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November Favourites, Updates & Wishlist

November 30, 2019, 5:39 am
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This is exactly my type of foundation - light-medium coverage, very lightweight on the skin and with a natural, non-foundation look on the skin. I have to use powder with this one, since it can get shiny during the day despite my currently dry skin, but it's manageable. It wears nicely, it doesn't look bad over pores or uneven texture, so it reminds me of Fit Me Matte + Poreless, though there are differences. Despite the SPF 50 I wouldn't wear this on its own and consider myself properly protected, but as an extra layer and on days when I'm hardly outside, it's a nice one. For me this foundation actually wins because of the shade. 095 is a very pale neutral-pink that fits me perfectly. Maybelline has some of the best pale shades, as they are never overly yellow or too pink.

I've never been a fan of high coverage foundations because they look so obvious, but this one I can get along with. Though based on the name you'd expect something heavy like It Cosmetic's CC, this is that perfect in between foundation, as it's good for dry skin, but with a satin finish and not the overly shiny one with a formula that transfers and creases. It's still natural looking on the skin, it doesn't slip into pores or lines and it's a hydrating foundation with the best staying power I've found. Shade 0.75 is very pale, though with a more intense undertone than Maybelline (yellow), but it fits my neutral skin well. I don't know why almost no one talks about this foundation (so far I've only seen Merit of Beauty), it's seriously good.


For several years now haven't worn powders, since most I tried make my foundation look weird, occasionally patchy and fake, but this I like. I got this after any intense research and I picked it based on high feedback and due to a lot of people mentioning it suits dry skin. It's not a natural looking powder, but it sort of perfects the skin and makes final finishes to the makeup. It's matte without being too much, it doesn't highlight dry patches or make them worse, it smooths the texture of the skin and blurs the lines and pores to a certain degree. I've tried the famous Laura Mercier powder and they perform the same on me. It's not amazing on very dry skin (currently under my eyes), not that I expected any powder to be, but most I tried are worse with exception of more finely milled Houglass. I was checking both Laura Mercier and Fit Me every hour in the mirror and both held up really well, it was like I was wearing the same thing on both sides. This needs to be sold on our stands too, I hope in the future it does.  

If you read my last monthly favourites post and follow my IG, you would have seen I've spent most of the month with pink and pink-violet hair, so I had to change my blush choices, since my beloved L.O.V. ones are all warm shades. I needed cool pinks and this is the only ones I have. I don't know if this is still sold, maybe it's just online now, but I have the Amber palette to and these are so good - not L.O.V. good, but still really amazing blushes that apply and blend well, plus last on the cheeks. 


ETUDE HOUSE Proof 10 Eye Primer
There's not much to say here apart from that it's a great primer for the price that does the job. I read a ton of reviews when I was looking for a new primer, since all mine were ancient and I got this one as well as Artdeco one in the pot. Both are great and do the job, though I prefer this one because it has a doe foot applicator and it hasn't got any shimmer. 

PIXI Glow Mist
Though I didn't get the glow I expected with this, I've been using it a lot because it has great ingredients, it "melts" the makeup together and it refreshes nicely. The mist is fine enough, though I have to make sure I spray it from far away or it can feel wet for a while. I'm just happy I have something with propolis, niacinamide, hyaluronic acid, olive oil, argan oil and tons of extracts in a spray.


LANEIGE Lip Sleeping Mask
Berry
This really is as good as reviews say. It sticks on the lips until the morning and it leaves them properly nourished. The extra silicone spatula is a great help during application and the formula has a nice gentle berry scent. In a thick coat it also has a a glossy shine, which looks so good I sometimes wear it during the day too. I'm glad I believed the hype.


SUBRINA Colour Refresh
These are my favourite thing in this post, I've had so much fun trying these out, a new colour basically ever week and I'll continue to experiment with them. In the last monthly favourites I've showed you the result I got with Violet and two weeks ago I decided to go even bolder, increased the amount of colour vs. clear conditioner and went bright magenta pink. Currently I'm on my third colour and I'm a redhead. My natural hair colour is so dark that even those L'Oreal dark reddish-purple temporary shades of Casting Creme Gloss didn't properly show up - now that I'm a blonde I can finally play with colours and it's a blast. I'm not even very blonde, but these are so pigmented, I didn't have to use it straight from the tube for the colour on the box. With a mix of 1 part colour and 4 parts conditioner I achieved a vibrant pink shade using Magenta. It's easy to use these: I wash my hair, then simply mix the colour with a conditioner to dilute the pigment (I use a hair colour pot and an old spoon), apply it all over the hair (you get gloves, but I forgot them every time and it's fine, the colour doesn't stain for long), do something else for 10-15 minutes and wash it off. It doesn't take much longer than using a regular mask for me, except for the mixing bit and making sure I apply it all over the hair. It's not very messy and if you get any on the skin, it just washes off with a splash of water, but I wear a black shirt even though it doesn't drip. They don't damage the hair because they are just tinted hair masks, so I can use them as much as I want. They wash off  completely, how fast it depends on how much of the mask you used vs. the clear mask. I got the pastel off in three washes returning to my original colour, but with first wash most of the colour was gone. With the bright colour, I really tried to get it off fast, so I could try the next one. I shampooed three times with a anti-dandruff formula + had a mask on, so it was four rinses in total and I got a lovely pastel coral-pink (from Magenta) that I wore it a few more days, then washed it again, which didn't get all off yet, but I just went with red. So more intense the shade & the lighter your base colour, the more washes it takes to completely wash off. These obviously work best on bleached hair, while they don't tint my natural dark brown, so these are mostly for blondes, either coloured or natural, but those with undamaged, non-dyed hair might not get the same results as me despite being the same level. You can of course also use them for the original purpose to refresh your existing colour and delay having to colour again. So far I have nothing negative to say about these, maybe just that the tubes could be bigger, at least shade Clear because since all are so pigmented you end up using Clear a lot, but I just substitute it with any conditioner. I miss a lavender shade, though Diamond Blonde is such a shade from the tube, but it's a toning shade that's more one the blue/grey side, so I got one from a different brand that I'll talk about in the next new in if I happen to like it. I'll try Orange next, since it's the last bright shade in this collection and then I want to give Violet another go in a more bright version. 

Subrina Colour Refresh Mask in Magenta, ratio 1:4. I didn't do strand tests like I did with Violet and I did it before going to bed with wet hair, so I woke up to a bright surprise. I really thought I'll get a lighter shade, but these are very strong. I ended up liking it a lot and it washes off to such a pretty shade of pastel pink.

My current shade: Red in a ratio 1:1. I haven't washed my hair yet, so I don't know how long this one will last. It's the strongest mix I made to date. 


I've mentioned this a few times before, so it's nothing new, but I have to give it another shout out because I can always rely on this making my hair look more polished and shiny in an instant. It's a silicone oil in spray form and it's like an instant perfector that creates that healthy shiny hair look. I use it as any time I'm a pinch to make my hair more presentable, especially since my hair gets drier the longer I don't wash my hair, so I need a shine spray that doesn't contain alcohol and one one that masks dryness. It's so lightweight that those with completely different hair than me might like it too.


 ORIFLAME Giordani Gold Essenza Sensuale
Eau de parfum
I knew the moment I tried this for the first time that this will be in this post and my yearly favourites too. I love this, it's one of the best scents I've smelled. Usually I don't fall in love with the scent instantly, not even in my beloved Twilight Woods, but this was different. It's a much, much nicer, but equally posh version of Elie Saab le parfum (at least to my nose), except it omits the jasmine note which my nose does not like at all, since it's such a headache inducing scent, so the orange floral stands out a lot more here. This is so warm and cosy, but a floral on a woody-vanilla base. It lasts well too, better than other Oriflame scent by a mile. I've tried their praised Amber Elixir, but that one has nothing on Gold Essenza Sensuale. It doesn’t have a classic spray, instead it has a applicator with which you dab the fragrance directly on the pulse points, which I quite like, as it gives me that vintage feel.

UPDATES 


I don't know if this belongs in this post at all, but I'm still putting here. It's definitely not a proper favourite and I still feel mostly indifferent to it because I don't get that ethereal glow/soft focus effect from it that other describe. However, I got several powders in the last month or two and apart from heavier Fit Me & Laura Mercier, this is the only one that keeps my foundation from slipping into my lines around the mouth. It's very finely milled, so it doesn't look like powder on the skin and it's a finishing powder, so it's best to use it over a setting powder. It's not as amazing on me despite the very high feedback this has, which bums me because it was so expensive and I actually have a very good dupe for it from Wet n Wild, but given that it can somewhat blur my lines, it wasn't a total waste and I use it every day instead of Wet n Wild, also because it was way too expensive to just sit in my drawer. I have the shade Diffused Light, which despite the yellow tint looks translucent on my very pale skin tone. 


Bath & Body Works Fine Fragrance Mist
Bright Autumn Blooms
I only have a very generous tester of this, so I should probably try to track down a full-size bottle. It's one of BBW's best scent, though most of the stuff I have smells so nice, but this is more grown up and more high-end smelling. It's a rich floral on a warm powdery base, but without any obnoxious sharp notes of for example patchouli, so it ends up a more creamy smelling floral. I know of nothing similar to compare it to.

Beautiful Day
This is a typical spring fragrance - fresh, airy floral-sweet scent with notes of apple and flowers. It's something along the lines of Marc Jacobs Daisy and Avon's Luck La Vie, but with an apple note that BBW knows how to do best. 

Cashmere Glow
For me a typical BBW fragrance, along the lines of Twilight Woods and Amber Blush, though completely different in terms of notes. It's a warm peachy cosy vanilla-cashmere musk-sandalwood scent, perfect for cold months.

There were more testers from my latest New in that I enjoyed trying: SKINTEGRA Atomic Cleansing Oil (so far the best I've tried, but expensive for my taste), CERAVE PM Facial Moisturising Lotion (great simple moisturiser with niacinamide, ceramides, hyaluronic acid and cholesterol), MISSHA Aqua Sun Gel SPF50 (lightweight and sets to a dry-to-the-touch finish), LAURA MERCIER Translucent Loose Setting Powder (it is as good as they say, but Fit Me performs the same on my skin) and ECOOKING Peeling Mask (acid mask that actually does something on my skin).

WISHLIST

A'PIEU Madecassoside Ampoule - when I first tried a mask with madecassoside (from The Face Shop), I've developed a liking for this ingredient because it suits my skin so well. I discovered A'Pieu has a whole line of products with Madecassoside (including a sunscreen), so this isn't the only product I'd love to try, but ampoules are the easiest to include into a routine. 

CATRICE Glow & Care Primer - I've been testing this on the back of my hand every time I'm in Müller. It's not the glowiest primer, but it feels  so nice on the skin. 

CLARINS Instant Smooth Perfecting Touch - based on reviews this sounds like promising pore minimizing and line blurring primer. I tried it yesterday and it looks more balmy compared to the Catrice Goodbye Pores primer that I bought recently and it sadly turns into a dry flakesfest on skin. 

COLOURPOP Going Coconuts Eyeshadow Palette - For years haven't seen any of Colourpop palettes as something worthy of my purchase, since they are mostly so warm, too colourful or plain boring, but this one looks very promising. I like a good collection of neutrals, as long as they are not too orange or reddish. I'll only get it if free shipping over comes along.

L'OCCITANE Honey Harvest Hugs & Kisses Hand & Lip Care - honey products are back at L'Occitane. I used to buy them when they were permanent many years ago, but in the last years I've mostly missed these limited editions. Maybe I'll get this gift version.

L'OREAL Paris Glow Mon Amour Liquid Highlighting Drops in Champagne - I already got this yesterday. I do these posts a few days in advance and I didn't feel like changing the picture. This is a highlighter for fans of Colourpop's Flexiterian and other formulas with intense shine. A mini drop is needed for a strong glow, so this should last forever. I hate the packaging though, as it has no ring that would scrape the excess when you take the dropper out. 

MAX FACTOR Miracle Prep Illuminating & Hydrating Primer - numerous reviews say this is apparently quite good. I'm on a hunt for a nice primer and this is just one that interests me. As the name says it's a glow primer, but I've tried in the shop and I don't see any shimmer. I'd have to try it properly though. 

THE BODY SHOP Shea Butter Richly Replenishing Hair Mask - again something that interest me because of great reviews and also ingredients. It's got shea butter right after water, so I expect this should suit my very dry hair.

Have a great day!
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Maybelline Dream Urban Cover Foundation SPF50 095 Fair Porcelain

December 5, 2019, 6:55 am
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I'm a big fan of Maybelline's Fit Me Matte + Poreless and I like Luminious + Smooth too, not just because of the formula, but also because the shades suit my pale skin tone. I think a lot of us were intrigued by the new Dream Urban Cover foundation due to the added sunscreen, plus it comes in so many shades. While I wouldn't rely solely on it for protection, I do like the idea of layering spf. I don't know who said this is a dupe for It Cosmetics first or why it keeps being repeated when they are completely different formulas, but I have both and It Cosmetic's CC is much thicker, creamy and it has a higher coverage, on top of that it has better ingredients, though Maybelline's foundation has niacinamide high on the list, which is one of my favourite ingredients, but CC has mineral filters, snail mucin and a ton of extracts, plus no alcohol unlike Maybelline. However, I prefer the formula of Maybelline for two reasons: 1. it's much lighter and 2. the shade wins by a mile, as It Cosmetics' Fair is not very pale.


Texture: Formula is very liquid and runny. It could almost pass as one of those serum foundations, but it is a bit thicker than that. It blends easily with any tool and you have plenty of time to do it. It just melts into the skin and doesn't feel heavy despite the sunscreen filters, but this has alcohol quite high on the list, which I know is a bit no-no for some. 


Coverage and finish: It's got about light-medium coverage, maybe medium and it can be built up with no problems because it's such a light formula, but it's definitely not a full coverage foundation like Maybelline states on the tube. I don't mind that, in fact I prefer lighter, more natural-looking coverage, but some will be disappointed. Finish is natural with some radiance when freshly applied and it sets to an almost dry-to-the-touch finish with some moisturising factor to it. It doesn't emphasise pores and it doesn't slip into lines immediately, tough it creases just under my eyes. 


Staying power and wear: It wears for hours on my skin and fades evenly. I checked after 3 hours and 6 hours and it was still mostly there, but a bit faded. Sadly in a few of hours on its own it get that "sunscreen shine", where it almost looks oily, so a powder is needed with this foundation and oily skin types might struggle keeping it matte. But in other aspects it wears beautiful - despite the extra dewyness it doesn't emphasise or slip into pores, it doesn't even look terrible on my as time passes smile lines, which is a big plus when it comes to what I'm looking for at foundations. I get no extra dry patches and though I hear they can appear at some - when it comes to dry patches I've worn this foundation when my skin was in good condition and when it was dry and patchy, obviously on normal skin it looked great and when skin had some dry patches, while it didn't emphasise them, it also didn't hide them. But neither did It Cosmetics or any other foundation in my collection. If your skin care isn't sorted, don't expect miracles from a foundation. I have to use a mattifying powder with this one due to it becoming shiny during the day.


Shade: I have shade 095 Fair Porcelain which judging from my shade 100 Warm Ivory in the Fit Me range is just a pinker version, so same depth, but different undertone. It matches me great - it's very pale, close to the lightest shade in my collection Essence's #insta perfect 10, and the undertone is not strong just like at Fit Me's shade. This will fit NW10 skin tones. 

Scent: It's got a strange scent that reminds me of an ancient and discontinued Nivea self tanning lotion. It's kind of musty and strange. I'm not a fan of it, but it's only noticeable at application. 


Packaging: This comes in a tube, which is a great packaging, however, it's so liquid it keeps running out after you squeeze the foundation and it can mess your cap (my pet peeve). 

Price and availability: I haven't seen this yet in Slovenia, so I got it on Feel Unique for 10.56 €.


It's the type of foundation I like and it's not that much different for Fit Me Luminous + Smooth, so a natural looking light-medium coverage formula that looks nice over pores and it doesn't slip into lines much. But I have to use a mattifying powder with it despite having normal because it becomes so shiny after a few hours. This foundation doesn't have the best UVA protection (it's only against UVA short-waves), but hopefully none of you think you can just wear this and be protected, as for the protection on the label you can too apply a lot of it, but for layering it's a nice one because it's so light on the skin. 

Have a great day!
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Rimmel Stay Matte Liquid Lip Colour 600 Coral Sass

December 11, 2019, 4:27 am
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This is the second shade I have from this line and there's already a review for shade 500 Fire Starter on the blog, so I won't say anything new. These along with Deborah Fluid Velvets are the nicest formulas that we can get for an affordable price in drugstores in Slovenia, but they don't beat the more expensive TheBalm's for me.


Texture: It's one of the creamier formulas, or more like a mousse-cream hybrid. One layer mostly covers the lips completely, but there can be some sheer areas, so it's sometimes best to apply two layers. It dries completely matte in a few minutes and I get no feeling of tightness, stickiness or dryness. Once this sets it doesn't transfer


Shade: 600 Coral Sass is a classic reddish-orange coral shade. It's too orange for my taste, but it's a great summer colour and it would fit warm tones especially. I don't know if this is one of the new shades or it's a part of the original line up. There are a lot of shades of these, but I think we have only five. 


Staying power: Once this sets it doesn't move. There's almost no transfer, it's just tiny traces on the glass when I'm drinking and it doesn't fade weird, so it's a nice one. It's not as good as Maybelline's Matte Ink because it doesn't looks like it's freshly applied at the end of the day, but it's still one of the better ones without being uncomfortable to me. If you want a extreme staying power, try Rimmel's Provocalips.

Scent: It's got a plastic sweet scent that's not even that noticeable.

Packaging: The applicator is big and slightly cut sideways, which is ok, but it could be a bit more precise as for a really neat application I need a lipliner.


Price and availability: These used to be 6.19 € in DM and I assume the price is still the same.

Have a great day!

*PR product. Just this shade.
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K-Beauty and Other Asian Skin Care Favourites

December 16, 2019, 6:16 am
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My current favourite affordable oil cleanser. It's got a nice rich oil texture which emulsifies into a thick emulsion that removes all makeup, though (the only minus I can say) it can't quite handle every waterproof mascara (Essence's are so stubborn). It doesn't irritate my eyes or make my vision foggy, there's no annoying scent, it washes off completely leaving no filter behind and unlike a lot of oils it doesn't break me out. One pump is enough for my face, so I use it much less than Biobaza I used before and it's also cheapest per ml from the oils that suit me. If I didn't have to order online it'd be perfect, though it doesn't take that long to arrive from Japan.  


I know that it's probably not the best thing to use a harsh scrub and to be fair I use it maybe once a month, but it's the only thing that makes my skin smooth, soft and feel like new, since no amount of AHAs or other products does it for me. It's a densely packed sugar scrub and if your skin is just a bit sensitive, do not try this (honey version is much less intense), but on me it gets rid of bumpy, uneven feeling texture. This also functions as a mask that you leave on for 10 minutes, though I never use it that way. I'm on my second pot and I have the honey version too.

Some swear by this and say it's one of the best blackhead products, but I've never seen any effect on mine, however, I use this because my skin then behaves much better and it's clear. It contains BHA meaning it clears out the pores and helps with spots too, but it's relatively weak. Since it's a light liquid it's easy to layer and to include in the routine. 


I've been using this every day for two-ish years. I fell in love with it through samples - one of big pluses of K-Beauty, there's almost always samples. It's the product that I noticed the biggest visible difference when I started using it, not a massive visible difference, but this improved my skin in general, as before most foundations looked odd on me and since I started using it my skin is smoother and makeup applies nicer. There's a bit of brightening/evening the skin tone and the skin texture looks more refined, but it's more about how my skin acts since I started using it.

There's was this amazing Banila product called Miss Flower & Mr. Honey Essence Oil that suited my skin so well, but it was discontinued a while ago. This is the replacement I found, though the bottle is so small for the price (15 ml for about 9$+). Propolis gives my skin a healthy glow and keeps it in check. I actually found (though samples) Tosowoong Propolis Sparkle Ampoule works very similarly for me and you get much more product for the price. 


Another product that I use every day, morning and night. It's a toner-like lotion that absorbs fast and feels very hydrating. It contains ceramides, Job's Tears extract, 3 types of hyaluronic acid, collagen and amino acids. The bottle is huge with 500 ml and I've had it for so long. It can be used all over the body, I often use it on my hands when I don't want the greasy feeling of a hand cream.

