Winter Empties - 2019

Hello, everybody!  How was your weekend?

Here are the products that I used up this season (that are not in my Project Empty challenge).

Neutrogena Alcohol-Free Toner
This is alright.  I've repurchased this already, but I do prefer the Pixi Beauty Glow Tonic over this.

Dr. Jart+ Ceramidin Cream
The cream is thick but sinks into the skin fairly quickly and it smells nice.  I'm not sure if I like it enough to pay full price for it, however.

Bath & Body Works Wild Madagascar Vanilla Fragrance Mist
I really like this scent.  The vanilla isn't overly sweet.  It's a warm vanilla scent that works perfectly for the Winter months.

First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Hydrating Serum
This made my skin feel nice, but it didn't do enough for me to want to pay $36.00 for the full size.

Hey Honey Come Clean Face Scrub
I didn't like this.  The scrubby bits dissolved so quickly I was barely able to exfoliate my skin at all.  All I was left with was the oil and I didn't like how that felt on my face either.  The smell isn't even good.  Definitely not something I'll ever purchase.

 
That's everything I was able to use up.  I hope you have a great week!  Thanks for stopping by!

Autumn Empties - 2018

Hello, everyone!  How has your week been so far?

Here are the products I used up during the fall months.

Lorac Behind The Scenes Eye Primer
This is not my favorite eye primer.  It didn't make my shadows stay vibrant all day and my eyeshadow still creased on me.  The main reason I use a primer is to keep my eyeshadow from creasing.  If I receive more free samples of this I'm going to give them away.  I certainly won't purchase a full size either.

Aveeno Daily Moisturizing Lotion
I really like this body lotion.  I've already repurchased another one.  It's not too thick, so it sinks into the skin quicker than others.

Noxema Classic Clean Original Deep Cleansing Cream
This is my go-to drugstore facial cleanser.  I prefer the First Aid Beauty Pure Skin Facial Cleanser, but this one is a portion of the price and works just fine for my skin.

Tony Moly I'm Red Wine Sheet Mask
This is my favorite Tony Moly sheet mask.  My skin feels so soft and hydrated after I use this.  I can also see a difference in my pores which is my biggest skincare concern.

Pure Anti-Aging Creme
This was okay.  It's quite thick but I didn't notice any differences in my skin after using it.

Pond's Evening Soothe Cleansing Wipes
I use these all the time, but I finally tried out the Neutrogena wipes and I think I like those ones more.  I'm not sure if I'll repurchase these wipes anymore.  I think I'm going to stick to the Neutrogena wipes instead.

That's everything I used up!  Thanks for stopping by, and I hope you have a great week!

Summer Empties - 2018

Hello, everyone!  How has your week been so far?

Here are all of the products that I used up (that aren't part of my annual Project Empty Challenge) during the summer.  I actually have quite a few products this time around!  I feel like seasonal empties are definitely better for me than monthly empties.  I hate publishing a post with only 3 or 4 products.

Sephora Collection Pencil Eyeliner in Black
This was okay.  It faded from my waterline after a couple of hours but it didn't bleed or smudge.

Briogeo Don't Despair, Repair! Deep Conditioning Mask
I rarely use conditioner, but I decided to try this out since I've heard a lot of good reviews about this brand.  This made my hair feel soft and smooth.  I don't know if I'd purchase a full size of this though.  I've been using coconut oil for years and it does the same thing for my hair.

L'Oreal Revitalift Cicacream
This didn't do much for me.  (To be fair, I really don't have many fine lines or wrinkles that concern me.)  My skin did feel quite moisturized with this though.

Sunday Riley Martian Gel Toner
There was only enough product in this sample for one use, so I can't say how well this works over a period of time.  What I can say is this product has a strong and...unique smell.  I guess you could call it an "earthy" scent.  Whatever it is, I'm not a fan.  lol

Delectable Ultra Nourishing Hand Cream in Sweet Mint and Cream
This is a thick hand cream, but it sinks into the skin nicely.  My hands always felt incredibly soft after using this.  The scent is pretty strong, but I enjoyed it.

Glow Recipe Watermelon Glow Sleeping Mask
This was nice.  It made my skin soft and hydrated.  I'll probably go pick up the full size of this soon!

Marc Anthony Nourishing Argan Oil Conditioning Treatment
This was okay.  It didn't make my hair feel as nice as the Briogeo hair mask, but it still did its job.

