Balea
Bilou
Biobaza
catrice
COSRX
Dove
Empties
essence
Etude House
Eucerin
L'Oreal Professionnel
Maybelline
Nars
Nivea
Pantene
revlon
Skinfood
Subrina
The Body Shop
Tonymoly
Empties #33
I didn't like this foundation when I first got it as it looked awful on my skin, but I still used it regularly because it was one of the rare shades that fit me perfectly. I then completely rewamped my skin care routine and most foundations started to look much better on me, this one included. In fact by the end of the bottle I liked this one a lot. It's got light, maybe light-medium coverage with a nice natural finish. Before the skin care change this emphasised lines, pores and looked patchy on my nose, but after it looked like skin. Shade 110 fit me great and it's still one of the lightest shades in the drugstores (it's lighter than 110 from the Matte + Poreless line). It's more moisturising than Matte + Poreless, but on me they looked about the same, Matte just hides pores a bit and this one doesn't.
Repurchase: I think I might, though I'm currently checking out their Urban Cover formula because the shades look promising too.
I put these two together because on my skin they looked identical. I wore them once one on each side and I couldn't tell them apart, in fact I liked to mix these two together because Siberia is too yellow and 110 Ivory is passably pink, but together they made the great pale neutral shade. Both are medium-full coverage foundations with a semi-matte or matte finish that isn't drying, the only difference was that Colourstay looked better as it wore off, as for some reason Nars collected around the nose on me. These two aren't actually empty, however, they are very old and I haven't been wearing them for a while because as they aged, the worse they started to look on the skin, but I'm putting them in storage, so I'll at least have them for comparison swatches. By my last use they looked terribly patchy, fake and I just took them off. Otherwise they are still the only high coverage foundations I liked well enough, at least when they were new.
Repurchase: Maybe Colorstay, but I'm happy with the medium coverage of Milani Conceal + Perfect. Sheer Glow is way too expensive, when a cheaper dupe for my skin exist.
I loved the cushion concept, as it's so easy and quick to apply. The formula had light coverage and it looked great freshly applied, but in time turned into a greasy finish that needed powdering. Still I liked it well enough.
Repurchase: I don't know if these exist anymore or if other TM formulas are similar, but I'd love to try some more cushion foundations.
My favourite mascara. It creates the biggest lashes, has the best multiplying effect because it catches individual lashes, it doesn't stick them together and it holds a curl of my stubborn lashes. One minus is the massive brush which almost always touches my lids during application, but I can live with it because it is regardless an absolutely outstanding mascara .
Repurchase: Done.
Another favourite. I use this every day because it's the best liquid eyeliner I've found. It's super black, matte, long-lasting and has never let me down. I always have a spare in stock.
Repurchase: Done.
I never warmed up to this. It's fine, just not really good. The texture is light, non-greasy, but it's only effective on regular makeup and when I'm using a separate eye makeup remover, I expect it to deal with the waterproof stuff too. It's indeed gentle as TBS say and it did not irritate my eyes. It's nice, just not what I need.
Repurchase: No.
My regular cleansing oil. It's one of rare oils that works with my skin as most others I've tried tend to break me out, but it's relatively weak and doesn't remove eye makeup well. This is probably my fifth or sixth bottle in a row and I use this every day without fail together with the Balea gel, but I'd still love to find something cheaper, easily accessible and effective - I just ordered Hada Labo which was 11.5 € for 200 ml (Biobaza is 12.79 € for 150 ml).
Repurchase: Done.
I got this instead of the Erfrieshendes/Refreshing version when it was gone from our DMs for a while. This was a bit more expensive, but I hoped it was similar enough and indeed it is. Only differences are the scent, as this is has none and strangely enough for a sensitive version, this isn't quite as gentle on my eyes as the refreshing version, but it wasn't terrible.
Repurchase: Only if the Refreshing version is out of stock.
My favourite scrub. It's very harsh, since as the name itself says it's a sugar scrub, but it's the only thing that makes my skin feel smooth and soft. I have the honey version too, but even though it smells amazing, it's not as effective.
Repurchase: Done.
