Power Stay

Hello,

products shown below are my oldies but goodies. I was searching for a glossy and longlasting lip stains for years. I had some from L'oreal but they had nasty taste to them and I don' think they make them anymore...

Here I have Avon power stay liquid stain lippies in just 3ml tubes (super small but that is their regular size). Bottom up is She's a Natural and peachy one is Stay Naked. The claims on the tube sounded intriguing so I picked up two shades (again I could not decide on only one).

The have 'regular' doe foot applicator, it is pretty small and I have to go inside the tube twice to get enough product since I like the glossier lip.

Brown/nude She's a Natural is warm toned nude and it reminds me of something I shouldn't think of when discussing lip products :(

Stay Naked is peach toned and has this lovely vibrancy to it. Nice to brighten up the lip.

After applying it they look like lip glosses but quickly loose some of glossiness. This adapting faze last a few minutes, the color shifts (on my pigmented red lips they turn deeper) and when the true color is  revealed the gloss comes back and stays glossy for more than an hour and a half.

Above the colors haven't shifted quite jet and they remain in their original straight out of the tube shades. 

On the photo above the colors started to morph (I noticed that on my hand they don't look as red as on my lips since the color of my skin is more neutral opposed to my reddish lips). They are more blended out and this shine is how it is like for next hour and a half. It is not super glossy but it looks like a nice thick layer of balm is applied over it.

Here is more of a realistic color scheme of them after a good hour. The shades don't appear that different but the brown one remains deeper. On my lips She's a Natural looks reddish brown and Stay Naked slightly tones down my redness.

I like how longlasting they are and they remain glossy for a long time. They leave some stain (deeper shade more than the peach tone) and the scent isn't too bad. They have some sweetness but also some plastic 'notes'. It does disappear rather fast but I just can't get a longlasting glossy tint with a nice scent :)

I still like these, Stay Naked is my favorite and I might get some more in the future.

Thank you for reading and have a nice day

Empties

 Hello,

this is my first part of my September empties. I had to split them up otherwise it would be just too long and there would be too many products.

I cleared up a bottle of Iunik calendula complete cleansing oil with a convenient pump. This oil was nice, sometimes I only had issues with mascara but it did remove everything else. It did not irritate my eyes and that is a big plus. I found new bottle at an amazing price with the other one for free so now I have two backups :)

I found this Caudalie beauty elixir toner at an amazing price It is supposed to smooth your skin and make it more glowy. First that I noticed are two layers and I had to shake it really well to mix both liquids and the minty scent. Very nice and awakening in the morning but I haven't noticed any major difference. It was nice and fancy to use, the mist was super fine (unfortunately the bottle is not refillable otherwise I would reuse it). If I will find it at a reasonable price I might get it again but it is nothing too special for me.

A while ago I had issues with my skin barrier and dry patches on my face so I decided to go with this Purito dermide cica barrier sleeping pack. It is a thicker cream which I would apply on its own or layer it on top to create nourishing sandwich. If there was a dry patch I would apply some more to it and by the morning my skin was better. I would get it again.

This NYX the face glue was a gift with purchase and it turned out to be a really nice fixing spray. On the bottom there is a white mattifying powder and to work properly I had to shake it well before using it and it kept my make-up put for longer than no fixing spray. This is close to my favorite Catrice one and this one doesn't make me feel like I used hair spray. I will get it again.

Big tube is Avon care Watermelon daily hydration body lotion gel. It had a light cream scent and with some imagination I could see the watermelon in the background. Not super strong in the scent department but I ended really liking that. The nourishing properties were there and I used it with joy.

Last is also Avon care overnight moisture hand cream with lavender. It had a nice texture not too light and not too greasy but it was on a slightly heavier side, lavender scent was pleasant and calming. I really liked it but it took me a while to go through it since I only needed a little when I used it.

Thank you for reading and have a nice day

Juicy Bombs

 Hello,

lip products are definitely my soft spot. I don't have big juicy lips myself but with a little help of a lip product that can happen. I hoped these would be nice since I usually have a good reaction to their lippies. I placed them in order of how I thought I would like them, from least to my favorite shade.

These are my first Essence juicy bomb lip glosses and instead of getting just one I purchased a whole set of five around last Christmas, since it was a holiday special. I think they are all limited edition shades and when I will use them up they will be gone. They have unique scents for each shade and I really like that touch. 

First one is Roasted Almonds and it has an artificial nutty/cookie scent, not unpleasant but it also disappears fast like all of them do.

Bright red is Candy Apple and has a sweet, juicy apple scent.

