Empties

Hello,

Autumn weather is upon us and if you are anything like me then you're probably catching all the Sunshine that you can get and using more Summer inspired products so the Summer time will last a bit longer.

Lets start with this L'occitane Terre de lumiere radiating hand and body cream. I have used it exclusively on my hands. The packaging is small and fits in all my purses plus the scent is gorgeous. To me it smells like lavender honey (some of my favorite scents) but I wish it wouldn't have shimmers. That being said I'm eyeing the perfume in this scent but I know that I really shouldn't...

Another amazing scent is from this Avon senses range and it is their Happiness body wash with Pomegranate and Freesia scent. I started using it on my vacation and I feel in love with it the moment I opened it up and sniff it. I will for sure repurcase this scent again, as soon as possible.

Another bottle of this Catrice HD liquid coverage foundation in Light Beige is empty (this is my second one). I love the light texture but also its buildable coverage. It doesn't look too fake and this particular shade is my perfect match. I'm already using the new bottle of it.

I received this Nivea Pearl & Beauty anti-perspirant from last years advent calendar and it was fun to try it out (the packaging is smaller than normally but it still lasted me for months). The scent reminded me of fabric softener which is nice because I don't want my deo to take the stage but to rather work with my other scents. The roll-on packaging is my favorite when it comes to these type of products and it kept me fresh but I would say it is more of a deodorant than an anti-perspirant because I was still sweating. I bought another one from Nivea, I initially wanted to grab the same one but I saw sticker new and bought something different ;)

Nivea released these Mix me body lotions trio in Charming, Exotic and Oasis. The idea behind is to mix them to your own liking and while I know it is a gimmick I still caved in because I sniffed them first (well there were scented rings on the outer box and I liked all three scents). Individually I liked all of them, my favorite is probably the Charming one. It is pure Raspberries and Peonies mix and this scent is really close to my heart. Exotic smelled like Pina Colada and Oasis was fresh and clean leaves in the jungle. I really liked mixing the yellow and the green one together while the pink one I mostly used solo. I don't think they are still available but I think they made fantastic job at formulating these scents.

Catrice Vitamin lip treatment in Innocent Rose is jet another one from my big bulk (I snatched five of these vitamin lip treatments before they discontinued them). I only got one of this shade and while it is lovely it gives the slightest hint of color to my lips, mostly it just looks clear. The scent is fruity and moisturizing properties are nice. My lips felt well hydrated while I was applying it regularly. The bottle is small so I go through these rather quickly.

The very last item is this Avon ultra color lipstick in the shade Knock out Pink. This is my oldest lipstick and due its age I have to throw it away (it is still available and perhaps I will repurchase it again after I go through two or five more lipstick cases). It is lovely rose shade with bolder and darker hue. I prefer to wear it more sparingly (more of a dab on the lips rather than a full swipe) and it creates this lovely blushed effect that I love but the reason why I didn't wear it more often is that it doesn't last for as long as I would like so currently I'm trying to find a lip stain that would give me a similar effect.



Thank you for reading and have a nice day

HD coverage foundation

Hello,

it is finally the time where I show you my favorite foundation for the past year. I have been wearing it non stop and I love it so much that I don't even care what else is on the market because I discovered almost the perfect match for me.

It is Catrice HD coverage foundation in the nuance Light Beige. I love the bottle with the pipette because the texture is so liquid that it works and when I'm almost done with it I just shake it upside down and get every last drop of it out and nothing goes to waste.
It has light coverage but it is buildable and I can get a really nice coverage out of it, it can cover almost all of my imperfections, what is left uncovered I apply some of my trusty camouflages (see on the swatch below). It sits lovely on the skin and it doesn't look fake, after a couple of hours (it depends how hot it is and how oily my skin gets) it can starts showing up but that is due to my oily condition. A little bit of Catrice all about matt fixing powder on top and I'm good.

Here I compare it with Essence Camouflage healthy glow in the shade Light Ivory and Catrice camouflage cream concealer in Ivory. The first swatch is the foundation which fits me perfectly when it is spread out. The second swatch is Essence and it is slightly lighter and more yellow tone and it is great for under my eyes and the very last one (barely there but trust me it is there) is another Catrice product and it is almost completely blended into my arm.
With my previous love (L'oreal infallible 24 h matte foundation) I had to use the lightening drops and that automatically prolongs the application time plus it never looked so natural on me. I'm a true believer and I will continue repurchasing it.



