March Empties | 2017

Hey everyone! Another month has passed and it's time for me to share all of my used up products for the month of March!

Face

Aloe Vera Scented Cleansing Wipes (25 count) - These do not have a brand name but I purchased 4 packs of these in different scents from Michaels. These retail for $1.50/pack and these are extremely affordable. I stocked-up when they had a sale and I managed to get all 4 packs for under $5. I use these on my face as well as for removing swatches.

Ole Henriksen African Red Tea Foaming Cleaner (45 ml) - This is great for all skin types and it is marketed as a revitalizing anti-oxidant facial cleanser. It really enjoy the scent of it and I love that it has a pump. Foaming cleansers are pretty much my favourite and I also love that you can see how much product you have left instead of guessing. This is a great face wash all around and it came in the Try Us, Love Us! On-the-Glow Essentials that I featured in my Black Friday Haul.

Estee Lauder Take It Away Makeup Remover Lotion (30 ml) - This was in the $4 bin at the Estee Lauder Warehouse Sale that I attended a few months back however, it isn't my favourite makeup remover and I would not purchase it again for a few reasons. First off, my face felt very greasy when cleansing my face and I would even do a double cleanse but, it wouldn't even break down the mascara underneath my eyes. It would just stay there and I was still removing far too much makeup with a wipe after double cleansing my face.

Estee Lauder New Dimension Sculpt + Glow Mask (15 ml/.5 oz) - This was another product that was purchased at the Estee Lauder Warehouse Sale for $4 and I found this on the counter randomly. I don’t know if someone had forgot to take it with them or if they changed their mind last minute, but that worked out well for me because I ended up purchasing the last one! This mask retails for $94 CAD for the full size which is 5 ml/.17 oz. I really do like the packaging which is a sliver top and a metallic blue container. The directions I find to be strange because it says to apply generously over your face and after 5 minutes, take a tissue to remove the excess. I never followed that because I think that it is a waste of product! I did like the scent and it isn’t overly strong. When it is on your face, you no longer smell it and my skin absorbs all of the product therefore, I don’t need to wipe away any extra product. It is a thick consistency and the product is white in colour in-case anyone is wondering. I wouldn’t purchase the full size because it is quite expensive and I much prefer the Water Sleeping Mask by LaNeige that I featured in my February Empties post!

Burt’s Bees Sunscreen with Hemp Seed Oil (85 ml/3 fl oz) - I honestly have had this product for much longer than I should and it’s actually embarrassing that I still had it tucked away in my drawer! I managed to use up about half of the tube and it wasn’t my favourite sunscreen. I wouldn’t repurchase it because if you don’t rub it in all the way, you will definitely have a white cast on your face and/or body. It only has an SPF of 15 and I definitely like to use something higher such as 50 or 60 on my face.

Biore Deep Cleansing Pore Strips (8 count) - I have been using these for years and you have probably seen these in many of my past Empties posts. I repurchase them all the time and I always try to have a box in my cupboard as back-up because I can’t be without them!

Boscia Pink Peppermint Blotting Linens (100 sheets & Limited Edition) - I have super oily skin in general, and need to carry blotting papers with me at all times. I really enjoyed using these and they lasted me a long time! I have two other packs of Boscia blotting papers that I have as back-ups.

Hands

Origins Hand Lotion in Spearmint & Lemon (30 ml) - This was another item that was purchased at the Estee Lauder Warehouse Sale and it came in a trio. This scent honestly reminded me of spearmint gum which overpowered the lemon scent. The consistency of this hand lotion was not thick enough for my liking and it was rather liquid-y. It didn’t do much for my hands and I would not repurchase it. 

Bath & Body Works

Bath & Body Works Gentle Foaming Hand Soap Marshmallow Pumpkin Latte (259 ml) - This is a great Fall scent to have in the house and all of my family members loved this scent! I definitely repurchase it again next season! 

