Empties & Extras #3

Hello glamour girlies!!

It's time for another edition of Extras & Empties. I have to say that I haven't really been collecting any Extras lately. I usually end up having a bunch when I buy sets, but I've been buying more individual items lately. There's no particular reason behind that. I'll be linking my very first Empties & Extras post where I go through ALL of the makeup and skincare extras that are hiding in my drawer. It hasn't changed much.

For empties, I've got a lot hiding in my drawer and I want to get rid of them and get some space back haha. Most of them are skincare items again, but I do have a few makeup and even fragrance items. You'll have to read on to see what I've used up and if I recommend it or not. Let me know if you want me to only show my makeup empties, as I feel that the skincare ones are getting a little repetitive because, let's face it, I've been using the same stuff for ages. Comment below what you think.

Also, let me know if you like these kinds of posts. I always thought they were interesting, seeing what people used the most and seeing the extras they've been stockpiling.


Now time for today's topic!


Extras & Empties #3

The Empties

Body Shop

Seaweed Pore Perfector X 2

A few months ago I tweaked my skincare routine. I took out some Tea Tree products I thought weren't working or could react with my skin better, and opted for the Seaweed line, which I heard could be used in conjunction with the Tea Tree line. I'm not sure if these pore minimizing products actually work. I'm going to have to say that I'm not really sure on this one. I can't tell if it's a combination of all my skincare products helping my skin not if this particular product is helping and how much. Will I buy it again? I have a few stored up, but I don't think I will buy anymore when they are done. I'm trying to find a skincare routine that is better than the one I currently have.

Tea Tree Blemish Fade Night Lotion X 2

This is one product that I'm absolutely sure helps my skin. I've been using it since I was a teenager. You can see the difference the next morning. It helps for scaring, redness, acne, pimples, you name it. It clears my entire face. This is one product I'll always recommend because it's fantastic. This will help your skin so so much. I'll always continue to buy these.

Tee Tree Skin Clearing Toner

The toner is pretty good I'd say. Obviously I haven't noticed anything obvious, but it does help to cleanse the last bits of makeup off my face that I've somehow missed. A girl always needs a good toner to help restore her face's pH balance back to normal. I'd recommend this product. Currently, I'm trying out a couple different toners just to see, though I have quite a few of these in my drawer. Hoarder much.

Tea Tree Face Mask

I've been using this mask for a little while now and it's been pretty helpful in clearing up my skin. It's a green mask that you wash off after 15 mins. It cools your face as well and I always notice that my skin looks a lot clearer the next day after using this. I would definitely recommend this mask to a friend. You know I hoard my skincare, but I have been trying out Boscia's skincare stuff lately so more on that later.

Seaweed Mattifying Moisture Lotion SPF 15

I recently switched from the Tea Tree Lotion to the Seaweed Lotion because the tea tree one was making my cheeks just a little bit too dry. I switched to this and it's pretty good. My cheeks aren't as dry anymore so it seems to be hydrating my skin pretty well. The only thing I don't like is how it goes on white. It mooshes with the rest of my skincare products and looks all weird and uneven after that whole mess of products. I would recommend this product to a friend.

Coconut Body Scrub X 2

I love the Body Shop's coconut scrub. I can feel it getting all the dirt off my skin, so the dirt doesn't flake off my skin after the shower anymore. I can get really clean! Not to mention the smell of this scrub is amazing and it leaves me smelling great. I deeply recommend this product for a good ol' deep cleaning of your skin.

Sephora

Alterna Caviar Anti-Aging Perfect Iron Spray

I recently tried Alterna's Heat Protecting Spray. This is the first heat protectant I've ever used. It seems pretty good, but that can be partly due to the amazing hair straightener I bought, T3 Singlepass, which is also supposed to be nice on the hair. It keeps it from frizzing out or anything weird like that while I'm straightening it. After straightening, my hair is all sleek and soft and just beautiful. Whether it's this or the straightener, something somewhere is working. I recommend this product and I also recommend people to use a heat protectant before styling their hair, as it protects it from damage due to heat.

