Something Japanese: Annayake Cleansing Foam review

Annayake cleansing foam is one of the products included in my September Douglas Box of Beauty.

This cleansing foam reminded me really strongly of the two Skinfood cleansing foams I've tested. The same thick consistency, pearly colour, and method of application and effect. This is the kind of foam which will refuse to look similar to any kind of foam until you mix it with a drop of water. Then the pearly substance turns into a very rich and thick foam which disappears after a single splash of water, leaving this weird rubbery feel to your skin. It always seems to me that it removes all impurities together with all the sebum and natural film of moisture the skin normally possesses. Moisturiser needed instantly after!
I really liked the result achieved after about 2 weeks of using this product. My skin suffered from a severe break-out caused by Clinique Even Better (heh) and this cleansing foam improved the condition of my skin greatly.
To return to the comparison with Skinfood foam cleansers. Which would I choose? The products are basically almost the same, the difference being the smell, price and availability. Annayake cleanser smells like the Savon de Marseille which definitely is not my favourite fragrance. The cleansers by Skinfood are more nicely perfumed. Annayake is more expensive but it's widely available in the nearest shopping mall. I'll probably order something Skinfood simply because I enjoy Korean shopping, not because Annayake is deficient in any way.

Clinique Even Better clinical Dark Spot Corrector review

There has been a lot of fuss about this sample which was added to Douglas Box of Beauty. According to the information on Douglas website it was supposed to be a 15 ml sample (so half  the size of the original packaging) whereas what arrived was a 7ml tube. The company failed to compensate in any reasonable way but I can't be bothered cause I don't feel I need this product at all.
Having read the instructions carefully I still couldn't figure out how exactly I am supposed to use this product. The cream was defined as a serum so I gathered it should be used on bare skin, followed up with my regular moisturiser. However, I'm not sure whether this is necessary cause the substance is silky smooth and quite rich. It was a bit runny and each time I dispensed too much but  it applied like a dream. I'm not in need of such a product at all but I tested it for about two weeks to see what would happen. I didn't notice any evening out of my skin tone nor did my redness disappear. Instead I suffered from a severe breakout exactly in the area where I used the cream which dissappeared as soon as I stopped using the cream.
This is most unfortunate cause I really like the silkiness of the formula. Even if the cream is not targeted at my skin concerns it was such a pleasure to use. But the breakout did more damage than the good the serum could do.

Figs & Rouge Balm review

I'm not a lip balm girl. Dry lips are not my issue, lip scrub and moisturising lipsticks and glosses do the trick for me. I've only bought 2 lip balms in my grown up life (the tinted one by ELF and one by Carmex), both times out of curiosity rather than because I needed them.
So when my September Glossybox arrived and I saw a lip balm there I can't say I was thrilled about it but the beautiful packaging immediately caught my attention.
This balm comes in an adorable vintage-style metal pot which reminds me of wild strawberry cream my grandmother used to keet in her drawer since the the days of her youth.
Inside the pot you'll find strangely looking substance. Unlike all typical lip balms it's kind of grainy or bumpy. For a moment I even thought it might have some exfoliating properties. Upon the contact with the warmth of the skin all these beads melt to an ultra smooth balm.
What you instantly notice is its minty smell which made me expect the worst cause many volatile substances like mint oil or camphor make me cough but nothing like that happened. This balm is actually such a pleasure to use!
The product is not classified specifically as a lip balm, it could be used on any rough areas of your body which need extra care (eg. elbows). Although a little goes a long way, I believe the pot is really too tiny to make us seriously treat this product as a body balm.
What impressed me greatly is the fact that this is the first organic product I've seen consisting purely of natural ingredients. The list of ingredients consists of few items (this is rarely seen in cosmetic industry) and all of them are plant oils etc. No chemicals, no preservatives, no artificial flavouring.

Excellent product. Even a person like me, who doesn't need this product, will use ut up with pleasure.  

