Products I Purchased in February

I'm on a bit of a self-imposed low buy, largely due to a glut of products and a need to use what I've got instead of continuing to buy, buy, buy. However, I realistically know that I'll want to buy a few things here and there, plus there are always staples that need to be repurchased. So, let's look at the items I purchased in February, and why I did so.

Ulta definitely knows how to entice consumers, as they run sales all the time plus send out coupons. I received a $5 off $10 coupon that I wanted to put to use, so rather than shop online and pay shipping (or more likely, purchase $50 worth of items to get free shipping), I made a trip to the store. I needed shampoo, and was going to pick up some Hask shampoos but these Maui Moisture ones were on sale, so I picked up two. I've been using the Bamboo Fibers shampoo ($8.99) for about 10 days now, and so far so good!

A 40% off Maybelline products at Rite Aid resulted in the purchase of Fool's Gold, one of the new Color Tattoo Eye Chrome Shadows. A review is coming up very soon:-)

stila had a big sale recently, which I didn't pay any attention to until they sent me a 25% off the sale coupon. I've wanted to try the Aqua Glow blushes forever, but wasn't willing to pay $24 for them. They were marked down to $8 and with 25% off, that made me willing to pay the $5.99 shipping charge. I chose Waterlily and Shimmering Lotus, and have only worn each 1x so far. Reviews to come once I've gotten a good feel for them.

So, I purchased something I needed, something I've wanted for a while at a big discount, and a complete impulse purchase. Not too terribly bad, and considering I did not use a 20% off coupon (including prestige brands), pretty darn good. I think I'm going to keep a running tally of my beauty purchases this year, which should be illuminating.  Thus far, January's purchases were $81.40 and February's was $33.97. I'm trending in the right direction :-)

Empties! Products I Used up in February

The azaleas are coming into their glory in Mobile and this past weekend's weather was sublime, which gave me ample opportunity to take pictures of the products I finished off in February. There are some standouts and one disappointment, so let's get started!

• Garnier Fructis Style Full & Plush Volume Hairspray: I'm a drugstore hairspray kind of girl, and this one did a good job. I've already repurchased two more.
• Palmer's Cocoa Butter Formula Skin Therapy Cleansing Oil: I was so excited about this drugstore cleansing oil with it's drugstore price ($10). It came highly recommended by Musings of a Muse, but sadly I didn't care for it. Despite an impressive ingredient list, this just did not do a good job of removing all of my makeup. I dual cleanse as a matter of course, but I like a cleansing oil that does a great job of removing makeup and rinses off without leaving any traces of the cleansing oil behind. I'm guessing those with dryer complexions may appreciate this more, but I'm back to my holy grail oil cleanser now- DHC's Deep Cleansing Oil. I love that stuff, just wish it wasn't so expensive.
• Pixi Glow Tonic: I liked this cult classic toner with it's 5% glycolic acid, but I'm not sure it did anything beyond what many other toner's I've tried do. Which is namely to remove any last traces of makeup and adjust skin's pH balance for topicals such as AHA's/BHA's/Vitamin C.  The 5% glycolic acid isn't really enough to make a real difference on my skin as far as exfoliation is concerned. Given the Pixi Tonic is $15 for 3.4 oz, I think I'll stick with my Dickinson's Witch Hazel or the CosRX AHA/BHA Clarifying Skin Treatment.

• Algenist Advanced Anti-Aging Reparing Oil deluxe sample: I received this
  
  in the Sephora's Favorites Skinbender set that was on sale around Christmas. A bit of a mini-rant: several of the products were expired! The top of the dropper on the oil tore off on the 2nd or 3rd use, so no telling how long this stuff has been sitting around. But you know what? I really, really liked this oil. Algenist is impressing me with the few items I've been able to test for an extended period of time (I'm currently using their Vitamin C serum, and it looks like love). Too bad they are soooo expensive. One ounce of this oil will set you back $82, and I just can't see myself doing that. Too bad, because I really liked it.  
• Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair deluxe sample: I not sure what effect the Advanced Night Repair has on my skin. This is my 2nd deluxe sample that I've been using fairly consistently, and I've got one more to go, which will equal a full sized bottle. Maybe my impression will be more formed then. 
• Beauty Protector Protect & Blonde Toning Shampoo deluxe sample: I so remember using a purple toning shampoo from Aussie (I think) when I was in college and had bleached my hair blonde. BLEACHED. This one smells good and works well, but I'm not paying $23 for shampoo. 
• Clarin's Radiance Plus Golden Glow Booster: This was my 3rd bottle, and I've already got the 4th in rotation. Holy grail facial self-tanner for me, people, holy grail.
• Peter Thomas Roth Max Sheer All Day Defense Lotion deluxe sample: This is from a Sephora Favorites sunscreen kit, and I typically wore it on weekends when I was working in the yard or walking the dogs. It's not one I would want to wear under makeup, but it's fine on bare skin. I would not purchase but I'll use any samples that come my way.

