Empties

Hello,

this time I feel like my empties post is really big. In total there are 12 products and I have to contain myself otherwise I could write a novel about them.

So first it is Alverde hand cream with Mango and Mandarin scent (it was part of a Summer set which contained besides this cream also a body wash and a lotion packed in a see through cup which you can reuse to keep your drinks). The scent on this cream was great, very fruity and the formula absorbed quickly but I don't think it was the best moisturizer for my dry hands and I won't repurchase it again, if there is still some of the sets left.

Avon used to make these Foot Works all in one pedicure which were awesome (this is my second used up tube and I have one more backup left). Basically it is a light lotion with tons of scrubbing particles. I recommend using it in the shower in the morning when your feet are still clean and dry, you massage it in until the cream is completely absorbed and then just rinse off the particles. My feet always looked so nice and were really soft, I especially loved it in the Summer because the excess of the cream was washed off so my feet weren't sliding in my open toed shoes. They don't make it anymore but the last time I saw a tube that could contain something similar.

Next is another Avon Foot Works product but this one is the Papaya scented scrub. I don't use these on my feet because I can barely feel them but I rather use them on my face. The scent is very pleasant and there is tons of particles that actually do something, I just have to be careful not to rub too vigorously. I always buy these when the scents gets on sale so I get them for even cheaper but I would gladly repurchase this scent if it would still be available.

Avon X-series Recharged body deodorant spray. Well, the name is confusing isn't it? Is it a body spray? A lighter version of a perfume or it will mask my body odor if I use it on my armpits? I liked the perfume (which I still have even though it is a male scent) but something about this heavy masculine scent mixed in with my sweat just didn't do it for me. I have learned my lesson, never buy perfume inspired deodorants because it will make you hate the scent. I still have another one to go through and after that I'm done with heavily fragranced deodorants or antiperspirants.

Le Couvent des Minimes smile lip balm in the mint scent is stationed right in the middle. I purchased it because my sister loves the Pear scent (now they changed them and Mint is no longer available also now they have the Pear & Apple scent). That in front of it is a paper sticker which gets a bit messy if you wash your products from time to time or just hold them in the heat with sweaty hands. I liked the cooling minty sensation but I wish it would be stronger (I'm a big big mint lip product fan). Otherwise the product itself was clear and glossy but not exceptionally moisturizing so I will save 12€ or however it costs and rather spent it on better lip care products.

Next is Alkmene tea tree face wash. I don't mind the tea tree scent but this one got a bit weirder when I started approaching the end of the bottle so I make sure I used it up as fast as possible. I had the same packaging issue as I had with the Alp Stories face wash. The product is too liquid for this pump. The pump makes it convenient right? But if you don't hold the bottle in one hand and tilt it to an 45 degree angle the product will spill down the packaging and best of luck to you to scrape it off. I know that isn't that big of a deal but I'm lazy and if a packaging is promising me convenience I expect it to work that way. Other than that I don't have anything bad to say about the product itself. I pretty much always remove majority of my make up with a baby wipe so the face wash that I use afterwards just have to make sure every last bit of make-up is gone. On some lazy days I used it on a face full of make-up and it didn't completely removed my foundation or mascara but that is also not what I'm looking for in a face wash but if you do than this is not for you. I rubbed it all over my eyes and it didn't irritate them, I could even open them up and nothing happened so you have to give it some props for that. My skin felt fresh after using it but not tight, it removed all of my oils but it didn't gave me that unpleasant squeaky clean feeling. I have some others to go through but this could find its way back into my routine.

I'm testing some 'new' dry shampoos and recently I found this guy in my drugstore and two different scents lured me into purchasing these two colorful bottles (the other one is Tropical fragrance and I haven't tried it jet). Colab Unicorn fragrance dry shampoo smells very heavy at first, it remind me of a luxury products that are used in hair saloons. After a couple of minutes the scant settles but I can smell it all day long as I move my hair around and I like that a lot. I don't care that much about the packaging but I wish it would be a bit cheaper (it is more expensive that the Batiste) but I repurchased this scent just last week so I guess it is worth it.

