Clinique vs Estee lauder and my final choice

Buying a moisturizer for me is such a difiicult thing. Really. I have compination skin, that turns dry in winter and goes to the oily side in summer. Probably this is normal, but for me is a very annoying situation. The main problem is that there are times that I can be totally crazy and in love with a moisturizer and after some days I can feel very bad wearing it, with a continuous feeling of wanting to get rid of it off my face! That's why I always try to take samples of moisturizers so to be sure! 

This winter, and because my fiance would go to an international trip and would stop to a duty free, I thought I should buy products of my favourite brand. The brands I had in mind were Clinique or Estee Lauder. I have used many brands the last years, high end brands or those of the drugstore, and from what I can remember my face looked at its great when I was using the Superdefense cream from Clinique and the Hydrationist of Estee Lauder. So, I had to chose between these two brands, and I have to admit I had dificult times! Clinique was more affordable (I wanted to buy many products, from cleanser to treatment) but with Estee Lauder my skin had better looks! But Superdefense was not bad at all, and it had an SPF 25, greater than Hydrationist's! But Hydrationist has this great cucumber scent that I cannot forget! Yes, but did you checked the ratings in  MakeUpAlley ? Superdefense has a better rating! 

I was thinking of all these, tiring my mind, looking for more information on the internet, trying to compare the products I wanted to buy.... untill I came to my hometown, and my mum mentioned a chemist that used to manufacture his own creams and beauty products the last 50 years, and that now his children have opened a store. That was it. I forgot about Clinique, Estee, Biotherm (yes.. I had started looking for Biotherm too!) and went straight to the store and bought so many products paying such little money! I paid 70 euros for 2 moisturizers, 1 facial tonic, 1 face mask, 1 hydrating vitamin serum, 1 vitamin C serum, and 4 bottles of argan oil, jojoba oil, castor oil and almond oil. With 70 euros I would buy just one, or maximum two jars of my favourite cream... 

I don't know if I did the right thing. I still have second thoughts and dream the cucumber scent of the EL moisturizer... But, it's the crisis, I am currently studying, so I don't have an income and have to be tight, and these products are ok on my face. What the heck, they are freshly made creams with vitamins and natural ingredients! How much worse can they be? And if you think that the  cheapest the product, the lower the quality ( i am that kind of a person), I have to say that probably they are so much cheaper because they come in plastic jars and dispencers that cost little and  don't have advertisement costs.

What do you think? What would have opted for? Have you tried any products like these? 

E.L.F. Studio Lip Exfoliator

Recenty E.L.F. had a great offer with 48% discount! So, I did some shopping, buying some products I really wanted to try but didn't want to spend too much as they were not necessary!

What I really wanted the most was the Studio Lip Exfoliator. I had never tried something like that before, coz I was ok with this old trick with the toothbruch (pass the toothbrush on your lips after brushing your teeth). I Loved it! I felt that know I have tried it I won't be able to live without it! I thought I had to buy 2 or 3 more in case something happens and the product is discontinued ( unfortunatelly, this is the fate of many products I love, especially perfumes...).

About the product: it's like a lipstick, in a very elegant black case (like the one of the studio lipsticks, but it's metal). It has a greenish colour and you can see the brown grains it has inside. It has a nice scent and great taste; every time I use it i try not to eat it! It does a really great job! I just have to pass it over my lips one or two times (I pass it four or five times though!) and the brown grain are doing all the job. My lips feel very smooth and soft, without any excess dry skin.

In just few words, it's a great product! I am really pleased. I have never used any other similar product, but with this I am really satisfied. The price? Around 4 euros, but I paid the half as I bought it in offer. And yes, I would definitelly repurchase it!

KORRES Wheat Face Soap

Hey all! Review number one!

I had to return to my hometown in Greece for a while (I am now writing from cold Thessaloniki), and I didn't take all my beauty products with me as I thought I would find something in the cupboards or I would borrowed my mum's. From the first days I really needed a facial toner/lotion and a face soap. I didn't like my mum's so I went to the pharmacy to buy somethning "natural" and simple. 