Umberto Giannini Curl Friends Natural Curls Styling-spray

Umberto Gianini Natural Curls Styling Spray promises to stimulate bouncy curls and what's more revive wilted curls 'the day after'. I hardly ever wash my hair in the morning so I'm constantly on the lookout for some products which would make my hair look nice and fresh just after I wake up.
None of it can be said about the product I'm reviewing. This spray made my hair very dry and not curly at all. Frizzy haystack is the term that describes it best.
The only good thing about this spray is the smell. I found it very pleasant but a word of warning for those of you who don't like highly fragranced stuff: this is like hair perfume. Neutralizes cigarette odour from the party you had the night before!
To conclude: this thing is a good hair perfume or dry shampoo but hopeless at styling curls.


Disclaimer: I bought the product myself for my personal use and I am not affiliated with any company. I am not paid to do this review and everything I said here is my genuine opinion.

Thierry Mugler Radiant Body Lotion review

I'm absolutely in love with Alien by Thierry Mugler. I've run out of my last bottle and was kind of missing the fragrance so when I saw this was one of the products contained in September Douglas Box of Beauty I immediately decided to grab one.
And I couldn't be more happy I did. This stuff is richly perfumed and smells just as amazing as the perfume itself. I don't think this body lotion has particularly strong moisturising properties, it sinks in very quickly leaving no trace on the skin apart from the fragrance and.... lots of shimmer!
This body lotion is an excellent choice for Saturday night outings. Shower, lotion which absorbs so quickly you can put your clothes on immediately, and lots of shimmer on your skin which comes to life reflected in artificial light.
Great fancy stuff!

Bath & Body Works in Pink chiffon review

I was quite happy to receive a Bath and Body Works body lotion in my September Glossybox cause I'd heard a lot about the brand but hadn't been able to try it out due to low availabitily in Poland.

The bottle I received is a very convenient travel-size product (88ml), the amount which will last at least 2 weeks of regular application. I loved the consistency of the product, it was just right, neither too runny or too thick to get it out of the bottle and apply. I also liked the smoothing and moisturising effect it had on my skin. This would be a perfect product, a worthy replacement for my everlasting favourites from The Body Shop if it wasn't for a tiny little hiccup: the smell. I don't mind it being very strongly perfumed, this could actually be an asset, but it's the type of smell I hate. This is the smell which brings to my mind the worst connotations of the colour pink. Barbie eau de toilette for girls, candy floss, lollipops, YSL Baby Doll perfume, all mixed together with some sickeningly sweet flower blossoms. The smell is so strong that when I apply it after my evening bath, I wake up perfumed in the morning!

Perhaps there are other kinds of this lotion which have a more attractive smell but this one has discouraged me successfully. whenever i feel like having some more luxurious body treatment I'll definitely reach for somethinf from The Body shop.

Hey, giveaway lovers! There's another one on!

This time, guys, we have the chance of winning the ENTIRE OPI GERMANY nailpolish collection! I've bought and swatched 3 shades from the collection and they're all gorgeous!
Click on the link below to read the rules and enter!
http://www.hollyandpolish.com/2012/09/opi-germany-collection-giveaway.html

MAC Minearlize Skinfinish Natural in Light Plus review

This review is long overdue. I've had this product for about 2 months now and I couldn't get round to writing about it. This isn't usually a good sign in my case. I ususally fall in love with new products instantly or don't love them at all. The problem of my relation with MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural is a bit more complicated. There's nothing that I hold against this powder but it somehow failed to impress me. Perhaps my expectations were too high. Perhaps the product is over-hyped. Perhaps I'm exceptionally fussy as regards choosing my face powders.

Light Plus is a good match for my skintone. I like to apply this powder to set my foundation and for touch-ups during the day. It's extremely powdery and very finelly milled so despite the fact that it is a compact powder it applies like loose powder, which I really like cause it's lightweight and convenient both for using it at home and on the go. It leaves a decent matte finish which lasts decently long in non-extreme circumstances.

