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,

I just got back from my vacation and while I had a blast I mostly enjoyed my time outside on the sun and in the sea. I used very minimal skincare only the necessary items but since I used so many I didn't end up finishing any. I guess I will try to use them in the next few days (while the weather is still sunny) or next year.

I have finished another one from Catrice vitamin lip treatment line and this one is called Bohemian Raspberry. A lovely berry-red shade that gave my lips just enough pigment to tint them slightly more red. I'm really into this healthy looking lip situation and not only the shade was perfect the product itself is lovely too. The Watermelon scent, glossines and nourishing properties. This was my second one and I have three more to go.

Next is Blistex mango lip balm. I remember having the original version and I liked it so when I saw this fruity one I decided to get it. It smells lovely but it wasn't moisturizing enough for me. I did a mistake and purchased two more (one in Mango and the other is Strawberry) so I'm not quite done with them but if I wouldn't buy them in advance I wouldn't repurchase them.

La Petit Marseiliais makes this Shea and Fig body lotion which is in my opinion divine. The scent is calming and rich but not too overpowering, the nourishing properties could be better (it is not bad but I noticed if I get really dry skin then it doesn't help much) but for regular everyday is divine and I can easily see myself repurchasing it soon.

I finished another bunch of these Garnier moisture and comfort tissue masks. This time I went with  with Chamomile and Hyaluronic acid combo because my skin just went through some nasty cold and it showcased on my skin. I'm still not sure if these tissue masks do anything. I'm starting to realize that perhaps they don't turn my skin dramatically. It says on the packaging that one of their masks is equivalent of 1 week of hydrating serum in concentration but honestly I don't see that.

The very last item is Ombia cosmetics Hyaluron gel. I use it at night to carry my oils into the deeper levels of my skin and retain moisture. I really like it and have another bottle ready to go.



Thank you for reading and have a nice day

Empties

Hello,

and I'm back with empties. A little less as usually but it seems like I say that quite often lately...

First item is Avium Citrus natural deodorant. I saw it last year and I decided to try more natural option for my sweaty armpits. At first it seemed like it worked so I got the lavender version as well but then the hot Summer came along and my 'first' opinion went down the drain. It is a stick but sometimes it leaves chunks that I have to rub into my skin, nothing too annoying but what let me down is its inability to prevent bad smell. It claims to reduce the sweat and minimize the scent but in my case that is not evident. I used it on less busy days but still I wasn't happy about it. I still have the Lavender version to go through and I hope that that one will be more suited for my skin.

Next is Avon care Yoghurt & Honey body wash. The scent is a bit generic and fake but thankfully it isn't too strong. The texture is creamier but I haven't noticed any special moisture properties. I think this body wash was average and that in the future I will try something new.

Browsing through the store I came across this Nature Box shampoo with cold pressed Almond oil. I opened the bottle and I liked the scent (I'm no longer crazy about it, I guess I got used to it) and bought it on a whim. It is free from sulfates, silicones and parabens. I'm not a scientist or someone who is knowledgeable about ingredients but I purchased it simply because I like the scent. At first I had to get to used to it. I used more than usually to properly wash my hair (it doesn't foam as much as 'regular' shampoos) and in the beginning my hair looked a bit dry and stripped. After using it a couple of times my hair got used to it and they were fine but nothing spectacular. Maybe I will try some other version but this one I won't repurchase.

My sister loves sheet masks but I think they are a bit impractical (they have the tendency to fall off so I only use them in the morning while still laying in my bed), still I wanted to give them another chance and bought a bunch of these Garnier ones (they look new?). First I tried the moisture + freshness tissue mask with green tea and hyaluronic acid. I have a really terrible cold (I know, I know, cold in the middle of a Summer? It sucked the life out of me and my skin, in fact my skin hasn't looked so terrible in years so I decided to treat it with this duo pack of sheet masks). My pimples didn't looked particularly reduced but my skin looked moisturized and taken care of. I have some other versions and after trying some more I will decide if they are worth it for me or not.

