November 2013 Empties

Here we go again! This time with a linkup, in case anybody wants to play along (MommySplurge, I'm looking at you!)! 

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 November!!

Home stuff

1. Target Milk and Honey Hand Soap Refill - how do we go through so many of these huge things??? I've been so happy with this as a replacement to the anti-bacterial soaps from Bath & Body works. Trying to build our immune systems up a bit! ;)

2. Sundance Farms Lemon Soap - have you ever been to Sundance?? It is one of our favorite places ever. These little fab handmade soaps are stocked in the rooms and are so fun to bring home!

3. Kroger hand wipes - yay! Love some wet wipes! This can got used up in the car. We spend wayyyy too much time in that place and wind up eating in there way too often!

4. Pac Man Band Aids - I've bought lots of these on the $1 Spot at Target and they continue to be a hit with the girls! And me, too!

5. Farmer's Market Lemongrass Basil Soap - I received this bar as a freebie from Swaggable and sat it out on a dish by the kitchen sink. That's definitely out of my comfort zone, I prefer pump soap, but this has been a nice surprise. The soft, foamy lather has actually been easy on my hands - which are so sad and dry through the winter! And I like the idea of using a certified organic product on my hands before food prep!

6. Glade Pumpkin Pie candle - I bought a bunch of these for $1.49 on clearance at Kroger and I love them! I feel like these little one wick candles are more fragrant than some of the 3 wick ones I've bought at B&BW lately!

7. Bath & Body Works Pocket Hand Sanitizer - back to the time of year when we use TONS of these. The "bones" smell from Halloween was really the worst thing ever - it smelled absolutely disgusting and stayed on my hands forever, like I had been handling real bones or something?? Definitely a "trick"! LOL

Face care

8. Clean and Clear Morning Burst Face Wash - yes, I'm still using some products that I loved when I was a teenager! LOL This bottle sat in the shower and was good for a quick face wash at odd times in between regular skincare regimen.

9. Juice Beauty Stem Cellular Repair Moisturizer - I received this in the June PopSugar box and was happy with it. It was a great basic moisturizer, especially during warmer weather. And this 1.7 oz jar lasted me FOREVER. Seriously. I didn't think I'd ever get to the end of it! The container is still one of my favorite features (see it here) and I loved that I felt like I used up every last drop.

10. Mary Kay Eye Makeup Remover - I ordered this to help out a friend and... Eh. It's not better (and maybe even a little oiler and less effective) than the Target brand bottle the girls have in their makeup kit. Wouldn't buy again.

11. Dickinson's Witch Hazel Towelettes - I received a big box of these way back in the Allure Summer box and still use them from time to time. Idk that they get my face super clean but they work well as a pre-clean step and are awesome for things like hands and flip flop feet!

Body stuff

12. Tree Hut Moroccan Rose Renewing Hand Cream - I received this wayyyy back in a Cravebox and, um, it's pretty bad. Runny and not moisturizing at all and the super strong rose scent is definitely not my fave. But did I use it ALL? Of course. It WAS lotion, after all! ;)

13. Angel's Magic NHEB-05 Lotion - tiny little sample from the November Blush Beauty box. Smelled nice in a clean baby kind of way, not nearly rich and moisturizing enough for my dry winter skin.

14. Out the Door Quick Dry Topcoat - love love love this stuff. I lost this bottle months ago and finally found it. It's gone all gummy and needs to be pitched but I've bought replacements in the meantime!

15. Tan Towels - I know people have dramatically different feelings about these but they have always worked well for me. I use them to start my base fake tan before a vacation!

More Body Stuff

16. Nair Shower Power - hmm... This stuff was interesting. Sometimes at cheer/dance competitions they give away freebies and we all came away with these a while back. My girls are still too young, so they went to me! ;) This is a new take on Nair. You apply it and wait a minute then you can start your shower while it finishes working. You remove it with the little scrubby pad that's included. Worked fine, but I've gotten chemical burns from Nair more than once. I can only leave it on about half the time!

17. Portico White Ginger Bar Soap - hubs loves bar soaps with the bumps in soap shape and the scrubby particles in the soap itself! The girls loved the smell of this one, too!

18. Lush Dreamtime Bath Bar - like all Lush products, I adore the smell of this!! It left my skin moisturized enough after a bath that I actually skipped lotion. I wouldn't rebuy this specific bar, though, because it has little real flower parts in it. They are cute floating around during the bath but I don't like having to clean things out before I drain the tub. Lazy? Maybe. But I'm RELAXED after a bath and don't want to clean! Haha!

19. Vitamine & Sea shaving cream - B received this sample in his November Birchbox Man but I wound up finishing it off! The stuff is super smooth and moisturizing without clogging up and dulling my razor. Loved it, was sorry to see the price - close to $40. Can't justify that for shaving cream.... Maybe I'll save up my Birchbox points! ;)

Stuff the Hubby Used

20. Bath and Body Works Mentha Exfoliating Bar Soap - so, we were in B&BW and hubs is joking around about how little he cares about all of the girly stuff in there and, next thing I know, he has wandered off and picked up three of these! I had kind of forgotten about them, I used to buy them for him all the time. He loves them!!

