Finished Up Products {& Will I Repurchase?}

Hello dolls! I always LOVE watching finished up product videos on YouTube and sometimes I'll catch blog posts about them but I have been saving up some empty bottles to do a post and I feel like I've got enough to do a post! There are a few products I threw in that have maybe one or two uses left in them that I will use up but I put them in this post because I didn't want to have to save them after they're used up!

I'm going to have to do a part one and a part two because I've got about 20 products. So for part one I'm going to do haircare and body care!

I know these have different names but I'm pretty sure they are the same formula. If not it's similar enough that I love both. Obviously I've repurchased because there are four empty bottles here and I have more that I'm working on. I feel like this is a very moisturizing shampoo and it doesn't weigh down my head of curls! Repurchase.

These conditioners are so amazing. I love the way they smell and if I had to choose one I'd say I like the Daily Moisture better. I've got an Intensive Repair in my shower now and they really make your hair so soft. They cost around $3.00 at Walmart I believe so a very good deal for the money Repurchased.

This conditioner doesn't really do much for me. I love the smell but since my hair is so curly it gets super frizzy and dried out. When I use a conditioner I really need it to moisturize so I can have soft, bouncy curls. Will not repurchase. 

For as much hype I hear about this line I was majorly disappointed in this product. The actual product itself is thin and almost a chunky consistency and once I put it in my hair it didn't seem to moisturize at all. The smell isn't too appealing either. It must be personal preference with this product because my momma swears by it. Will not repurchase. 

I'm not 100% sure if they still sell this product or not. I had a bunch of these sample sizes that came with conditioner and shampoo from quite a while ago. I really like this product and the smell is amazing. It truly moisturizes and "repairs" my hair. I probably would repurchase if I didn't have another product that I love better. Might repurchase. 

This is what I've found that I like better. If you don't own this you need to go buy it now. It's less than $4.00 at Walmart and will last quite a while. My hair is so much more manageable now that I use this. Plus it smells like coconut heaven, I would honestly use this just for the smell that lingers in my hair. Repurchase. 

This is probably my absolute favorite product in this whole post and a must have. If you've got curly hair - buy it now. Seriously I can spray this through my hair and walk out the door and unless I've ran my fingers through my hair, which if you have curls don't do it, I can go all day without frizz and with the most defined curls ever. I can spray it in at night before bed on wet hair and let it air dry and sleep on it and it looks nice the next morning too. For the price of this product it is fabulous! Repurchase.

This is my all time favorite body wash for the spring and summer months. During the fall and winter I use a moisturizing body wash but during the summer this always keeps my skin really clear even on the hottest days where you just sweat like crazy. I don't think it has the same effect as the face washes in the fact that it doesn't just wake you up but I still really love it. The blue one has a couple uses left and I do have a couple bottles left over that I didn't get the chance to use before fall. I honestly can't even pick favorite scent out of these because they are all amazing! Repurchase. 

I use this after every shower on my stomach to lighten my stretch marks. I've used it for about six months and I have noticed a difference. I hear vitamin E oil is supposed to work faster so I actually picked up a bottle of that and a huge container of the Palmer's just to see. I would recommend using this during your pregnancy to help with stretch marks, I hear it does wonders! Repurchase. 

I know this isn't hair or body care but I wanted to share with you what I do with the candle jars when I'm finished with them. First off as you can see there is about a half inch of wax left in the bottom of that candle, however I can't burn the rest of it. These candles have a safety feature that once the wax is so low the wicks won't light so the glass doesn't get too hot and shatter. Smart thinking on their part but for a $20.00 candle it is kind of irritating that it isn't completely gone! So when I finished this one today I stuck it in the freezer once the wax was hardened and cooled down. I left it in there for about a half hour and when I pulled it out the wax was cracked in about four places. I just took a butter knife and broke the rest of it up. As you can see in the bottom left corner of the picture I used the remaining wax in a tart warmer and then peeled the sticker off the candle and cleaned the jar. I'm going to use the jars to organize things because I think they are so classy. 

Alright y'all that's all I've got for you today as far as finished products go! Most of them I like and would repurchase, a couple just didn't work for me but might work for someone else :) Have a happy weekend y'all! 

Friday Favorites : I have a Skincare Obsession!

Hey pretties! It's finally frickin' Friday. I just told you in my last post that the week was going by so fast, blah, blah, blah. No. I lied. Once Thursday came it slowed waaaaay the heck down. I should keep my mouth shut next time.

So ya wanna hear about my faves, obvi! I'm linking up with Miss Lindsey once again for Friday Favorites...let me forewarn you that I apparently am on a skincare kick this week. Just wait and see!

