August Empties

1. Pantene Flat to Volume Shampoo for Fine Hair: I really like this shampoo. My mom likes it too. I would repurchase this, but I already have shampoos I feel like I should use before getting anything new.

2. Fortune Cookie Wonderland Futterwacken Body Wash: This smells like grapefruit and lilies. It was from my Spring Fortune Cookie Box. I really liked this, but I won't repurchase because I have so many body washes.

3. Lush Happy Hippy Shower Gel: I love this smell. It smells like grapefruit. It helps to wake you up. This was a good shower gel. I wouldn't buy it again because I think it is too expensive. 

4. Philosophy Shampoo, Shower Gel & Bubble Bath in Gingerbread Girl: This smells like gingerbread. I really liked this. I would repurchase this, but I have too many shower gels.

5. Elf Mineral Face Primer: I got this from Target. I thought it looked good because it would counteract redness, but it didn't work too good for that. I liked the feel of it. I think it is a good primer. I wouldn't repurchase it, though.

6. Oribe Shampoo for Beautiful Color: I got this from my Birchbox. It doesn't lather up in my hair like I would like. I felt like I needed to use a lot of this to clean my hair. I will not purchase this.

7. Boots No.7 Lip Liner in Nude: This was my favorite nude lip liner for a long time. I think Lisa Eldridge used this in her tutorial about Audrey Hepburn. I got it at Target. I already have other nude lip liners I need to use before getting a new one.

8. L'Oreal Magic Lumi Highlighter: I might get this again. It is just as good as the Maybelline one. So whichever one is cheaper I will get. I already have concealers that I need to use.

9. Essential Elements Shower Gel: This smells like mint. It was OK at first. I like the Philosophy Candy Cane one better because it is sweeter. I wouldn't purchase this. I got this from either Birchbox or IPSY Bag.

10. Juicy Couture La La Perfume: I have never smelled a Juicy Couture perfume I didn't like. I like this one. For some reason I have two samples of this, but this is the first sample that has run out. I have so many perfumes in my collection counting all my samples and big bottles. I don't need to repurchase this one. But I would recommend it, if you like the first Juicy Couture or Juicy Couture Viva La Juicy. Ulta's description: Topnotes: sparkling mandarin, water hyacinth, green apple, red currant. Midnotes: lily of the valley, blushing peony, violet leaves, orange flower. Drydown: smooth woods, liquid musk. The smell is sweet and fruity with flowers. It is very girly.

October Empties

1. Hourglass Immaculate Liquid Powder Foundation Velvet Matte Finish in Ivory

I got this as a sample when I ordered online from Sephora. It comes with two samples for each foundation. For this foundation it didn't seem like anything remarkable. I wouldn't buy it. I think the color was a little too dark for me

2. Hourglass Veil Fluid Makeup Radiant Finish in Ivory: I like the way it feels going on. I like it, but I won't pay the money for the full size. It says it is good for all types of skin. I am combination. The other foundation was a tinted moisturizer and I haven't tried it because I need fuller coverage.

3. Downy Unstopables In-Wash Scent Booster in Shimmer

I heard about this in Samantha Schuerman's empty videos. She raves about the scent. I was so curious, I had to smell it when I was at Target. Sure enough it smells so lovely. I stocked up on this. I purchased the wrong one by accident. It is called, "Spring", and I don't know if I like that because I haven't tried it yet. It had a pink color, so I assumed it was Shimmer, but Shimmer is more of a light pink. When I was in Target again I got multiple Shimmers because I love it so much. You put it in the wash and it makes your clothes smell good.

4. MCMC Phoenix Perfume

I have a sample of this. It is sort of an odd smell in my opinion. I wouldn't purchase this. Let me look up the notes. On the Birchbox website it says, "The top note of vanilla quickly translates to a honeysuckle when it touches the skin. The lasting note is peach." Maybe I'm smelling the honeysuckle. I don't know why it just smells strange to me.

