Category: Beauty

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Beauty

Lip Product Empties

Let me quickly walk you through some lip products I have either finished or discarded recently.

veryme-gloss-tester-sosusan-lip-dome-ofra-lipstick

Oriflame VeryMe Mirror Lip Gloss is a perfect cool-toned pink lip colour for me. I loved using this in combination with OFRA Cosmetics Laguna Beach, but also on its own. The scent of the product was lovely, and the application was relatively OK (it’s a squeeze tube). The formula was a bit sticky. It was fun while it lasted, but I had to let it go because it started separating and smelling funny.

A sample size of one of the Oriflame Pure Colour lipsticks. I’ve written a post about them here, if you fancy a read. This one had to go because I dropped it on the office floor. A grimy dirty dusty icky yucky office floor. *shudder shudder*

So Susan Lip Dome was a lovely crayon. Not fully opaque, but it gave my lips the nicest bordeaux tint. It also felt nice and wore very comfortably. Unfortunately, it went bad before I could use it more. I received it via a Lip Monthly subscription, and I figure it was old.

OFRA Cosmetics Liquid Lip Colour in New Orleans also had to go – it was patchy and dry as all hell. And although I adored this colour, it made my lips look ridiculous, so I had to let it go.

You can read my post on OFRA Cosmetics lipsticks here.

oriflame-lip-balm-devine-lip-balm

Oriflame Beauty Lip Balm, although intended transparent, did give a bit of a pearlescent pale pink hue to the lips, so at times it made me look rather dead. It also didn’t moisturise my lips enough – matter of fact, sometimes the product felt drying. This is an old formula, and Oriflame updated it. I haven’t tried the new one.

Look DeVine Pinot Noir balm I loved. I received this one through Lip Monthly as well. It had a great scent and made my lips really moisturised, soft, and plump. I had to be careful with accidentally building up the colour with it, as a couple more strokes than necessary, and it would make me look a bit on the undead side.

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Beauty

An Overview of Oriflame Activelle Deodorants

oriflame-activelle-deodorant-line

The main line of Oriflame antiperspirants, called Activelle, comes in six versions – four roll-on deodorants and one cream deodorant. I tried them all, and although the line itself is pretty homogeneous, I’ve got my own preferences.

oriflame-activelle-pure-care-roll-on-and-cream

Oriflame Activelle Pure Care comes in two types – roll-on and cream. The roll-on I find too weak for me. I’m not a sweaty lady, but with the pink Activelle I haven’t felt protected enough. However, it is soothing and goes on well right after shaving.

If you are especially sensitive, then I do recommend the cream version. At first I had thought I wouldn’t like it and that the application would be too messy and the entire thing too much of a fuss, but I was wrong. The top of the tube spreads the product evenly, and it really is moisturising. By softening properties it is quite comparable to my favourite ever Dove deodorant (Green Tea & Cucumber). If I am honest, it might even beat it.

oriflame-activelle-48hr-and-green-tea

Activelle Extreme Protection 48 hours is the strongest of the six. It will not give you 48 hours of protection, but it certainly lasts longer than the others. I am not giving you any precise times here, because it depends on your system. For me it was a little over 24 hours.

Activelle Green Tea Fresh is the second strongest in the line.

These two also have the harshest scents, for me.

oriflame-activelle-cotton-dry-and-invisible

Activelle Cotton Dry comes second after the Activelle Pure Care when it comes to the softness of the feel. I am currently using it. However, I have to say that it had started smelling differently, to me at least. It used to have a powdery scent, but now it’s much harsher. Could be just me, though.

Oriflame Activelle Invisible is not, in fact, invisible. A standard roll-on deodorant that will offer you adequate protection.

Regarding the formula of all of these deodorants, they take a while to fully dry. It is a product that should be applied the night before – however, I never feel secure enough not reapplying it in the morning.

I honestly cannot tell you how long the bottle will last you. My current Cotton Dry is – I believe – a month and a half old, and is still going strong. You can also store these upside down, as the cap has a flat top. This is always a plus for me, as I love using up every last bit of the product.

I know I will repurchase at least some of these deodorants when they are on offer. My preferences are Pure Care cream and Cotton Dry, followed by Pure Care roll-on and Invisible. Activelle Extreme Protection and Green Tea Fresh, although strong, have scents that do not fully agree with me.

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Beauty

Manicure Monday: Oriflame, Inglot

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Oriflame The One in Night Orchid 30527

I’ve mentioned before that one of my superficial ‘goals in life’ is to own every single polish from Oriflame’s The One line. I just love them, and am really sad that I’ve missed several LE colours here and there.

This colour is in the Oriflame’s permanent line of nail colours. It’s a really cool-toned really deep fuchsia, a bit on the dark side to be truly considered one. The photograph is brightened, so it doesn’t give a true representation of the shade.