Okay so I know it's Walmart brand and all but I really don't care. If ya got a problem with Walmart then stop reading. NOW! Kidding. But really, I live in a small place. No Sephora. No Ulta. No little skincare boutiques. We've got Walmart and Target people. So I decided last week that I needed to start using an eye cream. I'm 20 and don't have wrinkles, yet. I figured I'd get a head start. I've noticed a difference actually, the main one being that my concealer doesn't settle as much as it used to! 

I've been using the Clean & Clear moisturizer with a purple cap and before that I just used Olay. I liked the Olay but felt that it was way too heavy on my already oily skin. The Clean & Clear was made to fight acne and I felt like it wasn't doing enough to moisturize my face. So I dug through my sample drawer and found something to hold me over until I could find what I liked. I picked the Juice Beauty Oil-Free Moisturizer sample up that I got from a Birchbox and used it for about a week. Immediately I noticed a huge difference in my breakouts and oiliness. Plus, it smells like orange juice! The company uses mostly fruit as the base of all their products, they're all organic, and the do not test on animals! Hollaaaa! Try it out!

Sorry the picture sucks. I wasn't in the mood to make it look nice. Joking...the bottle is just a really weird shape and I wasn't gonna spend all night taking pictures of it to make it look good! Another Walmart product y'all! I believe this is supposed to be the knock-off Garnier under eye roller. Well this thing is bomb.com. I used to have huge black bags under my eyes. In literally a week and a half I can tell a huge difference in the darkness and I'm starting to notice them not being so puffy. It's like $7.00 at Walmart. Go buy someeeee! 

 

I'm sure I'm the last person on the planet to use this. I know it's been around since probably before I was born. Two decades ago. I probably love this SO MUCH because of the smell. It's like coconut yumminess. But it also moisturizes my hair so well. When I don't use this my curls are so much less defined and way more dry. They look real pretty when I spend the extra three minutes in the shower! It may have some competition though, I just picked up the Organix Coconut Milk Conditioner so we'll see!

Go stalk the air freshener isle for this right now. I have it everywhere in my house and all over my office. I've gone through a four pack of the scented oil candle refills in less than two weeks. Please at least go smell it. It's a perfect transition scent from Summer to Fall without being like BAM! PUMPKIN! All the customers that have come in since I put it out yesterday say it smells amazing :) 

My fave blogger of the week is Miss Aunie. I stumbled across her blog a couple of days ago and fell immediately in love. She is so inspiring and doesn't hold a damn thing back about her life. Besides that, she is absolutely GORGEOUS! Her blog is so pretty and she's always rockin' a super stylish outfit. Click her button above and go pay her a little visit! 

Head on over to link up your Friday Faves! Plus, check out where miss Lindsey is moving to and what her new dream job is!

That's all I've got for ya today people of the blogosphere! Is anyone else as excited as I am that in one week it'll be Labor Day weekend. Meaning I get a three day weekend! HOLLAAA! Have a super happy Friday :) 

Beauty Box Swap : Reveal!

Hello dolls! About a month ago I signed up for the Beauty Box Swap hosted by Tiffany, Megan, and Andrea. The object of the Swap was that we'd have someone who would send us a beauty box and then you would send a box to someone else. I actually sent my box to Megan, one of the hosts! I had so much fun stalking her blog to see what she might like.

I got an amazing box from Courtney! She did a fabulous job picking out products without even seeing my makeup wish list page. I was amazed the minute I saw the package. The bubble mailer she used is adorable! 

The bubble mailer is the blue polkadot part. I had to cover up both of our addresses! 

As you can see, Miss Courtney gave me the cutest card and what she wrote inside was so sweet! I'm really glad we got a chance to meet through the swap. I also must say her blog business cards are so cute :)

Girlfriend was amazing when she did her shopping! I've been dying to try the Simple cleansing cloths so when I saw she got me a sample pack I was pumped. They are the best. I like that they are a smooth wipe and that they don't have the raised bumps. They're also very gentle on the skin and leave my skin feeling soft not stripped! 

The light sparkly pink shade is a Julep nail color (Audrey) which we were both amazed I didn't already have considering I'm a Maven. I love this shade and I think it'll be perfect for winter when I just want a wash of color and some sparkle. Along with the polish she sent a nail file and some strips to paint french tips with. I'm real happy about the file considering I use them up so quick! The strips I was also excited about, I never do french manicures because I can't make them look the same and it drives me nuts. I'm excited to do some color blocking with the strips! 

I'm adoring the Wet 'n Wild cream shadow stick in Graphite. It's a beautiful dark grey color with some shimmer. I don't usually use cream shadows because they crease so bad on my oily skin but I used this as a liner on my waterline one day and it stayed put! As a cream shadow I'm sure it wouldn't crease, it will make a beautiful addition to a smokey eye! 

I'm not familiar with the brand of the eye cream but I'm so glad she sent it. I've been needing a new eye cream and the sample packs have worked wonders while I search for a new one. Eye cream is so not cheap so these have got me a LONG way! I really feel like this particular eye cream has helped with my puffiness in the mornings.

The final item was an eyeshadow duo from NYC. I really love these colors. The lighter shade is a pretty champagne color which will be perfect for an inner corner highlight and browbone shade. The darker shade looks peach to me but comes off a gorgeous light almond brown shade. I love it. They both have some shimmer which I love. I also am so excited to break into these this fall! 

Overall I'm so thrilled with my bag from Courtney. I'm subscribed to Beauty Army and Birchbox and love getting each box each month but having a box from someone who specifically bought everything for you and making a new friend is so much better! If another round of Beauty Box Swap is opened up I will for sure participate! I had a ton of fun stalking Megan's blog and ripping my package open! Thank you so much Courtney! 

Glossybox: June 2012

Hey Guys! We all know about the latest hype about all of the beauty box subscription services. I personally am subscribed to Glossybox, Birchbox, and Julep. I love these boxes and rarely have a problem with the products...who doesn't love getting a box full of goodies? I also love being able to try out brands I don't know or I'm not sure of.

Anyways, I'm just going to let you know what products showed up in my Glossybox and what I think of them.

1. Ahava | Hibiscus & Velvet Cream Body Wash ($22 for 17oz)

-My first impression of this body wash was that Glossybox sent a generous sample size. After opening the bottle I noticed the smell is a very natural smell. I personally do not love the smell but I also don't find that the scent is offensive by any means. I used this body was while on a weekend trip and found it to be very moisturizing and noticed the scent lightly on my skin after I had showered.

VERDICT: I probably wouldn't purchase this product for the fact that I'm not a fan of the scent.

2. First Aid Beauty | Shave Cream ($16.50 for 6.8oz)

-This product is honestly one of my absolute least favorite products of all time. Let me start off by saying that I usually don't use shaving cream or gel. I find shaving to be more difficult and messy and find that my shave is not nearly as close. Now, when I used this product I did like the fact that it is more of a thick cream. It is not a foam or a lotiony type shaving product. I feel like this makes getting a close shave easier. However, I noticed the "squeaky clean" feeling of my skin after using it and I absolutely cannot stand that feeling. Also, I just used this on my right leg and shaved the left leg as normal (sans any shaving cream.) After about five minutes my right leg was on FIRE. I mean burning. Then, later on in the day I noticed irritation and razor burn EVERYWHERE. I'm not sure if it was an allergic reaction or what but I definitely won't be trying that out again!

VERDICT: I will not be repurchasing this product.

3. Ofra Cosmetics | ICE Eyeshadow ($14.95 for 0.47oz)

-This eyeshadow is a mix between a cream and powder. It finishes to a powder like consistency. I think I might actually like this product if it wasn't such a dark purple/maroon color. I'm thinking in the fall it will be a more wearable shade.

VERDICT: I'm undecided on this product due to the color sent to me. I'm also unsure about the wear and staying power of this shadow.

4. vBEAUTE | Lite Up, Buying Time, & Eye Never ($85.00 - $150.00)

-The tubes of these products are so small I don't feel like I'm going to be able to see if I like them or not. When I did use the eye gel I felt like it was so greasy that my face would break out. The price of these products really turns me off as well.

VERDICT: For the money I would not repurchase.

5. Wella Professionals | Enrich Moisturizing Treatment ($12.00 for 5.07oz)

-In this particular Glossybox I feel like this product is one of the better ones. I like that it is a styling product but I personally don't know how it will pan out in my hair. This product is meant for thin/fine hair and I by far have thick curly hair! I'm hoping this product will add extra hydration to my curls without weighing them down. I can say that the scent is very pleasant and not overbearing.

VERDICT: I have not tested the product and therefor cannot rate it.

6. A Perfume Organic | Urban Organic ($65.00 for 0.41oz)

-This perfume is one of the most nauseating scents on my skin. I am not a fan of the spicyness of this scent. I feel like it smells something along the lines of salsa in the kitchen. To me this fragrance should be a home fragrance.

VERDICT: I would not repurchase.

All in all I think that Glossybox could use some work. Last month I felt like I got my money's worth. This month I don't feel the same, buuuuut, before someone goes assuming I hate this company I would like to say I plan on staying subscribed to Glossybox. I think they have the most luxurious samples and you are guaranteed at least one full size product each month. I feel like it does exactly what they intended...for people to test out new products!