Maybelline Volum'Express The Falsies Washable Mascara

Maybelline Volum'Express The Falsies Washable Mascara Blackest Black　 $8.19

I always wanted to try out this mascara not only because it's a highly raved product but also Tanya Burr says she loves it. I personally hadn't had a good experience with mascaras from Maybelline but I thought I should give it a go after hearing her saying that she absolutely loved this mascara and she repurchased it many times. I got it from Vitacost which I put th link above, just because $ is cheaper than £ but you can find it HERE  on feelunique if you wish.

 

 I got the washable one because I don't like waterproof mascara which makes my eyelashes chunky, and it's much easier to remove. Nobody wants to spend more than 2 minutes removing makeup after a long day right?

Anyway, it's got this bristle brush which I like. I don't have any particular preference when it comes to a mascara brush, I'm OK with both bristle brush and plastic brush. This particular brush has pretty long bristles which hold a generous amount of the formula.

It makes my lashes thicker and definitely longer. The formula is a bit too wet in my opinion so I usually wipe the excess on tissue. 

I love how this mascara makes my lashes look fuller and thicker without clumping. It doesn't smudge at all and stays until I wash it off.

I think I like this mascara more than Loreal Volume Million Lashes and I've been using it every day since I got it. I've heard good things about their Rocket Mascara as well, have you tried it? If you have, what did you think about it? :)

 

April Empties

In April I've used up quite a few products. Or maybe since I started writing monthly empties posts I've been encouraged to finish up products rather than keep them all in my tiny apartment. It feels satisfying somehow to finish up beauty products and judge whether it was a good product or not. 

Redken Scalp Relief Dandruff Control Shampoo  (REVIEW)
This was my 2nd bottle and I'm so sad it's finished. I don't have dandruff but I have a really sensitive scalp which gets irritated quite easily by using shampoo which my scalp doesn't like. At worst it gets itchy that keeps me awake all night so I am very picky when it comes to choosing the right shampoo. And this shampoo from Redken is the best so far. It lathers well, it makes my hair and scalp very clean but doesn't make them dry. It contains glycerine which moisturises the scalp. It has a very subtle herbal scent which is pretty nice and I really enjoyed using it. I would love to repurchase again but as YEN is much weaker now I'm trying not to shop much on feelunique and lookfantastic lately...so when YEN gets stronger I'll definitely buy a new bottle.

The Body Shop Rainforest Shine Shampoo and Conditioner
Apparently this shampoo is a best-seller on The Body Shop UK website, but I absolutely hated this series. Before they changed the whole haircare series, they had shampoo and conditioner with honey and I loved the scent of them. So one day I went to the shop and asked for it then they said it was discontinued and instead they had new haircare series, and they recommended this one because it smells similar to the honey one I loved. But in my opinion it doesn't smell the same and the scent doesn't even stay on your hair. Also it's pretty drying and makes my hair frizzy and basically it doesn't do anything to my hair. I just don't like it and I'm not going to repurchase, ever.

LebeL Trie 5  Hairspray
I think I bought this about a year ago after my hairdresser used it on my hair at the hair salon. It smells like green apples which is brilliant but it doesn't do much on my hair. I don't think I'm going to repurchase it but I might have a look at a bit stronger hairspray from the same brand because it smells so good.

Terracuore Jasmine and Honey Body Scrub
Terracuore is a Japanese organic beauty brand which has fields in Italy to grow the herbs which are included in their products. Terracuore is my favourite Japanese beauty brand and their products are very good. Although they are pricey and I can't buy them often. This product was given to me by them when I had a business meeting with them but actually it's 5250yen which is about 35 pound / $52. It's ridiculously pricey but it's VERY good. It contains Jasmine essential oil which are derived from more than 13800 jasmine flowers. I was expecting a strong jasmine scent but it's much softer and sweeter, and surprisingly NOT overpowering. This creamy body scrub contains crushed apricot seeds which exfoliate your skin gently, and believe me it does make my skin so so so soft. And it leaves the pleasant scent on my skin. What more do you want? Another great product from Terracuore I've tried.

