Blogvember #13: Half Way There!

Yes, I know that 13 is not exactly 16 as it should have been, but I will say that between working days and nights and spending a couple of days on vacation I think I'm not doing as bad as I was afraid. So technically we're half way through Blogvember and I'd like to recap what I've written about so far. A click on the titles will automatically open a new window with the post for you, if you wish to read something. 

#1: My Aussie Experience

This was my first real dabble into this line and I am quite impressed with it. I wrote a review of the Repair Miracle Shampoo and Conditioner and the Miracle Dry Shampoo.

#2: Something Yummy

Yummy is also a brand I came across for the first time. I reviewed the Yummy Body Butter in Darkest Blood Orange.

#3: Oils are not just for cooking

I love it when I find products from Slovenian brands that I enjoy. In this post, I talk about the Afrodita Jojoba Oil shower gel and Afrodita Argan Oil. 

#4: Secrets of the Trebnik Mansion

I fell in love with Dvorec Trebnik bath salts a year back, but this was my first time trying their DT line: DT Energy Tonic, DT Funky Coconut Creamy Hand Gel and DT Strawberry Lip Balm. 

#5: I Heart Makeup Palette in Black Velvet

I Heart Makeup is a nice brand offering a variety of products at very reasonable price point. This time, I reviewed their sexy, sleek palette named Black Velvet.

#6: This or That - Beauty Edition Tag

If you want to learn about my preferences when it comes to beauty, click on the post above :)

#7: Subrina Vitamins & Strength

Another review of hair care products, this time talking about another Slovenian brand with a short review of the Vitamins & Strength shampoo and conditioner. A short update: I have not touched these since I tried them a couple of times for the review, since I much prefer some other hair care brands I've gotten to know in the past few months.

#8: Adam had Eve, Batman had Robin and I have my Curaprox Superduo

Perhaps a bit out of context on a beauty blog, but I really love this brand and I wanted to give it the praise it deserves. I cannot recommend it enough!

#9: Eucerin Pampering

Eucerin spoiled me twice in October: once at the conference and once with a surprise package. I must say I love the way the brand is evolving and I look forward to seeing what they've got in store for us. I reviewed their new CC cream and lotion for sensitive skin. 

#10: Catrice brings us some chocolate delights

I am a big fan of Catrice brand, especially because of the price:quality ratio which is hard to beat. Although palettes are the one make-up item I really like to splurge on since I find that the quality in drugstore is not always the best, I was pleasantly surprised by the Chocolate nudes palette.

#11: 20 random facts about me tag

I had a blast writing this and laughed quite a lot while I re-read it again whilst on vacation. If you want to learn a thing or two about me, click on the link above :)

#12: What I'm buying myself before Christmas

Things I need in my life before December arrives - courtesy of Lush, Yankee Candle, Smile Concept Store and Carpisa. 

 I am very much looking forward to the second half of November - I've got a couple of events coming up, a few packages to pick up from the post office and two big surprises coming up. Hopefully, you think I'm doing a decent job as well and enjoyed what I've written so far.

Until next time, stay beautiful!

Secrets of the Trebnik Mansion

Trebnik Mansion, geddit? The brand I want to write about today is actually named Dvorec (i.e. Mansion) Trebnik, but it sounds much more exotic the other way around in English, so I'll roll with it. 

I've been obsessed with Dvorec Trebnik bath salts for about a year now and haven't used anything else since I first purchased them. For some reason unknown to mankind, I have not tried any of their other products until we got a nice goody bag at the Beauty Bloggers Meetup (which I keep mentioning and will mention throughout Blogvember, so get used to it) full of products from their DT line.

Inside the bag, we found three products and I've been using two of them non-stop for the past couple of weeks. First, I want to talk about the DT Energy tonic - a refreshing face and body mist. 

Empties #2

I can't believe how time flies. It's less than 2 weeks until December and less than a week until my first ever Christmas giveaway :) Are you excited? I know I am. 

Anyhow, I've again gathered a whole bunch of empty products which I have more or less firm opinions on already. I think that these particular empties are much more random than the first ones, so I tried to put them into categories to make things easier on all of us. As usual, I will also answer the »would I repurchase« question with each of them, since it's what really counts in my opinion.  