For my face cleansing I chose the Wheat Face Soap from the famous Greek Company Korres. I haven't used many products of Korres, and I thought I should give them a try, more now that I am in Greece and their prices are cheaper. I know that soaps generally make the skin dry, and give this sensation of tightness, but i read it was for all face types. Furthermore, the description claims that cleanses gently  and its proteins give a protective film to the skin that helps it retain its moisture. So, the soap was purchased, with 3.2 euros in the pharmacy. 

When I opened the traditional-looking paper wrapping I saw a simple yellowish soap with a light scent of... I don't know what it was, probably wheat! It's mild, it gives a rich lather, it cleans very well (I didn't try it in face with foundation, I would never take off foundation only with a soap, I would use a richer cleansing milk) taking off excess oil and dirt, BUT, it really leaves the face dry. After I dried my face with the towel I felt an urge to apply a rich layer of moisturizer in my face! Ok, it's winter time, my combination complex was really dehydrated, but recently I tried other cleansers, mostly liquid, and didn't feel the same. I am currently using it for my body ( I like using soap in the shower instead of the classic liquid foam baths) and if it's left some I'll use it at spring or summer, when I am more oily. 

Would I repurchase again? No. If I really wanted again a soap bar I would buy the Dove soap, which I think it's cheaper.

UPDATE: Today I used it again, and it was not so bad. My face is not so dehydrated as it was a couple of weeks before (the weather is milder and I have used a lot of moisturizing products) and now I can wash mt face with it and I don't feel so bad afterwards. So, if you have dry or dehydrated skin keep away, if you are combination, normal or even oily, it would be fine.

UPDATE 2: Yesterday I used it for taking off my makeup, in the shower. It takes it off very well, I cheched it with some cotton with face tonic afterwards, the cotton was white!

I proudly present.... Myself!

Post numer one!

Well, it's the third attempt to create a blog, I hope it will be a successfull one!

So, it's me, nice to meet you reader! This blog was created (ok, it is going to be created) with objective to provide reviews for beauty products. The last years, before buy something, I was always doing a small research on the web. My disappointment was very big when I couldn't find nobody that had used the product I was looking for, so here I am, to fill any gap! I have no idea how it will go on, if it will merely be a cosmetics or beauty blog, or it will be enhanced with other subjects that are usually on my head, that is to be found later on!

One big problem for me was the language of this blog. I am Greek, living in Spain, so I was in a grand dilemma. I chose the smart way, that is English, this way I can be even more international, haha! Of course some posts will be only in Greek or Spanish, when it comes to products that are found only in the Greek or Spanish Market, not many though.

See you around!

Tzimas Cosmetics

I now want to talk about a Greek face care brand, so, allow me  this post to be in Greek!

Παλαιότερα, πριν καμιά 15αριά χρόνια, άκουγα τη μητέρα μου να αναφέρει συχνά το όνομα ενός χημικού στο κέντρο της Θεσσαλονίκης, από τον οποίο αγόραζε κυρίως γαλακτώματα καθαρισμού και λοσιόν. Πριν από κανά μήνα, ξανάκουσα το όνομά του, με την αφορμή ενός νέου καταστήματος που άνοιξαν τα παιδιά του πια, χημικοί και αυτοί στο κέντρο της πόλης. Αναφέρομαι στα καλλυντικά Τζήμας, που νομίζω είναι αρκετά γνωστά στους κύκλους των, μεγάλων πια, κυριών της Θεσσαλονίκης.

Επισκέφθηκα το κατάστημα, γωνία Παλαιών Πατρών με Τσιμισκή, απλός χώρος, γεμάτος με άπειρα μπουκαλάκια, διαφόρων σχημάτων και χρωμάτων. Εγώ είχα ήδη πάρει μία ιδέα από τα προϊόντα από την ιστοσελίδα τους  www.tzimas-cosmetics.gr , παρόλα αυτά, χρειάστηκα την καθοδήγηση των κοριτσιών στο μαγαζί, μάλιστα η μία κοπέλα είναι η ίδια η "παραγωγός", οπότε ξέρει τι πραγματικά χρειάζεσαι και με το παραπάνω.

