New in #89

Balea catrice essence fragrance GlamGlow L.O.V. L'Oreal max factor Maybelline Moroccanoil New In Olaplex Oriflame Orofluido Revolution Pro Revolution Skincare Rimmel Sexy Healthy Hair The Ordinary

New in #89

Admin   February 25, 2020   Comment  

 L'OREAL Paradise Extatic Waterproof

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

Spletična, 7.50 €

REVOLUTION PRO Supreme Eyeshadow Palette 

Captivate 

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

Notino, 7.90 €

ESSENCE The Nude Edition Eyeshadow Palette

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

Müller, 4.39 €

CATRICE Pure Nail Polish

02 Clarity

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

Müller, 4.19 €

MAX FACTOR Creme Puff 

15 Seductive Pink 

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

Notino, 5.53 €

L.O.V. BLUSHment Blurring Blush 

010 Be the Game Changer 

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

Notino, 9.99 €

MAYBELLINE SuperStay Ink Crayon

25 Stay Exceptional

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

Notino, 6.46 €

L’OREAL Paris Color Riche Matte Free The Nudes Lipstick

06 No Hesitation

This has been on my mind since the moment I tested it in the shop a few months ago. The texture looked so nicely matte, similar to Colourpop's Matte X, but mine is not as matte. Texture is just like at Maybelline like most matte lipsticks by now - smooth to apply and feels comfortable to me on the lips. The colour looks brownish in the tube, but on the lips it's more rosy-brown and it's a nice natural, wearable shade. It's scented with the classic L'Oreal lipstick fragrance that some call a granny scent, but I like it.  

Notino, 8.23 €

ESSENCE Soft Contouring Lipliner

08 Big Proposal

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

Müller, 1.19 €

MAYBELLINE Color Sensational Shaping Lip Liner

Dusty Rose

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

Müller, 5.11 €

*RIMMEL Scandaleyes Volume on Demand

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

*RIMMEL Wonder' Swipe 2-in-1 Liner to Shadow

012 Kha-Ching

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

 *RIMMEL Exaggerate Waterproof Eye Definer

261 Noir

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

*MAX FACTOR False Lash Effect Deep Raven Black Mascara

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

GLAM GLOW SuperMud 

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

Notino, 14.10 €

*ORIFLAME NovaAge Facial Cleansing Oil

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

Ingredients.

Oriflame, regular price 19.99 € /current catalogue 12.99 €

*ORIFLAME Eclat Amour 

Eau de toilette

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

Oriflame, 32.90 € / 18.99 €

PRADA Candy 

Eau de parfum

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

Notino, 44.40 €

CAROLINA HERRERA Good Girl

Eau de parfum

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

DM, 48.49 €

REVOLUTION SKINCARE Targeted Blemish Serum 2% Salicylic Acid 

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

Beauty Bay, €8.95

THE ORDINARY Azelaic Acid Suspension 10% 

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

Beauty Bay, €7.00

THE ORDINARY Vitamin C Suspension 23% + HA Spheres 2%

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

Beauty Bay, €5.75

THE ORDINARY Resveratrol 3% + Ferulic Acid 3% 

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

Beauty Bay, €7.00

BALEA Urea Nacht Crème

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

DM, 2.69 €

BALEA Parfum Deodorant

Pure Blossom

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

DM, 1.19 €

*MOROCCANOIL Restorative Hair Mask

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

Click2chic, 40.89 € 

*MOROCCANOIL Glimmer Shine Finish

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

Click2Chic, 16.80 €

OLAPLEX No. 7 Bonding Oil 

My third Olaplex product. I got number 3 before bleaching and have been using it ever since, I also have n.6 which I prefer to famous 3. Texture not as thick as Orofluido or Joico K-Pack Colour Therapy, but it’s also not very thin. It’s a regular silicone hair oil that gives shine and just help put those finishing touches to the hair, plus it smells nice like some kind of candy. I like the idea that I have an oil with a bond builder, which I use anytime on dry hair and it's the reason why I got it. I dislike the packaging, just like at all Olaplex products - it's like they are trying to make bottles from which you can't get anything out easy. I need to shake this one violently for those few drops. This is a also ridiculously small bottle and it's so expensive I feel completely mental for buying it, but there can never be too much of their bonding ingredient that has very likely helped me avoid terrifying damage to my hair.

