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Kiko Midnight Siren LE Matte Muse Lipstick 03 Enthrall Pink

October 27, 2015, 8:02 am
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Apart from the stunning Rebel Romantic collection, Kiko currently has another limited edition, a much darker variant called Midnight Siren. Most of the products, though pretty, didn't really manage to catch my attention, but when it comes to matte lip creams, I'm always game. This was another item I planned on getting online and based on pretty rare online swatches, 02 caught my eye. However, once in the shop after swatching all the shades, I picked up a brighter shade 03 and I'm glad I did. I actually liked all the colours, they really made a lovely selection of shades and I would own all the colours if the quality made a great impression on me. 


03 Enthrall Pink is a coral-pink shade. It's not too bright neither muted and I'm a big fan of how it looks on my lips. 
 

The formula is very pigmented and fully opaque, just as almost all such products and it dries to a matte finish after about 15 minutes. It gets more matte than on my pictures, I just didn't have the patience because I again took pictures three separate times to get it right. I have to say that these aren't the best matte liquid lipsticks I've tried, but also not bad, I'd say they are average and there is room for improvement. It's a bit sticky on the lips for the first hour or so, yet it doesn't flake off because of that, which is surprising. Once it sets this doesn't move. It feels fine of my lips, however, I have a feeling that if your lips get dry often, you may find this drying.


The glass bottle resembles that of a nail polish, which is unique and cool. The applicator is interesting as well, but not unique, since Essence had a very similar one in the Stay with Me lip gloss. It's an hourglass shape applicator, but it's a bit small to fit my lips. At those with thinner lips than mine one swipe will probably be enough to cover them whole with the colour. These were actually some of my favourite shapes of applicators, however this one isn't as soft as Essence's, it's also a bit smaller, but it's fine. 


Staying power is excellent as at most such products. These will last through almost everything and need preferably an oil based remover to get them off. I notice no scent.

It was 6.90 € and the shelves were still full in Palmanova two weeks ago. These are also still available online, only shade 02 is sold out. 


Have a great day!
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Autumn Picks #2

October 28, 2015, 10:40 am
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Although it looks like a standard neutral eyeshadow palette, it does have a very autumnal vibe and the real stand out shade here is the deep burgundy called Sexy. I've never really worn red on my eyes, but this one just works without making you look like someone punched you in the face. Nude'Tude is a fantastic palette that really impressed me with its quality and it's just as good as Urban decay ones, except it's quite a lot cheaper. The eyeshadows are very smooth, pigmented and blend so well that it's truly a joy using it. 

I wanted to include a budget neutral palette, granted the Chocolate version one would fit here better, however, the quality of that one just isn't on pair with the rest, so I picked the original Absolute Nude because it has a basic arrange of shades for a nice bronzy-brown smoky eye that will fit nicely into autumn. These are still my favourite budget palettes, the eyeshadows are nicely pigmented, they blend ok and lasts decently on the lids.


 I love the shade of this. It's such a beautiful warm almost coppery bronze brown that is quite dark and fits perfectly into autumn. However, it's not the best quality cream eyeshadow because it creases a lot and it's better use is as a base. The texture is so soft, almost like a cross between a mousse and liquid eyeshadow, plus it's very pigmented, so I only need to touch the surface very lightly or I end up with too much product.

KIKO Long Lasting Stick Eyeshadow
06 Golden Brown and 38 Golden Taupe
I adore these. They are seriously the best cream eyeshadows I found. These have an excellent pigmentation, they apply so smoothly with zero tugging on the lids, blend nicely and once they set, they don't budge. Golden Brown is a bronze shade that is very similar to Maybelline's On and on Bronze, but it's a bit darker and cooler and 38 Golden Taupe is a .neutral-warm taupe shade, which is in the same colour family as Satin Taupe, but it has quite a chunky green-gold shimmer in it. 


I rave about this blush all the time. They changed the pattern since I got mine, but I think it's still the same shade. There's something about this natural shade that just compliments my pale neutral skintone so well, it's just a perfect every day, goes-with-everything blush. It's an interesting shade that kind of looks like someone mixed a red-toned bronzer with a warm pink blush.

I always feel that brave dark shades like burgundies need a bit of contouring. This one fits us pale girls well as the contour powder is taupe brown, so it manages to fake a shadow well and it's pigmented enough to show up on my cheeks. The highlighter is subtle though, but in a nice champagne shade for a neutral skintone like mine.


Out all Creme Puffs available here Lavish Mauve is the least shimmery and coolest. It's a coo pink-mauve-violet shade with tiny duo chrome violet-gold shimmer, which I can't see on the cheeks. The texture is soft, decently pigmented and on my cheeks it has more of a satin finish. 

Tresure Rose is the darkest and most pigmented in my selection, it's also the only cream blush. It's a rose-retro red mix that translates into a pink-red flush on the cheeks and the texture reminds me of play-doh, which means it's quite dry to the touch. 


I've heard whispers that this is a dupe for Soar, but I don't have it to compare, it is nonetheless such a beautiful 90's inspired shade. The formula is creamy enough to be used as a replacement for a lipstick and it's cheap as chips. You can't go wrong with this one.

This is my ultimate favourite everyday goes-with-every-thing and appropriate for every occasion lip colour. It's a beautiful muted rose-pink shade that is actually exactly the natural tone of my lips, but a shade or two darker, making it look quite natural on my lips, however, it still stands out. The staying power and the matte formula are winners as well.


01 Lusty Peony is a dark nude type of shade that's easy to wear and would suit many people. But what's even more important is that the formula is just fantastic. It's so creamy and comfortable to wear. I really hope that Kiko decides to make these permanent. The packaging is divine as well, the rose gold tube really is a looker. Love this.

Strawberry Pink is a warm medium natural pink-rose-brown shade that is several shades darker than my lips as well as a bit warmer, but it might be a nice MLBB shade for medium skin tones The finish is creamy-satin and it's the type of lipsticks that at time can feel drying, though at first it's very comfortable to wear. 


Well, of course this is going to be here, it's the best burgundy shade I found with a fantastic matte formula. It's a deep red with no brown undertones and very little purple undertones which I appreciate a lot. I adore this colour on me, it's just so striking. The texture is pleasantly creamy and more waxy or perhaps silicone-y than most lipsticks I tried, but it glides on the lips like a dream and isn't drying at all despite the semi-matte finish.

Aside from Laetitia the other vampy shade. It's much more purple though. It's a deep purple with a bit of burgundy on my lips and it's super pigmented, creamy, applies without dragging - truly the formula is lovely. The lasting power impressed me as well and it wears off into this nice even stain.  


A gorgeous deep berry purple that is a perfect mix between purple and pink-rose. The formula is great as at most Essie, meaning it's really smooth as well as easy to apply evenly and it's fully opaque with two coats. It's on my nails at the moment.

This is without a doubt one of my favourite shades ever in my entire nail polish stash. I love such dark vampy colours especially in colder months. Sole Mate is a beautiful plum-bordeaux shade (supposedly a dupe for Chanel's Rouge Noire) with an amazing quality formula and that fabulous Essie brush. 


A retro rose shade or a dirty medium pink that fits perfectly into autumn. I hear Essence Love my Diary is a pretty close dupe for it and it's a third of the price. Both are gel inspired formulas.

MISSLYN Nail Polish
610 Night Club
A beautiful navy blue with blue frost. It's one of those shades that is almost black, but the reflect shows it's true nature. The formula is a bit on the dry side, so it's not the easiest to apply.


This is that one fantastic transition shade that can easily be worn from autumn though winter into spring because it's such a nice mix of styles. It's a mix of autumn-winter murky taupe and spring pastel lilac shade, so it looks very modern on the nails. Plus this formula has a very shiny finish.

ESSIE Nail Lacquer
Merino Cool 
A mix of violet and grey. It's in the same colour family as Midsummer Mauve, but darker and less grey. The formula is classic requiring two-three coats for full opacity.


The scent of this version is mighty powerful, in fact way too much for a majority of the year, but as soon as temperatures drop, you'll appreciate it more. I'd describe the scent as chocolate-vanilla-musk-woody one in a perfume version, so an oriental type of scent. But otherwise, it's a standard Batiste dry shampoo, which is one of my favourites.

Balea knows what to offer for super dry skin. My legs, elbows and especially soles gets so dry in autumn and winter, so I resort to really heavy-duty stuff. Balea's body butters are thick and intensely moisturising, so it's better to apply them before going to bed. This version smells exactly like Monte (the dessert) so it's an intense chocolate hazelnut scent. If you like foody scents, this is definitely for you.

Combination of central heating and the cold, foggy/rainy weather can make the hair drier - it certainly affects mine. Drugstore conditioners do nothing for me any more and I resort to many leave-in products to fend away dryness. This one is a cream leave-in conditioner or a version of it. It actually has a considerable amount of oil in it, but it doesn't make you hair all limp or greasy and it doesn't leave that silicone felling on the hair. It just helps with the dryness without screwing your hair style and it can be used on both dry and wet hair. It smells like the rest of the Extraordinary line, so a bit like cinnamon. 

YANKEE CANDLE Soft Blanket
It's the season of candles. There aren't many I like and most left me disappointed (though I recently found an amazing one with a peach scent in Eurospin for like a euro), but I adore the scent of this one. Truly it's one of the most amazing scents ever. it's like baby powder and fabric softener, so its soft, warm and cosy.


Have a great day!
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Unboxing: My Beauty Box

October 30, 2015, 8:23 am
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Slovenia got a new beauty box service, called My Beauty Box. I wanted to write the next part about the box in general in English because I don't like writing in Slovene, but that'd be rather pointless considering international readers can't get our box, however, the reviews of products are a different story, so scroll down over my incoherent babbling in Slovene to see what I think of the products. 


V Slovenijo je prišla nova lepotna škatla imenovana My Beauty Box. Kolikor vem, smo blogerke šele poskusni zajčki, trgovino pa bodo odprli kmalu in verjetno tudi takrat oznanili končno ceno, ampak naj bi bila okrog 14,90€ (po informacijah Sare iz Passing Fancy). Stran imajo že postavljeno, ampak za zdaj te tam čaka samo njihov kontakt, da jih lahko vprašaš kaj te zanima. Imajo tudi že Instagram in Facebook. 

Te škatle presenečenja, ki so dejansko samo kozmetična nadgradnja vrečk, ki smo jih kupovali kot otroci, me pravzaprav niso nikoli pritegnile, saj plačevati toliko za testerje, od katerih ti bo všeč morda eden ali dva ni po mojem okusu, ampak par let nazaj je bila prava norija za temi škatlami in mislim, da jih je večina zelo vesela. Sprejela sem eno škatlo za preizkušnjo, da vsaj enkrat v življenju vidim kako to izgleda in moram priznati, da tako lepe škatle kar nisem pričakovala. Kar se tiče embalaže jim dam 10 točk, saj je škatla tako lepa in kvalitetna, da jo bom zagotovo porabila za druge stvari. Ko škatlo odpreš te pričaka prikupna pentljica in lep papir z motivi ličil - to so mali detajli, ki res naredijo vtis. V škatli je bilo pet izdelkov: 
• Essijev lak v odtenku Merino Cool, 
• tester Ginvera Green Tea Nude Cover BB kreme (8g), 
• tester vrečica Macadamia Natural oil Deep Repair maske (15 ml), 
• Tattify začasni tatuji in 
• Tepigs čaj z okusom limone in ingverja. 

Če gledamo cene Essie stane 9,90 € (cena v DM-ih, ampak tega odtenka v novomeškem DM-u ni), 40 ml Ginvera BB kreme stane £24,95 (po mojem hitrem zanič izračunu je v testerju za približno 7 € izdelka), 30 ml tester vrečkica Macadamia Deep Repair maske stane 4,20 € (Beauty Bay), torej je ta vredna 2,10 €, Tattify Tattoja sta 5 $ in Teapigs čaji (2 vrečke) so £1,30. Vsebino zagotovo ne preplačaš, koliko vas je pa navdušila je pa čisto subjektivna zadeva. Sama sem mnenja, da so na dobri poti, sploh laka sem zelo vesela, ampak bi si želela samo kozmetične izdelke, sicer pa kot pravim, vsake oči imajo svojega malarja.


ESSIE Nail Lacquer
Merino Cool

Undoubtedly the most exciting product in the box. I immediately loved the colour as it's a proper autumnal shade and I already included it in my Autumn Picks. Merino Cool it's a mix of purple with grey and it's very likely that they decided to include it to match the box, which was pretty cool of them. The formula is an average one, it needs two coats, sometimes three coats for full opacity and it's fuss free to apply. I know many people find Essie's are just not worth it, but I really like them.


GINVERA Green Tea Nude Cover BB Cream

I remember a British blogger raving about this, about how it's her HG base, but I don't know who it was. The box contains an 8 g sample, which is a decent size, however, the tube is not full - still it lasts quite a few applications. It comes in only one shade, which is just lazy, how could you possibly expect that it will fit everyone? It's quite a dark shade from my perspective. It's darker than my darkest foundation Catrice's Nude Illusion in 010, but at least it's a neutral shade and it didn't end up looking too off on me also because of the coverage. The latter is light, with additional layers it can be built up to light-medium, but you'll definitely need concealer for under the eyes, redness and spots. The texture is very light, it blends beautifully and sets fast, in fact it reminds me of a less greasy version of Missha's Signature BB Cream. It looks very natural on the skin, it just sort of melts into the skin and it has that Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum effect, where it's not obvious you're wearing anything. I really like how it looks on the skin, only it sometimes looks a bit weird on my pores, but I think this has to do with my skin condition and not this BB. It has a strong, but pleasant scent of green tea.


It's nice, albeit expensive, but the texture of it is really lovely. If only they were sensible enough to create more shades, they might even get me as a customer.

