Hauling in Warsaw: Skincare & Fragrance

Finally, I got round to posting the promised skincare and fragrance haul! I have to admit that I'm not 100% happy with this post because I'm badly missing my beloved DSLR. A point-and-shoot is quite all right for quick snapshots on the trip, but for me, no longer cuts it for beauty product close-ups. Well, we'll have to live with that somehow and just focus on the products rather than the pictures.


I suffered a bad case of seriously dehydrated skin after I landed in Warsaw. I'd already had some issues with dry flakes before the trip, and the flight just added to the overall bad condition of my skin, including my face, lips and the whole body, hands and feet too. I've managed to get most of my body parts under control since thanks to various products, including Avon Foot Works Intensive Callus Cream, given to me by my mum (funnily enough, I also gave her a foot cream, but this time by Ahava). Thanks to the high contents of glycolic acid and glycerin, it really does soften dry, rough patches on my feet.

I also decided I needed a new self-tanner as I was running low on my trusted Dove gradual tanner with SPF 15. I picked up this Yves Rocher Self-Tanner Moisturizing Face & Body Lotion after reading a positive review on Brunette's Heart, a Polish beauty blog. So far, I've only used it on my face either at night or during stay-at-home days; the texture on the skin is a bit sticky and shiny, but it does moisturize quite well and the tan looks very natural, not streaky, not patchy, not too orange.

Then, I found a L'Occitane coupon in my favorite Polish women's magazine, Zwierciadło, and couldn't pass up the offer. In fact, I'd never had anything from the brand before, but heard quite a lot of good things. I picked up the 100% Pure Shea Butter in a cute little tin and plan to use it mostly on my chapped lips. I also got the purse-sized Dry Skin Hand Cream with 20% shea butter content as a gift with purchase.


The most substantial thing I bought at L'Occitane was Rose 4 Reines Eau de Toilette (20ml). As the name suggests, it's a rose perfume composed of 4 different kinds of roses, the Grasse rose, the Bulgarian rose, the Moroccan rose and the Turkish rose. I wasn't a huge fan of florals before, but this is a lovely feminine scent with a powdery finish and a surprisingly good lasting power; but more on that in a separate post which I plan to write on my perfume collection.

I also couldn't stop myself from getting Zara Black Peony Eau de Toilette (100ml), known as a good dupe for Viktor & Rolf Flowerbomb at a fraction of the price, discovered thanks to Pyxiee. I've wanted Flowerbomb for the longest time, but couldn't justify the pricetag, and this came to my rescue. From what I remember, it does smell a bit different then the more expensive version, lasts for a shorter time on the skin and has quite a ridiculous packaging, but I still like it a lot (and that fabric flower can be removed from the cap).

And there you have it, a very rambly skincare and fragrance haul post. Stay tuned for the make-up haul!