Essence - Floral Grunge LE - Lily Bloom

I love Essence for their prices, for their limited editions, for their nail polishes and for the fact that now I can get them in Turkey. All the LE come here late (if they come at all) so I am patient and just check Essence stands once in a while hoping to see something new - so when I spotted the Floral Grunge LE in one of the Rossmanns a couple of days ago I was a very happy bunny. And since I am a massive nail polish addict I had to get some of the new shades (also the rest of the products were boring - some nail stickers, eyeliner stickers, a blush, eyeshadows that weren't so exciting, three tiny lipglosses and a headband). I picked up 4 out of 5 that were on the display and today I would like to show you the Lily Bloom.

I was thinking about getting a white polish for a while now, but all the whites that I tried in the past were either very chalky or weren't opaque enough. So when I noticed there is a white in that collection (for only 2,5TL) I grabbed it hoping it will be amazing. The fact that it has a sticker "the pearl" on the lid kind of worried me, but only for a second. Now is it any good?

As I said I love Essence so I really wanted to like this polish. It's very pretty in the bottle - white with a subtle pink/orange shimmer. The name of the polish is very accurate - it does remind me of a lily or maybe of an orchid? Very, very pretty. But the formulation could be better. It's not opaque enough for my taste and it looks patchy on the nails. I used 3 not so thin coats and I am still not satisfied.

If you are worried about the pearl finish - don't be. It's not a cheap, horrible pearl. I would say it's a shiny polish with a bit of shimmer and that's it. The shimmer is not as pretty on the nail as it is in the bottle, but that's usually the case with shimmery polishes. If I don't look too hard I quite like the way it looks, I think it might be very pretty with a bit of a tan so I will probably give it another try in a couple of weeks. I don't hate it but I also don't really like it. At least it dries pretty fast and doesn't chip much.

And these are all 4 polishes that I picked up from Rossmann. More about them soon :)

Uwielbiam Essence za ceny, za jakość, za dostępność, za szeroką gamę produktów, a zwłaszcza za limitki. Do Turcji nie dociera wszystko, dlatego każda limitowana edycja, którą widzę w stambulskich Rossmannach wywołuje u mnie ogromną radość. Niedawno weszła u nas limitka Floral Grunge, z której podobały mi się tylko lakiery, więc chwyciłam prawie wszystkie. Na pierwszy ogień poszedł biały lakier, Lily Bloom - mam ostatnio niesamowitą fazę na białe i pastelowe kolory, im bielsze tym lepiej ;) a ten ma dodatkowo śliczny połysk w buteleczce - pomarańczowo-różowy. Na paznokciach nie jest już aż tak widoczny. Lakier nakłada się cieżko, trzy grubsze warstwy nadal nie kryją dokładnie. Wykończenie nie jest perłowe, jak sugeruje naklejka na zakrętce, co bardzo mnie cieszy.

Essence - Grey-t to be Here

I love Essence and I love their nail polishes. I think their quality is great, the colour range is very wide and they are one of the cheapest polishes out there. A while ago Essence changed the bottles and brushes in the Colour and Go range and many people have been complaining about that, but I don't mind it. I have equal amounts of love for the old and for the new polishes.

Grey-t to be here comes from the new range - it's a very pretty light grey colour with a lot of pink/orange/green shimmer. It looks stunning in the bottle but you can also see it on the nails - I see mostly pink on mine, but that's fine.

It looks amazing in the bottle, right? You can't really see the sparkles in the picture, but trust me, they are there! I used 3 coats, no basecoat and no topcoat, the pictures were taken on the 3rd day and there is just a tiny chip on my little finger. The formulation is amazing, it dries up quite quickly. If you haven't tried any of the Essence polishes you definitely should!

Rose water (Gul suyu)

Rose water has been used and valued by people since the ancient times, but I discovered it here, in Istanbul, about a year ago. People say it is anti-aging, apparently it's full of antioxidants, so you can find it in creams, face masks and many other beauty products. It's also used in the kitchen and it seems it also has a lot of healing properties. There are probably thousands ways to use rose water, but I am going to tell you how I use it.

I am not a fan of toners - I don't see the purpose, I always forget about that step of the skincare and I have never ever noticed any difference after using a normal toner bought in a drugstore, so even though I knew women in Turkey use a lot of rose water I didn't feel like it's something I need to try, especially since I don't really like the smell of roses. But then I read more about it and I decided to get a bottle. I first used it as a normal toner, on a cotton pad, but I felt like it was not enough to see any results - I felt like all the goodness was staying on the cotton pad! I had an empty spray bottle lying around so I poured the rose water into it and started spraying my face after washing it and before using my moisturizer. And I loved it! I love the feeling of the cool mist on my face, I like how it all just sinks into my skin, leaving it soft and fresh, I even started to enjoy the scent! If I put too much on my face I just massage it in and immediately follow with a cream to seal in the moisture.

One bottle lasts for a really long time. I always have a bit in my bathroom cabinet and the big bottle is always in the fridge to make sure it's fresh. I think I might have another small spray bottle of rose water in my bag in the summer (and keep it in the fridge at night) for some extra freshness during the day!

Does it work? I changed my skincare a lot in the last months and my skin has gotten much better, so I don't know how much of it is thanks to rose water. But I know that if I miss that tiny little step in my morning routine I can feel the difference - I feel like my skin is less hydrated and a bit less soft. If you want to try rose water just make sure that there are no artificial flavours or aromas in your product, why would you put that on your face when you don't really need it? Simplicity is the key! Rose water in Turkey is quite cheap, I got my last bottle for around 5TL (around 2,5 euros).

Rimmel Apocalips - Celestial, Aurora and Apocaliptic

I first saw these in April in Poland and I got super excited because I really wanted to try them after reading many great reviews, but the colour range was very disappointing and they were quite expensive. And then last week I met with my friend here in Istanbul and we decided to do some shopping. One of the drugstores (Watsons) had an offer for all Rimmel lip products, they were all 9,99TL each (around 5 euro) so I decided to take another look at Apocalips and I discovered they had some colours that I hadn't seen in Poland. I grabbed Celestial and a couple hours later I came back to get Aurora.

To me half of the charm of those lipglosses is the packaging. It's quite unique, modern and fits the name Apocalips nicely. The applicator's shape allows you to pick up just enough product to cover your lips (if you use both sides of it), the consistency is amazing and the opacity is great too. Both colours are glossy and last at least 4 hours on my lips, if I am careful I can drink a cup of tea and not worry about my lips, but anything more would have me reapply it.

Celestial is a pretty dusty pink with blue undertones. I really like the colour and I think it will be a good every day option for me as it's just a bit brighter and more intense than my lip colour.

Aurora is a bit brighter, slightly warm, muted red. I think this might be my red lip option for this spring and summer.

And then a couple of days later I went crazy and decided to get a colour that is even brighter than Aurora - Apocaliptic. It's a very pretty fuchsia that quickly became my favourite out of all three. I have never worn a colour like this on my lips, I was always afraid of such bright shades as I was convinced they don't suit me. Maybe I was wrong, maybe I am just getting braver, either way I love it.

My only complaint is the fact that all of these lipglosses kind of settle into the fine lines on my lips which is the look I don't really appreciate. I still haven't found a solution to that other than just rubbing my lips together once in a while, but I will probably try finding a lip liners that match those colours and hopefully using them first will help too.

Have you tried Apocalips? What are your favourite colour? I think I will have to go and get some more before the offer finishes ;)

Tołpa Dermo Face, Physio - płyn micelarny do mycia twarzy i oczu

Tak się jakoś przyjemnie złożyło, że kiedy ostatnio byłam w domu w jednym z centrów handlowych niedaleko mnie otwierano drogerię Hebe, a że planów żadnych na ten dzień nie miałam i bardzo byłam ciekawa potencjalnych promocji wpadłam tam koło południa skontrolować sytuację. Miałam cichą nadzieję, że znajdę dużą butlę Biodermy w mniej powalającej cenie, ale niestety. Zamiast tego na półce z dermokosmetykami stały dziesiątki małych buteleczek płynu micelarnego Tołpy za 9,99 (przecenionych z około 27zł), więc chwyciłam jedną z nich wychodząc z założenia, że w razie czego stracę dychę i nie będzie tragedii.

O Tołpie słyszałam sporo, widziałam ich kosmetyki w Rossmannie, ale ceny mnie mocno zniechęcały, dlatego płyn micelarny był i jest jedynym produktem tej firmy w mojej kosmetyczce. Na początku trochę się martwiłam, że może znowu kupiłam bubel, bo parę dni wcześniej, szukając tańszego zamiennika dla Biodermy kupiłam płyn micelarny Ziai (którą uwielbiam) z serii Ulga i jest to zakup, którego bardzo żałuję i nigdy nie powtórzę, przy całej mojej miłości do tej marki. Ale po pierwszej próbie w domu byłam bardzo zadowolona z płynu Tołpy - działał dokładnie tak jak Bioderma! Usuwał cały makijaż bez konieczności mocnego tarcia, wystarczały mi około 2-3 waciki na dokładne zmycie cieni, eyelinera i maskary, twarz nie była podrażniona, a zapach tylko umilał demakijaż. Jedyny konkretny minus to zakrętka - "dzióbek" zdecydowanie nie ułatwia wylewania płynu na wacik, poza tym zauważyłam, że nie jest do końca szczelny, więc wracając do Turcji musiałam wsadzić butelkę w plastikowy woreczek.

Przy całym fajnym działaniu nie sądzę jednak, żebym kupiła ten płyn ponownie, bez promocji. 27zł za 200 ml to żadna konkurencja dla Biodermy, której 500ml można często upolować za 50zł. Tołpa dorzuciła też do płynu parabeny, których nie ma w Biodermie, poza tym zapach płynu jest miły, ale stosunkowo mocny, więc wszyscy ultrawrażliwcy powinni moim zdaniem uważać.

As I am always looking for cheaper alternatives for Bioderma I got this one in one of the Polish drugstores (Hebe) on an offer for a very reasonable price. It works great, has a very pleasant smell (if your skin is very sensitive - watch out!), works just as well as Bioderma does, but contains some parabens at the end of the ingredient list. The regular price is a bit high though and Bioderma seems like a more reasonable, economical choice. Tołpa is a Polish brand, specializing in dermocosmetics and natural cosmetics. 

Maybelline Color Tattoo 24hr Cream Gel Shadow

For most of my life I couldn't really wear eyeshadow - my eye area is really sensitive and for the past couple of years it was acting crazy (so crazy that I have a lot of steroid based creams from my dermatologist) so I was trying to avoid everything that could irritate the skin around my eyes. Eyeliner was fine for most of the time, but eyeshadows were already too much. But then my skin calmed down and so I started experimenting - I was staying away from the cheapest, most frangranced products but I thought I would try the Color Tattoos that everyone was raving about so much. I did some research and decided to get two shades to start with - On and on Bronze and Permanent Taupe.

The first shade, On and on Bronze, is amazing and lets you create a pretty everyday look, even if you are a total beginner like me. It's a warm brown that at first kind of scared me - I wasn't used to having anything on my eyelids so this seemed quite dark and dramatic. But I learned not to use too much of it and to blend it out a lot. It's very shiny but not at all glittery. I apply it with my fingers and it seems to be working just fine, I haven't tried using brushes though.

Permanent Taupe looked like a brownish taupe in the jar but in fact it's more on the greyish side, with a hint of mauve. It's definitely more cool toned and less glittery (I would say it's almost matte) and I make sure I don't have too much of the product on my finger when I am applying it as well. Less is more with both of those shades in my opinion.

And the last shade that I own is Eternal Gold, which I got just last week. This one has the smoothest, almost whipped-like consistency, but it is also the most glittery and chunky out of the three at the same time. It's a yellowish golden color, with slightly cool undertones. I still like it a lot and I think I will use it loads in the summer, but if I had to choose just one shade it would definitely be On and on bronze.

They all crease on my eyelids, but everything I have tried so far does. I use a primer and the eyeshadow stays intact for the whole day. I really wish we could get some of the summer edition Color Tattoos here in Turkey, because they look amazing swatched on other blogs, let's wait and see!

And here are the quick swatches of the mentioned colors - from the top: Permanent Taupe, On and on Bronze and Eternal Gold:

Bioderma Sensibio h2o

I used to have a bottle of micellar water a long time ago - I really liked it, but I never thought finding it was the best thing that ever happened to me, so when I started noticing the hype around Bioderma I was a bit confused. Did I miss something? Why is it so special? Is it really that different from all the other micellar waters? It's not the cheapest thing (both in Poland and in Turkey), so I bought it only when I found it on an offer at one of the pharmacies for about 10 euros/500ml.

I used it and I liked it, but I still couldn't understand the crazy positive reviews and why everyone was raving about it. As far as I could remember my other micellar waters were just the same - great at removing make-up, fragrance free and gentle to the skin.

So I went to one of the drugstores and got the cheapest micellar water I could find thinking that it will probably be as good as Bioderma, just 10 times cheaper. Oh my, was I wrong. The cheap stuff was just so crappy I don't even know how to describe it. It seemed dry compared to Bioderma (I know, it sounds weird, "dry water", but it's true!), I needed like 10 cotton pads to remove my eye make-up and with Bioderma I was fine using maybe 2 or 3. Thanks to that this huge bottle of Bioderma has lasted me for ages - I've been using it since Christmas and I still have quite a bit of it left.

Now I don't use it every single day. I use it when I come home late and I am just too tired (for various reasons) to go to the bathroom and wash my face properly. Or when I am lazy/watching something and I just can't be bothered to get up and wash my face. It's obviously not the best thing to use it on its own, but it's better than nothing. And if I find it on an offer again I will probably get another bottle. Bioderma, you won.

Bourjois Healthy Mix Radiance Reveal Foundation

I have absolutely no experience when it comes to foundation. I decided that I wanted to try using one when I was going back home for Easter earlier this year - I was planning on getting some make-up items and on the top of that list was a foundation. I didn't want to spend too much on it as there was a possibility of choosing the wrong shade/finish/coverage/everything and after hours and hours of research I decided to get the Healthy Mix by Bourjois.

I don't have much to compare it to, since this is my first "real" foundation - before that I was using tinted moisturizers, I also tried Garnier's BB Cream and I would sometimes steal a bit of my sister's foundation. But I have to tell you that I am really happy with my Healthy Mix. 

I chose the lightest colour, 51, and I think it's a good match for my skin tone in the winter and spring, but once I get a bit of a tan (which is inevitable here in Turkey, even if I use SPF50) it might be too light. I could get another shade to use on its own in the summer or mix with my 51 later in the spring and in autumn, but I think it might be a bit too heavy for my combination skin in warmer months and I think I will want to try something else anyway.

The foundation has a slightly glowy finish, but I always use powder afterwards so it doesn't bother me too much. It blends in nicely, evens out my skin tone, gives a bit of a coverage (I would say light/medium, but again - I am no expert), and smells so fruity and fresh! The only downside is the fact that it sinks into the pores around my nose and accentuates them, but using powder afterwards helps with that. It also doesn't look great on dry patches, so I have to make sure they are moisturized before using the foundation.

My skin is quite ok - a random blemish once in a while, after a crazy night my under eye area needs a bit more coverage and sometimes I get a bit of a redness here and there, but that's pretty much it, so what Healthy Mix gives me is just perfect. It still looks nice in the evening, after the whole day - it might be wearing off a bit but it still looks natural and provides a tiny bit of coverage.

Have you tried the Healthy Mix? What do you think about it? Could you recommend any other foundations for combination skin that you think I should try? 

Rimmel Cocktail Colour - 140 Hawaiian Punch

I have a problem. And about 150 bottles of nail polish. But of course when I see new, shiny colours I just have to get them and that was the case with this particular polish.

Rimmel polishes are relatively cheap in Turkey and (surprise!) they are much cheaper than in Poland so I own quite a lot of them. Most of them are really good - opaque, long lasting, colours are interesting and the formula is just the way I like it - not too watery and not too gloopy. So obviously when I saw the new collection called "Coctail Colour in a Flash" I knew I would have to get at least one of the new shades (lots of shimmer + a slight duo-chrome to all of them) and when I read that they're supposed to be opaque in one coat I got super excited - who doesn't love a good one-coater?

I got only one shade, Hawaiian Punch, and now I know that I won't be getting other colours. I am quite disappointed with that polish - it's definitely not a one-coater, it took me 3 coats to get decent opacity and I think I would need at least one more coat for full coverage. The colour looks very cheap to me, has no depth to it and no duo-chrome is visible on the nails. As you can see in the picture that I took with flash it has this blue shimmer to it, so very popular with hot pink polishes. I also tried to catch the golden shimmer in the first picture, it's much more obvious in the bottle than on the nails. I think I will still use, maybe on my toes, as it is a very optimistic, summery shade, but definitely not one of my favourites. The good thing is the fact that it stays on for a really long time - I didn't use a topcoat and it lasted for 4 days without chipping.

Have you tried any of the new Rimmel polishes? What do you think?

Make-up items I could not live without

Until about a year ago I hadn't really been so much into make-up. I was a total rebel and a punk in high school, I would wear the same clothes all the time (most of them black) and all I had on my face was a bit of moisturized and maybe some mascara. Lip gloss if I was feeling extra adventurous. It slowly started changing when I went to university. I started experimenting with liquid liner, powder and blush and that was enough for me for a really long time. So I thought it would be a nice idea to show you what I items I have been loving for a while now - I just slowly build around them, they are always in my make-up bag.

I have combination skin so a good powder is a must for me. The one I have been using the longest is Manhattan Soft Mat Loose Powder. It gives a tiny bit of coverage, but if you have anything to hide I think it might not be enough. I just like the finish and the fact that it lasts for hours. I believe there are 4 shades (at least that's how many I have seen in my drugstore), I use the lightest one in the winter and then the second lightest (in the picture) in the summer, but as I said - the coverage is not even medium, so it always looks natural, even if you pick the wrong shade. It's huge (20g), lasts forever and I buy it in Poland for about 7€ (27-30zł).

Bourjois blush is yet another staple of mine. I've tried multiple colours and my recent favourite is Rose de Jaspe. It is a deep powder pink with a bit of golden shimmer to it. I love it because it's quite sheer so I can use it with a light hand and look it looks natural, but I can also build it up and make it more distinctive. The shimmer makes it perfect for the summer – it's delicate (and absolutely not glittery!) but looks amazing in the sun. Obviously you don't need to use a highlighter when using that exact colour (but there are many to choose from, just check the official Bourjois website). And the smell! I love the smell of it!

The liquid liner I mentioned above is by Miss Sporty in 002 Dark Chocolate (which as far as I know is owned by Rimmel, because I've seen exactly the same liners on their displays). It was my first liner and I still love it. Unfortunately they changed the brush recently and introduced a very weird (kind of) felt tip. I kept the brush from the older version, but if I didn't have it I would probably have to find a new favourite. Either way it's worth a try since is really cheap (around 10zł/2,5€) and the quality is amazing – it stays put all day long and doesn't smudge.

Max Factor 2000 Calories is by far my most favourite mascara. It makes my lashes super long and voluminous. I have gone through countless tubes of it. I always use black/brown mascara since I think black looks a tiny bit too harsh on me (I have fair hair and blue eyes). It doesn't smudge and even though no one promises that I think it also curls my lashes a bit. I absolutely love this mascara. It used to be quite pricey, but now when I buy it in Poland it's around 25-30zł (again around 7€), so I love it even more!

What are your favourite make-up items that you just can't live without? Do you have anything that has been with you for ages?

LUSH Angels on Bare Skin

We don't have Lush in Poland, but I had heard a lot about this brand before I moved to Istanbul, so when I discovered their shops here in Turkey I got really excited. I like the idea of handmade cosmetics, made with fresh ingredients and the fact, that Lush don't test on animals. Their prices here are a bit high, but I knew it will be impossible for me not to try any of their products.

Angels on Bare Skin evens out skin tone, reduces redness and improves the health and appearance of your skin – giving a natural healthy glow.

I don't know if it really evens out my skin tone, but it definitely works wonders. I use it in the mornings and it leaves my skin feeling fresh and clean. It smells like lavender and almonds, as these are the main ingredients of this cleanser. It doesn't lather up at all, so if you have never tried anything like that you will probably have to get used to washing your face with this cleanser - you need just the smallest amount and you mix it with a bit of water to create a paste. I have combination skin that sometimes can get very sensitive and this cleanser is perfect for me - it doesn't make my skin feel dry, doesn't irritate it. It gently exfoliates and leaves a subtle film on your face (but nothing extremely oily!), so if you don't like the feeling you will probably want to use a toner afterwards, but if you have sensitive/dry skin you will probably be happy about that. It doesn't remove make-up, but it's not a big deal for me - I have other things for that :)

Here's a little close-up for you, as you can see it's a bit grainy and it feels a lot like play dough (it's clay based) - it can be a bit messy and that's why I use it mostly in the shower. 100g of the cleanser costs 27TL in Turkey (around 11€/15$) and it stays fresh for 3 months since the production date.

Have you tried Angels on Bare Skin? Do you like it? Have you tried other Lush cleansers? Any favourites?

Hello!

I've lived in Turkey for almost 3 years now and one of the things that have been really annoying here is the fact, that all the cosmetics and make-up items that I am used to are either really expensive or I can't find them at all. So I started searching and discovering Turkish products and some products that I had never seen or used before moving to Istanbul. I wanted to share my findings with you - some of the products are Turkish, some are the ones that I bring back from Poland every time I go visit my family, and some are the things that are easily found all over the world.

If you want to find out what I have been loving recently just keep on reading! And welcome! :) Follow my blog with Bloglovin