February & March Empties

Tuesday, March 31, 2015 - Posted by Unknown at 9:49 PM
My February empties were so minimal I saved them for March, which works out because the March ones were pretty minimal too!


February:

Burt's Bees Sensitive Facial Cleansing Towelettes 30 Towelettes - I got a deal on a bunch of these at a drugstore awhile back. I was nervous about buying Burt's Bees because they are not the most natural of brands but I have had good luck with them, which is good because I have three more packs of them at the moment. They remove makeup with minimal irritation.

Chagrin Valley Soap Lemon Lavender Soap 7 oz. - I usually buy soap in bulk, but occasionally I need a bar from Chagrin Valley. They are master soap makers! This one was quite nice, with olive ol, coconut, sunflower, cocoa butter, mango buster, and other awesome ingredients. Very moisturizing and a pleasant scent.

Pangea Organics Facial Toner Argentinean Tangerine & Thyme 2 oz. - This trial size was really intended for oily blemish-prone skin and was much too harsh for my skin, so I would not get this again.

The All Natural Face Magic Vegan Eye Shadow Primer .43 oz. - I didn't really use this up, but after a year of use I decided it was time to replace it. Currently my holy grail eye shadow primer! Already repurchased.

The All Natural Face Moisturizing Flavored Vegan Lip Gloss Peppermint .43 oz. - I used this until I got a cold, at which point I decided it was probably contaminated. The gloss was a nice consistency but I don't really like peppermint flavored things and the wand style applicator makes it too germ for me to purchase it in the future, although I do have other glosses in this style from The All Natural Face monthly boxes.

Real Purity Eyeshadow Sample Aqua - This is a vibrant teal aqua color although the color shows up best over primer. I used up this sample and already have this color in the Aqua/Peacock duo from Real Purity.

Not Pictured:

Hills Natural Soap Castille Loaf 3 lbs. - This is my go-to castille soap! This was my second loaf from them. It's not pictured because I used it all up. It's creamy and dreamy. I took a couple bars of this to Italy and it works for everything. I can even use it as a face wash for short periods of time. I haven't repurchased yet but definitely will.

Chagrin Valley Soap Ayurvedic Herb Natural Shampoo Bar 1.7 oz. - This is the shampoo bar I order the most from Chagrin Valley. I always order the small sizes and they last me ages. Of the Chagrin Valley bars this is the one that seems to be the most calming for my crazy irritated scalp.

March:



Method French Lavender Hand Wash 12 oz. - I always plan on not buying these anymore due to the SLS... and then somehow they end up in my bathroom. I love Method scents but I probably won't buy the Lavender again because David really dislikes the scent of lavender.

R. L. Linden & Co. Thousand Petal Beautifying Mist .5 oz. - This is a seriously decadent toner. I would use this all the time if I could but it is pretty expensive. There's still a good chance I will get this in the future. It is the most amazing floral scent and I really do believe that the scent is calming.

Silk Naturals Apricot Cleansing Oil 4 oz. - I think this was too old to really decide how I feel about it.  I've already purchased another cleansing oil so I probably won't get this again.

Squiggle Tooth Builder Sensitive Toothpaste 4 oz. - I like this toothpaste and will probably repurchase. It's a bit expensive for a toothpaste but if it can replace my Sensodyne I will keep getting it!

Lucy Minerals Sea Glass Eye shadow sample - I absolutely adore this light shimmery slate blue color. It's striking on the eyes especially paired with dark berry lips! Unfortunately I haven't seen it for sale on the Lucy Minerals website so I'm not sure if it is still available for purchase.

Ecotools Bronzer Brush - How do you use up a bronzer brush? I've been using this one for several years and at some point I think the handle must have gotten too wet and... I'm worried the integrity of the brush has been compromised. Will replace in the future!

    Lucy Minerals Sea Glass (top), Real Purity Aqua (bottom)

Not Pictured: Gabriel Color Mascara Black Full Size

Used up anything interesting lately? Tried any of these brands? Have any recommendations? Comment!


In the Store: Whole Foods Hello, Beauty! Bag!