Bath & Body Works Gentle Foaming Hand Soap in Vanilla Bean Noel (259 ml - x2) - I love vanilla scents in general and this was a great one! This soap came out around the holidays hence the Winter themed label. I would definitely repurchase this in a heart beat!

Bath & Body Works Scentportable in Honolulu Sun - This is a great scent for Spring going into summer and it reminds me of the hot summer sun! I even went through the hand soap in this scent awhile back! 

Hair

Tresemme 24 Hour Body Shampoo (1.17 L) - I am honestly so relived to have finished this bottle because I really do not like this shampoo. I feel like it did absolutely nothing for my hair and it took me forever to finish this huge bottle! I have gone through another one of these in the past that I featured in my November Empties a few years ago, and I will never purchase it again nor will I ever recommend it to someone. Tresemme makes much better products other than this shampoo that you can check out in-stores.

Vitamins/Beverages

President’s Choice Chocolatey Chai Herbal Tea (20 tea bags) - This was such a great tea from the grocery store! I love chai tea in general and this did not disappoint! You can taste both the chai flavour as well as the chocolate notes and I drank this tea black!

Emergen-C Effervescent Powder in Lemon-Lime (30 packets) - This is by far my favourite flavour of Emergen-C and if you aren’t familiar with this product, it has 1,000 mg of Vitamin C in one packet. It is a great source of electrolytes and antioxidants. I take this regularly in the fall as well as the winter time and for that reason, I am convinced this is why I was able to fight off my cold!

diem B12 Methylcobalamin (1000 mcg - 100 tablets) - I honestly found these in my medicine cabinet and started taking them because I felt like my B12 intake was low. These are super easy to take as you take a single tablet once a day and you dissolve it underneath your tongue. Of course, you should always consult with a doctor if you are unsure of any medication before taking it.

Other

Johnson’s 2-in-1 Shampoo & Conditioner (532 ml) - I bought this on sale instead of the usual baby shampoo that I buy from Johnson’s. It worked just as well but I prefer the yellow coloured formula better because that is just my personal preference. They both equally as good in my honest opinion though.

Oral B Healthy Clean Medium Toothbrush - I purchased mine from Wal-Mart and green is my favourite colour therefore I was drawn to this particular one! They did not have any soft bristle toothbrushes from Oral B and that’s why I had to purchase a medium bristle toothbrush instead. Oral B is my favourite brand when it comes to toothbrushes and this one did not disappoint!

Samples/Promo

Face

Sunday Riley Martian Mattifying Melting Water-Gel Toner (8 ml) - This was a deluxe sample from Sephora that I added to my cart in exchange for 100 of my points as it was one of their perks you could redeem points for, and I wanted to try it because of the mattifying properties that really could be beneficial for my oily skin. I also wanted to try a product from the Sunday Riley brand in general because I’ve heard nothing but good things, especially from her oils. This claims to: absorb oil, clarifies and minimizes the appearance of pores. It transforms from a cooling gel to a water toner the face which is pretty interesting. I love using my Rose Water to tone my face at night and with this toner from Sunday Riley, I felt as though I had to use more product than I normally would. I was originally applying it onto a cotton round and I felt that it was absorbing a lot of the product. I then used my fingers to apply the toner directly onto my face and I found that it was better but you have to be careful or the product will shoot across the room (as it did happen to me!) I used two pumps at night and I found that it absorbed quickly into the skin.

Also, I like that there is a green tint to the product and that it didn’t dry out my skin. It reduced the oils on my face and if you’re wondering, I used this product at night before my skincare routine. I’m not sold on purchasing the full sized version (130 ml) yet because I have another bottle of toner that I want to finish-up first. Another point I want to mention is that the second ingredient on the list is alcohol which can really dry out your skin and/or irritate it. Be cautious of that, and I have also heard of people who said the gold trim on the packaging was flaking off getting all over their face.

Clinique Pep-Start Eye Cream (1 ml) - I already went through an entire deluxe sample of this that I featured in my December Empties post. I still think that it is a standard eye cream that does what it is supposed to do. It hasn’t exceeded my expectations and I’m still on the hunt for the best eye cream on the market!

