November's lovely package came from Che of lovefemme. Che hosted a three winner giveaway awhile ago and I was the lucky first prize winner.
The first prize contained the Color Club Back to Boho Collection in Set A and two holographic polishes in Revvvolution and Fashion Addict.
The Back to Boho collection A nor B has made an appearance at my local Winners and neither have I seen Alter Ego, another Color Club collection I've been lemming.
The others or what I refer to as "the bonuses"; Benefit One Prime Day, Urban Decay All Day Setting Spray, NYX The Caribbean Collection 5 Color Shadow Palette, and an adorable Forever 21 necklace!
Not pictured is the Konad stamping set included in the prize. This means I can finally have pretty designs on my nails! (I am one of those unfortunate people with no freehand skills.)
All in all, despite the fact my parent's ditched me at the start of November, this month has been incredible for me. With the SO's visit, mail, shopping, eating... What more could a girl ask for?
Inspired by Liz's "Summer Products" I Never Used post, I decided to write one alike!
How many of you buy "Summer Products" and end up ditching it because it's less than average? I am guilty of doing this every summer.
My least favorite purchases of this summer: the mineral sunscreens.
This summer I attempted to find the perfect mineral sunscreen. I gave the Lavera Baby & Kinder Sun Spray SPF 30 Neutral and Badger SPF 30+ Lightly Scented Sunscreen (not pictured) a try and now I don't want to try anymore! A horrible ash-white cast and greasy finish is unavoidable with these sunscreens. What is worse is that they are both so thick, it's nearly impossible to massage in. Due to the thickness of the Lavera sunscreen, the spray pump has become clogged and deemed unusable. Both sunscreens would be great for impromptu tanning sessions in the back yard but otherwise, I wouldn't recommend them for daily use. They are fairly expensive but the ingredients more than make up for it.
The last sunscreen of the summer was quite nice. However, please do not laugh at it.. or me!
The truth is, I used to be a huge Spongebob fanatic. I had Spongebob bed sheets, t-shirts, socks, pajama bottoms. Yeah, I was cool like that. Late in August I saw this Spongebob sunscreen at Rexall. It was an auto-purchase because I needed a sunscreen I could actually use on a daily basis. Okay and I also wanted to feel like a kid again. It really isn't a bad sunscreen but if you dislike bubblegum scents, skip it. The spray actually works and never clogs. The sunscreen itself is thin and runny which makes absorption quick and painless! But because I bought it late in August, I didn't get to use it much.
Before summer started, I splurged only a little on the Benefit Cha Cha Tint.
This will be my last tint by Benefit. It's still unclear whether or not the brand tests on animals but until there's a PSA, I won't be buying from them any more. The tint itself is unflattering on my cheeks and lips. The Benefit tints never look natural on me anyway so I don't know why I tried this one too.
Another early summer splurge or more like a binge...
I love the Revlon scented nail polishes but the brighter shades (Mad About Mango, Passion Fruit, Pretty in Papaya, Raspberry Rapture, and Sublime Strawberry) aren't flattering against my skin tone and petite feet/fingers.
I also have this 5 piece mini nail polish set by Wet n Wild which hasn't gone to complete waste. I like rocking hot red nails anytime but the burgundy shade is perfect for fall. I might put these nail polishes to good use and start creating my own Franken polishes though!
Last of all, a self tanner.
Summer is not complete without a self tanner right?
After last year's orange fiasco thanks to the Jergens Natural Glow Foaming Daily Moisturizer I swore I was going to quit self tanners altogether. Yet somehow I ended up getting a tube of the Jergens Natural Glow Firming Daily Moisturizer. You would think I would have learnt my lesson the first time but I guess I needed a second orange slap on the face to wake me up.
Money wasted aside, now I know what works for me and what doesn't!
So what were your summer fails?
Boy, what a depressing blog title...
Don't fret dear, I'm only talking about all of the products I have used up since January to July!
Besides showing off my most amazing purchases, I also love to brag about using up a pile of products. It's insanely hard to use up anything when you're a hoarder like me, believe me.
I'll start off with the small stuff:
My new favorite hair products. If only the Suave dry shampoo was available in Canada.
Good thing I picked up two bottles of it when I was in Seattle because I only used my first bottle ten times before it went empty (wtf??). The Body Shop shampoo & condition will be reviewed very soon. It's good stuff!
I finished a few full sized tubes of mascaras too but I accidentally threw those out yet I remembered to keep the sample sizes... Let's blame my selective memory for that.
I'm really glad I get to throw out this small collection of eye make up though.
The Physicians Formula Eye Booster serum in Clear doesn't work. I'm glad there was a full rebate sticker included because I seriously want my money back.
Clinique mascaras are horrible for my thin, pin straight lashes. They weight down my lashes (can't hold a curl for the life of it) and smudge at the tiniest sight of tears. I have tried Benefit Bad Gal twice now and I still hate it.
Lancome Définicils is the best mascara I have tried for lengthening but it's not something I'd purchase. I don't pay for mascaras over $10 unless it's a Japanese brand. I've been spoiled by Kiss Me Heroine Make and Dejavu Fiberwig!
A random assortment of cleansers and make up removers.
I used the Bioré cleansers to clean my facial clothes and make up brushes. Good for the brushes, bad for my face. The make up removers to remove make up of course. I prefer cleansing oils/waters now but these duo-phase make up removers are good. Too bad they're a waste of cotton pads and tissue. Can't you see I'm trying to shrink my carbon foot print??
The Vaseline lotion was only half full (or empty) when I started using it in January. The SO left it with me so he didn't have to take it back home with him on his last visit (lazy); yet it took me half a year to finish it. My excuse is that I have been rotating various lotion samples throughout this time. The Elizabeth Grant Lubricating Body Cream was from a Luxe's May order. Do not like it - it's sticky and smells like glue. Do not like Nivea's lotion either but I had to use it all up, including this extra sample packet of it from an Elle magazine.
