The Ambler Feedstore - Guest Written by Duff

Today's post is a review provided by Duff.  Check out his musings at his personal blog.

(As a little background info, Ambler Feedstore is a restaurant in Ambler, PA.  They’re known for their “handcrafted burgers, sandwiches, salads & snacks.  They cater to many diets and allow certain substitutions.  You should definitely check out their website at amblerfeedstore.com.)

Today’s post is a review provided by Duff. 

This place is awesome!  The burgers are well-prepared but the combinations and toppings are the creative “spice” that puts this place on top.  I love the Greek fries with feta and tapenade.  Check for the special sandwiches.  I had a meatloaf sandwich that was glory in my taste buds.  The kid loves the piggy mac (mac’n’cheese with pulled pork BBQ). 

One drawback is the portion size.  You definitely get your money’s worth, but it is a lot of food and it is hard to put down.  If you do have the self-control, it does make for good leftovers.

Empties - September 2015

Since I’ve been Culling the Collection, I’ve definitely been using things up.  You can see that in my empties this month since there are a lot more full size products than usual.  Shout out in the comments below what good things you finished up this month, and then check out mine below.

Makeup

·YvesSaintLaurent Touche Eclat N^o 1 – Sample Card from Sephora.  I tried to use the other two colors in the sample (2 and 4.5) but they were much too dark for me.  This was just OK; not my favorite highlighter, and I definitely don’t have to buy it.  Purchase: No

·Urban Decay Revolution Lip Gloss in Failbait – Sample blister card from Ipsy.  Really like the formula, but the packaging was difficult to work with.  Very opaque.  I have been thinking about getting one, but have been hesitant because of the price.  Purchase: Maybe

·Ulta Twisted Volume Maximum Performance Mascara – Full Size.  At one point, I really liked this mascara.  It did really nice things to my lashes, I was able to get it for insanely good prices when it was on sale, etc.  But this time, it kept getting goopier as I used it more and stayed wet for a long time after application.  I wound up with smudges under my eyes almost every day.  Luckily, at that point it had been 3 months since opening and it was time to toss it for a new one.  Repurchase: No (but I still have another tube at home I may try to use up)

·Benefit Gimme Brow in Light/Medium – Full Size.  This was the first brow product I ever bought and used on a regular basis.  This was an easy product for a beginner.  I just wish it wasn’t so expensive.  I’m trying out some other things now, but I may consider it again in the future.  Repurchase: Maybe

Face Care

·Dr. Jart+ Vital Hydra Solution Deep Hydration Sheet Mask – Full Size.  This was a sample from Birchbox.  I posted a picture of me trying this on Instagram here.  This was my first sheet mask, and I enjoyed it.  It was so much easier than regular masks!  Purchase: Already have

·Neutrogena Makeup Remover Cleansing Towelettes – Full Size.  HG product for me.  Repurchase: Already have

·Acure Brightening Facial Scrub – Sample/Travel Size.  I had so much trouble squeezing this out of the tube this time that I actually had to cut the corner off the tube to use it.  I love this product, and didn’t have this problem before, but it makes me hesitant to buy a full size.  Purchase: Maybe

·Ulta Oil-Free Eye Makeup Remover – Full Size.  Not the best, not the worst.  OK taking off basic pencil eyeliner, but didn’t work on liquid and some gels for me.  Repurchase: No (but have another at home to use up)

·Dr. Jart+ Dermaclear Micro Water – Sample Size from Birchbox.  I have become a fan of micellar waters, but this has actually been my least favorite of those I’ve tried.  It felt a little, no so much sticky, but not fully gone afterwards.  I also don’t think it removed makeup as well as some others, and I had to be careful with it if I had my contacts in.  Purchase: No

Skincare

·LUSH Whoosh Shower Jelly – Full Size.  So much fun, and the refreshing citrus scent woke me up every morning.  Repurchase: Yes (I may also try some of their other jellies)

·TempleSpa Peace Be Still Calming Face and Body Balm – Sample from Birchbox.  I’ve gotten this same product as hotel samples, so I got somewhat weirded out getting a sample from Birchbox.  I used it, it was OK, but not worth more than samples.  Purchase: No

·LUSH Ocean Salt Face and Body Scrub – Full size.  I didn’t use this on my face, but it was great for scrubbing my dry legs a few times a week.  Repurchase: Maybe

Photo courtesy of www.birchbox.com

Fragrance

·I Am Juicy Couture – Sample vial from Birchbox (gift). I liked this so much I bought a full size roller ball.  Purchase: Already have

