February 2015 Empties

Hello everybody!!

You know what it is... so I'm just gonna get right into it (so sleepy... LOL. Just waiting for my yogurt mask to sink in). Here's my empties over the last few months =)

----------------That intro was clearly written on a different day LOL-------------------

1. Caudalie Polyphenol Anti-Wrinkle Defensive Serum

Another sample... honestly I used it up so long ago I can't really remember much about it. I think I've reviewed this in another empties before. Nice but nothing exciting? 


2. Dove Nourishing Oil Care Shampoo & Conditioner 

I think drugstore wise this is my favorite line of shampoo. Smells really nice too. But since I've gone back to using Aveda... I won't be repurchasing these lol. For drugstore though I definitely recommend it =)


3. Fresh Sugar lip balm

This thing is SO OLD. It's been like this for a really long time at the bottom of my drawer lol. I just decided it's time to toss it out. I remember really liking it back then =) The color is really nice. In terms of moisturizing/nourishing properties... it's very buttery and nice but I didn't find it amazing/mind-blowingly good. This was a free birthday gift from Sephora I believe. While I enjoyed it, I will never pay the full price for this product.


4. Aussie 3 Minute Miracle "Strong" conditioner

I usually get the "Moisturize" one but I spotted this and got curious. Couldn't resist a new product =P it was good... I think the same formula as the blue/moisturize one. Won't repurchase cuz I prefer the scent of the blue/moisturize one. 



5. LUSH "Big" Sea Salt Shampoo

I believe it also comes in a shampoo bar form, which I've also tried before. They're the same thing and I got the same experiences/results. Already did a review on Instagram so here it is

Review: LUSH "BIG" Sea Salt Shampoo. I'm not sure why but with sea salt shampoos, I noticed I only get good results when I use this very sparingly. My hair would feel fluffy, voluminous and weightless. However when I use it consecutively (like if I use it two days in a row), then the second day the result is just like my any other typical drugstore shampoo. Weird. Anyway so I only use this occasionally. I'm very 50/50 abt this product... Like I won't mind repurchasing and using it again, but I won't feel sad to do without it. For the price however, most likely won't repurchase 😆 also one thing I really hate is the container. No matter how tightly I screw the lid, it always gets loose and water would get in there. Really annoying 😒 #lush #seasaltshampoo #seasalt #shampoo #review #hair #beautyblogger

A photo posted by Frances (@bbudgie) on Nov 8, 2014 at 9:12pm PST

6. LUSH Fresh Face Mask

LOL. I was clearly obsessed with them hahaha. You can see that BB seaweed is my favorite :) The only one I don't have here is the Cosmic Warrior. I did purchase that one, but after using it two times, I just gave up. It smelled DISGUSTING. I kept feeling like I have bad/rotten garlic on my face. ME NO LIKE. I had to take it back and exchange it... I felt so bad /__\ I consider myself having high threshold for unpleasant scents but I just could not deal with the garlic one. Anyway, the ones I would probably repurchase besides BB seaweed would be Ayesha, Love Lettuce, and the Sacred Truth.


7. SK-II Facial Treatment Essence

Finally used up my 330ml bottle. If you want to see my past thoughts on this product... just go to the label section and look under SK-II, you will be able to find all of them lol. I clearly lied when I said in my last empties that I won't repurchase, cuz I did LOL. But to be completely honest, it's more of a psyche thing. It doesn't do much for me. I'm using it for preventative/anti-aging purposes. I feel safer having this... if that makes any sense? XD as a child I always saw my grandma using rice water to wash her face... and she had beautiful skin. So I really believe in the power of rice XD I tried using rice water to cleanse my face but it was so. much. hassle. -_- sense of security sure comes at a hefty price tag... LOL -_-"


8. Shu Uemura Depsea Water Facial Mist (Lavender)

I wonder if it's meant to say "deep sea water"??? LOL. Anyway, this product is OLD as well (haha prob shouldn't have tried to use it up but it smells fine XD). I got it in a value set ages ago. It was my second bottle.  I LOVE the scent of this... it's not the kind of gross lavender scent you get from some products, very relaxing. But otherwise it's just water and nothing special.  Anyway, while I enjoyed it, I for sure would not spend $25 on this... Just get Evian or Avene or something. They do the same thing and are much cheaper (minus the lavender scent though lol).


