January - May haul 2025

So much for sticking to my no buy 2025 - where I gave myself the exception to purchase two items until Black Friday sales in 2025! I caved in three times, as I purchased three items, and that in effect when only just over three months have passed of the year! 

The first purchase was made on my birthday whilst on a work-trip abroad. In came the "birthday" blues - so a trip to Target was just the medicine where I ended up buying myself a elf blush. The other purchases were two different lip balms - one from Refy and the other from Violette Fr. Then some other stuff came into my possession in the form of gifts and purchases, mainly hair-products, a category which I have so far not been wild about. 

Hair towel, mini Guinot products and a hair serum

Sephora gift, samples, and a gifted facemask

Kerastase conditioner and shampoo

Cosrx - The 6 peptide skin booster (30 ml): This was the Utla birthday gift in 2025 - and I was fortunate enough to be close to a Ulta store in my birthday month to pick one up.

Aquis flip - hair drying tool - wove with copper sure: This hair towel I ran into at a Marshalls store in Baltimore. This one is woven with copper which is supposed to be good for the hair. It was on a really nice discount, well turns out the elastic was not very well sown into the base. So I had to sow it up again. But as I have been dealing with hair-loss it is worth giving a go.

Elf - Camo liquid blush - Peach perfect (4 ml): This I got tempted to buy on my birthday in February, wandering around the isles in Target being hit with a wave of the birthday blues. Since I have perhaps used it two or three times, it is a very soft color.

Guinot - Micellaire cleansing water (30 ml): My sister had already gifted me a x-mas calendar containing these Guinot products. But my mom was also gifted this calendar, and she figured she would not use any of them, so she ended up giving me a few of them. 

Kerastase Genesis - Fortifying serum (90 ml): I have been dealing with considerable hair-loss in the last six months or so, and after seeing this being recommended all over social media I decided to grab a bottle during the Sephora sale. It turned out to be hard to find it in store, as I had to visit three different stores in Washington DC to find it in stock. You are supposed to use it every day, in combo with the shampoo and conditioner from the same line. I have not used it like that, but when it is getting closer to a hair-wash day, I put it in the day in before a wash. The smell of this product is nice, but it tends to linger for at least 24 hours. I have also started taking hair-vitamin on a regular basis, and hope I will able to turn this hair-loss around. 

Guinot - Express eye makeup remover (30 ml): This was also re-homed to me from my mom. 

Guinot - Hydra toning lotion (30 ml): The last item I got from my mom. I better start using some of these items, as I have duplicates by now. But they are the perfect size to take to work or on holiday. 

L'occitane - Hand cream - dry skin (30 ml): One of my co-worker who was flying with us on standby, gifted all of the crew small hand-creams. A perfect size for the handbag.

Refy - Tinted lip gloss - Taupe (13 ml): This was a 100% weakness purchase. I had seen this color featured on some social media. And during a layover in Washington I forgot my lip-balm at my hotel room, and instead of me going back to fetch it - I popped into the next Sephora store and bought this one. The color is super soft though - and does hardly show up on my lips at all, I might as well have purchased the clear gloss. But then my lips are quite rosy pigmented. 

Summer Fridays - Lip butter balm - Pink sugar (7 g): This was a part of the Sephora birthday gift for 2025 - so of course I decided to grab the free gift this year.

Summer Fridays - Jet lag mask (15 g): Also a part of the Sephora birthday gift, and have I heard nice things about this mask.

Violette Fr - Bisou Jelly - Bonbon Caramel (2.5 g): This is a brand I have had my eye on for some time, and now it just launched in Sephora. So I got tempted to buy one item in New York. Not sure the color suits me very well, it is described as a warm caramel color, maybe I will just put it aside for a few months as it might be more suitable in the autumn. 

Summer Fridays - Rich cushion cream ultra plumping moisturizer (2 ml): The third and last item in the Sephora birthday gift.

