November 2011 Empties

Hello Everyone,

I've had a decent month for empties, although most of these products are not that hard to use up.

1. L'Oreal Absolute Eye and Lip Make- up remover - It does its job, and I will probably buy it again (when there is a sale on it ;P).

2. Simple Radiance Brightening Eye Cream - Simple is my favorite skincare range, and I will always come back to it. I liked this cream, but as I always say I didn't really notice much difference in my skin. Maybe my skin is in good condition, and that's why I don't see any changes (yay for me). I do appreciate that it doesn't have any alcohol and scent free, especially after some other stuff I've tried.

3. Sally Hansen Vita-B Lip Moisturizer - I love this stuff! It moisturizes extremely well, and the packaging is so much cuter than the regular balm. I've bought several others from this line, and I will keep buying it.

4. Boots Tea Tree + Witch Hazel Exfoliating Face Scrub - Can I say I HATED the smell? But my husband liked it, so go figure. I think it's an ok scrub, but I will stay away because I can't stand the smell. To me it's just too nasty.

5. Radox Shower Smoothies Spirit Booster - it's pretty hard to get a shower stuff wrong, and this shower smoothie is no exception. It does smell good enough to drink (and the tube has a big warning not to drink it lol), it lathers well and it cleans well. I will buy it again in a heartbeat.

6. elf Complexion Perfection powder - it's very similar to Rimmel's powder, and I liked it. I'm not sure I will bother with buying it again (or ordering anything else from US elf's website), because it takes so LONG to get to me. I'm a patient person, but waiting almost 2 month kills the excitement even in me.

7. Batiste Dry Shampoo in Blush - oh Batiste, you are still my love. I don't know how many bottles of this stuff I've used up now, but this is my first one in this huge size. I love it and will buy it again and again!

8. Aussie Take the Heat Shampoo - it's my 2nd bottle of this shampoo, and I love it enough to buy again.

9. Clinique Clarifying Lotion for Combination Oily skin - this crap deserves its own photo (ok, I just forgot to include it , so had to run back and add to photos). I've bought it in a neat little gift set, figuring it's a good way to try some Clinique without spending a lot of money. I had high hopes for it... now I will never buy it again.

This is supposed to be a step 2 in Clinique's famous 3 Step System, which is "comfortable, non-drying exfoliator that helps create clear, glowing skin". I'm not quite sure what it's supposed to exfoliate, but even my skin felt noticeably drier and tighter. I'm convinced that it's main purpose is to completely get rid or ANY kind of oil on skin! I get that it's for combination oily skin, and guess supposed to control oiliness but I'm scared to even imaging how their stuff for an actual oily skin feels like! Also, as all Clinique stuff, this is 100% fragrance free. What they neglect to tell you, is that while it doesn't have any typical smells, it is full of alcohol! To the point that it REEKS of it. The smell of alcohol is overwhelming, and pretty nasty. Just because my skin is a trooper and nothing gets to it, doesn't mean I want to use cleansers full of alcohol on it. After using this, I appreciate Simple stuff just that much more.

10 & 11. No7 Exceptional Definition Mascara in 01 Black & 02 Brown/Black - I actually forgot I've finished these a while back, but they were hiding in one of my storage cups. I like these mascara, but I think for a drugstore they are a little on a pricey side. I will buy again with one of Boots No7 vouchers though.

12. Eyeko Graffiti Eyeliner Pen in Navy - oh the memories! This was one of my first felt tip eyeliners, and pretty much what started my love with them. Sadly this one completely dried up, and I found out about it while trying to use it. Although it is not surprising, because I've had it for almost a year. Sadly, Eyeko completely revamped its brand image and products, so I don't think these are available to buy anymore. While I'm sad a little, there are plenty of other felt tip eyeliners to try and I won't miss these much.

13. Tarte Lights, Camera, Splashes Mascara - this was a mini size mascara in one of the Tarte gift sets, and I love it! I just bought a full size version of non-waterproof one.

14. Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion - another sample size that came with one of the palettes I have. I have a striking suspicion that there are more primer left, but I can't be bothered with trying to cut the bottle open and depot. Plus, I don't have any appropriate containers, it's going to dry up fast, and I just bought a full size primer. Other than the bottle, this primer is great.

15. Benefit PosieTint - (seriously, I keep forgetting stuff! This is the 4rd time I'm editing this post LOL. Well, this is the last staggler, I promise) this is a 4ml size that came with one of the magazines during summer,  and I quite like the size because it means I can actually get though it! I like the natural rosy flush PosieTint gives me, and you can see it pretty often in my FOTD. I'm glad I got to try it, but I won't be buying the full size because I don't love it THAT much to spend the amount of money it costs.

Have you used any of the stuff I listed?

~ Lyuba

My Favorite Products from 2010

Hello everyone,

This post is a little late, but I have a (very poor) excuse - I absolutely hate taking and then editing photos haha. Not a good thing for a beauty blogger don't you think?