Jurlique Rose Moisture Plus Moisturising Cleanser  
This was sent from my lovely fellow blogger Mel from The Beauty Dispensary a few months ago. Since the day I received it I had been using this cleanser every single morning. It's such a gentle cleanser with pleasant rose scent. I think I should have used it in the summer time because foaming cleanser tends to strip natural oils on your face and obviously in summer your skin produces more oils than in winter. I really enjoyed using this cleanser, and also I loved the chic packaging so much. Thanks Mel!

Pangea Organics Facial Mask  (REVIEW) 
The best face mask I have ever used. I literally cannot live without it. Whenever I feel my skin is dry or dull, I use this face mask at night. Immediately I feel the difference on my skin and the next morning my skin feels glowing again. It smells a little bit weird but now I'm used it and I'm more into the result it makes on my skin. I cannot explain how and why it works so well, but trust me, it really does work. I introduced this face mask to my readers on my Japanese blog, and some of them actually tried and they all loved it. If you haven't tried it yet, you definitely should. It's amazing and of course I repurchased it again.

Jason Apricot Scrubble (REVIEW)
I loved this scrub! It's such a gentle face scrub you can use every day. I only used it 2-3 times a week but it was enough to make a huge difference on my skin. It makes my skin so silky and soft with such a fresh and sweet apricot scent. You would be very surprised to feel your skin after you've used this product, it's such an amazing face scrub. I love it but I'm not going to repurchase now because I have some other ones to use up. I strongly recommend this product if you're looking for a gentle face scrub.

Bourjois healthy mix serum (REVIEW) I decided to bin it although there's a bit left in the bottle because it's getting old. I used up like 80-90% of it and I liked it very much. Mine is shade 52 Vanilla and it's slightly darker but matches my skin tone OK. It doesn't feel heavy on my skin and I really liked it. I've got the new version of Healthy Mix Foundation and I'm totally in love with it. The review will be coming soon!

BIODERMA Sensibio H2O  (REVIEW)
I don't need to explain what it is because you all know what it is. I loved it, although I didn't like the weird smell at the beginning. It takes everything off without being harsh on my skin. It didn't irritate my eye areas which is great, and I'm dying to repurchase but for now I'm not going to just because it's expensive here. I will buy tons when I go to Paris. Someday...

Weleda Wild Rose Day Cream (REVIEW)
This product was sent by my another lovely fellow blogger Zanka from Zanka Talks Cosmetics. As the name is not in English, I don't know what exactly it says but I assume it's a day time moisturiser. I was using it in the morning before putting makeup on anyway, and it worked really well. It smells amazing, of natural wild rose which was pretty soothing in a busy morning. Thanks Zanka so much!

PAUCE Cleansing Butter
I LOVED this cleanser so much! It's got this buttery texture and it melts on your skin turning into an oil consistency. It removes all my makeup including eyeliners and mascara. I didn't even need my BIODERMA to remove my eye makeup because it took off literally everything. And it left an oily feeling on my skin even after rinsing it for more than a minute, and this oily feeling turned into a whole new moisturising feeling after I dried my face. It's such a good cleanser to take makeup off and I'd love to repurchase if it wasn't this pricey. What a shame.

Skin Repair Moisturiser™ Normal/combination
Another product I loved so much. Although I have dry / sensitive skin, this one worked really well during winter. I couldn't stand the smell at the beginning but I think it faded after a few weeks since I opened the jar because at some point I wasn't bothered by the smell anymore. Now I'm using a new jar and it stinks and I realised that it wasn't me getting used to the smell, it was the smell faded by time. Other than that it's such a nice cream which really is effective. I'll keep repurchasing their products until I find a better brand which I doubt :)

Phew, it has become such a looooong post, you must be bored. Thanks for reading!

Big Sexy Hair FIRM VOLUMIZING HAIRSPRAY

Big Sexy Hair FIRM VOLUMIZING HAIRSPRAY
I always wanted a hairspray which gives volume on my hair without making it crunchy. But I didn't have a good experience with the ones I'd tried. Either they made my hair crunchy or did nothing. So I wasn't expecting too much from this product. But believe me, this is the best hairspray to give soft and natural looking volume. 