I only had the small size of this and if my skin line-up weren't so big, I'd buy it in a heartbeat even though it doesn't boast with the same fancy ingredients as my other products. It feels so lovely and it's definitely one of the nicest toners I've ever tried. It reminds me a lot of Hada Labo lotion in terms of texture (another amazing product worth the purchase, but it breaks me out. We now have a version of it in Slovenia), which means it's a rich toner-meets-serum consistency. It feels so comforting and lovely on the skin, it's just great stuff. The smells is also amazing, like oranges and it became one of my favourite scents of skincare. It contains hydrolysed collagen and adansonia digitata fruit extract, but that's about it.


This is so far my favourite moisturiser. It has niacinamide on 4th place among the ingredients (2%) and there's 10% glycerin, but lower on the list it also boasts with hyaluronic acid, vitamin E, olive oil, sunflower oil, centella asiatica, argan oil, ceramides, honey, ginseng and some other extracts. It's got rich texture that's more like a gel, or gel-cream and takes some time to absorb, so I prefer to use it as a part of my night routine, though it can work under makeup too. There's an extra spoon added, so you don't have to scoop it out with fingers. 

My morning moisturiser because it's lighter and absorbs faster than Dynasty Cream, so I can put over a sunscreen and makeup fast. Apart from ceramides it contains camelia oil, hyaluronic acid, niacinamide and plenty other extracts, though they are lower on the list. The packaging is very big with a generous 130 ml. 

My skin loves this, but it's better suited for me in the summer because it's one of those gel-cream textures despite being called a sleeping mask. In a thin application works like a moisturiser for oily-combination skin, but in a thick coat it creates an layer of moisture on the skin that lasts until morning. It's great for under the makeup and I used up two pots of these, but I haven't repurchase it recently because I have so much of Holika. This one also has niacinamide, as well as allantoin, several extracts (bamboo, jasmine, apple, blackberry,…) and even a peptide, but it's the last on the list. Unlike the other two moisturisers this one is scented and quite strongly, it smells like clean-laundry. 


I got this recently and I'm very impressed by it. I had my eye on it for a while because this is so praised and reviews are right - this is really good. It doesn't feel super thick like I would expect, but it sticks on the lips until the morning and it leaves them properly nourished. The extra silicone spatula is a great help during application and the formula has a nice gentle berry scent. In a thick coat it also has a glossy shine, which looks so good I wear it during the day too. This now exists in several versions (berry is the original): vanilla, grapefruit, apple lime, mint choco.


Note: this is the 2015 version and it has since gone through a formula change, but I hear it's similar. This the lightest sunscreen I found, it doesn't feel like a regular sun cream at all. It's a liquid lotion that's easy to apply in large quantities and has zero white cast. Initially it feels like a watery cream on the skin, but after about five minutes it's completely set to a velvety primer type finish. You can feel it on the skin when you touch it, but it's a very silicone-y dry feel. It's an excellent base for makeup and it managed to protect me well despite spending hours in the sun working. I heard a lot of people say that it reeks of alcohol, but I don't notice it that much and I mostly get a nice lemon biscuit type of scent. I've tried the gel version as well and it feels the same to me, though people with oily skin tend to prefer that one. 

I also recently has a chance to try Missha's Aqua Sun Gel SPF50 version and it's really good too.

SHEET MASKS


These are my favourite sheet masks, especially the whitening version which truly brightens. They are intensely nourishing, they improve the general condition of the skin, perk it up, make it feel smoother, softer and more even. Rose Gold looks gorgeous with the gold mesh design and all smell fantastic like honey. They aren't the cheapest if you're buying just one on eBay, but in a pack the price for one is more reasonable. 

I still have these in the limited edition packaging from a while ago (I bought a pack and haven't run out yet), while the regular packaging is white with grapefruits. This has the most comfortable essence I've ever tried. In terms of what it does, it's pretty much just intense moisturising, but the essence makes it such a luxurious experience. It also smells fantastic like grapefruits.

Both of these are fantastic formulas of sheet masks, they feel like your skin was drenched in moisture and nourishing ingredients. They are quite similar, as both have a creamy essence and a thin comfortable sheet, so they are a delight to use. I use Madecassoside when my skin is very dry because it's very nourishing, soothing and it also evens my skin (without a brightening effect, it just takes down any redness). It's actually the same as The Face Shop's The Solution Madecassoside. Snail is my sheet mask when I need repairing, especially if I suffered a sunburn or have an inflamed spot - it just works for me. From this line I also like Ceramide and Manuka Honey, but dislike Hyaluronic Acid and feel indifferent towards Collagen and Pearl.

This is the second most brightening formula after Papa Recipe. The essence is lighter and more toner-like than the masks I've mentioned above, but it does the job of hydrating excellently and it acts as a sort of a reset button for my skin, so whenever my skin just doesn't look right, I use this. The Face Shop The Solution mask Pearl is very similar.

I actually really like more of these: ceramide, propolis, vitamin C and hyaluronic acid, but these two are my favourite. Apart from formulas, I also love that they fit me perfectly in terms of size of the sheet. They are also super thin and feel great on the face. Madecassoside is exactly the same as Etude House, so very nourish and soothing and Peal is the same as My Beauty Diary Black Pearl, so brightening .

These are the only thing I found that do at least a little bit of something to help heal a spot. They work especially well on those brewing volcanoes where you know the spot will turn white and you can't pop it because it'll become infected, making your life miserable for several days +leave a pretty much permanent mark forever. Those type of spots are the ones I get on the chin and this patch can make them smaller up to 90% overnight and it completely disappears in the next days with the help of other COSRX products (BHA and whitehead liquid). But there were some other times when these don't do much of a difference and those are the obnoxious spots on my cheeks. There are 24 patches of varying sizes in one pack.

Adjusting Beauty made her post recently if you're interested in more recommendations.

Have a great day!
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It Cosmetics Your Skin But Better CC+ Cream with SPF 50+ Fair

December 23, 2019, 8:15 am
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This is so hyped up, I remember hearing about it years ago before the hype even started, but for a long time I was hesitant to try it because it's so expensive and it's got snail mucin extract high on the list, which as wonderful as this ingredient is for hydrating and soothing, products with it often break me out. I wasn't aware there was a travel size available too, but I found it randomly on Cult Beauty and got it in the lightest shade available Fair. As a CC cream it combines a moisturiser with an SPF and high coverage, so on paper it's a wonderful all-in-one.


Texture: It's like a thick moisturiser, so it's not the lightest on the skin, but it spreads easily and since it's so tacky, you have plenty of time to blend it. The texture reminds of Nivea's face sunscreen and it remains a bit tacky on the skin for hours. It blends well and it looks good from the start. I've used all manner of applications and this works with everything, though with a brush some streaks may remain and you have to use your hands to blend it in better. 


Coverage and finish: It covers a lot, I'd say it's at minimum a medium coverage formula, but in the quantity most people apply it's medium to full, maybe even full. I apply much less of foundation in general than I read/see people use because I don't need much and I don't like the heavy feeling of foundations. Finish is very dewy on my normal skin and it start to crease fast under my eyes and eyelids, plus it at times even smudges my mascara a bit, so I powder this straight away. I went without powder for my day test where I don't use anything with the foundation nor over it and this got less shiny as it fully set, but not a lot.

Staying power and wear: I said this looks nice freshly applied, not super natural, yet ok for high coverage. However, it quickly becomes strange. It becomes more obvious and on places the texture of the skin doesn't look nice, though it doesn't become patchy, just kind of clingy.  It wears well though, it can last the day without rubbing off too much, but I find Clinique's Even Better Refresh is better, due to not being so dewy.


Shade: Fair is what some other companies would describe as light or fair light, so it's not as pale as it should be. When price for a foundation/CC/BB is so high, coverage described as full and the product is so popular, there should be a lot more shades and undertones. Fair is comparable to Healthy Mix Serum 51, which I believe is most similar to Mac's NC15. The undertone is not strong, but it leans to warm.

Scent: I didn't expect this to have a scent, but it has one of those herbal/natural cosmetics type of scent. It's only noticeable at application.


Packaging: I have a small travel size with 12 ml that comes in a tube with a classic cap and nozzle, while the original comes in a squeeze-like tube with a pump. Mine was deceivingly full, but there's actually not that much product inside as it looks. 

Price and availability: I got it on Cult Beauty for £13.00 (12 ml), while full size costs £31.00 for 32 ml.


I'm not as impressed by it as many reviewers, but I wear it when my skin feels more dry than usual. It feels like a heavy moisturiser that is very slowly sinking it, however, I could get over that part and though it really covers a lot, I don't love how it looks on the skin on its own. It's very shiny, which I suppose should be expected from a product with such high spf, still I can deal with that with a powder, but I don't look how obvious it can look on the skin. While it doesn't sink into pores, it sits strangely on some parts on my face and I prefer other foundations for the job. Those with oily-combination skin might not like it at all, though I can't say for all and overall this formula looks to me as more for dry skin. Still, this has a lot of upsides, in particular the spf with mineral filters and good ingredients, so if you're used to and want high coverage this is worth checking out - I still wear it of course even if it's not my favourite, though to be fair there are a lot of Korean BB/CC creams with great SPF that can do a similar job and are cheaper.

Have a great day!   
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Best Beauty Finds in 2019

December 29, 2019, 7:36 am
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This is exactly my type of foundation: light-medium coverage, very lightweight on the skin and with a natural, non-foundation look. I have to use powder with this one, since it can get shiny during the day despite my currently dry skin, but it's manageable. It wears nicely, it doesn't look bad over pores or uneven texture, so it reminds me of Fit Me Matte + Poreless, though there are differences. The shade is a total win for me, 095 a very pale neutral-pink that matches me perfectly. Maybelline foundations are worth it for the pale shades alone.

I bought several foundations at the end of the year and this was my pick for the medium coverage formula with a satin-matte finish. It stays long on the skin and wears well without becoming patchy or too obvious during the day. I got shade 008 which is a nice pale shade with a neutral to cool undertone. 

CLINIQUE Even Better Refresh Hydrating and Repairing Makeup Full-Coverage Foundation
0.75 Custard
I've never been a fan of high coverage foundations because they look so obvious, but this one I can get along with. Despite the name I wouldn't necessary consider it as for dry skin oily, as it's not overly dewy and it doesn't slip into creases. It's got more of a satin finish and a medium-full coverage, it still looks natural enough, it doesn't emphasise pores and it has the best staying power I've seen at foundations. Shade 0.75 is very pale, though with a more intense undertone than Maybelline and it's yellow, but it's not like Nars' Siberia and it fits my neutral skin. 

NOTE: None of the three knock MAYBELLINE Fit Me Matte + Poreless off its throne. That foundation still looks best on me.

HONOURABLE MENTION:  
MAYBELLINE Instant Anti-age Eraser Multi-use Concealer 00 Ivory- Not a new product to me, but a new shade. 00 Ivory is a very pale shade that's a great match for my skin tone.


I've been skipping powder for years because all I've tried looked so odd on my skin making my foundation obvious or patchy. I got this one because people mentioned it works for dry skin as well. It's not a natural looking powder, but it sort of perfects the skin and makes final finishes to the makeup. It's matte without being too much, it doesn't highlight dry patches or make them worse, it smooths the texture of the skin and blurs the lines and pores to a certain degree. I've tried the famous Laura Mercier powder and they perform the same on me. 

What else is going to be in this post than these. I've worn them almost every day since I got back early in this year. These are definitely some of the best blushes I've tried so far. They always look so smooth on the skin, they blend well, have plenty of pigmentation and they last well. I particularly like shade 50 because it has this fine shimmer that gives a glow to the cheeks without looking glittery or like an obvious streak of a shiny blush. I've recently seen Notino started to sell L.O.V. so they should be available in several European countries. 

HONOURABLE MENTIONS: 
ARTDECO Anti Pollution Spray - that fine mist! So worth having for that alone.
PIXI Glow Mist - great ingredients.


For years I assumed this is one of those too wet mascaras that weighs down the lashes, so it's not for me - I was so wrong. This one really impressed me for a regular formula. It's not amazingly volumising, but I love how it separates and combs the lashes creating a natural looking effect of great lashes. Also no matter how much I apply it never looks clumpy. Though the formula is not very wet, it still doesn't manage to hold up my lashes, but at least it doesn't weigh them down. It's one of my favourite regular formulas.

Another impressive regular formula. The brush reminds me of Essence <3 Extreme waterproof, as it's the same type of a regular wand with very densely packed bristles. This results in about the same effect, nicely separated, "multiplied" lashes with a fanned out effect. Formula isn't gloopy or wet which is a big plus, as because of this it's not a messy mascara and it doesn't drop the lashes. In terms of holding a curl it's as good as a regular mascara can be, so it holds them up half way, which is good in my books for such a formula

The best eyeliner for the waterline I've found that's also easily available in my nearest drugstores. It's very similar to Avon's Supershock in terms of formula - intense black, very pigmented, soft and transfers with ease into the waterline. This lasts all day my waterline - not smudged between the lashes like all liners like to end up after an hour or two, but on the actual waterline. It's seriously good.


Winners for my favourite eyeshadows. Just like the Blushement blushes these have been pretty much the only eyeshadows I've worn since I got them. These are so pigmented, so easy to use and blend. I almost always wear just one shade at once (in general) because of my eye shape on which it's useless to try with elaborate looks and these make it so easy. I just apply them with fingers, I get plenty of colour quickly and just blend the edges either with a brush or with a finger if I can't be bothered. They are this interesting hybrid between a pressed-loose eyeshadow that behaves almost like a cream eyeshadow. They last well on my non-oily eyelids, even with no base. I also love all the colours I have, which is usual because I tend to like just one or two in eyeshadow ranges, but all of these are so wearable and pretty. 


This recently became my most worn shade and my goes-with-everything pick - actually it's the only shade I feel comfortable with right now given my experimenting with hair colours. It's a great nude shade that's neither too warm nor too cool, but it's more unique than a regular nude for my skin tone (Oriflame's Pink Flair is more of a classic nude). This formula is Catrice's best yet. It's very lightweight and comfortable with a finish that can in fact be best described as demi matte. 

This is praised for a reason. It not a heavy, balmy sticky texture, yet it somehow manages to last on the lips until the morning and it leaves the lips properly nourished. Since it's not heavy and actually has a pretty glossy shine, I can wear it during the day too. I can't say how effective it is on very dry lips, since mine are never very chapped, but reviews are rating it high and my lips look nicely nourished with no dry patches in the morning.

HONOURABLE MENTIONS:


I've been looking for an affordable oil cleanser that wouldn't break me out for years and this is. It's got a nice rich oil texture which emulsifies into a thick emulsion that removes all makeup, though (the only minus I can say) it can't quite handle every waterproof mascara (Essence's are so stubborn). It doesn't irritate my eyes or make my vision foggy, there's no annoying scent, it washes off completely leaving no filter behind and unlike a lot of oils it doesn't break me out. One pump is enough for my face, so I use it much less than Biobaza I used before and it's also cheapest per millilitre from the oils that suit me. If I didn't have to order online it'd be perfect, but it doesn't take that long to arrive from Japan.  

My skin looked its best when I was using this and Nuxe Huile Prodigieuse. I then gave other vitamin C products a try and some retinols, but since I finished my first bottle, it's been downhill. I'm currenlty going through a case of "retinol uglies" and it's even impossible to wear makeup right now, so I can only remember fondly how good my skin was with this and hope I get through bad skin days soon. This is by far the nicest vitamin C product I've used, also most effective and a great product in general. This contains 10 % ascorbic acid, yet it works more effectively on me than the 20% Tiam, it also has no alcohol and it contains glycerine, squalane and hyaluronic acid. he emulsion is very lovely - it's a nice smooth liquid formula that applies with ease and feels moisturising. Eucerin recommends to mix this with your moisturiser, but like I use it on its own as the first step, leave it to absorb for at least 15-20 minutes and apply other care. I mentioned when I reviewed this that it took two weeks for the effects to start showing, but after than my skin was looking its best. It was always properly nourished, it started to become more even, healthy and I had zero breakouts. One thing that sucks is that bottles are very small with only 7.5 ml of product and it's not cheap, but it's the best such product I found so far for my skin. 


My favourite moisturiser. It has niacinamide is 4th on the list and it also has hyaluronic acid, adenosine and plenty of extracts. It's my night moisturiser because it takes a bit longer to sink in, though it's not a heavy feeling formula, it's a gel-cream one. It works for my skin and keeps in in check. 

I wanted this for so long because I had a generous tester once and this oil really suit my skin. It's the thickest oil in my collection, so I use a few drops as my first oil, then used Palmer's or Nuxe over to do my facial massage. This works for my skin and leaves is nourished/normalised with a healthy glow. 

HONOURABLE MENTIONS: 
NUXE Huile Prodigieuse Florale - I've been using the original for 6-7 years, this is just a new scent. 


There were only two hand creams with a decent SPF I could find here in shops, both from Neutrogena and this one is with the highest SPF. But I don't like it just for the sun protection, it's also a nice formula. It's a medium-thick cream, but it doesn't take too long to absorb, though it leaves a noticeable moisturising film on the skin which is not slippery. 

I got this a while ago, but only recently really started to appreciate it properly. My skin became incredibly dry for a period, so much that it was flaky all over and no cream keep it moisturised for long. This was my saviour. I kept reapplying in a thick coat, so like a sleeping mask and my skin regularly absorbed it completely within two hours, but after a day I saw a big improvement. It contains a high percentage of glycerine and 5% panthenol which is designed for assisting regeneration and repairing of targeted areas, so it was perfect for the task. Formula feels similar to Bepanthen, but feels smoother to apply and easier to spread. The only thing that bothers me is the packaging because it felt empty and I couldn't get anything out anymore, but when I cut the tube in half and there was so much still left.


A miracle in a tube - I think I said this plenty of times. It's not a new product to me, but the last time I had it was a long time ago before blog, while I praised the Intense Hydrator from this line a lot in the past years. Together these two are an unbeatable duo. One use and my hair feels like it was never bleached. Both are amazing products for making hair feel renewed even if you abused it to oblivion. I prefer to use the two together, though both Reconstructor and Hydrator can be used on their own, but Reconstructor which is an intense protein treatment leaves the hair kind of hard to the touch which is true for protein treatments in general, so you have to use something moisturising after to give the hair back that pliability and Hydrator works best with this, though I could use another hydrating conditioner or mask. I'd love to have massive 1 litre bottles of both.

My third product from the K-Pack line and it features the same Quadramine complex. Formula is very similar to Orofluido, Moroccanoil and Macadamia Natural Oil, meaning the same thick texture that fits my hair best, so obvious I loved this from the moment I tried it. It tames the hair as it should and it deals with the dryness, at least for a while. This is one of the best oils I've tried.


Pantene Repair conditioner and other formulas are the discovery of the year. After years of avoiding this brand because of the common internet myth that these are bad that kind of stuck in my subconscious even though I know so much more about hair care now than before blogging, I finally gave this brand a go and it seriously impressed me. All of these work about the same on me, the Repair mask and Hair Superfood conditioner are richer, but all leave my hair nourished, a bit softer and shinier. I just keep buying these. One is missing, the 3 Minute Miracle which is equally good. Every now and then I get a message from people telling me that they tried it and they are impressed. 


I have the famous number 3 which I use a lot too, but at that one I don't see an amazing effect, while this reminds me of one of my favourite discontinued products. It's a creamy leave-in formula that is not wet, so it can be used on damp and dry hair. On dry hair it tames frizz and it doesn't pop back up when the wet part of the conditioner dries. It also nourishes the hair and untangles. On damp hair after washing it's amazing. In combination with Pantene Intensive Repair conditioner makes my hair so soft and silky (I said many times, my hair is rarely soft due to its coarse, thick texture). However, I hate the packaging because it's hard to squeeze and it's not a precise one to dispense.

I can always rely on this making my hair look more polished and shiny in an instant. It's a lightweight silicone oil in spray form and it's like an instant perfector that creates that healthy shiny hair look. I use it as any time I'm a pinch to make my hair more presentable, especially since my hair gets drier the longer I don't wash my hair, so I need a shine spray that doesn't contain alcohol and one that masks dryness.

HONOURABLE MENTIONS:


A high quality bleach and developer that left my hair with no damage. I've gone through a few bleach sessions this year, slowly lightening my hair and these did their job without leaving my hair feeling like a rats nest. I picked Blondme after an extensive research because it has an added bond builder, meaning something like Olaplex that prevents the bonds between keratin plates from being dissolved, therefore prevents significant damage. It doesn't smell like bleach much (it actually has a floral scent) and it got on my skin numerous times and it felt like nothing, so this is definitely a bleach I'm very comfortable using.