Clinique Pep-Start Quick Cleansing Swipes Pop-Ups (2) - I really love the concept of these and they were be absolutely perfect to travel with! They won’t take up much room in your suitcase, you won’t have to worry about them drying out because they are individually packed and they do a decent job at removing your makeup. You basically just push up the middle part which contains the cloth and the liquid absorbs into it as you push it up. You take it out, unravel it and it is ready to use on your face. This can seem somewhat gimmicky and the price is rather steep at $13 CAD for only 9 pods which works out to about $1.44 per makeup wipe. They do remind me of cleaning cloths for your house and they aren’t thick enough if my opinion. I would not purchase them unless they reduced the price and made the cloths for heavy-duty as well as soft for using on the face.

Nuface by Carol Cole Prep-N-Glow (1 Dual-sided Cloth) - This claims to ‘cleanse + exfoliate + hydrate’ which I would agree with. It did a great job at removing my makeup and the other side is for exfoliating. It is oil-free, alcohol-free and paraben-free. This did make my face feel very clean but the only downside is the price. It is $25 CAD for 20 cloths on Sephora’s web site. I find that to be rather steep and I usually don’t pay more than $6-$8 at the most on a pack of face wipes. I would only purchase them when they are having their VIB sale because that is a lot of money to spend on something that you use only once and then throw away.

Elizabeth Arden Superstart Skin Renewal Booster (1 ml) - This claims to be an ultra-light formula and it is best to apply it before your serum/moisturizer. This is a gel-like consistency and there is a fragrance that I can’t quite pinpoint. However, I am not sold on it and I would not purchase this product in a larger size because I feel like it didn’t do anything to my skin that another moisturizer already doesn’t do.

Benefit Pore-fessional (0.15 ml) - This product was actually featured in my Project Pan Round 4 and Project Pan Round 5. I have gone through a whole tube of this and then a deluxe sample of this. It is that good and it made me realize how much that I missed using it! I will definitely purchase another tube of this once I use up my other primers. It helps minimize the appearance of your pores and it also smoothes your skin. 

Smashbox Insta-Matte Lipstick Transformer (1.5 ml) - This is a really concept and it allows you to turn your favourite cream lipstick into a matte lipstick just by applying this product onto your lips. It won’t work with glosses, lacquers or balms so keep that in mind. Instead of finding your favourite shade of lipstick in a matte finish, this product does the work for you!

Dr. Brant 3-D Lip PLUMPfix Matte Lip Perfecting Serum (0.25 g) - There are two different lip plumpers: one for the AM (plump & prime) and another one for the PM (nourish & restore.) There is definitely a slight tingling sensation for the AM side (not for the PM one though,) and you want to let the product completely absorb into your lips. It absorbs rather quickly and the AM side had a rosy pink tint to the product that isn’t very noticeable. I wouldn’t purchase this product because I feel that it is gimmicky and it doesn’t do much for my lips in-general. It doesn’t plump them enough to my liking.

Lancome Dual Finish Multi-Tasking Powder & Foundation In One All Day Wear in #555 Suede (40 mg) - This is available in 25 different shades and it claims to work with all skin tones. You can use it as a powder or a foundation. You can build-up the coverage to your liking to make it full coverage or you can sheer it out. This can be applied either wet or dry. This was a nicely packaged sample as it came with a makeup sponge to apply the product and you can write the name of your shade on the packaging along with the store as well as the name of your Beauty Advisor (if applicable.)

Hair

Nubi Hair Boosting Hair Serum - This was given to me at a show and it smells great. It contains marula oil and it does not leave the hair greasy. However, it isn’t my favourite hair oil to use and I will be sticking to the one that I am currently using.

Teeth

Smile Brilliant Teeth Whitening Gel (1) & Desensitizing Gel (1) - I have really been enjoying using this system to whiten my teeth and I can tell a difference! I have an entire blog post dedicated to Smile Brilliant that you can check out!

