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

Quum.ee has a supersale! Warning: great beauty bargains

This morning sucked. Opening my eyes, I saw that my nail polish job from last night has sheet marks all over it. I found some cat pee on the floor, discovered that my shower gel had exploded in my gym bag (on top of the white yoga pants, which are ruined: the stain won't probably come out ever again) and my Lush facial cleaner had grown a thick layer of mould in the shower. And all that even before nine in the morning!

But then the day grew much better. My Elsa Hjeronymus facial care procedure was as great as I had expected (anyone fancy a review?) and I was even given a free Guinot eye cream sample from the salon. And once back at my computer I discovered this Quum.ee supersale with great offerings starting from 1.39 euros. Yay!

Some great finds:

• Clinique Take The Day Off makeup remover, 50 ml travel size, 4.80 euros.

It is a highly praised makeup remover, some even say, the best in the world. Although this is a travel size, the price is great: full-sized 125 ml product costs 21 euros in Strawberrynet. Get three from Quum and you'll get more product for a lot less and have some money left for other bargains. Plus, you can take  it on a plane.

• Jean Philippe Wild Honey Body Scrub, 170 g, 139 eur.

I have never heard about this scrub, but I like the price and packaging seems nice too :)

• SJP Covet Body Lotion, 200 ml, 4.80 eur.

• Christina Aquilera By Night body lotion 200 ml, 7.70 eur.

Well, these are the prices of a ordinary drugstore body moisturiser, but perfumed body lotions are rather perfumes than ordinary moisturisers and therefore usually cost much more. If you are a fan of these fragrances, then run.

• Tigi Love, Peace and the Planet Freak of Nature Volumizer and Thickener, 250 ml, 7.92 eur.

A great volumizer, that usually costs around 15 euros (at least in Estonia). You can find my review here.

There are also lots of L'Oreal lipsticks for 4.80 euros, Anatomicals and Manatomicals stuff starting from 4.44 euros and so on. I might fall for some bargains myself :P

Quum.ee is quite respectable Estonian web shop. They sell discounted beauty items like Strawberrynet.com  does, but have often better offerings. I have ordered several times from them and have not been disappointed with the service or goodies yet. Sometimes they even include free samples with the order (always a bonus in my eyes!). Quum delivers all over the world and in my opinion the shipping is reasonably priced. The only minus is that the delivery time is a bit long sometimes.

Note: I'm not affiliated with this shop, just took my time to share this information. All images are press pictures from internet. 

Did you find anything from this supersale?

Sincerely Yours,

Tolmu Rull

Edit: Now, more than a month later, these items are still not in my hands. So I must say that the delivery time is more than a bit long. I made an inquiry about my order and received a very vague answer about them being delayed with no exact arrival date. Hmm...

Edit 2: I have been extremely patient and waited more than four (4!) months by now. Still my goodies are nowhere in sight and the company doesn't know when they will be. I've asked for a refund and will let you know if or whether it arrives.

For my lovely Estonian ladies:

Tänane hommik polnud mul just parimate killast. Aga pärast ülimõnusat ja loodetavasti ka tõhusat Elsa Hjeronymuse näohooldust arvuti taha naastes avastasin, et Quum.ee veebipoes on supersale ja seal leidub väga häid pakkumisi, millest mõned olen ka ülalpool välja toonud. Soovitan uurida!

Siiralt teie,

Tolmu Rull

NB! Praegu on tellimise kuupäevast möödunud juba enam kui kuu ja tellitud tooteid ikka veel pole. Järelepärimiseks sain pealiskaudse vastuse, et saadetis hilineb, kuna telliti palju. Ütleme nii, et ma olen selle olukorraga väga rahulolematu ja Quum.ee poodi enam soovitada ei julge.

NB! NB! Nüüdseks olen oodanud juba neli kuud, aga mu tooteid ikka pole. Samuti pole teada, millal need saabuda võiks. Palusin oma raha tagastada, mida ettevõtte juht Sven Palm ka teha lubas, ehkki ta arvas, et võtku ma parem mingeid asendustooteid nende lehelt. Tänan, ei! Ehk pean neid jälle mitu kuud ootama. Vaatame siis, kas ja millal ma raha tagasi saan :S Kindlasti annan teilegi teada!

Freebies from L'Oreal Paris & L'Or swatches!

In last post I was telling about the freebies I got from L'Oreal makeup workshop. Now I finally picked them up and made some swatches! Here they are.

First, Color Riche Intense lipstick in 387 Ruby Explosion.

This is a very good lipstick: soft, pigmented, non-drying and stays on for hours. Not to mention that the shade is my favourite!

And on my hand. Notice that the tiny shiny particles are not really visible IRL.

On to the nail polish: Resist & Shine Titanium 739 Bronze Goddess. It's slightly thin, so this is four coats. Not really a bronze, is it?

