Tag Archives: shower gel

May24

My Beauty Hoard

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My Beauty Hoard

Hey! When it comes to most of my material pleasures in life, I am lucky enough to have a lot of them. A beautiful collection of shoes, clothing, and accessories help to turn me into the fashionista by day so that I can delve into my pajama collection at night. And, when it comes to beauty products, a collector I am, as well.

I have always been a firm believer in buying in bulk and having the products on hand when I need more, rather than running to the store every month to reup. I am also a firm believer in the power of coupons, freebies, and treasuring gifts from friends, which also helps add to my collection seen below:

hoard

Now, that may look like a lot of stuff – but what if I told you that about fifty percent of the above products were free? Check it out:

  • The three cleansers in the front: FREE
  • Every single mini lotion or shower gel: FREE
  • The three shower gels from The Body Shop: FREE
  • Two mini body butters: FREE
  • Charcoal mask from The Body Shop: FREE

Meanwhile, the other products were all bought on the cheap. For example:

  • The seven perfumes from Bath & Body Works were purchased for about twenty dollars all together.
  • The body butters and skin care were all bought at TJMaxx prices
  • And the remaining shower gels were all bought with coupons.

So, where did all of the free swag come from? The three cleansers and some of the mini lotions are compliments of Walgreen’s freebie bags that I received when purchasing my hair dye. I always wait to restock my boxed color until I get an email saying that Walgreen’s is running their freebie bag promotion with a certain amount of money purchased so that I can score some free goodies while buying a necessity.

All of the Bath & Body Works minis are thanks to the free travel sized coupons that I get from B&BW. Right now I have over sixty dollars worth of free product from there in my hoard and I always have them handy for gift giving occasions. And, the rest of my free products were gifts that I use frugally so that I don’t have to buy more of my favorites until I absolutely have to!

The rest of my hoard was all purchased with the help of coupons or the amazingly low prices of TJMaxx. Very rarely do I purchase anything at full price anymore – and why would I?! With the power of apps, reward programs, coupons, and sale promotions, it’s simple to save and create a collection of your own.

Who else has a beauty care hoard at home? How do you score the best freebies and deals? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

May22

Bath & Body Works May Freebie

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Bath & Body Works May Freebie

Hi! So Bath & Body Works finally sent me a freebie coupon after months of not receiving anything, so I was excited to run into the store and grab a travel sized lotion or shower gel. I was in a rush when I was in the store, and their new packaging definitely didn’t help, because I couldn’t tell what the idea was for any of their scents. Take a look and you’ll see what I mean:

gel

I really did like B&BW’s old packaging, because it let you know what the product would smell like without having to flip the lid. Now, you can’t tell what their scent would be like from anything and, frankly, I think the packaging looks cheap. I selected a new scent of theirs called Happy Vibes and it smelled okay. It’s a floral/citrus scent and the only reason why I selected it was because I was in a hurry. The flowers in this gel definitely overpowered any notes of citrus that you could smell, so I am not a huge fun. But, hey, it was free! 😀

How do you feel about B&BW’s new packaging? What is your favorite shower gel fragrance? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Mar27

March 2018 Finishes

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March 2018 Finishes

Howdy! I can’t believe that another month is drawing to a close already. 2018 is flying by, and with that, brings my empties post for March! Take a look at my monthly finishes and let’s discuss:

m2018.jpeg

Would I Use Again?

  • Suave Sweet Pea & Violet body wash: YES
  • Dickinson’s Witch Hazel: YES
  • The Body Shop Nutriganics eye cream: YES
  • Clinique Moisture Surge moisturizer: YES

Why/Why Not?

Suave Body Wash: I love the Suave shower gels. They lather well, they always smell great, and they are long lasting. It took me over two months to finish my Sweet Pea & Violet body wash and it was most enjoyable. It’s a floral scent, but it’s not so overpowering that you smell like a flower field all day. It’s actually quite energizing, which is great for the days that you don’t feel like waking up!