5. Coach Poppy Perfume

This is the red one. I like the way this smells. I don't think I would buy a full size one. The notes are cucumber flower petals, mandarin, baby freesia buds, jasmine, pink water lily, southern gardenia, rose petals, creme brulee accord, cedar wood, bleached sandalwood, vanilla, and whipped marshmallow. Sephora says it is "flirty, fashionable, and fun." It does smell fun to me. It has a good mixture of sweet and floral.

6. Jordana Best Lash Extreme Volumizing Mascara

I haven't used this for 3 months and I'm not out of it, but the formula has gone weird I think. I noticed my eye lashes are clumpy and I decided not to use this anymore and use one of my other mascaras that is working better. At first I did like this and I recommended it. I don't think I will repurchase this. People talk about loving this on Youtube a lot. But I don't recommend it anymore.

7. Revlon Colorstay Foundation for Normal/Dry Skin in 110 Ivory

I love this for when my skin is dry. I have combination skin, so my skin changes. I repurchased this.

8. Becca Ever-Matte Poreless Priming Perfector

I got a deluxe sample of this when I purchased items on Sephora's website. This is a really good primer. I liked it, and I used it a bunch of times. I won't repurchase this because it isn't drugstore price, and I have face primers I still need to finish. When I buy a face primer it will be one from the drugstore.

9. L.A. Colors Nail Polish Remover Pads

I got this a while ago at the Dollar Store. It smells just like peaches. It feels like it moisturizes my nails while removing the polish. I really like these. I got another one in melon. They aren't at my Dollar Store anymore, so I don't know where I would get these again. I would repurchase them and recommend them. It's too bad I don't know where to find them. They used to sell L.A. Colors makeup at my Fred Meyers, but they don't anymore. Maybe I could get them online. I have other nail polish removers that I can still use, so I won't be repurchasing these for awhile, if I do repurchase them. They don't get off hard to remove nail polish very well.

10. Viva La Juicy La Fleur Perfume

I had a sample of this. I'm sad it's gone. I love Juicy Couture scents. They are fruity, floral, and sweet smelling. It just makes me happy to smell them. I would say these are my favorite types of perfume. Sephora says the notes are wild berries, mandarin, honeysuckle, gardenia petals, soft jasmine, vanilla, caramel, and sandalwood. They say the style is "sheer, modern, and addictive." I don't know about it smelling sheer and modern, but I do think it is addictive. I still have other Juicy Couture perfumes, so I won't purchase the full size one. But when I run out of them all, I will repurchase from this brand, if not La Fleur.

I hope you enjoy my reviews and found them helpful!

Summer Perfume

I have done a summer perfume post before: http://beautydiversion.blogspot.com/search/label/summer%20perfume. It was September of last year. I still have those perfumes, but throughout the year I've added to my collection. Some are little samples I've gotten, some are body sprays, and some are lotions. I wanted to show you my "new" summer fragrances. I found out last year there were different fragrance notes that go with each season. That is why some people say they want their perfume to go with the season. I thought that was interesting, so I researched and I came up with the notes that supposedly go with Summer. I added Rio Berry because it was with the Spring/Summer collection of Bath and Body Works, and Peaches and Cream because peaches are ripe in the Summer. Also, Love Spell has peach as one of it's notes. Based on the notes is how I figured out which of my fragrances are "summer scents."

These are the notes of Summer:
1. Rose
2. Orange Blossoms
3. Raspberry
4. Peach
5. Honeysuckle
6. Island Flowers
7. Sea Salt

Also, last year I learned the different places to place perfume. One of the places was to spray it in the hair. Well, I just learned this year that you actually shouldn't do that. It's not good for your hair, unless it is a product made for the hair. So I have been not doing the hair trick anymore.