TATTIFY Temporary Tattoos


The tattoo craze passed me by completely. In fact, I'm one of those grumpy people that does not like looking like a human doodle, but I digress. There are temporary tattoos, not unlike those we had as kids. I'll be brutally honest here, I'd probably get a better quality tattoo in one of the kids chewing gums than this. My picture doesn't lie, but the result I got bummed me out. It didn't transfer well and I followed the instructions to the letter, plus it was essentially falling apart after an hour. I didn't try the other one, to see if the one I tried was faulty, but might update you if that one is better. The design is pretty, though.


MACADAMIA Deep Repair Masque
 

I've already got a review of this where you can read how unimpressed I was by this. It's incredibly popular and people rave about it, but it just doesn't work on my hair. Having said that, my mom loves it for some reason and I keep buying her pots of this. It's a thick hair treatment that I expected would be super nourishing, but it made my hair very frizzy that's why I didn't like it. But again, I hear it works for a majority of people judging from the rating on MUA. 


TEAPIGS Lazy Days Tea
Lemon and Ginger
They just had to include tea *sighs* Yes, I sound spoiled and I'm aware many people would be very happy to get it in their box, but I'm not one of them. I want beauty products in my box - what a shocking revelation. It's a British brand that uses whole leaf only and their tea bags are one of those pyramid ones. I didn't drink it, I doubt I ever will as I mostly drink only home-grown camomile tea, but it smells like lemon. Sara says these are supposedly really good and she's really into teas, so listen to her not silly little me.


So what do you think about the box? Have a great day!
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October Favourites

October 31, 2015, 6:47 am
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This palette has been my life since I got it. I used Catrice's Chocolate palette a couple of times and FM's Jewels and Riches once or twice, but otherwise it's was all about this baby. The quality is so nice. The eyeshadows are so pigmented, soft and they blend beautifully, also the selection of shades is pretty much totally up my alley. It's so much better than the drugstore palettes I've been using recently, so this has become my standard "I need to look good and I don't have time for building up the colour for a million years" palette. It's like Bourjois' Nude-ist, so the thing I grab when we're getting serious with the makeup. I'm kind of eyeing the Nude'Dude palette as well.

These eyeshadow sticks are the best cream eyeshadows around. After the taupe shade 38, I got my hands on  the bronze 06 as well. It's actually very similar to On and on Bronze by Maybelline, only a bit darker and cooler, but I much more prefer the format of the eyeshadow as it's easier to use and apply. These are so smooth, pigmented and they blend well before the set, but after that they don't budge. I use them mostly as a base. 


I never thought I'd put a regular mascara in my favourites, but I've used this one pretty much every single day this month, You may know how I'm always grumpy about regular formulas not holding a curl and that's why I don't use them, but this one actually lifts the lashes a bit, like half way without using a curler. I'm trying to lay off the curler and waterproof mascaras for a while, so my lashes will have a break and this mascara is the best for my needs. It's like a better version of Essence's Princess Lash mascara. It gives the same amount of volume (so tons), it defines the lashes better because the brush is plastic and my lashes do not drop like a stone as at PL. You get huge lashes with this, despite the plastic comb. I gave it to my cousin to try and she hates plastic brushes with passion and she said she really love this and if it were sold in the drugstores, she'd get it in a heartbeat. It is drying quite fast, well at least for what I'm used to and the brush is very similar to MF's False Lash mascaras, which means it is again harsh on my eyes, but not nearly as much as MF's (tears are pouring out of my eyes after using that one). I think I'll try the black, cat eyes version next.


I can scarcely believe myself for including this here, but in all fairness I have been using it every day and it is my eyeliner of choice as of late. We had an incredibly rocky start, I despised this liner and rightly so. It actually made me angry, but from the start it just didn't work at all and I paid a lot for it. Then all of a sudden it started working absolutely perfectly. Weirdest. Thing. Ever. Anyway, it's a liquid eyeliner with a brush applicator that is very precise and allows the smallest strokes and corrections. The formula is super smooth and pigmented, plus it lasts long. I ended up really liking this, but will I forgive its initial misbehaviour only when hell freezes over.


Strawberry Pink and I have our ups and downs. On most days I find it a pretty bland, unflattering colour on me and there are also times when I adore it. It a warm medium natural pink-rose-brown shade - I know complicated, but it's one of those in-between shades. It's several shades darker than my lips as well as a bit warmer, but this would probably be a MLBB shade on medium skin tones. The finish isn't matte, rather it's creamy satin and it a very light, smooth formula to apply. The packaging is so cool to me, I like these kind of futuristic stuff. 

Looove <3 I already dedicated an epic to these lipsticks in my Romantic Rebel posts, but they really stand out among the crowd. The formula is amazing, they are so creamy and comfortable to wear, I'm not exaggerating when I say these are some of the best lipsticks I've tried. So it's not just the stunning very expensive looking rose gold packaging, the product inside is magnificent as well. The shade 01 Lusty Peony is my favourite because it's a dark nude type of shade that's easy to wear and looks very cool. 

This is my ultimate favourite everyday goes-with-every-thing and nice for every occasion lip colour. It's a beautiful muted rose-pink shade that is actually  exactly the natural tone of my lips, however, a shade or two darker, making it look quite natural on my lips, but just giving that definition to my pale face. The staying power and the matte formula are winners as well.


I got myself five MAC lipstick samples when I last ordered on The Body Needs and I found two new absolute favourites - All Fired up and D for Dangerous. Both are retro matte, which is my favourite formula and both are an interesting take on pink-red, which is my favourite type of colour for the lips. All Fired up is a warm fuchsia shade, while D for Danger is a gorgeous warm purple-pink-red. Seriously love these colours so much.


I waited almost a year to wear this. I love the shade, but it's a very autumnal colour and it feels odd to wear it in the summer.  It's a mix of taupe and a pastel lilac shade, so it looks very modern on the nails. If you're perceptive you may have noticed it on my nails in a few posts this month and that's because on was on my nails a majority of the month. Such a gorgeous shade. 


Balea released two new scents of their universal creams, one with an orange & grapefruit scent and this one. I like both scents, but this one is my favourite. It's closest to the Golden Twenties version, except that's warmer and it has a certain tonka bean/patchouli combination that is a bit similar to La Vie est Belle from Lancome. Balea always surprises with the beautiful packaging of these and I again adore this one, especially because it has polka dots.


I forgot to include this one in the pictures where all the product are together, but it's in a cabinet above my computer, where I keep it away from the light and I forgot to grab it. It's my scent of choice for the past couple of weeks and it's just so perfect for this time of year. I'm a sugary fragrance kinda girl, not even a little bit embarrassed about that, but I thrive on smelling like dessert. It's a sweet and cosy fragrance with the opening that features an excellent mix of berries with sugar and an occasional whiff of passion fruit that gives it a slight tropical twist, but the most dominant note throughout is warm vanilla that makes the fragrance feel like a snug jumper. I like it much more than the original Wonderstruck and the rest of Swift's fragrances, which are pretty boring if you ask me.


Have a great day!
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How to Determine your Skin's Undertone

November 2, 2015, 8:06 am
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(Slovenska verzija tukaj. Source of pictures of hands here)

I was confused about my skintone for years. I always just bought the foundation that was lightest, because frankly us pale girls don't really have a choice at most foundations, it's always either pink or yellow, but almost never both versions or by some divine intervention even neutral. But the more foundations I've tried, the more clear my undertone became to me. Picking a correct undertone of foundation should not be taken lightly, because even if the foundation matches you in terms of how light/dark it is, if you have a warm skintone and you get a pink foundation, it'll look off and make you look orange. Cool skintones will find warm foundation make them look very yellow (though if you have redness in your skin, you might find that the yellow hue counteracts that). Makeup and clothes should also suit your undertone because the right colours will make you look bright, healthy and they'll enhance your natural features. 

So what is an undertone? Several things affect your skin tone, mostly the amount of melanin, carotene and haemoglobin, and these can make a certain hue stand out more. Some people's skin looks more yellow, other's pink or olive, some will say they have a peachy undertone and dark skintones might even have a red undertone, but in general they fall into three categories: warm, cool and neutral. Warm skintones are more yellow and cool more pink, while neutral skintones have a mix of both colours. But what about olive? Well some say it counts as neutral because if you look at it logically, green is a mix of yellow (warm) and blue (cool), so it only depends of whether your shade of green is more yellow or more blue. People with olive skintones also tend to tan very fast. 

Undertones on you face and body can differ, but when it comes to foundation, I like to match it to the undertone of my neck and chest. I included six steps in this guide to help you determine your undertone, I'm sure you've heard of at least one, but I hope this helps nonetheless.


This is the quickest and easiest way, but also the most deceptive one. I think most might have a problem getting the shade exactly right, expect if you're very warm or cool. But the general rule is that green veins mean you have a warm/yellow undertone and blue/purple veins indicate a cool/pink undertone. In my example on the picture (I hope you don't find it creepy that I'm showing you my veins), they are something between the two colours, so they are green-blue. I think it's a good idea you try to compare your wrist to other people's because you'll get a much better sense of the colour. It's easier to compare two colours than try to determine what one colour is.


Do you look better in blue or yellow? Or even both? Warm skin tones look healthier against warm colours (yellow, orange, tomato red) and cool skin tones look less pale with cool colours (blue, turquoise and violet). Pretty straightforward, right? I think the easiest way it to check your closet and see the prevailing shades, but if you're a "I'll stop wearing black when a darker colour get invented" kind of girl, then find a yellow piece of fabric and drape it around your neck. Do you look better or absolutely horrible with it? If you look better then you're warm (or even neutral) and if you look drained then you have a cool skintone. I never liked yellow in my life, but I did have a dress in such a shade when I was younger and it looked fine on me, also based on my pictures above, I think I suit all colours, so again an indication I'm neutral.


Try to get the best natural light at this test (no direct sunlight, that'll make you look yellow), pull up your hair and have no make up on. You can do this two ways: with a white shirt or a piece of fabric, but you can also use paper. If you have something off-white, it'd be helpful as well. Do you look good with a white shirt or do you look drained and pale? If you look good, then chances are you have a warm or a neutral undertone. But if you look weird and off-white looks better, then your undertone is likely cool. With neutral undertone you'll look ok, but you might have a feeling this test isn't helping you. Warm skintones also look a bit yellow against a white sheet of paper. I applied Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum in 51 on the pictures, just to show you how warm skintone looks like with this test, so you may notice how my face looks a bit yellow, but it looks neutral on my neck.


This is another simple one. Do you think silver looks better on you or gold? Obviously there are always trends to consider, but I always think of what colour I'd like to have my wedding ring, so something you know you'll always wear (white gold, if anyone is asking). Gold looks better on warm skintones and silver on cool. Neutral skintones look good with both. When I was a kid, I hated gold and up until five or so years ago, all of my jewellery was silver. Now most of my jewellery is gold and I think it suits me just as well. Another check for the neutral skintone.


This one might not be the most accurate one, since dark skintones can be cool and olive skintones tan very easily, the latter is by some standards considered to be neutral (or either neutral/cool or neutral/warm). But there is some science to it. Skin colour is determined by several factors, among them also the amount of melanin, which gives the skin a slight yellow hue. Very pale people usually have a very low amount of melanin which presents itself in a pink/blue-red hue. So if you tan easily, it's likely you have a warm undertone and if you burn quickly, you probably have a cool undertone. But again there are always exceptions. I'm very pale and I don't tan, however, I also very rarely burn and I almost always forget to wear sunscreen on my body. 


I find this is the best test and it was the way I discovered my undertone. I have both warm and cool toned foundations in my collection and both types suit me, however, they aren't perfect. So this was one indication of a neutral undertone. So one day I just mixed a very yellow Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum 51 and the very pink Rimmel Match Perfection 010 Light Porcelain (most Rimmel foundations have this shade) and I got my perfect match. I have to say it's a very special moment when you find you perfect match, it makes your foundation look invisible on the skin, no matter the texture. 
If you go to the drugstore grab for example a Bourjois foundation (51 is very yellow. Or get Revlon's Colorstay Buff) and get Revlon's Colorstay Ivory, which is pink. then you'll have a comparison for other shades. Then try to determine which types of shades blend better with your skintone. Catrice's Nude Illusion 010 is an example of a more neutral foundation. 

I have a list of foundations with marked undertones in my About page, but it's only for light foundations. Here is a list of Revlon's Colorstay foundations by undertone and here is one for Photoready, shades of it might be same as at Nearly Naked (anyone know? ). L'Oreal's True Match has separate shades marked as W for warm, C for cool and N for neutral. Bourjois' foundations are usually very yellow as are Bobbi Brown's. The names of the shades might tell you a lot already. Porcelain, rose and cool often indicate a cool undertone, while golden, warm, vanilla and caramel usually mean it's warm. Beige and also nude are sometimes neutral. 


Ok, did you make it? Check the cheat sheet and mark which things can be applied to you. Where you have most ticks, that's probably your undertone. The more categories under one skintone type you mark, the more intense your undertones is. 


I made this picture for Click2Chic and I like it, so I'm including it here. It's not an ad, it's just a collection of colours that compliment your skin if it's warm or cool. I could make a different one, but who has the time.

I hope this was helpful and have a great day!
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Essence Merry Berry TE

November 4, 2015, 7:16 am
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After Kiko released the stunning Romantic Rebel collection, Essence pulled all the stops as well and released probably the most impressive collection so far, but definitely at least this year. It's not just the packaging that caught my (and probably other people's) eye, but the colour selection is actually so much prettier in person than it was on the press release. For one lipsticks completely passed me by when I saw them online, but they turned out to be just my colours. I got five bits from this collection, two nail polishes with the matching lipsticks and the hair mist. There are several other products available, the most visually interesting one is the scented gold dust powder, also the highlighter looked pretty and the gold topper, which is the product Essence releases traditionally every year. 

Lipsticks
 02 pink & perfect and 03 red rocks
2.49 €
It's kind of a norm that Essence releases much better lipsticks in their limited editions than they are in their regular lines and these are no exceptions. In fact, I'd go as far as calling these pretty good and you know how unimpressed I am about Essence's lipsticks. The feeling of the formula is the same as at at their regular Longlasting lipsticks, so a light, creamy formula that is almost full-coverage (needs about two layers), but the staying power is much, much better, especially at the 02 pink & perfect shade, which actually leaves a stain. The latter also survives lunch and only a portion of the colour rubs off, but it still looks even. I am genuinely impressed, at least as far as my experience with this brand goes. Now why can't Essence have such lipsticks in their standard line? Red Rocks is a bit less impressive in terms of staying power, but it's still much better that Longlasting ones. There is another shade in this collection called 01 let’s the berry-tales begin and it's the darkest in the bunch, but I found it too purple. Ana got almost the entire collection and you can check it out here.


02 pink & perfect 
It's a fuchsia shade, that has that tinge of purple, but it doesn't match the tube (nor the nails polish of course). It's somewhere between cool and a warm toned, it actually depends on your undertone how it will end up looking, but on me it's already more on the cool side. As I said in my description of the formula above, this shade stains. I pair it with Longlasting pencil 03 Yummy Berry, which is a bit different, but for fixing up the edges it works just fine. The corresponding nail polish is much darker and more purple, but these still look good together. 



03 Red Rocks

This one looks miles away from what they described it in the press release, therefore the name is highly confusing. It's not red at all, in fact it's a beautiful magenta. It reminds me a bit of Mac's All Fired up and I adore such shades. I think they should include this in their standard line. The official description also says it's a matte and that's also a lie. All the lipsticks have the same creamy formula. 


 
 Nail Polish

03 pink & perfect and 04 red rocks
Müller, € 1.49
Starting out with the obvious, the packaging is of course absolutely divine. It's not the first time Cosnova made such bottles, also Revlon's Parfumerie are very similar, and I just love this oriental ball cap design. The cap actually isn't hard to hold at all, which is something I was a bit concerned about. The brushes are a bit wider than usual and cut very straight, the latter is a bit annoying to me, but not too much. I have to say these are hard to apply without making a mess, it's the slightly wider brush in combination with the thicker formula that is causing me problems on my narrow nails. Otherwise they both look excellent on the nails. 

03 pink & perfect
I looove this colour. It's so me. I speak often how much I love warm purple shades and this one is perfect. It's similar to Bahama Mama by Essie, but a shade or two lighter and not as vampy. The formula is thick as I said before and very pigmented, so one coat gets you perfect full coverage and it evens itself out. However, it's more prudent to not use thick coats like me, but do two thin coats, to avoid a mess.  


 04 red rocks

This one is already a bit closer to red than the lipstick, but I'm again on the fence of actually calling it red. There is a lot of pink in it, so it ends up looking almost summery. I think Essence had at least one similar shade BBC Pink Heat from the Bondi Beach Collection TE (2011) and the formulas are very alike as well. It's again a very pigmented formula, but thinner than pink & perfect. One coat does leave you with almost full coverage and an even finish, but the ends still peak though a bit. 


Hair fragrance
01 I Love my Golden Pumps

I never owned such a product before, so I just got it out of curiosity. It's meant also as a  sort of a leave-in conditioner plus a hair frangrance, but judging from the ingredients, not much effort was put into realizing the hair care idea. Ok, so they stuck in some glycerine, but why is alcohol in the second place? Anyway, there is also some shimmer inside, which is actually very easy to miss do to small quantity. The scent might remind old Essence fans of the Vampire Love fragrance (you remember that Twillight collection from 2011?) and it's a fruity-gourmand scent, with an emphasis mostly on juicy fruit (I think it's kiwi) and some warm sugary base. It's very teenagey, but cute. In regards to being similar to Fantasy - I compared the two side by side and yes, it has that vibe, but it's fruitier and it has almost none of that vanilla/cupcake note in it. Due to the fact it's meant also as a hair care product, it's not as light as an actual fragrance, but it's also nowhere near to an intensive care. Ingredients here.
Müller, 3.79€


Did you get anything from this collection or do you plan to? 
Btw, kolekcija bo zelo kmalu tudi Click2Chic, če se katera boji, da jo bo kompletno zgrešila v trgovinah, ampak menda bo na voljo povsod kjer so stojala.

Have a great day!
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Nanshy Eye Brush Set

November 6, 2015, 7:43 am
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 (Slovensko v drugem delu objave)

You may remember that a while ago I reviewed a makeup sponge by Nanshy. Well they don't just have makeup sponges, but also have quite a selection of brushes which are available both individually and in sets. I got the Eye Brush set that contains 7 brushes and according to their website it's a Top 5 best seller. These come in two colours, black and white. 


There are seven brushes in this set: the large shader, eye crease, tapered crease, blending eyeshadow, flat definer, precise bent definer and angled detailer. These are synthetic, vegan, cruelty free and antibacterial. Let's check them out individually

Large Shader Brush 
This one is meant for both packing on the colour as well as blending. It's a flat, but this brush is about a third larger and thicker than MAC's 239. It's decent for packing on colour, however, the thing is that my eyes are quite small, so it's better suited for applying a base shade all over the lid, but it can work for getting the colour only on the mobile lid as well, it's just not as intense. It's quite a stiff brush, but not in a way that it's harsh, just very dense. It's synthetic, so it doesn't grab as much colour as MAC's 239, but it is, on the other hand, much more suited for cream eyeshadows.

Tapered Crease Brush 
I actually tried to guess what set I'll receive to test and I was hoping to get one with this brush. For a while I've been looking for a replacement for my Coastal Scents Italian Round brush, which is the only one that works in my crease, but this one isn't it. It's smaller and more suited for smudging eyeshadow under the lower lashline. As far as working in the crease goes, it's too small, meaning you get more of a cut crease effect instead of a soft, diffused look. I prefer to use in in combination the Blending Eyeshadow Brush or Eye Crease Brush.

Eye Crease Brush 
This one, on the other hand, is already bigger than my trusted Italian Round Brush. It's verging on being too big for my "crease" (I have hooded eyelids), so to me it's more of a blending brush. In fact the Blending Eyeshadow brush and this one aren't that different, the main difference it's merely in the amount of bristles, but it's the same type of a small blending brush that very soft and synthetic. I like using this for blending and it's is a very handy addition to my brush arsenal.

Blending Eyeshadow Brush 
A larger, fluffier version of the eye crease brush. It's soft, non-scratchy and blends well on my small eyes, but this is the largest blending brush in this set and I feel that it might be too small on different eye shapes than mine. For me it's excellent.

Flat Definer Brush 
I love this brush. I never even though of buying anything like it and now I feel pretty stupid. It is absolutely perfect for applying eyeshadow under the lower lashline the way I like it. My eyes are small and I don't like a lot of eyeshadow under there and not blended too far down. I prefer it more as a thin diffused line that defines the eyes and gives the appearance of a thicker lashline. This one does the job admirably.

Precise Bent Eyeliner Brush 
Very similar to my Alverde gel eyeliner brush, which is my favourite. It's a thin brush with a bent design that I find the easiest to use when applying gel eyeliner. I don't really use gel eyeliners, since I discovered felt tip eyeliners, but it should come handy one day.

Angled Detailer Brush 
Aside from the Italian Round Crease brush, I have another indispensable brush from Coastal Scents that I've been failing at finding a replacement for - Black on Black Taklon Angle Liner. This one is it. It's a similar small and thin angled brush that is very precise and perfect for applying the so called invisible eyeliner very close to the lashes.



The quality reminds me of Jessup brushes. These have very similar design and material used, however, this are much smaller and more precise, so unlike the Jessup set, I can do much more precise work with them and not just blending or applying concealer. One thing that I love and most of you will find me silly for it - the short handles. Well at least compared to other ones I have. My eyesight is poor, so I apply makeup very close to the mirror and I always bang the mirror with the handle. I'm sure many can relate, With these I don't or at least not as often, so it's a relief not the hear the constant clacking on the mirror surface.


I think these are the brushes most suited for small eyes. All in all the brushes in the set are small compared to most other brushes I own, luckily this fits my requirements since my eyes are small and hooded. The only brush that I really wish were smaller and flatter is the large shader brush, or they could just add such a brush to these seven because I consider it an essential and I use it every time I apply makeup. They are all synthetic, which means they don't necessarily pick up the colour as well, but they are great at blending and for use with cream eyeshadows. I'm particularly happy I got the Eye Crease, Blending Eyeshadow and Flat Definer and they have become somewhat of a staple brushes for me.

I got these from Ličila.si, but for international readers Nanshy is sold on their official website for £29.95.
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Nanshy mi ni neznana znamka, saj imam od njih že gobico, ampak njihovih čopičev pa prej še nisem preizkusila. Na voljo imajo kar nekaj čopičev, tako posameznih kot v kompletih. Moj je komplet sedmih čopičev za oči in je na voljo tudi v beli barvi.

Čopiči v kompletu so: the large shader (velik čopič za senčila), eye crease (čopič za pregib), tapered crease (koničasti čopič za pregib), blending eyeshadow (čopič za zabrisovanje), flat definer (ploščati čopič za definicijo), precise bent definer (natančni upognjen čopič za definiranje) and angled detailer (prirezan čopič za detajle). Čopiči so sintetični, veganski, niso testirani na živalih in antibakterijski.

Large shader brush
Čopič, ki je namenjen nanašanju senčila na veke, sicer pa se ga lahko uporabi tudi za zabrisovanje. Je ploščat, ampak debelejši kot npr. Macov 239 ali pa čopič za senčila od Essence. Je v redu za nanašanje barve, ampak je že skoraj prevelik za moje majhne oči in mi je boljši za nanašanje osnove, svetle barve na cele veke. Je kar gost čopič, posledično ne kaj dosti mehek, ampak ni grob. Ker je sintetičen ne pobere toliko barve, kot tisti z naravnimi ščetinami, ampak je pa zato veliko bolj primeren za kremna senčila.

Tapered Crease Brush 
Upala, sem da bom dobila ta čopič zato ker se mi je na slikah zdel zelo podoben mojemu prastaremu Italian Round Brush od Coastal Scents, ki je popoln za nanašanje senčila v gubo in iščem zamenjavo zanj, ampak tale je veliko manjši in bo za večino bolj primeren  kot "smudger" za pod spodnje trepalnice. Lahko pa z njim narediš bolj ostro črto v pregibu. Sama ga uporabljam v kombinaciji z Blending Eyeshadow Brush ali pa Eye Crease Brush.

Eye Crease Brush 
Ta je že večji kot moj Italian čopič in je že malo prevelik za moj pregib (verjetno nimamo spodobnega prevoda, zato bom samo rekla, da imam "hooded eyelids", torej tako obliko oči kot npr. Blake Lively). Zame je tale čopič bolj primeren za blendanje/zabrisovanje. Blending eyeshadow brush in tale se pravzaprav ne razlikujeta veliko, glavna razlika je, da je ta manj širok. Je pa mehek čopič in mi je všeč za zabrisovanje na mojih majhnih očeh, tako da sem vesela, da ga imam.

Blending Eyeshadow Brush 
Večja in širša verzija Eye Crease čopiča. Je zopet mehek, ampak dovolj gost, da lepo zabrisuje, sploh na mojih majhnih očeh. Ampak to je največji čopič za zabrisovanje v tem setu in mislim, da bo premajhen za tiste, ki imajo drugačno obliko oči kot jaz.

Flat Definer Brush 
Tale mi je pa zelo všeč. Nikoli mi niti padlo na pamet, da bi kupila kaj takega, ampak zdaj se počutim pa kar malo neumno. Odličen je za nanašanje senčila pod spodnje trepalnice, vsaj tako kot je meni všeč. Ne maram preveč senčila tam oz. ne maram da je zabrisano prenizko, ker me to naredi utrujeno, zato raje naredim bolj definiran videz s tanjšo, ampak zabrisano črto, ki naredi videz kot da imam bolj goste trepalnice.

Precise Bent Eyeliner Brush 
Ta je zelo podoben mojemu čopiču za eyeliner v gelu od Alverde, ki je moj najljubši. Je zelo tanek in natančen čopič z upognjenim ročajem in prav taka oblika meni najbolj ustreza za nanos gel eyelinerjev. Slednje sem sicer prenehala uporabljat ko sem odkrila tekoča črtala, ki izgledajo malo kot flumastri (felt tip eyeliner. Slovenščina ima polno neumnih prevodov, ki jih ne prenesem), ampak bo ta čopič že kdaj prišel prav.

Angled Detailer Brush 
Še en čopič je zame nepogrešljiv poleg Italian Round Crease brush, in sicer Black on Black Taklon Liner, ki izgleda kot tale. Je približno isto velik in še bolj pomembno tanek ter ozek, zato je zelo natančen in z njim lahko naneseš npr. črno senčilo čisto blizu trepalnic in ustvariš videz nevidnega črtala, da potem izgledajo trepalnice gostejše.  


Kvaliteta me spominja na Jessup čopiče. Tudi oblika in material sta podobna, ampak ti so veliko manjši in bolj natančni. Z njimi se lažje nanese ličila, saj tisti so že tako veliki, da jih uporabljam za zabrisovanje korektorja. Čopiči imajo krajše ročaje kot večina čopičev in to meni izjemno ustreza. Zaradi dioptrije sem ena izmed tistih, ki mora imeti ogledalo blizu med nanosom ličil in s čopiči stalno zadevam v ogledalo, s temi pa ne. Ok, večinoma ne, včasih se vseeno še zgodi, ampak je velik korak naprej. Zagotovo nisem edina, ki so jim take stvari pomembne.  

