Behind the Mirror: Empties

My Dear Readers,

I think it is about time I presented to you some of the products I finished since I posted my last finished products post. It has been a very long time and for some products I don't have the packages anymore, because I had to get rid of them when I moved.
This is why the first products I will talk about don't have photos.

Goldwell Dualsenses Green Pure Repair 60 sec treatment
I haven't been using any conditioner in more than 1 year, because I was using this product. I got the big bottle (1.500 ml) in December 2011 and it lasted until about February 2013 - so yes, more than 1 year. I loved it because it was all natural, it had goji berries, argan oil and shea butter extracts an no parabens, no silicones and it smelled divine. This is a hair mask, which should be used for damaged hair. My hair felt smooth, flexible and very silky by using this. I managed to grow it very long. When I used this hair treatment after henna, my hair felt amazing. I used it 2 times a week and during all this time, I did not use it entirely alone.
I recommend it to everybody who wants to have naturally beautiful hair. It really works.

elemental Mayam Apricot oil
I used this oil on its own to massage it into my neck and necklace areas in the evenings before I went to sleep, after I did my cleansing routine - being a rather heavy oil for my taste - compared to castor oil it is light - and entering slower into the skin I could not use it during the day. I wasn't very happy with the scent of this oil, but I liked the results of using it. The skin was brightened and looked much better - it is great for sensitive skin, because it calms it down and keeps it hydrated. I also used this oil in a combination with other oils (Aloe, Macadamia Nut, Tea Tree, Raspberry seed oil) when I was on the sea side, to help regenerate and calm down my skin after being to the beach.
It is an oil that can be used mostly on all skin types (in massages, for its illuminating effects), but if you have an oily skin I would not use it during the day and if it is acne prone, I would not use it more than 2-3 times a week.

Balea Med Creme-Öl Körperlotion
I got this body lotion last winter, when it was really cold and I got a horrible cold allergy. I used products from Balea Med before this one. Especially the products for highly sensitive skin (which have no smell and no parabens and have helped me with this allergy), but I wanted a bigger bottle than the one available for the highly sensitive skin products - this one was 400 ml. I got this and was not at all disappointed. The product even thought it has a thick consistency, it is almost immediately very well absorbed by the skin. The skin was hydrated in a way in which only the body oils I made did, without the oily sensations.
In the summer however I don't think I'll use this product, because it is somewhat too thick.

Alverde Deo mit Acerolakirsche
It has a 24h lasting effect and smells divine. I got this because it leaves no marks on the skin and has no aluminium  I recently purchased it again. I recommend it, but in the high summer, I think this product needs to be reapplied during the day.

Alverde Feuchtigkeitslotion Quitte und Brombeere
I got this product with the idea in mind, that it will be good for the winter time. Unfortunately I got a very bad allergy to the cold and had to switch to non-scented products, because it irritated my skin very much due to the smell. Even though it is an all natural product, my skin was that affected by the cold that no perfume (natural or not) was tolerated.
Once the cold was over I could use this product normally and I really enjoyed it's perfume without being affected by it. It has a light texture and it was very well absorbed by the skin, however not as hydrating as I would have wished.

Vichy Normaderm Solution Mincellaire
This is a product I bought last summer, shortly before my horrible acne breakout and which I haven't used since. I wanted to use it at the gym to remove the make-up before I worked out. I must admit I did not like this product very much, mainly because it dried my skin pretty badly. I decided to finish this product so I started using it again until I finished it, but I did not find it especially good. I did not see a big improvement on clearing or soothing my skin - I used it on a cotton pad to remove the first make-up layer, before using a face gel to deeply cleanse the skin.

