Review: Bybi Skincare (part 1)

Click picture to get to Bybi's page for ingredients and additional information.

A while back I participated in a giveaway/contest hosted by Bybi Beauty and I won their whole line! 🙌🙌🙌 Yay me! I've been eyeing Bybi for quite some time and was so excited to get to try their line. I've slowly been incorporating the products into my routine just to make sure I know what to blame if my skin goes nuts on me.

So here's a review of the first two products I can give my well tested and honest thoughts on.
Yes these were sent to me but the opinions in this post are my own based on my skin type.

First things first, my skin type.
I currently have normal skin with shifting dryness on my lower half of my face and occasional oiliness on my T-zone. It's more of a glow that actual oiliness but I do have very easily irritated skin. I get redness from contact and don't tend to break out unless I'm on medication, which I'm not on right now.

How much I've used in three weeks.

MEGA MIST
HYALURONIC ACID TONER


This is the second Hyaluronic acid toner I've ever used and I quite like this. I've been using this AM and PM but I use it as a second toner and I don't spray it on my face as I'm a bit of a dummy when it comes to aiming and I normally get more spray in my ears ams hair than my actual face... I spray twice into my hand and pat it into my skin until it gets sticky. In the morning I use it over a PH balancing toner and in the evening over my glow tonic. I feel like it has helped a lot. We're in the dry season here in Zambia right now and the previous two years I have struggled more than this time round for my skin to adjust to the climate change. I love the scent, it's fresh, the spray nozzle is pretty great as well if you're into that. I don't have any complaints and I will buy this before I run out.

SUPERCHARGE SERUM
CONCENTRATED ACTIVE FORMULA

Ah, this one. I've come to associate the fragrance of this serum with relaxation. It smells nice, natural and fresh, but not like linen fresh, rather more on the green earthy side of fresh. It's a lovely formula which I mainly use in the evening but if my skin is a bit lackluster I do add some as a final step of my morning routine and let it set before going in with sunscreen. In the evening I use 4 drops as I do use it all the way down to my décolletage and shoulders and 3 in the morning if I feel like I need a glow boost. I don't really know what else to say about this. It plays nice with my other products which is always a big plus and this is normally my second serum or applied after my moisturiser depending on how my skin is doing. I will absolutely buy this once it finishes.


I'll be back next week with my thoughts on the lip line.

Self love and personal growth: Quitting Alcohol.

I know it has been quiet on my platforms lately but there has been a good reason for it.
I've been working on myself a little.

Took a major step in my health journey this past week.

It has taken a lot of reflecting, discomfort and changes in general. Growth is never painless.
My growth has been painful because of how much hurt I caused myself by refusing to look after myself. I wanted more than my body and mind was able to keep up with, my greed was out of control, materialistic, careless, addicted to not feeling and numbing myself to keep on self destructing.
This sums up my turbulent late teens to early 20's.

Today I still battle with the feelings I had been suppressing for most of my life but unlike then, I refuse to ignore them (try my hardest not to). I was so oblivious to what feelings actually felt like for many years. I had some shallow happiness in my life but it was of course not lasting happiness.

Last week I finally decided to cut alcohol out of my life.
I was having a major anxiety attack where I was trying to figure out a way to fix myself fast. I had been invited to a social gathering and I was struggling beyond what I could handle in that moment as it was a sudden invitation. I don't deal well with surprises in my daily life. My solution to my anxiety, in my irrational mind, was to have a few drinks, because it would solve my problem of feeling overwhelmed. Luckily this thought bothered me enough for me to have a sit down with myself and reflect.

My solution to all my feelings had for many years been alcohol.
In my mind I was just "a free spirit who enjoyed a buzz", in denial defending my vice/addiction. But as I am on a quest to be the best self I can possibly be in myself there was no question about what had to go. I have cut out so many negativity triggers in my life and I'm disappointed in how long it has taken me to get rid of this one.

I know it's not going to be easy as I still find myself trying to justify a drink in my head... But it's for my own good. I do believe I've numbed myself for long enough and I want, as mentioned, to be my best self. My best self for me.

I'm excited for the days of not feeling so pathetically drawn to numbing my anxiety and instead being able to work through my emotions.

And thank you guys, if you read this, for helping me by sharing your ways of dealing with anxiety on Instagram when it got to me a bit too much. ❤

Empties Winter 2017/2018.

Turns out I had way more empties than I expected...
So here's my giant post with mini reviews!

 By: Amie Skincare.

What is it: Cleansing water.
Will I repurchase: Not quite sure...
Why: I'm currently working through a stash of various cleansing waters and it will be a good few months before I even consider getting any more. I will however say that my current one doesn't clean as nicely as the AMIE one.

 By: Skin Laundry

What is it: Daily moisturiser with SPF
Will I repurchase: No.
Why: I didn't dislike the product but I didn't feel like it did anything out of the ordinary. I have tried so many drugstore alternatives with similar result and I'm frankly not ready to dish out more than £10 per 30ml unless it will do something more. And it isn't a physical sunscreen which is what I normally opt for.

 By: Pai

What is it: Calming Day Cream.
Will I repurchase: No.
Why: Again, a product which didn't do anything for me. I have found a calming cream which works for me (featured in my travel skincare).

 By: Celle-x

What is it: Hydrating Face Cream.
Will I repurchase: No.
Why: Didn't feel or see any difference in my skin... I have nothing bad to say about it, just wasn't for me.

 By: Good Stuff

What is it: Day Cream with SPF.
Will I repurchase: No.
Why: Again, nothing special, SPF wasn't high enough for this part of the world and it was something I bought as a panic buy as I ran out of moisturiser... Can't say I'd even recommend it.

 By: Organic Surge

What is it: Deodorant
Will I repurchase: No.
Why: I'm still on my quest to find my perfect deodorant, this wasn't it. It wasn't horrible I just think I'm very much over liquid deodorants, I much more prefer solid ones.

 By: Never Cosmetics

What is it: Brightening Face Primer
Will I repurchase: No.
Why: I tried to make this work so hard... It just didn't like my face. I used half the tube before completely giving up... It would look patchy, peel, not quite set for a long time in certain areas and give me a weird colour.

 By: Lily Lolo

What is it: BB Cream
Will I repurchase: No.
Why: This was to start with too light for me, which was very surprising as I normally wear Fair as a shade. I made the colour work but the texture was a bit difficult to get even and it barely had any colour at all... Might try another shade at some point but for now I'm fine.

 By: Bamford

What is it: Hand and Body Wash.
Will I repurchase: No.
Why: I can't see myself bothering with liquid body soap to be honest... I've been a solid soap lover for years and I have so many wonderful brands I love.

 By: Pai

What is it: Hand Cream.
Will I repurchase: Yes.
Why: This is the first hand cream in many, many years I've loved. I don't use hand cream but I will absolutely start using this one! It smells lovely and leaves the hands instantly hydrated.

 By: Sunday Riley

What is it: Moisturiser.
Will I repurchase: No.
Why: I was so ready to be blown away... This was a very underwhelming cream. I got close to three weeks use out of this tiny tub which was impressive but the product didn't do anything for me.

 By: Southern Comforts Fragrance.

What is it: Rollerball Perfume.
Will I repurchase: No.
Why: It was limited edition!!! This was the first one I finishes, I made sure to get a second one as it is amazing!!! My heart breaks a bit thinking about going on with my life without this magical, comforting fragrance...

 By: Funk Soap

What is it: Vanilla Lip Balm.
Will I repurchase: Yes.
Why: These balms are wonderful. I even scraped the inside after the picture was taken...

 By: Notoriously Morbid Cosmetics.

What is it: Lip Salve/Mask.
Will I repurchase: No.
Why: It's not vegan. I absolutely love the product, I'd highly recommend it to anyone who is OK with beeswax.
It does a wonderful job.

 By: Zodiac Killer Cosmetics

What is it: Eyeshadow primer.
Will I repurchase: No.
Why: I used to absolutely love this but I think it might just have gotten a bit too dry... I am still trying primers to find my favorite primer but this one wasn't it, close but not quite.

 By: Concrete Minerals

What is it: Eyeshadows
Will I repurchase: No.
Why: I have gone through two pots of Confessions now and I feel like I want to see what's out there... Risqué wasn't what I was expecting. It wasn't a true red, it blended out too pink for my liking.

 By: Dirty Hippie Cosmetics

What is it: Mineral Concealer.
Will I repurchase: yes.
Why: I love this formula, I was actually using it as a foundation most of the time. It's dewy, not too oily and it doesn't feel heavy on the skin. Light coverage.

 By: Dirty Hippie Cosmetics

What is it: Lip & Cheek Tint.
Will I repurchase: Yes.
Why: I love this product, it was a wonderful little trick to getting the perfect looking glass skin. I used it as an eye gloss, lip gloss, cheek gloss and it's so easy to mix with pigments... Makes a beaming highlight!

 By: My Pretty Zombie Cosmetics.

What is it: Beauty Powder
Will I repurchase: Yes.
Why: This made my skin look amazing!!!

 By: Espionage Cosmetics

What is it: Loose Eyeshadow
Will I repurchase: No.
Why: It doesn't exist anymore!!! It was the first shadow I ever bought from EC and it was my absolute favorite daily liner pigment... You'll be missed vault hunter...

 By: Dirty Hippie Cosmetics

What is it: Highlighter and Bronzer.
Will I repurchase: Yes.
Why: These are so flattering. Love them both.

By: Dirty Hippie Cosmetics
What is it: Eye shadow
Will I repurchase: Yes.
Why: I'm surprised I managed to get through a whole 5g of black eye shadow!!! I did like this but for now I don't plan on buying it as I have loads of others to get through. It's in my top 2 of blackest eye shadows ever used.

Bullet Journal Part 2 + Stationery Haul: April.

Good day my fellow BuJo lovers!

I have to give myself a pat on my back for being so consistent with my journaling for the past three months. It really has helped me manage anxiety and stress.

Here's my April spread.

My April main page: I chose to add a mantra this month as I've been reading into it lately and this spoke to me. Below my April title I have a few hearts my niece made for me where I'll put important dates such as birthdays for this month. On the second page I have my goals for the month, which I'm still working on, my social media plan/ideas and finally my workout tracker.

On my third page I have my expenses and a narrow list of future expenses to keep myself from treating myself too hard! Next page is my food and mood page, I'm very much ruled by my belly and I like knowing what I've had so I can pinpoint anything that might cause problems. Labelling on food products aren't the best in this country so I have to make a bit of an effort when buying new things or eating out... A gamble for a lactose intolerant vegan.

My weekly planner. Not much to say about this really... Made a pretty flower to fill up some space. I don't always do a weekly planner with tasks for each day but this week I need it.

I've also updated my 2018 spread with a little "things I want" and "important savings" (one of which I had to censor to avoid the person it relates to seeing it!
Other than that I'm happy with the layout and still have a but of space to use as the year progresses for whatever else might come up.

Random Haul!

While I was in South Africa getting all my yearly checks done I went to a few stationery shops. I was expecting to find a lot more but still managed to find a few good bits.

I got myself a set of Stabilo Pastel Highlighters, which I've been using a lot. A set of Stabilo Pastel Fiber-Tip pens, I still haven't managed to master these, I keep making them bleed through the pages... And I know they shouldn't... Definitely need a lighter hand with these, I'm so out of practice in general with my handwriting. Also got a pack of CNA (the store I bought these) Pastel Gel Pens, which I've been loving! They feel a lot more neon but I'm not complaining. A scribbling tablet/pad which I have been enjoying as a base for when I use pens I know will bleed, the I just glue the page into my bullet journal. Oh! And a stencil! I was so excited to find this! I keep forgetting about it though, need to just leave it on the center of my desk... Or something.

And finally when I got back, I got myself a few black pens.
I really struggled finding what I wanted in the stores I visited in South Africa so when I got back I was so fed up that I just went with the traditional types. I will have to do some online shopping in a couple of months for what I want... I really do miss the big bookstores I used to have in Sweden where you had testers out to try on your paper... Oh how I look forward to my trip there early next year.

Anyhow!
So that's it for now.
Feel free to tag me in your bullet journal posts and hauls @cynthiaiskillikill on Instagram and @Cynthiaiskilli on Twitter! I love it all! Also feel free to recommend any cool things... Haha. Specific ey?