Dickinson’s Witch Hazel: I use witch hazel as a toner, a piercing cleaner, and a makeup remover when I am making little edits to my makeup look. Witch hazel is cheap, but effective and it works diligently to tighten my pores and give the areas around my piercings a deep clean. Dickinson’s is the only brand that I trust, and it took me about four months to finish this bottle.

TBS Eye Cream: We all know by now that The Body Shop’s Nutriganics eye cream is my go to for preventing fine lines and wrinkles around my peepers. It takes me a solid half a year to finish this tiny bottle of cream. You can’t beat that!

Clinique Moisturizer: I got to sample Clinique’s Moisture Surge moisturizer for free thanks to a recent Sephora purchase. If I wasn’t so gung-ho about buying moisturizers for cheap at TJMaxx, I would definitely purchase this Clinique product. It is a gel moisturizer, which is my favorite, and a little dollop went a long way in eliminating dry winter skin. Loved it.

March was definitely a successful month for finishes, and I would happily use each product that I completed again. Now, if only I could get my hands on that Clinique moisturizer for a bargain price!

Which products have you finished up this month? How do you beat dry skin during the colder months? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Nov4

Travel Sizes: Little But Fierce

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Travel Sizes: Little But Fierce

Hi everyone and welcome to the weekend! Because of my Manhattan travels last month for AnkhorRed’s Bloggers Conference, I was finally able to break out one of my many travel sized shower gels from Bath & Body Works, compliments of my freebie coupons. I have to say, I’m nothing short of impressed. Take a look and let’s discuss:

“Though she be but little, she is fierce!” – William Shakespeare

minii

Do you want to know how long it took to finish this three fluid ounce sized B&BW shower gel? ALMOST THREE WEEKS!!!! Three entire weeks of using a mini shower gel, says the girl who can finish a full sized body wash in a month flat? Yeah, you heard right.

BUT HOW IS THAT POSSIBLE?!

I’ve been racking my brains trying to figure out how this could be and I only have two solutions that makes sense. With a normal sized shower gel, I was so convinced that it would never run out that I would use way more than what was necessary. And, also, I really really like taking bubble baths. And when you combine these two factors, it just leads to using the body wash in excess, which causes me to use it up way faster than the average Joe.

HOW WASN’T THE SHOWER GEL FINISHED IN THREE DAYS?!

I’ve been racking my brains trying to figure out how this could be and I only have one solution that makes sense. I honestly just think that I wanted to see how long I could make this itty bitty travel sized gel last. I was able to see clearly how much body wash that I had left, thanks to the clear packaging, and every day that I went without finishing it, I tried to see if I could tack on another. And, the Bath & Body Works gel lathers really nicely, so I still felt squeaky clean without having to use an excess amount.

Using this travel sized product was an extremely eye opening experiment about just how much shower gel I was actually using and how much is truly necessary to use every day. With all of this newfound knowledge in mind, I can’t wait to see how long I can make a full sized SoftSoap or Suave shower gel bottle last!

Travel Sizes have definitely proven to be Little But Fierce in the most amazing way possible, because it’s going to mean saving money on bath and body products in the years to come. Who else has had a similar experience with an abnormally long lasting travel size product? What are your must have products in travel sizes while you’re on vacation? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Oct13

October Bath & Body Works Freebie

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October Bath & Body Works Freebie

Hi everyone and TGIF! Another month brings another Bath & Body Works freebie to add to my body care hoard. I’ve grown pretty fond of using my coupon for a free travel sized product to get a shower gel mini as of late. They are perfect (obviously) for overnight trips and vacations but they are also nice for when you feel like switching things up from your normal full sized body washes. Take a look at my mini shower gel steal and let’s discuss:

septt

Lol. Yeah. I did get Japanese Cherry Blossom. Despite this scent reminding me of my grade school’s locker room at gym class, I just couldn’t help myself from grabbing it. This soft and pretty but not too sweet floral fragrance spoke to me for some reason and I just couldn’t resist the bright red coloring of the shower gel!

