June 2017 Empties

Here is what I got through in June:

Face/Skin items:

Some makeup wipes from Big Lots
Opinion: Yay Big Lots! I am bummed they closed the location close to me. I picked these up for exactly one doll hair during a recent visit to Illinois. They worked great...and did I mention they were cheap??
Repurchase?: Heck yes if I can get myself to another Big Lots.

Burt's Bees Towelettes
Opinion: These worked well enough. They removed my makeup, but they did leave my skin a bit sticky and tight feeling. Since the pack was pretty small, I kept them in my travel backpack to combat my airplane greasies.
Repurchase?: No. Too sticky.

Pore Gone for Good Mask
Opinion: This did nothing for me. It did not piss off my skin, nor did it help it. I was left just feeling a little more moisturized. I can easily achieve the same feeling from a standard moisturizer.
Repurchase?: *yawn* No. Too boring and not worth the money.

MD Solar Sciences SPF Moisturizer
Opinion: I used this on a recent trip to the Mediterranean. It was okay. Nothing fancy, nothing bad.
Repurchase?: No.

Skyn Iceland Cloud Cream
Opinion: My favorite moisturizer ever! Leaves my face SUPER soft and it's not greasy at all.
Repurchase?: Yes! I already blew some Ulta points on a full size, because there is no way my cheap ass would every spend $55 on a moisturizer.

Origins GinZing Moisturizer
Opinion: I want to like Origins. I really do. Their products just seems to underwhelm me over and over though. I guess this one did smell pretty good.
Repurchase?: No.

Murad City Skin Overnight Detox Moisturizer
Opinion: I am starting to really like Murad. This little packet was handy for travel. It left my skin really nice and soft when I woke up too.
Repurchase?: Not sure on this one. Murad is growing on me, but I think I like their serum more than this.

Philosophy Time in a Bottle Repair Serum
Opinion: Yay serum samples! Serum is something I love and use daily, but am still way too cheap to buy.
Repurchase?: Hopefully I will keep winning the sample lottery and won't have to.

Murad Invisiblue Protecting Shield
Opinion: I used this under my makeup like a primer. It had some slip to it, but my makeup stayed put all day.
Repurchase?: I'll just stick to my regular primers.

Hair:

Ouai Treatment Masque
Opinion: I loved this! It made my hair super soft and it smelled so good!
Repurchase?: No, I will be sticking to my much more economical Eva NYC mask.

Hask Macadamia Oil
Opinion: I love these little Hask hair oil bottles! They travel so well. A little goes a long way to make my hair super soft and shiny. I also like it as a heat protectant.
Repurchase?: I am sure I will be traveling somewhere and have to grab another one at Walgreen's at some point.

Makeup:

Some cheapo eyeliner from Beauty Box 5
Opinion: I realized when I swatched this for my eyeliner post that I forgot how much I liked it. Little did I know that the next time I used it would be the last time :(
Repurchase?: Nah, I have eyeliner ADD.

e.l.f. Makeup Mist & Set
Opinion: I tried this $3 version of my beloved NYX setting spray. It worked, but I really didn't not like the packaging. The misted was a little too zealous as well.
Repurchase?: I am sure my cheap ass will at some point. It's less than half of the cost of the NYX version!

Sephora Mascara
Opinion: I am making a point to get through some mascara samples and ditch what I don't like. I gave this 2-3 tried before I put it in the "fail" pile. It left little balls of product at the end of my eyelashes. I HATED the wand as well. Too dense and weirdly flat.
Repurchase?: Nope.

Ulta Eye Makeup Remover Wipes
Opinion: These worked great! I wish there was more in the package.
Repurchase?: Probably not. This is more of a "luxury" product for me.

Some random black eyeliner
Opinion: This eyeliner was very "meh" and I have plenty of other black eyeliners, so I quit using it.
Repurchase?: No.

Urban Decay 24/7 purple eyeliner
Opinion: I really liked this color and the slight glittery effect it had. However, every time I wore it, it would would start flaking off pretty quickly.
Repurchase?: No, and I am hesitant to try any other UD eyeliners now.

Miscellaneous:

Dr. Lipp Original Nipple Balm for Lips
Opinion: Wow was this stuff gooey! It was basically like smearing petroleum jelly on my lips. It did leave them moisturized all night as I slept, and it was still on when I woke up.
Repurchase?: Nah. Too gooey and I hate squeeze tubes for lip balm.

Perfume Minis
Opinion: I am still plugging away on my huge pile. I like practically all perfume, but the one that stood out to me here was Armani Code.
Repurchase?: These brands are all a little too rich for my blood.

May 2017 Empties

Why yes! I am way behind! Here is what I went through in May:

Hair stuff:

John Frieda Frizz Ease Hair Spray
Opinion: I go through a mini can of hair spray about twice a year. This worked I guess. I am just not enough of a hair spray user to give a decent review.
Purchase?: Nope. I probably have 2-4 more mini cans of hair spray, so I am goo for another year or two.

