Project Pan: 1 Month Update

Hi All!
 One month down and I haven't cracked! Woohooo! Well overall this entire project is going very well, and I'm quite happy that I've stuck to my guns and kept money in my pocket :) (a happy bank account right there).  So let's get to the nitty gritty and get the details of this first month:

  Bath & Body Products I Haven't Even Touched

Benefit Wonderlift

got2b 2 sexy voluptuous volume

B&BW Anti-Bacterial Hand Cleanser

Redkin Shine Spray 02

got2b Instant Leave in Mender

Makeup Products I Haven't Even Touched

ELF Liquid Lipstick in Pink Lemonade

Wet N Wild Ultimate Minerals Foundation

Sally Hansen Lipgloss in Ruby

Clinique Double Ended Lipgloss

Buxom Lipstick in Two-timer

Black Radiance eyeshadow in Radiant Gold

                                              

Bath & Body Products I've Been Working On:
got2b crazy sleek blow dry lotion
B&BW Moonlight Path Body Spray
Vitabath Asian Orchid & Coconut Body Mist
Bodycology Coconut Lime Twist Body Cream
Julep Scrub for Hands
Clean & Clear Blackhead Mask
Avon Freeze Dry Nail Polish Spray

Products That I Finished

B&BW Coconut Line Verbena Body Butter

PSSSSSSSSSST! Dry Shampoo

Makeup Products I'm Working On:

PF Color Correcting Powder

PF Bronze & Brighten Bronzer

LA Colors Nude Trio

YBF Brow Pencil

ELF Double Ended Eye Pencil

Rimmel Glam Eyes Single in Royal Linen

ELF Cream Eyeliner in Coffee

ELF Tone Correcting Concealer in Apricot Beige

Pangea Organics Lip Balm

NYX Eyeshadow Base in Skintone

NYC Applicious Lip Balm

How have your project pan's been going?

xoxo,

Emi

If you want to check out my video here is the link!: Project Pan Update

Empties! (Traveler edition!)

Hi All!
    Hope that this summer break is treating you well! I am really excited to bring you guys another batch of empties (no I did not pack empties from my home to take with me for this post) This is strictly a post of what I have finished on this trip so that I don't have to carry back to the USA a large bag full of empty plastic containers (I think TSA would find that kinda crazy too!)

So what have I finished?

Yes to Cucumbers Soothing Facial Towels:
These were okay towelettes, I bought the sample pack before my trip yet I
found that I didn't use them as much.  These just didn't feel like they actually
got all my makeup off.  Plus these stung my eyes. 

Make-up Remover Facial Wipes:

These I got from the Dollar Store, and didn't really like these for my face. They were small, and not very saturated.
I actually used these to spot treat my makeup brushes.

 Neutrogena Oil- Free Acne Wash:

This was another product I picked up in a previous haul
just so that I could try out some other facial products.  This was a pretty good face wash I might go back and purchase it in the future.

L'Occitane Shower Gel Mini (x3):
I had a whole bunch of mini L'Occitane products from my hotel and I really
like the way this smelled.  It had Rosemary and Mint and just felt so
refreshing! Would I purchase this on it's own...probably not because it is pretty pricy. 

Asira Body Wash:

This was from a hotel I stayed in YEARS ago (yep I hoarded mini bath products)
Anyways, I found that this wash dried my skin out, and anyways I can't purchase this any
place....so I'm just glad I have less crap hanging around my room.

L'Occitane Shampoo (x3):
Yep, I told ya I had a bunch of these minis! The shampoo was pretty good,
but it doesn't work better than drugstore shampoos like Garnier or Herbal Essences. 

L'Oreal EverSleek Reparative Smoothing Conditioner:
So this conditioner worked pretty well for my hair.  I think I actually like the conditioner
more than I like the shampoo (the shampoo always left my hair feeling greasy).
Would I repurchase it? I don't think so, because I like so many other conditioners. 

L'Occitane Conditioner:

ANOTHER conditioner (do we see a theme here?) Anyways this was also nice stuff
but I just can't justify purchasing the full bottle at that price when so many
other conditioners work just as well for much cheaper.  I think I'll
just enjoy it in the hotel sample bottle form.

Jade Hand & Body Lotion (x2)

FINALLY! This is like the last of many minis I had in my dresser drawer (but let's
not talk about the big vase full of minis that my mother has that I need to start working through). I
liked the scent of this lotion though, it had a light and fresh rose fragrance.  Yet, it was
also a hotel sample so I have no idea where to buy it.

