Empties!

Hey there!

Wow! Do you see this bin o' empties? I can't remember the last time I had that much stuff to throw away! It's like I really concentrated on using up products.

Ok, so I did do that.

I finished an Avon Bubble Bath in Orange & Honeysuckle. It's a really nice scent. It's not strong and as always bubbles up very nicely. I don't think I'd purchase it again. I haven't used my Avon lady for a long while and I've been playing with other bubble baths. Also, I've been bubbling up with my Lush products and really like the Lush Bubble Bars.

I finished several shower gels. Yes, I did it on purpose. I had sooo many half used bottles that I needed to try to use up what I could. I finished a bottle of Nivea Moisturizing Body Wash Touch of Happiness in Orange Blossom. This smelled great. I loved the scent. I felt fresh and clean afterwards. This one is definitely on my repurchase list. I also finished a Nivea Touch of Serenity mini body wash in Hibiscus Blossom. It smelled nice but the consistency wasn't my favorite. It was too creamy, if that makes sense. It took a lot to lather up and if it didn't lather it would fall of the towel. Crazy. I got this in a subscription box and I wouldn't purchase it.

I also got an Olay Fresh Outlast Cooling White Strawberry shower gel in a subscription box. It smelled great, lathered well and I'd certainly repurchase it. There was also a Bath & Body Works shower gel mini in Moonlight Path. I love this scent. I have a full size and the mist. It smells sexy. Philosophy Have a Cherry Christmas did not smell sexy. If you simply sniff it, it smells like a cherry dream. When you put it on your body, it stinks.

I finished another of my holy grail face wipes Wet n Wild Under The Sheets. You know the deal. These are amaze balls. I used up a Secret Deodorant. No secret there. And, there is an empty Crest Tartar Protection toothpaste. Love it. I also finished a Neutrogena Oil-free Moisture Sensitive Skin Moisturizer. I like it pretty well. I've repurchased another one in a slightly different formula. I'm on the hunt for something better though, so don't get attached.

I used up two Ogx products. I used a Thick & Full Biotin & Collagen Shampoo and Smooth Hydration Argan Oil & Shea Butter Conditioner. They were ok but not the best Ogx products that I've used. I probably won't try them again. I also have to toss a bottle of Almond oil. A few days ago I did a post on essential body oils and I realized I've had this particular bottle for quite a while. So I did a quick sniff test and, yeah, it went rancid. I will, of course, repurchase it though.

Another item that went rancid is my bareMinerals Loud & Clear lip sheer in Berry Remix. I got this as a promotional item. I kinda think that it was already bad when I got it. I also tossed an Aquaphor tube because it went all liquidy. My bag of facial buff sponges did not go rancid or liquidy. It went empty. Love using them to exfoliate a few times a week.

So that's all the craziness that is going on in my trash can! Quite a bit, I dunno, maybe what I always have. It just seems like a lot.

What did you use this month? Was it a lot or about the same? Anything interesting? Tell us about it!

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!

Splish Splash

Hey there!

Because it's Sunday evening and we're getting ready to go back to the hustle and bustle of work tomorrow, let's try to relax shall we? Let's put on some really good music, pour a beverage of choice and slip into a nice, soothing bubble bath.

I'm such the bubble bath girl. If I've had a hard day, I need a good soak. If I've had a good day, I need a victory swim. If it's a random Tuesday, I need a good scrub. See how this works?

And, you can't love bubble bath's the way I do without....bubbles! I showed you a tiny picture of the madness but trust me, there's a lot more. If I weren't so in love with my bubbles, I'd be embarrassed. But I am, so I'm not!!

This month has been a bit stressful so far so I've pulled out some of my faves and I've picked up some new goodies.

