Project 200 Pan: May Update

I am here with another update on how my 200 in a year project pan is going. I finished up more than I thought in the month of May. When we left off in April, I was at 22.5% done with my project pan. That is 45/200 items empty. I am hoping that I finished up 20 items to go towards my goal. I just did my May empties a few days ago, so it isn’t as fresh in my mind. I don’t do these posts back-to-back, so the results are always surprising to me. June marks the halfway point in the year and right now as of April’s numbers, I am no wear nears 100 done. I am feeling slightly discourages, but I haven’t been using my products as diligently as a should. This should be a good wake up call to give me that extra push that I need to use up some of my stash.

I am only counting the dry shampoo here. I know my hair care category is a slow moving one, but I should have two or three empties in June for this. I am almost done with a leave-in product and have been doing more slicked back looks with gel and oil when even dry shampoo cannot hide the fact that my hair is greasy. Oh, and I should be finishing up one to two mini dry shampoos as well. I need to pick up a can when I get my next paycheck. I think I will try Batiste. 46/200

I was hit pretty heavy in May with the skin care empties. I am hoping to go through a few more sheet masks, because my skin has been feeling drier lately. I think it might be my day time lotion, but I am not sure. I have been really into hydrating products lately. My skin just isn’t as oily as it used to be. I am thinking that I am more normal/combo lately. I have only been getting slightly oily in my t-zone lately. I used to have to blot a lot. Now, I haven’t even bought blotting paper. Powdering once in the morning lasts almost all day now. I have a few more bits of skin care of their last legs, so I am sure we will see more casualties in June. From then, I think this will become slow moving. 53/200

I have a mini shower gel that will be finished in June and hopefully, I can push through some more of my lotions. I have been really slacking lately in the lotion department. I need to use them more often. I tend to go ham in the summer, when the air is warmer and my skin is drier. In the winter, I tend to start slacking. My goal for June is to use up one lotion. I have a stretch mark oil that is on its last legs and some sunscreens that will be dying soon. I hope that in July I will be able to move two lotions out of my collection. 55/200

My last category in this post is makeup. Yes, I am counting the perfume, because it is a big deluxe size. It is more than your average perfume sample. I even managed to hit pan on one of my Stilla Glitter and Glows, because I wore it so much during my birthday month in Rose Gold Retro. I am very pleased with the amount of makeup that I was able to use up this month. I hope I can push out two primers in June and maybe a foundation sample or two. I am feeling more glowy looks, so I might go for a glowy primer and skip foundation all together. I have so much makeup that the options are endless. If I can use up any makeup, I will be happy. 61/200

I am quite pleased with my progress in May. I am 30% done with my project, so I am a third of the way there practically. I need to move things out at a 5% rate for the remainder of the months and I was 2.5% behind last month. I gained 7.5% this month, so I am no longer behind, but just on time to finish with 200 by the end of the year. So, I need to gain 5% in June to stay on top at a steady pace. Using up more is always a plus to makeup for slow months like April. I don’t have any empties as of June 10th, so fingers crossed that I have empties in June.

With Love,

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May Empties

I may be late sharing my empties, but I never knew how much I had to share in a month until I cut down my schedule to about 15 posts a month. I’ve been having to switch around the format of my posts and so this one is coming up later in the month than what I like. I basically sit down two Sundays a month now and write posts. I now have two Sundays a month free for classes. I only work on my blog for about 4 hours a month. That only includes writing the posts, not taking the pictures and coming up with the ideas. I am happy with this new pace of my blog. It makes it so I can be a well-rounded person and have time for everything that I want to have time for. It is nice to know that when life gets hectic, I generally have a week or two already planned out on my blog.

You hear about these every month, so I am cutting out the drinks that I purchase without fail every month. You know that I love them or else I wouldn’t have featured them for over a year here on my blog.

