Current Body Care Products

     The body care products that I currently use work as they should, and are very satisfying and "wallet friendly".  I literally can live on these products only, but you know .. humans get bored sometimes. 


1- St.Ives Naturally Soothing Body Lotion, Oatmeal & Shea Butter :

   I did my first blog post about this product, both the lotion and the shampoo, which I used the hell out of.  Words can't explain how great this product is: Very cheap, smells heavenly, great moisturizer. I even bought a travel size one to take with me on my trip because I can't get enough !


2- Olay Plus Silk Whimsy Ribbons Body Wash :

   If there is only one scent for shampoos in this life, then it should be the scent of this Olay bodywash. It smells clean, refreshing and familiar in a good way. It leaves the skin soft and smooth. 


3- Palmer's Massage Lotion For Stretch Marks:

    I did not buy this to erase my stretch marks because I know these products won't work, and I am not even pregnant. But I have used Palmer's before and I love the formula of it especially during winter. This one smells different though, not pleasant at all, but I use it on certain areas that are far from my nose, like my knees and elbows and some other parts, and boy oh boy, it moisturizes these areas like a dream, and the effect last for days unlike some other moisturizers.


4- Secret Outlast Clear Gel Unscented Antiperspirant & Deodorant:

    If you find this anywhere, just grab it without thinking . No one knows how hard it is to find an unscented deodorant these days, especially if you are someone who is against using scented ones. I literally been using one brand since I was a teenager which was almost the only brand that makes unscented deodorants, it is called MUM. Then I found this one by Secret and now I am afraid they will discontinue it or something, that will make me sue them .. It has everything I need: no scent, clear gel which dries fast , plus it works like no other. If you live in a humid and hot area, this is your savior. 


5- Ravens Blend Scrub :

    I pruchased this from a shop at Etsy called PurplecatCreatives. And etsy is my weakness point, I always restrain myself because this website will make me spend like a royalty .  I have been looking for a coffee scrub for a long time that is not ridiculously expensive, and I know that esty has some interesting and versatile homemade things. This shop has the most seductive looking scrubs, and for only $6. I ordered the Raven Blend, which has (sugar ,coffee, hazelnuts, caramel, almonds, dark chocolate ) and I was impressed when I received it. The consistency of it is amazing, the best that I have used yet. It leaves the skin amazingly soft and is not greasy at all. With this and a moisturizer afterwards, my body has never been this soft. I only wish it smells more like raw coffee, than sweet cappuccino, but I still love it and going back to order other scents.

Disclaimer : 
This post is NOT sponsored, I wrote my honest opinion of products I purchased with my own money. 

Review| Burt's Bees Sugar Scrub

    I have been looking for a cheaper alternative to the Fresh Brown Sugar Body Scrub, which smells heavenly and softens the skin like no other product, and which is ridiculously expensive ($60). And I knew that such smell won't be found in a drug store product, but could not help when I saw the Burt's Bees Honey&Shea Sugar Scrub at Target with the $10 sign beside it.

Pros : 

1-  Scrubbing wise, it scrubs well. The particles are small and not abrasive, but still do the job.

2- The consistency of it and the density of the scrubbing particles are perfect. 

3- Cheap.

Cons:

1- The smell is not my cup of tea. It smells nutty and sweet, and I love nutty smells that are balanced well and smell more natural, but this one is not to my taste at all. I am too precise when it comes to scents, and I don't know if I am too precise this time but I find the oils smelling like as if they are kept out in the sun for a while until it started to smell expired. That is why I use it before shampooing my body.

  Actually, when I first used it I thought it was too greasy, but then I realized that the oils are separated and that I have to mix it with my finger. It turns out fine. 

Overall, this is a good body scrub, considering the price and the way it scrubs. I would buy it again only if there is another scent that I like.

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Disclaimer: This post is NOT sponsored. I wrote my honest opinion of a product that I purchased with my own money.

A Haul

Hello there,

I did some sort of random shopping during the last week and picked some clothing and beauty stuff.

From Target :

Burt's Bees Honey & Shea Sugar Scrub $10.69 : I am going to do a separate review about it soon.

 Burt's Bees Facial Cleansing Towelettes with White Tea Extract $6 : I actually bought the travel size which I think was about $4, wanted to try it first as a make up remover, but I could not find it at the Target website so I linked the Burt's Bees website instead. 

Biore' Deep Cleansing Pore Strips $6.49 : A girl's best friend : )

Bic Soleil Bella 3 Disposable Razors $5

Rimmel 621 Orion Eyeshadow: I can't remeber the price and it is not even written on the website.

