Lip Treatments -Unlisted Brand - Apivita Lip Care with Propolis
carita 4/17/2013 4:36:00 AM
The balm doesn’t feel too waxy – since it contains beeswax, I was afraid that I’ll have problems with difficult application, but it goes on smoothly. It has a dusty coconut scent – not something I’m fan of, but I can tolerate it. As for the care, it really nourishes my lips, especially during night. It doesn’t disappear quickly, so sometimes when I wake up, I can still feel that there’s some balm left on the lips after all night sleep. Quality wise, it is a good product for an affordable $10 (contains 4.4 grams of product). The only issue I have is the packaging. It literary feels like it is going to fall apart in my hands. It feels super cheap and of bad quality. The repurchase of this (or some other lip balm from Apivita line) depends on how well will the packaging hold. I don’t expose it to any extreme condition – it simply sits on my table, so I don’t expect much problems, but you can never be sure.
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Masks -Unlisted Brand - Apivita Express Beauty Mask with Grape
carita 4/17/2013 4:34:00 AM
As a huge fan of moisturizing masks, I couldn’t help trying another one. So far, I’ve only used one Apivita product (a lip balm) and I found it pretty good so I was looking forward to try out more. Apivita has a huge range of Express Beauty masks , but I have picked up Express Beauty Mask with Grape because it claimed to moisturize the skin, plus it contains antioxidants (vitamins A and E). The mask is supposed to firm the skin and remove lines (not that I can comment much on it). You shouldn’t apply it to the eye-contour area. The instructions say to rinse it off well with water after 10 minutes, but I prefer to to apply a thicker coat of it and leave it on over night. I have to warn you that I currently use Ystheal plus 20% glycolic acid peel, so my skin can handle a lot. If you have a sensitive skin, you might be better following the instructions. The colour of the mask is light, light pink with a red dots here and there (I have no idea what are those). The consistecy is very light, almost lotion-like. I do feel a light stinging after applying the mask, but it disappears quickly upon the application. Other than the stinging, there are no other irritations. The mask sinks in very quickly (even though I apply it liberaly). The mask isn’t as moisturizing as, let’s say Sisley masks are, but overall, my skin really likes it. That doesn’t mean that it doesn’t moisturize my skin – it does, but if I find myself with truly dehydrated skin, I’d use something else. As for the efficiency, I really love the mask. Together with my current routine, it made my skin great (compared to how my skin usually behaves). Ever since I use it, I haven’t had any problems with flakey skin (which usually is the case in this time of the year). I cannot comment its firming properties, but this mask is a good choice for a radiant-looking skin. The mask is really affordable compared to the rest of the Apivita range – you get two sachets (each containing 8 ml) for approximately $7. Each sachet lasts a long time – I think I’ll get at least 10 uses out of each. Although I’ll probably experiment with more Apivita masks, I’ll always have a sachet of two of the Grape mask as a back-up. I recommend it
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Masks -Sisley - Black Rose Cream Mask
carita 4/17/2013 4:30:00 AM
Being a huge fan of Sisley masks (especially Express Flower Gel and Hydraflash), I wanted to try this as soon as it came out. However, the stores were always out of samples (and sometimes even out of the full sized product), saying that this masks simply flies off the shelves. I was so happy when Sisley decided to include the 10ml size of the mask into their GWPs, so currently I have 40ml of the mask. The full sized mask comes in a 60 ml tube which retails for around $140. Like the name says, the mask is a pale peachy cream. It feels light and rich at the same time. The instructions say to apply it on the clean face and leave it on for 10 minutes to sink in, then wipe off the excess. I don’t follow the instructions and I use it as I would use a moisturizer, only I apply a thicker amount. It sinks in slowly, but it is far less sticky that the Express Flower Gel. When I compare its effectiveness, Express Flower Gel gives my skin a more “I got a full-night sleep” appearance, while Black Rose effect is not as dramatic in giving fresh-looking skin. On the other hand, Black Rose is way more moisturizing than Express Flower Gel – once I use it, I can count that my skin won’t get dehydrated for the next several days, no matter what I do with it. The only real minus I could find (besides the price) is the scent. I think that this is the most disgusting scent I’ve ever smelled. Although the name says Black ROSE, I can barely scent a rose in it – it smells more like you’ve put rose petals into water and they started to rot and became stinky. Another thing the scent reminds me to is the scent of the depilatory cream – you know that poorly masked stink of the chemicals which dissolve the hair? That’s exactly the scent of the Black Rose mask. When I first put it on, I had to make sure that I didn’t put a depilatory cream on the face by accident, lol. I got used to the scent to some degree – at least I don’t have to check whether I applied a hair removal cream – and it won’t make me stop using this mask, but I felt the need to warn you.