Fragrance

Chloe Eau De Parfum - This scent is described as ‘a sublime powdery rose, feminine, natural, sexy & chic.’ The notes include: peony, rose, honey and cedar wood. My friend actually tried out the sample and liked it so much that she bought the larger sized bottle. This scent works better on her body chemistry that it does on mine. It smells matronly on me and be advised that a little bit of this fragrance does go a long way as it is on the heavy side. It takes a while for the scent to die down and not be nearly as strong as when you first applied it. 

Supplements/Vitamins & Miscellaneous

Platinum Naturals Extra Gentle Easy Iron Minerals (3 pack - 2 capsules in each) - These were sent out to me in exchange for my review and to be honest, I have had a difficult time taking iron pills in the past because they have been hard on my stomach. These were gentle on my stomach, they did not constipate me and were easy to swallow. I usually took these when I would eat my lunch and you take one capsule daily. These have many great ingredients and they are vegetarian. I would definitely consider purchasing these in the future!

Until next time,

STAY CLASSY

Berrz

FTC: This blog post is not sponsored and all opinions are my own. Anything that falls under the samples/promo category were not purchased by myself and/or was a sample. Some links are affiliate. 

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December Empties | 2016

Hey everyone! I can't believe that it is 2017! I hope that you had fun ringing in the New Year whichever way you chose to do so in! I am sharing with you all of the products that I have used up in December and as mentioned in my November Empties post, I am showing photos based on which category that they fall in. Next empties post, I plan on doing an overview of all the products and then breaking it up into categories like I did for this post. 

Face

Sephora Sleeping Mask in Algae - I do have an entire dedicated blog post to this specific product where I go into more detail. I really enjoyed the light scent of this mask and it made my skin soft as well as radiant in the morning! I was able to use the mask for 11 days in total.

Hands

Soap & Glory Hand Food Hydrating Hand Cream (50 ml/1.69 US fl oz) - I purchased this when I went shopping in Buffalo and I featured it in a haul. I loved the smell of this product and even some of my male friends used this hand cream as well! It is formulated with: Shea Butter, Macadamia Oil and Marshmallow! It is great to toss in your purse and it is very inexpensive! I purchased mine at ULTA for $4 USD and I definitely need to go back to purchase a larger size. Update: I just recently found it at Shoppers Drug Mart!

Body

Johnson’s Baby Wash in Honey Apple - I have gone through several of these in the past and nothing makes my skin more smooth than these baby washes! I swear by them and they are very affordable! The Honey Apple scent is by far one of my favourites that Johnson’s offers!

Bath & Body Works 

Bath & Body Works Deep Cleansing Hand Soap in Marshmallow Pumpkin Latte - I adore this scent and have the matching Pocket Bag that I featured in my Fall Haul. It is a perfect Fall scent and I can’t get enough of it! 

Bath & Body Works Gentle Foaming Hand Soap in Wicked Plum - I actually featured this item in my October Favourites video. There is a light, pleasant scent to this hand soap and I just loved the Halloween inspired label on the front, as well as the black pump!  

Bath & Body Works Scentportable in Marshmallow Pumpkin Latte - This is a great fall/winter scent! I did feature it in my Fall Haul video! I would definitely recommend purchasing this scent to put in your car around the holidays!

Bath & Body Works Scentportable in Leaves - When I first smelled this scent, I smelled a hint of cinnamon. I really enjoy it and it smells great in the car! 

Food/Beverages

Teekanne Elderflower Lemon Herbal Tea - I had a hard time finding Elderflower tea. I found some loose tea tea on Amazon but I wanted to be able to find it in-stores. I went to my local Polish store and found this box there for only a few dollars. Elderflower is great for many things but I mainly bought it to help my inflammation go down as well as to help my allergies. I have an entire blog post dedicated to this lovely Elderflower Tea! 

Other/Miscellaneous

Johnson’s Baby Shampoo (592 ml) - I have been using this product for many years now to clean my makeup brushes. It serves its purpose and is very gentle on my makeup brushes as well as my makeup sponges. I have an entire video where I compare three different brush cleaners! 

