Collective Haul: May, June, and July 215

Today I bring you one of my biggest haul I've ever posted on this blog, and hopefully it'll be one of a kind.  Since I took a mini-break from blogging end of May to July, I had been buying things and just have been collecting them for a collective haul post.  I will warn you, I did NOT go out and buy this in a day, in one shopping trip.  This is the result of 3 months worth of buying a little here and there. 

I'm playing around with this new photo editing program I got recently so you'll be seeing a bunch of differently edited pictures coming your way until I find a way that I'm happy with.  But I am so happy there is a white balance function in that program so now I can make my pictures have white backgrounds instead of that yellowish tinge I used to have.  Like usual with my hauls, I organized my products into different groups, and I'll start off with the smallest... random products.

Random products:

• L'oreal Blow Dry It Quick Dry Primer Spray
• Honest Co. Hand Sanitizer Spray

Skincare products:

• Up&Up Eye Makeup Remover
• Simple Cleansing Micellar Water
• Sonia Kashuk Radiant Boost Restorative Facial Oil
• Murad Rapid Results set
• Garnier Ultra-Lift Miracle Sleeping Cream
• Boots Botanics Shine Away Ionic Clay mask
• Simple Eye Make-up Remover
• Sephora Super Regenerating Oil-Serum

Tools:

• Up&Up Retractable Brush
• Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponges

Nail products:

• Sally Hansen Instant Cuticle Remover
• Trim Cuticle Sticks
• Essie Gel-Setter set in Bahama Mama
• Essie Nail Polish in Baby's Breath 
• Sally Hansen Big Peel Off Base Coat

Lip products:

• Revo Beauty 360 Lip Balm Sphere in Honey
• Revo Beauty 360 Lip Balm Sphere in Strawberry
• Maybelline Super Stay 14 Hour Lipstick 
• YSL Volupte Tint-In-Oil in Cherry My Cherie
• Sonia Kashuk Moisture Luxe Tinted Lip Balm in Hint of Berry
• CO Bigelow Mentha Lip Balm Stick
• CO Bigelow Mentha Lip Shine
• Maybelline Color Elixir Iridescents Lip in Radiant Ruby
• L'oreal Paris Colour Riche Lip Balm in Nourishing Nude

Another I wanted to mention is that these products were purchased before my 30 day spending ban.  So far I am on day 7 of my spending ban and I have to say I'm doing pretty well.  I haven't had any temptations to purchase things yet.

What are some of your favorite things you've purchased recently and how are you liking them?

Empties | 2015 Vol. 01

So I'm kind of embarrassed to admit that I've only used up 11 products within the first 4 months of the year... and some of the products on the list aren't even fully used up.  Let me go crawl into a corner and hide my shame while you guys read through my empties and how I felt about them.

I went and separated the products into smaller categories for body, skincare and random.

Body products:

• The Body Shop Glazed Apple Shower Gel.  I got this in a set around the holiday time and I have to say, I really like the scent of this.  It's been a while since I used this but I don't remember if it lathered up as well as the shower gels from BBW.  I'm currently finishing up a shower gel from the Body Shop and I feel like I have to use quite a bit of product for it to lather up nicely on my loofa.
  Repurchase?  If I find them on sale or have some discount.
• Bath and Body Works Pink Chiffon Shower Gel.  This is by far one of my favorite scent from BBW.  Surprisingly it's one of the newer-to-me-scent as this is the first product I have that is in Pink Chiffon line.  I really enjoyed it and have already went back and claimed a few more free travel size shower gels in this scent.  I really like the fact that it lathers up so easily and it just smells really good.
  Repurchase? Already have a few more of these travel size in this scent too!
• Bath and Body Works Sweet Pea Shower Gel.  This was a sample size from who knows how long ago (notice the super old packaging?).  I was cleaning my house one day and stumbled upon this so  I decided to use it up.  Sweet Pea is definitely not my favorite scent from BBW, actually I forgot what it smelled like and had to stop by my local BBW to make sure the scent hasn't gone bad.  It lathered up pretty nicely and the scent lingered for a little while after I get out of the shower.
  Repurchase? Yes but not this scent.
• Bath and Body Works Sweet Pea Bubble Bath.  I found this in my house the same time I found the complementing shower gel.  Since I don't take bubble baths, I was going to use this as a shower gel (and I thought I was being clever about this).  Unfortunately I noticed that there were weird lumps floating on top which I can only assume is mold or some other gross thing growing in it.  I decided not to risk it and just toss it out.
  Repurchase? Most likely not since I don't take baths.

