Empties #3 | Products I've Used Up + Mini Review

Wow! It's been forever since I've done an empties post. I think I may even have a couple more things that I missed, but I can't find them. I know I have a few more things on the way out, so maybe I'll motivate myself to do another empties post sooner next time.

Mizon Collagen 100 Ampoule: After Missha discontinued the ampoule that I used during the day, I turned to Mizon for this one. I definitely don't like it as much as the Missha one, but this was okay. It's a little thin and can be high maintenance if I don't let my toner dry down a bit. Would I repurchase? No. I've tried another Mizon ampoule and that one was better, but I've found my new Holy Grail daily ampoule so I won't be buying any other Mizon ones.

Secret Key Multi Cell Night Repair Ampoule: This was the ampoule I decided to try for nighttime when I was running low on my Missha one. I do really like this as a cheaper alternative, but as long as I have the Missha one, I won't be reaching for this one. It's a good thing I used it up or the bottle would just be sitting there. Would I repurchase? Sure I would. But not until I can't get Missha Time Revolution on sale or at all.

Missha Time Revolution Night Repair Science Activator Ampoule: This is an actual Holy Grail product of mine. I'm on my third bottle and I have a fourth ready to go when that's gone. I use this every night and I'm so glad I bought two during the last sale. Would I repurchase? I feel like this is a no brainer. Of course. I'll be so sad if this is ever discontinued.

PDC Naturina Aloe Essence Toner: I was in the market to try out some new toners, so I ordered a bunch a few months back from SaSa. I did end up using this mainly to take off my cleansing oils in the end because this was nothing special. It was cheap, so there's that. Would I repurchase? I might. This was pretty cheap when I bought it, so it was a good toner to just use with cleansing oils to take off my makeup. It is currently not for sale on SaSa right now, though.

Nature Republic Soothing & Moisture Aloe Vera 90% Toner: I did really like this toner. I go through a lot of toner because I use it a few times a day. This one was cheap on SaSa and I like Nature Republic as a brand. Would I repurchase? Maybe. I still have a ton of toners to use up right now.

Hera Age Away Intensive Cream: This cream is from a set of sample size products from Hera that I ordered on eBay. I liked this cream for nighttime, but it's definitely not something worth the price point. ($103 from KoreaDepart) Would I repurchase? Hera isn't my favorite luxury Korean brand and this cream definitely isn't worth that much money to me. I probably wouldn't even buy a small size again on eBay.

Etude House Collagen Moistfull Firming Eye Cream: This is the eye cream version of the cream from my last empties post. This was a nice cream, but I feel like I have better eye creams with more benefits. Would I repurchase? No. I have eye creams that I like more than this one.

Alpha Hydrox Retinol ResQ: This is just my nightly retinol treatment. Nothing fancy to see here. I do like this, but I feel like other retinols that I've used almost sting my skin so I feel like they work better. Would I repurchase? I'm almost out of another tube, which I think is my third or fourth from this brand. I may switch back to Roc, Neutrogena, or StriVection, but I haven't decided yet.

Skinfood Peach Sake Silky Finish Powder: I feel like I've been using this powder forever and I thought I would never run out. The container is large for a loose powder, especially when you compare it to the Innisfree one that is next to it. I really liked this for all over my face, especially under my eyes. This just made my face feel so smooth and nice. Would I repurchase? I probably will at some point, but I've been really loving my Innisfree powder right now and I don't need both.

Paintbox Soapworks Avast! Sorbetto: I feel like this sucker lasted for a long time, but I did lose it after vacation. This is my favorite scent from Paintbox Soapworks, so I'm always bummed that it is only available in the summer. I love the Sorbetto scrubs. They're the best. Would I repurchase? Yes. I'll always repurchase this scent and I'll definitely keep buying the scrubs.

Cocoa Pink Coco Mango Body Butter in Hearts on Fire Gelato: This was the first body butter from Cocoa Pink that I ever used. My first purchase totally won me over this company, which is why I own so many body butters. This is just one of the best smelling lotions I've ever used. It's a hazelnut gelato scent that has a touch of espresso in it. Would I repurchase? This is one of those things where I want to say yes, but I do have so many body butters that I need to use up more of them before I repurchase certain scents. I wouldn't be opposed to buying a conditioner in this particular scent though.

Cocoa Pink Argan Therapy Creme in Black Cherry Upside Down Cake: I never remember if I like the Argan Therapy Creme or Shine Sweetie better. Both conditioners are pretty nice. This scent was sampled to me in a past order and I liked it so much that I ordered conditioner and shampoo in the same scent. Would I repurchase? I grew tired of the scent, so no on that. I also decided that I like the Junkett Creme Conditioner better, so also no.

