Balea
Bioré
catrice
Dove
Empties
HASK
Head & Shoulders
Holy Snails
L'Oreal
Macadamia Natural Oil
Nivea
Nuxe
Purito
Schwarzkopf
Secret Key
Sheet mask
Subrina
The Body Shop
Empties #32
MAKEUP
I used up one more. It's my favourite eyeliner formula that I use every day and I always have a spare in stock. It's super black, dries matte, has a great applicator that is easy to use and it lasts all day on my lids. I gave Essence a try for a while, but it's not as good, so this remains a solid favourite.
Repurchase: Done.
SKINCARE
I've used up several of the old versions and this was my first reformulate tube which I prefer because they got rid of the strong masculine scent. It's a gentle face gel that I use as a second cleanser after oil.
Repurchase: Done.
This is my second used up pot of these. This was the green version meant for treating imperfections and oily skin, but I had three versions (also Glow and Exfo) and they have the same effect (well Exfo is a clay mask + scrub). It's a standard clay mask that I use when I have spots or my skin feels a bit off and I need a "skin care day" to fix it up a bit. It does the job and smells ok, actually this has my favourite scent of the three as it's most "spa like". Though the packaging has an extra lid that should help the product from drying out, both I used up were so dry by the end I had to mix them with water to revive them.
Repurchase: I have two more in stock, but yes. It's quite expensive though for what it is, but one pot lasts me a while.
These were so cute, shaped like pink hearts and they could be used in one piece or cut in two for using under the eyes. Problem with these is that though they are hydrogels, the closer I was to the end, the less moist they felt. They felt so soothing under the eyes and that pleasant cool feeling remained for a while even after I took them off. I find they don't do any dramatic difference, they merely moisturise and I didn't notice them helping dark circles or lines, but they are very pleasant on tired eyes. The scent was very strong at these and it was the scent of roses that I don't like that much in cosmetics, but otherwise these were nice.
Repurchase: These were my first ones and I'd like to try some other ones like Petitfee, SNP or Berrisom.
This should be amazing, in mean it's got a high percentage of niancinamide, plus ceramides and ginseng in the Hanbang version and organic manuka honey, propolis, royal jelly in the Honey Shark and they both have hyaluronic acid, ferments and liquorice extract - so all the good things. However, I never got the brightening effect I expected from either of these. It was a simple serum product that when I either included it in my skin care routine or excluded it, I didn't see a difference. Shame, I had high such hopes for this after seeing so much excellent feedback. On a plus side, 7 ml samples lasted a long time and I wasn't frugal with them.
Repurchase: It's too expensive and I'm not seeing the results I want.
NUXE Huile Prodigeuse
I've been using this oil since 2013 and for years I've used it every single day. Now I still use it very often, but since I started exploring K-Beauty products I tend to forget to use it because I have so many other steps in the routine, but tit's always been that one product that I turn to when something I'm testing broke me out because I know this works for me. My bottle is a very old limited edition because I tend to stock up on these way before I use up the old bottle, so it got its turn only now. I find this oil really suits my skin so well, it's light, non-greasy and one of those products I can always relay on. While I had this bottle, I tested The Body Shops Oils of Life Oil and I loved it even more, but I still want to have another bottle of this too.
Repurchase: Yes, I really want to try the new Florale version too.
BIORE UV Aqua Rich Watery Gel
This version has already been updated and has gone through a reformulation, so I don't think this review will help you much, but both Biore gel and Essence (version 2015) were the best sunscreens I've tried. They were the lightest such products I've tried, didn't leave any stickiness, white cast or greasiness, instead they were more like primers with a velvet finish. I still have an essence in this old version bought last year, which was unopened until this year, but after I use it up, I'll try the new formulas of these.
Repurchase: Yes, the new versions.
SHEET MASKS
All of these are my favourites and ones I've repurchased. I have separate reviews for each:
MY BEAUTY DIARY Natural Key Series Facial Mask Black Pearl - great brightening effect
THE FACE SHOP Solutions Pearl - another with a brightening effect and best sheet fit for me.
THE SAEM Natural Skin Fit Mask (Disney Edition of packaging) Grapefruit - super comfy essence and a good moisturising effect.
ETUDE HOUSE 0.2 Therapy Air Sheet Mask Madecassoside - soothing, repairing and nourishing. My new love.
PAPA RECIPE Bombee Honey Mask - nourishing and smells amazing like honey.
PAPA RECIPE Bombee Whitening Honey Mask - my all-time favourite. Very brightening and nourishing, smells like honey.
Repurchase: Definitely, yes to all and I still have most of these in stock.
