Empties

 Hello,

this time around there is a big bunch of empties coming form my side.

First is a classic for me as it is my favourite morning cream. It is Neutrogena clear & defeat oil free moisturiser. It doesn't add oil, lightweight texture is enough to moisturise and make-up sits nicely over the top. I already have a few back-ups ready.

Next is Beauty GlamHyaluronic boost serum which I like to add to my skincare at night time. It is a bit thicker but not sticky, it is nice to layer some heavier creams over the top or even oils. I already have a back up of it already.

The tube is Avon's sensitive dual collagen eye cream. The formula is on the lightweight side and I noticed over time that my wrinkles got less obvious. I only used it at night time but even once a day it was enough to see the results. I really liked it and will buy it again but furst I have to go through a few other eye creams.

Next is also product from Avon and it is 5 in one lash genius mascara in Blackest Black. It has a big chubby plastic wand reminiscent of the one from their Supershock line (this one slims in the middle, like an hourglass shape). The formula was getting better with time (like most mascaras does for me) and it elongated my lashes and separated them, in the end it looked quite natural and that is what I'm looking for. At the moment I have plenty of different mascaras but eventually I will buy this one again.

My favourite concealer is this inexpensive Essence camouflage+ matt concealer in the shade Light Rose (it only has a rosy undertone). It is not too dry and it settles into my fine lines very minimally plus the price is so cheap. I continue to buy it again and again, sometimes I try different shade but always come back to this concealer (there is also healthy glow version instead of matt which I also like, I don't find any difference in texture so I buy one or the other).

First and barely visible is a swatch of Avon Jelly lip tint in the shade Sheer Pink, it looks more peachy but once applied to my lips it starts turning bright pink (it warms up but I don't know why I couldn't get that shade on the back of my hand). Sometimes this taste a bit like plastic and I don't like that but the stain was even and nice. This item is already discontinued but even if it would still be available I would not get it because of the taste, there are way too many similar items on the market that taste better.

Also in a black packaging is Catrice melting kiss lipstick in the shade Catching Feels. It is a soft pink with sliver shimmer which doesn't look too sparkly but instead make my lips look more glossy. I very much love this formula and will buy it again. I would like to try other shades as well but I'm definitely getting this soft pink again.

Last lipstick is also discontinued item and it is Essence colour up! shine on! lippie in the shade Rosey Glitz. it is a brown toned nude and super glossy. It is buildable and my preferred way is one or two layers so I would get just a wash of colour, more like a tinted lip balm and the scent is something like baked goods... so very nice. It does make me sad that these are no longer sold since this is my second and apparently last bullet of it. 

At the end there is Avon nail experts cuticle care conditioner. The texture is across between water and oil and I liked putting and massaging it into my cuticles before remaining my nails. I don't think this is still available since it is so very old but right now I'm using oil and I prefer this formula since it isn't so oily and greasy. If I find it or something similar I will get it again. 

Thank you for reading and have a nice day

Empties

Hello,

time flies by and it is empties time again. I have some items that I was working on on my recent vacation and others are for pampering and soothing my skin afterwards (I didn't burn, my skin was just a bit dry and dehydrated after more than usual sun exposure and extensive swimming).

I purchased this Hazelnut oil from Milnica because it is supposedly appropriate also for oily and sensitive skin (I had zero issues with it), Mostly I used it as a cleansing agent to remove make-up from my skin and then followed with my regular gel cleanser and my face was clean and didn't feel stripped of moisture (I'm really into this two step cleansing and if necessary I follow with micellar water afterwards). I will repurchase it again but at the moment I have some jojoba oil which also suits me very well.

Aveo grapefruit hand sorbet was purchased last year but since I have so many hand creams only now I started to use it. It has almost clear gel texture with lovely zest fragrance but the issue I have with it is that it leaves my skin sticky and that is a big setback.

On of my favorite SPF face creams is this  Holika Holika dazzling sunshine make up sun cream with SPF 45 +++. It does leave white residue (it is mineral sun cream) but still it keeps me matte. I like it a lot until I found something even better (still mineral but not so white) and so this year I used it on my body (it was also a bit older and I was scared that it wasn't protecting me so applying thick coats was something I did and I didn't get burned even though I spend a lot of time on the sun and in the water, it was waterproof, another reason why it was lovely).

This Essence hydra nail care serum has quickly become an essential item in my nail care. Every time I changed my color (sometimes also in between but mostly when my nails were bare) I applied some of it an massaged it into my cuticles to keep them hydrated and nourished. I liked the fact that it sinked in fast and I wasn't left with greasy residue. I would repurchased it but now I received oil which is very affective but greasy.

Afrodita body jam was sold out almost immediately when it came out. It was so popular that they weren't even able to manufacture it, the demand was too high. I was lucky enough to spot it and get it among the first. It smells just like apricot jam but unfortunately the texture is also just like that. Sticky and annoying. I was saving it for vacation to finally finish it because I don't mind being sticky on the beach.

I wanted to try and love this Catrice HD active performance primer with SPF 30 so badly but unfortunately it just wasn't meant to be. It didn't hold my make-up in place so I decided to use it on my body to at least finish it up. You can find more about it here.

For the last I saved another batch of these Garnier moisture + relaxing tissue mask, super hydrating and detiring with lavender extract and hyaluronic acid. When I came back from my sea vacation my skin was a bit dry and not quite right so I used these two sheets to bring back my normal self. What I also like about it is that there is enough serum left in each bag for another three to four days of nourishing. With these two I really felt a difference when I used them. Maybe they really worked or maybe my skin was just too stressed and a little pampering did the trick. I'm still not 100% sure that I will get them again but if I will I will get these, the purple ones.




Thank you for reading and have a nice day

Empties

Hello,

maybe a little late but nonetheless some empty packaging galore is in front of you.