I've been using this every day for over a year or two now and it has improved the texture of my skin. One of the differences I notice is that my makeup applies so much more smoothly since I started using this and my pores look less severe.
Repurchase: Done, now it has a new name Galactomyces 95 Tone Balancing Essence.
I got this because I expected a similar result that I got from COSRX Galactomyces plus brightening. It's just a sample, but it lasted me ages. It's a toner-like product and it contains Black Sugar Extract, niacinamide and galactomyces. I liked it, but I prefer CORSX.
Purchase: No.
One of my favourite toners, in terms of texture it's the nicest one I've tried. It reminds me a lot of Hada Labo Hyaluronic Lotion in terms of texture, which means it's not like our toners, instead a rich toner-meets-serum consistency. It feels so comforting and lovely on the skin, it's just great stuff. The smells is also amazing, like oranges and it became one of my favourite scents of skincare.
Purchase: I'd love to, but my skin care line up is so long already. Cezanne replaced this in my morning routine.
This is the first vitamin C product that is doing something for me. After about two weeks of use my skin started to look so good, it had a nice healthy glow, it was completely clear and started slowly becoming more even, though with my freckled complexion I'm not expecting a lot. The texture of this is so lovely and it's making me want to use it unlike Tiam's where I skipped a day simply because it was so obnoxious to use. It's an emulsion with a lovely smooth liquid formula that applies with ease and feels moisturising. The bottle is very small with only 7.5 ml of product and I find that it's best to keep it stored downwards because the soft bottom can't reach all the way to the end and even though you think it's empty, there is still some left. I love this, it's my favourite Vitamin C product out of the four I tried, but it is expensive per ml, so I don't know how often I'll be buying it.
Repurchase: Yes.
I saw no results from this apart from a good dose of nourishment. It's very thick, so not easy to apply and it's got a strong fragrance. One plus - the bottle lasted me more than 10 days and I wasn't frugal with it.
Repurchase: No.
This is the old formulation and actually this bottle is very old, so I haven't been using it for ages. I was very diligent with it for many months, kept hoping to see something, but I saw zero effect on my skin, so I stopped using it and focused on other products.
Repurchase: This version is discontinued, but they have many other versions. I ordered samples from other brands to see if I like those retinol products more.
My favourite sunscreen, I'm sad to see this go. It's the lightest one I've found, it's got no shine and despite the tons of alcohol, it was never drying on my dry skin. I could easily apply the recommended amount without greasy heavy feeling or having to wait ages for it to set. The gel version works the same on my skin, but I believe people with oily skin prefer that one.
Repurchase: Yes, but they revamped the formula since this one.
This was hard to fall in love with after trying Biore. I just found this in my stash from 2017, so I haven't been using it for a while. It's got a rich texture that took 10 minutes to properly set, so it was not something to use in a hurry, but I could deal with that. The main reason I stopped using this was that it made my skin worse, so something in this must have been clogging my pores. I prefer Nivea's mattifying sunscreen from the products available in our drugstores.
Repurchase: No.
This was just awful all together. The thick, stiff sheet was very uncomfortable and there was no visible, not basic moisturising effect from it. K-Beauty masks are so much better.
Repurchase: No.
SUBRINA Shower Gel
Cherry Blossom and Unicorn Splash
Three more of these have been used up, it's a standard in the shower. I get Cherry Blossom most because everyone likes it (powdery floral strong scent that lingers) and I got Rainbow Splash for a bit of a change. The latter smells like Haribo gummy bears. Currently I have the new Fresh Elder, which is my favourite at the moment.
Repurchase: Yes.
DOVE Deeply Nourishing Shower Gel
The good old original with its luxurious thick and rich texture. This is by far my favourite shower product even though it's hard to get out when it's running low.
Repurchase: Yes. I'm so glad this exists in a big bottle.
DOVE Body Wash
Summer Breeze
This is a limited edition scent that I found in Müller. It's a nice fruity-fresh clean scent, but nothing special. I wish Dove had something with grapefruit, orange or like Subrina's Fresh Elder. The formula is one of the new Dove ones, which are not as luxuriously creamy as the original, so I'm not 100% happy with it because when I pay more for a Dove shower gel I expect that fabulous rich texture, but it's fine, still better than most other stuff.