These are the best places to put your fragrance:
1. Behind knees
2. Wrists (don't rub them together)
3. Chest
4. Behind ears
5. Insides of elbows
6. Spritz in the air and walk through
7. Between breasts
8. Neck

1. Bath and Body Works Sweet Pea (was a Christmas present)
2. Viva La Juicy La Fleur
3. Bvlgari Omnia Crystalline
4. MCMC Phoenix
5. Coach Poppy (red)
6. Joie Folle de Joie eau de parfum
7. Juicy Couture Couture
8. Sage + Fasten Common Sense
9. Bath and Body Works Country Chic (was a Christmas present)
10. Bath and Body Works Body Spray in Bali Mango
11. Bath and Body Works Body Spray in Twilight
12. Bath and Body Works Body Spray in Rio Rumberry
13. Philosophy Lotion in Peaches and Cream
14. Victoria Secret Body Lotion in Love Spell

What is your favorite perfume/body spray/lotion to wear in the Summer?

May Empties!

I finished up some more products to show you. One of them I just hit pan on, but I wanted to show you what it looked like before I used it all up.

1. Walgreens Cotton Swabs: These were just ordinary q-tips. I use them to wipe off eye makeup under my eye or to fix my eye liner mistakes. I dip them in the Maybelline Expert Eyes Moisturizing Eye Makeup Remover because it gets off waterproof eye makeup. I would purchase these again. I'm not picky when it comes to q-tips. I will get the cheapest I can find.

2. MAC Studio Careblend Pressed Powder in Medium Deep: I use this whenever a look calls for contouring. I didn't know what to use for my skin color because I'm so light and I wanted a contour to look natural on me. I decided to go to a MAC counter to have a makeup artist match me. I think this is the right color for me. I would repurchase this when I run out. Even though it isn't drugstore, I like knowing that it is the right match for me. It has lasted a long time too. I just use a little bit of it. It is a matte powder that is a few shades darker than my skin color, so it technically isn't a bronzer, but you can use it like it is.

3. Freeman Facial Enzyme Mask in Pineapple: This is supposed to restore radiant skin. I used this once a week. There is a lot of product in the sample. I stored it in a zip lock bag and it stayed fresh. It smells so good! You leave it on your face for 10 minutes and when you rinse it off your face feels smoother. I didn't notice it looking more radiant. I would purchase the full size. I don't think I've ever seen the full size version of this at the store. If I do see it, I would get it. I recommend it.

4. Neutrogena Oil-Free Acne Wash: This was recommended to me by my dermatologist. It has salicylic acid in it which helps get rid of acne. She said for me to use a benzoid peroxide wash in the morning and a salicylic acid wash at night. It is good to have both I guess to get rid of acne. Your skin won't get used to one. This method works for me because I rarely get pimples. I repurchase this in bulk!

5. Juicy Couture in Couture La La Perfume: This smells so good! I'm sorry it is all used up. I love the Juicy Couture perfumes. I haven't smelled one that I didn't like. It smells like a combination of fruit and flowers. Sephora says the notes are sparkling mandarin, water hyacinth, green apple, red currant, lily of the valley, blushing peony, violet leaves, orange flower, smooth woods, and liquid musk. This is a nice perfume for any time of the year. I got this sample from my February Birchbox. Even though I like this perfume, I don't think I would purchase it because I already have a big size bottle of Viva La Juicy.

6. MAKE Dual-Phase Eye Makeup Remover: It was good, but I like Neutrogena better. And it is more affordable and easier to get. I got this sample from a Birchbox.

7. Bvlgari Jasmin Noir Eau de Parfum: I got a sample from a Birchbox. This scent has notes of green sap, gardenia petals, samba jasmine absolute, satiny almond, precious wood, licorice, and tonk a bean absolute. Sephora says the style is seductive, sophisticated, and refined. I agree with that. I like the smell, but it is a little too spicy for me, if that makes any sense. I like lighter, fruitier, sweeter scents. I'm still figuring out what kinds of perfumes I like. I have so many samples it has helped me figure out my tastes. I wouldn't purchase this.

8. COACH Poppy Flower: This is in the purple packaging. The notes are sweet freesia, violet leaves, wet ivy, juicy grapefruit, mandarin, lychee, cassis, jasmine petals, water lily, rose, amber, and apricot skin. Sephora says the style is chic, vibrant, and whimsical. It definitely is vibrant. Even though I just said I like the fruit and floral scents, this perfume is just ok to me. I wouldn't purchase it. It's not a bad smell. I'm not sure what it is that I don't like. I still wore it, so I like it just ok.

