Empties

 Hello,

end of the month is here and below are my empties for the month of November.

First is Etude baking powder B.B. deep cleansing foam with little granules (hence the name baking powder). I used it as a light mechanical scrub but I avoided my eyes so for me this wasn't perfect for removing BB cream but as a scrub it was okay. I am trying to avoid mechanical scrubs but sometimes it feel so good that I can't help it but then I prefer something stronger.

Next is Korres Santorini Grape body moisturiser. I adore everything grape scented and I grabbed this lotion pretty quickly but when I tried it out I was a bit disappointed since the scent is light and more floral than juicy grape. Still nice but not what I expected. The lotion itself was nice but I got it for the scent which wasn't there.

Next I used up also this The Body Shop Shea lotion. This one didn't disappointed with the scent and it was rich, slightly masculine but exactly my taste. Lotion absorbed quickly and I was able to go through a bit faster than normal but the scent was so gorgeous that I don't hold a grudge. I would get it again.

Little orange tube is another one of my beloved Neutrogena oil free face moisturisers. I love the light texture which always nourish my skin no matter how dry it is, it stays put under make-up and does not make be oily. I will forever repurchase it.

When I saw this CeraVe resurfacing retinol serum I knew I will try it. It has a very light, gel like texture and absorbed quickly into my skin and often I would put a heavier cream on top to provide some more hydration but this was a nice retinol and I would get it again.

Last bottle here is Revox hyaluronic acid serum with a convenient pipette. Texture is gel which absorbs quickly into my skin and it is ready to top it off with something locking all that moisture in. The price is low and I like that, I would get it again (I probably already have a backup somewhere).

I have another Korres product and this time it is in this beautiful orange bottle. It is White tea perfume and the name tells you the scent. It was very calming but light plus it disappears quickly. I used up this bottle up in a matter of a few months which is quick for me.

I used up my second NYX fat oil lip drip and this one is Missed Call. It is super similar to Supermodel except it is more pigmented and has no shimmer which isn't even noticeable. I preffered Supermodel but this one was also usable if I was careful not to apply too much at once. I liked these enough to use them up but I don't see myself buying more unless if there will be a shade I will be interested in.

White tube is Dr. Paw Paw shimmery balm. Particles were big and sparkly but also a bit rough on the lips. I don't love it when I rub my lips together and they scrape my lips. I used it at night so the particles wouldn't bother me and I woke up with glitter all over my face. I was glad once it was gone and I am more excited to try the original formula without shimmers.

Second to last is my beloved Crazy Rumours Leaping Bunny Plum and Apricot lip balm. This is my third lip balm from the brand and my love is still going strong. Formula is great for me and light scents are so good. This mix of plum and apricot felt so good together and refreshing. I already have a new option prepared to go next and I hope it will be just as good.

Last but not least is Blistex original lip balm. I still like this classic. The formula is soft, scent light and nourishing properties are there. I don't have a backup since I am trying to got through my extensive stash but I can see myself buying it again.

Thank you for reading and have a nice day

Empties

 Hello,

I am back with March empties. I had these photos saved for six months now and it is finally the time to share them and add these product to my virtual library.

First only lip products.

I was head over hills to get this Catrice tinted lip oil. I got it in the shade Keep it juicy!. On me it turner quite hot pink and I wasn't a fan of this shade but I loved how glossy and juicy my lips looked after applying it. I would get it again but in a different shade even though this one was lighter pin out of the two.

Next is the limited edition Catrice lip oil from their Secret Garden collection and I picked 02 True Bloom. Soft pink which looked almost clear on my lips but it wasn't as glossy as the previous version. If they would make this shade but with a high shine from the previous glow I would make a lot of purchases :)

Red bullet is Blistex lip brilliance with Strawberry scent and red coloring with silver shimmer, on the lips it looked frosty. I liked the color and shimmer on my lips but it didn't nourish them one bit and from times it made my lips tingle and not in a good way. I actually didn't even finish it but used around half and I gave up.

Last balm is another Blistex but this one is Hemp&Shea hydration lip balm. This one is clear and has slightly vanillia like, I like the feeling and scent but hydration wasn't there. At the end of the day my lips were dry :( I will not be buying any of these two again.