• Pure Fiji Dilo Rescue Body Gel: Pure Fiji is a luxury brand that makes some seriously nice body lotions, butters and sugar scrubs. This one is probably going on 5 years old but smelled and worked great until the very end. It's pricey at $38 but I would repurchase. If I wasn't swimming in body butters.
• Bonita Tropical Scented Acetone Free Nail Polish Remover Pads with cuticle oil: I found this at my Rite Aid and picked up the Tropical scented one to try. I liked it enough that I bought the other 3 scents the next time I went in Rite Aid (which is several times a week, as it's on my way home from work). You do have to rub these fairly vigorously, but they do remove polish and do not damage my nails. They remind me of the Josie Maran Bare Naked Nail Wipes, but are less than $2.

•  Yogi Cinnamon Vanilla Healthy Skin: why is an herbal tea in my February empties? Well, it claims to do good things for your skin, so I thought I'd include it. I'm not sure it did anything special for my skin that drinking water could not do, but I liked the taste and would repurchase. 

• Pacifica Enzymatic Exfoliating Wipes: I like these, and would repurchase. I've still got one or two of the other packs from the travel set left, but with summer coming, I'll need more. SUMMER IS COMING. 
• Coola SPF50 in Fresh Mango deluxe sample: I've acquired several of these sunscreens, and they all expire in May. So, I've designated them as my work in the yard/walk the dogs weekend wear sunscreen. I like it, although the fragrance is a little strong.
• boscia Luminizing Black Mask foil sample: I like that it's black and it peeled off fairly well, but I'm sure I could tell much of a difference in my skin. I have no plan to purhase.
• DHC Coenzyme Q10 Quick Gel Brightening Moisture: I've received several of the Coenzyme Q10 product samples form DHC over the years, and the moisturizing gel is my favorite. Gels work well with my oily skin, especially during the summer. I would considering purchasing during a good sale.
• Andalou Naturals Acai & White Tea Oil-Free Moisturizer: I like most of the things I've tried from Andalou Naturals. This sample wasn't enough to form an opinion, but my general impression was positive.
• The little vial is not a perfume, but a room spray that smelled like baby powder. I don't like the scent of baby powder, but it was realistic and did scent the room. For better or worse.

• Supergoop CC Cream: This was part of my Pan 17 in 2017 project, so I'm excited to have knocked one off! I like this quite a bit and would consider repurchasing down the road. I squeezed as much as I could out of the bottle and then cut it open. It's surprising how much remains inside - there is probably enough in here for another 10 uses. But, I tossed it, as I'm ready to move on and it expired in February.

• Ole Henriksen Sheer Transformation Facial Moisturizer deluxe sample: This was another item from the Sephora Skinbender set, and I liked it! I had zero expectations going in, and it left a positive impression. It makes me want to explore more products from the brand, but I'm on a low buy because I have way too much product to get through as it is.
• Murad Intensive-C Radiance Peel deluxe sample: This left no impression on me, which means I probably could not tell that it did anything for me skin. I don't know if I have more samples laying around or not, but I'd like to try it again just to see.

I've been slacking off on my sheet masking. I don't like wearing wet things on my face when it's cold. Now that it's getting warmer, I'll step it up, as God knows I've got a plethora of sheet masks to get through. I continue to remain a fan of the inexpensive Bon Vivant masks from Memebox ($1-$2, depending on sales), and the Chamomile and Tea Tree stood out for me (the two blue ones).  

Going forward my monthly empties posts should be shorter, since I'll be posting on the samples I've used up for the #365 Days of Samples series each week. So, more samples will be used but posts will be shorter.  Win/win :-)

When Eye Shadows Go Bad: Whatcha' Gonna Do?

Sigh. Several of my palettes are growing mold. It seems to happen with my bareMinerals Ready shadows, although two of my Urban Decay palettes have also fallen victim to this scourge.

