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,

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,

I'm back with another bag full of empties. 

A little while ago I was really into body sprays especially from Victoria's Secret. They had reputation of being divine so of course I picked some up, besides this one I also had Mango Temptation which smelled very nice, but I prefer this Pure Seduction body spray. It was ripe, juicy and sweet Plum scent and I really like it but longevity isn't the best simply because it is a body spray. I used it when I went to bed so poor longevity didn't bother me too much but no matter how much I like this scent I won't be repurchasing it again.

Next is an empty bottle of Iliria shampoo in  the Nettle option. I really like one shampoo from them and so I decided to try out some more. This one has a lovely fresh herbal scent but I don't think it is as good as my favorite Linden one. It did cleanse my hair but they got oily quicker than usually and they are also a bit more dry at the end... nothing major but a little difference was noticeable and  there is noting else that I have changed in my routine so I think for the majority of  it I can blame this shampoo. It is not bad, I just prefer other version.

Next is Ziaja cleansing peeling gel for normal, oily and combination skin from their Manuka tree line. This one is a proper gel formula with tons of peeling particles which are so very small that I was barely able to feel and I felt like it did nothing. My love for mechanical scrubs has faded and while I still have two left I think this will be the end. This one also didn't impress me but as of now I prefer enzyme ones.

Speaking of the more gentle kind of a scrub is this Avon Planet SPA Perfectly purifying with Dead sea Minerals gommage face mask. It contains enzymes which does the job and since they are in this thicker cream. I put it all over my face and when it gets even thicker you just wipe it off and your face is removed of dead skin cells. This type of scrubs works better for my sensitive skin but I think this one was a bit old and I didn't notice much difference. My favorite remains from Ren but recently I started to use one form Ziaja, so we will see.

I really like this Essence fruit kiss caring lip balm with strong Strawberry scent. It is very pigmented and has frosty shimmer. If applied lightly I think it works nice or even with a light gloss over... so very beautiful and did I mention that is smelled like real forest Strawberries? The thing is that I haven't finished it up but I dropped it and now the packaging is broken in a way that  I can't access the product, I never thought that can happen but trust me, I can make it happen so I'm just simply throwing it away.

Next is another lip balm but this one is more modest. It is Neutrogena one with Norwegian formula. Modest because it has no tint or scent and it just works. It has Ricinus oil as a main ingredient and I'm realizing that Ricinus works for me. It kept my lips soft and moisturized plus it has this nice slip to them. Very very nice and also quite inexpensive. This one I will definitely repurchase after I finish some more of them.

The very last item is Avon always on point eye liner in this magical shade called Lavender Grey. This line of lines is amazing, there is some kind of sharpener build in the lid of the product so whenever I was about to use it the tip was sharp, hence the name. This formula is extra creamy and easy to work with and to top it all off the shade is lovely. I finished it all up and have zero left to show but it is darker grey shade with a lavender reflex to it. It is barely visible but just enough to make it special. I would repurchase this one but first I have to go through my extensive collection. 

Thank you for reading and have a nice day

Empties

 Hello,

It is the end of the month and it is empties time! It went by so fast and it is kind of hard to realize that there are only two more months to go...

First is Blistex intensive moisturiser lip cream with Cherry scent. It contains 6 ml of products which I think is quite a lot. It really is a cream product and at first leaves a bit of a white residue on my lips but it does sinks in after a couple of minutes (if I applied more that it took longer to absorb). I was using it at home so no one could see the white cast and it was fine. It is moisturizing and I really liked the Cherry scent. This balm was definitely on the upper part of my lip balm list but I still think I won't repurchase it again. There are other balms that I prefer over this baby.

Next is my holy grail Neutrogena oil free daily face moisturizer. I have used up a lot of these tubes and every so often they slightly change the packaging but the product still feels the same. It is a light texture cream which absorbs super fast, it moisturizes my skin instantly but keeps my skin matte. I tell you, this is magic and I already have a new tube.

Another love is this particular Batiste dry shampoo in the Blush option. It smells like Peony and even though I normally don't obsess over this scent I love it in my hair and on the day when I do spray my hair with it I rarely wear perfume because it is so strong and I want to smell it all day long. I will repurchase it but at the moment I'm using different one which is also really nice (it is from a different brand).

I'm quite sad that The Body Shop don't make this Vineyard Peach collection anymore. I used to have a lotion and the scent charmed me so much that I rushed to the store and got myself butter version as well and now even this has come to an end. This had a very authentic Peach scent and it was delicious. I will miss it but I still have more TBS butters that need to be used up.

Essence High Beauty hydrating primer was a gift from Essence PR team. I already talked about it in depth so I will just quickly go through main points. First is the smell, it is very natural and green smelling, not my favorite but after a while it disappears. Then the texture is cream like and slightly yellow but it sinks in very fast and my skin looked pretty matte but when I applied my foundation on top of it it looked more dewy and since I have pretty oily skin this one wasn't my favorite. I used it up on my days off, over face cream to amp up the moisture and using it like that I was able to finish it up pretty fast.

