Empties #6 Summer/Fall 2015

            I am the worst at empties posts, I love using them up but just never manage to get the posts up. 

          An empties post would not be complete without Bath and Body Works, I love the three wick candles, they are just so strongly scented and burn so nicely. I used up Summer Boardwalk that smelled like caramel and candy, Fresh Water and Sea Salt that was just such a nice, fresh scent and Twisted Peppermint that was a very strong and lovely peppermint scent. I will be looking for another Twisted Peppermint when they bring out the winter scents. The two foaming hand soaps are Honolulu Sun that was a very tropical, coconut type scent and Sunshine & Lemons that is a perfect kitchen soap.

           I used up two different face wipes, neither was amazing but the Quo ones were decent for make up removing. For a review of the Clinique Acne Solutions Foaming Cleanser and Clarifying Lotion read this post.

          I am all about exfoliating and used up two body scrubs the top one was not my favourite, it was very oily and did not rinse very well. The Bonjour Jolie Organic Body Scrub was lovely, the scent was amazing! I do not enjoy most Pina Colada Scents as they just smell so chemically but this smelled like the actual drink. This scrub was also oily but it was a lot easier to rinse off.

          I love the Mitchell and Peach lotion, it just felt so luxurious and I am sad to see it go. That is not the case with the Jergens Soothing Aloe Relief lotion, I just was not a fan and decided it was just taking up space. I found it did not absorb well and just did not moisturize well enough to make up for that. 

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          I was not expecting much from the Well People Mascara as it was all natural and I had never used a mascara with only natural ingredients. I ended up really liking it, my lashes were long and it did not smudge or flake. This is an excellent mascara for everyday use. The packaging gets very dirty and is impossible to clean off. The Maybelline Fit Me concealer is something I have repurchased a couple times and really enjoy it. The next item I have had for a disgusting amount of time, it is a loose shadow from La Senza that I was given by a friend when I first started wearing makeup in university. It was well past time for it to go. I used a set of Hydro Cool Firming Eye Gels from Skyn Iceland that I received from Birchbox I think. I am not super excited when I get these in a subscription box but they are a fun pampering item.

          I am so glad to use up some hair care items since I have SOOOO many different items. The first is a sample of No 4 Clarifying Shampoo, I loved this little guy. It was from Birchbox I believe. It took all the styling buildup off my hair and smelled amazing, the only downfall was that it was quite difficult to lather, Another Birchbox sample is Fekkai Shampoo, I have tried other items from this brand and have never been impressed. This shampoo was OK but I would not purchase it. This seems to be a theme but the 12 Benefits is another Birchbox sample, it is supposed to be all kinds of helpful and just a general conditioner and hair treatment. I liked it well enough but I doubt I would buy it, I also have another sample of it that I keep in my desk at work for bad hair days or static. I have bought a few bottles of the Marc Anthony Strictly Curls Conditioner, it is my usual summer conditioner as I just wash my hair and let it dry for the beachy waves look. I will buy this again once it is warm enough to walk out the door with damp hair.

          I occasionally get a single box from Little Life Box and one of the items I received was this Pure laundry soap that is a more natural option and I really liked it. It was just as effective as my normal soap and had a great light scent to it. If I saw this in store I would switch to using this exclusively. I also used up two little bottles of cleanser for gel polish, I would say I preferred the Quo one, it just seemed to work a little better. I also used up some supplements the CLK was a metabolism booster that I did not find did much for me but I also did not use it as it was directed so I can not really say anything about it. I used up my GNC Women's Ultra Mega Energy and Metabolism vitamins. 

          Hopefully I can be better about posting empties, judging by my basket of empties I should get working on another post soon.

Thanks for reading!

A.

Check out my last empties post!

Empties #5 September 2015

         This is a pretty large empties post since apparently I have not done one since April. I've also put this one off so so long that my empties bucket is overflowing again, hopefully I can start doing these more regularly so it is not such a chore. I am going to just go though these real quick. Let's just get into it. 

           The first two tubes from Freeman are not actually empty, they are face masks I am not really fond of. I've had them for quite a while and do not feel comfortable putting them on my face. The two packages are sheet masks I got from Ipsy and they are the best fitting face masks I have ever tried and they were packed with serum. Let's just take a moment for this Evian Facial Spay, it's water in a can people and yet I used it all up. I actually used this to spray my beauty blender before using it. Then I have two sample sized facial scrubs. The St. Ives scrub is my favourite exfoiliant ever and the Live Clean is very close to it. The Baléa calming face mask was anything but, it stung and I had to remove it right away. 

