April and May Empties 2015

The empties posts continue. Although April showers are supposed to being May flowers; here in the DC area, April's fall-like weather (I had to pull back out my boots and tights) led to May showers ... well really downpours - there's one going on right now.

Here's what I finished in April and May:

• Palmer's Cocoa Buter Formula Facial Skin Therapy Oil - Really good quality stuff you can get at the drugstore. As I've mentioned in prior posts, I mix this in with my normal cream moisturizer for extra moisture and because my skin is dry, it has no impact on makeup breakdown. Also nice by itself at night or to gently massage over dry patches (such as mostly healed breakouts and the like). I would definitely purchase another bottle once I get through my Tarte Marajuca oil (which is nice, but this is much more wallet friendly!)
• Queen Helene's Royal Moisture Rich Condition - As with all Queen Helene brand stuff, this is very affordable and my hair drank this stuff up. I don't believe it has silicones, but the ingredient's list is super long, so I wouldn't say for certain. I would recommend for us dry haired, curly girls for sure.
• Caudalie Cleansing Water - This cleansing water was far from my favorite. Aside from the lovely scent and nice small dispenser, I felt it was a chore to use up. The reason is it does not remove anything long wearing and forget about using it on waterproof mascara. It's not worth the hassle. With face makeup it's unremarkable and for the price I expect more. 
• Bath & Body Works Vanilla Pistachio Foaming Handsoap - My very last bottle of this and I'm so sad about it cause it's so nice. Granted, now I have more vanilla pistachio scented things around, but a hand soap is nice and easy and can calm you down before going to bed... ahh it just smells so good!
• Essie Smooth Trick Cuticle Oil - The easy dispenser is awesome in theory but not quite so great in practice. I suffer from dry cracked cuticles and skin and thought that this would be great to whip out while on the metro or while traveling without having to bring a glass bottle of a "proper" cuticle oil. The issue with this is the amount that gathers at the tip is dependent by how much you squeeze, and in this case, the items in my purse were squeezing it, leaving me a mess and wasted product. It got to the point where I had to keep it in its own plastic bag and then eventually, I had to just keep it at home. I know there are pen-like products that are housed in hard cases where this would happen less, but this has 1/2 ounce of oil, was/is reasonably priced and effective. I think it's discontinued at this point, but if anyone has any recommendations for something similar that doesn't cause a mess and doesn't wind up costing a ridiculous amount per ounce, I am definitely interested in hearing about them!
• Fresh Sugar Advanced Therapy Lip Treatment - This is the deluxe sample size and I seriously scraped every last bit of this out before deeming it done because I didn't want to waste any. I hardly ever buy these; this one came in a set from Sephora for free - can't beat that! I am not terribly particular when it comes to balms, though I have my favorites. This is one that I wouldn't buy, but I know it works, so any opportunity for freebies is always good!
• Supersmile Ultimate Lip Treatment Vanilla Almond - I remember this came in a Birchbox and I really had to force myself to use it. It was a bit more emollient than I typically like and picture vanilla, almond AND mint. Not my favorite flavor combination. Mostly effective, but not something I would consider purchasing.
• Clinique Take the Day Off For lids, Lashes and Lips - This is definitely a dependable oldie but goodie; though I never wind up buying it since I can always manage to find minis as a 100 point perk at Sephora or gift with purchase.

• Hada Labo Ultimate Anti-Aging Facial Mask- Already mentioned that this is great, especially those with dry skin. Also, significantly more cost effective than those from some of the major brands and ULTA puts these on sale fairly often and can be combined with coupons.
• Epielle Cucumber Cleansing Tissues - A fairly consistent presence in my empties posts. These are only $1 at Big Lots and just as good as the ones from the drugstore (in most instances). I use these on my face as a pre-cleanse step most of the time.
• La Fresh Instant Body Soother - I was doing my usual 5 mile mini self tours of NYC and didn't have time to shower and this proved to be absolutely perfect. Didn't have to deal with doing a full shower routine, but felt fresh enough to interact with people! Not sure I'd purchase on my own as the La Fresh wipes are quite expensive, but they are effective!
• ELF Makeup Remover Cleansing Cloths - I haven't used these on my face since the first time I used them, they seriously stung my eyes, but I was going through my makeup and getting rid of expired and/or dried out products and these took the swatches off like a champ, and I think last time I checked they were still $1. Not good for my face, but my hand can handle these!

