PAW (POTW) May 29-June 3

Yesterday, Sunday May 29, my daughter spun my POTW wheel and Concrete Minerals was chosen. This mean I'll be using their Zombie Girl and Sugar Skull collections. I love these colors! I allowed myself this haul a couple of years ago as a birthday present after swooning over these collections for over a year. Also, after reading about this on Reddit's MakeupRehab to be exact, I noticed users called these Palette A Week, or its acronym PAW. So I'll be referring to these posts with PAW instead. I did a little bit more shopping of my stash on a few other products, but on the first of the month which is Wednesday, my monthly 6 pan project will change, along with my makeup basket. More on that later though. Let's get to the pics already! 

All of the shadows are shimmery and in a loose form, so I will still be using my E.L.F. Mad About Matte palette for my matte shadow needs. These can be purchased at the Concrete Minerals website if you're interested!

PotW and Bi-Weekly Empties

I wanted to have this posted Sunday, or Monday at the latest. Here we are, on Tuesday, finally with an updated empties and PotW (palette of the week.) I want to post my empties bi-weekly ending on a Sunday because it motivates me to use my ever-increasing stash of hair care, skincare, and cosmetics. I am a box junkie and do receive a few subscriptions a month and I have also restricted my purchases to a low-buy, hopefully only purchasing products that I completely love or want to replace. Enough rambling, on with the show!

My flat lay game will get strong, someday!

• It's Skin Mangowhite Lip and Eye Remover Tissue- Received from 3B Box. Smells like a floral soap. Cleans well and also moisturizes, but I don't like the greasiness of the film left behind. Also, this stuff stings like hell if it gets into the eyes and takes a long time to rinse out. Will not repurchase. 
• Olay Active Hydration Quench Body Lotion- Purchased at Walmart. It says it's formulated with a green tea and vitamin complex. It has a light, sweet scent, unlike green tea. It's hydrating, but not overly moisturizing. It has shimmer in it, so that limited where I liked to use it. I will not repurchase. 
• Holika Holika Pignose Clear Blackhead 3-step Kit- Received from Mishibox. It's basically a nose patch (remember the girl who exclaims "eww, it looks like a porcupine!") with added steps. This did nothing for me personally, but I did like how the first step made extraction easier. The third step was really messy and just would not stay on!  Will not repurchase. 
• Sunsilk Hydra TLC- received for free from ???. It's still about half full, but this product is so old and I have no idea why I never used and still have it. I'm tossing this since I was a teenager when I received this (think late 90's, early 2000's.) I don't even know if this brand is still a thing...
• Up&Up Sensitive Skin Facial Moisturizer Spf 15 Sunscreen Lotion- purchased at Target. When I bought this, I was looking for a light daytime moisturizer that contained an spf content. This has a plasticy, sunscreen smell and does leave a white cast. I mainly layered makeup over which was no problem. I did find it to be quite moisturizing. Probably will repurchase in the future. Have too many right now.
• Cutex One-stop Pads- Received from Influenster. These worked exactly as described. I was able to remove my polish from my fingernails or toenails with one pad. I really like these over messy cottonballs soaked with acetone. I do plan on purchasing more.
• Burt's Bees BB Cream sample- Received from Walmart Beauty Box. I did enjoy this BB Cream despite it being a bit heavy. I prefer to wear lighter BB, tinted moisturizers, or foundations. I was able to wear it with minimal fading throughout the day, but I did become oily in my T-zone after a few hours. Will not purchase. 
• Re:cipe Slowganic Cleanser mini set- Received from Mishibox. This container was the last of the 3 piece mini set which contained Adlay, Green Tea, and Lemon. This had a fluffy, marshmallow creme-like consistency. It cleans skin really well, but did leave me squeaky clean and a bit dry. I did enjoy this product, but do not plan on a repurchase.
• Nugg Revitalizing Face Mask- Received from Target Beauty Box. This mask has flaxseed and peppermint oil and because of the peppermint it felt cooling and a burned a bit. The fumes especially irritated my eyes. This one filled my nose with the classic VapoRub smell. Will not repurchase. 
• Ecotools Deep Cleansing Charcoal Konjac sponge- purchased from Walmart- Lightly exfoliating and helps cleanser foam up. I enjoy using this sponge and this was actually repurchase. I will repurchase again, after I use my current sponge.
• Simple Cleansing Micellar Water- I really liked this mild formula for a quick morning cleanser. Some days it's easier to swipe away overnight germs and oil and be on my way. It's lightly hydrating and doesn't leave any residue behind. I did not detect a scent from this formula. May repurchase in the future as I have several others to try out.
• Laneige Water Sleeping Pack deluxe sample- received from 3B Box. I like this overnight sleeping pack. It's a light, thin, gel-type consistency which does a really good job of moisturizing. I would wake up to hydrated, bouncy skin. It does has light powder-like scent which dissipates quickly after absorption. I had no problems with this formula and did enjoy this very much. I'm currently using a second deluxe sample I received from a Target Beauty Box. Likely to repurchase in the future.
• Tony Moly I'm Real Rice Sheet Mask Clear Skin- received from Mishibox. The essence in this mask was a thin, light, milky consistency with a heavy and sweet scent. The sheet itself was very thin and somewhat hard to manipulate. It kept sliding down my face (I should have been lying down, but I have very active children) and the shape did not fit well on my face. After about 30 minutes, it did leave my skin very hydrated and visibly brightened. I did enjoy it despite the fit. Will not repurchase. 