The Star Treatment by bareMinerals

The Next Big Thing by bareMinerals

Some of this is due to the climate I live in: semi-tropical, humid, and warm a good 9 months out of the year. In other words, prime conditions for mold and mildew. It is what it is.

So, I decided to depot the shadows that did not have mold growing on them. I sprayed them with alcohol just in case, but if they do go bad, it's easy enough to take them out of the magnetic palette. I was surprised how easy it was to depot the bareMinerals Ready 8.0 palette, which lulled me into a false sense of security.

The Wild Thing

Two of the shadows from The Wild Thing came out easily, and two would not budge. So, they were sacrificed.

I wanted to depot Julep's 5th Avenue & Broadway, which I like but I rarely reach for. I was only able to get one of the shadows out, sady.

Cardboard palettes are easier to work with when it comes to depotting, although mishaps still happen. Fortunately, I was able to get most of the shadows out without major damage.

Calypso by MAKE

Pulp Fiction by Urban Decay

I put the shadows in the Tarte leopard print magnetic palette. I really like these, as they are sturdy with the same space as a large Z palette, but less expensive.

Experience is showing me that I will use shadows more if they are accessible, and depotting palettes into magnetic palettes seems to be working for me. So, there ya go.

#365 Days of Samples: Week 1

Sorry for the lack of posts the last two weeks!  I've been crazy busy with boring important work stuff. However, I've still been taking pictures and have plenty of stuff to post, beginning with the start of a new series called #365 Days of Samples. I learned about this from watching Elle S on YouTube, who as far as I can tell, started this series. It's a fairly simple premise: use up 365 samples in 365 days. I'm sure the execution will be a bit more difficult :-)

To get ready for this series, I had to put all of my samples in one pot. That was eye opening, to say the least. I've had them scattered around, organized into different categories (skin care, hair care, body care, etc.), but putting them all in one location gives me a much more accurate picture of how OUT OF CONTROL this situation really is.

Clearly, I've accumulated a lot of foil and deluxe sized samples. I don't know how many samples are in the box, but it's well over 365, which is crazy.

So, each week, I'll randomly (eyes closed) select 7 samples I'll use for the week. Each Sunday (or Monday), I'll post a review of the samples used and select 7 new ones. If I don't finish a sample in a given week, it will carry over until I do. Some other ground rules include: I'll use a perfume sample 3 times minimum to give it a fair shot, but if I hate it, I don't have to finish it. I'm not going to force myself to use up products that I hate, but one time usage is rarely enough to form a fair opinion of anything. If a product has already gone bad (some of these have been sitting around for a while), I'll chose another one.

I deliberately chose foil samples for the first week so that I would not be overwhelmed, but blind selection gives that special element of surprise. So, it figures that I chose 4 (four!) hair care samples for week one. I'm guessing I will be carrying some of these over before I can finish them.

1. Petite Cherie by Anouk Goutal perfume vial sample
2. DHC After Bath Hair Treatment 
3. Keratase Resistance Vita Cemont Topseal hair reconstructing milk
4. Living Proof Perfect Hair Day styling treatment
5. Phyto Express Condition
6. GlamGlow Powermud Dual Cleanse Treatment
7. L'Occitane Divine Cream

This is a start, at least. 

Lemon Sugar Facial Scrub by Andalou Naturals

Disclaimer: I purchased this.

Andalou Naturals is fast becoming one of my favorite skincare companies. I've already talked about my love for their DIY Booster SPF30 Facial Serum, and now I'm adding the Lemon Sugar Facial Scrub to the greatest hits list. I love this stuff.

Targeted towards oily and overactive skin (hello, me), this organic cane sugar, manuka honey and meyer lemon based exfoliating scrub smells and feels divine. Andalou's products all contain something known as ''fruit stem cell science", which as far as I can tell means apple, grape, argan oil, or alpine rose stem cells plus other bioactive ingredients included in the mix.  Looks like the sugar scrub has apple and grape stem cells.

You may be familiar with some of the other companies that the founders of Andalou Naturals have started, such as Avalon Organics, Alba Botanica, Sonoma Soap Company, or Unpetroleum. Andalou Naturals is their most recent venture, and is the first non-GMO verified beauty company. Plus, the products are reasonably priced. Seriously, I'm smitten.