1 Not Your Mother’s Clean Freak Refreshing Dry Shampoo

2 Hair Teasing Brush

1. MJCARE Sea Weed Sheet Mask

2. Alba Botanical Acne Dote Deep Clean Astringent

3. Borghese Clay Cleanser

4. GlamGlow Super Clean Cleanser

5. Philosophy Purity Face Mask

6. Clinique Pep Start Eye Cream

7. Derma E Hydrating Day Creme

1. VS Coconut Mango 2-in-1 Wash & Scrub

2. Soap & Glory The Righteous Butter

3. Equate Pain Relieving Cream

1. Dr. Brandt BB Cream

2. ELF Color Correcting Powder

3. Buxom Plumping Lip Gloss

4. YSL Black Opium Perfume

5. 1. Perfume Sample Cards

19. Physician’s Formula Cushion BB Cream

1. 719 Walnut Avenue Honeysuckle Jasmine Hand Soap

2. Fresh Breath Brushing Gel

3. Equate Cotton Rounds 100 ct

4. 1. PaperMate Ink Joy Blue
5. 1. 1. B&BW Mini Candles

6. Avon Mini Emery Board

Well, I had a lot more empties than I had originally thought. I cannot wait to do my progress update on my 200 pan goal. I have been working on my pictures and I hope you can tell a difference. I think it looks more professional and I have added a bit of brightness to the pictures themselves by staging some lightening. Since I have a bit more time, I thought that I would put more effort into the picture taking themselves. I have a feeling that my empties will be slowing down, because I am running out of mini things. I still have a whole bunch of samples that I need to get through though. I hope you enjoyed looking through my trash today. Reviews are to come. 🙂

With Love,

Sephora Birthday Kit

The most wonderful time of the year, besides Christmas of course, where you can get freebies at all of your favorite stores. I have another freebie from Victoria Secrets to cash in, plus my free large from DDs coupon. I love my birthday month and my birthday happens to land on Mother’s day this year. I’ll be getting a bonus lunch for Mother’s Day too in my birthday month. I don’t like going on the actual day, though. Too crowded to enjoy a nice quite lunch with the two men in my life. There will be so many hauls this month, so I am sorry if you don’t like hauls. This one is just a mini. I actually just went into Sephora for my birthday gift. That’s it. I was in and out and boy! Did that take a lot of will power. I told myself, you don’t NEED anything…and we are going to Marshalls. 🙂

I just love that little black and white striped bag! I have a little collection of them now, because I like to reuse them for gift bags. I mean, why not? It is a free bag that I keep in good condition to reuse. There were three different gifts you could choose and I chose a CF one. Can you guess it? Yup. The Bite Beauty Kit.

In this free Birthday kit, you get a sample of the Agave sugar lip scrub and lip balm. Oh, yes, to address my swatch photo, that is my new grey hair and I love it. I will have a post going up soon about how I got my new grey hair and in the direct light, my grey is SO light. It is very pretty and I love it. Moving on, on my lips and swatched on the bottom of my hand is Bite’s Matte Creme Lip Crayon in Glace and it is my favorite nude mauve color. Absolutely beautiful on the lips. I would for sure wear this at work. It is a darker your lips but better sort of color. On the top of my hand with a bit of a brown/orange tone is Bite’s Amuse Bouche Lipstick in Chai. I have yet to use it, but it looks like a color that I would wear as well.

I am so happy with my little birthday kit and now, I have two new lippies to play around with. I can see going through Glace SO fast that I know it will be gone by the end of the year. I now have three minis from Bite beauty and they all have this sweet candy citris scent with nice velvet Nars like packaging. I just love the aesthetic and I can see myself purchasing more from this CF brand.

With Love,

May Empties

I have a whole lot of empties this month that my basket was overflowing. I had to photograph everything and start this post in mid-May. That is how many empties I have this month. I actually even cut May a few days short. I’m writing this on May 28th, because the basket filled up good again. It’s close enough to the end of May and it will just give a little bit of a boost to June. Although, I don’t have anything really close to being empty yet, which is why I just decided to do my count today.

