Ingrid Cosmetics Make Up Base Mattifying & Anti-Redness 30 ml Review

Sorry about the dirty bottle!

Ingredients:

AQUA (WATER), ISODODECANE, CYCLOPENTASILOXANE, DIMETHICONE, PROPYLENE GLYCOL, DIMEHICONE CROSSPOLYMER, PEG-10, DIMETHICONE, TRIETHYLHEXANOION, SILICA, CI77891, DIMETHICONE/PEG-10/15, CROSSPOLYMER, PHENOXYETHANOL, SODIUM CHLORIDE, CI77289, ACRYLATES/DIMETHICONE COPOLYMER, TRIETHOXYCAPRYLYLSILANE, CAPRYLYL GLYCOL, SODIUM HYALURONATE, ETHYLHEXYLGLYCERIN, CI19140, CI42090.

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:

- I actually felt it could've been more... silicony? Heavier? Cover more? At the time of use. (Looking at the consistency of it now, it is quite heavy and even grainy - maybe because it's so old.)

- Actually my face looked quite greenish/pale when I put this primer on generously all over the face so it definitely needed some foundation over it! It wasn't a problem when applied only in the middle of the face with care.




+ I feel it really helped with redness but wasn't unnatural feeling in any way. (There was a greenish cast though but hey it is an anti-redness primer.)

+ Worked better than some other similar primers (something from Lumene?) I had at the moment; however can't remember what I compared it to and why I stopped using it! Maybe my love for the heavy super silicone mix L'Oreal Studio Secrets was the reason?

+ Did help my make up stay better or at least didn't make anything worse.

+ Affordable

+ Glass pump bottle, very convenient to use and a good shape to handle!

The cream felt a lot thicker/grainier than what I remembered.

If you look closely you can see the greenish cast.

* I bought this base a long, long time ago... several years. In some small shop that sold all sorts of random stuff. Just found the bottle in my stash. I think it's been 2/3 used. So I'm reviewing it as I remember it.

* Such a weird Polish brand, never heard of it before, but now googling it seems like it is actually a big (?) legit name! I could buy other things from them too, seems to be good stuff for cheap like Essence? But where could I possibly find more products from Ingrid, some online store maybe?

* Can't remember if this was breaking me out or not... probably not terribly as I did use almost the whole bottle, which is rare for me.

* So, I was quite impressed by this primer at the time, the green tint definitely did work for medium redness, just had to be careful how much to put it and where. Nowadays I don't know if I would like/use it so much anymore. I don't even usually wear primer, sunscreen has replaced that part.

Price: 

10 € / 30 ml

Bought from: 

A random small store, probably doesn't exist anymore

Buy again? 

I don't even know if this primer has been discontinued or where I could buy it. So probably I will not repurchase it but I could consider other primers from Ingrid Cosmetics if I ever see them anywhere (not very likely in my country!). Also testing this green primer on my hand made me feel like I want a red neutralizer again!

Worth the money? 

Yes.

Thoughts, Empties and (no Inventory) of 2018

Thoughts of 2018

* In February 2018, I noticed that my skin was maybe one shade lighter than in April/May 2017 when I compared pictures. That was the time I started religiously wearing sunscreen. Not that surprising as during winter I rarely see sun and I usually do lose some of my tan, but the older I get, the less noticeable the skin color change is between summer and winter. However, this makes the acne scars and other imperfections stand out more.

* In Feb I finally gave in and ordered a silk pillow case I'd been wanting but being put off because of the price but honestly didn't notice much difference to cotton pillowcases. However the silk feels luxurious so no regrets! But I guess the point is to prevent wrinkling in a long term process with the silk as it's not so harsh on the skin. Maybe I'll buy more silk stuff when I get more concerned.

* In Feb I also bought omega-3/D-vitamin pills. I've never been a huge believer in supplements. I have been taking multivitamin tablets on and off for a while. Can't say I've ever noticed that they would do anything.

