January '13 Empties

Here's what got used up this month. Some of these are good products, which I enjoyed using even if I wouldn't buy them again, and the rest were more miss than hit.

 

1. Giovanni 2chic body wash - Brazilian Keratin and Argan. This is good stuff to have around in the winter, and I liked it ok. I might buy it again, but I haven't really found any body washes that I really love. This is why I have five of them in my shower right now and still want more. Back to this stuff: mild, somewhat nutty scent, little exfoliating grains, good foam, creamy feel. Not bad, but on the more expensive side of the body wash spectrum.

2. Tarte Smooth Operator tinted moisturizer - Agent 00. Yes, I really used up a full-size foundation product! I'm kind of moving away from tinted moisturizers in favor of more traditional foundations. Since I used up the whole damn thing, I'm pretty qualified to say how it worked for me. As a replacement for foundation, this product failed for me. It started to slide around on my face (which gets oily) fairly quickly. So I decided to sub it in for both foundation and moisturizer. Used that way, it worked a lot better for me. Since it's the dead of winter, I'm not exposed to as much UV radiation, and the SPF 20 seems sufficient. I also got better coverage when it wasn't being diluted by other products already on my face. 

3. Salma Hayek Nuance Firm and Smooth Serum. This is a great moisturizing product, but I didn't feel like it had that much other benefit. 

4. Salma Hayek Nuance brow pencil - blonde. A little hard for my taste, but otherwise a good product.

5. Cover Girl LashBlast Length mascara. Note to self: in future only buy orange tube and green tube. Definitely no to future buys of purple tube, red tube, or yellow tube.

6. Tarte Gifted Amazonian Clay mascara. I honestly noticed no difference between this formula and the older Lights, Camera, Lashes one. They both give me great volume and length, they both smudge a bit under my eye, and they both dry out and get clumpy way sooner than a mascara that costs this much should.

7. Wet'N'Wild Mega Plump mascara sample. Ok, so I didn't really use this so much as it dried up waiting to be tested. I think that's enough said.

8. Lush Cupcake Fresh Mask face mask sample. I think I liked this, but it wasn't amazing enough to repurchase. There's a floral scent there that I don't think adds anything. I'd rather the natural ingredients be allowed to shine more.

9. Korres Quercetin and Oak primer sample. I really like this, as a moisturizer. It doesn't seem to make a huge difference with makeup longevity, and it doesn't have sun protection, so it occupies that niche of evening makeup, for something so fancy you redo your whole face.

10. E.L.F. wipes. I love wipes but hate paying for the convenience of them, so I was hoping these'd be good. They're not. They leave behind a grimy feel and they smell like floral lotion on dirty feet.

11. Pantene Age Expert shampoo and conditioner samples. You might like this if you like drugstore products and a silicone party in each bottle. I got these for free from Walgreens, so I used them.

12. Garnier Fall Flight shampoo and conditioner samples. Ditto.

December 2011 Used It!

Happy New Year!

Last month, I used up 13 products, 7 of them full size. The Tea Tree Tingle body wash from Trader Joe's is the only real clear winner - but I think I won't repurchase until summer - great for cleaning off sweaty griminess, overkill for winter.


Caudalie vinosource quenching sorbet creme sample tube
Silk Naturals 9:59 GWP shadow*
Adorned with Grace foundation/celestial silkening powder**
Silk Naturals GWP Watermelon Coconut Detox Mask
Hourglass Veil mineral primer spf 15 sample
Carol's Daughter Macadamia Heat Protecting Gloss sample
Trader Joe's Tea Tree Tingle Body Wash*
Ecotools body wash - travel size
Yes To Cucumbers Soothing Moisturizer with SPF 30*
Ponds Evening Soothe face wipes
Cover Girl Exact Eyelights mascara - green eyes*
Nuance Chamomile Cream Cleanser*

Look of the Day - classic retro

I wanted to do a more retro look.

I used the left-hand side of the WnW Comfort Zone palette and some layered mascara for the eyes - Cover Girl Lash Blast length works well as a base for me - and their eye enhancers for green eyes works nicely over that.

Lips are Raspberry Port lip crayon from Ecco Bella and a lip glaze from HiFi cosmetics that I don't know what it is because the label fell off the tube.

Instead of blush, I used some ELF studio golden bronzer around the edges of my face. Still pale!

Also, I do not apologize for anything about how I look here. (Bloggers really need to quit pointing out their imperfections. Like now.)

Used it!!!!

* Crazy Rumors Vanilla lip balm - good, basic stuff. I think I like Susan's new Darling Girl formula better, though.

* UDPP Sin sample decant - I really kind of want this in full size. It's perfect for a quick look that's somewhat more put together than nothing, and a little shadow in the crease makes it look like it's a lot more complicated.

* TFSI Candlelight sample decant - I'm on the fence about this - it's a bit yellowy for my taste.

* DDF mattifying oil control moisturizer spf 15 - I'm not sure how "mattiying" this was, but it was ok. If they'd ramp up the spf to at least 30, I'd be more interested.

*Cover Girl Lash Blast Luxe mascara - black platinum. Full disclosure, there was still some left, but it was dried out and yucky, and I wasn't getting my lashes coated as nicely anymore. I could either do a light coat or end up with clumps, so I gave up. It lasted about 5 months of daily use before I threw it out this morning. When it was new, it was a lot nicer. I think I like the orange tube better - I don't remember that having dried out as much.

ES project pan - 15/20
Lip project pan - 7/10

(Since Sept. 2, 2010)
166 items gone
62 full size items gone

a premature RIP to three products

My worst fears came true and my cold turned into a sinus infection. I also picked up some pinkeye while I was at it. So, three things are in the trash now because they are now carriers of disease. I'll also be dipping my eye brushes into some alcohol and spraying down the bronzer I'd been using - it's good I haven't felt like doing much makeup recently.

1. Korres Rice Bran mascara (brown) - not too bad, not spectacular, either. I did like it, but it didn't show up well with darker shadows.

2. Cover Girl Lash Blast (very black) - I did actually really like this. This is why I shouldn't ever spend extra money on mascara - Cover Girl is beeswax-free and cheap. And also, it works!

3. Aubrey Organics strawberry frost lip gloss - pretty sure this is full of sinus infection bacteria now, which is why I hate wand style glosses and will probably be avoiding them in the future. I might look into getting some squeeze tubes and decanting. This was nice stuff, and the man said he liked how it smelled.

I should be feeling better soon, thanks to the antibiotics (pill AND eye drop forms!)