Empties

 Hello,

here is the second art of my empties full of face items.

First is REN bio retinoid anti-ageing cream which I used in the evening. It had a light texture but it took a while to get absorbed. I also have oil from this line and usually I put oil on top of everything but here they recommend cream to be on top of this oil so when I tried this sandwich this cream applied nicer and absorbed quicker. Lotion is already gone but oil remains. I found out that REN is going out of business so I will not be able to repurchase it.

Bright orange is my beloved Neutrogena oil free face moisturiser. I love this fast absorbing cream under my make-up and I have some more backups to go through. If they ever discontinue this one I eally don't know what will replace it.

Next is another one of my many repurchases because it is that good. It is Catrice ultra last fixing spray. It seals my make-up while giving my face glow (not sparkles just uniformed glow. It looks almost like layer of it dries on top of my skin and reflects light). I thought that is pretty standard look but now I am using something else and it does not do that, it just makes me look dry so I bust open another bottle of this Catrice fixing spray and I combine them. Just another proof to me that this one is amazing. 

Mini bottle on top is Cos de BAHA Hyaluronic acid serum. It was a free gift with purchase and that is why it is so small. It had a light and liquid formula and it was a pleasure to use. I would get it again from this brand and try out some other ones as well (I am intrigued by their brightening serum).

Lastly there is Peter Thomas Roth Rose stem cell anti-aging face mask. It was a pink gel mask, very cooling on my skin. It was supposed to be very hydrating but I did not noticed anything special about it, I liked the rose scent but my skin didn't improve while using it so i will not be buying it again. I also have a blue version which is next in line to be used. 

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,

todays post will be extra short and sweet. Just a bunch of my favorites and mostly repurchases.

Cute bottle is Yope Linden natural moisturizing hand and body lotion. It contains Shea butter, Coconut and Olive oil for moisturizing properties but the texture didn't feel very greasy. I hoped for this lovely Linden scent but it is more of a 'cream' scent, noting special, it is nice but not exceptional. They also included Chamomile and Marigold extracts for anti-inflammatory and soothing properties. All in all a nice cream but it didn't knock my socks off so probably I won't repurchase it again.

Second product is one of my favorite face washes of all times. It is Himalaya Neem Foaming Face Wash. I used it on my vacation when my skin was a little extra sensitive because of the sun exposure but it worked fine. It removes make-up and oil residue while still being gentle to my skin and it doesn't completely strip it off of natural oils. The price tag also seem fair so it is a win win for me.

REN Flash Rinse 1 Minute Facial is amazing product. I already used up a few tubes and I'm already using new one. This is super easy to use and the results are visible right after removing it. My skin is softer right after use (first step works like a scrub) but the next day I can notice my skin being clearer and more even in tone, when I use it regularly, around twice a week my skin looks and feels amazing. I can only recommend this amazing product, but try to find it on sale. 

Beauty Glam Clear SkinSerum with 2% Salycylic Acid serum is another repurchase. I like this thick serum which absorbs super fast into my acne prone skin. I usually use it in the evening after cleansing my skin and afterwards I proceed with more moisturizing serums. I think this works for my skin and I already have a new bottle ready.

The very last item is Avon Footworks Orange and Cinnamon foot lotion, which was a limited edition scent years ago. In general I like their foot range and this one was not an exception. The cream has a nice texture which spreads out and absorbs quickly, it also had lovely Autumnal scent but after so many months of using it I kind of got sick of it. It kept my feet nicely soft and nourished so I'm definitely getting it again but in a different scent option.

Thank you for reading and have a nice day

Empties

 Hello,

for today I only have a little selection of my used up products but let me tell you, all of them will be repurchased if I haven't already.

Nivea Intensive hand cream has this amazing almost rubbery packaging. I had two different versions before this one and this one is just as lovely as the previous ones. Light texture which absorbs quickly and nourishes dry skin and did I mention this soft 'packaging'? I know I still have one more to go through and after that one gone I'm buying it again.

For this next product I can't 100% testify that it does miracles but most definitely I don't have any bad reaction from it. It is REN bio retinoid anti-wrinkle concentrate oil. I did  some research about benefits of using vitamin A and REN is a brand a lot of people with knowledge trust... I think it is a win-win combination. Truth is that I don't get that many acne anymore and my old acne scars are slowly fading. They are still visible and if I use products which are proven to even out the color and texture faster I will most definitely keep buying and using them. I already bought myself a new bottle and I hope that they don't amp up the price or discontinue it.

This product I bough out of curiosity because Neutrogena products seems to work for me and curcuma is an ingredient with lots of positive effects. I don't know just how much of it they used but it is in the first half of the ingredients list... It has a pleasant, light orange scent but it also burn my eyes if it gets too close. At first I thought that I won't repurchase it because of it but after I finished it I started to use something else and my face immediately responded with a bunch of nasty bumps on my chin, the only product that was changed was the face wash... So I think it is safe to say that Neutrogena Curcuma Clear face mousse wash is something I will repurchase again and now I have three holy grail face washes, each from a different brand.