Let's start with Balea Aqua serum which is very praised. I liked the pump system and light consistency which absorbed quickly but I don't think it was anything special. Maybe I should try it in the Winter time when my skin is dryer and use it under my regular face cream so maybe I will repurchase it again.

Next is Dove DermaSpa uplifted satin smooth body oil for improved elasticity and firmness. The scent is amazing, definitely my cup of tea. Fresh and comforting at the same time. I have been using it in combination with other body lotions but at the end I used it on its own. I noticed that it wasn't moisturizing enough so probably I won't spent my money on it again but I will miss the scent.

This big flat Ladybug bottle is Sephora's Cosy Cotton bubble bath and shower gel. I only used it to wash my body with it because I don't have a bath. The scent is another one of my favorites. The cotton flower is a nice and accurate description and so very nice. The texture was nothing special, typical body wash consistency and since we don't have Sephora here I won't get it again.

A while ago I bought two of the Eveline expert C vitamin serum - injections (it was a better deal if you purchased two and I'm a sucker like that). One bottle holds up 18 ml of product and you use the pipette to get the slightly sticky but still watery serum out of it (there is no injections involved). It smells amazing, just like real citruses and I loved putting it on in the evening. I always followed with some cream or oil and I think my hyperpigmentation faded away faster. Now I'm happy that I have another bottle which I'm sure I will use up soon.

Lush Plum Rain body wash was an impulse buy. I went there to buy some specific products but there are always some sale assistants trying to help you out and encourage you to spent more money than you anticipated. This bottle is the result of me caving in. The scent is very fresh and true to the ripe plums, I honestly love it but I know I spent more money on a body wash than normally. If they would have some massage bars in this scent I would totally get some.

Avon lavender cuticle oil is super duper old and so the writing on the bottle is also gone. It is regular oil which you place on your nails and cuticles and massage it in. I liked the lavender scent but the other day I noticed that the scent changed so I'm guessing that it went bad so I'm tossing it even though I haven't finished it up. I have the Essence Hydra nail care serum which serves me well.

Avon Foot works papaya cooling lotion has nothing cooling in it but the texture is gel like so maybe that is what they meant. I had a scrub in the same scent and I loved it, true papaya but I think I had this one a little too long. The texture become a little thicker and the scent is plasticky now. I have used it maybe three times but I will throw it into the garbage bin and try not to stock up again.

This is one of my favorite lipsticks ever and it is Avon Shine Burst Rose lipstick. For swatches check my old post here. I love glossy lipsticks which feel nourishing and glide on with ease. Anyhow I kept this baby for too long and it went bad, now it has a yuck taste but when it was new it had zero scent/taste. Now I can see that they discontinue them and I was seriously thinking of stocking up but at the end I decided not to. I have almost 30 full sized lipsticks and by the time I will use all of them up some will already go bad, it is a vicious circle and the only way to end it is to completely stop buying stuff and just use up what I have. It will be hard but maybe I can at least minimize my purchases...

The little pot is Essence Let's get it started LE lip balm which I won in a giveaway. It was clear and had a very sweet candy scent. At first I liked it but then the scent got a little too much. I still tried to use it as often as possible to finish it up. It wasn't bad I would say it was like any other regular balm. It was on the greasy side and it kept my lips soft and nourished. I know that they have a similar product in their current range but I won't be picking it up.

 The very last item is Essence ultra last Rosewood High lip liner. I still don't know why I had to spent my money on it. Probably the popularity of liners lured me in but I'm just not a lip liner kind of gal. This color is a dusty pink which I don't think looks god on me anyways. The liner slides easily and leaves a lot of color behind which really grips and it is hard to remove. I personally don't like this murky color on myself so I would always tried to put a softer pink lipstick on top but the liner underneath seemed to suck any moisture out of it. I guess that makes it last longer but the feeling to me is unpleasant so I don't think I ever wore out in public.

Huh, 10 products this time. That is a lot and there is even more to come so stay tuned.


Thank you for reading and have a nice day

Mousse vs. serum

Hello,

today's products may seem a bit boring but so very essential in hand care. They were kindly sent to me by our Essence PR team and I couldn't thank them enough.

The trend is rising in everything mousse so Essence didn't fall behind and released this Tropical hand mousse. You have to shake it a bit and just press the top and the light turquoise foam comes out. The more you shake it the firmer it is but it spreads like a charm.
If you can see how much there is on the photo below (not a full pump) that is enough for both of my hands. It moisturize them without the greasy feeling but if you apply a bit more then slippery hands are on the horizon.

I also love the scent which remind me of a fresh melon, nice and a bit hard to find in cosmetics I think. This is not the worlds best hand cream but the fun foam and fruity scent makes it exciting enough to buy it at least one more time and I have to get one bottle for my sister, she is a huge fan of foaming products (her indulging body foaming washes from Rituals... are now a staple in her shower), I just know she will like it.

The other product is Hydra nail care serum for both, nails and cuticles. I have to admit that the light blue color and  silvery bubbles makes it so nice to look at. I'm used to use thicker creams or oils but this really is a lightweight serum. I take a bit and apply on cuticles on one hand, massage it in (it is not oil based so it sinks in fast and there is no greasy residue left), I repeat on the other hand and if my cuticles are really dry (as they are at the moment) I do one more layer on all of my nails. After this little treatment my cuticles look like they got a professional care. I have been using it for almost three weeks straight and there is barely and use seen, this will last me a really long time but I haven't got any of the silver bulbs out. I imagine they would melt on my fingers but I just can't fish them out.


The nail and cuticle serum is fantastic, A+ while the hand mousse is more fun and deliciously scented. I don't think you would be disappointed if you pick it up the next time you will be browsing.



Thank you for reading and have a nice day