Monthly Empties: August 2017

Finally I am back! I feel it has been ages (probably because it has!) since I have been able to sit down and write a post. I missed blogging so much, but life kept me busy during th elast couple months so I wasn´t able to blog. Anyway what better way to rekindle my blogging love flame than with an empties post. Hope you enjoy!

Balea Cleaning Oil // will repurchase

Please find a detailed review here

 

Imperial Leather “Nourishing Shea & Orange” foamburst // would repurchase

I absolutely love this shower foam. It is without a doubt the best foam I have tried out, especially considering the price. The foam is super soft yet thick enough which makes the handling very easy under the shower. Rituals foam comes out very runny almost like water, making me probably lose half of it under the shower. The Imperial leather comes ou as a gel making application just so much easier. The Shea & Orange scent was nice, not too intense. The perfect little luxurious treat under the shower.

 

Dove “Winter Care” LE shower gel // would repurchase

I love dove shower gels. I am quite picky when it comes to shower gel as I have dry skin. Therefore I am always looking for shower gels that provide some sort of moisture. In the end I always go back to these. The scent was fresh and creamy. Perfect for winter. PS: I was amazed how long I could smell the scent on my skin! Big thumbs up!

SYOSS “Invisible Hold” Hairspray // might repurchase
I mainly use hairspray when I curl my hair. Therefore I like a spray that is easy to brush out - when I am going for my second day curls - yet is able to make them stay in place. This was good but nothing special.

Dove “Advanced Oxygen” shampoo & conditioner // will not repurchase

They were good but I don’t think they did anything special for my hair. Just a regular shampoo and conditioner therefore I won’t repurchase.

Dove “Verbena and Pomegranate” deodorant // will not repurchase
I love the scent in the shower gel, as a deodorant I am not so sure. I think there are better ones out there. If you want to try a Dove deodorant, try the cucumber scented over this one.

What are your empties?

xoxo, 
Christina

Monthly empties: February 2017

I hope you all had a great last month. Mine for sure was, especially because I managed to finish some long overdue products.

Palmolive Aroma Sensations “Feel good” shower gel // would repurchase

I am actually quite impressed. I love this smell, it reminds of on holiday at the beach.

Didn’t dry out my skin thus passed the test. I like the smell so much that I would actually consider repurchasing it. Although I have 10 other shower gels waiting to be used.

Frizz Ease Full Repair Hair treatment // would repurchase
I loved this. In fact I wasn’t expecting to love this as much as I did. But this hair treatment made my hair super straight and lightweight. Will definitely repurchase once I finish my other hair treatments.

Balea LE “Apfel & Zimt” Peeling // would repurchase

Other product I was pleasantly surprised with. I love the apple scent. I was afraid the cinnamon scent would be too strong but that wasn’t the case at all. For under 2 Euros I could see myself repurchasing it, if it comes out again. 

Balea “Eden Garden” Foaming Handwash // would repurchase

Foaming hand washes are so much fun and a nice change to the “regular” hand washes if you ask me. The scent was floral yet not to strong. Just lovely.

Dove "Pure Pflege" deep conditioner // might repurchase

This worked so much better than the “oil deep conditioner from L’Oréal Elvital. My hair actually felt very soft and being cheaper than the L’Oréal Elvital one I would consider repurchasing this in the future.

Nivea “happy time” roll-on deodorant // might repurchase
Granted I used most of this over summer, I love the sweet orange scent. In fact, I liked it so much that I bought the shower gels as well. The deodorant did its job and I will consider repurchasing this next year again.

Got2be “Guardian Angel” heat styling spray // will not repurchase
Apart from the fact that my pump broke, I had the feeling that this dried out my hair whenever I used it. There is still a little bit in the bottle, but I will be throwing this out.

Garnier "Schadenlöscher" Hair Mask // will not repurchase
Horrible. Honestly horrible. I had such high expectations because I had heard that the US version of this was good. Well the European is not. This didn’t do anything good for my hair. Towards the end I had to force myself to use this up. I kind of had the feeling it would dry my hair more than it would nourish it.

What are your empties?

xoxo, 
Christina

Make-up Empties 2016

 

After seeing quite a bit of YouTubers doing a video on their 2016 make-up empties I decided to share mine with you as well.

 

Granted, some of the products used belong to my daily makeup routine, which is why I find it easier to use up mascaras, powders or concealers. Lipstick/gloss, eyeshadows and blushes are harder to use up for me because I tend to use many different shades throughout the year. Finishing those types of products therefore takes me a lot longer but I am happy to announce that I managed to finish some of them as well.

 

 

In total I used up 32 products worth about 241 Euros. I could stare at the picture for hours, its so neat to see the amount of make-up you are able to use up and looking at my current make-up drawer I still have enough for the next ten years or room for some new goodies.

