big deal really. Anyways, lets see what products I have to share. 

The first product is the Aztec Secret Indian Healing Clay, which I already did a review on here. If you already read the review, you know how much I love this stuff! It makes my skin look and feel so nice and it's probably my favorite mask I've ever used. Also, it's super inexpensive too!

Next up is the Hard Candy Glow all the Way Ombre Baked Blush in the shade Punch, which I did a review on here. That's a mouthful of a name, but it's an awesome blush! I love the shade on my fair skin, but in my review I did say it doesn't last through a full work day. I don't mind that personally, but for only $7, it's not a huge deal to me.

The Revlon Colorstay Moisture Stain in the shade India Intrigue has been my go-to colorful lip shade. It hasn't really felt like Spring yet here, so I wanted to add a bit of color to my makeup, and this is great. It's a beautiful berry-ish pink shade and I love it. I have a few of these and did a review on another shade called Barcelona Nights in September of last year.

Kat Von D Tattoo Liner in Trooper, where have you been all my life?! You guys, this makes eyeliner so stinkin' easy, and I'm still a newbie with eyeliner. I usually hate putting it on, mainly because I suck at it, but this eyeliner is amazing. I can do a wing without messing up, and that's saying something. I'm thinking of doing a review on this soon. 

The last two products have been my go-to neutral lip when I wasn't using the Revlon stain. The first product is the NYX lipstick in the color Ceto. I'm pretty sure I got this in a previous Ipsy bag and initially wasn't impressed. However, when I top it off with the Starlooks lip gloss in the shade Guilty Pleasure, it makes a beautiful combination! I also think I got the gloss in an Ipsy bag and again, wasn't too impressed. It just goes to show you can't really judge something until you try it!

What products have you been loving?

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?

October 2014 Ipsy Bag

Hey everyone! My Ipsy bag came a little late this month, this past Friday actually. I was just busy all weekend and I can now get to showing you all what I got! I have to say, I'm impressed this month!

For the actual bag the products come in, I love the color! Teals are beautiful. I'm just not a fan of the pattern. I don't really see myself using this bag for anything honestly. The products are what's important!

The first product I received is the Ecru New York Acacia Protein BB Cream Beauty Balm for Hair. I've never heard of this brand before but I had heard of bb creams for hair. I'm definitely looking forward to trying this since I colored my hair a burgundy/auburn color and I want to maintain the health of my hair. 

Next up is Epice International Purifying Exfoliant. I can always use a good exfoliant and with the colder weather coming up, this will come in handy. 

Then I got a Starlooks Lip Gloss in the color Gulity Pleasure. I think the color is great for Fall and compliments my fair skin nicely. When I swatched it however, it did feel a bit sticky. I haven't tried it on my lips yet, but I hope the stickiness isn't too bad once applied. 

I also got a Jessie's Girl Mineralized Baked Shadow Powder in the color Plum Frost. When I swatched this, I was surprised at how pigmented this shadow was. I know this brand is sold in the drugstore, but I was pretty impressed. It's definitely a beautiful color that I can see myself using.

Next up we have a Figs & Rouge Hand Cream in the scent Rose Berry. I have heard of this brand before and it comes out of the UK, which is pretty neat. I'm glad I got a little hand cream because I can take it to work with me and have it not take up too much space in my work bag. It does smell very nice too but I have yet to test it out on my hands. 

Now this sixth product is one that I had used my points for and it's the Eyetini Eye Cordial Cream Shadow Tint & Base. I wasn't too happy that I didn't have many choices when picking out what I wanted, but I had some points expire and I didn't want to lose any more. Believe it or not, I actually really like this product! I used it as a base under eyeshadow and it looked pretty, had good pigmentation, and also made my look last all day! 

Swatches of lip gloss, eyeshadow & eye base

Overall, I'm highly impressed this month! The last couple months were a little meh, and I did consider cancelling my subscription. This bag has totally redeemed itself for me as it has a nice mix of skincare and makeup. 

If you want your own Ipsy bag, use my referral link here! It's only $10 a month, plus shipping for some, and you get a good range of products sent to you every month!

November 2013 Ipsy Bag

*Blows dust off blog, coughs a little*

Hey everyone! Remember me?! I sure hope so, because I missed everyone! It's been almost 2 weeks since I've last posted and I'm so sorry! I don't even really know what to say anymore for my being absent. I will say that I've had a few personal issues going on in life and I've been stressed to the max from it, but that's all I'll say. Also, I have this horrible stye on my eyelid (if you don't know what that it, just Google it, it's not fun to talk about) and I haven't been able to wear any makeup for the past few days because of it. I'm hoping in another couple days it all clears up!

Anyways, sorry for that long intro, but today's post is going to be what I received in my Ipsy bag this month! The theme for this month was Glam It Up, and I was very excited to see what products were going to be in this bag.

I'm not the biggest fan of the actual bag the products came in to be honest. I don't really like the print and I have to be in the mood to like the color gold, if that makes sense. Also, I'm not entirely happy with the products either :(

The first product I received is the Nailtini Straight Up Color Nail Lacquer in the color Caviar Cocktail. I have to admit, I'm a little bored with getting nail polish in these bags. It's not a bad color at all, but I'm definitely bored with this!

We also got a chance to try out Michelle Phan's new line of makeup called Em Cosmetics and I got the Pillow Plush Cushiony Lip Balm in the color Bubblegum, which is a pretty bubblegum pink color. I have tried this and I like how it feels on the lips and it also leaves a sheer wash of color, which I do like.

I then received the Pixi Beauty Bronzer in the color Subtly Suntouched. I'm not a bronzer person at all! I have a mini version of Too Faced Chocolate Soleil bronzer, and while I like it, I've only used it maybe 5 times, if that. I feel like I'm just too pale for bronzer.

