July Empties 2014 Part One

JULY Part One!

July Empties... so many samples!

Welcome back empties fans! This month we are still in North Carolina so many of the products I used were sample sizes or travel sizes. Because of this, I used a whole bunch of products and I split this into two separate posts. Please remember that:
* denotes cruelty free
** denotes a cruelty free company owned by a non-cruelty free company
V denotes vegan product and/or brand
Bold denotes product I will be repurchasing or have repurchased already

83. BentaBerry Crème Hydratante Regulatrice G-1 de qualite superleure visage filles et garcons a base d'actifs 100% naturels 3 ml *
This stuff is pretty good. It has a super long name/ description though. This line of skincare products is made specifically for young skin of boys and girls aged 18 to 24. I guess I'm too old to use it now! Not really. (Some places on the website say 15-30, so maybe it's just his product that goes until 24?)This crème was very moisturizing and smooth. I liked the way it felt on my skin. This was another sample from Birchbox that I may or may not purchase in the future. You can see their animal testing policy and dermatologic profile here.

84. L'Artisan Parfumeur- Coeur de Vetiver Sacre 1 ml (.03 Fl oz) *
I liked this perfume a lot. A whole lot. This is a very woody and tea scented fragrance, but has a fruity and peppery layer to it as well. It was fresh and nice to wear in the day time and at night. I couldn't find this product on their website (because it is new? maybe?) and I couldn't find their animal testing policy there either. I did find this website that had contact with their team, so take the info for what it is worth. I'm not going to repurchase this because it wasn't my absolute favorite for everyday wear but more for special occasions and it is pretty expensive.

85. Tom Ford Black Orchid Eau de Parfum .05 Fl oz 1.5 ml
This perfume is one of those that I can't really tell if I love it or hate it. It is a strong, heady, floral scent and it is definitely a scent that you want to wear when you want to make a statement. I got this sample from my friend Sara (I think... I've had it for several years) and I finally ended up using it. Use it sparingly or you will be drowning in the scent. Tom Ford is owned by Estee Lauder, a company that does test on animals because it sells products in China. I will not be purchasing this product in the future.

86. Crest Glide Deep Clean Floss- Cool Mint Trial Size 4 meters (4.4 yards)
I got this little trial size of floss from my dentist. I have handfuls of these little floss packets/ tins/ containers and I am trying to use them all up since none of them are cruelty free. Some of them have more in them than others, even though the size is the same (which is confusing as heck). This floss works well, but is nothing to rave about. Crest/Oral B/ Glide are all under the umbrella company of Proctor and Gamble, a company that does test on animals. I will not be purchasing this product in the future.

87. Archive Cleansing Shampoo Relaxing Green Tea and Willow Sample
This shampoo was from a hotel I stayed in over a year ago. I finally used this up while I was at Kanuga and I didn't want to lug a full size shampoo with me into the shower with the tiniest shelves ever (they barely fit a soap bar). I liked the smell and how it cleaned my hair. It is not commercially available and no information can be found on their website about their animal testing policy.

88. elf Studio High Definition Powder Shimmer 8 grams * V
This is my go to face powder. I will buy it forever and ever. I love the dewy look it gives without looking like I'm oily. It doesn't make me break out and it doesn't smell. I already have a backup of this at home and I will start using it again when I get there. I love this powder to death. And it is crazy inexpensive at $6. All elf products (except for the non-studio brushes) are cruelty free and vegan. Go Buy It NOW!

89 and 90. Dial Basics White Marble Complexion Bar (27 grams)
These were the soaps supplied by Kanuga for our stay. I used one in the shower and the other at the sink to wash my hands. It is a basic soap that cleans well. It smells ok, but it isn't my favorite scent for a soap. (I'm a little of a soap collector and I love great smelling soaps. One of these days I will get around to showing you my giant shoebox of soap.) This is NOT a cruelty free brand (even though they say they don't test on animals in their FAQs). I will not purchase this in the future.

