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Beauty

Nail Polish: Oriflame Very Me Eternal Pink

oriflame veryme eternal pink nail polish

This is a polish from a Very Me collection named Spring Tenderness. The collection itself consists of three shades: a mint green, a very light orange, and this one. I tried really hard not to buy the entire collection, only buying the mint green at first, but in the end I just couldn’t resist.

Damn, I’m really bad with this nail polish thing, aren’t I? If I could, I’d just buy entire ranges of everything without even thinking.

Not sorry.

The formula of this was okay, if a little bit on the thick side. An even application of this is difficult, but not impossible. I applied it a little streaky, but due to its colour and finish, it’s almost unnoticeable. The drying time was okay, but could be better. (FYI, anything that takes longer than a minute falls under the ‘could be better’ label in my world. Patience is not my manicure virtue.) The brush was so-so. Better than the former main Oriflame line (now replaced with The One), but still a little wonky. The colour is a pretty tender pink, which goes with just about anything. I love the idea of it, but I don’t think it looks good against my skin tone.

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Beauty

Today’s Scent: Oriflame Cocktails & The City Party Queen.

oriflame cocktails and the city party queen

There was a time in my life in which I have, for whatever reason, decided it a brilliant idea to take pictures of products against a notebook with lined sheets. Let us not speak about this tragic period of my existence in detail.

… Though truth be told, I kinda like it.

Anyway, the scent.

To me, this is pretty much honey and lemon in a bottle, and I bloody love it. Everything about it – from packaging to scent – suggests otherwise, but it’s easily one of the favourites out of my rather vast collection of perfumes.

I know it’s cheap. It probably even smells cheap to many. Most people who sniff it, make a bit of a face.

I know it doesn’t last long.

I know the packaging is nothing to write home about, and the design is more that of a deodorant than an eau de toilette.

But I don’t care.

As with many other Oriflame scents, the top notes disappear pretty quickly, and you’re left with the middle ones – honey in this case. I like honey, but I’d never thought I would enjoy it in a fragrance, probably because my usual fare has always been something ‘milk-and-honey’ themed.

As unsophisticated as Oriflame Cocktails & the City Party Queen is, to me this fragrance is pure happiness in a bottle, much akin to Victoria’s Secret Love Spell. They’re nothing alike scent-wise (Love Spell is all peach), but they both share a lack of complexity and both are equally successful in putting a smile on my face.

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Beauty

HIKARI Cosmetics Lipsticks

hikari cosmetics lipsticks in crush and cranberry

Like OFRA Cosmetics lipsticks I wrote about last week, my acquaintance with HIKARI Cosmetics began via my Lip Monthly subscription.

The first one I received was Cabernet.

True to its name, this HIKARI lipstick is dark red wine colour. The finish is matte. I have no problem applying it evenly from the tube. It doesn’t streak, but it does tug a little. The formula is not drying, and if you’re not planning a feast, it would stay on your lips for 3-4 hours without any need to touch up. It doesn’t feather and is very easy to wear without a lip pencil.

Once you eat, it will wear off, usually from the centre, leaving your lips lined with a red wine colour.

hikari lipsticks

Crush I received a little later. It’s a hot pink (many of the lip products I received from Lip Monthly were of a hot pink/ purple/ fuchsia variety). The formula is akin to HIKARI Cosmetics Cabernet lipstick above, but the coverage is just a bit less opaque. No streaking, matte with a slightest sheen finish, not drying, applies evenly from the tube. Doesn’t feather, stays put unless you eat something heavy.

hikari lipsticks packaging

The packaging of both of these is a square glossy black bullet with the company’s logo imprinted on one side of the tube. I love such minimalist packaging.

hikari cosmetics lipstick swatches

Swatched, left to right: Hikari Cosmetics lipstick in Crush, Hikari Cosmetics lipstick in Cabernet.

Overall, HIKARI Cosmetics lipsticks stay true to what is said about them on the company’s website: Long lasting vivid colour. If you’re tired of the liquid lipsticks and want a matte finish that doesn’t look papery on the lips, then these are your friend.

If you haven’t yet given HIKARI lipsticks a go, consider doing it. I’m happy with both of these shades, and if I weren’t already buried under the avalanche of lipsticks in my personal collection, I’d buy a few more like, today. Melon and Scarlet look very, very tempting. They’re available from HIKARI Cosmetics website for $13 each.

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Beauty

Love/ Hate: ARTDECO Pure Minerals Pore Refining Primer

artdeco pore refining face primer

Let’s premise this by saying that it’s quite possible that my tube is just hella old. When I used it for the first time, the liquid coming out of it was clear, and during the second use it started showing some colour, which means that the product is separating. When left untouched for a couple of days, it does the same thing.

Unfortunately, one can never be too sure of the age and the quality – and in some cases origins as well – of products bought through local retailers.

The texture and the feel of the skin with this primer are bloody amazing. It doesn’t alter the skin’s appearance on its own, but I can’t remember the last time my skin felt as smooth as it feels after applying this primer.

I’d also go as far as to say that Pure Minerals improves skin quality with continuous use. It really is hydrating.

It applies evenly and doesn’t require a lot of product for one application. Both the downside and the plus are, it’s transparent. So I can never be too sure if I covered all parts of the face with it.

The packaging is a squeeze tube with a thin nozzle. It’s more or less convenient when there’s a lot of product left to go through, but it will be a bit of a pain further down the road. I’ve already started to store it vertically.

While not scentless, ARTDECO Pure Minerals Pore Refining Primer has a very light scent that reminds me a bit of L’Eau par Kenzo.

Seeing as it smooths out the skin, the foundation application with it is a breeze, including my nose, where I really struggle to apply foundation evenly due to pores.

So with all the good points of this primer, why doth thou hateth it, Alex?

Well.

It doesn’t prolong the life of my make-up one single bit. My foundation starts to wear off about three hours after I apply it – much like it would without a primer.

I have oily skin, but if yours is on the dry side, I think you will love this product.

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Beauty

#100empties: Some Skincare.

avon nutraeffects

AVON Nutraeffects Active Seed Complex Balance Daily Cream SPF 15

A decent face cream with SPF. No mattifying properties, reasonably hydrating. Didn’t cause break-outs. My two gripes with it are packaging (it’s glass, but the base is wider than the mouth of the jar, so it’s hard to use up every last drop – I’m a scrooge, yeah) and scent. The scent was very strong and would stay with me through half the day. This is the only reason I would not be repeating the purchase.

bioten cleansing gel oriflame optimals purifying toner

Elmiplant Bioten Honey and Arnica cleansing gel for normal to combination skin

My skin is oily, but this one was a match. It had a pleasant scent and I enjoyed using it. Lasted a long time, too. No break-outs, no redness. During winter it made my skin feel a bit tighter than necessary, but it remained plump and fresh.

I have to say that all the Elmiplant products I’ve tried so far (face cream, hand cream, this cleanser), I’ve really been pleased with. Need to get something else from their range.

Oriflame Optimals Purifying Toner for Oily Skin

A relatively gentle toner with a pleasant scent. Nothing to write home about, but I would probably buy it again, because it’s no frills and gets the job done.

make-up removers

Oriflame The One Waterproof Eye Make-up Remover

This is a two-phase product that I have unfortunately not been able to use properly, because my flatmate at that time would forget to shake the bottle, so eventually one phase ran out completely. (Hi, flatmate.) Despite this, I was satisfied with how this removed mascara and eye liners (including the Oriflame eye liners which are notoriously hard to remove), so I will more than likely get it again at one point and write a full review.

Сто рецептов красоты (Sto Retseptov Krasoti) Cucumber Eye Make-up Remover Lotion

This worked like a dream. Honestly. I know that Sto Retseptov Krasoti change their formulas all the time and don’t shy away from parabens etc. in the slightest, but this sucker here worked. There is better skincare out there, but for this price? Come to mama. I’ll repurchase this one as well to write a full review – unless it’s been discontinued already.