XXL Products I've Used Up // April

I should have written this post weeks ago - then it would not have been this long. I have been collecting these products for a while now and it is time to talk about them before there are just too many for one post.
 

Herbal Essences Shampoo Oriental Dream: This shampoo was in a haul of mine ages ago. I liked it but did not love it. That is generally how I seem to feel about Herbal Essences shampoos (while I do not really like any of their conditioners at all) but I still try them again and again because I always get sucked in by their packaging (which they seem to switch out every two weeks).

Dove Advanced Hair Series Youthful Vitality Shampoo: Both of the shampoos of the Dove Advanced Hair Series that I have tried worked really well with my hair. I generally cannot use one shampoo for too long before it loses its effect on my hair. That is why I always have two shampoos in my shower that I alternate between. When I use this shampoo I can almost go three days without washing my hair and that is really good for me. I am not sure whether this series is no longer available or whether Dove has just changed the packaging.

Garnier Fructies Conditioner Oil Repair 3 Wonder Butter: I used to love the Garnier Fructies Oil Repair 3 Hair Mask so I thought I might like the conditioner as well. I did like this conditioner but I did not love it and I will not repurchase it. It works fine with my hair but it is not as moisturizing as other hair products I have used and on top of that I used up this product very quickly. I had to use a lot of product to cover my hair - don't ask my why - and so in the end it is not even as cheap as it appears to be.

Guhl Conditioner with Tucuma & Oil: I am a big fan of Guhl conditioners. They all work really well with my hair and make it feel all soft and well taken care of. I used to also love Guhl shampoos and I still have one in my shower I am currently using up but those generally contain hormonal substances I do not want in my beauty products and that's why I only use their conditioners anymore.

alverde Shower Body Scrub Magnolia & Shea Nut: I don't think I ever used up a body scrub this quickly. It has a rather slippery, thin consistency and there are not a lot of exfoliating particles in the scrub so I tended to use a lot of it at once. The scrub was moisturizing to the skin and the scent was subtle and light. The big downside to the product  - at least to me - was that it did not exfoliate my  skin that well. If you want a light scrub and you have sensitive skin I think you would like this. I personally prefer a more intense scrub and therefore I did not repurchase this body scrub.

 

Balea Creme Oil Shower Scrub Berry & Magnoila: This product I did not actually use up - I decided to throw it out before I did. I liked the scent and the packaging and all of that but all these things do not matter when the product does not help your skin or - like it did in this case - makes your skin even worse. Even if this product was not the ultimate cause for my skin getting worse it still did not help. So in the best case scenario this is still a useless product and that in itself is enough of a reason not to recommend it.

alverde Shower Gel Vanilla Mandarine: This has to e my favorite scent alverde has ever done. They used to sell a body butter with this scent and I adored that one. I highly recommend you try alverde shower gels - they have an amazing scent selection, they foam up nicely and they do not dehydrate your skin.

alverde Winter Love Shower Creme: This was the most awful shower gel I ever used. The product worked well on my skin - the big problem I had with it was just the scent. It is strange that I loved the corresponding body butter but I just detested the shower gel. The scent was just disgusting to me and I used it up as quickly as I could.

alverde Winter Love Body Butter: This is the body butter I was just talking about. I liked it so much it even made it into my January Favorites Post. It definitely did not have the same scent as the shower gel and I did enjoy this one a lot more. I still prefer the vanilla-mandarin scent by alverde that I also talked about before but this one was still pretty good.

alverde Body Butter Cinderella: Can you tell I like alverde's body butters? This was my favorite body butter from the Limited Edition Fairy Tail Forest Set so far. I loved the scent and the texture and they way it moisturized my skin - please bring this back as a full size body butter, alverde!

Labello Lip Butter Raspberry Rosé: I used up a labello lip butter before but I don't feel like it took this long for me to do that back then. This one took forever. I only use lip butters at night because they leave a milky, shimmery color on my lips and I do not like that finish. This lip butter does help with my dry lips and it is definitely among the most effective lip balms I ever used.

 

Catrice Multi-Color Rouge: This is another one of those products I technically did not use up. This is by far my favorite / most worn blush - but not my favorite highlighter. That is why the packaging looks like that now. I also have the newer version of this blush - that I love just as much - and so it just no longer made sense to hold on to what is left of my former favorite blush.

Catrcie Glam & Doll Mascara Waterproof: This is a well known, much loved favorite waterproof mascrara of a lot of people - and that is precisely the problem I have with it. It is sold out everywhere!

Rexona Pure Fresh & NIvea Fresh Natural Deodoran: There is not really much to say about these. I like my deodorant to smell fresh and that is it. I do not want vanilla or tropical coconut in there - the simpler the better. That is what these represent to me. They worked fine for me and I probably will repurchase them. When it comes to deodorant I just tend to buy whatever scent I like that contains no aluminum and that is about as far as my research goes before purchasing one.

