May and June Empties (2013)

May was a bit of a slow month empties wise, but in June it picked up quite a bit and I already have some products nearing their end for July! Hooray for progress. It's been exceptionally hot in the DC area which has sucked even more of my energy than normal. My interests lately have involved sleeping and iced tea. Too bad my husband has refused a move north of the Mason Dixon line (he's from Georgia). Anyway... onward!

Joico K-Pak Deep Penetrating Reconstructor - This smells just like banana laffy taffy and is free of silicones. This is a protein treatment that I used once per week. I liked it but don't think I'd repurchase. It's rather expensive and my hair usually needs moisture over protein. Although, I'm tempted to try other products from Joico if they all have this smell. It's delicious!
Philosophy Raspberry Sorbet 3in1 - As I've gotten more into body washes, I've found myself enjoying the Philosophy ones over some of the other brands. They are on the thicker side and they seem to produce more lather. Plus, this Raspberry Sorbet scent is the perfect refreshing scent for summer. Between this and the K-Pak, I smelt like fruit salad!
Natural Hand Soap Crimson Berry - This is a hand soap that I picked up at TJmaxx for $2. It smells like cranberry and lasted me for several months. For $2 it wasn't bad and it didn't dry my hands out. Quite pleasant actually. My only complaint is the packaging was uncovered paper and it got quite warped as you can tell from the picture.

Yes to Blueberries Cleansing Facial Towelettes - I've really enjoyed using these Yes to Blueberries wipes. They smell tart and fresh and do a decent job of removing makeup. I'd definitely repurchase with a sale.
Makeup Forever Sens'Eyes - Waterproof Sensitive Eye Cleanser - You are probably tired of me talking about this makeup remover, but it truly is awesome. It seemed to take forever to finish this full sized bottle and I have one that I just cracked open since it is awesome and I won't be without it.

Aveeno Smart Essentials Daily Detoxifying Scrub - I believe I received this in the now defunct free Target beauty bags. This was a pretty decent scrub and it was very gentle. I used it in the shower and it was a nice bright citrus. Even though it was soap free, I feel that it dried my skin out just a bit but not too bad for a free sample. I would not repurchase.
Avene Thermal Spring Water - A must have in the warmer months! I tend to get over heated and love to spritz myself with this after I've walked in the door from the heat. I have another one ready to be used!
Sircuit Skin Fixzit Blemish Drying Serum - Ever since I first tried and saw the miraculous results back in 2011, I always have a bottle of this in my cabinet. I've had a few breakouts recently, and this cuts down on the time frame and tends to heal them overnight. Love love love this stuff and won't be without it.

MAC Studio Fix Powder - Yes, it is a makeup product! I hit pan on this back in December. I figured I maybe had a month left, try 6! This stuff is really a workhorse. I know people tend to deter us dry skinned folk away from powder foundation but it can look really nice if you are well moisturized and it's super easy and no fuss. I'll repurchase and I'm dying to try some of the lighter shades they came out with. This was sometimes a bit too dark in the winter (NW15).
La Roche Posay Nutritic Lip Balm - La Roche Posay was a bit naughty with this product. You think you are getting more than your standard lip balm stick, but it is exactly the same size! It's just the plastic tubing that is bigger! I wound up getting this on clearance at CVS and it was only ok. I felt like it only felt moisturizing right after application; after it quickly wore off, my lips were dry again. I kept this stick at work and finally whittled it down after many trying months. Not worth the higher price tag.

Shu Uemura Cleansing Oil Shampoo - This wasn't bad but it is not worth it's normal retail price and as with most shampoos. I found this pretty drying, even though it claims to remove build up without drying hair. Meh. Wouldn't purchase.
Essie Apricot Cuticle Oil - Apricots are some of my favorite fruits, but I found the scent of this oil a bit overwhelming (and cloying). I wouldn't purchase.

So there you have it! Not too shabby. Would have you finished recently?

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.

August Empties

I'm seriously a bit disturbed by how fast the summer has gone. Probably more so because I took the semester off from school and my final class is starting in just a few short weeks and I am not looking forward to it (looking forward to being done but not at all to the work load). Anyway, here is what I used up in August.

 

*Dr. Dennis Gross Extra Strength Alpha Beta Daily Face Peel Pads - As I mentioned in my review, I was not terribly fond of these as I found them a bit too strong for my sensitive skin, but I try to select the regular strength as my free sample with the online sites that offer them as they are great as a once weekly skin pick me up.
Simple Cleansing Facial Wipes - I really like these wipes as they are huge and reasonably priced. These were a sample from one of the Target Beauty Bags, but I would definitely buy them with a sale and coupon.
Yes to Blueberries Age Refresh Cleansing Facial Towelettes - This sample pack came in a Birchbox and I like these so much more than the cucumber ones. The scent of these is very light and pleasant and not too overpowering and the wipes did a good job of cleansing my skin and didn't cause irritation. At $7.99 they aren't cheap but not ridiculously priced. I'd buy them on sale.

You can barely see it in this horrible photo, but I used up another of the *Sundari Neem and Coconut Hair Treatment Oil sample packet. I'm really trying to hold out from buying the full size till I whittle away some more of my hair stash.
*Grecian Oil Body Cream - Holy cow I love this stuff. It is perhaps the best summer moisturizer ever. I's more like a gel cream so it sinks in quickly and leaves legs moisturized but not sticky or greasy. The fact that I rarely use up moisturizers but this made it into an empties post should say it all. And similar to the reference of buying the Sundari above, I really shouldn't buy until I've used up some other moisturizers and this is best suited for the summer months which are nearly over.
*Madre Labs Moisturizing Body Wash Rosemary Mint - Unlike the C.O. Bigelow which didn't actually have any mint, this actually had a pretty impressive ingredient list. That is why I was a little naughty and didn't use this as a body wash. I used it as a shampoo. Now hear me out. Pretty much all of my dandruff shampoos have rosemary and mint in it but can be drying. This has some natural oils as well and really did a better job at keeping my scalp happy then a lot of other products that mention the scalp. I'd definitely purchase this in the future!

What did you use up in August?

Disclosure: Items marked with a * are press samples. Birchbox referral link utilized. Obviously, all opinions are my own.