Wordless Wednesday: Pre-Move Empties!

I know I just posted my summer empties only a short while ago, but as soon as I found out we were moving I got a hussle on to finish up some products that were dragging on too long in my arsenal. The less I have to move  – and the less stuff cluttering up my shiny new space (official move-in day is tomorrow!) – the better! This is a pretty huge empties post actually considering it’s less than 2 months worth of stuff. I’m super-excited to have a more tidy, manageable amount of beauty products going into our new home. I’m already starting off on the right foot!

Anyway, this is supposed to be [mostly] wordless, so let’s get crackin’.

Notable here is the Kypris Moonlight Catalyst (so lovely), the MAX Effects Makeup Remover (awesome!), and the MUN Anarose Toner (have gone on about my love for this in a past empties post too).  

The DevaCurl Set It Free is a fantastic pre-styling hydrator for curly hair (but it’s expensive and doesn’t last too long); I use the NOW vegetable glycerin for mixing with my polish remover to make it gentler on nails; you already know I ADORE the Lina Hanson body oil (I made that baby last!), and the Yes to Carrots Hand & Cuticle Cream was really nice but the lettering on the packaging started to flake off and every time I’d use it it’d get everywhere. Ick.

Ok. There are some good samples here (and some bad)! I liked the Fresh Rose Face Mask a lot (contemplating a full size but we’ll see…), the Royal Apothic Cuppa Cuppa Firming Tea Treatment Mask  was lovely (soothes & purifies), and the Lancome Genifique serum seemed nice. The rest were fine but nothing outstanding; did NOT like the Jurlique Rose Hand Cream (too scented), and the May Lindstrom The Good Stuff body oil (disliked the strong cocoa scent!).

Nothing much to say here. These are both good (though I think I’m going to cool it with fast drying top coats, they often shrink the polish and make chipping more likely).

Mascara palooza! See review on the L’Oreal & Benefit; it Cosmetics Hello Lashes was just WEIRD to me. Maybelline Brow Drama was fine but I wouldn’t repurchase; I finished the Korres Lip Butter and the Clarins Lip Perfector to the last drop (see photo below – that’s hardcore!). I’ve had the UD 24/7 Pencil in Lucky for quite awhile, it’s an awesome shade (since dc’d though) but it’s dried up. And this is the 3RD BLUSH that’s broken on me from Illamasqua (this is the shade Hussy), I won’t buy any more of them, I can’t take it! And they’re not really made in a way that I can pressed them again, so out it goes! I only have 1 shade left from the brand (and I used to have 5 total). The lipstick mini from Hourglass is in a shade called Grace, which is a nude – too light for my skintone. 

Kaboom!! That’s a lot of empties, eh? So I’m thinking my fall empties post will be teeny in comparison. Which isn’t really a bad thing, hopefully that just means I’m using less overall so I’ll have less to show for it. As an aside, after reading Liz’s review I picked up the Marie Kondo book on tidying, so I would hazard a guess that the amount of things I own in general is going to continue to decrease rather than increase. At least, that’s the plan! Again, moving really helps as it forces you to take a good hard look at what you own (as packing less = unpacking less). I wonder what the new *thing* will be once we’ve all decluttered our lives?? 😉

 

Wordless Wednesday: Spring empties

…it IS Wednesday, right?? My days blend all together lately…

ANYWAY, whatever day it is, this post is going to be short on words – just couple snapshots of my empties so far in 2015. If you have q’s about a specific product, ask in the comments!

Skincare

All empty except for the Shiseido sunscreen, which has expired.

Hair & Body Care

Some of these aren’t empties but old, old product that should have been tossed a LONG time ago!

Samples

I always order loads of samples when I buy online (most e-tailers offer them).

Makeup!

Hooray for finishing 2 lippies! (and turfing an unloved one).

What do your empties look like right now?

 

Final Empties from 2014

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I’ve been thinking about my empties posts lately. I know some people are less than enamoured with these kinds of posts, while others absolutely adore them. Personally, I don’t have much interest in empties posts except to see just how much stuff people are using up – I use the evidence as motivation to continue diligently using my beauty products, rather than buying them just for hoarding’s sake. I’m most impressed by makeup empties, and as such, I feel pretty badass when I myself have used up a handful of makeup products, so of course I still need a medium for which to show it off at times.

Therefore, moving forward my empties posts will be wordless wonders – express posts mainly to show what I’ve used up / tossed every few months. If there are questions about a particular product, please – ask away! I’ll answer in the comments. Otherwise, consider these posts a reprieve from my usual chattiness 🙂

The first half of the photos are empties that were tossed back in the summer…yea, I’m MAJORLY delinquent in posting these, but as I said, empties posts aren’t really all that exciting, so I never got around to it. There wasn’t that much to showcase anyway – see for yourself (also, pre-emptive apologies for the dusty-looking photos and wonky lighting!):

Body and hair care

Facial skincare

Handful of samples

Makeup empties. KABLOW!! Almost all full-size products 🙂

Since that time, I’ve been storing up products and my empties bag was getting close to overflowing. Not only do I find empties posts kind of boring to read/write, but good grief taking PHOTOS of used-up products is AWFUL. However, these shots I took today of the next batch of empties was considerably more enjoyable, because last week I bought new camera 😀 😀 😀 I wanted a DSLR that could take fabulous photos once the baby arrives (and it doesn’t hurt that it’ll improve my shots on the blog, too :)), and Best Buy had a great Boxing Week deal on so I purchased the newest Canon Rebel, the T5. Now I just need to get my lighting set up down and I’ll be cookin’ with gas, as my family would say 😉  I took most of these shots outside in the snow, because it just seemed like the perfect backdrop, and I’m having fun figuring out how it works and what it can do!

Yüli empties…I am definitely purchasing a large size of the Cocoon Elixir (a facial mist)! So lovely.

Other skincare empties. On my second jar of the F.A.B. Facial Radiance Pads 🙂

Hair and body care empties. 

Deluxe samples…I really liked the Indie Lee ones (a cleanser and facial oil), and the amala serum (though it’s like, $300 for the full size…uh, NO), but I HATED the GlamGlow mask. Full of weird seaweed-y bits or something and thus was a major pain to apply. PASS, PASS, PASS. 

Random samples of hair & skin care, and foundations/concealers. Nothing to write home about except the Eminence Neroli Age Corrective Eye Serum – that was quite nice and I’m thinking of buying the full-size when I’m in the market for an eye treatment (I have like, a billion samples to get through first). 

…and BOOM! More makeup empties!! There’s a ton of mascara empties – as I mentioned in my 2014 makeup purchases post, I went through a slew of different kinds this year, mostly all disappointing – but there are two full-size foundations and two full-size blush. Oh YEA, baby! The MAC blush is one I’d dropped a couple years ago and was really left with only scraps left, to be fair – the other is a Milani blush/bronzer duo I’ve had for 5 years which I figured should be tossed now. Also, see how I finished the Burberry illuminator?? Not too shabby, methinks!

And so, my final roundup of empties from 2014. I can now start fresh, woohoo! I feel lighter already. My goals for 2015 are to see more lippie empties (so I can achieve part of my resolutions) and maybe even a blush or an eyeshadow. The latter is a TALL order, but I’ll see what I can do!

Did you make any significant headway in finishing products this year? Do makeup empties make you as happy as they do for me? What are your thoughts on empties posts overall?

Empties abound!

It is just me or do I seem to be plowing through a lot of products lately?? Either that or I’m just super delinquent at posting about empties in a timely fashion

This instalment is kinda a big deal for me because I have a whole whack of makeup at the end of the post – hooray!  Let’s get to it.

Hurraw! Green Tea Lip Balm – awesome stuff. Keeps lips in tip top condition and feels awesome to boot – not too slippery but not too thick either. For less than $5 a pop, I’m all in!

Consonant Ultra Firming Organic Eye Cream – I opened this a couple years ago, used it for a while, then acquired a couple new eye creams and promptly forgot about this. It’s quite thin so if you prefer that in an eye cream, you might like this. Personally it was too thin for my taste – but otherwise it was fine. Nothing to write home about though.

Pai Geranium & Thistle Combination Skin Cream – Love this moisturizer! If I didn’t have a couple of oils on the go, I’d probably buy this again – it’s perfect for oilier skin or warmer weather when skin doesn’t need a heavy or greasy moisturizer. It absorbs quickly and feels light as air – and keeps sebum more balanced than just a regular moisturizer.

Oceopin Maritime Pine Seed Oil – I was underwhelmed by this. It felt kind of heavy and thick to me and didn’t make my skin super soft like most of the oils I’ve tried. When I was nearing the end of the bottle I discovered that if you apply a good facial mist beforehand and apply this directly afterward, it spreads it out more and it feels a lot nicer. However, I’m still glad I only bought a small bottle of this – I wouldn’t pick it up again.

Soapwalla Restorative Face Serum – I had a weird bias against this the whole time I used it, but it actually is quite nice – great for those of us who have sensitive skin, as it was soothing when my skin felt reactive. On the whole it was just OK otherwise; texture was of medium-thin viscosity and it kept my skin hydrated adequately without being greasy.

