March 2018 Empties

April is here, which means it's time to share all the products I used up in March. I've been doing really well so far this year, and I'm really excited to share my progress with you all!

For skincare, I used up a Bliss Fabulous Foaming Face Wash. I used to really like this stuff, but I realized it doesn't do anything for my skin.

The Algenist Overnight Restorative Cream was really freaking amazing, and I want the full size at some point. This made my skin look and feel so nice!

I wasn't able to use up the Neocorium Derma Carrier and EGF & Stem Cell Concentrate before it expired. It's a shame because this duo was pretty nice, and it's super expensive. 

I really wasn't a fan of the Derma-Nu Blueberry Cranberry Oxygen Facial Scrub. It smelled nice, but felt way too harsh on my skin. 

Montagne Jeunesse is a brand I'm unsure of, but I did like their Creamy Coconut Hydrating single use mask. It made my skin feel really soft and supple. Four more packets of the Dickinson's Oil Controlling Towelettes done, and just a few more to go. 

I usually don't wear perfumes or body sprays, so this Victoria's Secret Pure Seduction Body Splash took years to get through. I have different scents hanging around, so I'll try to use them more. 

I have another Philosophy Cranberry Medley hand cream used up, which I do like. I think I mentioned before, but this doesn't work very well if my hands are extra dry and cracked, but for a little moisture, it works just fine. 

I really enjoy Serious lip balms, and I used up a Peppermint one. I loved this so much. It makes my lips feel soft, and the peppermint scent is really nice. 

I have little samples of the Exuviance Evening Restorative Complex and the Caudalie Eye and Lip Cream. The Exuviance was nice, but felt maybe too hydrating at times, and I really enjoyed the Caudalie eye cream as well. It felt like a balm, but wasn't too heavy so I used it during the day. 

I had a deluxe sample of the Tom's of Maine Rapid Relief Sensitive toothpaste, so I used this up quickly. I didn't care for it much as it didn't help the sensitivity I have. 

I finally have some makeup! The Miss Mona Lisa Eyebrow Pencil was all dried out, and it fell out of the packaging, so I had to throw it away. I've been a fan of The Body Shop's Lightening Touch pen in shade 01 for ages now. I honestly am not sure if they still make this, but I may have a backup to use. I LOVE the Rimmel Match Perfection concealer in shade Fair. It's such a nice color for my under eyes, and blends in like a dream. 

Products used up: 19
total for the year: 57

I truly am so proud of myself right now! I never thought I could use up this many products so early into the year. I'm not sure how April will go, but I may focus a bit more on using up deluxe and foil packet samples. I have a ton of those to go through and really need to start using them up. 

What have you used up recently?

May, June & July 2017 Empties

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I fell incredibly behind on updating you all on the products I've used up. Being a mom has, of course, taken precedence in my life, and my daughter has had a ton of appointments. She's also been wanting more attention, so I try to get things done during naps, but she doesn't seem to like sleeping either. Anyway, I have three months worth of empty products to share with you, and I'm quite proud of what I have!

I'll start with skincare, since that's what I have the most of. I used a When Glamour Base sheet mask, which I was a fan of! I feel like it did brighten up my skin and helped it feel more hydrated. 

The Caudalie Vinoperfect Day Perfecting Cream took me a while to use, considering it's a deluxe sample size. It has SPF in it, so I would only use it on days where I would leave the house. It seemed like it was fine, but nothing special. 

The Body Shop Tea Tree Toner used to be one of my favorite toners to use, until I discovered it has a high concentration of alcohol in it. This was my last bottle, thank goodness, so I won't repurchase again. 

I LOVED the Dermalogica Skin Hydrating Booster! I would put just a couple drops into my morning moisturizer, which really seemed to help with some dehydration I was having. I doubt I'd repurchase, since Dermalogica is quite an expensive brand. 

I had the Michael Todd Pumpkin Nutrient-Rich Facial Mask in my stash for quite a while, so I'm glad I was able to use it up. It was very tingly on my skin, and left it a bit red once I rinsed it off. It did, however, make my skin feel super soft. 