Elemis - Pro-collagen marine cream (2 x 2 ml): This most likely came into my possession at Sephora, as some free samples they give you with purchase. 

Sephora - Green tea eyes mask (6 g): A friend gifted this to me for my birthday.

PS - Two blender sponges: I came across these at the register at Primark, and I decided to give them a try.

Kerastase Genesis - Fortifying anti hair-fall conditioner (200 ml): After I bought the hair serum from the same line, I saw a summer giftbox on a 20% discount in one of the hair salons of Reykjavik, so I decided to splurge and buy the shampoo and conditioner.

Kerastase Genesis - Anti hair-fall fortifying shampoo (200 ml): This was a part of previously mentioned gift set. I have only used it once, so it's too soon to say if it works. I am also taking hair vitamins on the regular, so any improvement will probably be two sided.  

So all in all - quite the fail from a no-buy until Black Friday 2025. I did give myself the exception to purchase two items until that time, well in the period of January - May I have indeed purchased three items, two of them being a lip product. The third; a liquid blush. Ironically when this spring powder blushes are making a serious comeback. And what on earth do I have to do with more lip glosses when I had 14 lip-glosses before and 7 lip balms? Totaling now in 15 lip glosses and 8 lip balms! It usually takes me years to finish one lip-balm or gloss.... 

Something really needs to change! And the only person who has the power to do it, well it's me!

Empties January - December 2020

So this year has really been the year of  testers, as the majority of the products I used up this year are as a matter of a fact testers. 

Empties of 2020

More empties

Empty testers

More empty testers

Gosh - Boombastic macara volume XXL (13 ml): This mascara I got for free, for returning in a used mascara which happened to be an expired Gosh mascara. I love this one, it has a plastic brush and the formula is totally perfect. When I manage to finish the mascara backups I have I would repurchase.

Origins - Drink up 10 minute mask to quench skin's thirst (100 ml): This was a part of my beauty goals for 2019 and 2020. Finally finished.

Bourjois Paris - Happy light luminous serum primer (15 ml): this was also a part of my beauty goals for 2020. A nice primer indeed, but I always struggle to remember to use a primer so not sure I would repurchase.

L'occtane en provence - Overnight reset oil-in-serum (5 ml): This I got as free promotion from L'occitane. The texture was nice, but with only 5 ml, it is hard to say what benefits it has. But it does smell amazing.

Kneipp - Almond face cream (50 ml): I loved this face cream which I bought in a wholesale discount sale. I then saw this brand on the pharmacy shelves in Amsterdam. So I scouted the different pharmacies in town, without success, and after I looked the brand up online, it turned out they now only carry body products. So no wonder why I could not find this face cream.

Harklinikken - Daily conditioner (10 ml): This tester I got as a gift from the company, and did I like the conditioner enough to buy it in full size. 

Bio effect - EGF serum (2 x 3ml): I had accumulated a few of these EGF serums, but as I have a few different serums stashed away, I never manage to stick to one brand. But these I do really like, I just do not like the price point. 

Origins - Ginzing ultra-hydrating energy-boosting cream (5 ml): This is one of the things I got for my birthday. Loved this cream, light and moisturizing. 

Clinique - Blush in fig (1,8 g): This particular blush was a part of my beauty goals for 2018. I depotted it from a small pan which contained both this blush and eyeshadows. And considering the fact it is only 1,8 grams it took me forever to finish it. 

GlamGlow -Bubblesheet oxygenating deep cleanse mask (1 mask): I am not sure my sensitive skin can handle a mask like this one, my skin came out intact but it did indeed irritate my lips, and the edge of my top lip was boarderline swollen after using it. 

Super Goop - CC screen 100% mineral CC cream spf 50 (tester): I originally got this tester in a different bottle, but as that bottle cracked, I dumped it into a Sephora tester jar. Loved this product.

