Empties

Hello,

I took a bit of a break from blogging but I think that now I'm back. There was no particular reason for absence, I just needed to rejuvenate, charge my batteries and blogging just didn't fit in. I will slowly started to dip my toes back into the water and if it will feel right...
We are at the end of the new month and it is time to get rid of my trash  ;)

First is Avon's Today for Him body wash and shampoo. I really liked this scent (sometimes manly fragrances feel right) and I used it exclusively on my hair. It cleansed my hair really well (I like to coat my hair with some oil and some of the shampoos just can't wash it off), removed all of product buildup and my hair were not dry but rather smooth and shiny. I think it is still available and I will soon pick another tube of it.

Avon naturals 2 in 1 shampoo and conditioner with  Basil and Lotus flower was another great shampoo for my hair. It made them smooth and sleek, kind of like how they look after a fresh cut. Very bouncy, healthy and shiny. The scent was very soft but so so nice. I manged to get another bottle before it sold out. I would definitely get more if I could.

Avon Senses Xtreme body wash with main notes of  Grapefruit, Amber and Cedarwood. The scent was very manly and as I said previously sometimes I really like it on myself especially under the shower. Somehow this type of scent makes me feel extra clean. I did liked this scent but I know they have many more so probably I will try something else next (at the moment I have Magnolia scented one and that suits me at the moment).

Himalaya Foaming Neem face wash is one of my favorite face washes. It foams really nicely and manages to remove all of my make-up, even mascara and while taking it all of it doesn't irritate my eyes. Right now I'm using something else but just today I was at the store where they had -50% on this face wash and I grabbed two more bottles even though it is not expensive (full price is a bit over the 5 € mark).

Another one of my favorites is this Neutrogena oil free moisturizer. I have stopped counting through how many tubes of this I went but this light and jet moisturizing formula convinces me every time. Great for oily and dehydrated skin.

The big pot in the middle is Avon Skin so Soft body butter with Jojoba oil. This one was new to me and while I like this formula and it smelled really nice in the packaging when I put it on my skin I was a bit disappointed. It still smelled nice but it was so faint... I probably won't get it again but the one in the pink box...  ;)

Avon Planet SPA nourishing face mist with Damask Rose was a lovely face mist. Actually this is my second bottle but I remember they only sold it for a very short time and together in a set (face mist, massage face mask and body oil, all three products smell divine). I loved it on my bare face, over moisturizer or make-up. It just made my face look more hydrated and especially when I wore make-up and I would spritz some on top it always made it look better. I'm so sad that they don't sell it anymore but the Lavender one from Melvita also does the trick for me but their Rose one doesn't. Thank god I also like Lavender ;)

The big golden egg is Tony Moly egg pore face primer. It was one of my first face primers and I really liked it. It was silicone based one so something appropriate for my oily skin and I managed to use almost entire pot but a little bit was left inside but it got dry and a bit flakey so I decided to just throw it away. I like it but when the months went by I find out better ones so I won't be repurchasing it.

Another favorites of mine is this little pot of magic. Avon Anew nutri-advance eye cream is very rich and nourishing and I can see the difference when I use it for a couple of days. My eye area looks fresher, more plumped and younger. This one is a definite must in my night time skin regime. At the moment I'm testing something new but it doesn't even come close.

Avon Classic Beige lipstick is super old so I don't even know which line it belonged but I really like the slightly glossy feel but after a while it settled and left a nice even stain on my lips. The tone is rather brown but I liked it. If this would still be available I would get a full size and I would check some other shades because of the amazing long lasting formula.

The very last item on that photo is from Slovenian brand Milnica and this is their Green tea Elixir. It is very liquid (watery consistency) and brown toned but I was so surprised at how moisturizing it felt on my skin. A little bit went a long way so this bottle lasted me for quite some time. The only 'flaw' is that it made my skin very dewy, glossy (if you have oily skin then you know that this is a big no no) but I have 'solved' in the only way I could. I used it at night when I don't care how glossy or greasy I look ;)  This is already on my to buy list but I would like to use up some other elixirs/serums first but then I will get it again.

