Empty products of the week 6 :)

Hello! Time to clean up a bit and do some empties :) I have finished some more products and now I will write a sort of short review for you which of these I find good, which are really good and worth repurchasing :)

Starting with some shower gels :) I have finished two  and the first one is by Kozmetika Afrodita and it's from their latest update, the new Coconut Milk line and also includes a body lotion, which I will also finish soon. I must say I really loved this creamy shower gel and I would repurchase it right now, but I really have to finish the ones I have first. The price is also pretty good, a bit less than 2 euros I think for a bottle and I really have to look away in the stores not to buy it already :P I have also reviewed this one here, the post is unfortunatly only in Slovenian. Next is another shower gel, by Fa and it's their vitamin&power Vitamin B nd Honey Melon. I really liked this cent in summer time and than I didn't use this one for quite some time and once I started it again it was already winter and well, I didn't like it as much. It feels very light on the skin and does the job well, but doesn't leave the scent on the skin for very long, at least on me I can not really smell it after half an hour.. I think I will not repurchase this one, at least not right now, maybe next summer.

Than moving on to deodorants. I have finished two, one is by Nivea and it's from their Pure&Natural collection and is a roll-on, it has the jasmin scent. Honestly, when in store, I thought this would be great and really smelled good on me, but when applied I really didn't like the scent and probably won't repurchase. At least not this one, otherwise I like their roll-ons as they are small, portable and pretty good at doing their job - preventing any unpleasant scents to break out. The only thing that might not be practical is the glass bottle, as I am really clumsy and always fear I will break the bottle in the bathroom. Next to it is one by Rexona, it's the Clear Diamond one and it's a spray. I liked this one, but I would much rather this was a roll-on and not in spray can. Plus is also that this didn't leave any white marks on my clothes as I mostly wear darker shades. Repurchase is a maybe, well, maybe if I find it in roll-on shape.

Moving on to some face products, I have finished  one toner and one face  wash foam. the toner is by Kozmetika Afrodita and it's from their Clean Phase collection and has some lemon extract and hyaluron acid plus astringent effect. I really liked this one and will probably repurchase in about a month or so, as I am already half way through my latest toner, which was also a repurchase, the one by KRASNA, I have already reviewed here. I will probably repurchase this one as it is much cheaper than the Krasna one and also it's pretty good and worked well for my skin, and I think it actually helped with my problematic skin. The price is about 5 euros and you get 200 ml of the product which is pretty good, considering the Krasna one I am using at the moment costs 12 euros and also offers 200 ml. The next product I have finished is this face wash foam by Nivea and I really liked this. I was using it in the morning and it did really well, refreshed my face and cleaned up well.  I had this for quite some time before I started using it and before this one I had the Balea one and that one was also good, but less gentle. This one really causes me no problems or irritations and still does the job well. In the evening I used first micellar water and than went over with this foam cleanser and really washed my face well and I think this is realy worth repurchasing. I will repurchase but probably not just yet as I have two more cleansers at home to finish first.

And some more face products :) I have finished this Alverde Waschcreme Heilerde, which was already my repurchase as I have known this collection since I was in high school and really liked it. It's reasonably priced, they try to be as natural as possible and does the job just the same as  any other cleanser. But if you use foundation with very good coverage and staying power this might not work well for you as you will need to cleanse again to really get everything off. All in all, it's pretty good and gentle, doesn't irritate my skin and leaves it feeling fresh and soft so I might repurchase this in the coming months, once I finish my stash. Next to it is Visibly Clear face peeling by Neutrogena. I bought this after I saw and tested it at my friends house and I really liked it at first try, It's soo light, and creamy at the same time, it's gentle but effective, not too gentle, you can still feel the little parts working in your skin. I didn't use this every day or anything like that, mostly I used this once a week or maybe once per two weeks and it did work for me. It didn't cause me any more skin problems and I would repurchase but I have decided to test a Garnier with wasabi extract first. And I really did love the fresh and cooling sensation this gives, plus the pleasant scent. The price is about 5-6 euros, if memory serves me right, but it could be some more. The only problem I had with this was that I had to cut open to use up the product as it wouldn't come out anymore at the end. The last item here is not for face but for hair and it's by Scwarzkopf Gliss Hair repair 6 miracles oil essence. It's just an oil for hair and I used it mostly for hair ends, but it didn't really do much change, it just kept them in good shape and gave them enough care so that they didn't split as much as before and also helped a bit with the health of my hair in general, kept them strong and neat. I will not repurchase this as it didn't do anything special, it was an ok product but not that impressive and that good I would want to repurchase. I will test some other products first before coming back to this one. Don't get me wrong, it's not a bad product, it's a good one but just not that amazing.

