September Empties

Another month of empties coming at ya! Our first full month with a third human in our household and I'm including some of her empties as well.

Pampers Swaddlers Newborn: First up, a box of newborn diapers. Man do babies go through these fast. Ellie spend the first month of her life in newborn diapers even though we had several people tell us that she wouldn't fit in newborn diapers beyond a few days. Note to everyone, you have no idea what your baby will be like until they arrive! We really like Pampers and will continue to purchase them if we need to buy more. 

Pampers Diapers- Two more packs of newborn diapers. 

Lysol Wipes- We use these up regularly and I really like this brand new day scent.

Pampers Wipes- We went through multiple packs of these and they work great!

Carbona Color Run Remover- I had to purchase this when one of Ellie's new outfits bled onto several other outfits. This worked great and we were able to get them back to new. 

Tucks- Postpartum necessity. Need I say more?

Lanolin Nipple Cream- A necessity for breastfeeding/pumping! I would highly recommend getting multiple tubes of this. 

Snuggle Scent Beads- I actually am using these in a dresser drawer to keep clothes smelling fresh. They smell great and I would definitely purchase them in the future.

Gain Dryer Sheets- I like gain dryer sheets and they are my second choice after Bounce. I would definitely repurchase this in the future.

Pampers Wipes- Again, we like these and definitely went through far more packages than I took pictures of.

Pampers Pure Diapers- These were okay. I noticed Ellie had some redness after we used them so I am not sure I would purchase them for her in the future. 

Mrs Meyers Acorn Spice Dish Soap- My favorite! I always buy this in the fall from Grove Collaborative and will definitely repurchase this again and again. I have a few more stockpiled to hold me over.

Mrs Meyers Acorn Spice Candle- I love this scent and it works great with the other products in the line. 

Downy Scent Beads- I really hated the smell of these. I used up what I had but I won't be purchasing them in the future. 

Medela Hydrogel Pads- I liked these for after pumping but they are pricey so I have switched to just plain reusable pads. 

Cake Batter Chapstick- Always a favorite!

Enfamil Vitamin D Drops- These were a free sample from the pediatrician and they worked fine but we have switched brands since then. I would repurchase these again though.

Bath and Body Works Saltwater Breeze Shower Gel- This was an okay shower gel, I probably wouldn't repurchase this in the future. The smell was okay, but not my favorite that I've tried.

Maybelline Eyeliner- This worked just fine but I honestly wasn't able to use the whole thing before it dried out. I would repurchase this in the future if I needed an eyeliner like this.

Downy Unstoppable Scent Beads- I love these and will continue to repurchase them.

Bath and Body Works Leaves Candle- My absolute favorite candle of all time! I will keep repurchasing this.

Lanolin Nipple Cream, Pampers Wipes, Pampers Diapers, Cake Batter Chapstick- All repeats from previous pictures.

Grove Hand Soap- This was nice but I probably wouldn't purchase it because I have other hand soaps I like better.

Bath and Body Works Fiji White Sands Handsoap- This is a hand soap I would repurchase because the beach scent was great!

Bath and Body Works A Thousand Wishes Shower Gel- I liked this shower gel a lot and would definitely buy it again. The scent was really sweet and I think it smelled great.

Lactation Cookies- I went through several boxes of these and continue to repurchase them. I really think they make a difference!

Mrs Meyers Basil Dish Soap-  When the seasonal soaps aren't around, this is my dish soap of choice. 

 Huggies Newborn Diapers- I really liked the Huggies diapers. They worked great for Ellie and I would repurchase them in the future.

Those are all the empties we finished up this month, what did you finish at your house?

July Empties

This month my bin of empties seemed extraordinarily small. Maybe because last month I shared a declutter and empties and had a TON of items. Or maybe it was just that July was so busy that we barely used anything up in the craziness? Whatever the reason this batch is a little small- but it's only the 6th and I already have four items in for this month- so hopefully that will be a little more exciting.

Let's get started!

First up- cleaning products. I finished a bag of Tide Pods which I love since they are super easy to cart up and down the stairs to our basement laundry room. Since we share with the entire apartment building I can't just leave a bottle of detergent down there so carrying one pod down at a time is much easier then hauling a bottle of detergent up and down the stairs. I will continue buying these in the future when I get the couponing!

The Mrs Meyers Tub and Tile cleaner was not my favorite. I'm not a huge fan of their lemon scent and I felt like the cleaner wasn't getting everything. I love many of their products, just not this one.

