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Catrice Pure Nail Polish 02 Clarity

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These came out in the latest Catrice update and so far there are only 5 shades. I fell in love with this colour as soon as I saw in on the stand, as 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. I was sorely disappointed.


On my nails this looks nothing like in the bottle. Where's the pink? It ends up looking so bland, a grey mauve with brown tones and there's none of that pretty powdery muted pink I see in the bottle. It sucks because for a drugstore nail polish it's not the cheapest (ok, it's also not expensive, but still).


The formula is not fussy. It's easy to apply, it's opaque in two coats and the formula isn't so thick that it would be streaky. It's not as good as gel nail polishes, but good enough. Staying power, however, is very disappointing. I'm used to nail polishes lasting for days, usually more than a week, but at this one chips started appearing after a few days (and with a top coat on) and within a week it was gone from several nails. I don't recall having any nail polish with such poor staying power. I can't imagine how well this would work on those who have problems with staying power in general.


I bought mine in Müller for 4.19 €.

This was a miss purchase for me. While the difference in the colour can be explain by the effect of my skin tone, staying power is just not good at this one on me. Shame because I like the concept. 

Have a great day!


March Favourites, Updates and Wishlist

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This is a really nice eyeliner for the price. The applicator is small, smooth and very precise, so also perfect for beginners and those who struggle with applying eyeliner. Formula is a deep black and it lasts all day on my normal eyelids. I've been using it a lot since I got it and it's still not showing any signs of drying out. I remember one of their previous versions needed to be "revived" in between individual eye applications, but this is consistently saturated with colour. Also the tip is really holding on and it's not becoming scruffy at the ends. We'll see how long it ends up lasting, but so far I'm impressed.


This was a very pleasant surprise, I did not expect such a nice quality from Essence. Matte eyeshadows in this are lovely and satin ones are truly impressive, only the spotty glittery ones are not worthy of praise and can only be applied with a finger, but that's only four shades out of fifteen. Most eyeshadows have a great pigmentation, they blend with ease and last well on my lids without a base. I'm particularly in love with shades Haunted (I just adore these types of colours), Talisman and Charm. You know I'd never give it a second look in the shop, mostly because I didn't have trust in Essence eyeshadows, but I'd be such a shame if I'd missed it.  


I've finally decided to wear some colour on the nails - it's been ages. I went with a classic red and this is my choice for such a shade. I used to wear Catrice's Bloody Mary To Go all the time and since that one is so old, this is my replacement for it. It's one of very rare nail polishes that still has one of those thin brushes that every nail polish had up until about 10-15 years ago, before Bourjois launched their first wide brush which have then taken the world of nail polishes by storm. I'm sure most people will hate it precisely because of the brush, but I love it for it. My nails are too narrow for those wide brushes and I always end up with a messy application, while with this I have a lot more control, which at a red is important. The colour is gorgeous, just the type of red I love most, so a cool version of the shade that I find looks most glamorous. One coat is enough for full opacity, but like at all it's best to apply two.


I've already praised this when I first got it, so now I'm reporting back after a month or so of use. This is a great cleansing oil, just as good as Hada Labo. The texture is just perfect, I don't need much for one use so it's very economical, it emulsifies well and washes off completely. It's also working well with my skin. Well done Oriflame. 

I'll explain more about my skin bellow under disappointments, but I went back to my basic routine which is cleansing oil, Balea Waschgel, COSRX Galactomyces 95 Essence, Cezanne lotion and this one. Nuxe is actually the product I've been using the longest, many years by now and it's my never-fails-products that I can rely on. I use it for my daily face massage as my last step in my routine, since my skin is currently not so dry that I would need an extra moisturiser. Another big plus for me is the scent, I know most people don't like heavily fragranced stuff, but I love it. 

Still using this every day - well almost, I tend to forget sometimes and on those days I do notice a difference in the morning. This helps so much in keeping the lips nicely moisturised, not flaky or tight. Lately my lips have been dryer than pretty much ever before, so this is lovely, better than anything I've tried. 


BALEA Urea line
I kind of can't believe it's taken me so long to actually pick more products from this line. I was only using the shampoo before I found the hand cream and I like that one too. I use the hand cream several times a day, sometimes I grab the foot version too if it's closer and it's equality good for my hands, but I also use it on my feet every night before going to bed. This urea formula just leaves the skin so soft and smooth, almost like it was full of silicones, so I really like it. The face version is not as impressive as the other two, but it's a nice thick moisturiser for when my skin is very dry. Lotion is on my wishlist too for when my stash thins a bit.


L'OREAL Elseve Color-Vive Purple Shampoo
This is surprisingly strong, I did not expect it. It can tint very light hair blue-ish purple just like Inebrya Ice Cream No Yellow Shampoo which I was told is the strongest such product, but this is very similar and cheaper. It can do a lot for a purple shampoo, plus I like the formula which reminds me of their Clay version, the one in mint green packaging. It doesn't leave my hair dry or tangly, which makes in one in a minority. I'll be buying this one a lot I think, it was a pleasant drugstore discovery. 

I did not appreciate or praise this one as much as I should. I mean I used it every time I curled my hair, which I do a lot and I liked it for the job, but it's only recently that I picked up my old favourite Lee Stafford Coco Loco hair spray after a long time that I realised how good Nivea's version is compared to it. Hold Tight left my hair a lot drier and for my already dry hair that's not good. Both don't leave the hair crunchy or sticky, but Nivea's isn't drying. I think that when I first got it I expected so much from it and that's Nivea's fault for being so braggy on the back of the bottle because if you dismiss those bold claims and ignore the whole use on damp hair, this is actually a very nice classic hair spray, perfect for after adding hold after curling the hair with a curling iron. Also another thing I started to greatly appreciate after using Lee Stafford again - Nivea isn't irritating for the lungs.   


NIVEA Love Splash Care Shower
I've been loving the more fresh, zesty scents under a shower. I picked this one randomly, since I couldn't find that Fa one I said I'll repurchase, but this was a good buy. I smell mostly orange peel, so a bitter citrus scent and not the juicy sweet version. It's bitter fresh, unisex and I like it a lot because lately stronger scent are just putting me off. The formula is cool too, not drying, the gel is thicker than most and nice to use. 

SUBRINA Shower Gel
Fresh Elder
Another delightfully fresh choice, this is my third bottle I think. I finally figured out what the first note smells like to me - forest strawberries, which I adore." Officially" this smells like Hugo, that champagne based drink, but I don't know because I never drunk it. It's a mix of elder flower, mint and lime, meaning very fresh, uplifting and sweet. 


I changed my mind about this one. Originally I wasn't too keen on it, though it's a pretty scent, it just didn't wow me as much as I expected based on reviews. It's similar to The Library of Fragrance a.k.a Demeter Fragrances Baby Powder. It smells like a grown up version of a baby powder, the almond note is predominant in this with some floral notes. It's a warm, cosy type of scent with a lot of sweetness, but it's not like a typical candy vanilla. I still don't find it's rave worthy like most reviewers described it, but sometimes I just have a craving for it and it also lasts well for a body mist. 

I've been more diligent with body moisturisers and dug out these. I've raved about them in the past, the formula is so nice, they are rich like a body butter, plus they come in a wide selection of scents. They moisturise my dry skin well, plus they make the whole bedroom smell so good and the scent lasts. County Apple is a musky apple scent and Twilight Woods a more fruity version of the body mist scent, so less woody, but more forest berries like with warm notes. 

UPDATES


 SUBRINA Colour Refresh Mask
Magenta
And I'm pink! This time a more pastel version than the bright one I've showed you once before. This time my hair is lighter, so I can play with more pastel shades, though at the back where I still have orange-golden tones, it also ended up looking a bit orange, so I could have used a bit more colour, but I went with quite a light mix with about 80-100 ml of conditioner and 2-3 cm of colour from the tube (I was eyeballing the whole thing like always). It's fine and it actually looks a lot prettier in person because like always my camera bumps up the contrast, while in reality it's a lot more nicely blended. I've talked a lot about these in my previous posts, you know I'm a fan. Here's pictures of red, orange and violet, and I use Diamond Blonde all the time.


DISAPPOINTMENTS

I've expressed my disappointment with this in my new in when it was still on my nails, but it only got worse from that point. This just peeled and chipped off so quickly, which is completely unexpected, since everything lasts so well on me. So aside from the colour not looking at all like in the bottle, the formula is not impressive either.

Another product I mentioned as being disappointing in the review. It's such an obnoxious formula to work with and impossible to mix with anything liquid like the lightening drops. I can't' apply anything damp over it because it clumps up on me, plus the shade is so dark for a second one in the lineup. It's nicely matte and would probably work great on oily skin, but it's such a fussy formula that didn't impress me.


What a disappointment. This is one of the worst palettes I've tried in a while. Most eyeshadows are difficult to swatch, I spent so long doing those swatches, plus I had to use a base otherwise I'd get nothing. The central shade Dazzling is shockingly useless. But the palette on a whole is not completely bad, it just needs a lot of layering, using fingers and patience. I don't get how Cosnova can release such fab quality as Essence's Witch Side, but fail so miserably at this Catrice palette. And it's not that cheap. 

This isn't a disappointment because of the formula because I can deal with it just fine despite it being one of the driest ones, but it's a disappointment because Essence lazily just put the previous formula in a new packaging, which isn't even better. I preferred the previous applicator and the paint-like tubes. Even this shade is the same as the previous 05. They could have tinkered with the formula a bit and make it less like a layer on the lips, because now I don't think a lot of people can wear it with ease, also staying power is still equally unimpressive.


ESSENCE Bye Bye Panda Eyes Mascara and MAX FACTOR False Lash Effect
These two fall into the category of "not impressive". I've talked about the Essence one in the last New in post. While I love how easy it is to remove because it's a tubing mascara and it just crumbles off with only warm water, when it comes to effect it does very little on me, plus it has absolutely zero hold, so my lashes drop and I get nothing from it. About the same goes for the Max Factor one. While it's very nicely defining, catching every lash, it takes a lot of building up for some decent volume, still it doesn't compare to their 2000 Calorie for example, or the green-gold version of False Lash Effect, the Voluptious version. Maybe it's because it's still freshly opened, but the formula should be thicker. Of course it also doesn't hold my lashes up either, so it's useless for me. These two are like toddlers compared to L'Oreal's Paradise mascara I currently have opened too. 


THE ORDINARY
This will be a confusing one. I had perfect skin for years, actually since I discovered K-Beauty which was working wonderfully for me. But I got a bit concerned I'm not doing enough and I wanted to include some anti-ageing products and these are the cheapest, as well as have a great feedback. But ever since I focused more on the Ordinary products instead of my usual K-Beauty routine last autumn already in September, my skin has been crap. For a time it was insanely dry, flaky and just impossible to deal with and that came after I thought the retinol uglies are over. It was like a second wave of misfortune. Now it's consistently spotty, no matter what I do and it's healing so slow. Also my texture looks so bad, especially when I apply foundation. None of the products actually break me out, but it's like the combined routine is just messing with my skin. I don't dislike any of the products and I still use them, but with larger pauses and I've never just slapped on everything at once, I've always had a carefully considered routine. Still something about The Ordinary products just doesn't seem to agree with me which is a massive shame because I know they work for so many, they are really affordable and they have everything you might need. I don't know if I should just stop, but it's not like there are many cheap alternatives and I'd like to keep actives in my routine.

WISHLIST

Obviously nothing is currently a priority, to be fair I just find these things interesting for now and I'm not considering purchasing them, but I still created a wishlist because why not, right? And I made a crazy long one too, just like the rest of the post. (Looking a the post, I know I should have split the picture into two. Sorry.) 

L’OREAL Paris Elvive 8 Second Wonder Water Lamellar, Rinse out Moisturizing Hair Treatment for Silky, Shiny Looking Hair - this I'm actually really excited about. It's so far only in North America and from what I could find among IG comments, this wasn't planned to be launched in Europe before the end of 2020 and who knows what's the situation now. It's L'Oreal's new lamellar technology and reviews are very promising everywhere I checked. This is what L'Oreal says: "8 seconds to silkier, shinier, healthier-looking hair. Upon contact with wet hair, it works in just 8 seconds to visibly transform hair in a single use. Damaged hair feels healthy, shiny, and silky." Basically it's a liquid that you leave on the hair for a few seconds and rinse off. Kerastase has a similar product (obviously, it's a L'Oreal brand), but for some insane price. Ingredients-wise L'Oreal's looks bad, filled with alcohol that's high on the list, plus fragrance and some of the good stuff at the end, but what do I know what lamellar actually is and results matter way more. It's definitely something I'm very interested in, especially since L'Oreal owns Matrix, which has some of the most impressive products I've tried, specifically their Re-Bond line

MAYBELLINE Superstay Ink Crayon 15 Lead The Way - I have this in a shade 25 Stay Exceptional. I like the formula, especially since it can be used as a lip liner and an all-over colour, plus it's also matte, which is my jam. We don't have this shade in our drugstore, but I was sent some swatches on IG and this definitely looks like my shade. 

ESSENCE Blush Lighter 03 Cassis Sunburst - I'm a sucker for a highlighter blush hybrids. I went in search of these three weeks ago, but we only had one shade here, 01, which is this bronzy orange shade that would never fit me, however, the texture looked okay and it had a finely milled shimmer look.

CATRICE Demi Matt Lipstick 030 Coffee, Mattmoiselle - love this formula which I have in a gorgeous shade 100. This shade looked most similar to Essence's lipliner in 08 Big Proposal when I was swatching everything in sight in Müller, but it might actually be darker, so I'm still not sure about it. I'd have it for the formula alone, as well as the red 060 and maybe 070 and 010. 

MISSHA All Around Safe Block Aqua Sun Gel SPF50+ - I got a sample of this last year and it's one of the best sunscreen's I've tried. It's alcohol free unlike Biore, but feels similarly light and dries very fast on the skin, leaving none of the that annoying sunscreen feeling behind. I have A'Pieu Pure Block, so I'm in no hurry, but this will be my next one. 

MOROCCANOIL Smoothing Mask - I'm already a huge fan of Intense Hydrating Mask (which I recently repurchased) and Restorative Mask, so this is another I really want to try. Reviews online are overwhelmingly brilliant, which not a surprise, since Moroccanoil rarely disappoints. My hair naturally dries über frizzy (even before all the colouring) and lately I'm really struggling getting a smooth blow-out, so I'm always on a hunt for products that would give me that smooth effect. The lotion from this line is interesting too. 

L'OREAL Elvive Colour Protect Anti-Brassiness Purple Conditioner - I've tried the shampoo which I mentioned above and this will eventually get it's turn too. 

L.O.V. Perfectitude Aura Glow Powder - I adore L.O.V. blushes and this is their complexion toning/neutralising glowy all-over powder. Given that I know L.O.V. can do very fine shimmer, this is on my list to try. Maybe it'll impress me more than Hourglass and Wet n Wild, though to be fair those left the bar pretty low for me. Petra raves about it in her review, thought she uses it as a regular highlighter.  

MOROCCANOIL Dry Scalp Treatment - doing a recommendations story about Moroccanoil for the other IG account I manage was a dangerous job. It lengthened my wishlist quite a lot and this included. I never checked it properly, but I now read some reviews, get a look of the ingredients list and it sounds like a product made for my flaky, dry scalp. I'm kinda dropped the ball on the whole scalp situation because nothing ever worked and I gave up, but I'd love to give this a try. 

THE BODY SHOP Body Mist Grapefruit - I'm craving refreshing scents lately and this was always one of my favourites. I haven't had it in ages, but I used to have it I had it in body butter form. It's so sweet and fresh, like a refreshing fizzy drink. 

MOROCCANOIL Hydrating Styling Cream - this is from the same line as the amazing Intense Hydrating mask. It's a leave-in conditioner that I hope might delay the dryness for a day or two on me. I have to use a ton of leave-ins otherwise my hair get so dry and tangy, so I apply something pretty much every day. I'm not sure if this is ok to use on dry hair and not just right after a wash, but it's be nice if it was similar to the discontinued Dove Super Quench serum and Olaplex n.6

PANTENE Love Your Waves Leave In Cream 24H Frizz Control - as a big fan of Pantene, this of course made the list as soon as I saw it first on some hidden sad shelf in Interspar. It's since become available in DM too. The name says it all I think, so I hope it's good and there's a Sleek version available too, which might be more interesting, but I trust the gold label more than green at Pantene. I've seen no reviews anywhere.   

ESSENCE maximum DEFINITION waterproof volume mascara - it's waterproof and from Essence, so obviously on the list to try someday, but I'm in no hurry, since I have L'Oreal's Paradise.

MOROCCANOIL Blow Dry Concentrate - just another smoothing product from Moroccanoil. It's probably just like a classic silicone oil like their Moroccanoil Treatment or Orofluido, but I use a lot of that stuff, so it's always nice to have more and maybe it does help make the hair smoother than others, which I would really need at the moment.

SCHWARZKOPF PROFESSIONAL Blondme Instant Blush Ice - I expected being a blonde is going to be a struggle, but man, do those yellow tones appear fast. I have toning shampoos and masks, but sometimes you just need a quicker fix that doesn't require a hair wash and this looks kinda promising. I'm also interested in the shade Steel Blue. I've actually already gave Schwarzkopf a chance when I bought their Polly Palette spray, which was useless, so still have doubts about this one, but it might be worth a try. 

Pink Quartz Roller and Gua Sha - I do daily face massages and this would be nice to have too. It might be gimmicky though and fingers are probably enough, so I've been on a fence to get it for a half a year now. 

REVLON ColorStay Cream Eyeshadow 715 Espresso - it's shameful how long it took me check these out, since I should be familiar with all Revlon products, but I finally checked the reviews for this and they are overwhelmingly positive. Some say they are better than Mac's Paint Pots, which is high praise. These come in many shades and Expresso look most wearable, but not too light for me. 

TIGI Bed Head Blow-out Golden Illuminating Shine Cream - Tigi After Party was one of the first product I owned for fighting frizz, this brand was actually my first dip into salon hair care, so I've tried most of their product that had back then and I was using their Curl Amplifier cream for years. I saw this product in an After Party like packaging randomly while looking for a gift for someone and based on reviews this looks very promising. It's another product I have hopes work both on damp and dry hair and that it smooths the hair for a longer period. This contains gold shimmer unlike After Party.

Have a great day!

Rimmel Scandaleyes Volume on Demand Mascara

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 Scandaleyes Volume on Demand

Wand: This has a similar brush to Oriflame The One Eyes Wide Open & Awake mascara. At that one the hourglass shape is even more pronounced, with a similar design that the top par is smaller than the bottom. At neither have I actually noticed that such design brings anything new to the table. At Rimmel's the product gathers at the top of the brush, so it needs to be wiped before every application. The brush is capable of enough definition and fanning out and it doesn't clump the lashes, though at third coat the it's already harder to comb the lashes neatly, but that's due to the formula.   


Formula: Formula is quite wet, but not heavy, still the wetness drops the lashes pretty fast at this one, though not all the way like I recently experienced with an Essence Panda mascras. The curl didn't even last until I started taking pictures, so most of the effect and length is lost. The formula is a nice average one for a regular formula. It creates a decent amount of volume and length, but it doesn't really stand out. So far it hasn't dried up and become more volumising, as is common for Rimmel mascaras (at least it used to be), but it'll give it a bit more time.   

This formula lasts ok on me. I don't notice anything special. It doesn't smudge, crumble or run. 


Wonder' Swipe 2-in-1 Liner to Shadow
012 Kha-Ching


I already have a review for the silver shade of this formula. This one is more opaque compared to that one and it's better in most respects, but it still needs an extra coat. 012 Kha-Ching is an emerald green shade with shimmer. Formula is more watery than regular black eyeliners, so it takes some extra time to dry. Just like my other shade 001 Slay it's meant to work as an eyeshadow too, but the silver one wasn't the best and you can see how this one sheers out on the swatches bellow too. Slay transferred in my crease during the say, but this one doesn't, however, it fadea faster than my black eyeliner.


Exaggerate Waterproof Eye Definer
261 Noir


This is Rimmels's waterproof eyeliner formula in a twist up format, a smudger in the back and a sharpener. When it comes to eyeliners, Maybelline's Tattoo set the bar very high for me and though this is an ok liner, it's not really close to that one. It's a thicker formula, so it doesn't glide smoothly like Maybelline's gel, which is why my lines on the pictures do not look very nice (I tried my best, I swear). It's not as intensely black and despite the sharpener it's much harder to create a line on the top lash line. In transfers into waterline, but not as quickly and intensely as it's competition. Staying power in the waterline is nothing to write home about, but on the top lash line it fares better, lasting long into the day.  


 Rimmel products are sold in DM here. I meant to check the prices, but I haven't had the chance.


Have a great day!

Maybelline SuperStay Ink Crayon 25 Stay Exceptional

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These have been out for a while and I've been eyeing them ever since because they are matte and I'm a sucker for that. I also have their liquid versions which are some of the most long-lasting lip products I've tried. 


Texture: Formula is somewhat similar to Colourpop's Lippie Stix in Matte X, but it's not quite as amazingly richly pigmented. It glides on the lips with similar ease, like there's plenty of silicones in it. I can't say that it stands out in terms of the formula, since by now there are so many great ones. It can be very precise when sharpened, so here you have a lipliner and lipstick in one. It's a much more comfortable formula than their liquid lipsticks and though the finish isn't the same type of matte, this has a nice one too. 


