Empties Since July

July to August.

Been quite busy lately! Not much time for playing with skincare. Or for writing about it! I should continue my "spring cleaning" project as well. 

Face

Innisfree No Sebum Mineral Powder

Good finishing powder! Old but still worked well. Can't believe I had forgotten it. I have two back ups that I am using right now. Gonna save this jar so I can use it for travelling again.

The Face Shop Rice Water Bright Light Cleansing Oil

Super old, tried to use as a body wash as well. But I suppose this product just wasn't for me. I guess it was the combination of fragrance, the feel on skin. Probably broke me out a little too.

Klairs Rich Moist Soothing Cream Mini

Very nice soothing unscented cream! Moisturizing and soothing, without being too heavy. Could repurchase.

Exuviance Deep Hydration Treatment Mini

Ok product I guess, was hydrating, sticky on skin, but I suspect it also broke me out a little. Not sure if it's discontinued.

Paula's Choice Calm Restoring Moisturizer Normal to Oily Skin Mini

Very good for oily skin. Disappears into skin, feels calming, leaves skin slightly "silkier". I could use this again during a heat wave! Otherwise my skin needs a bit more moisture.

Filorga Meso Mask Smoothing Radiance Mask Mini

Hydrating, nice smelling mask. But I suspect it didn't actually do much. It was a pleasure to use though! Would use again, but would not purchase.

Samples: Drunk Elephant Protini Powerpeptide Resurf Serum, Kiehls Super Multi-Corrective Cream, Purito Sea Buckthorn Vital 70 Cream

I think Kiehls broke me out. It was thick, pleasant cream but it maybe smelled a bit bad?  Drunk Elephant was a nice effective and gentle serum. Very expensive for lactic acid serum but it does have a lot of other nice ingredients as well. Purito Cream was pleasant, neutral, absorbed easily, could use again.

Body

Dermosil Exfoliating Socks

Nice socks, effective! Uses lactic acid.

Rexona Maximum Protection Sport Strength Antiperspirant x3

Three antiperspirants finished in 2 months?? I am on a roll... should order more... yes thanks I am disgusting and sweat a lot and go ham when applying antiperspirant!

Nofo Exotic Flowers Shower Gel

Cost about 0,5€ and for that price this was okay shower gel. General not too strong scent, a bit too watery consistency for me, and not as effective at washing as I would hope but considering price... Okay.

Hair

Olaplex No 0 Mini

Olaplex No 3 Mini

Feels like water. You are supposed to apply No 0 first, it is like a primer, wait a little and apply No 3 and wait a little and then wash hair. Pre shampoo treatment duo. I got maybe 3-4 uses out of the mini bottles? So can't really say if they worked for my hair. Did not do harm however, and maybe my hair was a bit softer after treatment.

Shopping from July to August

My shopping from July to August. Overall I spent about 161 €.

DEPEND GEL IQ FEED YOUR SOUL

DEPEND GEL IQ FREE YOUR ENERGY

DEPEND GEL IQ HOT COCOA

DEPEND GEL IQ LIGHT MY FIRE

DEPEND GEL IQ SQUEEZE THE DAY

DEPEND GEL IQ TUSCANY TRIUMPH

Depend Gel IQ polish haul, 35€! Several were on sale so I overdid it a bit... (Without the sale this lot would have cost around 56€ on Depend's own site.) Now I can mix&match colors. All the shades are so pretty... However I don't think I needed 3 orange polishes!

And... currently some of my nails look bad, they are a bit split. I have not been diligent with hand cream&nail oil, been so busy!

Lisa Elridge Luxuriously Lucent Lip Colour in Meet Me In Berlin 

Light Set.1 Foundation Sample Card

36€, the shipping was 4€ and the sample card free (normally 3€). I don't know what possessed me to order this expensive lipstick almost on a whim. I just saw some swatches, compared them to Nars Rosecliff and thought that the shade is perfect for me... Meet Me In Berlin looked a bit more brown and balmy than Rosecliff.

Everyone online keeps raving about the foundation as well. So maybe I should try at least the samples! I would have bought the Light Set 2 card too but it was out of stock!

EDIT: Meet Me In Berlin looks very different on lips compared to Rosecliff, even though swatches are not so different! It is a lot more sultry look kind of lipstick, but with one layer it is natural. 

