10 Beauty Products I Can and Cannot Finish

With brighter days now that it's spring time over here, I feel more motivated to clean out my drawers and tidy up my room to help liven up the atmosphere while the sun shines through. It's no wonder they call it 'spring clean'! Cleaning my drawers allowed me to find all sorts of items that I had forgotten about and also made me realise how often I use the makeup and skincare products that I have. In these past couple of months I was able to finish a number of products and I had thought about writing another 'empties' post but why do that when I can do something a little different... talk about the products that I know I can finish and those that I just cannot!   Let's start with the 10 items that I can finish, and here's proof:  

Not all 10 items shown, only my recent empties - more can be seen in my previous empties post

1. Liquid eyeliner Easy peasy Japanese-y! Liquid eyeliners are my one true love. I tend to feel incomplete without that single line above my top lashes - the one thing that I think makes the most difference compared to not wearing any makeup. Happy to go without the rest but liquid eyeliner, I need youuuuu, and lots of you. I finish these off really quickly, not only because I use them almost daily but because the pen ones only have around 6 mL.   2. Eye makeup removers and wipes Without these in my life, would I even bother applying makeup? Using regular face cleansers aren't enough when it comes to removing waterproof eye makeup for instance. I need the good stuff that gently and effectively removes all traces of makeup. I've gone through bottles and packets of these and I'm always keen to stock up whenever there are sales. Besides using facial wipes to remove my face makeup, I use them to spot-clean my brushes too.   3. Cotton pads, tips To assist with the removal of makeup, of course. They're also great for fixing up any mistakes :)   4. Lip balms I apply lip balm at least 3-4 times a day, and times that the amount of days in a year... yep that's how much I use lip balm - basically, a lot. It's as though my lips depend on it because a day without lip balm = chaos. I get dry, cracked, flaky lips, a nightmare for some. I don't have a favourite brand but I generally stock up on Maybelline Baby Lips and Nivea ones.   5. Body lotion, hand cream For someone who has dry skin, moisturising creams are a godsend. Need I say more? I feel so uneasy when my hands, elbows, knees feel drier than a desert. I guess everyone would but even that feeling I get after drying my hands from washing them makes me feel uncomfortable unless I apply hand cream straight away. Weird, right?   6. Foundation and BB Cream Medium-coverage ones especially! A big confidence booster when my blemishes are covered to a point where it doesn't look too obvious or caked-on. I've gone through a couple in my lifetime and the ones I have now are starting to finish up too.   7. Concealer These typically come in small tubes and when there are plenty of blemishes to cover, it's all gone before I know it.   8. Face and body wash The only way to really remove dirt within the skin and exfoliate is to use face and body wash. When they're used daily, I can't see how they CAN'T be finished.   9. Shampoo and Conditioner Reasons why I can finish these products: Water on its own won't cut it, the greasiness will still prevail. Conditioner keeps my hair in top condition :D   10. Perfume and deodorant I'm aware that it can be quite rare for people to finish a bottle of perfume but trust me, it's possible. As seen in my empties post, I finished a 50mL bottle of perfume and I have gone through many aerosol cans of deodorant. Not because I stink (or maybe I do *sniffs*), it's because I was once obsessed with spraying on lots of deodorant as a teenager. It made me feel cool and grown-up, okay.     Now moving onto the ones that I cannot, let me show you my current collection of each:  

1. Lipstick/gloss/pencil  

  Impossible to finish any of these no matter how hard I try. Actually to be honest, I've hardly tried. I'm reaching for lip balms these days, tinted lip balms to be more precise. My mum on the other hand doesn't use lip balm as she never has dry lips! Hence she's able to go through many tubes of lipstick. There was a phase where I was really into using lipglosses and then that died out. Everything else I just use occasionally since none of the above help with my dry lips :( I don't think I have that many lip products but it's not like my collection is getting any smaller (and I kinda want it to so I can feel less guilty about buying more).     2. Blush  

  I've never hit pan on any of them let alone finish any! Plus I rarely use blush due to my naturally flushed cheeks. Only on special occasions and photos for my blog. Whenever I do though, I only sweep a tiny bit. The blushes themselves are pretty to look at and have photogenic packaging (that Physicians Formula heart one in particular!) and as a result of my lack of use, they ain't going anywhere. Looks like they're stuck in my drawers unless I decide to give them away or something.     3. Pressed or translucent powder and bronzer  

  I know many girls out there rely on face powders to set their makeup however I'm the complete opposite. With dry skin that's prone to flaking, I don't feel the need for powder, in fact I find that powder tends to enhance my dry areas and so I'd rather use a setting spray or blotting sheets when my face needs mattifying. For contouring I use the bronzers and contour palette and just like blushes, I sweep a very small amount. My bad for not showing a picture of them all opened - I swear they'd all look pretty close to brand new. Best example is that Rimmel Bronzer with a clear lid that still has the star pattern on the pan.     4. Pencil eyeliner and brow pencil/products  

  Close to impossible for me to finish these, I can use the same ones for decades. Sharpening them decreases their size a little but no matter how much I use them, I can't seem to make them decrease to a size that deems them unusable or 'finished'. Same thing goes to my colouring pencils that I used as a child, which I still have by the way.     5. Nail polish  

  They dry up on me before I get the chance to finish the whole bottle. And besides, the brush applicator doesn't even reach the bottom for you to finish entirely. I can chuck out old ones and replace them with new ones but to be completely done with a bottle of nail polish? Uh...     6. Eyeshadow  

  Ah eyeshadow, another photogenic beauty product that I seldom use. I'm always so tempted to buy new ones for their pretty packaging/colours whenever I go shopping and then when I think about my collection, temptation is no where to be found. I haven't hit pan on any eyeshadows and I haven't finished any single one let alone a duo, a quad or a palette. Don't even get me started on my 88 shadow palette that I've had for years... which almost looks brand new.    Just this week I bought more eyeshadow palettes... what. What happened to no temptation, Jen?

... Yeah about that... review to come!

  7. Hair spritz and serums

 

  You can only spray so much out of a x mL bottle. For me, getting through one bottle takes forever, same with serums where you only need a couple of pumps of product. It's unfortunate that I get lazy using these sometimes :/     8. Primers for face, eyeshadow and lashes  

  Don't know why these are never-ending for me when I use them ALL THE TIME! I've had a backup eyeshadow primer for a few years now... and I'm no where near the end of my current one. I forgot to include my lip primer in the above photo, whoops.     9. Mascara  

  I have never finished a whole tube of mascara. Yes, the formula goes funky or dried up but there's still product on the wand which can be used, thus doesn't technically count as being finished... you know what I mean?     10. Many packet items i.e. samples and face masks  

These are just my samples. I have about the same amount of face masks

  Samples and face masks themselves are easy to finish but I can't finish many samples and face masks, like when I have an overload of them! Sometimes I'm too scared to use samples for my face 'cause there's no expiry/manufacture date on them which isn't helpful for knowing how old or new they are! I have really sensitive skin too and to me it's not worth taking the risk. Same with using face masks where I could get an allergic reaction from them anytime. The only difference here is that they have a manufacture and expiry date which I tend to forget about anyway. There are times where I feel like putting on a sheet mask so I go to look for them in my drawers, then I see that many of them have already past their expiry date! It feels like such a waste when I have to chuck them out :(   So, now that you've seen what I can and cannot finish, I'd like to ask you a questjen or two:

Which beauty products can you finish? 

Which can't you finish?

I wonder if there's anything similar or different~

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Disclaimer: Most products were purchased with my own money, some were provided or gifted. This is not a sponsored post, nor am I affiliated with any of the companies in this post.

Introducing Love Lois - Subscription Service

It's been way too long since I last had a box of goodies sent to me, like to those beauty/fashion boxes that I was once subscribed to and received each month. Or even a parcel box full of items as a gift (rarely happens anyway). I recently got introduced to one subscription service box that's been available in Australia for about a year called 'Love Lois' - can you guess what it's all about?

Hint: It's a monthly box... for your monthlies

Was the hint clear enough? That's right, it's a box for females only so for any males reading this, you might want to click away, unless you're interested in purchasing this for your partner/friend then stay if you wish (and oh how sweet of you)! Let me briefly introduce the Love Lois concept to you:

Love Lois provides a convenient way of receiving everything you need, straight to your door for your period each month and you can set your own delivery date. Although it is a subscription service, you're not locked into any contracts and you're free to cancel or suspend anytime. The box is sent in a white plastic satchel for discreetness - no one will know what's in it unless you tell them!

There are currently 4 different service plans - Helena, Melina, Pandora and Tabitha, depending on your needs and there is also the choice of having regular or organic products. I was sent the 'Melina' regular box which is the most popular choice for medium periods lasting for 5 days with pads and tampons (as well as some chocolates and herbal teabags which are available in all plans). The default box looks like so:

Melina Regular - $23 /month inc. delivery

The contents packaged neatly in the box

(Using my new pink desk to take photos on and I find it so fitting for these girly pictures!)

As soon as I opened the box, I noticed that it was full to the brim with such handy items for that time of the month. It's really nice to be greeted with a message starting with 'Hey Girl' /thinks of all those Ryan Gosling Hey Girl memes ;)

A little 'Dear Diary' excerpt comes in the box too ~ a funny read!

The contents

• 16 pack of regular tampons and 16 pack of mini tampons*
• 5 x overnight pads, 3 x regular pads and 2 x light pads
• 2 x teabags and a handful of chocolates - right amount of sweetness for the health-conscious!

*For you to alternate between as they are unable to physically separate the packs.

What I love about this type of subscription service is that you're able to pick and choose exactly what you want in it so that nothing goes to waste. Having variety to make your order a little more personalised is perfect for this as a one-size-fits-all approach isn't for everyone. I've received some beauty boxes that have had items that I know I would never use e.g. fake tan and when there are unwanted items like these, I feel that the box isn't worth it when you have to pay X amount of money and not be able to utilise everything. With Love Lois, all of the items are listed on their site as well as images to get an idea of what will be in the box while still allowing them to add in a few surprises here and there with the selection of chocolate and teabags and a funny read.

And it goes beyond the choice of whether to have just pads, tampons or both and the types/brands - you can choose to have a different treat if chocolate isn't for you due to diet, allergy or personal preference. Not to worry as they'll be able to pick out something nice for you :)

The price ranges from $22 to $25 a month and I would say that this is definitely reasonable when shipping is included (or you can think of it as being free). It's perfect for those who may not be able to go out and make these purchases on their own, and also for sending to someone you care about, even if that means sending it to yourself hehe. Let Lois come to the rescue!

Questjen for you:

Are you subscribed to any monthly services/boxes?

I'm also wanting to find out about any others that I may not have heard of before!

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Disclaimer: Product was provided for consideration with no obligation to share or review. This is not a sponsored post, nor am I affiliated with the company mentioned in this post. Clicking on the links do not benefit me in any way, shape or form. All opinions stated by me are 100% honest and are free from bias. See more at http://www.questjen.com/p/disclaimer.html for full disclaimer.

Gold Accessories from Born Pretty Store

There are many ways to 'pretty ourselves up' - by wearing makeup, dressing nicely, painting our nails, styling our hair and accessorising with jewellery. The one that I have followed ever since I was a little girl was wearing jewellery because this made me feel more girly and pretty (as well as wearing dresses and skirts). In fact, I had my ears pierced when I was only 2 years old so it was as though I grew up to be interested in jewellery - thanks mum, there's no way that I would've agreed to getting my ears pierced at the time! Growing up I wore plastic rings, mood rings, jelly bracelets, tattoo chokers and bracelets (oh the 90s!), friendship beaded bracelets and more... this is like a trip down memory lane, all of a sudden I feel nostalgic. I couldn't wear these at school but whenever we had a casual day, I went all out with the bling-bling!

I loved gold and silver jewellery but I wasn't allowed to wear these as a child, only the fake stuff except for my earrings for my sensitive skin/ears. Once I was a naughty girl and took my mum's 18 ct-gold diamond ring from her drawer and wore it on (it didn't fit but this didn't matter to me) and spun around in the backyard with it, because I felt like a princess lol. You can imagine what happened next... it flew off my finger and it was never to be found again. Mum wasn't too pleased when I told her, though I was forgiven, surprisingly! Now that I'm an adult, I can choose we wear real gold or 'fake' gold, and the same goes for rose gold, white gold or silver. I don't restrict myself on what to wear, I like a bit of everything and it depends on my outfit and style. Dainty pieces, statement pieces, I'm good with anything as long as they look nice.

Here are my latest gold pieces to add to my collection:

Clover Design Open Bangle

$2.49 USD, normally $4.62

 

This is an extremely affordable bracelet and judging by the quality, it does seem as though you get more than what you pay for. The design is simple yet elegant and the detail on the clover with the rhinestones is gorgeous. I have a tiny wrist and have lots of trouble buying bracelets and bangles because of it. Whenever I come across any adjustable bracelets or bangles like these, I feel like Cinderella with her perfectly-fitted glass slippers. Makes a great gift for someone too!

Back to the rhinestones again, they appear to be glued on with great care and precision, and don't seem to be prone to falling off. I've worn this bangle at night and it glistens under the lights so prettily. I doubt that many would guess that this retails for just a few dollars!

 Leaf design necklace

$7.43 USD

I don't have a lot of statement pieces, especially necklaces so I was keen to pick this one. It's bold but not too over-the-top and can go with many different outfits. I personally am a big fan of this design with the two long leaves connected together. They can be folded to save space for storage, which is handy.

See?

Once again I find the quality of this to be very sturdy, non-tacky and it's a good price. It's got that classiness to it which I adore and I can see myself wearing this for a number of occasions.

Looks great with this top, which has bits of gold in it

These pieces can be purchased from Born Pretty Store which offers free shipping worldwide with no minimum spend and on top of that I have a 10% off code for all of my amazing readers - JLQK31 to use at the checkout. The code can also be viewed on my blog's sidebar in case you need it again :)

 My questjen to you:

 

Are you a fan of gold-coloured accessories?

 

I like silver, white gold and rose gold more than yellow gold but I do like wearing yellow gold from time to time!

 

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Disclaimer: Products were provided for consideration with no obligation to share or review. This is not a sponsored post, nor am I affiliated with the company mentioned in this post. Clicking on the links do not benefit me in any way, shape or form. All opinions stated by me are 100% honest and are free from bias. See more at http://www.questjen.com/p/disclaimer.html for full disclaimer.