Empties Since July

My empties since July to October so 4 months. First two months, I barely finished 2 products! Almost everything just ended up finishing in the third month and that's how it usually goes for me - products tend to finish during the same time frame. I think this time I finished unusually many body care products.

Face

Dr Botanicals Moroccan Rose Superfood Facial Oil

Ok facial oil. Had a sweet, herbal scent I actually liked. Absorbed very well and fast, suitable for oily skin. Probably because it is not a real oil and contains barely any oil at all, just the consistency is oil like. I find it misleading. They should market this as a facial serum or at least facial oil serum because it is water based after all and most oils are hydrogenated castor oil and olive oil and almond oil esters. Anyway, if we forget the misleading marketing and misleading name, the actual product did work for me and I would use more if I had more. Not going to go out of my way to purchase though. 

Dermatica Subscription Treatment Tretinoin 0,025 % + Niacinamide 4 %

My prescription treatment. Works really nicely. Not sure if they have stopped my subscription because they keep sending emails to upload more photos of my face and I've been too busy/lazy to do that! 

A-Derma Dermalibour Repairing Cream

I have already repurchased! Great soothing occlusive. I do highly recommend it if you are not against mineral oil. Personally I do like it even better than La Roche Posay's Cicaplast.

Ekopharma Herukka Sensitive Cleansing Emulsion

Ok cleansing emulsion! As far as emulsions go, this one is nice because it actually cleanses as well. I feel most emulsions don't (I have oily/combination skin). But I do prefer more powerful cleansers. For morning, this one was great. I wasn't fan of the herbal scent though. Would I repurchase? On sale, maybe...

Nivea Q10 Plus C Eye Cream Discontinued?

Can't find anywhere anymore. So probably discontinued or being reformulated. Would have repurchased. A good, affordable eye cream with Q10 and vitamin C, I did like it! Bummer I have to find something else. Been skipping a dedicated eye cream for a while altogether, lol, I've applied all sorts of random things under my eyes from oils to creams to even tretinoin. Not sure if my under eyes look worse or not but they do feel worse. Might try Paula's Choice Resist Anti-Aging Eye Cream. Or La Roche Posay. Or  ACO Face Age Delay Eye Cream. Or again Clinique's Pep-Start.

Eucerin Urea Repair Replenishing Face Cream 5% Urea

Good moisturizer! Going to repurchase when the time is right. Meaning when I have gotten rid of some other moisturizers I have and this one is on sale. Urea is pretty nice ingredient.

Filorga NCEF-Reverse Supreme Multi-Corrrection Cream Mini

Not all that moisturizing and slightly broke me out too or made my skin less smooth. So not going to purchase full size. I have said this before but going to say again: it seems Filorga products are not for me, at least not right now. They all do feel and smell really nice though!

Body

Ceralan Cleansing Body Oil Pesuöljy

A nice, basic unfragranced shower cream! I have repurchased. Nothing special, but does the job.

Skin Treat Multi-Action AHA and PHA Rinse-Off Peeling Discontinued

Skin Treat still exists as a brand, sold in Kicks, but they have rebranded and discontinued old products. Well, no wonder, it took me probably 2-3 years to finish this scrub! Originally hated the smell that I can't even describe, but learned to live with it. As a scrub, it was at the same time effective and gentle and did like the results. But wouldn't have repurchased due to the scent.

YA Intiimipesuneste / Intimate Washing Liquid

Ok product but nothing special. Was curious to try how it would differ from other gentle body cleansers and it didn't really. The consistency is like a liquidy shower gel, doesn't foam, no scent. It has a pH of 3,8. Maybe could work as a face wash as well, I actually didn't try? I have measured my water's pH and it is around 7 so that mixed with 3,8 is probably ideal. I read that healthy skin's pH is between 4,5-5,5.

Mio Clay Away Body Cleanser Mini

Cleanses well, nice soft creamy texture but not a product for me. The tooth paste/toilet cleaner minty smell is just too much for me.