Innisfree No-Sebum Mineral Powder: This is my favorite translucent setting powder at the moment. I'd really have to think about whether I like it better than my Skinfood one, but they both do the job. This powder is finely milled and has a really scent to it. Would I repurchase? Yes. I'm already on a new jar.

My Beauty Diary Strawberry Yogurt Amino Acid Cleanser: This used to be my favorite cleanser and I would use it every morning. It smells so nice and I really liked that it has small exfoliating beads in it. The only downside is that it's in a tub and that it doesn't lather well with my Clarisonic. Would I repurchase: I want to say yes, but I don't think I'll end up buying this again. I have so many cleansers to use up and I've found others that I like better.

Alpha Hydrox AHA Souffle: I feel like I go through this product quite a bit. I know there was another tube in my last empties post. I had been using this chemical exfoliator twice a day, but my skin is a bit drier now that it's winter. I've been using it just at night right now. Would I repurchase? Absolutely. I'm actually trying to figure out which online retainer to order my next tube from.

Benton High Content Steam Cream: I love this cream so much. It makes me a little oily in the warmer weather, but it's perfect for winter. I used to pair it with all my other Benton products, but I've been out of a few of those for some time now. I'm just getting around to reordering all my favorites. Would I repurchase? There's already a tube of this on the way to me as I type this.

MAC Face and Body Foundation in N1: I think you already know that this foundation has been my favorites for months. This is also the first foundation that I've ever completely used up. Enough said. Would I repurchase? There's already another bottle in my makeup cabinet, but I won't be using it until my skin is less dry.

Make Up For Ever Smoky Extravagant Mascara: This was such a nice mascara. I was totally suckered in by the brush and I fell in love. I feel like this might be the best high end mascara that I've used so far. Would I repurchase? I know I said that I would never buy this, but a small tube is $12 and I think I can swing that. I do want to use up a few more mini mascaras first.

Versace Bright Crystal Absolu: I don't like getting perfume samples. I have a ton of them from online orders and I hardly ever smell them, never mind use them. Well, Shaun was going to buy me perfume for Christmas and I didn't have an accurate answer for him on what I might like, so I broke into my sample drawer. This was the only one that I liked and I used the hell out of it this past month. Would I repurchase? I went back and forth on that answer when I decided that I liked it. A full 3oz bottle is a whopping $110 on Sephora and department stores, but I did find a really good deal through Overstock.com. Spoiler alert. I bought it.

My Beauty Diary Sheet Masks in Strawberry Yogurt and Pearl Powder: I should use these masks more. My skin really needs the extra moisture in the winter and I love putting on sheet masks. It's like marinating your face in serum. Would I repurchase? I have a box each of these masks and a two more boxes of different ones. I won't need to buy more any time soon.

Tony Moly Egg Pore Nose Pack: I just really felt the need to use a pore strip at one point. I know there's a couple more empty packages somewhere, but I may have thrown those away. I got this one in one my eBay orders, but I have other brands that work just the same. Would I repurchase? Maybe. I have a billion different pore strips and don't need to buy any right now.

Lips of the Month | December

I feel like I have a lot of variety in my lipstick post this month. I had a few new things to try out and I'm still digging more matte and satin finishes for the most part. I also went away for a bit and didn't bring any bold colors with me. In a couple pictures, my hands are all in the way because I had to hold my liquid lipstick applicators so they didn't get everywhere.

Matte 424, Matte 421, Matte 426, Eden, Pink Poinsettia, Girl About Town

From top: Matte 424, Matte 421, Matte 426, Eden, Pink Poinsettia, Girl About Town

Matte 424: Inglot Matte Formula. I really like this color, but I think I'll like it even more in the summer. I've been trying to wear corals and oranges lately, but it just isn't the season. I should probably stick with my reds and dark berry colors before winter ends.

Matte 421: Inglot Matte Formula. This swatches like crap because it's so dry, but it just glides on if you have a touch of balm over your lips. Inglot makes really great matte colors and I'm glad I decided to try some.

Matte 426: Inglot Matte Formula. I think this was the driest of the three Inglot colors I wore this month. It was a little dry on my lips because I didn't expect it, but I added a little lip balm and it was fine. This color also drags a little, but I can get over it because I like it so much.

Eden: NYX Matte Lipstick. I really like the color of this red. It's very pigmented, but I can't remember if it was long wearing. I feel like I need to touch up most of the NYX lipsticks, but I love the formula of them so much that I don't mind.

Pink Poinsettia: Tarte Amazonian Butter Formula. I've been pleasantly surprised with this line of lipsticks, but I do find that I need to reapply fairly often. My favorite part about wearing one of these lipsticks is the really nice minty smell that lingers.

Girl About Town: Amplified formula. Limited edition packaging from the Manish Arora collection. This is one of my favorite darker pink lipsticks. I really like the way it applies and I don't mind having to touch up a bit because the amplified formula is really great.

