FITFABFUN: SUMMER

It is a happy time when my FABFITFUN comes in the mail and this is only my second box! I also wasn’t expecting this box either as it wasn’t supposed to arrive for another week or so. This time around, I got nine items in my box of mostly skincare, which I am not mad about. I LOVE SKINCARE. Also, some of it I didn’t have or I needed a backup of. This is my second box and again, I think the value of what I received is worth the price that I paid. I paid $53.11 with tax on a $49.99 subscription. When I can afford to pay for a whole season, I will because I do want to keep this box around for a while.

ALSO, I will be adding any relevant items to my current inventory list. Basically, any time I add to my backstock, I will put into my inventory list and any item that I take out of backstock is deducted from the list. If it isn’t in backstock and was never considered backstock, it will not be added to the list. Any current item that goes into backstock will be added to the list. I just wanted to make that clear before I show you what I got in my box.

NOTE: I took a week off due to being sick. I’m hoping to stay back on my schedule, but still under the weather.

Invisibobble Original, 6 for $16

I have 3 clear and 3 nude hair ties. I am always in need of more hair ties. I am dumping these directly into my hair tie container where I keep all of my hair accessories. I’m not made that these where in my box. I have a use for them and I have always wanted to try something like this before. It is a very practical item that I’m sure most women could use. This was an item that everyone received in their box this season.

Sol De Janeiro Brazilian Bum Bum Cream

& Brazilian 4 Play Moisturizing Shower Cream-Gel, $45 for the set

I am BEYOND pumped that I got my choice! I have been DYING to try the Bum Bum cream and now I also get to try the shower gel as well. Since this is only a deluxe sized sample of the bum bum cream, I am intending to use it sparingly and only on my boobs and butt when I want them to look great. This set smells divine and I know that I want to buy the full size when all is said and done. I think I will wait to use the shower gel until I buy the full size, so I can use them together as a set. I am putting the shower gel in storage, but I will be putting out the Bum Bum cream to use. Even with my cold, it smells like a sweet and nutty bakery shop. I absolutely love it. I’ll be milking this small 2.5 oz container all summer.

111Skin Rose Gold Brightening Facial Treatment Mask, 5 for $160

Just these sheet masks makes the box triple its value and worth it. I am always ready to try a new sheet mask. So, I can now add these 5 to my backstock for when I am ready to use one. I did no masking this week as I write this post, because I have been sick. I think I might even skip a week of blogging, because I do not feel good at all. Every time I use a sheet mask, I subtract it from my inventory. I keep them in storage, because they are not something that I use regularly. These will probably be the first one that I use when I feel better. I am excited to try it and I wonder if the mask itself is reflective or like a foil mask in rose gold. That would be so cool. Ago, this was another item that I chose.

Odeme What A Pair Silicone Wine Glasses, 2 for $25

These are super cute and come in a pink drawstring bag. I could see using these for jello shots or icy sangrias. They are perfect for travel, if you plan on drinking at a picnic or something. I’ll probably use these at home with drinks. You could put these in the freezer for ten minutes to get them cold and then pour a drink in them. They will have a use at my house, so I am happy with them. They are also baby pink, so super cute. I also chose this item as well.

Generation Clay Ultra Violet Brightening Purple Clay Mask, for $39

This is another item that was included in everyone’s box this season. Another item that is going into backstock until I use up my current face mask. This one seems really cool, because it is a purple face mask and purple is my favorite color. I love that it is cruelty free. I cannot wait to start using it when I can. Since the product is completely sealed, I will not be opening it until I am ready to use it, so it can stay as fresh as possible. I am so pumped about this box. I absolutely love it. Already, I think this one is SO much better than the Spring box. I am WAY more pumped about the items in the Summer one.

Dr. Brandt Pores No More Pore Purifying Cleanser, for $36

My mystery item that I didn’t get to chose was this cleanser and I am super pumped about that! I thought the mystery items were mostly unwanted products, but this one is the bomb dot com. If you are a SELECT member, you would have been able to chose this one or another choice. I couldn’t find this exact product on the website, which makes me think that this is the repackaged cleanser listed on the brand’s website. This is a daytime cleanser, so I think that I will immediately put this to use. I will start using this in the morning instead of my makeup wipes. I will reserve my wipes for lazy days. This cleanser is supposed to shrink pores and reduce oil production. It would serve its purpose better in the morning than at night. I am excited to start using this.

Whish Exfoliating Foot Mask, for $32

Everyone received this item in their box. I have a foot mask out at the moment, so this will be going into storage until I finish that tube up. It is very close to being used up too. This is a leave overnight foot mask, which is very interesting. I look forward to using it, once I use up my current tube which is just a 10 to 15 minute foot mask. I only really use foot masks during the summer to keep my feet in sandal shape. I do it occasionally during the Winter if I feel like my feet need it. This box is starting to have an insane value.

Grace & Stella Rose Facial Spray, for $25.95

Another item that everyone got in their box. I love face spray. This one already leaked all over the box, so it is going straight into rotation and replacing my coconut MAC Prep & Prime. This smells like an old grandma rose. I want to just use it up and get it out of my collection. It is in a plastic bottle, which I don’t think fits the $25 price tag. I can use this before makeup, after makeup, and whenever. I plan on using it whenever I want to, since I don’t care for the scent. I’m not going to hoard this one. I’m still glad that I have this and I will still use it up. I just don’t personally care for the scent. I am also sick, which could have a factor in how this smells right now to me.

Coola Makeup Setting Spray SPF 30, for $36

Last but not least, this was another item that I did not choose and I am hella glad that I have it now. I pulled this setting spray in and my Huda into storage. This has SPF, so I want to use this one during the Summer for sure. It would make no sense to continue using Huda and wear this one in the Winter. I really love the cool looking glass bottle and it feels super expensive matching the price tag. I have only gotten into setting sprays recently, so I wonder how this compares to the Huda.

