Emptying out... is this happening?

I'm home for summer from my first year of art school!  The last two days have been spent sleeping in until noon and thoroughly enjoying not having anything to do (for the time being, anyway).  Haha.  My boyfriend is here this week so we've been busy doing stuff, but I will definitely get back into blogging ASAP.  So excited! :)
I actually may have a few more things to add to this in the next few days.  For now, though, these are the products I've used up recently.  I don't know about you guys but for some reason I love reading these 'empties' types of posts on other blogs!

Pond's Classic cold cream- 

I've been using this all school year- since August I believe!  Can you believe I just ran out?  This has surprisingly become my favorite eye makeup remover.  There were a handful of days where I would try an oil-based liquid remover (like the Lancome one pictured above), but for the mass majority of the year this has lasted me. 

Repurchase?  Yes!  Between it's efficiency (removes makeup quickly and doesn't tug) and being cheap/long lasting, I'll definitely be using this from now on.

What I'm Using To Replace It:  A new jar that I just got yesterday! 

Lancome Bi-Facil eye makeup remover-

This came with a GWP that my mom got back over spring break, and she gave it to me.  I thought I'd give it a fair trial because I've heard decent things about it.  Personally, I found I needed a lot to get all my makeup off, and I had to tug at my eyelids at the same time.  

Repurchase?  No, it didn't work for me.

What I'm Using To Replace It:  Same as above, Pond's Classic cold cream

Nivea Express Hydration body lotion sample-

I got this with my Target Beauty bag sample pack.  I love the idea- that it's lightweight and absorbs quickly- but it didn't really moisturize for a long time.  Nice for a simple lotion but I'd rather try something else.

Repurchase?  No.

What I'm Using To Replace It:  Aveeno Daily Moisturizing lotion (favorite basic lotion)

Neutrogena Oil-Free Acne Wash Daily Scrub-

I didn't totally clean this one out, but I found something else I like better (that my skin liked better, too!) so I haven't used it in a long time.  It was nice, but I think I'm done trying Neutrogena's skin care products (besides their oil-free moisturizer for sensitive skin- LOVE that).  They either break me out, or slightly irritate my skin.  This scrub was just a little too harsh for me.

Repurchase?  No.

What I'm Using To Replace It:  Aveeno Positively Radiant scrub (LOVE THIS.  Review in the near future!)

Mario Badescu Flower & Tonic mask sample-

I received this sample in my sample pack back in January but hadn't used it much until recently.  It's a thick, green mask that I used about once a week.  My skin feels so soft after using it, and I'm seriously considering buying it in a full size if I can't find a cheaper mask.

Repurchase?  Yes!

What I'm Using To Replace It:  Clinique Skin Calming Moisture mask (This was my sister's from years ago, I think it's discontinued but I'm not sure, I'm sorry!).

Bare Minerals Mineral Veil-

Ugh, I was so depressed when this ran out.  I didn't think my skin needed a powder, but this just makes my Bare Minerals foundation look so much smoother and glowy.  I love the radiance it gives my skin!

Repurchase?  Yes!  Unless I find a cheaper alternative.

What I'm Using To Replace It:  NYC Minerals Natural Veil (I think discontinued).

I've been doing some major spring-cleaning in terms of makeup/bath/body products lately, but that just means dumping stuff that I haven't used in awhile.  I always feel so accomplished when I actually finish something, haha.

What have you guys emptied recently?  

Hair Care Haul & More!

After my nice long walk/jog at the park I stopped at my local CVS to pick up some hair color and ended up with a few other things....

Aveeno "Living Color" Shampoo and Conditioner for Fine Hair

Aveeno "Living Color" Shine Glaze

Pantene "Beautiful Lengths" Smoothing Balm

L'Oreal Sublime Mousse in #30 Pure Darkest Brown

Milani Liquif'eye Eyeliner Pencil in Black 01

I will have a blog post dedicated to my hair coloring experience.

 I have never tried a "mousse" dye before.

I have also never tried the Aveeno hair care line, so I shall let you know how that is! The Pantene "Beautiful Lengths" collection has by far been my favorite. I can honestly say it helped my hair stay stronger, and in fact my hair did get longer (before I cut it!)

I bought the Milani eye pencil because of a Youtube video by Vintage or Tacky!

