Sammi the Beauty Buff: Products I've Used Up: July 2014

Hey, friends! This month I may or may not have a novel of empties for you. I've just used up so many products recently, and I didn't want May's Empties post to get too long, but now here we are. Oh well.

Let's get on to the good stuff!

CLEAR SCALP & HAIR THERAPY Ultra Shea Shampoo and Conditioner
(Each bottle: $5 for 12.9oz)

I talked about these freebies in a Mail Time! last year, and after trying them, I know I'm definitely not a fan. This is the Ultra Shea line, but shea butter doesn't appear until halfway down the ingredients list, and I didn't find it moisturizing at all. My hair was dry, both near my roots and at my ends, so I wouldn't repurchase this.

AVEDA Invati Thickening Shampoo and Conditioner
(Each bottle: $27 for 6.7oz)

I talked about winning these in a sweepstakes in a different Mail Time! post, and also disliked them. Granted, these are for thinning hair (which I don't have), but I thought it would give me some fullness. Well, my hair didn't feel any thicker, didn't look any more voluminous, and frankly, it smells kind of bad. Not bad as in the spoiled/rotten sense, but just overly herbal and unpleasant. Maybe they'll work for someone who has thinning hair and doesn't mind the smell, but I was not a fan. I won't be repurchasing, especially not for that price.

COOLA Face SPF 20 Rose Essence Tint ($36 for 1.7oz)

I got this forever ago in an Ipsy bag, and was excited to try it since people rave about Coola's sunscreens. This was a little orange on me (right out of the tube, not counting face products that oxidize). Plus, this also had a strong, unpleasant scent to it. It wasn't like the smell of sunscreen that I'm used it, and I wasn't a fan. I received Coola's BB cream in my Birchbox not too long ago, but I'll probably be giving it away unless I somehow run out of all face products and have nothing else left (LOL).

BE A BOMBSHELL Eyeliner in Onyx ($14)

I got this in an Ipsy bag eons ago, and even wrote a full review on it. I loved the blush (still do, even though half of it broke), and I really liked the concept behind this. It's a marker tip eyeliner, which is something I haven't seen before. I'm trashing this, because it's just time for this eyeliner to go. It's flaky and dry and it just rubs right off. I don't think I would repurchase, since I want to try a fine tip felt eyeliner instead (which I can get for cheaper from the drugstore), but this was fun to experiment with, and I found it easier to get a wing with this than using a regular liquid eyeliner.

CARMEX Original Moisturizing Lip Balm ($2.74 for 3)

This was in my May Favorites back when I had the plague (read: the flu). This contains salicylic acid, which you may recognize from many skincare acne products. It does the same thing for your lips as it does for your face: exfoliate the skin. If you're sick and severely dehydrated, and your lips are cracked and peeling, putting Carmex on them will help with that. It'll take the peeling, dead skin off your lips to reveal new non-peeling skin. I found that when I wasn't sick/dehydrated and I used this, that my lips started to peel, so I only recommend this to those who are having a temporary problem with peeling or experiencing severe dryness. For a daily maintenance lip balm, I would go for something else, but I would get another tube if I got sick.

OLAY Complete SPF 15 for Sensitive Skin ($9 for 4oz)

This is one of my go-to morning moisturizers that I buy. I have mentioned this in a whole slew of places, such as my May Favorites, because I continue to repurchase it over and over again. It works well with my combination skin, not making my T-zone oily or my cheeks dry. I like the SPF 15, since SPF 30 sometimes makes me look greasy and also causes whitecast in flash photography (not that I take a lot of flash photography). I will continue to repurchase this, because my skin just seems to really like Olay products (see below).

OLAY Night of Olay Firming Cream ($7 for 2oz)

This is mentioned practically everywhere on my blog, just look (here's an example: Feb Fave Five). It keeps my skin hydrated in the harsh Boston winters, and works just as well in the warmer months. I've been using this product for years, and will continue to repurchase it (until my sense of curiosity kicks in and I try something else).

SKIN & CO. Truffle Therapy Serum ($75 for 1oz)

I got this in my February Birchbox, and a lot of people seem to like it, but I wasn't blown away. It made my skin smooth, but other than that, I didn't feel like it was worth the $75 price tag. I'd rather buy my beloved Seventh Generation Serum for $15 and double the amount of product. Plus, that one moisturizes my skin and soothes it, while this one doesn't really do much of anything for me. Then again, since this was only a sample, perhaps I would have gotten more visible results if I had gone through a whole bottle of the full size. Oh welll.

SECRET Outlast Clear Gel Completely Clean Deodorant ($5 for 2.7oz)

I received this in my Influenster Spring Fever VoxBox. I originally liked it because it truly was invisible, but once it got a little warmer outside, I realized how tacky it made my underarms (which is just plain weird). I put off using the last bit of this for way too long, but it's finally done, and now I'm back to using plain ol' white solid deodorant again (which isn't invisible, but at least it doesn't make my underarms feel sticky).

SECRET Outlast Invisible Solid Completely Clean Deodorant ($5 for 2.6oz)

I have nothing to say about this deodorant, except it works. It has a very mild, clean scent, but it's pretty undetectable, so it won't interfere with whatever perfume you're wearing. It's not invisible, so don't get it on your white shirts, but it's deodorant and it does what it needs to do. I like the Secret PH Balanced just a tiny bit better, but if you have normal underarms that sweat normally, this normal deodorant will work (normally) for you.

Well, I was right. This turned into an Empties Novel. Hope it was an enjoyable read, at least!

What products have you used up recently?

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Friday, July 11, 2014

Products I've Used Up: July 2014