I normally select my freebies with gift giving in mind, because they make for perfect present add ons. However, this shower gel is all for me. It would be sinful for anyone but Lil Red to use it, after all. 😉

So there you have it, my October Bath & Body Works Freebie. What is a scent that you love to hate? Which B&BW fragrances are your faves? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Sep29

September 2017 Finishes

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September 2017 Finishes

Hellooo everyone and TGIF. Holy moly – can you believe that it’s already the end of September?! Time is completely flying by, and the end of another month means that it’s time to talk shop on all of the beauty products that I finished up during September’s thirty day run. Take a looksee and let’s discuss:

sept

Would I Use Again?

  • Softsoap Sweet Honeysuckle & Orange Peel shower gel: YES
  • CPR Heat Protecting spray: YES
  • St. Ives Pink Lemon & Mandarin Orange scrub: YES
  • The Body Shop Vitamin C Skin Boost: YES
  • The Body Shop Vitamin E moisturizer: YES

Why/Why Not?

Softsoap Body Wash: I loooove me my Softsoap body washes. They lather so well, smell amazing, and are a wonderful value. The Sweet Honeysuckle & Orange Peel scent is definitely my favorite, though. I love citrus scents and this gel is so bright and invigorating, even when it’s combined with the soft, floral sweetness of honeysuckle. It took me about a month to finish this gel. However, as I was not the only one using it while I was on vaca for a week earlier this month, it would have lasted longer.

CPR Spray: I won this from a giveaway (Woohoo!) and I really enjoyed using it. I flat iron my hair almost every day, so a good heat protecting spray is a must. This CPR protector worked very well in not only saving my hair from damage, but leaving it shiny and sleek because it’s infused with argon oil. I don’t remember exactly what this product smelled like, but I know that it was good or I wouldn’t have been putting it in my hair! It took me about three or so months of daily use to finish this protecting spray.

St. Ives Scrub: I love all of the different scrubs that St. Ives has to offer, but the Pink Lemon & Mandarin Orange is my favorite, aside from the Apricot one! Facial scrubs are a must in my skin care arsenal and this one definitely did its job well. Not only did the sweet/tart scent smell fantastic, but it left my skin completely glowing after every use. The moderate amount of grit that this scrub offers helped buff away all of my imperfections and my skin looked and felt totally radiant. It took me one month of daily use to finish this scrub.

TBS Skin Boost: You guys already know how much I love this product, so nothing needs said here! It took me about two and a half months to finish my Skin Boost.

TBS Moisturizer: You guys also already know how much I love this product, so nothing needs said here, either! It took me one month to finish this moisturizer.

September gave me a perfect month of product empties, because I would use all of them again in a heartbeat. There was nothing about any of the products listed above that I didn’t like and I feel like each one gave me the most bang for my buck and tons of beauty benefits, to boot!

So there you have it, my September 2017 Finishes! Which products did you finish up this month? Have you used any of my empties before? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Sep11

Bath & Body Works September Freebie

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Bath & Body Works September Freebie

Hi everyone and happy Monday! I hope that all of you had a fabulous and relaxing weekend. While running errands this past week, I had to stop into Bath & Body Works to grab my freebie for the month of September. I knew that I wanted to get a mini shower gel because I had sent my not so baby anymore baby cousin off to college last month with a few from my hoard among other gifts. A restock was definitely needed, so I ended up with a shower gel from B&BW’s scent, Endless Weekend. Take a look:

weekend

I have so many travel sized goodies from B&BW in my freebie hoard that it’s hard to keep track of all of the scents. Now, I just pick whatever I think looks the prettiest in the bottle or the label and go with that. I loved the pale blue color of this gel and who doesn’t want an Endless Weekend?!

