Empties #5

Herbal Essence Bee Strong Conditioner

This is surprisingly good for a drugstore conditioner and it's so affordable at only 2.45€ per bottle. I love the effect of it, the scent is nice and it moisturises my dry, coarse hair very well. My only real gripe is the packaging because when it's about to run out, you need Hercules' strength to get the rest of the product out (hence why mine in cut in the middle). I know there is a pot version available, which I'd prefer, but it's not sold in my country.

Repurchase: Yes.

John Frieda Brilliant Brunette Moisturising Conditioner

An absolutely lovely conditioner that I have been repurchasing for years and have rarely been without a tube of this in my bathroom. In fact, I currently have a 500 ml bottle of this with a pump.

Repurchase: Yes.

Dove Nourishing Oil Care Express Treatment Conditioner

(a.k.a. Dove Oil Care Nährplege 1 Minute Kur-Spülung)

I used up another one of these - I must have gone through at least a dozen tubes so far. This is one of my favourite drugstore treatments for dry hair. It's very thick, which I love, works great on my dry hair and it smells gorgeous. I recently bought the blue Intensive Repair version to try and it's nice as well, but I still prefer this one.

Repurchase: Yes.

Tigi Bed Head Masterpiece Massive Shine Hairspray

This was my only hairspray for years. I used to love it, but since I discovered Lee Stafford's Hold Tight, I find it a bit sticky from the start and doesn't hold as well as I would like. It can also feel a bit crispy, especially when you really go to town with it, while at Lee Stafford that doesn't happen to me. That being said, this is still a great hairspray and my second favourite. It smells like pineapples (like the (old) Dumb Blonde line), so obviously I like it. 

Repurchase: Probably not, only if Lee Stafford's Hold Tight gets discontinued.

L'Oreal Elvital Volume-Collagen Push-Up Spray

I actually bought this only for the packaging. I needed a better, preferably a spray bottle for Alpecin Medicinal Forte that needs to be applied on the scalp. The nozzle looks right, however, the I find it so hard to squeeze.
So on to the actual product. It's a volume spray that is supposed to be applied close to the the roots. It's a liquid that pretty much feels like water and can be used on damp or dry hair. Due to it's lightness, it doesn't weigh down the hair at all. I notice no additional volume, which is not surprising considering that it has no hold at all. It has a high alcohol content, which is never a good thing in my book, and it also contains sollutable collagen - in all honestly, I have no idea how collagen would be creating volume. It has a chemical scent that is nothing special nor does it last. There are far better volumising products.

Repurchase: No.

The Body Shop Coconut Oil Hair Shine

I wanted to like this, but I just can't. Though the ingredients are nice and there are no silicones, it feels too waxy. As a dry ends treatment on dry hair, it feels too heavy, waxy and it doesn't even give much of a shine. As a pre-wash treatment, it doesn't do much of anything either, particularly compared to proper coconut oil. This has a very hard consistency, especially if it's left in bellow 22°C degrees, so it's hard to scoop it out. You need to warm it up a lot between the hands and then it turns into a waxy oil. I place it on a radiator before use and it feels much more creamy, almost buttery and therefore easier to work with. It smells strongly like hazelnuts to me. The tin is nice and great for travel, I just wish there were a better product inside.

Repurchase: No.

Orofluido Shine Spray

It does what it's supposed to and nothing more. This is a typical shine spray with a high alcohol content as so many of them, though it didn't dry out my hair. As it's expected, it gives lot of shine, but doesn't weight down the hair. Orofluido packed it with their delightful fragrance, so I loved using it as a hair fragrance. It's nice, but I prefer Orofluido Sahara because it also provides care on top of shine (but it is much heavier than this). 

Repurchase: No, but it's nice for those whose hair gets weighted down by products and just want shine.

Rosal Milk and Honey Lip Balm

This is a very waxy feeling lip balm, but still moisturising, though you can feel how it mostly just coats the lips. This waxiness makes it less appropriate for wearing it under a lipstick. The scent is more of a honey and milk meet plastic and beeswax, but not in a bad way. 

Repurchase: No.

