Spring Empties and Review - 2024

 Hello, everyone! How was your weekend? It's been a bit crazy around here. I gave birth to my second baby 4 weeks early, and we had to spend about 2 weeks in the pediatric wing of the hospital because he needed to be tube fed for a little while. Baby boy is doing awesome now, so thank goodness for that!

On to what you're actually here for. Here's everything I used up recently.

Palmer's Massage Lotion for Stretch Marks

These were samples from free baby boxes, and my pregnant self was very thankful for them! They smell nice, and the lotion feels super hydrating.

Jergens Ultra Healing Extra Dry Skin Moisturizer

This was fine. I like to keep small hand lotions/creams in my purse and this fit the bill. I wouldn't say it's amazing, but it does its job.

First Aid Beauty Face Cleanser

You all know by now that I love pretty much anything from this brand. I've repurchased this specific cleanser so many times I've lost count.

Vichy Mineral 89

I wasn't a fan of this moisturizer. It's a gel consistency which isn't my favorite. I don't feel like they hydrate as well as a cream. This isn't something I'd purchase.

Kiehl's Ultra Face Cream

This moisturizer is really nice though! It's a thick cream that sinks into the skin and keeps my face feeling hydrated and soft all day.

Kate Somerville EradiKate

I didn't notice any difference in my skin with this. For the price of the full size, I'd expect to see some results. Since this didn't have any effect on my skin, I can't see myself purchasing this product.

Tony Moly I'm Tea Tree Mask Sheet

I love these Tony Moly masks. I've tried a bunch of different formulas and I've loved pretty much all of them. This is one of the ones I like. It's hydrating and cooling, which feels amazing during the summer.

That's everything for now. I don't have as many products this time around since I gave birth early and had to stay with my baby in the hospital for a bit. Hopefully I'll be able to use up more products this season!

 

Thank you so much for stopping by! I hope you have a fantastic week!

 

Autumn Empties - 2021

 Hello, everybody! How was your weekend?

Can you believe it's already almost Christmas?! This year flew by so fast for me!

So, here are my empties for autumn. There are a lot of bad ones this time! I don't know what's going on. Maybe I just had bad luck with products this season?

Purlisse Daily Lip Nourisher

This isn't something I'd repurchase. It had a weird smell and didn't sink into my lips. It felt heavy and gross.

Dr. Teal's Moisturizing Bath & Body Oil

This isn't the best. The scent was fine, but it was really greasy and took FOREVER to sink into my skin. My hair barely touched my skin after I applied this, but my hair looked super greasy and dirty afterward.

 

 

Dr, Teal's Body Lotion

This was fine. Again, the scent isn't bad. I don't think I'd go out of my way to repurchase though.

 

Aveda Nutri-Plenish Leave-In Conditioner

This was eh. The smell isn't that great, and I don't think it did much for my hair.

 

Beauty For Real Lip Scrub

This smells just like Juicy Fruit gum! It exfoliated my lips very well. 100% would repurchase for the scent alone.

 

Beauty Counter Counter+

I liked that this definitely brightened my skin, but I don't think it did anything else for me. It sinks into the skin fairly quickly and it isn't greasy. I'm undecided on whether or not I would repurchase this.

 

La Mer

 

This was such a small sample that I honestly have no idea whether or not this does anything. I saw no difference in my skin after using this. For the price, I would say this is a no for me.

 

 

Youth To The People Kale + Green Tea Spinach Vitamins Superfood Cleanser

This was nice. I felt like it really cleansed my face well without stripping my skin of all oils. I would repurchase this.

 

Dr. Brandt Microdermabrasion Age Defying Exfoliator

If you've been around a while, you already know I really like this exfoliator. I have, and probably will again, repurchase this.

 

 

Burt's Bees Hydrating Sheet Mask

 

This was terrible. The mask was HUGE. I had to fold it down on almost all sides to get it to fit my face. Also, the holes for the eyes and mouth were way too small. I was afraid this was going to get into my eyes. It constantly slid down my face. I maybe wore this for 2 minutes before I ripped it off and threw it away.

