February 2013 Empties

Another month of empties! Woo hoo!

Pantene Flat to Volume Shampoo- Worked just fine. Didn't notice any extra volume but cleaned my hair without drying it out.

CVS Medium Thick Hair Conditioner- CVS's knockoff of Pantene's conditioner. Worked well for me.

Olay Tone Enrinching Ribbons Body Wash- Steven and I both enjoyed this body wash because the cream ribbons were so moisturizing. I will definitely repurchase...with a coupon of course!

Bath and Body Works Winter Cranberry Foaming Hand Soap- I love the scent of this soap. Unfortunately, I'll have to wait to repurchase next winter.

Slatkin. & Co. 3 wick candle in Frosted Cupcake- I wasn't too fond on this scent, so I will not repurchase. Nevertheless, Slatkin&Co. candles from Bath and Body Works are my favorite!

Simple Night Cream- I loved this night cream from the brand Simple. It had no fragrance or weird ingredients that would irritate my skin. I used it as a day cream too since my skin has been so dry, but I think it would be too heavy for the summer. I would repurchase this next winter.

Lypsyl lip balm- My favorite lip balm! Way better than Burt's Bees in my opinion. I have already repurchased another tube because all my other lip balms were in pots and I don't feel very sanitary using them after I've been touching stuff in public.

Revlon Brow Fantasy in Brunette- I never used the pencil side of this brow duo but I loved the gel side. It was tinted enough to look like I had filled in my brows and it was quick to use. I'm not using other brow products so I won't be repurchasing this for a while.

Revlon Lash Fantasy Total Definition mascara- My current favorite mascara. The primer reminds me so much of Dior's primer at a small fraction of the price. The rubber brush adds tons or length and definition to my lashes and never flakes. I'm already on a new tube of this.

CoverGirl Nature Luxe mascara- I really enjoyed this mascara. It has a mousse formula so it was very light on my lashes. I used it alone for a natural look or as a layering mascara with other mascaras to seperate and lengthen my lashes.

Glam Glow Youth-Mud Tinglexfoilate Treatment sample- I received this one time sample from a Sephore online order. This stuff retails at around $60 for a tiny jar. After reading the reviews I was expecting it to tingle and make my skin look AMAZING. Um that didn't happen. My skin was very smooth but the mask didn't tingle and the day after using it my skin was flaking everywhere. Gross. I would never use this again.

Ren Hydra-Calm Global Protection Day Cream sample- I almost wish I had never tried this moisturizer. It is so amazing. My skin has never felt so soft and moisturized without looking greasy before. I was able to skip my usual face primer because this cream prepped my skin for foundation too. I would purchase a full size but the price tag for that is $55!!!!!! Maybe I will splurge on it next time I get a gift card because it really is worth it .

Revlon Age Defying Cream Makeup samples- I tried using the pea sized samples of this foundation in different colors. The cream had shimmer in it and didn't do much for my skin so I know I wouldn't repurchase it.

What did you finish in February? Post a blog link in the comments!

February 2013 Favorites

My beauty favorites for February are short and sweet just like the month was. Between traveling and lots of studying I used the same products every day. Here are some things that I discovered this month or that really stood out to me.

Skin and body: I've really enjoyed using Origin's Checks and Balances face wash and Modern Friction face scrub. I received these items with three others in a sample kit from Sephora. The face wash is labeled as "frothy" which is right on point. I use it with my Clarisonic Mia and this stuff foams like crazy. It has a minty smell which is nice in the morning especially when I'm sleepy. My skin hasn't broken out since using this and it removes all my makeup. Plus, a little bit goes a long way. I will definitely purchase a full size bottle once I use my sample up. The Modern Friction scrub is interesting to use. I apply a quarter size amount to my dry face using my dry finger tips. Then after about 30 seconds-1 minute I wet my fingers and scrub some more before rinsing with water. It has the perfect amount of roughness and gentleness. I like to actually feel a scrub but I want it to be gentle enough not to turn my face red. This definitely does the trick.

I also discovered a new razor that I received from BzzAgent. The Schick Hydro Silk for women has 5 blades and a water activated moisturizing serum strip that keeps my legs super smooth without breaking out in razor bumps. 99% of the time I will choose a men's razor over women's but this one did just as good as my favorite men's razors!

I found the Sonia Kashuk Limited Edition Brush Couture 4 piece Brush Set at my local Target. I love Sonia Kashuk brushes, especially the ones with limited edition prints. This set comes with a duo fiber brush, large eyeshadow brush, crease brush, and angled liner brush. My favorite brushes in the set are definitely the duo fiber which I use for bronzer and the liner brush which I use for cream liner and my brows. The best part? The $12.99 price tag!

My best friend passed along her ELF Eyebrow Kit in Medium because it was too dark for her. The $3 gem has a wax and powder that are so simple to use. I normally just use the wax to fill in my brows but if I have extra time I put some of the powder over it.

I also rediscovered my favorite cream blush: MAC's Blushcreme in Brit Wit. This is the original formula that MAC no longer sells. I use my Real Technique's Stippling Brush to grab a TINY bit of this pigmented cream and swirl in on the apples of my cheeks to my hairline. The color is a dusty mauve that is extremely pigmented and smooth.

What were your February favorites?