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?

Goals & Goos | February 2015

So I decided to change my Monthly Mission posts to Goals & Goos!  I thought this is a bit more catchy than Monthly Mission.  Anyways as always, I have a few goals I want to accomplish this month, along with a few goos (products) I want to concentrate on using up as well.  Without further blabbering, let's get started.

Goals:

• Spending ban.  I just need to (try to) not buy anything this month.  After my January haul post, you'll see why.  I figured February is the shortest month so it should be the easiest to get through...?  That and the fact that most of the new drugstore releases are already out and I already got my hands on some of the ones that I want to try out so it should be a bit easier-ish.  
• Blogging schedule.  I swear this is one of my goals every month.  It's really been hard to get back into the swing of things.  I've been meaning to blog again on a more regular schedule, but I would miss a day and would push back the day I want to start again by a week, or two, or three... I really want to stick to Tuesday/Friday schedule, but we shall see how that goes.
• Daily vitamins.  This used to be in one of my earlier Monthly Missions, but I kind of stopped taking my gummy vitamins daily again... I think I need to place it somewhere where it'll be visible so I'll remember it.
• 3 Grateful things per day.  Last year, I used to religiously recap my day and think of all the things that happened during the day that made me happy.  I believe that helped me out of the depressed funk I was in last year.  Unfortunately I stopped sometime mid-last year and I have been having trouble getting back into it.  Hopefully I'll remember to start doing it more.

Goos:

• Softlips.  I was working on finishing my EOS lip balm for the longest time that when I actually finished it, I started using a different lip balm everyday since.  I want to have a lip balm to focus on and I chose this one.  I purchased the scent Pomegranate Blueberry from Big Lots for $1 and it's definitely worth it.  It's the same scent as one of the Softlips cubes and it's definitely more affordable (the $1 ones from Big Lots).
• Nivea Body Lotion.  This is one of the samples I received from Target a long time ago.  I use this as a hand lotion at home, but my sister doesn't like the scent of it.  I figured I would try to use this up this month since she's away at college for most of the month.
• Dove Pure Care Dry Oil.  I believe this was in the Walmart Beauty Box for Fall 2014.  I'm about half way done with it and this sample size is definitely lasting quite a while for me since I only use about four drops every time.
• Tarte Pure Maracuja Oil.  My current night time moisturizer.  I found that I only need 2 drops of this for my whole face!  I was using 3 drops and it left my face really oily.  I've used a little more than half of the bottle already but I think this will last me quite a while still since I only need 2 drops.
• Jergens BB Body.  This is one of those XX youtuber made me buy it products.  So many people on youtube raved about it so I went out and tried it.  I like it and have used about half of this container.  Unfortunately I'm not the biggest fan of the packaging.  I think there're some weird air bubbles in the packaging or something.

What are some of your goals for the month of February?  Are there some products you're also planning to use up in February as well?

Empties | 2014 Vol. 2

I decided I want to start this year with a clean slate and get rid of any empties I have from 2014 so I can keep track of how many products I used up in 2015.  So here are the last few products I used up from last year.

I know it's not that much, but I'm actually pretty bad about using things up.  I like to buy things, but they just sit there most of the time.  Hopefully I'll start using more things up this year so that I'm not wasting my money anymore.

Body products
Softsoap Pure Cashmere Body Wash.  This was actually my sister's.  She gave it to me to finish because she didn't really use body washes.  I thought it was ok; the scent was light and it lathered up pretty nicely on my loofa.  What more can I say about a body wash?  I might consider (re)purchasing this if it were on sale and I had coupons for it or something, but I won't go out of my way to look for it.
The Body Shop Loofa.  I received this in a gift set from The Body Shop a few years ago as a Christmas gift from a friend.  I actually really like this loofa better than the one I'm using currently. It's a lot softer and I don't feel like I'm scratching my skin every time I'm using it.  It also lathers body washes pretty well.  I would probably not repurchase this, seeing as it most likely cost a lot more than what I would like to spend on a loofa.

Moisturizers
Josie Maran Argan Oil Light Sample.  Got this from Sephora, duh!  I have to say a little goes a long way and these samples lasted me at least a few weeks.  You should also know that I'm terrible at moisturizing my skin every day.  This sample absorbed into my skin pretty well and doesn't make my face too oily.  The only thing I wish the sample came with was the droppers so that I am only using about 3 drops per using rather than random amount every time.  I have repurchased the travel size of this.
Tarte Maracuja Oil Sample.  Another sample from Sephora.  Apparently I'm Captain Obvious today.  The Maracuja oil is a lot thicker than the Argan oil light.  It does leave my face pretty oily after each use, but that doesn't really bother me that much because I use this at night.  I've repurchased this and am currently using it at night.

Makeup
L'oreal Lash Out Butterfly Mascara.  This is probably the first mascara (I'm a late bloomer in the makeup world) that I really loved.  It made my lashes look voluminous and fluttery.  I like my lashes to look more on the natural side so I usually don't layer mascaras or even wear multiple coats.  I want to do a review on this soon so I will talk more about it in the review.  Have repurchased multiple times.
Jordana Best Lash Extreme Volumizing Mascara.  This was a hand-me-down from my sister.  I know you're not supposed to share mascaras with anyone, and I usually don't, but for some reason I feel it's ok with my sister.  We don't do it often, and it's usually just letting the other person try it once to feel the hang of the mascara before going out to purchase it for themselves.  I didn't use this mascara often but it was just sitting in my collection for the longest time, so out it goes.  I will most likely (re)purchase this in the future to see how I like a new tube of it.

