Products I want to use up in 2017 ***** Izdelki, ki jih želim porabiti v letu 2017

I'll admit that my make-up collection isn't exactly tiny. And also, I don't really like thinking about it as a collection. I have more make-up than the average woman so I can compare products when I review them, but I really don't want to hoard my make-up to the point where I no longer have anywhere to put it. Consequently, I decided that for the first time I'll try to use up some of the products in the upcoming year.

Priznam - moja zbirka ličil ni ravno majhna. In o njej nerada razmišljam kot o zbirki. Seveda imam več ličil kot povprečna ženska, predvsem zato, da jih lahko med seboj primerjam, ko jih ocenjujem, vendar pa si v resnici ne želim toliko ličil, da ne bi vedela, kam z njimi. Posledično sem se letos prvič odločila, da bom nekaj izdelkov namensko skušala porabiti do konca tekom leta 2017.

The first product is the Catrice Chocolate Nudes Palette - you can find the review and more photos *here*. The biggest issue I have with small palettes is there is always something missing - a light matte shade for under the browbone, a shimmery shade for the inner corner or a good neutral crease color. This palette has it all so I can use it alone, but I simply don't remember about it often enough. Hopefully, I'll be able to use up the whole thing since all the shades are lovely and well pigmented.

Prvi izdelek je Catrice Chocolate Nudes paletka - oceno in več slik lahko najdeš *tu*. Problem manjših paletk je, da jim vedno nekaj manjka - bodisi svetla mat senčka za pod obrvi, bodisi svetlikajoč odtenek za v kotiček očesa, bodisi dobra nevtralna barva za v pregib očesa. Ta paletka ima prav vse to, zato jo lahko uporabljam tudi samostojno, vendar se premalokrat spomnim nanjo. Upam, da mi jo bo uspelo porabiti v celoti, saj so prav vsi odtenki zelo lepi in dobro pigmentirani. 

The second product I'm less excited about is the Freedom Pro Conceal & Correct palette of cream concealers. Except for the shade top right (a bit too pink for me), I'll probably be able to use it up for covering up imperfections or for contouring. This palette is well curated and not too expensive, but the product is really sticky and hard to blend, especially in areas with wrinkles. I'm still putting it on the list and I hope I make it through.

Drug izdelek, ki me nekoliko manj navdušuje, je Freedom Pro Conceal & Correct paleta kremnih korektorjev. Razen skrajno desne barve zgoraj, ki je nekoliko preveč roza zame, jih bom verjetno uspela porabiti, bodisi za popravke nepravilnosti, bodisi za konturo. Pri tej paleti, ki je sicer dobro sestavljena in ni preveč draga, me moti predvsem lepljiv občutek izdelka, saj ga je kar težko lepo zabrisati, še posebej v predelih z gubicami. Vseeno jo dajem na seznam in upam, da bom pri uporabi kar se da uspešna. 

The third product on the list is a recent purchase - the BeYu Strobe&Define palette. Inside, you can find a mat strobing powder, a highlighter, a blush and a bronzer. All the shades are great and very appropriate for my skin tone, but I am extremely disappointed in the texture. The product is very powdery and difficult to apply evenly, and above that, it likes to stick to imperfections on the skin. I am not impressed by this palette at all so I want to use it up and forget about it. 

Tretji izdelek na seznamu je relativno nova pridobitev, in sicer BeYu Strobe&Define paleta. V njej se skriva mat osvetljevalec, svetleč osvetljevalec, rdečilo in bronzer. Vsi odtenki so super in povsem primerni za moj ten kože, vendar pa me je pri tej paleti izredno razočarala tekstura, saj so senčke izredno pudraste in se težko enakomerno nanesejo, poleg tega pa se rade oprimejo nepravilnosti na koži. Gre torej za paleto, ki me nikakor ni navdušila, zato jo želim porabiti in pozabiti nanjo. 

The next product is the Lush Bubblegum lip exfoliator. Since it's a natural product that needs to be used up in a certain time frame, I don't want to waste it, especially because it's absolutely fantastic and prepares my lips for all types of lipstick beautifully. It comes in handy when I'm using a matte lip. I've used up about a quarter or the jar so far.

Naslednji izdelek je Lush Bubblegum piling za ustnice. Ker gre za naravni izdelek z omejenim rokom trajanja, ne želim, da bi ga morala vreči v smeti, sploh, ker je naravnost fantastičen in moje ustnice res lepo pripravi za vse tipe šmink, še posebej pa je takšna priprava nujna za mat šminke. Do sedaj sem ga porabila približno četrtino. 

