30 September 2020

Empties

 Hello,

my goodness how time flies. I had some other post half ready but my laziness was in the way. Oh well, there is still more time next month ;)


Lets first start with Biobaza purple fresh body lotion with Lavender and Lemon. I love anything lavender so combination with lemon sounded nice enough to get it and the fresh jet calming lavender note in here is absolutely lovely. I love the scent but the packaging is a bit off for me. The lotion is quite liquid so the tube which has the opening at the bottom is a bit inconvenient (some of the product got spilled before I adjusted and started to shaking the tube upside down before opening it). I started to use it right after I got home form a vacation and perhaps my skin was a bit dry and I felt like this didn't moisturize it enough on its own. I love the scent but I feel like it is not nourishing enough for me... I bough another tube at the same time with a different scent so soon I will test it out and then I will decide if this is something worth repurchasing or not.

Next is lovely Yves Rocher Monoi Lagoon hair and body wash. I absolutely adore this rich scent and it is great for vacation time or when I want to feel like I'm on a vacation. It is meant to be used all over the body and usually I don't use these multipurpose products on my hair but this smelled so nice that I used it as a shampoo and even the next day my hair smelled divine. I think every year they come out with this collection and I'm interesting in picking it up next year again.

This next yellow bottle is a bit hard to recognize but it is Yves Rocher Monoi body oil. I purchased it at the same time as the previous product but the oil on this one started to leak and the label came off completely. The scent was the same, tropical and super sweet, just how I like it. I don't think this oil is the best for my skin (not nourishing enough) but on a vacation I mixed it with Apricot oil (I finished it in my previous empties and I felt like the combo was really nice, moisturizing from the Apricot part and the Frangipani note in here made it a winner). I will probably repurchase it again next year because I adore the scent.

Then we have this mini sized Nivea MicellAIR water. I received it in an advent calendar which I bought a couple of years ago. It was scentless and really nice. I felt like it removed pretty much all of my make-up residue that was left after a two step cleansing method. I don't think I came across a 'bad' micellar water so far. At the moment I'm using something else but if I ever see this one on sale or with a nice price tag I will repurchase it again.

Second to last product was a complete fail for me. I remember buying the entire set (lotion, body wash, hand cream and this body spray and splitting it with my sister) but only now I decided to use it. It is Avon natural Milk and Honey body spray and this is pure alcohol, it settles down after a couple of minutes and then it has a nice creamy milk & honey scent but to get through the first minutes was a struggle that I did not want to endure. I decided to just pour it away and call it done. I'm not 100% sure if the high alcohol levels are due to its age or that is just the way it is, I definitely won't buy it again.

The very last item is one of my favorites and it is The Body Shop Moring hand cream. In general I like their hand creams but this scent put a spell on me. It is very heavy white floral with some underlaying creaminess. I absolutely love it, so much that I purchased the big tub of the body butter from the same scent and I can't wait to start using it. I would just like to touch on the formula a bit because I noticed that different scents have different textures. This one is almost a gel but a little goes a long way, if i used a bit too much it would get a bit sticky so I was careful not to use too much plus that means that I had this little 30 ml tube for months.


Thank you for reading and have a nice day

15 September 2020

Empties

 Hello,

I just got from my beach vacation and I seriously thought I will finish more SPF infused products but I took with me way too many bottles and use all of them, so no wonder I couldn't completely finish up many.


First is Milnica's Almond oil. I liked this thicker oil (it doesn't absorb super fast into the skin) on my face to help me remove my make-up but soon I realized that my skin doesn't like it which resulted in some new acne. I quickly switch it to my body and managed to finish it up. I like it but I prefer oils which I can use on my face and body so I won't be buying it again.