The very last item is Olaz anti-wrinkle firm and lift renewal eye gel. I picked it up because of its gel texture. I needed something light for the morning use under my make-up. I like to use something that absorbs quickly, plumps and nourish my under eye area all at once. This one was nice but I wished to be a bit more moisturizing, I still crave this Afrodita's Hydra Thermal one, which is discontinued. I compare every single eye cream to this one and nothing comes close.

Wow, this time I have nothing but 'average' products. None of them was a complete failure for me but they didn't ether rock my world.


Thank you for reading and have a nice day

Empties

Hello,

this time of the month I have a nice selection of used up products. There are a little bit of everything.

First is what have quickly become my favorite foundation, it is L'oreal Infallible 24-h matte in the shade 11 Vanilla. I apply it with a damp sponge and the finish is almost matte, it offers a very nice high coverage. On those nasty areas where I have extra redness or pimples I add a bit more and at the end I can use very little concealer. The only 'flaw' is that it is still a smidge too dark but The Body Shop lightening drops 'fix' it for me. I have already repurchase it and I can't imagine what would happen when or if they will discontinued it.

Catrice used to make these amazing Ultimate Shine Gel Colour lipsticks. I have bought numerous bullets and gave them even to my mom and sister and they also got hooked on them. This one is in the Better than Nude shade which was a little too pale for me but with a little bit of lip gloss on top everything looked nice.

Another Catrice product is this Shine Appeal Liquid Lipstick in the shade Rose, would you...? These were just regular shiny lip glosses but with an amazing formula. They discontinued them pretty fast maybe because they marked them as liquid lipsticks and people expected matte finish instead they got very shiny formula. I didn't mind it, in fact I have another shade. To me they were very comfortable and moisturizing, in my opinion they should bring them back.

This next item is Essence Liquid Lipstick in a bright cool toned shade Colour Party. Just as the Catrice ones are misleading this one is too but this guy was way more pigmented and when you combine high gloss and a lot of pigment you get a product that can easily get out of control. I could apply it nicely but after thirty minutes I didn't know if the gloss is already dripping down my chin or is smeared all over my teeth. I prefer lip glosses with sheer color just because they are easier to wear and this one just didn't meet my taste. Also the color was all wrong for my undertone, such cool tones don't suit me and it was left forgotten in my drawl.

My sister brought me this The Body Shop Raspberry body butter from abroad and I decided to use it up in the Winter time. Such fruity, luxurious butter felt so good on my skin and made Winter time more bearable (I love Spring and Summer). I can see that they are discontinuing this scent but I have a lot of others that I need to get through but if you are looking for a butter that smells just like the Raspberry you can't go wrong with this one.

Avon Advance Technique Daily Shine 2 in 1 shampoo and conditioner was something I used when I was a kid. It was the most basic and I never had any issues with my hair so this was great for me. Out of nostalgia I picked up another bottle and I decided to get the really big one. I still like the scent of the AT line but this particular shampoo didn't do anything amazing. It made my hair clean but nothing else. I have a couple from the Naturals range that I like better and will rather repurchase those but I might try some more from the AT line.

My sister gave me this sample sized Moroccanoil hair oil bottle because she used up the big one and she liked it a lot. At first I was using it on dry hair and it did nothing, well they could get greasy if I applied too much but that was it. Latter I started to use it on damp hair after I washed them and the next morning my hair were sleeker, shinier and more smooth not to mention how good they smelled. I used it up way too fast and now I miss it, I know that it is a little expensive but if I will have some coupons I will get myself a big bottle.