Labello Soft Rose Lip Balm

A very average lip balm, but one that a lot of people have/had and some really like it. It really doesn't stand out in any respect, neither the scent, colour or effect.

Repurchase: No.

Balea Sweet Wonderland Lip Balm

I used this only once and I'm tossing it. The scent is a weird, chocolate-chemical one, nothing like the yummy smelling shower gel from this LE. The texture and the moisturising power are below average.

Repurchase: No.

Yves Rocher Noix de Coco Malaysian Coconut Lip Balm

Apart from the scent, which is one of the best coconut scents I tried, it's just not worth it. It's not really moisturising and the packaging is very impractical. The opening is way to small, so the only way to get the product out is with a lip brush and I just can't be bothered. 

Repurchase: No.

Essence Matte Top Coat

I actually ended up using this a lot also as a base. It may sound odd to use it in such a way, but I like it because it dries in less than 10 seconds. The bottle didn't last me that long and what was left got completely unusable.

Repurchase: Not sure if they sell it any more, but I liked it.

Essence Profi-Nail File 4 in 1

I bought several of these so far. There are four different textures: one to trim, one to clean, one to smooth and one to polish the nails. I like it, it does what it's supposed to, does that well, and it's affordable. I still have one that I use all the time.

Repurchase: Not sure if they sell it any more, but I'm sure Essence has a similar one and I will purchase that one.

Have a great day!

New In #10

 Balm Balm Frankincense Deep Cleansing Balm 

My first solid cleansing balm and I absolutely love it. The scent is so weird, but the texture is perfect and after a month of use my skin looks great. Just to warn you, they only offer a 30 ml pot and that is why I bought it, to dip my toes into the solid balms pool first. This small pot costs 10€, but after a month I still have about a half, maybe a bit less left. I'll do a proper review.

Rimmel Apocalips Lip Lacquer Eclipse

I was on a search for a dark berry matte lip cream and though this isn't matte, it's the perfect colour. This is such a great autumn/winter shade that will appeal to fans of deep colours such as Kate's matte lipstick in 107. Review with swatches will be posted soon.
It cost 7.49€ on Feel Unique. You can find a review and swatches of another shade called Stellar here.

Rimmel Lasting Finish 1000 Kisses Lipliner Pencil Black Tulip

I needed a lip liner to match Rimmel's 107 and this looked closest on swatches I found online. It's not the prettiest colour as it is too brown for my liking, but it works nonetheless. Again, swatches will be posted.
 It cost 3.74€ on Feel Unique.

 Lancôme Rouge In Love Lipstick 340B Rose Boudoir

I got this as a gift in December from my cousin (thank you) after it was on my wishlist for over a year. It's a stunning, brightened pinky-coral that is in the same colour family as Bourjois' Fraise Remix and Maybelline's Shocking Coral. I also love wearing it as a stain (I'm wearing it like that here). The quality is, as expected, excellent. There will be a full review of this.

L'Oréal Super Liner Perfect Slim Intense Black

I just got it and I already love it. Talk about precision - this eyeliner has such a thin and fine felt tip that allows me to draw the thinnest line if I want to. The formula is super black and it lasts all day on the lids without smudging or fading. It's very similar to the L'Oreal's Super Liner Carbon Gloss eyeliner, but with a matte finish and a more precise applicator. My one concern is how long will it take to dry out. I'll do a proper review and report about that after a couple of months of use.
It was 7.86€ on Feel Unique. This isn't sold in Slovenia (Obviously. I wonder what pathetic excuse they have this time).

Catrice Defining Blush 020 Rose Royce

Since I was seriously impressed by the Think Pink shade, I got another more neutral one. It's less pigmented, but still such a lovely blush. I'll post swatches, but you can find a review for Think Pink here.
These cost 3.79€ in Müller.

Catrice Ultimate Colour 260 It's a Matt World

One of the lipsticks that is about to be discontinued. I already reviewed it here.