91. Organix Renewing Moroccan Argan Oil Conditioner 13 fl oz (385 ml)*
I talked about my hate of the Moroccan Argan Crème Conditioner in my January/February Post. This, however is one of my favorite conditioners of all time. The scent is like no other product I've ever found. It has a slightly spicy, but wonderfully sweet scent that I really can't describe. It makes my hair look and feel super soft and I don't have any tangling problems after using this product. I've bought probably 20 or 25 of these in the past. However, this product contains silk proteins and is therefore not vegan and I will no longer be buying this. This was my last bottle of this conditioner (that I know of ... they sometimes seem to come out of the woodwork!) and I stretched it out as long a I could by adding water to the bottle at the end and using it as a conditioning rinse. It is a cruelty free brand, though, so thumbs up for the right direction!

92. Archive Energizing Grapefruit and Neroli Shower Gel Sample
As you may have seen in some of my other posts (and this one), this brand is not available for retail and is only available for hotels. I loved this shower gel for the scent. Grapefruit is an amazing fruit and this shower gel smells amazingly like real grapefruit without that sickly sweet smell that most grapefruit scented products have. I won't be buying this in the future.

Please stay tuned for PART TWO!

Trip to NC Summer 2014 Part Five

July 18 - July 29

So, it has been a while since I posted a tip update. After our week at Kanuga, we have been enjoying being back at our house. It rained almost every day for a week, but we have gotten out to hike a few times. The weather has been really fantastic recently and hiking has been enjoyable.

So... Pictures and descriptions!

I've been really loving the Gardein meatless products, including these chicken fingers that I made into a sandwich using Vegenaise, Mustard, and Ketchup with Go Veggie! Cheddar Vegan Cheese on olive bread. I adore olive bread and I eat it all the time!

I did go to the store a few times over the summer and decided to do a haul post. Here's the products I got at the store.

Three Words: Hot Dog Pasta.
I really love making this because it's simple, filling, and satisfying. I have been making versions of this since middle school and the toppings have ranged everywhere from barbeque sauce and green onions to butter and garlic. What remains the same is the hot dog and the pasta. In this version I combined sliced Tofurky dogs with Go Veggie! Cheddar Vegan Cheese, ketchup, mustard, Vegenaise, and garlic dill pickles with angel hair pasta. This lasted me two meals (don't worry! I didn't eat it all at once) and was even better as leftovers.

Next you can see the driveway going through the stream. There is a log stuck at the little drop off of the ford, but it will get knocked down in one of the really hard rains.

Selfie time! I'm horrible at taking selfies, as you can see from the look of intense concentration on my face and the randomness of my ukulele in the background. I wanted to see how my hair looked when I had had it in braids for over 24 hours. This was the result... it frizzed out into a huge tangle by the end of the day, but at first, my hair was gorgeous! I wish it would do this when I wanted it to!

And..... a selfie with my ukuleke. I LOVE my little uke. I bought it a few years ago off Amazon for $26 and I adore it to death. I changed the strings (Aquilla, I think) and the sound is pretty great. The C string doesn't like to stay in tune, but besides that, I love it.

This was a strange meal. Tofurkey dogs on dark rye with Go Veggie! Pepperjack Vegan Cheese, Vegenaise, and Mustard. To go with that? A not very ripe nectarine and an overripe banana. Like I said, strange meal.

My next cooking adventure was much yummier! Vegan Lasagna! This one was made with tomato sauce, daiya cream cheese (this stuff is nasty by itself... almost sweet enough to be cream cheese icing), yellow squash, and spicy tomato paste.

My mom and I went into town and went shopping. While we were out, we went to a Japanese restaurant for lunch. I had fried tofu and vegetable fried rice. My mom had miso soup and vegetable fried rice. Here's an akward picture my mom took.

And an ear selfie so you can see my new earings! I got them at Tribal traditions in Hendersonville for $8. I adore them! I love dream catchers, and own several, so this was exciting to find them as earrings. The first dream catcher I bought was when I was in middle school. My class went to the Natchez burial mounds for a festival and I bought a dream catcher necklace. I still have it hanging on my wall near my bed.