For the end I have two of my currently favorite face powders. The fist top one is Essence All about matte fixing compact powder waterproof version which is white. It also comes in a regular non waterproof version (red writing) which was my favorite for a while but then these two replaced it (seriously, if you have oily skin try these two). The only complain I have about it is that it makes me so pale. I'm pretty white but apparently I'm not white as a fresh milk. Thank god I had some powder which is too dark for me but applied on top of this one it was perfect. I already repurchased it, this Essence one, not the darker one from Benecos. That one is still quite full  ;)

The next one is already my second Catrice All matt plus in Transparent which is very close to my skin color (still a bit lighter but not really noticeable, is comes in white and two other darker shades). This one doesn't keep my skin matte for so long as the Essence one does but it is great for touch-ups because it just doesn't look cakey. I kept it at work and I powdered if I needed and my make-up looked nice throughout entire work day. This one is also already repurchased and in good use.

Thank you for reading and have a nice day

Lipstick declutter

Hello,

I am in a serious declutter mode and that goes for all material aspects of my life. I'm constantly giving away bronzers, blushes, highlighters, eye shadows... never in bulk but just one or two every week or so but this time I attacked my lipstick 'collection' and I was surprised at how many of them ether went bad or I just don't like the color or formula on me, so I decided to pile them up and have one bigger declutter on my blog.

Yep, that is ten full sized lipsticks that I'm parting from.

Essence Longlasting Wear Berries!, Maybelline Color Sensational faint for Fuchsia, Rimmel Moisture renew Sheer & Shine Glow-rious Pink, Essence Sheer & Shine Candy Love, Avon Mark Rose Kisses, Avon Indulgence Tawny Rose, Avon Ultra Color Latte, Avon Ultra Color Tempered, Avon Ultra Color Rich Country Rose, Essence Next Stop: Summer Wish I was a Mermaid lipsticks.

Essence Longlasting Wear Berries! was a lipstick that I wanted to buy ever since they came out and everyone was praising them. The formula is really amazing but unfortunately I picked this darker, bolder shade that I maybe wore three times. Thankfully I picked up another more wearable shade before they discontinued them.

Maybelline Color Sensational Faint for Fuchsia was an impulse purchase. I think I got it at the 30% off sale and there weren't that many shades to choose. Again I really like the longlasting formula but a bright cool toned pink just isn't something I would wear often. I think I will check their stand in the future to find something more natural looking because I think that the formula is really nice.

Rimmel Moisture renew Sheer & Shine Glow-rious Pink was a lipstick I bought last year in November but I only recently tried it. I liked the sheer & shine claim and I picked a soft neutral pink but the first time I put it on my lips something was off. A minute after application I got a bitter taste in my mouth that came from that lipstick. I don't know if that is something 'normal' or it went bad but ether way I'm tossing it after wearing it a minute and a half, such a waste of my money.

Essence Sheer & Shine Candy Love has a similar line name as the Rimmel one and on the swatch it does look super glossy. This one was one of my top favorites so I'm extra angry at myself for not being able to just use it up before it went bad (gunky texture made it unusable). I have loved everything about it, I even got my mom hooked on but the 'new' Color up! Shine On! line is very similar in texture but I don't think they have a similar shade available (I hope they will come up with something similar in January, fingers crossed  ;).

Avon Mark Rose Kisses is something I purchased immediately after they released this line and after the first application I knew that this is not something for me. It is very pigmented and creamy which is a good thing but I just personally don't like super pigmented lipsticks and on top of that I even don't like the shade that much. Whenever I put it on I just couldn't prepare myself to leave the doors wearing it so I think it is time to part with it.

Avon Indulgence Tawny Rose is a line of skinny tall bullets. I had two other bright pinks but I got rid of them already because I wasn't wearing them. This one on the other hand is one of my favorites. On me it looks more pink than nude and the formula is very nourishing. I don't think they are still available but if I could find it I would get it again.

Avon Ultra Color Latte is an oldie but a godie. For a long time this was my favorite nude and I actually wore it quite a lot but for the past two years I really can't remember when was the last time I used it. Now I prefer to wear more light pink shades and this one got overlooked. It is really old so it must to go but if I will feel the need to wear a nude I will get it again.

