Saturday Trash Talk

So the cans are full, let’s spill em!

First off, a huge Mahalo (thanks) to everyone who has been sharing their can. It is way more fun!!

If you want to get in in on sharing your opinions, we would love to hear them! Email me: mailboxjunkie808 at gmail.com

First up: Ake-aka the masking queen!

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SNP Black Pearl Renew Black Ampoule Mask: This was a good one! I admit that a part of me just likes the variety of having a black mask instead of a white one, but the material was really nice. It was soft, thick, almost spongey, held tons of essence, and conformed to the curves of my face really well. The eye holes were small and close together, which might be a problem for some people, but my eyes are small and close together so it was perfect for me! The mask stayed wet forever and made my skin look great. I have a couple of these stashed and I’m definitely buying more when they’re on sale.

 

Etude House I Need You – Royal Jelly: I liked this a bit more the second time when I went in with lower expectations. It’s still not my favorite, but I’ll definitely use up the large stack I bought.

 

Etude House I Need You – Pomegranate: Pomegranate in skincare is always linked in my mind to anti-aging and I was expecting a creamy essence. This was actually neither. It worked fine, but the next morning my nose was blotchy red. I’ve never had that happen before, and it faded after I did my morning routine. Not sure if it was due to the mask, so I’ll have to test some more to see.

 

Now that I’ve tried all of the EH I Need You mask flavors (that I got – there are others out there) I can safely say that mugwort and bamboo are my favorites. In general I like the clear essences over the milky ones, but they all work decently. I’m probably going to save the milky ones for evenings as they leave my face a bit shiny, but the clear ones are fine for morning. Given that I got such a good deal on these ($0.54 each), I’m very happy. They make daily masking much more reasonable!

 

Botanic Farm Polar Energy Hydrogel Mask Pack Caulerpa Lentillifera [Moisturizing Care]: I had to look up caulerpa lentillifera (it’s the kind of seaweed that looks like tiny little green grapes). I don’t usually use hydrogels because they’re pricey, but there’s solid research showing that they’re better for cell absorption. This was hard to keep on my face (the lower half wanted to slide down), but it seemed good enough.

 

Scinic Black Dual Mask – Aqua White: This mask has two pieces with two different essences that are supposed to be targeted for different parts of your face. I couldn’t tell a difference between the two, but I was impressed by the coverage of the pieces. They were both large with lots of cuts so I could wrap them around my facial contours. The big difference though was that the bottom piece came down my neck. I was really excited to give my neck a little masking love, but I can’t keep my head perfectly still for an hour. Every time I turned my head the part on my neck pulled and dislodged the mask on my face. Next time I’m cutting the neck part off and applying it separately.

 

My Beauty Diary – Aloe Vera Mask: Another sunny day, another aloe mask. No strange bleaching effect, so I’m writing that last time off as a fluke

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Jack Black Industrial Strength Hand Healer: Hand cream for men! It had a gender-neutral scent, but I was amused that it was all sparkly and pretty out of the tube. I kept this on my desk at work and amused my coworkers with my hand moisturizing.

 

Marlowe Extra Moisturizing Body Lotion: I wasn’t a fan of this one. It wasn’t moisturizing enough for my dry, dry skin, and the scent was far too strong for my tastes.

 

Tatcha Luminous Dewy Skin Mist: I haven’t been very impressed with the Tatcha formulations, but their packaging is fabulous. This is another amuse-my-coworkers-with-obsessive-moisturizing-at-my-desk empty, but I’m saving the lovely travel container to refill.

 

The Body Shop Shea Body Butter: This is the best product I’ve found for my ultra-dry limbs. Now that I use extra mask essence on my body things are less desperate, but I still use moderate quantities of this every day.

 

Bare Republic Natural Mineral Sunscreen Sport: I have chemical sunscreens I like, but I’m trying to find good physical ones. This one was promising until I started sweating and my whole body turned into a waterfall of white. I left marks on everything I touched. Oops!