For me, 2010 was a year of discoveries. Not necessary of products that were released in 2010, but of beauty products in general. Up until few month ago, I wasn't even THAT into makeup and everything related. Sure I applied make up, but it was always the same boring thing. I also did not realize the importance of good skin care regime, but at least now I'm proud to say that I pay attention to my skin at lot more.

You might also notice that my favorite products are sort of random, and I'm missing some things (like lipstick and shampoos/conditioners, etc..) but that's because I just started looking and still have to find THAT one great thing. I am pretty sure that 2011 post will be a lot longer and more organized. :)  

Here is the list (in no particular order):

The Body Shop Lip Scrub
Up until couple month ago I didn't even know that lip scrubs existed!! Then I read couple of blogs recommending this and I had to get it for myself.  I love how moisturizing it is, even if it's a scrub, and after every use my lips feel oh so nice :) I also love that this is put in a lipstick tube, as I absolutely hate lip products that require me to use my fingers (like balms). That's the reason I haven't tried any other lip scrubs.

Simple Skincare Range
Yes, I love the WHOLE range! I discovered the Light Moisturizer and the Soothing Toner earlier this year, but after starting to pay attention more to my skin I branched out and tried other stuff. And so far I love everything I tried. I recommend this range to all my American friends here in UK, as well as sending some stuff as gifts to my friends back in US.

Vichi Purete Thermale 3 in 1 One Step Cleanser
I decided to try this range after reading some great reviews and was hooked instantly. Now my skin is by no means sensitive, but I love how gentle and soothing this cleanser it. After using it, my skin feels so soft and smooth. Another brand I recommend to anyone willing to listen to me. ;P

Aussie Take the Heat Leave-in Spray
I had a pretty mediocre experience with Aussie in US when I tried their shampoo and conditioner. Not sure if the stuff in US are different, who knows. I like this leave-in spray because of its smell and of course for protection reasons. I don't straighten my hair often, only after I wash it so spraying this nice smelling stuff feels like a treat. Because I like it so much, I bought 2 more as backups (on offer in Boots right now), and I think I will try more stuff from the range in the future.

EcoTools brushes
It is more of a re-discovery than discovery for me because I first bought them in 2008 or 2009, but I didn't know how to properly use brushes at the time so I was not too impressed. When I picked them up again this year, I was in LOVE. The brushes pictured about are the ones I use every day, but they all came from 3 different sets as well as individual one that I got as a gift. The three smaller brushes came from 2 sets I ordered online from ULTA.com. I've never seen them in any stores in UK, so I don't think they are available here. :( I use tiny kabuki brush for my blush, travel powder brush for foundation, travel 'blush' (I think) brush for setting my concealer. The rest I think are pretty self explanatory. And yes, that is my kitty trying to steal one of the brushes. She even succeeded for a whole 3 seconds!

Sleek palettes
I only pictures two of them, STORM and SUNSET, because those are the ones I use right now. But I love Sleek makeup and wish I would have found out about it earlier, then I would have gotten some of limited edition palettes that came out before November lol. So far I have Storm, Sunset, Circus, Good/Bad Girl, Sparkle, Original, and Acid. My friends in US got some of those as Christmas gifts this year. :)

No7 Exceptional Definition Mascara
I don't like mascaras, to me they are a necessary evil to make my eyes look good. I still don't like them even after discovering this one, and I double I'll ever like mascaras. However this one is just great! It gives me volume and definition without clumping, just a perfect natural-but-better look that I love. I will be buying another one this weekend because I got one of those vouchers from Boots.

Collection 2000 Extreme 24 Hour Felt Tip Liners
Ever since I tried these, I can't go back to using pencil liners. Actually not entirely true haha, because I've rarely used pencil liners because I could never get them to work for me. With these lining my eyes became fool proof, and I can do any kind of lines with ease. So far I've got every color and back ups for them.

NYX Eyebrow Cake Powder in Auburn/Red
I really don't know how I EVER lived without this. If I had to pick one product as my number 1 most important discovery, it would be this. My eyebrows are so light that you can barely see them so I have to draw them on/fill them in to make my face look "normal", especially with my love for red hair. Before discovering this I used an eyebrow pencil to fill them in, and although it did a decent job I wasn't really happy with the look. Enter the NYX Eyebrow Cake Powder in Auburn/Red. Not only my eyebrow drawing skills significantly improved after using this, but the colors are so perfect for me that I've got lots of people give me big eyes and say they thought my eyebrows were natural. Score bit time!

Rimmel Stay Matte pressed powder in Transparent
Yup, until few month ago I never set my foundation and concealer with powder, but everything changed after I got this. It works wonders for me, especially since my skin is normal (I think, gotta go and do one of those fancy skin analysis things sometimes to make sure lol) and doesn't get that oily. After applying this powder, I don't even have to do any touch ups. Or I could of course, but working at the post office makes me not care as much haha.

What are your 2010 favorites or new discoveries?

~ Lyuba