Finally, I was going to post my entire makeup basket of the week, but honestly, the only thing that changed (from my latest post) was the eyeshadow palette. Just like last week, I had my daughter spin the wheel and randomly pick from my large stash of eye palettes. I will then try to incorporate the palette with every eye look I create. I also decided that the E.L.F. Mad About Matte palette will permanently stay in my basket since it's easy to incorporate in every eye look. I plan to give myself a nice little reward if I ever pan my e.l.f. palette. Any who, this week's palette is the Pony Shine Easy Glam 2 purchased from Memebox. The colors are gorgeous and can create a multitude of different looks, however the palette alone won't give a full put-together look. Hence the e.l.f. palette.  

Pony Shine Easy Glam 2

Until next week when I post the PotW. Have a great week!

Makeup Basket of the Week

Having done A LOT of research on project panning and tips and tricks for using up my stash, I came across the makeup basket hashtag over on Instagram. It's the social network I'm most active on, as well as Reddit. (Shout out to the helpful and supportive community at /r/MakeupRehab) Pretty much you pick products or a palette on a weekly basis so using the same products doesn't get repetitive and you get to shop your stash.

Last Friday I had my daughter (yes I like to incorporate her as she enjoys being a part of almost everything I do) spin a wheel I made at wheeldecide.com to choose the palette or indie samples for the week. I have too freaking many so this is great way to incorporate my unloved palettes, although randomly, but they'll get some love. I incorporated products I'm trying to pan (ex. 6 by summer, 4 by July 4, etc.) and products I'm in a hurry to use up. It does get boring, but I did find different, bold, and creative ways to multi use a few of these products. 

Week of 5-13-16/5-20-16

In no particular order

• Urban Decay Primer Potion
• Ulta Clear Brow Gel
• Dark Heart Designs Bronzer (6 by Summer)
• YSL Volume Effect Faux Cils (6 by Summer)
• ELF Mad for Matte
• Wet n Wild Fergie Paris Runway eyeshadow palette
• Ulta Ultimate Brows Shade & Shaper Pencil
• Kleancolor Master Strokes Long Wear Nude Shadow Stick
• Physician's Formula Black Mineral Pencil Eye Liner
• BareMinerals 5-in-1 BB Advanced Performance Cream Shadow
• ELF Coffee Cream Eye Liner (6 by Summer)
• Wet n Wild Coloricon Contour Palette Caramel Toffee (old formula)
• Notoriously Morbid Starlight Lip Craft & Lipgloss for Leatherface Lip Craft
• Kiss My Sass Summer Glow Highlighter sample
• Pixi Flawless Beauty Primer
• Nyx Butter Lip Balm Parfait
• Avon Lip Tint Berry
• Kiss My Sass Body Electric cream blush sample
• Howl Cosmetics Five-Headed Dragon lipstick sample (6 by Summer)
• Profusion Face Palette

Not pictured (because whoopsies!)

