frozen spring

cruelty free & sustainable living

Pai Rosehip BioRegenerate Oil (mini-review)

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It’s been two weeks since I started using Pai Rosehip BioRegenerate Oil so I felt like it was time for a mini-review / first impressions post. First of all, let me start by saying that I discovered oils quite late, and by that I mean – last year. Not that I wasn’t aware of their existence, I just didn’t use them as a part of my skincare routine. Why? Well, I didn’t really think I needed them (wrong) , but after my first winter in Sweden I quickly realised how I definitely need at least one face oil to be part of my skin care routine. After some research, I purchased rosehip oil from trilogy, but since I wasn’t feeling it really, I decided to search a bit further and try the same oil but from another brand. That’s how I came across Pai.

It’s described as “The most concentrated Rosehip Oil on the market today, to improve skin firmness, elasticity and suppleness, and reduce the appearance of scars, stretch marks, sun damage and fine lines. “
I wouldn’t know about stretch marks or sun damage since those aren’t my skin issues, but I can definitely say it does help when it comes to skin firmness, elasticity and scars. I had two scars recently and they really healed much quicker than they would otherwise. It usually takes a month for my scars to completely disappear / heal, but now they’re almost gone after only 2 weeks! That’s super fast if you ask me!

Additionally, I see a difference in improved skin firmness, elasticity and suppleness. Since it’s really cold right now and the air is super dry here, this oil makes a big difference for my skin. Without it, even though I have a good skincare regime, I could feel like my skin was still missing something. The very first time I applied it, I knew this was what was missing. It moisturises, nourishes and protects my skin more than great and I can’t imagine not applying it every day. Winter is definitely easier with this product by my side. ;)

This is one of those products which quickly becomes a holy grail product, and not for nothing. Since it’s suitable for all skin types, even sensitive ones, I’d urge you try it.  It has a light texture (considering it is an oil) which absorbs quickly, especially if you apply it onto lightly damp skin (that’s how I do). 3-4 drops are enough to cover your entire face. Also, as you can see on the photos, it is orange, but fear not, it won’t stain your skin or anything. Once it absorbs, any trace of it disappears.
The packaging is another thing I love about it – it comes in a frosted-glass bottle with a pipette – so simple, yet so nice. Important thing to remember: it needs to be stored in a cold and dark place.

Anyway, once I test it properly, I’ll come back with an update (late January or early February).

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Ingredients: Rosa Canina Seed Extract [CO2]*, Rosa Canina Fruit Extract [CO2]*, mixed Tocopherols.
Suitable for vegans? Yes
Where to buy? Here (free shipping)
Price? £22.00 / 30 ml

Vesna ♥

Lush New Shampoo Bar – Review

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In all these years it never occurred me to try out a solid shampoo, but after switching to cruelty free products, I tried to find a shampoo that would suit my thin, silky and straight hair. On top of that, I really wanted to avoid using conditioners since I’m always running late and I don’t have time for that. After trying out various products which were fine, but I wasn’t that impressed, I decided to try shampoo bar(s) from Lush. It wasn’t an easy choice since Lush has quite a few shampoo bars to choose from, and they all smell deliciously (so delicious that it actually makes me wanna eat them!). So, after a few minutes of sniffing, I chose NEW. Why? Well, to be honest, I love everything cinnamon and, you probably guessed – this shampoo bar contains cinnamon. Bingo! Of course, the fact that it stimulates and soothes scalp was additional bonus.

This is how Lush describes NEW:

A solid bar with cinnamon, clove and peppermint to stimulate your scalp. Cinnamon leaf, bay and clove bud essential oils combine with peppermint to boost blood flow, stimulating the hair follicles. An infusion of nettle and peppermint helps to stimulate the scalp and promote healthy hair. Rosemary soothes, calms your scalp and adds a glorious shine to your hair. 

At first I was kinda sceptic (maybe because my first reaction was – white worms?! :D ), I’ll admit that, but I’ll also admit that I had no reason for that because this shampoo turned out to be much more than I expected it to be. I’ve been using it for three and a half months, and I still have a tiny bit left which will last me for another two weeks. That’s four months in total! I don’t know why, but I didn’t expect it to last that long. Keep in mind that I wash my hair really often – every second day so that’s a lot of washing. :) I don’t have anything negative to say about this product, but there are a few positive things:

  • this shampoo is gentle – my scalp isn’t feeling itchy or irritated (this happened a lot during the years and it varied a lot, but haven’t had any issues during these past few months)
  • less hair loss – turned out this shampoo definitely stimulates the scalp; my hair is usually all over the place, but it is getting better and that really surprised me, wasn’t expecting that :)
  • no more conditioner – my hair used to tangle a lot, especially since it got a bit longer (well, longer according to me), but now I don’t even use conditioner and my hair is just fine!
  • no static – this is even worst than tangling – going around while your hair has a life of its own, LOL! Well, not any more!
  • affordable – you can get it for 99 SEK / €10 and it contains 55 grams of product.

