Empties

Hello,

a lot has been going on lately and even though I still go to work I like to take time to just unplug and think about 'light' subjects such as make-up and cosmetics. It might look shallow but for me it is a stress relief and keeps me busy so I don't constantly think about what is going on in the world.
More than anytime I'm motivated to clean up and use what I already have, instead of shopping which is at the minimum and reduced to only food.
It is the end of the month and here are my empties for the last portion of March.

Catrice vitamin lip treatment in Born to be Wild-berry and Bohemian Raspberry, are my last two glosses from this lovely line. Slightly red tinted, just enough to make my lips healthy looking, glossy and juicy plus with a lovely Watermelon scent. I could not wish for anything more. I wish they will eventually bring them back or at least something similar because they were amazing.

Next is Catrice Dewy-ful lips, conditioning lip butte with shea butter in the shade Be You! Dew You!. I recently talked about it and I said that the shade is slightly too light for my liking but what really bothered me was a weird artificial scant that I couldn't bear. I kept it for a little while but I couldn't bring myself to wear it so I guess the only reasonable thing to do is to throw it away.

Last one is Rimmel London Oh my Gloss! with the name Ooh La La. It is bright red with pink undertone which also leaves lovely tint. The other day I wanted to use it but the scent turned and I'm pretty sure that it went bad so I'm throwing it into the trash.

Here I have Balea Raspberry and Rose body wash. I think this was a limited edition scent because when I picked it up (last year in Autumn) it was in the process of being discontinued and I managed to get two bottles of it. I will admit that the cute pug got my attention but upon smelling it I just knew I have to have it. There is something magical about Rose or Peony mixed with Raspberry in my opinion. To me this scent is absolutely intoxicating and if it would still be available I would get some more bottles of it.

Next is another body wash but with a different texture and it is Dove shower mousse with Rose oil. I also purcahsed it last year alongside with the Argan one. You see, my sister loves shower foams and I got it for her but since I was so curious I wanted one for myself. She is not too keen on Rose so I kept this one and it felt luxurious. The scent was light and the foam was extra thick. I absolutely love this formula and after the whole situation calms down and I will be in need for body washes I will see if they still have them.

The very last item is this little Nivea Soft multipurpose hydrating cream that I received in Advent calendar a couple of years ago. It is scentless and I used it all over my body,even on my face in the evening and my face didn't protest. The texture is light and it absorbs fast, in the future I can see myself repurchasing it again.



Thank you for reading and have a nice day

Morning Glory and Almighty single eye shadows

Hello,

for today I have prepared two eye shadows from two different brands that I bought at the same day in the same store not realizing that they look so similar.

First is Essence Morning Glory and second L'oreal's Almighty single eye shadows.

Here the L'oreal one looks a bit darker but that could also be because of the 3D wave pattern.

They are both neutral coppery shades with plenty of shimmer and shine.

When swatched the shades looks exactly the same but the finish is what separates them.
Essence looks like a typical powder shadow with obvious sparkles which is completely fine but when compared to the Almighty which looks like it is a cream product or applied wet you can see the difference.

Almighty has more reflection than Morning Glory and it comes down to your own taste what you prefer. Blingy and shiny or more subdued shimmer?
I definitely don't need both so probably I will pass on of them to my sister but I haven't decided yet which to give away, any suggestions?


Thank you for reading and have a nice day

Naked Petals

Hello,

for today I have a product that is a bit older. It was part of a limited edition that came out last year already and I'm not sure if it is still available somewhere but since I really like it I decided to still show it on this little platform of mine.

Catrice Pure Simplicity limited edition lipstick in the shade Naked Petals. It is packed in sturdy cardboard and the whole collection had this recycled feel.
I also wanted the marbled blushes but since there were no testers out I decided to skip them and only get one lipstick.

Naked Petals caught my eye because it is a soft coral and it is a shade that I have been looking for. Initially I wanted a brighter shade and not in a matte format but I settled for this one and I don't regret it one bit.

It is supposed to be matte but freshly applied has some shine which dye down after a couple of seconds. I would like to touch the scent for a little since it is very unusual. To me it smells like cardboard and at first I thought that I smell the packaging but when the lipstick is closed I can't smell it, only when I remove the cap I get this weird scent. When I'm applying it I can detect it and it is quite strong but after a couple of seconds it fades away just like the slight shine.

