Clinique Archives – Maša M blog

empties skincare

As mentioned on Monday, I split these empties into two parts so they are more manageable. You can read the first part about hair care and body care *here*, if you’re interested. Today, let’s start with the cleansers. I used up a whole bunch of cleansers. I can’t believe that used up the Biobaza 3in1 make-up removal and hydration cream – more than half a liter! It did a good job at removing my make-up. I would not purchase it again, because I prefer to try more different products (it took me more than 6 months to use this up!), but it’s really good value for money! I didn’t like the Neutrogena Hydro boost micellar water. It really burned my eyes and wasn’t all that successful at removing make-up. I talked about the Ole Henriksen African red tea foaming cleanser before *here* – it’s rich in antioxidants, smells amazing and leaves me feeling rejuvenated. A product I’d definitely repurchase. Last but not least, I tried the Real Chemistry Luminous 3 minute peel. Normally, I would try it on my face, but I tried it on my hand and it started peeling so terribly that I didn’t dare put it on my face. I don’t think I’d get this because it would scare me to death.

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august wishlist

It’s been a long time since I last shared my wishlist with you. Today, I was browsing through my PR mail and decided to write a post like this every single month – as a reminder for myself not to buy products on a whim, but also to assist you in making better purchase decisions for yourself.

august wishlist Essence Cubanita

This month, my wishlist is overflowing with skincare, so let’s start with make-up items as there are only a few of those. First on my list is the Essence Cubanita highlighter in the shade Mi corazon. I’ve hit major pan on my The Balm Mary-Lou Manizer and I think that this will be the perfect replacement for everyday makeup. I admit that I don’t get very excited for Essence summer collections (they seem a bit too childish for my taste), but I’m willing to make an exception for this gorgeous highlighter.

august wishlist Balm Contour palette

The other make-up item on my wishlist is The Balm Highlite n’ Con Tour palette (love the name!). It’s been a year since I added the last contouring palette to my collection (Kat Von D Shade&Light Contour Palette – review *here*) and I believe the time is ripe for a new one. I really like The Balm since they dare to do things differently and always surprise me with their packagings while retaining the quality.

august wishlist L'Occitane shower gel

Summer is the time to pamper my skin, so here are the skincare items I’ll be purchasing this month. Let’s start with the L’Occitane Citrus Invigorating shower gel. I love refreshing scents in the summer to wake me up and fill me with energy. I’m well acquainted with the Citrus line and I’m yet to meet a product I don’t like. I assume this shower gel won’t disappoint.

august wishlist Caudalie

Next up on the list is a moisturizing mask for my face that’s constantly a bit dry from abundance of SPF products and air-con in my car and at work. I’ve got my eyes on the Caudalie Cream Mask for intense hydration with grape-seed oil. I’ve also had many good experience with Caudalie products. Not only are the formulas great, they also get extra points for looking wonderful in my bathroom.

august wishlist Clinique take the day off balm

I’ve been using the Pixi & Caroline Hirons Double Cleanse for a month now and I must say it’s working great, but I’ve also heard great things about the Clinique Take The Day Off Balm. The concept is quite similar – the cleanser needs to be massaged into the skin to gradually remove make-up without any tugging or pulling. I use this time to give myself a short face massage, then use a muslin cloth with lukewarm watter to take it all off. I find this concept of make-up removing much more pleasant and effective then using cleansing cloths or micellar water.

august wishlist Nuxe

I already wrote a few posts about the Nuxe Oil, but it’s been a repeat purchase for quite some time now as I’m slowly getting to the bottom of my third bottle. I use it all over my body and occasionally apply it to hair as well. I like its scent even though I’m usually not the biggest fan of perfumed body products. Nuxe says they’ve improved on the formula so I’m looking forward to testing it out.

august wishlist Bioderma I won’t repeat myself about the importance of sun protection throughout the year – I’m sure I’ve mentioned it at least ten times this year alone. I’ll be using Bioderma Photoderm Spot 50+ SPF cream to protect my face in August. My skin is extra sensitive because of all the acids I’ve been using in my skincare, so I’m really intrigued by the promise that this cream protects against hyperpigmentation. I’ve tried several Bioderma products for my body, so I’m curious as to how I’ll like this one.

This is my August wishlist – I think it’s neither too short, nor too long. Is there something that impressed you recently and that should be on here? Let me know in the comments and, as always, stay beautiful until next time!

I was under the impression that while hubby was away for two weeks, I would have plenty of time and would post something new every day. Well… that turned out well, now didn’t it? I’m sorry to have gone MIA for 20 days, but now I’m back and let’s get this party started!

I actually wanted to write some other posts before this one, but as it turns out, cleaning out your closets really makes the empties pile up – I found quite a few products that had only a tiny bit left and that’s now gone.

