Empties #9

Naked Shine Hydrating Conditioner – an average product in my eyes. It’s ok for day to day use but I found it’s not enough to keep my hair constantly moisturized. But it’s ok in conjunction with an intensive once-a-week treatment.

Sephora Bath & Shower Gel Strawberry/Raspberry – it smells gorgeous and the packaging looks very chic on the bathroom shelf. But the product itself isn’t anything special – just a typical shower gel.

Liz Earle Gentle Face Exfoliator – I’m not that keen on gritty face exfoliators but this was really nice. Particles are very small and not abrasive. It left my skin feeling very soft. Only thing that confused me is that it’s called ‘gentle’ yet not suitable for sensitive skin. My skin is sensitive but not to extreme and I didn’t have any irritation problems using this.

Collection 2000 Big Fake Mascara – I didn’t use this at all. I bought this ages ago and not only I picked up brown instead of black (did that on more than one occasion) but also the mascara was already dry in the tube. I don’t think I would’ve liked it anyway as it’s got massive brush which I don’t like. That was a waste of £5.

Farmona Vanilla Body Wash Scrub – first of all I don’t understand the name of this product. It’s not a wash in any shape or form. It’s just a scrub, it does not lather. As a scrub I found it did the job very well but it’s not going on my faves list. I found it a bit harsh sometimes, scent is a bit chemical and it doesn’t leave that nice silky film on the skin afterwards (some people hate it but I love it).

Benefit Total Moisture Facial Cream – really, really nice product. Smells lovely, moisturizes well, sinks in rather quickly and doesn’t make the skin oily.

Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat – I would not paint my nails at all if not this. Speeds up the drying process by 90%, gives gorgeous shine, makes the polish last longer. Already re-purchased! Only complain – goes gloopy pretty quickly so it needs thinning liquid added from time to time.

Affinage White Ice Shampoo – perfect for blondes! It’s dark purple in colour and it actually stops the blond from fading/going yellow. It’s quite drying so I didn’t use it more than once every two weeks.

Eveline Olive Creamy Milk – lovely body lotion for summer. Very light in texture and scent. Fast absorbing and just well moisturizing for the summer. I love the pump too, very handy!

Sylwia x

Empties #8

I’ve been posting pictures with mini reviews of my empty products on instagram since last month. It makes it a bit easier to share my opinion straight after I finish the product and it means I don’t have to hold onto rubbish. Plus let’s face it, I love to have stuff to Instagram about ;)

For those of you who don’t own this app, here are last month’s empties. Not much this time.

1. Soap & Glory Fab Pore – Great product. It’s awesome for a quick fix before a big day/night/event. Clears and tightens pores making the skin look fresh and radiant. I will definitely repurchase.

2. Sally Hansen Nail Polish Remover – Not too impressed with this. A lot of rubbing is involved to remove darker polishes. It’s very drying for an acetone free remover.

3. Osmo Extreme Volume Conditioner – Didn’t do anything moisturizing or volumizing to my hair. Not really worth the price which is a shame cause spray from this range is great.

4. Naked Strengthening Conditioner – Lovely stuff. Kept my hair nice and soft but not as moisturized as I would need to. I repurchased hydrating version to try out.

5. Sanctuary Hand Cream – Just an average hand cream. Moisturizes well enough, has a nice scent but not very fast absorbing.

6. Naked Mild Shampoo Sensitive Scalp – Great introduction to a Naked hair care range. It saved my scalp from being scratched to death ;) . In depth review here.

Sylwia x

Empties #7

Getting through the stash....

*Avon Senses Vintage Glamor Shower Crème – lovely feminine scent and didn’t dry my skin out. Good size for the price (I think it was only £2)

*Vaseline Cocoa Butter Body Lotion – lovely scent and deep skin conditioning. Rescued my dry skin on the legs.

*Bioderma  Sensibio H2O – another bottle finished! I don’t think I will ever use different eye makeup remover.

*Asda Sensitive Mouthwash – gentle and effective plus works just as good as a branded stuff for a fraction of a price.

