Orofluido shampoo and conditioner review

I bought this Orofluido duo during one of the flash sales at feelunique.com because they cost  £5 altogether and because I'd got their hair oil in my Glossybox once and I quite liked it, its smell in particular.

The shampoo and conditioner are very elegantly packed in lovely black boxes and matte gold bottles with the fin de siecle kind of print. The cap on the shampoo clicks open and the conditioner comes with a pump, so they're faff-free when it comes to using them. 

They have a very nice, warm vanilla scent to them.

And this is pretty much it I have to say about them. 

They promise silky, shiny hair, but I don't notice any particular results after using these two. The shampoo washes all right, the conditioner detangles my hair somewhat, but I don't notice any kind of effect on my hair. They're like the cheap drugstore shampoos that do what they are basically supposed to do, but offer no added value. 

They didn't do any damage to my hair, but they didn't help it in any way either.

I will use these up, they're all right, especially when paired with other hair care items, but I won't repurchase. 

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.

Korean goodies: Memebox Superbox #52 Thumbs Up! Beauty Box unboxing

\

I got this box in a bundle with Whole Grain 2, but I would have never bought it individually for fear of getting products which I have already received in other Memeboxes and that's exactly what happened. But even though I got the same blush twice, I don't regret grabbing the box, just because I love most of the products! There are 7 full-size items in the box and I think this box is perfect for someone who's just beginning their romance with Memebox and wants to catch up.  

1. Hope Girl 3D Powder Blusher 01 Sexy Rose is the one I got earlier. This would be a really nice blush  if it didn't have a ton of golden glitter. The warm pink shade flatters a variety of skintones and the packaging is nice. 

2. Kocostar Nail Therapy is a mask for nails which promises softened cuticles and stronger nails. masks should be worn on fingers for up to 1 hour. This sounds exciting, I need to try these out next time I remove my polish.

3. Real Beauty Serum, mine came in Moist Soothing Rose. There aren't individual descriptions of the products. This serum is supposed to contain organic aloe vera, green tea, bamboo water to treat dry, sensitive, sagging skin. Sounds wonderful. And I absolutely love the bottle.

4. RiweCowe Sebum Control Convenient Compact promises to mattify and keep oilies at bay. Haven't tried this one yet, though the word 'matte' makes me perk up my ears instantly. I don't fancy the pink plastic compact.

5. O& Soap Berry Cleanser is a foamy cleanser containing carbonated water to remove all impurities from the skin.

6. Miguhara B.P Cream is a tinted primer that evens out the skin tone and mattifies. I've been using this religiously ever since I got it and I'm really enjoying it. It's definitely my favourite product in the box, but I haven't tried all of them!

7. Herbclinic Rice Bran Powder looks like some medical supplement, but it's actually rice bran powder that is supposed to be applied on the face like a face mask. There are 2 different instructions saying how to use the pack. One says just mix 1 spoon of the powder with milk or any other liquid of natural origin, the other one mentions mixing this bran powder with oatmeal, black bean or brown rice and enough milk to create mask of thick consistency. I prefer method one, I just see no sense in mixing this powder with, say, beans and putting this on my face. How are dried beans supposed to work?

Anyway, open your pores with a steam towel, apply some tonerr or essence to prevent dryness and spread a thick layer of the mask on your face, rinse after 15-20 minutes . The difference will be visible in the morning. Why not straightaway? 

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.

Korean goodies: Pure Smile Essence Mask Chocolate Milk review

Pure Smile Essence Mask Chocolate Milk is one of the goodies I got in my Memebox Cacao and looks like any other sheet mask I've used and thought were all the same. Until now.

This one is very different from all the other masks I've tried before. It says on the blurb that this mask is rich in milk protein nutrients, cacao extracts, vitamin E and collagen which are supposed to hydrate and smooth out skin texture.

Firrst of all, judging by the packaging and knowing it contains cocoa I somehow expected this to be dark in colour, but it looked just like any other mask, but smelled divine, like chocolate.

The size of the mask was a bit too small for my face, I had to make my choice between breathing and seeing well, breathing was more practical, haha.

I noticed immediately that the mask was way less soaked with the liquid than other masks I've used.

