Showing posts with label Cien. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cien. Show all posts

Empties #7

 L'Occitane repairing shampoo
dry and damaged hair
 I bought this after a very positive experience with a sample and I never posted an actual review for this, so here we go. I had a 500 ml bottle, which comes with a very handy pump, but surprisingly it didn't last me nearly as long as I would have wanted. It's a sulphate, silicone and paraben free shampoo and a lovely one at that, but the lack of soap shows in terms that I needed to use at least five pumps of product to get it to lather. It also didn't help that the pump doesn't dispense much product in the first place, so I ended up using over 10 pumps per wash for my hair that is lower-back-length. The product itself is very liquid and light, it cleans the hair well, leaves it very light and fresh. However, I felt at times it wasn't moisturising enough, I don't want to say it's stripping, but it doesn't have that creaminess like most shampoos for dry hair do. Actually, I would say it's appropriate for all types of hair, even oily. It was very gentle on my scalp and I particularly loved using it in combination with baking soda as a sort of a cleansing shampoo to get that dandruff and flakes that are stuck on my scalp off at least temporarily.The scent is something I never got used to. It's the second L'Occitane product I've had with this particular strong herbal, slightly sharp scent and I honestly don't like it at all.  It's a lovely gentle shampoo and one of the best out of SLS free ones, but my two gripes are that you need to use a lot of product and the scent. 
Repurchase: No.

A lighter sister of my beloved Oil Care treatment. I have really dry hair and due to coarseness and thickness of it, the only way most (drugstore) products work for me is if I use a lot and I leave it on for about 20-30 minutes to get the maximum effect (for someone with thin hair 5-10 minutes is enough). Used in this way it leaves my hair sufficiently moisturised and feeling nice, however, I once left it on for only 15 minutes and the effect was minimal, moreover my ends were still dry. I'll stick with Oil Care version, but it's a nice treatment for moderately dry, thin hair. 
Repurchase: Probably not.

Balea Power Volume Hairspray
This is just bad. It has no hold whatsoever, especially for a hairspray that claims to be extra strong. The mousse from this line is good, though.The scent is nice, a bit fruity, but that's the only positive thing about it.
Purchase: No.

My favourite hairspray so far. It has a nice hold without feeling crunchy, in fact I can't even feel it on the hair. It's similar to Elnett, but with a more tolerable scent, even thought this one has a pretty strong oriental scent itself. By the way, I noticed that on thin hair, this has a tendency to make it feel stiff, but again this is not the case on my thick hair.
Purchase: Already bought the full size version.

L'Oreal Elnett Extra Strong
A very decent hairspray that doesn't feel crunchy at all and has a nice hold, but it's not extra strong, actually I'd say it's closer to medium. I know a lot of people hate the strong granny scent of it, I find it a bit like a more annoying version of Chanel n°5, but I don't find it horrible, just too strong and sometimes suffocating. 
Purchase: Not sure, but probably not.

A nice, thick shower gel with lots of glitter which washes off. I believe it's the same thing as their regular vanilla shower gel and this was only a glittery limited edition version for Christmas. The scent is like vanilla extract for baking, great for those who like gourmand scents.
Repurchase: Maybe.

One of the more whipped and creamy body butters, yet still deeply moisturising. The heavier texture means it takes a bit more time to sink in, so I preferred to use it right before going to bed. It smells like Miss Dior Cherie, so the same super sugary, but sophisticated young lady-like scent. Great product for colder months.
Repurchase: Yes, if we had Soap and Glory around. Currently, I have no desire to track it down on eBay again.

Aveo nail polish removing pads
(Nagellack-Entferner-Pads)
Hated these. They removed nothing as the remover is disappointingly weak. They feel moisturising due to some oil inside and they smell lovely, like a classic tropical fruit scent they put in cheap products. Honestly, don't bother with these.
Repurchase: No.

I really liked this. It's nice even for dry skin due to a lovely creamy texture, the ingredients are nice (SLS free, has glycerine and loads of extracts) and it smells lovely, like apples. I don't know if you can get this without joining their programme, which I not wiling to do anyway.
Purchase: I can't, beside even though it's good, it's not worth tracking it down.

Yes, I know it's pointless to put a shower gel that is not available any more here.
This smelled amazing like Nesquick cocoa and I really wish it were they'd make it permanent.
Repurchase: it was a LE, but I would if I could.

A super nice shower gel that is very cheap. It's creamy and similar to Dove versions that are three times the price. The scent is generic, but nice for something that cheap. It's sold in Lidl.
Repurchase: Yes.

A nice peach scented shower gel. Though marketed as hydrating shower gel for dry skin, I find the runny gel texture too light for dry skin.
Repurchase: I don't know, but most likely not.

Have a great day!
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New In #9

I got more Mac lipstick samples since they released some new shades that I really wanted to try. I got Peach Blossom, Sunny Seoul, Full Speed, Relentlessly Red and Dangerous. I'll post swatches in the next post.
I also got samples of Prep + Prime BB cream in Extra Light and Face&Body Foundation in N1. Neither really impressed me, but more about them in full review.
They also included a generous sample of their Pink Lemonade Lip Lustre, which I swatched bellow.
Lipsticks samples were 3.79$, Face & Body 2.99$ and Prep + Prime BB 2.79$.

Sample of The Body Needs Pink Lemonade Lip Lustre
Pink Lemonade looks like a lovely bright pink-coral in the pan, but on the lips it barely shows up. I tried to get the intensity going, but the most I got was a gentle blush of colour and multicoloured shimmer. It feels like those lipstick/lip balm/lip gloss hybrids which means it's nicely hydrating and has a lovely glossy shine (I must admit that the shimmer in it is nice). It smells like cherry candy which I love. They have a massive selection of shades and I hope their darker shades are more pigmented because judging from this shade the formula and the scent are nice.

