Empties

 Hello,

this batch of empties is quite large, I managed to finish up to 8 items and there are a few more just waiting to be gone.

Here I have one of my favourite perfumes which is Lancôme Hypnose. Such a lovely powdery passion fruit scent, I seriously can't get enough of it. I already have a new bottle but before cracking new bottle I will wear some other fragrances just to prevent getting sick of this particular scent.

Batiste dry shampoo is a staple in my bathroom. It is so easy to fix the hair with it and make them look more presentable through the day. I went through a numerous bottles of Batiste dry shampoo and this particular Cheeky Cherry is my second favourite (my first is still Peony but there are a few different scents which share the no. second spot). I already have a few backups in various scents.

Avon Avocado replenishing body wash is a lovely creamy product. This is already my second bottle and I have two more backups. I love the slightly thicker texture (it is not runny like water, if you are clumsy like I am then spilling it into the drain it possible) which makes this product last so much longer than the rest of body washes plus the scent is a creamy heaven to me but nothing too overpowering. Great for calming me down after a long day at work.

Next is Holika Holika Green Tea face wash. It looks like a cream which foams a little when mixed with water. It is gentle jet effective. This is my second tube and I wanted to get a new one but the price went up so instead I purchased a different one to try out but I will be on a lookout to get it again once the price drops.

Ebelin nail polish remover, I think this one is pretty basic but it works for me. It is very inexpensive and easy to get, I already bought myself a new bottle of it.

There is Aloe Vera Fruit of the Earth gel, I have tried some other brands but I have not had such success as with this one. This one doesn't irritate my skin if applied on sun exposed skin, I also use it on dry and dehydrated areas or use it as a hair gel. This tube lasted me few years but now I got myself a bottle twice the size ;) I think it will last me a lifetime :)

Catrice HD Liquid Coverage foundation in Light Beige is my favourite, formula and shade wise. With this foundation I can choose lighter or higher coverage, depending on the day and I think it looks pretty natural  and not caked through the day. I personally have to set it with powder and reapply another layer of powder through my work day since my skin is oily but I think it still looks nice and the price is super low on it. This one is a massive love and I already have a few backups.

In front there is Avon Always on Point eye pencil in Molten Pewter shade. I love this self sharpening mechanism. It allows me to always have a sharp end, every time you twist the lid back it sharpens and I think it is genius. So, I love the packaging, the formula is creamy and it sets after a few seconds and the color doesn't shift all over. The color was one of my favourites, it was a cool toned green with shimmer and great on its own or over darker colours to add some shimmer, I would repurchase it again if possible.

Thank you for reading and have a nice day

Empties

 Hello,

I just got from my beach vacation and I seriously thought I will finish more SPF infused products but I took with me way too many bottles and use all of them, so no wonder I couldn't completely finish up many.

First is Milnica's Almond oil. I liked this thicker oil (it doesn't absorb super fast into the skin) on my face to help me remove my make-up but soon I realized that my skin doesn't like it which resulted in some new acne. I quickly switch it to my body and managed to finish it up. I like it but I prefer oils which I can use on my face and body so I won't be buying it again.

I purchased this sun protecting lotion for the face a while ago. It is Vichy ideal soleil SPF 50 emulsion mattifying face fluid with a dry touch. High protection and matte finish really caught my attention but unfortunately didn't work for me. At first it is greasy, just like any other SPF cream, it takes a while to settle and even then I had a feeling like my make-up doesn't sit well on my skin (it created a layer on my face so foundation couldn't grip and when my skin got oily it just moved around). It also has a non typical scent, more alcohol and something artificial, but then again I wouldn't be surprised if they would claim that they didn't add any fragrances to make it more pleasant. At the end I used it up on my arms and legs, far away from my face.

Avon care glycerine hand & nail cream with and vitamin E hand cream has to be one of my favorites. I love this light jet moisturizing formula and the scent is somewhat clean (like fresh soap), I don't get much floral. I think this is discontinued but I should have a backup or two left.

Krauterhof aloe very gel was somewhat failed purchase. I remember they had a really good deal if you get two of them (which I of course did ;). The first one is already gone and this is the second one and I'm overjoyed. Aloe vera gel from Fruits of the Earth is my favorite but can be a little expensive so I opted for this brand thinking I will get the same thing for less. I still remember when I applied a thick coat of it all over my face and after a couple of minutes my face started to tingle (it felt like my face is covered with tiny ants, not quite burning sensation but very unpleasant) I checked myself in the mirror and notice my face turned bright red (neck and chest areas where I also used the gel were normal). I quickly washed it off and promised myself that I will never again buy cheap aloe vera. I used it on my body and as a hair gel.

Next is my beloved Fruit of the earth aloe vera gel which is the best that I tried. This is the large bottle and it took me years to finish it up. There is no irritations just relieved skin. I love putting it into toners (it completely dissolves if you use little bit and amp up the moisturizing properties), under my oils, after sun exposure, on bug bites, on my hair (it is a fabulous hair gel, on its own or again you can mix it with some water and pour it into a spray bottle if that is your preferred way of applying it) and probably there are some more ways to use it but I can't think of at the moment. I already repurchased it but this time in a smaller tube.

