Empties: July-September 2012

Hello again! This is going to be my first empties post. I don’t plan to do them too regularly, since it takes me a long time to finish up products, but since I like reading and watching these types of posts, I thought I’d start saving up my empty beauty products to show you all.

I started saving them at the beginning of July, and I’ve been storing them in an old Glymm post box (excuse the nail polish and such. I also use these boxes as shields when I do nail art, and the top is covered in polish and tape):

My first product to run out was my first bottle of Seche Vite:

It looks like there’s a tiny bit left in the bottom, but since I don’t have Seche Restore, and since it’s so little and insanely thick, it’s not really work trying to get out. I already have a new bottle (which I’m 1/3 done now), as well as a bottle of Out the Door topcoat.

The next product was my OPI Original Nail Envy:

I basically squeezed as much out of this bottle as humanly possible. It even look empty! I’m pretty impressed with my perseverance. However, it’s understandable for two reasons, I think:

1) This stuff is amazing, and is the reason I can grow my nails now. It is great for strengthening. (The Sensitive and Peeling formula that I am using right now isn’t as good for strengthening, and doesn’t do much more than the original for peeling nails, so when it runs out, I’ll probably switch back).

2) Reason number 2 is that one bottle of this stuff in store here in Canada is $20! Hence why I don’t want to waste a single application!

Maybe this doesn’t count as a beauty product, maybe it does. Next, I finished up my Secret Scent Expressions Antiperspirant in Va Va Vanilla. I figure Sephora sells high-end deodorants, though, so it should count!:

By the way, that pinky/red splotch is a streak of nail polish I got on the computer and just haven’t moved yet. I promise it isn’t blood!

Anyways, this is the deodorant/antiperspirant I’ve been using for a couple years now. I’m addicted to the vanilla scent, and it works really well for me, and is pretty cheap. The amount of aluminum zirconium, or whatever the active ingredient is used to be listed on the front, and it has a higher percent than Lady Speed Stick, which doesn’t work for me. Which makes sense. I have repurchased this since, and will again, when the two sticks I have now run out (one for my room, and one for my gym bag).

The next product I finished up in early August, and it’s the Alpen Secrets Apple Fresh Shower Power Gel:

It isn’t exactly anything special, just a body wash I got for Christmas last year. It smells pretty great, since I like green apple scents, and it gets you clean and doesn’t dehydrate your skin. However, I probably wouldn’t repurchase this since I’m so obsessed with my Body Shop shower gels!

Next we have two samples from Glymm boxes that I finished up in August. First, was the Vitamine & Sea clay mask:

This was nothing special. In fact, I really hated it. It was supposed to be good for two uses, but  needed to use all of it to cover my skin, since it dehydrated really quickly and refused to spread. I also don’t think it did anything for my skin, and it was horrible to try to remove. I would never purchase this product.

The second sample I finished was the Caudalie Crushed Cabernet Scrub:

I loved this. At first, I wasn’t sure about the scent, but I really grew to love it! It smells a lot better mixed with the hot water of a shower than it does cold in the jar. It was very exfoliating without being too coarse and left me feeling very clean. I would definitely consider buying this product if it wasn’t so expensive ($29.00 for 150g)!

And finally, just last week I finished up my bottle of Herbal Essences Long Term Relationship Shampoo:

This is a shampoo I picked up on a whim to try something new. I had been using Pantene, and I wanted something fruity and specialized for my hair. This is specifically for long hair, and is supposed to strengthen, and I think it’s been really good for my hair. I actually like it a lot more than the high-end samples I’ve received in my Glymm boxes, and I will definitely repurchase this shampoo. If you’re wondering, I’m not quite done the matching conditioner, though I am getting very close.

So that’s all my empties since July. I am getting very close on a few other products, but these posts will probably be more of a quarterly thing than a monthly one. I hoped you enjoyed reading this, let me know if you do want to see more of these, or if you have any other suggestions leave them in the comments!

