lucky bandit | RVA based lifestyle blog

Tuesday, September 20, 2022

empties #25

It's been a while since I've used up a bunch of products, but I finally can get all of these out of my apartment! As usual, I'm going to mark the items that are not cruelty free.
Pacifica Pineapple Cleanse Face Wash // Pacifica products just work for my face. I'll continue buying them! 

Treehut Moisturizing Shave Oil  // This worked well for shaving, however, I have come to the conclusion that I just cannot stand how oils feel on my skin.

Bath & Body Works Aquamarine Shores Foaming Hand Soap // not cruelty free // All of the B&BW items in this post were gifts. It's soap, it did the job. 

Beauty 360 Gentle Eye Makeup Remover // not cruelty free // This was a hand-me-down. It worked, but left a residue and isn't CF.

Trader Joe's Microdermabrasion Scrub // In store, I thought this was a chemical exfoliant (which I prefer). It's not, it s a cream scrub. I ended up just using it on my elbows and knees because it kind of hurt my face. I wouldn't pick it up again.

Suave Powder Deoderant // Suave is now cruelty free! This is my go to deodorant brand.
Bath & Body Works Champagne Toast Hand Sanitizer // not cruelty free // I have so many of these little hand sanitizers to use up! These work fine, but B&BW isn't CF.

Petal Fresh Guava Nectar Body Butter // This was a Ross find. It was your standard, run of the mill body butter. I'd pick it up again if I needed some.

Amnh Peach Booty Tightening & Lifting Polish // This was a fun little pick at Marshall's! I didn't notice any buttcheek tightening or lifting, but it was a decent little exfoliant!

Glamfox Retinol + Collagen Serum // Another Marshall's find. I felt this did make a difference in my skin, making it more even and tight. I'd definitely get it again.

Ulta Rapidly Renew Overnight Renewal Cream // When I got approved for my Ulta card I went a little nuts with ordering skincare and got this as part of that order. This was super thick and I felt it really did a great job deep moisturizing.

Azure Hemp Collagen Nourishing Eye Serum // I never thought this bottle would end. I saw a very slight difference in my undereyes, but other products have definitely worked better.

Estee Lauder Gentle Eye Makeup Remover // not cruelty free // Another hand-me-down. It did the job, but isn't CF.

Bath & Body Works Pretty as a Peach Shower Gel // not cruelty free // I used to keep a couple of these on hand for gifts, but frankly I got tired of storing them so I just started to use them up. This was a fine shower gel, but B&BW isn't CF.
Freeman Anti-Stress Clay Mask // I rarely get around to using masks (and only clay/liquid masks - I can't do sheet masks at all) and I knew I was just not gonna get to this enough to finish off the bottle, so I decluttered it. I didn't really notice much of a difference after using it, other than it was so hard to wash off.

Bath & Body Works Creep It Real Hand Sanitizer // not cruelty free // Another of these. Not CF.

Paul Mitchell Tea Tree Special Conditioner // I have eczema/psoriasis on my scalp that gets easily irritated so I try to try out sample sizes first. I really liked this conditioner and how it made my scalp feel. I'll definitely be ordering a full size.

Pacifica Pore Refine Deep Detox Mask // Like I said above, Pacifica products just really work for my skin. I could tell a difference every time I used this.

Sand & Sky Australian Pink Clay Deep Pore Cleanser // I got this in an ipsy box. It was alright. I think I like their mask more than the cleanser.

Pacifica Clean Shot Hyaluronic & Flowers 5% Solution // Are you seeing a pattern? Haha. I liked this. It was light and made my skin more even.

Goldfaden MD Doctor's Scrub // This was another ipsy box item. I didn't really like this one.
Ulta Poreless Face Primer // When I first got this I liked it. It made my pores less noticeable and really smoothed my complexion. It's since gone bad and just pills up on my face so I decided to chuck it.

Pacifica Rose Jelly Underye Gel // I LOVED this stuff. It made a HUGE difference in my undereyes. I'm trying to use up some other eye gels right now, but I'm definitely going to get this once I'm done with those.

First Aid Beauty Coconut Skin Smoothie Priming Moisturizer // not cruelty free // FAB isn't cruelty free anymore, and this moisturizer was a little greasy. I wouldn't purchase a full size.

Badger Headache Soother // This is a declutter. I never used it, so I can't attest to if it works or not.

