Juli's Used Ups

Let me start with a lippy I consequently used until I reached bottom (or tube): 

Really, this one is from MAC's 2008 collection (see Temptalia). I have a special storeage for MAC's LE's (some never used) in a dark, cool place and sometimes I revisit Zeeee Box-e and I find myself something useful or fun. Ofcourse, I'm aware of expiry dates so I use my sniffer, and some good ol' logic to see if it is still fresh. 

MAC slimshines are lovely & creamy moisturizing hints of colour for the lips. Funshine is a coraly pink that is lighter than my natural lip colour. I get a wonderful nod to lighter lips with colours like these.

The rest:

July has been somewhat unproductive, but I used up some things:

1. Fairy Drops Mascara  Platinum Mascara film type

Ok, not quite used up but logic and knowledge of mascaras told me it is time to let this one go. I know lots of women love Fairydrops but somehow most of their mascara do not really work for my type of lashes. They do not hold curl that stubbornly as the likes of Majolica Mallorca or Fasio and that is mostly what I need. It's still a good mascara, though, but only with a base.

2. Nude Nailpolish: Nails Inc Basil Street, Essie Barefoot & OPI Let Them Eat Rice Cake

With nailpolish the logic of throwing away is a lot easier, because they are often dried out or separated. I've also finished a bottle of Seche Vite Thinner which can bring some dying nailpolishes alive again. Then again, I have so many nailpolishes that I screen the ones that I really want to thin up again. Or, I need some space and will use some other nudes before possible repurchase.

3. Tatcha Restoring Eye cream (right corner- small sample)

Lovely, but also a bit too pasty/thick for summer time.

4.  Saniflore Aqua Magnifiqua toner (review here)

Absolutely delicious for congested [summer] skin. I can feel it doing something extra when my skin is congested, but without having that stripping feeling those generic anti-acne potions have. It smells so herbally fresh too: repurchase!

5. Rene Furtherer Naturalia Dry Shampoo

I gotten into this one thanks to MostlySunny's rave. AGREED!  It's so delightfully thin and mops up the right amount of grease. And, hardly no white residue! For the supermajority that doesn't have blonde roots it is so wonderful to have a spray that doesn't make you look like you have grey hairs. Even blondes will get a slightly greyish look with about most dry shampoos so I have no idea why companies don't make them better like this one.

6. Vichy Cellu-destock Serum Flash

6%! 

-> 

for the ones that read my neverending stories of battling the ghost of cellulite (albeit very alive) know that I have a serious Caffeine habit. This serum has 6% Caffeine in it. I liked it but it also felt like my 1st tube of Cellulite-busting potions from 1993: perhaps the scent or the texture. I didn't feel it was too effective but I've been slightly inconsequent with it. It's also quite expensive per ml so I think I'll try something else next time.

7. French Girl Organics Rose Noir Cleansing Oil

I featured this baby as a part of my Organic black bottle collection (here). It's a dense cleansing oil that does not foam: I always expect a foam as I'm used to Asian cleansing oils, but Organics seldom do. It cleanses up heavy duty makeup and/or sunscreen but I do need a sudsy cleanser afterwards for rinsing off the oily feeling. It smells lovely like a soft rose.

8. REN Radiance Perfection Serum

This serum is actually meant for younger skins in need of a radiance boost. However, I often serum up twice a day so I really liked this one in the morning: it has some antioxidants (eg: Bitter Orange, Lingonberry) that combat the oxidant effect of sunrays during the day.

That has been my round-up of July's Used Ups. It has been wonderful to take a step away from my normal lipstick routine by taking up a paler hue like MAC Funshine: it does take some more work with the rest of the face (more eyemakeup, etc).  For this month I'm thinking to step out of the box again with lipcolour: perhaps a good berry hue for Indian Summer? We'll see ; )

Some December Newbies

December often makes me feel more (self-) indulgent than normally:

 I finally ordered my first Charlotte Tilbury! I've read some mixed reviews but couldn't resist the name "Golden Goddess" and it's stunning hues:

The Golden Goddess upclose

I absolutely like the effect of the colours in the dictated suggested Tilbury colour scheme. However, I have some brilliant primers (hello mr. Bess) so I do not feel the need to overlayer. I received the compliment "wow, nice eyeshadows" from a makeup expert so I guess I put it on in a kinda right way too? Oh jolly!

