Empties #6 | Products I've Used Up + Mini Review

Lots of big empties! I know I have three hand sanitizers that I used up recently, but I think they got lost in my move. I did pack up these empty things so I could take pictures and then throw everything away. I am on a mission to use up a bunch of products, so I'm sure I'll start doing a project pan style clean out.

I also feel like I'm sick of talking about empties so I'm going to attempt to make this short and sweet.

Bath & Body Works Sweet Magnolia & Clementine Shea & Fruit Body Scrub: I tend to use scrubs in the shower more often than soap or regular body wash. As I showed in my haul, I bought a ton of scrubs. I really like spring and summer scents, so I tend to hoard those so I can use them in the winter. I think I prefer the crushed coconut body scrubs that I'm using right now, but this was nice. I'm not sure if the beads are the kind that never break down though. Would I repurchase? I wish they made a candle in this scent. I'm thinking of getting this scent in the lotion during the next sale though.

Bath & Body Works Forever Sunshine Triple Moisture Body Lotion: I used this up pretty quickly because I try to use lotion when I get out of the shower. I liked the scent and I like how quickly Bath & Body Works lotions absorb because then I don't feel wet or sticky after putting on lotion. Would I repurchase? Not in this scent. There's a few different ones I want to buy instead.

Skinfood Milk Shake Point Eye Makeup Remover: When I stopped using the Missha cleansing oil that took off all my makeup, I needed to use a separate remover. I really like this one. It didn't sting my eyes and got everything off. Would I repurchase? Not anytime soon. I really like this, but it's something I generally have to order from Korea and I'm using a Missha cleansing water that does remove my mascara.

Secret Key Snail+EGF Repairing Toner: I don't think I've ever talked about this toner before because there was never a lot left in this bottle. This is one of my favorite Korean toners and I was sad that it was almost gone, so I never used it again. I was on a mission to finish up some products and this only had a few more uses in it, so I sadly killed it. Would I repurchase? Someday. I still want to use up a bunch of things and I have to order this from Korea.

Neutrogena Oil Free Moisture with SPF 35: I used this every day for almost a year. I'm surprised this moisturizer lasted so long. It's nothing special, just a moisturizer with SPF. I liked it, but I'm not sure I would want to go through another one. Would I repurchase? I get bored using the same things all the time, which is why I have a million things. I have a Paula's Choice SPF moisturizer that I'm currently using and I don't think I need another.

Etude House AC Clinic Daily Acne Foam Cleanser: This was one of my favorite cleansers that I kept with only a handful of uses in the bottle. This only took about a week or so to finish up. I really liked using this again. Would I repurchase? Definitely! But after I use up some other cleansers. I think I have ten or so to finish.

Philosophy Purity: I hated this. I know this cleanser gets rave reviews online, but it isn't pure and it smells. I'm so glad I didn't purchase the large size of this cleanser when I bought the baby bottle on sale. I ended up using the rest of it to wash my brushes and it didn't even work that well for that. Would I repurchase? Absolutely never.

Missha Time Revolution Night Repair Science Activator Ampoule: This lasted a crazy long time. I bought this in November during one of the Black Friday sales. I didn't think my other ones lasted quite as long, but I won't complain. This isn't exactly a cheap item. Thankfully I had a backup that I finally cracked into or I would need to reorder. Would I repurchase? Definitely, but I'll wait until the next 30% or 40% off sale.

Cocoa Pink Junkett Creme Conditioner in Caramel Popcorn Balls: This took forever to finish, which isn't a bad thing. The conditioner I'm currently using will probably take less time because my hair is longer now. I was using this conditioner when my hair was a lot shorter. Would I repurchase? I'm beyond sick of this scent now, which is great because I have a lotion in this scent. I also recently purchased two more of the Junkett in different scents, so I won't need to buy any in a long time.

Mizon Returning Starfish Cream: I loved this cream. It was my holy grail moisturizer this winter because my skin was so dry. I loved being able to slather this all over my face before going to bed. I used to apply a sleeping pack, which is a Korean style night moisturizer, but I didn't need to use any this winter. Would I repurchase? Definitely, but not until the cold weather because I don't need that much moisture now that it is so hot out.

I'm going to be super brief with my sample packets except for a few. 

Holika Holika Pig Nose Clear Black Head Strips: It's a blackhead strip. You wet it, it dries, it rips crap out of your nose. Great. Would I repurchase? Nope. I have plenty of these and others.

