EMPTIES | January to March 2019 Makeup Empties & Declutters

Hello internet! It's been a very long time since my last post (July 2018!) but to be fair, I haven't been blogging consistently for a couple years now. Life has been hectic for me, both good and bad. But I think I'll save that for another post because I've been saving all these beauty empties for months! It's definitely time to jot down my thoughts on these items and find a good way to recycle them. Here's a quick glance at all the makeup I used up from January to March of this year:

There's just so many products to talk about so I'm dividing the posts into makeup, skincare, and finally hair and body. I threw in my declutters at the end of this blog post since most of them were makeup, sadly. 

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BEAUTY ROUNDUP | Year in Beauty: 2016 Edition Part 1

Welcome to my first post of 2017! It's been another 366 days around the sun and many a beauty love has been discovered. In previous years, I chose four products in six categories to talk about. Strategic buying made this year's list harder to compile because I really do love so many things! Some things will come as no surprise but there are others that are just getting their spotlight now. I'll link to related blog posts so y'all can get more information if you're interested. I've split it into two parts and this one will be all my makeup loves. So without further ado, here is 2016's Year in Beauty!

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BEAUTY ROUND-UP | June 2016: The Throwback Edition

It's that time of time of the month when I share about all the products I've liked these past few months. I call this the throw back edition because they're all products I've had for a while. Pulling them out for the Great Purge (a destashing project where I go through my entire collection to use up all my non-CF products) reminded me how much I love them. I am going cruelty-free so most of these will not be repurchased but I'll still talk about them while  I have them. Without further ado, let's get into the products!

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DESTASHING PROJECT | Going Cruelty Free: Eye Edition Pt. 2

This is part 2 of my Eye Makeup De-stashing Project! If you haven't checked out part 1 of the De-Stashing Project: Eye Edition, head on over there to find out what eyeshadows are staying and which are going onto greener pastures.

So without further ado, here is me trying to decide what to keep and what to let go...harder than it looks :(

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EMPTIES | Collective + May 2016

I can't believe this is the first empties post of 2016 and the year is half over, naughty blogger...If you've been through traumatic events, you know what I'm talking about. Your normal routine disappears, self-care becomes survival mode and hobbies goes out the window. But this post is not about that so I'll talk you through the products I will repurchase until the end of time and the products I'd run the other way from.

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HAUL | Collective ULTA + Sephora Birthday Haul

So it's been several months since I've posted on this blog. I'm sorry about the prolonged absence but real life has been draining my energy, leaving me with none for blogging. It's a little awkward getting back into it; I've actually been very nervous about posting again in such a long time. Anyone else feel me on that?

Anyhoo, I've bought all these things last year around November and most of it's just been sitting here, waiting for me to crack it open and use it. I'm embarrassed to say that most of it hasn't been tested at all and still sits in its original packaging. However, I will give updates when I do get around to testing everything. 

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UNBOXING | Tarte "Be Your Own Tartetist" 7-Piece Essentials Kit for June 2015

 This actually came in June but as my summer was quite hectic, I couldn't get this out on time. I don't know if the items will be released individually but I had the photos sitting in my folders so I hope y'all don't mind. Anyhoo, the Tarte "Be Your Own Tarteist" 7-Piece Essentials Set for June 2015 fit right in for the summer with the warm-toned shadows and the bronzing serum so let's get on with the review!

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BEAUTY REVIEW | September 2015 ♥

1. GOT2B ROCKIN' IT DRY SHAMPOO -- Like Goldilocks and her porridge, I'm always on the search for my "just right" dry shampoo. I need it to soak up oil well without a heavy scent or a sticky build up. Added volume is nice but not necessary (more on that at the end of the month). This dry shampoo is just so-so on every aspect. It soaks up oil well initially but 2-3 hours later, I find myself needing another spritz. This is good for second day hair. I usually wash my hair at night but by midday the next day (not even a full 24 hours), I'll notice the oil seeping through again. By the night and the following morning, I'll have crazy oily hair that this doesn't do much to control. The scent reminds of me Nestle Lemon Iced Tea and while it isn't unpleasant, I prefer my products to be unscented. The positives are that the spray is even and I don't have a white residue in my dark hair. I also haven't had a problem with the nozzle getting blocked or falling off. But the most important aspects aren't fulfilled so I won't be purchasing this again. BUY

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UNBOXING | Tarte "Be Your Own Tartetist" February 2015 Set

My name is Cindy and I am a Tarte addict. There, I said it. No brand is as well represented in my makeup collection, which is much larger than what one would attribute to one sane person. It all started a couple of years ago when my mom (re) gifted me a Tarte Eye Couture Day to Night Palette, which I actually reviewed for y'all waaaay back in my early blogging days. Not only can I expect the packaging to be gorgeous, the product usually never fails me either. The purple theme jives quite well with me and the mission statement is one I can stand behind. I was quite the avid environmentalist in my teens so this brand speaks to me. I even created a 30 minute PowerPoint presentation and habitat about the Amazon rainforest for my AP Environmental Science culmination project (which bored my classmates and was quite overkill, if I'm being completely honest).

Going back to what this post is supposed to be about, when I heard that Tarte was releasing another TSV with QVC, I was intrigued but the items and colors didn't exactly wow me. It wasn't until I saw a slew of Youtube tutorials that I thought, why the heck not...I can always return it if I hated it. I, of course, got it on Auto Delivery as I like keeping my options open and *spoiler alert* so glad I did! Proceed with caution as I turn on "full-on" fan girl mode to the max ;)

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FAVORITES | February 2015 ♥

Wahhh can't believe it's the end of February already! I know it's a shorter month than usual but those 2-3 days seem to make a huge difference. February was quite an eventful month for me so my makeup life suffered a bit. Haven't posted a Favorites in months so I'm glad to share some items I've been loving. I've finally found a body butter that I love so let's get on with it.

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EMPTIES | December 2014 & January 2015 ♡

I know we are in the middle of February already but I just wanted to post this before February's empties comes around. Since I was on break, I didn't use my makeup or anything, really, so this empties will be a bit smaller. Nevertheless, let's jump right in!

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UNBOXING | ❅ December 2014 Ipsy Bag ❅

This post is super late since ipsy is sending out tracking codes for the latest edition of the Glam Bag but the items in this bag are my favoritest yet so I just had to give them a quick mention! If you're not familiar with the Glam Bags, it's a monthly subscription service curated by Michelle Phan and her team. It'll set you back $10usd per month but the items included are usually over that amount so you do get your money's worth.Each bag comes with 4-5 deluxe and full sized products catered to your choices according to the introductory quiz they have you take when you first sign up. I've only come across maybe 2 or 3 items I wasn't satisfied with so the quiz is quite accurate/I have low standards (when it comes to beauty, anyway). I've used these items for the past couple of weeks on and off so I can tell you a bit about each product :D

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HAUL + MINI-REVIEWS + EOTD | ⁂ Sephora Annual VIB Rouge Sale ⁂

Not the most glamourous background but it'll do xD

With 20% off at Sephora, temptation was too great and I picked up a few things I was interested in. As you can see, I restrained myself to 4 items so this will be quick! Reviews for some of the items are forthcoming :D I forgot to photograph the Marc Jacobs Enamored Hi-Shine Nail Lacquer - Collector's Edition in Midnight in Paris but the long and short of it is that I liked the dark, almost black color and the application but the shine wore off way too quickly for me and chipped sooner than I'd expect from a $24usd bottle of polish, even though I used my usual base and top coat. 

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EMPTIES┊October and November 2014 ♥

I've been trying to be diligent and use up products every month to cut down my stash. I didn't post an October Empties but I did use up a few things during that time (15 to be exact). November was a bit slower but 12 items isn't so bad! December might be a bit smaller as I'm running out of products that are almost done but we'll see how it goes. I still have 22 days to sort that out :D

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UNBOXING┊ bareMinerals Beauty & the Beach Sephora Beauty Insider Box

⇥ AT A GLANCE ⇤

I love these little boxes from Sephora as it lets me try out a particular brand's most popular products. Of course, the 500-point "perk" is a bit exorbitant but I try to accrue points during their 4x points sales. Anyhoo, this time, I have the bareMinerals Beauty & the Beach Beauty Insider Box which includes deluxe sized samples of the All-Over Face Color in Pure Radiance, the READY Blush in the Natural High, the READY Bronzer in Skinny Dip, the Lash Domination Volumizing Mascara, and the Marvelous Moxie Lipgloss in Party Starter. 

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UNBOXING ┊ Tarte Shades of Clay October 2014 Edition

⇥ AT A GLANCE ⇤
This is the third and final installment of the Tarte Shades of Clay from QVC. I'm sad that I won't be receiving any more of these but they have introduced an exciting new product in this installment: the Colored Clay CC Eye Primer! Each set contains 7 products to create a nice and rosy look:

• Amazonian Colored Clay Liquid Foundation
• Colored Clay CC Primer
• Amazonian Colored Clay Bronzer Blush in Rose Bronze
• Colored Clay CC Eye Primer
• Colored Clay Eyeliner in Midnight Plum
• Lights, Camera, Lashes Mascara
• Lipsurgence Lip Gloss in Blushing Bride

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UNBOXING┊IPSY Glam Bag September 2014♥

I'm not going to go on and on about what this is because most beauty-obsessed people would already know by now (¬‿¬) BUT the tl;dr version is that it's a $10USD monthly subscription service that includes 4-5 full-sized or deluxe sized products ranging from hair, skin, beauty, and makeup all encased in a cute little pouch. Now that we've got the formalities out of the way, let's hop into the products for this month's Glam Bag!

⇥ AT A GLANCE ⇤

I've been on the waitlist for forever and finally got my bag this month. The theme this month is Street Style. Inside, I received 5 products in my bag: Avon Big & Daring Mascara, Be a Bombshell Smooth Criminal Powder, Cailyn Art Touch Tinted Lip Gloss,   Mitchell & Peach Luxury Hand Cream, and a Pacifica 7 Free Nail Polish.

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EMPTIES| July 2014

On the quest to finish all, or being realistic, most of my beauty products before I move out, I'm looking through my stash and finishing up almost done products and my samples. I've divided it up below into skincare and makeup items so y'all can just scroll to whatever you're most interested in (but I do hope that you read everything!)

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EMPTIES | June 2014: Part 1 (Haircare, Bodycare, and Makeup) ♥

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REVIEW | Tarte Color Your World With Shades of Clay June 2014 (2nd Installment)

Let me preface by saying Tarte is one of my most favorite brands. The attention to cruelty free and natural ingredients really makes it stand out as an Earth-conscious brand. The Tarte Color Your World with Shades of Clay Collection is part of a 3 piece set from QVC that was available for auto-ship a couple of months ago. As far as I'm aware, the items in this kit, like the foundation, eyeliner, and blush are exclusive to this kit. The primer, finishing powder, lip gloss, and mascara are part of their current line up.

--AT A GLANCE-

The collection is built around the multitasking benefits of Amazonian colored clay. This 7 piece set contains all the products you'll need for a naturally flushed look. To perfect your complexion, the Colored Clay CC Primer and the Amazonian Colored Clay Liquid Foundation are up to the task. Finish off all your hard work with the  Smooth Operator Amazonian Clay Finishing Powder. The Amazonian Color Clay Bronzer Blush in Peach Bronze will add a healthy glow and flush.  Eyes are the windows to the soul and the Amazonian Colored Clay Eyeliner in Espresso and the Lights Camera, Lashes 4 in 1 Mascara will frame those peepers to perfection. Finishing off your look, the Lipsurgence Lip Gloss in Flushed will add a pinky tint to your gorgeous pucker. All of these wonderful finds are encased in a large coral makeup bag.

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