Although I'm not the biggest fan of blushes, I chose one more that has been among my favorites for about two years now - the Milani Baked Blush in the shade Dolce Pink. It's a subtle pink shade with shimmer in it which can be applied in layers without worrying that the pigmentation will be too strong. Although it's one of my go-to blushes, I can barely see any signs of use on it so I think that using this product up will be the biggest challenge out of all.

Kljub temu, da nisem največji ljubitelj rdečil, sem izbrala eno, ki me navdušuje že kakšni dve leti, in sicer Milani Baked Blush v odtenku Dolce Pink. Gre za nežno roza rdečilo s svetlikajočimi delci, ki se ga da lepo nanesti v slojih brez nevarnosti, da bi bil nanos premočan. Kljub temu, da ga kar redno potegnem ven iz predala, se mu uporaba komaj kaj pozna, zato mislim, da bo ta izdelek največji izziv med vsemi. 

The last product I want to use up is the Laura Mercier eye pencil. Considering I only use eye pencils for tightlining my eyes, I don't use that much of the product and I keep receiving new ones so I'd like to use up at least one of them all the way to the end. The pencil itself is quite stiff so I use far less product than with the creamier ones (like Lord&Berry) and lasts all day so I'm looking forward to using it. 

Zadnji izdelek, ki ga želim porabiti, je Laura Mercier črn svinčnik za oči. Glede na to, da svinčnike uporabljam skoraj izključno za tightline, je tudi njihova poraba precej majhna, skoraj vsak mesec pa prejmem kakšnega novega, zato bi rada vsaj enega res porabila čisto do konca. Svinčnik je precej trd, zato se ga uporabi še manj kot kakšnega drugega kremnega (npr. Lord&Berry), pa tudi izredno dobro obstojen, zato se uporabe veselim.

This is my goal for 2017 - to use these six products up. What do you think - will I be able to do it? Until next time, stay beautiful!

To je torej moj cilj za 2017 - da uporabim šest izdelkov čisto do konca. Kaj meniš - mi bo uspelo? Do naslednjič, ostani čudovita!

Last 2016 empties ~ porabljeni izdelki!

So here we are. December is almost upon us and it was time to do a proper clean out of my bathroom cabinets before the packages from Black Friday start rolling in. This is going to be a long post so without further ado, let's jump straight into it!

Pa smo tu! December je tik pred vrati in resnično je bil čas, da pospravim svoje omarice, preden prispejo paketi z vsem, kar sem kupila na Črni petek. Ker bo objava dolga, predlagam, da kar začneva!

MONDAY MADNESS: Empty that can!

I haven't emptied my trash can in a long while - too long, I might add, so I was presented with a pile of used products that you now get to view for your own pleasure :) I'll try to write short reviews, but you know how it is with me - short posts are definitely not my forte. 

Starting off with hair products, I am done with the Aussie Repair Miracle shampoo and conditioner for damage control. I found these two OK, but after using them for a long time I noticed they did make my hair a little bit heavier and they got greasier a bit quicker. I will not repurchase. 

Empties #4

Once again, I dug out my beauty trash. I tried to keep your advice in mind and do this post a bit earlier this time so the post doesn't stretch into infinity. I don't think I did very well, though. 

Let's start small. I've gotten or purchased quite a lot of samples and for once, I managed to use some as well. 

I love Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting exfoliator. It was my first time trying something with BHA gel and I'm really tempted to get a full size of this. It made my skin bright, I really had a feeling that it was clean and soft. I can't say the same for the Delarom Infinite White serum – I noticed no difference to my skin after using a couple of these samples (which I got in the Dashbox). 

I will get my behind whooped by beauty bloggers for saying this, but I was really, really unimpressed with the Aussie 3 Minute Miracle Reconstructor. My hair didn't feel any different or feel any different after I used it. I might try some other Aussie products in the future, but I will not be purchasing this any time soon. 

Empties #3

I was under the impression that while hubby was away for two weeks, I would have plenty of time and would post something new every day. Well... that turned out well, now didn't it? I'm sorry to have gone MIA for 20 days, but now I'm back and let's get this party started!

I actually wanted to write some other posts before this one, but as it turns out, cleaning out your closets really makes the empties pile up – I found quite a few products that had only a tiny bit left and that’s now gone.

Pantene Aqua Light, Garnier Fructis Repair and shine 3, Moroccanoil, Goldwell Golden Spray

I used up the Garnier Fructis Repair & Shine shampoo and conditioner. Both contain three nutritive fruit oils: olive, avocado and shea oil. I liked them well enough, especially the fruity scent, but they did nothing really special for my hair. I would not repurchase them.

I also used up the Pantene Aqua Light shampoo (which went a bit faster since hubby was stealing it all the time). This served as a shampoo to get rid of build up in my hair – it really gave them a good wash and they got that squeaky feeling to them – do you know what I’m talking about? I would repurchase this, since it’s inexpensive and works really well. As you can see, I also had some samples of this conditioner lying around so those went as well. 

