Maychiri's Thoughts

Blush Brush

Catrice Tropic Exotic Highlighter and Bronzing Brush Review

November 22, 2023

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Astra

New Stuff - Part 21

November 22, 2023

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3D Glitter

Avon Crushed Crystals Nail Enamel [Pearl] Review

November 16, 2023

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Avon

Reviews From the Past - Part 36

November 16, 2023

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Balea

Balea Tuchmaske Bedruckte Under the Sea mit Meerwasser, Algen-Extrakt und Hyaluron Review

November 08, 2023

One fresh, summery sheet mask to contrast with the wintery eye pads! This is the Balea Tuchmaske Bedruckte Under the Sea mit Meerwasser, Algen-Extrakt und Hyaluron!

I actually didn’t even know there was an Under the Sea LE at first! I only found out about it when it was already being discontinued and pulled from Croatian DM stores. So I tried to scramble and get as many items from this LE as I could because it instantly seemed quite interesting (I swear that being 50% off didn’t have anything to do with that). Alas, the only item I was able to get is this sheet mask. Don’t get me wrong – I am happy to have even this – I just wanted at least the eye pads, too. I wanted the little whale on both my face, my lips and under my eyes. The cute whale print isn’t the only thing that piqued my curiosity, the ingredients list seems promising, as well! But Balea has had problems with their sheet masks in the past ~~yet I still continue buying most of them~~, so I tempered my expectations and decided to settle for the mask being average. Like, if that’s all it is, I still won’t be disappointed. So let’s see if it continues to be fairly average like many Balea masks, or whether it breaks the mould and ends up being great!

Packaging: a plastic pouch, standard stuff. But what’s special is the design of the pouch! It’s both summery and so cute at the same time! I love it so much! The seaweed, the starfish – the lil whale! Look at that happy whale! If it’s so happy, then the mask surely must be great, no? I hope so! And the watercolour style makes it all even more lovely! Aww, so nice! All the information about this mask is located in the back.

Ingredients: glycerine, mozuku seaweed (Cladosiphon okamuranus) extract, sea water, hyaluronic acid, panthenol/provitamin B5 for nourishment. No parabens. I like that there aren’t a ton of ingredients, and I especially like how all the important ingredients are in the top 10. The scent is absolutely divine! Oh my! It smells so summery but not in that intense, fragrant, salty kind of way. It’s super calming and relaxing, smelling like the beach, but also like lotus or a gentle cream. It’s beyond perfect! I love it so much! It’s difficult to describe accurately but to me it smells like a soothing cream, it’s got that creamy, gentle, yet still a bit fragrant type of scent. It reminds me of warm summer nights on the beach when you can feel the breeze blowing over you, filling you with a sense of calm and peace. Ahh... The expiration date is sadly nowhere to be found. This mask should be left on for between 10-20 minutes, which is alright, especially when it smells this relaxing!

Finally, a Balea sheet mask whose sheet doesn’t feel cheap or stiff like paper! This sheet seemed like it would be like that at first, but it actually isn’t at all like that! It’s soft and super stretchy, making it easy to spread across your face so that it fits properly. It also sticks to skin like cyanoacrylate! Seriously, it does not budge one bit during these 20 minutes! Which is unusual for Balea sheet masks as they usually have sheets that tends to peel off within minutes! This sheet, in comparison, is divine! It also feels comfortable and not too constricting or non-breathable on the skin!

It came with a huge amount of serum inside it, so much that it actually felt wet and heavy... it came close to dripping wet at times! Great! The only negative thing about it is that it is slightly too large for my face as I can stretch it all the way to my ears and then some, but curiously, it is not too large in the Y-axis (from forehead to chin). It’s honestly not as large as I am used to with Balea sheets! I honestly have no idea what happened with this sheet mask, but whatever it is, it is such a marked improvement over all the previous ones! Kudos!

And I must not forget to mention the print! So perfectly summery! I love the seafoam green colour, that reminds me of tropical seas – Tahiti, Bali, those kind of locations. But there’s also a print of starfishes and seaweed and whale tails and... orcas? Hmm, orcas live in cold waters... I’ll let it pass this time, just because I really love orcas! But wouldn’t a dolphin be much more appropriate? In any case, it’s a really intriguing print that is, at the same time, also very cute! Just summer things...

