Empties

Hello,

this month ended in a snap so as it seems, right? Am I the only one?
I have used up an array of different products and I have to admit that most of them didn't convinced me to repurchase them again, I say most not all.

I will start with Avon Anew clinical advanced resurfacing peel with 10% glycolic acid. Inside you get 30 soaked pads (I suggest storing them upside down or occasionally flipping them). I used them on clean face in the evening and often I experienced light tingling which resulted in red skin (I have very sensitive skin and pretty much everything makes it flip) but that is the reason I used it only at night so my skin got some rest over night. I should use it ever third or fourth day but I didn't, I was too lazy and therefore I didn't see strong results. I thought that they aren't worth it, I'm not blaming the product but my lack of using it but a couple of campaigns back they were so inexpensive that I bought another box and now I promised to myself that I will use them regularly and see if they are really worth it.  

The lipstick on top of it is my oldest one and it is Avon Color Trend in the shade Vino Disco. The shade is gorgeous, deep wine with some light in it (it is really hard to describe, you should see it in person). I decided that I will toss it at the end of May since it is so old that I'm scared to use it but it remains one of my favorites (If it would still be available I would get it in a heartbeat).

On the first swatch there is just one swipe so you can see the crazy pigmentation and beautiful color but I wore it as a stain, softly blended out which is shown on the second swatch. Worn like that it easily survived a meal or coffee run. To me this formula was perfection and I can only hope that Avon will once bring it back.

Avon naturals body lotion with Cherry Blossom was nice. To me it smelled more like gummy Bears than cherries or cherry blossom but I was okay with it. I liked the light texture which absorbs fast and makes my evening ritual shorter. I like this line of moisturizers but there are so many different scents that I want to try that I most probably won't repurchase this particular one again.

A'pieu nonco tea tree emulsion was a nice addition to my evening skin care routine. I used it all over my freshly washed face and then topped it off with some kind of oil, if my skin felt dry I used some night cream on top of it as this alone wasn't moisturizing enough (emulsions aren't even meant to be used alone). Under the line I liked it but I don't think it was anything special so probably I won't repurchase it.

Let's jump onto the hair care with Avon Advance Technique Instant Repair 7 conditioner. Last month I used up the shampoo and I wasn't impressed and I said that the conditioner is better, especially for dry hair. Now I have been using it in combination with different shampoo and I haven't noticed any big difference and that makes me think that the shampoo from this line really isn't something I would promote but the conditioner is nice but probably I won't buy it again (there are way too many hair treatments that I want to try in the near future).

Second to last is Alverde night cream with chamomile and hamamelis designed for sensitive skin. I can't remember when exactly I bought it but it has to be more than a year ago. I had way too many night creams and this one was just waiting to get its turn and after I opened it I noticed weird scent but after a couple of minutes it settles and I can definitely detect both herbs mentioned in the name. The texture also doesn't feel right, it is a bit grainy and it makes me think that it went bad so I'm too scared to use it anywhere on my body so I'm tossing it. Will I buy it again? Nope, and I am on a face cream ban until I finish all of them up.

The last item is the cutest, it is Tony Moly Petite Bunny gloss bar in the shade Juicy Peach, I made a whole post about it here. It is cute little pencil styled lip balm that smells like an undefined fruit and it is pink tinted. The moisturizing properties are poor and therefore I won't be spending my money on it again but the packaging is really cute.



Thank you for reading and have a nice day

Project polish

Hello,

this time I didn't used up any nail polishes but I decided to dump two super old bottles. I used to wear these two a lot but not recently. I tried them but I didn't like them so I think it is time for them to go plus the scent is very toxic.

The first on the top is Avon Rose Amour and I used more than half of it. I remember rocking this color in the junior year at college and loving it but now my taste changed and I put this color in the back and almost forgot about it.

Second one is called Sateen and it is a bit bronzier than on the photo but otherwise the color is hard to describe. It has strong bronze tone but leans into the rose gold teritory, the shade isn't too shabby but the brush strokes drives me crazy and I decided to just ditch it. There are a lot more of beautiful colors that I enjoy wearing and both of these aren't worth it.



