THE BODY SHOP Shade Adjusting Drops
Lightening
Thanks to my lovely reader and fellow blogger Oana from Not Just Makeup I finally got my hands on these. I first got the Catrice drops which I actually did end up using every day this month out of necessity, but they aren't enough as they are basically a very light tinted moisturiser. Now these are already much better. They lighten significantly more, I can even make Milani's foundation work (better at least). The trick of these is that they aren't actually white, but a pale pastel pink which neutralises yellow and that is exactly what I need, not just lightening, but also neutralising. The texture of these is similar to Catrice's once blended, meaning they are not as light as for example Catrice's HD foundation even though these are still drops, but they also have a greasier feeling once blended. I've only had them for three days, so I can't tell you much about how or if they change the foundation - so far they seem fine and they don't affect the staying power. The packaging is remarkably stupid. The dropper doesn't really work and it doesn't suck up the product, so you just need to find a different way to make it work. I was recommended to shake the bottle a lot.
The Body Shop, 14 €
*CATRICE Prime & Fine Make Up Transformer Drops
Lightening
Hopes were high for this, probably not just mine, as it's one of the very rare such products in our drugstores. It's about the same shade as Nars' concealer in Chantilly and it's tinted yellow, so it's only a shade or two too light for me, but since it's sheer, I could even wear it on its own. The texture appears very light when squeezed from the tube, but once you start rubbing it in, it's more greasy feeling. I've tried it with all my dark foundations and the only combination I like is with L'Oreal Infallible Matte. That one is pink, so the yellowness of the drops neutralises it, while the rest of my foundations are too yellow, so this isn't the best product for them. My darkest shades which are Milani Conceal + Perfect 01 and BeYu Nutri Foundation 15 are still way too dark with this. This can make it a shade lighter, two at most, but you need to use a lot (1:1 mix) and it also messes with the foundation's texture as well as staying power.
3.49 €
CATRICE Liquid Camouflage Concealer
005
I got this for my birthday from Petra who just nailed the timing because I just used up my other concealers a couple of days before. I heard tons of positive reviews about this and I'm spoiled by both Collection's and Nars' concealer, so I hoped this was similar enough. The colour I got is 005, which was added later and I'm so glad it was. It's a yellow version of Collection's 1 Fair, so it's fits my NC10 skin tone once blended, though at times it looks a bit too yellow. In terms of coverage, it doesn't cover as much my two favourites, but still has a good medium-full coverage. However, it looks better under the eyes because it's less matte and it feels lighter. For spots I need two layers, but two layers of this concealer look heavy for my taste and I still couldn't cover stronger redness from spots.
3.79€
*CATRICE Lip Dresser Shine Stylo
060 Surf and Turf in Grapetown
I will sheepishly admit I didn't know this was one of the new products until I got it. I checked what's new, but these just didn't caught my eye, probably because it's got shine in the name. I'm not loving the packaging because it has a clicker button which pushes the product out, but that also means you can't push it back. I find traditional winding mechanisms more useful. My shade is a deep red colour with semi-opaque pigmentation and a creamy finish that in time sets into a stain, so staying power is actually nice.
4.99 €
*L'OREAL False Lash Superstar X-Fibre
I've had the original Superstar before and the difference between the two is that this one has both sides black and the fibres look very obvious on the wand. I'm not a fan of fibres, they always fall in my eye and it's so painful (happened with this one too). It's a mascara that's more for volume, though you get a nice amount of length too, but the original was better. The first coat or side is a nice mascara in itself, so I skip the fibre side on me, but if you add fibres you get more volume, though you're sacrificing some definition. It's a mascara that makes the lashes hard, so it manages to hold the curl ok, also in part because this is actually quite a dry formula even when freshly opened.
15.49 € (I can't believe mascara costs more than a set of 5 blushes)
*L'OREAL Infallible Blush Paint
Pinks and Ambers
A collection of five powder blushes which range in finishes from matte to very glowy. In Pinks version you get two matte pastel pinks, a glowy light peach, a matte fuchsia and a shimmery peachy pink. In general the matte formulas feel drier, but the shimmery ones are amazing.
Ambers has all shimmery shades, so it's actually a better quality in total and I highly recommend this one, though both are a great buy. In Ambers you get a light peach, a light peachy pink, a medium peachy pink with gold shimmer, a warm muted pinky mauve kind of shade and an amber. The last two shades are so creamy and pigmented, seriously some of the best quality I've seen in the drugstore. The middle one swatches weak, but looks good on the cheeks and the other two are nice quality.
What most impressed me is the staying power because these last so well on my cheeks, while most drugstore blushes don't. I'm impressed.
