Empties: summer 2012. Part 2

Now when the summer is really-really over and done with in Northern hemisphere and autumn has arrived, it's high time to do part with my summer empties. Here's the second part I promised a while ago (see the first part here). BTW, I've been suffering from the first true cold of this autumn for the whole weekend: slurping down some spicy chicken soup, while trying to stay warm and covered :(

OK, down to business, let's get this one done, so I could concentrate on better news next week.

• Purexin Garlic shampoo. We brought this from Turkey last spring. My hubby used up the most of it, but I did get a few tries. My frequent readers must know my love for kitchen-related beauty stuff by now :) It was a fairly decent shampoo (no actual garlic smell whatsoever!), but obscenely expensive and no need to mention, hard almost impossible to buy in Estonia. Since I have no special memories of it, no repurchase. (I used a lot of 'no'-s in these last sentences. Umm... the point remains the same, but I must contain myself, otherwise my reviews are going to be a lot like something you can read from certain books beginning with the word  'Fifty'). 
• Tigi Love Peace & The Planer Eco Awesome Shampoo and Conditioner. Whoa! These have been my greatest love in hair cleaning & conditioning since I laid my eyes on them. They totally deserve a review of their own! I've purchased these again in bigger sizes already and they are being loved by our whole family. Let's just say these are pure goodness in bottles. Don't remember the excact prices, but if you are familiar with Tigi range, then you'll know they're not the cheapest ones around, but not the most priciest either. 

• Avon  Senses Waterfall Shower Gel. I loved this too! Avon Senses is a nice range of shower gels, you've probably seen some of them here before. I love them for their smell, but must mention they're rather thin & watery, therefore go fast. I loved Waterfall for it's turquoise colour and great unisex smell of fresh waters. Paid 3.90 euros for it and shall probably repurchase. 
• Lancome Aroma Tonic Body Lotion. Another great love of mine!  I loved-loved-loved the scent of it! I've been saving it a while, using only a little at a time. To my knowledge, it's discontinued by now, so no hope for a repurchase. It's gone and dearly missed by me. If i could repurchase, I would.

• Australian Gold Intimidation solarium cream. Yep, I do visit tanning booth's from time to time, because a person needs a break from endless rains from time to time. I loved the cooling effect of this cream. The tube was huge, took a while to use up, but it was all good. 
• Sally Hansen Airbrush Sun self tanner. I got this as a GWP and totally hated it! The smell was obnoxious and application very patchy. And don't even get me started on the orangey skin tone and damage to the ozone layers it left behind! 
• Lush Cupcake Fresh Face mask. Not my first one of these, see review here.
• Lumene Arctic Aqua 24h Balancing Moisturiser. I was on the fence with this. I mean, I totally love Lumene and I like light face moisturisers, but this one was a brat. It completely sunk in to my skin, but after a few hours my face turned really oily & shiny, especially if I used some foundation on top. I liked it's slightly marine smell, but I can't give top grades on moisturising... I think there are better ones out there (this is my politically correct comment if I don't want to say that I'm outright disappointed with something). 

• Ambray Nail Polish Remover and Avon Individual Blue Ladies Scent. These are the beauty school drop outs this time. The nail polish remover didn't remove much, so it was gone in a jiffy, but Individual Blue was totally another matter. In spite of being a popular ladies scent, I hated it, so I mostly used it to scare off my evil cat from biting my shins at nighttime and to freshen the toilet. Glad they're both gone! 

After staying on the empties project for about 9 months now, I noticed today some more unexpected free space in my bathroom cabinet. Yay! On that happy note, over and out.

Yours Truly,

Tolmu Rull

For my lovely Estonian ladies:

Järjekordne osa tühjade potsikute projektist. Heas mõttes on kõige märkimisväärsemad on Tigi Eco Awesome shampoon ja palsam, millest ehk kunagi jõuan põhjalikumalt kirjutada, ja Lancome kehakreem, mida ma väga armastasin, kuid paraku sai seegi lõpuks otsa. Nüüd lähen voodisse oma nohust nina nuuskama ja loodan, et selle sügise esimene külmetushaigus jääb ka viimaseks. Loota ju ikka võib, eks?

Siiralt teie,

Tolmu Rull

Empties: summer 2012. Part 1

According to the weather, summer seems to be officially over for Estonia, so it's time to see what I've used up. This will be in two parts, the other coming up someday in September. Apparently I've needed lots and lots of products this summer. I'm simply too lazy to do the empties thing monthly:)

Here are my usual mini-reviews and product recommendations.