La Bella Figura Bio Active Healing Mask – As per my review, I LOVE THIS MASK SO MUCH. It was so lovely and soothing to my skin, and it smelled so tasty like juicy berries and honey. I will be buying this again at some point without a doubt.

TOO MANY SAMPLES TO HANDLE!!!!  The highs and lows: [highs] Eminence Bright Skin Licorice Root Booster-Serum (awesome and seemed to help with acne scars even in the week of use), Eminence Red Currant Protective Moisturizer SPF30 (nice, smooth texture that isn’t too heavy), Graydon Sun Cream (also nice texture and dries matte so perfect for summer) and The Serum (smells like blueberries and is packed with antioxidants); [lows] Juice Beauty samples (boring, boring, and the moisturizer was crazy sticky!), CV Skinlabs samples (totally did not soothe my skin nor wow me in any way). The rest? MEH.

Phyto Phytopolleine Scalp Treatment – soo hard to get out of the bottle! I got this through a swap and I used it really haphazardly, so I can’t say if it worked or not. It was too much of a hassle so I wouldn’t purchase in any case.

Yarok Feed Your Ends Leave-in Conditioner – this was OK. Nothing to write home about – it was very lightweight, so if you have very fine hair it might be ideal, but for my personal needs I’ve used other leave-ins that I loved a lot more.

Ojon Damage Reverse Restorative Smoothing Gloss – this was tinted brown, I guess to help boost the glossiness in brown/black hair, and every time I washed my hair it left a brown residue in my tub. It was just OK – I wouldn’t buy this.

Andalou Naturals Argan & Sweet Orange Conditioner (x2) – You may have guessed, I am LOVING this conditioner. It smells soo good, like vanilla and orange, and perfectly hydrates my hair without being heavy or leaving a residue. I’m on my 3rd bottle and I suspect I’ll just keep buying it until I stumble upon something else. The only downside is that I seem to go through it quite quickly!

Random blue bottle – I can’t remember what this was called or the brand, but it was for your bikini line after a wax (or wherever you got waxed) to avoid ingrown hairs and irritation. I have had this since my very first wax back in 2007…haha! Time to go.

Poshe Top Coat – this was nice at first but it went the way of Seche Vite and got pretty gloopy near the end.

Osha Mae Calendula Salve – I mentioned this in my best of 2013 post, and it really was a lovely salve. I think though that the same I had from Clementine Fields, from M.J. Herbals, worked better somehow!

Kalaya Restore Body Treatment – I got this at Christmas from my aunt who knows I like organic/green skincare. At first I was skeptical but this actually was a really nice moisturizer – not too thick (read: greasy) or thin (i.e.: not hydrating enough) and really made my skin smooth. It did contain fragrance though so for that reason I wouldn’t purchase it.

KAPOW! THE MAKEUPS:

MAC Dazzleglass in Luscious Spark – pretty sheer orange gloss with shimmer. The Dazzleglass etc formulas are known to be in smaller tubes than they appear, and this went quick. I also found it needed to be re-applied often so this was an easy one.

Laura Mercier Lip Glace in Discrete – I really liked this shade when I got it, but after a while I found it’s neutral tones flat due to the opaque formula. I was happy to see this go.

Buxom Lip Polish in April – when I was more of a gloss person, I loved the shine and sparkle of this pale pink lippie. But then it was just too ‘Bar Star’ for me and I wasn’t inclined to try and finish off that last little bit.

NARS Pro-Prime Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base – everyone loves this – and I’m no different! If they day comes where I need to purchase an eye primer (I have the MUFE now to use), I’d definitely buy this.

Clinique High Impact Waterproof Mascara – this came in handy for all the weddings I had last year, but then I stopped using it (I don’t really like using waterproof mascara on the regular). For those kind of occasions though, this is really good – gives nice, full lashes and stays put!

Pur Double Ego Mascara – I got this from my aunt and I used it maybe 3 times before I realized that it’s crazy-wet formula made an absolute mess every damn time. Toss!

YSL Volume Effet Faux Cils Mascara (sample) – I know mascara samples aren’t always a good predictor of a product’s true efficacy, but I did not like this! Flaky, tangly lashes, YIKES!

Random foundation/concealer samples – I honestly can’t remember what these were…I think they were two Tarte BB samples, and two MAC Pro Longwear samples. Lets just say I wouldn’t buy either.

Chanel Illusion d’Ombre in Emerveille – I liked this a lot when I bought it, and its still a great shade, but mine got so dried out and hard to use that I just couldn’t be bothered. I don’t actually like the Illusion d’Ombre formula at all and gave the other one I bought (Abstraction) away. Wouldn’t buy any of ’em again!

NARS Larger Than Life Eyeliner in Via Appia – lovely deep bronze shade I received in a swap. I had a seriously idiotic moment and SHARPENED THE PLASTIC, forgetting its a twist-up! So then I always had to have it twisted up extra far so I didn’t scratch my eye out. D’OH. When it neared the end I just decided to turf it and stop the horror.

Illamasqua Blusher in Lover – this dropped and broke, and while I normally would try and salvage it somehow, I found this shade so light on my skin tone that I just figured it was an opportunity to get rid of it. I really HATE when my makeup breaks!

Giorgio Armani Fluid Sheer #2 (sample) – I found this quite sparkly for my taste. I’m glad I tried a sample (I got this when I was in NYC) because if I’d have bought a full size I would have been quite disappointed.

Burberry Lip Cover in Cameo Pink (sample) – I really did like this shade though it was a touch light for my skin tone. I enjoy the Lip Cover formula – it feels comfortable on the lips, though the inclusion of fragrance isn’t my ideal.

Vapour Organics Mesmerize Eye Color in Storm (sample) – I tried to use this one and realized that in it’s sample form it’s IMPOSSIBLE. So, rather than hang on to it for no reason, I’m tossing it.

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And that, they say, is THAT.

How are your empties going? And totally unrelated – did you watch Mad Men last night? WTF was that ending all about?!?!

Super-Quick Empties Post (from February – oops!)

Ok….so I took photos of some empties in February and then didn’t post about them – oopsie! Let’s get to it, because I want to also post my most recent empties soon – I have a big goal for myself this year in terms of reducing so I want to start entirely fresh!

Skincare

Crabtree & Evelyn La Source Hand Therapy – I’ve had this seriously for like, 10 years, sitting in a cupboard because it’s scented and ya’ll know I DON’T DO THAT. But then, I wanted to get rid of some stuff so I used it as a foot lotion. Perfect!

Shikai Borage Therapy Hand Cream – ARGH that awful, awful smell of FEET and BO and DEAD MEAT. Thankfully this hand cream wasn’t all that fabulous, because if it were the most amazing thing ever I might have to buy it again and suffer the odour just to have healed hands. THE GODS HAVE SPARED ME.

CeraVe Hydrating Cleanser – It was fine. Just like Cetaphil, really. Which is MEH for someone who wears makeup or who wants a more substantial second cleanser. Even if I wasn’t sporting a ‘green’ skincare routine now I probably wouldn’t get this again, unless my skin was going absolutely batshit (in that case, it’s pretty darn gentle and not too bad at all).

Aubrey Honeysuckle Rose Moisturizing Conditioner – This was also just OK. I didn’t love the smell nor that formula. It was my first organic conditioner and on the whole, it would probably be nice for someone with thin, fine hair that doesn’t need much moisturization like my bone-dry hair does.

Organix Coconut Milk Hibiscus Nourishing Body Wash – This was my second bottle for a reason – it SMELLS SO GOOD. I won’t buy it again because of the ingredients (still has fake fragrance, and is not really ‘organic’ – shame on the name!) but if you don’t care about this stuff, I enjoyed it overall.

Ellovi Butter – I’m going to be the dissenting voice here and state that I didn’t love this. My eczema did not like this at all, which is surprising given the clean ingredients, but I found I needed more moisture, and my eczema was consistently present while using this, so it didn’t really do much at all. Full-price at $26 (I had a $5 coupon), this would have needed to blow my socks off for a repurchase.

Haus of Gloi Aether Pumpkin Butter – I still have a soft spot for this! I stopped buying it, but I might order a few of the smaller sizes to use as hand cream and such – I really liked the smell and it moisturized well. I feel like the ingredients are pretty decent, and while not totally clean…I just like it anyway.

Pai Camellia & Rose Gentle Hydrating Cleanser – Though I think this might be a bit heavy for me during the summer, I did like this cleanser and I think anyone with normal to dry skin should definitely try it out! So gentle and leaves skin feeling very comfortable.

Stark Grapefruit Cleanse & Hydrate Balm – Minus the little balls of shea butter in this, I liked this balm fairly well. It didn’t cause any irritation – but the scent being so delicious constantly had me on alert for something, so I never used it with ease. I wouldn’t repurchase, but mostly just for that reason! I like using things that I know without a doubt will never eff with my fickle skin.