Samples/Promo

Hair

Dove Advanced Hair Series Regenerative Nourishment Shampoo, Conditioner & Serum - I received this in my Fall SampleSource Box and I have been using these products for a little while now. I enjoyed using them and these tubes are great to travel with! I love the scent of each one and I really liked using them in the shower! The serum was decent but it is not one of my favourites unfortunately. This line is for people with damaged and over-processed hair which I do not have therefore, someone with either issue could benefit from this line much more than I could!

Makeup

The Estee Edit by Estee Lauder Pore Vanishing Stick - I keep getting these as samples for some reason and I like the concept behind it, it is just hard to use as a sample because it crumbles. It does blur out my pores and evens out my skin tone. I still like the Pore-fessional by Benefit more but it all comes down the personal preference! 

COVERGIRL TRUBlend Foundation Sampler - I received this in a goodie bag at Walgreens when I was in New York and this is a great concept! You are able to see which shade best matches your skin tone. Although I already had the full sized version bottle when I received this, I still used it and right now, I feel like m3 would be a better match for me! I wouldn't have known this without consulting the sample pack!

Face

Sephora Sleeping Mask in Rose - I included this Sephora Sleeping Mask in this category because I did receive it free in my Sephora Mystery Bag. It has a very light scent and it was very moisturizing on my skin! 

Peter Thomas Roth Cucumber Gel Mask (15 ml or 0.5 fl oz) - I received this in the ‘Hall of Fame Kit’ by Peter Thomas Roth that is available on the Sephora web site. I did enjoy using this mask and it made my skin very soft afterwards. I thought that it would feel gooey and sticky on my face but it didn't feel like either. I still have a larger size to go through of this mask from their other kit!

Boscia Tsubaki Cleansing Oil-Gel - I received this as one of my 3 free samples that I was able to choose on the Sephora web site. Boscia is a Japanese brand and Tsubaki is reference to camellia flowers. There is a rather strong scent to this cleansing oil-gel that may take some getting used to but overall, it removed my full face of makeup very well! I went in with a makeup wipe afterwards, and there wasn’t too much leftover on the wipe! Just make sure to work the product into your skin in circular motions for best results! Overall, I was impressed and didn’t know much about this product beforehand! 

Clinique Pep-Start Eye Cream (3 ml) - This was another item that I received in my Sephora Mystery Bag. This little tube lasted me quite a long time when using it both day and night. I loved the orange packaging but this eye cream didn’t WOW me. I enjoyed using it but I found it to be like the other eye creams that I have used in the past and it didn't stand out from the rest.

GLAMGLOW YOUTHMUD Tinglexfoliate Treatment - I received this as a sample from Sephora. I really enjoyed using it and that is why I purchased the larger sized version of this particular product at the Estee Lauder Makeup Sale that I attended this month. This is great for all skin types for both men and women! It is Paraben Free, Vegan and it claims to be Natural. Some of the ingredients include: Volcanic Rock, French Sea Clay and Active Green Tea Leaf. There is a slight tingling sensation when the mask is applied and it is recommended to remove the mask in circular motions with water to ensure that your skin is being exfoliated. I also appreciated the fact that it dried very quickly once it was applied onto my skin! 

GLAMGLOW GRAVITYMUD Firming Treatment - This mask includes TeaOxi Complex with Licorice as well as Marshmallow Leaf. It claims to: firm, lift, tighten and tone. This is a firming mask and it is advised that you leave it on for 20-30 minutes. It also states on the packaging that it will change colour as it dries. It is a peel-off mask and any excess product on your face needs to be washed off with warm water. It has a pearlized finish to the mask when you first put it on and it smells very unique but don’t get me wrong, the smell is very pleasant. I left my mask on for 30 minutes. This was honestly one of the best, if not, the best peel off mask that I have ever used! I was not messy at all to peel if off my skin, I avoided my hairline as well as my eyebrows like the packaging recommended. My skin felt softer and look more radiant after I washed the very little that was left on my face with warm water. I was extremely impressed and I am highly considering purchasing the full-sized version when I use up all of my other GLAMGLOW masks!  

