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

Food for your skin. Lush fresh face masks review

I find it very hard to walk by a Lush shop without going in and getting at least a peek of the sweet-smelling products. Their fresh face masks were on my radar for a long time already, but it took a while to get round trying them.

Finally, in May I managed to take part in one of Lush's fresh face mask making workshops in their Tallinn shop. We were given the ready measured ingredients and in an hour we had learned how to make a fresh face mask and Angels On Bare Skin facial cleanser (separate post to come!). Then the freshly made products were divided into little black Lush containers and we could take these home for free! Besides that, the kind Lush people gave us some generous samples of other fresh masks, scrubs, creams, etc. So my acquaintance with the Lush fresh face masks began.

What are the fresh face masks? According to Lush, these face masks are made weekly in Lush kitchens, using fresh fruit, veggies, deep cleansing clays, nutrient rich herbs and effective essential oils. They are said to be “food” for the skin. The masks are kept completely preservative-free, that's why you need to store them in the fridge. The concept reminds me of those natural homemade beauty treatments our grandmothers used to pamper themselves with – cucumber slices for the eyes, oatmeal mix for the face, egg yolk for the hair and so on. Only the fresh masks use more expensive and not so common ingredients than our grannies used to :)

They are used as usual face masks: applied on clean skin avoiding the eyes, left on for approximately ten minutes and washed off with water.

The mask we got to make at the workshop was Catastrophe Cosmetic, their most popular fresh face mask. It is said to be calming, freshening, softening and deep cleansing. It contains calamine powder (zinc oxide in another words), talc, fresh blueberries, glycerine and several essential oils. (If you want to find out the exact ingredients and what they are good for, check the links.) Making it was very simple: the blueberries were crushed and then all the ingredients were mixed together well, forming a thick paste.

Catastrophe Cosmetics is not the average harsh purifying mask. The mask feels very soft and smooth on the skin, probably because of the calamine and talc. When it dries on your skin, it begans to crumble off somewhat. The result is exactly like promised – skin feels refreshed, toned and soft afterwards. I'm not sure it helps to heal the pimples as zinc oxide should, but I guess it does. The mask has a faint fresh smell, nothing overpowering.

Overall it is a good product, if you want something versatile and not too drying. I was a bit bothered about big blueberry chunks in it that kept falling off the face, I think the berries should be pureed better or something, but that is this mask's only fault.

Cupcake is a real treat for choco lovers. The deep brown chocolatey-smelling mask contains rhassoul mud, linseed infusion, real cocoa powder and cocoa butter, fresh mint and several essential oils. It deep cleanses the skin, absorbs impurirties and gently scrubs the skin. 

Cupcake was created especially for teenagers, but suits all others too. This is so far one of my favourites for the great smell and purifying but not moisture-stripping action. Funny, but it's deep brown colour does not look off-putting or indecent to me. Maybe because it reminds me of cookie batter, not sewage :)

Ayesha is my other favourite, nothing short of HG status. This is meant for perking up somewhat more mature skins, no age limit though. It is especially good if you want to look your best for a party or some kind of other important event. It makes your skin look brighter and smoother, tightens, refreshes and gives your skin this extra glow and smooth appearance. It really works! I even feel if I use Ayesha before doing my face it makes makeup application easier and smoother.

Ayesha contains fuller's earth (a kind of clay), honey, elderflower, fresh asparagus (one of my favourite veggies!), fresh kiwies and a lot of other things. It looks and smells like some kind of dirt, but it really does miracles to your skin. Recommended!

I have tried Love Lettuce and Cosmetic Warrior masks from Lush too. I can't show you the pictures, as I only had a sample of each and will buy neither in full size. Love Lettuce didn't really have any effects on me. It felt a little bit too grainy, but not well exfoliating at the same time. Weird.

Cosmetic Warrior was outright offputting, I would say the worst of the bunch! It hated it's weird garlick-y smell and hu-uuuge chunks of garlic in the mask that kept falling off my cheeks. I would even say it irritated my skin a bit and would not recommend this to anyone (or maybe only in the case if you need to keep the vampires away :)).

The masks cost eur 7.50 for 75 g. Mask pots last about ten applications for me, even if applied generously. They all are suitable for vegans and not tested on animals (of course!) There are four other fresh masks in Lush range, I'm going to try them as soon as the others run out.

If you want to try these masks or the cleanser without committing to buy, ask the Lush people for a sample. They give out generous samples willingly!

Yours Truly,

Tolmu Rull

For my lovely Estonian beauties:

Olen tahtnud juba ammu Lushi värskeid, säilitusaineteta näomaske proovida. Kevadel osalesin Tallinna Lushi poes maskitegemise töötoas ja avaneski võimalus värskete maskide maailmaga tutvuda (vihje: kui Lush uuesti selliseid töötubasid korraldama peaks, minge! On põnev ja saab palju infot ning tasuta näidiseid).

Värsketest maskidest soovitan eelkõige puhastavat-koorivat Cupcake'i maski, mis on šokolõhnaline ja mõeldud teismeliste ning noorte nahale. Vanusepiiri õnneks pole :) Teine suur lemmik on Ayesha, mis on pinguldava-toniseeriva toimega ja mõeldud jume värskendamiseks enne pidu või ka lihtsalt niisama. Lushi kõige popim mask, värskendav ja puhastav Catastrophe Cosmetics pole ka paha.

Cosmetic Warrior'ist ja Love Lettuce'st hoiaksin pigem eemale. Ei täheldanud mingit mõju ja Warriori lõhn ja suured pudenevad küüslaugutükid näol on lihtsalt jälgid. Sädelevaid vampiiripoisse pole lootustki võluda kui sellist maski kasutad :P

Lushi poest läbi astudes ärge häbenege maskinäidiseid küsida. Oht uusi lemmikuid leida on suur! Vahepeal olid värsked maskid Eestist otsas, aga nüüd jälle olemas.

Kahjuks sulges Lush alates 1. novembrist oma Tartu poe, aga selle-eest saab värskeid näomaske talvekuudel Lush.ee-st ka neti teel tellida. Tavaliselt neid netist tellida ei saa, sest hoiutingimused pole tagatud ning maskid võivad rikneda – värskeid maske tuleb nimelt säilitada külmikus. 

Siiralt Teie,

Tolmu Rull