I spray it after I've dried my hair completely (as I wash my hair every morning). I lift the top of my hair and spray underneath, and then instantly my hair looks so much better. It lifts my hair and holds it all day. When I spray it too close to my hair then it makes it a little bit crunchy but when I spray it from 20-25cm distance, it gives perfect volume to my whole hair. And of course I touch my hair and the wind messes it up sometimes during the day, but still it holds the style I created in the morning somehow. 

I have no idea how it makes this miracle happen but one thing I can assure you is that I cannot live without this hairspray!! I can run my fingers into my hair, or shake my hair if I want to, without worrying about ruining my hairstyle. The volume you get in the morning by this hair spray won't go away.


Have you tried anything from this brand Sexy Hair? Apparently they have many other products for different style like Short Sexy Hair or Healthy Sexy Hair. Let me know if you have tried them!

Pure & Basic Anti-Dandruff Natural Shampoo

Pure & Basic Anti-Dandruff Natural Shampoo $5.09
Although I love Redken Scalp Relief Dandruff Shampoo, I cannot spend 10 pound every 3 months on my shampoo. Well, usually I can but not now especially considering the fact I spent so much in London in March, and I continued shopping in Japan through April. So I decided to purchase this one instead as it's much cheaper. 

Before moving on to the product review, let me make it clear. I don't have dandruff. But then you might be wondering why I got shampoo to prevent dandruff. The reason is that I've got really sensitive scalp and it was kind of out of control. Anything I used on my hair, it irritated my scalp so bad and it started hurting as I scratched it so much. Then I found the one from Redken, which really relieved my scalp. I found that those kind of shampoo has glycerine in it and that could be the ingredient which has been calming my scalp down. Anyway, if you are suffering from itching or sensitive scalp, you might as well try Scalp Relief Shampoo from Redken. It really worked.

Moving on. This shampoo is from this American brand called Pure & Basic. According to Vitacost, this product is "A unique botanical blend of Rosemary Extract, Tea Tree Oil, and Canadian Willow Herb rids hair of pesky flakes while stimulating and moisturizing your scalp to help relieve itching. Leaves hair soft, manageable and flake free". Interesting.

The texture is a thick gel which I found a bit hard to lather up unless you add some warm water while washing. As long as you have wet your scalp enough, and keep adding warm water on your palms while lathering it up, you won't have any difficulties. It lathers really well and it relaxes me with the scent of essential oils. It smells herbal and fresh. 

It leaves my hair squeaky clean but once I apply conditioner or hair treatment on, it becomes soft and silky again. They have conditioner as well but I decided to use mine as I have like 3 bottles of conditioner here. It doesn't itch my scalp at all which is great and I like how it cleans my scalp and hair.

I like Redken one better but this one does a very good job too! If you are looking for shampoo which is gentle for your scalp but cleans it really well, you should give it a try!

Ecco Bella FlowerColor Lipstick

Ecco Bella FlowerColor Lipstick $14.89  
This is another product I purchased from Vitacost.com, it's the best website to buy American products including natural and organic ones besides iHerb. This lipstick is from the brand called Ecco Bella, apparently an American beauty brand which makes beauty products with natural ingredients. I had never heard of the brand before, but I purchased this product because the colour looked pretty and also you should be careful what to put on your lips, and their lipsticks looked harmless. 

This colour is called Pink Rose, and is suitable for Vegan as it's made with vegetable wax. It's also gluten, paraben, petroleum and fragrance free. It has a subtle smell of the ingredients, a typical smell of a natural beauty product, which doesn't bother me too much. The colour is so pretty and I can see myself wearing it in spring and summer a lot.

It goes on very creamy and doesn't have shimmer or glitter.

It's pretty matte so I need to moisturise my lips really well with lip balm beforehand, otherwise it makes my lips looking really dry and patchy. Even in this photo you can see it's a bit drying...

The colour is brighter than I expected. It looked corally pink but it shows up as blue toned bright pink on my lips. I put it on and dab it with my finger to blend in, and it creates such pretty baby-like-lips. Also I sometimes add some lip gloss with shimmer on top! It's such a perfect colour in this season and I've been wearing it a lot recently. 