1.2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. Gerber Lil’ Beanies

10. Nickelodeon Paw Patrol 3-in-1 in Blueberry Bark

11. Tresemme Curl Moisturizing Shampoo

12. 13. International Delight Coffee Creamer

14. 15. Softsoap Coconut Butter Body Scrub

16. Mott’s Medleys Fruit Flavored Snacks

17. Jimmy Dean Stuffed Hash Browns in Bacon & Veggies

18. Parent’s Choice Toddler Cookies in Banana

19. Bath & Body Works Dancing Waters Body Lotion

20. Ecowix Candle in Ocean Breeze

21. The Body Shop Tea Tree Face Mask

22. Lush Snow Fairy Body Wash

23. Hydro Silk Sensitive Care Razor Head 4 pack

24. New England EyeOpener Coffee Blend

25. Cover Girl Loose Powder in Translucent Fair

26. Marc Anthony Beach Spray

27. Nicole by OPI Roughles Nail Polish in On What Grounds?

28. Teething Toothbrush

29. Arm & Hammer Spinbrush Paw Patrol Themed

30. Wen Sweet Almond Mint Styling Creme

31. Dial Miracle Oil Hand Soap

32. Equate Acetaminophen

33. Nuk Tooth & Gum Cleanser

34. Cotton Rounds 100 ct

35. Scented Secrets Vanilla Sugar Body Lotion

36. Clarisonic Acne Brush Head

37. Maybelline Dream Velvet Gel-Whipped Foundation

38. Avene Intensive Cream

39. 100% Pure Coffee Bean Caffeine Eye Cream

40. BareMinerals Marvelous Moxie Lipstick in Moxie

41. Goodie Hair Tie

42. Versace Eros Perfume Sample

43. Stilla Lip Glaze in Sparkling Grape

44. 45. 46. 47. 48. 49. 50. 51. Paper Mate Ink Joy Pens and Sharpie

I think 51 empties is enough for one month. I’m happy ending it here early. This was such a heavy month. I look forward to seeing what I can accomplish next month. You’ll be seeing plenty of reviews for the next few months to come. I’m behind in my product reviews. I have so many prewritten on paper for my blog. I probably have 50 reviews right now, waiting to be featured. I continue to write them throughout the month as well on paper. I tend to review around 40 items a month on paper, but there is not that many days in a month. Naturally, I got behind. I hope you don’t mind seeing reviews 5 days a week and my more unique posts on the weekends/holidays.

With Love ❤

Sephora Play May Box #264

I am happy to share my Sephora Play box with you today. I received box #264 and I really loved what is in my box this month. Like last month, there is one product that I won’t be using but will be selling. I love that there are different boxes and my best friend and I have never received the same box. It has to be personalized in some way, otherwise the odds of us always getting a different box would be slim to none.

Theme: The Rising Stars

I enjoyed the bag this month and I will be using it on beach trips. I think that the brands and items in the box fit with the theme this month. They are all great brands that have been getting a lot of attention lately. Although, they could have done without another highlight, since there were three glowy/highlighter items in the March box.

Nude Stix Magnetic Matte Lip Color in Greystone

I will be selling this color, because this color is way too dark and not a color that I would wear. It is also not a summer color. I think that Sephora should have offered a lighter, more nude color or matched the colors to what subscribers selected as their skin tone. I only tried it on for swatching purposes only. Sephora’s site doesn’t list how much product is in the full size, so I am guessing that this is a quarter of the full size for $6. I’m not excited about this one and I am setting it aside for selling purposes.

Grande Lips Hydrating Lip Plumper

This has a sweet, sugar cookie scent that I love. I will be using this after I use up my current night time treatment balm. I love the luxe packaging and the gold accents. I had a hard time sticking the big doe foot applicator back into the tube. The struggle is real people. I am happy to give this product a try. It is $6.75 approximately for a quarter of the full size. I look forward to using this when I can and see if I get any results from it.

