2017 Beauty Product Collections: Candles

Oh my gosh you guys today we are talking candles which is one of my favorite things. I love nothing more then lighting a candle when I get home for the day. If I'm on the couch watching tv you can guarantee there will be a candle burning on the coffee table!

I had my candle collection down to pretty much bare bones with only a few left until I went to Bath and Body Works at the end of August.  I prefer fall scents for candles but I've been known to burn some beach scents as well.  This post will include my entire collection except for the candle I'm currently burning which is just a light citrus scent that came in a teal container. I also didn't include the unscented candles and decor candles that are located around my apartment because I don't plan on burning them up since they are decorations currently!

Right now I have:

5 full size Bath and Body Works Leaves Candles
1 full size Bath and Body Works Marshmallow Fireside
1 full size Bath and Body Works Sweet Cinnamon Pumpkin
1 mini Bath and Body Works Leaves Candle
1 small tealight that I received in my Sarah Dessen book package
1 Pier One Candle
1 Yankee Candle Sun and Sand (recently gifted to me by my mom)
1 Yankee Candle Harvest

This is definitely not an overwhelming collection and I am satisfied with the amount I have right now. The next time I purchase candles will be in the new year and I am confident that by that point I will have finished up a few of these as well.

What are your favorite candle scents? How many candles do you have in your collection?

Recent Empties

Hey everyone! It's time to share some empties again and I have a whole mess of products that I finished up recently.

This bin sits in my closet and every time I finish up a product I throw it up there to share my thoughts with you guys.

Here we go!

I finished up three candles and all of them were from Bath and Body Works. The first was Dashing Through The Snow which I received as a gift last year. I wasn't a huge fan of this honestly because I'm not a huge pine scent girl. I only had half of the candle leftover from last year so I figured I would just use it up. I absolutely loved Fresh Sparkling Snow it was such a sweet scent and is now one of my favorite winter scents and I have a soap and body lotion currently being used. So good! The last candle I used up was Marshmallow Fireside which is technically a fall scent but we enjoyed it just as much this winter! I would definitely repurchase this in the future because it has a nice smokey scent that Tim and I both really enjoyed.

I finished three Palmolive dish soaps each in a different color. I'm honestly not too picky with my dish soaps and just use whatever I happen to get during couponing. These were all just fine, worked great and I will repurchase.

I used up two household products. The Lysol disinfecting wipes are great to use around the house to wipe up quick messes and especially in the bathroom where you want to keep things clean. I also used up a bag of Tide pods with Febreeze. I love these!  I will continue purchasing pods because they are so much easier when you are hauling clothes back and forth from the laundromat. Much easier to haul a small baggy of pods then a container of liquid soap.

Tim finished up four items that he let me steal to share. The Dial Greek Yogurt was a shower gel I had picked up while couponing and Tim needed a shower gel so I gave him this one since it's pretty neutral. His response, "It was good I guess" leaves quite a bit to the imagination but he used it up so we'll take it as it being a good product. When I continued to ask him about the other products above he gave me some vague answers like "it was probably good" and "I'm not complaining about any of them so..."
I don't know why I bother =)

For scented items I used up the Glade Hawaiian Spray which was nice, not super overwhelming. I really like the Febreeze Gain vent clip which I used in my car. I always like to keep my car smelling nice. The last item was an air freshener but I honestly am not sure what it was since it has no packaging.

This is kind of a random category of treatments.  I received this Dior Dream Cream and it was amazing and silky and I would use it every day on my skin however I'm not sure I want to spend a ton of money on a face cream. It was amazing though I would pick another sample of it up if I could. The Real Chemistry Body Mask was okay, not my favorite I don't feel like it's something I particularly need. I was happy to try the sample though. The REN face mask was okay. It was a peel off mask that I did like but I don't think it did anything too spectacular for my skin. The Argan hair mask was really nice, I definitely enjoyed using this for a change since I so often choose my Macademia hair mask, but it was nice to try something different. Lastly the Prep and Glow was okay, nothing too great! I would not purchase a full size of it because I didn't feel like it did much for me at all.

