february 2015 empties

This month flew by so quickly! I don't have many empties to share, but let's get right to it.

The Face Shop Rice Water Bright Cleansing Cream. This was a so-so makeup remover. I find that the best way to use this is to tissue it off rather than rinse, but even then you do have to follow up with another cleanser to get all the residue off. I never felt like my makeup came off completely with this--especially not waterproof makeup--so this is a skip for me. I'm currently using the Banila Co. Clean it Zero cleansing balm, which I'm loving so look out for a review of that soon!

h2O+ Deep Sleep Recovery Cream. My sister gave me a sample of this and I loved it. It's really light but very moisturizing and I wake up with supple, soft skin the next morning. It's a bit pricey so I don't think I'll run out and purchase the full size, but if I ever feel like splurging on skincare...

Biore Aqua Rich Watery Essence Sunscreen. This is the sunscreen of all sunscreens. I love how lightweight it is, how quickly it absorbs into the skin, and the SPF of 50. It also wears well under makeup! I already have 3 back up tubes of this. A definite must have, especially as we're moving into warmer weather.

msh Love Liner Mascara. This mascara smells like strawberries! The curl and length that it gives you isn't really impressive, but it's a great everyday mascara. What I liked about it is that I never needed to use a primer with it and it doesn't flake or smudge throughout the day, even on my oily lids. This is probably due to the fact that this is a tubing mascara, so you can remove it easily with warm water. So while it's oil-proof, if you're prone to crying, this is probably not the best mascara for you.

Lancome Bi-facil Eye Makeup Remover. I have several trial size bottles of these because I bought my mom and mother-in-law gifts from Lancome for my wedding. It's a good eye makeup remover; I'm not that keen on the rose smell, and I do feel like my Mandom remover gets off the Japanese mascara more easily, but I don't mind using these bottles up. I won't purchase it full size, as it is quite pricey, and my Mandom remover does the same thing for less.

Did you finish any products this month? Any standouts?

hourglass ambient lighting blush palette review

I picked up the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush Palette as a Christmas treat for myself after hearing all the hype--and I wasn't disappointed.

How gorgeous is this packaging?

The blushes inside are even more gorgeous! The marbling is to die for.

Sorry for the fuzzy swatch picture and the little freckles on my arm, but you get the idea. From left to right: Luminous Flush (bright pink coral), Incandescent Electra (pale baby pink), and Mood Exposure (rich plummy red). These blushes are infused with Hourglass's Ambient Lighting Powders, which makes all the difference in this case. It gives the blush dimension and a little bit of a sheen, so it doesn't lay flat on your skin. All the blushes will look different depending on the ratio of lighting powder to pigment in your specific blush, so yours may not look like mine!

The color payoff is quite subtle; it's hard to over do it with this blush. You can use a denser brush with these if you want more color. I use a fluffy brush and it gives your skin a lovely touch of color that's very natural and easy to wear. The powder is very soft and finely milled, so application is smooth and never patchy.

I've been loving Mood Exposure, especially for the winter, but the combination of the three is great too! I use Luminous Flush on the apples, Mood Exposure toward my hairline, and then dust Incandescent Electra on the high points of my cheeks. I can't quite use Incandescent Electra as a blush, but it makes for a lovely highlighter, or blush/highlighter combo if I'm not up to wearing blush that day. It wears quite long on my combo skin; about 6 hours, before I see fading.

I hate talking about this because the palette is limited edition and already sold out on Sephora, but you can buy the individual pans of blush still! I would skip this if you like more pigmented blushes, but if you're in the market for a nice, subtle blush that will give you a bit of a glow, definitely look into these.

Product: Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blushes
Price: $58 (palette); $35 (individual)

winter skin woes

Winter is a season I could do without--I especially hate what it does to my skin. I have combination skin with drier cheeks and an oily T-zone, but my skin goes nuts when winter hits. I start getting dry patches and breakouts under my eyebrows, along my jawline, under my cheeks (never usually happens!), so I'm always on the look out for a good moisturizer that will hydrate those dry patches, but not aggravate the breakouts.

I got sucked into the Korean skincare craze of facial oils and purchased the Innisfree Green Tea Seed Oil after reading reviews of how incorporating a facial oil into your routine does wonders for winter skin.

A friend gifted me the Tatcha Polished Classic Rice Enzyme Powder, which I've yet to break open (I have a ton of exfoliating products that I want to finish first), but I'm super excited to try it and will review it once I do!

Back to the facial oil--I've been using it for a month now, and...I feel conflicted. It's definitely helped with the dry patches, but the breakouts are still happening. I might stop using it just to see if the breakouts stop.

As for how it feels, it feels, well, oily. It sinks into the skin pretty well, but leaves a noticeable shine to the skin that some may not be used to. I find it best to press the oil into the skin, rather than to rub it in. Some people have mentioned that it's a "dry" oil, so it doesn't leave that oily residue, but I don't find this to be the case.

Bottom line: moisturizing, yes, life-changing...no? I think you can definitely skip this.

michael kors wristlet

I lost my Coach wristlet a while back and after looking for a replacement for a while, I bought this one by Michael Kors:

The wrist strap is removable, which I like, since it allows it to be used as a regular wallet. It has three slots for credit cards and the like, and several others for cash, etc. The middle compartment is supposed to be able to hold an iPhone 4, which is convenient!

The only thing I wish it also had is a compartment with a zip on the inside because I'm afraid I'll lose coins, but it's pretty secure without it too, so it's not such a huge deal.

Overall, I'm really happy with it! The quality is nice; it's sturdy, the leather is pebbled, and has some give. Definite recommend for people looking for a wristlet! (I prefer it over my old Coach one, which was basically just a pouch. This is so much better!)

j.crew mini edie

For Christmas, my boyfriend surprised me with a new purse, the J.Crew Mini Edie bag in a beautiful bright golden mustard color. The Edie line at J.Crew has gotten pretty decent reviews, but people have complained about the leather getting scratched easily.

I love it. It's very structured, but small so it doesn't look awkward, even though I'm pretty short (5'2''). It's great for when you just want to carry around your essentials (phone, wallet, lip balm, keys). The only bad thing is my Kindle can't fit in it and I usually carry my Kindle around (I have the Kindle keyboard, so if you have one the newer ones, it should fit!).

I think they're sold out online, but if you're interested, I would check your local stores just in case. The 40% extra off sale items is still going on at J.Crew.com so be sure to check it out for some really good deals!