Repurchase: Probably not this scent anymore, but I repurchased Coconut & Jasmine, which is my favourite.
I had this for absolutely ages and the reason for that is so typical of me it hurts - I love it, so I never used it and kept it only for special occasions, which is just a ridiculous thing to do and I need to stop doing that. I had hopes we would get this here by now, but it probably won't happen. It's actually very similar to Balea's version of shower foam and both are such lovely thick mousses that are just a pleasure to use. This one has a lovely sugary berry scent reminiscent of the discontinued Cedevita Fruit of the Forest I loved.
Repurchase: Yes, if I ever reach Austria again.
THE BODY SHOP Satsuma Body Butter
This has one of the most refreshing, uplifting scents ever. I always had more of a love/not-loving-it-100% relationship with it because I have to be in the mood for such a zesty scent, but for summer months it's great and the scent is most intense on the skin of all TBS butters. I actually found a better refreshing, uplifting scent for my taste, TBS's, Grapefruit which is on my wishlist. The texture of Satsuma version is somewhere in between TBS's thickest Shea and lightest Honey and Almond Milk, but as is usual very nourishing and one of my favourite ever formulas.
Repurchase: Yes someday, but I'll get other version before it. I still have Shea, Cactus Flower and Pumpkin vanilla
BALEA Rasier Gel
Sweet Passion
I've been buying these for many years and I don't plan to switch. This version had very sweet tropical scent with more prominent notes of passionfruit.
Repurchase: Done.
NIVEA dry comfort Anti-Perspirant
Worked as it should, but the scent was boring. No significant yellow patches to report about, but as a stick deodorant it of course left white marks.
Repurchase: I don't know. I took Dove this time to mix it up a bit.
I liked this well enough. Formula is thin so I have to use a lot, but it's not drying which is a miracle when it comes to my hair.
Repurchase: Yes. I also found Aveo has a version with 10% urea.
Best drugstore conditioner ever! Why does this not come in buckets? All joking aside, this truly is a marvellous formula that manages to nourish even my extremely dry, coarse and currently bleached/coloured hair, plus it even makes it a bit softer (miracle) and shinier. You have no idea how happy I am that I found this. The Superfood version is equally excellent too.
Repurchase: Done.
This was my fail safe reasonably priced hair mask that I've been using for the past few years and I always got the 500 ml pot that lasted a long time. It was the cheapest hair mask that actually felt enough for my hair, but now I found Pantene Repair and Superfood lines which is cheaper, easier to get and it also smell better. I might still buy this one day because it has ceramides, but for now I'm happy with the cheaper alternative.
Repurchase: Possibly.
I've said it before that I get no magical results from this, certainly not in the lines of Joico K-Pack or Schwarzkopf's Blondeme lines, but since it has a bond rebuilding ingredient I like to use it to prevent damage rather than fix it, especially since I colour and bleach my hair. This promises to reconnect the broken sulphide bonds that are ruined by bleaching, colouring and heat tools. One bottle lasted me a lot more than I expected. A 100 ml usually doesn't go further than 2 uses when it comes to my hair, but this is so easy to spread that I got 6 and a half (I had to start a new bottle for the last treatment). I'm considering getting the shampoo and conditioner too, and I already got the Olaplex N.6 Bond Smoother Reparative Styling Crème, which has superior visible results to n.3 on my hair.
Repurchase: Done.
My favourite spray leave-in conditioner. It helps my hair stay hydrated longer and helps me get a less frizzy blow-out. I had many bottles of this and for some reason each was slightly different. This bottle was thicker than most, so the spray didn't work as nicely as it should. I hope the next one will be the good old formula. I saw the packaging is different now.
Repurchase: Yes.