Thank you for reading and have a nice day

Two shopping days

Hello,

I think in one of my more recent posts I said that I will try not to pile make-up and I will rather try to use up what I already have. That is all good but from time to time I have to treat myself with some colorful bits and since my habit isn't expensive I don't feel too guilty.

I visited two different shops and bought some necessities and some extras as well.

On top there is 'new' Essence ultra last lip liner in the  Rosewood High shade. They promise smooth application and waterproof formula, my only hope is that it will survived one meal and I will be happy with it.

Then we have tried and trusted Alverde Rose oil about which I talked here. I haven't had it for almost one year and when I saw it on the shelf I quickly snatch it because I genuinely miss it. The only difference I can spot is that new bottle doesn't come with the plastic see through lid on top of a dropper.

I am a big fan of Catrice camouflage cream in a pot but I also wanted to try the liquid version in the 'bottle' ever since it came out. I finally decided to take a plunge and I picked the lighter version which is 005 Light Natural. On the first glance it looks very light, maybe even lighter than my overall skin, maybe I will learn how to highlight with a concealer next.

Onto the colorful item, it is my first Lavera item and it is So fresh mineral rouge powder in Charming Rose. This color looked so fresh and welcoming that I just couldn't resist. I'm a sucker for this type of bright coral shades.

The last product has the most fun looking packaging and I wanted this shadow ever since I swatched it in the store and then sadly realized that there is only sample left. One week and a half later I tracked it down in different store and I picked it up without any hesitation. The swatch felt buttery soft and super pigmented, the color itself is very neutral looking matte brown,perfect for my crease. It is Essence Live, laugh, celebrate LE eye shadow in the very popular shade T.G.I.F.

I'm excited to use the oil again and for the make-up? I think I'm equally enthusiastic about all of the items.



Thank you for reading and have a nice day

Little Miss Sunshine

Hello,

Essence team kindly send me this fun looking lipstick among other products and it was the first one I tried.

Essence released under Next stop: Summer TE two lipsticks and for today I picked the purple/pink version called Little Miss Sunshine.

It looks a bit scary if you normally only wear neutral and softer colors but I already knew that it was color changing lipstick and I was very intrigued at how it will turn on my lips (it reacts with the warmth of your skin). It has a nice light fruity scent and the lipstick itself is very creamy and easy to get on the lips but after 15-20 minutes it kind of dries and I can't feel it anymore. It leaves a stain and if you are careful it can last on you for a couple of hours (after eating I had to reapply to keep the color even but it also intensify the color with every layer).

On me it turned into a hot fuchsia pink and while I think it looks good against my complexion I'm not feeling it at the moment so I passed it to my mom who loves colors like that. She loves Essence lipsticks (her favorite is within Sheer & Shine line) and I had a strong feeling that she will like this one as well and she does. Just yesterday she called me and told me that she loves the bright pink color and the fact that it stains impressed her as well because she can't reapply lipstick at work.
I think this is a nice lipstick if you are looking for a bright color and if you appreciate a good stain, on the other hand it is not very moisturizing (because it dries into a stain) so you might wan't to keep it with you while on the go or you can apply clear balm on top of it every so often.

Thank you Essence team for letting me try it and I can say thank you in my mom's name as well since she will use it.



Thank you for reading and have a nice day

Magix

Hello,

lately I have been all about finding the perfect primer for my oily skin. I need something really mattifying and silicone-y. Some look nice and promising after I apply them because they fill in my pores and give my skin that smooth texture without excessive shine but I have realized that after a couple of hours most products surrender. I remember Avon had this product when I was in high school and I would buy little sample tubes and use without any make-up on top (my skin was great back then, just oily) so I decided to test it out again but this time with make-up on top.

 Avon mark magix face primer comes in a handy 30 ml tube which is pretty easy to squeeze and you get just the right amount of product.

The nozzle is small and dosage is easy. The product itself has a very faint cream scent which doesn't bother me, once it is on the face I can't detect it. The texture is soft and it spreads easily and fast, the skin feels soft and pores are filled (that sounds promising). It doesn't have any color but skin still looks blurred.