9. Tresemme Frizz Shield Finishing Spray: It worked good as a hair spray, but it didn't help with my frizziness. But my hair has a mind of it's own, and it can be very stubborn against hair products. I didn't repurchase this.

10. Up & Up Women's Shave Gel in Strawberry Tangerine: It says this is compared to Skintimate Strawberry Tangerine Twist. It is extra moisturizing with Vitamin E and olive butter. I loved this! This smells so good, it made me want to run out of the shower and make myself a fruit smoothie! I had heard about this in someone else's favorites, so I went to Target to get it. I would recommend this and I would repurchase this. The only problem is it is at Target. It is more convenient for me to go to Rite AId or Walgreens. Target is further away and the Target where I live is always really busy, so I would rather not go to it. The parking lot is horrible. I feel like I'm going to get in an accident whenever I go there. I think this shaving gel is as good as Skintimate. It was even better because it smelled so amazing.

I hope you enjoyed reading about my empties! Feel free to leave a comment!

Favorite Spring Perfumes

The fragrances of Spring have notes of Lily of the Valley, Peonies and Violets. I have a few sample perfumes that I consider to be Spring perfumes.

1. UR for Women by Usher: White Freesia, Peach Nectar, Jasmine, Osmanthus, Pink Peonies, Creamy Musk, Honeysuckle, Praline, Soft Woods

2. White Diamonds by Elizabeth Taylor: Narcisse, Gardenia, Lilies, refreshingly crisp green notes

3. Mariah Carey's Luscious Pink: Sicilian Bergamot, accords of ocean breeze, Italian sparkling coctail Bellini, petals of Tiara from Tahiti, lily of the valley, pink peony, accords of bright blond wood, sandalwood, white musk

4. Jennifer Aniston: Jasmine, scent of the ocean, Citrus Grove Accord, Rose Water, Violet, Amazon Lily, Musk, Amber, Sandalwood

5. LIV GRN C2C Fragrance Collection in Earth: Jasmine, Green Leaves, Lavender, Lily of the Valley, Ocean, Musk, Sandalwood

6. Bvlgari Omnia Crystalline: Bamboo, Nashi, Lotus Flower, Balsa Wood

7. Bvlgari Mon Jasmin Noir: Green Sap, Gardenia Petals, Sambac Jasmine Absolute, Satiny Almond, Precious Wood, Licorice, Tonka Bean Absolute

8. Coach Poppy Flower (purple): Citrus, Lychee, Cassis, Water Lily, Jasmine

9. Bath and Body Works Sweet Pea: Sweet Pea, Watery Pear, Logan Berry, Rhubarb, Cyclamen, Freesia, Raspberry, Musk

10. Bath and Body Works Country Chic Fragrance Mist: Sparkling Lemon, Grapefruit Zest, Juicy Pear, Crushed Leaves, Marigold, Fresh Raspberry, Jasmine Petals, Day Lily, Gardenia, Orange Blossom, Peach Nectar, Vanilla Orchid, hint of Praline & Patchouli, Cedar Wood, Amber Wood, Skin Musk

11. Juicy Couture Couture La La: Mandarin, Green Apple, Red Currant, Lily of the Valley, Orange Blossom, Violet Leaves, Musk Accords

I got some of these perfumes from a gift set from Rite Aid and a gift set from Sephora. The Bath and Bodyworks I got as a Christmas present. The little vials I received in beauty boxes. What are your favorite perfumes/scents for Spring?

February Birchbox

Hi there,

February manages to pack a slew of big-ticket events into a brief 28 days. There's that football game with commercials (kidding!), not to mention all the major awards shows. Can you blame us for being a wee bit excited?

In honor of all the nominees and winners - and all of us armchair-style commentators - we've put together an assortment of products worthy of the red carpet. Don't worry if you don't have a posse of pros - you've got us! We've tapped experts from the hair, beauty, and fashion worlds to help you feel ready to conquer your personal red carpet - whether that's a big work presentation or your best friend's wedding.