TreStique Mini Highlight Stick

Another highlighter. I mean, it is pretty and I will use it. I just wish that they could have chosen a different product, since they have been sending so many highlighters lately. I’m guessing that this is a quarter of the full size as well, so it is around $8.50. I like cream highlighter, especially on a nude face with no other makeup. It gives a nice glow that doesn’t look greasy or too glittery. The product fell out of the tube when I first opened it. I was able to put it back in, but I almost lost this one.

Sunday Riley Ceramic Slip Clay Cleanser

I am so excited that I got a Sunday Riley product! It is a nice size to try the product out and this makes the whole box worth it to me. It is $11 for this 1 oz size. That actually makes it worth thew box cost as well! AH! I’m so excited to try out this cleanser. I cannot believe that I have only been subscribed for three months and have already received a product that makes me absolutely happy. It took a year of being subscribed to Birchbox to get there. I love Sephora and I’m so glad that they launched this box.

Christophe Robin Cleansing Purfying Scrub For Hair

I always enjoy a good clarifying shampoo. This is that plus a scrub for the scalp. I am intrigued by this product and I am putting this in my shower immediately. This is 1.35 oz of product for $6.63. All of the products this month have been a great value. I don’t know anything about this brand, but I want to try this scrub out.

I give this box 4 stars. I took off one star for the dark colored lipstick, but I really love everything else. The value of this box was $38.88. This is almost four times the value than what I paid for it. I am excited for everything, but the lip product.

Perfume Sample

This is such a fresh, beachy scent. I really love this and I am considering making this my summer scent. You have to try this next time that you are at Sephora for sure.

With Love ❤

May Reads

I have actually managed to read FOUR books this month. Well, so two of them I finished this month, but still that counts as four for May. I want to read 25 books this year. I think I might be on schedule now according to my goodreads app. I feel very accomplished, so here it goes.

The Longest Ride by Nicholas Sparks

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed this book. I found parts of it dry and wanted to skip through the boring bits. I persevered though and I enjoyed the book truly. I enjoyed the modern story more than Ira’s, but that’s just because of all the historical facts that weighted his story down. It didn’t flow as smoothly as the modern tale. Most of Sparks books I end up disliking or only mildly enjoying. This one I enjoyed more than most. I highly recommend reading this one. It is one of his better ones. I will give this one back to you D, when I see you again.

Shadowland by Meg Cabot

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I loved this book! It’s been awhile since I’ve read such a great book. I love the troubled romance and the mystery surrounding everything. I feel like this will be a great series that will keep me guessing. This book definitely did. It is unlike any Meg Cabot book that I have read before. It is different from the rest of her fluffy reads. This has a lot of sustenance to it, while still being a joy to read. I cannot wait to read the next book in the series.

Love Story by Erich Segal

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

This was a sweet story and a rude one too. I don’t remember the movie being like this. I’ll have to watch it over again. I enjoyed the book, but I felt that it was very juvenile, even as the characters grew up. A lot of swears in this one as well. Not a book that is a priority read. It was something okay to pass the time with. I wouldn’t recommend it. I really loved the movie though. Again, I’m not sure the movie really relates to the book. There is a disconnect with my mind about it. It’s been awhile since I watched the original and the remake.

What to Expect the First Year by Heidi Murkoff

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This was very informative and I can see going back to it for advise. I’m glad I own this copy, because it is great to refer back to for information. This is just the start to my childcare book collection. With books like these, I believe that it’s better to own than borrow, so you can refer back to them when you need to. This has made me a better informed parent and I feel comforted knowing that this book is only a shelf away if I need it again.
View all my reviews

Those are the books that I managed to finish while pumping and amongst other things. I’m looking forward to another heavy book month in June. I’m hoping I can at least read two if not more!

