Sample Summary #7

1) Clinique Repairwear Laser Focus Foundation (Shade 03)

Full size: £27.50 for 30ml

I’m used to foundation samples you get in magazines not fitting my skin tone, but this one looked ridiculously out of place. (Apologies, I did take a swatch picture, but unfortunately the file became corrupted) With Clinique, the problem isn’t just the colour of this sachet. I tried several times to buy a Clinique foundation, but none of their shades ever fit my light skin. Not only are they bright orange on application, they also have a tendency to oxidise during the day and become even darker and more unnatural-looking.

Nevermind, I picked a day where I knew I wouldn’t be leaving the house and covered myself in this orange goo, making sure to take it all the way down to my chest. The coverage is quite heavy with strong pigmentation, which made it a right pain to blend. You’d have to find a shade that exactly matches your skin tone in order to avoid this problem. It’s a shame then, that this turned out to be an excellent foundation. It felt incredibly lightweight on the skin considering the high level of coverage it gave and stayed put all day without transferring onto my clothes. It evened out my skin tone without completely hiding my skin’s structure and even the oxidisation problem I mentioned earlier wasn’t so bad. But it was still orange. If only Clinique could sort out their shade selection, this would be my new go-to high coverage foundation.

2) Biotherm Blue Therapy Serum

Full size: £38.00 for 30ml

I will admit right from the outset that I am a big Biotherm fan. Their products have never let me down in that they just always work with my skin and tend to get the very best out of it.

So it was with quite a bit of excitement that I tried this new serum which can be applied day and night. However, what came out of the tube did cause a short moment of panic. This is a sparkle serum. Yes, that’s right. It sparkles. And glitters. It reminded me of those glitter gels you used to get as a child to cover your skin and hair with for fancy dress occasions - anyone else remember them?

Thank goodness the obvious shimmer somehow completely disappeared on my skin and did not turn me into an extra from Twilight. As far as application goes it’s definitely in line with some of the nicer serums I’ve tried. Lightweight, but nourishing, it sinks in quickly and doesn’t leave my skin sticky in the slightest.

It was after the second or third application that I began to notice a different on my face. I’m sorry if this sounds ridiculous, but my skin felt somehow... bouncier? I really wish I had a better way of explaining this, because it’s not like my skin was sallow and wrinkly before, but in a way it became plumper, tauter and more resistant to whatever it is I throw at it. I imagine this would make it absolutely brilliant for more mature skin, but even as it stands now, I’ll be quite gutted once my sample runs out!

3) Armani Code Pour Femme Shower Gel

Full size: £29.50 for 200ml

As far as things that come with perfume go, I much prefer shower gels to the disgraceful body lotions I’ve complained about many a time. Granted, the scent ain’t going to last a long time on the skin either way, but at least it can make for an uplifting and, dare I say it, sensual experience under the shower.Unfortunately, this wasn’t my scent at all. It’s really rather woody and musky which is far from my personal preference when it comes to fragrance, but it lathered up nicely, a little went a long way and it did get me clean in the end. Even if you're a fan of the scent I would still consider this a massive waste of money. Actually, charging almost £30 for a tube of shower gel that does absolutely nothing differently than a product you'd get from Poundland makes me rather angry. It's a nice add on if it comes for free in a gift set, but on its own there's just nothing about it that would justify the price tag.

4) Just Cavalli Perfumed Shower Gel

Full size: £20.00 for 150ml

Another perfumed bath thingy... seems like I literally get showered in the stuff (geddit? Showered! Fnar fnar fnar...). This is one I really, really like. Unfortunately, my already very sparse scent describing skills completely fail me when it comes to this one. It just seems like a very young scent, something that makes me want to go out and have fun. It’s sweet, but not overly so and it layers beautifully with my Soap and Glory body butter, creating a delicious, comforting yet at the same time energising scent.Several hints have been dropped to the boyfriend about how much I like the scent and how I just got through another one of my perfumes...
Again, on its own I find the price tag completely unjustifiable, but if I got a tube of this in a gift set I'd be more than happy to use it up.

September Favourites

Apologies for missing last month's favourites post, but this month's products haven't really changed at all, so it's like a joint August and September favourites post. With me and my boyfriend moving into our first own flat money's tight at the moment and beauty purchases have to be kept to a minimum in favour of living essentials, so there's not a whole lot of new products.
Anyway, on to the actual fun part.