I feel like I love everything that I got in this box 110%. I am super excited to try everything. There isn’t anything that I am meh about. The total value of my box is $414.95. I feel like this season was the best box yet. I love and will use everything. I really should do a month of masking. I have plenty of them now. What did you get in your Summer FITFABFUN box?

With Love,

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May Empties

I feel really good about the amount of products that I was able to push out this month. It even out the amount of products that I have brought in. I really have been concentrating on using up samples, deluxe sizes, and almost empty products this month. I am sure there will be just as many empties in June as well from my May efforts. I don’t want to have a crazy backstock of items. I don’t want to have to keep 3 bins in my closet to hold all of my items (hair, body, skin care). I want to hold everything in just one backup storage bin. If by the end of the year I can have two bins, I will be a very happy girl. I think this is more realistic at this point in time. I keep my makeup totally separate, but I would like to have one empty drawer out of my jewelry case for my everyday jewelry to be accessible. I have larger makeup items on top where jewelry is stored, so I’d like to have an empty drawer for that purpose. If I use up enough makeup, I can make this happen. Fingers crossed!

1.DKNY Be Delicious Fresh Blossom

I used up this perfume in my project pan. It was the first item in the project that I was able to use up. I enjoyed this Spring scent, but I am more interested in buying a different Be Delicious perfume than repurchasing this one. I would not repurchase this one, because the scent wasn’t apple-y enough for me and too floral. Glad to have a perfume out of my collection. That is the second perfume used up this year, so I am a happy girl right now. Hopefully, I’ll be able to move out two more by the end of the year and keep up the pace.

2. Smashbox Primerizer Sample

I have no opinion on this product. It was a nice primer to use up, but I notice nothing from foil packets. I’m not interested in trying this primer, though.

3. Sumita Jaipur Gold Contrast Eye Pencil

This came in a subscription box, but has since dried out. It looks great on the back of my hand, but I cannot press it hard enough into my eye lid for the same pigmentation. I am not going to kill my eyeballs for the sake of using up an eye liner that I didn’t even buy myself, so I am happily decluttering this one.

4. Marc Jacobs Velvet Noir Major Volume Mascara

Chunky and clumpy lashes. I just hate that type of look on me. I have naturally long dark eye lashes, so I am just looking for darkening and volume. It was too clumpy to salvage it. I even tried using my lash brush to brush out some of the clumps and I had mascara bits all over my face from brushing out the clumps. I’m glad to be decluttering, because I don’t enjoy using it. The short stubby bristles on the wand are not great for lengthening and gives really chunky lashes.

5 – 7. Moda Oval Makeup Brushes

I hate these with a passion. I don’t like them. I prefer traditional brushes. The only one that was good is the biggest one, but with a flimsy wand, I quickly grew tired of it. Now, I have the ELF blending brush and couldn’t be happier with it.

8. Benefit High Beam Cream Highlighter

I scraped out every last bit that I could. I even cut the tube in half. I enjoyed this by adding it into my moisturizer for a healthy glow. It was perfect for that. I am enjoying using up my cream highlighters in this way. I would rather use a glowy primer when I am done with my cream highlighters though. I still keep a pink cream highlighter in my collection though in case I use a pore filling primer. It would be good to use on no makeup days for a glowy look. Yeah, I think I’ll always have a pink cream highlighter on hand, but that is all the cream highlighter that I need. I will not repurchase this. It was too frosty for what I want to use it for and it is not cruelty free.

9. HIGH Expectation Cannabis Facial Oil Sample

This sample lasted me a week of nightly use leaving me very pleasantly surprised. It sinks in faster than other oils and smells like fruity pebbles. I like other oils that sink in faster and do more for my skin than just hydrate AKA the Sunday Riley UFO oil. I still did enjoy this sample, but I mostly buy main stream brands and I’ve never heard of this one before. Oh and the fact that its cannabis doesn’t bother me in the slightest. LOL.

 

 

10. MAC PREP + PRIME FIX + MINI in Lavender

I don’t see these as a necessary step in my routine if I am already using primer. I feel like I need a pore filling primer or a mattifying one that does something for my skin rather than this one that just adds moisture. This might be nice for dry skin, but I don’t see the point for my skin. I will gladly use my minis up and buy this on sale again, because it is very refreshing and nice. I wouldn’t buy it full price. I’d rather spend money on a setting spray that will lock my makeup in place. I really enjoy the experience of using this though. I can see drier skin types loving this spray.

11. Johnson’s Bedtime Baby Moisture Wash

I bought this for $1 or $1.50 when a Walmart I lived near was clearancing this line out to redo their baby section. I used this as a nighttime bubble bath for Dean. I got a ton of use out of it and it did have a very soothing scent. I would not purchase this full price, but I would buy it on sale again. I usually buy Dr. Teals or the Walmart brand bubble bath. I am not gonna lie, I used this a few times as well. It made quite a few baths and lots of bubbles. Even though technically its not a bubble bath, we used it as such and it performed great.

12. Drunk Elephant Lala Retro Whipped Cream Sample

This was enough for 2 uses on the face. It was nice enough, but I really have no opinion of it. I would need a deluxe size to really comment on it.

13. Josie Maran Whipped Argan Oil Body Butter Unscented

I only used up one of the samples. I’ve had it before. I wouldn’t purchase it. It takes a long time to sink into the skin, so it’s kinda a hassle to use. It was enough for almost 2 full body uses.

14. Magic Bath Crackles

This was enough for 2 baths. Dean ignored it for the most part. It was worth a shot.