Po mojih izkušnjah so tile čopiči bolj namenjeni za ličenje manjših oči oz. takih kot so moje "hooded eyes". So kar majhni v primerjavi z ostali čopiči, ki jih imam. Samo large shader brush je za moje pojme ogromen in res pogrešan nekaj manjšega v tem setu. Ker so sintetični senčil ne poberejo tako dobro, kot tisti z naravnimi ščetinami, sploh če porabiš kakšno poceni paleto, ampak so zelo dobri za zabrisovanje in tudi za kremna senčila. Moj najljubši so Eye Crease brush, Blending brush in Flat Definer Brush.

Čopiči so na voljo na ličila.si za 41,95 € (to je skoraj 6 € na čopič). Do konca novembra imaš 15% popusta na znamko Nanshy s kodo NANSHY15.

Have a great day!

*The set was sent to me for review purposes.
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My Top 5 Foundations

November 7, 2015, 6:43 am
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You'll laugh at me, but I finished this post months ago. It was literally one click away from being posted and this isn't the only such post in my drafts. I definitely decided to post this way too late. Why? Because in the meantime, I had a little bit of a crisis as four out of five foundations in this post are currently too dark for me. So naturally, yesterday I went out and bought two new foundations that are very, very pale and I suspect at least one of them is top 5 material, both are also easily available in our drugstores. However, since I only just got them and I've been using only samples for the past week, I won't get ahead of myself with such claims, as they could break me out or I end up hating them for some reason, so let's stick to my favourites so far and not waste a perfectly good post. I've been using all of these for a quite a while, especially Bourjois Heathy Mix Serum wins here, so these are the five that I rely on for a perfect base. By the way, under my About page, you'll find a list of every foundation I tried, complete with links to the reviews with swatches, before/afters and everything you may need. 
I also did a similar post about my Favourite Concealers post.


Level of coverage: Light-medium
Finish: Dewy
This has been my favourite since it was launched and I haven't been without a bottle of it since. Up until I found this foundation, I could never wear anything on my forehead because it got so flaky over the day (I latter changed my skin care routine and it helped immensely), but with this foundation my forehead looked perfect. It appears to have been made for dehydrated flaky skin because it just glides over dry patches. The other reason I adore this foundation is because it looks almost invisible on the skin. It kind of just melts in and blends in with your skin. It also has lovely fruity scent that I've loved from the first day and the packaging is very travel friendly because it's made from plastic as well as it's slim. The finish it has it dewy and on my combination skin this looks very healthy, however, I can't see it working on oily skin. 


Level of coverage: Medium-full
Finish: Satin
There is a reason much of the beauty community swears by this foundation. I would call it a princess foundation for one simple reason - it makes your skin look so perfect. However, it is a medium to full coverage, so it's noticeable you're wearing makeup. I really like the level of coverage it gives, I mostly don't even need to use concealer with this, but at the same time it doesn't feel heavy nor does it sink into pores or make a cakey mess. It's such a difference from drugstore foundations, you really notice it with this one, though the 40 € price tag makes me weep. The shade range is another huge plus at this foundation. It's one of the rare foundations that has a light enough shade for me; I use Siberia, which is a very pale yellow toned shade. 
By the way, my pump is from Healthy Mix Serum as this one comes with no pump.


Level of Coverage: Medium
Finish: Luminous Matte
This is this years' discovery and boy do I love this foundation. I call it the perfect summer foundation because it just works so well on my slightly oilier skin in the heat. I like to apply thin layers of this, it's just a habit of mine, as I'm not a fan of heavy layers of makeup on my skin, so I get light-medium coverage with this one. It leaves a luminous matte finish, meaning this is far from that draining, clings-to-every-imperfection cakey finish and it actually disguises pores better than any primer or foundation I tried. It's also instantly dry to the touch, which I greatly appreciate. It can cling to dry patches though, just to warn you. The colour range is a bit of a miss as both lightest shades, Porcelain and Vanilla, are pink toned and L'Oreal is terrible at making foundation colours, so it can end up looking a bit orange if your skin tone is very warm, but on my neutral skin, it's decent enough. I think this is a foundation completely worth the hype, but it's more suited for oily/combination skin.


Level of coverage: Light-Medium
Finish: Satin
CC cream is actually very similar to Healthy Mix Serum. They are truly almost identical, especially in how natural and invisible they look on the skin. But there are some differences. Number one would be the texture,  as CC cream is a bit lighter and another is the finish, namely CC cream has a satin finish instead of dewy. I just love how this melts into the skin and just looks so natural. I think this is one of those foundations/bases that genuinely fools people into believing that you have much better skin than you do. A huge disadvantage of this CC is the shade range. It's very small with only four shades and the lightest one is somewhat similar to the second shade in the Healthy Mix range, so I end up mixing it with a lighter foundation most of the time. 


Level of coverage: Medium
Finish: Luminous Matte
This is not that dissimilar to the L'Oreal one, at least in terms of finish and coverage, but the texture is completely different. This one feels like those old school foundations and it kind of gives you an impression like there aren't any silicones in it, even though there are. It has again that luminous finish on the skin and it manages to keep my T-zone matte for a very long time, but I do find it a bit flip-floppy sometimes. It depends on a day, but some days it'll looks perfect, like the pores are disguised to a certain degree and it just makes your skin look so good, but then on other random days it settles into pores and looks obvious. I haven't figured out why it's like that, it must be my skin, but in general it's a very nice foundation for the price and the cheapest in my top 5. The shade range is again disappointing and the lightest shade isn't exactly light, but it is at least neutral, so it doesn't look orange, but again, I need to mix it with a bit of a lighter foundation. 


What's your favourite foundation? Have a great day!
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Kiko Nail Lacquer 375 Bois de Rose

November 9, 2015, 8:01 am
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Last month when I was in Kiko for the first time (for more than two seconds now that I know that this is actually a decent brand), I wanted to pick up a muted powder pink-grey nail polish. 508 Rose Sand was top on my list, however, unfortunately I was quite disappointed when I saw how much smaller the selection of shades was in Palmanova compared to the website. They of course didn't have Pink Sand, nor did they have a navy nail polish I wanted (522 pearly sapphire blue), but 375 Bois de Rose looked closest to the powder pink colour I wanted. 


375 Bois de Rose is a warm muted medium pink. It's an interesting colour, but not what I was looking for when it's on my nails. The formula is that of a classic nail polish and thick, so you get full opacity quick. It is however, not a gel formula, which means you get ridges during application and it doesn't even itself out, but stays like that. A coat of Seche Vite on a slightly wet layer of nail polish fixes that problem. The finish is almost satin, it's definitely not as glossy as most nail polishes. Two coats are needed for full opacity, but even one coat is close. The brush is a classic one and it works fine.


It's an okay nail polish. I'd say it's nice for the price, but Essence actually has better ones for even cheaper. What's truly impressive at Kiko is their shade range, they have literally any colour you can imagine, however, I have yet to it the full range in a shop.
This nail polish cost 1.90 € in Kiko, Palmanova.


I have another shade called 345 Jade Green from before and I actually like the formula a lot more, especially for a pastel colour.

Have a great day!
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Freedom Makeup Pro Lipstick Pro Red 108 Expression

November 11, 2015, 9:56 am
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It's been quite a while since I got this lipstick. I even had a review ready for at least a month, but I sort of avoided posting it because honestly, this is a boring lipstick. It's not bad, just unimpressive. I did a couple of reviews of Freedom Makeup products already, which are essentially just Makeup Revolution products in a bad disguise, so the lipsticks don't differ much from MR's classic ones. So nothing new, nothing exciting, insert a dispassionate review bellow:


Colour: It's a pinky red that is semi-transparent and has a creamy-glossy finish. The colour in the tube is so different from what you get on the lips, it even swatches pinkish red, which really surprised me. It needs a few layers to get a nice colour going, so it's more reminiscent of all those lip balm-lipstick hybrids. I'm not a big fan of glossier-creamier reds because there is a bigger chance of it moving too much, so I'd prefer this was matte.


Texture: is nicely creamy and it applies without tugging. It feels waxier than for example MR's Iconic Pro, which is to me a good thing because it sticks on the lips better. Staying power is ok, better than I expected, but reds have so much pigment that it's easy for them to stick on. It almost survives eating, the inner edges of the lipstick do wipe off, but the rest is ok, still I would reapply.


Scent: It has a light scent of chemicals.

Packaging: The tube is pretty much the same as at Makeup Revolution lipsticks and MUA ones, so it's rather basic, but it works. I tried to pull out that coloured part out, but I can't.
 

These are very cheap at 1.95 € from Ličila.si. It's a ok sheer red for those who want to just try if reds suit them, but for red lipstick addicts like me, it doesn't quite cut it. 

Have a great day!

*PR product
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Barry M Speedy Quick Dry Nail Paint Road Rage

November 13, 2015, 8:36 am
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A while ago Barry M released a new range of nail polishes that promise to dry very fast, but I actually don't care about that part. What actually got me was the prettiest shade range I've seen so far. It's mostly made up of pastels, which is totally up my alley and not surprisingly I have a huge chunk of the line on my wishlist, but for the first time I went with the good old classic mint green. 


As I said Road Rage is a mint green. It's a greener Mint Candy Apple and a brighter version of Kiko's Jade Green. I expected a completely other colour based on the swatches I've seen online, I though it's a bit darker and brighter, but I can't say that this shade isn't gorgeous, I just love mint green. 


The formula is so annoying. Almost the whole nail polish world switched to the gel formulas, but this is still that pesky pastel formula that drives you crazy. It's thick, it takes three coats for a decent even finish (if you can manage it). But's it's not useless, just terrible to work with. The brush is a classic one.


If you plan on getting one mint green nail polish to have in your collection, go with Kiko's Jade Green as that is by far the best formula of such a colour I've tried and tried a lot of them. I would still like to have all those shades that caught my eye (I like to torture myself like that). I have, however, heard that formulas differ quite a lot in this range. The yellow one (On your Marks) is another difficult one, but coral one (In a Heart Beat) is supposedly nice.

It costs £3.99 on Boots International.

Have a great day!
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Essence Lipliner 11 In the Nude

November 14, 2015, 7:18 am
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The fact that I'm not what you'd call the biggest fan of Essence's standard lip liners has never stopped me from getting, well, almost every colour that exists, so this is the latest one - 11 In the Nude. The reason I got this one, even though it's not what's you'd described a "me colour" is that I heard it's a dupe for Mac's Velvet Teddy. Petra from Adjusting Beauty clearly showed us that that was another exaggeration, probably designed to get more likes (why don't people get what a dupe is?) Any way, it doesn't really matter to me that it isn't a complete dupe, I just wanted to see how this type of colour looks on me. 


11 In the Nude looks very different on the lips from the colour of the pencil, for one it's lighter. It a warm nude with peachy tones that are probably a bit more exaggerated against my pale skin than on others. It's different from what I normally wear, but I like the change.

  
You may have noticed that the cap is different now. Essence literally changed the packaging overnight with no warning and it looks like they decided to change the formula too. The new formula is drier than before, it's closer now to Catrice's Longlasting Pencils. Personally, I don't mind. I've been complaining that Essence's lip liners are too creamy and therefore lack precision, however, that creaminess was the reason so many people loved them. Whether  the change was a good move, only time will tell, but I'm glad I don't have to constantly sharpen it any more.


These still cost 1.19 €, which is a bargain and I think they are still the best way to see if a type of colour suits you. I wish they had a vampy red shade in their selection, I feel that's the only colour that's been missing for years. Links to reviews of other shades I own: 06 Satin Mauve, 07 Cute Pink, 12 Wish Me a Rose, 14 Femme Fatale and 15 Honey Berry.

Have a great day!
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Empties #16

November 17, 2015, 8:16 am
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I have 32 empties and that's just too much to cram into one post, so there will be two. I should have done this sooner, but I always had a product that was just about to run out, in fact I have many such products right now, but enough is enough, so here is the first 16. 

MAKEUP

A classic plastic brush mascara that excels mostly in definition. Once it thickened a bit it was also nicely volumising. I liked the effect of it and I think it's a great mascara, but because it's a regular formula, it didn't hold my lashes curled at all. However, my cousin did really like this mascara when I gave it to her to try, that was at least until she heard how much it costs.
Repurchase: No, the main reason being the price.

The volume this mascara creates is insane. You seriously get the biggest lashes with this, it's just full on glam. Unfortunately, it's a very wet formula and my lashes drop in a microsecond. Having said that, I would repurchase this because I don't want to remove waterproof mascara every day and I do actually use regular formulas at times, even though uncurled lashes isn't the best look for me. This is a mascara I recommend to everyone who asks me for a very volumising formula. It's cheap, easily accessible and just brilliant if your lashes hold a curl well.
Repurchase: Yes.


I loved this. It's one of my absolute favourite eyeliners so far and I never expected it from something that looks like a kids toy. It's very black with a super smooth formula and that brush-like bendy applicator. It also lasted a really long time. Great stuff.
Repurchase: Yes. 

Either I'm incredibly unlucky or this just sucks so bad. I've never tried a worse liner than this. I thought I got a bad one because it was all dried up when I tried it at home, so I went to exchange it and that one performed exactly the same. Still pissed I wasted 10 € on this. However, I love their Super Liner Perfect Slim version.
Repurchase: Absolutely not. 

This is really good for the price. It's a classic felt tip liner, so the tip isn't as bendy as at that Panda liner, but the formula is very black and lasts very well. I liked it and it's the most affordable decent liner, so I'm sure I'll buy it again sometime. 
Repurchase: Yes. 

NAILS

This was one of the first PR products I got and I ended up using it with every nail polish as a base for years. It takes too long to dry to be used as a top coat, but as a base coat I think it worked great. It protected the nails from being stained and it might have even contributed to every nail polish lasting eons on my nails, but the latter part might just be the because of how strong my nails are. 
Repurchase: I would ifit were at least half cheaper.