Well blog to you all later! Thanks so much for following!
I do have a personal blog - -> http://www.beautifullyfrantic.blogspot.com

A few recent purchases (makeup, skincare, fashion)

So, the plan was to do my 2010 favorites post this week.  The problem is I just realized that the majority of my makeup I left at school, and I won't be going back for another two weeks.  That one will have to wait a little while, I apologize, but I will get to it!  I know I've been enjoying reading everyone else's.  For now, I thought I'd do a quick post of a few new things I've gotten (And some much-needed!):

Makeup-

 

I've been REALLY frugal with buying makeup recently, because there are a few more "investment" type things I want and I can't justify buying makeup when I could be saving (Although I really want the new Too Faced Romantic eye palette- so pretty!).  

Victoria's Secret mineral pressed powder- I picked this up in the store last week when we marked a few things 75% off (usually beauty things go on sale a little before Semi-Annual sale starts).  Half of it is glittery and half is just a normal powder.  It's OK, but I'll probably just keep it for when I run out of my Bare Minerals mineral veil.  It's not very pigmented.  

Wet 'n' Wild Morbid nail polish- I picked this up on a whim at Walgreens.  It's so dark compared to what I usually wear!  But pretty, nonetheless.  

Covergirl Lash Blast Fusion- I've wanted this for the longest time!  I loved the way Lash Blast Volume worked for me, so this is a welcome addition to my makeup collection.  Expect a review shortly, as soon as I've had more time to play with it.

Skincare-

Aveeno Clear Complexion daily moisturizer- I got this at Target last weekend, and so far it's not anything amazing.  I'm going to keep it around for the spring, because for now I think I need something heavier (my skin gets so dry in the winter).

(Not pictured:) Aveeno Daily Moisturizing body lotion-  My dad has sworn up and down by this stuff for years, and finally I bought a bottle last week.  It's amazing!  I work out at night, and usually when I get to the gym I notice that my legs are on the dry side.  I applied this around 9am a few days ago, and when I went to the gym that night (around 8pm), my legs still looked moisturized.  I also love the smooth texture/how easy it sinks into my skin.  It's a little pricey at about $8 a bottle, but it's so worth it in my opinion. 

Fashion-

Victoria's Secret cotton t-shirt- Got this for $9.99 on sale yesterday during the Semi-Annual sale.  These are so soft and really flattering.  I got it mainly for sleeping/working out in.

Charlotte Russe tank tops- These were 2/$5 during their after-Christmas sale.  Score!  I really needed some more layering tops.

Forever 21 necklace and scarf- These were purchases made with a Discover gift card I got for Christmas.  The necklace is so girly and pretty, I love it!  And the scarf has this "destroyed" kind of look because of the frayed ends.

American Eagle coat- I needed a new winter coat so badly this season, and I saw this one a few months back when they first got it in stock but I worried it wouldn't be warm enough (it doesn't feel that heavy).  After looking for about three months with no luck (and having tried this one on again two more times), I decided to get it.  Here's the best part:  it was marked down on sale for $99, and then all redline items were an extra 30% off.  I only ended up paying $70 for it!  Awesome deal, especially when I was ready to fork over upwards of $200 for a good coat.  

The North Face hat- I also needed a warm hat, and I didn't want anything too out there or obnoxious-looking.  This was a little more than I wanted to pay ($30), but it has an inner lining around the ears that I know will be nice.  In Chicago I have to walk everywhere, so everyone wears hats, gloves, scarves, the works!

What have you guys purchased recently?  Anything with Christmas money or gift cards?  (Speaking of gift cards, I have to use up my Sephora one still.  I'm thinking of getting UDPP, but I'm unsure of which packaging to get.  I was thinking of seeing if my Sephora-which is inside a JCPenney- has the XL size, and if they do, I'll decide between that or just splurging on the Professional size.  I'm also not sure if I should get the original version or Eden.  I love that Eden conceals areas on the eye as well as primes.  Any thoughts?)

I'm still alive! Things I'm loving lately

Hi everyone!  I cannot apologize enough for my lack of posting lately.  I've been so swept up with school and friends, and I also lost a lot of my interest in makeup/experimenting with it.  I think when other things comes up, it really takes a backseat to what's important.
When I went home for Thanksgiving, though, my spark was ignited (my problem then was that I forgot my camera)- I wanted to buy makeup and actually try out different looks again.  So I know when I'm home for Christmas break I'll get back into posting more frequently.  I have a solid five weeks of break starting the end of next week, so you can bet the anticipation is killing me!  I'm going to be really sad to leave school, though- I've found such amazing people here to call my friends.  It's a great feeling to have people who genuinely care about you, and it's been just what I needed.

