31 July 2019

Empties

Hello,

this round I have very little products at the finished line. I think that is simply because now I'm left with newer products which are still quite full and therefore harder to use up. I'm trying really hard to use up what I already have and purchase less so every used up product is a little victory on its own.
On the photo below I have some really lovely and some really awesome products.


Avon Today body souffle didn't have any special formula as the 'souffle' implies. Regular milkier lotion but I purchase it because of its scent. I was eyeing this perfume for a long time and I thought that purchasing lotion will make me decide if I really like the scent (I do like it a lot so I already own a perfume as well ;) To me it smells creamy, warm, flowery and a bit honey like. I loved coating myself with this scent and probably I will repurchase it soon.

Alkmene tea tree face wash is nothing new in my bathroom. I like its tea tree properties since I think it keeps my skin acne free. I use two pumps of product mix it with a bit of water and clean my face with it. It is great at removing my make up but it doesn't completely strip my skin. Plus it is on cheaper side  ;) Double win.

Batiste makes some of my favorite dry shampoos. This time around I used sweet & delicious Sweetie dry shampoo. As the name implies it does smell sweet and candy like but I didn't mind it, actually I wore it also as a perfume. Whenever I used it I skipped on my actual perfume because of its heavy fragrance, I honestly didn't need anything else. My favorite is still the Peony scent but this one comes close, I think there are some other versions that I would like to try next (anything but the Voluminous or Tropical ones since those two scents didn't suit me at all)

Second to last is this old bottle of Essence studio nails pro white glow base coat. It was slightly pink toned to help cover the yellow stained nails. The effect was so minimal that I don't think it was even worth it plus I never wear only clear nail polish so why I purchased it is still beyond me and this was actually the second bottle of it. In the future I think I will avoid tinted nail varnishes which promise covering the stained look simply because I don't need it.

The very last item is my beloved Catrice all matte plus shine control powder in Transparent shade. This is my third? one I think. It is very nice. It doesn't keep me matte for hours but what sets it apart is the fact that when I use it in the middle of the day (powdering my already oily face) it doesn't look all cakey or weird but it looks refreshed and matte, almost as if I redid my make-up. That is why I like it and the fact that it comes cheap helps a lot because I go through it quite fast, especially now in the hot Summer. I keep one more at work and then I'm out. I will try to use what I already have (Rimmel super famous powder and Maybelline fit me are already waiting to be used and I can't wait to see how they compare) and if they won't work I'm buying the Catrice one soon.



Thank you for reading and have a nice day

29 July 2019

Project Polish

Hello,

I have to pat myself on the back because my project polish is going really well. I'm almost at my goal which I set myself at the beginning of the year and it took me only half of the year to reach it (I need three more bottles to be finished to reach 20).


Yep, the cap on this Catrice Mint me up bottle is missing. I remember my sister gave me this polish soon after it came out and the first time I opened it up the cap broke so I pour it into another clean bottle but I decided to keep the original just to remind myself what an incredible Hulk I am I guess ;)  The color was a beautiful fresh mint with unusual golden sheen. I loved it.

Essence released this one, What a Grey't night, in 2015 as part of their advent calendar (I still have some more bottles to go through) and this shade really was one of my favorites. Light grey with golden shift? Count me in. The golden sheen was very similar to the Mint me up and in both shades it was unexpected and something special. This was another of my favorites.

The last one is another discontinued hue but this time from Avon speed dry line. They recently revamped this line and it is now called Pro colour 60 sec and it also promises long lasting effect and rapid drying time. Some of the shades also look very similar but I don't think they have the exact same one as this Pronto Purple hue. It doesn't look like much but on the nails it is so vibrant and it makes me happy. This is another one of my favorites and I will miss it.


On the mint one I just couldn't catch the shimmer but I think you can catch a glimpse one the grey one. All of the shades were super pretty and the first two I finished up completely while I have to part with the Pronto Purple shade because it become all goopey and therefore unusable.
I also love how all of them look together and I wish I would have enough courage to wear the mint and purple together...




Thank you for reading and have a nice day

28 July 2019

new Catrice products

Hello,

Catrice has just bring out a whole bunch of new products. Some had to say goodbye (as always) to make room for the new stuff. I was fortunate enough to receive a package with the new goodies.


Eyeconista is already well established mascara in Catrice range but this time around they introduced the waterproof version. I have not tried the 'regular' one yet so I decided to give the waterproof version a chance.

I'm almost out of my nail serum so this new nail oil will come super handy for my cuticles and nails. I have not tried it properly but it smells really nice.

Next in a lovey pink gold reflective packaging is their new color changing lipstick (lip balm?) lip colour intensifier with a bright coral hue, golden shimmer and not forget the amazing peach scent. I have not tried it out jet but I'm very excited. It is named One gold fits all (so far the only shade).

The last item is one of the new gold effect nail varnishes. I'm in love with sparkly nails so this entire collection is right up my alley. I received the shade called Fascinating Grace. Light and neutral but sparkly enough to get the attention it deserves.

I just picked up the package so I haven't got a chance to play with the products jet but I will soon and more in depth reviews will follow.

