30 June 2017

Empties

Hello,

yesterday's post was all about finished nail polishes and today I'm focusing on other products even though there are two more nail related products in here  :)


Let's start with the Alpstories cleansing gel with Sage and Mint. I have heard so many praises about it and was super thrilled when I won it in a giveaway. I couldn't wait to start using it but in my books this is rather an average face wash for my oily and acne prone skin. I imagined the scent to reminiscent Sage and Mint but it doesn't, it smells green and fresh which is nice for sure but I haven't noticed nothing bitter like Sage or cooling like Mint. The texture is rather liquid and it doesn't work with the packaging. That is my biggest issue with it. The pump should have a longer nozzle so I could get my open palm underneath, this short pump just make product spill down the packaging and if you don't clean it regularly it gets all sticky and icky. For sure it felt nice on my skin and it was super gentle and jet it managed to remove my make-up without stripping my skin. Nice product but I really despise the packaging and I won't be repurchasing it again because of it.

As mentioned above there is one nail polish product in the mix and it is Essence nail studio xxxl nail protector with nylon fibers. I went through a couple of bottles of it and this was my last one and it for sure will be missed since it is discontinued and there are no similar product available. Basically it is a milky base coat with small nylon fibers which holds the nail together. This is especially useful when your nails are brittle or already broken, the fibers connect, make stronger base and your nails aren't breaking as much. That is the explanation in a nutshell and I can't think of one reason why they thought that discontinuing this product was a good idea. Do you?

Aveo nail polish remover with almond oil was a simple and handy little thing. I think it removed my nail polish well and the scent wasn't so horrible. Probably I should mention the super low price tag which is not very proportionate with the efficiency of the product. I will most probably repurchase it, I think they have some other 'scents' and I might try something different or I will just buy the same almond oil infused one.

Avon Planet SPA pillow mist with Chamomile and Lavender was a joy to use. I did use it on my pillows and sheets but mostly I used it as a body spray. Who doesn't like to smell like a relaxing cup of tea? I'm not even being sarcastic here, I'm bloody serious. This sprayed around my head made every task easier and I already miss the scent. I will try to use up some other body sprays but I will repurchase this dreamy scent soon.


Last item is a lip product and usually they are colorful, this time around I have a clear one. It is Essence Transparent lip liner which got discontinued but they came back with it in a different packaging (mine is in a wooden form where I had to sharpen it but the new version comes in twist up plastic, I don't have it jet but I hope they didn't tweak the formula). It might look like a gimmick product, clear liner what is it supposed to do? Well, my friends it does a lot. When my lips were a bit dry or even chapped I applied this waxy liner on it and it smoothed the surface of my lips and I was able to use lipsticks on top (you know when your lips are flaky and colored lip product only make it look more obvious? Not if you apply this guy first), even when my lips looked its best it filled in all of my fine lines and it made my lips look plumper and even fuller (poutier not I got fillers bigger). It even prolongs the color of a product worn on top, because it is clear, transparent it doesn't add color but it helps to last everything for much longer. I will repurchase it, there is no doubt in fact this is probably one of my top ten Essence products of all times.



Thank you for reading and have a nice day

29 June 2017

Project Polish

Hello,

days are flying by and I started counting down the days till my vacation. I can't wait to see the sea and swim in it. This past month I have been mostly using these three nail polishes and they maybe don't scream Summer but they sure do give me the holiday vibe.



They are all already discontinued shades and all of them are pretty old, the colored ones had a bit goopey texture so I speed trough them.

First is Avon Color Trend Silver Pleated and it was so fun to use on top of 'boring' cremes. It was just a clear based varnish with small silver specs and bigger glitter particles which shined bright like a diamonds on the water. I think it paired well with most colors and I will for sure miss it, actually I'm already looking if I could find something similar. Do you know any brand which have something similar in their collection?



