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Wishlist #1 January 2018 ~ skincare and make-up

beauty wishlist january 2018

Today, you’ll be reading the first of 12 wish lists I will post in 2018. I get a lot of PR e-mails and follow many brands, meaning I’m usually lusting after quite a few products. It doesn’t mean that I’ll necessarily buy everything on the list, but a girl can dream, right?

beauty wishlist january 2018

1 Bobbi Brown Extra Repair serum promises to refresh and calm the skin, giving it the extra hydration our skin needs in these cold days with the dry air. Apparently, it also helps with redness, dry spots and breakouts – issues that I know too well. It’s super expensive, but based on all of the reviews I’ve read so far it’s worth the money.

2 The Body Shop Metal Liquid Lipstick – Russet Copper. I’ve tested The Body Shop matte liquid lipsticks (review is waiting for you *here*) and now, I’ve got my eye on the metal liquid lipsticks. They are available in six shades and this one in Russet Copper is my absolute favorite of the bunch.

3 Catrice California in a box bronzer & blush palette. This brand has a big launch coming in January as a preview of their permanent collection for the SS 2018. I think that after years of matte, matte and matte, it will be fun to dive into metals, holographics and shimmers. I love the idea of being able to use all of the products matte or simply top them off with some shimmer for added BAM!

4 Natura Siberica Northern Soap for Deep Facial Cleansing. When I first saw this product, my jaw dropped. I’m currently using (and loving!) the Natura Siberica Moisturizing Foam Eye Make Up Remover – I promise the post is coming really soon. As I’m really trying to make a nice transition to natural brands, I’m always on the hunt for something new. Northern Soap is made with active charcoal and promises, among other things, to increase elasticity. It’s also a natural antiseptic and toner. So basically, you’re getting 3-1 for the same price.

5 Avon Mark Concealer. As a big fan of the Avon Mark line, I’m always on the hunt for new products from the line. It’s secretly one of my goals in life to own enough Avon Mark products to be able to do a full face of make-up only with those. So adding a concealer is a step in the right direction. View Post

BLOGMAS 2017 #3 Best skincare products 2017

Best skincare products 2017 Blogmas

This Blogmas is not exactly off to a flying start, so today you’ll be enjoying more… artistic photos. But hey, we’re here to discuss skincare, not just look at it, right? Anyway, I apologize in advance ~ if it bothers you terribly, you can always click out of the post. If not, stick around and check out my top products in facial skincare in the past year. I’ll also link any previous related posts so you can catch up on any products you find more interesting.

Best skincare products 2017 – face cleansers

Best skincare products 2017 Blogmas Pixi + Caroline Hirons Natura Siberica

I was always the one to try and save money on face cleansers and in early 2017 I said – no more. My biggest investment so far was the Pixi + Caroline Hirons Double Cleanse and let me tell you, it was worth every cent. I’m totally buying this again! It’s a two sided cleanser with solid cleansing oil (which I use to remove the make-up) and a cleansing cream (used for second cleaning) in one. You only need a tiny amount of each as this jar lasted me almost four months. It doesn’t sting my eyes, removes all the make-up perfectly and is overall fantastic. A definite winner of 2017. Another winner is the Natura Siberica Moisturizing Foam Eye Make-up remover. This was my first time trying out Natura Siberica product and I was very pleasantly surprised. This cleanser will remove most of your make-up (but not a waterproof mascara), will not sting your eyes (99 % natural) and will leave your face nice and clean. I really like that it comes out as a foam which is easily distributed all over my face. I need to do a proper post on this product but again, an absolute favorite.