          I used up some soaps and other bath products. The Oahu body wash smells exactly like the resort I stayed when I went to Jamaica, it makes me feel like it's acceptable to start drinking at 10am every time I use it. Probably for the best that it is used up. The next item is also from Bath and Body Works and it is the foaming hand soap in Crisp Morning Air and it is the perfect soap for fall, I can't describe it but it smells amazing. 

           I also used up a lavender body scrub, I think this is the second one I have used completely. At first I loved it but I found after a while it irritated my skin so I am not too upset to see it gone.

           The other two bottles are Birchbox samples one is a body wash from Soap Not Radio and it was amazing. I received a pomegranate scent that lingered after the shower and I would pick this up in a heartbeat if I saw it in store. The other is shave cream from Whish, not something that I use often since I love the razors with the soap around them but while I was using a regular razor this stuff was lovely. I would recommend this for someone with sensitive skin, it makes your legs so soft.

         The little cards are from the best bath bombs I have ever come across and I try a lot of them. I used to buy them every time I went to St. Andrews but I found them in a shop downtown and could not be more excited about it. The are made by a company called Garden by the Sea and they have all kinds of bath bombs, the three I tried most recently were French Lavendar, White Grapefruit and Bow Chicka Wow Wow. Each one has essential oils for different ailments or purposes. The Lavendar was for headaches, muscular aches, anxiety and insomnia, the Grapefruit to detoxify the skin, improve cellulite and relieve anxiety, Bow Chicka Wow Wow was apparently a combination of "powerful afrodesicacs" I love everyone I have tried and I have had many of the ones they offer. When you get out of the tub you feel relaxed and all of your skin is so soft that you do not even need to apply moisturizer. Check them out at www.gardenbytheseanb.com

          I sued up some lotion, none of them are really worth talking about except the Perlier White Almond. I got this in Birchbox and loved it, it has such a light sweet smell and absorbed quickly without leaving any stickiness.  The nspa lotion did not have the best formula but smelled amazing, like salted caramel. I wont miss the lotion but I still have some body wash in the same scent.

          I am so sad the see my lavender linens candle go, I only burnt this in my room while I was reading or just trying to unwind. It is hard to find nice lavender candles, sometime they smell like bad, old lady potpourri. I can not really remember much about the pineapple palm grass but I feel like it was a good summer candle. I am rarely disappointed by Bath and Body Works candles. 

          I used up some hair products as well, thank goodness. I have so many and I really want to clear some of them out. I dyed my hair twice one was a brown shade and the other sort of a red brown. I love the L'Oreal Preference Mousse as it is one of the only hair dyes I can buy one box of and have enough. The hair spray was alright, nothing special. I love the Strictly Curls spray from Marc Anthony, it takes my waves and turns them into slight curls and leaves only a lemon scent behind. The Frizz Ease shampoo and conditioner samples did not work for me, it left my hair weighed down and gross feeling.

          I also used up some cotton balls and pads. Neither of these were very good but they served their purpose.

          I am so happy to be done with this post, I am not even going to go back and read it before I post it. I have been working on this since July and deleted half of it once. It is done, let us move past it. 

Check out my last empties post.

Thanks for reading!

A.

@dirty_cupcake

Project Ten Pan Summer 2015 Finale

          I am a little early with my final Project Pan post because I am just really not working on it anymore but that is okay since I finished at least ten products! Be sure to check out my original post and first update to read it all from the beginning. 

          First lets just take a quick look at the products I had used up in the first month and two I decided to just toss. 

For more information on these products and how 

I felt about them near the end click here.

           I have used up nine more products since my last update. I focused on my project pan so well during the first month that I had a lot more freedom for my second month and really did not have to focus on these products. 

Phytorelax Laboratories Argan Oil Treatment

          This was the product I was most concerned about using up since I only used one or two pumps at a time in my hair but I found another use for it. I was having issues with my legs being so dry that I had horrible razor burn, I put this on before shaving my legs and it moisturized well enough that I could shave my legs without regretting it. I liked this hair oil but it is not a stand out product for me. I do love the bottle with the pump and I am going to keep it to put some hair oil samples in that came in terrible packaging.

Marc Anthony Bye Bye Frizz Conditioner

          This is a decent conditioner, it's a little heavy for my hair but is great if I use a clarifying shampoo. It did not take too long to use up and I am glad that I have one less bottle in the shower. Although by the time this goes up I am sure it will be replaced with something else. I wold not repurchase this particular product but if you have dry, frizzy hair it would be a lot better for you than I.

