Empties

Hello,

it is the end of another month and time to talk about my finished products. I gathered quite a lot of products today but I don't need to run to the store and buy more, I already have products ready to jump on their places and there is no need of buying more at the time.

Catrice HD liquid coverage foundation in Light Beige is a staple in my collection. Easy to spread (it is pretty liquid) the shade matches me and the coverage is buildable so it fits my skin needs, no matter if it is super blemished or getting clearer. I'm already using a new bottle.

Pflanzen kosmetik von Mueller Dog Rose oil was nice. I like to use some kind of Rose oil in my night routine because it soothes my sensitive skin and after using it regularly it tones down the redness in my skin. I also tried to use it as my make-up remover and it is not doing it, I will stick to my Jojoba oil for that. 

Next are three eye creams and none of them was anything special so I won't be buying them again. First is this Balea Aqua eye roll which I had for years. It has a metal ball at the end and it felt nice to apply but the texture of the product is super thin and I didn't get much nourishing properties out of it. It feels like the product inside was only to keep the metal ball running and did nothing to my skin.

Himalaya under eye cream was an impulse purchase because I have tried some really nice Himalaya products and I had high hopes for this one. This one feels like a proper cream but after it absorbed my skin didn't felt moisturized enough, it didn't wow me.

The last one is this Revuele eye serum with vitamin C. I hoped for a lighter texture so I could use it in the morning under my make-up. It is a clear gel that absorbs fast into the skin and out of the three I liked this one the most but I will try something else next time to see if there is something better out there.

There is this big and famous pot of The Body Shop Honeymania body butter. I remember people talking about it back in the days (I believe it is discontinued now) and I ordered it online before there was even a store in my country. The scent was really lovely, more floral than honey like but still very enjoyable. I used up every last bit of it and now I move to something a bit lighter in texture for the Summer.

 

Next are two Revlon just bitten kissable balm stain in Romantic and Honey. Super popular but now no one talks about them. I initially bought the red one for myself and pink for my sister but after purchasing them I forgot about them so then I just decided to keep both. They were a bit minty which is a plus in my books (they could have even stronger minty feel in my opinion) and the colors were buildable. Warm red was really nice on me but I had some 'difficulties' with the pink Honey shade. On me it always turn bright pink instead of staying modest and barely there. I still use both of them quite a lot, especially because I had to keep reapplying them. Lip stains? Not on my lips, they disappear quite fast so I won't even bother checking other shades or buy some more.

The very last item is this Avon glimmerstick lip liner in Clear. I only use clear lip liner for 'sealing' my lips. When I don't take a proper care of my lips they get dry and flakey, that is when I incorporate clear lip liner. The waxy texture seals the texture so the colored lip product that I apply on top glides smoother. I find some sort of a clear liner essential in my collection but at the moment I have none and I'm just trying to find something new until the Winter.

Thank you for reading and have a nice day

Cosnova PR gift for the Summer

Hello,

today I feel extra Summery and so are these two products form Cosnova that I received as a PR.
They are both limited editions and helps you get ready for hot Summer days.

First is Catrice Sungasm Summer Glow Make-up setting Mist. I expected to have shimmer in it but fortunately it doesn't. It makes my skin look a bit more glowy/oily but I put powder on top for extra fix. I use it every day before I go to work and I wear face mask at work on and off and whenever I spray it on I feel like my make-up last longer/looks better than on the days I don't. Also I can see less foundation on my mask when I do spray it on. I am convinced that it helps prolong my make-up and I already jumped into the store and grabbed a back up of it even though it has a weird Coconut scent (a bit fake and almost plastic like, it does fade quickly so it doesn't bother me too much but I would prefer it without this fragrance).

Second is Essence Bronze This Way Shimmering Body Oil which has the same plastic-y Coconut scent but this one lingers for a while. This really looks very orange/gold and I was a bit intimidated by it because I'm so pale but if I apply little and spread it evenly the darker color doesn't show up. As you can see on the photo it is very shimmery and sparkly on the skin, nice for these bright full of Sun days if that is your jam. I do use it on my arms and legs every day but with the amount that I use (very little) it will last me at least for two Summers.

