November Empties

"And so we're finished"

(but we might meet again...)

 

 I haven't been that empty-tastic like last month, but I did my share.

Clockwise:

• Aurelia Revitalise Glow Serum is a repeat serum I crack open before winter starts: it's potent enough with anti-agers but soothes for skin-that-doesn't-like-cold. I've repeated before, and will repurchase next transition.
• Ciate Amazing Gracy has been from the 2013 Advent set and it started to thicken up. I wanted to buy this year's set but I had the most craptastic saleslady so I passed at the counter. :( Perhaps I'll get it online anyway.
• SWELL Volumizing condition travel size has been such a gorgeous organic conditioner that doesn't compromize on smoothness nor volume. I need the full size but I still have tons of other conditioners to use.
• I've been liking this Keep Calm & Spray On ThemeFragance perfume since 2009 and it still smells as good as then, but it's almost finished. They don't have this lable anymore so I'll keep the bottle!
• (leftcorner) This Kose Fasio Smart Curl Mascara curl has been a lovely mascara holding up my curl and giving a nice amount of volume. I won't repurchase as I'm adoring my Kate Base + MakeupForever mascara combo so much. 

• I'd ranted about Revitalash stinging my eyes but I guess it had been something else. Fact is, it has given me a wonderful grow and some dainty lashes. 
• Becca Resurfacing Primer has been a GWP but has begon to smell wiffy. It's slightly silicony.
• Koh nailpolishes are from a Dutch company with a Japanese aesthetic. Their nailproducts are brilliant, but expensive. I gotten this colour in the Bijenkorf beautybox from last year's GWP.
• This Bourjois Docteur Glamour lippy had been in my collection for too long. It still smells fresh but I had to make some space. This gorgeous colour is 15 Fuschia o Boho.
• Similar with this NYX Pumpkin Pie: I'm not that fond of nude lipsticks anyway.

 

•  Odacite Ac + R (Acai & Rose Youthful Glow) Oil has been the most gorgeous & glowifying serum on my holidays: a perfect after-sun antioxidant & moisturizing blend. Alas, it's only 5 ml so the price per use holds me back.
• I've already bought & used Bella Freud J'Adore Jane candle and I was curious for Ginsberg is God. I prefer Jane as I'm not too fond of fig as a home-fragance. It's still really nice, though.
• I guess everyone knows about Manuka honey so I won't elaborate on it.
• Normally I go French with my anti-cellulite but L'Oreal (I consider it American instead of French) had a BOGO. It's nice, but I prefer my French for celllutite blasting.
• Tatcha Indigo Bodycream (travelsize) will gets its own feature on the blog: it's THAT good and I already purchased full-size.

 

• Rotho Lychee eyedrops are a staple of mine. I'll repurchase for sure.
• The black tube next to it is Kjaer Weiss Mascara refill. Nice, but so far the chemicals and chemical primers have given me a better result.
• The sample next to it is Tammy Fender Intensive Repair cream. I like it, I use to have full-size, and it's rather expensive.
• The Caudalie Polyphenol C15 eye & lip serum is also nice. I always use the excess of eyecream for the contour of my lips as well but I like the marketing of including both.
• Clean Fresh is like its name, and Frederic Malle's Fleur the Cassis is almost it's florally heady opposite. I like both but not enough for going full-size.
• Suki Balancing Day Lotion has been better than I expected. It's thin but moisturizing enough and it kept my blemishes at bay. Potential repurchase.
• Tatcha Luminious Deep Hydration Firming Serum feels quite neutral and soothing on. I might upgrade to the 10ml travel size.
• Jouer Luminizing Moisture Tint is a wonderful hybrid between a tinted daycream and a luminizer: on some days you just need a bit of extra [faux] glow.
• The 2 Ole Hendrikson's are from Sephora's 7 day 'transforming' set. Ugh, the more they come with 'transforming'/'flawless' terms, the more wary I get (they never work for me!). The Truth Serum is a mild Vitamin C based serum: I used to like this one but I feel there are more diverse serums around these days. Similar with the Moisturizer: nicely bland but I'd pick the Suki one over it.
  
  
  In general, my November was not so spectacular on a social level, but I found some really effective products. I'm gonna discuss some of the likes of #Team-anti-irritation soon. And I'm so delighted that my Tom Ford Lipstick & Boys arrived minutes ago. Thus, I'll be getting lippy and report soon ;).

March Empties...

A bit early but I won't be emptying anything cosmetic tonight. So before you think it's a joke (tomorrow) I'll post it now:

Photo upwards is empty no 1: a delicious home candle from L'Occitane in Amber. L'Occitane got a head-up from a reknown perfume blogger as one of the affordable but high quality perfume candle. Ambre is indeed quite pure and it is intensely sensual. It only is about € 15 and will keep the room fragantly delicious for 20 hrs or more.

Kneipp has a new bathoil with Argan oil, Marula and olive oils and I was curious about it's "Beauty Secret". I'm not too fond of it because of the fragance.

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Tisserand Massage oil works as a bodyoil and even in the bath. The Energy blend is zesty and fresh and the oils do not take too long to penetrate.