Candy Red, Adore It, Adora, Viva Glam Cyndi, Berry, All of Me

From top: Candy Red, Adore It, Adora, Viva Glam Cyndi, Berry, All of Me

Candy Red: Tarte Amazonian Butter formula. This didn't really pull red on my lips as much as it did a pinkish red. I still liked the color, but it probably isn't a lipstick I'll wear all the time. For this formula, I plan ahead and try not to wear it on days when I won't get a chance to touch up or reapply.

Adore It: Glaze Formula. Limited edition from the Adoring Carmine holiday set. This color and formula are just okay in my book. I do regret buying this lipstick, but I got it pretty cheap on eBay so I guess that's fine. Glaze formulas used to be my favorite a few years ago, but now I'm not a huge fan.

Adora: Kat Von D Foiled Love Liquid Lipstick. This is a discontinued product that I found in TJ Maxx while holiday shopping, so naturally I had to buy it. I already liked the stick version of Adora, but this is better because the lasting power is so much stronger. This liquid lipstick stays all day and because of that, I bought a few more. Love it.

Viva Glam Cyndi: Lustre formula. Limited edition from one of the yearly MAC Viva Glam collaborations. This lipstick came out with Viva Glam Lady Gaga. I used to really love this lipstick. It was very hard to find because I started out with my makeup obsession and using MAC right about when this lipstick was being discontinued. Someone ended up sending it to me from an old Livejournal group and we lived happily ever after. Just kidding. I kind of hate this lipstick now. It might be because it's getting old, but I'll compare the code on the bottom and see if I have older ones. It's half used up because I loved it so much, so at least I don't feel bad. It's also a lustre, which I'm not a huge fan of anymore.

Berry: Love & Beauty by Forever 21 Creme formula. I got this in an Ipsy bag and immediately wrote it off because it was from Forever 21. I ended up wearing it to work one night because it's actually a really nice holiday red. For a Forever 21 lipstick, I'm really impressed. I think I'll actually wear this again and I might look into Forever 21's makeup line.

All of Me: Manna Kadar Lip Locked. I got this in my Birchbox in December and it was really the only thing that I tried. This is a cross between and stain and a gloss. The color is pretty decent, but I don't know how I feel about the formula. I definitely won't purchase a full size.

Addis Ababa, Bachelorette, Red Balloon, Beranice, Euro Trash, N9

From top: Addis Ababa, Bachelorette, Red Balloon, Beranice, Euro Trash, N9

Addis Ababa: NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream. This is just a really nice pink in the usual matte lip cream formula. I know I've said it before, but I'm head over heels for the Soft Matte Lip Creams. I own I think about 10 or so of them and I haven't come across any that I don't like.

Bachelorette: Kat Von D Everlasting Love Liquid Lipstick. This is the most recent formula that Sephora currently sells. If I didn't have a Beauty Insider voucher and a gift card, I wouldn't pay $19 for a liquid lipstick. Well, I don't know. This is pretty good. This is the first of three colors that I own, but I would consider getting at least one other color that was sold out when I shopped online at Sephora. It's worth noting that this liquid lipstick lasts ridiculously long and I'm going to insert a picture of the staying power.

Boom. I used my cleansing oil that takes off even waterproof eyeliner and mascara, so I was surprised that the lipstick stained my skin so bad. You can kind of see how my arm is a little stained from the other colors I just tried to take off, but I really needed to scrub with another pump of cleansing oil.

Red Balloon: Amplified formula. This has been one of my favorite MAC lipsticks since I bought it almost a year ago. I really like this color and I don't think it's something I would only wear during warmer weather because it isn't too summery. I also have been really loving the Amplified formula lately.

Beranice: Kat Von D Foiled Love formula. This is another lipstick formula from Kat Von D that has been discontinued that I found at TJ Maxx. The color reminds me of Adora, so I'm glad I don't have a full size of that one. I really wish I could have found more of these lipsticks, but judging by eBay, it's because people are buying them up and reselling them at really high prices.

Euro Trash: NYX Matte Lipstick. I wasn't sure about this lipstick at first. It's a little brown. I did try it on at one point and then I tossed it in the back of my lip drawer. I pulled it back out because I needed a handful of neutral colors to bring on vacation with me and this fit the bill. It's still a little brown, but I don't hate it.

N9: Make Up For Ever Rouge Artist Natural Lipstick. Sephora lists this color as being copper pink. It's nice. It's a neutral color. It's also really small because I got it for free in the Sephora birthday kit. I took it with me on vacation because I didn't know when else I was going to wear it. I wish I could have picked a different color, but this one wasn't bad.