SKINCARE - FACE

I liked this in terms of how well it removed makeup, especially waterproof mascara, but I had to be very careful not to use it too often because it made my skin unclear. It's a bummer for me, but I still recommend this, since it probably won't do the same on you and it's very affordable. The packaging started leaking, which I wasn't terribly pleased about. 
Repurchase: No,I prefer L'Occitane's.

I liked this and I didn't like it. Complicated I know. I loved the texture of this, it is sublime, so amazing to use and it removes all makeup with ease. But the general effect on my skin was not worth 50 € (mine is the small size, though). My skin even developed some patches at one point meaning that this was not enough for my skin. Also it just wasn't as clear like at Balance Me's version or Good Thing Manuka Honey version. The packaging is incredibly rubbish for the price. The lid cracked almost instantly, then it fell apart and the pot even leaked. Just terrible. Nonetheless I'm happy I tried it out.
Repurchase: No, I got the Balance Me one again.

I didn't like this. I actually haven't used it up, but I'm throwing it away because it separated (I bought it in May). It's an enzyme peeling, so it contains AHA, however, it's so gentle, it actually doesn't do anything at all on my skin. It does smell nice though, like papaya, but warmer.
Repurchase: No.


A serum that is more reminiscent of a light lotion, so in warm months I could even use it on its own. I liked the effect of this, it made my skin look healthier, but I had to use a larger quantity than I'm used to at once. It has a nice scent of apples plus some warm base, it sinks into the skin very quickly and it has nice ingredients (even some vitamin A). The pump broke when it was nearing its end which wasn't cool. If I feel that my skin will worsen without this, I'll buy it again, but I'm in general not a fan of additional steps in my skin care (I'm a cleanser + Nuxe oil girl all the way).
Repurchase: I don't know yet. I like it, but it's expensive. 

I will sorely miss this. I could buy a new one, but it's so expensive. I had this way past its expiration date, but I'm a crazy woman who obsessively saves the good things, instead of actually using it (I really, really need to stop doing this), so it actually got a bit bad at the end (the scent became more acidic). I truly relied on this when my skin was acting up. This and Queen Helene's mask was my power combination. I'm sure you've gathered from the name that it's a serum (or concentrate. Same thing) with fruity acids (glycolic lactic, tartaric and citric acid), so it's a chemical exfoliator. I don't want to write another novel about it here, so just read my review if you want to know more, but I loved this.
Repurchase: I would, but it's sooo expensive.

My favourite lip balm and basically the only one I use (I have Labello's Peach version, but that's not exactly the most nourishing lip balm). It's not a proper lip balm, it's actually a multi-purpose stick made out of cocoa butter (plus some extra stuff). I think that after years of using this my lips have improved so much that I never need to use a lip balm during the day because my lips are never dry. Even if I forget to use this before going to bed, my lips are still fine. It's very different from regular lip balms because it's not waxy, so it's not just a coat of stuff on your lips that prevents the moisture disappearing, but this actually nourishes the lips. It looks ridiculous when you're applying it because it looks like a giant glue stick, but I love this. 
Repurchase: Already did. 

Such a rich and thick moisturiser that reminds of universal creams like Nivea or Solea. I found it a bit much for my skin, but it would work fantastically on really dry skin. Tt has a strong floral scent, so it's different from the cleansing balm. 
Purchase: No.

SKINCARE - BODY

Just an essential that I always have in stock. It's a great quality shaving gel that does its job and is very affordable. This one has a floral powdery scent.
Repurchase: Already did.

Another essential that I always have a can of. I love this anti-perspirant despite being in a spray. It smells so lady-like and it contains some powder that absorbs moisture. 
Repurchase: Already did.

You must be tired of seeing this in my empties, but this is my standard deodorant for maybe two years now. I just like it because it's the only one so far that hasn't stopped working on me before I had a chance to use it up. I don't even know which one in a row this is, but it's probably 5th or 6th.
Repurchase: Already done.

The next 16 products are coming soon. It's some more body products, hair care and fragrances.

Have a great day!
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Empties #17

November 18, 2015, 7:47 am
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I posted the first part of empties yesterday and here is all the rest.


2 in 1 Shampoo and Conditioner
This fails as a shampoo and conditioner for me because I feel it doesn't clean well, but it's great as a shower gel. It smells like peach sweets so I loved it.
Repurchase: Yes

I actually won this in a giveaway hosted by YR - the first time I won anything in a proper giveaway. I loved this. It was so creamy and it foamed well plus it smelled so good, like real pears. Yummy! The only thing I didn't like was that the is no nozzle or a pump on this, so it ran out way too quickly. The cap also broke very quickly.
Repurchase: It was a LE, but if it's released again during Christmas time, thenI would.

One of the best body butters I've tried, even among TBS ones. The texture was just perfect, thick, but not too much and it was very moisturising. The scent didn't really resemble honey, it was more like wild flowers, but I still liked it.
Repurchase: Yes, in a different scent. Maybe Shea Butter or Satsuma.

I actually used two of these, but I already repurposed the tin, so the other, the Golden Twenties version, is missing from the picture. I adore these and I currently have four others. I use them as hand creams because they are super moisturising, but sink in quickly (I really hate greasy hands). They don't have this version any more, but it smelled like cherry candy. The Golden Twenties one smelled creamy with notes of lavender and honey. I love the packaging of these, it's so cute.
Repurchase: I have four, including one back-up of this version

HAIR

By far my favourite drugstore shampoo. It's perfect for my dry hair because it nourishes it, not just cleans it. By the way the Extraordinary version is pretty much the same, except for the scent (I think it serves as a replacement for this one). It's like a bit of conditioner was added to the shampoo, but it doesn't weight my hair down, just smooths it a bit. When I'm rinsing it off, there is none of that annoying squeaky clean, dry, my-hair-I'll-be-a-tangly-mess feeling and the hair can be combed a lot easier than at a lot of other shampoos. If you have really dry hair like me, give it a go, it's very affordable anyway, but if your hair tends to get greasy fast, there may be a chance it'll build-up on your hair (it doesn't on mine, but bear in mind this was made for dry hair). 
Repurchase: I have a 400 ml bottle in my stash, but yes.

This grew on me. Initially I wasn't that impressed because even though it's meant for dry hair, it felt too light for me. But when I started using it regularly, my hair got better. It's a product that shows its effect with long-term use and I think people whose hair tends to get greasy fast, but have dry ends, might like this a lot (though I again can't assess if it builds up on the hair.) It's expensive, but if your hair is dry and you like the squeaky clean feeling, this might work well for you.
Repurchase: I still prefer Oleo-Relax, though this one is nice too.

I like the concept of this, but unfortunately it did not help me with my dandruff. This is like a pre-wash treatment and shampoo in one. You apply it on dry scalp, leave it on for 7 minutes, then emulsify the product under water and it behaves like a normal shampoo, so it lathers well and cleans the hair. It left my hair feeling a bit striped, but I didn't mind that and it smells like burnt rubber, though it wasn't terrible. The packaging leaked, so I had to use a cap that I got from another product and by the end it was hard to get the last bits out because the tube is metal.  
Repurchase: No.


This is my absolute favourite leave-in conditioner. It nourishes my hair, keeps it hydrated noticeably longer, reduces frizz and it has made my hair a lot more healthy since I started using it. I use it after every wash on damp hair and one bottle lasts me about a year. Because it's light, I think that a majority of people can use this with no problems. I can't be without it.
Repurchase: Already did.

A great drugstore treatment for dry hair. I don't often find treatments that are nourishing enough for my hair and this one is. I've seen the effect of it on other people (because they nicked mine) and the result was amazingly shiny, less frizzy hair. 
Repurchase: I repurchased it immediately when the pot was empty. 

FRAGRANCE

A limited edition from 2009, this was the only absolute love at first smell out of all my fragrances. I got it for my birthday and treasured it dearly, of course in my typical manner saved it like crazy, so it's actually gone off (I am laughable). This was my favourite Escada's LE. It smelled fresh and sweet like passionfruit. I think they have this version in Refan as a dupe and there are probably still bottles of this sold in some online shops.
Repurchase: It's was a LE, but I might get the Refan's dupe version

Another ancient limited edition, actually only a year younger than Marine Groove. It smelled like super sweet mango and had typical short lasting power of these LE Escada's. It's another one that I had for way too long and it's gone off, but that's a standard for me. This one may also sold be in Refan and in some online shops.
Repurchase: It's was a LE, but no.

Another fragrance that I felt was about to go off, so I dedicated myself to use it up. It had a lovely orange candy scent that later turns into a more powdery-floral one. I absolutely loved the modern bottle, but as it turns out, even though it's supposed to be kept upside-down, this appears to have broken the pump, so it leaked and sprayed in weird directions.
Repurchase: Yes, but not straight away.


You may know I used to have tons of these. I think they are really good, they smell and behave just as the originals, but for a fraction of the price. The only thing is that they do go off in about two years, so if you suspect you won't use them often, get the smallest 15 ml size.
A super sweet, gourmand scent. This one smells to me like an expensive box of pralines with a fruity filling (black currant and pear), but not completely gourmand because of the floral notes (iris, orange blossom, jasmine) and patchouli. Staying power was great.
N.001 Miss Dior Cherie 
A super girly scent, but in a very sophisticated way. The sweet fruity notes of strawberry and cherry are mixed with sticky caramel and cotton candy which are then rounded by patchouli to give it a more grown up feel. This is the only fragrance I notice the difference from the original and even that only in silage. The Refan version is fainter, however, I owned Dior Cherie years ago and swapped it due to it being absolutely too strong (it felt so suffocating to me at the time), so I actually prefer this one. 
N.177 Burberry Body
It smells like roses, but not like a grandma type of rose. Normally I dislike rose scents with passion, but not in this composition. There are other notes that temper the rose scent, which makes it smell more fresh, creamy and powdery. Basically, it's a clean skin scent. There is supposed to be peach in it, but I don't smell any fruity notes at all.
Repurchase: Not these scents, but definitely yes.

This was such a waste of money. You know that fragrance Molecule One from Escentic Molecules that so many bloggers rave about? Well that famous molecule is called Iso E Super and it's not spectacularly rare or so exceptional that it might justify a hefty price tag. There are a lot of these Molecule 01 dupes on eBay, which are just a dilution of Iso E Super in perfumer's alcohol. I didn't quite know what to expect as it's a fragrance that's supposed to smell different on each individual and you yourself can't smell it, but it should smells nice to other people. Except that is doesn't. Well, it doesn't smell of anything to be honest. It's such a weak scent that smells like water, earth and wood, like walking in a forest or similar to the oris root note in Britney Spears' The Naughty Remix, but super gentle and it lasts just a few seconds. It's just lame. It just felt like I was spraying water on me. I tried mixing it with other scents to maybe give them something extra, but this did nothing.
Repurchase: No. 
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Colours that Emphasize your Eyes

November 19, 2015, 8:11 am
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 (Slovensko verzijo najdete tukaj)

If you pick up an old magazine with beauty tips, you may find this outdated "rule" that in order to make your eyes pop, you should use an eyeshadow that is in the same shade as your eyes. Unless you know nothing about colour theory or you've never experimented with eye makeup, this will sound wrong to you and you'll know that it's the complementary colours that work ideally when you want to emphasize your eyes. Complementary colours intensify each other and create a pleasing colour combination. 


If you're familiar with the colour theory and the wheel, it's all very simple and logical. For instance if your eye colour is blue, opposite to blue is orange, therefore the best colours to emphasize your eyes are orange shades. Now I don't mean you have to wear orange on your eyes (honestly, when was the last time you saw someone wear orange eyeshadow in public?), rather that you simply pick shades that contain some orange, for example copper, peach, gold, warm brown,… But you shouldn't limit yourself only to orange. Explore all the warm shades. Since blue is a typical cool colour, any warm shade will work as a contrast. I don't really take colour theory too seriously on a daily basis, nor should you, but it comes handy when you want to emphasize your eye colour and you can achieve a lot with just small details, like changing the colour of liner from black to navy if you have brown eyes, but you still wear a classic neutral smoky eye to go with it. Regardless the colour of your eyes, there is a general rule that if you use a colour that is darker than your eyes, it will make them appear lighter and vice-versa. When picking your eye makeup, don't forget to consider your skin tone and hair colour, as one shade will look different on two people, also appropriate the makeup to suit the occasion. 


BLUE EYES
As I said in the intro, the opposite of blue is orange, which means that the best shades to emphasize such eye colour are variations of it, but of course, any warm colour will create a lovely contrast. 

Bronze, gold, terracotta, copper, peach and warm brown shades: these warm shade balance the cool tones of blue eyes and create a nice contrast, which brings attention to the eyes. 

Purple shades: Purple suits any eye colour because it's a mix of warm red and cool blue. If you want to wear more colour on your eyes, you can't go wrong with purple.

Blue and green shades take away the attention from the eye colour. If you have blue eyes and you ever tried wearing these two colours, you may got a feeling that it looks too monochrome, but not necessarily. If you do choose blue, pick a shade that is much darker than your eyes, like navy, so your eyes look lighter, but if you choose a really light one, it'll make your eyes appear darker. It's best to avoid colours that are exactly the tone of your eyes.


BROWN EYES
Brown is a mix of several colours, so theoretically it doesn't have an opposite colour. But just as at every eye colour, there are so many versions of brown eyes. Some have tones of yellow or amber, some are more green also known as hazel, some have brown eyes that are almost black and also reddish brown eyes exist. Again think of the contrasts for each of these undertones, but if you consider that brown eyes are often warm, cool colours will emphasize brown eyes best.

Amber and reddish brown eyes: turquoise, navy blue, emerald and mint green. Opposite of orange (amber) and red are blue and green shades, so these will work best for you.

Dark brown, almost black eyes: bronze, coral, sand and terracotta. Theoretically you can pick any shade you wish, or at least one that suits your skin and hair colour.

Honey (gold) brown eyes: aubergine, lavender, royal blue, lilac and light blue. You can emphasize the gold specks with gold and bronze shades, then add some navy or cobalt blue as an eyeliner for example .

Hazel eyes (green brown): Most such guides have a separate category for hazel eyes, but it's exactly the same as at green eyes. The same applies at this eye colour, so best colours are cranberry, burgundy, copper, terracotta, all shades of purple, peach and warm taupes. 

Choose a navy blue eyeliner instead of black for definition. Blue will emphasize the warmth in your eye colour and as a bonus also make the whites of your eyes look more white.

Bright colours like blue and green aren't exactly every day colours, so you can still relay on all neutral shades, while the golds and coppers will make your eyes sparkle. Dark brown eyes are sometimes cooler, so emphasize them with warm shades.


GREEN EYES
Though green eyes are the rarest, there are so many different shades of them. Emerald, forest green, jade, chartreuse - each shade has a slightly different composition of colours and colour theory again comes to the rescue. but if keep things simple: the colour opposite of green is red. Red is not an easy colour to wear (though I think Taya does it brilliantly), however, again don't take the theory too seriously and pick a shade that contains some red, but keep it wearable and subtle for every day. 

Cranberry, burgundy, copper and terracotta: Copper shades are the easiest to wear from this selection, but don't be afraid to experiment with something more red, like cranberry shades. I have found the perfect such shade in TheBalm's Nude'Tude palette called Sexy. What's the most important thing when wearing such shades is to make sure that the eyes are really defined with lots of mascara and black eyeliner, otherwise it might just look like a massive eye infection or the largest dark circles known to mankind. I also like to blend it out with a warm medium brown.

All shades of purple and plum: Plum looks good on all eye colours, but it's especially gorgeous on green eyes. Everything should work, from lavender shades to aubergine. Purple contains red and it's not nearly as scary to wear as reddish shades. If your eyes have gold specks or are chartreuse (pale yellow-green), purple will look awesome on you.  

Taupe: Pick warm version of taupes, so those with more brown or even gold-yellow (think Mac's Patina and L'Oreal's Sahara Treasure). If you pick a more grey shade, it'll look very neutral and won't bring out your eye colour that much.

Peach: Peach is great for a subtle every day makeup and it's much easier to wear than copper or purples. I never wore peach until making this post and I discovered a great new every day look. Coral will work too of course, but again as at reds, make sure the eyes are defined with a lot of mascara.


GREY EYES
Everyone neglects grey eyes when talking about making your eyes pop. They just shove it under blue and that's it. Well, as a proud owner of stormy grey eyes, in my post they get their own category. Grey eyes are so much more complex than all the colours above. Why? Because they are truly neutral. They are neither warm nor cool, and there is no opposite colour. But just as at all other eye colours, so many variations exist. They may have shades of blue, green, brown, some are even a bit purple or a mix of colours, but they can be just classic grey. Mine are a mix of blue, green and grey. They look blue with the help of gold, copper and cranberry shades, but purple makes them look more green. With no makeup, they look stormy grey. So how to deal with grey eyes? You can approach the issue two ways: 

You can treat them as neutral and you focus your selection of shades only on complimenting your skin and hair colour, so warm shades for warm skins and obviously cool for cool skin tones. Every colour suits grey eyes, just avoid pink because you don't have a strong counteracting shade that would act as a sort of a neutralizer and it can make you look like you have a pink eye. 

If you're like me and have a bit of an undertone, then emphasize it with a complimentary colour.
To emphasize blue tones in your eyes use light peach, rich bronze and copper shades, so shades that have an orange base. Gold makes my eyes look blue as well, but I find copper is the best shade for the task. (It's my non-photoshopped colour of eyes under blue eyes middle eye makeup).

For emphasizing green use reddish shades, purples and corals, so colours with a red base. Cool purples work best for me, while reddish shades make them look closer to blue.

For emphasizing brown tones use purples and plums, but also chocolate shades and light browns. You may be wondering why not blue or green. I can say from experience that these kind of don't work that well on grey eyes. But you may have a different experience.

THE CASE OF GREY-BLUE-GREEN EYES
1. Row: Makeup 1 - Makeup Factory Shimmer Cream 4, Catrice Baked Eyeshadow ViennART Lovely Lace (LE), TheBalm Nude'Tude Sophisticated. Makeup 2 -  Max Factor Excess Shimmer 25 Bronze.Makeup 3 - L'Oreal Color Infallible 005 Purple Obsession
2. Row: Makeup 4 - Essence old navy blue eyeliner as base (Nightfever), Freedom Makeup Jewels and Riches last row 3. shade, TheBalm Nude'Tude Sophisticated and Sultry. Makeup 5 - L'Oreal Color Infallible 021 Sahara Treasure. Makeup 6 - TheBalm Nude'Tude Sexy and Sultry.
3. Row: Makeup 7 - Catrice Chocolate Nudes palette, Makeup 8 - Max Factor Excess Shimmer 25 Bronze as base, Urban Decay Naked palette Half Baked and Darkhorse.   Makeup 9 - Sleek Sunset 2. row 5. shade, TheBalm Nude'Tude Sultry.  

So obviously all the eyes above are mine, but with photoshopped eye colour (I don't feel comfortable with stealingborrowing pictures. I know how much work it goes into a picture). I'm including the originals as well, so you can see how all these different makeup influenced my eye colour. I know my eye makeup skill aren't the best, well, to be fair it's my eye shape that's not the easiest to deal with, so don't focus on that, it's not the point of this post. I have the type of eye colour that does change a bit depending on what makeup I wear, that includes lipsticks and blushes, and of course what colour of clothes I'm wearing as well. See how purple brings the green in my eyes? Peach too, while copper, gold and burgundy make them more blue. The royal blue eyeshadow just overwhelms the eyes and takes away the focus of the eye colour, same happens to me with green, unless it's gold green like L'Oreal's Golden Goddess. I gave you the general guidelines to finding shades that might enhance your eye colour, but experiment yourself to see what really suits you. 

I also wanted to share a similar post that my fellow blogger Petra made a while ago, so check her version as well. I hope this post was helpful and have a great day!
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Brand Focus: New Products from Revlon

November 21, 2015, 5:32 am
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Colorburst Matte Balm in Enchanting and Fiery (Fall 2015)
Four new shades were released this Autumn and they are permanent as far as I know, however, in Slovenia only these two are available. I got the lightest and the darkest shade called Enchanting and Fiery. I already own Unapologetic from before and it's the same formula, so nicely creamy jumbo lip pencils that just glide on the lips and have more of a creamy-matte finish. These don't have the staying power of a proper matte lip colour, but they last well for standard creamy lipsticks and of course, the darker the colour, the longer it lasts, so Fiery is pretty good. They have a minty scent and even tingle a bit on the lips, but don't have a plumping effect.


Enchanting
An apricot nude shade. Based on how it looks in the tube, I expected something brown and ugly, but it really surprised me on the lips. I think it's a lovely nude, especially for those with a warm skin tone.


Fiery

This may be the darkest in the bunch, it's certainly the darkest shade sold here and it's a burgundy shade with a mix of some brown and a hint of berry tones. It's a not fully opaque shade with one application,  I mean it's close, but burgundies tend to be very intense and this one isn't quite, but it is with two coats. Due to the shape it's one of the easiest such shades to apply and you don't really need a lip liner, at least until you don't ruin the shape too much. 


Links to reviews: Essence Hidden Secret, Milani Darling (I'll have a full review on the blog), Essence Lovely Frappuccino, Essence Sparkling Miracle and Sleek Minx. 


Photoready Prime + Anti-Shine Prime
A new primer by Revlon and they envisioned it as a travel friendly compact that you can use on a go either under foundation or over it, or you can even wear it on its own. It's definitely one of the best mattifying product I've tried and without the powdery-ness. 


It's a silicone based product so it creates this smooth, velvet layer on the skin. Because the skin is so smooth, it feels so soft and you just can't stop touching it, however, if you have a problem with silicones, this won't be for you. I think this is just perfect for very oily skin because it really keeps oiliness at bay and you can really use it over makeup because it's light and transparent, so it doesn't ruin anything. I wouldn't use this on dry skin, as it's too light and it prevents the any oils from breaking through, so it'll look very draining on you. There is a chance it will stick to dry patches, though I haven't experienced that, but now that it's colder I switched back to my old favourite Max Factor All Day Primer. It promises to hide pores as well and I prepared a before/after for you, so you can see its effect which isn't that impressive. It works to a certain degree, but  L'Oreal's Infallible foundation is miles better at this task. 


The product is in a compact and you can apply it with fingers or with an added sponge. It may seem gross to some to stick fingers in such products, but I think that this products meshes with the skin better with some heat from the fingers.  


Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum over Revlon's Primer. The picture looks so pale due to rainy weather conditions:

Picture of primer's ingredients here.


Photoready Kajal 350 Matte Expresso
I already said everything I had to say about this pencil in my New in post, but here you get to see it in action. The quality of it is brilliant. It's soft, it transfers well on the waterline, it's not harsh at all when you're drawing with it on the eyes and can be easily smudged if you want to. The staying power is insane. I applied it at 11 am in the waterline and checked again at 11 pm and it was still there. You don't want to know when took my makeup off and I went to sleep, but it was still hanging in the waterline. I'd say less than a half was gone, but from far away the effect was still the same, so pretty damn good. The colour is a deep cool toned brown that is a great alternative to black. I like to use this under my lower lashes, to give my eyes some definition.


Smoked out (with Enchanting on the lips):

Prices: Revlon Colorbust Matte Balms 10.89 €, PhotoReady Prime + Anti Shine Balm 13.59 € (47.9g), Photoready kajal 9.80 €. All prices from Click2Chic. They are probably the same or a bit higher in Müller.

Have a great day!
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New In #36

November 23, 2015, 7:15 am
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MAYBELLINE Lash Sensational Waterproof Mascara
I heard this was close enough to Benefit's Roller lash, but even if it's not I wanted to try it, since it has plenty of positive reviews. We only have regular formula in Slovenia and I had the hardest time finding the waterproof one, until it magically appeared on Look Fantastic. It has a plastic brush that is shaped almost as a curved comb and it has short bristles on one side and longer on the other. I did not like this at all from the start, it stuck the lashes together, so it looked like I only have half of them, but then one random day, it became soo good. It gives me massive lashes, not perfectly defined, but good enough and it hold the curls amazingly well. Do I like it more than the 3 € Essence I love Extreme mascara? Actually I find these two perform the same on me, so the deciding factor would be the price where Essence clearly wins. But if you don't have Essence and you have the same stubborn lashes as me, try this, it's amazing.
Look Fantastic, €11.26

MAYBELLINE Color Sensational Matte Lipstick
 975 Divine Wine
It's a bit ironic I ordered this online a day before I saw the news they are finally available here as well. But, I haven't seen this shade in our drugstores. A lot of people have been urging me to try these, since my love for matte lipsticks is well known. I chose Divine Wine, I don't know why, as I utterly adore Laetitia and I fear that'll be the reason I won't end up wearing this one that often, but I just love vampy shades on me. First thing that surprised me was how creamy it was, almost slippery in fact. The finish isn't as matte as at Laetitia or Milani's Mattes, at least at first, it then settles into a more matte finish. The colour is a deep brownish burgundy that is very similar to Mac's Diva, but a smidgen more brown (I'm not calling them dupes, my standards are very strict when it comes to that word. Picture of swatches here). Laetitia is much different as its base is berry. So far I can say, it's a really good matte lipstick, but Milani's (it's bellow) impressed me far more. 
Look Fantastic, €9.85

ESSENCE Longlasting Lipstick Nude
05  Cool Nude
I think just about everyone around here owns this lipstick, but I avoided it because I always found it too cool-grey when I swatched it on the back of my hand. I decided to give it try anyway and see if it works for me. I'm still not sure about it. I don't think it quite works for me to be honest. It does indeed have that grey tinge on me and I wish it were warmer. Formula is a typically Essence one -  light, almost excessively creamy and doesn't last long. 
Müller, € 3.49


REVLON Colorstay Foundation Normal/Dry Skin
110 Ivory
I was on a mission to find the lightest shades of foundation in our drugstores because apart from Nars Siberia and Rimmel's Lasting Finish Nude (the latter I still dislike), everything in my stash is too dark for me. I had an extensive research online and found an astonishing amount of utterly useless reviews that made me incredibly angry at the beauty community (where are pictures, swatches, maybe even before/afters? Come on! I hate it when my time is wasted by giving me so little information on a product), but there was one bright spot on the internet, Godfrina and her Kalter Kaffe blog, who made a fantastic series of reviews of the lightest foundations. It's all in German, though and my German is plainly said rubbish, but I got the point. I found three candidates: Revlon's Ivory, Manhattan's Easy Match in Soft Porcelain and Deborah Radiance Creator in 00. I took samples in the drugstores of all three (I always carry pots with me) and this one was most impressive. It has medium coverage, a lovely satin finish and lasts so well on the skin. This isn't my first encounter with Colorstay. The version for oily/combination skin was my second ever foundation and I really didn't like it, but mind you I was 15-16 at the time. This version suits me so much better. The colour is amazing and even though it's a bit pink, it blends so nicely into my skin. 
I got this one first because there was 30 % off in Műller (where it's over 15 €!). I also got Manhattan's Easy Match, while Deborah's Radiance Creator is a shade darker than these two (it matches me ok-ish, but I love the finish of it as it's true to its name. I'll probably get it one day).
Müller, 10.91 € (-30%)