So generally speaking it's a nice powder which performs its task well. The thing is that it lacks this special ooomph factor which I always hope to get when I buy a new powder. Something luminous or velvety that will enhance the look of my skin. But I guess I'll need to consider getting Meteorites by Guerlain if I want something extraordinary.

Disclaimer: I bought the product myself for my personal use and I am not affiliated with any company. I am not paid to do this review and everything I said here is my genuine opinion.

Nivea goody bag: I won a competition!

I'm proud to announce I won a Nivea competition! A cosmetic bag with 2 creams and 4 masks and an inflatable beach ball arrived yesterday. I love Nivea and I'm currently using one of the creams I got (review pending) so I was really happy to get all this stuff. Yay!
The funny thing is that I didn't remember I'd entered their competition so when I got their e-mail announcing my victory and asking me for my personal details I was really close to deleting it. To win the contestants were supposed to write a brief review of their favourite Nivea product. I chose their dual make-up remover and wrote something shamefully simple, then forgot all about it. After winning the competition I reread what I'd written and it definitely wasn't the best piece I'd written. The conclusion is: girls, do take part in competitions! It doesn't take any skill or effort to write something that will incidentally suit the taste of the jury.

- My Make Up Life -: 200th Post International Giveaway!

My friend Klayer is hosting her 200th post giveaway!  Click on the link below to see what you can get and even more importantly - read her blog!



- My Make Up Life -: 200th Post International Giveaway!

Ivoire perfume by Balmain. A review.

I rarely buy perfumes these days. The reason is that good quality and high class ones are too expensive and what is more I have the feeling that perfumes lack originality. Ivoire by Balmain reminded me of so many other fragrances which fall into a category (coined by myself): sickeningly sweet.
The manufacturer describes the perfume as intoxicating and I think this couldn't have been more appropriate. The first notes are sweetly floral and then some woody, musky notes open. The whole bouquet is sickeningly sweet. The perfume is strong and long lasting.
If you enjoy all wasps following you wherever you leave a trail of this smell, Ivory by Balmain is for you.


 Disclaimer: I received this product as a complimentary sample for my personal use and I'm not affiliated with any company. I am not paid to do this review and everything I said here is my personal opinion.

Chanel Rouge Allure lipstick #98 Coromandel review

A Chanel consultant at Sephora did her best to dissuade me from getting this lipstick and push me to buy something more cool toned instead but I was somehow mesmerised by Coromandel and wouldn't listen.

Although the lipstick looks very orange-toned when swatched it actually doesn't seem that warm-toned on my lips. It seems to me that this is the proper red, neither too blue nor too orange, pink nor coral. In Polish we call this shade of red 'poppy red' which is most appropriate in this case. A very beautiful shade of red which doesn't mean that this lipstick will flatter all skin types cause the Chanel consultant was obviously right. I don't look my best in this lipstick.

This lipstick applies smoothly and moisturises my lips nicely. There is some glossy finish to it but it tends to fade and look velvety as time goes by. You definitely need to line your lips to ensure even application. The colour is very intense and opaque and what I really like about this lipstick is that the insides of your lips don't stand out. The lipstick sort of blends in and  looks very natural. 

All this good said, I must now say that qualitywise the lipstick is nothing extraordinary. Its wear time is pretty average, the finish is neither very glossy nor matte, it does moisturise but not as much as you'd hope for. What I want to say is that there's nothing modern about this lipstick. I imagine that Marylin Monroe used exactly this sort of lipstick, applied, blotted, powdered, added another coat and so on, all this to prolong wear time. I feel that with modern technology of 21st century Chanel could do much better than that. 

The consultant at Sephora lured me with a beautiful nail polish which accompanies the lipstick and bears the same name. I resisted and incidentally found out that I have a very similar polish in my stash which is Zoya Tamsen. These two, as you can see in the picture below, are a very good match.

Chanel Zoya Tamsen

Disclaimer: I bought the product myself for my personal use and I am not affiliated with any company. I am not paid to do this review and everything I said here is my genuine opinion.

