Peony lip shimmer

 Hello,

I am back with Burt's Bees lip product. I just keep trying but a lot of their products just don't end up well for me. My favorite was the lip gloss in the tube format but it is discontinued :(

On the photo above is Burt's Bees lip shimmer in the shade Peony. I started looking into this line last Winter and it took me months to pick one shade and wait for sale to get a discount :)

Right out of the bat this smells like Peppermint oil (it does says so on the packaging, to put it simple it smells like a strong tube of toothpaste) and the scent is super strong and it does feel cooling on the lips. It is not very tingly but the effect is noticeable. 

Shimmer reflect light like crazy and it is packed. Pink shade comes obvious under a certain angle and on my slightly pigmented lips it is not very visible. The glow more than enough makes it up for it.

The sheen is frosty and at first I like it because there is some creaminess and shine from the texture. Soon the shine is gone, it looks like the balm dried and the shimmer kind of solidifies... and then it doesn't look that nice anymore. It looks super obvious and kind of fake. I don't find it cute after around 15min but I tried with some sheer lip gloss and that helps it make it look nice. I honestly think this shimmer was made to be glossier.

I had high hopes for it and I thought that it would look a bit different than it does. I was expecting more of a pigmented, pink base but it is a glitter bomb. The scent of peppermint is very strong and the cooling effect is present. I guess I don't apply whole lot to begin with so the cooling isn't too much for me to handle. Light application is advised because of all the shimmers and after wearing it for around 15min it doesn't look that good anymore. 

The hydration is also not the best, the strong peppermint probably also doesn't help.

I prefer to wear it with juicy lip gloss and that is how I will use it up but I will definitely not be buying more of them.

Thank you for reading and have a nice day

Empties

 Hello,

my first empties of this year were filled with lip products, mostly because I was almost done with them last year but year 2025 just came around too quick for some items.

I didn't completely used up two Catrice volumizing lip booster lip glosses Pink up the volume and Meet me at Coral bay. I tried really hard but at the end I gave up. They were minty and tingly glosses and I just don't love that effect anymore. The shades were lovely, light but uniformed/ didn't get in my lip lines while applied. I would definitely get tham again, especially the pink shade if they would made them tingle free.

Next is Catrice lip jam hydrating lip gloss Strawrr baby. I only tried it once, because it arrived broken. I have ordered it online and inside the package the lid broke. I can say that it smelled fruity and the shade was barely there light pink (right up my alley). I have put it aside for a few weeks, maybe up to two months and the product inside the nozzle solidified since it was opened (broken lid was just placed on he tube) and no matter how hard I was squeezing nothing came out and I had to throw it away. I am thinking of getting it again since the shade was pretty but for now I got a different shade and a bunch of newly released glosses...

This next item was also a fail and I haven't used it up actually. It is Q&A liquorice lip oil. I didn't realise that the applicator was a metal ball and this applicator I would like to leave in the past. Metal ball spins, rotates and apply product unevenly and messy. In this case it wasn't enough and I was squeezing too hard. Metal ball shot out and most of the oil was spilled all over my lap. Thankfully I was wearing black sweatpants and there were no residue left after a wash. Not much product was left so I am calling it done. The oil itself was very thin and after 10 min it was gone from my lips.

This lip balm was straight forward unpleasant. It is Nude by Nature sheer glow color lip balm in Pink 03 shade. First, it is peach nude rather than pink. Second, it had unpleasant scent, like wooden pencils but make it strong. It applied somewhat gummy or waxy and the strong scent was too much for me to bare, also the shade didn't look good on me. Basically I only put it on, wore it for maybe 15 min and removed it. It went straight for the bin.

Nude by Nature tinted balm didn't work for me but in the packaging it looked promising. 

And that is the peachy swatch, not even near pink territory. 

There is also Burts's bees tinted lip balm Red Dahlia. I absolutely love this shade. It has red in the name but it is not your typical red. It is somewhat cool toned with a hint of brown and violet tone. It wasn't the most hydrating balm for me but since I love the shade so much I already repurchased it :)

Lastly there are two Hurraw! lip balms. Clear one is Papaya Pineapple and tinted one is Black Cherry. I love the squished packaging but there were no hydration for my lips. Papaya Pineapple had a slight scent but nothing distinguishable. Black Cherry was noticeable and I really liked it, also the tint was gorgeous darker red but sheer. At first I was ready to repurchase it but poor hydration properties made me realise that would not be the best idea, I would rather get the Burt's bees tinted option.

