Hey everyone! Today I'm going to show you everything I used up in December. Now if you remember my empties post for November, I said I wanted to use up a total of 20 products in those two months. Well, in November I used up 13 products, which wasn't too shabby. But in December I used up 14 products! I'm so excited that I made and exceeded my goal! 27 products in two months combined is pretty freakin' awesome for me, so lets see what I used up last month!
My husband was the main one using this Rusk Sensories Brilliance Grapefruit & Honey Color Protect Shampoo, but I helped use it too! He doesn't have color treated hair, but my mom had given us a bunch of these shampoos to use, and he's not picky so he took it. I do have color treated hair, but I don't care much for this. I feel like I have to use a ton for it to lather nicely but it does smell really, really good!
I finally used up the Suave Keratin Infusion Smoothing Conditioner that I was using since probably last Summer. For some reason it takes me forever to go through conditioners, but this one in particular took so long! I'm not sure what it is, but you don't need much of this to make your hair feel soft and healthy. I loved this stuff and will probably repurchase once I use up everything else I have, and don't come across something I like better!
I used up the Philosophy Shower Gel in the scent Sugar Plum Frost. This is one scent by Philosophy that I kinda didn't like, which is a shocker. I'm obsessed with these shower gels/shampoos/bubble bath combos. I don't ever use them as shampoo or bubble bath, but they're the best shower gels ever! I just didn't care for this scent but it did the job cleaning my skin!
I finished up (mostly) a Philosophy Body Lotion in the scent Cinnamon Buns. Now I say mostly because the packaging sucks at being able to get every drop out to use. I had to take the pump out inside and smack it on my hands to get anything out at the end and eventually I just gave up. I do however love, love, love how this smells! It really does smell like fresh made cinnamon buns and I loved using this after my shower.
I then used up a tiny little body butter by the brand On10 in the Sweet Chocolate scent. I honestly can't remember when I got this, but I think my mom got it for me for Christmas a few years ago. I know that seems like a long time, but I made sure to do a sniff test and look at it and it wasn't separated at all, so it was fine! I probably got about 10 to 12 uses out of this even though it seems like a small pot. I didn't need to use alot of this to get the hydration I needed.
I also used up a Natural Factors Vitamin D3 softgel. I take extra D3 because I hate the sun and feel like a vampire, plus I tend to deal with some depression. I keep reading that you get D3 from the sun and it can help with depression, but I honestly don't know if it's true or not. I still take it for the supposed health benefits anyways!
Man do I go through these Aloe Calming Toners from The Body Shop! I've mentioned these about a million and one times, so I won't ramble on about how awesome this toner is. Seriously, try it out!
I used up a moisturizer that I was using in the morning from Clean Scene called Begging for Balance. This moisturizer was alright but I won't go out of my way to find it and buy it again. It did its job at moisturizing my skin and keeping it a little less shiny than normal, but it didn't do any kind of miracle for my skin.
I also used up my Neutrogena Clear Face Break-Out Free Liquid-Lotion Sunscreen SPF 55. Phew, that's a long name! I actually liked this stuff! I kept hearing so many people saying they hated it and it broke them out. Not for me! I think this actually helped my skin and kept it matte for a pretty long time. I don't know if this beats out my favorite sunscreen, the Neutrogena Dry Touch Sunblock, but this comes very close! Depending on pricing, I'll buy this again!
I finally used up the lip balm I was using for daytime use, and it was the On10 Lip Balm in the scent Lemon Lime. I like these lip balms because they have sunscreen in them and they smell really good! I still have so many lip balms from this brand to use up, so I don't need to purchase any for a long while!
I used up quite a few mascaras. If you remember me mentioning about the stye I had, I got a bit paranoid and got rid of the mascaras I had used during the couple days prior to my eye getting bad. The Maybelline Illegal Length Mascara is fantastic! This gives my favorite mascara, the bareMinerals Flawless Definition, a run for its money! I constantly got compliments when I wore this mascara and was even asked a few times what falsies I was wearing. *Confession* I've never worn falsies in my life!