EDIT2: The lipstick is very flattering color for my skintone. I just have to get over it not being exactly a disappearing neutral shade.

As for the foundation, just swatched the card and based on that I would choose 2.5 Light With Olive Undertones but it may be even too olive for me. I bet I can make 3 Light With Golden Undertones work too. I will try mixing them too when I face test!

EDIT: 2.5 is perfect for me, on my face just neutral. The liquid consistency and fast drying reminds me of Dior Backstage foundation. I am interested in purchasing the full bottle at some point. Too bad the sample is too small to determine if the foundation breaks me out!

Kiehl's Dermatologist Solutions Hydro-Plumping Re-Texturizing Serum Concentrate 15 ml

Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream 28 ml

Depend Gel iQ Soft Spoken Kindness Sprinkle

Depend Gel iQ High Shine Cleanser Step 5 35 ml

Depend Gel iQ Pre-Cleanser Step 1 35 ml

CeraVe Hydrating Foaming Oil Cleanser 473 ml

CeraVe Blemish Control Cleanser 236 ml

Free Sample Biotherm Cera Repair Barrier Cream

About 65€, from Lyko. I needed more Depend Gel IQ cleansers to be able to do my nails... the bottles are really very small (the starter set bottles only 25 ml) and you get the best result when not skimping on the liquids! 

I also got some Kiehl's... yes, maybe it will be a new brand interest of mine, lol! I liked the mini cream I had so bought another one for the next winter. Also interested in the Serum, because it has 15% Glycerin, so very basic but effective...

And then last but not least, going to probably use both Cerave bottles as shower cleansers, both body and face!

Everything was on sale -25% so that triggered me into ordering.

Essence Golden Days Ahead Lip Oil 01 Oh my Gold!

Essence the Extreme Nail Hardener

Lily Lolo Pressed Corrector Pistachio

Dermosil Nail Oil Carrot

Dermosil Exfoliating Socks

Some gifts and some impulse purchases. Essence Lip Oil is ok, but was expecting more golden look, it is completely clear on lips. Some sweet scent but not too bad. Not sure yet if it irritates the skin around my lips. Essence Nail Hardener was a stupid purchase, it has done nothing within two weeks of use. And it splits off my nails within a day, why not just use a clear nail polish instead? That would last two days on my nails, probably. Lily Lolo's Pistachio Color Corrector is fine, does not look very green when swatched and it's quite light but it sure seems to neutralize redness. Not sure yet if I like the formula.

I know I will like Dermosil Socks, they are great. The nail oil feels nourishing as well.

So, overall, I should keep my purse strings tighter.

Current Favorites

I choose my current favorites whenever and however I like.

Essence The Nail Care Oil (or any nail oil...)

I can definitely see a difference on my nails. I never used any oils on them before. But I think with the long winters and doing manual labor with my hands really takes a toll on nails. And using just a hand moisturizer is nowhere enough. I recommend trying warm oil treatments as well! I bought a cheap canola oil for that. You can find tutorials on youtube how to do it.

Innisfree No Sebum Mineral Powder

An old favorite that I rediscovered! I still have old limited edition packages to finish! From the birthstone edition. They are very pretty. I bought my first No Sebum Powder in 2017 and just finished it. 

The powder is very fine and never seems to look cakey, even if you reapply on a sweaty skin. Leaves skin silky smooth. With a brush you can get ever so slightly mattifying and smoothing veil, but with the puff the finish is matte and lasts almost all day, if not sweating. How could I forget to use No Sebum Powder despite having so many jars in my stash! Perfect powder for summer.

Got2be 4 brows and edges Brow Gel Mascara

Very strong hold even on my difficult brows (they grow downwards so they just always revert to that). Easier to use than the original hair gel. So happy I bought this one, it's so much quicker to apply since I don't need a separate brush and the formula is different from the og hair gel which can leave white marks or clump if not careful.

Empties Since May

Empties and some more "spring cleaning"... Yeah, yeah, better clean slowly than not at all. I think it will be easier to see/finish what I can when the trash is out of the way (and in the future not let anything become trash again - I have difficulties letting things go).