* Because my skin condition has been so much better 2018 compared to before, it's easier to tell if something breaks me out or makes other changes. Before it was all question marks. I can look for the differences better as well.

* Documenting my skin! Pictures weekly of my face in very angle. I have gotten over the fear/disgust of taking ugly photos of myself. Also, following my cycle, making notes on my calendar. It really makes a difference because you know when to try new things and what to expect.

* I'm not so worried anymore if I use some products in a right way or in a right order. I read an article about some test where it actually did not matter much how you layered moisturizing products (occlusives are a different thing of course). And I buffer my acids if I want to. My goal is not to maximize their strenght or anything. I just experiment.

* The world is so, so full of different products. You really have to limit yourself. You will not have time or money to test everything, no matter how exciting things sound. When you start a skincare journey, it's difficult to buy anything: after a year, you feel like you could try almost anything. You want to be in for the new releases etc.

* But, at the same time when you want to try everything, you are also bored! And end up buying the same kind of things because they include the same ingredients that have proved themselves useful. Also I've kept repurchasing the same trusted products over and over and not using others, already opened, because I've been stressed and busy and didn't want surprises with skin.

* Recently I have felt that less is more, tried to konmari my home and life... tried to understand, what is really important for me. I guess, I have accepted myself as I am and my skin is so good at the moment (not perfect!) that I do not worry about it!

* I believe losing a lot of weight this year (14 kg/ 30 lbs) and being more active in general has helped my skin the most. Before I wasn't a believer that diet, hormones, etc can affect skin so much. Well, I have changed my mind. Maybe the mumbo jumbo about inflamed body is true. However, you don't have to believe it and maybe it doesn't affect you. But you could try? For one year, eat super healthy, lots of vegetables, protein, drink enough water, no alcohol, also exercise 1-5 hrs a day, be outside as much as possible (I was around 8-10 hrs because of my job) and lose weight if you have some excess/build muscle as much as possible. For me, my skin seemed to follow. Sweating wasn't problematic at all, meaning some people are afraid of sweat clogging their pores. After a couple of months, my skin followed suit my lifestyle choices... P.S. I didn't even cut off dairy as many suggest. But I only put milk to coffee and eat cheese/yoghurt every couple of weeks so...

* About the products I've used this year - actually I see now, I've been definitely using too little sunscreen. Considering I was out all day during the summer, too. Also very little conditioner for hair, also very little make up... I have a lot of half-empty items though. Surprisingly few face creams too! Probably been using less of them after starting to slather oils. Also, I didn't finish any hand/body moisturizers... I can't believe that! They're just scattered around the house and I never use the same one. Probably all expired too.

*  On average, I spent maybe about 350 € on everything I used this year. It's about 30 € a month so not too bad at all! But it's only based on what I used and finished, not what I actually shopped. However it shows that one person just simply can't use more, so why buy more? The more I have stuff, the less I use???

* Also, haven't had time for samples...

Thoughts about my blog

* Can't believe my blog actually has visitors, every day! Hopefully you don't take my posts too seriously. Everyone's skin and needs are different and I'm inexperienced, just making notes for myself (and hoping that other people might benefit too because of a public blog platform). I'm so behind posting photos of products, sadly!

* Sunscreen posts have been very popular! Maybe other people struggle as much as I do finding something reasonable. Still haven't found a "perfect" sunscreen. I still do like Tosowoong's Soft Touch and Clio's Kill Protection.