What products did you use up this month? What are the reasons for you to throw out products before they run out? What are your deal breakers?

Drugstore Haul // February

I used up a lot of products lately and so naturally I had to fill in some of the gaps. I repurchased some but I also decided to give a few new products a try.

alverde Shower Gel Limited Edition Vanilla & Mandarine: Usually I am not the biggest fan of vanilla - not to say I do not like the scent - but alverde somehow figured out a way to make me love it. They have come out with this exact scent a number of times in limited edition products before and I just hope one day they ad it to their permanent collection.

alverde Shower Body Scrub Magnolia & Shea Nut: I just used up my last body scrub and wanted to try a body scrub from the drugstore next. I generally like alverde body products and even though I do not like the scent of shea butter this product has a subtle enough scent that it does not really matter to me.

Guhl Moisturizing Conditioner with Tucuma & Oil: Guhl hair products work really well with my hair. Most of their shampoos contain hormonal substances which I am trying to stay away from but their conditioners do not. The conditioner is especially designed to give moisture back to your hair and I hope that is what it will do for my hair.

Garnier Fructis Oil Repair 3 Wonder Butter: This is actually an accidental purchase - I thought I was buying shampoo. I should have been paying more attention in the store but now that I have this conditioner I am actually quite excited to try it out.

Catrice Glam & Doll Volume Mascara Waterproof: There is an entire post coming up next Friday about Catrice mascaras so I am not going to talk too much about it here. This is my favorite everyday mascara and I have been repurchasing it for a long time now. 

ISANA Nail Polish Remover:I used to try out different nail polish removers every time I used the old one up but I have been sticking to this one for a few years now. It does a great job at removing nail polish while still not drying out the skin and nails like a lot of other nail polish removers do.

Balea Shaving Gel Pink Grapefruit: This is another repurchase. When it comes to shaving gel I am actually quite picky and this is by far my favorite. The packaging is amazing but I am looking forward to them changing it up again. dm usually switches out their scents and packaging every few months but this particular one has been around for quite some time now.

 

Nivea Double Effect Eye-Make-Up Remover: There was a sale of Nivea products at Rossmann which is why I bought this eye-make-up remover again. I like this product for removing waterproof mascara and eye liner but I think I might like the Garnier Eye-Make-Up Remover 2in1 better.

What did you shop for this month?

Products I've Used Up // November

It is hard to believe it is already December - time is flying by. I have not been that active on this blog in the past month because on one hand I had a lot to do but on the other hand I did not really know what to write about. This is one of the posts that is pretty much a given. There are always products I have used up and now it is time to talk about those.

Garnier Eye-Make-Up Remover 2in1: My eyes are getting more and more sensitive and this is one of the few products that still work well with my skin. It works well and is gentle to the skin.

Catrice Glam & Doll Volume Mascara Waterproof: This is by far my favorite mascara. It gives length and volume to the lashes and holds a curl all day.

essence Lash & Brow Clear Mascara: Sorry for how this look but that is just what happens with brow gel in a clear packaging. It just starts to look dirty. Aside form that I really like this brow gel. It works well and it is rather inexpensive.

Catrice Liquid Camouflage Concealer 010 Porcelain: I have not actually used this product up completely. It may look full but there is not a lot of product left in there. I use concealer pretty much every time I wear make-up but I do not use a lot of it. I guess that is why it takes a long time for me to use up a concealer. Since this is such an old and well used concealer it is starting to dry up and it is simply time to throw it out.

the Body Shop Body Scrub Blueberry: I like the the Body Shop Body Scrubs but I have been using them for such a long time now that it is time for something new. If you have never tried these body scrubs I can highly recommend them. The exfoliate well while not drying out the skin (and the scnet selection is amazing).

essence the gel nail polish top coat: I can recommend every essence top coat I have ever tried but my favorite is still the essence better than gel nail top sealer which is why I did not repurchase this.

Nivea Intense Repair Shampoo: I wrote an entire review about this shampoo and the corresponding conditioner you can check out here: click.

alverde Shower Gel with Pomegramate & Ginger: When it comes to shower gel you would think that pretty much all of them work fine. Lately that has not been the case for me which is why this shower gel stands out to me right now as one of the best I ever used. The scent is intense and a truly original combination and the product is not drying out my skin.

dusch das Shower Gel Red Apple & Grenadine: This is the shower gel I was really disappointed by. The scent on the skin is just weird and not pleasant at all. The consistency is very slippery and it was not as moisturizing to the skin as other shower gels I have used. Overall I did not like this product and I will probably stay away form dusch das for a while.

What did products did you use up this autumn?