I received another lip product by Be a Bombshell, and it's a Lip Crayon in the color Shameless. To me it looks like a mauve-y berry color. It's actually a very pretty color and I'll probably use it, but it's annoying getting two lip products in one bag. 

I don't really care for the Cailyn Built-In Sponge Tip Mineral Eyeshadow in the color Champagne. I have a ton of other eyeshadows like this color, so this doesn't really excite me. I haven't used it yet, but the application of it does intrigue me a little bit.

The last product I received is the Starlooks Gem Eye Pencil in the color Topaz, which is this pretty shimmery silver color. I honestly don't know how I'm gonna use this pencil since I hardly ever wear eyeliner and I'm not too creative with it either. I may try to use this as a base or something and see what I can work with. 

Well that's everything I got! While I'm not totally happy with the products I received, the value of the bag is incredible! For only $10 a month, plus shipping for some, it's really not a bad deal at all. Sign up here if you're interested!

If you're already signed up, what did you receive this month?

September 2013 Ipsy Bag

Hey guys! I finally got my Ipsy bag in the mail and wanted to post what was in my bag before I get married on Saturday. I can't believe it's only in 3 more days! It's incredible how fast time went by. I'm also thinking of putting together a post of what makeup I'm considering wearing for my big day, so let me know if you want me to write up that post! Anyways, let get into what I received this month!

I'm loving this bag so much! I love the blue color and all the different prints on it. So beautiful!

The first product I received is a NYX Single Eyeshadow in the color Cryptonite. Now, I love NYX eyeshadows alot. They're very nice quality for the price. I have to be honest though and say I'm not the biggest fan of the color I received. It's like a greyish black color with shimmer in it. I'm more of a neutral girl, but this will probably be good for smokey looks.

Then I received the Elizabeth Mott It's So Big Volumizing Mascara. I'm not too happy with this honestly. I've read reviews on this and basically all of them are negative. I have tons of mascaras to go through before this though, so it may be a while until I get to try it out.

I then received the J.Cat Beauty Fantabulous Lipstick in the color Honeycrisp. I could have done without this product in my bag. I've never really been a lipstick girl, plus this color is pretty bad for my fair skin. It'll just make me look sick.

I also got the Starlooks Kohl Eye Pencil in the color Obsidian. Alot of people say you can never have enough black eyeliner, but if you're like me and hardly ever wear eyeliner, it's just gonna sit in your collection. I did swatch it and it felt nice, but if I do wear eyeliner pencil, I typically go for Urban Decay or the Rimmel Kohl pencil.

I'm most excited about these babies! When I saw on Ipsy's site that I was getting a Freeman mask, I honestly was only expecting one, not three. Buy hey, I ain't complaining! Anyways, these are the Freeman Beauty Facial Paper Masks. I got a hydrating mask with Blue Agave, a purifying mask with Star Fruit, and a brightening mask with Rose. I plan on using the brightening mask on Friday before my wedding! 

Swatch of eyeliner, lipstick and eyeshadow

That's everything I received! I'm not overly excited about this month's bag aside from the masks, but I will say that there are some decent products in here. If you want to subscribe to Ipsy, click here. It's only $10 a month, plus shipping in some areas, so you really can't go wrong. Most bags are usually at least worth double than the price paid!

If you subscribe to Ipsy, what did you get in your glam bag?

June 2013 Ipsy Bag

Hey guys! I'm finally able to throw in a beauty related post in the midst of the 30 day blogging challenge I'm participating in! I'll be showing you what I received in this month's Ipsy bag. I'll say now, I feel a bit meh about it.

This month's theme was On The Wild Side, and I think the bag itself is so adorable! I'm usually not a fan of the neon highlighter yellow color, but it fits with the animal print design. Onto the products!

First off, sorry about the weird lighting. It's been gloomy and raining all day and I couldn't get good pictures to save my life. Anyways, the first product I received was the J.Cat Beauty Sparkling Cream Palette. I'll say right now that I'm about 99.9% sure that this will not be used. To me this is something a little kid would play with. Not a fan.

The next product I received is the NYX Mosaic Blush in the color Dare. I was really hoping for one of their regular blushes honestly. I'm glad I didn't get a cream one as it would just slide off my face. I'm still going to try it and see how I like it. I'm just worried that the darker colors will look muddy on me.

Next, I received the Chella Ivory Lace Highlighter Pencil. I wasn't really sure what I'd use this for, but I was reading other people's reviews and got some ideas for highlighting the inner corners of my eyes and maybe using it on my waterline. Hopefully it won't smudge!

The next product is from Cailyn Cosmetics and it's their Line-Fix Gel Eyeliner with a built-in brush. The brush is absolutely useless. I tried this out on Sunday when it was my fiance's and my anniversary and I love the purple color I received, but the brush, holy cow does it suck! Now I've mentioned before that I'm not a pro with gel eyeliner, but the brush didn't create an even line and it looked very patchy. I didn't want to fuss with doing it over again, so I tried my best in fixing it. Next time I'll try the eyeliner brush from Sephora I like to use when using gel eyeliner. 

The last product I received is a Starlooks Lip Pencil in the color Bare. I'm not too happy with this product, as I don't use lip liners. It looks like dirt when I swatched it too, but oh well. I'll see if I can use this as something other than lip liner. 

Like I said, I feel meh about this bag. I'm not super unimpressed, but I do hope next month's bag is better. I really like though how Ipsy is trying to tailor bags by the individual person receiving it. It makes it seem more personal. And honestly, for $10 a month, plus tax for some, you really can't beat it. If you're interested in trying Ipsy, here's a referral link to get started! 

If you're subscribed to Ipsy, did you like your bag this month?