I was also using the Sephora Lash Plumper Mascara and to me, it was actually pretty good. Once my stye came out in full force, I got rid of this and found another one in my stash, but the wand was so smushed and clumped, so I had to toss it as well :(
The Too Faced LashGasm Mascara is a surprise to me with how much I liked it! It gave me natural looking lashes that had good length and surprising volume. I like how I was able to get to all my baby lashes in the corners and overall, this was just a good mascara that I was sad to toss because of my eye. I may actually purchase the full size once I run out of mascaras!
That's everything! Sorry this is a long post, but I was so excited to finish up all this stuff! I'm hoping this month is good with empties too. I'm doing a spending ban currently, but I do have some birthday/Christmas money to use up still so that doesn't count! I do have a little bit of a haul using some of that money coming up so stay tuned! Also, I got my hands on the much talked about Naked3 Palette the day it came out, so a review should be coming up very soon on it!
What did you use up in December? Are you doing a spending ban as part of new years resolutions?
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?
*Disclosure* This product was sent to me complimentary of iFabbo for review purposes
Hey everyone! Today I bring you a review on a brush set from Crown Brush. I was so excited when I saw this in my shop on the iFabbo site and jumped at the opportunity to try these. I've never tried any brushes from Crown Brush before so this was exciting for me! Let's see what I think of everything here.
As you can see, all the brushes come in a white zippered packaging that to me, feels a bit cheap honestly. The brushes and case come in this white/blue color, but there is also a purple or orange set depending on what color you like. This set retails for $69.99 but is on sale for $27.95 currently on the Crown Brush website.
This set is also made with high grade synthetic fiber and is vegan friendly!
I've tried every brush here except for the Detail Liner brush on the far right. I'm not the biggest fan of eyeliner, but I will try this eventually. First off, I have to say that these are some of the softest brushes I've ever tried! The Pro Powder brush feels so nice on the face, and the Deluxe Contour brush is amazing for applying bronzer to the hollows of the cheeks. I was never a big fan of bronzers and contouring before, but this brush makes it super easy for me to apply any type of bronzer. The Tapered Blush brush applies just the right amount of product, and helps blend in any blush you use effortlessly. I'm not the biggest fan of the Chisel Shadow brush honestly. It picks up too much product and doesn't really apply eyeshadow smoothly. I had to switch out shadow brushes just to make everything look more even. I like the Crease Blender brush for blending out harsh lines, but it's not the best for applying eyeshadow to the crease. I have yet to try the tweezers as I already have a pair that I love and don't feel like replacing just yet. The ones in this set will be a nice backup though.
Overall, these are nice brushes for the price they're offering on the Crown Brush site. The face brushes by far are the best in the set, and they're just so soft!
Have you tried this set, or any Crown Brushes? If so, what do you think of them?
Hi everyone! I'm finally getting around to showing you all what I had purchased during the Sephora VIB 20% off sale they had this past November, and then in December when they sent out the $20 off of $50 reward card! I think I made out pretty well and I'm happy with all of my purchases, so here's what I purchased!
These are the products I bought during the 20% off sale. The tote bag we got is just stinkin' adorable! It's a good size too if I have to run and pick up a few groceries or something. Onto the products! I did an online order and also went to the Sephora inside JC Penny.
Online, I picked up the Fresh Fresh Essentials kit that comes with the Soy Face Cleanser and a Sugar Advanced Therapy lip Balm. I have yet to try the cleanser and I'm already in love with their lip balms, and at only $19.50 minus the 20% I thought it was a good deal for what I got.
I also purchased the Soap & Glory Sugar Crush Moisture Extreme Body Buttercream. Dear lord, this stuff smells heavenly! The fresh lime scent smells so invigorating and lovely, I can't wait to try it out!