La Roche - Posay lipikar lipid-replenishing cream wash was a gift with purchase. It was a nice creamy wash with a barely there scent. I liked it a lot but probably I won't get it again because I can get cheaper washes from the drug store but if I even get one of these for free I will grab them with both hands.

I have used up another one of Catrice ultra last fixing spray. It is very inexpensive and effective, I sill have more than 10 bottles so I don't need to run out and get more. I am fully loaded :)

In the past I already had mini bottles of Moroccanoil light hair treatment, they were free gifts and based of them I decided to get this one. The scent is gorgeous and my hair feel silky and smooth after using it. The price is a bit high but at the end I think it is worth it for me. I have a few others to go through but I will get it again. I haven't noticed a lot of difference in texture with the original or light (I had samples of both)... I can use both on dry hair and it won't grease my hair out.

Little black pot is Artdeco eye shadow primer. This was my fourth pot and probably my last. It always worked for me but this pot felt different. My eye shadows started to crease no matter what so I gave in and gave this pot to my sister (she still likes it) and I purchased something more expensive and thankfully it works for me. I am a little sad that we had to part ways but I prefer my shadows to stay in place when I put them on my eyes.

Last is Nude by Nature Perfecting concealer Shell Beige. I purchased a bunch of products as part of the trial set and this concealer was included. It was pretty light and yellow toned, really nice match for my skin tone. It was very light in coverage but the plus side is that it didn't crease. I wanted to buy it again and use it on my more easy going days (natural coverage) but the price tag seems a bit high for it... maybe if I will find it on sale I might pick it again.

Little baby swatch at the bottom of the tube, nothing more was left :(

Thank you for reading and have a nice day

Empties

Hello,

this time I took some more time off from blogging. It is not that I don't have products to talk about, it's just me being lazy and enjoying in the first Spring rays. What about you?

This time around I have really a lot to cover so I will try to be as short as possible.
First product is nothing special, just a body wash but the scent is so charming that I keep buying it. It is Avon Senses Heaven Harmony with Lily of the Valley and Apple scent (I even have it in the hand wash version). I usually just get the big bottle of it (there is even bigger bottle, 720 ml, but it is too big to fit in my shower shelf but I get that one for washing my hands  ;) because I know I won't get sick of it.

Next are too Avon Care hand creams. First is the new with Coconut oil and second is older with Olive oil. Coconut has a slight scent that isn't too overpowering, the texture and ingredients are very similar to the standard/regular Care cream in the blue tube which happens to be my favorite hand cream. This is just the slightly scented version of it and I really like the scent so I already repurchased it. The olive one is creamier and almost a little heavier. It doesn't absorb that well into my skin and also when my skin is super dry it just doesn't help much, the scent is barely there but I won't buy it again because it is not providing my hands with enough moisture. I will rather get the regular Glycerin or the Coconut one.

This used to be my favorite shampoo and conditioner ever. It is Avon naturals Mango and Ginger. I remember when I still lived with my sister we would share it and keep repurchasing it. After a couple of years I bought it again and while I love the scent I don't think it did much for my hair. It is not bad, it doesn't make my hair dry or fizzy but it also doesn't make them silkier or smoother. I don't know, it just isn't outstanding but my sister still loves it. I guess our hair types aren't as similar as they used to be.

The last tube is slightly hiding in there but it is a lotion for Avon from the Cherish the moment line. I used the first one called Cherish and I really liked the scent so much that when they came out with the second version Cherish the moment I knew I had to get it. I liked this one a little better, it is more fruity opposed to floral and they both have something fresh to it. It is the perfect scent for the Spring and maybe someday in the future I will repurchase it again but first I have to go through some lotions that I already have.

I finally finished up this Mavala nail polish thinner. It is not that I was sick of it it is just that I had it for so long but recently I am trying to revive so many nail polishes and my sister is giving me hers to fix so no wonder it got empty. I don't know what would I do without this little miracle wonder, I guess I would have to toss so many beautiful colors :(  I already bought new bottle but this time it is from ArtDeco because they had some discount and it was cheaper, I also tried it and it works so I'm good.

This next bottle is also very old and I don't even know if they make it anymore, probably not but back in the days I used this one constantly. It is Essence gel-look clear top coat. I would apply a thin coat on fresh manicure and at least once during the following days until I would remove it completely and use something else. I used up so many bottles but I don't know when I stopped using top coat because now I rarely use it unless it is some kind of a shimmery or glittery top coat. I still have one bottle of clear top coat and I will try to use it more often if not to make my manicure glossier or to help it last longer then at least to use it up before it dries out completely.

