Empties

 Hello,

not much time has left of this year and we can only hope for a better future. I like to finish with lots of used up products, it feels sort of like a Spring clean. I find products that are a bit dusty or almost forgotten and I try to just finish them up and start the year with some less clutter.

For this round there are a lot of my favorites which are already or will be repurchased.

First is Nivea Cherry Blossom and Jojoba oil infused body lotion and I have to say that the scent is divine. Usually Cherry Blossom scents are very faint but here they made it quite strong and it is beautiful. I loved putting it all over me and then going to sleep, it was perfect to sooth me after a long day. For me it gets ten plus points for the scent. Next I would like to touch on the texture a bit, it is lotion like but it has oil infused formula which makes this lotion a bit more greasy than usual, so it takes a bit longer to absorb. After using it for days I noticed that my skin felt a bit itchy sometimes which is a sign of dry skin so I started to use it even more and combining with some other moisturizers to help out my skin. I love the scent but probably I won't repurchase it again because my skin need something more nourishing than this but I will miss this scent.

This is my second (I think, or is it already third?) tube of Ren flash rinse 1 minute facial with water activated vitamin C. My sister actually hooked me on this and I already have a new tube of it. Tiny scrubbing particles nicely exfoliate but in touch with water the texture turns into oil like consistency. I used it approximately twice a week and the tube lasts for a long time (I cut it in half so it looks smaller than it actually is). The next day my skin is softer and pimples are reduced, it is such an effective product and I hope they never stop making it.

Another Ren product but this one is glycol lactic radiance renewal mask. This was suggested to me by a shop assistant and I bought it in a good faith that it will retexturized my skin (I have acne scars on my cheeks and also still some fresh pimples every once in a while) but I haven't noticed any drastic results (like I did with the product mention above). You are supposed to put it on in a thick layer and leave it for ten minutes and then wipe it off. My skin is on a roller coast and testing this product in these months full of stress and all day wearing mask is not ideal and maybe I was expecting too much from this Ren mask. I will see how my skin will respond now when I'm out of it, because sometimes I notice how good a product is when I ran out of it and then I will choose if I need to repurchase it or not.

Pflanzen kozmetik von Mueller Jojoba oil has also became a staple in my routine. I get it because it  is inexpensive and my skin likes it. I use it in the evening as a first step to remove my make-up and sometimes after my face is already clean to moisturize it. My skin don't react poorly to it so I will definitely repurchase it again after I use my extensive face oil collection.

Next is Milnica's Lavender toner. I tried other ones from this brand and I liked them all so I decided to finally get my favorite Lavender toner (I loved it from other brands but I never tried the one from Milnica) and it is just as amazing as from any other brand. I pour it into a spray bottle and love using it over my fresh face of make-up to melt my make-up with my skin, it looks super natural and hydrated, after it dries I apply fixing spray to lock everything and when it is dry, a generous layer of face powder. For me that proves to be the most long lasting combination under a mask and Lavender tones is already on my to get list.

This product is the only one I am disappointed within this round and it is Avon Planet spa Heavenly Hydration with Mediterranean olive oil hand cream. It smells divine just like the other products from this line (I remember loving the hair balm/conditioner) but this cream is way too greasy. No matter how little I use it never absorbs and just leaves greasy stains all over. When I would go and wash my hands it came right off and my skin on my hand seemed dry and dehydrated. A fail in my books and I will never ever repurchase it again but I know that my sister had another one from this Planet Spa collection and she really liked it, now I have to ask her which one it was and maybe I will get that one...

The very last item is a surprising one and it is the EOS Sugared Plum lip balm. In the past I tried their sphere balms and I didn't liked them one bit but I gave them a second chance and get this one. It smelled like sweet Plum and the formula was quite greasy which I like. It felt moisturizing and nourishing on my lips and if I wore it all day long my lips were well taken care off. I googled and found out that this scent is discontinued but after I am done with some more balms I will pick another one from the extensive EOS collection that they have and if the formula will be the same I will like it just as much as this one.

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

Empties

Hello,

happy new year. I hope you survived your holidays well and are ready for new adventures.
I have decided to shop less this year and rather use my extensive stash of products but Essence is teasing me with all the products that they will discontinue soon (everything will retire, every single product!!!! I can't believe because I thought that I have found my holy grail concealer and powder but soon they will be gone). I will try to pull myself back and not buy every single product but in the mean time I'm using what I have which is evident on the two photos below.

First is Avon ultra shiny tubes in Dreamy Peach. I love the formula on these but this quite glittery orange shade didn't rock my boat. Now they have them in slightly different packaging but they still feel the same. I did use mine a bit but like I said the color didn't suit me so eventually it went bad and I'm tossing it in the bin but I'm thinking of getting some other shade.

Then there are the two EOS sphere balms in Vanilla Bean and Pumpkin Spice. The scents were okay but the formula was really not for me. They are very hard and even when I rubbed like twenty times it felt like nothing on the lips. I prefer a bit softer balms that melts into my lips and nourish them. These two failed and while there is still plenty of product left in both, I'm getting rid of them.

Biobaza makes this Bee balm with some SPF and I thought that it will be great for the beach time. I was wrong. This balm is much softer and when I took it with me on Summer vacation it already started to melt so taking it with me to the beach was a no no. At the end I did used it up but next time I will look for some other balm to take it with me to the beach.