Some L'Occitane empties, I have finished a hand cream Dry skin hand cream with shea butter, their bestseller I think, and I must say this is also my favoruite product from this brand,from their body and skin care range. This  was already a repurchase and I will treat myself with another cream when I save some money for it, plus once I finish with my hand creams stash. I have also finished the Pevoine Flora EdP, which I have recieved as a  Christmas gift from my bf's mother, about two or three years ago and I finally finished it. I really loved this scent and would repurchase now if I could, but it's simply too expensive and I have quite a stash of EdT's and EdP's... soo.. I really shouldn't. I also really like the bottle, the colour and the shape... I might reuse it and buy some perfume copy, like from Refan shop..

And finally some finished makeup products. I have finally decided to throw away Deborah 24 Ore mascara, as it was really old and I didn't even use it anymore it just was there in the bathroom and waited. Than I finally decide to give her one last try and it was sooo baad... I mean it, the formula went really bad and I couldn't even apply this well without getting it all over my face and I have finally given up that this will ever again work for me. After all mascaras are supposed to be good for about 6 months and I have kept this mascara for a lot longer... The review is here, but as for the repurchase.. I don't think so. It's good, but I already have better ones and well, I will not repurchase.
Than next is a face powder by Essence, All about matt! fixing compact powder. It was an overall ok product but sometimes I tended to look too white with this, I don't know why, maye because of the foundation or maybe I applied too much? This didn't really do much for me, as for the matte effect it was more or less average, so as expected for the price - less money, less music... It's not bad and some really like this, but my skin is too greasy and in combination with my foundations this simply doens't work as well as I hoped it would. I have finished it almost completely but than the rest of the product broke and well, I had to throw it away. Anyway, if you are on a budget this would be worth trying, but if you really need a good powder that will keep your face matte for a longer time than I would recommend investing in something else. The last product of my empties is another powder, by Catrice, All Matt plus shine control powder. An ok powder, again pretty average at keeping my face matte, easy to work with and natural finish, but well, I will not repurchase. It's quite similar to the Essence one but a bit more expensive and really, I still prefer the Bourjois one and will rather buy that one, even thou it's more expensive, simply because it's so much more fine and looks so much more natural and also helps me stay matte longer than these two did. I didn't even finish the product really, I kinda broke it when it fell on the ground and some time later the product completely broke inside and I decided to throw the remains away.

Did you try any of these? Do you recommend me something similar?

Hope this was helpful to you and thanks for reading!

Love, UniqaPoly

Review: Essence - Come to Town LE - Wrapped in Pink lipstick

Hello! A bit of a more festive review, this is a lipstick from Come to Town LE by Essence and it's one of the two available lipsticks in shade  02 Wrapped in Pink :) The whole limited edition is very festive and preparing you for the holidays and even the name of the lipstick is pretty girly and kinda cheesy but oh well... it's that time of the year again.

This LE is available for quite some time now in Slovenia and I think some stores still have it, otherwise you can still order from Click2chic online store if you want, the price for this lippie is 2,49 euros.

When I first saw this lipstick at the Essence&Catrice blogger event I wasn't much interested in such shades, but lately with all the golds, reds and some greens I feel like I need a break from all of that and I really liked this one. It's not the usual holiday colour, but it's not as girly as the name would suggest either. It's a strong pink, more like magenta shade and has some purple depth to it. So definitely not for the faint harted :P 

The packaging is standard for Essence lipstick, plastic but with the added touch of matching the outer plastic colour with the colour of the lipstick. Nothing special to say about it, but it could be done better. Anyway, with a brand like Essence you can't really blame them as they try to cut down on the less important stuff like packaging and still provide us with a good product for a reasonable price ( or maybe even for a cheap price, as these are really good  value for the product you get, quite a bargain really). 

