Empties September and October 2014

Earlier this year, I sorted through my skincare products to better organize them and realized just how many I had, so I thought that I better start using them up! I think I made a pretty good dent in September and October. Have you tried any of these? What did you think?

Makeup

• Avon Ultra Glazewear Lip Gloss in Intense Plum – Sample I purchased from Avon when trying to figure out colors of a new product. This was 1 of the 2 I liked in the line (the other was Creamy Nude), while the kiddo got the others. Purchase: Probably not. There are just too many other lip products out there to try. 
• Benefit They're Real mascara – Deluxe sample from Birchbox that I bought in order to qualify for free shipping. This was OK, but definitely not my favorite mascara. Fairly difficult to remove. Purchase (full size): No.
• L'Oreal Paris Revitalift Miracle Blur Instant Skin Smoother Finishing Cream – Rippy packet sample from magazine. This product acts like primer, which was not easy to tell from the descriptions. This did work surprisingly well at smoothing out any imperfections and diminishing the appearance of pores. Purchase: Possibly.
• Mox Botanicals Lip Butter in Pomegranate & Fig – Sample from Birchbox. This was a nice lip product and worked fairly well for an overnight balm, but it’s not worth the price. Purchase: No.
• MUA Clear Lip Liner – I purchased this full size to use with darker lip colors. I wanted a universal lip liner because it would be my only one for at least a little while. I was really impressed with this, especially for the price. My only gripe with it is that I went to use it one day and the pencil portion was no longer present in the mechanical/retractable part! I did buy a more expensive replacement for this, but actually prefer this one. Repurchase: Yes.

Face Care

• Caudalie Polyphenol [C15] Anti-Wrinkle Defense Serum – Sample from Birchbox. Nothing remarkable about this product. I couldn’t tell any major difference when using this. Purchase: No
• Caudalie Vinoperfect Radiance Serum Complexion Correcting – Sample from Birchbox. I couldn’t see any noticeable differences while using this product. Purchase: No.
• Derma E Hydrating Night Creme – Sample from Birchbox. Nice fruity smell. Hydrating but not overly thick. Purchase: Possibly.
• Frownies Rose Water Hydrator Spray – Sample from Birchbox. I used this once with the gel patches that it came with, then just used it as a facial spray. I didn’t like it as a face spray. It is overly scented (I’m not a huge fan of rose-scented things) and I think it made me break out. Purchase: No.
• Kiehl's Dermatologist Solutions Powerful-Strength Line-Reducing Concentrate – Sample from Birchbox. At first this was OK, and I even seemed to notice a difference when I didn’t use it. Over time, I started to notice it develop a solvent-like odor. Purchase: No.
• Korres Quercetin & Oak Antiaging & Antiwrinkle Face Serum – Rippy packet sample from Sephora. This was fine, but I’m not willing to spend the money on it. Purchase: No.
• L'Oreal Paris Age Perfect Hydra-Nutrition Golden Balm – Rippy packet from magazine. Very perfume-y. Purchase: No.
• Neutrogena Oil-Free Eye Makeup Remover – Full size. I purchased this when my Mary Kay product was packed away during a move. This worked almost as well without the greasy residue. Repurchase: Yes.
• Nugg Face Mask in Revitalizing (flaxseed and peppermint oil) – Sample from Birchbox. This was a fun little mask. It says that it is a single-use product, but there is enough for at least 2 masks, which makes the packaging inconvenient. Purchase: Probably not.
• Philosophy Miracle Worker Miraculous Anti-Aging Moisturizer – Deluxe sample from Ulta. Smells like petroleum chemicals or solvents. Purchase: No
• Sea Breeze Naturals Purifying Clay Cleanser – Rippy packet sample. Nice minty smell, thick clay cleanser. Very nice, refreshing, non-irritating, gentle. Purchase: Yes.
• Skin & Co Sicilian Light Serum Day Brightening Serum – Sample from Birchbox. Nothing bad happened while using this, and skin did look pretty good.  It did have a somewhat odd smell.  Purchase: No.
• Ulta brand Enriching Cleansing Cloths – Full Size. Needed new face wipes, and there were freebies on the line if I purchased Ulta brand products, so I tried these. They smelled somewhat harsh, very much like alcohol. The cloth itself was rough as well. Repurchase: No.
• Wei Beauty Golden Root Purifying Mud Mask – Sample from Birchbox. Used by the kiddo. Single use product but actually enough present for more than one mask, which made the packaging inconvenient. Purchase: No.

