May Empties

Guys. I used up so. many. products. this month. I'm actually kind of impressed with myself. Plus, using things up is always a good excuse to buy new stuff.

Anyway, these are the products I used up this month:

Rose Salve by C.O. Bigelow ($9.80) - This is one of those things that I've had forever--we're talking more than four years, here--and I don't know where I got it or why I had it, but I decided to use it, and I didn't hate it. I've been putting this on my lips every night before I go to bed, and it makes my lips nice and soft and moisturized in the morning. In fairness, they dry out again very quickly, but it isn;t this product's fault that I have dry lips. The only thing I don't like is the packaging. It's a little tin, so you have to dip your finger in, which I don't think is sanitary. I would repurchase this though. Plus, it smells great and the packaging is super cute.

Shape Tape Concealer by Tarte ($25.00) - Do I need to say anything about this product? Is there anyone out there in the world who hasn't heard of Tarte's Shape Concealer? Is there anyone who doesn't know how fantastic it is? How full coverage it is? If you're one of the three people in the world who hasn't heard of Shape Tape Concealer, you should know that it's creamy and fantastic and so, so full coverage. 

Photo Focus Concealer (Light Ivory) by Wet n' Wild ($3.99) - I've written about this concealer before. It's a really good product (especially for such a fantastic price). It's creamy, it's full coverage, it doesn't crease, and it has this fantastic, quasi-gel, almost bouncy texture. What else could you want from a concealer? I already have a back up of this product, and I will definitely continue to repurchase it. My only complaint is that the shade range isn't great. The lightest shade is a little too dark and too warm for me, so I always have to mix it with something else.

Photo Focus Foundation by Wet n' Wild ($5.99) - I wrote a whole review about this foundation. Overall, I thought it was a good foundation. It's not my favorite foundation, but it's not my least favorite foundation either. It has good coverage, it has a good shade range, and it is *fairly* long lasting (I mean, it's not crazy long lasting or anything like that, but it does okay). However, it is a foundation you have to work with a little bit. It sets super quickly, so you really have to blend it quickly. If I'm using this foundation, I have to apply it to about 1/5 of my face, blend it out, and repeat. I mean, you have a be quick. You have to be a speed blender (if that's even a thing). I also hate the packaging. The applicator is this weird plastic paddle, which makes it really difficult to apply foundation evenly and get the foundation off the sides of the bottle. That being said, I may or may not repurchase this. I could see myself using it again, but if I never use it again, I won't be upset. However, if you're doing your makeup on a budget, it's a great product.

Infallible Pro-Matte 24HR Foundation (Classic Ivory 101) by L'Oréal ($12.99) - This is another foundation that I'm sort of "eh" about. It's not fantastic, but I'm not mad at it either. It definitely had good coverage and good staying power, but I feel like it emphasized the texture of my skin a bit. Now, that's not strange for a matte foundation, but it did bother me a bit. This foundation can also look a little cakey and dry at times. If you like matte foundations or you have oily skin, you might really like this foundation, but it wasn't really ideal for me in that regard. I don't want to hate on it though because matte foundations are supposed to make you look dry. That's sort of what matte means. Long story short, I didn't dislike this foundation while I was using it, and I would use it again if someone gave it to me. However, I probably wouldn't repurchase this foundation. 

Dragon Tamer Invisible Anti-Frizz Serum by Pacifica ($14.00) - Let me make this short and sweet: I do not like this product. I've written about it before, so I don't want to rehash everything I've said before. However, you should know that this is not a good product. The packaging makes it messy to use and apply. It doesn't do anything positive for your hair, it smells weird, and it leaves a weird sticky residue on your hands and hair. I don't think this would be helpful to anyone. I mean, does anybody want sticky hair? I don't think so. 

Wild Honeysuckle Body Lotion by Bath & Body Works ($12.50) - I'm going to make this brief because every month I use up at least one B&BW product, and every month I take a whole paragraph to talk about why I liked it. This is good lotion. The scent was good and floral and long lasting. It made my skin soft. I would recommend it. I would repurchase it. Did I cover everything?

Delete All by Formula X - I wrote about this product in my "disappointing products of 2016" blog. It was fairly expensive and not super effective. Basically, you are supposed to be able to put all five fingers into the container and take off all your polish at once. However, it didn't really work like that; it would take off about half your polish, and then you had to take the rest off with nail polish remover, which sort of defeated the purpose of the product. I finally had to throw this away because it started to leak and made a mess in the container I was keeping it in. Yuck!

Coconut Cleansing Wipes by Yes To ($5.99) - Every month, I use up at least one packet of these wipes. They're soft and gentle on the skin, smell great, and very effective. Even my friend with super sensitive skin says she can use them. If you're looking for a basic, makeup removal wipe that's cheap and effective, this is the product for you.

Advanced Génifique Youth Activating Serum by Lancôme ($78) - I used up a deluxe sample of Lancôme's Advanced Génifique Youth Activating Serum; I think I got this as a 100 point perk from Sephora or something like that. I've been trying out different nighttime skin rituals, and I thought this would be a good product to try. Even though this product has rave reviews on Ulta and Sephora's websites, I don't think it did much for me. I didn't really notice any difference in my skin when I was using this product. To me, it just seemed like an extra step. I'm not mad at this product though because I don't think it's aimed at me. I imagine that you'd like this if you had more mature skin.

Anyway, those were the products I used up this month! Let me know which products you used up this month in the comments.