Shade: 25 Stay Exceptional is a muted rosy shade. For some reason when I take a picture with it, the camera picks it up as a deep berry, but it's much more natural looking than that. I tried to fix it and I hope your screens will see it properly. It's not the best shade for me, I feel it's too dark , that's why I'd like to try 15 Lead the Way. 


Staying power: I have nothing more original to say apart from that it last well on the lips, several hours. It doesn't wear off oddly.

Packaging: This comes in a twist up format with a pencil sharpened on the other side.


Scent: It's got the same scent as their liquid lipsticks, so a strong fruity vanilla one.

Price and availability: I got mine on Notino for 6.46 €, but it's also available in drugstores.


In terms of formula these don't stand out, but I don't mean that in a bad way because nowadays it's hard to be something special since so many brands created great lipstick. But it does stand out for one thing - it can be used for precisely lining and shaping the lips, and it's easy to fill the lips with it quickly. I think I might get that second shade.

Have a great day!

L'Oreal Paradise Extatic Waterproof

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The original or regular formula of this one already impressed me when it first launched, but despite creating big voluminous lashes, it has two faults: it can't keep my lashes curled and it dries out super fast. This time I opted for a waterproof formula, which I had to buy online because Slovenians apparently don't deserve L'Oreal's waterproof formulas. It's not quite as impressive in terms of volume compared to the original because it's drier, but I forgive it because it holds my lashes curled all day.  


This obviously has the same brush as the original. It's an averagely size classic brush with medium density bristles. It's not a mascara I'd describe as being capable of catching every lash compared to I <3 Extreme Waterproof or Oriflame Tremendous and that's why I need to take more time with this one if I want a nicely defined and fanned out effect, as if I try to do it fast I get a messy result. It has one advantage over I <3 Extreme - the brush is not as massive, so I don't end up with as many dots of product on my eyelids.   


Formula is to me identical to Essence I <3 Extreme. It's a lot drier than regular formulas and that helps a lot at keeping the lashes curled also immediately at application. It's also not in any way a heavy formula.  It creates about the same amount of volume and length as Essence's formula, but it's less volumising that regular Paradise formula, which is to be expected given that's it's much drier than most mascaras. 

Like I said in the intro with this my lashes stay curled all day, which is most important to me. For this along it gets high praise from me. I get no smudging or flaking with this one, not that I have such problems in general with any mascara.


Price and availability: I got mine on Spletična.si for 7.50 €.


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, but also I like the brush is smaller and less clumsy. It all also depends on how fast it takes for this one to dry out because the original was truly disappointing in this respect, so I hope this one will be better - for now it's looking good.   

Have a great day!

Revolution PRO Supreme Eyeshadow Palette Captivate

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I have this also in a version called Allure which I like only in part when it comes to shades, but it's one of the best palettes in my collection when it comes to quality. I didn't get to pick Allure myself, so this time I got a more neutral version, well actually the only neutral version as there are only four of these and the other two not my thing. Again this palette is definitely one of the best drugstore ones I've tried. 


Texture: All eyeshadows are very soft, some in a buttery-creamy way and the rest are very silky smooth. This one more tightly packed compared to the ones in Allure at which some shades feel almost crumbly at times, but so far I haven't had any difficulties with that palette. Matte shades are easy to pick up with a brush and blend with such ease, just like in Allure. The first three more creamy shades are better applied with fingers, but some brushes work too. All of the shades have a good pigmentation in this palette, with the weakest performing being the dark brown.


Shades: 
First three shades have the same texture. It's very creamy and all three are fully opaque in one swipe with the finger with a metallic finish. Due to this almost excessive creaminess, they can appear a bit more creamy chalky, but they blend out nicely. First is a metallic white, second a peachy shade and the last something between light copper and pink. 

Fourth shade is a neutral medium matte brown with a very smooth, silky texture and excellent pigmentation

Fifth shade is a bit deceptive in the pan because it looks like UD's Smog, so a leaning a bit to old gold/green, but it's a warm bronze on the eyes. Finish is satin with tiny shimmer, it's again super pigmented and easy to blend

Sixth shade is a satin burgundy that leans to brown. It's super pigmented and one of rare such high quality shade in this type of colour. It blends out into a brown and it's only reddish in a fully opaque coat

Seventh shade end up a lot more sheer on the skin than in appears in the pan. It looks like a deep warm brown, but on the skin it looks a smoky cool brown with duo-chrome green-red shimmer.

The last shade is a matte black. Another very black shade as is usual for this brand. Nicely pigmented and smooth.


Staying power: My eyelids aren't oily, so most stuff lasts well without a base, these included. They don't crease and last pretty well in a slightly faded version to the end of the day.   


Packaging: It screams cheap packaging, but the hinges and working mechanism work ok, plus you get to see the colours. 

Price and availability: I got mine on Notino for 7.90 €, It's also sold on Ličila.si and its sister sites (Pink Panda) as well as on Revolutionbeauty.com for international buyers.


Have a nice day!

Empties #35

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I already went through one bottle of this and it was amazing. Idiotic as I always am, I did not instantly open a new one despite having two, instead I saved it and tried other disappointing vitamin C products. When I started focusing on the Ordinary, my skin worsened, so in my desperate attempt to go back to normal, I opened this and hoped it'll get me back on track. Sadly I failed, obviously because I kept on using The Ordinary product instead of going back to my old routine, so I wasted an entire bottle of this (I'm glad to report things have improved since I significantly cut back on the Ordinary). It still remains the only vitamin C product that I've noticed a difference at and when I was using it for the first time, my skin was in the best condition ever. 
Repurchase: Yes.

This was one of the nicest feeling skin care product I've tried. It has such a comfortable formula and it's a pleasure to use. However, it breaks me out, which breaks my heart because this is exactly the type of product I want to use so badly. Products where hyaluronic acid is high on the list very often break me out, so I'm struggling to include it into a routine as a stand-alone product, but my other skin care has enough of it, I use Cosrx 95 Galactomyces Essence, Cezanne lotion and Beauty of Joseon Dynasty Cream, which all contain a certain amount of it. 
Repurchase: Sadly no.

This isn't bad, but after using the whole tube, I'm not that impressed. I bought this when my skin was terribly dry (unimaginably flaky) and this is simply too light. It's meant for sensitive, dry skin, but the texture is only medium thick and my super dry skin absorbed it in minutes, then it felt like I didn't apply much. Even when my skin was better, normal-dry, this didn't impress me that much compared to my favourite moisturiser from Beauty of Joseon. It's think more suited for normal - combination - moderately dry sensitive skin, but I'm no expert. I had a lot more luck with Mixa Cica Cream with 5% Pantenol when dealing with very dry skin. 
Repurchase: No, I bought the 5% Urea night version instead and it's richer than this, neither I truly love. 


I've praised this in one of monthly favourites and I said I'll definitely repurchase, but I've only managed to track it down yesterday and grabbed two bottles. It smells so nice, an great floral scent, apparently 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. 
Repurchase: Yes. I got two. 

An average shower gel with a scent of candy with blueberry flavour. If you like such scents, it's a nice one. 
Repurchase: No. 

SUBRINA Kids 2 in 1 Shower Gel and Shampoo
Fruity
I have all four of these and Breezy is by far my favourite. This one stands out the least to me. It's got a basic pear-apple type of scent. I've only ever used it as a shower gel and not shampoo.
Repurchase: I have another one.


This is one of the nicest scents TBS ever made. I've said in before that to me it smells like Monte White, though people describe it differently. It's a nutty-tonka bean-vanilla scent, so gourmand, warm and cosy, perfect for autumn/winter. I hear it's very similar if not the same as the famous Brazilian Bum Bum Cream from Sol de Janeiro, but I never owned the latter so I can't confirm if it's true. The shower gel was the thickest creamy one I've tried, but it still foamed and rinsed off completely with some extra time (Dove is similar). The body butter was one of TBS's medium rich consistencies, so not as thick as Shea, but also not as thin like as Black Cherry they had ages ago. I still love their body butters, though I've since discovered that Bath & Body Works Ultra Shea are proper gems too when it comes to rich textures combined with amazing scents. 
Repurchase: Maybe the body butter.


My soles are very dry and I had high hopes for this, but even though the texture is very rich, balm-like and stays on the skin for a long time, it wasn't enough for me. I purchased the 10% version which absorbs much quicker and I prefer the texture of it, but neither are amazing when it comes to very dry skin. The scent of this one is similar to bug repellents. 
Repurchase: No.

AVEO 10% Urea 2 in 1 Handcreme
This was very decent. It's a light lotion type of cream and it absorbed quickly. It was ok for dry skin, but there are better for a similar price. This is a travel size version.
Repurchase: It's nice, butI'd only get it if I couldn't get Balea's Urea 5% 

DOVE Nourishing Secrets Restoring Ritual 48 Anti-Perspirant 
I started to appreciate this more recently. I've been using this one for several months and it always worked, then when it ran out, I got the one that had a discount that week, which was from Fa and it ended up being terrible. I got this one again and all is well. The scent is not a typical tropical coconut, but still very recognisably coconuty and plastic smelling. At first I liked it, then it got too much for me, but now I don't even notice it because I use this every day.
Repurchase: Done. 


You might know I always say the same thing: I don't see visible results from this, but I use it often regardless because it's the only product that help rebuild the bonds. Well, actually since I used Matrix Re-Bond (which is just amazing) this started working better too and when I left it on overnight with a shower cap on and a scarf that helped keep the temperature up, my hair felt so soft, like average people's hair, but only my bottom layers and not the top ones where I've had a very coarse texture since I reached my teens. It was kind of weird to have such soft hair, I'm just not used to it. For most people this will probably feel like a miracle product I'm guessing - I just wish it could do the job for all my hair. I recently bought the n.7 oil which is nothing special in terms of effect compared to others, but it has the same rebuilding ingredient, so I'm all for it.  
Repurchase: Done.

I praised this a lot in the past year and it's an excellent protein treatment especially for bleached/coloured hair. It can do miracles if you know when to use it (my hair becomes even more coarse when it lacks proteins. I do a test with wet hair, stretch it and if it's overstretches like a bubble gum, I know I have to use this) and in combination with Intense Hydrator from this line transforms my hair into something more normal. For some reason this separates in the bottle fast, even when new, so you need to shake it well before use, otherwise when you open it the liquid just pours out (I've had 3 new bottles are all were the same in this respect). Joico doesn't mention this on the tube, which isn't wise because people might think their bottle has gone off. 
Repurchase: Done.


My favourite shampoo for my very dry hair. I've gone through several bottles. 
Repurchase: Done. 

I've been buying this for many years and I've gone through quite a few. It's the cheapest good oil per mililitre and it also smells amazing. To me it's the same as for example Moroccanoil, Macadamia Natural Oil and Joico K-Pack, 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. One minus is that it doesn't have a pump, but I finally found one that fits from a used up COSRX essence, it's just the stem doesn't reach to the bottom. This oil also smells amazing, it has a lovely warm oriental vanilla-amber scent.
Repurchase: Done.


Since I've first tried this and Repair version last year, they've become my favourite drugstore hair discovery. They are best I can get around here that's available everywhere and for an affordable price. 
Repurchase: Done.

I've tried three out of four of these masks and all are fantastic, but also the same as Repair conditioner, at least on my hair. Based on the description I expected a purple mask as grey hair tends to go yellow with time and I thought I might use on my blond hair, but it's a regular clear one. It's only 160 ml which didn't last me many treatments on my long think hair, so it's not the best deal, but the packaging looks pretty. 
Repurchase: If it has a discount, otherwise I'll just buy the regular Intensive Repair.


I've talked a lot about this one. It's a bleach I fully trust. I've done a lot of sessions with it because I was going blonde very slowly, in fact it took me over a year and this never left my hair feeling overly dry, weak or in any way destroyed. The second it ran out I was online ordering a new one. One pack lasted me a lot of uses, about a year and I actually still have plenty of developer left, so I didn't have to repurchase that yet. I've first tried with a 6% developer which was not strong enough for my very dark hair, so I bought a 12%, which I've been mixing with 6% to get something in between instead of buying 9%. With that strength this bleaches my natural dark brown to yellow canary blonde in one session, some hair is even level 10, but mostly I get somewhere between 8-9. This contains succinic acid which creates a protective layer around the bonds and it appears to be working.
Repurchase: Done.


I've already talked about this one and showed results. After testing a few brands I've come to a realisation Subrina has the best cool blonde shades of level 10. I've used this straight after bleaching and it covered/neutralised canary yellow tones well. It can't deal that well with orange, which I expected, some of my pieces are still simply too dark for this. I honestly was blown away how well this worked because I've tried Schwarzkopf's drugstore equivalent and it did very little. I've used this is a weak 3% developer since it's a toning shade. I needed 1 + 1/2 tube for my long, thick hair. I really wish Subrina would focus also on making darker ashy/neutralising shades. They keep sticking to only level 10 ones, I'd really like to see level 9, 8 and 7 too (the only 710 shade they just discontinued). We really need such toning/demi-permanent shades in our drugstores. This actually the only such product available here. 
Repurchase: Yes, but I'm not sure I like myself so pale blonde. I'd like to be darker levels as originally planned and I'll have to buy such a product from another brand online. 

This was the first shade I tried back in autumn when my hair was still a darker shade of blonde and because I got a very pink result, I promised myself to try this when my hair is very blond. This became my favourite Colour Refresh shade, not just for colour, but also for toning. I decided to go full out purple because I was always wondering if such a shade would suit me. I got the colour on the box with a 1:1.5 mix (colour vs. clear conditioner) and it was so intense. It's a pretty colour, the same as Subrina's Saten/Spectra 88 and the newest Butter Colour 880, but too much for me. I'll show you the pictures in monthly favourites, but I already posted one on Subrina IG (I didn't use Butter Colour, but they are the same shades). With every wash I love it more. I got to the colour I've dreamed for a while, a beautiful pastel violet shade and with further washing, so when only a small amount is left (or you use only a drop of this shade in a conditioner/shade Clear) this works like a great toning shade. Diamond Blonde is blue-violet one that in a larger amount tones to a very ashy-grey shade, while this one looks more like their shade 20/2 or 1020 Pearl Blonde, so something like a sandy-beige light blonde. Personally I like this shade for toning more than Diamond Blonde, but you have to use the tiniest amount otherwise you have lilac hair, which is not such a terrible thing because it's a pretty shade. 
Repurchase: I have one more and all other shades.


Papa Recipe and MBD are two of my favourite mask for glow. Papa Recipe is more nourishing, so I use it when my skin is particularly dry and it's overall better than MBD, so it's my treatment for special ocassions. MBD is lighter, suited for all skin types I'd say and helps to make the complexion look more even and healthy. TFS Madecassoside is my "big guns" when my skin is very dry and right after breakouts because it helps to soothe, nourish and heal. Etude House's version is pretty much the same and cheaper, but I found it only after I bought a pack of these. TFS's wins in terms of hold well the sheet fits me, but Etude House tends to be cheaper in most places.  
Repurchase: Yes to all and I still have a few of each.

Have a great day!

April Favourites, Update and Wishlist

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There haven't been a lot of different lip colours I picked up this month, but on a majority occasions it was this one. It's one of my most worn lip products and though it's got matte in the name that's not quite true, as freshly applied it's a super comfortable fully opaque formula with a creamy shine. It's doesn't really set matte (Revlon later made another version of these which are properly matte), but in time it wears off to a less creamy version. Embrace is a nude peachy shade with some pink and it's not my ideal shade, but it's the most easy to wear from the nude shades they have at least on my skin tone.  

I'm still very much into L.O.V. blushes, but I went though my stash so I don't neglect my other blushes and I picked up this one. TheBalm were my favourites before I found L.O.V. and I still consider them some of the best I've found. I got Houndstooth because it looked quite a unique matte mauve shade in the pan, but on my cheeks it's a simple pink that gives that classic warm pinky flush. Formula is smooth, plus it applies and blends nicely.  


CATRICE Kaviar Gauche LE Highlighter 
C01 Éclat D'Or
This was a LE years ago, so it's unfair for me to put it here, but in the last months I've wanted the glowy look that I hoped I could achieve with Hourglass Ambient powder, which doesn't look like that on me, while this is an absolutely stunning subtle highlighter in a champagne-skin tone shade with finely milled shimmer that looks like natural glow. I apply it all over the face in a thin veil and more on the tops of the cheekbones for an look that is quite luminescent, some would probably describe as too much, but my skin is normal-dry and I don't get extra shine during the day, so I'm enjoying a bit more glow right now. There is a dupe for this shade that is available in drugstores, it's the first shade in Catrice's Luminice Highlight & Bronze Glow Palette 020 Feel Gold, which has the same super fine shimmer that looks very natural and get you the same look, I just use my Kaviar Gauche one because it's absolutely massive. I also use my other "glow stash", but only because it was so expensive it would be a waste to let them sit in my drawer. They include Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Flawless Filter, which despite the fact my skin got a lot better, still most of the time makes foundations applied on top patchy and it pisses me off because it's so expensive and Catrice has a good enough dupe that is better for my skin. I also use the previously mentioned Hourglass Ambient powder in Diffused Light, which I still don't get because it doesn't nothing special apart from on occasions blurring lines. So basically the Catrice highlighter beats both of those. 


All winter I feared I made a mistake buying A'Pieu and not my usual Biore, especially after trying Missha's Aqua Sun Gel which I loved too, but I finally opened my tube and this is way nicer than I remember. It has gone through a reformulation I think or it was just a packaging change, but also my skin is drier now, anyway this is one of the nicest sunscreens I've owned so far. I can easily apply the right amount (3 fingers method), it sinks in completely within minutes, it's not irritating on my eyes and there's no sunscreen shine. It doesn't feel sticky or greasy on the skin, but it also doesn't feel completely dry like Etude House Sunprise, so it's a very comfortable formula for me. It also works nicely under makeup. This is brilliant for the price, I think I paid 6 € on eBay. 

I use this because it's convenient, but I don't love it because it can be both shiny and somewhat greasy. I use it either to top up protection or on days when I didn't think I'll spend much time outside and I've either already got my makeup on, or I need something I can apply in seconds. I try to avoid the eyes because getting this on my lids and lashes results in a day filled with smudges on my glasses and it's the most annoying thing ever (I made the mistake of applying this before driving just once in my life). All minuses aside, this is so fast and easy, it gets the job done and I can apply it over makeup, but I wouldn't recommend this to anyone with even a hint of oiliness, unless you carry your powder everywhere.


This has been in my bag all year round. It's a hand cream with the highest SPF I could find in my local drugstores/supermarkets. It's thick, yet doesn't take forever to absorb and it works for my dry hands.  

L'OCCITANE 20% Shea Butter Hand Cream
This is a really old favourite and though Balea's Urea hand cream rivals it really well, I still pick this one often when my hands are very dry. It's very rich, yet takes under a minute to sink in, plus I love the shea butter nutty scent it has.


TIGI BED HEAD Blow-Out Golden Illuminating Shine Cream
I've been trying to find a product that would have a similar silicone crème texture of Olaplex n.6 or Dove Super Quench Crème Serum (discontinued) that I'm looking for and something that is reasonably priced, then I remembered I used to have exactly such a product - Tigi After Party. It was one of my first ever hair products, I used to own so much stuff by Tigi. This is After Party with gold glitter. Texture is the same, as is the scent, they just changed the name, colour of the packaging and added tiny shimmer (original After Party still exists. I got this because it was what they had on Spletična and I was just ordering a birthday gift). It's got exactly the texture I like, so a silicone cream that I can use on damp hair and dry hair because it doesn't leave the hair wet and it effective at taming frizz. Oils like Orofluido do a similar job, so normal people don't need more stuff, but I'm not normal and I find these types cream are sometimes more effective at taming the frizz for longer. It's tinted yellow, but it's not showing on my very blonde hair, however, also the shimmer isn't that visible on me, though this gives shine just like other similar products. The packaging is equally terrible as at AP. It's got a pump, but the vacuum pull does not work best, so it gets stuck and you can't get out anything. I resort to pushing it manually from the bottom and it fixes it, but man did it stir up memories. Plus it's so ugly, but that's my opinion. The product is lovely, so it's a shame about the packaging.

I rarely mention this, yet I use it all the time. It's not a brilliant hair oil for my hair type because it's too light, but I think on most it'll be a good one. I use it for a single purpose - as heat protection. I got it because it was the cheapest such serum per millilitre in our drugstores, since I use up a lot of this stuff at once to make sure the hair is sufficiently covered. It does the job and I don't have to wait for the product to dry before I start using heat tolls. It's not the type of heat protectant to use on thin hair, but for me such silicone oils work the best.


SUBRINA Colour Refresh Violet
I've spent the entire april in various shades of purple. This was the first shade I tried back in autumn when my hair was still a darker shade of blonde and because I got a very pink result, I promised myself to try this when my hair is very blond. This became my favourite Colour Refresh shade, not just for colour, but also for toning. I decided to go full out purple because I was always wondering if such a shade would suit me. I got the colour on the box with a 1:1.5 mix (colour vs. clear conditioner) and it was so intense. It's a pretty colour, the same as Subrina's Saten/Spectra 88 and the newest Butter Colour 880 if you're interested in a permanent version of this shade, but it's too much for me. However, with every wash I loved it more. I got to the colour I've dreamed for a while, a beautiful pastel violet shade and with further washing, so when only a small amount was left this works like a great toning shade. Diamond Blonde is blue-violet one that in a larger amount tones to a very ashy-grey shade, while this one looks more like their shade 20/2 or 1020 Pearl Blonde, so something like a sandy-beige light blonde. Personally I like this shade for toning more than Diamond Blonde, but you have to use the tiniest amount because this is so pigmented (I just got pictures of it working so well on dark coloured hair with a faded colour).


