Greetings, dear readers, and happy Monday! It has been quite some time since I've posted on a Monday here on the blog! I have a few things I really would like to try to post this week, and I figured an early jump might help with those plans. Whether or not it all happens is another story, but I'm certainly going to try! Now let's get to today's post!
I decided once again to challenge myself to use and/or destash my beauty products this year; my goal for 2020 is to pan and purge a total of 175 items. While it certainly would be a lofty goal if all I did was pan items, destashing products that I just don't use or really enjoy (but still held onto as if my life depended on it) makes my goal attainable. My numbers for February pale in comparison to January's, but I'm hoping to make good progress testing out my potential destash pile this month.
These are the items that have left my stash in February.
I decided once again to challenge myself to use and/or destash my beauty products this year; my goal for 2020 is to pan and purge a total of 175 items. While it certainly would be a lofty goal if all I did was pan items, destashing products that I just don't use or really enjoy (but still held onto as if my life depended on it) makes my goal attainable. My numbers for February pale in comparison to January's, but I'm hoping to make good progress testing out my potential destash pile this month.
These are the items that have left my stash in February.
Use It: The Empties
As the subtitle suggests, these are the items I have finished up this month.
Cosmetics
I have a variety of open foundations, so it took some time to get these empty, but I did it! These are the original matte formula, and since wet n wild didn't have my exact shade, I ended up purchasing two and tweaked them to get pretty close to my colour. It's not been kept secret that these have a rather unpleasant chemical smell, but I found the smell disappears rather quickly, allowing me to use these until completion. I actually really enjoyed these as an affordable drugstore option, but I really wish they had a bigger shade range. The brand's cruelty-free status has been a hot topic since it has been discovered they sell in China, so between these points, I don't foresee repurchasing these.
Nourishing Lip Polish | PIXI Beauty
I have bent and twisted this tube so much to get every drop out I could that the writing on the the tube has come off! I've been using this product (not this particular tube!) for a few years now and really like it! The textured silicone applicator allows for gentle exfoliation, but it is the product itself that I like. Filled with shea butter and a blend of oils, the Nourishing Lip Polish has saved my lips from being wrecked when I end up with a cold and cannot breathe through my nose. I actually use it when I'm not sick as well, but the fact that my lips can sail through a cold without any noticeable difference speaks wonders about this product. It's a must have for me, and I already have a replacement open and in use.
Nourishing Lip Polish | PIXI Beauty
I have bent and twisted this tube so much to get every drop out I could that the writing on the the tube has come off! I've been using this product (not this particular tube!) for a few years now and really like it! The textured silicone applicator allows for gentle exfoliation, but it is the product itself that I like. Filled with shea butter and a blend of oils, the Nourishing Lip Polish has saved my lips from being wrecked when I end up with a cold and cannot breathe through my nose. I actually use it when I'm not sick as well, but the fact that my lips can sail through a cold without any noticeable difference speaks wonders about this product. It's a must have for me, and I already have a replacement open and in use.
Body
Rice Flower and Shea Shower Gel | Bath & Body Works
Rice Flower and Shea Shower Gel | Bath & Body Works
This is one of my favorite scents from B&BWs, and naturally it means that had to discontinue it! Every once in awhile they would have a clear-out, either in store or online, where I happen to stumble across a bottle or two, and I would snap them up quickly. I don't feel particularly strongly about B&BW's shower gels- they smell nice and leave my skin clean. It doesn't have the rich and luxurious feeling as some other brands, but I've never minded when I can get them on sale. As this is discontinued, I'm not so likely to replace this, although never say never!
Sugar Scrub (Cocoa & Cookies; Astronaut Ice Cream) | KBShimmer
I really enjoy sugar scrubs by KBShimmer, and these scents were no exception to that rule. Both these scents were exclusive to the Polish Pickup and unfortunately cannot be replaced, but KBShimmer offers a selection of 6 scents permanently on there site. Further, they have another Polish Pickup exclusive scent available coming this Friday; there's really no excuse to not be able to enjoy these! In an effort to work through my open stash, I've held off on getting more, but with two more jars close to completion, I think I'm about ready to start adding more for future enjoyment!