With that said, this post is long overdue.  My makeup routine has changed drastically over the last month or so, getting simpler and simpler every day!  But I still have my favorites that I resort to when I'm lacking the ounce of creativity left in me.  ;)
First off, I want to start out with the skin care products I've been using the last couple of weeks.  My skin is pretty sensitive and runs on the dry side, depending on the weather- but growing up, I've never had a problem with acne/breakouts.  Ever since starting college this semester, however, my skin has broken out almost every week.  One pimple would clear up, and then another would form, all in my T-zone.  This was SO frustrating!  Mainly because I'm not used to having actual "breakout" areas.
Anyway, over Thanksgiving break I purchased both of the following products and I've been using them ever since- so, almost two weeks now.  My breakouts have almost completely cleared up and my skin feels like normal again.  Hallelujah!

Aveeno Positively Radiant moisturizer spf 15 and Neutrogena Oil-Free Acne Wash Daily Scrub.  

I think this Neutrogena cleanser is what has helped my skin.  I was using the Oil-Free Acne Stress Control Power-Cream Wash, but never noticed much of an improvement in breakouts.  This scrub, on the other hand, has exfoliating beads that are still gentle enough to use twice a day (which is recommended).  I follow this with the Aveeno moisturizer, and even though it has SPF, I use both day and night.  I just love it.  I'm thinking I may need something a little more moisturizing for colder days, though, so if anyone has any recommendations for that, I'm all ears!

Onto makeup, which is going to be short but sweet:

(Everything else I'm using on a daily basis right now I've mentioned countless times on here)

Maybelline Mineral Power powder foundation in Light 2-3- I think I've told you my obsession with this foundation before, but my laziness has made me obsessed again.  It's so easy to just buff onto my face and go.  After using this type of foundation, I honestly don't know if I'll ever be able to do liquid- it takes me so much more time/effort.  ;)  I'm curious as to how Bare Minerals works- if you've used it or have any recommendations, please let me know in the comments!  I'd love to hear.

Rimmel eyeliner in Black Gold- This is a gorgeous antique gold eyeliner that I've talked about before.  It doesn't stay in place the best, so I need to top it with some kind of powder, but the color is so pretty that I put up with it.  

Maybelline eyeshadow quad in Time For Wine- You all probably know my favorite eyeshadow color to wear is either champagnes or purples/berries.  I love using the two purples in this quad in my outer corner- so pretty!  I really don't recommend this palette for its quality.  The pigmentation isn't the best, (in fact, the other two colors hardly show up on me at all- see swatch), so if I want more color I use this:

Dark shimmery purple from my Coastal Scents 88 Matte palette- This is a really pretty eggplant purple that works well when I want a little more color.  It goes great with my green eyes!  I've also been using the matte black shadow from this same palette for lining my eyes, and a matte cream for highlight.

Swatches:

(L-R: Maybelline Time For Wine quad, Rimmel Black Gold eyeliner)

*I forgot to swatch the Coastal Scents shade, I'm sorry!

Lastly, this is the kind of eye look I've been doing pretty much daily the last few weeks.  So simple and neutral (Using the Maybelline eyeshadow quad and Rimmel eyeliner):

 (Please excuse my eyebrows...)

Thanks for reading, everyone!  And definitely expect more frequent posting to happen in a couple weeks.  Finals are full-speed ahead now!

<3

Wednesday Weekly Favorites: Going Lighter

This week I finally felt like I made the transition to more "summer appropriate" makeup.  At least for a little while, anyway- who knows how long it will last.  I'm usually not one to lighten up my eye makeup during the hotter months, but this week I tried especially hard to hold back!  I also experimented with wearing less foundation again.  As I've mentioned before on here, I'm a foundation newbie- I just got into it recently.  And ironically, recently I've had more breakouts than normal.  It could just be due to the hot and humid weather, but I decided I'd see what wearing less makeup on my face would do for my skin. 