Tarte Pure Maracuja Oil – Honestly, still one of the best oils I’ve tried to date (and I’ve tried a fair number by now!). Affordable, great for most skin types, absorbs quickly – there’s really not much else to say. I went through two bottles, which saying a lot since I usually try something different every time. I might even come back to this at some point!

Eumovate Eczema & Dermatitis Cream – I picked up this cream while in NZ, and though it was AMAZING at clearing my the eczema I got while away (like, the best product I’ve ever used for that purpose), apparently my doc tells me this shit is kinda dangerous. At least, it’s not to be used on the regular. O-KAY, then. I powered through it while I was away, and had just a bit left which I used here and there afterward. I was kinda sad to see it go (I really DID work wonders), but it’s probably for the best.

XLash Eyelash Enhancer – Just updated you guys on how much ASS this kicks when compared to another lash growth serum…I WILL buy this one again, mark my words. So, SO good.

Holy smokes, the samples. Let’s do this by notables, and not-worth-it’s:

Notables:

– OLO Brand New Day – Nice, gentle enzyme scrub that does have some manual exfoliating qualities as well; leaves the skin nice and soft but not ravaged.

– Kahina Eye Serum – Second time with a sample of this bad boy, and I still like it quite a bit. Sinks in quickly and isn’t greasy at all. But sometimes with stuff like this I think – do I really need a separate serum for eye? Nah, probably not.

– Babor Calm & Relax Cream – lovely cream thats not too heavy for my normal-to-oily skin, and really does ‘calm & relax’! I plan to buy this one day, but it’s $76CAD so maybe when I have a little bit more disposable funds, hmm?

– Clinique Repairwear Laser Focus – Not ‘clean’ but I had it in my samples stash and I though I’d use it up. And really, it works. Highly recommend for non-‘green” skincare buffs.

– Lancome La Vie Est Belle (sample) – I still love this scent, and one day I’ll give in and buy a bottle. I just wish it was cheaper! 1oz (30mL) is $72CAD. Atrocious.

Not-worth-it’s:

– Tata Harper Resurfacing Mask – Honestly, the first sample I had I found this did NOTHING to my face, and the second time I tried it, I felt a little bit of irritation. I know a lot of people love it but I’m not one of ’em.

– OLO Vitamin C Serum – Again, another ‘gem’ that gets raves, but I found it was a little heavy for my skin – it would be PERFECT for drier skin, and it gives the skin a glowy sheen (which turned a bit greasy on me).

– Vapour Illusionist Concealer – YIKES! All of these shades were so gray!! Even the darkest shade was ashy and awful. And the coverage as well was crappy. Probably if you’re super fair and have hardly anything to conceal, this would be great. Clearly not for me.

The MAKEUPS:

Urban Decay Supercurl Curling Mascara – I’ve had a sample of this before, and my opinion is the same – great for giving lashes curl (makes mine even CURLIER) and for separation and length. One day I might even buy the full size.

MAC Pearlglide Intense Eye Liner in Petrol Blue – I wish I had this in an eyeshadow, or perhaps just a better eyeliner formula. This ALWAYS smudged on the outer corners no matter what I did, and I didn’t love the more glittery-sparkly quality of it either. It’s old and starting to separate from the sides of the pencil, so I decided to toss it. Whoop!

Clinique Cream Shaper in Egyptian – I loved this shade (blackened olive) and the liner didn’t budge, but it’s also a billion years old (or maybe 7) and was doing the same shrinking thing, so out it goes.

Clinique High Impact Mascara – how many samples of this have I used in my life!? Too many. Still a great formula but I’m kinda bored of it now after years and years.

Clinique Lash Power Mascara – Still digging this formula (it’s newer) and I have a backup in my stash. Gets all the bitty little lashes and doesn’t budge. Awesome.

Make Up For Ever Smoky Lash Extravagant – Hated. It. Tried to love it. Still Hated. It. TOSS.

YSL Touche Eclat 5.5 – I know Wayne Goss has showed us the error of our ways in using this pen, but I’d just rather have an illuminating wand do all that and not cost $50+. Next time I’ll buy the cheapy version if its not gonna make my dark circles disappear.

Benefit Watt’s Up – This was an OK cream highlighter, but I’ve found plenty others I like far more (Becca, to name one!). I was so glad when I finished this sample!

BAM. Empties #1 for 2014 DONE. #2 to come shortly!

Have you tried any of the products above? What are your thoughts?

 

Final Empties Post of 2013!

Woohoo!  My last empties post of the year.  As these are always lengthy (because I am too damn chatty) (and even though I just did one last month…how do I use up products so quickly?), I’m going to get right to it.

Organix Nourishing Coconut Milk Conditioner – I do like the Organix conditioners, and this worked quite well to hydrate and detangle, but I preferred the heaviness of the Macadamia Oil version to this.  Smelled DELICIOUS in the summer though!

Earth Science Deep Conditioning Masque – 2nd tube of this, and I still feel the same as I did when I first tried it.  It’s really good shit, dudes.  For $13CAD, it’s one of the best deep conditioners I’ve ever used, and to top it off – all natural!  If I were so fickle I’d buy another tube, and I still may…I’m just too curious to settle *just  yet* 😉

Alterna Bamboo Smooth Kendi Oil – I really liked this oil a lot, much better than the Ojon Restorative oil that preceded it.  It just had a great consistency and smell, and it never irritated my scalp or caused any breakouts around my forehead, which can happen with products like this.  Good stuff, and lasted AGES.

Haus of Gloi Komodo Pumpkin Butter – don’t mistake mangosteen for mango, my friends – NOT THE SAME.  I found the scent of this quite intrusive and it has this slightly rotten fruit smell…so ya, just not diggin’ it.  So, I used it as a foot cream!  Problem solved.

Nutiva Coconut Oil – great stuff.  I used this as my primary body moisturizer throughout last spring/summer and it was awesome – it really kept my skin in great condition, prevented eczema flare-ups and helped heal old scars that I sometimes get from past eczema patches, which tend to result in the absence of pigmentation.  However, once the weather cooled it wasn’t quite enough, so I would either layer it with a moisturizer, or use it in my hair periodically as a deep treatment.  I’ll definitely be picking up another tub of this – so many uses! However, keep in mind that coconut oil is highly comedogenic – except when it’s in the form below:

Fractionated Coconut Oil – fractionated oil is non-comedogenic, perhaps due to having had all it’s triglycerides removed.  It has a super-long shelf life and increased stability, and it’s antioxidant potential is more jacked up than regular coconut oil.  It’s also in a TON of things and usually listed as ‘caprylic/capric triglyceride.’  My roommate had left this behind when she moved so I used it up – it was a lot easier to use than the solid coconut oil (though a bit messier at times) but I found it slightly less moisturizing on my body.

Getting through my non-organic products!  I’ve only got a few last products and a couple straggler samples to get through and I’ll be essentially fully ‘green’, woot!

eos Lip Sphere – this balm works really well and was exceptional under lipstick, offering just enough hydration without much slip, but honestly the size of it sometimes felt very cumbersome.  It’s a cute novelty, but not the most practical – though I do maintain that they’re terribly easy to find in your purse!

Indeed Labs Hydraluron – I’m sure this does have a purpose, but I don’t think I have dry or dehydrated enough skin to see a difference.  I don’t miss it.

Clinique Even Better Clinical Dark Spot Corrector – this stuff does work well, for those of you not concerned about using non-organic products.  I really do like serums because you can pile them on and they generally don’t have heavy moisture to the skin which can make you greasy as the day wears on.

RoC Soft Smoothing Scrub – too gentle for my liking, though this is a good choice for a morning cleanser just to wash the night’s oils off, or as a second cleanse.  But as a ‘scrub’?  No thanks.  One more non-organic product down!

Avene Thermal Spring Water – I love misting my face before applying any serums or oils, as it just feels good to seal the moisture in…but paying for water in a can kinda irks me.  I far prefer the facial mists with a little bit extra in them, like hydrosols etc. that add something more.  Right now I’m using Kahina Giving Beauty’s Facial Mist and I quite like it (though its just so darn SMALL at 1.6oz for $46CAD…ouch!).