First up, four random products that I really don't know where to put. First are the Dvorec Trebnik bath salt and Biodent mouthwash. 

I picked up this Dvorec Trebnik salt on a whim in Mercator one day. I don't really have the time to take long baths on a regular basis, but I must admit I've taken a lot more since I've bought this product. It gives the water a smell of a luxury spa. The granules are a bit slow to disintegrate so I usually put them in the bath before I start running the water. I've used up the bottle in about 2 months, but then again, I probably use way too much of the product, to be honest. I repurchased it in the Vanilla scent but I actually prefer the orange one. 

The Biodent mouthwash perhaps doesn't exactly fall in the beauty category, but I think that beauty is also hidden in a pretty smile. I think we have tried every mouthwash out there in our household and while I didn't mind most of them, my hubby hated all except for this Biodent brand (which, incidentally, is the cheapest one out there). So it's become a staple in our home and I will continue to repurchase it. 

Next up, we have my even favourite deodorant – Axe Anarchy for her. This is a budget alternative to buying a really luxury product that you match to your perfume – Axe Anarchy costs about 4 € (I've only seen in in Mercator and Müller). It's not an antiperspirant which is great and it really lasts for 12+ hours of furious pace, which is even better (or a must, to be honest). This was my fourth bottle and I will continue to purchase these in bulk because I'm scared they will stop producing it. It was already included in my first empties and I expect it to make another appearance soon :)

 

Nivea makes my all-time favourite cotton pads. I use these for a number of different things and it's the reason why I go through a pack every two weeks, if not more. They don't stick, they are reasonably thick, they soak up whichever product so that it's not running around on my fingers and the floor and – perhaps most important – they don't tear. I hate it when a piece of a cotton pad gets stuck on the lashes or on the fingernail. I think these are about the most expensive cotton pads out there, though, so if anyone knows a good alternative, let me know in the comments below. I do repurchase these all the time.

I've gone through another nail polish remover – the Uma cosmetics Acetone Free remover with the coconut smell. I wasn't too impressed with how it got rid of glitter, but then again, I am yet to find a polish remover that could really tackle that issue well. For the normal nail polishes, it was OK. I also quite liked the smell of it, to be honest. I will probably repurchase this eventually but there are many more out there I want to try before. 

Regarding the nail care, I am all done with the Artdeco intensive nail care stick, which dried up on me. It's good, but the Essence nail sticks are a complete dupe and much less expensive, so I would not repurchase this. I have however already repurchased the Essence nail polish corrector stick which was also included in my October favourites. 

In the hair department, we have a regular size product and two samples. I bought the Cristalli di Argan in DM for about 5 € with the 50% off coupon. I would expect a LOT from a 10 € bottle of shampoo, but, alas, this shampoo was nothing special. I especially did not like that it produced very little foam which meant that I used up even more than I would of the regular drugstore shampoos. I would not repurchase this, or anything else from this particular line. 

The Philip Kingsley products I already talked about in my September favourites and now I've finally gone through the deluxe samples – I had about 4 uses from each of them, which means that a little goes a long way. I will not repeat myself on how much I love this product – I will purchase the full size as a Christmas gift for myself.

Last but not least, there are the face products. I have raved back and forth about the Yes to (grapefruit) facial wipes in my review. I am using the blueberry ones at the moment and they are great as well, but I really think I will repurchase these grapefruit wipes again since I found them more refreshing. 

The Catrice All matt powder (sorry, the packaging is so busted on the top that you cannot see anything at all – I had to read a sticker in the back) was a great product for about 6 months and then it dried up completely. It is really inexpensive so I would probably buy this again for travel and not have to worry if something unpleasant happens to it or I lose it. But I have tried other pressed powders in the last few months and although they are more expensive, the price: quality ratio was in my opinion better as well. 

Last, we have a mini sample of Paula's choice Skin Balancing Invisible Finish Moisture Gel – a big name for a small product. I can hardly believe that this small sample was enough for 4 days – you really only need a tiny amount of product for the entire face. I am really excited to get this daily moisturizer since I have a feeling that we will be good friends. 

Is there an empty in this post that you have other opinion on? I would love to hear from you – comment below!

Until next time, stay beautiful, stay awesome!