Photo courtesy of www.pureology.com

Hair Care

·Pureology Purify Shampoo – Full Size.  This was recommended to me as a swimmer’s shampoo / clarifying shampoo that was safe for color-treated hair by a former stylist.  It’s crazy expensive, but it lasts forever because you only need the smallest amount even for long hair.  The kiddo and I both use it.  Repurchase: Already have

·Suave Professionals Captivating Curls Spray Gel – Full Size.  This was a giant fail!  I had the hardest time spraying this.  The bottle kept collapsing, and now it won’t spray any more at all even though it looks like there’s some left.  I’m done.  There’s enough gone that I’m calling it empty rather than a give-up.  This was one time when trying to find a less expensive substitute for a product I liked didn’t work out.  Repurchase: No

Other

·Degree Motion Sense Invisible Solid in Shower Clean Scent – Full Size.  HG product.  Repurchase: Already have

Giveups

·Paula’s Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant – Sample Size from Birchbox.  This just didn’t sit well on my skin.  It made me feel sticky and overall didn’t feel like it was doing much good.  I much prefer physical exfoliators, even though they are not recommended by my dermatologist. Purchase: No

·Avon Beyond Color Plumping Lipstick SPF 15 in Divine Wine – Full Size.  I really didn’t have any problem with this at all.  It had just gotten old and started to smell off, so it’s time to move on.  Repurchase: Maybe

·Jasmine La Belle Lip Gloss in Femme – Full Size.  I think this may have been an impulse purchase at a counter somewhere, I’m not even sure where anymore.  It’s old, smells funky, and it’s time to go.  Repurchase: No

·Ulta Extreme Wear Eye Shadow Primer – Deluxe Sample Size.  I got this as part of a GWP set, and it worked OK with certain shadows.  But only with certain shadows.  Once I realized that I was picking and choosing when to use it because it was a finicky primer, and remembered that I didn’t actually directly pay for it, I decided to move on to greener pastures.  Purchase: No

·3 Rollerballs of drugstore perfumes marketed as dupes to high end fragrances – I’m sure everyone remembers these: Drugstores carry cheap knockoffs that are supposed to smell like well-known brands.  I wound up finding 3 of these rollerballs while cleaning out my car, no idea where I got them, and decided to give them a try.  They wound up having almost no scent left and the rollerball mechanism didn’t work at all.  I wound up taking one apart and trying to use a cotton ball to apply it, but that didn’t do much better.  Purchase: No

The ones I had were:

• Q Pour Lui, inspired by Polo
• Lady Q, inspired by White Diamonds
• Lady Q, inspired by Sunflowers

(After I tossed these into my empties bin, the one I had taken apart wound up leaking all over everything.  This month’s empties smelled lovely, but the bottom was a big greasy mess.)

So there you have it.  It was a big month for empties, and October looks to be shaping up the same way.  I will say, this was the first month in a very long time that I haven’t finished a bottle of hand sanitizer, so that was a bit of a surprise!

Anyway, stay tuned for upcoming posts.  I’ve hammered out some ideas, so hopefully I’ll be able to get back to a more regular schedule soon.  Check back or subscribe to keep up with what’s new.

In the meantime, I have been somewhat more active on social media.  Feel free to follow me on Instagram or Twitter!

On Creating a HG Products List...

Last week I sat down to write up a Holy Grail products post.  I was inspired by my on-going culling the collection because based on how I chose to plow through my products, many of the items going first are HG.

A few things I figured out while making this list:

·         I am really not loyal to any single brand.  I’ve tried so many great products over the past few years from so many different brands that there are very few from which I have even more than 1 or 2 favorites.
·         There are so many makeup and skincare items I now use or know how to use.  A few years ago, I really only used a few items.  I always had some kind of lotion around and lip balm for overnight.  Makeup- wise, I had a few lipsticks and glosses, but really the only things I consistently wore every day were eyeliner and mascara.  I now wear so much more on a daily basis, use more skincare items daily, and am always looking for more to try.
·         I’m a big ole’ geek.  (Then again, many of you already knew that! J) I started off with a basic list in Word.  That turned into a categorized Word document which almost turned into one with a table.  After that, I went to Excel and now have a huge spreadsheet to keep track of it all.

You might be asking, “You keep talking about it, but are you ever going to give us this HG products list?”  I will, but it will have to be in pieces.  Like I said above, I use a lot more products than I realized, so it became a much longer list than can comfortably fit in one post.  

Stay tuned…