And the making of this swatch. Now you can see why the back part of this nail plate is slightly smudgy :) And you can see my current manicure.

Yours Truly,
Tolmu Rull

For my lovely Estonian ladies:

Siin on värvinäidised (milline kohmakas sõna!) ehk swatch'id L'Oreal Paris koolitusel omandatud toodetest. Lakk on selline so-so, aga huulepulka fännan täiega! Just minu toon ja nii hea koostis ning püsivus! Täh-tähh, L'Oreal!


Siiralt teie,
Tolmu Rull

L'Oreali meigikoolitus Lana Valloga või Lana Vallo meigikoolitus L'Orealiga

I'm very sorry,  this is from Lana Vallo website.

This post is in Estonian only, because it concerns a make up workshop that is held in Estonian I attended last week. If you need more information, please ask!

For my lovely Estonian readers: 

Kas mäletate, paar kuud tagasi kutsuti FB-s inimesi L'Oreal Paris tasuta meigikoolitusele Lana Vallo stuudiosse? Tookord mul osalejate sekka mahtuda ei õnnestunud. Mu imestus oli suur kui eelmise nädala algul sain meili, et olen reedeks kutsutud koolitusele!

Loomulikult ei jätnud ma võimalust kasutamata ja olin määratud ajal Lana Vallo stuudios kohal. Lisaks minule oli tulnud veel kuus tüdrukut. Kahjuks pilte koolitusest pole, sest ei taibanud neid teha.

Lana Vallo meigistuudiosse polnud ma varem juhtunud. See on tegelikult meigistuudioks muudetud suur (stuudio)korter, s.t. avatud planeeringuga katusekorter Pärnu maanteel. Kööginurk ja mõnusad diivanid lisavad hubasust, ent ei tasu lasta end näilikust kodususest ära petta – kerge kardinaga eraldatuna on korteri “südameks” siiski pikk rida kenasti paarikaupa asetatud meigilaudu :)

Enne koolituse algust paluti kõigil osalejail meik maha võtta. Selleks olid laudadele valmis pandud L'Oreali puhastuspiimad ja toonikud. Minul oli meik juba kenasti kodus maha võetud ja nägu kreemitatud, seega jäi kõnealune etapp ära.

Koolituse alguses palus Lana ühe vabatahtliku modelliks ja jagas modelli peal ette näidates ning pabertahvlile kirjutatud märkuste abil põhiteadmisi meigipõhja ja silmameigi tegemisest ning kulmude-põskede-huulte meikimisest. Loomulikult kasutas ja tutvustas ta seejuures L'Oreal Paris tooteid. Pabertahvlile oli valmis joonistatud silmameigi skeem, mille põhjal valmis ka koolitusmeik. Etteruttavalt võib küll öelda, et sõltuvalt silmakujust ja värvivalikust tuli igal tüdrukul meik isesugune :D

Seejärel avanes igaühel võimalus vastomandatut praktikas proovida. Esimese sammuna aitasid Lana ja tema abiline valida sobiva jumestuskreemi L'Oreal Paris True Match jumestuskreemide seast, keegi vist proovis ka True Match mineraalmeiki ja Infallible jumestuskreemi.

Esmalt kandsime igaüks omal käel peale praimeri Studio Secrets Professional Resurfacing Primer ja tegime meigipõhja. Kas teadsite, et True Match Liquid jumestuskreemil on kolm erinevate tähistustega alaliini: W (warm ehk soe kollakale nahale), C (cold ehk külm roosakale nahale ja N (neutral ehk neutraalne neile, kes jäävad sooja ja külma vahepeale)? Mina ei teadnud. True Match jumestuskreem jättis mulle üllatavalt hea mulje: toon C2 sobis üsna täpselt mu Mac NC15 nahatooniga ja oli väga mõnus peale kanda. True Match kattis väiksemad iluvead ära, kuid seejuures mõjus nahal äärmiselt loomulikuna. Ainus väike etteheide oleks, et pärast 3-4 tundi nahal muutus mu nahk üsna läikivaks, kuid seda juhtub mul paljude jumestuskreemidega. Samas on kindlasti tegu väga hea jumestuskreemiga ja kui ma peaks kunagi vajama uut jumestuskreemi, siis ma kindlasti kaaluks selle ostmist.

Peitekreemina kasutasime True Match Touche Magique Concealer'it, nii silma all kui mujal. Eraldi peitekat vistrike jaoks L'Orealil polnud. Samuti tuli tolmpuudri asemel meigi kinnitamiseks kasutada True Match kompaktpuudrit, mille toonide numeratsioon vastab samuti True Match jumestuskreemide omale (nagu ka Touche Magique toonide numeratsioon). See häiris mind veidi, kuna olen juba aastaid kasutanud tolmpuudrit ja olen veendunud, et kompaktpuuder sobib pigem meigi värskendamiseks.

Nüüd oli käes põskede ja silmade kord. Silmade värvimiseks oli igaühe laual suur kosmeetikakott erinevate toodetega, mille seast valida, ja pintslikomplekt Real Techniques Starter Set by Samantha Chapman.

Need pintslid ei meeldinud mulle üldse! Ilmselt olen harjunud paremaid kasutama:D Kulmupintsel oli liiga suur, see, mida Samantha Chapman nimetab Accent Brush liiga väike ja ebamugava kujuga ja üleüldse olid need pintslid kuidagi liiga pehmed ja libedad. Põsepunapintsel oleks minu arvates kõlvanud rohkem puudri jaoks, põsepuna tarvis oleksin soovinud väiksemat ja täpsemat pintslit. Minu arvates Real Techniques pintslid pigem loopisid värvi laiali kui seda laule kandsid. Ainsana saab mult armu Base Shadow brush, mida kasutasin silmakoopa rõhutamiseks ja värvide hajutamiseks. Samas saan aru, et need ongi ainult hajutuskomplekitidena mõeldud ega peagi erilist professionaalsust pakkuma.

Minu arvates on odavamatest pintslitest näiteks elf Studio sarja pintslid oluliselt täpsemad ja annavad parema kontrolli oma tegevuse üle. Mac'i jt. heade firmade pintslitest muidugi rääkimata. Aga eks see maitse ja harjumuse asi ole. Igatahes minust jääb see komplekt küll nüüd pärast proovimist poodi. Kes veel on kõnealusele koolitusele minemas ja harjunud kvaliteetseid pintsleid kasutama, soovitan oma pintslikomplekti kaasa võtta!

Palusin Lanal valida mulle silmameigitoonid ja teha ühe silma minu peal oma käega. Lana valis minu rohelistele silmadele ja heledatele juustele kombinatsiooni tumesinisest, hallikast sinisest ja kahest beežikast toonist (Smoky Blue Duo Eyeshadow 22 ja Star Secrets Quad Pro Eyeshadows 333 Freida Pinto). Ise ma poleks iial endale meigiks tumesiniseid toone valinud, aga see tegigi asja põnevaks minu jaoks :D Lõppude lõpuks läksingi koolitusele ju selleks, et midagi uut ja huvitavat (enda kohta) teada saada.

Tulemus sai ülimalt kena, ehkki igapäevaselt nii tugevat meiki ma ei kanna. Kuigi koolituse eesmärk oli õpetada pigem (kergemat) päevameiki, siis minu meik päevameik küll enam ei olnud, vähemalt mitte minu jaoks. Tulemus oli pigem rohkem modern smoky eye liinis :P

Pärast silmade valmissaamist korrigeerisin veelkord põsepuna, panin kergelt värvi kulmudele ja roosat läiget huuletele: Glam Shine 6H toonis 106 Forever Young. Leidsin endale ka uue mõnusa huulepliiatsi Contour Parfait toonis 656 Honey.

Pooleteise tunniga oli kõik valmis. Tehnika polnud iseenesest raske, aga mõni kogenematum pliks jäi vist küll veidi jänni. Mina sain aja piires võimaluse veel L'Oreal Paris erinevaid tooteid näppida ja Lanale hulgaliselt küsimusi esitada, ent lahkusin siiski ligi tunni enne kolmetunnise koolituse lõppu. Ma arvan, et ma uudishimuliku ilublogijana esitasin rohkem küsimusi kui kõik ülejäänud tüdrukud üldse kokku. Ja Lana oli väga lahke vastama!

Lahkudes sai igaüks kaasa kingikotikese. Minu kotikeses oli imekena tomatipunane huulepulk Ruby Explosion 387 kollektsioonist L'Or ja kuldne küünelakk 739 Bronze Goddess samast kollektsioonist. Mis teistel oli, ma ei tea, ehk samad asjad. Huulekas on tõesti hea: niisutav, kauapüsiv ja ideaalne toon minusuguse edeva blondiini jaoks!

Need olid minu kingikotis :)

See oli üks vahva koolitus, vaatamata asjaolule, et igapäevases meigis kasutan tegelikult keerulisemaid tehnikaid ja rohkem tooteid. Ka läks Lana õpetus veidi vastuollu tehnikatega, millega mina olen harjunud. Aga oli värskendav näha teist vaatenurka ja õppida tundma l'Oreal Paris tootevalikut. Uskuge või mitte – täna töistele kohtumistele minnes on mu silmadel üsna intensiinve tumesinine meik!

Suur tänu L'Orealile ja Lana Vallole toreda koolituse eest. Kui võimalik, osaleks teinekordki!

Siiralt Teie,

Tolmu Rull

P.S. Kes ostis Cherry.ee voucheri Lana Vallo koolitusele, siis Lana ütles, et see tuleb põhimõtteliselt samasugune. Ainult et Jane Iredale ja TheBalm toodetega. Ja võtke fotokas kindlasti kaasa!