Darker one is old Essence Midnight Charm. In general I like dark blue colors and this one had small shimmer in it and if you know me I'm all about that shimmer. In fact this was one of my favorite blue polishes in my collection and Essence don't make this color anymore :(  but don't fear. This color isn't so original that it would be impossible to find a dupe. I would just like to go through one of two more blues before purchasing something similar.

The last one is another Essence and it is named Ballerina's Charm (using two Charm's was a complete coincidence). This kind of soft lavender shades always makes me so calm and happy. It is an instant mood booster. Call me shallow but how many people can get into better mood just by glancing at their painted digits? Plus Essence bottles cost less than 2 €. Total win in my books.

All three of them will be missed but I have to move further and use something else. I have a feeling this moth will be painted red (I have received two red Catrice polishes and they will soon appear on this blog).




Thank you for reading and have a nice day

26 June 2017

finally back at Lush

Hello,

I haven't been at the Lush store for two or rather three years and when I was in town I just had to make a 'quick' stop. I know that people working there are always so nice and full of knowledge that they always convince me to take more than I anticipated. This time I made myself a list and I planed to stick to it...


Of course I failed. The guy who was helping me around was offering me multiple products (bath bombs - I don't have a bath, lip scrubs - what is wrong with a toothbrush?, SPF body wash bar - you rinse it off, how does it work? Do you have to take a shower every four hours to reapply?) he was so sweet that at the end I felt bad for turning down every suggestion that when he gave me this body wash to sniff I put it in the basket even though it was expensive. It is Plum Rain which smells like ripe plums with something fresh in the mix like sage or salty water. The scent is very invigorating, it would be perfect if you take showers in the morning... I don't. I like to cleanse my body before going to bed, bed is my clean zone but that won't stop me from using it but probably due to its price tag I won't repurchase it.

Next to it is a chunk of Fresh Farmacy face wash. The whole 'pie' looks like a giant pale pink blossom, here I only have a small piece which will still last me a long time. In the past I already had and used one up and my skin looked much better. I hope that its magic isn't lost and will help me again. If you have oily, acne prone and sensitive skin I suggest you to try it.

I decided to get one of their famous fresh face masks and after an extensive research I decided to get the Catastrophe Cosmetics one. Again, it is recommended for oily, problematic skin. It is supposed to calm down your skin and help it heal faster, it also claim to balance the natural oils which I'm very excited to see if it will managed.

Under the mask there is a white block of Aromaco deodorant. In the past I had the brown one which was really nice, it had a bit of a weird, old lady scent but once it was on the skin it went away. That one is gone so I opted for this one but it really stinks. My car and now my whole apartment reeks like an old closet which hasn't been opened in five hundred years. I only hope that when I will collect enough courage to actually apply it it won't scare people away and burn holes in my t-shirts.


The last items looks like pills, don't they? They are actually their toothpaste in a solid form. I wasn't sure about them so the guy who was helping me around gave me these to try at home. He gave me four different ones to try out (the three pink ones are the same, I think he spilled them by accident or maybe that was a 'subtle' hint on which is his favorite ;). I tried and used all of them. I'm someone who likes that cool, fresh breath after brushing, the mintier the better is my motto and these felt like something a child would use. My mouth didn't felt fresh but rather fruity, especially the pink one felt like I'm brushing my whites with strawberries, not what I was looking for. Even the green one which is supposed to be infused with limes and lemons or the white one which is supposed to have mint as a main note didn't gave me that fresh breath. They were fun to try but I won't be spending my money on these. Is there someone who loves these, let me know.



Thank you for reading and have a nice day

25 June 2017

thank you Cosnova team

Hello,

I was so excited when I picked up this package that I ripped it open in the parking lot outside the post office. Cosnova team reached out to me and asked if I would like to try some of their products from the upcoming limited editions and even though I didn't know what I'm gonna get I said yes. I guess it is similar with the subscription boxes. You wait impatiently for that box to come and you don't know what you're getting until you open it up.