First lip product form the bunch is L'occitane Zesty Lime lip balm. It smelled really nice and the product itself was a bit thicker which is not my favorite thing. At first it looked almost white but when I spread it over my lips it got clear and slightly glossy. It wasn't very moisturizing but the worst thing about it was how gunky it become after a while. I'm always rubbing my lips together and whenever I wore this balm I had to remind myself not to do it because if I did I would push the product on the sides of my lips where it would gather and turn white again, almost as if the sides of my lips aren't warm enough and it got a little thicker. The end result was product buildup especially on my thinner upper lip and to me that looks nasty so I would only use it around my apartment and I was so glad when it was done. For the hefty price tag these just aren't worth it even though I liked the scent.

The next lip balm is from Burt's Bees and it is the already discontinued Tiger Lily, peach shade. I had the pink one as well and both weren't nourishing enough but the color was nice on the lips, nothing too much but if I used it all day long the color could build up and it looked like a little too much (whenever I took it with me I also brought another clear balm and I would alternate, not just because of the color but also to actually moisturize my lips). On the photo below you can see that there is still a little left but I decided to toss it anyways. My lips are getting dry and this non nourishing balm did nothing so why keep it? This was my last lip product for them (I had five in total) and I wasn't happy with any of them so I really don't think I will buy more form BB.

The very- last item is from H&M Beauty and it is one of their cream blushes. Mine is in the Peachy Rose shade that was given to me by my sister. I used it quite a lot but I could use it even more, the shade was beautiful and the formula was very pigmented so I should ether use it every single day or I should have a deeper complexion in order to use it up completely. My heart breaks because it was a gift but it has been with me for two and a half years, the texture is getting more mousse-y and that tells me that it is not safe to use it anymore. I was thinking that I will clean it up and keep the packaging but it doesn't really have any sense. if the compact would have a mirror...
I hear a lot of good things about their powder blushes but the last time I was in the store and I walked through the beauty counters I picked up two more products which will be reviewed soon.



Thank you for reading and have a nice day

Empties

Hello,

we are again embracing the end of another month. I love March because of the Spring awakening but this year it looks like we will have to wait a little longer. It is freezing outside and occasionally snowing so Winter here is in full swing but I still hope the weather will change at least towards the end of the month when my birthday will take place so we could have party outside on the sun, lets cross our fingers.

First is Essence instant matt fixing spray. It sprays a fine mist and if my skin is already a bit dry it can feel a little uncomfortable after it dries (I imagine spraying hair spray would do the same, kind off pull the skin so it would feel like the skin on face is too tight) but I solve it with a little spritz of toner afterwards and it is fine. I think my make-up lasts longer and looks better when I use it so I already have a new bottle in my bathroom.

Next is another spray but this time from Avon Advance Techniques Supreme oils line and it is a duo oil (you have to shake it well before spraying it onto the hair). I love the scent that they have in the AT line but this one smells slightly different and for me even better. At first I didn't know how to use it because if I sprayed it on my tips it did nothing, I had to be careful not to use too much otherwise it would make my hair greasy so I only used it to make my hair smell great, one or two spritzes but a couple of months ago I started to blow dry my hair and I was so scared that hot air would dry them out. I remembered that I have this and now I use it on damp hair and then blow dry them, my hair look amazing. They are shiny, healthy looking, bouncy and smell great. I really think that adding oil on my hair before blow drying helps and I already repurchase it (probably some other oil would work just as fine but since I adore the scent on this particular one I will use this one).

Avon Clearskin gel purifying face cleanser is already a repurchase but this time it is housed in 'new' packaging. Almost jelly consistency had some green small balls in there which dissolved after massaging it. I think it cleansed my skin well and witch hazel help calming my skin down. At the moment I have plenty of face washes at my disposal but after they are all gone I just might repurchase it again.

Huh, this Batiste dry shampoo in Blush scent totally spin me around. First I was using the tinted ones that smelled like old socks and then they came out with scented ones and I wanted to try them for so long but I held myself back because I knew just how many bottles from other brands I had and I needed to go through them first. The first time I used this one I knew this is it. The scent is divine and I would use it as a perfume, it does have some white cast but my dirty (I hate to use that word to describe my hair color but it seems legit) light brown hair with natural blond highlights camouflage it well just as long as I run my fingers though a little. It is very strong, a little goes a long way so this big 200 ml can lasts me for a long time and they regularly reduce the price so I can get them for really cheap.