Οι τιμές πολύ οικονομικές, εκτός από κάτι σέρουμ και κάποιες βιταμίνες και ματζούνια, όπως τα λέω, για το πρόσωπο με μαγικές ικανότητες (και αυτά όμως είναι οικονομικά σε σχέση με high end μάρκες). Αγόρασα 2 ενυδατικές κρέμες, η μία για την ακρίβεια είναι μία κρεμούλα after sun με βιταμίνες και τα λοιπά, την οποία μου την δώσανε για ενυδατική, μη σας ξεγελά το after sun, έναν ορό με βιταμίνη C (τέλειο, το έχω λατρέψει!), κάτι σταγόνες ομορφιάς (για την ακρίβεια πρόκειται για ένα serum με βιταμίνες, και δεν θυμάμαι τι άλλο, σε υγρή μορφή, με άρωμα βιταμίνης, όπως κάτι σιροπάκια που πίναμε μικρά, με ισχυρή ενυδατική δράση), μία μάσκα προσώπου, μία λοσιόν προσώπου, και 4 λαδάκια σε κάτι υπέροχα γυάλινα μπουκαλάκια των 100 ml : καστορέλαιο, αμυγδαλέλαιο, argan oil και jojoba oil. Στο μέλλον, το κοντινό ελπίζω, θα κάνω κριτικές για όλα τα προϊόντα.

Λίγα λόγια για αυτά όμως! Είναι φτιαγμένα με φυσικά συστατικά, σύμφωνα πάντα με τα λεγόμενα της εταιρείας, και για αυτό προφανώς έχουν μικρή διάρκεια ζωής. Οι κρέμες για παράδειγμα που πήρα, έχουν από κάτω ένα αυτοκολλητάκι με την ημερομηνία λήξης τους, η οποία φτάνει μόλις μέχρι τον Οκτώβριο του 2013! Μάλιστα μου είπαν πως αν δεν χρησιμοποιήσω κάποια κρέμα να την διατηρήσω στο ψυγείο! Αυτό που μου έκανε όμως άσχημη εντύπωση ήταν πως σε κάποια προϊόντα  τους χρησιμοποιούν parabens, αυτά τα συντηρητικά για τα  οποία γίνεται τόσος ντόρος. Η αλήθεια είναι οτι υπάρχουν μελέτες που συνδέουν την χρήση αυτών των συντηρητικών (τα οποία έχουν ευρύτατη χρήση, μέχρι και σε τρόφιμα!) με εμφάνιση καρκίνων, κυρίως καρκίνο του μαστού. Εγώ ως όφειλα ρώτησα την υπεύθυνη "παραγωγό" που αναφέρω παραπάνω για ποιο λόγο τα χρησιμοποιούν ενώ γίνεται μία προσπάθεια από πολλές εταιρείες να μειωθεί ή και εξαλειφθεί η χρήση τους. Αυτή με καθησύχασε,  και μου είπε πως όντως σταδιακά τα αντικαθιστούν με άλλα συστατικά, τα οποία είναι πάλι συντηρητικά, και που μπορεί βέβαια μετά από χρόνια να αποδειχθούν και αυτά ύποπτα.( χμ, αυτό δεν ακούγεται τόσο καθησυχαστικό, τέλος πάντων, εν ολίγοις μου είπε να μη φοβάμαι τόσο τα parabens και πως βλαβερές ουσίες μπορεί να αποδειχθούν και όλες!). Εγώ την εμπιστεύομαι, άλλωστε τα προϊόντα τους είναι τόσο φρέσκα και με τόσο μικρή διάρκεια ζωής που πόσο συντηρητικό μπορεί να έχουν; Σκεφτείτε τις κρέμες που αγοράζουμε πόσο καιρό μπορεί να είναι αυτές στο ράφι;

Αυτά τα ολίγα για αυτήν την εταιρεία (θα έγραφα νέα, αλλά μόνο νέα δεν είναι!). Ελπίζω να ξαναείμαι κοντά σας με περισσότερες λεπτομέρειες!