Face

Lumene Invisible Illumination Instant Glow Beauty Serum in Universal Light

4 years old, I think? Used maybe 1/4. It doesn't look expired (maybe starting to separate), but I just will not use it anymore. It is sheer, natural, the shade is good, but it just works best on its own for me. Like nothing underneath... but it's a problem, because no sunscreen seems to agree with it and causes pilling! And it is definitely not a date/night time foundation because it is not covering enough (for me). 

Blistex Sensitive Lip Balm

Nice, basic lip balm, no fragrance. Works well, I've repurchased, it's affordable. Actually I used this one as my bedside lip balm and it lasted me over a year so great value for me, I guess!

Catrice Brow Colorist Semi-Permanent Brow Mascara in Dark Brown

Already threw away last time the lighter version of this brow mascara. This darker one has dried as well, so time to go. Good product, even though not very much hold!

The Body Shop Drops of Youth Essence Lotion

Extremely old! I have no idea. Used about 2/3. I actually do like the scent of this. Very slippy essence. Wonder why I never finished it. Tried using it on my legs as well in the end.

Skin1004 Madagascar Centella-Asiatica 100 Ampoule

Another very old thing! Tried to use this on my body too but bleh, it's useless. I felt it did nothing, maybe even made my face look worse. Not soothing or hydrating at all. Why I still have the bottle? Good question. It's half used.

The Ordinary High Adherence Silicone Primer

At least 6 years old and maybe half used! Not a bad primer at all. Clear on skin. A bit stuffy scent. But I don't think this primer made a huge difference to my makeup or skin, since I just stopped using it. If I really want to use it again, I can always buy a new tube...

Niod Sanskrit Saponins

Just never really got into using this. I don't know if I would like the cleanser now if I had a fresh one. This is from 2017! It smells like yeast and the texture is weird. When I tried using it a long time ago, I thought it was kinda ok but then I just stopped using it?

Fingrs Precision Lash Adhesive

Soo old, dried out! But if I remember right, it was an okay lash glue. (Yes, I used to wear lashes a lot back in time. My favorite glue used to be from Eylure, but suddenly it wasn't available anymore and maybe it started to irritate my eyes anyway. After that I just bought whatever.)

AHC Essential Real Eye Cream For Face Mini

From 2021 Lookfantastic Calendar. Very fragranced, light, easily absorbed cream. I did like it and it didn't seem to irritate my eyes. But I don't think it did very much. But I would use again if I got it for free or very cheap.

Paula's Choice Essential Glow Moisturizer SPF30 Sample

This is a tinted moisturizer. I really do like the shade, not orange or dark at all, very muted and not pink. Felt ok, no scent. Finish ok, not super glowy, more satin. But definitely leaves a white cast if layered or applied generously. Probably no white cast for very fair people. I would be intrigued to try a few more samples.

Body

Maria Åkerberg Foaming Wash Gentle

Used first on my face, but felt my skin started to look not so good after a while (2-3 weeks?) so switched to using as a body wash. Very herby smell, nice gentle foam, ok as a body wash. Felt cleansing enough as a face wash as well though and didn't dry skin! But my face improved immediately when I stopped using it!

Xen-Tan Fresh Prep Scrub

Got as a freebie with Feelunique order. Actually a very good gentle scrub. Smells like plastic sugar to me.

Rexona Maximum Protection Antiperspirant Sport Strength x2

My basics!

Bubble T Salted Caramel Bath Fizzies 

I don't have a bath tub, used one fizzie for foot bath and eh, not really a fan... these are very old too so better get rid of them. These came from Lookfantastic Calendar 2019!!

Hair

Head&Shoulders Classic Clean Shampoo

My staple!

Shopping from May to June

My shopping from May to June so two months. Altogether I spent 68 €. Which is not bad at all when you take a look how boring my purchases were!

Head&Shoulders Classic Clean Shampoo 1L

NoFo Shower Gel Exotic Flowers

Got2be 4 brows and edges Brow Gel Mascara

Rexona Maximum Protection Confidence Antiperspirant

Basics! The shower gel was only 0,50€ and I have already used a half! Very watery. Got2be Brow Gel Mascara is great. So much easier and better for brows compared to the Got2be hair gel (which is great as well btw). Rexona's scent in Confidence is really strong, sharp feminine. Not my favorite but the store only had this one, I had forgotten to pack my own antiperspirant to visit home. 25€

Rexona Maximum Protection Sport Strength Antiperspirant x 5

Rexona Maximum Protection Stress Control Antiperspirant

Rexona Maximum Protection Sensitive Dry Antiperspirant

From Notino, they had a free shipping campaign. 43 €. I was already getting worried, running out of antiperspirants! I really do seem to use one tube per month!