I wore this for the time prescribed and imagine my surprise when my face was less moist and sticky than after wearing any single other mask. I allowed the remains of the product to sink in and my face turned completely dry and... tight.  

I have oily skin and this felt all right on my skin, but I don't recommend this to anyone with dry or dehydrated skin. This might smooth out and tighten your features, but won't give you the hydration you're after.

For the first time I'm quite dissatisfied with a sheet mask as this didn't quite deliver. The only thing I really liked was the scent, apart from that there was nothing that made my skin feel pampered and well taken care of.

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.

Korean goodies: Memebox Special #34 Whole Grain 2 unboxing

I really regretted not getting the original Whole Grain Memebox, so when I saw its sequel I grabbed it instantly. although there's absolutely nothing wrong with the products I feel they sort of fell short of my expectations. Or perhaps, I'm noticing the first symptoms of a Memebox burnout? 

The information sheet was missing, might have been lost by the customs officers who had opened the box, but I a pdf version was sent to me by the Memebox customer service immediately.

1. Tosowoong Timeshift Emulsion contains galactomyces, black yeast and snail filtrate extracts for tightened and elastic skin.  

2. Youngface Nuruk Natural Mask and Scrub is an interesting product, but the problem is that I'm too lazy to force myself to use sheet masks regularly, not to mention any wash-off masks. Acccording to the leaflet, nuruk is a kind of flour which, when fermented, gains brightening and anti-wrinkle properties. What you need to do is to mix this powder with water, milk, honey or yoghurt, apply it to the face, then place a gauze over that and then apply another layer. Leave on for 15-20 minutes.It should be used 1-3 times a week and stored in the fridge.  

Need to get some gauze.

3. echoice Wash Oatmeal Body Scrub contains oats and wallnut particles to cleanse and nourish the body. This looks really good, but haven't opened it yet. I need to use up the Body Shop  peach scrub first!

4. Youngface Natural Soap is handmade from mung beans and promises to treat discolouration and sagging skin. This is a major fail for me because I don't use soap bars. This goes to the gift department.

5. Seven Dias Medi Anti-Blemish Serum is quite a surprise in a whole grain box. It's made from soy bean, mung bean, brown rice, barley etc. and and promises to treat blemishes and troubles of all kinds and soothe the skin. My skin has been misbehaving lately, so I'm going to start using this right now.

6. Osho Whitening Cream  promises to tone and brighten complexion using high concentrates of rice bran extracts. I'm interested. And I adore the pearl capsule design of the packaging.

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.

Korean goodies: Memebox Special #35 Moisture Surge unboxing

Memebox Special #35 Moisture Surge is a very decent, solid skincare box which contains hardly any weird fancy, yet useless goodies. Everything in the box is common sensical and quite predictible, hence the level of excitement is low. The leaflet says all products are full size, but it's partly true as one is a de luxe sample set. 

1. The first one happens to be the weirdest. Insobeau Hiaromax Vitamin Stick is supposed to be 1-swipe moisture surge for dry areas, rich in vitamin and hyaluronic acid. This thing resembles a primer more than a moisturiser. It is hard and smells of mint mixed with camphor which make me uncertain whether using this under my eyes, as recommended, is a good idea.

So far I've been using this as my foundation primer, but haven't noticed any pore filling etc. I believe I need to experiment with this more. 

2. A sheet mask is a product that is an obligatory part of all Memeboxes. Wish Formula Premium Ampoule Mask promises to combat wrinkles and nourish the skin. 

3. Original Raw Deluxe Kit consists of 3 30ml tubes packed in a nice cardboard box. 

Black Bubble is a cleanser, which I believe a kind of o2/ hydroperoxyde cleanser. You leave it on for about 5 minutes, during which time it forms bubbles. Then just massage this on your skin and rinse.

Chan-mool Patting Essence is a pre-moisturiser.

And Water Block Jam is full of plant extracts and hyaluronic acid. It promises up to 48 hours of hydration, which I believe is a ridiculous claim. Applied thickly, this can be treated as a night pack. 

4. Rosemoon Rich 53% Collagen Smart Balm promises soft and moist and strengthened-from-within skin.

5. Imface Vio-Xellose Neck Patch uses botanical anti-wrinkle extracts and adenosine to combat signs of ageing along the neckline. I haven't used this yet, but I gather it's a sheet mask for the neck.