UPDATES

MAX FACTOR False Lash Effect Deep Raven Black
This was rubbish when I first opened it and I shared my first negative impressions here too along with Essence's Panda mascara, but I have to report this has improved (Panda didn't). It still doesn't hold my lashes up, so it's not for me, however, it has significantly improved in terms of volume. It creates a similar effect to Maybelline's Sensational mascara, meaning it separates beautifully, yet still creates enough volume and length. Due to my lashes dropping I barely see the results I get on my top lashes, but on the bottom ones it's creates a very pretty, almost doll-like effect. I still prefer 2000  Calorie, but this isn't too shabby, provided you give it time to thicken and dry.  


MOROCCANOIL Hydrating Styling Cream
This was on my last wishlist and I imaged it being so different, more like that Tigi cream above, but this is actually quite light and liquid with none of the silicone feel though they are high on the list. I apply it on dry hair, but it disappears quite quickly leaving none of that smooth feeling like an silicone oil does, so I prefer to use it on damp hair right after washing. I'm no sure feel about this one yet. It's not in any way bad, just not what I expected. I think I'll have to go through the whole tube to make up my mind about it. Maybe it will grow one me more. 


BALEA Bodylotion Urea
Last month I praised the entire Urea line and I said I plan to get the lotion too, which finally happened a few days ago. This leave the same silky smooth film on the skin as the hand cream, so I'm quite happy with it. I should have added it above under favourites, but it's only been a few days, so this is more like first impressions. Formula is medium thick lotion, similar to a Nivea Q10 one I have, so not as rich as BBW Ultra Shea. It's not a lotion for those who dislike when a product needs time to sink in and it needs extra buffing to get rid of the white streaks, but I use it at night, so I don't care. I've been using it every day since I got it, we'll see if it manages to do such a dramatic difference on my driers areas as the Nivea lotion did.

BALEA Professional Collagen Power Struktur Elixier
Since I haven't been in drugstores for months now, I've been scrolling through DM's and Müller's online shops (which don't ship here and don't have the all same things are sold here) and I found this Elixir has a high rating and surprising ingredients. This has hydrolysed proteins high on the list, so it's basically something along the lines of a poor man's Joico K-Pack line or Redken's Anti-Snap, but scaled down at least compared to Joico with it's Quadramine complex. I'm in no short supply of protein treatments at the moment (well, I only have Joico stuff, but several products), still I had someone pick this up for me a few days ago because I was curious if it's any good - who wouldn't want to know about an very affordable protein treatment and if it's any good. It's a silicone free formula with glycerine as one of the first ingredients, so it combines some moisturising action too with the protein. All proteins are in hydrolysed version which is the most effective one when it comes to adsorbing the empty spaces on the hair and they are quite high on the list. There also hyaluronic acid which benefits the scalp and supposedly hair too. Formula is like a thin gel-like formula and it's a leave-in product. It can be applied on damp or dry hair, but on dry hair it's similar to Moroccanoil Cream, so it sinks in and it feels like nothing. I've only used it once so far after washing and I let my hair air dry, which didn't result in silk smooth hair, it was my usual super frizzy mess (proteins don't fix that anyway, they make the hair stronger), but I have yet to use it with a hair dryer to see if it makes a difference it that manner of drying. I used a drugstore mask (Gliss purple one) and my hair was feeling dry straight after my hair dried completely, so I need to use a more moisturising formula with this. Basically it's a light leave-in treatment that's high in protein content and can be used on all types of hair even those that gets easily weighed down. I think those with damaged, coloured and thin hair might benefit most from this. I still need to see if it's good long term, but it doesn't have such dramatic results as Joico K-Pack.   

BALEA Rasiergel
Iced Berries
I wanted the new peach version that I've seen on IG, but they didn't have it. I was sent a picture of the shelf and there were plenty of these and the regular ones here, so I guess this is the only LE here for now. I'm actually quite happy with the scent of this one. It's a very sweet candy version of forest berries, it's definitely one of my favourites they've made. I currently have the coconut one, which is so bland compared to this, I plan to finish it soon. 


FA Invisible Sensitive 48h Protection Anti-Perspirant
Rose & Hawthorne
This was my first time trying Fa deodorants, so I was completely sure that it's going to work because my body gets used to a certain brand after a while and they stop working. But this worked only for a few weeks which makes it the worst performing one on me to date. Obviously this is a something that's specific to me and I'm sure it works perfectly for a lot of people. But even so I find this is a much thicker, less emollient formula than the rest. 

WISHLIST 

L'OREAL Dia Light Semi-permanent colour 9.12 and/or 8.1 - I'm currently sporting about 2-3 centimetres of dark brown roots though I'm not in any hurry to fix that yet, I'm looking for some semi/demi-permanent colour options, since my hair is bleached. In my local drugstores we only have Subrina Spectra, which exists in one blonde shade and I'm not sure Ice Blonde is for me. I'd like to have something a bit darker that looks more natural blonde and I assume these are similar to Exellence 8.1 and 9.1. I found these online on Notino as one of the rare semi-permanent options.

L'OREAL Casting Crème Gloss 801 & 910 - these are demi-permanent colours. We have this line in the shops, but I'm almost 100% certain that not these shades. I hope I'm wrong because it would be wonderful if there were easily accessible here. I've found 801 of Notino, but not 910. 

GOT2B Bye Bye Babyhaar - I so hope we get this here. So far I've only seen in on meindm.at. John Frieda used to have this type of mascara that tames frizz and it worked so well. They're since discontinued it and there hasn't been anything like it here, so I have high hopes this is good and it arrives soon. I see this one has a plastic brush instead of the classic one that JF had. 

NAJ-OLEARI - this is a brand I've merely glanced in Müller though this brand has been around for a while. It was completely revamped, but I don't recall hearing about it before we got a stand her. So far I've only found one blogger who wrote about them, but other than that no one talks about it. I don't know if the sell poorly or are just nothing to write home about, but I've checked their website and I find some things interesting. The packaging is also so pretty. I'm going to check this one a bit more when I can. 

CV Cica Anti-Redness Beauty Shot and Pink Glow Serum & Primer - These must be new because I've only seen them on the website. Maybe they came here in the last month+ I haven't been in Müller. Cica cream has centellia asiatica which always worked well with my skin, so this is worth checking out. Packaging is only 15 ml, so it's likely something different than a regular moisturiser, but there's no ingredients state. The Pink Glow serum I'm not quite sure what is it, but ingredients look cool (3-O-Ethly Ascorbic Acid -  a version of vitamin C, Betaine and hyaluronic acid high on the list) and it says it has shimmer. It might be nice. 

BALEA Vital Konzentrat gegen Pigmentflecken (Anti pigment concentrate) - This has niacinamide as the third ingredient and a bit of vitamin C in a form of Ascorbyl Tetraisopalmitate lower on the list. Reviews are mixed, but based on what I see it's because people expect a bit too much and that this will erase pigment marks fast. I have none, so I don't care about that, but my skin loves niacinamide, so this is high on the wl. 

MOROCCANOIL Smoothing Lotion - so I was expecting more smoothness from the Hydrating Styling Cream and it ended up not being the type of product I expected. This is next on my list to try. Reviews are very promising and apparently it's a stylist favourite. Blow Out Concentrate is also still very high on my wishlist. 

BALEA PROFESSIONAL Kopfhaut-Balance Ansatz-Balsam und Spülung (Scalp balance balm and conditioner) - finally something for the scalp in our drugstores - provided it is here. Both are designed for sensitive scalp and promise to moisturise - I'm interested in the latter because mine is dry. They also have some keratin. I hope we have this here.

L'ORÉAL PARIS REVITALIFT Filler Tissue Mask, GARNIER SkinActive Hydra Bomb Night Tissue Mask and Schaebens Cell Therapy Hydrogel Maske - my sheet mask stash has reduced a bit and I actually never tried masks from these three brands. I'm most interested in Schaebens because it has niacinamide, allantoin, camelia extract, gylcolic and malic acid. I think I've seen Schaebens one here, but I'm not sure and I don't know about the rest. 

SCHOLL Intensiv pflegende Fußmaske in Socken mit 3 Ölen (Intensive care sock foot mask with 3 oils) - I've had those chemical peel socks, but never moisturising ones. I've been trying to fix my dry with moisturisers, but it's enough. This is highly rated online and I've already sent someone to get me one, but we appear to not have it in DM, even though I found it on meindm. Maybe Müller has it. 

Balea Verwöhndusche Bella Ciao - This should smell like pomelo. I'm currently into very fresh scents and I hope this one is ok. 

BALEA Bodycreme Copacabana - this isn't 100% on my wishlist because I suspect that it's the same Balea thin pudding like formula that is too light for me - maybe I'm wrong as the ingredients don't look half bad. This is here merely to show what's new in DM. It doesn't take a genius to realise where they got their inspiration for their product, but I have strong doubts the formula is anything similar to the Bum Bum Cream or even if the scent is similar. One review says it's kind close, but more almond like, then another that's it's nothing like it - not that I know that the original smells like. 

My Pinterest wishlist is here.

Have a great day!

Essence Witch Side Eyeshadow Palette

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Essence was never my favourite brand of eyeshadows, but I have to say lately they've been killing it. Their latest nude palette impressed me first, but I missed this one, I don't know why because it has "my colours", I just assumed it's not particularly good. Then I was sent this one and I was blown away at how good it is. I got a Catrice palette in the same parcel and this one beats it by a thousand miles. 


Texture: There are three finishes in this palette. The satin shimmers are best performing, they are creamy soft, opaque with one swipe of a brush and that included the dark blue one, which I've been looking for many years for such a high quality shade that wouldn't just blend out into smoky grey. Second best are mattes, which are again very smooth, though not as much as in the Nude palette, but still creamy for such a texture. All of these blend with ease. The last ones are the duo-chrome glitters. They are too densely packed almost creamy eyeshadows are there's no way you can pick them up with a brush. They also don't blend out as smoothly, so they are best as toppers because they are also not as intensely pigmented as the rest, at least the base colour isn't, but the white spots that contain duo-chrome shimmer have a strong impact. 


Shades :This palette contains 15 eyeshadows, 7 matte and the rest are shimmery. It's divided into a dark and light side. 
Mattes: 
Ritual - an off-white.
Potion - a burgundy brown.
Spell - a deep brown with some purple tones.
Supernatural - a medium neutral/warm brown.
Wish - a peach.
Charm - medium powdery pink.
Magic - a medium neutral/cool brown.


Shimmers: 
Gloomy - a midnight blue.
Haunted - antiqued gold, my absolute favourite.
Talisman -  a lighter version of antiqued gold, more on the champagne side. Another favourite.
Enchanted - another peach.


Duochrome shimmers:
Wicked - it looks dark brown in the pan, but the base is sheer and the centre of attention is the duochrome green-gold shimmer.
Shadowy - a bronze shimmer.
Amulet - this is a weak one overall. A champagne shimmer.
Power - pink with white shimmer.

1. Haunted, Supernatural, Spell // 2. Gloomy // 3. Wicked, Supernatural, Spell // 4. Charm.


Staying power: My eyelids aren't oily, so most stuff lasts well without a base, these included. They don't crease and last pretty well in a slightly faded version to the end of the day. Catrice are a bit more long -lasting.   

Packaging: It comes in a cardboard packaging with a mirror and a magnetic closing system. On the front is a changing picture with eyes opened and closed. It bothers me a bit that these is so much empty space between the shades, as this palette could be more compact. 

Price and availability: It's sold in drugstore for 10.69 €. I don't know if this is only available on large stands. 


For the last months this has been my most used and favourite palette. I just adore shades Haunted and Talisman, so I wear them very often, but I also love the pinky Charm. Eyeshadows are of great quality, well except the glitters, but the rest are just a pleasure to use. Well done, Essence!

Have a great day!

*PR product.

L’Oréal Paris Color Riche Matte Free The Nudes Lipstick 06 No Hesitation

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This line of L'Oreal's nude matte lipsticks appeared in our shops some months ago and it immediately attracted my attention. We have only a limited selection, which is similar to all of Europe I think, but US website has 16 shades, though with a different numbering system and names. I didn't pick any of the lightest shades, which might be a better suited nude tones for me (I've already found mine in Oriflame Pink Flair), instead I went for more 90's shade. 


Texture: I was blown away by the matte formula when I first swatched in the shop. It looked similar to Colourpop's Matte X, but mine is not as matte and it's less silicone-feeling. Texture like most matte lipsticks by now - smooth to apply and feels comfortable on the lips. I have no complaints about it and I think even those with more dry lips might find this one comfortable enough, but it's not as amazing as I had hoped. 


Shade: The colour looks brow in the tube, but on the lips it's more rosy-brown and lighter. It's a nice natural, wearable shade even for my pale skin tone, though I hoped it'll look a bit prettier on me, as the swatch on my hand made it look similar to Bourjois 07 Nude-ist.

Staying power: It lasts averagely ok for a matte classic lipsticks. By now all last well anyway.


Packaging: The packaging is standard for L'Oreal, it's just in a two toned nude shade. I've always liked the tubes from L'Oreal. 

Scent: It's scented with the classic L'Oreal lipstick fragrance that some call a granny scent, but I like it. It might be violets, I don't know.  


Price and availability: I got mine on Notino for 8.23 €, while it's about 12 or 13 € in drugstores here.


This is what drugstores needed, a wider selection of nude shades. Plenty of brands have nude colours, but it's limited to only a few per line. There could be more shades of course, as I'm not sure everyone is going to find their match now, but all look wearable to me. Formula is comfortable despite being matte and the only thing that might bother people is the fragrance. 

Have a great day

Catrice Pro Ink Non-Transfer Liquid Lipstick

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This is Catrice's newest matte liquid lipstick formula. I've avoided its predecessor because I saw they don't really dry matte, but these are a step up from those in that respect. These contain moringa butter and are available in 10 shades. 


Texture: Formula initially feels quite creamy, almost similar to Revlon's Ultra HD, but it's thinner than that. It sets within the first few minutes and the finish is properly matte, but unlike Essence's Stay 8h Matte Liquid Lipstick this doesn't dry into this layer on the lips, so it's more comfortable to wear, but still the strong matte finish will not be for everyone and Rimmel's Stay All Day for example, which have a similar finish are a little bit kinder to the lips.

040 Braveness Wins

A classic peachy shade that's similar to Essence's This is Me Lipstick 01 Freaky.

070 I am Unique

 A light pink that in the packaging appears more cool, almost lavender, but on the lips it's closer to a neutral pink.

080 Dream Big

 A medium warm rosy shade. 

Scent: These have a sweet scent.

Staying power: is similar to Essence and neither are super impressive. They are some of the poorest performing lip creams in this respect and that are similar to regular lipsticks. Catrice's also don't survive eating. 

Packaging: The applicator is a nice one at this one. It's slightly curved, so it fits the lips nicely. The fact I applied them like an idiot for these pictures (full face ones) is my fault. I was in a hurry.  


Price availability: These cost 5.09 € and are sold in drugstores.


These are nicer than Essence's Stay 8h, which were released at about the same time. They dry to the same type of matte finish, but don't feel as uncomfortable. Regardless if you have dry lips, these still might not be good enough for you, but I've heard from several reviews they like them. I'm not happy with the staying power, there are much better formulas. 

Have a great day!

New In #91

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ESSENCE Blushlighter Gradient Powder Blush
03 Cassis Sunburst
This came out in the last Essence line update and it's available in four shades. I'm a sucker for glowy blushes, with L.O.V. being my favourites and Essence is made by the same company, so we already know they are experts at making luminous formulas without the look of chunky shimmer. And indeed as far as the size of the shimmer goes Essence nailed it. Shimmer is very fine and gives a very natural looking radiance, however, it's not very strong and for extra glow I still use a separate highlighter on the tops of the cheekbones. Pigmentation is good, but I suspect people with a darker skin tone will have to layer this one a lot, though at times I get almost too much pigment. It has to do with the fact that only the left side is properly "blushy" and the other is mostly just a highlight, so it matters from which side you swipe the brush when picking up the colour and it's can be difficult to get the balance just right for pale skin. Formula is not very tightly packed, meaning it's quite a dusty, at least now that's new. It doesn't blend as smoothly as L.O.V. blushes, so it needs some extra time. The formula overall is nice, though it's not the best blush you can get, but if you’re looking for something like L.O.V. blushes in terms of how it looks on the skin, this a good one for the price. I'm not sold on the shade, though. I expected a mauve-pink shade based on what I've seen online, but this is actually peachy pink shade, so not very unique. All the rest looked peachy-orange or brown, so I’m missing a neutral-cool pink-mauve shade in this range.
Müller, 4.29 €

CATRICE Clean ID Lip Oil
I originally went to the drugstore to get Clarins' Lip Oil, but since the stands are empty and I have no idea how things work now plus I didn't want to bother the SA, I abandoned that plan and got this instead. I wanted a thick, balmy lip gloss that would last a long time on the lips and nourish at the same time, so I remembered I liked the feel of the Clarins tester I once tried. Reviews for this are mixed with people who love it and some who find it sticky and gloopy, I'm more neutral about it, though I'm more one the "like side". It's thicker than an average lip gloss, yet not sticky. It feels nourishing on the lips and after most is gone, there is a nice layer of it left, however, I expected it to last longer, since it's thicker. It adds good level of a glass shine on the lips, but I don't like it's only available in a clear version. For one it's already cloudy looking in the bottle after a couple of weeks of use and my lips are not pretty enough for just a clear gloss, I need something to even them out. It’s got a chemical sweet scent.
Müller, 5.09 €


CV Cica Anti-Redness Beauty Skin Shot
CV has a new range of these small Beauty Shot products in 15 ml bottles. One is for oily skin, this one is for calming, there one with vitamin C and one is anti-age. I bought this purely because of ingredients because it has glycerine and niacinamide as the first on the list after water, plus centellia asiatica which my skin likes. This is an pastel green emulsion and it's meant to counteract redness, however, I don't find it effective and I don't even have a lot of redness, so don't count on this working in terms of neutralising ruddy cheeks. The emulsion is not something you'd apply in second because you need extra time to blend it in otherwise you're left with streaks. For a product for sensitive skin, I also find it odd they included fragrance, even though it is nice to my nose. It's not particularly hydrating on my skin, as when I apply this on its own, it sinks in fast, then after 15 minutes my skin feels tight and I need to add extra layers of skincare, so this won't replace any hydrating serums, but maybe it’s enough for combination/oily skin. Packaging has a pipette and it's just useless for such a thick formula, so scrape the product of it instead. In terms of effects, it’s too early to say and I can’t tell you if it works for its original purpose or sensitive skin. 
Müller, 4.59 €


BALEA Vital Konzentrat Gegen Pigment Flecken
(concentrate against pigmentation marks)
Another product I picked up because it has niacinamide high on the list, but it also has a small amount of a version of vitamin C (ascorbyl  tetraisopalmitate) and pinolumin which reduces redness, calms down the skin and fades age spots. Reviews for this are not great, but based on what managed to gather is that people expected this to fade pigmentation marks fast and personally I don't expect miracles from any product. It's a small bottle with only 20 ml of product and this is not a very light, serum type of product, meaning you don't only use a little at once, so this might not last long. The texture is like a medium thick cream, so a type of product I'd use as one of the last, but mostly as the actual last step in my routine. I have been using just this in the evening for a week and my skin just started to look a bit better in terms of texture, but I can’t say much more about it in terms of results. I can't review this in terms of how it fades age spots, but my blemish marks are fading somewhat faster than usual, so maybe it's actually working.
DM, 3.99 €


BALEA Teint Perfection Magic Teint Crème
(Skin Perfection Magic Skin Cream)
I knew this was a gamble, but glowing reviews swayed me even though I have successfully managed to avoid the hype for many years because I knew exactly what's going to happen. I had such a product before from Garnier and it ended up the same. This is the type of a tinted moisturiser that contains colour in mini beads and those burst when you rub them into the skin and release the colour. Garnier's was too dark and though I was sure this has the same tint inside, there were a few reviews that said they were very pale and this works for them. It's a medium thick cream that starts of slightly grey and you have to rub it in quite a lot for the colour to start to appear. The tint is very sheer, so coverage so low, I don't even notice that much of a difference in redness or unevenness. Colour is too dark for my pale skin tone, so even though it's sheer, this looks like a poor match on me. I could use it as a sort of a all over liquid bronzer, but it all fall apart on my neck and we also come to the second problem: When I try to blend this in nicely so I would have an even application, I just can't get it right and it makes me look like I have dirt on my face - maybe it's my skin or the fact need extra blending due to the mismatched shade, but I've tried it with an extra base and on completely clean skin, but I can't get this to work for me. I can see what it's popular and I know it works for less pale skins than mine, just check the reviews on meindm.at and disregard mine, but this was sadly a miss purchase for me and it wasn't that cheap for Balea.   