I am a huge fan of the Mrs Meyers Dish Soap and Bluebell was a new scent for me and I am NOT a fan of it! I will gladly stick to my basil scent that I know I love from now on. The Bluebell was too floral and gave me a headache.

Two mini lotions finished up at work this month. The Gilcrist and Soames came in a Birchbox awhile back and I thought it was amazing lotion. My skin felt soft and the lotion was moisturizing without being too much.

The Aveeno was SUPER moisturizing but to the point where it was almost too thick for my hands. I think this would be a great lotion for super dry places- like feet!

I used up this sample perfume of Flowerbomb. I brought it with me when I traveled this month and loved it!

Two more body products. The first is a deodorant called Organic Island Deodorant which I bought on a YouTube recommendation by Brittany Vasseur  (VasseurBeauty) but it didn't work well for me! I've since switched back to my LaVanilla and am much happier!

This Softsoap Coconut Scrub has been hanging around forever and I still have one left to use up! I like it but not as much as I thought I would when I eyed it in the store. I don't think I would purchase this in the future.

Three Cake Batter Chapsticks used up this month. This is still my all time favorite and I will keep going back to them!

What have you used up lately?

June Empties and Declutter

Happy 4th of July to all my American friends! To everyone else- Happy Wednesday! We are halfway through the week :)

Today I'm sharing all of my June empties with you and also a declutter! I finally managed to declutter two items that were just realllllly old but I was having an extremely hard time letting go of.

While we're already chatting about it- let's just start with the declutter shall we?

So many items! I had a ton of products in my collection that were just really old or I never used so it was time to let them go! The Naked palettes are so of my favorites but I purchased them back in 2013 meaning they are 4 years old! I really shouldn't be putting powder that old on my eyes AND I have new palettes that aren't getting any attention because I'm too busy using these up. Time to say goodbye!

Some other shadows I gave up were an Urban Decay Sin single which I loved but came at the same time as the palettes, two coastal samplers that I never use, a Pop trio which I hate the consistency of and the purple is not flattering, and a a Cargo sample I think I've used once. I also had two finishing sprays that were well past their expiration dates. Two shadow sticks that were almost empty and pretty old. A couple highlighters I never use along with two NYX powders that are SO old. The Physicians Formula blush is really old and way too pink for me and the Rosehip Oil broke me out. Finally the Garnier Fructis bottle has been around for wayyyyy too long and is probably disgusting.

I also ditched three brushes that I never use!

22 items out of my Alex 9 drawer and I feel so much better! There's probably still a ton I could get rid of but for now this makes me feel good!

Now onto the empties for the month- and there are quite a few!

Three of my household empties are up first. I am still loving the Mrs. Meyers mint products and this dish soap is no exception. The smell is simply fresh and clean which makes for doing dishes fairly pleasant which is all I can ask!
The Mrs. Meyers Radish Multi-surface spray was not my favorite! I love these sprays in other scents but the Radish was just not my cup of tea- I did completely use it up before moving on but I much prefer other scents from the collection (especially Basil- AMAZING!) so I will not repurchase it in this scent.
I had never used Gain laundry detergent before and I liked it. The scent was great and I would repurchase it in the future but I think I may prefer my Tide! I have seen many different scents from Gain though so I may have to try some others in the future.

Three great scent products this month. The first is a candle I received as a gift from Anthropologie and it was amazing! The jar itself is so pretty and the scent (I think it's called Capri Blue Volcano) is great. I'm not sure I would repurchase but it did make a lovely gift.
I picked up the Mrs. Meyers candle in Basil on a whim and I'm so glad I did. I would repurchase this over and over again! If you get a chance- pick up everything in Mrs. Meyers Basil- you won't be disappointed!
Lastly is a Bath and Body Works Wallflower and unfortunately I cannot tell you the name of the scent because I can't remember. I never pick up anything that's not beachy or Leaves though so it's definitely a beachy scent :) I liked it a lot but am excited to try something else.

Two shower gels completed this month. I absolutely HATED Bath and Body Works Cozy Sunday Morning. I had to force myself to use it up because it smelt terrible to me. I know I could've just thrown it away but I wanted to finish it up and be done with it. I have learned my lesson and will never pick this up again!
Guava Pineapple Splash by Bath and Body Works was a fruity scent and just fine for shower gel. I probably wouldn't repurchase in the future just because I have other scents I prefer but it was nice!

