March was such a stressful month for me. Between illnesses and family emergencies, I was left frazzled. So, I did what many of us would do. I retailed therapy.
I ended up buying Serge Lutens La Vierge de Fer and NARS Tinted Moisturizer for spring (and I love them both).
At Epcot, I bought some French stuff (mainly soaps). And they were on sale. Something was actually on sale at Disney?!
Later in the month, I bought Neutrogena Healthy Skin Glow Sheers Tinted Moisturizer and I’m really impressed with it. The coverage is so sheer but the finish makes my skin look all dewy. And that’s what I like. The hair dye that I use from Sally’s is discontinued. I bought a few back up bottles and a bottle of conditioner. Hopefully, these will last me throughout the year and then I’ll have to deal with finding another ashy light brown dye to use that looks like my natural hair color.
Here’s what I emptied in March:
SKINCARE
I’ve been really into creamy rinse-off masks and moisture, as you can see here.
Thayers Rose Petal Witch Hazel Toner – I know this is probably terrible for my skin (according to Paula). But, my least favorite beauty product to spend money on is toner. I’ve used this in the past and I got this craving for roses, so I picked up a bottle. It lasts a long time because the bottle is so huge.
- Repurchase? I probably shouldn’t but I really do like it as a final step to cleaning and even misted as a “pick me up”.
Boots Expert Sensitive Hydrating Serum – I really like this unscented moisturizing serum with a lightweight lotion-y feel. It’s rather simple serum but it’s good for when my skin gets dry and fussy. I guess normal/oily-combo skins could use this as their moisturizer. However, my skin needs another moisturizer over it. I love that it’s cheap.
- Repurchase? Yes.
Andalou Naturals 1000 Roses Rosewater Mask – Confession, I only use this mask because I love how it smells. It also moisturizes and has a nice texture. But, really I use it for its smell. And that’s probably the wrong reason for using a mask.
- Repurchase? I may. Right now I have a backlog of rinse-off masks to use.
Phoenix Botanicals Absinthe Lip Balm – This is a natural lip balm with a delicious anise/vanilla flavor.
- Repurchase? Yeah.
Hey! Pinkgo Girl Brightening White Yogurt Sheet Mask – This mask is cray-cray. It’s “lace” and has two sets of thingies that go over your ears. It doesn’t fit my face at all. It has a super liquid-y serum. I actually think this one dries my face out which I find surprising because it gets rave reviews.
- Repurchase? I have a few more of these left, but I wouldn’t repurchase.
Tony Moly I’m Real Sheet Mask in Broccoli – Luckily this mask doesn’t smell like broccoli. It just has a generic “clean” aroma. It’s a pretty basic sheet mask; one of those “you get what you pay for” things. But, I like it.
- Repurchase? Yes.
Valmont White Falls Cleansing Emulsion (deluxe sample) – Valmont is ridiculously expensive but I do like their stuff. This is a cream cleanser that removes my non-waterproof eye makeup easily. It has a fragrance, because all that Swiss stuff does.
- Purchase? No. I’m too broke for it.
La Metier de Beaute Revitalizing Anti-Aging Day Creme (sample) – Um, no. This cream is like $300 with no SPF number listed. It’s super fragrant. It seems just sort of regular and not worth the price at all. Also, it’s dumb that they even offer samples this small.
- Purchase? Heck no.
Laniege Water Bank Moisture Cream (sample x 2) – It took me two days to realize that my burning, itchy face was because of this cream. I’m starting to think that no Laniege product is for me.
- Purchase? Never.
FRAGRANCE
99% of fragrances made me feel sick because of the flu. I didn’t wear much at all.
Maison Martin Margiela Replica Jazz Club EDT (sample) – I thought I’d try this again because I wasn’t nice to it at all in my review. And there was a small amount left in this sample. Trying it again, I hated it even more than before. It’s too sweet, too powdery. The world is filled with much better “jazz club” scents.
- Purchase? Nope.
Roxana Illuminated Perfumes Chiaroscuro (sample) – Skanky jasmine and oud! After my sickness, I started to crave natural perfumes. Review here.
- Purchase? Probably not. It’s almost too dirty for me!
BATH/BODY
It was one of those months where I emptied a lot of bath/body. And I think I’ll have a lot in April too.