The Body Shop Shower Gel Winter Jasmine

I really do like TBS's shower gels! They cleanse well and they have such a nice selection of different scents. I tend to go for juicy berry or floral scents because I got a bit disappointed by the Juniper that was very masculine (probably to be expected but juniper/pine/forest things are divine when well done). Winter Jasmine was perfect gentle floral and I think I might buy this year's edition Joy&Jasmine as well.

Rexona Maximum Protection Sports Strength x2

My current staple antiperspirant, I find it gentle and effective at the same time.

SVR Xerial Fissures et Crevasses Cream 5% Urea

Great moisturizer for more heavy duty needs. I used this both on my face and hands. Takes time to absorb, a bit greasy. No scent. Not for continuous facial use because then I noticed some irritation/breakouts, too strong I guess! Could repurchase.

Hair

Moroccanoil Treatment Mini

For my natural, oilier, straight hair I was able to use only a drop on the hair ends occasionally, now after permanented curly hair I finished it quickly. It was nice, but actually not very effective for truly dry hair. It was very good as a drop for my normal hair though, but any more than a drop, it was oily mess all around. The best part is scent though! Moroccanoil smells so nice, warm, vanilla-ish, nutty, amberish and it is so inoffensive and light. Could repurchase a small bottle one day. Or maybe just Moroccanoil Shower Gel in case I don't need more hair oils.

Wella Invigo Sun After Sun Express Conditioner Mini

A bit meh product but I used it anyway. Didn't notice much effect, no extra softness or hydration... Smelled a bit weird, a bit like a fruity hair dye but not really. At least this conditioner was free gift from my hair stylist so I didn't pay for it!

Philip Kingsley Elasticizer Deep Conditioning Treatment Mini

Didn't understand how amazing Elasticizer is until I had dry hair! Now, finally, I get it and love this conditioner and will repurchase as long as I have dry hair. Makes my permanent curls look really nice and protects the hair texture so that I have to use the treatment only once as leave in mask every 1-2 weeks.

L'Oreal Preference High Shine Conditioner

This one came with a box hair dye, I think? Got from my sister. She doesn't use conditioners, her hair is even more slippy than mine, even when dyed. But I think this stuff is amazing, really makes hair smoother. I wonder what it is made of. I could buy more if L'Oreal had this treatment available on its own. Maybe that have, under some other name, but what could it be?

Shopping from September to October

Even though my beauty shopping was in control during these two months, from September to October, I managed to blow money on exercise stuff! No matter what I do, I seem to find a way to spend too much. I spent about 70 € altogether on beauty this time. 

Lancôme Favourites Miniatures Fragrance Gift Set:

La Vie Est Belle Eau De Parfum 4ml

Trésor Eau de Parfum 7.5ml

Miracle Eau de Parfum 5ml

La Nuit Trésor Eau de Parfum 5ml

Idôle Eau de Parfum 5ml

Ah, fragrancies, my weakness even though I have a bad nose and not many opportunities to douse myself in everyday life! That's why I like samples and minis. I am looking forward to holidays to see if there will be more mini fragrance sets for sale. 

I thought La Vie Est Belle would have been my favorite because it's the one I've been testing many times before but never purchased. But actually, I maybe might even like La Nuit Tresor more. They both are extremely sweet though so they wouldn't suit my everyday life. 

Tresor smelled just like soap/shampoo on my skin for a long time and just before the scent faded, it changed into a "confident, adult, clean" territory which wasn't bad at all and I imagine this is what most people like about it, maybe it just doesn't suit my taste/skin chemistry right now. 

First notes of Idole felt nice and familiar but nothing special, later it changed into even more generic synthetic floral rose scent but I did like it. Not sure I like it enough to actually repurchase.

