October and November Empties

Happy Wednesday everyone! 

Today I'm going to be sharing my October and November empties since I completely forgot to share an empties post back at the end of October! I guess wedding posts took over a little bit!

Let's get started so I can share with you what products I liked and which products I won't be repurchasing.

I love Mrs Meyers products and love the dish soap! It works great and the smells are always wonderful. The Basil is my favorite scent and I have a lot of back stock of it. I will continue to purchase it in the future because it works great and the scent is absolutely amazing. I know Basil sounds like a strange scent but just give it a try! The Apple Cider scent sounded great to me but it was a little sweet. I know my dishes were getting cleaned but the Apple Cider didn't feel like a "cleaning" scent to me. Silly I know but I'm glad it's only a seasonal scent!

I finished the Loreal Total Repair Shampoo and Conditioner and I really liked it. This set has made my hair super soft and I think it helps keep the tangles to a minimum as well. I usually pick this up through couponing deals and I will continue to purchase it.

I also finished a hairspray that I think I received from a Birchbox years ago by Serge Normant. I liked this hairspray which I only use to keep my flyaways to a minimum when I wear my hair up. I don't think I would necessarily purchase this in the future because all hair spray seems to work the same for me! I also have quite a few to get through before I need to worry about buying more.

The Aunt Fannie's Vinegar Wipes were something I threw in my cart on Grove due to a YouTube recommendation and I HATED them! I hate the smell of vinegar and had heard the vinegar wasn't really strong in this but whoever said that was very, very wrong! All I could smell was vinegar and I will never purchase these again! The wipes themselves worked just fine and if you do like the smell of vinegar you might like them but if you don't like vinegar then don't bother!

I also finished the Mrs. Meyers Honeysuckle Multisurface Spray which I really like. I have used this in the past and it is probably my second favorite smell from Mrs. Meyers. I would repurchase this in the future but would definitely pick the Basil scent as my first choice. If you like sweet smells this is a good choice for you.

I finished three face products recently. The first being Olay Gentle Clean which I really liked. It seemed to work well on my sensitive skin and I would repurchase it in the future. I also finished the Neutrogena Deep Clean scrub which I liked for clearing away all of the dead skin that comes when you have super dry skin. I will definitely purchase this again. I also finished a pack of Neutrogena Makeup Remover Wipes which are great if you have a full face of makeup you need to remove. I caught Tim using one to wipe down the bathroom sink one day. *Eye roll*

Only one candle empty for today, Bath and Body Works Leaves is my favorite candle and I stocked up during the last semi-annual sale! I was running pretty low on candles in June and I'm so glad I managed to stock up on some of my favorites! I will certainly be purchasing more of these in the future since I love them so much.

Three hand soaps were finished up. Mrs. Meyers Lemon Verbena was an okay scent. I have had it for awhile so I knew I needed to use it up even though it's not a scent I love. I would definitely choose some of the other Mrs. Meyers scents over this one.

Bath and Body Works Endless Weekend is a great summery scent and even though I used it in the fall I loved the beachy scent that it had. I would definitely repurchase it in the future.

Softsoap Crisp Cucumber and Melon is a nice scent and is one of my favorite ones Softsoap makes. I would get this again if I happened to come across a couponing deal. I love anything watermelon scented so this one makes me happy for sure.

I finished two packs of Tide Pods and they are my favorite type of laundry detergent. I really like Tide but the pods make doing laundry in an apartment so much more convenient. I will continue to coupon for these and can see myself using them for years to come.

I loved Bath and Body Works Forever Beach Days body wash, the beachy scent was great and I think that Bath and Body Works shower gels are a great buy, I just need to get my collection down a little bit.

This Sweet Tart Souffle has been hanging around forever and I'm so glad I finally finished it. Tim always commented on how he loved the smell but I thought it was just okay. I wouldn't repurchase this again but I'm not planning on purchasing any lotions for a long time since I have so many lotions to get through still!

Some mascaras and eyeliners, apparently the only makeup I can actually finish completely!

Rimmel London Wonderlash was a gorgeous blue container and I liked it but it definitely wasn't my favorite mascara. I would use it again if I got it free couponing but wouldn't seek it out.  However I would repurchase this Clinique Mascara in a heartbeat! I really loved it and thought it was dry enough to work with and made my lashes look awesome. Diorshow Maximizer is one of my old favorites and my mascara always looks amazing when this is on underneath my regular mascara. I will definitely buy this again even though it is pricey.

The Physicians Formula eyeliner was nice but the blue was not my favorite. I believe I got this couponing so if I got it again I would go for the black instead. Rimmel Exxaggerate Eyeliner was okay but there are definitely other eyeliners that I prefer to this one.

Lastly, my beloved Cake Batter Chapstick! I used up five recently and will definitely be buying more in the future!