I actually am just now taking a whiff of this body wash, because I didn’t bother in the store and it smells like total fun in the sun. It seriously smells like an ocean breeze passing through a giant fruit salad made of pineapples and raspberries with an edible flower garnish. I always prefer fruity scents, so I’m definitely happy that I randomly grabbed one that I like instead of something super musky or flowery. But hey, the unloved scents are great gifts for other people! Mwahaha. :*)

So there you have it, my Bath & Body Works September Freebie! What is your favorite scent from B&BW? Who is excited for all of the fall fragrances in stores now? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jul8

Bath & Body Works July Freebie

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Bath & Body Works July Freebie

Hi everyone and happy weekend!! I hope that all of you are up to lots of fun and excitement today! So, just when I thought that Bath & Body Works was over sending me freebie coupons, I finally got one in the mail this week. It had been a PHAT minute since I received anything and I figured that I finally got blacklisted for never buying anything and only cashing in on my coupons. Haha, smh. Despite this retail faux pas on my part (Because I’d totally be annoyed at me.), I was not, in fact, blacklisted so I got to add on to my B&BW freebie arsenal, once again. Check it out:

luv

Because I have literally more lotion than is humanly necessary in my hoard, I’ve taken to snagging travel sized shower gels, instead, when I get my coupons. I am very fond of using these goodies as add ons to gifts, so tying a lotion to its shower gel counterpart with ribbon makes a great ten dollar extra that I didn’t pay a dime for. I absolutely love the Love & Sunshine fragrance, which offers soft hints of daisies mixed with strawberry lemonade for a scent that’s a perfect combination of sweet and tart. I like it so much, that I just might have to keep this one for myself!

What is your favorite Bath & Body Works scent? Which store offers the best coupons? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jul3

Monday Update: June 2017 Finishes Edition

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Monday Update: June 2017 Finishes Edition

Hello everyone and happy July!! The month of June brought about a massive amount of beauty finishes for yours truly. As I try to be as detail oriented with product reviews as possible, this post will definitely be a long one! Not only did I finish a bunch of products but I actually liked ALL of them this time around, which doesn’t happen often. Take a look at my June empties and let’s discuss:

june

Would I Use Again?

  • Suave Everlasting Sunshine body wash: YES
  • Paul Mitchell Color Protect Locking Spray: YES
  • Simple Micellar Cleansing Water: YES
  • Bath & Body Works Sweet Pea lotion: YES
  • The Body Shop Vitamin C Skin Boost: YES
  • The Body Shop Vitamin E moisturizer: YES
  • The Body Shop Drops Of Youth Bouncy Sleep Mask: YES
  • The Body Shop Vineyard Peach body butter: YES

Why/Why Not?

Suave Body Wash: I think that Suave shower gels are incredibly underrated. They smell amazing, they hydrate, lather well, and leave your skin feeling supple and fresh. And they’re so reasonably priced that it seems like a no brainer to use their products. Everlasting Sunshine is one of my favorite scents by them. It’s floral and bright without being overpowering and it’s such an invigorating scent to hop into the shower with in the morning. It took me a little over one month to finish this product.

Paul Mitchell Spray: As a fake redhead, protecting my color at all costs is crucial. This Paul Mitchell spray kept my red looking bright and shiny throughout the month until I dyed it again. I would spray a generous amount into my hair after dyeing it and would use it before straightening my hair, as well. No matter what color you dye your hair, using a heat protecting and color locking product is essential in keeping your color looking freshly dyed until you hit the salon or boxed dye again. It took me over six months to finish this product.

Simple Cleansing Water: I’ve wanted to try Micellar water for a while but never felt a strong desire to buy a bottle. My mom snagged the Simple brand Cleansing Water on sale for me and I like it well enough. I’ve never seen a huge need to use a toner but I like that this product doubles as a super cheap makeup remover. Every day I dab this product on my face and neck after showering. I haven’t noticed a difference in my skin but it does feel good to use after I wash my face. It took me over a month of daily application and makeup touch ups to finish this bottle of Micellar water.