Skincare products:

• Tarte Pure Maracuja Oil.  This little travel size will last FOREVER!  I literally only use 2 drops for my whole face and that is plenty already!  I didn't enjoy it at first because I was using 4-5 drops and had the greasiest face by the time I was heading to bed.  Slowly I started to use less and less and I noticed that 2 drops is perfect for my whole face!  I am currently trying to find the right combo for my skincare products but whenever I feel like something isn't working and is breaking me out, I revert back to using only this oil on my face until my skin calms down.
  Repurchase?  Already have!  I have another mini travel size I'm currently using right now and a HUGE super size one! 
• Josie Maran 100% Pure Argan Oil Light.  This is one of the item that I didn't finish using up.  Unfortunately the packaging broke while I had this in a makeup bag.  One day I noticed that the top of the dropper, the black squishy part, came off the bottle.  I was trying to save this until I another way to use the products by wrapping it up in the saran wrap.  Unfortunately the product got contaminated.   Luckily I saw the contamination before I actually put it on my face!
  Repurchase?  Already have and will start using that one once I get through some products I'm currently using.
• Tarte Maracuja C-Brighter Eye Treatment.  This was my first ever eye cream and honestly I had no idea what to look for in eye cream, and I still don't really.  It was nice and absorbed into the skin under my eye pretty quickly.  This little container lasted a while for me because I didn't use it every day, like I should.
  Repurchase?  Probably one day in the future if I see this on sale in the future... 
• L'oreal Youth Code Serum Intense.  This is a sample size that came in a small trial kit I purchased from CVS during one of their semi-annual clearance sales.  I don't think I have the packaging anymore so I don't remember what the claims of the products are, but that doesn't matter since this broke me out.  I tried it on two  different occasions to make sure that this serum was what was breaking me out and both times, my suspicions were confirmed.  I still have a cleanser and a moisturizer from the set and I'm on the fence about using them currently since this serum broke me out.  Maybe I'll brave it out one day and try them and hope for the best.
  Repurchase? No thank you!

Random products:

• Lubriderm Advanced Therapy Lotion.  I purchased these during college because they had these at our little on-campus "grocery" store.  I had extra money on my meal plan so I purchased three of them.  Sadly this is only the first one I've finished and the only reason I went through it is because I have it next to me at work.  Honestly, the product is ok; it absorbs into my skin at a decent rate and alleviates my dry hands for a few hours.  It is softly scented that should not bother many people.
  Repurchase?  After I get through my remaining two, I don't think I'll be repurchasing these.  I like to try out different hand creams.
• Secret Clinical Strength Deodorant in Light and Fresh Scent.  This is my favorite deodorant I've used so far; well that statement would be more meaningful if I've actually used up many other deodorant.  But honestly where I live, it rarely gets above 70 degrees so most days I don't wear deodorant.  I only put on deodorant when I know I'll be sweating during that day or something.  I love how fresh it smells and when you sweat, you only smell the freshness of the deodorant!
  Repurchase?  Definitely! 
• CO Bigelow Mentha Lip Shine in Citrusmint.  I've used this as an overnight lip treatment for many years now and have gone through multiple tubes of it.  I've also recommended it to my sister and she is now on her second tube of it.  I will admit that this is on the thicker side and will leave your lips super shiny when you use it, but holy cow I love that it stays on my lips throughout the night and I can wipe if off with a wet towel in the morning to remove the product and to gently exfoliate my lips!
  Repurchase?  Definitely!  Except might be in the Ultra Shine flavor instead of the Citrusmint flavor.

So these are my shameful, measly 11 products that I've used up within the first four months of the year.  I will say these next 4 months might have more empties because I already have four empties and have a few more that I'm finishing up!  Fingers crossed I get through more things!

What are some of the products you've gone through and would repurchase in a heartbeat?

Collective Haul | April 2015

Another month, another haul... Let's go!  I have to say, I did a lot better in April than I did in March.  I'm hoping to do a lot better in May, especially since I'll be doing a 30 day spending ban coming up!  But that's another post for another day in the near future!