<3

Fall Coloured Splatter Mani

I feel like I say this a lot, but that’s because I like asking for opinions… anyways, I asked my boyfriend what I should do to my nails this time, and he suggested a fall themed splatter. I’m not sure I like how this turned out, but he does, so I’ll let y’all be the judges!

Polishes I used:

• Base colour: Fast Track by China Glaze
• Red: Redwood by Icing
• Bronze: Harvest Moon by China Glaze
• Orange: Caliente Coral by Sephora by OPI

And, as usual, Nail Envy for my base, and Seche as my topcoat

So, please let me know what you think! Do you agree with me that it looks like a bit of a mess, or with my boyfriend that it looks cool?

September 2012 Glymm Bag

I went and checked, and this is officially the 12th month I’ve paid for a Glymm box. I did get another one because I won a contest, but I didn’t pay for that. At this rate, I would have been better off to buy the whole year at once way back then, but, of course, I didn’t know I’d stick with it this long. Anyways, on to this month’s stuff.

The bag this month was a white/cream version of last month’s fab black plasticy/pleathery bag. Not nearly as happy with this one, but might give it to my sister. Also, the packing box was a plain black, instead of the ugly white of the last few months:

And here’s the first peek inside:

LA Fresh Waterproof Makeup Remover cloths:

Full Size: $9.99 for 24 (Approx. uses: 24)
Sample Size: 2 cloths
Approx. Sample Value: $0.83

I wasn’t super excited about these, since the acetone-free nail polish remover pads a few months ago were a complete waste of space, though I thought these might be okay, and at least smell good. I just tried one out, and they definitely smell nice! Very lavender-y and calming. However, they are as miraculous as the description makes them sound. You still do have to rub to get the makeup off, though it will remove all of your waterproof mascara with a little work and patience. (So will other products, though)

They also leave a fair bit of oil on your skin, so you probably do want to remove that, though the package says you don’t have to. I don’t think it would be fun to break out because you took off your makeup, though! I will use the other one, but I wouldn’t purchase this. Maybe if I could get the remover in liquid form?

Evolvh UltraShine Moisture Shampoo:

Full Size: $24.00 for 8.5 oz (approx. uses: 59)
Sample Size: 2 oz
Approx. Sample Value: $5.65

I wish this was something I had heard of before, but even so, this is a really nice size sample for shampoo. So glad this isn’t a few foil packets! Also this smells pretty good, is organic, paraben free, cruelty free, and vegan. A few of those are more than I really care about (specifically the organic and vegan parts), but I’m sure that means that most people would be happy to try this stuff out.

It claims to be super moisturizing, though I haven’t had a chance to try it out yet, I am looking forward to it, so I’ll probably bring this and the conditioner below with me to the gym tomorrow.

Evolvh UltraShine Moisture Conditioner:

Full Size: $25.00 for 8.5 oz (approx. uses: 59)
Sample Size: 2 oz
Approx. Sample Value: $5.88

I probably could have done the shampoo and conditioner as one thing, but they are worth so much separately, and I took the pictures separately, so there we are. Anyways, everything applicable I had to say was above, so let’s move on…

Bentaberry Super Moisturizing Face Cream for Girls:

Full Size: $19.00 for 30 ml (approx. uses: 70)
Sample Size: 3 ml
Approx. Sample Value: $1.90

When I first pulled this out, I was disappointed because it looks exactly like the sample from this company from last month. Even now, aside from the scent, I don’t understand the difference. I’m also pretty sure my sample is half empty, because I had a hell of a time getting any out to try it out just now. Not impressed. For such a tiny sample, the least they could do is make sure it’s full! I seriously doubt this will last the 7 uses predicted on the product card (see below).

It doesn’t even smell all that great, though apparently the fragrance was specially formulated by a perfumer, or whatever. Meh, it smells like a blah soap. It’s all natural, though, so if that floats your boat, maybe you’ll be more impressed than I am.