I went through another body moisturizer and this time it is Avon naturals Green Apple Blossom body lotion which isn't available anymore. I think it is a couple of years old and I have that tendency to buy nicely scented stuff and then just leave them sitting in my closet or shelves because they seem too precious to use. The naturals lotions are nicely scented but not very moisturizing if you have dry skin, I just buy them because of the scents and this one was very light, barely there. Maybe that is because I kept it for too long or maybe it was just meant to be light. But in all fairness it did smelled just like the fresh green apples in the Autumn. I have decided to pull the breaks on buying lotions for now and try to use as much as possible because the one and only The Body Shop is coming to Slovenia. At first there will only be an online store but I don't care. I cheek their official page every day to see if the store is already opened and when it will I know I will place an order and buy some body butters that they are so famous for.

The last tube is my favorite Neutrogena oil free face cream. I can't remember if this is my third or second used up tube. It is very lightweight but moisturizing at the same time, great for under the make-up and it didn't cause me any irritations so when I was in the store and I couldn't find it I freaked out a bit. I did bought another tube that looks similar and I hope that they just changed the packaging and didn't touch the formula.

I have used up another pot of the Essence matt translucent face powder. I love this compact, it doesn't keep my face matte all day long but I can apply it on top of my make-up and it doesn't look cakey which is the case with most of other powders that I have tried. I already repurchased it and the 'new' one is already showing some pan.

Second to last is Avon kohl eye pencil in Bronze about which I talked here. I was very disappointed with how hard it was and I'm surprised at how long I kept it. I bought it sometime in May last year, I used it a couple of times, reviewed it and then I have never touched it again. Now I started to clean my make-up storage and I knew it was time for this fella to meet the Mr. Bin.

The very last item is a good one. I felt like it would be nice to finish on a positive note. I know I already used one of these pots before so I was excited to use this one again. It is Avon Anew Hydro advance moisture gel cream, very light and fast absorbing. It made my skin soft and nourished, sometimes I used it under my make-up but I rather used it at night with a drop or two of oil on top. I think it paired really well with oils and I already miss it. I found it in the brochure but I still have a couple of creams to go through but as soon as they are gone I'm getting myself another pot of this goodness.




Thank you for reading and have a nice day

New in

Hello,

a little shopping has been made. I had some discounts and I just take advantage of it, I feel no regrets about it and if you would ask me if I really needed two new highlighters, my answer would be yes, I did.

I have nothing from Sante so I took a look at their stand and saw a beautiful blush but I resisted, instead I swatched two of their beautifying highlighters and decided to get the beige one called Nude (they also have the more pink version of it).

Next is Terra Naturi highlighter. I already have and adore the shade Golden Highlight (everyone's favorite including myself) but when I was googling I saw that there was another, darker shade available and how surprised I was when it suddenly appeared in the store. This oddly looking one is called African dream and I'm so very excited to start playing with it.

Next are the two Catrice Camouflage concealers which are backups already. The liquid one is a different shade though, the one above is Porcelain (the one that I'm using right now is Light Beige and it is a little light for me, I use it under my eyes to brighten them up but I can't use it all over my face) and I hope it will be a little darker so it will match me perfectly and I will be able to use it all over my face. Cream concealer is perfect but a little heavy in the cooler months so I use liquid one under my eyes and cream all over my face and the shade Ivory matches me and since my pot is nearly done I bought myself a backup.

The last item is Neutrogena visibly clear oil free face cream. I used up two or three tubes of it already (you will see the empty one in my empties) and when I went to the store I couldn't find it anywhere instead I saw this one. The tube is slightly different color and all in German but I hope it is the same product inside because that cream really suited me and I will be bummed if they changed the formula.



Thank you for reading and have a nice day

Empties

Hello,

I feel like I'm tossing a lot of products away lately which is good and bad at the same time. I'm talking about items that aren't done completely and I'm getting rid of them because they went bad (I have way too many products) or because I realized that my taste changed and I don't want to wear them anymore.

That being explained I will start with the Himalaya purifying neem face mask. I had another clay mask from the same brand in the past called Clarina and I liked it a lot but it was very intense. It felt like it was burning my skin off while it was on my face but the next day my skin looked much better. I would say that this one is more mild, it didn't burn but at the same time it made my skin more clear and smooth. Maybe it wasn't as efficient after just one use but it was more comfortable so I will repurchase this one in the future. Right now I will try to go through the pure green clay that I have and after that I will get myself another tube of this one.