What cosmetics I packed for a week in Malaga

Just visited Malaga, Spain and stayed for a week in June. Sadly didn't have time to do cosmetics shopping but it's alright, I find Malaga a place where the main point is to just enjoy your surroundings! I definitely recommend enough time to just hang out on Gibralfaro and buying Bonobus card from a kiosk. It was only around 10€ for 20 trips incl the card itself! I have been trying to practise Spanish with Duolingo for a couple of months but failed to speak more than gracias, hola, yo bebo agua, cafe con leche por favor! Maybe next time? I must search for other material to learn... If I remember right, it took me closer to 6-8 years of studying before I felt confident speaking English! I must not let my fear of failure to stop me from learning Spanish.

Anyway, it was very warm and humid. The temperature was around 25 C, but the humidity and sun makes it feel hotter. For my oily skin, I did not need any moisturizer and no matter how much I powdered my face, the oils/sweat came through within minutes... 

Oh, my eye lashes looked great during my stay! It seemed like the humidity made them look plush and curled??? Also, my Depend Gel IQ Nail Polish stayed looking perfect all week and no nails have chipped/cracked. I also feel I lost less hair during my stay. So my body likes humid air even though it can feel suffocating.

I did not burn at all and did not even tan. So, modern chemical sunscreens are great, even though you would be sweating!

I bought Ifa Unnia Spray Protector Solar Niños Factor 50+ Resistente Agua to be my body sunscreen. It's a spray, and the nozzle got clogged almost immediately and just made a mess everytime I used it afterwards! Otherwise, it's a nice sunscreen. Not much scent. Cost about 4-5 € for 200 ml. Didn't feel disgusting on skin and no white cast. Easy to layer and no pilling.

Wanted to show you the gel polish as well... I have done Depend Gel IQ nails only a couple of times and it looks okay to me, you don't have to be a professional to get a decent long lasting result! Sparkle On Darling is such a delightful sparkly shade and can't wait to use it on top of other more opaque ones! After I started using nail oil (just a cheap one from Essence: The Nail Care Oil) my nails have significantly grown with less breakage as well... Took maybe two months? 

Products I packed (I might want to revisit this list the next time I travel):

Some of the products, not all the little decant bottles though.

Vichy Capital Soleil UV Clear Anti Imperfections Water Fluid SPF50+

Dior Backstage Face&Body Foundation

I am very happy with the combination of these two. They held beautifully together. I was oily and sweaty by the end of the day, but my base wasn't cracked anywhere! I applied first Vichy sunscreen in two layers to get adequate protection, then used a damp sponge to blend Dior foundation in light layers, concentrating on the T-area. I got a light, natural, dewy finish.

Lumene CC Powder

Innisfree Matte Mineral Setting Powder

I like both powders, I applied Lumene quite heavily first and a light dusting of Innisfree afterwards. I also later applied Innisfree again, because it is effective, light and applies nicely on top of sweaty skin. It's white so it will leave a cast if used a heavy hand.

L'Oréal Paris Life’s a Peach Blush Powder

L'Oréal Paris Back to Bronze Bronzing Powder

Good staples for me! Bought both for 5€ each, so not the end of the world if they get shattered during a trip (but they are sturdy so not likely to happen). The shades are great, multipurpose for whole face. 

Makethemake Tripeptide-1 Lash Lift Mascara 

Got2be 4 brows and edges Brow Gel Mascara

Nars Lipstick Rosecliff

I just took any mascara I had opened and works ok. Got2be Brow Gel Mascara is great! The hold is amazing. I just bought it before the trip. I must admit it didn't feel quite as strong in Malaga as it does in Northern Europe, but it did not fail me either. Nars Rosecliff is my perfect nude, also it is a slightly dry formula so it lasts for a bit on lips. It's also a good blush color, but I did not use it as a blush this time.