The Boscia Luminizing Black Mask is a love/hate for me. I love how incredibly soft it makes my skin feel, and it grabs any little baby hairs that are annoying. I hate how hard it is to remove. Seriously, if you get this anywhere near eyebrows or hairline, oh man does it hurt! I think I may have one more of these deluxe samples, but I wouldn't buy a full size. 

Origins is one of my favorite skincare brands, so it was no surprise I enjoyed the Make A Difference Plus Rejuvinating Treatment. I used it mainly as a serum before moisturizer, but it could be used by itself for very oily skin. I would consider buying this once my stash runs low. 

I used the Clinique Spot Healing Gel on any blemishes I may have gotten. Most times I only had to use this once, and the next day my skin was clear. I'm not too fussy when it comes to spot treatments, I just can't use benzoyl peroxide. 

I'm completely horrible with using body scrubs, but I adored the Tree Hut Shea Sugar Body Scrub in the Coconut Lime scent. I have so many scrubs to use, but I will likely buy this brand again when I use up what I have first. 

I go through lip balms like crazy normally, but I only have 1 I used up. I love the Badger brand, and their Lime Rocket scent of their Cocoa Butter Lip Balm is fabulous! Very moisturizing and kept my lips soft throughout the day. I have many different scents in my lip balm stash and don't think I'll run out anytime soon!

There's a sad story to the OXG Anti-Breakage Keratin Oil, since I didn't get to use it. I was cleaning up around the house and found the bottle laying on the floor, empty. I have no idea what happened to it, because my carpet is fine. I really wanted to use this too! My hair breaks easily, so I thought this would be great to use. Maybe one day I will purchase one for myself. 

I don't wear my contacts often, so it took a while to use up the Opti-Free Pure Moist contact solution. I surprisingly liked this, since most solutions burn my eyes, but this didn't. 

With how often I wash my hands, you would think I'd have more than one hand soap. Lemon Meringue Cheer from Bath & Body Works smelled amazing! Plus, I love these soaps with the scrubbing bits, although I think they end up drying out my hands more. 

Only one hand cream as well, also from Bath & Body Works. I absolutely adored this Island White Pineapple scent and would consider buying again. This is a great Summertime hand cream as it's not too heavy or greasy. 

We must've loved brushing our teeth the past few months! There's the Colgate Cavity Protection, Tom's of Maine Rapid Relief Sensitive, and a mini Crest that I had from when Olivia was in the hospital. The Colgate one my husband mostly used, and I always need a sensitive toothpaste. I was not a fan of this particular Tom's toothpaste, though. It made my teeth feel clean, but the taste wasn't very good, and I felt like I had bad breath really fast. 

I gotta include the baby products! So my daughter has fairly sensitive and dry skin. Because of that, her doctor recommended baths no more than twice a week, so we only used up two mini sizes of the Johnson's Head-to-Toe Wash, as well as a mini Johnson's Baby Lotion. I gotta admit, I'm not the biggest fan of Johnson's, but we have a ton of products we were given, plus I was able to take home what was used in the hospital, so we're likely set with body washes and lotions for the next year. 

The Hydraguard Phytoplex Silicone Cream is what was used on Olivia's diaper rash while she was recovering in the hospital from open heart surgery. Guys, THIS STUFF IS AMAZING! I kid you not, this cleared up her diaper rash so fast, and made her butt so soft! I went on a hunt for this because I had never heard of it, and I found it on Amazon. When I run out of other diaper rash creams, this is what I will be buying. It's a miracle! Plus it smells like cake batter. 

Number of products used up: 21
Total used up for the year: 43

I probably mention this in nearly every empties post, but my goal for the year was to use up 150 products. That includes full size, deluxe samples, foil packet samples, and now Olivia's products. Considering we have about 4 and a half months left to the year, I'm not quite sure I can make that goal. I'm doing well so far in August, and have a bunch of stuff nearly finished. I also want to start doing my makeup again, and I know I need to clear out some old stuff that hasn't been used since before Olivia was born! So maybe I will make my goal, who knows? 

