Recent Household and Beauty Hauls

I have been on a strict less stuff kick for awhile now and have been busy working my way through my household and beauty products all year long. If you've been hanging out for awhile you've seen my empties posts and know I have been trying to finish up a ton of products. 

Well recently I finished every single one of my candles. Then I used up almost all of my hand soaps- seriously only 4 left in my stockpile...and those won't last long! I knew that I didn't want to pay full price for anything and I would be so mad at myself if I let myself completely run out of anything and had to pay full price for it. So when the Bath and Body Works semi-annual sale started I knew it was time to buy some items! 

In store I picked up quite a few items:

I picked up three hand soaps, five hand sanitizers and three candles. I let Tim help me pick out my items since he is using and smelling them too. He picked out the banana split milkshake candle and two of the hand sanitizers to bring to work with him. I'm excited to have all these new items and know that it will keep us from having to buy items at full price.

Well I didn't stop there....

I placed an online order for a TON of items so we would be well stocked for all seasons. (Yes, this means I purchased FOUR leaves candles....)

I picked up soaps, candles and refills for my air freshener. I also found some cute gifts for my bridesmaids.

While it may seem excessive I really hate paying full price for anything- so keeping my home well-stocked is important to me. I just need to work my way through old stuff before starting new stuff. Notice I didn't buy and lotions and shower gels? That's because I still have SO much to get through! I don't think I will need any of that for a few years honestly.

I also placed an order recently at Sephora.

I wanted to try the Clinque Moisture Surge since I have heard so many amazing things about it. In order to get to the $50 free shipping I also picked up the Clinque mascara that has been on my wishlist for awhile. Everything else pictured was free with my order- gotta love that!

Lastly, I placed my monthly order from Grove Collaborative.

I've discovered Basil is my absolute favorite Mrs Meyers scent so I picked up a dish soap, multi-surface cleaner and a candle in that scent. I also picked up the Caldrea room spray in sea salt neroli which smells amazing!

Stay tuned for reviews on all these items- you know they'll be in upcoming empties posts eventually! :)

Have a great day everybody!

March Empties

March is one of those months that always drags for me- but this year it flew by! I feel like I blinked and the month ended- and now I'm here with all my empties to share with you :)

It was a pretty good month for empties however they were mostly household items. I backed off a lot of makeup wearing this month since I'm desperately trying to get my skin under control. My skin has been super dry and red and I really don't want to anger it anymore then I already have.

Only three chapsticks were finished up this month! That might be a new record low for me because I absolutely love this Cake Batter flavor. I felt it was time to end my use three of my eye products since I know the three months recommended for use has definitely gone by. Benefit Rollerlash Mascara is amazing! I will definitely continue to purchase this even though it's more expensive then drugstore mascara. I really liked the L'Oreal Telescopic Liquid Eyeliner but I will be trying some other liquid liners. Lastly in this category I haven of my favorite products of all time: Diorshow Maximizer Mascara Primer! This product makes my lashes SO long and SO full it's amazing! I can use it under any mascara and it's incredible. I hate when I don't have it!

I finished up a body spray from Bath and Body Works in Oahu Coconut Sunset which I thought was nice. I definitely wouldn't repurchase it in the future just because I have many other scents I do prefer over this one. I decided to toss these Pacifica Deodorant Wipes since I've had them forever and never use them. I originally bought them for Disney World but only used one or two. They work okay but not for a long period of time- so don't expect to use them in place of deodorant! Next up is Bath and Body Works Tiki Mango Mai Tai shower gel which even Tim was using because it smelled so amazing! I will definitely repurchase this in the future!

We finished two hand soaps this month. The first is from Bath and Body Works in Frosted Cranberry. This was a good scent but not one I feel the need to repurchase in the future. The second is Softsoap Orchid Petals and Mint Water. I didn't love this scent either and wouldn't repurchase it.

The one candle I finished up was from a Fundraiser for a girl who passed away suddenly in my community. Not a candle to repurchase regularly but I'm glad that I purchased it to help fund scholarships in her memory.

I have been LOVING Mrs. Meyers for my household products lately. I order all of mine through Grove Collaborative and their service is superb. Getting my shipment once a month means I don't have to run out and pick up any cleaning products at the store because I'm running low- I'm always stocked up! Use this link and get $10 off your first order!!

My favorite scent that I've tried so far has got to be Basil! I thought it was a weird scent based on the name but the smell is incredible- I highly recommend it and will definitely purchase this multi surface spray again in the future.  I also finished two dish soaps from Mrs. Meyers- one in the limited edition Mint scent and one in Honeysuckle. I would repurchase both in the future but I didn't love either of them as much as I love the basil!