Ulta Juicy Jelly Lip Gloss // For a gloss this was really thick and moisturizing. I actually used it as a night lip mask with great results.

e.l.f. Lip Exfoliator // These work a lot better than tubs of scrubs that get everywhere, but inevitably they always break off before I can use the whole thing.
Pacifica Indian Coconut Nectar Hand Cream // This is my favorite hand cream, hands down (no pun intended). I'll keep buying these.

Olay Regenerist Whip Hydrating Moisturizer // not cruelty free // I actually quite enjoyed this moisturizer and would consider buying it if Olay every went cruelty free.

Bath & Body Works Christmas Candy Cane Hand Cream // not cruelty free // This scent is cloying, as I find most holiday scents.

Shiseido Urban Environment Oil-Free UV Protector // not cruelty free // I know this is sunscreen, but I had to wash it off my face. The texture is all wrong.

Dermologica Clear Start Cooling Aqua Jelly // I liked this. It was nice and light and would be great after a day in the sun. I'd buy a full size.

Raw Sugar Natural Lip Scrub  // This was a bit greasy, but I liked it.

Bite Beauty Agave Sugar Lip Scrub Set // A Sephora birthday gift. The balm was a bit too thick, but the scrub was nice. I don't know that I liked it enough to buy full size versions.

Prada Candy Perfume Sample// not cruelty free // Not a fan.

Biossance Squalane Omega Repair Cream // This wasn't bad, but the price for a full size is outrageous.

Simply Shea Sweet Pea Body Cream // A nice little cream. I think the Simply Shea part of Simply Soothing might've been postponed due to the pandemic, but I'd definitely get some of that line if it came out later.
More lip balms I'm decluttering. The Aquaphor (not cruelty free) actually works really wekk for my chronically dry lips, so I will continue buying it despite it not being CF, since I consider painful lips and what helps them to be medical. I wanted to love the rest, but they just didn't work for me so I got them out of here. Thus ends another empties post!

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Saturday, September 10, 2022

day dates in rva

Having the same day off together has resulted in some pretty awesome date days around town - here are a few!
Cups of black coffee at Blackhand Coffee before walking over to the VMFA and checking out the collections. I hadn't been since the Ansel Adams exhibit in October, so it was nice to wander around.
Strolling around the city a bit before grabbing a local craft beer and just sitting on a nice bench at Scuffletown Park for a while. 
Visiting 821 Cafe for the best tofu sandwich of my life, checking out secondhand book stores, trying wild sodas. (The enchilada was disgusting.)
A long walk on some nature trails and found tons of cute little mushrooms, found a nice bench to sit a while, then caught a little bit of the Babe Ruth World Series and rooted for a team from Hawaii (who ended up taking it home!)



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lucky bandit is a for profit blog. I use affiliate links and paid advertisements. I may earn compensation for a click or purchase through a link. Paid (whether via product or monetary) reviews will be noted in the actual post. Though compensation may influence the type of posts, all opinions and reviews will be legitimate and honest.

*All affiliate links will be marked with an asterick.*

Wednesday, June 08, 2022

thriftbooks haul

I try to use Thriftbooks over Amazon for both obvious reasons and because Thriftbooks is so much cheaper. I'm not always able to get down to the multiple independent bookstores around me like I'd like, so I try to at least not use Amazon. (This is no shame post - I have both a Prime and Kindle Unlimited subscription.)
 These have been sitting in my Thriftbooks cart for a while but I finally pulled the trigger. I love Amy Poehler so I snagged her Yes, Please. I'm always intrigued by True Crime, so I picked up The Short and Tragic Life of Robert Peace by Jeff Hobbs. The Road by Cormac McCarthy had been mentioned a bit in a Facebook group I'm in, so I sent off for it.
I think I'm most excited about this find. I never knew there was some type of story behind olive oil. I have a couple other books about bananas and tomatoes, but this was intriguing! 

While I have some free time on my hands I hope to knock out some books. If you're on Goodreads, add me! And if you spend $30 on Thriftbooks, we both get a free book!

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lucky bandit is a for profit blog. I use affiliate links and paid advertisements. I may earn compensation for a click or purchase through a link. Paid (whether via product or monetary) reviews will be noted in the actual post. Though compensation may influence the type of posts, all opinions and reviews will be legitimate and honest.

*All affiliate links will be marked with an asterick.*

Monday, June 06, 2022

link love


Ospreys are one of my favorite animals and I'm loving the local osprey nest camera!

I hang my metal cleats by their laces off my gear bag around a baseball bat, but I just discovered vlirka's shoe holsters and want to order some!



Here's a great guide to tofu! Personally, I prefer the fried tofu.