I think that my BB creams look very nice on top right after applying it but it fails to keep my skin oil free through the day.  After just a couple of hours my make-up starts to crack and separate and I can only blame this particular primer for that.
I think if your skin is pretty normal you could like it but for oily people I think this is a no go, maybe with a different make-up on top it would work but I can't prepare myself to use it once again just because it looks so terrible after lunch.
I will leave this one for the cooler months and maybe then it will be more suitable for my skin, in the meantime I have two other primers to try and report back.

Thank you for reading and have a nice day

Empties

Hello,

I have been scouting through my extensive cosmetics stash and found some of the forgotten items (that perfume I loved two years ago or the body lotion I felt the need to repurchase because I got such an awesome deal), some of them are still a favorite of mine but some just went to stinky town and I collected them here and I'm about to toss them.

Let's start with the magical Balea Marigold multipurpose cream. I used to use it everywhere and for everything. It is super thick and moisturizing, I used it on my dry elbows, cuticles, on my nose if I had a cold or on wounds and scars. Because of the thick greasy texture microbes couldn't come in (honey is also known to be antibacterial but it is easier to carry around smaller tub of cream than sticky honey if you get a paper cut) and it would help heal my skin faster and leaving minimal or no scars. In the process of moving I misplaced it and forgot about it, now it is too old to finish it up but I will buy myself a new pot, maybe a bit smaller than this 250 ml packaging.

The other, smaller pot is famous and expensive Steam cream which also went bad on me. It used to smell very nice, like lavender and when I used it it felt greasy, somewhat oily but it did absorb into my skin. It was part of my night time routine for a while until I bought something new and lighter for the warmer months and I forgot about it. Now I have about a third left but a weird crusty layer appeared and I don't think it is safe to use it. I like it but I think that the price tag is a little too high for a product that didn't perform miraculously on my face.

Let's continue with Avon Big & Daring mascara about which I talked in my previous post. For me this one is very basic, it looks like I'm not even wearing mascara and I personally love big and daring lashes. The name was very off and it didn't live up to its name so I'm tossing it.

I finished another Essence all about matt fixing compact powder (my fourth or fifth one). It looks white but on my skin it comes of translucent, it sets my make-up (not for long) but it doesn't look cakey. I can reapply through the day and it manages to look nice. The low price tag is also a nice touch and I think I will repurchase it forever.

At the bottom is Avon ultra color lipstick in a limited edition shade called Polarizing Peach. It had a nice cream finish without shimmer. The formula was a standard Avon one which I love so much and the lovely fresh peach shade was very fitting for the Spring time.

In the middle there is one last item and it is from Skin 79 the oriental double perfection eye healer (eye cream in short). It had a gel consistency which absorbed quickly but it didn't impressed me, it was an okay eye cream and definitely not worth 20 € I spent on it. I'm already using something new and so far so good.



Thank you for reading and have a nice day

Rose toner

Hello,

since Avon discontinued my favorite toner, Naturals Dog Rose & Aloe, they came out with new one and for the longest I tried to resit it until I found it for so cheap that I considered it almost a crime to let this good of a deal pass and who knows, maybe this will be just as good, right?

It is Avon Naturals Rose toner and it smells really nice, like Roses ;) I use toner after cleansing and my skin is always a bit thirsty. I felt an instant relief after I padded cotton pad soaked with my 'old' toner all over my skin this 'new' toner didn't deliver. My skin didn't feel enough moisturized, it still felt tight on the areas that needed moisture the most and I'm not alone. My mom also decided to get it and she felt the same and her skin is on the dry side. We were both disappointed and needles to say that we won't ever repurchase it again.




Thank you for reading and have a nice day

Big & Daring

Hello,

today I have one almost forgotten item for you. I think I bought it last year hence the old packaging (now it has Mark written on it but the brush still looks the same and I imagine they didn't change the formula so they essentially just slightly renowned the tube).

It is Avon Big & Daring mascara which is supposed to give you almost fake looking lashes and according to that I had high hopes. I am using their mascaras my whole life (well I think I started using make-up since I was 18 and I have always been ordering Avon mascaras and they more or less all worked for me).