Thank you for reading and have a nice day

Zesty Lime

Hello,

L'occitane is one of those fancy stores that always try to lure me in but I rarely step inside. The ladies working there are always so very nice and full of knowledge but my wallet would suffer way too much if I would become a regular ;)
Last year I picked up this little buddy for my birthday.

It is L'occitane's Zesty Lime hand cream. It was love at the first sniff, I would say. They have a lot of flowery numbers in their collection and this one was just so very different.
The scent screams Spring time but I like using it now in cooler months just because it differentiate itself from other typical scents of the season, what can I say, I'm a little rebel at heart  ;)

Zesty Lime is perfect name for it because it perfectly describes the scent. You get it in their paint tube and I like that it has lighter texture (I can't get on board with their original shea butter one because it is way too greasy for me). It absorbs quickly into my dry hands and nourish them nicely and the scent lingers for a long time. I still think it is a little pricey but sometimes we have to indulge our self a bit, right?



Thank you for reading and have a nice day

Electric Valley 010 lipstick

Hello,

this again is long overdue but since the color is so bright and happy I just had to show and talk about it.

It is from Trend It Up brand and this particular lipstick was part of their Electric Valley collection. They had a couple of shades but I ventured straight into the brightest color in the shade 010.

It is bright coral hue and I thought it would be fun for the Summer time.

Even though the tubes are not that special they have some extra touches and a loud click which ensures that it won't open in my purse. The packaging feels very well made and sturdy.

It is part of their cream formula (I'm a fan of creamier lipsticks) and I was eager to try it out. I know that it is not the best formula for bold colors but with this one it kind of works. It is not too slippery and it doesn't feather out of the lines but it also doesn't survive a meal. I usually wear it when I meet for coffee (if I drink with care it is okay or when I go shopping...). For work I definitely prefer lighter, more neutral hues that don't require so much care.
I like this formula but I think it will be better with lighter tones and the color is very fun, not something for every day but more once a week kind of affair and I think it is perfectly okay. It was very inexpensive to begin with. Next time when I will be in the store I have to check what other shades they have, especially now when they did the whole turnover.



Thank you for reading and have a nice day

Rockablue

Hello,

it is time to change my nail polish and use something 'new'. I bought 8 bottles of Essence nail varnishes when they were replacing them with the new design at the beginning of this year and I still haven't wear all of them. My mission is to use all of the nail polishes that I haven't try previously and with this grey number there is one less on the list.

First is Essence the gel nail polish in Rockablue and second is Essence shine last & go Millennial Pink (new formula and bottle design). I already raved about the soft pink one here.

I did this fun manicure with interchanging colors and I think that the two pastels went together lovely. I previously already wore the Millennial Pink and it is magnificent. With two coats I reach full opacity and there is no streaking. The Rockablue (it is more grey than blue but the undertone is blue) is thinner but still I can reach full opacity in two coats. It is not full on glossy but also not matte, something in between. I love wearing both of these colors separately or together (I will definitely match them again soon).

Essence makes lovely nail polishes in my opinion and I can't really distinguish between the new and old formula, they both work for me and if something will catch my eye I will for sure buy it, especially they being so inexpensive.




Thank you for reading and have a nice day

Smokey Day

Hello,

big pallets are still on the rise but I personally sometimes get lost. When there are too many options I can't seem to make my mind so fever options give me more freedom and when the tones are just right... long story short, this trio is quite old and in Slovenia no longer available but it contains some of my favorite shadows.

Essence smokey eyes set in Smokey Day trio. Lovely neutrals but on the cooler side and that is how I like my neutrals.

I wish they would give us a bit bigger pan of the lightest shade but other than that I don't have any complaints.

The top shade is rather neutral in tone but the other two are proper cool tones.

Unfortunately the lighter shade doesn't photograph well. Here it just looks like random shimmer but in real life it is light grey with nice reflection, perfect for highlighting inner corners or topping other darker shades because it has enough pigment to show and enough shine to glow.
Top shade in the palette and the middle one on the swatch looks quite warm in the sandwich but I would say it is pretty neutral. Lovely almost matte shade to set the base and create some definition.
The third shade is my absolute favorite since it has this gorgeous shimmer that I'm so very crazy about. The cool undertone makes my heart skip a beat and when I put it on my eyes it looks like I used two or three different shades when it is just this one.

This is a lovely little trio and I'm glad that I picked it up before it was sold out. I have it for quite a while now and I'm still not sick of it, that tells a lot.