*Asda Revitalising&Refreshing Dry Shampoo – smells nice and doesn’t leave white marks on the hair. But I found it doesn’t refresh and volumaize the hair as well as my favourite batiste.

*Clarisonic Gentle Hydro Cleanser – got this in a feel unique box but I don’t have a clarisonic brush :/. I’ve been using it with my hands in the mornings but it didn’t do anything for me (I guess but only guess it’s due to it not being used with an actual clarisonic brush???)

*Benefit Toning Lotion – this just like any other toner didn’t do anything for me and I found its thick consistency difficult to use.

*17 Mirror Shine Beehive – love, love, love! Soft peachy pink shade and texture of a lipstick combined with a lipgloss. Doesn’t stay on for too long but not many lipsticks do on my lips… Will definitely buy this one again.

*Ziaja Coconut Lipbalm – polish brand here. Smells nice but not very moisturizing.

*Beautifully Delicious Coconut&Shea Body Lotion – very light, mousse like consistency, absorbs quickly into the skin. Smells lovely too.

*Catrice Light-Reflecting Concealer  - great stuff! Good coverage blends well and stays put. Don’t say no more! Will defo pick this up again then I’m in Poland next time.

*Max Factor 2000 Calorie Mascara – best traditional brush mascara I’ve had. Delivers everything it promises and more.

*Revlon Super Lustrous Pink Crystals Lip Gloss – sticky and glittery… not for me.

*Benefit Refined Finish Facial Polish – I don’t use traditional scrubs anymore but if I did this is the one I would purchase in full size. Creamy and has lots of tiny beads doing a great job at exfoliating but being gentle at the same time.

*Avon Advance techniques Smoothing Cream – not sure why I bought this, really. My hair is straight so I don’t need anything to help them stay like that. So I can’t really say if it works or not lol
Made combing through easier thou:)


Sywia x

Empties #6

Hello my lovelies,

I can’t believe my last post on here was a week ago!  I have a few excuses but I think it will be better if I just move on and try to catch up :)

I managed to use up quite a few products last month. I didn’t buy anything new which makes me even more proud of myself than using stuff up! I will be moving towards natural skin/body care so my challenge is to finish everything I own at the moment and then make more thoughtfull purchases. I will post an update on that soon!

Anyhoo… here are the empties:

* Perfecta Spa Chocolate and Coconut Body Scrub – the scent of this is unbelievable! I wanted to eat it every time I used it! Click here for my review.
* Superdrug Vitamin E Body Butter – I can’t say this saved my skin but it did help a lot to sooth the dryness during the winter months. It’s a very good price for the quality.
* Soap&Glory Fab Pore Hot Cloth Cleanser – I really liked this product initially but it didn’t turn out to be that great in the long run. Consistency is thinner than my other hot cloth cleansers and it feels too slippery on the face. It removes all of the makeup very well but I didn’t notice any improvement in my skin’s condition like I did after using Liz Earle.
* Avene Gentle Purifying Scrub – very gentle and delicate scrub. Feels lovely on the skin and doesn’t cause any irritation. I personally don’t use normal scrubs like this anymore because I don’t really feel the need but if you do then this is a great product.
* Balance Me Hand Cream – for a review click here ;)
* Biosilk Therapy – awesome product for dry ends (of hair off course ;) ). I apply it when my hair is wet and it makes them easy to comb though plus soft and shiny after drying. Only tiny bit is needed so this little bottle lasts for ages.
* Cetaphil Skin Cleanser – I wasn’t impressed with the product and its ingredients. Review here.
* Batiste Dry Shampoo Tropical – I love when my hair smells of coconuts and I am a blond so I don’t mind it leaving a bit of whiteness on the hair. This stuff is a savior for not a morning person like me ;)
* Bioderma Solution Micellaire – another bottle gone! I love this stuff and couldn’t recommend it more. Thankfully I am going to Poland for a few days so will get back ups. If you’d like to know more about Sensibio H2O click here.
* Sanctuary Body Scrub – meah…. To gentle to be a scrub and too rough to be a daily shower gel :/
* Beauty Formulas Feminine wash – to be honest I don’t really think this is any different to a normal body wash. It has sulfates, fragrance, colors and alcohol as ingredients so it’s not gentler than any random shower gel!