I also picked up the Glamglow Youthmud Tinglexfoliate Treatment that everyone and their dog talks about. Before I got my order in the mail, I did pick up the second one in the store thinking I'll love it, and with 20% off, it was a good deal. I already have used it and yes, I do love it! I'm thinking I can maybe get 4 or 5 uses out of the little jar, so it's worth it in my opinion.
I was browsing around in the store and came across the Philosophy Jelly Candy Kisses holiday set. It comes with two of their awesome lip glosses and two lip scrubs. I've been obsessed with their lip glosses for years now, but I haven't seen or heard of lip scrubs by Philosophy, so I'm pretty excited to try them out! With the cold weather we've been having, my lips need all the help they can get.
When I made the online order, it was when they had the Urban Decay 500 point perk that came with the newer B6 Vitamin-Infused Complexion Prep Spray, All Nighter Makeup Setting Spray, Eyeshadow Primer Potion Anti-Aging, and a little Mushroom eyeshadow. I was so excited I got my hands on this when I did! Sorry I forgot to picture it :/
These are the products I purchased when they sent out that $20 reward. I was originally going to go to a mall where there is an actual Sephora store for my birthday, but my husband was having car troubles, so I had to use it online. I first picked up my birthday gift that comes with Benefit's They're Real! Mascara and Watt's Up! Highlighter. My mom actually gave me her birthday gift since her birthday is in February and I have to wait til December. I'll admit, I have yet to try the mascara, but the highlighter isn't too bad. I don't care much for cream products, so I can only use this in the Winter, but it's a nice product.
I purchased a NARS Nail Polish in the color Disco Inferno, and I honestly only got it so I could get up to the $50. I actually love how this polish looks in person. It's like a duo-chrome blue, with hints of green and purple to it. I'm kinda looking forward to trying this out on my nails. I haven't been using nail polish much lately, but this color has sparked my interest in it again.
I then picked up the Philosophy The Holiday Handbook Handcream set. It comes with the scents Homemade Honey Buns, Spiced Gingerbread Cookie, and Cranberry Medley. My hands have been so darn dry lately as well, so I'm sure these will be put to good use soon.
I just had to purchase a backup of the Sephora Daily Makeup Brush Cleaner. I use this after I use any makeup brushes to get off any makeup residue and to kill germs. After I had the stye incident, I'm much more cautious of cleaning my brushes more and washing my face thoroughly at night.
My last purchase is the Stila Artful Eye Collector's Edition Vol. III. The colors are Light Apricot, Umber, Aquamarine, Soft Violet and Ocean. This little guy was only $10, and it's a beautiful palette! I've used this once so far, and the pigmentation is incredible. You barely have to tap your brush to pick up alot of color. It's just amazing and would make a cute stocking stuffer!
That's everything I purchased during the VIB sale! If you purchased something during the sale, what did you get? I'd love to know! :)
Hey guys! I know I said in my last post that this post was going to be a haul, but I just received my Ipsy bag in the mail, and I was really looking forward to what I got! So, lets see what's in this month's bag!
Now, I gotta admit, this month I don't like the actual bag everything came in. I do like the color black, but I just don't like the texture of it, or the look. I do like most of the products though!
The first product I received is a NYX Extra Creamy Round Lipstick in the color Ceto. I know I've mentioned before that I'm not much of a lipstick person and that I prefer gloss more, but I think I'm gonna start delving into the world of lipsticks. I do like the pinky nude color I received, so I'm much more comfortable with trying it out!
The next product in my bag was a Mirabella Eye Blender Brush. I'm obsessed with any kind of makeup brushes, so I was extremely happy to have received this! I especially love blending brushes, and the quality of this seems really nice. The handle is good and sturdy and the bristles of the brush are incredibly soft. I'm excited to use this!
I then received a Be a Bombshell The One Stick in the color Flustered. Apparently you can use this on your eyelids, cheeks and lips, which to me seems pretty neat. This product seems like that Nars Multiple Stick, which I don't own but hear alot about. I'd probably only use this as a lip stain or possibly a cheek color in the Winter. My skin is far too oily for cream cheek products any other time of year.