Villainess Dulce En Fuego Whipped Body Crème:

Full Size: $15.75 for 177 ml (approx. uses: 35)
Sample Size: 15 ml (?? I hate when these packages don’t have sizes printed on them)
Approx. Sample Value: $1.33

Finally, this is probably my favourite product from this month. Its a tiny little sample (with no size on it, so annoying!), but it smells bloody amazing! My first thought was that it smells like vanilla and cinnamon glazed donuts! Yum!!

This thick, creamy body creme is really nice and moisturizing as well, and absorbs really fast! I will probably just use this for my hands, because I’m not really a body lotion person, but even so, I’m considering getting this instead of the Cake hand cream with my points. (It smells so good I just keep opening the little pot and sniffing it!)

And here’s a screen cap of the “product card” (click for large view):

Approximate Total Value: $15.59

I either tweeted or said in last month’s Glymm post that I would be deciding after this month whether I would unsubscribe or not, and to be honest, this month wasn’t really convincing. I like the big, luxury shampoo and conditioner samples, and the body creme smells fantastic, but the other two samples aren’t great. I’m so sick of getting itty bitty face creams, when I have a relatively cheap one I already love. Also, while shampoo samples are cool, I will never buy the full size. If this bag had been full of full sizes and/or makeup samples, I would probably have said, “Ok, one more month!”… but this just doesn’t warrant that. I’ve been unhappy too many months in a row now. Sorry, Glymm!

I’m hesitant to unsubscribe, because if I ever change my mind, I won’t be able to go back to my $10/month price that I’m paying now, I’ll have to start paying $12/month like other new subscribers. So basically, if I do unsubscribe, I won’t be restarting; I’m much more likely to start another box, either TopBox (if I ever get to the top of the waitlist) or Glossy Box. I do think I’ll unsubscribe though, because that’ll free up $11 bucks a month for products I actually want (nail polish and makeup), instead of random shampoo, perfume, lotion, and skincare samples. I will have one more box, though, since I’ve already paid for October’s box.

If you have different tastes than me, and love the idea of a monthly box full of skincare product samples like the ones I’ve been constantly receiving, please consider using my referral link (I’ll get 50 points for each person who signs up through it):

https://www.glymm.com/share/youwerefantastic95

Also, until the end of September, Glymm is donating $1 to Breast Cancer research for each box sold.

Did you get a Glymm box this month? If so lemme know what you got (or link me to your blog post or video if you have one!), I always love seeing people’s boxes, though I think they may all have been the same this month!

Thanks for reading!

My Current Nails: Bright Reverse French Manicure

Requested by my boyfriend. I actually have been wearing this for (I think) four days, though my thumbs have peeled off and needed redoing since I first painted them.

Also, since then, I’ve received compliments from 3 or 4 different people! =P

Anyways, I used Strawberry Margarita by OPI for the pink base, and Smoke and Ashes by China Glaze for the black tips. There is a bit of tip wear, though that may be shrinkage, since I used Seche Vite as my topcoat. I think it’s stopped shrinking since last night, though, when I added a coat of Out the Door topcoat to the other nails at the same time I repainted my thumbs.

If you’re wondering how I did the tips, it’s just a simple tape line!

What do you think? Let me know what you’ve been wearing lately!

Fall Wishlist

Hello everyone!

I’ve probably mentioned this before, but I am not a summer person. I am so happy that its starting to cool down, since I probably like fall fashion more than any other season! I overheat easily, so it has to get pretty cool for me to start wearing sweaters and jackets and boots comfortably! (Because of this, fall fashion generally lasts me into winter as well, especially since Vancouver’s weather never really gets extremely cold)

Anyways, I wanted to show you guys some of the things I’m wanting for the fall season, though I probably won’t get much, if any, of these things before I get a new job! (*sad face*)

1. Riding boots

Image from SoftMoc.com

I’ve actually wanted these since about a month after I bought my Doc Marten’s last year. I thought they were the look I wanted, and waterproof, and that they’d be comfortable. Aside from being waterproof, though, they really weren’t what I wanted, and I find them massively uncomfortable.