Garnier Micellar Wash (Decant)

Head&Shoulders Classic Clean Shampoo (Decant)

L'Oreal Beach Spray (Decant)

Banila Co Clean it Zero Cleansing Balm Purifying Mini

Exuviance Triple Microdermabrasion Face Polish Mini

Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream Mini

Rexona Maximum Protection Sport Strength Antiperspirant

Some basics! Can't fit too much in 1L bag. Didn't use much the Kiehl's cream, but took it because it was almost finished mini jar. Used the Exuviance scrub a couple of times, it was also small enough to not take too much space. But still enough to keep my face in check. Banila Co cleansing balm was nice to have for the first cleanse, but I could have done without it as well. Rexona antiperspirant worked for me also in hot Malaga! Granted I didn't actually go hike or anything super hard to test it. I felt I would have liked to have a scalp scrub or something on top of Head&Shoulders Shampoo. L'Oreal Beach Spray did help freshen up my flat hair a little.

Current Favorites

I choose my favorites whenever and however I like! Sometimes they are repurchases, sometimes an one-off mini size.

Dr. Ceuracle Cica Regen Vegan Sun SPF50+ PA++++

Wow, what a good sunscreen. I just opened&tested it a few weeks ago and haven't wanted to use anything else since... Cica Regen Vegan Sun (what a crazy name) is just like a moisturizer. No white cast, not greasy, only a little shiny, very moisturizing but not suffocating, also feels calming. I really like using this sunscreen when I have used something exfoliating beforehand. The scent is a bit like glue-herbal mix, but I don't find it very noticeable and it fades soon.

Ingredients: Water, Dibutyl adipate, Propanediol, Alcohol denat., Ethylhexyl triazone, Terephthalylidene dicamphor sulfonic acid, Glycerin, Niacinamide, Tromethamine, Polyglyceryl-3 distearate, 1,2-hexanediol, Diethylamino hydroxybenzoyl hexyl benzoate, Cetearyl alcohol, Caprylyl methicone, Pentylene glycol, Polysilicone-15, Polymethylsilsesquioxane, Palmitic acid, Stearic acid, Glyceryl stearate, Bis-ethylhexyloxyphenol methoxyphenyl triazine, Potassium cetyl phosphate, Methylpropanediol, Polyether-1, Carbomer, Ammonium acryloyldimethyltaurate/vp copolymer, Acrylates/c10-30 alkyl acrylate crosspolymer, Glyceryl stearate citrate, Rosmarinus officinalis (rosemary) leaf oil, Polyquaternium-51, Ethylhexylglycerin, Adenosine, Centella asiatica extract, Myristic acid, Butylene glycol, Actinidia arguta fruit extract, Madecassoside, Hibiscus sabdariffa flower extract, Madecassic acid, Asiaticoside, Nelumbium speciosum flower extract, Asiatic acid, Tocopherol.

Exuviance Triple Microdermabrasion Face Polish Mini

One more thing from my old Exuviance mini set! And again, wow, what a great "scrub" (the instructions tell you not to scrub, but gently massage for 30 secs, then leave on for 2 min). Makes me stupid I didn't try it before. So gentle and effective! And fast to use. Even my partner, who never knows/notices/doesn't care what I use, commented how silky soft my face was. Usually my skin doesn't like Glycolic Acid, but it seems a short contact like this is all good. The product has a bit strong fruity scent, not my favorite but not disgusting either.

Ingredients: Aqua/Water/Eau, Glycolic Acid, Alumina, Glycerin, Hydrogenated Polydecene, Isononyl Isononanoate, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Glyceryl Stearate, Ammonium Hydroxide, Arginine, Butylene Glycol, Stearyl Alcohol, Polyacrylate-1 Crosspolymer, PEG-100 Stearate, Lactobionic Acid, Papain, Cetyl Alcohol, Hydroxypropyl Starch Phosphate, PEG-75 Stearate, Dehydroxanthan Gum, Ceteth-20, Steareth-20, Carbomer, Caprylyl Glycol, Algin, Phenoxyethanol, Chlorphenesin, Parfum (Fragrance), Yellow 5 (CI 19140), Red 4 (CI 14700).

Paula's Choice Resist Anti-Aging Eye Cream Mini

Buttery eye cream that I actually missed when I misplaced it for a few days! This one immediately melts into skin, doesn't feel heavy at all despite the consistency. Haven't got any irritation or milia. Feels good during winter and summer! Moisturizing and smoothing. No scent.