Best skincare products 2017 – toning and serums

Best skincare products 2017 Blogmas The Ordinary

Our face is now clean, so let’s balance out the PH levels with the Bocassy Clean&Tone Tonic. This is my third bottle and I absolutely love it ~ you can read more about it *here*. Next, we need to give our skin some extra help to make it look young and beautiful. I use all kinds of serums, acids and so forth, but I really want to mention just a few that really work really well for me. First is The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2 % + B5 ~read more about it * here*. I don’t think skincare comes any less expensive then this. I’m sure you’ll be able to find better hyaluronic acids out there, but for just over 5 €, this works great for me. From The Ordinary, I also really enjoy their Salicylic Acid 2 % Solution. I apply this over any breakouts happening on my face and I swear that the healing process is a bit shorter then usual. Last The Ordinary product I want to talk about is the 100 % Plant-derived squalene. It creates a nice barrier on my skin, giving me that extra hydration I really need throughout the night. Along with these, I also enjoy my L’Oreal Revitalift Laser Renew. It’s an eye serum which has a cold metal applicator used to massage the serum into the skin. I don’t know what works better – the serum or the applicator, but on the nights I remember to use it, my under-eye area definitely looks plumper and less sad the next morning.

Best skincare products 2017 – oils and moisturizers

Best skincare products 2017 Blogmas L'Oreal Revitalift

My fave oil remains Yanumi ~ read more about it *here*. It’s cold pressed, 100 % organic and Slovenian, which I’ll always support. For moisturizers, I’m going back and forth between two of them. For daytime, I really like the La Roche-Posay Hydreane Riche moisturizer for sensitive skin. It doesn’t leave a film on my face and absorbs really quickly. That cannot be said for the L’Oreal Revitalift Laser Renew which is a really heavy night-time cream. And that’s exactly why I like it. I really want my face to be hydrated to maximum before I hit the sack and that’s one way to do it. This Revitalift cream has an interesting gel texture that is really pleasant on the face as well.

Best skincare products 2017 – mask, SPF and skin prep

Best skincare products 2017 Blogmas L'Oreal Mask Yanumi

I’m really partial to sheet masks right now, but I talk about them all the time, so this time, I wanted to mention the only “normal” mask in a jar that I really enjoy using. This is my second jar of L’Oreal Pure Clay Exfo Mask. It’s intended to exfoliate the skin and improve skin texture. I only apply it on the parts of my face where I can afford some more serious skin exfoliation and avoid the really dry areas, like the one around my nose and between my eyebrows. I can really see a difference after using this mask.

Best skincare products 2017 Blogmas Serozinc Mommy UV Gel

Best SPF of the year goes to Mommy! UV mild Gel SPF 30 which is alcohol-free, silicone-free and sinks into my skin effortlessly regardless of the moisturizer I’m wearing underneath. I really like the weightless feeling and the fact I don’t need to wait 10 minutes for it to dry enough for me to apply my make-up. Another winner in my book. Last but not least, I have to mention the La Roche-Posay Serozinc that I’ve been loving for the past month or so. It really makes a beautiful base for my make-up and I cannot imagine my life without it. You can read more about it *here*.

Overall, these are all products I’d highly recommend and I am really happy that I found them in 2017. I’ll continue using them until I get new products I need to try out, but I’m happy to know that I can fall back on these anytime if I’m experiencing skin issues and want to get my facial skincare in check.

Now, as the last order of business ~ I owe you the winner of the 10 products in my DIY advent calendar. The lucky winner who will receive 10 great Essence products is:  PATRICIJA VIDMAR. Patricija, congratulations, please send me your information. The rest, thank you for participating. New Blogmas giveaway is coming very, very soon! Until then, stay beautiful!

La Roche-Posay Serozinc: tested and tried by three different women!

La Roche-Posay Serozinc

In the beginning of the month, I received three La Roche-Posay Serozinc bottles and asked two readers to join me in testing it – to step into the shoes of a beauty blogger, to be quite exact. You can find the first post *here*. Today, I’d like to tell you about our opinions regarding the product. But first, let’s repeat what Serozinc promises to do. It can help with soothing inflammations healing your skin, for instance after you tackle a particularly pesky zit or if you get small burns and cuts after shaving. But most importantly, it’s used to keep the oily skin on our face under control and promises to visibly reduce pores.