I finished up a shampoo and conditioner from Morroccanoil that I received for Christmas and absolutely loved them. I would definitely purchase them again in the future. I love that they are natural and worked great on my hair. I also used a three-step sample of Loreal Smooth Intense and thought it was great as well. I would definitely purchase a full size of this as well because it definitely smoothed out my crazy hair.

The Neutrogena Deep Clean Cleanser was okay but took me forever to finish so I was so sick of it! I don't think it did anything to help my super dry skin though so I would not repurchase it in the future. I would however repurchase the Bath and Body Works Tis The Season hand soap. This is my favorite winter scent of all time. I buy this in candles as well and always get so much use out it!

I unfortunately finished up Canker medication due to some awful canker sores this past month. This Canker-x was minty but I was not impressed. It didn't numb my sore or make it better, not great at all. The Biotrue contact solution works great at cleaning my contacts and doesn't hurt my eyes so that is definitely a win. I also used up Crest mouthwash which is my favorite type of mouthwash since it is super gentle. I also ate a whole container of Minion tic tacs. They were amazing and banana flavored.

This Lovespell body spray from Victoria's Secret I kept in my car forever so I decided to finally just toss it. This is not my favorite scent it's just too floral or something so I definitely would not repurchase it in the future. I also have far too many scents to work my way through right now!

This Marc Jacobs eyeliner in black was part of a Sephora birthday gift and I am so sad to see this go! It was amazing and I can't believe it's gone. I think I may have to buy more in the near future because it is probably my favorite eyeliner I've ever owned.

I have three mini lotions that were in the bin. Victoria's Secret Vanilla Lace lotion sat in my desk drawer at work and I really did like it. I'm not a huge fan of Victoria's Secret lotion because I feel it's a little greasy but I did really like the scent. The Tocca Grapfruit and Cucumber lotion I have to toss because it was just so gross. The smell was terrible and the lotion made my hands sticky...I just couldn't handle it. The last one is a mini sample of LUSH Dream Cream which is one of the best lotions ever. I really enjoy it because it's so simple and I love LUSH products just for their brand- pretty much everything they make is great.

Two mini shower gels are complete. The first is the Soap No Glory from a set I received last year, it was the purple colored one and I really liked it. The lavender scent was very relaxing and I enjoyed it. Bath and Body Works Secret Wonderland is a great shower gel and I would 100% purchase a full size in the future. I thought the scent was great and I always love Bath and Body Works shower gels.

Lastly I have five Cake Batter Chapsticks and a Soothing Vanilla Chapstick. Love the cake batter and the vanilla was a nice backup!

That's all the products that I've finished up lately and I am slowly working my way through all my products! What have you used up lately?

Less Stuff Less Stress: Using Products Up in 2017

So last year I started using the saying "Less Stuff Less Stress" as I attempted to get rid of items and create a simpler life. 

I'm on the journey again this year because I have accumulated far too much stuff yet again! Well, I don't think I've brought too much stuff in this year, I think I just have too much stuff to begin with and have trouble getting rid of things that I consider useful. My greatest weakness is certainly products.

To show you what I'm talking about I laid all of my lotions out on a towel...

Holy crap right? Now where did all this stuff come from?

Most of the Bath and Body Works lotions are things I actually purchased. Whether it was a great sale, a free item, or just me walking in and insisting I needed something they were mostly me.

I know for sure I purchased the Pure Seduction lotions from Victoria's Secret on recommendation from Elle Fowler's youtube.

Lots of the other items I got for free during couponing or were gifted to me.

No matter how I ended up with them, they are my problem now! This year I will NOT buy products until I use up what I have.

I know for certain I will not finish up all my lotion in a year but some other items I may have to repurchase this year. I only have one face lotion once that is gone I am allowed to purchase another. There are certain items like deodorant or mascara that I don't purchase in bulk so I will need to replace those.

This is the year I get my products under control and I hope you will come along for my journey :)

Massive Makeup and Product Declutter!

Oh my god you guys- I am a hoarder. 

I am terrified of becoming a hoarder, I toss things on the regular. I never keep any extra things. I recycle paper like a mad woman and Tim knows not to leave things lying around because they'll disappear faster then he can blink. But with my products, I am a disgusting hoarder. 