What are some things you've used up recently?

December 2015 Empties

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Hey everyone! I've fallen behind a little bit on the blog here lately. I've been on this decluttering my house kick, and all I want to do is just clean. That's pretty weird for me since I hate cleaning, but I figured since we're in a new year, I should start getting rid of junk I no longer use or need. Anyway, today's post is going to be the products I used up in December. I initially didn't think I used up much last month, but it was more than expected!

Starting off with a few bath/shower products, I finally have managed to use up the Pura D'or Premium Organic Hair Loss Shampoo and the Argan Oil Conditioner. I had reviewed this duo here close to a year ago now, and it took forever for me to go through. Now that these are gone, I'm glad they are honestly. In the end, I didn't like these. They didn't do much for my hair, and if anything, they made it feel more dirty. The only good thing is that the conditioner smelled incredible and made my hair feel soft. 

I also manged to use up the Adovia Dead Sea Salt Scrub. I did a review on this here, and at first I really did like it. The scent is pretty strong that reminds me of a very fancy spa, and the scrubbing bits are pretty rough as well. That helped me with the rough bumps I have on my arms, but this scrub is oil based and it made the bathtub so slippery, which I'm not a fan of. I'm clumsy enough, so a slick tub and I don't get along too well. 

Next is some body and health products. The Vaseline Spray & Go Moisturizer seemed like it was never ending! It lasted me through the Summer til the middle of December, with nearly daily use on my arms. I had gotten this a long time ago in a past Influenster voxbox, and I really freaking liked it! It's very light, sinks in nicely, and feels pretty hydrating considering it was so light. I have another one of these in a brown container which I believe is a cocoa butter scent. This one has pure oat extract in it, so it smelled like uncooked oatmeal to me. 

Next up is a Bath & Body Works Foaming Hand Soap in the Georgia Bourbon Peach scent. I adore these soaps, but prefer the soap with the scrubbing beads, so I'm trying to use up the foaming ones first. This scent was incredible for the Fall time. 

The Tom's Sensitive toothpaste is wonderful! It's fairly expensive and I only buy it when it's on sale, but it makes my teeth and gums feel clean and not irritated. 

Last up is a Wegmans brand Women's multivitamin. Nothing special about this, but I do like to take a daily multivitamin for the supposed health benefits they're said to provide. 

Lastly is some skincare and a lone makeup product. The sample size of the Lancome Definicils Mascara was awesome while it lasted. it gave my lashes amazing definition and length, but not the best volume, which is fine. I just use a separate mascara if I want the extra volume. 

You all know my love for The Body Shop is strong, and the Tea Tree Skin Clearing Toner is no exception. This makes my skin feel soft and not as greasy. However, I don't think I'll be purchasing this anymore, because it contains denatured alcohol in it. I haven't had any bad reactions because of it, but I want to start really taking care of my skin more and use products with better ingredients. I do have one left of these that I'll start using again in the Spring, but that'll be it once it runs out!

It took forever for me to use up the Radha Beauty Intensive Youth Eye Gel. I reviewed this almost a year ago here and overall, I think it's a nice eye gel. It's not incredibly hydrating, and if you have very dry under-eyes, you won't like this at all. I'd say I have normal under-eyes, so this worked fine for me, especially in the warmer months. As it got colder, I felt like I needed something a bit more hydrating. 

I used up a sample of the MyChelle Sun Shield SPF 28. Don't buy this stuff, it's awful! I'm not sure if the sample I had went bad, but it balled up immediately when I put it on my skin, and I had to wash my face all over again. 

The final product I used up is a deluxe sample of the Murad Perfecting Day Cream SPF 30. Murad products are pretty darn amazing, but they're expensive. I hate to say that I liked this, but I really liked this! I may have oily skin that turns more combination in colder weather, but this made my skin feel incredible and look amazing. 