Essence used to make these Sheer & Shine lipsticks which were absolutely amazing (now they have Color up! Shine on! line which is very similar). My red shade is named I feel pretty and it really is pretty. I used almost entire tube of it but at the end it started to taste a bit weird so I'm throwing it away because I don't want to risk any infections.

The very last item is Avon ridge filling base coat. It was a bit thicker but otherwise a pretty regular, standard base coat. I like it but I have a couple of other bottles left and I have to use them up before buying something new (I'm on a low buy so I have to keep telling that to myself so I don't forget  ;).

I have bought this set from Aldo Vandini two years ago and I'm super glad that I finally used it up. The pink tube is body wash and white is body lotion. They are both Magnolia scented and it is the scent that remind me of my childhood and I love it a lot. The body wash was nothing special but the lotion was top notch. The scent on my skin developed and after using it a couple of days in a row my sheets and pj started to smell like it and I dare to say that it even helped me fall asleep faster. I would repurchase the lotion in a heartbeat but since I have plenty of tubes and bottles already it will have to wait. The body wash like I said nice but I prefer to buy cheaper washes and rather splurge on lotions.



Thank you for reading and have a nice day

Sphere lip balms

Hello,

lip balms are my obsession and when I saw the famous EOS balms on our shelves I knew I won't be able to resist for long. Labello also jumped on the wagon and brought their version of egg sphere shaped balms and I got one as well.

So the two EOS balms were sold in a set (I don't think you can buy these scents individually and I really wanted to get the orange one). Orange one is Pumpkin Spice and the cream one is Vanilla Bean.
The light mint is Labellino and is simply named Mint.

The EOS balms are a bit hard at the beginning but after I rub them about five times I get some product on my lips. The layer feels very thin and it absorbs quickly so I have to reapply around 20 minutes after. Not ideal but they keep my lips relatively soft for a couple of hours, after that I have to incorporate another more moisturizing product to keep my lips chap free.
I bought the set because of the Pumpkin Spice scent alone, I wanted to know why people are going crazy over pumpkin spice products. I have to say that I was disappointed. To me the flavor and scent remind me of old/expired cinnamon cookies. Not a big fan but I think I will be able to use it up.
On the other had I fell in love with the Vanilla Bean scent. I expected to smell very strong and sweet of vanilla but I was wrong. To me it reads something creamy and has just a touch of vanilla, I think they have the 'regular' stick available in this scent and I just might pick it up even though I don't love the formula.

The last is Labellino from Labello in the Mint scent. The texture is even waxier and I have to rub it on my lips for longer to get any product on my lips. I even cut the dome a bit and it was better for like two uses. It makes me think that it gets a 'hard layer' and ideally I would have to scrap a layer off before every application.... This one is even less moisturizing than the EOS ones, I would say that it did nothing for my lips, it is  just a cute sphere and if the scent would convince me then maybe it would be worth it. In general I love mint lip products so I thought that I will love this one too but this mint is very toothpaste-y. I have never have a lip product in a mint flavor that would give me the toothpaste vibes, it is very strange.

As cool as they look unfortunately they don't pack a punch, my lips weren't happy when I was testing them out. I will keep the EOS ones and use them here or there but the Labellino is going into the trash.




Thank you for reading and have a nice day

Black Friday Madness

Hello,

Black Friday is already behind us, did you indulge yourself? I know I did. I really needed new boots which I bought with a whooping discount but there was also a drugstore next to it and naturally I went in and didn't walk out empty handed. I actually bought more stuff but some of them are 'boring' necessities or gifts for the upcoming holidays.

I wanted to try the famous EOS sphere balms for so long that I decided to finally snatch them on sale. I wanted to see what is this whole craze over the Pumpkin Space flavour and since it was only available in a set with the Vanilla Bean I picked up the set (I still haven't decided if the Pumpkin Spice scent is okay or I hate it, I will report back after I actually try it).

Labello came out with their version as well and they call them Labellino and since I'm a mint fan I picked the Mint scented one.

In the corner there are my new Real Techniques 2 miracle complexion sponges. The one I'm using right now from Bell cosmetics is great but getting old so I will soon need to replace it and everyone seems to love these orange ones so I hope they will live up to the hype for me as well.

I had my eyes locked on this Essence mosaic compact powder in Sunkissed Beauty for way too long. I'm a sucker for anything multitoned and this bronzer looked light enough for my pale complexion.

The L'occitane Terre de Lumiere radiant balm was an impulse purchase. I went in to only buy some gifts for my loved ones, I didn't want to buy anything for myself but I started talking with the sales lady about the already discontinued Acacia line. She offered me this hand cream to sniff saying that it has similar notes but to her it smells even better. I'm tempted to go back and buy the perfume...(for myself) needles to say that the scent is gorgeous ;).

The last items are new, revamped Catrice Art Couleurs single eye shadows. They feel buttery soft to the touch and I picked four shades, not that I need more. The darkest, bronzey shade is called Mademoiselle Chic, next to it on the top is Like and Subscribe, grey with pink reflex. I think my favorite is softer, bronze shade named Chocolate Cake by the Ocean and the last one at the bottom is the highlighting shade called Metallic Lights.

I'm planing to make individual posts with all of these products after I try them sometimes in the near future.



Thank you for reading and have a nice day