La Roche-Posay Serozinc

Beauty blogger for a day #1: Dušanka and her experience with La Roche-Posay Serozinc

First reader who went along for the La Roche-Posay Serozinc ride was Dušanka. She described her skin as problematic, very oily and with “pores the size of the ozone hole”. She also has problems with unclear skin, especially if she’s not precise enough when cleaning it. Here is Dušanka’s unedited opinion about Serozinc:

“So… at the beginning of use, my pores were quite large and I had quite a few pimples on my beard and neck. I used Serozinc in the morning and evening instead of a tonic. The feeling on the skin is really good, I didn’t feel any tightening on the skin. Skin gained on freshness.

I got quite a bad cold after a week of using it. My immune system crashed and consequently, the pimples came back. Nevertheless, the product convinced me and after I run out of this gifted one, I’ll buy a new one.”

La Roche-Posay Serozinc

Beauty blogger for a day #2: Andreja and her experience with La Roche-Posay Serozinc

Second reader who was keen to test the La Roche-Posay Serozinc was Andreja. In her application, she wrote she’s always looking for new product to help her skin. From teenage unclear skin, she later went on to develop severe acne which was sometimes so inflamed it was painful for her to even smile. Even though the condition is improving after 6 years, she still has occasional inflammations and would like to find a non-aggressive product to help her in that area. Here’s what Andreja wrote after the testing:

“I used the spray in the morning and night after cleaning the face and before use of moisturizer. The bottle has a fine mister that covers the entire face. For a couple of moments, my face was wet but the product soaks in quickly. Despite that, it doesn’t dry out and tighten the skin as I found to be the case with many other toners. My skin was pleasantly refreshed and calmed after use, and it also helped with prolonging the mattifying look.

It also helped with my acne outburst. They didn’t completely disappear, but in these two weeks of testing it helped with the redness and painful skin. Acne also got smaller faster then normal.

Considering this is a product that helps to calm down irritated skin, I tested it after plucking my eyebrows, when the skin was red and irritated. The feeling of the cold mist alone helped calm down the skin and the redness was gone quickly.

To sum up, this product really impressed me and I’d recommend it to anyone with dry skin who wants to cam it down. I don’t find the price exaggerated as you really use a small amount of product. I know myself well enough to say that this spray will quickly end up in my shopping basket.”

Beauty blogger all the time: my opinion on La Roche-Posay Serozinc

Luckily, I don’t share many of the problems that my lovely readers described above. My skin definitely acts out occasionally and I’ve been noticing my pores get bigger as years go by, so I was interested in what Serozinc can do for me.

I will say that the feeling when you spray it on your face in the morning is refreshing and calming at the same time. The mister is very fine so you don’t need to worry about getting any unpleasant surprises once you press the button on the dose. I takes less then a minute to dry completely, meaning you can continue with your morning routine. I only used Serozinc in the morning and I will absolutely say that it prepared my face beautifully for the foundation and also helped prolong its wear.

I always get very dry and irritated skin after shaving my legs so after doing so, I sprayed one leg with Serozinc and left one leg as I normally do. The leg that received the extra TLC was much happier – didn’t itch throughout the day and there was much less flaking of damaged skin on that leg in the next couple of days.

All in all, I think that La Roche-Posay Serozinc is a product that can benefit almost everyone for a variety of reasons. It can help mattify your skin if you have oily skin (or very oily areas). It can help you calm the skin down, like after shaving, plucking your eyebrows or going after smaller pimples on your face. And while it will not make your pores disappear, it will prep the face nicely for your foundation which will go on much smoother and look more natural. Definitely a product I’ll repurchase for myself and a product I definitely recommend!