Makeup Forever HD Powder

This is the best setting powder I've ever used. They make an awesome powder and it goes especially great with their HD Kabuki brush. It does an excellent job of setting your makeup and preparing it for blush/bronzer time. It helps to create a flawless face. I use this everyday (unless I'm testing or switching it up) because I love it. I would def def def recommend this powder!

Urban Decay All Nighter Makeup Setting Spray

I always thought that setting sprays were a sham for some odd reason. No clue why, just always thought it was weird. One day at Sephora I saw they were selling these minis (yeah the old ones!) for 12$ so I figured why not. I wanted to give it a try after reading about the different setting sprays by different brands. This one seemed to be a good one. And wow am I ever happy I bought it. Setting sprays actually do work and they help your makeup to last longer. I find that I don't smudge my cheeks by the end of the day (I always rest my hand on my chin/one side of my face) when using this. I'm pretty darn impressed and I always remind myself to use this if I'm having a long day. I would totally recommend this to you, and especially to someone that has long 10 hour days who still wants to look fabulous at the end of the day.

Chanel Coco Mademoiselle Eau de Parfum

Ahh I finally finished a perfume bottle. Finally. This is my very first empty perfume bottle!!!! I've reached a milestone!!! OMG CELEBRATE!!!! I traded in my high school signature scent  for Chanel's Coco Mademoiselle in my early 20's. Even in my high school days, I loved this perfume. But honestly who would buy their teenage kid such an expensive thing as Chanel? Back then I always thought that Chanel was like, unbelievably expensive. Like a thousand times more expensive that Givenchy. Hah (In case you were wondering, my first signature scent, my high school one, was Givenchy's Hot Couture). I always loved the smell of Coco Mademoiselle, so I finally got it as a gift from my dad, who was on a business trip and passed by the Duty Free Shop. The Eau de Parfum has a very different smell than the Eau de Toilette so do be careful when buying and smell them both. Personally, I do not like the smell of the Eau de Toilette. I really really do not like it. The Eau de Parfum, on the other hand, smells soooo wonderful. I would definitely recommend this perfume to a friend, it's a classic!!

The Extras

As I said, all my extras are honestly all the same stuff I posted in my very first Empties & Extras post. I honestly haven't been hoarding anymore stuff, I only have like 2 new things, which isn't much to show off, since they're both minies anyway. Take a look at my first post for all the stuff I'm hoarding. 

Empties & Extras #1



Thanks for reading and again, I hope you enjoyed today's post and looking into my garbage! haha. I hope it was cool to take a look at my used up products. There's certainly a pattern, as I keep using the same products over and over again. What are your holy grail products that you use up time after time again? Let me know what they are!

In the very near future I will show you my new Too Faced Christmas 2013 item!! Gahhh so stoked about getting it. I also prepared that French Manicure post, finally! I was going to do it tonight but I got class in the morning and it's seriously getting late, so maybe double post tomorrow.

Steph xo.

Curly Hair Using T3 Single Pass Hair Straightener

Hello lovelies.

[My camera ran out of batteries before I could get all the shots. This is being published a tad bit later than I had originally intended.]

So I bet you're all like "omg how did she do that to her hair?!?!?". The answer is simple. My new T3 Single-Pass straightener curled my hair, as ironic as that sounds. There is a very specific technique to curling your hair, you need a lot of time and patience to get it right. I would not suggest attempting this for the first time when you have somewhere important to go. It took me about 3 hours (breaks included) to get it done. I've only ever played around with curling twice, and this is the first time that I fully finished it off with every strand curled, hairsprayed, and in place. Since I'm new at this, I don't feel like it's really my place yet to tell you how to do the curls and look fabulous. But I will tell you what I did to achieve these particular curls.