I like to apply it lightly so I get just a touch of color and I'm loving it. The color is fantastic, it gives me life but is not too overpowering or too bright. It stays put even if I drink but after three or four hours I like to touch it up to revive the color and to 'moisturize' my lips. The formula isn't exactly drying but if I don't apply balm or something extra moisturizing every hour I'm risking severely dry and chapped lips. While wearing it my lips did got a bit more dry but not flaky or chapped so I don't think it is drying, I should probably apply a new coat every hour to maintain moisture level but I don't want the color to build up and be too bold. The other day I applied sheer gloss and I liked the look. At first I was scared that the gloss on top will move the pigment but that didn't happen so I'm combining it with the gloss more and more.
This formula is very good for a matte and the color is my perfect match. I'm super happy that I got this one and I know I will wear it a lot this Spring and Summer.


Thank you for reading and have a nice day

Electric Valley blush

Hello,

this is an older product that just got lost in my folders. I do use it quite often but I failed to post this review sooner, I'm quite sad that this was only a limited edition item, I wish they would make more shades with this formula and make them permanent.

It is blush from Trend It Up Electric Valley LE. Beautiful marbled blush that completely surprised me with its color.

It has this light nude-peach base with darker and warmer brown and bright pink swirls in it. It swatches as a very light peach and that really wasn't the shade I was expecting to get.

Here it is swatched at the back of my hand and it looks pretty light, thankfully my face is a bit paler and it does show up. I think it is one of those easy blushes that I can just apply and rush out the door because it will never look too much or unblended on my face.

I also love (besides the flattering color) the finish which is slightly shiny. There are no visible shimmer particles just a lovely sheen that adds that final touch to the look. I pretty much never wear highlighter on top of it because I feel like the finish is so beautiful and it works if I wear barely there make-up or if I put more effort and do a stronger one, it always compliments my look.
This is not my first blush or cheek product from Trend It Up and it definitely won't be the last one. I don't think I was ever disappointed with any of their cheek product.



Thank you for reading and have a nice day

Crystal Dreams

Hello,

a while ago Essence PR team has sent me some items from Crystal dreams collection and this palette was one of the two items that were sent to me (the other one was the lavender hued highlighter).

Essence came out with this line in the Winter time called Crystal Dreams and I have this lovely looking eye shadow palette with eleven different shadows.

It contains quite a lot of shades and sometimes I had hard time picking just a few to do my look of the day. I have noticed that with palettes that I'm very indecisive.

There are three matte shades included the rest are shimmery or even glittery.
The color selection seems like something for the Summer but they decided to bring some colors to the Winter time which seems like a nice decision and an interesting turn.

Immediately I have noticed that some shades don't swatch that well, they look a bit less pigmented or the shimmer just doesn't translate onto the skin.
I swatch them top, bottom, middle and repeat.

First shade is deeper berry color and for me very unusual but I paired it with a neutral brown and it didn't look that bad or out of my comfort zone. I did noticed that it wasn't so glittery on my skin as it looked in the pan.
Shade underneath is more of a pastel pink with shimmer and that one I had to pack on and it looked almost matte.
Middle shade is more rose toned but it looked very similar to the previous shade except this one had more shine on my skin.
Fourth shade (second in the top row) is a big departure from the past shades and it is a very warm orange toned almost glittery shade. I normally don't like such warm shades but just for the fun I wore it and this one did perform quite nicely, it was one of the more pigmented in the palette.
Shade on the bottom is one of my favorite from this palette and it is a pale gold (it is the kind of gold that I like, not too yellow and shiny).

Middle shade in the palette is barely seen on my skin (on my lids it was a bit more noticeable because my skin is even lighter) but this one was my favorite. I absolutely love the peachy tone of it. It is completely matte and a bit powdery so a good tap was necessary unless you end up with powder all over your cheeks.
Next to it is the most neutral toned brown in the palette but on my skin it still manged to look warm and it had a bit of a sheen so it didn't look completely flat. This was one of my favorites.
On the bottom is slightly warmer and more orange toned version with the same finish.
This deepest brow is another full on matte shade that I mostly used to deepen and intensify but the more I tried to blend it in it almost completely disappear and I was just adding more and more. This one had one of the poorest performance in the collection.
The last one on the top was more yellow toned glitter shade and completely out of my comfort zone, I tried to wear it but I felt a bit weird, the shade just didn't suit me.
The very last one is another matte (one out of the three) and I had the same issue with it as with the dark matte brown, it blended into nothing so packing it on was crucial.

This palette was a disappointment even for me, why I say even for me? Normally I prefer lighter tones and if people are complaining about poor performance and shades having low pigmentation then usually is just right for me  ;) with this one however even I couldn't cope.
I recently received another palette from Essence and I have high hopes for that one (I haven't touched it jet so I can't give any spoilers) fingers crossed that the new one will revive my hope into Essence shadows.


Thank you for reading and have a nice day

Catrice lip glosses

Hello,

I thought that this year will be the year when I finally come down to somewhat 'normal' numbers of lip products but once again I fulled myself. This year alone I have already bought/received a full bag of lippies and my numbers aren't going down as I hoped for.
For today I have three different Catrice lip glosses that I bought recently.

First is Catrice generation plump & shine gloss in Sparkling Coral (4,3 ml), Catrice volumizing lip booster in Pink up the Volume (5 ml) and Catrice dewy-full lips conditioning lip butter named Be You Dew You! (8 ml).

As expected they all have different formulas and scents. Sparkling Coral has a barely there cookie scent, Pink up the Volume is minty and Be You Dew You! is the most scented and it remind me of cookies and toffee mixed together.

Also the applicators are slightly different but none is far off from each other.

They all come off as more sheer glosses which is something I prefer. The Sparkling Coral gives my lips some brightness and little shimmer makes them shine even more. This formula is one of my favorites (you can read about the Nude Sapphire which is my first and already used up gloss from this line).
Pink up the Volume is cooling and causes tingling effect (not as much as the new Volumizing Extreme lip booster) and adds just a touch of sheer color to my lips. I think I really picked out the best shade for my lips from this range.
Last is Be You Dew You! with nourishing shea butter. I feel like everyone loves these and that why I was so intrigued to pick one of them out. I decided to go with this pinky nude but it is a bit more pigmented and lighter than my lip color so it settles into my lines and doesn't look the best. I now wear lipstick underneath it to make it work but with this one I also have some issues with the scent, while it seems everyone raves about this sweet scent/taste is a bit much for me and I'm glad that I only picked out one because it will also be the last one form this range.

Sparkling Coral and Be You Dew You! have some sparkles to it and Pink up the Volume is a perfect cream but when I checked up the range different shades have different finishes.
For me the Generation Plump & Shine range still wins because these glosses are barely there scented, aren't sticky at all and they offer them in different shades and finishes.
I also very much love Volumizing lip booster because I'm a fan of minty sensation but I prefer to wear this type of lip products in the warmer weather and not in the Winter time so it is not as versatile as the first one.
My last favorite is obviously the Dewy-full lips because I didn't really get the shade that would suit me (completely my fault) but also the scent bothers me so I'm even thinking of throwing it away because I don't see myself going through the entire tube of it.



Thank you for reading and have a nice day

Project Polish

Hello,

I haven't done one of these in a while so I decided that now is the time to pass or throw away some nail polish, call it Spring cleaning.

Avon Midnight Green is a beauty with still my favorite type of finish, shimmer. I absolutely adore this one and while the formula is still very liquid it doesn't dry properly and the same goes for the next beauty named Golden Wine. This was my backup bottle but unfortunately I didn't get to enjoy it because the formula is so old that it doesn't work anymore. I couldn't resist and applied both on the nail swatch just to show the beauty in these two.

Next are two of the same Essence nail candies Soda Pop & Candy Shop polishes. When they discontinued these I bought as many as possible. I'm embarrassed to reveal the number but in my defense I mostly bought them for my mom but when I started to see them getting separated I was urged to use them so I won't have to throw them away like I have to do with the first two bottles from Avon. I mostly used these two as base coats, one layer under every manicure but sometimes I would do three coats to get that lovely and easy going milky manicure. I still have plenty of them left so expect some more empties of this kind in the future.

The last one is a topper and a bit unusual for me, it is from Misslyn and I think at first this was a limited edition but then they just left it in their range. It is named Mon Amour. It is a fun topper to use but the little harts are actually quite big if you have curved nails like I do so the ends of the hearts pretty much always stuck out and it would get caught in everything (hair, tights...) and would flake off so I decided to pass it on while the formula is still good.

Here are Midnight Green and Golden Wine, the only two from this bunch that I will have to throw away while there is still plenty of polish left. It makes me sad but that is the price for having too many nail polishes.


Thank you for reading and have a nice day

Hot Plumper

Hello,

for today I have something hot and spicy for you ;)
Catrice PR team kindly sent me this new item and since I'm a big fan of the lip products, especially tingly ones I had high hopes for it...

Catrice volumizing extreme lip booster in Hot Plumper. It contains menthol & chili extract for extra tingling effect.
I'm used to minty lip glosses that cools down my lips and I love them in the hot weather, this one doesn't have the cooling effect but rather a burning one. Imagine eating spicy food and you accidentally get it on your lips and they feel burning hot? Well, that is how this one feels, not cooling but still tingly just in a different way. Did my lips looked any bigger? I don't think so but that is also not the reason why I wear them.

It looks light pink and when I tried to swatch it I could barely see any color and on my lips it looks completely clear (my lips are slightly tinted so that is probably the reason why the super sheer color doesn't show).
When PR team contacted me and offered this products I was over the moon because I love tingling lip products, I expected to be cooling but the chili extract does something different and like it a lot. It is very, very strong so if you haven't tried any of the tingling lippies I don't suggest you to start with this one because you will have the feeling like your lips are about to fall off. It is very strong and not for the weak (on my arm where I attempted to swatch it it also started to tingle and affect the skin). It has a faint minty scent.
I hope they won't discontinue it soon and my suggestion would be to bring out the slightly more tinted version of it, that would make me love it even more. I give this product 10 out of 10.



Thank you for reading and have a nice day

Pure nail polish

Hello,

for today I have comparison of the two nail varnishes. One new and other one old (discontinued) from the same brand. They are very similar but also different so do I need to keep both?

First is Catrice soft blossom Coachella Vibes and second is from Catrice new Pure line and is called Simplicity (one out of the five shades).

I decided to put Coachella Vibes on my ring finger (the first one on the picture) and Simplicity on the remaining ones. The new pure polish is a bit dustier compared to the CV which is brighter. I wore them for a week and tip wear was approximately the same on all of the nails, the removing process was also the same and with a bit of care they didn't color my cuticles.
I like this new formula but in my opinion the soft blossom varnishes were also awesome. When it comes to the color I actually prefer the discontinued bolder shade and owning both didn't make sense since I'm still trying to downsize my collection. I gave it to my sister who absolutely loves dusty shades and she loves it. She had it on for more than a week and that says a lot. Not only that she loves the shade she also enjoy the formula (Catrice is one of her favorite nail polish brands).
I would like to check the shade no. 2, Clarity (taupy-pink-mauve is how I would describe it).
Thanks to Catrice PR team for sending me this nail polish.


Thank you for reading and have a nice day

Empties

Hello,

I like this collection from Avon naturals Raspberry & Hibiscus (it smells really nice, just like if I rolled in Raspberries) and this is hair mist to just add the scent to the hair. Since I started to use perfumes regularly this started to get unnecessary. I started to use it after using dry shampoo to get rid of the white cast and it helped to prevent white residue. I'm happy that I found a way to use it and that it is finally used up. I will no longer buy it because there is no need for it but I will for sure buy the shampoo and the conditioner from the same line.

Next is this Aveo Harmony hand cream that my mom gifted to me. It has a lovely scent of Violets and the formula isn't that bad. I still prefer the Avon Care hand creams but this is also very nice formula and they always have plenty of different scents to pick from. It helped to prevent dry skin and nourish my hands, you only have to be careful not to apply too much because then it won't absorb and your hands will be left all sticky.

This dry shampoo was an impulse purchase a while ago. It is from 'new' brand Langhaar Mädchen. They have lovely packaging and I also tried (smelled) their hair oil and it smells delicious but I decided that I don't need it at the moment but instead I got myself this dry shampoo and I could not be happier. The scent is kind of hard to describe it is very soft powdery-floral but it still makes a punch but the formula is what makes this one great. It has a very light white effect and when you shake or comb your hair they just look matte (what you wanted) and it doesn't change the color that much which is an absolute bonus. If I compare it to the popular Batiste they have more scents and are stronger but also the white cast is more obvious with the Batiste brand. So if you want something barely there go for this Langhaar Mädchen brand but if you prefer to switch out the scents then go with the Batiste. I think I will still buy from both brands (I can't forget the Batiste Peony scent but I prefer the formula of LM brand).

Next tube is the sad one :( In the past I have already used one and since I liked it so much I bought a set of this lotion and the fragrance. Unfortunately I have waited too long and this lotion went bad. It is Avon Perceive body lotion. The scent is powdery white flowers. Like clean cotton shirt that has been dried outside on the white flowers field, if that makes sense. I still have the 30 ml bottle of the perfume and for now that will have to be it. For a while now I'm not planing on buying new lotions since I have so many but if my taste won't change after I go through what I have I will probably buy it again but then I will make sure to use it up completely shortly after getting it.

Another Avon Perceive product and this one is the Oasis fragrance. To me it smelled like fresh cut Roses. Scent of Roses mixed with green notes, like a fresh cut bouquet. I used to really like scent like that but now I prefer something heavier and sweeter. I have been layering it and also using it as a room spray.

Another fragrance will leave my space and this one I liked even better than the one before. It is Avon Passion Fruit scentini fragrance. I know they have a bunch of these and they encourage you to buy more and layer them. I had quite a lot of them but at my recent decluttering I gave all of them away and kept only this fruity one. It is called Passion Fruit and that is how it smells like. Very fruity and at first it is also very strong. It doesn't have that much citruses added so it is not zingy but on a creamier side. Even though I'm not into super fruity scents this one still warm up my heart.

The very last items is this Rimmel London Stay Matte face powder in Transparent. After trying it a couple of times I fell in love with it and soon I found them on sale and bought a bunch of them as backups (I think I have five or six more ;). It performs very well on my oily skin. I like how it keep my natural oils at bay for longer and even when I reapply it at work it doesn't look cakey. Those two reasons are enough for me to go and buy multiples. I still love my Catrice all matt face powder but I got this Rimmel one for less  ;)



Thank you for reading and have a nice day

shopping for less

Hello,

I did a 'little' bit of shopping the other day when the store had -20% on all make-up (skincare and fragrances included). I bought some favorites and some new to me items to try out.

If I start with lip products (my favorite), on top is another Catrice beautifying lip balm in Sheer you up (I already have one shade and I think that I have found it).
Next is Catrice plumping gel lipstick in The way I am (I know these are out for a while but I was looking for the 'perfect' shade.
Another Catrice generation Plump & Shine gloss in Pink Topaz (my third shade from the range).
Essence healthy glow+ liquid concealer in Light Ivory, is a backup. I absolutely adore this concealer so I had to have it.
Another great formula from Essence is their line of shine, shine, shine lip glosses and this time I opted for a shade Think Pink (my fourth one from the collection and probably my favorite shade from the bunch).
That day they had -50% on Sante and I took my chance and bought this mono shade in Sparkling Brown to try it out. I love shimmering browns and that one is right up my alley.
Catrice all matt shine control powder in Transparent is another back up, just in case if I ran out of my 10+ powders  ;)
Essence fruit kiss caring lip balm in Strawberry Kiss was an impulse buy, usually I'm not drawn to these balms but this time I swatched them (there are three different in the line) and I liked the shine and color plus they are pleasantly scented (mine obviously smells like fresh strawberries).
The very last item is probably the one I was lusting for the longest but higher price tag and the fact that I really don't need more blushes always kept me away... until now. It is Sante Silky Mallow blush that looks very natural jet manages to define my cheeks.

I'm very happy with all of the products and can't wait to play with them some more.



Thank you for reading and have a nice day

Cosnova gift

Hello,

I was once again surprised with amazing goodies from Essence and Catrice. Thank you very much Cosnova PR team, you are the best.

When I opened the box there was this new Essence bye bye panda eyes mascara with smudge proof formula. I can't wait to try this claim up and let you know all about it.

This Essence bloom baby, bloom eye shadow palette is a very colorful and at first I wasn't sure I would use it but maybe I will feel adventurous and just go with all the beautiful colors. You only live once ;)
The second Essence the nude edition eye shadow palette looks more like my cup of tea. I was in the store and actually checked this and the other rose version out very thoroughly and the only reason why I didn't jumped on it was that I already have plenty neutrals and I wanted to wait for some reviews but now I don't need to wait, I can just dive into it :)

Last are the two also new items from Catrice matt pro ink non transfer liquid lipsticks and this collection of liquid lipsticks is supposed to stay permanent (I wonder which products will have to leave to make room for these?). I received I choose passion (dusty rose) and Courage code (rusty red?). I have such a hard time describing this dark shade... on the lips it looks more on the red side (yes, I have already tested these two out and first impression is actually pretty, pretty nice...).


Thank you Cosnova team
Thank you for reading and have a nice day

Agatha

Hello,

I had this nail polish for quite a while but since I'm doing the nail polish project (I'm trying to finish up as many bottles as possible, so I'm wearing the same colors over and over again, some newer bottles just don't get their turn which is a shame) I only got around using it now in 2020.

It is Avon nail style studio mark nail varnish in the shade Agatha.

I have a huge crush on the sand finish nail polishes and when I saw this collection I knew I will get at least one of them. I picked purple because I never had purple sand finish polish before.

There are some bigger glitters thrown in the mix for that extra special factor but are a nightmare to remove. This as all of gritty varnishes lasted on me for a long time, I had to remove it because my nails grow so much and there was too much 'empty' space from the nail bed. I love that these are so low maintenance.




Thank you for reading and have a nice day