Dove gofresh Cool Mini Deodorant:

This was a life saver while I was here in Poland the first few days.  I was still running around
trying to get all my little items and kept forgetting to grab deodorant (oye!)
I liked this for the few days that I used it, but I had the full size in the past
and got really sick of the scent after a while.  So I might repurchase a mini to keep on hand, but not the full size.

ELF Exact Lash Mascara in Black:

So after the big hoopla about lower lash tiny brush mascaras, I went out and bought
this thinking "AWESOME! It's cheap and I can really use it." First off, I don't usually wear
mascara on my bottom lashes, and Second...this sucked.  The brush handle was too short so that caused a mess, the formula was barely there, and at times it looks like it was dried out because no color would come off.  This was just a waste and I'm glad I used what I could (which was not much anyways). NOT repurchasing.

NYC Lipstick in 319 Violet Shine:
This is a beautiful lipstick color that has some shimmer in it.  This is very much a "my lips but
better" color, it's not very purply as the name suggests, it's more of a pinky with hint of purple.
I wore this a lot this year so it was going to finish out sooner or later.
I would purchase it again, but I have a lot of similar colors to this.
PS I was NOT going to dig out the color from the tube...not worth all the extra fuss. 

Julep Nail Color in Grace:
This is a perfect "clean nail" polish.  When I wore this it just left my hands looking so fresh.
It did take about 4 coats to make it opaque (but it was still not fully opaque), and this polish
went very quickly because of that.  I don't know if I'm going to purchase this again
because of the price of the polish (14 bucks).  I have many similar colors
so I think I'll work on finishing out those colors.

NYC Loose Finishing Powder in Natural Veil:
Well, I can already say that I'm shocked that I finished this product out so fast.
I'm not a fan of loose finishing powders, and this one did not help keep my face shine free as long as I would have liked neither did it help my makeup from breaking down as quickly,
but hey it was a product I really wanted gone and done!

There was a sifter, but I popped it out and lost it. Oops

LaSource Relaxing Body Lotion from Crabtree & Evelyn:
I love Crabtree & Evelyn products but I just could not get behind this scent.  It was a spa scent but it
was also sickly sweet on me.  It's just not a fragrance I would have chosen
for myself.  I'd rather look towards the thick lavender or rose creme.

Vitamin C Tablets on Left, On Right LaSource

Vitalsss Plus Witamina C Tablets:
So these are just effervescent Vitamin C tablets that I took while my stay at the dormitory.
We have had 3 rounds of heavy sicknesses in our dorm and I took these as preventive measures.
Boy was I happy to have done that because I didn't even cough during my stay here!
Anytime I travel I always take a pack of these because it helps my immune system
battle and airplane bugs and transition to the climate colds.

Carea Cotton Rounds:
These are just generic cotton rounds that worked really well for taking off makeup.  There are 120
rounds and they cost less than a buck, so it's a win win situation for me.

TREsemme Freshstart Dry Shampoo:
So the first few times I used it, it was ok.  Then the second half of the bottle felt like I was spraying
liquid onto my scalp.  I've heard from quite a few people that they
also have this problem the with this particular dry shampoo.  I have to say, I'm not on the whole
dry shampoo band wagon though, I still feel gross when my hair isn't washed.
I might give this another go another day, but for now...eh.

NIVEA Stress Protect Anti-Perspirant:
So I have to say, I was a little skeptical when I first bought this antiperspirant, because it is
milky and not a heavy duty men's product.  But even on the 100 plus
degree days, this worked really well.  I wish the US carried this product (or
at least it was more readily available).

Timotei With Jericho Rose 2 in 1 Shampoo & Conditioner
I really liked this shampoo, I found that it kept my hair feeling REALLY soft despite the hard water here in Poland. I still did follow up with conditioner, but this lathered well and smelled really nice.  Sadly this is a product I've only seen here in Poland, so I probably won't see it in the US.  Oh well.

L'Occitane Body Lotion
This was another one of my tons of minis I had with me.  But this was probably my most disappointing products form L'Occitane that I've used.  The lotion was very thin and watery and did not soak into the skin.  The scent was ok, it strong resembles goat milk products, which I personally do not mind.

L'Occitane Conditioner (x2)
 Yep, I know...didn't I already post earlier about finishing one of these...well I finished two more and the way I've been writing about these products is as I go through them.  So you, my readers, will have to deal with a double on the list. I liked the conditioner...but still feel there are much more and better products for much lower prices.