• Garnier Invisimineral deodorant. It had nice fresh scent, fighted the odour quite ok, but didn't fulfill it's promise not to leave white marks. Price: 2-3 euros, no repurchase.
• Garnier Bodytonic Slimming and Reshaping gel. A nice refreshing gel with a minty feel. I didn't notice any slimming or reshaping results though, but I used it only 2-3 times a week after gym. Maybe the results would be great if used twice a day daily? Don't know, but it sure sinks in fast and isn't sticky. Price: probably around 10 euros, no repurchase.
• Garnier Color Naturals Hair Colour. It's my holy grail DIY hair colour! The blonde shades (I've tried different blondes) are excellent for me, it is so cheap and easy to use and it makes my hair soft like no other haircolour. I'd say the results beat going to the hairdressers' for colour! Price: 2 euros (on sale), will definitely repurchase.

• Lumene Natural Code Face Wash & Toner. I loved these! Despite their skin purifying properties they didn't dry my skin out too much, but helped to keep it fresh and more matte. And they were very reasonably priced too. I would like to buy again, but unfortunately Lumene has changed their Natural Code line and these are no longer available. Certainly, a bit of a loss for me. Price: 6-7 euros each.

• ByPhasse Make-up remover wipes for sensitive skins and mature skins. I didn't notice much difference between the two varieties, but for some reason liked the sensitive skins version a bit more. Both were very soft, quite big and wet and removed make-up well for a wet wipe. I think at 2 euros a pack they were value for money and I will probably repurchase if I ever see them discounted again.

• The Body Shop Pink Grapefruit Shower Gel. This had the total goodness of all The Body Shop shower gels! It smelled and looked yummy and had produced lots and lots of lather, so not much was needed. That's why it lasted for ages and ages and I grew a bit tired of it at the end. But that is rather a virtue than a vice, isn't it? I shall not repurchase Pink Grapefruit, but I shall certainly try other shower gels from The Body Shop. Price: 7 euros for 250 ml.
• Lush It's Raining Men Honey Rich Shower Gel for body and hair. This was one of the very few 2in1 shower products that actually worked well for hair too and didn't dry they out too much. It actually gave my hair some bounce and made them smooth! I also liked the mild honey scent and like The Body Shop one, it also lasted for ages. Extra points for the witty name! I shall probably buy it again in smaller travel size bottles as this is perfect for travelling and taking to the gym. Price: 11.65 euros for 250 ml.
• Freeman Bare Foot Iced Teaberry and Mint Foot Scrub. This foot scrub had somewhat larger and harsher scrubbing particles than most of other foot scrubs usually do. It was quite refreshing to use and scrubbed really well, so I'd recommend it over others if your feet need a good scrub. Myself, no repurchase, because I can do very well with my usual shower scrub and don't need an extra for my feet. Don't remember the price, but Freeman products are generally not expensive.

• Avon Anew Rejuvenate 24 hour eye cream day & night. Two eye creams in one pot! I liked this one so much it deserves a separate review. I shall add a link if I complete it. A repurchase already made! Around 10 euros from Avon brochure.
• Garnier Pure Active Roll-On. A lot of Garnier products here today :) Shaped exactly like Garnier undereye concealer (review here), this zit-killer knows it's job well. It really works on even the most painful of blemishes and helps them heal faster. On the downside it the fact that it leaves a bit of a sticky film on the skin, so it can't be used under or over makeup as it promises. I don't remember the price and will be on the lookout for a better one.
• Phytomer OligoPur Shine Control Moisturizing Fluid. Oh dear, I passionately hated this and regretted bitterly getting the bigger salon-size version! First, it didn't mattify, it made my face appear more shiny and sticky. Then, it didn't hydrate at all, my skin was still itchy after using it. To top it all off, it behaved impossibly under make-up, rolling off whenever I tried to use my foundation. Oh, and let's not forget it was expensive too: around 30 euros for 50 ml, but mine was 100 ml! I was desperately waiting for it to be empty, but I should have thrown this crap out a long ago. Absolutely no repurchase whatsoever.

• Lumene Eyebrow wax. Finally some empty make-up items in my empties project! This wax is also a Holy Grail product of mine, that totally deserves a review of it's own. Price: around 8 euros, definite repurchase.
• L'Oreal Glam Shine Juice lipgloss. A good nude coloured non-sticky lipgloss. Nice, but not so special. No repurchase.

• Dermoshop Cuticle Cream and Yves Rocher Coleurs Nature 8h Eyeshadow Duo. Neither were empty, but these simply didn't perform well, so I decided to throw them out. Simple as that.

