I recently learned about this tag from a fellow blogger and I must say that it is quite a fun one, since it really will make you go through your collection and pick out the things you absolutely love the most. Basically, you choose your favorite cosmetics item for each of the letters in the alphabet, hence the A to Z name. Here are my favorites!
A – Avon Advanced Techniques leave-in conditioner. I have talked about it here already. It’s my favorite conditioner and I will continue to use it on a daily basis. It gives my hair a little bit of nutrition and leaves it silky and shiny for the day, with the added bonus of a great scent.
B – Benefit They’re real! mascara. I didn’t like this mascara at first but after I left it open for about a month, it quickly became my favorite. It gives a ton of volume and really holds the curl for the entire day. It’s beginning to flake a bit so I’ll probably have to let it go soon, but I will repurchase it as well.
C – Catrice All matt plus foundation. Some of you suggested I try a Catrice foundation and although I was sceptical at first, I’ve already gone through half of the bottle in a month. It has great coverage without feeling heavy and leaves my skin matte for hours without any touch-ups. My absolute favorite foundation of 2015 so far.
D – Dvorec Trebnik bath salts. I just happen to have the Marigold salts opened right now, but I’ve tried many different scents and have loved them all. I already wrote about it here. Honestly, I’ve never taken as many baths as I do now since I’ve discovered this brand!
E – Essence Longlasting lipliner. I’ve got a separate post about these lip liners coming up so I don’t want to reveal too much, but since I’m putting them among my favorites, you can guess that I’m absolutely in love with them!
F – ….. I don’t think I own a single product from a brand that would start with F. I could technically cheat, but I won’t 🙂
G – Gliss Kur Intensivkur. These come in all kinds of formulas and I probably love the Ultimate Repair (black line) the best. However I go through quite a few different ones every month and I always feel that it really does have an effect on my hair, making it less frizzy and nourished from within.
H – ….. Again, I found some products from the brands starting with H, but it seems to be an unfortunate letter for me, since I don’t love any of them.
I – I love… bubble bath and shower creme. These again can be bought in a number of scents and I haven’t had one that I wouldn’t love yet. Also, you get a ton of product for a budget price, so it’s an overall winner in my book. View Post
Every single time I bring home a new product, I feel the need to use it right away. It doesn’t really matter if I already have 3 hair sprays opened, or 5 body lotions – surely, this new one will be so utterly superior to them that I will throw the old ones away and only use the new one for the rest of my life. Sounds familiar? If it does, then you probably have seen something like this before.
Every once in a while, I reach a point when everything starts falling out, I have no place for new things and I really, really need to clean stuff out. So I did something similar as with nail polishes – got everything out and went through it. Here are the results with small reviews on each of the products and whether I tossed or kept it. I suggest you get a snack, since it’s going to be a long post!
Let’s start with hair products.
L’Oreal Elnett de Luxe – strong hold which also offers extra heat protection. I don’t like the pump, would prefer a spray, but it’s a good hold, and I don’t really use hair spray all that much. Keeping.
Taft Cashmere Touch Power Spray. This was sitting in the back of the closet for about 2 years and I distinctly remember why I stopped using it – it made my hair so hard that I had problems combing through it after I used it. Trash.
Aiko Styling Heat Protecting Spray. I did not know it was a Müller brand until this very moment. Did not care for this product – I didn’t see any difference in how my hair behaved or how good it looked whether I used it or not. Trash.
Syoss Anti-Grease dry shampoo. This smells like lemon, which I like a lot since it makes my hair smell fresh. It does work to give second day hair a bit of volume, but I wouldn’t necessarily use it instead of washing my hair after that. Good value for money – lasts a long time. Keeping.
Nivea Volume Sensation Styling Mousse. Number 4 (out of 5) – extra strong. I normally put it into wet hair before washing to give it a little extra volume around the base.There’s not really that much left, so I am keepingit.
In my previous post about hair botox I talked about the frizz in my hair and their general dullness. I have quite a few products to combat that, not including the Morrocan oil and Keraste oils I just purchased.
Smooth ‘n Shine Polishing spray-on polisher. I bought this in USA on a whim when I didn’t have anything to tame my hair with me. Actually produced by Schwarzkopf. I apply it to wet hair when I want it to look great but with the consequence of having to wash it the next day. Perfect for vacation when your hair is exposed to sun and heat every day. Keeping.
Balea Blond Glanz Kur. I’m not blonde anymore, so I have no need for something that would make my blonde hair more shiny. I will not pass this on since it’s pretty old anyhow. Trash.
Syoss Shine-Sealing Finish Fluid for normal-dull hair. It’s very similar to the Pantene Serum. I like it a lot – pump gives out exactly as much as I need for the entire length of my hair. Mostly natural ingredients. Keeping. This will last me forever.
Pantene Split End Mender Serum for normal – thick hair. It’s a serum with oily consistency for dry ends. Nothing special, but it makes the hair look a little bit less frizzy. Keeping.