Samples!  Lots of good organic stuff here.  The Marie Veronique Organics Treatment Oil is excellent for keeping oily, pore-clogged, acne-prone skin in check.  I don’t have the latter, but I do get clogged pores on my nose and cheek area, and I found the sample really refined my skin nicely.  I actually just purchased the full-size last week!  I tried the new Kahina Giving Beauty Fez Body Serum this past weekend, and while it worked nicely on my skin, the scent it NOT for me – far too spicy and heady for me.  I’ll stick with my Lina Hanson Global Body Serum, thanks.  The Soapwalla Deodorant sample lasted ages, and I enjoyed it so much I purchased it last week as well – it smells awesome and actually works a treat, even on wetness!  It’s not entirely as effective as traditional antiperspirants, but for every day wear its perfect and I really like it a lot.  I thought the Pai Chamomile & Rosehip Sensitive Skin Cream was gonna be my JAM for the dry patches I get sometimes from my eczema, but it sometimes made my skin itch a bit rather than soothe it, so I’ll have to keep looking for a nice nighttime hydrating cream.  M.J.’s Calendula Cream on the other hand, was a freakin’ miracle product – this honestly cleared up my eczema overnight on my hands, which tends to be a persistent problem for me.  I ended up buying a similar product from the local market, but I’m not sure it’s *quite* as effective, though I do like to support local.    The Eminence Blueberry Soy Exfoliating Cleanser was a strange product.  I used it as either a morning or second cleanse and I didn’t notice any exfoliating, and it left a slight film on my skin so I’d recommend using a washcloth to remove it.  Not something I’d spend my money on, overall.  The Rahua Shampoo was fine, but I didn’t enjoy the smell at all, and to spend $$ on a shampoo that I don’t love is just not gonna happen.  One of our local high-end department stores here, Mills, will soon be stocking the organic brand Babor, and the SA’s gave me a few samples of this Calm & Relax Cream to try.  It was pretty great, truth be told!  I used it after doing an intense masque treatment, and it was soothing and hydrating without being heavy at all.  I just may purchase a full-size when the line becomes fully available.  Finally, another Eminence sample I snagged was this Red Currant Rapid Infusion Masque…suffice to say it was a total dud.  I have no idea what it was supposed to do, but I wasn’t wowed.  PASS.

Le makeup.

Sephora She Sparkles Gloss – decent gloss formula, decent shade.  Despite the fact that I didn’t love it, I actually used this up fairly quickly in the grand gloss scheme of things.  Huh.

NARS Gold Digger Gloss sample – HATE the brush on these Larger Than Life glosses, uh.  So. Tiny!  I liked the shade well enough, but the formula isn’t my favourite – similar to MAC lipglasses, which means they wear fairly well, but I’m not a fan of the stickiness.  It still looks quite full here but I wasn’t getting any more product, so out it goes.

Marc Jacobs Blacquer Mascara – this was such a weird product, like webbing for the eyes!  I loved that it had this kind of patent-leather shine, but it applied horribly and made a total mess of my lashes every time.  Yuk.

MUFE Eyeshadow #17 Espresso – I thought I’d use this a ton and then hardly did.  Then I dropped it and it crumbled, and then honestly, I just was OVER IT.  Plus, I now have a similar shade in my Laura Mercier palette, so I don’t NEED YOU ANYMORE.  *I really hate broken makeup!*

NARS Pro Prime Pore-Refining Primer – this was just meh.  I used it regularly for a couple weeks to use it up, and I wasn’t wowed – I still got shine after a few hours, and though my makeup wore a bit longer, it wasn’t anything to write home about.  Plus, non-organic…I’m not totally converted to organic makeup (or at all, really) but primer is like skincare, so I don’t think I’d buy this even if it did work well.

Marie Veronique Organics Everyday Coverage – the darkest shade offered is still too light for me, so this was a no-go.  Bummer, as I’ve ready a lot of great things about it!  Can’t beat coverage plus SPF in one.

I’m now finished my empties for the year!  I was going to do a tally in each category, but honestly that’s just too much damn work LOL.  Suffice to say, I feel really good about how many non-organic products I’ve used up, and I’m pretty stoked that I used up a whole gloss (and a half!) – I’ve been trying really hard to use up any lip products that are at least half-gone, because they’re much more feasible to finish (as opposed to blush…let’s not go there).  I’m going to make a real effort next year to cull my stash to only products I really love – I know I’ve said this before, and I continue to make progress, but I think next year will be THE year.  I’m loosening my grip on keeping things because they ‘should’ work or because they were expensive and therefore I have to use them.  I just want to pull out any shade of any product and be like ‘Yep, looks great’ with minimal effort.  I learn more and more what looks good on me and what doesn’t.  And also, it’s a lot easier to reduce the stash when you focus all your effort / money on skincare!!  I certainly haven’t saved a dime not buying makeup, because organic skincare costs a pretty penny in many cases, but the whole ritual of applying oils etc. is really up my alley, so I don’t mind.  And less makeup means less anxiety in that area – I never overbuy skincare so I never have to worry about having too much of that!

So, out with the old (thinking) and in with the new (skincare, not makeup).  Now I need to put my 2014 resolutions to paper!

How did your empties go this year?  Do you think your reducing or expanding?  

 

Empties, Empties, Everywhere!

I am terrible at keeping up with these posts…honestly, I should probably just give up!  But NO.  I will persevere, because SOMEONE has to see that I am not only continuously exercising my strong consumerist muscle, but also actually using shit up (and possibly at a faster rate than I’m buying, which is the ultimate goal).  And so here we go again.

Many products means we’ll jump right in lest we be here all night.  To begin, let’s start at the exciting end – the makeup.

Left to right: Clinique Lash Doubling mascara (sample), Fresh Sugar Honey Lip Treatment, Clinique High Impact mascara (sample), Make Up For Ever Star Gloss Diamond Collection in S0, Clinique High Impact + Bottom Lash mascara (sample), Make Up For Ever Smoky Lash Extravagant mascara, Guerlain Maxi Lash D’Enfer (sample).

I actually quite like all of Clinique’s mascaras and it has nothing to do with me working for the brand.  I just find they go on nicely, don’t dry out too fast, and stay on all day while washing off easily at night.  I always seem to have a lot of samples because I get a free gift every time I work a GWP.  I don’t mind one bit 😉

After I determined that the fragrance in the Fresh lip balms cause my lips to be perpetually chapped, I hardly used this for close to a year.  Then I decided I just wanted to get rid of it, so I used it like crazy down to a nub and then tossed it.  Not sorry to see it go, even though the shade was a nice nude that looked good with a variety of looks.  The MUFE gloss seemed to finish extremely quickly so I question it’s size, but I’m not complaining – another lip pie down!  The MUFE mascara ended up not being so bad as I thought it might be in my original review, but I still didn’t love it and was happy to see that it was drying up.  The Guerlain mascara was CRAZY clumpy and annoying and scented and just NO.  Buh bye.

Above are two concealers I’ve had for well over 3 years a piece (possibly 4 for one) that I was tired of trying to ‘use up.’  The NYX Concealer in a Jar was decent but the shade wasn’t great except when I was tanned and could use it under eye.  The other pot there is theBalm Time Balm, and it was OK but too pink.  I checked both shades recently in natural light and was like ‘NO MORE’ so out they go!  The other two little pots there were samples of foundation – the one with ‘MJ’ on it was the Marc Jacobs foundation, which I actually liked a fair bit and would possibly purchase.  Not right now though, not until I use up at least 3 of the 5 or 6 I have kicking around :S  There are some Becca foundation samples in the back there that were just too dark for me – toss.  Finally, we have the pièce de résistance – the NARS Loose Powder I bought back in 2010 that JUST WON’T DIE.  So very, very done with this!

There’s still some dregs in there but I don’t care, I’m OVER IT.  Also finished is the MUFE HD Powder that I got in a kit probably two years ago – POOF!  Hence why I was justified in buying the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Palette 🙂

Ok. that’s it for the makeup.  I’m trying to slog through a few other makeup items that I’m hoping will be done in the next couple months.  Wish me luck!

Next, we have skincare.  Oodles and oodles!

Clockwise from top left: Clinique Moisture Surge Intense (sample), MD Formulations Moisture Defence Antioxidant Hydrating Gel, Clinique Even Better Eyes, Boscia Oil-Free Daily Hydration SPF15 (sample), Neutrogena Healthy Skin Anti-Wrinkle Night Cream, Clinique Moisture Surge (sample)

The Clinique Moisture Surge original is a great aloe-based hydrator that just feels good on the skin.  It doesn’t treat dry skin long-term but it’s great for oilier skins like mine that just need a little somethin’ somethin’.  However, I DO NOT LIKE the Intense version, and I actually think it does funny things with my skin.  If I get any more samples of it I’ll be passing it along.  The MD product was great, as previously mentioned; the Even Better Eyes product was OK but didn’t blow my mind so I’d never spend my own money on it.  I think I liked the Boscia lotion, but my skin was getting irritated for some reason by something (I think it might be the sample I had of the UD foundation but not sure) and I was using this at the time so I’m hesitant to buy the full size. Lastly, I always like the Neutrogena cream and it’s a cheap and effective retinol product (albeit quite gentle).