• Just some random hotel shampoos and travel sized bottles, used up mostly at the gym.

That's all this time. Great success! It's a real relief to throw all these empty pots and tubes out, although several of them have become my favourites and already are or will soon be replaced.

Yours Truly,

Tolmu Rull

For my lovely Estonian ladies:

Palun, siin on sel suvel tühjaks tarvitatud potsikud ja tuubid! Neid on hästi palju, sest mitmed pikalt-pikalt kasutatud asjad olid lõpukorral. Soovitada julgen Garnier Color Naturals juuksevärvi, The Body Shopi ja Lushi dushigeele, Freemani jalakoorijat ja Avoni kaheosalist 24-tunni silmakreemi. Lõpuks ometi said otsa ka mõned meigiasjad, neist soovitan Lumene kulmuvaha. Kauge kaarega tuleks mööda käia Phytomeri OligoPur näokreemist. 

Siiralt teie,

Tolmu Rull

Empties: winter 2012

Although I have not been very consistant with posting my empties project, I have still dutyfully collected them in the past month. By now, a big paper bag is almost full and annoyingly getting on my way all the time. So expect to see a lot more of empties soon :)

These empties were used up by me sometime during the winter months and although the bottles and tubes and their contents is long gone, the pictures are still waiting to be posted.

While it's not exactly "winter" here any more, the summer has completely failed to install this year. So why not to review some winter-y products?

Let's get a more detailed view of what I've used up.

• Make up remover wipes by ByPhasse and Alverde – both are cheap face wipes (around 2 euros or so) that worked fine. Still, no re-buy probably.

• The Body Shop Basil Purifying Mask – Ooh, this was a HG mask! I have already told you, how much I adore when vegetables and herbs are used in cosmetics. Basil is one of my favourite herbs and this mask smelt divine for me! It was that type of mask that doesn't go hard on your face and rather had a cooling & refreshing effect on the skin than deeply purifying one. I'd buy again in a heartbeat, but TBS doesn't offer this mask any more.

• Puhas Loodus (Pure Nature) deeply purifying scrub with microbeads & apple extract – Although the products of Puhas Loodus are far from being pure and ecological, I liked it. It was a good, cheap ( I think around 4-5 euros) & effective face scrub with very fine beads and a subtle apple scent. I'll probably buy again sometime.  

•  Avon Anew Pure O2 Oxygenating Youth Complex – Yuk! This day cream was way too greasy and did nothing for my skin. I struggled hard to use it up! 

• Lumene Matt Touch cleanser & toner – While Lumene is one of my favourite cosmetics companies, these Matt Touch products were not the best I have tried from them. Mainly because they didn't mattify my skin much and the toner contained alcohol. I know they have reformulated the product and I hope new version is much better. A repurchase? Maybe.

• Lactacyd Femina Intimate Wash – A girl's gotta have at least one product for every region of her body, right? :P One of the best intimate washes around. 'Nuff said.

• Alverde Naturkosmetik Herbal toothpaste -- It was an emergency buy from Germany. I didn't like it's taste too much, so I'm happy our ways have parted. Don't care it was vegan and everything.

• L'Oreal Paris Shine & Gloss duo -- I don't know why it was called shine & gloss duo, while it was simply a lipliner & lipstick duo in a pencil form :S Still, it was a nice nude hue for my skintone and I was quite sad when it came to it's end. A good nude lipliner is harder to find than you'd think. The double ended pencil packaging sucked, because a lot went to waste with sharpening and I had to throw quite a lot of product away because it became impossible to sharpen in the end. 

• Dove Summer Glow Moisturiser -- This self-tanning moisturiser has been praised by many beauty bloggers and I'm no exception. Normal to dark skin version gave a very nice brownish hue to my light skin and I liked the initial shimmer effect too. This was not my first bottle and I have already bought the same product again.

• Dove Colour Care shampoo – Just an ordinary drugstore shampoo, nothing much to say.

Weirdly, this time around I managed to use up a lot of products I'd actually buy again for several reasons. Not bad, I think.