Next looks strange. I bought a frozen Amy's no cheese vegetable pizza at the Fresh Market, then added my own vegan cheese. They are all Daiya and all different. The yellow is cheddar slices. It was the best with a super smooth melty goo. The white blob is cream cheese with basil and garlic powder to make it taste better. It was ok. The last were mozzarella shreds. They were good, but not the best.

When I was at school, my favorite thing to get after midnight for hunger was a Cookout Cheese Dog. This is a hotdog bun with cheese, chili, coleslaw, and onions. No hot dog in sight. They are messy, gooey, and 99 cents. I would buy two, cheese fries, hush puppies and a huge sweet tea for about $8. I was craving some good old comfort food the other day and I made some hot dogs a la Cookout. Here you see tofurkey dogs with daiya cheddar slices, Amy's vegan chili, diced onion, and lots and lots of mustard on whole wheat buns (they were the only vegan buns at the store and they tasted like cardboard... they were disgusting).  This was super yummy and I will definitely be making them again in the future.

Here you can see me in front of an observational helicopter used in Vietnam. I went to see Miss Saigon at Flatrock Playhouse and this was part of the exhibit. My mom knew a bunch of people who were in Vietnam and my Uncle was in the Navy, so this was a pretty emotional show. It is a retelling of Madam Butterfly set in Vietnam. I loved the idea, but the music wasn't my favorite.

I made beans on toast, but with cheese and mustard and the beans went everywhere! It was probably the messiest thing I've eaten in weeks. I was spilling beans all over the table... next time I will start off with a fork.

A tofurkey peppered turkey, pepperjack, arugula, and tarragon mustard sandwich. Spicy, peppery, mustardy goodness!

The following pictures are from my drive up the mountain with my dad.

Things I'm Loving

Hey Y'all! I'm back with another of these "Things I'm Loving" posts. I find them fun and you can see what I'm spending my time doing or what I'm reaching for on a daily basis. Check out the one I did last week here!

1. "Heaven and Earth Spirits" by Anael and Bradfield from Within Our Reach

This song is both uplifting and melancholy as the piano weaves in out of wind instruments and an orchestra. I really love the ethereal nature of this song as well as the epic-ness of the large crescendos that sink into a quiet minor sound at the end. Check out this whole CD. It is pretty amazing.

2. "Elysian Fields" by Deuter
I couldn't find a YouTube video of this piece, but I found Deuter's myspace where you can listen to it. This is another relaxing instrumental piece that really captures peaceful soul longing and contentment. I have it on the Allegro 2011 Winter Sampler that I got for free from Amazon. Go check it out! I have greatly enjoyed finding samplers for record labels and discovering new favorite artists because of them. This is how I found so many of my "new favorites".

3. "Rubberband Man" by The Spinners

I've always loved this song, but I've been playing it on repeat for the past few days. This is just a fun 70's song that makes me want to get up and move and boogie! Have fun watching the awesome moves in this video.

4. The Artwork of Stephanie Pui-Mun Law
I have found my new favorite fantasy artist. For the past several years Brian Froud has been my go-to for faery and otherworldly fair folk. I recently found the artwork of Stephanie Pui-mun Law through her tarot cards. I was looking up reviews of cards of YouTube and wanted to check out her work, so I went to her website... I fell immediately in love. First I have to say that watercolor is one of my favorite mediums and one of the few that I know a great deal about, even if I can't paint very well. The way she manipulates the colors is phenomenal and unreal. I could stare at her paintings for hours and still find new and exciting elements in them. For instance, I was showing my aunt some of my favorite pictures and she pointed out the sea shell motif that is in so many of the paintings. I hadn't noticed it in some where they were actually in the trees or rocks! These are my current favorite works of hers: Death- I love the radiance the phoenix has as it is combusting. The detail work in this painting is fabulous and the depth of feeling is nearly tangible. Yexian Of Kingfishers and Bones- This is from a series about the Chinese Cinderella. This painting is Yexian in her finery that is exquisitely detailed. You can really see the Pre-Raphaelite influences in this piece. Timepiece- this picture takes two things I love (trees and grandfather clocks) and sticks them together into a seamless entity. Again, the intricacy of this piece is glorious and I feel like I could look at it for hours. Compared to Froud, Law's art is much brighter and not as heavy. I ended up ordering two of her books and a tarot kit from her website and I sit in anticipation of their arrival. I did order them with some personalization in the form of original sketches, so they might take a while. I can't wait to get my hands on the books and pour over these fantastic works of art.