What products have you used up lately?

September Empties

Happy Monday!

I'm sharing all my September empties today-which seems to include a LOT of household empties and not so many beauty empties this time. We are only 19 days out from the wedding so posting may be a little sporadic (as you saw last week). We have a ton going on right now and honestly some details I don't want to share until I have the professional photographs and can properly show you what things looked like. Then I'll get into more DIY details and share more of the process!

So let's get into this!

Not a ton of empties this month but I've been doing bare minimum around here. Makeup has consisted of eyeliner and mascara. I'm cleaning the bare minimum to keep up because every day my to-do list is massive. Welcome to the final month of wedding planning I suppose.

Every month I save the chapsticks I've used and this month I've finished four. I'm still obsessed with the cake batter flavor and I'm still using chapstick constantly!

Two eyeliners this month. My Marc Jacobs eyeliner wasn't as good as other ones I've had. It must've just been a bad batch but it dried up and was crumbly. However I LOVED this Physicians Formula eyeliner. It was awesome and went on so nicely, I will definitely repurchase this in the future. It's funny how some times the drug store brands are nicer then the high end.

Two candles were used up this month. Tim picked out the Banana Split Milkshake and we both loved it! It was a great end of summer scent and I would definitely purchase this again next year. I chose the Costa Rica candle and thought it was incredible as well. I would get this in the future if I saw it at a future Semi-Annual Sale.

Here is the majority of my used up products this month. I am loving the Clorox Toilet Wand refills. It's nice to replace the toilet brush each time rather then having something disgusting sitting in the bathroom! I won the Acelo sponges in a giveaway and I liked them. I would definitely purchase them in the future. The OxiClean Laundry Detergent was nice but I prefer Tide but would get it again while couponing. I also love the Mrs. Meyers Dish Soaps. The Bluebell I won in a giveaway and I don't love the scent but the Basil is my favorite scent and I will definitely be buying this again and again!

What have you used up this month?

February Empties

Happy Monday everyone!

Today I'm sharing with you my February empties- the month went by super fast!!

I finished a few household empties this month. For laundry I used up Tide Pods which I absolutely love since they are easy to transport to the basement to use and I also used Purex Crystals which are my favorite scent booster. They make my clothes smell amazing and I will continue to purchase them. I finished a Meyers Multisurface spray in Honeysuckle which smelled incredible. I have been loving trying the different Mrs. Meyers sprays lately! The Seventh Generation Wipes smelled awful to me and I will definitely not repurchase them in the future unless I can find a nicer scent. Lastly, I've been using Johnsons Baby Shampoo to wash my makeup brushes for years and it works great at cleaning them but being gentle enough on them.

We finished up three candles in our apartment this month. Yankee Candle's Sun and Sand was a nice candle and one that reminds me of summer time. I would definitely repurchase this in the future. Fall Day is a candle I received as a gift and I really enjoyed it! I'm not sure where it came from but I would definitely purchase one in the future. For Christmas my mom gave me a Mangiacotti Ocean Candle and it's a scent that I love so much. I have used their lotions in the past and really enjoyed the scent so I knew I would love this candle as well.

I finished up quite a few face products this month. The Naobay Moisturizer was nice and gentle and seemed to work well for my skin. I used a sample three part skin routine from Clinque which was great. I really wanted to use up some of my foil samples as part of Foil February and it was great to try some new things. I definitely have liked the Clique products that I've tried and would use these them in the future. The Estee Edit masque was something I put on overnight and it really moisturized my skin. I received two samples of Olay Whip moisturizers and both were pretty nice. I may try them again in the future but I'm not sure yet! I tried the Too Cool For School Egg Mellow Cream but my skin broke out like crazy! That was the only new thing I was trying at the time so I knew I couldn't use it anymore- such a bummer.

For hair products I finished a Goldwell Shampoo and Conditioner sample which was really nice. I would definitely use the full size but I think they are pretty pricey! I finished up a Macadamia Deep Repair Masque which is my favorite! I use this regularly after I shampoo and condition my hair and it keeps it super soft. If you don't want to pay full price for it always check Marshalls and TJ Maxx- they often have it for pretty cheap.

Two hand soaps were finished in our apartment this month. One was from Bath and Body Works in Twisted Peppermint which I really liked. The minty smell is fantastic and I think BBW soaps work great. The second soap is from Soft-soap in the scent crisp cucumber and melon. I really like this scent and would repurchase it in the future.

For lotions I finished up one mini and had to declutter another. Bath and Body Works Honolulu Sun was great and smelled like sunscreen. I would definitely repurchase this in the future. I tried the Bath and Body Works Stress Relief but Tim told me it smelt like old lady....so I am tossing it. I didn't think it smelt bad, just like mint- but Tim hated it.