St. Ives Apricot Scrub (Fresh Skin)
Um... someone care to remind me why I stopped using this product? (Erm...guilty I had too many face washes and couldn't justify going out and buying so much more until I finished a few...oops) I found that the scrub was nice and gritty and very useful for opening up the skin for another cleanser so that it could get in real deep.  When I get back home, I'll be purchasing a large bottle of this!

Clean & Clear Deep Action Cream Cleanser
This stuff makes my face tingle! But in a really refreshing and clean way.  Did it perform miracles when it came to my breakouts? Not really, and this surprised me.  I have a few other products that work a lot better and faster.  


Needless to say...it's been a busy summer of empties!
What have you finished?

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

Product Empties Finale 2012!

Happy Holidays Everyone!
    I hope everyone is having an AWESOME holiday time! I figured this would be a great time to do my holiday wrap up post regarding my project empties for the year! I've kept all the containers in a bag in a corner of my room and boy does this thing take up some space!

So I had a friend ask me exactly how much space does 156 products take up in a typical room, and that got me thinking about how much space did I really give myself back. Most bloggers or youtubers just keep their products for a month or two but I kept all my stuff from the year!

My extra large Hallmark bag

All my products smushed together took up my entire bedside table!

I also was thinking back about my experience with my year long purging and realized quite a few things:
1.Be Reasonable:  Makeup takes a long time to get through and so often the beauty bloggers and youtubers that I follow think that they can get through almost 30 makeup products in 4 months.  It won't happen, that is really a year long project (at least) and even longer if you are using brand new, never touched stuff.
2. The Addiction: Purchasing things nonstop really is an addiction which can lead to larger and larger purchases. We often chuckle that we have so much makeup and that we will never use it all. In this last year I found it really hard at first to stop buying, it was just so ingrained that when you go to the drugstore you just pick up a few things from the beauty aisle.  It was that whole buying equals satisfaction,  but then once I actually shopped my stash I realized I didn't need a lot of the new things. I also found it a lot more exciting to be finishing out my products. 
3. New Forms: While products are coming out in a lot of new forms, once on the face, eyes or lips, they look exactly alike. Thus I didn't need to go out and purchase a lot f the hyped up things. My current glosses looked exactly like a lot of the new glosses, some even had a staining ability on my lips, so I didn't really need that brand new product.  Also, guru's love to review the new products and create looks centered around them.  That is great, but just look through what you have, I'm sure you'll find something similar.  I found a lot of similar colors that I learned to enjoy.
4. Learn About Yourself: This taught me a lot about what colors I like, the forms they come in, and even how long they last.  I now know that I love the B&BW body washes, but that I only need to purchase 4 or 5 in a year to last, because they take me a while to get through.  I learned how to fine tune my makeup skills, tried out liquid liner, and figured out I'll never wear bright colors on my eyes.  This shouldn't be a punishment, but instead a chance to learn what you like or don't like about products so that future purchases can be made more wisely.  
5. Using them up: Just because I had used up a product, didn't mean that I liked it.  As most of my posts had indicated this year, I was not impressed by a lot of the products I used up.  But that also doesn't mean that I hated everything I owned.  I wanted to actually use my makeup, not just let it sit in the drawer and look pretty.  By pushing myself to use them up, I am actually enjoying them for the purpose they were purchased for.  

So what does this mean for the next year? 
Well, I am still moving in September, and my space is still going to be extremely cramped.  Also going back to purchasing products wouldn't be useful after putting in so much effort to finish them out.  So for 2013, I will continue my project! My goal this year is going to be 75 products, but I would love to hit 100.  I gave myself a lower number since my half-used products are done, and I'll be starting from the top with all my products.  My focus will also be on my actual makeup products, let's hope I get through another 25 of them :) 

What about you guys? Any resolutions to stop spending? Anyone else looking to downsize their collections? 

Happy New Year!
xoxo,
Emi

Final Product Empties of 2012!

Hi Everyone!
   I hope Christmas found you all really well and that everyone had a chance to enjoy time with friends and family.  This is going to be my last post before my finale post about my project pan, and boy am I excited about that one! Today is just my last minute things that I finished up during the December month.  I always surprise myself about what I end up finishing out, it's never really the stuff I expect to!
Anyways  onto the products!