So there you have it, my empties for April and May. I was going to try out the "hair dye" from my previous post but it is storming outside and I have a thing about taking a shower when it's raining, so maybe that particular post will have to wait.

What have you finished recently?

January, February and March 2015 Empties

I was - I'll say diligent - about making sure all of my 2014 empties posts went up before starting 2015 (what diligent means is my tiny bit of OCD kicked into gear and I just couldn't do empties posts out of order - the horror!). Anyway, I've very pleased with what I've finished so far in 2015. I've made a big effort to use up body care products. Well, to be honest, I want to finish everything that could technically expire. I had to throw away some things when I was cleaning our closets and all I saw was money washing down the drain. It stung. But just to make things clear, I am not jumping on the bandwagon of people who are buying nothing, getting rid of many of their possessions - even things they like, etc (I'm selling some clothes that no longer fit or aren't to my tastes and some makeup that I don't use or something I've had for way longer than I should without even trying which definitely suggests it would be better suited in another person's collection but I'm not making myself get rid of "x" many eyeshadows or telling myself I can't have more than 2 taupes (madness!) or condensing my makeup collection to something that fits in a small makeup bag). My husband collects board games. I collect makeup. We aren't starving, we live in a house that could be cleaner but wouldn't show up on hoarders. End of story. Ok, getting off my high horse now and onto the empties!

• Mor Italian Blood Orange Body Butter - This was scented beautifully but took forever to use up as it was quite thick and until I used the method of "heating your body butter", it was just too arduous to apply. It was like my skin needed it, but it couldn't consume it. Then I warmed it up and bam! sunk in like a dream and actually did what it was supposed to do and ... used all 5.1 ounces of this up!
• The Body Shop Cranberry Joy Body Butter - Another body butter that I destroyed after using the water bath method. This was nice, but I was starting to get tired of the scent and so was my husband so I was happy to move onto other things after finishing the mammoth 6.7oz tub.

• Bath & Body Works Sweet Pea Shower Gel 3oz - Sweet Pea took me back. I think I got this in a Beauty Army box or maybe it was a freebie at some point but back in the 90s this scent was all the rage. It's nice and sweet but easy to tire of.
• CO Bigelow Almond Superb Body Cleanser 2floz - This smelled/smells amazing. It's a sweet true almond scent. Not almond flower, not really marzipan. You can smell the nut and then you can smell a sweet vanilla on top. It was lovely.

• The Body Shop Ginger Scalp Care Shampoo - If you've been with me for any length of time, then you've seen plenty of these in empties posts. I really enjoy this shampoo as it smells much better than most effective dandruff shampoos on the market (a slightly spicy ginger ale) and it's actually effective. The only issue I have is it has to be switched up every few washes as my scalp seems to get used to it and then it doesn't work as well.
• Organix Hydrating Macadamia Oil Intensive Moisture Mask - I used this as my regular conditioner as my hair is quite dry (I use all moisture masks like that). This was ok. It smelled good. It did a decent job, but it has quite a number of silicones and I try to stay away from those. I am nearly sure I have another one of these. CVS put these on sale practically ever week in preparation for the brand's re-launch/rename.

Anyone want to ensure I win the lottery so I can douse myself in these oils everyday? These are wonderful body oils, but since my skin is dry, it drank these babies up. Granted, they are minis, but still. I can imagine this could be an expensive habit.

