Thursday, June 27, 2013

June Empties!

I have been trying REALLY hard to use up as many things that I currently have as possible. Here are a few things that I have emptied this month along with whether or not I would repurchase it.

1. Suave Moroccan Oil Shampoo
Yes, if I was in the market for a cheap hydrating shampoo I would certainly repurchase it. I have a whole shelf of shampoo and conditioner that I have accumulated through couponing so for now I will be sticking with using those other items up first.

2. Aussie 3 Minute Miracle Deep Conditioning Treatment
I have repurchased this over and over again! I have been using this product off and on for probably almost 10 years and I will continue to use it. It is easy to use, smells great and doesn't leave my hair feeling weighed down! I highly recommend this one!!

3. IT Cosmetics Hello Lashes mascara
I have already repurchased this because I knew I didn't want to be without a backup of this mascara. It is awesome! The formula itself is pretty wet so if you like a drier mascara this one may not be for you but within a week or 2 it does thicken up a little and allows you to control it a little more during application. The way the separates, lengthens, and adds volume certainly makes me add this mascara into my top 5 of all time. (Let me know if you want to see a post on what my all time top 5 are!)

4. Lea Journo conditioner
This conditioner smells heavenly! On top of that is does make my hair feel pretty soft but it is priced a little too high for my liking. I received this in a swap with a friend so I never bought the original pouch. (yes I said pouch! It doesn't come in a bottle like traditional conditioner which I think it is a fault since it is kind of a pain to keep it standing up on the rack I have in my shower) I would certainly like to use this product again but I probably won't purchase it since it is pretty pricey. There are lots of good drugstore and lower end conditioners that work just as well in my opinion.

5. Dove VisibleCare Body Wash
I use this product at night before I go to bed and I love crawling into my bed having my skin feel hydrated, soft and smelling nice a fresh. I have already repurchased another bottle of this (and got a really deal on it at CVS with coupons!! SCORE!) I would certainly recommend checking this body was h out if you love the smell of original Dove but don't want to use a bar of soap, this is an awesome alternative.

That wraps up my empties for this month. What have you been able to empty out this month?

Wednesday, June 26, 2013

Skincare and Basic Daily Makeup Routine

I have really switched things up in my daily routine the past couple of months. Gone are the days of having an hour every morning to get ready so I have simplified things a lot. Lets start with my current skincare routine. As some of you know I was really struggling with breakouts at the beginning of the year, it was the worst my skin has ever been. I since have switched to just using the BareMinerals Purifying Facial cleanser as well as the Purely Nourishing Moisturizer for combination skin. I use my Clarisonic both morning and night along with it and my face has cleared up almost completely. I HIGHLY recommend trying this routine if you have been breaking out, the cleanser isn't over powering and doesn't dry my skin out or leave it feeling tight which I really love. I also have liked the fact that the moisturizer doesn't leave my face shiny or feeling greasy. A+ all around for that!

For makeup I have switched to all silicone-free base face products. In my "everyday" makeup basket I keep the following items which I think have also helped clear up my skin- Becca Mattifying silicone-free primer, Korres Vitamin E silicone-free face primer, Bare Minerals Ready foundation, Bare Minerals well rested, Bare Minerals Bisque concealer. I haven't ever really been a fan of Bare Minerals. I used their loose foundation quite a but when I was a teenager (that was when I had flawless skin and had nothing but maybe an occasional pimple from hormones) but as I have gotten older and started to experiment more with makeup I found that I didn't get the coverage I really wanted from their loose foundation and by the end of the day I looked like a total grease ball. I kept hearing about how wonderful the READY line of makeup was from Bare Minerals and had tried out a few of their pressed eyeshadows which blew me away! They certainly were nothing like the messy, not so pigmented loose shadows I remembered using in high school. When my face got really bad I decided maybe it was time to give BM another shot, after all I had absolutely nothing to lose at this point. I was shocked when I used the ready foundation with the precision face brush how amazing the coverage was! Not only that but I actually stayed matte for almost 10 hours which in my book was certainly amazing for just a powder foundation. (I didn't even use concealer the first time I used it!) It has been almost 2 months and my face is pretty much back to normal with just a few breakouts here and there which is totally manageable. I HIGHLY recommend trying the ready foundation if you weren't a big fan of the original loose foundation for the same reasons I mentioned above. Just make sure to get color matched at a store that sells the products as the color range is not the exact same as the loose.

It took me awhile to come to the conclusion that maybe it was something I was doing to cause my skin to breakout and if you are struggling with the same skin issues I had maybe try a few of the things I switched in my routine to see if it helps. I hope that my struggling has brought some insight to at least someone out there!