I’m still saving my garbage, in case you were wondering. In this edition of Empties – Buy or Bye, I have some really great finds, some not so great and some that used to be a Buy and have turned into a Bye. Keep reading to see what product empties I have and if I would recommend them or not.

Body Care Empties

• Bath & Bodyworks Foaming hand soap – Always stocked up on these, they smell amazing and work so well!
• Neutrogena MEN Triple Protect Face Lotion – The hubs likes this, mostly because the package says “MEN” haha. But it’s good to have for his face as it includes SPF.
• NIVEA Oil Infused Lotion – I LOVE this lotion, I prefer the one that comes in a white bottle but this was good too. It leaves a nice sheen on your skin that is a summer must have.
• Vaseline Body Lotions – These were also the hubs and he said he does not like them and prefers the NIVEA one LOLOL!!!!
• Dove Advanced Care Invisible deodorant – Just felt blah, scent was very light and it DEFINITELY left white parks, lies Dove LIES!

Skincare and Makeup Empties

• Belif The True Cream – Moisturizing bomb – Love this stuff for the winter time when my skin is dry.
• Lancome Genifique – WOWZERS this stuff actually works. I suffer from acne scars and this tightens my skin and makes them less visible! A must buy for mature skin.
• Milani Soft Focus Glow – I had no idea I would love this as much as I do, I literally squeezed every bit out of this tube! I wear this alone for those “no makeup” makeup days and its so flattering.
• Revlon SO FIERCE Mascara – a new favorite of mine, layers well, doesn’t flake, and gives excellent length and volume! A hidden gem if you ask me.
• It Cosmetics CC+ SPF 50+ – I discovered this over the winter and have not stoped wearing it. FLAWLESS finish with 50 SPF? YES PLEASE!
• Clarins Super Restorative Total Eye Concentrate – One of the only eye creams that I have used that actually show a difference and didn’t irritate my super sensitive eyes. 2 thumbs up.
• Derma-E Vitamin C Serum – I literally noticed NOTHING with this. Not only did it not work but it made my moisturizer pill up when I applied it over the serum. PASS.
• Wet n Wild Photofocus Foundation – I used to love this foundation and the fact that it’s so cheap made me obsessed. But I noticed recently that whenever I use it I look older, so maybe this is great for you kiddos but clearly I am too old for this now.
• Wet n Wild Photofocus Concealer – I just used this up to use it up as I got it free with a purchase, it creased like linen shorts and the coverage was far too light to hide these sun spots. Thats a no for me dawg.

Face and Hair Empties

• Not Your Mothers Beach Babe Texturizing Dry Shampoo – This is a repurchase and I still love it. Great texture and volume, smells good and at less than $7/can I can afford to use the crap out of it!
• CATWALK by TIGI Root Boost Spray – This is another repurchase for me because it works so well! It doesn’t leave my roots greasy and gives a natural looking and feeling volume. A+ in my book.
• Thayers Facial Toner with Witch Hazel – Love this stuff! I use this in the morning as I wash my face at night. This helps to remove any remaining residue without irritating or burning your skin. It tightens pores and leaves a great glow. YAY!
• SGX-NYC the Do-It-All – I used to love this stuff, it is a dry shampoo+texture+refresh. In theory, it should be good but it just ended up drying out my hair. And the nozzle was super weird, ergonomically speaking,
• Neutrogena Naturals Purifying Facial Cleanser – This was just meh to me. It didn’t get all my make up off and it would not foam up much. I have found far better Neutrogena face cleansers (here).

Lots of steady-Eddies in this empties buy or buy post, things that I consistently repurchase but there were a few that I wish someone would have done an honest review on. Please remember, just because I don’t like it doesn’t mean you have to dislike it too! Everyone is different and thats what makes this world so interesting. Stay classy friends!

-Lauren

Confidence in a bottle, also known as self-tanner is a necessity in my self care routine. I have tried more self-tanner than I can remember but there are a few stand out products and methods that I must share with you to achieve this easy long lasting self-tanning routine. All the products are linked here or you can follow me on LiketoKnow.it https://www.liketoknow.it/LaurenLetter where I always link all my outfits and my favorite things.

First We Prep

I’m gonna break the internet with this one but its so important: DO NOT SHAVE. That’s right, don’t use shaving as your exfoliation method. If you are one of those women who has sparse body hair and a probably a thigh gap this step doesn’t apply to you, also can you tell us what it feels like to be god’s favorite? The reason: the tanner will sink into the hair follicle/pore area and will make those pores appear darker.

