Hi lovely people. I know I’ve been MIA lately but I am so busy with my work and I have some other projects going on that I have to put the blog last for a few weeks. However, I did find the time to write about a few products that I’m getting rid of and I will do this kind of posts from time to time when I collect a few things that I want to talk about. These are products that I haven’t reviewed on my blog and that I have used up or sample products that I have tried and I want to share my thoughts on. These are not exactly empties-type posts, because I won’t write about products that I have already reviewed and finished up, because I would only repeat myself. And most of these products are either from lesser known brands or are not that exciting that I want to dedicate separate posts for them. So let’s get started.

Biovene charcoal cleansing nose strips

I’ll start with a product I no longer have the packaging for because I threw it away. This was a charcoal nose strip to remove blackheads that I received as a gift for placing an order on a website. It was not a sample because these nose strips are actually sold in single packages and they’re quite expensive for what they are – around 3 euros for just one strip. I have to say they’re not worth it. Sure, there were some blackheads removed after using this, but my nose was not cleaned completely so I wouldn’t buy these, or at least not at that price. For what they do – meaning mediocre results – I would pay a maximum of 1 euro for a strip.

Balea No Drama Lama lip balm

This was a limited edition lip balm around last year’s holiday season with caramel scent. I like Balea products, they’re great for the price and I have quite a few of their lip balms. They always have all sorts of limited edition products and I always pick up one of their lip balms when I go to my local DM shop, especially since it’s only 1 euro.

essence mattifying compact powder

This powder was ok and I used it up almost completely. What I don’t like about most compact powders and this one was no exception is that these powders tend to look a little cakey on my face even when I don’t use that much product. It’s not something I would go out of my way to buy again, but it’s definitely not a bad powder and it’s also very affordable.

Fresh Juice Passion Fruit and Magnolia shower cream

This was a shower cream with mostly natural ingredients from a polish brand but honestly, it was pretty bad. What should have tipped me off is that it was cheap for a huge 500 ml bottle, but you get what you pay for. The shower cream was very liquidy so that I couldn’t properly use it during the shower because it would slip out of my hands and the plastic bottle was also made very thin so that I couldn’t hold it properly. I ended up pouring this into my liquid soap dispenser and use it to for hand washing. The magnolia scent is almost not there, all I could smell was the passion fruit. I would not recommend this as a shoer cream, but as a hand soap, considering that it’s just around 2 euros, I think it would be a good purchase.

Filorga Flash-Nude foundation

I also have a couple of samples to talk about and I’ll start with the little one on the right, which is supposed to be a perfecting fluid of some sort, but it’s a foundation, you can trust me on that. Filorga is a new high-end French brand launched in Douglas stores and it’s focused mainly on skincare. This fluid thing is the only makeup they have so far and I received a small 1 ml sample with a purchase from Douglas. Although it’s only 1 ml, it lasted me for two applications because this stuff is very thick and it has very high coverage. This fluid, like they call it, contains hyaluronic acid and all kinds of good stuff to fight against the pollution effect on the skin, and it has UVA and UVB protection. It’s not as skin-lie as they say, because you can definitely tell there’s makeup on, because it’s so thick, despite having a liquid formula. However, it doesn’t oxidize, it’s not cakey and it wears very nice throughout the day. It really has high coverage, so I don’t think you need a concealer at all, at least I didn’t use one. Although a full bottle is very pricey, almost 40 euros, I would be very tempted to buy one because it would last me ages but there’s only one problem. This is suitable for people with dry skin. I like foundations that are a little glowy and radiant, but this one is just too much. It feels very nice on the skin and I think it’s even hydrating, but the skin looks too shiny, even after setting the foundation with a mattifying powder. So, although I like the coverage and feel of this foundation, it’s not for oily or combination skin. But if you have dry skin, I would highly recommend it.

Joy by Dior EDP

The perfume sample is of a new Dior perfume launched recently, called Joy. The sample lasted me only for one application, but I must say the perfume is very feminine, not too sweet, but not too sexy, definitely something suitable for everyday wear or for the office. I know there are many other notes in it, but I could smell the floral ones the most – rose, patchouli and jasmine and also some sandalwood – which I recently discovered that is one of my favorites and a little white musk. Overall I would say it’s a pleasant scent with pretty good longevity, but I didn’t feel the urge to put this perfume on my wish list.

Fraulein eyeshadow palette

This eyeshadow palette is obviously not used up, not even one eyeshadow from it, but I will be getting rid of it. I’ll try giving it to any of my friends or I will toss it if no one wants it because I can’t do anything with it. It’s too big, there are way too many greens in the second half of the palette that I wouldn’t use at all and the eyeshadows are simply of poor quality. Now that I increased my collection and got to sample some other formulas, I prefer spending more money on smaller palettes that have quality eyeshadows in them instead of buying cheap palettes with dozens of shades that are hard to work with and simply don’t perform well. I’d much rather buy a Sephora small palette or a Zoeva travel palette instead of buying these poorly made eyeshadows.

That’s it for now, these are all the items that I’ve tested recently or that are leaving my collection. Until next time, thanks for stopping by.