January 2014 Empties

January 2014 Empties

Hey guys! Here are this month's empties. There aren't too many products so hopefully this post isn't too long. 

Let's get started:

Here are a few shower products. I absolutely loved this Dove shampoo and conditioner and cannot seem to find this scent anywhere! It's amazingly good.It's nice and citrusy and refreshing. Anyone know where I can find this? I also finished this travel-size shower gel from Bath and Body Works (BBW). The smell is really nice, but beside that there isn't anything really special about these shower gels. I pretty much purchase these exclusively for the scent factor. 

Here are some face products. I've had this face wash for forever! I'm finally done! Yay! Took me a long time to finish this sucker. I know it's labeled a scrub, but it didn't have anywhere near enough scrubby beads to be labeled as such. It is however a nice wash and has a pleasant fruity smell. The No.7 night time moisturizer is one of my faves, and I did repurchase this. You can read my review here. The Almay eye makeup remover pads are great for travel, which I do A LOT of. These pads, however, stung/burned my eyes! It was weird though because it didn't happen 100% of the time. My sister told me that makeup/skin care can be affected by temperature. I have no clue if this is true, but apparently she read it somewhere. Maybe there's some truth to that. I would not repurchase these, but I would try a sensitive version if they have some. 

Next, we have a sample of Signature Perfume by English Laundry. I got this as a sample in one of my ipsy bags. I would like to say that I used this all up, but it leaked everywhere and I received it nearly empty. It smelled great though. Next, we have the e.l.f. eyebrow and eyelash gel. It's a great eyebrow gel. I use both sides on my brows. I don't always find this at Target though. I would definitely repurchase. I also used up an e.l.f. Zit Zapper. This is a really nice spot treatment for pimples and it's only $1! Next, I have this LashFusion  XL Mascara. I received this as a sample in one of my Birchboxes. I did not like this at all, so it took my a long time to finish it. It was too dry of a formula and didn't do anything for my lashes. (Very natural look). I also used up a BBW hand sanitizer. This one smelled great. I'm a sucker for all things tropical!

Next, I have two tools. This lash curler from the dollar store, worked ok, but the actual tool itself started to get loose. I only bought it because my favorite e.l.f. curler was out of stock per usual. Anyway, this nail file which was way too coarse. (I know it says it nice and huge on there, but like always, I wasn't paying attention.)

Finally, here are a few "boring" products. BBW hand-soaps, the foaming kind, which I love. Not sure if these scents are always/still available, but they're great. The flower one isn't very floral at all! (I HATE floral scents). It actually kind of smells like apples. I also used up a method refill in the pear scent, which smells amazing. These refills are a great substitute for the BBW ones. It costs about $5 and refills your bottle about 3-4 times, while one BBW soap retails for about $5. ( I know they always have deals, but method refills are still cheaper). 

Anyway, those are my January empties minus a few candles. I didn't know if I should include those. Should I? How about you guys? Any of your empties also favorites?

Impressed: Zit zapper and Shampoo/Conditioner

Would repurchase: Soaps, sanitizer, moisturizer, and brow gel

Not impressed: Mascara

Not necessarily unimpressed with the rest, just things that didn't necessarily stood out as either good or bad. 

January 2014 Ipsy Bag

January 2014 Ipsy Bag 

Hey guys! Here's a look at this month's Ipsy bag.For those of you who are unaware, Ipsy is a monthly subscription service, which sends 5-6 beauty samples each month. Anyway, on to the post: 

This month's bag is actually pretty nice. I usually think they're ugly. It came with 5 samples, which include: MICA Beauty tinted lip balm, Briogeo hair mask, Nourish Organic face lotion, Elizabeth Mott smooth shadow eye pencil, and Proactiv+ mark fading pads. 

First we have the MICA beauty tinted lip balm in #6 fiesta. It's a really nice mauve shade and is really pigmented. Pretty full color and not sheer like a balm product usually is. However, I must say that it is not the least bit moisturizing. It's actually rather drying and doesn't have good staying power. Fades quickly, but leaves a stain on the lips. 

Next, we have the Briogeo Don't Despair, Repair! Deep conditioning mask for hair. I haven't tried this yet, but it smells nice and I actually just dyed my hair, so I'll definitely be putting this to the test.  

Next, we have Nourish Organic Lightweight Moisturizing Face Lotion. I haven't tried this either (at least not on my face lol). However, it is very lightweight, perhaps best in the warmer months. It doesn't seem like it would be enough for my dry winter skin. It has a strange scent, kind of vegetable like. It's actually a little gross.

Next, we have the Elizabeth Mott Smooth Shadow pencil in Pearl. It's a nice shimmery champagne color. Not incredibly pigmented, but nice for an inner corner highlight.  Reminds me a little of theBalm's MaryLou-Man-izer, but in pencil form. 

Finally, we have the Proactiv+ Mark Fading Pads. I have yet to try these, but I'm curious as to whether it's enough product to notice any difference. 

Bottom Line: Great bag this month. Really enjoyed the selection of samples I received this month. I would definitely recommend subscribing especially since it's only $10/month.