6. Dermahouse Aloe Vera Moisture Mist promises relief after a day in the sun or an exhausting day in the sun. Soothes and replenishes moisture in a single sprits. Excellent. I've been loving face mists sooo much recently. 

Aussie Miracle Recharge Colour and Frizz Remedy lightweight conditioning sprays review

I've been wondering whether to review the two Aussie leave-on conditioners that I've got simply because I don't have much to say about them, but perhaps this is exactly what constitutes the review!

I got the Miracle Recharge Colour in a Glossybox and Frizz Remedy was my own fancy. 

I actually think these two are quire similar and I didn't need to buy them both, even though the instructions are a bit different the main ingredient is still the same. 

Miracle Recharge Colour is obviously meant to protect hair colour, though, as far as I have gathered from the label, this revives fading hair colour by giving it extra boost with the use of Australian wild cherry bark extract and shine and manageability due to panthenol content.

Frizz-control promises to calm unruly hair and combat flyaways with panthenol (again) and jojoba sed oil.

Both can be used both on wet and dry hair.

Now, on to my observations. While they do work as far as adding some shine to my hair is concerned, I wouldn't trust them as detanglers used instead of a wash-off conditioner. 

Although the Colour one does add shine to my hair without weighing it down too much, it doesn't make my hair colour last longer. 

The Frizz Remedy does help somewhat, but it can make my hair go flat if I use too much over dry hair or it simply is not powerful enough to make my hair lie down on my head in the wind.

What I don't like about these two is that the pump is rather hard to press. It takes some effort and I usually hold the bottle in one hand and press with the thumb (being the strongest finger) of another.

They both smell the same, the perfume is nice and subtle. It doesn't stay on for a long time.  

Alcohol is the second and the third ingredient in these two products, which doesn't bother me at all, but I know some of you might be interested.

Summarising, there's nothing patricular that I hold against these products, I use them on daily basis, but there's also nothing lifechanging enough about them to make me buy them again.

New crafts post on my other blog

If you want know how to make a cute present for your relatives, read my new post here.

Korean goodies: Ramosu Carestory Collagen Ampoule 200 review

 When I opened my Memebox Collagen this Ramosu Carestory Collagen Ampoule caught my eye immediately, mainly due to its fancy medical packaging. 

It comes in a glass bottle, the same as some antibiotics or Korean circle lenses are sold in. You replace the cap with a squeezy applicator which distributes the liquid product surprisingly well. Dark glass is supposed to protect photosensitive ingredients the same way as  medicaments are.

Here comes an excerpt from the information sheet:

Now, there are different voices about the efficiency of collagen on the skin. I've read an article which said that collagen molecules are too large to penetrate the skin and most of them just sit on the surface and go down the drain when you wash your face. I'm not a scientist to confirm or overturn this statement, but one thing is certain: I noticed substantial improvement in my skin condition in the period when I was using this ampoule. 

I approached this product with uncertainty. I used very small amount here and there. Then, judging by the dark bottle, I figured that this liquid might not be photostable and if this product lay on the shelf for months after opening it might actually stop working, so I started slapping it on my face quite liberally.

This product is actually quite unusual. It's very runny, almost like water and smells of propolis (my grandpa used to have an apiary, so trust me, I know what natural bee products smell like). When applied to the face it feels extremely tacky, as if you've smeared your face with glue stick. Then this dries to very, very parched dry finish and makes your skin feel way too tight. This sounds terrifying, but when followed with a moisturiser this makes your skin look amazing. The pores are tightened, the skin seems firm and radiant, and this product does an amazing job at sebum cotrol. At first I didn't realise it was because of this ampoule, I thought it was hormonal or due to the change of seasons, but once I've run out of the ampoule my oilies were back to normal. This is the first and only product that really managed to keep my face shine free. 

I'm not sure how this ampoule would perform on dry skin, but I'm inclined to believe that it very much depends on the kind of moisturiser you top this with. 

My personal experience is that Ramosu Carestory Collagen Ampoule, combined with a lightweight moisturiser, made my skin look sooo much better. It looked smooth, it was visibly softer and more pleasant to touch and beautifully balanced, by which I mean that it wasn't oily, but not dry nor glowlessly matte. 