Garnier Fructis Fortifying Shampoo Pure Clean: So I've heard a lot of people saying that this was so cleansing for their hair, I really think that the "Pure Clean" aspect is more intended to be a part of their environmentally friendly label, not really the way it cleans the hair. I love this brand anyways, so it's something I'll be repurchasing over and over again.

Blondie Violet Volumizing Mousse: So I had this product since I went really blonde with Sun-In when I was about 16.  That's roughly 8 years, and I had purchased it thinking that it would keep it from being brassy.  At that time I didn't know what "brassy" meant, and saw no change in it. I dug this back out this year and finally used it up, I swear it would multiply over night.  I didn't see much volume either, so I think this was just a wishful thinking mousse.

Burberry Brit for Women: Okay, this is my signature scent for most of the year. Starting in September through till mid-April I will use this fragrance and it lasted me a long time too!I was sad to see it finish out, but for Christmas I got two more Burberry perfumes, but I will be repurchasing once I get through a few more scents. 

Asira Shampoo: This was just a travel product that I had when I went down to Atlantic City with my friends.  I didn't see it do anything special for my hair, just cleaned it.

Asira Conditioner: Another travel product, it was decent but I have a lot of other conditioners that keep my hair much softer than this one.

Giovanni Step 3 body lotion: This is a sample packet I got from Fairway Market, I found this lotion to be decent. It had a very sweet scent to it, which wasn't very off putting, but it isn't something I would purchase on a whim.  It's made with antioxidants so it's supposed to be good for your skin but I really didn't notice anything special about it.

Juer Birchbox Pink Lipgloss: This was a specially made mini for Birchbox, but I just didn't see it as anything special.  It had barely any pigment, and the design wasn't the greatest because it was a square shape and the brush couldn't reach to majority of the product.  I finally started to use a longer brush from another gloss but it was a pain to carry them both around.  I was disappointed by it, and won't bother to look into it.

Almary One Coat Dial Up: This was an awesome mascara, and it kept my lashes deep black, curled and didn't make them crunchy.  I had a backup of this one, but I'll use it once I get through my other mascaras. 

ELF Waterproof Eyeliner Pen in Black: This was the first liner I got from ELF and this was a miss for me, but only because the felt tip was already damaged.  It left a nice dark line on my lids and was rather long lasting.  As time went on, the liner pen frayed more and became rather unusable.  I know it's just a fluke though, because my other ELF liners are fine. 

Stila Smudge Proof waterproof Liner in Peacock: This was another disappointing product.  It came from my first Birchbox, and came to me already defective, it wouldn't screw back down.  It also seemed to be much drier than others that I have sampled at Sephora.  It would start out as a beautiful deep color but by a few hours, it would turn into a light and bright teal.  It also could crumb on my lids, leaving fallout.  Overall just disappointed.

CVS Eyemakeup Remover: This bottle lasted me a while and didn't sting my eyes. I don't usually hunt out same brands specifically, but this one is something I'll repurchase. 

CVS Sensative Unscented Baby Wipes: I got these because for the last month I was staying at various friend's homes due to a hectic work and school schedule, for a bit I forgot to get any eye makeup remover, so tried these out.  They were cheap and worked well, they got all the makeup off, and hey...if they are good enough for a baby's butt then it was ok for my face.

Asira Oatmeal Almond Soap: This was my only favorite Asira product, because it had actual bits of almond in it so it acted like a great scrub.  It was still gentle and just smelled awesome.

Giovanni Step 1 Cleanser: This was the little packet, and I really didn't notice anything special about this cleanser, I feel like it was just another body wash, and wouldn't spend the money on it.

Giovanni Step 2 Exfoliator: This, unlike the other three parts of the "program", was awesome.  I was expecting a stronger scrub and a little surprised it was a sugar/salt scrub, but still found it just right.  While I don't exfoliate my body often (oops being lazy) I would purchase this for the more summer months. 

Iseries Lens Towellets (60): Technically these aren't beauty related, but since they are for my eyeglasses, I figured they would count because I don't want them looking gross on my face.  These were fine, just something easy to clean up the lenses.

Opti-Free Replenish Contact Solution: This is the best product in the world...said no one about contact solution. lol. This is one of those large bottles you can get as a two pack for about 18 bucks.  It keeps them clean and that's all I care about.

Swan Nail Polish Remover: I buy this one at the Dollar Tree, and for some reason, I love it better than any other drug store polish.  It just seems to get my nails clean and it's cheap.  Since I do my nails so often, polish remover goes pretty fast.  I already have several bottles around my house.