However, I do not feel like glam shimmer & flecks on everyday base even though Charlotte T thinks everyone can benefit from that (can't remember where I read that but her line proves she likes shimmer). But I rarely have a standard eyelook anyway so I like this addition to my bronzy stash.

Relaxing in times of pre-Holiday tension is not only an indulgence: you'll be a much nicer person towards others and get some more focussed gifts as well. I think a bath is relaxing but most importantly warming when temperatures drop.

I've bought a bottle of Tisserand De-stress bathoil based on a good & detailed rave on naturisimo (here): I agree! I've really think its an awesome blend and it really outdoes it pricetag. I've had samples of Aromatherapy Associates Deep Relax bath & shower oil and this is quite similar, only a whole lot more afforable: and that's relaxing as well

And yes, you can use it as a shower-oil as well!

 Kate = Queen...
whether it is the Dutchess of Cambridge, the ubermodel Moss or our Driveller-guru. So when she declared Suqqu M eyebrush to be a superior choice over mr. Ford (review)... I added it instantly to my Selfridges cart.

Thanks to its superior quality my blending skills have gotten better. Also, I have been rediscovering older infatuations such as Sienna Orchid.

 I've become more curious about natural and personalised blends so I ordered a couple of samples from Pollen & Wax: Among it their Peridot Cleansing Oil:

The Peridot Cleansing oil really smells refreshing, more like a Spanish Cava than a Peridot but I'm hardly the wine connoisseur. Most importantly, it cleanses the more profound makeup with the most gentle and beneficial of ingredients (listed here)

The Gold Petal facial serum (=oil) is indeed of a golden colour and smells more neutral. It is made for "{sensitive, ruddy, inflamed, combination, dry, irritated skin types}" so the amount of fraganced essential oils is not too strong. I detect the rose geranium.

Both have been really lovely. They last about 2 times and I do think I need a bit more to give out a good conclusion. 

Rituals Fortune shower Oil

I feel it is time for a good old review with too much talk and with a bit of sense.

I like Rituals as it is one of the few Dutch Cosmetic brands that gotten big outside Holland. They started out in 2000 and I loved them instantly. They had this Eastern (sorry about being vague) holistic feel with shops that were/are decorated in rustic colours & with wash-n-water departments to try out your products immediately.

I have liked washing oils a lot and an because I have been into various Japanese products that work with this concept. Face-oil cleansers came first and the body followed up. I have tried l'Occitane Almond cleansing oil for body too. They often feel much softer on the skin during winter-showers.

I feel like this person in the shower:

Hehehe, not really but I loved the oiled up quality of her skin. Actually with the studs on her back she reminds me of that Aston Kucher "Dude, Where's My Car?" movie.

Storyline: Geeky Aston & friend meet a supergorgeous woman and get into a night partying with other model-types. They turned out to be aliens. (Youtub)

 

I like how this film

1. has a pre-Demi-divorced Aston in it...cuuuuute
2. plays with the idea that women who are "too pretty", "too tall", "size 0" etc cannot be human.
3. hilarious in that 2000-something kinda way.

My shower-oil is actually aimed at making you feel human again:

Laughing Buddha: Bringer of Happiness. Symbol of good luck and Prosperity

 It works as simple as the face oils for cleansing:

1. Put the oil on either dry or wet skin 
   
2. Add water
3. Lather into a milky cleansing substance
   

4. Rinse

Verdict:

• Scent: a high fraganced, slightly artificial orange with the hint of a Cedar note
• Scent: Thus a wonderful concoction to get going in the morning (awakening orange) but feel warmer as well (Cedar)
• Substance: Thinner, slightly runny (dry) oil
• Substance: A little goes a longer way
• Afterfeel: more moisturizing than shower-gels etc
• Afterfeel: fragance stays on for quite long
• Price:  Quite affordable for € 8.50 for 200 ml/6.7 fl.oz

Conclusion: Affordable way to cleanse yourself in a Haute-Spa way but try before to see it the fragance agrees with you.