Sweet Peach, Angelic Nude, Whipped Caviar, Show Orchid, Toying Around, Hellbent

From Top: Sweet Peach, Angelic Nude, Whipped Caviar, Show Orchid, Toying Around, Hellbent

Sweet Peach: Tarte Amazonian Butter formula. I was just hanging around with family and such so it didn't matter that the lasting power wasn't fantastic. I still love these lipsticks. The smell is fantastic and the colors are really nice. I think this might be my least favorite color of the five shades I have, but it was still nice.

Angelic Nude: Tarte Amazonian Butter formula. This is my favorite nude lipstick. I don't think I've ever had a nice creamy nude lipstick. There are a few NYX lip creams that are nude, but those are matte. This is just really nice. I'm surprised to find myself saying that this might be my favorite of the five shades that I own.

Whipped Caviar: NYX Matte Lipstick. I bought this on a whim because I needed another color to get a buy one, get one 50% off deal when I was first buying NYX lip products. I like this color more than Euro Trash, which is what I chose to buy instead of this one in my first order. I'm glad I got this one too because it's different and I actually prefer this color.

Show Orchid: Amplified formula. This is one of my favorite MAC lipsticks and I know it took me too long to buy it. It has a bit of an iridescence to it, which I really love. I will continue to wear this color all year long.

Toying Around: Amplified formula. This is unfortunately a lipstick that I don't want to wear until Spring rolls around. I just felt like my face looked funny when I was wearing this color. I think I'm going to file this color away for a couple months. It's one of my favorite colors and formulas, but it's just not for winter.

Hellbent: Kat Von D Foiled Love Liquid Lipstick. I hate that these were discontinued! I really loved this color. It's completely matte and transfer proof, but it has glitter in it! So I wore it on New Year's Eve for the worst restaurant shift of my life and it lasted through the entire night. I even slept in all my makeup and this lipstick was still on the next day when I woke up! It had barely faded at all. I seriously never sleep in my makeup, but it was just so late and I didn't even mean to do it. I just closed my eyes for a minute and seven hours.


Round up!

MAC Lipsticks: 6
Amplified: 4
Lustre: 1
Glaze: 1

NYX: 4
Matte Lipstick: 3
Matte Lip Cream: 1

Kat Von D: 4
Foiled Love: 1
Foiled Love Liquid: 2
Everlasting Love Liquid: 1

Tarte: 3

Inglot: 3

Other Brands: 3

December Monthly Favorites

I feel like I didn't really have a lot of favorites this month. Part of that is because I didn't really pay attention to which blush colors I was using due to the fact that I was trying to rotate my NARS colors. I have a good idea of the colors I ended up reaching for even during rotation, but nothing truly stood out to me this month. Because of that, I just added a ton of cropped blush pictures from all the ones I loved this month.

Missha Flower Bouquet Skin Fresh Cleansing Oil in Cherry Blossom: This cleansing oil has seriously changed my life. I'm not even exaggerating a little bit. My makeup comes off so much faster with this than a makeup wipe or even makeup remover. This takes off everything. I just rub two to three pumps of oil all over my face and eyes and use a cotton round to take it off. The best part? My eyelashes. I seriously think this has made them a little longer and thicker because I have less issues with them now.

Missha Super Aqua Pore Correcting Toner and Super Aqua Hydrating Toner: I've used this interchangeably for most of the month. Generally I use the pore one at night and hydrating one in the morning. I like both of them. They're not my holy grail toner, which I will at some point repurchase when I use more toners up, but I do like them and my face feels clean and not stripped when I use them.

Missha Creamy Latte Chocolate Cleansing Foam: This is so good. So good. It smells great and my skin never feels tight after washing my face. I hope Missha isn't discontinuing this because it's no longer on the website. I think that could be because of the large and long sale they just had because many things aren't on the site right now.

Tony Moly Intense Care Snail Cream: I have a decent skin type. When the weather is normal, so is my skin. I don't feel like I'm oily or dry in any spots. Until December and winter roll around and all of a sudden it's like, fuck you! You're dry! Dry, dry, dry. Patches of dry skin. All the dry skin. Mostly around my mouth area and mostly a couple hours after I've applied makeup. The dryness is still happening, but this cream has definitely toned it down.

Cocoa Pink Junkett Cream Conditioner in Caramel Popcorn Balls: Holy crap this stuff is amazing. My shower smells great while I'm deep conditioning my hair, which is never a bad thing. I usually leave this on for at least 10-15 minutes while I shower and shave. Next time Cocoa Pink has a sale, I'm skipping the other conditioner I used to buy and just getting this. Way worth the money.

Mentholatum Acnes Cleanser: This cleanser is from a SaSa order I placed maybe a month or two back. I really like this cleanser, although I started using it less when I got the Missha cleanser. I use this when I feel like I might need a little extra from my skincare and this don't smell like some cleansers can.