My last category for this month is laundry products. The laundry around here is never-ending! There are only two of us but some weeks I am in shock that we've gone through as many clothes as we have. I finished the last of my Purex Crystals. I love this product and I always think that my laundry smells SO MUCH BETTER when I use it! I haven't repurchased this yet just because I like to wait for a good deal/coupon but will definitely buy it again in the future!  I finished two Tide laundry soaps which I love. Tide is one of my favorite laundry products and it works great on getting out stains. The last laundry product is Xtra which was a coupon purchase from CVS. This laundry soap works just fine but I definitely wouldn't pay for it!

Those are all my empties for the month of March, what did you finish up this past month? What products are you loving/hating right now? Share in the comments!

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?

Couponing Week of 11/19- Target, CVS, Bath and Body Works, and Walmart

Good morning everyone!

I'm here to share my couponing deals from yesterday at a few different stores. I always love couponing the week of Black Friday because CVS in particular knocks it out of the park every year. 

Since we're already chatting about it- let's start with CVS!

I basically purchase anything that I end up getting free at CVS so here's what I picked up.

Hershey Chocolate Bar 77 cents
paid 77 cents, received 77 cents in ECBs
FREE!

 Hershey King Sized Chocolate Bar $1.88
paid $1.88, received $1.88 in ECBs
FREE!

Trolli Sour Gummies $1.99
paid $1.99, received $1.99 in ECBs
FREE!

Wet and Wild Mascara Set $4.99
paid $4.99, received $4 in ECB
99 cents!

I also used a $4 ECB from my last couponing trip.

I paid $6.30 out of pocket and received $8.64 in ECBs for my next trip, which will be later this week during the Black Friday event!


Next up a pretty lame Bath and Body Works haul...

The only deal I got at Bath and Body Works was a buy three get two free deal. I picked up I've items from the winter candy apple line. The two shower gels and two body lotions are gifts for the girls I have judging dance team tryouts and the body cream I'm keeping.

I paid $41.20 out of pocket or $8.24 per item- not a great deal but it's fine!


Next up, let's head to Walmart where I picked up quite a few items.

I picked up:

BIC Simply Solei Razor 3 pack #3.27
used $2 coupon
$1.27

Command Hooks $2.38

3 Purex Crystals $2.97 each
used buy two get one free coupon
$5.94 or $1.98 each

2 Hefty Gallon Storage Bags $1.98 each
used $1/2 coupon
$2.96 or $1.48 each
(I will also be submitting for a $1.50/2 biota credit!

3 Bags of Hershey Kisses $2.98 each

Bag of M&Ms $2.84

2 Oreo Candy Bar King Size $1.34 each
used $1/2 coupon
$1.68 or 84 cents each

I paid $28.13 out of pocket for this order.

Next up, Target!

Target was so disappointing- I had a few deals I wanted to do but couldn't find any of the products in store!

2 Strerlite Plastic Organizers $6.99 each
used 10% off Cartwheel
Paid $6.29 each

I paid $13.46 out of pocket.

Not a bad Sunday for couponing! I can't wait to head back out for some more deals! :)

What did you get couponing this week?

October Empties

Another month has ended and that means I have a new empties post for you! I really didn't think I had too much to share this month and was pleasantly surprised when I empties out my bin and saw I had quite a few items inside.

I have been working really hard at getting through my beauty collection and am trying to stick with one item until I finish it up instead of jumping from product to product like I used to.

I absolutely could not get this picture rotated and I have no idea why! I used up three Yankee Candle Amber Sunset tealights which disappeared quickly but smelt great. I don't think I would repurchase them in the future though. I used up my favorite Bath and Body Works Candle in Leaves which was amazing (per usual). The last candle I used up was Yankee Candle's Harvest and this one was just okay. I received this as a gift but I don't think I would purchase it in the future because it wasn't something I absolutely loved.

I finished up one face product this month, Neutrogena Hydro Boost hydrating serum. The packaging on this product is absolutely gorgeous. I did really like it but I don't know that I would purchase it again in the future since I am still on the search for a line of face products that work great for me.

Four hair products were finished up in October. The Head and Shoulders shampoo and conditioner was great and my hair and scalp always felt super nourished after using them. The Pantene shampoo and conditioner samples I used mostly on my Disney trip but I finished them up in October and thought that they were great. I tend to love Pantene because they do a great job making their products super moisturizing. I would definitely purchase all these hair products in the future.

