2014 Empties Part II

This part of my 2014 empties is going to focus on skincare. While I was taking photos I realized how many more cleansers than moisturizers I used up in 2014, which for me is a bit odd. Then I remembered that I mix most of my face creams with face oils (yes, even in the morning before makeup) and I have a nearly finished face oil in my bathroom right now (currently loving a drugstore one, actually - Palmer's Cocoa Butter Formula Skin Therapy Oil - quite nice and much cheaper than the ones you can get at Sephora). Anyway, here's what I used up in 2014 (and a sneak peek - there will be a makeup/lip balm items empties post - including more than 1 foundation!).

 Several (7) packs of makeup remover wipes, starting from the left:

• 2 packs of Lumene Gentle Cleansing Wipes 25 count - I remember these being nice, but not much else. Gentle which means not entirely effective, but I usually use wipes for face makeup anyway and use my *broken record* Makeupforever Sens'eyes for eye makeup.
• Safeway Makeup-Remover Cleansing Towelettes (compare to Pond's) 15 count - Since I'm not a fan of the Pond's, I'm not sure what possessed me to pick these up, but my guess is I needed them in a pinch as I picked the smallest pack they sell. No other memories of these!
• Olay Wet Cleansing Towelettes "Sensitive" 30 count - Sensitive is in air quotes since according to a previous mini review, these made my eyes water, so I used another pad for eye makeup removal. Meh. I seriously hope I don't have another packet of these floating around as they were only ok.
• Simple Cleansing Facial Wipes 25 wipes - As it says in the linked review, I fell in love with these after getting them in one of the now defunct free Target beauty bags. Really like them but they are on the pricey side so I only buy when there is a particularly good sale and as I say in my review, they are much larger than your normal makeup wipe which is a bonus.
• Nuance Salma Hayek Detoxifying Facial Cleansing & Toning Towelettes 25 wipes - I've been buying and using up these towelettes since they first came out (I think I've gone through at least 6 of these since they launched in 2011 - which considering the price is quite a lot for me). I still like them and as I've said, I only purchase when they are on sale.
• Simple Kind To Eyes Eye Makeup Remover Pads - While I love the regular Simple Cleansing Facial Wipes, these suck. They just aren't effective. If I need another eye makeup remover to saturate an already "saturated" remover pad, then it's just not worth the money. The only redeeming thing is I didn't pay near full price as they came in a beauty box.

• First Aid Beauty Daily Face Cream 1oz - As you can see, I really enjoyed this, though it wasn't quite moisturizing enough for me, hence my mention of face oils above. I've repurchased. I was a bit scared of some of the ingredients but it didn't break me out and it actually wears well under makeup.
• Origins Drink-Up Intensive Overnight Mask - During a moment of sheer exhaustion, you can see my decision tree that mentions this product. Yes, I used it during the day and yes my makeup stayed on all day. What can I say? Dry skin does sometimes have its perks.
• Eve Lom Cleanser (original) and Morning Time Cleanser (both 50mL/1.6oz)- I found it slightly amusing that when I first reviewed this back in 2011, I was pretty convinced I would never buy it due to the price point; well every since, spacenk has satisfied my craving for this product by putting their holiday sets on clearance most years - though I think I missed this last one. Even though these jars were meant for travel - (being the smallest size they offer), which I completely took advantage of, it took so long to use them up! I'm currently trying to get through one of the regular sizes and holy moly, a little goes a long way. I'm not defending the price point, but it's not as bad as you think considering the amount you use and my dry skin loves these. Sometimes, I leave it on extra long when I have time as more of a mask. And since there's nothing worse than the dry air of a train or airplane for my skin, I'm keeping the small empty jar around for future travel. 

• Tatcha Pure One Step Camellia Cleansing Oil - I really liked this deluxe sample, but I'm not sure if I'd spring for the full size as I tend to prefer balm cleansers and when it's not a balm cleanser, it's an oil cleanser with a pump - though to be fair, the full size may be a pump and not a pipette, in which case, I would consider a repurchase.
• Bliss Fabulous Foaming Facial Wash 2oz - This multi-purpose cleanser would not die. First of all, you need to use the smallest amount. This little deluxe size sample bottle lasted far longer than I thought it would. I am so glad I didn't spring for the full size when Sephora was offering it half price several months ago. For me, it's a little drying, but it's a nice product, especially if you're pressed for time since it's a cleanser and mild exfoliator in one. I'd probably recommend it more for normal to oily skin types though.
• The Body Shop Moisture White Shisho Make-up Cleansing Oil - Really enjoyed this one and I'm eager to try the newer Camomile Silky Cleansing Oil waiting for me in my cupboard. Would repurchase with a sale, definitely, even if there isn't a pump!
• Lierac Micellar Water - This cleansing water does a decent job of removing facial makeup but it doesn't nothing for anything remotely waterproof on the eyes. More convenient for some though since it's carried at various drugstores and with sales, it makes it less costly than some of the higher end versions.
• Soap & Glory Clean Mary Cleansing Milk - Honestly, this is quite old, but when I found it in the back of my cabinet, I was compelled to use it up. It smelled the same and didn't have a weird texture and didn't irritate my skin so I went with it. I have a sneaking suspicion that the Peaches & Clean that Soap & Glory subsequently put out is the newer version of this. This is a great morning time cleanser as it has both oils and natural exfoliators, so it gives a minor exfoliation without being too drying prior to applying moisturizer and makeup.