Skin & Co. Whipped Cleansing Cream
I will not purchase a full size of this.  It worked alright as a cleanser, but it was really thick and I didn't feel like it was giving my skin a deep cleanse.  I also hated the smell of it.  I'm pretty sure it's the truffle scent, but I do not like it at all.

Bare Minerals Blemish Remedy Mattifying Prep Gel mini
This would work great for people with oily skin.  My skin is normal with a few dry patches, so it didn't fit my needs.

Mario Badescu Hyaluronic Eye Cream
I like this eye cream.  My eye area looked hydrated and smooth after using this.  This is the first eye cream I've used that actually made my eye area look radiant and moisturized.  I'll definitely be picking up the full size of this soon!

That's everything I used up these past few months!  Who's excited for Fall makeup looks?!  What are your Autumn must haves?  I love a good berry toned or deep red lip during this time of year.

Thanks for stopping by.  I hope you have an amazing weekend!

Beauty Product Empties - June 2017

Hello, everyone!  How was your weekend?  God, can you believe it's July already?!

I finished off a few more beauty products last month (not included in my annual Project Empty challenge) and wanted to give you my thoughts on them.

Dr. Brandt Pores No More Vacuum Cleaner face mask - This starts out clear and turns a pale blue shade when it's time to remove it.  The cooling sensation feels nice and this doesn't feel extremely tight on the skin after it dries.  However, I didn't notice a difference in the size or amount of my blackheads after using this.  Because of that, I won't be purchasing the full size of this (especially since the full size is $47.00 for 1 ounce).

Sol De Janeiro Brazilian Bum Bum Cream - I initially really liked the scent of this lotion, until I applied this all over my body.  The scent is overwhelmingly strong and it takes a long time to fade.  As a moisturizer, this is okay.  It's very thick but it blends out and absorbs fairly quickly.  I did notice that I had dry, flaky patches on my arms after using this that weren't there before and are gone now that I've switched back to my regular body lotion.  So for those reasons, and the $45.00 price tag, I won't be purchasing the full size of this.
 

Hey Honey Good Morning face serum - This felt so nice on my skin.  It's supposed to brighten your skin, but unfortunately I didn't notice any difference after using this.

 
Thanks for stopping by!  I hope you have a fun and safe 4th of July!

Collective Beauty Product Empties - April 2017

Hello, everyone!  How was your weekend?  Can you believe it's May already?!  I have to say, I don't really mind that time is flashing by right now.  This past winter was freezing, and I am SO ready for some Summer sun!

So, I know I'm currently doing my annual Project Empty, but I've been using up other products that I didn't include in PE and I was thinking of doing a separate monthly empties for those.  I thought about just including them in my PE challenge progress post at the end of the year, but that post is already going to be super long, and I wanted to give my opinion on all of these products without you having to spend a thousand years reading through one giant post. Let me know what you think in the comments!

So here's what I've used up in March/April...

St. Ives Nourished and Smooth Oatmeal Scrub + Mask
This is a good gentle scrub.  Personally, I prefer their Green Tea scrub over this one.  It's not as gentle, but I feel like it exfoliates better than this one.

  

Aloe Pure Time Repair Serum
This is okay.  It felt nice on my skin, but I didn't notice any change though.

Skyn Iceland Icelandic Relief Eye Pen
I like that this eye cream is cooling, but I kind of hate the rubber applicator.  I think it would have been better if it had a metal applicator instead.

Dr. Brandt Microdermabrasion Exfoliator
I really like this exfoliator.  I received a full size of this in a past Boxycharm and I'm currently using it.  The granules are small and my skin feels so smooth after using this.  I really hate the price of this one though.  It's $79 for the full size bottle.

Suave Creamy Milk & Honey Splash Body Wash
This scent is alright.  Honestly, I doubt that I'll repurchase this though.  I've used other body washes that were much more moisturizing than this one.

 Smashbox 24 Hour Photo Finish Eyeshadow Primer
I did not like this primer.  My eyeshadow still creased with this product.  I even went over it with a powder and it still creases.  I prefer the Urban Decay Primer Potion.

Garnier Fructis Grow Strong Shampoo
This smells really nice.  My hair feels and looks clean after using this shampoo.  I haven't noticed a difference in strength just yet, but I've repurchased this in the bigger size.

Aquaphor Lip Repair
This works great.  I just hate the fact that it smells and tastes like SPF.

