Better late than never, right?

Anyway, here's what got gone in October.

1. Everyone Soap 3in1 - Coconut Lemon. This stuff smells amazing (to me). Future Husband did not care for it at all, and complained that "something in the bathroom smell[ed] weird" when I transferred the remainder to the bathroom hand soap dispenser. I liked it. But I won't be buying again for two reasons: it is too weak a shampoo for me and too drying a body wash.

2. Kinky Curly Spiral Spritz. Though it's marketed at Black women, I figured hair is hair and I'd try it. It's a really nice product - smells nicely lavendery but not too strong, and it has nice definition. It's a thin gel and made out of water and plants. I haven't figured out how to make it work as a spray, so I spray it into my hand and then scrunch. I'm trying some new things in the product department, but if I decide I want a gel again, I'd rebuy this one.

3. Alba Botanica Natural AcneDote scrub. I liked this, too. It smells like minty oranges, seems to exfoliate well, and comes in a pretty large (8oz) tube for the money.

4. Julep sunblock. I reviewed this as part of my Sunblock Sunday Series. Why didn't I like it?

5. Trio of Caudalie minis. There was a "cleansing water," a serum, and a very lightly tinted spf 15 moisturizer. I liked the "cleansing water" best, but it felt too sticky on my face to get full size.

6. John Frieda Frizz Ease Sheer Solution Lightweight Styling Serum. Future Husband bought this by mistake, so I used it. It's ok, but nothing magical. I found having to shake up the dual-phase liquid annoying.

7. Clear Scalp Therapy shampoo and conditioner packets. I got this in that Target Beauty bag. I used them. They made my scalp feel nice for a day, but they smelled really odd and the ingredients list is full of things that look like slaughterhouse byproducts.

8. Silk Naturals eye shadow sample baggie. These are always fun, but so far there have been only two that inspired me to buy full size: Sonic and Go. As it is, I have eyeshadow coming out of my, er, eyeballs?

9. Andalou Naturals serum sample. This smelled like flowers. Aside from lavender, I do not like my products to smell like flowers.

So there you have it!

June Used It!

Alba Botanica Even Deep Sea Mask*
- Buy again? No. I didn't find that this either degunked or soothed enough to really do anything.

Alba Botanica Hawaiian Hibiscus Toner* (not pictured)
- Buy again? Probably not. This was my second round, because I was tempted when it went 50% off at CVS, but like the mask, it didn't really do anything special.

Anthony Logistics for Men Glycolic Cleanser
- Buy again? Maybe. I kind of liked how I could use it as a mini-peel by leaving it on for a few minutes prior to rinsing, so it's good if you don't like foaming and do like multi-use products.

CoverGirl LashBlast Mascara - Very Black*
- Buy again? Most likely. It would be nice if they sold it in smaller sizes so it wouldn't dry out and clump up on me before I'm done, though. 

Ecco Bella Botanicals Long Lasting Lip Crayon - Raspberry Port*
- Buy again? No. This product would have worked so much better in a slimline twist-up tube, and the color was also REALLY DARK on me.

E.L.F. nail polish - Golden Goddess*
- Buy again? No. I'm starting to get really annoyed with most glitter polishes and I end up using them up in crafts projects.

Josie Maran Argan Sun Protection for Body SPF 30 sample
- Buy again? Yes! Stay tuned for next week's Sunday Sunblock feature to learn more!

Korres Mattifying Pomegranate Primer sample
- Buy again? Undecided. I think I might like it as a no-foundation foundation, but it did nothing as a primer and I'm not sure if it's worth the cost.

Make Up For Ever Mat Velvet foundation sample decant
- Buy again? Maybe. I'll have to do a half face test with this (I have another sample, the Sephora lady forgot to write the shade on it the first time!) and Revlon Colorstay first.

Neutrogena Naturals Purifying Pore Scrub*
- Buy again? No. It smells floral, and I don't think it scrubs quite enough.

Nuance Salma Hayek Cooling Eye Gel*
- Buy again? No. It sometimes felt burny, which is not what I want on that delicate skin!

Origins Plantscription Anti-aging eye treatment sample packet (x2)
- I used both of these and did not notice any change to my undereye area, so I will not be buying this.

Pacifica Body Butter - Tuscan Blood Orange (2.5 oz)
- Buy again? Nope, but only because I like the solid perfume format better. This is really quite amazing if you like citrusy scents, which I do. A lot.

Philosophy vitamin C powder sample decant
- Buy again? Maybe? I'm not sure it did enough to be worth the extra cost or extra step in the routine, but it did seem to brighten my face a little.

Philosophy Hope in a Jar SPF 30 sample tube
- Buy again? Probably not, unless it was on sale. See this week's Sunday Sunblock for more!

Philosophy Marshmallows for Toasting 3-in-1 4oz size
- Buy again? Nah. I think I'm over the Philosophy 3-in-1s. They're a lot more drying than I expected.

Real Purity foundation sample
- Buy again? No. It was an ok foundation, but I'm uncomfortable with a water-based product that does not use any preservatives at all. 


Shea Moisture African Black Soap shampoo*
- Buy again? No, but only because my water's too hard to rinse this out properly without an acidic rinse. If you have scalp issues and like herbal scents, you should try this.

Silk Naturals Camellia Moisturizer sample
- Buy again? No. I like my moisturizers either serumy and packed with goodness or creamy and cheap!

Tarte Aqua-Gel eyeliner - brown*
- Buy again? No way. For the price, you get a teensy tiny amount, and the tip breaks off super easily, which I find annoying. It does have a nifty cooling feel when you apply it, though.