Thank you Catrice for sending me these products.



Thank you for reading and have a nice day

18 July 2019

Nude Sapphire

Hello,

recent announcement from the brand that they will add more shades to this range inspired me to finally post my opinion of the product. Lately I have been very lazy and I have been slacking but when it comes to these amazing little products I feel like I have to spread the good word so people will know and try them out.


I'm referring to this Catrice Generation Plump & Shine lip gloss in the shade Nude Sapphire. I was super excited to receive it from the PR team and honestly I still am.


The doe foot applicator is standard and it carries plenty of product. It has a very faint cookie scent and I'm fine with it. I mean, I wouldn't be mad if the scent would be more intense but I guess less scented stuff appeal more people so they did a compromise.


I received it shortly after receiving one of the L.O.V. glosses and before that it wasn't too long since I purchase one myself. Quite quickly I ended up with three very similar nude glosses and while they look super similar in the packaging...


Here I think that the difference among the three of them is pretty clear. L.O.V. Lovicious caring volume lip gloss in Mystic Sand is lighter nude with peach tones, Addicting Rosewood also from the same L.O.V. line is darker more rose toned while the Catrice one looks more pink toned. Honestly the Nude Sapphire shade looks the most natural and therefore the most flattering on me (I'm eyeing also the coral and the pink shades). This formula is super comfortable and nourishing, I haven't experience any dryness while wearing it. It isn't sticky or gummy on the lips and if I tell you that I have already used up around one quarter of this product...
All in all I don't think I could decide which formula I prefer but since I can't get my hands on L.O.V. products anymore the answer is pretty clear. You can expect more Catrice glosses on my blog :)
P.S. They are about to launch three shimmery shades but I haven't made my mind jet, in essence I don't love shimmery lip products but since the formula is soo good...



Thank you for reading and have a nice day

17 July 2019

Warm Glow bronzer

Hello,

Summer is in full swing so it is only appropriate to expose some bronzers. I personally love wearing it all year round but only on my cheeks, I'm too scared to look muddy or dirty if I would use it all over my face. My love for bronzers is so high that it is so hard to resist and I keep buying more. My last bronzer purchase is ths one from The Body Shop.


It is from The Body Shop Baked to last line and my shade is Warm Glow (there is even darker hue available).


I'm a sucker for anything marbled and bronzey so this was an obvious purchase for me.
It looks quite shimmery and the lady working there said that the glitter particles mostly fall off, that is only half true. There are still some shiny bits left but not as many as you wold expect.
The shine didn't bother me but I was a bit scared of the orange hue, I swear that in the store it looked more muted.


Here I have swatched the Warm Glow in the middle and you can see just how orange it pulls ( a little too much for my liking especially compared with other bronzers in my collection which have other, more natural looking undertones for my skin tone).


First swatch here was made with Essence Mosaic compact powder in Sunkissed Beauty which also has some shimmering bits but compared with the TBS one looks matte and more peach toned. I also had to layer it to even show it on my skin, it is very light and perfect for pale complexions because it layers nicely and rarely looks too heavy. In my opinion the lighter pigmentation means that you just can't go wrong ;)  and it is one of my favorites.
Second, middle shade is TBS Warm Glow.
And the last stripe is my beloved Catrice Light Spectrum Strobing Brick in Brown Brilliance. This tone is everything. Do you see how much more brown it is? No orange tones present? I love that and it is a shame that more bronzers don't look like that.

I think it is pretty obvious that I'm not going to keep Warm Glow. It is almost too glittery even for me but the most important aspect is the tone and it is just too warm for me. It doesn't look natural  on my cheeks so instead of keeping it I decided to pass it on to someone who will love it more and I will use the ones that I truly enjoy wearing.



Thank you for reading and have a nice day

16 July 2019

Empties

Hello,

I'm back with another quick post or at least I hope it will be short and sweet.
It is time for some empties.


First is The Body Shop Chinese Ginseng & Rice clarifying polishing powder wash. It is essentially powder that doesn't completely dissolve so it gently rubs and polish the skin. It really feels gentle but since I was used to some harsher stuff this felt a bit light so I used it more on a regular base. All in all, I think I have learn that gentle is the way to go but this little fella seems a bit expensive so I purchased similar polish from a different brand to try it out but this powder really showed me the new ways of scrubbing.

 Purple tube is already discontinued Holika Holika Moisture Petit BB with SPF 30 PA ++. This is my second used up tube of it and now I can't find it anymore. It was a smidge dark for me but high coverage, easy glide and blend with my skin was phenomenal. The high SPF which didn't break me out was a massive plus. The only downfall is that BB creams and my oily skin on the long run don't work that well, after a couple of hours I do look all greasy and after so many blotting sessions even powder couldn't help me out. After a couple of years of relying on Asian BB creams I switched completely on foundations and for now BB creams only come handy to blend my neck or on vacation.

