Last minute Empties B4 2015 is over and done with...(part II)

Same bag, different Empties from yesterday:

And my apologies for letting my used-ups on a wrinkled French Terry beach cloth...I just miss my little summertime experience at the Côte d'Azur where I bought this towel. I thought it looked more authentic if they'd be 'sunbathing' on a unperfect cloth than a neat one ;). Or, is it almost time for Champagne???

I could only call this batch Random:

• Scharzkopf Oil Miracle Barbary Fig Oil Mask: A pasty mask that smells like a chemical fruit. It conditions but it coats my hair too much: too chemical.
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• Syoss Super Defense Color Exilir Hairserum: I still has this chemical serum in my closet. I haven't used it up because I feel it does not add anything beneficial to my hair.
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• Alexis Smart Wholehearted formula: I felt down this autumn. Wholehearted somehow felt like giving me a bit of emotional hold on things you cannot always control. Love!
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• (obscured) Tatcha cleansing oil- travel size: I don't use oil cleansers that often as I do not wear heavy makeup oftenly. But if my skin needs more cleansing action, it is quite lovely.
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• (also sunblinded) Green People Age Defy+ Line Eraser Lip & Eye Serum: This serum is liquidly and slightly green tinged. It is packed with all types of organic powerhouse anti-aging ingredients and it's perfectly thin for summertime eyecare.
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• Horsetail Tinctum drops from Aromatic.co.uk: This is supposed to grow your hair if taken internally, or add it to your shampoo. I could not tell it really worked when using it. 
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• Akoma Acai Berry Oil: Sometimes I prefer a single or a DIY-mix of oils that get a good rating (or that I loved in a retailer concoction brand). Acai Oil is claimed to have strong antioxidant properties and I really loved this single oil as it was thin, easily absorbant, and I woke up with good skin. REPURCHASE.
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• Deciem Hand Chemistry Intense Youth Complex: Lookfantastic.com had a 3=2 deal and this was my 3rd to accompany my Fountain supplements. I like it, but it smells so darn chemical that I prefer a handcream like Neom over it.
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• Osmia Spot Treatment: It contains anti-acne powerhouse Cajeput, also in Odacite's anti pimple blend. I like it, but my spots still take a while to dissapear. I bought some pure Cajeput oil for occasional spots but I think I'll repurchase this blend as it is affordable and rollerhandy.

•  Fountain liquid supplements in The Beauty Monecule and the Happy Monecule: Deciem's liquid formulas are based on Hyaluronic acid, and these are fab skinplumpers. The additives for beauty is Resveratrol aand for happy it's GABA carrot complex. My skin has been plumping up since using these babies. They are pricy but they work better than pill-form Hyaluronic acid.
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• Liberty Handwash with Chamomille & Lavendel: Soooo lovely, it smells like the real chamomile/lavendel and it cleanses gently & effective.
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• Lotus Wei Infinitive Love Spray: It functions as a fraganced water that should make you more open and loving to other people, and yourself. Honestly, I loved the fresh rose fragance, but when I was moody I sure did not feel it helped me. 
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• Revitalash Eyegrowth Serum: I get longer lashes when I use them. When I stop, my lashes get shorter. I do not stop (yet)...

• Sunwarrior Immune Shild with Natural Fulvic Acid: Initially, I bought it as an affordable alternative to Phylia [de M] $$$ version. It should aid hairgrowth, and this one claims it wards off diseases like flu. I have not have a cold/flu and I have been commuting in trains this autumn with a lot of snotty/coughing people. Bonus.
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• Cod Liver Omega 3 Oil: First Krill was the best Omega oil ever, now it is Cod liver oil. Oh well, this one is easier to find and I think it keeps my skin/bones more supple.
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• My other 2 Fountain Monecules in The Geek Monecule & Energy: I have been studying since fall and my brain gotten sharper after using up the bottle. That could be the placebo effect or just training the brain, but who knows? Energy contains B12 and a liquid formula works more effective than a pill-form.

• AS.AP #6 (Coffee + Orange): This is a lovely organic lipbalm that hydrates lips without making it dependant on its contents (like chemicals can). I like it.
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• Eve Lom Mineral Powder Foundation in 3 Buff: This formula is gorgeous, though it needs a primer on the parts where pores are slightly large. 3 Buff was a bit too warm for me, colourwise, but 4 Petal finally hits the cooler skintone spot! So already repurchased in 4.
• Maybeline Lash Sensational Waterproof: Oh my, I'm such a mascara snob but this drugstore one won me over. Perfect for swimming too. Repurchased.
• L'oreal Nude Magique Eau de Teint: I threw away a full bottle because it smells like chemical bonzanza. My skin is not happy afterwards either. Similar for the Kiki 3D Lifting foundation.
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• Lumiere Pearlfection powder sand: This is a pretty perfect afterpowder to make pores smaller and skin delightfully luminous. Ohh, such a shame this company closed in 2014...

That has been an ample list of used ups. I have found some new favourites, kept faithful to my trusted ones, and started to abandon the ones that do not work for me...

So for me to wish you guys a....

 

Fantastic NYE party and a delightful 2016!!!!

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 ;).

Surf's Up Beachhair Texturizers

There is something about the fantasy & the reality version, and beach-hair is probably the best example out there. 

Or this version: note that I think the reality girl is incredibly pretty sans makeup and dreadlocky hair (her blog is here, she lives such a cool life)

Fantasy: after dipping in the ocean we will appear with lithe, slim legs, glossy lashes (our waterproof mascara works as a charm) and our wet hair will dry into a wavy substance that looks like it has been glistened by angels.

