Huge Empties | Makeup, Skincare, Health, Pet Care!

My last empties was in November (linked here), so I've accumulated quite a bit of empties since then. I had so much, that I had to exclude some from this post as it was just too much!

There is still quite a bit so I will keep the info as brief as possible. I will include links to products where possible. Prices won't be included as they are forever changing.

This fab product escaped from my skincare photo

SKINCARE

Equate Aloe Vera Continuous Spray:
I am not happy with the fact that this product contains parabens but until I find a better option, this is very effective and convenient to use with my NuFace. I use The Body Shop's Vitamin E Essence for my face and I use this when I treat my neck. It has a super fine mist and it's easy to apply. It's the only Aloe I've found that doesn't sting my eyes and skin.

Repurchase ✔

Garnier Micellar Water for Dry and Sensitive Skin:
I adore this micellar water and have backups galore! I not only use it to remove makeup, but I also use it often as my AM cleanse. It doesn't affect the PH of my skin like water does, it's gentle and hydrating, and it is enough for a morning cleanse since there isn't much dirt to remove.

Repurchase ✔

Reviva Labs Rosewater Facial Spray:
Love this rosewater toner. It's hydrating and soothing with aloe, herbs, minerals, and hyaluronic acid. I transferred it to my George's Always Active Aloe Spray bottle because I like the fine mist that the bottle has.

Repurchase ✔

Holistic Vanity Rosacea Care:
I love most of the products that I've tried from Pure + Simple Skincare (Holistic Vanity is a line of theirs). This product was just okay for me. I didn't notice anything from using it, although I don't have rosacea so it may work for those who suffer from it. I will stick with other products from Pure + Simple like their oils and serums that I love.

Repurchase ✖

First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream:
I know a lot of people love this skin cream. I did not. I much prefer my Paula's Choice Skin Recovery Replenishing Moisturizer or the Cetaphil moisturizer shown in this post as they keep the moisture in my dehydrated skin much better than this cream does. It turned out to be an expensive hand cream for me.

Repurchase ✖

Dr. Dennis Gross Alpha Beta Extra Strength Daily Peel:
I received this sample from Sephora. I used it for 3 days and I found it drying and a bit irritating for my skin, it also caused my skin to breakout. It does have great reviews and it's something I could probably use occasionally but there are cheaper options that do the same thing, IMO.

Repurchase ✖

Cetaphil Hydrating Night Cream:
Apparently, this cream wanted a feature of his own as he snuck out of my skincare photo. I LOVE this night cream! I found it so hydrating for my dehydrated skin! I have a full review on it (linked here). Excellent cream if you have dehydrated or dry skin. It's lightweight and contains hyaluronic acid. A really great skin cream and beats out a lot of high-end products for me. My only gripe is that it's so expensive in Canada compared to the price in the USA!

Repurchase ✔

MAKEUP

Paula's Choice Lip and Body Treatment Balm:
This product is great as a moisturizing barrier on your lips, although you can use it anywhere. I love that Paula's Choice doesn't use fragrances in their products. The little tub lasts forever if you are just using it on your lips.

Repurchase ✔

Essence I ❤ Extreme Crazy Volume Mascara:
Another winning mascara from Essence. It gives me long and full lashes. I do prefer their Lash Princess but this would be my second choice for an affordable and fabulous mascara.

Repurchase ✔

Almay One Coat Mega Volume Mascara:
I love a lot of Almay products, this isn't one of them. I gave it 3 chances and it was absolutely horrible! The brush design made it impossible to apply and I have never had worse looking lashes. When I used this mascara, I looked like I had 3 eyelashes per eye! Somehow this has all 5-star reviews on Amazon! (Below is a photo of the wand).

Repurchase ✖

HEALTH

Garden of Life My Kind Organics Women's Once Daily Multi-Vitamin:
This is one of my favourite Multi-Vitamins. It's not overstimulating (I have sleep issues). The ingredients are fantastic and it's vegan. One of the few multi's where I actually feel a difference.