I finished up a full size lotion and a mini lotion. The full size is Bath and Body Works Sweet Cinnamon Pumpkin. I wasn't a huge fan of this scent and I'm glad that I was able to use it up in the fall. I won't be repurchasing this again in the future. The mini lotion I finished is Amber Romance by Victoria's Secret which I also won't purchase in the future. It was an okay scent but definitely not my favorite.

Two cleaning products this month; Lysol Disinfecting Wipes which I will keep repurchasing and Method Ocean Waves Multi-purpose spray which I loved and will also definitely purchase in the future.

I finished up three Chapstick Cake Batters which I definitely will repurchase since I use them millions of times a day. The Almay mascara was pretty good and I would consider repurchasing it again in the future. The Clarins face cream was good but certainly not the best I've tried and I don't think I will be purchasing a full size in the future. I used up two packs of makeup wipes. The first was Pacifica which I liked the scent of and worked great at taking off my makeup. The Burts Bees wipes were nice too but I preferred the Pacifica.

The last two products I used were a Bath and Body Works hand soap in Sweet Cinnamon Pumpkin which wasn't my favorite scent and I'm glad to see go and Skintimate Raspberry Rain Shave Gel which was nice and I will repurchase in the future.

That's another 22 items that I was able to use up and get rid of! I can't wait to see what my total was for 2017 and I'm already looking forward to see how many items I'll be able to get through/declutter next year!

September Empties and Declutter

So I finished off a whole bin of products last month! I saved one cleaning product but unless I have a new product to share I think I'm going to start fading those out of the month empties- unless it's something you'd like to continue seeing. If that's the case then leave me a comment and I'll keep it up, otherwise into the recycling bin they go!

So here's an overview of everything I finished up.

Now lets get into the specifics!

I finished up two candles this month. The first is a candle that I received as a gift and was a light scent  but unfortunately there is nothing on the label telling me what the scent was. It was very fresh and I especially loved the container it came in! Teal is a popular color in our living room. The second candle is from Bath and Body Works candle in Caribbean Escape and this is one of my favorite summer scents. I love Bath and Body Works Candles and enjoyed this one a lot. I would definitely repurchase it in the future.

Two random products I used up were an EOS Shave Cream and Coppertone Water Babies Sunscreen. I would definitely repurchase both of these products in the future. The shave cream is so nice because you can use it wet or dry and the sunscreen works great on my pale, pale skin.

This is the one cleaning product I saved. I love Lysol wipes especially in the bathroom where I feel the need to really sanitize things. I will keep purchasing these for the time being.

I finished up the last of my Victoria's Secret fragrance mists.  Amber Romance was an okay scent but I'm glad that I have finished it up and it's out of my collection! I also used up a mini perfume in Victor and Rolf's Flowerbomb scent. I used this while we were in Disney which was great since I didn't have to to haul any of my big perfume bottles with me.

Three soaps were finished up this month. The first is Bath and Body Works Bright Autumn Day which was my absolute favorite soap this month. I would definitely repurchase this in the future if BBW continues to make it. The Softsoap Lavender and Chamomile has been in my stockpile for awhile so I'm glad to finish it up. I am not a huge fan of this scent so I definitely won't repurchase it or get it in the future. The last soap is Bath and Body Works Black Raspberry Vanilla soap which Tim commented on saying that he loved the scent. It wasn't my favorite but I can definitely get on board with future vanilla scents since that is what Tim really loved about it.

I know you guys see this often from me but I love Macadamia Oil Deep Repair Masque. I use this often and continue to purchase it because it works wonders on my crazy hair!

Only 4 Cake Batter chapsticks this month which isn't too many! I'm still loving these and using them hundreds of times a day.

I surprisingly finished up quite a few face products this month. The Melissa Day Cream despite carrying my name made my face burn. I was not happy with it! Derma-e Microdermabrasion Scrub was nice but I definitely don't think I need to repurchase this in the future. The Patchology mask was just fine but I find sheet masks super creepy! I didn't feel any major change in my skin but would be willing to try further products by the company if they aren't sheet masks! I finished up two Dermalogica products which I really liked. The first is a toner and the second is a cleanser both I heard about from Sam over at Simply Organized. I thought they were simple and didn't do anything amazing for my skin but it didn't hurt it either so I'm going to try some other things but I may come back to it.

Lastly I have two products I didn't finish up. The first is Klorane makeup remover which I was using and it was super oily. I did plan on finishing it until I got some sort of black speck in it...I wasn't interested in using it after that! The Milk Sunshine Oil is not something that I was looking to use and knew I would never use up. So, I decided to toss it!

That's all I finished up in September, what products did you use up last month?