Shiseido Facial Cotton squares

Hey there!

A few of the good folks on YouTube have professed their love for the Shiseido Facial Cotton squares. That being said, they have also said that the love stops at the price tag. These little buggers are $9.50 for 165 squares! But, so many people said such good things about them I ran to my Sephora to pick up a pack.

I was so skeptical of these things at first. Come on, $9.50 for a bag of cotton squares? You have to be kidding. I love my CVS brand cotton rounds that I can grab for $3.59/100 (BOGO of course so $1.80). I go through a whole package of cotton rounds each month so even at full price the CVS cotton is a steal.

My ladies at my Sephora had to go to the back storage room to get a pack for me. They all love the Shiseido squares but they too admit that the price tag gets them. But, they told me I should at least try them. You know my Sephora ladies don't steer me wrong.

I have to admit, the Shiseido squares are heavenly. They really are. Heck, the packaging is just as soft! They are just as strong as my CVS rounds. Because I use these little gems around my eyes, I have to make sure they are delicate enough.

Don't judge too fast! I've purchased cotton rounds from a different brand that weren't soft enough for my eye area. I am currently using those for getting polish off of my nails. I know you can get cotton rounds for $1.00/100 but you have to be careful with your eyes. As I explained before, even the cheaper version of the CVS cotton rounds aren't quilted on one side so they tear easily. I want to be able to gently rub my eye with my makeup remover. And, I want to use 1 cotton round to remove the makeup! If you have to use more than that, your bargain just stopped being a bargain.

Anywho, I haven't made a huge dent in my pack because I use them sparingly -- after masks or if I've worn more eye makeup than normal. They really are a treat and I use them that way. While they are very nice, I don't think I'll purchase them again. The price point is too high for something that is so close to what I normally pay a third of the price for (or a sixth of the price during a sale). If they were just a little bit better than my CVS rounds, I'd say to heck with the price and keep purchasing them.

But they are just too close and that means frugal wins.                 

What are you using on your eyes? Have you tried the Shiseido Facial Cotton squares? What did your wallet say when you did?

Empties!

Hey there!

We have come to the end of another month and I have brought to you my trash. I know, it just sounds so crazy to talk about what's in your trash BUT I love reading Empties blogs and Watching Empties videos so I figure 2 other people must like them too. So, here you go.

Let's start in the bath tub, shall we? The bubble bath shouldn't be any surprise to you. I have two Avon Bubble Baths (2/ $10) - Cucumber Melon and Warm Vanilla & Fig. The Cucumber Melon is blah, whatever but the Warm Vanilla & Fig is really nice. I have repurchased this one many times and yes, I have a spare.

I only have 1 Bath and Body Works Shower Gel ($11 ea at the time of this purchase) which is weird. But, I've had a lot of shower gels to try this month so I haven't finished much, I've just tried a lot. This one is a warm, spicy smell and is really nice. Not sure that I'd repurchase because B&BW come up with so many new shower gels you don't have to buy just any ole' one. You can only purchase the ones you love. I like this one but I don't love it.

On one of my many Ulta trips in April, I picked up a Be Happy Coconut Grove Cleansing Shower Gel. It was one of the 3 / $10 items that they had. Ummm, this one was crap. It did smell coconuty but it didn't lather and I had to use 1/3 of the bottle in order to get enough in the towel to go wash my body. I will never try this brand again. I promise!

Staying in the tub, I picked up a Pedi-Scrub Foot Buffer with Lavender Tea Tree Oil. My mom and I saw them in Marshalls for $3.99 and we thought it couldn't hurt to try it. It's nice. Once side "cleanses and moisturizes" and the other side scrubs your heels. Again, it was nice. I had no real complains but I had no real positive feedback either. It's basically a loofa made exclusively for my feet. If I see it for $2, I might think about it again but otherwise nah. No real plus behind it.

The bathroom is ground zero for candles. This month I have loved Target Sweet Spun Sugar ($5) and Bath and Body Works Pink Bubble Gum (3/ $10). I mentioned them both in my May favorites. I also used up a B&BW Providence Garden candle. Meh. It smelled ok but I probably won't buy it again. (BTW, I forgot to take a snapshot of the empty containers).

And the last tub item is the Bic Soleil Razor (3 for $4.99 - I'm sure I had a coupon of some sort or got them at a discount on a Target end cap). Nothing special. It was on sale. I like it.

For hair care I have an Organix Brand Luxurious Moroccan Argan Creme Conditioner ($7.99 but I always buy during BOGO free at Rite Aid). I love this. I really do. It smells wonderful and glides through your hair and after leaving it in my hair (under a conditioning cap) I have soft, bouncy hair. This brand is a staple in my house. I have stopped buying anything else. If you see something else in my empties it's because I'm trying to use it up. I'm in love and the honeymoon is far from over!!

You see 2 Philosophy Hope in A Jar ($10, Sephora) containers. One is regular and one has SPF in it. I don't like either of them. I purchased and tried them before the holidays and I am finally getting around to trashing the containers. I gave the regular one a 2 week try and the one with SPF a 3 day try. No thanks.

There are 2 facial wipes in this month's empties. I have a pack of CVS Brand Age Defying Towelettes ($4.99 but I'm sure I purchased during BOGO 1/2 or BOGO free). They were fine. I used them to remove swatches on my hand or makeup mistakes in the morning. I also had Simple Radiance Cleansing Wipes. I actually got these free when I purchased the Simple eye makeup remover. I didn't notice radiance but again, I used them for swatches and makeup mistakes. I probably won't purchase either of them again.

CVS Premium Cotton Rounds ($3.59 for 100 in this case - I always stock up when these BOGO free. They do that every quarter or so). Holy grail cotton round. I love that these are quilted on one side and smooth on the other. They don't tear up when wet. I go through a pack each month. I do have plans on trying something new (and more expensive) in the upcoming months but not for my eyes. I will still have these unless my new item is just beyond amazing (which I can't believe it is). More on that next month, maybe.

The final 2 GWP items from Lancôme have been tossed in the trash. I tried the Bienfait Multi-Vital Night Cream. It was super greasy and smelled weird. I tried to use it on my elbows and heels (always try to use your products up for something!) but it left grease marks on my clothes and sheets. In the end it wasn't worth it. I just had to toss it. I also tried the Advanced Génifique Youth Activating Concentrate. It did absolutely nothing. It was a waste of time really. I'm sad to say that almost nothing was good in this past GWP. Oh well.

I tried the Enregin Time Released Action Eye Cream from the Dollar Tree. I tried this several months ago. It didn't do anything good or bad. It was only a dollar though so no real loss.

And last but not least -- people I tried to like this! So many people do. It's the Studio 35 Beauty Brand (from Walgreens) Alpha Hydroxy Face Cream ($8.99). I used it for 2 months and the only thing that it did for my face was irritate it. It made my face red and itchy for about 15 minutes. I didn't like it for my face. You want to know where I did like it? My heels! It works beautifully on my heels. Would I buy it again -- for my heels? No. I have products for a third of the price that I use on my heels.

And there you have it folks -- my trash! LOL. These are the products that I used up in May. Spoiler alerts for June? Well, candles (of course), bubble bath and shower gel, cotton rounds and well...just wait and see!