5. Mushrooms
I don't mean to eat... I mean to look at and take pictures of. It has been very wet here recently and the mushrooms are coming up everywhere. I really love finding different mushrooms and looking at the differences between the varieties. My favorites are the bright orange tiny mushrooms that grow in the middle of the gravel roads. They are as large as my pinky finger and so bright and neon that they almost look fake. I find it interesting how saturated colors are in the natural world and the constant work we spend to try to emulate them in our man-made products. Some mushrooms look like coral. Some grow on dead trees and some grow in rings that look like fairy circles or houses.

6. Captain America: The First Avenger
I adore this movie. (I watched it again last night!) Of all the Marvel Cinematic Universe, this is still my favorite movie. I love the costumes and script writing for the WWII sections of the movie and I love Peggy Carter. Steve Rogers is a really upstanding guy who doesn't like bullies and won't give up. I want to be more like Cap. I want to stand up for what I believe in, no matter how scared I am. I think he is a character we can learn from.

That's all for now!

Ranting About Audience Members

Afternoon All! This is a rant post. You have been warned!

I know that I have been MIA for a few days, but I'm back to tell you about some of the fun things I've done recently.

Two days ago my parents and I went to a concert (Mozart's Jupiter Symphony and Mahler's Fourth) and I ended up sitting next to some very rude people. This seems to happen to me all the time. I'm not sure if most of you know this, but I can be really shy around strangers and I don't like to cause confrontations or get into arguments if I can help it. I also will stand my ground when I am in the right. Well... we were using my aunt's tickets to this concert and she has one seat front row center. I LOVE sitting there because I can really see the details about the performance. We don't always use my aunt's tickets, but we do use them at least once a year.

The couple on my left remembered me and we had a lovely conversation about what I had been doing over the year. The couple on my right decided that it wasn't my seat and they didn't want me sitting there. First, I had to tell them that it was my seat twice before the woman's friend would move. Then, the woman complained for fifteen minutes that no one usually sat there (because my aunt usually sits in her other seats that are on the end of a row because she doesn't like sitting by these people). THEN, after the intermission, when I came back from the restroom (which housed the giant water bug of DOOM, but that is another story) she had put all of her stuff in my seat and I had to ask her to remove it. Then she asked me if I "was sure" that it was my seat. Multiple times.

I was furious.

This sort of thing happens to me all the time because I am young (I'm 25, but I tend to look a little younger to most people because I am heavier and have a rounder face). I've been shopping when people won't help me or ignore me when I ask them questions. I don't like shopping. I HATE shopping for clothes because it is ridiculously hard to find clothes that fit and look good when you are my size and height. When I go shopping, I buy things. I buy things I know will last and are usually pretty expensive (since I usually am looking for a recital dress and shoes and those can be ridiculously expensive).

I've found that people who work in the women's sizes are generally nicer and more ready to help. When I go to the regular sizes, I'm ignored or dismissed. (I'm in that strange gap between regular sizes and women's sizes and it is hell to find clothes).

So... at this performance, I was livid. My aunt gave me the ticket. She paid for it. It is MY SEAT. Just because I am young, does not mean that I don't deserve to sit in a seat or that I can't appreciate music. I would argue that I appreciate it MORE because I have analyzed these pieces and I can tell you all about the form and background of the pieces.

