*CATRICE Kaviar Gauche LE
For this holiday season Catrice created the most stunning limited edition collection in collaboration with the bride couture brand Kaviar Gauche (the third time already). It caught my attention immediately when I saw it on
Veracamilla's blog, who also swatched the palette and highlighter for those interested. I have the whole collection (apart from one brush) very graciously sent to me by the best woman in the PR business, Natalija, who saw it on my
wishlist. Collection consists of an eyeshadow quad in neutral colours, a massive highlighter, a beautiful brush bag and five brushes (eyeshadow blending brush exists too). The packaging has a
Physician's Formula Nude Wear vibe, so it's dressed in nude leather, but instead of rose gold, it's combined with the always classic gold. I think it's a breathtaking collection and I'm sure it'll be a big hit. Launch dates will likely vary from country to country, but they state it'll be available from November to January.
V Sloveniji je kolekcija že na voljo od 8.11., na prodaj pa je/bo v drogerijah DM, Leclerc Maribor, Click2Chic, Ličila.si, Spar Citypark Ljubljana, Merkator Hipermarketih s Catrice stojali, drogeriji Ilirija, parfumerijah Beauty Word in drogerijah Müller.
Eye Shadow Palette C01 Sand Souci
A gorgeous eyashadow palette in a gold-leather design that contains four neutral shades in different finishes. It's got an iridescent skin tone shade with pink shimmer, an iridescent golden brown, a satin medium brown and a matte cool brown. Pigmentation is ok, but Catrice's newest single eyeshadow are much more buttery and opaque then these (I'm holding back for now, but I will go buy a few because I was so impressed in the shop). Eyeshadow colours combine well, blend ok too and with them I get a nice, subtle neutral look that gives the eyes a bit of definition.
€ 6.29
Highlighter C01 Éclat D'Or
The obvious first - this highlighter is huge! It's almost the size on my face and you get an whopping 35,7 g of product, so it'll last forever. It looks light beige-pink in the pan, but it contains warm gold shimmer, so it ends up a classic warm champagne highlighter which is what I like best. It's meant for face and body, hence the size, so it's a type of highlighter that's more on the subtle side, but the glow is nicely visible and the shimmer is so fine, you don't see any glitter, just a glowy effect.
€ 6.29
Brushes
Highlighter Brush - a thin fan brush with thick enough bristles that is picks up highlighter ok and it's also quite precise if you want. It's soft and gentle on the skin, also all of these are synthetic. € 5.29
Eye Lid Brush - a classic shader brush, so the one you use to apply colour on your lid area. Since it's synthetic and a bit stiffer than those with natural bristles, it works better with cream formulas, but it's not problematic with powder eyeshadows too. € 4.29
Blush & Contour Brush - my favourite because I've been missing an angled blush brush in my collection. It's soft and picks up colour well, but I wish the bristles were just a bit shorter. € 5.69
Brush Bag
Another eye candy in the collection. The faux leather is soft and looks nice quality, overall the whole collection feels and look much more expensive than it is. There is space for five brushes in bag with slots varying in sizes.
€ 6.29
My brushes arrived in a set (three brushes: powder, eye lid and blush &contour, plus a makeup bag), but all the things are sold individually too, apart from powder brush which is exclusive to this set. It comes packed in a gold box, so a great gift idea and it costs 17.49 €.
Set čopičev je/bo na voljo v Leclerc Maribor, Click2Chic, Ličila.si, Spar Citypark Ljubljana in v drogerijah Müller.
MAYBELLINE Lash Sensational Mascara
I've had the
waterproof version a couple of years ago and I really liked it, now I got the regular version pretty much mainly for the metallic (LE?) packaging (my hording of pretty things has a purpose, I swear), but also, since I started noticing regular mascaras are now working for me a lot better than before, I wanted to see if I like this one as much as WP version. Overall it's ok, predominantly a defining mascara, though it gives some volume too and I've noticed it gets more volumising the longer I have it, so as the formula thickens. It's not keeping my lashes lifted as well as I'd hoped, even though it starts off well. The longer I have it, the better it's getting and the more I like it.
DM, 9.29 €
A repurchase. I bought my first one in the beginning of June, used it every single day and though it's not completely empty, I couldn't get a sharp line, so I bought a new one after only four months (I expected it'll last me longer). So far it's my favourite liner, though it's not the most precise, but I've been using it every day for 5-6 months now and it hasn't let me down yet. The formula is super black and very matte, it lasts all day with no smudging, flaking - anything really, it just lasts. The applicator is a felt tip that's comfortable, flexible enough, but not flimsy like a brush.
Müller, 3.79 €
CATRICE Dawid Tomaszewski LE Wild Matte Lip Colour
C02 Lucy's Red
I'll admit I got this because of the packaging, but the lipstick itself is great, as is usual for Catrice and I think this is the same as their new Ultimate Matt formula. They describe the formula as matte and it's pretty close, though it's more of a satin-matte instead and it's not like the Bourjois lipstick I'll describe bellow. It's creamy and glides on the lips easily, but this formula isn't completely opaque with one swipe, so it needs building up. Staying power is ok for a classic lipstick and it stains due to the pink base. Lucy's Red is a cool toned cherry red, a proper pin-up shade. Despite appearances, the packaging is plastic.
Müller, 4.29 €
CATRICE Dawid Tomaszewski LE Glow Stick
C01 Fashion Flash
Another one I got for the packaging, but I like creamy highlighters in general. It's a champagne glow with a warm undertone, which suits my skin tone perfectly. Formula is creamy and soft, it easily transfers on the skin and blends well. I apply two coats, since the first usually blends out too much, but the glow is moderately strong as you can see on my picture. Packaging is again plastic and feels somewhat cheap, but it looks lovely and I love the triangle design.
Müller, 5.69 €
*BOURJOIS Rouge Velvet The Lipstick
06 Abrico'dabra and 09 Fuchsia Botté
These caught my attention a while ago as does anything that claims to be matte, but given they are 14 € I held back on buying them. I was later send two shades, while a total of twelve shades exist ranging from nudes, pinks, reds to burgundies and as is usual for Bourjois the shades are classic, most of them universally flattering. I swatched all of the shades in the shop and shade 03, a light pink, is the one I like most, though I also loved 05, a rosy medium shade. Formula of these is surprising. I expected a waxy type of formula that is usually used for matte finishes (like at Catrice above), but this one is so buttery like it has not wax, it just glides on the lips with no breaks. The finish is pretty much like matte liquid lipsticks when it sets, so needless to say I'm loving it - also these barely transfer, just like a liquid versions. The latter made me want that 03 shade even more, while I know I won't be wearing these two shades, since I dislike orange and bright pink isn't an every day shade for me. Staying power is nice. It survived a meal, but it starts to fade after maybe 5-6 hours and it's not the nicest even fading, but you don't get that ring of colour. 06 Abrico'sabra is an orange shade and 09 Fuchsia Botté is as the name suggests a fuchsia shade in a warm pink version. One thing that bothers me about these is that they are impossible to apply precisely because they are so buttery, so make sure you have a matching lip liner.
Drugstores, 13.89 €
*BOURJOIS Miraculous Contour Universal Lip Liner + Primer
I never had a clear lip liner before, but these are meant to keep the lipstick from bleeding and feathering. This one feels like a silicone primer for the lips. It helps the lipstick go on smoother and should help it stay in place, though my lipstick always stays in place anyway. In terms of adding staying power, I haven't seen a difference yet, but I haven't used it with all my lipsticks and I wear long-wear formulas anyway. It's a retractable eyeliner, so no sharpening is needed.
*L.O.V. EXTRAordinary Perfecting Fluid Foundation
010 Ivory Elegance & 040 Honey-moon
The next L.O.V. things are all new products for fall. EXTRAordinary perfecting fluid promises some anti-ageing effects, more specifically to hydrate, add elasticity and reduce fine lines - bold statement for makeup. The stand out feature is the packaging which is an upgraded cushion/tension pack and the foundation is dispensed by pressing a button. You get a standard foundation puff for application, which is a bit hard compared to my Tony Moly one, but it blends seamlessly. I got two out of four shades - the lightest 010 and third in the line-up 040, both are for medium skin tones and much too dark for me, so I can only make 010 work with the help of a lot of
TBS Adjusting Drops. Formula is creamy and thick, Catrice has the most similar formulas (excluding HD) and it a lot of aspects it behaves like Catrice foundations, to be more specific the discontinued
Nude Illusion. Coverage is medium, but easily buildable to medium-full. It looks ok over the pores and lines, but it doesn't hide them and the finish is just like at Nude Illusion that satin finish with a level of healthy radiance, but it is a noticeable foundation. Overall it's a very likeable foundation, looks ok on the skin, it doesn't look cakey and it doesn't make the pores look worse, so I would rate it high if it weren't for the horrible shade range that excludes everyone under or over NC/W25-35.
Müller, 14.99 €
*L.O.V. LASHseduction Instant Volume Mascara
Just a classic volumizing mascara. When it's new the formula is wet and gloopy, so it's got a potential to be clumpy if you go over two coats, but it gives a lot of volume, so it's at the moment my most volumizing mascara (compared to Lash Sensational,
Paradise Extatic and
Essence Volume Stylist). It's a messy mascara - at least I can't get an application without getting some on my lids, but otherwise it doesn't run or smudge during the day. The brush is classic, not exactly defining, as it's more meant for building up the volume, but I also don't need a separate brush for combing the lashes. Due to being so wet, it drops my lashes, so it's not my personal favorite, but if you don't have problems with that and you want a lot of volume, consider this one in your selection.
10.99 €
*L.O.V. LOVtreat Color & Care Nail Lacquer
640 Soft Sensuality
I think these are replacing the old line of nude nail polishes that had a white cap or at least they did on the stand in my local drugstore. All shades are pale and I believe sheer with one coat. They contain calcium, proteins and almond oil which nourish the nail and I have to say that when I took this shade off, my nails did't have that usual beat up/yellow stained look. My shade 640 is a milky nude, more on the warm side, but it looks very natural and as I said it's sheer with one coat, though it has a thick formula. With three coats I get 80% of coverage. Like all L.O.V. nail polishes it lasts great on my nails.
6.49 €
*DUALcover Concealer & Retoucher
025 Sand Sophistication
This has a combination of a stick concealer and a liquid concealer. The first has medium- full coverage, but it's quite a stiff and thick formula, meaning obvious on the face and not easy to work with. The second is meant for under the eyes and it claims it contains "Shadownyl", which brightens the under eye are and lessens the appearance of wrinkles. It comes in two shades, I got the darkest one, so I can't wear it, at least the stick side, but I mixed the liquid side with TBS drops for the purpose of testing. The liquid side is very shiny-dewy and it stays like that all the time. Coverage is light-medium, but buildable, due to that shiny texture which never truly sets, it also creases.
12.99 €
*THE BODY SHOP Camomile Gentle Eye Makeup-Remover
This is most similar to micellar waters or toners. It's light, non-greasy, but effective when it comes to regular mascara and other makeup. It's gentle on the eyes, I feel no stinging at all and much like micellar waters it leaves nothing behind. The scent can be described as a day old camomile tea smell, which isn't my favourite, but it's not strong and overall this is a likeable product.
*THE BODY SHOP Oils of Life Intensely Revitalising Facial Oil
I like this a lot. It's a dry oil, so there's very little of that greasy feeling, but the skin is nourished and more importantly in such good condition. I've been using this for three weeks now, a little goes a long way as with most oils. This makes my skin so soft and radiant, I really like its effect. I might even replace my trusted
Nuxe because it's even drier and I like the ingredients more as it contains black cumin seed oil, camellia oil and rosehip seed oil, but I'm not sure yet because the price is very high. The only thing that's a downgrade from Nuxe is the scent, since TBS has such a basic oil smell.
*THE BODY SHOP British Rose Fresh Plumping Mask
The name might not imply it, but this is a moisturising type of mask that also promises some radiance. It contains rose petals, rose essence, rosehip oil and aloe vera, but also alcohol relatively high on the list and the texture is like a gel. The smell of this is great. I despise that granny rose scent they put in cosmetics, especially since it smells absolutely nothing like real roses that are planted by the house, which I go sniff every five minutes when they are in bloom. This has that exact authentic rose scent - finally something true to life. Although based on ingredients I'd say this is a classic sleeping mask that doesn't need to be washed off, TBS' instructions say to rinse this from the skin after 10 minutes and since it ends up kind of sticky, I did wash it off after 20 or so minutes both time I used it. It left my skin looking really good and feeling very smooth and soft, in fact the results remind me a lot of some Asian Sheet masks (
MBD Black Pearl,
TFS Solution Pearl,
Papa Recipe), so this is a really nice product in my eyes and I already put in on my wishlist. And to think I wasn't even going to use it because of the rose scent.
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*THE BODY SHOP Frosted Berry Body Butter
I adore TBS body butters, I tried nine versions (
Vineyard Peach,
Honeymania, Shea Butter,
Satsuma, Passion Fruit, Grapefruit, Black Cheery, Almond and Cherry Blossom), well ten if I count this one, and all were fantastic, though textures differ, as some are thicker than others and those are the ones I like most. Vineyard Peach is my ultimate favourite, followed by Shea Butter and Satsuma. Frosted Berry is a Christmas edition and it has a forest fruits yoghurt type of scent, so fruity and fresh, plus slightly sour. Like all nourishing body butters it needs time to sink in, which makes me more secure that's it's actually moisturising my skin, so it's something I use before going to bed.
*THE BODY SHOP Almond Milk & Honey Shower Cream
I loved this immediately when I tried it. The scent is divine, a honey sweets almond type of scent that's so comforting and so much better than the flowery Honeymania they tried to sell as as a proper honey scent. This one is from the line created for sensitive, dry skin and it doesn't contain soap, though despite that it foams ok and as you might expect the formula is creamy and not stripping.