9. Chloe Perfumed Body Lotion

Sorry if the bottle looks nasty. This was a free sample size that I got from Sephora. This sample was the reason why now I'm obsessed with the Chloe perfume XD I got a new full size of this lotion in a value set from Nordstrom =D but I haven't used it yet haha. Think I will just stick to the perfume from now on (if I don't get tired of it that is lol) cuz I feel like having the lotion is kind of overkill.... aka too luxurious XD



10. REM Micro Polish Cleanser

Honestly when I saw this in my "empties bag"... I was like... huh??? Did I use this??? LOL. But then I remembered! I ended up using this to scrub my underarms (aka armpits... underarms sound so much nicer HAHAHA) to prevent ingrown hairs after epilating. So in short, good and effective, but too harsh for the face for my liking. If you think St. Ives scrubs are harsh, then for sure you wouldn't like this.


11. Shiseido Pureness Matifying Moisturizer

Used to be my favorite moisturizer for the summer =) super light, watery gel consistency. But after I discovered the SkinMD moisturizer, which in my opinion is very similar to this, just gonna stick with SkinMD instead cuz it's much cheaper =D Don't get me wrong I still think this is a good product especially if you have oily skin and just want something super super light, but it's just not that cost-effective for me.



12. SK-II Skin Signature moisturizer and Cellumination Deep Surge EX

These are super old as well... and the reason why I only used them up now is because I forgot about them -__-" I actually bought these sample size jars from Sasa.com a long long time ago. I remember trying out the Skin Signature and it broke me out in red little bumps all over my face (usually happens when a skincare is too rich for me I believe). Tried the Cellumination one and same thing. Was gonna try and sell them but that never happened lol so it they were just sitting in my drawer. Anyway I ended up mixing them with my body moisturizers XD heyyy why not. Might as well get my money's worth (not really... but you know XD) I loved it when I used the cellumination one on my body O_o I can definitely feel my skin much smoother and hydrated when I used that one. Can't tell the difference from the Signature one. Anyway, since these don't work for my face, I'm obviously not planning on purchasing the full size items. Maybe I will revisit them in 5-10 years or something lol. 


13. Majolica Majorca Lash Expander Edge Meister Mascara and Innisfree Skinny Microcara (Waterproof)

Edge Meister-- Y'all know Majolica Majorca makes my favorite mascaras... but this isn't my favorite from them. Reason being it's packed full of fibers and I found that with fiber-rich mascaras, as they start drying out (as you keep using them... not because the caps don't screw tight lol)... the fibers just kind of stick out and poke my eyes. This mascara is no exception. Will I repurchase? Well... I did. A LOT of them O_o but it was because they were on sale for 15% off!!! And usually MJ mascaras don't ever go on sale!! So I went cray cray even though they're not my favorite haha. Did a review if you guys want to see this mascara in action. I neither recommend or not recommend this mascara... depends on how you feel about fiber mascaras.


Innisfree-- I actually used up two of those, but I have no idea where the other one went O_O must have tossed it out by accident. Anyway, since I did use up 2 of them, obviously I repurchased XD I liked it a lot initially... but I noticed as these dry up, they get quite clumpy. Really not the most flattering look. I guess I don't mind this particular mascara... the lengthening/volume are quite impressive... but I just don't like the formula as I make it half way through the tube. I think it's worth checking out, and I am currently working on using another one up, but I'm not planning on repurchasing. Oh by the way, no curl hold.


14. Dr. Hauschka Rose Day Cream

It's quite thick and you can see it contains some oils because as you squeeze out the product, you can see a bit of the separation. I enjoyed it but I think I just got tired of it toward the end lol. It was nice though =) Really good for winter. Not planning on repurchasing. 



15. GlamGlow Youthmud Tinglexfoliate Treatment

Little sample I got from Sephora. Talked about it before if you want to check that post out. It exfoliates well, does nothing to extract blackheads, but makes the bumpiness of my nose (from blackheads) smoother. I liked it, but you all know what I think about GlamGlow... wayy over-priced. $69? You've gotta be kidding me.