The very last item is this Benecos Natural Kajal in White (to be honest it is more of a off white color-cream if you will). When I bought it I was obsessed with putting it into my lower waterline so I immediately bought myself a backup (there was no need to do that  because it is still available). After using it daily I started to wear it less and less until I completely forgot about it. Only recently I picked it up again and the experience wasn't the best. I put it into my waterline and after a while it started to travel around my eye and my vision blurred a bit, not something I would want so I'm throwing it away and I will start using the 'new' one and if it does the same I'm throwing that one away as well. 

I'm done with products that work only partially for me, I'm not going to push boundaries to make it work. It ether works or I'm letting go of it, life is to short to wear make-up which doesn't makes me happy.

Thank you for reading and have a nice day

Empties

 Hello,

it is the last day of August and for me it is time to showcase my empties. I have quite a few make-up related items and I'm super happy to finally see some of them being empty and gone.

From Dusch das I have this Magnolia body wash which I had previously and really liked the Magnolia scent. It is creamy and floral and I enjoy it a lot, plus it is very inexpensive. I have another backup but I will wait a bit and use something else in between.

Next is another body was and it is from Balea and it is their Raspberry and Rose body wash. This is also my second bottle ad this scent is one of my favorites but unfortunately it was only a limited edition so I can't get my hands on it anymore. I predominately used this as my shampoo, it was able to remove all of the residue (balms, oils and all kinds of sprays that I use on my hair) and made my hair super soft and clean.

Last is Victoria's Secret Mango Temptation body spray. I purchased it a couple of years ago and back then I loved the scent now I think it is just okay. I sprayed myself and my room with it daily to be able to finish it up. The scent was nice, creamy Mango but it faded way too fast for my liking. I have another scent from them and when I will finished it up, I probably won't buy more from them. I now use perfumes instead of body sprays.

I manged to use up two Rimmel London Stay Matte lightweight, mattifying powders in Transparent. I would use one in the morning at home and the other one I would keep at work for touch ups. This powder is really nice for my oily complexion because it keeps me matte for longer plus it doesn't look all cake-y applied on top of my make-up after a couple of hours. I already unpacked two new ones and are ready to be used.

Trend it Up face contouring set in all matte 010 shade (swatches are here). First pan held contouring cool toned powder which was my favorite even though I figure it out that I don't find contouring my face an essential step and I could easily drop this habit but since I have the product... If I would get this palette again I would get it only because of this perfect for my skin tone shade. Second was a super warm bronzer that I didn't exactly love. It is gone and now I can move to the more enjoyable shades. The very last pan was filled with a slightly yellow toned powder and was meant to be used to lightly highlight the high points of your face but since it matched my skin tone completely I used it as a face powder and I was done with it pretty fast. This palette is done and gone, I feel happy to be finished but I won't repurchase it.

This Avon SuperExtend Lenghtening mascara in Brown/Black shade is still one of my favorites. Plastic wand brushes through my lashes and separates them while the little fibres adds to the length. Very nice and it can look a bit dramatic without looking like a fake lash look. At the moment I'm using the Essence mascara that I enjoy very much but this will definitely get repurchased.

The only remaining cream highlighter is this Catrice dewy finish strobe to glow highlighter in the shade Space Queen, Silver Rose (heavy swatch below). It looked amazing on me but cream products are so hard to finish up before they turn so I used it also on my chest and arms, I tried really hard to finish it up this year so now I can 'finally' use my powder highlighters.

The very last item is this amazing Avon Always on Point eye liner in the color Molten Rose. This is completely finished and I couldn't get any more for a little swatch at the end. It was supposed to be rose gold but to me it was more of a bronze shimmery shade. I loved it on its own, especially on my lover lash line or over some darker color on top of my upper lid. So fun and quick to do. At the moment I have nothing to replace it but I would like to have something similar so I just might go shopping...

Next week I will finally be on a vacation and fingers crossed the weather will stick so I will be able to suntan (I will take a lot of sun protection with me), swim and read lots of books. This years vacation will be different from last years but hopefully I will relax and have some good time despite everything that is going on.

Thank you for reading and have a nice day

Satinfaction

Hello,

another 'novelty' is coming your way. I completely forgot that I haven't post it jet, I kept it hidden from myself even though I use the actual product quite regularly.

Catrice longlasting sweatproof  eye shadow stix in Satinfaction is the product in question.
It comes in this handy stick format and there are plenty of shades to choose from, I received the lightest which is perfect to highlight my inner corners.

The shape is slightly different than what I'm used to it because it comes in this triangular shape which is supposed to make the application easier.

The color like I said is perfect to use in my inner corners but the pointy shape really doesn't make a difference, it could just as well be round. I also used it a couple of times on my lower lash line to just add some barely there sparkle, very subtle and pretty (in my opinion). I have used it all over my lid but that is a bit harder because the stick itself is a bit small and it takes time to cover the entire lid with it. It is creamy enough to stick to the skin but not creamy enough to apply it on the back of my hand and then I tried to swipe it with my finger and apply all over the lid with my finger. The best is to apply it straight from the stick.

The first swatch is a bit exaggerated, I applied a couple of layers to show the beautiful reflex and the light base color and the second one is just one swipe to show the intensity.