TIGI Catwalk hair spray
For a long time I stayed far, far away from hair spray. Artificial scents and crispy hair are the two main things that deterred me and whenever I saw an ad or heard somebody gush about a hairspray that didn't feature either of those nasty side effects I just shrugged it off in disbelief. So when I got this for Christmas last year it went unused for ages and ages - so long actually, that TIGI has rebranded the series and this one is no longer available. This is particularly gutting as I've just discovered my love for this formula. It doesn't take an awful lot but will keep hair in place and prevent frizz all day long. Then, at the end of the night it can just as easily be brushed out again. I'm a convert. Now I just need to hope that this can will last as long as possible!

Omorovicza Complexion Perfector SPF 20
I got this one to try at my old job back in Germany. I feel it is important to state that, as I would have never ever spent £80 on a BB cream myself. However, I have to say I'm beginning to think it might be worth its extortionate price tag. I've been using this cream pretty much daily instead of foundation and I just love the way it evens out my skin tone but still lets my natural complexion shine through. Even though it applies quite thick and patchy at first, once it's sunk in it wears like a dream and easily lasts all day long. Not to mention the frosted glass bottle looks extravagant and classy on my (non-existant) dresser. I'll be gutted once this runs out!

Kryolan Satin Powder in SP555
I've already reviewed this product here, so no need to waffle on and repeat myself. This was a product I received in a German Glossybox and one I'm definitely looking out to repurchase in a few more shades whenever I can. The shimmer in it is absolutely gorgeous and I swear that with primer it stays on the lids forever (or until you take it off with make-up remover).

Biotherm Biosource Eau Auto Moussante
Deja-vu, anyone? Yes, this one's already been in a monthly favourites post and it's also had its own review here, but I'm still adamant that it's one of the best cleansers I've ever used. Probably on par with Liz Earle's Cleanse and Polish, only that it lasts about 2-3 times as long. As you can see I'm running quite low on this one now and even though I've now bought a back-up cleanser it's not the same one, as  it's quite difficult to get hold of this one in the UK and I wanted to try something a little different. The woes of being a beauty blogger, eh?

Lush Karma Bubble Bar
This one's got its own picture, as by the time I'd grouped together my monthly favourites it had unfortunately long gone. The odd thing is, I'm not entirely sure what made me buy this bubble bar. I'm assuming it must have been the name or the pretty swirly colours. It contains patchouli, which is something I usually steer clear from and also seems to have quite the musky smell.
I was still on the fence when I crumbled this into my bath, but once I got into my heavenly tub of warm bubbles I instantly fell in love. I can almost certainly say that I have never felt so relaxed in my life (and I'd had a really horrible day before that!). Something about the scent just made me switch off from the world around me and drift off into a beautiful dream land. Absolutely gorgeous and I will have to repurchase one or two to keep handy for a nice bath at the end of a gruelling, horrible day.

Biotherm Biosource Eau Auto Moussante Review

Like many beauty addicts I at some point developed an addiction to Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish. I lost count of the amount of times I repurchased it (always buying the large tubes) and for a long time I wouldn't even dare to think of buying another cleanser. With my move to Germany Liz Earle has become even more difficult to get hold of (there's no John Lewis in this country) and I was forced to look for an alternative. Well, they say everything happens for a reason, so let me introduce you to the new love of my (skincare) life:

Wie so viele Beauty-Junkies habe ich an einem gewissen Punkt meines Lebens eine Sucht nach Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish entwickelt. Ich kann mich überhaupt nicht mehr daran erinnern, wie oft ich ihn mir nachgekauft habe (immer in den ganz großen Tuben) und eine lange Zeit hätte ich einen anderen Cleanser überhaupt nicht in Erwägung gezogen. Mit meinem Umzug nach Deutschland wurde Liz Earle noch schwieriger erhältlich als sowieso schon (es gibt keinen John Lewis hierzulande) und ich war gezwungen, mich nach einer Alternative umzusehen. Man sagt ja, dass nichts dem Zufall überlassen ist, also würde ich euch gerne die neue Liebe meines (Hautpflege-)Lebens vorstellen:

When I was in my late teens I used a lot of Biotherm skincare and though it wasn't anything special it always served me well, so I decided to give it another go. It also looked quite interesting on the shelf among all the other boring bottles. You see, in the bottle it's a clear water, then it comes out of the pump like a foam and as you apply it on wet skin it turns into a milky lotion. Intriguing, isn't it?