B&BW Lotion: Bath & Body Work’s Sweet Pea fragrance is fresh out of grade school but I don’t mind! My best friend got me this for some gift giving occasion or another and I just now used it up. I do love me some B&BW goodies so, of course, this lotion was no exception. I think that their lotions are the bomb. They are SO moisturizing while still feeling quite light and that’s really important to me. I’m a very tactile person, so when a lotion doesn’t absorb well or leaves behind a greasy residue, I have a really hard time with that. Bath & Body Works lotions have never given me a problem in regards to it not absorbing quickly or making my skin feel slimy after so it always has an A+ in my book! It took me about six or seven full body uses to finish this lotion.

TBS Skin Boost: Lol, I don’t even need to go into detail about my love for this product. You guys already know that. Anyways, it took me over two months of daily use to finish my Vitamin C Skin Boost.

TBS Moisturizer: Yeah, you guys know that I love this stuff, too. It took me a month of daily use to finish this moisturizer.

TBS Mask: I LOVE THIS FACE MASK SO MUCHHHH. The Body Shop’s Drops Of Youth Bouncy Sleep Mask is the truth. The texture of this mask is unlike anything I’ve ever used before. It’s such a thick, gel-like product but it absorbs like a dream. You would think that because it feels almost “gooey” that it would leave your skin feeling heavy or greasy after but that’s just not the case in the slightest. This mask sinks into your skin so quickly and a little bit of it will easily cover your face, neck, and cleavage.

This mask smells amazingly clean and crisp and damn does it make my skin feel good after using it! Hydrated, supple, smooth, radiant. After letting this mask soak into your skin as you sleep you will notice a difference as soon as you see your reflection in the morning. Your skin just glows. I cannot recommend this product enough and everyone should go get it STAT! It took me about two months of using three or four times a week to finish this mask.

TBS Body Butter: Vineyard Peach is my absolute favorite scent from The Body Shop. I really just love all peach everything. It’s such a sweet, crisp scent but it has this little bite of tartness to it and that’s what I like in a fragrance. This also explains why I adore apple scented products, too. ANYWAYS, I got this body butter at TJMaxx for a whole SIX BUCKS and I was so overcome with joy at that find. A general rule of thumb for me is that I would never pay the whopping twenty-one dollar price tag when it comes to The Body Shop’s body butters, so when TJ’s started carrying them it really was a godsend. The Vineyard Peach scent is to die for and it took me about seven full body uses to finish this product.

HOLY MOLY. Okay, so many finishes so little time amiright?! June definitely was a successful month when it came to using some amazing beauty products and I had a blast applying all of these goodies to my skin and body care routine. Hopefully July will be just as fabulous!

So there you have it, this week’s Monday Update: June 2017 Finishes Edition! What beauty products did you use up this month? Who has used some of the products that I just finished up before? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

May19

Bath & Body Works May Freebie

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Bath & Body Works May Freebie

Hi everyone and TGIF! This past Wednesday, I went to the mall so that I could pick up a birthday gift for my brother and while I was there, I figured that I would grab my freebie from Bath & Body Works, too. I also thought that it would be a nice break for the people who work at the one that I usually go to, considering I always just get my free item and leave (smh!). For this freebie, I restocked a shower gel that I had just given to a friend as part of her birthday gift in one of my favorite scents. Check it out:

bbww

My best friend gifted me with the lotion of French Lavender & Honey a while back and ever since then, I’ve been hooked. It seriously smells SO. GOOD. I legit can’t get enough of this scent, which is glaringly obvious because I feel like I write about it constantly! These past few months of freebies, I have taken to getting shower gels instead of lotions. I honest to god have a lotion hoard that could keep a family of ten moisturized for the year, so it didn’t make much sense to continue adding to this stockpile just for me!

I think the mini shower gels are great and I can’t wait to use them for travel purposes this summer. The shower gels also make a wonderful addition to a gift that you’re giving, especially if you match the scent of the gel and lotion together. That’s what I did for my friend’s birthday this past week and it added ten extra dollars value to the gift that I didn’t pay a dime for. Sounds like a sweet deal to me!

So there you have it, my May Bath & Body Works Freebie! Who else is guilty of gifting bath and body care items for your girlfriends? What is your favorite B&BW scent? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah