August Empties | 2015

Hey everyone! It's time for another month of empties and another chance for you to see which products I went through this month as well as my honest opinion on each one.

Hair

Garnier Fructis Full & Plush - Fortifying Shampoo & Garnier Fructis Full & Plush - Fortifying Conditioner - I loved the smell of these products from the Full & Plush line! This is my second set of both products and it’s safe to say that I would definitely consider purchasing the full sized version of both to use in conjunction with one another. 

Face

Lancome - Hypnose Drama Instant Full Body Volume Mascara (sample) - I redeemed 100 points at Sephora for this mascara. It lasted me quite some time but overall, I wasn’t a huge fan. I say this because it didn’t give my lashes the volume that I was expecting it to and also, I had to apply several layers to my lashes. I have long lashes and I mainly buy volumizing mascaras. I was quite disappointed with this one. The brush head comes in an S shape, I honestly didn’t care for and this mascara flakes on me throughout the day. There is also a strange smell to it. Tip: do NOT wear this mascara on your bottom lashes on a hot summer day because it will transfer onto your skin and make you look like a raccoon! (It happened to me several times!)

Bioré Deep Cleansing Pore Strips (14 count - 7 of each kind inside the box) - I really liked how there were both the face and nose strips because I have just been using the nose strips for years! I even used the face strips on my nose and it works just as well.

Elizabeth Grant Caviar Nutruriche with Torricelumn Eye Balm - This is the second jar of this particular product that I have gone through and I really am not a fan of it. The smell is bizarre and by comparing the two formulas, they definitely were not the same. One was more liquid-y than the other and from using this eye cream for a few months now, I still have yet to see results. I would not recommend this product. Also, I just want to point out that my mother even used this product as well and has seen no difference in her mature skin.

The Body Shop Tea Tree Facial Wash (sample size - 5 ml) - I tried this out and it does a great job at cleansing my face at the end of a long day. It took off my mascara as well which is another plus. It is kind of like a gel that turns into a foam. I would consider purchasing it in the future.

Olay Fresh Effects Shine, Shine Go Away! Shine Minimizing Cleanser (sample - 20 ml) - This was a pretty standard cleanser. I do have another one that I have to go through but I am indifferent to this one. It did the job but didn’t do anything outstanding in my opinion. The formula is a grey colour but doesn’t transfer onto the skin that colour.

Hands

Bath & Body Works Gentle Foaming Hand Soap in Peach Bellini - This scent is one of my favourite scents of all time from B&BW. I have purchased different items in this particular scent and am still not sick of it! It is one of my go-to scents and is great for giving as a gift.

Bath & Body Works Gentle Foaming Hand Soap in Scarlet Pumpkin - This was a great scent that really reminds me that fall is just around the corner (sadly!) I smell a little bit of cinnamon in this soap which is a little twist to the soap.

Bath & Body Works Gentle Foaming Hand Soap in Boardwalk Vanilla Cone - This scent is a summer staple in my household! We have multiples of these on hand and can’t get enough of the delicious vanilla smell. It definitely screams summer and it reminds you of a nice treat on a perfect summer’s day!

L’Occitane Hand Cream in Vanilla Bouquet - 20% Shea Butter (sample - 10 ml) - I adored this scent! However, the formula in my opinion isn’t that good. I like the vanilla scent more than the rose. Although I enjoyed using it, the formula isn’t my favourite and I would not purchase it for that reason alone.

Vitamins

Nature’s Bounty Hair, Skin & Nails Gummies with Biotin (80 count) - I have an entire blog post dedicated to these gummies. I recommend them to everyone that asks about my nails and have even successfully got my family members to try them out. I can’t say enough good things about them!

Nature’s Bounty Calcium, Magnesium, Zinc with Vitamin D3 (200 caplets) - This is my second bottle of these vitamins. I have been taking them for half a year about and haven’t noticed anything different. I don’t think they are necessary for me personally. It claims on the bottle that it helps maintain bones but I really can't speak to that.

Miscellaneous

Johnson’s Baby Creamy Wash - This was the pink formula and I really didn’t care for it! I normally love Johnson’s Baby products but this one didn’t cut it for me. The scent wasn’t my favourite and I would not repurchase this particular item from the brand.

Johnson’s Baby Shampoo - This has been a staple in my bathroom for years and still will be for years to come. I can’t rave about this product enough! I use it to clean my makeup brushes as well as for many other things among cleaning my Alex & Ani bracelets.

Mitchum Gel Anti-Perspirant & Deodorant (Shower Fresh Scent) - I honestly think I got a bad batch! I purchased this in a two-pack when I was in the USA a while back and had no problems with the other stick. This one however leaked on my counter, on my hands and pretty much everywhere! It was messy to work with and poured out into the cap often times! It was watery and the formula would move from side to side in the stick before my very eyes. I understand that this is a gel but the consistency was more like water. None of the other bottles that I have ever purchased were like this one.

Crest 3D White Toothpaste - Brilliance - I had received an email with Shakira who was promoting this product and was totally suckered into trying it. It was on sale so i couldn’t resist. It was overpriced and didn’t do anything outstanding to make my teeth that much whiter. I would say skip this product.

Up & Up Cotton Balls (200 count) - I love these cotton balls from Target and they are really inexpensive. They are made with 100% real cotton. I will have to stock-up on these next time that I am in The States!

