Today I am sharing the products I have used up over the last two months. Some I loved and some I hated. I provide mini reviews with each product, so be sure to watch for product recommendations. Have a great weekend!
Month: January 2016
Fresh Start 2016 | Closet Declutter
Here is the last installment of my Fresh Start 2016 Challenge. I feel like I did a good bit of purging and decluttering throughout January to start off the new year with fresh eyes on what I have in terms of makeup and clothing. I hope you enjoyed watching me through this process as much as I have sharing it! Let me know what you have decluttered over the last month.
Birchbox | January 2016
Here is what I got in this month’s Birchbox subscription! Enjoy! Let me know which subscriptions you got this month in the comments below.
Another Planner Sticker Haul | The Big One
So…the introduction at Christmas to my Kikki K planner (Abby got it for me) has changed my planning attitude. I have always had a planner, loved to make to do lists, and obsessed over time management, but I never did stickers, washi, decorative planning before. I’m still not there…probably won’t ever be a strict planner decorator like some of the girls you see on Instagram or YouTube. I have too many tasks, meetings, classes, etc to keep track off. I do like adding fun stickers here and there, but the stickers I gravitate to on etsy are functional, as you will see shortly. So I went a little nuts on etsy between Christmas and going back to work. I had a whole week off and didn’t have any big plans, so I shopped online! So sue me!! I will link each shop I bought from associated with the corresponding pictures.
The first shop is Paper Loving Mommy. She has cute headers. I got SCHOOL, HOME, TO DO, WORK, YOUTUBE, and BLOG. I also got heart checklists and the cutest yoga poses! Each etsy shop usually throws in a free small sticker sheet, so you will see one in each set of pictures. The quality is great with these stickers and the multi-colored headings allow you to match them up each week if you wish or mix and match with corresponding colors.
The next shop is LulusLuvlies. This is hands down the cutest shop with the most unique looking stickers. They are hand drawn and have a vintage appearance. I got doctor and dentist reminders, cleaning tasks (OMG, the cutest), and some for school assignments. The shop owners wrapped up the stickers in the sweetest packaging with a hand written note. Very nice touch.
Twohoneybeez is a shop where I purchased two monthly sets. I got the January and February sets. I thought this was a good way to have a lot of stickers to try out without having to place a ton of orders (Ha! Still made other orders). I was disappointed in the shipment time of this order. I purchased on December 26 and didn’t receive it until 1/11. I need to cut these etsy shops some slack as many are made to order, but in the world of Amazon prime, I was impatient! (Also, for some reason these pictures are the right way on my computer, but are sideways here, so I’m really sorry about that!) I also got planner clips that are engagement themed. Honestly, they are cute, but did I need to spend over $6 on them…probably not.
The last shop is Piper Paper Company. They also sent a handwritten note as well. I got the contact lens reminder and stickers associated with filming and editing for my YouTube channel. Great quality and really cute free sampler that is V-Day themed.
I have already gotten great usage out of many of the stickers I hauled over this month, but now I also have a stock to dig into over the next few months (at least). I do need more page flags, which I purchased from Plain Jane Stickers in early December. However, her shop is on vacation for another week or so. So patient must be a virtue in this new planning venture. 🙂 Thanks for stopping by!
Fresh Start 2016 | Dresser Declutter
Here is the third installment of my video series depicting me purging and decluttering my stuff. This one is all about what I keep in my dresser, and I show what I kept and what I got rid of. I had a lot of fun editing this one, adding music and speeding up the footage. Check it out!
The Last Birthday in My 20s
Today is my 29th birthday! How did I get so old? Actually, I am so much more comfortable with myself and who I have become than I did during my younger years. I feel like I have accomplished a lot in my 29 years thus far. I graduated from nursing school, got my masters, worked in a high acuity ICU for five years, and am now working toward my doctorate and have a great job in academia. I also am engaged, planning a wedding, and recently bought a house. Just over the last year, I have found my passion for transgender health and health disparities. My research interests took a major turn from end of life care to transgender health. But I’m loving the change and the new drive I have found!
I can’t believe all that I have been able to accomplish in my first 29 years. I hope I can continue to be as productive and continue to grow as much as I have up to this point. I know this is super gushy, but I am pretty content with how things have turned out so far.
I don’t have any big plans today. I am off from work since it is MLK Jr. Day. So I will probably have lunch with my parents, maybe do a little shopping, and then Abby and I are going out to dinner tonight to celebrate. I am not the biggest of birthday people. I enjoy them, but never really have gone all out or had huge parties for my birthday. I enjoy low key birthdays were I spend time with family and Abby. Not too exciting, but it’s what I like! Thanks for reading this ramble about my life, current contentment, etc. Have a great day!
Project Pan 2016
I have been very intrigued by the project pan community on Instagram and have decided to participate in my own personal challenge to use up some much loved products over the course of the next 12 months. There is something extremely satisfying about completely using up a product, especially one you have worked on for a long time. All you beauty junkies know exactly what I am talking about!