I've used this ampoule up within a month or so and I'm sad to have parted with it. I haven't  found a proper replacement for it yet. I've seen it in the Memeshop, but it's a bit expensive for my taste and costs $30 for 10ml (though I gather these are currently on 2 for 1 offer) but if I'm desperate I might purchase it one day.

Korean goodies: Memebox Special #36 Meme's Pouch unboxing

The only reason why I bought Memebox Special #36 Meme's Pouch was to get free express shipping. The concept seemed unclear to me, I didn't know how this was supposed to differ from all previous make-up or K-style boxes. The description mentioned the bizarre, things for skin, eye, make-up, refreshers, make-up bag to pretty much the same as all Memeboxes are about. So, as you might have guessed, I didn't really expect anything except a couple of gimmicks. Or a cute make-up bag perhaps.

To my great surprise, this box turned out to be far more exciting than the recent My Cute Wishlist 2 or  K-style 2. 

There are 6 full size adorable products I fell in love with at first sight.

1. Drww. Mix & Match is a cute little lip and cheek palette. There are 3 lip/cheek colours, one lip gloss, a concealer (WTF?) and a mixing vessel. When I saw these, I immediately assumed there was no way I could use these on my oily cheeks. To my surprise I noticed on my lips that these are cream to powder formula that offer matte lips and easy to blend non-glossy cheeks. This explains adding a clear gloss, but the presence of a concealer remains unexplained.

There's also a nice double-ended lip brush. 

2. I've received a ton of hand creams in my Memeboxes, but Evas Rose Mine Perfumed Hand Cream is just adorable. Mine comes in Maybe, which is described as friuty floral with notes of lychee, apricot and poppy. 

3. Vally Sous Hair Solution Protein Therapy Perfect Mist  can be used on wet or dry hair to deliver nutrition with protein and natural ingredients. It's also scented with musky and floral notes, very nice indeed. I think this will be a decent replacement for my Aussie Leave-in Conditioners.

4. Evas By Marait Eau de Perfume in No.60 Baies Noires is a great surprise for me. Unlike all the previous Korean perfumes I got, this doesn't smell like my grandma's perfume. It's surprisingly modern, it's not exactly up my alley, but I really like it! It's made from sweet blackberry, grapefruit, bay leaf, cedar wood, blackcurrant notes. All of these tastefully mixed, slightly masculine, yet very very sexy.

5. Etude House Blotting Paper Pact is cuteness incarnate. It looks like a powder compact, the puff has a sticker on the bottom that picks a single sheet of the blotting paper and can be used like a powder puff. The paper trsditional Korean paper is made from mulberry trees.

This compact landed in my make-up bag instantly. 

6. Croquis Alight Pact is a lovely higlighter with pale yellow undertone and very pretty glow. The compact looks really classy and the polka dot embossing is awesome! 

Korean goodies: Tony Moly Luminous Pure Aura CC Cream SPF30 PA++ review

When I see words like luminous aura on the packaging of my make products I instantly know they're not meant for me. I have oily skin and these usually only make me more oily. 

To my surprise, this product didn't turn my face into a discoball nor did it stimulate more oil production. I tested this Tony Moly Luminous Pure Aura CC Cream cream in extremely hot weather conditions during my holiday in the countryside when nothing could keep me oil and sweat free for longer than 5 minutes and this turned out to be a nice way to even out my skin slightly while still looking natural.

This CC cream is a white substance with brownish specks of pigment that changes colour when massaged into the skin. It offers hardly any coverage, transfers badly (my messed up mobile is the living proof) and offers absolutely no oil control. Although the shade is too light for my skin tone in the summer, it can be adjusted with a bit of bronzer.

But on the other hand, it perfects perfects good skin that doesn't need any coverage. It offers fresh, healthy glow that makes skin look nice, yet natural. And it has SPF30. 

I treated this as a tinted sunscreen during my summer holiday and it worked perfectly fine.

Bourjois 1 seconde gel nail polish in #25 Melon review & swatches

Today I'd like to review the latest addition to my Bourjois 1 Seconde gel nail polish collection. This is #25 Melon, which belongs to the shade category that I call 'tropical'. This is the polish that looks different in different lighting conditions. Basically it's a pastel melon shade with equal amount of pink and orange in it, but there's something fluorescent about the polish that makes it seem almost neon in the dark. It's a lovely summer shade I went back for pretty often and I would have even more if the formula was as good as in the case of 4 other polishes from the same line. 