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Moisturizers -Sisley - All Day All Year - Essential Day Care
carita 4/17/2013 4:29:00 AM
All Day All Year is, together with Creme Reparatrice, Floral Toning Lotion, Express Flower Gel and Lyslait, one of Sisley’s signature products. I’ve been listening the glowing reviews for years and I’ve always wanted to try it, but I could never get a sample so I didn’t want to risk. The full-size All Day All Year comes in a 50ml pump bottle and retails for $398. Luckily, I got 5 GWP samples, each containing 10 ml, so I practically got the full-size for free. I’ve been using it once per day (in the morning) for two weeks and I haven’t even spent a half of the tube. All Day All Year has a slightly unpleasant scent, which disappears upon the application. When I squeeze it out, the consistency feels whipped, but when I spread it on the face, it feels thick, greasy and sticky (like a heavy sunscreen). However, half a minute after it dries up to a matte finish. I use it underneath the make-up – it is a great base to put underneath the foundation. All Day All Year boasts with sunscreen, but it never says which SPF it has, so I wouldn’t put much confidence in it to protect me from UVA/UVB rays. Ever since I’ve started using this (in conjuncture with some other products – Soapless Facial Cleansing Bar, Ecological Compound, Sisleya Radiance Serum and Floral Toning Lotion), my skin feels and looks great – soft, radiant skin with minimal oiliness and no dehydration. I was a bit worried that it will break me out, but luckily it didn’t. I recommend this cream as a basic day-time moisturizer because it protects my skin primarily from the environmental damage (cold and dry air). I trust the claim about UV filters to protect me during cloudy winter days, but it wouldn’t be my go to sunscreen in spring, summer or fall. The only drawback is the price, which is steep for something so basic, but I hope that the samples will last me a long time. All Day All Year INGREDIENTS: Water (aqua), ethylhexyl methoxycinnamate, squalane, isopropyl palmitate, cetearyl alchohol, corylus americana (hazel) seed oil, butyrospermum parkii (shea butter), sesamum indicum (sesame) extract, pyrus malus (apple) fruit extract, butyl methoxydibenzoylmethane, propylene glycol, polysilicone-14, cetearyl glucoside, phenoxyethanol, salix alba (willow) leaf extract, potassium cetyl phosphate, dimethicone, tocopherol, butylene glycol, polyacrylamide, ceteareth-33, methylparaben, C13-14 isoparaffin, xanthan gum, silica, juniperus communis fruit oil, salvia officinalis (sage) oil, arginine, oryza sativa (rice) bran extract, butylparaben, thymus mastichina herb oil, ethyparaben, laureth-7, disodium edta, citric acid, propylparaben. (cont. linalool, limonene).
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Cleansers -Bioderma - Sebium H2O
carita 4/17/2013 4:21:00 AM
I have received a 250ml bottle of Bioderma Sebium Micelle Solution with the purchase of Sebium cream. 250ml bottle is the medium sized one – there also exists a bigger, 500 ml bottle and one smaller. As far as I can remember, 250 ml costs around $13. Bioderma has two varieties of micelle solution: Sensibio (for sensitive skin) and Sebium (for oily skin). I was a bit worried that, since my version is for oily skin, it would be too drying, but it wasn’t. Ever since I’ve tried it, micelle solution is my favourite method for removing make-up. It takes off the layers of foundation and powder, eyeshadow, mascara and eyeliner without irritating my eyes. Keep in mind that I don’t generally use waterproof make-up, but I’ve started applying Chanel Illusion d’Ombre mixed with Inglot Duraline, which makes the make-up longwearing. Micelle solution is a transparent liquid, with light scent, which looks like a water. The scent is barely there, but don’t get it in your mouth, because the taste is horrible. I’ve been using it almost daily for two and a half months and there’s a bit more than half left, although at first it didn’t seem as if it would last for so long. My only problem is the packaging – it comes in a flip top bottle and I think that it would be easier to dispense it if it contained a pump. As it is now, I sometimes have a hard time not to overspill it.
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Moisturizers -Bioderma - Sebium Hydra
carita 4/17/2013 4:20:00 AM
According to the pharmacist, this cream should moisturize skin without making it too greasy. I haven’t purchased the full-size, but the pharmacist gave me several 5ml samples to try. The cream has a very thick consistency, but it isn’t greasy. It spread easily, but I need to use quite a lot for my face. It has a very mild scent which shouldn’t bother anyone. My skin is oily and dehydrated with huge pores. As for the efficiency on my skin, I find the cream okay. It helped (to some extent) with dehydration, but my skin needs much more moisture in the winter. From what I can notice, the cream hasn’t clogged my pores or caused any breakouts. Since it didn’t make my skin greasy, I think this might be a nice solution for late spring or summer.