TOP 5 most popular skincare notebook posts of 2018

1. A'Pieu Madecassoside Sun Cream SPF 39 PA++

2. Innisfree Rebalancing Watery Sun Cream SPF37 PA+++

3. Missha Near Skin Madecanol Cream

4. Holika Holika Make Up Sun Cream SPF 50+ PA+++

5. Etude House Sunprise Mild Perfect Relief SPF 30 PA++

Products that I've finished 2018

How many products I used to the end (so not counting the ones that didn't work for me and I had to give away or samples):

Skincare 

Cleansing Oils 2

* Tosowoong Apricot Seed Cleansing Oil 2

Cleansers 6

* Garnier SkinActive Micellar Cleansing Gel Wash 4
* Garnier SkinActive Micellar Cleansing Water Dry&Sensitive Skin 1
* Lumene Classics Micellar Cleansing Water 1

Creams/Lotions/Emulsions 6

* Neutrogena Oil-Free Moisturiser 5

* The Ordinary Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA 1

Sleeping Masks 0

Oils 5

* The Ordinary 100% Plant-Derived Squalane 2
* The Ordinary Rose Hip Seed Oil 3

Eye creams 0

Toners 0

Essences 1

* LJH Tea Tree 90 Essence 1

Serums 7

* The Ordinary Buffet 1

* The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% 5
* The Ordinary Hylauronic Acid 2% + B5 1

Sunscreens 3

* Etude House Sunprise Mild Perfect Relief SPF 30 PA++ 1

* Clio Kill Protection Sun Base No Sebum SPF 50+ PA++++ 1
* Garnier Ambre Solaire Kids Moisturizing Spray High Protection Sensitive SPF 50+ 1

Antioxidants / Vitamin C 0

Exfoliants 0

Chemical exfoliants 0

Masks 0

Treatments (sheetmasks etc) 

* Tosowoong sheetmasks, a few?

Lips 1
* L'Occitane Shea Butter 1

Mists 0

Others 0

Samples 0

Body Wash 4

* Palmolive Naturals Camellia Oil & Almond Shower Cream 1

* The Body Shop Frosted Plum Shower Gel 1

* Rituals The Ritual of Sakura Shower Foam 1
* Natura Siberica Vitamins For Skin Shower Gel 1

Body / Hand creams 0

Makeup

Primer 0

Foundation 1

* Lumene CC Color Correcting Cream 1

Powder 1

* Lumene CC Color Correcting Powder 1

Eyeshadow 0

Mascara 1

* Essence All Eyes On Me Waterproof Mascara 1

Eyeliner 0

Lipstick/lipgloss 0

Highlighter 0

Brows 0

Hair

Shampoos 8

* L'oreal Elvive Triple Resist Reinforcing Shampoo 1

* L'Oreal Elvital Phytoclear Anti-Dandruff Regulating Shampoo 4

* L'oreal Elvital Anti-Breakage Repairing Shampoo 2
* L'Oreal Elvital Extraordinary Clay Shampoo 1

Conditioners 2

* L'Oreal Elvital Anti-Breakage Balsam Conditioner 2

Others 0

Thoughts of Next Year 2019?

* Oh god. Just keep doing whatever you're doing right now. Next year is going to be hectic, I'm glad if I just have energy to wash my face! No experiments.

* My "use more make up" promises and excitement die after a couple of months so no promises or hopes for that. Maybe it's a good thing - I have accepted my own face and myself! I did get bronzer as a christmas gift and that I am going to use definitely to balance the sunscreen dead face...

* I wish to buy as few new things as possible. I still have old stash. Except oils! I always have to get more facial oil (rosehip especially) when the old bottle ends. Those I don't want to hoard/didn't hoard earlier because oils can expire quickly.

* I will try to keep exercising, lose the famous last 5 kgs, eat healthy, hope my skin becomes low maintenance next year! Probably going to cut my hair shorter again so that I don't have to do anything to it either. Now it's again at a length where I have to comb it and put conditioner...

* Maybe 2020 will be the year I reconnect with selfcare (as in, skin and hair and makeup) but considering my situation in life, probably 2021 is more likely!

Veet In Shower Hair Removal Cream Legs & Body Dry Skin 150 ml Review

Ingredients:

Aqua, Urea, Cetearyl Alcohol, Potassium Thioglycolate, Paraffinum Liquidum , Calcium Hydroxide, Ceteareth-20, Talc, Glycerin, VP/Hexadecene Copolymer , Potassium Hydroxide, Magnesium Trisilicate, Parfum, Propylene Glycol , Lithium Magnesium Sodium Silicate, Sodium Gluconate, Acrylates Copolymer, Linalool, Propylene Glycol Dicaprylate/Dicaprate, Nelumbo Nucifera Flower Extract, Phenoxyethanol, Potassium Sorbate, Xanthan Gum, Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Methylisothiazolinone, CI 77891, CI 45380 (3).

