Catch-Up #50

Catch-Up #50

Wow, I just realized that this is the 50th catch-up I wrote. It’s been a while! I hope you all had a great week. I was sick with something terrible that I will never forget. Is it just me, or sick days remind you of how great it feels to be healthy? I did, however, enjoy the 9-10 hour sleep nights and frequent daytime naps. I had forgotten how underrated naps are, but they actually have great health benefits. I might have to make them a regular part of my life again. Onto the beauty stuff…

Empties. Last night I used my last pump of my last back-up bottle of ED4OLO (One Love Organics) Cleansing Oil. It was a sad goodbye because apparently, the formula was recently changed (did you guys try the new formula? I have heard it does not rinse off as easily as the old one). I haven’t had the chance (yet but I will) to contact the company to ask about the change, but I plan on giving another cleansing product a try in the meanwhile. Do you have any recommendations for a cleansing oil/balm/cream that removes makeup very well (just for first cleanse)? I am itching to try the In Fiore Gentle Cleansing Emulsion.

Another empty bottle I collected this week is the Lina Hanson Global Baby Serum (third or fourth bottle of this). My husband used most of this bottle, (I have been going through my scented body serums like this one), but I like using this body serum myself very much. It’s fragrance-free (no essential oils, or any other fragrance is added), which makes it perfect for babies, pregnant women, and sensitive adults. My husband uses it on dry spots like elbows and knees. It’s also perfect for when I get headaches (this past week I had headaches every single day) because I cannot tolerate any type of scent when I am sick. Full review here.

Fragrance-free Vs Unscented. Speaking of fragrances and scents, a lovely reader asked me to explain the difference between fragrance-free and unscented. Fragrance-free means no fragrance is added to the product. No essential oils, no synthetic compounds, nada. Unscented does not mean that a product is free of fragrance, and it may contain fragrance that is meant to mask the scent of the product. Therefore, unscented, may not be fragrance-free, and may be irritating to sensitive skin and noses. I hope this helps.

A few purchases. I finally remembered to order the black shade of the Fior Minerals Organic Eyeliner. As you may remember from previous posts (and as you may hear me talking about in the Youtube video I just uploaded), I received the dark brown eyeliner from Fior Minerals in a Petit Vour box*, and I have been very pleased with it. It is pigmented and long lasting,not many “green” eyeliners are. I will let you know if the black shade called Black Betty is as good as the dark brown one. I also ordered the Mineral Fusion concealer (shade warm) that I have seen several makeup artists using. Will keep you posted about that one as well. I also re-ordered the Yuli Cocoon Elixir (read my review if you need a reminder as to how much I love it).

Youtube. Thank you so much for the nice feedback; I was not expecting such positive feedback (I was expecting more comments like your English sucks). I went ahead and filmed my July/August favorites, which are now live on the channel (you can click here to watch it). If you have any video requests, please leave a comment under the video. So far, I was asked to film my makeup routine, show how I apply the Gressa foundation, do brand-focused videos (showing the best and worst from the brand, I assume), and do a “best of” from my makeup collection (best of lipsticks, best of eyeshadows, etc.). I will definitely film these asap.

Ilia Beauty Fall Launch. Ilia Beauty launched a few new products this week. First off, the Vivid foundation, together with a foundation brush, and a concealer brush. I was very excited about the foundation (especially of the packaging, because it has a pump, which is great for sanitary reasons and for dosage convenience), and almost ordered it, but then I saw that it contains coconut oil and rose hip oil. Nothing against these two oils which have many benefits, but coconut oil can break me out and rose hip oil can be photo-sensitizing. Sure, I have to wear sunscreen 24-7/365, but I would still prefer to avoid rose hip oil in a whole-face product that I use in the daytime. What do you guys think?

They also launched six Silken Shadow Sticks (cream eyeshadows in a stick form), and six Pure Eyeliners. From a brief chat on social media I had the impression that several people were disappointed that the products contained silicones. Personally, I am okay with using some silicones, depending on the product, and I am going to give these Shadow Sticks and eye pencils a try. I will keep you posted.

New Gressa makeup. I received samples of the two new Gressa Lumière fluid blushes*, in the shade Amelia (bright coral) and Elise (vibrant pink). I must say that Gressa keeps impressing me with their unique formulas. The Lumière fluid blushes come in a bottle with a pump (excellent packaging choice), and have a fluid consistency that blends so easily that you really don’t need to be an expert to apply well. They have a dewy finish and a hint of shimmer, which in my opinion is completely wearable. However, I am not sure how they would look on oily skin with enlarged pores (would they emphasize large pores?). On my skin they look luminous and dewy, but I tend to get oily only on my T-zone, so I can use any dewy products on my cheeks with no issues. They also have great pigmentation, and you can go from very sheer to more opaque coverage depending on how much you apply. Only thing I have to note is that while I love that they smell like rosehip oil, I am going to make sure to wear sunscreen underneath for the reason I mentioned in the paragraph about Ilia.

Gressa also recently launched a new lip boost color, called Jolie*, a pretty coral. I really like the lip boost, but they Lumière blushes totally stole the show.

Gressa Lumiere Blush Swatches copyGressa Lip Boost Jolie copy

Have a great (& healthy) week everyone.

*PR Sample

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