July 2018 Empties

All my garbage of the month! :D

1. Clorox Disinfecting Wipes in Crisp Lemon: I've been using these to wipe down counter-tops and some makeup items and to be real with y'all I prefer baby wipes. I find that these are very wet - almost drippy, that they're thin, and they have a very strong, cloying, chemical scent.

2. Tree Hut Firming Sugar Scrub in Italian Mocha x2: This is a really nice, intense sugar scrub with a wake-you-up delicious mocha scent. I LOVE IT to get me going in the morning. One thing I haven't mentioned in the praises I sing to these scrubs is that they are all non-greasy which is so important when using a body scrub in the shower. I hate scrubs with a layer of oil sitting at the top because you just know that's a slipping hazard and I really don't have to worry with these.

3. Kao Essential Damage Care Rich Intensive Repair Pack: This is a hair mask that was recommended by Bubzbeauty some years ago. It's got a nice rose scent and is richly hydrating. That said, I find it very similar in function to the Garnier Honey mask and will purchase the Garnier going forward as it is far more easily accessible to me.  That said, I do find that this mask hydrates the hair quite intensely and that it restores shine along with manageability without being too heavy.

4. Udderly Smooth Original Formula: Honestly folksickles, I had high hopes for this product and have been meaning to try it for years. From my understand the original formula used to be (or quite possibly still is?) used as an udder cream to soothe cow's udder pains. That said, farmers found that it helped hydrate their hands and so it then began being sold on the mass market. You know, hence my high hopes - if it could repair intense dryness perhaps it could hydrate my feet really well. I didn't find this different from any other moisturizer I've used except that it's not strongly fragranced. They do carry a foot cream in this line so perhaps I'll try that someday.

5. Dove Go Fresh Cucumber & Green Tea Scent Body Wash x2: This is a nicely hydrating, fresh-smelling body wash that I use solely for the purpose of shaving my legs. I think it works really great and enjoy using it.

6. Bath & Body Works Magic in the Air Shower Gel: This is a very "perfume-y" smelling shower gel and while I like these because they produce beautiful foam and do a good job leaving me feeling clean I will not be repurchasing this scent. I don't hate it but I don't love the combination of floral notes used here.

7. ColourPop Super Shock Shadow in Dare: I'm so sad to see this go - as beautiful of a shade that it is mine just smells funky and I'd rather replace it than to contract some kind of eye problem.

8. Aveeno Active Naturals 1% Hydrocortisone Anti-Itch Cream: So I've developed a nasty, stubborn patch of eczema and was using this to take care of it. I will say that this took care of the itch A LOT but didn't do much for the actual eczema.

9. Dial Hand Sanitizer Light Citrus Scent: This is quite a standard run-of-the-mill hand sanitizer. I didn't notice any "light citrus scent" as to me it smells mostly like rubbing alcohol with an afterthought of aloe.

10. Too Faced Cocoa Powder Foundation in Light: This is an incredible powder foundation - I used it to set my liquid face makeup and I really loved this because while it set the foundation, it also left my face feeling really silky - not dry or too matte-looking. Unfortunately it is no longer available in stores and is sold exclusively on Too Faced's website. You know... because they love to be inconsistent. -. -

11. ColourPop Super Shock Shadow in Bae: Another unfortunate ColourPop shadow that smells awful and is a beautiful, unique burgundy with teal sparkle. I will definitely get another one at some point.

12. Ardell Faux Mink Lashes in 811: These are beautiful lashes but honestly not my favorite. I find that the band is poorly constructed in that it's thick and requires a fight to mold to the shape of my eyes properly. It also tends to fall apart easily if you're not careful about how you remove these lashes/pull the excess lash glue off them. I bought three packs when these were on sale and will not be repurchasing.

13. Korres Mango Lip Butter: This is a really beautiful, hydrating, silky lip balm with a nice fruity scent and a soft pop of orange-coral color. I'm quite sad that this shade is discontinued as I loved it a lot.

14. Tiffany & Co. Eau De Parfum: I find this scent kind of having weird earthy notes that I am not a fan of. It was nice to get a little sample but I won't be going out to purchase this.

