Adriauna Danielle

1. Clinique Superbalanced Makeup [Sand]- ($25, Ulta, Sephora, Clinique counters)- This foundation claims to have special technology that reads your skin's type and adjusts accordingly to give you a natural finish. This is my 2nd bottle of this foundation and I will not be repurchasing. I tend to have dry-combo skin and this made my skin look naturally dewy. It has amazing coverage behind it (medium to full) and it lasts all day. Sounds pretty great right? So why am I not repurchasing it? I'm not repurchasing it because 1) I love a matte finish which cannot be obtained for me with this foundation and 2) It almost feels heavy on my skin. My absolute holy grail foundation is the Revlon ColorStay for Combo/Oily Skin. It feels lighter on the skin than this, and I can get the coverage I need.

2. Rimmel Stay Matte Primer- ($6.99, drugstores)- This product has been previously reviewed here. Long story short, I have repurchased yet another one of these primers.

3. Maybelline Fit Me Concealer [Cafe]- ($6.99, drugstores)- If you have been following me for the longest time ever, you would know that I mentioned that I didn't like this concealer and said that in one of my empties videos. With that still being said, I still hate the shade range of the concealers in the Maybelline Fit Me line. [I seriously contemplated how they could increase the shade range of their foundations to encompass more people and not expand the shade range of their concealers as well??] There is no perfect shade for my skin tone in the concealer line. However, I do like the coverage of this concealer. Therefore, I bounce between the two darkest shades of this product and use it underneath my foundation. I do still really wish that there was actually a shade that matched me.

4. Maybelline Brow Drama Sculpting Brow Mascara [Deep Brown]- ($7.99, drugstores)- I recently just purchased my second tube of this product. It is a tinted brow mascara. It is not a product that is going to take you from no brows to glam, full brows by itself. I use this to set my brows after I have filled them in with a pencil. This product is also great for filling in that teeny tiny spot that you might have missed when filling your brows in with pencil/shadow. If you have a problem with your brows smudging off or the pencil/shadow doesn't last all day by itself, Try this product. I did and now I will always own a brow mascara.

5. ELF Liquid Eyeliner [Black]- ($2, eyeslipsface.com/Target/select Walmart stores)- This is one of those eyeliners that has a brush tip. It is not one of those eyeliners that stays super shiny when it dries down. I haven't experienced any cracking/flaking/disintegrating with this eyeliner either and I have oily eyelids. I would definitely repurchase this in the future since I currently have 2 other liquid eyeliners in my collection.

6. Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz [Dark Brown]- ($21, Ulta/Sephora)- I absolutely love this eyebrow pencil. It is holy grail status in my book. I like how the pencil is fine so you can draw precise lines that look like brow hairs. I love how it is not intensely pigmented so you can achieve a natural brow look. This lasts all day. I get so many brow compliments when I fill my brows in with this (from both girls and guys). I do not really even have to set this brow pencil. (The color stays and my brow hairs generally do not move. I do set them anyway, however, just for assurance purposes.) I have recently been trying out other brow pencils that are designed to look like the ABH Brow Wiz. They have worked pretty well but they have not compared. The L'Oreal Brow Stylist is the closest comparison that I have tried, I have to set the L'Oreal pencil because the color tends to break up at the head of my brows (the part where I have to fill in the most). I also tried the ELF Instant Lift Eyebrow Pencil. I technically do not have to set this pencil either. The pencil is so much more thicker than the ABH Brow Wiz though. I particularly am not fond of the thickness of this pencil.

7. Precision Beauty Blending Sponge by Swissco- ($3.99, Marshall's/more stores will be listed below)- Honestly, I know that I will never convince myself to buy an actual Beauty Blender while I am in college. For me, it is hard to justify paying $20 for a sponge. I heard about this sponge so I decided to try them out. All of my beauty sponges will forever come from this brand as long as I can find them. They expand more than other dupes that I have tried. They blend in my makeup so nicely. I can literally wear a full face and have people tell me that they like that I don't wear too much makeup. You can find these in different shapes: the classic teardrop, hourglass, etc. You can also buy these sponges infused with different things (charcoal for clearer skin, argan oil for hydrated skin, etc.)

