Autumn, Products and saving!

 So happy lately. Just wanted to give a shout out to all of youuu. <3 Thank you for supporting me!

 I am impressed with how I am able to change my life and tweak it to my liking. 

The things I cannot control are things I am learning to let go of everyday.

As a woman, I feel like we spend so much more time on our appearances and a lot of us go the extra mile to take care of ourselves in the beauty category. We spend a lot of money too.

Each year I have decided to devote at least one month to saving money. Last year I did a 30 day shopping ban. It was really tough, but I gained a lot out of it. I knew exactly how I wanted to focus my income. I only bought the necessities. No new clothes, purses, shoes, or make up. I also limited my spending for eating at fast food places and fancy restaurants.

Could we do a swap meet?

I am not sure if ill be able to do the anti-shop but I will be doing something similar.

SWAPPING is my new idea. I have done clothing swaps in the past and I loved it. I had a group of girls get together and bring in their unwanted (but taken care of) clothing items and accessories. We had appetizers and drinks and we also made a game out of it. It was shopping without spending a dime. And it made me feel like I could help someone out.

As much as I like a good sale and new items.. I will always try and see if there is another way for me to obtain something that catches my eye. I shop at consignment shops more than the mall and I try to find really good deals if I do shop at a boutique/mall.

Here is a another swapping out idea...  DIY vs store bought

I use a lot of eye make up remover.

Neutrogena - oil free eye make up remover
Maybelline - expert eyes
Equate brand/off-brands from big retailers
Rimmel eye make up remover
Victorias Secret make up remover wipes (side note: These worked the BEST out of them all. I will continue to love that product and buy it on special occasions for when I go on vacation.)

Each one of these purchases add up. They range from 6 to 10 dollars for a small bottle that doesnt even last very long. Plus I have to buy cotton squares or cotton balls along with.

I just want to try a better approach:
Here are a few different at home potions I have heard of so far.. Not sure which one to go with yet.

• water, olive oil, and tear free baby shampoo 

OR

• water, baby oil and tear free baby shampoo

OR

• water, witch hazel and olive oil

I have tried olive oil and water but it was very thick, even with the water. As I showed you all in my last entry, I have extremely sensitive skin and I want to use less chemicals or eliminate chemicals as much as possible. Have you guys tried any of these concoctions for make up removal?

Current Hair/Beauty Products

I want to also remind myself to USE up everything I have before I go out buying new stuff.
I have 3 or 4 bottles of different hair care items that I have to use up!
 

All of these products below.. are pretty amazing! I just bought the Aussie Hair Insurance and I love it. The Dove Style + Care is smooth and smells amazing. Morrocan Argan Oil goes a long way and has repaired my hair immensely.  Tresemme's dry shampoo isn't bad, although I do wish that it were a darker color so it could blend a little better.

Michael O'Rourke shampoo and conditioner.  

The shampoo is very drying and doesn't smell the best. But I will continue to use it til its gone. The conditioner is nice though. I bought these because I am a sucker for cute packaging. I know! BAD!

PRODUCTS I WONT BE REPURCHASING

Nair lotion for hair removal

I have used Nair in the past and all I remember was that it was fun to apply and it REEKED! Smelled like burning hair or something. This time, I tried it and I felt like my skin was disintegrating and on FIRE! lol. I wonder why I didn't remember that part of it. I CANNOT use this product and its basically FULL to the brim and I want someone to be able to use it. Most people don't have allergies like this so I am sure its safe for others.

Kiss My Face deodorant

 It looks like a bar of soap if you take off the lid.
 (Not like a normal deodorant though.. where its white and smooth and smells like some kind of perfume.)

It smells good, but it doesn't do the job. It was expensive too. I think it was at least double the price of typical deodorant. It doesn't glide on your skin... it tugs at it. Sad day. I wanted something free of aluminum and this was the one I chose. It just didn't work out.

Softcups

^ Yes I am not shy and I will post stuff like this and be honest. If any men are reading this.. or if you're a woman and you don't know what Softcups are.. it is an alternative to tampons and pads. I wont buy these again because they literally made me so uncomfortable, I didn't enjoy walking. I feel like I am too small to be wearing these. And yes, I put it in properly. This is similar to the feeling of those birth control rings. Not even close to comfortable. I am not made for that product, and it is not made for me.


Clean & Clear deep action cream cleanser

Don't get me wrong. This product does the job but it didn't personally work for me because my skin is already on the more dry side. If you have any left over make up... it will just smear across your face. My face felt really tight afterwards. One thing I enjoyed is that it makes your face feel cool and tingly afterwards. I have encouraged Chris to use this because he has more normal skin and doesn't wear make up obviously. :)

KISS Everlasting french

I haven't used these yet.. and that's the problem. I prefer shellac because I just don't like having another layer of thickness on my nail... There is no good reason that I bought this.. Impulse buy. I thought I would have used them by now. I wanted to use these as a gift and then I thought.. Who could I give these to?

PRODUCTS I LOVE & WANT TO REPURCHASE

Sleep Luxury Bath from Bath & Bodyworks

This is a miracle product from a friend who bought it for me for my birthday. It is AWESOME. It brings you to a happy place. makes your skin feel silky smooth and I used the whole thing over a total of 8 months. I am sad that its all gone. It was my "go to" after a long and stressful day.


Neutrogena natural purifying cleanser.

 I LOVE it. it only takes half a pump, with some water.. it doesnt dry me out and it effectively removes ALL of my make up. It doesnt have dyes,chemicals, parabens, etc. Thank goodness this product has worked for me. I HIGHLY recommend it. I was in search for a cleanser for what seemed like a decade.

My Closet!

I did a complete clear out and just took things off the hanger and tried things on. Just doing that make me feel like I had more than I need and more options than I remember. We forget what is in there. When the seasons change, I go through and try to sift through some of the things I don't like anymore and see where its lacking. When it comes to shopping and clothes.. I don't usually buy from expensive places. I have in the past and I will only go that extra mile if I know that it will last several years. That is the only way I can justify it. 

Here is one of my all time favorite items in my closet. My boyfriends mom, Michelle got this for me. She knows I love VS and she knows I love leopard print/animal print. AND I love me some hoodies. As soon as the weather got chilly again, I was happy to reach back into my closet and cozy up in this. Thank you again Michelle for getting this for me. I love it and plan on using it for years and years.

 Cozied up in my faux fur lined hoodie.

I am so excited for OCTOBER!

Fashion Inspirations:

I love the leggings and leg warmers. Here are a few of my recent fashion loves. I love her blonde hair too. I think It would make me look so weird to be pitch blonde. I can admire it though.

Welp, I'm off to read my cosmo and enjoy the evening with my loverbutt and kitteroo. I hope all is well with everyone.

Go do something that inspires you :)

XO