Marc Anthony argan or some kind of other oil
Opinion: I like hair oil for my dry ends. This was suitable.
Purchase?: Nah. I'll stick to my samples or just buy more Hask.

Living Proof Perfect Hair Day Overnight Protector
Opinion: This was nice. I liked leaving it in my hair overnight and waking up to super moisturized locks.
Purchase?: Not for the price this brand runs at. Ouch.

Skin care:

Glam Glow Supermud Clearing Treatment
Opinion: DAMN YOU GLAM GLOW!! This shit was GOOD. I used it on my nose to rip out all of my nasty blackheads. I don't know what kind of witchcraft Glam Glow uses to make their products but DAMN does it work!
Purchase?: I totally would but it is SOOOOO expensive! I wish Ulta carried it so I can cash in my points on it!

Dr. Brandt Poredermabrasion Pore Perfecting Exfoliator
Opinion: I liked this a lot. It really got in there and did some deep down scrubby things to my face. A little went a long way so this sample lasted a while.
Purchase?: I can scratch up my face for a lot less money, so no thank you.

First Aid Beauty Deep Cleanser
Opinion: This worked well enough. I liked the fact that it had clay added to help combat my greasies. It did leave my face feeling a little tight after using it.
Purchase?: Not my favorite cleanser, so no.

Lancome Advanved Genifique serum type thingy
Opinion: I love getting samples of this, because I will never splash out on the full sized version.
Purchase?: See above.

Miscellaneous skin and body:

Suave Visible Glow Self Tanning Body Lotion
Opinion: I think this may be better than Jergens for one reason. It's thinner and applies faster. I hate spending time rubbing lotion into my skin.
Repurchase?: My self tanner loving dumb ass probably will.

Pure Silk Shave Cream
Opinion: BORING.
Repurchase?: Nope. I have been shaving with a giant bottle of Wen conditioner and liking that more. Plus, it has the added bonus of maybe making my leg hair fall out!

Marvis Toothpaste
Opinion: Luxury toothpaste. Huh. This was fine I suppose.
Purchase?: Not as long as the hubby keeps buying massive packs of toothpaste at Costco. This was a nice sample though.

Proraso Cream Liquid After Shave Balm
Opinion: I love this. I had this last little sample to use up, now I am on to my big bottle.
Purchase?: Already have.

Makeup things:

Barry M Flawless Matte Finish Foundation
Opinion: I bought this at a train station in London and I loved it!!! I am super sad I cannot buy more.
Repurchase?: You bet your ass I will. The next time I can find it.

Mally Beauty double ended mascara
Opinion: Mascara, along with bronzer, is one of those rare makeup items that just do not excite me. However, I did really like this. The combination of defining and maximizing brushes really made application a breeze.
Repurchase?: I am literally drowning in tubes of mascara. Full sized. Deluxe sized. Sample sized. I will never be able to go through them all. I would definitely buy this if they all suddenly disappeared though.

Ulta Eyebrow Gel
Opinion: Ewwwww!! Never package eyebrow gel in a clear tube! It started to look very nasty very quickly from applying over my pomade. Also, it got gooey and flaking on me after a few uses. That's why there is still goo in this tube. I could not deal anymore.
Purchase?: I am convinced that all eyebrow gel sucks other than ABH.

Kat Von D Tattoo Liner
Opinion: This definitely lives up to the hype! I can almost pull off a decent cat with this liner. And it stays on through almost anything.
Purchase?: I have another sample size going at the moment. Also, I am sure there is a cheaper dupe out there somewhere.

Harvey Prince Hello
Opinion: I liked this well enough. It wasn't my favorite, but it wasn't the worst either.
Purchase?: No, I am trying to use up my other 10,000 perfume samples.

Collection: My Non-Black Eyeliners (that I am currently using)

Despite my usual style of being mostly ~goth af~, I do not like to wear black eyeliner on my bottom eyelid. I feel that it makes my eyes look smaller and heavier. Not typically the look I am personally going for, but if it is your thing, you do you. I have a very boring collection of black eyeliners going at any one time, but that's not what this post is about.

BEHOLD. My non-black eyeliners. I do lean heavily towards purple, but I have some other fun ones going at the moment.

My purples:

From left to right:

1. Tarte
2. A cheapo twist up from Beauty Box 5
3. Discontinued L'Oreal from Big Lots
4. Urban Decay
5. Sephora brand

Purples swatched from bottom to top:

Miscellaneous colors:

From left to right:

1. Pretty jade green from Iikia

2. A deep green from Tarte

3. Brown from Sigma

4. NYX Faux Black in Onyx

5. MYX Faux Black in Oxblood

6. A gorgeous coppery orange from Zao

7. Starlooks pencil in amythest

8. A silky silver from Cynthia Rowley

Miscellaneous swatched from bottom to top:

After digging around and swatching these I had the following thoughts:

1. Screw the purple Urban Decay liner. It always flakes off and I find chunks of it sitting on my cheeks all day. On to the fail pile it goes!
2. NYX Faux Blacks rule super hard. I'm not sure what color "onyx" is supposed to be, but I love it.
3. The brown Sigma liner is very close to making a trip to the fail pile. It's hard and just really uncomfortable to apply.
4. Shimmery metallic eyeliners are great in theory. Not when you put them on your lower lid and walk out into the sun and are immediately blinded but the glare.
5. I need a gold eyeliner.
6. I should probably buy some more purple eyeliners.

