Empties March 2013

 I've been saving stuff to make an "empties" post, for the longest time. The pile is big enough now, so might as well go for it. I don't know how often I can do a post like this because, I don't know how fast I will go through a product, so this could be a monthly thing, but likely it won't.

 I didn't really go through any makeup product yet, except for Makeup For Ever's HD powder(not pictured). I LOVE this thing, I went through a sample size, until there was nothing left. Today was literally the last day of it. I have a replacement, of course. I absolutely adore this thing, it's amazing! It mattifies without leaving me looking cakey and dry, it just works and I love that.

Clinique:(From left to right) Pore Refining Solutions, Stay Matte Hydrator and Correcting Serum and Clarifying Lotion in Number 3. I reviewed the Clarifying Lotion, in this post(http://beautymadn3ss.blogspot.com/2013/01/misc-sephora-samples-reviews.html).

 Both products from the Pore Refining Solutions line are definitely favorites of mine, I love the serum and I do see some difference in the size of my pores, it feels amazing on my skin, gets absorbed quickly and doesn't contribute to making me oilier. The hydrator is definitely something that might be short on the moisturizer end for the colder months. It's a really light moisturizer and it has no SPF, so you definitely have to take that into account. You might be fine on your T-zone if you are combo like me, but other areas of your face might need some more moisturizing powah! If you are normal or dry skin, you'll definitely need a bit of help for the colder months. 

 I definitely recommend these products if you have somewhat big pores. Mine weren't huge to be honest. I'm always extra dramatic when it comes to my skin, it's not perfect, it has it's flaws, but they are not as major as I think they are! It decreased the size of my pores, but they weren't that big to begin with. I have repurchased these and definitely will keep on repurchasing on and on, unless I find something else I like more, but so far, I haven't.

Neutrogena - Makeup Remover Cleansing Towelettes Hydrating: I talked about this in another post, which you can find here (http://beautymadn3ss.blogspot.com/2013/03/drugstore-haul-feb-23rd-and-some-reviews.html). These are great, not rough on my skin, moisturizing, smell amazingly great and remove my makeup! They don't remove eye makeup that well, though. Definitely will keep on buying these and have.

Murad - Clarifying Cleanser: I loved this while it lasted, it was a great cleanser for the day time. I miss it, oh I  miss it so bad! But, Murad is on the overpriced end, so I won't repurchase this product. I didn't get any breakouts while I was using it, which is great! So, it does kinda work for that, but my blackheads stayed. I wonder when will be the day where I see those nasty, evil little guys, leave my face! :'(

Laura Mercier - Flawless Face Polish: I loved this scrub and have a replacement(yay!). It works just as a scrub and does what a scrub does, it scrubs...LOL! It's not too rough, then again I am rough on my sensitive skin, we have a bad relationship sometimes!

Julep - The Best Pedi Cream: I like this, it smells good and definitely does help keep my feet soft. It does what it promises. Would I repurchase? No, I won't as usual with Julep products, they run on the overpriced side of the scale. I rather get my Flexitol Heel Balm, that works wonders for my feet and is way cheaper.

Philosophy - Hope in a Jar: First of all, I HATE the smell of this, it's nasty. I didn't really notice much of a difference while wearing this. It moisturizes without leaving an oily finish and it gets absorbed by my skin, nothing amazing or different, just a moisturizer. Would I repurchase? Nah, not worth it, at least not for me.

LaRocca - Hibiscus Cream Cleanser: This is supposed to be a cleanser and a gentle exfoliator, it doesn't remove make up and I felt no difference with the exfoliation part. Wouldn't repurchase, as I like cleansers that will remove any leftover makeup and this one just doesn't cut it.

Nailtiques - Avocado Foot Crème, Cuticle & Skin Gel and Nailtiques Formula 2: Both the Avocado Foot Crème and the Cuticle and Skin Gel, work fine, but I definitely won't repurchase. They are a bit overpriced in my personal opinion for something that just regular moisturizer will do. The Nailtiques Formula 2, on the other hand I will definitely repurchase and have repurchased. It has helped my nails a bunch and I really like it, definitely worth every penny, at least for me.

Sephora - Waterproof Eye Makeup Remover: This worked really well and I liked it, it removed my eye make up without irritating my eye or anything and without  lot of effort. I won't repurchase, because I know there are drugstore products out there that work just as well.

bareMinerals - Active Cell Renewal Night Serum: Didn't notice any difference at all while using this. I won't repurchase, because it didn't do anything for me.

Macadamia - Healing Oil Treatment: I love this! It definitely helps my hair be healthier and smells amazing. It's a bit on the overpriced side. I will be really happy if I get it in a subscription box, not so sure I will buy the full size because of the price.

 I hope you enjoyed this post, I don't know when I'll have enough empties to make another of these posts, but I will keep them coming for sure!

Disclaimer: I purchased this with my own money, and this is my own personal opinion :)

Drugstore haul Feb 23rd (and some reviews)

 I had to pick a few things up at the drugstore. Not only that, but the bf and I were on the hunt for a moisturizer to help with his black heads. We were looking for Neutrogena Oil-Free Acne Stress Control Hydrating Acne Treatment, which has been discontinued by Neutrogena and we were hoping a local drugstore would have it. 
  
