January 2014 Empties ~ A Trip Through My Trash Can

Starting off with a weird item this time. . . you just never know what’s going to pop out of the trash can!

Pro-Tek Athletics Short Sleeve Knee Support

My knees have been creaking during my workouts for years, but they started to get a little sore afterward a couple years ago. I tried a few different styles of knee supports before I found my favorites, the Pro-Tek Open Patella Short Sleeve! I just pull them on and they stabilize my knee cap so I don’t have any pain whether I’m doing squats and lunges, or going on a long bike ride. They stretch out with constant use and need to be replaced when they stop staying up. They don’t look pretty, but it’s better than giving up on exercise.

Aveeno Daily Moisturizing Body Wash

I know I sound like a broken record with my “winter in New England = dry skin” song, but what can I say?. . . it’s a struggle to keep itchy, flaky skin at bay. This body wash has been a longtime favorite because it’s soap free, not very fragranced, and contains soothing oatmeal (it’s also paraben free). It does foam, so I feel I’m getting clean, but without stripping my skin of moisture. When I use this with a light post-shower moisturizer my skin looks and feels hydrated for all day comfort.

CeraVe Hydrating Cleanser For Normal-Dry Skin

This is my in-shower morning face wash. It’s a non-foaming cream in a pump dispenser that removes dirt, oil, and makeup without disrupting skin’s moisture barrier. This formula contains ceramides, glycerin, and hyaluronic acid. This bottle probably lasted 4-5 months, so it’s a great value.

Eucerin Redness Relief Soothing Skin Cleanser Gel

Good thing I have backups of all my faves in the bathroom closet because I ran out of both face washes at the same time. I keep this one on my vanity for washing my face at night with my Clarisonic Mia. It’s another non-foaming cleanser with glycerin, but this one contains licorice root to reduce redness and calm skin.

Olay Regenerist Microsculpting Cream

This was the last jar of original Microsculpting Cream from my stash from before they reformulated it. You can’t tell by the packaging or the cream that it was reformulated last year, but if you’ve been using it for a while and suddenly noticed that you had lots more sloughing skin or even some itchiness, that’s probably why. I loved the original and I also love the new formula, I feel it does the job of a glycolic acid without all the irritation that can go along with it (especially when using it with vitamin c, and retin-a). This is a great value at Costco where they sell 2 jars for $38 instead of $30 per jar like at most drug stores.

CeraVe PM Facial Moisturizer

Another favorite moisturizer for the face. It’s a lightweight lotion that contains ceramides, niacinamides, hyaluronic acid and glycerine. I use this at night over my retin-a, or in the morning when I’m using a separate high spf lotion (a 50 or 70).

Roc MultiCorrection Lift Night Cream

I’ve had this lotion on the shelf for over a year so when I finished the jar of Olay Regenerist Cream, I decided to use this up before opening another Olay. The second I opened the jar the reason I stopped using it wafted out and hit me right in the nose — the overpowering flowery/perfumey scent! I really just do not like scented face products, so in the trash it goes.

My Beauty Diary Hyaluronic Acid Sheet Mask

I love sheet masks for extra face hydration in the winter. I pulled the hyaluronic acid mask out of my 12 pack of various masks last saturday evening when I was getting ready to go out. What a nice way to relax and pamper myself on a cold winter night. These masks are so easy to use and mess-free! You un-fold it, lay it on your face and wait 20 minutes. Then remove and rub the excess liquid into the skin. There’s no rinsing, and it makes the perfect primer for makeup!

Smith’s Rosebud Salve

I buy this for both the retro tin and it’s contents. This multipurpose salve is a cult classic for many uses, but I like it as a post shower lip moisturizer. It’s a petroleum jelly base with a secret blend of oils and botanicals that has a rosy tint and a soft scent. I have one in my medicine cabinet and one in my purse. They last forever and the soothing gel doesn’t make lips sticky or shiny or burny.

John Freida Full Repair Shampoo

I really like this shampoo for my dry over-processed hair. It helps my hair stay a little healthy and leaves it feeling like hair after I shampoo rather than gelatinous straw. So I’m sad this is the last tube I’ll be buying of it for a while, but I’ve found something I like better. The problem with this shampoo is that it does about half the job on my frizz and even with an anti-frizz conditioner, I still struggled with my frizzy hair daily. Now I use Mark Anthony Bye Bye Frizz shampoo & conditioner.

 Alterna Caviar CC Cream

Can you believe that now we need a CC cream for our hair as well as our face? I would have never given this product a look, but I received a sample and gave it a try. It’s one of those 10-in-1 styling products that provides moisture, smoothing, volume, shine, hold, breakage protection, heat protection, uv protection, manageability, and strength (really? all in 1??). I was prepared to be underwhelmed. But the second I opened the sample the first reason to love this stuff wafted out and hit me right in the nose! You know how much I hate any scent in a face product? That’s how much I love and need a great scent in my hair products, and oh my gosh, does this deliver!! It smells fresh and clean, like lemongrass. . . at a spa. . . in Bali. It may be that I was high on lemongrass, but it seemed to actually do great things for my hair. It shortened blow-dry time, plus did those 10 other things really well, and my hair continued to look good the next day! The sample lasted for 4 applications, but sadly it’s gone now. I want to run out and buy it, but the problem is that the day before I got this sample, I bought the Living Proof Perfect Hair Day product which is pretty much the same thing. Now I have to try that and see how it compares. . .