MANHATTAN Easy Match Makeup
Soft Porcelain
The other foundation I got for my winter pale skin. You may think I'm excessive for buying two foundations, but I am so sick of wearing foundations that are too dark and I'm saving the Nars' Sheer Glow for special occasions because it's too expensive to wear it every day. In terms of shade, Soft Porcelain is about as light as Revlon's Ivory, but it's warm toned, though compared to the very yellow Siberia, it looks neutral. What hit me first was that this is incredibly similar to Rimmels' Match Perfection in everything to texture to how it smells, only the shade isn't as intensely pink and this one has a more satin finish. Both Revlon's and Manhattan's foundation will get proper reviews, I'm almost done, but if you're on a hunt for a very pale foundation, check them out. 
DM, 9.99 €


Finally we are reunited. I've already gone through two tubes of this, it's my favourite cleanser ever, not just because I love the texture, but also because it suits my skin so well and keeps it in nice condition. I was trying to find a suitable replacement that wouldn't cost as much and I also experimented with some high-end stuff, but I really regret that I took the detour. All that happened was that I had to struggle though a plethora of mediocre cleansers that just didn't work for my skin (L'Occitane Immortelle oil is the exception here, but it's again very expensive). I have to note that I got three tubes of this so far and each one was slightly different. I don't know why that is, but this one is definitely the thickest and I'm not too happy about it. It's a balm cleanser, but much waxier and thicker that Emma Hardie's one and it also contains mini scrubby particles. It's the type of cleansers that doesn't completely melt on your skin, unless you keep it in a really warm place. As soon as I started using it, my skin got a lot better. I was using The Body Shop's Silky Oil before because I was trying to use it up, but my skin doesn't like that one too much, despite the fact it's lovely to use and does its job very well. Balance Me and Nuxe oil are my power combination - I should really learn to stick to it.
Look Fantastic, €22.56


HUGO BOSS La Vie
edp 50 ml
You have no idea how long I wanted this fragrance. Actually since it launched here, two or so years ago.  But I set myself a goal of using up old fragrances before I got a new one. I used up seven! Mind you they were all over five years old and embarrassingly already a bit off, but I did it. And like a Christmas miracle this fragrance was -45% off in Műller, so there was no better time. I could have gotten a bigger size for about the same price on Salma, but given my track record with fragrances, it decided it's wiser I stick to smaller sizes. I love this fragrance, I actually love most Hugo Boss fragrances (apart from Orange), even though they are considered generic and super boring. Just like Nuit Pour Femme, it's another fragrance I love, this one is again what I call an office scent, or a scent that is appropriate for any occasion because it just makes you smells clean, yet very sophisticated, however, this one has to me almost like tropical vibe (no such notes inside though) . It's stronger than the black version, with notes of cactus flower, pink freesia, jasmine, rose buds, warm woods and cedar. I'm also a huge fan of the bottle. It's simple, elegant, and I love that it's pink.
Müller, 39.99 €


One of my staples. I've been using it regularly for about three or four years now. This is the one of the strangest lip balms I tried, it's shaped as those glue sticks, so you look weird applying it, but it's very moisturising, not waxy and it just feels nice. It has a sweet cocoa butter scent, so it's quite pleasant, but I don't notice it any more after all these years. Great product that lasts forever.
Feel Unique, 3.10 €


THEBALM Mary-Lou Manizer
I finally have it! I wanted it mostly because Petra sings such praises about this and I trust that woman. It's a gold toned highlighter with an intense shine that is almost at the point of being too golden for me, but it's still fine. I didn't get it the first couple of times I used it, but I just had to get though the top layer. Now I already love it and thinking of getting Cindy as well. It gives just a lovely glow that super glamorous, but actually not that different in terms of intensity to the discontinued Jemma Kidd cream highlighter. 
By the way these theBalm products were sent to me, but not for review purposes. It's more as a thank you for me helping the distributors with some things. I don't consider them PR products that's why there is no star.
Müller, 23.99 €

THEBALM What's Your Type? Mascara
"the body builder"
I honestly had no idea theBalm even has mascaras. I've never heard anyone talking about them. I got the volumising one, "the body builder", I don't have the box, but I think there is an actually body builder on it. The brush is so…retro. It's really the most standard, basic brush that every mascara had in the 90's/early 00's, which to me isn't a bad thing at all. It's a regular formula, quite thick and wet when you first open it. It gives a nice amount of volume, but it's currently too wet for any definition. It's not bad, but I've tried better ones, however, I have a feeling it will improve a lot once it dries a bit. 

THEBALM Put A Lid On It
Eyelid Primer
It's been years since I had an eyeshadow primer. In fact, I only bought one in my life, Urban Decay's Primer Potion when I was 17-18, but I never repurchased it after I used it up. I've been using Max Factor's Facefinity All Day Primer also as an eyeshadow primer and it works brilliantly, but I'd like to see how this one works. I love the packaging, the squeeze tube is the best form to hold an eyeshadow primer (I had the original packaging of Primer Potion and when I cut it, there was at least a third product left), it's slightly yellow tinted, but it doesn't leave any colour on the lids. It goes on very smooth, not completely dry siliconey, so it's a bit thicker than UD's. It dries relatively quickly on the lids, but you can feel that you added a layer on which the products will stick better. With this primer my eyeshadows look perfect at the end of the day. There is zero creasing and everything still looks nicely blended. Maybe they fade a bit, but it's difficult to say given that I check in artificial light by then. I really like this.

THEBALM Autobalm California Face Palette
I also didn't know this existed, I think it was meant as a LE last year and it's not on their official website, but it's sold in Müller (where it's cheaper) and on Feel Unique. I immediately loved this. It has a mini matte peachy-pink blush, a champagne highlighter, a warm taupe crease shade and a deep reddish brown liner shade. The quality is the same as at their Nude'Tude palette and their blushes, so it's brilliant. This is definitely what I'd take with me because it has the colours I would use, all of them and it's so cute. It's in a form of a driver's licence and it even has some map designs, which obviously appeals a geographer like me. I've been really enjoying using this, since I got it.
Müller, about 17€


*MILANI Matte Lipstick
Darling
I adore this. It is one of the most impressive lip products I tried recently. First off, I love the matte formula. It's a bit thicker than most I tried, but I like that because it's a true matte finish. It actually reminds me of Mac's Retro Matte. The colour is stunning, it's very close to of one of my favourite lip pencils Catrice I got you Babel, so it's a medium peachy-pink. I also lasts really well for a light shade. I'd really love to get my hands on more of these. Swatch of it here.
Click2Chic, 6.83 €


*JORDANA Matte Lipsticks
10 Red, 28 Natural, 48 Pink Passion and 60 Plum Obsession
Jordana is a new brand that is now sold on the online shop where I'm a blogger, so I got a lot of stuff to swatch for the website. I selected the shades myself based on what I though you might like and those that will fit into my Christmas posts there. Jordana products were partially selected based on great rating on Makeup Alley, so there are some good stuff and matte lipsticks appear to be very popular - now that I've tried them, I get why. For a very affordable price you get a fantastic, properly matte, fully opaque lipstick. Granted the packaging is cheap, but they didn't save on the actual products. This is the type of lipstick I expect for a budget product. I don't care about the packaging, the formula is way more important and these are miles better than Essence's Longlasting lipsticks or something from Makeup Revolution/Freedom Makeup and the likes. I selected four shades:
10 Red - a warm red
28 Natural - a warm beige-peachy nude
48 Pink Passion - light pink that I read is supposedly very similar to Mac's Please Me
60 Plum Obsession - cool violet pink (I just had a feeling people will really like this and even I like it, despite not being a "me" shade.
I really like the formula of these. It's nicely pigmented, a bit thicker, but still applies nicely and lasts well, which isn't as surprising considering they are matte. 
Click2Chic, 2.60 €


*JORDANA Twist & Shine Moisturising Balm Stain
These again have a very high rating on Makeup Alley. I chose two of the more new shades I believe, Gorgeous Peony, which is a light muted pink, so a very every day appropriate shade. Fresh Fig will appeal to all of those who like a bit more colour. It's a semi-transparent burgundy shade, so a gateway "vampy" shade for those who fear proper versions of such shades. These have a lip balm-like texture, meaning they are moisturising, but at the same time quite waxy, so they stick on the lips quite well.
Click2Chic, 4.20 €


*JORDANA Modern Matte Lipsticks 
These are the other (newest) versions of matte lipsticks by Jordana. How do they compare to the others ones? Well, I think both formulas are very similar, but these do feel a bit more quality, especially when it comes to the packaging. I chose two shades:
01 Matte Bare - a rosy-brownish medium nude. 
12 Matte Style - gorgeous blue toned red. I chose this one first out of all.
These are again such great matte lipsticks. I guess I could compare them to Catrice's matte shades. They glide nicely on the lips and have a nice staying power.
Click2Chic, 3.79 €


*JORDANA Best Lash Extreme Volumising Mascara
I've heard so much about this mascara. Many people love this and even though I prefer my mascaras waterproof, I wanted to review it for you. Even the first use gave me a nice amount of volume, so I can't wait for it to thicken up a bit and I'll see its true potential. The brush is a classic one, but more defining than that TheBalm mascara. 
Click2Chic, 5.00 €

*JORDANA Easyliner in Rock n' Rose
This was again chosen due to the high rating on Makeup Alley. So many people love this particular shade and I wanted to properly swatch it. I was a bit taken aback when I saw it in person - it's very brown. It' more of a taupe brown, but it has some hint of rosey tones. Actually the name says it all. The texture is a bit like Essence's Longlasting lipliners, so a great balance between being soft enough for it to transfer easily, but not too fragile, so it would break constantly.
Click2Chic, 3.00 €


*L'OCCITANE Pamplemousse-Rhubarbe Hand Cream
I have a thing for L'Occitane's hand creams. They really are something worth splurging on. I used to have the Almond version that I loved because it sank in in seconds and this one has the same type of texture, but a much stronger and fresher scent. I'm still on the fence about the latter. It's like a mix of refreshing grapefruit, sweet rhubarb and spices (clove, which I'm not a fan of and nutmeg). I know this scent from somewhere, I just can't remember from where.
A whole collection with this scent exists including a fragrance, shower, gel, body lotion, perfumed soap, hand cream and a lip balm.
L'Occitane, 7.60 €

*L'OCCITANE Jasmin-Immortelle-Neroli Body Lotion
I really like the scent of this. I've tried a few jasmine scented products and this is the best one. I still have Lush's Lust somewhere, which is sooo strong, almost headache inducing jasmine, but this one is fresher, more sophisticated and despite being a strong scent, so much easier to wear. The texture of the lotion is light and moisturising enough for an average person, but not enough for very dry skin. The scent is strong and it lingers, so you can use it even as an improvised fragrance and I think it will work fabulously in combination with the actual fragrance from this line.
A whole collection with this scent exists including a fragrance, shower, gel, body lotion, perfumed soap, hand cream and a lip balm.
L'Occitane, 23.40 €

*L'OCCITANE Miel Mandarine Lip Balm
Me and L'Occitane's lip balms share a long history. I had so many of them, but stopped purchasing them since they stopped making good scents (honestly, it all went downhill after the cherry blossom one, but I will check out the new honey one. Fingers crossed its the same yummy goodness from before). This one is a bit lighter than I remember their lip balms being. It's also tinted orange, which actually isn't the first time as their old orange version was similarly tinted. The scent is actually very subtle for L'Occitane. It's a mix of honey (if anyone remembers their awesome old honey balm in a tube from somewhere around 2006-07) and citrus notes, like that orange version I talked about.
A hand cream in this scent exists as well.
L'Occitane, 7.60 € 


H&M Owl and Cat Lip Balms
I wanted such lip balm for so long, well, this or a hand cream, it really didn't matter as long as I get an owl design. When I saw these in H&M I basically ran to the register with them. The lip balm inside is just the most boring one in history. It's the most basic, bland waxy lip balm with no particular scent. You're really paying just for the cute decorating item, but I love these. The owl exists in a bubble gum pink version. If you can't find these either at the register or the beauty/accessories department, check the children's section.
H&M, 2.99€


CADEAVERA Belebende Reinigungstücher
I haven't bought makeup wipes in such a long time, which is ridiculous considering how much swatching I do. I got these because they were the cheapest. These smell like the rest of the Young line, so like lilies of the valley, but with a fruity twist. They aren't super soft, but not harsh and I often have a problem with makeup wipes being too structured and rough. They managed to remove my base, eyeshadows, eyeliner and lipstick, but only about a half of my waterproof mascara, though considering these aren't oily, it's not a surprise. I takes a bit of rubbing to get of the swatches, so I think next time I'll try some different ones.
Müller, 1.45€


Samples:
I got a generous bag of samples at Look Fantastic at my last purchase. I was later told these are the exact contents of their beauty box from the previous month.

MONU Firming Moisturiser
For dry skin
25ml
I expected this to be thicker, but its texture is quite pleasant and not at all heavy like Emmy Hardie's face cream. I haven't used this much because I really don't like the strange herbal scent.
Look Fantastic, full price  €31.95 for 50 ml

ELEMIS Hydra-Balance Day Cream
Day cream for combination skin
20ml
A light, fast absorbent hydrating face cream for combination skin. It's quite nice, especially under foundation and it smells exactly like Emma Hardie's Moringa Balm.
Look Fantastic, full price  €58.95 for 50ml

NUXE Réve de Miel Hand and Nail Cream
15 ml
I heard many praises about this and even though I'm not a hand cream person, I really like this. I find it quite light, but that means it absorbs very fast and I can't stop smelling my hands afterwards. It's nothing like honey, but just addictive. I would consider getting a full size.


Look Fantastic, full price  €15.45 for 75 ml. It's probably cheaper in pharmacies in Slovenia.