Missha Time Revolution Night Repair Science Activator Ampoule: This is my holy grail night serum, which I think I've mentioned before. This just works for me, I don't know how else to really explain. It's great. I'll continue to buy multiples when Missha has sales and I'll pretty much cry if they discontinue this.

It's Skin Power 10 VC Effector: I've been using this daily as my morning serum. It has vitamin C for brightening, which is definitely something I need in the winter. It also makes my skin feel moisturized without feeling sticky, which is also something I need in the winter. It doesn't hurt that this smells really nice and citrusy.

Benton Snail Bee High Content Steam Cream: This is definitely one of my yearly favorites and the wear and tear on the tub shows. Along with my Tony Moly cream, this is one of my most moisturising products. I'm almost out and I need another, but the packaging changed to a tube. I get that it's more hygienic, but I feel better knowing that I can scrape every last bit out of a tub and get my money's worth.

beautyblender Sponge: I feel like this isn't a surprise any more. I've replaced my Real Techniques sponge with the real deal and I'm not going back. I've been rotating these two blenders, even though I managed to tear the bottom of one of them. I still have another two pack from a sale, but I feel like these will probably last at least a couple more months. I've been using only a beauty blender to apply my foundation, concealer, and under eye powder.

Smashbox Photofinish Foundation Primer: I've really used only this primer since I bought it a few months back. Every so often, I'll use the drugstore equivalent one that I have but it just isn't the same. 

Make Up For Ever Smoky Extravagant Mascara: This isn't actually as expensive as I thought. I considered buying it when I last shopped Sephora online, but I have so many other mascara sample sizes that I need to get through first. The travel size is $12 and is more than half the size of the full one, so I'd consider it.

NYX Butter Lip Balm in Parfait: I got this in my Ipsy from December and I've used this since I got it. I don't really wear this out as a color, but more as just a balm. I like using this at night because it's thicker and more moisturizing. The color is nice, but I usually just wear lipstick if I'm going somewhere and this is too colored if I don't have makeup on.

Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Dark Circle Eraser: I think I may be out of things to say about this concealer. I almost want to switch this out, but I just love it so much.

MAC Face and Body Foundation in N1: This is the first foundation I've ever had to repurchase. That's saying a lot. Look. There's nothing left. I can't even believe it. Sadly, even though I just bought another bottle, I think I may need to shift this to the backburner because my skin is getting too dry to wear this.

theBalm Mary-Lou Manizer: I finally got this highlighter and it was one of the three I didn't put down this month. It's so pigmented that I actually needed to sheer it out a bit and apply with a nice fluffy brush. This golden color is what I've been loving lately.

Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick in Copper Diamond: Another highlighter I've been using all month. I've been lusting after this forever and I finally bought it in early December. I'm beyond pleased with my first Shimmer Brick and I'm sure I'll end up getting another if the color looks right to me. This is even more pigmented than Mary-Lou, so I had to use a light hand with it.

Tarina Tarantino Neopolitan Lane Blush: I bought this a few months ago and loved it. Then I forgot about it until I used it one day and I kept using it this month. It's one of those colors that looks blah in the pan but really looks nice on your face.

MAC Extra Dimension Bronzer in Aphrodite's Shell: Yep. Back to this little babe. I can't help it. This is my perfect bronzer shade, especially when I don't have time to blend out NARS Laguna. I hope I never run out or that MAC releases this again.

NARS Laguna Bronzer: When I wasn't using Aphrodite's Shell, I was using this. I use Laguna when I want to contour or when I want a more bronzed look. This is my larger pan of Laguna from the Virtual Domination palette, but I also have two smaller pans in my Joie De Vivre and Guy Bourdin palettes.

Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush in Bashful: This Tarte blush got a lot of use this month because I really wanted to use my holiday palette. I didn't neglect the palette on purpose, but I did have a ton of NARS blushes to use last month.

Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush in Embraced: This is a little darker than I remembered it being, so this blush ended up being more high maintence. I really like the way it ends up looking, though, so I keep reaching for it.

NARS Gaiety/Mistinguette: Two different blushes in two different palettes, but they look the same. This is actually Mistinguette from Guy Bourdin, but I've been using Gaiety from the Joie De Vivre palette also and it looks the same.

NARS Angelika: This one again. I really like this blush more than I thought I would. I initially thought this was going to be my least favorite in the blush palettes because of the glitter, but it doesn't come off really strong on the cheeks. Perfect.

NARS Devotee: And the last highlighter I've been using all month. Love it. I brought the Guy Bourdin palette with me on vacation and I really only used this highlighter that week. I'm loving the NARS highlighters.

What's In My Bag | Christmas Vacation | Makeup

Here's the makeup portion of my bag from my Christmas trip. Obviously this is more exciting than skincare, so I will go into slightly more detail even though I'm sure I've talked about most of these things at least once.