La Roche-Posay Effaclar Gel Moussant
I got this 400 ml bottle shortly before last Christmas and I used it up just at the beginning of April. I must admit I got completely hooked by this product - no wonder since it has citric acid (which helps gently exfoliate the skin) and zinc (which helps restore the skin tissue and heal the skin marks). It cleanses my skin without drying and it also keeps it from getting too fat. I think this is the best face wash I ever used and I highly recommend it to all those who have sensitive acne prone skin.
When I started using this product, in December my skin was starting to heal from the acne outbreak, but it was very dried out because of the treatment I received from the doctor. This gel helped by not over-drying and also by preventing the appearance of other blemishes. I also like the package it comes with and that it is really good value for money in this 400 ml size. I already got a new bottle.

astellas Zineryt
This is one of the products I received from my doctor to help cure the acne blemishes. It contains erythromycin (an antibiotic which helps cure a large range of bacteria) and zinc acetate (which helps hydrate and restore the affected tissue) as active ingredients. However the whole mixture is in alcohol and after about 5 weeks the product loses its effectiveness.
It did its job in a decent way, however I got to use a better product along the way. In any case this product is used during the day after cleansing the face, as a toner and before the make-up. During the colder months it is recommended to use a hydrating cream above it and in the summer a cream with SPF (30 or above).
Is you feel you need to use this product, ask your dermatologist first, because it is medicine.

Alcon Opti-Free Replenish
This is another bottle of the lenses solution I have used up. More details, on this can be found in this post.

Bourjois Volume Glamour Ultra Curl
I think this is the 4th one of these rimmels I have used up. I still love it, the only thing that bugs me with it, is that they added a perfume to this product. This disappointed me, because I do not like all things scented and especially not on the eyes, because I wear lenses and they are pretty sensitive. Otherwise it still does its job, but I am wondering, if I should not look for something non-scented, in order to prevent a possible allergy. Do you have a suggestion for a non scented rimmel that gives volume and curl to your lashes?
You can also find a blog post on this product here.

M.A.C. Blot Powder/ Pressed
This is my first ever M.A.C. product I used up. It lasted me for about 1 year and I loved it all the way. I had the color "Medium". It was a really good product for my oily skin (as its name, it blotted the skin) and it is very translucent, so it blended very well with all the foundations I used. I would most likely get this product again.
When I got this product at the M.A.C. counter, the lady was very nice and she was very helpful and supportive. It made me go again to the M.A.C. shop when I needed a new powder an later when I needed a foundation and concealer, but more on this to come.

La Roche-Posay Anthelios AC, SPF 30
It took me a year to finish this product, mainly because I started using it when I got the acne breakout and then had to switch to a 50 SPF and I had to abandon this product. I started using it again ever since the sun started burning on the sky again this spring and I finished it out. Another blog post on this product, you can find here.

What are your empties?
Smile, it is good for the skin!
Alex.

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Behind the Mirror: EMPTIES

Here is a list of the products I have been using in the last months. Feel free to comment back or ask questions, if you need more info. Enjoy!

TRIACNÉAL by Avène

This cream helps healing blemishes and treating spots, it also prevents the appearance of scars. The active ingredients in this cream are glycolic acid (helps eliminating the blemished through its peeling effect), retinaldehyde (limits the appearance of new eruptions and that of scars) and Efectiose®.

This product should be applied only of perfectly cleansed and dried skin and only on the blemish, not the entire face. I used it over Cleanance K from Avène on the blemishes. I really liked this product because it helped with the healing of the blemishes and also did not irritate the skin. I will definitely use it again.

SÉBIUM Gel Moussant by BIODERMA

I used this product before and I got along pretty well with it. Even though starting to use Avène’s Cleanance gel immediately after might speak against my previous statement. J

It has a lighter consistency than the Avène one and the bottle is bigger and lasts longer, so the pay-out is much better. But I did not get along very well with it, my skin literally exploded (also due to other causes, but it did not exfoliate as good as the Avène one – it does not contain lactic acid – so it had its own contribution to the overall boom! effect) and it dried the skin pretty badly.

On the other hand as all Bioderma products it contains Rhamnose (you can check here more info about Rhamnose).

SUN Invisible Protection SPF 30 from NIVEA

I liked this product because it did not leave traces on the skin and because it was absorbed pretty fast. However it was greasy on my skin and the smell made me queasy (yes, that nasty smell-problem of mine shows its ugly head again).