The very last item was a gift from Cosnova team and it is Essence for Boys and Girls sheet mask. This collection will be out soon in February and finally I am ahead with at least one review. The sheet fitted my face really well and I also didn't had any issues slipping it off my face. I could walk around my apartment and it stayed put. My skin afterward felt moisturized and a bit sticky, thankfully it was my day off so I didn't wear make-up later but I'm pretty sure I would have to wipe my face off with some micellar water. I have never had that sticky feeling after a sheet mask but since I wasn't putting any make-up on I didn't mind. Would I buy it? Probably not, I have tried some Korean ones and I like those better (they didn't feel sticky but they moisturized my skin really well plus after I used up a mask there was enough essence left for a couple of days while with the Essence one the package was empty).



Thank you for reading and have a nice day

Boys and Girls

Hello,

for today's post I have to thank Slovenian Cosnova team for sending me lots of lovely things shown below.

Boys & Girls TE will be available from February on and you are in for a treat. They will offer a lot of 'essentials' in a very attractive and cool packaging.

I receive a mega sized mattifying & fixing powder in Nobody is perfect, but I'm not nobody. I have very oily skin and so I can't wait to try this bad boy and see if it will work with my skin.

Facial Sheet masks are gaining on popularity and can quickly 'fix' your moisture level. I also love all the funny names, for instance the mask is named I'm fresh what about you? Can wait to see what will happen  ;)

In a stick there is Refreshing & Moisturizing face primer and the packaging is the same as it was in the Catrice Travelight Story one. I loved that one so much that I hoped that they will make it permanent, so far they haven't done it but this one looks like it could be the same thing. The name of it is I'm fresher than you!

The very last item on the photo is Camouflage Cream concealer with two shades. I know Essence used to have similar product but I never picked it up because I'm not too keen on the idea of mixing my perfect shade every morning but if you are struggling to get that perfect shade this could be a match for you. It is called I woke up like this - flawless! but unfortunately it is only available in one color way. I will report back after I try it out.

For me the most interesting TE are the ones with make-up, these essentials can look boring at the first glance but I have come around and realize that if the base is perfect you can build from there on. The only bad thing is that if you find a holy grail that you will want to repurchase it till the day you die (if I'm being a little melodramatic) it will be gone. I hope that the brand is just testing the waters with these products and if they will sell well or receive good feedback they will make them permanent, let us all cross our fingers but till then I will test them out and let you know which products deserve to be permanent in my opinion.




Thank you for reading and have a nice day

Empties

Hello,

it is the end of the month and I again used up a handful of products. I have to say that I enjoyed using most of them up and I'm about to finish a couple more but they will be featured in the next empties post.

First tube is  Essence colour arts eye shadow base. They had these available with the pigments in little pots but I wasn't really interested in those but I was looking for an eye shadow primer which would prolong my shadows. The texture of it was nice, not to liquid or to hard, just right and it was colorless and without shimmer. For my oily lids this product worked just okay, in combination with some shadows it lasted 7-8h but with most less. Last year in April I bought Artdeco primer which works so much better for me and since then I haven't used this one. I think it is time to toss this tube even though it is still full but since I'm not using it and I found better alternatives I can ditch it.

Second tube is Avon Foot Works scrub in a Cherry Ice scent. I love their limited edition scents and pretty much always I pick some but I don't use them on my feet (if I do it tickles me, I use piles on my feet) but on my face. I know, some people will be grossed about it but if you close your eyes and don't know that it is meant for the feet it makes sense. The scent is too nice for feet and there are plenty of  particles which makes exfoliating really easy, you don't need to press too hard but instead you massage it gently. I already miss this lovely scent but I'm replacing it with the papaya one.

Pencil s Essence Gel waterproof eye pencil in black. I remember I won it a couple of years ago (I wouldn't get the black one for myself) and I used it for a while but since I wasn't too impressed with it (on my hooded eyes it smudged and I just don't like pitch black color on my eyes) I put it on the side and now I wanted to start using it but the whole tip broke and fell out. Fortunately I have sharp reflexes and I caught it but the pencil itself is so hard and dry that I can't get much out of it so I'm tossing it. It is completely my fault, I know that I have way too many pencils so I'm making a point in using them up and not buying new ones until I use some.