Sugar Scrub (Cocoa & Cookies; Astronaut Ice Cream) | KBShimmer
I really enjoy sugar scrubs by KBShimmer, and these scents were no exception to that rule. Both these scents were exclusive to the Polish Pickup and unfortunately cannot be replaced, but KBShimmer offers a selection of 6 scents permanently on there site. Further, they have another Polish Pickup exclusive scent available coming this Friday; there's really no excuse to not be able to enjoy these! In an effort to work through my open stash, I've held off on getting more, but with two more jars close to completion, I think I'm about ready to start adding more for future enjoyment!
This was my first experience with this brand, and WOW, did I love this body moisturizer! It is creamy and moisturizing without a greasy after-feeling. My skin really loved this tlc this dry winter season, especially after the occasional leg shaving session! The smell is refreshing- light and clean. I have some other moisturizers I want to try to get through first, but I'm thinking about picking up another one of these when those are empty.
White Tea & Ginger Body Lotion | Bath & Body Works
White Tea & Ginger is my other favorite B&BWs scent, and of course, this one is retired as well. I'm not sure if my nose has become even more sensitive, but this (and another B&BWs lotion I'm using) smells stronger than I remember, so much so I cannot use it straight from the bottle as is. The lotion is light and not as moisturizing as I would like anyway, and I mixed this with another unscented moisturizer that felt more nourishing to the skin. I'm just not thrilled with the quality of these and won't be repurchasing, even if I do find my favorite scents, in the B&BWs lotion,
White Tea & Ginger Body Lotion | Bath & Body Works
White Tea & Ginger is my other favorite B&BWs scent, and of course, this one is retired as well. I'm not sure if my nose has become even more sensitive, but this (and another B&BWs lotion I'm using) smells stronger than I remember, so much so I cannot use it straight from the bottle as is. The lotion is light and not as moisturizing as I would like anyway, and I mixed this with another unscented moisturizer that felt more nourishing to the skin. I'm just not thrilled with the quality of these and won't be repurchasing, even if I do find my favorite scents, in the B&BWs lotion,
Hair
Smooth Blow Dry Anti-Frizz Cream | Garnier Fructis Style
I don't have too much issue with frizz in my hair, and generally whatever styling products I use end up combating that regardless of whether or not they were designed to prevent frizzy hair. The real reason I picked this up was because it offers heat protection for your hair, and that is something I do need. I wash my hair every three to four days, and unless I'm not feeling well or want it straight, I typically blow it dry. If I want my hair to be straighter, I have to take a flat iron to it. Even though I use a low temperature setting (I want to flatten my hair, not bake it), I still want my hair protected from the heat. This is a great and affordable option for me and a product I'm probably going to repurchase when I finish off another heat protector I'm currently working through.
Smooth Blow Dry Anti-Frizz Cream | Garnier Fructis Style
I don't have too much issue with frizz in my hair, and generally whatever styling products I use end up combating that regardless of whether or not they were designed to prevent frizzy hair. The real reason I picked this up was because it offers heat protection for your hair, and that is something I do need. I wash my hair every three to four days, and unless I'm not feeling well or want it straight, I typically blow it dry. If I want my hair to be straighter, I have to take a flat iron to it. Even though I use a low temperature setting (I want to flatten my hair, not bake it), I still want my hair protected from the heat. This is a great and affordable option for me and a product I'm probably going to repurchase when I finish off another heat protector I'm currently working through.
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Lose It: Purged Products
These are the items that are not empty but I have decided to let go.
This brown sugar and shea butter scrub + balm was an exclusive to the Polish/Indie Pickup and I snapped it up immediately. While it can be used on either your cuticles or your lips, my main interest was as a lip scrub. Other scrubs often come in pots, requiring me to pinch it out with my fingers and rub onto my lips. I do it because that's just what you do, but I love when I come across lip scrubs that are in a tube and can be directly buffed (gently!) on the lips before rinsing off. I actually used this tube most of the way through before setting it aside to try to get through one of my sugar scrub pots. Unfortunately, when I picked it up again, it had dried out just a little too much to be comfortable for use on my lips. I probably could still use it, but I think it is best to let it go. As this version was exclusive to the Indie Pickup I won't be able to replace it, but I definitely will be picking up the one they offer of their website once I finish up my open lip scrubs!
This little sample tube was an option to spend some of my Sephora points, and while I'm in no rush to use my points, I was interested in trying out this primer on my oily, hooded eyes. While the rest of my skin is normal to slightly oily, my lids are, pardon the expression, oily as fuck, and very few eye primers work well for me. I was actually pretty impressed with how well my eye makeup would hold up with this primer, but it feels so thick going on, no matter how tiny amount I would try to use, and it actually left my eyelids feeling uncomfortably dry. I had pretty high hopes on this one since I know others really enjoy it, but sadly it just did not seem to work with my body chemistry.
Master Pro Blush Brush | Royal & Langnickel
Royal & Langnickel chooses to describe this brush as soft on their website, and all I have to say is soft, my ass! Maybe I've just been spoiled by the soft synthetic brushes that have found there way into my brush collection, but this brush does not feel very pleasant on my face. It isn't the worst thing I've used, but I like my back scratched, not my cheeks. This brush is just not for me and I won't be missing it.
Master Pro Tapered Blender Brush | Royal & Langnickel
I have a weakness for eye brushes, so I was pretty excited to test out this brush after it arrived in my Royal & Langnickel Deluxe Mystery Box (like the previous brush, by the way). As it's in my destash list, it obviously did not perform well for me, and I've be struggling to figure out exactly why. I liked that it is fairly thin, as the wider blending brushes can be a little unwieldy with my hooded eyes, but I found it just did not want to actually blend colour at all. It was the same results regardless of primer or eyeshadow I would use, and I don't like having to put in a lot of work to try to make a product work when there are others on the market that do. I'm wondering if the bristles are either just not quite dense enough or a little too long, or just a combination of both, at least to be used with my techniques. I am disappointed to let this go, but I've got new brushes entering my life soon so I'll get over it.
Master Pro Blush Brush | Royal & Langnickel
Royal & Langnickel chooses to describe this brush as soft on their website, and all I have to say is soft, my ass! Maybe I've just been spoiled by the soft synthetic brushes that have found there way into my brush collection, but this brush does not feel very pleasant on my face. It isn't the worst thing I've used, but I like my back scratched, not my cheeks. This brush is just not for me and I won't be missing it.
Master Pro Tapered Blender Brush | Royal & Langnickel
I have a weakness for eye brushes, so I was pretty excited to test out this brush after it arrived in my Royal & Langnickel Deluxe Mystery Box (like the previous brush, by the way). As it's in my destash list, it obviously did not perform well for me, and I've be struggling to figure out exactly why. I liked that it is fairly thin, as the wider blending brushes can be a little unwieldy with my hooded eyes, but I found it just did not want to actually blend colour at all. It was the same results regardless of primer or eyeshadow I would use, and I don't like having to put in a lot of work to try to make a product work when there are others on the market that do. I'm wondering if the bristles are either just not quite dense enough or a little too long, or just a combination of both, at least to be used with my techniques. I am disappointed to let this go, but I've got new brushes entering my life soon so I'll get over it.
Monthly Stats
Empties: 10
Purged: 4
Total: 14
Yearly Stats
Empties: 25
Purged: 29
Total: 54
February may not have been the most productive month when it came to pan and purging, but I still made respectable progress towards my goal of 175 products. I have a few products that I know will be empty before the end of the week that I thought would make it to my February list, but alas, it looks like they're just holding off. I didn't purge as much as I thought I would, but this month I plan to take advantage of my kids being out of town for Spring Break with the hubby, leaving me as quiet a week as my dogs a troublesome feline can manage. Overall, I would say that February wasn't great but not bad. At the end of the day, I still managed to remove 14 products from my life, and that ultimately is the goal.
Until next time, dear readers, have a wonderful day!
XO!
I am planning a closet-clean-out day where I just get rid of as much as humanly possible!
ReplyDeleteI finally got to try KB Shimmer nail polishes, I'm going to check out that scrub next time
ReplyDeleteI think you did an admirable job finishing and tossing. You are well on your way to your goal. I find all B&BW products too strong for me. But I do like the KBShimmer body scrubs. It's hard for me to throw away brushes but sometimes they are so disappointing that I just have to purge them.
ReplyDeleteThat PIXI lip polish is incredible, it really deserves more hype than it gets. You finished so many great products this month!
ReplyDeleteThat format of a lip scrub makes so much more sense than the pots like you mentioned! I have a little on in a pot but I dont often use it because of that!
ReplyDelete