Skincare

• Hada Labo Skin Plumping Gel Cream – 2 rippy packet samples, one from Sephora, one from Ulta. Mild scent, gentle but rich formula. I like the gel texture, which makes this more unique. Purchase: Yes.
• Palmer's Cocoa Butter Formula – Rippy Packet. I have lots of these rippy packet samples that I think the hubby got as race swag over the years. This is nice and smells like chocolate. It is fairly thick, so I need to be somewhat careful when I use it. Purchase: Maybe.
• Soak Handmaid Hand Cream in Yuzu – Rippy packet from Birchbox. This was a really nice hand cream and had a pleasant scent. When I went to look up more details for this post, I found that they sell an unscented version, and it is not crazy expensive. That is two huge pluses right there. Purchase: Yes.
• Soap & Glory Hand Food Hydrating Hand Cream – Travel/small size received as part of a gift box. Love the scent, love the formula. I have been looking at other Soap and Glory products now that I know where to get them. Purchase/Repurchase: Yes.
• Yu-Be Moisturizing Skin Cream – Sample from Birchbox. Very much like Aquaphor with a slightly medicinal scent. Purchase: No.

Fragrance

• Bath and Body Works A Thousand Wishes (fragrance) – Sample pad. The sample was enough to want me to get a larger size, but the sample pad itself was lousy for application. Purchase: Yes.
• English Laundry (fragrance) – Sample from Birchbox. I like this fragrance well enough, but it doesn’t last a long time on me. I received another sample from Birchbox with an order, and that is enough for me right now. Maybe a purse size might be in my future. Purchase: Maybe.
• Versace Bright Crystal (fragrance) – Samples, one from Ulta, one from Sephora. Needed both to get a single application. No lasting power. This one just isn’t for me. Purchase: No.
• Viva la Juicy Gold Couture (fragrance) – Sample, just not sure where I received it. I have liked most of the Juicy fragrances, and this was no exception. This one does not have quite the staying power on me as the others do, but I like it while it lasts. Purchase: Yes (already have).

Toiletries

• Degree Ultraclear Pure Clean Invisible Solid Anti-Perspirant & Deodorant – Full Size. This is my Holy Grail (HG) deodorant. When you find one that works, you stick with it, right? Repurchase: Yes (already have).

Hair Care

• Nexxus Salon Hair Care Color Assure Sulfate-Free System – Sample from Birchbox. The products were very hard to get out of packaging, particularly the shampoo. It also seems like the provided portions were off, like too much Primer was provided considering the amount of shampoo and conditioner. I realize the primer is there to protect colored hair from the rigors of shampooing, but it did not seem to rinse out completely with the shampoo either. Why would anyone want to feel like a greaseball AFTER they shampoo? I wound up shampooing twice, once with the provided product and once with my own. Purchase: No.
• Nexxus Salon Hair Care Youth Renewal Rejuvenating Elixir – Sample from Birchbox. This was OK. I used it like a leave-in conditioner. I often combine this with Argan oil, which is one of their recommendations. I don’t find this a necessary item for my hair. Purchase: No.

Other

• Bath and Body Works Pocketbac in Pink Chiffon – Full Size. I have been going through a lot of hand sanitizer lately, and finally used up this one. This is one of my favorite scents from BBW. It should be noted that scent of the sanitizer seems to last longer than any other product. Repurchase: Yes.
• Sally Hansen Extra Strength Extra Fast Polish Remover – Full Size. This worked perfectly fine. I use whichever nail polish remover I can find, as long as it is true Acetone remover and not Acetone-Free. Repurchase: Yes.

I love being able to throw something out because it is empty. I try really hard to finish off my beauty products like I do other things in my life (you should see me with pens ), but this time there were some things I just had to stop using.

Give-Ups

• Philosophy The Microdelivery Exfoliating Facial Wash – Deluxe sample from Ulta. Had to stop using this product because it was aggravating my skin. I keep breaking out every time I used it. Purchase: No.
• Mereadesso All-In-One Moisturizer – Sample from Birchbox. I could not finish because it started causing an allergic-like reaction after applying, although the reaction did not happen immediately on first use. Even when I restricted it to just use on specific parts of the face or hands, it caused a burning sensation. Purchase: No.
• Crest Pro-Health Sensitive + Enamel Shield toothpaste – Full size. I was told by the dentist to stop using this immediately. This was found to have small plastic beads in it which had to be dug out from under the gum line. What was funny was that the only reason I purchased this toothpaste was because I had received a coupon for it from the dentist! Repurchase: No.