With Love,

 

May Birchbox

I know that I am really late with my May Birchbox, but better late than never right? I could blame the baby, but I was also a bit lazy as well. I have a three day weekend, so you can look forward to at least two posts today and one tomorrow. I’m hoping to write more than three posts, but you never know. Raising a child is hard work and time consuming. Right now, he is sitting in his pink bubba seat. So cute how he loves to watch me type on my laptop. Anyways, here is my May Birchbox.

I love the pastel color scheme and the fact that I received a box that I really love. There is variety in this box: a hair product, two face product, a makeup product, and a body product as well. This box is about protecting and having clear, luminous skin.

Real Chemistry Luminous 3-Minute Peel for Body, 0.5 fl oz for about $3.50

I have tried this product for the face and I wasn’t really impressed with it. It’s a good product, just nothing exciting or special about it. This foil packet probably has two uses in it. I plan on using this only on my arms…and maybe my legs. It has 1 to 2 uses depending upon what you use it on. It is enough to see if you like the product and I enjoy trying out products from different brands. I wish it would have been something different from this brand, since I already tried this one for the face.

Amika Perk Up Dry Shampoo, 0.75 oz for about $4 USD

I could always use another dry shampoo and I use this almost on a daily basis now. So, you will probably be seeing more dry shampoo empties in the future. This is a nice sized sample to try. I love the scent of this product and it is the perfect size to throw into my purse to touch up my hair throughout the day at work or out and about. In fact, it is going in my purse right now. It is a basic staple and can double as deodorant in a pinch, especially with this scent.

ModelCo Lip Lacquer in Viva, 0.05 fl oz for about $5 USD

This is the perfect pinky-nude and it is not very opaque. It has some color to it, but it isn’t a liquid lipstick, but has more pigment than a lip gloss. It is the perfect nude for my lips and I will be getting a lot of use out of this gloss. It is something that I can just throw on and not have to worry about a perfect application. I am satisfied with this formula and color.

Kalos Skincare Triple Threat Detox Masque, 0.5 oz for about $12 USD

Since taking this picture, I have tried this mask. It seems to be a moisturizing mask that removes impurities from the skin. I like this mask, but I wouldn’t go out and buy it. It has a warming sensation due to the cayenne pepper in it. It’s an okay mask, but nothing really special about it. I enjoyed trying it out and it seems to have 5 uses in it.

COOLA SPF 50 Sport in Mango, 10 ml for about $2 USD

It smells like mangoes and coconuts! It is the perfect summertime scent. I cannot wait to try this out. It is a decent sized sample and I should use SPF everyday, but I don’t. I need to get better at that. Time to start now, I guess.

I look forward to trying everything I received and I am happy that everything seems to be a decent size as well. May was a winning month for Birchbox.

With Love,

May The Odds Ever Be In Your Favorites

Heya Aspiring Gurus!

Another month of favorites has come to pass and I have decided on yet a different way to approach posting it. This month, I am going to do a bullet point list and be really brief. It’s only noon, but I’m already tired. I plan on getting some reading in and a bit of writing, possibly working on that book review that I was supposed to have this week. I’m getting really into planner decorating and will be doing a sticker haul in the coming weeks from Esty. I am also buying an uncustomized Erin Condrin planner that I have been wanting forever. That style seems to suit me better than the filofax. I am find planner decorating soothing, de-stressing, and gives me a sense of direction. Once the baby is here, I will have even more things to put in my planner and it’ll be a way to have “me” time.

• Being Pregnant. Yes, sometimes I hate it, but it’s a beautiful thing.
• My belly popped out this week. I now sport a noticeable baby bump and let me tell you, it was painful.
• My Birthday! Another year wiser.
• FOOD! My one and only obsession now.
• Visiting my Bestest Friend Ever Who Loves Me No Matter What!

Those are my favorites for this month and I’m sure I’ll have tons to tell in no time at all. Until then, peace out!

With Love,

One If By Sea, Two If By Beauty Products

Heya Aspiring Gurus!