Pantene Aqua Light, Garnier Fructis Repair and shine 3, Moroccanoil, Goldwell Golden Spray

I used up the Garnier Fructis Repair & Shine shampoo and conditioner. Both contain three nutritive fruit oils: olive, avocado and shea oil. I liked them well enough, especially the fruity scent, but they did nothing really special for my hair. I would not repurchase them.

I also used up the Pantene Aqua Light shampoo (which went a bit faster since hubby was stealing it all the time). This served as a shampoo to get rid of build up in my hair – it really gave them a good wash and they got that squeaky feeling to them – do you know what I’m talking about? I would repurchase this, since it’s inexpensive and works really well. As you can see, I also had some samples of this conditioner lying around so those went as well.

Keeping up with the hair theme, I finished the Moroccanoil treatment. For some reason, this went really fast – I expected it to last much longer, but to be honest, I was using it twice per days just because it made my hair incredibly silky and healthy looking. I still think that this would last much longer if it was used with a pump, since I sometimes got much more out of the bottle than needed. So I will purchase the full size (after I use up my Keraste oil), but probably keep the pump bottle from Keraste and put it in there.

I got the Goldwell Golden Spray from my hair stylist as a new year present. I liked it well enough – it didn’t make my hair sticky and was easy to brush out at the end of the day. It used to be hard to find a good hairspray, but right now, there are so many good ones out there that I probably will not purchase this, but instead try something new. View Post

I’ll be the last one to claim that I always stick to my routine, go through all the paces, take 20 minutes to get my face ready in the morning or clean at night, never sleep with my make-up on. Let’s face it, we’re all working people in some way or another. I don’t have half an hour a day to go through each of these steps. But when I do take the time and put in the effort, this is my normal autumn & winter skincare routine that is quite different from what I do to my face in the summer.

In the morning, there are four steps I try to take before putting any make-up on. First, some warm water never hurt anyone and apparently, it opens up your pores and prepares them for everything that is to follow. When dry, I follow up with the moisturizing part which is my absolute favorite thing to do in the morning – it really helps me feel fresh and ready to start the day. I’ve recently switched up my daily moisturizer to Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Gel.

So far, so good. It’s a little dry for my taste so I will probably try the lotion from the same line next time, but it does not break me out which is a step in the right direction. Normally, I’ve had luck with Clinique skincare products in general, so it’s a positive trend.

I try to take off my make-up when I get home from work, but it still normally has a good 12 hours to jump around my face clogging my pores, melting away and doing all kind of other silly business. I don’t tend to do the entire skincare routine at that moment though – I just use some cleanser (right now, I’m using the Nivea Pure&Natural Cleaning Milk) and a facial wipes. I’ve written a long post about many of these already and I’m currently using the Yes to Blueberries wipes which I again adore 🙂

In the evening, the real pampering (or torture, depends on the type of person you are) starts. About 3 times a week, I try to exfoliate with my Olay Pro-X and the Neutrogena purifying pore scrub. I’ve also gotten my hands on some Paula’s Choice Skin Perfecting 1 % BHA gel and I’m excited to try this stuff out to see how my skin will like it. When I exfoliate, I always end the process by putting the Nuxe (Huile Prodigieuse) oil on my face and let it really nurture the skin properly for about 15-20 minutes before doing anything else. I feel that exfoliation is quite stressful on the skin and it deserves a little pampering afterwards.

But as a part of a regular, everyday routine, I first take off my make-up as described above. Then I let my skin rest for a couple of minutes before applying Mixa Soothing Toner. It’s good, but it is not my favorite. That would have to be the Nuxe Eau Demaquilliante Micelaire (Micelar cleaning water). I’ve only had a deluxe sample of that and I am quite ready to invest in the whole bottle.

Then I apply the eye cream. I am currently using the Eveline Argan Oil Anti-wrinkle rejuvenating eye-cream, but I doubt that I will finish the whole serum – it does not seem to do anything to have any benefit whatsoever on my skin and I am a bit disappointed in it. Last but not least, I apply my nightly moisturizer. I switched this one as well, so I am using the L’Oreal Triple Active night moisturizer (I dropped it one day hence no lid because it broke). It’s very, very nice – quite oily, but I like that in the night cream since it has plently of time to really do its thing to my face throughout the night. I also apply down my neck as well.

And that is IT. It’s really simple in my opinion, although my husband would probably not agree.

What is the one thing that cannot be missing from your skincare routine when you want to pamper yourself? Comment below!

Until next time, stay beautiful, stay awesome!

Empties #8 – skin care & make-up

August Wishlist 2017

Product empties

My Fall and Winter Skincare Routine