Repurchase ✔

Nature's Answer Rhodiola 100mg:
This is my favourite Rhodiola and I've been using it for years. It's a fabulous adaptogen and helps us deal with stress. I am currently trying out Adrenasmart, which contains the same dose of Rhodiola so it won't have to repurchase, atm.

Repurchase ✔

A. Vogel Avenaforce:
This is a tincture containing extract of oats. I used to find it a big help with my sleep issues so I decided to give it another try. Unfortunately, it didn't work for me this time. If you have sleep issues, it's worth giving this supplement a try. It should work for someone with average sleep issues.

Repurchase ✖

Eidon Ionic Minerals Silica:
Silica is an essential mineral involved in collagen formation and calcium management. This is a fab product but it's pricey. I am going to switch to Biosil and see how that goes. I mean if Christie Brinkley uses Biosil... 😄

Repurchase ✖

BHI Calming Homoeopathic Tablets:
LOVE this homoeopathic composition. I don't feel a difference when I take it but it does help a bit with my sleep issues. I also take it when I wake up. There are no contraindications with homoeopathics which is one reason I love them so much.

Repurchase ✔

Webber Naturals Super Sleep:
This product contains a small amount of melatonin, L-theanine, and 5 HTP. It's a very effective product. The first time I tried it I slept for about 12 hours straight! Now, I can only take it on and off as it will make my sleep more restless if I take it too many nights in a row (I have a very sensitive constitution). I like that you can break the tablets into halves or quarters, whatever you like, it's super helpful when I just need a tiny dose. This is usually available at Costco, too.

Repurchase ✔

Homeocan Homeopathic Medicine Insomnia:
Love this one! This worked wonders and I need to repurchase it asap!

Repurchase ✔

MISC.

Madre Labs CocoCeps Organic Dark Cocoa Beverage:
I drink this most mornings with protein powder as a smoothie. It tastes great and has certified organic cordyceps and reishi mushroom powders. So many health benefits!

Repurchase ✔

Jason Healthy Mouth Mouthwash:
I've been using this for years. It contains so many wonderful and natural ingredients for healthy teeth and gums. It lasts forever as you can dilute it with water 1:1, so the bottle basically doubles in size.

Repurchase ✔

Now Foods Xyli White Toothpaste:
Another product that I've been using for years. I've had better dental checkups since using it. It's fluoride-free, SLS-free, gluten-free, paraben-free, and it tastes great! Note: it's also available in mint flavours if cinnamon isn't your jam.

Repurchase ✔

PET CARE

Dr. Mercola Astaxanthin for Cats & Dogs:
Astaxanthin has so many health benefits for us as well as our pets. Unfortunately, my cat won't touch the stuff, I think he has some sensitivity to it. Although he wouldn't touch this, I recently gave him Krill oil by a different brand and we think he had a bad reaction to it. Krill also contains astaxanthin so we will stay away from it. If your pet can take astaxanthin, it's worth giving it to them. If you read about the benefits, you will be amazed. A shame that my boy can't take this. My cat does love and benefits from Dr. Mercola's Ubiquinol/ Q10 for pets.

Repurchase ✖

Sunforce True Colloidal Silver 10PPM:
Colloidal Silver is excellent to keep on hand for your pet's health. It can be used topically as well as internally. Excellent for many types of infections. The brand we used to buy at the pet store is no longer available so I purchase the same PPM (parts per million) at the health food store.

Repurchase ✔

HyaFlex Hyaluronic Acid For Joints (Cat Formula):
I notice a difference with my cat's sensitivity in his back and leg area, it is definitely reduced while he takes this. It's a clear and tasteless liquid that I put in his wet food and he has no problem taking it. Unfortunately, it is expensive but it's worth it. For now, I give him half the dose to make it more affordable.