Thank you for reading and have a nice day

Essence gift

Hello,

I consider myself as a very lucky girl. I was sent this lovely PR gift from Essence including three new items from their recent update.

I received contouring duo palette for lighter skin. Both shades are matte and the first one almost look like a face powder, I wonder if it will be a good match or it will be slightly too dark but as a contour or bronzer is too light... The other shade looks like a lovely bronzer. It is way too warm to be a contour ( I had a feeling that it will be like that in the first place so I'm not even mad or surprised). I love bronzers and I'm always excited to receive more.

The blush is in this lovely berry/plum shade named Befitting. I wonder if the formula is even better that the previous  one. Their blushes were already amazing so I wonder if they were even able to upgrade the already amazing texture.

The last items is their new line of lipsticks and honestly I was the most excited to try this one out. They go by the perfect shine name and I couldn't be happier. I love shiny lipstick ;) I received soft red one with the name Perfect Plan. To bad that they don't have soft rose tone.

I will start testing them out immediately simply because I can't contain myself, so many lovely goodies to try out.




Thank you for reading and have a nice day

Empties

Hello,

time flies by and it is empties time again. I have some items that I was working on on my recent vacation and others are for pampering and soothing my skin afterwards (I didn't burn, my skin was just a bit dry and dehydrated after more than usual sun exposure and extensive swimming).

I purchased this Hazelnut oil from Milnica because it is supposedly appropriate also for oily and sensitive skin (I had zero issues with it), Mostly I used it as a cleansing agent to remove make-up from my skin and then followed with my regular gel cleanser and my face was clean and didn't feel stripped of moisture (I'm really into this two step cleansing and if necessary I follow with micellar water afterwards). I will repurchase it again but at the moment I have some jojoba oil which also suits me very well.

Aveo grapefruit hand sorbet was purchased last year but since I have so many hand creams only now I started to use it. It has almost clear gel texture with lovely zest fragrance but the issue I have with it is that it leaves my skin sticky and that is a big setback.

On of my favorite SPF face creams is this  Holika Holika dazzling sunshine make up sun cream with SPF 45 +++. It does leave white residue (it is mineral sun cream) but still it keeps me matte. I like it a lot until I found something even better (still mineral but not so white) and so this year I used it on my body (it was also a bit older and I was scared that it wasn't protecting me so applying thick coats was something I did and I didn't get burned even though I spend a lot of time on the sun and in the water, it was waterproof, another reason why it was lovely).

This Essence hydra nail care serum has quickly become an essential item in my nail care. Every time I changed my color (sometimes also in between but mostly when my nails were bare) I applied some of it an massaged it into my cuticles to keep them hydrated and nourished. I liked the fact that it sinked in fast and I wasn't left with greasy residue. I would repurchased it but now I received oil which is very affective but greasy.

Afrodita body jam was sold out almost immediately when it came out. It was so popular that they weren't even able to manufacture it, the demand was too high. I was lucky enough to spot it and get it among the first. It smells just like apricot jam but unfortunately the texture is also just like that. Sticky and annoying. I was saving it for vacation to finally finish it because I don't mind being sticky on the beach.

I wanted to try and love this Catrice HD active performance primer with SPF 30 so badly but unfortunately it just wasn't meant to be. It didn't hold my make-up in place so I decided to use it on my body to at least finish it up. You can find more about it here.

For the last I saved another batch of these Garnier moisture + relaxing tissue mask, super hydrating and detiring with lavender extract and hyaluronic acid. When I came back from my sea vacation my skin was a bit dry and not quite right so I used these two sheets to bring back my normal self. What I also like about it is that there is enough serum left in each bag for another three to four days of nourishing. With these two I really felt a difference when I used them. Maybe they really worked or maybe my skin was just too stressed and a little pampering did the trick. I'm still not 100% sure that I will get them again but if I will I will get these, the purple ones.




Thank you for reading and have a nice day

Nurturing Nude and Revitalizing Raspberry

Hello,

this post is long overdue. I bought these two lipsticks back in... I can't even remember. I purchased them right when they came out and I still haven't find the time to show them here until today.

Avon supreme nourishing lipsticks are housed in standard Avon packaging with bronze bar in the middle.

These guys are marbled and that was what caught my attention right away. Show me marbled products and I'm sold (I can't wait for the new Catrice Pure simplicity collection).

Each product is individualized so even if I would repurchase one of the two shades it would look different. It also looks different on the lips from day to day and that can be very fun.

This lovely nude is Nurturing Nude. After wearing it a couple of days the layer under the surface revealed thick coat of balm which dilutes color so it was more sheer (you can check it how it looked on my lips while on the swatch the full on color is seen).

Soft red is Revitalizing Raspberry. Lovely shade but a little bolder and therefore not something I could wear everyday. I think that the color looks lovely on me but I don't feel like wearing it all the time.

Nurturing Nude and Revitalizing Raspberry as they are in full on mode with barely there balm lines. That is how they looked in its boldest form. Nude one has warmer tones and I actually prefer it mixed with balm as I demonstrate on the picture below.

Nurturing Nude has some golden shimmer but it is barely noticeable and it tints my lips almost peachy. Very very nice and I have actually already finished it ;) (if you read my empties you were able to spot it). I'm debating if I would repurchase it again, one reason is that at the moment I don't have any nude shades and this one was really nice but at the same time I'm ready to try something new... decisions, decision.

Revitalizing Raspberry is much bolder and even mixed with balm didn't helped much. I like the slightly glossy look but the color isn't something I could easily reapply and wear with confidence. In essence I like the warm tone but I wear it once or twice a month so I still have plenty to go through. Wish me luck that I will finish it before it will go bad  ;)




Thank you for reading and have a nice day

Flamingold

Hello,

another day another nail polish. Lately I have been on a neutral kick and I'm loving it especially if they have some shimmer to it and this one is sparkling.

Essence the gel nail polish in the shade called Flamingold even though I see this color more bronze than gold.

This color was the second one that I had some reservations but since it was so cheap (1€ because I got it on sale) I still purchased it. The other one is On air! that I reviewed last week but both surprised me and turn out to be among my favorites.

Just like the golden shade On air! this one also has some silver sparkles to keep it on the cool side but the shimmer is smaller and therefore also easier to remove.

I find this color to be lovely, neutral but it sill packs some punch on the Sun. I honestly can decide which one I like better but thankfully I don't even need to ;)



Thank you for reading and have a nice day

Sweet Peach

Hello,

this lip gloss is a true cutie. I have a thing for glosses in tubes and this particular one is peach scented, how could I resist?

It is Essence smoothie gloss in Sweet Peach flavour.
There are four other scents/shades but the rest are brighter and while they are pigmented I thought will be harder to apply and wear so I opted for the most natural looking from the bunch.

I think lip glosses in tubes are easier to apply while on the go but only if it is sheer (so you don't need a mirror) but this wide opening makes it a bit hard. The tube dispenses a little too much products (maybe if you have thicker lips that perhaps won't be an issue for you).

The color looks more coral when you squeeze it out but I like to sheer it out so it looks super natural and it gives my lips just a hint of color but plenty of shine and delicious Peach taste (it seriously is delicious). The only downside is that I apply too little so it also doesn't last on me. I wish they would make it a bit more sheer so I could lay down a thick layer which would make it last longer and I wouldn't need to reapply every 45 minutes or so.
I took it with me on a vacation (it doesn't have any SPF) because it is easier to use liquid lip product on the beach than lip balm in a stick format (I remember last years vacation fiasco when my lip balm simply melted). It is not perfect (I wish it would be a bit more sheer) but if I would lost it I would go to the store and repurchase it immediately, it costs around 2 EUR and you get plenty for your money.



Thank you for reading and have a nice day

Zinc about you

Hello,

I have found this little beauty under discontinued...

It is Essence melted chrome eye shadow in the shade Zinc about you. I grabbed it immediately since I'm already familiar with the formula, last year I think I received shade called Steel the look.

This one is rose toned and something a year ago I wouldn't even look at. Just recently I started experimenting with pink on my eyes (I'm still using blushed on my eye lids because I don't think I can commit to a full pan of pink shadow) and this makes a great lid topper.

I lightly rubbed my finger in there and the first swatch is made with plenty product on, second and third line were made with the remaining. I wanted to show you how pigmented and packed it is, even on the third swatch you can see plenty of shimmer and it sparkles so lovely when you actually put it on.

At some angles this color might look a bit more brown toned but that is just the light play. Sparkles are what matters and Essence really nailed it with these little magical pots. If they are really gone they did it wrong. I think I can speak for everyone and say that we love glitter and we want it back especially the kind of glittery shadows that stick to the lid, have zero fallout, they don't crease or fade. These are amazing and if you have some you can consider yourself lucky.




Thank you for reading and have a nice day

Secret Apricot

Hello,

I have plenty of blushes in my stash. I could say that I discovered them pretty late in my make-up journey. That being said I also accumulated plenty of them and I haven't show you all of them yet.

This pretty unique blush shade (at least in my collection) is L.O.V heartful healthy glow blush in Secret Apricot. I purchased it when the brand was still available in our stores and my eyes gravitated to the most unusual shade on the shelf.

It is called secret Apricot but there is nothing secret about it. It is bright and vivid coral leaning towards orange territory shade.

I have to be careful because it is very pigmented but if you do it right (lightly) it looks gorgeous. It gives my cheeks that healthy color that radiates almost within.

Even though this collection is called healthy glow (I would agree with the healthy looking part) but glow gets me. Some of the shades I think had some sheen and some didn't. Mine is shine free, matte but not chalky dry. The finish is still very beautiful but since I'm a big fan of glowy cheeks I like to add some extra highlighter just to accentuate the color a bit more.

I'm super happy with this shade and I think it looks good on my pale face but it would look even better if I would work on some tan (I tried but with no avail).
Before they completely pulled out of our market I remember checking out their range for some more lovely blushes. Don't get me wrong, they were amazing but nothing too special, I felt like I already had all of the shades. Probably this will be the only blush I will own from them but boy, oh boy, it is a gorgeous one.



Thank you for reading and have a nice day

Fascinating Grace and nail oil with coconut and monoi oil

Hello,

a little while ago Catrice surprised me with a lovely package of their new products. The other day I was doing my nails and I just had to try the two nail related products for myself to see what is what. I love cuticle care and sparkling nail polish so expectations were high.

When the promo photos started to circle around my heart skipped a bit when I saw these gold effect nail polishes so getting one of the shades was amazing. They send me the fancy looking rose gold number named Fascinating Grace and alongside is the nail oil with coconut and monoi oil (it smells delicious).

Fascinating Grace is full on shimmery nail varnish and oh so beautiful. Application is easy and two coats are enough for full coverage.

I compared the Catrice oil with Essence nail care serum that I received last year. They both do amazing job at moisturizing dry cuticles the difference being in the scent (Catrice one wins here because the Essence serum is scentless) and feeling. One is a serum so it sinks in pretty fast but if my cuticles are extremely dry I need two or three coats while with the Catrice oil one layer is enough but it also take a while to absorb.

Here I have two coats of Fascinating Grace on and it might look like it does not offer full coverage but I can assure you that this is just an illusion, light is playing tricks with my camera.
It is very modest looking in terms of color because it does not stand out and jet it catches the light so effortless. I had plenty of fun wearing this nail varnish for a full week.

The finish is smooth (no grittiness from the particles even without top coat) and removing wasn't too annoying. It did took me a bit longer but not as long as it does with glittery nail polishes.
All in all I was not disappointed with these two buddies, in fact I'm eyeing the red and purple varnish within the same collection...



Thank you for reading and have a nice day

Mrs. Rosalie Berry

Hello,

I have finally pulled my stuff together and wrote this post. I have this blush for two years now and have started using it only a couple of months ago. You would ask why? Well, when I purchased it back in 2017 I had plenty of cheek products so I put in the back of one of my drawls (not meant for makeup and then I forgot about it). Now this collection of blushes is discontinued and that was the last push for me to publish it at last.

There were three versions of these Catrice strobing blushes and I bought the least 'me' shade named Mrs. Rosalie Berry. I left the lovely peach and bronze toned versions in the store and at first I was convinced that eventually I would get them...

I love the layout of the four slightly shimmery shades. I think it makes it a bit more different and therefore more desirable in a flood of blushes.

That darker corner might look a bit scary but the color gets diluted when I swirl them all together which creates lovely brighter pink shade which is on the neutral side of the spectrum if we talk about the undertone and some golden sheen that allows you to skip on the highlighter.

It is very pigmented so I have to be careful and tap the excess to avoid clown cheeks (I speak from experience) but after a long day it fades a bit. That was a bit disappointing.

On the swatch I just could't capture the lovely sheen but trust me it is there. This is one of the rare pink blushes in my collection (I prefer peach/coral tones or bronzer) but it is one of my favorite in pink color family. The fading properties doesn't bother me that much but strong pigmentation does, simply because I have to be extra careful and too much blush is hard to cover up or remove. That is why I decided not to get the other two shades plus I already have so many in similar tones that it would be too wasteful. I'm trying to shop less this year and somehow I'm managing. I have good and bad days but I'm sailing through.


Thank you for reading and have a nice day