I think that the first attention goes to the compact from Catrice Travelight Story. Deep down in my heart I was hoping for the blush part to be bright and the bronzer to be very orange, then I wouldn't feel tempted to get it but now that I am actually seeing the product with my own eyes and owning it I can relive. The blush part does look bright but wearable and the bottom part looks like a lovely neutral shade which will probably suit me well. Fun fact, if you flip it at the back there is no stickers but the surface is mirrored and you can actually use it while on the go, talk about convenience.

Under it is a Catrice lipstick from the same Travelight Story collection in Chilly Orange shade. It is supposed to be matte and cooling at the same time. I like the minty-cooling sensation but I'm not so sure about the matte effect and bright orange color. That is the beauty of getting products from people who don't know me, so I get to test items I wouldn't pick myself and through that I can discover new favorites.

There are two items from Essence Hip Girls wear Blue Jeans collection. One is a face brush with super soft bristles. For a face brush it seem a bit small (I personally like big brushes so I can powder my face in two swipes) but I think it will be nice as a cheek brush. I can't say anything else about it because I haven't used it jet, in fact I just washed it and it is drying on the towel while I'm writing this so I can start using it tomorrow.

The other product is a illuminating face cream gel which can be worn alone (if your skin is perfect then I envy you so much) or under make up. I have oily skin especially now in the Summer so I don't know if this will be the product for me but I can use it as a liquid highlighter on my cheekbones or on my arms for some extra glow. I like that it comes with a pump but for more information you will have to wait for a couple of days for me to try it.

The last item is from Catrice Nail Paint To go limited edition which will be available in July and it consist of six nail polishes in a pen format. How cool is that ? Just the other day I had a discussion with my sister why this isn't a standard nail polish packaging? It looks like it would work and be very handy, right? We will see, I will repaint my nails tomorrow and I will report back. I got the shade Tomato Red Rush which looks like classic bright red.


Thank you again Cosnova team for spoiling me with these products.
BTW, on the Catrice official page they already posted novelties for Autumn/Winter, interested? Click away.



Thank you for reading and have a nice day


24 June 2017

Avon goodies

Hello,

Avon is one of my favorite brands to shop. Some people don't like the whole catalouge shopping but I find it very calming and fun. There is no traffic, no rude people showing you in the ribs or stealing 'your' parking lot... I can just relax in my living room while browsing through colorful pages and if I'm interested in something particular I will google it and found out more about it.
This time I picked some already discontinued products but they are still available for grabs if somebody is interested...


I still don't own a bath but occasionally I will treat myself with one of their bubble baths simply because I love the scent. This one is Pomegranate and Peony and I love both scents individually but together they make perfect harmony. I will most likely pour it into my hand soap dispenser and use it as a hand wash.

Second big bottle is new limited edition scent from the senses line and it is called Brazil waterfall with lemon, blackcurrant and ginger. I only took a whiff from the bottle and it smalls so refreshing with a dab of lemon juice squeezed in there. I can already say that I will be buying a backup before it is gone for good.

Next to it is a line of lipsticks that silently got discontinued (you can still get a hold of most of the colors just ask your Avon rep). They are Ultra Color Absolute lipsticks, I absolutely love the lip glosses from this line but the lipsticks are just okay for me. I have one shade already but I wanted this particular one mostly because it was often featured on models and it looked like a perfect coral for me. It is named Creamy Melon but the shade didn't wowed me. I will prepare different post with close up photos soon.

In front of the bubble bath is the tiniest little make-up sponge. I was expecting to get a 'normal' sized one and really wasn't prepared to see this baby. I guess I can use it under my eyes to properly blend out my concealer. We will see how that will go.

In the middle is a lovely nail polish topper which I had my eyes locked ever since it came out. It is Lovely Lace and you get a bunch of cream and white non shiny glitters dispensed in a clear base. I will most probably wear it over pastel colors for a delicate flare.