Thursday, March 26, 2015 - Posted by Unknown at 5:54 PM
I spent my weekend in Wilmington, North Carolina where my mother in law lives. The day before I was going I reviewed Gabriel's Black Mascara, and then noticed on their Facebook page that Whole Food Wilmington was selling a beauty bag on Saturday! This bag was $18 and includes products from Derma E, Acure, Trilogy, Gabriel, Giovani, Pacifica, and the bag from RijiGreen. My mother in law got me this for my birthday which will be occurring next month - Thanks Lynn! 



There were lots of different color options for the decorations on the bag. We took our time picking them out.




Derma E Microdermabrasion Scrub (.5 oz) - I have had success with products from Derma E in the past. This is a white cream and smells very fruity. Looking forward to trying this! Value $6.30

Acure Cell Stimulating Facial Mask (1 oz.) - The directions on this say to "apply to your face until you look like a green sea monster". I have heard a lot of really good things about Acure and I've only tried one other product from them so I'm looking forward to this one. Value $9.41

Trilogy Vital Moisturizing Cream (1.18 oz) - Definitely impressed with the value here! This facial moisturizer includes orange flower and is quite moisturizing. It has a very faint fruit scent. A tube about 1.5 times this size retails for $44! Value $30.80

Gabriel Mascara - This is a mini size Gabriel Mascara Black but it a very good travel size - not the obnoxious tiny sizes that are difficult to use! I am not opening this yet as I just started another mascara and recently finished up my full size Gabriel Mascara Black. Value $7.60

Giovanni 2chic Blackberry & Coconut Milk Ultra Repair Shampoo 1.5 oz. I recently found what I think may be my holy grail shampoo (!!!) but something tells me I will still be using this because it smells delicious. The packaging is a little wonky so this product is a bit leaky. Value $1.59

Pacifica Eye Shadow Duo Unicorn/Moonbeam .07 oz. - I am super excited to have this as I have been wanting Moonbeam, the taupe shade, for awhile now. I am pretty sure this is a promotional duo as this is not listed for sale on Pacifica's website. Moonbeam is available in the Mystical Supernatural Eye Shadow Palette and Unicorn is available in the Charmed Shadow Palette. You can get this duo as part of the Stellar Eye Trio. Value $6.67

Riji Green Beauty Bag This bag is made of organic cotton and I love the colorful adornments! Will definitely be using this for travel or maybe even inside my Giant Purse of Doom. Value $9.99



I am so happy with my birthday gift! As you can see this bag was a ridiculously great value including $72.36 worth of products!

While we were in Wilmington David and I walked around the Wrightsville Beach... so pretty photos ahead.




You can totally see my hand taking the picture in my sunglasses. 


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Review: Gabriel Color Mascara Black

Wednesday, March 18, 2015 - Posted by Unknown at 5:54 PM
Today I'm showing off the Gabriel Color Mascara in Black, which retails for $15.20 from Gabriel. I purchased it from Lucky Vitamin where it is currently $13.68. I try to stick to mascara's in the $10-$15 range because I don't tend to use them long. I've been using this one about 2.5 months and I have a new one I want to try, so it is time to review it and retire it!

Gabriel Color Mascara Black

Gabriel Color Mascara Black

As you can see this mascara has a wet formula which I appreciate. It's important to note that the mascara has remained wet in the time I have been using it. The brush to me is pretty standard. I like the brush. I get ready early in the morning so I don't tend to do multiple coats, but when I want to I can build this mascara up nicely. I haven't experienced irritation from this formula but I have experienced a bit of fallout after continuous wear. 





I have 3 coats on the left side and 1 coat on the right for comparison. As you can see in these photos there is a bit of mascara that has transferred under my eyes. I have had it on since 6:45 this morning! 


I am pleased with the formula and packaging of this mascara. I didn't experience irritation and I consider this product safe. I will probably buy from Lucky Vitamin or Iherb as the price is a bit reduced. No need to repurchase right now though as I already have three more mascaras waiting... 

Current Polish Julep Nail Vernis, Courteney

I was feeling a little blurry and green yesterday


Aannnnnd... here I am posing with author Sharon G. Flake at The South Carolina Association of School Librarians SCASL conference last week! 

