Empties

Hello,

long time no words from me, I know I know but I'm back with one of the most 'refreshing' posts. That is how these empties feels for me, like a little Spring cleaning where I get to throw a bunch of empty and now useless packaging away.
Less clutter is how I want to live my life and that mostly includes using up what I have (check) and buying as little as possible (a bit smaller check ;)-

Okay, without any rambling this is Garnie oil beauty body scrub. I bought a set with lotion which was recommended to me by my sister (I haven't used it yet) but this scrub was nice. I prefer to use a brush for my body but this one smelled really good. Would I repurchase it, nope simply I don't think it is cost efficient compared with the big 'horse' brush which lasts for a really long time.

Mixa baby surgras moisturizer for face and body for sensitive and dry skin was another 'let's try it out' kind of product. A while ago I was into baby creams for my sensitive skin to provide it with necessary moisture and tone down my redness. I wasn't really pleased with it (I honestly don't even remember what I thought of it since it was so long since I used it), now I found it at the back so I just used it on my body to finish it up.

One of my favorite face washes is this Himalaya purifying neem foaming face wash. It is bright green but it comes out as a light foam which effectively removes everything from my face but it doesn't dry it out. I still love it and I will buy it soon, right now I'm using another favorite of mine.

Hands down my favorite under the eye area concealer is this Essence camouflage healthy glow concealer in Light Ivory. It is a bit light that is why I only use it under my eyes but I love how buildable the coverage is and how natural it looks, very very little creasing and that is amazing. I'm already using my next tube of it.

Huh, Essence used to make these prettifying lip oils in three options (I had all of them). This one is red named First help pinky. It had very little pigment but it was super glossy/juicy looking with nice nourishing properties even though constant reapplying was a must. Still, I think it is worth it.

This is my second Milnica's Rosemary toner. It has quite a strong herbal scent (I like it a lot) but the reason why I keep buying it is that I think it is nicely moisturizing, I even pour it into the spray bottle and use it on my face without any cotton pads that would absorb its magic.

The very last one is this Fenjal intensive creme deo roll on that I fell in love with. Roll on thingy is my favorite way of applying deodorant and I liked the fresh and clean scent of it and to top it of it really worked for me, no stinky underarms for me  ;)




Thank you for reading and have a nice day

Project polish

Hello,

these two are both really old and sports some old type packaging. Both brands since changed their bottle design at least once. One of them was among one of my favorites but for the other one I didn't really care so this post is bitter sweet because they both still have plenty polish inside but it hardened so not even the nail polish thinner could help them out.

First is Catrice Luxury Lacquers Maliblue with gorgeous sand finish. I'm a sucker for rough finish in nail varnish and blue nail polish holds a special place in my heart. I would rate this one as one of my top five bottles and if would still be available I would get it in a heartbeat. There is something about this fun bright blue that makes my heart skip a beat so if you have any suggestions where to get something similar I would appreciate it.

The next one however was never on my mind. This Essence Gold Rush which is a shimmery pale gold has quite a backstory. I think I got it when I wanted to get the 'perfect' gold nail polish for my sister. I was checking some other golden shades but nothing felt quite right so I decided to get plenty and just mix the right color for her, at the end I found the 'perfect one' so I placed all of them from my basket back to the shelves but forgot this one so I ended up buying it. Instead of passing it on I used it maybe twice otherwise it was just sitting at the back of my drawl until I picked it up eventually just to find out that it is all hard and can't be used. At least now I have no choice but to throw it away.



Thank you for reading and have a nice day

Empties

Hello,

on this rainy day I collected all my empties. It is a colorful bunch of  awesome and some not so great products. Some of them I will definitely repurchase or I have already and some that I will never touch again.

First is Balea coconut water which smells awful, very plastic like so I hold my breath for as long as possible after using it but then it evaporates and I can't detect it anymore (thankfully this scent is discontinued but I think they now have just the non scented version and something with mint or citrus? Something refreshing maybe? I should check). I used it because the mist is so fine, it hits my face evenly and it is never too wet. I was pretty consistent and used it on top of my make up to avoid cakey and dry patches and it worked fine, so I'm definitely looking for a new one in a different scent or unscented version.
  
Next is what become my favorite foundation and it is Catrice HD liquid foundation in Light Beige. I love the pipette/dropper even though it is not that efficient but better than nothing. The color Light Beige is a perfect match and even though it is supposed to be matte it has some glow (no shimmer), it looks natural on the skin and the coverage is pretty high on its own but you can definitely build it up and go all out with it. I love it and I'm already using a new bottle of it.