For some odd reason, this month I've been buying more nail polishes than I need.  Also I don't know why I've been eyeing a lot of Essie polishes lately either...

First off, body-ish products:

• Bath and Body Works Georgia Peach & Sweet Tea Fragrance Mist travel size 
• L'Occitane hand cream
• Bath and Body Works Georgia Peach & Sweet Tea Shower Gel travel size

Make up items:

• Maybelline Color Sensational Creamy Matte lipstick in Divine Wine
• L'oreal Telescopic Carbon Black mascara
• Essence Lash Princess mascara
• Maybelline Master Conceal concealer

Nail related items:

• EOS hand lotion in Cucumber
• Up&Up Nail Polish Remover Dip-It in Acetone
• Essie nail polish in Ballet Slipper
• Revlon Parfumerie nail polish in China Flower
• Essie nail polish in Plumberry

These are the products I picked up in the month of April.  Although it doesn't seem like much compared to my March 2015 haul, it is still definitely an excess since I didn't need any of these items for survival purposes.

What are some of the products you picked up last month?

Unboxing | Target Spring 2015 Beauty Box

Another season, another Target Beauty Box!  For Spring 2015, I have to say Target's Beauty Box beat Walmart's Beauty Box by a long shot!  I was really excited to see that Target was doing another Beauty Box and was even more excited when I found it at my door steps on Monday!  (Yes!  This box has been in my possession for less than a week!  I'm definitely getting better with this timely unboxings!)

On to the actual box itself!  This time around Target sent a nice, sleek box, unlike all the other Target Beauty Boxes, which were white boxes with Target logo decorated all over the box.  I actually prefer these sleek black boxes over the older ones!

Like usual, the products were wrapped inside the box with the red tissue paper.  The box also came with an info card, with details of the products inside the box, along with a $3 off $15 purchase coupon (not pictured).  

The products inside the box:

• Maybelline Color Elixir in Rose Redefined
• L'oreal Paris Infallible Pro-Spray & Set
• Neutrogena Hydro Boost Gel Cream
• SheaMoisture Superfruit Complex 10-in-1 Renewal System Shampoo
• Tresemme Tres Two Extra Hold Hairspray

For $5, I have to say the box is definitely a steal!  The Maybelline Color Elixir lipgloss is already over $5 itself!  On top of that, the L'oreal setting spray is full size and is worth over $10 in Target stores!  The value of those two products are already triple what I paid for the box!  

I'm definitely excited to see what Target and Walmart will include in their beauty boxes for Summer.  I do wish they will start including products that are good for the season, (ie: brighter color cosmetics for spring/summer, moisturizing skincare products for winter), but for $5 who can complain when the products in the box values for more than $15! 

Which beauty box did you like better for Spring 2015?  

Unboxing | Walmart Spring 2015 Beauty Box

Well, well, well... will you look at this!  An unboxing post that isn't months late!  I promise it's just a few weeks late.  I just received this box two-ish weeks ago and I've been quite busy with my personal life until the last week of March so I haven't touched anything in a while.

Walmart boxes are $5 and they ship out seasonally.  The first box was back in fall of 2014 and I have to say, that might be my favorite one so far; it came with two full size products that I would actually use!  The second box was a bit more disappointing than the first box, but at least it contained more sample sized products.  The Spring 2015 box is so far my least favorite box because it contained more foiled samples than usual.  But I really shouldn't be complaining much since I received these for only $5!

The products I received this season are:

• Garnier Ultra Lift Miracle Sleeping Cream sample pack
• L'oreal Fit Me Matte + Poreless Foundation sample pack
• Lady Gaga Fame Black Fluid Perfume sample
• Dove Mandarin & Tiare Flower Scent Body Wash sample
• Neutrogena Healthy Skin Booster Facial Cleanser sample
• Nivea In-Shower Body Lotion sample pack
• Rimmel Lash Accelerator Endless Mascara full size 
• Schwarzkopf's Essence Ultime Omega Repair and Moisture Shampoo and Conditioner sample

Now that I've listed everything in this season's box, I've come to realize that even though there are more foil samples, there are still relatively the same amount of sample sized products.  Personally it's still not my favorite box, but I will be using everything in this box sooner or later, unlike the second box where I didn't care much for the lipstick shade.  So for $5, it is worth it.  But I just had higher expectation of what I would be getting... which was a mistake on my part.