 

Anyway here are the numbers per category:

 

Foundation: 2

Concealer: 4

Powder: 3

Blush: 2

Primer: 3

Mascara: 3

Eyeshadow: 4

Eyeliner: 5

Brow products: 3

Lipgloss: 2

Lipstick: 1

 

If you want a product review please click here, here, or here.

 

 

What are your 2016 make-up empties ?

xoxo, 

Christina

Project Pan Make-up Empties III

I cannot believe how fast this year has gone by. Since my last make-up empties post I have been collecting further items that I now want to share with you.
In case you wonder, some items are not shown in the picture above because I seem to have misplaced them, but I wrote my opinion on them down anyways in case it may help you with your purchase decision.

Catrice Liquid Eyeliner in “Dating Joe Black” // would repurchase
Please find a review here. Favorite drugstore liquid eyeliner.

Essence brow Gel “transparent” // would repurchase
Pretty much a staple in my collection. I do like to change things up every now and then but I always end up repurchasing this one. For under 2 euros there is nothing bad I can say about it. If you are looking for a super strong hold this might not be for you.

Manhattan Clearface Powder in “Sand” // might repurchase
Medium to high coverage. I liked this in combination with a light foundation as it gave it a bit more coverage. Applied on top of a medium to high coverage foundation this felt rather cakey.

Max Factor “False Lash Effect” Mascara // might repurchase (*missing in picture)

This used to be one of my favorite mascaras but know I find it a bit to dry. It does however make a great job at separating my lashes.

Lorac eyeshadow primer // might repurchase

Great eyeshadow primer that I might repurchase. Unfortunately you cant buy Lorac where I live.

 

Manhattan "Amazing Liner" Precise Eyeliner Pen // will not repurchase
At first I was really impressed because drawing a line with this liner was super easy (almost too easy) but then the pen dried out pretty fast and the black intensity could have been better. I used it about ten times and then I went back to my Catrice liquid eyeliner.

MAC Eyeshadow “Copperplate” // will not repurchase (*missing in picture)

I used this mainly to fill in my eyebrows. It was ok, but maybe a bit too expensive for that purpose.

 

MAC Eyesahdow “Brule” // will not repurchase (*missing in picture)

While I love MAC eyeshadows I don’t think I will be repurchasing this one. It was ok, but the color was so close to my skin tone that I could barely see it. Wet n´wilds crème Brule is a pretty good dupe for a lot less money.

 

Benefit “They´re real” Mascara Sample // will not repurchase (*missing in picture)

When I first started using this I must admit that I didn’t like it. However in Kombination with the Essence Princess lash mascara this worked amazing and this one, worked amazing. I would repurachse it though.. 20Euros is a bit too much.

 

Revlon Lipgloss in “Supernatural” // will not repurchase

A nice ligloss, but nothing else. It only has 3,7ml and for 9Dollars I find that a bit too much. The packing is really classy and the consistency feels nice and smooth on the lips. The color looked transparent on my lips though. I would try the NYX butter glosses instead.

 

Bobbi Brown Blush in Nectar” // will not repurchase

I love using up blushes. This one took quite a while actually but I did enjoy the color. I am so happy this is gone as it was getting pretty old.

 

 

Do you have any makeup empties?

xoxo, 
Christina

Finale project polish 2016

I can’t believe the year is over. This means that my project polish has also come to an end and looking at those empty bottles in front of me I have to admit I am quite happy with the results.

In 2016 I ended up using 13 nail polishes, which is less than last year (you can read about it here) however as I only purchased 10 nail polishes I actually managed to minimize my nail polish collection this year. I also did some decluttering and got rid of 10 nail polishes that just didn’t work out for me, leading to a grand total of 216 nail polishes. My goal for 2017 might be getting my collection down to 200.

Overall I chose to work on nail polishes that I like. If the formula doesn’t work out for me or the color just doesn’t look good I will probably give the polish to someone else or throw it away. I see no point in forcing myself to use up something I simply don’t enjoy, especially having so many nail polish bottles around.

Overall I am sooo thrilled with the results, never would I have imagined only buying ten nail polishes being so passionate about them (two years ago I bought 50!). I think I was more selective this year and tried to only buy polishes that had a special color, plus most of them were on sale as well which made the purchase even more tempting.

I am still on defense whether to do another project polish this year or if I give myself a little break without focusing on specific shades. I will still do my best to use some polishes up, because I want to work towards a smaller collection. Perhaps I will come up with a similar project. Any suggestions?

If you are curious about my thoughts with regards towards the individual nail polishes you can read more about it here, here and here.

Are you planning on doing a project polish this year?