Decluttering like a pro: everyday cosmetics (a long post!)

Every single time I bring home a new product, I feel the need to use it right away. It doesn’t really matter if I already have 3 hair sprays opened, or 5 body lotions – surely, this new one will be so utterly superior to them that I will throw the old ones away and only use the new one for the rest of my life. Sounds familiar? If it does, then you probably have seen something like this before. 

Every once in a while, I reach a point when everything starts falling out, I have no place for new things and I really, really need to clean stuff out. So I did something similar as with nail polishes – got everything out and went through it. Here are the results with small reviews on each of the products and whether I tossed or kept it. I suggest you get a snack, since it’s going to be a long post!

Let’s start with hair products.

L’Oreal Elnett de Luxe – strong hold which also offers extra heat protection. I don’t like the pump, would prefer a spray, but it’s a good hold, and I don’t really use hair spray all that much. Keeping.

Taft Cashmere Touch Power Spray.  This was sitting in the back of the closet for about 2 years and I distinctly remember why I stopped using it – it made my hair so hard that I had problems combing through it after I used it. Trash.

Aiko Styling Heat Protecting Spray. I did not know it was a Müller brand until this very moment. Did not care for this product – I didn’t see any difference in how my hair behaved or how good it looked whether I used it or not. Trash.

Syoss Anti-Grease dry shampoo. This smells like lemon, which I like a lot since it makes my hair smell fresh. It does work to give second day hair a bit of volume, but I wouldn’t necessarily use it instead of washing my hair after that. Good value for money – lasts a long time. Keeping.

Nivea Volume Sensation Styling Mousse. Number 4 (out of 5) – extra strong. I normally put it into wet hair before washing to give it a little extra volume around the base. There’s not really that much left, so I am keeping it.

In my previous post about hair botox I talked about the frizz in my hair and their general dullness. I have quite a few products to combat that, not including the Morrocan oil and Keraste oils I just purchased.

First Empties of 2015!

This post is way overdue, especially due to the fact that my spare closet was starting too look like some hoarder's wet dream. A bunch of empties and no time to share my thoughts on them with you, my beauties. But this changes - right now!

Let's start with some haircare.

I used up the Schwarzkopf Gliss Hair Repair for dry and damaged hair - and for once, the shampoo and the conditioner both lasted the exact same amount of washes. I don't know why,  but usually I use up the conditioner way faster. Anyway, this came recommended by a friend and I loved the product. It really did make a difference in my hair, leaving it a bit shinier and I've also noticed less frizz and fewer flyaways. I also use the deep conditioning mask, but I've got a couple more uses in that one. 

As for this Essence Road Trip dry shampoo, I just don't know. It was a random purchase and I used it just as randomly. It didn't really convince me in making my hair any less greasy, so I mainly used it if my hair was clean but had a smell (e.g. if I was baking/cooking something with a heavy smell). So I wouldn't repurchase this. 

I have rambled about the Axe Anarchy deodorant so much in my empties, I'm not going to repeat myself. I was however slightly surprised by the Nivea Angel Star Invisible deodorant. I think they changed the formula on that one - when I used it in the past it really did the job, but for some reason this one just did not perform. It's not really empty, but I am throwing it away since it's useless. 

Alas, I also used up an entire bottle of Chloe by Chloe perfume in about 6 months. I purchased a double size of this a couple of months back so I hope it lasts me at least until 2016. I love this smell, but I would not recommend a certain perfume to anyone, since it's completely a personal preference. I will say, however, that it lasts beautifully on my skin - I get compliments on it even after 12 hours. 

For nails, I again used up an entire bottle of Afrodita Chamomile Sensitive polish remover - it's my go to remover whenever other products I'm trying out fail me. This Aveo (a Muller brand) was again just OK - it did the job on the nails, but I had to use up a lot if it every time around. I think the bottle lasted me only about 5-6 manicures. The Alessandro nail polish is not empty, but it dried up on me and it's impossible to use it anymore, so I'm throwing it away. 

For skincare, I did a bit of experimentation with the Yes To cleaning wipes, trying out the Blueberry (age refresh) and the Cucumber (soothing) ones for the first time. We all know I'm a fan of the Grapefruit (correct and repair) ones and I must say that both other versions were just as good. I will however stick to the Grapefruit ones because of the lovely refreshing smell. I would only recommend the Cucumber tissues if you don't mind a strong cucumber smell - it was a bit disturbing for me at times. I get these on Asos for about 5-6 €, they often have promotions where you can get them even cheaper. I'm thinking of investing in a cleansing gel from this same brand, since I'm obviously a fan.