Mirta hand cream for softer and protected hands in cold days

Mirta hand cream

When cold days arrive, my hands are always in need of extra protection. My skin gets cracked and dry, especially around the knuckles, so I’m always looking for something extra to protect them. This year, my companion will be the Mirta hand cream. It’s available in two scents and instead of going for the classic lavender, I chose Orange since it reminds me of Christmas.

Mirta hand cream oranges

This cream isn’t one of those that you apply and after five minutes it feels like you did nothing. It is based on shea butter which is a great ingredient on it own. The hand cream contains essential oil of orange (which acts as a fragrance), immortelle (which promotes blood circulation and helps with skin regeneration), oil of Ylang-Ylang (that calms the skin and has antiseptic properties) and glycerin which ties in extra moisture and restores elasticity in the skin. View Post

Melvita L’Or Bio ~ 5 reasons to use this 100 % natural oil

Melvita L'Or Bio bottle

2017 has definitely been a year of oils and Melvita L’Or Bio is the latest addition to my collection. When I first received it, I was intrigued by the statement that it’s a dry oil since I never tried anything like that before. I’ve been using it for a couple of weeks now and I can honestly say that this might be one of those products that I’ll keep buying over and over again.

What is Melvita L’Or Bio

Melvita L'Or Bio bottle

First, let’s talk ingredients. Melvita L’Or Bio is a cocktail of five organic oils. First is the argan oil from Morocco, known for its skincare properties which I’m sure we’re all familiar with since it’s a common enough ingredient in skincare. Next oils are kendi oil from Indonesia and Inca Inchi oil from Peru that apparently have regenerating properties. I don’t think I’ve ever used any skincare with these two oils before. Buriti oil from Brazil nourishes the skin and gives it a healthy glow and the Pracaxi oil from Amazonia improves hair shine and strength.

How to use Melvita L’Or Bio

Melvita L'Or Bio bottle

I don’t think that you need any specific instructions, but still. I use 2-3 drops for my face as the last step in my evening routine. I notice that on the face, it takes the longest to sink in, but this is due to all other products I use beforehand. I also like applying a couple of drops to the ends of my hair after blow-drying them since it leaves a beautiful lingering scent. You could also apply it to the ends of your hair before drying them, of course. But what I’m most excited about is using it for my body. As I often discussed before, I rarely have time to apply moisturizer and wait for 10 minutes for it to dry. Now, I just apply this Melvita L’Or Bio and I’m ready to put my clothes on in a minute or two the most. My skin is really happy right now!

5 reasons to use Melvita L’Or Bio

Melvita L'Or Bio bottle cap

You mean, besides the amazing ingredients? First, the incredible smell which you’ll probably never get tired of. I cannot explain it in words, but I can assure you it’s absolutely amazing. Second, soft and luxurious looking hair. L’Or Bio gives the hair an amazing glow and emphasizes the hair color. My hair look silky, smooth and the blonde color really stands out. Thirdly, quick absorption which is important to many. If you live a quick paced life like me, then you’ll definitely appreciate the fact that you can get dressed minutes after applying it to your body.

Four, a tiny amount goes a long way. I won’t say that I don’t like drenching myself in body butter when I get the chance, but for everyday use, I much prefer using a few drops of the Melvita L’Or Bio to literally nourish my entire body. And finally, the softness of the skin. Since Melvita L’Or Bio is a dry oil, I really wasn’t expecting it to have the same magical result for my skin as the regular oils I occasionally use. Well, I was wrong. After use, my skin is incredibly soft and this feeling lingers for days at a time.

Would I recommend Melvita L’Or Bio?

Melvita L'Or Bio bottle

Well, if you have a face, body or hair (which I presume you do), then you’d definitely benefit from using this amazing, luxurious dry oil. Being 100 % natural is just the cherry on top! You can get it in Melvita online shop **. Right now, there’s a sale on the 100ml bottle so you can get it at -15 % for 28€. I know that this will be one of the gifts I’ll be giving away in the upcoming holidays.

Until next time, stay beautiful!