Lauren’s Trash – Spring 2018

I know what you might be wondering. Is Lauren being symbolic, titling this blog “Lauren’s Trash?” No. No she’s not. For the past few months, I’ve been saving my trash for you. That’s right. I watch similar videos on YouTube, and the point being y’all can see what products I’ve used up and what I thought about them. So I thought I would try to translate that into a blog, and here we are! With each product, I’ll do a little review and then I’ll let you know if I would repurchase the item or not.

And please excuse the fact that some of these bottles are dirty – I mean, they are literally my trash. 😂

BODY

Dove Shower Foam Shea Butter with Warm Vanilla ($5.99): First of all, this stuff lasted FOREVER. It was the shower foam that never died. I thought it was on its last pump for weeks. So – that’s good! I like foaming hand washes, I like suds and bubbles so this was great in that respect. I also really liked the scent, as I am a fan of vanilla, as you’ll pick up from several products from this blog. I have always sort of had a soft spot for Dove products as my grandmother used the classic Dove Beauty Bar. I like varying my shower products but I would buy this again.

Lalicious Brown Sugar Vanilla Shower Oil and Bubble Bath ($28): I believe I received this in a POPSUGAR Must Have box and I ended up really, really liking it! It’s a really interesting product, as it starts out as an oil but sort of transforms into foamy suds. This left my skin incredibly soft and the smell was incredible. Would I pay $28 to get it again? Probably not – that’s a lot for a body wash. But if someone gave it to me as a gift, I’d love to use it again. 🙂

Jergens Natural Glow Wet Skin Moisturizer (Medium to Tan) ($8.49): I go through this stuff like water, which is why I have two of them in my trash right now. I fell in love with the original Jergens Wet Skin Moisturizer ($5.99) a few years ago. I loved all of the different scents of it but mostly, I loved the simplicity – you just slap it on while you are still wet in the shower and then, boom. Moisture. For whatever reason, I just hate putting on lotion after the shower, so this stuff was genius. I like that it absorbs quickly, isn’t greasy, and just keeps my skin at a great general moisture balance. There are times during the winter when I need a little extra moisture here and there but for the most part, this works well for me. Last year, I started using the “Natural Glow” version to help give me a little extra color so I’m not as pasty white as I would be normally. However, the Natural Glow version works a little differently, as you have to spend a little extra time rubbing in the moisturizer in the shower to get non-streaky color. I probably spend about 30 seconds per arm and leg, just to make sure I’m getting rubbed in really well. I started with the Light version but found that it wasn’t enough of a color for me so I switched to the Medium-Tan color and that works well for me. I have purchased at least 10 of these, minimum.

Radha Beauty Retinol Moisturizer ($18.95): I received this moisturizer awhile ago in PR in exchange for an honest review. I did not enjoy it for my face – I thought it was a little too heavy. But I started putting it on my neck and chest, and I thought it was perfect for that. And at a little less than $20, I might even buy it again for that purpose.

Quip Mint Anti-Cavity Toothpaste ($5): When I received my first Quip subscription package, I didn’t like the toothpaste at all. It wasn’t quite as minty as the Colgate toothpastes I was used to. I even went so far as to cancel the toothpaste part of the subscription. But then I ran out of my regular toothpaste and used the Quip and then… I couldn’t go back to the Colgate! It’s sort of hard to explain but like Colgate versions I am used to are like SUPER minty and almost make my mouth numb a bit, they are so minty. The Quip version is definitely minty but it’s not as SHARP, if that makes sense. My teeth still feel minty clean but I like how my mouth feels more. So yes – I went back and re-added the toothpaste to my toothbrush subscription, and it shows up every three months, right when I run out.

HAIR

Oribe Free Styler Working Hairspray ($22-$42/travel and full-size): I typically really like Oribe products – their Dry texture spray is a holy grail product for me. But their products are extremely pricy, and I don’t feel like this hairspray was anything super special. I received this in a box – maybe an Allure Beauty Box? It smelled nice and it has a great mister on it, giving a nice even spray, but the actual product itself? Meh. It worked. But I’ll never spend the $22 or $42 for a full-size version.