Wet'N Wild Gray's Anatomy nail Polish*
- Buy again? No, but only because butter LONDON Knackered is a lot alike but so much nicer, what with the sparkles. 

* - full size product

October 2011 Used It!

In October, I used up 18 things, nine of them full size. I would buy the alba facial cleanser, aloe gel, and tresemme conditioner again. Even though I would not buy them again, I can still heartily recommend Darling Girl's products.

1. Josie Maran Protect sunblock - spf 40 with argan oil. - Good, expensive enough I don't think I'll repeat, though.

2. Frankenlotion. The frankenlotion kind of sucked. So let's talk about the Alba Mineral Facial Sunblock spf 20 that went into it, and how goopy it was, or how good it would be if you were dressing up as Casper for Halloween. Or let's not.

3. Sahara eyeshadow from the Sephora Pure Wanderlust palette. Good basic shimmery beige. Can't repurchase.

4. Korres Guava Lip Butter. Eh. I did not like the pot. The product itself was ok.

5. Philosophy Vanilla Birthday Cake 3-in-1 (birthday freebie from Sephora). Decent shampoo, ok body wash. Nothing that special, though.

6. Liza's Lotions Blotch-Be-Gone with Salicylic Acid. A little sad that she's closed for the time being now. Get well, Liza!

7. Alba Botanica Sea Minerals Cleansing Gel. I might buy this again. But only if the cheapie I'm waiting to use doesn't work well.

8. VO5 blackberry sage conditioner. I need to stop buying this. It doesn't smell or condition that well.

9. CVS brand clear aloe gel. I will probably buy this again, if only because it's a pretty good hair gel/makeup remover/sunburn remedy, and it's dirt cheap.

I also went through some samples.
- Garden of Wisdom sulfur clearing mask (.25 oz size). Not bad.
- Biore nose strip. I liked it enough to swap for some more. Gunk be gone!
- Darling Girl Cosmetics Belle shadow sample. This was really pretty - don't need another pale shadow, though!
- Darling Girl Cosmetics Chimera shadow sample. Also really pretty, great texture.
- John Freida full repair shampoo and conditioner samples. Eh. I don't think it repaired anything. It did clean and help detangle my hair, though. But not so much that the sample worked.
- Too Faced absolutely flawless concealer sample decant - vanilla. I did not like the concealer because it creased. It does make me curious about the foundation.
- Tresemme "Naturals" aloe vera and avocado shampoo and conditioner samples. Did not like the shampoo. The conditioner is something I might pick up sometime.
- Silk Naturals Juiced sample shadow baggie. I don't think this is the best color for me, and I would have liked the sparkles to stay a bit longer.
- L'Oreal Youth Code day/night cream sample. This was fine. I'm pretty sure a pile of dimethicone is not going to do gene therapy on my face, though.

More stuff is gone! Skin, hair, lip stuff

SN Microdermabrasion cream sample - Really pretty decent exfoliator - face definitely felt smoother after using this! However, aspirin masks are cheaper and work just as well for me, so I'm going to stick with that.

Pixi Lip Booster - Zuzana - Red gloss, bought at All Cosmetics Wholesale for three bucks, because there's no way I'm going to spend 16 dollars on a lip gloss. This stuff was pretty sticky, and not neutral enough for everyday.

Alba Botanica Hibiscus Toner - Trying to move away from floral-scented anything. That said, this was pretty good, just not better than witch hazel.

Crazy Rumors Raspberry Sherbet lip balm - Tasty. Man likes the smell. I might get it again.

Kiss My Face trial size exfoliating Sudz bar - Eh. (I only have one more bar of soap to use up!!!)

Suave Professionals Rosemary Mint conditioner - I'm not sure this conditioned my hair so much as coated it in a smooth-feeling film. I think my experiment with coney conditioners is coming to an end - I do better with a bit of a serum on top of a no-silicone conditioner.

ES project pan - 2/8
Lip project pan - 2/5

98 items gone
31 full size items gone

6 more things are gone!

Used up a bunch more stuff!
1. Clinique salicylic acid spot treatment. This stuff could dry out zits, but always left me a little flaky and took longer than I wanted.

2. Kat von D tattoo concealer - light (sample decant). Hoped it could cover dark circles, but it can't without creasing. Also, I'd prefer something with less yellow and more peach.

3. Mix of Lucy Minerals foundation, silica powder, and Aromaleigh yellow shimmer. Not that I can make this again, but it wasn't the best.

4. Aromaleigh Opulent Lustre shadow sample - Tea. Gorgeous light yellowy green color - already have the full size! But given that the kids at work have started looking for greens, I do believe I'll quit while I'm ahead and break it out again later.

5. sample of Alba Botanica very emollient rinsing conditioner. This stuff wasn't bad, but I also didn't fall in love with it. It works ok, but not super awesomely.

6. trial-size jar of Yes to Carrots body butter. I might buy this again if it didn't smell so herby. Works fine, though.


Running tally:
74 things total
18 full size products

Used it!

One real winner, one kind of "eh" product

1. Alba Botanica Sea Lipids cream. Will I buy this again? Yes. This is a good, moisturizing, but lightweight cream. It doesn't break me out. I like it. My skin responds really well to seaweed.

2. Some random tiny jar of spf 50 sunblock. It came packaged with a sunblock stick I wanted. I used it up as protection from windburn while I go running. It worked for that. I wasn't wowed or anything, though.