Travel Beauty - Malta 2017

I like to travel. A lot. When I am driving somewhere, I will just basically empty my working makeup drawer and toss everything in my car. When I fly somewhere, things get trickier. I do not like to check my luggage because switching flights internationally does not always mean you will get you bag at your final destination (looking at you, Air Malta). So besides the limited space in my carry on, I have to follow the 3 oz or less rule to get through security. Not that this is too much of an issue with my sample hoarder lifestyle.

After taking so many trips over the last few years, I have learned a lot. Here are some things I would recommend based on my personal experience.

Save those small samples and foil packets;

Yes, even perfume cards from magazines. They take up virtually no space. Foil packets are also space savers. I have a "travel basket" in my bathroom closet where I immediately dump these samples into when I receive them. Then, when I comes time to pack, I raid this basket. I don't pay much attention to what I put in the basket at the time, so it is usually pretty fun to dig around.

Have a very simple routine:

The lighting in most European hotel bathrooms is crap. I stick with a base that is easy and mostly good proof. Sunscreen, BB cream, and a little powder foundation. I'm currently in love with this Maybelline BB cream I got on clearance at Dollar General. BH Costmetics ties with NYX for my favorite powder foundation. Both are very affordable.

Have something on your person for sweat/oil control:

My skin sucks. It's extra oily and freaks out over just about anything. Changes in temperature and humidity especially. I keep translucent or mattifying powder in all of my bags so I can blot away or touch up on the go. I usually just travel wth cheap makeup, but this Too Faced powder got to go on this trip because there's not a lot left. The Cover Girl was a Dollar General clearance find.

Too Faced stayed in my backpack while Cover Girl I kept in my purse. I really like the "poof" applicator.

Bring multitaskers:

I bring this Urban Decay Naked Flushed trio everywhere. It's three products in one and has a nice big mirror.

I am also in love with this NYX brow pencil. The product twists up and is super fine, so it's easy to draw on and get a more natural look. The other end is a spoolie to comb everything out.

Limit yourself to a look or two:

I brought this cheapo cardboard Ulta palette with me. It limited my choices and made my routine quicker. Plus, I wouldn't cry if something happened to it. I actually ended up falling in love with this little guy. I'm not a blue eyeshadow fan at all, but the Seaside color was a surprisingly nice duo chrome.

Make your hair routine easy:

I cut six inches off of my hair in preparation for this trip. European hotels do not typically have blow dryers, and my styling tools are not compatible with the electrical situation outside of the US. I brought this air dry cream so I could just let my hair do its thing in the Mediterranean breeze every day. It actually worked out very well.

If there's an expensive product I can't live without, see if there is a travel size available:

For me this is my HG brow gel from Anastasia Beverly Hills. All other brow gels fail super hard compared to this one.

Lessons will be learned:

On this trip, I learned that any and all eyeliner can and will betray you while traveling. Liquid pens will start skipping. Pencils will break and you won't have a sharpener. I thought I was being safe by bringing some twist ups. One broke and the other decided it was too dry to work any longer. Next time I am going to have to try a pot and a brush I guess.

Tarte Custom Beauty Kit Haul

I love Tarte, and when I heard they were going to be offering their custom beauty kits again, I was all in! Even though they did raise the price from $59 to $63...I still bought two :)  Here is all of my loot:

First bag:

My husband says that every new makeup bag is my favorite makeup bag ever, but this is probably my favorite makeup bag ever. It's called "unicorn skin" and the photo does not do it justice. I'm obsessed.

In this bag I got:

Here are some of the colored items opened:

I love the minty smell of the Lipsurgence crayons, and I love all Tarte blushes. I have not opened the clay pot eyeliner yet, because I don't want it to dry out before I am ready to play with it. It looks super shimmery through the bottom of the glass though!

My next kit was in this gorgeous gold lined purple bag:

And the contents:

Some colored items:

I can't believe they had some of the Make Believe in Yourseld collection available! I am very excited to try this lip paint. I am pretty sure the CC stick is way too dark for me, even though it was the lightest shade they offered. The bronzer blush looks too pretty to use!

Including the bag in these 7 price kits, they break down to $9 an item. This is an insane deal for Tarte products. I am very excited to play with the sparkly liner and lip paint in particular.

Dollar General Haul

I couldn't resist!

Yes, those are $0.37 liquid eyeliners and they actually work! I am also loving the Maybelline BB cream.