October Empties (2013) (and August and September)

So I'll admit, I've been lacking in the empties department. At the beginning of September I was hospitalized so that accounts for the lack of posting and in the beginning of October I was on vacation. Excuses aside, I haven't finished a lot of stuff, though I am nearing the end of several products. Maybe these will make an appearance in the future November Empties post? Anyway, onward.

Without a fail, I definitely use up face wipes. Here we have the 60-wipe cucumber pack from Epielle, a 30 pack green tea pack from Epielle and various sample sizes (psst the Green Tea smells exactly like Elizabeth Arden's and even though it's fragranced, it doesn't burn my eyes). The La Fresh wipes came in an ipsy bag I think - they were decent enough but I don't think I'd purchase. Yes to Cucumbers is not my favorite but it was a free sample and convenient on our cruise. And the Kaia ones are nice but are super expensive.

The Wen Cleansing Conditioners are great for travel as you can lock the pump after opening. The only fail is the tube doesn't reach the bottom of the bottle so it takes herculean efforts to get the final drops of product out. Philosophy Snow Angel was a decent shower gel and I truly enjoy the Philosophy gels over some other brands. I wouldn't repurchase this particular scent but it reminds me of an old one from Bath & Body Works. The Joico K-Pak Revitaluxe was nice but not nice enough to repurchase given the price and the amount of product it takes for all my hair.

Woo! One lone makeup product. This actually got to the point of empty that I had trouble getting the product onto the wand so it was truly done. Maybelline Define-A-Lash Waterproof is a great mascara. It is very lengthening and holds a curl and the "brush" is thin enough so that it doesn't cause much spotting on my upper lid. Definite repurchase with a sale and when I get through some other mascaras.

The two Caldrea lotion samples came in a Birchbox. They were quite nice and light and perfect for the cruise but I don't think I'd repurchase either scent. Also, I am horrible with remembering to apply body lotion even when I need it. The Jack Black Double-Duty Face Moisturizer was really quite nice and I could see using this even though it is a product geared towards men. Light yet moisturizer, not uber scented. Quite nice, actually!

So that was a rather paltry round up of empties given the time frame. What have you used up recently?

Review: Albolene Moisturizing Cleanser

The weather has gone from pleasant to freezing overnight (a couple mornings ago, the temperature was actually in the low 30s!). This means two things: 1) my skin is even more dry than normal and 2) I get even more tired than normal. I purchased Albolene at my Rite Aid a few months ago right before their store overhaul when it was 50% off. Not that the stuff isn't ridiculously low priced anyways. The big 12oz tub will run you $10-$12 at most drugstores.The ingredients are not what you'd call "good" but there aren't many and the major one, mineral oil, is not something I react badly to.

I know I needed a bit of a skincare overhaul when my skin was feeling dry and tight during the day with no makeup. While my skin is on the drier side, if I don't apply makeup, it can get a little oily (far from you oily skin folks) but it happens. So when my skin was feeling tight and uncomfortable, when makeup wipes were literally hurting, I knew something had to change. Enter Albolene. What's interesting is when I first started trying it, I was using it similar to a balm cleanser (which you can totally do) but the directions actually tell you to apply and wipe off without water.

Well, guess what made a reappearance for this method? The Shiseido Facial Cottons are actually perfect to remove this when my skin is feeling extra parched. Not as though I would purchase the cottons specifically for this product but since I have 2 bags of them (yes still), I figured why not.

This stuff does actually remove everything and it's very gentle. I haven't broken out from using it (even with the no water method). If you're dry skinned and want a no-fuss inexpensive cleanser, this is a great one.

Ingredients: Mineral Oil (Paraffinum Liquidum) , Petrolatum , Beeswax (Apis Mellifera) , Ceresin , Beta Carotene (Vitamin A)

NOTD: Zoya Nyx

It was a rare opportunity when I discovered all of my nails were the same length. I snagged one on the cruise and hadn't worn polish for weeks. Tonight I decided to try out one of the Zoya Pixie Dust polishes, Nyx. Nyx is a gorgeous lavender-grey with silver sparkle and it looks like gumdrops on your nails. These Pixie Dusts dry quickly and have amazing lasting power. This is a bit much for the office, but with nails on the shorter side, I think I can pull it off.

