On and off for the last several months I have been saving products that I used up and finally decided to put up this post so that I can throw them all out! I like reading these kind of posts because so often we only see the new things people buy and their first impressions but never know if that impression was correct or if they end up hating it.
Now you can see everything I actually finished!
I use a makeup wipe every single day. There are a total of 6 full size Simple cleansing facial wipes plus 1 travel size. They are my absolute favorite makeup wipes. They are gentle but effectively get all of my makeup off and they stay wet from the first to the last in the package. At one point I tried a package of the Pacifica Coconut Water cleansing wipes. They smelled amazing and the towel was very soft but they dried out SO quickly and hardly took any of my face makeup off. They'd be nice for a day when I didn't wear makeup and just wanted to refresh my skin but otherwise I would not purchase them again. I returned to my Simple wipes for a while and then heard about the 30 pack Epielle Green Tea cleansing tissues for $1.00 from Big Lots. I really loved them at first but then they started drying out and I had to use two just to get my makeup off. The tissues were very thin and ripped easily. Returning to my Simple wipes made me notice what nice quality they are and I don't see myself switching to a new brand any time soon.
I have never bought name brand eye makeup remover before but I've tried a lot of knock offs of the L'Oreal and Neutrogena kinds. I've learned that I don't like the kinds that say "Compare to Neutrogena" I don't like that oily formula but I will say that the Equate (from WalMart) bottle above with the tan lid (Neutrogena knock off) was the only thing that would take off some waterproof mascara I was using a while back. So I finished the bottle but hated every time I had to use it. The other three bottles are L'Oreal knock offs. I don't see any difference between the Equate brand and Studio35 (which is from Walgreens). I'm using the CVS L'Oreal knock off right now and of the three stores I have no favorite. They all take off my eye makeup quickly and at an affordable price.
I've been trying different toners over the last few months. First was the Neutrogena Acne Stress Control Triple-Action toner and this is the second or third bottle I've used. This has a horribly strong astringent smell but it doesn't linger on the skin. I used this all over my face but tried to concentrate it on my breakouts. I wouldn't use this in the winter though because it can be drying on the skin. Next I used a HUGE bottle of the Mario Badescu Seaweed Cleansing lotion (which is a toner). This was $15.00 I think but I'd used a sample a few years back and fell in love with it. I loved having a huge bottle. This stuff is amazing. It smells good, it removes the last traces of makeup on your skin, and it is not drying at all in fact it is probably the most gentle toner I've ever used and absolutely recommend this to everyone. Last toner I finished was from Sephora and is the Korres Pomegranate toner for oily to combination skin. This wins hands down for the cutest packaging, right!? But that doesn't help my skin. This was a $20.00 impulse purchase. It smelled nice and did remove the last bits of foundation from my skin but it was mildly drying and paled in comparison to my Mario Badescu toner.
I have been struggling to find a moisturizer I love that doesn't cost an arm and a leg. I have some crazy red skin from time to time so I fell for the "visibly reduce redness, soothe irritated or sensitive skin" claims. I didn't see either of those effects on my crazyface but it was moisturizing, didn't stink, and lasted me a real long time. I might buy it again but I'd like to try the Aveeno Positively Radiant daily moisturizer someday. I'm using something new now that I might talk about after I use it for a little while longer.
Secret is my favorite brand of deodorant. I tried the natural mineral line and though it smelled nice I didn't love it as much as my all time favorite Secret Clinical Strength in the "light and fresh scent". It keeps my stinky ol' sweat arm pits under control and they smell so nice all day long. So there's that... haha what else does one say about their deodorant?
I have a roundup of lotions here. Bath&Body Works Pink Grapefruit body lotion smells amazing. My all time favorite scent from B&BW and it breaks my heart that they don't make it anymore. Aquaphor Healing Ointment is great for dry feet and elbows. But my favorite way to use this was on my lips! They get really dry and chapped in this winter and this "ointment" saved my life. Next up, Burt's Bees Almond Milk Beeswax Hand Crème. This comes in the cutest little jar. This is a very thick and moisturizing cream that I liked to use on my hands and elbows. I don't know if I'd buy it again though, just because I have so many lotions and body butters already. I finished a small lotion from a brand called EcoLogique that I bought in a boutique in my area. The lotion was unscented but then I got to choose and mix in any of their scented oils and this lotion in particular was a honeydew scent that smelled exactly like a slice of honeydew melon. The last thing I have to show you is kind of silly because it was only a small sample from Sephora but it is the Tokyomilk/Dark La Vie La Mort hand crème. I loved it so much I bought a full size (for $20, what's wrong with me!?!). It has such a nice scent and is the smoothest lotion I've ever used. It is moisturizing but doesn't leave any oily residue on my hands.
I actually had a third bottle of nail polish remover that I finished but I must have thrown it away because it wasn't in my "empties" bin. I liked the Sally Hansen Extra Strength remover but there was nothing remarkable about it. I would buy it again. I am so glad I have finally finished this monster bottle of ONYX Professionals 100% Pure Acetone. I bought it to remove acrylic nails I was wearing and finished the bottle by using it to remove glitter polish quickly but I hated how this made my fingers feel. I won't be buying pure acetone again if I can avoid because it is so drying!
I saved a couple hair products to show you that I am absolutely in love with. I want to mention the Organix Nourishing Coconut Milk anti-breakage serum. I bought this on a really good sale with a coupon a few years ago. I had really long hair at the time (and up until very recently still did) so I used this on the ends of my hair every time I got out of the show and it saved the old dried ends of my hair. The few times I forgot to use this the ends of my hair felt like straw but with this my hair was smooth and soft. I have shorter and healthier hair now so I don't I'll repurchase this for a while but if I grow out my hair again this will be the first thing I buy! In its place I have started using the healthysexyhair Soy Tri-Wheat leave in conditioner. It is a really nice lightly scented spray that helps keep my hair smooth and healthy.
