Category: Beauty

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Beauty

#100empties: Some Hair Products.

One of the reasons I don’t post the empties posts monthly is because I just have so many empty jars and bottles each time, one would probably think I eat conditioners and deodorants for breakfast. It isn’t so, but I figure my empties box is a good picture of how we women are conditioned to believe that we ought to use 16 different products daily to look more or less presentable.

And that’s without make-up.

hair empties

Oriflame HairX Volume Boost Leave-In Conditioner

I have reviewed the set of Volume Boost Shampoo and Conditioner in full in a separate post. You can read it here.

Oriflame Nature Secrets Hair Mask for coloured hair

I have a feeling that I’ve been using this mask all wrong. That is, on hair that wasn’t dyed. Therefore, I cannot comment on whether it would prolong the vividness of your hair colour. However, I will say this – it’s got a certain scent to it that is akin to hair dye, but much gentler.

Unfortunately, I cannot recommend this mask for any of its other properties. I didn’t find that it conditioned my hair well (leaving a simple conditioner on my hair for 2-3 minutes worked better than this mask) or left my hair silky smooth at the end, or made it easier to brush. I did notice a bit more shine, though.

Planter’s Balancing Shampoo with Aloe Vera

How much do I love this shampoo? Let me count the ways. This product honestly deserves a detailed review, but for now have a short run-down:

  • the formula is a bit on the thin side, but not runny or watery;
  • the scent is strong but very fresh and very pleasant;
  • Planter’s does not test on animals;
  • the volume of the product is small, but you don’t need a lot;
  • it lathers well, but is very soft – I barely needed to condition my hair after it;
  • it’s one of the rare products that did not irritate my scalp.

My only two gripes? Price and packaging. I’ll tell you more about these (and the points above) in a full review. Perhaps I’ll buy a mask to go with the shampoo as well, to review the whole set.

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Beauty

Battle of Micellar Waters

micellar waters

A short while ago micellar waters have been touted as some sort of panacea for any skin care problem or need one could possibly have. That isn’t so, obviously. But claims for miracle-working aside, I found micellar waters a welcome addition to my beauty regimen and, indeed, at times a multitasking one.

If I haven’t worn much make-up on that day – like only some powder and brow pencil – I might skip the full cleanse and clean my face with micellar water.

If I’m not planning on doing much, make-up wise, or if I’m running abominably late, micellar water becomes the only morning cleansing step.

I’ve also been using this as a toner quite often (don’t particularly recommend this step, but in the absence of a good toner it’s best to use a micellar water), and to remove traces of mascara and eyeliner after I’ve done a full cleanse, but the suckers are still there.

Overall I enjoy the feeling of using them, so micellar waters are to remain part of my ‘routine’ for quite a while.

Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water for Sensitive Skin is the winner here. It beats the quality/ price ratio of the La Roche Posay micellar water, it has minimal scent, and it’s also the strongest, yet the gentlest, cleanser. It’s on my ‘buy again’ list.

La Roche Posay Physiological Micellar Solution is good, but I probably wouldn’t have bought this micellar water if it wasn’t on buy one, get one free offer. The pricing of La Roche Posay is not outrageous, but either because of import tax or pricing policies of local sellers, it bites, and is not comparable to the prices I see when I look the brand up online. La Roche Posay micellar water gives the greatest feeling of freshness, I’d say, and it also has a very subtle, yet very pleasant aroma.

Oriflame Diamond Cellular Micellar Solution Cleanser (21339), unfortunately, loses in this comparison. It has the strongest scent, which is by all means not offensive, but a bit old-fashioned for my tastes. The packaging is a pump one, which I found unnecessary, simply because one pump wouldn’t give you enough product, and would also make the liquid foam a bit, which destroys the illusion of cleaning your face with water. I can’t be fully certain, but I suspect it gave me an occasional break-out. The price tag, for the amount, was also quite serious – I only bought it because it was on a special offer for distributors. It’s also the harshest cleanser – though, it has to be said, probably the strongest, too. So if your micellar water goal is make-up removal, you should give this one a go.

Next in line for me are: AVON, Eveline, L’Oreal, and the classic Bioderma – have you tried any of these? Which one should I go for first?

(Products purchased with my own money. Oriflame Diamond Cellular bought as a special consultant offer.)