Douglas Box of Beauty September 2012

Here's September edition of Douglas Box of Beauty and its contents:

NYX Long eye Pencil

Christina Aguilera perfume in By Night

Annayake foam wash

Thierry Mugler Alien body lotion (my favourite item from the box)

Clinique Even Better (was supposed to be 15ml sample but what I got was a tiny 7ml tube, complained about the fact to Douglas, we'll see what they'll do)

Korean goodies: Missha M Signature Real Complete B.B. Cream #21 review

Missha is one of iconic brands as far as Korean BB creams are concerned. When I was researching korean BB creams before buying the first one for myself  Missha was among the three most mentioned brands (together with Skinfood and Skin79). Missha was my first choice and first contact with BB creams . The first two BB creams I tried were ill-matched for my oily skin but gave me the idea of what a BB cream is and how it works, both landed in my mum's hands who loved them dearly.

The fact that both Missha BB creams I'd tried before proved  too oily for my skin type discouraged me from exploring the brand in greater detail and I never got the opportunity to test their Signature Real Complete BB Cream. And I was right cause again this is far too oily for my skin but otherwise this is a REALLY GOOD BB CREAM. When swatched on my hand didn't feel particularly oily but on my face I could immediately notice this BB cream was not meant for my oily skin. My face looked very greasy and needed a lot of setting powder but I strongly recommend it for anyone with dry skin.

The shade I tested  (#21) is a very nice flatter-all beige, with no yellow, orange, pink or gray undertones. It
evens out the skin tone beautifully. I find it hard to describe the level of coverage: it didn't make my freckles disappear completely (which is good cause I love my freckles) but perfected the appearance of my skin. And this is exactly what BB creams are about!

This cream has a nice faint smell, nothing like perfumed face but still discernible.

And here go the swatches, each picture taken in slightly different light against my NW20skin, I'm posting all of them cause I hope some of you will find them helpful.

Disclaimer: I received this product as a complimentary sample for my personal use and I'm not affiliated with any company. I am not paid to do this review and everything I said here is my personal opinion.

Circle lenses: GEO Color Nine Deep Blue review

GEO Color Nine circle lenses in Deep Blue are the lenses I have mixed feelings about. I feel it would be easiest to present my opinion in the form of pros and cons.

PROS

• interesting dotted design which blends well with my natural eye colour
• defined outer circle which guarantees enlargement and conceals the difference in size between the iris and the lens diameter
• after initial discomfort in the moment of popping these into my eyes, these lenses are extremely comfortable and can be worn all day without any feeling of dryness. Actually I don't notice that I'm wearing them at all and I usually wear them all day long (I'm half-blind without them).
• these circle lenses are pretty small, with their 14.2mm diameter they're the same size exactly as my Baush&Lomb clear lenses. For me this is an advantage cause such lenses are more comfortable to wear, cause less irritations and look more natural.  
• non-transparent colour which covers almost all my iris

CONS

• these lenses ale weirdly uncomfortable the first moment they land in my eyes. It feels almost like they have sharp edges. The feeling disappears after a couple of minutes and these lenses are most comfortable of all.
• whille the lenses generally blend well with my eye colour, the colour of the lenses is not a natural blue colour. It's bright dark blue with cool turquoise undertones. This shade makes my eyes much darker than they naturally are. I Imagine on dark brown eyes this will simply add a bluish hue but I don't think they will make dark eyes look blue.

I generally like these lenses a lot, I might explore the line in more detail in search of a more natural-looking colour.

Disclaimer: I bought the product myself for my personal use and I am not affiliated with any company. I am not paid to do this review and everything I said here is my genuine opinion.

Bobbi Brown blush in Peony review & swatches

It's been over a month since I got this blush and I couldn't get myself to write this review. The problem is that the Bobbi Brown blushes get such good ratings that my expectations rocketed to the point where it's almost impossible to satisfy them. Or maybe being an owner of so many blushes I'm really spoilt and it's hard to surprise me with anything. 