In this instance, an actual physical exfolloiant is best. I start with with a dry brush before the shower, using long motions on the limbs. I also make sure to focus on the areas that tend to be dryer or rougher (knees, elbows, etc.). Then in the shower I use a sugar scrub like the ones below before I wash with a loofa.

After you are scrub-a-dub-dubbed make sure to avoid a super moisturizing body wash and don’t use any moisturizer in or out of the shower. And remember NO SHAVING! Ideally, if you could shave the day before that would be great. Or even if you shave in the morning and then prep for your tan in the evening.

Next We Tan

Timing is everything when it comes to a self-tan routine. I like to do my self-tan 2 hours before bed, that allows the tan a good 10 hours to set in (even though its not needed with these products I find it helps with the longevity). So plan accordingly.

Finding the right product and the right applicator are equally important. I have used this self-tan and mitt for the last 3 years and I SWEAR BY IT!

The mitt is a must as it helps with streak free application and its reusable – winning! The tan color is so nice and bronzy, lasts for at least a week and the smell is totally tolerable. I have repurchased this self-tanner at least 10 times, and I like both the dark and the ultra dark.

I start with my legs, and I use about 6 pumps per leg to get a good and even coat. Then I work my way up to my mid section applying about 4 pumps, and finish with my arms and use about 3 pumps per arm and 2 pumps for my chest/neck. Sometimes I will use what is left on the mitt and lightly graze my face. I have super sensitive skin and it has never had a reaction from this. Make sure to use the mitt to get between your fingers and toes.

Now We Wait

I have found that letting the tan sit with a little movement, interruption as possible produces the best results. For this reason, I like to start my tan in the evening a few hours before bed. While this self-tanner is not transfer resistant, it does completely wash off clothing and bedding.

The next steps are KEY to making sure this tan lasts more than 3 days. When you wake up the next morning, you will “rinse” the tan off. THAT’S IT!! Do not wash, do not scrub, no soap! Just let the water rinse off your body. After you are done hop out of the shower and pat dry. NO RUBBING. Lastly, make sure you moisturize really well every day for the next 7 days. This will help with the longevity of the tan. Here is my favorite body lotion, smells great, works amazingly and leaves a nice sheen on your skin. I like to mix the lotion with some oil for extra hydration.

That’s it! It might seem like a lot of steps, but it is actually quite easy and the methods really help to ensure a long lasting tan that does not fade as quickly. I had a friend message me today after I recommended this self-tanner and she said:

“Girl, you were not kidding about the Bondi Sands tanning foam! It’s a beautiful color and it was super easy to put on with the mitt. Thank you for letting us all know about a great product!”

I rest my case. Enjoy the compliments as you will be sure to get them! I have tons of other product recommendations here.

-Lauren

Alright, I admit it, I am breaking my “no buy” fast for April. But it’s for good reason! The Sephora savings event only happens twice a year and you never see any of these items on sale. It would cost me more money to NOT shop this sale, right???

I rounded up some of my favorites, industry top sellers and some of the other things I will be buying. Check out my Instagram for a video of my thoughts on these too!

• Belief Moisturizing Eye Balm – great for keeping eye area extra moisturized without irritation.
• Renewed Hope In a Jar SPF 30 – seriously the best moisturizer I have ever used. Non-greasy and suitable for sensitive skin.
• Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask – Great for use during the day, leaves lips soft and shiny.
• GlamGlow GLOWSTARTER Mega Illuminating Moisturizer – Excellent for those summer no make up days.

• Laura Mercier Translucent Loose Setting Powder – finely milled, smoothes and sets effortlessly. Industry top seller for a reason.
• It Cosmetics CC+ Cream with SPF 50+ – Full coverage = YES, SPF = YES, Good for your skin = YES. What more could you ask for?
• NARS Creamy Radiant Concealer – perfect for “no makeup” makeup days. Never cakey, great shade selection, long wearing.
• Urban Decay All Nighter Setting Spray – your make up will last longer than the party.
• Anastasia Beverly Hills Clear Brow Gel – like super glue for your brows, they ain’t goin no where!
• Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara – Excellent volume and length, soft feel, no flaking and easy to remove.
• Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Matte Bronzer – lasts forever! Midtone pigment, excellent for contouring.
• Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Blush – long wearing, tons of colors to choose from (TIP: buy a mini if you can, blush lasts forever).

