September Empties!

Be sure to enter my fun October giveaway while you're stopping by!! :D

It's that time again! Time to feel crazy while I take pictures of a month's worth of trash! 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!! 

Stuff the girls used

1. Victoria's Secret Give Me the Shimmer Body Powder - oh, this thing was soooo fun to use! Big soft fluffy poof that delivers shimmer powder. I loved it, and the girls did, too!!

2. Zenology Cleansing Body Wash - the black tube looks fancy for the kids, no? They love fancy! ;)

3. Cosmetics from their stashes - Hello Kitty glitter polish and Expressions glitter lip glosses that finally turned gunky, YSL Parisenne perfume. The tooth fairy brought this perfume sample and it was a huge hit! 

More stuff used by the kiddos...

4. The girls are continuing to work through some of our excess guest room supplies!

- H2O Aquatics Disney - Lotion, Shampoo with Conditioner, Bath Soap and Conditioner - love bringing bathroom goodies home from Disney!
- REN Grapeseed Jojoba and Shea Body Cream
- Heavenly by Westin White Tea + Aloe Conditioner - this stuff worked wonders on my oldest's hair! Surprisingly fabulous!
- C.O.Bigelow conditioner - smelled great, lavender + peppermint

Stuff used in grownup shower/tub

5. Zest Aqua Body Wash - great basic body wash! Hubs loves it, and I do, too! :) Kroger keeps giving it to me, so I keep taking it! Haha!

6. LUSH Karma Bubble Bar - oh Lush.... The stuff is so fab. Used this to take my first real bath in forever and it remains my favorite. The smell is just absolutely to die for and it lingered in my bathroom and adjacent closet for days! Need more baths!!!

7. Lulah Peony Body Wash - this body wash came in the August PopSugar. I sure do love getting something luxurious AND practical! It went straight in the shower and made me smile every time I used it! Smells super fab but the scent doesn't last long enough for me. I like my shower gel to last for HOURS, you know? So I enjoyed it but wouldn't buy again.

Body lotions

8. The Body Shop Coconut Body Butter - looooove the body butters from The Body Shop. They are second only to Bliss in my book! Works wonders on my always dry upper arms, for sure, and this tub smelled just like summer should!!

9. P.S. I Love You lotion from Bath & Body Works - I was going to finish up this bottle that the girls had started and OMG. This stuff turned bad somehow and REEKED like old lady perfume. We got lots of family laughs - at my expense! - out of HOW BAD it smelled!! Haha!!

10. Lush Dream Cream - omg.... This stuff is truly divine. I received it in an awesome birthday kit this summer. This is Lush's number one best selling product ever and one whiff of the chamomile, lavender and oat milk combo will tell you why! It seriously makes me want to eat it out of the pot!! LOVE.

11. Prestiche Body Butter - I did a review on this product earlier and, sadly, never grew to love it any more than I did at the start! It was too expensive to not use up, though, so I worked my way through it!

Misc travel sizes

12. We spent a long weekend in LA for the Emmys and I love using trips as time to use up some sample/travel size goodies! 

- Aveda Botanical Kinetics Hydrating Lotion - love anything Aveda and this smells just as amazing as all the rest
- Bliss bubbling body wash - love Bliss, have loved everything I've ever tried from them
- Flowerbomb Bomblicious Shower Gel - omg, Flowerbomb has been my favorite for years! I used this as an extra treat for my shower on Emmys day! :)
- REN Grapeseed Jojoba and Shea Butter Body Cream
- Lanvin conditioner and bar soaps - OMG!! Our hotel in Beverly Hills stocked Lanvin toiletries!! Whaaaaat??? Wanted to hoard but the place was too classy for me to ever see a maids cart! LOL! Stuff smells Ah-Mazing
- Aquafresh Extreme Clean Toothpaste - WHEW, this stuff is STRONG

Stuff the Schnauzer used! LOL

13. Andre Walker Hair Keratin Conditioner - I bought this shampoo/conditioner set with high hopes after reading about its smoothing and wonderful qualities. Um... Hair felt weighed down and greasy, the opposite of what I want for my big curly locks. I used about 2/3 and the remainder really did get used on the Schnauzer..... Just sayin'!