The color and shine aren't particularly cool or warm toned, very neutral and maybe slightly peachy toned which I think looks very nice and goes with a lot of skin undertones.
This product really grew on me and I use it very regularly (I can already see some dent in it and if I will continue with this pace I might even use it up this year) but I'm not too sure about other shades. I think the surface is a bit small and it takes quite some time to cover the entire lid evenly with it, I know I wouldn't have the time to do it. I think they should focus more into lighter - inner corner highlighters but then again you can always use them on the lash line to add some attention with a color but for that we have pencils which are thinner and more precise.

There are positive and negative sides attached to this small surface styled pen. I know I will use up this one but if I will get another shades to line my eyes with is still under a question mark.

Do you have any? What is your opinion on them? Are they worth it?




Thank you for reading and have a nice day

Lunar Shine

Hello,

I feel like today is a good day to show some beautiful eye shadow. The one below is creamy and not something I'm used to it but the more I wear it the more I come around. Usually I use cream shadows as bases for my powders but this one is gorgeous on its own or as a topper.

L.O.V The Glacious long lasting eye shadow in the shade Lunar Shine.

It comes in a not so slim pencil but it is very creamy and a little pressure leaves a lot of color. I roll just a tip out to apply it (not so much as it is on the picture above) because I'm afraid that it might break.

In the store I thought that this one is pretty special and nothing in my collection (cream or powder) doesn't come close. The shade is cool toned bronze with an olive green tone and plenty of sliver shimmers. I rarely wear it so full on because I'm afraid that it will crease even though it doesn't. It has proven itself with a very long lasting formula and I'm someone with extremely oily lids.

Here is another swatch where it looks a bit more brown, it really depends from the light and base colors (if you decide put it on top of another shadow). Here it is not so very obvious but next to it is another swatch made with the same pencil and it is showcasing the silver glitter. In real life it reflex more and is more noticeable.
I like to put some base powder shadow first and then I rub my finger on the shadow so I have some glitter and color on my fingertip and just pat it on the lid to get a bit more attention  ;)

I like doing this so much, playing with glitter on my eyes makes me super happy and even on the moodiest day it makes me happier.

What about you? Does some sparkle makes you feel better?




Thank you for reading and have a nice day

Empties

Hello,

another month has come to an end I feel like the Winter is just around the corner and the New Year with its resolutions and failed attempts to reach my goals...  It's all about spinning and catching the snake by its tail. Do you feel the same? Like the time fly by and you are not in control?
Well these products did come to its finishing line and with some we had a good run..

Avon Care glycerine and, nail & cuticle cream is my favorite hand cream and a long time ago I stopped counting through how many tubes I went through. It absorbs quickly and moisturizes my hands on a long run. This version is just the regular (unscented, usually the Spring ones are scented) in their standard packaging but I just ordered a new Winter themed packaging with the Coconut scent which is amazing.

Next is another hand cream, this one is from Essence and it is their Tropical hand mousse, It smells like fresh melons and it is fun to use because of its texture. I have to be careful and use a little bit otherwise it can get very greasy very quickly.

Avon Clearskin white clay cleanser, scrub & mask is 3 in 1 product but I think that claim is a bit of a stretch. Yes, it has some particles in there but they are not strong enough to do decent job so I only used it as a face wash or sometimes I applied thin layer all over my face. In about five minutes time it did its magic. It feels cooling so I wanted to use it as fast as possible because in the cold weather I don't like to use freezing face masks but it did work. It managed to clean my pores and refresh my face. My skin did approved so maybe next year I will repurchase it.

Bio Oil is very popular and well know brand of oil and I was very tempted to try it out. When I was looking for it the store had a special discount but only if you bought two bottles, if you know me then you know I purchase a pair without trying it first. The first thing is the gorgeous scent, I could lather my entire body with it and sleep like a baby. It is comforting, the texture is oily even though I have read that is light and absorbs fast. On my face it was moisturizing but nothing too revolutionary. I will use up the other bottle but I'm not so sure I would repurchase it again. Maybe now when I'm not using it I will see if my skin will get worst but I somehow doubt it.

The very last item on the photo is old Trend it up volumizing hair powder. This berry scent is intoxicating and they should make more products with it. When I picked this one up I really though that this is a dry shampoo in a can but it is not. It does nothing for greasy hair instead it makes them extra sticky. So very sticky that it hurts. I'm used to shampoo my hair twice and if I did it in a hurry with this icky powder on the next day my hair would still be sticky. It is so hard to wash away and so not worth it for me that I rarely use it and now I just decided to toss it. Volumizing powders just aren't for me.

This time around I went through The Body Shop body butter, and it is Cocoa butter. I seriously thought that I will use more of their stuff since there is a shop near my workplace. I went in a couple of times and bough a lot of their butters, lotions and other miscellaneous stuff but apparently I'm saving them for some sort of special occasions... I really enjoyed this one, it is a bit thicker but I don't mind some extra massage and the scent was amazing. Definitely my cup of tea.

Holika Holika Clearing BB cream with the SPF of 30. I used to really like this one, it was a but dark bit mixing lighter one in made it perfect. It has quite a nice coverage and I used to wear it everyday until I found L'oreal foundation which completely replaced BB creams in my routine. I still used this one on my days off and on my neck to help everything blend together. I don't think it is still available and even if it would be I am past BB creams and now I'm just trying to use all of them up.

