Saturday 19 March 2016

My February 2016. Favourites!

February was an odd month for me. Since I had a cold, I had a feeling that there will be no favourites to tell you about but for the time when I was feeling OK, I apparently played with makeup quite a lot. On the other hand and surprisingly for me, there aren't many beauty care products this time. That is partly because of my decision to finish up some travel size products that I have in stock. I didn't travel that much, bought too many beauty boxes and decided to deal with them this year. :)


Since beauty care products are in minority...well, there is only one, I will start with it.


I found a new love in Olival's Immortelle Golden Face Oil. Apart from its main active ingredient - Immortelle essential oil, this oil contains seven natural oils (jojoba, argan, marigold, olive, almond, rose and apricot seed oil) and promises to deeply moisturize and nourish the skin. It is recommended for normal, dry and/or sensitive skin types, but in my opinion, every skin will love it. I have combination skin with oily t-zone and sometimes dry top layer and love it!


I also have to say a few words about the brand. Olival is a Croatian natural cosmetics brand which I highly recommend to try if you get a chance. It is available in all the major drugstores in Croatia (DM, Kozmo, BIPA..), so if you come and visit our country definitely try something from their range. This oil would be a good start but I would also recommend their immortelle toner. I am not connected with this company in any way, only enjoy their products, their idea to create natural products and the fact that they don't test their products on animals.


And then there is makeup... I am starting from the base - foundation. I tried many foundations in my life and am always in a search for someting new and improved. I mainly use liquid foundations in my everyday routine and since I like to experiment I tested many foundations from different brands, both drugstore and high-end. But this one really is a gem. L'oreal True Match liquid foundation is great for my oily parts, it doesn't get shiny early in the day, it doesn't oxidize on me, provides medium coverage, which means it covers nicely but doesn't look fake, it is longlasting, I found a great shade and will most definitely buy it again!


My next favourite also helps your skin and complexion to look their best! With my oily t-zone, I always hesitated to apply highlighters. There was enough shine on my face already. But then the whole highlighter era started and I received Chantecaille's Liquid Lumiere Anti-Aging Face Illuminator in the shade Sheen in my Net-a-Porter Holiday Kit.


At first I put it aside but then I decided to be brave and put it on my face. Honestly, it looks beautiful, doesn't make my face too shiny, it adds healthy glow and I love it!


Complexion is very important to look "flawless" but the part of my face that also gets a lot of loving are my eyes.


If I wear makeup I must put on at least a little bit of mascara. Last month I played again with my Nyx shadows. I wrote about these here but I forgot how good these shadows are.


I used Root Beer and Red Bean Pie by themselves and with my Chanel Diapason shadow. They looked amazing either way and if you haven't, you really should try Nyx shadows.


Eyes are the mirror of our souls but brows are certainly the frame for it and that is why I always pay attention to them. In my January Favourites (here) I already mentioned my love to Anastasia Beverly Hills products. I swear by their Brow Wiz in taupe so I decided to try out other products from their range and that is how these two ended up in my bathroom. I bought Dipbrow Pomade in the shade Taupe and a dual ended brow brush to apply it with. The brush is very precise and perfect for defining the brows and its spooley is very soft but efficient. I highly recommend it! Usually, I am not crazy about dual ended brushes because they aren't always convenient for storing, but this duo actually is really handy.


I already told you that ABH Brow Wiz is my all time favourite brow product and I've gone through many of them. But...this month, for the first time, my Wiz broke on the spooley side. That never happened to me before and I wasn't rough with it at all but I needed to mention that. Have any of you experienced something similar?

So... We came to the end of my lasth month's favourites. What do you say? Do you like some of them as well or completely the opposite?

Tell me...

Love, beautyandbrains007


For Croatian version of this post click here

Saturday 5 March 2016

Clinique Moisture Surge Eye Masks (pads)

My dearest readers... I am sorry that my today's post will be a review of a product that is no longer easily available but I promised one of my readers that I'll tell her a little bit more about these Clinique Moisture Surge eye masks.


These masks are from a Moisture Surge Clinique line which is still available, but the pads themselves are by my knowledge discontinuied. And to be honest, I haven't seen them in a while in our stores. Before, every more high-end store carried them and a box of 10 little envelopes with two pads (one for each eye) costed 290 kunas (about 42$/38 Euros/30 GBP), which wasn't a bad price and I bought mine on sale. If you are a Clinique lover, you can still find these on the internet (ebay has them), or if you really like the concept behind this product, you can try something similar from other brands. Lately, I have been seeing products like this from many brands (high-end and drugstore).


These particular pads promise rapid hydration in this refreshing oil-free eye masks. Pre-moistened pads replenish thirsty eye-area skin and plump up fine dry lines. With special aloe-activated water, they instantly soothe and diminsh the look of puffiness, leaving under-eye skin soft, smooth and intensly hydrated. Because of that, they are suitable for all skin types.
As for my experience, I must say that my under-eye area isn't very dry but... There is no mercy when I don't get enough sleep or am working hard and am under more stress. My 30+ skin then shows that I am not a little girl anymore, some puffiness may appear, my under-eye dark circles become visible (I don't always struggle with them), and my fine lines are more pronounced. Then I use these pads and to be honest they really do provide instant moisture to that delicate area, the skin looks smoother, fine lines are less visible and my whole face gets back some freshness and glow! So, my answer is that I really do like this product! I like the fact that it doesn't have any smell and that the consistency of this pre-moistened pads isn't oily. That way you really get moisture. If you are reading this, chances are that you use eye creams in your everyday routine anyway, so this is just a bonus for the days when you need something extra to pick you up, or just allow yourself some at home spa feeling and moments.


As I already said, these little pads are packed individually (two per pack) and the box has total of 10 packages. In my opinion that is great because every pair will stay fresh until you decide to use it. They recommend to use this pads once or twice a week but I use them when needed.


Pads are situated in plastic dividers and you apply them to clean uder-eye skin, leave them for about ten minutes or a bit more, then remove and discard them, and massage residual treatment into skin.


Personally, I like both these pads and the concept behind them, and that is why I am not thrilled that this particular ones are hard to get now. On the other hand, their absence will make me try similar products from other brands.


What do you say? Do you like this concept? Have you ever tried these kind of eye masks?


Tell me...

Love, beautyandbrains007



For Croatian version of this post click here