Umm... Just realized that my last post was October empties... :( But in my defense... I got a new job! Yay! So I'm getting into the groove of working. It's been a while since I've been a stay at home mom for 6 years but in that time I had 2 more babies, lived in 3 different states and went back to school. :) It's amazing how fast it went.
So onto November empties. Now this is a bit tragic. I already sent my paper bag of empties to the curb for garbage day. UGH! I have no photo to memorialize this occasion. Last month I said that I might have a lot of empties this month, but it was a serious amount of product. I'm going to split it up into 2 posts it is so much. I really just buckled down and started using all my half used up products. I broke into my sample "drawers." I have these sterlite drawers that were beginning to overflow with samples. What the h-e-double hockey sticks (I've got kids y'all) am I doing saving all these samples? For all the trips we do not go on? What the... And they are not even from sample subscriptions. I cancelled all those except for Beauty Army since I can skip that one when I'm not feeling my sample selections.
So for the dinky samples I have used up, they will be in the next post. And I found some really nice products that work well that deserve their own separate write up which I will be doing as well. So sit back and get comfortable, this is going to be a long one. Again, no particular order!
1. Nutiva Organix Extra Virgin Coconut Oil: This is my fave so far. I like the smell, the plastic tub. The other stuff I get is in a glass jar and readily available at the Commissary. But glass jars get slippery... Nutiva I have auto-shipped from Amazon. I have postponed the next shipment until the middle of January. I've said it in the past but I use coconut oil for everything. A moisturizer, full body, head to toe, makeup remover and lip balm when I am in a pinch, cuticles, crows feet, hair mask, cooking. Eggs taste great cooked in it! Eventually, I want to start making my own body butter, shea and coconut will be the main ingredients.
2. Gilette Venus and Olay replacement cartridges. I reviewed this Voxbox item in the past. These razors work wonders. If you are prone to razor burn, check these out. I love them. I have 1 out of the 3 left. So not a total empty but it landed in the November empty box. Yeah, I already have a December bag going.
3. Neutrogena Healthy Skin Makeup in 40 Nude. It's practically a full bottle but I've had it over a year (bought it last summer) and it is separating. I can give it a good shake and it still mixes but here's the kicker... I've been thinking that this breaks me out. So the last time I wore it, a couple of weeks ago, I told my husband this. He could care less really but it came up and he said, "If it does this time, throw it out." Well it did. So I am. I don't get blemishes often so no thanks. Also it probably has something to do with being over a year old. Foundation is only good for 12 months! But this is a good shade for me and the perfect finish. Natural. However with my oily skin, natural quickly turns into shiny but I still love this foundation. I will probably repurchase...probably maybe. This is the second time I've bought Healthy Skin.
4. Missha Perfect Cover BB cream. While we are on the subject of expired products, here's another one. Probably close to 2 years old. It's a bit heavy for me but this was my go to for special occasions and it's perfect for under the eyes. I currently have a few things that I am loving at the moment so I don't see myself using this and it says 12 months on the back label so it's time to let it go. There are so many more BB creams I want to try but I know this one works well for me.
5. Lioele Beyond the Solution BB cream. I love this BB cream! Perfect color, perfect coverage, perfect staying power. Ditto what I just said above, but I will probably purchase another one. I just don't want to let it go but again, it's almost 2 years old. But it doesn't settle in pores, it has just enough moisturization but not too much for my combo skin. It doesn't break down... Yeah, I need to order a new one!
6. epielle cucumber cleansing tissues. This are great! I love them just a smidgen less than the Noxema wipes but these are only a $1 at Big Lots. But I just never make it over to that side of town. Now that I say that, I think a new one just opened up so they will be readily available to me. However, I found a new wipe which I am completely in love with. I mean, completely. They are by AVON and I just finished up a pack yesterday so it's in the December box. :) And I only need one wipe for my face and eyes. epielle I needed 2. The AVON wipes deserve it's own review. I'm serious about makeup remover wipes. But if you have a Big Lots nearby, these epielle wipes are very good. They smell nice, cumber and green tea. Could be a bit more wet and are just a tad thin but do the job.