T3 SinglePass - 180$CAD

I've only had my T3 for about a week, I got it for my 23rd birthday. It has 5 heat settings, which gives you control over the temperature so you don't end up frying your hair on high. The on/off switch is located inside between the plates. It heats up really fast. It can heat up to 450F. So it looks like the Alterna was a good choice. It straightens really nicely and gives your hair a nice texture. It's almost as if its glossy. It doesn't feel like it's damaging my hair. You only need to pass it through once, like its name suggests. But I have fine straight hair, so obviously it only needs one pass. It curls extremely well (you need to have skill to do this). Hair doesn't get caught. The power cord is a swivel cord so it doesn't tangle. So far, so good; I'm really liking this straightener. Obviously, it is more on the high end side, but it is worth it if you are buying a straightener for more than just straightening. If you have naturally straight or close to straight and all you want to do is straighten, then I would buy a cheap pharmacy straightener. I would only suggest buying an expensive straightener like this if you are going to be using it to style, straighten, curl, wave, whatever else you can do with a straightener that I don't yet know about. And if you have really thick and curly hair, you know you need a higher end straightener to straighten your hair.

The verdict: I'm really happy I got the T3. I was debating on getting the CHI, dreaming of the GHD cuz I kept seeing a ton of positive reviews, and heard good things about the T3 and a few other brands. I haven't owned a straightener since my mid teens. I'm happy I picked this straightener. So far it's doing a fantastic job. I just hope it stays this way.

But before we start, we're gonna need a few simple tools. Hair spray (Finesse is the absolute max hold hairspray), those clips that the popular girls stole from their salons, those big salon clips that hairdressers use to separate sections of hair, a comb, a brush, and a thermal protection spray. The lady at Sephora suggested my mom buy the Alterna thermal protection spray, so she went with it. Neither of us knew which brand to get. This one seems like a good pick, protecting up to 450F. That is really hot.

hair dresser clips, combs

Finesse hairspray

Alterna Thermal Protective Spray

How to do those beautiful curls: Brush your hair. Spray a thermal protection spray all over your hear. Comb it through. Section your hair, you want to start with the bottom. Take a strand of hair (not too big of course!). Comb it. Clamp the iron onto your hair. Rotate your wrist AWAY from your body. You want to make a full 360. The piece of hair from the straightener should be facing down. Make sure you keep your hair between the plates. The slower you pull, the smaller the curls. For a more wavier look, pull faster. If you did this properly, you should get a nice curl. Help it along and make sure it's going the right way. If you're happy, hairspray this curl and grab your next piece of hair and continue the process. If you're not happy, straighten your hair, spray again with thermal protection, comb it through, and wait a couple mins for it to dry. YOU SHOULD NEVER STRAIGHTEN DAMP OR WET HAIR. EVER. This will literally kill your hair. Do not do it!! It's okay if you don't achieve the perfect curl right away. It took me quite a few tries to get the technique down. Just don't give up. When you get to the top, you want to pay extra attention to the front. Before curling each top piece, backcomb it so  that it will give you some extra volume. After you've done all your curls, put your head upside down and hairspray the crap outta it. At this point, you should be looking fantastic. If you look like a hot mess, don't be discouraged, try again another day. I looked like a hot mess the first time I tried curling with a straightener. Just remember: time, patience and perseverance.

This isn't the only technique out there for curling hair with a straightener. Instead of rotating the wrist away from your body, try rotating it towards yourself. This will make your curls go in the opposite direction but it will also have a different effect where it starts on your head.

For wavy/mermaid hair: When you go over a piece of hair, you want to rotate away from the body slightly, drag it down slowly, then stop and rotate towards the body, drag it down slowly, and keep repeating. You want to constantly be rotating your wrist. It is this that will give you the waves. I tried this on a piece of hair and I really like the outcome. Of course I'll still need some more practise!!

So that is all I know so far about curling with a straightener. I'm still practising my curls and experimenting with different types of curls and waves. When I get better I'd feel more comfortable making a video demonstrating how to achieve the perfect curl. lol. It won't be a perfect curl, but it'll be a damn nice curl!

Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed curling my hair today!!

So do you prefer me with straight hair or curly hair?

Are you impressed with the T3's ability to curl hair?

Do you have any other tricks or tips for curling?

Show me your pictures of your curls using a straightener. I'd love to see them.

I'll be back to makeup tomorrow.

Love Love Love

Steph xo.

[Disclaimer: All products were bought and paid for by me. All opinions are my own.]