Finished It!!! Volume 7

It's that time again. I get to throw away the stash of empties that have piled up.

Bath & Body Works Night-Blooming Jasmine Shower Gel - This is a scent that I fell in love with during college, and I still really enjoy it. It isn't part of the permanent line anymore, but it is usually available during the semi-annual sale.

Gud Vanilla Flame Body Wash - The bottle says this scent is a combination of vanilla and rice milk. This is a really good scent for people who don't like their scents to be too sweet. This was a decent body wash, but it was a bit expensive (I think I paid close to $7 for it).

Salon Grafix Conditioning Cleanser - I am declaring this product to be such a staple that I won't be including it in my posts of finished products anymore, just like I'll no longer be including my regular shampoo and conditioner). I love this for those lazy nights when I don't want to mess with two products. I recently saw a person on YouTube say that this product is awful compared to Wen, which I've never tried, so your results may vary.

Giovanni D:tox Purifying Facial Scrub - I've had this for too long. I like it when I first got it, but then I just stopped using it. It's not overly scrubby, so I was able to use it every day when I was using it. One pet peeve of mine though is the packaging. I hate when bottles like this have their labels painted on in such a way that they start flaking off.

Philosophy Amazing Grace Shower Gel - This was a freebie that I got in an Ulta order. I'm not a big fan of the Philosophy perfume scents. For me, Philosophy shower gels are over-priced for what they are, and I'd probably never purchase them unless there was a good sale or value set, and I would stick with their sweet, foody scents.

John Frieda Precision Foam Color Conditioner - I'm going to stop throwing these in too. I like the John Frieda hair color enough that I'm going to stick with it for the time being. The conditioner that comes with it is okay.

 Mary Kay Satin Hands Vanilla Sugar Hand Cream - I got this free through a drawing a long time ago. I enjoyed the scent, but the hand cream itself wasn't anything special. I don't plan on repurchasing.

Palmer's Cocoa Butter Formula with Vitamin E - Another product that I've had around for way too long. I finished it up by using it on my feet and cuticles, but of which are super dry this time of year. I currently have a stick version that I'm using on my cuticles. I don't plan on repurchasing the tub for the time being.

Neutrogena Visibly Even Daily Moisturizer SPF 30 - This was a decent face moisturizer and met my requirement of having an SPF of at least 30. I don't think it helped my skin tone at all though. I'm currently testing out the CeraVe daily moisturizer, so I'm not repurchasing this one.

The Body Shop Peppermint Smoothing Pumice Foot Scrub - The Body Shop had an AMAZING Cyber Monday sale, and I couldn't resist. This little sample was part of a goodie bag that was $30 with any $30 order. It only lasted me about 3-4 uses. It felt nice, but it didn't have a lot of scrub to it, and my feet have pretty hefty calluses, so this didn't really do anything for them. I won't be purchasing a full size.

Sally Hansen Cuticle Oil with Vitamin E - Honestly, I'm guessing on the name of this. I've had this for way too long, so the name has worn off the bottle, and I'm too lazy to check. This was too oily for me, and yes, I do realize that it was an oil. It didn't absorb very quickly, and I've decided that I generally enjoy cuticle creams.

Tarte Pure Maracuja Oil and Josie Maran Argan Oil - I started experimenting with essential oils in my skincare routine a couple of months ago. Since essential oils need a carrier oil, I figured I might as well use the ones already in my stash. I'm really liking the essential oils, but I didn't notice anything special about using these particular oils as the carrier oils. Once my stash runs out (I have a 1 oz bottle of the argan oil and 2 full-sizes of the maracuja oil to work through), I'll be looking for a cheaper alternative.

This is my attempt at clearing out all of my little sample packets. I have a ways to go, but it's definitely a start!

Strivectin-SD Intensive Concentrate for Stretch Marks & Wrinkles - Not nearly enough of a sample to tell if it is effective.

DDF Erase Eye Gel - I felt like this eye gel was masking the problem more than it was attempting to fix the problem. It has dimethicone and mica in it, so it feels like a primer and has a slightly shimmery, yellow tint to it. I wasn't a fan.

Josie Maran Argan Oil Hair Serum - This felt nice and didn't leave my hair feeling greasy.