The very last item is L'oreal Magic invisible dry shampoo Fresh Crush. This is my second bottle of it and I really like it. The scent isn't really fresh but it is somewhat bubble gum inspired and quite strong, thankfully I like it but maybe next time I will get a different one just to mix things up. This definitely has a white cast which requires some extra work but other than that I have nothing bad to say about it.

Thank you for reading and have a nice day

Empties

 Hello,

this is jet another empties post in a row. For now this is all I could do but I'm planning on some more posts in the future, more interesting than my trash ;)

Garnier body lotion, oil beauty with Argan, Macadamia, Almond and Rose oil. This has a lovely light texture which absorbs very fast and leaves my skin silky smooth. I bought this after my sister recommendation and she was wright. This smells divine (creamy and super comforting), is moisturizing and doesn't leave my skin sticky. This is a love and I will repurchase it again.

Next is another one of my sister's favorites and it is from beloved brand Rituals. Mine is from the: The Rituals of Sakura collection which smells like organic rice milk and cherry blossom and it is caring shower oil. I felt weird showering with it so I made my own little ritual of using it. I would shower and before patting my body dry I would apply it all over, massage a bit and then just quickly rinse it off. That way I made sure my body was clean and because I lightly rinse it off the scent stayed on my skin for longer. This seriously smells amazing. I will try and buy the lotion, if I will find some nice sales.

Nivea 1 minute urban detox mask is something I loved a couple of years ago but my love for it slowly died. I still like it but now I prefer the blue one from this line. This has little granules which do some of the scrubbing and now I prefer to use enzyme opposed to mechanical scrubs. I would massage it onto my face while in the shower and rinse it of. The base of the mask feels a bit thick so it is easy to put it on all over my face and it stays there for as long as I want (it doesn't slip), it almost feels like a clay mask and that helps with that clean feel that I used to really love but now I feel like it is maybe a bit too much. I noticed I got more gentle with my skin lately and I think it suits me more, so this mask won't be repurchased.

Next is Ren clearcalm 3 replenishing gel cream for blemish prone skin. This one does come with a big plastic lid which I threw away some time ago (I hate lids that are detachable and I will most likely throw them away as soon as possible unless there is a big opening and the product gets exposed to the air, so all of my pots still do have lid but most spray bottles don't). With this product the lid is important and I wish I wouldn't throw it away because sometimes the product that is at the top of the nozzle would get a bit dry and would block the product to get out. If you ever buy this product or something from Ren that has this type of a bottle, keep the lid. So, I still used it and I have to say I didn't notice anything special  about it (maybe the magical ingredient evaporated because of my stupid mistake). This product applies nicely only on dry skin (forget toners and serums underneath, this cream needs some slip) and I had to apply little by little otherwise it just didn't sink in. When it did, my skin just drink it up and was left thirsty. I always had to put something more moisturizing on top because this wasn't enough and did I notice my blemishes disappearing faster? Nope, my skin didn't particularly love it and I'm super happy that it is gone and now I can move to something different.

The very last item is Essence Bloom, Baby Bloom! lip gloss in the shade Hibis-kiss. It was a limited edition gloss which looked more like lip oil in my opinion. The shade was clear, very fruity sweet (I loved the scent) and it looked extra glossy just like lip oil. Sadly it also disappeared super fast, 15/20 minutes and it was gone. I started to use it at home and it went very quickly. I think it took me a month and it was gone. Also I would like to mention that the bottle started to leak. No matter how many times did I wipe it, the product as always coming trough and because the consistency is more like an oil it was running very fast and was leaving greasy marks all over. I'm super happy that it is gone and even though I liked the scent and it was moisturizing enough to be used on its own I would not repurchase it (not that it is still available).

Thank you for reading and have a nice day

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

Empties

Hello,

I have a new empties post. I am preparing for a new year and I would like to use up as many products as possible so next year I will start fresh, do any of you have the same felling? When you just want to get out of the way as many products before the change of year?

First is Le Petit Marseiliais body lotion with cotton and almond note in this beautiful bright red bottle. It reminds me of Poppies and my mom|s old favorite fragrance Kenzo Flower (anyone else?). It was really nice but I prefer the one in the pink/lavender bottle that I have finished earlier this year.

Next is a *miracle* product from REN and it is their flash rinse 1 minute facial. Basically it is a scrub that you apply on a clean and dry face (it has to be dry), it has little scrubby parts that do not feel too much and when it starts balling up I rinse my fingers with lukewarm water and go over my face again. Water turns it into an almost oily product and the scrubby particles dissolves. If my skin is sensitive (acne) it will burn a little (it claims to have water activated vitamin C in it, that is why it is so important that in the first step there is no water involved). My skin will not turn red, even when it feels extra sensitive and the next day my acne are reduced or smaller ones are gone, the texture is improved and the skin after using it a couple of times looks more even. This is gorgeous so I did not hesitate and purchased another tube even though it is expensive.

Next is my beloved Avon advance technique silky hair serum. This is my second used up bottle and third one is already in rotation. I love this oil in my hair not only because it smells nice but also because it makes them look less dry, basically silkier (as the name suggests). My preferred method is to use it on damp hair and in the morning when I wake up they are exceptionally smoother and silkier.