I'll start with venting my frustration at the discovery that some hateful imbecile opened my parcel and took off the top part of the pump. Why would anyone do that?! Luckily, I keep some old empty bottles for such occasions and I just replaced the pump with one from a L'Occitane serum.
I ordered it because I heard it is one of the lightest foundations. Honestly, this shade is nothing new in my collection as it is virtually identical to Dior's BB cream. I hoped it'd be lighter, something like Missha's BB #13. I've only worn it a few times and it's nice, but I don't really love it (yet?). There will be a full review after I test it properly.
It was 6.07 € with a discount on Asos.

I wanted a dupe for Essence's Deep Blue Sea and this is not it. It looks close enough in the bottle with a similar shimmer/frost effect and it is a pretty colour, but that frost doesn't show on the nails, plus it has greyish hue. The quality is nice, though. I'll post a swatch one day.
It was 2.49 € in Müller.

This is brilliant! I never owned a Catrice blush before, but after trying this one I will get more. It's super pigmented, soft, matte and actually lasts on my skin (which is unheard of). And the colour is adorable. Great product! I'll do a proper review and a swatch.
These cost 3.79 € in Műller.
Such an absolutely wonderful fragrance, but it lasts less than an hour despite being a strong scent. It'll appeal to anyone who loves La Vie est Belle, Can Can and Fantasy. I'll do an in depth review.
I paid 23.49 € for 100 ml on All Beauty.

I expected a lot and so far I'm disappointed. It has a great texture and it's hydrating, yet I see no positive long term results whatsoever. In fact, my skin got worse since I started using it. It's certainly less smooth and even spotty. I'll give it more time and then write a review.
 15.99 € in Müller.

 got2b Sprüh Kleber a.k.a Freeze Haispray
I expected great hold and this proved too weak. You know those lovely no-heat curls I make that I say last about an hour (picture here)? Well, I wanted something really strong to hold them in place. This unfortunately didn't and I used tons of it. It does leave the hair stiff, yet not particularly sticky, however, I did notice that it dried out my hair. It's not bad, but since it does about the same as the Lee Stafford one, which should obviously have a lighter hold (and feels weightless plus is just overall fantastic), I obviously prefer that one. This one smells lovely sweet fruity-candy-ish and the scent really lingers in my hair.
It was 5.59€ in Müller

Essie Nail Polishes: 
Turquoise & Caicos, Really Red and After School Boy Blazer
I had a 50% off coupon, what more can I say. I've only tried T&C so far, which I heard it's supposed to have an awful formula, but I was pleasantly surprised. All will be swatched here at some point. ASBB may look similar to the Colorama polish that's higher up, but in the bottles they don't look dupes. I'll try to do a comparison.
Sample of LCN Marry me Berry Hand & Body Cream
The texture is somewhere in the middle and feels like it has a lot of silicones in it. It takes about 2-3 minutes to sink in and moisturises ok. The scent is artificial berry yoghurt like. It's nice, but I won't be buying a full size as I rarely use hand creams.
I got this in that new pharmacy in E.Leclerc (Ljubljana). Have you seen than awesome place?! It's like a proper Frech pharmacy brimming with all the pharmacy brands and even samples. Paradise.

Cien Shower Cream with Almond Oil & Apricot
I just grabbed this in Lidl and discovered at home that it is actually good. For about the same price as Balea's shower gels, 0.85€, you get a very decent creamy shower gel. It smells pretty generic, but it feels like poor man's Dove shower gel which is good enough for me.

 Sweet Gold Sugar Hair Removing Paste
It's one of those sugaring pastes that some people make at home and I hate this thing. Profoundly. First you have to scoop it out from the pot where it isn't much product to begin with, then form a sort of a strip on the skin and pull it off. The problem is that as soon as it gets a bit warmer because of the body temperature (which is in like a minute or two), it get ridiculously sticky and sticks to everything. It's impossible to work with from that point on and the paste is ruined. In that one take you do get, it doesn't take all the hair off rather it only removes about a half. At least it washes of easily, but I just don't like it.
It was 6.49 € in Müller.
 Nair Cire Divine Monoi de Iles a.k.a Divine Wax
This is a hair removing wax that requires no strips, rather when applied to the skin it hardens and then you just pull it off. It comes with several A4 pages of detailed instruction and warnings (Slovene version, of course), which would scare off quite a few people, however, I find them grossly over exaggerating. It's actually relatively easy to use. It says to put in the microwave for 2 minutes, but I find that is not enough and it needs another minute. You get only one wooden spatula, which is not enough, with which you need to stir the wax to get a honey like consistency. It says that it can be messy, but I don't find it so, you just get a lot of strings. You apply the warm wax on the skin, which dries/hardens really quickly in about 20-30 seconds and then I pull it off. I find it super easy to take off, but removes only 1/3-1/2 of the hair. It's pretty much painless for me, but I have a really high threshold for pain that surprised even my doctor. It says not to use it in the same place twice, but I find that's just an another exaggeration. I went several times over the same spots, but it was never hair free. I used about a half of pot, but then gave up because it would take forever. I had no irritations, redness or anything and I didn't even need to use the towelettes that are included as all the wax easily comes off.
I'd love it if it were more effective, but I won't repurchase.
I got in in E. Leclerc for about 8 € (don't quote me on that price).

 Ebeline Thermal Ceramic Round Brush Small
I got another Ebeline brush, this time a smaller one for my fringe. I use the big one all the time. The orange strip turns yellow when exposed to temperatures that are damaging to the hair.
 8.45 € in DM.

L'Occitane Samples
I got tons of L'Occitane samples which I'm really looking forward to using as I have very rarely been disappointed by this brand. I'll do short reviews in my next empties post.

Have a great day!
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