I posted an Instagram pic of my latest darling. My local Marshalls had this tiny 4 oz bottle of Philosophy Old Fashioned Eggnog scented Shampoo, Shower Gel & Bubble Bath (BTW, does anyone really use these as shampoo? Really?) for $4.00. Now, I'll pay 3 for $10 of the 3 oz Bath and Body Works shower gels but I feel a certain way if the price tag is more than that. But, I took a good sniffy of this one and decided I'd try it out. WOWSERS!! I smelled so good, all day. I called my mom and told her I smelled just like nutmeg! You know how a cup of eggnog sprinkled with spices smells? That's how I smelled yesterday. Heavenly! That was $4 WELL spent!

My other Philosophy luxury priced find (sorry!) was the Philosophy Strawberry Italian Soda scented Shampoo, Shower Gel & Bubble Bath. It was $10 for 16 oz. I really had to psych myself up to make that purchase. But oh baby, once I did, I was so glad I spent the $10. You know how strawberry soda smells? This smells just like that...bubbles and all! I'm not kidding! It smells like soda bubbles! How on earth do you do that? It's magic I say!!

Bath and Body Works Signature Vanillas Shower Gel in Lemon. The day that Bath and Body Works stops selling this, I will throw a huge hissy fit and die.  They do a classic sale about twice a year and I stock up. I'm down to one opened and this one that's sealed. I show reverence to this scent. It's a sparkling lemon fragrance (if that makes sense). It smells clean and natural and so fresh. It brings me up if I'm down -- I mean really, it does.

Date night (like I remember what that is!) gets Bath and Body Works Moonlight Path Shower Gel (and yes, I did bust out the spray!). It's soft and silky and smells sexy. Ladies, you know what that means! You know that you have that fragrance that you slather on and you instantly feel sexy and ready to tame any wild beast! Moonlight Path does it for me. 

And finally, I am in love with this Dial Frozen Yogurt Cooling Body Wash! It is so nice. It has a soft, fruity scent and a very creamy texture. The bottle says that they've added yogurt protein. I haven't gone and tasted it so I'll have to take their word (and, what does yogurt protein do for your body anyway? Don't you have to eat it for the probiotics?). It's one of those body washes that lathers up for days! Bubbles, bubbles everywhere. I like it and yes, I do detect a minor cooling sensation but sometimes my bath water is hot so it could be that, who knows.

So when I'm feeling happy or sad I jump in the tub. These have been my favorites lately. What do you take in the bath or shower stall with you? What changes your mood in an instant? And how do you make shower gels SMELL like fizz?

Spring Favorites

Hey there!

I thought I'd change it up and drop a fun faves post. I originally thought I'd do the sundress weather tag but I didn't really feel like it said anything about me in relation to makeup. I decided to just pull random spring questions from the web. While I like Spring, my favorite time of the year is Summer because it's hot. I live in Atlanta and normally Spring time means that the hot weather is coming soon. Of course this year it's been cooler than normal. Just 3 days ago I had on a coat. A coat people, on April 14 -- in Atlanta.

BTW, I keep saying hot weather because I'm not talking about comfortably warm weather that requires a light sweater in the morning. I'm talking hot weather. You wake up a tad bit sweaty cause the 2 fans on you didn't do the trick overnight and your ac bill triples but you don't care. And, you keep 2 full ice tray's in the freezer at all times because you are going to need an iced drink the second you get out of bed. I like that kind of hot. I really do.

Any who, Spring has sprung -- even if the weather doesn't say so. That means that Summer is around the corner.  So, let's talk about the things I like about spring.

Favorite Spring Candle Scent?

I have been loving my Target Sweet Spun Sugar scented soy candle. It fills the rooms with sweet, cotton candy scented goodness. I know that everyone rants and raves about the Bath & Body Works candles but really, this one is nothing to sneeze at. In my opinion, it's just as good but half the price.

Runner up? Yes, it's a Bath & Body Works scented candle. It's the one in Pink Bubblegum. I buy 3 for $10 mini's and it makes me feel better. But this one, I'd pay full price for a large one. So yummy smelling!

Favorite Spring Bubble Bath?