Living Proof Restore Perfecting Spray ($16- $29 – travel and full-size): I think I either received this in a Play! by Sephora box or an Allure Beauty Box. This stuff is essentially a light spray conditioner/blow dry spray. I really liked the smell and I think it made my hair soft and shiny, but I am not sure I would purchase this again. I have found other blow-dry sprays I like better – especially some that are more thickening/volumizing. But this definitely does what it says it will do, and I think it’s a nice product.

FACE WASH/MAKEUP WIPES

Glossier Milky Jelly ($18): I’m pretty sure I’ve mentioned how much I like Milky Jelly in many blogs previously, so I won’t beat a dead horse. I love this stuff, I have purchased at least four of these and I already have a new one. I even tried the version from Bliss ($9.99) that looked like a dupe from both the packaging and the description, but I do not like the Bliss version nearly as much as the Glossier, so I’ll continue to purchase the Glossier forevermore, amen.

Julep Love Your Bare Face Hydrating Cleansing Oil ($28): This is another product that I’ve talked about on this blog ad nauseum. I do not have a subscription to Julep at the moment, but you actually do not have to have a subscription to buy this product. They sell it at Ulta (which I linked above) but they even sell it at places like Nordstrom. Sure, it’s more expensive without the subscription but at the same time… is it? Because if you were paying for the subscription, you are occasionally paying more than that per month anyway. So if you STOP the subscription, and only buy products here and there, you are probably paying less in the long run. Anyway… I bought a spare when I still had my subscription so I do have a backup, and I would buy this again. Though I am fine trying a different oil cleansers and likely will, I’ll def come back to this one if I don’t find one that works better for me.

Bliss Makeup Melt Oil-Free Makeup Remover Wipes ($5.99): Bliss recently reformulated a lot of their products, brought the price down, and made them accessible by selling them at Target. I use makeup wipes every day, so I thought I would try these since the price is very comparable to other makeup wipes I buy from Target anyway. I thought these were nice! I think I prefer the Neutrogena wipes ($4.99), as they are a little thicker. But I do vary what wipes I buy, just to keep things interesting, so it’s possible I will buy these again! I’m definitely interested in trying more products from the line as well.

Tarte Frxxxtion Stick($22): Y’all know how I feel about Tarte by now. That said, I do not actually hate all of Tarte’s products. In fact, I like so many of them, and there is an eyeshadow I want so badly right now. (Seriously, it just lives in my Sephora cart.) But… I do feel strongly about Tarte’s business practices and I’m still boycotting them at the moment. Which is kind of a bummer because I really did like this product. It’s is basically a stick that you push up, almost like a popsicle, and you rub it all over your face. It contains tiny exfoliation particles that remind me a bit of ExfoliKate ($85), which is a much more expensive exfoliator. I feel like it cleans my face so well without drying it out , and would also be great for travel since it’s in stick form. If Tarte ever makes some positive changes in how they do business, I would definitely buy this again.

MOISTURIZERS/SKINCARE

Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair Synchronized Recovery Complex II ($68-$98): Like the Julep Face Oil and the Glossier Milky Jelly, this is a serum that I have talked about over and over again on the blog. It’s my all-time holy grail serum that I will forever go back to. I am in the process of trying a night serum from Drunk Elephant right now, but I am pretty sure I will be purchasing the Advanced Night Repair serum again. I’ve been using a Vitamin C day serum but in the past, I’ve used the Advanced Night Repair both day and night and it’s great. I will recommend this to everyone, I love it.

AMOREPACIFIC Vintage Single Extract Essence ($145/full-size): Remember when I said I was cutting back on expenses? That means I can’t have $145 essences anymore either. But I really, really liked this. Jill had been telling me for so long that I should incorporate an essence into my routine and I really loved how this made my skin look in my routine. I definitely need to find a less expensive essence because I definitely liked this one. Jill, help me!

La Mer The Eye Balm Intense ($205): I recently cut back on a lot of expenses, and one of those expenses was $200 eye cream. Haha. I really, really liked this stuff and I feel like it really does make a big difference in how the fine lines around my eyes look. However, I have found several new eye creams I like a lot and they are much less expensive. (I’ll write a blog about those soon, if you are interested!)