Others
INM Out The Door Topcoat.  This is currently my favorite top coat.  It beats Seche Vite in my book because it is not only cheaper (I got it for $3.99 at Bed, Bath, and Beyond!), but is also free of some of the bad chemicals that are included in Seche Vite.  It dries just as fast and leaves your nails just as shiny as Seche Vite.  It also does not goop up as early as Seche Vite.  I actually noticed it started getting thicker about 2/3 of the bottle.  I have repurchased this and will always repurchase unless I find something better.
Bath & Body Work Twilight Wood Pocket Bac.  Another hand-me-down from my sister.  I don't know how to describe hand sanitizers besides from their scents.  This was a pretty strong scent and I won't repurchase in this scent.  I have repurchased the Pocket Bac from Bath & Body Works in other scents though.
EOS Strawberry Sorbet Lipbalm.  This was the lip balm that kept going on.  I purchased it to try, then gave it to my sister who gave it back to me.  I swear I was trying to use this up for over several months but it just would not end!  It felt like I went through my Lemon Drop one so much faster than I went through this.  I have another Lemon Drop one to use, but after that one is done I don't think I will be repurchasing EOS lipbalms again unless I find an amazing deal I can't pass up.

I've already used up some more products since the beginning of the year and will probably do another empties post either after I finish using a certain amount of products or every few months.

What are some of the products you've recently used up?

Monthly Mission - November 2014

Happy November!  This post is about half a month late because of my little hiatus the second half of October.  Sorry!  For those who don't know, Monthly Mission is where I talk about five things I want to accomplish/work on throughout the month along with five products I want to focus on/use more of.  So I will talk about this month's goals and products before I go over how I did with my goals last month.

Here are my five missions for November:

1. Wake up earlier.  I really want to start waking up earlier, even if it's just a few minutes, so that I can get one or two things done in the morning.  I've noticed that when I get things done in the morning, I feel more accomplished throughout the day.
2. Start using up products.  I've been buying things and not really using them at all.  I want to start using up products so that I can justify buying new things when I finish using my products up or something.  I really want to make it a point to use the products daily I've chosen to focus on this month.
3. Get Christmas shopping done.  I am usually a last minute shopper so I can't wait to start planning and looking for deals/shopping earlier.  I don't think I'll get things for everyone on my list, but I hope to make a good dent in it by the beginning of December.
4. Eat breakfast.  Simple and easy but I don't do it.  I have a very bad habit of not eating breakfast.  I really need to break this habit.
5. Plan posts ahead.  I think one of the reasons why I ended up feeling unmotivated and took a hiatus at the end of last month was because of my lack of planning.  I hope I can plan and organize posts for the next few months so that when it comes time to write the post, I've already done most of the thinking.

And now onto the five products I want to focus on:

1. Jergens BB Body Perfecting Skin Cream.  This was in September's list and I'll be honest, I barely used it five days back then.  I want to start using it daily since I have a Christmas party to attend in the beginning of December.  I want to be able to wear a dress and have my legs looking nice.
2. Tarte Pure Maracuja Oil.  I've been using this as a moisturizer and a little goes a long way.  I have another sample of this, and a super size of this that I purchased a while ago.  Hopefully I can use this up soon and start on my other things.
3. EOS lip balm in Strawberry Sorbet.  This has got to be used up soon.  I've been working on this lip balm for the longest time and it just refuses to get used up!  I've just started seeing the pink plastic in the middle of the balm recently so I know the end is near!
4. Beauty Rush lip balm in Colada Love.  Another product that has got to be used up soon.  I've had it for a little too long, and this particular product has been discontinued from VS's beauty range for over a year now.  This is a really good MLBB (my lips but better) product but I don't like the fact that it includes glitter in there too.
5. Lubriderm Advanced Therapy Lotion.  I have a lot of hand creams at home and this is one of the ones that are almost done.  Hopefully with continuous usage throughout the month, I can finish it up soon!

Now onto last month's missions.  I believe I accomplished about half of the missions I set out for.  I didn't do well with the new blogging schedule; I just could not get myself to post up every Tuesdays and Fridays and I did not remember to write down highlights for the whole month.  

The decluttering goal was half achieved.  I did not get rid of a product for every product I brought in, that goal will probably appear sometime next year, but I did manage to get rid of 10 products last month.  Instead I've decided to get rid of 10 products each month so that I won't end up hoarding everything.

The two goals I did achieve were drinking more water and keeping track of my spending.  I ended up drinking a cup more water a day by switching out my water bottle I used.  My old bottle could only hold 24oz, which is 3 cups, while my new bottle could hold 32oz, or 4 cups.  I know that's not nearly as much as I should be drinking, but I'm slowly getting there.

Out of the five products last month, I used the deodorant a lot more than I used the other products.  The eye cream and the body sprays were used a bit more than I would have used if I wasn't consciously trying to use it.  Unfortunately I did not use the body butter or the body wash.

Like I said last month, hopefully November will be a better month with my missions and using my products.

Do you guys make goals for yourself to accomplish monthly?  If so, what are some of your goals for November?

Monthly Wishlist: October 2014

Its that time of the month where I get to show you guys what I've been itching to get my hands on.  Most of the items in this month's wish list are from the holiday collections and/or value sets.  I think those are such an awesome way to expose yourself to products from expensive brands that I would normally not buy.

Anyways, onto this month's wish list products:

Monthly Mission - October 2014

Happy October!  Last month I started a monthly series, Monthly Mission, where I talk about five things I want to accomplish/work on throughout the month, along with five products I want to focus on/use more.  So I will talk about this month's missions and products before I go over how I did with my goals last month.

Here are my five missions for October: