Beauty ponders

You may have noticed that I'm into hauling again, a lot lately. But after my last post of finished it's only normal I guess... This time some skin care from city shopping and hair care from Lookfantastic - all necessities again!
First up my beloved Hydraphase from LRP, which will be reviewed this time before I finish it up - promise for real! Next to it a cream from Caudalie's new range Vinosource (intented for dry skin with 3 different creams for 3 different types of dry,), this is the moisture recovery cream which is the 'middle dry' one. It smells heavenly, like we're used to from Caudalie.
And then again some hair care from Lookfantastic: Black & White wax, a simple product - one that I did not have in stock yet, will probably take forever to empty as the jar is huge. Next to it is Bumble&Bumble's Surf spray, one that I've wanted for a long time: it gets good reviews and with my long hair this product seems perfect. Next to it Osis powder for volume, which also gets raving reviews and I wanted to see for myself if it lives up to the hype...

So, now me is all set with new skin care and hair care items...!

The last month / 2 months I was able to finish quite a lot of things, mostly skin care again... You know, you sometimes have these moments when you seem to run out of everything - thank god for backups I always have laying around...

• Louis Widmer Liposomal serum: wasn't too pleased with this as it didn't do much for me, reviewed not too long ago

• Bio Beauté Nuxe Soothing cream: a decent night cream which I will probably repurchase in the future, also did a review on this one not too long ago

• Caudalie Vinosource Riche cream: a rich cream that I enjoyed using during the winter months, I never got around to reviewing it but currently I'm using Caudalie's new range for dry skin and I'm liking the new one more than this - Caudalie is a nice brand and offers some lovely products

• La Roche-Posay Hydraphase UV Intense cream: one of my favourite day creams, this is tube number 2 and honestly, number 3 is already awaiting usage - I now promise I will review this stuff, but bottom line = I love it!

• Clinique City Block sheer SPF25: I bought this as a day cream during summer as it offers an SPF of 25, but this cream is tinted, has a weird scent and isn't good for dry skin - I haven't even finished this tube, I don't like it at all...

• Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer in nude: yet again, HG material, the 'nude' shade fits me perfectly (maybe a bit too dark during winter, when I mix with 'porcelain') - it's great for daily usage and I will surely repurchase this, reviewed at the start of the blog I think :)

Onto the bigger packaging now:

• Pai gentle hydrating cleanser: Pai is one of those brands from which I seem to love everything except for their price tagging, I reviewed this cleanser not too long ago and sadly I'm out of it already - may repurchase it when I run out of cleansers to try and haven't found a better one

• Louis Widmer toner: another product from Louis Widmer which I wasn't too pleased about, I finished it and that's about it, there are so many better toners out there

• Clarins Water Comfort One Step Cleanser: I mainly bought this cleanser to use when I sleep over or don't feel like cleansing too much (after going out or something) and I found it working great, but nothing spectacular again

• Batiste Blush dry shampoo: I cannot live without dry shampoo, HG, forever!

A lot of favourite products this time, that you will see repurchased! I am yet again proud of myself to have finished this much *happy dance*!

When you love to shop online the amount of stores you buy from only seem to go up, finding another one and another one and another one (leaving you actually with way too many newsletters)! So it's quite logic you order more from certain shops than others, depending on brands etc... I hadn't ordered from beautyexpert in a while - read: months - so when I got  an 'we miss you'-discount code for 20% off I didn't hesitate and placed quite a large order...
First up: a GHD styling brush: this is size 3, the large one, with natural bristles. I've been meaning to get a decent brush for blowdrying my hair and read a few good things about this brand. But their brushes aren't the cheapest and hardly ever are on discount, so with 20% off I just had to try this (so far, I'm loving it!).
HG Tweezerman browmousse, yet another copy to put in my back-up-stable. From Peter Thomas Roth, a mineral powder with SPF 30: I bought this 2years ago and really liked it, but for some reason I cannot find it anywhere... I know I hadn't finished it, but where could it be? I should do a review on this one, it's good stuff! Also a little something for my lips: Pai bergamot lip balm, not too expensive but I felt like I needed it!
And to finish it: Becca's Lost Weekend palette. I initially wanted to get it, but didn't because of its price tag but now with a discount code applied it looked appealing and it was still in stock so I splurged and got it...

Great hauling, ohh, I love shopping!

And here is the last one of my Louis-Widmer-skincare-try-outs. The previous one, being a toner, wasn't really succesfull neither recommendable. But, since this serum regularly gets decent reviews I had high hopes for it... Cute pink packaging ahead, be warned*
Ok, so I don't have any wrinkles yet, but I do have a case of fine lines appearing here and there... making a serum very useful. Since I have dry skin I'm all about letting my skin arrange its moisture, plus who doesn't want soft and supple skin? And this product puts down a few nice claims I really want it to achieve. The packaging is heavy, made of glass, looking all luxurious... It has a pump, which is good, and it gives a nice amount.
The product is a gel with no particular scent. I use this dot for my entire face, as it spreads easily. It's not particular moisturizing, I don't find it adding anything when used on its own. You definitely need a moisturizer afterwards (it's not one of those serums that can be used as a moisturizer if you have more oily skin). I was able to use it for 2 months, when applied morning & evening. Sadly I didn't notice it doing anything positive... it didn't do anything negative either. Strange, not? My fine lines or irregularities weren't erased. It made no difference in my skin at all or make my moisturizer more effective. I've tried other "so-called-ageing-serums" before and liked some of them, so the you-re-not-old-enough-crap doesn't work!
Bottom line, I will not repurchase...