Bobbi Brown blush in Peony is of bright dollish pink shade with a totally matte finish. It's super pigmented so it's highly advisable to use it light-handedly so as not to cross the border between healthy glow and cheap Barbie look. It's very soft and slightly powdery so the brush usually picks a lot of product. On the other hand it's very blendable so it's easy to blend it out to the point when only a light stain remains. 

There's nothing that I dislike about this product. Actually I like the shade, the simple yet functional packaging, the ease of application. That's why I can't explain why this blush somehow failed to become one of my favourite cheek products. I haven't reached for it quite as often as I should. Perhaps the competition from such products in my drawer like Burberry blush in Peony (same name, different shade) is very hard to beat.

Bobbi Brown blush in Peony is a very good product but not irreplaceable.

Disclaimer: I bought the product myself for my personal use and I am not affiliated with any company. I am not paid to do this review and everything I said here is my genuine opinion.

Garnier Caffeine Anti-Dark Circles 2 in 1 Roll-on #01 review

This is my second encounter with this Garnier Roll-on concealer. 

First time I bought it a couple of years ago and due to unclear description on the product packaging I was lead to believe this was a tinted eye-cream, not a concealer. Applied on my bare skin it looked horribly dry and brought to existence wrinkles I didn't have then. I hated this stuff and it found its way to the bin after a couple of uses.

Then I incidentally read a number of reviews on makeupalley.com and saw that this product was classified as an undereye concealer. The reviews were so good that when I saw this roll-on on 50% off sale I was tempted to give it another go. 

This time it works. I apply it over my regular eye cream and it evens out the skin tone under my eyes and takes down the redness without drying my skin out or accentuating my wrinkles. I don't set this concealer with powder cause powders tend to have strong drying effect in my under eye area but the Garnier concealer  looks naturally radiant without looking greasy, moreover it doesn't make my mascara smudge so I see no point of powdering it.

I use only a tiny bit, definitely rolling this thing under my eyes releases too much product. With such sparse use the coverage is light to medium but that's just enough for me.

This Garnier concealer is not my HG product but it's one of the best I've tried so far.  

Disclaimer: I bought the product myself for my personal use and I am not affiliated with any company. I am not paid to do this review and everything I said here is my genuine opinion.

Chanel Ultra Correction Line Repair Day & Night review

 Chanel Ultra Correction day cream is very smooth in the moment of application and a pleasure to use because of its smell. After the use my face feels moisturised, nourished and smooth and the skin seems to be somewhat thight (I'm not sure whether this is a pleasant feeling but perhaps this is how this cream is supposed to work).
On my oily skin this cream felt rich, and I felt like this cream was not targeted at my age group (and I'm quite sure I'm right to feel this way). I couldn't use this cream under make up so I tested it on and off on the days when I didn't need to go to work. I didn't notice any visible improvement in the condition of my skin but the cream was definitely a pleasure to use.

To my surprise the night version of the cream above turned out to be lighter than the day cream, made my skin almost ask for more. Again, this cream was a pleasure to use due to its wonderful consistency and beautiful, not-over-the-top smell. I don't have any fine lines anywhere except around my eyes so I was unable to test its performance. 

I think I'll get back to these creams in ten to 15 years' time, it's good to know that they exist!

Disclaimer: I received this product as a complimentary sample for my personal use and I'm not affiliated with any company. I am not paid to do this review and everything I said here is my personal opinion.

Sephora Creamy Body Wash Caps review

Sephora has recently released their new body product called Creamy Body Wash Caps. These are sold in small capsules sufficient for a single use or two. I suppose they were made with travellers in mind, comfortable, disposable and lightweight.

I must say that for the first time I really really liked a Sephora body product. All of their body butters and washes I've tried so far had highly unimaginative (and I'm trying hard not to use the word 'repelling' here) smell. This one is totally different. The one I tried smelled like fresh mangoes so realistically that it made me actually crave one. Mango is one of my favourite fruits so I found this fragrance truly irresistible.

I also liked the creaminess and the pampering effect of this wash. Very pleasant and relaxing.

Although I really liked this product I won't be buying it for my home use. It's too expensive to buy these caps for single baths or showers and not very comfortable to use. But I'll definitely consider getting a couple of them when we set on some journey leaving our car behind.

Disclaimer: I received this product as a complimentary sample for my personal use and I'm not affiliated with any company. I am not paid to do this review and everything I said here is my personal opinion.

Glossybox September 2012

This month's contents of my Glossybox turned out to be less than satisfactory.

Left to right:

Nuxe Creme Fraiche de Beaute Light

Phyto Express Conditioner for colour treated, highlighted hair

Bath and Body Works Pink Chiffon Body Lotion

Figs & Rouge Balm (my no.1 in this selection)

Yoskine Sapphire scrub

Garnier Beauty Balm Perfector aka Miracle Skin Perfector for oily/combination skin in Light review & swatches

I can't explain why I bought another BBcream by Garnier after my bad experience with their original Miracle Skin Perfector reviewed here. And I'm more than happy I discovered this BB Cream.

Although I have a large experience with Asian BB creams I'm not going to open a discussion whether this one is a BB cream in true sense or not. Asian BB creams come in such a variety of forms that it would be hard for me to decide what is a BB cream proper or not and if this one by Garnier can be defined as a BB cream or not.

No matter whether this product is: a lightweight foundation, tinted moisturiser or a BB Cream, I love this product for how it applies and works.

First striking thing about this product is how runny it is. The consistency is comparable to Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua or Estee Lauder Invisible Fluid Make-up. One substantial difference in favour of the BB cream by Garnier is that it doesn't separate so you don't need to shake it before you use it. 

The packaging is very well-designed for such a watery product. You squeeze it out of its tube through a long and narrow nozzle which distributes just the right amount of product.

This BB cream is so light that you don't feel you're wearing anything at all.

It applies easily both with a brush or fingers, doesn't settle in my pores or accentuate them.

I love the matte finish it gives, good matte foundations are so hard to find.

The coverage is rather sheer but like in the case of many BB creams full coverage is not the point. They're supposed to even out the skin tone and perfect its appearance while preserving the natural look of the skin and this is exactly what the Miracle Skin Perfector does. 

It comes in two shades only but the shade I've got satisfies me completely. It seems to be a neutral beige which blends nicely with my fair skin without making it too yellow or pink. 

For the information of those of you who are fragrance-sensitive: this BB cream is odourless.

I really love this BB cream, it cost me about $5 which renders it more than affordable. Excellent stuff!

P.S. I'm a little confused about the name of the product. The box carries a different name than the tube, hence the post title!

Disclaimer: I bought the product myself for my personal use and I am not affiliated with any company. I am not paid to do this review and everything I said here is my genuine opinion.

Allessandro Pro White Original Effect Polish review

Alessandro Pro White Original Effect Polish, which I received in one of my Glossyboxes, is actually of no use for me. I wear nail polish all the time and this product enhances the appearance of your natural nails. I did test it however, and I must say that this is an excellent solution for those of you who can't wear nail polish at work. This polish has whitening effect on nails, which doesn't mean that the polish is white. It's a clear liquid which eliminates yellow stains from your nails, makes the tip look white and gives a nice glossy finish. Nails look healthy and well taken care of. Highly recommended if you need a product like this, it really works!

Osmo Silverising Conditioner review

One of my favourite conditioners ever! I always use it in conjunction with my Fudge Violet shampoo so it's quite hard for me to estimate how effective it is as far as removing brassy shades in my hair is concerned. The conditioner is not madly violet like the shampoo, it's basically white with violet tones in it.
But what I really like about this conditioner is how it works. After using this conditioner my hair is tangle free, smooth and shiny. This conditioner may not enhance the curls in my hair but it certainly provides the moisture and nourishment it needs. Excellent stuff!




Disclaimer: I bought the product myself for my personal use and I am not affiliated with any company. I am not paid to do this review and everything I said here is my genuine opinion.

L'Occitane Verbena Shower Gel and Soap with Verbena Leaves review

This is the final set of products from my August Glossybox to review. 