It is that time again! Another month has come and gone. It’s a sad but happy occasion. I don’t have a ton of empties, but I do have a few. I am also planning on uploading a May Favorites today. Tomorrow, I will be uploading a review and possibly an update. If you have any recommendation for posts, let me know. Julamorous is coming up and I have no idea what I will be posting everyday in July. I think I might write all the posts over the weekend and just schedule them for during the week. By then, I’ll be 4 months along! How, the time flies!

Ole Henriksen Sheer Transformation, 0.5 fl oz

Garnier BB Cream Skin Renew Miracle Skin Perfector (Combination to Oily) Light/Medium, 2 fl oz

NatureBox Sweet & Salty Nut Medley, 3.5 oz

BeautyBlender, 1ct

Revlon Colorsilk Beautiful Color After-Color Conditioner, 0.4 fl oz

[Sample]

Naturebox Double Fruit Peels, 2.5 oz

Naturebox Chocolate Chia Granola, 5 oz

With Love,

May’s Entertainment

Heya Aspiring Gurus!

I know it has been awhile, since I did one of these. I finally watched enough tv to make another one. As you know, I haven’t been feeling the greatest, so instead of reading, I have been watched tv shows and movies. I am trying to get back into the swing of reading and I have finished a book that I am trying to write a review on. I think I will write half of the review today and half tomorrow. It probably will not be uploaded until next week though. So, there is a book review in the works coming up. I am also planning to upload two more posts tomorrow: another beauty review and a Caturday post. Now, onto the Entertainment Review!

Lucy

This movie was really interesting and a mind binder. It was a psychological thriller with a lot of action to it. I enjoyed it, but I wouldn’t say that it was one of the best movies that I have watched. That would be a big lie. I did enjoy it though. It had a unique concept and plot. It was a bit of a letdown to all of the trailers that I watched. I thought that it was going to be better than it was. I got this at the Redbox with a buy one get one free coupon. It was worth the rental.
3 out of 5 stars

Dance Moms: Collection

I hate that Netflix just put up the collection and not the whole series. It jumps all over the place and it isn’t enjoyable. It skips over all off the good “drama” episodes. When I want to watch trashy tv, I want to be able to follow it. They need to put up the whole seasons and put back Keeping Up With The Kardashions. Seriously. I want reality tv back on at Netflix. It would make it even better than it already is, if they bring all of those shows back. Does anyone know why they got rid of it in the first place?
2 out of 5 stars

Not Cool

Omg! One of the stupidest movies that I have watched in a while. I am glad that I waited for this to be available on Netflix, because it was so not worth it. I wanted to poke my eye out at times. It was that bad. I think that if I starred in a movie this bad, I wouldn’t be out there promoting it like Shawn Dawson did. Actually, it’s also his film, so double shame on him. He may be funny, but he has no idea how to make a movie that other people will actually want to watch.
2 out of 5 stars

Once: Upon A Time Season One

I LOVE this series! I love all the great actors and actresses that play in it. I like the plot. It feels unique and fresh, compared to all the supernatural shows that have hit the market. This is supernatural without being gimmicky. They are fairy tail stories come to life like you have never known before. I like the twist with the Beauty and the Beast the best. All of the stories are unique and it has a running plot that connects everything together seamlessly. It is one of the best tv series that I have watched this year. I watch it on Netflix and I highly recommend it.
5 out of 5 stars

Avengers: The Age of Ultron

Finally! A female superhero with better powers than anyone else’s. I really enjoyed this movie, but the graphics were laughable at best. Yes, it was action packed and worth going to the movies to see. I watched this on my birthday. It was a nice movie, but I would not see it again. It wasn’t that great off a movie that you would want to watch twice. Maybe after many years.
3 out of 5 stars

So, there you have it! Those are the shows that I have been watching in May. I don’t even have anything left over from May to put on June’s list, which is a first. I usually have some carry over. Maybe I will have some next week. May ain’t over yet!

With Love,