I have received this bottle of L'occitane Citrus Verbena EDT from a friend. I am not particularly fond of fresh and citrusy perfumes so I just used it in my bathroom as a room freshener or I sprayed it on my clotes if the fabric softener scent was gone. Unfortunately this doesn't have a long lasting properties and I will not get it again or any other from this line.

My first Banilla co. original cleansing balm and I got it in the largest 180 ml packaging. Thankfully I really liked it, so much that I have bought three more :). This one didn't irritate my eyes and removed all of my make-up. I even like the little spatula that comes with it and keep it sanitary. I was using if for solid 5 months, comparing it to the price I think that is pretty good. 

Little tube is CeraVe eye repair cream. It had a light texture and it felt nice but nothing extraordinary. For me it was very forgettable :(

Last is huge La Roche-Posay lipikar body moisturizer. I liked the light texture and fast hydration. Pump was a nice touch but not seeing through made using this product a mystery. At the end I just didn't know when it will end. I would still get it again but it takes forever to use it up because of the big 400 ml bottle.

Thank you for reading and have a nice day

Empties

 Hello,

new year and new me. This year my resolution will be to continue on this trail of buying less and use up what I already have. I know I'm not starting with a big bag of empties but I feel like I used up a lot of items last year so that is also good.

First is a hand cream from Afrodita. It is their Grape anti-ageing hand cream (now they have it in a different packaging). To me this smells like heaven but I don't like the greasy formula (all of their hand creams are on the greasy side, my dad loves them but I'm not a fan) so I used it all over my body at night time. I noticed that they now have a body wash and a lotion... it is sold out at the moment but I hope it comes back and I will rather get that duo.

Next is one of my favourite face powders (I think it got discontinued and it is replaced with a new formula which I haven't tried yet). It is my beloved Catrice all matt plus face powder in the shade option Transparent (the lightest shade opposed to white). I think it makes my skin matte looking and it doesn't look too cakes even after a few hours or after retouching. I still have some backups and then I will just try the new one.

Next is another discontinued product and also one of my favourites as well. It is Avon anew hydro-advance eye cream. It is a thicker cream that I only used at night time (it took too long to wait for it to get absorbed, there is Shea butter quite hight in the ingredient list and it shows). I loved this eye cream (I finished around five or six of them) because I really can see a difference in my skin around my eyes, especially in my less visible wrinkles after using it for a few weeks. At the moment I am trying some new stuff but I haven't been convinced yet. This eye cream will be deeply missed and I hope Avon comes out with something just as amazing as this one was.

The very last item is not new and also it isn't getting discontinued (at least to my knowledge). I had this Blistex classic lip protector before and I remember really liking it so I got myself a new tube and it is just as amazing as I remember. It is clear, very soft (I don't need to rub excessively) and I love the gloss it gives my lips plus there is a scent that I just can't describe but it is lovely. My lips are soft and supple when I use this balm and even in the colder days my lips didn't get dry when I was reapplying it constantly. This is one of my favourites and I already got myself a backup :)

Thank you for reading and have a nice day

Empties

 Hello,

this time around I have some more empties and some of them are my holy grails... the rest are all nice products, nothing terrible in this bunch...

This is definitely one of my favorite shampoos and this time I have finished a big bottle of it. It is Ilirija Birch shampoo for all hair types. This magical potion cleanses my hair and leaves them shiny and smooth, just what my hair need. It can be a bit too drying but nothing a little bit of hair oil can't fix. I will definitely repurchase it again and again.

Another one of my favorites is this REN flash rinse 1 minute facial  with vitamin C. I already used up a few tubes of it and already have a backup. It is a slightly grainy product which feels like a scrub but after massaging it with dry hands, then add a few drops of water and it turns instantly into an oil type of a product and then it can slightly burn over more sensitive areas (I guess the vitamin C is then activated  and it can sting) the magic is that my skin doesn't turn red even though it is very prone to redness and is super sensitive. The next day my skin is baby soft and pimples are reduced. Even my sister with perfect skin is a loyal fan.

I finally finished up a Labello original lip balm. I remember having it before and loving it but now I felt like it was just okay. It was greasy (which is a plus in my books) but I felt like it just sat on top of my lips instead sinking in and working its magic. Maybe they changed the formula or I got a different batch this time? It wasn't bad but I also didn't feel like it did much.