 Rimmel Scandal Eyes Nude Waterproof Kohl Eyeliner: I only find this either at Target or Walmart. It is always sold out at CVS and Walgreens ! Also I don't remember the price and can't find it at target's website so I linked another site.


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Online :
  
Avene Eau Thermale Rich Hydrating Cream for Dry to Very Dry $25.99  
Avene Thermal Spring Water Spray $8.99 

One of the best skin care brands out there. Wanted to try this cream for a long time. Going to do a review on both the cream and the spray soon.

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Brandy Melville :

Found some lovely and cheap jewelry at Brandy Melville. The quality of some of their pieces are good considering the price, some are not that good. At least, if it broke or something you will not feel guilty throwing it. 

I picked up 3 bracelets and one ring which is my favorite. I'll list the links to the website so you can check the prices if you want. But I could not find the ring though ..

http://www.brandymelvilleusa.com/accessories/jewelry/rose-gold-infinity-beaded-bracelet.html

http://www.brandymelvilleusa.com/accessories/jewelry/antique-turquoise-stone-bangle.html

http://www.brandymelvilleusa.com/accessories/jewelry/antique-silver-red-stone-bangle.html


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 Clothing :

From Target I found this Ombre Xhilaration® Juniors Sleep Tank $9.99

Quilted Baseball Jacket $39  ( I am not sure if the website has extra 50% off)
 
Also I went to French Connection, they always have this crazy sale section. Yesterday they had extra 50% on already reduced prices. They have nice things at the women section but a jacket at the men section caught my eyes. It was reduced from $158 to $39 ! Could not decide between the black one and the orange , even though I don't like orange at all but this one was a lovely elegant shade. At the end I decided to take the black one because it goes with everything, size XS.



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This is it for my haul, hope you liked it and hope I reminded you to buy something you needed  : D




Disclaimer: This post is NOT sponsored. I write my honest opinion of things that I purchased with my own money.

Current Skincare Routine

I thought it would be nice to share with you my current skincare routine :

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For face washes, I switch between 3 products :

BodyShop Seaweed Deep Cleansing Face Wash:

Bodyshop isn't always on my list when looking for skincare products, but sometimes you just go into a store!  And because I am addicted to seaweed salad, I was browsing their section of seaweed products. The lady there recommended their face wash, which is for Combination/Oily skin, and my skin is combination to dry, even the oily zone isn't that oily. I find this a descent,gentle wash, I think it is going to work great for those who have oily skin. But I still have this feeling after cleansing my face, a tight dry skin kind of feeling, which I don't know if it should feel this way or if it's just a product that did not suit my skin!

Kiehl's Rare Earth Deep Pore Daily Cleanser:

This is a great product! I went straight to Keilh's after trying a sample of it. I usually don't find samples enough to see if a product is good or not, but I was impressed with this one from the first use. It is formulated with Amazonian White Clay which leaves the skin smooth and soft, and cleans like no other face wash I have ever used. It also has very few, barely noticeable exfoliating particles. And even though this is supposed to be a daily cleanser, I feel like it should be every other day, at least for those with dry skin, because it really clarifies the skin. But for those with oily skin, this will be perfect ..

St.Ives Green Tea Scrub:

I use it twice a week, and sort of daily on the nose area to get rid of any flakiness. I also use it as a lip scrub and it works great. I talked about it in detail in my Empties Post

 

Acure Day Cream : 

I raved about this product in my previous post. I talked about it in details so I am not going to say much about it here other than " I love this cream" .

LaidBare Pack Your Bags Eye Cream: 

Don't you love the name of this product! "Pack Your Bags" how cute !

Here are some details about it from a website:

• Say good bye to sleepy eyes
• Clever eye cream contains a unique blend of effective ingredients
• Buckwheat wax helps reduce puffiness and dark circles
• Shea butter hydrates skin
• Eyebright helps reduce the appearance of redness and brightens the skin

 I found this brand at T.J.Maxx, I have never seen it before anywhere. I have been using it for several months and did not see much change simply because I don't expect change from an eye cream. My only problem is dark circles which I was born with, and which becomes less dark when I regulate my sleep, other than this I don't have any dryness or puffiness. I only bought it for the sake of keeping this part of my face hydrated and not ignored. I find it a decent product that is going to last for a long long time. It might work for someone else perfectly !

Bodyshop Vitamin E Moisture Cream:

I did not like this at all, I know many people like it, but it is not for me. Even though I bought the travel or sample size, I could not finish it, so this might turn into a hand cream instead. The consistency and the smell of it is just like putting a glycerin hand cream on my face! It feels weird and uncomfortable. Lately, I apply it on certain dry patches on my face or nose, only few amount of it that won't bother that much ..