I caved in and bought another Always on Point pencil from the molten collection. I already have the Molten Pewter but this one is rose toned and called Molten Rose. I thought that it will pair well with brown and warmer toned eye shadows better than the green one. The formula is so smooth and buttery that I just had to get it.

The last item is an eye shadow brush. In the brochure they suggest you to use it as a blending brush and I think the size is really lovely for that but I'm often too lazy to do more than one color all over the lid and I think this will be good for that as well. I will give it a go and report back.



Thank you for reading and have a nice day


15 June 2017

Empties

Hello,

Summer is in full mode and I enjoy warm weather but prefer to stay in the shadow with a cool drink in my hand. I'm someone who is always carrying sun cream around and asking people if they need some. I'm scared of the Sun and also I love the sun cream scent. I'm trying to find my last years discovery cream but I'm scared that they discontinued it so I'm on a hunt for something similar or even better. In the mean time I'm indulging myself with fruity scents and rich formulas to moisturize my skin during these hot times.


Afrodita Strawberry body mousse with Cocoa butter and vitamin E. The texture is really fluffy and light with red beads which dissolve when you massage them into your body. At first it does have Strawberry scent but it quickly turns into something sweet and I can't put my finger on it, probably because it is fake. It is not bad by any means it just smells sweet but the the kind of scent they come up with in a lab. I personally didn't mind it, I liked it and it moisturized my skin pretty well but there are tons of other lotions I want to try so probably I won't repurchase this one again.

I love this Avon Advance Technique dry shampoo. It smells so nice and whenever I use it I skip perfume altogether because it is strong enough to carry me through the day. It is clear so it will work for all hair colors but you have to use a bit more in order to get that 'fresh' looking hair but I don't mind it because it doesn't make them sticky. This is almost perfect for me, I wish I wouldn't go through so fast but I'm repurchasing it soon.

Omnia Botanica Argan oil in a bottle with a convenient pipette for a precise dosage. This bottle took me quite some time to go through it simply because I think that Argan oil doesn't do all those magical things. For my oily skin this is just okay, nothing special but my sister who has drier skin loves it, so I should invest more into oils meant for oilier skin and in the future I won't spent money on Morrocan oils again.

Avon Senses Delightful Orchard body wash with Raspberry, Apple and Cassis. In the bottle this smells just like the top notes mentioned in a sentence before and when I used it at my parents house it was great which is the reason I bought another bottle for myself but I was left disappointed. I don't know if I got a weird one or that happened because I was using it everyday but after one minute it started to smell a little plasticky, nothing too bad but just enough to annoy me and make me use a little bigger scoops so I would finish it sooner.

And the last item is Avon True Supreme Length Nourishing mascara about which I talked in my previous post right here. I still really like it and I have been using it for short three months (I usually use my mascaras for longer because after a month or two they get just the right consistency and it feels like such a shame to toss a product in its prime). The only reason I'm departing with it is because this morning I applied it on one eye and then I was rearranging my hand I dropped it with a brush flat down on the ground. Blackish smears all over my wooden floor and I just couldn't bring myself to pick it up and apply mascara on my other set of lashes like nothing happened. I freaked out not because of black smears on my floor but because one eye looked all gorgeous and other looked like I have no lashes at all. Thankfully I remembered that I bought two of the same mascaras and I just had to find the other one, five minutes latter I did but eyes still didn't looked the same (it was in the same brown/black color) it was 'different' formula. The lashes with the 'new' mascara on didn't looked so voluminous and long and the curl dropped a bit after a couple of hours. No one said anything but I could notice it in the mirror and I can only hope it will never happen again. So take this lesson from me and next time get a firm grip on your mascaras.


Thank you for reading and have a nice day

14 June 2017

Avon True Supreme Length Nourishing mascara

Hello,

today I wanted to talk about Avon mascara and as far as I know this is their latest one. It took me awhile to test it out but that happens with all of them. At first they are all a bit too wet and I don't get noticeable results. I like big lashes, something that demands attention without looking 'fake' and I get that after a month or so of using it (the formula has to dry a bit).