I am absolutely loving this vegetable print packable sun hat from BAGGU.

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lucky bandit is a for profit blog. I use affiliate links and paid advertisements. I may earn compensation for a click or purchase through a link. Paid (whether via product or monetary) reviews will be noted in the actual post. Though compensation may influence the type of posts, all opinions and reviews will be legitimate and honest.

*All affiliate links will be marked with an asterick.*


Sunday, April 03, 2022

empties #24

I've used up a lot more products in my attempt to declutter. As usual, things that aren't cruelty free are marked, but I'm only human so please check if you think otherwise!
Tree Hut Shea Sugar Scrub in Pear & Chia Seed // I love these scrubs and pick them up when they're on sale. They last a while and don't tend to leave a residue.

Philosophy Holiday Pajamas Shower Gel // not cruelty free // This was a Christmas gift. It lasted a long time and I enjoyed it, but it's sadly not cruelty free.

First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream // not cruelty free // I loved this cream for my eczema, but unfortunately FAB isn't cruelty free anymore. I'm trying Pipette's Eczema Cream now.

Ulta Rosewater Facial Mist // Initially I wasn't super happy with this, but it definitely grew on me. I'd pick this up and keep it in my bag for the summer.

The Body Shop Body Butter in Coconut // I kept this in my desk drawer. I think it works way better as originally intended, as a body butter, instead of a hand cream as it was slightly greasy.

Pixi H2O Skindrink // This was just not great. I finished it because I spent money on it, but I felt like it just sat on my face instead of absorbing. Sometimes I'd find a little drop of it still on my face later in the day. I wouldn't get it again.
Simply Soothing Body Butter // I was sent samples for being a Bug Soother Ambassador of their body butter. I think the pandemic put the kibosh on that line, but if they revive it, it's great! Check out their bug spray, which is the only one I'll use! (Get 15% off with code KATELYNCARTER using this link*.)

Lacoste perfume sample // not cruelty free // I was sent this in an order. Not cruelty free, so I wouldn't buy it.

Hanhoo Watermelon Illuminator // This came in a ipsy bag. I liked it, and I saw a difference in my skin even with out sporadically I used it. I'd pick up a full size!

The Body Shop Tea Tree Blemish Fade Night Lotion // This worked well and I need to pick up another tube of it. It doesn't work overnight, but I definitely saw a difference fairly quickly.

Pacifica Hardcore Happy Rollerball Perfume // This smelled nice, but it left what appeared to be a greasy mark wherever it was rolled?? Not attractive. I was happy to use this one up.

J. R. Watkins Lotion // A hotel sample I used up. It was mediocre lotion. I wouldn't buy it.

Sephora Banana Hand Balm // not cruelty free // I think this was a cheap buy to get my birthday gift. Sephora is behind the times and needs to stop testing on animals.
I decluttered any lip balm that didn't work for me anymore. I had gone through so many on my search to find a balm that would help my chronic dry lips. None of these helped, unfortunately.
Nubian Heritage Lemongrass & Tea Tree Lotion // This was a great, hydrating lotion, but I've had it too long and it's gone off. I'd get it again.

Sun Bum Sunscreen // My favorite, favorite sunscreen. It's formulated well and smells like bananas. I pick this up every year. This bottle was almost full, but it was expired so out it goes. I'll definitely buy this again.

Jason Fresh Cucumber Dry Spray Deoderant // This was not good. I wouldn't buy this again. It was just weird.

Pacifica Mineral SPF Body Butter // I picked this up on clearance and while it was over half full, it was expired, too. I don't mess around with expired sunscreen. I'd buy this again, though!

Julep palette // I've had this so long that I couldn't tell you which palette this is, or when I got it. I depotted it into my magnetic palette. Julep's makeup isn't phenomenal, so I doubt I'd replace it.
Milk Kush Mascara // I loved this mascara. The brush is amazing and it's buildable without being super clumpy. I'd definitely get this again.

Wet N Wild Megawear Mascara // not cruelty free // Wet n Wild is no longer cruelty free (a shame!) and this mascara wasn't that great, anyway. It was thin and just not buildable.

Another collection of trash off to recycling!

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lucky bandit is a for profit blog. I use affiliate links and paid advertisements. I may earn compensation for a click or purchase through a link. Paid (whether via product or monetary) reviews will be noted in the actual post. Though compensation may influence the type of posts, all opinions and reviews will be legitimate and honest.

*All affiliate links will be marked with an asterick.*

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