 

StriVectin-SD Intensive Concentrate for Stretch Marks & Wrinkles: This has a strong mint smell and I wouldn’t want to use it on my face, but I’m very curious about it for stretch marks. It gets some rave reviews online and there’s no way to judge after using a foil sample, but I’m tempted to get this….

 

Benton Aloe BHA Skin Toner: Another moisturizing toner! Not much to say.

 

Travel Peppermint Candle: Do candle tins count as empties? Unfortunately, this only smelled like smoke while it burned, but I was really impressed by how it used up every bit of wax (and burned my shelf!). Now I can move on to a more summery scent.

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Artemis’s Can:
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JimmyBar in Peanut Butter Clutter: (PSMH) My almost-3-year-old ate this and said it was “good”. For reference, he says his Kind Bars are “very very good”.

Sisley Ecological Compound (4 foils): So I’m not sure what this is supposed to do. My skin felt very soft while using it, but I saw no other visible difference. It’s also fragrant, which I prefer my facial products not to be. I wouldn’t buy this. But if want the Sisley subscription and didn’t want to commit to 6 months, I would suggest you walk up to a counter and ask for samples that you may like. They have plenty!

Etude House Tea Tree Sheet Mask: I got this as a “sample” gift from a Jolse order (they give the best/most generous samples!). This says it’s soothing, but my face felt like it was burning/itching. Also, my skin was red afterward. 

Clarins Double Serum: This foil wasn’t even enough for one application on my face and neck. Sample fail.

La Mer Eye Concentrate: I LOVE this. I have very dry skin around my eyes and this hydrated very well without being too thick. I also felt like it reduced the appearance of some finer lines. I’ll buy this again when I finish my eye cream stash. 

Tony Moly Banana Hand Milk foil: Nice, thick formula but it STUNK. I guess it was banana-y? Maybe more of a tropical fruit blend. But so so fragrant

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Assorted Makeup: A few notable notes: the Urban Decay Smoked eye palette made me look like I had two black eyes regardless of what color I used. There is a reason that is discontinued. Loreal did some great colored mascara under their Great Lash line years (!) ago. Not the best mascara, but the colors were fun. There is a Mac eye shadow palette and lip gloss in there that I got from a Nordstrom Anniversary sale set years ago – they both had lots of sparkle but no pigment. I kept the liner and lipstick it came with though. Yes, I keep things past their expiration. Rimmel Skandaleyes I got in an Allure Beauty Thrills (I think). It’s not the best at length or volume and the brush is a fat hourglass shape so it’s hard to get the corner lashes.

Assorted Sun/Tanning Stuff: The Clarins is an SPF for the eye area. It’s not a replacement for eye cream, but I like it fine for the beach. The rest are all self-tanners that I got from either a Sephora Sun Kit or from an Allure Beauty Thrills. I never self-tan, so I finally tossed these unused. I did try the Stila Beauty Balm on my hand. It is a thick formula and dark for my medium skin tone. The directions say to use alone or under makeup, but I think it would just make me look like I am wearing the wrong color foundation!

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MJ’s Can:

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Jimmy Bar from PSMH:

I liked this bar. The base was dates which I love and the peanuts added fat fulfillment and it wasn’t too sweet which was ideal for me in a bar. I don’t know that I would repurchase just because I am not a huge bar eater.

California Baby Bubble Bath (Tar-jay):

For all my natural mamas out there, this is the one. Great ingredients with no surprise villains and it produces great bubbles. The highlight is that it comes with a bubble wand!!

Ursa Major Hoppin Fresh Natural Deodorant (BB points):

This is one of the deodorants I have been trying and it is going to the rubbish. I read some great things about it and the application is a dreeeeaaam! But man oh man, it did not work for this stank at alllll!!!

100% Pure Body Cream (Free sample):

Blah, their lotion is so over-powering to me! I just really can’t handle overly sweet smelling lotion.