I've talked about everything in this picture. The Smashbox primer is the only thing I use under my makeup. Maybelline Age Rewind Concealer is in my favorites post every month, along with my MAC Face and Body Foundation. I haven't needed to use my Innisfree concealer stick lately, but I took it with me just in case. My Beauty Blenders are the only way I apply my foundation and concealer. Both these MAC powders are pretty much my holy grail powders - the studio sculpt and mineralize skinfinish natural. 

I rarely talk about the brushes that I use on a day to day basis. I use a mix of Sigma, MAC, and Real Techniques brushes for daily makeup. I use a bronzer/contour brush, a blush brush, a highlighting brush, and brush to blend my blush and contour out, and a powder brush to set my makeup.

 
I brought my favorite mascara and eyeliner at the moment, the Make Up For Ever Smokey Extravagant mascara and the Noir black eyeliner. I've been loving my Shiseido lash curler and Inglot Pearl 450 for my brows. I also have my MAC brow brush that I use with that color.

I took along mainly nude lipsticks because I didn't want to have pink and red while in a casual family setting. I wore all five of them, two of them are Tarte, two are NYX, and the last is the Make Up For Ever lipstick from the birthday set from Sephora.

I didn't want to have to think about my blush colors, so I just brought along two NARS cheek palettes. I figured there was plenty of color choices between the two of these so that I could have some variety without going nuts over 25 different blushes. I also forgot to add my Innisfree powder in my last picture, so here it is.

And then I also forgot about these because they were hanging out in my purse. I've been loving this NYX Butter Lip Balm, so I had to pack that. I've been back and forth with my Supergoop! CC Cream. I really like it for light days, but I think I'll really start wearing the hell out of it once warmer weather hits.

November Monthly Favorites

I feel like my favorites this month consists of mostly cheek products and skincare. There's also a few repeats from previous months. This month also flew by and I think that's because I posted my favorites so late last month.

ElishaCoy Vita Capsule Cleanser - I love using this with my Clarisonic. You can see from the way the sun is shining through the bottle that it's almost gone. I really like this cleanser. It was one of my first cleansers I ordered when I starting using Korean beauty and skin care products.

Mizon Snail Repair Intensive Ampoule - My skin starts getting drier when it gets cold out, so I make sure to add an ampoule to my day and night routine. This is between a liquid and a gel that is similar to like an argan oil meant for your face. I just pat it into my face and it absorbs quickly. I really like this one, but I have a different one coming in the mail to replace this one when it runs out.

Secret Key Multi Cell Night Repair Ampoule - This is my night ampoule. I really like this, but it pales in comparison to my Missha ampoule that I'm going to start using again when I finish this one. I just like that it leaves my skin feeling moisturized at night after using it. 

Indie Lee Brightening Cleanser - I got this in my Ipsy bag last month and it's basically the only thing I've used from that bag. I really liked using this in the morning because it made my skin tingle. I wouldn't buy it though because I'm sure it's pricey. It was nice while it lasted though.

Nature Republic Herb Dressing Gold Honey Cleansing Cream - I usually stop using makeup wipes in the winter because I need the extra moisture. This is basically a cold cream where your makeup dissolves but it leaves it feeling moisturized.

Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer - I somehow overlooked this last month. This is the only face primer that I've used for the last two months. I really love this and I'm sorry I didn't jump on the bandwagon sooner.

MAC Face and Body Foundation in N1 - I think you're tired of reading about how much I love this foundation. I've already repurchased because I'm almost out. I haven't been using anything else, but I just started mixing in my Supergoop! CC Cream.

Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Dark Circle Eraser - This is another product that keeps going strong! I tried to use other concealers under my eyes, but nothing compared. I'm addicted.

Beauty Blender Sponge - I'm a convert. I love this sponge so much more than I ever liked my Real Techniques one. This is just perfect and the only way I apply my foundation now. I can ever get past the price because I bought two of the pairs for 20% and I'll probably get the mini ones with my Sephora gift card.

Innisfree No-Sebum Mineral Powder - This is the only translucent powder I've used to set my makeup and I hadn't realized how much I loved it until it was almost gone. Now I have to use something else while I wait for another container of this to come from Korea.

Bath & Body Works Triple Moisture Body Cream in Pumpkin Latte & Marshmallow - I jumped on the pumpkin train late, so I'm really glad to have picked this up. I wasn't even going to buy lotion when I went to get some fall candles. I use this at night mostly because the tube is too big to carry around. I'd even consider buying other scents in this formula.

MAC Studio Sculpt Powder in Light - Still loving this to initially set my makeup so my foundation doesn't move around under my blush and bronzer. It just looks so natural. If I'm not doing a full face, I just set my foundation with this and I'm good to go.