I like using the sugar scrub about twice a week in the mornings.  I'll put about a nickels worth in the palm of my hand with just a few drops of water, rub my hands together and then massage my face.  Less water means more scrubbing action, but the sugar granules are fairly fine in nature so it does not feel overly abrasive. After a minute or so the sugar scrub has become a rich cream that smells divine and tastes great, should you get any in your mouth. Afterwards, my skin feels soft, smooth, hydrated, and happy. That's right, happy. I just got an email letting me know that Andalou Naturals is having a 30% off sale through February 20th, so now is the time to dip your toe in (Code: VDAY). They've got some nice sampler sets to get you started. I've tried several and liked most of them thus far (packaging recently changed, just as a FYI).

February Julep Maven Box: Cozy in Love

The theme of Julep's February collection is Cozy in Love, and it features 4 new shades of the It's Balm lip crayons. I decided not to add any more lip products to my already overflowing collection, and instead opted for another bronzer brush ($28) (love it, and can you have too many brushes?) and the No Excuses Invisible Sunscreen Gel. I did pick up one of the polishes from the collection, the deep blue Maylee.  Let's take a closer look.

Maylee ($14) has a an iridescence when it catches the sun, but it's true nature is more of an inky navy blue. This will be going on my fingers in the next day or so, so expect a review soon.

I've read some pretty good reviews on the No Excuses SPF40 sunscreen gel ($28), so I figured I'd give it a shot. After wearing it for about 4 days now, I've got to say I'm impressed. I love the gel texture, which leaves no white cast at all and absorbs nicely into my skin.

I haven't experienced any breakouts thus far, so fingers crossed that this will join my Andalou Naturals DIY Booster SPF30 Facial Serum and I'll have two favorite sunscreens. Considering how much I've hated wearing sunscreen in the past, that's saying something.

I also like that Julep includes the expiration date (6/2018) not only on the product but also on their site, so that you know how long you have before it expires prior to purchasing. There are a few ingredients in the mix (rosehip fruit oil, camellia japonica seed oil, love plant extract, melon fruit extract, sunflower seed oil) for enhanced skincare benefits:

• Rosehip Seed Oil delivers essentials nutrients to soother and repair skin
• Melon Extract* smooths, softens, and brightens skin
• Camellia Seed Oil* moisturizes and stimulates collagen production
• Oxalis Triangularis Extract (Jeju Island love plant)* protects skin against environmental damage with rich antioxidants
• Macro-emulsion technology: The SPF actives in No Excuses are encapsulated into a vitamin-enriched essence-gel base, which preserves the maximum efficacy of all ingredients until the time of application.

* Sourced directly from Korea’s Jeju Island.

The full retail value of my box is $70, which is quite the deal for the $19.99 cost (I was grandfathered in at a lower price, lucky me) of my box. I also like that they included a sample of the Love Your Bare Face cleansing oil, as that will come in handy next time I travel.

NOTD: Rising Spirit by SpaRitual

 Lady Luck smiled on me twice in January when it came to winning beauty products in some blog giveaways, and today I have a new polish from SpaRitual to show you as a result.

Beauty Undercover partnered with SpaRitual to offer 30 readers their choice of one of the four polishes from their Vegan GOLD collection "Rise", plus a bottle of their new flexible topcoat. I chose the soft gold shimmer Rising Spirit, and it's a beauty.

This new polish formula has quite a few claims behind it, such as: applying 75% faster yet removing 85% faster than gels, drying 60% faster than a traditional manicure and containing a smudge-repair technology that is both self-leveling and correcting. Sounds kind miraculous, doesn't it? At least when it comes to nail polishes.  

I'm on day 4 of wear and so far I have no chipping and minimal tip wear, even after bathing Lulu, which requires 3 separate sudsings with a medicated shampoo. The polish did dry relatively fast but I still managed to ding and smudge two nails on my right hand. I was impatient and decided I wanted to make breakfast not long after I painted them, so my bad.

Overall I'm happy with Rising Spirit and the topcoat, so thank you to Beauty Undercover and SpaRitual for the giveaway!  On another note, the tulip trees are in full bloom here in Mobile, and the azaleas as starting to bloom.  I guess we are in for an early spring this year, which I have mixed emotions about. It's 76 degrees outside today, so I'm hoping for at least a few weeks of cooler weather before the heat and humidity starts their unrelenting onslaught. We shall see, as February is usually the coldest month in this area.