15. Crayola Color Bath Dropz

These continue to be a repurchase for us. Dean loves different colors in his bath water. It makes bath time a fun experience for him. They just change the color of the bath water, so there isn’t much to review about it. It doesn’t stain the tub or his skin, so its a winner in my book.

16. Not Your Mother’s Way To Grow Long & Strong Shampoo

I really enjoyed this shampoo. I liked the fragrance and it lathered nicely. I don’t know if it did anything to make my hair grow longer, but I would buy another shampoo from this brand again. It is a great cruelty free drugstore option. I wasn’t blown away by this shampoo, but it is a solid shampoo with good ingredients. I’m not too fussy when it comes to shampoo, but I do like them to clean my hair. I always shampooed my hair twice with this as I felt that once wasn’t enough to strip out all the oil in my hair. I wouldn’t mind repurchasing this again, but I’d rather try another shampoo by the brand.

17. ROLOXIN LIFT INSTANT SKIN SMOOTHING MASK

I am decluttering this to my mom.

18. Mr. Bubble Bubble Bath

My mom put this is Dean’s easter basket and we used it up once our bath was fixed. In a few baths, we finished this bad boy off and I ordered some bubble bath at Walmart. Dean loves bubbles in his tub and I do like it as well when I indulge in a bath.

I am very proud of how much stuff I was able to use up on my birthday month! I am happy that I used up 18 products this month with 8 being full sized, 4 deluxe, and 6 samples. I don’t expect much coming into my collection in June besides maybe another VS bra or something since I do have another $10 gift card. Nothing beauty wise though, so these numbers have put me in a good spot to cut down on my collection while adding to it. I am very happy and proud of what I have been able to accomplish this month. Hopefully, June is just as good of a month. I can see quite a few products hanging by a hair in my collection, so I’m going to take that as a good sign.

With Love,

FITFABFUN Spring Subscription Box

I decided to try the Spring box of FITFABFUN with a $10 off coupon. I was able to chose 3 things in my box and if I think it is worth the value/money, I will get the annual membership. I like that it has a mixture of beauty, fashion, and lifestyle items. It will feed my beauty addition, but also add a few things our home needs and a few pieces to my wardrobe. If there is anything that I don’t like/need, they would make really good gifts. As long as this month, I get my $40 worth then I will continue the subscription, because it would still be worth it. I am really happy with my 3 picks and it was really easy to sign up for the box. The annual membership, you get to choose more items that go into your box, so I am looking forward to that if I decide to do that. Oh, and this is a quarterly subscription, so the next box that I would get would be in June/July. Plenty of time to decide if I want to get the year plan or just another month. This is something I always wanted to try, but could never afford before.

The Box:

The box is cute as hell and I will be keeping it to collect items for birthday gifts and such. It is the perfect size for things like that to store away in a closet. I can for sure see myself in the future repurposing more of these boxes as they are pretty, sturdy, and generally a good size to have around.

The box has a magazine insert in it that has recipes and articles, but also has the list of everything in the box and the breakdown of the prices as well. I will also be double checking the prices online to let you know how true to scale what they say you are getting in these boxes. The magazine is a nice touch and I will be reading/using it for sure. I like having light reading material sometimes.

Ciate London Extraordinary Translucent Setting Powder, $22

I am pretty darn excited about getting this one! I have a finishing powder, but now I have a setting powder that I can pair with my concealer or foundation if I want to wear those types of products or anything that really needs a setting powder to “set” it. Otherwise, on the day to day, I use my finishing powder to give my skin a soft blurring effect. I will be putting this powder to good use for sure and now, I will not be needing to buy any face powder for a long, long time. It is also a pricey brand that I wouldn’t buy unless on sale at Sephora.

OUAI Leave In Conditioner, $26

I was just talking with my boyfriend, Martin, that I recently finished up my current leave-in that was doing nothing for me and switched to using my expensive Moroccan oil and the wonders it was doing to my hair keeping it knot free. I am going to immediately start using this instead of my expensive oil and see how it compares. If it doesn’t hold up, I want to finish it up and go back to what works for me. I am willing to try new things, but my hair oil (even though expensive) does the job of detangling, moisturizing, and keeping it tangle free when I don’t wash my hair for days. I am excited to try a prestigious brand from this box. Already, this box is equal to what I paid for and I am very happy. I will give you the grand total at the bottom of this post.

Manna Kadar Champagne Body Scrub, $24

This is a huge and generous body scrub tub. It isn’t very pricey when you consider that VS sells their 8 oz tubs for almost the same price and you are getting more than double the amount in there. I will be setting this aside for when I finish my other two body scrubs from VS. I like to use a body scrub before shaving my legs and about once a week to keep my skin soft and smooth. It’s actually a “secret” of mine. It really works to give yourself baby soft skin and to keep your skin in its best condition. The best part? Most of these scrubs with oils hydrate the skin and seal in moisture. This means you don’t have to put lotion on your skin when you get out of the shower. I love skipping a step when I can, because time is a precious commodity.

Unplug Meditation Aromatherapy Diffuser, $55

We just used this last night and I am in love. It changes colors, so it is a pretty cool nightlight. I love the essential oil included. It is a sweet orange scent that is very uplifting. I filled it when we were settling into our room for the night and it diffused until we fell asleep. Don’t know how many hours it works for, but it was very nice. Only con is that it needs to be plugged into a USB port which is a pain. I will buy a USB charger/battery thing, so it can run on its own. Currently, I hook it up to my laptop at night. It isn’t ideal since I tend to knock things over and I don’t want to get water anywhere near my laptop.