Two sprays this month- the first is Bath and Body Works Amber Blush which I liked. I wouldn't repurchase just because I have other scents that I need to use up and want to try but I did really like it.

I also used up a sample of Flowerbomb which I have in full size and love!

I can't believe I have four makeup products to show you this month.

The first is a twist up blue eyeliner from Sephora which I really liked. The color was really pretty and I'm disappointed to be done with it. I have a lot of other eyeliners to get through before I would repurchase though and I may want to try other brands.

The BareMinerals Foundation sample was my favorite and I need to purchase a full size of it! I am so bummed I got to the end of it!

Two mascaras for you- the first is Pur Fully Charged Magnetic Mascara and I hated it. It was so clumpy and gross I could barely use it. It's technically not empty but I'm calling it that because at this point it's basically unusable it's so clumpy.

The second mascara is Covergirl Super Sizer and I did really like this. I'm not sure I would repurchase it in the future though because there are other mascaras I want to try and others I definitely like more.

With all that mascara I used my Marcelle makeup remover for sensitive eyes and I really liked this and would consider repurchasing it in the future.

The Garnier Fructis Flat Iron Express was nice and I could see myself buying a full size to use in my hair!

The Garnier Fructis Moisture Lock Shampoo is one of my favorites and I will definitely repurchase it in the future.

The Loreal Elvive shampoo and conditioner are really nice and moisturizing! I found they did great things for my hair and would definitely buy them again in the future.

The Caviar Hair Gel was okay- nothing special and I'm glad I got this sample out of my collection.

Four chapsticks this month- three in cake batter and one in candy cane. Cake batter is still my ultimate favorite and I just repurchased a 20 pack from Amazon!

Two hand soaps are completed, both from Softsoap. The lavender and chamomile is okay but definitely not my favorite. The Soothing Aloe Vera smells really nice and is very creamy but I definitely would repurchase it in the future.

The last category is lotion and I finished up three this month. 

The first is Bath and Body Works Vanilla Bean Noel. I am so sick of this scent and I will never purchase it again from Bath and Body Works unless it's in hand soap form. I can't deal with the fake vanilla scent with lotion and shower gel anymore. I'm so glad this is out of my collection but I think there may be one or two more hiding in there that I need to get through...

The Nivea Skin Firming Hydration was a lotion I kept in my drawer at work and it was amazing. It was so soft and soothing and made my hands feel great I would definitely consider repurchasing this in the future.

Lastly is Bath and Body Works Guava Pineapple Splash which I also used up the shower gel as you read above. I liked it, it was fruity and nice but definitely not my favorite compared to other scents so I would repurchase others before this one!

That's everything! I hope you enjoyed and let me know in the comments what you finished up this month!

April Empties

Sorry for being slightly delayed with my April empties- there's been a lot going on lately around here! It seems like from the beginning of spring until the end of fall it's non-stop craziness with everything going on. 

April wasn't a month where I finished a ton of items but I did finish quite a few household items.

I finished up five chapsticks in April. They were in the flavors candy cane, cake batter and sugar cookie. All were nice but cake batter is still my ultimate favorite.

I also finished an Urban Decay eyeshadow primer potion which is my favorite eyeshadow primer. I actually received a small sample sized one last time I was in Sephora so I will keep using it!

I am loving Tide laundry detergent and finished two containers of it in April. These small containers I pick up couponing go quickly! I also finished up a huge box of Bounce dryer sheets which are my favorite dryer sheets. I love the smell of these products!

I finished a full size Bath and Body Works Vanilla Bean Noel lotion. I'm not a huge fan of this scent but have a ton of it in my stockpile so I will still be using it until it's all gone. I'm glad that I finished one up! The small Bath and Body Works Be Enchanted lotion was one of my favorite scents and I would definitely repurchase it in the future. I also finished a full size Bath and Body Works Wild Madagascar Vanilla shower gel which I liked but didn't love.

Two hand soaps were completed in April. Both were pretty boring unfortunately- the Softsoap Antibacterial was boring but worked fine. The CVS Shea Butter was pretty gross and got a little clumpy and I definitely wouldn't purchase it again in the future.

I also finished a dish soap from Mrs Meyers in the mint scent. I did like this a lot and find that the Mrs. Meyers scents are amazing and the soap works well.

What products have you used up lately?