13.49 €
*L'OREAL Lip Paint Matte
201 Hollywood beige, 204 Red actually and 207 Wuthering purple
These have a mousse type of texture that's even fluffier than Bourjois's Velvets and all are semi-opaque with one coat and can be build up. They set to a semi-matte finish, similar to Beyu's Cashmere, however it takes a long time to set, so you don't get that tight, matte layer feeling, but you also don't get a no-transfer long-lasting formula. Hollywood beige is a nude pinkish peachy beige shade, Red actually is a pinkish bright red which similarly to Jordana's Cherry Cobbler looks pink with one coat and red when you build it up. Wuthering Purple is a cool-toned violet shade.
7.99 €
*L'OREAL Lip Paint Lacquer
101 Gone with the nude, 102 Darling pink and 107 Dark river
Surprisingly I like these more than mattes. They remind me of Revlon's Ultra HD Mattes because they are very pigmented, apply evenly and have a similar, comfortable glossy-creamy finish. Gone with the nude is a beige brown shade, darling pink is a dirty pink-rose, my favourite, and Dark river is a super dark purple, almost black.
7.99 €
*ESSENCE Instant Matt foundation
10 Matt Ivory
A foundation that promises to be long-lasting, waterproof and full coverage. I only got it yesterday and I wore it on one side of the face (I had Beyu Nutri on the other because I was testing TBS drops), but as far as I can tell, the promises are pretty close, however, at a cost. I got the lightest shade, as usual for Essence, only appropriate for Oompa Loompas (swatch below), so I had to use TBS drops, but it behaved the same on the back of my hand, so I'll count it as a proper first impression. It's a very thick, almost paste like foundation that I had difficulties blending around the edges. It's got medium-full coverage, so I didn't use concealer on that side of the face. It a very obvious foundation, for my taste too cakey, but you do get coverage and it lasts at least 10 hours one the skin (there was a ton of foundation on the cotton pad very latte at night). It doesn't stay matte for more than a few hours and I'm not a fan of how it looks on the skin. When I swatched it on my hand, a makeup wipe could not remove it well and I had to scrub a lot, so it is waterproof.
4.39 €
*ESSENCE Blush Play Sculpting Blush Palette
10 Play it Peach
A collection of three different shades in various finishes, which you can use together for a sculpted look or individually, since all work well as blushes. The first "highlight" shade is a pale pinkish peach shade with a glowy finish. The second "sculpt" shade is a somewhat muted medium peachy pink with a matte-satin finish. The last "define" shade is a bright peachy pink with a glowy-satin finish and a super creamy formula. All are nicely pigmented and apply with no problems. Surprisingly good for Essence.
4.39 €
*ESSENCE Prismatic Rainbow Glow Highlighter
10 Be a Unicorn
I really don't like the trend of rainbow highlighters, I'm not even sorry. Not only was (as far as I know the idea) stolen from an indie brand, but also why would I wear that on my face. My personal opinions aside, as scary as this looks, mixed together you get a very normal looking highlighter. Swatched individually you get a scary bright blue, a good looking gold, a completely normal peach and a terrifying red. As you can see on my swatches, they really are almost like eyeshadows, with a damp brush they are eyeshadows, but mixed together you get an off-white champagne highlighter with an nice glow, but maybe the shimmer could be just a little bit more fine. For a proper rainbow effect I find that the strips and the packaging are too big, but also you'd get a strong blue and red, while the middle two colours would look too similarly boring.
3.79 €
*ESSENCE Shine Shine Shine Lip Gloss
12 Runway, your Way
This is a shade I associate with my fellow blogger Goga, she loves these types of colours, I, on the other hand, am not as big of a fan of purples on me and this is a proper purple with a glossy finish. It's semi-opaque, not sticky and it quickly settles down to a more sheer version of the shade. It's just a gloss.
2.19 €
*ESSENCE Fade your Shade Lipstick
02 ombré parfait
As soon as I read the name I thought: "Oh, gawd what is Essence trying to achieve now". As strange as the name is, this shade is actually just a very deep plum burgundy shade, well almost black and that's it. The trick is that you probably need to get the other shade 01 too, which I assume is white and you then create an ombre effect. But this is pretty on its own, just not unique. It's a very pigmented formula with a matte finish and if you're looking for a very dark vampy shade, this is a good affordable option.
2.99 €
*ESSENCE Little Beauty Angels TE Colour Correcting Anti-Redness Primer Stick
02 on my anti-redness mission
A very simple green concealer/balm product that neutralises redness. It's creamy, but like most such products it looks heavy for my taste, especially if you plan to apply a concealer over it. A liquid version would be more impressive, though this is fine in a pinch too. I'm not sold on the colour correcting thing yet, but those with redness in their skin might like it. This is a part of a large colour correcting collection which will include cream and powder product in various shades.
2.79 €
*CATRICE Marina Hoermanseder LE
Highlighting Pearls
These are again a part of a special collection that's one of Catrice's more luxurious looking ones. The pearls are a mix of pale gold and pearly pink which on the skin have a strong white glow with a pink reflect, so it's more appropriate for cool skin tones. The shimmer is similar than in Essence Rainbow highlighter, so it could be more fine.
4.29 €
Highlighter Brush
I already have a brush like this from Beauty & Chic. This one is a bit more plastic feeling, but it's another very soft brush. It picks up the colour well and applies it is a line, so this is a blush also for contouring and for blush when you want a sculpting effect.
4.69 €
AVON Gel Shine
Marvelous
Another product I got from Petra. She swatched it as a part of her marathon Avon nail polish post if you're interested in how it looks on her nails because on me it looks different. It's a dark muted mauve-violet shade and I get less of that rosy-pinky warmth than Petra. The formula doesn't behave like a gel. Like regular nail polishes, the first coat is semi sheer, so two are needed for an opaque finish.
Regular price 5.9 €, often much cheaper
EBELIN Puder Pinsel
I could not track this down anywhere, so again Petra came to the rescue. It looks very fluffy and it is, it's just also somewhat plastic feeling. You know that classic, cheaper quality that for example Essence has. Nonetheless, it's a usefully brush, I like it for blush (for more pigmented ones because it's very soft and picks up less than Ecotools blush brush) and for applying powder.
DM, 4.95 €
L'OCCITANE Fleur D'Or & Acacia
Eau de toilette
This is one of those fragrances that was love at first sniff, but I waited over a year to get it. Actually it was in the process of being discontinued when my mother took pity on me and got it for my birthday. It's a new fragrance that shows how much my taste has changed in last years and it gives me somewhat Mediterranean, but vintage vibes. It's a bright fragrance, but sweet without vanilla or amber. It's got sweet flowery notes, like you're just walking under a blossoming bush basking in the sun, which is tempered with a bit of freshness from citruses and the base is formed by a nice woodsy note. It's typically L'Occitane - rich, non-generic and Mediterranean. Unfortunately it's sold out in Slovenia already.
39.90 €
L'OCCITANE Hand Creams
Vanilla, Peony and Roses de Reignes
I guess people know how much I love L'Occitane, since for my birthday I ended up with three more hand creams. I already have the peony in a small 10 ml format and it's one L'Occitane lighter creams with a fresh, bright floral scent (like real roses). The Roses de Reignes is another one of the light ones and it has the old L'Occitane scent of roses, which admittedly isn't my favourite, I prefer Peony. The Vanilla one is surprising my new favourite. It features my beloved old L'Occitane vanilla scent from a fragrance that has been discontinued years ago. It's not that basic, synthetic vanilla, but more floral and much more grown up. The texture is that of the original shea cream, so thick and fantastic for dry skin. I love it.
8.1€ each
AVON Mesmerize
I already spoke about this in three posts already, but I only had samples. I got my bottle in a swap with my fellow beauty blogger Nina from bunnyechoes, who saw I had it on my wishlist. It's such a wonderful scent and I just feel in love with it. It's basically pure sandalwood, so a warm and cosy fragrance, but without the overused vanilla or amber.
Full price 26 €, often a lot cheaper in Avon catalogue. Salma, 8.9 €
MATRIX Biolage Anti-Dandruf Scalp Synch Shampoo
I got this as a gift from my cousins and I already have a scalp scrub from this line, which amazing. The shampoo is not as effective on its own and not like Neutrogena's T/Gel Total. It's a nice shampoo to use, it foams well and isn't too drying.
Salma, 8.7 €
FARMONA Tutti Fruity Mango Peach Scrub
I got this as a gift for my birthday and I quite like it. It's more of less just mineral oil and sugar with a mango bubble gum scent, but I like that it's a rough scrub and it completely washes off without leaving a filter behind. It's one of the better ones I've tried so far.
Salma, 6.9 €
LEE STAFFORD Treatment for Hair that Never Grows Past a Certain Length
One of my fellow bloggers and reader Andrea from Beauty by Aiden told me in the comments she likes this as much as L'Oreal's Professionnel hair mask and though it's about the same price as those, I just got it. I don't like the stupid name, it makes it sound like a miracle cure that's going to make your hair grow faster and it's just a lie (you don't apply such masks on the scalp anyway). At a majority of people the hair grows at the same rate and the reason you feel it's not growing is because your ends are too damaged and the snap, therefore making it appear your hair length stays the same. All you need is proteins and keratin and this has plenty of both. Usually protein heavy masks don't make your hair soft, rather the opposite and that's not what I need (my hair is so thick and coarse). It's a got a pudding-like consistency and is easy to apply, I leave it on for the usual 20 minutes. When I rinse it off, I don't get as much of that silky feeling that L'Oreal leaves, as I said not surprising given it's a protein treatment, but my hair felt nice when dry. Even as I was drying it, it felt good. I like it, though it's about the same price as L'Oreal Professionnel in online shop. It smells like Angel perfume, strong of chocolate-vanilla-patchouli-honey, it's just a bomb of heavy notes.