21. Anthony Logistics Facial Scrub - when I ask for an opinion on a men's product, the hubs usually gives me a review like "my face feels clean...". So, I'm taking the fact that he used the whole tube as a sign that he liked it okay!

22. Antony Logistics Shave Cream - Another Anthony Logistics product. I want to love Anthony products, I really do, but I can't find one that I feel is any better than average, this shave cream included. Anyone??? The stuff's not cheap, they have to make something that's fabulous!!

23. Ursa Major Essential Face Wipe - hubby received these in his October Birchbox Man and says they are "fine".... Men! ;) He always washes his face as soon as he gets home from work and I'm sure he appreciated the convenience of these.

Stuff the Kids Used

24. Disney Omega -3 Vitamins - uh, no. Don't know what is off about these but my girls literally gagged on them several times because of the taste. They wound up rinsing them down unswallowed and that was after I compromised and gave them 1/2 dose of these and 1/2 dose of other vitamins just to use them up. The worst part is that a dose is FOUR gummies. Bless their hearts, they don't know that I have another bottle in the pantry that we need to use! LOL!


25. Disney Gummies vitamins - These, on the other hand, are always a hit. Kroger keeps giving them to me, so I keep taking them! Haha! The girls love these, obviously taste and texture are good!

26. The girls continue to work through our excess guest room supplies - we apparently need more guests and fewer hotel stays! LOL!
- Disney H2O conditioner and bar soap - love having Mickey to use at home!!
- Lanvin orange amber shampoo - these Lanvin toiletries were picked up during a Beverly Hills hotel stay and are every bit as posh as you would expect!
- C. O. Bigelow Peppermint Conditioner - smells sooooo good!! Wish we had more, it's a perfect scent for the holidays!!
- Portico white ginger conditioner - nothing special, too runny for my conditioner preferences

Hair Stuff

27. Pantene Curly Dry to Moisturized Shampoo - no matter what I try, I always come back to Pantene. This sat side by side with a $24 eight ounce bottle of Living Proof Shampoo and I reached for this one almost every time!

28. Umberto Beverly Hills Dry Shampoo - nope, not a fan. This stuff sprays on super white, which left my dark roots looking super grey. Fail.

29. Clairol Nice'n Easy Root Touch-Up - well, it was time to face the facts, my roots are sad and looking old! Haha! Back in the day, I dyed my hair at home every color under the rainbow. This was the first time I've tried to do just roots and I was worried about the color messing up my ombre. Ombre is fine, grays are gone, done at home in 20 minutes total for less than $6. I'm a fan!!!

30. Alterna Caviar Anti-Aging Dry Shampoo - another dry shampoo fail for me due to white powder on dark roots. Is there brown dry shampoo??? Surely there is and I'm just missing it. And, side note, this stuff smelled like fish. No lie. Gross.

31. Andre Walker Keratin Shampoo - I used the conditioner half of this set up in September and I felt the same way about the shampoo. My hair looked moisturized to the point of almost greasy. My hair was weighed down and just really not a fan. I used the remainder of this bottle in the same way as the conditioner - on the dog! ;)

32. Fekkai Advanced Brilliant Glossing - this cream is supposed to add shine and tame frizz. It seemed to do those things well enough but I felt like it weighed down my curls so I wouldn't buy.

Cruise Empties

Ok, here's how dedicated I am (obsessed? lol). When we were on a cruise Thanksgiving week, I took a pic of the things we used up before I pitched them! Appreciate my thoroughness?? haha

33. Coconut Mango Bar Soaps - We stayed at the fabulous Grand Pelican in Ft. Lauderdale before our cruise and I snagged a bunch of bathroom goodies. I was concerned about the toiletries that would be provided in our stateroom and rightly so! We wound up using tons of our own stuff! These little bar soaps smelled perfect for a tropical getaway! Love.

34. Water Babies SPF 50 - It's not a day in the sun for my girls and me unless there's SPF 50 involved! ;) Love this sunscreen. Just runny enough to go on smoothly and easily. No complaints with this one!

35. Philosophy Amazing Grace Shower Gel - This stuff is a classic and for good reason. One of the best scents out there, hands down. A perfect gift! Anyone will love this stuff!! 

36. Aveda All-Sensitive Lotion - Eh, I love some Aveda, but this stuff was definitely runnier than I like lotion to be. The girls would try to get a little and wind up with a huge handfull everytime!

37. Hair Clip - Ok, random thing, but I include it as an FYI. My very favorite hair clips, they are sold in the Morocco part of EPCOT in DisneyWorld! I buy half a dozen each time we're there and use them until they totally give up, like this one! 

38. Sesha Anti-Wrinkle Mask - The good? My skin looked and felt plump, super hydrated and amazing after use. The bad? The thing was super slimy and awkward and kept falling and sliding off my face! I would buy for sure, I would just make sure I reclined on a couch for these 15-20 minutes next time! ;)

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! I'm going to attach a monthly linkup, if anyone else wants to play along! Grab a bag and start saving them up! You might just be surprised at how much - or how little - you actually consume!!