I had this for more years than I should admit, but it's because it's not an oil I used regularly due to it being too light for my thick hair. I got it as a very generous gift with purchase and mine came in a LE bottle by Jade Jagger, though I have the original packaging too just in a small size that's in my car in my emergency bag. Because it's so light, this doesn't have as long lasting taming effects as for example Orofluido, Moroccanoil and Macadamia Natural Oil, which are all much heavier, but I used Elixir Ultime for very quick temporary fixes when my hair was frizzy or tangled. This is a formula more suited for thin hair, though for such a price there are so many cheaper dupes, such as Luxurious Coconut version that's sold in this part of Europe, but for something that's sold worldwide L'Oreal's is most similar (and actually Kerastase is their brand anyway).
Repurchase: No, I'll stick to the heavier Orofluido, Moroccanoil and Macadamia Natural Oil.
Utterly useless on my very dry, long hair. Too little product and I got no heating effect.
Repurchase: No.
L'OREAL Excellence Crème 9.1 Natural Light Ash Blonde and 8.1 Light Ash Blonde
These two again did their job of toning, covering and lifting my hair colour after bleaching and created a much nicer result. I did another balayage session and made it to levels 10 (very light blonde) to 7 (dark blonde), so my hair was a mess of yellow and orange tones, meaning I couldn't just use a regular toner without either leaving orange tones in the hair or over toning the lightest bits to a blue shade, so I used a combination of these two: 8.1 on the crown (25 minutes), 9.1 in the middle lengths (10-15 minutes) and 9.1 with a 3% developer on the ends (4 minutes). I came out a an ashy blonde with some slightly warmers bits. Again my hair was not dry after use and the conditioner this comes with is amazing. I had the new and the old packaging. The old one has a protective serum and the new one a shampoo instead. I actually liked the shampoo, though it's not the best idea to wash off the colour with a shampoo and you should wait with washing for at least a couple of days (especially true for amonnia-free colours in case you didn't know), but Excellence colours are bloody hard to wash off (based on experience).
Repurchase: Yes.
Repurchase: Yes.
ETUDE HOUSE Sunprise Mild Airy Finish SPF 50+ PA +++ - I used up the last of my samples. This is a mineral sunscreen, so though it's very light, it does have some white cast from the start, but it sinks in within minutes and it goes away. It's dry on my skin, so I need to use a good moisturiser under it and a moisturising foundation, but for oily skin it could be a decent choice. Purchase: I prefer Biore, but this one isn't bad and it's mineral. I might get it one day.
PURITO Centelia Green Level Safe Sun Spf50+ PA++++ - In a thin coat it absorbs in a few minutes and leaves film of product, applied as recommended it takes several minutes to dry down to only a slightly tacky layer and after a while to a relatively dry to the touch noticeable layer, but makeup can be applied over it with no problems. It's not as nice as Biore nor even Nivea, but it's ok if you have plenty of time for it to dry down. It's heavily scented with a herbal kind of scent. Purchase: No, there are better ones, though this one isn't bad.
TONYMOLY Banana Hand Milk - this has a strong banana sweets scent (Casali), which disappears quickly. It's a cream-balm type of formula of medium thickness and it needs a few minutes to absorb completely. Ok, but there are better ones. Purchase: No
PURITO ABP Triple Synergy Liquid - this looked like a dupe for COSRX BHA Blackhead Power Liquid and I prefer the latter. It's hard to say anything from a few samples I had, but it's a light liquid product that caused me no irritations. Purchase: No.
L'OCCITANE After-Shave Balm - I think my brother gave them these a long time ago. It smells lovely like cypress and shea butter. Formula is nicely rich. Purchase: As a gift for a man, yes.
TONLYMOLY The Chock Chock Green Tea Intense Cream - one sample was hard to judge from. It felt too thick and it has a strong green tea scent. Purchase: No.
TONYMOLY BCDation Plus - I would have liked this if the shade weren't too dark. It looks good on the skin, medium coverage, but without the heavy look and it looked fresh. Purchase: No.
THE FACE SHOP Le Marche The Therapy Oil-Drop Anti-Aging Serum - Ingredients-wise this is nothing special and I did not like this much. I expected a dry oil type of consistency, but this is a thick gel that just sits on the skin for hours refusing to sink in, so I couldn't even apply other skin care over it out of fear it will pill. I've only used it once, so I can't say much in terms of effect, but I saw nothing. Purchase: No
Have a great day!