Müller, 9.5 €
BALEA Vital Sheet Mask
Vital Tuchmaske
I actually had this since early December, but I only now found the time to use it and I have to admit I quite like it. It's saturated with a milky white serum/essence and it sticks well on the face. I left it on for about twenty minutes or more, then I felt it started to get dry, so I got the most out of it. There was a slightly sticky layer on the skin left which was still there in the morning, at least some of it, in the morning, so this really nourishes and hydrates the skin, but in terms of any other effects that would make my skin looking amazing, this didn't do anything. It's a bit big for my face and I felt the fit was especially off by the lips, also around the nose I thought it was too much space. The eyes aren't completely cut, so if you're brave you can cover them as well. Nice buy for about a euro if you have dehydrated and dry skin.
DM, about 1 €
*BIOBAZA Beauty Micellar Water Mix
Chamomile and cucumber
I have read a ton of really bad reviews about this and I have to say I don't really get them. Though a majority of complaints was about it being harsh and that it burns, however, my skin isn't sensitive at all, so maybe that's saving me, but it's really not a bad product to me. I love the pump on this, it's so handy. In terms of texture, it's a regular micellar water that feels like normal water, so there is no residue, but it's not the strongest and I use two pads for removing makeup. I prefer Green Line's in terms of effectiveness, but this really isn't as bad as the reviews make it out to be. The scent is not my favourite, it's just strange floral-cucumber-ish, but still bearable.
Click2Chic, 6.47 €
*BIOBAZA Men Face & Shave Charcoal Soap for Face and Shave
Something completely new to me, though I had a black soap before. It's meant for unclear skin and it's very creamy with water, but it doesn't really form the same type of foam as shaving gels. It works ok, but you end up looking like a chimney sweeper, though I have a feeling it'll last much longer than gels, plus there is less packaging. I gave this to men to try and it wasn't the most liked product, however, I heard some positive things online. The scent is so strong, I can smell it from a meter away as it's packed in its box. It's a strange scent to describe, somewhat charcoal-like.
Click2Chic, 2.57 €
*BIOBAZA Natural Deo
Green Spirit (Rosemary & Verbena)
Considering that so little deodorants actually work on me, this is surprisingly good. It's a standard roll-on deodorant, but free of aluminium salts and alcohol (still so rare among more natural brands). I'm digging the scent because it reminds me of my teenage years. It smells exactly like Scheller cleansing gel with lemon balm (been discontinued for years), so it's a fresh citrusy rosemary scent that even I like despite disliking herbal scents. I heard a lot of positive feedback about these.
Click2Chic, 3.10 €
*BIOBAZA Bee Balm
Shea Butter & Avocado
Just a regular waxier lip balm. It stick really well on the lips and doesn't came off straight away when drinking. This one has a gentle vanilla scent and it reminds me of Scheller lip balm with marigold that every one used about 10 years ago.
Click2Chic, 1.93 €
*BIOBAZA Dental CinaFresh
Mint and Cinnamon
I'm a firm traditionalist when it comes to toothpaste and I've been buying the same one for ten years, so these different, natural ones are hard for me to adjust. This one tastes like I'm washing my teeth with an apple strudel. It's pure cinnamon from the start and it's very strange if you're used to only minty flavours, but it cleans like a normal toothpaste and I hear cinnamon works mildly antibacterial.
Click2Chic, 3.88 €
AVON Anew Clinical Hydra Recovery Overnight Mask - This was interesting to me the moment I opened the pot. It has these white beads in it and those burst when you rub it in. The base is a hydrating gel, while the beads appear to contain shea butter. I liked it and it fits my dry skin at the moment. Petra has the full size pot and the texture of the product pictured here. Full price, 23 €
JOICO K-Pack Liquid Reconstructor - One of Petra's all-time favourites, this is a protein treatment that helps the hair get stronger and therefore less prone to breaking. I've used it a few times and I like it. It works well with my hair, though I use Dove all the time and I don't know if this makes such big of a difference as Soy Three Wheat Leave-in, but it doesn't make my hair into a mess. Protein products results show in a longer time period, but this is basically something like Redken's Anti-Snap. Full price, €15.95