Grisi Donkey Milk Soap – A friend of mine got me started on this when she came back from visiting family in Mexico and said, “I know you’re into weird beauty shit and my grandma said you should use this”. Since then, I’ve found it in the US. I like it’s powdery aroma. I do like “weird shit”!
- Repurchase? Yeah. I like it when I want squeaky clean.
Haus of Gloi Body Emulsion in Rose City – This one of my favorite fragrances from this indie line. I noticed in the body cream format, that the rose is much more prominent than the patchouli. It’s a velvety “red rose” with a little bit of patchouli. Review here.
- Repurchase? I probably will. But, I’m a little burnt out on this fragrance right now.
Kiko Moisturizing Foot Cream – I bought this for like a $1. It’s very lightweight, non-greasy. For example, I think you could wear this during the day and not have lint and weird stuff stick to your feet. It was OK. I prefer a thicker cream.
- Repurchase? No.
Jergens Wet Skin Moisturizer in Nourishing Manoi – This product is such a gimmick. It saves no more time than applying lotion the “regular” way…and it’s not that moisturizing. But, OMG! It smells so amazing. It’s like a really floral manoi and green jasmine. If it were a perfume, I’d buy it. Heck, if it were a shower gel or regular lotion, I’d be faithful to it.
- Repurchase? I’m torn! It smells so amazing but it doesn’t do much.
C. Booth Walnut Shell Scrub & Cleanser – I’m not really a fan of scrubs that aren’t sugar or salt based. But, I like the scent of this one. It smells like nocino and tonka beans. The scrub is gentle which surprised me. But, as a scrub, it doesn’t do too much.
- Repurchase? Probably not.
Maja Flor de Azahar Soap (not pictured) – This was a gift. It smells like greens and orange blossoms. I love it.
- Repurchase? Yes.
LUSH Rose Jam Bubbleroon (not pictured) – My favorite. Review here.
- Repurchase? Yes.
AmLactin Moisturizing Body Lotion (travel size) – This stuff is actually great if you have rough skin that isn’t necessarily dry. The downside is that it makes you more sensitive to the sun. That’s fine this time of year but won’t be in the summer.
- Purchase? Probably. It got rid of these stubborn “ingrowns” on my legs. Plus, no scent!
HAIR
NOTHING!
MAKEUP
I didn’t empty much this month, but I’m running low on a lot of face stuff and that’s why I bought those Tinted Moisturizers.
W3LL People Expressionist Mascara in Black (deluxe sample) – This is one of those super subtle looking mascaras. It mainly darkened my lashes, but at least it didn’t flake, smudge or clump. There really isn’t much more to say about it.
- Purchase? No. I liked it but I like cheaper things too.
Clinique Superbalm Moisturizing Gloss in Rootbeer (deluxe sample) – I like this. The color is sheer but apparently discontinued.
- Purchase? No.
Total: 22. 13 full-size. 4 deluxe/travel size. 5 samples
What about you? Which products did you empty in March? Did you buy anything new?
*Drugstore.com, Beauty.com, Sephora and Nordstrom contain affiliate links.
I’m on a strict budget so I have to spend my $ on things that I know give good results. Lots of Paula’s Choice. This month I emptied another 8% AHA gel. I go through 2 per year. Love it so much. It’s a product that has really made a visible difference in my skin. I don’t know if it does anything for wrinkles but it eliminates most of the peely-flakies that collect foundation and concealer. It says it fades brown spots but that has not happened. Pretty sure I’ll have to have a laser treatment to fix those.
You often refer to cheapie drugstore mascaras that are as good for you as expensive ones … maybe you could give a quick list? I have found that actually, pricey mascaras give better results for me. I’ve tried various L’Oreal, Maybelline, and Cover Girl mascaras and they almost all clump and flake, or they give a nice look I like but seem to change consistency before the tube is empty. Armani Eyes to Kill and Bobbie Brown Long-Lasting seem to perform consistently. I prefer a “my lashes but better” look. I wish I could find a cheap one I like. At $8-$10 a pop I don’t like to do that much experimenting–I’d rather spend it on lip color–but I suppose it’s the only way.
I am in the cult of Paula. PC products have never let me down. If I were smart, I’d stick to those and leave other stuff alone. I always stray but I find myself coming back to PC. The AHA and BHA make a huge difference, more than any other product that I’ve bought sans prescription.