Also. I am tall. Well, really, I'm not that tall. I'm 5'9". That is average for a man in America. Not that I am a man, but I am pretty average against the general population. But I'm pretty tall when I sit because I have a long body. I can't change that. I will not slouch because you can't see. That makes my back hurt. When I sit in a chair for over 2 hours, my back is going to be hurting anyway. I can't change my height to accommodate your sightlines. I will not apologize for that.

So. I ignored the people to my right and enjoyed the concert.

THEN

Yesterday my mom and I went to see Miss Saigon. It was a really great show (except the music was way too loud and my ears were ringing by the end) and I loved watching the lighting and set changes. However, there was a woman in the row behind us that screamed after Every. Single. Song. She was the only one in the theater who did it. I was over it after the first six songs. After the 2.5 hours of the show? I wanted to murder her. It was so frustrating!

I have decided that I need to ignore people. This is the only way I won't go crazy.

On a lighter note, I found out recently that one of my best friends from college is going to be moving really close to me and I'll be able to see her more often. I am super stoked! Now, if all of my friends would just figure out that New Orleans is awesome and they would all move there, my life would be much more fun!

That's all folks! Talk at you tomorrow!

Beauty Haul Summer 2014

My collective haul

My project ten pan/ project ? pan is going quite well. I've used up almost 100 products this year so far! Part of this challenge is for me to stop buying beauty products unless I really need them (aka I run out of something). Well, when we got to North Carolina I had to buy some products because I either didn't have any to begin with, or I ran out. Some of these products are not cruelty free and vegan. This is either a result of my mom being the one to buy them and not knowing that I don't use certain brands or the fact that there were no cruelty free options at some of the stores where we shopped. So, here is my collective haul for the summer in random order (so far, as summer isn't over yet and I might need more conditioner before we go home).

* denotes cruelty free
** denotes cruelty free with a parent company that is not
v denotes vegan PRODUCT not company

1. Cutex Non- Acetone nail polish remover in a no-spill pump.
This was literally the smallest nail polish remover (and only brand) they had at Ingles and I'm planning to take it home with me. The pump is amazing. I haven't spilled any of it so far (I spill things a lot because I knock them over when I'm not paying attention). While the Cutex website states that it doesn't test on animals, it is on every single animal testing list I have found. I believe their parent company tests as well.

2. Ogx (formerly Organix) Sunkissed Blonde Lemon Highlights Conditioner * v
I've used the Organix brand for several years and tried many of the different shampoos and conditioners in their product lines. They are a cruelty free brand, but they do use animal products in their line. This product, however, is the first one I have seen that doesn't list silk proteins in the ingredients so I'm hesitantly labeling this as a vegan product. I believe this product is new and I haven't seen much about it online. I will be doing more research on this product as I use it, but at the time (in the Walgreens store) it was the only product I could find that I couldn't find animal products in.

3. EcoTools Loofa * v
I got this at Ingles when I first got to NC because I didn't have any sort of sponge or scrubby brush and the water pressure in my shower isn't strong enough to really get all of the grime off after a strenuous hike in the woods. EcoTools is a cruelty and vegan brand. For under $3, this is a bargain buy!

4. Laura Lynn Cotton Swabs 300 Count
The important thing about these store brand Q-tips is that they are made on paper sticks, not plastic. I really don't like the plastic ones since I literally throw these away after one use. Why would I use something that is just going to sit in a landfill forever instead of paper that will eventually break down. Laura Lynn is the Ingles brand and there is no information anywhere about whether or not they are cruelty free.

5. Laura Lynn Cleansing Pads 50 Count
I ran out of cotton rounds, so I go these. I only need to use one of these for my whole face or to remove both my hands worth of fingernail polish. They are 100% cotton and some of that is organic (it doesn't give a percentage) and made in the USA from US products. Like the product above, I can't find any information about Ingles' Animal Testing policy.

6. Avalon Organics Vitamin C Renewal Refreshing Cleansing Gel * v
This product I haven't used yet because I'm still using up my tiny samples of facial cleansers, but it was a great find at Ingles. I really love that there are so many cruelty free and vegan friendly brands being carried by this store now. This product is a vegan product, though this company does use milk, honey, beeswax, and lanolin in some of it's baby products and lip products. See what PETA says about it here.

