Five Products I've Emptied

It's that time again! The time where I show you things that I've used up recently. Most of these are familiar products, but some of them are fairly new!


1. Love & Beauty Lavender Cleansing Wipes

Another package of these have come and gone. I love these cleansing wipes so much, and they're ridiculously cheap, but there is no Forever 21 near me in Monmouth, so I'll either have to stock up or switch to the Olay Fresh Effects ones I've been using currently.

2. La Fresh Cleansing Wipes

You can see a short review about these here. The summary is: I liked them, but they're a little too expensive for me to repurchase.

3. Earth Therapeutics Tea Tree Oil Foot Repair Balm

This guy first showed up on my October Favorites, and I loved him so much, I had to repurchase. It's a little expensive, but I found it on sale at Kohl's in December, and it's definitely worth it. Nothing makes my feet softer. And now that I have the accompanying socks, it's even better!

4. Herbal Essences Totally Twisted Curl Boosting Mousse

This used to be my go-to styling mousse. Unfortunately, alcohol is one of the first ingredients in it, and that's not good for hair at all. Still, if I run out of my L'Oreal Everstyle one (which is either not restocked often or ridiculously popular) I'll pick this one up. I try not to use it too regularly though, especially now that it's winter and my hair is dry already.

5. Ole Henriksen Truth Creme Advanced Hydration

This sample size originally came in the October Ipsy Bag, but I didn't get it. I traded for it, and I just finished it up recently. It's very light, and I liked it just fine. The smell took a little bit of getting used too. I also think it was a little more greasy than I usually like. I didn't really realize just how light it was until I went back to my other moisturizer. It was fun to use, but nothing I'm raving about.

PS I know I failed at my NOTW last Friday - it will return this Friday, I promise!

Favorite Products of 2013

Well, my little blog is 6 months old as of December, so while I don't have a whole ton of products that I loved for 2013, I do have some good ones. These are some products that I loved so much during 2013 that I repurchased them (some multiple times!)

Olay Fresh Effects Cleansing Wipes

I was totally in love with my Love & Beauty ones from Forever 21, so the fact that these have become my new go-to is pretty impressive. They're wet enough, take off makeup wonderfully, and are just a little bit textured. They're not too hard on my sensitive skin but still get the job done!

Earth Therapeutics Tea Tree Oil Foot Repair Balm

I picked this up on a whim at Ulta, and I love it so much. It keeps my feet (and hands) soft and moisturized without being greasy or thick. Plus, it has great natural ingredients in it!

St. Ives Blemish Control Apricot Scrub

Even though this doesn't work as well as it did when I first started using it, I'd highly recommend it. It's gentle and has natural ingredients but still does it's job. I like how clean my skin feels after using it.


Victoria's Secret Body Splash in Fresh & Clean

My favorite summer scent! I like that it's girly, but not overwhelmingly so. A little floral, a little fresh and totally me!

Revlon Nearly Naked Foundation and Powder

While these two aren't my holy grail products, I am currently on my third bottle, and they've done really well for me. I might step up to a more full-coverage foundation when I run out of these, but until then, I like they way they feel, the way they blend into my skin, and the color match.

Don't forget to come back on Wednesday - I'm talking 2014 resolutions!

November Favorites

I canNOT believe it's already almost December. It's blowing my mind, you guys. I hope everyone had a lovely Thanksgiving. Now it's time for some things I've been loving this month. It's been a good month for new products!


1. Maybelline Mega Plush Mascara

I decided to try this mascara out after liking it's look in a Youtube video, and I was not disappointed. I'm in love with how lengthening and soft it makes my lashes look. Side note: I thought for a long time that I was unhappy with every mascara I tried on my left eye. This month I figured out it's my eyelashes, not the mascara. My left eye is seriously whack in terms of what my eyelashes do. 

2. Olay Fresh Effects Cleansing Wipes

I picked these up after running out of my favorite Forever 21 ones. I've been presently surprised. These are wet enough for me, and they're soft, but they're also slightly textured which means they have excellent scrubbing power for getting rid of waterproof stuff. I'm actually enjoying trying out a bunch of different brands of these.