Last but not least I did also like Miracle, it is really fresh and reminds me of Guerlain's Aqua Allegorias. Maybe because the mandarin and wateriness reminds me of Guerlain's Mandarin Basilic that I really like (and I think citrus notes usually stand out on my skin more than e.g. on my friends when we try the same perfumes so I notice them first). Otherwise the scents are nothing alike, though. Miracle has soapiness and heaviness to it even though it feels the freshest out of this set. I prefer Guerlain but it's not very long lasting whereas Lancome's perfumes seem to last very well on my skin.

I guess in the end I wouldn't run to buy more of these Lancome scents right now. If I had to choose one, I would probably buy La Nuit Tresor because these gourmand things are my guilty pleasure!

Lumene Nordic Nude Air Light Loose Powder Translucent Shade x3

Too cheap to resist, haha! Discontinued product and was on sale for 3 € (normal price before around 20-25 €?) so of course I had to buy three. I have always liked Lumene's powders so I just feel comfortable blind buying them when they are on sale. I have never used this exact powder before. Nordic Nude Air Light is supposed to be very skin like and luminous. These were the only beauty things I bought in September.

Ceralan Pesuöljy Cleansing Body Oil

A-Derma Dermalibour+ Repairing Cream

Both are repurchases. Ceralan is not oil like the name suggest, a shower cream more like, but a cream that actually cleanses (cream cleansers usually feel ineffective to me, I'm too oily and dirty I guess).

Dermalibour cream is more like thick balm that calms down my skin. Truly a great product.

Lookfantastic Advent Calendar 2021

This was a gift. It has become a tradition to open the boxes together with my partner. Not sure I needed a calendar this year though. This is the first year I searched for spoilers to see what's inside! I have forgotten most of the contents already but I do remember there were some nice things which make the calendar worth the experience.

Mio Clay Away Body Cleanser 2-In-1 Wash & Mask 30 ml

 Ingredients:

Aqua/Water/Eau, Kaolin, Glycerin, Decyl Glucoside, Montmorillonite, Phenoxyethanol, Xanthan Gum, Illite, Sodium Chloride, Eucalyptus Globulus Leaf Oil, Hamamelis Virginiana (Witch Hazel) Water, Alcohol, Citric Acid, Maltodextrin, Piroctone Olamine, Salix Nigra (Willow) Bark Extract, Limonene, Lecithin, Chlorophyllin-Copper Complex, Opuntia Ficus-Indica (Indian Fig) Stem Extract, Camellia Sinensis (Green Tea) Leaf Powder, Fragrance (Parfum), Olus Oil/Vegetable Oil/Huile Végétale, Tocopherol, Vitex Agnus-Castus (Monk’s Pepper) Extract, Ascorbyl Tetraisopalmitate, Cyclodextrin, Sodium Benzoate, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Hydroxide.

I try to mark the sunscreen ingredients in red and other possible irritants in lilac. Ingredients thought to be good and useful for skin I mark green.  Learning as I go, google is my friend etc...

Thoughts:

- Smells to me like a toilet cleanser and toothpaste mix, I highly dislike the scent (minty, eucalyptus, etc)

- Even looks like a tooth paste/cleanser somehow because the cream is light green

- I don't understand the function of using the cleanser as a body mask but I don't do elaborate body routines anyway



+ Cleanses well, easy to wash off

+ Creamy consistency, not much lather or foam, not drying at all for me. Can see this one working for many skin types.

+ Also works as a body mask 

+ The scent doesn't linger on the skin

* I used Mio Clay Away Body Cleanser only as a cleanser, not a mask. It is interesting to try different cleansers even if they don't end up being my favorites. There's less risk of irritation or anything because my body is quite tough compared to my face.

Price: 

About 20-25 € / 200 ml

Bought from: 

Got a mini in Lookfantastic Advent Calendar

Buy again? 

Definitely no.

Worth the money? 

For me, no. When I was using Mio's Clay Away Body Cleanser I just couldn't help but think, "glad this is such a small tube it'll be finished quickly and I don't have to smell it again!" The world is full of other cheaper and bigger bottles of unscented or nicely scented body cleansers that work just as well.