December Empties

I can't believe another year has passed and we are getting ready to start the new year! Today I'm here to share my empties from December- these are the last empties of the year! Next year I will be doing things a little bit differently with empties. I will be keeping track as I finish up items on my Instagram @balancingonmytoes and will be keeping track of how many products I finish up for beauty and household throughout the course of the year. My collection has truly gotten out of control and I would like to see the number of products I have reduced quite a bit. I would ultimately like to fit all my beauty products into my Alex 9 drawer unit but we shall see!

I will be on a no buy starting January 1st and I don't plan on making any purchases unless I completely run out of an item. I will continue couponing for household items since I am not worried about stockpiling laundry detergent since I know I will use it with plenty of time but I am not buying beauty products unless I run out!

So here's my last empties post of 2017:

A good amount of products for one month! Here's the breakdown of categories:

I finished three candles in December. Two were BBW Leaves candles and one was BBW Vanilla Bean Noel. All three were amazing and I would definitely repurchase them in the future. I love Bath and Body Works candles and think they have great scents and a great throw as well. I still have a small collection of candles to get through but will definitely head back to BBW to pick up more when I run out!

I finished two hand soaps. The first is Honey Almond from Good Housekeeping which I absolutely hated. Tim hated it as well and it seemed to take forever but we did it! We liked BBW Sweet Cinnamon Pumpkin but it definitely wasn't our favorite scent. I have a lot of other scents I would repurchase before this one.

For other household products I finished a small Dawn Escapes New Zealand Springs dish soap which is one of my favorites and I certainly will repurchase. I also finished two bags of Tide Pods which I really like for laundry but I'm not too picky about which bag I pick up- they are all great! Lastly in this category is Mrs. Meyer's Multi-surface cleaner in honeysuckle which is AMAZING. I absolutely love the scent of this cleaner and it works great on all surfaces and leaves a light amazing scent behind as I clean. I have already repurchased this.

I used up quite a few hair products this month. The Loreal Shampoo and Conditioner are great! I have already repurchased these while couponing and I will definitely continue to use them because they work great for my hair. The Disney conditioner is just okay, certainly nothing special but everyone loves a freebie! The Verb shampoo and conditioner samples were pretty bad I felt they made my hair super tangly. The Nexus hairspray is one of my favorites since it keeps my hair soft but in place. The Mineral Mud Mask made my hair smell great but I definitely don't like it as much as my Macadamia Mask.

I finished up three Chapsticks- I am still loving Cake Batter but I've also been enjoying Candy Cane. I can do without the other summer flavored ones. My Loreal Infallible eyeliner worked great until half of it broke apart. The last bit of it was useless and I don't know that I will repurchase it anytime soon since I have quite a few eyeliners to go through. The Kate Somerville scrub was just okay- nothing I am going to purchase in the future.

For body care I used up a BBW Amber Blush Golden Sugar Scrub which smelled incredible and I loved the scrub itself. I would definitely repurchase. The BBW Sweet Cinnamon Pumpkin shower gel was okay- I got pretty sick of the scent after awhile and was glad to finish it. I attempted to finish the Quality Inn Lotion but it was gritty and I couldn't bring myself to finish it so it will be tossed.

That's what I finished up this month, what did you use?

November Empties

Rabbit Rabbit!

Does anyone else out there say that first thing in the morning on the first of the month? I learned about that back in middle school and have tried to say it every month since for good luck!

I finished quite a few items this month but also ended up buying quite a few things and getting some freebies so my categories haven't changed all that much!

Here's what I finished up this past month...

I finished one mini body lotion in Maui Hibiscus Beach which I really liked. I love any sort of beachy scent and this lotion was great I would definitely repurchase.

I finished up four face care samples. The first was a Yes To Grapefruit scrub which I forgot how much I hated in the past. The smell is terrible and I will make sure I do not repurchase this in the future.

The Balance Me Congested Skin Serum was just okay. I don't feel the need to repurchase because it did nothing magical for my skin.

I liked the Foreo Cleanser because it was so creamy and made my skin feel like it was being treated to a mask. The consistency felt like a yogurt just like the description on the front.

The last face care sample was Clinque Pep Start which was a facial scrub which I liked but didn't love! I don't think I would buy this in the future.

Two dish soaps were used up in November but both were Dawn escapes in New Zealand Springs Scent. I love this dish soap. The teal color is gorgeous and the smell is incredible. I will continue to purchase this with coupons.