From the Sun Protection point of view I got along very well with it in the May, June months before the sun started to really burn. You should know that my skin is very fair and that I use sun protection from May until the sun decides to stop burning, because living in Bucharest in the summer you can get sunburned very fast and easy otherwise.

Photoderm Kid 50+ from BIODERMA

From June until August I used this product. I know it says it is for Kids, but it also says “Very High Protection Delicate Skin”. It had no fragrance and we got along very well, the only downside (with which I learned to live) was that it did leave some white traces, but massaging the product in the skin left no white traces.

Since the sun burned horribly from July until August in Bucharest and this product kept me from getting toasted, I think it was a very good product.

Sensibio H2O from BIODERMA

I wrote about this product before here, what I wanted to add is that I started keeping the product in the fridge and using it cold to remove the eye make-up in the evening. This helped relax the eyes and reduce the swollen feel after one day in the heat & sun.

Ultra-Sensitive Body Lotion from ALVERDE

This is recommended for very sensitive skin, all its ingredients are obtained from Biological cultures. It contains Jojoba and Shea butter, its consistency is very light and very fast absorbing. However I would have expected more hydration from the main ingredients  Otherwise it was very good in calming the skin after walking in the sun in the hot Bucharest summer.

Cellulite Shower Gel from BALEA

I am not one of those cellulite obsessed girls, I like using shower gels that claim to reduce the cellulite because they help keep the skin elastic. They contain caffeine and other ingredients that claim to reduce the cellulite. I use them with a massaging brush and as a body scrub. Since I started using them for this purpose the skin is much elastic and clean.

And coming to cellulite, I think I am one of those blessed girls that don’t over-obsess about this and don’t have also a visible problem with it.

Apricot Shower Gel by YVES ROCHER

I fell in love with the smell of this shower gel! I like the shower gels from “Les Plaisirs Nature” product range. They are perfect for summer days – they hydrate and refresh the skin. They fragrances reinvigorate my senses after one long day. So I definitely recommend one of these, if you want to pamper yourself.

Shea Butter Shower Gel from ELMIPLANT

I love this shower gel! It is the only shower gel I used that keeps my very dry and sensitive skin hydrated and happy! I used it in the Summer when I went to the beach, I use it now, when it’s colder outside and it is my go-to shower gel. It smells very fresh and natural and the skin feels happy! No more cracks (yes, you read correctly – cracks, that’s how dry my skin is and feels sometimes) and no more burns after hair removal processes. If you can find it, get it! Another thing I like about this shower gel is that it has no Parabens and Silicones.

On the other hand the Shea Butter is perfect for restoring damaged tissue and it also has a natural SPF of about 6. It also fights against free radicals.

Cellufight Exfoliating Shower Cream by ELMIPLANT

I used this up and got another one mainly because of the way it smelled and because it did not irritate my skin. like I mentioned above, I use these sort of shower gels mainly for body scrub purposes and not for their cellulite fighting abilities.

This one has caffeine, Crushed olive stones, guarana and Vitamin E (a very powerful natural antioxidant).

Lavender Floral Water from MAYAM
I got this product because Lavender is very good to care for oily acne prone skin and because I never used a floral water until now and wanted to see how it felt. But I hated the smell of Lavender all the way, it made me slightly queasy. It has calming, regenerating and purifying effects, also it is antimicrobial and antiseptic.
I used it sprayed directly on the face and mixed with clay for face masks.

Smile, it is good for the skin!
Alex.

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Behind the Mirror: May Empties

With some delay, here is my May empties products blog post.

PLEASE NOTE: I am not a dermatologist, the information I wrote is based strictly on my own research, my doctor's recommendations and my experience whith these products. Because I haven't found any such information when I researched these products a while ago, I decided I should put it all together, in case anyone else needs it like I did. If you are not sure these products might be good for you, please consult your doctor.

Avène Cleanance Gel Soapless Cleanser

I have been using this cleansing gel for more than a year now and we got along very well. Mainly because I have very sensitive skin prone to acne this was the only product I could use without aggravating the skin even more. I used it in the mornings and in the evenings. It cleansed the skin of all the impurities and make-up. When it comes to my face cleansing routine, I am very careful and thorough. I never go to bed without washing my face and applying an exfoliating or acne-treatment cream. Otherwise all hell breaks loose.
However I am happy I finished this cleansing gel, because I needed to change it for something more potent in the fight against acne. This gel was perfect during the winter time, when my skin was prone to dehydration as well, because it doesn’t leave the skin feeling too dry. On the warmer months however I need something that cleanses the pores more deeply.
It contains Avène thermal water (very soothing for sensitive skin, but more on that below), lactic acid (helps exfoliating the skin and thus cleansing it thoroughly), zinc gluconate (important ingredient for acne prone skin, that helps healing and activates the natural defense mechanism of the skin) and cucurbita pepo (pumpkin) seed oil (due to its high content of fatty acids and vitamin E it neutralizes the free radicals and enhances the capacity of the immune system of the skin to cure the various problems like wounds, acne scarring, rosacea, stretch marks etc).

Avène Cleanance K Cream-gel

For the same reasons mentioned above, I also used the hydrating exfoliating gel from Avène’s Cleanance range for sensitive acne prone skin. I used it at night, after I thoroughly cleansed my skin to exfoliate and remove black heads. Because it contains Avène thermal water its formulation is kind to the skin, because the AHA and BHA active ingredients are very damaging for the skin. AHA (alpha hydroxy acids) and BHA (beta hydroxy acids) are the acids that actually do the exfoliating of the dead and damaged skin cells and help heal the scarring - process which is known as chemical peel. Also because of these ingredients this cream needs to be used only at night, if the sunlight falls on the skin after you’ve applied a cream with these ingredients you might get highly sunburned – these ingredients make the skin more sensitive to the sun. Another reason why you should use SPF creams during the day (regardless of the season) if you have acne prone skin. Also due to their rejuvenating properties, these acids can be found in anti-ageing creams.
I have been using this cream for more than 1 year now. I used a tube up every 3-4 months. I could use it during the winter season, without getting my skin dry and dehydrated. The skin looked good and exfoliated. However I stopped using it after this tube was finished, because I got a very bad acne outburst and needed something stronger and lighter due to the warmer season.

Avène Thermal Spring Water

Like I mentioned in my blog post on the April Empties, I use Avène Thermal Spring Water because it keeps my skin from drying when I use brevoxyl on the acne that appears on my back. I also use this water on my face and whenever I need to refresh myself and my make-up (I try to do that at least once a day, half way through the day) and before and after exercising in the gym. I found it keeps the pores from clogging with sweat and make-up and prevents acne to form itself.

I spray it also on my boyfriend’s face in the evenings, so that it can counteract with the free radicals and soothe any sun and razor burns. He hates using any cosmetic product, except this one.

Looking at the ingredients its soothing and refreshing effects are more than clear, for ex: it contains zinc (of which I spoke above). 

Bioderman Sensibio H2O

Everybody has an intense relationship with this product. Some love it, other hate it with the same passion. After seeing Lisa Eldridge’s comments on this product, I decided to test it for myself some time ago. This is the 4^th bottle I used-up, so I think this product and I are for a long lasting relationship.

I must admit that I use it for objective reasons – it is a make-up remover for both eyes and skin without hurting my eyes and my skin (both being as I mentioned before sensitive). I cannot say this for the other products I used to remove the make-up from the eyes and face (like, for ex: the Vichy mincellar make-up remover, all of Nivea’s eye make-up removers, eye make-up removers from farmec, elmiplant and herbagen).
Because a product speaks to me only if the ingredients make sense, I took a peek at the ingredients list. Besides being a mincellar solution, it must have some other goodies, I thought to myself. It has Rhamnose and cucumber extract. Rhamnose is the new miracle ingredient that keeps the skin from ageing by stimulating the skin cells to produce natural collagen. It is being extracted from the Uncaria flower, also known as the cat claw. I found more details on Rhamnose on the Daily Telegraph. Cucumber is known to everyone, that it refreshes and purifies the skin, helps with dark circles around the eyes. So it is a perfect product in my book.
I will get it again, because this product and I have a good thing going.

Vichy Dercos Anti-Dandruff Treatment Shampoo

It seems that my sensitive oily skin sometimes gets dandruff and as a result of this combination my hair tends to fall. For this reason my dermatologist recommended me this shampoo. I use it for more than a year now and we get along very well.

I don’t wash my hair daily, because it is very long and the skin is very sensitive, so I use it twice a week. It helped me get over the hair loss, the oiliness and the dandruff. Its active ingredient is selenium disulfide.

I must admit, that I tried another shampoo, but returned to this one, because it is the only thing that works for me. The overall Vichy shampoos are effective. My boyfriend discovered that this statement is correct and uses them as well and his hair looks much better also.

The only down part might be that I use up a bottle in two months and have to get one every two months and this stuff doesn’t come cheap.

OPTI FREE Replenish

This is disinfectant solution for soft lenses. Because I am virtually blind without lenses, I wear them all the time and also in the office. Since in the office the air is conditioned and my skin is like I mentioned before sensitive, I got a mild case of conjunctivitis about a year and a half ago and the doctor changed my prescription for the solution to this one. Ever since I haven’t had another problem with my eyes. They are perfectly safe and healthy.

The only down side of this product is that it has only 300 ml and it lasts a little under two months, which is less than the other lenses solutions do. But nobody said health comes at a low price.

Refresh Eye Drops

Even though I use one of the best lenses out there – Biofinity by Cooper Vision, now and again I get dry eyes (due to the air conditioning in the office and at the gym). When the doctor prescribed me the lenses solution, she also prescribed me these eye drops. A bottle can be used two months after the opening and they counteract dryness and any allergies.

They are not very expensive, can be used more than three times a day over the lenses or not, which for some other drops out there cannot be done.

L-Carnitin and Magnesium Supplements

Because I believe beauty comes from within and if you fell good, you are beautiful, I will talk also about this health supplement I used up. I got this 60 capsules box from dm, more out of curiosity. I know L-Carnitin helps burn out the fat by transporting it to the mitochondria and thus transforming it in energy. Magnesium helps the muscles and the nervous system relax. Because I was going through a pretty hard gym program and needed to burn some fat here and there, I decided to try them out. I must admit that to some extent I felt better and with more energy than normal. It helped during the spring asthenia.

I stopped taking them after I finished up the 60 capsules, because it is not recommended to take long cures of L-Carnitin, or the organism will get used to them and stop producing the natural L-Carnitin.


Alverde cellulite peeling shower gel

I repurchased this product, because i absolutely love it. It smells of lemongrass and rosemary. I use it towards the end of the shower with an exfoliating body brush. It is invigorating and fresh and makes me feel good.
It contains caffeine, which helps breaking the fat cells apart and thus reducing the cellulite. The lemon and rosemary oils are from biological cultures and the smell is all natural - a mixture of etheric oils.
After the shower I use my anti cellulite gel I presented you in my AprilEmpties blog post. The shower gel lasts for about two months and I will get it every time I can from dm.
I love all the alverde products I used, they have mostly natural and bio products and are not very expensive.

Bourjois Rimmel Volume Glamour Ultra Curl

I am not a fake lashes kind of girl, but I do possess some long lashes which I like to show off (yes, I know, how very selfish of me). So I went to a Sephora shop and asked the lady for a curling, volume rimmel, expecting her to sell me some fake lashes. But no, instead she gave me this rimmel from Bourjois. I used it and I liked it. It is perfect for my lashes. It curls them just enough and elongates them just long enough for them to pop-up and in the end they don’t look clumpy. It is not water resistant, which is good, because I am no fan of water resistant rimmels, but it is also not very runny, as some of the non-water resistant rimmels are.

I understood that this rimmel contains natural bees wax and it is also good for lenses users. It is not expensive and we get along very well. I must admit I like Bourjois products (I was very sad when the Biodetox foundation was discontinued) and this one has not disappointed me, so afer this one was finished, I got another one.

Stay healthy, it is good for the skin!Alex.