I've used a lot of these little PocketBacs but apparently only save three. I loved all of the scents. It was no surprise that I loved Fresh Picked apricots and Fresh Picked pomegranates because they are just typical sweet fruity scents but the Fresh Picked garden herbs blew me away. I didn't know what to expect when I ordered this online but am so glad I gave it a chance. It smelled so fresh and clean. It wasn't herbly at all. If they ever bring that scent back I will absolutely pick it up!
I somehow managed to run out of a lot of bottles of perfume right around the same time. I have here the Bath & Body Works pink grapefruit body splash, Bath & Body works sweet pea perfume, Aqualina Pink Sugar, Paris Hilton by Paris Hilton, Dare Me by Baby Phat, Fancy by Jessica Simpson, and Curious by Britney Spears.
I don't have a whole lot to say about each of these but I did love all of the scents. Pink Sugar is my favorite scent of all time. My best friend gave me that bottle because she didn't want it and I've been trying to convince myself to buy another bottle ever since I finished this one. It's so expensive and haven't come up with a good enough excuse yet. The Paris Hilton and Baby Phat perfumes were also great. Very girly. I bought Curious by Britney Spears because it was the first perfume I ever had (my sophomore year of high school) and I was feeling nostalgic I guess.
I have a few perfume samples I finished and wanted to mention. Not because I think it is some great feat to have finished a tiny little perfume sample but because they smelled so amazing (or terrible as you will see in a minute) that I have to share them.
First up is the Especially Escada Delicate Notes. This is a nice fresh scented perfume. I don't know if I'd spend the money on a full size but I really enjoyed the sample. Second, I finished a small sample of Prada Candy. This is a really nice perfume. It is sweet like the name suggests but it isn't an overwhelming surgary sweet like the Aqualina Pink Sugar I mentioned earlier (and love!). And finally, my new very favorite perfume sample I've EVER tried Escada Cherry in the air perfume. Ahhhh this stuff smells so wonderful. I've never been that attracted to anything cherry scented but this stuff was a game changer for me. If I saw a full size bottle in stores somewhere I'm not sure I could keep myself from buying it.
Here are two perfume samples I hated but finished anyways. Taylor Swift Wonderstruck and Ralph Lauren Romance. These were both stinky old lady perfumes that I kept in my purse without fear of losing them and to be used when I was desperate for a perfume spritz ('cuz lets be honest... old lady is better than stinky lady).
I went through a few travel/sample sized products. Nivea Touch of Happiness body wash, John Frieda Full Repair conditioner, Dove Intensive Repair shampoo, Head & Shoulders classic clean dandruff shampoo, and Clinique Acne Solutions emergency gel.
There was nothing remarkable or special about any of these. I used to love the Nivea body and have had a full size in the past but I got tired of the scent. I almost always have a full size head & shoulders in my shower so I bought the mini size for when I'm away from home. The Clinique gel made an effective spot treatment but considering the full size price I don't anticipate ever using this again unless I get another sample.
Colgate Optic White in Luminous Mint is mine and my husband's favorite tooth paste. It seems to do the job, has a nice flavor, and I think it helps keep my teeth looking good!
I have gone through two bottles of makeup setting spray. First was the NYX Matte Finish spray which I found to be really helpful in keeping my makeup on all day long. The other spray I tried was the e.l.f. Makeup Mist & Set. I like this for times when my skin is feeling dry and needs something to revive it. I also find this really refreshing if I'm hot and sweaty.
I finished a few makeup items I wanted to talk about. I feel like I've gone through a million of the Rimmel Stay Matte pressed power in translucent but there was only one in my bin. I am already using another one and will continue to buy this powder in the future because it is great at setting my foundation. This was my first tube of the Rimmel Match Perfection 2 in 1 concealer & highlighter and I'm already using another. This is great for concealing and brightening my under eye area. I also finished a tube of the Revlon Colorstay concealer and I won't buy this again. It looked great at first and got worse and worse throughout the day. The color would change and become patchy and I could really see each place I had put it on my face. I've loved the e.l.f. Waterproof Eyeliner pens for a long time and this is just the most recent one I've finished. It is only $2.00 and makes applying liquid eyeliner a breeze! I finished a tube of Covergirl Lashblast Volume mascara and L'Oreal Voluminous Carbon Black. These are both really nice mascaras and I totally recommend them. The last is the Fresh Sugar Rose lip treatment. This was the most amazing balm I ever tried. It smelled fresh and lemony, gave the nicest pink tint to my lips, and was so incredibly moisturizing. I have almost bought another tube several times but the price always stops me. Someday I hope to have another though...
I have a favorite concealer... can you tell? The first four bottles (that actually look empty) are in the combination/oily skin formula and are my favorite. My WalMart was out of my shade for combo/oily so I had to get the Normal/Dry skin formula and I don't know what's wrong with it but I couldn't get the rest of the product out of the bottle. It looks completely full in this picture but I promise I got out everything I could and after storing it for days upside down I couldn't get a single drop out and gave up.
{just wanted to show you that I'm telling the truth. They are different formulas and the one for dry skin won't come out any more}
I only have one last thing to show you and it is kind of silly and not at all related to anything else I have shown you but I have an amazing chocolate bar to share that blew me away...
Lindt White Coconut chocolate bar.
Ahhh. So good. The white chocolate melts in your mouth. The tiny flakes of coconut are miraculously delicious. I just love this. I love it. If you like coconut you must try it. You won't be disappointed.
I hope you enjoyed seeing the products I've used up and reading a little bit about my opinions on them.
xoxo