DM, 5.49 €


BALEA Teint Pefection Wimpern Serum
(Skin Perfection Lash Serum)
This has mostly great reviews with some saying it works fantastically, but there are a few that say it does nothing and some scary reviews even say it made their lashes fall out. I hope the latter doesn't happen to me. I wanted to try the Etude House serum, but I'm not risking ordering online now and the price of Dermaluxe makes my eyes water, so this gets the first go. The only other lash serum I tried was from Mavala and it did nothing. Honestly I don't expect much from this, but I remain hopeful it will have some effect. I've done the before pictures with a measuring tool (not included) and I'll report back maybe when the bottle is finished or before if I see something. This is a gel type of product that feels like nothing on the lashes. I was concerned this will be obnoxious to use, but it's very easy to apply with the eyeliner-like brush and doesn't affect my vision. 
DM, 6.99 €


SCHAEBENS Cell Therapy Hydrogel Maske Anti-Age Booster
This has - you guessed it - niacinamide high on the list. I'm so full of surprises. But it also has allantoin, camelia extract plus some glycolic and malic acid albeit only in the middle of the list, so it's not a strong exfoliator. I loved the results of this one.
Sheet: A proper, non-stiff hydrogel mask in two parts and of course super slippery as you might expect, but as it warms up/start to dissolve, it clings better to the face and even shrinks. It was too large for my face, especially the top part, but like I said it shrank. It’s transparent.
Essence: There’s plenty of it and it’s a light, non-sticky formula.
Scent: a strong chemical scent that is noticeable all the time it’s on the face. It didn’t bother me much, but it might some. 
Effect: This had an immediate effect of more even and just nicer looking skin. It’s pretty much what you get with brightening Asian sheet masks, so I’ll definitely be repurchasing this one despite the price. My lines were less obvious and the skin had a healthy radiance to it. The essence absorbs completely and fast after the mask is removed. I need some extra moisturising care after this one for my dry skin because it’s not enough on its own.
Müller, 2.95 €

AFRODITA COSMETICS Why Mask 4D Collagen Sleeping Mask
The reason I got this was peptides, which are on a decent position on the ingredients list. I didn’t expect an amazing result, only some decent nourishment and it’s alright in that respect. It’s like a regular semi-thick moisturiser, but more slippery feeling and it’s clear on the face like such products are. It’s heavily scented with a scent that some might find calming, but to me it’s a bit too spicy, like of like mixing lavender and patchouli, but I don’t think it’s this combination. I applied this in a thick layer (used about a half of one compartment at once) and by morning it was mostly absorbed with a layer of moisturiser still left. Afrodita mentions a visible reduction in lines, but mine stayed the same. It’s fine for the price, but nothing special. For visible results I preferred the Schaebens Hydrogel mask. 
DM, 1.59 €


SUN DANCE Sensitiv Lippen Pflege Stift LSF 50
(Sensitive Lip Balm SPF 50)
I had this already, but I have no idea where mine went. For a basic lip balm with a high SPF this is very nice. Formula is not overly waxy and feels nicely nourishing on the lips, plus there's no bad taste. It manages to cling on for a while too. 
DM, 1.69 €

LAVAZON Sonnnenfluid Matt LSF50
(Sun Fluid Matte SPF 50)
I wanted cheap, very easily accessible sunscreen that I can use when I'm at home where it doesn't matter if I'm shiny or if I have white streaks. Lavazon has a few and I picked this one because it has no alcohol. Of course this is nowhere near as elegant as my A'Pieu sunscreen, neither is it as nice as Nivea's Mattifying version which costs more than twice as much, however, it definitely beats Nivea's Anti-Age Q10 version that's sitting in my drawer and I'm reluctant to use it use because it's not kind to my eyes (the greasiness I could get over, but that thing shifts all over the place). It's not light, more like a classic sunscreen and when you start to rub it in, it's very white, but that goes away with some extra blending. It's shiny, not even remotely matte, but I have seen worse, still I don't think this is a choice for those with any oiliness in the skin as even I have to powder it, but as great pluses I can say that it stays in its place, it doesn't feel greasy on the skin and it doesn't appear to be bothering my eyes. It's not the nicest sunscreen, but the price is acceptable and it's perfectly fine for me to wear at home.

Müller, 3.99 €


MOROCCANOIL Intense Hydrating Mask
A repurchase. This is one of my favourite hydrating hair treatments, it's actually very similar in terms of effect to (I think discontinued) Kerastase Masquintense Thick, meaning it makes my hair feel silky and soft unlike other treatments (my hair is never soft like an average person's due to a thick texture, I mention this often). This has argan oil high on the list, so it's not somewhere down below the first 5 ingredients like at most who brag with some ingredients then you find them in the middle or even at the end of the ingredient list. I was planning on getting the 500 ml version, which is still my dream because I really don't want to save this one so much like I did the last one, but even with a discount this is so expensive.
Click2chic, 34.29 €

MOROCCANOIL Hydrating Styling Cream
I imagined this so differently - that's why it's so important when people review this to mention texture, it tells everything. I though this is a medium thick type of cream with that silicone feel that can be used on dry hair too without leaving the hair wet. This is actually quite liquid, so better suited to be used on damp hair right after rinsing off the conditioner to add an extra boost of moisture. Due to being so liquid I can't really use this to tame the frizz like I planned, instead it just some extra hydration, so pretty much the more creamy equivalent of Sexy Healthy Hair Soy Three Wheat leave-in (though that one has a tiny bit of protein too). I can use it on dry hair and it sinks in fast, but once it's gone, there's none of that silicone smooth feeling like at Olaplex n.6 or discontinued Dove Super Quench Crème Serum. I use this on damp hair as one of my first steps (I apply a lot of leave ins and it's still not enough). When I'm drying my hair this feels strangely slightly sticky and at first I was sure this was going to be a disaster because I want my hair silky smooth, but once it's dry that feeling is luckily gone. I'm not sure how I feel about this one yet. I think I'll have to go through the whole tube to make up my mind about it, but I expected a more impressive result.
Click2Chic, 11.10 € for 75 ml


TIGI BED HEAD Blow-Out Golden Illuminating Shine Cream
After I bought the Moroccanoil Hydrating Cream, I tried to recall a product that would have a similar silicone crème texture of Olaplex n.6 that I'm looking for, but it's cheaper and I remembered - Tigi After Party. It was one of my first ever hair products and I've never repurchased it because there was always so many other things to try (plus I got tired of it because one tube lasted me years and that damned packaging drives you crazy). I found this one randomly while checking Spletična - it's After Party with gold glitter. Texture is the same, as is the scent, they just changed the name, colour of the packaging and added tiny shimmer (original After Party still exists. I got this because it was what they had on Spletična and I was just ordering a birthday gift). It's got exactly the texture I like, so a silicone cream that I can use on damp hair and dry hair because it doesn't leave the hair wet and it effective at taming frizz. Oils like Orofluido do a similar job, so normal people don't need more stuff, but I'm not normal and I find these types cream and sometimes be more effective at taming the frizz for longer. It's tinted yellow, but it's not showing on my very blonde hair, but also the shimmer isn't that visible on me, though this gives shine just like other similar products. The packaging is equally terrible as at AP. It's got a pump, but the vacuum pull does not work best, when I got it got stuck a few times and you couldn't get out anything. I resorted to pushing it manually from the bottom and it fixed it, but man did it stir up memories. Plus it's so ugly, but that's my opinion. The product is lovely, so it's a shame about the packaging. So far it was only problematic for the first uses and it's been working ok since. 
Spletična, 12.20 €

BALEA Professional Collagen Power Struktur Elixier
Like all the rest of DM product, I found this on their website, where it has a high rating and it also has surprising nice ingredients. This has hydrolysed proteins high on the list, so it's basically something along the lines of a poor man's Joico K-Pack line or Redken's Anti-Snap, but scaled down at least compared to Joico with it's Quadramine complex. I'm in no short supply of protein treatments at the moment (well, I only have Joico stuff, but several products), still I picked this up because I was curious if it's any good - who wouldn't want to know about an very affordable protein treatment and if it's any good. It's a silicone free formula with glycerine as one of the first ingredients, so it combines some moisturising action too with the protein. All proteins are in hydrolysed version which is the most effective version of protein and they are quite high on the list. There also hyaluronic acid which benefits the scalp and supposedly hair too. Formula is like a thin gel-like formula and it's a leave-in product. It can be applied on damp or dry hair, but on dry hair it's similar to Moroccanoil Cream, so it sinks in and it feels like nothing. II don't notice it makes my hair any smoother and it dries into my usual super frizzy mess if I don't use any extra products. I've been using it for a few weeks and I can't say I see a visible improvement, still it's a nice way to add proteins because it's very light and it doesn't interfere with other products. 
DM, 3-4 €


PANTENE PRO-V Intensive Repair Conditioner
A repurchase. This is my favourite drugstore conditioner (currently seriously rivalled by Cantu mentioned below). Since I've discovered it last year, I've gone through a few tubes already and I've tried several other products, which just consolidated my belief that this is the very affordable best brand I can get in our drugstores. I buy the 300 ml tubes they have in DM and Interspar, while Müller only has 200 ml ones. 
Interspar, 3.49 €

PANTENE Pro-V Hair Superfood Conditioner
Another repurchase. Both Repair and this one are so good. Superfood is even thicker than Repair, but they end up working the same on me, though this give me this faux feeling it's better because it's richer. 
Interspar, 3.49 €


CANTU Shea Butter for Natural Hair Hydrating Cream Conditioner
This brand is fairly new here and so far it's also the only one for natural hair we have, so one designed for curly, wavy hair or coils which tend to be a lot drier than straight, fine hair. As you might now my hair is very dry and coarse since forever (since I was 12 when my hair suddenly got curly and way before all the colouring) and few products actually nourish my hair for more than a day, so I had hopes that one for natural hair will finally be enough for me. After one use I can say this is pretty much HG miracle, but also not quite as great as I hoped - I'll explain. In terms of actual nourishment this worked astonishingly well. My ends on which lately even deep treatments didn't work despite having a haircut, finally feel like I used something. They feel nourished and finally not dry straight after a wash - and I'm writing this on day three. Just for that this will stay in my cupboard probably forever (provided it continues to work as effective in the next washes). However, this leaves the feeling of heaviness after rinsing it off, like the product hasn't been washed off properly (I know I did. Kerastase Chonologiste and Joico Moisture Recovery do the same), so I wouldn't recommend this to those with thin hair, even though that feeling actually went away completely by the next morning, leaving my hair surprisingly soft and it's stayed like that until I washed a week later. Lately only Olaplex overnight managed to do that. However, rubbish when it comes to taming the hair and leaving it silky, that's because it has no silicones which my hair needs to look normal (I've been through a yearlong silicone-free phase once and it's not for me). My hair dried very puffy, with a ton of volume and it was just all over the place, plus the feeling of heaviness and I didn't use any of my other leave-ins I normally use to get a more sleek look, so when I went to bed I was sure my hair is going to be a mess in the morning. But I just put in a tight bun like I always do and my the morning my hair had a fresh blow-out look with little frizz. There was no dryness and like I said it was soft, but it lacked the silkiness, still I'm super happy with this. I also didn't have to smoother my hair in extra leave-ins in the morning, which is unheard of and in the next days I only added small amount of leave ins, some Joico K-Pack serum and Balea's oil mentioned below. The packaging has 400 ml, which is superb and it smells strongly of Pina colada. It's not a super thick conditioner so it's easy to apply, it's similar to Pantene in that respect. I will get the Leave-in Cream from this brand. 
Müller, 8.99 €

SCHWARZKOPF GLISS Protein + Cocoa Butter 4-in-1 Moisture Mask
Normally I don't get excited by Gliss masks, as while they are good, in fact brilliant for most, they more on the average side for my hair. However, the 4-in-1 claim made it sound similar to Fructis Hair Food mask which can be used on dry hair as a leave-in conditioner as well. That one was nice, but not as nourishing as I hoped (I had Banana), this on the other hand has cocoa butter high on the list, so I thought it might be better. It turns out you can use this as a leave-in on damp hair, while it's not silicone-y to be smooth enough for dry hair.  The 4 uses are as a pre-wash treatment, mask, conditioner and leave-in, so basically it's just a hair mask that can double as a leave-in treatment, why differentiate between mask and conditioner is just beyond me. Texture of this of average thickness for a mask, it's not super thick like the purple one with Omegaplex, so it's much easier to apply. I used this as a mask and leave-in conditioner. My hair was drying so slow with this on, but unlike with Cantu conditioner, it dried straight and frizzy free, however, by the morning, my hair was curly-ish, frizzy and nor soft, so basically it performs like an average drugstore mask on me and I'm not super impressed by this. It’s probably amazing on those who have normal hair with some dryness, but I need more. I love the colour of the packaging, it’s so me. The scent is creamy with a bit spice or something. 
DM, 6.99 €


BALEA Schönheits Geheimnisse Reichhaltiges Cocosöl 
(Beauty Secrets Rich Coconut Oil)
I got this because it's silicone free. This means it's more nourishing and heavier than silicone-oils, it also means it makes the hair lank and feeling dirty just like all natural oils when you use them every day, but such oils are the only way I can deal with the excessive dryness of my ends. Silicone-oils are more temporary and foremost a staying product for me, but I use coconut oil on most days and I just can't stand the smell of it anymore. This surprised me a lot. Based on ingredients I thought this will be lighter, but it's nicely rich, yet not too heavy and it doesn't leave the hair looking overly greasy like coconut oil does. Actually I thought this was a light oil in a spray, but this has a pump and I'm much happier that it turned out that way. The scent is the same as in their Langhaar Mädchen Haaröl, which I use as heat protection, so a vanilla-coconut scent that's super basic, but way better than coconut oil to me. I hope they keep this and it's not just a summery limited edition because I intend to continue buying it.
DM, 2.99 €

DOVE Oil Care Nährpflege Spülung
(Oil Care Nutritional Care Conditioner)
Dove used to be one of my absolute favourite hair brand, but now we only have two sets of shampoo and conditioner here. What happened to their hair care? When I was checking ingredients on Müller's online shop, this has argan oil high enough on the list, so I just picked up a bottle not even bothering to check if ingredients on the ones we have are match. They don't. Argan oil is at the very bottom on the list on my version and I'm wondering if it's like with Nutella where Slovenes and Eastern European countries get the rubbish stuff "adapted to the local consumer's taste" as if we desire the inferior stuff (though it makes no sense, since I got it in Müller) or it went through a recent reformulation. Now I don't expect much from it, but let's hope it's enough for my hair. I'll report back.
Müller, 2.99 €


BALEA PROFESSIONAL Kopfhaut-Balance Ansatz-Balsam
(Scalp Balance Balm)
This is a moisturiser for the scalp and I was immediately intrigued because I've been suffering from dandruff and dry scalp most of my life and I've tried everything to fix it. It has a very handy long and precise nozzle, which helps at application, but it's still very hard getting it all over the scalp, impossible really because this isn't liquid, it's a medium thick cream and I just give up before I manage to get it all over. There definitely less dandruff when I use it, but I use it in combination with the conditioner, however, my scalp is still itchy at times. I'll continue using it, as so far this line is very promising. This is also meant for the ends since it has some keratin, but it feels like nothing on my ends and I won't waste it for that. 
DM, 2.49 €

BALEA PROFESSIONAL Kopfhaut-Balance Spülung
(Scalp Balance Conditioner)
This isn't meant just for the scalp, but I will only combine it with a more nourishing treatment for the bottom part of my hair. It's creamy, yet light for a conditioner, still with my length and thickness it takes some time and acrobatics with flipping my hair around to get this on most parts of the scalp. I doesn't leave my hair greasy or heavy, in fact I have plenty of volume left, but you know I can't say if it's going to be the same on oily scalp. Just like the balm, this is very promising when it comes to my scalp condition. I'll report back when the tube is empty.  
DM, 1.79 €


ILIRIJA Hydrogen Cream 3%
I got two more of these developers. Since my hair is bleached and coloured, I swap the developers in the box colours with this one which is more gentle. I used this with Subrina Spectra Demi-permanent colours, specifically shade 8/10 Ice Blonde and Garnier's Color Naturals 9.1. 
DM, 1.29 €


L'OREAL PARIS Magic Retouch 
Medium to Dark Blonde (for Blondes with Dark Roots)
I got this a day after I did my roots, so I don't know if it works on dark hair yet. I missed with the shade. The light blonde one looked too yellow for my ashy colour and I compared a strand of my hair with the picture on the bottle, which perfectly matched, but this is a shade or two too dark. At least it's an natural to ashy looking colour, so I might be able to create an shadow roots look. If not I'll go pick up the light blonde one too, because so far I like the formula. It's natural looking on the hair, it's not like a hair spray or a dry shampoo that it could feel like something on the hair and it doesn't come off on bedding. We'll see in a week or two how it deals with the roots, mine come in blazingly fast.

DM, 6.19 €


SCWARZKOPF GOT2B Bye Bye Babyhaar Bändiger
(Babyhair Tamer)
Years ago John Frieda has a similar product which was so good, but it was discontinued. I saw this on meindm and I immediately knew I had to track it down. This stuff is pretty amazing for frizz and flyaways, it does the job so well and fast. It's like a hair gel in a mascara form, but it doesn't feel stiff or heavy. This has a plastic wand, while John Frieda has the classic one and I think this one is better. This also smells like peaches which is an extra plus.
Müller, 7.99 €


FA Magic Oil Indulgingly Caring Shower Gel
Blue Lotus Scent
I love this one, but it was hard to track down when I only went to grocery shops - since it's Fa, I thought it was everywhere. It's not that special, though the formula is thicker than average, but the winner for me is the aquatic floral scent. 
DM,  2-3 €


NIVEA Care Shower Love Splash
A repurchase. I feel in love with its refreshing orange peel bitter citrus scent. The formula is nice too, not drying, the gel is thicker than most and nice to use. 
DM, 2.59 €

BALEA Duschschaum 
Pure Energy 
I've had Balea's shower mousses before and they were amazing. This is not as rich and firm as I remember, or maybe I'm mixing it up with the Dove one which is just fabulous, but argan version I had smells terrible. Still it's a nicely fluffy foam that's nice to use. The scent is more lime than mint and not as intensely citrusy as I expected, it's kind of subdued for such a scent.
DM, 0.99 €


BALEA Bodylotion Urea
Last month I praised the entire Urea line and I said I plan to get the lotion too, which finally happened a few days ago. This leave the same silky smooth film on the skin as the hand cream, so I'm quite happy with it. Formula is medium thick lotion, similar to a Nivea Q10 one I have, so not as rich as BBW Ultra Shea. It's not a lotion for those who dislike when a product needs time to sink in and it needs extra buffing to get rid of the white streaks, but I use it at night, so I don't care. I've been using it every day since I got it, we'll see if it manages to do such a dramatic difference on my driers areas as the Nivea lotion did.
DM, 2-3 €

BALEA Rasiergel
Iced Berries
I wanted the new peach version that I've seen on IG, but they didn't have it. I'm actually quite happy with the scent of this one. It's a very sweet candy version of forest berries, it's definitely one of my favourites they've made. I currently have the coconut one, which is so bland compared to this, I plan to finish it soon. 
DM, 1.99 €


BALEA Bodygel Aloe Vera
I saw this was reduced and last year when I got sunburned I couldn't find a cheap enough aloe vera gel that would have it high on the list or be 100%. This only has 10% aloe vera, so you get what you pay for. As you might expect it's a pretty basic gel and luckily it doesn't feel too sticky for such a product plus there's no alcohol in it, though it's fragranced. 
DM, 0.89 €

BALEA Fuss Maske
I wanted to get the version with the socks from Balea or either Scholl, but I recoiled in horror when I saw the prices for something that's meant for single use. So I got this mini packet instead and I'll make my own socks. My feet are very dry, so I'm hoping for the best. I'm also regularly using Balea Urea 10%. 
DM, 0.79 €


DOVE Nourishing Secrets Restoring Ritual 48h Anti-Perspirant
With coconut and jasmine flower scent
A while ago I switched from this to FA, which I got because it was cheap and I'm used to switching deodorants after finishing one because they tend to stop working on me. FA turned out to be the worst one I've tried so far. I did not work for long, so I went back to this one, which is proving itself to very reliable. For a time I loved the coconut scent, then despised it, now I don't notice it, but all the time this never failed me.
Interspar, about 3 €

Have a great day!

New in #92: What's in my Mail

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*CATRICE COSMETICS Glow in Bloom Limited Edition Monochromatic Blush & Glow
C02 Rose Duet
Glow in Bloom is Catrice's highlighter-y collection that also includes blushes. There are two versions, I haven't seen the other one which I think is peachy, but mine is a combination of a coral with larger gold shimmer and the other a lighter peachy pink with a less intense fine champagne glow. The coral one is more pigmented than the other and it might be the only one that shows up well on darker skin tones, but it can quickly be too intense for me. The shimmer in the smaller coral one is not fine like it's in the other one, regardless neither end up super glowy on me, so this didn't exactly meet my expectations in this department. The coral one also is not a smooth looking blush and makes the skin appear more textured, while the peachy-pink side is a lot better in that respect and tends to look nicer. They could blend a bit easier, in particular I’m having problems with the coral one, while the peachy one is easier to deal with. If you're looking for a blush with a glow, Essence's Blushlighters are nicer, at least to me.
  