I also have been working on most of the products I will feature shortly for over a year at least. Some of these are also my favorite, go to products. I really want to go through my makeup stash and use up more products, instead of purchasing more. I am not declaring a no spend year. That would be crazy, and pure torture for a beauty junkie like myself. But I do want to minimize my purchases to my needs (mascara, Brow Wiz) and every now and then treat myself to a fun trip to Sephora for a new product launch. My beauty expenses last year were out of control! Made it from Beauty Insider to VIB Rouge in the matter of a few months. That’s crazy! So, I need to control these splurges better this year. I’m hoping challenging myself to use up my stash will encourage me to not open my wallet and instead make a dent in my collection. I encourage everyone following me here to join in, even in the smallest capacity. Using up all your opened mascaras. Choosing that one powder you can’t seem to hit pan on and work to hit pan on it. Anything to make use of your collection and save a little cash.
Without further ado, here is what I am challenging myself to complete in the year 2016. I chose 10 products to work on this next year in the hopes to either use entirely or the majority of the product by December 31, 2016. I have never done a project pan before, so I didn’t think I could do more than 10, and wanted to have a lengthier period of time to complete the challenge. Also, a few of the products I chose I have already hit pan on or am close to it. I’m not sure if this is cheating or not, but this is my own challenge, so I do what I want! 🙂
I have two skin care and one hair care products. The Aussie hair spray I have been working on for literally years. I have 1/3 left. However, I don’t use hair spray everyday, and this stuff goes a long way, so I don’t need a lot. The alba moisterizer I purchased in August 2015, and have about half left, so I think this won’t be a problem finishing. Then I have an eye gel from Mario Badescu, which I feel like I have been trying to finish forever! So 2016 is the year to do this!
Then I have three eyeshadows that I love, but want to finish. NYX Leather and Lace, Nars Ashes to Ashes (OMG, the best!), and Naked in the Naked 1 palette.
You can see I have a major dip in the Naked shadow, but I haven’t reached for this in several months. Need to get back to it.
ELF’s Mineral Pearls is a newest addition to my stash, but I fell in love immediately. This stuff gives a nice glow while setting your foundation. I also wear this alone when I am just running errands or hanging around the house. The Body Shop’s Honey Bronzer I have had for a while. I haven’t hit pan, but I can see the pan’s rings under the product in the center.
Lastly is a Nars lipstick in Dolce Vita, which may be my most favorite lipstick, and Pixi eyeliner in Black Cocoa. These two I was able to measure on a sheet of paper, so will keep a tally of my progress.
I am planning on posting a Project Pan update every couple of months with a finale in December. Let me know if you plan to participate in my challenge and what products you plan to pan!
Fresh Start 2016: Makeup Declutter Part II
Here is the second installment of the Fresh Start Challenge of 2016. I am attempting to purge items I no longer use and really use the products I love. The second part of my makeup declutter focuses on my brushes and lip products. Be sure to check out Part I! How are you faring in the Fresh Start 2016 challenge? I’d love to know!
Sephora Haul | First of 2016
I have plans to pan many products this year (post to come), but I did want two things at Sephora, and since it’s my birthday this month, I decided to treat myself! One product I have had in my cart since before Christmas, but wasn’t sure if I wanted to purchase it. So I went ahead since it was on sale for $21.60, and it’s the St. Tropez Express Party Kit. I don’t normally self-tan, lay out, anything to give my skin color, but with our wedding and Maui honeymoon coming up in May, I decided to give this a try to determine if I wanted a little color on the wedding day. It also came with the mitt and a nail polish, so I thought this was a good deal.
The other purchase was one I have eyed for a while, but never wanted to drop $29 on it. It is also definitely a YouTube Made Me Buy situation! It’s the Burberry Wet & Dry Silk Shadow in Pale Barley. So gorgeous! I am wearing it today all over the lid with only some mascara, and it provides saturated color while remaining neutral. So far, I love it!
The other products I got were free. The newest Sephora birthday gift, two 100 point perks, and three free samples. The Sephora birthday gift was a choice between Fresh skincare and Marc Jacobs beauty, so I went with Marc Jacobs, an eyeliner and lipstick. These will definitely get some use as the formulation seems on point and creamy for both products. A great black for the eyeliner and a neutral pink for the lipstick. Also, Marc Jacobs’ packaging is some of my favorite: so sleek and aesthetically pleasing.
I went for two 100 point perk gifts: belief True Cream Moisturizing Bomb, which I’ve used before and love, and St. Tropez Everyday Gradual Tanner, for the same purpose as the Express Party Kit mentioned above.
The last goodies in my order were three samples, which come standard with any order on Sephora.com. I’ve used the boscia cleanser before and like it. I’m interested to try the Clinque foundation+concealer. The Korres cleanser I have no opinion on yet, so we will see how it goes. I was really disappointed in the sample selection during check out: mainly fragrance samples, and I already have plenty of those. Sometimes Sephora has great sample selections and other times it’s so-so. 
I hope you enjoyed a peek inside my shopping bag from Sephora. Check back Wednesday for Part II of my makeup declutter!
Birchbox | December 2015
I decided to cancel my ipsy glambag subscription and subscribe to Birchbox instead. Birchbox is another deluxe sample service that is $10 per month with five samples in each box. I ordered my box early enough in the month to be able to get December’s Birchbox. The video below showcases what I received. Thanks for watching! Please follow and subscribe for more content from me!
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