Board and Batten Calming Lift (good being):

This stuff is fantastic. Most toners are straight rose water or witch hazel but this one had the added benefit of hyaluronic acid and aloe vera added to rose water.

Kahina Brightening Serum (Good Being):

I swapped for a ton of this stuff to see if it would make a difference on my melasma. So far, nope but that might be because I keep forgetting to put it on. Doh!

Zao Mascara:

This was another swap off Msa. I was so super excited to try this mascara and SPLAT (that is the sound of it falling flat on its face). The brush is really fat and the formula is super clumpy. It also flakes very badly.

L’Occtaine foot cream:

The lady I swapped with for the mascara sent me this sample. Meh, it is a foot cream.

Tha’s all folks, send me your trash pics to be featured!

  22 comments for “Saturday Trash Talk

  1. Dayle
    June 25, 2016 at 4:00 am

    You ladies are so trashy!

    Artemis, I am going to throw away all my old makeup today in honor of you! I don’t even use it, I just have a hard time throwing away stuff I paid for if it isn’t gone. (Oops). I used to go through a tub of Body Shop body butter every two weeks. I liked Brazil Nut and they would call me when they had a good sale. That stuff works and it smells like I imagine heaven smells!

    Ake you truly are the masking queen! Do you like masking tape as well? Do you have any favorite sheet masks that you can get at Sephora? And if I decided to do a little spa treatment with a facial steam and sheet mask, which should I do first? The steam to open my pores so they suck all the moisture in?

    MJ, I feel you on the brightening serums, I swear that right away when I put them on my face is all glowy, but then I laugh at myself. What mascara are you liking? I have so many I don’t need to buy, but I always like to know what is working for everyone else. I never had nice eyelashes until I started using cleansing oil. Now that mine don’t break I am more interested in mascara.

    I do have trash to share and pics of the puppy, I just don’t have time anymore because puppies, like babies, demand every bit of your attention! We are still in love with her, especially now that I get to sleep through the night! But she is a mad chewer, perhaps I should be investigating some of the dog subs out there!

    • Artemis
      June 25, 2016 at 11:23 am

      Dayle, you should totally throw out things you don’t use it or like. I’ve been on a mission the last couple of months to declutter every aspect of my home, and it is liberating! I still have a long ways to go, but it feels so good to get rid of stuff. In many ways, I am like you – I hate to get rid of things I spent my money on. But lately I’ve felt overwhelmed by my possessions. Something in me snapped and I am not going back!

      Great trash, ladies! I am always so inspired when I see this post to go use what I have. Off to the sheet mask drawer!

    • Ake
      June 25, 2016 at 11:53 am

      I had to look up masking tape. Is that taping your face at night to prevent wrinkles? Never tried it! Have you? I don’t steam except when I’m sick, so I’m no expert, but I think it’s supposed to be cleansing. In which case it definitely goes before a mask. Cleansing, clay masks, toner, thin products, sheet masks, thick products.

      • Dayle
        June 25, 2016 at 12:51 pm

        I just meant masking tape in general, like for art projects!

        • Ake
          June 25, 2016 at 2:43 pm

          Bwah ha ha! Totally went over my head.

          • June 25, 2016 at 2:45 pm

            I see a new trend for duck tape!! Apply nightly to crows feet!!

    • Galatea
      June 25, 2016 at 11:53 am

      Not Ale but sephora is horribly expensive for masks. You can buy the same tonymoly mask at Ulta for cheaper or Amazon is even better with variety and price.

      Steam then mask. Have a lovely mini spa.

      • June 25, 2016 at 2:47 pm

        Great tips! Thanks for reading and commenting!!