More Places to Buy:

Swissco site ($8-$9 for 1): all shapes/sizes/infusions

Ulta ($5.99 for 1): only the hourglass shape

Walmart (about $8 for 2): I've seen these in my local Walmart but I can't seem to find them online.

8. Creme Makeup Blending Sponge- ($3.99, TJ Maxx/ Burke's/ Ross/ Marshall's)- I hate the Creme Beauty sponges. They are incredibly hard. They do expand, but not as much as the previously mentioned sponges. They are also harder to clean. I will not repurchase.

Total $ for Empties Featured in This Post: $77.95

Total # of Makeup Empties for 2016: 43

Total $ for 2016 Makeup Empties: $245.29

1. NYX Dewy Finish Long-Lasting Setting Spray- ($8, Ulta, Target, nyxcosmetics.com)- Boy, I am so glad this setting spray is finished. I couldn't spray this setting spray directly onto my face because it would dry out my face. Therefore, I had to spray it into the air and then let it fall on my face. It did not dry out my face when I used that method. It did actually make my skin dewy and make my makeup last all day. I will not be repurchasing it anytime soon though because I prefer a matte look. However, I am looking into purchasing the matte finish setting spray from NYX.

2. Maybelline Fit Me Dewy & Smooth Skin Foundation [315 Soft Honey]- ($5, drugstores)- This is another product I am glad to see go. This is a light coverage foundation that can be layered to achieve a fuller coverage, It does provide a dewy finish. However, I thought it would overly dewy. [Tip: If you want a natural-looking foundation routine, set this foundation with the Rimmel Stay Matte Powder. The powder is not designed to keep you matte all day. When the dewy finish of the foundation breaks through the powder, it looks so natural and pretty. I would get so many compliments when I did that. That's also why this was my 2nd bottle of this foundation.] With that being said, this is another product that I will not be repurchasing anytime soon because, again, I love a matte finish.

3. Urban Decay Perversion Mascara (travel size)- ($10 for travel size, $22 for full size, Ulta, Sephora, urbandecay.com)- This mascara was more of a volumizing mascara instead of a lengthening mascara in my opinion. I love volumizing mascaras. This mascara did not flake or smudge on me. I am not too entirely sure if I will repurchase this mascara because there are drugstore volumizing mascaras that I absolutely love.

4. ELF Luscious Liquid Lipstick [Baby Lips]- ($1, eyeslipsface.com, Target, select Walmart stores)- This is my 2nd tube of this lipstick. It is a pretty shade that I can pair with any look. It is a sticky formula which some people might not love. However, I absolutely LOVE sticky lipgloss- like formulas. I am not going to repurchase this one right away though because I want to try other lip products.

5. Maybelline Lash Sensational Mascara- ($5.94, drugstores- I have reviewed the Black Pearl version of this earlier this year. I did not notice a difference between this one (the regular one) and the Black Pearl version so I will link that review here.

6. Milani Shadow Eyez 12 Hour Wear Eyeshadow Pencil [Sand Dunes]- ($7.49, milanicosmetics.com, select drugstores)- I absolutely love this eyeshadow base. I did not experience creasing with this eyeshadow base. [Keep in mind, I do have oily eyelids. Therefore, I follow a specific routine before applying eyeshadow bases. This works for like 99% of the different eyeshadow bases that I have tried.] This one is a shimmery champagne/ taupe shade. It definitely helps to make light shimmery shades pop. I have 3 other shades of product and I love those as well! I am not repurchasing this right away because I have close to 20 eye bases.... After I get through some of those, I definitely would repurchase this!

7. Wet 'n Wild Kohl Eyeliner [Pretty in Mink]- ($0.99, drugstores)- This used to be the eyebrow pencil that I used every single day. That has definitely changed. This is a pretty pigmented pencil. Therefore, it is easy to have Sharpie brows, Therefore, I have stopped the Sharpie brow thing and changed my brow routine for the better. I will not be repurchasing. Too bad, I already have another one in my makeup collection, ugh.

Total $ for Empties Featured in This Post: $38.42

Total # of Makeup Empties for 2016 (so far): 35

Total $ for 2016 Makeup Empties (so far): $167.34

1. Revlon Colorstay Foundation for Combination/Oily Skin [370 Toast]- ($9.99, drugstores)- The bottle pictured above is the 4th bottle of this foundation that I have completed. This is one of my holy grail favorites! I love the coverage that it provides (medium-full coverage), its lasting power, and its affordability. I also love that it this particular formula gives a matte finish. If you know me, then you know like I love a matte look. Therefore, this product is a definitely favorite that has already been repurchased. By the way, it comes with a pump in the United States now, how great is that?!