Repurchase ✔

I hope you enjoyed hearing about what I loved or not so much. 

Always check with your doctor or health care practitioner before beginning any new supplements for yourself or your pets. 

Have a great week!

Not sponsored. Some links are referral links. Thank you for the support should you choose to use them.

Instagram Challenge: Finish #7bySpring

In January I decided to join some other beauty junkies on Instagram who were participating in a challenge called #7BySpring. The objective was to finish up 7 beauty products by spring aka today!

Finishing beauty products can be quite the challenge. Products like mascara are easy since we replace them on the regular. I ended up adding a mascara to this challenge as I didn't have anything else that I could come close to finishing up.

These challenges can get tedious as we end up using the same products everyday, which kind of takes the fun out of playing with makeup. But, it's also rewarding to finish products up so we can move on to something new and say goodbye to the old.

For challenges like this, I recommend selecting products that are older and may expire if you don't use them up.

Here is a screenshot of my initial Instagram post, showcasing the items I chose for this challenge. 

And, here we are today on the first day of Spring and the last day of this challenge

I don't remember the last time I finished up a lipstick!

Products I finished:

-Marcelle Sheer Tint Fluid Moisturizer- I have used for years and would repurchase

-Elf Lash and Brow Clear Mascara- I use this all the time and will definitely repurchase

-Jordana Best Lash Extreme- Another product I've used for years and will repurchase

-Maybelline Color Whisper in Lust for Blush- I recommend this formula for aging lips as it's very hydrating and doesn't accentuate lines. It's a more sheer formula and I do like it, but I became a little sick of it after using it everyday. I started to mix it with a lipstick I have that is too brown for me and then I wound up with the perfect pinky-brown/ mauve shade! (I liked it so much I did a blog post on it HERE).

Products I did not finish:

-Physicians Formula Mineral Wear Face Powder- I was sooo close to finishing this! I would not repurchase this as I found I became oily quickly with this powder and it was a little heavy and accentuated pores. I would buy other powders by PF like their Youthful Wear powders.

-Garnier Skin Renew Anti-Dark Circle Roller- This thing just keeps on ticking! It's made it through 2 "empty" challenges and it's still going. I got this on sale for such a good price that I have backups! I just hope they don't expire!

-Essence Eye Shadow Base- This is just like the Garnier Roller above, it doesn't end. It has also survived 2 Instagram "empty" challenges and doesn't seem to be close to being empty. I would buy it again but I have another eye primer that I bought last summer that is still waiting on standby!

I guess 4 out of 7 isn't bad. 

I'm definitely looking forward to using my other products now that this challenge is over! And, I'm also looking forward to some new challenges!  

If you know of any fun challenges, please leave them in the comments or click on my Instagram link at the top of this page and leave me a comment there..

Thanks for stopping by!

Amy

xoxo

1 Year Blog Birthday! Big Beauty Giveaway! *CLOSED

A year ago today Health and Beauty Girl was born. I want to celebrate Health and Beauty Girl's birthday by giving back to you with a giveaway!

I started this blog to share my experiences and passions with other like-minded people. I have learned so much along the way and met some of the most incredible people! I have been very lucky and truly have the most amazing readers. Having this giveaway is my way of saying thanks for reading my posts and sharing so much with me.

I can't believe that I've been blogging for a year! The year just flew by... must be having fun! I had no idea that I would end up blogging for this long and didn't know where things would go, but I'm even more excited today for the future of Health and Beauty Girl than I was when I started.

I will probably celebrate with a cupcake and my favourite tea! And, this giveaway of course.

Let's get this party started!

I have selected some of my personal favourite beauty products and some I've never tried before to give to one lucky reader.

