Good afternoon my darlings. It is another hot one today and to be completely honest, I am feeling a bit lethargic. I woke up all right this morning, but then I started my day by walking outside and making sure the plants were watered before the sun was high enough to cause all of the moisture to evaporate. It was already hot and after coming in from the heat, i just didn’t feel like doing much.
Don’t get me wrong, I still had a lot to do, I just wanted to get it done nice and slowly. So there was no yoga or exercise of any sort today. I’m going to try to convince myself that late afternoon yoga is the thing but I’m not sure how successful I will be. I think part of it is that to keep the temps in the house down, I’ve closed the blinds on the sunny side of the house and pulled the curtains so half of the house is shadowed. As the sun moves overhead i’ll switch it up and open the closed blinds and close the currently open ones. That way the house gets sunlight but doesn’t overheat and force the systems to work harder than they need to.
It does make the house feel as though it is late evening and that i ought to just call it a day though. But as it looks like this is going to be par for course this summer, I need to work through the feeling. I still think today is mostly a desk day.
And since I am working on my own today with no calls of meetings, I decided to test the loose metallic shadow from Lottie London. I figured a day where it didn’t matter if i looked like I was in a fight with Tinkerbelle would be the best time to test it out. But I am jumping ahead of myself.
Okay the first thing that you may notice is that this list looks nearly identical to yesterday’s list. The reason is the primer. I wanted to compare the liquid silk canvas primer from Tatcha to their balm silk canvas primer so I went with the exact same face products as yesterday. It’s also why yesterday I chose face products I really like to use. I figured it would be easier to use two days in a row if I liked them.
So today I used my sample of the Liquid silk Canvas Primer from Tatcha. The original is one of my favorites so I was curious as to how it differed. It was really interesting actually. The liquid silk has a more liquid consistency than the solid balm as one would expect, but it is the same color. The fragrance is the same but it is slightly lighter so if scents bother you, that might be an element in the plus column. The liquid smoothed on well and blended in easily. It melted into the skin in much the same fashion as the original. It did need a moment longer to dry down and settle in before applying my foundation. It was also slightly stickier, so if you are looking for something to grip your makeup a little more securely, this again might be something to look into. While I think of the original as pore filling and blurring, this one I think might add more of a makeup gripping quality to it. the sample packet I have that came with my last order only had enough for one application. I might have been able to stretch it to two, but it is a foil packet so things can dry out and change. Given the one use, I think I would want to at least try a travel size of this primer. I really enjoyed this one use and would like to try it for a longer time. I don’t know if it will ever replace the original in my affections, but I am willing to give it a fair go.
I did use the last of the Tatcha powder sample today as well and I know that I am picking that up soon. It was a really good powder that didn’t look powdery and felt amazing on.
With everything else the same as before, it is now all about the eyeshadow. I used the reddish KVD single shadow as a base of color and then topped it with the gold to see how the gold works. when I used the brush I had flecks fall out and brushing them away just caused little gold streaks. So I applied with my finger. This worked well for application, but I think my finger was a little too large. I think tomorrow I may try a damp cotton swab instead. The bristles, whether dry or damp just scatter too much, I think something solid like a cotton swab would do better. So I’ll see tomorrow. Aside from the brush fall out, the pigment is doing a really good job staying where I put it. Thus far there isn’t any afternoon fall out. I’ll be double checking when i wash my face for bedtime tonight, but if it isn’t dribbling down my nose later, then I may try it out again tomorrow with the cotton swab (I have one meeting so if it dribbles I’ll wait until Thursday to try it.) Thus far, this loose pigment is impressive. I really like the shade so I hope it stays that way.
As for me, lethargy may have stopped the workout, but paperwork waits for no one. And so it is back to work for me. Have a great afternoon everyone. And stay hydrated.
Good afternoon my darlings. it is a hot one today. And I don’t mean summer is actually arriving. This year it seems we have skipped the early part of the summer and just umped headlong into the brutality of late summer. Each morning when I wake up I look at the weather. At this time of year it is kind of important for the garden. There always comes a point in the summer where i need to switch from watering just at sundown, to watering at sundown and then first thing in the morning before the sun really gets going so the plants can absorb the water before it evaporates.