2. ELF Eyebrow Kit [Medium]- ($3, eyeslipsface.com, select drugstores)- This little kit was so hyped up about on YouTube before the whole Anastasia phase became the newest brow breakthrough. This product is nice. I primarily used up the wax side so long ago to fill in my brows. The powder was way too light too use in my brows. Therefore, I used it as a crease/transition shade for my eyes. It was good for that. As of the current moment, I might repurchase this in the future. I'm not too entirely sure. I'm loving my Anastasia Brow Wiz (Yes, I finally fell into the Anastasia hype). If I do repurchase it, I would repurchase it in the shade Dark. Personally, I didn't feel like Medium was dark enough for me.

3. ELF Brightening Eye Liner [Black]- ($1, eyeslipsface.com, select drugstores)- Before you think I just go through eyeliners like no tomorrow, I had the tiniest nub of this for forever that I finally decided to go ahead and use up. This eyeliner smudged like it was no tomorrow. Therefore, it will never be repurchased.

4. Rimmel ScandalEyes Waterproof Kohl Eyeliner- ($4.50, drugstores)- As of now, this is my favorite pencil eyeliner that I have ever tried. It stays better than most and doesn't smudge as much as others. A lot of people say that they can wear it in their waterline without it smudging. I can't. I can't even wear it on my lower lashline without it smudging. Therefore, I set it with black eyeshadow. I'm trying the Marc Jacobs one right now so I'll let y'all know my thoughts on that one soon.

5. Kat Von D Lock-It Featherweight Primer (sample)- (sample value $0.64, full size $32)- This stuff was super thin and lightweight. However, the sample that I had smelled too much like chemicals for me to handle. Maybe my sample went bad or something, who knows? This stuff made my skin feel oily which I don't like. I won't be purchasing this in a full size.

6. Kat Von D Lock-It Tattoo Foundation [Medium 54] (sample)- (sample value $0.70, full size $35)- This stuff has so much pigmentation behind it. A little bit goes a long way. The coverage on this stuff was amazing. However, I'm not too sure that I would go about purchasing this because I love my Revlon Colorstay and the price point behind it. To be honest, I'm really not into changing up my foundations.

7. Maybelline Lash Sensational Mascara [Black Pearl]- ($5.94, drugstores)- First off, I feel like there is a mascara in every single one of these posts. This one is fine. You can build it up to add length and a little bit of volume. I'm not one to spend forever on my lashes and apply 1000 coats of mascara in the mornings. I've already repurchased this mascara. However, the one I currently have isn't in the Black Pearl version.

8. The Body Needs Blush [Soft Burgundy]- ($2.99, thebodyneeds2.com)- This color was so pretty. The berry mauve-y color blushes are my absolute favorite to wear on my cheeks because I feel like they look so natural. However, I'm not the biggest fan of loose, mineral blushes. This will not be a repurchase and this shade is no longer sold.

Total $ for July Makeup Empties: $28.76

Total Makeup Items Finished up in 2016 (so far): 27

Total $ for 2016 Makeup Empties (so far): $128.92

1. Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer- (deluxe sample size value: $9, full size value: $36, Ulta/Sephora stores)- I honestly don't understand the hype behind this primer. It is a silicon- based primer, but it definitely doesn't keep me matte all day (if that's something that you look for in a primer or face products). It does smooth out my surface of my skin for even foundation application. However, I wouldn't just repurchase it just for that reason. Also, there are other primers that I like better.