Almost there, just a couple of lip products. These two are Avon Ultra Color Indulgent lipsticks in Pink Blossom (coral-pink) and Petal Pink (cool toned pink). I remember that I order them right when they came out so I didn't quite know how the shades looks like. I actually purchase three (Tawny Rose is still my favorite) and these two rarely get on my lips. I tried them just recently and I'm not in these brights anymore and since they are over three years old and I really can't see myself using them I thought I would just toss them if I will feel the need to use bright pink I still have a couple in my collection that aren't as old and I can use them.

The very last item is Burt's Bees tinted lip balm in the shade Petunia. I have seen that they changed the packaging, colors and names so this one is no longer available and I'm fine with it. The color was a nice baby pink but when my lips were dry the pigment made it even more obvious and that happened all the time. I would use it all day long and my lips got dry and chapped. I don't care if the product is natural, organic or vegan if it doesn't do its job, in this case moisturize, then I don't like it. I still have another shade and I'm seriously thinking of tossing it away. Life is too short to use crappy lip balms that don't work, right?





Thank you for reading and have a nice day

Empties

Hello,

this is going to be second to last empties post in this ending year. Do you feel nostalgic already or are you one of those people who can't wait till next year?
If I'm honest I'm a bit scared because big decisions and steps are ahead of me and change always manages to freak me out. I can only hope and pray that everything will end up well for me. To cheer myself up a bit I always start taking better care of my skin and hair which will be evident in my next posts.

First product is old Catrice Ultimate Shine Gel Colour Lipstick in the Don't fear the Sheer shade. This line of lippies was so very moisturizing and comfortable to wear, when they discontinued them in 2015 I bought a bunch of them, I kept most of them for myself (I have 4 more to go through) but I gave some to my mom and sister and they both loved them as well. If I could get my hands on more of them I definitely would, in fact all three of us would.

Next is Burt's Bees replenishing Pomegranate lip balm, it smells amazingly fruity but the texture was a bit too light for me. I prefer greasier balms that lasts on the lips, this one stayed on for about 15 minutes and then I had to reapply. By the end of the day my lips were dry and thirsty. It looks red but on the lips it was clear. They cost a little more (a little more than 4 €) and for me they are definitely not worth it, I had much better balms for less.

Don't fear the Sheer lipstick, Blush lip shine and Soft Peach lip gloss

Another Burt's Bees product has been 'finished' in the shade Blush. It is evident from the photo that there is still a lot of product left and that is because it went bad. The scent is still very fruity and sweet but it has formed some kind of texture but if I rub my lips together they dissolve. I'm not sure what it is but since I know that it is a bit older I'm tossing it. It was sheer but so very glossy, very 'my' kind of gloss but again not worth the price tag. On the swatch photo it is the one in the middle.

The last lip product in this post is from Avon and it is one of their Ultra Glazewear Absolute gloss in the Soft Peach shade (last swatch). I absolutely adore this line of moisturizing glosses (so sad that they are gone) and the peachy shade was lovely but my favorite remains the Renewing Rose which is muted mauve color.

This is my second Lush fresh face mask (I used up two pots of Cosmetic Catastrophe which I adore) and this time I opted for a different kind called Cosmetic Warrior. It is meant for oily, acne prone skin which I have. It has a lot of garlic and tea tree oil in it and the scent can be a little much sometimes. It felt like a gentle clay mask but I haven't noticed any results. The other mask C.W. actually did something for my skin so next time I will rather pick that one out.

I was pampering my hair a lot and I don't want to brag but my hair haven't look better. I have to thank this oil a lot, it is Avon Advance Technique Smooth as Silk hair oil that makes my hair instantly less frizzy, more smooth, sleek and less dry. One pump is enough to nourish my almost waist length hair. I have tried two more oils from Avon's AT line and this one is my favorite. I already bought myself a backup.

The last item is Afrodita's Cosmetics Hydra Thermal Hyaluronic acid hydra active concentrate which feels almost like a gel and it absorbs really fast into the skin. I figured that if I used it a couple of days in a row it broke me out so I used it sparingly on my face but I slather it on my neck and chest area (not so sensitive and it gave my skin some moisturizing boost). I won't be repurchasing it again but I do have some other Hyaluronic acid serums that I need to go through and I will see how my skin will react to those.




Thank you for reading and have a nice day