Spletična, 27.00 €

OROFLUIDO Beauty Elixir

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

Spletična, 13.80 €

SEXY HAIR HEALTHY Soy Tri-Wheat Leave in Conditioner

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

Notino, 4.20 €

SCHWARZKOPF PALETTE Anti-Yellow Color Correction Spray

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

Leclerc, 6-7 €

New in #82

catrice essence L.O.V. Maybelline New In Oriflame

New in #82

Admin   August 17, 2019   Comment  

 MAYBELLINE Instant Anti-age Eraser Multi-use Concealer

00 Ivory

This is one of my favourite ever concealers formulas and so far I had two shades: 01 Light, which is much too dark for me and 03 Fair, which is passable, but not the best match. I was thinking about getting shades Brightening or Neutralizing which looked lighter, but both have such strong undertones that I was postponing buying either and then I saw this new shade on the stand called 00 Ivory. People we have a winner! It's pale enough for me and plus the undertone is not strong, so it fits my neutral skin tone best out of all concealers in my collection. I've long been a fan of this formula because it's incredibly natural on the skin, it covers about a medium which is enough for me (for spots I have to pick up a full coverage formula instead) and the sponge is really helpful because at most times I don't need anything else to blend (unless there is a lot of product on the sponge). Using this really feels like an eraser due to the applicator. Discovering this shade just made my year, now all that needs to happen is for Bourjois to release the same shade as this of Radiance Reveal.

Müller, 9.99 €

 ESSENCE Stay True Lipliner 6h Waterproof

08 Thank you berry much 

I'm a fan of the Soft Contouring formula, especially the shade 08 Big proposal which I wear so much, but the staying power of those is not the best, though a big improvement on the previous Essence lip liners. This one has the waterproof and a reasonable 6h claim. Formula is very soft and glides with such ease on the lips, it's most like the old lipliner formula out of Essence liners available now. There were no testers on the stand, so I picked this one based on the colour of the back part, which made me believe this is a lighter colour than it actually is. 08 Thank you berry much is a medium warm pink and not really a berry despite the name. I was thinking about getting the other two shades I was interested in because I like the soft formula, but now I not so sure because staying power is no better than the Soft Contouring line.

Müller, 2.19 €

ESSENCE Draw the Line Instant Colour Lipliner

07 Eternal Beauty

I have the shade 05 un-grey-ful which looks very draining grey on me, but I remember liking the formula because it was very long-lasting, so I got one of these as well in a neutral shade that I can wear a lot. I prefer this shade to 08 thank you berry much and it's a real beauty that I know I'll wear a lot. 07 Eternal Beauty is a light-medium muted pink, definitely a colour for my skin tone. It's a lot more thick and waxy than Stay True as well as the Contouring versions, almost to the point of being slightly sticky, but it's still possible to apply it all over the lips with no significant problems. I was warned on my IG that these dry out quickly and I managed to dig out my old 05 shade, which really is not useful anymore, so you have to use it up in the first months. I already featured this in my monthly favourites.

Müller, 1.59 €

 *CATRICE Ten!Sational 10 in 1 Dream Primer

I wanted this because it has niacinamide 5th on the list after water and it doesn't sound like a typical silicone primer that be too dry and flakey on my dry skin (depending on how matte is the formula). I've been looking for a replacement for Max Factor's Facefinity All Day Primer, which they pulled from our drugstores, though it still exists. That one is unlike most primers also not a typical mattifying primer with that silicone feeling and Ten!Sational feels similar to it, but it doesn't beat Max Factor's for me. I suspected will be tinted based on the description and I was right. Luckily it's not as dark as their 1 Minute Face Perfector I got at the last update, but it's still not my match and I need to be careful to blend out the edges well. It doesn't leave a smooth dry-to-the-touch base, instead it's one of those moisturising primers that leave a slightly dewy-sticky feeling.

In terms of actually claims:

1. Priming - Yes, it looks like it's prolonging the staying power of makeup.

2. Hydrating - yes, it's good for my normal-dry skin.

3. Anti-wrinkle -  when it comes to immediate result this doesn't hide lines, however, it also doesn't make them worse like I experienced with 1 Minute primer. Niacinamide is considered an anti-ageing ingredient and it might have the long-term skin care effect with regular use.