I hope the summer box has more colorful products that we will all love.

Collective Haul | March 2015

Ooops, I did it again... For some odd reason, I thought I was doing really well by not buying too many things this past month because I was busy for at least half the month with no time to shop...  But that all changed once I put everything I've purchased throughout the month all together for the collective picture to realize that I purchased a lot more than I had intended to.  I blame my hoarding this past month on stress!

Sooo as we can all see, a good chunk of the products are actually lip products.  I am a lip product addict and I just love to try new products.  That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it!

The lip products I picked up are:

• Softlips Cube in Fresh Mint
• Softlips Cube in Pomegranate Blueberry
• Nuxe Reve de Miel lip balm
• Rimmel Lasting Finish Colour Rush in All You Need Is Pink
• Rimmel Lasting Finish Colour Rush in Give Me a Cuddle
• Rimmel Show Off Lip Velvet in Meteoric Matte
• ELF Lip Balm Tint in Peach
• Milani Power Lip Lasting & Moisturizing Gloss Stain in Cabaret Blend
• Almay Smart Shade Butter Kiss in Nude-Light/Medium
• Jordana Modern Matte Lipstick in Matte Classy
• Jordana Modern Matte Lipstick in Matte Dare
• Jordana Twist & Shine Moisturizing Balm Stain in Fresh Fig
• Hard Candy All Glossed Up Hydrating Lip Stain in Pout
• Hard Candy All Glossed Up Hydrating Lip Stain in Mauvelous
• Hard Candy Plumping Serum Lipstick in Victorious
• Hard Candy Plumping Serum Lipstick in Infamous
• Hard Candy Plumping Serum Lipstick in Wanted
• NYC Smooch Proof Liquid Lip Stain in On Everyone's Lips

I also managed to snag up some nail products.

• Sally Hansen Salon Effects Real Nail Polish Strips in Laced Up
• Essie's Fiji
• NYC's Strip Me Off
• Nail Aid 1st Acetone Power Gel No-Rub for Glitter & Nail Art

Some impulse hair products:

• TRESemme Perfectly (un)Done Wave Creation Sea Foam
• Batiste Dry Shampoo in Clean&Classic Original

Also some face products:

• Freeman Dead Sea Minerals Anti-Stress Mask
• Rimmel BB Cream Radiance in Light

And lastly, the miscellaneous products:

• L'oreal Voluminous Butterfly Intenza Waterproof Mascara in Blackest Black (x2)
• Covergirl Full Lash Bloom waterproof in Very Black
• Jergens BB Hand

I will admit, I did overdo it by a lot in March.  I'm really hoping that I will purchase exponentially less products in April, especially since there's the Sephora sale and I'm already eyeing two things I want that are quite expensive.  Let's hope for a more controlled spending in April!

Unboxing | Target & Walmart Fall 2014 Beauty Boxes

Soo... I'm terribly late for these unboxings but, it's better late than never right?  I'm so embarrassed that it's almost time for their spring boxes and I'm just getting around to talking about the winter ones, which came out around early December.  But anyways here're the products I received from Target and Walmart beauty boxes a few months ago.

We'll start with Target.  There were three different boxes that Target released and I grabbed two out of three.  First box is the Beauty Box For Her, which retailed at $10 with free shipping.

I really love the fact that these boxes come with a little info card, along with a coupon attached at the bottom.

Products I received in this particular box are:

• Boots No7 Protect & Perfect Advanced Serum sample
• ChapStick Total Hydration Lip Care in Sweet Peach
• Revlon HD Lacquer in Sunstone
• CoverGirl Eye Enhancers Kit in Daring Nudes
• Pixi Endless Silky Eye Pen in BlackNoir (sample?)
• L'oreal Butterfly Intenza Mascara in Black
• Laneige Water Sleeping Mask sample 
• Hair Food Thickening Solution

This box was really worth the $10 since it came with many full size products!  Everything except for the Boots No7 serum and Laneige Water Sleeping Mask were full size.  I'm not sure if the Pixi eyeliner is full or sample size since Target doesn't have it on their website.  