 Maybeline 24hr Color Tatoo in the shade Creme de Rose was an impulse purchase. I already had the super famous On and On Bronze which was very bold against my pale complexion and I didn't like how it looked but it also creased within thirty or forty minutes even with a primer underneath. People were raving about the formula but for me it just wasn't working but when I got my hands on some coupons I bought two more. Creme de Rose was one of them and I'm very happy that I did buy it. This baby last on my lids all day even without a primer. The shade looks a bit mauve toned in the pot but when I blend it out it sort of melt with my skin tone. It covers the veins and makes my lids all nice and even, often I used it alone because I liked the 'bare' look. I tried to find it in the store but the biggest drugstore doesn't even carry them so I was scared that they might stop selling them but I found them in some other more obscure stores but this shade was ether sold out or already swatched so at the moment I don't have it. I think I will buy it again but in the mean time I will focus a bit more on the brown Creamy Beige which I bought at the same time.

Next is a little Avon sample in the shade Amethyst Sunset. It is so old that I don't even remember the name of the line it belonged but it was the sparkling one. If you look close you can see multicolored shimmer in there but it is very small and it didn't bother me that much, the glitter didn't travel all around my lips. On the photo it looks a bit too brown, in real life it was more mauve-purple and since the formula was glossy and shiny I could do a very light and sheer coat. It just slightly deepen my lips and add some much needed shine. I really liked it and if it would be available I would buy myself a full size immediately.

The very last item is this super old Essence 50's Girls Reloaded LE I'm a Marine Girl eye pencil (it was released seven years ago, I checked). It got a bit dry and since I have some other blue pencils which aren't as old I decided to part with it. Using something so old around my eyes really isn't something to be considered safe. I hold on for so long because of the beautiful shade. It looks dark but when the light hits it you can see the royal blue reflection.



Thank you for reading and have a nice day

Empties

Hello,

today has been a long day. Even though it is a holiday I had to get up early and go to work, now I'm just chilling before I stuff myself with delicious food.

The first item is/was my oldest eye shadow palette and technically I didn't use it up but dropped it and what I had left felt out. It is super old Avon eye shadow quad from the days when there were making oval instead of squared palettes. I had it in the Smokey Eyes color. First shade was a shimmery white, perfect to accentuate my inner corners, second was a light pink that I never liked so I scraped it out early on. The only shade that you can actually see is the light grey that I used a lot when I started using make-up which was in high school but since then I started to wear warmer shades and this one was left forgotten. The very last shade was a deep grey that I used to fill in my brows and when I dropped it I mourned after that shade the most (the shade that I'm using in my brows now is just not that good).

Next product are shade adjusting drops from The Body Shop. My sister brought them for me from abroad but now TBS is available in Slovenia so I already order it and that tells you just how much I like them. It is a proper white liquid that is mixing well with my foundation and getting my perfect shade has never been more simple. I can on recommend them.

Next bottle is Ebelin nail polish remover. I think I had it before and it removes my nail polish so very well and it is also inexpensive. Right now I'm using another brand that is also cheap and I tend to rotate, it depends which one I can find on sale to spend even less money on them  ;)

I have talked about my favorite face cream before which is Neutrogena oil free moisturizer so I will be short. I like the squeeze tube which comes handy on travels. The cream itself is moisturizing jet matte. I can apply my make-up right away and it doesn't make it look weird. This is my favorite and holy grail daily cream.

This old Melvita Narcissus extraordinary water is something I purchased on sale and I'm always on a hunt for a good skincare but this one sadly broke me out if I used it every day on my face so I mostly used it on my neck and chest area. I definitely won't repurchase it but I have the Rose one that I need to clear out this year.

Underneath is an Avon Skin so Soft body butter with jojoba oil. This smells so nice that I'm glad that I bought backups. It is my second one and I think I have two more. It smells creamy and comforting, nothing too specific but so very nice. The texture is a little bit thicker but moisturizing and it sinks in very fast. My skin is never dry or itchy when I use it so Avon did well when they made it.

Avon Color Trend Lioness eye pencil is upfront and it was part of a limited edition. I got it a couple of years ago and I remember how pretty and unique the shade looked like. It was a mix of antique gold and moss green with a lovely sheen. I used it a couple of times and then I just saved it, maybe for special occasion but it never came. The other day I wanted to try it but it was so dry and it was so stinky that I'm just tossing it away before it gives me a pinky eye.

Avon Color Trend Barefoot Beige lip gloss is another almost brand new item that I wanted to use sometimes in the future but when I applied it on my lips it tingle and I know that that is not something that it should do. I recently discovered two web pages that tells you how old your make up is. Basically I enter the brand name and the short batch code that it is on your make-up and it tells you when it was made. This gloss was made in April 2011!!! I'm getting rid of it.
The two sites are:
http://checkcosmetic.net/
and
http://www.checkfresh.com/.