4. Natural Glow - yes, it has a very small amount of mini shimmer that looks like a subtle natural glow. Unlike most glowy primers I tried which look just too much, this I like.

5. Anti-pollution - I have no idea.

6. Anti-oxidation - I don't know either as I have no foundation that oxidises to test at the moment, but primers overall tend to fix the problem of oxidation because they prevent direct contact with natural oils.

7. Pore minimizing - no, it's not comparable to mattifying silicone primers. It helps a tiny bit, but I've had better products, sadly all were very matte.

8. Evens out the skintone - a bit, due to the tint, but it's less than 1 Minute Primer. The added niacinamide high on the list might help even out the skin with regular use.

9. Blurs imperfections - no, again it's not like mattifying silicone primers. The tint helps a bit, but this is pretty sheer.

10. UV protection - it has an SPF 15, but with the quantity that gets applied, you don't get that much protection. Another higher SPF under it is a must.

The 10 claims are of course exaggerated, not that I believed them in the first place, I've been in the makeup world for too long to be that naïve. Regardless I'm not disappointed by that because based on the ingredients list I knew what to expect - a hydrating primer that won't feel like a coat of silicones and has niacinamide - one of my favourite skin care ingredients. The natural glow this gives is finally something that doesn't look over the top. Two things that could be improved: 1. they should have added an SPF 50 and 2. remove the tint or make several shades. One never ever fits all, I don't know why companies insist on doing that. For blurring pores and for oily skin in general I'd pick a mattifying primer instead because you'll hate this doesn't set.

6.39 €

*CATRICE Eyeconista Lash Millionizer Volume Mascara Waterproof

This has the smallest brush from regular mascaras I've tried and strangely it works. The name Lash Millionizer is not far off because this can catch almost ever lash, separates them creating an effect on many lashes and at the same time, the formula is very volumising, so it's not just about definition, but also volume and length. I really like the effect of this one, but it has a minus - the formula is too wet for a waterproof formula and that means it drops the lashes when I'm applying it. It can later rectify the situation by gently curling the lashes again, but I've never been a fan of doing that. I'll see if this dries a bit in time and gets better at holding a curl, but for now my favourite waterproof mascara remains Essence's I <3 Extremes. 

5.39 €

*CATRICE Gold Effect Nail Polish

20 Fascinating Grace

This has a lovely effect on the nails. It's a ton of fine shimmer that is fully opaque with two-three coats and looks very glamorous. It applies with ease, like any normal nail polish and it doesn't feel gritty on the nails like glitter usually does. My shade is a pale pink metallic shade. 

4.79 €

 *CATRICE Luminice Highlight & Bronze Glow Palette

020 Feel Gold

Unlike the L.O.V. GLOWrious palette which is overall very similar to this, Luminice is a top performer from the start and there is no need to get through the top layer to reach the more pigmented stuff. All three shades great, unexpectedly if I'm honest because the first shade looks matte in the palette. The first shade is my favourite because despite its deceiving appearances it gives a good amount of glow and it's the most neutral "iced gold" shade in the palette which suits my neutral skin tone. It's also got the finest shimmer. Second shade is a gold champagne shade, another wearable one with a much stronger glow than the first. The last is very pigmented and not suitable for my skin tone. It's an orange toned bronze shade that looks more like an glowy orange blush on me than a bronzer.

7.29 €

*CATRICE Blush Box Glow + Multicolour

020 It's Wine O'Clock

This was the first thing that caught my attention among the new products because Catrice almost never disappoints when I comes to their blushes and this shade looked quite unique to me. This has such strong pigmentation, almost too much and I have to be careful with it. It's described as glowy and when I swatch it in a thick coat it has a healthy satin glow to it with very fine shimmer, but on my cheeks I can't get that and it looks matte. The shade is indeed unique in my collection and I like it a lot, it's a medium muted pink-berry, a slight deviation from the regular cutesy pinks, though it has a similar look on the cheeks.