Then we have the cleansers and exfoliants:

Clockwise from top: Clinique Take the Day Off Cleansing Balm, Vichy Purete Thermale (sample), Clinique Take the Day Off Makeup Remover (sample), REN Glycol Lactic Masque (sample), Kiehl’s Epidermal Re-Texturizing Micro-Dermabrasion

Another Clinique product line that I enjoy is the Take the Day Off (TTDO) products. Every time I get a sample of the TTDO eye makeup remover I’m glad to have it on hand, as it’s effective and gentle. The cleansing balm is great at getting off all makeup and sunscreen, and rinses off well without drying out the skin.  I probably wouldn’t use my own money to buy either, but that’s mostly because I sort of feel like all Clinique products should be free for me LOL.  The Vichy cleanser was OK for makeup-less skin, but otherwise meh.  The REN masque that everyone loves?  Not for me, really…it’s kinda scary on my sensitive skin, and I’ve since used other masques that blow my mind and work much better without any irritation at all (hint: La Bella Figura’s Bio Active Healing Mask.  Get it.  SOO GOOD.  Review forthcoming).  Lastly, the Kiehl’s scrub I got in a swap, and it was right around the time that I was over-exfoliating my skin in a bad way, which took a good year and a half to recover from.  Once I did, this was a nice product to buff the skin smooth but it is quite intensive, so I’d never repurchase and would caution against it for less hardy skin.

Now for my pile of organic samples and one full-sized organic product!

I’ll start with the Juice Beauty Stem Cellular Repair Eye Treatment.  This was one big MEH from me.  Didn’t do any harm, but it didn’t do anything that wowed me either.  It didn’t feel nearly as lovely as the Kahina Giving Beauty Eye Serum sample I tried (above) which lasted me long enough to know that its GREAT and I will be buying it as soon as I use up my 10238 eye creams (or…5.  Still.  TOO MANY).

As for the other samples…lets divide them according to ‘awesome and will buy’ status or ‘save your money’ piles.  In the latter, we have May Lindstrom’s Youth Dew and the Problem Solver (too heavy / too messy), Lina Hanson’s Global Face Serum (odd smell, too heavy), Rahua Conditioner (odd smell, not heavy enough, and full-size is PRICEY at $34!), and the Tata Harper Resurfacing Mask (didn’t feel it did much of anything).  In the ‘awesome’ pile, the Babor body cream felt lovely on my dry body skin, with zero reactions; the One Love Organics Active Moisture Vitamin B Cleansing Oil takes off all traces of makeup, and rinses clean away without a cloth or left-over residue (though I still don’t love the strong fruity smell); the Kahina Giving Beauty Brightening Serum felt great going on, with no reactions, and though I didn’t have enough to get a full test, will likely be purchased in the near future; the aforementioned Eye Serum by Kahina; and Lina Hanson’s Global Body Serum (which I DID purchase and wrote about here).

You may notice I skipped a few samples….those would be in the ‘what the heck do I feel about these?’ pile – I just haven’t made a full decision on them yet and more samples may be required.  I only got one use out of the Kahina Giving Beauty Facial Cleanser so I can’t make any kind of judgement on it at all, sadly.  I really want to love May Lindstrom’s The Clean Dirt and I don’t feel like I got a good trial run with it, so I might try it out again and see how I feel the second time around.  The OLO Active Moisture Vitamin C Serum seemed great in some ways (it gives a FABULOUS glow), but it was another product I was using while my skin was getting a little irritated a while ago, so it’s possible this was the culprit.  Finally, OLO’s Easy Does It cleanser is a nice price at $29 for a big bottle, and can be used on face, body and hair (yay dual-purpose!), but I felt it might have been irritating to my skin (also using during that funny time period).  Probably all of those things I was using then I’ll have to re-try separately to weed out which was the baddie.

Wowza!  Thats a lot ‘o samples, yes.  We’re almost done folks, I hope you’re still with me!  We now come to body products.

Clockwise from top left: Clinique After Sun Rescue Balm, Organix Coconut Milk Hibiscus Creamy Body Wash, Kniepp Lavender Herbal Bath Soak, A-Derma Exomega Body Cream (sample), Haus of Gloi Aether Pumpkin Butters (x3), and Burt’s Bees Lemon Cuticle Balm 

Alrighty.  Clinique’s After Sun is a fave of mine that I just enjoy using in the summer after being out in the sun.  Soothing, cooling, and repairing.  The Organix body wash I liked so much I bought a second which I’m just finishing up now.  I probably won’t repurchase though where it’s still quite scented.  It didn’t seem to irritate but I should still watch what I’m using carefully.  The Kniepp soak I could never actually SOAK in (fragrance is right up with the first ingredients), but I used this for soaking my feet and its was lovely.

More evidence of my Haus of Gloi love with 3 jars gone; the A-Derma cream was actually quite nice, very hydrating and one of the few fragrance-free products from a line that designed for sensitive skin (WTF?!  You’d be surprised how often that happens, actually); lastly, my final jar of the Burts Bees cuticle balm, which I always enjoy.

Right, so let’s wrap this up eh?  The grand finale – hair products:

Left to right: Living Proof Satin Hair Serum (sample), Bumble & Bumble Texture styling cream, Desert Essence Coconut Conditioner, TIGI Bedhead Catwalk Curls Collection Curls Rock Amplifier (longest name of life!), Schwartzkopf Extra Care Deep Nutrition Shampoo, OJON Restorative Hair Treatment

The serum – meh.  Not notable to me.  The conditioner – smelled AMAZING and worked fairly well on my curly mop.  The fragrance seemed to be naturally sourced.  The TIGI product was actually really great – just a small pea size was needed and it controlled my hair well without being crunchy.  Lasted AGES too.  But I’m in the process of looking for an organic replacement, so…  The Schwartzkopf shampoo was a left behind product by a friend while in NZ.  Yes I’ve had it that long and just finished it!  What, I don’t shampoo often lol.  It was OK but I don’t think they sell it around here even if I wanted to repurchase (I don’t).  And lastly, the OJON treatment.  I remember getting a full size of this crap back in the day when it was a big deal and thinking it was just great.  I am SO over this brand now it’s not even funny, and my aunt keeps giving me more and more of it, ugh.  At least this was just a sample!

~nudges self awake~ OK So we’re done, yes!?  Woot!  Not only are these hard to get through, I know, but they’re hard to write! (at 10pm on a Sunday night, no less!).  Nonetheless, I’m glad I got ‘er done.  I hope it was *somewhat* helpful/interesting??  If not…well, maybe it will serve as a sleeping aid 😉

And with that, I bid you adieu!  Till next time, my friends.

How are your empties coming along???

 

Epic Empties (As Per Usual)

Sooo…..it’s been about 149345 days since my last confession empties post.  Honestly, I haven’t used anything really exciting lately that I haven’t already written a review about, so the empties just kept growing and growing until it was honestly freaking me out to write about them all.  But tonight I’m feeling energetic so I figured it was time to get ‘er done!

YIKES! Chaos…

Since this is going to be sort of long, I’m going to get right to it.  First up, we have all the items that I’ve previously reviewed.  Feelings on those products remain the same unless otherwise noted (or have notes about them in general):

Orly In a Snap

Tarte Pure Maracuja Oil (note: returned Boscia Tsubaki Oil – too heavy I think – and exchanged for a new bottle of this)

Fresh Sugar Lip Polish

Glysomed Hand Cream (frag. free) (apparently I haven’t officially reviewed this but it’s certainly had a number of *great* mentions!)

La Roche-Posay Anthelios SPF60 (sample)

Clinique City Block Sheer SPF25 (again, no official review, but this has been a repeat product in my stash many times)

Clinique Repairwear Laser Focus

Marcelle Hydra-C Facial Exfoliating Gel

Derma E Vitamin A Wrinkle Treatment Moisturizing Gel

Consonant Organic Foaming Face Wash

Boscia Clear Complexion Cleanser

Haus of Gloi Pumpkin Butters (Aether x 3, Snow Wolf, Plotters Breakfast)

Haus of Gloi Soft Bubbling Scrubs (Selkie, Twice is Nice)

Haus of Gloi Sugar Exfoliant in Lassi

Moving on, we have the items that are kinda ‘meh’ and which I don’t care to review because they are non-note-worthy – not bad, but not stand-out either:

Kniepp Gentle Body Wash Almond Blossom (too fragrant for me)

Barefoot Venus Save Our Skin Extra Rich Cream in Ruby Red (smells awesome but…too fragrant for my skin)

Montagne Jeunesse Mud Pac masque

Burt’s Bees Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream (nice and lasts ages but still meh)

Perlier Moisturizing Lip Balm

Sibu Sea Buckthorn Seed Oil (weird and stinky)

Ojon Damage Reverse Instant Restorative Hair Serum (sample) (decent)

Philosophy Purity Made Simple One-Step Facial Cleanser (travel size)

Avon Foot Works Therapeudic Cracked Heel Relief Cream

Finally, we get to some new (mini) reviews!  We’ll start first with the non-makeup items:

First Aid Beauty Face Cleanser (deluxe sample) – I really liked this at first, but now I’m not so sure.  It seemed to cleanse well without stripping or making my skin dry, but I am not confident that it really cleansed as well as I imagined now.  *most confusing review ever*

Paula’s Choice Acne Fighting Treatment 5% Benzoyl Peroxide (sample) – didn’t work.  The end.  Wouldn’t buy the full size.

Lancome La Vie Est Belle (sample) – this is my kind of fragrance (which is to say, it smells edible).  I got a ton of compliments every time I wore it, so I think I’ll buy the full size this fall.