3. Clean & Clear Spot Treatment

I've found I tend to become immune to acne spot treatments pretty easily, so I end up with new ones every time I run out. This one is doing well. The only complaint I have is that doesn't play nicely with my moisturizer. No matter which order I put them on it, the spot treatment beads up and rubs off. Annoying, but not impossible to deal with.

4. Peace, Love, and Juicy Couture perfume

After lusting over this perfume for more than a year, I finally caved and bought myself a bottle at TJMaxx. I'm so in love with this perfume. It's different, and I like that. It's rich and kind of bohemian, and I love it for the cooler weather. Still feminine, but musky and unique. 

5. Wet 'n Wild Comfort Zone Palette

I've kind of rediscovered this palette recently, and I really just think it's perfect. I don't use the right side at all, but I've been using the left side pretty much non stop for the past few weeks. The colors are pigmented, but easily blended and just a beautiful, natural look. Definitely one of the best that I own.

What products are you guys loving? Have anything special on your wish list for Christmas?

September-October Ipsy Reviews

It's time for another round of Ipsy reviews! I don't have too many things I can fully report on, since I end up trading some things away or I haven't gotten around to using them yet, but I can tell you about some products!

La Fresh Face Cleansing Wipes

I really like these! They smell good (though I don't know what "refreshing scent" means), and I think they do a good job removing makeup. I've been using them a lot when I travel because the 10-wipe pack is the perfect size for that. I wish I had more, but I probably won't repurchase. 

Cailyn Lip Balm in Big Apple

I was excited about this product because I saw so many people talk about how "wearable" a red it was. I was disappointed by it. For something that calls itself a balm, it's not moisturizing at all, and I didn't think the red looked good on me at all. I only used it once, and I wish I had swapped it instead.

Elizabeth Mott's It's So Big mascara

I've been using this for the past month now, and though I like it, I'm not in love with it. I don't know if it's my lashes or the way I apply, but my left eye always seems to clump badly. My right eye will look great, and my left eye will look spidery and weird. I bought a new mascara this weekend, so this one will be going away soon.

Starlooks Kohl Liner in Obsidian

I've only used this once, but I thought it worked pretty well. I tend to go toward non-pencil eyeliner, so this won't ever be a staple for me, but it worked well in my waterline and came off very black.

Nyx eyeshadow in Walnut

This isn't the color I got in my Ipsy, but Nyx was replacing them for free in the color of your choice, and this is the one I got! I love it a lot. It's beautiful and wears really well. You can see a swatch of it here. I'll definitely look into more Nyx shadows in the future.

Five Products I've Emptied

Welcome to the second edition of products I've used up! In contrast to last time, I actually enjoyed all these products! Let's find out why!

1. Aveeno Daily Moisturizing Lotion

This product has taken me a long time to use up. Not because it was bad, but because I'm really just not a body lotion person. I bought this two years ago (wow, really?) after I got my tattoo because I was instructed to have a non-scented lotion to moisturize with. It works really well, but I like scented lotions, so it got put on the back burner until I decided to use it up. But if you want hypoallergenic and super moisturizer, this is the lotion for you!

2. Love & Beauty Lavender Extract Makeup Cleansing Tissues

Honestly, I picked these up because they were right by the checkout, were $2.80, and I'm always in need of makeup wipes. For those who don't know, Love & Beauty is the jewelry/makeup/cosmetic line by Forever 21. They even have stores dedicated to only Love & Beauty products. I was blown away by how good these were. They smell nice, and weren't abrasive to my skin while still removing all my makeup. I have already repurchased these (I think they have a green tea and maybe another version as well), and I will probably continue to do so after I finish up all my other kinds.

3. Secret Clinical Strength Stress Response Deodorant 

I also received this in an Influenster box, and while I haven't repurchased this specific one, I have repurchased from the Secret Clinical Strength line. I think it's approach to the different kinds of sweat is interesting, stress sweat is just not my biggest problem. That being said, I loved this deodorant. It smells AMAZING and if stress sweat is a problem for you, I'd definitely recommend it.

