Long time no see! I've been busy enjoying the last bits of summer while they lasted and then was slammed with work right after. Not complaining, but I have missed blogging!
Anyways, let's get to it.
Anyways, let's get to it.
L'Oreal Elive Colour Protect Low Shampoo - this love affair has ended badly. While gentle and nourishing this shampoo does not wash out dry shampoo properly and my hair gets greasy faster. I will not repurchase these. I am currently using Khiel's Amino Acid Shampoo which is great.
So I recently experienced a massive (hormonal?) breakout. Actually, it's only massive for me, my skin is typically well behaved. And even a few weeks later it feels congested with bumps along the jaw line. I am slowly and gently bringing it back to normal. If it wasn't hormonal, it could have been either Clinique's Dramatically Different Moisturising Lotion or Ren's Evercalm Gentle Cleansing Milk. Clinique's DDML I have only used a couple of times on my skin. I was aware of the not-so-great ingredients list and the smell was funny (plastic? petrol?) but the texture seemed very pleasant. Soon I realised I didn't want to risk using it and used it on my legs instead which was fine. Could two applications have clogged my skin and caused the breakout? Not sure. Especially since my skin didn't seem to react badly to it straightaway.
Could it have been Ren's Cleansing Milk? I am a big fan of Ren skincare, especially moisturisers. This cleansing cream didn't sit very well with me. It smelled great and felt very nourishing but even after using a face cloth my skin felt... not particularly clean. By no means am I a fan of squeaky clean skin, but it just felt like there was some residue left. Perhaps it was shea butter that's quite high on their ingredients list. Needless to say, I will not repurchase.
Ren's Anti-Redness serum didn't do anything except offer slight hydration. But I am not really suffering from a lot of redness. I could smell alcohol in it.
Nails Inc cuticle oil stick was lovely and I would repurchase.
Balance Me Radiance Facial Oil - full review here. I would use it happily but probably will never repurchase because there are better oils. And so many new ones to try.
Clinique Moisture Surge - such a great and pleasant texture. Hydrating. I may purchase a full jar...
Emma Hardie Moisture Boost Vit C Cream - this is a very thick cream, probably due to niacinamide. Pleasant, nourishing, brightening and didn't oxidize. It wasn't a great pick on my part for summer ut it would be great as a night cream during winter. Again, I would happily use it but wouldn't necessarily repurchase.
And finally, my favourite empty of this month was Nude Progenius Omega Treatment Milk - alas only a sample, but I am planning on purchasing this. I looved the light and milky texture yet it was super hydrating and nourishing. Just perfect. My skin looked amazing as soon as it was applied. I want to try more products from this brand.
That's it folks, thank you for reading, I will be back with summer faves next and then a few good ol' product reviews.
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So. Much. Stuff. In the beginning of the month I thought I wasn't going to finish anything. Surprised myself quite a bit.
Let's jump right in...
CoLab Dry Shampoo Active - probably my favourite spray dry shampoo. Invisible, smells fresh and not overpowering. I go through a can very quickly, that's probably the only negative.
Toni&Guy Intense Softness Shampoo for normal hair - I should have known better. This was a random purchase. I just grabbed this in a supermarket without thinking, and really, I should have. Contains SLS and something else that has made my hair dry and coarse. My scalp became irritated. Yikes. Never again.
Korres Japanese Rose Shower Gel - if you like rose smell, you will love this. Beautiful fragrance. Otherwise, nothing special.
TRESemme Extra Hold Hairspray - I had this small can for years and finally finished it. It's good. I've been curling my hair more often so it was useful.
Philip Kingsley Daily Damage Defense - favourite, will be repurchased. Makes my hair soft, doesn't weigh it down, smells nice, protects from the heat.
January Labs Balancing Moisture Lotion - it was lovely during the heatwave and if I felt like I needed something a bit more nourishing, I would just add a couple of drops of oil (Zelens Power D, I love thee). Husband liked this too.
Ren Flash Hydra-Boost Emulsion - this has lasted me for a really long time! I think I got bored of it for a while, forgot about it and then rediscovered it. Lovely when used in the morning as it hydrates and plumps up the skin but also feels light. This would feel lovely on mature skin.
Dr Dennis Gross Alpha Beta Universal Daily Peel - still got 3 packs left. This is a nice treat. The skin feels smoother and brighter straight away.
Alpha H Absolute Eye Complex - I like the ingredients in this a lot (niacinamide, sodium hialuronate, matryxil 6) and it works at hydrating but I don't really like the texture, it's a tad sticky (possibly because of the niacinamide). A little goes a long way.
