Monday, November 30, 2015

No Buy 2016!

Happy Monday everyone!

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend and are ready to take on the week! As we enter December I started really thinking about the amount of clutter I have and how even more will come in during the holiday. I am not a fan of clutter but it is inevitable with gifts coming in from family and friends. Not all clutter is bad, a lot of what I consider "clutter" is stuff I actually like and use, but some of it is just in the way! 

You all know I love organization and cleaning and am constantly struggling to keep my space up to date. I have found that even though I am pretty good about clearing out the clutter in other areas of my space, my beauty products tend to be hoarded. I don't want to be a hoarder. I have a serious problem. I can't leave Bath and Body Works without new lotion and candles. I can't walk past a Sephora and not sneak in to make a purchase.  I have ended up with a huge collection and it makes me feel sick! I don't use even half of it because every time I finish a product I buy three more to replace it!

I have made a decision that in 2016 I will be on a no buy. This means I will not purchase any beauty items in the year 2016. I will use up what I have and try to keep my empties bag full as I finish up products I already have. 

I have a few exceptions.

1. If I run out of a "type" of item entirely I will be purchasing it. For example if I run out of mascara, I am allowed to purchase a new one. 

2. Items not included are ones that are considered personal care: toothpaste, deodorant, mouthwash.

3. Gifts are not included. If I am gifted a beauty item that is okay. This is simply to keep me from spending my OWN money on them.

4. If I have a free item coupon- I will be allowed to use it. I can bring items in if they are free. The purpose is to keep me from spending money so if I do get a free item I will be allowed to keep it. I however want to limit this and not be constantly bringing in free items.

5. My Birchbox doesn't count :) I'm not ready to give that up yet!

I thought I would take a few pictures to share why I am planning on completing this project...


I wear perfume every single day, but nobody needs quite this much! In addition to the perfumes above I also have Victoria's Secret PINK warm and cozy and another Victoria's Secret spray in Love Spell. I will do a full post on my perfume collection soon where I show you each bottle individually since you can't see all of them in the photo above, but I think we can all agree that I will never be able to use up all of these in my lifetime.
Is it terrible that I have my sights set on Viktor and Rolf's Flowerbomb perfume?! Yes, yes it is. I don't need it...but I want it so badly! Maybe in 2017 :)


I try not to crowd my dresser top, only keeping a few items here. I have my Lavanilla Coconut Vanilla deodorant, my new Pink Sugar hair perfume, and my Covergirl foundation and concealer. In with my makeup brushes you can just see my NYX mascara, Diorshow Maximizer Mascara Primer, and my Wet and Wild eyeliner.


On top of my Alex nine drawer I keep a Macademia leave in conditioner, a Sephora eye makeup remover,  and a few moisturizers. I have super dry skin so I like to keep moisturizer out and ready for when I get out of the shower.


In the top drawer I hold all my face products. I have cleansers, face masks, sunscreen, and a few sample size concealers. With the exception of a few full size products most of these came as samples in the mail or in my Birchbox.


Speaking of my perfume addiction- these are all my perfume samples in the first bin! Then I have concealers and BB and CC creams in the other two bins. For the most part they are all samples, I usually don't wear a ton of face products because my skin is so dry and sensitive.


Here is another problem area- eyeshadow. See the the little eye shadow at the bottom of the photo? The one that has hit some major pan? I have made it my mission to finish it, meaning I've been ignoring all my other eye shadows. I have made a small dent in my Naked palettes and used a few other random eye shadows- but for the most part this drawer just keeps getting filled and I don't touch most of it.
Despite not needing any more eyeshadow, I still lust over the Naked 3 palette anytime I'm in Sephora :)


This drawer houses all makeup removers, unused mascaras, eyeliners, and brow products. I don't hoard mascaras because I know how fast they get gross so this section isn't a problem area. Mascara is probably one of the few things I will need to repurchase in 2016 because I don't have a ton and generally only use one for about three months.


Lip products, bronzers, highlighters, and blushes. I use my Nars Laguna bronzer almost daily and often use Nars Orgasm blush as well. I have quite a few Cake Batter Chapsticks lined up to use, but most of the lipsticks and glosses don't get used very often. I am going to try to make an effort to use these during nights out or special events because I would like to see my collection paired down a bit.