Bumble and Bumble Thickening Shampoo (sample) – really didn’t like the smell of this…and as I have tons of hair, a thickening shampoo kind of (ironically) falls flat on me.

A-Derma Exomega Emollient Cleansing Oil (deluxe sample) – a sensitive skin line that has fragrance in almost every product.  WTF!?!?!!?

Bioderma Sensibio H20 Cleanser – prefer this over the Sebium, which has fragrance (annoying).  I like micellar waters for the AM but that’s about it.  Possibly would pick up again if it were on sale.

Queen Helene Mint Julep Masque – guys…I’ve had this for 5 years.  TOO EFFING LONG.  Just sayin’.  It was alright and fairly gentle for a clay masque, but nothing special.

John Masters Organics Lavender & Avocado Intensive Conditioner – herbal smell, thinner consistency….this probably would have been great for someone with fine, thin / limp hair looking for a deep conditioner, but for my super-dry, super-curly hair, I need something with more weight to it. Would not repurchase.

L’Oreal EverCreme Nourishing Leave-In Spray – overwhelming scent, reminiscent of moroccan oil or something.  It took me probably a year to finish this because of how infrequently I used it, partially for the fragrance and partially because my hair care routine is extremely minimal and I have no use of a leave-in right now.  Would not repurchase.

Mill Creek Botanicals Biotin Shampoo – very runny, but with a nice tingly effect, though I’m not sure if it did anything for hair growth/health

Ojon Damage Reverse Restorative Conditioner – honestly, this was just…fine.  Perhaps I should have put it with the ‘meh’ list above, but it was such a gigantic bottle (a gift) that I felt it needed to get some mention.  I wouldn’t spend the money on this though if I were in the market for a conditioner.

And then.  *Fan fare* We have some makeup items!!  Wooooooooo!!!!  And a fair number of ’em too.  Heads up though that some of these are not ’empties’ but discards as I just couldn’t hang on to ’em any long.  TIME TO PURGE.  Let’s DO this:

Tarte BB Cream in Medium and Tan (samples) – there were things I really liked about this product, such as the sheerness (as I personally didn’t want a ton of coverage) and then stuff I didn’t like, such as how it felt a little suffocating even though it was so sheer.  Overall it was just OK but I wasn’t fully convinced to buy the full size.  Additionally, shade matching for my skin SUCKED.

MUFE HD Elixir – this is essentially a serum to boost skin’s hydration levels, that plays well with their HD foundation.  To be honest, I didn’t notice much effect, though I also noted that about Hydraluon’s serum as well, so maybe I’m just not dehydrated!  Nonetheless, I used it all 🙂

Clinique Chubby Stick in Graped-Up – uuuggggh.  I HATED this shade on me, these kinds of greyish-mauve-plum tones are horrible on my skin.  I scooped out the rest and put it in a tiny jar to use on others when I do makeup applications.  I just didn’t want to see this package anymore in my stash.  BEGONE.

Rimmel Scandaleyes Mascara – yikes!  I bought this on a whim as it was on sale one, and it was NOT good.  I got a couple uses out of it but had to give up the ghost because it made my lashes look wonky.  Not a fan.

Clinique Touch Tint for Eyes in Gold Glimmer – I got this tester way back when I worked on the counter full time and the product was discontinued.  Like 7 years ago.  So, even though it’s pretty and sparkly, it’s probably time to go.

OPI DS Desire – I don’t want to toss this at all, but the cap absolutely won’t come off and I’m tired of trying everything to get it off!  I like this shade but not so much that I’m willing to break my hands trying to get at it.  Plus, it helps me in reducing my polish numbers (which if you recall I’m trying to keep at 100…and I’m hovering around 116.  Gotta get to work!).

Dior Addict Glitter Collection Lipstick in Show It – I got this as an extra in a swap, and it’s kind of pretty but also pretty glittery…it’s a muted red with gold glitter bits that looks great during the holidays but inappropriate any other time.  I scooped the last of this out too and put it in another little jar for times when I was a little something special.  The old packaging is kinda ugly and annoyed me.

MUFE Uplight Face Luminizer Gel in #23 – I got this in my treat bag back when we had the Sephora grand opening here in Halifax, and maybe used it twice…it’s so glittery!  I just can’t.  I left it so long that the color has morphed and it looks pretty wonky.  Bye bye!

MUFE Aqua Cream in #10 – I reviewed this back in the day and while it’s a cool color, it’s essentially unwearable unless you want to put in some major leg work.  I don’t – and it’s shows because there’s cracks in the product where it’s drying out.  See Ya!

Tarte Vitamin Infused Gloss in 40 Winks (deluxe sample) – I actually liked this quite a bit, though it started to smell a bit funny at the end.  Nothing special but the golden shimmer was pretty on the lips.

Annabelle Le Big Show mascara – sorry to be the dissenting voice here, but this mascara was not my thing.  I personally found it mediocre and it irritated my eyelashes.  I had to toss well before it dried out.  Sorry guys! *ducks*

Hourglass Film Noir Full Spectrum mascara – now THIS mascara I liked.  It was a touch on the dry side, but otherwise it made my lashes look pretty great and was easy to use.  I’d possibly even buy it again, which is a big deal with mascara for me.

Wet n Wild Mega Liner Liquid Liner Black – this smudged like crazy!!!  I only used it a handful of times and then I had to toss it, it drove me nuts.  Absolutely do not waste the $3 or whatever for this.

Dalton Lash Fix Tilting mascara – um.  Yea.  This was a weird product gifted to me by my aunt – weird as in I’d never heard of the brand, and also the tilting brush was ridiculous.  AND.  This mascara was NOT GOOD.  After a couple times I had to trash it.  Totally bizarre stuff.

Hourglass No. 28 Primer Serum (deluxe sample) – still diggin’ this stuff hard.  I have another deluxe sample that I use sparingly when I want to look extra good.  I’m not sure I’d buy the full size as the scent makes me nervous, but this size lasts ages for me so by the time I run out of my other one, there will probably be some new-fangled primer that’ll have taken over anyway and this will be a memory.

Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer SPF15 (deluxe sample) – I liked using this as my sunscreen when the sun was a scarcity in the winter/spring.  I’d consider doing that again if I was feeling spendy, but I’m not entirely sold.  It’s good but not HG status for me.

MUFE HD Primer (deluxe sample) – I liked the consistency of this a lot – which was much more runny and watery and non-silicone-y feeling than most other primers – but probably for that reason it didn’t work very well at keeping everything in place.  I wouldn’t buy the full size.

HOLY SMOKES.  Sorry guys.  I know that was a lot to power through (and if you did – YOU ARE TENACIOUS).  I will try and keep up with these posts more consistently moving forward, it’s just….DAMN they’re boring to write.  When something is done for me, it’s done.  I like to talk about the new and shiny 😀 😀 😀

One final note I want to share with you about buying and consuming.  As you know, the past months have been quite financially restrictive, and I was really putting in an effort to keep my spending to a minimum.  However, what started as a cost-saving endeavour has turned into a lot more.  I read all of these fantastic blogs and see all the haul posts and pretty purchases, and rather than feel deprived, I feel kind of anxious and stressed out.  I just can’t get behind all these makeup purchases.  I’m not judging, truly, it’s just that more and more it works me up to think of all that makeup just sitting there – you only have one face, how much of all those products are really getting the love they deserve?  ~sigh~ So while I still get enticed here and there to buy a bunch of stuff because DAMMIT ITS SO EFFING PRETTY, I just can’t pull the trigger as easily as I used to.  I already have too much  stuff that doesn’t get used, and I just don’t want to go on like that.  I’ve made huge strides in this area and have only bought 4 makeup items in the last 3 months, which may still seem like a lot but which I feel is a good improvement – and I am determined to keep it up.  So while this empties post seems sort of ridiculous, these have been building up since early spring, and most have not been replaced – it’s been more of a 2-3 out, 1 in sort of system that really eases my mind a whole lot.  Here’s to hoping I stay in this mind frame for a while!

So…how are you doing on your empties?  And your purchases??

A Stupidly Large Empties Post (Prepare Thyself)

I’m just going to start by letting out a huge ~GROAN~ before beginning this post.  OMG dudes.  I’ve been putting this off for AGES and it’s going to get crazy.  I suggest getting comfortable with multiple snacks and a beverage of your choice.  Let’s get ‘er done.

Bustin’ out my empties bag!

Part of the reason I’ve taken so long to post this is because I have had so many products thisclose to being finished, and just when its used up, another takes it’s place.  I’ve got a handful sitting on my counter that are probably going to be done in a week or so, but I can’t wait any longer – and honestly, I’m in the business of entertaining you, not wasting all of your time and punishing your eyes and scrolling fingers.  So here we are!