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:

- Really dries out my legs, almost to a painful degree despite not letting the cream sit super long there

- You really need a thick layer of the cream so that it would work even a little

- Second time I used the cream on my legs, it almost burned the slightly sore spots I hadn't noticed before

- I hate the smell (but I can tolerate it, so it doesn't make me sick)

- You have to keep the cream on longer than what the instructions say for it to work at all! Usually 2-4 minutes more, and still it gets off only about 60% of my leg hair

- I just feel... the cream is a lot of hassle compared to shaver

- Overpriced



+ Some good news: the cream is ok for armpits! You have to put it a lot and wait a bit of extra time, maybe 2-4 minutes more (as opposed to instructions) but I do feel like it got off about 90% of hair, without drying my pits

+ Armpits felt smoother than with electric shaver (but my shaver just broke, that's the reason for testing the cream, so maybe it was a shitty/old shaver to begin with)

+ After several times of rubbing moisturizer to my legs to minimize the dry feeling, the next couple of days they do feel softer than usual

* Maybe this review sounds negative, but I don't mean to say that Veet's hair removal cream is useless. It does work. Not perfectly, it requires learning and hassle, but still at least for armpits my results were nice and smooth, even though it didn't manage to remove all the hair.

* I wouldn't use the cream more than once a week, preferably every 2 weeks to prevent dry and irritated skin. Also it's important to make sure you don't have any sore spots, rashes, scratches etc on your skin because this cream knows how to burn!

Price: 

About 10 € / 150 ml

Bought from: 

Supermarket

Buy again? 

I don't think so, no.

Worth the money? 

Overpriced in my opinion! Doesn't last for very many times to do legs + armpits both, maybe 5 times? Should be half priced. Do I recommend Veet's hair removal cream? Maybe, if you really don't want to shave or shaving irritates your skin more than removal cream.

Neutrogena Visibly Clear Spot Proofing Purifying Toner 200 ml Review

Ingredients:

Aqua, Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, Polysorbate 20, C12-15 Alkyl Lactate, Lactic acid, Panthenol, Salicylic Acid, Cocamidopropyl PG-Dimonium Chloride Phosphate, Sodium Chloride, Disodium EDTA, Tetrahydroxypropyl Ethylenediamine, Citric Acid, Hydroxyacetophenone, Banzalkonium Chloride, Phenoxyethanol, Parfum.

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:

- The toner is not exciting or glamorous at all! :) Even the bottle is quite ugly even though I like orange. But that's beside the point.

- Does have fragrance, strangely sweet, but quite mild



+ Immediately, in a couple of days, relieved my dry, christmas stressed travel skin - small pimples were gone, cheeks + forehead smoother, skin didn't hurt anymore! Moisturizing and "purifying"/cleansing at the same time

+ Price point is good and the product is easy to find

+ Doesn't have fermented ingredients/anything weird derived from plants, fruits etc. that might irritate my skin

+ No alcohol, either

+ The shape of the bottle is practical

* I have to say I'm quite surprised by this toner by Neutrogena. I wouldn't have bought it myself, I received it as a gift, and after two weeks I'm already convinced about buying another bottle! Another toner of the same kind might work just as well, though.

* Better than basic micellar water to use as a (cleansing) toner, better than Garnier Micellar Water for Dry&Sensitive Skin and Lumene Klassikko/Classics Micellar Cleansing Water.

* I don't know if in actual long-term use the toner is as amazing as I've made it out to be. And of course I'll always stay on the look-out for something better or interesting.

* I would be curious to know the percentage of lactic acid and salicylic acid the toner has. Probably around 0,5-1 % or so? Maybe even less for salicylic.