Eleven By Venus Jump Rope, $15

Not sure that this jump rope is worth $15, but I will be keeping it as part of my exercise routine indoors that I need to get back to. May is a brand new month, my birthday month, the perfect month to get back to exercising again. This will be nice to rotate into my routine and get some good cardio going. I will be keeping this at my desk, which is in a corner of our living room where I will be keeping my exercise equipment/supplies as I collect them. I like having the extra space over here (next to a cement ledge), because it sort of extends the top part of my desk. I didn’t care for this item, but I will put it to good use and will use it.

Korres Wild Rose Vitamin C Brightening Sleeping Facial, $48

I thought this was a face mask, but it is more like an overnight treatment face cream? I am excited to try Korres, another high end brand that I have always wanted to try before. I will set this in my bathroom to alternate which my night time face oil, since one of the serums that I do use at night is more compatible with a cream than an oil. This will be a good pairing with that. This seems EXTREMELY STRONGLY of roses which I LOVE but may not be everyone’s cup of tea. I feel so fancy! I can say without a doubt that I am keeping the subscription right now. Not sure that I can afford to swing the annual membership for a bit, but I will as soon as I am able. That’s like paying for 3 1/2 instead or 4 boxes. Even saving $20 makes a difference, plus with the upgrade, you get to chose two more products in your box instead of 3.

Giadzy Copper Plated Measuring Spoons, $15

One can never have too many measuring spoons when cooking and these are a super nice pair and SO SHINY! I am reserving these for my dry ingredients, since these don’t separate. I am excited to have a plastic set for wet and a nice sturdy pair for dry. You really do need two pairs, because yesterday I had to use a TBS of oil and then a TBS of sugar. I had to wash and dry in between cooking. A second pair will just make things so much easier while cooking.

Dr. Brandt Skincare Needles No More No More Baggage Eye De-Puffing Gel, $42

I have a major problem with dark circles under my eyes (Genes) and my eyes are always a bit puffy in the morning. I am currently using a roller ball by ELF for $3 that I am enjoying for depuffing but it does nothing for my dark circles. I am excited to give this a try once I finish up my ELF morning treatment. This will be put in back stock until then, but at least I know that I don’t need to buy any day eye cream/gel anytime soon. My evening eye cream is getting low though. I have a few things on my list to get for my birthday that I limited myself to 4 stores: Lush, MAC, Sephora, and ELF.

That is everything that came in my box. So, I paid $42 with shipping and the value of this box was…..$247. I definitely feel like I got my moneys worth from this box and will use everything. I had nothing set aside for gifts, because I know that I will use everything. This was a very nice surprise! On future calculations, whatever I set aside for gifts will have a box total and a usage total of what I will actually use. I am very happy with my first box and I am looking forward to the Summer box in June/July.

With Love,

20 By 2020: Project Pan

Let’s start the year off right with a project pan announcement. I have way too much stuff and I want to get my money’s worth out of as much stuff as possible this year. I’d love to use up 1K worth of product in my collection this year. I’ll be focusing on that dollar amount as my goal this year instead of a finite number of empty products. Along with my empty posts, I will be creating a spreadsheet of items that I am using up with the dollar amounts over there. This series will just focus on the project pan and the progress being made on the items that I have selected. I have chosen way more than 20 items to start out with and over the course of the year, I hope to get it down to 20. I just have so many last little bits of things to use up that I’d rather start out with a ton of stuff to move out of my collection early for a nice motivating start. Let’s get into it!

Hair Care: 5

I have a ton of hair things open at the moment. I have two purple shampoos that I would like to use up. The Shimmer Lights, I use as a primer to strip my blonde hair of any remaining previous color. I use it on dry hair like a hair mask. Speaking of which, I will be doing my hair a different color again. I have three more semi dyes to use up that only last about a month before I can buy my demi colors again. The other purple shampoo is my “daily” shampoo to keep my hair from getting brassy again, so I don’t have to do the Shimmer Lights very often. The hair mask has like one more use left in it. The conditioner is two thirds empty and the Nexxus split end fuser has the tiniest bit left. So, we are starting out with five in this category. I’m not using any styling products at the moment, but that could change.

Body Care: 5

Again, we are starting out with 5 items in this category as well. I have a few foot masks left in this tube and I’d like to get a new one when its done. Its a lazy girl solution to a pumice stone. I have a quarter of the body splash left that I use after a shower and I have like 3 more to get through. Don’t know why I ever bought these. I’d rather use perfume. I have a fifth of the body butter left, so only a few more uses to go. I love the apple blossom scent, but VS is not CF. I have half of my Lush shower jelly left and I just want to use it up. It’s so annoying to use. Lastly, I like to go through 1 Summer’s Eve product every year, so I’d like to see this gone. Not my favorite scent, but it is nice especially during the winter when I tend to get a bit of heat rash on my legs.

Skin Care: 10

As you can see, we haven’t even hit the makeup yet and we are already at 20 items. I have a ton of skincare open right now, so I’d like to get through what I have before opening any new things. I have a third of my coconut rose spray and I think I’ll switch to Dean’s baby wipes that are so gentle and effective on the face for a bit. I pay $9 for 480 wipes, so I figure one pack should last me a good long time and be more cost effective in the long run versus buying the liquid and the cotton. I have a tiny bit left in the Paula’s Choice serum and then I have another serum to go through. I kinda don’t want to buy anymore until I’m 30, then I’ll invest in an anti-aging one. My Curology serum is only used when I see texture on my face or a breakout. Otherwise, my bc keeps my skin pretty clear. It just needs a boost sometimes. I have a morning serum that literally does nothing. I don’t find it particularly hydrating and I can just use a moisturizer.

