Browsing Category: Skincare

EMPTIES: February 2020

25 March, 2020 Laytee Samida

EMPTIES – February 2020 – all the products I used up in February 2020

EMPTIES: February 2020 | STAINED COUTURE

The last few weeks have felt like we are on a snowball ride through hell, but here we are. Hopefully, everyone is taking all the precautions that they can, which can be hard. However, some of us still have to go to work and live the same life we’ve been living for years, but with extra sanitizers. I have to admit, trying to stay afloat on all the information that is constantly churning out has been exhausting. Now, I’m ready to get back to my usual stuff – sharing content.

So, keep reading to see all the products that I used up in February.

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IOTW: Supergoop Sunscreen – Glow Screen

23 March, 2020 Laytee Samida

ITEM OF THE WEEK: Supergoop sunscreen – Glow Screen

IOTW: Supergoop Sunscreen Glow Screen | STAINED COUTURE

A couple of weeks, in a sudden wave, some of my fave influencers shared the release of Supergoop’s Glow Screen. I can honestly say that I rarely “run out” to grab a new product, especially due to “influencers”. However, I was influenced hard and ran to Sephora on my lunch break that same day to pick it up. Sidenote: having a Sephora and an Ulta less than a 3 minute drive from my job is becoming too much. Let’s get back to this sunscreen.

As a firm believer in wearing sunscreen daily, I feel like I can never have too many. Yet, I feel like I have too many, but this one is different from the rest. This sunscreen has talent! Keep reading to see what that means.

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EMPTIES: January 2020

5 February, 2020 Laytee Samida

Stained Couture’s monthly series, EMPTIES, featuring beauty products I’ve used up this month.

EMPTIES: January 2020 | STAINED COUTURE

I have to be honest – I almost didn’t use up any products in January. Wild! However, I noticed there were some products in my bathroom that only had a couple of uses left. So, there was no better time than the present to use them up. So, keep reading to see which products I used up both 3-pointing them into the garbage can in my bathroom. “KOBE!” 🙁

EMPTIES: January 2020

Dani Naturals Coconut Hibiscus Lotion – The scent smells like a tropical vacation. Really! Not only does it smell lovely, but it’s really moisturizing. I was sent this last year, but I’m going to order it this summer – with the matching shower.
Sephora Glycolic Glow Peel Pads – A couple of months ago, I picked up a few items from Sephora’s skincare line – out of pure curiosity. I picked up were these glycolic pads, because I live for a new skin treatment pads. However, these were a major disappointment. The pads were very thin and started to shred with the slightest swipe. Not to mention, I didn’t notice any changes in my skin, compared to glycolic pads I’ve tried in the past.
ClearProof Blemish Control Toner – During the holidays, I experienced some intense breakout. No matter the cause, this toner helped it go away and prevented some, too. I appreciated that this toner didn’t make my skin feel dry, which can be hard for some acne toners to do. I would buy this again.
Origins Spot Treatment – Yes, another acne product. I told ya’ll – my skin was being an utter jerk during the holidays. Thankfully, whenever I needed to expedite a pimple away, this spot treatment got it outta here. This will forever be one of my favorite acne spot treatments.
Sephora Clear Skin Days Toner – This other Sephora skincare product I bought. Unlike the pads, my skin actually enjoyed this toner. After using it daily for a couple of weeks, I did see some improvements. Unfortunately, I think it’s been discontinued, because I don’t see on their site. I bought mine in-store, so you may be able to find it there.
Pantene Leave-In Detangler Milk – The Pantene Gold Series is one of the best drugstore lines for natural hair. My favorite product from the line is the Leave-In Detangler, because it detangles and moisturizes my hair. I use it whether I plan to rock my hair curly or run the straighten iron through it. I’ve bought this numerous times.

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Physical Exfoliators That Do It For Me

29 January, 2020 Laytee Samida

Last week, I learned that I needed to use more physical exfoliators – in the most painful way possible. While warming up my car, I saw that I was long overdue for a facial wax. The Chicana in me was flaring up in the form of a low, connected goatee. Never cute on a woman, FYI. I decided to book an appointment to get a sugaring instead of waxing, because they’re more natural and painless. Unfortunately, the hairs were too short to “sugar” off, but there was another option – threading. Yes, I got my facial hair threaded off and it was the worst pain I’ve ever experienced in the name of beauty and self-care.

Physical Exfoliators That Do It For Me | STAINED COUTURE

The “Threader of Death”, who was actually very nice and informative noticed that I hadn’t regular exfoliated in a while. Guilty! My lack of weekly exfoliating and thick hairs is what made it so difficult to thread the hairs off my chin. While wiping the bucket of tears that gushed out my eyes due to the pain, I realized that I hadn’t properly exfoliated my skin in a while. So, I went home that night and collected all the physical exfoliators I could find. While doing this, I narrowed down the three that I preferred the most, which I’ve decided to share.