• African Botanics Marula Firming Botanical Body Oil (.57oz) - Didn't find it firming, but honestly, should we really expect things we place on top of the skin firm layers much deeper? I don't. Smelled delicious, sunk in quickly but was very effective in keeping my dry legs less dry. Would totally repurchase. 
• Caudalie Divine Oil (.5oz) - Caudalie indicates you can use this on body, face and hair but I used this on my legs. Pretty much the same comments as the African Botanics. Thoroughly enjoyed this one and was sad to see my little bottle get empty so quickly.
• Nuxe Huile Prodigieuse Multi-Use Dry Oil (.33floz) - I know this is a classic. I enjoyed it like the others, but wasn't quite so jived with the scent, though it was just as effective.

Soap! So a little story. I noticed that the soap in my husband's bathroom was running low as was the soap in the basement (his mancave more or less) but there were two soap bottles at each location and it seemed he had abandoned the nearly finished ones in favor of new ones. Oh men! So I took the near empty ones to my bathroom to use them up so they wouldn't clutter his counterspace and so they wouldn't just sit there gathering dust.

• CVS Mandarin Citrus Anti Bacterial Foaming Hand Soap (7.5floz) - I doubt I paid much for this if anything. Smelled citrusy, was effective. Basically, cheap and fine. 
• Essence of Beauty Lemon Twist Hand Soap (12floz) - This was a gel and took forever to finish. I know as I am occasionally allowed in the cave (just kidding, I'm downstairs all the time). Anyway, I got this super cheap when they were about to change the packaging on Essence of Beauty Products. Smelled lemony but not too pledge-like and was effective. 
• Mor Hand and Body Wash in Basil and Grape (11.8floz) - After the blood orange scent, I think the Basil and Grape scent is my absolute favorite from Mor. The reason I started using this was my lotion's pump in the same scent had broken and I needed to replace it. I e-mailed Mor but they were unresponsive so I decided to take matters into my own hands (literally). I had originally thought I was going to use this as a shower gel, but due to massive amounts of shower gel I was trying to work through, I noticed this was a hand and body wash, so it became my daily soap. No anti-bacterial properties and as it was meant for body as well, it was not quite as drying as other hand soaps I've used in the past. Sad to see it's gone as Mor is no longer sold in the US to my knowledge, but I do have another hand cream in the scent. I actually wound up giving the broken bottle to a colleague of mine who sniffed it every time she walked by. She didn't even care the pump broke!

• L'Occitane Dry Skin Hand Cream (.3oz) - This is actually the hand lotion my husband prefers but in another edition of men, he had used maybe 85% of it before deeming it finished, but there was still enough for me to use it for a week (I have since bought him the magic key, even though it is $10 for a piece of metal, it really helps make sure you finish the metal tubes of these without puncturing them and causing a lot of mess and waste). This isn't my favorite hand cream as the scent doesn't do it for me, but it is rather effective.
• Caudalie Hand and Nail Cream (1floz) - This is my absolute favorite hand cream. I made sure I got every last drop in this tube out! 
• butter London Powder Room Nail Polish Remover - Ugh! I found another one. This smells like baby powder mixed with acetone, though it says it's acetone free. I hate this nail polish remover. Not to say it isn't effective, but the scent is just vile. Seriously. They need to stop putting this in sets and kits. No one should have to use this stuff.  

• Maybelline Lash Discovery - This Lash Discovery was a true unexpected discovery. I had forgotten mascara on a trip and my husband and I popped into a local grocery store. I picked the cheapest waterproof mascara they had where the brush wasn't massive and a love affair began. I literally got to the point of trying to pump the wand in the tube and wiggle it around to get more product! My only complaint is why was this something ridiculously cheap like $4.50 in Georgia and when I look for it in Maryland it's nearly $10. Not cool, Maybelline!
• Makeupever Sense'Eyes Waterproof Sensitive Eye Cleanser - Holy grail, holy grail, holy grail. Seriously, skip the Bioderma and all the hype and use this. I have been using it for years and nothing, really nothing compares.