Unfortunately, this one was more streaky, which was most noticeable on large areas such as thumb nails. Even though the colour was almost fully opaque in one coat, the polish needed 3 coats to make it look decent. Apart from that, the finish was shiny and ridge-free and the polish lasted for about a week on my nails, which are in excellent condition these days. 

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.

My future garden

Click here if you want to see what my garden is going to be like!

Korean goodies: Makeup Helper Special Pore Care 2 Step review

Makeup Helper Special Pore Care 2 Step was the most intriguing product I found in my Memebox Special #19 Cleansing Kit.

The box contained 2 rows of blister-packaged face masks that were supposed to be used in a 2-step sequence to open up pores and remove impurities and then tighten them up. 

The first step is the steam pack that rises the skin temperature by 10 degrees, which is meant to open pores and cleanse them. You need to rinse that after 1 minute and then apply the second, lifting pack and leave it on for 10 minutes to soothe and tighten the pores. Both packs contain green tea extracts and honey to offer gentle nourishment to the skin. 

The steam pack is green and slightly grainy, comes out of its tube slightly separated, and has hardly any scent at all. It feels warm on the face when you massage it, but it's nothing like an unpleasant, burning experience. This washes off quite easily, while exfoliating the skin gently. 

The lifting pack contains substance that looks like cream but turns into clear gel consistency when applied.

This feels and dries on the skin the same way as peel off masks do.

As this dries it makes skin feel tight. First time I wore it for more than 10 min and it was a horrible  experience as if my skin was shrinkling and it actually started to shrivel. Dried out it actually quite hard to remove. 

Next time, I watched the clock so as not to do that again, but you actually know when you're supposed to rinse as your skin starts feeling uncomfortable.

As far as the results are concerned, after three 'special pore' sessions my pores looked tighter, but the result wasn't very long-lasting. My skin felt cleansed and soft and mattified and sebum-free for longer. 

Overall, I think this is an interesting concept, but I like mud.clay masks much more. I would buy such product myself if they kept the steam pack and swapped the lifting on e for a decent mud mask.

Summer 2014 favourites

As summer draws to the end, though the weather tries to trick us into believing it's going to last for ever, I think it's time to sum up my holiday obsessions.

In July I ordered my first Memebox and I did truly go out of my mind.  Ordered way too many, but regret none. I've been using Korean cosmetics for years now, but my skincare has never been so elaborate and my skin has never felt so good.

The second strongest obsession were superbright and pastel nail polishes. Until this summer I didn't have a single pastel shade and now there are at least five! 

As far as my favourite face products are concerned, I really adored Nars contour kit in Olympia for its subtle results and  developed strsnge fondness of cream products like Nars Multiples in Altai and Exumas and Bourjois Cream Blush in Healthy Glow.

I used tons of eye make-up products but those I returned  to all the time were Arabian Nights palette from Sleek and Lorac Pro 2 palette. I absolutely adored L'Oreal False Lash Wings mascara, the waterproof one in particular. And the greatest discovery was this Korean eyeliner from Y.E.T.. Catgirl Waterproof Pen Liner has a tiny little brush instead of a felt tip which draws the tiniest little lines so beautifully.

I normally prefer lipsticks to glosses because I don't have time to reapply, but summer is such a relaxed time for me that I don't mind. My most reached for were glosses by Tanya Burr, NYX Butter Gloss, Witch's Pouch and a long wearing matte ones by L'Oreal.

My favourite brushes were Petit Crease Brush by Zoeva that fits in my crease perfectly, Zoeva Luxe Face Paint is an irreplaceable contour brush and Sephora mineral powder brush is incredible when applying cream blushes. 

And finally skincare. I adored IOPE Essential Skin Boosting Serum and Facial Oil for their nourishing and moisturising  properties. Ramosu Collagen Ampoule made my skin supersoft, tightened my pores and helped balance my skin. Dr. Brandt CC mat worked as my sunscreen throughout the summer, I loved its efficiency  and matte finish. With my face kept white due to regular use of the sunscreen I've been using Clarins Radiance Booster which gave my face a lovely, healthy glow.