What is your favourite lipstick in this time of the year?

 

MyChelle Dermaceuticals Hydrating Cactus Mask

MyChelle Dermaceuticals Hydrating Cactus Mask $25.49

I got this product from Vitacost.com back in January. It was my first time to try out their products but I always wanted to because there are many positive reviews on Vitacost. Their products seem very unique, as you can see this face mask contains cactus! I didn't know that cactus is beneficial for your skin!

It says in the description box "A potent hydrating treatment with blue agave and cactus to soothe and soften skin. Smithsonite and malachite deliver a multitude of skin protective antioxidants. This soothing treatment provides moisture binding properties to deeply nourish and lubricate dry skin while uplifting aromatherapeutic essential oils calm the senses".

Basically you apply this face mask after you wash your face and wait for 20 minutes, and then rinse with warm water to get nourished and moisturised skin.

It looks like tooth paste or something, I guess the colour is from Blue Agave which nourishes and calms your skin. It smells really fruity almost like chewing gum! I apply enough amount of this mask to cover my skin and immediately my skin starts tingling. It feels like it's burning my face and I freaked out when I used it for the first time, I thought it was some kind of allergic reaction. But it calms down after 5 minutes, and my skin after I've rinsed the mask with warm water feels so soft and moisturized. I was shocked. I thought it was worth the pain. Since then, whenever I feel my skin is dry and dull, I use this mask to wakes up my skin and hydrates. 

The only downside of this product is the price. Originally it's $31.79 and $25.49 on Vitacost for this small tube (35ml). I only use it once or twice a month so it might last quite long but still I think it's overpriced. But if you're looking for an effective face masks, this is one of them.

Have you tried anything from this brand MyChelle? What's your favourite face mask?

MyChelle Love Your Lips

MyChelle Love Your Lips Raspberry Cherry Pineapple $9.92

I found this product when I was browsing Vitacost a couple of months ago. Actually it was their facial mask which caught my attention and I couldn't resist trying out some of the products from this brand called MyChelle. MyChelle is an American brand which uses naturally-derived ingredients as much as possible. Their products are not the cheapest of the world but many people left positive feedback about them. As I love lip balm, I wanted to try this one out just because who wouldn't want to try a lip balm which claims to smell of raspberry, cherry and pineapple?

First of all, this lip balm is huge. You can see that this lip balm is twice the size of a normal lip balm like Burt's Bees one. Whenever I use it in front of co-workers or friends, they ask "What is that, a glue stick?" and I cannot blame them. It DOES look like a glue stick.

But trust me, this is one of the best lip balms I've ever used. And I've used so many lip balms that I don't even remember how many. My lips are very dry and sensitive, and some lip balms make them even dryer, and the skin peels off and it starts bleeding. But with this lip balm that would never happen. It's such a gentle lip balm which I guess is suitable for anyone. 

It doesn't make my lips too shiny which is good when I want to apply a lipstick on top. I found it a perfect base for a lipstick.

And it smells so good like a bubblegum. I don't smell raspberry but it does smell of cherry and pineapple. Another good thing about this product is that it doesn't taste horrible when it comes into my mouth. I hate it when a lip balm or lipstick tastes so bad even if it smells nice.

If you've got very dry / sensitive lips, you should try it out. Also for those who are looking for a good-smelling lip balm, I would recommend this one! Have you heard of MyChelle? Are you a fan of the brand?

Badger Lip Tint And Shimmer

Badger Lip Tint And Shimmer Opal And Copper 　$5.39

This is the first Badger product I've picked up. I always knew about the brand but never wanted to try any product particularly. When I saw this prodcut at Vitacost.com, I thought it would be nice to carry around in my bag because it's tiny but works in two different ways. Basically this tinted lip balm has got two ends, one with a normal tinted lip balm which you can choose a colour, and another end has this shimmery lip balm which you can add on top of the tinted lip balm on the other end.

I chose this colour called Copper, hoping it to be sheer. 

I was kind of surprised to see how coppery it looked! I know it's called Copper but it really does look like the colour of a coin. And it stinks of weird almond mixed with some oils. 