I’ve said this far too many times and not held my word, but seriously – I’m going to keep the wordiness to a minimum.  Let’s start with makeup this time, since that’s always what I find most difficult to finish:

OK.  The good: I finished 4 eyeliners!  UD’s 24/7 in Crash (shimmering eggplant), Lise Watier’s Gold Eyeshine (which is so old that it kept smushing down into the pencil so I’m turfing it), and two black shades (Tarte Starry Night and MUFE 0L, both which were fine, but smudged more than I’d like).  I’ve since bought Chanel’s Noir Intense waterproof liner to replace the two blacks, and so far so good.  Also good is Clinique’s Bottom Lash mascara, which seems SO gimmicky but which is actually awesome.  The Chanel bi-phase remover is a sample and was good but nothing crazy.

The bad (or just OK): MUFE’s Star Collection gloss in S4 – smooth and not too sticky, but it has this weird cast to it that could make me look dead if worn to heavily.  The Revlon lip butter in Peach Parfait still has enough that I could eke out a few more uses, but I won’t.  HATED the gritty shimmer in this!  The white tube is a primer by Jay Manuel’s line (which I have no idea if it exists anymore or not), that I never used at all.  Toss!  Lastly, the MAC Haute & Naughty mascara I bought while en route to NZ.  For the first month, this was great, albeit a little clumpy due to so much product on the brush.  I found as time passed, it got worse, and ended up that the brush looked like this:

ICK.  Pass!

Anyway, not bad as far as things go, eh?  Next, let’s look at facial skincare:

I’ve reviewed the 100% Pure eye cream, Pangea Organics masque, and Shiseido toner previously and my thoughts still stand on those (which is to say, overall good impressions), but I won’t repurchase.  The Clarins Sun SPF30 eye cream is my 2nd or 3rd tube, and as always I think it’s great.  I don’t know if I’ll repurchase, just because I might just start using sunscreen around my eye area (I use only physical sunscreens, like the ones in the Clarins, which cause less irritation I find), but you never know!  Speaking of physical sunscreens, this is also my 2nd or 3rd tube of the Clinique City Block Sheer SPF25, and I’ll continue to use it unless I can find something similar that doesn’t make oily in summer – I find this still *slightly* heavy.  The Clinique Super Rescue cream for combo-to-dry skin is a nice moisturizer, but I find it only gives hydration (and antioxidants – can’t beat that!), and I like something that will aid in smoothing my skin as well, as I tend to have slight roughness from my eczema. I have another tube but probably won’t open that till next winter.  The Boscia Make Up Break Up remover is nice enough and effective, but I probably wouldn’t get a full size, as I still use a cleanser afterward because I find it can irritate my skin a little otherwise.  The Clinique Even Better Lotion SPF20 is actually a lot nicer than I gave it credit for before I tried it.  It’s hydrating but not oily and it made my skin look really good while I was using it.  My skin is still doing well but I don’t think it’s AS nice as it was since using this up.  I might order this on my next gratis.

Some samples:

I bought a handful of these MaskerAide masques before Christmas and used one per week.  I really liked them – they were easy to use and gave great hydration without breaking me out or being too heavy.  I’d definitely buy them again.  The Elizabeth Grant Eye Power Pads were one of those random beauty items I get from my aunt, and I’ve had them for ages.  One day I decided to use them, and it was nice!  I didn’t notice a big difference in anything, as I don’t have much in the way of wrinkles yet, but it was a treat and they were hydrating.  The Kniepp muscle gel was great for tired legs after working a shift at Clinique or a hard run, and if I was feeling spendy one day I’d probably buy it to have on hand.

Almost done, are you still with me!?  Let’s move on to body products:

This is my most triumphant success in terms of empties.  The Hawaiian Tropic Aftersun and the B&BW Vanilla Bean Noel lotions I’ve had for SO EFFING LONG – the B&BW lotion was my very first swap EVER (back in 2008).  Because they’re so scented, I didn’t wear them often, or in very specific, less sensitive areas like my feet and chest (which isn’t sensitive somehow!).  I finally finished them both last month and I’m so stoked – I now have NO scented lotions kicking around, and I don’t plan to ever again!  I’ll just go the much safer route and just wear perfume.  Sweet 🙂

The iconic Kiehl’s Creme de Corps lotion is always a nice luxury to have, and it was effective as ever, though FAR too pricey for my needy body.  I would repurchase is my budget allowed it though!  Although in saying that, I’ve found my holy grail body moisturizer in Haus of Gloi’s pumpkin butter in Aether – honestly, I can’t see myself buying anything else.  It smells good for being non-scented, and it works like a dream on my finicky skin.  I love it with all my heart.  Aveeno’s Moisturizing Lotion used to be my go-to, but I’m SO over it now.  It just doesn’t work as well!  The Clinique Deep Comfort hand cream is quite nice and if you’re looking for a great moisturizer to tote around, this is a great option – hydrating, absorbs well after a few minutes, and lasts.   And it’s unscented 🙂

The last time I ordered a few Aether pumpkin butters, I also picked up a couple 2oz jars of Haus of Gloi’s Bubbling Scrubs.  This one in Satyr was lovely!  Its a sweet, warm, edible scent which some may not like but is right up my alley.  And it gives a nice light exfoliation on my sensitive skin, which I usually avoid, but which I can indulge in with these scrubs.  Yay!  The Hugo Naturals body wash smelled lovely (natural scents) but something about it I didn’t like, so I wouldn’t repurchase.  The star here is the Organix Macadamia Oil conditioner, which is absolutely PERFECT for my crazy-curly, mega-dry hair.  I hate that it comes in a smaller container, as I went through it pretty quickly, but I would repurchase even though it’s $8 and lasts only a month or so for me.  I usually buy jumbo sizes of conditioner because I need so much, but this is worth the cost, as it really hydrates, and is a bit heavy (so, those with fine hair steer clear) which is just what my hair needs.  LOVE.

Ok.  Wrapping things up, I have a couple fragrance samples!

I got Angel as a sample when I got my mom’s bottle refilled for her birthday last year.  I know it’s a hate it or love it scent for most, but for me I actually am in the middle.  I don’t think it’s ‘my’ scent, but I do like it – I think because of the associations with my mother.  It really works on her and when I smell it I feel cozy 🙂  The Lancome fragrance however, La Vie Est Belle, IS ‘my’ fragrance – it’s got the same tones with vanilla being predominant (I’m definitely a Gourmand fragrance wearer), and smells FANTASTIC on me.  Initially I wasn’t sure if I liked it enough to buy a bottle, but over the past couple weeks I had three men tell me I smelled good (in an almost surprized way, like “You smell really good” and looking sort of shocked like, ‘oh wow, yum’) so I’m taking that as a sign.  Its the first fragrance I’ve found in a while that really does it for me.  FYI the notes are: black currant & pear (top); iris, jasmine, & orange blossom (middle); tonka bean, vanilla, praline, and patchouli (base).  I think the reason I was initially unsure is that I’m not a huge fan of orange blossom in fragrance, but the inclusion of vanilla and iris (iris being in 3 of my favorite scents, interestingly) end up making it a winner.  I’m just finishing up my second sample of this and will buy a bottle as soon as I’m able.

So there you have it!  In the past three months, those are the products I managed to finish.  Not too shabby, huh?  My skincare for face and body particularly has been seriously streamlined, and I don’t have anything ‘extra’ in either.  Makeup of course is an ongoing battle to use up products I’m not madly in love with, but I’m getting there!  It’s an ongoing process, and you are all probably familiar with.  Moving forward I hope to post these monthly to keep on top of things!

Have you tried any of these products?  What are your thoughts?  Any skincare products you’ve found to be absolute winners?

Beauty Low-Buy Update: Final of 2012! (and maybe forever…?)

Umm…so it’s been a while since I’ve done a recap of my purchases/empties, and this will be the last one of the year.  When I say ‘maybe forever’ I just mean, no more ‘low-buy’ crap because obviously I’m not stellar at it, and I actually do a lot better when I don’t make official restrictions.  We all know this but yet I keep doing it.  D’OH.  Right now I’m on a self-imposed mega-slow-down in buying cosmetics but if I don’t write it down, it’s not real and therefore I don’t feel all cray-cray like I have to go freak out in Sephora and inject myself with liquid liner.  We’ll see how long it lasts.