The thinner side, the golden coral blush. Lipstick is Jordana Matte 48 Pink Passion
4.59 €


*CATRICE COSMETICS Glow in Bloom Limited Edition Highlighter
C01 Jasmine Blossom, C02 Daisy Blossom, C03 Magnolia Blossom, C04 Sunflower Blossom
I've got to hand it to Catrice, these are some gorgeous looking highlighters and they remind me of Kaviar Gauche collection with the flower design. I got all four from this collection. Textures aren't the same across the board, as C01, C02 and C03 are more creamy, while C04 has a very smooth formula, which I think is best in this selection. Shimmer is not as fine as I know Catrice has already done, so while you get an intense glow, it's can look too textured in some lights, but I'm very into fine shimmer and for a majority these will look amazing.  C01 Jasmine Blossom is an off-white champagne shade with a white-golden glow, C02 Daisy Blossom is a rose gold shade with a warm pink glow on a warm base, C03 Magnolia Blossom is a similar shade to C02, but more beige and it doesn't have such a pink glow, though it still has a has a pinkish champagne reflect, and C04 Sunflower Blossom is the deepest of the four, a warm yellow gold shade, which is already not a highlighter on me, but more of a blush/bronzer/highlighter. C04 has the finest shimmer and smoothest formula, making it the best performing shade in general, so it's a shame the other three aren't quite as nice, but all are a set of very reflective,metallic shades that those who love a strong glow will enjoy.

C01 Jasmine Blossom
4.59 €


*CATRICE COSMETICS Sungasm Limited Edition Summer Glow Makeup Setting Mist
This is a nice one. Catrice used to have a very highly rated dewy mist which I missed by a few months because it was discontinued and got the regular violet version instead, which is ok, but not glowy like I wanted and it has a terrible spray. I suspect this is about the same thing as that discontinued mist because it gives the skin a glowy look, which is intense at first, but on my dry skin it goes away in time. This smells amazing, like summer cosmetics, I think it's the same scent as Guerlain's Terracotta perfume, but I could be mixing it up with something similar. Sometimes it lasts only a few seconds and others times I smell it for the first hour. The mist is sooo much better than on the violet one. It's an nice even mist that's not spritzing large droplets, but it's not as fine as for example L'Oreal's Lumi Shake. I haven't noticed it prolonging the staying power of makeup, to be fair I wasn't really paying that much attention, but it's a nice spray when you want to melt the makeup together better or remove a powdery look. Their violet version is excellent at improving staying power. Sungasm's version has glycerine, coconut water, papaya fruit extract and water lily extract, so it's much better in terms of ingredients than the regular violet version. It's similar to Pixi Glow Mist in terms of effect, though the latter has even better ingredients. 
5.09 €. This collection is already in Müllers.


*CATRICE COSMETICS Sungasm Limited Edition Illuminating Bronzing Pebbles
Not sure why they called this bronzing because it's actually almost the same depth as the C04 highlighter from the Bloom collection above. It's maybe a shade darker and very golden-yellow. It's not a colour for my complexion, but for warm deeper skin tones this will make a great highlighter. Shimmer is fine, but less intense than in the Bloom highlighters, so this ends up being more subtle. Pigmentation is good, all my brushes were able to pick it up, but keep in mind my skin is very fair and things show up much easier on me. Packaging is cardboard with a lid that holds very tight. Unlike the mist these aren't scented.

Lipstick again Jordana 48 Pink Passion.
5.09 €


*ORIFLAME The One IlluSkin Liquid Highlighter
I actually just got two similar product this year, so I wasn't super excited about this one, but it doesn't mean it's not a great product. It's nicer than the L'Oreal one I have because it sets, while than one remains a bit greasy on the skin. Shade-wise are both champagne beige-golden ones with an intense glow. Shimmer can be apparent under artificial light, but I just love how this looks in natural light. It gives this healthy looking glow to the skin and I love my makeup with this one on the tops of my cheekbones. Just like L'Oreal there's no stopper on the opening of the packaging, so I have to be more careful when opening and closing this to avoid a mess. 

Oriflame, Currently 6.49 € / Regular price 10.90 €


*THE BODY SHOP Coconut Bronze Glistening Glow Powder
Unlike the Catrice pebbles this is a lot more like an actual bronzer. The Body Shop has very highly rated bronzers, in particular those for pale skin, but I never tried one. The texture of this is so smooth and it’s so lovely to apply and blend, especially after trying Catrice LE products which were all lacking in that department. Shimmer in this is very refined, so it's a powder with a natural radiant glow. The bronzy side’s colour is ok, maybe it needs a hint of redness for my skin tone and should be less yellow, but it’s definitely a shade for pale skins. The highlighter side is kind of my skin tone shade with beige-champagne glow and a subtle, natural radiance. I prefer to use them separate, since mixed together they are neither a bronzer, nor a highlighter for me, but on deeper skin tones it might work as a subtle highlighter. Packaging is metal and you get the softest puff inside, which I actually didn't try it for applying this product, but I think I'll use it for setting powder. The Body Shop has a whole new collection of bronzing and self tanning products called Coconut Bronze. By the way, this doesn't smell of anything, making it suitable for those who dislike fragrances in makeup.

Lipstick is L'Oreal Color Riche 06 No Hesitation. Eyeshadow Talisman from Essence Witch Side palette.
The Body Shop, 16.50 €


*THE BODY SHOP Zesty Lemon Shower Gel
The Body Shop launched two fresh smelling collections for this summer, this one and Cool Cucumber. Zesty lemon shower gel smells like hard lemon candy straight from the bottle, but under a shower it develops into a proper, freshly squeezed lemon. Formula is unexpectedly thin for TBS, but not annoyingly so that it would be too runny and it foams ok. It's a simple shower gel that smell nice and the scent lingers for a while. 
The Body Shop, 6.50 €

*THE BODY SHOP Zesty Lemon Exfoliating Gel Body Scrub
I had the last year's Cactus Blossom version of this type of product and honestly I'm not a fan of this texture, at least not as a scrub. It's ok as an thick shower gel, but I'm one of those who like harsh scrubs and this is a gel with micro beads, so exfoliation is mild. This might mean it's suitable for those who find most such products too abrasive, but I don't know every one's preferences. This one smells like hard lemon candy all the time. 
The Body Shop, 19.90 €


*THE BODY SHOP Cool Cucumber Body Yogurt
This has a very authentic cucumber scent. It's just like peeling freshly picked cucumbers for a salad and the texture is a light sort of lotion-gel, so it feels a bit cooling, which some might enjoy in hot summer months. Their Body Yogurts are very light, I have a banana one that I use in the morning because it absorbs so quickly, but it's not nearly as nourishing as their amazing body butters, which I prefer. Cool Cucumber is not my scent, but if you're looking for something refreshing and not overly sweet or citrusy, this is it. My top choice for a refreshing TBS scent is Pink Grapefuit, but Satsuma is so uplifting as well. 
The Body Shop, 9.90 € 

*THE BODY SHOP Cool Cucumber Hand Cream
This has the same cucumber scent as yogurt and it lasts on the skin for quite a while. I'm not impressed by the formula, but I tend to like richer creams in general. This one is like body yogurt for the hands, so too light for my liking, but it absorbs so completely so quickly. Personally, I like the rich formula od their Hemp cream a lot better, which is one of the best I tried so far, I just don't like the scent of it.
The Body Shop, 5.90 €


*ORIFLAME Sun 360 Dry Mist Body + Face SPF 50
I was very happy to see this in the parcel, SPF 50 is always something I need. This one is said to work for face and body and that's it's not greasy. First impression of this were very deceiving. I applied it straight away when I got the parcel and I just sprayed it generously on the face, which ended up with me looking like a Christmas ornament. It felt like layer of thick oil on the skin and was very shiny, so much I couldn't just put powder over it, but I resorted to absorbing the shine with a tissue, then applied powder. However, on the next days I tried spraying this on my hand first and then applied it on the face. It works a lot better that way, it feels similar to Nuxe's dry oil and while it's still shiny, it's not overboard for my dry skin. With the spray I have no idea how much is enough, but I apply two layers and it was still ok. So this can be very shiny and oily feeling, very far away from a dry mist with a feather-light feel, but you can work with it. It has alcohol as the first ingredient, which is not ideal, but I tend to be more forgiving to alcohol at sunscreens, still it'd be better without. It smells great, like tropical fruit, I think it's papaya. This came in so handy already because it's so easy to just spray and go, so perfect when there's work outside and you need reapplication.
Oriflame, current price 14.99 € / regular price 21.99 €/

*ORIFLAME Love Nature Hair Smoothie Revitalising Mango
Hair mask for coloured hair
There's three versions of these: Banana, Avocado and Mango, I got the latter which is the coloured hair version one. Mango butter is the last ingredient on the list which likely means it'll be too light for me, also 30 ml is a stretch for my long hair, but we'll see. It might be a handy thing to have when you're travelling or if your hair is normally not dry and you just need a little pick me up, which I think is the case for a lot of people, but you know I need a lot more. 
Oriflame, current price 1.49 € / regular price 2.90 €


*ORIFLAME The ONE 5-in-1 WonderLash Mascara 
This is a regular formula mascara, so I'm still considering if I'll even open it myself and review it - you know how I feel about reviewing such formulas on my lashes that don't hold a curl. Such reviews are not really helpful to you anyway. So for now I'll just direct you to Lana's review she did quite a while ago, which tells me this is quite an old mascara. I think it's their best seller, but I not certain. This has a plastic brush with bristles that vary size on two sides, so it's like a straight version of Maybelline Lash Sensational. Personally I love their Tremendous mascara, it's one of my favourites. 
Not in the current catalogue, but the XXL version is 4.99 € 


*ORIFLAME The One High Impact Eye Pencil
Pitch Black
Maybelline's Tattoo eyeliner has set the bar so high for me that I just assumed this will not impress me, but it's actually quite good. It's not quite as smooth as the gel one from Maybelline, but not far behind. It's very creamy and pigmented, you get instant transfer into the waterline and it's easy to apply on the top lashline too meaning without skipping, though I'm useless at being precise with a formula that's not liquid. It doesn't state that it's a gel formula, but it behaves very much like it. It sets in a while and is then hard to smudge. It claims to be waterproof and I tried to remove both Maybelline's and this one with water and soap, and both did not come completely off, though Maybelline still wins. I had to remove both with an oil makeup remover. It's a twist up eyeliner, so it doesn't need sharpening, but to keep it precise for use on top lash line you have to use a mini sharpener from another pencil because this one doesn't have it. Staying power surprisingly good, though not as good as Maybelline's, but it lasted 9-10h in my waterline and there's not a lot of such product that can go past a few hours mark on me. This is one of the best eyeliners I've tried. 

Maybelline's is a bit more intense in person, but both are very black in have an instant colour pay-off.
Current catalogue 4.99 €/ Regular price 7.90 €


*ORIFLAME Giordani Gold Bronzing Pearls
Sublime Radiance
I already have Bronzing Pearls in another shade and there's a full review on the blog. Though they look so similar in the pots, Sublime Radiance is a shade lighter, but in the same tone. Both are a bronzer-blush mix, a rosy-apricot shade and Sublime Radiance is still somewhat too warm and orange-y for my skin tone, at least for my taste. In the pot Sublime has more lightest bronzy-illuminating pearls and slightly cooler pinky ones compared to Natural Radiance, but honestly in person they are hard to tell apart until you swatch them. Both are more of a blush than a bronzer, so I would only use this on the cheeks rather than all over. Pigmentation is great, at least for my pale skin tone I get enough, actually too much with one swipe of the brush and it blends evenly. Texture is fine, so it doesn't emphasise pores and the finish is satin with a subtle radiance, so they give a lovely healthy glow without looking like a highlighter. There is a lot of pearls inside and the packaging is quite large, so the very likely last forever. There is a puff inside, which can be useful, but for applying these I prefer a brush and the puff is more to keep the pearls from moving too much in the packaging. Oriflame has several sets of these pearls, not just for bronzing or blush one, but also illuminating, which remind me of the Guerlain's Meteorites in 02 Clair. 

Sublime Radiance and Natural Radiance. 
                                             
Heavily applied. Lipstick is Deborah Velvet Mat Pencil 07, eyeshadow Talisman from Essence Witch Side palette, foundation + powder Lancome Teint Idole& Maybelline Fit Me Loose powder. 
Oriflame, 22.90 €

*ORIFLAME Giordani Gold Kabuki Brush 
I’m really enjoying this one, I already know I’ll use this one a lot, though at first glance I thought I won’t like it. It's very soft and dense, but it feels synthetic so I feared it won't pick up product well and I'm glad to see I was very wrong. As a near-sighted person I love it has a short handle, so it there no chances of hitting the mirror with the handle of the brush. It's not large, which is great for my petite face, so I can use it for applying brush and powder. This blends really nicely. I also love it’s brown because all my powder brushes are white and I have no idea how much powder I picked up, so this was a very welcomed addition to my collection. 
Current catalogue 8.49 €/ Regular price 9.99 €


*ORIFLAME NovAge Nutri6 Oil Face Capsules
I've already expressed my opinion about the price of these on Instagram, but basically they are simply overpriced for such a product, though they are not a bad, nor do they contain harmful ingredients. The ingredients list reads like a hair serum due to a combination of silicones with oils and it has no other special ingredients currently very valued in skin care. The silicones give it that lovely smooth and soft feeling on the skin, so it's an oily type of product that doesn't feel very greasy, which will appeal to those who dislike how long it takes for oil to absorb, though this one doesn't absorb in an instant either. I know many such pearls have silicones as the first ingredient, but there's no actives in this, so why use such a format, I don't know. I'm unsure if any of these oils are so unstable they'd need to be wrapped individually or is it just to make them for fancy, based on what I know they are not. It's just two silicones at the beginning, followed by soy, avocado, apricot kernel, black currant seed, sesame seed and limnantes alba (white meadowfoam) seed oils, plus some obligatory vitamin E and fragrances. You get 30 capsules, which means 30 days and that comes at more than a 1€ per use if you get them when they are regularly priced.  If it had at least one more “fancy” ingredient, like a peptide, vitamin C or A, I'd be more impressed. But if you're not on a budget, you enjoy pretty packaging and want a format where the amount sufficient for face and neck is in one capsule, there's no one stopping you. 
Oriflame, 37.90 €


*ORIFLAME Love Nature Purifying Face Oil
This is Oriflame's treatment for spots/blemishes/pimples/acne/whatever you call them. It's a very liquid and somewhat oily product, so I'd apply this with the help of a cotton bud because it's not easy to apply it on one spot. Bottle has the same opening as essential oils, so this comes out in drops. First ingredient is isopropyl myristate, followed by alcohol, water and the two ingredients that deal with the spots, tea tree oil and salicylic acid. There's also some lime extract, but after fragrance, meaning there's not much of it. I mentioned it's oily, but in a light way. I currently don't have any spots to test this (so happy about this), this came a couple of weeks too late, but when I do, maybe I'll test this and report back. It first smells like a hospital disinfectant, then like tee tree oil.
Current catalogue 3.99 €/ Regular price 9.90 €


*ORIFLAME Tender Care Protective Balm 
My cousin used to have this when we were still kids, but I never tried it at her (using someone else's pot was not my thing even back then), though I remember she loved it. Since then they've released a lot of other scented versions, I got the original which smells of nothing, basic vaseline scent. It's thick, as you might expect from a balm, but ends up feeling lighter on the lips than I expected. I know many love this product, but I don't find it beats Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask in terms of nourishment. It fixes dryness ok, but it doesn't last as long on the lips and by the morning it's been gone for hours, so the effects are not as intensively nourishing. The packaging it not to my liking. For one it's in a pot, but the main problem is how deep in the pot the product is. If you have long nails, this is impossible to use, also because the opening it narrow. I use the silicone paddle from Laneige to apply this and it's a shame Oriflame doesn't include it too.
Current catalogue 2.99 € / Regular price 7.50 €


*ORIFLAME Swedish Spa Salt Crystals Body Scrub
I expected a very harsh scrub, since it’s a salt one, but the salt particles are much more fine than in sugar scrubs I’m used to. I’d say it’s “moderately scrubby” and it might be more appealing to most than my kind of strong scrubs. It has this strange feeling, almost like there’s some vaseline in it, though there’s no mineral oil or petrolatum in it, but it doesn’t wash off completely and it leaves the skin with this sticky feeling. I think Afrodita's sugar scrub did the same, but with a heavier oily coat. I find it's best to wash this one off with a shower gel, but if you don't, once you dry yourself the skin doesn't feel sticky. It smells oceanic fresh. Jysk has this scented oil for home in version Ocean and this is almost the same scent.
Current catalogue 17.90 €/  Regular price 13.99 €

*ORIFLAME Milk & Honey Gold Nourishing Hand & Body Cream
First checked the ingredients and I thought, there's no way this is good because it's so basic meaning it has nothing I'd buy a cream for like shea or cocoa butter and honey is almost the last on the list, which is not cool in my books, but strangely I like this. The pudding-like consistency is deceptive, it made me think this is like The Body Shop Yogurts, but this is a lot more substantial in terms of nourishment and as an extra plus I appreciate, it leaves the skin with this silky coat even though there's only a small amount of silicones. It also smells so nice, like a fragrance and I don't even mind it doesn't even smells like real honey and milk. 
12.90 €


*ORIFLAME Amber Elixir eau de parfum 
I already had this a while ago, I bought it myself on Notino, but I gave it away because it had this note that I just didn't like. On the second try I changed my mind about it and I'm keeping this bottle for now. I still think it's not a very modern scent and just like L'Occitane's Amber I see it as a vintage scent, but compared to L'Occitane this is a warmer, more cosy vanilla, though it starts with a more uplifting note, I notice mandarin most, then it settles into an amber-sandalwood-almond mix that I feel smells even better when it's very worn off on clothes and hair (in particular the hair on the second day). This is well reviewed fragrance on Fragrantica and most I know that have tried it, like it. I guess I needed some time myself to grow to like it and I don't notice that heliotrope note anymore that bothered me the first time. This exists in flankers too, I find myself often rubbing the scented pages of the Crystal Eau de Parfum version which is a fresher, more aquatic one, but I don't know how the new Mystery version smells like. 
Notes:
Top: mandarin, red grapes, black currant
Heart: peony, heliotrope, almond
Base: amber, musk and sandalwood
34.90 €, it's not in the current catalogue, but Crystal and Mystery are reduced at 14.99 € and 17.99 € respectively.


*ORIFLAME Wellness Astaranthin & Bilberry Extract 
Oriflame has supplements as well. This one is meant to provide protection from environmental factors or as they say on their website oxidative stress. Aside from the two things mentioned in the name it also contains vitamin E and C. I think it's best you check their website for more information and I'll just paste the ingredients here:
 Sunflower oil, Capsule shell (Gelling agent: Fish gelatin, Humectant: Glycerol), Haematococcus pluvialis L. ((5% Astaxanthin) Emulsifier (Sunflower lecithin), D-alpha-tocopherol, L-ascorbyl 6-palmitate), Bilberry extract 4:1 (Vaccinium myrtillus L.), Thickener (Beeswax), L-ascorbic acid (Vitamin C), Emulsifier (Soy lecithin), D-alpha-tocopherol (Vitamin E).
Oriflame, 22.90 €

Have a great day!

*PR products.

May Favourites, Updates and Wishlist

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MAYBELLINE Fit Me Matte + Poreless Powder
90 Transparent 
This is one of my unsung heroes that I use almost every day now that I'm using Lavozon sunscreen and my other shiny sunscreen products like Maybelline Dream Urban foundation SPF50. I bought this sometime in winter and I wrote a less favourable review about it because my skin was going through a rough patch and this looked terrible on occasions, but now I'm a fan. I still love the loose version more for when I want a more perfected look, but this is much more convenient for everyday use since it's a non-messy compact. Powder is very fine, it's not drying, yet it's nicely mattifying without looking too flat. I bought this because reviews mentioned it blurs pores, but it's not a noticeable difference on me  and loose version is better in that respect. This comes in several shades, I picked transparent because I'm so pale and despite looking white in the pan it truly is transparent on me.   

ORIFLAME Giordani Gold Kabuki Brush 
This quickly became one of my favourite brushes. It's not just that it's very soft and dense, it's also got a short handle so there no hitting the mirror during application and I can get closer to it, which is a big plus if your sight is not the best. It's not large, which is great for my petite face, so I can use it for applying brush and powder, plus blends nicest out of all my powder blushes.

This is nice nude shade almost in the 90's lips style, but not as brown or grey. It's a good mix of rosy and brown tones that it looks wearable even on my pale skin tone. The formula is wonderful in my books and I think it might even be good for those with more dry lips despite being matte. 


I mentioned that I got two similar product this year, L'Oreal's and Wet n Wild's, so I wasn't very excited about receiving this, however, out of the three it's the nicest. It's a similar shade to L'Oreal's, so almost a skin tone champagne shade and they apply the same, plus have the same intensity of the glow with a fine shimmer that looks like natural radiance, but Oriflame wins because it sets. L'Oreal's stays greasy on the skin, so I've been avoiding using it and this one is a sort of a upgrade to that product for me. 

CATRICE COSMETICS Sungasm Limited Edition Summer Glow Makeup Setting Mist
I like this a lot. Sadly it's a limited edition, which is a shame because Catrice discontinued their pink dewy mist and there's a nothing similar in our drugstores. This gives a nice glow to the skin that's similar to one Pixi spray creates. It also smells so good like summer fragrances such as Guerlain Teracotta and Estee Lauder Bronze Goddess. In terms of ingredients it's very decent too, so I think Catrice should make this permanent.


SCHAEBENS Cell Therapy Hydrogel Maske Anti-Age Booster
Usually when I get a sheet or hydrogel mask that's made by a non-Asian country all I get is some hydration, but this is definitely comparable with Asian brightening sheet masks. It evened out the skin and gave the appearance of a healthy skin just like for example My Beauty Diary Black Pearl and other similar formulas do, the only difference is that this is very light and I need some extra moisturiser after. Scent can be a bit annoying to some because it's chemical and strong, but I can deal with it. I'll be keeping a couple of these in my stash for days when I'm unhappy with my skin and for treat days. 


CANTU Shea Butter for Natural Hair Hydrating Cream Conditioner
This is the best hydrating hair product I have found for very dry hair. It's the only one so far that has managed to keep my ends nourished for a week and that just never happens to me. I've since used a different mask, Gliss 4-in-1 that I was testing and it didn't last a day, so Cantu pretty amazing in my books, but it's also a heavy conditioner so I have my strong doubts about its suitability for any other hair type than thick, very dry hair. My hair was softer than usual, it was less brittle, tangy and just overall it behaved so much better. It's not great when it comes to leaving the hair silky with no frizz, but I'll try to deal with that by combining it with leave-ins. This also smells like Pina Colada and the packaging has 400 ml, which is a total win because I use so much conditioner at once. 


BALEA PROFESSIONAL Kopfhaut-Balance Spülung  and BALEA PROFESSIONAL Kopfhaut-Balance Ansatz-Balsam 
(Scalp Balance Conditioner and Balm)
I used to complain about my dandruff and dry scalp problem a lot on the blog, but I've since almost given up, though I'm still using Balea's 5% Urea shampoo if it's going to make a difference. This immediately intrigued me because it's a conditioner and leave-in duo for dry scalp. I've had a similar conditioner from Head & Shoulders which didn't do anything for my dandruff, though it was a nice conditioner overall, but I never had a balm/cream for the scalp and I've been searching for something like it, because I've tried moisturising my scalp with oils with no success. The conditioner is meant for using all over the hair, but I use it only on my scalp with a more nourishing formula for my bottom half of the hair. These type of products are not easy to apply when you have such long hair like mine. It's not heavy, so it doesn't leave my scalp feeling oily or leave me with less volume. The balm has medium texture face moisturiser-like formula, so it's also not easy to spread, but at least it has a nozzle to get the product directly on the scalp. Together these two have helped the dandruff problem to a degree. There's much less of it and the scalp also feels cleaner, but it's still itchy at times, I think I'll have to find something separate for that. So far I'm happy with this duo and it's very reasonably priced. 


BALEA Schönheits Geheimnisse Reichhaltiges Cocosöl 
(Beauty Secrets Rich Coconut Oil)
A silicone-free oil that I use when my hair is very dry. This is of course heavier than silicone-oils/serum sand it doesn't leave the hair with the silky feeling, but it deals with dryness much more effectively. It's not a light product and I think than anyone with thin hair will not like this, maybe just as a pre-wash treatment, but otherwise it can quickly leave the hair too oily, though not on my thick, very dry hair. It's rich, yet not too heavy-oily like coconut oil can be, so it suits me well. The scent is the same as in their Langhaar Mädchen Haaröl, which is a vanilla-coconut scent, but it's quite bland.

SCWARZKOPF GOT2B Bye Bye Babyhaar Bändiger
(Babyhair Tamer)
Finally we have a product like this, I've been looking for such a tamer for ages, ever since John Frieda's one was discontinued. It's a mascara or better said a hair gel type of product in a mascara packaging that very effectively deals with flyaway and frizz. It's something for some small fixes/finally touches and it does the job so well without leaving the hair looking wet from gel or greasy, it also doesn't leave it crunchy. It creates such a smooth finish - on me actually better than using a hair straightener or better said it gives me that proper sleek look after straightening, since on its own it's not enough. It smells like peaches, which is always a plus as far as I'm concerned. 


BATH AND BODY WORKS Fine Fragrance Mist
Kaleidoscope & Oahu Coconut Sunset
I took pictures before I checked if both of these are still on BBW and it looks like Kaleidoscope is gone, though I guess it could still be found on eBay (us from outside US rely on it anyway). Kaleidoscope is one of my favourite fragrances, a unique clean scent that BBW says smells different on every one and it earned its place here because it got me compliments. I was out for three or four hours and it was still so intense that people smelled it from a couple of meters away and I wasn't overly generous with spraying - that's quite a feat for a body spray. On me it smells soft and clean with a note that reminds me of pears. Oahu Coconut Sunset is my beachy-summery fragrance, though it's not a light scent, but people instantly recognise the coconut note when I pass them. It's a syrupy sweet tropical coconut scent that's what some would say is a night time summer scent.

BALEA Parfum Deodorant
Pure Blossom
This smells like La Vie est Belle from Lancome, which I'm actually not too fond of, however, this makes an absolutely brilliant room spray. It lasts hours in a room, which is amazing for a 1 € deodorant, only BBW room mists beat it. This became an essential in the house. 

UPDATES

ESSENCE Blushlighter Gradient Powder Blush 03 Cassis Sunburst and THE BODY SHOP Coconut Bronze Glistening Glow Powder
I'm not completely in love in the shades of these two, though Essence's peachy-pink is slowly growing on me, but they deserve the praise for their textures. Essence's has such refined shimmer which gives a wonderful healthy glow on the cheeks that rivals L.O.V.'s blushes. But all four shades available are not to my taste and L.O.V. still wins when it comes to staying power. The Body Shop's Bronze powder has a smooth silky texture that applies and blends like a dream. I don't wear bronzers because I don't feel they suit me, but a blush with this texture would be amazing and I might end up using just the highlighter side for giving my skin some radiance.


ORIFLAME The One High Impact Eye Pencil
Pitch Black
While it's not quite impressive as my favourite Maybelline Tattoo eyeliner, this is one of the best such products I've tried. It's creamy, very black and it transfers into waterline immediately, so this is one great eyeliner which also has an added bonus that it's a twist up, meaning there's no need for sharpening. It's still manages to last 9-10h even in the waterline, which is so impressive, though Maybelline still wins by a few hours.  

ORIFLAME Amber Elixir eau de parfum 
I like this a lot more second time around. The annoying note that bothered me the first time is gone on me now and what's left is an amber-sandalwood-almond fragrance that to me smells a bit vintage, warm and cosy. Lasts well too and it smells wonderful on clothes and hair when it's worn off. 

ORIFLAME Milk & Honey Gold Nourishing Hand & Body Cream
This doesn't get the proper favourite of the month status because ingredients are disappointing compared to other body lotions, at least what they could add is some cheap urea high on the list and not have honey as one of the last ingredient (that irks me), but I can't deny this is regardless a lovely moisturiser to use. It's rich, yet it absorbs fast and it leaves a silky feeling on the skin. It's heavily scented and that's precisely what I enjoy most because it's a like body moisturiser of a nice fragrance.  


CANTU Shea Butter Leave-in Conditioning Repair Cream
After being so impressed with the conditioner, I had to get the leave-in too. I've only had it for a few days, but so far I like it. It's the type of texture I was hoping it's going to be, meaning that it can be used both on damp and dry hair. It's like a combination between a silicone leave-in cream like Olaplex n.6 or Tigi After Party and a regular leave-in creamy conditioner that provides nourishment instead of styling. It works so well on very dry, coarse hair, but sadly it doesn't add that silkiness I get from Tigi Blow-Out or Olaplex n.6 so it's not a perfect product, but as long as it can handle very dry hair, I'm good. It smells like coconuts and bananas to me.


CV Rose Quartz Facial Roller
I got myself one of these in Müller, even though the price was higher than I planned to spent, but convenience won. It feels well made. The rolling is smooth, there's no squeaking and nothing is loose, though I feel like if this falls there is a chance it will break, so it best to be careful with this one. CV added a guide how to do a massage in the back, though I'm used to is slightly differently myself. I'm not sure what, if any, results to expect from this, I'm never puffy too see a difference from a facial massage, but I do it for lymphatic drainage. I use mostly Nuxe oil with this and do a 10-15 minute massage. I'm very skinny, so honestly this doesn't feel as amazing as I thought, since I have such a bony face and it can be a bit uncomfortable to use for me. 

WISHLIST

YVES Rocher Eau Des Vahines and Lagoon Body & Hair Wash - After trying the Catrice Sungasm face mist I'm craving a fragrance in a similar scent. I don't recall if Guerlain Terracotta or Estee Lauder Bronze Goddess are sold in my local Müller, but I can't get them online, so this is hopefully a cheaper and good enough alternative. It's already ordered. 

CLARINS Lip Comfort Oil - I got Catrice's instead, but I still want one of these in my stash. I remember the formula being even thicker than Catrice's, though my memory could be wrong. 

THE BODY SHOP Shea Butter Richly Replenishing Hair Mask - trying Cantu made me think that shea butter might work really well for my hair type and this has is high on the list. I think I already posted this on the wishlist once, but now I'm seriously considering purchasing it. Along with some fresh Pink Grapefruit product for summer. 

REVLON Ultra HD Vinyl Lip Polish Birthday Suit - I'm a huge fan of the original edition of Ultra HD liquid lipstick, though none of the shades are 100% to my taste, while this looks like a great wearable nude-pink. First Date in interesting too. 

OLAY Regenerist Micro-Sculpting Cream / OLAZ 3 Zonen Anti-Ageing Cream - my Beauty Of Joseon cream is slowly coming to an end and since I'm on the fence whether to order from Asia now as it can take months, I'm checking local drugstores. I already have this one in the version with SPF 30 and it suits me, so this would be my night moisturiser. It has niacinamide high on the list plus peptides.  

NUXE Body Relaxing Fragrant Water - I have no idea how this really smells because I never saw it in person, but the notes and description sound like something I might like. Notes include coconut sorbet, white flowers and wild vanilla, so I'm guessing it's something summery. 

SEBAMED Anti-Ageing Aufbau-Creme mit Q10 - another face moisturiser I'm considering. It contains a lot of almond oil, glycerine and avocado oil, plus some shea butter, vitamin A (Retinyl Acetate not Retinol), Q10 and hyaluronic acid. 

BALEA Schimmer Spray Copacabana - another summery mist I'm interested in, though I'm concerned about the shimmer. 

SHEA MOISTURE Jamaica Black Castor Oil Strengthen & Restore Treatment Masque - I think products for natural hair might be a good choice for my very dry hair, so this is another I found on Beauty Bay with a high feedback. It can be used as a mask or leave-in treatment. 

AFRODITA Perfect Code Peptide Mist - I really like the idea of a (potentially) light spray with peptides, as I could incorporate easily in my routine. So far I've only seen this online, which is holding me back otherwise I'd already buy in if it were in drugstores. 

Essence Stay 8h Matte Liquid Lipstick 05 Date Proof

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I can say just one thing about this formula: in my opinion and based on my experience it's just the repackaged previous such product by Essence Colour Boost Mad About Matte Liquid Lipstick. Even my shade is the same as the one I have from that line. Those were in these cute paint tube-like packaging, while these come in more boring tubes and they changed the applicator too. I will basically just copy my review for Colour Boost. 


Texture:  Formula is one of the thinnest such liquid lipsticks, but it's fully opaque with one coat and it sets properly matte in a minute, becoming completely transfer proof, but it sets into this layer that you are constantly aware is on the lips and for those with dry lips, it will feel very tight. I can deal with it just fine, but for a lot of people this will be an uncomfortable formula to wear. 


Shade: 05 Date Proof is almost identical to 05 Dangerously yours. I think the difference might be just in the fact that Dangerously Yours is older and the formula is now beginning to separate (same happens at Nyx's formula). It's a medium muted pink that's pinker and darker than Deborah Fluid Velvet 02 and warmer than Maybelline 15 Lover. I loved Dangerously Yours and I like this new shade too, obviously. 


Staying power: You'd expect Essence would improve at least this because Colour Boost formula was one of matte lip creams that doesn't last amazingly well on me. This performs the same. It hardly survives eating, though drinking is mostly fine.


Scent: It's got the same sweet candy-vanilla scent as its predecessor.

Packaging: is now a basic tube that's similar to those of NYX and The Body Shop. I miss the old cute ones, but I'm not that bothered by it, but I am about the applicator. The previous one for a nice hourglass design and I love this, the new on is a larger one, which makes it more clumsy. 

Price and availability: It costs 3.29 € and is sold in most drugstores. 


I don't know what was the point of this update. They didn't improve anything. But I like the colour and I'll wear it, still I would not recommend this one to anyone who has dry lips a lot because this can be very uncomfortable. Catrice's new Pro Ink liquid lipsticks are better when it comes to comfort, but the same in terms of staying power.

Have a great day!

*PR Product.

Essence 24 Ever Ink Liner Intense Black

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Essence had many versions of felt tip eyeliners, this is just their latest one. I've been using Catrice Liquid Eyeliner for many years now, but I used to use these felt tip liners all the time. This one is one of the best ones I've tried so far.


Formula is nicely black and pretty much the same as all such felt tip liners, but it's not as intense and glossy looking as Catrice Liquid eyeliner - it's a difference only seen up close. It's opaque in one swipe, there no need to go over the line again. It lasts very long on me, I get 8-9 h minimum and it doesn't smudge (I said many time, I don't have oily eyelids). It works over eyeshadows well and I've been using for quite a while now, so that's pretty impressive for a felt tip eyeliner.


Applicator is among the smallest I've tried so far. It's not completely straight and that roundness affects that the tip isn't always as straight as I want it to be, but I can be very precise with this one, making small adjustments. It's a great liner for beginners and a nice one for making thin lines. It's not like Catrice's liquid eyeliner at which when you mess up, you can only go for a bolder look. Applicator is smooth and soft enough, but not flimsy. I had Essence felt tip eyeliner a while back, I don't know which version it was since they switch things so fast, but I can say this one is an big improvement. 


It costs a reasonable 2.99 €. 

This a great line and worth picking up, especially if you don't have much experience with liners yet. I've been using it for three months now and it's still going as strong as the day I opened it, which is very impressive and honestly I did not expect such a great eyeliner from Essence. I will repurchase this for sure - provided, of course, Essence doesn't discontinue it before that. 


Have a great day!

*PR products

New in: #93

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TREND IT UP Ultra Matte Lipstick
400
I found both the 400 lipliner and lipstick in the bins for discontinued stuff in my local DM, so both shades are not a part of the permanent selection anymore, but formulas are. I've never tried a Trend it Up lipstick until now, actually I haven't tried anything apart from one of their blushes. 400 is a type of colour I wear most in recent years, a light-medium muted natural pink shade that’s like a pinker version of L'Oreal's Colour Riche 06 No Hesitation. Formula is nice enough, while I don't find it as lovely as Catrice Demi Matt, L'Oreal's or Bourjois' Velvet Rouge The Lipstick, there's also nothing that bothers me. It applies smoothly, but it needs an extra layer for full pigmentation and it’s not matte, instead it’s satin-creamy, which at least makes it more comfortable on the lip and it doesn't feel drying. However, staying power is not particularly impressive. 

DM, 0.99 €


TREND IT UP Contour & Glide Lipliner
400
Like I said above this shade is discontinued too, but it can't have been long ago, since there were a few in the discontinued bins. Formula is smooth and creamy so it can be applied all over the lips with no problems, yet it's thick and waxy enough to be precise. It feels like a layer on the lips and it can't just be wiped off right after application. It sticks to the skin and needs a remover, however, for some reason staying power isn't quite as good as I would expect based on that and it doesn’t survive eating. Shade is something new in my collection and one of my new favourites. It's a great light-medium natural pinky- peachy shade. 

DM, 0.99 €


TREND IT UP Ultra Matte Lipstick
420
After buying 400 I went to check the permanent shade and this one looked intriguing. I saw it in some post compared to Charlotte Tilbury Pillow Talk, though it's not a dupe, just similar and that comparison was made on a darker skin tone than mine. On my lips it doesn't look as nice as it did on the back of my hand. It's a medium rosy-brown shade that's quite peachy on me. This might look a lot better on darker skin tones than mine. Formula is the same as at 400.   
DM, 2.29 € 

CATRICE Demi Matt Lipstick
010 Warm Sandstone
I have shade 100 and this is one of the best formulas I've ever tried, so I've been wanting to expand my collection for a while - one problem: most of the shades are not best for my skin tone. Still I was thinking about trying either 010 or 030 if they look wearable for me and I picked the first since it's lighter, though both are similar in depth. 010 is more brown on me than on swatches I've seen - to be fair I kind of expected that it won't look such a beautiful beige nude as on others. It's a light-medium natural brown-rosy shade, darker and leaning more to brown than my similar shades such as L'Oreal's No Hesitation. Trend it up 420 is most similar (ironically I bought them at the same time), but Demi Matte is more intense, more peachy and brown. I hope Catrice adds a lot more shades to this formula because it's so good and I'd love to have some more wearable shades.
DM, 4.19 €



TREND IT UP Under Eye Brightening & Base
I bought this after seeing it on DM's website and I imagined it completely differently. I thought this is going to be a product like Touche Eclat or L'Oreal Magic Lumi Highlighter pen (which I loved because it worked, yet I never repurchased), but it's something completely new. It's a sheer blue shade or better said a liquid highlighter with a transparent blue base and tiny blue shimmer. When I apply this under my eyes on its own, I look like a zombie because it turns my red circles into purple plus it’s shimmery, so this is a strange one, though on the area around the circles does kind of illuminated. I’ve tried this in a way where I wear it just under one eye to compare it with the one without and did it twice with each of the eyes because I have stronger redness under one. I felt it worked on the eye where I have less redness, but then I tried it on the other one and I saw that it was just the foundation doing its job, so this is not really doing a difference. It's also meant to work as a base, but it's not silicone based, so it doesn't assist the concealer to apply more smoothly nor does it hide any lines. Maybe it helps it last longer, but I wear glasses, so anything under my eyes is doomed to fail even with powder over it. I wonder why it’s blue, as circles tend to be purple, blue or red and I've seen more orange neutralizing concealers, though L'Oreal has their range of blue tinted products for brightening. 
DM, 3.99 €

TREND IT UP 10 in 1 Nail Wonder
I haven't bought a clear nail polish in so long. This one promises to do everything apart do your laundry. It works as a base coat, as a nail hardener, refresher of colour, colour sealer, fast dryer, ridge filler, anti-split coat, UV protection, top coat and shine coat - I mean a lot of these are such Captain Obvious things, just like any 10 in 1 lists companies try to make by stretching the truth. I just bought because it has 5 stars on meindm.at. It takes hours to properly dry. It's rubbery for a long time and if it weren't clear, this would look like a mess. So this is no fast drying polish and it bothers me. However, it took 11 days for it to chip and even then it wasn't bad. However, it got that yellow tint like all nail polishes do on me, which I hoped might not happen because it's slightly tinted blue.
DM, 2.29 €


*ORIFLAME The One Tremendous Fierce Mascara
Normally I'm not terribly excited when a regular mascara lands in my mail box, but since I loved the first Tremendous mascara, which is my of my all-time favourites, I was looking forward to trying this one. First impressions based on one use: same multiplying effect as the first Tremendous formula, so the larger and differently shaped brush brings nothing new to the table, but it creates exactly the result I like - the look of many lashes that look like your natural lashes have a lot of volume. However, unlike the first one this one drops my lashes more. It's not as tragic as it can be, but Tremendous is better in that respect. I hope it gets better when it dries a bit, I think it is improving day by day, but for now extra wetness compared to the original is dropping my lashes more. 
Oriflame, current catalogue 7.99 €, regular price 15.90 €


*ORIFLAME Optimals Insta-Cool Anti-Fatigue Hydro Gel Cooling Face Patches
I was so happy to see this has niacinamide high on the list (ingredients here), plus it has hyaluronic acid quite high too. These are like the name says hydrogel patches for under the eyes (or elsewhere if you wish) and due to ingredients I rate these very high, but I also liked the hydrogel itself. It's a the perfect thickness, there's also enough formula, which it's not so slimy that the patches would slide down the face and there's no scent. I have never seen any visible result from any of these patches, but my circles are not puffy and that redness I have since forever is more due to how thin my skin is there, so it can't be fixed with such products, but they felt nicely refreshing under the eyes. These are very likeable. 
Oriflame, current catalogue 2.29 €, regular price 4.50 €


CV Pink Glow Serum & Primer
This is one of the newest CV products, which I have to praise for their improved new formulas, at least some of them. It caught my eye because it has vitamin C third on the list, though it's not ascorbic acid, it's 3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid and percentage is not stated. There also hyaluronic acid high on the list, which did concern me a bit, since products with a lot of it break me out - it sucks, since it's such an important ingredient, still took a risk anyway and it looks like it's not going to cause me much problems. It's also meant to work as a primer, but it's not a silicone-based one, instead it has glycerine as the main ingredient, so it's similar to Catrice's  Glow & Care Primer. Serum is tinted pink and contains tiny silver shimmer, so I assumed this is going to be very similar to Catrice's primer which is a passable dupe for Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Flawless Filter(in my opinion. The size of shimmer differs, so I expect some will disagree), however, shimmer is super subtle. I can't really say I notice any extra glow on my face, at least on me since my natural radiance returned to my skin after almost eliminating The Ordinary products from my routine, but when I was trying it on hands, I noticed that the one I applied this on had this very subtle, natural radiance to it with no shimmer particles, so maybe if you have a dull complexion, this effect might be more visible on you. Formula is light, but kind of slimmy-feeling when I’m applying it and it almost emulsifies, similar to Revolution Salicylic Acid 2%. It doesn't absorb completely and stays a bit tacky on the skin - this might assist the foundation and other makeup to stick on better, but I haven't spotted a difference, since makeup tends to last ok on me anyway. CV also recommends to mix this with a foundation for extra radiance, but like I said this is not very highlightery and if you want such a product try Catrice instead (or for more glow any of the liquid highlighters: Oriflame IlluSkin, L'Oreal Mon Amour and Wet n Wild MegaGlo Hello Halo). I got it because of vitamin C, even though it's not ascorbic acid, but at least at this one there's not obnoxious scent on my hands the other day like at strong L-AA formulas such as TO 23%. This is scented, but faintly and it's a bit of an odd one that I don't quite like, but it's not terrible. 
Müller, 6.99 €


I got two more of these, since they were finally in stock. I've written a rave review, saying it's has the same results as Asian brightening mask, so it evens out the skin and just makes it look healthier. Ingredients are lovely since it has niacinamide high on the list, along with camelia extract, hyaluronic acid, glycolic and malic acid. 
Müller, 2.95 €


CV Rose Quartz Facial Roller
Getting one of these has been on my mind for a while, though I was perfectly content to do facial massages just with fingers and this is honestly just a luxury item for me. I was planning on getting one much cheaper online, but currently I'm not too keen ordering online outside EU since everything takes ages, so I was surprised to see one of these in Müller. It's was out of my designated budget, but convenience won this time. I've never held one of these to compare them, but I can say this one feels well made. The rolling is smooth, there's no squeaking and nothing is loose, though I feel like if this falls there is a chance it will break, so it best to be careful. CV added a guide how to do a massage in the back, though I'm used to is slightly differently myself. I'm not sure what if any results to expect from this, I'm never puffy too see a difference from a facial massage, but I do it for lymphatic drainage and honestly, whether I used this or not, I see nothing different in my skin, still I use it daily if I remember. I use mostly Nuxe oil with this and do a 10-15 minute massage. I'm very skinny, this doesn't feel amazing when it touches bones, which is almost everywhere for me and actually I like the basic massage with hands more. The box this comes in is great, nicely padded and easy to open, so I keep this in it. 
Müller, 15.99 €


BALEA Milder Reinigungs Schaum
I was never a fan of these types of mousses, but I got this to replace Balea's Waschgel. I love the latter and have been using for years now, but I had this dry, rough area on the sides of my nose that persisted despite my skin care oriented towards dry skin type, so I thought I might try replacing the cleanser with something suitable for such skin (this area also appeared only after they changed the Washchgel formula, which perhaps now might not be pH neutral, but I'm just speculating). The foam is surprisingly not crappy, I'm used to these being so watery, but this one is nicely fluffy and a bit more substantial than usual, though it's not as lovely as Balea's shower mousse from example. The smell is like Nivea and strong. I've been using this for a month and that area has now significantly improved. This might be my permanent replacement for Waschgel.
DM, 1.99 €

NIVEA Refreshing Shower Fresh Blends
Apricot, Mango, Rice Milk
These are new and there are three versions, aside from this one a pink one with raspberry, blueberry & almond milk, and a green one with watermelon, mint & coconut milk. I was of course drawn to the apricot mango combination, since both of those are some of my favourite scents, but this is not exactly what I imagined. I mean maybe there is some in the mix, but this smells exactly like Multi Sola, the orange drink with different fruit, which is a Slovene thing or possibly partly in the Balkans too, but I think every country has something like it, it's that bright orange fruity sweet beverage. Formula is thin, which is strange for Nivea which tends to have more rich formulas. Still it does what it should. To me it's important that it smells nice and that's it, and if I'd known it smells like Multisola, I'd get Nivea's Apricot shower gel instead.  
DM, 4.49 €


YVES ROCHER Monoi Eau des Vahines
Eau the Toilette
All YR product were bought online, so these were blind scent purchases, though we have a shop. I fell in love with the scent of Catrice's Sungasm Face Mist, so I went on a hunt to find a fragrance just like it. A few years ago such scents were everywhere from Estee Lauder Bronze Goddess (now the brand was removed from my local Müller, plus BG fragrances tend to be LEs), Guerlain Terracotta (on my wishlist since forever and now I can't find it anywhere), Lolita Lempicka L'Aime (apparently also discontinued), The Body Shop Kahaia and Polynesian Island Tiara (both discontinued), but Yves Rocher is the only option that's available all year round and is not a LE (aside from Nuxe Huile Prodigieuse, which I already know is not the same scent as Catrice's mist, but I'll get it anyway because it's so good). I had the shimmery oil years ago, whose scent my friend described as grandma-ish. I forgot it wasn’t that amazing the first time round and I thought there was some coconut in this on me. First spray was a disappointment. It just reminded me of that dry oil that later struggled to use up. There's zero coconut in this, it's a floral fragrance with lots of tiare flower and the only other note I get is ylang-ylang, but zero vanilla or coconut which are mentioned among the notes. It's a very "oily" smelling scent, it instantly reminds me of a suntanning oil, while I'd prefer something more creamy, suntanning lotion-like with more coconut. It's quite synthetic at times and sharp, I feel it needs something to make it more creamy, because now it smells dated to me, memories of the scent of beaches from the past and not now. It's closest to the original Nuxe Huile Prodigieuse scent, yet that one is so much better than this, softer, more rounded and smells more modern to my nose. YR is still instantly recognizable as a beachy scent and they have a separate coconut fragrance which could be combined with this, though I found it synthetic smelling and BBW does much better coconut scents. Staying power is poor, it can last maybe a couple of hours on the skin, so I mist it on my hair and clothes.   
Yves Rocher, 17.59 €

YVES ROCHER Monoi Eau de Tahiti Lagoon Hair & Body Wash
This has about the same scent as the fragrance, it's a bit less sharp, but again no coconut, only tiare flower. Formula is thin and I use up a lot of it at once because it foams poorly, however, it's SLS/SLES free which is nice to see and due to it I forgive the foaming part - beside this part matters less and less to me anyway. It can be used as a shampoo as well and like I said is sulphate-free plus it's silicone-free, but I haven't tried it yet for that and I don't if I will before it runs out. I ordered a pump too because YR's packaging is just too hard for me to squeeze.
Yves Rocher, 3.50 €


YVES ROCHER Almond Orange Blossom Relaxing Bath & Shower
I don't like the scent of this. It was a blind buy based on reviews on YR's French website and I simply should have known that like 90% of times YR's scent this likely won't be for me. I expected something nicely warm, since almond scents tend to smell great at other brands, but YR has this type of fragrances with a natural twist that my nose doesn't like. It's more orange blossom than almond, though the latter is noticeable, but this is overall a very green floral scent - like I said it has this natural, almost herbal vibe to it, it's all very French in a L'Occitane & Yves Rocher way. I'm a basic girl who likes her more chemical, powdery-clean based to the scents, so I hope someone uses this up instead of me. The formula is algain SLS/SLES free and also quite liquid plus poorly foaming.
Yves Rocher, 3.50 €

YVES ROCHER Garden Party Perfumed Hand Cream
I got this as a gift with purchase. Honestly I didn't want any of their options, but it doesn't let you through checkout if you don't pick something - I'm probably the only one who is not a fan of getting GWP unless it's something I really want. This smell like Nestle Ice Tea. It's more fruity to me than floral, though Nestle never smelled like peaches to me, but this it's not a floral garden scent - maybe it's better to describe it as having ice tea in a blooming garden. Texture is on the light side, yet it doesn't absorb as fast as The Body Shop's Cool Cucumber which has a similar lotion-like formula. In terms of nourishment this is not Balea's Urea, L'Occitane's Shea or TBS Hemp cream, so for me more of a something to use if nothing else is around.  
Yves Rocher, 3.50 €


BALEA Werwöhndusche Caribbean Feeling
I tend to avoid Balea coconut scented stuff because it's all the same plastic smelling kind since forever. This one is exactly like that from the start, this soapy fake coconut scent, however, after you wash it off, a more pleasant smelling coconut remains. It’s not like Raffaello for example, it’s less sweet. Formula is typical for Balea, on the thin side, but it does the job. 
DM, 0.99 €

BALEA Shampoo Copacabana
I've been wondering about this scent ever since I saw that Sol de Janeiro-like pot of body cream. It's not described as a dupe scent by anyone, but reviews mostly praised the scent. I didn't want the either of the body lotions nor the scented shimmery mist (if a shimmer free version existed it's be nice), so I waited for them to launch either a shampoo or a shower gel. This came here first, but a shower gel exists too, though to use the shampoo as a shower gel anyway and I won't try this on my hair. Scent is not at all what I expected. I though it's going to be something coconuty, pina-colada-like or with any of the tropical fruits, however, this is not a summery tropical scent to my nose. It's smells like something from an autumn/winter collection to me and just smelling it from the bottle doesn’t reveal how it really smells - I get this almost chocolate-y hazelnut scent, but when showering it’s a warm, sweet, syrupy floral scent. It's smells like something from an autumn/winter collection to me - if they sold this in autumn and said in the description it smells like maple syrup and hazelnuts, I’d totally believe it, but now since it says it smells like exotic flowers, I think I notice them, though there’s no tiare flower or hibiscus. I truly get no beach/summer/cocktail vibe from this. Regardless, it’s nice and I can see why products from this line have such a positive feedback. Formula is thin and I don’t get a lot of foam from it. 
DM, 1.29 €


YVES ROCHER Anti-Age Global The Anti-Ageing Correcting Supra Essence
YR is so much like L'Occitane when it comes to ingredients, though some products have alcohol high on the list. I loved this - well based on one use. It's a serum with tiny shimmer, which doesn't do much, but the formula feels nicely hydrating even though it's light. Usually when the formula is light, my skin just screams for extra moisture in a matter of minutes. It's not sticky nor does it leave a layer. It has chamomile extract high on the list, so it should have some soothing abilities and it also has a form of vitamin C (sodium ascorbyl phosphate). I like it a lot, but it's too expensive at 46.99 €.

YVES ROCHER Anti-Age Global The Anti-Aging Comfort Cream
This I like less, though it was still nice enough. It's very thick and takes a long time to absorb. Something for dry skin and to use at night, like the name says.


CANTU Shea Butter Leave-in Conditioning Repair Cream
After being so impressed with the conditioner, I had to get the leave-in too. The pot is just huge, there's 453 g inside, which is at least twice as much as you get usually. It's the type of texture I was hoping it's going to be, meaning that it can be used both on damp and dry hair. On latter it doesn't leave that wet feeling so there's no drying time and no possibility of frizz popping back up latter. Texture is a combination between a silicone leave-in cream like Olaplex n.6 or Tigi After Party and a regular leave-in creamy conditioner that provides nourishment instead of styling. It works so well on very dry, coarse hair, but sadly it doesn't add that silkiness I get from Tigi Blow-Out or Olaplex n.6 so it's not a perfect product, but as long as it can handle very dry hair, I'm good. This can also be used as a leave-in treatment overnight as for a more intense effect, but I had to wash my hair after it because though it absorbed during the night, I couldn't even run my fingers though the hair, it was so tangled with no smoothness - my hair just needs a ton of silicones if I don't want impossible tangles. I now mostly use it as a leave-in conditioner on damp hair after washing my hair and it helps just like the regular conditioner to keep my ends moisturised for much longer. However, using both regular conditioner and this in one washing doesn't work well for me, I need to combine both with something with silicones, otherwise I can barely run my fingers though my hair and it's just tangly. It doesn't smell like Pina Colada like the conditioner, but it's another more tropical coconuty-banana scent, so very pleasant.
Müller, 8.99 €


BALEA Hitze Schutz Spray
I only noticed now that I got the wrong one. I was planning on getting the new Schőner Főner spray which is in the same type of packaging and similar colour. I checked the ingredients of that one online, so I didn't read the back of this one in the shop and I didn't see it's filled with alcohol. Luckily I only got the mini because this is a fail product for me. For one it leaves the hair very wet and I need to wait for it to dry before curling or straightening. It leaves the hair dry, stuck in clumps and crunchy. My hair was a mess the next day. This is definitely not a product for my dry hair. 
DM, 0.99 €


L'OREAL Excellence Crème Triple Care Color
8.1 Light Ash Blonde
Another set of these, you know I use these a lot for toning. This time I screwed up my roots because they didn't lift enough and they stayed orange-yellow (my mistake. I used an equal mix of 6% and 12% developer, which ended up too weak for my dark brown thick hair when left the longest recommended time. I think I used more of 12% last time and forgot. So lesson learned for next time hopefully). I decided to do a version of shadow roots with 8.1 to hide the warm roots that Garnier 9.1 wasn't able to cover instead of bleaching again and toning. My roots are now a bit darker, which helps a lot to hide my emerging dark roots or at least makes the transition a bit softer, so it's much better than the last time when I had light blonde hair all over. I praised the formula a lot already, it's a truly great one even for very dry hair.  
Interspar, 5 € on offer.


ESSENCE 4 in 1 Profi File
I've been buying these for years. It's a cheap, basic nail file that does the job. It has four sides with surfaces that vary in roughness. I always buy this one for shortening and polishing the tips, and Ebelin's Polishing file for polishing the entire nail.
DM, 1.59 €


ESTEE LAUDER Bronze Goddess Skinscent
I tracked one of these down with much difficulty. EL is not sold in my local Müller anymore, it's not in online shops based in Slovenia and UK ones don't ship here. I finally found one on eBay. Two versions exist (or existed. I'm confused whether last year's editions are permanent or also LE's like previous ones), mine is Skinscent version which is "the original" Bronze Goddess, though there were variations of this scent thought the years and eau de parfum, which is kind of new, though EL had the perfume version before. Parfume (which I sadly couldn't find) is a warmer, deeper scent and with no bergamot, but it's said equal in terms of staying power as the Skinscent. This is to me not a smell of the beach, at least not in a traditional way. This smells like expensive makeup to me, or the scent of a drugstore/perfume shop where all the scents of testers mix together. I get no creamy coconut on my skin, which I was so hoping for, instead I get a lot of bergamot, so this is a citrusy warm scent on me and it lasts. There's no tiare flower on me either, just bitter citrus mixed with a high-end makeup base, which I have no idea with what notes to describe. Maybe it smells like high-end sunscreen, but not that I would know how those smell like. The beaches I visit are filled with the scent of Sundance, Lavazon and Hoffer sunscreen, maybe a couple of Nivea ones for those who feel fancy. This is miles away from Yves Rocher's Eau de Vahines, which smells like a budget sun tanning oil, they literally don't share a single similarity. It's also not similar to Nuxe Huile Prodigeuse or any Bath and Body Works mists I have, so this is very unique to my nose. I miss coconut and tiare flower, so honestly this is not a summery scent to me, but an all-year one, while BBW absolutely excels at making such scents. It smells very high end to me, I wear this every day since I got it and I like that's it's so unique, almost unisex on me due to the bergamot, still neither YR nor this are exactly what I wanted and my hunt for a nice beachy scent continues.
eBay seller hogiesonline, £39.90

Have a great day!

Empties #36

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My favourite mascara for many years now. I actually had three empty tubes of this to throw out. It's one of rare mascaras that does what I want - first and foremost keeps my lashes curled all day, but also it's a mascara that has a multiplying effect because it can separate and catch every lash, it's lengthening and doesn't create a clumpy result even with several coats. Only minus is that it doesn't fan out the lashes as nicely as some other mascaras, so they look kinda dishevelled and I also always make a bit of a mess due to the big brush. 
Repurchase: Done.

This could be the most perfect mascara ever. It catches every single lash creating an effect of tons of lashes and it fans them out beautifully. However, for a waterproof mascara it's not good at holding up the lashes, which is such a shame. But since most don't have such problems like me, this might work great for you.
Repurchase: No.

A very decent formula for a regular one because it didn't drop my lashes completely like most do. It also has a very volumising and dramatic effect, making it perfect for those who love big lashes. But it's such a pain to remove and needs a special remover just like the waterproof formulas, so this makes it not worth it for me - I put up with lengthy removal only if the mascara does what I want, so keep my lashes perfectly curled.  
Repurchase: No.

ESSENCE Lash & Brow Gel Mascara
This might just be the longest surviving product in Essence lines that has successfully evaded their discontinuing frenzies for years. I bought this ages ago and now I'm just throwing it out after not even using it a lot. I didn't get this for the original purpose (taming brows), instead I got it to tame the frizz on my hair and it wasn't averaged at that, so I rarely used it. I've recently found the Got2B Bye Bye Babyhaar frizz taming mascara, which was specifically designed for the job and it's really good.  
Repurchase: No.


LEE JIHAM Dr's Care Vita-Propolis Ampoule
This is an amazing product for my skin and sadly it only exists in a 15 ml size, so I saved it a lot, which I really shouldn't have. You might remember that I wrote about how my skin has been impossible to handle since september last year when I started using more The Ordinary products, hoping I'll finally see results, which I didn't despite persisting until March. So I went back to my basic routine, which stabilised my skin and then decided to finally finish this bottle and the results were amazing. Within a few uses my skin got back it's glow it had before The Ordinary and it just looked so much better. It looks like propolis really works for me.
Repurchase: Yes, though it's difficult now. I might get Tosoowong instead because it's 100 ml, but I don't remember if that one broke me out or not. I'm exploring other brands too (Skinfood, It's Skin, iUNIK, Beauty of Joseon,...). 

I used this up on my hair. It has gold flakes inside that did nothing apart from look pretty in the bottle when you shook it. It's a light oil and I didn't particularly like it on the face as much as my other oils, though there was nothing wrong with it, but I just felt others leave my skin in better condition. I used it instead of a silicone-oil hair seruma because it's light and didn't leave my hair too greasy looking like coconut oil does, so it my "morning choice" for a hair care product when my ends were dry. Nuxe Huile Prodigeouse is a better version, this I merely tried to use up.
Repurchase: No. 


SCHAEBENS Cell Therapy Hydrogel Maske Anti-Age Booster
So far the best mask I was able to find in local drugstores. It has about the same effect as brightening Asian masks, meaning it evens out the skin tone and makes the skin look more healthy. Only minus is the chemical scent, which is noticeable the entire time it's on the face, but it's not terrible. 
Repurchase: Done.


INEBRYA Ice Cream No Yellow Shampoo 
This is one of the strongest purple shampoos I've tried and it works really well on light blonde hair of level 10-9. It's an intensely pigmented indigo (deep purple-blue) shampoo that neutralises yellow tones and creates an ice blonde shade. It's so strong that if you have very pale hair, you have to be careful because it can tint the hair violet, but my hair was never so light that that would happen to me. Formula was never drying on my hair, so I enjoyed using it, though it's not a nourishing formula. It smells like grape, which was pleasant enough. This is quite expensive in my local drugstore, over 10 € and though it took me a long time for finish the bottle, I found a cheaper dupe by L'Oreal. This is much cheaper online and it exists in a jumbo size, still L'Oreal wins for me because it's easily accessible. 
Repurchase: Yes, but only if I can't find L'Oreal's purple shampoo.

This is the richest, heaviest treatment I know in terms of texture. It's like a thick balm and for anyone who doesn't have very thick and dry hair, this is way too much. Even I had to be careful with it not to apply too much leave-in products or it would make my hair feel "heavy", though not greasy. However, it's not as effective as their K-Pack Intense Hydrator despite the thickness. This was second tube and I used it rarely, only when my hair was super dry and honestly, it never helped as much as I hoped it would. 
Repurchase: Maybe,but a lot less likely since I found Cantu conditioner, which is the best thing I found for extremely dry hair.


I have to say I don't see any really results from these types of leave-in protein treatments on their own. I got this because I read it's like a liquid Olaplex only better - I don't find it has such a visible result on my hair, but maybe on thinner it's more effective. I see a difference only with proper masks/treatments, while I use these as an extra product. This is very light, so suitable for all hair types. I bought Joico K-Pack instead. I feel the same about that one as this one, so it really doesn't matter to me which one I use. The packaging broke on this one, the pump simply stopped working when I had a 1/2 left, so I had to transfer into another spray. 
Repurchase: I don't know, I'll get whatever is cheaper, though I don't want another spray that's going to break. 

I found this in some dark corner of my cupboard. It's a mini and I've never owned full size despite really liking it, but like always when I like something I start to obsessively save it and I forgot about it like any idiot. In the meantime I got a ton of similar products, however, this is one of the most effective products I've found for smoothing the hair when using a round brush and hair dryer. It's also very liquid and light, so suitable for all types.
Repurchase: It's really nice, butit has alcohol as the second ingredient, so no.


BALEA Fuss Maske 
This felt so promising when I started applying it. It’s very rich, thick and it’s actually like a mask, not just a thick moisturiser, so it stays in a thick layer on the skin. I did a pedicure before with my Balea machine and even used plastic bags to make socks just like in those more expensive masks. I left it on for about an hour, maybe two. Once it all absorbed, my skin wasn’t soft. It was nourished, but not as smooth as it was after a pedicure. It felt like those parts with thick skin (I can't reduce those completely despite using a machine) were even more pronounced now. My skin is very thick and often very dry, so I haven’t found a product that would make my feet soft (that includes those peeling AHA masks) and this sadly isn’t it either. However, I think for an average user it’s likely going to be more than enough. It smelled really nice, just a basic creamy cosmetic scent. 
Repurchase: Probably not, though I liked how thick it was and it did nourish well.