Clinique Pep-Start Exfoliating Cleanser - I got a sample of this with purchase. I assumed it was an acid or enzyme cleanser and was disappointed to find that it had bits in it. I still have no idea whats in it because ingredients are not listed on my sample and I can't find them on clinique website. It says that it's gentle enough to use twice a day. Uhm, no. It's got bits in and it lathers. Worked a treat on my legs though.
And finally, makeup that got old: Nars creamy concealer (good), Bourjois blush (it's alright) and MUA cream bronzer (too orange, too dark, can't remember where I got this from, I certainly did not purchase this?).
Let's jump right in...
CoLab Dry Shampoo Active - probably my favourite spray dry shampoo. Invisible, smells fresh and not overpowering. I go through a can very quickly, that's probably the only negative.
Toni&Guy Intense Softness Shampoo for normal hair - I should have known better. This was a random purchase. I just grabbed this in a supermarket without thinking, and really, I should have. Contains SLS and something else that has made my hair dry and coarse. My scalp became irritated. Yikes. Never again.
Korres Japanese Rose Shower Gel - if you like rose smell, you will love this. Beautiful fragrance. Otherwise, nothing special.
TRESemme Extra Hold Hairspray - I had this small can for years and finally finished it. It's good. I've been curling my hair more often so it was useful.
Philip Kingsley Daily Damage Defense - favourite, will be repurchased. Makes my hair soft, doesn't weigh it down, smells nice, protects from the heat.
January Labs Balancing Moisture Lotion - it was lovely during the heatwave and if I felt like I needed something a bit more nourishing, I would just add a couple of drops of oil (Zelens Power D, I love thee). Husband liked this too.
Ren Flash Hydra-Boost Emulsion - this has lasted me for a really long time! I think I got bored of it for a while, forgot about it and then rediscovered it. Lovely when used in the morning as it hydrates and plumps up the skin but also feels light. This would feel lovely on mature skin.
Dr Dennis Gross Alpha Beta Universal Daily Peel - still got 3 packs left. This is a nice treat. The skin feels smoother and brighter straight away.
Alpha H Absolute Eye Complex - I like the ingredients in this a lot (niacinamide, sodium hialuronate, matryxil 6) and it works at hydrating but I don't really like the texture, it's a tad sticky (possibly because of the niacinamide). A little goes a long way.
Clinique Pep-Start Exfoliating Cleanser - I got a sample of this with purchase. I assumed it was an acid or enzyme cleanser and was disappointed to find that it had bits in it. I still have no idea whats in it because ingredients are not listed on my sample and I can't find them on clinique website. It says that it's gentle enough to use twice a day. Uhm, no. It's got bits in and it lathers. Worked a treat on my legs though.
And finally, makeup that got old: Nars creamy concealer (good), Bourjois blush (it's alright) and MUA cream bronzer (too orange, too dark, can't remember where I got this from, I certainly did not purchase this?).
Quite a lot of beauty empties this month and a little bit of everything.
BODY
The Body Shop Body Butter in Jolly Orange - like all of the Body Shop butters it has a nice texture, sinks in quickly, is nourishing and moisturising. Took me AGES to finish it and in that time I went through a love/hate relationship with the smell. It's citrusy and spicy but in a rather artificial way. I will repurchase but not in this smell. It was limited edition anyway.
Chanel Coco Mademoiselle Eau de Parfum - my signature scent. Will definitely repurchase, probably the 100ml because I just have to have it in my collection. I don't care how uncool it is to love something that everyone likes. Everyone likes it for a reason.
HAIR
Co Lab Dry Shampoo in Fresh - good basic dry shampoo. I prefer the smell of Active.
Josh Wood Radiant Shine Hair Treatment Oil - I liked using this as a pre-shampoo treatment. Gorgeous smell. Amazing.
FACE. SKINCARE
Pixi + Caroline Hirons Double Cleanse - nice as always. Full review here.
Dr Dennis Gross Alpha Beta Universal Daily Peel - this is one of the stronger acids I have tried. Proper tingling action. Visible results after one application, the skin felt much smoother but I broke out a bit too. I'm going to stick to gentler acids during summer, I think. Smells lovely.
Indie Lee CoQ 10 Toner - I miss it. Definitely worth repurchasing if one can afford it. I can't at the moment. I did some damage in the clothing sales. Full review here.
Clinique Moisture Surge Hydrating Supercharged Concentrate sample - Nice. Hydrating. Not sticky. Wouldn't mind a full size.
UltraSun Face SPF30 - oh it's alright. I don't miss it. Comparison with other sunscreens here.