4. Softsoap Body Butter Mega Moisture Body Wash in Heavenly Vanilla

I've already said that I love Softsoap, and this one was no different. I bought this during the winter when I was having problems with itchy, dry skin on my back. Since it's not the easiest thing to lotion your own back, I decided to try a body wash with a little more moisture in it. This did not let me down. I really felt like it moisturized me without having to add any moisturizer afterwards. It did help with my dry skin (it didn't magically heal it, but I wasn't really expecting it to) so I was happy with the results.

5. Buxom Lash Mascara

I bought this back when I was on my "all my makeup must be high end" kick from Sephora. Although in retrospect, it wasn't the kind of mascara I was looking for, I did enjoy using it. It definitely adds volume to your lashes and was pretty easy to apply. It has a fairly thick wand, and I liked the way it looked on my lashes. I had no problems with it smudging or flaking. 

*I will admit, though, that I don't feel like I'm very good at reviewing mascara at all. I'm naturally blessed with long, fairly voluminous lashes, so I don't need a lot of help in that department. I also like a pretty natural look as far as mascara goes.

Five Products I've Emptied

I've been collecting these for a while now because I was originally going to make a video about them (back when I was trying to be a Youtuber) so I've decided to split them up into two posts. I assume this will become a regular thing as I finish up products.

1. Softsoap Body Butter Coconut Scrub Body Wash

I am a huge fan of the Softsoap brand. Ever since I received the Coconut Scrub bar soap in an Influenster Box, I've been enjoying trying all the scents and formulas. This was the first one I tried because I loved the bar version of it so much. It's lovely and exfoliating without being abrasive to my very sensitive skin. It smells really good too! I'd definitely recommend it.

2. Boi-ing Concealer

This was my holy grail concealer when I first found it. I still love it a lot, but I've been trying to reverse the slow move I'd been making over the past few years toward higher end makeup. I still enjoy high end makeup, but I'd rather have affordable options if I can find them. I never truly emptied this product, but once I hit pan on this, it dried up pretty quickly.

3. Not Your Mother's Beach Babe Texturizing Sea Salt Spray

As previously noted, I'm not a huge fan of this brand. I received a trial size of this in an Influenster box, and I was really excited about it. I had been eyeing this product (and sea salt sprays in general) for a while now, and I loved that I got to try it before I bought it. I loved it at first, but the more I used it, I just didn't think it did anything for my hair. My hair is naturally wavy, and I didn't feel like I could use this product by itself. It just didn't give me the look I was wanting. 

4. Organix Hydrating Macadamia Oil Intensive Moisture Mask

I've been lusting over the Natural Macadamia Oil brand hair mask for a while, but I just couldn't justify the $33 I would have to spend on it, so when I heard a Youtuber talk about how great this one was, I decided to try it. First of all, I love packaging like this. Love it. Can be sucked in by just about anything in this packaging. Second, there's really nothing wrong with this mask except I didn't feel like it did much for my hair. My hair is not ridiculously dry or damaged and maybe I would've noticed a difference if it was, but I just felt like the formula didn't cling to my hair enough to really penetrate and make my hair super soft. There was nothing bad about this product, per se, but it was more of a regular conditioner than a special treatment mask.

4. Simple Cleansing Facial Wipes

Yet another thing that Youtube raves about that I didn't like. I like the Simple brand a lot. I've used their cleanser, and I'm currently using the moisturizer, and I really enjoy both of those products, so I had no qualms about buying the facial wipes. My issue with these is that they weren't wet enough for me. I felt like I had to scrub my face with them to get makeup off. For a brand that calls itself the "sensitive skin experts" this was unexpected. The truth is, my $2.80 wipes from Forever 21 work way better than these.

I'm linking up today! Check out Agape Love Design's post for Makeup Monday by clicking on the button below!