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EMPTIES: Fall 2019

6 January, 2020 Laytee Samida

Yes, I did use up some products over the past few months and yes, I’ll share them with you. Welcome the products I emptied over the last few months – Fall 2019 Empties.

As you can see from the picture, I didn’t use up as many products in the Fall, as I did in the Spring and Summer. However, I did use up enough and I’m pleased. Also, before we go any further, this will be my last seasonal empties post. Last year, I decided to try something different and do an Emptied post for each season.

Unfortunately, it was the best ideal in terms of providing reviews about the products. Sharing products that were great for summer in the fall, made some of the products expired. The other reason I’m going back to the monthly schedule is that it was so time consuming to write a post review almost 20 products. I still cringe thinking about my Spring 2019 empties – both posts!

Enough of the 2020 content changes. Keep reading to see what products I used up over the last few months.

EMPTIES: Fall 2019 (Hair)

I’m so long overdue for a hair appointment – it’s embarrassing. Thankfully, my stylist is off maternity leave and I can make an appointment, which I still need to do. In the meantime, I’ve been trying to make sure my hair always conditioned and moisturized. One I make sure this happens is with weekly deep condition treatments. One of my favorite hair masks I used last year was Eden Bodyworks Split End Repair Mask. This masks felt very decadent for the price point. Plus, not only did it make my hair feel stronger, but also soft.

I rarely use my Sephora points – I rather let them rise. However, every now and then, they have a product that I want to try and worth spending a couple hundred points. That exactly how I tried DevaCurl Leave-In Decadence Conditioner – best use of Sephora points ever! This leave-in is formulated for super curly hair, which is the texture of my natural hair. This leave-in made my curl feel and look hydrated, bouncy, and smooth. I haven’t bought the full-size yet, but it’s definitely my next hair product purchase.

The final hair product that I used up was ORS HAIRepair Intense Moisture Cream. A very wordy product name, but it’s fits. This moisturizing hair cream was great when my hair and scalp felt extra dry. However, I mainly used it on my ends at night and put my hair in a low bun with a satin scrunchie. Every morning, I would wake up to soft and moisturize ends. So, I would totally buy this again.

EMPTIES: Fall 2019 (Skincare)

I didn’t finish too many skincare products this month – I managed to use up a few. The first skincare product that I used up was a travel size bottle of Rosewater Facial Toner from the Heritage Store. I’d wanted to try this toner for a while. So, when I saw that Target had it in travel size, I felt it was perfect way to give it a shot. After using it up, this really didn’t anything for my skin – basically rose-scented micellar water. It’s good it you want a natural toner, but nothing to write home about.

Another toner I used up recently was Clean & Clear Lemon Juice toner. I bought this on an impulsive whim, because it was new. After using it for couple of days, I didn’t really feel or notice any changes in the way my skin looked or felt. Plus, the lemon scent was strong and smelled a lot like lemon-scented multi-purpose cleaner. However, I decided to give it another chance in late summer, which I’m glad I did. After a couple of weeks of use, I noticed that it made my skin appear slightly brighter. In the end, I liked the toner, but doubt I’ll buy it again. My skin needs something a little stronger. However, I would recommend this brightening toner for teenager looking for something to gently brighten their skin.

Another product that I tried, but a took a break on before picking back up months later is Urban Skin RX Even Tone Cleansing Bar. When I first started using this cleanser, I LOVED it! So much so, I made it an IOTW and used it for a couple of months before giving it a break. I didn’t stop using it because it aggravated my skin or anything like that. Instead, I started to listen to my skin and used products to address skin issues or concerns I was having.

I started using this again a couple of months ago when my skin needed some regular, gentle exfoliation. Again, this cleanser made my skin look and feel smoother and brighter, as well. I will be buying this cleanser again, because it needs to be one of my cleanser options.

EMPTIES: Fall 2019 (Makeup)

I only used up 3 products that pertain to makeup – 2 of them were lip products. The first was a lip oil by Ulta, which made me briefly fascinated with lip oils. Lip oils help moisturize your lips, but with the look of a lightly tinted lip gloss. I’ve bought a couple other lip oils since, but the Ulta one is still my favorite.

The other lip product I used up was Milk Cosmetics Kush Lip Galze. Since this balm was very thick, I mostly used it when I was really diligent in lip basting every night. In the end, it was a really good lip balm. If you like thick and shiny lips, you will love this. However, at an $18 price point, I doubt I’d buy it again.

The final makeup product that I used up was Pixi Beauty Glow Mist. You know what? I really loved this mist. It was helped set my makeup, hydrate my skin, and smelled lovely! If I was ever in need of a face mist while browsing around Target, I would totally buy mist.

EMPTIES: Fall 2019 (Misc.)

A few months ago, I went through a phase of wanting to collect different scents. That led me to pick up Whisky Noir from Urban Outfitters. This scent has a musk and vanilla scent that was perfect for fall. Unfortunately, the scent doesn’t last most of the day, which made me use it up pretty fast. I like the scent and the $20 price point. So, I would probably pick up some other scents in the future, but with the knowledge that it may not last long.

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