When I looked back at my product use up posts I noticed two things:

1) I don’t use up any makeup items – I wonder if I ever'll manage to do that.
2) I can be quite harsh on some products. I hope that doesn’t offend anyone. I am quite demanding and particular of what I like and expect.

Hope you all had a great weekend and I wish you great week darlings.

Sylwia x

Empties #5

This post is a bit pathetic. I have used up some shampoos, body stuff and a few samples. Not much and not interesting.

I will show you anyway.

* Herbal Essences Hello Hydration Conditioner – nice stuff but I found it too much for me nowadays. Since I had my highlights done with a hair color instead of bleach this kind of stuff makes it really greasy.
* Asda Protect Sensitive Mouth Wash – just as good as branded stuff. Repurchased J
* Weleda Pomegranate Creamy Body Wash – click here for the review. Lovely product but I am not prepared to pay around £8 for a body wash
* Lirene Toner For Sensitive Skin  - didn’t dry or irritate my skin. It does what it’s supposed to do but I will buy something different now just because this is only available in Poland.
* Garnier Summer Body Lotion – will buy agin, and agin, and again J Smells like apricots and gives my skin light tan without faffing about with self-tanners.
* Boots Coconut & Almond Shampoo – I have recently noticed that it doesn’t really matter how much I spend on a shampoo and it works nearly enough the same. This was £1 and worked just fine. Didn’t dry out nor made my hair oily.
* Phyto Express Conditioner – This sample was enough for two uses so I can’t talk about long term results. But I got the impression that this stuff is supposed to make your hair feel super smooth after just one use. I didn’t notice much difference at all in my hair’s smoothness. It states on there to apply it and rinse it off immediately. It boggles my mind little bit because I was always convinced that it takes a few minutes for hair to soak up the goodness from conditioner. What do you guys think?
* Green People Gentle Cleanse – I got 3 or 4 uses out of this and I have to say it’s a really nice stuff. It’s a thick cream consistency so I used it like a hot cloth cleanser with muslin cloth. It costs £15.25 for 200ml which is just a bit more expensive than Liz Earle Cleanse&Polish. I might consider this when all of my cleansers run out J
* Pharmaceris Deeply Moisturizing Face Cream & La Roche-Posay Intensive Hydrating Care – I used these samples when the weather was really cold and my skin suffered from dryness. Both are brilliant. They give instant moisturizing relief that lasts throughout the day. I wouldn’t use it now as it would be too much for me but I recommend it highly for those of you with dry skin.
* Oriflame Beeswax Lip Balm – I’ve had it forever and I think it’s like a year out of date. Nicely moisturizing product but nothing special to me.

Hope you’re all well.
Sylwia x

Empties #4

I managed to use up few things last month. I don’t think I’ve done bad, althou some of them are my necessity products that I always have to have so I didn’t really finish any of the bits that have been waiting to be used for ages? Does that make any sense at all? :)

So, let’s get to it:

*J’adore Dior Eau De Parfum – This is my favorite perfume of all time. I got it as a gift from a friend and didn’t want it to finish. It is a classic scent that I think everyone would like. I will be definitely buying this again at some point.
*Neom Organic Body Lotion – I got this sample in my November Carmine Box. It is a nice lotion and it does moisturize well. But what did put me off was the scent. It’s a very strong overwhelming flowery smell. For that reason I won’t even be thinking about buying a full size.
*Bioderma Sesibio H2O Micelle Solution – I have raved about it a few times already. Absolutely love it and can’t imagine removing my eye make-up without it. You can find more in-depth review here.
*L’Oreal Elnett Hairspray – Definitely my favorite. I have been using this for a few years now. I buy different finishes but ultimately this is the best hairspray out there in my opinion. It holds very well and doesn’t stick the hair together. I don’t know what possessed me couple of months ago to buy a different one! I am coming back to this!
*John Frieda Sheer Blonde Healthy Attitude Spray – I’m just going to say it (or write it, rather)! This did absolutely nothing to my hair. It didn’t condition it nor kept the blond lightness. Won’t be buying again.
*Herbal Essences Hello Hydration Mask – I didn’t like this as a hair mask. It made my hair nice and soft but they went really greasy the same day!  I started using it instead of a normal conditioner and it worked great. It smells great, hair are well conditioned and easy to comb though. I will get something else now simply because I am on a hunt for perfect hair conditioner (I have been my whole life but I am still hopeful).
*La Roche-Posay Rosaliac – It’s an awesome moisturizer for those with mild rosacea problems. I wrote a little bit more about it here. I will repurchase this for next year’s winter.
*Sanctuary Body Lotion - This was a part of a set I got for Christmas (last year lol) and just got round to using it. It’s ok, nothing special really. I think there are lots of good lotions out there for a lower price.


Attention!
For those who don’t like cats, please don’t look! There is seriously cute photo below :D

I thought I will include this picture for you to guess which paw is which :) The tail is also somewhere there in between the paws :D

Sylwia x

Empties #3

Hello my lovelies!

I have seen some New Year's beauty resolutions on other blogs and as good as they sound I know I would't stick to anything like that. But there are couple of things I started to do last month and would like to carry on though out next year and years after that:

• buy new products but finish the ones I already own
• don't force myself to use up a product that don't work for me and don't feel guilty about spending money on it
• experiment more with make up, take advantage of the beautiful eye shadows I own

Other than that I won't make any promises cause I will struggle to keep them. Just going with the flow in 2012. 
Now onto the business! I have looked back at my Project 10 pan and realized that I have been cheating because I did buy a few beauty bits :( Nevertheless I still managed to use up quite a bit of stuff. I have decided to change my tactics but I will explain it in another post.

None of these products stood out for me so I was glad to finish them off. Apart from Vaseline anti-perspirant I won’t be repurchasing.

Pharmaceris Regenerating Conditioner For Dry Hair – didn’t do anything for my hair. This was a generous sample and I got to use it about 3 or 4 times. I haven’t noticed any difference in my hair’s condition.
John Frieda Sheer Blonde Shampoo - this is one of that purple shampoo’s that are meant to keep your highlights bright. Yes, it does work and doesn’t dry the hair out. But I own two more of this kind from different brands that are cheaper.
Avon Super Shock Mascara – I would not call this mascara "super shock". More like "natural day time" mascara. It did separate the lashes very well and it does thicken them up. But it is not a dramatic look by any means. Plus it’s dried out before I got to finish it off.
John Frieda Sheer Blonde Conditioning Treatment – Smells lovely at it does condition the hair well. But I am not really sure what it’s supposed to do to my blond highlights. I am not really happy to pay extra for a product designed for blond hair that does nothing else than condition them.
Andrew Barton S.O.S. Help me! – my hair smelled of almonds for about two days after using this stuff. I used this as my normal conditioner instead of a special treatment. I found it worked better that way as it is being left on for only 3 minutes. Hair felt nice and soft, smelt amazing and were easy to comb though. But in a product like that I look a long term results and this didn’t give them to me.
Lirene Aqua Intensively Moisturizing Mask – this product is really nice. It feels lovely on the skin and keeps it moisturized for two to three days. I purchased this a while back and my skin has changed since then. It is not that dry anymore. I do recommend this product to those with very dry skin.
Sanctuary Body Wash – Naaah. It’s a shower gel and you can get the same type of thing for about a £1 from any old brand.
Vaseline Aloe fresh 24h protection – this is the only deodorant that doesn’t irritate my underarms and keeps them fresh for a whole day. Highly recommended.

Empties #2

It's Monday! I know we all hate them but I hope yours isn't too bad.
It is time for me to post products I've used up this past month. As before I will also do a short review of them and show you what I've repalced them for. Click here if you'd like to see October Product use up!