    • Ake
      June 25, 2016 at 12:00 pm

      Sorry! Missed the Sephora question. I don’t shop for sheet masks there because they’re $$$, but I’ve heard good things about Dr. Jart. If you’re looking for nice, affordable sheet masks, Memebox periodically has mystery boxes that can be real bargains if you don’t need a specific brand, and regular sales on individual masks or sets. Target online carries some flavors of My Beauty Diary which I luuuuuuuuuuuuv. And if you can commit to buying 100s of masks to hit the free shipping minimum (*ahem*), Etude House can be great. Otherwise the shipping costs for buying direct from Asia cancel out the savings. And finally, Amazon has a great selection, and if you buy from a Prime shipper, you’re can be reasonably assured of getting a genuine product. Ebay is good too, but you have to know the reputable sellers.

    • June 25, 2016 at 2:46 pm

      For me, the easiest natural one to use is W3ll people. The formula doesn’t flake or clump and the brush is the finest.

      • Dayle
        June 25, 2016 at 3:54 pm

        I have a W3ll people in my stash unopened! I will try it next. Thanks.

        • June 25, 2016 at 11:50 pm

          It doesn’t give you dramatic lashes but I prefer it because it never looks clumpy!

  2. June 25, 2016 at 10:28 am

    OH MY I love all these empties and reviews of them!!!!!

    LOL about the Natural Deodorant. Some have worked for me, but I am anxious to fully trust them given I TOTALLY sweat and well…I don’t want to be too smelly and scare my cat.

  3. June 25, 2016 at 11:28 am

    @Ake
    I need to dry that Tatcha Dewy Mist!
    @Artemis
    I can spot an army of Sephora Sun Kit items like a sniper.
    @MJ
    We love Cali baby bubble baths in this house too! The one with the hearts has a bubble wand which is more of a novelty than actually useful. If you have not tried it I think it would be a cute treat for your wee ones.

    • June 25, 2016 at 12:55 pm

      Ahh MJ I meant double bubble wand!

    • June 25, 2016 at 2:48 pm

      They have the best scents too!

  4. Ake
    June 25, 2016 at 12:03 pm

    Artemis, what do you buy from Jolse? I didn’t know that anyone else from this blog shopped there!

    MJ, bummer about the deodorant. But I always appreciate someone else doing the testing for me. 🙂

    • June 25, 2016 at 2:50 pm

      I think I may have found “the one” but I am going to do another week into to make sure it is not a fluke. I wanted to love the Ursa Major one so badly. It was like the ex-boyfriend you keep running back to because you are convinced he will change. I keep putting it one thinking it would work. Then I started to ask myself if my stank was just to powerful for natural deodorant!!

  5. Farmcat
    June 25, 2016 at 3:13 pm

    I’m not sure where to ask this question and is open to anyone who would like to answer it. Have there ever been cellulite cream in subscription boxes? Does anyone know how to get rid of cellulite?

    • June 25, 2016 at 3:25 pm

      Rarely you will see some sample sized cellulite creams in sub boxes but they do appear once in awhile. BeautyDNA will give full size cellulite creams if you do not omit them from your profile questionaire. The only sure way I can get rid of my cellulite is physically covering them up because “if I can’t see it then it is not there amiright!?!”
      I am seriously lucky if I can remember to apply suncreen in the morning and serum in the evening so I cannot vouch for obediant usage of cellulite cream 😉

    • June 25, 2016 at 11:53 pm

      OK from what I have read (and have experienced myself) cellulite is just there. . . it has to do with the way fat sits on its fat strings. I have really weird look cellulite in my legs. And I used to think I could get rid of it but then I realized my aunt who I take after has it too and she is rail thin. Meh, sigh. . .

    • LC
      June 27, 2016 at 4:03 pm

      I tried an Avon anti-cellulite lotion a few years ago. I used it for a few weeks before bed at night on the back of my thighs and from what I could tell, the only thing it did was remove the finish from my toilet seat. No lie.

      I got a cellulite cream from a Goodbeing (when it was Goodebox) in one of their one time bonus boxes. The Seaweed Bath Co. Detox Cellulite Cream. I still have it and I’m pretty sure I’ll never use it.

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