Thank you Cosnova for sending me these two products.



Thank you for reading and have a nice day

Avon Mark lip Prism lipsticks

Hello,

today is going to be a lipstick post. I figure it out that I still have a lot of lipsticks that I haven't properly tested or shown on my blog yet.

Avon Mark lip Prism lipsticks came out a while ago and I bought them immediately. I did start to use them quite soon but wasn't ready to show them up here until now.

First one is called Aura On, slightly deeper is Nude Eclipse and the last peachier number is Interstellar Love.

What I like about them is that they are very glossy and comfortable on the lips. My favorite kind of a lipstick formula.
They have very strong melon scent which I find to be very nice. I think as of lately more brands make fruitier scents opposed to typical vanilla/caramel ones and I like the shift.

The packaging is flashy with its dark purple with tiny red shimmer but the glimmer isn't only on the outside, these lipsticks are also packed with shiny particles which isn't very noticeable on the photos but in real life they are very sparkly.

Aura On surprised me because I thought that I will receive pink shade but my disappointment was short because this type of Coral is exactly the shade I was looking for for a while now.

It is bright but not too flashy, it helps brighten up my complexion and looks very summery. The shimmer in this one is gold and pink.

Next is Nude Eclipse which is a bit darker out of the two and leans towards pink. It is a bit darker than my skin tone and it makes my lips stand out a bit more.

The shimmer in this one is not gold and pink but silver and pink and I like that they didn't make it too warm because nobody likes yellow teeth  ;)

The last one, Interstellar Love, is very light but I think it is not too pale for me. It is very easy to wear but I still have to be careful because it is very pigmented and if I go over the lines it is obvious.

This one too has silver and pink shimmer which prevent the slightly peachy undertone to overpower and make it more neutral toned.

All in all they aren't the most long lasting lipsticks out there but I much prefer creamy almost glossy feeling which also moisturizes my dry lips. I don't need to use lip balm with these and in my books that is a plus. They are packed with glitter and I wish they would use smaller dose but probably that is the main factor why they look so glossy on the lips. When the color wears off I am left with shimmery lips which again isn't my favorite look but I still love them and are some of my favorites. I don't have a favorite shade, I love them all even though the nudes are super similar I can't choose between the two.



Thank you for reading and have a nice day

Empties

Hello,

I have been very excited for this empties, mostly because a lot of these I finished up quite early into the month so all of these empty tubes and bottles were sitting on my shelf for a while now and now I get to toss all of them.

First I have two bottles of toner from Milnica and this time I choose Linden hydrolate. I grew up drinking tea made out of Linden and I love the scent. I read on their page that this product is especially recommended for sensitive, quickly irritated skin with acne problems and that describes my skin to the T. I poured this into a spray bottle so I can refresh in the morning or evening. I love spraying my toner on my face and then follow with my creams and oils. I like this very much and I can see myself repurchasing it in the future.

Balea Iced Strawberry body wash was an impulse purchase. I think it was also on sale because they were discontinuing this LE. It smelled more like Raspberries or a mix of different Forest Berries with some cream added to the top. I liked it but it wasn't anything special.

Next product isn't completely finished but it started to separate so I feel like it is all gone. It is Isadora face perfect primer. It is silicone based and fills in my pores and imperfections well but when I'm putting my foundation on top it can't sink into my skin because of the barrier. I always thought that silicone primers are perfect for my oily skin but I slowly started to realize that I was wrong. My make-up just doesn't look seamless with silicone primer underneath, I think it looks very obvious and sometimes cake-y and my foundation starts to shift around when my oils do come through. I think for now I will avoid silicon primers altogether.