• My Beauty Addiction (MBA) Perfecting Primer Powder
• MBA Buff powder foundation
• MBA powder concealer
• MBA Mineral Veil

I do plan on waking up Saturday (5-21-16) and, along with the other mundane to-do's, having her spin the wheel again to choose another palette/brand of the week. I will have it be spun again if it lands on the same palette/brand because I have decided I won't use the same eyeshadows more than once a month. I may also change up a few more products, but that'll be to my discretion. I hope to have Makeup Basket of the Week and Bi-weekly Empties posted soon!

March/April Empties

Yes, I realize that we're in May and I also realized I had been meaning to make this post for a while. Better late than never? I guess...

March/April mask empties

• IPKN Wrinkle Care Snail 8 Mask - super drenched in essence. Fit well. Definitely has a very earthy smell, exactly what I would expect a snail to smell like. It’s not pleasant and it does last quite a while. Very hydrating and sticky afterwards. 
• Pikake, Plumeria, Green Tea Beauty Treats - these were all pretty similar except for the scent. They all fit well, were hydrating, and brightening.  Not very sticky and my skin drank up remaining essence. 
• Naisture Brightening Arbutin - pretty much like the Beauty Treats. Also liked. 
• The Creme Shop Green Tea - Moisturizing and brightening. Very refreshing. Did not fit well but still usable. 
• Purederm Ultra Foot Repairing Foot Mask - this was the first time I did anything of this sort to my feet and I loved it! Strong alcohol like scent and very cooling. A few days through a few weeks after using, feet will peel and “molt” leaving behind soft and radiant feet. It was definitely a creepy and weird experience, but one I would love to try again. Very wet sock type. 
• Petitfee Dry Essence Foot Pack - somewhat waxy dry sock, but left feet very silky moisturized. Paired well with exfoliating foot mask from above. 

Of this lot, I would only repurchase the foot masks.

March/April skincare and hair care empties

• Neutrogena Pore Refining Toner - Purchased. Yes it’s alcohol based and yes it’s heavily irritating on many people. My skin is pretty heavy duty, handling pretty much everything I throw at it. I had no problems with this toner but, I won’t repurchase because I have several more to go through. 
• Instanatural Retinol serum - Received through Amazon review program. I mainly used this one as part of my night time routine. I found this formulation to be somewhat helpful as it did help keep my skin smoother and brighter. I don’t break out too often, but I also noticed less breaking out while using this. I couldn’t really detect a scent. I don’t believe I’ll be repurchasing this particular product. I also have a Retinol cream to go through. 
• Instanatural Age defying & Skin Clearing serum - Received through Amazon review program. This was the daytime counterpart from the previous serum. This one contains niacinamide which I did notice helped keep my skin look brighter and faded any dark spots or scarring quickly. Citrus scent which faded away quickly. I did like it but, will not be repurchasing. 
• Dr. Brandt Microdermabrasion skin exfoliant - Received through Ipsy. I really liked this physical exfoliator and was sad to use it up. The very fine microparticles really helped to scrub away any dryness or flakiness to keep my skin smooth. Peppermint scent with a cooling sensation. Creamy, grainy, and thick. Would love to purchase a full size but must go through other exfoliators first. 
• Etude House Baking Powder BB Deep Cleansing Foam - Received from 3B Box giveaway. Creamy Cleanser with copious amount of lather. Left my skin very deeply cleaned but dehydrated. Skin feels soft and visibly brightened. Did not cause any problems on my combination/oily skin. Light citrus scent which does not linger. I also detected very small granules in soap that helped mildly exfoliate. Did like, would not repurchase. I prefer my skin to not be too dry after a wash. 
• Etude House Age Defense Essential Softener & Emulsion - Received from 3B Box giveaway. They both have a high impact perfumy floral scent which does not linger in the softener but does last longer in emulsion. I used softener as a first treatment after toner. Light, not sticky or greasy, and not very  moisturizing. Skin did feel silky and soft but not hydrated. Emulsion was not greasy and slightly sticky. It was lightly hydrating and usually followed it up with a heavier cream at night. Neutral feelings. Will not purchase.*
• Missha Super Aqua Ultra Water-full Active toner & Control Emulsion - Received from 3B box giveaway. I used toner as a first essence because it very light, thin, hydrating, and not sticky or greasy. Honestly nothing special. Don’t feel like it did much. Emulsion was light, thin, runny, and lightly hydrating. It was easily absorbed by skin and it was slightly sticky afterwards. Followed up with heavier cream at night. Will not repurchase.*
• La'dor Perfect Fill-up Hair Ampoule - Received from Mishibox. This is a liquid in a 13 ml bottle that mixes with a 1:1 ratio with water to become creamy. It has a pleasant fruity scent with no chemical smell. After rinsing, my hair was shiny, soft, voluminous (weighty) and lasted for the entire day. Next day my hair was still soft, shiny, had a “thick” volume and was very manageable.  Would love to repurchase. 

