Tag: oriflame

Beauty

Scents I Let Go.

Perfume is a very individual thing. Even if you tried the scent more than once, ergo purchased a sample or spritzed it in the shop countless times, you still risk disliking it later on. Perhaps you switched body lotions, or cut meat from your diet, or changed climates. All these can alter how perfume opens up on your skin, and how you perceive scents overall.

My main problem with perfumes lies in falling for top notes. These evaporate quickly, and what remains doesn’t always open up on the skin as I’d expected it to. That’s basically what happened with these four.

MORE by Demi

(Awkward reflection is awks.)

This is one of the more expensive Oriflame perfumes, and I coveted it for the longest time. I loved the sample, and I loved the MORE product line – particularly the hair spray. It was heavily scented, but I really enjoyed this fragrance in my hair. Finally I broke down and bought the bottle… only to find out that it no longer opens up on my skin to my liking. It felt too ‘grown up’, stifling, and dusty. Off to a new home it went.

Dancing Lady Hypnotic Night

I sampled this and totally fell in love. Then I received a full-sized bottle as a gift with purchase, but ended up giving it to my aunt. Every time I’d visit her, though, I’d scent it and feel a bit envious, so eventually I bought another bottle with full intention to wear it and keep it and love it. Sad to report that I’d since then worn it three times max, and every time it annoyed me. This bottle found a new home as well.

London

I feel like the goal of this perfume was to produce something that was both fresh and traditional. The end result, though, was a rather generic soapy scent that did not impress me at all. I bought this with a large discount together with other products. This was a blind purchase, and although it was deeply discounted, I still regret it. Passed it on.

P.S.: My father quite enjoyed the shower gel from this line. 😛

Sparkle in Paris

I only tried this in a dry tester on an Oriflame catalogue page. The scent was pleasant, and it was discounted, so I thought it would be a good every day scent for me. Unfortunately, I was wrong. I tried using it once or twice, but it would cause a headache in me, or at the very least annoy me to no end. It stood on my vanity for the longest time, and eventually I passed it on to my flatmate. It opens up very well on her, and doesn’t cause headaches in me at all. Perfume is the oddest thing, isn’t it?

(Credit for Sparkle in Paris product photo.)

(Everything bought with my own money. This is not a sponsored post.)

Tags fragrance, oriflame, perfume

Beauty

Two Oriflame Masks.

Post author By yukino
Post date 03/25/2015

Purifying and moisturising, that’s what this duo is all about.

Do forgive the overexposed photo. My camera is still without a battery, and it’s a little bit harder for me to regulate lighting with my phone.

Oriflame Pure Nature Purifying Clay Mask, with burdock.

My skin is oily with a varying, but perpetual, amount of blemishes, so clay masks are one of my favourite things on earth. This one is no exception. It’s gentle enough to leave on your face until it’s fully dry or to use on the decolletage. I wouldn’t say that it gives a dramatic kind of effect, but after using it my skin felt smooth and wasn’t as congested, with an exception of maybe some particular stubborn spots and dots. Since it works subtly, it can be used in the mornings as well, though I still prefer to use all masks in the evening. And since the skin takes it so well, it’s possible to use another mask right after. Like the one below, for example.

Oriflame Essentials Hydrating Face Mask, with watermelon.

Yep, I’ve pretty much been using these in tandem. Part of the reason for this is, although this hydrating mask is indeed hydrating, it needs a bit of an exfoliating preparation to act properly. Otherwise it would, for the most part, fail to bring moisture to the skin.

The watermelon scent and I have a love/ hate relationship. I love it in masks and in chewing gum, and I could probably use it in a shower gel once or twice a week. But when subjected to it constantly, like with a spray or a body lotion, its artificial sweetness makes me want to puke. At least it’s not headache inducing.

I’m scratching my head as I’m writing this post, because I believe both of the products mentioned have already been discontinued by Oriflame. Man, these people are fast. The Pure Nature series was rebranded as Love Naturals. There’s a clay mask in there, but I’ve yet to try it, so I’m not sure how much of the formula was changed. No burdock extract, though, that’s for sure, which is a shame, because this plant has some really great properties when it comes to the skin. The Essentials sometimes pop up on sales and in mini-catalogues. I believe I’ve seen the watermelon series in particular some… three-four catalogues ago? It might appear again soon, now that spring is here and summer is closing up on us.

Regardless, the price of these masks is agreeable, and for that price they deliver nicely. Can’t tell you the exact amount, as it varies country by country. Your best bet is to get to the Oriflame site, and pick your region. I’m not sure if I would’ve repurchased the Essentials Hydrating Face Mask, but I would’ve certainly bought another tube or two of the Pure Nature Purifying Clay Mask. Better watch them sales and specials.

(I’m an Oriflame consultant, meaning that I buy Oriflame products with a special discount. All opinions mine. This is not a sponsored post.)