Instead, I’d like a pair of black, or dark chocolate, leather, or at least waterproof, riding style boots. Preferably with a zipper to make putting them on easier. The difficulty might be finding boots with a wide enough opening so that they aren’t tight on my calves…

2. Levi’s Leather Jacket

Image from Sears.ca

Okay, first of all, this is the only picture I could find. They don’t have pictures of any other colours (I want the black), and you can’t even tell what it looks like. Worst promo picture ever. Anyways…

This wasn’t actually on my list to begin with, but I spotted this specific one in Sears, and made the horrible mistake of trying it out. I’m in love. It fits and looks great, and its got a lining, so I wouldn’t have to pair it with a sweater!

3. New black pants

Image from FabSugar.com

This is partly more of a need than a want, since most jobs require you to wear black pants (and not yoga pants!). I actually was supposed to have them for my last job as well, but spent the last year working in yoga pants, since no one ever bugged me about them, so I didn’t see the need to spend the extra money, haha! I should get some for interviews and a prospective new job, though.

4. Flats

Image from Polyvore.com

All of my flats are so dead. I haven’t bought a new pair in a long time, and this is another thing that I also should probably have for a new job and interviews as well. I just want a par of fairly simple black flats, but I want comfort, and I want them to last. I kind of ask a lot. I also really love the look of flats, and how they can be casual, but more dressy than Chucks, Vans, or skate shoes, which are my usual go-to’s

5. Pumas

Image from Shop.Puma.ca

I need new shoes for the gym, and these I could actually wear and not hate, the way I hate most runners. I’m not sure how expensive they are, and should probably look into that before I set my heart on these, but I would probably be happy with a pair that look like Pumas, if the originals are too far out of my price range!

6. New pressed powder

Image from Perfumestop.co.uk

I’m almost done my Sephora pressed foundation powder, and while I like it, I probably won’t repurchase it. Instead, I’m leaning towards either going back to my cheaper Rimmel mineral powder, or else to the MAC powder foundation I nearly bought before finding the Sephora one to try. The MAC had great coverage when I tried it and was really nice, but is obviously a little pricier than the Rimmel.

7. Leather/Pleather/Waterproof backpack

Image from Classyleatherbackpacks.com

Don’t get me wrong, I love my current backpack, but sometimes I like to dress up for class a little bit, and it would be nice to have a dressier backpack to wear on those days, rather than my cute, childish rainbow backpack I usually carry. Aside from that, one that I don’t have to worry about in the rain would be fantastic, since my current one has no semblance of waterproofing. The problem I’ve had so far is finding one that is a) cute enough, b) not too expensive, c) big enough to carry all my gym stuff.

8. The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling

Image from WhatCulture.com

Rowling’s new book is out on the 27th, and I would have already pre-ordered by copy from Indigo if I had the $20 I needed. Alas, as of yet, I do not, so instead I’ve put it on hold through three libraries in hopes of getting a hold of it as soon as possible.

If you don’t know about the Harry Potter author’s new book, it has nothing to do with the series that secured her fame. Here’s the blurb about it:

“When Barry Fairbrother dies unexpectedly in his early forties, the little town of Pagford is left in shock. Pagford is, seemingly, an English idyll, with a cobbled market square and an ancient abbey, but what lies behind the pretty facade is a town at war. Rich at war with poor, teenagers at war with their parents, wives at war with their husbands, teachers at war with their pupils…Pagford is not what it first seems. And the empty seat left by Barry on the parish council soon becomes the catalyst for the biggest war the town has yet seen. Who will triumph in an election fraught with passion, duplicity and unexpected revelations?”

I might be too excited, but I am a nerd and an English major, so I think it all makes sense! =P

I think that’s everything that I can think of for now. Surprisingly, I have most of the makeup that I have been lusting after, thanks to my trip to Seattle! Aside from the power, which is pretty much an essential, there isn’t much I have been wanting specifically.