Another favorite of mine is this Alverde aqua see algea essence. This watery essence took me by surprise. I really wasn't expecting much from it but this little baby moisturized my dehydrated skin with ease, I know you shouldn't use it on its own so I top it off with some moisturizing oil and it did wonders for my skin. This will most definitely end up again in my basket but first I have to use up some more expensive and less efficient essences and elixirs before I purchase it again.

I fell in love with the scent of this The Body Shop Vineyard peach body lotion. It really smell authentic and it is gorgeous but I have noticed that it wasn't moisturizing enough for my skin and I got some dry patches after I started using it (I can't verify that this lotion caused it but after I started using the oil that I will talk in a second my skin healed and now that I'm not using it anymore it looks like nothing happened). The scent was definitely amazing but nourishing properties weren't there.

So the magical miracle that I mentioned is this Melvita Jojoba oil. I ended up using it for so many things like removing my make-up (I started doing the triple cleanse, first is the oil to separate make-up from my face, second is some kind of gel to efficiently remove make-up off my face and third is cotton pad soaked with micellar water to make sure everything is clean). It definitely works as cleanser, then when my face was clean I would use a couple  of drops to moisturize my face, I used it on my arms where I developed some dry patches to sooth and nourish and I even used it on the ends of my hair. I definitely need more Jojoba oil in my life but first I will try to use some others up before repurchasing.

The very last item is this all in one Garnie skinactive rose 3 in 1, cream and mask. They suggest to use it in the morning and night but also as a mask if you don't mind slapping a thicker layer on. I didn't like it at all. It was not light enough, the texture reminded me of a butter so it was definitely not great for the day under make-up (at least for my oily skin), I tried it at night but after a while it absorbs and my skin didn't feel nourished but tight and not really taken care of and if I applied a thicker layer it just dried and it lay on top of my skin and did nothing. Well, probably it did something but the results were so minimal that I didn't notice them. At the end I just used it on my body and didn't worry about it.

This Trend it up Soft color butter pen lipstick in the shade 010 is so good, a perfect mix of gloss, lipstick and lip balm. I wish they would make more shades of them. I scrap everything out of the tube so there wasn't enough for the swatch but if you are curious some swatches are here. This formula is one of my favorites and I wish they would still make it.
Next are the Catrice beautifying lip smoothers in Coffee to go and Best mauve ever. I originally wanted the soft pink shade but since I couldn't find it I settled for these two. Nude one was a bit too light for me so I only wore it inside (so no one saw me) and the brighter berry one was a bit too bright and I was too scared to wear it in public in case of bleeding or going out of my lines. They had a nice formula but nothing too spectacular, if they would still be available I wouldn't get them. I didn't completely finish them because they started to smell so I decided to part with them and use something that is at least still good.



Thank you for reading and have a nice day

Natural Radiance II

Hello,

I'm back with another Trend it up highlighter. I like bronze shades and when I saw this highlighter I was very intrigued. It is gold but not typically yellow but rather more antique and almost bronze looking, it is still gold in its essence but more flattering on my pale skin tone than any other gold highlighters.

It is Trend it up Natural radiant highlighter in the shade 25 (no names just numbers to differentiate products).

This is the second highlighter from them and I bought it after I tried the pink toned one and since I was so impressed by the formula I had to get some more  ;)

Here I applied a heavy coat so it would show up on me and on photo but when I apply it on my cheeks it doesn't look so pigmented and it rather looks like a natural glow and it doesn't clash with my complexion or skin tone. Again it doesn't contain any shimmer or glitter particles but offers plenty of shine that looks quite natural. Just by looking at them in their pans I really wouldn't guess how awesome they are especially for the super low price, I hope they will add some more shades because I'm definitely interested  ;)



Thank you for reading and have a nice day

Project polish

Hello,

project polish is going strong and this time around I have some of my favorite colors. They are all very different from one another but all so very beautiful and very 'me'.
The two small 5 ml bottles come from 2015 advent calendar and the middle, bigger 8 ml bottle is from their past sub line called the nudes.

They are all from Essence which makes lovely nail polishes formula, color and texture vise. First bright one is Have a very pink x-mas and it is not red nor completely pink but something in between with a hint of berry. This was lovely to brighten my nails without looking too typically red, very nice and it will be missed. Thankfully I have one from Catrice that it is similar ;)

Next is sheer, cream to pink polish with golden shimmer named Baby Doll. This one looked so effortless and elegant. Chic and grownup in my opinion. Such a shame that it is no longer available but I have some shades that come close, some are more pink, some don't have any pink in them at all, most have cream finish with full opacity... I could go on and on, the point is that I have probably around 10 bottles that are similar but noting comes close.