If so let me know, I would love to read about it!

xoxo, 
Christina

The best liquid eyeliner from the drugstore!

Some like gels others prefer powders or pencils I love liquid eyeliners. While searching for the perfect liquid eyeliner I have tried a lot of them out and ended up falling in love with the Catrice “liquid eyeliner” in “01 Dating Joe Black”. In fact I love this so much I have repurchased it probably 10 times over the last 3 years. 

 

Here is why:

 

- The felt tip is not too soft nor too rigid, making it very easy to draw a precise wing in seconds

 

- The black is an intense semi matt jet black, no need to layer the product

 

- The liner lasts all day. Obviously this is not a waterproof version, hence if it rains or if your eyes get wet it will smudge. For everyday wear however, it’s perfect

 

- The value for money is amazing. Compared to high end liquid eyeliners that I have tried and liked, this one is a steal as it retails for 3,45 € for 1,7ml (Urban Decay Liquid Liner retails for 1,7ml for 20,00 Euros; Mac Superslick Eyeliner 1,8ml for 22 Euros and Kat Van D Tattoo Liner 0,7ml for 20,00 Dollars)

 

If you are looking for a liquid eyeliner I can honestly recommend you the Catrice “liquid eyeliner” in “01 Dating Joe Black”. It’s been my go-to eyeliner for the last two maybe even three years (like you can see in some make-up empties posts here, here and here). Its super easy to use, I love the precise tip and the value for money couldn’t be better.

 

Seriously if you haven’t tried it out thus far, you need to go get it!

 

 

Have you tried the Catrice “liquid eyeliner”?

How did you like it?

xoxo, 

Christina

Monthly Empties: December 2016

Another month has passed which means another empties post is just around the corner..

Dove “1min Intense Repair” conditioner // would repurchase
You have probably seen this in a couple of empties. I love this intense repair mask and will continue to repurchase.

Litamin “Buttermilk & lemon” peeling // would repurchase
I like that the peeling doesn’t feel too harsh on my skin, thanks to the finely milled peeling seeds. For someone with sensitive skin, you should try this one out. The buttermilk lemon scent was great, especially over summer.

Nivea soft cream // would repurchase
I absolutely love this cream. I remember that when I was younger I would either use this or the “bebe” body lotion. It nourishes my skin very well, absorbs quickly and the scent is amazing. Must try!

Essence acetone-free nail polish remover // would repurchase
This is my favorite acetone free nail polish remover. It does the job perfectly without drying up my nails.

Balea Beauty Effect Hyaluronic Booster // might repurchase
I ended up using it on my entire face instead of just my eyes. I can’t decide whether I would repurchase this or not as I am not sure it did something to my skin.

Fa cream and oil “coconut & sheabutter” bodywash // wont repurchase
I didn’t like the scent under the shower. It smelled very heavily perfumed and I prefer fruitier and/or fresh scents. I’m glad this is done.

Guhl "Feuchtigkeitsaufbau“(moisture) conditioner // wont repurchase

I have been wanting to try this line out for a while so a couple of months ago I finally decided to purchase the shampoo and conditioner. While they were not bad I cannot say they were great either and for around 4 Euros I would have expected more.

 

Guhl "Tiefenaufbau“(moisture) hair treatment // wont repurchase 

Again, I expected more. This had no effect on my hair whatsoever so I won’t be repurchasing it.

 

 

What have you used up this month?

 

 

xoxo, 

Christina

BUY or SKIP: Balea "Reinigungsöl" Cleansing Oil

 

I am a big fan of cleansing oils. I used to take off my makeup with wipes but ever since I discovered the magic of oils I have been a big fan. Naturally when I heard about the Balea one (available at the German drugstore "dm") I had to give it a try.
 

 

FACTS

 

Price: 2,50 €

 

Contains: 100ml

 

Available at: dm

 

SKIP or BUY ?

If you are looking for a cleansing oil that offers a good value for money, then look no further you have found one, BUY! This is the cheapest cleansing oil I have tried thus far and I must admit that it works just as well as more expensive ones.

 

The product has no alcohol, conservatives or perfumes, perfect for those of you who have a sensitive skin. BUY!

 

If you like cleansing oils but hate that blurriness just after taking your make-up off, then give this one a try (BUY!). I honestly had no problems with the oil getting into my eyes and causing that blurry effect that I have had with other ones.

 

As the product has 100ml it is very convenient for travelling, BUY! What I love about it, is that it removes all of your make-up you don´t need to pack any additional products with you.

 

A little note on the side: If you are wearing a heavy eye makeup or waterproof mascara you might need to use a bit more product. I don’t mind that at all, because for 2,50 € I don’t mind having to use a bit more product (I usually use 5-6 pumps then to get the job done).

 

Check out my other reviews on cleaning oils here and here.

xoxo, 

Christina

Monthly Empties: November 2016

 

Yes, its that time of the month again... Empties!!

Odol-Med-3 Mouthwash // will repurchase

You probably know this from previous empties post. I really like this mouthwash. Keeps my breath fresh and it tastes minty-fresh. Will continue to repurchase.

 

L’Oréal expertise “Smoothing” shampoo and conditioner // would repurchase

I like the nourishing version (yellow one) a bit better than this one as it leaves my hair feeling softer and more nourished. However these were not bad either, so if you are curious it´s worth giving them a try. The entire line is one of my favorites regarding hair care. Plus, they are silicone free.

 

L’Oréal expertise “Nourishing” hair mask // would repurchase

I really love the shampoo and the conditioner of this line (honestly might be a holy grail next to the frizz ease series). The hair mask was nice as well even though I used it with the “smoothing” series.

 

 

Balea “Reinigungsöl” Make-up remover // will repurchase

This is a great drugstore oil make-up remover. Compared to others I have tried this doesn’t give me a blurry vision right after using it. I switched oils a couple of years ago and I love them.

 

Balea “Eucalyptus” bath // might repurchase

Generally speaking I love eucalyptus/menthol scent. I would have loved this product even more if the scent was a bit stronger in the bathtub. I mix it with some bath salts from Kneipp. The combo was good, however I am not sure whether I like this on its own enough for me to repurchase it.

 

Balea Shower & Oil “Apricot” Shower Gel // won´t repurchase

Big disappointment! This was not by any means nourishing even though the oil beads are supposed to give more moisture. Plus the smell under the shower reminded me of plastic not fresh picked apricots. Will not repurchase this.
 

 

What have you used up this month?

 

xoxo, 
Christina

MAC “Cheers my dear” Pigment

MAC “Cheers my dear” pigment is a limited edition shade that I got as a part of the “Cool Thrillseekers Pigments/Glitter” set back in 2010. It was also re-released in the “Archie´s Girl” collection in 2013.

The color can me described as a frosted pink/lavender with silver sheen. Initially I thought this could be a dupe for Kitschmas Pigment by MAC, but Kitschmas seems to be a bit more cool tone (and more chunky in terms of quality). If you had to choose between these two I would go with “cheers my dear” because I like the quality better (finely milled!).

 

How do you like “Cheers my dear”? Hit or Miss?

xoxo, 

Christina

Product I have hit pan on 2016 – almost done!

Every time I hit pan on a product I get a little bit excited and sad at the same time. Excited because that pan is evidence that I have enjoyed using that product and sad because there is not much left of it. Do you ever experience the same?

Here are mine “hit the pan” products, hope you enjoy!

MAC “Mulch” eyeshadow

I have been working on using this eyeshadow up on what is feels like forever.

It’s a nice warm tone brown with golden glitter but I have a lot of similar shades which is why I want to use this one up.

Repurchase: No

MAC “Beautiful Iris” eyeshadow

I love this light lavender shade. It´s one of my favorite eyeshadows from MAC.

Repurchase: Yes

MAC “Omega” eyeshadow

I use MAC “Omega” as a transitioning color. If I am honest though, I would rather repurchase Urban Decay Naked eyeshadow instead of this one. “Naked” has bit better color payoff and is just easier to blend. Nonetheless not a bad eyeshadow.

Repurchase: Maybe

MAC “Blanktype” eyeshadow

This is my all-time favorite under the brow bone matt highlighter. I love how buttery soft this eyeshadow is and how light the color is. Perfect shade for me.

Repurchase: Yes

Maybelline “Though as taupe” color tattoo

I have been working consistently on this product and believe I might actually be able to use this up by the end of the year.
Repurchase: Yes

Benefit R.S.V.P. (sample size)
A lovely rose champagne color. I have been loving applying this kind of shade on my eyelids so hopefully I will be anle to make some progress and use it up by the end of the year. Hopefully I will be able to do so as the product is starting to dry out. This is getting dried up
Repurchase: Unsure

Manhattan Clearface Powder in "70 Vanilla"
I had heard about this powder so I wanted to give it a try and see if I liked it. So far so good. It has a medium coverage that sometimes might looked a bit cakey. But with a light Hand, perfect especially paired with a sheer foundation.
Repurchase: Maybe

Catrice LE “Enter Wonderland” Highlighter
I love this highlighter. In fact I love it so much that I already used up one of these entirely. Yes, that is 10gr of highlighter that I finished. It´s a perfect everyday glow and just looks amazing on my skin. I´ll sure be sad when this is gone.
Repurchase: I have, 3 times! 

xoxo, 
Christina