October Empties & Currents

I've seen some beauty blogs that do posts about the products they've finished and I just happened to use the ends of a few things over this past week, so I thought I'd do a post like that as well. I think it's really cool to hear people's reviews of products that they have actually used quite a bit of.

Sooooo... here are some products I've finished up this month!

Nivea Soft Moisturizing Cream: This was a tiny travel thing of Nivea Soft that had a little bit of cream left in it. I reached for it in a moment of desperation last week when I had an annoying amount of dry skin between my eyebrows and it did the trick. As I've mention in the past, I really love everything Nivea. I even slather the regular Nivea creme all over my face when the winter is particularly harsh and I haven't had any issues from it.

Would I buy again? Absolutely. In fact, I have another container at home to finish.

Garnier Skin Renew Clinical Dark Spot Corrector: I have some dark spots (I guess?) on my face that I was hoping this would help, as well as just even out my complexion overall. Maybe I didn't use it for long enough (I used it every night for two tubes' worth) and I didn't really see a noticeable difference. Same story with the Clinique Dark Spot Corrector (which is $49.50 for 1 oz as opposed to Garnier's $16.99 for 1.7 oz), which I also used two bottles' worth without any miracles. Anyway, this tube is all rolled up because I was squeezing what little was left out of there because even though I didn't really notice a difference in my complexion, the cream itself is nice and feels good on my skin.

Would I buy again? IDK, maybe not. I'm moving on to other moisturizers, I think.

Lush Tea Tree Water: Probably my favorite toner. It doesn't have a funny taste (as opposed to the Sephora toner I've also been using) (which is probably due to the no alcohol thing) and the spray bottle is plain but works really well, as silly as that seems. IDK, the sprayer is just really nice!

Would I buy again? I think so! Although I'm trying out micellar water as toner, so we'll have to see how that goes first. 

eos Pomegranate Raspberry Ultra Moisturizing Shave Cream: I bought this on a whim at Target because the bright pink bottle caught my eye. It's not bad, but it didn't really reduce nicks, which is my #1 concern when it comes to shave creams/lotions/oils. I know nicks have a lot to do with the condition of your skin as well as the type of razor you use, but shave creams can help. The scent was pretty nice.

Would I buy again? I think I might just stick to my trusty old can of original Barbasol because honestly, that stuff works better than anything, smells awesome and lasts forever (I also blew through this eos cream in record time - I don't think there was much in that container. It still felt heavy when empty which makes the think the bottle itself was thick.) Also, I really want to try shaving oils - L'Occitane Almond Shower Oil is at the top of my list.

Olay Complete All Day UV Complete Moisture with Vitamins E & B3 SPF 15 for Sensitive Skin: This is my go-to moisturizer for day. It's got the basics covered - it doesn't irritate my skin, keeps it pretty hydrated, and contains SPF. The only other thing I would include is an anti-aging ingredient, although I'm sure Olay must have an equivalent in their anti-aging line (it's just probably more $$$). The only thing I disliked was that I thought it contained parabens, but I just looked at the ingredients list on drugstore.com and I didn't see any parabens listed. I'll have to look at the ingredients list on the actual box/bottle. I'm trying to use products w/o parabens &/or sulfates but they're in practically everything. They're like the high fructose corn syrup of beauty products.

Would I buy again? Most likely. I've been using a Sephora day cream lately, but the Olay cream really is a stand-by for me.

Softsoap Coconut & Jojoba Butter Body Butter Scrub: Inexpensive, smells good, doesn't irritate. The little tube thing in the cap broke off inside the dispenser, which made it so the top didn't close anymore which was kind of annoying (that's the brownish thing in the bottom of the bottle).

Would I buy again? There are so many shower gels and body scrubs out there that I don't think I've ever bought the same one twice. There wasn't anything mind-blowing enough about this that makes me want to run out for another bottle right away, so I'll probably end up trying something else next.

Nivea Touch of Sparkle Cream Oil Body Wash: Again, inexpensive, smells good, doesn't irritate. Supposedly this is "Illuminating and Nourishing". Idk about the "illuminating" part because I didn't notice any sparkles from the "sparkling diamond powder", but that's okay because it's not 1997 anymore.

Would I buy again? I would probably buy this again before I bought the Softsoap one only because I preferred the scent of this one.

ApHogee 2-Step Protein Treatment and Balanced Moisturizer: Someone recommended this to me after I complained about breakage and general unhappiness with the condition of my hair. It says "for professional use only" but I went ahead and used it anyway. You're supposed to wash your hair, apply the liquid from the first packet, dry your hair with a hairdryer until it's hard and crusty, then rinse it out and apply the conditioner from the second packet. THIS STUFF SMELLS GROSS. I don't want to know where the "collagen" protein comes from. It gets sticky and hard and nasty when you dry it with the hairdryer. The way my hair smelled bothered me for the rest of the day, and I haven't noticed much a difference in the texture of my hair. Who knows if I did it correctly, though.

Would I buy again? I think I'll leave this stuff to the professionals.

And here are a few products I've recently started using that I love:

Sephora Triple Action Cleansing Water: I really, really love Sephora's new(ish) line of skincare. So far everything I've tried has been pretty great (save the taste of their toner, but just don't lick your lips immediately after spraying it on your face and it's not really a problem). This is their version of the above-mentioned micellar water, and since everyone's preferred brand of micellar water, Bioderma, isn't super easy to find in the States, I thought I'd give Sephora's version a try. I think most people use micellar water as a makeup remover? And it's certainly good for that. I like that I don't have to wash my face again after using it to remove makeup, unlike when I use the oily Neutrogena makeup remover (it says "oil free" but it's still greasy). I've also been using it as a toner, and to remove those last bits of dirt that still get left behind after washing my face. And, as evidenced by the used cotton pads, it works for that, as well. Also, the dispenser is really cool - it has one of those pumps like you sometimes see on bottles of nail polish remover in nail salons.

Caudalie Beauty Elixir: Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, I should've saved this for last. I AM OBSESSED. OB. SESSED. Every beauty blogger everywhere was recommending this stuff, and so I totally fell for it. What can I say? I'm a sucker for fancy French beauty products. I wish I could remember which blog I read that finally pushed me over the edge and into Sephora, but it made claims like "It will calm breakouts! And even your skintone! And moisturize and refresh your skin! And shrink your pores! And it's so chic!" and I was like DING DING DING SOLD! I went for the smaller bottle (I mean, I'm not a Rockefeller, c'mon now) and I'm going to be honest - I wasn't crazy about the scent at first. It's strong, like, really strong. But through sheer force of will, I have made myself come to love it. I've been trying to associate it with good things and it's working and now I can't WAIT to use it every day, multiple times a day as evidenced by how much of that bottle above is empty. I sense a full-sized bottle in my immediate future.

Sephora Age Defy Mooisture Cream SPF 15: I really like this stuff. It's everything I like about the Olay moisturizer (it doesn't irritate my skin, keeps it pretty hydrated, and contains SPF) PLUS this has the anti-aging feature. The only issue is that it's on the pricey side for kind of a smallish amount of product. Also, the glass jar's black plastic cover is cracking and breaking off bit by tiny bit (I turned the broken section to the back in the photo). I keep finding these little black bits on the floor and freaking out for a second when I think they're bugs. Please get that lid sorted, Sephora.

So yea, I um, kind of like beauty products.