Whew, just 2-3 more of these to go before I can get back in the rhythm of regularly scheduled empties posts. Check out Part I here!

My Nighttime Skincare Routine

Today I thought I'd share what I've been doing as my nighttime skincare routine. I'm pretty happy with the overall routine. This is generally what I do on a daily basis but it can be altered depending on how my skin is doing. Lately I haven't needed to use any acne related products (knock on wood) so I didn't include any in this post. You'll notice that I spend the majority of my time making sure my face is clean and free of all makeup. I have found that double cleansing and using an oil/balm cleanser has resulted in much clearer skin as otherwise, the makeup and dirt has the tendency of clinging on to my drier flaky bits.

My first cleanse is concentrated on makeup removal. If I'm wearing a lot of eye makeup and/or waterproof mascara, I first apply the Makeup Forever Sens'eyes Waterproof Sensitive Eye Cleanser. This stuff is awesome. I basically compare every other remover to it as it dissolves eye makeup without a residue and it doesn't burn my eyes. While that is dissolving my eye makeup, I use a cleansing towelette. Right now I'm using the Yes to Blueberries Cleansing Facial Towelettes which I was introduced to from Birchbox last year. I like these a lot more than the Yes to Cucumbers version. They don't burn or irritate my eyes, they are pretty effective at removing makeup and they smell yummy. If I'm not wearing waterproof mascara, I've been testing out the Lierac Micellar Water which is pretty decent but does nothing for waterproof mascara, though it removes face makeup like a champ. If I use the Lierac, then I usually don't wind up using a towelette and remove all my makeup with it and a few cotton pads.

My next step is a cleansing balm. I could use this for makeup removal as well; however, since it's a pricey product, I tend to use less of it if I do a pass previously with another cleanser (hence the above step). Right now I'm using (and still loving) the Elemental Herbology Purify and Sooth Facial Cleansing Balm. I've proclaimed my love for this and cleansing balms enough already, but if you haven't tried it, you need to. In the back you can see muslin cloths. Between the balm and the cloth, I get a deep cleanse and also a gentle daily exfoliation. I have a few from The Body Shop and a couple from eve lom that came in a set I bought.

Next step, moisturizer. You can see that I don't use toners, I don't use fancy serums. I'm pretty low maintenance. For my lips, I've been using The Body Shop Cocoa Butter Lip Care Stick, an old favorite. For a bit of a departure, I've been using the Tarte Pure Marajuja Oil as my nighttime moisturizer. I actually use this during the day time as well if I am using a liquid foundation. I've really enjoyed this oil and between the balm cleanser and this oil moisturizer, my skin has never looked better. While I can use it around my eyes as well, I've been trying to finish this Lily B Ultra Eye Cream* which I received from Bloom. It's nice but I'm so bad about using eye creams and the Tarte works on that area just as well and it's only 1 step!

So there you have it. This excludes things like masks, spot treatments as I noted above and manual or chemical exfoliators which I tend to use in the shower. What's your nighttime skincare routine?

Disclosure: Lily B Ultra Eye Cream was received from Bloom for review.

Fauxcation Reviews

You may recall that I had plans to leave the area and travel to see my in-laws. We had plans to fly out Wednesday morning which was cancelled Tuesday afternoon due to the snow storm that never materialized (at least in the immediate area). It was rebooked for Wednesday afternoon and then cancelled again Wednesday morning. At that point, our airline said the earliest they could fly us out was Friday, cutting severely into our vacation and we decided to cancel and postpone our plans. Generally, I would have kept around the bits I had brought with me and share what I used versus what I brought but I was just so down in the dumps about the whole experience that I quickly unpacked everything. I will say that even though I won't be showing the full bounty, I was fairly restrained this faux-cation. And I will remark that staying in a swanky hotel for a couple of nights is a nice departure from suburban living (we booked a hotel close to the airport in preparation for the predicted snowstorm). Nonetheless, I have tried a few new things and I thought I'd share my thoughts!

The Vasanti BrightenUp! Enzymatic Face Rejuvenator came in the February Birchbox. It's a nice scrub as the exfoliating particles are very fine (reminds me of the MAC Microfine Refinisher, now discontinued) and it has the added benefit of chemical exfoliants from the papaya enzymes. The best part about this is it also cleanses the face so there's no residue and it doesn't take a crazy amount of effort to get the exfoliating particles off. Years ago, the Vasanti line used to be carried at ULTA. It's good stuff and I'm going to be enjoying this scrub.

If you stay at one of the Hilton hotels as we tend to do, they offer a nice array of complimentary products. We went out for a nice dinner Wednesday evening and I wore a full face of makeup and this La Fresh Makeup remover wipe did a decent job of getting the majority of my face makeup off before a more thorough cleanse. The La Fresh wipes are a bit on the expensive side but I'd consider purchasing them in the future, especially the individually packaged ones for travel and short stays!