 Sadly our quest was an epic fail, because we couldn't find it anywhere, so sad. It's like the world wants my bf to keep his black heads...Universe? Why do you hate on the bf? He's nice...most of the time! Ha-ha. 

 Anyways, thought I'd tell you the end of our sad story and tell you we failed looking for this stuff. I think if we were pirates...we would never find any treasure lmao(how lame did that sound?).  

First stop: Walgreens:

 I went to Walgreens because I had a coupon for $0.99 off of a Sinful Colors polish. I wanted to pick one up and of course because of the "main quest" mentioned above. While there, one of the girls that works there, told me they had some clearance products in the back of some aisle(bf editing: end cap of aisle sale)! Of course I had to check that out. They had a lot of polish, but mostly boring colors, so I didn't pick any  up.

Studio 35 - Premium Cotton Squares: I ran out of cotton rounds, so I decided to pick some up. I got these cotton squares, they are OK. I like them, they don't get destroyed the second the toner hits them, lol. And they are lint free, big plus when removing polish!

Nailtiques Formula 2: As I mentioned in this post, I have been using Nailtiques Formula 2 to make my nails stronger and it has worked! So I know I love it and mine is half gone. Might as well pick some up since it's regularly $9.99.

Nail Polish Remover Pads: I found these things for $.25, which is super cheap and thought they would be a good idea for emergencies. I don't like them for regular use, because they are oily and stain my nails, but I guess I could use them for an emergency or something. Just in case I might need to save the world by removing nail polish or something, you never know!

Sinful Colors - Hottie: This color caught my eye, it has holo glitter and it's just such a pretty blue! Had to have it!

Almay - Oil-Free Makeup Eraser Sticks: Another "in case of emergency" product. I thought this would be great to have because I constantly screw up while doing my eye make up and it would be handy to have, just in case. Well, since I got this, I find myself reaching for them constantly! I love them, they are super effective, it's just too bad that the package has only 24, because I'm almost out. They became a must in my make up bag.

Neutrogena - Makeup Remover Cleansing Towelettes Hydrating: These things! They allow the bf to be lazy and not wash his face before he goes to bed, seriously that's what we get them for. I use them sometimes, but mostly I just get one and clean his face when he's half asleep, because he's too lazy to wash his face and just wants to go to bed. I don't really need much of a make up remover, because my cleanser does the job pretty well( Purity by Philosophy). But these are nice for those nights where I just want to pass out in bed and not get up and wash my face. I know I shouldn't, but sometimes you're just so tired, you know? These towelettes are not only gentle and remove the make up, but they also moisturize a bit, which kills two birds with one stone for the bf(he doesn't really wear moisturizer or likes to).

Second stop: CVS:

    I walk into CVS and the first thing I see, a table full of make up products on clearance that was definitely calling my name! I don't need any dupes or polishes that are one shade off the other one...(that's what the bf says, "they all look the same").  But that cute Essie caught my eye and it was only $2 and some change.

  Revlon - Nail Polish in Enchanting(220): This guy was on my Revlon nail polish wish list and it was the one I wanted the most (except for Girly and Heavenly which I already had by then), so I HAD TO pick it up. It's so pretty, but I haven't used it yet.

 Essie - We're in it Together: This polish is a gorgeous soft pink with shimmer, I love the shade, but it's really sheer. It took 3 coats, took forever to dry just for it to show opaque.

Wet n Wild - Teal of Fortune: I've been obsessed with mermaid shades lately, so I had to have this one for sure! It's a dupe of Zoya Charla, Spoiled Deeper Dive, OPI Catch Me In Your Net and probably others.

Third Stop: Target:

 By this point I was super tired, I was in what the bf and I call "zombie mode". Zombie mode is when I wander around stores without a destination, with a blank mind just walking through aisles(bf editing: pretty accurate, i know).

 I picked up a bottle of much needed Nail Polish Remover. I picked the Up & Up one to try out, I mean not like it really matters, it's just nail polish remover. I Also got  E.L.F Brush Shampoo, because I was about to run out of brush cleanser and wanted to try this one out. The bf got two bottles of Goo Gone...I don't know what he needs that for, but OK. We also got Strawberry and Chocolate Yan Yan, but by the time I took this picture the chocolate one mysteriously disappeared...into my belly! Also, I got a baggie of Big League Chew, because I didn't have that in a while(and by that I mean since I was a kid...like 5 minutes ago!lol). Oh and cupcake stickers, to sticker plaster my Nintendo DS.

Fourth stop: Walmart:

 By this point I literally just wanted to get home! Like, yesterday!

The only thing I bought there, after finding out they didn't have that thing we were looking for, was brush guards. I don't have the originals, I bought something that is alike, so I wanted to try them out. I can totally tell the difference, these are much stiffer and have more material(?). You can tell they are much better quality, I will try to get more of them to just have these instead of the other stuff.

 We did go to Rite Aid too, but their Makeup section is so big, it was more like an in and out. We checked if they had what we were looking for and since they didn't- we left. Otherwise I would've been there for over an hour and I was just too tired.

 Hope you enjoyed this little haul with some reviews ^^.

 What are your must have drugstore products?

Disclaimer: I purchased this with my own money, and this is my own personal opinion :)