November and December 2012 Empties!

I think I finished a grand total of two products during November. Rather than writing an entire post about two products, I decided to wait and see how much I could finish off in December. I finished quite a few hair products, which is good because I have too many hair products to begin with. I have also started counting sample sized products because I've accumulated quite a few samples that I would like to finish up.

Finished:

LUSH Seanik Solid Shampoo Bar: this was good, but I've found something that I like better.

LUSH Jumping Juniper Solid Shampoo Bar: this was also nice, but I want to try other clarifying shampoos

Aussie 3-Minute Miracle: the ingredients in this are honestly not too good, so I will be moving on to something else as a deep conditioner.

Evian Facial Spray: water in spray can... not much I can say about this. It was useful to have around, but I might as well buy a spray bottle and fill it with water instead.

Grandpa's Thylox Acne Treatment Soap with Sulfur (thankfully I kept the box): I ended up using this on my face and body just to finish it up. I'm glad I tried it, but I won't be repurchasing.

Bath & Body Works Paris Amour Body Splash (3 ounces): I'm working on finishing all of my Bath & Body Works body splashes because I've found a few different fragrances I prefer.

Clean & Clear Oil Absorbing Sheets: I have one more package of blotting sheets and then I am done with all of my blotting sheets, which I couldn't be more thrilled about.

L'Oreal Magic Skin Beautifier BB Cream (Fair): Initially I loved this, but as time went on my skin began to become irritated by this, so I won't repurchase.

Olivella Daily Facial Cleansing Tissues: I thought I would love these, but they made my eyes water just as much as the Yes to Cucumbers cleansing wipes, so I have something else I want to try instead.

Neutrogena Makeup Remover Cleansing Towelettes: I'm not sure why I had these, but I decided to finish them because I had them and I needed a makeup remover.

Willa Naturals Start Fresh Foaming Facial Wash: this was a basic cleanser. I liked it, but I won't purchase the full size.

Willa Naturals Clear Face Moisturizer: I liked the concept of a clear moisturizer, but it didn't work the way I had expected. I definitely won't buy the full size, but it might work for somebody with normal skin.

Expired:

Rimmel Lash Accelerator Lash Growth Serum: this was nice, but I would go through phases when using it. After of owning it for about a year, I decided it was time to let go and admit to myself that I'd never finish it.

Rimmel Lash Accelerator Mascara: I loved this mascara. Everything about it was perfect, in my opinion. It lengthened my lashes, didn't flake, and application was a breeze. I'm not sure if I will repurchase this or not, though. I'd have to look at the ingredients, but once I finish the mascaras I currently own, I want to try something from the Physicians Formula Organic Wear mascara line (they have four now!)

Rimmel Volume Accelerator: I loved Rimmel's Lash Accelerator mascara, but I hated the Volume Accelerator... the formula was clumpy, the brush was just big and ineffective. I won't be repurchasing this.

Maybelline Great Lash Lots of Lashes: I know that Maybelline Great Lash is one of those "love it or hate it, but most people hate it" mascaras, but I'm always willing to give the different versions a chance. I really liked this one because the brush/applicator was great, but the ingredients aren't quite so nice, so I probably won't be repurchasing it.

Maybelline Great Lash Big: and this was a version of Great Lash that I didn't love. It was difficult to separate my lashes, so once I was finished applying my mascara, it looked like I had about six eyelashes on each eye. Not a pretty look.

Samples:

Nexxus Pro-Mend Split End Treatment Shampoo, Nexxus Pro-Mend Split End Binding Conditioner, and Nexxus Pro-Mend Targeted Leave-in Treatment Creme: these were nice products, but the shampoo is not sulfate free and the ingredients overall are not the best, so I won't be purchasing the full size.

LiQWD Silk Professional Deep Conditioning Treatment: just another deep conditioner to me. I am trying some homemade deep conditioner recipes, so I'm not buying the full size.

Benefit Stay Don't Stray: this took a long time for me to finish. It's not my favorite primer, so I won't be purchasing the full size.

Derma E Tea Tree & E Antiseptic Cream: this was pretty nice. I might purchase this somewhere down the line, but not right away, since I'm not sure if it will truly be necessary for my skin care routine (less is more, trust me).

Lulu Organics Lavender & Clary Sage Hair Powder: just a dry shampoo, it smelled nice but it wasn't life changing... I've decided that I will probably never like dry shampoo and I will be one of those people stuck washing my hair every day just because I hate how my unwashed hair feels.

Dr. Jart+ Water Fuse BB Cream: I really liked this, but the color is a little too dark and I could tell it was. I don't think anybody else did, but I also happened to use up the entire sample during Christmas break, so my family probably wouldn't have noticed/cared anyway. I may or may not purchase the full size. I'll keep the bottle as a reminder that I did like this, but I've got enough base products to finish as it is.