How To & Availability

Once my hair is wet I simply rub it between my hands or directly onto my hair. The result is always the same – squeaky clean hair.

Tips: After I’m done, I always use a small piece of a napkin to dry it and I leave it on the shelf until it’s completely dry. Once it’s dry I just have a napkin underneath. Lush does offer shampoo tins for storage, but I think it’s not necessary. Unless you’re travelling, but even then, you can use a paper bag or something like that.

This product is available in Lush stores and if you’re in Sweden you can get it HERE.

All in all, I’m more than thrilled with it! Needless to say I already have a new bar waiting to be used. ;)

Have you tried shampoo bars?

Vesna ♥

IsaDora Face Sculptor Strobing Review, Photos, Swatches

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Recently IsaDora launched a new collection which contains some strobing products and after seeing some photos I decided to get the Face Sculptor Strobing highlighter. The main reason I purchased it is the fact that it comes in two combination of shades: Cool Glow and Warm Cool. I ended up getting the shade Cool Glow since I have cool undertones and I liked how this product contains three different shades for each undertone.

The packaging is really good, doesn’t take up much space and I like how all shades come in separate pans which means you could easily depot them. The pans itself contain quite a decent amount of product – 6 grams/each which means you get 18 grams of product for 200 SEK (22$). Unfortunately, that’s everything I like about this product.

I purchased it without trying it first (it just arrived to the store so they didn’t have some testers), but since I like IsaDora’s products I figured I would like this one, too. Well, I was wrong. The formula is kinda rough, if that would be the right word to use. I mean, compared to their eye shadows, which have an amazing buttery formula, this one is nowhere near it which is a real shame because this product had so much potential. And since the formula isn’t smooth and nice, it doesn’t look nice and smooth on skin either. It looks like I applied it by mistake or haven’t blended it out nicely and it emphasizes EVERYTHING, even something that isn’t there, LOL! I tried using different brushes and my fingers, but no help there. I guess I’ll simply use it around my eye area which is fine, but that wasn’t what I planned (and I wouldn’t get it only to use around my eye area since I have enough eye shadows which I use for that purpose).

I think I might try out the liquid strobing products instead. Those might work better for me. Hopefully. :)

Anyway, here are a few more photos and swatches!

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Have you seen this product in stores? Tried it maybe? :)

Vesna ♥

Kat Von D Liquid Lipstick – Mother, review, swatches & look

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It’s been a month since I purchased my first Kat Von D Everlasting Liquid Lipstick in shade Mother and I’m finally posting my review and photos! Since everyone and their mother were raving about these lipsticks I knew I had to get at least one shade! I had a few shades on my to-buy list, but apparently we didn’t get all shades here in Sweden so I ended up getting only shade Mother. Shades such as this one are my go-to color since I feel really comfortable wearing them, and they don’t look terrible in case they wear off or something like that (unlike any darker shade).

I don’t really have a lot of experience with liquid lipsticks (I have only one liquid lipstick and that one is from Stila*, which isn’t cruelty free so that comparison isn’t relevant), and I can’t compare this formula with any other popular brands, but I’ve noticed that Inglot recently launched new matte liquid lipsticks and I’ think I’ll visit their store pretty soon. ;) Anyway, moving on!

Review

Shade Mother is a cool toned dusty pink shade, it comes in a simple and sleek tube which contains 6.6 ml, with a screw cap and a doe foot applicator. The size of the applicator is really great; I never had any issues while applying the lipstick but keep in mind that this shade really is my lips but better and that can’t hurt. The formula of this shade is on the thicker side, but it applies evenly, without any issues. The coverage is almost completely opaque which means I prefer to apply two layers to get complete coverage. It dries quickly after application – less than a minute, and it has a matte finish. When it comes to how long does it last on my lips and how does it feel, I have to say I did expect it to be better. How long it lasts depends on: how I applied it (one or two layers), did I eat/drink something (if I did then it starts wearing off after 2-3 hours) and if I’m licking my lips. If I consider everything I mentioned, the range I experienced is 2-7 hours which is quite a difference! And, now I’m getting to how does it feel on the lips. Well, I usually don’t lick my lips, especially if I’m wearing a lipstick, but after my first application I kept having this unbelievably dry feeling on my lips! Like all moisture simply got sucked out! So, I kept licking my lips, LOL! Which resulted with this shade wearing off after 2-3 hours. The next time I applied it, it felt a bit better, but still quite dry, compared to some other matte lipsticks I have (not liquid). And every time after that did feel a bit better, so I guess it also takes time for me to get used to liquid lipsticks. Even though it is quite dry on my lips, they don’t feel or look bad after I take it off, which is a positive surprise. I was expecting a disaster the first time I wore it. :D