The wand is curved and the bristles aren't rubbery (what is the term for this type of spikes? It seems like more of an old fashioned wand, most of the companies releases plastic bristled wands these days) and I always get the plastic wands so I wasn't sure how I will like it. I don't think I had a problem with the wand since the shape of it helps coat the curve pretty nicely but I think that the formula was not right for me. At first it was a little bit too wet as most of mascaras are so I let it sit (two months) and it still performs the same. After curling I applied it and approximately after 30 minutes the curl dropped. If I just curl my lashes on a lazy day the curl stays with me almost all day but after I applied this mascara on top it dropped, does that means that the formula is too heavy? That is hard to believe because it didn't do much for me. It didn't elongate or thicken my lashes, it just kind of looked like I don't have anything on. What is the point of coating your lashes with it if it looks like nothing? It didn't wow me like I wanted to and I was hoping for a dramatic change since the name sounds so promising. It does have some plus sides as well, it doesn't clump or crumble. If you are looking for a mascara that just gives you some color and looks super natural you might want to look into this one but for all the other ladies who wear mascara to impress then skip this baby.



Thank you for reading and have a nice day

Happines looks gorgeous on me

Hello,

it is May and Slovenian Cosnova team surprised me again. They asked me if I would like to try some new and exciting products that they are releasing soon and my answer? Sure, I would be happy to see products in advance and get to test them. The package arrived and I ripped open the envelope to see pink Essence notepad with lots of inspirational quotes inside (I used one of my favorite as a background for product displaying).

Next thing that caught my eye was a bright red new Catrice nail polish. It is named It's all about that red. As mentioned they are discontinuing the ultimate nail lacquer line and replacing it with the ICONails gel lacquers. The bottle looks really nice and it is also a little bit bigger, now they hold 10,5 ml. The cap is removable an the brush seems wider.

Fun looking lipsticks are from Essence TE, next stop Summer. They are color changing ones and that seems very exciting. I have never had a green lipstick before. The one in an orange packaging hides grass green tube of lipstick inside and it is named Wish I was a mermaid, when applied it is supposed to turn into a peach hue. The other one is vivid purple and is called Little miss sunshine (one of my favorite movies), they say that on the lips it turns into a hot pink shade (I haven't tried anything yet since I just received my package). Color changing lip products sound like a lot of fun and I will play with them this weekend and report back next week.

Thank you Cosnova team for making my heart skip a beat with these lovely products and Happy birthday Essence for turning 15.



Thank you for reading and have a nice day.

H&M cosmetics

Hello,

today it was a lovely Saturday and I visited the closest H&M store simply because I needed some smart clothes for work but I didn't stop there. I wandered into the make-up section to see what hidden gems could be found. I only have one cream blush from them which was a gift from my sister (I looked over for some cream products and they were absolutely disgusting, so much fuzz and dust was in there, I have a feeling no one cleans the samples or cares about them, do they manage to sell any? The new products are stored in a sealed boxes so they aren't contaminated but doesn't your stomach turn inside out when you see something so nasty?) However, I picked two powder eye shadows and two blue nail polishes (in my recent Catrice haul I also bought two blue paints and I swear they aren't exactly the same, they are close but not the same).

The lightest varnish is Clean Slate. I hoped that it would be a dupe for my beloved Essence Forget me not shade but this one seems a little dustier but it also has a cream finish. I will have to see if I will love it as much once it will be on my nails.
The second and darker color looks very intense in the bottle and it is called Inky Ink and I will probably give it to my mom because she like to paint her toenails with dark blue shades and she just used up her last bottle. If I will give it to her I will make sure I will try it on my nails as well so we can be nail polish twins ;)

When H&M came out with this revamped beauty line everyone was buying and testing it but now the craze calmed down I rarely hear anyone talking about it. Does that mean that people aren't as impressed by it or the higher price point just turns people off? I decided to get the two singles but I also had the neutral eye shadow palette on my wishlist. If I will like these two I might go back and pick the palette and some more.
The top and more golden is Baci di Dama and the more neutral, taupe like is Mojave. They are both shimmery and neutral, just how I like my shadows.



Thank you for reading and have a nice day