14. Peter Thomas Roth Mega Rich Conditioners - yep, used these on the dog, too. I'm trying desperately to fight her hair knots! Idk if you can see it, but there are teeth marks on the one in the middle. Boo Bitty is not the hugest fan of baths! LOL!

Tanners and Nails

15. Bella Bronze Self-Tanner - this stuff is... okay. Nothing special. Definitely not 3 or 4 times more special than some drugstore brands that are a fraction of the price!

16. Julep one-step polish remover pad - I received this as a sample in a Julep box and packed it to do my nails fresh on Emmys day. It was... Ok. Convenient to pack, but seemed like barely enough to get by and I didn't have much polish on my nails. Def wouldnt have been enough to remove ten fingers worth of one of the Julep glitter polishes or something like that!

17. Tan Towels - been a fan of these for years! So easy to use and nice, light, natural color. 

Randomness

18. Disney Princess Gummy Vitamins - I've been doing so well at remembering to give the girls their vitamins! Yay me! These aren't anything particularly fun but they like them! :)

19. Equate allergy relief - ugh.... Including this just to share the misery. I had no allergies when I moved to Louisville in 2001, now I drown in them twice a year! :(

20. Target Wet Wipes - is there a mom who DOESN'T love wet wipes??? I loved them long before I was a mom, too!! Haha!

21. Bath and Body Works Pocket Bac - I tried to ease off the antibacterial use through the summer but, alas, here comes fall and people around here are already having some weird ailments, so out come the pocket bacs! We have these stashed everywhere - cars, purse, backpacks...

22. Old Spice Fiji deodorant - still borderline TMI, still too good not to include it. Seriously. Hubs loves it - and me, too! ;)

Various cleansers

 23. Cotton Balls (in back) - omg, we go through so many. And they are always "Jumbo," which with these from Kroger still wasn't very big. Do they even make "regular" ones anymore??

24. Yes to Cucumbers Facial Towelettes - I received these in my summer FabFitFun box and, I mean, how can wet wipes not be good?? I'm still not crazy about the super cucumber smell but these really wound up on my nerves due to their weird thickness and texture. They kind of balled/rolled up when trying to use them, negating the convenience for me. Wouldn't rebuy, for sure.

25. Cotton rounds - *sigh* I'm trying hard to squirt eye makeup remover on these to make them the same as the Simple wipes.... They just aren't. Need the Simple wipes back in my life.

26. Dickinsons Witch Hazel oil controlling towelettes - I received these wayyyy back in my Allure Summer box and am slowly working my way through them. They are do easy to pack and really feel so refreshing and cleansing for a traveling face wash alternative!

27. Simple Eye Makeup Remover Pads - package after package of these... I'll be back, oh yes, I'll be back!

28. Skyn Iceland Hydro Cooling Firming Eye Gels - I received these in my September Ipsy bag and was happy to see them! My allergies have been atrocious and school morning have come WAY early! I'm open to any eye help and these were nice and refreshing!!

29. Supergoop SPF 30 Everyday Sunscreen - yep, like everyone else, I love me some Supergoop. Their "healthy" approach to sunscreen with no controversial ingredients is much appreciated, especially when you use as much SPF as we do! And my sometimes sensitive and weird skin has never had a problem with one of their products. Love.

30. Juice Beauty Stem Cellular Repair CC cream in Warm Glow - eh.... I've yet to find a BB/CC cream that I like more then my Laura Mercier tinted moisturizer. This one is kind of orange (I feel like these creams are orange in general??) and is definitely a little greasy in texture. One bonus of that, though, is that the stuff sticks together and slides right down in the tube! No excess stuck in the top/end that you cant use up! Lol!

31. Crest Whitening Toothpaste - still borderline TMI, still going to share since people are always curious about a dentist's family. My family uses whatever I buy and could pretty much care less! LOL!

32. Airbrush Refining Eye Cream - *only pictured in overall group shot* this is the second little tub of this that I've gotten from Blush Mystery box and it's growing on me! It's definitely a great, basic, moisturizing eye cream but, unlike the first tub, I'm pretty sure I actually felt kind of airbrushed a couple of times when I used this one! ;)

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 October! I'd like to start a monthly linkup for this, 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!! 

August Giveaway! $110 Value!

Yay!!! Giveaway time!! I appreciate my readers so much and love giving back to you! I have some exciting things in the works over the next couple of months so stay tuned!

