I have a secret...

I know my beauty-related posts have been practically nonexistent lately, but I have been writing for my other blog, Hilarosity! I wanted to have the freedom to write about whatever I wanted to (right now it seems like that's just books, but I'll definitely have other things to write about). At some point I may merge the two blogs, but for now I will keep the two apart.

That's actually all I wanted to talk about, but I appreciate the support I've had for this blog over the past two years. I hope to see the same for my new blog :)

Also, my next bag of empty products is getting full. I feel like I'm actually accomplishing something.

Recent Empties: Hair Care

This is the final empties post I will be writing for a while. Luckily, I only have a few bottles left of shampoo and conditioner. This means I can finally move on from standard shampoo and conditioner and instead try some shampoo bars within the year.

I don't actually have anything else to ramble about, which is a first. Let's proceed!

• Nature's Gate Biotin Shampoo and Conditioner: These smelled like peppermint and cleaned my hair nicely. However, they didn't really do anything special for my hair, so I probably won't be repurchasing either.
• L'Oreal Total Repair 5 Restoring Shampoo and Conditioner: I loved this the first few times I used it, but once I had used the product for a few weeks, I stopped noticing results and my hair began to feel like straw. Even if I would have loved it, I probably wouldn't have repurchased because the ingredients aren't so healthy for hair.
• It's a 10 Miracle Leave-In Product: Remember the old Ulta Rewards system? Once upon a time, I wanted the Macadamia Oil, but it was sold up and the only other thing in stock that looked okay was this product. I know tons of people rave about it, but it just didn't work well for my hair. My hair felt heavy and dirty. The smell also bothered me, but that is simply a matter of preference. If you really want to try it, definitely get the travel-sized bottle. A lot of other people love it, so even though it didn't work for me, it is still worth trying.
• Neutrogena Anti-Residue Shampoo: This shampoo was okay. It is meant to clarify your hair, but I never noticed much of a difference between this shampoo and a regular volumizing shampoo. It smelled masculine, but good. This shampoo does have sulfates in it, so I won't be buying it again. Since I only used it every week or two, it lasted an astonishingly long time.

And that is all I have for you! I'll probably end up having another empties post in a month or two, so keep watching for that if you would like to know what I am finishing. Also, if you would like me to post collections of what I am working on finishing (for example, my entire makeup collection, etc), then I am willing to do that so you can have a glimpse of how much I have to finish. I also have some products I might be donating, and I can post about that as well.

Recent Empties: Skin/Body Care

When I first became interested in beauty products, I tended to buy foundation and skin care products. I kept thinking there would be a magical way to wear makeup while I cleared my (at the time) mild acne. I never ended up finishing any skin care products. Luckily, that pattern is changing.

The majority of the products I finished were related to cleansing, so I am very happy about that.

• Olay Foaming Face Wash (Sensitive Skin): I really like this cleanser. It is free of parabens and frangrance, but it does contain sulfates. I have another tube of this that I should be finishing soon.
• Neutrogena Ultra Gentle Hydrating Cleanser: This reminded me of Cetaphil, but my skin actually felt clean, it is paraben free, fragrance free, and sulfate free. This cleanser was everything Cetaphil should have been. I'm not sure if I would repurchase it or not because I want to use products with fewer ingredients (and natural ingredients). But I do recommend this overall.
• Burt's Bees Facial Cleansing Towelettes for Sensitive Skin: These actually dried up. I hated these wipes because they made my face and eyes sting. At one point a spot on my face swelled up slightly. Not good. 
• Vanicream Cleansing Bar: I got this as a sample from the dermatologist and it was average.
• Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser: I thought I'd gotten away from this, but my dermatologist gave me two sample bottles of this cleanser. But luckily I managed to finish both quickly.
• Vanicream Lite Lotion: I don't remember if I liked this or not.
• Aquaphor: The miniature tubes I was given had expired 3 years ago. Eek!
• Burt's Bees Shea Butter Hand Repair Cream: This hand cream smelled odd and eventually separated and the texture became a little off. I decided to call it expired and toss it out.

I've also finished a few bars of the Dove Beauty Bar (I'm beginning to like it!)

I am happy that I am slowly weeding out the clutter. My wallet is happy too! ;)