Nivea 3-in-1 Refreshing Cleansing Wipes (7 Wipes) - I received these free at a convention in a tote bag. These claim to be for normal skin and you can use it on your: eyes, lips as well as face. There is Nivea lotion infused in these as well as Vitamin E. These are marketed as being moisturizing and claim to be able to take-off even waterproof makeup. My Urban Decay All Nighter Foundation is waterproof and it took that off no problem. I don’t wear waterproof mascara therefore I cannot comment on that. These definitely smell like a typical Nivea cream or lotion which I really appreciated because that means that the brand is consistent with the scents as well as the quality of their products. I enjoyed using these cleansing wipes and there was a label for ‘eyelash care’ on the packaging. I found that it was very gentle on my eyes to remove makeup and I did not have to rub too hard to remove my eye makeup.

ELF Makeup Remover Cleansing Cloths (20 Pre-moistened Cloths) - This came free with my order as it was a promotional offer. I did enjoy using this cleansing cloths and they did a great job at removing my makeup. I find the size of them to be perfect and they do not tear apart while using them. More importantly, these cleansing cloths do not pull or tug at your skin when removing your makeup and they are very gentle around the eye area. They are not among some of my favourite but I would definitely purchase them in the future! 

Fragrance

Gucci Bamboo - This Eau De Parfum is ‘inspired by the captivating power of contrast.’ It is both sensual as well as powerful. The notes include: Italian Bergamot, Casablanca Lily, Ylang Ylang and Comoros Sandalwood. I can see why people enjoy wearing this scent so much but on me and with my body chemistry, I found it just to be mediocre. Someone with different body chemistry than me will probably enjoy using this scent a lot more than I did. It isn’t bad by any means though. 

Miu Miu Eau De Parfum - I am honestly not too familiar with this brand, but I know that they have a particular pair of glasses that look amazing on different face shapes! I digress, I have taken this directly off of the Sephora web site, “The soft, fresh, ingénue scent is set against a deep earth-toned background: the wood and pepper of akigalawood, an extract of patchouli. The akigalawood adds a rich, brooding mystery to the subtle sparkle of the floral.” Also on the Sephora web site was many negative reviews and some even said that this smelt of a strong floral scent. I got my mom to smell the perfume when I was wearing it and she said that it smelled of strong pepper. I had only applied one spritz and let me tell you that a little bit goes a long way! I was not able to finish this fragrance as it does not work well on my body chemistry. 

Si Eau De Parfum by Giorgio Armani - I honestly didn't expect this perfume to smell as good as it does! It smells incredible, is not too floral and smells more on the warm side which is exactly how I like my perfumes! There are notes of: Pear, Freesia and Amber Wood. I am debating picking up a full sized bottle of this fragrance right now actually!

Food

KIND Bar in Almond & Coconut - A coworker of mine gave me this bar to try-out and I absolutely love it! You can really taste the coconut which I appreciate because a lot of bars claim to have coconut in them but I can’t even taste it most of the time! This makes for a great snack and KIND uses natural ingredients. I actually like this flavour more than the Peanut Butter & Dark Chocolate bar that I tried a couple months ago which was featured in my October Empties!  

Orville Redenbacher’s Caramel & White Cheddar Gourmet Popcorn - I featured this food product in my December Favourites Video and I also have an entire dedicated blog post to this fabulous, decadent popcorn. They use premium ingredients that really do make a difference in the taste and I absolutely love almost anything White Cheddar so this was calling my name!

Teeth

Arm & Hammer Truly Radiant Fluoride AntiCavity Toothpaste (x3) - I received a few samples of this product, one which was featured in my Fall SampleSource Box. I thoroughly did enjoy using this toothpaste and it made my teeth feel clean! My breath was minty fresh which came from the ‘Clean Mint’ flavour. I am currently bored using my usual Crest Toothpaste that I feature in many of my empties blog posts therefore, I may consider making this my new go-to toothpaste!