Another lip balm is presented in this tube with a convenient pump and it is Blistex conditioning lip serum. I liked it for the night time since it did leave a bit of a white trace but it was nourishing and my lips looked nice in the morning. I'm more inclined to repurchase this one than the Labello one.

Next is a pot of hand cream but honestly I used it as a body moisturizer. It is Avon planet spa Blissfully Nourishing with African Shea Butter hand, elbow and foot cream. As mentioned I used it all over my body since I was trying to just finish it up. It was heavily fragranced and I have to admit that in small dose it is gorgeous but all over the body it was sometimes a bit too much. I still wanted to finish it up since it is pretty old and I was scared that it might go bad, plus the 75 ml packaging is somewhat small for the entire body. The texture was quite thick and it took me a long time to finish it up. If I ever get it again I will start using it immediately but only on my hands and little by little.

This next serum tried to replace mine The Ordinary 10% Niacinamide and 1% Zinc serum (whenever I try to order it it is sold out...) it is from a SI brand Miss Alice (Milnica) and is named Face it, you love me serum (I really do love the name ;), it has Niacinamide, Collagen and firming Peptides in the formula (how much of each is undisclosed). It was a nice serum but I think I seen better results with  previously mentioned The Ordinary serum so probably I won't repurchase it again unless I will notice my skin misbehaving now since I'm out of it. 

The very last item is another hand cream but this one I did use as a hand cream. It is from The Body Shop and it is their limited edition Joy and Jasmin scent. It is floral but also pretty green smelling, the scent alone is not my favorite but I could handle it, even men in my life liked it since it wasn't too floral but it is quite strong and the scent does linger. I won't repurchase it in this scent but I'm willing to try some new editions since the cream does absorb pretty fast and makes my hands feel soft.

Thank you for reading and have a nice day

Empties

 Hello,

it is the end of the month and this time I collected a lot of empty or almost empty items to 'display' them on my shelf.

A long time ago I purchased this Himalaya refreshing & clarifying toner (alcohol free formula). Back in the days I was swearing on tones and they were a big part of my routine but as I got older I pushed them aside and rarely use them. This one took me months and now I'm super happy for it to be gone. I even pour it into a spray bottle to refresh my face during the day but I quickly noticed that it wasn't meant for it because some of it obviously landed on my lips and it tasted bitter. I'm slowly working through my toner collection, I still have a few but this one won't be repurchased (not just the bitter taste but I also didn't notice any change in my skin).

Second item is much closer to my heart and it is The Body Shop Tea Tree night lotion. It had a typical tea tree scent and a light texture which absorbed quickly into my skin. It wasn't super moisturizing but it also doesn't claim that (I used some oils on top to help with moisturizing my thirsty skin or I just skip this lotion and used something more nourishing). My skin in general does respond well to this ingredient and this lotion wasn't an exception. I have another face mask and a serum with tea tree but once they are gone I will probably repurchase this lotion unless they discontinue it (like they did with the face primer from this line).

Next is my second tube of 183 days foundation in the shade Matt-eska. It actually was quite pale but also very sheer in coverage. I used it on my neck and chest so I don't 'waste' my favorite and slightly more expensive foundation. Also on my neck I don't need coverage just a little evening out and connecting my  face full of make-up to the rest of my body. This item is already discontinued since the brand doesn't exist but it did what I wanted and it was very inexpensive product.

Next is lovely blue tube with cute Elephants and the brand is called Spa Ceylon (you have to check their online page, they have the most amazing packaging and products in general). My sister gave me this as a gift from her Honeymoon and I loved it. Mine hand cream is in the Frankincense and Kafir Lime scent. To me it smelled masculine with a hint of fresh Lime. The formula was a bit thick, if I applied a bit too much it was hard to absorb but if I used just the right amount it sinked right in, moisturized my dry hands and didn't leave sticky residue all over. If this brand would be available here I would repurchase it and also get some other itmes from their vast range.

This lip balm from Blistex Happy Lips Mango which I had before (I bought two at the same time) and I have to say that this is not my favorite lip balm. There was also the Strawberry version and I liked that one better. This one smells divine there is no doubt in that but the formula is a bit hard and stiff. I prefer softer balms which just melt into my lips but this one I have to rub extra hard to get some on my lips and it also disappears fast and my lips are quickly dry again. Not the best formula for my dry lips but at least the scent was nice.