For the hair category I used up a few samples and upgraded my wet brush to a new one. The bristles started falling out and it was time to move on to a new one.

I used up a terrible sample of Shea Moisture Curl and Shine shampoo. I really dislike Shea Moisture products and this one was no different.

The Briogeo Don't Despair Repair was just okay I don't feel the need for this because I love my regular hair mask.

DryBar Bay Breeze was okay as well. I don't think I will buy a full size in the future but I did enjoy the sample.

Lastly for hair products is Oribe Anti-Humidity Spray. I love all the Oribe products I've tried but they are pretty pricey so I was glad to try out this sample!

I finished up three cake batter chapsticks which you all should know about by now if you've been reading the blog. 

The Physician Formula mascara was nice. It wasn't super wet which is always a plus for me when it comes to mascara. I thought my lashes looked nice with it on but I certainly have other mascaras I prefer to this one and will not be repurchasing it.

Two cleaning products; one of which is the Swiffer Sweeper Wet Wipes. I like these but have found that I prefer cleaning with a mop and bucket because my floors get cleaner that way.

The second is a small pack of Clorox wipes which I kept in my car for quick cleanups. I liked these but found that they dried out quickly.

I am oficially tossing my Naked Basics palette. It's not used up at all but the black shadow shattered and no matter how hard I try the other colors are still a mess because of it. I don't want to mess with it anymore and am just letting this go!

I used up one BBW candle in marshmallow fireside which I enjoyed so much. I will definitely repurchase this candle next year. I love the smoky scent of it and the scent throw is great as well.

I really like this Glade Spray in Powder Fresh which we use when the apartment smells less then wonderful. I will definitely coupon for these in the future.

The Pillow Mist was just okay. I've had it for years and I don't think it's a necessary item so I will not be repurchasing.

The car vent clip is another one of my favorites. I keep repurchasing the tropical scents because those are my all time favorite.

The Secrets of the Islands scrub is great and I purchased this one after getting one as a gift a few years ago. I actually have purchased one to give as a gift this Christmas as well because I think it's such a great product.

The La Vanilla Healthy Deodorant in vanilla scent is great, I keep repurchasing these since they are the only natural deodorant that I've found that works well. 

I continuously repurchase Tide Pods because they work well and are easy to carry up and down the stairs to the laundry room in my apartment.

The Basic cotton rounds are a a staple in my beauty routine as are q-tips! I use both regularly for removing makeup and other daily activities so I will keep picking up these items.

That's everything I finished up in November and I will update you next month when I finish more items!

What products have you used up lately?

2017 Beauty Product Collections: Shower Gels and Scrubs Full Size and Minis

It takes me so long to get through shower gel so maybe that's how I ended up with so many or maybe I just have a shopping problem! 

I decided to group full size and mini shower gels and scrubs together into one post since I didn't feel it was too overwhelming but I do have quite a few products. In a perfect world I would always match my shower gels and lotions together but it doesn't always happen that way around here.

In full size here's what I have for Bath and Body Works:
Cozy Sunday Morning
Tiki Mango Mai Tai
Wild Madagascar Vanilla
Fresh Sparkling Snow
Guava Pineapple Splash
Sweet Cinnamon Pumpkin
Forever Beach Days
Moon Light Path
Vanilla Bean Noel
Amber Blush
Sweet Cinnamon Pumpkin
Tiki Mango Mai Tai
Amber BlushGolden Sugar Scrub
Paris Amour

For Other Brands I have:
Herbal Essence Totally Twisted
Soft Soap Coconut Scrub
Soft Soap Coconut Scrub
Soft Soap Sea Kissed
Soft Soap Coconut Island Quench
Victoria's Secret Pure Seduction
Secret of the Islands Scrub (unpictured is a second one currently in my shower- it was too gross!)
Philosophy Snow Angel
Philosophy Snow Angel scrub

I have used up the majority of my mini shower gels because they are so easy to use up and make me feel accomplished but here's what I have left...

For Bath and Body Works:
Pretty As A Peach
Tahiti Island Dream
Endless Weekend
Pink Cashmere
Mailbu Heat

I also have:
Olay Moisture Outlast
Origins Ginger Burst
Taylor by Taylor Swift

I have enough shower gel and scrubs to last me for quite some time so there's no need to purchase more anytime soon! What are your favorite shower gels or scrubs?