Availability: At the rituals site (here) for € 8.50 for 200 ml

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.

Skin & Care talk - Cosmetex Roland Shapy Cleansing Oil & Genie in a Bottle Hyaluronic Acid Moisture Spray

Skincare is sometimes seen as the more dependable and  less colourful variety of cosmetics. You really want it to work and not to irritate your skin, but it is not the most fun experience, compared to buying new colours that you can purchase when buying makeup.

The two products I will do a mini review on today are actually quite colourful to look at in their bottle.

The first bottle is one that I am quite happy about. I ventured on Genie in a Bottle skincare because it looked like a clean and effective skincare line.

Genie in a Bottle Hyaluronic Acid Moisture Spray

I also liked the first song that Christina Aguillera sang...tadaa, for the people that are still quite young, that was 'Genie in a Bottle'. Yeh, I was that sweet, innocent (and dare I say naive) girl that liked her whole first CD.

Christina Aguilera - Genie In A Bottle

So I have not been a fan of her later work, although I think she has been quite inventive in creating new looks and making herself interesting towards the public.

So, does my skin become as dewy and youthful as it was in my 'Genie in a Bottle' era?

Genie in a Bottle Hyaluronic Spray: typical spray bottle

Ha ha, my skin was a lot worse during that time, so I have not intentions to have similar skin. I had acne scars that have cleared up in a certain extend (thanks to religious skincare).

But the lack of beginning lines and the ability to look fresh in the morning (even after a short night) is something that I could use.

Lots of people forget that a large amount of beginning lines are often due to a lack of moisture in the skin. Actually, most people have dehydrated skin, even if they have oily skin.

That is what this spray helps you with. With the added amount of Hyaluronic Acids it is a quick way of adding moisture.

Ok, this is what Sasa has to say about this spray:

description
Genie in a Bottle Hyaluronic Acid Moisture Spray enables a precious reservoir for your skin, creating hydrophilic-lipophilic balanced skin.
 

Benefits:

• Capture: replenishes skin from inside out.
• Bind: prevents moisture loss.
• replenish: vitalize skin.

My opinion:

I do feel that it is more than a tonic or water-based spray. Also, when you spray it on, you can get a bit of a lustrous glow on your face. Sometimes, I use makeup that feels a bit drying, and with this bit of spray it equals out the dryness. For the month I have been using it, I believe my skin is rather hydrated. However, I use a lot of skincare that tries to cancel out dehydration, so I cannot really say that is it 's only due to Genie in a Bottle.

People with combination skin or oily t-zones, just as myself, probably have to watch out when spraying this spray over their nose, because it can leave your nose a bit too shiny. Or you have to blot out the shine afterwards.

The colour of this spray is a neutral, water-type colour. And for the sensitive ones out there: it is scentless too!

Overall, two thumbs up for me! I love this stuff and I will repurchase this when finished. The price is right and it does what the description claims it should do. ( It is  $ 6.70 on Sasa).

Towards my second colourful bottle:

I tried another cleansing oil: This time from Cosmetex Roland. With their message 'for your future skin' and their zesty red bottle I thought I could try this one.

Cosmetex Roland Shapy Cleansing Oil

The bottle has a retangular shape and the usual pump application.

Cosmetex Roland Shapy Cleansing Oil

The cleansing 'oil' that comes out is not similar to the usual variety of Japanese cleansing oils. It smells a bit berry-ish, which is a good thing. However, it is quite sticky!

Cosmetex Roland Shapy Cleansing Oil

I don't mind a new type of texture when cleansing my face, although I have become quite used to the more common variety of Japanese cleansing oils. But it should work and cleanse my face of all makeup. This one does not remove any eye-makeup at all. Or, just a smidge and I have to result to other cleansers to do the rest.

Thumbs down for me on this colourful bottle... 

I purchased it on sasa, but they took it out of their collection They do have a new, mix type of oil-cleanser listed, and that one might work a bit better. 

Battle of the Bottles: Blue wins for today!