Price: 

About 7 € / 200 ml

Bought from: 

Supermarket

Buy again? 

Yes.

Worth the money? 

Yes. Boring product that works, excellent back-up! I recommend Neutrogena's Purifying Toner for almost everyone. Of course it still has Butylene Glycol, Parfum etc. that not everyone can tolerate, but for basic skins like mine, it's surprisingly good.

The Body Shop Ginger Anti-Dandruff Shampoo 400 ml Review

Ingredients:

Aqua, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Piroctone Olamine, Panthenol, Polysorbate 20, Sodium Benzoate, Propylene Glycol, Sodium Chloride, Dimethicone Propyl PG-Betaine, Mel, PEG-120 Methyl Glucose Dioleate, Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, Sodium Salicylate, Salix Alba Bark Extract, Parfum, Disodium EDTA, Linalool, Limonene, Betula Alba Bark Extract, Sodium Acetate, Zingiber Officinale Root Oil, Citronellol, Citral, Citric Acid, Isopropyl Alcohol, Sodium Hydroxide, Benzyl Alchol, Eucalyptol.

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:

- When they mention that the shampoo is mild and suitable for everyday use... well... that's exactly what it is. I feel like I have to wash my hair everyday... twice, and still not feeling clean!

- I don't think it works for oily kind of dandruff/dryness (yes, sounds weird but it is a condition), my mother tried and immediately went back to her own products

- Couldn't use conditioner with the shampoo because my hair felt even dirtier and heavier after washing it

- The light shampoo might be difficult to work into thick hair




+ Smells nice! Very refreshing, gingery, but not too much

+ Doesn't strip anything out of your hair and scalp and that's how they advertise the shampoo (just wasn't suitable for me at the moment)

+ I stopped using conditioner when washing with this shampoo so I guess it's moisturizing too for those who need it

* Liquidy gel like consistency instead of creamy.

* Can't comment on the anti-dandruff part, as I don't have much dandruff. I just picked this shampoo because some bloggers had talked about it saying it was good. I do wonder how a mild shampoo like this can lift dandruff off, especially if it's the oily kind.

* Even my husband complained about this shampoo not being good enough and usually he never comments on anything! And he has dry-ish and flaking scalp.

* Please do notice that I bought something that wasn't even advertised for my kind of hair/scalp so no wonder it didn't work. However sometimes things work miraculously even though the name of the product is whatever so I decided to try!

Price: 

15 € / 400 ml

Bought from: 

The Body Shop webstore

Buy again? 

Definitely no.

Worth the money? 

Not for me, even on sale. Runs out quickly because I have to use to much, so often, and I'm still not pleased with the results. A lot cheaper shampoos deliver better results (like L'Oreal's Elvitals at 3-6 €). However, if you have a dry hair/scalp and you are used to washing your hair daily, maybe give this a go? I do think this could've worked nicely when I was bleaching my hair but even then I didn't have flakiness.

Molton Brown Gingerlily Body Wash 100 ml Review DISCONTINUED

Ingredients:

(Maybe. Difficult to find!)

Water (Aqua), Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Laureth-4, Fragrance (Parfum), Lilium Candidum Flower Extract, Calophyllum Inophyllum Seed Oil, Glycerin, Peg-18 Glyceryl Oleate/Cocoate, Ppg-26-Buteth-26, Lonicera Caprifolium (Honeysuckle) Flower Extract, Lonicera Japonica (Honeysuckle) Flower Extract, Peg-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane, Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate, Ethylhexyl Salicylate, Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone, Butylphenyl Methylpropional, Citronellol, Eugenol, Geraniol, Hexyl Cinnamal, Hydroxyisohexyl 3-Cyclohexene Carboxaldehyde, Linalool, Tocopherol, Sodium Phytate, Butylene Glycol, Propylene Glycol, Phenoxyethanol, Methylisothiazolinone, Citric Acid, Sodium Chloride, Blue 1 (Ci 42090), Red 4 (Ci 14700), Red 33 (Ci 17200)

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:

- Maybe even too faint fragrance? Really have to concentrate on it, it's lovely so a bit of lingering wouldn't matter

- I'm not quite sure I feel 100% clean afterwards (but good enough)

- The sample bottle design is sh*t and I've dropped it and almost dropped it everytime I shower, you have to screw the whole lid off, I guess the real size has better bottle?