So, I decided to be a little weird and tally up how many products I was able to use up the entire year of 2015:

January: 17
February: 16
March: 19
April: 15
May: 15
June: 15
July: 8
August: 11
September: 14
October: 10
November: 25
December: 12

So if my math is correct, I used up 177 products this year! I honestly didn't think I had used up that much, but it just shows how much stuff I really have. I'm making it my mission in 2016 to use up as many products as I can. Like I said above, I'm in decluttering mode lately. Mainly because the lease is up on our apartment the end of June, and I really want to be able to move by then because we'll have been living in the same place for 4 years, and I feel like it's time to move on to a bigger place. I figured I'd get a head start with cleaning up and just getting rid of stuff I no longer care for, use, or haven't used in years (which is alot honestly), therefore making the move a bit easier for us. I'm also putting myself on a beauty spending ban for three months, so I can't buy myself any makeup, skincare, bodycare, or haircare until April 1st. I don't foresee myself running out of anything in that time frame, so I should be okay. There are alot of new products out in the drugstore that I'm dying to try out, but they'll have to wait for now!

What did you use up last month? Any resolutions you have that you hope to stick with?

October 2015 Empties

Hi everyone! October wasn't too great with using up products due to me being in the hospital and now trying to feel better again. I did manage to use up a fair amount, so it's time to share it with you!

I'll start off with a few body products and a lone toothpaste. I'm in love with the Tom's Sensitive toothpaste! It makes my teeth feel really clean, my breath feels fresh, and I don't get any irritation on my teeth or gums when using this. It can be a little on the expensive side, but occasionally my grocery store has a sale for $1 off and there are coupons once in a while as well. 

The Olay Sensitive Body Wash is something my husband mostly used, but I used it sometimes. I heard about this from Jen, From Head to Toe on YouTube, and honestly, this body wash is really, really, really amazing! It's unscented, but it's got a bit of a light, fresh scent still. My husband and I both have pretty sensitive skin on our bodies, so I'm really thinking of completely switching to this once we use up our hoard of body washes. It's really that good!

I finally used up the Bath & Body Works Jingle Bellini Body Lotion, and I really am not a fan of their body products to be honest. Their body washes and lotions make my skin itchy and irritated and I typically have to mix the lotion with another one to get decent hydration. I know I have a few body washes left to use up, but I'm not sure if I have any lotions left. 

I used up a little sample of the Origins Ginger Souffle Whipped Body Cream, and I unfortunately didn't like this either. Anywhere I put this, I would get clogged hair follicles that became really inflamed and painful, almost like cystic acne. It wasn't fun, and I will never in a million years buy this full sized. I love Origins products too, so it's a shame this didn't work for me. 

Now for some hand products! I had received the Softsoap Pampered Hands Foaming Hand Soap in the scent Coconut Lime in an old Influenster box and just left it sitting around in my stash. I figured I'd give it a go, and I was pretty impressed! The scent is amazing (although my husband hated it), and it did clean my hands nicely. 

Next up is a Bath & Body Works Deep Cleansing Hand Soap in the scent Eucalyptus Mint. This was the soap I had in my kitchen and I feel it's the perfect kitchen scent. It smelled medicinal, which I'm a fan of, and I really enjoy their soaps with the exfoliating beads. my husband loves them too since he works in the medical field and always needs to keep his hands scrubbed clean. 

I normally am a huge fan of the L'Occitane hand creams but this one is called an Ice Hand Cream Gel, and it had a very lemon-y, almost chemically scent. I didn't like that, and it also did absolutely nothing for my dry hands. If anything, it made them worse and I'd have to find something more hydrating. I much prefer L'Occitane's normal hand creams with the high concentrations of shea butter. 

Lastly, I have just a few skincare products. You all know my love for The Body Shop, and their Tea Tree Skin Clearing Facial Wash is one of my go-to cleansers in the warmer months. It helps to keep my skin less oily and feeling clean, and I really do notice fewer breakouts using this as well. 

Using their Tea Tree Skin Clearing Lotion in conjunction with the cleanser can be sometimes a bit much, but I had really clear skin while using both together. While I do really like this gel-based moisturizer, I think my skin has different needs now that I'm a bit older (not that I'm old, but I'm pushing 30!). 