In addition to your samples, we have a hair tutorial with celeb favorite Serge Normant, insider secrets from a Hollywood stylist, and a guide to primping like a star. And we want to hear form you! How are your samples, our YouTube tutorials, or our expert interviews helping you prep for whatever you have in store this month? Tell us on Twitter and Instagram with #BBready!

xoxo,
Katia, Hayley & Team Birchbox

1. TIGI Catwalk Session Series Transforming Dry Shampoo: Master stylists always have this oil-busting dry shampoo in their kit. It leaves behind a tousled, piecey finish. I've never tried a dry shampoo. I know TIGI is a good brand.

2. A treat from Ghiradelli: You deserve a little sweetness. Try Ghiradelli's Milk & Caramel Square solo or experiment - s'mores or baked into a cookie. Who says you can't riff on decadence. I love these chocolates!

3. Vasanti Brighten Up! Enzymatic Face Rejuvenator: This exfoliating cleanser uses professional-grade (read: effective) microderm crystals and papaya enzymes to brighten skin. I will give this to my mom. I'm happy with my current skincare routine.

4. Juicy Couture Couture La La: Roll out the red carpet for this new scent, a stunning mix of mandarin, red currant, lily, and orange blossom. I love the Juicy Couture scents. I'm happy to get this.

5. Jouer Matte Moisture Tint: This SPF 15 oil-free tinted moisturizer blends in beautifully to even out skin and control shine. I swear I've gotten this in a box before. I haven't tried it out yet.

January Empties

These are my empties I've accumulated since the last time I blogged about them. These are the products I've used up, and my opinions about them. I hope this is helpful.

1. Posh Brush Cleaner: I repurchased this, as soon as I ran out. I love having this on my makeup table. It's a fast, easy way to keep your brushes clean. Just use a paper towel and squirt it on the brush. Then wipe it til it's clean on the paper towel. Then leave it to dry. I keep my brushes standing up in different containers. If I were to use water and soap, I would let it dry lying down, so the handles wouldn't get water in them. When using the sprayer, you are just getting the brush wet, so you don't have to worry about the handles. I got this at Fred Meyers.

2. Beauty Fixation Make Up Remover: This came in one of my beauty boxes I was subscribed to. It is pre-moistened q-tips, that you break off and the product comes out. They worked nicely, to remove eye makeup. I kept them on my makeup table to use whenever I made a mistake with my eye makeup that I needed to erase. I wouldn't purchase these because I normally just use a regular q-tip and put eye makeup remover on them myself. It is cheaper that way. It is not hard or inconvenient to do it myself. I keep q-tips and the Maybelline Eye Make Up Remover on my makeup table.

3. Juicy Couture Original Scent: I got a sample from a beauty box. I love this scent! The notes are watermelon, mandarin, passion fruit, marigold, green apple, water hyacinth, crushed leaves, wild rose, princess lily, tuberose, caramel creme brûlée, vanilla, precious woods and patchouli. It smells like fruits and flowers to me. I would repurchase this. I have so many perfumes, I feel like I should finish them before purchasing a new perfume. This is definitely one I would buy.

4. Maybelline Expert Eyes Moisturizing Eye Makeup Remover for Waterproof Eye Makeup: I have liked this for a long time. I keep it on my makeup table with q-tips, to clean up any mistakes I make or clean up my whole eye look if I'm experimenting on my eye makeup. There is a pink one and a blue one. I have tried both and I like both. I use the pink one because it removes waterproof eye makeup, and I always get waterproof mascara because I heard it holds curl better and just in case my eyes water I don't have mascara running down my face. I have already repurchased this. I think I heard about this from my mom, when I was just beginning with makeup. So I have purchased this for a long time.

5. Milani Liquif'eye Liquid Eye Liner Automatic Propel Pencil in Purple: I feel like this didn't last a long time. It seems like already I'm out of it. It isn't a pencil you sharpen. You twist it up. And there is just no more to twist up. It's a really pretty purple/black color. It's hard to judge it now that there is just a little bit to use because it was hard at the end to use it. I can't remember what it was like when there wa more pencil. I don't think I will purchase this again. I have other purple eye liners that work just as good, if not better.