7. and 8. L'OREAL Go 360 Clean Deep Facial Cleanser and L'OREAL Deep Exfoliating Scrub. Over the summer my skin just freaked out on me. Not acne, but just really congested bumpy skin. I was watching some YouTube vids and I came across "c The Makeup Artist" video "
My SECRET to CLEAR skin!" and I immediately ran out to buy them both. She recommended not using the scrublets that come with the bottles and use your finger tips to be gentle on your skin. Some skin problems are caused by irritation. I'm not sure what was going on with my skin at that time, probably change in season but these 2 cleansers work very well. I will have a separate review!
9. boscia Peppermint Blotting Linens. Weird, I have no idea that they were peppermint. lol I guess the box does smell a little of peppermint. I really liked these papers. Blotting papers are essential to my facial well being. My skin has just been out of control oily since moving to NC. However, I just recently acquired a "tool" if you will that has really just changed the game for me. It's been less than a week. More on that later. But these blotting papers work extremely well, leave the skin feeling fresh and matte. Can't ask for a better blotting paper. I need some more. I'm finishing up 2 other packs of 2 different brands, they don't even compare to boscia. I will repurchase.
10. Porcelana Night skin lightening cream. I grabbed this and the day cream at Rite Aid both on sale for 99 cents. It was a steal and they work well. I don't like the smell or consistency of them but they do fade the freckles on my shoulders. They aren't completely gone by any means but they have faded. I used this at night and I actually gave the day cream to my niece as I picked up another lightening cream from Beauty Army which I currently use in the morning. I know that they will all pop back out next summer, but in the mean time, I like fading them.
11. TopCare Isopropyl Alcohol. I was just reading recently that cleansing brush heads should be cleaned in peroxide. Is that true? But every beauty bathroom should have Isopropyl alcohol in it. Sanitize, sanitize, sanitize!
12. L'OREAL Youth Code Eye Cream. Now the first time that I used this, I noticed a significant difference in my undereye area. This time, not so much. I'm not sure if I was using an eye cream regularly this first time I used this so most of my problem was probably dehydration. It's still a lovely cream, I've just had better results with other lotions and potions. But I love the metal applicator. It just feels cooling and so nice when you are applying it. You still need to pat it in with your ring finger but the cool metal feels really good. You can't really load up on this cream which I like to do at night. It doesn't fully absorb. Loading any product on can be wasteful but with some creams I like to apply heavily and my eyes look more well rested in the morning. But in a pinch, I would still pick this up on sale! I received this as a compensation gift from L'OREAL Consumer Testing which I love. I've been meaning to do a post on it. I will put it on the list!
13. and 14. Bath and Body Works Sweet Pea and Pink Sugarplum Shower Gel. Sweet Pea was a Beauty Army Sample and Sugarplum was a baby shower gift from earlier in the year. Shower gel is something I can take or leave. I do find my skin more hydrated with some. But I really just need some Dove Soap and I am good to go. Shower creams are a different story, they work really nice. I do like a shower gel in the summer though. Sweet Pea was in my Beauty Army selections this month as well but I decided to skip the December box.
15. Dr. Teal's Foaming Bath Soothe and Sleep Lavender. So funny story... This never got moved with us to NC. The military moves us every time my husband gets orders to another base. So during the last move I had to move my stockpile. I bought three 22 gallon plastic bins and taped up all my shampoos, lotions etc... Well Dr. Teal's didn't make it. We went to our house to clean it up before the renters moved in and I found this with other various cleaning supplies on a shelf in the pantry. Finally used up. Really nice stuff. I just love Lavender. Lavender anything and I'm going to really like it. I will repurchase.