I used up two cleansers in the past months. The Decleor Eye Make-up remover with essential oils is one of my absolute favorite products of all time. It can remove almost any mascara under the face of the planet and although it's quite expensive, I think it's worth the money. The other empty from this category is the Nivea Pure&Natural cleansing milk. It doesn't have quite the power of Decleor, but for the price, I still find it a good product. Plus, I'm a sucker for the classic Nivea smell in the face products - it just makes me feel clean, if you know what I mean. 

I also got the final spritz out of the Urban Decay De-slick setting spray. It is amazing, that's all I can say about it. I've talked about it quite a lot before and considering my most recent haul, you'll be seeing this baby in my favorites quite a lot, probably. 

Last up is a mini sample of Paula's choice. I don't know why I included it here, since I'm going to do a Sample Empties soon. So, you know, just ignore it. 

I've replaced my Real Techniques old nasty blending sponge with a brand new one (which i already mentioned in the most recent haul). I also went through another of the Maybelline Baby Skin Instant pore erasers which I've talked and talked about before. I just have one left and then I'm going to have to live without them until the next USA trip. 

In the foundations, I've gone through two of them. First one is the L'Oreal Mat' Magique which I'm so happy I've finally gotten rid of. It featured in my Worst products of 2015 and I never, ever want to see it again in my bathrom. Read about it here. 

On the other hand, I've used up two lovely products I will miss very much. First is the Rimmel Match Perfection (201 - Classic Beige) foundation which was my favorite foundation of the past year. I'm definitely going to repurchase this at the first opportunity (meaning, the first Rimmel sale on Look Fantastic or Feelunique). It's an absolutely gorgeous foundation with just the right amount of coverage which does cover enough but doesn't leave my face feeling heavy. I can give similar praise to the Essence Stay All Day 16h Concealer. I've used this underneath my eyes for my ever-dark dark circles. It covered up the darkness beautifully and what I really loved about it is that it sank into the skin and didn't just sit on top, creasing and looking out of place. Will repurchase if I can find it. 

Last up, my beloved mascaras. If I knew how wonderful each and every one of these three mascaras is, I would have never opened them at the same time. I've talked about them before here - I think it's a good post with a decent comparison. Anyway, it's in the trash with these three and on with the hunt with a mascara that comes even close to these three. 

Anyway, that's it for the first empties of this year. I hope you pick up some good tips and learn from my successes and mistakes alike. Until next time, stay beautiful, stay awesome!

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!

My first ever empties

I will not make any excuses about the lack of posts. Life happens, and sometimes it can also be nice.

But without any further rambling on this subject, here are my first empties. They are in no particular order, but they are all completely and utterly just bits and pieces of my trash I’d like to share with you. 

First up, we have the L’Occitane hydrating body gel. This stuff was a present from a friend two years ago. Yes, two years ago. And with my current philosophy of using up products I actually went for it and tried to use it up. Needless to say, products have expiration dates for a reason. Although the scent and the softness of the product was still there, it was flaking off my skin like you’ve never seen before. So in the trash it goes (and I get to open another one, yay).  Will I repurchase? Probably not, it wasn’t that good compared to some other L’Occitane products I’ve used before, especially all with the almond milk, which I adore. 

Next up, we have 3 packages of make-up tissues – one by Essence, one by Müller’s own CV brand and one by Garnier. I will not go into these too much since I have another post planned about them.

We also have two nail polish removers – I tend to go through these like crazy in the summer months when I’m out and about and my nail polish is chipping like crazy. In the last desperate attempt to be the “low-maintenance beauty” I bought the Aveo remover (again, the Müller brand) in berry scent.  I was not crazy about it, I think my all-time-favorite, Afrodita chamomile (which is another empty) does a much better job.  Will I repurchase? Afrodita yes, Aveo probably not. 

We also have two oldies-goldies – the Avon Daily Shine leave in conditioner, which I already talked about in my Avon haul. This stuff is magic and I will continue to use it until the day they stop producing it. But it’s obviously one of Avon’s staple products since it’s been on the market for years – the packaging has changed some, but the product hasn’t.  The other favorite that I keep and keep repurchasing and always have some in stock just in case is the Axe Anarchy for her. I had quite a hard time finding a deodorant that can keep up with my pace and at the same time doesn’t cost an arm and a leg. 

Last up, I got through my first tube of Maybelline Baby skin instant pore eraser. As some of you may remember, I did not buy one, not two, not three but four of these babies on my USA trip. I will however not be starting a new tube right away since I have two other primers that I want to try first. But that’s a case for another post. 

Have you used any of these products? What are your opinions on them?

Until next time, stay beautiful, stay awesome!