The formula is similar to their regular range of longlasting lipsticks, but this one seems a bit more creamy and a bit more moisturizing than the other shads I have. Application is easy and even, with one swipe you could be ready to go, but I prefer the full on application and go over it twice to really get the strong pink-ish purply shade. It is comfortable to wear and you really don't even feel it on your lips. The finish is not matte, but not shiny either, something in between. Lasting power on me for about 2 hours and a half as I constantly eat or drink, so this is kinda the normal lasting power for me with Essence liptstick and than they need a bit of a touch up. After a long day and no fixing my lips it still leaves a hint of light pink shade on my lips. 

My final verdict is that this is a pretty good lipstick, especially if you want something different but not really a red lippie, if you want to look a bit different at the parties where most will wear different hues of red, you can always opt for a shade like this. Also, I feel like it really brightens up my face and the whole look and gives me that lived in look, not like the classic porcelain doll with perfect skin ( you really need a good base and make your skin look best possible to work with a strong and possibly shiny red) and perfect red lips... so if you feel a bit of a rebel and don't want to do the red lips every holiday season I would really recommend this shade and this formula, as it's really pretty good for such a low price.

Some more photos for you and an attempt of a swatch on my lips, but the shade is quite more lively than on my photos...

Hope this was helpful to you and thanks for reading!

Love, UniqaPoly

Review: Bourjois BB cream 8in1 - 21 Vanilla

Hello! As promised I took some time to review and test this product :) Now it's time to write a review :) 
I have bought this at DM store and it was on sale for 50% off, I think it's still available with discount in Slovenian DM stores. It was a bit of an impulse buy, because I really didn't need this but didn't want to miss an oppurtunity to test and try a new product.

The packaging is simple and reminds me of the BioDetox collection Bourjois had a couple of years back..I had their pressed powder and it had similar packaging, with a big mirror inside and a sponge to apply with. You can twist the upper lid with the mirror around as much as you like and it's very practical to carry in your bag especially for the touch ups and the use of the mirror :) Inside you get 6g of product and it's supposed to be good for 18 months once opened.

This is 8in1 BB cream and promises to even the complexion, create irresisitible baby-smooth skin, to perfect, smooth your skin, to be anti-shine and anti fatigue, also anti-aging with targeted correction, long lasting hydration and 20 SPF. I have mine in the lightest shade available 21 Vanilla.

What it really is? It's creamy and soft, it blends well, somewhat melts into the skin, the finish is very natural, like you have no foundation on top. It doesn't give you matte finish, but it's not too shiny either, so you will need just a little bit of mattifying setting powder on top. I usually apply it with a brush ( Real Techniques - stippling brush) as it helps me to really blend it well, I haven't tried with my fingers yet as I don't want to get it all messy and dirty too fast. I have oily to mixed skin type and this is not ideal for my type, but it still looks pretty good. I do need quite a lot of setting and correcting later with mattifying powder. The coverage is light to medium, a bit more medium on me, but I was really surprised how well it covered up my pores and I must say I didn't expect it to be as good at it, I really like it. Plus you look like you, just better, no visible lines you have your foundation  on... It doesn't cover enough to be completely spot and pore free looking, but I don't like full coverage as I don't like to look like a doll when I know my skin is everything else but perfect. What does bother me is the amount of the product, because I have been using this a couple of times a week since purchase and I feel like I have already gotten to half of the product...which is a bit fast, in comparison with any other foundation which can last you a couple of months easily..

Staying power is good, but average, at least on my oily skin. It lasts well over 5 hours on me, than I can already see where I have applied smaller amounts that it simply faded. It still looks ok, but it needs some touch ups on me. Small ones, but sometimes I really have to fix it a bit. 