Thanks for stopping by!

STAY CLASSY.

Berrz <3

P.S. THIS BLOG POST IS BY NO MEANS SPONSORED. ALL OPINIONS ARE MY OWN.

The Nordstrom Summer Warehouse Sale - My Experience

Hey everyone! I went to the Nordstrom Warehouse on the first day that it was open to the public which was on Thursday, August 20th. For those of you who aren't familiar with what I'm talking about, I'll get you up to speed. It is held this year at The International Centre in Mississauga at Hall 6. It is a four day sale and it is an opportunity for shoppers to save up to 80% of retail prices.

Let me start off by saying that this is the second Nordstrom Warehouse sale to my knowledge. I wasn't able to attend the first one so this is going to be like a first impression of the sale itself with some (many) references to the GUESS Warehouse Sale.

To get right to the point: I was under whelmed. I say this because I had seen a lot of the same items repeatedly throughout the different racks and many of the items were pulled or stained/damaged. I understand that this is a warehouse sale but I please understand that I DID NOT have high hopes going in. I only went on the first day because they were offering people who were subscribed to their email list 10% off their entire purchase for the first day of the sale only. I wanted to take advantage of that and also, my schedule is busy throughout the next four days that the sale is happening on so that doesn't leave me with a lot of extra time to make it to the sale and browse/shop. Also, there were less designer name brands than what I had imagined they would originally carry.

What I ended up purchasing were two sweaters that were $20 a piece. I had to go through the racks to compare multiple of the same cream sweater because some were very pulled. I ended up purchasing mine in a size larger than I normally take because the size small was too pulled for my liking.

The second item was an ox blood sweater has a gorgeous colour to it that is perfect for the fall and I especially like the cowl neck. I wish it was a little bit longer in the back but beggars can't be choosers!

I noticed right away that people in line had less items in their bags opposed to the GUESS Warehouse Sale where they have bags upon bags of merchandise to purchase. I didn't check out the Men's clothes so I cannot speak to that. The Kid's clothes were very reasonable and I noticed that you can get some clothing items for $10. Also, there were multiple tables with shoes but I really couldn't be bothered to go through them. There were accessories in another part of the warehouse but I didn't see anything that caught my eye so I didn't venture too far out there.

What was different about this warehouse sale from the last GUESS Warehouse Sale that I attended were the fitting rooms. This time, you line up according to your gender and a representative counts the number of garments that you wish to try on, gives you a number and then you are free to go inside the fitting rooms. The limit is 10 items per person to take into the change rooms. It was a lot less crowded inside the fitting rooms this time around and I noticed that there were even less mirrors. When you are done trying on your items, you give the number back and place the clothes you do not wish to purchase on a table.

Another difference is that instead of being able to walk in and automatically grab a large plastic bag to put your items in, there were small red totes that really couldn't hold many items and were branded with Style Democracy over them.

Before I let you go, I thought that I would attach a picture of the price list for anyone who is curious about attending the sale. It is still going on and the last day is tomorrow! The hours for today and tomorrow 10AM - 6PM. There is LOTS of parking and no shortage of it in my opinion. The best part is that it's free!

If you are in the area, check it out and hopefully you will have better luck that I did with my big purchase of two sweaters!

STAY CLASSY.

Thanks for stopping by!

Berrz <3

P.S. THIS BLOG POST IS BY NO MEANS SPONSORED. I PERSONALLY BOUGHT BOTH THESE SWEATERS WITH MY OWN HARD-EARNED MONEY AND NO ONE IS PAYING ME FOR MY OPINION. I KEEP IT 100.

Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge First Impression

Hey everyone! I'm back! Today I will be sharing with you my initial first reaction(s) when using the Real Techniques Sponge. I was hesitant to try another beauty sponge after having a horrible experience with one that I had purchased at the drugstore in the USA from the Studio 35 line. It was rock hard and was very difficult to use in general.

On the other hand, the Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge is very inexpensive as I purchased mine at Ulta for only $5.99. It has two sides: a pointed side for a more precise application and a flat side.

The sponge gave me a flawless finish and was fairly easy to use. The pointed tip really comes in useful for around the nose, under and around the eyes. I liked using the flat side for: the forehead, cheeks, down the bridge of my nose, my chin and down my neck. 

MAKE SURE TO WET THE SPONGE AND THEN SQUEEZE OUT THE EXCESS WATER BEFORE USING IT! I CAN'T STRESS THIS ENOUGH! 

I have not tried the beauty blender and can't compare this sponge to that one. As far as cleaning goes, the sponge had little staining and cleans well. To clean my sponge, all I use is some baby shampoo by Johnson & Johnson. I felt that the sponge did absorb a lot of product and I had to clean it very thoroughly but it wasn't a problem to do so.

However, I will say that I do adore my makeup brushes and this sponge won't replace them just yet. I do intend on playing around with this sponge some more and maybe in a few months, it will in fact replace my makeup brushes!

Overall, the quality is there and the sponge is definitely worth the money in my opinion! It is soft and makes blending out your foundation easy! It distributes the product evenly over your entire face. This is a great tool for someone who is just starting to get into makeup.

STAY CLASSY.

Thanks for stopping by!

Berrz <3

P.S. THIS BLOG POST IS BY NO MEANS SPONSORED. I PURCHASED THIS ITEM WITH MY OWN MONEY WHILE IN THE STATES.