Next one is Balea hand and nail chamomile cream. It is very small, only 30 ml but I think they sell it in bigger size as well. I bought it only because I used up the hand cream I had at work and I just knew that my hands won't go through 8 hour shift without a moisturizer so I ran to the drugstore which is just around the corner and got myself a mini because I have tons of lotions at home. It had a lovely calming chamomile scent and it did absorb fast but after I washed my hands they were still dry. I think it was just sitting on my skin and did nothing. The scent alone is not enough to repurchase it but I will look what other brands have to offer in that scent.

Next are the two blushes and nether of them is used up. They are the oldest ones and I rarely use them so I just decided to toss them. I don't think I will miss them since I used them so rarely.

The peachy-coral is Skin Food Cheek Chalk in Peach shade. This is a cream blush and it comes with a little sponge which I found useful until I washed it the second time. It started to fall apart so I tossed it but then I had to stick my fingers in it and I didn't use it much. The opening is small and if you have long nails then you know the struggle. I have a lot of similar blushes in powder forms that I prefer to use so I couldn't justify this little pot anymore.

Second one is Tony Moly delight petite blusher in the Petite Peach color. It is a hot cool toned pink color and where I live we don't have peaches in that color, at first I thought that they messed my order but that is the actual color of the product. I have warm undertone and such a cool pink doesn't suit me and I think I never wore it in public, I tried to make it work but with no success. It looks all adorable when you get it because it comes with a large fluffy puff (imagine old fashioned powder boxes, they had this type of 'applicator' or think of a polar bear fluff). I immediately washed it (I don't know who have been toughing it) and it started to shed like crazy so I never used in. It was a bit of a bummer but what really seal the deal was the shade that just didn't match with my skin tone.

On the bottom there is my second tube of Avon true color supreme length nourishing mascara in brown/black (only because I bought two when they came out and before trying it out). For me this was average, it made my lashes a little darker and combed through but still very natural to the point that my co-worker asked me why I don't wear any mascara! Seriously? It does look natural but does it look like nothing? Well, I could see it but it didn't give me the fake lash effect so I was happy that it finally dried up and now I'm using one of my favorites (Avon supershock max) and boy, oh boy I can see a big difference.

For last I saved the two eye pencils.
The little one is Essence Blossoms etc. LE in the shade I like. I would never get a shade like that but I won a giveaway and it was sent to me. It was a cool toned green with silver shimmer which I mostly wore on top of black pencils to give some sparkle and now at the end I wore it all over the lid as a secondary base to make warm shadows a little less warm or yellow. It was nice for cooling down the looks but at the same time I'm super happy to see it gone because it was several years old.

The silver one is Avon Color Trend in Silver and probably my oldest one in my collection. I remember I used to love it but now I hardly ever wear cool toned eye shadows and even when I do I prefer to use the simple black or grey pencil and this one was just left in the back forgotten. I  decided to pick it up but it got very dry and I don't want to hurt my eyes and skin with it so it is going in the bin, I have plenty of other pencils that I love and would rather use.

They are both very reflective but the green Essence one has silver shimmer in it while the Color Trend one is metallic with no visible particles. I remember it was part of the Valentine's Day collection many, many moons ago but they still make great soft pencils under this line. I only wish they would expand the color selection because now it is a bit generic but the formula is still buttery soft.



Thank you for reading and have a nice day

Catrice Sun Glow Mineral Bronzing Powder

Hello,

this bronzer started collecting dust on my shelf. I think I purchased it sometimes in May and only now I kicked myself in the butt to finally write about it.

Catrice Sun Glow Mineral Bronzing Powder is what I will talk about today. I heard a lot of people praising it, they were saying that it is very light and appropriate for fair skin tones and it is not a flat matte but it has some sheen to it, all of these things intrigued me into buying it.

It is slightly marbled and I'm a total sucker for it. It ads some uniqueness to the product and makes me feel like I own a product like no other.

In the pan it looks nice, light but also it pulls a bit orange so I was cautious. I approached it like it would be a wild animal. It has a strong pigmentation and I always make sure to tap the excess off.

On a heavy swatch (on the face I make sure that it is blended in and not as stark as it is on my arm) you can see that orange-y tone that I try to avoid. I feel that it looks even more unnatural on my pretty yellow toned face so I haven't been reaching for it all that much.

But I have to admit that it has lovely sheen, not a full on shimmer but a nice glow. Too bad that the base color is a little too off for my face.