In the back there are two more Etude House Royal honey sheet masks (I used one previously) and on the photo above is the actual mask (I was surprised at how well it fits my face, apparently it is very round). I'm still in love with the scent and this time I did noticed that my skin looked more plumped and hydrated (probably because I used two of them). I would like to point out that there is plenty of the liquid left after you take the saturated mask out and I have been using it as a liquid moisturizer which took me another four days of using one pack up completely. I think I will repurchase it again in the near future.

The last item is Melvita Lily's oil. It is supposed to help you fight against skin discolorations, hyperpigmentation, acne scars, restoring luminosity and radiance, for all of these I can verify. My skin has improved dramatically and I think the main reason is this 'miracle' oil. If you were wondering this is my second empty bottle of it and I already have backup of it and I will see if I will even need to buy the fourth bottle or my skin will look nearly perfect at this time next year.

Huh, that was a handful and at the same time so relaxing. Knowing that I'm using products and they work well for me is the best. After two weeks I will have another empties post and I'm afraid it will be bigger.



Thank you for reading and have a nice day

Empties

Hello,

and welcome to the second part of my empties. On most of these items I have been working on for a longer period of time and it just happened that I used them up all at once.

I don't think I used up any hand creams recently so it was nice to see this one go. My hands are getting more dry so I will maybe use one or two more till the end of the year. This baby sized one is from LCN and it is named Nederland. It was also scented, they described it as a fresh ocean scent but it wasn't so obvious. The texture was light enough and fast absorbing if I applied a little at the time. It will be missed but I'm not sure where I can get it (I still haven't checked if LCN hand creams are available in my country). If I can find it I would repurchase it.

Next, there is a see through bottle from Krasna and this is their face cream. It had lovely lavender scent and great packaging, that is bottle with a pump. One pump was enough to cover my face and neck with it. In warmer months it was a little heavy so I used it only at night but now I can use it also in the morning but slightly less than a whole pump. At first it feels a bit oily but it sinks in, I don't know what kind of magic did they use but I haven't seen formula like that before. Beside moisturizing it also manged to calm down my skin and I really appreciate that but I don't know if I would repurchase it. I found great night and day cream for much less. Maybe I would get it next year in Autumn if I will get my hands on some discount coupons.

In the background there is Etude House Royal honey sheet mask. This time I only used one and I liked it. I don't know if I can properly judge it after one use only but my experience was nice. First, it smells like acacia blooming tree (in the back of our family house there is a big acacia tree so this remind me of my youth) which is divine on its own but there is enough liquid left in the packaging, after I took the mask out, that I used it on my face as a serum for the next week. I think you get much more than just one sheet mask in one pack so I'm excited to use the other two that I have left.

On this Avon Skin so soft enhance & glow body lotion I won't loose too many words since I already talked about here. It was tinted and shimmery lotion (not a self tanner) which was supposed to give your skin a nice glow but I am slightly too fair so I had to use it very sparingly. I was using it in the Summer but since I used so little I managed to completely use it up only now in October. I think this is still available but I won't buy it again.

Second to last is little round pot with red cap and it is Avon extra lasting cream eye shadow in Totally Taupe. I posted swatches and everything here. I loved the rather unusual color but mostly I liked that it stayed put without a primer and I have extremely oily lids. For me this is a little hero in a pot but before I used it up it dried and it was beyond repairable. I don't know if Avon still makes these, I know they released five new shades in Summer but they come with a black cap (not under extra lasting line) and they just came out with six metal inspired colors which didn't really caught my eye.

The last item is from Essence and it is their Stay with me line of glosses. They are already discontinued but the formula was superb, great scent and taste, super glossy and they manged to stay on my lip for longer than any other gloss. I have yet to find some similar glosses in their current range. My used up shade was called Pretty Witty and it was very pigmented raspberry shade, it wasn't my favorite because such bold colors are hard to maintain but I used it around the house or if I had some short errands to do. I would definitely buy some everyday shades if this line would still be available.