Updated Skin Care Routine // Part II

Last week I posted the Part I of my updated skin care routine. This week I would like to talk about some more products that I use in my everyday skin care routine.

I do not just have dry skin, I also have dry lips. Every night before bed I use the labello Lip Butter  Raspberry Rosé (you might know these as a Nivea product but in Germany labello sells these lip butters - it is the same product). During the day or when I am out of the house I use the Carmex Classic Moisturizing Lip Balm. That is much more hygienic and I prefer the look of it. It just looks like a clear gloss whereas the labello lip butter has a milky finish that I do not like on my lips.

Another product that I - try to - use every night is hand creme. I do love L'occitan hand cremes but I do not buy these for myself because they are rather expensive. A hand creme that I have been really liking lately is the Nivea Anti-Age Hand Creme. I mostly use it at night but I really like that this hand creme has SPF. It claims to have an anti-aging effect which I do not really believe in. If it actually has such an effect I would not mind but I would not depend on that.

The alverde Body Butter Macadamia is the best body moisturizer I have ever used. It is the most moisturizing and at the same time sinks into the skin quicker than anything else I have ever used. I am generally not a big fan of body lotions and I prefer the consistency of body butters'. I do not actually like the scent of macadamia but it is a very subtle scent and even though I would prefer a different scent I still like this product.

There are a few more products I use in my skin care routine but I do not actually like them enough to call them staples or repurchase them when they run out. One of those products is the the Body Shop Body Scrub Blueberry. It is a good body scrub but it is rather expensive and when I pay that much money for a products I expect it to be great and not just good. It removes dry skin well but it does not clear out my skin as well as I would want it to. Another product I use regularly is the Alverde Clear SOS Serum as a spot treatment. Again I do like this product but it does not work as well as I would want it to. I will use this product up but I probably won't repurchase this.

What are some of your skin care staples?

What products can you recommend?

Updated Skin Care Routine // Part I

It has been over a year since my last skin care post. There are things that have changed, products that are still the same and others that have been replaced. My skin is sensitive but there are not too many products that break me out. The biggest problem I have with my skin is how dry it can get and this is the skin care routine that helps me manage that.

In my everyday life I usually wear waterproof mascara and my favorite eye make-up remover is the Garnier Make-Up Remover 2 in 1 waterproof. It is gentle on the skin but at the same time it removes all my mascara. If I ever wear non-waterproof I use the Rival de Loop Clean & Care Oil Free Eye-Make-Up Remover which I have used for years before I started wearing waterproof mascara. I do not wear foundation or BB creme so I only use water to remove any make-up residue on my skin and no extra products. I have tried many eye cremes and my favorite - by far - is the alverde Eye Creme for every skin type. This has already been a part of my last skin care routine and I have talked about this in my Favorites 2014. It moisturizes well, sinks in quickly and does not irritate my skin or eyes. At night I also use an old favorite: Weleda Skin Food. If you have dry skin you should definitely give this product a try. It is the most moisturizing creme I know because the skin actually takes in the moisture and the creme does not just sit on your skin without sinking in. It does leave your skin feeling a little sticky which is why I only use it at night but it works really well.

Sometimes - when I feel like my skin needs it - I do like to use the alverde Apricot & Calendula Face Scrub for normal skin. To me it is the perfect mix of effective and gentle. Of course it does not give you perfect skin over night but it definitely has a positive effect on my skin. It helps my skin to clear out and gets rid of dry skin very gently. After that I use the Weleda Skin Food at night or the alverde Face Oil Wild Rose for dry skin in the day time.

If I did not wash my face or take a shower in the morning I still apply a moisturizer in the morning. It is either the Nivea Sun Anti-Age Moisturizer with SPF 50 in the summer or the alverde Teint Perfection Beauty Serum now that the sun is not out that much anymore. I would like the alverde Perfect Teint to have an SPF too so I am not sure if I am going to repurchase this again but I really do like the finish it leave on my skin.

Part II of my skin care routine will be coming up next week. I only realized how many different products I do actually use when I started writing this post so I decided to divide this up into two posts. Today I talked about what products I use on y face but next week I will talk about what else I do to take care of the rest of my skin.

What are your favorite skin care products?

Favorites // September 2016

September has been a great month for beauty products. I have tried a lot of new things and rediscovered old favorites. In fact there have been a lot more products I liked to use this month but because there were so many I only included the once I used the most and have formed a well thought-out opinion on already.

Nivea Anti-Age Handcreme: I am not good with hand creme. I forget to use it most of the time and so it takes a long time for me to use one up. That also means I hardly ever try new ones. I want my hand creme sink in quickly and moisturize well. I do not really believe in the anti-age effect this product claims to have but I do like the added UV-protection. This hand creme works well for me and the price is fine as well.