ECRU New York Protein BB Cream 

          This was on okay product, I am sure it was good for my hair but I do not think there was any noticeable difference on the days I used it. Would not repurchase.

Vaseline Spray and Go Moisturizer

             It is impossible to tell how much/little progress I made with this. I just do not like this lotion, it is too watery, is sticky for a while afterwards and it does not moisturize that well. I did use it a couple times but I did not really put any effort into using it.

Clean and Clear Blackhead Eraser Cleansing Mask

          Even with using this on a regular basis I did not find it did much to "erase" blackheads but it did do a good job of deep cleaning. I would not repurchase but it is not a bad product.

Épicé Therapeutic Moisturizer

          I liked this moisturizer because it was not heavy or greasy. I used it on days I was just around the house and not wearing makeup since it was such a light moisturizer it was great for summer. Not amazing but I do not have anything bad to say about it. 

Julep Rock Star Hand Cream

          This hand cream was such a challenge! I was making everyone use this so I could be done with it, there is probably enough to use once more but I am calling it a win. Too bad I have another larger bottle and possible another travel sized one. It is a nice lotion but the scent has offended so many people that I can not bring it to work and do not like using it in public. I could use the others I have left in my manicure routine I suppose.

Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-hour Full Coverage Foundation

           I go back and forth over this foundation, it is a thick foundation and the very definition of full coverage but some days I feel like it does not get along with my oily skin then the next day it is my holy grail. I just can not make a decision on it.

NYX Love in Rio Eyeshadow Trio

          My goal was to hit pan on the center shade and I hit pan on all three! I thought I  might do so on the pink shade but was surprised to do it for the brown. I liked this trio more every time I used it but I am trying to de-clutter and since I feel like I got my money out of this I can throw it out without feeling wasteful, well not as wasteful.

Lord and Berry Kohl Liner in Black

          I actually cheered when this was done. It goes on very smooth but smudges like it is its job. I was sharpening it more than I would normally to use it up because I refused to let it win.

           I never did find the Julep lip gloss I started the project with and I have searched everywhere. I am kind of pissed about it, I was really trying to use it up. Overall I used up fourteen products! I was not sure I would be able to focus on these items but clearly it worked out. Next time I will try some more challenging items.

  Thanks for reading!

A.

@dirty_cupcake

Empties #4 April 2015

          This empties post is a lot of bath products and not a lot of makeup items. I have become rather obsessed with organizing, reorganizing and using up my huge stash of bath/shower products. They are just so much easier to use up than makeup. Alrighty, here we go:

          Like I said, a lot of bath products. 

Vanilla Bean Bubble Bath from Bath and Body Works

           I was not a huge fan of this scent, it just didn't smell like the usual vanilla scent. It was not unpleasant but I just found it too strong I guess. 

French Lavender Sea Salt Body Scrub by Thymes Essentials 

           I already have another in the shower, I really loved this but the last couple times I used it I noticed it's really stung my legs. If you have dry skin I would not recommend this to you. I will try another scrub once the one in my shower runs out.

I Love Raspberry and Blackberry Bubble Bath and Shower Gel

            I bought this such a long time ago from Shoppers, probably about two years ago. It smelled great, was a fine bubble bath and body wash, my only wish is that the scent would stay on my skin after leaving the shower. 

Peony Pomegranate Blush Bath Salts, The Macbeth Collection by Margaret Joesphs 

           This was one of the items in a set that was on sale at Shoppers, I did not include it in a haul because some of it went to the gift pile. The bath salts were nothing to write home about, pretty cheap really but they smelled amazing. They smelled like a sweet, floral perfume. I am sitting here smelling the empty container. 

Fruit Frappe Grapefruit with Gooseberry Exfoliating Shower Gel by Upper Canada Soap and Shea Butter and Caramel Body Polish by Nirvana Spa

          These were both good products but didn't send me offer the moon, I like my exfoliants to remove at least two layers of skin so they were just too gentle. They both smelled great and were good body washes though. 

          I also used up some hair products. 

Oil of Morocco Argan Oil Volume Hairspray by Marc Anthony 

         I got this from Ipsy and I did like it, I found it was better for when I was wearing my hair down to keep it straight and frizz free. I know I sound like a broken record but it also smelled great. 