Now for the second Target box.  This is the Target Beauty Box Natural and it was $5 with free shipping.  

This box came with many products I was not aware of and I'm happy I get a chance to sample them out.

Products I received in this box are:

• Acure Organics Facial Cleanser
• Borghese Age Defying Facial Scrub
• Burt's Bees Facial Wipes
• SheaMoisture Coconut Hibiscus Smoothie
• SoapBox Argan Shampoo
• Skinfix Hand Repair Cream

I believe everything in this box is sample size.  But I'm not complaining, since I can see myself using all of these products except for the SheaMoisture product.  Btw the Skinfix hand cream is some expensive stuff! Full size of it (twice the sample size) is $18!  I'm so excited to see if it's actually worth that much!

And finally we have the Walmart Beauty Box for Winter 2014.  My box came pretty beaten up and stained with coffee but I'm sure that wasn't Walmart's fault.

I was kind of disappointed by Walmart because they didn't send me any e-mail notifications about the payment of the box (it's a subscription box so they automatically charge $5 to my account every season) or the tracking information until after I received my box.  

Products I received in the Walmart box are:

• L'oreal Oleo Therapy Oil Infused Shampoo sample 
• L'oreal Oleo Therapy Oil Infused Conditioner sample 
• Olay Fresh Effects Everything Off! Make-Up wipes sample
• Maybelline Dream Wonder Powder swatch sample 
• Maybelline Color Sensational The Buffs in Maple Kiss
• Nivea Cocoa Butter Body Lotion sample pack 

This time I was a bit disappointed in Walmart's box.  Compared to their first box, this box has less products that I am excited to try.  The one thing I was kind of excited about is the Maybelline lipstick, but the shade that I got was not a shade I would have chosen for myself.  There were coupons attached to the Maybelline Dream Wonder Powder and the Nivea Cocoa Butter Body Lotion.  I'm hoping their spring box will be a lot better, but you can't really expect to love everything you receive from a $5 box.

So, I apologize again for the late unboxing and I will try to be more timely with them.  I am super excited for spring to arrive (nothing related to the weather since the Bay Area has been enjoying a wonderful spring/summer weather in mid-winter...) to see what will be included in the spring beauty boxes.

15 Products of 2015

I noticed that there are many tags going around youtube where youtubers pick out certain amount of products they want to use by specific dates.  Last year I noticed a tag somewhere along the line of finish 14 products in 2014, and I knew I want to do something like this for the year of 2015.  So without further blabbering, let's get into the 15 products I dug out of my collection that I want to use up in 2015.

I've organized the products into different categories.  I have a nice variety of hair, body, skincare, and makeup products.  I've also taken some pictures for "before" so that I can track my progress throughout the year.  I plan to update my progress every three months or so until the end of the year.

HAIR 

Tresemme Thermal Creations.  I actually received this (not this EXACT one) from Allure a few years ago when they were doing their annual, big giveaways on their website.  Since then I've used that one up and have repurchased this one.  I think this one is still almost brand new since I've rarely used it.  I don't style my hair with heat tools and I rarely blow dry my hair, or forget to use it when I do.  I'm hoping to heat style my hair more this year and I'm hoping I will get a good use out of this.

Garnier Fructis Oil Treatment.  This is actually my sister's and she left it home when she went off to college.  Unfortunately she took it back to college after her winter break and I'm not sure if she'll be bringing it back or what, but I am currently using the sample dry oil from Dove.  If my sister is not planning to leave it at home again, I might have to find a replacement for this item.  As you can see, it is already more than half way gone.

Orlando Pita Argan Restoring Hair Mask.  My dad purchased this hair mask for my sister from Costco a long while ago and my sister has only used it maybe once or twice.  It has literally been sitting in the shower for the longest time now and I thought I should give it a try and try to use it up this year.  I've recently been really into hair mask so I do wonder how this one will compare to some of the other ones I've used before.  And this product literally looks brand new still... except for the dust it had collected on the container.

BODY 

Victoria's Secret Pure Seduction Body Butter.  Another product from Victoria's Secret.  I purchased this body butter from them a while ago to go along with the body spray I got from them, because you're supposed to layer scents to make them last longer.  I've used it a handful of times but I still have a long way to go.  I think I'll probably start using this after I finish up my Jergens body bb.