Colgate Luminous Toothpaste: So another toothpaste done, and only several more containers before I get down to a normal amount! lol, I feel like this is another product that keeps having babies and multiplying because I keep finding more and more barely used tubes. Oh well, at least I have clean teeth!

So what does this new total come to??
Lotion/Fragrance/ Hair:53 + 6 =59
Makeup: 25 + 4 =29
Candles/ Scents:6 + 0 =6
Cleansers/Body Wash:32 + 5 = 37
Randoms:21 + 4 = 25

GRAND TOTAL: 156

Stay tuned for an upcoming post about this journey and a look at how much space all these products take up! Have you started a Empties Project?

xoxo
Emi

Updated Product Empties

Hi ya'll!
    So I'm sure many of you are like "come ON Em, you've done so many updates and haven't done much else on this blog" honestly, a lot of my products are old discontinued products...hence the reason why I won't bother to write about them. But yes! Another update about my Empties!! This will also be the last one before my 2012 finale where I will reveal how much space all the products would have taken up in my room, and pretty much give ya'll a chance to gander at how much stuff it truly is. Can't lie, I'm shocked that I've gone through so much! 

For Some Reason always the biggest category! 

From Left to Right, Back row to front
B&BW Magnolia Blossom Body Splash: I've said it before, I like very few body sprays, and this was one of those I wasn't crazy about. It had a musky and very strong floral scent. Reminded me slight of old ladies and could be really overdone. I used this as a room mist. Not Repurchasing. 

John Frieda Sheer Blonde Go Blonder Conditioner: This was a good product, I mean it did lighten up my hair without seeming too drastic. It was a good conditioner, but with the lightening ingredients I am a little weary about long term use of this. I feel like this might just be a summer product for me. 

Asira Shampoo: This was a travel sized product from my trip to Aruba in the Radisson hotel. It was ok. I would say this is strong clarifying shampoo, and did not leave my hair feeling very nourished. That said, when I was using this, I had a lot of products in my hair so this got it ALL out. 

CVS Advanced Hydrating Beauty Lotion Original: This is comparable to the Olay Original moisturizer, which I have not tried, but hey I found this product to work really well. It was best used from spring to mid-fall and did not leave my skin feeling greasy. It sunk in within a medium length of time. 

April Bath & Shower Fast Glow Tanning Medium to Dark: Tanning lotions are never really moisturizing because they contain alcohol within the first few ingredients, which is used so that the color dries out quickly on your skin.  I would mix my tanning lotions with a strong moisturizing lotion so I would really get a gradual tint to my skin and so I wouldn't stink of tanner. This product though did not leave ANY color on my skin, and still stank strongly of tanner. Passing on this one!

Balenciaga Paris Perfume: Um...just not a fan. I prefer clean scents and this had a mixture of sweet and musk on my body, which was not very pleasant for me. 

Kiehl's Ultra Facial Oil-Free Lotion: I'm sorry but I hated this product, and it makes me sad because my drugstore moisturizers surpass my recent samples of facial lotions. This took a long time to sink in, left a tacky feeling on my face (think kids hands after they had a lollypop...NOT fun) and would pill on my face. If your not familiar with "pilling" think of your sweater, when you rub it, it develops that little pill...well this product did it. I tried it during summer, during winter, etc and it just did not work. 

Dove Go Fresh Body Mist Energizing: This scent is described as grapefruit and lemongrass scent, but for me it has an awkward fake citrus scent. I honestly felt like a food dish with the mixture of sweet and savory of the lemongrass. I ended up using this as a room spray too because I did not like wearing the scent. I do like the mini travel size of it though. 

Suave Professionals Touchable Finish Hairspray Lightweight Hold: This did not hold my curls at all. I could safely say that while it was touchable and not crunchy looking or feeling, there was no strength to it at all. I could have gone without this spray and have had the same amount of hold time.  What I did like was that it was a very fine mist, and it did work on the tiny flyaways, but I won't be buying a hairspray for just my flyaways. 

COCO Mademoiselle Chanel: Ok, I am actually kinda sad that I don't like this. It seems that I dislike a lot of very popular scents, and that I have my own select few that I will wear, which surprisingly enough aren't as popular so they have become my signature scent? I guess I wasn't meant to follow the crowd...even when it comes to perfumes. 