In this photo, I applied it just a bit and blended it out with my fingertip otherwise it would make my lips look like a statue or something. It's that strong! Yes that means it's pigmented which is a good thing, but not so much with this product. It doesn't apply smoothly and when your lips aren't in the best condition it makes them look much worse.

This colour is not the one you can wear by itself because it makes you look like a zombie. 

It actually looks pretty nice when I add it on top of the other one. It makes the lips look plumpy and adds some shine. As long as you can apply the copper one well, this product wouldn't make your lips look horrible.

But for me the biggest problem is the taste and smell. I see some people absolutely love this product but I don't recommend it at all. This is absolutely a disappointing product. Have you ever tried this particular product? Also what's your favourite product from Badger?



 

EOS Lip Balm

EOS Lip Balm　＄3.79 each at Vitacost.com

Are you familiar with these lip balms? Yes I finally got them! I heard many good things about EOS lip balm and I also heard Balmi was not as good as EOS, so I picked them up without any hesitation when I found them on Vitacost.com. I got two different flavours so I'm going to talk about them individually now!

This one is called strawberry sorbet. I couldn't resist it because it's pink and pretty, and also I love strawberry flavour. 

 
Look at it, doesn't it remind you of Lychee? It looks perfectly smooth and I really didn't want to ruin it! It smells amazing, exactly like a strawberry candy! I didn't expect the scent was this good. It moisturizes my sensitive lips perfectly and as long as I keep applying it on my lips a few times a day, they wouldn't get chapped.  Another good thing about it is that it's
95% organic, 100% natural, and paraben and petrolatum free. You really want avoid putting lip balm or lipstick which is packed with synthetic ingredients as much as possible because it could enter into your body from your mouth. It feels disgusting to imagine that you're actually "eating" the lipstick packed with artificial perfume, doesn't it?

This is how it looks like after a few weeks. The surface isn't smooth and it doesn't look shiny anymore...poor my EOS.

This one is called Summer Fruit. It really does smell of summer fruit, in my opinion it smells of the mixture of lychee, mango and pineapple...tropical fruits! It smells even better than Strawberry Sorbet, perfect for summer. I love love love this scent, there's no other lip balm smells like this!

Oh, I forgot to mention that it tastes good too. I know, I'm not supposed to eat it and I don't, but when I lick my lips unconsciously it just tastes sweet like a candy. Some lip balms taste really disgusting but you don't have to worry about that with this lip balm. I recommend it to kids as well, they would love it as long as they're old enough not to eat the whole package or something.  This is seriously the best lip balm I've ever used. I totally understand why people were raving about it! I'm sure I'll repurchase it once I run out of these ones. 

I'm very interested in their new flavour which is raspberry I believe, has anyone tried it yet?

Covergirl LashBlast Volume Mascara

Covergirl LashBlast Volume Mascara　$7.99

Every time I see a Covergirl ad in a magazine, it makes me want to try out their products. I cannot get hold of them in Japan and I don't have enough knowledge about them to purchase some on eBay. So when I found this mascara on Vitacost.com I didn't even hesitate to purchase it because I thought it was a good opportunity to try out. I got it in colour Very Black, and weirdly this was the only makeup item of covergirl there.

Please have a look at this massive wand! I'm not sure if you can tell it's huge but it really is. It's about the same size as my eye!

Excuse my photograph skill, my eyelashes are chopped off in this photo. It really is "very black" formula which gives definition on my eyelashes. It's not the best mascara to make them voluminous but I like the finish it gives. It doesn't smudge and doesn't give me panda eyes either which is pretty good. I have to be super careful whenever I apply it as the wand is massive, otherwise it goes EVERYWHERE. I recommend this if you're looking for mascara which doesn't smudge easily and gives definition on your lashes. I wouldn't recommend this to whom looking for one which lengthens your lashes because it doesn't do much about that.

What's your favourite Covergirl item? 

Revlon ColorStay Pressed Powder

Revlon ColorStay Pressed Powder  $10.29

I picked it up when I was shopping around on Vitacost.com as usual although I had never heard of this powder before despite the huge rave about Ravlon colorstay liquid foundation. I was just looking for a good powder to finish my makeup with and thought I would give it a try. I chose the colour Light, and there were two other colours ; Light-Medium and Medium.