Lancome - Fix it forget it, makeup setting mist (1,5 ml): this I managed to use up the few times I went to work. Good or bad? With 1,5 ml I have no idea. 

Skyn Iceland - Oxygen infusion night cream with glacial flower extract (1,7 g): average cream, nothing miracle, but didn't annoy my skin either.

Skyn Iceland - The antidode cooling day lotion with Icelandic kelp and white willow bark (1,7 g): this was surprisingly cooling. I am not sure I would like to have a whole bottle of this though. 

Belief - The true cream aqua bomb, light gel cream for the face (3 ml): This I received as a gift with purchase at some Sephora visit in 2019. Liked the product, still I prefer cream over gel.

Belief - The true cream moisturizing bomb, rich cream for the face (3 ml): This I did indeed love, and if I would have easy access to the brand I would purchase a full size.

Bio select Dictamelia - 24 hour cream anti aging/moisturizing (2 ml): This I got as a gift with purchase in Greece. The scent was very organic and herbal. I loved the texture, and how it felt on my skin, would love to purchase. 

Sóley - Birta lift and glow, anti aging moisture with Icelandic herbs (5 ml): Really did like this cream on my skin, but not sure I would purchase an anti aging cream, as it might be to strong for my skin. 

Dr. Hauschka - Regenerating body cream (5 ml): I find it a bit funny to get such a small of a tester of a body product. It probably was enough to put on one leg, or two at the most. Not a memorable product. 

Rimmel London - Fresher skin, breathable natural finish foundation - 100 ivory (1,5 ml): I really did like this foundation, and I do believe I have another tester sachet somewhere in my stash. 

Sóley - Eygló, pure organic moisture with evening primerose and wild Icelandic herbs (5 ml): Loved this product, and my skin did really get along with it. 

L'oreal Professional - Force vector, glycocell, reinforcing anti-breakage shampoo for fragile, brittle hair (10 ml): This tester was indeed a big one, and did last for two or three hairwashes. I find shampoo in general to be all the same. Unless they do a terrible  job of cleaning my hair. This shampoo was good, it did the job.

Mythos - Shampoo olive extract + sandalwood (2x 7 ml): This was an average shampoo, did the job. 

John Frieda - Frizz Ease, hair serum, original formula (3,5 ml): Love this product, it does wonders when I put it through my hair, gives a much smoother result. Maybe I should use the spray bottle I have somewhere with this more. The application of a gel through the hair is though still somehow more satisfactory. 

What did you finish this year, any testers?

Birthday gifts

So this year I decided to be a little bit more timely in regards to sharing what I was gifted for my birthday (which was on the 11th of February). I will though not be showing all of my gifts, but only the beauty related ones, which were all gifted to me from a group of my girlfriends.

Bronzer, cream, brushes and a blush

Masks for hair, face and under-eyes

Nyx - California beamin' bronzer - CALIBB02 - The golden one (14 g): A gorgeous glowing bronzer with a golden hue, so the name "the golden one" is quite fitting.

Origins - Ginzing Ultra-hydrating energy-boosting cream (2 x 5 ml): Two super neat face cream testers, perfect for work.

Real techniques - Holiday 2019 - Luminous set (3 brushes + a brush bag): In this set there are three brushes; RT 307 shading brush, RT 402 setting brush and RT 221 complete coverage, as well as containing a small brush bag that these three brushes fit easily into. Love this set, already have the RT 402 in a different version, and love to get a second one, even better that it looks different, so I can use it for different products or colors than my original one.

Nyx - Sweet cheecks glow - creamy powder blush - SCCPBG12 - Day dream (5 g): A coral pink bush shade with subtle shimmer, super excited to try this one.

L'oréal Paris Elvital - Steam mask - for long damaged hair (20 ml): This will be perfect when my hair starts drying out and going on a tantrum!
Origins - Drink up intensive - overnight hydrating mask with avocado and gl. water (75 ml): A great replacement for my old Origins drink up 10 minute mask, that is a part of my beauty goals for 2020.

Garnier skinactive - moisture bomb eye tissue mask enhanced with orange juice and hyaluronic acid (6 g): This is supposed to give a skin cooling effect and visibly reduce eye bags and brighten the eye contours! Love me a good under-eye mask.

Garnier skinactive - Hyaluron shot fresh-mix tissue mask (33 g): Omg how interesting, on the packaging it actually states that this sheet mask contains the quantity of 1 bottle of serum for your skin!! That is an insane amount of serum for it to be a single use product! I might actually package this back together, put in the fridge and use again, the morning after I use it for the first time! If even all of the 33 g manage to soak into the sheet mask in the first place. 

Anything here on your wish-list?

Beauty goals for 2019 - Four month update

So how are my beauty goals for 2019 going, four months in?

A mark from start until now can be seen on some of the products

Solid perfume and eyeshadow update

The Bourjois shadow profile

So four months in and I have finished two of the ten products I set my goal to finish in 2019:

L'Occitane en provence - Verveine body lotion (250 ml): This product was my "give me product" of this project, as there were only about 60 ml left in the tube, and did I manage to finish this body lotion. It's texture was light and easily absorbed into my skin. But not sure I would repurchase.

Inglot - Bright amber - solid perfume (2,3 g): So glad this item is finished, I loved the scent, but not the "soldid" part, if it would come in a liquid form, I would consider repurchasing.

Measurable progress can be seen on another five products:

Lumene - Bright now vitamin C eye cream (15 ml): At the start of this project I estimated I had 4 ml left of this eye cream, and as I seem to have finished half of the remaining product, I guess I have about 2 ml left and should be able to finish that up in another four months.

Bourjois Paris - Happy light luminous serum primer (15 ml): I am about half way through this product, even thought I have perhaps only used 1,5 ml since I started this project. leaving me about 7,5 ml for the rest of the year. 

Origins - Drink up 10 minute mask to quench skin's thirst (100 ml): I have tried to implement mask Monday to use this product up, with not so much success, but still a bit of progress. 

Avon - Moroccan argan oil (30 ml): I have managed to use a bit of this hair oil, and will continue to use it.

Express - Love Express eau de parfum (10 ml): This item I did not mark, but if I compare it to the previous picture I have made small progress on it.

Non visable progress:

Cover Girl - Ready set gorgeous in the color 115 (30 ml): as this is a non see-through bottle, I have no idea how I am doing on this product, but at the start I had about 2/3 left, or about 20 ml.

Maybelline - Color tattoo 24hr - gel cream eyeshadow - 35 on and on bronze: The original mission of this product was to hit side-pan, but when I started to use the eyeshadow it was a bit dried out, so I needed to stir it all up into one spot. New goal? use it two times a month from now on? The only progress so far has been using up the stir-marks in the empty spaces.

Bourjois Paris - Smokey eyes trio - 09 Lady vert de gris (4,5 g): My goal for 2019 was to hit pan on the eyeshadow without pan in this trio. And I do believe I have made some progress on it, and is probably the most used eyeshadow in my entire collection in the time that has passed this year. 

How is your project going?

X-mas and birthday gifts

It is about time that I summarize up what I got for X-mas and for my birthday, which was on the 11th of February.

Nyx Ultimate shadow palette - warm neutrals, Chanel Soleil tan de Chanel - bronze universel 

and GlamGlow - waterburst hydrated glow moisturizer

GlamGlow - bubblesheet mask and Nyx - born to glow highlight palette

Morphe x James Charles 

Escada - Especially Escada delicate notes

Inika - truly organic - Pure rosehip oil

Nyx - Ultimate shadow palette in warm neutrals (13,28 g): a friend gave me this palette, which was something I had been contemplating buying for myself for months as I did not own any warm color eyeshadows prior. I am still having a learning curve in how to do my eye-makeup with warm colors, but it has a bunch of options that goes from neutral to dramatic, casual to events.

