Saturday, March 30, 2013

Updated Empties

Hi Again,
   In the continuation of my project for this year, I have another batch of products that I have finished out over the last few weeks.  As you can tell, I'm pretty hell-bent on working my way through all these products.

Vaseline Firming Lotion: I can't really say that I saw "firming" in this lotion, but it was really good quality.  My skin felt soft and it sunk in rather well.  What was most important is that my ashy knees were gone!

Old Spice Fresh Deodorant: Yes, I use men's deodorant.  I don't like the women's scents and just feel that the men's versions work so much better.  I just wasn't the biggest fan of this particular scent.  I kept smelling a toothpaste-mint fragrance and while I love my mint, I didn't like it in this form.

Givinchy Le' Jardin Perfume: I had this perfume for a while and had a complete love-hate relationship with it.  I bought it and used it for a month or two, then hated the heavy floral scent.  Thus it wasn't used for about 6 months. I kept bouncing back and forth until this winter where I finally said "to hell with it" and used it up.  But guess what? I actually liked it, but I won't repurchase it.

Dove gofresh in Green Tea Cucumber: This was an "ok" scent, but it just didn't fit me.  I ended up using it as a room mist, but towards the end it started to smell sickly sweet (I guess it was going bad).  Overall I won't repurchase.

Olay Night Cream: I love this cream because it was thick but not greasy.  It was calming enough that it could repair damage or drying but light enough that I didn't feel like Mrs. Doubtfire when she smashes her face into the cake.  This is a cream I might come back to.

NYC Nail Polish in 219: This was before the NYC nail polishes even had legit names for their colors.  This was from their "nail glossies" line, and it was so pretty.  It was a light enough pink that it made your nails look healthy, clean and polished while being able to cover any stained nails. (too many dark shades used!) I don't think they even make this any more.

NYC In a New York Minute in 248B Manhattan: This was one of my favorite colors this year.  I can't tell you how many times I would repaint my nails consecutively with it.  Towards the end it got very clumpy and so thick that the air bubbles created actually puffy nail polish.  I would get acrylic thickness nails when I put this on towards the end! If I didn't have about 4 other same colors, I would repurchase it.

Colgate Mini: It's a toothpaste. It kept my teeth clean.  I don't know what else to say about it because this was just about as basic as they come.


Renpure Organics I love my hair! Conditioner: This smelled really good and was pretty thick consistency, but it didn't out perform any of my less expensive conditioners.  So while it lasted a while, I just don't see myself picking this up anytime soon.

Amika Hair Oil: Oh my goodness, this was something that sparked a love for hair oils.  This smelled so lovely, almost like a light perfume but was so pleasant when I caught a whiff of it.  I would consider purchasing a full sized bottle of this.

L'Oreal EverCreme Shampoo: I used this for a while, then when I came back to this I disliked it.  I don't think I'll repurchase because I'm not extremely concerned about using organic shampoos.  Since my hair is fine and greasy the sulfates seem to keep it dryer for longer. 

Oscar Blondie Protein Mist: What can I say other than I used it more as a detangler.  I didn't see any improvements in my hair strength.  It smelled good though, but to pay the price for an Oscar Blondie protein mist and use it like my much cheaper drugstore detanglers doesn't seem to make any sense.

Organix Moroccan Argon Oil Conditioner: I was so disappointed in this product.  I thought it would leave my hair in beautiful condition, but instead it looked like a rats nest, and I'm sure I lost a few too many hairs from all the yanking of my hair brush.  Not going near this stuff ever again.
Bath & Body Works Lavender & Chamomile Body Wash: I love the scent of this stuff and it always lasts me between 2-3 months, so even when I buy these at the 50-75% off sales, I feel like I'm getting an awesome deal. I'd repurchase this fragrance over and over too. 

Desert Essence Face Wash: This was a really good cleanser, but it took a little while to get used to a purely liquid product versus gel or cream cleansers.  I'd repurchase this product because it didn't alter my skin and kept it pimple free. 

Neutrogena Rapid Clear Face Scrub: This was a life saver when I went through a pizza face month.  It was awesome for killing all the bacteria and just getting rid of any additional bumps.  I'd repurchase this one.

My FaceWorks I Need to Heal Face Mask: So one thing I'll give this mask is that it is VERY saturated in liquid. I actually had to put it between a towel to dry it off a little bit, and it was cooling and relaxing.  I just didn't see enough improvement in my skin to make me want to splurge to see if a few more would help my skin.  I feel like there are many other great products you can buy and still keep a low budget. 

L'Occitane Body Wash: This smelled of an awesome spicy ginger and was perfect as a wake up body wash.  I just don't know if I love it enough to purchase a full size.  I also have so many body washes, that I'll still need to work through those before adding more in.

So how has your project empties been going?
xoxo,
Emi

Monday, March 25, 2013

Project Pan: March 2013

Hey All!
   I hope everyone is having a great entrance into Spring! Over here it's been a bit slow to start, a few last minute snow falls but overall I really can't complain.  Today I wanted to bring an update of my products that I'm working on using up currently, let me know if you would like to see these continue!



 
I obviously have added in a product, and made a big dent in others.  Starting from the top left:
 
The Color Workshop 15 Pan Palette: This palette is still going strong, although I have finished another pan of it, bringing my total to 3 pans out of the 15.  I hope to have this finished out by the year, but at my rate, it feels like it'll take two years. 
 
L.A. Colors Pressed Powder: This has seen a pretty drastic improvement from even last month.  I hope to say adios to this product by next month.  It still hasn't grown on me, and I'll be happy to have it gone soon enough. 
 