There are three that I've been loving. I picked up this Philosophy Strawberry Italian Soda bubble bath from Marshalls for $10. It smells like strawberry soda. I mean you can smell the bubbles. Yes, that sounds like crazy talk but you can, you really can.

Bath & Body Works Signature line has some of my favorites. I always have to wait for the special sales when these come out. My favorite of all time is the Signature Vanillas Shower Gel in Lemon. OMG. It is amazing. I'm using this one sparingly because I'm down to my last bottle. Next time it goes on sale you must grab one. You'll love it.

Another Bath & Body Works fave is Orange Ginger in the Aromatherapy line. It's a nice smelling body wash that I only use during the day. I just feel like this one wakes me up and leaves me feeling refreshed and ready for the day.

Top Row: Sally Hansen Hard as Nails in Poppy, Rimmel 60 Seconds in Golden Hour & Pulsating, Rimmel Sweetie Crush in Candyfloss Cutie & Violet Swizzle
Bottom Row: Sally Hansen Insta-Dry in Pumped Up Pink, Wet n Wild Megalast in Bite The Bullet & Revlon polishes in Strawberry Electric Spidey Sense & Charismatic

Favorite Spring Nail Polish Colors?

Yes, I know that pulling out 10 is probably over kill but I keep my finger nails and toe nails painted and that takes a lot of polish. Many of these are new (Rimmel 60 seconds in Golden Hour and Pulsating, Rimmel Sweetie Crush in Candyfloss Cutie and Violet Swizzle, Sally Hansen Insta-Dry in Pumped Up Pink, Wet n Wild Megalast in Bite The Bullet and Revlon polishes in Spidey Sense and Charismatic) but I have my old standbys (Sally Hansen Hard as Nails in Poppy and Revlon in Strawberry Electric). If I have to pick a favorite, favorite, it would be the Revlon nails in Strawberry Electric. I probably need to get a backup cause I would be so sad is this one ran out.

Favorite Spring Lip gloss?

You know how I love lip gloss. I have a lot. No, I don't know how many. I can't count that high. But, my favorite 3 are the Lancôme Gloss in Love in Cinema Cinnamon, Revlon Colorburst in Peony and Revlon Super Lustrous Lipgloss in Pinkissimo. These colors are light and beautiful on their own and when you add a liner with them or apply them over a light lipstick you get a BAM! for your lips. They are in my Spring rotation and I'm sure that I'll keep them in the Summer.

Spring Trend I'm Loving

Party accent nails are awesome! They let me get away with fun colors while wearing neutral colors on the other 8. I was like the whole nude lip thing but I think that was winter, not spring. I'm not 100% sure what else is happening but I'm on board with the party nail.

 

These are silver earrings. The lighting isn't the best!

Favorite Spring scarf or accessory?

Earrings. LOL. I know that sounds weird but I love earrings and my favorite type of earrings are hoops. How much do I love hoops? I own about 22 pairs of hoops right now. My favorites are these three. The large ones are fun and funky, the smallest pair are classic and the smooth pair are just awesome. I wear each of these at least once a week.

And there you have it! Those are my Spring Favorites. What are you liking this spring? What things are you avoiding like the plague? What Spring Faves are you willing to spend a lot on and what trend wouldn't  you purchase with a money making coupon?

Rub A Dub Dub

I'm a bit of a bubble bath and shower gel junkie.  I love a good bubble bath, I love a soft smelling bath fizzy or bath salts and I adore the lather from a rich shower gel.

Yes, my bathroom looks like a Bath & Body Works store. Yes, I know I have enough bath products for the next 9 months. Yes, I'd purchase more if I found out they were on sale.

Sorry!

My bath always begins with a generous pour of a rich bubble bath and while I play with different shower gel brands, I am pretty set in my ways when it comes to bubble bath brands. I love Avon bubble baths. I have waaaay more that I'm showing here. As a matter of fact, this basket holds my bubble baths. Currently, I have 7; Pomegranate & Peony, Vanilla Cream, Lavender Garden, Fresh Peach, Peppermint Vanilla, Sparkling Apple Blossom and Dark Orchid and Raspberry. Yeah, I know. I'm getting low. I have an order coming in. No worries.