I have the Curology cleanser and moisturizer. I just want to use these guys up. I would not purchase either. Overpriced for what they really are. I have a couple of more uses of my MAC cleanse off oil for when I wear a full face of makeup. I tend to wear that for work, because when I’m at home, let’s be real, I’m not wearing a full face. I have an eye cream that I hate and just want to use up. I have a tiny bit of the Lancer exfoliator left that I just need to push myself to use. Lastly, I have a facial oil that I would like to use up by the end of the year. I have my eye on the PIXI rose oil.

Makeup: 26

So, my makeup category is really a bonus, since it consists of 26 items. I am going to try to get this done to 20 over the next month, but no promises. The 4 nail polishes, I am counting as one. I just want to use all of these colors in January and see if there are any that I want to declutter from my collection. I will rotate another 4 in every month. I added the two different nail stickers as one, I want to use these up this month as accent nails to just use them up. I do enjoy nail stickers though. The potted lip balm is for home use that I hope to use up by the end of the year and the EOS is for my desk at work. The long BareMinerals palette has a highlight, blush, and bronzer. I only have plans to use up the bronzer. It is basically untouched. I have a mascara that I would like to use up and I feel like it is near the end of its life.

I have a brightener eye shadow pencil that I want to use up, because I have plenty of pencils to get through. I have a liquid eyeliner as well, even though I suck at a wing. I have three primers pulled in currently: a dewy one, a matte one, and a pore filler. I should be able to use the matte one up by Feb no problem. I already cut into the tube. I have my lip scrub that I have a third left and I’d like to just buy a new pot. I have my bouncy blush that I just want to use up on those no makeup days. It doesn’t layer well over foundation. I have a lip gloss, a liquid lipstick, and a bullet lipstick that I’d like to use up this year. I don’t think that is too ambitious and I am sure that I will be using these up to add new ones into the project.

I wanted to enjoy my brand new highlighter, so I added it into the project. I have no plans for this highlighter, but if I hit pan on it, I will be extremely happy. I want to use up this eye primer that I think is pretty unnecessary. I usually just use my concealer. I have a perfume, With Love by Hilary Duff, that I am SO CLOSE to finishing up. I love this scent, but I will be happy to say goodbye to it. I have a mini Fix + to use up in Lavender that I recently purchased that is good for after powdering and before makeup. I have my big jar of finishing powder that I would like to use up this year. I am keeping the jar though and just filling it with a different powder. It’s too pretty to throw out.

I have a cream eye shadow in a very nude shade that I can wear for work and use it up quickly that way. It has a tiny bit of shimmer. I have my Kat Von D concealer that I want to use up, because I no longer support her and her anti-vax ways. I have my Hourglass and Anastasia stick foundations to use up. Last but not least, I have a little liquid highlighter that I like to mix into my moisturizer for a bit of a glow.

So, I have a 46 item project pan currently. I’d like to get down this project to 36 by Feb (before adding items in if necessary). I am a bit ambitious in this project this year, but then again, I always am. Really isn’t much of a surprise to be honest. If you are doing a similar project, please leave a link to your blog down below so I can check it out. You think I can do it? lol. I think I will use up 20 in 2020. I’m more worried about the 1K net worth.

With Love,

October 200 Pan

In September, we left off at 126/200 and now, we get to see our total for October. If I finished 10 items this month, it would be a lot. I don’t even think that I have that many empties. I am not discouraged though, because I still have two months until the end of the year and I think that I will still be able to knock off a few more things. I won’t make it to 200, but over 100 is more than I ever thought that I could do. I am still so proud of myself. When I see room in my backup stash, it makes me so happy to soon have that space back to store other things besides products collecting dust. On a side note, I am in my element right now. I have written so many blog posts to try to keep ahead of the curve and I just had so many ideas. Now, I feel a bit emptier and less stuff is on my mind. But anyway, I am happy to see that my backups are not squished together anymore, but have plenty of room. I will not fill up that space though.

SKINCARE:

130/200 I have four items here and I am counting all of them. I have a full pack of the Aveeno Baby hand and face wipes complimentary of Influenster and they were very nice. They are expensive, but if you have the money, they are the perfect morning face wipe. I finished two deluxe sized eye creams. One was my day gel and the other was my night cream. I also used up my month’s supply of Curology. I just got my 2 month supply bottle. I will be reviewing this on my blog soon, so stay tuned. Sneak peek, I LOVE it.

MAKE UP:

132/200 I also finished up 1 lip balm and I decluttered this Nude Stix lip crayon that left white residue around the inside of my mouth. It also wore terribly and flaked away. Not to mention that the color was all wrong for my skin coloring. Not too bad on the lip front with two more out of my collection. Maybe, I can get one or two out again by the end of the year. I go through lip products and I have a good stash of them. I enjoy buying the Sephora Favorites kits to refresh my supply. I rarely buy a full size. I mostly go for mini sets, because they are the better deal and I love trying new lippies.

HAIR CARE:

133/200 I finished up one deluxe sized can of dry shampoo and two packets of hair conditioner that I use to shave my legs with. These conditioner packets come with my dad’s hair dye and I use them. I have separate conditioner that I like to use for my hair, so these are perfect for using for shaving where I don’t care what kind it is. I am going to be buying pricier hair care that is CF, so I will not be using my expensive conditioner on my legs. If I ever use up my back stash, I will buy a cheap conditioner to use for my legs. I have one more can of dry shampoo and then, I will attempt to use up my Lush one again.

BODY CARE:

135/200 Wow. I actually did have ten empties! That really surprises me! I am pleasantly surprised. I used up my B&BW Sweet Pea Body Spray. We used this as a bathroom freshener. Dean really stinks up the house when he goes number 2. I have been going through all of my sprays this way. I am consistently going through 1 a year. I used up one last year and now, this one for this year. I am currently working on a VS one in the Fresh and Clean scent. It is a rarity that I use up a body gel, but I used up this no name sweet pea one that Danielle gave me.