16. Shu Uemura Cleansing Oil Shampoo. I thought that this shampoo was going to change my life. It didn't of course, but I still like it. It is a but stripping, I see it now with my darker hair color. So it's not an everyday shampoo but more like a clarifying shampoo. Neutrogena works just as good. But I loved this smell and the lather and the fact I got it for pennies, 20% off and Birchbox points. Speaking of which, I have 195. I need to buy another box so I can review the products and get 200 points so I can cash them in! lol I don't see myself repurchasing. It is an expensive investment for a shampoo. I am better off just getting 3 bottle of Kiehl's. Now that is good stuff. Any of their flavors. :) Don't get me wrong, it's a good shampoo and I have noticed my hair is lacking radiance lately. I'm trying out a new set of shampoo and conditioner. I probably should go back to Shu Uemura and L'OREAL EverCreme Cleansing Conditioner... Hmmm...
17. Listerine Zero. I never thought I would get through all those bottles of mouthwash. Dang coupons! I never thought I would get through 13 tubes of toothpaste in a year either. I thought I would like Listerine Zero because it doesn't have alcohol in it. But the weird thing about the Zero is that the skin on the inside of my cheeks peel off in sheets after I rinsed with this. No joke. It's disgusting and bizarre. I remember my microbiology professor saying something about that too. He didn't think a product that killed your skin cells on the inside of your mouth to be too healthy. Now I understand what he was saying. Back to fluoride for this lady.
18. Nioxin Scalp Renew Density Restoration. I picked this up at Marshall's. I didn't see any noticeable difference in my hair but it only was enough for 3 weeks. It says that this product is a follow up to a scalp microdermabasion that I did not have. But I faithfully used it every night until the last drop. I have some thinning at the top of my forehead. It's always been like that from when I started noticing about in my early to mid-20's. Every once in a while it starts to bother me. I was going through this major hair falling out stage just a couple months ago and then the awful haircut incident, let's not go there... But maybe in the next couple of weeks I will see some changes. I've been more conscious about taking care of my scalp in the last year or so. It really does make a difference in your hair. Especially if you use a lot of products in your hair. Your scalp can really suffer from the buildup. Let it breathe baby!
19. Clear Scalp & Hair Therapy. I grabbed this in the shampoo and conditioner. I really think that this stuff stopped my hair from falling out completely or it was probably just a coincidence because my hair was just finishing up it's cycle. Whatever it was, I was using this and I am forever grateful that it finally stopped. Clear has a nice, fresh apple like scent. It even has my husband's approval.
20. Organix Renewing Moroccan Argan oil. I grabbed this at Rite Aid. It was on sale for $4.99 and a $2 +up reward. I had $4 in +up rewards to spend. Yea Buddy. I didn't like this at all compared to the Organix Macadamia oil treatment. The Macadamia oil one absorbed immediately into my hair and my hair was amazingly soft and hydrated. This one didn't absorb that readily and just kind of coated the hair. Didn't like it actually. It smells nice but since I already tried the Macadamia, this one doesn't even compare. I need to pick up the Macadamia actually. I'm almost out of my last Aussie 3-minute miracle.
21. Peter Thomas Roth Mega Rich Body Lotion. For the Marine Corps Birthday Ball we stayed at the Hilton Riverside in Wilmington, NC. Peter Thomas Roth was in the bathroom. The best stuff ever. I love this lotion. I also love the Moisture Infusion facial bar which I will talk about later. :) I can swing $18 on a full size repurchase. Seems extravagant yes. But the way it moisturizes and the spa like smell can't be beat. Sometimes a girl needs to be pampered and I can easily grab this at Ulta. Well who am I kidding, Ulta.com of course.
22. Lubriderm Advanced Therapy Smoothing Lotion. I really liked this sample but I feel like I filled this bottle up with another lotion when I finished it. But the Lubriderm is very moisturizing without that greasy feeling. I remember it having a nice smell too. I am in need of a body lotion right now but I'm holding out to make my own. I think I mentioned that already. Lisa from
Beauty Splurge shows a quick and easy way to do it.
