Used Up

After a lot of beauty hauling, I've amassed an embarrassing amount of makeup, body lotions, and face creams. Recently I've been making a conscious effort to get rid of the odds and ends in my collection, simplifying it down to my holy grail essentials. I've been keeping the small fraction of products that are close to being finished in their own compartment, so I can easily reach for them and use them up.

I've posted about some of these before - Dermalogica skin smoothing cream (nice, but will look for something else), Caudalie thirst quenching serum, NARS sheer glow (amazing foundation!)

I've also talked about these two in a previous post here, and I still feel the same way about them. The Clinique gel is truly amazing, and something I will definitely go back to in the future. For the winter, it is not as hydrating as I would like, but this is perfect for the warmer months. The Dr. Hauschka lip balm was one of the best I have ever tried, and definitely the most luxurious. I would love to repurchase this again and again, if it wasn't so expensive! 

I have to say, I was not impressed by these Prestige mascaras. I've heard a lot of good things about my blackest lashes, and tried out my biggest lashes because I liked the name, but neither of these did it for me. The MAC technakohl liner in graphblack was also another disappointing product. It's not very creamy and smudges on me every time. 

I've posted about the Boots body cream in patchouli & lavender before. It's nice, and the tub looks adorable on my dresser, but I only have eyes for the L'occitane almond oil. I bought the La Roche-posay nutritic emulsion for my dry skin last winter and it worked pretty well while it lasted, but it wasn't exciting enough for me to want to repurchase. 

Nothing is more satisfying than scooping out the last bit of product of a tub that has been lying around for months. Looking forward to finishing more products and cleaning up my collection! Hope you enjoyed this post, 

~Vida 

Products I'm Loving

First off, the Real Techniques buffing brush. This brush is talked about so much, and now I know why - it's phenomenal. When I first used this to apply my NARS sheer glow foundation, I was blown away by how much of a difference this brush made. It blended in the foundation in seconds and gave an airbrush finish unlike any technique I've used before. It also washes really easily and doesn't shed! Really impressed and can't wait to try it with other foundations. 

Keeping in line with tools, I've been loving this new way of using my Clarisonic, that was first introduced to me by lilladylife. Pop out the outer ring of bristles and just use the center set for precise deep cleansing especially around the nose area. So simple, but it works dramatically! 

On my eyes I've been using MAC's blacktrack fluid line. I'm probably the last one on the bandwagon for this, but it's been working great for me. Creamy, black, and lasts all day. 

I've also discovered that Diorshow is my new favorite mascara. I've been a L'oreal Voluminous girl for a while, and didn't think that expensive mascaras were worth the money. This Dior one, however, curls my lashes like no other and really volumizes each lash without clumping. I'm obsessed with this mascara, and I really want to check out Dior's other lash offerings. 

I got this Caudalie s.o.s thirst quenching serum in a 500 point perk Caudalie set from Sephora. I've now used it up, and I am dying to get the full size. You put this on before your moisturizer - it's a light, milky serum - and it makes my skin glow. It feels and smells beautiful, makes the skin look plump and healthy, and seems to help my moisturizer sink in. My skin is so dry right now from the wind and cold, and this helps give that extra hydration that my skin is craving. 

My first and only Butter London nail polish in disco biscuit. This is a beautiful jelly magenta color with purple-y blue iridescent particles. So captivating and really a unique color. It is suprisingly dull on its own, but it really comes to life with a top coat. 

And finally, a fragrance! This is one of my oldest and most loved perfumes, Ferragamo Incanto Charms. It is fruity and sweet, but never overpowering and lingers all day. It's just delicious. Not really a fall/winter scent, but I rediscovered it on my dresser with just a few drops left, and I was reminded of how much I love this! 

Happy reading! 

~Vida