- The brand is not very accessible, have to order online and it's extra fees, this feels like series you want to impulse buy in a store because "the bottle looks so cute and I'm so tired, I deserve it!" (my logic)

- Price point




+ Very delicate, faint floral/nature fragrance that feels familiar. Not overpowering at all and suits also sensitive people in my opinion

+ Doesn't linger at all, immediately disappears when washing off the skin (a bit sad though!)

+ Gentle on skin (too gentle if I feel I could handle something more harsh?)

* So, I got this Molton Brown Gingerlily Shower Gel in  last year's advent calendar by Lookfantastic. I was excited about it! It's discontinued by this name, but they still have Heavenly Gingerlily Bath & Shower Gel. Don't know how it differs from this old one.

* I am curious about the other shower gels by them, especially Lily of the Valley. The brand image is very nice.

Price: 

About 10 € / 100 ml

Bought from: 

In a Lookfantastic calendar

Buy again? 

No, this is exact version is discontinued.

Worth the money? 

I still don't get the point of overly expensive shower gels but Molton Brown's price point is doable for me. This shower gel was definitely worth it as part of the calendar, but sadly the normal price is overpriced because the fragrance is so, so faint and it could wash better. Still it's a nice product! And doesn't stop me from buying more from them if I want to pamper myself. 

Natura Siberica Vitamins For Skin Shower Gel 400 ml Review

Ingredients:

Aqua, Sodium Coco-Sulfate, Glycerin, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Coco-Glucoside, Aquileqia Sibirica ExtractWH, Hesperis Sibirica Flower ExtractWH, Sorbus Sibirica ExtractWH, Rubus Chamaemorus Fruit Extract*, Linum Usitatissimum Seed Oil*, Rubus Idaeus Fruit Extract*, Cinnamomum Zeylanicum Bark Extract*, Cetearyl Alcohol, Hippophae Rhamnoidesamidopropyl BetaineHR, Pineamidopropyl BetainePS, Caramel, Xanthan Gum, Dehydroacetic Acid, Benzyl Alcohol, Sodium Benzoate, Potassium Sorbate, CI 75470, Parfum, Citric Acid, Citronellol, Geraniol, Hexyl Cinnamal, Limonene, Linalool, Butylphenyl Methylpropional.

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:

- Can't decide if I hate, tolerate or like the super sweet (cheap) candy smell, my opinion seems to change everytime I use the shower gel. (Somewhere it's said to smell like berries, I highly disagree!)




+ Bottle shape and pump are very good, it fits in the shower tray perfectly and the pump works great! The user experience is the best I've had with shower products.

+ Washes ok, nothing extra ordinarily good or bad

+ Gel consistency, not watery or thick, smooth

+ Smell doesn't linger at all

+ Organic, natural, many certifications

* Honestly, the best part of this product is the bottle. It is how everything should be packaged in my opinion. So easy. The shower gel itself is... well, shower gel. But it's not overpriced at least.

* Natura Siberica has a nice brand image, I feel. I am still attracted to their products, even though this shower gel wasn't amazing.

* ... I am attracted to color orange and it was the reason I picked this bottle among all of them. Well, vitamins for skin sounds cool too. Didn't make my skin look or feel any better however.

* I would like to try something else from them too, I did buy a hand cream too but don't remember now where I've put it and which one it was! 

Price: 

3,42 € / 400 ml

Bought from: 

Natura Siberica store

Buy again? 

No, not this one. Maybe some other shower gel from them, like Tonic Shower Gel.

Worth the money? 

Yes, it's ok.