Chanel - Soleil tan de Chanel in bronze universel (30 g): another friend gave me this all so hyped bronzer for my birthday, something that was in deed on my wish-list. And in deed it is a lovely product.

GlamGlow - Waterburst hydrated glow moisturizer (15 ml): I got this with the bubblesheet mask for X-mas, and am I super excited to give this brand a try as I have not tried any of their products (apart from getting a free mini-spa mask treatment at the mall during a promotion).

GlamGlow - Bubblesheet oxygenating deep cleanse mask (1 mask): I am also super excited to try this mask out, as the brand is mainly known for their masks. 

Nyx - Born to glow highlighting palette (28,8 g): a beautiful highlighter palette my friend gifted to me over the holidays 2018. Slowly but surely becoming my favorite.
Morphe - The James Charles palette (75,7 g): my nephew was so kind to give me my favorite item for my birthday, a makeup item! And is this as a matter of a fact my first colorful eyeshadow palette, and my first Morphe product ever. So I am super excited to give it a try, and am in no doubt I can create a myriad of looks with it.
Escada - Especially Escada delicate notes (50 ml): I was gifted this scent from my parents for x-mas 2018. The scent is described as airy, fresh rose and grapefruit scent on Fragrantica.com
Inika - truly organic - Pure rosehip oil (15 ml): my mom gave me this oil for my birthday, but I had put it on a wish-list, as I heard rosehip oil is supposed to be really good for perioral dermatitis. So I am super excited to give it a try.

What is new in your "collection"?

On a sample roll

I guess you could say I am on a sample roll at the moment, as I have been taking advantage of the fact that you can get a free sample of almost any item they offer at Sephora. Which is perfect for my sensitive skin which does not seem to tolerate any given product. So it is perfect to be able to test it before purchasing.

Sephora samples

 Samples and a blush

Beauty on the fly bag  - picture borrowed from Sephora.com

Sephora mask and Skyn Iceland eye mask

I would highly recommend to anyone to get a sample of the product you want to try out in Sephora, as one of these little pots lasts for several applications, so you can get a real feel for the product. And these were the three products I was keen to try:

It cosmetics - Your skin but better CC+ cream with SPF 50+ (fair);  This one at first try I really thought would not suit my perioral dermatitis-prone skin. As I got a few bums around my mouth after the fist application, but the trick with this one is to apply a thin layer. The first try I applied way to thick of a layer as I did't know the pigmentation would be so great. This I love to apply with a beauty blender, and it is quite likely that I would like to buy this in the future, as it has a high SPF factor, given that I probably do not apply it thickly enough to get the full effect of the 50+ SPF, but it might get to a 25 or 30 with how I apply the product. Full info here.

BareMinerals - Complexion rescue tinted moisturizer (opal); I used to LOVE the Garnier miracle cream, which was a light tinted face cream with SPF 20. I think that this might be something light and similar to that one, or I could use it as a base for other foundations which do not contain SPF. Full info here. 

Drunk Elephant - Umbra tinte physical daily defense broad spectrum sunscreen SPF 30; this I thought could be a perfect first step, including SPF, before applying a foundation which does not include an SPF, which I have in my arsenal. I also have a foundation which has only an SPF 15 so this could be the perfect base. Full info here. Have yet not tried it.

Benefit - Hervana blush (7 gr); I was missing a light pink blush in "my collection" and had really wanted to try one of the Benefit box powders, so I stumbled upon this particular blush in the Benefit store in Boston, where I had my brows done as well. I would have preferred to buy it in Sephora, and get points for my purchase, but as Sephora does not carry this color anymore, I opted to buy it in a Benefit store. And I love the color, a perfect everyday color, which is the type of a color I tend to get the most use out of. 