Holika Holika Aqua Fantasy Cream: I really love this, but the full jar is pricey, so I bought like 25 samples. I was using this on a daily basis and then we moved. I had more than three packets, but I don't know where those went. Would I repurchase? Nah. I have other things I use, and the jar is expensive. I don't want a ton of samples hanging around anymore.

Sephora Age Defy Under Eye Cream: This was nice. Then I forgot the packet was open and it completely dried out. Would I repurchase? If it were on sale and I was looking for an eye cream, maybe.

Laura Geller Spackle Bronze Tinted Primer: I didn't really care for this. It was okay. Would I repurchase? I would probably never buy a full size of this and I have plenty of other primers.

Nesura Deep Pore Charcoal Nose Strip: I actually liked this one. The only downside is that the strip is black and sometimes leaves black gunk around my nose after I peel it off. Would I repurchase? I have plenty of nose strips. 

Bobbi Brown Extra Repair Moisture Cream: This was really thick and nice, but it had a weird added fragrance smell. I don't think this is something I would want on my face all the time. Would I repurchase? Nope, but I'd use another sample.

Innisfree Apple Juicy Liquid Foaming Cleanser: I have a ton of cleanser samples, but I never use them because I have so many full size cleansers to work through. I had to stay overnight at Shaun's sister's apartment with him and didn't want to drag a full bottle with me, so this was good for two face washes. I like the smell of the Apple Juicy line, since I have a cleansing cream as well, so this was really nice. Would I repurchase? This is one that I would consider after I use up a bunch of other cleansers. 

L'Oreal Voluminous Butterfly Mascara: I talked about this in a recent favorites post. I really liked this mascara, mainly for the brush. It's possible that this is my favorite drugstore mascara. Would I repurchase? I have a lot of samples left to use up, but I will definitely be buying another one of these. There's also another version I might want to try too.

Shiseido Facial Cotton: I love these. I didn't think it was possible to love cotton squares, but these are fantastic. The ones I used to buy from the drugstore would pill up and leave cotton particles all over my face while toning or using something like a liquid exfoliater These cotton squares are perfect and end up costing less than the drugstore ones. I think there's 165 in a package for $10 and I usually buy a 30 or 60 pack of drugstore ones for $3 or so. Would I repurchase? Ha. That's a trick question. I'm currently into a new bag of cotton and then have another backup. I can get these at Sephora or online at Nordstrom where they're on sale from time to time.

Bath & Body Works Candles in Oceanside, Mango Dragon Fruit, Caribbean Escape, Love and Sunshine, Watermelon Lemonade, and Cherry Blossom Sangria: Bath & Body Works are the only candles I burn because they smell so good. The trick is to buy them when they're 2 for $24 or 50% off. I would never buy one of these candles for $23 a piece. That's too expensive. I tend to rotate them so that they all burn up at the same time. Would I repurchase? I currently have 8 candles that I'm working through right now, but it's time for the Semi-Annual sale where most of them are between $11 and $12 each, so I'll definitely be a buying a few more before the sale ends.

March Monthly Favorites

I know. I know. I haven't posted in forever. But that's okay. This is the monthly favorites post and one of the only posts a month to even matter. I think I may need to post some recent buys and I will have an empties post coming up soon.

Benton Aloe BHA Skin Toner: Oldie but a goodie. This is my favorite toner and I'm already halfway through this bottle. I think because I've been using only this toner that I might start using some others that are almost gone so that I can get rid of some things before we move.

Mario Badescu Facial Spray with Aloe, Herbs, and Rosewater: I've had this kicking around for a few months and I've used it off and on. I had been using Fix+, but I like this to take away the powdery look on my face and it's much less expensive than the MAC one. The only thing I don't care for is the strong smell, but it does go away.

Clinique Acne Solutions All-Over Clearing Treatment: I've been mixing this with my Benton Snail Bee Steam Cream that should have probably been in this post, but was forgotten. I think the benzoyl peroxide in this helps keep my skin clearer than salicylic acid.

Skinfood Milk Shake Point Makeup Remover: This is a dual phase makeup remover that I end up using daily. When I ran out of my Missha cleansing oil, I opened a new one that doesn't take off my mascara and also burns my eyes. What I've ended up doing is not even using the cleansing oil and I've just been using one cotton pad of this to take off all my makeup. I'm sadly almost out of this and may have to just try another different cleansing oil. 