More chapstick this month- three Cake Batters and one Sugar Cookie. I liked all of them!

I finshed up my Laura Mercier foundation which I liked but didn't love. I am ready to try another foundation from a different brand.

For shower gel I finished a Softsoap Coconut Quench which I thought was very moisturizing and smelled great. I would definitely buy this again in the future.

That's it for my month empties! I'll see you guys back here on Wednesday when I'll share some wedding planning with you!

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?

March Empties and Declutter

Happy Monday! I decided to do a monthly empties post instead of holding onto my beauty trash any longer. I also went though my makeup and was able to declutter quite a bit so my bin was looking pretty full!

I went though 26 beauty and home products this month! I feel like that is quite a bit for just one month so maybe I was just lucky and was at the tail end of a lot of products. 

The first category is hair products...

I only had a little bit left of my Head and Shoulders 2 in 1 so I just finished it up. I didn't use this super often because it was just okay. I didn't feel like my hair was getting super moisturized but I always feel like this is great for my dry scalp. The Macadamia Hair Mask is my all-time favorite hair product and is always in my empties posts. It makes my hair so soft no matter I do to it and I will continue purchasing this. The No4 Shampoo and Conditioner samples were just okay. I thought they smelt like they were meant for guys which I didn't love and wasn't super moisturizing or great. I'm glad this sample is gone!

I finished up one soap this month. Bath and Body Works Winter Candy Apple was great. The smell was awesome and I love Bath and Body Works soaps. I know it's no longer winter but I've been trying to finish up some of the Christmas soaps because I have so many soaps stockpiled right now.

For shower and bath products I have four empties to show you. The Body Shop scrub was decent. I liked the smell but didn't think the scrub was super great. This was something I picked up at Marshalls on a whim but I think I've satisfied my curiosity for The Body Shop scrubs with this product. I finished two Not Soap Radio shower gels; one in green and one in clear. I am officially all done with these mini samples! Lastly was a sample of bubble bath from Fortune Cookie Soap. I liked this but didn't love it. I am intrigued by other Fortune Cookie Soap products though!

I finished up two body lotions in March. The small hand lotion in Endless Weekend was awesome and I used it religiously at work. I love these small hand lotions for on the go or places like work where I don't want bulky packaging. I would repurchase this scent and the hand lotions in the future. Wild Madagascar Vanilla was also great but I don't think it will be one I repurchase in the future because there are scents that I like much better.

For personal care I used a Dove deodorant, Sensodyne toothpaste, and Origins Check and Balances Face Wash. The Dove deodorant is great and I would consider repurchasing although I am trying to stick with natural deodorants. I have already repurchased the toothpaste since Sensodyne is all I really use. The Origins face wash is something I was super intrigued in and I found that it worked really well. I don't know that I would purchase a full size of it because I am loving the product I am currently using but we shall see!

Two cleaning products and two dish soaps were finished up this month. The Method All Purpose Cleaner in Apple was amazing. I believe it was seasonal scent back in the fall but if I see it again this year I will definitely purchase it. I use Method All Purpose cleaner for everything from the kitchen counters to the bookshelves. It works well at dusting and cleaning and is natural which is a huge plus! I also finished up the Method Daily Shower Spray. I use this after I shower and spray it over all the walls and the shower curtain to keep things clean in between full shower scrubs. I have already repurchased it and will keep doing so! I used two dish soaps one by Dawn and one by Palmolive. I just use whatever I can get a deal on so I'm not too picky!

For makeup products I had a few empties as well. The Alba Botanica Makeup Wipes were great! This little pack was super cheap when I got it from Marshalls but I would definitely repurchase these again because they worked well and didn't hurt my skin or eyes. The Diorshow Mascara Primer is such an amazing product and I keep repurchasing it because it makes my lashes so long and full. I have yet to buy a new one but my next Sephora order will definitely include one. The Benefit Gimme Brow was just okay and seemed to be a little dark for my brows. I will not repurchase this in the future. I also used up four Cake Batter Chapsticks which you know I've already purchased more of!

Lastly a product I forgot to include in my original picture. I have been using Tide Pods for all my laundry and find them so easy and convenient. I will keep repurchasing them and hopefully stockpiling them for super cheap when possible. 

I also mentioned that I had decluttered quite a few items this month.

I sorted through my makeup and I was super picky about what I kept. I know I still have way too much but here is what I'm getting rid of. The Maybelline Full Bloom Mascara was super wet and wasn't something I liked. The three Reese Witherspoon perfumes I've had for ten years and the scents were starting to change. I honestly have so much perfume that I could never finish all that I have so it was time to part with some. The Beauty Rush spray was something I've held onto for a long time which also is true for the Vanilla Berry and Tropical Spray from CVS. Thats six less sprays that I have in my collection. I am tossing three BB creams which are old and I never were able to really use. There are six eyeshadow palettes that I have used a little bit of but never was able to finish. There are also four lipsticks that I have never touched but I am finally saying goodbye to. That is twenty products that are out of my collection from my declutter!