I really like it because the shade fits me quite well, also like the packaging and the effect and finished look on my face. However I wish there was something I could do to prolong the wear and also that it would contain more of the product inside as it is not that cheap for a drugstore product, the regular price is about 15-16 euros I think. All in all, I must say I like it, mostly because of the way it looks on my face and well because the first impression of this was very positive and this product keeps working for me I am not as bothered by the fact it is not a very longlasting and that I need to do touch ups and use a lot of mattifying powder on top throughout the day. I got used to it and I really love how light it feels and looks on the skin. So if you don't have any major skin problems or need to conceal them, if you like lightweight products and light to medium coverage than this would be a good thing to try :) Also if you have normal to mixed skin, or even if you are a bit on the dry side this could still very well work for you even better than it did for me :)

And some more photos for you :)

the sponge - you can see the holes under, that go  through the packaging, so I guess the sponge can pick up some dirt from your surroundings..

quite yellow toned, as the rest of Bourjois foundations

full and fat swatch ;)

blended a bit

Hope this was helpful to you and thanks for reading! :)

Love, UniqaPoly

Review: Catrice - Velvet Finish foundation, powder and concealer :)

Hello! Velvet Finish is a new collection from Catrice, and consists of a foundation, powder and concealer. The range was designed for more mature skin as it promises to give optical illusion of lifting and disguising your wrinkles. Also this line contains hyaluron, vitamin E and B5, alantoin and spf 30.

I will start with the first product I would apply on my face, the Velvet Finish  foundation with hyaluron, spf 30 and a promise to be longlasting. The packaging is simple glass bottle, very small and handy and I really like the shape of it. On top you have a pump and a plastic transparent cap. You get 30 ml of product and it's supposed to be good for 12 months after you open it. 

There are four shades available and I have the lightest one in 010 Light Velvet, which is a bit too yellow and dark even for me, or at least it was at first, but than I got used to it and blended it well with Oriflame Illuskin foundation and it worked quite well. I usually use the other foundation to blend only when I apply this foundation all over my face, but most times there is no need to. I would say this is a shade too dark for me, but somehow I manage to make it work, but first application was quite a shock and I was like: "Oh this is bad, very bad, very bad, I need to fix this and I am already late"... 

The texture of this product is quite thick and I have never had a foundation that was so solid. But don't fear, even thou it's not like Bourjois HM foundations with silicones, it still goes on very well and  forms a pretty good surface, it's more like a cream than a liquid foundation. I really love the finish on my skin and that's why I really wanted this shade to work for me, this really covers up my pores and blemishes and really makes it look like a second skin, exactly because it's soo thick. This might not be a good choice if you like lighter foundations, or something soo light as BB and CC creams. It also has a bit of scent, but it's gentle and powdery, reminds me of Nivea...The finish is really good, it's matte but not dull, a bit more luminous. It's not cakey or anything like that, it really looks very natural and not out of place at all. I guess the only problem here is the shade selection. 
Staying power is also pretty good, I think it's even better than with Bourjois HM foundation.  The finish lasts for a very long time, I would say about three hours, which is really long for me as I have oily skin. And once applied and dried at first you don't even need to go over with powder. As for removing it off, I must say it stays on all day and I need to really put in some effort to really remove it in the evening. 

Next one is Velvet Finish powder with hyaluron in shade 020 Natural Velvet. This is actually the last step, but I will just talk about it now :P 

The packaging is again just like with any other Catrice powder. I think it is a bit more sturdy and stronger, this powder was lucky enough to only have fallen from my hands once and lucky for me it's still whole.  You get 10g of product inside and it's good for 12 months once opened. I have this one in shade 020 Natural velvet which is the second lightest shade, but you can choose from four different shades, and I would really like to try the lightest one as I bet would fit me as well too. Also tthis shade is quite lighter than foundation, I am really curious why they chose to create such dark foundations...

The texture of this powder is very good and I actually use this almost every day for the last month or so, it's very finely milled and doesn't make you look powdery at all. It's easy to apply and blend with your foundation, and if in combo with this foundation here you don't even need it at first as the foundation is matte enough already. And that's coming from me who never has enough matte finish and who always looks oily. Anyway, I mostly use this in combination with my Bourjois foundations ( HM serum, HM foundation, 123 foundation and Flower perfection foundation) and it really does the work well. It gives a bit of colour but it's neutral enough to fit my foundations, or better, it's yellow enought to fit with them.The finish is really great, really matte, but not looking dull and dried out, but soft like baby skin.  