PERCY & REED Volumising No Oil Oil
30 ml
I'll talk about this in my New In: Hair edition, but I love this and would buy a full size.
Look Fantastic, full price €19.95 for 60 ml

MURAD Age Reform AHA/BHA Exfoliating Cleanser
30 ml
A gel cleanser with some small exfoliating particles that it's quite creamy, but still foams well. It's a nice cleanser, but not 50 €-nice.
Look Fantastic, full price  €47.95 for 200ml


LOOK GOOD FEEL BETTER Eye Shading Brush
A flat shader brush that is synthetic and quite dense. It's ok, but doesn't pick up eyeshadows as well as brushes with natural hair, so I actually use this more for blending because its quite thick and works well in my crease. I ended up using this daily and really liking it. This is brand that was formed to help women combat the visible side effects of their cancer treatment, so some of the profits is meant for charity. I can't find this particular brush on Look Fantastic, but they have several other ones.
Look Good Feel Better on Look Fantastic


Have a great day!
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New In: Hair Care Edition

November 24, 2015, 8:25 am
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LABEL.M Honey & Oat Conditioner 
300ml
My hair started to get obnoxiously dry again as in every autumn and drugstore treatments aren't cutting is at all, so I wanted to expand my conditioners/treatments stash. I've never tried Label.m, but it was recommended to me and I read quite a few positive reviews about it, so decided to try something out, besides, it's quite affordable for a salon treatment. When this arrived at my doorstep and tried it the first time, I noticed a remarkable similarity with Tigi's Oatmeal and Honey. I then  went to research the brand and I realised it was created by the same people as Tigi as well as Tony & Guy. The ingredients look completely different to me, but the texture and scent are the same. It's good, nourishing enough for my hair and it makes it look healthy, plus it smells like christmas cookies (cinnamon, cloves and all the rest), however, it's not amazing and my hair dries out soon again. I feel than my hair desperately needs more (I should have just gotten some Kérastase), but it's a nice conditioner for dry hair.
Look Fantastic, €14.60


LABEL.M Mini Blow Out Spray
This has outstanding reviews and I'm the biggest sucker for mini sizes ever (my lifelong dream is to raid the Sephora mini travel size section), so it landed in my basket. It's a spray you use before blow-drying and it protects against heat, it contains UV filters (great if you dye your hair) and gives volume plus texture to your hair. It kind of doesn't smell of anything really, that was the first disappointment as I adore scented haircare, but the effect didn't wow me either. It kind of made my hair feel drier and more frizzy, which now that I look at it, I shouldn't be so surprised about, as it promises volume and texture. Perhaps this is better suited for thin hair with no volume. I need to use this a bit more and combine it with other products, so I might change my mind about it, but so far it hasn't blown me away.
Look Fantastic, €4.79 (50 ml)


PURELOGY Hydrate Condition 
This has fantastic reviews on Makeup Alley, so I took a chance and got it. First off this smells strongly like toothpaste. I'm serious. The mint actually tingles and feels cooling on the hands after application. It's so strange. My hair smells like mint for the entire week after using this and even more in contact with water when I go to wash my hair again.  I've never experienced anything like it, but it's really strange having your hair smell like toothpaste. The texture is quite thick for a conditioner, but not too much, so it is easy to apply. So what's my verdict on this? I'm afraid I'm not terribly impressed. It didn't wow me, my hair isn't as sleek as with some other conditioners and it feels a bit dry, so I have to use a lot of leave-in treatments and Orofluido to keep it in check. I guess it's ok for moderately dry hair, but my hair needs so much nourishment and this doesn't quite deliver. Still this has tons of amazing reviews, so don't be afraid to try it.
Look Fantastic, €15.90


I can't be without this. Seriously. Every time it's start running out, I rush to get a new one before the bottle is empty. I hit a bit of a snag this time and the package got lost, but luckily it was resent and it arrived safely. This is my absolute favourite leave-in conditioner, it nourishes my hair, keeps it hydrated noticeably longer, reduces frizz and it has made my hair a lot more healthy since I started using it. They changed the packaging, now it's a bit darker and the writing has been changed a bit, but I think it's still the same thing. 
Feel Unique, 16.60 €


PERCY & REED Smoothed, Sealed & Sensational Volumising No Oil Oil
30 ml
I got this as a gift with purchase when I last ordered from Look Fantastic. I've never heard of this product, nor of this brand and I'm a hair junkie, but this is pretty cool. I like the name and it is indeed not oily, it is clearly a very light silicone serum. The instructions say to apply one or two drops, but that is just waaaay to little for my hair and I just go to town with it. The texture is incredibly light, it almost feels like water, so you can literally apply tons of this on the hair and it won't weight it down. It's recommended to be used on towel dry hair, but I tried it on dry hair as well and it doesn't really do anything, but applied on damp hair it makes my hair really sleek after blow drying. It does such a great job at taming my hair. I don't know how this is so great because the ingredients are awful. The scent is so familiar to me. I swear I had a hair product with this precise scent before, but I just can't remember what it was, anyway it's an indescribable chemical hair salon scent. It also works as a heat protectant. It costs 19 € for 60 ml, which is a price that is within acceptable range for me, I used it a few times so far and there is only a couple of millimetres of product missing, so I think I'll get the full size when this runs out (which will probably take a while).
Look Fantastic, full price €19.95 for 60 ml


TANGLE TEEZER Compact Styler 
Black & Gold
I actually wanted Shawn the Sheep version for years, but I got the gold one because it looks so stylish and cool. My cousin bough a pink one sometime this year and it was the first time I saw the compact version in person, but I have the original one for probably around seven years. I immediately loved the smaller version. I love it so much more that the original one, as than one is quite big for my child-sized hands, but this one is the perfect size, plus it has a cover, so you can carry it in your bag. It feels better made than the original one and it easily brushes out the hair with minimal damage. I still secretly want Shawn the Sheep one because I'm a five-year-old at heart.
Look Fantastic, €13.82


 Have a great day!
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Revlon Colorstay Foundation Normal/Dry Skin 110 Ivory

November 26, 2015, 8:21 am
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Revlon Colorstay and I have a past that extends far beyond my blogging years. In fact it was my second foundation I ever bough and the first one that was actually light enough for me. But that time I bought the version for combination/dry skin and as a young girl with unblemished skin, it proved to be way too much for me. I was searching for something natural that would just even out my skin and Colorstays do don't fit into this category. To be fair, the reason I got that foundation the first time was the shade, and things tend to repeat themselves, so I got it again for the same reason, however, this time I went for a normal/dry version which is a much better fit for me.

Texture: It's a liquid foundation that has a runny-medium consistency. It's been almost a decade, since I had the oily skin version, but I think this one feels lighter and it blends easily. I've tried all types of methods for application (fingers, brushes and sponges) and it works well with all.


Coverage: I like to use thin layers and that way get light-medium coverage, but it's of course capable of more, at least a medium coverage if you use a "regular" amount of foundation and with a second coat you get an almost full coverage, but my darker freckles are still visible. The coverage reminds me of Nars Sheer Glow. I applied more foundation that I would normally use (I this is probably the amount an average user uses), just to show you how much it covers. The coverage is really good, though I tried layering it over my dark circles, but it didn't cover them completely. 

Finish: Surprisingly it's satin-matte and it stays like that almost until the end of the day. Judging from the name, I would expected a glowy finish and a tacky, moisturising formula, however, this is anything but. In fact, I would consider this more as an oily skin foundation. I don't feel it's drying, but it's definitely not moisturising and the satin matte finish looks so good. I must say that I'm impressed. By the way my skin is normal-combination and my forehead does get a bit shiny during the day (I'm not bothered by that), but with this foundation I get no sign of any oiliness. 


Shade: I picked up the shade Ivory that is almost identical to Rimmel's' 010 Light Porcelain, but maybe less pink. It's a pink toned foundation, though I don't find the undertone too intense like at Nars Siberia. Buff is supposedly its yellow toned equivalent, unfortunately the sample was empty so I can't be sure. Based on my research of our drugstores, this is one of the lightest, if not the lightest foundation colour we can get in Slovenia. It used to be only sold in one place here, but now it's much more readily available. Manhattan's Soft Porcelain is very close, but more yellow/neutral. Note how much lighter it is than the lightest shade of Catrice's Nude Illusion foundation. 

Staying power: It's very impressive. This lasts almost the entire day. It's doesn't look as pretty as when applied, it actually looks a bit cakey-ish (not too terrible), but it definitely sticks on all day. Impressive. 


Packaging: A heavy glass bottle with no pump and quite a big opening which makes getting the right amount of foundation out very challenging. The fact that there is no pump is one of the most irritating things ever and the more I use it, the more I hate it. It's not like the foundation is too thick to have a pump, I just think they are trying to economize. However, I have seen some versions with a pump, but I'm not sure if that is just a regional thing or an actual newly updated packaging. I remember transferring my first Colorstay foundation into an empty bottle of a L'Occitane serum because I was so bothered by the lack of a pump. 

Scent: It's got kind of a chemical-paint like scent that's trying to be powdery. It's definitely more subtle that at the combination/oily version. Granted it's been almost a decade since I had that foundation, but I remember how off putting the scent of the first Colorstay was to me. It was like paint mixed with alcohol and I wondered if I got a bad one, but this one is much better.

Ingredients: Picture here.

Price and availability: I don't recall this being so expensive when I first got it, but regular price in Műller is more than 15 €. Crazy. I bought it when they had a discount, but this is cheaper online and probably Ilirija, I was also told it's cheaper in Leclerc. 

This is a lovely foundation. Of course it has it's shortcomings, the lack of pump being the most noticeable one, but I love the finish of it, the staying power, the coverage and of course, the shade is amazing for me. It's a foundation that is a bit heavy for my liking and doesn't look as natural as Bourjois foundations, but I like how it looks when I use thin layers. There is a reason this foundation has been so popular over the years and I think it deserves the hype. If you like fuller coverage foundations, you'll like this one. 

Have a great day!
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November Favourites

November 29, 2015, 11:19 am
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I had little hope finding a foundation that would suit my Snow White complexion in our drugstores, but lo and behold, I found three excellent candidates, but this one impressed me the most. I got the shade Ivory which is a very pale pink toned foundation (it's kind of a NARS Siberia's pink equivalent, though that one might be a smidgen lighter) and it fits me so well, despite the fact that my undertone is neutral. Colorstay foundations are not the most natural looking, lightweight products, but the medium-full coverage, fantastic staying power and a satin-matte finish certainly impressed me. The one downside at this foundation is the lack of a pump, however it's a pretty good foundation to try if you like more coverage.  


When I first tried this, I really didn't get the hype. I expected this intense glow, but it looked pretty shy, however, it turned out that I needed to get through the top layer to get the good stuff . I won't say it's the glowiest highlighter I own, in fact a couple of my cream highlighters are more intense, but it's my only gold highlighter and it gives a lovely, glamorous glow. The gold hue is noticeable, so I need to blend it in well to avoid it looking too gold, but I've been really enjoying glowy cheeks this month. 

What a cute little palette. It's got all the colours I use pretty much daily and it's shaped into this cute driver's license design that is so travel friendly. There are four powder products inside: a mini matte  peachy-pink blush, a champagne highlighter, a warm taupe crease shade and a deep reddish brown liner shade. I think theBalm makes some of the best eyeshadows, especially matte ones, so the quality is superb, only the blush isn't as impressive, but still nice.


I'm a massive fan of matte lipsticks and I think these are the most impressive ones I've tried so far. The finish is actually matte, not creamy-matte, it kind of almost reminds me of matte lip creams, though it's most similar to Mac's Retro Matte formula, but these are a bit creamier. I only have this one shade, though and I hope all of them are like that. I got the shade Darling which is a beautiful peachy-pink shade that is similar to Catrice's I got you Babel lip pencil. I'd really love to have more shades of these. 

Why isn't every Essence lipstick like this one? Excellent pigmentation, impressive staying power and a nice creamy texture, this is truly such a step up for Essence. The shade is so me - a gorgeous magenta that reminds me of Mac's Fired up. If you can still find these, they are so worth it.


I love this colour so much that it was on my nails for most of the month. It's a warm purple shade which is similar to Bahama Mama by Essie, but a shade or two lighter and not as vampy. The bottle is an absolute stunner as well with the gold cap. I was just really impressed by this collection as a whole. By the way, one of my lovely readers tells me that she found a dupe for this in Deborah Shine Tech 28.

My favourite vampy nail polish and perfect for this time of the year. It's a stunning plum-burgundy shade that looks almost black in certain lights, but it you can mostly easily see the reddish-purple hue of it as it has a jelly finish. 


Tappered crease, blending eyeshadow and flat definer
I was pretty pleased with most of the brushes in this set, but the tapped crease one, blending eyeshadow one and the flat definer one became my everyday brushes. These are synthetic brushes and very soft, so they are great at blending and not so much at picking up colours (unless they are very pigmented like theBalm's and Urban Decay's eyeshadows). I just love that these are smaller than a majority of brushes and are therefore very well suited for my small eyes. 


This was completely new to me and I'd probably never hear about it if I didn't get it as GWP. It's a strange very light serum that I expected it won't do anything on my thick, dry hair, but it makes it very sleek when I blow dry it. You end up using a small amount of product, so one bottle lasts ages. 

Black & Gold
When these launched years ago, I didn't think much of them, until I saw one in person. They are much better made than my original Tangle Teezer and the smaller size is so much easier to hold,  but it still combs my long, thick hair with ease. This gold version looks so glam, but many others exist.


I'm still so chuffed I finally got this. It's such a beautiful, fresh and floral simple scent that just makes you smell nice and elegant. Boss fragrances aren't the most exciting scents, but I love most of them. This one has notes of cactus flower, pink freesia, jasmine, rose buds, warm woods and cedar. I also love the bottle and I keep it displayed on my vanity. 


Have a great day!
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