August Empties

It's that time again! Time to clear out the junk from the previous month and fill up the recycle bin! Haha!!

Each month I save up things that the fam and I have completely used up and finished. We have tons of new and partially used goodies around our home and I started this project to motivate me to try some new things. It's so easy to just reach for the same thing again and again, you know?? It's actually been really fun and I hope you enjoy this monthly peek "behind the scenes," too! 

I include bath and body products - except things that are obviously TOO TMI! haha! - and some household things that I feel strongly enough about to share! Let's see what we got into in August!! 

Sunscreens

1. Coppertone Ultra Guard SPF 50 - ugh, I've said it before and will repeat it, not a fan of spray sunscreens. They always manage to stain our lighter fabrics and they never seem to last as long as regular containers. I guess you are paying for ease of application?? Idk. This stuff stung eyes, too, so all around fail. Best thing we used it for was to put a quick spray on scalps and it was fine for that... But in general, not a fan.

2. Banana Boat Sport SPF 50 - the winner this summer, my absolute favorite. Does the job, doesn't sting eyes, lasts a long time even on fair skin. Feels good going on, not so thick and white and crazy like some others we have used. Love this stuff.

3. Murad Essential C Day Moisture SPF 30 - I wanted to love this, I really did, to the point that I KEPT using it even after I saw how shiny it made my face. The 3rd or 4th time I exercised with it on and wound up with stinging eyes, though, I gave up. The last little bit goes in the trash. Fail. :(

4. Water Babies SPF 30 Stick - OMG. My kids HATE these sunscreen sticks. Like, for real. Hate them. Unfortunately for them they work really, really well and I have a stash of them that going to take us a while to work through, so too bad!!  LOL

5. SkinCeuticals Sport UV Defense SPF 45 - eh, nothing special, and such a small tube. It wasn't enough for one trip to the pool! LOL

6. Josie Maran Argan Daily Moisturizer SPF 40 - oh my goodness.... This stuff is amazing. It is almost impossible to believe that it's SPF 40. It feels and smells like a luxurious lotion or serum. Absolutely loved it, turned it upside down to get last few drops out, so sad it's empty!!

Stuff the Girls Used

7. Bath and Body Works Honeysuckle Shower Gel - the girls used most of this then I finished it up. Great basic body wash and I love the honeysuckle scent!

8. H2O Disney Bath Soap - I always horde all the bathroom goodies while we are at Disney so the girls will have some fun things for their bathroom at home. The round soaps embossed with Mickey and bubbles are always a hit!

9. Flintstones Multi Vitamins - these are the girls' favorites. Probably because sugar is an ingredient and I think maybe they taste like Sour Patch Kids?? Still vitamins, though, and the only ones they REMIND me to give them, so they are a win for me!

10.  Still working on working through the build up of travel sizes in our guest bathroom!

- Zenology Vitalising Conditioner x 2 - not a big fan of this sycamore fig scent!
- Bath & Body Works Energizing Conditioner - this orange ginger scent was nice!

Hair Supplies

11. Tresemme' Thermal Creations Heat Tamer Spray - oh Tresemme'. This brand is an official sponsor of Mercedes Benz Fashion week so I have brought home boatloads of freebies over the last few years. They have yet to give me supermodel results, but I use it all up eventually! I used this spray on damp hair to detangle and protect from heat styling and it seemed to work well enough. Wouldn't go out of my way to hunt it down and buy it, though!

12. Moroccan Oil Light - ok... I didn't want to be a Moroccan Oil believer, but I am. The stuff is incredible. I used it on off days between washings as sort of a leave-in therapy and my hair is transformed. It looks overall healthier, thicker, so much less dry. The stuff is fabulous and worth every penny. I have a bottle of the Suave version that came in the Allure Summer Must Haves and I'm trying to give it a fair chance... Maybe it will surprise me!

13. Clear Scalp and Hair Therapy Shampoo and Conditioner - I received this set wayyyy back in the Allure Summer Must Have box and finally got around to using it up. It's actually pretty great! My curly hair seemed moisturized without ever feeling weighed down and my often dry scalp was never an issue! Will rebuy when work through some of the stock around here! :)

Body Cleansers

 14. Bliss Mini Blue Bar - hubs loves a good bar soap and there's nothing from Bliss that I DON'T love, so this is a win win! Smells soooo good, is nice and scrubby like he prefers! Awesome product!

15. LUSH sea vegetable soap - love me some Lush! I kept this one mostly to myself, using in at my vanity in place of my usual pump hand soap

16. Coconut Island Quench Body Wash - smells sooooo good, like summer in a bottle! Loved this!

17. Yes To Cucumbers Facial Towlettes - I received these in my summer FabFitFun box. The strong cucumber smell of these is not my favorite but they are nice, thick wipes and they were perfect for cleaning dirty flip flop feet!

18. Ivory Bar Soap - I had to buy a huge Multi-pack of this stuff for the girls to do that experiment where you microwave it. Have you done that?? It's awesome, for kids and grownups alike! LOL! We are slowly alternating the remaining bars with other soaps in both kid and adult showers!

Misc Household

19. Target Moisturizing Hand Soap Aloe Vera - We've gone through tons and tons of hand soaps from Bath and Body Works and I bought this big refill at Target to try to cut down on our anti-bacterial use. I'm under the impression that this has helped build our immune systems a bit this summer? Is that true?? Lol! I bought the honey one to use now, hopefully it will be moisturizing as we head into fall!!