I can't say enough horrible things about the little sample of Josie Maran 100% Pure Argan Oil. I don't know if it's just my skin, but the two uses I got from this sample packet made me breakout SO bad! It wasn't like cystic acne, but I had so many little red dots all over my face, and alot of them turned into whiteheads. We all know how attractive those are (not!). Even my husband made a comment about my skin! Lesson learned from this. I can't use it as regular skincare, but I can add a drop mixed in with my foundation and be fine.

Those are the few products I managed to use up. I currently have quite a few that are about to run out, and I'm trying to use up as much as I can before the new year!

What are some products you used up?

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September 2015 Empties

Hey guys! This is my first real post in a while. I didn't get a chance to show you all the products I used up last month, so without further ado, here they are!

The first product I used up was a joint effort between myself and my husband. We both really enjoyed the Garnier Fructis Sleek & Shine Shampoo. It cleans my hair well and actually does make it shiny. Does it work for my husband's curly afro? Not at all with making it shiny, but he says it gets the job done. 

Next up is a Tom's Whole Care Toothpaste in the Spearmint flavor. I didn't care much for this honestly. I'm in love with their Sensitive toothpaste and it's always sold out when I need another one. I would only repurchase the Sensitive version.

Using up body scrubs can take a while for me. I honestly wasn't much of a fan of The Body Shop Coconut Body Scrub. I adore the scent, but it doesn't have enough scrubby action to it to make that much of a difference.

I used up a ton of skincare, which I'm really happy about! Of course it wouldn't be an empties without The Body Shop Aloe Calming Toner. I always go on and on about how much I love this stuff. Best toner of life. 

Next up we have the Purederm Choco Cacao Collagen Mask. This came in a Memebox ages ago, and I finally got around to using it. The only good thing about this is that it smells like chocolate. Otherwise, it did nothing for my skin. I just don't really like sheet masks, and I don't know why I keep trying to.

I had the Juice Beauty Green Apple SPF 15 Moisturizer sitting in my collection for ages. I did a sniff test (it smelled fine) and saw that there was no weird separation, so I used it up. I actually really liked this! It smells nice and blends in the skin nicely too without feeling greasy or leaving a white cast. 

I also used up a deluxe sample of the Dermalogica Oil Control Lotion. I had an oily skin kit from the brand in my stash and decided to finally try and use up the products. I used to be obsessed with this moisturizer about 7 or 8 years ago, but now it just doesn't work for my skin. It dried it out pretty bad. My skin must be alot less oily than when I was younger, which is nice!

Another Dermalogica product that came in the kit was the Dermal Clay Cleanser. Again, I used to love this cleanser as it also acted as a quick 3 minute mask to help soak up oils and get rid of blackheads. I also feel that this is just too much for my skin now. The only nice thing I liked about it, is that it feels so refreshing and cooling on a hot Summer day. 

I finally used up the InstaNatural Youth Express Eye Gel. I had done a review on this over a year ago here when I was sent the product to try. I really ended up liking this because it made my eye area feel tighter and brighter. I am glad that I was able to use this up, it sure took a while!

The Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant also came in the oily skin kit I mentioned above. This stuff is freakin' fantastic! Seriously, if I could afford the full size, I'd buy in bulk. This product is basically a powder exfoliant that you add water to, creating a paste. You gently rub it into your skin and when you rinse it off, prepare to feel the softest, smoothest skin you've ever felt. Seriously. This is most definitely gentle enough for daily use, even on my sensitive skin. I adore this product!

The last skincare product I was able to use up is the Radha Beauty Vitamin C Serum. I really enjoyed using this when I felt like my skin needed a glow booster. even though I have oily skin in the Summer, I am prone to some dry patches and dullness. This really helped to smooth out my skin and make it look pretty again.

Finally, we have a few makeup products! I used up my beloved Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Dark Circle Eraser Concealer in the Brightener shade. This is my all time favorite concealer for my under eyes, and also wherever I feel like I need some brightening. I do have a backup of this, but I don't want to crack it open just yet as I have quite a few concealers to go through first. 