This beauty prize pack (value over $60) includes:

-Elf eyeshadow palette in Smoky
-Elf eye primer
-Essence Contour and highlight powder (New product, I hear it's comparable to high-end!)
-Essence Sun Club all-in-one bronzing highlighter (I own this and love to use it every summer)
-2 Essence Lipsticks in my 2 favourite colours: Cool Nude and Creamy Nude
-Sonia Kashuk Eye on Neutral eyeshadow palette- matte 02
-Sonia Kashuk Shine Luxe Sheer Lip colour in "Sheer Pink Lust" (I have backups of this!)
-4 eye brushes
-a pair of rhinestone crawler earrings

Giveaway details:

-The giveaway will run for 1 week and will close on March 18th
-The winner will be announced on the blog, twitter and IG
-It is open internationally
-If the winner's shipping address is outside of Canada and the USA, the package will be shipped by ground and may take up to 6 weeks to reach you
-No purchase necessary
-Must be age of majority in your state, province etc.
-Healthandbeautygirl.com is not responsible for lost or damaged merchandise
-This giveaway is not sponsored and is fully funded by Moi!


Thanks to everyone for participating in my giveaway and congrats to the winner! It was such a good time, I will definitely be hosting more giveaways in the future!

Enter using the Rafflecopter form below

a Rafflecopter giveaway

New Essence Sheer and Shine Lipstick Review: Cute Nude & Candy Love!

I was at my local Shoppers Drug Mart the other day and whenever I'm there I always have to check out the Essence makeup display to see if they have anything new. That's when I saw their new Sheer and Shine lipsticks and I couldn't resist, so I grab a couple to share with you. 

They had 9 shades to choose from and a nice range of colours from nudes to pinks and corals and deeper shades. I went for the two nudes that I knew I would get the most use of and it's a pretty safe bet that they'll suit me too. 

I picked out #02 Cute Nude a nice sheer pinky nude and #12 Candy Love a sheer light berry toned pink with blue undertones.

 Cute Nude (left) Candy Love (right)

Here they are swatched in daylight. Cute Nude is the paler colour and Candy Love is pinker.

The swatches here have been built up with a few swipes. One swipe would be much more sheer. Either way, you will not end up with an opaque lipstick look, which I'm not a huge fan of on myself.

I find that they are nice and moisturizing and they don't leave a stain. They are easily built up to get more colour (as pictured). They don't last too long as they have a balm-like texture. I find these are great everyday lipsticks to throw in my purse, and these are the kind of shades you can just slap on and go! They also don't settle into lip lines. I love them both but I like Candy Love a little bit more as it has more colour and I find that blue-based pinks really suit me.

If you have aging or even just dehydrated lips I think you would really like these. Same, if you have a lot of lip lines as I do and you can't pull off all the matte lip looks. I think this type of formula and these lighter colours are good for creating a more youthful look on the lips. 

I'm really liking these and at only $3.49 you really can't go wrong. I'm generally a nude and pink lips kind of person, but if you want something a lot darker or deeper they have that too, they just won't be opaque. And, did I mention that Essence is cruelty-free!?

Have you tried any of these new lippies? If so, how do you like them?

Amy

xoxo

Makeup Graveyard #1- Purging/ Decluttering Some Makeup and Beauty Items!

Welcome to the Makeup Graveyard!

Well, it looks like the items pictured above won't be making it into any of my empties posts. Instead, they are making it to my first ever "makeup graveyard" (aka. garbage.) Last night I got a burst of energy (nothing new,-night owl here) and something prompted me to go through my eyeshadows. Although, today, I have no memory of what it was that inspired me to do so. But, as you can see, I found more than eyeshadow to add to my makeup graveyard. 

Above are the first batch of products that I decided were now fit for the trash and not my eyelids. They are either super-old, chalky and/or have no pigmentation. Although, I did end up saving the Essence Quattro palette from the graveyard and decided instead to pitch an ELF quad of similar colours that was MUCH more suited to the graveyard.  (note: the items are deep in the trash so I was not able to get another picture minus the Essence quad that I "saved.")