*THE BODY SHOP Nigritella Eau de Parfum
This one was such a blast from the past to me. I used to wear L'Occitane's Vanilla fragrance that contained vanilla orchid notes and this has that exact note in it. It's such a rich floral note with strong oriental vibes and a base of vanilla, which is more sophisticated here than in most fragrances. I loved it straight away.
*THE BODY SHOP Eye Colour Stick
Cyprus Bronze
I'm a fan of stick eyeshadows and I have several versions. In fact I have a very similar selection of shades from other brands, however, Cyprus Bronze is the lightest version of such a shade I own. My winners are
Kiko eyeshadows with their rich pigmentation and excellent staying power, this one is already not as pigmented and it doesn't transfer on the lids quite as opaque, but the texture is still smooth and soft. Shade is a classic bronze shade with shimmer that looks good on anyone. Staying power is ok, but not exceptional, it creases a bit, but it doesn't end up a mess on the lids.
MY HOIN NI Arbutin Whitening Mask
Since I've gone through most of
Balea masks, which proved to be disappointing, I'm exploring our drugstores further for some decent finds, though we have so little of them (Essence, CadeaVera, Garnier, Schabens and Innel are some I found). Based on ingredients these My Hoin Ni ones are the most similar to Asian brands, in fact they look very impressive, so I picked up the brightening version first, since those are the ones I like most. And guess what - this is almost exactly like
My Scheming masks. The sheet is thin compared to Balea, but it's not ultra thin like some, it fits ok (again it's slightly too big around my chin), it's very saturated with product and it actually drips. It has a plastic protective filter just like My Scheming and some others. The essence is light and absorbs fast, so this is nice also for oily skin. Scent was not my favourite, as it was kind of chemical and sour. Effects were noticeable - brighter, more healthy looking skin as it usual as brightening masks (arbutin does its job here). My skin started to feel tight in a few minutes, so my normal-dry skin needs some extra care after it. So far the best sheet mask I've found in Slovenia and the only one I can compare to Asian ones.
Műller, 2.99 €
L'OREAL Casting Créme Gloss
360 Black Cherry
After ten years of not dyeing my hair anymore, I've started to crave a bit of a change. I actually really, really want to get bayage, but first I don't know if I can trust any of my local hairdressers, since I've been burned so many times (the reason why I stopped dyeing my hair) and it's expensive. So one day I just arrived at an idea that I want a deep red-purple shade and I started exploring my options. I wanted a temporary colour before I commit to anything and I found that L'Oreal added some nice looking dark shades that promise to work also on such dark hair as mine. I actually had one of these colours way back close to 10 years ago when they launched, I got it due to massive popularity and because I needed to cover my bad hair dye job, so I got a chocolate brown, which didn't really show up well on my hair, but I read reviews about this red Black Cherry shade before I bought it and most said it's the best among Casting colours. These wash off after 28 washes.
I already dyed my hair with this, which I posted on Instagram Stories for those who follow me. I ended up using just one box, it turned out to be enough, despite the fact I have very long and thick hair. Results are visible, but as I kind of suspected nowhere near what the box shows. My dark brown hair now has a red shine that is visible in the sunlight, otherwise the difference is very subtle. I wanted more, but I'm not disappointed by the results. I'll do a full review of this, I just want to see how long it will last, since I wash my hair once or twice a week.
DM, 5.99 €
*VICHY Dercos Micro Peel anti-dandruff Scrub Shampoo
Since I've tried
Matrix Scalp Synch scrub, which has been discontinued, I'm trying to find every similar product to try. Luckily this one found me. It contains 1 % piroctone olamine, 1,5% salicylic acid and glycerine, plus there are beads suspended in the gel. It's meant for oily scalp and it promises to remove both visible dandruff and those flakes that are stuck to the scalp (that's what I have most problems with and most shampoos aren't capable of removing it). The packaging is great, it has a nozzle applicator which means you can apply it directly to the scalp and the tube is soft, which my weak arms greatly appreciate. It produces a thick foam and you can feel only a bit of those beads, so it's not like a proper scrub and it ends up feeling very gentle. They advise you foam it up and massage it well all over the scalp, then leave it on to work for three minutes. Given that it's a shampoo for oily hair I was concerned it might be drying, but I guess that glycerine is doing its job , so my hair didn't feel that dry. It removed about 95 % of the dandruff that's stuck to my scalp, which I call an excellent result. It hasn't cured the dandruff yet, but I noticed it's less of it, so for now I'm giving it a thumbs up, however, I've seen good results with some other products and then the stop working, but well see with this one. I just really, really want this to be the one that fixes everything. One thing that it didn't help with was the itching, that's the only minus I can find so far.
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Pharmacies, 14 €
Have a great day!
*PR products, just send for consideration.
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