 I managed to finish another lip product and it is Catrice limited edition lipstick in the shade Be tender. Very glossy and jet still pigmented bright pink, thankfully with a thin layer I only got a wash of color and it looked very nice on me if I brag a bit. I also found this one to be more moisturizing than the Mango lip balm. I have two more shades from this collection left and shade vise I like them even better than this one, so I'm going to have a lot of fun.

The very last item is this super old Essence Extreme Lasting Waterproof eye pencil in the shade Rockin' Taupe. I fell in love with this shimmery/metallic taupe shade which looks quite natural on the eyes jet offers some definition. Formula is very creamy, easy to work with but then it sets and doesn't move. My pencil is years old and got a bit dry, also the last bit of the pencil broke and fell of and before throwing away the broken tip I made a thick swatch. This pencil isn't available but I managed to get 3 backups before they were gone for good ;)

Thank you for reading and have a nice day

Empties

 Hello,

time is slipping through my fingers and it s almost December. This whole year went by in almost a blink of an eye. My goal of not buying as much as I did in the past is going well, from time to time I still slip and buy a bit more than what I need but in general I'm just using up what I already have.

Avon care softening moisture with Macadamia hand cream is the first item that I managed to use up. I usually love Avon care hand creams so when this one came out I had to try it out. It has a soft 'creamy' scent and a little goes a long way but the formula doesn't quite cut it for me. For me it doesn't sink in but rather stays on the surface and makes my hands slightly greasy but also it doesn't moisturize them as some other ones does. I'm glad that it is finished and I won't buy it ever again.

Next is Ziaja Enzyme peel for the face. It contains Papaya extracts for removing dead skin cells and since I'm trying to switch from mechanical scrubs to enzyme or chemical ones this Ziaja looked promising (there are also some moisturizing and calming ingredients included so the skin doesn't feel too stressed). It is a thicker gel and the instructions say to apply it on clean skin and rinse after 10 to 15 minutes... I figure it out that I'm too lazy to leave it on for that long :) I tried and when I did I did notice my skin being smoother but I already found other scrubs that are just as effective and work faster so I also won't buy this product again.

Essence came out with this collection of Hello, good stuff! items and I was quick to grab this face serum for hydration & glow with Pineapple extract. I heard a lot of people liking it so it didn't take long for me to pick it up. The scent is gorgeous, if you like Pineapple this is it. It absorbs into my skin and moisturizes it nicely, I was very pleased with it until I took it with me on my Summer vacation. I spend more time outside on the Sun and after washing my face I applied this all over thinking it will be good for my skin but then I started to notice this tingle, like the product seemed a bit too harsh for my sensitive skin. When I came home and avoided Sun as much as possible the tingle stopped. This is the only negative thing I have to say about it but it bothered me soo much that I won't buy it again.

There is Blistex lip balm Happy lips with Strawberry flavor. I think it was limited edition and it isn't available anymore. This has a nice soft texture (I love soft and buttery lip balms opposed to hard to melt into my lips ones), I enjoyed it a lot but after using it for so long I got sick of the artificial Strawberry scent.

The very last item is Dr. Grandel Hydro active eye contour gel with Hyaluron which is a proper gel but it can leave a bit of an oily glow on the skin. It has some shimmering flakes in the serum but I haven't noticed any big sparkle on the skin, it is rather the gel itself that shines because it takes a while to absorb. I have been using it daily (only at night time) and I feel like my eye area looks a bit better but it is hard to say. I haven't repurchased it (it is a bit expensive) because now I will see if my eye area will get 'worse' and that will be the 'proof' for me that it worked and if I will feel like it did something positive I will buy it again.

Thank you for reading and have a nice day

Empties

 Hello,

It is the end of the month and it is empties time! It went by so fast and it is kind of hard to realize that there are only two more months to go...

First is Blistex intensive moisturiser lip cream with Cherry scent. It contains 6 ml of products which I think is quite a lot. It really is a cream product and at first leaves a bit of a white residue on my lips but it does sinks in after a couple of minutes (if I applied more that it took longer to absorb). I was using it at home so no one could see the white cast and it was fine. It is moisturizing and I really liked the Cherry scent. This balm was definitely on the upper part of my lip balm list but I still think I won't repurchase it again. There are other balms that I prefer over this baby.