Tangy Tangerine with sweet tangerine scent, it is not citrusy or zesty and I really like it.

Second to last is Candy Cane and the only two toned shade and it has that huba buba chewing gums scent but with a slight artificial scent to it, nothing too much but enough to detect it.

Mellow Marshmallow has almost the same scent of chewing gums like the previous, minus the artificial scent. 

First swatch is Roasted Almonds and has a clear base with yellow/golden sparkles. I like to wear gold jewelry but I don't like gold or yellow make-up on me so this one is my least favorite because of the color of the sparkle. The particles are big and noticeable. I would like it better if the glitter would be smaller or less yellow.

Candy Apple is the only one with a distinct base and red lip gloss can be tricky because of the bleeding over the lip line but fortunately I can apply a very thin coat and it gives me just a bit of a reddish tint with barely there shimmer, still better than yellow glitter.

Middle one is Tangy Tangerine with a slight peachy base with tiny peachy and golden shimmer. I really like this one and I would say that this one and the next two are my favorites but I decided to sort them in order and since I prefer pink over peachy tones this one ended in third place. 

Next one is Candy Cane and it is the only two toned one with pink stripes in the tube. So far, when the tube is still relatively full, stripes are visible but I assume when I will get it somewhere half way through they will merge and there will not be such a distinctive line. On the lips the two colors mix and it is fine. In general they are all on the sheer side.

Last one is Mellow Marshmallow soft pink with the same shimmer then Tangy Tangerine but this one with pink and gold mixture. 

When I apply them they feel plush and I thought that they will last longer but after around 20 min the texture becomes thiner and starts disappearing. I would say that the wear time is around one hour and then I reapply. Not the best but since they are in tubes I find them easier to touch up than doe foot applicators.

If I briefly compare them with Essence extreme glosses those last longer but I prefer the tube design. They both have multiple color options and equally fast they are discontinuing shades and replacing them with what is hot right now. At the moment that is red and deep brown, not my shades but at least I will not be spending on them and rather use what I already have. Win win situation for me ;)

Thank you for reading and have a nice day

Donut applicators

 Hello,

today I merged two products together into one post simply because I purchased them together and they both have unique applicators and I wanted to compare them. 

In bright pink tube is unleashia sunset dazzle gloss balm in the Ibiza option, second is Etude sugar coloring  jelly balm in Bare Pink.

I have learned that these are silicone donut shaped applicators and are gaining popularity. They are soft and surprisingly nice to apply product. I thought that they would be a bit awkward to apply since they are large but they are quite accurate and don't spill much product. I feel like they will be less leaking than normal applicators.

I am a sucker for a tube lip balms/lip glosses and when I saw these I wanted to try them out. They just happened to be with these new applicators. I had a hard time picking just one shade from each but at the end I managed.

Ibiza is bright and pigmented but also sheer enough that mirror isn't necessary if applied in a thin coat. It adds brightness without being too much.

Bare Pink is this gorgeous lavender toned soft pink, slightly milky and with tiny blue/purple shimmer. On the lips it is mostly clear, if I apply thicker coat, there is a bit of milkiness present but it doesn't bother me. It can make my lips a smidge paler but I like it just as much as I like the Ibiza to be bright and brings light to my face.

I guess I picked different enough shades to accommodate my two opposite moods and I love them both, they are just for different occasions.

Here I had my hand tilted to get a better angle of the shades and Bare Pink from Etude started to run down while Ibiza remained in its place. That tells me that even though Ibiza has a brighter and more obvious pigment which can be dangerous (imagine having it on the lips while gravity is pulling the pigment down and creating uneven look) but that doesn't happen. Even wearing it for days all day long it never happen to start dripping or spilling over my lips. It is hydrating enough that even after a full day of wearing it my lips weren't dry. The scent is fruity, maybe a bit like apple and pleasant but there is no taste and it does fade after a few minutes of wearing it. I like this one a lot and I started to check shade Malibu, more pink and slightly lighter tone.

Bare Pink has more liquid texture but that isn't an issue since this looks almost clear on me (if it would be more pigmented that could be an issue) but I still love the shade. This lavender pink shade is gorgeous and I could stare at it all day long. The scent is similar to sugar cookies and I like it a lot. Different from unleashia but very nice as well. Here comes the minus which is a big one or rather to say very important to me. This lip balm dries out my lips. I can use it once and then reapply (they both last around an hour and a half on me) then I start to feel my lips to peel. After two or three hours my lips are dry and flaky just because I used this lip balm :(

Bottom line is that they are both lip balms in tubes with the same donut applicators but there is also where similarities ends. Unleashia Ibiza is bright, fruity smelling and nourishing. Etude made with Bare Pink amazing milky shade, it smells like baked goods but something in it just dries my lips like crazy. I am sad that it doesn't work for me because there are some more shades that I wanted to get but now I probably won't because chapped lips aren't worth it.

