It's Empties time! I have been collecting my trash for the last month and a half so I could give you my complete thoughts and feelings on the products I've been using. In my big bag of empties I have a little bit of everything: beauty, skin care, hair care, and lots and lots of candles.
I have quite a bit of beauty products to talk about today. 1. Smashbox Suntan Matte Bronzer: I pulled this out to use during my September No Buy, but had to throw it out because when I applied it to my face it just wasn't applying like it used to. I've had it for forever and forgot about it, so I believe it has lived past it's use date and has expired. 2.Urban Decay Eyeshadow in Twice Baked: Like the Smashbox bronzer, this is also a product that I forgot about and is old and has expired. This is one of my favorite eyeshadow shades ever; this color is the perfect shimmery brown for me. I definitely want to repurchase it. 3. Anastasia Tinted Brow Gel: This is something that I will not be repurchasing. I didn't think it was all that great, and have recently purchased a different brow gel that I'm loving so much more. 4. Make Up For Ever Aqua Eyes Pencil in Black: This was a great pencil. It's a dryer formula which I prefer much more than the super creamy formula of the UD 24/7 Pencil's. I am not needing it right now, but when I want another eye pencil, I would repurchase this one. 5. Loreal Magic Lumi Concealer: I really like this product for highlighting purposes. It's a pretty pearlescent color, and I will definitely be repurchasing it. 6. NARS Eyeshadow Primer: My favorite eyeshadow primer ever. I'm finishing up the Urban Decay Primer Potion, so once that's gone I will be purchasing a full size of the NARS. 7. Benefit Porefessional: About halfway through the tube I didn't think I liked this, but once I layered another primer on top I loved it. I do not like this primer on it's own because it makes my skin feel super dry. Since running out of it and just using my other primers, I've noticed a huge difference in my makeup's wear time and appearance. I definitely need to pick up another tube of this. 8. It's A 10 Miracle Leave-In Treatment: I absolutely loved this stuff. I have a full size of the It's a 10 Plus Keratin that I am in the process of finishing up. It's almost gone, and when it is I will be buying a full size of this one. I liked it so much better than the one I'm using now. This one is a deluxe sample that I would bring with me when I would go out of town. 9. Mascara's Galore! - I'm making this short and sweet and am just going to let you know if I'm repurchasing or not (If you want a more in-depth review be sure to check out my video!). Diorshow: Hated it! Loreal Voluminous Collagen: Would repurchase, but not at this time. Benefit They're Real: Loved it, but not repurchasing at this time. Covergirl Clump Crusher: Loved it! Already repurchased it. Tarte Lights, Camera, Lashes: Terrible! Hated it!
1. Garnier Nourishing Cleansing Oil: I really like this cleansing oil. I talked about it in my Skin Care Favorites, and have already repurchased it. It does a nice job of removing my makeup, and is super hydrating, leaving my skin feeling super soft. 2. Batiste Dry Shampoo in Original & Fresh: I've said it before and I will say it again, this dry shampoo is so good and is the best I have ever tried. I always stock up when I run out because I go through them so fast. I haven't been to Ulta yet, but probably will one day this week to pick up some more. 3. Aussie Sprunch Mousse: This is mine and Lexi's favorite mousse to use for messy waves. When we are having lazy hair days, we will scrunch this in our hair and let it air dry. It doesn't create a ton of wave, but it's enough to make you look put together. It also doesn't make your hair crunchy which is my favorite thing, I hate crunchy hair. It has a leave-in conditioner in it so it makes your hair super soft and shiny. This is another one of those products where I purchase multiple's at a time.
What kind of Empties would this be without makeup wipes? The Garnier Refreshing Remover Towelettes are my favorite makeup remover wipes and I have already repurchased them. They are super soft and don't irritate my skin or burn my eyes. They also smell really, really good. The Up & Up Wipes are what I use when I'm cleaning up a makeup mistake, or cleaning off swatches. They are also really good at getting makeup off of the bathroom counter! I haven't repurchased them yet but plan to.
"Oh My Candles!" As you can see, I go through candles like crazy. I have them spread out all over my downstairs and burn them for hours at a time. Hawaiian Hibiscus and Red Guava Lava I finished up at the end of August before I started burning the Fall scents. Sandalwood Vanilla was one that I had never purchased before. It smelled really nice but it's not a favorite of mine. Sweater Weather, Mahogany Teakwood, and Leaves on the other hand, are three of my absolute favorite scents from Bath & Body Works. They are super strong and smell so dang good. I am going to be repurchasing them on my next trip to BBW.
I hope ya'll enjoyed this round of Empties. If you liked any of the products that I didn't, let me know. It's always possible that a product is amazing and you just get stuck with a dud!