The serum is relatively thick buy not creamy, instead, it feels gelly and soapy. Not exactly greasy, definitely way more soapy. Ordinarily, I would probably not like such a consistency too much but it manages to be quite lightweight and comfortable here! Even if it is slimy! It’s not too tacky once it dries, which is another pleasant surprise!

I must say that the good things continue with how this serum feels while it is absorbing! See, it feels extremely hydrating and somewhat soothing. Now, my skin isn’t dry, but oily skin needs its hydration, too! So I love how rich and hydrating it feels! It’s not at all slimy on my face, despite the serum being quite slimy. There’s also a pleasant cooling sensation that evokes those same late summer breezes that I already mentioned. Perfectly calming and relaxing! Just imagine, reclining on a beach chair on a summer evening, letting the breeze wash over you while this mask intensely hydrates your skin! Perfection!

Oh my, what lovely results! My skin feels and looks deeply hydrated, like every bit of its thirst is being quenched. Now, while this serum is thick, it still feels comfortable after the 20 minutes are over (in spite of being tacky, too). And because it is so hydrated, that makes my skin also look much more even in tone and makes my pores seem smaller. It also definitely looks brighter and more radiant, like it is truly healthy! The only thing it does not do is reduce the appearance of blemishes, at least not immediately (I am sure they will look better in the morning, all this hydration is sure to help with their recovery process). I can feel a slightly wet feeling that becomes a slightly cooling sensation, which is sooo relaxing!

I cannot stress this enough: my skin looks happy and content, which is exactly what I was needing with all these antibiotics and stress. Finally, something that will, hopefully, set my skin on a path to being happy again, or at least somewhat as happy as it looks now! Ah, what a wonderful mask to cap off August (this is when I used this mask)!

Results the following morning were quite excellent! My skin still looked hydrated and calm and just happy! Although, just like the night before, blemishes are still the same as before, but I am glad my skin still looks this good overall! It means this mask really suits my skin!

All in all, aww, I am so happy with this sheet mask! Balea masks can be a bit meh, so it’s fantastic that there’s finally one that is truly phenomenal. Everything about it is improved – from the serum feeling more hydrating and nourishing, to the results being more apparent, to even the sheet being soft and comfortable. Remember, Balea has had problems in the past with sheets being stiff and paper-like! But not this time! It’s soft and super stretchy and just feels comfy. The results are nothing to scoff at, either! My skin both looks and feels extremely hydrated and refreshed and it looks brighter, more radiant, and just healthier in general. It’s just a shame it cannot do anything about acne, but it can’t do literally everything, can it? It’s still remarkably good, and the refreshing feeling is awesome when it’s hot and humid. For the price, the results are astounding, let alone if you find it 50% off, which isn’t too hard because Balea LEs never last too long before being pulled. And that’s such a shame, because this mask should really be part of the standard range, it’s just too good to only be available for like one month. Sigh. As always, it’s the good things that are the first to go... anyways, I am super glad I was able to use it – even if it was only once! I would highly recommend it, were it still available.

Rating: 8/10

Would buy again? YES (such a shame it is an LE item that was discontinued soon after it arrived :( )

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Brightening

Trend it Up Polar Lights Augenpads Review

November 08, 2023

The first item for today, but the second product I bought as part of the Polar Lights LE, after the nail polish. This is the Trend it Up Polar Lights Augenpads!

Polar Lights was a limited edition that immediately caught my attention. It wasn’t a particularly large LE, but the items it had were beautiful, so I knew I had to buy at least something! I figured that these eye pads would be a good choice, as my undereye always needs stuff to keep it bright and plump. And for this cheap price, why not try them out... what’s the worst that could happen? So, is this another one of Trend it Up's flops or could it potentially be a great product? Well, let’s see!

Packaging: just a small plastic pouch like most face masks. It’s got this relaxing aurora on the front, with calming blues and greens. It’s perfect for the theme of this LE. I quite like the rich green colour of the back, and the white text looks amazing on it. Really nice design I must say!