6. Clindamycin Phosphate Topical Lotion: This is prescribed by my dermatologist. It's an antibiotic serum. It feels like a lotion. I put it on after I cleanse and before I moisturize. It gets rid of the bacteria on my skin. I'm allergic to most antibiotics, so I think if I wasn't allergic, I would take a pill instead. But luckily, I'm not allergic to this lotion. I don't have any bad side effects from it. I love it. It helps me to not get pimples.

7. Secret Invisible Solid Scent Expressions in Cocoa Butter Kiss Deodorant: This smells really good. It's a solid. I like that kind of deodorant. I would repurchase it, but I didn't see it at the store. I'm not going to go to different stores searching for this. I also like to try out different ones. This one worked good, though. I would recommend it.

8. Jordana Incolor Fabuliner Liquid Eye Liner in Black: I really liked this. I like how the tip is firm, like a pen, so it makes it easy to use. It didn't seem to last long, but I don't know how long liquid liners typically last. It took about three months before it dried out. I'm using other liquid liners that I still have, but when I need a new black liquid liner I would repurchase this. I might want to try a new one. This is really inexpensive too. It is under $3! I found it at Walgreens.

9. Milani Liquif'eye Liquid Eye Liner Automatic Propel Pencil in Green: This isn't liquid, neither was the purple one. I think I'm out of it because nothing is able to turn up out of it. You can't sharpen it. I feel like I didn't have it for very long and it is already out. I barely used it! I would not buy this again.

10. Elf Brush Shampoo: This is only $3. I wanted something to clean my brushes with and I decided to try this out. It lasted a good amount of time, and it did a good job cleaning my brushes. I have since then learned you can use baby shampoo to clean your brushes, so I got a huge bottle of baby shampoo from Walgreens and I'm going to use that next. I think I save more money buying the baby shampoo, than the Elf one.

Winter Fragrances

These are my favorite fragrances for the Winter. I while back I researched which fragrant notes go with each season. For the Winter I found that pomegranate, vanilla bean, lemon, orange, cinnamon, cardamom, coconut, and gingerbread went with the season. These are the different perfumes, lotions, body washes, and body sprays I have for this season. It is fun for me to change my perfumes for each day and each season.

1. These are my body washes for Winter. I have Philosophy Pineapple Coconut, Lime Coconut, and Orange Coconut. They came in a set called "Going Coconuts!" I have Philosophy Candy Cane and Cinnamon Buns. They can also be used as bubble baths or shampoos.

2. I got these from the drugstore and Walmart. Bodycology Vanilla Cupcake Fragrance Mist, Body Fantasies Vanilla Longest Lasting Fragrance Body Spray, and Bodycology Brown Sugar Fragrance Mist. I think you can get the smaller bottles in bigger sizes, but I had never tried them before so I got them in small bottles. I think they also come in lotions. I really love the way these smell.

3. Philosophy Gingerbread Girl Body Lotion. This is a luxuriant lotion. It smells so nice. There is a cute saying on the front, "Sparkle, spice and everything nice, that's what gingerbread girls are made of. Sugar, icing traces and sweet smiling faces, that's what gingerbread girls are made of. Dressed for the snow with a rosy glow, that's what gingerbread girls are made of. Sparkling eyes and a delicious surprise, that's what gingerbread girls are made of."

4. Viva La Juicy by Juicy Couture is another perfume for the season. Then I have my samples from perfume boxes I've gotten in the mail. Juicy Couture the original, Atelier Cologne Vanille Insensee Cologne Absolue, Bvlgari Omnia Crystalline, MCMC Phoenix, and Harvey Prince Eau Flirt. They all have their own unique fragrance.

5. White Diamonds by Elizabeth Taylor, Curious by Britney Spears, Euphoria by Calvin Klein, Warm Cotten by Clean, Golden Delicious by DKNY, Lady Million by Paco Rabanne, and Angel by Thierry Mugler. I got these from Sephora and Rite Aid.

What are you wearing this Winter? Leave a comment!