Precision Foam Colour in Brilliant Brunette by John Frieda 

          Does anyone else feel like there is an actual Marc Anthony and an actual John Frieda and they are in a huge hair care feud? No. Just me? Ok, moving on. This is the easiest home hair colour I have ever used, the foam is thick and there was more than enough to cover all my hair. Really easy to use, no drips and great results. 

450 Blow Out Blow Dry Spray by Sexy Hair

          Another item I got from Ipsy and I loved this. It just leaves your hair feeling soft, shiney, protected and it really seems like my hair dried faster. I think I will go online to order more because I can not find it in stores around here. I would also like to order the beach spray from the Healthy Sexy Hair line.

Rosemary Mint Cleansing Conditioner by Renpure Solutions 

           While I was using this I really enjoyed it but I have switched back to regular shampoo after Target closed and I couldn't find it anywhere else. I was having such a hard time with my hair, it was falling out more than usual, it was always limp and I couldn't do anything to it without it getting greasy and this product fixed all of that. Also if you are looking for a dupe of the Wen Cleansing Conditioner this is far cheaper, under ten bucks. I still reccomend this it just became inconvenient for me to keep using it. 

Malibu Heat Beach Waves Hair Mist from Bath and Body Works

          This was the first beach spray I tried and one of the best. I got this from BBW a few years ago but have not seen it there again. It gives beach waves without crunchiness or making my hair stiff plus it smells like coconut and pineapples. If I saw this at BBW again I would buy a couple bottles. 

          Some face/skin care products I used up, a couple of which I have been trying to use up for quite a while. 

Vitamins E, A & D Moisturizing Cream from GNC

            Go buy this. Seriously, such a good hand cream. I bought this because my hands were so dry this winter and this healed them completely. I used half the first tube before I read the directions and they suggest using it as a facial moisturizer and primer. Turns out this is the best primer I have used and you can buy three tubes for under 5 bucks. I have them everywhere, it is quite a thick formula with an almost glycerin feel to it which I do not normally like but this just makes my skin feel so good. It just feels like you are healing dry spots and doing something good for your skin. 

Mary Kay TimeWise Microdermabrasion Step One

            My office-mates mother in law used to be a Mary Kay lady and had a whole bunch of samples to hand off to us, bless her. This was one of the best things. We got this and the lotion that is Step Two. I love microdermabrasion products, it just feel so good to scrub all the gunk off your face and out of your pores. This formula was so thick and full of fine little exfoliants and fragrance free. I loved this but the collection is rather pricey and I don't want to get a Mary Kay last because that would mean talking to someone new. 

Tea Tree Skin Clearing Foaming Cleanser from The Body Shop 

          I actually just used up a second one of these as I had two on the go for whatever reason. It really cleared up my skin but it is very drying as well so I switched to something less intense but I would reccomend this to someone having trouble controlling blemishes and oil.

Skin Genesis Skin Perfecting Toner by L'Oreal 

          I have had this for a disgusting amount of time. It didn't really do much for me. I would not repurchase. 

         I only have two makeup products that I used up and one I am tossing. 

Revlon Photoready BB Cream in Light Pale 

          This item is almost used up but I have had it so long that it has separated and won't mix back up. This was a decent BB Cream, very liquidy and not much for coverage but just sort of smoothed out my complexion. I used this when I was in Jamacia for days when we weren't in the pool all day because it had SPF 30 and I was extremely paranoid about getting sunglasses tan lines. I wouldn't repurchase as it isn't great for oily skin. 

Julep Blank Canvas Mattiying Eye Primer 

          This was an excellent eye primer, it went on smoothly and was just a light beige colour. They should really make eye primers clear so all skin colours and tones could use them eh? I mean most primers are, why not eye primers? Anywho, good product, probably expensive since it's from Julep.

Maybelline Dream Wonder Powder in Porcelain Ivory 

          I love this powder. I use it over my makeup to set my foundation, a necessary step for oily skin, but I have also used it by itself for light coverage. This is a staple in my routine, it doesn't leave my skin looking powdery or overly made up, it just glides on and smooths everything out. Love this, I have repurchased a couple times and will continue to do so. 

On an empties binge? Let me help you out: Empties #3

Thank you for reading!

A.

@dirty_cupcake

Empties #1 January 2015

 

          Go grab a coffee, this will be a long one. Will out any ado whatsoever here we go: 

          Get used to seeing candles, Bath and Body Works has the most amazing candles and room sprays. I have so many back ups of this candle, burning one right now actually. When I got this scent I went all out, no joke, I have the candles, room spray, body wash, plug in bulbs, and lip gloss. Sweet Cinnamon Pumpkin is the ultimate fall smell. 