KIKO Mirror Nail Lacquer 629: I wrote a post in September about my Top 10 Autumn Nail Polishes where I talked about the nail polishes I was looking forward to wear again now that autumn was about to arrive. My nails were painted in those colors the majority of the past month but one nail polish I also wore that was not included in that post was this one by KIKO. I could have included either one of the nail polishes I wore but because this is the only one I did not talk about in the post I wanted to included here in my September favorites. There will be a Nail of the Day post coming up soon where you can see what it looks like exactly on the nails and I will talk about it some more there.

Fleur De Force Eyeshadow Quad 020 Lunar Rose: I have worn these eye shadows at least every other day that I wore make up. I love this. My favorite colors are all of the shimmering ones. They are very pigmented, easy to blend and there is no fallout. The quality is amazing and so is the color selection. The colors also remind me of Fleur herself and I think they were a perfect choice for her collection. The only problem is - now I want the other one!

alverde Body Butter Macadamia: The fact that this made it into my monthly favorites even though I do not like the scent should mean something to you. It sinks in quicker than anything else I have ever used to moisturize and it works like a dream. The scent is not too strong so I can ignore that. I have dry skin and moisturize every day. This might be one of the products that makes it into my favorites of 2016...

What were you favorite products of last September? 

Products I've Used Up // September

This month I am trying something new. Usually I do one of these posts every month but this time I collected all of my used up products for two months and put all all of them together into one longer post. It turned out to be a really long post so I am not sure whether I will do this again.

Yankee Candle Tart Spiced Orange: This is a wonderful scent for autumn and winter. The name says it all: it makes your whole room smell like spicy orange. If you want to try Yankee Candle but you cannot afford their big candles try their tarts! You do not have a whole tart at once. I just break of a corner of the tart to melt and that is definitely enough for me.

Garnier 2-in-1 Eye-Make-Up Remover waterproof: This is a product I use up and repurchase all the time. It has been part of my everyday routine for forever and I am almost through my next bottle of this.

tetsept A Portion of Love Champagne-berry & Currant Bath Salt: As soon as the temperatures started to drop over the last week I got excited about baths again. First of all I love the packaging and the scent combination is lovely. When you pour this into your bath water the scent is sadly not very strong - but the color is give to the water is wonderful. It turns your bath water deep purple and with the white and silver swirls it makes the bath water look like a magic potion. It keeps my skin from drying out but it does not moisturize it either. To me this is fine but not amazing.

Isana Shower Gel & alverde Shower Gel: Out of these two shower gels I liked the alverde one better. The Isana shower gel had a stronger scent (that I really liked) but I did not like the consistency as much. The alverde shower gel is thicker and I think it moisturizes my skin better. Over all I still liked both of them and I would repurchase either one.

alverde Shower Sorbet Rhubarb & Orange: This was a really nice shower gel. It moisturizes well and the scent is lovely. It usually takes a while for me to repurchase a shower gel because I like to try new scents and there are sadly not a lot of different scents available.

Balea Shaving Gel Pink Grapefruit: I can only recommend Balea shower gels. They are inexpensive, smell wonderful, work well with my sensitive skin and the packaging is gorgeous.

Nivea Repair & Care Conditioner: I wrote a whole separate review about this conditioner you can check out here: click.

Guhl Conditioner: I loved this conditioner. It makes my hair really soft, smooth and easy to brush through. I already repurchased this and I think I will try out a lot more Guhl ahir producsts in teh future. I have used Guhl products before but for some reason I just forgot about the brand and now I am so excited about it again.

Garnier Fructies  Oil Repair 3 Hair Mask: Best hair mask ever. It has an amazing effect on my hair. It does everything I want a hair mask to do and I have repurchased this numerous times and it was part of my favorite products of 2015.

wellaflex Hair Spray Volume: Considering how long it took me (and my boyfriend) to use up hairspray before I was quite surprised at how quickly we used up this bottle - even though it is only a travel size. I liked it and repurchased the exact same one already.

alverde Creme-Oil-Lotion Jasmine & Sesame: I am not a big fan of body lotion but for a lack of  body butter selection in the drugstores I decided to try this one. It is moisturizing and it does its job but after I used this up the first thing I used was a body butter - and I remembered why I am team body butter again. This body lotion does not moisturize as well and it does not sink in as quickly as I want it to. If you are a fan of body lotions you might like this but I myself will not repurchase this.

Gillette Venus Spa Breeze Blades: I have repurchased these blades for years now. They work well, last a long time and the scent is amazing. What I do not like is the prize. I have tried cheaper blades before but they never work with my sensitive skin and they go blunt really quickly. So spending less money on something that simply does not work isn't worth it in the end. That is why I keep repurchasing these but the prize makes me hesitate every time.

What products did you use up this month?