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,

another half a month has gone by and all I have for you is a bag full of empty products.

First lets start with a good one. It is Alkmene tea tree face wash. Very nice gel consistency with tea tree that helps keep my skin acne free and I love it very much. I definitely need to go and buy some more because at the moment I'm out of it.

I used to love and use pretty much only Dove deodorants but then I wanted to try something new. My sister gave me this Dove 48h Deodorant with matcha green tea and sakura blossom. It made me realize why I like them so much. It is still a very good one but now I'm layering it with another deodorant to get the perfect smell free combo. I need to go to the store and pick some more, maybe in a different scent, Pear perhaps?

I purchased this Balea Bahamas dream body lotion with coconut and frangipani scent ether last year or two years before. It is pretty old and I'm glad that I finished it up. It is very liquid and when I open it up I have to be really careful not to spill it. At first it smells really nice just like the description says but quickly it gets the plastic-y aftertaste and I don't like that. Quite a few Balea products did that to me and maybe that is the sign to stop buying them?

Next is my love: Essence camouflage Healthy Glow concealer in Light Ivory. This is my third tube and I hope they will never discontinue it. Great coverage and barely there creasing. I already have backup but out of curiosity I bought the matte version. It is not bad but I think I prefer the Healthy Glow one (it is a bit lighter in tone but other than that I don't see the difference in performance).

Next is SPA Ceylon happy uplifting balm roll on that my sister brought from abroad. I use to really like these fresh scents but now I moved to something sweeter and richer. I am aware that this is not meant to be worn as a fragrance but the scent is so strong that it overpowers everything. It is also very oily so I wasn't able to put it on my temples or on my wrists because I would just wipe it out onto my hair or clothes so I ended up using it in my car. I would put a bit of it on a paper and leave it in my car and the refreshing scent in a hot automobile felt really nice. 

Next is another love of mine and it is The Body Shop tea tree pore minimiser. It is already discontinued and I'm using my very last tube of it which is pretty sad. I like to apply this before my make-up to 'treat' my skin with tea tree. I really believe that my skin don't produce so much acne when I use products with tea tree and using face wash, oil and primer all with this magical ingredient in it... my skin is blemish free or at least not so very acne occupied since I started using more tea tree (I also know that a proper diet and combination of various ingredients play a massive role).

Another holy grail is this Beauty Glam clear skin serum with Salycylic acid and this particular acid is another miracle for my skin. I approximately use it every second day and aging my blemishes heal much faster or at least don't grow to such extents as they used to. I already got myself a new bottle and is already in good use.

Thank God this beautiful serum from Avon Advance Technique isn't gone yet. They did change or discontinued a couple but they left this silky hair serum. It is my third bottle and I like to use it especially on damp hair and in the morning they are softer and silkier, just like the bottle suggests. I don't have a back up yet but I have some other ones that I need to try first before I go back to this one.

The very last item is this limited edition Catrice Kaviar gauche face powder. It is a bit smaller, 4 g, than the 'regular' sized powders but it still took me a long time to finish it up. It is white and even on me (super pale gal) the slight white tone was present. Whenever I would apply it as a touch up (after 3-4 hours) it made my make-up look a bit cake-y and not so nice so I ended up using it as a neck powder (I use a bit of foundation on my neck as well and I need to powder it otherwise my hair will stick to it). 

That is all for my empties. I did order some new skin care online from a company I haven't tried before and I can't wait to try the products out. I hope I will find some new holy grails.

Thank you for reading and have a nice day