My white Alex 9 drawer tower from Ikea was packed with products. I have gone through it a few times but never with the amount of honesty I went through it this time. I got rid of items I will never use, I got rid of expired items, I tossed anything that was almost empty and I knew I wouldn't finish. I was brutal and I took pictures of the process to share with you of course!

Lets start with the top drawer which was filled with face masks, cleansers, makeup remover, sunscreen, scrubs- basically any face product that was not makeup. Here's what we started with:

So much stuff! Where did it all come from?! Well I've been receiving Birchboxes for the last four years, I know most of the sunscreen samples came from a Sephora.Com order where I got them free...from over a year ago. So I sifted through; first getting rid of anything that was expired (which was a lot). Then I took a look to see when I received the birchbox items- if it was over six months ago I tossed the item because clearly I'll never use it! Here's what was left behind:

I kept more then I intended to but I will try the cleansers and face masks and if by Christmas I haven't they are gone! The sunscreen I held onto is good through next August so that's okay to keep. Everything else is on the newer end.

Next up is a drawer that holds my perfume samples and face products (including blush, bronzer, highlighter, foundation, etc):

So much stuff. Now I didn't end up getting rid of any perfume samples. They only have 2-3 uses in each tiny container and I do like to try different scents now and then. I also didn't get rid of my anti-bacterials from Bath and Body Works since I keep them in my purse and use them regularly. Blushes and bronzers did stay since I only have two or three of each. I kept a few concealers but the rest were tossed. I also tossed the majority of my foundations/bb creams. I kept only the newest of what I've received and the rest was tossed. Check it out!

I am an eye shadow hoarder because I love it so much. But I honestly wouldn't be able to get through all I have in a lifetime. I constantly dream of getting the Naked 3 Palette but I know I don't need it with all the eyeshadows I already have. Which also means I don't need the Chocolate Bar palettes either right??? This is where I started:

The palettes I use most often are my Naked 1, Naked 2, and Coastal Scents. I have a Jessie Girl Palette and another from Wet and Wild that I've never touched. So they were sent packing. I don't use a lot of my single shadows and smaller duos and trios. I asked myself if I honestly saw myself wearing them ever, I also got rid of any sparkly shadow I owned because the glitter always gets in my contacts and hurts my eyes. After decluttering here's what the drawer looked like:

Still a ton in there, but not as bad as it once was!

I am not a lip product person, I love my chapstick and don't wear lip gloss or lipstick much at all. So why did I have so much?! I also have a ton of eye pencils which I'm not using either.

I forgot to take a before picture so here are the products that I started with in this drawer:

Afterwards I was left with a few lipsticks, a few lip glosses, some eye pencils and one set of eyebrow products. In the blue box is all my chapstick, which will all be used!

Much nicer right?

Hair product were a little harder for me. I mean I don't use a lot of hairspray, but it's good for awhile right? So I might as well keep it on hand...

Only one product out of that drawer...

I went through my hair products one by one and decided whether or not I thought I was ever going to use them.

I managed to cut it down a little bit...getting rid of mostly texturizing sprays which I will never use!

 The bottom drawers stayed the same because I don't need to go through my nail polish right now. I have quite a bit but nowhere near some of the other collections I've seen and I'm comfortable with the amount that I have right now.

Same with my extra supplies...nothing to get rid of...

Now here's the final pile of all the products currently leaving my house...

Awesome right?!  I'm so glad to no longer have these items cluttering up my drawers! I can find the products I actually want to use because they are right there and nothing else is blocking them.

Feels good to declutter! Have you done any decluttering lately?

Summer Empties!

It's summer empties time! I have been saving up empties since we moved to our apartment in May and even have a few of Tim's things sprinkled in this bin...although he doesn't totally get the whole empties thing yet and tends to throw a lot away! 

Swiffer Wet Pads- This is a necessity in our apartment! I use these every week to mop our floors and make sure everything sparkles! It's amazing that even regular vacuuming can't prevent the grime that shows up everywhere and these pads trap them easily!

Macadamia Deep Repair Mask-  I love this product- you will always see it in my empties because it's amazing. It makes my hair nice and soft and it smells amazing which is always a plus. I buy mine at TJ Maxx or Marshalls because it's way cheaper then at the drug store.