• Masion Margiela “REPLICA” Beach Walk – Like summer in a bottle, an inviting and warm scent that’s long lasting and intriguing.
• Juliet Has a Gun “Sunny Side Up” – I pictured “Not a Purfume” which is also good, but the Sunny Side Up smells exotic, worldly and intoxicating.
• Moroccanoil Moroccanoil Treatment – a little bit goes a long way, keeps hair healthy and moisturized, smells great. (TIP: get the small size, it lasts a long time)
• Olaplex No. 3 – A MUST for bleached hair, keeps hair strong and minimizes breakage.
• Amika Un.done Texture Spray – great for volume without the drying crunch of hairspray. Smells great too.

If you are not part of the VIB program with Sephora, it’s not too late! You can still join today and get 10% through 4/27/2020. You will even earn points on your purchase that you can redeem for free products and services in the future.

That’s all I got for today friends. Be sure to follow me on Instagram @laurenletter and tag me on your Sephora haul!

What if I told you I was saving my trash? Would that make me a conservationist? Not by a long shot haha. But, I have been saving the empty containers of beauty and lifestyle items that I have used up so I can share with you my honest opinion on whether I would “buy” them again, or say “bye” for good. I will give a quick rundown and a link to all the products, even the one that were bye-bye-bye.

Makeup

• Milani Make it Last Setting Spray – BUY! Good spray, pleasant scent, makes make up last all day.
• Covergirl Exhibitionist Mascara – BUY! Great for length and volume, not super wet and doesn’t flake
• L’Oreal Voluminous False Fiber Lashes – BYE! I don’t hate it, but I don’t love it. Decent building/layering mascara
• Nars High Pigment Longwear Eyeliner – BYE! Was not long wear, not high pigmented and found drug store options that perform better.
• E.L.F. Ultra Precise Eyebrow Pencil – BUY! Holy moly this is better than any other brow pencil I’ve ever used.
• Tarte Amazonian Clay 12 Hour Blush – BUY! This color is DISCONTINUED but I linked a similar one. Smooth and long lasting.
• L’Oreal Infallible Fresh Wear Foundation – BUY! Light weight full coverage, long lasting, blends smoothly. I’m in shade Linen.

Skincare

• Neutrogena Ultra Gentle Daily Cleanser – BUY! This is a staple in my bathroom, swear by it. Will repurchase for LIFE!
• Philosophy Renewed Hope in a Jar SPF 30 – BUY! Another staple, this has to be my 5th jar. Perfect moisturizer and doubles as your daily spf.
• IS Clinical Pro-Heal Serum Advance+ – BUY! This has changed the tone/texture of my skin. You can only get it at authorized retailers.
• Alba Botanica Hydration Sensation Gel Cream – BYE! Pilled up on my skin, made makeup patchy, no noticeable difference in my skin.
• Belif Aqua Bomb Sleeping Mask – BUY! This left my face glowy and supple!
• Neutrogena Makeup Remover Cleansing Towelettes – BYE! I prefer the store brand or better yet the Costco brand, work better and cost less.

Haircare

• Kristin Ess Working Texture Spray – BUY! Loved this stuff, smelled great, good texture but didn’t leave my hair feeling heavy.
• Sebastian Re-Shape Hairspray – BUY! I liked this as it had a good hold, smelled good and the sprayer never clogged.
• Pantene air spray – BYE! I guess you get what you pay for. Didn’t work worth a crap, just used it to use it.
• OGX Smoothing + Shea Sleek Hairspray – BYE! It dried my hair out and it did not live up to its claim of humidity blocking.
• Maui Moisture Shea Butter Hair Mask – BYE! This did not make my hear feel smoother and it made it greasy and weighed down.
• Not Your Mothers Blonde Moment Shampoo – BYE! This dried my hair out and I did not see and reduction in brassiness.
• L’OREAL Elvive Total Repair Damage Erasing Balm – BUY! This is a staple and I will always rebuy, better than ANY high end hair mask!

There it is! There is the review of the garbage that has been sitting in my linen closet for 3 months. As with any review, what works for me may not work for you and what you love I may hate. AND THATS OK! I just want to share my thoughts as I am always trying new things.

If you all have tried one of these and you BUY it over and over again, or if you said BYE to one of these let me know your thoughts! As aways, tag me on IG @laurenletter if you give one of these a try!