Dr. Jart+ Water Drop Hydrating Moisturizer ($36): After I wrote my “Lauren’s Favorite Moisturizers” blog, I realized that I left this one out. I really love this moisturizer! It’s actually very similar to the Peter Thomas Roth Water Drench Hyaluronic Cloud Cream. It has a special emulsion system where you will actually see little droplets that feel like water as you are rubbing it into your skin. It also absorbs into the skin quickly, so it’s really nice to wear under makeup. I like so many moisturizers like this so I’m not sure if I would purchase this one specifically, but I am definitely not against it!

Tatcha The Water Cream ($68/full-size): I wrote a lot about this in my “Lauren’s Favorite Moisturizers” blog, so click here if you want to know more.

Farmacy Honey Drop Lightweight Moisturizer with Echinacea Greenenvy Honey ($45): I wrote a lot about this in my “Lauren’s Favorite Moisturizers” blog, so click here if you want to know more.

Peter Thomas Roth Water Drench Hyaluronic Cloud Cream ($22-$52/full-size): I wrote a lot about this in my “Lauren’s Favorite Moisturizers” blog, so click here if you want to know more.

Leaders Insolution Coconut Gel Mask with Tomato (Unavailable): Well, as I was looking up this mask to link it, I realized I used this mask incorrectly. So now I wish I had another one so I could use it right. My review was going to be: “This mask played me! It said it was a gel mask but it was a regular paper mask!” Apparently, there was paper on BOTH SIDES of the gel part that had to be peeled off which I did not realize. I do think I got the benefits of the ingredients of the mask, but it just didn’t adhere to my face as comfortably because I still had some of the wrapper on. I would definitely use this again if I saw it was available so I could try it properly. I’m not entirely sure where I got the mask to begin with, but I assume a subscription box.

MAKEUP

Glossier Boy Brow in Brown ($16): I’m sure you’ve heard me talk about this on the blog a lot, so I won’t go on and on but I love this stuff as it’s kind of a one-and-done for my full (but blonde) brows and will definitely buy it again.

Essence Lash Princess Volume Mascara ($4.99): I did not even finish this mascara but I hated it so much that it wasn’t really worth using it more than a few times. I really like the original Lash Princess False Lash Effect mascara but this one just does not live up to that one! The brush on this one is kind of weird and didn’t really make my lashes longer or volumized so this was a bust. Will not re-purchase.

MISCELLANEOUS

Beautyblender Blendercleanser Solid ($16): First of all, I just want to say that you do not need the official Beautyblender cleanser for your beauty sponge. Bar soap (especially the bar soap from hotels!) works really well. But I’ve purchased this a few times and it tends to last a long time for cleaning both my brushes and sponges well. I did purchase this again but I’m not sure I’m going to because I think I will be able to find a much less expensive option going forward. (I’m also not purchasing Beautyblenders anymore because I found less expensive sponges that work just as well, if not better. I should probably write a blog about those!

Fresh Sugar Lip Caramel Hydrating Balm ($18): I got this as a free sample with a Sephora order and I thought it was really nice! It’s thick and hydrated my lips really well, especially at night. I think it’s a little too thick to wear under lip products during the day but I liked putting it on as a last step in my skincare routine before bed. However, I have fallen in love with the Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask ($20) which is a BIT more expensive but it’s in a GIANT tub so there is more than 3x as much product as the Fresh version, so it will last me forever!

ChapStick Total Hydration in Soothing Vanilla ($2.99): This is just a regular chapstick. I liked it, I’ll probably purchase again.

And that’s it, y’all! I think I will continue to collect my trash and write these blogs periodically so y’all can see what I’m actually using up! Let me know what you think!

xo,
Lauren

Purchased, unless disclosed; all opinions are my own
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laurenelectro

A self-proclaimed beauty junkie/hoarder with a serious Sephora problem. This blog is a total rationalization of that problem. Everything is TOTALLY fine. Her free time is a mixed combination of making fun of reality TV with her husband, hanging out with cats and finally trying to figure out how to do her hair.