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Cleansers -Bioderma - Sebium Exfoliating Gel
carita 4/17/2013 4:18:00 AM
I’ve been using Sisley Exfoliating Cream prior to Bioderma, but Sisley was a bit too messy and complicated to use. I had to wait for several minutes to dry out and if the air was a slightly bit humid, it would take an eternity for it to dry. I won’t even mention the messy scrubbing of the exfoliator off. All in all, even if it was a very good product, it was much too high a maintenance for me. Bioderma Sebium Exfoliator comes in a huge 100 ml tube and it is pretty cheap. Here, it costs around $12, but since Bioderma often offers promos, you can get it even cheaper. It is both mechanical and a light chemical exfoliator. The mechanical exfoliation is done by tiny polyethylene beads, while glycolic acid does a light chemical exfoliation. There is a lot of exfoliating beads inside, so I can be sure that they’ll do a proper scrubbing. I apply it on slightly damp, cleansed skin, scrub for around 2 minutes and then leave it on the face while I’m taking a bath (so that the glycolic acid can do its magic). After the bath/shower I wash the exfoliator off. The result is perfectly cleansed, even skin without irritation. I sometimes use it as a body scrub too and it works (although I find it a bit too expensive to use it that way). Until my skin changes and starts demanding something else, I’ll continue to use it.
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Lipstick -MAC - Lady Danger
carita 4/17/2013 4:15:00 AM
I have to admit that I didn’t really like MAC cosmetics, but curiosity got the better of me. Lady Danger was the logical choice, since it was the shade I first noticed in the store. Lady Danger is a bright, orange based matte red (like a more pigmented version of Guerlain Rouge Automatique in Nahema). Since the shade really sticks out, it is not the lipstick for those who want to blend in the crowd, because people will notice it. This lipstick is really pigmented – probably the most pigmented out of all the lipsticks I own and not so easy to remove so you have to be extremely careful when applying it. I haven’t noticed that it bleeds out, so I don’t wear it with a lip liner, but lip liner would certainly help the application look more neat. The lipstick has a vanilla scent which doesn’t disappear as quickly as I’d want, but it doesn’t bother me. However, there are some bad sides. Since Lady Danger is a matte lipstick, it has a drier texture. Luckily, it doesn’t dry out the lips, but neither does it feel comfortable. I can remedy this with a lip balm or a transparent lip gloss, but I still prefer the consistency of, for example, Guerlain Rouge Automatique or YSL Rouge Pur Couture lipsticks. Another minus is that the lipstick wears off irregularly – usually the lipstick in the centre of the lips is gone after an hour or two, but it remains on the edge of the lipline. I have small lips and it makes me look ridiculous if I don’t touch-up often. Still, in spite of its minor flaws Lady Danger is still one of my favourite lipsticks ever.
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Fragrances -By Kilian - Ambre Oud
carita 4/17/2013 4:07:00 AM
Oud has been popular for quite some time in the niche domain; however Ambre Oud is not a good oud representative. I cannot smell it at all. What I can smell is a warm amber, which dissolves into smokey vanilla. I’ve heard this fragrance described as a Montale-like and I would have to agree. It is very simple, understated fragrance – no complexity – just a pure warm mixture of amber and vanilla. I find it perfect for the transitional period, as it is not sickeningly sweet gourmand (and anything that contains vanilla my nose simply puts into the gourmand category). Ambre Oud is very pleasant in its simplicity. In the terms of sillage, this is not the best, especially compared to other by Kilian perfumes. Oeuvre Noire collection is much stronger and long-lasting. When I get a niche fragrance I expect it being so strong that I’ll last for days – for example, even after washing my hair with a shampoo, I could still feel the scent of Intense Tiare. On the other hand, Ambre Oud is gone after 10 hours. I am very tempted by Ambre Oud, but the lasting power makes me to reconsider purchase.
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Fragrances -By Kilian - Love and Tears
carita 4/17/2013 4:05:00 AM
It doesn not happen very often that a perfume leaves me so confused. I have little experience with jasmine and the middle notes of Love and Tears are pure jasmine. On my skin Love and Tears start as a lush floral garden – it is an overwhelming mixture of lavender, jasmine, lily of the valley, orange blossom and daffodils. It is very intense and almost off-putting. After half an hour all other flower notes start to weaken and the jasmine notes really come through. The fragrance calms. The perfume on my skin holds up pretty well – 14 to 16 hours of the scent which doesn’t weaken. After 10 hours, I can smell cedar notes which ground the jasmine. I’m really in love with this scent and I regret not taking the 50ml bottle. After the initial several minutes, the scent is a true, elegant floral which I’ve been wanting to find for a long time. By Kilian fragrances are available in 30ml travel spray ($135), 30 ml refill for travel spray ($70), 50 ml bottle ($225) and 50 ml bottle refill ($125). The cheapest solution is to buy 30ml refills, but keep in mind that you don’t get a spray bottle with them, so you will have to transfer the fragrance into your own bottle.