Brown spots, ugh. I still haven’t found anything that helps with those so yeah, laser. The PC does “help” but doesn’t eliminate. And then once I get in the sun, they’re back despite using SPF and reapplying. (I actually read an interesting article saying that heat and not just UV rays could cause dark spots). I try to prevent them with SPF and hats, but I know that if I really want to get serious, I’ll need something like laser.
According to the beauty blogging world, I have awful taste in mascara. All the ones that get rave reviews, I hate. The ones that I love, nobody else likes them. I like wetter formulas of mascara for my straight, thick and short lashes. To give you an idea of what I like, I like Hourglass Film Noir, Clinique Naturally Glossy, Clinique High Lengths and Benefit They’re Real.
With drugstore, I like L’Oreal Butterfly, Essence I Love Extreme, L’Oreal Miss Manga and Maybelline Full & Soft. Right now I’m using Pacifica Dream Big and really like it. I have wasted a lot of money on both high-end and low-end mascaras (Covergirl is usually no good for me, NYX is so hit or miss). With drugstore, I’m more forgiving because there are coupons and stuff. It’s like I’m getting mascara for $5 so I don’t mind throwing it out after 2 months. I’m still looking for my HG mascara! I’m happy to use anything that doesn’t flake or burn my eyes. My standards are so high, lol.
I freaking love these so much. Copy Cat post being generated currently.
Portia xxx
Yay! Can’t wait to read it!
Every time I see you mention Rose City, I always think that I want to try it and then talk myself out of it. One day…
Speaking of roses, I finished up my tiny pot of rose & cocoa lip exfoliate from Naturallogic. I like it well enough, but I don’t know if I will repurchase because I use it so infrequently (it was probably about 2 years old by this point. Oops.)
Also finished up a sample size Lancôme Hypnôse Drama mascara… it was…meh. Still searching for something that lengthens, darkens, and doesn’t clump or cake. I don’t really care about curl or volume. I think I might actually try that Pacifica one you mentioned a few weeks ago, if I can get my hands on it. What else? Ah, I finished a Villainess Gingersnapped soap and some Korean makeup remover wipes.
I think my beauty purchases were minimal this month. It was mostly books and kitchen utensils. A fish spatula, of all things. And this tee: https://www.etsy.com/listing/256626390/feminism-means-equality-women-black
Oh and art: http://goblinfruitstudio.bigcartel.com/product/giles
It’s good but it’s heavy on the rose! Speaking of that brand, I’m always surprised by how much I like their Peach Mama or whatever. That’s one that I thought I wouldn’t like but really happy I took a chance on.
I have a LUSH lip scrub that’s probably over 2 years old. Oh, well.
I’ve yet to find the sort of mascara to be loyal to. Right now I’m just going to use up all those little freebie ones that come with gifts (like Lancome and Estee Lauder). The more I use the Pacifica one, the more I’m liking it. I’ve realized with a few coats it can be super dramatic (long lashes). Which is good if I ever feel like spending time on my lashes (and I usually don’t).
Villainess is another line I love but haven’t used in over a year.
You always buy the coolest stuff. I love Cat Coven and have one of their t-shirts. And I talk myself out of buying more. And I’m totally envious of your bird-bunny.
I love weird shit too. I’ve bought three fragrances due to “stress induced” retail therapy. A vintage bottle of Chanel no 5. I’m suspicious it may be a fake but for $30, what did I expect? It still smells good, so I’m ok. I bought two tiny Hermes Eau de Marvelles blah blah… A fragrance discounter had them on sale for practically free. I did a really good chemical peel which I love it’s a retinol/vitamin C peel. It was great and just what I needed. I got two compliments on my eyelashes with the fiberwig lash mascara from Japan, so I’ll continue to spend $19.00/month for someone to say nice things about my lashes. I made the mistake of giving my gran a Giorgio Armani foundation that was too light for me and she called me to ask me if I could her get her more foundation. I didn’t have the heart to tell her the price. I bought it and sent it to her. She does look great in the Maestro foundation. It didn’t do anything for me. I love the long lasting luminous silk for the summer. It’s just hard for me to justify spending so much on a foundation. I also bought Habanita EDT on your recommendation and I love it. It’s my favorite purchase of the year from a bidding website.
For stress related perfume purchases, those aren’t too bad. I like Eau de Blah Blah.
My skin needs a peel right now, a stress-related peel.
I forgot that I like that mascara.
That Armani stuff is so good. But, yeah, pricey. But, honestly I spend so much money on cheaper stuff that I end up not liking, that I should just know better and buy the more expensive stuff if it works for me.
Yay! Habanita! I should get a back-up of it. It’s one of those that I would be really sad to not have ever again.
I used up an Anastasia brow wiz and Dior balm reviver. I know, I obviously lead a scintillating life, right? But I managed to hit pan on a blush, Chanel Cheeky.
I DID find a life changer this month. I’ve never used a humidity spray, despite my forever frizzy hair, until I followed a suggestion to use Living Proof No Frizz Humidity Shield. They (Sephora) sell a half size version for about $15, so I picked it up, and wow, this stuff is great. Not only does it reduce the frizz, but it lasts longer than a couple of hours.
Well worth breaking my no buy pledge.
Hitting pan on a blush is a feat! I always feel so accomplished and proud of myself when this happens 🙂
OK, I want this. NJ/NYC has more humidity than Seattle (believe it or not!) I have been using hairsprays to try to tame frizz. This sounds more like what I actually want. Yay!
Toner is one of my fave products to buy, I think it must come from living in an area with hard water for so long, there’s always a feeling of a calcium/lime film on the face after showering, toner takes that away. I’m now living in a colder climate that still has somewhat hard water so toner is still a must for me. My two loves are Andalou Blossom and Leaf and Derma E Soothing with Pycnogenol. I love that the Andalou comes in a spray bottle, makes the product last WAY longer and when I finish the bottle I have, I’m actually going to transfer my Derma E toner into it to make that toner last longer too. I have crazy skin, it’s oily in some spots, dry in others. I have areas prone to acne and others prone to redness/sensitivity/eczema. Neither of these toners have given me any adverse reactions. I had a bottle of Mario Badescu Seaweed toner and after I found out that they don’t list all of the ingredients on their packaging (they’ve actually been sued over this and gotten in trouble with the FDA), I threw the rest of the bottle away. So I guess that could be considered an empty for the month.
I bought a roller ball of Thymes Jade Matcha over the holidays and absolutely loved it, I don’t have much experience with citrus gourmands that don’t feature coconut in some capacity and this one was just perfect for me. It’s like 65% gourmand 35% citrus, so in March I bought a full bottle it. The full bottle scent is more like 65% citrus and 35% gourmand so that’s slightly disappointing. I guess if I finish the bottle and they’re still making the scent, I’ll just have to buy the roller balls, which is crappy because those are more expensive per ounce and the roller ball I got is defective, I have to fight with it to make anything come out. I just can’t win.
I have a mask that I love because of the scent/texture and nothing else, Andalou Avo Cocoa mask. It’s supposed to be super moisturizing but my skin actually feels dryer after I take it off than before I put it on, so I guess that means it should be a summer mask for me. I love it for the scent and the texture. It’s literally like spreading chocolate ganache on your skin. Very tempting to eat but I’m sure it tastes like poo.
Whole Foods also apparently makes their own brand of hand cream now, so I bought a small tube of that in the Vanilla Amber scent to try. It’s kinda sticky but yet greasy and my husband says he thinks it smells like straight up baby powder so that was a fail.
I recently ordered some products from the R+Co hair care line that I’m excited to try out but haven’t gotten yet so we’ll see how I feel about those at the end of April.
I think my problem is that I haven’t used the right toners. I have used that Derma E one and have repurchased it many times. Now I’m wondering why I haven’t bought it recently?! I’m curious about the Andalou one since I do like many of their products. Other toners I like are the ones by Paula’s Choice. I like them to be a little moisturizing or have something that exfoliates.
So I read up on Mario Badescu. That’s a shame. I have used their Seaweed toner before and cream and didn’t hate it! But, what they are doing is negligent.
Jade Matcha – I think I tried that at NY Now. But, it was the EDP. I remember liking it. Many of the Pacifica’s are the same way with the solids/EDPs. The notes aren’t balanced in the same way. So, I have bought the EDP thinking I was getting a better value but the scent was very different than the solid. And I was left disappointed.
Oh, I want that mask. Like I said, I like many of the Andalou products that I’ve tried. I’ve been tempted by that one but want to use up some things I have. And I used up one Andalou so I guess I get to buy another!
R+Co – I have a few of their styling products and like them. I have not used any of their shampoo and conditioners (yet). I admit that I only bought them for the packaging but ended up liking the styling cream. So, that was good!
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