As for coverage I would say light to medium, as by itself it's still just a powder and you can not expect to really cover all your skin problems, but if you do have almost flawless skin this could work for you on its own. Staying power is good too, but nothing too impressive if you ask me, I can get away with no touch ups for about 3 to 4 hours, and than I will need to do my forehead, chin and nose area again, after five hours I will definitely need to go over my cheeks again. The feel on the skin reminds me of my beloved Bourjois Healthy Mix powder and this could be an alternative to it and a cheaper, budget buy. 

The second step (and last review) is concealer and this one is Velvet Finish concealer with hyaluron in shade 010 Velvet Ivory with spf 6 and soft-focus effect. I still can't explain what the soft-focus effect is so I will just leave it to your interpretation...

 The packaging is simple that of actually any concealer, plastic bottle with doe foot, just a simple tube. Inside you get 5 ml of product and it's suppsed to be good for 12 months once opened. This is the lightest shade available, you can choose from three different shades. Unlike foundation this is really light and can be combined with many other foundations, which I really like. It has a bit of peach undertone, but it goes well with my Bourjois foundations and so far I have been using this mostly for under my eyes and also for some blemishes. 

The texture is as with foundation more creamy and thicker than usual concealers from tubes, it blends really well and is easy to apply, it really melts well with the skin and leaves no visible edges ( if I apply one layer). The finish is not as matt as with the foundation, it's more shiny, so I need to go over with powder. It workes best for under eye area, but for me it doesn't have enough coverage and I need something more to really get the coverage I want, so I would say it's medium. I really hate applying concealer under my eyes in layers as I usually get it all rubbed off by the end of the day and it looks even worse than, as you can see the edge where I tried to repair the look but was unable to and than I get that ugly contrast where I still have two layers and where I have almost no concealer at all. I know this is not really the products fault but this one tends to crease by the end of the day if I apply too many layers. So staying power, is also thanks to my restless fingers, more or less medium, for a couple of hours but I think I will need to start taking this with me to do touch ups. 

from L to R: concealer, powder, foundation

Hope this was helpful to you and thanks for reading!

Love, UniqaPoly

Review: Catrice - Color correcting mattifying powder

Hello! I got this powder to test and try at the Essence&Catrice event and I have been using it ever since. It's the Catrice Color correcting mattifying powder in shade 010 Delicate Blossom. 

The packaging is simple and classic for Catrice and I really wish they did better ones as I seem to keep dropping these ( I had another Catrice mattifying powder, that's now waiting to be posted under Empties) on the floor. 

This powder has different hues to correct uneven skin tone and at the same time mattify your face. Green is supposed to cancel out any redness you might have, pink is supposed to freshen-up tired complexion  and beige shades  are there to bring you the natural skin tone. The powder is really light and fine, it has a slight scent, but I like it I don't know how to describe it otherwise than tha of on old makeup.

It's easy to apply and blend, but at first I had noticed that it really doesn't want to come out of the pan and I thought I simply needed to get throught the first layer and get it really started. At first I didn't notice any changes to my foundation and whole look and thought it just a powder with matt effect and nothing more, now that it's really been used some more I can also say it does help me a bit with my skin tone, but you can still see redness or anything like that through, so this does not do any miracles by any chance, but it does help a bit. It also doesn't leave you looking too powdery, which is really important to me as I tend to look like I have way too much powder on top of my foundation and sometimes need to really go back in and blend and correct some more, and a big plus is that it leaves your skin feeling really soft. As for keeping me shine-free throughout the day it does a fairly good job, My nose- area and chin and forehead start to shine really fast and even here they did too, about after three hours. I find this pretty good, as I tend to get shiny really fast, but the real touch up was needed some time later, after around five hours of wear. 

In general I should be liking this product, and I am, sort of. But it's just something...maybe because the first impression was that this is just another transparent powder with matt effect that didn't do any miracles but simply a good job? I don't know, but somehow I am not liking this as much as I want to and I still think the Bourjois Healthy Mix pressed powder is the best one I have tried so far from drugstore makeup... Anyway, this is still a pretty good budget buy and if you don't have really oily skin and need a really good powder that will also help you conceal well, this is actually a pretty good buy.