Thank you for reading and have a nice day

order from e-bay

Hello,

yesterday I went to my post office to get my packages from Korea. I was so excited that I tore all of the boxes while sitting in the parking lot outside of post when I live 5 minutes away. I just couldn't wait  ;)

I used up a sample of a face primer and it was so fantastic. I tried to find it on the almighty e-bay but I can't, talk about disappointment. I did some research and decided to pick up Tony Moly silky smooth balm. It is a face primer in a cute golden egg shaped packaging (I definitely see myself reusing it for some smaller jewelry pieces).

In the back there are three Tony Moly Pomegranate sheet masks which I won on an auction. I'm telling you, they are like little devils. I get sucked in and bid on products I have no intention to win and when I'm the last one standing I act surprised. I will tried them but my expectations are low. I already tried this type of masks, sheet masks and I talked about it here.

Last we have A'pieu pastel blusher but honestly this shade is supposed to be organized under bronzers. It is in the shade BR01 (I couldn't find any other 'real' name so I'm naming it Fred). So far I can tell you that it is matte and looks light enough for paler complexions.

Next week will be fun and I will try to report back as soon as possible.



Thank you for reading and have a nice day

Empties

Hello,

as promised today I'm showing you the second part of my empties. Most of these products took me a lot of time to go through and it is just a coincidence that I used them all up in this month.

First we have black twins, Avon AT supreme oils with nutri 5 complex shampoo and conditioner (I rarely use them up at the same time, usually shampoo is first but I wanted to treat my hair and used a little more conditioner and I manged to empty both bottles at the same time). The scent is slightly different from their usual AT, which I love, but this was even better. So warm, spicy and oriental. My hair smelled like this for the whole next day and I just couldn't stop sniffing them  ;) They were moisturizing but not making my hair overly greasy and cleansing at the same time. I really don't know what else to say, they aren't the best I have tried but they get close so I would repurchase them in the future.

Three empty green packages are from Etude House and each contained one sheet mask with mugwort extract. It is supposed to be soothing and have brightening effect. I woke up a little earlier in the morning and washed my face, put one of the sheet masks on and went to bed. They can slide off so laying down is the best way to prevent that. I just left it on until everything fully absorbed and sheets were really soaking wet so it took around 30 minutes, my skin felt moisturized and soft but after three masks I can't report anything about the brightening effect. I noticed that there was still some of the liquid left in each packaging after I already took the mask out so I used it instead of moisturizer and it worked, out of each bag I got three to four individual uses. I thought that they were nice but a little overpriced, I payed a little over 1 € for each and to me that is too much. I won't repurchase them again but I have some others already at hand.

Up front there is Avon tinted lip balm in the shade Soothing Strawberry. I dedicated the whole post to it here. I loved it to its very end. The color is a nice red one, it is very pigmented, slightly wet looking, after a couple of layers it does leave a stain and it is moisturizing. It has it all but sometimes I want a clear lip balm. I would say that this was my favorite tinted lip balm and I would repurchase it again.

Big pot in the middle is Afrodita's face and body yoghurt with honey and shea butter. I talked about it in a separate post here. I still love the luxurious scent but to really get all of the moisturizing benefits you have to stand in the shower for at least five minutes and honestly I don't have time to do so. I already purchased the second one but after that I don't think I will buy another one. It is a nice product but it takes too much time to use it properly.

The last items is also from Afrodita and it is their Hydra Thermal eye cream. I posted a little more about it here and my first thoughts after using it a little less than a month were so so. Now when it is gone I realized just how good it was. I feel that my under eye wrinkles are more obvious and the skin is more dry. I am using different eye cream but apparently it doesn't do enough for me. I will for sure repurchase it again since I haven't found better one than this Afrodita one.



Thank you for reading and have a nice day