This next tube is one of my favorite hand creams and it is not a surprise that it is from Avon care. It is their 'newer' restoring moisture hand cream with Coconut. I was scared that it might be too sweet or weird scented but it is actually very mild and barely there. It does have a distinct Coconut scent but not sweet like some candy. It sink into my skin fast and nourish my poor hands. I kept it at work and all of my coworkers kept borrowing it so I think that is a good sign  ;)  I already have a new one.

The very last bottle is this Batiste Fruity & Cheeky Cherry dry shampoo. My favorite is still Peony one but this is nice as well. I think the formula is practically the same. It is a bit powdery white, so a good shake is necessary but it covers my oily scalp for a whole day and then in the evening I wash it off just like I do with any other dry shampoo. I never go to bed with dry shampoo on my hair, it is a pet peeve of mine. I just can't but I like to use them to freshen my hair for the day. At the moment I have my favorite Peony one but I can see myself repurchasing this Cherry one again to mix it a bit.



Thank you for reading and have a nice day

Catrice matt pro ink non-transfer liquid lipsticks

Hello,

this post is long overdue (like many others) especially because I got them as a PR gift when they came out. Now they aren't as 'fresh' but they are still interesting and worth looking into, at least in my opinion.

I received these Catrice matt pro ink non-transfer liquid lipsticks in Courage Code and I choose Passion.

The applicator is squashed and carries a lot of product, if you have big lips that is great but for us smaller gals... still it is not a big thing, I just wipe it off and adjust the right amount.
P.S. I noticed that my lips are very ticklish and when I am applying product like this and trying to touch my lips lightly it tickles me like crazy  :)  Anyone else with a similar 'problem'?

The colors are very pigmented and at first look like something I would not choose myself but then again, I am not a big fan of liquid lipsticks ether, so I was sceptical to say the least. I tip toed and tried them on lightly, with just a thin coat and that is also my preferred way to use them, more like lip stains...

They dry pretty fast and I have to be swift but also very careful, once I go over the lines it is very hard to remove/cover up.
Courage Code is very interesting brick red shade that looks amazing on me (my humble opinion) especially when I use a very light hand and super thin coat.
Dusty Rose is in the shade called I choose Passion. I like that isn't too bright but this shade reminded me of something else...

This L'oreal rouge signature liquid lipstick in the shade I Rule is very similar but the formulas are quite different. I have a full review of it here.

Here you can see that the I Rule is less pigmented, more liquid and therefore more manageable than the I choose Passion from Catrice.

I know that here they don't look that similar but I used one of them on one half of my lips and the other on the other side and shades looked super similar. The difference was with the L'oreal side that the shade was a bit less bright and not so dry (it takes quite a few minutes to completely dry) while Catrice one was dry instantly and a bit more vibrant.

Just because Catrice ones are more pigmented you have to be extra careful to apply them evenly and a couple of minutes after application they feel a bit sticky. When they dry they still leave a bit of a print on the glass but if I'm careful it is not too bad. On me if I apply too much it settles into my lines but a bit of rubbing them together disperses it nicely again (because they aren't completely matte). I like to tap a bit of lip balm over it because it is dryer formula and can feel a bit uncomfortable. A bit of color however always transfers onto my lip balm. I would say that they are nice semi matte liquid lipsticks, especially for people who don't like full on matte and dry lips. If I wouldn't have the L'oreal one I would totally keep both but since I prefer the L'oreal one a tad better I decided to pass the similar shade from Catrice I choose Passion to my sister but the Courage Code will stay with me at least for a while now.



Thank you for reading and have a nice day

Future Female

Hello,

for today I have a handy dandy little shadow palette. It is so small that sometimes it gets lost in my big collection  ;)

It is Catrice Future Female eye shadow palette. I had a different one in the past and after testing that one I decided to get another one in a slightly more mauve color scheme.

I like the super thin packaging, it makes me think about traveling (not that I can go somewhere) but it gives me hope that one day we will travel again and I will take this little buddy with me.

It has nice sades of neutrals in it and also some more 'out there' shades like pink and mauve. For someone like me, who doesn't deviate much this palette is safe and a little wild at the same time.

