February Empties

 I think I'll be having a theme for the February Empties, and that is Target: Good Skin...

Read on if it worked or not:

1. La Roche Posay Thermal Water - I've been discussing this spritzy number in my 'Improving French' post. It's really neutral and the lovely size makes it wonderful for carrying around. Somewhere I read that Avene even has a better option -> curious

2. Kris D'Amour Soothing Body Butter -> I talked about it here and I have been putting this one on my eczema spots on both face & body. It's lovely, somewhat soothing but unfortunately not curing. I'm trying the Trevarno TLC cream now that feels like a better melt for the skin.

3. Antipodes Aura Mask -> purchased last year and finished lately for the heck of it. It's nice, but not what I would say "good". I've been testing it pre-[important]-date this summer and it didn't do that much in 1. clearing up skin 2. tightening pores nor 3. soothing dryness. Also nothing on brightening/luminising skin. I don't know what it does except getting money out of my purse. Then again, it's moisturizing and not irritating.

4. Elemis Pro-Radiance Illuminating Flash Balm -> This is one of those Clarins beauty balm clones out there. It smells a bit strong, and does a bit of illuminating under the foundation. I like it, but I wouldn't repurchase it for the fragance.

5. S5 Illuminate serum Hyperpigmentation -> This has been actually good in diminishuing post-sun darkness. I would repurchase but I'm on Kahina Brightening Serum now and that one is stellar.

6. Rouge Bunny Rouge Genesis Primer -> I stick with my original review. Moreover, it really whitens the skin too much [after self tan] and I do not think a primer without any CC (blahblah) should alternate the original skintone, just improve pores/skin/etc.

7.  Kris D'Amour Soothing Serum -> like most organic skincares the serums are often oils. It's nice but it didn't cure my eczema, so the search goes on.

8. Trilogy Very Gentle Moisturizing cream -> Delightfully scentless, and actually delightfully nothing. Perfect for when skin cannot stand anything but moisture.

Generally, nothing really worked so I had to bring in the extra cover of foundation, etc. Thus, I used up my very 1st foundation within 3 months (Rouge Bunny Rouge). Now there's something to say about not using that much makeup when having eczema, but not using it is not very self-confidence-building either: especially when one of those flawless girls next to you in the beautyshop complains about redness on her face: *grlllsishkll&*$%* [oh, I wasn't supposed to get agitated again as it aggraviates the skin??? Ooops]

1. Winner '13 Koh Gen Do Maifanshi still gets my vote, and I have to order from Barneys for that one.

2. Omorovicza Complexion Enhancer SPF 15 almost made it to my Best '13 list, weren't it a bit too orange. Actually, I feel this tinted moisturizer is more of those CC creams and the orange/peach perks up the skin. But sometimes it's a bit too orangy. I adore it's scent: Hungarian hothouse spa-ness!

3. Rouge Bunny Rouge Age Defying Foundation: My ultimate cover-up favourite! Somehow I'm still a 'natural girl' when wearing this one...

4. Pixi Sheer Cheek Gel in Sunkissed: This is also NATURE, not blush...It's lumiscent, dewy and looks like I woke up really beautiful...

5. Shiseido Maquillage Lip Essence Ex: Booohooo, I finished up my last backup! I once wrote about the 'lipstick transforming powers' as this is the powerranger among skinny lips. But where to get it now? I need mooooore...

Yes, my skin hasn't been too succesful these months, so when I didn't wear makeup I went for this Cousin It style:

That needed hair again, so here are the hair-empties:

1. Weleda Millet Nourishing Shampoo: This sample was my introduction to Weleda shampoos. They've gotten the raves but this shampoo was quite meh. It didn't clean that much, the moisturizing was not that good and it smelled like a weird herbal: and that is coming from someone who has been quite organic lately

2. Solgar Hyaluronic Acid supplements: Moisture from the inside to tackle the eczema. Meh, the healthy parts of my skin do look dewier and less wrinkly but I wanted it to help for the parts that really needed it.

3. L'Oreal Professionel Nature Mask Cacao: I totally adore the Cacao line and this mask has been brilliant! My hair has been cut a lot so the dry has been gone; I do not need that much of it these days but it still soothes like nothing else. The yummy & natural scent of chocolate is one of the perks as well! Absolutely gorgeous hairmask.

4. Apivita Propoline shampoo for oily roots & dry ends: Oh man, makeupalley rates this one so high and all I though about it was how average this shampoo was. It's really like Herbal Essences which is nice but not earthshockingly good. Also I felt it was irritating -> it gave me a new spur of dandruff. I've been throwing away this 3/4 full bottle :(

5. Kose Happy Bath Day handcream: Another "Why has this been discontinued" moment! It's also the last one from my stash. I was counting on something dupe-a-ble but I haven't found something that equals the thin-ness and effectivity (original review here)

6. Physalis Krill Omega Oils: I think I consist of 70% of oils these days, instead of water. I've been taking flaxseed oils, Chia Seeds, bake in coconut oil and I've been taking this one too. Effective? Might be but not effective to cure. I'm tired of all these efforts and oils now.

7. Schwarzkopf Bonacure Hairtherapy CS Shampoo in Silver: It's actually purple instead of silver. It gets the warmth out of highlights. My hair has been pulling a bit too reddish lately. I like being slightly strawberry blonde, but I toned down some warmth with this shampoo. It gets high rates and is quite effective. However, not too scalp-friendly so I will be moving on to Lush Daddy-O.

Pjew, lot of mini-reviews and a bit of complaining. Sometimes it gets a bit too much of having heaps of products that claim to be effective, but are not. I hope this helps a bit for the ones looking around :)

♥

Something Finished: Kérastase Age Premium, Antipodes Hosanna & Tom Ford body Oil

I'm always proud I empty a product. Sometimes I do that because it is really good, and sometimes it is just ok but I need to make some space in my beauty closet again.

Today I have hair, skin and body...

Starting off with Kérastase Age Premium Masque Substantif Rejuvenating Mask:

 

It was one of those moment nothing of the 10 products designed for taming hair at home worked for me. I rushed to a hairdresser and asked for the trusted staple and silicony tamer Kérastase Masquintense for thin hair.

The hairdresser lied to me that they took it out of their range (Kérastase, so why would they do that? I don't EVER think so but I played along because I needed a mask, I think they just didn't have it in stock) and offered me this as the alternative. OMG, never going to buy it from a direct hairdresser again because they charged me €35 instead of the €26.88 I would have to pay on feelunique.com.

Well, at least I got a lousy white lie included with it...

Is the mask as Substantif as it claims to be?

I like how there is a bit of pearly glow in the mask itself. But the white-lie hairdresser told me it was ok to put this stuff on a sensitive scalp: Ehm DON'T DO THAT. It is rather fraganced and my scalp didn't liked it.

For the rest, it is a true Kérastase mask that it slightly controls the problem with a large dose of silicone. I prefer their Masquintense, although that one is not really natural either. You know, for repairing I love to use natural/organic ranges, such as Rahua, but when the going gets tough and you need some temporary taming, Kérastase is your woman...ehm...hairmask.

Verdict: Not a repurchase but I would use it if I got it for free.

You can buy this one on feelunique.com (or find a honest hairdresser with normal prices)

Antipodes Hosanna Intense Hydrating Serum:

I have ventured on quite some Antipodes products before (read about it over here). They are organic and some of their products are really lovely and effective and that is what I appreciate about a product.

The Hosanna serum did what it said: it hydrated my skin without irritation.

Still, I have that particular age that need a bit more than hydrating, and I do not want to get stuck in applying 7 kinds of serums on my face to target every 'flaw' I have. Nor do I need to, these days, because there are some fabulous multitaskers. One of them is the Nude Advanced Cellular Renewal Serum which does quite some things, I only have to apply some extra moisture in the form of a daycream.

Still, good enough to finish it with other layering serums. I recon this is lovely for a younger face that only needs hydration, is sensitive and could benefit from a neutral, organic product. Or someone who really likes their skincare routine and loves layering. I know Japanese women are raised to use various types of skincare products so that would be ackward to skip on that ritual.

Verdict: I won't repurchase but if I would get it for free I would use it again ;D

Also available on feelunique or lovelula.com

Lastly, the Tom Ford Neroli Portofino Body Oil

Can you remember my 'niche and snobby' haul in May of this year? Probably not (over here) but I purchased this expensive body oil because I really like Citrus based scents inspired on the Italian coast. Knowing Tom Ford is, besides of a sleek fashion designer, quite skilled on the field of fragance (and cosmetics) as well, I ventured on this oil.

I called it the 'too expensive body oil', but it has been lasting me for a long time afterall. I used this regularly (about once a week).

However, I didn't used it the conventional way, it was such a wonderful oil for bathing.

I really liked this for moisturizing in the bath, it's a thin oil but still oily to combat extra dryness. The scent is unisex, but I found it bordering on masculine. Perhaps too masculine for repurchase, but my boyfriend could use it as well. I would love to see more body-oils in his other fragances, such as the Black Orchid and the Havana Vanilla.

Verdict: same as the previous products, with an exception that I would shill some € for it if he launched this in a different scent.


I purchased mine on parfuma.com and I should order something from them again because they are brilliant in giving out samples you actually want.

Mini-review: Darphin Anti-Fatigue Smoothing Eye Gel & Antipodes Rejoice cream

Again, after yesterday's post I will be featuring another Antipodes product. But to make it a bit rounder I will add the Darphin Anti-Fatigue smoothing eyegel too.

Perhaps not entirely visible on the picture above, but I finished the Darphin Anti-fatigue eye gel completely. In contrast: the tube of Antipodes Rejoice is still half full, and I probably won't be emptying that one either.

Starting with my finished one:

Darphin Anti-Fatigue Smoothing Eye Gel

I think I bought this based on lots of positive reviews. I only have to say that I really liked this as a thin eyecream for in the morning.

 What I liked about it:

It does what it tells you: ok, sort of! I live a healthy lifestyle so I couldn't test it after a night out or when having a hangover, because I almost never have that. Still, my eyes are prone to hang a bit, especially the eyelids, and I feel the cafeïne working and slightly lifting it in the morning. Without any irritations.

As far as the anti-ageing:  oh, I seem to forgot to smile in my life so my eyewrinkles are not as developed as my frown and surprise wrinkles...hahaha. But it seems to be working as well keeping everything tightened and hydrated. Another plus: it's almost scentless.

Let me include a chart/claims from their website:

Meh:

Nothing specifically. Perhaps it could be cheaper or a pump-tube, but I the plastic tube was convinient enough.

Antipodes Rejoice cream: 

So the love for one product of a brand doesn't have to end up in liking all of their products. For the record: I did like it enough to empty half of the tube. If it would be totally craptastic I would have binned it after a couple of uses.

What I liked about it:

The scent is a very soft vanille. It was also rich enough for my skin and it was conforting in period when my skin was not so sensitive

Meh:

The richness of the cream translates in a sort-of semi-balmy texture, but still a cream. Now, approaching wintertime, my skin gets more sensitive and the stickiness of the balm that seems to linger on my skin too long begins to become not so pleasant. 
I also do not like the old-fashioned handcream-type of tube. It is one of those metallic-type tubes.


Availablity


I got the Darphin eyecream from feelunique.com and the Antipodes is available over there too...It seems they updated the tube into a plastic one so that has improved at least

Review: Antipodes Divine Face Oil

In this post I will review one of my latest finished discoveries: the Antipodes Divine Face Oil.

So why go natural or organic?

Natural skincare or organic skincare has become a whole lot better through the years. Lots of effective ingredients in skincare these days are...GASP...actually found in nature...(e.g. here).

So I believe in the power of (some) natural and organic brands and products and find some to be quite effective for sensitive and trying-to-prevent-ageing skin.

Antipodes Divine Face Oil

The Antipodes bottle already has some kind of organic-brand exterior with it's brown bottle and green label. Also, the stamp of approval being organic is one of the main parts of the label.

The  main  ingredients are listed on the front: Orange rind, jasmine petal and pure advocado oil.

Antipodes is proud to be an organic brand and to be certified as such as well.

Clearly, they only use organically produced ingredients:

Avocado Oil, Macadamia Oil, Jojoba Oil, Rosehip Oil, Ylang Ylang Oil, Amyris Balsamiferia Bark Oil, Sandlewood Oil, Jasmine Oil, Orange Oil, Vitamin E, benzyl benzoate, benzyl salicylate, cirtnellol, d-limonene, farnesol, geraniole, isoeugenol, linalool - all components of the essential oils. This skincare product is certified organic by IFOAM. Contains certified organic ingredients. 100% natural & 95% organic.

They do recommend to finish your product within 3 months after opening to guarantee freshness and the effectiveness of their ingredients.

Promises Promises:

Scientifically shown to stimulate Type I collagen in human skin fibroblast cells by up to 51%*.

Give a lift to tired, stressed and sun-damaged skin with this nutrient-rich, certified organic face oil that helps to deliver essential nourishment for fresh, healthy skin. The superior collagen boosting action of avocado oil helps reduce the appearance of lines and age spots, while added rosehip helps avocado oil target scars and wrinkles.

old-fashioned but effective dropper

On the Antipodes website is an elaborate explanation of the properties and the benefits of each ingredients.

Also, they claim it is a light oil that penetrates easily without being too greasy. I have to agree on that note.:

Oil on the skin:

My opinion:

I used this oil for two months and I finished the whole bottle -> that says something about that I liked the product.

Fair enough!

Why did I liked this oil?

I had been using oils before for nighttime care, normally on top of my chosen serum. If you are not used to oils as skincare, it can take some time to get adjusted to it...but never wait too long because it has to suit you- your skincare ritual - and your personality as well.
However, I like how it takes care of dehydrated to somewhat dryer parts of my skin at night. And for the people who claim their skin is oily/combination -> not all oily serums are created equal so there are oils that are super-beneficial for combination to oily skins as well.

So I had tried their more expensive Joyious oil in the past (review here). The scent of this oil was slightly different: actually more suitable for nighttime snoozing than their refreshing berry of the Joyious oil. I particulary smelled Ylang Ylang and the soothing Jasmine. Both I find relaxing for nightime. So I like the scent a lot.

I used it combined with other serums so I cannot say too much if it was anti-aging - soothing - etc. However, it gave my skin that wonderfully healthy and somewhat plumped texture in the morning. I know I don't get that from a thin serum alone, so it had to be the oil.

Also, I noticed that my excema dissapeared during the time of use. I don't know if it was by very healthy eating and summertime, but it I found it to be soothing on my sensitive skin.

It is also reasonably priced. Scentwise and price-wise I prefer this one over the Joyious oil. It retails for £18.99 for which is a good price for effective skincare. (the Joyous I used before was almost double the price by £36.99).

I bought this serum from Lovelula.com.

Reaching the finishing line: Antipodes Joyous night serum

In the category of reaching-the-finishing line I have a newcomer today...

So hurray for finishing up my Antipodes Joyious night serum treatment with proteins...

I placed my bottle in a nature-esque surrounding just because Antipodes promotes itself as an Organic skincare range. When you reach their website, you notice the word natural and organic is thrown at you plenty of times

That means I don't go out in the garden before bedtime in order to get my bottle from the trees...

(I kind of would do that if it would promote more radiant skin...ha ha, the things we do for vanity's sake, right?)

But without the ritual of putting my nightime skincare products in trees, does it actually make you more radiant, a bit younger, or, as their website promised:

An intensive oil-based silky serum that helps repair dry and damaged skin. Himalayan goji delivers up to 19 amino acids to replenish protein at a cellular level. Red raspberry seed oil blends with New Zealand blackcurrant, a rich source of essential fats like gamma-linolenic acid (GLA). Hibiscus flower and kiwi oil freshens your complexion, while berry fragrance imparts pure joy.

The ingredient list is really impressive and chocfull of natural anti-agers:

List of Ingredients

Ribes nigrum (blackcurrant fruit oil), Lycium barbarum (goji fruit extract), rubus Idaeus (raspberry seed oil), hibiscus sabdarifa ( hibiscus flower), fragrances of Blackberries: alpha isomethyl ionone, benzyl alcohol, citral, citronellol, coumarin, eugenol, farnesol, geraniol, isougenol, limonene, linalool.

Did it work?

I liked it enough to finish it within 4 months: that says a lot of how I liked it. I have lots of bottles and serums that I do not use up...sometimes because it does not work right, and sometimes because I want to venture on something better.

I reached for it frequently. I only stopped this for a while when I got major sensitivity issues after a certain kind of mask (story here). I returned to it when my sensitivity issues were back to almost normal (still sensitive, but not extremely overreactive anymore).

So, when my skin is normal for my standard, I really enjoy what it does. I wake up with plumper skin and it keeps my ageing under control. I might even say I softened a facial line or two...haha, but that might be because of the facial massage I do as well.

The facial massage is optional, ofcourse, but if you like to give your face a massage then look for good instruction so you can help your complexion.

What I would like to highlight about this product that it is an oil and not the type of serum you normally call serum. So, it absorbs in the skin, but not as fast as a cream. I often used a hyaluronic acid such as Juju Aquamoist pure Hyaluronic acid 100% essence on top of the oil, so I could 'push' the essence into the skin, and dilute the oil-like texture a bit. 

I bought it after reading the review on Akisalove.com. She raves about it as well, and she turned out right about its efficiency.

I purchased my bottle on lovelula.com, but there are numerous etailer online that sell this. I chose lovelula because the always add the cutest Angel Cards ♥.
Feelunique sells it since a week ago as well, and they do not charge any shipping so that might be the cheapest option.