Philosophy Purity Made Simple - I had been wanting to try this because so many people love it, so I was excited to finally have a sample to try. I think it was causing my skin to break out. I'm not positive on that, but it did push me over the edge to commit to my current face washes and stop trying out new ones. I'm happy with what I have (Silk Naturals Kiss Cleanser and Mario Badescu's Acne Facial Cleanser). It works, so I'm not going to mess with it anymore.

DHC Deep Cleansing Oil - This didn't do a very good job of removing my eye makeup, which surprised me.

Silk Naturals Cucumber & Rhassoul Clay Mask - This came as an extra in a Mystery Adventure Club package a long time ago (MAC was a program where you got a package with all of the gift with purchase shades for that given month along with some sort of fun extra). Silk Naturals masks come in powder form, and you mix in the liquid, typically water. I was feeling adventurous, and I used witch hazel with this. I liked it, but it has never been released for sale, so I couldn't get it. I also have several other face masks to use up.

Jergens Daily Moisture Dry Skin Moisturizer - It's a lotion. It felt okay. I have a ton of lotion in my stash.

Asian Cream Cleanser - I have no idea what the brand is. This was part of my Secret Santa package. It burned my eyes a bit.

Hanfang Anti-oxidizing Mask - This was a sheet mask, and I couldn't deal with leaving the sheet on my face. The eye holes weren't quite large enough, and it would have driven me nuts. Instead, I just got as much of the liquid on my face as I could (which was actually quite a bit) and used it that way. I don't think I will be picking up more sheet masks.

I took these shampoo and conditioner packets with me while traveling over the holidays. None of them were anything special.

Kiss My Face Vanilla Honey SPF 15 Lip Balm - I think this is the last Kiss My Face balm in my stash. I like them. This felt kind of goopy by the end, and I've had it so long, I don't remember if it always felt that way. It wasn't totally off-putting though. I just dabbed it onto my lips instead of swiping it on. I might eventually buy more of these.

C.O. Bigelow Lemon & Black Cherry Lip Balm - I bought this back when they were on clearance at Bath & Body Works. It wasn't until after I bought it that I realized it contains shea butter, which causes my lips to crack. I used it some on my lips, but not much. Instead, I used it on my cuticles to get rid of it.

Badger Pink Grapefruit Lip Balm - I like the Badger lip balms. I just wish they had an SPF.

Buxom Lipstick in Amsterdam - I got this in the Sephora Give Me Some Lip set from a couple of years ago. The color was a bit too brown for my taste. I'm also not a big fan of lipstick. I won't be purchasing any of these.

Boyfriend Perfume Sample - I like this perfume, and almost more importantly, my fiance likes it. I might eventually buy this perfume, probably in roller ball form.

Subversive Apothecary Serum - This was a freebie sample that I got a long time ago. This is supposed to be an amazing anti-aging serum, and a full size of the serum is really expensive. I've been using essential oils (with a carrier oil, obviously), and I just decided to pour this into the mix to get rid of the sample vial.

Tarte Gifted Mascara - I've mentioned on here several times that I'm not a fan of Tarte's Lights, Cameras, Lashes mascara. It flakes on me. I didn't have high hopes for this one either, but I got it with a QVC kit, so I figured I would give it a try. I really liked it. It worked much better than the LCL mascara. I used it for 3 months, so it's time for this one to go away.

Tarte Smooth Operator Finishing Powder - This is such a fine powder that a cloud of dust kicked up every single time I used it. It didn't help that the sifter came off and dumped all of it into my swirling bowl. I ended up mixing in my Meow mineral foundation hoping to minimize the dust cloud. It didn't help much. I'll be getting a full size in a QVC kit in February, and I may try it again to see if I can get it to work. At this point, I wouldn't be purchasing more of this if it wasn't part of a kit.

Tarte Clean Slate Primer - I don't know if you can see, but there is a lot of product still left in this tube. This is the old packaging, and I have not verified if the current Clean Slate Primer is the exact same formula or not. Either way, this packaging was horrible. It made it really hard to get product out, and I've just given up. I know I could cut the tube open, but I don't really like that idea. I read a blog post (I think) a long time ago where a woman explained that she doesn't cut open her Urban Decay Primer Potion tubes (obviously the old style packaging of that) because tiny fragments of the plastic would end up in the product. I'd rather not be rubbing jagged plastic fragments all over my face.

Silk Naturals Sleep in a Jar Light Peach - I think this is the third time this product has shown up in a finished products post. I use it every day. I love it. It's HG for me. Enough said.

That's it for now. I'm really happy with the fact that I was able to use up a bunch of samples and things that I've had for way too long. Hooray for reducing beauty product clutter!

Finished it!!! Volume 5

I was hoping to get a couple more review posts up before posting another post about finished products, but I have a lot of stuff compiled, and I'd like to throw it all away. Here's what I've gone through (in no particular order):

Garnier Fructis Color Shield Shampoo and Conditioner samples - I got these as part of a Target Beauty Bag. I can't stray from my Nature's Gate Tea Tree Shampoo for long or else my scalp starts flaking, so I would never have considered buying the shampoo in full size. The conditioner did a nice job detangling my hair, which is the primary thing I have to look for in a conditioner, but I have other conditioners that I like better, so I will not be purchasing a full size of this either.

Pond's Original and Evening Soothe Wet Cleansing Towelettes - I've mentioned before that I primarily use makeup wipes for removing swatches from my hands and removing makeup before using a face mask. I only use it as my sole means of washing my face once in a blue moon when I am completely and utterly exhausted. Therefore, I'm not overly particular about these. These did well at the jobs I use them for, but I already have other wipes to use up, so I won't be repurchasing in the near future.

Bodycology Brown Sugar Vanilla Body Mist - Body sprays always sound like a good idea, but I don't use them as much as I should. I've had this one for way too long. I finished it up by using several spritzes before bed each night. I won't be repurchasing.

Burt's Bees Beeswax Lip Balm - It has been so long since I used this balm on my lips, I honestly don't remember if I liked the texture or not. I think I did. The problem was, I swear I found an eyelash that wasn't mine stuck inside the balm. Ewww! After that, I stuck to using this on my cuticles to use it up. I have a bunch of other lip balms to use before I purchase any more.

Simply Lip Balms in Vanilla Mint and Pomegranate - I found these balms at Walgreens over the summer for around $1 each. I bought a few, tried one out for the day, and bought a bunch more the next day. I love that they have SPF 15. They have a smooth texture and don't feel heavy on the lips. My only real complaint is that they melt easier than any other lip balm I've owned. I had one in my pocket a few weeks ago on a warm (but not hot) day, and I had to move it to my purse because it got too soft to use. I don't have easy access to purchase these, but I would probably repurchase more if I happen to see them.

Bath & Body Works Country Chic Supercharged Body Scrub and Cream Body Wash - Both of these were a Christmas gift. I like the scent, and I started to like it more as I continued to use these, but it isn't my favorite. I liked the body scrub because it's a sugar scrub in a body wash base, so it wasn't an extra step. I was even able to use it to shave. The creamy body wash gave a nice lather, so I liked it too. Since I am finally getting close to the end of my stash of body washes and soaps, I may stock up at the January B&BW semiannual sale. I would buy both products again (in a different scent) if they had a good sale on them.

Giovanni Exfoliating Body Bar in Cool Mint Lemonade - I got this in a Meg's Makeup package over a year ago. The mint part of the scent was really subtle. I probably wouldn't have identified that there was mint in it if it wasn't written on the box. The overall scent also wasn't very strong. According to the box, crushed mint leaves and purified salt granules are what make this an exfoliating bar, but this doesn't provide a very strong exfoliation. Overall, this was a decent bar soap, but it wasn't anything special. I prefer body washes anyway, so I don't plan to purchase any more.

Physicians Formula Healthy Wear SPF 50 Powder Foundation in Translucent Light - I picked up three of these when they were 75% off at CVS. It is too dark for my winter complexion, but it became my go-to summer foundation. It gave enough coverage without feeling heavy, and it was quick to apply. I was a little dismayed to notice that if I was outside in the heat and sweating for an extended period of time, my face started to feel gritty. Not pleasant. It's also unfortunate that this product is no longer being sold in stores; it can only be purchased online. I still have two more, and I haven't decided if I like it enough to order more when I run out, which won't be until sometime next summer.

Maybelline Dream Lumi Touch Concealer in Radiant - This is a sheer to medium coverage concealer that I've already reviewed here. I liked this, but it wasn't a Holy Grail find for me, so I'm going to keep looking for something better.