This month, instead of gifting a ready-made box, I have put together a little box of my own! I have SO much fun stuff around here and I can't possibly use it all. I'm excited to share and I hope you are as excited about it as I am! This month's giveaway will include:

* Philip B. Self Adjusting Hair Spray ($22)

* Too Faced Matte Bronzing Powder with real cocoa in Chocolate Soleil ($30)

* NYX Cream Blush in Bronze Goddess ($7)

* Catalina Su Lip Gloss ($14)

* Julep Nail Polish in Drew ($14)

* FEED for Target reusable market tote bag ($7)

* Aveda travel set ($16) - includes travel size Rosemary Mint Shampoo and Conditioner, Refreshing Bath Bar and All-Sensitive Lotion



To enter, use the Rafflecopter form below. There are ways to earn additional entries each day so check back daily! Contest is open to legal US residents 18 and over. Entry will be verified so please be sure to complete the form correctly! Good luck!!


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Blush Beauty Mystery Box June Review

Uh... Ok.

I didn't say anything about the kind of rough condition of the items in my Blush Box last month, but since this month's looked even MORE beat up, I had to email the company and say something about it. It seriously looked like the box had been opened, handled and partially used before it got to me... 

This box ships from dermstore.com and costs $24.99/month when you sign up for a subscription or $35 for a one time purchase. 

Here's first looks:

And the breakdown:

Glytone spray sunscreen SPF 50 ($39) - Whoa. That's some expensive sunscreen! Looks like I'll be keeping this one for myself instead of coating it on the kiddos. I'm expecting miracles from this $40 spray can! No, for real, I'm expecting it to be the perfect anti-spray sunscreen (no stinging eyes, no impossible to scrub off in the shower, no yellowing if sprayed on white fabric....). We'll see! 

Supergoop CC cream ($2) - SOooo many BB and now CC creams floating around... I'll get around to trying this one eventually! 

Miracle Skin Transformer Body SPF 20 tinted treatment ($5) - This has a nice shimmer to it! And love that it has SPF built in! BUT.... my tube looked like somebody with greasy fingers had handled it to death, much of the shiny silver writing is completely worn/rubbed off the tube... GROSS.

Hydroxatone Microdermabrasion ($15) - I like a good exfoliator but remain a little freaked out by the "microdermabrasion" label. Gonna give it a go, though! This box was totally smashed to and beaten to death, but the jar and seal seem to be okay.

Delecor cleanser duo ($4) - Love this little packable size of these and the little bag they came in. Unfortunately, one bottle was significantly less full than the other, making me think it might have been used since there was no sign of leakage in the box.... Ugh. Again, GROSS.

Stila Lip Glaze ($13) - I've had these many times before. Great basic product to throw in purse or going out clutch! 

DHC Clarifying Power Cover Base ($19) - I've yet to find a primer that I really, really like. Hopefully this will be the one! Love that it's full-sized! This box was also open and smushed a bit in the packaging, but tube looks okay.

Innovative Skincare sample



So, this box cost $25 and had a value of close to $100, just shy of the $100+ promised by the service. The value was there and I liked that the box was curated by a specific dermatologist, giving it a logical, cohesive feel. I did not like the fact that four of my products looked slightly damaged or used.... Waiting to hear back from Blush. Hopefully there's some logical explanation!! I'll update when I have more info! 

*** The Blush subscription doesn't have a referral program, per se, but if you'd like to make a purchase from Dermstore, HairEnvy or Blush.com, let me know and I can e-mail you a $10 off of $30 coupon (which gives me a coupon, too! :)

** The company quickly sent me out a new box! They are keeping my business! 

Lookin' for a Come Up - June Giveaway

I've gots lots of goodies around here that I won't use but might just be perfect for one of my readers! One woman's trash, that's another woman's come up, right?? Haha! So each month I'm going to put together a little giveaway. To enter, you will need to enter an answer to this month's question in the comments. In order to comment, I think maybe you have to have a google account? I appreciate you reading so much and hope this is a way for you to get more involved!! :)

This month's giveaway includes over $160 of treats to help you get ready for summer! Sterling Silver earrings from Elizabeth and James ($150), a Tan Towel half body sheet, Sephora Age Defy Moisture Cream SPF 15 sample, Sally Hansen Zero Bumps Bikini Spray.