I was so sad to use up this sample size Anastasia Beverly Hills Clear Brow Gel. I honestly don't do much to my brows, usually just some gel does it for me, and this stuff is magic. It literally is like hairspray for your brows. It keeps them in place all day and it doesn't flake or wear off. It's amazing. 

I technically didn't use up the bareMinerals Round the Clock Waterproof Eyeliner in the shade Midnight. I had gone to use it one day, and while I was sharpening it, the whole eyeliner color just fell right out onto the floor and shattered! I guess it had dried up too much. That's a shame too because I have Urban Decay 24/7 liners that I've had for YEARS, and they're still good and still perform amazing. Oh well, I don't go through liners often, so it's not a huge deal.

I'm so sorry it's taken so long to get this post up. If you read my last post, you know I had a bit of a health setback, and I'm trying to get posts done when I have the energy. Today is a good day so far, so I'm going to try and get a few posts pre-written so I can schedule them for you guys!

What products did you use up last month?

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August 2015 Empties

Hey guys! Once again, it's time to show you my trash. I didn't finish using a crazy amount of products, but I'm happy with what I did use up. 

The first product I used up is the Herbal Essences Color Me Happy Dry Shampoo. Technically, I didn't use this completely up, because after about 3 uses, the nozzle completely broke on me and sprays out like a stream of water. Also, this stuff is just awful, so part of me is happy it broke. Everytime I used this, it would just make my hair feel sticky and grosser than it was before I used it. Don't buy it, ever. I've finally decided to never again stray from my beloved Batiste.

Next up are some Multi For Her Vitamins from Nature Made. Nothing fancy, just an everyday vitamin that's got the essential vitamins I need on a daily basis. I like the Nature Made brand and they're always on sale at Walgreen's for typically buy 1, get 1 free. 

Part of me wishes I would've saved The Body Shop Brazil Nut Shower Cream for Winter. It's incredibly hydrating and made my skin feel super soft. These shower creams are awesome too, and perfect for Winter when my skin gets drier than the Sahara desert. 

I used up probably my all-time favorite toothpaste from Tom's, their maximum strength Sensitive toothpaste. This stuff is amazing! I'm sure I've mentioned in previous posts that my teeth and gums are extremely sensitive, and most times I HAVE to use a sensitive toothpaste, otherwise it's hard to even drink cold water. I adore this toothpaste, as weird as it sounds. It just makes my mouth feel good, and the soothing mint flavor is nice.

The Dior Addict It-Lash Mascara was so dried up I could only partially get one eye done and had to switch to a different mascara. I wish this wasn't so dried out because I love the plastic bristles on the wand. Spiky bristles like that give insane definition to my lashes, which I'm a huge fan of. 

I used up the Aquafina Flavor Splash lip balm very early on in August. I liked this balm, but it sucks how quickly I went through it. Honestly, I probably used it up in maybe 3 weeks. I do like how hydrated this made my lips feel and I used it every night before bed. 

I used up the Amara Organics Vitamin C Serum, which I wrote a full review on here. I really did enjoy this serum alot. I used it in the morning under my moisturizer, and I felt that it brightened up my skin making it look alot less dull. 

I loved how the Ole Henriksen Grease Relief Face Tonic made my skin less oily. I didn't love how this stuff smelled though. It's very strongly scented of Robitussin. You know, the cough medicine. It's so bizarre, and because of that, I highly doubt I'd buy it again. 

The Korres Pomegranate Cream-Gel was just alright. It didn't make my skin feel oily nor did it cause any breakouts. It was just a meh product in my opinion. 

I used up the Boscia Luminizing Black Mask in one use, and it's an interesting one. It's one of those masks that dries and you peel it off your face. I liked it because it pulled out some of my baby hairs that I have all over and it also seemed to brighten up my skin. However, this hurts like a mofo when removing, and you have to use alot of it to get the thick, opaque layer that's needed to get results. 

The L'Occitane Hand Cream in the regular shea scent is phenomenal! I know I've talked about this before so I won't ramble on, but it's hydrating, smells fresh and clean, and doesn't leave my hands feeling greasy after I apply it.

What did you use up last month?