I only have four hand sanitizers! Woohoo for a small collection in this area. I also have one that I'm working on in my purse.


This is my nail polish drawer and it is definitely smaller then it used to be. I want to make an effort to paint my nails and toenails more often in order to use some of the older colors up. I definitely don't need to purchase any nail polish because I think I have pretty much every color under the sun!


Just a drawer with q-tips and an extra deodorant. Don't worry, I combined some of these drawers together after these pictures :)


I had all my sample lotions and sample shower gels in this one drawer, but I decided to try to put all my lotions in one drawer and all my shower gels in another.


You know what I don't need more of? Lotions. This drawer is stuffed...and oh guess what, that's not all of them...


Yes, this bin has more! I have more lotion then I could use in my lifetime. I have a serious problem. I don't need another bottle, ever. So if you happen to see me in Bath and Body Works with my arms loaded with lotion please please please tell me no. Then you can take me to a lotion buyers anonymous support group, please and thank you.


Shower gels? Also a slight problem. Not quite as bad as lotion and honestly I've gotten quite a few from couponing but it's still pretty terrible. No more shopping for me!


Last but not least hair products. No these aren't shampoo and conditioner. This is just simply hair products such as hairspray, dry shampoo, dry conditioner, hair masks, and other products that I rarely use on my hair. Well I say rarely, however that Macademia mask in the back is my favorite thing ever and I use it almost every time I wash my hair. Most of the other products were freebies or Birchbox samples I tried once and never used again.

This post didn't include my shampoo and conditioner (which I am really really low on right now) or my candles and room sprays. However those will be included as well. I will be buying shampoo and conditioner as I go, but I already have far too many candles so I will just be using up what I have and not purchasing anything new until I have nothing left or the year is up!

Anyone want to join me on this No Buy 2016? I'm ready for a year of using up what I already have instead of constantly buying new things!

Saturday, November 28, 2015

Fall Empties


Oh I can't believe it's already time for another empties post! I unfortunately didn't get through a ton of products this season but I did manage to make a little dent in my product overloaded world.

Chapstick- I finished quite a few of these guys! I finished a few cherry, a watermelon, an original, and even more cake batter. I am in love with cake batter chapstick and will be continuing to purchase it.

EOS Melon- I didn't finish this lip balm but I actually really enjoyed it until I found cake batter. I just prefer not to use the EOS because I don't know that it actually does anything for my lips.

BioRepublic Cucumber Breeze Face Mask- This was a sample in one of my Birchboxes and it was just okay. I didn't love that it was an actual mask, I much prefer something I smooth over my skin.

BBW Hawaiian Pink Hibiscus Lotion- I love this hand cream, I kept it in my purse and I used it almost every day. I would definitely purchase this again the future!

Jane Iredale HandDrink Hand Cream- I didn't really care for this hand lotion that came in my Birchbox. I wasn't a huge fan of how the consistency felt on my skin. I used it up but I definitely wouldn't purchase it in the future.

Desert Essence Coconut Lotion- I was so excited to try this Desert Essence lotion because I had heard great things about it on YouTube, but I found that it stained white clothing/bedding and I wasn't a huge fan of the scent either. I wouldn't repurchase this in the future, which I'm pretty disappointed about.

Neutrogena Makeup Wipes- I wasn't a huge fan of these face wipes but they were okay. I ended up using them to wipe off makeup on my hands when I swatched products. I believe I got them cheap with coupons but I definitely don't need them in the future.

Herbal Essence Hello Hydration Shower Gel- I used this infrequently when I stayed at my boyfriends house and I really did like it. I love the hello hydration line and I will definitely purchase it in the future.

Crest Whitening Toothpaste- I received this set to review. I really enjoyed them for awhile and felt that they did make my teeth whiter. I just got sick of using a two step process every time I brushed my teeth. I would definitely use a whitening product by crest in the future, but I felt that two steps was a little much!

Dial Hand Soap- This was a free soap from couponing and it was pretty boring. It did the job, but I enjoy the great smelling bath and body works soaps way more. I would get this again if it was free though because it foamed up quite nicely.