-Lauren Letter

I’ll admit it, I am REAL picky when it comes to my nails. I was not blessed with slender, feminine hands; so having well shaped and polished nails makes a huge difference. I got real tired of having to come home and fix my nails after I had just spent $50+ at the salon. I also got real tired of gel polish only lasting a week, dip powder cracking after 5 days and I was not about to go back to acrylic.

After a quick YouTube search, I found a video that broke down exactly how you can get the gel manicure of your liking from the comfort of your home. Here is the video, and I pretty much follow her technique to a T. I will walk you through how I do it and link the products I bought.

Remove Old Polish

You will need cotton balls torn up into smaller shreds (I only needed 1 cotton ball for this)

Using a file, rough up the polished surface so there is no more shine on the nails.

I then soak a small piece of the cotton ball in acetone and place it on my nail. I wrap the nail with the cotton piece on top of it like a little chipotle burrito. 

After soaking for about 10 minutes, the old polish should crumble right off. I just used a metal cuticle pusher tool to gently scrape the rest off. Works like a charm.

Manicure

Again, I wasn’t blessed with lovely feminine hands so I gotta put in a little work to make them look nice. I have to, I mean HAVE TO trim my cuticles. They grow like crazy, they get long and dry and honestly they look ratchet after a week. I bought this cuticle cutter tool and this cuticle softener gel on amazon. The buffer and nail file are just from Ulta.

I soak my hands in soapy warm water for a few minutes and then apply the cuticle softener gel and let that sit for another few minutes. After my cuticles are good and mushy, using the rounded edge of the cuticle pusher tool I push back my cuticles very gently. I will then use the nipper tool to cut away the loosened cuticles. To finish it up, I will shape the my nails in a very square fashion as I feel that is most flattering for my hands.

The last step is very important, you must buff or file the tops of your nails to ensure the polish can grip to your nails. Wash your hands when finished with all of these manicure steps.

Gel Polish Prep

Before you start polishing, you will need to prep the nail bed. I decided upon the Gelish System and this kit includes all of the items you will need. One of the items is a nail surface cleanser.

I also purchased some lint free cotton pads so that I would not get little fuzzies stuck on my nails. Worth.Every.Penny. I soak one of those pads and really wipe down every part of my nail surface. I even go over it a second time to make sure it is super clean.

After the nail is cleansed, you will want to use some sort of bonding agent. This is the PH bond that comes with the Gelish kit linked above. This will go on wet and dry almost instantly. It will help to build a bond between your nail and the polish. Again, I am generous with this and I make sure I have applied to every part of my nail. The last thing I want is my polish to peel.

Gel Polish Application

Now that the nail bed is clean and ready for some polish, it’s time to start on the gel polish process. You will need a curing lamp, there are hundreds out there but I ended up picking this one.

As you can see there are lots of different polishes to be used, 4 to be exact. The Beauty Vault video stresses the importance of thin, even layers and I have to echo that. Each layer should be applied as thin as possible. The gel texture is different from regular polish in that it allows you to apply it in a thin later without streaking or gumming up.

The first actual polish layer is the Gelish foundation layer. Again, thin even coats are best. After you apply the polish you will need to cure it under the lamp. I cure for 45-60 seconds FOR EACH LAYER. You must cure each layer or the polish will not set.

After the foundation I like to apply 2 thin coats of “Structure Gel” and cure each layer for 45-60 seconds. I have thin brittle nails that don’t like to grow and break all the time, this gel helps to beef them up so that the polish on top will not break away. This stuff is awesome and a total game changer. I would highly recommend.

Once I feel that the thickness is better I will move onto the color polish. I bought a set of 6 polishes and I have found they work perfectly with the Gelish system and the colors were everything I could ask for. The black only needed 2 layers to make it totally opaque. Again, curing for 45-60 seconds between each layer.

The last layer is the top coat. I apply a thin layer and I run it along the edge of the nail to total seal in the look. I Cure the last coat for 90 seconds just to make sure.

To finish everything off I apply a healthy amount of cuticle oil to rejuvenate my nail area as it has been through a lot.

Here is the finished look! I have done this about 6 times and I am really liking it so far.

Worth Noting

• I am not a licensed nail technician.
• I do not do anyone else’s nails other than my own.
• I spent a total of about $100 for the items needed for the gel polish, I already had the other items as I regularly do my own manicures.
• I take my time. This entire process takes me about 1.5 hours but in my eyes it is worth it to know that I will like the way my nails look when I am done.

Feel free to send me any questions you have or tag me on IG if you decide to do your own @laurenletter.