FACE. MAKEUP
Charlotte Tilbury Full Fat Lashes - I grew to really like this but it's not repurchase worthy. Do get the sample size if you're ordering from CT website!
No favourites this month. I will probably do summer favourites in a month or so.
Next post if all goes well should be all about The Ordinary advanced 2% retinoid! This week I will be using it EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. Wish me luck. I will report back.
It's that time of the month again!
L'Oreal Elvive Extraordinary Oil Low Shampoo - good, I have mentioned this in favourites a while ago. While it is really gentle, it struggled to wash dry shampoo out of my hair. I ended up with a build up near my scalp... I purchased the white and red version of this for coloured hair but I will be using a clearing shampoo once a week or so. The L'Oreal shampoo also gets used up rather quickly. It's a whopping 400ml but you need 10 to 15 pumps per wash!
Emma Hardie Moringa Cleansing Balm - old favourite and holy grail. I will repurchase it when there's a discount somewhere. Am I the only one who wishes they still had the 3x 50ml pots for sale? And what's with the music on their official website? It's 2017 for Christ's sake...
Nuxe Huile Prodigieuse - this took me ages to finish. Didn't want to use it on my face or my hair. It was fine on my body after shower. The smell lingered for quite a while. I wish it smelled less perfumey.
Real Techniques Expert Face Brush - I repurchased this already. You can't see it in the picture but part of the bristles are about to fall out. My fault, I didn't look after it properly and it still lasted for 4 years or so. This is still my favourite to apply foundation. I will try beauty blender sometime. I swear.
Pixi Glow Mud Cleanser - also a favourite. Gentle, clearing cleanser with a bit of clay and glycolic action. Non foaming. Perfect as a second cleanse in the evening when you want something with a bit more oomph than your typical cream cleanser.
The Ordinary NMF + HA - basic good moisturizer. I will repurchase this later in the year.
The Ordinary Buffet - I grew to like this, especially for warmer weather. Nice and gentle, slightly hydrating. I still don't know if it's doing anything anti-ageing but I would use it again.
How is it the 8th of May already and it's STILL dark and cold outside. So NOT impressed with this spring. Apologies for a grainy picture yet again, I blame the weather, clearly.
I haven't bought anything much this month and that's because I forked out the big bucks for a 100ml of Frederic Malle Portrait of a Lady. It is a gorgeous rose scent, quite dark and intoxicating and the staying power is superb. Try it if you get a chance!
Next, it is The Ordinary again with two overnight treatments: Advanced Retinoid 2% (full review is coming soon) and Lactic Acid 5% + HA 2%. Both are super gentle but effective.
Pixi by Petra Multi Balm in Wild Rose is so easy to use and has been my blusher of choice for months. I just apply it straight from the stick and blend it out with a brush.
Philip Kingsley Daily Damage Defense spray is an old favourite. Offers heat protection, doesn't weigh my hair down and smells GOOD.
And finally, style favourites: my 22k yellow gold earrings I bought in India and my monochrome leopard blouse from Primark. A true high and low mix here.
Anyone else excited about CH + Cult Beauty box? Fingers crossed I will manage to snap it up!
Pixi + CH double cleanse - great. Full review here.
Philip Kingsley Elizastisizer - this is another #carolinehironsmademedoit product. Nice mask/pre-wash treatment for dry coloured hair. I will repurchase.
Philip Kingsley Perfecting Spray - meh. I used this before blow drying my hair and it was alright. But I much prefer the daily defense spray from PK which I am using at the moment.
Ren Flash Rinse 1 minute vit C facial - good. full review here. It oxidised slightly in the end. Will not repurchase. I think when it comes to vit C, serums are the way to go.
Clinique City Block Sheer SPF25 - my favourite. I want to get the SPF40 from the same line but it is sold out everywhere! Argh.
More empties and stuff that just went bad:
Dr Hauschka cleansing cream and toner - both products I like and have used previously. Love the smell and how gentle they are.
MAC Prep+Prime eyelid primer - had this for too long. And there are better primers on the market.
By Terry lip gloss in cupcake glaze (?) - Nice lip gloss. Not worth the price. I did not purchase this. The smell went bad so to the bin it goes.
NYX lip liner - It was okay, I prefer a liner that stays put better. This one was... too creamy.
Eyeko eyeliner - If you're considering buying this, don't. It dried up within weeks and was difficult to use. Get the Stila stay all day eye liner instead ;)
Real Techniques brow brush - this is quite old and the bristles caved in to the brush handle, if that makes any sense.
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