20. Henri Bendel Wild Roseberry Candle - love these candles! I got this one in the PopSugar Summer Must Have Box and it was thoroughly enjoyed! However, it's a higher price point than the 3 Wick candles at Bath & Body Works and I don't think it scented the whole area as well as those do (and you can grab those all the time on 2 for $20 deals!).

21. Bath & Body Works Mint Chocolate Foaming Hand Soap - love these foaming hand soaps, and the ones like this that smell yummy enough to eat are the best!

22. Kroger brand Wet Wipes - like every other mom, love me some wet wipes. This canister got used up in the car. Also like every other mom, we are busy busy busy and way too often find ourselves eating while driving around!

Body Stuff

23. St. Tropes Self-Tanning Lotion - Boo!! So sad this bottle is empty!! As I mentioned in an earlier post on tanners, this brand is my absolute fave. Don't worry, though, I have a backup! ;)

24. Dr. Dennis Gross Alpha Beta Glow Pad (exfoliating face tanner plus active vitamin D) - I have continued to love these things. I got them in my July Blush Beauty box and they are perfect for the face! Such natural color and a healthy glow!

25.  Philip B. Chocolate Milk Body Creme - not very moisturizing, but smells good enough to eat!!

26. Julep Instant Warming Foot Scrub - I got this all the way back in my Julep Boho Glam intro box! The little tiny sample pack really wasn't the massive glob I would have loved to have split between two feet, but it was enough to tell that the stuff is awesome. I've never felt a product  warm up like this before??? It's fantastic and left my tootsies super smooth. I'll be ordering a full size one!!

More general stuff...

27. Crest White Strips - ugh.... Including these just because I'm curious if ANYONE can use these without major tooth sensitivity??? They kill my teeth every time. I can't make it anywhere close to the recommended 30 minutes, usually peel them off about halfway through. Wish I knew a good dentist that could just whiten for me! Oh... Wait.... ;)

28. Target women's daily multi-vitamins - Girls have their vitamins, I gotta get myself in good shape, too! ;)

29. Neutrogena Mouthwash - travel sample that finally got used. Comments... um, it's mouthwash!? LOL

30. Old Spice Fiji Deodorant - ok, still borderline TMI, still my favorite in forever. I can't be the only woman who uses men's products, right???

31.   Crest toothpaste with Scope - I know, I know, toothpaste is borderline TMI, too, but people are always curious about a dentist's family, so I usually include it. As I've said before, the fam uses whatever I buy and I buy whatever's on sale. I tend towards Crest but am feeling a change of heart recently towards Colgate! ;)

Face/skin care

32. Canyon Ranch Balance Light-Weight Moisture - a great, light moisturizer for summertime! I don't think it did anything particularly remarkable for the $75 price tag, though, so wouldn't buy again

33. Clinique Seven Day Scrub Cream - this stuff is has a super fine, gritty texture that always seems too rough for my skin.... I like a good scrub every once in a while, but this it too severe for me (and I'm usually not super sensitive to that sort of thing!)

34. Olay anti-aging eye roller - I always have such high hopes for eye rollers and their claims to massage and de-puff under eye areas... Have yet to find one that wows me. Suggestions?? 

35. Airbrush Refining Eye Cream - received this deluxe sample in my July Blush Mystery Beauty Bag and... Its fine. But I want more than "fine" from an eye cream. This seemed like a basic, decent eye cream. I never felt wowed and I definitely never felt airbrushed! Haha!

36. Simple Eye Makeup Remover Pads - yep, officially hooked on these. I got the first pack in the Allure Summer Must Haves box and have now bought my 3rd pack. They contain vitamins and my lashes have never looked better - probably in part from the fact that I actually take my mascara off consistently now! Lol!

37. Kiehl's Creamy Eye Treatment with Avocado - I picked up this free sample in the Atlanta airport with the Foursquare app. I'm always up for free!! Haha! Idk what it is about me and Kiehl's.... I know people love the brand but I've never found a must have item here. This one was no exception. Nobody loves avocado more than me but the waxy, weird texture of this eye cream that refused to sink into my skin? Not a fan.

Makeup/color

38. Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer SPF 20 - I've been obsessed with this stuff for years and have used tube after tube after tube. It's what I think so many of the BB (and CC and DD...) creams try so hard to be! Seriously, it's lightweight and uber flattering and PERFECT. I'm in the process of trying to be open-minded to competitors but my standards are HIGH because of this product!!   

39. Carnelian Lip Balm - well, not technically empty, but I finally gave up! I got this stuff in the May Our Local Box and it has seriously taken me two months to get about halfway through it! And I don't even like it! LOL! It's a natural product, which is awesome for lips, but it's super hard and waxy and I had to press and smush and work it to try to get some coverage... Not a fan!

40. Cargo blu_ray Lip Gloss - I've heard about Cargo glosses forever but this is the first I have tried one. If this little sample was a true representation, the stuff is amazing. Slight minty smell/taste, great smooth coverage, never sticky. Seriously awesome, I scraped every little drop out of the container!!

41. Lip Fusion Micro Collagen Lip Plump in Bare - love love love this stuff! It's so rare to actually use up an entire lip gloss but this stuff is perfect. Somewhere between lip gloss and stick in coverage, it's nice and tingly and gives a plumped effect!

42. OPI Nail Lacquer in Absolutely Alice - how rare is it to actually use up an entire nail polish??? This stuff was fabulous and was a hit with grownups and kids alike. Such a deep, rich stunning glitter. Loved it!!



What do you think?? Do you see anything you love on this list?? I'm so nosy by nature and I'd LOVE to see your empties for September! Grab a bag and start saving them up! You might just be surprised at how much - or how little - you actually consume!!