What's going and why:

• YBF Palette, your connected collection- too old and dried up
• Sally Girl eyeshadow quad, no colour just the number 388477- chunky and hard, yuk
• Smashbox eyeshadow quad in Juxtapose- this is so old and the powders are now hard
• Annabelle 4 Show eyeshadow quad in Vivid-eye- Zero pigmentation
• Essence eyeshadow quad in Over the Taupe- Saved!

Here is a picture of the inside of the ybf palette:

This was a nice palette but it's super-old and as a result, lost its pigmentation. I loved this one for my purse or travel as it has a nice array of neutral eyeshadows plus a blush and lip colours. Although, I've learned that I'd rather not have lip products inside my palettes as they get kind of gross and gunky!

Here are the other items I came across today that wound up in the graveyard. As I mentioned, I ended up choosing to keep the Essence quad and instead trashed the ELF one above- the tones were similar but the Essence one was much more buttery and pigmented- sorry ELF, I love lots of your other products! :D

What's going and why:

• Eyeshadow brush from eBay. It came in a 5 piece set for less than $2, the others are great, this one is SO hard and sharp, someone could get hurt!
• Bella Pierre powder brush no.23- this is like putting makeup on with a brillo pad (I love many Bella Pierre products, just not this one)
• Bella Pierre makeup base- product has separated and gone bad
• ELF eyeshadow quad in Drama- shadows are hard, chunky, and have no pigmentation
• Olay Fresh Effects BB Cream Skin Perfecting Tinted Moisturizer Cream- well, besides the long name,....this has to be the worst BB cream or tinted moisturizer I have ever tried! I don't know if I just got a bad one but besides zero coverage it won't blend into the skin, it stays on the skin and leaves patches of product all over my face. Byeeeee!

I know I won't be missing any of these products and it makes me realize that I have to go through my things more often. Decluttering, purging or whatever you want to call it can be tough but it's definitely worth it. I don't want to get rid of things just for the sake of getting rid of things but if something isn't working for me anymore or maybe is past its prime, better to let it go and focus on the things that are working for me and won't give you an eye infection or something! *knocking on wood

Have you done any purging or have any tips on making it an easier task? Please share in the comments. I would love to get better at letting things go, they are, after all, just things and not important in the grand scheme of things. ;)

xo Amy

Cruelty Free, Affordable Lipstick Dupe! #Review

I'm always on the lookout for cruelty-free, affordable dupes in makeup, skincare, hair care, really in anything!  My go to lip colour is usually a nude, nude-pink or something along that line. And, quite by accident I found a dupe in a nude-pink shade that I adore!

Here they are side by side:

Pictured on the left is the cruelty-free dupe, which is Essence Long-lasting Lipstick in Nude Love (11). On the right we have CoverGirl's Lip Perfection Lipstick in Honeyed (258):

Here are the swatches on the back of my hand. As you can see they are quite nude in colour.  The swatch pictured on top is the one by Essence, it is slightly rosier than CoverGirl's (pictured below.) Neither are matte, they both have a similar sheen.

As a test, I wore one on my top lip and the other on the bottom and I could not see a difference at all. The feel on the lips was similar, CoverGirl's may have felt slightly more drying.  They also wore for the same amount of time on my lips, I did not find either of them long-lasting. They both wore like a typical lipstick (IMO). They would need to be re-applied, which I really don't mind- these are the kind of colours I can kind of "slap-on-and-go." Also, the Essence lipstick lacks that infamous CoverGirl scent that many are not a fan of.

The Essence Long Lasting Lipstick is only $2.99 and can be found at Shoppers Drug Mart in Canada. (And this colour "nude love" goes quite nicely with many of the Essence creamy lip liners that are only $1.49 each. I often wear this lipstick with their liner in "nude"- Gorg!)

The CoverGirl lipstick retails for approx. $8.99

I would love to hear if you have any cruelty-free affordable dupes!

xo Amy