MISCELLANEOUS:

I broke one of Dean’s bubble wands. We salvaged the fluid and poured it into two other wands. I didn’t do it on purpose. It just snapped from use. The other is a pencil that I used up. Remember those plastic pencils with the little lead refills? I still have a few of those hanging around from my middle school/high school days.

135/200 is what I wanted to have done at the very least, so I am very satisfied that this is what I got done in October. I have a masking challenge going on in November and December, so that will be boosting my empties a little bit. I also have a few odds and ends on their last legs as well. I think I might have 15 to 20 empties in the month of November. Now, that might be a generous prediction, but I believe it might come true. At the very least, I want another 10 to be a productive month. I have two skin cares on their last legs, two body lotions, and a few makeup bits and bobs. Hopefully, I can make this prediction come to life. Wish me luck!

With Love,

September Project 200 Pan

It is the end of October, so you know that I am finally getting around to telling you what I used up last September. If you have read my 15 to Jess post, then you know that I am up to 115 out of 200 items. I only have 75 more things to use up by the end of the year. Now, I know that this is very much of a stretch. I would have to use up (not including September) 25 items in October, November, and December. I really do not use up that many items in a month. I thought that I could do it, because in the beginning, I had so many minis. As the year went on, items started to decrease in numbers and I am very happy to have gotten rid of a bulk of the clutter. I am happy with my current number 115, but I want to still push for that 200. I’m not going to use things for the sake of an empty though. I am using my items and enjoying most of them.

MAKEUP:

116/200 I painted my toe nails this bright red orange from Julep in the shade Gloria from the Bombshell collection. I will be keeping this for the toes. It is more red than I like for my fingers. Painting my nails is a miracle which is why I’m counting it as an empty to motivate myself to paint my nails more. Next year, I am actually having 2 nail polishes in my finish 19 in 2019. This shade will not make it in there though since I can only use it on my toes. It is a pretty color though.

BODY CARE:

120/200 I am not counting Dean’s Shampoo/Body Wash as he goes through them pretty regularly. I finished off two of my dad’s body scrubs. He leaves a lot in there, because he doesn’t want to work hard to get the last bits out. I get roughly two weeks of body scrub out of each bottle that he wants to throw out. I count them, because I am not using my own body wash most of the month. My dad never liked this lotion. I finally finished this huge bottle. I used it at night after a bath/shower, because it is unscented. I like to use scented body lotion during the day. I FINALLY used up my Bio-oil from my pregnancy days. This did nothing for my current stretch marks, but it did help against stretch marks during pregnancy. I didn’t get any stretch marks until I started to loose the baby weight. That is how I got my original stretch marks from my teen days. Any time I lose a lot of weight fast, I get stretch marks. I really want to try a stretch mark cream and a cellulite one, because I have both thanks to Dean. 🙂

HAIR CARE:

124/200 Hair care was where it was at this month. I redid my grey hair, although it is looking more brown toned than the icy grey that I was getting before. This is the last time that I am doing grey, because I think I will need to lighten my hair again. I’m going to do a smoky blue and maybe a purple. Since I have this darker ash vibe, I still want to play with color and maybe I can be a bit more vibrant but dark at the same time. I finished a one time use foil packet of a hair mask and it was okay. I used up this scalp scrub that I did not understand and all it did was dry up my hair. The Infusium 23 I received from Influenster for review purposes and I really didn’t care for it. I am sad that my Aussie conditioner is done. It is my favorite conditioner, but they are not CF. No repurchases in this category for me.

SKIN CARE:

126/200 I got the little deluxe sized sample of bronzing face lotion from Danielle and I really liked it. It gave a natural tan look to my face and never looked orange or fake. I didn’t care for the Kiehl’s face gel. It wasn’t moisturizing enough and I don’t think it did anything for my acne. It also pilled up ANYTHING applied underneath it. I ended up using this on my legs and it helped with razor bumps. There are cheaper things you can purchase for that though than this moisturizer. I really want to try their midnight recovery oil/serum thing. I’m not turned off by the brand. I just don’t like this product.

MISCELLANEOUS:

I finished up two pens. Both my favorite: PaperMate Ink Joy pens, but the orange is the gel pen. I am IN LOVE with the gel pens. I will repurchase another pack once I’m down to my last few ones. They have lasted two semesters so far with only one causality out of 10 pens. We finished up a mini toothpaste from the dentist and a pack of 100 cotton rounds. I am currently working on a huge bag of cotton balls. We don’t use them and they just sit. Honestly, I don’t see much of a difference between the two. I might switch to cotton balls, since it is more cost effective.

126/200 That is not bad for the end of September and nine months into my year long pan project. October isn’t looking too promising, so I think ideally, I would want to hit at least 150 to 175. 200 is looking farther and farther away. I’ll be relooking through my collection. I think there is one more color corrector that I need to declutter, but I pretty much did most of my decluttering already of items that I am not a fan of. I might be resubbing to Sephora PLAY in 2020 if my 2019 project pan goes well. That was my favorite sub box and I have been keeping an eye out in case I wanted to buy any months after the fact.

With Love,

5 OUT: Product Reviews

So, I have uncovered more old reviews that I have written and never reviewed on my blog. I thought that I would share another 5 of these today. I am happy to see that my drafts on my blog are getting smaller in numbers. I mean, I always a few in there so as to not forget to write about them like my Monthly Reads, Movies, EI, ABA, Semester, and Project 200 pan posts. I always have a draft with the titles in there for those. Other than that, I am free to write whatever posts that I would like. It is a great feeling. I used to have a ton of posts that I planned in there. I have greater freedom now to do what I feel like doing and not feel guilty about it. I still plan on doing some cooking/baking posts now that I have a camera! I am looking forward to those posts!