Wet'N' Wild Nutty Eyeshadow: I've been slowly working my way through this shadow, but sadly in transport, it started to crack so I need to be more careful with this.  I hope to have it done before I go to study abroad for 9 weeks because I'd hate to deal with the mess. 
 
ELF Studio Blush in Berry Merry: I did not expect at all this blush to develop such a dent in it.  I don't think it'll be finished this year because it looks best during the winter/fall/early spring months.  So once we hit the warmer weather, I think I'll switch this out for a peachy or pink blush again.  But I will pull it back out in September.  This is a really pretty berry toned blush, and totally under hyped.
 
Jordana Easyliner in Eggplant: I haven't really used this as much as I thought I would.  This shade especially gets smudgy and created raccoon eyes so easily, and while I experienced this with the brown shade, it wasn't as bad.  I will probably focus on getting this out of my collection even faster now. 
 
Overall there is progress, but I'm itching to have anther makeup product finished! What about you? Have you been finishing makeup?
xoxo,
Emi

ELF Studio Under Eye Concealer & Highlighter in Glow/Fair

So I haven't seen really any reviews in the youtube world about this particular product.  I'm not really sure why, I guess out of all the products ELF offers, it just hasn't risen to the top, which is not to say that it is nessessarily a bad product. I got the shade Glow/ Fair, and from the ELF website it seems that the highlighter (Glow) is the same in each tube, and just the concealer changes.  The concealer only goes up to medium, so for the darker skinned ladies out there, this would not be the concealer for you.


"Correct under eye problematic areas such as dark circles and bags easily and effectively! Contains vitamins A & E, chamomile, caffeine and green tea to moisturize, soothe, and tighten the skin around the delicate eye area. Blends in easily and evenly to provide a smooth and natural finish."

These claims are actually pretty true.  I've been using this concealer for several months already and have found that it easily covers my dark circles and reduces the puffiness.  It does not crease under my eyes and stays put (when set with powder) for a good length of time.  It is not long wearing, but I get several hours wear before a light touchup.  

As you notice this is a dual ended product, and there is a white colored highlighter.  This is something I do not like at all because it has shimmers.  I tried using this as a cheek highlighter and patted in with my fingers left a white line across my face, but rubbing it in caused it to disappear and a line of obvious glitter left on my cheek. Either way it didn't look good nor was it flattering.  

I would repurchase this product simply because the concealer was so good.  I'd rather have a full tube of the concealer than the actual duo. But at 3.00 I would repurchase it again... if I even get through this tube in my lifetime!

Have you tried this product?   

Sunday, March 10, 2013

ELF Studio Blush in Berry Merry

So this is a blush from the ELF Studio Line that I don't hear people mention, really at all.  I've noticed that ELF seems to have attracted the attention of many beauty lovers more for the pinky-peachy tones, and rarely the deeper shades.

After checking the ELF website, I basically understood why no one really talks about this blush...it doesn't look pretty online, in fact it looks muddy and brown and super sparkly.  This is how ELF shows that swatch on the website! Not pretty looking...but in reality it is rather pretty! (and a true berry blush!)

This is what it really looks like in flash and in natural light, with a swatch.  See how much prettier it is, and it is pretty pigmented too!



I love using this blush during the winter/fall time because it creates a very lovely wash of color.  I use a delicate hand and the shimmers that are in the product actually come together to create a nice highlight. It is a smooth and nicely milled blush, and the packaging is sleek and slim, so it's not wasting space in a makeup bag.

I would suggest giving this blush a go if your in the market for a berry colored blush, and at 3.00 it is a steel.  (You can often find it for 1.50 on the ELF website when they have the 50% off sales).

What do you think about it?

Wednesday, March 6, 2013

NYC Applelicious Glossy Lip Balm in Applelicious Pink

Hey everyone!
   So NYC (New York Color) has been cranking out some new products recently, and I picked up one of their newer lip products, which you've probably seen around.  It's their new Applelicious Glossy Lip Balm.  There were several option to chose from but I grabbed a color that I knew I would like, so at least if the gimmick or actual product sucked, at least I had a pretty color. 

So let's just get a glimpse at what the NYC website says about this product: 
"Only NYC New York Color could find the city’s soft spot with their new deliciously ‘feel good’ APPLELICIOUS lip balm that will deliver color, shine and moisture in one single swipe! Just like the Big Apple itself it’s juicy, shiny and colorfully loud but also reveals a softer and more caring side. Color is fun and fruity and with a hidden apple core of care it’s also delightfully moist. This ‘oh so cute!’ apple-shaped core reinforces the moisturizing properties of the rest of the balm and gives your lips a healthier look! The apple on the cake? A fruity apple scent that will make your lips irresistibly kissable!"

So in essence, this is really just a light balm product with a core of lip moisturizer.  It is definitely cute looking with the apple in the center (which continues through the entirety of the product, and the smell is a sweetened apple/ berry.  

This is definitely build-able in color, so one swipe can leave a light stain of gloss and color, while future layers lead to a nice bold, yet sheer lip.  It doesn't erase your lips, just leaves a glossy stain appearance.  The color I chose was in Applelicious Pink, and is a magenta-pink toned color.  It doesn't have really long staying power, but it does stain the lips a little (but be warned...the stain does dry the lips)

On the moisturizing level I find my qualms.  This wasn't nearly as moisturizing as a Burt's Bees tinted balm, and would dry out my lips, causing me to keep applying the lip balm and continuously leading to dryer lips.  I find that a lot of the glossy-tinted-lip-balm-staining products, once the gloss wears off, are drying to the lips.  

Is it s a cute product? Yes.  Is it a must have from the shelves, not really.  I wasn't extremely impressed by it, but I will continue to use it at a time where my lips won't look like raisins. They retail at the reasonable price of $2.99  

Have you tried these?
xoxo, 
Emi