Products I've Used Up // April

I used up a lot of products this month. It is always so satisfying to get rid of them at the end of the moth - and that is exactly what I am gonna do right after I finish writing this post.

essence eau de toilette like a first day in spring: If you are looking for a strong scent that last throughout the entire day essence perfumes are not for you - but did you expect that at that prize? I did not and I am perfectly happy with this eau de toilette. I love the scent itself, the packaging is really cute and I even like the name a lot. It all just fits together really beautifully. Especially if you are young or on a budget this range of perfumes by essence are a great option.

Maybelline the Colossal Volume Express Mascara 100% Black: I liked this non-waterproof mascara but it is not my favorite and I did not like it enough to repurchase it. The wand is really big (as the name would suggest) and the mascara does give volume to my lashes. The problem is that it starts to crumble throughout the day and does not hold the curl of my lashes as well as a waterproof mascara would.

Catrice Glamour & Doll Mascara Waterproof: This my favorite everyday mascara. My allergies have started once again a few weeks ago - that's why waterproof mascara is a must for my make-up routine. I have already repurchased this.

L'occitane Almond Handcreme: L'occitane handcremes are the best handcremes I have ever used. The only problem with that is that they are rather expensive. I got theis handcreme as part of a gift set so I still have a little tube left but after that I do not know what handcreme to get next. Do you have any recommendations?

alverde Wild Rose Oil For Dry Skin: I love this face oil and I have repurchased it multiple times already. This time I tried out a new moisturizer by alverde but I am pretty sure I will go back to this.

ebelin Konjac Skin Care Sponge Green Tea: I do have to admit I only used this sponge once. It is just not the right product for me. It says on the packaging that it is a very gentle scrub but I did not expect it to be that gentle - it basically felt like using a normal sponge. If you have very senstive skin this might work very well for you but it did not work me.

Balea Creme-Oil Face Mask: One side of the package lasts me for three uses but you could probably even stretch it to four. I have very dry skin and this mask did help temporarily. I scrubbed my face about once or twice a week and applied a mask afterwards. I left this mask on for 15 minutes and then massaged the rest into my skin. The mask did not leave my skin sticks or shiny but fresh and well moisturized. I do not think it made my skin less dry in the long run but it does help to moisturize my skin is I have a really "bad skin day".

KUR Profi Line 1-Minute Intense-Conditioner: I got this hair mask from my mother because she did not like the results on her hair. I did not like it either but I still used it up. It hardly has any effect on my hair. It neither moisturized it nor made it easier to brush it after I washed it. I cannot recommend this product.

herbal essences Shampoo for Volume: I really liked this shampoo but I am also excited about having used it up. I have way too many shampoos lined up in my cabinets that I want to use up. I generally like Herbal Essences shampoos but I do not think it gave my hair any more volume than any other shampoos I have used before. I also did not expect it to do that, so I am still happy with it and - after I use up all the other shampoos - I look forward to get back to herbal essences shampoos.

Balea Shaving Foam for Sensitive Skin: The only thing I can say about this is that I simply prefer shaving gel to shaving foam. I have dry and sensitive skin and this did not do work as well for my skin as the Balea shaving gel does. 

What products did you use up the month?

Products I've Used Up // February

How did I use up half my shower products all at ones? I do not really get it...

alverde Shower Gel With Pomegranate & Ginger: This definitely up there with my favorite shower gels of all time. The scent is intense, fresh and original. It does not dry out my skin and foams up nicely. Over all a great product I can recommend to everybody.

NIVEA Long Repair Shampoo: It takes forever for me to use up shampoo, I do not get how other people do it. Over all this is a strange product (or maybe my hair is strange). Sometimes I love it, sometimes I hate it. I generally have to switch up my shampoos quite regularly in order for them to work for me. When I use a product for too long it just stops working, like my hair gets used to it.

the Body Shop Body Butter Vitamin E & Moringa: I know these are just samples and usually I would not include them. I am basically just mentioning them so that I remember that I liked them. I often get this little samples at theBodyShop but I hardly ever use them because I want to safe them for when I travel. When I travel I hardly ever take them with me because these samples are so small, you can only use them once or twice which is usually not enough for a trip. This time I used them up right away and really liked them. Maybe I will get a full size when they go on sale the next time?

L'occitane Pivoine Flora Hand Creme: Now that I have used this up I realize how much I liked this hand creme. It works really well for my dry skin and the scent is intense but at the same time natural. The only thing that bothers me about this product is the price.

Garnier Fructis Oil Repair 3 Hair Mask: I freaking love this stuff. I have generally dry hair and this is the best product to cope with that. It has been in favorites post and in my favorites of 2015 - no wonder I already repurchased this.

Pantene Pro-V Conditioner For Sleek and Straight Hair: Another product from my favorites of 2015. This is my favorites conditioner of all time. Just like the Garnier Fructies Oil Repair 3 hair mask this is a constant roduct in my hair care routine.

Balea Shaving Gel Sweet Mandarin: I generally like the Balea shaving gels but I think I still prefer the blueberry version of this.

What products did you use up this month?

Valentine's Day Products // Pink

Since one of my goals for this year is to shop less and use more of the products that I already own - this one of the ways I am trying to make it more interesting and fun.

I love changing up my wardrobe or my make up for the holidays or seasonal changes. Companies usually seem to want to make you feel like you have to get new products and new clothes and new decor every time the season change or a holiday comes around. Part of that is fun to me but a lot it also seems very unnecessary to me. This year I want to get into the Valentine's Day spirit without purchasing anything just for that reason. Of course Valentine's Day is about love but to me pink, purple, berry and red make the anticipation more fun. That is way this month up to the 14th February I want to put up post focusing on the color scheme that makes me excited for Valentine's Day. Today it is all about the pink products in my collection that I look forward to using this time of the year.