This bottle of oil I bought on a whim. I remember seeing it on sale and I heard good reviews in general about this brand so I wanted to try at least something (even though I use up one of their face washes and it was average to me). Alpstories 100% pure Avocado Oil had a weird scent, slightly unpleasant but it went away pretty fast so it didn't bother me too much. The oil is liquid and thick at the same time, most of it I used as a make-up remover and it worked amazingly well. It managed to melt all of my make-up, next I followed with a face wash to remove 'dirty oil' and my face was clean but not dry. I thoroughly enjoyed it and after I will be done with the hazelnut oil that I'm using at the moment I will repurchase this particular oil again. I'm not sure where to get it but when I will run low I will make sure to find it out.

Second to last is this raved by everyone concealer. I for sure was amazed by it for quite a while but then something even slightly better came around. This is Catrice liquid camouflage high coverage concealer in the shade 010 Porcellain. It is a tad lighter than my skin but I found out that this slightly lighter tone helped brighten up my under eye area even better and I wasn't using it anywhere else. High coverage and creamy/liquid formula are what won everyone's hearts. I loved it a lot but then I got a hold of the Essence liquid concealer (healthy glow version is the best, compared to the Catrice one it creases even less and with the Catrice one you can barely even notice the creasing). I would buy any of the two but if I can choose than my vote goes to the Essence one.

The very last item is this another amazing product and it is Avon true color SuperShock volume mascara in black. My sister only wears this one so don't even think on discontinuing it Avon. I love the big brush with rubber spikes that combs through every single lash. It elongates them and makes them look super natural (no clumping). Of course you can add more layers to add volume to every single lash but it will never look fake or too done.On me it pretty much always looks like I'm not even wearing mascara in a good way. My eyes are still the center point without looking too unnatural. I have already repurchase it but now Avon came out with another similar looking mascara...



Thank you for reading and have a nice day

01 July 2019

Empties

Hello,

pampering my skin is something I really like to do. It has become more of a ritual than hassle through the years and just now I'm realizing what works for me. It is a process and it takes time, in the mean time I buy a lot of so so products but even they have to get used up.


Let's start with the Secret Key Multi cell night repair ampoule serum. It is supposed to be a moisturizing and brightening serum, I have noticed right after applying it to my face that my skin drank it up like a glass of water in the desert. It felt extremely moisturizing especially combined with oils on top. I have a lot of acne scars (bright red dots that are super stubborn) but I wouldn't go so far to claim that it helped to reduce them faster (they take months to disappear so tracking them down and figuring out how long it takes them to go away is hard). I liked it a lot and I would get it again simply for its moisturizing properties but since I can only get it online I will try to get something similar from the stores around me.

I love Avon care hand creams (my favorite is still the most basic one named Glycerin hand, nail & cuticle hand cream). This one, youth restore hand, nail & cuticle cream was nice but it felt like it didn't absorb properly and when I went and wash my hands it came off and my skin was dry again. It just sit on top and didn't work its magic into the deeper layers of my skin.

 This next product was an impulse purchase from Alverde. It is their Orange and Melissa body spray which smells amazing by the way, citrus-y but warm at the same time. It is such a shame that it is only a body spray which fades away way too fast.

The last item is a necessity for every nail polish lover. I go through a bottle of nail polish remover every couple of months. This time it was this Aveo Hibiscus nail polish remover. Towards the end I couldn't pick the scent anymore, I don't know if that is because I got used to it, it faded or my nose can't pick up the scents properly anymore. I often buy removers from this brand because they are inexpensive and effective. I already bought a new bottle again from this brand just in a different 'scent'.


My favorite category are lip products. This time around I have three. The first is old Catrice Vitamin lip treatment in a bright red shade named Bohemian Raspberry. Sheer and very glossy on the lips with a somewhat fruity scent, so very different from all the vanilla/caramel ones that are floating around. It was moisturizing and nourishing my lips and that is the important bit, I still have four left so I don't feel particularly sad about finishing this discontinued product.

Next is my first and perhaps also the last M.A.C. lip product (I find their products very expensive  and especially lip glosses are pricey considering how little product you get), mine was a gift. It is the dazzleglas in the Love Alert shade. Bright red with little shimmer particles, I liked how the color wore off, it looked lighter and just a bit flushed but it got sticky so instead of reapplying it I had to remove it completely and then apply fresh layer. It did lasted on my lips a bit longer than the rest of the glosses that I have tried but the sticky feeling toward the end, 1,92 g of product and the price tag around 20 EUR seems too much for me to handle.

And the lipstick is Avon ultra color nourishing in Nurturing Nude. These lipsticks are pretty special and unique (I have another shade and more in depth review will follow) because of its balm infused core where the pigment and clear balm are unevenly mixed together so each lipstick and every application are unique. Better review with swatches will follow but I don't think I will repurchase it again even though it was a nice nude shade with mostly lovely formula. I prefer it with more of a balm ratio so it was more of a sheer wash of color.


Last but not least is Avon Caribbean Escape  with crushed pearls and sea algae illuminating body butter. This smells so so nice but I don't like the tiny little golden shimmer because it ends up everywhere. Still, this was my second pot of it, if they will ever make it without shimmer I will buy it again but till then I will pass. Maybe I will rather get the face mask with the same scent which isn't anything too special, a bit moisturizing but I will get my kick in the scent department from it.


Thank you for reading and have a nice day