October Birchbox 2013

So one of the not so great things about the internet is that for these sample boxes, you see what everyone else received and while my box is a good one, some people received Liz Earle's Cleanse and Polish which Birchbox (referral link) is now carrying (!) and I have been dying to try but never wanted to pay to ship it from the UK. Now, it's a bit more accessible for us US folk, which is awesome, but I would have preferred some of that in lieu of pretty much any of the items I received, though they are nice.

Inside my (Liz Earle free) Birchbox was:

* Karuna Hydrating Sheet Mask, 1 mask (4 masks|$28) worth $7
* POP Beauty Aqua Lacquer in Flowering Fuschia, full size $14
* 12 Benefits Instant Healthy Hair Treatment, 1.5oz/45ml (6 oz|$19) worth $4.75
* Supergoop! City Sunscreen Serum 5ml/.17oz (1.6oz|$42) worth $4.50
* Chapstick Hydrating Lock, full size $2.99


The 12 Benefits seems to be similar to It's a 10 which surprisingly, I've never tried. Although the Chapstick is considered a "Birchbox Find Alert" and not a "real" sample, to be honest, I've received samples that were worth less than the $2.99 and much less useful. As I said, I'm pleased with this box but I would have loved to receive the Liz Earle. Maybe next time.

Disclosure: Referred link

Miss Me?/Random Favorites

I know, world's worst blogger, awful maintainer of blog website, lazy you-tube-watcher and tea drinker who doesn't make time for blogging...

Anyway, my parents took my husband and I and my brother and his girlfriend on a cruise vacation to New England and Canada. I stepped inside a Shoppers Drug Mart for the first time ever which was uber exciting. I bought 1 makeup item, the Annabelle Smoothliner in Black, which not only did I find for CAD$4.99 on sale, but happens to stay amazingly on the waterline and tightline. I scrounged the two story Halifax store for Bioderma but they were out of the pink version. Major disappointed ensued until I found Aero mint balls. Yum.

I managed to pack a smallish makeup arsenal and rediscovered some past loves from my makeup collection, including Bare Minerals Foundation in Fair which I wore just about everyday on the trip. For evening meals I used the Revlon Colorstay Whipped Foundation in Ivory which I applied with my trusty Beauty Blender. I rediscovered my love for MAC Lustre Lipstick in Rubia which is quite old but has retained the vanilla scent (thank goodness since it's a gorgeous nude). For fragrance I wore Bath & Body Works Forever Red Eau de Parfum roller ball which I picked up for a mere $2 at the last semi-annual sale. It's lovely and my husband likes it (win win).

I'm not going to go through everything right now, but I used eve lom cleansing balm and a muslin cloth to cleanse my skin every night. I used First Aid Beauty Daily Face Cream as a day moisturizer and Skindinavia Makeup Setting Spray to set.

I'll leave you with some beautiful places I saw on my trip:

Bar Harbor, Maine

Cathedral, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada

 Botanical Gardens, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada

I hope everyone has had a great beginning to their October!

Review: Julep Bare Face Cleansing Oil

Julep Bare Face Cleansing Oil (referral link) came in the most recent Julep box. It promises to "[remove] makeup, dirt, and excess oil without over-drying skin". I'm going to come right out and say that this has been my favorite Julep non-polish Maven item to date! It smells citrusy, it removes my makeup, it comes in a sleek bottle and it doesn't dry out to my skin! I've found that unlike cleansing balms (which I love), the oils can have a tendency of drying out my skin. Not this! The only thing I'm not a fan of is that the dispenser is a little short which means I have to hold the bottle to squirt out a few pumps (I usually use around 3-4 for my whole face) and you can't pump it while it's sitting flush on the countertop. Otherwise, I'm a big fan though I might not pay the $28 retail price for the 3.4floz ($22.40 for Mavens). We'll see.