Missha Super Aqua Fresh Cleansing Milk: This is not the cleansing oil I was just talking about, but it's the same thing. It doesn't take off my eye makeup at night, but it's a great waterless cleanser for the morning. I used this when my skin was really dry and I didn't want to strip it with soap. I also use this as a hand cleanser when my hands are dry since it is like a lotion.

Mario Badescu Glycolic Foaming Cleanser: I've been using this cleanser off and on since I bought it in the summer, but I really liked it this month. I felt like I had been wearing more makeup and this cleanser really deep cleans and chemically exfoliates. I try not to use it more than 2 or 3 times a week because I don't want my skin to get irritated.

Skin79 Super Plus BB Creams in Green and VIP Gold: I should have included my beautyblender again this month, but I took pictures quickly and forgot. I just want to reiterate that I'm super surprised that these are still around. I honestly don't know what I'm going to do when these both run out, so I'm not complaining. I feel like nothing else blends like these BB Creams, but I know I'm going to fall back on my Face & Body foundation in a month or so. I've also been loving the green one under my eyes because it's a lot lighter and blends really nicely under my eyes.

MAC Skin Base Visage: I keep thinking this is also going to run out. I'm waiting for my skin to be ready for a silicon based primer and have been using this for a couple months now. I really like it, so I'm not complaining. I've been putting this on immediately after my moisturizer and then waiting for everything to dry down a bit and I've been pleased with those results. 

L'Oreal Voluminous Butterfly Mascara: This mascara has been so good to me that I haven't even touched the YSL mascara I received from Influenster. I love the brush and the mascara keeps a curl without being crunchy and isn't too difficult to remove at the end of the night. I know I need to move on once I run out, but I'll definitely repurchase this at some point and see if it contends with the MUFE mascara I also loved.

theBalm Mary Lou-Manizer: I wanted to branch out on highlighters this month because I had only been using this one and the Bobbi Brown for as long as I can remember, but this sits in the front of my organizer. I really like this highlighter for when I'm feeling a strong golden look. I even wish it was a little less pigmented sometimes.

MAC Lightscapade: This is an all time favorite highlighter of mine. I had been using a lot of pink blushes, as you'll see in the next images, and this gives a beautiful pink iridescent glow. I have talked about this before, but I love it. This is the original release of Lightscapade, which gives more of a pink iridescence than the newer releases that come off more beige.

Darac Beauty Sifted Blur Complexion Perfector: I hadn't used this in a couple months and then I used it with my beautyblender to set my under eye concealer. In just a couple weeks, I hit that pan in the middle and now I'm considering purchasing a backup because the brand doesn't exist anymore. I've been setting my entire face with this powder and a damp beauty blender and it is perfection. 

MAC Golden Bronzer: I've been using Golden instead of Aphrodite's Shell because I wanted to branch out a bit and this has more apparent shimmer. You can kind of tell from the pan that the rings are starting to show, so I may end up hitting the pan on this bronzer soon. I've only ever done that with face powder and this is in limited edition packaging, so I don't know how I feel about it.

Vincent Longo La Riviera Sun Face and Body Bronzer in Beauty Sin: I was really enjoying this bronzer this month because I was trying to use other products. I don't know if this is going to be my summer color because of how light it is, but I do like how it blends and I already have a dip in the pan.

Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush in Achiote: I really love the color of this blush. It's really effortless and just a dab is all you need. The color blends really nicely into bronzer. I love all of my Tarte blushes, but I actually think this one is my favorite.

Estée Lauder Peach Nuance: I love this blush more and more whenever I use it. I feel like I would use it more if I had just ponied up the extra cash to buy this in a compact and not just a loose pan. I never regret wearing this color and the gradient makes it easier to blend. 

NARS Albatross: I hadn't touched this highlight in so long that I almost forgot what it looked like! I was really digging the yellowish sheen it gave me and it was a nice change from pink or gold.

NARS Hungry Heart: This was another highlight I reached for all month that I didn't use for a bit. I was really into glitter for part of the month and this is a really glittery highlighter. I ended up pairing it with glittery blushes because why not be overkill?

NARS Angelika: This is one of the glittery blushes I wore this month and I've talked about this color before. The color itself is really flattering and the glitter doesn't come off really strong, which is why I like pairing it with a glittery highlighter to amp it up.

NARS Super Orgasm: I haven't talked about this blush before because I've barely touched it. For some reason, I didn't think I would like it because of the chunky glitter. The glitter doesn't translate on the skin as much as it looks like it would and the color is a nice peachy pink. I really loved this blush this month, but I think I'm taking a break from the glitter bomb cheeks.