These were nothing special in terms of effect. The eye mask felt refreshing, but I saw no visible improvement and the lip mask did less than my Palmer's lip balm does. But they are very pretty with the lace pattern. I think these were made permanent after being a LE.
Repurchase: Maybe the eye patches.
BODY
DOVE Deeply Nourishing Shower Gel
My favourite shower gel because it's the creamiest formula I know and it's not drying. I finally found a big packaging in Slovenia, which I'll keep on buying.
Repurchase: Done.
SUBRINA Shower Gel
Cherry Blossom
I've actually gone through more than one of these, plus Perfume Drops and Pina Colada version. These all smell so good and the scent lasts on the skin, at cherry blossom almost like a fragrance. Bad side that I've noticed after a long periods of using these they are drying, so I swap between the more expensive Dove with Subrina. These are also some of the cheapest shower gels here, with a price under 2 € for 400 ml.
Repurchase: Done.
This is one of my favourites scents from The Body shop, although unlike any other body butter I had from them this changed its scent in time. Originally this has a lovely sweet milky-honey scent, then it became more musky. Texture, however, is just not the same The Body Shop rich goodness and this is more like a medium thick regular cream. It was still moisturising enough, but I prefer their original body butter texture.
Repurchase: Yes.
BALEA Rasier Schaum
Coco Melon
This was the first time I bought the mousse version instead or the gel one I usually buy. At first I thought there is no big difference between the two, but as it got low on product, it wasn't sticking to the skin as well as gel, but otherwise this is still pretty good and if I like any of the LE scents I'll get it again instead of a gel. I loved the scent of this edition. It was mostly like melon, but the coconut note made it a bit warmer. I hope Balea reuses this scent sometime.
Repurchase: Only if I like any LE scent, otherwise I'm sticking to the gel version.
My standard deodorant. I'm a fan of the feminine powdery scent and it's got this powdery particles that I find work in keeping me dry longer.
Repurchase: Done.
HAIR
L'OREAL Elvive Smooth-Intense Anti-Frizz Shampoo
One of my favourite drugstore shampoos, but this isn't sold here anymore and it was replaced by the equally fantastic Extraordinary Oil. Both are very similar to the much more expensive Kerastase Oleo-Intense, meaning they are like a shampoo + a good conditioner in one (it doesn't claim to be a 2-in-1) and so far they are the only cheap shampoos I've found that work for my very dry, coarse and thick hair. My hair isn't at all tangled or nor does it leave that squeaky clean feeling I despise at that shampoos because my hair needs a lot of care, instead it feels smooth when I'm rinsing this off and I can comb my hair wet with no problems. The scent of this one was nicer than of Extraordinary that I'm using now, but that's the only difference.
Repurchase: I don't know if this version doesn't exist anymore, but Extraordinary Oil is exactly the same except for the scent and it's the one I'm using now.
HEAD & SHOULDERS Anti-Dandruff Supreme Moisture Conditioner
I liked this as a conditioner because it was ok even on my super dry hair, even though it doesn't feel heavy, however, it unfortunately didn't work when it came to eliminating dandruff. Not that I'm surprised about the latter because I've tried almost everything and nothing really works long term. I'd buy it again purely because it's a good cheap conditioner for dry hair.
Repurchase: Yes.
DOVE Advanced Hair Series Regenerirende Aufbaupflege
An averagely good drugstore mask, but not quite enough for my hair. I need a bit more than this, especially if I want my hair to stay moisturised for more than a day, but for someone with moderately dry hair it should be really good. I'm not sure if this exists anymore because Dove has made some major changes to their hair care line
Repurchase: Not since I found Pantene Repair conditioner.
MACADAMIA Professional Weightless Moisture Leave-in Conditioning Mist
This was originally a missed purchase that I bought in my search for a Orofluido Sahara replacement. I was going to buy their Healing Oil Spray, but they expanded their range at the time with their Professional line and I thought this too was an oil in spray like Sahara (I've since finally found a replacement in Createurs de Monoi Shine spray). This is a regular leave-in conditioner and it's super light, so from the start I thought this won't do anything for me. Yet the longer I had it, the more I started to appreciate, especially because of the great list of ingredients which includes keratin in hydrolysed form, which is the best version of proteins. It's feels like nothing on the hair, yet I do feel like it's giving my hair an extra boost of moisture and the mist is so fine, making it easy to spray all over the hair quickly. I think this formula would suit any hair type and it should be great even on those with thin hair that gets easily weighted down. Only thing I had to get used to was a strong fragrance, which isn't a bad one, just more unique than most hair products. It's like an oriental perfume with heavy notes, so in summer it's not so easy to handle.