Essence Pure Skin Purifying Nose Strips

Years ago I tried the Nivea's version and apart from the feeling of ripping your face off, I found them useless. I heard some good things about these strips from Taya, so I decided to give them a go. The principle is the same - you stick them on clean, wet skin and leave them to work for 10-15 minutes before removing them. They smell weird, like that red stick glue everyone had in school (Pritt, I hated it). The instructions say to re-wet the strips before peeling them off, but instead of pulling the blackheads out, it separates and leaves sticky blue goo on the skin that needs to be washed off. In terms of results, I didn't notice any effect at all.
They cost 1.89€ for three nose strips in a pack.

Tigi Catwalk Oatmeal & Honey Intense Nourishing Mask 

I finally got this after one pot got lost in the mail the first time I ordered it. I haven't tried it yet, but the pot is only 3/4 full. I used to use the old Oatmeal & Honey shampoo and conditioner (I was buying the 750 ml sizes) and they were some of my favourite hair products. They were repackaged as well as reformulated (I heard for the worse. For shame!) and they added the mask, but as far as I can tell so far at least the scent is still the same. It smells like Christmas - gingerbread, cinnamon, honey and clove. I'll do a review when I test it out properly.
I paid 13.08€ for 200g on Feel Unique.

John Frieda Brilliant Brunette Hydrating Conditioner

My standard repurchase, but this time I went for a salon size 500ml that comes with a pump. My review is here.
It was 11.24€ on Feel Unique, which is a bargain.

Dove Intensiv Reparatur 1 Minute Kür-Spülung a.k.a. Intensive Repair

I've used up most of my conditioners this month, among them Dove's Oil Care mask that I've repurchased numerous times. This time I decided to try the blue version for a change. It's a bit lighter than the gold one and it also doesn't have the two colour "toothpaste" look, yet it's still a thick and creamy treatment. It has similar results, maybe it's a touch less moisturising, but it really is a minute difference. It has the typical Dove-ish scent, though I find the gold version smells better. It's a great drugstore treatment, though I'll stick with the Oil Care one, but if they didn't have it in stock, I wouldn't dismiss the blue one.
It cost the same as the other one, 3.99€, in Müller.

Joico K-Pack Intense Hydrator

Another repurchase. This is my favourite conditioner ever (and as that featured on my All-Time Favourites page). The texture is creamy and it has a bit of an odd scent that is difficult to describe in any other way than chemical. It truly hydrates the hair and I can feel it when I'm rinsing it off that it's not just that silicone coat. The current colder conditions along with the central heating being on all the time are causing my hair being even drier than usual and this does the job of keeping it moisturised, especially the ends don't dry out as fast.
It's not the cheapest hair product at 20€ for 250 ml, but if you have really dry hair, give it a go.

Herbalife Hand and Body Gel 

I have this in a generous 50 ml sample size that I got for Christmas. It's a very creamy shower gel/hand wash that foams nicely despite being SLS free and smells like fresh apples. The texture reminds me of Dove showel gels, but more gel like. It's quite nice actually, just don't ask where you can get this because I haven't got the foggiest.

La Petit Marseiliais Peche Blanche & Nectarine

As a fan of anything peach scented, I couldn't resist grabbing this in E. Leclerc despite the very retro packaging. It's supposed to be for dry skin, but I think the formula is too thin and not particularly moisturising. It smells like fresh nectarines from the bottle and under the shower it develops a slight artificial sweet note along side the nectarine. If you like peaches and nectarines, this is nice.
It was a bit over 2€.

Rexona Clear Pure Crystal Dry Deo Stick

I've never repurchased a deodorant in my life and I'm not sure if I had this before, but it smells so familiar. I immediately liked it. It smells great (fruity), but not overpowering and has a nice texture. I works for me and keeps BO at bay, but I don't sweet much. One thing that does bother me is that it leaves white marks.
It was about 2€.

Nyx Butter Gloss

I got these as a gift for my cousin. I didn't try or swatch them, but I did snap a few photos before giving them to her (she doesn't mind). The three colours are Peaches and Cream, Apple Strudel and Maple Blondie. I saw them swatched on my cousin's hand and they all look pretty much the same to me, especially if taken into consideration that they are glosses. I was updated that they are really good and smell amazing.