I know I said in my review that I was never going to repurchase the eve lom due to the price point, but during the recent spacenk sale, I managed to snag a gift set at 50% off which was good enough for me to get more of this cleanser. The set also came with the Morning Time Cleanser which is actually pretty similar to the consistency of the Elemental Herbology Purify & Soothe Facial Cleansing Balm as it lacks the granules in the regular cleanser. The 1.6oz size and neat twist cap is also perfect for travel. Honestly, while I'm a bit annoyed that I was introduced to these products due to their price point, I'm so happy that I was able to score them for a great price as they are both lovely.

The Lancome LaBase Perfecting Makeup Primer also came in the February Birchbox. I honestly was expecting to hate this as I'm not a fan of silicone based products; however, I was pleasantly surprised by this one. It doesn't have near the amount of velvety feel as some of the other silicone primers on the market and seemed to do pretty well with my dry skin. I don't think I'd go out of my way to buy this, but I'll certainly use it up.

October and November Empties

So today I present you October and November empties! To be honest, I was expecting there to be quite a bit more in this post but apparently I have a cleanser and scrub that just won't die. Anyway, onward!

Nuxe Micellar Cleansing Water - This is a really nice micellar water. It does take off mascara and it was pretty successful with harder to remove mascaras too. My one complaint, as I mentioned in my review is the added fragrance. Nonetheless, it is gentle on the face and eye area. I'd repurchase.
Nuxe Reve De Miel Lip Moisturizing Stick - This I was less enthused with. I didn't find it moisturizing and while I prefer this to the delivery method of the pot, it isn't something that I would go out of my way to try again. It does smell like chocolate oranges which is very pleasant but I wasn't the biggest fan.
Eve Lom Cleansing balm sachet - I did really like this, but I doubt I'll repurchase due to the price.
Babor Anti-Stress Anti-Jetlag Cream - Babor is the only brand that I've ever seen do heavy glass sample jars! This 1/2 ounce deluxe sample came in one of my beauty boxes. I think it was Beauty Army. I liked this cream but I wouldn't go out of my way to repurchase, especially since the full size is over $70! I found it nice and moisturizing but light on the skin. I've enjoyed everything I've tried from Babor so far.
Nuance by Salma Hayek Detoxifying Cleansing & Toning Towelettes - You probably shouldn't be surprised to see another one of these in my empties posts. I buy them if I can manage to get them under $5.

Softsoap Pampered Hands Foaming Hand Soap in Pampered Plum - This came in an Influenster box. I liked this hand soap but the scent wasn't my favorite so if I repurchase, it would be a different "flavor".

Abba True Curls Curl Enhancing Conditioner - Someone remind me to stop buying liter containers for hair products! This lasted forever. It smells like lemon heads and has oregano and rosemary in it which are great ingredients for temperamental scalps. It has no chemical preservatives, sulfates and is DEA free. It's nice but I had it for far too long and I am looking forward to using a different conditioner!!

Philosophy Vanilla Birthday Cake shower gel (3-1) - This was last years Sephora birthday gift. I'm not a huge shower gel person in general but I've been making a point of using up some shower gels I had laying around. This was creamy, smelled good and produced a nice lather. I used this with my exfoliating gloves and the combination was nice. In fact, I've actually started using shower gel over soap in the shower lately. Shocker!

What have you used up recently? I recently hit pan on my MAC Studio Fix powder and I sincerely hope my face wash is gone by the end of December since I'm getting tired of it!

Review: EVE LOM Cleansing Balm

A sample packet of the EVE LOM cleanser came in the October Birchbox. I've been wanting to try this cleanser but the price point is pretty ridiculous and while I have paid what I consider high prices for skincare items, $50 for 50ml seemed too high to me especially with the high mineral oil content.

I almost immediately transferred the little packet into a Sephora sample jar. It's almost a creamy gel with particles in it that melt as you rub the mixture into your face. Not a lot of people mention that due to clove oil in the formula, it basically smells like pumpkin pie. I found this cleanser quite luxurious. It smells good, it feels good on the skin and it becomes more of a milky consistency after you include water. This is a perfect cleanser to use when my skin is feeling dry or tight and it doesn't leave a residue.

So I do really like it, and think it's a great cleanser for the winter time, but I don't think I'll be buying it any time soon if ever.

Ingredients:
Mineral Oil (Paraffinum Liquidum), Cetearyl Alcohol, PEG 30 Lanolin, Bis Diglyceryl Polyacyladipate 2, Aluminum Stearate, Theobroma Cacao (Cocoa) Butter, PEG 75 Lanolin, Chamomilla Recutita (Chamomile) Oil, Eugenia Caryophyllus (Clove) Oil, Eucalyptus Globulus (Eucalyptus) Leaf Oil, Humulus Lupulas (Hops Oil), Phenoxyethanol, Methylparaben, Butylparaben, Ethylparaben, Propylparaben, Isobutylparaben, P Chloro M Cresol, Eugenol, Isoeugenol