They swatch nicely but I noticed that they don't layer well. It feels like they need a slightly sticky base to stick to it, powder on powder just doesn't live up to its potential.

The first shade is shimmery and ever so slightly pink (more of a hint) and I like to use it in my inner corners for that extra pop (I feel naked if I don't have something shimmery in my inner corners).

Second is a lovely, neutral brown with a matte finish. Great for base but whenever I would layer something on top from this palette it didn't want to stick to, so now I resort to different shadows to put on top.

Third is similar, a lovely matte but in a mauve tone. I will admit that this was the shade that sold me this palette. In a way it looks like a bruise but I wanted to see if I can pull it off and in my opinion I think I can, plus it makes my eyes appear more blue.

Next shade, the only true brown that is placed first in the bottom row has some over spray. I the packaging it looks shimmery. First couple of times that I used it the shimmer came off and now it is borderline matte with some shimmer sprinkled on top, so much less as what I was promised just by looking at it (swatch is made later, so this is the 'real' finish). I wanted to have this glowy shade so I was disappointed but now I think it is more versatile like that.

Next is another one of my favorites and it is light nude-pink shade with tons of little shimmer. It is absolutely lovely on its own but I hoped to wear it as a topper, I still can but it doesn't pop as I wanted it to.

The very last shade is my least favorite but not because there would be something wrong with it, it is just the warm bronze tone that I'm not such a huge fan of. I think it pairs well with cooler tones and if I feel like it is too cool I can really quickly warm my look up by using just this baby.


I think that this palette is nice all in all, super thin and portable, for me it also has a nice color selection but lack of layering is a bit of a bummer. If you already have similar shades you most probably don't need it but if you like the entire palette and maybe don't have that many I think it is a nice one to have around, especially if they will put it on sale (I don't know that, I'm just speculating) but probably I will pick up the neutral one, the one that was released last... we will see. I think the range shift is just around the corner.



Thank you for reading and have a nice day

more lip balms

Hello,

I have been testing some lip balms lately and while I very much liked the Biobaza ones I just had to try some more from my extensive collection of lip balms.

First is Kneipp Elderberry, Bebe Honey repair balm and EOS Sugarplum lip balm. To  me they all have a very similar formula and that is also the reason why I decided to show them all together.

Kneipp Elderberry has very nice packaging. The bottom feels like corkscrew but they used grass to make it and I think it is a very cool idea. There are a couple of other versions but I choose this one because it sounded unique and I love to drink syrup or tea made out of Elderberry blooms. I was a bit disappointed because the scent is nothing like the blossoms. It is a bit more green and natural. Not bad but I expected something sweeter. If I will ever repurchase it again I will get a different scent.

The cute bees are from Bebe Honey repair balm and this smells like the real deal (I hopped that the Biobaza Honey &Ginger lip balm would smell like that). This one is definitely for to ones with a sweet tooth. It is so easy to enjoy and surprisingly there aren't that many Honey scented lip balms out there.

The dark purple on is from EOS and it is their Sugarplum lip balm. In the past I had two sphere balms from them but I threw them away, they were so hard and waxy, way too much for me and I didn't have a feeling they did much. This one in a stick format is very different and much better for me. The scent is just like a sweet plum and I love it but I find out that they don't make it anymore so I guess I will have to get something else the next time.

All three are on the softer side but not so soft that they would melt in your pocket. I usually glide two or three time over my lips and get enough product on my lips to protect and nourish them (unlike the Labello or EOS ball balms where I was vigorously rubbing them and nothing stick onto my lips). I was wearing and testing all three on its own all day long and my lips felt and looked healthy and well taken care of.
They didn't make it on my top list but are very nice (one of my top two lip balms just got discontinued and I can't find it anywhere so I guess now I have only one balm that is simply the best). I would repurchase all three again (Kneipp and EOS in different scents) because having only one lip balm is a bit repetitive and I would get sick of it very fast.



Thank you for reading and have a nice day