The very last moody grey is My dear Reindeer and has a cream finish. I have a soft spot for grey shades in all tones so even though it my look dull is a winner in my books since grey makes me happy. This tone was lovely but I have a couple bottles of similar shades left so my nails continues to be painted in cement grey shades.



Thank you for reading and have a nice day

Lucky Sevens

Hello,

Sephora Colorful duo in Lucky Sevens eye shadow (did anyone else thought of the movie Lucky number Slevin?, cool movie if you like interesting plots).

My sister got me this duo as a gift from one of her travels. She always brings me some make-up or cosmetics that aren't available here in Slovenia for me to enjoy.

This time she picked this subtle eye shadow duo with cream matte side and peachier shimmery part.

Matte shadow is quite close to my skin tone but with transition shades that is perfect so they are easier to blend into the skin but still offer some definition.
This Spring I'm getting more and more into peachy - coral all the way into more pink toned shadows to spice things up so this second color fits into my current make-up looks rather nicely and the shine is definitely my cup of tea.

If I'm in a hurry in the morning I just mix them together and apply them all over the lid for a little sparkle and I can relay on them. It never looks too heavy or out of its place. This duo isn't a game changer but a nifty little product that comes handy when I'm in a rush but still want something on my lids.




Thank you for reading and have a nice day

Natural Radiance I

Hello,

this brand still surprises me with it's awesome products. This time I have an amazing highlighter. I felt very brave to pick this obvious pink shade but since it was on sale I grabbed it.

It is Trend it up Natural Radiant highlighter in the color 30. It is cool toned and almost silver on the skin (I don't think this one is still around but the similar looking shade, warmer looking pink is on their shelves right now that intrigues me, I think it is shade no. 35).

I also love the print and the 3D effect even though with use it goes away and seems pointless but the little things like that warm my heart (I already have blush with the same packaging but I don't own any bronzers like that from them, there isn't many to choose from).

Here you can see that it produces plenty of shine and that it makes my skin looks frozen but since I'm pale it looks okay and not too out of this place. Pink doesn't really comes through as I was afraid and my favorite way to use it to top bronzers with it, that way I avoid looking too warm.

Here it almost looks like it has shimmer but it doesn't, it is just glow, that beautiful glow that obsessed me and made me go back to the store and get another shade  ;)   and now I'm already thinking if I should get a third one...





Thank you for reading and have a nice day

Tip Top Taupe

Hello,

another beauty from already discontinued line of Essence nail polishes (I still saw plenty of bottles in some close to me stores so you might still can find some). I love Essence nail varnishes because they are inexpensive, they last on me and have plenty of shades to choose from.

This one is Essence the gel nail polish in the Tip Top Taupe color. Such an interesting shade, not too grey or beige but a perfect mix of the two.
It reminds me of doves because even they aren't completely grey, right?

It does depends from the light and your undertone. I think on me it looks a bit more grey but since I'm a fan of grey nail tips I'm a happy kid whenever I wear it.
It lasted on me an average 5-6 days until I had to remove but mostly because my nails grow like weed and the gap between was getting too big for my liking.

When they discontinued them I rushed to the store and bought 8 different shades and this one is the third out of the bunch that I tried the other five will soon follow.



Thank you for reading and have a nice day

Lust of Quartz

Hello,

I can't believe I haven't talk about this beauty yet. I introduced its brother in the olive green shade here. In fact I liked it so much that I got the beauty below afterwards.

L.O.V. The Glacious stylo long lasting eye shadow in the shade Lust of Quartz is the second and probably the last shade that I will own from them (the brand is no longer available in my country).

Champagne pink with silver shift is the the best description of this color that I can come up with but just like the other shade that I own it depends from the light and it is a bit of a shade shifter.

This one has less shimmer and more of a glow but I can still just pat it for the simple glittery effect, I really like this double feature where I can wear it full on or with just a hint of it and it can look completely different but it is the same product.

I think that on this picture it looks more peachy but when the light hits you it shines more intensely and has more rose nuance in it.

The formula once again is amazing. Creamy so it is easy to apply but it dries and sticks for the entire day without any creasing. My lids are definitely on the oilier side but with a touch of the Artdeco primer underneath it doesn't budge.

Some more swatches and how different it looks when the light hits it. Seriously, it is one of those shades that you can apply all over and it looks like three or four different colors, it adds dimension without even trying. Simple application, all day wear, unique color (at least in my collection) and it makes me look like I tried much harder that I actually did makes this shadow a stunner and an absolute must in my stash.



Thank you for reading and have a nice day