2. Pur Correcting Primer (Prep & Perfect)- (sample value: $1.65, full size $33, Ulta stores)- This product surprised me. Typically, I'm not really a fan or sample packets. They accumulate and I typically find myself just not using them. However, I'm glad that I tried this one out. By first glance, it looks as if it is just going to be your typical lotion-y primer. However once you apply it to your face, it starts to feel like one of those silicon-based primers. I ended up liking this primer. It smoothed out the surface of my skin and my foundation easily glided over it. I would highly consider picking up a full size of this primer in the future,

3. NYC Smooth Skin Bronzing Face Powder in Sunny- ($3, drugstores)- I remember absolutely loving this product when I first purchased it. I had just gotten into wearing bronzer and I loved how this was super close to my skintone. I built the product up a little bit and I had a natural, contoured look. In my opinion, it's a great product. I have heard some people who are lighter than me complain that the product looks a little orange-y on them. I have also heard others say that it is comparable to Benefit's Hoola. Having owned both of these products, I would say they don't exactly look like each other BUT they do give similar looks on the face. With that being said, if you have one, you don't need the other. I won't be in a hurry to repurchase this for a couple of reasons: 1) I own Hoola and another bronzer that is similar to the NYC one. 2) I can't seem to find NYC anywhere near me anymore. 3) I love strong, bold contours. Therefore, the NYC one doesn't exactly fulfill that criteria. Overall though, it is still a great product!

4. Rimmel Glam'Eyes HD Quad in 001 Black Cab- (~$5, discontinued)- Part of the reason that I decided to work on using this palette up this year is that it is discontinued. This palette gave a really pretty smokey eye. There was a deeper gunmetal shade in here that was so beautiful. However, it is discontinued so I won't be repurchasing it. Plus, I have so many eyeshadows.

5. Clinique CC Cream in Medium Deep- (sample, Clinique counters, select Sephora stores)- Boy, am I glad for this stuff to be out of my life. It made me look greasy, not oily. Straight greasy. It had a gray tint to it so I had to set it with a colored face powder. This shade was actually too light for me but the next shade was too dark for me. I will definitely not purcahse this product in the future.

6. CoverGirl Flamed Out Water Resistant Mascara- ($6.74, drugstores)- To be completely honest, it was not the best idea for me to try out a mascara in the waterproof formula. It was a really dry mascara. I don't typically like dry formula mascara. It was a good volumizing mascara. Overall though, I don't think I will repurchase it. It wasn't a standout product.

Total $ for May / June Makeup Empties: $25.39

Total Makeup Items Finished up in 2016 (so far): 19

Total $ for 2016 Makeup Empties (so far): $100.16

My Current Thoughts:

-First off, I'm happy that I reached the $100 mark for using up makeup items! If I'm not mistaken, last year I finished up right around $300 worth of products. I consider this to be good since my collection is mostly drugstore makeup items.

-Secondly, personally, I think this year has not been as great for me using up makeup items. I've definitely gone through my panning slumps. The sad thing is I've actually worn more makeup this year than I have last year. Personally, I don't think I'll reach my panning goals for the year but, regardless, I'll continue to pan to see how far I get.

Thanks for reading!

XOXO

Hey there my loves! Today, I am FINALLY starting the college series that I have been wanting to start for the longest time now. Without further ado, here are the things I wish I would have known.

1.) Studying is so important.

I was one of those lucky student who breezed through high school. I ended up breezing through my general education courses as well. However once I actually got to my major classes, that was a different story. Yes, some were easier than others. However, I don't believe that there really are many "Easy A" classes in STEM majors.

2.) "Easy A" classes won't always be an easy A.

Man, let me just tell you. Never judge the caliber of a course just by the course title. I have taken classes like Marriage & Family and African American Studies courses thinking they would be easy courses. My Marriage & Family class was tough, but I respected that. I learned a lot of useful information in my class and I'm so glad I took it. As for my African American class, there was constant reading assignments and papers to be written. Granted, I ended up with an A and an A+ in these classes respectively. However, they still required A LOT of work to pull that off.

3.) Pick a college based on you. Don't just pick from a pool of popular colleges.

When I tried to decide what college to attend, I picked big name schools (with the exception of one). There is nothing wrong with attending a big name school. I actually still attend one. However, I believe that you should pick schools based off of your major, where you want to be location-wise, and the opportunities the college can provide to you.
4.) Decide what you want to do and what you want to study.

To be completely honest, April was not the best month for me when it comes to using up makeup. Nevertheless, here are the products I used up.

1. Black Radiance Body Building Mascara -($2.99, select Walgreen's and Walmart stores)- There is honestly nothing special about this mascara. It might be great if you were looking for that natural lash look or you have naturally long, pretty lashes. Definitely not a repurchase.