Usually that point arrives mid July. This year, I had to water this morning. This is the earliest I have ever had to do a morning watering in the summertime since we’ve lived here. It was already eighty degrees at 7 am and the exclamation point near the weather report promised the heat index would be in the triple digits. Checking my garden records for last year we hit triple digits for the first time July 8th last year. I got up a little early today so that I could walk before the heat hit, but ended up using that extra time to water so there will be no walking today, just indoor workouts.
Which is fine. Not what I planned but fine. I am well stocked with indoor fitness gear so I should be able to keep moving forward on my fitness journey. I just won’t be doing it outside. I’m just sort of amazed that the first heat wave hit this early in the summer. I imagine it is going to lead to a longer and more violent hurricane season further south this year. (I spent quite a few years living in Louisiana and hurricane season sort of sticks with you even when you leave). For now I think it is going to be a balancing act keeping my vegetables and tender herbs from scorching in the sun. We are about to get our first paprika peppers for drying and I have a spate of carrots just now rising. This year I planted a variety called Parisian and they grow into small round carrots. I’m kind of excited about them. So right now it is one eye on the heat index and another on the garden. And fingers crossed that I can keep everything from shriveling up in the sun.
I’m actually quite pleased with the way things turned out today. While the Tatcha silk primer is one of my absolute favorite primers (and I noticed I am starting to hit pan in the center of it today which means a reorder is in sight) I chose it specifically because I wanted to try the sample of the Liquid Silk Canvas I received with my last Tatcha order (I am loving the Kissu Mask, btw). I thought I would try the original and then tomorrow open up the sample. That way I can do a close compare. Plus since I will need to reorder primer soon from Tatcha I can see if I want to go with my favorite or try the liquid. I think that one may be offered in the Travel sized products to try out so I may do that instead of the full sized one right off the bat. Of course that is if i like it in the first place. Which I won’t know until I try it out tomorrow. But I used the original today and loved it like I always do. It works well and the scent just makes me feel special too.
What can I say, I am a scent oriented person.
The Pretty Vulgar is also working well. The amount of product is low in the bottle and this is the perfect time of year for this shade so it will be in rotation often in the next few months.
The Trestique is one of my go to products and I will always reach for it if I don’t have something else in mind. I do need to set it to the side and rotate through my bronzers, if only to adjust the location so my summer wear ones are closer to the front of the drawer.
You know I love the Benefit Gold Rush. It too is starting to show pan. I am always surprised when this happens as the Benefit blushes last forever. But Benefit just released new blushes so maybe it is time to try a new shade or two. this one will be hard to beat though. It is just the right tone for me and I really enjoy it. However nothing lasts forever so new things must be tried.
Speaking of new things I am still using the sample of the Tatcha powder that came in with my last order. It is fantastic. Very fine milled and silk soft on the skin. And it doesn’t look powdery. while I love loose powder I have several loose powders to get through at the moment. I am limited on the pressed powder though and really wish this came in a pressed format as it would be amazing to have a compact in my purse at this time of year. With this heat a reliable compact is essential for not sweating through the makeup. I don’t care what products you are using, ten minutes outside and when you reach your location you need to stop by the ladies with a quick pat down with the compact. This powder would be good for that, but alas it is only sold loose.
I love this Lime Crime Palette and I think I am definitely getting the Immortals one. I was debating it, but their shadows are just such a good formula. I just have to do a shadow declutter first. Once I make some space, the new palette will be mine. And since Lime Crime has lowered their prices, it will be mine for less.
The ABH mascara worked fantastically well as always. I enjoy it more with each use and will be picking it up again. I just have to work through my mascara stock pile first. That’s another thing i need to take inventory of soon.
I am the first to admit that I forget about brows a lot. It’s the bangs. Most of the time they cover my eyebrows so I don’t worry. But I do have several brow products and i am going to be rotating through them to see which ones I am keeping, which ones I am letting go of and which ones I want to order again. This Marcelle is a keeper and a reordering product. I love the fine point and the fact that the product is soft enough to apply without warming up but not too soft so it doesn’t smear everywhere like a warm crayon. It is a very good brow product and I love both the shade and the fine point.
And then there is the lips. I had not tried TYS Beauty before but this was in my May bag from IPSY. I do love lip plumpers so I thought i’d give it a go. This is a nice gloss, not too sticky. It smells very peppermint-y and for the first 20 minutes it is very tingly. There is also an almost holographic sheen to it which I like. For as intense as the stinging is, there is only mild lip plumping. Given the intensity of the sting I thought for sure there would be massive results. There aren’t but it is a nice basic lip plumper and a good gloss. I will continue using it, but I might not reorder it. I am glad to hear about a new brand though, so that is nice.
And that was me today. Overall I am very pleased with how things turned out.
Admittedly with the heat set to melt skin off my bones and no video calls scheduled today it is just you and me that get to see it, but I’m okay with that. But now it is back to work for me. I hope your Monday glides through with no complications. And remember, if you go outside, drink lots of water.
Last month I completely spaced on doing a review of the empties in my bin so there is a lot to go through this month. Most of these items had full posts listed on my site so if you want more fulsome details I hope you check them out. This is just a rundown of the products I used up, along with a few notes about what I think of them now that they are gone.
The products all laid out
Item number one is the Marc Jacobs Youthquake. I had high hopes for this one. It smelled nice and in general I like Marc Jacobs’ products. This however felt very heavy on the skin and was far too moisturizing for me to take.
I could use it as a night cream but not during the day. To use it up I ended up using it at night (and to be honest, also on my elbows which tend to get really dry in the winter). It was fine at night (and my elbows loved it) but it was too heavy during the day. I will not be repurchasing it. I will be reusing the very pretty jar somewhere though.
The PureHeals Pore Clear Black Charcoal peel off mask is also not going to make it to my repurchase list. While I like the mud masks that PureHeals makes (and will order those repeatedly) this mask was not for me. It never did anything for my skin that I could tell and it hurt to peel it off. If a peel off mask is going to hurt then I want to see some results. After all the Hey Honey Take off The Drama mask hurt like the dickens but my skin was fabulous afterwards. This just hurt and offered no return. I kept trying and it never got better. So it is good by to the empty and I will not be picking it up again.
the A+ high dose retinoid (L) and ICE Moisturizer (R)
Next up there is a trial size of the Sunday Riley A+ High Dose Retnoid Serum. I enjoyed using this very much and will be picking up a full sized bottle sometime in the near future to try out in my retinol trials. It was very nice and gone far too soon.
I will not miss the Marcelle CC Cream. I finished this small tube up last week and happily added it to the empties bin. While it is a wonderful color corrector, over the course of the day it seeped into the fine lines around my eyes and made me look super tired.
Marcelle Golden Glow CC Cream and Tarte Shape Tape Concealer
Plus, it lives up to the name Golden Glow and made my face very glowy, which is not my thing. And so this too will sadly not be repurchased. I was disappointed as every other Marcelle product I’ve tried has been top notch.
Also disappointing was the Dove Nutritive Solutions for Volume and fullness. While I love Dove products in general and usually have no problems with them, this shampoo and conditioner set just didn’t work for me.
While I don’t normally have a problem with tangles, while using this shampoo and conditioner, I ended up having more tangle problems than usual. I also felt like my hair was slightly dull and getting some build up.
The first few washes were fantastic. But then it just went downhill fast. While I love the brand Dove and will continue to buy other products, this shampoo and conditioner set won’t be one I will repurchase.
I have to say, I am slightly on the fence about the feel renewed Pumpkin Walnut facial cleanser. I never actually thought I’d say that. Because this is not my first tube. It is the scent that always gets me, and if I’m honest, it is the reason I purchase it. I adore the scent and it was a good clean, but it was a rather rough exfoliate when it comes down to it. I believe I used it early in November, maybe even late October. The scent was suitable for the time frame and utterly delicious.
I have tried a couple of other exfoliating scrubs that perform better, even if they don’t smell as yummy. The Olay Regenerist scrub in particular smelled nice and clean and was a much gentler product on the skin. I think this may fall into the category of I’d use it if it ended up coming into my possession but I wouldn’t seek it out. It is a good exfoliator for once or twice a week, I just don’t think I would want to keep it stocked. I just need to find something better with the same scent.
I will be stocking the pixi skintreats Clarity Tonic though. It was a fantastic toner and I had wonderfully clear skin while using it. While I like other pixi toners, I have to say this one thus far is at the top of the list. This doesn’t mean I won’t try other Pixi products, but this one is a definite repurchase.
The Balance me and the Derma E products both worked well, enough but the scent of them both was not one I appreciated nor wanted to face every day. I find it kind of a shame as they were good products. However I know myself and the scents just meant that if I repurchased them in a full size I would slowly stop using them because I couldn’t take the scent.
The Derma E was floral and somewhat cloying while the Balance me smelled a bit like floor cleaner. I just know the product would go to waste if I purchased them. The Whish primer, however, was something altogether different.
Derma E toner and Georgette Klinger Collagen and Elastin Mask
The Whish botanical Primer was a failure as a primer. An Absolute Failure. It did nothing a primer really should be expected to do. It was however pretty good skin care. While this primer won’t be returning any time soon, it worked well enough as skin care that I am going to be looking into the other products from this Whish line that are specifically designed for skin care use. I will not use this as a primer. So it will not be returning, but some of its brand compatriots will. I can’t be upset about trying it though as it did bring Whish to my attention.
Sulwhasoo serum, Whsh Botanical Primer and Goldfaden Needleless Serum
The Tatcha Deep Cleanse will hopefully soon make a return in a full size. I really enjoyed this cleanser. It was one of the few exfoliating cleansers that I have tried that I found I could use on a daily basis with no skin damage.
My skin looked and felt wonderful while using it and I really enjoyed the scent of the cleanser as well. It is lightly floral but with enough of a fruit back note to keep it from being cloying. I was somewhat surprised as I didn’t particularly care for Tatcha’s moisturizers when I tried them. However I can see why this cleanser is one of the brand’s best sellers. It is definitely something I want to repurchase.
Elemis Pro-collagen marine Cream and Tatcha Deep Cleanse
There were four sample sized moisturizers in my bin this time around and I have to say all five of them made my list of products that I would want to reorder in a full sized version.
The Sunday Riley Ice moisturizer is not the most appealingly scented cream. It smells vaguely medicinal. However, it is a thick cream that disappears into the skin and hydrates well. I think as a night cream it would work well for me. It is also one of those products where the product worked well enough that I found I could live with the scent. As I am very scent oriented (in case you hadn’t guessed), that is saying something.
The second sample was the Elemis Pro-Collagen Marine cream. It shouldn’t come as a surprise that I enjoyed it as there are very few products from Elemis that I don’t enjoy. This sample came to me through a Look Fantastic Box and I was happy to get the chance to try it before adding a full size to my try out list.
Surprisingly the fourth is the 111Skin Y Theorem Day Cream. With 111 Skin I am sometimes on the fence with them I like a lot of their products but there are few I fall in love with. Especially after seeing the price. They usually strike me as good, but not quite good enough to justify the price. I don’t mind paying more for a product I think is worth the price. Especially where skincare is concerned.
This is one moisturizer I could easily see myself falling in love with. It claims to be a day cream and that is exactly what it is. I really like a product that stakes a claim on one thing and does it well. I liked it enough that when I looked at the price of the full size I actually found myself thinking it sounded like it was priced correctly.
That was how much I enjoyed the sample. I was very sad when the sample ran out and you can bet that anytime I see a sample of this up for grabs I will be snapping it up. This is one of the few things from 111 Skin that I believe actually earns its price tag.
Another product that earns it’s price, although it is substantially lower in price is the Timeless SkinCare Hyaluronic Acid Serum. I believe a full sized bottle is around $9.95, but trust me, this serum is something I would actually pay twice that for, maybe even three times. During my use of it, I actually saw a reduction in the Great Stress Crack of Mimsy, which is what I call the ever deepening line across my forehead.
While using this, it not only didn’t deepen, but it appeared to be getting shallower. I was sad when it ran out. I have two hyaluronic acid serums to test out from other brands and now that I’ve had a few weeks without this serum, I am going to start a trial of the next sot see how it performs. But right now, Timeless SkinCare has set the standard and it is a pretty high mark to reach. Regardless of future trials, this was an excellent serum offered at an excellent price and it is one that I foresee making several repeated trips to my skin care shelf.