*These type of containers are a pain the ass. Even when using a q-tip to try and get product, it takes a long time to build up enough product for one application.  They are hard plastic containers that do not squeeze. I hate sample containers like this and I have several more in my stash.

Shudder

This is Anavita Moisturizing Anti-wrinkle cream. It has a weird minty, plastic-y smell. It is silicone based so I thought it would wear all under makeup. It not heavy or creamy enough for night time, but this thing is a true skincare nightmare come to life during the day.  It is hard to spread and becomes very oily even with nothing on top. While wearing makeup, it would slide right off and make my face look like I had just finished running a marathon. Luckily it didn’t break me out, but also did nothing to moisturize and little else of anything useful. I really dislike this product and is going into the trash with about ¾ of product still in it.

Project Pan & Empties

I'm starting a journey. One that hopefully will allow me to use up my large collection of makeup, skincare, and all around beauty products. I also am attempting a no-buy until I use up at least 10 products as a way to "reward" myself. A #beautychallenge10 of you will. I will also do mini reviews of empties, hopefully bi-weekly, so I can keep track of what I've used and whether I like it or not. At the moment I have a "6 by summer" going on and my goal is to hit pan or use up the following six products by June 1, 2016.

1. An item with hated packaging- Five-Headed Dragon lipstick from Howl Cosmetics. It's lipstick... In. A. Sample. Baggie. 

2. Something you've already hit pan on- Dark Heart Cosmetics bronzer. It's a loose form in a tiny container which makes it hard to wear as a bronzer but makes an excellent crease color. Soooo close...

3. Body shower product- Caress Adore Forever. I'm currently using a bar soap from Whole Foods, but I'll work on this.

4. Face serum- I really like using LaF Skin 7 Solutions Waterbomb Ampoule so I'll just finish it up.

5. An eyeliner- Coffee cream eyeliner from Elf does not get enough loving.

6. A high end product- I looooove this Mascara Volume Effect Faux Cils from YSL. Also, it's mascara so I should hurry up and use it anyway.

I made a project pan roulette list on a randomizer app with about 40 different categories and went shopping in my stash for those six items. I'm also trying to organize and categorize Everything I've been hoarding. It has, so far, taken three days. Will it ever end...

Aside from all of that, I have my own personal makeup looks list going on the side to use up more makeup that I have been hoarding. Still on the fence about whether or not I'll be posting MOTDs or FOTDs. 

I'm excited for all the challenges I'm placing upon myself. Wish me luck!