LACTACYD Intimate Washing Lotion Sensitive
This was nice and it did the job. I like this one most out of the ones I've tried. 
Repurchase: Yes.


PACO RABANNE Olympea
I used to adore this wholeheartedly, but man am I glad it's gone. I just can't smell it any more, possibly because mine changed/has gone off, but all I could smell at the end is a sharp jasmine note and I really don't like jasmine because it gives me a headache. From the start it was a floral vanilla with a sea salt note, quite unique in my eyes. Now I much prefer the flankers, in particular the Intense version and Aqua Legere. 
Repurchase: No, not this version.


GARNIER Color Naturals 
9.1 Natural Extra Light Ash Blonde
I got this a while ago when they changed the packaging of my usual L'Oreal Excellence and I couldn't find shade 9.1 for some time, so I grabbed this one in the same shade. I ended up not using it that time because I stumbled upon L'Oreal a few days later, but so it doesn't just sit in my closet I decided to finally use it up. I was very concerned this will be a drying, terrible formula because it's cheap and this is Garnier's budget range, however, it's actually very decent. It's not as nice as L'Oreal's, but it didn't leave my hair all dried up, stiff, coarse and fried, which is an achievement at my hair texture. As far as the colour goes, I've made a lot of mistakes before and during dyeing, so I didn't get the perfect result that I get with L'Oreal and I won't blame it on this colour, but like I said L'Oreal's performs better even with my screw ups. It neutralised strong yellow tones after bleaching, but despite leaving the bleach on for enough time I was left with orange this time and this obviously can't cover that, so this is a shade for very strong, canary yellow tones only, aside from the natural colours it's recommended for. 
Repurchase: Maybe.

SUBRINA Colour Refresh Mask 
Diamond Blonde
One more tube used up. I talk about this mask a lot because it's the strongest such neutralising product I know, which means your need to be very careful with this, but also one rare products that is capable of toning on very intense warm tones. This isn't my picture, but you can see the results here
Repurchase: Done.


L'OREAL Excellence Crème
8.1 Light Ash Blonde
I don't know which in a row is this one, but I've used plenty of these. The formula is excellent even for my dry hair and there also a very good 60 ml conditioner inside. This particular shade is a fantastic one for toning brassy-orange tones, actually the only thing I've found so far that does the job. It also lifts my dark brown natural colour extremely well for a box colour and neutralizes at the same time. I don't get the colour on the box on my natural colour - I mean I do the one in the back, so light brown, but on my bleached hair it's a tiny bit darker than the box, so I actually use it just on the roots and then 9.1 on my length for an ombre effect, which also really helps to make my roots less obvious. 
Repurchase: Done.

DISCONTINUED PRODUCTS AND LIMITED EDITIONS


REVIVA LABS  5% Glycolic Acid Cream
I had this for so long and actually I haven't used it in years, I just found it in one of the cupboards while I was cleaning. Reviva Labs doesn't have this particular product anymore, but they have other AHA creams and they might have the same texture. This was one of my first such product and even though it was considered to be strong for someone who never tried stronger acids before, I got nothing from this, which is actually exactly what's still happening with a lot stronger formulas. My skin simply doesn't benefit much from glycolic, I have no idea why. I kept giving it chances, but this did nothing. I did not like the formula because it felt heavy. It was a moisturiser-like texture that didn't sink it, instead it just sat on the skin like a sleeping mask. 
Repurchase: No.


CATRICE Metallic Liquid Liner
This was actually the only coloured eyeliner I thought was good out of the few I tried so far. Others I tried were always somewhat sheer, but this was pigmented like a black eyeliner. Sadly Catrice discontinued it. Colour was pretty too, a golden bronze. There no such replacements at the moment in their line-up.
Discontinued.

L'OCCITANE Melting Honey Exfoliating Sugars
This is already gone I believe, but I'm not sure if current scrub versions are similar. The scent of this one blinded me from the start into thinking that I love it, but by the end I wasn't as impressed any more. It's not bad, there are just better. It's very thick and like a balm, so it doesn't wash off completely. This had a plus in a sense that I didn't need an extra moisturiser, but it's not ideal if you like the feeling of clean skin. The scrubby bits could be more dense for my taste.
Discontinued. (I also prefer Soap & Glory ones, but now I'll have to find something new that easily accessible).


DOVE Quench Absolute Supreme Crème Serum
Another one of these things gone. I love this product wholeheartedly, it was the best hydrator/tamer/shine product ever and Dove stupidly discontinued the entire line. I have a bottle still in stock, but I haven't found a proper replacement yet, though Olaplex n.6 and Tigi Blow-Out Cream/After Party are similar.
Discontinued.

BALEA Rasiergel Exotic Coco
One of my least favourite LE scents. There's not nothing beachy, tropical about it, it was just very bland. But the quality of as always great and I'm still using only these after so many years. 
Repurchase: Done in another scent, like always. 

June Favourites, Updates and Wishlist

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I don't know how this ended up in the back of my drawer because I've always used it a lot, but my stash got bigger in autumn and Maybelline's Dream SPF 50 is now my most worn one due to SPF. After I "rediscovered it" in my stash, I immediately started wearing it again. I like the natural look this creates, it's a low coverage formula, so it never looks too "done", plus this shade fits me well and I especially appreciate that it's cheap and easily accessible in our drugstores.

This has been my favourite formula for ages and after having to make do with two shades that didn't match me well for years, I've finally found my perfect match last year - and in my local drugstore no less. I don't wear a full face makeup often now and this is the only concealer than I can just apply where needed and it won't look like a patch of obvious makeup even without a foundation under it. With all other concealers I need a foundation as a base so they blend in better, but this can go straight on the skin (Bourjois Radiance Reveal is similar, but the shade doesn't match me perfectly). It'll will cover what needs to be covered and it blends seamlessly into my skin both due to the light, non-matte natural texture and the shade. The sponge is also really helpful because at most times I don't need anything else to blend (unless there is a lot of product on the sponge). 


I was not very happy with this from the start. For one the colour was completely different than I imagined after seeing it online, I felt it's not glowy much and the formula was dusty, however, this became a much better formula with use and also the shade grew on me. It's become one of my favourite cheek products, in fact, I've worn L.O.V. blushes interchangeably and honestly, this is pretty much the same on the cheeks. Essence's has such refined shimmer which gives a wonderful healthy glow on the cheeks just like at L.O.V.'s blushes. Any other shimmery blush in my collection tends to make the skin look textured, but not these two formulas and Essence is very easily accessible here, so it's great to see a decent replacement for L.O.V. which is not easy to get since they removed the stands. Let's just hope these last a while in Essence's product lines, we all know how the love to discontinue things. 03 Cassis Sunburst is a very basic peachy-pink shade, perhaps a bit boring, but also flattering on many skin tones. It might be too light for anything darker than medium skin tones, but the glow will still be visible. 

This is holding on strong, which is a not common feature of such felt tip liners. I think I got this in February and it's still very pigmented, it's actually not much different from when it was new, even the tip is still in great condition. Formula is a deep black and it lasts all day on my normal eyelids with no base - the only thing I will complain now that I wear Lavozon sunscreen daily: it can on occasion transfer in the crease, but I think that has more to do with Lavozon being a greasier formula. The applicator is small, smooth, very precise and it's also softer than some other ones I've tried, so it feels very comfortable to use. After all this time, I'm still impressed. 


I've been mostly wearing the Honey Lacquer version, but that one started to smell very plasticky, so I dug out this one from my collection. It's another fabulous formula from Max Factor. They make some of the most cushiony, comfortable formulas that are a pleasure to apply and wear. The formula is thinner than Honey Lacquer, so the shade is sheerer and I actually appreciate this as this shade. I want natural looking colours and this is a pretty pinky-peach that isn't too bright. 

I did not appreciate this shade fully as a dark brunette. I felt it looked too pink and I prefered Cami from the same brand, but as a blonde I like such a shades a lot more. I don't know if this shade is still sold, but the official description is very accurate: a matte dusty mauve pink. I think this is a Matte formula, which I don't love as much as Matte X, but it's still one of my favourites. It's one of the most pigmented ones I've ever tried, finish is nicely matte (but Matte X has a similar finish to a matte liquid lipstick) and it's comfortable on the lips


These are both discontinued, but there were several of these in the discontinued bin when I checked. They aren't the same shade, so wearing these together doesn't work best, so I either wear one or the other. The lipstick is a like a shade lighter Lumiere, so a dusty mauve pink. It's not matte, as it has a creamy shine and it doesn't last terribly long, which is a shame, but I paid 0.99 € for it, so I won't complain too much. The lipliner is a peachier version of the lipstick and it's got a matte finish. Formula is a bit heavy on the lips and it feels like a layer from the beginning, but it's not uncomfortable and it's creamy enough to be applied all over the lips without dragging. It also doesn't last long, but a bit better than the lipstick. 


This is not how I remember it from, granted, a long time ago and it's not the coconuty-beachy scent I was looking for, but I like it, even though it's so unconventional to me. This is going to sound stupid, but it just smells so homely to me, like a walk in the forest in spring. It's the strong bergamot that makes it smell very unisex to me, but the base is somewhat warm. I said that it also smells like high end makeup or a mix of fragrance when you step into a drugstore - that's the base of this fragrance on me. I'm still looking for a perfect beachy scent, but I'll wear this a lot. It lasts reasonably well for such a scent, a few hours and even longer on clothes where I usually spray it, but obviously such scent can't last all day. For a beachy-ish scent I'm still sticking to BBW Oahu Coconut Sunset even though it's a bit too syrupy and heavy for summer days, while Yves Rocher's Eau de Vahines didn't not impress me than much, though it's the most "beachy" in the selection because it smells like tanning oil.   


I did not expect to like this much, but I think it'll end up as my permanent replacement for Balea Waschgel (though I still have one full bottle in stock and I will start using that one once this is finished). My skin got incredibly dry last autumn and though it's stabilised since then, I had this rough area around my nose that wasn't improving, so I had a brainwave that Waschgel might not be best for me at the moment and it looks like it was the reason, because that dry area is now under control. Such foams are not my favourite as they tend to be very watery, but this one is fluffier than a lot such formulas. 

While I'm not as impressed by this as with the conditioner, it's become my favourite leave-in moisturising conditioner when I use any other treatment apart from Cantu (together they leave my hair nourished, but tangled). I've mentioned several times before that no treatment or conditioner can keep my ends moisturised for longer than a couple of days, but this gives me the same effect as the regular conditioner when I use it on damp hair after washing so my hair doesn't get dry for a week. The only thing this doesn't do is make my hair silky, meaning I have to combine it with silicone product or my hair get very tangled. On dry hair I use it when my ends are very dry and it fixes it most effectively, but like I said this doesn't leave the hair smooth and it's hard to even run my fingers through the hair. As overnight treatment without washing it off like they recommend also doesn't work for me, so I stick to using this one as a leave-in conditioner mostly on damp hair and it limits the amount of oil/leave-ins I need to maintain my ends.


I rave about these two frequently, so I won't say anything new. Cantu is my moisturising treatment that intensely nourishes, so my hair isn't dry as fast as usual, but these two are my protein (+ moisturising) duo that fix the extra coarseness which appears after a while, especially when I'm trying to use up my cheap conditioners. I've been using Intense Hydrator on its own for years and it's one of my favourite treatments ever, but together with Reconstructor they are a power couple. I don't like to use Reconstuctor on its own because while it makes the hair stronger, due to being a protein rich treatment it can leave the hair hard to the touch, but Intense Hydrator provides the perfect balance in extra hydration, leaving the hair feeling smooth and softer than usual. For my coloured hair these are a must. 

UPDATES

While I have been using this every day for three weeks or maybe a month now, I won't place it among the "proper favourites" because it's still too early to say it's doing something in terms of brightening, but nonetheless I like this a lot. It appears it doesn't have such a fast brightening effect as my favourite vitamin C Eucerin 10% (that one worked in 2-3 weeks), but this has vitamin C in a less powerful form 3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid, so I'm going to have to report back on that, still my skin is looking pretty good. I love how light this is, so I can easily include it in my routine and I use this in the morning under sunscreen. This also has hyaluronic acid high on the list, which doesn't break me out, so I'm glad I found another such a product. Serum is tinted pink and contains tiny silver shimmer, which isn't as intense as in Catrice's Glow & Care Primer or Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Flawless Filter, but I noticed on my hands where I applied it to one that this has a had this very subtle, natural radiance to it with no shimmer particles. On my face I don't notice the glow as much, but it has more to do that my skin actually got its natural glow back with Lee Jiham Propolis Ampoule anyway, but I suspect this might have something to do with too (along with the niacinamide-rich Balea Vital Konzentract Gegen Pigment Flecken that I've been using in my night routine). One more big plus at this one - I can use it without the fear of the weird scent that develops on my hands after applying products with a lot of ascorbic acid. I've actually resorted to applying The Ordinary 23% vitamin C with gloves, but it's not a foolproof technique since I touch my face a lot and I really can't stand that weird smell - if I have to use weaker forms of vitamin C, so be it, I don't get results from TO anyway, not like with Eucerin. 


REVLON
I recently got several Revlon products, which will be for pictures on Click2Chic's social media, so I don't plan to use some of these a lot because they need to stay pretty, but I have tried most of them and I've quickly found some fantastic products.  
VOLUMazing Mascara Waterproof
I'm pretty much never impressed by a mascara at first try - even if it's great, a majority drop my lashes, so I'm mostly annoyed when I try new formulas. But this one I liked straight away. I a lot of volume and length with one coat and a couple more creates big lashes. Plus since it's waterproof it holds a curl. It's only been a few days, but I'm really liking this one. 

Ultra HD Vinyl Lip Polish in Birthday Suit
This was the only thing I requested because I feel in love with the shade in drugstore. One thing I knew and it's only been confirmed to me after trying several Revlon lip product is that they make some of the best ones. This is my first Vinyl version, but I have the original Ultra HD formula which is deceivingly named matte (it has a creamy finish) and this is like an even glossier version of that formula. Again it's super pigmented, very comfortable and it holds on so well on the lips for a glossy producz. This colour is beautiful, a lovely pale pinky-mauve and it's the best Revlon shade in for my taste.  

Kiss Cushion Lip Tint
This was such a pleasant surprise. I thought he cushion is going to be hard and the product is going to be sheer, but this is another very comfortable formula. It feels like a creamy-oily texture on the lips and it's great for dry lips. Formula is fully opaque and in time this leaves an even stain. It lasts unexpectedly well too. I'm not a big fan of the two shades I have (a light beige nude 210 Pretty Kiss and a deep vampy 270 Wine Trip), though Pretty Kiss is ok, just too warm for my skin tone, so maybe I'll get Naughty Mauve for myself, these products should stay pretty anyway. 

Colorstay Overtime
A product I'm shocked is not talked about more. This thing survives anything and I do mean that - drinking, eating, touching lips a lot - it just lasts and doesn't transfer. It doesn't feel dry to me and I think I've mentioned a couple of months back that my lips are now drier than before. This doesn't leave my lips all crusty and patchy at the end of the day, instead they still look smooth. It's in two parts, the colour, which is a sticky from the start, so you need to wait for it to dry and then there's this glossy coat that seals the colour. It stays shiny for a while, but after hours it's a natural matte type of finish, almost like the lips are naturally stained. Again a marsala reddish brown 380 Always Sienna is not my colour, but like I said these things need to stay pretty and Unlimited Mulberry looks more wearable for my skin tone.  


  
WISHLIST

TREND IT UP Color Cube Eye Shadow Palette 050 - It's not often I see a palette nowadays and I like most of the shades. Since Anastasia's Renaissance palette most neutral palettes are so warm and rosy, which does not suit my taste, so I was delighted to see this one the stand. But there's no testers so I don't know if it's worth it.

ARTDECO Perfect Teint Illuminator - Since Trend it Up Under Eye Brightening & Base didn't work out as I planned, I just might buy this again. I had it a long time ago, before the blog and it was the first product that actually hid the redness I had under my eyes since I was a child. It's not a concealer, but something like YSL Touche Eclat. I'd get L'Oreal's Magic Highlighter pen which I also had and loved, but it's not in our drugstores. 

TREND IT UP Waterdrop Lip Color 010 - this looked pretty on the stand, another wearable medium rosy-brown shade. 

CATRICE Liquid Camouflage High Coverage Concealer 200 Anti-Red - I'm not thinking just about this one, but colour correctors in general, which I might give another go. There's that many in our drugstores and I'd like to have green and purple, this one is the best rated green one I could find for cheap. 

TREND IT UP Powder Blush Rouge 055 - I loved the look of this too. It's maybe a bit deep for me because it's quite a dark rosy-plumy shade, but it looked like it has a nice glow. 

BATH & BODY WORKS Bali Black Coconut Sands - Maybe this will smell like summer to me. I don't want that fake plastic-fresh coconut Yves Rocher has and I hear The Body Shop's isn't great either, but I know from experience that BBW makes good coconut fragrances. This one is described as "an alluring, tropical mix of coconut milk, sea salt musk & black sand", but some describe a lot of vanilla, which I don't really want (Victoria's Secret Coconut Passion is pure vanilla to me). I can't find it on eBay, though. 

AVON Naturals Aloha Monoi Body Mist - a cheap mist I have a tiny bit of hope doesn't smell like plastic coconut. I can't find any decent descriptions of the scent, though I know they had a scented page in one of the catalogues.  

PIXI PLUMP Collagen Boost Sheet Mask - I read a rave review about this one saying it's nicely plumping and ingredients are good too. 

PIXI Vitamin-C Serum and Tonic - I use the Retinol one every day and I like it, so I'd like to try more of Pixi. Ingredients of a lot of products are impressive, these two have ascorbic acid high on the list plus it's combined with ferulic acid. 

THE INKEY LIST Shea oil nourishing treatment, Salicylic Acid Exfoliating Scalp Treatment and Hyaluronic Acid Hydrating Hair Treatment - these went on my wishlist as soon as I saw them. Based on experience with Cantu I think shea should work great for me and I've actually already been using face serums with hyaluronic acid on my ends because apparently they should work just like on the skin (I've seen some effect, but I don't use it on its own, I put a hydrating hair product over it) and the salicylic acid treatment could be nice for my dandruff (I've tried Phillip Kingsley Scalp mask which did nothing, but this might and it's cheaper).

IUNIK Propolis Vitamin Synergy Serum - I've said in my empties that I'm in need of a new propolis serum. This one is cheapest per mililitre and it's still under the amount when we have to pay taxes when ordering from outside EU. I was also told by one of you that it's great. I have other options in my sight (picture here): Dr.Ceuracle Royal Vita Propolis 33 Ampoule, which is the renamed and renewed Lee Jiham version, COSRX Full Fit Propolis Light Ampoule, COSRX Propolis Synergy Toner, IT'S SKIN Power 10 Formula Propolis (similarly priced as iUNIK, but 30 ml), SKINFOOD Royal Honey PropolisEnrich Essence and TOSOWOONG Propolis Sparkle Ampoule (another great option, but shipping is so expensive everywhere now).

THE BODY SHOP Polynesian Monoi Radiance Oil - I found this while exploring beachy scent and while this isn't described by reviews are being such a scent, they still say it smells great and praise the texture. Based on ingredients this looks nice for hair as well. 

COMPTOIR Sud Pacifique Aloha Tiare and Coco Extreme - one of you told me about the existence of this brand and that it's on Notino. As an extra big plus they also have sample sizes. 

Maybelline Color Sensational Shaping Lip Liner Dusty Rose

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When it comes to lip liners, I stick mostly to Essence because they are cheap as chips and they always have some nice shades. This was the first time I even looked at Maybelline's lipliners and I immediately liked this shade. It's definitely one of the prettiest in my collection and since it's Maybelline's there's little fear they discontinue it in the next year.


Texture:Formula is nothing special and I mean that in a sense that it's good. It's soft and easy to apply all over the lips. Formula is light on the lips and it doesn't feel drying. So far it hasn't snapped off and I don't think it will, so compared to the Essence disaster they had a few years ago, this one looks more stable.


Shade: Dusty Rose is a beautiful light natural pinky-peach. It's somewhat similar to Big Proposal, my favourite, but it's less peachy. I love this one for a natural looking makeup because I can use it to define the lips without it looking too odd. I'd love to find a lipstick in this shade because I wear this all the time and it's more time consuming to apply it than a lipsticks. 


Staying power:it's more long-lasting than Essence's lip liners, so I get a lot more out of this one. It's comparable to regular matte lipsticks. 

Packaging: it's a standard twist up pencil and it has an added sharpener on the other side so you can keep it always precise. 


Price and availability: I got it in Müller for 5.11 €.


I'm a big fan of this lipliner. It's become my most worn shade, winning by a margin over Essence's Big Proposal (and yes, I do tend to wear mostly lipliners nowadays because for some reasons I can only find great shades for me among them and not lipsticks). It's not as cheap as Essence, but it lasts longer on the lips and the price is still acceptable. I've only mentioned it once in my monthly favourites, but it could be there every month.

Have a great day!
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