Renu Derma Eye Cream: So anyone remember Go-Go Girlfriend? Yeah...if you haven't look it up on make-up ally. Anyways I got this product from that box, and I hated it. I used this for months because you only need a tiny bit and didn't see anything different. This was so, SO, greasy that my eye makeup would crease the morning after I would put this on before I went to bed. I tried using this as an overall moisturizer, but it was so darn greasy. Do not go near this product, I felt like it was such a waste, and I'm sure there are better ones out there. 

Um Can I have a whoot whoot for actually finishing some legit makeup!?

Maybelline ColorSensational Lip Stain in 25 Feelin' Rosy: This was actually a rather nice color, a light swipe made for a pretty tint, but I could build it up to a pretty red lip. It was very drying on my lips though so I'd have to use some TLC afterwards.  It lasted me a decent amount of time, my slight issue is that the felt tip marker is so darn hard! I think my Crayola markers are softer than this!

alba Passion Fruit Nectar lip balm: I loved the scent of this, but the texture was an issue. I swipe it on and I got large chunks of lip balm, which was not really pleasant and got messy. I'd just pass on this one because it wasn't worth the hassle. 

L'Oreal Magic Skin Beautifier BB Light: I got this as a sample from a magazine and was rather excited to try it. It started out grey and then turned skin toned, sadly this turned orange on my skin after I applied it...hello Oompah Loompah. Plus there was SOO little of it in this packet...

Love & Beauty Mascara: This is a Forever21 makeup brand, and for 2.80 I have to say that I LOVED this mascara. It had the traditional, old school wand but had fibers in it too! It gave me such lush lashes. Once I get through my other mascaras I am belining it to Forever21 and getting two!

Blistex Raspberry Lemonade Blast (x2):  Someone wanna explain to me why I hated these so much? They smelled great but boy did these stink at protecting the lips. I think these chapped my lips more, and also texturally I had chunks of these coming off. Just not worth it. 

ELF Complexion Perfect Face Powder: Now I had this for a while and didn't like it until I figured out how to use it, and tweaked it a little. Now it has four shades, and it's supposed to cancel out any dilemmas. They have minor tint to them but once you buffed it out on your face, you couldn't see any color difference. I actually used this as a mattefying powder, and it worked really well for pretty much a 12 hour day! It was very finely milled, and will probably be the face powder I'd repurchase time and time again. 

Olay Foaming Face Wash: I'm not going to say much because I have an overdue blog post that will be up in the next few days explaining my feelings about this product. Not bad, but not good...very bland feelings to it,  but not going to repurchase. 

asira Body Wash: This was again a hotel travel sample, and really wasn't anything amazing. It was rather stripping for the skin, hmmm clarifying much?

AVON Bubble Bath in Vanilla Cream: So this had a very fake vanilla scent which is never a good way to start. It gave ok bubbles but overall I wasn't impressed with it. 

Archipelago Pomegranate Soap: So I used to sell this brand at my old job, and really just hated this and the grapefruit scent. They did not smell anything like their names, but I still bit the bullet and used this soap. I didn't like it, but at least the scent wasn't lingering. 

LUSH Honey I Washed the Kids Soap: This was my first Lush soap (I've tried the bath bombs before) and really liked it. I got this and a few other products as a birthday gift a while back, and finally got around to using it. The scent is light and the soap itself felt moisturizing.  I think I'll have to go back to Lush and purchase a few things from there soon!

Montagne Jeunesse Squeezed Lemon Green Tea Peel Off Mask (Detox and Pore Cleansing): I felt like this was one of those masks from my elementary school slumber party days, where friend's would try to make us feel special and grown up.  I didn't really notice anything detoxifying or pore cleansing, but it did leave my skin very soft.  I might use this brand again, although the packaging is a bit awkward. It has enough product for two uses but it is a one time use sample packet. o.0

Go-Go Girlfriend All Natural Cherry Almond Soap: haha, again from this lovely brand. I actually liked this soap, it had some almond pieces in it so I felt like I had a little exfoliation. The scent at first was very strong cherry...like fake cherry, almost bordering on medicinal.  Thankfully it faded after a few months and I was left with a likeable scent. 

Of course I'd have some randoms

Colgate Total Gum Defense: Well another mini toothpaste bites the dust. It wasn't a favorite one though, but hey it's toothpaste so it did the job. 