You're welcome  ;)

Another gloss is from Essence XXXL nude lip gloss line in Taste the Sweets. I almost finished it up completely but that weird tingle happened so I'm willing to take part with it before I poison myself with expired make-up. This shade was great and the formula was one of my favorites, I was upset when they discontinued them but then they came out with the Shine, Shine, Shine line that is even more fantastic. I encourage everyone who likes lip gloss to go and get some, you won't be disappointed.

The very last item in this already way too long post is a face wash that I was eyeing on e-bay and then my sister surprised me with when she was traveling. It is Too Cool for School egg mousse face soap. You don't need to shake it, just press the button and a thick mousse comes out (think of shaving foam), it removes my make-up really nicely while it didn't dry out my skin. It was very nice but since I can't get it so easily I don't think I will repurchase it.



Thank you for reading and have a nice day

Empties

Hello,

this is the last empties post for this year. I tried to finish as many products up as possible so I will enter new year with less clutter but I still have a couple almost done products that will just have to get used up next year.

To get the big bottle out of the way lets start with this Got2B dry volume shampoo. I loved the one in a big hot pink can but it is no longer sold so when I saw these colorful bottles I just had to try at least one out. To me it smells like a baby powder with some fake coconut mixed in it, not the biggest fan but still better than Syoss or Aussie ones. It leaves white cast on the hair so I had to shake and massage my hair really well to make it less obvious. It managed to cover my greasy scalp pretty well and I thought that I would repurchase it but I found something better for even less (Batiste Blush scented dry shampoo  ;).

Balea Best Wishes Orange and Grapefruit multipurpose cream is the second one I used up. Last year at the exactly the same time I finished up the Freesia and Violet scent that I loved so very much and mostly used it as a night cream. This orange version was more fresh and citrusy, the texture was the same, very light and fast absorbing but I didn't use it often on my face but mostly on my dry hands. The scent and the fact that it is around two if not three years old made me rethink and just to avoid agitating my face I rather used it on my hands which aren't so sensitive. This scent is gone but a couple of months ago I bought Peach one and I'm so excited to see if I will like it better than the Freesia and Violet which was my favorite.

The little pot is The Body Shop Mango lip butter which was given to me by my big sis when she went abroad (that was before TBS was available is Slo.). This smells divine and I will probably get myself a full pot of body butter but it is expensive so I'm postponing. The lip balm had nice light texture which absorbed way to fast for my liking. I would use it at night to pamper my lips but when I woke up they were dry and thirsty. I noticed that it didn't do much so I won't repurchase it again but I would get some other product with the same scent because that was great.

My third Melvita Lily's oil has come to an end. I love how well it heals my acne scars and hyperpigmentation. It doesn't happen over night but if I use it every second day at night over my night moisturizer my imperfections disappear faster (it takes around two months for the bright red dot to heal as if I don't use the oil I can see it for months and they are really hard to cover up even with the best concealers). I will most definitely repurchase it for as long as I will have acne scars.

The last product on the photo is another beloved product but I lost track at how many I used up. It is Avon Care glycerine hand, nail and cuticle cream (I usually get the limited edition packaging, the ingredients are the same just the outside is a little more fun looking, I actually already saw the packaging for the Spring and I will stock up for sure). The cream is fast absorbing and super nourishing, my dad who has sand paper dry hands don't like it (he prefers much heavier and greasier Afrodita's creams but I can't stand them) but my mom, sister and I swear by it. Like I said this is the 'normal' packaging with barely there cream scent. In the Winter they just repackage them, they do the same in the Spring but often ad some sort of a scent. This Spring it will be Jasmine  ;)

I had way too many products to gather on just one photo so I split them. Here the first item is my beloved Avon SuperShock Max mascara in black. It separates, elongates and hold the curl on my lashes at he same time. It is one of my favorites with a reason and this is my third or forth used up tube.

My lips were on the verge of drying out so I pampered them with a lot of oils. At night I would use Essence prettifying I care for you, Honey! lip oil. The scent is so lovely and soothing, it stayed on all the way till the morning when I would brush my teeth and apply fresh coat of Catrice luxury lips intensive care gloss oil in Rosachella Festival. This had a barely there scent/taste and it didn't last as long but I think it was a little better at moisturizing. They both carry very little product, Essence 4 ml and the Catrice just 3 ml so they were gone super fast but my lips are soft and nourished (I have one more from Catrice and four from Essence left, when they will be gone I will have to find something similar, in the near future Catrice will have a limited edition with two lip oils, I hope they will be any good).

On the top there is Catrice camouflage cream concealer in 010 Ivory. I fell in love with this baby the first time I used it. The shade is perfect for me and the slight yellow undertone matches me to the T. The coverage is fantastic and never too obvious. I already bought myself a backup and I hope they will never discontinue it (they will move out the three colored versions, yellow, pink and green so if you are into color correcting get them before the are gone for good).

This is one of my oldest eye shadows and I still like the two colors but they don't perform as good as they used to so I decided to declutter them. It is Avon duo in Healthy Glow (it is still available under the same name just the pans are now squared). The first shade is that typical champagne gold that I use so very often but now it has a major fallout and is just unusable. Golden shimmer end up everywhere so I just don't want to bother with it anymore plus I have so many other golden colors that I can use. The other one is a beautiful deep chocolate brown with some golden shimmer. I find it to be a bit dark so I started to crumble it and mixing it with another peachy shade to create custom shade that I actually really love to use. I still decided to toss it because I bought two duos at the same time, the other being Nutmeg Shimmer (no longer sold) and it has the exact same dark brown shade in it.