Meow Sleek Siamese Concealer sample - If you aren't familiar with Meow cosmetics, their shades are classified by a breed (undertone) and an adjective (depth). Sleek is the second lightest shade. I typically wear Inquisitive, the lightest shade. This originally came in a sample baggie, and I decanted it into a jar. This works okay for me during the winter months, and it worked really well for me this summer. I really like this mineral concealer in general, and I already have a full size of my regular shade. I might need to repurchase samples of this shade next summer because my regular shade becomes too light. I would only get samples though because the samples alone last a really long time.

Silk Naturals Chocolate Cream Cuticle Balm - This cuticle balm had cocoa butter in it, which gave it a light chocolatey scent, which I loved. The texture in the pan went off slightly not long after I got it. The ingredients separated slightly, so it had more solid beads of product in a more oily, but still solid, base. It didn't affect the performance of the product though. It took a little bit of time for the product to soak into my cuticles, so I preferred using this while watching TV in the evening. It is currently not being sold on Silk Naturals website, so I don't have the option to repurchase.

DKNY Be Delicious perfume sample - I love the tart apple scent of this perfume. I recently bought a double-ended roller ball with this perfume and Be Delicious Fresh Blossom at Ulta. I also have two sample sets of Be Delicious NYC, London, Paris, and Rio.

Tarte Maracuja C-Brighter Eye Treatment - This was a preview item sent in a QVC set of Tarte items. It was a nice eye cream, and I enjoyed using it. This product hasn't been released yet, but I have a feeling a full size is going to cost more than I'll be willing to spend on it.

Wet n Wild Brulee Eye Shadow - I would consider this my Holy Grail browbone shade. I love that it is matte. It does a wonderful job of evening out my browbone and blending out the edges of my crease color. I already have a new one of these waiting in the wings. I'm trying to use up two shadows that are very similar in shade to this one though before I open the new one.

Nature's Gate Conditioners in Jojoba and Biotin - I love Nature's Gate hair products. I've used the Pomegranate Sunflower conditioner for a long time now. The last time I stocked up, I purchased a few other kinds to try. I didn't love the jojoba conditioner. It didn't detangle my hair as well as the others, so I won't be repurchasing it. I LOVED the biotin version though. It felt tingly on the scalp, which was a bit strange at first, but once I got used to it, I liked it. I'm also wondering if this conditioner is part of the reason why my hair has gotten back a lot of natural volume that it had lost until recently. I ordered more conditioner yesterday from drugstore.com, and I threw in two bottles of this type along with a couple of other types that I like.

Salon Grafix Conditioning Cleanser in Citrus Creme - This is my second bottle of this product. I love it. I can't use it all the time because my scalp will start to flake, but it is great for those lazy nights when I don't want to deal with shampoo and conditioner. I just put this on at the beginning of my shower and rinse it off after I've finished everything else. I haven't repurchased it yet, but I will be in the near future.

Organix Moroccan Curling Perfection Defining Cream - This is a nice cream to add a little bit of definition to the natural curl/wave that I have in my hair. It doesn't make my hair stiff at all. I already have a new bottle.

TRESemme Split Remedy Shampoo - This was another sample from a Target Beauty Bag. I honestly didn't noticed if it helped hide split ends. As I mentioned with the Garnier shampoo, I'm sticking to my Nature's Gate Tea Tree shampoo.

Neutrogena Ageless Restoratives Anti-Oxidant Moisture Night - I uncovered this in my skincare drawer recently. I had completely forgotten that I had it. The tube was almost gone, so I pulled it back out to use it up. I didn't notice anything special about it. I have other things that I'm trying to use up and other products that I want to try. I don't plan on repurchasing.

Neutrogena Rapid Wrinkle Repair Moisturizer Night - I've used up two of these. I love the fact that this has retinol in it. As I just mentioned, I'm using up some other things in my stash, and I plan on testing out other products. I don't plan on repurchasing this for the time being.

Philosophy Hope in a Jar - I got this in a Sephora 500-point perk. I would prefer trying the oil-free version since I have oily skin. This worked okay, and it didn't break me out, but I didn't notice anything special enough to pay for a full size. If I got more of this in a skincare set or as a sample, I would use them though.

Garden of Wisdom Fruit Hydrating Mist in Peach - A makeup forum that I participate in had a traveling box of beauty products this summer. A group of generous ladies donated a bunch of products to get the box going, and it got passed from person to person. When you got the box, you got to choose was you wanted to remove from the box, and you had to replace those items with items comparable in price. This was one of the items that I took out. I used it as a face mist for after I applied my makeup in order to get rid of the powdery face look. It worked for that, but I'll stick with the rose water and setting spray that I have in the future.

That's it for now. I was really happy to finish up several makeup items lately. I was particularly happy to finish off the Physicians Formula powder foundation and the two concealer products. I have too many foundations, concealers, and powders in my collection, so it was nice to get rid of a couple of them.

Have you finished up anything recently?

My Current Skincare Routine - Evening

This is part two on my skincare routine,which will cover my evening routine. You can read about my morning routine here, but for a quick recap about my skin, I have oily, acne-prone skin.

Evening Routine:

Confession: I'm lazy. I know I should probably remove the bulk on my eye makeup with an eye makeup remover before I wash my face, but I don't. Instead. I wait and wash my face in the shower. I remove what remains with an eye makeup remover after I get out of the shower and I'm sporting what my fiance and I fondly refer to as my Courtney Love look.

For a while now, I've been using a backlog of facial cleansers that I'd accumulated. The backlog is nearly gone, and I plan on going back to using Silk Natural's Kiss Foaming Cleanser with their foaming bottle. I talk more about this cleanser in my morning routine post, so I don't plan to repeat myself here. Instead, I will mention that this cleanser does a pretty good job at removing makeup. I may have to take care of some waterproof eye makeup (particularly eye liner) after my shower, but it removes everything else easily.

After I get out of the shower and make sure that all of my eye makeup is gone, I use my eye cream. Just like with my morning routine, I apply my eye cream before my acne treatment because I don't want to have to wash my hands between my acne treatment and my eye cream to prevent getting said acne treatment in my eyes (remember, I'm lazy). As mentioned, my eye cream will be changing after my current one is gone. It is primarily in the picture above to signify that I use an eye cream. I'm looking for recommendations if you have any.

My evening acne treatment is Neutrogena's On-the-Spot Acne Treatment 2.5% benzoyl peroxide. I would love to cut benzoyl peroxide out of my routine. I tried to cut it out a few years ago, but my skin freaked out, and I stuck it back in. I'm glad that I've gotten down to only using it at night though. I've read that 2.5% is really all you need for treatment, and a higher concentration can have the tendency to irritate skin. This BP cream is the only one I can find in the drugstore with this low of a concentration, so I stick with it.

My night moisturizer is relatively new too. I picked up the Neutrogena Rapid Wrinkle Repair Moisturizer - Night back in the fall because I wanted to add retinol into my routine. Retinol is, of course, a good anti-aging ingredient, and I've read that it can be good for acne as well. If you haven't used it before though, take it slow. When I first got it, after a few night my skin was burning slightly because retinol is strong stuff. I stopped using it for a few days, and then I started using it every other night for a week or two. After my skin adjusted, I was able to start using it every night. I haven't noticed any major differences in my skin, but I know that retinol is good for it, so I plan on sticking with this for the time being.

Extras:

I regularly use an exfoliator on my skin when I'm in the shower. I LOVE Kate Somerville's ExfoliKate, but it is expensive, so I've been using this sparingly since I got it over the summer. The .5 oz size retails for $19. I have a feeling I will end up repurchasing when I run out though. It's a strong exfoliator, so I typically only use this about once a week. Other days, I might grab for the Giovanni D:Tox Purifying Facial Scrub. This is intended to be used daily, and I do use it most days. It is likely this I will pick this one up again as well.

Face Masks

I don't use face masks regularly, but I have a bunch on hand. I don't love any of them. When I do use them, I use a makeup remover wipe to get the bulk of my makeup off, put on the mask, let it sit for the required amount of time, and then remove it in the shower. I like doing it this way because it is easier to get the entire mask off in the shower. I hate having little green flecks left on my skin from a mask that I used.

What are your must have skincare items? Are there any that you feel are good enough to splurge on (like ExfoliKate)?