Prada Candy L'eau: I was skeptical about getting Prada Candy, but I really love the L'eau version, which is the EDT. I wore this scent a ton this month and I only ordered it in the beginning of the month. I'm surprised by how much is gone and this is only a 2.7oz bottle. I may need to cool it on this scent and use others. I've been trying to wear them all evenly, but who am I kidding?

Burberry Brit Sheer: Burberry Brit was another scent I saw everyone raving about, but I didn't care for the notes. The Sheer version, however, was another thing. I really love this scent. It's crisp, clean, and fruity without being overkill on the sweet or smelling like laundry. This was another scent I wore a ton this month.

Marc Jacobs Lola: I'm still on the fence, but I might like Lola more than Oh, Lola! and that's saying something. I originally bought Oh, Lola! in the 3.2oz because I thought I would love it. I do like the scent, but I bought Lola in the smaller 1.7oz bottle because I didn't think I would like her as much if at all. I read reviews saying that if you liked Lola, you wouldn't like Oh, Lola!, so that worried me. I ended up buying this smaller bottle used on eBay, like with Oh, Lola! However, I ended up loving Lola and wore it a ton this month.

DKNY Be Delicious Fresh Blossom: I think I may have mentioned it somewhere, but I actually prefer Fresh Blossom to the Red Delicious that I bought a couple months back. I wore this at the end of February and through March. I really like that it has the perfect balance between being sweet and floral and this actually happens to be one of the scents I get complimented on the most at work.

Small Haul - Tarte, Tarina Tarantino, and More.

I've had a few of these things for about 2 weeks, but I wanted to do a collective haul because it isn't any fun to post about a single bronzer you just bought second hand from someone on Facebook. Anyway, here it is. Sorry the collective picture is a little dark. I forgot something in the picture and had to retake it and it got really dark out within the 10 minutes of picture taking. You get the jist, and you can still see everything anyway. 

First up are a pair of foundations. These are from Illamasqua and their Skin Base line. I bought these on LiveJournal from a blog sale. Shade 2 was a little light for me, so I went back and bought shade 3.5 from the same sale. I find that I like mixing both of these with my Face and Body Foundation for a little more coverage. Both together make a great shade, but I can wear 3.5 on its own and I'll continue to mix 2 into my other shades of foundation.

I bought a pair of Benefit Fake Up on ebay to try before comitting to the full size, which is like $20 and I don't want to hate something that expensive. I had one in the packaging and opened the other so you can see the little nubbin of a sample. So tiny. I feel like this is going to be used up quickly.

The gold liner in the middle is El Dorado from Urban Decay. I bought this new from another sale and I've been loving this on my lower lashline in conjuction with my Noir liner on my waterline. I already need to sharpen it, which is saying a lot.

The Voluminous Butterfly mascara was a cheap extra that I tossed in with the Illamasqua foundation, eyeliner, and something else that I forgot to photograph. I haven't tried it yet because I don't like to have too many mascaras open at once, but I'm pretty sure this has gotten fairly good reviews.

Starting from the top and going down are my Tarte blushes and bronzer. 

I've been really into more subdued blush colors, so I was excited to get Exposed from Tarte. It's a really nice nude blush and I have loved it everytime I've worn it so far.

Next in the square compact is the Park Avenue Princess bronzer from Tarte. After all the fabulous things I've heard about this bronzer, I knew I needed it in my collection. This is my only non-MAC bronzer and I haven't even touched those more than once since getting this one. I will definitely be putting this in my favorites. Although it does have a bit of sparkle, it isn't overkill and can definitely be sheered out.

I wasn't expecting Wonder from Tarte to be quite as shimmery as it is. That said, I think it resembles Nars Orgasm, which is a blush that I don't own. Wonder is a nice pink with a golden duochrome and shimmer. This is not a blush that I would wear every day, but I still really like it. 

On the other side are my Tarina Tarantino blushes. 

The top color is Neopolitan Lane, which does resemble both Tarte Exposed from above and also Estee Lauder's Nude Nuace. However, this comes off a little more pink on the skin and is an every day blush. This is a color that I would wear all the time, just like Exposed. I prefer a blush color like this when I know I'm going to wear a lipstick that would clash with a coral or bright pink blush.