A few products that won’t return? The Sulwhasoo first care Activating serum. Its herbal scent I could get used to if it was an amazing product, but it left my skin sticky and not feeling improved. The Goldfaden, MD Needle-less line corrector will not be returning either. It felt like it was stinging, but beyond the stinging it didn’t do much. In general Goldfaden, MD and I have not had the best history. I have a serum to try from the brand, but thus far everything I have used from the brand has left me saying ‘Thanks, but no thanks. ‘
Sadly the Pa’akai cleansing cream also falls into that category. It cleanses well enough, but the scent is just far too perfume-y for me to take on a twice daily basis. Incidentally, I did use the product up, but there was just enough remaining to coat the back of the bottle where it lay in the empties bin so it looks full. It fooled me too but I opened it and looked inside thinking I might not have finished it out. But oh yeah, it is empty and the perfume scented remains remind me why I am not using it.
I found myself trying to avoid washing my face while using it, and that is not a good thing. There are many steps I could probably skip in a skin care routine should I want to pair it down. Washing my face isn’t one of them. So, it is a good cleanser, but sadly the scent just made it not for me.
Also not for me is the Tarte Shape tape Concealer. It works well as a spot concealer, blending beautifully into my skin and hiding red spots and blemishes. But it settled into the fine lines under my eyes and just made me look haggard. Which is not what I want in a concealer. So I used the last of this little sample size up as a spot corrector. And now it is empty and will not be repurchased. Sadly I used to love the Shape Tape Concealer. I think that as I get a little older, my skin’s needs just change. I have changed not the product. If fine lines aren’t a problem for you then you will still love it. (if you like it now). This was an excellent concealer for me once upon a time, but no more.
Benefit They’re Real Mascara, Wander Beauty Mile High Mascara, Maybelline Color Strike Shadow, wet ‘n wild liquid liner and Revolution’s Fast Base Concealer.
I do have a second concealer in my empties bin this go around and it is the Fast Base Concealer from Revolution. I love this concealer, never had any problems with it settling in my fine lines and will be repurchasing it very soon.
The fact that is it a $3 concealer, if I remember correctly, doesn’t hurt the wallet either. I don’t mind paying a lot for products that work, but good products come in all sorts of price ranges, and this one certainly proves it. The Fast Base will be repurchased.
There are two empty mascaras in my empties bin. One is the Mile High Lashes from Wander Beauty and the other is a sample sized tube of They’re Real from Benefit Cosmetics. While each performed well, to be honest, neither are the products I prefer from the brands. With Wander Beauty I would purchase the Unlashed Volume and Curl Mascara before I would purchase the Mile High Club mascara. With Benefit, I would purchase Bad Gal Bang before I would pick up They’re Real. That isn’t to say that they are not both quality products, but I doubt I would purchase either of them specifically. If going onto their brand pages, other products would draw my attention. So I did like them, and wouldn’t mind using them again, I just know that if shopping, they aren’t the ones I would repurchase.
Also not making my repurchase list was the First Aid Beauty Primer. It is a mattifying yet hydrating primer but my skin isn’t dry enough for the product. If I had skin that was a great deal drier, this would be a different conversation. But alas I don’t. So the First Aid Beauty primer I would not repurchase. If you have really dry skin and are looking for a mattifying primer, you might have better luck than I did with this product.
One primer I will consistently repurchase is the Yensa tone up primer. This is either the second or third tube of this that I have gone through and I absolutely adore it. It mattifies and fills pores really well and my skin reacts really well to it. It makes my top ten favorites list. In fact everything I’ve tried form the Super 8 line from Yensa has been really good in general. I’m actually finishing out a BB cream sample size from the brand this week that I know I am going to have to order in a full size once I’ve whittled down my foundation products.
L to R: Hey Honey Gold Mask, Yensa Primer, Hey Honey CC Cream
The Hey Honey Trick and Treat CC cream is also on my reorder list. It fairly melted into the skin and left me with a beautiful no makeup look that worked really well for daily wear. I adored the formula and will be purchasing a full size in the future.
As far as Hey Honey goes I will also be reordering the Show Your Glow Colloidal Gold and Honey Beauty Mask. I really like how soft and lovely it made my skin feel. The fact that I wandered around the house for fifteen minutes looking like I’d been gilded by a wandering art restorer was kind of fun as well. But the mask was fabulous.
I also want to order a full sized version of the Georgette Klinger Collagen and Elastin Mask (pictured above with Derma E). The sample I tried worked really well on my skin and it is one I would not mind keeping a full size of around. It plumped up my skin and diminished my fine lines after one use. The tube had enough for three uses and I was happy to use it for an entire week of masking. I was however very sad when it was empty. So to the repurchase in a full size list the product goes.
As much as I like Native Deodorant, I have to say the sample size of the holiday scent Sugar Cookie was enough for me. The sample size lasted a little over a month and quite frankly as much as I liked it, I was happy to end the trial. I am still using my Native Deodorant, but it is the Cucumber and Mint.
Like the holidays, it was nice while it lasted, but I was happy to resume the standard once it was done. I could not have taken a full size of this. I am still upset I didn’t pick up the fill size of the Candy Cane Scent, but they didn’t have it at Target (apparently it sold out extremely fast) and I didn’t get around to ordering it in time. That one I probably could have used longer than the Sugar Cookie. Mostly because I adore peppermint.
I still don’t know why spearmint (an inferior to peppermint in my opinion) gets to live on throughout the year, but peppermint, fabulous peppermint is banished to the holidays. Because of this I stock pile products and end up using products decorated for Christmas in June. It isn’t right. Do you know how many bars of Dr. Squatch’s Peppermint soap I have squirrelled away in my linen closet? I don’t either and I’m not counting because it would make me feel bad, but I do now have an absolutely deliciously scented linen closet. But that isn’t the point so I will end my pro-peppermint rant and get back to the empties.
I know this is a behemoth of a post, but there are only two more items and then, my darlings, we are through. The Color Strike Shadow from Maybelline was really hard to work with and had the added effect of not staying long on the lid once I got it to work. While I generally like Maybelline Products, this was not my favorite. I am getting rid of it because trying to make it work nearly drove me bonkers. I’m sure there is product remaining in the tube, but it was so hard to ge out onto the little brush that I couldn’t prove it. It will not be repurchased. I’ll still use Maybelline products, just not this particular product.
And to end on a good note. The wet ‘n wild liquid megaliner eyeliner. It reminded me of how much I really liked liquid eyeliners. It performed magnificently and I was so sad when the product reached the end of its productive life. It went on smoothly and after letting it dry a moment, it stayed put all day without fading. (If you don’t give it a moment to dry it will transfer when you blink because it is a wet liquid. So just give it a second and you are good).
I will repurchase this product and I will continue repurchasing this product. I will also be picking up more liquid eyeliners from different brands in the future. As a side note, the wet ‘n wild liquid eyeliner was the very first eyeliner I learned to apply way back in Junior High. I loved it then and I find it amusing all these years later to find that it is still a great product. So many of the products i used to absolutely adore when I I was first introduced to makeup have either sadly gone away or are kind of amusing to look back on. I find it fun to find one product that still works as good as I thought it did when I first started with makeup.
And with that my darlings we are finally through with two months’ worth of empties. If nothing else this reminds me that I need to remember to do these once a month or suffer the wrath of an overflowing bin and an extraordinarily long post. I nearly forgot about some of the items towards the bottom.
If you stuck with me, thanks for making it to the very end. If you didn’t’, don’t worry, it was a really long haul and I almost gave up midway through myself. I will see you at the end of January with next month’s empties in a much more manageable sized post. I have put it on my nice new calendar so that I will not forget it. I will also be back this afternoon with a perfume review as well, but I am definitely remembering the empties bin each month instead of letting it carry over.
Happy Memorial Day! As with a lot of folks I’ve been sorting, cleaning, experimenting, and using the extra time at home to go through things. Once I started clearing things out, I realized I had a lot of open and partially used travel sized items that I needed to use and clear out so I have been making a concentrated effort to use them up. It is amazing how much space those little items can take up.
Plus I am fairly certain I am not going to be traveling any time soon so I might as well use the products now and then just get new travel items when I do travel. In case you are wondering, that’s also why there are so many travel sized items in this post. I also tend to get sample and travel sized items specifically to try out a formula before committing to a full size. I find it helps with my budget. But enough of an intro, to the products.
We’ll start with two empties from Sol de Janeiro. One is the Brazilian Bum Bum Cream and the other is the Coco Cabana cream. Both are excellent body lotions and in fact the Brazilian Bum Bum cream I have been using to help with the stretch marks that have been appearing as I’ve started losing weight.
I actually have a large container of the Bum Bum cream that I am still using, I just wanted to clear out the two smaller ones. I will definitely be reordering the Bum Bum cream, but I don’t think I will order the Coco Cabana cream. It is a nice cream and I have no problem with the scent, but for some reason I find the formula just a little sticky. After applying it I have to wash my hands. I don’t have to do that with the regular Bum Bum cream. So I will continue to purchase the Bum Bum, but not the Coco Cabana.
Next up we have two empty containers of dry shampoo. Both actually full size. The first is the TRESemme between washes volumizing dry shampoo. While it does have a little bit of a white cast when first sprayed, a quick brush and it is is gone. I also find that the dry shampoos that have just a little white cast to them tend to work better on greasy hair. As long as the white brushes out easily, I am fine with it.
The scent reminds me of a good salon. I’m not entirely certain what that scent is, but that is my best description. Personally, I like the scent. As the name suggests it is a good between washes shampoo. For heavy sweat days I’d still go back to the IGK, but for the day between, this is a really good dry shampoo I would purchase again.
I cannot say the same about the Pearlessence Cherry Blossom Dry Shampoo. It has a slightly sweet scent that could be termed cherry if you were being generous. Smell aside, I was not thrilled by the way this dry shampoo performed. There was a white cast that was a pain to brush out, and it didn’t absorb a lot of the grease.
My hair didn’t look cleaner, like it did with the TRESemme. It also made my head itch a couple of hours after I applied. It. I generally found that shortly after using this , I either needed to use the dry shampoo again to absorb more oil or I just needed to take a shower. This was not a day between dry shampoo, it was a ‘I can’t shower for an hour’ dry shampoo. I will not be buying it again.
I love the argon oil in the eva-nyc. My hair always reacts well to argan oil. And the conditioner smells vaguely like candy. It was not too heavy in my hair and gave it great manageability.
The Bumble and Bumble was an excellent product on days where I was just going to let my air air dry. I could put a little in, let the hair dry naturally and then just run a brush through it, easy peasy. There were no tangles and it didn’t weigh down the hair. I think I am actually going to be repurchasing a full size soon as I really don’t like blow drying my hair in the summer time. I think this could really help me out this year. And yes I know it says for fine hair and I have thick hair, but I tried the one they offer for not fine hair a while back and found it too heavy feeling. This despite the fine hair claim was perfect for me.
Another item I will definitely be ordering again is the Hydro Biotic Recovery sleeping mask from Dr. Brandt. During the winter this year this was my go to night cream whenever I felt like I had any dryness. It wasn’t too heavy, didn’t clog my pores and made my skin feel hydrated and refreshed come morning. I think when the weather turns in the autumn I will purchase another tube to use throughout next winter.
In my empties bin I have three powders, one pressed and two loose. The pressed powder is the ELF Perfect finish HD powder. I will definitely be reordering it in the near future.
It is one of those powders I always keep on hand. What I tend to do is use the ELF translucent powder all winter and then the Rimmel Stay Matte in the summer, just because my skin tone changes with the season and the ELF is a little lighter. I almost always order this as soon as I start to see pan on it, but this year I want to give other products a chance. It is actually killing me to have this empty and know I haven’t reordered it yet. So suffice it to say it is my favorite.
The first of the empty loose powders I have are the translucent Cherry Blossom Matte powder from Pacifica. This I will definitely re order in the future. It worked well on my skin and I personally love the scent of it. It kept my makeup in place and didn’t look powdery on the skin.