BBW Pink Chiffon Shower Gel- I love shower gel and this is one of my favorites. The scent is nice and girly and absolutely perfect for me. I will definitely get this again in the future once I make a dent in the amount of shower gel I have stashed away.

Act Mouthwash- This was a free sample and it was nice enough. I prefer Crest mouthwash to this, but because it was free I would definitely use it again if I did receive it again for free.

Lavanilla Vanilla Deodorant- I love this deodorant. It is natural and I feel good about using it, I don't feel like it will cause cancer or anything like I do with deodorant that has aluminum in it. I also really enjoy the scent, it is super light and I will continue purchasing Lavanilla deodorants.

Shakeology Chocolate- I have been drinking Shakeology almost every day and have found that it has made a huge difference in keeping me healthy. I have been through two bags already and am on my third. I will keep purchasing this each month because it's an awesome meal replacement!

Sensodyne Toothpaste- I am still using this toothpaste every single day. I still have quite a few small sized tubes like this one from when I got them all for seven cents a piece at Walmart. I still am finding that I don't get canker sores with this toothpaste and it's really helped me.

Amika Bombshell Blowout Spray- I received this in a Birchbox awhile back and have been using it before blow drying my hair. I thought the smell of it was really nice, but I'm not sure that the product did too much for my hair. I don't think it was the best blowout spray I've ever tried so I would be interested in trying other kinds because I've stuck with CHI for a long time and am in the market for a new kind!

Suave Moroccan Infusion Lotion- This is the worst lotion ever! It was in my purse for the longest time because I didn't want to use it and just avoided it. I found that it was super sticky and didn't moisturize my hands at all. I received this for free, but I would never, never purchase this!

Maybelline Infallible Eyeliner- I love this eyeliner, it is my favorite and I need to repurchase it! I just love how easily it goes on. I always purchase it in black and it works great on my waterline.

Maybelline The Colossal Mascara- This mascara was okay, I found that it became clumpy pretty quickly and it was also pretty wet which isn't my favorite type of mascara. I would rather purchase a different kind over this in the future but it was alright.

Satin Care Dry Skin Shave Cream- I'm not super picky with shave cream but this isn't one I would purchase in the future. I didn't think it was great at all and didn't help my skin before shaving. I thought that one marketed to dry skin would be a little bit nicer, but it actually didn't which was a total bummer.

BBW Red Guava Lava Candle- I loved this Bath and Body Works candle. The scent was so summery I really enjoyed it. I don't burn a ton of candles in the summer because it's so hot and I never think to, but I enjoyed this in the fall even though it's clearly a summer scent!

Pacifica Sea Foam Face Wash- I loved this face wash, it was very light and kept my sensitive skin calm. I loved the scent as well and would definitely purchase this again in the future. I really like the Pacifica brand, and definitely want to try more products by them.

Laura Mercier Eye Gel Cream- I purchased this expensive eye gel and thought it would be amazing and I found that it totally wasn't worth the money. It was okay, but I didn't feel that it would be worth repurchasing in the future.

Tocca Scrub- Another Birchbox sample! I loved this scrub, I used it in the shower on my feet and found that it felt really good and I enjoyed it a lot. I have mixed feelings about Tocca products, some I have liked and some I really haven't but I would definitely purchase a scrub from them in the future.

Philosophy Pink Grapefruit Shower Gel- These two were from a set I received a couple of Christmases ago. I didn't love the pink grapefruit scent, but I do like the Philosophy shower gels. I am almost done with this little set- about time!

Finesse Hairspray- I hated the smell of this hairspray and because I don't use hairspray often it was taking forever to go through it. It lucky stopped up a couple of weeks ago and could no longer be used and I didn't bother to unclog it. Goodbye!

Suave Shampoo and Conditioner- This was a great, cheap shampoo and conditioner! I definitely will purchase this again because it got the job done and wasn't super expensive. My boyfriend actually was using the same ones at one point which I thought was cute.

Sephora Mascara- I received this mascara for free during a sephora order but I will never purchase in the future. It was just a bad mascara all around so I will definitely be trying other ones instead of this one!