Noir Eyeliner in Black - This is just perfect and I love it. Best black eyeliner I've ever used! Enough said.

Make Up For Ever Smoky Extravagant Mascara - I wanted to hate this mascara. The brush is huge and I'm sure it costs $35 for a full tube. Probably not that much, but close. I don't even want to look it up. But I love this mascara. And I hate that I love it because...it's expensive.

Darac Beauty Sifted Blur Complexion Perfector - It took me a little while to like this powder, but now I use it all the time. I mainly use this powder to blend out my blush and contour because it's a very finely milled powder that doesn't seem to add any extra color.

NARS Ita Kabuki Brush - This brush seriously changed my makeup life. No matter what brush I used, I could never contour. The NARS Ita makes it so easy to contour that I can't imagine not having this brush. I'm glad I got it for a discount because I definitely don't think anyone should pay $55 for a brush. 

Vincent Longo La Riviera Sun Face and Body Bronzer in Beauty Sin - This has really been the only bronzer I've been using all over my face. I don't think contouring is for an every day face, so when it's early I just bronze up my face with this because it isn't super dark.

Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush in Achiote - I didn't think I was going to get much use out of this blush because I thought it was a summer color, but I was wrong. I found myself reaching for this blush almost as much as my NARS palettes this month.

Benefit Hoola Bronzer - I've been using this to contour a lot, but I noticed that it was really patchy on me today and I had to do some clean up before leaving the house. I guess you could say I have a love hate relationship with this bronzer because it makes my contour look really nice...but only on one side of my face.

Deep Throat (top) Final Cut (bottom) Laguna (Right)

NARS Blushes in Deep Throat and Final Cut: I've been reaching for this palette a lot this month too, and these are the two blushes that have gotten the most use. Deep Throat is also in another NARS palette that I use and I know I've dipped into that one as well.

NARS Laguna Bronzer - When I wasn't using Hoola to contour, I was using Laguna. The main reason I even bought this palette was for the jumbo size of Laguna, even though I already had two smaller Lagunas in other palettes.

Albatross

Devotee

Hungry Heart Duo II

NARS Highlighters in Albatross, Devotee, and Hungry Heart Duo II - I'm lumping these together as one because I've used them equally for the most part. I'll swatch them all in my NARS palette post because I know they all look similar, but they're different. I think I used Devotee and Albatross the most but mostly because I didn't have Hungry Heart as long as those two.

Orgasm

Angelika

 NARS Blushes in Orgasm and Angelika - My Joie De Vivre palette came with both of these blushes and I received that one first. I thought I was going to hate the sparkle in Angelika, but it's very minor and most of it comes off the brush before application. Orgasm is supposedly a cult favorite and it's a good thing I like it because I have three pans of it thanks to my palette addiction.

I know there are others that I used this month, so I'll just lump NARS blushes into a category of their own. 

Empties | September 2014!

So apparently I have a ton of empties for the month and had no idea? Let me get right into it, because I have a lot to talk about!

Whish Shave Crave Shaving Cream
I'll spare you a third raving about this from me. I said it in my favorites, I said it in my Birchbox unboxing for the month... it's great. I love it. I have a backup. I will continue to love it forever.

MAC Zoom Lash Mascara (Sample)
Reggie gave me a sample of this years ago, and I remember loving it, so I purchased one off Yerdle for 50 credits and $2 shipping. Thank God, because this mascara ended up being the WORST. It's because it was made in 2008 and was probably used before. The person swindled me, and I've learned my lesson about mascaras without checking up on the person's reputability first. I'm just glad my red, itchy, watery eyes are no more.

Davines OI Shampoo (Sample - Not pictured)
The shampoo worked okay. It made my hair feel clean. I don't have much to say about it other than "it was a shampoo", so I probably won't repurchase.

Davines OI Conditioner (Sample - not pictured)
The conditioner did make my hair feel very soft. However, the full size of this product is too rich for my blood. Thanks but no thanks. The sample packet gave me three good uses, and I will remember them fondly.

La Fresh Oil Free Makeup Remover Wipes (Sample)
These worked well on everything except waterproof mascara and eyeliner. Granted, I guess that's the purpose of waterproof mascara and eyeliner. But, I wiped my face down with these and it got all of my foundation, eyeshadow, lipstick, etc off. When I would look at a cloth after using it, it was filthy. So again, it did its job. Was I blown away by these? Not really. Would I repurchase? I'd consider it. I'm sure there's a comparable brand out there. Makeup wipes aren't something I've found a Holy Grail Brand for yet, so I'll keep an open mind.