Tide Pods- I have been using these for our laundry since I travel to and from the laundromat. It makes it easier to only carry a bag of pods instead of a heavy container of detergent. I really like them and feel they truly get our clothes clean every week!

Rainbow Ice Gourmet Gum- If you've never tried this gum before head on over to Target because it's great! I tried the cake one as well (but Tim threw out the wrapper) which wasn't as good as the rainbow ice. I will definitely buy it again.

Cutex Nail Polish Remover Wipes- I never make it a point to buy remover wipes because nail polish remover on a cotton round works just fine but I do always love having these when I get them free. It makes removing nail polish a breeze.

Pantene Shampoo and Conditioner- Tim used up these samples and he liked them just fine. His hair smelt nice too which I loved!

Essence of Beauty Sunblossom Lotion- Worst lotion ever. It smelled terrible and it made my skin feel greasy. I definitely won't get this lotion again- I believe I received it for free but don't need to do that again.

Pink Warm and Cozy Body Mist- I love this body mist and I have already repurchased a large size of it. The smell is so comforting and light I will definitely always keep this in my perfume collection.

Bath and Body Works Bright Autumn Day Lotion- I received so many compliments while using this lotion. I kept it in my desk drawer at work and not only does it keep my hands super soft after the damage they go through at work but it smells amazing.

Bath and Body Works Hawaii Passionfruit Kiss Shower Gel- I love BBW shower gels and this one was nice, not my favorite but still great.

Klorane Shampoo and Conditioner-  I didn't like this shampoo and conditioner at all! They came in my Birchbox but besides the scent they were pretty terrible on my hair and made it super dry! I will not purchase this full size.

Cake Batter Chapstick-  I finished 13 of these! I love this chapstick so if you haven't tried it, go find it now!

Method Pink Grapefruit Hand Soap-I really like Method hand soap! This soap was nice and I would definitely purchase it again in the future. I like that it's natural and the scent is great as well.

Bath and Body Works Peach Bellini Hand Soap- Not my favorite soap at all. It felt gritty and gross and just was not my thing. I will definitely only purchase the foaming hand soaps from Bath and Body Works from now on.

Sensodyne Toothpaste- I am still using sensodyne toothpaste because it is the only toothpaste that does not give me canker sores. I highly recommend it if you have the same issues because until I used this toothpaste I never was able to get rid of my canker sores.

Smashbox X-Rated Mascara- I liked this mascara, it definitely wasn't a favorite but it did the job just fine.

Advil-What is there to say about advil? Nothing exciting, I just liked that this was a small little container that fit nicely in my purse.

Eyeko Mascara- Not my favorite mascara, I feel like it was pretty clumpy. I did finish it quite awhile ago though...but it definitely didn't impress me!

Bath and Body Works Malibu Sunset Antibacterial- I loved keeping this in my desk at work since there are so many germs there. I loved the scent too, anything beach scented is generally a hit with me and this was no exception. I like that it also covers the antibacterial scent of it as well so it doesn't smell like alcohol too much.

John Freida Go Blonder Shampoo and Conditioner- I liked this shampoo and container set. It did not make my hair any blonder, but the product itself was nice enough to my hair. I would definitely try out this product again in the future.

Loreal Shampoo and Conditioner- This trio was great and was meant to make my hair straight. It didn't necessarily do that but it certainly did calm down my hair and made it silky smooth. I would try out the full size in the future for sure.

Skintimate Shave Gel in Raspberry Rain- Skintimate does shave gels pretty well. I like the scents they have and it does a pretty good job. Not as great as EOS, but not bad at all.

Dove Shampoo and Conditioner- I loved this little set of shampoo and conditioner because it did wonders for my hair! I think I'll be purchasing the full sizes soon because it worked great.

Bath and Body Works Twilight Woods Lotion- Another win! I loved the musky scent of this lotion. I had never used twilight woods before but it has officially moved up the line to being one of my favorite scents from Bath and Body Works.

TicTacs Banana- I bought this because it was minions, but I loved the banana flavor! If you haven't tried these go find them now!