Next, I received the POP Beauty Bright Up Your Life Eyeshadow Trio in the shade Naturally Bare. I'm a neutral eyeshadow girl most of the time, so I'm very happy I got this one instead of the Smokin Hot trio. The colors in this look nice, but I haven't swatched it yet. I may actually wear this to work later today!
The last product in my bag is a Nicka K New York Nail Color in the shade Classic Taupe. First off, the bottle is so pretty and classy looking, and the color isn't too bad either. I have to say though, I am a little over getting nail polish in these bags. I have so many nail polishes and rarely paint my nails these days.
That's everything in my bag this month! Overall, I'm very impressed because the last few bags were just meh in my opinion. For only $10 a month, plus shipping for some, you really get an amazing deal with all the awesome products you can receive. Click here to sign up if you haven't already!
If you are subscribed, what did you receive in your bag this month?
November was a great month with empties! I haven't been buying as much as I have in the past, but I'm on a serious mission to use up as many products as I can. I gave myself a goal to use up at least 20 products between November and December, and in November I used up 13 products! I haven't used up much so far this month, but I may be pretty surprised by the end of December. Anyways, lets see what I used up in November!
First I'll start off with shower and bathroom products. I used up the last of The Body Shop Banana Shampoo and Conditioner I had left. I did a review on both of these last year here, and while I like these products, I got so tired of them and just wanted to use them up. I have so much shampoo and conditioner to use up, and these are pricey, so I probably won't repurchase.
I used up a Philosophy Shower Gel called Celebrate Love, and the scent is a blackberry musk smell. I love these shower gels so much and really only buy the larger sized bottles when they have a sale, since they're normally priced around $16 each. I have a bunch of the smaller bottles that I bought from kits. I'm usually not one for musky scents, but this one was light enough for me so I ended up liking it!
I finally used up The Body Shop Satsuma Body Butter that I had been using since the Summer. I love these body butters, and this Satsuma scent smells so yummy, like just peeled clementines. So delicious!
I used up a Creamy Pumpkin Antibacterial Deep Cleansing Hand Soap from Bath & Body Works. I like getting the deep cleansing ones, especially for my husband because he works in construction, so he gets dirty quicker. I personally like the foaming ones a bit more, but these are still nice. Plus this creamy pumpkin scent is amazing!
I finally used up the Garnier Nutritioniste Daily Exfoliating Gel Cleanser. I didn't particularly like this stuff as it smelled overwhelmingly of perfume and mint. It's also pretty harsh to me, so I don't know why this was called a daily exfoliating cleanser. I'm never repurchasing this.
I used up another one of my beloved Aloe Calming Toners from The Body Shop. I've talked about this a million times, and I'm already almost finished another one. This toner is just fabulous.
The Garnier Fructis Volume Extend Instant Bodifier Dry Shampoo was interesting. It smells amazing, like all Garnier hair products, and when you spray it in your hair and rub it in, there's no white cast. For me, it didn't do any kind of volumizing and it didn't make my hair feel clean like Batiste does. I swear, Batiste is truly my Holy Grail hair product. I've tried numerous dry shampoos, and I do have another one to try other than Batiste, but they never ever compare. I will not repurchase this product!
I used up a hand cream from The Body Shop, and it's the Absinthe Purifying Hand Cream. This hand cream is terrible! Seriously, never buy this stuff! All it did was make my hands even drier and it made them crack on the knuckles. The smell of this also smells like aftershave that old men use. Nasty stuff man. The best hand cream they have is the Hemp Hand Cream. That's one amazing product, but this one is the biggest dud I've ever tried!
I used up Natrol Biotin 10,000 mcg. I took these to help with my hair, skin and nails. I don't notice much difference with my hair, my nails have always been pretty good and my skin has it's ups and downs. I still take biotin pretty much everyday hoping it'll make mostly my hair better. I've been struggling to have good hair for years, but it never grows past a certain length and I get split ends like crazy.
