Nubian Heritage African Black Soap

African Black Soap has supposedly been used for centuries to treat eczema, blemishes, psoriasis ans oily skin. I don't really suffer from any of those "ailments", but there is a little hype behind this soap and since it's really affordable, I decided to get one for myself and use it as a morning face wash.

It looks like a regular bar soap, but bigger, black and with bits of oats. The scent is fantastic - it smells like fruity bubble gum.  It is the creamiest bar soap I've ever tried, lathers so well and forms a thick, velvety and soft foam that feels so good to massage into the skin. And it's all rainbows and unicorns until you need to wash it off. Then that awful squeaky clean feeling appears - my pet peeve. Also, if the tiniest drop of soap gets in the eye, it hurts like a *insert bad word here*. Though it's black, the foam is not that dark and washes off completely with no residue. Surprisingly, my skin doesn't scream for a moisturiser afterwards. Actually it feels quite comfortable and I had no dry patches since I started using it (Dove sensitive soap caused dry patches with one use). As I said, my skin isn't acne prone, it's more combination dry, but I do get an occasional spot. This soap didn't help prevent any new spots nor treat them or help the skin heal faster. In short, it's just an average non-drying cleanser with no special bonus advantages. Its makeup removing abilities are also limited.

It's a nice bar soap, but maybe more suited as a body wash, mostly because of the eye hurting part. It's not drying, smells great and is quite cheap for a big bar of soap. It's nothing revolutionary, but still worth trying out. I got mine on iHerb for 2.5 € (141 g).

Have a great day! 

New In #7

Rimmel Kate Moss Matte Lipstick in 107

Dark berry or oxblood lips were all the rage last autumn and it looks they'll be pretty popular this one as well, so I finally ordered Rimmel's 107 on Asos, but mostly because it was 30% off. I quite like the colour on me.

Plastic Lipstick and Makeup Holder

This is my second one so far. The other one is a lipstick holder only and holds 9 of them, while this one is much bigger with space for 12 lipsticks and additional different sized spaces for other makeup. It was 11€ in Műller. I have the pictures of the small one here.

My purchases from iHerb. I'll do individual reviews for all the products:

Queen Helene The Original Mint Julep Masque

A basic clay mask, but seriously the tube is just massive. Must be one of the best value face masks on the market since it was less than 3€ for 226g.

Physician's Formula Happy Booster Glow & Mood Boosting Blush in Rose

The packaging is much more flimsy than I expected, thought the product itself is a beautiful blush. I took so many pictures of it, so expect a picture heavy post. Price: 8.6€.

Badger Cuticle Care

The packaging is cute, but the scent is something I'll have to get used to. Price: 4€ for 21g.

Nubian Heritage African Black Soap Bar

First off I love the scent. It smells similar to Aussie conditioner, so like bubble gum. I'm using it in the mornings, so I'll report in time how I get on with it. Priced 2.5 € for 141g.

 Urban Decay Naked Basics palette

When I saw the offer for 20% off on Look Fantastic, I jumped at the chance and bought Naked Basics palette. I paid about 19.50€ for it. I love it - it's just perfect for me. I prefer matte shades and these completely suit my needs, since it's a collection of such shades I tend to wear every day, but in a palette form.   

 The Body Shop Honeymania Body Butter

I got this from eBay without smelling it beforehand. I plan to do a honey inspired post next with a full review of this, but for those that are curious about the scent: it is indeed very freshly floral, especially when you smell it in the pot. Applied on the skin, the proper honey note finally appears, but it is still mixed with a fresh wildflowers scent. This is not a warm, fuzzy scent, but a fresher and very floral honey scent. 

The Body Shop Rainforest Moisture Hair Butter 

I got a sample of this with the Honeymania body butter. Unfortunately 8 ml was far to little for my hair (which reach end of my back now), so I can't give you a proper review. The scent was unpleasant for me, strange, a bit like being in a forest, but more exotic. The texture is more on the thicker side, however, average for a hair masks. Since the amount was to little, my hair was still dry after using it. Ingredients here.

 Lush Honey I Washed the Kids  

It smells exactly like Honey Bee bath bomb, Ma-Bar bubble bar and Soft Coeur massage bar which all have a caramel/toffee scent. 9€ for 200 g.

L'Occitane Amande Delicious Hands Hand Cream

Is the name odd or what? Why would my hands need to be delicious? Anyway, I wanted the honey version, which was LE, but I was too late. So I quickly grabbed this one because I only had a minute and I couldn't find the original Shea Butter one. This is just the Almond Milk Concentrate in a hand cream packaging (that super luxurious cream that comes in a glass pot). It's feels and smells exactly the same. It sinks into the skin literally in seconds, which is just perfect for me since I avoid hand creams because I can't stand touching things with greasy hands. It's moisturising enough for me, though my hands aren't particularity dry. It was 7.60€ for 30 ml.

Balea Duschöl 

(shower oil)

I got this for my brother who has been complaining about itchy, dry skin (I suspect the lingering effect of acne medicine Roaccutane). I tried it myself of course, and it's quite nice. Similar to L'Occitane Almond Shower oil, but not as luxurious and thinner. It works the same - an oil which turns to a milky consistency (it emulsifies) with water. The scent is medicinal and not too strong. I believe it was about 2€. 

Dove Maximum Protection deodorant 

This is in a cream/mousse form and has a similar applicator as Secret deodorants (twist and the product comes through mini holes). The scent is very lovely and powdery, though not strong. The effect is supposed to last 48 hours, but I haven't tested it for so long since I always apply it once a day. I'm not much of a sweater so I can't really give a good review, but it works fine for me. It was about 3€ in DM.

Seche Vite Top Coat

My favourite top coat and I have been using it for years. The nail polish is dry to the touch in about 30 seconds, which is perfect for a girl like me who has zero patience (I still don't touch stuff for a few minutes just to be sure, even though I probably could). Also my manicure lasts ages with no chipping, but keep in mind that I have very strong and healthy nails. I got it off eBay for 9€.

Balea Tropische Früchte Badezauber
(tropical fruit bath "magic")
I just got it today, so I haven't used it yet. It smells just like the Pina Colada shower gel by Balea - a pineapple/pina colada scent. There is also a citrus and vanilla version, though I haven't seen the latter yet in our DMs. It was 1.65€ for 500 ml.

Essence Metal Glam TE Gold Topper
Another product I just got today, but I used it on one nail and it looks so beautiful. I'll do a post with swatches in the next days since it's a LE. It was 2.19€

Balea Verwöhndusche Lavendel & Honig 

(mini "spoiling" shower gel Lavender and Honey)

Such an amazing scent of lavender with a hint of honey. Basically, it's a regular Balea shower gel, but they only sell these small packet (25 ml) for 0.55€. I hope they release a full size, I would buy it in a heartbeat. There is also a "lavender & vanilla" version available.

Yves Rocher samples of Un Matin Au Jardin scents
(A Morning in the Garden)

I really liked all of the scents, but they have poor staying power. None lasted more than a hour.

Lilas Mauve eau de toilete (Lilac) - a spot-on scent of lilac. I used to walk past a lilac tree every day and this evokes many memories. 

Rose Fraiche eau de toilete (Fresh Rose) - I usually dislike anything with a rose scent, but surprisingly I liked this one. It's a sweet rose scent - fresher and younger than rose scents tend to be. 

Agrumes en Fleurs eau de toilete (Citrus flowers) - Quite a sugary citrus scent and my favourite out of the three.

Muguet en Fleurs eau de toilete (Lily of the valley) - Smells exactly like lily of the valley. A great scent for spring.

There will be full reviews for Lush Honey I Washed the Kids, The Body Shop Honeymania Body Butter, Rimmel Kate Moss Matte Lipstick in 107, Urban Decay Naked Basics palette and all four things from iHerb. If you would like to see any of them first or have any quick questions, you can tell me in the comments (keep in mind I have to test the skin care stuff thoroughly for a proper review), otherwise I'll just post them in a random order, but starting with the gold topper from Essence. 

Have a great day!