Tictacs Christmas- Yes we keep mints forever apparently. These were okay and tasted like apples which wasn't my favorite but sometimes you just have to get eat some mints :)

Tictacs Easter-  These ones were nothing special either. I'm just not a fan of the berry flavored tictacs.

Herbal Essence Hello Hydration Shampoo and Conditioner- One of my favorite shampoo and conditioner sets. I will be repurchasing these for sure.

Basin Pink Sugar Scrub- I love this scrub! We bought this in Florida and it took so long to finish this big container, but I would definitely purchase it again.

Optifree Contact Solution- Unfortunately I wasn't able to finish all of this contact solution since I left it in the car in the heat. I did like it a lot, I would definitely use it again but I'm not too picky

Bath and Body Works Endless Weekend Shower Gel-  I loved this shower gel and it was great scent as well. I will definitely get this scent again in shower gel and lotion because it was a perfect summery scent.

Suave Men Shower Gel- Tim liked this shower gel, it smelled nice, and it was FREE with couponing. Win, win, win!

Lysol wipes- I use these religiously to clean our bathroom, kitchen, etc. I love knowing that I can clear out germs with a simple wipe. I love getting things clean!

Yankee Candle Pink Sands Car Freshener- I love the smell but man do these things run out fast. I think in the future I will purchase discounted products for car fresheners because it's not worth it to spend a ton of money since they disappear so quickly.

EOS Shave Cream- I love this shave gel, it's amazing but I don't love the price necessarily. I usually coupon for skintimate but may purchase it again the future because I just love how great of a shave I'm able to get with it. Definitely highly recommended in whatever scent you like!

Pantene Shampoo- Another Tim empty and he seemed to like it! I think I may have him hooked on Pantene :)

Crest Pro Health Mouthwash- This mouthwash is good and does the job...nothing too exciting!

Colgate Mouthwash- I liked this mouthwash as well, it was just fine. I believe I got it couponing because I usually don't end up getting Colgate but I really did like it.

Palmolive Dish Soap- I hate washing dishes...but Palmolive does the job just fine. I used a couple of these this season.

Total Home Dish Soap- This dish soap was free and worked just fine. I didn't see much of a difference at all between this and the more expensive brands so I will definitely pick this up again if it's free!

Dawn Dish Soap-  I really like Dawn dish soap- it cleans dishes super quickly and they look great once they are washed. Can't ask for more! (Except a dishwasher)

Almay Makeup Wipes- I use these to remove my makeup at night off my eyes and they work great. Almay makes super gentle products which is great for my sensitive skin.


What products have you used lately?!

August Birchbox

Whenever my birchbox comes in it's a great day! When this beauty arrived last week I was super excited to dig in!

I love the designs of the boxes lately, much more exciting then how they used to be!

So there are a few great products, some that I'm not too excited about but overall a great box!

This Stila liquid lipstick is strange. If you've been reading for awhile you know I'm not a big fan of lip products. This was a very dark lipstick that went on like a gloss. The consistency wasn't terrible but the color I received was super dark. It looked almost brown to me, Tim said it wasn't as bad as I thought it was, but it's probably not something I will wear too often....

This eyeshadow duo from Manna Kadar is very nice! The pigment is great and I love the colors that were included. This is part of of the day dream palette which looks great. I've never heard of Manna Kadar before but so far I like their products!

Oribe Impermeable Anti-Humidty Spray is so cute in this gold tinted container. I tried it out this past weekend which was one of the hottest and most humid on record here this summer and my hair managed to stay neat in my ponytail, so I would say it works!

Hey Honey Trick and Treat Cream Concealer  seems like a great product. I have only briefly tried it on a small zit on my chin. It's not a heavy product by any means which doesn't provide a ton of coverage but for something small it seems to work nicely.

The last product in my box is ProfilePRO Ultra Nourishing Oil. Anything that can tame my frizz and repair my damaged hair is great for me! I always was nervous about putting oils in my hair but now I am a firm believer that a nourishing oil can make a huge difference!

So those are the products I'm trying this month, what have you been trying out lately?

Stay tuned because at the end of the month I will be reviewing all of my summer empties!

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