I used up another one of my Similasan Allergy Eye Relief Eye Drops. These are the only eye drops I can use. Other brands burn and sting like crazy, but this brand is amazing! I do have very sensitive eyes and horrible allergies that always affect them, so this is perfect for me. I use these twice a day, morning and night.
Last two products! I finished up the Luster Now! Instant Whitening Toothpaste, and to be truly honest, this didn't whiten my teeth at all. I got this product in an Influenster box, and I'm happy I got to try it, but it did absolutely nothing. It didn't even make my teeth feel clean. I definitely won't go out and buy this!
I have a makeup product! This is a blush from The Body Shop and it doesn't have a color name, just the number 04 on the back. Now I bought this when I got a job at The Body Shop, get ready for this, 4 years ago! I had used this almost daily, and it still took me 4 years to go through. I know there's still some product in there, but I couldn't wiggle my brush enough in it to get any product on the brush. This was actually a nice blush. It was a peachy pink color with shimmer in it and it was nicely pigmented without being overly pigmented, if that makes sense. I have to say, I'm incredibly happy with myself that I was able to use up a blush. I never thought I could!
That's everything I used! I'm pretty happy with the amount of products I have here. I definitely feel a sense of accomplishment when I use up something, especially makeup!
What did you use up in November?
Hey guys! I know, I know, I was away for a long while again. I'm not getting into it why I was gone, but I will admit I have a few personal family issues and it's been getting to me and making me upset and not wanting to do anything. I've missed writing normally on this little blog of mine and really want to get back into it, so I'm trying to get into a groove again. Today's post will be my favorites from November. I didn't have a good month makeup-wise, mostly because I got a stye on my eye and couldn't wear makeup for almost a week, and partially because of my horrendous work schedule. I've been wanting to get some extra shut-eye instead of waking up earlier to do my makeup. Anyways, enough rambling. Here are some products I was really into last month!
When I wear makeup, even if it's just a mattifying powder, I tend to use makeup setting spray, since my skin is so darn oily. The oiliness has calmed down a little since it's colder, but it's still there. This Skindinavia Bridal Makeup Finish Setting Spray has done a good job at making my makeup last throughout the day, and keeping me matte a little longer than usual.
Since I ran out of my beloved Lancome eye makeup remover, I had this Maybelline Clean Express! Makeup Remover in my closet. I have to admit, this stuff is pretty darn awesome and it's under $5 at my Walmart. This is the version for waterproof eye makeup, so you shake it up to mix it all together then put it on a cotton round or ball and swipe away all your makeup. I don't wear waterproof eye makeup, but I like these kinds of removers better.
A co-worker of mine gave me this C.O. Bigelow No. 140 Chapped Hands Cleanser "Soap Free" after I told her about my horrendously dry hands. I always know Winter is coming when my hands get drier than the Sahara Desert and start cracking. This product has been a little miracle to my poor hands! I still do slather on the handcream since I'm OCD like that, but they don't burn, there are no cracks and overall my hands just feel better. I had to look this product up online because I had never heard of it, and it looks like it's sold at Bath & Body Works. I may have to go there and pick myself up the larger jar of this.
My last favorite is the L'Oreal Eye Defense Eye Cream. When I ran out of my Philosophy eye gel that I raved about, I didn't know what to use next, even though I have tons of eye creams to go through! I decided on this, and I'm so in love. It hydrates my eyes enough with the cold weather we have, but doesn't make them feel overly oily either, and I do have oily eyelids. The texture is like a gel-cream so I think that's why I like it so much.
Well those are my favorites! It sucked that I didn't have alot of time for makeup, and then I got that nasty stye. Oh well, it's a new month (and my birthday is in 2 days!), and I plan on actually using makeup more often as long as my schedule for work allows it. Seriously, retail hours are a pain in the a**. I actually can't wait for the holiday's to be over! Anyways, I'll talk to everyone in my next post, which will be empties! I used up alot of stuff, so stay tuned!
What were some of your favorites last month?