Until next time,

STAY CLASSY

Berrz

FTC: This blog post is not sponsored and all opinions are my own. I purchased all of these products unless they are in the Samples/Promo category. Some links are affiliate. 

Smile Brilliant - Use code beautybyberrz for 5% off your entire order
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Coastal Scents - Get $5 off your next online purchase
Ebates Canada - Get cash back on your online purchases
Ebates (Everywhere else in the world) - Get cash back on your online purchases
Hautelook - A flash sale web site you don't want to miss out on! 

DIY Diaper Cake & Helpful Tips

Hey everyone! I kept forgetting to post this and wanted to finally get it up for you because I have been on a DIY kick lately! I wanted to let you know that when browsing the internet, I searched and seen many different types of diaper cakes. I definitely did my research and wanted to share with you what worked for me as well as helpful tips & tricks along the way. Keep in mind: this was my very first time making a diaper cake.

The Base

One of the first things that I did was go out to Michael's to look for a good base. They were very overpriced and you get several in a pack but, I decided to make my own to save that cost. I went to my local grocery store, got a box and went to work! I found a circular object in my house (I suggest using something big enough such as a large bowl,) put it face down on the cardboard and trace a circle. Cut that circle out and then you have your base for your diaper cake! I think my diaper cake was about 17 inches because I cut over 2 inches over the circle that I drew. Also, my diaper cake is rather large in size because I cut my base quite large and kept adding layers of diapers to conceal the base. I also wanted the illusion that it was all diapers and the diaper cake was almost 'floating' if that makes sense.

Tips

When starting out, my friend advised me to buy a larger size in diapers rather than newborn because the diapers are obviously larger in size and you will have less to roll. Also, it will be extremely helpful if you get a friend or family member to help you roll the diapers because it can be rather time consuming. You essentially need to roll a diaper, put an elastic on it, place it on your diaper cake, bound that entire layer together with a much larger elastic and repeat. The extra set of hands will be much needed when holding that layer in-place and going in with the larger elastic. I feel that part is a two person job. 

Also, some people who make a diaper cake decide to leave the rubber bands on and just conceal them will ribbon. I don't agree with that part because the mother-to-be will most likely use these diapers for her baby-to-be, and although it is a nice gesture to make one of these cakes, keep in mind that SHE will be the one having to take off all these rubber bands in the end. You might as well do it yourself to save her the work. After I took off the elastics of each individual diaper, you are left with the one giant elastic that is holding the entire layer in place. What I did was to take some thin ribbon (one that usual goes on gifts and the one that curls when you run it across the blade of a pair of scissors,) and wrapped it right below that large elastic. I fit it, cut the excess and double knotted it. I then took off the large elastic and all the mother-to-be needs to do from that point is to cut that thin piece of ribbon to release of all the diapers.

A Theme & Cute Accessories

Before you go out to the store and get overwhelmed by all the cute baby toys & accessories, I can't stress how important it is to choose a theme before you embark on your shopping trip! I decided on a nautical theme because that is what the mother-to-be wanted. You will definitely need a cake topper and a few small things to put throughout the cake. I decided on a practical duck washcloth with a floatie around its neck. To make it stay in place, I took a small safety pin (the ones that come on clothes to attach the label to the inside tag by the back of the neck,) and pinned underneath the duck washcloth to my layer right underneath the duck, of washcloths. I originally was going to do all three layers in diapers, but I came across a beautiful diaper cake that inspired my to do one layer in washcloths. I bought a pack of them and I fit them around to be my top layer. I had one washcloth with an anchor on it which I thought was perfect to make it stand out! 