23. Better Homes & Gardens Soft Cashmere Amber Scented Wax Cubes. Scentsy knock-offs. They smell really nice for the first 24-36 hours and then it's gone. Soft Cashmere is my go to BBW Sensual Amber and Cashmere Glow lotion scent that I always gravitate towards. Just wish the scent lasted... 48 hours? But what should one expect for $2? Really? I will keep buying it I'm sure unless someone can give me an equivalent scentsy scent. Hmm?
24. Another Dove soap. Good times and good stuff. Try it out on your face with your Clarisonic. Dare you! Works really well actually. :)
25. BBW Cashmere Glow. We just talked about this! I grabbed 2 of these when they were introducing the scent for $1. Well one free and then I opted to buy another for $1. Everyone asks me what I am wearing when I lotion up with this stuff. It must mix well with my chemistry. The scent is stronger at first but not over-powering and then it mellows out. I will repurchase a full size in the near future.
26. & 27. AVON Moisture Therapy. Thick like petroleum jelly, sticky, smells like AVON... But I would load my feet up on this stuff and it keeps them wicked soft! Kind of wish I had a little more right now. My feet and hands are really dry. lol It's not a lotion I can smooth on my hands during the day. This is a night only cream for me which I will immediately put socks on my feet and gloves on my hands. Oh yeah.
28. Neutrogena Fresh Foaming Cleanser. I believe this was a Target sample. If you like a nice bubbling/foaming cleanser, then this is for you. Does not over cleanse and strip the skin. I do think I prefer the L'OREAL 360 go cleaners, but this one does a nice job too.
29. Crabtree & Evelyn La Source Body Lotion. What Cashmere Glow is to fall/winter for me, La Source is Spring and Summer. It's a gorgeous light herbal scent, remind me of summer on the Cape. It also reminds me of another all time favorite scent of mine Lancôme Une. Does anyone know what happened to that?
30. GLO Whitening Antioxidant Toothpaste. I picked this up from Sephora.com. It was an add on to get free shipping. I'm like this, if I need $6 more to get free shipping which would also cost $6. I will add on another product. Everyone does that right? So here I am with a pomegranate flavored toothpaste that actually has red "micro-capsules" that burst staining your entire toothbrush head bright pinkish red. Not sure what they whitening aspect of this toothpaste is but imagine my horror the first time I brushed my teeth with this. I do
like the flavor. It took a couple brushings to get used to it. But if you are not fond of mint, this would be a good choice. I will do a separate review!
31. ZOYA remove +. Hands down my favorite nail polish remover, besides the one I make myself. ;) I always have a bottle of this on hand. This is a tiny travel bottle. I had been refilling it but it started leaking so it's time to pitch. But if you have not tried this remover, order it. You will not be disappointed.
32. Clean & Clear mattifying moisturizer. This doesn't mattify my oily summer skin unfortunately. I have been keeping it around for the winter and because it has 15 spf. But reality has set in and since it doesn't really work for my skin, why am keeping it? For the "what if" day? I'm really trying to get away from this thought process. My new philosophy that I am trying to adopt is have if I have something for a year but haven't used it in 3+ months, it's gone. I literally just made that up on the fly. I have been thinking about a way to get rid of things without feeling guilty for wasting them and throwing them away. Waste not want not. I'm sure this will make it's way into a drawer. lol
33. Shea Butter grow strong strengthening treatment. I grabbed this at Target before I dyed my hair dark. It's not my fave. I feel like it doesn't really penetrate my hair. Also when I use it wet in the shower, it leaves a residue on my hair. No bueno. Maybe it's because my hair doesn't need any extra moisture. I'm using a sample of Tresemme Split End Therapy at the moment and the same thing is happening. I can't run my fingers through my hair right now. It's really bugging me. I've used it twice with the same results. Not going to finish the sample. lol So back to the Shea Butter, yeah I won't be repurchasing this either. :)
34. John Frieda Precision Foam Colour Conditioner. Great stuff. I've reviewed this countless times. I won't be using the Precicion Foam Colour anytime soon though. I'm back on the L'OREAL Professional Mega Browns from Sally's. It really gets me and my roots. Heading there tomorrow actually. Need to renew my Sally Club Card! I think they are giving a free gift with renewals this month. I have a flier that came in the mail recently, that I need to find actually. 'Tis the season for lots of mail, packages and sale flyers. Oy vey!