It is Avon True Supreme Length Nourishing mascara and mine in particularly is in the brown/black shade (I always get it it this color option because it is dark but not too dark because I think that pitch black can look a bit too much on my face).
This mascara is easy to find, just go after the coppery lid and you can't miss it.


I'm a fan of rubbery wands and this one has it. The spikes are even all over the brush but are quite small. At first I was hesitant but it grew on me. After a month of using it I began to really like it. It separated my lashes and make them look longer but it doesn't contain any fibers. I was really impressed because it made me look like I have more lashes that I actually have without looking too fake. This line is enriched with Argan oil which is supposed to help moisturize your lashes and prevent them from falling out. I haven't noticed any lashes on my cheeks (I'm using it roughly for three months now) and my lashes do look fuller and longer but I'm also using Great Burdock oil on them so it could just be that. 

All in all this mascara promises to nourish you lashes and it is up to you to try it out and see if it works, I can say that it didn't make them fall out and that is good enough for me. The look I got when I used it was natural but better (longer and thicker) and that is what I'm going for. I give this mascara five stars and it is on my list to repurchase it.



Thank you for reading and have a nice day



02 June 2017

Play it Peach

Hello,

this post is long overdue but in my defense I can say that I really got a chance to test it out. Essence team kindly sent me this palette a while ago and I would like to thank them again for doing that. I think I would go out and buy it on my own so getting it as a gift made it even more exciting.


It is Essence Blushplay sculpting blush palette in the shade Play it Peach (there is also the pink version available in Play it Pink).


It has a nice clear top so you can see everything and white packaging which looks nice but the powders can be a bit powdery so the packaging gets 'dirty' easily and if you like to keep your make-up clean you will want to keep a wet tissue near.


First pan holds beautiful highlighter shade, it looks like it would be peachy toned and on the swatch it shows just like that but when I apply it on my face it has a very strong pink undertone. I don't mind it because I don't have pink highlighter jet and this one fills the gap in my collection nicely but I don't like to wear it in combination with the two blushes in this palette.


Middle color is matte and the pan is smaller. I kind of like that because I know I won't use this shade as much as the other two but if you like to use big and fluffy brushes than it could be a problem because you might won't be able to fit the whole brush into this small pan but the color is really beautiful and if you are fair and like the Snow White cheeks this could be something for you. If I wear this blush I wear very minimal eye make up and let this color be the center of the attention but I make sure I blend it well because clown cheeks aren't what I'm going for.


The last color is my favorite and it already has a visible dent in it (I took photos before swatching it obviously so you can see just how much I used it up).  It has this fresh peach undertone with golden sheen through it that makes my skin look like it is glowing and I like that.


Here they are, I swatched them in the same order and I can't wrap my head around the fact how peachy the highlighter shade looks on my hand. On my face it looks completely different and I just couldn't capture it on the camera. I only heard one other girl on the web mentioned that it looks pink on her so maybe it depends from your undertone?


Here you can see the lovely glow, just imagine it to be pink on the cheeks ;) I find it to be very pigmented and I only need a little bit but then again I don't like too much glow since my skin is already oily.


The middle color looks great, it is matte but usually I would put some highlighter over it because matte cheeks just aren't my thing but the color is unique in my collection and I like to wear it especially on more casual days paired with mascara and glossy lips.

Lat color in the row has it all for me, the gorgeous color which makes me look healthier and fresher and the glow is fantastic. I always end up loving my make-up when I wear this color and it is not a surprise that there is a visible dent in this last pan.

I think this palette has nice colors individually (like I mentioned I don't wear this particular highlighter with these two blushes because of the mismatched color but I don't take it too hard because it is the only pink toned highlighter that I own). When you dip your brush in it it can kick a bit of powder but one the face it doesn't look powdery or chalky, it is smooth and easy to blend even though I would warn you that the shades are pigmented and it is better to start light.



Thank you for reading and have a nice day