Nivea Fresh Natural Gentle Care Antiperspirant Deodorant: I got this from my Polish market, so I don't even know if American retailers sell the roller ball deodorant. I love that European products come in glass containers because it makes it feel a little more upscale. Awkward I know, but hey this deodorant worked like a charm even on the hottest days and since it was a clear gel, it didn't leave any marks! Wooohoo!

Wow, so I've finished out a good chunk of stuff! Let's get a rundown!

Lotions/Fragrance/ Hair: 42 + 11= 53
Makeup: 17 + 8= 25
Candles/ Scents: 6 + 0= 6
Cleansers/Body Wash: 25 + 7= 32
Randoms: 19 + 2= 21

Total: 109 + 28 = 137!!! Holy cow! I'm in shock that I've hit that much! 

How are your empties going? How many products do you think I'll hit by December 31st? Anyone? Anyone? lol
xoxo, 
Em

Updated Empties

Hey all,
   So another installment of products that I have finished within the last eeeeeeeeh, month I suppose.  So this is going to be a bit longer of a post, so you have all been warned! (mwuahahaha). How is everyone else doing on their journey to finish out products?

L'Oreal EverCreme Sulfate Free Moisture System Shampoo: So after my last experience with sulfate free shampoo and conditioners, I was very reluctant to try this product.  Even several youtubers had said this was not a good product, so when my father dropped off some shampoo that was on sale (aka this one) my heart sank a little bit.  BUT, then I tried it. This is actually a really nice shampoo, good smelling and did not make my hair greasy by the end of the day. I might repurchase if on sale.

Citre Shine Fresh Fusion Shampoo in Pure Energy: I love this shampoo, it had such a fresh scent and always leaves my hair with shine, less frizz, and just very healthy looking. I will repurchase this one.

Hotels in Venice Shower Shampoo in Milk Fig: I got this little sample or "travel-size" bottle from my time in Italy at one of the hotels.  I did not like this fragrance and it left my hair a little tangled. Needless to say, not a huge fan of it.  I have no idea how to even purchase it!

L'Occitane Repairing 5 Essential Oils Shampoo and Conditioner Packets: I love L'Occitane products, especially their lotions and perfumes.  These two samples were nice sized, and very nice on my hair. It felt so silky, and light. My one issue with this product is how herbally it smelled. Now this isn't a herbally in the sense of mint, basil, lavender etc. This just strait smelled of a potent concoction of mixed herbs that was not really pleasant.  I won't purchase because these are also expensive.

Camille Beckman Mango Beach Silky Body Cream: I enjoy Camille Beckman products, but this was just not a scent I am a fan of.  BUT the product itself was so thick and moisturizing to my skin.  My other issue with the product is more packaging, it's just a very thick plastic that makes it tough to get any product out.  Since this cream is so thick, I had to cut it apart to get to the rest of the product. I will repurchase one day, but in a different scent.

Ahava dermud Enriched Intensive Foot Cream for dry skin: This was a nice sized sample of the product and it was sooo nice on my feet. I'm not a foot cream user, but this was a very pampering product.  It took a little while to soak in, but pop in a movie and stay off your feet! I may purchase the product in the future.

Jennifer Aniston Perfume Samples (Two Samples): This perfume was very nice, the notes are floral and Sephora.com states that it has a musk to it. To me, it just smells of light honeysuckles. Don't get me wrong, I liked this scent and would purchase it, if the scent actually lasted on my skin.  I could spray myself and almost 30 minutes later the scent was gone. I went through two samples in roughly 2-3 days. I'd say this is more of a starter perfume for younger girls who don't want to smell sweet or sugary. But at 70 bucks for the bottle...x.x

Twirl by Kate Spade Perfume Sample: I really wanted this scent, this was so nice on my skin, but when I went to the counter and sprayed myself from the larger bottle, it smelled and dried on my skin differently (sad face!) It has a floral, vanilla and fruity sweet scent (again, not something I typically go for and even like), but it leans to more of a floral.  Since the bottle smelled differently than my sample size version, I passed on it.

Mark, White Vetiver Fragrance Sample: I got this sample from a mark. purchase, and honestly I did not like it at all. It just smells of fake floral and vanilla.  (Think of lip glosses with those fake vanilla flavors that somehow end up smelling similar to play dough) NOT a purchase.

Burberry London Delicately Floral Body Lotion: I got this a part of a box set with my Burberry perfume. I love the perfume, and the scent of the lotion is very similar although a bit more floral in comparison to the more spicy perfume.  One thing I noticed with the lotion is that it is very thin, non- moisturizing, and strong scented.  I don't know if I can purchase this separately, but it was overall nice if you are looking for something that you can layer with scents.