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The Fushi Really Good Sports Oil was a gwp and it's nice, but I will not repurchase as Kneipp has a similar range with arnica that might even cure muscles a bit quicker.

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De Tuinen Macademia Oil has been a hairoil: I love oils for hair and Macademia is a fatty one that has excellent moisturizing properties.

I've blogged about Cane + Austin over here and I loved the easiness of the pads. I repurchased the travel pack, wrapped individually, for travelling. For home peeling I restarted Omorovzica Copper peel again: Mixing up various peels stops the skin from being lazy and I still want to finish that set too. 

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Tammy Fender Intensive Repair Balm was still a part of the sensitive skin set. I brought it over on a sunny holiday as an after sun treatment and it's truly efficient and balmy. Which on a sidenote, it can be too balmy for daily morning use as it stays slightly sticky on the skin.

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Nourish Kale Revital-Eye Kale Biomimetic Anti-Ageing Eye Cream made it to my "Best of 2013"-list and I'm already on a new bottle.

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Kris d'Amour is a line of wonderful organic skincare and so generous with samples. The Rejuvenation Face oil has been a generous supply of 7 days: I wish my skin wasn't as sensible at the time being so I could see the results a bit better. I believe it's quite potent.

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Trilogy Ageproof Smoother has been a sort-of primer product for my skin. I should have put it into creases/beginning wrinkles etc only but I loved it over some larger pores as well. Good primer ability without feeling silicony & not irritating either.

Essence is one of my nail Drugstore favourite for being cheap and effective. The Fast Cuticle Remover really is on par with Creative Nail Designs (CND) or Sally Hanson cuticle remover within a fraction of the price.

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Viviscal Extra Strenght, the classic! My hair is healthy now (thanks to superfoods) but some faster growth would be nice. I finished month 1: I'll see in month 3 if it worked.

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I blogged about Esprique Eyebrow (Adambeauty calls it  'Eyeblow' -> ???)  over here. I like it and somehow I start to prefer a brow-pot or pencil as those show up more. Must be the Cara D effect.

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Silk Natural Finishing Powder in Date Bait is a true unsung hero in my collection. Gah, I should blog about it!!! It's the reason why I ignored NARS light reflecting pressed setting powder as that one is so unsubtle (read: sparkly) next to this formula. It's photoshop soft light filter in a jar! Ok, I still have 'Love Lure" so I'll review that version asap.

Now here's a long story again. Such trauma and relived trauma. But thanks to this B4 Colour hair Colour removal mixture I was able to live through muddy colour a bit shorter than I was about 14 years ago. Shortly: I went to the hairdresser wanting this (bit more polished and blended):

 

And ended up with this kind of colour:

Being 150 euros poorer.

First, I cannot figure why she gave me a muddy dark colour in the first place: I showed her the image of the "blonde in LBD" above to her place and told her that I wanted something similar. I was already quite blonde but I wanted more light on the bottom and some darkness at the top: like about 99% of all actesses and models have these days, not forgetting the fashionbloggers. No biggie, right? Well, Miss Superfriendly Organic Hairdresser turned into something Miss Evil-paint and totally messed up my nice previous colour. I complained, and then she did some dreadful, chunky highlights that looked like slutty-ville. OMG, I ran away before she could harm my hair some more (after being there for 5 hours already).

At home I've been washing with this B4 and it does remove a lot of colour. Pjew! Now the woman has muddy coloured me and did some weird blue toner afterwards so I still have to un-colour for a next round, but I have to give my hair a break first...Poor hairs! Good I have been on Viviscal for a month.

I really want to give her a negative rating on the review site but am not sure if I should do that: should I warn some other women too? I do not want to ruin her business but this has been most inconsiderate after me being so clear about what I wanted in the 1st place!

So that's about it for the month of March: I hope April won't be too traumatic beauty-wise, at least I'll stay away from "recommended" colourists for a while.

Face Tonic edition *roundup*

Sometimes I get into a certain hype of something, then I buy some (and some more), and then I think "do I have enough?". Answer: "I might have too much".

 Within this edition I bring you floral waters...I gotten into them during the summer, re-introduced by Tammy Fender and her blissfully calming Roman Chamomile Tonic that was a part of her sensitive set. After that I ventured on more types of facial waters within a cheaper range and more variety in the properties of the embedded flower/plant etc. 

Here's a roundup of the ones I have:

1. Erica Rosewater:

 Erica is a Dutch brand that basically brings out simple organic products. It is made of a 100% Bulgarian Rosewater and it costs me under €2. Perhaps there are more bio-dynamical brands out there but for the purity it is simply a wonderful water that calms and is quite rejuvenating for the skin. I mix mine with OrangeBlossom water for a more diverse blend and sometimes I add some MSM powder to get an even effect in calming redness etc.

2. Erica Orange BlossomWater (Neroli)

Similar as the Rosewater only orangeblossom water has different properties and you can read several of the raves/benefits on MUA (here). I adore the scent as it is flowery-citrusy positive scent and it has adstringent qualities which works on the acne-prone parts of my face. It is still mild enough for the dryer parts. 