Caudalie vinosource overnight recovery oil was my last years black Friday deal. I also got the one in the green bottle and honestly I did not saw much improvement in my skin but this one in the red bottle (also cheaper) suited me better. It contains Grape seed, Jojoba, Sesame, pure Rose, Sunflower and Palmarose oils mixed together. Using it on a regular base I noticed that my skin looked more even (less red which I can thank Rose oil). I was using it with different serums and my skin improved a lot since last year but I think it was a combination of products. This one was nicer than the one in the green bottle but still it is a bit pricey for what it is. I already bought Jojoba (nourishing) and Rose (redness reducing) oils and just mix them myself since I notice the biggest difference while using these two oils.

These two are the last heroes from this amazing Essence line called prettifying lip oils first one is red SOS, my heart and the other one is actually pink named First, help Pinky (they were hard to tell apart even when they were full). I think I talked and raved about them quite a lot so I will try to be quick. They smell and taste lovely, a bit fruity, they are super glossy and nourishing. When my lips were cracked I applied this miracle oil a couple of times and it healed them within one hour. I think this is pretty good because I have plenty of lip balms and hardly any get that close at fixing my chapped skin. The only downfall with these is that they are pretty thin and disappear too fast. If Essence will ever bring them back I am buying more of them.

Next is also my very last of the Avon SuperShock gel eye pencil in Golden Fawn (both me and my sister owned three of each). This was a limited edition shade and what a pity. The gel in the name suggest that is very creamy and it is but it also dries and does not move around (amazing formula, they still have them but in more modest shades). This one was more of a taupe than gold and had that multi dimensional feel where it looked like you used more than one shade because it looked more complicated and the shimmer made it look sparkly and glowy. Such a good shade that could transform and elevate any look. I would get it again in a heart beat if I could.

Next is another discontinued item and even though  love it I will not be crying my eyes out because I have similar shades already in my collection. It is Catrice Ooops, nude did it again eye shadow, It is a bit hard to spot because it is so close to my skin tone but what is fantastic about it is the sateen finish and I mostly used it as a highlighter on my cheeks. It looked soooo good but I have another shade from Essence that is almost the same and plenty of highlighters to go through, sooo... I am glad that I was able to use up another item and I can not wait to start seeing dips in some of my other shadows.

The very last swatch belongs to Maybelline 24h color tattoo from creamy mattes in the shade Creamy Beige. I absolutely love it. I usually use much less and blend it out so I only get a light shadow on the eye plus this one does not budge. It has some build in primer that even my greasy lids could not get through. I would repurchase it again but I have another brown cream shadow that needs to be used (I was neglecting it because I was focusing so much on this Creamy Beige shade).


I did a little damage on the biggest, blackest Friday. I bought backups of REN mask seen above, backups of my favorite face powder and concealer, daily face moisturizer, new blush and I have also ordered two new fragrances and I can not wait for them to arrive. Nothing too crazy like I did last year.


Thank you for reading and have a nice day

Empties

Hello,

my life has caught up with me and I haven't find any time to blog. I hope that now things will slow down and I will get back to reviewing and posting since I still enjoy it a lot.
This time my empties pile is a bit smaller but it feels so good to throw empty packaging away  ;)

First is one of my favorite shampoos ever. It is Avon naturals vitamin complex shampoo and conditioner with basil and lotus flower. It had lovely scent but also the formula made my hair clean, soft and silky. Something that it is hard to find, there are clarifying shampoos and then there are moisturizing ones but rarely you can find these qualities together. I  think this was my third and also the last bottle of it since Avon don't sell it anymore.

Another bottle of lotion is out the door and this time it is The Body Shop's Frosted Plum from 2017 holiday collection. I liked the cozy and warm scent but when I was rubbing it onto my skin it started to smell just slightly plastic-y. Not so much that it would bother me but enough to notice it. I'm glad that I didn't pick any backups of this scent. This past year though I got another LE scent and I can't wait to start using it.

Skin 79 Hot Pink BB cream is one of my favorite BB creams ever. This brand Skin 79 make amazing ones and for me this one and the V.I.P. Gold are the best. My tube was quite old so I used it on my neck but I have backup which will get in use in the Summer time especially on the vacation.

REN is an expensive brand which products promise miracles. I had high expectations for this product but it did disappoint me. The texture is somewhat thick but it absorb fast (I would apply more than necessary because it absorbed so fast and it left my skin feel almost dry) the next morning my skin didn't look amazing as the name suggest: wake wonderful night time facial but it was dry and dull. Something in this formula just didn't work for me. I didn't want to just toss it so I top it off with some oil and that is how I managed to use up the entire tube. Needless to say that I won't repurchase it again ;)

The very last item is only half used up and it is Avon nail experts nail illuminator nail base. It looks slightly blue toned but on the nails it is clear. While it does make my nails appear whiter I just don't wear clear polish on its own so it is pointless. I wore it as a base coat for my colorful polishes but that didn't work ether. The next day or within the same one if I washed my hand a lot the polish would peel of. That is great if you wear some glitters and want it gone the next day but otherwise it is pointless so I would rather use base coats that keep my polish on for longer.





Thank you for reading and have a nice day