Victoria's Secret Love Spell Body Splash.  Over the years I've managed to hoard collect a handful, or two handfuls, of body sprays from Victoria's Secret and Bath and Body Works.  I believe this body spray was one of my first ones and it's been a long, long time since I got it.  As you can see, I've made a small progress in using this up.  The scent is ok, but I have other scents that I would rather wear.  I found out that the Mister actually doesn't mind the scent so I might start wearing this more when I'm out and about with him.  I've also been using it as a room spray so I think that helped with the progress of this product.

SKINCARE 

L'oreal Youth Code Texture Perfector Serum Concentrate.  A brand spanking new product!  I purchased this a few months ago at Rite Aid for some odd reason; I blame the sales combined with coupons.  I read some good reviews on this so I decided I wanted to give it a try.  I just started using this product this month so I do wonder how long it'll take for me to use it up since one pump is all I need for my full face.

Boscians 5th Cycle Repair Wrinkle Spot.  Another brand spanking new product to use up!  This came in my skincare memebox last year.  It's a wrinkle filler but since I'm only in my mid-20s, I don't have crazy wrinkles yet *knock on wood*.  Because of that, I am using it as an under eye treatment since wrinkles will most likely appear there first.

Laneige Water Sleeping Mask.  This is another semi-new product I've had for a while.  I purchased this some time last year and have used it maybe 3 times since.  I really do like the product and want to use the product so that I can try others as well.  Currently I'm in a dilemma where I have two samples of this on top of this full size so I don't know if I want to use up the samples before I start on this...

Dickinson's Original Witch Hazel.  Another new product... are we seeing a pattern yet?  I purchased this a few months ago during one of CVS's semi-annual clearance sales.  I heard people use toners in their skincare routines and I heard this was a popular on here so I decided to grab one to try.  I honestly don't know what to expect out of using a toner since I am still researching the purpose of a toner.

Clean&Clear Morning Burst Hydrating Gel Moisturizer.  This is an older product that I've used a handful of times before.  I purchased this as a day time moisturizer after I used up the Garnier gel cream.  I think my problem right now is waking up early enough to put anything on my face.  But I'm sure I can finish this up in no time once I actually start using it on a regular basis.  

MAKEUP

Face Products 

Maybelline Dream Pure BB.  *New product alert!*  I swear this is the last new product I have on this list!  I want to use up a BB cream and this just so happened to be my latest one that I purchased and the one I want to try.  I'm not 100% sure if I'll keep this in the 15 products list, but if this doesn't stay I will be replacing it with another BB cream in my collection.

Rimmel Stay Matte Pressed Powder.  I'm quite ashamed to admit this but I've had this in my collection, and have been using it on and off, since I was in school... and that's been a while!  As you can see, I've hit some major pan on this product but there's still a long way before this will get used up.

Lip Products 

Revlon Lip Butter in Peach Parfait.  How shameful; this product still has the New sticker on it!  Yes, I've had this for that long!  Anyways, out of all the lip butters that I have, Peach Parfait is definitely my least favorite shade.  I don't understand how everyone was raving about this shade but I dislike it!  It is a nice neutral shade but there're so much glitter in it!  I don't like glitter on my lips at all so this will definitely be a challenge to use up.  

L'oreal Colour Riche Le Gloss in Really Rose.  This is definitely one of my favorite lip glosses I have.  I love the shade and the scent of the gloss!  I was really when this particular shade was discontinued, it went on clearance at target and I believe all the other drugstores too..., but I managed to buy two other backups... So in order to get into those backups, I need to use this one up!  I've made some dent and I'm hoping I can layer this on top of the Peach Parfait lip butter to use it up.

Victoria's Secret Beauty Rush Glossy Shinestick in Colada Love.  I've had this for many many years and it's quite embarrassing that I haven't used it up yet.  I received this as a gift from a friend several years ago and Victoria's Secret already discontinued this product too.  I do enjoy using this since it's a no fuss product; I can put this on without needing a mirror.  I am more than half way done with the product and I hope to use it up without much of a challenge.

So these are the products I'm hoping to use up within this year.  Are there any products you're hoping to use up sometime this year as well?