Overall I'm very pleased with myself for finishing as much as I have. I can only hope that I manage to finish half as much in the next few months

What I Got for Christmas: 2012 Edition

Since quite a few people are showing what they got for Christmas, I thought I'd show you all what was under my tree this year! I also thought this would be especially interesting since I won't be buying very many beauty products in 2013. But, I digress. Here is what I got for Christmas this year:

Real Techniques Your Eyes/Enhanced Starter Set: this set contains five eye brushes and a "panoramic case" that functions as a brush stand and a case for traveling. The brushes in the kit are: Base Shadow Brush, Deluxe Crease Brush, Accent Brush, Pixel-Point Eyeliner Brush, and a brow brush.

Real Techniques Your Base/Flawless Core Collection:  this set contains four face brushes and a case. The brushes are the Detailer Brush, Pointed Foundation Brush, Buffing Brush, and the Contour Brush.

OPI The Top Ten: this set contains some of the most popular OPI nail polish colors.These colors are: Alpine Snow, Bubble Bath, Tickle My France-y, Kiss Me On My Tulips, Red Lights Ahead... Where?, Big Apple Red, I'm Not Really A Waitress, You Don't Know Jacques!, Vampsterdam, and Lincoln Park After Dark.

Bare Minerals Cool As Ice Lip Gloss Collection: this set comes with six of the Bare Minerals Marvelous Moxie mini lip glosses. The colors in this set are: Hot Ticket, Dare Devil, Fashionably Late, Socialite, Gutsy, and Rebel.

Urban Decay Naked Basics Palette: this palette came out recently and has taken the beauty world by storm. It contains six neutral eye shadows (all with matte or satin finishes). The colors are: Venus, Foxy, Walk of Shame, Naked 2, Faint, and Crave.

Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette: this was Urban Decay's cooler-toned answer to the original Naked palette. It features 12 colors (Foxy, Booty Call, Tease, Suspect, Verve, Busted, Half Baked, Chopper, Snakebite, Pistol, YDK, and Blackout), a dual-ended brush (crease and shadow), and a mini lip gloss in Naked.

Pink Sugar Eau de Toilette Roller Ball: I have a tough time sticking to one perfume. I only wear the LaVanila Pure Vanilla for special occasions, but other times I do like to switch it up. Pink Sugar is sweet and it doesn't give me a headache (I can't even list all the fragrances that DO give me headaches), so it's a winner in my book.

For non-beauty related things, I got a Nook HD and a new (digital) point-and-shoot camera. I think what I got most excited about was the nice stack of cookbooks I received (one in particular was very special to me for different reasons). My boyfriend gave me a bottle of honey (we both really love honey) and a Stormtrooper tank top (if you don't know what a Stormtrooper is... it's a Star Wars thing).

Just a little side note: I am in no way trying to make it seem as if I am bragging. Normally I try not to put any disclaimers like this on my posts, but I know that hauls (particularly birthday/Christmas hauls) can be seen as controversial. But this is a beauty blog and I did focus on the beauty products I received.

What did you get for Christmas?

New Year's Resolutions: 2013 Edition

Since 2012 is coming to a close, I thought it would be a good idea to write a post on my resolutions for 2013! I honestly can't remember what my goals were for 2012, but since I don't remember it's fair to say that it doesn't really matter, right? ;)

Alright, so here we go:

1. Buy fewer unnecessary products. I posted about this a while back and called it Project Minimize 2013. This entails finishing the products I have before I buy anything, but I am allowed to buy things I don't need... as long as I put it on the list on the official Project Minimize page. The catch is that I'm not allowed to buy more than 12 unnecessary items in 2013. Technically I am allowed to cheat once per month, but I wanted to be lenient enough that if I have a month where I don't buy anything, I can just buy two items the next month - that's a long-winded way of explaining it, but hopefully it all makes sense. If I use up all of a certain type of product (like body wash), I am allowed to purchase a backup without putting it on the list. Something that will pretty much never make the list is mascara since it expires so quickly, but I can already predict that a tinted moisturizer or foundation will end up on the list early on.
2. Drink more water. I know this was a resolution last year and I didn't really start it until November. By "more water" I mean at least one glass at each meal and I also hope to eliminate other drinks. I've already stopped drinking soda.
3. Drink less coffee and caffeinated drinks. I don't want to cut coffee out completely because I love the taste, but for now I am looking at trying some coffee alternatives (the two I have found are Cafix and Teeccino - I'm not sure if I will try them or not).
4. Improve my blog. This includes the layout and the overall work I put into my blog. I want it to be the best that it can be so I can really help people out and share my love of beauty and my newly found interest in lifestyle and health.
5. Stress out less. I don't really have any plan for this, but I do want to reduce my stress level.
6. Try something new. And I don't mean "new (insert beauty product here)" - I want to do something exciting that is not in my comfort zone. I have time to figure out what that will be.

That is everything I could think of, but I think a simple list will be easier to follow through with.

What are your goals for 2013?