Both are by L'Occitane and both contain verbena. Verbena is not my favourite herb and the smell brings to my mind some kind of throat medicine so both products are a kind of miss in my case. 

I didn't notice anything particular about the shower gel apart from the smell and cute bottle. It produced a nice foam and perfumed my body with verbena but that's it. I didn't notice any other pampering effects. I don't have any issues with my skin so there was no way in which my skin could feel exceptionally treated. So my advice is save your monies and get something nice smelling by Palmolive or other drugstore brands and you'll get the same result. Or use it if you're verbena crazy.

The verbena soap made a much better impression on me. I don't normally use soaps cause they feel too drying but I got it during the spell of warm and very humid weather which made my face extremely oily all the time so I risked using it on my face in the morning to remove all the sebum from my skin before applying make up. The soap contains shredded verbena leaves so I massaged it directly on my face and it worked as a scrub. Not very mild, however. Too scratchy for my liking. The soap is generally too drying to be used on the face and I wouldn't venture using it there in autumn but it helped to control sebum in summer. 

I don't see the point of getting an expensive soap but I really liked the design (little leaf). 

L'Occitane generally doesn't seem to be my pair of shoes. 

Overpriced with no advantages over other, cheaper products.

Korean goodies: Skinfood Egg White Pore Foam review

Here goes another Skinfood's foam wash, this time it's their Egg White Pore Foam. This foam is supposed to cleanse the pores and therefore prevent breakouts and make the pores appear smaller. And it seems to me that it does exactly what it promises.
I must say, however, that it reminded me strongly of another Skinfood foam wash I had the pleasure to try out, their Aloe Vera Foam, reviewed here. I would even say both products are exactly the same and work in a very similar way, the only difference being the smell. Both are a very thick substance which has a sort of pearl sheen to it, both need a drop of water to make them foam, the foam in both cases is dense and thick and it disappears from your face after a single splash of water and leaves a weird rubbery feel to your skin, it is as if the skin was stripped of all sebum and make-up and cleansed to the core. Both are mild to the skin but may cause severe dryness in case of dry skin. It would be really really hard to make a choice between these two cause they're so much alike but probably I'd opt for the Aloe Vera one cause I liked its smell better.


Disclaimer: I received this product as a complimentary sample for my personal use and I'm not affiliated with any company. I am not paid to do this review and everything I said here is my personal opinion.

Schwarzkopf Oil Miracle Shampoo review

I love hair oils so when I received Schwarzkopf Oil Miracle shampoo (Glossybox August 2012) I was more than excited to try it out cause it seemed exactly what my hair needed.
This shampoo is a yellow, transparent substance that brings to mind baby oil, the difference being that it's thick in consistency. It foams nicely and has a pleasant, not very strong smell. Unfortunately this shampoo left my hair more tangled than my other shampoos do. I have very fine, thin curly hair which tangles easily but shampoos and conditioners for dry/curly hair usually deal with the problem well. I think this shampoo is more suitable for straight hair which needs moisture and shine.

Dr. Hu Miracle EGF & Hyaluronan mask review

Yesterday I tested the second sheet mask in my life, this time by a brand from Taiwan, Dr. Hu. Like all sheet masks this one is sold in sachets containing a cotton sheet soaked in liquid. You need to unfold the mask and put it on your face for about 15-20 minutes, then discard it and pat the remains of the liquid onto your face and that's it!
According to the manufacturer, this mask is supposed to have skin repairing, firming and moisturising effect due to the fact that among other valuable ingredients the mask contains copper peptide complex (reduces wrinkles by stimulating collagen), coenzyme Q10 (to stimulate cell growth) and EGF (epidermal growth factor to restore skin to the best condition possible).
My first impression during the use was that the shape was really weird. It was well matched for my face from the forehead to little below my eyes and then extremely long along the nose. I know my face is rather round but I don't believe many people have their faces sooo long only in their nose area. I had to fold the mask on my cheeks but still the hole for my lips ended up on my chin. Very irritating.
The product itself was an odourless sticky substance which instantly brought snail mucus into my mind. During application I had this weird stinging/itching feeling which made me worry about the possibility of an allergic reaction. Fortunately, nothing happened but wearing a mask is supposed to be this pampering, relaxing moment just for you and you shouldn't keep worrying about how this home spa is gonna end.
As for the effects, I didn't notice anything except the fact that my skin was really well-hydrated. I do realise that one application may not be enough for the product to work, however, there are masks which have this immediate "wow" effect and I'd rather stick to them.