Another month down, another Favorites post to share! I have a little bit of everything to show you today. I don't have a lot of beauty favorites this month because I've really been using a lot of the same products, especially since I wasn't being super spendy this month and buying a ton of new products. I added in a fashion favorite, my book favorite, a random "home" favorite, and my mommy favorites for the month.
Let's start with my Beauty Favorites first.
The first product is the Loreal Magic Lumi Primer. Since we are going into the colder months I wanted to find a primer that would add some radiance to my skin. I have been wanting to find a nice primer that was from the drugstore and decided to try this one. I've tried the Laura Mercier Radiance Primer before, but it was a bit too shimmery for me. The Magic Lumi is a really nice primer that adds a subtle glow to my face without making me look like a disco ball. I have used it by itself underneath my foundation, I've layered it on top of Benefit's Porefessional, and I have also mixed it into my foundation and it worked great all three ways.
My next Beauty Favorite goes along with the Magic Lumi Primer, and it is the Loreal Magic Lumi Concealer. I use this to brighten my under eye area and to highlight my face. I apply it on top of my under eye concealer, to my chin and forehead, down the bridge of my nose, and on my cupid's bow. Like the primer, this concealer add's a subtle glow that's not overpowering or super shimmery. If you are looking to add a little bit of a glow to your face, but don't want to look super dewy, I really recommend the Magic Lumi products.
The lip duo I've been obsessed with lately is the Kat Von D lipstick in Lovecraft topped with Urban Decay's Naked lipgloss in Walk of Shame. Both products look great on their own, and work wonderfully together. Lovecraft is a really pretty pinky/purpley mauve color, and it is completely matte. I was wearing it in my 90's Inspired Makeup Tutorial if you'd like to reference back to that. Walk of Shame is a really pretty, natural looking gloss with a tad bit of gold shimmer in it.
My last Beauty Favorite is my Real Techniques Sponge. I've had this for a while now but hadn't really been using it much. I did a review on it a while back, and it is most definitely a dupe for the Beauty Blender. I really like it for blending out my under eye concealer, and for blending out the Magic Lumi concealer that I use to highlight my face. It's also really great if you apply too much foundation. Just go over your face with the sponge, and it will soak up any excess foundation you may have applied.
My Fashion Favorite is my green plaid flannel. I have worn it a ton this month and really need to go pick up some more. I got this one from Macy's last fall and got it in a size bigger than I normally would. I like my button ups and flannels to be a size larger because I like the way they look when they are a bit slouchy and oversized. Flannels are great for Fall and Winter month's and can be worn on their own, or layered over a cute shirt or tank top.
My Book Favorite this month has been Daughter of Smoke & Bone by Laini Taylor. It's the first book in the Daughter of Smoke and Bone trilogy and it is so good. If you love YA Fiction and Fantasy, then I definitely recommend checking out this series. You can read the synopsis here.
My Random Favorite has definitely been my Bath & Body Works candles. I have been burning them non-stop and have already ordered, and received, another batch. I love all of the Fall and Winter scents. They make my house smell amazing and makes it feel so warm and inviting. They normally sell for $22 per candle, but they often go on sale for 2 for $22. If you go to the Bath & Body Works website you can sign up for the emails. They always send out an email blast when they go on sale.
My Mommy Favorites this month have been this Mesh Feeder and this Munchkin Sippy Cup with a straw. Not only have I been loving these, but Kason has been loving them as well. They have made my life a little easier these past few weeks. I will talk more about them in Kason's 9 Month Update this Wednesday. If you are interested in either of these, you can find them both at Target.
That's it for this month's Favorites and I hope you guys really enjoyed it!
Fall is upon us, so it's time to whip out those Fall decorations! The weather was in the 70's this weekend, our first little sign that Fall is coming, so naturally I had to put out all my Fall decorations. When everything was set out it gave me a little inspiration, and the urge to go out and pick up a few new things. I like to pick up a few new pieces each year to add to my collection. Each year that I decorate, I get more and more excited because my stash of Fall decorations keeps growing and growing.
One thing I've noticed since owning my own home, is that you aren't going to start out with a fully furnished, completely decorated house right off the bat. This was a hard pill for me to swallow because I love to decorate and take a lot of pride in making our home nice. Accumulating decorations takes time and money. Decorations can be expensive, so picking up new items here and there is much more cost effective, and practical, than buying everything all at once.
I filmed a Fall Home Decor Haul showing you the new things I picked up this year. I also talk about different ways to spice up your home for the new season. Along with the video, I have some pictures of my kitchen and living room to show you how I decorated this year. It's still early, so it's quite possible I may still pick up a few more things. If I do, I will be sure to let you know! :)
I hope you enjoyed today's post! If you have any questions about the pieces I posted, let me know in the comments below.