When did I buy this exfoliator? It feels like I've had it forever but it can't have been too long.
I actually really like this and will probably do a review on it. If I didn't have the Salux, I would repurchase this or try out the infamous Soap & Glory Flake Away scrub!
Another random assortment of cleansers but toners as well. Eye spy a sad and empty bottle of CURE Natural Aqua Gel, do you?
I have reviewed most of the items in this picture or have spoken briefly about them. The only products I am not a fan of is the Lancôme toner and the Clinique toner. Something about mid to high-end toners always ticks me off. It could be the amount of alcohol that's in them or my skin but I'll stick to softeners and lotions from now on. Hada Labo Gokujyun Lotion, anyone?
So this is my collection of empty bottles and tubes dedicated to a post where I can brag about the stuff I have used up instead of stuff I have purchased! I am upset that I can't brag a bit more because of empty bottles that have gone missing but there's always a next time.
In fact, I have a few bottles nearing it's recycling death but I'm saving that for later!
What have you used up recently and do you ever recycle afterwards? I'm thinking of joining Terracycle.com but I normally put my empties in the blue recycling basket for weekly recycling.
The Hoarders series was created so that I'd post more often and give some insight as to how massive my make-up collection is. Like many other things, I've neglected this series in favor of other posts.
Fortunately, I've finally found the time (and inspiration) to update the series. Today, I'll be showcasing my bronzer stash which I find shockingly small. Take a look:
I own a total of 9 bronzers. Drugstore brands - E.L.F., JANE Cosmetics, N.Y.C. Cosmetics, Physicians Formula, Prestige and, Wet n Wild - dominate the stash with a count of 7. Thus, Benefit and Korres count as the last two. N.Y.C. Matte Bronzer in Sunny was the first bronzer I ever tried and to this day, it's the most used. It's a foolproof bronzer that doesn't break the bank. Who wouldn't appreciate a matte, never orange-y/muddy bronzer? The Physicians Formula Bronze Gems come in second but they aren't very pigmented but that also means I can never overdo the "healthy glow" look. It's a perfect face powder for the winter, when I'm much lighter too.
I don't appreciate shimmer in my bronzers so I hardly use the Wet n Wild, Prestige, or JANE bronzers. My preferences may change when I develop better application skills.
Overall, I don't think my bronzer stash is too out of control. What do you think?
If you'd like any swatches, ask in the comments below!
I've got mail and it's not bills or spam mail, lucky me! It took two weeks but in the past two days, I've received two of my most prized packages. Before yesterday, I had a parcel arrive in late November from my boyfriend aswell! I'm still expecting two more packages in which one should've arrived yesterday but maybe it's just late. I hate imagining lost packages... In the mean time, I'll satisfy my cravings with what I have which is... a lot!
Yesterday, I received the second of two very special parcels from the S.O. & of course I have the magnificant parcel from November. When combined, the two parcels are ah-mazing! The S.O. also surprised me with a small package containing one McDonalds x Sanrio 50th Anniversary watch!! The S.O. bought me the KEROPPI (my favorite Sanrio character!) watch which arrived a day before the second parcel. The day the Keroppi watch arrived, I also received something equally special from Tracy of Beauty Reflections! Tracy held a Christmas Contest back in December which conviently, I won!! The prize is the highly coveted, limited edition.... MAC Mineralize Skin Finish in Stereo Rose! I could not believe my luck when she emailed me... I still can't believe it but the MSF is in my hands so I musn't be dreaming! I want to thank Tracy so much for hosting the contest! I need to host one of my own sometime aswell. Maybe when I reach 50 followers?? Anyhow, here are the photos!
Keroppi watch & Christmas card from the S.O :)
MAC Mineralize Skin Finish in Stereo Rose from Tracy :)
The whole loot!
Benefit Some Beauty To Love & Too Faced Echanted Glamourland Palette - gifts from the boyfriend. I got those in November.
Korres Brightening & Anti-Aging Rose Collection, Domo Sticker Box, Domo Photo Frame, Domo Media Holder, and Keroppi watch - Christmas gifts from the boyfriend.
Swatches.
(From Left-to-Right: Too Faced Glamour Gloss Volumizing Lip Gloss in Pillow Talk (soft pink-nude with red and gold sparkles), Korres Lip Butter in Wild Rose (rose-red), Too Faced Shadow Insurance (translucent), MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in Stereo Rose, Benefit Coralista Blush (peach-pink with gold shimmers, Benefit Eye Bright (pale pink, almost cool).)
Also included in the Christmas gift is..... *drum roll*
Rock and Republic Contrived Pressed Blush in X-Rated and Immoral.
These were gifts from myself but I had my boyfriend ship them to me when he shipped the Christmas gifts. I have yet to use them, hence, no swatches! I swear Immoral looks less frightening in person. My camera didn't pick up the colors perfectly but I also used indoor lighting.. I'm not the world's best photographer but I'm working towards a new camera!
Now you see why I'm the happiest and luckiest girl in the world. I'm having surprisingly good luck with blog contests and giveways, got a great boyfriend and, loads of beauty products to play with!
See you soon,
Ashley!
Disclosure
Make-Up Kismet is a personal blog written and edited by myself. This blog was created to share my experiences with whom ever reads it.
All reviews posted are written by me and are my honest opinions. All products reviewed are purchased by me for personal and/or review purposes unless stated otherwise. Each person is different, as are our experiences. With that said, I cannot be held responsible for any unsatisfying reaction to a product I review or recommend.
Photos on this blog are either from Google, other Bloggers or, my own. I try to depict all products as accurately as possible. I may edit photos for this purpose.