The very last item is Avon advance technique sun-light spray beautifying hair protector with UV protection. It had this signature AT scent which I love and since I am slightly obsessed with applying SPF on my skin I thought why not protecting my hair? It turns out I would mostly forget about it and again it took me years to finish it up. Most of it was also used on a vacation where I used tons of it at once. I even added some shimmer in it (I crushed one of my older highlighters which I didn't love anymore) and finally this year it is gone. I don't think I will repurchase it again because I just couldn't get into a habit of using it.

Thank you for reading and have a nice day

Empties

Hello,

it is pretty obvious that we are having a burning hot Summer. I have used up a lot of Sun lotions and I haven't had any burn on my body, jet. I still have plenty to go through (this year alone I purchased 6 bottles of Sun cream and I still have some left from last year).

First tube is Sun Dance cream with SPF 50. It is old and not completely used up but it is very greasy and it leaves obvious white cast so I'm tossing it, did I mentioned that it is old?

Next is Avon Sun+ lotion for kids with SPF 30. It is light blue which is great if you have some minor red spots because the cool color counteracts it but you are left with bluish hands afterwards. This one too is a little too old to be used in a safe matter so I'm discharging it. 

Third one is my favorite, it is Hawaiian Tropic with SPF 50. I noticed that they changed the packaging and the highest protection that they are offering from this line is 30, I'm a little disappointed but probably I will still repurchased it next year (I just bought 6 full bottles and tubes from another brand so I think I'm good for a while). The cream itself is white and cream colored so it won't give you that white cast and the scent is phenomenal. 

Fourth one and last for this month (yep, I am planning on using up some more next month) is another one from Sun Dance and it is not as old as the first one so I used it all up. It is for the face, neck and chest area with an SPF of 30. They claim to be mattifying fluid. I agree that it is quite liquid but not mattifying enough for me. I also didn't liked the white cast that was left after applying on top of the greasy feeling so I used it on my body and I was done with it faster. This one is not something I would repurchase.

Next we have Fruit of the Earth aloe body lotion. It was milky and I would never guessed that it has aloe in it because of the texture which is nothing like the aloe vera. It had a generic and barely there scent, it was not bad but I got spoiled by some amazing moisturizers so this felt a bit bland. It absorbed quickly but I didn't have a feeling that it would moisturize my skin well. I was glad when it was gone and I won't bother getting it again.

Avon Advance Technques heat protection spray was something I purchased ages ago. I rarely do any heat styling so this was completely unnecessary. I ended up using it on my hair when I went to the beach. I don't know if it works like that, if it protects my hair from the sun but I thought that it can't hurt, right? Otherwise it had that lovely scent that all Avon A.T. products have but my complaint would be that it made my hair sticky. They would get all tangled, in a way it is good because I was able to create some texture in my hair but on the windy day at the beach it just looked messy.

I bought not so long ago this Himalaya clarina anti acne clay mask and I used it very consistently. It is this typical clay mask that gets dry and manages to pull the gunk out of your pores. My skin felt better after one use (I mean in the morning after because whenever I remove clay masks my skin looks all red and irritated and this one wasn't an exception). The next day my skin looked better, pores looked clearer if not completely clear, acne were reduced or completely gone. I have to give two thumbs up for this one but there is one drawback and it occurs shortly after applying it. When it sits on my face it starts to burn around extra sensitive areas, in my case that it the nose. It felt cold and hot at the same time, very weird and unpleasant but after I got through this phase it worked and I might repurchase it in the near future (I bough another mask from the same brand which is also for oily skin types so I will see how that one will work).

Lastly I have another face mask and this on is from Lush and it is one of their fresh masks. I have Catastrophe Cosmetics and I already talked about it last week. It was great for my oily and acne prone skin. It helped reduce the big boys and clear out the smaller fellas. It didn't feel hot or cold on my skin and after I rinsed it off my skin didn't look red or angry but rather happy and moisturized. I already repurchased it along with another mask from the brand. I will report back as soon as I start using it.

Thank you for reading and have a nice day

aloe vera

Hello,

today I have an essential product for you. I have been using aloe vera gel for years now. It is great to apply after shaving, on those mosquito bites or other nasty bugs that might find your blood delicious ;) I love braids in my hair but I can't stand those plastic bands so I soak ends of braids in this gel and they stay put for days, literally. I mix it with water to make it liquid and put it into a spray bottle and refresh my face on hot days or use it on my hair instead of hair spray, it keeps flyaways  in check and it doesn't make my hair all crispy.

Fruit of the Earth pure 100% aloe vera gel

Just recently I found another great use of this Fruit of the Earth pure 100% aloe vera gel. I apply it on a clean face in the evening and then on top I use oils. This combination helps oils penetrate faster and my skin is left dry (all of the oil sinked in) plus it helps reduce redness and swelling from acne. Since I started using this every evening, my skin looks much better in the morning. I usually use it in combination with tea tree oil but when it will get better I will replace it with lily's oil.

Aloe vera is a must product for me but after this little 'discovery' I renamed it into a holy grail product. I keep this huge bottle in my bathroom and smaller bottle in my purse because you never know.



Thank you for reading and have a nice day