BBW Sea Island Cotton Shower Gel- Another awesome shower gel. I was surprised with how much I loved this scent. I would definitely use this again!

What products have you used recently?


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Saturday, November 7, 2015

Halloweekend!

I'm not a huge fan of scary Halloween celebrations- but I can't help but get excited about all the hustle and bustle of the holiday! In fact I went to a little bit of a scary event this year. Tim and I joined his family for Zombie Paintball at Field of Screams. It was awesome for people who don't like particularly scary events. We sat on a tractor with paintball guns mounted on the side and shot all the zombies that we saw! The actors didn't come to close to the tractor which was great. I've been on far too many hayrides and on too many haunted trails where I screamed constantly because the actors were too close. I am not a scary things girl!

On Friday night (the 30th) Tim and I met Brittni and Stephen to check out the Jack-O-Lantern Spectacular at Roger Williams Park Zoo. I had been a few years ago and it was super crowded but apparently the key to avoiding the crowds is heading there at 9:30 on the night before Halloween because it was dead! We were able to stroll leisurely throughout the zoo checking out all the pumpkins without have too many people surrounding us. 




I love how many pumpkins they carve for this event. There are thousands of pumpkins and each one is carved differently. There are thousands of regular face pumpkins as well as ton of expertly carved themed pumpkins. Each year they have different themes along the walk so it was completely different from the last time I went.





The Cinderella pumpkin may have been my favorite. It was so intricate and beautiful!



My favorite theme though was The Sound of Music. The music was playing as we walked through and it reminded me of how much I love the movie! They did a great job carving the pumpkins for this theme too, the one below looks just like Maria!





The amount of pumpkins is incredible!



It was a great time! I'm so glad I got to spend a great night with amazing people!

On actual Halloween, after having a serious nap and Pretty Little Liars marathon session, Tim and I headed to my friend Megan's house in Massachusetts. 



If you've ever seen Pretty Little Liars you will know who these characters are. A and Red Coat! We decided to have simple costumes for this Disney themed Halloween party. My trench coat was purchased on the Nordstrom website and it is a great coat that I will be able to wear during the fall and spring. It also works as a great raincoat!


Laura was Snow White and Megan was Belle so they had the Disney princess category under control!





We had a great time hanging out with everyone and it was a great Halloween!



Sunday was a lazy day watching my favorite guy coach football! :)

And that's how my Halloweekend went, how was yours?!

Friday, November 6, 2015

Side Hustle

On Wednesday I mentioned my side hustle and I just wanted to share today where I got that term from.

I recently read a blog post by one of my favorite bloggers. She is an inspiration and such a hard working girl! Jen has seriously worked her side hustle and here's the link so you can check it out!

http://thethingsilearnedfrom.com/how-to-have-a-side-hustle/

Wednesday, November 4, 2015

Kittens, Fall and Side Hustle!

Happy Hump Day Ya'll! 

Todays post is just a bunch of random photos from the last month to help you get through your Wednesday...

First up, Cooper.



Cooper belongs to my brother's girlfriend Nikki. She brought him over a few weeks ago and I loved playing with this little guy! He wasn't great at posing because he was so quick but he was so playful and curious.


This is my view out my office window every day. Well now the trees are a little bare- but I love having a window! My old offices never had windows I could see out of (my desk was always facing the other direction) but now I can see outdoors. Just the other day I saw a man wearing almost the same outfit as the hunter guy in Jumanji. No lie, it was awesome.





I have been loving driving down by the beach lately. The above pictures are from one of my favorite spots in Westerly Rhode Island. I swear that just sitting by the beach for a few minutes calms me down!


I attended Super Saturday for Beachbody with my coach Marcy. It was awesome to meet other people from my area who are interested in Beachbody and interact with other coaches! This is what I call my side hustle!



Oh I've been hanging out with Tim and Blue lately. Blue is the cat that lives at Tim's house, the last owners left her and her brother George there and they are the strangest but sweetest cats!



I've also been drinking Shakeology and watching softball.




Talking to cats through the window...


And staring out my window at work!

What have you been up to lately?