Thanks for reading, and be sure to let me know what stuff you’re wanting for this fall in the comments!

Seattle/PAX Haul and Free Swag (Extremely photo-heavy)

I apologize in advance for how packed with images this post is, but I bought and acquired a lot of stuff on this trip that I want to share with you guys!

Day 1: Bellis Fair Mall

As you can see above, I went to Victoria’s Secret (this is all you’re going to see of those purchases, sorry), Torrid, and Hot Topic. I also bought stuff at Target, Wet Seal, and looked around Kohls.

Above is my Target haul. I was pretty excited about this because the prices were pretty awesome, and they had a fair bit of stuff I wanted. Unfortunately, they only have 3 kinds of ELF Studio brushes, and only one ELF setting powder left, which had already been opened. They also only had 2 colours of the Revlon Lip Balm Stains left, one orange, and one a dark dark red. However, I did pick up:

• ELF Studio Powder Brush = $3
• ELF Studio Contour Shadow Brush = $3 (yay for ELF stuff without the Canadian shipping charges!)
• Out the Door topcoat = $4.99 (to compare it to Seche)
• Revlon polish in “Posh” = $3.99
• Maybelline Falsies Waterproof in Black Drama = $5.94 (way cheaper than Canada)

Below is the only thing I purchased from Hot Topic, and proof that I am an awesome sister. My younger sister is obsessed with One Direction, so I bought her this shirt. I was really disappointed that I didn’t find anything I wanted there, though. I wish Bellis Fair’s Hot Topic was bigger. (Shirt = $20.50)

Above are my Wet Seal purchases. The shirts were on Buy on Get one for a Penny. The pink sequin tank top was $13.99, so both cost me only $14.00! The second shirt would have been another $12.99 without the special. The glasses were only $3.00, but I’m wishing I’d tried them out longer before buying, because they are too light to stay put, which is really annoying.

Below are the jeans that I bought from Torrid. They were on clearance, for 30% off the lowest tag price. Originally, these were $60 jeans, but I got them for $21! They are super soft, and very stretchy, so they are also really comfortable and body hugging. Love! If there had been more styles or colours on sale, I probably would have bought a few pairs.

Day 2: PAX Swag

Aside from food, I didn’t buy much the first day of PAX itself. However, here s a look at all the free stuff I got!

Click to view larger

And here are some close-ups:

Above: a Magic the Gathering colouring book and crayons, coupons, game codes, a lollipop, and part of one of those papercraft type characters. And my PAX badge.

Below: More game codes, a free adorable game poster from SpryFox, the PAX guide, a Batman comic, Nintendo Power magazine, and the actually really pretty Magic the Gathering bag.

A close-up of the terribly designed (read: ugly) PAX guide book:

A close-up of my Magic bag!:

The ugly but extremely useful World of Tanks bag. I got this at the beginning of the day. It was great for packing stuff around because the straps were long enough to carry it like a purse, and it was massive and sturdy!

As for my purchases, I mainly bought food to bring back, that I can’t get in Canada:

The cherry Coke I’m just obsessed with. The cream soda is like drinking vanilla flavoured happiness, and chocolate bar is one of two American chocolate bars I’ve never tried. I also got a 100 Grand, which I ate before I got to take the picture. The chocolate chip cookie dough Pop Tarts are an obsession which started last year at PAX, when I originally discovered these. I would be immensely happy if these were available in Canada =P:

I forgot to keep the receipts, but the Cherry coke was $3.99 a box (and I got a second box for my family), the pop  tarts were less than 4, the cream soda was about 1.50 (this is my second bottle), and the chocolate bars were 2 for $1.