The very last item is Essence long lasting eye pencil in Cool Down. Beautiful bright blue shade but I rarely wore it on its own. I usually applied it over a black because otherwise it is a little too vivid for me. This formula is fantastic and for my hooded lids that tend to smudge almost every pencil this one stood the test of times and stayed put. I would buy some more shades from this line but I just figured it out that this line of pencils is discontinued!!!! They probably replaced them with the wooden Extreme lasting line and I already have one shade from it and it is also great so I guess I shouldn't be so very upset.




Thank you for reading and I wish you a happy new year!!!  :)

Empties

Hello,

this time I feel like my empties post is really big. In total there are 12 products and I have to contain myself otherwise I could write a novel about them.

So first it is Alverde hand cream with Mango and Mandarin scent (it was part of a Summer set which contained besides this cream also a body wash and a lotion packed in a see through cup which you can reuse to keep your drinks). The scent on this cream was great, very fruity and the formula absorbed quickly but I don't think it was the best moisturizer for my dry hands and I won't repurchase it again, if there is still some of the sets left.

Avon used to make these Foot Works all in one pedicure which were awesome (this is my second used up tube and I have one more backup left). Basically it is a light lotion with tons of scrubbing particles. I recommend using it in the shower in the morning when your feet are still clean and dry, you massage it in until the cream is completely absorbed and then just rinse off the particles. My feet always looked so nice and were really soft, I especially loved it in the Summer because the excess of the cream was washed off so my feet weren't sliding in my open toed shoes. They don't make it anymore but the last time I saw a tube that could contain something similar.

Next is another Avon Foot Works product but this one is the Papaya scented scrub. I don't use these on my feet because I can barely feel them but I rather use them on my face. The scent is very pleasant and there is tons of particles that actually do something, I just have to be careful not to rub too vigorously. I always buy these when the scents gets on sale so I get them for even cheaper but I would gladly repurchase this scent if it would still be available.

Avon X-series Recharged body deodorant spray. Well, the name is confusing isn't it? Is it a body spray? A lighter version of a perfume or it will mask my body odor if I use it on my armpits? I liked the perfume (which I still have even though it is a male scent) but something about this heavy masculine scent mixed in with my sweat just didn't do it for me. I have learned my lesson, never buy perfume inspired deodorants because it will make you hate the scent. I still have another one to go through and after that I'm done with heavily fragranced deodorants or antiperspirants.

Le Couvent des Minimes smile lip balm in the mint scent is stationed right in the middle. I purchased it because my sister loves the Pear scent (now they changed them and Mint is no longer available also now they have the Pear & Apple scent). That in front of it is a paper sticker which gets a bit messy if you wash your products from time to time or just hold them in the heat with sweaty hands. I liked the cooling minty sensation but I wish it would be stronger (I'm a big big mint lip product fan). Otherwise the product itself was clear and glossy but not exceptionally moisturizing so I will save 12€ or however it costs and rather spent it on better lip care products.

Next is Alkmene tea tree face wash. I don't mind the tea tree scent but this one got a bit weirder when I started approaching the end of the bottle so I make sure I used it up as fast as possible. I had the same packaging issue as I had with the Alp Stories face wash. The product is too liquid for this pump. The pump makes it convenient right? But if you don't hold the bottle in one hand and tilt it to an 45 degree angle the product will spill down the packaging and best of luck to you to scrape it off. I know that isn't that big of a deal but I'm lazy and if a packaging is promising me convenience I expect it to work that way. Other than that I don't have anything bad to say about the product itself. I pretty much always remove majority of my make up with a baby wipe so the face wash that I use afterwards just have to make sure every last bit of make-up is gone. On some lazy days I used it on a face full of make-up and it didn't completely removed my foundation or mascara but that is also not what I'm looking for in a face wash but if you do than this is not for you. I rubbed it all over my eyes and it didn't irritate them, I could even open them up and nothing happened so you have to give it some props for that. My skin felt fresh after using it but not tight, it removed all of my oils but it didn't gave me that unpleasant squeaky clean feeling. I have some others to go through but this could find its way back into my routine.

I'm testing some 'new' dry shampoos and recently I found this guy in my drugstore and two different scents lured me into purchasing these two colorful bottles (the other one is Tropical fragrance and I haven't tried it jet). Colab Unicorn fragrance dry shampoo smells very heavy at first, it remind me of a luxury products that are used in hair saloons. After a couple of minutes the scant settles but I can smell it all day long as I move my hair around and I like that a lot. I don't care that much about the packaging but I wish it would be a bit cheaper (it is more expensive that the Batiste) but I repurchased this scent just last week so I guess it is worth it.