The second color is called Feather, and it is shimmery pink. Even though this kicks up a bit of powder, it barely looks used in real life. I do feel like this is similar to Tarte Wonder, but I guess that's just the color blush I've been going for outside of the nude cheek color.

Leaving you with a few comparason swatch photos of my new blushes and bronzers paired with ones I already own. I guess I'm just not original and like the same thing over and over. 

From top: MAC Aprhodite's Shell, Tarte Park Ave Princess, MAC Golden.

Can I just point out how much darker Park Ave Princess is compared to both my MAC bronzers? I'll probably be switching back to those once my skin goes back to being winter pale, not that I have a tan or anything. Bronzer is my tan, and there's no need to be that tan in December.

From top: Estee Lauder Nude Nuance, Tarte Exposed, Tarina Tarantino Neopolitan Lane.

So maybe I was wrong. Exposed comes off pinker than Neopolitan Lane. They're all great blushes for when I don't want to pile on bronzer. I can't wait to use these even more in the winter for when it's okay to be a little pale.

From top: MAC Mighty Aphrodite, Tarina Tarantino Feather, Tarte Wonder.

Boom. I love this color, obviously. Can we talk about how much sparkle is in Wonder? I wasn't sure I was digging it at first, but now I am. I think it's my favorite of the three for now, but I don't know how much glitter I want to wear when we get into the winter months.

Clinique, ACW, and Drugstore.com Haul

For the most part, this entire haul is full of things that I actually needed to buy. There are a few things that I'm still going to use but can't say that I actually need. 

I've really been favoring Clinique lately for no apparent reason. I think it's because I'm starting to get out of drugstore skin care products and more into higher end skin care. I discovered a pack of Clinique for sale in one of the facebook buy and sell groups that I joined. It was a great deal to get this all (minus the bag, but it was the only other Clinique thing that I purchased) for $36 considering that the large 1.7oz size of the Turnaround Overnight Radiance Moisturizer is $47 retail. In addition to that moisturizer, I also got 2 sample size jars of Moisture Surge, a sample jar of All About Eyes, a sample jar of Repairwear Laser Focus eye cream, a CC cream that is a little too dark, and 2 sample sizes of High Impact Mascara. 

I bought the little Clinique bag from All Cosmetics Wholesale for only $3.99 and I thought it was so cute even though summer is almost over. It holds everything I drag with me to do my makeup at work in the morning, including my brushes. I've found a replacement for my little MAC bag.

Here's the rest of my haul with the majority of the things I needed. 

I like to replace my Real Techniques Miracle Complexion sponge every few weeks and I saved $2 by ordering them in a pair. These are what I use to apply foundation and concealer with every morning.

The Korres sample sizes were less than $4, so I decided I wanted to try them. I got the eye cream and morning cream. I like trying out new skin care products, especially more expensive ones that I can get smaller sizes in before committing. 

What I really needed was my Alpha Hydrox products. I've been using the Alpha Hydroxy Acid (AHA) and Retinol Night Cream for the past couple months and I needed to replace them. 

I wanted to try out the Garnier Skin Renew Anti-Puff roller just because I found it for cheap and I've always wanted to try a cooling eye roller ball.

Same with the L'Oreal Age Perfect Glow Renewal. This is SPF 30 and is for face, neck, and chest. I don't know if it will replace my Neutrogena SPF lotion, but I figured it was worth a go.

I purchased both Nude Nuance and Peach Nuance blushes from Estée Lauder because I regretted not getting them from the CCO when I was there earlier this month. I was just so bummed about the lack of MAC that I really didn't look at too much. I got the replacement pans to put in a magnetic palette because only the refills were available and were only $8.99 without the case. I'm sure the blush in the casing was more expensive at the CCO and I don't really need the case.

These two Tarte boxes contain Glowlight Amazonian Clay Corrective Wand in light. I got both the pens for $1.99 so I just couldn't pass that up. I haven't used too many things from Tarte because the brand is so expensive.

Also on the concealer front, I bought the Visible Lift CC Undereye Concealer from L'Oreal in Fair. It's one of the roller ball concealers, so it's different than my other concealers.

Lastly, I bought this powder compact from a brand called Darac Beauty. This is called the Sifted Blur Complexion Perfector. It doesn't seem like Darac exists any more, so I might purchase a backup if I end up liking this powder because I may never be able to buy it again.

Here's a bonus picture of Peach Nuance. I'm so excited for this blush. There's definitely going to be reviews and comparisons of certain items in my haul and I'm sure some things will end up in my monthly favorites at some point.