I purchased this sun protecting lotion for the face a while ago. It is Vichy ideal soleil SPF 50 emulsion mattifying face fluid with a dry touch. High protection and matte finish really caught my attention but unfortunately didn't work for me. At first it is greasy, just like any other SPF cream, it takes a while to settle and even then I had a feeling like my make-up doesn't sit well on my skin (it created a layer on my face so foundation couldn't grip and when my skin got oily it just moved around). It also has a non typical scent, more alcohol and something artificial, but then again I wouldn't be surprised if they would claim that they didn't add any fragrances to make it more pleasant. At the end I used it up on my arms and legs, far away from my face.

Avon care glycerine hand & nail cream with and vitamin E hand cream has to be one of my favorites. I love this light jet moisturizing formula and the scent is somewhat clean (like fresh soap), I don't get much floral. I think this is discontinued but I should have a backup or two left.

Krauterhof aloe very gel was somewhat failed purchase. I remember they had a really good deal if you get two of them (which I of course did ;). The first one is already gone and this is the second one and I'm overjoyed. Aloe vera gel from Fruits of the Earth is my favorite but can be a little expensive so I opted for this brand thinking I will get the same thing for less. I still remember when I applied a thick coat of it all over my face and after a couple of minutes my face started to tingle (it felt like my face is covered with tiny ants, not quite burning sensation but very unpleasant) I checked myself in the mirror and notice my face turned bright red (neck and chest areas where I also used the gel were normal). I quickly washed it off and promised myself that I will never again buy cheap aloe vera. I used it on my body and as a hair gel.

Next is my beloved Fruit of the earth aloe vera gel which is the best that I tried. This is the large bottle and it took me years to finish it up. There is no irritations just relieved skin. I love putting it into toners (it completely dissolves if you use little bit and amp up the moisturizing properties), under my oils, after sun exposure, on bug bites, on my hair (it is a fabulous hair gel, on its own or again you can mix it with some water and pour it into a spray bottle if that is your preferred way of applying it) and probably there are some more ways to use it but I can't think of at the moment. I already repurchased it but this time in a smaller tube.

The very last item is Avon advance technique sun-light spray beautifying hair protector with UV protection. It had this signature AT scent which I love and since I am slightly obsessed with applying SPF on my skin I thought why not protecting my hair? It turns out I would mostly forget about it and again it took me years to finish it up. Most of it was also used on a vacation where I used tons of it at once. I even added some shimmer in it (I crushed one of my older highlighters which I didn't love anymore) and finally this year it is gone. I don't think I will repurchase it again because I just couldn't get into a habit of using it.



Thank you for reading and have a nice day

14 September 2020

Strawberry Kiss

 Hello,

lip balms are essential in my purse and I always have multiples open at the same time so I'm never without it. I think I could say that I'm addicted to it and dry lips are one of my nightmares. I have one lip balm that is my holy grail (the second one has recently been discontinued) and I'm trying to find some more amazing balms when this gorgeously scented one came my way.


Essence fruit kiss Strawberry Kiss caring lip balm with a lovely red tint.


There are three shades available in the stores (I think online there are a couple more) and I choose a medium red (on my photo it loos a bit more cool toned orange while in fact is more of a true red shade). They all have this frost finish that could go wrong but I think here it works, or at least I like it on myself. I gives a bit of unusual touch.

The scent is pretty unbelievable as well. This smells like fresh Strawberries and it is delicious (each smells like the namesake fruit). The texture is a bit harder and I have to work for it but the lovely red tint and the shimmer are so much fun. 

This balm isn't super moisturizing but I also don't reapply it all day long because I think that would be too much shimmer. I prefer to apply it two or three times and then reapply clear balm so it doesn't get too red. 


I checked other two shades and didn't really got my attention so I think I will stick with just this one for now. I think this makes for a nice lipstick alternative for a bit more casual days.


Thank you for reading and have a nice day

13 September 2020

The Fresh Nude

 Hello,

I was checking the Catrice site and noticed that this palette is already getting discontinued and it will be replaced will a similar looking one (neutrals with a bright coral in the center) in the same palette design. Will they make the formula even better?


This is Catrice The Fresh Nude palette with lovely everyday neutrals and a bright Coral number to 'spice' things up.