Ayres Hand Cream
I liked the scent of this lotion.  It's a thicker cream, so my hands always felt soft and hydrated after applying this.

Sea Breeze Astringent
I really enjoy the cooling/tingling sensation this gives.  My skin feels so clean and fresh after I use this.

 

And those are the products that I've used up recently.

Thanks for stopping by!  I hope you have a great week!

First Aid Beauty Skin Rescue Collection

Hello, everyone!  I hope you've had a good week so far.  I sure have and here's why...
 

Back in December, First Aid Beauty held a "12 Days of Giving" giveaway on their Instagram page.  They announced the winners of the giveaways last week and I was one of the lucky ones to win a prize!  I received my package in the mail yesterday and I thought I'd show you what I won.  I was one of three winners of the Day 10 prize which was their entire Skin Rescue line.  I've only tried one product from their Skin Rescue line and that was the Deep Cleanser (I received a deluxe sample with a purchase from Sephora ages ago).  I liked the cleanser, but I haven't gotten around to trying out anything else from this collection.  This collection includes a Deep Cleanser with Red Clay, a Purifying Mask with Red Clay, an Oil-Free Mattifying Gel, a Daily Face Cream, and a tub of Blemish Control Pads.  All five products are safe for sensitive skin and allergy tested.  The Blemish Control Pads and the Daily Face Cream are both fragrance free as well.

I currently use their Pure Skin Face Cleanser and Ultra Repair Cream daily.  I've been loving FAB products lately for my skincare and I can't wait to try these!

Have you tried anything from FAB's Skin Rescue collection?  I'm pretty excited to try these products out!

I just want to say a huge THANK YOU again to First Aid Beauty for hosting an amazing giveaway and gifting me these products!

Thank you for stopping by and I hope you have a great Friday and weekend!

 

Current Skincare Routine

Hello, everyone!  How was your weekend?

I thought I'd share my current skincare routine for today's blog post.  My skin is in no way perfect or flawless, but it has definitely gotten better recently.  For all of my teenage years and half of my 20's, my skin was oily and acne prone.  Then halfway through 2014, my skin became incredibly dry.  I had dry, flaky patches everywhere.  I had dry spots on my eyelids which made my makeup look terrible...it was bad.  Then I got a 10 pack of samples of the "Ultra Repair Cream" from First Aid Beauty.  That stuff saved my skin!  It is really thick but sinks into the skin pretty quickly and keeps my skin hydrated all day/night.  I no longer have super dry, rough patches.  I still have some skin issues, like redness and acne scaring, but I'll take those issues over dryness any day because I can at least cover those up with makeup.

The first thing I do is remove any makeup I might be wearing with the Ole Henriksen "Pure Truth Melting Cleanser".  This removes even my waterproof makeup.  It's supposed to be a 3 in 1 cleanser but it's pretty oily so I use a regular cleanser afterward.

For my cleanser, my absolute favorite has been the First Aid Beauty "Pure Skin Face Cleanser".  My skin has never felt cleaner after using this face wash.  It's safe for sensitive skin as well.

Next, I use the First Aid Beauty "Facial Radiance Pads" that are meant to tone, exfoliate, and brighten the skin.  Honestly, I haven't noticed any brightening, but I do still like this product.

Then I go in with my eye cream.  I have two that I use: the Tony Moly "Panda's Dream So Cool Eye Stick" for in the mornings and the Bobbi Brown "Hydrating Eye Cream" for in the evenings.  I like the Tony Moly one for daytime because it's not thick and it cools the under eye area making me look a little more awake.  I like using the Bobbi Brown one in the evening because it's a thick cream that stays on longer and really sinks into the skin to keep the eye area hydrated.

Lastly, I moisturize with the First Aid Beauty "Ultra Repair Cream".  At first, I thought this would make my skin oily because of how thick this product is, but it doesn't.  This can be used on the face or body to help relieve dry, itchy skin.  I don't think I'll be changing out this moisturizer anytime soon.  It's been my holy grail product since I first started using it.

I also want to mention that once or twice a week I use this St. Ives "Blackhead Clearing Green Tea Scrub".  I purchased this because it says that it helps calm redness which is something I struggle with right now.  I also like that it contains natural exfoliants.

And that is my current skincare routine in full!  I hope this was helpful, and thank you so much for stopping by!

Also, if you have any other product suggestions for calming redness let me know!  I'm always looking for new things to try.