Madara - Anti polution CC cream SPF 15 (light beige and medium beige) (2 x 2ml); I can't even remember where I heard about this product for the first time. But I was lucky enough to grab a sample in a store in Reykjavik, and got both shades as me and the sales associate could not figure out which color would suit me better. But I figured that this might suit the same purpose as the Drunk Elephant umbra tinte spf sunscreen, to be used underneath a foundation which does not contain any spf. Full info here.

Sephora - Beauty on the fly bag; I grabbed this one in Sephora as I needed a small bag under my liquid products I keep in my cabin bag on the regular (a micellar water and toner). So I opted for this bag.

Sephora - Ultra moisturizing and brightening Rose face mask: I got this as a sample with my purchase when I got the Sephora Beauty on the fly bag. A pretty good deal here to get a mask worth 6 USD with a beauty bag for 4.95 USD. Full info here. 

Skyn Iceland - Hydro cool firming eye gels with hexapeptide technology (3,2 gr - one pair); One of my co-workers swears by this, so much he gave all of the members of our crew a pair of these. It is supposed to firm and de-puff in 10 minutes, and it is recommended to use this treatment once a week. Full info here. 

Have you tried out any of these?

USA haul continues

So here are come a few more items I picked up in the last few stop-overs in the States

Sigma brushes and nail polishes

Strengthening nail polish, hand creams and a makeup remover

Face mask

Sigma - Eye shading E55: This is exactly what I was looking for when I bought the Elf eye shadow brush, which turned out to be very different from the one I had previously from Elf. But the Sigma brush is beautiful, picks up eye shadow beautifully and deposits it on they eye perfectly.

Sigma - Blending E25: I was also on the hunt for a blending brush, as I wanted to have the most essential brushes in my makeup bag ready to go, and another set in my bathroom where I always do my makeup. And this brush was do disappointment either, blends product beautifully in the crease.

Sally Hansen Color therapy - 200 Powder room (14,7 ml): I was looking for a dupe for the Wet and Wild polish in 442A, that I decided to finish up this year and is a part of my beauty goals for 2018. This is a bit lighter than the Wet and Wild but pretty close.

Essie - Tea and crumpets (13,5 ml): I got this one first thinking it was a dupe for my Wet and Wild in 442A, but this is more pink than the Wet and Wild one, which is more of a peach nude.

Nailtiques - Formula 2 (7 ml) (12,99 $ + tax @CVS): One of the senior stewardesses on one of my flights recommended this polish for peeling nails, and said this was the only thing that worked for her nails which had the same peeling problem. And as The opi nail envy does not seem to be doing any miracles on my nails I decided to pick this one up and give it a try.

Kiko - intensive hand cream (60 ml): I thought I was running out of hand creams at home so I decided to pick this one up as it has a pleasant and a nice scent and seemed very soothing on my hands when I tried it out in store.

Lancome - Bi-Facil double action eye makeup remover (200 ml) (40 $ + tax @Sephora): I am running out of a good eye makeup remover, and as Lancome Bi-Facil has never failed me before I decided to pick it up in Sephora.

Nature Republic - Lime hand cream (30 ml) (8,90 $ + tax for 2 @Nature Republic): I ran into this cute little store in NYC where they were selling these Korean cosmetics, and body products. And did the hand creams just suck me in as there were scented with very different scents from the average hand cream.

Nature Republic - Avacado hand cream (30 ml): as there was an offer 2 for 8,9 $ this was the second one I chose.

Nature Republic - Real nature hydrogel mask with aloe vera (22 g): There were several different masks to choose from, but I decided to pick this one up as many of the cabin crew tend to burn in Boston, and as that is my next stop I decided to pick this one up, just in case.


So now less than one month after my latest "haul" I have managed to buy three more items from my quota for the year of 2018, three more nail polishes. So now I have gotten up to 15 out of 18 of the quota for 2018. But given that nail-polish is something I have to wear for work, it is not the absolute worst spending of my quota.