Since I became a blonde I also got an opportunity to finally play with colours and these are great. These are hair masks that act as temporary colour, which you can use either to colour blond hair or to refresh your existing shade. These are so simple to use, I just use them as a hair mask (but make sure to apply them all over the hair), they don't stain anything, they don't leave my hair dry, they are super pigmented, so I never need to use them straight from the tube, but I can mix them with a conditioner (or their version Clear) and they always wash off completely. I had so much fun using these. I've recently tried one from another brand and it's so infuriating (messy & refuses to wash off, so I'll have to do bleach bath) that if I started with that one, I'd never touch a temporary colour again. 


This is what I call a spicy clean scent. It's like a super fancy fabric softener or a fabric softener mixed with a nice spicy fragrance. I think the "clean", soft part I'm smelling is a mix of gardenia, coconut and musk, while the spicy bit all the top notes, so ginger, cardamom and pepper. After all these years I still find it so unique among fragrances, there just aren't many clean yet spicy scents, they always drag patchouli into spicy scents which I hate. It also lasts so long on the skin. 
Top notes: ginger, cardamom, pepper 
Heart: orange blossom, peony, gardenia, coconut
Base notes: sandalwood, musk, amber

Usually I don't fall in love with the scent instantly, not even in my beloved Twilight Woods, but this was different. It's a much, much nicer, but equally posh version of Elie Saab le parfum (at least to my nose), except it omits the jasmine note, so the orange floral stands out a lot more here. This is so warm and cosy, but a floral on a woody-vanilla base. It lasts well too, better than other Oriflame scent by a mile. I've tried their praised Amber Elixir, but that one has nothing on Gold Essenza Sensuale. It doesn’t have a classic spray, instead it has a applicator with which you dab the fragrance directly on the pulse points, which I quite like, as it gives me that vintage feel.


This reminds me of a younger, sparklier version of Calvin Klein Sheer Beauty. It's sweet and warm with that sparkly champagne character, like eating almond macarons while drinking champagne. Some describe it as a scent perfect for the festive season, but to me it nice everyday scent. 

This was love at first spray, it's so good. BBW says that it smells different on every individual, which I supposed is somewhat true for most fragrances, though maybe at this one the differences are bigger, creating more unique scents. It's a type of fragrance I've never smelled before, this fantastic clean, yet not typically "laundry detergent" clean scent. The notes are well blended, so I can't pinpoint any of the notes mentioned in the description of this fragrance (iris, cedarwood & pink pepper), but I often get a strong scent of pears on me even though it's not mentioned among the notes. This is definitely one of the best scents BBW made.

Links to previous such annual posts are at the end of All-Time Favourites page. 
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Clinique Even Better Refresh Hydrating and Repairing Makeup Full-Coverage Foundation

January 7, 2020, 4:35 am
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I found this randomly when I was checking Müller for all pale enough shades for me and it was one of five testers I took that day. This was the second most impressive formula right behind Lancome's Teint Idole Ultra Wear, which I also got, though this one didn't impress me enough to consider buying it the first time, but after I gave it another try I went online the same day and ordered a tube. I tried shade WN01 Flax (lightest in a local Müller), which was a shade too dark for me, so I ordered the lightest shade 0.75 Custard. This is my favourite high coverage foundation because it looks less obvious than similar formulas, but I of course still prefer my light-medium coverage formulas for days when my skin doesn't need a lot.


Texture and coverage: Based on the name and how it looked in the shop I expected a tinted moisturiser type of product, but this is definitely not that. It's a thicker foundation that's easy to blend because it's so moisturising and it blends into the skin well, though at this one I do my double blending method where I first apply it with a brush or sponge and then take a clean sponge and go over it again. Coverage is at least medium, or even medium-high. I use concealer only on spots and under the eyes if my circles look terrible that day. It feels tacky from the start and eventually settles, but with a rich moisturiser under it, it stays tacky for ages.

Pictures of Flax, not Custard.

Finish: Depending how much you apply it, it can look dewy or satin. With the amount I use, it's a satin one that doesn't look too heavy. It looks good over pores, lines and it doesn't crease, but I have to be careful with this one not to apply too much powder over it because it can look obvious quickly. 


Shade: 0.75 Custard is a not the palest shade I have, but light enough for me. It's got a yellow undertone similar that looks strong when swatched in a thick coat, but it's not obvious on my face. WN01 Flax, which is the second shade, was more neutral and a shade darker.

Staying power & wear: The wear time of this one is very impressive. Even without powder it holds on for over 8-9h on me (I stopped checking after that), which is amazing, especially for a moisturising formula. I'm a frequent face toucher and this doesn't rub off. This is the most long lasting formula in my collection.


Packaging: This is packed in a slim tube with a metal cap. Since the formula is thick, it's not a messy one.

Price and availability: This is insanely expensive in my local Müller, over 45 €, even though on US website its price a more reasonable 32$ (about 28 €). I got it on Look Fantastic when they had a 20% off code, but regular price is £24.00 (also about 28 €). Why Müller changes so much is a mystery, so go online. 


I'm not one for high coverage formulas, but I like this one. It's not too heavy looking, it covers a lot and it has a fantastic staying power. The best part for me of course is a pale enough shade, even though it's more on the yellow side, but it blends in just fine. This is one of those underrated foundations that you rarely hear about, though it is fairly new, but I'm glad I found it. 

Have a great day!   
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New in #87

January 11, 2020, 7:06 am
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*MAX FACTOR Facefinity All Day Flawless 3 in 1 Primer Concealer Foundation SPF20
10 Fair Porcelain
Max Factor became the second brand to send me a foundation that's actually pale. In fact they sent me the lightest shade I've ever tried and I can't believe I'm saying this, but it's a bit too light even for me, which is a totally new experience. Facefinity All Day Flawless has an impressive shade range 40 shades, sadly we only get a portion here since our stands are so narrow, but luckily there are online shops. I'm not sure if any other affordable drugstore brand has such a pale shade, but it's lighter than Essence's #insta perfect 10 #cool porcelain which was previously lightest in my collection. The shade matches my neck, but my face is darker, so my best match is closer to Essence and Maybelline Dream Cover 095 if I don't want to look a bit odd, but this will come so handy to mix with darker foundations. If you're looking for something truly pale, Max Factor has got you covered and the shade is neutral. The formula appears nice too. It's my type of foundation, so a feather-light formula with light-medium coverage. Sadly I haven't been able to wear foundation in months now (sucks so much), so can't give it a proper test because everything I put on my face now looks flaky, cakey and just in general awful (Bourjois Healthy Mix fares best, still I'm having the worst skin days of my life so I don't wear anything on most days or just Maybelline Eraser concealer). I hope it passes soon as I'll get to test this properly, as it looks very promising. I had the primer in the same packaging and I remember it was thicker. It's been a while since I used up my bottle, but it was (possibly still is?) my favourite. Max Factor also generously provided me with samples of other shades that I think are sold here (shade 10 very likely isn't), so I could do comparison swatches.

  14.69 €


MAYBELLINE Fit Me Matte + Poreless Powder
090 Translucent
Since I'm a fan of foundation with the same name and I like their Fit Me Loose powder, I wanted to try this too, thought it wasn't my first choice, as a version for dry skin exists too, it's just not sold in Slovenia (this is the only Maybelline powder we have). Reviews for this are fantastic and I was most intrigued by the promise of blurring pores. Like I said above I'm currently really struggling testing and wearing makeup because my skin is alternating between ok-ish and very dry with flakes + spots. When my skin is normal it looks like a great powder, smooth, a tiny bit blurring (but not as good as Fit Me Loose version) and velvety matte. On dry days it, of course, creates the appearance of a thousand dry patches like everything I put on, but I won't hold this against it because it looks like a nice powder when used on normal skin with an oily forehead. I think this one might be a bit more effective than Rimmel's Stay Mat when it comes to holding back oil, but it's hard to say for me in winter. We have four shades here, I got translucent since I so pale and it leaves no white cast. There is a sponge and a mirror in the bottom compartment. 
Müller, 5.89 €

CATRICE Prime & Fine Poreless Blur Primer Goodbye Pores
I got this despite the more dry looking texture of the tester compared to Revlon's Photoready 002, which I wanted more, but it's very expensive for drugstore. I actually got it a few days before my skin became mega dry - I just can't believe my luck - so I've only used a couple of times "normal" skin. It's a whipped balm type of texture, which doesn't make much sense, but it's a typical high silicone content primer like Clinique's Pore Minimizer and the likes. On good skin days it glides smoothly on the skin, though to prevent it piling and shifting too much during application I find it's best to tap this one in. The finish is completely matte. On bad days it flakes like crazy, so if your skin is dehydrated, flaky and/or dry, stay away from this one. It's not terribly effective when it comes to its primary task, so hiding/blurring pores, at least when looking close up, while it tends to look better in the pictures. Pores don't look much different after application and it's not as good a Revlon's which I tried a couple of times, plus foundation over it looks more cakey on some areas like the sides of my nose. I'm just not impressed by this one.

Picture can be enlarged like all in this post. 
Müller, 5.39 €


*CATRICE Glow & Care Primer
I've been checking this one out in the drugstores for a while because I liked it has glycerine so high on the list, so I hoped it's nice for dry skin and because the texture looked so smooth when blended. I didn't see much glow in the shop, but it definitely has it. It's got the same level of glow as Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Flawless Filter and to me they are so similar, I don't want to say dupes, but on my skin they look almost the same side by side. CT has a bit of coverage and Catrice has a faint peachy tint, the textures are different since CT is annoyingly thick and Catrice is an easy to blend liquid, but the biggest difference is that the shimmer in CT is all equally super fine, invisible, but in Catrice's there are some larger shimmer particles visible under strong light. To some this is a difference worth 32 € and to some it won't be, but they are definitely very similar. I prefer Catrice's version now when my skin is very dry, as it doesn't make the makeup over it cakey unlike CT, but again my skin is so weird right now, I feel it's pointless to even write about these products right now.

 5.39 €

L'OREAL Glow Mon Amour Highlighting Drops
01 Sparkling Love
This is one of the strongest liquid highlighters I've tried and it's the reason I wanted it. We have three shades here, this pale champagne one and a coral-rosy one, I'm not sure if there are more shades of these. The glow is pretty strong and wet looking, but not full metallic, so it's not going overboard. You only need a tiny dot of the product on the cheekbone, while applying more tends to not layer well, it just spreads the product on a larger area. It wish this were more dry to the touch, but it's more oily, which makes it easy to blend, but it also shifts on the skin. It's not perfect, but I like it because the glow is lovely, not glittery, instead it has a fine shimmer. I hate the packaging, though. It's got a dropper which is ok, but there's no stopper/scraper, so there's always so much product on the dropper and it's easy to get the bottle very messy. 

 Müller,  10.99 €


*WET N WILD Megaglo Hello Halo Liquid Highlighter
Halo, Goodbye
I got this sent after I bought L'Oreal and neither feel perfect to me. I prefer the champagne shade of L'Oreal, but the formula of this feels nicer. It's not as oily feeling, so it doesn't shift as much at application. The strength of the glow is comparable, yet L'Oreal's looks a bit better. Shimmer is fine, so it looks like a natural enough highlighter and the shade is somewhere between warm and cool, with a warm-ish base, but some cool looking particles among shimmer. It suits my skin tone just fine. The big applicator feels nice to use, but I don't like the packaging overall because it feels like tester and not a full size product.

 5.99 $

 
*CATRICE Glitterholic LE Eyeshadow Palette
C02 So Vain
There are two versions of these, both are a collection of different types of finishes, but the centre stage is the glitter. There's a few mattes and satin shimmers, all are more pigmented than is usual for Catrice and you can get a great colour payoff. The copper glitter shade is a cream texture with big shimmer particles suspended in a clear base. It swatches so intense, but it's very hard to apply it evenly and it does not stay put. It landed everywhere a couple of hours in, so it ended up looking absolutely abysmal both times I've worn it. The regular eyeshadows are nice, great even though the palette doesn't feel complete to me in terms of shades, but the glitter needs something to stick too and it's just very messy. 

Look with no glitter and the glitter look after a few hours. You can see it freshly applied in the L'Oreal Mon Amour picture above. On the left I'm also wearing Glitterholic LE Highlighter Palette, middle shade.


*CATRICE Glitterholic LE Highlighter Palette
By now I'm used to Catrice launching excellent highlighters. This is basically L.O.V. GLOWrious palette with the third shade that's actually useful. The first is a classic neutral-warm champagne shade, then the second is the rose gold and the last a peachy glow. All super wearable, all have fine shimmer and a good level of glow. Excellently done. I've been wearing this one instead of Colourpop Flexiterian, thought that one is still my all-time favourite.


BALEA Erfrishendes Waschgel
My standard gel cleanser that I've been using as a second cleanser for years. I took the last one and I haven't seen new stock in a while. I know there's a lot of complaints that this new version is way worse than before, which I disagree, but maybe they decided to bring those back? We'll see.
DM, 1.99 €

BALEA MED Ultra Sensitive Intensivcreme Urea
I recently read how underrated urea is for repairing the barrier and since I had none such products I got one from Balea to include in my routine which already features ceramides and other great things. 7% is maybe a bit high as urea in high concentrations also acts as an exfoliator and Balea has 5% version as well. It's nice moisturiser, I've been using it for the last month and though it's not as effective on dry skin as Mixa's 5% panthenol or Cerave Moisturising Cream, I appreciate that's it's not a thick balmy texture, instead it's a like a regular cream that sinks in eventually. 
DM, 3.95 €


YEAUTY Eye Pad Mask
Deep Hydration
There are two versions of these in my local Müller, aside from this one is a gold set of patches which I think are anti-ageing, but they were out of stock so I didn't check the ingredients. I got this because like liked it has glycerine, aloe vera, hyaluronic acid and vitamin E as the first ingredients after collagen. These are just like K-Beauty hydrogels. There's plenty of extra fluid that you can use all over the face and it smells faintly like cucumber. I can't say these did a miraculous job, but they feel nice under tired eyes.
Müller, 0.99 €
 

PANTENE Hair Biology Grey & Glowing Illuminating Mask
This is my third out of three and I'll just say it - they are all exactly the same. Same texture, same scent and same effect. All of course brilliant for my dry hair, but no different than the cheaper Repair conditioner. Based on the description I expected a purple mask because it's meant for grey hair which tends to turn yellow, but this is a regular clear mask. So I just mixed some Subrina Colour Refresh Diamond Blonde and got the added toning effect. The last I have to try is the Reconstruct version, but I'm sure it won't be any different.

ARTIST Professional Colorcreme 
Yeeha Lila
My hate for this could not be deeper. Subrina Colour Refresh introduced me into the world of temporary colour, so I've been experimenting a lot in the last months which was so easy because those always washed off completely. Since Subrina sadly doesn't have a lavender shade, I picked up this one from a Müller brand. Had I known it's be such an obnoxious colour, I'd stay away from it, however, it has some good characteristics, it's just not what it claims to be - a temporary colour. It wasn't washing off, not even with my trusted & foolproof technique chelating, so I had to bleach it out (bleach bath with a mix of bleach 6% developer and shampoo) and it still didn't get it all out from a couple of strands, so if you're looking for temporary, this is not it, at least not on a bleached base. Now granted, maybe my hair is so porous that is took in the colour too well (a very likely explanation as I haven't done any protein treatments in a while before using this) and I suspect the result on natural blond hair would not be the same, but I'm still unhappy about it because so far I've only had great experience with temporary colours. If you're looking for something that won't wash off fast, which I think most people look for, this is it. Ironically when I first posted about it on IG, I got a message that the pink version of these washes off with one wash, so I guess it depends on the shade. Formula is not nice. It more liquid than regular colours and has no care capabilities at all. My hair was very dry after use and I had to use a lot of leave-ins + coconut oil to make it feel less coarse and dry, though I suppose most people won't have such problems, since my hair is just naturally so very dry. This stains like a MOFO. It immediately tints skin or furniture, so you have no time to wipe it off and get it off easy, instead I had to use bleach on my bathroom furniture (I had it protected with paper, but with this being such a messy product, I couldn't avoid smudges) and I could not get if off my skin for days. As expected the colour is a much darker purple than on the front of the box and to achieve that shade you have to mix it with a conditioner and the base hair colour should be much lighter than mine, however, it's also a lot warmer. It's not the cool purple shade I expected, instead it's a reddish purple, similar to Subrina's Violet, yet not quite as pink. I liked the overall result, even though I used it undiluted on my darkest parts and partly diluted on my ends. You can see it created a look of purple highlights, but also the rest of my hair got a mix of cool brown (it toned out some of the orange parts) and on some it just went more orange-red. The colour was pretty, even though I expected a much cooler result and also better coverage. This is supposed to be applied on dry hair, which makes the application less even and slower compared to Subrina, you also use more. I left it on for 15-20 minutes, I don't know exactly because I was freaking out about the staining of the bathroom and looking for a cleaning supply that would work, but it was around that time. Unlike Subrina's Colour Refresh which start washing off with water alone, this needs shampoo. Regardless of a lot of shampooing and chelating, like I said the colour just wasn't going off, which I actually kind of expected as soon as I saw the staining. This left me with a lot of work and fixing up. I'm sticking to Subrina.

Base colour was this one, so a medium-dark blonde. Obviously for a proper violet shade the hair need to be lighter, but I got much better colour result with red and magenta from Subrina and I used a weaker mix with conditioner. 
Müller, 3.49 €


L'OREAL Elseve Extraordinary Oil Nourishing Shampoo
My standard shampoo. It's not the only one I use, but this is my all-time favourite because it's the only one that leaves my hair like I just used some conditioner. It leaves that silicone smooth feeling that my tangy, dry hair really needs. It's only for thick, dry hair and not best on fine hair because it can weight it down (based on feedback I got from some), but I love it and have gone through many bottles. 
2-3 €

PANTENE PRO-V Intensive Repair Shampoo
A repurchase. It's doesn't leave my hair quite as smooth as L'Oreal, as it doesn't have silicones, but it's still very impressive and my second favourite in the drugstores.
2-3 €


SUBRINA Colour Refresh Mask
Diamond Blonde
My 4th tube. This is the most reliable quick, non-fussy toner (in a sense there's no need to mix it with a developer), so I use it a lot, even though it's not ideal for orange strands, but it's much stronger than Ice Cream No Yellow shampoo (which is already very strong as some pale blondes report) and Schwarzkopf Professional Blondme Tone Enhancing mask in Cool. On very pale blonde hair it can be tricky to use because it's very strong and it can quickly tint the hair blue-grey. I tend to use it straight from the tube on my darkest parts and mix it with a conditioner for my ends. 
Müller, 4.99 €


 AliExpress knock-off of Revlon One Step Style
Honestly this is nothing revolutionary, simply a non-rotating hair brush with a dryer inside the barrel - I don't know if I saw a non-rotating version from other brands around here, but as much as I'm intrigued by the rotating ones, they kind of scare me too. This basically just eliminates the need of having to hold a hair dryer and a round brush because it does the same thing. It makes it so much easier and faster, especially since the brush is big enough that you can work with large sections of hair at once, but it won't dry the hair close to your scalp, so it's best you let you hair air dry or use a hair drier before until it's 80-90% dry and then just add volume and straighten the hair with this. It's also light and it doesn't feel heavy even when you use it for a long time. It's worth the purchase if you're looking for something easy to used and quick, however, my Moroccanoil round brush 55 mm and ancient Remington hair dryer do a far better job of making the hair sleek than this. I just don't get the same effect that I've seen so many girls get on YouTube - Lucky me. Like I read in reviews low and high are exactly the same speed and medium is lowest, the difference is the heat. On medium it doesn't feel too hot and it's also not terribly loud, but it's comparable to a regular hair dryer. I got the EU plug and so far it works ok, but we'll see how long it last. The box it came in was torn to shreds, but the product was without a scratch or fault, so I guess it can survive a beating even though it feel so light. 
AliExpress, 17.20 $


 *REVOLUTION Feed Your Face Toffee Apple Face Mask 
This is a moisturising mask which interestingly has glycerine on the first place among ingredients, while water is way down. However, I still haven't used it because I see nothing special in it and even though I don't mind fragrance, it's third on the list which is not good. I'll see if I ever try it, reviews look good, so I might give it a go. It smells nice, like caramel. 
Ličila.si, 10.99 €

*O.W.N. CANDLES Happy Holidays Vegan Wax Melts
This made the whole parcel smell like cinnamon and they are shaped like roses, so they are cute, but when I used one it smelled terrible, like plastic and nothing at all like when solid. The fragrance was strong and it filled the place.
Ličila.si, 3.99 €


*NOELLE Brush
A nice, medium thick and soft brush for foundation. It could be a bit denser, so it would blend faster without having to fix the streaks, but it's decent one and I know I'll use it often.
Ličila.si, I can't find this brush, but they have plenty others.