          Apparently I took a photo of the French side but this is an olive oil and aloe body wash, I originally was introduced to this when an ex left it begind in the shower and I'm so glad he did. It just smells so clean, like I'm in Italy and about to walk through the countryside during the olive harvest. It rinses clean, moisturizes and the scent lingers just slightly. 

          This came in an Ipsy bag and is one of my favourite things I have received from Ipsy. The Dr. Brandt microdermabrasion was AMAZING, I have an unnatural love of exfoliating and this fed my sick obsession. The little scrubby bits were so tiny and they were so concentrated that I really felt like all the dead skin was banished from my face. The tube is so nasty looking because a. I'm too lazy to wash it off for you. 2. I left it in my shower for so long because I was in denial that I had used it all up. If it wasn't so pricey I would have purchased it in bulk. 

          Speaking of an obsession with exfoliating, I used a discount code from Ipsy for 50% off to get little sample tubes of this exfoliant, a moisturizer and face wash. It was a great deal since I think the three pack was only three or four dollars. I ordered some extra to send to the woman's shelter. They were all decent products but the exfoliant was for sure the best, again little granuals. I mixed it with the face wash to get a deep clean. 

          This mask was a couple bucks from Target and I really enjoyed it. It was the first sheet mask I've tried and I didn't think I would like that but I'm glad I tried it. It was a good mask, my skin felt refreshed and the smell was very relaxing. A great bubble bath companion. 

         I have many items from The Body Shop's Tea Tree collection and do find it works well for oily skin and blemishes but these I did not like. Especially for the price. They were sort of dry right after I opened them, didn't remove makeup any better than my $3 baby wipes. I will not repurchase these. 

          This is the Mary Kay Oil Free Makeup Remover, I got this through a co-worker and loved it. It was very effective without stinging or leaving any residue behind. The only reason I didn't repurchase this on the sad day I used the last drop is because I don't have a Mary Kay lady and I avoid human interaction. 

          This was either the first or second primer I ever tried. I honestly can't remember how well it worked. I feel like it wasn't that great as I repurchased once then moved on to the Julep primer. 

     I've had a couple of the samples of the Porefessional pore minimizer and always use them up fairly quickly. Not a product I would buy but I always like receiving them in sample bags, it really does make my pores look much smaller and my makeup go on smoother. 

          This is the Victoria Jackson foundation duo compact. Also featured is my giraffe that lives on my desk. I got this free quite a while ago with a coupon code from Ipsy which was awesome. I used this product frequently, kept it in my purse for touch ups and really got some use out of it. The latch broke so I stopped using it as much then my cat knocked it over and laid on it so it's full of fuzzies and cat hair. Time for that to go. 

     For a long time I was obsessed with Julep's Glycolic Hand Scrub. When I first started painting my nails regularly I was horrendous at it so this was great for getting polish off the skin around my nails without damaging the polish. It really does feel like a facial for your hands. I repurchased this when it went on sale or in combo packs from Julep. Lately the company has had some bad press but I never had a bad experience with them. I haven't gotten anything from them recently as I've moved onto using gel polishes the beauty products are not exactly cheap. 

          This was another Ipsy sample I loved. It was a creamy lotion that just smelled like summer. I read online that you can buy this at Target and I found the brand but not this specific product. 

          I received these in the Her Fitness Box I reviewed in a previous post. They made my hands smell like a barn, and actual moo cow, hay and grain barn. I emptied into a container I had laying around and still use it periodically because it really does give an intense amount of moisture without sitting on your hands, I mean it smells like a clean barn so that's ok right? If I got this in another sample box I wouldn't even give it to anyone, I would just toss it. 

          Again, an Ipsy sample. I didn't like this originally, it didn't seem to do much for my hair beyond make it smell amazing. A month or so later I started using it before braiding my hair at night and I noticed it really did help fix my split ends or at least make them less noticeable. If this company makes a perfume with this same spicy scent I would snatch that up in a heartbeat. I amay keep this tube just so I can smell it because I have problems. 

          I picked this up at Sally Beauty for an at home spa day and wasn't overly impressed. It seemed to weigh my hair down an make it greasy. It may be a good product for someone with severely dry and damaged hair but it was too much for me. 

         Lastly I used up a few things of boring old cotton rounds from Costco. 

Thanks for reading! 

A.