Mark. Glow Baby Glow Lip Gloss in Bubbles: I'd like to just say that I love this little sample size! I wish more brands gave out little samples like this so before you purchase you can really test it out.  This gloss is a pinky-purple gloss with baby blue shimmer. It sounds weird but looks so pretty on the lips.  I even used another lip gloss wand to dig out every last bit of it! I can see myself purchasing this the next time I order from mark. or Avon.

No Brand Shower Gel: I hated this product. This scent was so gross, it was supposed to be a berry scent, but it ended up being a strange floral. I got this as part of a gift from a friend a few years back, but I never plan to try to figure out where exactly I can get this.

Bath & Body Works Aromatherapy Sensual Body Wash & Foam Bath in Jasmine Vanilla: I've already done a review of this particular product. I love the shower gels from Bath & Body Works because they lather so nicely and only need a small amount per use.  But this scent was something I really disliked. I already have almost 10 bottle in my parents house of these body washes in scents that I love, so I don't need to repurchase anything just yet.

Mark. Three's a Charm 3-in-1 Body Cleanser in Lemon Sugar: I got this from a fellow blogger/ youtuber, Grace from reallygraceful (her youtube name). As much as I liked this product, it just wasn't something that really stood out to me.  It was a great cleanser, but the scent didn't quite tickle my fancy.  I'll have to check if they make other scents!

Opti-Free Replenish Multi-Purpose Contact Solution: I'm not picky when it comes ot my contact solutions. I typically go for whatever is on sale, or the less expensive brand.  My eye doctor suggested this brand when it comes to the lower end of spending scale. What can I say other than it works, and that I'll most likely be repurchasing it once I finish the other bottle.

Old Spice Fiji Deodorant: Yes ladies, I use a "mens" deodorant.  After reading an article on really ow similar men's and women's deodorants are, I just went out and got this one. It has a very fresh and crisp scent, and is something I will repurchase.

Fa Deodorant in Caribbean Lemon: This is a brand from Europe that is not the easiest to find in the typical American drugstore.  I like the scent, it leans to a more lemongrass scent and is fresh without being sweet.  I like it, and next time I'm back in Europe I'll probably pick up a few more.

Sally Hansen Advanced Hard as Nails Protective Base: I have to say, that this base coat was very fast drying.  But what I noticed for the period of time that I used it, my nails still got stained and they would flake so badly.  I do not have naturally weak nails, and I even ate my Jell-O to get some extra strength to my nails, but they would just splice apart.  I wouldn't suggest this and will not repurchase this.

Swan Nail Polish Remover: I think I got a bunch of these from my local Dollar Tree for obviously a buck.  It works well, even though it is not a pure accitone remover.  Hey I like it, it works, it's cheap (after spending 8 bucks on a bottle way back when and it not taking off polish -.-). I'll be repurchasing them until I find some magic product.

** random background story regarding these last few products: I travel a lot, and so I was cleaning out all my travel bags, I found plenty of half used tubes of toothpaste that I finally committed myself to using them all up so I don't have 6+ toothpastes half used. **

Colgate Total Whitening Toothpaste: This was a good one, I like that this toothpaste foams up nicely and just has a nice minty flavor that doesn't make me feel like I'm using baking soda.

Crest Whitening Plus Scope: I was not a fan of this one, I'm naturally not a fan of Crest brand ( I don't know why I just don't) But it cleaned my teeth so I can't really complain.

Colgate Total Advanced Plus Whitening: I can't vouch for the whitening because it is such a small tube, I feel like I would need to use a full-sized one to find out. I don't have badly stained teeth, but I drink my coffee and wine. (I'm 22 if someone is balking at my wine reference)

Marvis Classic Strong Mint Toothpaste: Recently everyone recieved from various beauty boxes this toothpaste, but honestly... it's nothing special. It doesn't stand out to me, other than it's from Italy and therefor is more expensive.  So save a few bucks and get your favorite toothpaste from the drugstore.

PHEWW! Wow, another large chunk of products that I really have no idea how I even finished. So my running totals are:

Lotions/ fragrance/ hair: 19 + 12 =31
Makeup: 10 + 1 =11
Candles/ scents: 6 + 0 =6
Cleansers/ Body Washes: 18 + 3= 21
Randoms: 4 + 9 =13

New Total: 57 + 25= 82!!!

xoxo,
Emily