It's got the mirror inside and a puff underneath. I was so surprised with the quality of the puff because it was the most rubbish puff I had ever seen in my entire life! I wouldn't call it a puff even, it's something in between a cloth and a paper. I tried to work it somehow but believe me, there is no way anyone can use this puff as a puff.

The colour matches my skin tone perfectly as you can see, and the powder is pigmented. it gives a matte finish to my skin which is not particularly needed as I have dry skin but it would be very nice if you've got oily skin I think. It claims to last for 16 hours but as you can guess it doesn't last that long. Obviously. But it sets my liquid foundation underneath and it gives flawless finish.

I like this product overall but there is one downside. When I put liquid foundation fully and apply this powder on top, it looks really heavy. I know I should choose loose powder rather than pressed powder if I want a sheer finish, but still this one is REALLY pigmented and makes my skin look like a bronze statue in brown if that makes sense! I try to swipe this powder with my blush brush (I need a powder brush!) really lightly but still it turns me to a statue. So whenever I use this powder, I use less amount of liquid foundation. 

Because I use a tiny bit each time I guess it'll last years and years unless I smash it. I don't think I would repurchase it again but I would love to try their Revlon foundation as I only heard good things about it. Have you ever tried it? If you have, did you like it?

Jason Quick Clean Make-up Remover

Jason Quick Clean Make-up Remover $5.59

Jason is an American beauty brand which uses naturally-derived ingredients mainly to make natural and effective products. They select natural ingredients, test every formula to ensure safety and efficacy and never test on animals. I'm using their Brightening Apricot Scrubble and I absolutely love it. This is the best facial scrub I've ever tried. I wrote the full review here if you're interested. 

I'd been using cleansing water by Bioderma or Caudalie to remove my eye makeup, but as I was running out of both of them I thought it would be nice to have makeup wipes instead of cleansing water just because it would save money to buy both cleansing water and cotton wool pads. And I found this one at Vitacost.com where I always purchase American beauty products from, and I didn't even hesitate to put it in my shopping basket. I already trusted Jason because I loved the facial scrub so much, so I didn't even have to do research about this product.

It has 75 pads in this pretty jar. The ingredients are all naturally derived and it's suitable for all skin types. Vitacost described this product as "Removing makeup has never been easier. Unlike traditional makeup removers, these pre-moistened pads are made with pure, natural, & organic JASON ingredients: refreshing Cucumber, Soothing, Silkening Aloe Vera, Chamomile and Natural Vitamin E, Radiance-restoring Vitamin C and Vitamin B. This gentle, non-drying formula cleanses and clarifies without rinsing. Safe even for sensitive skin". You can imagine how natural and gentle this product would be on your skin from this description.

I personally love the jar somehow. It makes me excited to open the jar, pick one cotton pad and remove my makeup before bedtime. I was worried that the cotton pads would get dried out after a week or so, but they are still perfectly moist.

As you can see the cotton pad is not wet, it's moist. I think I should call is "gauze" rather than "cotton pad" because it feels more like gauze. It doesn't break easily when I stretch it and it doesn't fluff either which is a very good thing. Nothing is more irritating to have a fluffy cotton wool pad to remove your makeup off, isn't it? Despite the size and moistness, this one small "gauze" removes my eye makeup completely. It's not the softest thing in the world to use on your eye area but it does its job. I try to be careful not to rub my skin with it as much as I can to avoid any irritations. The formula itself doesn't irritate my skin at all. And as it doesn't have too much liquid on it, it doesn't get into my eye accidentally which is another good thing about this product.

It's fragrance free and oil free, and as long as you are careful about how hard you wipe your skin with it, I would recommend it to people with sensitive skin. I only use it on around my eyes but of course you can use it on your whole face, and don't need to rinse afterwards. I love how easy it is to remove makeup off with this product and I would repurchase it when I run out of the current jar.

Now I'm very interested in the brand and would love to try some other products! Please let me know if you have tried any of their products!