Tags clay mask, face, face mask, hydrating mask, oriflame, skincare

Beauty

Products I’ve Used Up: AVON, Dove, Oriflame, etc.

Post author By yukino
Post date 03/16/2015

AVON Naturals Hair Care Essential Balance Mango & Ginger 2-in-1 Shampoo and Conditioner

Can I just say… Tone it down, brands. All y’all name your products in a way that’s not at all Twitter-friendly.

I bought this product for its scent alone. Previously I had a shea butter and apricot one from the same series, and it smelt so good, I never wanted to do anything but wash my hair over and over again so I could just bathe in the scent. That’s saying a lot, because washing hair is one of my least favourite beauty procedures. This scent doesn’t disappoint either, but somewhere in the middle it became tiring. Not sure why I buy these ten-gallon packages, because commitment to one particular scent or formula is totes not my thing when it comes to bath products.

Shampoo-wise, it’s a good product, but didn’t match my scalp and hair exactly. It’s a hard thing to do, though, so I hold no grudge against it. It’s a 2-in-1, and if you’ve got short hair, or maybe even well-behaved mid-length hair, then I dare say the 2-in-1 will work, at least occasionally. Everyone else would need to use a conditioner with it.

Maybe I will repurchase it, but in a smaller size.

P.S. How many convincing words can one fit unto one label? Natural, science, technology, essential, care, balance… It’s either natural or tech, tho, but whatever.

Dove Hair Therapy Nutritive Solutions Daily Moisture Shampoo

I love Dove hair gels, deodorants, and body lotions — in fact, I’m going to do dedicated posts about each of these things soon enough — but their shampoos are horrible for me. The scent is harsh. The product foams up a whole lot. It’s not ‘moisturising’ in the slightest, rather, it stripped my poor scalp off of all oils, sending it into an overdrive each time, leaving me with greasy roots in something like 12 hours. The formula is thick and feels soft during the application, but it was very harsh afterwards. This is one of the worst shampoos I’ve tried in a long while. Will not repurchase, will not recommend.

Eveline Lip Gloss

This thing is old. It’s so old, I can’t even tell you the colour and the correct product name. I bought it on a sale long, long time ago, used it as long as it was usable, and then I just kinda forgot to discard it. It had a lovely vanilla-ish scent, and it was one of the less stickier glosses. They have since then discontinued this particular product, I think.

Oriflame All-Over Makeup Remover

(FYI, that’s not a piece of gum holding it. It’s an unfortunate bunch of sticky tack.)

Needed a make-up remover, and this was on some epic offer. I was a little hesitant, because the previous variation of Oriflame makeup remover (green rectangular bottles) was not good. It wasn’t particularly offensive, it just… didn’t remove much. This one is a certain upgrade of the formula, but if you need a heavy-duty remover, then this is still not your guy. I want to check out their waterproof makeup remover, see if it’s any better. Will probably repurchase if on offer.

Oriflame Volare Perfume

Very rose-scented, a little too much for me. The bottle was redesigned, however, and I’m going to buy that thing just for the bottle alone, because it’s in a shape of a crystal rose, and who doesn’t want a crystal rose on their vanity?! No one, that’s who.

Chistaya Liniya 48 hr Phyto-Deodorant in Calendula

Rather on the wet side, and a little bit harsh smelling, but overall I was pleased with it. What I loved most perhaps was the packaging. It is upside-down. How brilliant is that?! No weird balancing acts required to use up all of the product. I wish it were in a bit of a less… cone-like shape, though, because at times I found it hard to grip. Might try other scents, but I think calendula is the lightest of them all.

Pur-Lisse face cream sample

This came with my Lip Monthly bag. I hesitated using it at first, because it’s for normal to dry skin, and I’m as oily skinned as they come. However, this was a very nice cream. It moisturised well enough and didn’t leave any greasy residue. It smelt pretty much like nothing — an odd trace of non-offensive dust, maybe?.. Don’t know how to describe it. Anyway, these non-smells are a huge plus in my book, and I rather more prefer them to any kind of artificial or natural fragrance. No irritation, no break-outs, no rough patches. I cannot say this was an ideal match for my skin, though.

Tags avon, body, chistaya liniya, deodorant, dove, eveline, face, face cream, fragrance, hair, lip gloss, lips, make-up remover, oriflame, perfume, purlisse, shampoo, skincare

Beauty

FOTD #2: Bold lips, muted lids.

