Slowly but surely, I’m whittling my stash down to just the essentials, and I plan on keeping it that way once I get there.  I still have a few products that are ‘duplicates’ so to speak – more than one night treatment, multiple eye creams…its a process, to be sure, but I’m making headway!  Unfortunately, my progress is mostly limited to skincare products; I’ve hardly used up any makeup items since I’ve been working hard at paring things down.  I’ve pulled a few products that are nearing completion, and I plan on dedicating myself to finishing them before Christmas.  Fingers crossed!

In the meantime, let’s see what I’ve managed to accomplish since my last post:10 full sizes plus 5 sample size products.  Not too shabby, methinks!  I’m going to count the Aveeno body lotions as one product though, because I go through it so quickly and its going to be a regular purchase so it’s never going to truly be ‘used up.’   I apologize in advance for all the cut-up tubes, just trying to get the last drop outta each product
To read my review on this body cream, check out my first downsizing post here.I first wrote about this body wash here.  I have to modify my review, as I found that it wasn’t as irritating as I thought it was previously.  I think it may have been another product that I used that caused the issue – I didn’t find a problem with it moving forward.  As well, while I still don’t love the smell, it grew on me over time.  However, I don’t think I’d go for the Lavanilla body wash again, whatever the scent – I feel that I could find something more suitable for my skin that I loved more.  Philosophy body washes are some of my favorites – they’re not natural but they sure smell delish, and they don’t seem to bother my skin, somehow.I bought this bottle of Lubriderm Moisturizer with SPF 15 lotion two Summers ago, and wore it as my daily body lotion in the warmer months as I walk to work.  It did the trick, and didn’t irritate my skin, and absorbed well, but I didn’t finish the bottle and it’s now since expired, so time to go! Clinique Sparkle Skin Body Exfoliating Cream.  Awesome, awesome, awesome.  This sloughs off any rough skin I have gently and effectively, which is a feat because either an effective scrub is too harsh for my skin, or the scrub barely does anything but doesn’t irritate.  The jar is a little unwieldy in the shower, but usually a product in a tube isn’t as ‘scrubby.’  The only thing I dislike about this scrub is the mint scent and tingle – I know a lot of people love that in a body scrub, I guess to wake them up, but it’s never been my thing.  Gimme a foodie-smelling type body product any day! My mother gave me Avon’s Restorative Milky Foot Soak at Christmastime, and it was quite nice.  It foamed up well and my feet felt good after soaking in it.  However, it was nothing special – a plain body wash with a shake of Epsom salts would have had a similar effect, I think.   I wouldn’t buy it for myself, but  it was a nice treat, nonetheless.I picked up Garnier’s Moisture Rescue SPF15 Lotion back last Winter, after reading a review of the Gel-Cream version on my good friend Liz’s blog.  As far as moisturizing properties go, it did the trick, but I never felt like the SPF was the *right* kind and probably didn’t protect my skin as much as I’d like.  I was also turned off by the smell – which was nice, but I always fear scent in any skin products because of my eczema, and so every time I used it I worried.  It didn’t seem to cause a huge problem, but then again, since I’ve finished it, my skin has been exceptionally good, so…coincidence?  I’m not sure, but I won’t be picking it up again.  For those without sensitivities, it’s a viable option, but I think you could find something else just as effective with a more stable sunscreen.I reviewed Murad’s Oil Control Mattifier SPF15 previously, and I still maintain it’s effectiveness.  It was quite successful at keeping my oiliness at bay while providing SPF protection, so in that respect it was ideal.  However, I’ve been doing a lot of reading on eczema lately, and one thing they note is that products that are oil-absorbing are probably to be avoided.  Again, since I finished using this product, my skin has improved quite a bit, so hard to say if it’s coincidence or not.  I had two patches of irritated skin that just would NOT go away, and now they’re nearly a memory…just something to keep in mind!

On the right, is Clinique’s Dramatically Different Moisturizing Gel in a convenient 50mL size.  I got this in one of my gratis’, as I like to have it on hand for quick and easy basic moisturization.  It’s a very simple product, no bells and whistles at all, which is sometimes just what the doctor ordered.  It’s designed for someone with oily skin – if you’re at all dry, it’s just not gonna do the trick as it’s very light.  It contains silica to help control the oils in the skin – but it only does so minimally, so it’s not a treatment in any sense.  Overall, a nice plain oil-free moisturizer, perfect for throwing in a travel bag!Another product I noted before, and one that I’m still impressed by.  I’ve used several bottles of this in the past, and I often go back to it after trying out other products because it has been the most effective to date.  I finished this in early Summer, and haven’t yet replaced it, but as the weather starts to cool, I’m thinkin’ it’s time to pick up another!Samples are some of the best/worst things ever.  I find as a beauty-focused person, you tend to accumulate a LOT of these babies, and it take forever to use them all up!

Bioderma’s Sensibio H2O cleanser – I’ve tried the Sebium version, which is for oily skins, and while I found it made my skin feel great, it always feels weird to use a tissue-off cleanser; I never feel like it’s really cleaning my skin fully.  This version is for normal to dry skin, and was also effective at cleansing my skin, very gently.  I didn’t use it when I had a lot of makeup on, but when I was wearing just a touch, or in the morning before putting any makeup on, it made my skin feel soft and clean.  I’d highly recommend either version if you’re a fan of this style of removal; for me, it’s just not my thing!

Aveda Foot Relief – this was a nice foot moisturizer with a bit of minty tingle to it, that was fairly effective at hydrating my feet, though it didn’t fully get rid of the rough patches on my heels.  It’s pretty expensive – even this travel size was like, $12-14 – so I’m not sure I’d indulge in the full size as it wasn’t anything any more special than your basic drugstore brand.

Pantene Dry to Moisturized Conditioner – I have a bias against Pantene because I find they use a lot of ‘cones to make the hair feel good, and after discovering how high up on the ingredient list fragrance is, my opinion has worsened.  I had used up this sample before I knew better, but I believe that using this in conjunction with another conditioner that had a lot of fragrance, were the culprits in how bad my skin was a couple months ago.  Can’t recommend this at all.

B.Kamins Bio-Maple Vegetable Skin Cleanser – I was liking this quite a bit when I started using it; it doesn’t foam up but rather just emulsifies a bit, and felt so gentle on my skin that I considered buying it as my new facial cleanser.  But I think it was a bit too gentle, as I broke out after using it for a week (which rarely happens), and so that idea has gone out the window.  I was glad to have the sample to check it out, at least!  And it did smell a touch like maple, which was nice

Van Cleef & Arpels Oriens fragrance – last December, I was trying to buy my aunt a fabulous fragrance she’d love for Christmas, and I had Holt Renfrew send me some samples from their fragrance department (actually, they offered, at no charge – so nice!!).  However, my brainstorm was short-lived as it turns out, my aunt doesn’t wear fragrance anymore as she works at a hospital and can’t be bothered.  So, I kept the samples for myself.  This one in particular was quite pretty – notes of mandarin orange, black currant and raspberry; as well as jasmine, patchouli and praline.    It smelled fresh with a hint of sweetness, but unfortunately didn’t linger on the skin very long.

Whoaaaa….that was a whole lotta chatter, eh?  So sorry!  Good thing these posts only come every so often     I’m plugging away and feeling good about my progress.  Now, wish me luck that my next post contains a bunch of makeup!!

Have you tried any of these products?  Did you have any experiences that differed from my own?  How do you feel about streamlining your routine – necessary or a non-issue?