16. Albion Skin Conditioner, Eclafutur, Exage Moist Crystal Milk

Albion Skin Conditioner-- You all know how I feel about this toner so not gonna elaborate. LOVE. Not a toner person but still get a high from using this every morning XD

Eclafutur-- This to me, I think is kind of like the Clinique Smart Serum that I raved about. Got these samples when I was in Japan, and I wish wish WISHED that I had tried it then =( cuz I would've gone back to purchase the full size bottle. My skin was visibly smoother, brighter and plumper the next day after using it. And I noticed it helped with healing as well (which is why it reminded me of the Clinique Smart Serum). The only thing though is I don't know if it helps smooth out flakiness, which is the main reason why I am smitten with the Clinique Smart Serum. And price point wise I think it's wayy more expensive than Clinique. This to me is a luxurious product... if I can ever get it at this low Japanese currency... I will pick it up. But I'm not gonna go out of my way to purchase it (I had ample of opportunities to purchase it while I was in Taiwan but the price was so inflated... so... NO).

Exage Moist Crystal Milk-- it's called a "milk", which kind of leads you to think it's a moisturizer, but it's not. I think this is one of the best selling products from Albion. This is supposed to be an enhancer... or something. Kind of like Lancome Genifique-- you apply it after toner, and before everything else. It's supposed to help prep your skin, help all other products penetrate your skin much deeper and thus more effective. Honestly... felt no difference XD But it was only two samples, who knows. It'd be such a splurge if I do purchase it, but I'm not really convinced of the necessity of it. 



More Skin Conditioner


And more LOL. Told you the Albion MUA gave me so many samples. =)


17. Yes to Cucumbers Soothing Body Wash.

I like =) I didn't repurchase this particular scent but I got the grapefruit one. I think as far as drugstore goes, this is pretty good. Doesn't dry out my skin, but it also isn't moisturizing to the point that you feel like there's a layer of residue.


18. Embryolisse Lait-Creme Concentrate

I bought this because Pixiwoo always use it LOL. It smells very pharmaceutical. Emm... it really didn't blow me away. I think it's really nice for the winter. I can see why dry skin ppl would love it, but it's just okay for me. This thing is old too... I ended up using it as a body moisturizer as well XD


19. Banila Co. Clean It Zero

Little sample as well. Of all the cleansing balms I've tried (wait actually, have I even tried anything else other than REN?? I think the other stuff I tried were cleansing creams not balms LOL) this is probably the only one I would consider purchasing/recommend. But since I prefer cleansing oils. I won't purchase. Smells nice, effective. And I would think it's quite affordable! =)


20. Majolica Majorca Mascara Primer, Innisfree Skinny Microcara (not waterproof)

Oops, should've grouped this with the other mascara products. Oh well lol.

Majolica-- Fav mascara primer.

Innisfree-- Got this thinking it'd shorten my makeup removal process. WRONG. Since it's none-waterproof... it refuses to come off with cleansing oils. Well it does come off eventually... but that's with extra extra EXTRA massaging. Gawd such a pain in the ass. I ended up just using my cleansing oil to remove everything else, then hop into shower and let the warm water do its job. But then since I have mascara primer underneath... I have to pay extra attention to wash my eye area with my facial cleanser to make sure there is no residue. My regret purchase lol. Should've just stuck with the WP version.


21. Za Ever Brows

Yay!!! Finally used it up =DDDDD Well you can see I have a teeny tiny bit of product left, but it's to the point that the plastic part scrapes against my brows when I try to fill them in, so it's time for it to retire =D first brow product I've ever used up!! So excited XD Prob wouldn't be my first brow product to use up if I hadn't make a conscious effort to though. Liked it. Worth checking out. Not my fav. Review here.




22. Clio Kill Brown Waterproof Brush Liner

So... I didn't use up this product per se... It dried out on me =________________________= I prob got less than 20 uses out of it... what a waste. I think I mentioned on my Instagram that for a liquid/pen eyeliner, I was impressed by its lasting power. I still think it was good for a liquid pen standard, but as I tried it out more, it started smudging out on me more. Don't know how it managed the minimal smearing the first few times I tried it =/ anyway. I know some ppl absolutely love this product. To each and their own. If you've never had smudging problems with liquid pen eyeliners, then you will probably like this (I wouldn't say love cuz it's on the drier side... it wipes off when repeated lined... and the color is not very opaque/intense). I just ended up using it to line my upper lash line. To me, huge waste of money, cuz Clio is on the more expensive side for drugstore. Regret.


 Whew! I actually didn't think I had that many products, but I guess I did LOL. I thought I'd be able to just breeze through this mini review/empties post, but man it took a lot longer than I thought. I hope you guys enjoyed it and it was helpful to some of you. Until my next post, take care, stay warm, and be safe everyone ^_~


<3 Frances

Umm... Random Lip Product Swatches? Aritaum, Clio, VDL, Revlon, 3CE, Loreal, Maybelline

Yellow peeps!