Thank you for reading and have a nice day

Empties

 Hello,

on the photo below is my second part of my August empties. This time around I have more make-up products.

First bottle is Clean Cool Cotton perfume which smelled like a load of clean laundry. Very pleasant but I prefer my perfumes to smell like perfumes. I used it to spray my clothes with it and refresh them. For the price this one lasted a long time on fabric and I already miss it. I will probably repurchase it and continue using it as a laundry spray.

Next bottle is Elie Saab Girl of Now perfume and this one I loved. Sweet and nutty, rich and thick smell is what I love to wear recently so going through this bottle was easy (don't get me wrong, it took me years to finish it up but recently I wore it daily). I already found a really good deal and replaced it with another bottle also in the largest 90 ml size.

I have used up a bottle of foundation. It is my beloved Catrice HD liquid coverage foundation in Light Beige. This one is the closest to my skin tone and I love the coverage that it gives. It is buildable (sometimes I use it also as a concealer over pesky pimples to better cover them up). It stays on for hours and it doesn't break me up. I am already using a new bottle and have another back up of it.

I used up Essence extreme shine lip glosses in Dusty Rose and Shadow Rose. I used them up relatively fast, even though they do last an hour and a half on average on my lips and I have used them a few times a day. I really like their formula but the pink option in Dusty Rose was my favorite, nude shade was a bit dark and warm on me and I just wanted to use it up. 

Last tube is Nudestix hydra-peptide lip butter in Pink Kiss. It has a soft pink tint, minty tingly feel and a sweet vanilla/sugar scent. I am no longer a big fan of cooling lip products but this one isn't too strong so the feeling is bearable. I like the scent and the shade, it doesn't dry out my lips so I purchased a set of trios which includes this shade as well so I already have a backup and two new shades to play with.

Thank you for reading and have a nice day

I amplify

 Hello,

for today I have a sparkling beauty. I picked it out randomly online and it did look a bit more pink but still I am happy with the peachy tone.

This beauty is L'oreal glow paradise balm in gloss, my shade is I amplify. Tube looks regular sized and it holds 7 ml of product which means that it will last me a long time.

Applicator has shape of an eight and holds a decent amount of product. Immediately after opening it strong minty scent fills the room. I got scared since I can't stand strong minty, tingly lip products. I guess my lips just got too sensitive. After applying it it feels okay but the feeling grows stronger every minute, this gloss is one of the strongest that I have ever tried and I don't know how long it will take me to use it up since I know I will use it sparingly.

There isn't much of a base color but multicolored shimmer is present. Lip gloss sparkles from pink to gold. If I apply it like a regular gloss it is glossy and juicy but the cooling effect is too strong for me. I prefer to apply thin layer but then I just don't get the full shine. I envy people who can handle strong cooling effect because they will be able to wear this one in their full glory.

In certain light the sparkle almost disappears completely and it looks almost clear. The particles are slightly noticeable if I press my lips together, I can slightly feel them. It is not too bad but there are other glosses out on the market which have smaller shimmer.

Here is another swatch just to show how the sparkles almost hides under certain angles but the gloss remains very juicy looking. 

I am not the biggest fan of strong minty lip products so this is not going to end up among my top five and so far I am not even sure I should even keep it. Maybe I will wait till the next Summer and see if I will use it during the hot months otherwise I will give it to my sister.

Thank you for reading and have a nice day

Purple and Pink

 Hello,

I recently talked about these Essence lip glosses and today I have some more to show.

They are Essence extreme shine lip glosses in Purple Rain and Dusty Rose. Nether of the shades matches the color in the name in my opinion but they are both beautiful so I don't mind it. They have lovely vanilla scent and are extremely glossy.

Purple Rain is rather nude with warm toned base but intense shimmer makes it cool because of the silver sparkles. Dusty Rose is soft pink also with sliver shimmer and this one is my second tube and probably also the last one since it is discontinued shade. I absolutely love Essence lip glosses, I always did and with this 'new' formula they didn't miss. I just hope they wouldn't discontinue my favorite shade Dusty Pink. Purple Rain is close second. 

Thank you for reading and have a nice day