I went through another body moisturizer and this time it is Avon naturals Green Apple Blossom body lotion which isn't available anymore. I think it is a couple of years old and I have that tendency to buy nicely scented stuff and then just leave them sitting in my closet or shelves because they seem too precious to use. The naturals lotions are nicely scented but not very moisturizing if you have dry skin, I just buy them because of the scents and this one was very light, barely there. Maybe that is because I kept it for too long or maybe it was just meant to be light. But in all fairness it did smelled just like the fresh green apples in the Autumn. I have decided to pull the breaks on buying lotions for now and try to use as much as possible because the one and only The Body Shop is coming to Slovenia. At first there will only be an online store but I don't care. I cheek their official page every day to see if the store is already opened and when it will I know I will place an order and buy some body butters that they are so famous for.

The last tube is my favorite Neutrogena oil free face cream. I can't remember if this is my third or second used up tube. It is very lightweight but moisturizing at the same time, great for under the make-up and it didn't cause me any irritations so when I was in the store and I couldn't find it I freaked out a bit. I did bought another tube that looks similar and I hope that they just changed the packaging and didn't touch the formula.

I have used up another pot of the Essence matt translucent face powder. I love this compact, it doesn't keep my face matte all day long but I can apply it on top of my make-up and it doesn't look cakey which is the case with most of other powders that I have tried. I already repurchased it and the 'new' one is already showing some pan.

Second to last is Avon kohl eye pencil in Bronze about which I talked here. I was very disappointed with how hard it was and I'm surprised at how long I kept it. I bought it sometime in May last year, I used it a couple of times, reviewed it and then I have never touched it again. Now I started to clean my make-up storage and I knew it was time for this fella to meet the Mr. Bin.

The very last item is a good one. I felt like it would be nice to finish on a positive note. I know I already used one of these pots before so I was excited to use this one again. It is Avon Anew Hydro advance moisture gel cream, very light and fast absorbing. It made my skin soft and nourished, sometimes I used it under my make-up but I rather used it at night with a drop or two of oil on top. I think it paired really well with oils and I already miss it. I found it in the brochure but I still have a couple of creams to go through but as soon as they are gone I'm getting myself another pot of this goodness.




Thank you for reading and have a nice day

Empties

Hello,

I feel like I'm tossing a lot of products away lately which is good and bad at the same time. I'm talking about items that aren't done completely and I'm getting rid of them because they went bad (I have way too many products) or because I realized that my taste changed and I don't want to wear them anymore.

That being explained I will start with the Himalaya purifying neem face mask. I had another clay mask from the same brand in the past called Clarina and I liked it a lot but it was very intense. It felt like it was burning my skin off while it was on my face but the next day my skin looked much better. I would say that this one is more mild, it didn't burn but at the same time it made my skin more clear and smooth. Maybe it wasn't as efficient after just one use but it was more comfortable so I will repurchase this one in the future. Right now I will try to go through the pure green clay that I have and after that I will get myself another tube of this one.

Next one is Balea hand and nail chamomile cream. It is very small, only 30 ml but I think they sell it in bigger size as well. I bought it only because I used up the hand cream I had at work and I just knew that my hands won't go through 8 hour shift without a moisturizer so I ran to the drugstore which is just around the corner and got myself a mini because I have tons of lotions at home. It had a lovely calming chamomile scent and it did absorb fast but after I washed my hands they were still dry. I think it was just sitting on my skin and did nothing. The scent alone is not enough to repurchase it but I will look what other brands have to offer in that scent.

Next are the two blushes and nether of them is used up. They are the oldest ones and I rarely use them so I just decided to toss them. I don't think I will miss them since I used them so rarely.

The peachy-coral is Skin Food Cheek Chalk in Peach shade. This is a cream blush and it comes with a little sponge which I found useful until I washed it the second time. It started to fall apart so I tossed it but then I had to stick my fingers in it and I didn't use it much. The opening is small and if you have long nails then you know the struggle. I have a lot of similar blushes in powder forms that I prefer to use so I couldn't justify this little pot anymore.

Second one is Tony Moly delight petite blusher in the Petite Peach color. It is a hot cool toned pink color and where I live we don't have peaches in that color, at first I thought that they messed my order but that is the actual color of the product. I have warm undertone and such a cool pink doesn't suit me and I think I never wore it in public, I tried to make it work but with no success. It looks all adorable when you get it because it comes with a large fluffy puff (imagine old fashioned powder boxes, they had this type of 'applicator' or think of a polar bear fluff). I immediately washed it (I don't know who have been toughing it) and it started to shed like crazy so I never used in. It was a bit of a bummer but what really seal the deal was the shade that just didn't match with my skin tone.

On the bottom there is my second tube of Avon true color supreme length nourishing mascara in brown/black (only because I bought two when they came out and before trying it out). For me this was average, it made my lashes a little darker and combed through but still very natural to the point that my co-worker asked me why I don't wear any mascara! Seriously? It does look natural but does it look like nothing? Well, I could see it but it didn't give me the fake lash effect so I was happy that it finally dried up and now I'm using one of my favorites (Avon supershock max) and boy, oh boy I can see a big difference.

For last I saved the two eye pencils.
The little one is Essence Blossoms etc. LE in the shade I like. I would never get a shade like that but I won a giveaway and it was sent to me. It was a cool toned green with silver shimmer which I mostly wore on top of black pencils to give some sparkle and now at the end I wore it all over the lid as a secondary base to make warm shadows a little less warm or yellow. It was nice for cooling down the looks but at the same time I'm super happy to see it gone because it was several years old.