For the LAST time, the general rules of this year were:

1) Makeup: Purchase no more than 10 items per season (excludes replacing staples of foundation, concealer, powder)
2) Nail Polish: Purchase no more than 5 polish per month
3) Skincare/Haircare: Use one, Buy one

Purchased (September 20 – December 19):

– Deborah Lippmann Through the Fire nail polish ($22CAD)

– Revlon Sterling nail polish ($2.99CAD)

– butter London Royal Navy nail polish ($14CAD – had a 20% off discount)

– Poshe Quick-Drying Top Coat ($9.75CAD)

– Organix Macadamia Oil Conditioner ($7.99CAD)

– Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soaps 18-in-1 Hemp Almond Pure-Castile Soap ($3.99CAD)

– Vaseline Intensive Rescue Clinical Therapy body lotion ($3.99CAD on sale) *already finished*

– Vaseline Total Moisture Dry Skin body lotion ($12NZ…here it’s about $6.49CAD) *already finished*

– Aveeno Daily Moisturizing Lotion ($8NZ…here it’s about $4.99CAD)

– Glysomed Hand Cream Fragrance Free ($3.69CAD)

– Haus of Gloi Aether (6oz), Snow Wolf (2oz), and Plotter’s Breakfast (20z) Pumpkin Butters ($10 and $4/$4US, respectively)

– MaskerAide  Hydrating Facial Sheet Masques x 4 (all different types) ($6CAD each)

– Tarte Pure Maracuja Oil ($40CAD due to a $20 off coupon at Sephora)

– MAC Haute n’ Naughty Mascara in Black ($20CAD – purchased in the US at Duty Free)

– Laura Mercier Illuminating Eye Color in Gilded Moonlight ($27CAD)

– Benefit High Flyin’ Glosses ($28CAD)

So yea…in the last 3 months, I bought a shit-ton of body moisturizers (shocker, with this skin, I know), and only 3 nail polish and 3 items of makeup.  Can you effing believe it!?!?  I actually didn’t even realize it was so little until just now doing this list.  As I had gotten a few products from PR companies, I didn’t realize that my own personal makeup purchases were so few.  I think I’m just about due for a little splurge, don’tcha think?  I actually have a handful of products that are nearing completion as well, which is likely due to the fact that I’ve actually been using what I already own rather than buying more-more-more.  Sweet as, my friends!!  I have a few pretties on my list I’d LOVE to spoil myself with 🙂

Used Up (September 20 – December 19):

– TRESemme Flawless Curls Curls Hydration Conditioner (good, but not great)

– Aussie Catch the Wave Mousse + Leave-in Conditioner (used this several times before, it’s decent for the price)

– Bumble & Bumble Creme de Coco Tropical-Riche Masque (may have worked but made my hair hard to comb through and definitely not silky, nor soft)

– Schwarzkopf Extra Care Hair Repair Deep Nutrition Conditioner (hydrating but a bit too fragrant for me)

– Philosophy Happy Birthday, Beautiful Shampoo, Shower Gel & Bubble Bath [Sephora gift] (smells lovely! So I’ll never use it again! LOL)

– Desert Essence 100% Pure Jojoba Oil (great in summer for lightly hydrating skin)

– IT Cosmetics My Firm and Beautiful Breasts [YEP – that’s actually the product name!!!] (Did this work? Who knows?! But the name is hilarious *for the record, this was a gift…I would never buy something this insane)

– Vaseline Total Moisture Dry Skin body lotion (bought this in NZ – fairly effective, but quite fragrant so I used it on my feet)

– Vaseline Intensive Rescue Clinical Therapy body lotion (more hydrating than the usual Vaseline products but still not enough for my skin!)

– Curel Daily Moisture Fragrance-free Lotion for Dry Skin (just ok – kind of disappointing really!)

– Glysomed Hand Cream Fragrance Free (one of my fave cheapy hand creams that’s more like an ointment – great for dry, cold winter skin)

– Elysee Luminacai Radiance & Retexturizing Serum (only lasted a few weeks so no clue if it really did much – good or bad)

– Olay Foaming Face Wash Sensitive (great for sensitive skin that’s normal to dry, no funny business)

– Clinique Moisture Surge Face Spray (keep getting this for free from Clinique – great to use pre-moisturizer)

– Clinique Moisture Surge Extended Thirst Relief (I think I’m finally over this now, though it is a nice – albeit innocuous – treat)

– Neutrogena Moisture Oil-Free Sensitive Skin (even though this is oil-free, it felt a bit sticky and didn’t make my skin soft at all)

– Clinique Turnaround Calming Cream (this was part of the Turnaround glycolic treatment that we had a few years ago.  The six vials were gone much quicker than this!)

– Ojon Damage Reverse Instant Restorative Hair Serum (have been using this every day since I got back from NZ to recreate the awesome hair I had there, and it’s done quite well!)

– SkinCeuticals Serum 10 AOX (too hard to tell the effectiveness when it only lasts a couple weeks – but it didn’t irritate at all)

– SkinCeuticals C E Ferulic (same as above)

– L’Occitane 5 Essential Oils Volumizing Mask (made my hair gorgeously silky and smooth – but contains a fair amount of fragrance so I wouldn’t buy the full size)

– Bioderma Sensibio H2O Micelle Solution Sensitive Skin (I like this stuff.  Am going to buy a full size in a couple weeks)

– Kiehl’s Midnight Recovery Concentrate x 2 (made my skin feel soft but I prefer the Maracuja oil I just bought – absorbs better overall)

– Chanel Gentle Biphase Eye Makeup Remover (nice but not the most efficient eye makeup remover I’ve used)

– Sibu Sea Buckthorn Seed Oil (this is supposed to be great for eczema but all I found is that it made me smell funny and musty!)

– Clinique High Impact Mascara in Black [sample] (still a fan of this mascara)

– Ojon Restorative Mascara and Lash Treatment (such a horribly clumpy mascara :S)

– Urban Decay 24/7 Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner in Perversion (lovely eyeliner but the packaging bugged me – the filter kept pulling out!)

– L’Oreal Intensely Moisturizing Lip Color in Extrovert (this was received as an extra in a swap and it must to super-old as it’s sticky and tough to apply and all around bad)

– bare Minerals Pretty Amazing Lip Color in Panache [sample] (this sample was stupid!  There’s still a fair bit left but the applicator doesn’t reach that far :S  Nice formula though)

– Prescriptives Deluxe Lip Pencil in Fig (same deal as the L’Oreal lippie above)

So, that’s a whole lotta shit to talk about and I really didn’t want to bore you to tears, hence the quick thoughts noted above.  If you want any more information on any of the products mentioned, let me know and I’ll gladly share further details!  I have a handful of products that are thisclose to being finished but I just wanted to get this year wrapped up and start fresh for the next – the amount of empties I had were overwhelming!  Whatever is near done is getting tossed on December 31st, The End.

Speaking of next year, in the next week or two I’ll be laying out my usual beauty resolutions and goals I have for the year.  While I’m still going to do empties (they’re so darn motivating!), I’m not going to have a regimented schedule and I’m just gonna kinda go with the flow as they accumulate.  I’m trying to be a little less ‘list-y’ this year…it can get outta hand sometimes 🙂

BUT – while we’re still in the current year, I just wanted to give you an idea of the breakdown of my beauty expenses that I tracked since January (LIST-Y, I TELL YOU!).  I’m not doing this again either but I wanted to see just how much I really spend on all this stuff.  Well, let me just show  you! (all values approximate…otherwise it would just get WAY too crazy up in here):

Total expenses: $2140

Makeup: $1035 (1 eyeliner, 8 eyeshadow, 2 mascara, 3 glosses, 5 lipsticks, 8 blush/bronzers, 1 illuminator, 1 foundation, 2 concealers, 0 powders)

Nail Polish: $285 (23 bottles)

Body Moisturizer: $180

Obviously this math doesn’t add up – I left out facial skincare products because I was more interested to know how much I spent on makeup (not as terrible as I thought!), body cream (way more than most people I bet), and nail polish (less than half the amount I spent the year before – woohoo!).  I know that it seems crazy I only bought two mascaras…but I tend to use any samples I have, and I got a few free so overall it’s not that weird.  Obviously I am a blush fiend…and clearly I need to use up this effing NARS loose powder already so I can buy a new one (which I haven’t since 2010…shoot me).  Anyway….I’m totally crazy I know but (I hope) that’s what you love about me

So, it looks like I kept well within the guidelines to wrap up 2012:

1) Makeup: 3 makeup items purchased [3 non-staple items this season (Fall)]; 4 full-size and 2 sample size used/tossed
2) Nail Polish: 3 polish purchased (23 since the beginning of 2012)
3) Skincare/Haircare: Skincare – used 12 full-size and two fistfuls of samples, purchased 7 (some small sizes); Haircare used 4, purchased 1

I’m working on a total of how much (numbers wise) I used vs bought this year overall, but I’ll announce that in a post closer to the New Year when your eyes aren’t glazing over from all these words with no pictures…I’m sorry!

Lastly……..on an entirely unrelated note……..I just finished re-watching the ‘Return of the King’, since I’m just about finished the 3rd LotR book, and you know how at the end the hobbits, especially Frodo, kind of have this weird feeling because everything is back to normal and it’s almost like WTF?  Well…that’s exactly how I’ve been feeling since I returned from New Zealand.  Frodo says at the end of the movie: “How do you pick up the thread of an old life?”…It’s like I just can’t get settled back into the ‘routine’…and quite frankly, I don’t want to.  I will likely have a post on this whole issue coming up – it will be entirely unrelated to makeup, I’m sorry, but I need to share as it’s been on my mind every day, all the time, for the past month.  Ugh.

Why can’t I just be a nomad and travel all the time??? ~sigh~

Anybody finishing a low-buy or planning to start one next year??