Once I have settled into the luscious bubbles, I reach for one of my many bath gels. How many bath gels do I currently have, you ask? Well, again, I'm low in that department. I'm down to one Aruba Coconut, one Paris Amour, one Moonlight Path, one Vanilla Bean Noel, one Paris Amour, one Twisted Peppermint, two classic Lemons, one Black Raspberry Vanilla, and one Warm Sugar. Does anyone know when the next sale is? I need to be there.

Oh, don't get confused. That's not all the gels I have. That's all of the Bath & Body Works brands that I have. I have a couple of Philosophy gels, 5 or 6 Caress gels and I also have a myriad of store brands and drugstore brands that I love to suds up with. It's a relaxing way to get clean.

And when you're finished, grab a body butter or body cream and slather it on.

You are gonna smell so good my friend!

Baby It's Cold Outside!

Most of the year I live in very pleasant weather. I like the heat so when winter comes, I cringe. Apparently, my face does too. My normally normal skin gets dry and flaky during the very first cold snap of the year and doesn't straighten out until 72˚ shows up and stays put. Right now by 7 pm my face feels so tight and dry that my skin soaks up night cream. There are nights that I slather cream on my face twice.

Because I'm probably not the only person that has searched the web for good skin care products, I thought I'd let you in on my skin care routine. It's pretty simple but if I stick to it, I'm usually ok. If I deviate from it for more than a day or two, there's trouble ahead and it takes almost a week to get things right again.

My search for good skin began 7 months ago when I tried a Philosophy Purity Made Simple trial size face wash. I had been using facial wipes but after 2 or 3 weeks of each type of wipe, my face would get red and bumps would appear. Once I began wearing heavier eye makeup (mascara, colored shadows, etc) and foundation with more coverage, I needed a stronger face cleanser  than the one I had been using. Eye remover was another puzzle for me. Each type that I tried made my eyes sting and a few even left a film on my eyes! I researched other folk's skin care routines and came across Purity Made Simple and I fell in love. This cleanser is gentle on my skin but boy does it melt eye makeup off! I mean it really does without a residue or anything. You see I have a gigantic bottle of it (and a spare in the closet). I use a face scrub pad on my face (not my eyes though) and that seems to exfoliate very well. I know about the expensive scrubbers but this works for me.

My day time face moisturizer is Garnier Moisture Rescue. I've used it for almost 2 years and it's pretty good. It has an SPF of 15 and feels good under my face powder or foundation. I have no complaints but I'm participating in my Sample Bin Series so that could change.

My night time moisturizer is Lacura Q10 night cream. I found it at ALDI on the recommendation of a few youtube vloggers. Again, it works but I'm not in love with it. I'd be open to other moisturizers. I've tried different gels and creams before and wasn't impressed. This is the first cream in a while that I've liked well enough to keep using it. Not sure that I'll repurchase it. I might find something new and well, spring is near (If I keep saying that, it will get here faster).

I have 2 little extras that I use several times a day. I had a huge growth on my face for about 2 years that I named Henry. Well, it wasn't really huge. It was a small cyst that you couldn't see because I wear glasses most of the time. But, it needed to be removed. Once I built up the courage (and my doctor assured me it wouldn't leave a deep scar that I would need a plastic surgeon for), I had it removed about 4 months ago. Yes, I have pictures, no, I won't show them cause some of you might be eating dinner. It was kinda gross.  Once the scar healed, I began using 100% cocoa butter on it. Amaze-balls, it faded it no time. So now I use cocoa butter on a multitude of sins.