In meinen späten Teenie-Jahren habe ich sehr viel Biotherm benutzt und obwohl es eigentlich nie etwas besonderes war, kam ich mit den Produkten gut zurecht, also wollte ich einen neuen Anlauf starten. Diese Flasche sah im Regal auch weitaus interessanter aus als alle anderen. In der Flasche ist der Cleanser nämlich ein Wasser, oben heraus kommt ein Schaum und massiert man ihn auf die feuchte Haut auf, wird er zu einer milchigen Lotion. Faszinierend, oder?

The packaging may not be overly exciting, but it looks clean and simple and not by any means cheap. The bottle is made of light plastic and the cap sits tight, so no unwanted spillages if you want to take it travelling. The pump is also easy to use with one push giving you just enough for one application.

Die Verpackung ist zwar nicht sonderlich spannend, aber dafür clean und simpel und auf gar keinen Fall billig. Die Flasche ist aus leichtem Plastik gemacht und der Deckel sitzt fest obendrauf, sodass man sich bei Reisen keine Sorgen um Auslaufen machen muss. Der Pumpspender ist ganz leicht zu bedienen und mit einem Druck hat man genug für eine Anwendung.

The foam/water is supposed to have thermal plankton extracts in it and it does have a very slight maritime scent - not fishy, just a bit of salt and seaweed. The smell is very faint though and doesn't bother me in the least. It applies incredibly light. I can barely feel it on my skin and for that reason I was a bit worried at first, thinking that surely it can't be doing anything. But when I wipe my face with a cotton pad soaked in toner afterwards the cotton pad is clean. There's no make-up on my towel and - wait for it - guess how many spots I've had ever since I started using this? Zero. I never had loads of blemishes, but I would get the odd one or two here and there, but with this? Nothing.

Der Schaum/das Wasser soll angeblich Thermalplanktonextrakte beinhalten und tatsächlich hat es einen etwas maritimen Geruch - nichts fischiges, eher Salz und Algen. Der Geruch ist aber sehr zart und stört mich überhaupt nicht. Vom Auftrag her ist es unglaublich leicht. Ich kann es kaum auf meiner Haut spüren und aus diesem Grund war ich zunächst etwas besorgt, weil ich dachte, dass es meine Haut nicht sauber kriegt. Wenn ich aber danach mein Gesicht mit einem in Gesichtswasser getränkten Wattepad abreibe, ist das Wattepad sauber. Auf meinem Handtuch ist kein Make-up und - jetzt kommt's - ratet mal wie viele Pickel ich hatte, seitdem ich den Schaum benutze? Null. Ich hatte zwar nie besonders viele Unreinheiten, aber ein oder zwei sind hier und dort schon aufgetaucht, aber mit diesem Produkt? Nichts.

 

Eau Auto Moussante straight out of the pump

Eau Auto Moussante rubbed in

The only downside is that you can't use this to remove eye make-up, so you need to buy a separate product for that purpose. However, I've used it haphazardly a couple of times and got some of it into my eyes, but experienced no stinging or discomfort.
The overall verdict? Holy grail product!!! The most gentle cleanser I have ever used in my life. It feels like it shouldn't work, but boy does it get all that grime and dirt and make-up off your face! I seriously never want to use another cleanser in my life. Cleanse & Polish? Fare thee well.

Das einzige Manko ist, dass man mit dem Produkt kein Augen-Make-up entfernen kann, also muss man sich zu diesem Zweck etwas Separates zulegen. Ich habe jedoch manchmal beim Auftrag etwas geschludert und Schaum in die Augen bekommen, doch es gab kein Stechen oder Brennen.
Das Schlussfazit? Mein heiliger Gral!!! Der sanfteste Cleanser, den ich je im Leben benutzt habe. Es fühlt sich so an, als würde er nichts tun, dabei kriegt er jeglichen Schmutz und Make-up-Reste und sonstiges ekliges Zeug aus dem Gesicht! Ich will nie wieder einen anderen Cleanser benutzen. Cleanse & Polish? Mach's gut.

I paid 19,95€ for this, but I can only seem to find it on German or French sites. If you can find an international link and price, I'd be grateful if you could leave it in the comments section!

Ich habe 19,95€ hierfür bezahlt, doch ich kann es nur auf deutschen und französischen Seiten finden. Wenn ihr einen internationalen Link und Preis habt, wäre ich euch dankbar, wenn ihr ihn in der Kommentarbox hinterlassen könntet! 

June Favourites

I'm not the kind of person who says this every month (no, honestly), but June really just buzzed past without me noticing. I must be getting old.