How's everyone doing? Hope you guys are keeping warm. It's been bloody freezing here (don't ask me why I said bloody.... I think it must be the fake British in me XD)

I totally did not think there would be such a long gap between this post and my last... what can I say... I have dry eyes and sitting here staring at the computer is just such a pain these days. But anyway, since it's snowing hard today and I have nothing else to do but nest... I thought I'd come up here to distract myself from my urge of stuffing my face XD 

This post is gonna be pretty random XD hence the questionable title. Too lazy to think of a good title since there really isn't a cohesive theme here. But I just really want to share what some of the lip products look like on :) Oh by the way.... I forgot to do arm swatches of the lipsticks... as well as I forgot to take individual pics of the lip products -_- me is so scatterbrained. If you guys want arm swatches let me know. Otherwise I'm just not gonna bother, lol.

And before I start, I want to quickly mention that I did photoshop these photos. If you guys go back to my other posts, you can see there's always this ginormous blood vessel in my left eye (so it will be the right eye on screen). It's a permanent thing/nothing I can do about it, but it's been getting worse since my eyes have been SO DRY. Anyway it really bothered me so I just decided to photoshop it out. It doesn't affect the swatches so why not lol. Just want to be transparent with you guys... although it really isn't a big deal at all. Nobody will prob notice anything if I didn't say anything LOL.

As usual, here's me with my bare lips.



I have to pose with this. Had all the lippies that I wanted to show for this post in this bag. SO ADORABLE!!!! Who else here loves Stitch? =DDDDD


Oh I should also mention... the pics are kind of washed out... please keep that in mind. I tried =( sunlight did not want to work with me.


1. Tarte Amazonian Butter Lipstick in Pink Peony

It's a neutral pink. It's slightly pinker in person. It's so washed out here that it looks like a nude pink... although it does translate a bit more nude pink on me than arm swatches.


I actually don't like this lipstick as much as I thought I would... I think it's probably because when I first tried it... I was more tanned than now so it looked more flattering then. Now that I'm back to NC20... I don't find this shade particularly flattering. Eh, I don't know. It's a nice lipstick though but there's just something off about it. The formula is good though... moisturizing and buttery. Also minty. Although I don't find the formula any more superior than drugstore lippies, say like Revlon lip butters.






2. Aritaum Honey Melting Tint in No. 2 Sugar Syrup

This, is the worst swatch of all the lippies in this post. Not true to color at all. Why did I bother posting this -_-" it looks almost like the Tarte lipstick here but it's not remotely close in real life. It's a very neon peachy pink. Very cutesy and gives your lips that young look. I tried and tried but it just would NOT translate through the photo. Please imagine the color to be more vibrant and neon.


Not true to color!


Not true to color!


Not true to color!
 

Not true to color!
.... I REALLY TRIED. I swear -_-


3.  Aritaum Honey Melting Tint in No.3 Strawberry Chips

Again, this photographed HORRIBLY. It's a bright pink, also on the more neon side.


Not true to color! Funnily this actually looks a bit more like No.2 Sugar Syrup in real life cuz it's so washed out lol.


Imagine this color to be more intense and brighter... it's so washed out. But I feel like this one at least shows up a bit better than No.2 =_=


Not true to color!

I think I might just have to find another time and see if I can photograph these lippies better. Cuz they are so gorgeous and it kills me that you guys can't see how bright and pretty they are! Super flattering in my opinion. Did I mention I love the formula as well? By the way they smell like peaches :D 


4. Bobbi Brown Rich Lip Color in #7 Soft Coral

... You know what, now I look at it, this looks exactly like MAC Ravishing OMG!! Bobbi Brown perhaps look a bit darker/more orange in the tube... but they look pretty much the same on my lips. Oh gosh XD

Formula is okay... your typical creamy lipstick. Not excessively drying but also not moisturizing.


Oops, sorry for that stray hair lol





5. VDL  Triple Shot Tint Bar in 101 Triple Pink

I actually surprised myself by how much I like this color. Generally not a fan of pale/light pink on me, but I think this lipstick is pretty! And surprisingly the triple color/gradient lip thing actually works O_o so it's not a gimmick product LOL. These pics are kind of washed out too... but I think the effect is there.