Disclaimer: I received this product as a complimentary sample for my personal use and I'm not affiliated with any company. I am not paid to do this review and everything I said here is my personal opinion.

August favourites

Here go my August 2012 favourites:

SKINCARE

Holika Holika Soda Pore Cleansing oil and foam guarantee face purified to the limits!

HAIRCARE

Fudge Violet Toning Shampoo and Osmo Silverising Conditioner. Excellent stuff for those who want to get rid of brassy tones in blonde hair

MAKE-UP

YSL Pure Chromatics eyeshadow palette #11, Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua, MAC Paintpot in Painterly, MAC Mineralize blush in  Pressed Amber from lasy year's Semi-Precious collection used as bronzer, Yves Rocher Sexy Pulp Mascara, Urban Decay Smoked palette, Illamasqua lip glosses (though now I know that my basic criterion influencing the choice of a gloss is gonna be: avoid squezee tubes!)

Poshe top coat (guarantees dry nails in seconds) and OPI nail polishes in Danke-Shiny Red and Deutsch You Want Me, Baby. Both equally pretty.

Forbidden apples are not always worth grabbing. Estee Lauder Pure Color Lipstick in Forbidden Apple review

When I saw the promotional photo of Estee Lauder Autumn 2012 campaign I was mesmerised by all the make-up on this glorious model, her lips in particular. Then Pixiwoos tried to do the look in one of their videos using lots of products to make the lips look like in the photo and then I thought, what is all this fuss for? I'll simply get the lipstick! And I did! First time I saw it, swatched it in the shop I knew I couldn't live without it. Actually I also loved another new shade, Violet Electra, but since my hubby prefers reds I left Sephora with Forbidden Apple in a small striped paper bag.

This is where the idyllic tale of forbidden fruit ends. This lipstick disappoints in all respects, even in those I couldn't forsee. I'm glad I didn't waste my money on Violet Electra as well. The only good thing is that I bought it with a 30% discount so it wasn't THAT expensive.

sorry this picture is out of focus, I placed it here because it represents the colour well

ON THE BRIGHTER SIDE

• the packaging looks really expensive and classy. I personally lean towards the blacks of Chanel more and it seems to me that in its gold Estee Lauder reflects Russian or Arabian idea of luxury and beauty, nonetheless the packaging is well designed and nice.
• the lipstick is strongly scented, the smell brings caramelised apples to my mind. Something sweet and Christmassy.
• quite long-lasting
• opaque and saturated with colour

THE REALITY

• the lipstick sparkles and shines in the artificial light of shopping malls or flash camera. In fact this is a matte lipstick packed with glitter. You feel how gritty it is when you apply it. 
• this lipstick is extremely drying. Dry lips aren't my issue at all. I never complain about drying lipsticks, although other reviewers mention the fact. I own only one Carmex lip balm (just in case) and ELF tinted lip balm for the colour and SPF. But after one application of Forbidden Fruit lipstick I desperately needed serious scrubbing and moisturising treatment.
• accentuates all dry skin on your lips
• the colour leans towards dark magenta/fuchsia on my lips rather than the cool-toned dark red I wanted it to be. 
• this lipstick promises to make your lips shine and it's understood that shine makes things look fuller (like gold leggings will make skinny legs look like sausages). My lips actually look narrow and they're not that narrow at all.

Disclaimer: I bought the product myself for my personal use and I am not affiliated with any company. I am not paid to do this review and everything I said here is my genuine opinion.