Ich bin ja nicht so eine Person, die das andauernd sagt (nee, ehrlich), aber der Juni ist wirklich nur so an mir vorbeigeflogen. Wahrscheinlich werde ich einfach alt.

 


MAC Iridescent Powder in Golden Bronze
I bought this ages ago and forgot how amazing it can be. The powder can be used as a highlighter or as a blusher and even though I'm usually not a big fan of shimmers on my face I've been using this a lot last month. It's incredibly flattering on bronzed skin, though I also like to wear it during the winter. You just need to apply it with a lighter hand. As you can see the packaging is gigantic, so it's probably going to last me for the rest of my life.

Ich habe diesen Puder vor einer Ewigkeit gekauft und ganz vergessen, wie schön er sein kann. Man kann ihn als Highlighter oder als Rouge benutzen und obwohl ich eigentlich kein großer Fan von Schimmerpartikeln auf meinem Gesicht bin, habe ich ihn letzten Monat viel benutzt. Er schmeichelt gebräunter Haut, doch manchmal kann ich ihn auch im Winter tragen. Man muss dann einfach etwas weniger Farbe aufnehmen. Wir ihr sehen könnt, ist die Verpackung riesig, also wird er wohl bis zum Ende meines Lebens reichen.


Elizabeth Arden Cheek Colour in Terrarose
This is part of a palette I got in a set I bought in Florida just before Christmas. The products were consistently mediocre, with the main problem being a lack of pigmentation and hard, waxy textures. The blushes, however, were really good and so was this bronzer/blusher. It's got golden shimmer in the pan, but it doesn't seem to translate onto the skin. As a result, the bronzed colour it gives off looks incredibly natural. It's like a more pigmented version of the Bourjois chocolate bronzer and it's been used whenever I didn't feel like the sparkliness that you get from the MAC powder.

Dies ist ein Teil einer Palette, die es in einem Set gab, das ich mir kurz vor Weihnachten in Florida gegönnt hatte. Die Produkte waren alle eher mittelmäßig und fielen durch schwache Farbabgabe und harte, wächserne Konsistenz auf. Die Gesichtsprodukte hingegen waren sehr gut - auch dieser Bronzer/Blusher. In Pfannenform hat er einen goldenen Schimmer, doch auf dem Gesicht sieht man davon eigentlich nichts mehr. Infolge dessen ergibt sich eine sehr natürliche Farbe - wie eine pigmentiertere Version des Bourjois Schoko-Bronzers. Ich habe ihn immer dann benutzt, wenn mir mal nicht nach dem Schimmer des MAC Puders war.


Biotherm Biosource Eau Auto-Moussante
I've got a review on this scheduled for next week, so you can read more about it then, but let me tell you: This cleanser is amazing. It's a water in the bottle, comes out as a foam and then turns into a light lotion. It's incredibly gentle and feels like it shouldn't be doing anything, but leaves my skin clean, fresh and invigorated. Definitely repurchasing this once it runs out!

Ich habe eine Review dieses Produktes für nächste Woche vorbereitet, dann könnt ihr mehr dadrüber lesen, aber vorweg nur eines: Dieser Cleanser ist der Wahnsinn. In der Flasche ist es ein Wasser, heraus kommt Schaum und der wird dann zu einer leichten Lotion. Es ist unglaublich sanft und fühlt sich an, als würde es auf der Haut nichts ausrichten, doch danach ist mein Gesicht sauber, frisch und belebt. Ich werde mir definitiv noch eine Flasche kaufen, sobald diese hier leer ist!


NYX HD Concealer Wand
I've already written up a review on this here, but if you haven't read it, I shall summarise: Strong coverage without caking or drying out the skin, easy to use, comes in a multitude of shades and is fairly cheap. This one's a winner for me and another product I'll be repurchasing.

Ich habe hier schon eine Review über diesen Concealer geschrieben. Wer sie nicht gelesen hat, für den fasse ich mal zusammen: Starke Deckkraft ohne eine dicke Schicht zu hinterlassen, oder auszutrocknen, einfach in der Anwendung, gibt es in vielen Nuancen und ist relativ günstig. Der Concealer ist ein Winner für mich und noch ein Produkt, das ich mir nachkaufen werde.


What are your monthly favourites? Leave me a link below if you've made a post, I'd love to have a read!

Was sind eure Favourites für den Monat? Lasst mir doch unten einen Link da, wenn ihr auch einen Post geschrieben habt - ich würde sie mir gerne anschauen!