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In the Mail: Pacifica Power of Love Eye Shadow Palette Target Exclusive!

Sunday, March 8, 2015 - Posted by Unknown at 6:55 PM
It's been an unfortunate month of sinus infection fighting! After a month of natural remedies I have not yet kicked it. This morning I woke up with an earache and finally went to a doctor. The verdict... sinus infection AND ear infection. Time to let modern medicine work it's wonders. Hopefully I will be done sniffling soon!

This past week was Dr. Seuss Week, so I was running a Scholastic book fair along with various other literacy-related activities. It has been a lot of fun but exhausting! Time to relax and play with some new makeup...

Ever since I started trying Pacifica makeup I have been head over heels for the brand. Inexpensive pressed cosmetics with natural ingredients? Yes, please! When I saw they were releasing a spring palette I was VERY excited. So excited that I stalked Target.com daily until it appeared, which happened on March 1. I ordered it immediately, and it arrived within a week. I've already worn it a couple of times and today I am happy to be sharing it with you!





Colors pictured with flash

Colors pictured without flash

First off, the size of the palette is quite small. The palette contains .2 oz. of shadow, which is the same shadow weight as the Charmed Shadow Palette. This palette is also the same size as Charmed. This is excellent for portability as natural products are often not known for their portability! The shadows themselves are approximately dime-sized. This is the sort of palette that one could conceivably use up which I don't consider a bad thing. I would rather have small amounts of more colors than one large shadow. This palette is exclusive to Target and can be purchased at Target.com for $19.99, which I think is an excellent price point. This basically makes each shadow $2! These palettes should also be showing up in Target stores although the Pacifica section at my Target is currently in clearance mode and I haven't seen anything new yet. 

I initially tried swatting these shades without primer and that just wasn't going to work. Without primer I don't think these would show up particularly well at all. I pretty much always use The All Natural Face Magic Vegan Eye Shadow Primer so I coated my hand with primer before swatching. 

With flash

Sans flash

Sans flash

As you can see these are everyday wearable colors, which fits in with what we have seen from Pacifica in the past. Last night I wore the charcoal color (4th shadow, top row) and didn't have to worry about overdoing it which can be an issue with a lot of dark shadows. I can already tell that color and the gorgeous mushroom taupe color (2nd shadow, bottom row) are going to be my faves. 

While we're discussing the awesome things about palette, let's discuss ingredients. It's worth noting there are a few differences between this and some previous Pacifica shadows. I also really like the ingredients in this a lot more when I compare them with the ingredients in this Target exclusive palette. I have not reacted to any of the Pacifica palettes which is pretty amazing with my super sensitive eyes! 

Now I must discuss what I don't like about this palette - like all Pacifica palettes, the names are on the outer packaging, but not on the palette itself. I usually solve this problem with an ultra-fine Sharpie. Unfortunately this palette does not seem to list the colors in order, so I am not sure which is which! The colors listed are Mysterious, Bare, Falling Star, Spirited, Devoted, Shine On, Treasure, Crush, Soul, and Luna. I checked previous palettes, including ones I don't own, and found the only repeat color is Treasure. I can tell Treasure is the second shadow on the top row because I have it in two other palettes. The logical order of shadows to me would be left to right or top to bottom, and neither puts treasure where I think it should be. So as of right now, I can't tell which names correspond to each shadow. This may not bother a lot of people, but it bothers the librarian in me! 

As problems go, that is definitely NOT  problem that should prevent you from purchasing this palette. In my opinion it is an excellent palette containing a vast selection of wearable spring shades that you can purchase economically! I could definitely see this being my summer travel palette. I highly recommend purchasing the Pacifica Power of Love Eye Shadow Palette from Target or Target.com ($19.99). 

I've also been on a Target earring kick lately. I am allergic to a lot of metals but recently tried some Target steel earrings and discovered that my skin does not react to them! Here's the pair I ordered with the palette: 


This was me attempting to create my own passport photo on a no-makeup day. I have a lot of no-makeup days when I'm sick. You can find the earrings at Target.com ($7.99). 



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Which got me really into this song: 

Ok, I'll stop now.