Beauty goals for 2016 - update 1

So here is an update on all the items I included in my beauty goals for 2016, after about three months use:

the first five products

I finished the Aerie roll on eau de toilette in Sheer - it took over two months to finhish 1/3 of a 7,5 ml bottle. Glad that got used up before it turned bad.

The elf blush in mellow mauve I have owned for almost 3 years now, and used it on a daily basis probably for over a year and a half. Which is a crazy long time for a blush to last it was in total 4,75 grams. The rest of it fell into the sink today, and I was so tired of it I made no attempt to save it from being washed into the ocean. What was left was probably 2-3 months worth of every day use of this blush, which would have made it last for almost 2 years of everyday ware. So when I buy blush in the future now I know how long it will last according to the weight, but then it also depends on the pigmentation on how much you want to use each time.
I made a small progress on the Lancome le crayon kohl noir even though I have used it almost every day since the end of January. I do not understand how girls go so fast through these pencils - but I do not sharpen it every day.
I use the depotted Clinique chubby stick in whole lotta honey every day in the morning as it needs to be applied with a pencil, which makes it very unhandy to put in your purse. So a slow progress is being made on this one.
The Boots no 7 eyeshadow (depotted from a trio - a pinky purple shade) I use every day in my crease, on my lid I use a light pink shimmery shade. I can see quite the process on this one, but the shadow was a bit thinner in the area where the pan is showing compared to what is left of it in the pan.
The elf mineral eyeshadow primer in sheer is on it's last leg, the formula has become quite dry and will only be used a few more times. The Garnier roll-on anti-dark circles in 02 is still going strong and seems to be bottom-less. I have to leave the product upside-down though to be able to get any product out, but it does never seem to be close to empty.

Victorias secret very sexy sheer sexy mist

On the Victoria's secret very sexy sheer sexy mist I have made some progress on this 75 ml bottle, last time the product reached between the X and Y letters in SEXY - now it is about one letter below that - which I will mark with a pen right now!
One product I have used the least is the Revlon moisture stay lip tint in sheer spice 07, I used about 4 times, or untill I could not apply it straight from the bullet. Will finish the chubby stick before depotting this one into the same box the chubby stick is in right now.

I threw the Guerlain Terracotta lip gloss in Terre d'or out of the project as it had started to seperate and smell like plastic. I replaced it wit two lip glosses one of them is the Burt's bees lipgloss in 203 Autumn haze, since I started using it in the end of January, brand new, I have already finished about 1/3 of the product as you can see on the colour line. This is a very thick gloss, so I actually had to let the bottle sit in the sun to try to warm the product up to see the progress I made. The other gloss is almost brand new: Dior Addict gloss in 643 Diablotine - so the one I finish first the half of - I will consider done with the Guerlain gloss, as it was only half left of it.

What this goal has taught me so far it that it takes forever to finish a blush, and it is such a pain to try to finish one, so I will try not to have more in my collection than 2-3, and will not put one in a "project pan" ever again.

Lipglosses are easier to finish than I thought, you just have to keep it in your purse and apply at least 3 times a day to see some progress.

Discontinued products due to perioral dermatitis

So after some contemplating about this skin condition I have and reading online about chemicals in products I decided to stop using these products due to my perioral dermatitis:

I have stopped using these products

So the products are:

Nivea daily essentials purifying washing gel: it contains SLS in it so I have stopped using this. I tried to turn it into a hand soap, and omg how dry my hands became after only one wash so I can not imagine I ever put this on my face. I threw it away.

Lumene Vitamine C+ age defying arctic cloudberry balancing day cream: I stopped using this mainly because the cream states to be anti-aging, and that can aggravate perioral dermatitis, and when I got my first outbreak of perioral dermatitis, I had just started to use this cream. Third and final reason I am not using it anymore is the texture, it is very liquity, so I even wonder if it is old and the formula has been damaged in some way. In the trash it went.

Maybelline Dream Fresh BB: this I was using last summer, the tube is over 2 years old, and as the outbreak of perioral dermatitis started after the summer it made me wonder if this was one of the causes. So this went to the trash.

Korres white tea cleansing foam: this contains SLS, and as many say that is bad for perioral dermatitis so I gave it to a friend.

Guerlain Terracotta lip gloss in Terre d'or: I stopped using this (even though I had put in a project pan) as it had started to smell like plastic, and the product had seperated, and was one of the product I used a lot during the summer, just before my flare up. So I threw it in the trash.

Neutrogena visably clear pink grapefruit daily scrub: I am so sad that this product contains SLS, so I have stopped using it.

Sadly the perioral dermatitis has not  100% gone away after I stopped using these products, but I for sure now have a super sensitive skin, and might even think it started because of sun screen (which can also aggetate perioral dermatitis). So I have to be super selective when I choose products which I intend to use on my face, so I believe these products were not good for me anyway.

Thank you for reading.

Perioral Dermatitis Haul

I took an advantage of when one of my family members went to the US over x-mas and ordered a few things I have found on the internet, that people say have helped them clear up PD (perioral dermatitis).

PD haul

So this is what I ordered and why:

Spectro sensitive skin care cleanser for blemish prone skin fragrance free 200 ml. I saw a video on youtube where a girl got rid of PD using this facial wash

Solaray yeast cleanse tablets. I have seen PD connected to candida yeast infection and videos on youtube where girls manage to clear their skin of PD of taking their diet in the orientation of gluten free and yeast and sugar free.

Shea Moisture African black soap with shea butter for acne prone and troubled skin. I had seen on a few places online that African black soap is supposed to help get rid of eczema, acne and perioral dermatitis. See for example info here. 

So since mid January, after I finished a 2 month anti biotic session, which did get rid of my perioral dermatitis, I since have been free of PD for 1 and a half month (during that time I only used the african black soap, took a lot of vitamin suppliments and used penzim as a facial cream). But now when taking a break from my birth control it started to come again a little bit (little bumps but not so much redness). Next week I will have a blood exam to see if I have some hormonal imbalance, as my dermatologist implied that hormones are most likely the cause of PD (which totally fits with me taking a break from birth control pills and the PD comes out again). In the future I might go and see a nutritional therapist regarding diet, if I have gluten intolorance, or wheat intolorance - which might very well be as I saw a herbalist a few years ago, who said I should not eat any wheat, no sugar, no cola, alcohol, milk products, honey or mushrooms... but that diet is so hard to do - as I felt I could not eat anything.

Empties September - December 2015

I did not finish a lot of products during this time, one of the reasons might be that I have developed a skin condition called perioral dermatitis, which describes itself with a rash around the mouth (and can appear around eyes also). Thus I have been very hesitant to use new facial products, as it started in the beginning of September, when I started using a new facial wash, a new moisturizer and a toner I had not used in over 2 months. It is really hard to cover up, as makeup can make it worse. I have now been on a 2 month antibiotic tablet course, which has made it disappear. But it might come again, so I need to be super careful of what I use on my skin, and have become very skeptical regarding different products, I have not dared to use the moisturizer or the facial wash I had just started when the PD (perioral dermatitis) appeared. So I might do a another post soon on products that I am afraid to use, as they might have been the PD trigger, either due to ingredients or the fact the products I have are turning old.

But here are my empties for Septemer - December 2015:

Empties September-December 2015

John Freida full repair full body conditioner - a good and softening conditioner, but nothing spectacular. Over priced, might buy again when on discount

Lumene bright touch refreshing cleansing foam - super nice facial foam wash

Golden Rose mega volume and length city style mascara - I think this mascara has tiny black fibers in it, it did not bother my eyes, and was super nice and the price in Turkey was great (wish I had bought this type again)

Nivea pure and natural regenerating night care - very nice night cream, my first night cream in fact. Now the bottle comes in plastic which makes me not want to buy it, as it is cheap looking.

Beauty goals for 2016

I was not sure if I should call this post beauty or makeup goals. But as I include a perfume and a body mist - it is more beauty goals.

I have been sticking quite good to a low buy, not an official one though - and when I am abroad travelling or in a duty free it is the most difficult.

With all the free time during my Christmas school break, I have been very active at watching beauty videos on Youtube, and seeing all the holiday palettes, but incredible enough I have not been craving them so bad, but I started to crave a ridiculously expensive eyeshadow from Nars, in fact one of the dual intensity eyeshadows in Himalia... but I can tell you that much I am not willing to buy an single eyeshadow for 29 USD. After that episode, I am currently craving an eyeshadow worth 19 USD from Urban Decay, half baked as a matter of a fact, a cult favorite. Neither Urban Decay or Nars are sold in Iceland, but half baked from UD is available from feelunique and they ship free to Iceland, on everything that is more that 10 GBP (half baked fits that category).

But how on earth could I justify buying a single eyeshadow when I have more than 20 eyeshadows in my collection, and I have only 2 eyes, and don't even bother to put on eyeshadow every day?

That's where the beauty goals for 2016 come in - it is  inspired by the project pan - videos from Youtube (which I love) but with my twist on it. So my goals for 2016 are to finish 10 spesific products, and the reason I choose them is because they are well along to be finished, and just need the extra boost to actually finish them, plus some of them are turning old in my collection, so it would be good to see them used and gone from my "collection".
The incentive, or reward is then when I finish three of the following products (Garnier concealer and elf mineral eyeshadow primer excluded as they are almost finished anyway) I will reward me with the Urban Decay eyeshadow - if I still crave it at the point of finishing these three products.

Status of 4 products

The products are;

Revlon moisture stay lip tint in sheer spice 07 - a super old lip colour I bought on holiday in the US years ago - there is just a little nub left of it. I will try to dig into it also, we will see how I will manage with the Clinique left overs.

elf blush in mellow mauve - more than half of this is finished, so it is time to give it the extra push to finish it completely. Then I can also start a new blush in my stash.

Victoria's secret very sexy sheer sexy mist - a very hevy schent, untill now I have used this as a perfume on holiday, I will try this out as a body mist and try to finish it like that.

Guerlain Terracotta lip gloss in Terre d'or - this is so ancient that it does not have a colour number and the line has been discontinued, so this is probably the first gloss Guerlain did in this type, and comes in a 6 ml bottle. I remember I bought it on a plane and it cost a fortune, so I will try to use the hell out of it. Now almost half of it is gone.

Aerie sheer roll on eau de toilette in Sheer - this used to be a staple in my travel toiletry bag, but on my last holiday I could sense it will soon go bad, so now it is in daily use to finish up.

Lancome le crayon khol noir - this my friend gifted to me for x-mas some years ago, as a part of a eye-makeup remover, and mascara kit. It has dried out a bit, even though it was never super soft. And that is probably why it is taking so long time to finish, as I have been using it consistently to finish it for a year.

Depotted Clinique chubby stick in whole lotta honey - this is what still remains of what I dug out of my chubby stick, now on a mission to use up.

Boots no 7 eyeshadow (depotted from a trio - a pinky purple shade) - this actually broke when I depotted it to put into my Uni-palette and just a little bit of the corner that broke remained salvable, but as this is my only eyeshadow showing pan, and it is making a mess of my uni palette, it needs to be used up.

Garnier roll-on anti-dark circles in 02 - just a tiny bit of this remains, and I remain torn between if I should use it up or save it as it has been discontinued and it is my absolute favorite under eye concealer. Most of the time I skip foundation, and just use this under my eyes - and it looks great.

elf mineral eyeshadow primer in sheer - I have already removed the stopper from this product, I totally love this primer, but it needs to go for the other that is waiting in my stash. 

Remember less is more,

thanks for reading and happy holidays!

Empties July - August 2015

So here are my empties for July and August 2015 - a lot of them are holiday related as I was on a long holiday this summer,

Lavera sunscreen sensitive kids

Sunscreens, mosquito repellent, creams, nail polish and facial wash

Duru perfume shower gel in exotic bamboo

Verdicts:
Lavera sunscreen: will never buy again, it was awful, had to scrubb it off my skin as it made a white layer on top of my skin
Nivea sunscreen spf 30 pocket size: perfect to carry around in your purse when you need to reapply sunscreen on the go - and not too heavy to carry around either.
Off aqua anti mosquito spray: awful, I sprayed it all over my legs and arms and still was bitten many times over by mosquitos - will never buy again
Wet and Wild base coat: a very old one, managed to use a lot of it even though it was thick - perfect as a base coat for toes.
Proderm sunscreen spf 30: a very good moose sunscree (and paraben free)
Body farm pommengranate 24 hour cream: very good - bought a different cream from same company now in Greece.
Summertime anti mosquito spray: not a good one - sprayed all over, still got bitten.
Lumene BB serum
Korres yougurt face mask: an ok facial mask - love the size that it's so small.
Yes to cucumbers after sun shimmering serum; beautiful after sun watery after sun treatment, not too shimmery either.
Clinique facial wash: love it, very gentle and perfect travel size.
Sin Kov anti mosquito spray: the BEST anti mosquito spray I have ever tried, just a few sprits and you get no bites at all - will 100% buy again, when in Turkey (where I bought it)
Duru perfume exotic bamboo shower gel: this was so cheap in the supermarket in Turkey, came in very handy as a hand soap and a shower gel during my travels, and not too strong of a scent either.

Untill next time,
Elin

Greece haul - what made it home

So these are the items I bought in Greece and made it home to Iceland, well except for the body shop serum, that was bought at Arlanda airport Sweden.

Greece beauty haul

Essence stay all day concealer 16 h long lasting in 10 natural beige: paraben free
Korres white tea cleansing foam: had to buy something from Korres while in Greece - and the other cleansing foam I have will soon be finished.
The body shop tea tree oil: I heard that this would be a good thing to put on mosquito bites, as it would calm the skin and disinfect the area - gave it a go, but not sure it worked as I was using so many creams for mosquito bites - and I tend to get really bad ones, and have to take allergy tablets for the worst ones.
The body shop Vitamin C skin boost: I bought this one as I had forgotten I had the Lumene serum on stand-by.
H&M colour essence eye cream eyeshadow in dauphine truffle: not sure if I will keep it or gift it.
Body farm olive oil 24 hour moisturizing cream for all skin types; loved the pommengranate cream from the same company so I got an olive oil cream this time.
Korres eyeshadow in 47 olive green - a beautiful golden green colour - LOVE it
Nails Inc vvb in bamboo white: splurged this one on myself - love the colour.
Essence all about matt fixing compact powder: bought this one on a recomendation from Miss budget Beauty

Thank you for dropping by,