The second loose powder is the Becca Hydra Mist Set and Refresh powder. When I first got it I adored it. It worked well on my skin and it had that nifty, feels wet sensation that got everyone so excited. I’ve also had really good luck with Becca powders in the past. I generally keep the pink toned setting powder around because I really like it to add a touch of color to the face when winter has made me pale.
However, the wet feeling didn’t last. Soon it just felt like regular powder. Which is fine. I love using powder and the powder still performed well. I am just a little leery of whatever chemical change happened. The cooling sensation dissipated rapidly so I was always suspicious that the powder went bad. Because of this I think I will stick to other Becca Powders in the future.
Next up is the Wet ‘n Wild photofocus 3-in-1 Primer water in Rose. It is a good affordable setting spray. The Rose scent was a bit much for me, but the spray was nice and it held my makeup in place when I used it. I will probably repurchase this, but I think I would pick a different scent. I would probably go with something like cucumber. The rose was just a bit much. The spray is worth purchasing though.
I have two eyeliners in this bin of empties. They are both black and they both have a felt tip applicator. One is the Eyeko London Skinny eyeliner in black and the other is the Illamasqua liquid eyeliner. I enjoyed both of them and would purchase them both again. Once in place they didn’t budge or smudge and they were smooth in application and easy to use.
Marc Jacobs
Finally we get to the mascaras. I have four travel/sample sized ones that are leaving me. The first is one I am sad to see go. It is the Marc Jacobs Velvet Noir Major Volume Mascara. I love the formula, I love the wand and I love the way it makes my eyelashes look. What more is there to say? It is a fabulous mascara. I had three of the travel sizes and this is this is the last one. I will be getting a full sized version of this one.
Oddly enough, despite the similarities in the applicator wand, I will not be purchasing the Stila Huge Extreme lash mascara. It didn’t work as well as Marc Jacobs and tended to clump. The wand may have been similar, but the formula wasn’t.
Marcelle
I was pleasantly surprised by the Marcelle Curling and Lengthening mascara. It both curled and lengthened. The formula stayed in place without flaking off. It was a very good mascara. I liked the curve of the wand as it enabled me to more effectively reach my lower lashes as well. It is one I would definitely pick up again in a full sized formula.
The Clinique High Impact mascara was also a decent formula. It stayed in place and didn’t flake, but it was nothing extra special. It is a good solid mascara, I just didn’t find it to be a WOW sort of mascara.
Clinique
And finally we have the MAC Extreme Dimension 3D Black Lash mascara. I have to say this is the last of these little tubes I have in my collection. For a while it seemed like they were everywhere. I’d open a drawer and then BAM, MAC mascara. It felt like as soon as I finished one, another would magically appear in my drawer. If there are such things as mascara fairies then I think this is what they leave.
MAC
At least for me anyway. Not that I mind. It is a really good mascara. I enjoyed using it. Once I finished this little tube I went into the drawer and was rather surprised there were no more left. Apparently I am no longer on the mascara fairy’s delivery route. I think now that I have one through all of my samples, I would consider buying a regular sized tube of this mascara. It has a nice wand, although it seems a little longer than many others, but I like the way it applies. The thinness of the wand also allows for application on the lower lashes without making too much of a mess.
So there you have it. We have made it through my empties bin and I have managed to clear out a bunch of partially used products. It makes me feel all virtuous inside. I also now have a list of several products I would like to repurchase and several that I know I don’t need to bring home again. Given the plethora of summer sales, it is a very good time to stock up on products I like. I just have to remember, I’m not allowed to use a new ELF powder until I have at least tried something else.
I know this was a much longer post than usual, so for those of you who made it to the end, congrats and thanks for sticking with me. Now that I am doing my weekly makeup bag post, it should help keep the length of the empty posts down in the future (should you want me to continue them). Happy Memorial Day everyone. I hope you are having a great one .
Should anyone be interested in doing a little shopping over the Memorial day weekend, there are heaps of sales going on. One that I will be taking advantage of is the sale on the Look Fantastic site. I know normally you think of their subscription box, but they do sell products and they are having some pretty good sales. It might be worth a look to scoop up some of your favorite brands while saving a little. (personally I am all over the Molton Brown Shower Gel – The Rhubarb line is really hard to find where I live.) Anyway, it is linked below for those interested.
Ms. Mimsy Reviews 