15. Skinfix Eczema Balm: I remember reading an article about this brand whilst suffering with my stubborn, flaky, itchy eczema and was kind of desperate so I picked it up. I will say this product works but I really HATE how you only get 2 ounces. I get that it's a balm and therefore technically a "concentrate" but this product is meant to be applied liberally and although the tube indicates to stop using if the problem lasts longer than a week let's be real - eczema is a stubborn mofo that sticks around and unlike hydrocortisone, this doesn't contain anything that could pose an issue if you were to use it long-term. Due to this, I think they need to make it available in a much larger size. In addition to that here are some "warnings" when using this product - if you have been using hydrocortisone to treat your eczema and it is the type that "weeps" be prepared for the weeping to come back. My first week off the hydrocortisone my eczema was weeping A LOT... as my issue is in the groin region it would weep right through my pants so I had to be careful to wear long shirts to disguise this issue. That said, after that initial week, the weeping is now completely gone. Also, toward the end of the tube this is difficult to squeeze out. If you'll notice I cut the top of the tube off and there was A LOT of product on the sides.

16. Essence Eyeliner Pen Waterproof: Oh folksickles... NEVER AGAIN! I really didn't like this eyeliner -  I found that initially it wanted to smudge everywhere and transfer off into my crease. It just wasn't cute. :/ It also isn't the most precise eyeliner I've ever used.

17. Lancome Definicils High Definition Mascara: This was once my very favorite mascara and sadly I find myself unimpressed by it. Perhaps because better things have come along or because I wear lashes all the time now/my lashes have become kind of crappier due to that. It used to be that with this mascara I could get my lashes to touch my brows and I loved that it wasn't clumpy. This tube was somewhat clumpy but I've also had it for a while so... In any case, it just wasn't what I was hoping it would be.

18. Nature Republic 56 Cashmere Gray Color & Nature Nail Color: Another nail polish that fell into my unfortunate case of OCD where I used the same polish week after week. This is a really pretty soft gray shade and has gotten me a lot of compliments.

19. Clarisonic Cashmere Cleanse Luxe Brush Head: In the words of DJ Khaled  - "another one." I just tossed one LAST MONTH and most of the time I got 6 months of use out of these brush heads. I was trying to be... thrifty and ordered these off eBay and while they seemed legit initially I'm starting to suspect that they are either a bad batch or bootlegged as this completely fell apart within maybe 3 weeks of use. I'm sad.

20. Incendio Beauty Lipstick Potion in Empress: This is a really pretty cool-toned nude shade. Unfortunately mine has developed a bit of a chemically off scent and I feel like it's a better idea to replace it than to end up with some sort of infection.

21. ColourPop Super Shock Shadow in Coconut: I'm so sad to see this color go but as the rest of them, it smells funky and I'd rather replace it.

22. ColourPop Super Shock Shadow in Erotic:  I'm so sad to see this color go but as the rest of them, it smells funky and as much as I'd love to replace it, it's discontinued. :'( !!!

23. Clinique Pep-Start Eye Cream x2: This is a really nice lightweight yet gently hydrating eye cream with really great de-puffing properties. I like it a lot.

24. M-61 PowerGlow Peel x2: I find these fairly similar to other peel pads in that they help resurface the skin while providing a brightening effect due to the exfoliation they provide. They do tingle quite a bit initially but the tingle sensation doesn't last for long.

25. NaturaBisse C+C Vitamin Cream: This is a really fantastic, brightening, hydrating, smoothing face cream with a nice citrus scent. I liked the sample a lot! That said, I think that it's pricey for what it is and I wish I didn't fall in love with it.

26. Clinique Turnaround Radiance Peel: This stuff is intense and very astringent-like but it left my skin looking very glow-y and feeling baby's butt smooth.

27. Skinceuticals Hydrating B5 Gel: This is a really nice hydrating serum. I found that it didn't seem to do very much initially but after about a week of twice daily use it did make my skin feel really smooth and hydrated.

28. Seche Clear Crystal Clear Base Coat: This base coat is just alright. Perhaps because I've had it for several years it just doesn't do very much in terms of helping my nail polish to stay on.

29. Darphin Niaouli Aromatic Care: This oil hydrates and balances the skin nicely but I think it's overpriced for being a sesame oil based product and I really don't like the niaouli-eucalyptus scent that it has.

Disclaimer: I purchased all of the above with the exception of the Too Faced, Tiffany & Co., Clinique, Skinceuticals, M-61, NaturaBisse, Darphin and Lancome products.