September/October Empties!

I can't believe it is November already! And not just November, but mid-November because I've been lagging on my blog upkeep! Well, if you live in Southern California, you'll know that it's only recently started feeling even remotely autumnal, so I guess I can just pretend it is still August.

Well, that huge pile of garbage/recycling up there are my September and October empties. I love reading other people's empties posts and I don't go through product quite fast enough to do a post every  month, so maybe I can make this an every other month thing.

First up my body empties.

Dove Original Clean Deodorant - I've been loyal to Dove deodorants for years. I like the packaging and it works well enough. But recently I feel like it hasn't been as good as it used to. I think maybe my body has developed immunity to it??

Dove Ultimate Visibly Smooth Nature Fresh Deodorant - This one is supposed to "minimize the visual appearance of hair over time." I can't really say I've noticed any results, although I did get lasered over the past year, so who knows. I have another one of these to use because I got a two pack, but I'll probably give something else a try after that one's through.

Body Shop Mango Whip Body Lotion, Shower Gel and Scrub - Yes, I like me some matching bath products! I love love love the scrub. The lotion and shower gel are pretty standard, for some reason I think the scrub smells better! I like the scent, but I did tire of it towards the end.

Skintimate Skin Therapy Moisturizing Shave Gel - I've been using this product on and off forever. Again, another two pack purchase at Target, so I have another one to get through. It lathers really well and does the job. My one gripe is that rim of the can gets rusty. They fixed the bottom so it won't rust, but not the rim??

Next is hand and nails.

Orly Top 2 Bottom - This was alright. I didn't really notice any changes to the lasting power of my manicures, but I can't say I've noticed that with any top coat.

Orly Bonder - I really like this base coat. It's rubberized and is supposed to grip on to your polish. It's a good and bad thing because maybe it makes your polish last longer, but it also makes it easier to peel strips of polish off which I like to do! This got really really gloopy towards to end, so I like to buy the half size bottle. I've already purchased another one.

I actually finished some makeup items!!

Maybelline Dream Mousse Blush in Pink Frosting - These have been discontinued so it doesn't really matter what I say! This color was way to sparkly for my taste/age, but I really like the soft mousse texture.

Blinc Eyeliner - This brand is built around being good for people with sensitive eyes, but I wasn't too impressed. Once it's dry, there is zero smudging, but with a little rubbing it will flake right off. I found it creased really easily on my eyes.

NYX Super Skinny Eye Marker - I really love these marker/pen style liquid eyeliners. This one is good, but it could be a little blacker IMHO. This lasted a really long time without drying out and only recently did the pen tip start getting kinda bushy.

Now for some super old hair care.

Kiehl's Amino Acid Shampoo - Who knows how long I've had these two products! I really loved the slight coconutty scent of this shampoo. My hair is pretty normal, so I'm not too fussed over shampoos so I don't know if this was good or not. I would be open to purchasing the full size though.

Bumble & Bumble deeep Treatment - I love a good hair mask, but it's so hard for me to use the ones that need 20 minutes to do their thing. What am I supposed to do get in the shower, wash my hair, and get back out for 20 minutes, and get back in?? This is one of those conditioners. My hair didn't feel any differently after using this, but admittedly, I never left it on for 20 minutes!

And finally, a butt load of skin care!

Olay Pore Minimizing Cleanser + Scrub - I never realized how much stuff I buy in multiples! This is my second of a two pack from Costco. This works great with the Clarisonic as even though it is labeled a "scrub" the beads are super super tiny. Also, can I just say that the I love the pump on this thing? You can clearly see that you get every tiny little bit of product out.

Hadanomy Aquaplacenta Cream - I really like this lightweight gel cream. It's supposed to contain the placentas of salmon or something, but I sort of just block that part out. This is a pretty big jar and very reasonably priced at less than $20.

Arcona Cranberry Toner - This came in my Sample Society box and I read reviews that said it was too heavily scented. I do agree with that a little as I can smell it on my skin, but it's not an unpleasant scent - fruity and soapy. Toner has been a step I haven't bothered with for a long time, but I might have to reconsider after using this!

Caudalie Beauty Elixir - I have a whole post about this so I won't go on too much. I still don't think it does anything for my skin, but I am addicted to the scent! I might buy another...

DDF Amplifying Serum - This tiny tube lasted FOREVER. A tube probably isn't the best container for this product because it is very liquidy. I used this after I ran out of my Estee Lauder Advance Night repair, but I didn't notice any benefits. I've since gone back to the Estee Lauder!

Body Shop Seaweed Mattifying Moisture Lotion SPF 15 - I hate this with a vengeance. It has to be the worst moisturizer I have EVER used. It made my face so greasy that the only way I could use this was to follow it up with blotting papers. WTF How is this "mattifying" at all? Or maybe my skin is just freaky??

REN Glycolic Skin Renewal Peel Mask - This has gotten a lot of blog press recently and rightfully so. My skin feels super smooth after using it and I really need to consider the full size. I'm kind of torn between this, Alpha H Liquid Gold and Kate Somerville's ExfoliKate (which is amazing, but $$$). The only thing about my sample is, I found the texture to be a little chunky like marmalade, while pictures I've seen online make it look smooth. Was mine off??

Exuviance Night Renewal Hydragel - I got this as a sample in a package from Ulta. You're supposed to use it at night and it is supposed to reduce oiliness the next day. I didn't think it worked, but maybe my face wasn't that oily to begin with.

Elemental Herboloy Facial Glow Radiance Peel - This is similar to the REN mask, but it works in only 4 minutes (why not 5??) and contains AHAs. It's white like a lotion and it actually did it's thang in only 4 minutes!

Murad Skin Perfecting Primer Acne and Shine Control - I guess this is more of a cosmetic item, but it's a tinted primer. I actually really liked this and am considering the full size. It comes in dewy and matte varieties as well. The thing is, the tint is quite a medium color, so it works great for me, but I can see it not matching very fair or dark skin tones. Since I'm not a big foundation wearer, I feel like I can get away with using just this, like you might a tinted moisturizer.

Clarisonic Refreshing Gel Cleanser - I got a few sample sized cleansers with the purchase of my Clarisonic nearly 3 years ago and I've finally just used them up! It's fine, nothing to rave about and I'm sure you could get something similar for far cheaper.

PHEW! That was one long ass post. Using up products is definitely satisfying and I really like whittling down my "stash". If only, I could use up makeup items faster! So for two months that is a total of 14 full size and 11 sample size products! I love my beauty subscriptions, but damn those samples really start piling up. Til next time!