I have two coats on, but could have got away with just one. Dried quickly and well. The application is OK, but the formula is rather thick and the brush is wide, so you will need to clean the cuticle up a bit. No streaks. The longevity is not as formidable as they promise – about two-three days.

inglot-matte-pale-pink-polish-718

INGLOT Nail Polish in 718

A pretty perfect pale pink (what’s with all the p’s) that I quite enjoyed looking at. The colour is just so… girly. It dries semi-matte, with a bit of a sheen still left to it. The formula is a bit streaky – but hey, for a polish that’s both light and matte, I say it fared very well. Needed three coats, dried pretty quickly. The longevity is so-so. On my right hand it chipped on the first day, and on the second I had to remove it. Left hand remained unchanged by then.

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Beauty

INGLOT Sleeks cream 89 – Review and Dupe

I’ve had this post in my head for so long, I keep thinking I’ve actually drafted the copy – but no.

INGLOT Sleeks cream in 89 might just be one of my favourite lip products ever. It’s a non-sticky gloss that’s not too sheer, not too opaque, smells amazing (though there’s at least one person who disagrees with me :D), and – I am convinced – looks good on everyone. It’s a universal light peach shade that is effortless to wear year round.

It’s also moisturising.

And has amazing test-tube packaging.

And costs about three times the amount I am willing to extract from my wallet for a lip gloss.

inglot-sleeks-89-della-color

Meet Delia Glamour Liquid Color in shade 22.

Delia is a Polish brand (much like INGLOT) that I’ve only recently discovered. Their products keep popping up at random shops here and there, and I think they have a full stand in Organic Shop here in Kishinev.

Colour-wise, these two are pretty damn similar.

Observe.

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The very top swatch on my hand are these two products applied right next to each other, with no separation – and I bet you can’t tell where one ends and the other begins.

With my camera being the sneaky thing that it is, it did pick up some difference in colour when I swatched them next to each other.

inglot-vs-della

As you can see, INGLOT Sleeks Cream in 89 (left) is brighter and has more blue in it. Delia Glamour Liquid Color in 22 is more subdued, with just a touch more yellow. However, these differences are unnoticeable in real life.

The formula of the Delia lip gloss is non-sticky, but just a bit tackier than the INGLOT one. It’s not drying at all, but I would not give it hydrating properties. The longevity is that of a typical lip gloss – do not expect staying power here. It does not separate, and it does not set into fine lines. The scent is I would say more pleasant than that of the INGLOT Sleeks Cream in 89 – it’s not as heavy and not as sweet vanilla.

And, of course, the price difference is immense. For the cost of one INGLOT Sleeks Cream you can buy nigh four Delia Glamour Liquid Colors.

Undeniably, INGLOT Sleeks Cream is a quality product that can work both as a gloss and as a lipstick (albeit one with a very weak staying power, and not in all shades of the product). You cannot quite build the colour up with Delia gloss like you potentially could with the INGLOT product. INGLOT Sleeks Creams are also moisturising – at least in this particular shade – something that I cannot say about Delia Glamour Liquid Color. It’s non-drying, but that’s about it.

The plus point of the Delia Glamour Liquid Color is that since it’s less pigmented, as the product ages, it does not appear to be separating on the lips as much. After a certain amount of use, INGLOT Sleeks Cream would start setting in smallish lines on your lips. It is, however, barely observable in dynamic, and only happens if you really go all out with the product (ergo, try to build the colour up).

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Beauty

Local Brand: Cosmeplant Makeup Remover Lotion

New month, new series? Let’s see how far I can stretch this one. Unfortunately, Moldova is not known for the extensive production of beauty and lifestyle items. But I’m going to give it a fair shot. I’ve always believed in supporting local businesses. And quite often they deliver – overdeliver, even, if you take the price tag into consideration.

Below is one such gem.

viorica-cosmetics-cosmeplant-makeup-remover-lotion

The first thing I noticed about this product was its scent. I believe it is supposed to be chamomile, but to me it smells like custard. For that reason alone, I love using it.

The packaging of Viorica Cosmeplant Makeup Remover Lotion is a simple two-coloured plastic bottle with stickers on the front and back. The back sticker also serves as a bit of a decoration for the insides, which I find very cute. The consistency is that of a toner – it’s a liquid, not a lotion. Since it’s runny, there’s no problem getting every last drop out. The quality of stickers and their attachment varies from bottle to bottle. As you can probably see, the left one started peeling off at the bottom, while the right one remained completely intact. I haven’t had any problems with the lids breaking off and leaving the product exposed.

So how does it fare in makeup removal?

I’ve been through a couple of bottles of this stuff, and it delivered every time. It removes the most dastardly hard to remove products – not from the first swipe, but with minimal rubbing. It even works to remove Dior mascaras and Oriflame eyeliners – two things that I always have trouble with when it comes to parting for the day.

However, I must note that if you have sensitive eyes, then you should be careful when using this lotion around the eye area. Sometimes it would sting.

While this is not a revolutionary product by all means, it does exactly what it claims to do on the tin: hydrates, softens, and cleanses the skin. It never gave me any irritation (aside from that occasional eye sting – but seriously, that could be just me and using too much product around the eyes that had contacts in them for like 18 hours), dryness, redness, or breakouts. It is a pleasure to use and is dirt cheap. A bottle would set you back for ~$1.5, if that.

Will I be buying again? Hell yeah.