35. L'OREAL Professional Preference Mega Browns in Chocolate. Love this rich, dark, mahogany color.
In the sunlight it is a deep dark red. Check it! It's just gorgeous. Yeah I'm raking leaves. This was Thanksgiving Day after eating. I needed to burn some calories!
The next few are Expired products.
36. AVON superSHOCK max. Great mascara but dries out fairly quickly. This is the waterproof version and it dried out in exactly 3 months. Bye bye. I'm sure I will repurchase during a sale.
37. Almay intense I-color volumizing mascara. I liked this and I picked it up for super cheap during a CVS sale. (Which is going on right now! It's that time of year again!) The wand on this mascara has shorter bristles that pack on the product. It's getting a bit clumpy so for me it's time to pitch but I'm sure it would still work for a lot of people if they have a couple extra seconds and a lash separater. I unfortunately do not have that kind of time and a dozen other mascaras in waiting.
38. AVON Pro to go lipstick in lilac glam. I love the packaging on this lipstick. Love that there is a button that you slide up one handed and bam! Apply your lipstick so cool like. But I tried this again recently and wow, there is a lot of glitter grit in this formula. Not sure how it's stuck around so long. Pretty color but I can't deal with that glitter on my lips. Not now in my, a-hem mid 30's. Yikes!
39. L'OREAL Double Extend mascara and primer. Can someone explain to me how a lash primer works? I've tried a few and all they seem to do is make mascara look clumpy and gross and weigh down my freshly curled lashes, leaving them limp and straight. Do I let the primer dry first then apply mascara, or apply mascara while the primer is still wet? I've tried both combinations and other combinations, 1st mascara, then primer, then over the both with mascara again. I just don't get it. I will keep trying though.
40. Arbonne Virtual Illusion Makeup Primer. Years ago I went to my Aunt's Arbonne party that she was hosting. I signed up to be a rep. Yup, a rep. Never did anything with it, never sold any product or bought any product as a rep. Silly, I know. So I bought this primer and literally the next weekend, it fell out of my bag and on to the parking lot of some place that we had stopped and shattered. I almost cried. It cost something upwards of $90. Fast forward 6 years, my mom still has one in her makeup collection that she bought the same day, virtually untouched. She asks me if I want it. I say sure. I put it on, the next day I realize it had broken me out. Of course it would, it's 6 years old. Silly me.
41. Thymes eucalyptus. This smells like an old lady. Not a classy old lady like my Grammies, but an old lady smell, like your old Great Aunt. hahaha I really needed to use this as I am out of lotion. Did I mention that already? lol But I used up this Birchbox sample from months ago out of desperation. Too overly dramatic? I think so...
42. Lavanila Body Butter in Vanialla Coconut. Do you like a nice vanilla scent? Well then you will really enjoy this. Me? Not so much! I'm not sure where my unfondness of vanilla started. I like to bake with it, but I don't like to walk into a room with any vanilla candle, scentsy, a room oil. I will choke. Again, overly dramatic. but the coconut in this was a redeeming quality. Not my fave but I am a fan of coconut.
43. Garnier Nutrisse Color Foam Conditioner. I've said it countless times before, but women who dye their hair will pay good money for a full size bottle of most conditioners that come in those box dyes. We love them and we will continue asking until our wish comes true!
Okay y'all there is seriously a lot more but I've saved the tiny samples for another post. Ugh, again, so sorry I pitched everything without getting a photo. There goes my end of the year empties collage. hahahaha
Until then, be well and continue using up your almost empty bottles. We only have 28 more days until New Year's!
Woah.