Anyway, enough talking!  These are my favorite items for this past week:

Maybelline The Colossal Volum' Express mascara- I've mentioned this numerous times here, but I seriously love it.  It's the only Maybelline mascara that has given me good results!  

ELF Contouring Blush & Bronzing Powder- This one I've also mentioned on here.  I've been using the blush, and I have to say it's about the only peach color I've tried and liked on my skin tone.  It has enough pink and shimmer in it to even out the orange.

NYC IndividualEyes compact in Central Park- Can you tell by now that I like this?  LOL.  I've been using this palette almost every day since I got it last week.  I love that bottom champagne color; it's getting the most usage by far.  I just love the colors together for a soft, neutral, everyday eye.

Aveeno Clear Complexion foaming cleanser- I've been rotating my cleansers (I collected quite a few last month, and now I'm trying to use them up), and this week I'm using this one.  I like that the foam consistency feels non-irritating on my sensitive skin, and it blends easily into a lather.  

NYC Smooth Mineral Natural Veil- This is just a translucent powder, but I really like the quality of it. It's very finely milled, and it sticks with me all day.  This week I've just been using concealer on my couple remaining pimples (Thank goodness the others cleared up!), and then dusting my entire face with this.

Mary Kay eyeliner in Amethyst-  I've been pairing this with my NYC IndividualEyes compact eyeshadows, and it's a great combination, especially for green eyes.  

Wet 'n' Wild Idol Eyes eyeliner in Dark Brown- I've been using the smudge-tip a lot, and then I'm also trying to just finish up the rest of this eyeliner.  I've had it for a few months and now have other dark browns I like better, so I want to get rid of this.  LOL.  It's still a good eyeliner, though, don't get me wrong.

Have you used any of these products?  What are your current favorites?

And one last thing before I go for the night-

I got this at Target today:

Definitely expect a review in a week or so once I've given it a fair trial!  

Wednesday Weekly Favorites: Warm pinks and neutrals

Along with monthly favorites, I decided I'm going to post my most-used products for the week every Wednesday.  This is mainly because I switch between different items so often.  I love doing 'monthly favorites' posts, so I figured why not do little ones more often?

This week I got a lot of use out of a mix of new products and old favorites.  Can you tell I've gotten back into pinks/purple?

(Clockwise from top left: Clinique eyeshadow in Lucky Penny, E.L.F. Studio blush in Mellow Mauve, Aveeno Postively Radiant tinted moisturizer in Fair to Light, L'Oreal Extra Volume Collagen mascara in Black, Wet 'n' Wild eyeshadow trio in Walking On Eggshells, Maybelline LE eyeshadow duo in Amethyst Diamonds- from the Diamonds collection)

The Clinique eyeshadow is a warm, shimmery pink/bronze that is simply gorgeous but is one I often overlook.  I don't know why!  Fortunately I uncovered it recently and I have to stop myself from wearing it every day.  I love pairing this with just some black mascara- I think it shines the most when left on its own. 

E.L.F.'s Studio blushes are great.  I've yet to try many of them, but so far I love this one in Mellow Mauve.  It's a dirty rose pink that pairs wonderfully with any of these eyeshadows from this week.

This Aveeno tinted moisturizer I purchased a couple weeks ago, but didn't start wearing until later last week.  It gives super light coverage, which I would typically like more, but this week I've broken out and need something heavier.  It has a nice, thicker consistency, and it blends into skin so you don't even feel it.  Although I'll get good use of this, I probably won't buy it again just because of the $15 price tag.

L'Oreal Extra Volume Collagen mascara is one I got last year, used awhile and liked it, but ended up losing it.  I bought another one last week to try it out again.  I like it so far, but I'm hoping the formula will thicken up as I wear it more.  It does a pretty good job of volumizing my lashes.

I did a review on this Wet 'n' Wild palette here.  I still love it just as much!  So great for everyday, but the shimmer saves it from being boring.

The purple in this Maybelline Diamonds duo eyeshadow is gorgeous!  I talked about it in this post, but now I've had the chance to use it.  I wish the pigmentation was better, but I love the color so much that I can overlook that.

Swatches:

(Top- Maybelline Diamonds eyeshadow duo

Middle- Clinique eyeshadow and E.L.F. blush- the blush shows up orange in the swatch, but on my face it's definitely more pink

Bottom- Aveeno TM)

What are some of your most-used makeup products recently?