In person, the pink in the person looks much darker and the gradient is much more obvious. Looks so blended/one color here.




6. Innisfree Creammellow Lipstick in #8

My lips were getting really dry at this point from putting on/removing all the lipsticks... so they weren't taking the color well /__\  so excuse the patchy application. Patchiness aside, isn't this red color gorgeous? Definitely one of my favs!

I think this red color is the perfect beginner red if you've never dabbled into red lips :) you can definitely build up the intensity, or wear it thinly for a more natural look like I did in these pics.

By the way... the formula of this lipstick is really interesting... I've never had any lipstick like this O_O it feels kind of "dry sticky"... it's really hard to describe because it's not like a super buttery lipstick that can be a bit sticky because it's so soft... it's more "sticky" in the sense that you can feel a very firm coating on the lips.  Sorry if that doesn't make any sense XD but it's a lipstick that you can feel that it's there once applied. I also wouldn't consider this formula moisturizing. It's on the drier side but not as drying as a matte lipstick would be.











7. Clio Lipnicure in #5 Revenge Pink

Haha, sorry for the uneven application. It looked pretty even in person, but I guess not XD







Can you tell by all these extra selfies that I ADORE this color? =D






LOVE this color. But keep in mind that all the photos are a bit washed out and it's more vibrant/in your face in person lol.




Personally, I do not like using this lipnicure on my bare lips. I have to apply this OVER some lip balm because otherwise, I can taste the product, which is like tasting fragrance (ever accidentally get perfume on your lips? That's what it feels like, ugh).

I don't find this product exceptionally long lasting?? So I don't really think it lives up to its name. Even when I apply it directly over my bare lips, it doesn't really set or stay. Also, when I apply it directly over my bare lips, I find it really hard to blend out cuz it's so dry and thick. I'd have to blend it out with some lip balm.
 
When it's applied over some lip balm, it's staying power is just like any other lipstick-- it comes off as you eat/drink/talk.


8. 3CE Lip Laquer in Dahlia

One of my favorite colors over the winter. Actually can't believe I forgot to include in my January favs -_-  Got too excited over my Japanese makeup haul lol. Gorgeous gorgeous deep dark red that is not intimidating at all... in fact, it's really perfect for dark gradient red lips!










Yep... my lips were not having it. They were so dry T_T






Formula-wise... it's slightly on the drier side, since it does give matte finish.

I actually have another 3CE lip product that I wanted to show you guys... but I could not find it when I was taking pictures for this post -_- so it will have to wait. I used to never be able to understand how some girls say "I have no idea where such makeup product went!" ... I'd be like... how can you not know?! But now I'm guilty of becoming one of them XD Especially now I have the habit of taking out lip products with me... they get lost so easily in the purse... in my pockets... etc etc. Haha


9. Maybelline Super Stay 14HR Lipstick in 065 Ravishing Rouge

May I formally introduce you guys, my all time favorite red lipstick? =) a true red lipstick, that is XD


MAC's Ruby Woo and Russian Red have nothing on this lipstick. It complements me the best!










10. Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in 415 Pink In The Afternoon

It's a dusty pink color. Hahaha I forgot to take lip swatches for this lippie... but yeah basically just posting these pics here to show you guys that...  I'm not crazy about this color lol. Does not go with my skin tone. Prob a good choice if you're going for smokey eyes though.

But Revlon Lustrous Lipsticks have pretty good formula and a wide range of colors... Definitely a line that I'd recommend checking out :)


11. L'oreal Colour Riche Extraordinaire Liquid Lipstick in 202 Coral Encore

Heads up: STRONG FRAGRANCE. 






I like the formula! It's slightly thick but moisturizing.





12. Maybelline  Matte Lipstick in 680 Mesmerizing Magenta

Not sure if this is discontinued... cuz it was like half off/rollback price when I got it last year. Not crazy about the formula... it has a certain slippy feeling to it. Also not really feeling the color. It smells like very sweet vanilla lipstick haha, so it has a certain plastic-y scent to it.








13. Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in 720 Fire & Ice

One of my all time favorite orange-y reds. Again, never introduced it on my blog before cuz I was waiting to write about it in my red lipstick collection post, haha.




I look like I was in pain. Or having a facial spasm. HAHA.





Alrighty folks! Hope you guys enjoyed this post. I'm gonna continue to nest... and do a little bit of baking =D

See you guys in the next one! Stay warm and safe!


<3 Frances