Hope this was helpful to you and thanks for reading!

Love, UniqaPoly

Disappointing products #3: Deborah Milano - CC Cream 8in1 creamy correcting foundation

Hello again! Time to write about a product I didn't like, this time it was by Deborah Milano and it's theirs CC cream 8 in 1 creamy correcting foundation in shade 00, the lightest shade. Well, unfortunately this product really dissapointed me and here's why.

This product promises to do quite a lot of things but what it really does is well... nothing. The only thing that I did like was the scent, which some other reviewers said they disliked, but to me it was that classic cosmetic scent, hard to describe but it reminds me of some old perfume. It was not that pleasant, but it was pretty good. 

Well, back to the promises - this products promises to prime, correct, moisturize, protect, nourish, to unify your skin tone and have antioxidant action ( contains Hyaluronic Acid). 

The packaging is a bit different than with other similar products. It has a mirror inside and a little makeup sponge, a little separate space under the product for storing it. Which I find pretty good, but the product itself didn't work for me at all. 

The texture of the product is interesting but hard to blend, it's hard but with some work creamy and than you need to work it in your skin quite fast. It's hard to apply it evenly and to build it up, because it's too solid and doesn't want to work with my sponge or my fingers. 

The shade was the lightest possible because I hoped it would suit me but it didn't, it was a bit too light. The next one is 01 Fair, but that one seemed too yellow for me and I usually really do well yellow toned foundations, well this was not the case here. 

The finish is a very natural look, once you manage to get any product out of the pan, with a very light coverage. And I mean very light! It doesn't do any of the promised things, this does not cover my pores at all, not even the smallest ones, does not cover the red zones on my face, does not cover any blemishes, if you have any other skin problems this will not work for you. So this is the part that dissapointed me the most, I really hoped this would at least cover some, but well... I could still use it as a primer, but it's way too much work to apply it every day and it doesn't go well when you apply another liquid foundation on top, because the lasting power is not good at all than  and I already have a better primer at home that's faster and easier to use.

I would recommend this product only to those with really smooth skin, almost none skin problems and no larger pores, plus to those with normal to dry skin, as I find this unfit for people with normal to greasy and greasy skin.

Hope this was helpful to you! 

Thanks for reading!

Love, UniqaPoly

NOTD: Catrice - Luxury Lacquers Liquid Metal - SHINY - 08 Thunder From Down Under

Hello! A quick post today, showing you may NOTD :) I have been wearing this nail polish by Catrice lately and I think it's a very interesting shade, maybe not soo much festive and suitable for holidays to come in general, but I see this one as a perfect fit for a party night out or maybe even New Years Eve. The shade I am wearing is from the range Luxury Lacquers Liquid Metal and the name of the shade is really memorable and fun - 08 Thunder From Down Under.

I have gotten this beauty at Essence & Catrice blogger event, but I finally managed to actually take photos of it and write a little something. Why I like this nail polish?  Because  the colour is a dark black-ish shade and I really prefer to wear darker shades on my nails. It has nice sparkly effect, quite a lot of glitter, but it's not like a sand effect nail polish so it looks more muted and tuned down. It looks sexy and elegant on the nails and I find it perfect for anyone who wants to wear glittery nail polishes but at the same time not too shiny or pearly. Also it looks like a dark black nail polish with silver glitter in the bottle, but in real life I noticed it was sparkling more like golden shimmer...

 I also like the formula, because it's a bit more thick than other Catrice nail polishes I have and is easy to use, I also took a photo of the brush so you can see the size and shape of it. I would love if it were more flat and thick but this one worked just fine. The pigmentation of this nail polish is really great, all I needed was one coat and I was done! I used nail base by Essence - Studio nails hardening nail base, one coat and than went over with the Catrice one. This lasted me three days without the need to do any touchups, except for two little spots where it chipped off but nothing biger. Also it has a very soft, glossy finish and I really like it, because I kinda got bored with the sand effect.

And some more photos for you :)

Thanks for reading!

Love, UniqaPoly