Klas Revital Silicone. I’ve been forbidden by my hairdresser to use silicone on my hair since it apparently makes a coat around the hair which prevents the color from getting to it properly – meaning that if you apply silicone product to a piece of your hair (as I applied this to the roots), then chances are the color on this part will eventually not match the rest of your hair. View Post
The March edition of Look Fantastic Beauty Box arrived a lot faster than the February one and I was so excited to find the package on my desk when I arrived at work. I gave it my all and actually did not go snooping around the internet to see what other people received, so opening it was again a nice surprise.
But before we get into this box, let’s do a quick recap of some products in the February box. Remember this?
I have not yet tackled the Korres Citrus body milk and the Sea Mud cleanser. I absolutely don’t want anything to do with the Bellapierre eye pencil anymore – it’s so hard that I almost poked my eye out a couple of times while tightlining. I am quite disappointed since it was my first mineral eye pencil and I was really excited to receive it at first. Also, I am not impressed by the Monu Illuminating primer. It is very, very sticky and difficult to apply. It also doesn’t seem to extend the lifespan of my foundation or make it go on any smoother. I would not purchase a full size of either of these products.
I can however say that I am almost through with half of the bottle of Moroccanoil. It is an absolutely divine product and I love it. I will however hold on the final verdict until I try the new Kerastase oil I received recently. And finally, I am giving the dr. Pawpaw balm a big thumbs up – I used it for my lips almost every night and they have been looking considerably better than usually. I would definitely repurchase both of these items.
Anyway, let’s get to this month’s box. This is what I found inside.
Again, there were six items in the box, but I only found the last one when I rummaged through it so it’s not on the picture above. Oh well, it happens to the best of us.
Let’s go through the products quickly. I have used some of them already and can actually give my first impressions, which are of course still subject to change. Again, there was a nice booklet in the box as well, giving some information about the products inside.
Beginning with the biggest item in the box, the Wet Brush. It is supposed to easily detangle wet and dry locks, brush out tough knots and tangles. The retail value of this is 7.99 £, so about 11,1 €.
I tried it yesterday and it was OK. But just OK. After combing it a couple of times through my wet hair, I went in with my Tangle Teezer and there were still some knots to be found. I will probably chuck this into my beach bag and not worry about it being stolen, since (sorry, Wet Brush) it looks like something you’d purchase in DM for 2 €. It’s really small and for me, that’s a definite plus. Mind you, my hubby will be pleased as well, since he always ends up carrying my beach bag which is overflowing with stuff I have absolutely not use for at the beach. View Post
In December, I was shopping quite a bit as you might have noticed already from my posts. Since I’ve hoarded so much make-up, I decided to go for the skin care instead and ended up choosing a set of different face products on Lookfantastic.com – the Ole Henriksen Magnificent Seven Holiday Kit.
I paid about €33 for this set of 7 deluxe samples, which is bargain really, since each of the full-size products costs an arm and a leg, but we’ll get to that later. Apparently, the set is worth £89, which brings us close to €120.
Now you’ll probably agree that the box looks fab on the front, but I find what is in the back even more important. The box actually provides you exact information about each of the products (it’s also printed on the sides), also advising whether to use it in the morning or in the evening.
I would have kept the box until I ran out of the products anyway, since it’s a cheat sheet and at the same time stores the products really nicely. Of course you don’t have to keep it – there are simple paper instructions inside as well.
Anyway, as already mentioned, the set includes 7 deluxe samples. I’ll just do this review in the way I use them throughout the day. I start of every morning with the African Red Tea Foaming cleanser. The instruction is to simply massage it into damp skin and rinse clean with warm water.
First of all, I love that it’s a foam product, since I kind of enjoy the light feeling of light foam on my face. Secondly, this cleanser smells like heaven. And thirdly, it really leaves my face feeling very clean and fresh. It’s an instant refresher in the morning. View Post
It’s the shortest month of the year and it really went by in a New York minute for me. I’ve been working hard and playing hard, which made it a fun month. And here are some things that made it even more beautiful.
This Stenders Salt Scrub – Rose I actually picked up when shopping for a friend’s birthday present. It contains polished salt cyrstals, shea butter, rose petals, sweet almond and jojoba oil.
As you can see, the salt is really finely ground and the rose petals are mixed in. It doesn’t look very appealing to me, and the smell is not the loveliest to be honest, but it is a really, really great lovely scrub. It develops a more soft scent once you rub it over the skin and it leaves the skin super, super soft. The thing is, it feels a bit oily and I always wait a bit before putting my clothes on – similar as I would with a moisturizer. But still, nice.
This Pixi Concentrate Concealer I wanted for a while (#youtubemademebuyit), but I couldn’t force myself to pay 15€ for a miniature jar of anything, really. But thankfully, Look Fantastic always has some awesome sale and I managed to get it for about 10€. View Post
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