2. Fresh Sugar Lip Serum Advanced Therapy (sample) -(sample value $7.20, full size value $36, Sephora)- First of all, it's crazy to think that a small sample like this could end up being worth so much money?! This product had the lemon scent that Fresh lip products seem to have. However, this scent just seemed to be more intense. Also, the formula is way more liquidy. If you have tried the Fresh Sugar Lip Balm (the original clear one), just imagine that product 3-5 times more intense in moisture. However, I honestly prefer the regular Fresh lip balm over this one.

3. Wet 'n Wild Silk Finish Lipstick in 510A (Light Beige Frost) -($0.99, Walgreen's stores)- First of all, this specific lipstick is discontinued. The Wet 'n Wild Silk Finish Lipsticks were reformulated, and I honestly haven't tried any of the new formula ones. However, if you're still curious as to how I feel about this particular product, I didn't like the shade. It was too frosty. I decluttered most of these that I had in my collection. I'm so glad that this is done!

4. ELF Shimmer Palette (white shade) -(value for white shade $0.75, whole palette $3.00, eyeslipsface.com, Target stores)- To be completely honest, I wasn't going to include this product because it's not a complete empty project. However, I know that I included the price value of this in my project pan empties/ makeup empties last year. Therefore, it is continued to be consistent. Otherwise, it wouldn't be a part of this post. Anyways, I love this palette as a highlighter. I would definitely repurchase it. The only reason I'm panning it is because it's getting on the older side of the products in my collection.

Total $ for April Makeup Empties: $11.93
Total Makeup Items Finished in 2016 (so far): 13 - I'm not counting the ELF palette as an official empty.
Total $ for 2016 Makeup Empties (so far): $74.77

1. Maybelline The Rocket Volum' Express Mascara- ($5.94, drugstores)- This is one of my all-time favorite mascaras. I've purchased 5 or 6+ tubes of this. I love that it adds a lot of volume and a little bit of length. The only ting that I don't like about this mascara is that it is a pain to get off with just regular makeup wipes (in my opinion). However, if you use something like the Neutrogena eye makeup remover, this stuff comes off so easily. It's definitely something that I would repurchase in the future.

2. Rimmel Stay Matte Primer- ($6.99, drugstores)- This primer is one of the only primers that I have used that I actually feel like does something. During the winter time, this primer will keep me matte all day long in combination with the Rimmel Stay Matte Powder. However, as it has begun to warm up a little bit, my face has been a little bit more oily. I find that the combination of Rimmel Stay Matte products will keep me matte until about late afternoon. (I apply my makeup at either 6 or 7 in the morning.) The consistency of this product is a little thick. In fact, I was actually FaceTiming while I was doing my makeup one day and told the person that I was talking to that it almost felt as if I was putting Elmer's Glue on my face. I actually love that it's thick since my skin tends to be on the drier side most of the time. The tackiness of the primer also helps my foundation to cling to it so that I don't have problems with makeup transferring either. I have already repurchased this product. (Note: This product was finished after my project 20 pan update was filmed.)

3. Marc Jacobs Velvet Noir Major Volume Mascara- ($26, marcjacobsbeauty.com/ Sephora)- To be honest, I wasn't really a big fan of this when I first started using this mascara. This mascara had a dry formula when I first opened it. That was a big turnoff for me because I love mascaras with a wet formula. However, after I continued to keep using this product, I stopped focusing on that con and realized that it actually gives incredible volume. It literally gives more volume than any mascara that I have ever used. The brush on this mascara kinda tapers in the middle. As far as repurchasing goes, I would love to have this in my collection again but I'm not too fond of the price point. (Note: This product was finished after my project 20 pan update was filmed. / Disclaimer: This product was sent to me by Influenster but that does not affect my personal opinions.)

4. NYX Above & Beyond Full Coverage Concealer- ($5, nyxcosmetics.com/ Ulta)- This concealer was alright. It did have a pretty good amount of coverage behind it. However, the shade range was not ideal. NYX did not have a shade in this line that actually matched my skin tone. Also, the lasting power on this was not that good for me. At the end of the day, I could see the spots on my face that I was initially trying to cover in the first place. I was so glad to see this go, and I definitely will not repurchase this.

Total $ for March Empties: $43.93
Total Makeup Products Finished in 2016 (so far): 10
Total $ for Makeup Empties in 2016 (so far): $62.84