I am not progressive when it comes to make-up shades and I like to stick to the neutrals. I already have plenty of brown tones but pop of Coral in there made me take a double look.


I think the colors are nice and diverse enough (besides the last two which look very similar to one another) to create different looks everyday.


I love the first light shade which is white with shimmer and therefore perfect inner corner highlighter for me.
Second is almost metallic looking and a little warmer-golden.
Third have similar finish but it is even warmer and has more of a base color. Lovely as an all over the lid color.
Fourth is the 'famous' coral shade which is almost matte with some random shimmer in there but it is also not very pigmented so a bit of layering is necessary to make it look bold.
Shade next to it is a duochrome. In the palette it looks just beige-brown but on the skin it has coral base and gold sheen. Very beautiful and unique in my collection.


Here the duochrome shade is the first in line and it looks somewhat pink but that is just due to the different corner (it has many facets and it is very interesting to look at, jet it is still very modest and it isn't too loud).
Next is warm toned matte, foxy brown shade which has decent pigmentation.
Same finish and pigmentation but less orange toned is the shade next to it. I sort of wish it would be cooler toned so I would get even more diversity out of the palette but I'm not complaining since the pigmentation is on point.
The last two shades are both dark brown with matte finish. Nothing remarkable or dramatically different about them. When blended they look almost exactly the same. The first is a tad warmer and that is about it.


Here I just wanted to show you the lovely duochrome shade and how it shifts from an angle.


Second to last shade is a bit warmer than the very last one which is more neutral and dustier in tone.

All in all I'm very happy with this palette and I can't believe that they are already discontinuing it. It is my first palette from this collection and now I want some more. I have my eyes on the new Inspired by nature palette... also the new 5 in a box mini palettes look cute... not that I need more eye shadows.



Thank you for reading and have a nice day


12 September 2020

Kaboom and Boost Vibes

 Hello,

I'm all about the lip glosses especially in the Summer, but wearing them under the mask can have disastrous results so as of lately I have been wearing more lipsticks, but during the breaks or when I leave I like to freshen up with a coat of gloss over my lips and it gives me enough satisfaction to make me happy.


Misslyn love at first boost volumizing lip glosses in Kaboom and Boost Vibes.
I loved the volumizing claim on the bottom of the tube thinking that they will be minty and tingling but unfortunately they aren't that sort of a gloss. They have the slightest vanilla scent to them which disappears super fast and the tubes only holds 3,5 ml of product.


These have an extraordinary long applicators but they do carry a lot of product so no need to dip into the tube multiple times. 


I picked up two shades because I couldn't decide between the two. First is mauve toned Kaboom shade and second is light peach shade named Boost Vibes.


They have different formulas I noticed. Kaboom is lighter and less pigmented, therefore the shade blends into my natural color better and looks almost as it is clear and that is my natural lip color (it isn't but looks so effortless).

Peachy number Boost Vibes has more pigment and I have to be careful not to apply to much because it can sink into lines or if it goes over my lip line it shows. I also don't recommend pressing the lips together after fresh application because it will disperse the product unevenly. This shade is way more high maintenance and I don't like it.

I have read that this collection isn't consistent with their pigmentation so trying testers out is something I would recommend. I love the Kaboom shade (the tone and lesser pigment are my cup of tea) while the Boost Vibes leaves me cold.

I have been using the mauve shade quite a lot lately and I can already see through the bottle so I'm guessing another month of consistent use and it will be empty. At the moment I really have a lot of glosses but the Kaboom shade is definitely something I will repurchase after I finish a couple more tubes of gloss.



Thank you for reading and have a nice day

11 September 2020

Soft bronze for the farewell Summer

 Hello,

Summer is slowly saying goodbye but bronzed up cheeks are still here and for today I have one of my favorite brozers to show you and in my opinion this baby is great for pale complexion like mine.


Alverde marbled duo bronzer Soft bronze (the only shade available).


I will admit that I was attracted to the marbled, swirl design at first but after trying it out I fell in love with the texture and shade as well.