Avon Ultra Color Tempered is another one from the same collection but this particular shade was a limited edition. I did wore it a bit but then I left it in the dark and never picked it up. It has the same amazing texture (buildable coverage, creamines, slight sheen and lovely lasting power) but the shade seems a bit too light, too pastel for me so I will get rid of it.

Avon Ultra Color Rich Country Rose is another one with the same texture except mine is an older packaging. This shade is still available and it still looks the same. It is an amazing bright red with unique silver sheen. My favorite but I wear it so rarely and this packaging is a constant reminder that it is way too old.

Essence Next Stop: Summer Wish I was a Mermaid lipstick is a color changing lipstick. In the bullet it looks green but on the lips it is just clear and then it slowly starts to get a bit of a peach hue. Very very faint but I used it mostly as a lip balm bu the last time I saw how weird the color looks like. On the bottom is almost white and then it starts to get gradient and the top is dark green. I know that it was even when it was new and approximately a month ago it still was. I'm scared that it might went bad so for the sake of my health I'm tossing it away.

Here they are all swatched and since there are mostly pink tones I can see a nice variety in shades and tones, at least I don't have gazillion lipsticks all in one shade  ;)

Wear Berries! is the darkest and the most dramatic. I think that it looks nice on me but if I'm not in the right mindset with enough confidence then it is pointless to wear such an attraction pulling shade.

Faint for Fuchsia is the boldest and coolest of the bunch. I usually just dab it on to get more of a stain and not so much color but still I didn't wear it that whole much.

Rimmel's Glow-rious Pink was the biggest disappointment because I only put it on once and I loved the shade and sheen, it felt moisturizing but then it started to get bitter so I wiped it off and now it is going into the trash bin.

Next is Candy Love which is lighter but just as creamy. I love it and when they were discontinuing it I wanted to grab as many back up as possible, at the end I only got one and I gave it to my mom who used it all up.

Rose Kisses is deeper rose borderline rusty red and I' m just not into shades like that. The pigmented formula is also something I'm not too comfortable with so I was never really interested in picking more shades.

Tawny Rose is such a lovely neutral pinky-nude shade with amazing moisturizing formula. It is such a shame that I can't find it anymore because I would get it in a heartbeat and this time I would finish it.

Latte is more brown toned nude which can look very striking or monochromatic. Like, I mentioned this was my favorite nude which says a lot because I normally don't go for nude and now I only have one more nude which is way more sheer and I use it instead of a lip balm.

Tempered looks so alive and pretty here. I kind of want to take it out and use it but I know that this particular lighter shade clashes with my natural lip shade and it just doesn't look the best on me. I think that my sister who is paler and has less pigmented lips could rock it.

I could not get a nice shot of Country Rose. The silver sheen just doesn't photograph well. There isn't any shimmer or glitters but that special shine that when you apply it all over the lips it looks like you have done much more (lined, and used at least two different shades with some gloss in the center of the lips, if this would be brown it would remind me of the 90's lip, maybe the new Luminous Velvet lipsticks will be similar ). I wish they would make more shades with this kind of finish because it is spectacular.

Color changing Wish I was a Mermaid lipstick is the very last one and I waited approximately 5 minutes for the color to form but it is still too faint to really see it. On the swatch it just looks glossy and that is mostly how it looked on my lips.

They will all be trashed since their old age and now I'm looking forward to rediscover the rest of my lipsticks and I will try to finish as many as possible next year to really get down my number.

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

Project Polish

Hello,

I haven't post within Project Polish in a very long time (in July I did the last update). I took some time off and use some new and some old shades but I haven't focus on finish them up. I didn't get tired of this project because I really do want to minimize my nail polish collection, I just needed  some time off. At the moment I have 103 bottles and I want to get down for at least another fifty. I know this goal isn't manageable to achieve this year but if I continue...

This first is limited edition from Catrice in the shade Meet Berry. I'm not someone who would wear bright pink so it still baffles me why I bought this one but nevertheless I actually really like it. The slight purple tone in it makes it unique and not so in your face bright. I enjoyed wearing it but I won't run to the store to buy something similar.