Manhattan Glowing Goddess Shimmer Powder Pink Paradise: I do own more than one pink blush but this is by far my most used bright pink cheek color. I love a fresh pink on my cheeks in the spring and summer time. I do not think I wore this blush in the autumn and winter at all and I am very much looking forward to using it again! This is a limited edition product that is no longer available but since this post is not about recommending you products to go out and buy I will also share products like this. It is all about shopping your own stash!

Catrice Ultimate Colour Lip Stick 370 In A Rosegarden: This is a wonderful rosé lip stick shade. To me this is a great everyday daytime color. I like Catrcie lip sticks and this one is no exception. There are a lot of colors and finishes to chose from in the Ultimate Colour range.

Catrcie Limited Edition Eve In Bloom Soft Duo Eyeshadow C02 Beauty Bouquet: These are probably the most used eye shadows that I own. The shimmery shade on the lid and the mat dark red in the crease make for a great combination on the eye. These colors could seem like they are hard to combine with other colors but I actually do not think so.

OPI Nail Lacquer Sweet Heart: This is one of the most flattering shades of pink I can imagine as a nail polish. OPI nail lacquers are rather expensive but I do have to admit that when it comes to a polish being long lasting and easy to apply I can tell a difference between this and a cheaper polish from the drugstore.

Catrice Nail Lacquer 45 Kitch Me If You Can: I love this polish but I do have to admit I do not wear it often enough. The color, the glitter and the quality of the polish are just great. I am not sure whether you can still get this but I think so.

Catrice Nail Lacquer 51 I Am So aNUDE: 'Baby Pink' is probably the best way to describe this color. The polish has a slight silver shimmer to it but you cannot really tell when it's on your nails. It is a lot more of a pastel / milky shade of pink than the OPI nail polish I talked about before.

MAC Eye Shadow B51 All That Glitters: This is the only MAC eye shadow that I own but I think I will soon get some more. These eye shadows are expensive but (like with OPI) I can tell a difference. The shadow blends perfectly but still does not crease easily. MAC has a wonderful color selection and there are a ton of shades I love. What is your favorite MAC eye shadow?

L'occitane hand creme Pivoine Flora: Like the other L'occitane hand creme I used before I am very happy with this one. The peony floral scent is really nice and natural and the hand creme sinks into your skin quickly. I am still not so sure I would pay that much money for a hand creme. On the other hand I do not know of any other hand creme that works as well as this.

Catrice Ultimate Color Lip Stick 210 Pinkadilly Circus: This a new addition to my collection. It is probably the most Barbie-pink lip product I own. It does have a shiny finish which I quite like now that mat finishes are very much on trend. It just looks very fresh and glossy on my lips and reminds me of spring and (who guessed it?) Valentine's Day.

labello Lip Butter Raspberry Rosé: Labello lip butters are consistent part of my night time routine. Because they do have a milky tint to them when you apply them I only ever wear them at home or at night. I like the blueberry version a bit better but that is just personal preference.

What are your favorite pink products for Valentine's Day?

Products I've Used Up // December

If you celebrate Christmas: Merry Christmas Everyone!

I thought that because it is Christmas today that the internet would be full of people posting Christmas-themed blog posts, pictures and videos (and whatever else you can think of), so I would just post something entirely unrelated to the holidays.

Cos Nature Pomegranate Eye Creme With Pomegranate: This was an emergency purchase. I needed an eye creme and could not get my hands on my usual one so I opted for this product by a brand that I had not even heard of before. It was not bad actually. It has a thinner consistency than my favorite eye creme by alverde but I did not have any kind of allergic reaction to it which was good. I still prefer my alverde one and will therefore not repurchase this. It still was not a bad product at all whatsoever, so if you are still looking for the perfect drugstore eye creme for you, you could still give this one a try.

L'occitane hand creme with almond milk:  This was a Christmas present from last year which means it took me pretty much exactly one year to use it up. In the beginning I did not want to use it because I wanted to save it for... well for what? So I did start using it and really loved it. This is the best hand creme that I ever had. It sinks into the skin quickly while still providing enough moisture and not making my hands feel sticky. I know that it is quite an expensive brand which is why I do not know if I would repurchase it but I can definitely recommend it.

Balea Cool Blossom Shower Gel: I did not enjoy this product. First of all I did not like the scent when using it (I do not plan to by citrus scented body wash for a while now). Secondly, it did dry out my skin a little bit instead of moisturizing it. That is why this time I got a Balea shower gel with oil pearls that are supposed to make it more moisturizing.

bebe Berry Smoothie Body Lotion For Dry Skin: I have found my favorite body lotion which is actually a body butter. It is the alverde body butter - then why did I not use that up? Because alverde changes their scents on a regular basis and right now their body butter is macadamia nut scented and I cannot stand that scent. Macadamia nut is just not my thing. That's why I tried other products. I got this body lotion by bebe because I loved the scent and I had heard good things about it from other people. In the end I really did like it. This a great body lotion but what I need is a great body butter. Body lotion just does not give enough moisture to my super dry skin.

Balea Creme Soap Raspberry & Lemongrass Moisture Care: Balea soaps are a staple in my household. They have a great selection and they are cheap. I really liked the scent and even got compliments for it from people that stayed at my house (which was kind of funny). The only bad thing I can say about it is that after a while the packaging looked really worn out. You can tell from the picture that it is not in the best condition and that just looked bad on my sink. Other than that I do not have any complaints. I already got another (this time sparkly!) soap by Balea to replace this one.

What products did you use up this month?