• First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream - I know many people use this cream on their hands, but I use this on my face under makeup, and not just this cream, I add a generous helping of whatever oil of the moment I'm on. (I know some of you will be jealous, but oily skin prevents wrinkles!) My foundation lasts all day with the repair cream + oil combo. Anyway, this was so good that I cut open the tube to ensure I got every last bit of product out. While I like how hygienic tubes are, they do waste a lot of product if you don't destroy the container, and some packaging just isn't suited to that. Already repurchased.
• L'Occitane Amande Shower Oil - I used this for shaving as many do. It's nice and I certainly wouldn't say no to it free or significantly discounted, but I don't think I'd repurchase.
• Sure or unsure?

Some foil packets: La Fresh Makeup Remover Wipe, La Fresh Instant Body Soother, Glamglow Supermud Clearing Treatment, 2 Nivea In-Shower Body Lotions, Pangea Organics Balancing Oil

Now you could really tell I was missing blogging when this happened. Exhibit A: Writing notes on the back of finished products with my brief impressions. Apparently, when I used these in NYC, I found the Tocca Cleopatra Grapefruit Cucumber Body Cream "Yum" on January 12th (uneaten) and wrote quite a bit on the Hada Labo Ultimate Anti-Aging Facial Mask which I recently repurchased during the 20% off sale (the 4 pack). I can't really make out my notes, since the sharpie turned purple and smudgy (likely from all the oils I used up), but I did the mask on January 10th and I remember loving it and noting (thankfully un-smudged) "lots of extra serum if you squeeze". Well, don't mind if I do.

I also decided not to share my ""last empty"", a broken hair elastic that literally lasted for years. But I know how the internet tends to feel about hair. Thank goodness they don't live with me, I shed everywhere so I wouldn't want to subject those people to a few stray strands.

What have you finished recently?

Maybe I'll have a decent amount going forward that I can do these every month so they don't get massive.

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?

Feburary and March Empties

Sure Deodorant - Pretty standard.
Zoya Remove+ - As I mentioned in another empties post, Zoya sends free gifts if you reach a certain total with your purchase and they tend to like sending these 2oz sizes. I, for one, am not complaining!
The Body Shop Coconut Beautifying Oil - I've quite enjoyed using this oil from The Body Shop. It smells good, it sinks in quickly and it does have a positive impact on my often dry legs. Would definitely repurchase!

Noodle & Boo Ultimate Cleansing Cloths - These are basically overpriced baby wipes. I needed to reach a certain dollar amount for an order and $9.50 for 75 wipes isn't too shabby. These have an added fragrance which I wasn't a fan of, but I found they did a decent job of removing makeup and somehow they managed to stay very moist even down till the last few wipes. I wouldn't repurchase but they did serve me well for several months.

Rimmel Lash Accelerator mascara - I had heard a lot of great things about this mascara but I didn't care for it. It was too wet, it didn't hold a curl. It didn't seem to make my lashes grow either. Wouldn't repurchase.

Josie Maran Argan Oil - I loved using this for my cuticles. On my face or hair it wasn't that amazing, but on the cuticles it rocked! I think I have another one of these small sizes hanging around, but I'd repurchase!
Embryolisse Lait-Creme Concentre - I know tons of people rave about this moisturizer, but to me, it was only ok. It didn't seem moisturizing enough for me and I think the added fragrance irritated my skin. I much prefer the Oilatum cream. Wouldn't repurchase.

Ophelia's Apothecary Shaving Balm - I had a bad experience with this particular etsy shop, but I loved this shaving cream. I try to shave my legs rarely so it lasted for a long time but I think I'm going to continue seeking shaving balms in lieu of the drying shaving creams that you can buy at the drugstore.

A few samples:
La Fresh Makeup Remover Wipes - Surprisingly effective and nice!
Nuxe Reve De Miel Ultra Comfortable Foot Cream - eh
Macadamia Deep Repair Mask - Made my hair soft and smell good.
Alcohol pads from the Sally Hansen Gel set - Don't buy these, "make" your own!

Well there are my empties that spans two months. What did you finish recently?

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.