To enter, please use the Rafflecopter form and comment below with your favorite way to keep cool as the summer heats up! You can also earn entries by following on Instagram! You can come back and comment each day to increase your chances of winning. Please share with friends! :) Contest ends at midnight on June 14th. Winner will be chosen randomly on June 15th. Be sure to check back to see if you've won! This is my first contest, so I apologize in advance for any glitches! Haha! Thanks for playing along and good luck!


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Let's Get Tan!!

Woke up this morning still thinking about the dreams I had all night that involved my teeth falling out.... Ugh. At least my FRONT teeth didn't fall out this time. Gross.

Moving on! haha! It's officially SPRING (yay!!) and headed towards another hot and wonderful summer here in Kentucky! For those of us with super pale skin, that means it's time to crack out the self-tanners and start a routine so that we don't scare anyone at the pool! LOL - but not really, there's nothing funny about pasty in a bathing suit! ;)

I've tried SOoooo many products over the years, both at home and at salons. I have a love/hate relationship with the spray tan services at the local tanning chain. Sometimes I turn out a splotchy mess, sometimes it looks good. It always looks better if I have at least applied a base coat of tanner myself the day before. It's ALWAYS more expensive than doing it myself. The last time I was there, they were charging $34 for a single spray tan! Yikes. So what home products work the best???

Here are the products I had in my cabinets when I was checking my supplies last night:

The first one, Bella Bronze Golden Chamomile and Goats Milk Self-Tanner, is a daily lotion much like Jergens Natural Glow or the Target brand of the same thing or whatever. At $26 for this bottle, you should pass and pick up the Target brand! I feel like all of these lightly tinted lotions intended for daily use leave kind of a yellow hue on skin so, if you're happy with their results, I've tried them all and you might as well buy the cheap version!

The small box is a product I love, Tan Towel Towlettes. I've had great luck with these! The color is nice, one towelette is sufficient to do my whole bod. Even if you need to use two, the box of 5 is only $24 so you are way ahead of going out and paying for a spray tan!

The yellow box is a product that is relatively new to me, Kate Somerville Tanning Towlettes. I purchased these at Sephora last month after I was informed that they no longer carry Tan Towels (weak). These are more expensive than Tan Towels, $48 for a box of 8, and the instructions even acknowledge that it may require more than one towel to achieve desired color. I've only tried these once and felt like there was basically zero difference in my skin color. Granted, I was in Hawaii at the time and already had quite a bit of color, but I still expected SOMETHING. I'm also wondering if I had residual sunscreen on my skin at the time that blocked the tanner? I will be trying them again after some serious exfoliation but it's already seeming a little too high maintenance to me for the price.

The spray can is Neutrogena Micro-Mist Airbrush Sunless Tan, retail price $11.49. I just received this last week in the Allure Summer Beauty Box. I was excited to try something new but.... meh.... definitely NOT impressed. It sprays in a mist that feels a lot like a stand up spray tan booth and left a slippery mess all over the bathroom floor. I felt like I was having a hard time controlling where the spray was going and, waking up this morning, I was right! Color looks good but I have all kinds of weird swirly places on my legs where there is no color at all. I'll use up the bottle at some point, I'm sure, but won't be purchasing more.

** UPDATE ** After showering, I'm convinced this might be the WORST tanner I've ever used. I say "might" only because I'm afraid I've permanently erased some similarly horrifying result at some point in the past. My legs seriously look diseased - huge sections with absolutely NO color, some sections that are bright orange, no parts that look "right" - and my arms aren't much better. The stuff is a NIGHTMARE. It's so bad it's almost funny. Almost.

And, finally, the WINNER! St. Tropez Self Tan Bronzing Lotion. For several years running this is the hands down best tanner out there. $42 for an 8 oz bottle is steep but a bottle lasts me a LONG time! The two bottles I own have lasted long enough that the packaging doesn't even look like this anymore! LOL! This is the only tanner I use that prompts random comments from people about how much sun I have gotten. Most natural brown color, no orange at all, VERY hard to screw up. If you do it a few days in a row, you will seriously look like you just returned from a couple months in St. Tropez for real! :) The St. Tropez tanning mousse is awesome too, but the bottle definitely ran out much quicker than the lotion!

What do you think? Is there a miracle product that I'm missing??