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Cleansers -Sisley - Eau Efficace Gentle Make-Up Remover for Face and Eyes
carita 4/17/2013 3:50:00 AM
In my opinion Eau Efficace is Sisley’s take on micelle waters (although it never states it’s micelle water) which became quite popular recently. Eau Efficace comes in a 300 ml bottle and at the price of $140 it is the most expensive cleanser I’ve ever had and I’m not quite sure it’s worth it. What attracted me to it is actually the dispenser on the bottle which is really practical – you only put the cotton pad on it, press and voila – you are ready to remove your make-up. I’m definitely keeping the bottle and I’ll reuse it for toners. The cleanser is very watery – it has a very mild scent. As for the cleansing properties if you wear a lot of make-up it won’t be enough to take everything off. It will work fine if I didn’t wear any make-up or sunscreen, but when it comes to removing make-up it won’t be enough. I don’t wear waterproof make-up so I cannot comment on how it takes it off. You can use it both on eyes and face, which is very practical and definitely a plus in my book. It didn’t irritate my eyes but I need at least two cotton pads to remove the majority of mascara and eye products. To conclude – $140 is way too much for a cleanser which doesn’t differ much from ordinary micelle solution. I do not regret purchasing it because I wanted a bottle, but I’d advise getting a way cheaper Bioderma or any other micelle solution. (Ingredients - photo in my profile)
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Eye Makeup Remover -Estee Lauder - Gentle Eye Makeup Remover
carita 7/17/2010 1:29:00 PM
I’ve got this as a GWP when I purchased Sumptuous mascara. Since I’ve been wanting to switch from my usual Sephora make-up remover, I thought it was a great opportunity to see whether the high-end make-up removers are better than drugstore ones. Although I don’t wear waterproof makeup, I usually wear lot of make up on my eyes (tons of eyeshadow, eyeliner and mascara), so the good eye makeup remover is important to me. What can I say about this? It’s really gentle. It is actually so gentle that it barely removes an eyeshadow. It looks like a water, and it removes makeup just as good as water does. The makeup remover leaves the eye area a bit sticky. I see no purpose in giving a large sum of money for something as ineffective. The only good thing is that it hasn’t irritated my eyes.
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Mascara -Lancome - Fatale [DISCONTINUED]
carita 7/17/2010 1:24:00 PM
This is mascara is discontinued (which is a shame because it is very good.) It has a weird brush with three combs. It gives great length and curl, but I have to be careful when I’m trying to get some volume because it clumps very easily. It doesn’t flake. I have a shade Saphir Glamour, which is a dark greyish blue and it looks black on my eyelashes. It is not the easiest mascara to remove, but I’ve realized that most of Lancome mascaras are that way. I would repurchase it and I’m really sad to see it discontinued.
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Eyeliner -Guerlain - Retractable Eyeliner Pen in 03 Bohemian
carita 7/1/2010 3:17:00 AM
This retractable eyeliner was released as a part of Beaute Slave collection for Fall 2009 and it is definitely the worst eyeliner I’ve ever used. The shade 03 Bohemian is a warm brownish purple – it is really gorgeous and I liked it ever since I saw the swatches. I have to mention that the eyeliner, when new, doesn’t look purple. It is covered with some light grey coat, but as soon as you swipe the eyeliner on the skin, the gry coat disappears and you can see the purple colour. This greyish coat doesn’t influence the performance of the eyeliner. Once applied it doesn’t smudge and it is very longlasting. Unfortunately, the colour and the packaging are the only good things in this eyeliner. The eyeliner is very hard. I may be spoiled by UD 24/7 eyeliners, but the texture of Guerlain one reminds me of those horrible cheap eyepencils I bought when I was a kid. I have to press the liner really hard so that the colour appears, which means a lot of tugging and scratching of the fine skin on the eyelids. I have to apply several coats to get a decent pigmentation. For an eyeliner of such brand I expect much more. The pencil contains 0,3gr of the product. I give it 2 only because of the colour.
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Eyeliner -Essence - Kajal Pencil - Addicted to Blue
carita 7/1/2010 3:12:00 AM
It’s an excellent eyepencil, especially for the price. It is a part of Crazy about Colours collection and now I regret that I haven’t purchased the other four shades. The shade Addicted to Blue is a bright electric blue which is very intense and pigmented. The pencil is very soft (although not as soft as UD 24/7), but the quality is comparable to high-end brands. It is very longlasting and doesn’t smudge.
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