I have this bronzer since May and I only used it a handful times, I think it is time to part with it because there is someone who will really enjoy using it unlike myself. Catrice replaced this particular bronzer with another one which looks darker and more brown toned in the pan, it also has an unique pattern to it so for sure I spent my money on it and soon I will get to using it and review on this blog will follow.



Thank you for reading and have a nice day

Shopping...

Hello,

I'm a weak person. One drugstore is having 30% off of certain make-up items and I felt the need to buy some. I tried to do the minimal damage but when everything is laying in front of me it looks like a lot.

These two Trend it up palettes are the first two items from this brand. I wanted to dip my toes in it and got the two cheek palettes. I remember I already swatched them before and I wasn't too impressed, now I saw them on sale and I picked them up as fast as possible. I'm really weak. I convinced myself that if the colors won't work for my face I can still use the as an eye shadows, right? The top one is no. 010 and all matte the bottom one is named no. 020 and it is more of a highlighter palette because of the all shimmery shades.

Big round pots are Alverde marbled duo bronzer in Soft Bronze which looks very fair even on my pale complexion so I hope it will even show up. I only swatched it in the store so I don't know if it will be an actual bronzer or just an all over the face powder for me.  The blush is one of the two newer ones and it is baked blush in Peachy Bronze. I love everything marbled and baked so this one was a no brainer for me.

The last two lip products are both from Rimmel and the first is the lipstick, I for sure don't need more but it reminded me so much of my beloved Essence sheer and shine lippies that I had to get at least one to try it out. Funny enough, even the names of the lines are similar. It is Moisture renew sheer and shine in the color Glow-rious Pink and it is a soft glossy pink. I can't wait to start wearing it and compare it to the Essence one. The second one is a Oh my gloss! oil tint in the master Pink shade. I only swatched it at the back of my hand and the idea of a glossy and moisturizing oil combined with a stain seemed interesting enough to proceed to the checkout.

That was day one, on the other day and different store I went on a shadow mayhem.

My first Rimmel shadows. The quad is Smokey Brun (yep, that is the name of it). To the touch these four shadows are like silk, the softest and most buttery shadows that I have ever touched. I think I won't even use brushes with them. The other mono one is super popular and seeing it in person it doesn't really screams I'm special but I can see the appeal. Very neutral with a beautiful shimmer through, easy all over the lid kind of shade that I'm a fan of and even though I haven't tried it yet I think we will get along very well. Oh, I almost forgot it is called Millionaire, for some reason I call it Billionaire   ;)

The rest are all Trend it up shades and the 'regular' ones, the 7 of them weren't even on sale so I didn't 'need' to pick them up right away but I didn't know that before purchasing them. Anyways, I bought (in order of appearance) 010, 060, 067, 080, 110 and 070.

The last three are all Trend it up but from different lines. I thought picking only one from each line will get me a glimpse of the textures and quality without wasting too much money. The first from the bottom is Elastic shadow in 020 shade. I actually wanted the more taupe/grey shade but it was already all swatched up even though there was a sample to get your fingers in. Why do nasty people feel the need to ruin brand new products even if there are opened samples? I will never understand this phenomenal. Next to it is a scarabeo no. 010 line which I think is in the process of getting discontinued if that is so then the metallic line is replacing it, mine is in the no. 030.

I have a lot on my plate to try out but it is the sweetest suffer, don't you think?




Thank you for reading and have a nice day

Creamy Melon

Hello,

lip products are still one of my favorite make-up items and sometimes I just can't resist buying them. The particular lipstick is already discontinued but sometimes it still pops up and you are able to get some. I already have one shade and the formula suits me very well so I decided to get the shade I was lusting for for a long time.

It is Avon Ultra Color Absolute lipstick in Creamy Melon shade. I'm not crazy about the pink packaging but if the product inside is nice then I don't mind it.

The shade looks like it would be a nice peachy coral number but it swatches differently on my skin and lips. The formula is very creamy and glossy but at the same time it is very pigmented. I don't recommend it in darker or bolder shades but in more neutral tones this formula is very moisturizing and lovely.

On my skin tone this shows up like an orange lipstick and it was not what I expected. I still tried to wear it but orange lips just aren't for me, I don't feel comfortable knowing that this is on my lips. I ended up returning it. I still like the formula on these and I hope that Avon will bring them back and if they do, I hope there will be my kind of coral in the bunch.




Thank you for reading and have a nice day