And out of everything I use each day, my most beloved item is my Aquaphor. Cuts, scrapes, chapped lips, jacked up feet, you name it. I was introduced to it when my daughter was born. The nurses sent her home with a big tub of it and I've always had some on hand ever since. I have a large tube next to my bed, 2 tubes in my desk drawer at work, 1 tube on top of my desk, 1 tube in every purse, 1 tube on the book case, 1 tube in the remote holder next to the sofa...you get the picture. If you haven't tried Aquaphor you really should invest in a tube. Yes, you can go with the store brand because it is a bit pricey but if you are okay with making a few high priced cosmetic purchases a month, then you should be okay investing in this. It really is the best.

So I'm married to my Philosophy Purity Made Simple and my Aquaphor, I'm engaged to my Garnier Moisture Rescue and my 100% Cocoa Butter and I'm dating my Lacura Q10 night cream...

... until something better comes along.

My Top Products of 2013

 Happy New Year and happy new makeup products!

I love trying new products and January seems to have an onslaught of new goodies to try. But, before I try the new stuff (and oh trust me and my wallet, I will) let's take a second to sing the praises of the old stuff. You know, the holy grail stuff of 2013 that if stranded on an island...really, how does one get stranded on an island these days? And, shouldn't food and water be more important than makeup?

Anywho, my trusty 2013 products are as follows...

Philosophy Purity Made Simple - I've tried other things from Philosophy and I wasn't 100% impressed but everyone ranted and raved about the Purity Made Simple cleanser so I had to spend $10 for a trial size and see. Can you say in love? It is the best cleanser I've tried this far. It really does "melt" off eye makeup and it doesn't irritate my skin or eyes at all. I fell so hard for this product, I bought two 32oz containers from QVC when it went on sale (with flex pay).

Sigma F80 Flat Kabuki & e.l.f. Angled Blush Brush - Once you've washed your face, you need the right tools to apply your makeup. I have many, many brushes, some high end, lots of mid range, some low end but my two favorite brushes of all time are my Sigma F80 and my e.l.f. angled blush brush. Now, I don't always use my brushes for the intended purposes so in the past I just used the brushes that came with my BareMinerals foundation for everything and they worked fine. Then I purchased my Sigma F80. Shhh! Do you hear the angels singing? I did. That F80 made my foundation glide on like a dream. And the e.l.f. brush? It works perfectly for contouring bronzer.

NYX Eye shadow base, e.l.f. professional mechanical eyelash curler & Jordana Best Lash Extreme volumizing mascara - The eyes have it! I've tried a few eye shadow bases and so far NYX is my go to. I'm hesitant to try out others because my eyes are so delicate. My e.l.f. eyelash curler isn't anything special but it is the one that works best for me. Now, stand back when I talk about mascara. I have fought some battles with mascara this year and Jordana Best Lash Extreme has won the battle. I plan to try the other Jordana mascaras this year but I'm reluctant to try any other brands. I have several mascaras in my drawer now that I am complaining about!

Jordana Easyliner For Lips - I am a lip gloss girl. Lipstick is fine but I like to line my lips with a moisturizing liner and pop on some gloss. Jordana has sealed the deal for me. I only have 3 colors right now but I have several new colors in mind.

Sally Hansen Instra-dry Topcoat - Are those angels still singing? I have purchased 3 of the these for friends. I love nail color but I hated painting my nails before I got this insta-dry top coat. It's magic. You let your color dry for a few minutes, paint this on top and 5 minutes later you have nails that are 90% dry. I paint my nails at night so pulling up covers or turning off the bed lamp can be the kiss of death. Not any more! My nails look amazing the next day! I love this stuff!!

Burt's Bees Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream - I have 3 containers of this; one in my purse, one next to my bed and one in my desk at work. It smells good and keeps my cuticles soft. Yes, I have tried the regular cuticle cream and that one went in the trash. It wasn't as soft, it didn't smell nearly as nice and it didn't do the job that my BB Lemon Cuticle Cream did. Stick with what you know.

And there you have it! The best of the best for 2013. Not much variety I know, but I'm a basics girl when it comes to make up. I'm sure 2014 will see me spread my wings a little and we can sit here and try new things together!

(Originally posted on 1/5/2014)