Vichy LiftActiv Night Cream :

This is a really thick, greasy night cream.I had great expectations for it, but I was disappointed. Even with the consistency of it, it still does not moisturize that much. I have been a loyal costumer to Vichy; I started my serious skincare routine when I was in high school with Vichy products, and I loved their day creams, which seemed to have been formulated differently now ! I remember the moment I apply their light creams I feel my skin getting quenched immediately, which I hardly feel now with most products of any brand. Long story short, this product is not for me at all ..

DDF Protect & Correct UV Moisturizer SPF 15:

It is too light and does not moisturize enough. It leaves a shiny film on the skin. I hate the way it smells ( which is only my problem, not the product's). By the way, does anyone hate the smell of SPF products? Ah I just can't stand it. If you know any SPF that does not smell please tell me in the comments.

 

 

 Lush Popcorn Lip Scrub:

This smells and tastes lovely, even though I try not to eat it but it just sneaks into my mouth. I use it while I shower or after I brush my teeth. It is decent, but not the best lip scrub out there. I actually find my St.Ives green tea scrub much better. 

 

Wholefoods Vanilla Honey Lip Balm:

Trying to get as natural and organic products as I can, I decided to ditch all lip products that I used to use ( even though I am still in love with Labello, the first and the best lip product I have ever used) for a healthy alternative.  This one is 100% natural, and the consistency of it is perfect. 

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Disclaimer: This post is NOT sponsored. I wrote my honest opinion of products I purchased with my own money.  

 

 

 

Empties+Reviews

1-  St.Ives Green Tea Scrub :

This is a nice drug store scrub. The size of the scrubbing pieces, or whatever they call it, is perfect, and the amount of it is also perfect. I even use it to scrub my lips and it works way better than Lush's, the reason is the scrubbing pieces are so tiny which I think does the job better than the size of brown sugar. 
It also has Salicylic Acid in it which helps with acne. And the green tea helps with redness and blemishes.But I am not the kind of person who believes that this certain product will treat this or that, I just use it for the main reason, and in this case just to scrub my face once or twice a week and get rid of anything that might be clogging my pores.

2- Alba Acnedote Scrub for Face&Body :

I really don't know why and HOW I bought this ! but it seems that when you go to Target something in your mind goes wrong. First of all this smells awful, and it is brown. I don't mind a brown product that is 100% natural and smells nice, but this! Second of all it says "face and body". Body yes, because any scrub could be used on your body regardless of, but face! come on. This is too abrasive for the face and the smell makes you feel your skin is going to break out. I only used it once on my face and I washed it immediately. And because I don't like to throw out products I did not use I try to use it or find a way to use it. So I used it all on my body and took me more than a year and a half to finish it because I rarely use it.

3- Sanctuary Spa Body Scrub:

It was a chance to buy new products during a layover in London Heathrow. Scrubbing wise, this is your average body scrub. The smell I did not like, to me it smells like a cheap perfume. So nah, not impressed at all. But I like the simple packaging though...

4- Soap&Glory Glad Hair Day Conditioner: 

This Also I bought from London Heathrow. I am not as crazy about Soap&Glory as some people. But this is a nice conditioner. You leave it for 1 minute, and I must say this makes a visible difference! gives shine and volume. And eventhough I am not a fan of S&G's smell, but for some reason this smells nice on hair !

5- NIP+FAB Pistachio Body Butter:

Another Heathrow purchase, and the last one from there. I heard a lot about this product, and the raving seemed to be non-stop.  I was allured by the packaging more than the raving to be honest. 
Anyways, the smell is very overwhelming! very strong and sweet. So to make the smell less overwhelming I mixed it with a fragrance free Shea butter that I found at Treader Joe's, smart huh?
And I think this is suitable for warm weather more than cold weather, because it is light and not a heavy duty moisturizer.

6- The Body Shop Coconut Body Butter :

This was my first body butter from Body Shop. As I am a huge fan of coconut, this was not the right choice for me. coconut is hard to balance, I rarely find products that have a balanced coconut smell, mixed with the right ingredients. This one smells too sweet, which I don't like. The consistency  is very thick, but still i don't feel my hands quenched, I just feel there is something setting on my hands that I need to wash off..

7- CoverGirl Natureluxe:

I just love this mascara! this was my first drug store mascara. When it comes to my eyes I usually buy high end products. But this one tempted me with its simple green packaging, and I believe in green. It has one of those flexible wands and it gives everything the eyelashes need : length, thickness and it separates the lashes. But it takes some time to dry. 

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Disclaimer: I am not sponsored. I write down my honest opinions of products I purchased with my own money.