acure facial cleansing gel ✔️✔️- got this from a past ipsy bag but it kind of made me break out after I bought the full size recently from a local-ish upscale market, so I'm watching closely on my citrus usage. When I used the smaller size, the light gel is easy to glide over the skin. was easy to wash off too, without a major leftover citrus-y scent.

fresh soy face cleanser 😕😕- This light non-foaming gel cleanser was originally my mums sample birthday thing from Sephora, from earlier this year--she didn't like so she passed it to me. I don't mind per se it as a gel cleanser but the soy scent and price point definitely pushes me away from buying the full size anytime soon. I will not likely choose this as my birthday gift from Sephora, later this month (hanging out for that mini MJ lipstick tbh!!)

peter lamas exfoliating pumpkin facial scrub 💩💩 -  I also picked this up in another previous ipsy bag. I was hoping for a more pumpkin scent and less of an abrasive scrub. It worked but ended up leaving my face pretty dry, no matter what water temperature or how gentle I was to my face, so no way would I ever repurchase--those days a la St. Ives Apricot scrub are long gone!

dry shampoo

I use dry shampoo in general daily to avoid washing my hair everyday, and to help remove excess shine in my bangs and roots on the crown of my head. I have thin, fine hair so adding some volume is mildly necessary but I don't want to use too many hair products.

 batiste dry shampoo, cherry - This is my go-to dry shampoo, but I tend to buy it from TJ Maxx just to save a few dollars, or hold out when ULTA has its BOG50% deals. This is my seventh bottle! The dry shampoo has a light scent (not heavily perfumed like some) thought it's not really cherry, and doesn't look like you have dry shampoo in your roots. 

not your mother's clean freak refreshing shampoo dry shampoo - mini size ✔️✔️ - I've used the full size can a couple of times but I picked up a mini size when I was in San Francisco, since at the time, I wasn't sure if I couldn't bring an aerosol in my luggage or not (you cannot), so I planned to buy the small size.  It works fairly ok but can feel a little gritty in the hair, towards the end of the day.  The scent reminds me of a hippy boutique.

hand creams

philosophy fresh cream and raspberries & cream hand creams 😕✔️ - I bought the two as part of a trio set, Holiday Handbook from Sephora, last Christmas (2015). I started using the Fresh Cream first, then the Raspberries & Cream mostly at work, whenever my hands were overly dry (like constantly tbh...). The cream made my hands so soft, so I would spread excess it up my arms and to my elbows.

Not surprisingly but the best part: the scent! Fresh Cream smelled like, well, cream, sugar and vanilla--a sweet scent but not too sugary sweet. Raspberries & Cream smelled like fresh fruit candy, but not overly strong. Both scents were so nice that I became the "go-to" person in my departmenta at work, for lotion!

Unfortunately, I really disliked the third cream, Cranberry Medley as the scent is too strong (I'm not a fan on cranberries). I would repurchase only the Fresh Cream as a hand cream, a body wash or anything, if given the chance at either ULTA or Sephora. I enjoyed the scent so much and just want to slather it on my body! I'm eyeing this gift set...for reasons.....

I do plan to buy this year's Holiday Handbook--I want to try out the Apricots & Cream hand cream but I'm equally as curious about the

first aid beauty ultra repair cream mini size 😕😕 - Also received from a past ipsy bag. It was ok, thick, slightly greasy but effective. The tea tree scent was the best part. I would only repurchase if say, Tony Moly stopped making hand creams (dare I say it?!) or I couldn't order K-beauty online anymore. No I'm kidding! I would probably pick up a smaller size at some point, along with the cleanser.

hair stuff

klorane mango conditioner - mini size 😕✔️ - I picked this up a part of a mini travel trial set from Sephora, a good few months ago.   I actually really enjoyed all three products, but the shampoo (not pictured) was my most favourite. The wonderfully fresh, clean mango scent was the star point but I did find that if I overused the shampoo and conditioner, my hair would dry out.

For the conditioner, I was hoped that the same mango scent would blow me away. But no, the conditioner's scent was dramatically different. It smelled less fresh and mouthwatering sweet like the shampoo and instead was a strong artificial mango scent. Yikes! The conditioner worked not as stellar, leaving my ends soft but almost greasy--a major contrast to the shampoo!

I did repurchase the shampoo (not pictured) earlier this year but not the conditioner. Of course, now that I'm blonde, I don't yet know how the shampoo works for my hair.

marc anthony hydrating coconut oil shea butter conditioning treatment mini size
😕😕 - smelled very fresh, like coconut and vanilla. The mask was thick and strangely yellow, even from when I got it in the ipsy bag (I might've had an old tube).  It seemed to work better only on my ends as long as I didn't spread it to far up the length of my hair, otherwise I would have extra greasy ends the next day, which I don't tend to have with my hair.

eva nyc therapy session hair mask mini size 😕✔️ - Initially, I used this sparingly because while I liked the mask but knew I wanted to ration it. Once I went blonde this summer, I decided to use this up as a treatment for my ends, to salvage the damage from going blonde. Now, I wish I had more and am excited to discover that ULTA carries this line and the full sizes are affordable!

body washes

lush the olive branch shower gel 😕😕 - I bought from a local LUSH store, just to try it out and meh. The body wash smelled and felt oilier than expected--the wash has olive oil in the mixture so the liquids will separate so you have to shake it prior to use.  It looks pretty colour-wise, but unfortunately, despite all that oil, the body wash dried my skin out. My forearms and thighs are particularly extra dry.

the body shop vineyard peach shower gel ✔️✔️ - I bought this from TJ Maxx (this would be like my fifth??? sixth??? bottle) and while it can dry me out if I take to hot of a shower, this was my shower gel in rotation. The peach scent was what drew me in, so I do like to pick up a bottle if I see it at my local store.

philosophy passion fruit daiquiri and vanilla birthday cake shampoo, shower gel & bubble bath 3 in 1 😕✔️ -  I bought both from Marshalls for about almost half price, more than a couple months back, but it's taken me MONTHS to finish both. The 3-in-1 wash lathered fairly well either with a loofah or washcloth and seemed to work best on my leg and butt.

I preferred the Vanilla Birthday Cake for that stereotypical, strong scent of sugar (and would repurchase, maybe) over the sugar sweet fruit of the Passionfruit Daiquiri.