New England Coffee in Blueberry Cobbler

This was just terrible. I usually enjoy coffee from this brand, but this flavor tasted terrible. Not even coffee creamer could redeem it. I love trying new flavored coffees and would buy from this brand again, just not this flavor. I’m very picky when it comes to my flavored coffees. It has to be just right and hit all the right notes. This coffee just tasted burnt to me, even though it was never burnt once or left out too long. I brew by the cup, so no chance of that happening. There was definitely no “juicy, berry flavor” like they claim. This did not taste like fruit at all. I figured it would taste good like fruit and chocolate but no.

Yankee Candle Tropical Island Breeze

The candle scent was so good that I burned through two of these that I bought at Marshall’s. It is sweet and light and perfect for those muggy summer nights. It smells like summer. These are huge candles and I burned through them so fast, because the scent was always there but never overwhelming. The candle itself burns clean and there is very little wax left in the jar. I would repurchase this if I saw it at Marshall’s again and I am going to be keeping an eye out for more Yankee Candles at my local store. $13 is such a steal!

Gerber Sweet Potato Puffs

Dean really enjoyed these puff snacks, but he had to be in the mood for them. They are kind of bland, so I am going to see if there is any healthy adult cereal that he can try with more flavor to it. I would purchase these again, but he is over them. He loves strong flavors.

MJCARE Snail Sheet Mask

I was really afraid of trying this mask, but I had nothing to fear. It smells light and perfumey. I didn’t notice anything but more moisturized skin and a more plump appearance. I find that all sheet masks do the same thing, but I love the experience when I have the time for it. MJCARE masks are also really basic and a dollar a mask. I’ve tried Tony Moly masks and I feel like they only perform a little bit better, giving me a little more glow or a bit clearer pores. I will repurchase on my next Amazon order and I don’t buy very often from them.

Avon Advance Techniques Keep Clear Anti-Dandruff Treatment

Anytime I had a bit of dandruff, this leave in scalp treatment did the trick. I can no longer find this on Avon’s website. I’ve had this for a very long time. I no longer shop Avon, because they are not cruelty free and that’s a big thing that I am trying to stick by now when it comes to beauty products. Avon is also a big pyramid scheme but that is a story for another time.

There you have it. 5 more reviews of products that are no longer part of my collection (besides the other MJCARE sheet masks). What have you used up lately? I still got a ton of reviews that I need to write and share on my blog. I am very backed up. Doing this 200 pan, I am using up stuff faster than I can review it and with school, I don’t even try anymore. I need to start writing these at least twice a month. I know everyone says that they are busy, but I mean, I really am. I’m not sitting here watching Netflix. I am blogging and getting my papers edited to upload for school that’s due today. Speaking of which, I should probably get those done now before I start another procrastinating blog post.

With Love,

August 200 Pan

I am super duper late with this posting and my September 200 Pan post will be posting up pretty soon after this one. I just have been super busy with life that I have let certain posts slip through the cracks. I am trying to be better about it, but no promises. I’m trying to put together some review posts. Once again, my basket to review is filling up and I’d like to get on that before it gets too crazy. I’m pretty disappointed in what I was able to use up in August, but looking at my September pile, I don’t feel guilty about letting August get away from me. I was able to do so much in September. Part of my August, I was cleaning, organizing, and donating. In September, I continued to do this, but also school started up again with new classes, my interview happened, and I went through my makeup collection.

MISCELLANEOUS:

Yup, my pictures are still crappy from my phone. I am hoping to get a new camera soon in October, because I miss taking pictures of my son.

MAKEUP:

I got rid of two samples that were too dark and one that was bad after I opened it. It feels good to get rid of the clutter.

SKINCARE:

We are finally getting into some empties that I can add to my yearly total. In July, we left off on 96/200 and now, we are up to 98/200 in this category. I am not counting the BareMinerals samples, but I am counting the Sunday Riley UFO oil and the Supergoop! Sunscreen Serum. I am glad to have both out of my collection. I think I will buy the Juno oil next by Sunday Riley. That 0.5 oz bottle lasted over 3 months of constant use. Before that, I used it for a year with a couple times of week usage. I think a brand new bottle would last around 5-6 months of constant every night use. So, the $40 price tag isn’t too hard for me. For 4 months, that’s $10 a month for a really great oil. The sunscreen serum was nice and I would consider repurchasing as it is better than regular sunscreen. There was no white cast and makeup/moisturizer went great on top of it.

Hair Care:

Now, we are at 99/200 with the Wella Color Charm Toner. I redid my gray hair in September, but I toned it on the last few days of August to get out any yellow tones for a truer gray. It’s a bright natural gray. It shifts from grey to purple to brown like chrome. Once my gray fades out and I’m back with bleached blonde hair, I want to do a more blue gray like my Hilary Duff came back after having her son, which now she is pregnant with a girl, super excited! Anyway, I would use this Wella Toner again, except since I’m going less gray I would choose a different tone of toner. I am thinking the T10 for a pale blonde instead of ash. The sample conditioner I use to shave my legs with.

Body Care:

And here we are 100/200 with this body care item that I used on Dean to keep his skin moisturized. This Target Up & Up baby ointment is the equivalent to Vaseline. I will not be repurchasing. It was a chore waiting for this to dry on him and he has slippery skin when trying to get him into clothes after a bath. I don’t even think it took away his dry patches on his arms and legs. It wasn’t worth the effort.

There you have it for August! I hit the halfway mark two months after the halfway mark of the year. I am looking forward to showing you all my September results which are very impressive. I am looking to keep the same momentum into October, but the one reason why September was so good is that I decluttered stuff from my makeup collection. Still, I feel proud of myself and I cannot wait to show you guys what I am talking about. I think by then, I will have a good camera. I think I’m getting it around the time that this post is going up. I’ll keep you updated.

With Love,

July Empties

My camera is still being a pain, but I will be buying a new one really soon. Please bare with me. I was able to take pictures in a dim corner with the flash on. I cannot wait for my new Kodak camera, but I am looking at reviews first to make sure that there is nothing wrong with the product first. I’m just surprised that a $200 camera that was 50% off wouldn’t last more than two years. Seems very strange to me. Anyway, I went through a lot of product in July, but so far August has been a bust. So, I guess it will even out seeing as I have a whole basket of empties here. I am excited to see just how many I have and what will count towards me empties goal of the year.

Makeup: 9 Empties

Sally Hansen Airbrush Legs in Light/Fair

Rimmel Stay Matte 2 packets

No name brand purple glitter

Benefit Gel Pores No More Primer

Hilari Black Eye Liner

Urban Decay Zero Eye Liner

Avon Eye liner in Silver and Bronze

Hair Care: 1 Empty

Clairol Conditioner Packet

Skincare: 5 Empties

Good Things Deep Pore Cleanser + Toner

The Ordinary Coffee Solution

Valentina True Glow Eye Cream

Caudalie Eye Serum

Johnson’s Baby Head-To-Toe Wash

Body Care: 8 Empties

Nickelodeon Bubble Bath

Degree Dry Spray Active Shield Deodorant

Schmidt’s Bergamont + Lime

Aveeno Body Butter x2

Nivea Body Lotion Packet

Dangerous Body Wash

Coppertone Sunscreen

Misc.: 7 Empties

Papermate Inkjoy pens x3

Home & Garden Party Blueberry Cheesecake Candle

Equate Acetaminophen

Crest Kids’ Toothpaste

B&BW I Tried Mini Candle

There you have it folks! I had 30 empties for the month of July! That even amazes me. lol. I didn’t think I had nearly as much as I did. Since I am already halfway through August, I cannot count my goals towards this month. So, I will talk about September’s goals. I would like to use up a few more makeup products. I have a bunch of primers on their last legs and I want to use them up. I also have two lip products that could be used up as well. I want to use up a lotion, a hair product, and a skin care one as well. I think these are modest goals for September. Most of my stuff rain out in July and I opened new things. Probably will explain why August will be so light.

With Love,

 

Project 200 Pan: June Update

In May, I used up 61/200 products bringing my percentage to 30% done with the project. I should be at 50% this month, but I do not see that happening based on how much I managed to use up in June. My goal is to use up 5% in June and every month thereafter. I am interested to see how close I am to my goal, but I really need to step up my game and start using my makeup more. I haven’t been using as much makeup as I should, because it has been a really hot summer and I’ve been lazy about it. I need to practice more self-care in July and August to make up for what I think will be a fail in the month of June.

I was able to use up two skincare items in June. I should try to use more sheet masks, because I have a lot of them and my skin has been drier lately. I think I convinced myself to do one tonight after my shower. My dad and I share skincare products of whatever isn’t too girly, so my dad shared this with me. I did not care for this gel cleanser and have moved onto a foam one that is too squeaky clean. I need to find a good cleanser that does the job and is a bit nourishing at the same time. 63/200

I am only counting the pink hair color here. It was supposed to be a soft pink but came out way too bright in my hair for the first few washes. It lasted about 6 to 8 weeks, so I do recommend it. I am dying my hair grey again, but after that I am expanding to other colors that I might like the look of in my hair. I should have at least a toner done in July and possibly the grey color. My hair is a bit brassy, so I want to counteract that before putting on the grey. I like to give it at least a week before putting in the color to recover, but I prefer two. 64/200

I am only counting the makeup remover here. It takes me a long time to use makeup remover, because I only use it if I put on eye makeup. I really need to use my makeup more, because I have about 4 or 6 of these makeup removers in my stash right now and at least three of them are in my current skin care cabinet. This was decent, but it made my vision blurry if I got some in my eye. I did that every time that I used this. 65/200

I am counting all of these products. Dean finished up his last paint soap from Christmas time. I need to be on the lookout for more of these. It makes bath time super fun for him. The other two are sunscreens that I had laying around from my subscription boxes. I really enjoyed the boxes when I had them, but I need a good year to really purge my collection before I would sign up again. I have a couple of other ones to use up and then, I can buy some sunscreen from Ocean State Job Lot. 68/200

My toothpaste is the bomb. I will keep repurchasing until there is a good cruelty free whitening toothpaste. I just repurchased another tube of diaper cream. Even though Dean is 2 1/2, it is still great to have this on hand for rashes not on the bum. I still need to buy acetone. I haven’t been painting my nails, because I don’t have anything to remove it with if I don’t like the color or if it starts chipping fast. I have it on my shopping list, so hopefully I won’t forget again. 71/200

8 items isn’t terrible, but it isn’t the greatest either. I only managed to use up 71 items. I am behind a good 29 items that would have brought me up to the half way mark. I have a plan to step up my game. I need to start using my body lotion like I used to. If I lotion once a week, that’s a lot. I want to do it again more regularly. I’ve already stated that I need to take time to do masks and my makeup more often. I want to get my brows waxed or threaded because they are so out of control that it discourages me to do my makeup. I need to paint my nails more and I need to do my skin care religiously instead of skimping out with just cleansing. I am 35.5% done with the project, so at least I kept up the 5% and actually gained 0.5%. I don’t feel as bad now, but I still need to hustle.

With Love,