K6 Skincare Clean Antioxidant Facial Cleanser (Sample - not pictured)
Things I like about this product: no stinging if it accidentally gets in your eyes. Vegan. Cruelty-free. Doesn't have a crazy smell. Cleans well. Many uses out of the sample. Things I didn't like about this product: pretty much everything else. Honestly, I prefer a cleanser to lather a little bit. Just so I know where I'm cleaning and where I've missed. I also think it was a little drying for my skin. It wasn't anything too crazy, but it was drying. I probably wouldn't repurchase, since I already have two cleansers I love that work great for me.

Fresh Soy Face Cleanser
This is one of two of my go-to cleansers. It lathers well, makes my face feel moisturized and clean, and doesn't get stingy all up in my eyeballs. It cleans my face well and I love using it with my Clarisonic. It's $38, which is really, really steep, but it lasts forever and works so well that I would seriously consider repurchasing.

Bath & Body Works Mango Mandarin Bubble Bath
I decided to take a bubble bath one night and finished this sucker off. It bubbled quite nicely and smelled incredible. It was after a long and stressful day and I was so pleased to just fill the tub up with the mango-y smell and relax. This didn't smell too citrus-y, but just enough to perk up my senses just a little.

Cover Girl Exact Eyelights Mascara
By the end of the day, there was some major flakeage with this product. My mom gets me one of these every Christmas, and I'm always 'meh' about it. What's with the exact eyelights deal? It's just... mascara. Black mascara that doesn't do anything to wow people with my beautiful chocolate brown eyes or anything. It's plain old black mascara and I wasn't blown away by it.

Secret Outlast Gel Antipersperant
I usually prefer gel deodorant, but I prefer the deodorant I got in my VoxBox better when it comes to controlling my sweaty self. I felt clean with this. It did its job wonderfully. I have a backup and would repurchase it. I think maybe it's just a situational use instead of every single day? Maybe when I go to work or class, this will work, but when I take a Pure Barre class, the other one will work? Who knows.

Philosophy Miracle Worker Anti Aging Moisturizer for Blemish Prone Skin (Sample)
This worked really well. It made my skin feel really really soft. I got 3-4 uses out of the tiny package. Would I repurchase? Probably not. It's too expensive for me. But if someone gave it to me as a gift, I'd be incredibly thrilled to use it again.

Makeup Forever Artist Shadow (Sample)
I like this brand a lot from what I was able to try. The shadows stayed on all day and the colors were beautiful. I like that it told me how to apply it to get a pretty look.  I hope I get the opportunity to try more shadows from this brand because I really enjoyed them!

Bikini Zone Anti-Bumps Shave Gel
This stuff paired with the after shave lotion stuff is awesome. I prefer it as opposed to shaving cream or similar for that area. I rarely get bumps when I use this and a really good razor and I would definitely repurchase, since it's a reasonable price and works well.


The ones that weren't pictured were at my boyfriend's place, but believe me, I used them. I had a lot more empties than I thought I did! A lot of products I used up this month were 'meh' products, or products someone had given to me as a gift that I wasn't thrilled with. There were some good ones in there, though, so it will be interesting to see what October has in store in regards to empties!

Sephora Mini Haul + Unboxing!

Boom. Look what I got in the mail! This isn't going to be huge haul. I technically only bought two things, which were holidays sets. 

Here's my unboxed Sephora order! My two holiday sets are underneath all the samples. I also got my birthday gift from Make Up For Ever and a mini Tarte Lights, Camera, Lashes mascara.

Here's a better view of my two holiday sets. This is actually the only picture of the box my Kat Von D lipsticks came in because I opened them immediately.

Ooooh. That Tarte palette! This was seriously the only thing I was going to buy at Sephora, but it was $42 and I needed $50 for free shipping and then I just happened upon those Kat Von D lipsticks...

There are 3 matte colors and 2 shimmery colors. I'll do a full swatchfest of the colors later. Embraced and Bashful, the second and fourth colors, are the shimmery ones and the others are matte. I don't think there's a standout color as one I wouldn't wear. I'm especially loving the look of Breathless and Bashful, as those are the colors I've been reaching for lately.

All nine of my Kat Von D lipsticks! I was super stoked for this mini set because it was $39 and just one of the studded lipsticks are $21. These lipsticks are itty bitty, but I knew that when I ordered them. Of course they weren't going to value pack and price full size tubes. I was kind of surprised at just how small they turned out being, but I'm sure it will still take a long time to finish them.

You can see that the awesome studded tube is shorter than my finger, and I have pretty small hands.

Next is my birthday gift for being a Beauty Insider. I was really excited that it was from MUFE, because I've never tried the brand. 

The mini set includes a sample mascara and a sample lipstick. I can't comment on the performance of either because this is my unboxing and I haven't tried anything yet.

The lipstick is teeny and has the same amount of product as the small Kat Von D lipsticks. I can already tell the color is more of an every day one, but I'm sure I'll get some use out of it.