A few weeks ago I posted a few cases for my soon-to-be phone -which came in last week yay- and this weekend I got a case (not one from the list though) at a local store that carries Marc Jacobs cases...
Bottom line: I love it (oh, the phone as well off course)!

And so we are reaching the end of the Pai-saga, or at least my saga of getting to know this lovely skincare brand... Pai is definitely amongst one of my favourite brands regarding skin care for sensitive & dry skins (= me & probably a lot of my readers as well), sadly, it comes with a price tag *why, oh, why are things I like so expensive all the time?*... This cleanser is no exception to what I've told in the past!
The packaging is like other Pai products: simple and lovely. This cleanser has an easy-to-use pump that distributes just enough cleanser with only one pump - actually they advice you to use 2-3 pumps but that is way too much. And since this cleanser costs 30euros for its 100ml it's best not to waste any product. Nevertheless, 100ml, with just one pump per cleanse, does last some time. I was able to use it for several months.
This product can be used as a cleanser or a make-up remover. Personally I've mainly used it as a cleanser because I prefer a miccelar solution such as Bioderma to remove my make-up prior to cleansing. Nevertheless, this cleanser is also appropriate for make-up removal and can be used around the eye area. It's perfect for sensitive skin.
This cleanser is a thick creamy one that has a flowery scent, but it isn't overwhelming - just pleasantly present. It spreads easily, but is still very thick - it feels very moisturizing on dry skin and doesn't leave your skin feeling tight afterwards. It never irritated my skin at any point. For me, it cleanses deep enough, but I seldom get break-outs (only a bit of clogging from time to time). Because it is a thick cleanser be sure to get everything off with a warm cloth to prevent clogged pores.
The goods: thick cleanser, good for dry skin, hydrating, doesn't irritate, nice flowery scent, cleanses good, can be used as a make-up remover as well, easy pumpsystem

The bads: pricing at 30euros for 100ml, only available online (through their website or on beautybay)
To sum it up: yes, another Pai product I like - however, another Pai product that I do consider to be very expensive considering the amount you are getting for its price. There are likewise products in brands such as La Roche-Posay, Avène,... that offer the same type of cleanser for less (maybe not as thick as this one, but more or less the same). Will I repurchase this one? Maybe... but I think I will stick to my French brands for cleansers as they never disappoint me and cost about half of this one. Pai is focused on being on organic & natural brand and if this is important to you, give it a go, you will not be disappointed!

I got some new Avon in and off course their newly released summer collection just had to be mine, especially with "a buy one, get one free"-deal I could not resist...
Lovely colours, though I'm not sure about the orange one yet, it may be bit too much but I'll see. I could always use it for some nail art (which is on my list for trying out soon, nearby future, somewhere...).
And for the make-up: their new mascara with a comb (yes, it's a bit weird, therefore I'm eager to try) and also 2 new colours of their Supershock liner, lovely product (I have a few other colours which I reviewed), a dark purple one and a neutral one. Just a couple of things, absolute necessaties - as always!

Ah, French pharmacie brands, yes, here we are again - I do love them with all my heart & I always wind up finding new favourites. Nuxe is a brand from which I've already tried several products in the past and found a few lovely ones worth repurchasing. So when they released their Bio Beauté line as their Organic Cosmetics, I was keen and eager to try it. This is my first purchase from this line, but for sure won't be my last...!

The packaging, like Nuxe's regular line, is really simple. A bit more sophisticated because of the dark red colour. I love that they only offer tubes and/or bottles in their Bio Beauté range (which isn't the case in their regular range, they offer several jars, such a shame). This particular tube contains 30ml and retails for around 20euros - available in several pharmacies / IU-store. I was able to use this tube for about 3 months daily. It's not the easiest brand to find, but it's beginning to be picked up by more stores and is becoming more and more available...
This qualifies as an anti-aging cream, but there isn't much anti-aging about it (like most products who claim so). It's a rich cream, intented for dry & very dry skin. It contains cherry, plum & peach extracts - I do notice a light cherry scent to it, but it isn't overwhelming. I'm actually quite fond of the scent, smells natural and not overly perfumed. If you squeeze the tube gently you get a little dot out of it, off course, you do need more to cover your entire face. I use about 3 times the amount for my face at night (if you have really dry skin I don't think this is moisturizing enough or you need too much in comparison to make it work). It spreads easily and sinks fast into the skin, but is at the same time very moisturizing. It doesn't leave your skin with a greasy film, it just sinks in and leaves a soft, matte canvas. I enjoyed using this cream, especially now with the winter-spring breaking in: my skin is still dry and needs the moisture. It never irritated my sensitive skin, again a big plus. However, a little point of negative, I didn't notice this cream doing anything spectacular to my skin either (but then again, my skin is at the moment quite good at its own). It's a good cream for dry & sensitive skin that works softening & soothing, that's all there is to know.

The goods: nice scent, tube packaging, moisturizing enough for dry skin, can be used by sensitive skin, sinks in fast, leaves skin soft & matte

The bads: brand not easy to find, probably not rich enough for really dry skin, midrange pricing

Overall this product has gotten so many positive points that it's worth repurchasing for me, most products always put me off by their scent or packaging or being irritating and so on.... This is an overall moisturizer, that I can use at any time and that alone is good enough. If you have dry & sensitive skin, and having a hard time finding a decent moisturizer, try this one.