It is very light (great for pale people because it is hard to overdue). Here I feel like it looks a bit more warm than it actually is but I just couldn't make it look like it does in real life. To me it looks like it has peachy undertone and on my light slightly yellow toned skin looks very natural.


Here you maybe can see a little bit of a scattered shimmer that runs through, for me it is not disturbing but for some people I can see this would not be so great. I usually put some highlighter over it to make it really glowy so I'm okay with the finish.

This bronzer is definitely in my top five, mainly because it is so natural looking and even if I apply it in early morning and poor light I can be sure it will still look nice and presentable. 

I believe this bronzer is still available and if something would happen to it I would go and repurchase it again.



Thank you for reading and have a nice day

09 September 2020

Catrice loves Peta

 Hello,

I know this limited edition came out last year but it took me a while to properly test them out. I'm still creating this blog for me, to have some kind of a beauty diary, notes to myself and even if sometimes (quite a lot recently) I post some limited edition products a bit later, it is still okay for me.


Catrice loves Peta LE plumping lip color lipsticks in Have Mercy, Be Tender and Feel Good.


Have Mercy (peachy nude), Be Tender (pink-y rose) and Feel Good (mauve nude). There was one more shade in this plumping collection but it was too orange-peachy toned for me. There was also a whole collection of matte shades but since matte isn't my thing I didn't get any.


I love the glossy finish and they feel more like tinted lip balms. They are quite light in term of pigmentation but that doesn't bother me. I'm all about creamy-glossy barely there lipsticks and these thick pretty much all of the boxes for me.


On top of the cardboard lid they all have this Peta sign so I don't forget that this was just a limited edition collaboration and I can't get them anymore once I'm finished.


Have Mercy shade is the most delicate looking of them all. This nude number has some peach tones to it and also shimmer (the only one) and even though it is not obvious on the photo when I rub my lips together I can feel it. I think that the shimmer is unnecessary but still it is lovely everyday, easy to throw on nude shade.



Next is the pink toned Be Tender lipstick and at the same time it is the most 'out there' shade among the three. I like to wear it when I want my lips to be the first to notice even though it is subtle. I love the glossy finish and how comfortable they are, it makes me forget that I'm wearing some color.


The Feel Good shade is more of a mauve toned but on my naturally reddish toned lips it looks more of a brown nude. I think it is a beautiful color, very versatile but at the same time a little bolder than the first one and therefore can be the center of the attention.

For me these creamy-glossy lipsticks are some of the best out there. I absolutely love these light colors that feel more like lip balms and nourish the lips while I wear them. I love that the glossy feel stays on and doesn't disappear in minutes, I love how easy they are to reapply on the go and hydrate my lips. I bet they will be amazing in the cooler weather but I doubt my lips will get dry if I will wear them consistently.
I'm sad that they were only LE but recently they had another LE called Clean ID and their lipsticks had similar packaging but I wrongfully thought that they will actually join the regular stand and I didn't seek out for them :(   but in the new turnover they will have Clean ID ultra high shine lipsticks in 6 new shades and also in this super on trend cardboard packaging (not he biggest fan of paper material) but I will get through it if the formula will be the same. I hope it will be spot on in new color options because then I will get them all and also get some for my mom because I know she will love them too.



Thank you for reading and have a nice day






07 September 2020

High Beauty

 Hello,

it is time for a high beauty! :)                                                                                                                      Essence kindly sent me these two as a PR gift and I'm super grateful. I'm always down to try new lip balm and the I'm still trying to find the perfect Summer primer and I hoped this might be it...


Essence high beauty caring lip balm and Essence high beauty hydrating face primer.


Both products contains hemp seed oil (the main ingredient in these products) and are vegan. Lip balm is slightly rose tinted but on the lips it gives a touch of color which I appreciate. I find it to be moisturizing enough and I enjoy it a lot. The only aspect is the scent (both product have this natural green scent which doesn't bother me in a primer but in the lip balm is a bit strange, perhaps because I'm used to the fruity or vanilla scents and this is just different. Thankfully it disappears fast so discomfort doesn't last long).