I got them on Cherry Culture.

Have a great day!

Top 5 Drugstore Conditioners

I'm more of a salon brands buff myself, but that doesn't mean I don't use drugstore conditioners. I've tried so many and not a lot actually impress me, but these are the five I think are some of the best drugstores have to offer. These are for those with dry(ish) hair or ends, who don't want to track down salon treatments, but just grab one in a shop and go, of course not spending much. However, if your hair is really dry like mine, I would highly recommend using a leave-in conditioner since these are not as moisturising as salon brands, especially when it comes to how long the hair stays hydrated. From my personal experience, I highly recommend Healthy Sexy Hair Tri Wheat Leave-in conditioner. It has fantastic long term results and it makes a massive difference by itself (apparently Lauren Conrad loves this. I didn't even know that before as I'm not a fan of any celebrities, really). 

John Frieda Brilliant Brunette Moisturising Conditioner 

This is a very old favourite of mine and actually out of these five, it's the one I've been buying the longest. I've repurchased it numerous times and there have been rare occasions that I didn't have a tube of this in my bathroom. It feels quite light and is runnier than the others, yet it is moisturising enough for my dry hair. It leaves the hair feeling very silky when I rinse it off, but there are two other things that it excels at: shine and scent. It gives by far the best shine out of these five, but I should mention this is JF's line created for brown hair. The scent is divine, like a mix of coconut and caramel, but not sweet rather a bit more sophisticated. This is the only conditioner/mask after which my hair smells nice for days as normally my hair never retains the scent of the conditioner or shampoo I use for more than a few hours.

Price: 8.49 € for 250 ml in Müller and DM (also available on Feel Unique for 6.36 €/5.09 £). Picture of the ingredients here.
Best features: shine and lasting scent.

Aussie 3 Minute Miracle Reconstructor Deep Conditioner 

This has fantastic results for a drugstore treatment. It leaves my hair feeling really soft and nourished - a similar result as if using a high-end mask. The effect of the conditioner lasts a few days and my ends look surprisingly well for quite a while, which doesn't normally happen when I use drugstore stuff. It has quite a unique texture, something like a medium thickness gel-cream hybrid and feels slippiest out of the five. It smells quite strongly of Hubba-Bubba fruit fantasy bubble gum tape. The packaging is awesome, no screw off or flip lids, just squeeze and the product comes out. Of course, I leave it on longer than 3 minutes, like any other conditioner/mask before rinsing it off, but that's just me.

Price: 70 kn in Croatia's DM (about 9 €) for 250 ml. Widely available in the USA and UK for much cheaper. It's also available in some DM's in Germany and Slovakia, but I don't know about other countries.
Best features: longest lasting results and best effect. 

Dove Oil Care Nährplege 1 Minute Kur-Spülung a.k.a. Nourishing Oil Care Express Treatment Conditioner

This is the thickest drugstore treatment I've tried. It's almost like toothpaste and it even looks a bit like it because of the two colour stripes, white and yellow, when you squeeze it out. As with John Frieda, I bought countless of these and there is always a tube of this in my bathroom. It's a great drugstore find for dry hair for an affordable price. The scent is again very pleasant, along the lines of a typical Dove scent, but a bit better.

Price 3.99 € for 187 ml. I buy them in Müller.

Best features: a thick and rich hair treatment for an affordable price.

Herbal Essences Bee Strong Conditioner

A recent find for me and the most affordable out of the five. For the price it is actually quite good. It's thicker than the Hello Hydration mask (another HE product that is really nice) and moisturises well even my dried up hair. It smells fruity-floral with a hint of honey, which is nice albeit a bit generic. My only gripe is the packaging. I've used about 2/3 already and it's getting really hard to squeeze out the product. I'd prefer it in a pot, which in fact does exist, it's just not sold here. 

Price: 2.45 € for 250 ml in Müller.

Best features: best value for money. 