Ingredients: glycerine, niacinamide/vitamin B3, betaine, arginine, hyaluronic acid, adenosine, caffeine, calamansi (Citrofortunella microcarpa) fruit extract, quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa) seed extract, carrot (Daucus carota sativa) root extract, ginseng (Panax ginseng) root extract, oat (Avena sativa) meal extract, soy (Glycine soja/Glycine max) seed extract, rice (Oryza sativa) bran extract, Mung bean (Phaseolus radiatus) seed extract, bitter orange (Citrus aurantium dulcis) fruit extract, grapefruit (Citrus paradisi) fruit extract, tangerine (Citrus unshiu) peel extract, Galactomyces ferment filtrate, Japanese plum (Prunus mume) fruit extract, menthyl lactate, ceramide, peptides (copper tripeptide-1, hexapeptide-11, hexapeptide-9, palmitoyl pentapeptide-4, palmitoyl tripeptide-1, tripeptide-1) for nourishment. No parabens.

Wow, what a list of ingredients for such a low price! You’ve got various citruses that should energise the skin, caffeine to make it look awake and combat dark circles, various grains to hydrate it, and peptides and amino acids to make it plumper and firmer. Truly an all-in-one! This should, at least in theory, do wonders for the undereye area. I am only iffy about the menthyl lactate, as that is a form of menthol and I, and my skin, don’t like menthol. The scent is... wait, there is no scent?? Literally, I cannot smell anything, and I don’t have Covid. Interesting. Eh, I hoped they would smell like the cold, that it would like a polar type of scent. No matter, this is even better for sensitive skin. The expiration date is listed along the bottom edge. These eye pads should be left on for 15-20 minutes, quite a long time for eye pads! Usually they take a shorter amount of time to work. But this is going to give me time to truly relax and unwind.

The eye pads are made of fabric, interestingly enough! All the previous eye pads that I used were hydrogel-type, but this, I prefer. The fabric is soft and stretchy and adheres to the skin so much better than hydrogel! No slipping with these! The fabric feels pretty breathable and lightweight. You know what? This is so much better than hydrogel! And I know that my skin is going to absorb it all because it really clings to skin. The fabric was pretty soaked in serum; it wasn’t dripping wet, but it definitely felt wet enough to be heavy.

Oh, and just look at that adorable pattern on the fabric! It’s so cute! The fabric itself is sheer and colourless, but it’s decorated with numerous silver stars and constellations. I love how it sparkles, like real stars! Now I have the galaxy under my eyes!

The serum is pretty thin and watery, but it feels comfortable. It’s also kinda greasy. This serum should be light enough for my oily skin.

Omg, I love the way these eye pads feel while the serum is absorbing! It’s quite the arctic feeling, with a noticeable coldness and freshness to it. It feels so refreshing and relaxing; perfect at the end of a hard day! It’s also pretty energising, due to the caffeine inside. It really seems like my skin is going to be refreshed and awake and hydrated after these 20 minutes are up. I honestly didn’t think it would feel this nice and refreshing and light!

Alright, after 20 minutes, and I am... wow... the results are great! My undereye looks visibly brighter and less slack, and it looks hydrated and nourished. I think that it’s also a fair bit plumper and firmer, or at least, it feels that way. Of course, if the dark circles are bad enough these pads cannot fix the problem completely, but they do reduce them greatly. These are exactly what I’ve needed! The only annoyance is that the fabric may wrinkle, leaving impressions on the skin. And since my skin behaves like memory foam, those impressions tend to stay for quite a while. This is the one drawback of using fabric for the pads, instead of hydrogel.

The next morning my undereye still looks bright and awake. It seems to be slightly firmer and plumper than the night before, with a markedly healthier appearance!

All in all, I had high hopes for these eye pads, and they delivered – and then some! Not only do they look so cute (look at those silver stars glistening), but they’re packed full of all kinds of helpful ingredients to make sure your undereye area gets some much needed TLC. I must applaud the choice of material for the pads – fabric is much more comfortable and sticks to skin better than hydrogel. This way you can feel every single drop of the serum absorbing into the skin, and there is a lot of serum in these pads! I love how refreshing and cooling and just relaxing it feels while the serum is drying. It’s also like a jolt of energy, probably due to all the citruses and caffeine. And then, once you remove the pads, the results are remarkable! My undereye both looks and feels more awake, and it feels plumper and firmer. It’s also hydrated and even in tone. And that continues for hours, since my skin still looks great in the morning! Never did I ever think these pads would end up being so fantastic! Trend it Up is quite hit-or-miss, but luckily, this is one smashing hit! It just makes me sad knowing that they are LE, and will be gone way too soon, like all Trend it Up LEs! Such a shame, as they are truly brilliant! I will recommend them wholeheartedly!

Rating: 9/10

Would buy again? YES (I already bought some to keep in stock!)