Yours Truly,
Tolmu Rull

For my lovely Estonian ladies:


Tühjad potsikud ja tuubid eelmisest talvest. Loomulikult on see ärakasutatud kraam säilinud ainult piltide ja mälestuste näol, aga kui juba suvi sel aastal tulemata jäänud on, siis miks mitte talvist kraami meenutada, eks? Ülaltoodud kraamist soovitaksin eelkõige Puhta Looduse õunaga koorimiskreemi, Dove isepruunistajat ja Lactacydi intiimpesugeeli. The Body Shopi basiilikumaski ostaksin ka kohe uuesti, kuid minu suureks kurvastuseks seda enam ei valmistata ega müüda :(


Siiralt teie,
Tolmu Rull

Empties: December

Here it is: part two of my empties project. The aim is to use up as many half-used beauty products as I can in a month's time, in order to discipline myself and free some space for new things. See, even more empty bottles, jars and tubes than last time. So far the project has been a great success -- just look how many things I managed to finish in the month of December only!

Would I buy and use something from this sad bunch again? (That is, if I wasn't such a product junkie and always on the quest for something new and exciting, of course.) Yup, here they are, the good stuff I would use myself and recommend to others.

My special irreplacable favourites from this pile are:

• China Glaze Fast Forward Top Coat  --  the best fast-dry top coat I've ever used; 
• Garnier Color Naturals hair dye -- cheap but fool-proof hair dye that gives great results every time; 
• Delia Good Foot tired legs lotion -- cheap foot cream from supermarket that has fantastic smell as well as fantastic moisturizing properties and an ability to sink in a blink of an eye;
• Decleor Rasage Express shaving foam -- a great shaving foam that is actually meant for men, but is good for lady shaving too. It really helps the razor to glide more smoothly and lasts for a really long time.

And by the way, did you notice the anti-hangover shower gel, LOL? I wish that hangovers could be cured by shower gels :)

Actually, I'm really glad about the the empties project, as I'm getting a better vision of what products I have and how long it takes to use them up. Plus, the extra motivation to take better care of myself. It is a strange satisfaction to see all these used-up bottles. The month of January looks really promising too!

My only regret is that there are not many make-up products among the empties. I hope to do better next time.

Yours Truly,

Tolmu Rull

For my lovely Estonian ladies:

Minu tühjade potsikute projekti teine postitus ehk kolmas kuu. Senini on projekt olnud väga edukas, sest olen suutnud ära kasutada paljud riiuleil seisnud "jäägid" ja kogu projekt on andnud mulle parema arusaama, mida ma igapäevaselt kasutan ja kui palju tooteid päriselt kulub. Soovitan!

Siiralt teie,

Tolmu Rull

Empties: October and November

Yes, I managed to use up all these things during last two months. Seeing them all at one picture makes me think: wow, that's a lot!

And that's good. I have neverending supply of halfway used bottles, tubes and jars. I don't have much of a problem with things I like: they always seem to end too quickly. But when I find the product poor or average, I'm too impatient to just stay calm and use it up. I'll just stash it somewhere and set out to finding something better. Unfortunately, there are a lot more average things than HG items in the world. I seem to use everything for a tiny while and then move on to new and more interesting things. Or I might just want to change my face cream or shampoo because I'm bored with the previous one. I believe the same behavior is familiar to a lot of girls. But this can't go on forever.

On the other hand, I don't like to throw half-used stuff out too, it would be a total waste of everything: time, money, environment... and so on. Besides, there has been more than one occasion, when I rediscover something from my stash and really like it.

While this is not exactly a Project Pan, collecting and saving all these empty bottles for picture purposes has disciplined me more and made me WANT to use as many things up as I can. I try to keep it up from now on.

Of course, there are some things I liked and am definitely going to buy again (or stock up, if this is a discontinued item). You can see them on this picture. I'm not going to do a separate review of every one. If you see something you are particularly interested about, please ask!

So that's why I posted a picture of that big bunch of bottles. More as a reminder for myself, 'cause I don't really think you'd be very curious about what's in my thrash.

How about you? Do you have a lot of half-used cosmetics lying around?

Yours Truly,

Tolmu Rull

For my lovely Estonian ladies:

Siin on minu oktoobri- ja novembrikuus otsasaanud kosmeetikavahendid. Neid on palju, sest mul on päris palju pooleldi kasutatud kosmeetikat, mis mulle lihtsalt eriti ei meeldi või mille olen põnevamate asjade kasutamise nimel (ajutiselt, ha-ha!) kõrvale lükanud. Tegelikult peaks need lõpuni kasutama, et uutele ruumi teha. See postitus ongi eelkõige minu enda jaoks, et oleks suurem motivatsioon poolikud asjad lõpuni kasutada. Lähemalt arvustama ma neid ei hakka, kui tunnete lähemat huvi mõne toote vastu neilt piltidelt, küsige!

Siiralt Teie,

Tolmu Rull