Sensodyne ProNamel - I have been using Sensodyne tooth paste for about 3 years now. I bought it after my front teeth started to ache without any reason. Sensodyne helped me and pain went away. But then my gums started to bleed everytmie I was brushing. I tried ProNamel and they stopped. I would still repurchase this over and over again if not the price. It costs £4 for 75 ml which I think is a lot for a tooth paste! I decided to try something else. At Asda I picked up Oral-B Pro-Expert Sensitive teeth for £3.50 75ml. Only little price difference but why not give it a ago? Even little saving is a saving :) and if it's not as good then I will swap back to ProNamel.

Nivea Visage Cleansing Lotion - creamy, milky formula. I can't say I loved it but it worked fine. It removed make up from my face and eyes without to much rubbing. It felt soft and refreshing on the skin too. I bought this at Asda a while ago for £2 and that's a regular price which is very reasonable. The truth is thou...that once I used Bioderma Sensibio H2O I don't think I will be using anything else to remove my make up EVER!

Sanctuary Body Butter - I got this in a set for my birthday last year. As many of my cosmetics it has been waiting for it's turn to be used. This product deliveres eveything you can ask for from body butter. It's rich, creamy and it absorbs quickly to the skin. It soothes and relieves dry skin very well. I am going to use some mini products (Sanctuary Body Lotion, The Body Shop Satsuma Body Lotion, Veet Hair Minimising Moisturiser)that have been sitting and waiting for their turn forever. I always forget about these minis and samples so I thought since I am on a mission of Using Stuff Up I am going to fishins those off too.

Osmo Intensive Repair Hair Mask - I picked this up at a beauty supply store when I bleached my hair a few months back. It is an amazing product. I have been using it insead of normal Conditioner after every wash. It made my hair soft and healthy looking without making them greasy. I will definitely repurchase this on my next trip to beauty supply.
John Frieda Sheer Blonde Conditioner - this is meant to keep your blond hair bright and reverse the look of damage from colouring. Unfortunatelly I have to say that my hair still turned yellow and looked just as dry as normal. It did condition ok but mu hair didn't look soft and silky by any means. It's not worth nearly £6 I paid for it and it uses up pretty fast. Again I am going to use one of my mini products now. It is Pharmaceris Regenerating Conditioner for dry hair.

Colgate Plax Sensitive mouthwash - deliveres fresh breath and taste is pleasant. Only thing I noticed is that it made my front teeth ache a bit :( so perhaps still a little to strong for me. It costs £3.67 at boots. I am going to try Asda brand Protect Sensitive Mouthwash to see if it's just as good product for just a £1. It contains slightly different ingredients so hopefully my teeth won't ache!

Garnier Hand Repair Intensive Restoring hand cream - it's a great products. It heals dry hand skin after 2-3 uses. It soothes the skin and smells lovely (of maple!). I kept it in my draw at work and replaced it with Balance Me hand cream (that one lives at work too hence no picture). I received in my October Carmine box.

Hope my mini reviews were helpful!

Any of you tried these products? If yes, I would love know your opinions!

Empties #1

Hi everybody!

Each month I use up everyday beauty products and I automatically reach for a replacement. These are products that are not included in project 10 pan nor something I would repurchase exactly the same. I am hoping to do a monthly series showing you what I've used up with a little review of the item and what I've decided to swap it for.
Hope you enjoy!


Lirene Face Cleansing gel. I bought this item in Poland back in June. I wanted an everyday cleanser that wouldn't dry out my skin. This gel was exactly what I needed. I used it whole Summer. It woke my skin up in the morning and refreshed it after a long day in the evening.
It didn't leave my skin dry and didn't make it oily. I am swapping it for Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser. My skin becomes more sensitive in the winter so I need something gentler.


Avon Senses Garden Of Eden shower gel. I haven't got much to say about this other than that is smells lovely. It lathers very nicely so a little goes a long way. Unfortunatelly it dries out my skin a bit. Sometimes when I was tired and couldn't be bothered to use body lotion the next day I was itching all over :( I swapped it for Sanctuary Body wash.

Sylw xx