3.  Sana Hadanomy Mist

I have this one for more than a year and it has been a repurchase. It is supposed to have collagen inside and it is not as natural/organic as my other blends. However, I love the fact it is slightly 'tacky' or better say moisturizing and without scent at all. 

4.   Suti Peppermint Water

I got this one based on rave reviews and the fact that peppermint is known as the ultimate calming plant. Then again, I googled 100% peppermint water later and got cheaper options. I still love Suti and this blend is really refreshing on holidays or as a perk up during flying. I prefer to use the pure blend and not mix it with other waters.

5.  Melvita Eau Fraiche Micellair

Finally a more productive water: a micellair that removes makeup as well. This has also been a repurchase and I prefer it over Nuxe Micellair/Bioderma as it is natural, and effective cleanser and feels really soothing on the skin.

6.   Saniflore Aqua Magnifiqua

My original review is over here. I haven't been using it that much yet because I'm quite attached to my rosewater/neroli/MSM mixture but I still like its effectiveness on pores and congested skin. 

7. Saniflore Noble Chamomile

Original review here.  I decanted this in a tinier bottle on my lastest journey, but the passenger next to me was not so enchanted by the calming chamomile than I was. I still like it, but sometimes I prefer peppermint water for a less plant/dirt-like scent.

8. Kora by Miranda Kerr Energising Mist

I bought this one based on curiosity and the fact the model herself looks basically flawless. I am not too fond of the blend: somehow the citrusy note has too much of a herbal essence that I neither find soothing or energising. Also, the mister isn't really distributing the water evenly over the face.

 

So this is the collection of face tonics that I have right now. So do you like them and what types do you reach for?

Noble Chamomille: Sanoflore and the calming white flower

I've gotten this effective beauty during one of my last visits to Paris. I've visited one of their multipludituded  'Pharmacies' to pick up something from Sanoflore:

I went for the highly acclaimed Aqua Magnifica as well (about that sooner) but I'd love to discuss Chamomille first.

Sanoflore, these days a part of the L'Oreal family, believes that well-done aromatherapy  "are far more concentrated in active molecules than synthetic ingredients" and "respects sensitive skin". In that case, I have already loved the calming Chamomile in Tammy Fender's Roman Chamomile tonic but found the price of her range to be too expensive.

Sanoflore is a perfect cheaper alternative because organic Chamomille is not too difficult to find. However, for the non-French (or Swiss) it might be more difficult to track. I also like Akoma Skincare a lot and they have a pure organic Chamomile water as well (here) for 10% of Tammy's price. And there are the local (organic) healthshops too....

So, what does Chamomile water do and why it's such a bliss during weather changes like Autumn?

"Chamomile water is well known for its ability to soothe dry skin and bring it back into balance. This fragrant water has an antibacterial effect that keeps blemishes at bay while it protects the skin from dry, windy weather.

100% pure, Chamomile water restores a healthy glow to your complexion and is used by some to treat the dark circles that form under the eyes. Applied lightly to the forehead and temples, it has a wonderful calming effect at the end of a stressful day" (Akoma's site) 

Well, the change from warm to dry & windy is something that sounds Autumn/winter, right? And who doesn't have dark circles they want to diminuish these days?

I will have a whole section on facial waters soon: it's sorta my thing lately...

Tammy Felder Intensive Repair Cream

With creams I am never sure if they really help. However, sometimes I get my skin in a situation when I can really see what it does.

This has been the case with Tammy Felder Intensive Repair cream. I already had gotten in a slightly oversensitive winter-skin phase and I felt this little potion felt quite soothing on my skin. However, I still had some blotches and spotty parts on my face I couldn't pinpoint out if they would be worse or less if I stopped using this cream.

 I kinda stopped this cream during a springbreak citytrip (warmer area) and actually liked how my skin looked. Normally, my skin gets better during trips to warmer countries so I couldn't pinpoint down if that was due to using or not using the cream: my skin just feels better when I get medium warm weather.

The Real test was when I had to test it out for its real aim:

"healing post-operative and traumatized skin"

This would be a long story if I wouldn't make it more concise (and I will make it a long story in another post). I did a rather invasive peel that my skin didn't feel happy about: it reacted to the ingredients used and the given after-treatment as well.

Step in Tammy Fender Intensive Repair Cream:

For more information or a clearer list of the ingredients, see here.

This little potion has been that balmy soothingness on my flaking, bloating and generally upset post-peel skin

It contains my beloved Helichrysum (immortelle) that I have discussed frequently and have encountered in various products I have been quite enthousiastic about.

It is made of a yellowish and sorta syrupy consistency that turns into a gooyey facecream when being warmed against skin:

a breath of fresh air or the water that puts the fire out

The downside is that I am on my last bit of healing/soothing putty and it will take a while before it will land on my doorstep again.

In the meanwhile I still have some Avene Cicalfate that has been made with the same purpose of soothing smaller post-dermatologist treatments, but I like my organic & holistic blend a bit better.

You can buy it from the direct site or from cultbeauty (discount BEAUTY10 for £10 of <£70).