Kat Von D liquid lipsticks contain 6.6 ml of product and they cost 215 SEK (which is roughly $25). This brand is available in Sephora and it is cruelty free!

Here are my photos, swatches and in the end you can see how it looks on me!

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indoor lightning

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natural daylight

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How do you like shade Mother? :)

Vesna ♥

*in November 2015 I decided to buy only cruelty free products, but I still own beauty products from non cruelty free brands

Rouge Bunny Rouge Prelude In The Clouds Aqua Primer, Review

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I discovered Rouge Bunny Rouge not that long ago and by now I’ve managed to collect a nice selection of their products. I mostly own RBR eye shadows but today I’m reviewing one of my holy grail products – Prelude In The Clouds Aqua Primer. My skin has really changed over the time and the older I am, the more careful I need to be with my products. I used to love silicone-based primers but as my skin changed I started using water-based primers and now I can say that they are way more suitable for my skin and that my skin really loves them. I have dehydrated combination skin that sometimes is sensitive. I don’t have any bigger issues, but I still need to take well care of my skin. So, what do I love about this product and what is so special about it?

Let’s begin with how Rouge Bunny Rouge describes this product:

This water-based texture is so light and refreshing on your skin that you will feel like floating through the clouds…

I can only say that I do agree with it. This products really is amazing and I can’t praise it enough. The texture is indeed light, it goes on so easily and it doesn’t take long for it to absorb. I use it all over my face and not only as a primer. When I feel like it, I use it as a moisturiser, too. And that’s what makes it special – it’s a 2 in 1 product. Like being a perfect primer isn’t enough, it had to be an excellent moisturiser as well. :) Whenever I apply it, I do have the feeling that my skin is grateful. It gives me such a refreshing feeling. Of course, it works great as a primer – my make up is long-lasting until I take it off.

When it comes to the packaging, I was really impressed with the design of the box and the bottle itself. On the photo below you can see how the packaging looks like. The primer comes in a glass bottle and the rest of the packaging is hard cardboard which can be recycled (the bottom is plastic). The cardboard is really simple but I like the very idea of such packaging and presentation. Definitely something new and eye-catching.
The bottle has a pump which isn’t the best ever since it’s a bit stubborn so, what I like to do is to squeeze it two times to get the product into my hand. Otherwise, I have the product all over my table and floor since the pump is just uncontrollable. :D

You can get this product here, they do ship worldwide and the rate isn’t high. This product costs €53.00 and it contains 30 ml of product. If you’re in Sweden, it takes approximately 2 weeks for the package to arrive.

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Ingredients: AQUA / WATER, GLYCERIN, CYCLOPENTASILOXANE, DIMETHICONE, GLYCERYL STEARATE, HIPPOPHAE RHAMNOIDES FRUIT EXTRACT, IRIS FLORENTINA ROOT EXTRACT, PEG-100 STEARATE, PHENOXYETHANOL, SACCHARIDE ISOMERATE, NYLON-12, BUTYLENE GLYCOL, CETYL ALCOHOL, PROPYLENE GLYCOL, CETEARYL ALCOHOL, CAPRYLYL GLYCOL, CARBOMER, BISABOLOL, METHYLPARABEN, DISODIUM EDTA, PEG-20 STEARATE, TOCOPHERYL ACETATE, RETINYL PALMITATE, GLYCOPROTEINS, SODIUM HYALURONATE, BUTYLPARABEN, PENTADECALACTONE, SODIUM HYDROXIDE, ETHYLPARABEN, PEG-8, HELIANTHUS ANNUUS (SUNFLOWER) SEED OIL, ISOBUTYLPARABEN, PROPYLPARABEN, TOCOPHEROL, CITRIC ACID, ASCORBYL PALMITATE, BHT, ASCORBIC ACID

 Vesna ♥