 

Kiehl's Vital Skin Strengthening Super Serum

Again, this is such a small amount that I had no idea if this works well or not. Obviously I'm undecided on whether or not to repurchase this.

 

 

Olaplex No. 3 Hair Perfector

 

This was a 100 point perk from Sephora. I had heard good things about this, so I added it to my order. I really like this! I hate that you have to get your hair wet before you apply it, but it works wonderfully! I have already ordered a full size of this (spoiler - you'll see it in my next beauty haul) because I love how my hair looks and feels after using this. This is definitely becoming a staple in my hair care routine.

 

 

Neutrogena Makeup Remover Wipes

 

I like these. I don't really have much else to say about them.

 

Sunday Riley A+ High Dose Retinoid Serum

This was a lightweight formula and it sank into the skin quickly. There really wasn't enough product in this sample to see any differences in my skin though.

 

Princess by Vera Wang

 

I really enjoy this perfume. I've had this bottle for an embarrassingly long time. My husband bought it for me for an anniversary present in the early years of our marriage. We've been married for 13 years. Surprisingly, this still smelled nice even after all these years.

 

 

That's everything I was able to use up! Have you tried any of these products? If so, what are your thoughts on them?

 

Thank you for stopping by, and I hope you have an amazing week!

New Beauty Haul

 Hello, everyone!  How was your weekend?  We just got back from a weekend visiting my grandparents in Washington.  They're both in their 90's, and they haven't seen our son since he was 3 months old and he's 2 now.  My husband's last grandparent (his grandmother on his father's side) died earlier this year, and we wish we would have seen her at least once more before she passed.  We're glad that she was able to meet our son when he was 4 months old, but it would have been nice to visit with her again.  She lived in Texas and we live in Oregon, so we didn't have the chance to see her often.  It's only a 3 1/2 - 4 hour drive to my grandparents' house, so we want to visit with them more before it's too late.  We had such a nice time visiting with them as well as some of my aunts and uncles who also live in the area.

Anyway!  Let's get into what you're actually here for!  Here are the new products that I'm trying out.  Heads up...it's a long one!

Lancome Advanced Genifique Yeux - $68.00

I received this from BzzAgent to test out.  This has a thin, non-greasy formula that sinks into the skin fairly quickly.  It is spendy, but you only need a little bit of product so this will last a while.

Anastasia Beverly Hills Dipbrow Gel sample

This is okay for a tinted brow gel.  I prefer a clear brow gel though.

 

House of Lashes Visionary Lash Story - $14.00

This was sent to me from BzzAgent.  It can hold 10 pairs of lashes along with the HOL lash applicator and a full size lash glue.  It's like a cardboard material, so I don't think I'd use it for traveling.  It is nice for storing lashes to keep at home though.

 

 

Becca Cosmetics Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed Highlighter in Vanilla Quartz - $38.00

As I've said in another post, I'm so sad that Becca is going out of business.  I'm purchasing all the products that I've been wanting to try before it's too late.  This shade is nice for fair skin tones like mine.

Becca Cosmetics Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed Highlight in Pearl - $38.00

This is the last powder highlighter from Becca that I wanted for my collection.  I'm glad I was able to pick them all up before Becca went out of business.

 

 

One/Size Secure the Blur Primer

I haven't been able to try out anything from this brand yet, but I saw that this was a 100 point perk from Sephora and I want to try it.  I just finished off a face primer from MAC, so this came in at the perfect time!

 

 

Lancome Idole Mascara

This is also from BzzAgent.  I don't typically like plastic applicators (especially curved ones), but this one didn't clump my lashes together or stab me in the eye.  It does a great job at providing length, but I wish it added more volume.

 

Nautica Body Mist

This product was sent to me from Influenster.  This is actually a men's cologne, so my husband has been wearing it.  He doesn't usually wear cologne except on special occasions, but he's been wearing this one most days.  This is a great summer time scent.

 

 

L'Oreal Unbelieva Brow Long Wear Topcoat in Univeral Transparent

This is also from BzzAgent.  I like that it has a small brush since I have somewhat thin brows.  However, I don't think it holds up any better than my Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Gel.