Post author By yukino
Post date 03/03/2015

Products used:

Foundation: MAC Studio Fix Fluid NW10
Powder: IsaDora Perfect Loose Powder
Highlighter: Giordani Gold Opulent Night Pearls 27115
Concealer: Artdeco Mineral Fluid Concealer in 04
Eye shadow Primer: Artdeco Pure Minerals Mineral Eyeshadow Base Sensitive
Eye Shadow: AVON True Colour in Lace Hues
Brows: Relouis Eye Pencil in 02
Lipstick: L’Oreal Infallible Never Fail Lip Colour in Garnet 750
Mascara: Maybelline The Falsies Volum’ Express Flared Mascara

I’ve had this lipstick since ever. It’s expired by now, so I think I’m going to let it go during my next monthly clean-out. Or perhaps just place it in a separate compartment where I keep all my nostalgic purchases. It’s a good lipstick, but for it to work your lips need to be in very good condition. It will highlight every flake and every dry patch, and while the balm on top will soothe and smooth, it will not really affect the visual. For some reason I was under the impression that this product was discontinued, but it’s still available. As long as you don’t attack oily foods with abandon, it will last you for about 6 hours no problem, all while eating, drinking, talking, etc. with the lightest amount of caution. Word of warning, though — there’s no touching up this lipstick, only a complete reapplication.

The muted pink and blue in this quad are gorgeous, aren’t they? I love these colours so much. I went on a bit of a binge a few years ago and bought… six AVON eye shadow quads? They have since then rebranded the line and made the insides square, which diminished their obvious visual likeness to CHANEL. While I really like many of the colours — why would I buy them otherwise? — I am not at all impressed with the quality. The mattes are chalky, not easy to blend, nearly every single shadow is poorly pigmented, and all of them have excessive amounts of fall-out. Don’t expect them to last more than three hours without a primer either. With primer, they usually last about five, but begin to show signs of wear a bit earlier. Perhaps with the visual update came an update of the formula? I might want to find out a bit later, but for now I’ll be exploring other brands.

Something is to be said about using grey as eyebrow definer instead of brown. Brown can be very hard to match to your natural colouring. It’s either too red, or too coppery, or too dark, or too light. Most of the time it’s visible, especially in photographs. While grey is a true neutral colour. It’s non-colour, so defining your brows with grey works really well. There are only that many things to worry with grey — the desired lightness/ darkness and – a must – a matte finish. The aforementioned Artdeco make a great little grey eyeshadow that I really enjoyed using not only for its determined purpose, but also for brows and for slight contouring, especially of my rather prominent nose. I smashed the poor darling beyond all repair not long ago. It’s on my list of repurchases. I’ll be sure to write a review and swatch it once it’s done.

Try using grey for your brows, I’m pretty sure it’ll work.

Tags artdeco, avon, face of the day, fotd, giordani gold, isadora, l'oreal, mac, makeup, maybelline, oriflame, relouis

Beauty

Oriflame LE Kajals.

Post author By yukino
Post date 01/02/2015

Oriflame often releases seasonal and otherwise themed collections of makeup and other beauty products. For some reason I haven’t a single kajal from their main line, but have six from various limited edition releases.

Pretty sure that these are about the same quality as others, though perhaps longevity and pigmentation could differ from colour to colour.

The shades I own are, in order pictured:

Savannah Sky 17083
Deep Green 26528
Green Jungle 17084
Magic Ivory 26527
Medina Brown 23435
Mystic Purple 26529

And here they are swatched, in the same order, left to right, top to bottom:

Some of these were very quick to dry out and fall out of their tubes. It’s easy to put them back in, thankfully, but not as easy to draw a precise line with, since they’ve become shaky. Once you insert them back not using the grooves they hold a little better, but not for long. It’s still possible to use them as a shadow or as a thick eyeliner.

The longevity of these is practically non-existent. Depending on the condition of my skin, sometimes they don’t last long enough for me to even finish my makeup. They crease in minutes and never fully dry, so if you plan to use this as an eyeliner, know that it will leave a mark under your brown whenever you blink.

Keep in mind, though, that I’ve got oily skin, so this might be a contributor too.

I haven’t used these much as you can see by the state of them. The purple is the one I’ve used the most so far. It goes well with my purple shadow palette. Like mentioned above, though, they don’t hold well, so I restrict their use for short trips out of the house.

The ivory one looks like a good shade to use in the inner eye corner for brightening. It could also be used on the waterline for a similar purpose, but since it’s got a bit of a fine glitter in it, I wouldn’t recommend using it that way.

As you can see in the photo below, the decoration on the packaging, especially the ivory coloured ones, rubbed off very fast. The plastic the packaging is made from overall feels rather cheap and flimsy. I think if I carried these around with me, they’d break fast.

The pigmentation and colour payoff of these is great, though. They also blend relatively well, especially for a cream shadow/ liner. These kajals are affordable, too, so if your goal is to experiment with different kinds of kajal colour, then these will work. Unfortunately, I cannot recommend them for longevity and staying power. This is the only reason I haven’t been using them as often as I would like.

Tags eye shadow, eyeliner, kajal, oriflame