*GLOV On-The-Go Hydro Cleanser & Quick Treat
This is a glove for removing makeup with no cleanser, just water. I had a similar microfibre cloth many years ago, so it's nothing new, though the material of this one feels better and softer. Cleansing glove is said to contain"refined, star-shaped fibres up to 30 times thinner than a cotton pad, which boast superior electrostatic properties to absorb makeup, dirt and excess oil like a magnet."  In practice its ok, but no magic. It removes most of the makeup while damp, but it fails to completely remove mascara, at least I don't want to be too rough around that area and with this I have to rub quite hard to get everything off. It's not a faster way for me, especially since you have to clean it after every use, so after the first week, I now rarely use it. The Quick Treat is a mini finger version for quick fixes when doing makeup. I also got bunny ears for holding back hair while cleansing and applying skin care. 

I could have taken pictures of removing makeup from one half of the face, but I didn't feel like it, so I made this mess on the arm using all the usual makeup: foundation and concealer as a base and then on top cream eyeshadow + powder eyeshadow over it, eyeliners, mascara, blush, highlighter and lipstick. Mascara was waterproof (Essence I <3 Extremes) & lipstick is Deborah Fluid Velvet 02, so one of those tough-to-remove ones. This took a lot of rubbing, the same as on the face, so it's not like using a cotton pad + a micellar, but for a simple, natural makeup it's enough.
Ličila.si, just the Cleansing glove 12.99 €. I can't find the same set, but a similar one is 19.99 €.


*ORIFLAME Women's Collection Delicate Cherry Blossom Gift Set
This smells so similar to L'Occitane's cherry fragrances, which just about every women I know loves or at least likes a lot. It's the same lovely spring floral that's so easy to wear in any season and is appropriate for almost any occasion. Though it's similar to light body mist that tend to disappear fast, it actually manages to last several hours. It's a really nice one. The body lotion has a more creamy scent, but again like cherry blossoms. 
Oriflame, just the fragrance regular price 22.90 €.


CATRICE Kaviar Gauche Mini Lipstick Set & ESSENCE spread the magic! brush set
I think neither of these are still available as they were both a part of LE (unless there are some leftovers in DMs). The lipsticks are super cute small ones that are perfect to throw in the bag and the formula is as is usual for Catrice great. I got two brushes from a set that might still be sold in some places. I don't use the eyebrow one because I don't touch my brows, but the blush brush is a nice one. It's super soft, a good small-ish size for my face and it picks up colour well for an Essence brush. It's become my primary brush for applying brush and highlighter for those few times I managed to wear makeup in the lasts weeks. 

I'll talk about all those hair products you might have seen on Instagram in my next new in, since I haven't had a chance to use them all. Have a great day!
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Empties #34

January 17, 2020, 8:13 am
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A gel cleanser I use for second cleansing after oil. It's cheap and it does the job. I've recently tried Cerave Hydrating Cleanser which is better, but this is so easily accessible compared to that one.
Repurchase: Done.

I've used this religiously for several months if not over a year, but I saw zero result, which sucks because I read only good reviews before buying it. There was no reduction in lines nor did it prevent them from getting deeper. As a plus I can say that it feels like water and it's very easy include it in any type of routine. 
Repurchase: No.

I finished this a while ago and have since moved to other vitamin C products, however, this was my first such product and I did everything wrong with this one, so it's hard for me to say it's bad. I was using it wrong for a long time (didn't apply it first or after AHA/BHA and I didn't wait for at least 15-20 minutes before applying other products) and after I realised my mistakes, it was already old. I got it because I heard it lightens old spot marks, which nothing helps me with including strong AHAs and despite consistent use this did nothing. But it is a nice vitamin C because it's like a dry oil that's not heavy or greasy on the skin. It's also more affordable than a lot of other vitamin C products.
Repurchase: Not sure yet, I like Eucerin's a lot more, but this is more affordable and maybe I should give it another shot, the right way this time.


I just breezed through this one and was shocked to see it was empty because the packaging is consistently dispensing the desired amount, so I had no indication it's running low. It's so far the best sunscreen I've found in our drugstores for still an affordable price (not that I've tried many), though at 10 € it's not that cheap. It's better suited for normal-dry skin because it's a heavy, rich formula when you apply it, but it sets in about 5 minutes to a decent dry to the touch finish. I could apply a lot of it and it was not greasy, nor did it pile. It's not as nice as Asian sunscreens which are much lighter and fast-absorbing, but it's easily accessible (just not in winter apparently, when they sell the rubbish anti-age version instead).
Repurchase: Yes.

MIXA Cica-Cream
First I was using this for my elbows and feet where I have very dry, rough skin and it worked well on my elbows, but it wasn't enough for my feet. In recent months I've started using it on my face because my skin became so dry and flaky, nothing helped and everything else absorbed in minutes leaving my skin dry again. For a couple of days I was applying this in a very thick coat, then reapplied every two hours after it fully absorbed and it really helped a lot. My skin is currently still dry, but not nearly as much as in those couple of days and I still use it when my cheeks are rough as the last step in my night routine. I hate the packaging though, it doesn't feel full even when new and it gets really hard to get the product out later. When I cut it, I still had a ton left. 
Repurchase: Yes, I have an extra tube that I'm already using.


This boasts with the 2.5% retinol content and though I found it suspicious it caused no reaction on me considering I just went straight to high percentages from almost nothing, I assumed my skin is more hardly than others because I can't even feel 30% AHA for example. But when after using up the 10 ml bottle of Artnaturals, I switched to the weaker The Ordinary 1% in Squalane and saw my skin got drier and flaky, the only conclusion I can draw is that this doesn't have the percentage of retinol stated, at least not in this form. Obviously I have no idea if it's true and reviews of this are generally so good, but I can't explain it any other way or at least I'm not knowledgeable enough. It's a light serum that would fit any skin type, it's not sticky, it doesn't pill when you apply other skin care over it, so the texture is nice, but it was like I was using nothing.
Purchase: I don't know. Great reviews for this are confusing to me now.

On paper this is a great all-in-one because it contains a form of vitamin C (sodium ascorbyl phosphate), hyaluronic acid, niacinamide, retinol and Q10. I liked the texture of this, it's a very light orange serum that absorbs fast (under a minute), so it's great for layering and it has a nice orange-ish scent. I only had it for a week or two (this is a sample, 5 ml), so I didn't see any results.
Purchase: I still don't know.

A light moisturiser that I think would suit oily skin too, since it's more like a lotion-cream consistency. One sample didn't last me nearly as long as the serum did, so I can't say much. It contains retinol, vitamin C, hyaluronic acid, safflower oil and green tea extract.
Purchase: Probably not, I prefer Beauty of Joseon.


S&G's scrubs are my favourite because most are quite harsh and that's the way I like them. I don't like this one as much as Flake Away, but it was another great one. It has the same fragrance as Mist me Madly spray, which has a type of vintage scent that won't appeal to just anyone, but from reviews I gather it's overall quite liked.
Repurchase: I'll stick to Flake Away, but these are so hard to get now that Boots International is gone.

L'OCCITANE 20% Shea Butter Hand Cream
I loved this one because it's almost as rich as the original and it smells like their discontinued L'Occitane Vanilla fragrance (the old-old one from 2007-8). L'Occitane's 20% shea butter creams are the best thing I found for truly dry hands.
This smelled amazing, like the name says it's a neroli scent, while I'm not sure I spotted any orchid, but it was a great rich floral scent. The formula is one of L'Occitane's light version which isn't as impressive as the 20% shea butter ones, but these are still nice for the scent alone.
Repurchase: Maybe Vanilla Bouquet, but I'm mostly sticking to the original.

BATH & BODY WORKS PocketBac
Pumpkin Cranberry Cider
This is a very old LE, though BBW tends to repeat their scents a lot every season. BBW has the best anti-bacterial gels for my liking, I love it when they are heavily scented almost like a perfume and these are exactly like that. This one has a fruity cinnamon scent and unlike 99% of cinnamon stuff here, this actually smelled like the real deal.
Repurchase: If only these weren't so hard to get for a reasonable price for us outside USA, but yes.


L'OREAL Elseve Extraordinary Oil Nourishing Shampoo
My all-time favourite because it's the only drugstore shampoo that leaves my hair like I just used some conditioner. It leaves that silicone smooth feeling that my tangy, dry hair really needs. I've gone through many bottles.
Repurchase: Done.

PANTENE Intensive Repair Shampoo
My second favourite shampoo. It's doesn't leave my hair quite as smooth as L'Oreal, but it's close. An excellent formula for dry hair.
Repurchase: Done.


PANTENE Pro-V 3 Minute Miracle Intensive Repair
Every Pantene conditioner I've tried so far has been great, this is no exception. To me it's the same as the Intensive Repair conditioner in the white tube. It leaves my hair nourished, feeling smooth and somewhat softer.
Repurchase: Yes if it's cheaper than the conditioner.

One of my favourite ever treatments. This is a hydrating conditioner/mask that I've been using for years now and I can always rely on it when it comes to nourishing my very thick, coarse, dry hair. In last year I rediscovered the Reconstructor from this line and together they are like magic for bleached, coloured, coarse-feeling (protein deficient) hair.
Repurchase: Done.


A protein treatment that you use under the Bonding mask. I always used this right after bleaching my hair. At first I thought that it works the same as Joico K-Pack Reconstructor, but it not as amazing when it comes to truly coarse hair that has zero softness. Still I enjoyed using it together with the mask when my hair wasn't in a very dire state. The annoying thing about it is that I have no idea how much it's still in the packaging and of course it ran out exactly a day after I made a big hair care order.
Repurchase: Yes.

A violet mask for counteracting yellow tones, but it's much weaker than Subrina Colour Refresh in Diamond Blonde, therefore only appropriate for very light blondes. However, it didn't deal with yellow tones not even with my lightest hair, which granted still aren't super blonde. The formula is a nice one, enough for my thick hair even though it doesn't feel thick or heavy.
Repurchase: Yes.

PHILIP KINGSLEY Elasticizer
This was my second try of the famed Elasticizer. The first time I was very disappointed by it, especially considering the price. The second try was better, my hair did feel a bit healthier, still it's not that special compared to Joico K-Pack. It's mostly castor oil, which is said to promote hair growth, though I don't know if the science supports it. It's a very popular product, but I'm still not completely sold on it.
Purchase: Probably not.


Before discovering Pantene I'd say this is an ok hair mask, one of better ones in the drugstores for dry hair, but post-Pantene, this has nothing on it and it's more expensive. Positive side about this treatment is that you can use it on dry hair as a leave-in conditioner and it's actually very decent, albeit the results don't last very long on my hair. It smells like Casali bananas or some other candy bananas, which is not my favourite scent, but I know it's the type people love.
Repurchase: No. I might try the macadamia one, but I doubt it's as good as Pantene.

This is richer than the conditioner, though the overall result on my hair is still very similar, but for someone with less thick hair, the conditioner and 3 Minute Miracle versions are maybe a better choice.
Repurchase: Yes.

My all-time favourite moisturising mask, though Moroccanoil Intense Hydration is similarly brilliant. This is sadly discontinued, but there are some new masks in the Nutritive line. This mask made my hair feel like "normal people hair". I know it sound strange, but the thing is that my hair has this thick, less pliable, non-soft texture and Kerastase Nutritive products were the only one that gave my hair that silky, light, flowy feel. Obviously if your hair has that average soft, thin texture you really don't even need to think about this mask because you'll get the same effect from a cheap Pantene conditioner, sadly I need to spend more if I want people to not describe my hair as prickly or like I always have a ton of hair spray on.
Repurchase: It's discontinued, but I'd really love to try the new Magistral version for thick hair.


I've been using this protein treatment for many years with some pauses. I usually start using it right after cutting my ends and it keeps them fresh longer as well as less prone to breaking, so I can go without a haircut longer. It just works, but not immediately and it doesn't reverse damage (nothing does, obviously). This is a product that gives long-term results, as it makes the hair stronger, so it doesn't snap off at the ends, which is the reason people complain their hair just doesn't grow. This kind of gives you a feeling the hair grows faster and you get the desired length faster. It's a light lotion that to me feels like nothing, so it's a product I can use in my routine that's full of layering.
Repurchase: Yes.

BALEA Beautiful Long Wunder Serum
This was my favourite cheap thermal protection. It's a silicone serum like any other, so it tames the hair and gives shine, but it was lighter than Orofluido, Moroccaoil and the likes. I liked that it was so cheap and easily accessible.
Repurchase: It's sadly discontinued, as a replacement I have Langhaar Mädchen which is cheap and similar enough, but this was better.

MOROCCANOIL Color Complete Protect & Prevent Spray (mini)
This is a great multipurpose product that prevents blonde colour from turning brassy/yellow (protects any colour from fading), plus it acts as heat protection, UV shield and it's hydrating, so a leave-in conditioner. It's very light, I'd prefer if it felt a bit oily, but I think it would fit most hair types.
Purchase: I don't know, I'd prefer their other products, several of which I have high on my wishlist.


I've tried most of the shades from this (Red,Orange, Purple and Magenta, the two left are Warm Brown and Cool Brown), but I've used this shade most. It's a classic purple mask for neutralising yellow tones, but this one is much stronger than others I've tried, so better suited for me since I'm a dark brunette going blonde, however, since it's purple it can't deal as effectively on orange tones, obviously, but it's not useless like other shampoos and masks I've tried. It's so strong though that you have to be very careful on very light hair because it can tint it blue-grey in seconds when used straight from the tube without diluting the shade with a clear mask. 
Repurchase: Done.


L'OREAL Excellence Crème
03 Ultra Light Ash Blond, 9.1 Natural Light Ash Blonde and 8.1 Light Ash Blonde
Another batch of these. I've already talked about 9.1 and 8.1 extensively before, but 03 is a new shade to me. I used it for toning my lightest hair, which still isn't quite level 10, but close. I tested four shades on individual strands before colouring and this was the second strongest light shade when it came to dealing with yellow tones, but it was beaten by Subrina. All three are the renewed version, so they don't come with the serum anymore, but with a shampoo, which is a change I'm not fond off. Formula is still great since it leaves my hair in nice condition.
Repurchase: Yes to 9.1 and 8.1, I still have some spares, for 03 Subrina's shade 80/8 or 1080 is better.


SCHWARZKOPF PALETTE Deluxe Oil-Care Color
218 Silver Blond
I gave this so many tries, every time I bleached my hair I did a strand test if this will tone. It fails miserably compared to L'Oreal 03 and Subrina 1080, all are meant for the same level hair (10). I think I'll just throw it away. Ironically I got it because reviews praised it as a shade that tones any yellow and brassy tones.
Repurchase: No.

SUBRINA Butter Colour
1080 Ice Blonde
Subrina is praised for their cool blonde shades, in particular 80/8 or 1080. I had this in my stash for years, but only now gave it a go because I finally reached a decently light blonde shade, though I'm still very golden under it instead of pale yellow. It's the strongest toning shade I've tried and it can deal with level 9 yellow hues as well as golden on level 8 to a degree, but not orange. So if you're looking that will give you a very cool looking blonde shade, based on my experience so far Subrina appears to be strongest. Formula of this is like a very thick, rich hair mask, it truly feels buttery as the name says, but it didn't leave me with the same feeling as L'Oreal does, maybe it lacks some extra proteins, though my hair was pretty coarse even before I coloured, so disregard my review of the formula, especially since overall feedback from other users has been that it leaves the hair very soft and nourished.
Repurchase: Yes, I'm also going to try something else from my huge stash.

Butter Colour 1080 on the lower 2/3 (it's meant for much lighter hair though), L'Oreal 9.1 on top. This isn't the best picture because the lighting conditions were terrible and my background created a green cast. I didn't feel I taking better pictures yet. The back is super orange because I couldn't reach well and it's neither well bleached nor coloured, but right now I'm don't feel like fixing it, since this already took me a week to do (together with hair care routine of course, overnight oil treatments).

I'd detailed my experience with this and posted results in the latest new it. Basically I had to bleach this one out. The colour was warmer out of the tube than the back of the box indicated, but results looked nice regardless. There were several things that pissed me off about this one, but intense staining of everything is definitely at the top.
Repurchase: No.


This was nothing special, a light and fast absorbing hand cream for when my skin wasn't very dry. The packaging is adorable and it smelled nicely like peaches.
Repurchase: No.

The only spot product that works for me apart from The Ordinary Salicylic Acid. They aren't miraculous, at least most of the time, but they can help diminish the spot and prevent it from becoming a raging volcano that would normally take days to heal. My spot healing routine includes these, COSRX BHA Blackhead Power Liquid and Etude House sheet mask Snail.
Repurchase: Done.


SHEET MASKS
THE FACE SHOP The Solution Mask Sheet Madecassoside has been a godsend when my skin was insanely dry, as was PAPA RECIPE Bombee Whitening Honey Mask. Both are intensely nourishing and the Bombee one brightest too as an extra bonus. I've used several of ETUDE HOUSE 0.2 Therapy Air Mask Snail recently when my skin was not just dry, but also spotty and I use this to heal & tone down inflamed spot - works like a treat. MY BEAUTY DIARY Natural Key Series Facial Mask Black Pearl is another of my favourites, it's lighter than the rest, but still moisturising and its main plus is the brightening effect. HADA LABO TOKYO Anti-Aging Facial Sheet Mask was a decent moisturising mask, in fact it's the best we can get in our drugstores. I've just recently posted about YEAUTY Eye Pad Mask Deep Hydration, which also impressed me for something that's available in our drugstores. A detailed review of THE BODY SHOP Tea Tree Anti-Imperfection Peel-off Mask is here, but overall I did not like it. TONYMOLY Earth Beauty Bubble Mask Sheet is black mask just for the lower part of the face and it produced a very fluffy, yet rich foam. It didn't do anything to help clear out my pores, but that foam was such a delight to use.
Repurchase: Yes toThe Face Shop (though Etude House Madecassoside is almost the same), Papa Recipe, Etude House Snail, My Beauty Diary Black Peral, Hada Labo Tokyo and Yeauty. 


CERAVE Moisturising Cream
I did not expected this to be so thick based on reading the ingredients list, but it's like Nivea or similar cream and it was perfect for my very dry skin. It's the thickest face moisturiser I know, thicker even that Mixa Cica, but that one proved to be more effective, still this came in very handy when I most needed a rich moisturiser.
Purchase: I'm tempted, but at the same time I have no idea if it was this that also broke me out or was it something else. 

Have a great day!
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Rimmel Lasting Matte Full Coverage Mattifying Foundation

January 24, 2020, 8:26 am
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This is the latest foundation launch at Rimmel and I think it replaced their Stay Matte foundation, which isn't on the website anymore. It's part of their Lasting Matte collection, which also includes a primer and a concealer, but I haven't seen them here. I was sent a too dark shade and my skin currently is too unstable for testing, so I didn't give this one more than a few tries, so this is more of an early impressions type of review.


Texture: This is such a thick formula it's hard to squeeze it out of the tube, but it's one of those whipped/mousse-y textures so it feels thick, yet it's lightweight on the skin because it's dry to the touch immediately like a silicone primer. It's not easy to blend and you have to do it in sections, still I ended up with a patchy application which was more obvious due to not a perfect shade match. So far I find only fingers work with this on because it need some warmth to spread better.


Coverage and finish: Coverage is definitely not full, it's more light-medium, but closer to the latter. Finish is the promised matte one and not a heavy one like at foundations such as Deborah Extra Cover because it's so silicone-y feeling. I've tried this when my skin was normal and when it was dry. On normal skin I really liked it. It was a fresh looking matte finish that didn't look too much like makeup, it wasn't cakey, it filled out the pores, however, it looked terrible on lines. I might kept it if my skin stayed that way and the shade was right. However, as soon as my skin got dry, this was useless - it highlighted every dry patch, it did not blend into the skin and the application looked so uneven. So this is foundation only for oily to normal skin, but if you have any dry areas stay away from this.


Staying power and wear: I only wore it once the whole day and on that day it held up well, but it was not exceptional. My forehead stayed matte all day, but I don't have very oily areas. 


Shade: I got the lightest shade here 103 True Ivory, which is the 5h darkest in the range, so obviously it's way too dark and considering it doesn't blend as nice as liquid foundations, you need a shade that matches you perfectly. True Ivory is somewhere around NC20. There are 20 shades in this range.



Packaging: This comes in regular tube and normally I love them, but this formula is so thick I'd prefer it were in a pot, though so might find it unhygienic in that case.

Price and availability: It costs about 7.50 € in DM. 


Performance really depends on the skin type, it has the potential to look good and to look terrible. It's not full coverage as promised, but it is lasting matte on me without looking heavy. On dry skin it of course completely fails as expected, but on oily skin this will likely work a lot better, as on normal skin it ends up looking quite nice. I read very mixed reviews about this and I can see why. It's not easy to blend, you need a perfect match and it looks terrible on lines, but as pluses it keeps the skin matte and it hides pores, so it's a foundation that can go either way on different skin types.

Have a great day! 

*PR product.
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January Favourites, Updates and Wishlist

January 31, 2020, 5:03 am
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 MATRIX Total Results The Re-Bond 2 Pre-Conditioner & The Re-Bond 3 Conditioner
These two really impressed me. Re-Bond line is Matrixes intended of version of Olaplex, though only Olaplex has the ingredient that actually rebuilds the broken bonds and it's still unique in hair care world. Matrix, which is a L'Oreal brand, has its own system of three products, shampoo with citric acid that from what I can say based on ingredients is just a clarifying shampoo, step 2 is their intense treatment with malic acid which is applied on the hair first and left for 5 minutes, while step 3 is a conditioner with taurine that's applied on top of number 2. Honestly, I kinda didn't expect much from this and the reason for that is that I don't see any visible difference after using Olaplex and so far I've only seen results from protein treatments such as Joico K-Pack Reconstructor. This made my hair feel like I used the discontinued Kerastase NutritiveMasquintense Thick mask before bleaching. For some reason when I was blow-drying my hair it didn't inspire confidence in me because my hair looked frizzy (I ran out of Sexy Healthy Hair leave-in conditioner which helps with this) and I wasn't super impressed, but like always I tied my hair in a tight bun when it was still warm from the hair dryer (I do this to diminish frizz and to fix the puffy look because I have a lot of volume) and when I woke up my hair felt and looked so good. It got it's "flowyness" back (before it still felt a bit stiff and didn't fall nicely), it felt silky and there was definitely more shine than before. I didn't use it as directed, I never do when it comes to hair treatments. Instructions say to wash the hair with step 1 (which I don't have), then apply step 2 for 5 minutes, then apply step 3 and rinse. Since I know for my hair 5 minutes is a joke due my thick texture, I left it on for hours, wore a shower cap and wrapped it in a warm scarf to increase temperature (I do that with Olapex and Joico too). I washed my hair with Pantene shampoo, then applied coat of Step 2, left it on for about an hour (or 1 episode of random TV), then applied step 3 on top and left it on for a couple more hours. When I was rinsing it off my hair felt super silky, which usually indicates for me that the effect is going to be great and I was right. And the results lasted for the next washings too when I used a different hair mask. The price for both of these in not outrageous online, though it's not drugstore prices, but you get 200 ml of Step 2 and 300 ml of Step 3, both have the types of formulas that are easy to spread even in smaller amounts. I'm so glad I gave these a try, my hair feels a lot more normal now.


 JOICO K-Pak Liquid Reconstructor
This is a leave-in light version of the Reconstructor which is one of my favourite products. I haven't used it on its own, but together with other K-Pack products it's has amazing results and it makes me feel better that I have Joico's Quadramine Complex is a leave-in version too because it's quicker to use and I can use it in-between intense treatments with Reconstructor. I've also tried it on dry ends in between washes then added Nuxe oil on top and my ends stayed moisturised much, much longer than usual, as even if I dip my hair in oil, my ends absorb it like a sponge fast, but the combination of these two lasted a least a day. The bottle is massive with 300 ml of product which should last me a while. It's a light milky liquid that doesn't weight down the hair, make it greasy or sticky, so it should fit fine damaged hair like Joico says.


110 
I know I mention this one a lot as my favourite foundation, but it just works for my skin and it deserves the praise. I wore this after about two months of not being able to wear makeup and it made my skin look so good. It looks very natural and smooth, so like my skin, but 10x better. Coverage is light-medium which suits me, as I'm not a fan of high coverage and it's available in shades that suit me.

This remains as one of the two favourite formulas of matte liquid lipsticks available in my local drugstores, the other one is Rimmel, but that one doesn't have such a pretty shade as this one. It's fully opaque, properly matte, not terribly drying and lasts well on the lips. 02 is a wearable light-medium muted pink that's suits any occasion, but this is the only shade I like in that selection.  


I've started wearing eyeliner in my waterline again and this one is just the best. So black, so intense in the waterline and it lasts all day. 

This is such a great natural shade that I can use to shape my lips and give them just a bit of a darker/more defining colour. I wore this as a sort of base and then a coat of Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask, which gives an intense glossy look and it stays on the lips for hours.


BALEA Handcreme Urea
I immediately liked this. This is seriously good just like reviews say and yes I’m aware I’m probably the last person trying this. It’s not as fast absorbing as Nivea Anti-age, Aveo Med with 10% Urea or L’Occitane creams, but it leaves my skin softer and smoother than those, instead of just nourished. 


I still use this every day for my face and since it's not the cheapest, I stick to using it just for that, but like I already mentioned above at the Joico Reconstructor, recently I started using it occasionally for hair too. I use a lot of oils in my hair care routine, daily actually, mostly coconut and Createurs de Monoi oil. Those two are heavier, while this is a dry oil and looks less greasy when applied, plus it's heavily scented, so it makes my hair smell nice for hours unlike coconut oil which starts to smell strange in time. 

UPDATES

 THE ORDINARY Retinol 1% in Squalane
I'm losing hope with this one and about three weeks ago I gave myself a break from it after 3 months of frequent use (applied every 2nd or 3rd day). I don't see any positive results from this and yes I'm very aware it's still too early, but I went through "retinol uglies" almost from the first day and I just couldn't handle it. My skin didn't look bad without makeup, it just felt dry on the tops of my cheekbones, but overall ok with no visible flakes, except I kept breaking out on my chin, however, every single foundation and makeup in general looked horrific - obvious, flaky, uneven - it really bummed me out, so I stopped, at least for a while. I know you're supposed to be very patient with retinol, but I have this awful feeling I'll continue to be disappointed by this, just like with AHAs. I switched back to Eucerin's vitamin C and my skin again looks and feels ok, apart from annoying breakouts on my chin, which for some reason persist. 

WISHLIST

BUXOM Wanderlust™ Primer-Infused Blush - I heard some great things about these blushes, everywhere I checked they have a high feedback. I'm not sure which shade I'd get yet, Dolly seems to be the most my typical colour, but since I have lighter hair I gravitate towards pink blushes such as Havana.

GUERLAIN Meteorites - These are such a luxury, but I'm so tempted because I'm not 100% happy with Hourglass Ambient powder and I have hopes this is better (though to be fair I got Hourglass at the worst possible time as you can read under TO's Retinol). Reviews have me conflicted though, as some say they are outstanding and then some say they do nothing at all. 

CLARINS One Minute Make Up Heroes Travel Kit - This is a feelunique exclusive and I want it because it had 4 products I'm interested in, the Instant Smooth primer which I heard great things about, the SOS primer that someone recommended to me on IG, Instant Lip Perfector that I used to have, but lost it and the lip oil which I tried in the shop and liked the formula of it. But the samples are so small for the price, it's hard to justify buying this one.

MAYBELLINE Color Sensational Shaping Lip Liner Dusty Rose - I was checking some interesting lip liner shades in the shops and this dirty medium pink caught my attention. It looks like a nice wearable shade, I just hope it's not too dark on me for what I consider every day appropriate. 

DEBORAH 24h Velvet Matte Lipstick - These are completely new and as usually anything with the name matte appeals to me immediately. I did some quick hand swatches and I'm torn between two light shades, 02 and 07. 

MAYBELLINE Superstay Matte Ink Crayon Lipstick - another matte formula in a pen form. Texture looks very promising and I like the look of the shade 15.

MOROCCANOIL Glimmer shine - Click2Chic stopped selling my favourite spray oil from Createur de Monoi, so I'm looking for a replacement because I keep saving that one too much. I choosing between this and Macadamia Natural oil one, but Moroccanoil appeals to me more due to the scent, as Macadamia is just a bit too masculine scented for me. It's just silicones + oil in a spray form, but I love such products for adding some moisture and shine on days between washing when my hair gets very dry. 

MATRIX Total Results Color Obsessed - I got a glowing recommendation for this on IG. Since I'm so impressed by the re-bond, this is definitely on the list too to try and Matrix is somewhat decently priced for salon quality products, which is an extra plus. 

JOICO Blonde Life Brightening Shampoo - I really love the look of ingredients of this - no sulphates which wash off my toner/colours too fast, it's got coconut oil and two versions of keratin, plus reviews are quite good. It's really expensive for what I usually pay for a shampoo, but I might try it one day. 

KÉRASTASE Nutritive Masque Magistral and Resistance Masque Thérapiste - Chronologiste is a big disappointment in my books, so I'd like to try Magistral which I'm hoping is just a repackaged Masquintense Thick, which was flipping fabulous (I'm still confused whether it's discontinued or not, but it's not in online shops anymore) and I'd like to try the Resistance one too for damaged hair.

MOROCCANOIL Restorative Mask - I'm running out of Intense Hydrating mask which is one of the best ever mask and I need to repurchase that one, but I'd also like to try this one for damaged hair. Everything I've tried from Moroccanoil impressed me, so I have high hopes for this mask, though I'll probably get the small version first since it's quite expensive.

Have a great day!
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New in #88

February 9, 2020, 5:01 am
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I was going through my reviews and I was reminded what a great volumising effect this mascaras has, so I put it on my wishlist and later got it as a gift. What I failed to remember is how much it drops the lashes. In 2019 I was lucky enough to receive two absolutely amazing formulas, Max Factor's 2000 Calorie and Oriflame's Tremendous mascara, which I've been using for the pasts half a year and both keep my lashes up enough, so I sort of forgot about my lashes being annoying/thought maybe they changed, but sadly Paradise reminded me why I'm not a fan of most regular formulas. Regardless this has one of the nicest volumising effects. It quickly creates big, volumised lashes that are nicely separated and fanned out - it truly is a winner. So I ordered the waterproof version and hopefully I'll get the same effect with the added bonus keeping my lashes curled.
Müller, 13.99 €

L'OREAL Le Blush 
120 Sandalwood Pink
I've been in this rut when it comes to blushes because I've been using the amazing L.O.V. ones almost exclusively since I got them almost a year ago. This was on my wishlist since the day I first saw Le Blushes here and gave them a swatch. We only have two shades, but as far as I know more exist. I sort of forgot that not all blushes are as amazingly smooth as L.O.V.s, those truly spoiled me, thought this L'Oreal formula is still a great one, but kind of a standard good formula, similar to Catrice one. It's not as easy and fool proof to apply as L.O.V., but it behaves the same as the rest of my better blushes. It's nicely pigmented, it has a tiny bit of a glow, but not as much as I want (and get with L.O.V. 050) and it lasts well. The shade is muted rosy-slightly brownish/peachy shade that looks like a regular pink flush on my cheeks. You also get a brush and a mini mirror in the back of the packaging.
Müller, 10.99 €

DEBORAH 24 Ore Velvet Mat Lipstick
07
These are new in the drugstores and since they are matte I was immediately interested, luckily I got one as a gift from my cousin (thank you!). I was picking between shades 02 and 07, the first I felt looked a bit too brownish for me, though it was a pretty shade, but I picked the more pink looking 07. Formula is really well made, it's properly matte, glides on the lips with ease, it's not too thick or drying and it's got a good level of pigmentation. I was concerned it might not last long, but it looks like freshly applied several hour later, provided of course I don't eat. 
DM, 8.69 €


My favourite foundation. Müller had 30% off and I grabbed a spare because I wore this after about two months of not being able to wear makeup and when my skin settled, I picked up this and it made my skin look so good. It looks so natural and smooth, so like my skin, but 10x better. In Müller this is the lightest shade (I think there are some lower numbers in DM), which is ok for me, but 100 fits me better.
Müller, 8.49 €

CATRICE Lip Treatment with Shea Butter
This is about to be discontinued/it's already gone so it had a 50% discount. I'm just not impressed by it. The texture looks very promising, it's nicely thick and gives the appearance it's going to be very nourishing, however, it ends up being much lighter on the lips, it doesn't stay very long and it's not super moisturising. Maybe I'm spoiled from Laneige, but the cheaper Palmer's is better too as is their stick version, it's just annoyingly white on the lips. The scent is odd, I don't know of what it is, most say an artificial lemon scent, but mine is weirder, like something past expiration date. This was a missed purchase.
Müller, 2 €


*CATRICE Poreless Perfection Mousse Foundation
010 Warm Ivory
This is very similar to the Rimmel's Lasting Matte foundation I reviewed recently. It's so thick that it's not easy to get it out of the tube, yet it turns into this light mousse formula that's instantly dry-to-the-touch and completely matte, so it's like some pore refining primers. Shade 010 is much too dark for me (005 exists too, but we had no testers in my local Müller, so I couldn't check how light it is to report back to you) and this texture is impossible to lighten with The Body Shop Adjusting Drops, as it kind of clumps up and becomes useless. Another big issue with this is that I couldn't apply a concealer over it in a nice way because it made the foundation under it pile and cake. Maybe it's because it's silicone free, I don't know. However, on its own it has a nice effect on the skin - as described it creates a smooth, somewhat poreless effect and it's completely matte. Coverage is light, I can't call it a light-medium and it's not really buildable because the formula is an odd one. So far I find it's just too problematic, though if you can find match and you plan to use it on its own as pore hiding primer with some coverage it's okay-ish, but I find I can't apply anything with moisture on top. Maybe others had better luck with this one than me.
6.09 €

*CATRICE Instant Awake Concealer 
005 Neutral Light
This is much more impressive than the foundation and a very likeable product. It's not quite as nice as Maybelline's Eraser, mostly due to the packaging, but it has a similar texture and effect. It's a natural looking concealer with a medium coverage, so just the type I like most, but the applicator could be a bit better. At Maybelline's it's soft, yet not flimsy, but at Catrice's the sponge part is empty inside, so it's completely flexible and you can't use it for blending like Maybelline's. But that's not such a big minus and the formula deserve a praise, even though some might consider it not pigmented enough, but Catrice has their Liquid Coverage for when you need more. Due to a light formula it creases, so you need to set it with some powder. My shade is the second lightest and it's passable on me, it's due to the sheerer formula, so one shade fits a wider range of skin tones. One big minus that I think will become problematic soon - it's only 1.8 ml of product. Based on my experience with a Bourjois 123 CC concealer that has a similar amount, this won't last long, plus here the sponge absorbs a lot of the product (in comparison you get 6.8 ml at Maybelline, so it's actually much cheaper per ml).
5.09 €


CATRICE Tender Lash LE 3D False Lashes 
C03 Posh
I bought one pair myself and in a few days I got sent the same pair. These looked the most wearable and least crazy when I was picking which pair to take in this limited edition, however, when I tried them on they just look way too much on me. They are also too wide for my, granted, smaller eyes than average, so I'd have to cut away a bit to make them fit. They feel flexible and light, but they are noticeable on the eye due to the sheer weight. The added glue works ok, though for such big lashes I almost feel it could be a bit stronger.
Müller, 4.29 €


*CATRICE Tender Lash LE Liquid Eyeliner
C03 Reflection
A sparkly eyeliner with a dark purple/brown/grey base. It's more liquid than their black regular version I use all the time and not as pigmented, though you can get a fully opaque coat with this. It takes a couple of minutes to set and it feels more wet than their most. Staying power is not as impressive as at black one and most of it is gone in a few hours.
4.19 €

  Also wearing Catrice Instant Awake Concealer over Lancome Teint Idole Ultra, L'Oreal Le Blush 120 Sandalwood Pink and Deborah 24 Ore Velvet Mat Lipstick 07.

CATRICE Lash Couture 
Classicista Volume Lashes
The other lashes I picked on Catrice's stand, I was going to take the magnetic ones, but they look like something between an accent and regular ones, so I wasn't sure they are worth it (Essence's look even weirder). These reminded me of Ardell's demi wispies, which are the only lashes I liked so far. when I tried them first I was not impressed at all because they looked like I was wearing nothing, but the reason for than was my own obnoxious lashes. I wore Lash Paradise which doesn't hold them up, so even with extra length and volume of these lashes, I looked like I have none. On the second try I wore them with Essence's I <3 Extreme waterproof which managed kept my lashes curled and the effect was much more impressive. Actually I now I feel they are already too much for me, I'd prefer something more natural, but these are still a nice set for when you want big, voluminous lashes, but not look completely ridiculous like with the set I mentioned above. The band is flexible and they feel light on the eyes, so I’m not constantly aware they are on, unless I get the glue everywhere like I did the first time. The added glue holds ok, it got me through both days, but it’s not very strong. 
Müller, 4.29 €


*CATRICE Plumping Serum 1,5% Hyaluronic Acid
Catrice released three new skin care products, aside from this one also a vitamin C serum (with a combination of niacinamide and a stable version of vitamin C Sodium ascorbyl phosphate high on the list ) and a rose face mist. This serum seem pretty much the same to me as the hyaluronic serum from Hofer that I had many years ago and I didn't like it very much. It's a thick serum that's hard to pick up with the pipette and when dries it leaves this film on the skin, so when you want to apply anything over it, it can pile. I much prefer the texture of Hada Labo lotion which contains several sizes of hyaluronic acid and it doesn't feel at all sticky like this one. This serum is fragranced. As a plus I can say that unlike several hyaluronic acid products it appears it's not breaking me out and I think  it's actually so far the only such affordable product here, not counting the more expensive Hada Labo Tokyo version or Hofer Ombia than pops up very sporadically).
6.09 € 


*THE BODY SHOP Drops of Youth™ Youth Concentrate
I'm more of a fan of the Oil of Life line and I was always very sceptical about this one due to alcohol high on the list, though it is after glycerine, still I have fears this could totally wreck the barrier. But after reading reviews which are mostly positive, I've decided to risk it and just go with it, at least for some time. It's a similar thick serum texture as Catrice's Hyaluronic acid, but not as sticky. My skin starts to feel tight fast after application when I use it on its own, but I can't determine whether it's actively drying or just not enough for my skin on its own. I counteract the drying with a ton of extra skin care, which I use daily anyway. I saw no immediate results, though some people report visibly improves the condition of the skin practically overnight. I hear it assist at fading old spot marks, I have quite a few at the moment and after two weeks of regular use in combination with several products my skin did stop breaking out so much on my chin, which was my problem for the last month and my spot marks are less visible, but it's not a miraculously fast improvement. Honestly, I'm not comfortable using a product with so much alcohol so high on the list even if it would have amazing results. Annoying thing about this - it's so thick and the pipette's hole is so small, it can't suck up any product, so I'm forced scrapping it off the pipette.
29.50 €

*THE BODY SHOP Drops of Youth™ Youth Eye Concentrate
This is one of those eye product with a metal massage ball. You press the applicator and quite a lot of product comes out from the sides of the ball and TBS suggest you massage it in in a shape of an 8. The first two uses it burned. I don't know whether it was the alcohol, which is also high on the list here, or something else, but for the first few minutes I felt a medium strength burning, yet got no redness or irritations. The next uses were completely fine and I still continue to use it, though I see no result from this yet and my eyes aren't puffy when I wake up, so I don't know if the metal ball helps with that, but the applicator is nice to use. It's just the formula I'm not so sure about because it also has alcohol too high on the list.
21.50 €


*THE BODY SHOP Hemp Hydrating & Protecting Shower Oil
This is a brand new product by TBS and I'm not sure, but I don't recall any other shower oil, so it might be their first. The texture of this reminds me of L'Occitane's, meaning it's a thick formula that forms a rich emulsion and is definitely appropriate for dry skin. However, as much as I love the formula of this, I can't stand the smell. It's a strong herbal scent that lingers for so long and I never liked such fragrances. They need to make this formula with their shea scent.
13.90 €

*THE BODY SHOP Hemp Hard-working Hand Protection
Another great formula from The Body Shop, this one is an old one though and I remember it being very popular in the past. It's very thick and rich, similar to L'Occitane's 20% Shea Butter Creams and actually even more intense. It doesn't absorb as fast, but it leaves a nourishing coat that persists for a while, so I can see it working great on very dry skin. But again I can't stand the herbal scent which lasts for hours.
6.90 €

*THE BODY SHOP Heavy-duty Lip Care
A fairly average lip balm, but an average great one. It reminds me of Lip Smackers and it's not a waxy-feeling formula that just sits on the lips. The scent is not for me, though it's the most mild of the three products. 
6.90 €


L'OCCITANE 20% Shea Butter Hand Cream
Honey Harvest
I've always loved L'Occitane honey products, they smelled so authentic and it was one of the reasons I feel in love with the brand a decade ago (+ almond), so I was excited to see they released a few products late last year. I didn't test them before putting them on my wishlist because I was so sure they always use the scent, then I got it as a gift from my cousin, who got it for me well this set was sold out. This is quite far away from the honey scent I'm familiar with, it's a strong floral (probably orchid) with a tiny hint of honey. At least the formula is the same rich texture of the shea 20%, so excellent quality.

L'OCCITANE 5% Shea Butter Lip Balm 
Honey Harvest
Same goes for this as the cream: the scent is not honey and it makes the lip gloss taste like perfume. Formula is ok, but L'Occitane had much, much better glosses in the past. It's like a lip gloss-lip balm creamy hybrid, however, it doesn't last as long on the lips as some others. 


ORIFLAME Wild Blueberry Shower Cream and Multi-Purpose Cream
As expected this smells like candy blueberries. I've been using the shower gel and it's an average one one with a nice, strong scent. I haven't tried the cream yet.
Oriflame, Shower Cream 4.90 € (with current discount 2.99 €); Cream 9.90 € (with current discount 3.99 €)


A repurchase. I've raved about it many times because it never fails to fix my hair when very protein deficient, so even more coarse to the touch than usual with zero softness, lacks pliability and no amount of moisturising care nourishes it sufficiently. This is like a time machine that fixes the hair to its previous state. I always use it in combination with the Intense Hydrator since because it's a protein treatment, on its own it doesn't leave the hair soft and it's really recommended you use a moisturising mask after for the best possible result. Its' better than Olaplex on me in terms of visible, touchable effect, but I consider them different products and I still use Olaplex regularly.
Notino, 21.50 €

Another repurchase, this one unlike Reconstructor one of many since I've been buying it for years. It's one of the best treatments for my dry, thick coarse hair. It works best with Reconstructor, but when I don't need a heavy dose of protein, I use this on its own as a moisturising treatment.
Notino, 21.90 €

JOICO K-Pak Liquid Reconstructor
I already talked about this in my monthly favourites. It's is a leave-in light version of the Reconstructor that I use after most washes now (though I soon won't because every hair care needs a careful balance of protein and moisturing treatments, and overdoing on proteins can lead to brittle hair, so I'll alternate it with a moisturising one). I wanted Joico's Quadramine Complex in a leave-in version too because it's quicker to use and I can use it in-between intense treatments with Reconstructor. I mentioned in monthly favourites that I've been using it on dry ends too in between washes then I add Nuxe oil on top and my ends stay moisturised much, much longer than usual, which makes sense when you know that proteins fill the empty spaces on damaged hair, fix the porosity somewhat and therefore prevent it from "leaking moisture like a sieve" (that's my way of putting it, but porous hair absorbs and also loses moisture much faster, that's why damaged hair dries quickly being wet). The bottle is massive with 300 ml of product which should last me a while. It's a light milky liquid that doesn't weight down the hair, make it greasy or sticky, so it should fit fine damaged hair like Joico says.
Notino, 19.90 €


MATRIX Total Results The Re-Bond 2 Pre-Conditioner
I already raved about this in my monthly favourites - with one use this duo became one of my favourite product lines ever, truly the results were flipping mind blowing and even since I used it, my hair feels like new even after using other care. It got that bounce back, since after I bleached my hair didn't fall as nicely as before, it just felt stiff and though Joico did a massive improvement already fixing in (basically adding strength), this made that extra step to make it feel more healthy. It made it feel more silky and it added a lot of shine, and results lasted even after I used other treatments, so this get high praise from me. I said in my monthly favourites I left it on a lot longer than instructions say, though that's just my thing, obviously for most those 5 minutes should be enough, but leaving on longer doesn't hurt. You get 200 ml of this for 8 € and the texture of the product, though it's on the thick side, is very emollient so it's easy to spread all over the hair without using excessive amounts. 
Notino, 8.30 €

MATRIX Total Results The Re-Bond 3 Conditioner
Re-bond conditioner is meant for frequent use unlike step 2, which is more of a special treatment (step 2 should be layered with the conditioner, so you should invest in both if you plan to get it. The shampoo from this line looks like a regular cleansing/chelating one to me and since I heard it's drying, I skipped it). Texture is quite a light, liquid conditioner that is very easy to spread. I have only used it with step two and once with a Moroccanoil Restorative mask (I'll talk about it in next new in because I just used it once yesterday, but so far I'm impressed), so I don't know how it works on its own, but it might be too light for me. I might use it one day on it's own and report back, but I plan to use it mostly in combination with step 2. There was no scent at either of the products. Here you get 300 ml for 7 € (if you buy online, I saw some crazy prices in a salon and on meindm, which shows prices in Austrian DMs - 18.5 €!).
Notino, 6.90 €


OLAPLEX n.3
A repurchase. I always say the same thing - I don't see visible results from this but I still use it because I bleached my hair and it's the only product that science proves rebuilds broken bonds, so the it's only one that fixes damage (L'Oreal's/Matrixes malic acid just lubricates the protein chains I believe, making the hair less brittle). I honestly wouldn't be bleaching my hair if I didn't have this in my collection. It's better to be safe than sorry.
Notino, 23.00 €

MATRIX Total Results Brass Off Custom Neutralization Hair Mask
This is a very complicated product to use, in fact I'm still trying to get a hang of it. It was designed for brunettes with blonde highlights, ombre, balayage - anything where bleach was involved. When dark hair is lightened you get first red, then orange, golden and lastly yellow tones, and to reach the lightest hair it can take several bleachings, so you can be stuck on more orange-yellow stages than a natural blonde would when lightening the hair and instead of a classic purple shampoo/mask, you need a blue product counteract those brassy tones that start to appear fast as the colour/toner is washing off. This looks so intense blue on the hair, it's kind of scary to see it, but at least it smells nicely like blueberries (Tigi's Small Talk has the same scent). It says to leave it on for 10 minutes and to use gloves (which stupidly I didn't as you can on my nails, but I don't like using gloves because I don't feel well where I already applied the product). It's a thick product, meaning you use a lot, especially since you have to make sure every strand is coated, so you use at least twice as much as of a regular hair mask (not sure if the conditioner is lighter, but it might have been a better choice if I got that instead. There's also a shampoo, but I prefer masks/conditioners based on experience). I assumed this was a product that is too strong for my relatively blonde hair by now, so the first time I left it on for only 5 minutes and I got zero effect. It all just washed off like I used nothing, like it was just a coloured coat sitting on top of the hair and it didn't even work on my lightest hair. I was surprised to see no effect because Subrina's Colour Refresh works almost in seconds. Same thing happened the second time I used it for recommended 10 plus a few more minutes, so that was two attempts that made me waste a lot of product. Attempt 3 was leaving it on for 20-25 minutes, only then I got an effect, but it was uneven just like with a purple mask. I got a mix of overcooled steel blue ends of level 10 (which were actually quite pretty if you like that grey effect), the level 9 yellow was toned most decently, but the hair where I actually expected toning, so golden yellow level 8 and some bit of orange level 7 stayed mostly the same (you can see that orange strand still peeking above the tube on the right picture, but most is hidden under the top layers). Basically I got a mix of super cool with warm shades and as expected now my hair is a bit darker, which some might say it looks terrible, but I just shrug and say whatever, I can deal with it. So the gist is, yes it works, but best results will be achieved on hair that is all lightened to the same level (so either all very light or all very golden-orange) and 10 minutes is not enough for hair that is not light blonde, which is exactly the type this was supposedly designed to. Also in the next washing most of it washed off, which I expected any way. In terms of how nice the formula is, it's a really good nourishing formula that was rich enough for my hair. I told you in an empties post that the back of my hair is quite orange (because I was bleaching my still natural dark brown there) and I immediately planned to re-do bleaching next time  I'm going my roots and hopefully get rid of strong orange and then this might be easier to use for me, the fact I didn't get the perfect result now is all the fault of my bad hair colouring anyway. Other options are that I leave it on for an hour and live with some very blue strands or try to single out those orange parts and just try this one those. 

  Notino, 11.52 €


SCHWARZKOPF GLISS Hair Repair Fiber Therapy Bonding Seal Mask
Though I see nothing particularly special on the ingredients list apart from a basic moisturising formula with a tiny bit of hydrolised keratin, I hope I'm just not knowledgeable enough to see what that omegaplex is at Schwarzkopf and gave it a go to see if it's any good. Omegaplex is supposed to be a bond builder, so something like Olaplex, but it can't be the same as Olaplex has their "special ingredient" patented. I also don't see any malic acid that L'Oreal uses in their Professional line and Matrix, nor succinic acid that Schwarzkopf has in their Blondme line. The texture is very thick, so it was not easy applying this on the hair quickly and I had to use a lot of it for one use. In terms of effect it was ok, nothing ground-breaking, but for a drugstore mask a nice one, very nourishing and that's about it. It can't compare to Matrix in terms of results, but for very dry hair that's not necessarily also damaged, it's a good one. 
About 6-7 €. I got it in Leclerc, since it's not sold in Műller or DM any more.

GARNIER FRUCTIS SOS Repair 10 in 1 All-in-one Leave-in
The 10 in 1 claim is obviously exaggerated - well, stretched out and kind of Captain Obvious one - but I got this because it has coconut oil high on the list, it's a heat protectant and because it can be used on damp and wet hair, so I had some hopes it's similar to the discontinued Dove Super Quench. It's not great on dry hair. The formula lacks silicones, so it quickly ends up feeling too heavy on the hair even on my thick, dry, unruly texture. On damp hair I had mixed results. The first time it added some extra care, but at the cost of that light, airy feeling of freshly washed hair. The second time I used only two pumps and results were much better. The the key here truly is quantity. The bottle is massive with 400 ml, so I have no idea when I'll use this up, especially since it's just a regular moisturising treatment to me and doesn't do the extra bits like taming the hair or making it feel smooth.
Leclerc, about 4-5 €


BALEA Handcreme Urea
I immediately liked this. This is seriously good just like reviews say and I really like using it. It leaves my hands nicely nourished and with this nice silky feeling so they feel softer with other hand creams. 
DM, about 1-2 €

FA Invisible Sensitive 48h Protection Anti-Perspirant
Rose & Hawthorne
This is my first time trying Fa deodorants. It's barely scented, but it appears to be working so far. It doesn't keep me completely dry all the time, but at least it keeps the odours at bay. 

BALEA Rasiergel Exotic Coco
An unwilling repurchase. I wanted any other scent, but this was the only one we had here for two months when I was checking out if we have the regular version or some new LE (ironically we got it a week after I bough this). It's not my favourite because it smells bland and not really tropically coconuty, but the gel itself is great as usual. 
DM, 1.99 €


BALEA Erfrischendes Wasch Gel
My regular repurchase. Packaging was changed again and now has the 10% aloe vera claim at the top, but I don't know if they changed the formula too.
DM, 1.99 €

BALEA Fusscreme 10% Urea
I got this after liking the hand cream. I'm not that impressed, it feels lighter than the hand version and therefore doesn't appear to be as nourishing despite more urea. I used up the 25% urea one and it wasn't super impressive. I was told this one is much better, but I think I'll just try to use it up quickly and use then use the hand version instead.
DM, 1-2 €

BALEA Reinigendes Handgel
Magical Team 
I had hopes this will be strongly scented, but it has this sweet floral scent that's nothing special. I wish we had Bath & Body Works here, those are so much more impressive. I hate this version only comes with the rubber sleeve which I have no use for; like the bottle isn't enough plastic already. 


BALEA Badesalz Wasser Melone
I got this as a gift and I haven't used this yet, but I can smell the watermelon through the bag. Something for giving you that summer feels in the bathtub. 

BALEA Pflegecreme Fűhl dich Gedrűck
I got this as a gift too. I used to buy these all the time and used them as hand creams because they are nicely nourishing and absorb fast. This one has a nice floral sweet scent. 
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Max Factor Facefinity All Day Flawless 3 in 1 Primer Concealer Foundation SPF20 10 Fair Porcelain

February 15, 2020, 6:27 am
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This isn't a new foundation as far as I'm aware of, nor do I know if it was reformulated, but in our drugstores we currently have versions with a clear cap and this black one. I was sent a bottle recently and I got it in the palest shade I've seen so far. There is an impressive 40 shades in this line and in twist I've never expected from a drugstore foundation, it's actually too light for me. Max Factor really pulled all the stops when it comes to catering to even the palest of skin tones. The formula claims to be a three in one: a primer, a concealer and a foundation. As an extra plus it also has an SPF 20, though it's on the low side. I used to have a primer from this line and I liked it a lot, but it's since disappeared from our drugstores.


Texture: It doesn't appear to be a very thick foundation when you squeeze it out, but it feels thick when you try to blend it in. It's not an easy foundation to blend to me, maybe because my skin is on the dry side, but it lack some emollient feeling that would make it blend easier and not stick to one place too much.


Coverage and finish: It's got a light-medium coverage and it creates quite a nice even finish, but it can't cover redness from spots. Finish is very matte, too much for me. It looks nice freshly applied, but in time it becomes an obvious, flat looking foundation. Despite sticking in place like cemented, in an hour I get those white spots around my nose where the foundation slid into and stuck in the pores too much. Same also happens on the edges of my face, but you notice both of these are things only on close inspection.

Staying power: For something that is so matte and doesn't move, this is almost gone from my face after 7 hours. As a plus I can say it doesn't emphasise lines or make them worse at the end of the day. 


Shade: I'm not sure if any other affordable drugstore brand has such a pale shade, but it's lighter than Essence's #insta perfect 10 #cool porcelain which was previously lightest in my collection. If you're looking for something truly pale, Max Factor has got you covered and the shade 10 Fair Porcelain is neutral. I don't know which shade would match me perfectly in this line, maybe the next in line called Porcelain, though 10 matches my neck, it's just when I apply it all over the face it looks very pale. In any case this shade is very handy to me because I use it to mix with my darker foundations. By the way, shade 10 Fair is not available in Slovenia, the lightest here is 47 Nude and theres 4 more shades: 50, 55, 70 and 75.

Scent: It's not fragranced, but it has a slight "paint" scent. Nothing truly noticeable.

Packaging: It comes in a glass bottle with a pump. Everything works fine.


Price and availability: In Slovene drugstores it costs 14.69 €.


Honestly, I really want to love this because I'm so glad it exists in such pale shades and Max Factor Slovenia made such an effort to get this shade to me, but though it looks really great on pictures, I'm not happy with how it starts to look in while. Right after application it's great, but it slips into pores and I get those mini white spots and it looks obvious on the skin, also it's too matte for me. I was a much bigger fan of the primer which was my favourite. I haven't tried many Max Factor foundations because they have only medium shades here, but I liked Radiant Lift which is one of the nicest looking foundations I've tried, except I think it broke me out, which is a problem specific to me.

Have a great day!

*PR product.
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Catrice Instant Awake Concealer 005 Neutral Light

February 20, 2020, 7:28 am
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I never truly got along with Catrice's popular Liquid Coverage concealer, I find there are better formulas for the price (Essence's Camouflage + Healthy for one), but this concealer by Catrice is more up my alley. It's a similar type as my beloved Maybelline's the Eraser Eye, not just because of the packaging, but also in terms of texture and effect. 


Texture: it's very similar to Maybelline's the Eraser Eye, meaning it has a light formula that looks very natural for a concealer. It's a formula best suited for under the eyes, though due to the liquid, blendable texture it creases and needs some powder to set it in place.


Coverage and finish: Coverage is only a medium, but I always preferred the natural look to more coverage and potential cakeyness (like I experience at L'Oreal's Infallible concealer). There's nothing worse for me than a cakey, obvious texture and with this you get an a lot more seamless blending into a foundation under it or just on the skin. Finish is satin/natural skin texture.

Staying power: It can't compare to full coverage concealers such as The Saem, Collection Lasting Finish or L'Oreal's Infallible, but with some powder staying power is extended by a lot.


Shade: 005 Neutral Light is the second shade in the range of five. It's a passable match for me, especially since the formula has only a medium coverage. 


Packaging: This could be great if the sponge applicator were not empty. Now it feels flimsy and you can't use it for blending like the more firm Maybelline's one, unless it's almost without product. But it's not a big minus, it's just one for me, you can just blend with anything else like pretty much any other concealer. The much bigger issue is the quantity you get. It's only 1.8 ml, which is so much less than most concealers (it's about 1/4 of what you get at Maybelline). I had Bourjois 123 CC Eye concealer which is amazing, but you get a similar amount and it didn't last long. Here you also have a sponge which is bound to absorb extra product. 

Price and availability: It costs 5.09 € in drugstores.


As far as formula and performance is concerned this is a great concealer in my books - it looks natural and covers enough. However, it's just not a great deal when it comes to quantity for the price and you get a lot more if you buy Maybelline's, which has a better packaging too.

Have a great day!

*PR product.
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New in #89

February 25, 2020, 8:53 am
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 L'OREAL Paradise Extatic Waterproof
In my last New in I mentioned I got the regular version of this formula, which I love for its volumising effect, but it drops my lashes, so I ordered the waterproof version to see if it fares any better. To me this is pretty much the same mascara as Essence's I <3 Extreme Waterproof. It creates an almost identical result on me and the formula feels equally on the dry side as Essence's. It adds some volume, leaves the lashes separated and keeps them curled all day. It's less volumizing than the regular version, which a recurring theme with all waterproof mascaras, but to me keeping my lashes curled is more important because no amount of volume can help me when my lashes drop and are pretty much invisible due to that. Since it's the same as Essence's, which is cheaper, I'll stick to that one, though I don't exclude the possibility of buying this one again purely for shallow reasons that this one comes in a much prettier packaging.   
Spletična, 7.50 €

REVOLUTION PRO Supreme Eyeshadow Palette 
Captivate 
I have this in version Allure which was sent to me so I didn't get to pick the shades and while I'm not a fan of most of colours in that palette, unlike a majority of such products which I end up giving away, I kept it purely because the quality is so good. This palette comes in 4 combinations, none is perfect for my liking, but I picked the most neutral one called Captivate based on online swatches and hoped for the best. The quality is again great, but like at Allure not all eyeshadows are equality good, so it's only partly amazing. The first three shades are that sort of cream chalky texture that Revolution has is some of their highlighters, but they are still useful. The rest of the palette is great, the eyeshadows are buttery smooth and very pigmented, they are also some of the nicest to blend. Colours are lovely neutrals, but I could do without three light shades and I'd put something different instead, such as the lovely bronze shade in Allure.   
Notino, 7.90 €


ESSENCE The Nude Edition Eyeshadow Palette
Essence's eyeshadows can be a hit or miss, but mostly a miss for me, even their popular Chrome eyeshadows, but when I swatched this palette in the shop I was immediately impressed. It's not as good as Revolution Pro, but the eyeshadows are a lot smoother than their usually quality and they are all nicely pigmented when swatched with a finger. I find it takes a bit more layering when using a fluffy brush, but I tend to apply most eyeshadows with a finger (except in a crease) and just blend out the edges with a brush. Their matte eyeshadows are surprisingly buttery feeling and smooth, but overall every single eyeshadow in this is good. I like most the colours and actually all are nice natural wearable shades. I'm quite impressed by this Essence's latest offering, they've improved so much through the years and this is actually much better than Catrice latest palettes. One weird thing though, that central taupe just fell out in one piece when I first opened it, but I just placed it back and it's fine.
Müller, 4.39 €

CATRICE Pure Nail Polish
02 Clarity
I fell in love with this colour as soon as I saw it on Catrice's stands. It looked just like my type of colour and I hoped it might be similar to Essence's discontinued nail polish in 56 You and Me. However, on the nails it's blah. It's much greyer than in the bottle, it's this grey mauve shade that I don't think it suits my skin tone best. I was told, when I asked for opinion that it's a granny colour. Yeah, so this was miss buy for me. But the actual formula is nice to apply and no different from regular nail polishes. It's a classic nail polish that's opaque in two coats and isn't streaky. But staying power is bad even on me.  
Müller, 4.19 €


MAX FACTOR Creme Puff 
15 Seductive Pink 
I have this in shades 05 Lovely Pink and 20 Lavish Mauve, the latter is one of my favourite shades ever and I'm also a big fan of this formula, though since I discovered L.O.V., I mostly wear those blushes. For quite some time I've been eyeing this shade in the shops. It looked like such a pretty natural rosy shade, however, mine is completely different. It's swatches peachy and I'm thinking it has to do with the amount of peachy vs. pink in my blush because it is so unexpectedly different. I'm not so sure about this one, but on the cheeks it looks a bit pinker. The formula of these is one of the nicest in the drugstores - pigmented enough, they apply nicely and are smooth, but I don't get that illuminating effect most reviews describe.
Notino, 5.53 €

L.O.V. BLUSHment Blurring Blush 
010 Be the Game Changer 
It's no secret I'm completely besotted with these blushes and consider them the best formula I've tried. I already have three and I got another shade that's missing in my collection. Formula of these is so refined and smooth, it's impossible to apply them in a bad way and some shades also have very fine shimmer that make them like a mix of a highlighter and a blush. This is one of those shades. 010 Be the Game Changer is still a warm-ish pink, but much less than 050, it's more a neutral-warm version of the shade. It has the same glow as 050. It's such a shame we didn't have these when we still had L.O.V. stands in Müller. I'd buy every shade. 
Notino, 9.99 €


MAYBELLINE SuperStay Ink Crayon
25 Stay Exceptional
This is another product I've been eyeing for a while. I was afraid it's going to be too dark for my liking and it is on the dark side for my skin tone. It's a medium muted pink shade that would probably look amazing on darker skin tones than mine. The formula of these is so good, though now that I've tried so many lip products, there are similar ones and the only reason it stands out is due to the shape and built in sharpener, so you have the benefit of using this as a liner and a lipstick. It's a smooth, nicely matte formula that's easy to apply. To me it's not drying, but it's not a nourishing formula and I can see it being not comfortable for some just like most if not all, matte lipsticks. It's got the same scent as their liquid lipsticks, so a strong fruity vanilla one. I've been thinking about getting one more shade of these called 15 Lead the Way, which is lighter.
Notino, 6.46 €

L’OREAL Paris Color Riche Matte Free The Nudes Lipstick
06 No Hesitation
This has been on my mind since the moment I tested it in the shop a few months ago. The texture looked so nicely matte, similar to Colourpop's Matte X, but mine is not as matte. Texture is just like at Maybelline like most matte lipsticks by now - smooth to apply and feels comfortable to me on the lips. The colour looks brownish in the tube, but on the lips it's more rosy-brown and it's a nice natural, wearable shade. It's scented with the classic L'Oreal lipstick fragrance that some call a granny scent, but I like it.  
Notino, 8.23 €


I got two more of these. I wanted to stock up because I feel this shade fits me so well. It's close to my natural lip colour, though it is darker, since my lips are so pale and it's more vibrant, but it's great for a natural look I like to wear and I can shape my lips with it without looking too much like makeup. I'm a fan of this formula, it's a lot better than the super soft one they had before. It's still soft, but waxy enough that the tip isn't blunt instantly.
Müller, 1.19 €

MAYBELLINE Color Sensational Shaping Lip Liner
Dusty Rose
I already love this as much as Big Proposal and it's my favourite shade out of the three new ones I bought recently. It's a pinker version Essence's shade, but it still looks very natural. The formula is a good one too. It's soft and easy to apply all over the lips, plus you get a sharpener on the other side so you can keep it always precise. 
Müller, 5.11 €


*RIMMEL Scandaleyes Volume on Demand
I got a Travel SOS kit by Rimmel which contained three eye product, two below-mentioned eyeliners and this mascara. It's been years since I last had a mascara from Rimmel, but they used to be so popular on forums where I was. This is a nice one, it creates a good amount of volume, length and it doesn't clump the lashes together, however, it's quite wet when it's new and my lashes drop, but surprisingly not as much as at L'Oreal Paradise, so I have a tiny bit of hope it might dry and perform more like Max Factor's 2000 Calorie. We'll see. It'll keep this one for future use because now I have two L'Oreal's Paradise mascaras. 

*RIMMEL Wonder' Swipe 2-in-1 Liner to Shadow
012 Kha-Ching
I already reviewed this formula when I got the silver shade last year. This is an emerald green shade with shimmer that can be applied opaque, but it sometimes needs an extra coat. It's meant to work as an eyeshadow too, but the silver one wasn't the best and I haven't tried this one yet. It doesn't last as long as Catrice's Liquid Eyeliner and by the middle of the day only greenish shimmer remains.


 *RIMMEL Exaggerate Waterproof Eye Definer
261 Noir
I remember reading rave reviews about Rimmel's black eyeliners, but I'm not sure it was about this version in a twist up form. Maybelline set the bar very high for me and this doesn't cut it. It's less smooth, not as pigmented and it doesn't last all day on my waterline like Tattoo eyeliner. It's still an ok liner, but Maybelline's is a lot better and it transfers intensely black faster into waterline. Rimmel's has a sharpener and a sponge on the other side.


*MAX FACTOR False Lash Effect Deep Raven Black Mascara
This is a brand new mascara by Max Factor, which has a very similar brush to the original False Lash Effect, meaning plastic and big. I won't open it until I use up my other mascaras, but I in general tend to like MF mascara's and I'm a particularly big fan of their 2000 Calorie. I hope it's similar to their Voluptuous False lash Effect Mascara, which I love, but I haven't seen it on the stands for a while now.


GLAM GLOW SuperMud 
I had a sample of the original black one which wasn't anything special and L'Oreal's Pure Clay Exfo works the same on me. When my skin is acting up I always use The Ordinary 30% AHA and one of L'Oreal Pure Clay masks, but Glow Supermud combines AHAs (six of them in fact), clay and charcoal, plus a lot of people rave about it, so I wanted to give it a go. I got the small version because full size is so expensive and actually seeing how little you need for one use, it was the right decision. I'm used to the thicker texture of L'Oreal, which I always apply a lot, but this has a liquid type of texture and I find you need a thin application, it just works better than way. This is really very good, a lot better than L'Oreal and any mask I tried before. I didn't get any tingling, but I could see how it sucked the stuff from my pores, though I can't say they looked any better after, but it really works for unclear skin, which was why I bought it originally. I've done several treatments with L'Oreal before buying this in the last two months since my skin hasn't been behaving and this did so much more with just one use.
Notino, 14.10 €


*ORIFLAME NovaAge Facial Cleansing Oil
This is a new product by Oriflame and you know I'm always happy to see a new cleansing oil, since I use them every day. Extra plus: it doesn't have mineral oil, which tends to break me out. I'm very pleasantly surprised by this. So far it's proving itself to be an excellent oil. It's very similar to my favourite Hada Labo - the texture isn't too liquid, so you don't need a thousand pumps, it emulsifies nicely and rinses off completely, leaving nothing behind. The scent could be a bit nicer, but I actually barely notice it even now that I've only used it for a few days. I need to see how this works with my skin long-term, but so far I like it. 
Oriflame, regular price 19.99 € /current catalogue 12.99 €

*ORIFLAME Eclat Amour 
Eau de toilette
A new Valentine’s/spring fragrance by Oriflame. Notes include white violets, white iris and cedarwood, making this a powdery, woody-floral. This smells wonderful on the page of the catalogue, but on my skin I don’t get that pretty powdery touch this has. It’s less delicately floral and it comes off as a sweet, yet slightly sharp white floral on me. It’s ok, wearable, but not my favourite. For a romantic, spring floral I prefer their Delicate Cherry Blossom (very similar to L’Occitane), which also lasts longer.
Oriflame, 32.90 € / 18.99 €


PRADA Candy 
Eau de parfum
This used to be so popular and I've always liked it, but I tend to keep to the cheaper spectrum at fragrances, mostly with BBW stuff. I was looking for something new, something warm and cosy that doesn't have patchouli which appears to be in just about every popular fragrance right now, but my nose doesn't like it anymore. Top note here is caramel, heart consists of powder and musk and base of vanilla and bezoin. I was most attracted to the powder note, I really wanted a nice powdery/makeup-y fragrance, but a lot tend to smell off on me. This is such a wonderful powdery scent on a warm base that isn't sweet, which is kind of ironic given the name. It's not heavy, there's nothing sharp in this, it's just comforting, but not in a gourmand way. I'm not a fan of the bottle though.
Notino, 44.40 €


CAROLINA HERRERA Good Girl
Eau de parfum
 I had a gift card plus a lot of points in DM and I decided to use them on a perfume. I went through a lot of fragrance they have, which isn't even remotely close to what Müller has, so I was fairly limited in my choice, but I picked this one because it felt like the most universally likeable one and it's pretty popular at the moment. I originally wanted Legere version which smells better to me and I actually prefer the bottle, but the more I wear this, the more it's really growing on me. It's a warm scent with so many notes that are hard to pick out, but mostly I get tuberose with tonka bean and some cocoa. Very luckily don't get any coffee, which is a scent I dislike a lot, nor do I get much the obnoxious patchouli which my skin tends to emphasise tenfold, making most of the most popular fragrances unwearable to me. It's a nice warm, more of a sexy type of fragrance because it has some almost spicy sharpness to it that makes it similar to Paco Rabanne Black XS, while the base could be described as somewhat powdery or "a fancy fabric softener-like". Based on the notes, I'd never think this is a fragrance for me, but for now it works, though I fear that sharpness will become annoying to me in time. The bottle is absolutely gorgeous and deserves a place on my vanity.  
DM, 48.49 €


REVOLUTION SKINCARE Targeted Blemish Serum 2% Salicylic Acid 
My chin was breaking out for almost 2 months and I don't get why. It's been so many years since my skin was problematic, I had nothing in stock apart from COSRX Blackhead essence which I think it's too old because it's not working anymore and their patches. A while ago Sandra from Keep Calm and Wear Lipstick sent me a generous tester of TO's Salicylic acid 2% and Azelaic acid which she both swears by. That tester of salicylic acid was the only thing apart from CORSX patches that work on my spots. Unfortunately TO's version is currently being reformulated and I checked everywhere I could think off, but it's out of stock, so after some googling I found this. Normally I'm not a fan of the way Revolution shamelessly copies everything, especially TO which is already so affordable, but in this case it came in really handy. The textures of the two are similar, but Revolution's version is heavily scented, which they really shouldn't have add it into such a product. It also starts to emulsify when I'm rubbing it in, which is a bit strange. It's working ok, but not quite as quickly as TO's version, still most of the breakouts are now gone and all I'm left with is blemish marks, which I know will take forever to fade.
Beauty Bay, €8.95

THE ORDINARY Azelaic Acid Suspension 10% 
Another product I got based on Sandra's recommendation from a couple of years ago and also based on a lot of reviews. It's recommended for skin that's breaking out, but the description mostly mentions brightening. Since I knew my skin will be left with spot marks for absolute ages, I got this as well and hopefully it will work, but glycolic acid doesn't do much for me. This is a deceptively thick from the tube and when you apply it, it feels like a rich moisturiser, but it very quickly dries to a dry-to-the touch super smooth feeling, like I just used a primer. I've tried to use it under makeup a few times, however, it makes everything on top pill on me, though I hear a lot of people get along with it just fine if the use it under makeup. I get no tingling, except when I apply a toner over it, so when it gets wet. It's also a type of texture that's hard to layer because it starts to pill. I find this is more effective than Revolution's serum when it comes to spots, but neither have helped me to stop breaking out completely. It's assisting the fading of spots, still I have a long way to go before they disappear. 
Beauty Bay, €7.00


THE ORDINARY Vitamin C Suspension 23% + HA Spheres 2%
I just ran out of my second bottle of Eucerin which I love and I would buy it again, but that bottle is 17 € for 7 ml, so I got this to try mostly due to the affordable price. I heard the texture is terrible and I was so worried how I'll get on with this, but I have no idea what people are complaining about. It's a medium thick kind of greasy cream with some powder particles and it really is nothing terrible or difficult to apply. I don't mind the powdery texture at all, but I only use it in my night routine and I'd be bothered by it if I wore sunscreen + makeup on top. The finish it leaves is very shiny and it sits on the skin for a long time. First day I got no tingling, then I got a little bit for the second use, but since then it's been perfectly ok on its own. I haven't been using this long, so I see no results yet, but I'll report back. At Eucerin it two two-three weeks before I saw the first results. 
Beauty Bay, €5.75

THE ORDINARY Resveratrol 3% + Ferulic Acid 3% 
TO and reviewers highly recommend this to pair up with TO's Vitamin C 23% or their 30% in silicone. It's quite a rich oily-feeling texture and it pairs up nicely with Vitamin C (I mix them and with this combination the tingling is much stronger, so TO suggests to dilute them with oil), but I also like to use it on its own as one of the last steps, since it takes so long to absorb. This is another product I prefer to keep in my night routine. So far I don't see anything, but I'll report back in time.
Beauty Bay, €7.00


BALEA Urea Nacht Crème
A while ago I bought the 7% Urea sensitive version, which I almost used up already even though it's nothing special and it's lighter than I expected. This time I got the 5% one instead. I was hoping it will have a similar super smooth texture like the hand cream, but it's actually such a basic medium rich moisturiser. It does the job, but it takes long absorb.
DM, 2.69 €

BALEA Parfum Deodorant
Pure Blossom
I got this purely out of curiosity. I heard it smells like Lancome La Vie est Belle (which I don’t even like) and I wanted to see for myself if it’s true. It’s indeed very similar, on some people it might even be the same, but on me La Vie est Belle smells strongly of obnoxious patchouli, so this version is actually better. I can still smell it after about 4-5 hours, but it’s faint.  
DM, 1.19 €


*MOROCCANOIL Restorative Hair Mask
I'm a big fan of Moroccanoil, in particular their Intense Hydrating mask which is one the best moisturising masks I've tried (excluding Kerastase Masquintense, which I don't know if it's discontinued or not). This has argan oil, shea butter and canola oil high on the list, but only one hydrolysed protein which is much lower, so it reads more like a moisturising mask than a protein one, but it’s overall richer than Hydrating one. The results of this were exceptionally good, but I did use it after trying Matrix Re-Bond and that one is similarly amazing, though this does make my hair feel even silkier. It's a bit like Re-Bond and Intense Hydrating Mask had a baby, meaning it's so good for my bleached blonde hair. It’s so expensive, but Moroccanoil does not disappoint.
Click2chic, 40.89 € 

*MOROCCANOIL Glimmer Shine Finish
I'm a big fan of silicone oils in a spray. I have my got2b #ohmynude as a light version and Createurs de Monoi as a more heavy duty version when my hair is very dry. Unfortunately the latter isn't available anymore, so I wanted to see if this is a good replacement. It's lighter that CdM, but richer than got2B. It tames the hair and gives any intense shine just like the other two, but it's too light for really fixing dryness, though I get why they made it like that because for most CdM would very likely be too heavy and this is more suited for almost everyone people. My packaging is broken, it leaks at the top if I don't hold it straight and it leaks when I spray it, so I'll have to move this to a different bottle. 
Click2Chic, 16.80 €


OLAPLEX No. 7 Bonding Oil 
My third Olaplex product. I got number 3 before bleaching and have been using it ever since, I also have n.6 which I prefer to famous 3. Texture not as thick as Orofluido or Joico K-Pack Colour Therapy, but it’s also not very thin. It’s a regular silicone hair oil that gives shine and just help put those finishing touches to the hair, plus it smells nice like some kind of candy. I like the idea that I have an oil with a bond builder, which I use anytime on dry hair and it's the reason why I got it. I dislike the packaging, just like at all Olaplex products - it's like they are trying to make bottles from which you can't get anything out easy. I need to shake this one violently for those few drops. This is a also ridiculously small bottle and it's so expensive I feel completely mental for buying it, but there can never be too much of their bonding ingredient that has very likely helped me avoid terrifying damage to my hair.
Spletična, 27.00 €

I've been buying this for many years and I've gone through quite a few bottles. It's the cheapest good oil per ml and it also smells amazing. To me it's the same as for example Moroccanoil, Macadamia Natural Oil and Joico K-Pack (I love this one most due to the added quadramine complex), all are thick and rich formulas that suit my hair better than most oils from the drugstore which tend to be thin and more suitable for fine hair. I find that if I apply a large quantity before going to bed, my hair isn't as dry in the morning and it even performs better than regular oil (like coconut) because that one tends to absorb by the morning and my ends need a new dose by then. One minus is that it doesn't have a pump, but I finally found one that fits from a used up COSRX essence, just the stem doesn't reach to the bottom. This oil also smells amazing, it has a lovely warm oriental vanilla-amber scent.
Spletična, 13.80 €


SEXY HAIR HEALTHY Soy Tri-Wheat Leave in Conditioner
This is my regular repurchase, but they only had a mini one on Notino, which will have to do for now. I've had the mini before and it lasts a while. This is my choice for a moisturising leave-in conditioner. It adds an extra boots of moisture, helps the hair from drying out too fast and it also tames it a bit. It's been a staple in my hair care routine for many years.
Notino, 4.20 €


SCHWARZKOPF PALETTE Anti-Yellow Color Correction Spray
This is completely useless. I got this because I was a bit desperate for something that would tone my hair without having to wash it because I left Olaplex n.3 overnight and it completely stripped my toner off and I forgot to use Subrina's Colour Refresh mask after, so my hair was so yellow and orange it was downright embarrassing, but clearly not enough to wet my hair and use a toning mask which would make sense (I had such pretty curls, it was a shame to ruin them), so I grabbed this in the supermarket without reading any reviews and it just reminded me why I don't do that. It looks ok, it's dark purple in the bottle and there's so shimmer in it too that serves no purpose, but even though I used a ton of it and in several layers, there was zero toning of any sort. Complete waste of money. Maybe Schwarzkopf's Blondme Instant Blush Blond Beautifier Spray in Ice or even Steel Blue would be a lot better. Reviews look promising.
Leclerc, 6-7 €
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February Favourites

February 29, 2020, 4:58 am
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I can't say that I absolutely adore this primer, in fact I find it's nothing special and doesn't do much of the things it promises, meaning no blurring pores, extra illumination or doing anything extra special. So why is it even in this post? Because it's a light, non-greasy way to wear some extra SPF (I mean that on my dry skin) and I know I'll be using it throughout the year because of that. 

I like this a lot on my skin. It's a light-medium coverage foundation that's easy to blend, doesn't sink into pores or emphasise lines and it looks natural. I'm glad this isn't the full coverage foundation Maybelline promises, as this way I get the type of formula I like with the added SPF - though I doubt this makes other people happy. I have quite dry skin and this is a formula that people with combination or oily skin will not like, as even I need to powder it, since it gets shiny during the day. 095 Fair Porcelain is also one of my best matches. 


L'OREAL Paradise Extatic Waterproof
I found another mascara that is capable of holding my lashes curled all day. It's actually almost identical to my all-time favourite Essence's I <3 Extreme Waterproof in terms of effect, but the brush is a normal size, so I end up with less dots on my eyelids after application. It adds about the same amount of volume and it's similarly dry, which also helps that the lashes don't clump together. It's less volumising that the original, which is a shame, but as long as it's keeping my lashes up, I'm not complaining. I also like the packaging a lot, since it's in "my colour".  

MAYBELLINE Color Sensational Shaping Lip Liner
Dusty Rose
I just love this shade and I should try to find a lipstick in the same colour. It's natural looking pink-nude that's similar to my favourite Big Proposal by Essence, so it's another great one for a natural makeup with nicely defined lips. Formula is soft and easy to apply all over the lips, plus you get a sharpener 


L.O.V. BLUSHment Blurring Blush 
010 Be the Game Changer 
My fourth shade of this formula. These are hands down the best blushes I've tried so far. They are so smooth and fine that they never just stick to much to one place, instead the always blend out nicely. This shade is similar to 050, which is more of a coral-warm light pink, while this is a more neutral-warm pink. It's got the same shimmer in it, which makes it like a mix of a blush and a highlighter, but it's not in-your-face glittery, it's more like an enhanced natural healthy glow. 


Glam Glow SuperMud 
I've been sticking to L'Oreal Pure Clay masks for years now and I still think they are all great, but this goes a step further because it combines AHAs, clay and charcoal. I bought this because my skin has been acting up and this helps dry up those pesky spots faster. I don't notice any glow from this, but at least it's working on breakouts and it's going to stay in my spot SOS kit. 
 

PRADA Candy 
I've been really enjoying this scent. This used to be so popular and I've always liked it, but even I completely forgot about its existence for a few years until I was looking for a nice winter scent. It's a great powdery warm scent, a mix between comforting and vintage makeup/powdery. I don't think the name fits it, but maybe it smells sweeter on others and caramel is a lot more noticeable, however, I get no sweetness in this on my skin, which suits me because it makes it smell more mature. 


CAROLINA HERRERA Good Girl
Eau de parfum
Originally I wanted Legere and I still do, but DM only had this one, so I settled. It grew on me. I went through most of the scents they have and this one was most up to my taste. It's somewhat similar to Paco Rabanne Black Xs without pink pepper. It's a warm, slightly spicy, kind of sexy scent or at least one that's most would describe as more suited for winter/night outs. I've heard several people is smells like coffee on the them, but luckily I don't get that note on me. I think it's a crowd pleaser because it's plainly put quite basic, but a nice one, something a bit different and not just a one thousandth reiteration of La Vie Est Belle/Flowerbomb/Jimmy Choo. The bottle is a total stunner, though I like the Legere version even more and this original one comes in a LE polka dot pattern too. 


MOROCCANOIL Restorative Hair Mask
Again Moroccanoil truly impressed me. I love their Intense Hydration mask and this is even richer with shea butter, canola oil and argan oil high on the list, plus little bit of protein. I've used this right after bleaching and my hair is really nice condition. This leaves my hair shiny and silky.

OLAPLEX No. 7 Bonding Oil 
I was really glad to see that Olaplex decided to expand their selection of products by including an oil. I use them a lot in between washings and this adds a little bit of extra, not just shine and tames the hair. In terms of texture and effect it doesn't differ from my favourites, but since I'm bleaching my hair, I like to stay on the side of caution and keep up with Olaplex and protein treatments. 


FA Magic Oil Shower Gel
This is surprisingly nice. I've tried a few of their shower gels, most recently Mystic Moments, which turned out to be a big disappointment (scent is terrible and not how it appeared from the bottle), but this one with micro oil is really good - though there absolutely nothing oily about it. For one the scent is fantastic. It reminds me of the ocean, but it's actually a floral scent, they say it's lotus. The formula is a thick gel one, which is pleasant to use and though I'm not sure it's nourishing, it feels better than most shower gels. I'm definitely going to repurchase this one. 


REMINGTON Proluxe Large Barrel Hair Curling Wand CI91X1
I adore this, this was such a great purchase. I've been using Remington's Pro Soft Curl wand with a 25 mm barrel for about 7-8 years, maybe longer and I still love it, but I always wanted something with a larger barrel. I have one from Babyliss with a 38 mm barrel which weighs a ton and though it creates lovely curls, they lasts no more than a few hours (with Pro Soft they last several days). This wand is a something in between the two, it's 38 mm at the top and 25 mm at the end and it creates the loose, soft curls I like (on the picture below with Spectra hair colour). Remington says it has OptiHeat technology where heat is delivered to the thicker sections of your hair at the top, diverting from where it can be most damaging in plus it has grip tech coating, meaning the barrel isn't completely smooth, which is actually quite brilliant because it keeps the hair in place, so it doesn't slip on the barrel. With Pro Soft I had to keep the temperature at 200°C so that the curls lasted for days, but here I get the same result with only 180°C. It's very light to hold, the hair doesn't get tangled anywhere and there's no useless clip. The only minus is that it claims to heat up in 30 second, but it's longer. I get such pretty curls with this and the last for days. I always use a ton of heat protection, at least three layers because I'm very particular about that stuff, but even so this leaves my hair nicely shiny and I haven't noticed any extra damage - the fact I can use a low temperature at this one, even though my hair is very thick is surely contributing a lot. The box looks like this.  


SUBRINA Spectra Demi-Permanent Colour
8/10 Ice Blonde
I had to do my roots since I has so much showing already and I wanted to lift the rest of my hair too to get rid of the orange. I didn't quite make it, despite trying twice, so it looks like I'm going to be stuck with some orange pieces mostly at the back of my hair, while the rest is quite light by now. Last time I used L'Oreal 9.1 on the top half of the hair and Subrina's Butter Colour 1080 on the ends, since it was in my "Ilirija drawer" and I've come to realisation that Subrina makes some of the best cooling blond shades. So this time I again raided my drawer again and tried this one, which is the same shade, just a different formula. It's a demi-permanent shade, which is a much less damaging way of toning than using a proper colour. I mixed it with a 3% developer and it toned the yellow into a very pretty cool ashy blonde. Some more yellowish strand still remain because this colour is meant for cooling very pale yellow hair, which mine isn't, but I think it did a good enough job considering how scary orange my hair looked (I planned on giving this a try first and it's it wouldn't be good enough, I'd use L'Oreal's 9.1. I still might single out those yellow strands and tone them, but in RL the hair colour looks better blended than my camera picked up). It's very gentle, so I wasn't worried it's going to cause extra damage on freshly bleached hair, but it is not nourishing at all, so even though I used both Olaplex and Joico K-Pack duo before, this left my hair coarse - thanks to my extensive hair care stash I fixed with Matrixes Re-Bond duo. One tube was no enough for me, which I didn't expect because together it should be 180 ml of product (60 ml of colour and 120 ml od developer) and at L'Oreal that was always too much, but here had to miss some parts and had to go to get two extra tubes so I could fix it next time, which turned out to be a bit too much, so 1.5 tube is enough for me. I'm quite happy with the colour, though I was told I look grey now, but I did not expect it to work so well considering how terrifying fluorescent yellow orange my hair looked after bleaching. I like the colour in spite of a few warmer pieces, since they don't look too out of place in person. Also such toners are in very short supply in Slovene drugstores, I think this is pretty much the only such product, at least from what I could see in drugstores here.


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Catrice Poreless Perfection Mousse Foundation 010 Warm Ivory

March 5, 2020, 7:32 am
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This is a new foundation in Catrice's line up. They already have a matt foundation that's probably the only thing that survived their discontinuing frenzies for years and this time they made a mousse version. For such a formula it's surprisingly silicone free and also mineral oil free unlike Rimmel's latest such foundation. I find it a very problematic foundation, though that's just my experience on my dry skin and this is designed for normal-oil skin types.


Texture: It's a mousse foundation that so thick it's hard to get it out of the tube, yet when you apply it on the skin it turns into a light, instantly dry-to-the-touch and completely matte texture, so it's like some pore refining primers. It's actually very similar to the Rimmel's Lasting Matte foundation except the coverage is much higher at that one. For some reason Catrice's foundation is impossible to lighten with The Body Shop Adjusting Drops, as the texture clumps up and becomes useless, like seized chocolate. Another big issue with this is that I can't apply a concealer over it because it makes the foundation under it pill and becomes cakey. I can only wear this on it's on and as an extra minus, I also can't layer it for more coverage, but in a single coat it works ok.


Coverage and finish: Coverage is light, I can't call it a light-medium as any big imperfection or redness is still visible. Finish is perfectly matte. It hides the pores somewhat, but not outstandingly well like L'Oreal Infallible Matte 24h. 

Staying power: is nothing special, it doesn't last long as long as most other foundations, but it's not terrible in that respect and it's fading evenly.


Shade: I got the second shade in the line-up called 010 Warm Ivory. 005 exists too, but we had no testers in my local Müller, so I don't know how it compares to this, but given how dark 010 is, I'm not expecting much. 010 is maybe close to NC25 with a neutral-warm undertone. Due to being so sheer, you can get away with a darker or lighter shade easier than with a high coverage formula.  


Packaging: It comes in a tube with a regular screw lid. Since it's so thick I'd prefer it were in a pot, but then it would be less hygienic. 

Price and availability: It cost 6.09 € in drugstores. 


This is not a foundation for me. Rimmel's foundation is very similar in terms of texture and somehow it manages to behave a lot better on the skin. Maybe it's those added silicones and mineral oil - whatever it is, it's working and Catrice's foundation doesn't on me. Those with an normal to oily skin might have more luck with this one, but I am wondering if they'll have the same problem as me with layering, adding concealer or trying to lighten the shade. In a single coat it's not that bad, but I need more versatility from a foundation.  

Have a great day!

*PR product.
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Deborah 24 Ore Velvet Mat Lipstick 07

March 10, 2020, 5:18 am
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These are new in the drugstores and come in 8 shades. I have great experience with Deborah lips products, in particular I love their liquid matte lipstick, so this line immediately caught my attention. As expected I was not disappointed and these turned out to be great quality. 


Texture: Formula is really well made. It's super smooth, it glides on the lips with ease and it's not too thick or drying. Finish is properly matte and it's got a good level of pigmentation, but it's not as opaque as matte liquid lipsticks. It doesn't feel uncomfortable not even after several hours have passed, so if you didn't get a long with the liquid version, these feel less dry on the lips.


Shade: 02 is a medium warm pink that's similar to the discontinued Essence Stay True Lipliner waterproof 08 Thank you Berry much. Deborah has accurate swatches of all shades on their website


Staying power: I was concerned it might not last long, but it looks like freshly applied several hour later, provided of course I don't eat anything greasy. It's not as long lasting as the liquid version, but for a regular lipstick it's really good.


Packaging: It's a crayon like pencil with a wind up mechanism, so there's no need for a pencil sharpener. However, there's also nothing to help you make it more precise again when use it up a bit, Maybelline's SuperStay Ink for example is a similar design and they added a sharpener at the back. Formula's are actually very similar, so here is where Maybelline takes the lead.

Price and availability: It's sold in DM for 8.69 €.


Deborah nailed another matte formula and this one is more comfortable than the liquid version if you tend to have more dry lips. It's so smooth and lasts well, so I'm very pleased with the formula, but it has some strong competition is the drugstores.

Have a great day!
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L'Oreal Le Blush 120 Sandalwood Pink

March 16, 2020, 10:19 am
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Ever since I've tried L'Oreal's Infallible palettes, I wanted to try their single blushes as well, but for the longest time we didn't even have them here. I think these were placed on the stands sometime mid last year, though we only got two shades of this formula. The other shade we have is pinker, so naturally I was drawn to the more natural looking 120, though at first glance they are very similar.


Texture: I sort of forgot that not all blushes are as amazingly smooth as L.O.V.s, those truly spoiled me, thought this L'Oreal formula is still a great one, but kind of a standard good formula, similar to Catrice one. It's not as easy and fool proof to apply as L.O.V., but it behaves the same as the rest of my better blushes.  


Shade: 120 Sandalwood Pink is a muted rosy-slightly brownish/peachy shade that looks much like the rest of my blush drawer. It's nicely pigmented and it has a tiny bit of a glow, but it's not like a blush-highlighter hybrid. 


Staying power: It lasts well, though like at most blushes it also depends on the base under it. 

Packaging: I heard complains about the packaging and it's really not the best because the bottom compartment where the mini mirror and a brush are held flaps around as there's no separate system to keep it closed, but it's not a very problematic packaging. The brush isn't the best and I prefer to use other ones. 


Price and availability: It costs 11.99 € in the drugstores.


I expected the same quality as in the Infallible palettes or better said as good as one of the shades in the Amber Palette (4th), but this is not as creamy as that one, nor does it have the same glow to it, but it is similar to some of the rest of the shades in those palettes. Overall those were better, but I haven't seen them in a while on the stands, which is a shame. This is expensive for a drugstore blush and it has some strong competition, but the shade is a nice one and worth it if you like such colours.

Have a great day!
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New in #90

March 21, 2020, 8:10 am
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 *ESSENCE Bye Bye Panda Eyes! Smudge-proof, Volumizing & Defining Mascara
I'm not loving this one, but it has one fantastic quality - it's the easiest mascara to remove. It's removed only with warm water, meaning it's a tubing mascara and it doesn't "run/smudge off, rather it disintegrates into small flakes, so there's much less mess at this one than at regular mascaras. However in terms of effect it's very average. The formula is thinner than most, so you don't get a lot of volume. It separates well and it's not a wet, sticky mascara that would clump the lashes quickly, but it has no hold, so it can neither hold my lashes up, not keep them fanned out nicely when I apply more coats because my lashes fall back to their natural position. The brush is a classic one. Maybe this will thicken a bit in some time, but for now compared to my other opened mascaras I have in my drawer, this is the least impressive one in terms of effect. 
3.79 €


*ESSENCE 24 Ever Ink Liner Intense Black
This I like a lot more than the mascaras and I've used it every time I've worn makeup since I got it. I've been using Catrice Liquid Eyeliner for many years now, but I used to use these felt tip liners all the time. The tip is small and precise, so excellent for when you want a thin line. When I first got it, I was so used to Catrice' Liquid Eyeliner that I needed some extra time with this one due to it being smaller, but I adapted quickly. It's an excellent liner for beginners because you can do small strokes with it and it's easier to avoid mistakes. Tip is for now well saturated, but we'll see how it performs over time when I use it several times over eyeshadows, because that's precisely the reason I switched to liquid liners - felt ones dry much faster or at least get ruined by eyeshadows. It's nicely black, but not as glossy intense as liquid version. It lasts surprisingly well. It can easily stay all day on my normal eyelids, but I have my doubts about it on oily ones - you're going to have to find some other reviewers to tell you how it lasts. I find this is pretty good.
2.99 €


 *ESSENCE Witch Side Eyeshadow Palette
I'm very impressed with the quality of this one. This palette contains 15 eyeshadows, 7 matte and the rest are satin or shimmery. It's divided into a dark and light side just like the front of the packaging, which also changes from eyes closed to opened. Most eyeshadows are soft, smooth and have great pigmentation, even the blue one which is very hard to come by. Only those spotty glitters are weird, though not completely useless. The white spots are duo-chrome shimmer than gives that change the colour of the eyeshadow, but they are too densely packed almost creamy eyeshadows are there's no way you can pick them up with a brush. Satin shimmer shades are most impressive, which makes me happy because I loved shade Haunted the moment I saw it and it's the best one in the palette. They last well, they blend well, I like most of the colours - truly Essence's latest offering is excellent. 
10.69 €


*CATRICE Disney LE Minnie & Daisy Eyeshadow Palette
C02 Daisy's Signature
This, however, was a disappointment. It's one the worst performing palettes I've tried in a while. Most eyeshadows are difficult to swatch, the central one Dazzling is so sheer. I still was able to make a nice look out of it, it just required a lot of layering and these do not blend easily. Despite being quite crappy quality, especially compared to the Essence one above, eyeshadow stayed put with no primer all day and didn't crease, so it's not an absolute waste and I like the shades. Not all are equally bad, just predominantly the ones I like, most useful are Lazy, Diva, Cherry and Jolly, with Diva being the best in the palette. Others appear to be more impressed or at least more forgiving to this palette than me, calling it subtle, but I expect more. 

9.09 €  


 *ESSENCE Stay 8h Matte Liquid Lipstick
05 Date Proof
This is pretty much just the repackaged previous formula Colour Boost Mad About Matte Liquid Lipstick and that one was in a better looking packaging and with a better applicator, so this is a downgrade. Formula is one of the thinnest such liquid lipsticks, something like Sleek Matte Me. Just like the previous one is dries to this layer that you can feel on the lips and it's equally less comfortable a lot of similar formulas, including the Catrice one below. I can deal with it just fine, but it might be torture for a lot of you. Staying power is still not amazing for a liquid matte lipstick. Colour is similar to my previous one 05 Dangerously yours, so a medium muted pink.
3.29 €


*CATRICE Pro Ink Non-Transfer Liquid Lipstick
040 Braveness Wins, 070 I am Unique and 080 Dream Big
This is more comfortable formula than Essence. It's still very matte, but it doesn't dry into a uniform layer. Staying power is similar to Essence, so neither are super impressive, with eating being their main nemesis, otherwise they stick on the lips ok. 040 is a peach shade, 070 a light pink, which looks cool lavender pink in the bottle, but it's not as cool on the lips and 080 is a medium rosy shade.
5.09 €


ESSENCE It's Brush Hour LE
Face brush
I needed an extra powder brush and I knew I shouldn't just pick one of Essence ones. They are still the same - cheap feeling synthetic ones that, yes, feel soft, but don't pick up much. It's ok, but there are better ones even on Aliexpress. At least it's pretty.
3.79 €
Foundation buffer brush
I'm not blown away by this one either. It does the job semi-decently, so it's not the worst, but it can leave streaks or blend away too much. It's a dense synthetic brush that isn't super soft, but I don't expect that from such a dense brush. I'll probably use it often, but it's not my favourite. Again I prefer Aliexpress brushes for the job. 
3.99 €


Elvital Öl Magique Nährpflege Shampoo
My favourite shampoo, I talk about it all the time. It suits my very dry hair and it's the best I found in the drugstores. 
Müller, about 3 €

L'OREAL Elseve Color-Vive Purple Shampoo
I only added this to the cart because it got me free shipping. I have Inebrya Ice Cream No Yellow Shampoo which is pretty strong, has a likeable non-drying formula and I would repurchase it, so I wasn't planning on trying L'Oreal because I kind of assumed it's weaker, but I was proven wrong. This is just as good as Ice Cream, it additionally toned my colour to an even ashier blonde. Formula is also nice, non-dying for my very dry hair and does the job. I'll be buying this one from now because it's a third of the price of Ice Cream in our drugstores (a bit over 3 € and IC is 10 €, though much cheaper online + available in a big packaging too). A masks exists too, which I might try, especially since it's 200 ml.
Notino, 5.51 € (which is more expensive than the drugstores as I learned a day later). 


 SCHWARZKOPF Blondme Bond Enforcing Premium Lightener 9+ 
My second box. One lasted me a year and I don't know how many bleaching precisely, but there were quite a few. I only have a 6% and 12% developer, so I mix them to get a kind of a version of 9% and with this mix it lifts my level 3 roots (dark brown) to a level 8-9 (medium-light blonde/canary yellow) in one session. Just with 6% it's a lot weaker and manages only a few levels of lift, on me it was from level 3 to level 5/6 (light brown/orange red), on ends 7 (dark blonde/orange). I haven't used it just with 12% yet because I have concerns about the strength. In all my bleach sessions it never left my hair dry, too damaged, overly processed, stringy or breaking off, so I trust this one completely, but I also use a ton of coconut oil before application and a ton of after care. It contains succinic acid which creates a protective layer around the bonds and it appears to be working. This was literary an instant repurchase, because I ran out of it during the session and I went online straight away to get another.
Notino, 25.50 €


 SUBRINA Spectra Demi-Permanent 8/10 Ice Blonde and ILIRIJA Hydrogen Cream 3%
I've already talked a lot about this one in monthly favourites and showed the results. It's a demi-permanent colour just like Schwarzkopf Blondeme Toning shades, this one is similar to Ice. For toning it should be mixed with a 3% developer, though I was considering mixing it with a 6% and the reason for that is that in the US a lot of people use Wella toners, which are also supposed to be mix with a 3%, but I read some mix it with a 6% because it can help lift those darkest still orange/golden parts (Schwarzkopf Blondeme recommend 3% for bleached hair and 6% for natural hair). I wasn't sure this has strong enough purple and blue tones to counteract my mix of levels 10,9,8 (overall canary yellow) and some scarily orange parts which stubbornly don't want to be lightened, but it did a surprisingly good job. My hair wasn't Ice Blonde because it's obviously too dark, but it was a nice ashy blonde with some warmer parts. It's very gentle, so I wasn't worried it's going to cause extra damage on freshly bleached hair, but it is not nourishing at all, so even though I used both Olaplex n.3 and Joico K-Pack duo before, this left my hair coarse, but thanks to my extensive hair care stash I fixed with Matrixes Re-Bond duo and another session of K-Pack. I needed 1 and 1/2 box for my very long, thick hair. This shade is not sold everywhere, but it's definitely in Müller, Leclerc, Drogerija Ilirija and Click2Chic (Interspar doesn't have it, neither DM, while I'm not sure about Tuš Drogerija). Hydrogen Cream is sold in most places.
Müller: Spectra 5 €, Hydrogen Cream 1 €


SUBRINA Colour Refresh Mask
Diamond Blonde
My 5th/6th or more tube, I don't know, but I use this a lot, since I've become a blonde. I have a couple of purple shampoos and Matrixes Brass Off, but this is the best such product I've tried. It's shockingly strong, so those with actual level 10 blonde hair be extremely careful with this and dilute it a lot. I used it when I didn't have enough Spectra the first time, so straight after bleaching on very orange hair that I was hiding on my lower layers. I used it undiluted and left it for 20-30 minutes, I forgot to check the time, but it turned even my golden-orange hair blue (but only to a certain level, as where it was dark orange, it didn't do anything), which was still way better than orange and I didn't mind it, but it’s a product that's where you need to monitor constantly what's happening and try to determine how strong your mix with Clear should be and how long to leave it on. If the hair turns blue, it actually just washes off, at least it does on me, so I'm not super careful myself, but I know some would just freak. This works faster and better than Matrixes Brass off, but it's still purple-blue, while that one is blueberry blue and better suited for counteracting orange, you just have to leave it on for a lot longer than this one. Things that bother me at this one - metal tubes that become hard to squeeze when close to empty and only 60 ml of product. This really should exists in larger versions because I need to keep repurchasing it, so I got two when Müller had 20% off. 
Müller, 4.99 €


YVES SAINT LAURENT Black Opium Neon
Eau de parfum 
This mentions only three notes: coffee, dragon fruit and orange blossom. I get dragon fruit and tons of vanilla, but no coffee, so that's a bit weird. It's pretty basic, a warm fruity vanilla scent on me, like Viva La Juicy and it doesn't stand out one bit. I'm sure BBW has something similar to a fraction of the price.

Have a great day!
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