Reality: we actually don't wanna swim because it will mess up the no-makeup-makeup, when we still do (because the pretty girl over there could pull it off), we choke in some salt water - that comes out of our nose so the nose will look bloated. We avoided the jellyfish waiting to sting us, but we fall into the sand while doing so -> result, we look like a breadcrumbed fish. The waterproof mascara was not that waterproof -> zombie eyes & our hair will turn into a poor Bob Marley version and we need 40 minutes in the shower afterwards to [somewhat] make it comb-able.

But magazines tell us we will look like Doutzen on the left, IF we do the right things (buy too much stuff, lotsa time in the bathroom, etc etc)

And some products may help, and not take hours-n-hours-n-hours of effort:

So let's discuss the texturizers: 

a. Bumble & Bumble Pret-a-Powder dry shampoo:

All the glossy images around of beach hair...it supposed to be slightly matted. This powder does smell oceanic and gives it the right grip for the next step: waves

b. L'Oreal SuperDust

Reviewed here: similar as Bumble & Bumble but only with a more matte feeling. It's amazing for volume but I suggest looking at this tutorial for making it work (replace her 'Microdust' by 'Superdust' or your dusty volumiser of choice)

c. Batiste Dry shampoo:

THE original. I am choosy with dry shampoos and I think most of them, this included, makes the hair too white and are not suitable for everyone that does not have blonde roots (regrowth girls, brunettes, redheads, black hairs, that's about 98% of all women). But for texturizing reasons and the idea of the matte beachlook, I use this one.

d. Tony & Guy Sea-salt Retexturizing spray

I dislike most saltsprays but this one is actually reasonable. However, I use it in a hairspray kind of way (after curling hairs) because my own hair is as stick-straight as it could be and no salt will make it wavy.

e. Bumble & Bumble Thickening Spray

Awesome for giving hair the plumped up feeling you get from normal beach-activities. You can pair it with other styling products (see above) or keep it on its own.

F. Unite Blowset lotion

This gel formulation is perfect for prepping moist hair before blowdrying, and it will give the right kind of hold when creating waves on straight hair.

As for waves, this one looks realistic and takes only a couple of minutes:

I really like Jenny's tutorials because she's quick and no-nonsense on these things: Just replace her 'recommended hairproducts' with the ones that you have.

And how do you like your summer-hair best?

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...

The Pretty Straight: L'Oreal & Rowenta Steampod

*The Steampod has become my official Neat-hair tool* 

Yes girls [and the men that likes it [hair] straight],
I've tested this one and I finally could say:

 "it's pretty straight!" (or straight 'n pretty, like you have it)

It's not that I've haven't tried the others:

IKEA Micke Drawer for hairtools is loaded: beachcurler anyone?

 But the key has been the stream and that little (or rather big) tube of cream that got it straight-'n-sleek.

Funny, I have the GHB at home and could never get it all sorted straight with this one. It took me too long and I felt my hair was frying, even when people suggest it's not that damaging for hair.

Steampod, as its name suggest, is based on straightening the hair with steam. It is not only steam that does the work: it collaborates with a dual heated blade as well. However, the steam makes it much easier to attain a sleeker appearance, goes faster, and you can work with a lower temperature for longer results. 

It basically sounds I'm repeating everything on the box with my own words. But the best thing is that I finally can! 

However, it's not the most travel-easy:

Steampod comes with a lot of bulk, and their specified hairstyling cream/serum

So, let's take a look up close:

The key element of this tool-of-sleekness is steam: for that they have a special department that you can put your water in. To know if your water is suitable, they will provide a testing-paper to see if your water is soft enough for it. 

Mine is ok, so then goes the next step:

• shuff the top half of the steaming reservoir

There you go!

And fill it with your filter-approved water.

Don't worry about the water-holder moving around, the knobs (?) adher to almost any normal surface:

adher to any surface like a clingy girlfriend to her boyfriend

When you start up the Steampod, you have to press the <ON> button for a while. I slightly panicked at first for mine not working: it did, but after 10 seconds of pressing.

• set your desired temperature. Note: You can go lower now than your previous straighteners as the steam will take care of a lot of frizz/curls/etc. 

Try and experiment with temperature

• For the steam to come out, wait approximately 2 minutes. And afterwards, clutch the plates together to activate the steam (takes 15 seconds)

The arrows show the way the steamer has to go down!

That is necessary for the combination of steam/Steampod cream & heated plates to work!

If you use straighteners oftenly, you know to carefully comb your hair beforehand.

• the steampod has little combs embedded so if you forgot a tangle, it will show [feel] up

Ok, I haven't figured out all of it myself: there's a booklet included:

 

There are always some instructions that are quite clear to the normal minded, but they've included it for Dummies, such as "Do not hang straightener on the steamcord"

"Gee, I always hang my straighteners on the cord...that's just what I do, right?"

Did I forget anything...oh, the Steampod cream that you have to use to get even better results 

(it collaborates with the stream)

• apply the right amount for your hairlenght or volume when hair is towel-dry

I often apply it the night before after washing my hair.
The next morning this cream alone left my hair quite straight and frizzfree.
Nevertheless,
with the steampod I can get even sleeker results
Bonus!

Recap:

PROS:

• FINALLY, I can optically have straight and frizzfree hair
• not as damaging as heated plates alone
• fast: or faster than the regular straighteners
• effective Steampod cream that works even without Steampodding
• so, RESULTS are SUCCESFUL

CONS:

• expensive
• bulky, not travel friendly
• have to buy accompaning styling cream (& serum, I don't have yet )
• not for steam-phobics

Availability:
I bought mine at a Dutch webshop haar-producten.nl 
for the international crowd it's available at lookfantastic.com and other webshops