The lip balm comes in this 10 ml tube with straight forward opening which isn't the most friendly to use. It is kind of hard to disperse it all over the lips nicely with just the tube, I always have to use my fingers to get the nice application and that immediately is a setback especially in these times. I only use it at home where I make sure my hands are clean but the moisturizing properties are there and I don't regret keeping it and I will make sure to finish it up. My lips could never be too moisturized.

The face primer promise to refresh (?) and hydrate the skin. Straight from the tube it is yellow but once blended it doesn't leave any trace. At first my skin looks almost matte but when I put my foundation on top it is slightly dewy and through the day I get greasy very fast. I don't think this primer is targeted to the people with already oily skin so now I use it on my face when I'm not going anywhere. I moisturize and put one layer of primer on top but no make-up. It doesn't break me out and I think it gives me some extra moisture kick. This is the only way I can think of using this 40 ml tube up.

Big thanks to the Essence team for sending me these two products.



Thank you for reading and have a nice day

04 September 2020

Watermelon Ice

 Hello,

I had this lip gloss for quite a while now (I think I purchased it sometimes last year but I am not sure). I just keep 'collecting' lip products and before I know I have too many to count them all and then it is really easy to loose track of some and sort of forget about them but now it is finally the time to put it in the spotlight.


I wanted to get this particular one ever since it came out a couple of years ago and now I finally have it, it is Avon Color trend Watermelon Ice lip gloss.


Wand has this unique shape which allows you to literally hug the lip and apply it evenly all over. It works for top and bottom lip plus the shape reminds me of a fish with wide open mouth ;)


I was drawn to this lovely pink shade and the pearl finish intrigued me. I know within Color Trend line they often have this type of a shimmer and usually they execute it well...


I actually quite like it, one must not exaggerate and put too much because then it sinks into the lip lines but if I'm careful it looks nice and the little pearl finish adds to the overall shine and it makes it look glossier than it actually is. Because of that I also think it lasts longer, the shine dries but the color and shimmer stays and feels more like a lip balm. I sometimes just apply clear lip balm over it and carry on. I'm very happy to have it and use it a lot. The scent is also something to talk about, it is vanilla/caramel. It takes me back when all of them smelled like this but now more and more glosses have this fresher and fruitier vibe so this 'old' school scent is actually refreshing and different. 

I would get some more shades within this line but at the moment I really don't need more (I have 25 and that is more than enough).




Thank you for reading and have a nice day

02 September 2020

Project Polish

 Hello,

I haven't done project polish post in a while and I honestly don't know why it is taking me so long recently to finish up my nail polishes. I keep my nails painted and mostly I still use and rotate among the selected few but they seem to be bottomless bottles.

Anyway, I finally finished three more bottles.


First is lovely Depend Denim Blue. It is a lovely lavender hued blue with holo shimmer. A bit thin but still easy to work with it. I really like this one and the holo finish in general but I think this line of nail polishes is discontinued. Now I have one left from Catrice with similar finish and for now it will do.

Second is Misslyn Obsession which was gifted to me a long time ago. It has a black base with torquoise shimmer which comes to life on a bright sun. I liked to wear it in the Summer time despite the dark base. I don't have anything super similar but I can replace it with a shimmery dark blue and get somewhat similar effect.

The very last one is Essence Galactic Glam which is also a shimmery bomb and a very nice one. I love the green and gold shimmer because it makes it very special and like noting I already own. The removing process was a bit longer and my nails were left stained but I think it was worth it. If I will find a similar shade I will get it but I will try not to go hunting for it because I already have plenty of vanishes left.

This year I was gifted with one bottle, I didn't buy any and I am very happy about it. God knows I have too many and they are drying out and it makes no sense to get more at this time. I'm more than happy to play with what I already have and try to finish up bottle after bottle.



Thank you for reading and have a nice day