The silver one is Avon Color Trend in Silver and probably my oldest one in my collection. I remember I used to love it but now I hardly ever wear cool toned eye shadows and even when I do I prefer to use the simple black or grey pencil and this one was just left in the back forgotten. I  decided to pick it up but it got very dry and I don't want to hurt my eyes and skin with it so it is going in the bin, I have plenty of other pencils that I love and would rather use.

They are both very reflective but the green Essence one has silver shimmer in it while the Color Trend one is metallic with no visible particles. I remember it was part of the Valentine's Day collection many, many moons ago but they still make great soft pencils under this line. I only wish they would expand the color selection because now it is a bit generic but the formula is still buttery soft.



Thank you for reading and have a nice day

Essence haul

Hello,

judging from the photo below you would think I splurged a little but all of these items were on sale because Essence decided not to make them anymore :(   There are some of my favorites going away so I had to buy backups of backups, some are new to my collection and some aren't even for me but I still wanted to include them here.

On the top left corner there are three invisible kiss transparent lip liners in Multitalent Wonder. I had the previous version which came in a wooden form and I loved it so when I saw they are discontinuing them I had to get as many as possible (the rest were all broken, what a shame).

Even bigger bunch of extreme lasting easy glide &waterproof eye pencils in the shade Rockin' Taupe. I already have one and it is amazing, so amazing that I bought another one for my sister and she loves it as much as possible. When I informed her that they will be gone soon she ordered me to get as many as possible and so I did. I visited two stores and picked up all unused ones and we will split them.

Also, all of these aren't for me. My sister wanted to try the famous lip oils and she wanted to get the expensive ones from Clarins. I convinced her that it is smarter to try some low budget ones first to see if she even like the feeling. I personally have the ones from Catrice (all three shades and one is already used up) and I hope these Preetifying lip oils will be similar. They definitely smell better, while the Catrice ones don't have a scent these smell sweet. The yellow one is called I care for you, honey, pink is named First help, pinky and the last red one is SOS, my heart.

I picked up two powders to try and break the routine (the one I'm consistently using is Essence all about matte fixing powder). The one on the top is get picture ready pore refining powder in Selfie finish (even though it is the only shade available) and next to it is color correcting mattifying powder in the lighter version Beautiful finish. I don't believe in color correcting products if the colors are all swirled together, how does the color know on exact which spot to jump to color correct my skin and make it look even? The reason behind picking it up was the mattifying claim and that it actually looks light enough for my skin tone.

There are also two lipstick. Top one is longlasting lipstick in the beautiful neutral shade Natural Beauty (I already have one shade which is not my favorite but I love the finish). I would pick more but I saw that they will come out with revamped line that looks very very similar to this one, so I will just wait for the new ones and pick one up when they will arrive to compare.

The other one is from Sheer & Shine line and I already have three shades. This line has to be my favorite from the brand if not the best formula that I have tried for my dry lips. My mom agrees with me because she loves it too, she declared this one to be her favorite. We both own this exact shade which is Candy Love and it is beautiful soft pink shade that glides so effortlessly on the lips plus the shade looks so good no matter how I do my make-up. I was only able to find one and this one will go to my mom because I have way too many lipsticks of my own but if I will find one more I will keep it.

Chubby pencil is 2 in 1 eye shadow & liner and I got it in the shade Rosy Happiness. My oily lids are usually against cream products so even though it looks amazing I didn't get it for myself but only for my sister. She was asking about it but then she couldn't decide if she should pick it up so I will surprise her with one that I think will look lovely on her. 

The metals shadows looks gorgeous on the swatch and I had a wish to own at least one ever since they came out but I just never really pick them up. This time I stocked up with two lovelies. First is Patina Glow in olive green shade and the other taupe color is Frozen Toffee.

Right now I'm using just regular dark grey eye shadow to fill in my brows but it is slowly coming to an end so I was thinking ahead when I purchased this duo. It is make me brow duo eyebrow powder in Mix it brunette! but I think only the darker color will be suitable for my caterpillars above my eyes but after a closer inspection and natural light this color looks brown not grey. I hope it will appear grey and that it will match me otherwise I just bought two more eye shadows.

Me and my sister fell in love with this taupe shimmery number from the my must haves line and it is in the shade All I need, there are two other colors getting discontinued but we didn't care for them. I can't wait to start playing with it since it looks so lovely.

Second to last product is smokey eye set in Smokey Day. This wasn't on my list but when I saw it in person I changed my mind. The colors maybe don't look interesting but the bottom shimmery color looks fantastic, it is slightly darker than the single one above but they both contain small shimmer that makes it glow and that is what I like.

And the very last palette is get picture ready 1,2,3, smile palette with 7 different colors, big mirror and a decent brush. I already have mine and review will follow soon, this particular one is for my sister because I have a very strong feeling that she will love it.

Now, I just have to find time to play with all that new make-up, it will be tough because we are heaving a real heatwave and all my make-up is melting away.




Thank you for reading and have a nice day