7. Sally Hansen Diamond Strength No Chip Nail Color in 110 Flawless
Sally Hansen products are made by Coty Inc. which (despite it's animal testing policy of not testing on animals) sells to China and other countries that require animal testing. Therefore theya re not a cruelty free brand in my opinion. I bought these because they were literally the only clear polishes in Walmart. all the other ones were gone! I thought that Sally Hansen was cruelty free (and some people will argue that they are because of Coty's animal testing policy) so I picked these up. As they are not, I recommend Wet n Wild as an alternative. I've been using this nail polish to create my own nail colors using eyeshadows (tutorial coming soon!).

8. Sally Hansen Advanced Hard As Nails Strengthening Top Coat
Like the nail polish above, this is not a cruelty free brand. I picked it up because I thought it was, but was proven wrong when I did more research into the brand after I brought it home. This is why I need to carry a little Do Not Buy and Buy This list when I go shopping to keep this from happening.

9. Scunci Girl Hair Elastics 500 pieces *
This was literally the smallest box available at Ingles for these small hair elastics. I like using these in my hair when I do braids that I don't need gigantic hair ties for, like accent braids or braided buns. The larger, cloth coated elastic bands can get in the way sometimes, so these are better. I will probably be using this box until the end of time. Scunci is owned by Conair, a cruelty free brand (yay!) and there are many products I enjoy that are made by them, so I hope this remains the case.

DIY Fingernail Polish Using Eyeshadow

This tutorial is pretty easy, but has the potential for mess if you aren't too careful. My tip is to not do it over a white shirt or really nice clothes that might stain.

Quick Note: None of the products I used in this post are cruelty free. I am trying to use up my non-cruelty free products and didn't bring any cruelty free eyeshadows with me this summer. The polishes are also not cruelty free (I'll talk more about them in my upcoming haul post).

What you need:
an eyeshadow
a bobby pin or tweezers (something to crush the eyeshadow with)
a small container to mix the polish in
clear fingernail polish
top coat
nail polish remover
cotton rounds/ pads or q-tips

Step one: choose an eyeshadow and scrape a bit of it into your small container. I'm using half of a container that held my trial size dental floss. (This is what I'm talking about when I say that I don't throw things away because I recycle them. Everything has a purpose!) I use about a teaspoon's worth of powder for both hands... you just have to eyeball it. If the shadow is really pigmented, you will need less than a shadow with little pigmentation. Also, shadows with lots of fillers will make you have a grittier texture.

I chose to mix two different colors this time, but one works just as well.

This is the amount you want. I hope you can tell scale from the hair pin... it is one or the large ones, not a small one.

Step two: pour a little bit of clear nail polish into the container and mix. Slowly add a bit more and mix until smooth.

Mix until smooth!

Step three: QUICKLY paint nails! It dries very fast because it is in contact with the air over a greater surface area.

First layer was slightly see though.

Step four: add more polish if necessary (if it is getting goupy or drying out too fast), and paint second coat of polish.

Added more polish. Be sure to mix it all together again.

Second layer of polish makes it much more opaque. Excuse the messy painting job.

Step four point five: You need to clean off your brush before you stick it back in the bottle or you will muddy up your clear polish. Take a cotton ball soaked in nail polish remover and carefully clean brush without messing up your nails. Then you can close the bottle of polish.

This is the polish I'm using at the moment.

Step five: wait for nails to dry completely. Watch some YouTube videos while you wait or listen to music.

And this is the Top Coat

Step six: paint a top coat over the nails.

The top coat makes the nails shiny and last longer.

Step seven: Show them off to your friends!

Pink using a blush

I hope you have enjoyed this tutorial! Let me know if you want me to do more nail posts in the future.

Orange using eyeshadow and a blush. You can see the lumps where I didn't crush the eyeshadow finely enough. I don't care that much, but you might, so make sure you crush it up really well.