Tag: face

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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.

Categories
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.)

Categories
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.)

Categories
Beauty

Oriflame Marbleised Eyeshadow and Eyebrow Kit.

I was putting on some quick make-up several days ago, and it occurred to me that most of my selected products were by Oriflame, and being used for the first time. So I thought, hey, why not lengthen the application time by some twenty minutes by taking photos of all the products!? Sounds like good blogger fun!!

So here it is.

giordani gold marbleised eyeshadow

Giordani Gold Venetian Affair Marbleised Eye Shadow in Starry Nights 24153

I have been meaning to try marbleised/ baked eye shadows for literally years. This particular Oriflame one has been on my mind for many months. Finally it appeared heavily discounted in a leaflet, and I totes decided to buy it.

I love the idea of purple eye shadows. Purple is one of my favourite colours, and I like to think that this shade flatters the colour of my eyes. However, depending on light and particular shade of purple, I usually end up looking very dead while wearing it. As you will see below.

This particular purple shadow has a lot of warmth to it, and much more red undertones than I had thought it would have whilst looking at it in the catalogue. But as you can see in the product photo above, it just photographs this way in the pot.

There’s rather a lot of glitter in this thing. I was expecting a bit of shimmer, but I was expecting a bit less.

The shadow comes with the default spongey applicator in tow. I know that as a beauty enthusiast I am supposed to scorn them, but to be honest I use them often enough to be happy about a free one.

The shadow is pigmented, goes on smoothly, and blends well. Compared to other Oriflame shadows, it’s one of the best.

Unfortunately, I can’t commend it for staying power. Five hours in, it creased a lot, and on the left eye it pretty much disappeared (apart from where it gathered in the crease).

oriflame brow kit

Oriflame Beauty Eyebrow Kit

I want to write a full review of this product soon, with swatches etc., but for now let me just say: Ye dark haired folk do not be fooled by how light the darker shade is. I was like, yeeahhhh, that’s too light, lemme grab just a bit more – and bam, I had a coal-smudged brow on my face and lots of blending to do.

So far, I’m pleased. The kit comes with two small angle brushes, one with black bristles and one with white – presumably to distinguish between shade and wax one? The bristles are firm, and the tips are significantly wider than the angle brush I already have in my set. If your brows are on the thin side, you may want to use a finer tool for more precision, but I actually enjoyed using the wider one. I wish they were full size!

(All products purchased with my own money. I’m an Oriflame consultant in my country, ergo I get a distributor discount. No one is sponsoring this post. All opinions are mine.)

Categories
Beauty

Shu Uemura Depsea Hydrability Kit.

shu uemura depsea hydrability

Depsea Hydrability Moisture Program was a birthday gift from my cousin, all the way from Japan. We don’t get Shu Uemura where I live, and although there are a few outlets where I could buy Shu Uemura online, I’ve always been reluctant.

Depsea Hydrability Kit is a set of four travel-sized products aimed at hydrating your skin. I’ve got oily skin that somehow always manages to suffer from dehydration and flakiness, even though I’m way past using harsh cleansers and toners.

My favourite part of the kit was the serum-like product – Intense Moisturising Concentrate. It was amazing. Lightweight, absorbed really well, and provided hydration even when used with other creams (cream in the kit, Depsea Hydrability Moisturising Emulsion, was the first one to run out). The second favourite is the cream, and then goes the toner. The toner was good, but as a person with acne I constantly felt the need to add something with salicylic acid into the mix.

Now, the cleansing oil. It cleansed well, but having oily skin always leaves me wary of oil cleansers, even though I know that you should fight excess oil with – dun dun dunnn –  oil. The oil was the last one to go, but not because I’ve been avoiding using it — I’ve actually been saving it, as it was the only thing that broke down my CoverGirl Outlast Smoothwear lipsticks with little to no pain.

Overall, I was very pleased with Shu Uemura’s Depsea Hydrability Moisture Program, and would happily take all the four full-sized products for a spin, the serum being my first choice. Amazing stuff, that Depsea Hydrability Intense Moisturising Concentrate, seriously you guys. I highly recommend you try it.

Thank you, cousin, for such an amazing gift!

shu uemura depsea hydrability moisture program