I was drowned in work for the last 2 months of the year (only stopped by Covid, which gave me the opportunity to sit down and record a few videos for you), so here’s a good amount of empties from those months. since these have been used up, the reviews are as in-depth as they can be :)
Slowly, I’m using up what I already had laying around at home and I haven’t been buying new things before I finish what I already have, so I’m pretty proud of how I’m starting to shift my spending habits and drastically reducing my whim-buys.
Category: review
make up favourites 2021
this was a year full of great makeup discoveries – not necessarily launched in 2021, but that I came across and fell in love with this past year –, many of which I’m certain will stay front and center in my collection for a long time.
so grab a cup of your favourite beverage and tag along while I try to collect my thoughts on all the pretty shiny things I’ve encountered last year!
2021 skincare favourites
here’s the products that I came across in 2021 that achieved favourite status.
- Percy and Reed Abundantly Bouncy Volumising Mousse
- Paula’s Choice 2% BHA Body Smoothing Spot Exfoliant*
- Uriage Bariéderm Cica Oil
- The Chemistry Brand Retin–Oil
- Paula’s Choice Omega+ Cleansing Balm*
- Evolve Gentle Cleansing Melt
- Paula’s Choice Azelaic Acid Booster*
- Vichy Mineral 89 Pro-biotic fractions
- Geek and Gorgeous Stress Less*
- Geek and Gorgeous A-Game 10*
- Skintegra Úna
- Skintegra Lunar
- Uriage Bariésun Ultra Light Fluid SPF50
- Hello Sunday The One that’s a Serum SPF45
- Uriage Bariéderm Cica Lip Balm
- Paula’s Choice Lip Booster*
- Benton Fermentation Eye Cream*
*Affiliate links for More Than Beauty Store. Use code FREEVOLOUS10 during check-out for 10% discount in any purchase.
October favourites
the usual mini-reviews on finished products, my verdict, and the newness in my routine.
Lisa Eldridge Seamless Skin Foundation . Up Close and Poresonal
as a huge fan of foundations and a huge fan of Lisa Eldridge makeup, this was one of the most anticipated launches of the year for me.
as soon as she divulged we could get a set of samples to try free with a purchase from her most recent launch, I dove right in. you can also get the samples for a small amount.
the full size of the foundation is being sort of soft-launched in her pop-up store House of Eldridge in Covent Garden, London (it’s a whimsical mix of makeup museum with her vintage makeup collection on display, makeup store, and jewellery store, with both her lines for sale, and it’s open until the end of the year).
I had to control myself for a few days before being able to try it on camera (needed to be home during the day for a full-day test), so here’s the moment when I get to finally play with it for you:
what I could gather at the time of this post:
- the sample cards contain 4 shades and you can buy them online or get one for free with a purchase from her online store (at this moment, some are sold out, but they’ll restock soon);
- the full-sized foundation will cost 44£, around 52€;
- it’s available in 40 shades, in what seems a very inclusive range – goes up to very dark shades and has olive undertones for lighter shades.
in the video I’m wearing shade 16 – light medium with true olive undertones
*please note that at the time of application I had too close to my face, on the left side of the image, a lamp that has a freaky colour temperature bulb (it said daylight on the packaging, but it’s quite greenish), and it reflected massively on the olive tones of the foundation, making it look like I have a green patch on my face. when I turn my head you can see it’s just that weird light, everything is normal, just bad lighting…
September empties
An overview of last month’s empties, with mini-reviews: know what I loved and repurchased and what is not coming back to my collection.
new makeup loves
where have I been burning my moneys lately?
on these:
- Cover Fx Monochromatic Bronzer Duo – Sunkissed Bronze
- Danessa Myricks Vision Flush – Ballet slippers, Sweet Nectar
- Danessa Myricks Twin Flames – Everlasting, Amour
- Beauty Bay Pressed Eye Pigment – Air
- Romand (Rom&nd) Juicy Lasting Tint* – 06 Fig Fig, 01 Juicy Oh!
(also mentioned Glasting Water Tint* 03 Brick River) - Catrice Power Full Liquid Lip Balm – 10 Glossy Apricot
*you can get a discount on any purchase on YesStyle (<— affiliate link, the ones above are not) by using my affiliate discount code FREEVOLOUS10
august empties 2021
clinique even better clinical serum foundation – UCAP
geesh, these names make the titles so long and aesthetically unpleasant… dang…
here’s my 11 hour experience with this foundation from Clinique that brings so many claims… I had to check them all against my combination-oily skin with dark spots and acne remnants that need coverage, and some wrinkles that worsen with base products – tough balance, I know, but I also know many of you out there feel the same.
the skincare ingredientes included are nice, but I prefer to rely on skincare to deliver actual effects, and also because an SPF of 20 is hardly enough for my needs (or would hardly be correctly applied, seeing that it is a heavier coverage product which we tend to sheer out). I really believe including SPF in tinted products makes people fall into a false sense of security and risk their skins more… so for me a foundation having sunscreen in it is completely indifferent.
you can easily find Clinique anywhere, but here’s a link for Lookfantastic in case you need it :)
sunscreens that did not like me
I come to you in a moaning tone, b*tching about the sunscreens I purchased and tested that turned out to be huge flops.
that being said, although I’m shamelessly complaining and explaining in detail all the reasons why these products let me down, that doesn’t mean they are in any way bad products in themselves… they were just bad for me. it comes down to skin type and the chemistry that occurs between our skin, the product, and even other products underneath. although I did try to minimise my routines to accommodate these little suckers, they still refused to cooperate, and my skincare routine is something I’m not willing to give up that easily either, so that would still make them less prone to be a part of my life anyway.
the freevolous 