 

 

OPI Pro Spa Nail & Cuticle Oil

My cuticles have been looking rough lately, so I finally decided to order this cuticle oil to help them look better.  I don't know why I've put off buying a cuticle oil for so long, but this oil is thin and sinks into the skin quickly.

 

 

Bamboo Cotton Reusable Makeup Pads

I've been purchasing reusable products lately to help reduce my one-time-use product waste.  I picked these up to use in place of cotton balls.

 

 

Ole Henriksen Dewtopia 20% Acid Night Treatment

I received this from Influenster for review.  I just got this in the mail over the weekend and I haven't had a chance to try it yet, so I'll have to get back to you all on how I like it.

 

 

Bumble & Bumble BB Hairdresser's Invisible Oil Heat/UV Protective Primer

This is this year's birthday gift from Ulta.  I haven't used much from this brand, so I'm excited to try it out.

Moroccan Oil Happy Birthday Set

This was the free birthday option that I chose from Sephora this year.  To my recollection, I haven't used anything from this brand, but I've heard great things about them.

Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream

Again, this was sent to me from BzzAgent. If you saw last week's empties post, you'll know that I've already used up a sample size of this moisturizer.  As I said in that post, I do like this face cream.  Obviously I'll use this up, but I prefer the First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream.

 

For my birthday this year when my husband asked if there was anything I really wanted, I couldn't think of anything.  I don't *need* anything.  I have more makeup/beauty items than I'll ever be able to use up.  I have more gadgets and tech things than I honestly need.  The only thing I could think of was some rest (having a toddler is rough! lol), so my husband decided to get a bunch of items for a relaxing at home "spa day" as well as some books (if you saw my book haul this month, you've already seen them).  We were going to spend the night at the beach and enjoy a day or two there, but after 2 weeks of beautiful weather it changed to cold and rainy for the weekend of my birthday.  (Isn't that how it ALWAYS works?!)  So we pushed it back to another weekend after it warms up again.

 

Aztec Secret Indian Healing Clay Mask  

In the meantime, one of the products for my "spa day" is this clay mask.  Holy moly!  I've heard amazing reviews about this mask, and they're all true!  My skin looked so soft and smooth after using this.  If you've been on the fence about trying this, just do it!  Not to mention, this comes in a powder that you mix with either water or apple cider vinegar, and you don't need much to cover your face so this will last forever!

 

Rose Quartz Roller & Gua Sha

This is another product my husband picked out for me.  I've been intrigued by jade rollers for a little while now, but haven't wanted to take the plunge and purchase one.  I'm really glad he got this for me.  I use it after I apply my serums.  It feels so cool and refreshing on my face.  The rolling is actually quite relaxing too.

 

 

Spa Headbands (9 pack)

These are another part of my birthday gift.  They're incredibly soft and super cute!  They're perfect for holding my hair back while I'm masking.  I'm looking forward to a girl's night in with some friends so we can all wear one.

 

 

Homedics Bubble Mate Foot Spa

This is also something my husband got me for my birthday and I was really excited for it!  I've been using a plain plastic basin to soak my feet in, and while it works fine, the water gets cold fast.  This helps keep the water warm for a while longer.  It doesn't keep it HOT, but it isn't super cold after 10 minutes.  It also has little jets that make bubbles and while that's totally not necessary, they do feel nice.  There are also bumps on the bottom for massaging your feet.  It includes a removable pumice stone as well.  The only downside to this is that since it has the jets for creating bubbles, you aren't supposed to use any epsom salts, bombs, oils, etc. in it because it will clog up the holes.  I really enjoy using epsom salts while I soak my feet, so that's a bit of a bummer.

 

 

Color Street Nail Wraps in Berlin It To Win It, Holidaze, and Bloody Gorgeous

These were part of my birthday gift from my sister in law.  I've been wanting the bottom two shades for a while now, so I was super excited to be gifted these!

 

 

 

Color Street Nail Wraps in Sakura Festival and Spring Picnic

These two I purchased myself.  Sakura Festival is my favorite design and I hate that it has been discontinued.  Luckily my friend sells CS and was able to track this set down for me.

 

 

 And that's everything new for now!  Thanks for stopping by!  I hope you have a fantastic week!