Repurchase: Yes, because of the good ingredients, but I recently got Schwarzkopf Bonacure Bonacure Fibre Force Fortifying Primer instead.
HASK Argan Oil Repairing Deep Conditioner
I saw a very positive review on these HASK masks and though I was very doubtful because most people don't have such thick and dry hair like me meaning they need a lot less care for their hair to feel amazing, I grabbed one in Müller after checking the ingredients. The latter are not outstanding and I'm bothered by the fragrance on 4th place, but the rest looked ok and it has lanolin on 5th place which should help seal the moisture in. Oils are after 5th place, but there's several of them, not just argan. The mask is nicely thick, just the way I like it and it's possible it would feel heavy on thin hair, but I can't say for sure. There is 50 ml in the packet which was just enough for one use for my long thick hair, but for some this could last up to 3 uses and certainly 2 for most. It's got an orange scent with some oriental feel, so it's not a zesty fresh type of scent. For a deep treatment, this proved to be fairly weak for my hair. At first the effects of this were ok. It wasn't amazingly nourishing for my hair, but decent enough. However, by day two my hair was so dry and far from being soft, so I had to use just a conditioner again (I used Aussie) to replenish moisture. Maybe for most this will be a good deep treatment to use when the hair needs a pick me up, but for me it was a waste of time.
Repurchase: No.
SCHWARZKOPF PROFESSIONAL Blondme Blonde Toning
Steel Blue and Sand
For my first use I used half a tubes of each Steel Blue and Sand, which didn't get me to the desired cool medium-dark blonde I want, so I got an extra tube of Steel Blue and use a mix of 3/4 Steel Blue + 1/4 of Sand plus bleached my hair to a lighter shade to see if it will tone the yellow-orange tones I've been trying to get rid off. For a demi-permanent colour this is pretty drying, more so than the bleach, which was surprising. I expected it to turn grey-blue when it was processing, just like those toners for very pale blondes turn purple, but it surprisingly turned pink-mauve. It toned golden yellow hair best, which is a level 9-8, while it turned my lightest pale yellow strands (level 10) blue silver grey, which I did not like at all and shade Ice would have been better for those. The orange strands level 7-8, which I expected it will tone based on reviews and colour theory were left the same as without a toner, so my hair was looking very uneven with ultra cool and warm bits. I've been trying my best to lighten my hair enough to tone it and get it to actually a darker shade that I have now (I want a cool dark blonde and I'm a golden medium blonde now), unfortunately even if I leave the bleach on for 45 minutes, it's a slow process with my thick, naturally dark hair. I hoped this toner will help with the orange-reddish bits, but it only works properly on golden medium blonde hair,so lighter hair than I expected. Plus I noticed it washes out so fast with a regular SLS shampoo, so I'd recommend you use a sulphate free shampoo or a cleansing conditioner after using these.
Instead of Blondme developer, which is only sold in 1l versions, I used Ilirija's Hydrogen Cream 3% which is sold everywhere here and comes in a 120 ml bottle, which is just enough for mixing with two tubes of this toner. 3% is best for toning bleached hair because it doesn't lift (much), it just deposits the colour, so it's the most gentle and least damaging percentage of developer. The formula is very liquid compared to Blondme, so I needed a lot more mixing to get a smooth consistency, but it worked just fine.
Repurchase: Yes, maybe, I don't know. Depends if I'll go any lighter, as it's not working 100% on my currently uneven colour. I picked up a L'Oreal Excellence 7.1 and 8.1 to see if the ashy tones in those are strong enough at least tone down the warm tones. If I decide to give up on blonde I'll probably use shade 6.3 since it's a colour I quite like out of the darker shades.
PURITO Defence Barrier pH Cleanser
This was a lovely very cleanser with a nice thick foam and I'd like it a lot if it didn't irritate my eyes a bit. It's not as terrible as other K-Beauty cleansers I've tried, but it's still not as gentle as Balea's.
Purchase: No.
PURITO Centella Green Level Calming Toner
This is a slightly thicker toner than they usually are, but overall nothing special when it comes to moisturising. I prefer EH Moistufull collagen, but this is intriguing because it has Centella Asiatica Extract high on the list.
Purchase: It's likeable because of the ingredients.
PURITO Centella Green Level Recovery Cream
Though it feels like a light lotion, this takes quite a while to sink in. Since I have dry skin I like that I have this filter of cream for a while, but it's something I'd only use at night. It promises to fade acne scars and contains 49 % of Centella Asiatica Extract and Niacinamide high on the list, so this sound quite good, but based on a sample I can't report on long term results.
Purchase: Again, it's likeable because of the ingredients.
Have a great day!