So the final count for products gone in March is 46! 26 products emptied and 20 decluttered! I am proud of myself for getting this many items out of my collection and can't wait to see what I use up in April!

Three New Things From Target

During a recent trip to Target I wandered into the beauty aisles and found two items I really wanted to try! Then I picked up a slightly different version of something I already love to give it a try. (Plus it was on clearance, so who can say no to that?!)

When I saw the Pacifica Stellar Gaze Mascara I was immediately intrigued. I have been going through different mascaras recently and one I've been using that I thought was a tried and true favorite was absolutely horrible this go-around. I will tell you more about that during my next empties video but I thought I would try a mascara from Pacifica next since I've never used one from that brand. I've used it four or five times and so far so good!

I never even knew that Target sold bath bombs until I saw this Party Bomb by da bomb fizzers. These are made by two teenage girls which is really cool and I decided to bring it home to try out. I have yet to take a bath and use this bath bomb but I am super pumped to try it out.

Lastly, I am a huge fan of Cake Batter Chapstick but could not find it anywhere! I picked up this flavor variety pack that has a few different kinds inside. After leaving Target I ended up ordering a big container of Cake Batter on Amazon but these will work as backups for me.

What beauty items have you brought home recently?

**Affiliate links used**

Birchbox and Pop Sugar Must Have Box 2016

Happy Saturday!

Well it is blizzarding outside today people! I am not a huge fan of snow. At all. However today I am enjoying the fact that I don't have any reason to actually leave the house and can stay warm and toasty indoors.

It's been awhile since I shared my Birchbox with you guys and I thought you may be interested in what I received for January. In addition I will also be sharing what I received in my Pop Sugar Must Have Box which was a gift from Tim for Christmas. I am currently on my product no buy and have not purchased a single product (other then shaving cream and shampoo- which were necessities) yet this month. My goal is to use what I already have and not purchase more. The only new products coming in are from my boxes, gifts, and free samples so I get super excited when anything new comes into the house!

First up: Birchbox

This Forteo Day Cleanser looks interesting. The price tag on the full size ($30) makes me glad I have the opportunity to try the small version. My skin is super dry so I'm hoping that this product will get my skin clean without drying it out.

This TonyMoly lip stain is blood red- it is so bright! I'm not sure that it's something I would wear but I'm definitely willing to give it a try.

I love liquid eyeliners because they are so easy to use. This fat liquid liner is something you need to be careful with though, you don't want to end up with a black eye! I will be using this when I want a more defined eye look and I'm excited to try it out.

This shampoo and conditioner combo from Beautiful Nutrition is a grapefruit scented pair. I like that they are sulfate-free so hopefully they will work well for my hair!

Next up, Pop Sugar Must Have Box:

I'm in love with this Pebble Speck Bin from Pehr Designs! This is retailed at $40 which is awesome. I love that it holds so much, currently I have all the pictures and items I still need to scan in there and it's worked great to hold them and still look nice in my room.

Marie Kondo's second book Spark Joy was also in this box and so far I am loving it! I am a huge fan of The Life Changing Magic of Tiding Up and Spark Joy is no different. This is totally my jam- I am all about the cleaning and organizing! A $18.99 value totally made my day!

Guess what I've already eaten up? All the gum. Whoops! This Project 7 Snow Cone gum was delicious I really enjoyed it! I shared a few pieces but most of them were consumed by me and I loved every second of them! I would definitely purchase this gum if I saw it in a store. This gum retails for $1.99.

I was excited to see this Not Soap, Radio Bath and Shower Gel Gift Set inside my box! Each of these little shower gels has a different scent and is for a different purpose. This set was really cute and retails for $22. I love shower gel and was excited to get some new ones since I'm not allowed to purchase any new ones!

This would be my perfect planner if I wasn't already in love with my Erin Condren life planner! This planner is by Blue Sky and retails at $15.99. I absolutely love the teal color and how inside there is a section each day for a to-do list. Gorgeous!

I haven't broken into this Chapstick total hydration chapstick but I will definitely be testing it out. I do love my chapstick. This product was considered the "special extra" and retails at $2.99.

These Patchology flashmasque trio has different face masks. I love that these masks are no mess because you just lay them on your skin and then toss them out when you have finished with them. Very easy to use! This pack retails for $20.

There was also a promo code from the same place the bin came from, Pher Designs, for 25% off which is a great extra in case I was looking to purchase anything for my home.


Do you receive any subscription boxes? What did you receive this month?


P.S: Check out my newest YouTube video to see the products above in video form!

Birchbox and Pop Sugar January 2016