(Side View)

I bought a little kit full of miniature toiletries for the baby and used the Johnson's Baby Powder to wrap the cloth with the anchor around. Again, I used one of those small safety pins that comes on clothes, to secure the washcloth in the back. Try your best to conceal the safety pin so it doesn't even look like it is there. The other toiletries that fit with the theme, I put them throughout the diaper cake in different areas, and the other items that didn't go with the nautical theme, I put them back in the packaging that the kit came in, sealed it up and put it in a basket full of practical items for the mother-to-be. For instance, this is clearly a cake for a baby boy and I didn't want to include the pink tiny bottle of Johnson's because that would clash. While at the store, I found the cutest pair of little socks  that I had to purchase and include in my cake! It fit the theme perfectly and I already had an idea in my mind. That was to take one of those small little pins again, and pin it to the ribbon, letting the socks dangle effortlessly. 

The Ribbon

You can obviously tell that I went to Michael's several times to get all the elements that I needed to make my diaper cake. I went back again to look for some ribbon. I went to several other stores and they either didn't have enough of the ribbon that I wanted to purchase, or it wasn't wide enough. I ended up stumbling across some fantastic ribbon in the clearance section and found the one that I ended up using on the diaper cake that went perfectly with my theme for only $2.99 CAD! It was originally retailing for $13.99 CAD (a piece) and I quickly picked up two rolls of ribbon. If you are wondering, the ribbon I used was 2.5 inches thick and one roll contained 3 yards. I used up an entire roll and I use some more from the second roll but not nearly as much. Before cutting pieces of ribbon to go around the diaper cake, I just measured each layer and let maybe half an inch of fabric overlap each other. I then cut the ribbon and hot glue gunned where the ribbon overlapped. Make sure to hold it in place for a few seconds to make sure that it bonds together before you let go and avoid burned yourself with the hot glue at all costs!

(Back View)

The Gold Letters

I tried looking everywhere for cute lettering and no one had either the exact: font, colour or size that I wanted. I gave up looking at various stores and instead, I decided after purchasing the ribbon, to measure how large I wanted the letters to be on it. From there, I just went on Google and found some customizable tools that allowed me to print right from home, the exact font, size and colour that I wanted. I decided to take it one step further by going to Michael's to purchase some card stock, and going back home to trace the letters onto the paper that I had just purchased. I then cut-out the letters individually and then hot glue gunned it onto the ribbon. I had to touch-up certain letters after they were all attached. If you try them method out, I am giving you a heads-up that you most likely will have to touch-up your letters after they adhere to the ribbon to ensure that the letters aren't trying to come off. That just will look tacky and cheap.

Time Management

This diaper cake took me around 5 hours to make. I only took one small break and another person was helping me roll the diapers as well as to hold the layers in place when I was rubber banding them. I would highly advice that you put aside a good portion of your day to do this. I am a perfectionist and I changed things a few times (such as moving the bottle of baby powder w the anchor washcloth around it, one tier above so that it was closer to the duck washcloth,) but overall, it is not something that will be done in an hour. Also, as you clearly read, I went to multiple stores to get all of my required items and some places such as Michael's, I had to go-to several times. I can't stress enough how important that it is to plan ahead if you embark on this project!

(This is how it looked on the table at the Baby Shower. The Johnson's Baby Shampoo fell down sadly but I fixed it after the picture!)

Transporting The Diaper Cake

It honestly wasn't hard at all. The hardest part was lifting it off the table in my house to be honest. It has some weight to it but it isn't overly heavy. I was just scared of my work coming undone but that should have been the least of my worries because I hot glue gunned, tied, safety pinned and secured everything to the best of my abilities. I drove to the venue and I had the diaper cake on the passenger seat beside me. You can put it in the trunk or if you are going to the shower/party with a friend or family member, you can have them hold it but wasn't difficult to transport it.

How Many Diapers I Used

I honestly lost track but it was over 100 for sure. My cake was on the larger size and I originally purchased the large box of Pampers that had 244 diapers inside or so. Any diapers that I didn't use, I put back into the box, sealed it with tape and gave it to the mother-to-be. 

Overall, I had fun making this diaper cake and learned many things along the way! If you ever want me to film of video of myself making one in the future, let me know in the comments down below! If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask me!

Until next time,

STAY CLASSY.

Berrz <3

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