I did make one other purchase, since there is a Walgreens on the walk back to our hotel from PAX. I was pretty disappointed with the size of their makeup section, however, since I know a few bloggers and vloggers who buy a lot of their makeup at Walgreens. They had 4 colours of the Lip Balm Stains, but only one that really appealed. I had been hoping for a more neutral colour, but I got Sweetheart, which is a gorgeous bright pink:

I really like these. They have a not-too-sweet minty smell and tingle, are fairly moisturizing, and the colour lasts pretty well. I don’t remember how much this one cost because I lost the receipt, but I think it was around 9 dollars.

Day 3: More PAX Swag, and a purchase

I didn’t get nearly as much the second day. Partly because I’d got a lot of it first day, and partly because my boyfriend and I waited in line to actually play Phantasy Star Online 2, which took longer than just wandering around. I don’t really regret going for only 2 days, because I feel like I saw everything I wanted to see, except for Hank Green’s performance during Wil Wheaton’s panel on Sunday… which I couldn’t have gone to without a Sunday pass… x_x . Anyways here’s what I got:

Above: a Phantasy Star mouse pad, more game ads and codes, another deck of Magic cards, another Magic colouring book and box of crayons, a cute pin, a unicorn pin, and a DC Universe lanyard.

Below: the T shirt I bought as souvenir of this year’s PAX. Instead of a PAX 2012 shirt, which looks almost identical to my last year’s PAX 2011 shirt, I got this awesome Department of Defence Against the Dark Arts shirt for $20!

And, although this wasn’t a purchase, this was definitely one of—if not the number one—coolest things that happened to me. First, we met Hank Green (one of the vlogbrothers, as mentioned above) on the escalator into PAX. We only got to see him for about 10 seconds, and he was in a different escalator, so I couldn’t get a picture, but it was very cool. Second day, though, we found him on the 6th floor:

This is a terrible picture of me, but I guess I can be okay with that. I may have been too happy and excited, but yes =D

Day 4: Northgate Mall

We started the last day by going to Sephora (we’d gone before, but they’d been out of the blush and setting spray I wanted), where I picked up the Benefit Coralista blush. Then we headed to Pike Place Market, and went to the original Starbucks location, however, I neglected to take a picture of my vanilla coffee Frappuccino, and I didn’t buy any of the merchandise, because $10 for a mug seems wrong to me. Anyways, we ended up having some extra time to kill before dinner, so we headed to Northgate Mall, where I’d noticed they had an Ulta on the drive past on the first day. Yes, I finally got to go to Ulta!

• Coralista Blush (from Sephora) = $28
• All Nighter Spray = $29
• Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Lip Balm Stain in Honey = $8.99

The brush that is included is actually really nice and soft, but possibly an awkward shape for putting on blush. I’ll probably not end up using it, but I’ll keep it.

As mentioned above, I got another Revlon Balm Stain at Ulta. I was a little upset that I had bought the bright one when I got to Ulta, but I hadn’t known that I would get to go, so I guess I shouldn’t worry about it. What was really disappointing was that I was running out of money by this point, and though they had two colours that I really wanted, and they were on buy one get one half price, I couldn’t take advantage of that discount! So I decided on this one. I can’t remember the name of the other colour, but it was slightly darker than this one and a little bit more purple. At least it was proven that I needed that extra $4.50 for dinner, since I spent every last penny of my American money on dinner that night at Olive Garden!

I was a little disappointed about getting the All Nighter spray at Ulta rather than Sephora at first, since I wouldn’t get my points for the purchase. However, my boyfriend had promised he’d buy it for me, and I didn’t want to make him spend $6 more to get it in Canada just so I could get points, and I was also just kinda happy to finally find it! Also, I was way less unhappy when my friend pointed out that since I was spending more than $25 on Urban Decay products, I would also get a small tube of Primer Potion!

Since this is such a long post already, I’m not going to go into reviews on any of the makeup I got, but I will post something about at least some of the products after I use them a bit. So if there is anything here you want me to talk more about, make sure you let me know in the comments! I hope you all had a fun long weekend and are enjoying your first week back at school!