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Beauty

Nail Polish: Oriflame The One in London Red 30530

oriflame the one nail polish in london red

A short post today! The formula of Oriflame The One in London Red nail polish is quite similar to the other nail polish from Oriflame The One series that I’ve written about previously. However, this didn’t stain my nails one bit. It didn’t chip on the nail edge, although the colour began rubbing off a bit on the second day. For some reason it started chipping close to the cuticle, though – look at my forefinger.

I’m in love with this shadeof red. So nice.

What’s your favourite red nail polish?

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Beauty

Oriflame Pure Colour Lipsticks

oriflame pure colour lipstick tubes

The lipsticks come in cheap packaging – a black bullet with a transparent cap. The upside of that is you can see the colours pretty easily. The downside is, it’s quite fragile and doesn’t look the least bit impressive. Strangely, I don’t mind the look of it, but over the time the cap weakens and tends to come loose.

The scent is, I figure, generic lipstick scent. It’s not particularly offensive, but nothing to be pleased with either.

The formula of the product is medium to light coverage creme with sheen. The lightest lipsticks in the range appear on the lips more like tinted balms than anything else. Nearly all of these have some fine shimmer in them.

oriflame pure colour lipstick swatches

Swatched, one swipe, left to right: Bright Red (26271), Soft Coral (26269), and Radiant Red (21153). It applies even on the hand, but streakier on the lips.

Although Pure Colour Oriflame lipsticks are moderately creamy, they are very drying on the lips. The application tends to be streaky, the colour clings to dry patches on the lips.

The staying power of these lipsticks is weak. They wear relatively well if you don’t eat or drink anything, but they don’t wear off prettily.

They do not feather, however, and if your lips are hydrated, then the staining is minimal. (To each their own, but I dislike it when the colour stains.)

oriflame pure colour

This line of Oriflame lipsticks comes in a rather wide colour range – or should I say, tone range. The ones I have are, left to right: Bright Red (26271), Soft Coral (26269), and Radiant Red (21153).

Pure Colour lipsticks are the least expensive lipsticks in the Oriflame make-up range. When on offer in my country, they retail for as little as $1.5 US.

I would recommend this range if you are experimenting with colours. Oriflame Pure Colour lipsticks are very affordable, and even if you find the shade unsuitable, it would not break the bank.

oriflame pure colour bright red soft coral radiant red

Since taking these pictures I have passed on the reds, and only kept the Soft Coral (26269).

(I am an Oriflame consultant in my country. Products bought with my own money.)

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Beauty

Nail Polish: Oriflame The One in Orange Burst 31455.

oriflame orange burst

Oriflame usually does classic nail polish shades. Variations of beige, pink, red, purple, plum, and coffee brown are in abundance, but that’s about it. Their line VeryMe, aimed at youngsters, sometimes shows some variety. They also come out with limited edition lines, and this polish is from one of such collections.

I’m a sucker for cheap polishes. Besides, companies like Flormar have me totally spoilt in that regard – their polishes are very affordable, yet their quality is amazing. So when I saw these five shades, retailing for 59 MDL (~$4.5) each, I turned the catalogue page, thinking that I won’t be spending that much on a polish.

A few days later, though, I was picking up all five colours in the collection from my local delivery spot. You guys, the colours are just so good.

And never mind me, I’m a nail varnish maniac, I’ll buy almost anything. However, I was showing my newest purchase to an acquaintance who usually does practical gel manicures in classic hues. That didn’t stop her from purchasing all but one colours in the collection on the spot. I actually ended up repurchasing some of these shades for myself, because she just took all the bottles there and then (I haven’t had the chance to try all but the one above yet).

The quality of the polish is great, too. Above are two coats. They don’t streak, apply easily, and the brush is very convenient – a definite upgrade from the previous Oriflame Beauty nail polish brush.

However, this particular colour does the following:

orange burst nail polish

Nightmare material~ That’s with a basecoat. I shudder to think what would’ve happened to my nails had I decided to skip a basecoat that day.

I painted my nails using this polish more than 10 days go, and the stain didn’t fade one bit, no matter what I do to it. Which leaves me painting my nails every day, lest the good people around me decide that I had somehow contracted hepatitis.

This detail is such a shame, because the colour is gorgeous. I’m not sure if all the polishes in the line do this, or if it’s the case with this one and the pigments in it. I’m so in love with the colour that I will continue using it, but I either need some nuke-proof basecoat, or an understanding that I would need to paint my nails every day after using this one.