L'Oreal Hair Expertise Ever Riche Mask Pot 

It's not the cheapest in the bunch, especially for the amount you get, however, it's a great drugstore treatment for dry hair. It's medium consistency, which doesn't make it too heavy, though in the conjunction with the shampoo from the same line, it could weight down your hair if it's not that dry. The scent is a sweet caramel one (it reminds me a lot of a old DM's Reell'e products for brown hair) and it's quite strong. I love it comes in a pot because I can get every bit of it out. Ingredients here.

Price: 7.99 € for 200 ml in Müller (also available on Feel Unique for 8.74 €/6.99 £).
Best features: nice results and best packaging.

New In April

Just a quick post, focused more on pictures because I intend to do full reviews for most of the products.

Maybelline Color Tattoo in Permanent Taupe  

Maybelline finally started selling these in Slovenia. I got only one but I have On and on bronze on my wishlist (it's much more stunning in person than on swatches). I'll post a full review on Permanent Taupe soon. 

Catrice Ultimate Color Matt About Pink 

A stunning peachy pink lipstick. I already have the pictures and I'll post a review probably sometime next week.

Majolica Majorca Lash Expander Plus

My first Japanese mascara. I got it because I heard that it holds curl well. I got it two days ago and I can say the claims are true, but I need some time to get used to the brush. I'm not sure when I'll post a review, I want to test it thoroughly first.

Essence Frame 4 Fame lash glue 

The cheapest lash glue I could find. I don't wear false lashes often, but I have Misslyn's individual lashes and I just ordered Ardell's Demi Wispies from lookfantastic, both don't have the lash adhesive included. I could splurge for Duo, but for now this is ok. It's too liquidy and I can't get much of product on the false lashes, but it holds very well. I've only tried it with individual lashes so far and none fell off before I took my make up off. Edit: I tried it with Ardell's Demi Wispies and it held well for about 8 hours, but then the lashes started to pop up on both corners, however it held in the middle until I took my make up off. So in short, it ok for individual lashes, but I would get something else for strip eyelashes.

Balea Young Zucker Schnute Deo Roll-on

 I needed a new deodorant and this one was the cheapest, so I just put it in my basket. I really don't like it. Considering it has sugar in the name, the sugary part of the scent is very faint. It smells like a generic deodorant scent with a hint of lemon sweets. It works though.

Balea Hawai Pineapple shower gel

Smells like pina colada and fresh pineapple. Review here.

Balea Mango Brazil Shower gel 

Smells like the white Haribo gummy bear. Review here.

Batiste Tropical dry shampoo 

I got the absolutely huge can (400 ml) from Asos. Review soon.

This is an old picture of my purchase from Cheeryculture, but I didn't want it to go to waste. Reviews for Nyx blushes and Milani eyeliner will be published first so keep your eyes peeled.

• Milani Liquif'eye eyeliner in Gold 
• Nyx Black Label lipstick India - I got it for my cousin, but I did take a few pictures and a quick swatch. Pictures will be in an upcoming post.
• Nyx Rouge Cream blush Natural 
• Nyx blush Taupe
• Cherry Culture lip balm chocolate - smells like coffee and I hate the smell of coffee. I got it for free as a gift with purchase.

Garnier Ultra Doux Heritage Provence Apricot and Almond shampoo 

I got it for my family and of course, I tested it myself. It's great for my dry hair as it doesn't dry it out at all. It smells like ice tea (Ledeni čaj brusnica od Sole) and bubble gum. One of the best drugstore shampoos for dry hair. It's paraben and silicone free, you can see the ingredients here.

Fructis Fruity Passion shampoo

Another shampoo I got for my family. The scent is absolutely brilliant, a proper sweet passion fruit scent, I adore it. It did dry my hair out, but I will be using it as a shower gel occasionally, because I love the scent. Ingredients here.

Garnier Ultimate Beauty oil 

Review here.

John Frieda Brilliant brunette moisturising conditioner 

A drugstore conditioner that I repurchased numerous times. This is the only conditioner/mask after which my hair smell nice for days, because normally my hair never retains the scent of the conditioner or shampoo I use. It smells amazing, like a mix of coconut and caramel. It's one of the best drugstore conditioners for dry hair. Picture of the ingredients here.

Some more pictures because too much work goes into them to waste them. Click on them to see a larger view: