/Style/ Tory Burch Small Gemini Link Canvas Tote

Hello, everyone! It's been awhile....so sorry! 2020 has been a busy and crazy year. Despite all the things going on, I've been forunate to be working full-time. I haven't been wearing much make-up these days, honestly. The last time I was wearing a full face was in February. In the mean time, I've been focusing on skincare and mental health...work is still very much stressful! Styles is another element I've shifted my focus to and I needed a durable, cleanable, and cute new bag for my daily needs. Here's what I got.

/Etc/ January Empties

Hello! It's already a month into 2019 and I'm feeling tired....I started a new course for certification! So I'm busy studying and writing papers. In addition to that new stuff, I want to incorporate this feature into my blogspace: Empties. I have been taking pictures and documenting products I've finished for a while, but I never really talked about how I felt about them. This is a mini review of them and what I liked/loathed. Let's check out the ones from January:


I'll write about products left to right, top to bottom.
First is Prada Candy body lotion: I got this when I bought the Candy perfume set. It had been sitting on my self for a while until I started using it towards the end of last year. It smells pretty much like the perfume, sweet and caramel-y. It makes you smell really tasty. I found it to a little hydrating, but sometimes the smell would be too much for me.
Would I buy it: no.

Holika Holika Good Cera cream: This was a gift with purchase. I finished the jar a while ago and I liked it. It hydrates the skin fairly well with no irritation. It kind of smells a little citrus-y. I think Holika Holika reformulated this line so I'm not sure how this compares to that. Nice travel size.
Would I buy it: yes.

Supergoop! Forever Young Hand Cream Sea Buckthorn Broad Spectrum Sunscreen SPF 40 PA+++ : I liked that there was SPF in it and it felt silky, but it did nothing for hydrating the hands.
Would I buy it?: no.

Kiehl's Ultimate Strength Hand Salve: When I put this on, I felt like my hands were covered in a film/mask of hydration. It smells herbal and it's slippery to touch things for a bit. More hydrating than the Supergoop, though.
Would I buy it?: maybe.

Caudalie Grape Water: This is a recommendation from Caroline Hirons. I thought it was ok. Nothing very hydrating about it, but it's useful for spraying on clay masks and after acid toning.
Would I buy it: no.

Kiehl's Creme de Corps: I kind of enjoyed this. It made my skin so soft. The downsides were the smell and the packaging because I could hardly get any of the lotion out.
Would I buy it: maybe (in a different container).

Pixi Rose Flash Balm: Really looking forward to this, It smells amazing, it's multi-use, great for travel. I just didn't like how it worked as a moisturizer. It didn't do anything for the dull skin I had. Even as a mask it was just meh.
Would I buy it?: no.

Youth to the People Superberry Hydrate + Glow Oil: This was ok. It was really lightweight and layered well. Smells nice, too. I think this would be better for someone with oily to normal skin. Also can be used in the day. It's not hydrating enough for me.
Would I buy it?: maybe.

Kate Somervile Goat Milk Moisturizing Cream: First off, this tiny tube lasted me over a month. I was only using it in the morning, but still. I liked this. It felt really light on the skin and would hydrate like no other. It has no scent, either.
Would I buy it: yes (if only it weren't so expensive).

I had so many empties for January! Do you ever save empty containers? Is this only a thing for skincare addicts? Let me know! I always like to keep track of things I finish.

/Skin/ Pixi Vitamin Wakeup Mist

this was purchased by me
I've been into mists lately. They're a great way to hydrate and cool the skin on the go. I have been using Pixi products for a while and bought this based on Caroline Hirons' recommendations for Pixi products. At the time of my purchase there was a sale going on so I took the chance and bought it. It's been a few months since I started using it. Let's see how things turned out.

/Hair/ Garnier Nutrisse Nourishing Color Creme Hot Chocolate/Medium Nude Brown

this was purchased by me.
Even though it looks like I recently did a post about coloring my hair, that was last year. And since then I have colored a bit. This was my first time using a Garnier hair dye so I wanted to relay my experience with it.

/Fragrance/ The Body Shop Black Musk Body Mist

this was purchased by me.

The first real post of the year is featuring The Body Shop. I've been really into perfumes and fragrances this past year. I started going to Fragratica to check notes of perfumes I was considering to buy or was just interested in. The reason why I got this body mist is because I had a sample of YSL's Black Opium that I liked. However, it was kind of expensive. I checked the Fragrantica page and so many people were saying that The Body Shop's Black Musk was pretty similar. Soooo, when they were having a sale I decided to try this out.

/Announcement/ 2019

Happy new year! I fell short of my goals for the blog this past year after promising to post weekly. I started working and it's been hard to schedule this in after a long day. Although I have been absent, there are still many things I want to blog about, not just beauty or skincare or style; I kind of want to branch into more lifestyle and personal topics kind of like what I used to do.


via pinimg
I'm at a weird point in my life right now, too, and the responsibilities are endless. Sometimes the blog doesn't have a priority, which is unfortunate. Anyway, there are still things I want to do and feature here. I'm thinking about also doing a end of the month post where I go over all the products I've finished and if I've liked them or not. I remember I wanted to do something similar with using a single brand for make up or skincare for a few weeks and see the results. Thinking about starting other projects, too. So many ideas....

I'll still try to do the weekly posting. Probably starting after this first post for 2019.

/Hair/ L'Oreal Excellence Creme Mocha Ash Brown

this was purchased by me
I haven't dyed my hair since March...so I picked up this dye form L'Oreal recently. Let's see what happened.