Ingredients: Vitis Vinifera (Grape) Seed Oil, Olea Europaea (Olive) Fruit Oil, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, PEG-30 Sorbitan Tetraoleate, Rosa Canina (Rosehip) Fruit Oil, Citris Grandis (Grapefruit) Peel, Tocopherol, Tocopheryl Acetate (Vitamin E), Coffea Arabica (Coffee) Seed Oil, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Extract, Hibiscus Abelmoschus Extract, Squalane, Phenoxyethanol.

September Birchbox (2013)

I kind of knew that even though I wasn't really satisfied with my last Birchbox, that it would get better. That's how Birchbox (referral link) tends to be. Well, this box turned out to be awesome!

Inside:

*Ruffian Nail Lacquer in Hedge Fund, full size $10
*Mally Beauty Volumizing Mascara, full size $20
*Davines This is a Sea Salt Spray 100ml (full size $27|250ml) worth $10.80
*Dr. Lipp Original Nipple Balm for Lips 3ml (full size $14.50|15ml) worth $2.90
*Malin+Goetz Vitamin E Face moisturizer sachets, 2 packets .08floz (full size $45|4oz) worth $1

I already have the Dr. Lipp but I'm happy to have a spare. The green nail polish looks gorgeous and I'm excited to try it and a full size mascara? Yes please!

What did you get in your September Birchbox?

They also included a 30% off coupon for the Customer Favorites Shop on the Birchbox site. Don't mind if I do.

Review: Kiss-Off Stain Remover

Let me share a short story about my weekend and the magical-ness that is Kiss-Off Stain Remover. My husband and I were traveling to see his parents at their home in Georgia. We left extremely early for our 6:40am flight. I decided to skip the makeup for the first part of our journey and apply it later on during a connecting flight. Application was perfect but I didn't realize that my hand still had some on it and I got it all over my blouse. I forgot about it and the stain stayed on my blouse until we returned home Monday evening. My husband used the Kiss-Off that my father-in-law gave us. It promises to take off :

• Wet and Dry Oil Paint
• Acrylic Paint
• Tempera Paint
• Pencil Marks
• Lipstick
• Make-Up
• Baby Spots
• Wine
• Grass Stains
• Blood
• Coffee
• Pet Stains
• Grease

And it did. It removed the days old stain on my blouse. It is freaking awesome.

So for all of us clumsy makeup applicators, here's my new go-to stain remover.

*Not affiliated. Generous gift from my father-in-law!

August Birchbox (2013)

Guys, I almost wasn't going to post about this Birchbox (referral link) since it was so disappointing, but a) I've posted about my Birchbox as long as I've received it and b) I want to give fair/honest reviews of anything I regularly post about. I also get varying levels of box!

Why I was disappointed: The majority of the products received are free samples given by the company when placing an order (the Coastal Scents mini quads are free when placing an order there), or you can order the Miss Jessie's samples directly through their website (you can order 2 free sample sachets for a $1 shipping charge).

Inside my box:

Arcona Cranberry Gommage 10ml (full size 100ml|$42) worth $4.20
Coastal Scents mini eyeshadow quad (full size $34-$39) worth ?
Miss Jessie's Rapid Recovery Treatment and Sweetback Treatment (13g each) worth $1 due to above
Benefit Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow! Foundation in 5ml (full size 30 ml|$36) worth $6 (Though I already know this is too dark for me).
2 Ahmad Tea sachet (box of 40|$7) worth $.35

The only thing I was really excited about was the Arcona product.

Sad sad face.

I've Been Cheating

... on makeup

So, aside from the a relapse of my back, bronchitis and a trip to my in-laws, I've been cheating on makeup with tea! I know, it's a horrible thing. It all started (officially) with an order from Teavana in May. Then a bit later, I found tea blogs and then just after the tea blogs, I found Steepster which is like the makeupalley of tea. And I'm thoroughly addicted. I do have some posts coming up, including a review of the Stila Beauty Blender dupe, my August Birchbox (I know it's September, but I finally settled down and got over my brief disappointment/anger and will review it), mini-reviews/items I took on vacation and of course my August empties. No fear, I am still using makeup and have a ton of reviews in my head that need to get down on paper. I thank you for your support and staying with me during my multitude of distractions this summer.