Next is my holy grail Neutrogena oil free daily face moisturizer. I have used up a lot of these tubes and every so often they slightly change the packaging but the product still feels the same. It is a light texture cream which absorbs super fast, it moisturizes my skin instantly but keeps my skin matte. I tell you, this is magic and I already have a new tube.

Another love is this particular Batiste dry shampoo in the Blush option. It smells like Peony and even though I normally don't obsess over this scent I love it in my hair and on the day when I do spray my hair with it I rarely wear perfume because it is so strong and I want to smell it all day long. I will repurchase it but at the moment I'm using different one which is also really nice (it is from a different brand).

I'm quite sad that The Body Shop don't make this Vineyard Peach collection anymore. I used to have a lotion and the scent charmed me so much that I rushed to the store and got myself butter version as well and now even this has come to an end. This had a very authentic Peach scent and it was delicious. I will miss it but I still have more TBS butters that need to be used up.

Essence High Beauty hydrating primer was a gift from Essence PR team. I already talked about it in depth so I will just quickly go through main points. First is the smell, it is very natural and green smelling, not my favorite but after a while it disappears. Then the texture is cream like and slightly yellow but it sinks in very fast and my skin looked pretty matte but when I applied my foundation on top of it it looked more dewy and since I have pretty oily skin this one wasn't my favorite. I used it up on my days off, over face cream to amp up the moisture and using it like that I was able to finish it up pretty fast.

The very last item is this Benecos Natural Kajal in White (to be honest it is more of a off white color-cream if you will). When I bought it I was obsessed with putting it into my lower waterline so I immediately bought myself a backup (there was no need to do that  because it is still available). After using it daily I started to wear it less and less until I completely forgot about it. Only recently I picked it up again and the experience wasn't the best. I put it into my waterline and after a while it started to travel around my eye and my vision blurred a bit, not something I would want so I'm throwing it away and I will start using the 'new' one and if it does the same I'm throwing that one away as well. 

I'm done with products that work only partially for me, I'm not going to push boundaries to make it work. It ether works or I'm letting go of it, life is to short to wear make-up which doesn't makes me happy.

Thank you for reading and have a nice day

Empties

Hello,

I just got back from my vacation and while I had a blast I mostly enjoyed my time outside on the sun and in the sea. I used very minimal skincare only the necessary items but since I used so many I didn't end up finishing any. I guess I will try to use them in the next few days (while the weather is still sunny) or next year.

I have finished another one from Catrice vitamin lip treatment line and this one is called Bohemian Raspberry. A lovely berry-red shade that gave my lips just enough pigment to tint them slightly more red. I'm really into this healthy looking lip situation and not only the shade was perfect the product itself is lovely too. The Watermelon scent, glossines and nourishing properties. This was my second one and I have three more to go.

Next is Blistex mango lip balm. I remember having the original version and I liked it so when I saw this fruity one I decided to get it. It smells lovely but it wasn't moisturizing enough for me. I did a mistake and purchased two more (one in Mango and the other is Strawberry) so I'm not quite done with them but if I wouldn't buy them in advance I wouldn't repurchase them.

La Petit Marseiliais makes this Shea and Fig body lotion which is in my opinion divine. The scent is calming and rich but not too overpowering, the nourishing properties could be better (it is not bad but I noticed if I get really dry skin then it doesn't help much) but for regular everyday is divine and I can easily see myself repurchasing it soon.

I finished another bunch of these Garnier moisture and comfort tissue masks. This time I went with  with Chamomile and Hyaluronic acid combo because my skin just went through some nasty cold and it showcased on my skin. I'm still not sure if these tissue masks do anything. I'm starting to realize that perhaps they don't turn my skin dramatically. It says on the packaging that one of their masks is equivalent of 1 week of hydrating serum in concentration but honestly I don't see that.

The very last item is Ombia cosmetics Hyaluron gel. I use it at night to carry my oils into the deeper levels of my skin and retain moisture. I really like it and have another bottle ready to go.



Thank you for reading and have a nice day