The other two are both Essence bottles from 2015 advent calendar. I got twenty bottles in there and big variety of shades. I have found a lot of favorites in there and these two babies were among them. The golden one is Essence Do you hear the Jinglebells? and I especially liked that it was not very yellow but almost bronze gold, such a beautiful shimmery shade. I have some other shades which are similar but none come close.

The other one is a bit deeper red and such a stunner. It is named Rudolph's favorite and it was also one of my favorites. I like to wear red nail polish and I like true and deeper red, creams and shimmers, I just can't resist ;)  I have a couple of reds at the moment so I'm not too sad that this one is gone.

At the end I really liked all three of them so no wonder I had no issues to use them up, well maybe the formula wasn't the best but that is due to age.




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

Upside Brown

Hello,

a while ago I received this eye shadow palette and I was pretty excited because Bourjois products aren't the cheapest and they are sister brand of Chanel. I heard people comparing the two brands and come to the conclusion that both lines carry similar products so you can imagine how high I felt.

The packaging on this Smoky Stories eye shadow quad feels a bit cheap and they also gives you one of the double ended sponge tip applicators (some like L.O.V. ones feel really nice and are usable this one however was a bit flimsy and I didn't use it).
Mine quad is called Upside Brown, overall brown and beige tones look natural and ready for a quick everyday use.

This middle shade was impossible to take photos of so here it looks like it is white but wait to see the swatches.

The texture is soft and they don't kick a lot of powder, pigmentation is average and I think that the shadows are very easy to work with.

The middle star shade is a champagne gold and it sparkles like a diamond. The white base doesn't translate on the skin and I think that this shade is pretty on its own or applied on top of something else. 

The left shade in the pan is a warmer light brown. Nice, it is quite unique in my collection and against my blue eyes it creates nice contrast. 

The last two shades look very similar on the skin. First one is a bit lighter and cooler than the other one but when you blend them on the lid the difference is minimal and I don't think that it matters which one I used. 

Even though I was excited to receive it and play with it and I liked the first two shades the overall feel of it is that it is not that special and I have a lot of other shades that I like better. I have used it a couple of times and then I passed it down to my sister who doesn't have so much make-up and she is using it way more than I would.

Thank you for reading and have a nice day

Ohh La La & Glossaholic

Hello,

Rimmel is one of those brands that fly very low on my radar. I was excited when they came into our drugstores but I seem to always walk past their shelves and even when I pause I rarely buy anything. These glosses were given to me, I checked them out in the store before but I always left them alone.

So, they are Rimmel Oh my gloss! in Ohh La La and Glossaholic shades.
The packaging is interesting because of the twisted tube which is the same as it is with their oils.

They have a rather above the average long doe foot applicator but they are easy to use and I can easily get enough product out of the tube and evenly disperse it all over my lips.
They have a very slight plastic-y scent which I can detect when I get the product out but when it is on the lips it is gone. That scent is the reason why I never picked them out. In the store I always open lip product samples and sniff them when in reality I just apply them on the lips and if the scent isn't strong I am not bothered.

The Ohh La La shade looks bright red in the tube but on the lips it is rather hot pink and it is even more obvious after the shine is gone and my lips are left with a really nice and even pink stain.

The Glossaholic is a different bird. In the tube it looks like a soft pink but on the lips it is almost clear. If I apply a bit more or after reapplying it the color shows up but in a very nice non invasive way (no sinking into the fine lines, if you get it out of the lip line it is not obvious...), what I'm trying to say is that it is very easy to wear and it goes well with everything even with a wedding gown. Recently my sister got married and on her big day she forgot her lip gloss at home and I had this baby with me so I gave it to her and she loved it so much that I decided to just let her have it. In person it looked lovely and even on photos it looks naturally shiny and so very beautiful and natural.

The red/pink color will take me some time to go through but I'm definitely buying the Glossaholic for myself as well. You just can beat soft, natural glossy lip that feel comfortable and stays hydrated (seriously my and her lips were soft through the entire night). Next time when I will be in the store I will definitely check the other shades as well but I'm pretty sure we don't have all 11 shades available.



Thank you for reading and have a nice day