4.39 €

 *L.O.V. Eyetracttion Magnetic Loose Eyeshadow

510 Metalfusion, 520 Metalight, 530 Magnetize Me, 550 Positive Attraction and 530 Metalure

In my last monthly favourites post I had these on my wishlist and the most amazing PR Natalija saw it and sent me the testers they had left. I have shade 510 Metalfusion from before and since I got it, it's pretty much the only eyeshadow I've been using, so in the entire 2019 so far. I love this formula, it's my favourite ever because it's so pigmented and so easy to use and blend. I just apply it with fingers, quickly blend and I'm done. The texture is somewhere between a loose and pressed eyeshadow, I know of nothing like it, but it's everything I want from an eyeshadow. Sadly these aren't sold in shops here anymore, so they are only available online, which is such a shame because these are great. 

510 Metalfusion is a purple taupe shade, similar to Satin Taupe and its dupes. 520 Metallight is similar to 510, but a more brown-bronze taupe - of course I loved it immediately. 530 Magnetize me is my dream shade, an old gold shade, so the type I've always loved. 550 Positive Attraction is a reddish copper and it wouldn't be my first choice until I tried it on my eyelids. It's a shade that compliments my eye colour and it's probably the most "on trend" shade, since all the popular palettes right now have a warm reddish theme. The last shade 530 Metalure is a deep taupe, again very much my style and more for a dark smokey eye. All are super pigmented and not much is needed for a fully opaque effect. I have a full review of shade 510 here.

€ 6.99

 *L.O.V. LIPaffair Color & Care Lipstick

501 Gesine's Rosewood, 521 Verena's Rose and 551 Christina's Red

This was a very generous extra in my PR parcel. I already have a review of this formula for another shade, where I described it as a very high-end-like. It's a super smooth and lightweight creamy lipstick with surprisingly good staying power for a creamy formula and the heavy, metallic packaging with the magnetic closing system gives it that premium feel. 

 501 Gesine's Rosewood is a medium rosy brown (very surprisingly to me, a lot of you loved this shade on me. It's not my favourite), 521 Verena's Rose, my favourite, is a lovely light warm pink and 551 Christina's Red is a classic neutral red.

€ 9.99

*ORIFLAME Giordani Gold Magnifying Metal Lash Volume Mascara

Something new on the mascara market – Oriflame made a metal brush. I had my predictions when I first saw this on Instagram and it turned out exactly like I expected. The brush only has small grooves that are supposed to comb the lashes, however, in practice this proved to be far from ideal. It very much feels like you’re just deposing the formula with a stick, while the grooves are simply not deep enough for defining my lashes. It deposits a lot of formula and you get the volume, it's just a very messy one, with lashes stuck together and my unruly lashes are all over the place with this mascara. We’ll see if it gets better as it dries, but I prefer regular brushes. For getting a lot of formula on it’s ok, but a separate brush is almost a must, at least at my lashes, however, if you have nicer lashes than me, don't be afraid to try this one if you're interested in the concept of a metal brush (my lashes are squashed behind the glasses most of the time and have splits, plus some are growing down). In Slovenia this is sold only online until the end of August, but I have no clue about other countries. 

Oriflame, regular price 16.90 €, currently 10.90 €

I'll have skin care and hair stuff in another new in post, as one wold be too long.

Have a great day!

L.O.V. GLITTERunexpected Sparkling Eyeshadow Palette

eyeshadow L.O.V.

L.O.V. GLITTERunexpected Sparkling Eyeshadow Palette

Admin   June 13, 2019   Comment  

Glitter unexpected is L.O.V.s palette for those who love metallic, glittery shades and it exists only in this combination. These colours are not my style, but I was impressed with the quality of the palette, despite the fact that when I just swatched it didn't inspire much confidence in me that it's any good, apart from shade Fame.

Texture: these are glittery creamy eyeshadows and it varies whether the glitter is more dominant or the base shade. Shade Fame is most smooth and swatches fully opaque, while the rest swatch more sheer, but perform much better on the eyes. Shade Bright, a white with gold shimmer, has a strange texture that I can only describe as chalky-creamy and when I tried it first I was sure it's d be a dud, however, it performs much better on the lids. Shade Sparkle is a classic powder eyeshadow with a satin base and sparse glitter. Using a brush with the five glitter shades is futile, so I pack these on with a finger and blend the edges with a brush. Since they are creamy and glitter they are not as easy to blend and it's best to use a powder eyeshadow to create a more seamless blend. These are actually more suited as toppers than individual eyeshadows. 

Shades:

Fame - a copper gold with excellent pigmentation and a foiled/metallic finish. By far best performing shade in the palette.

Bright - a white with gold shimmer. On the skin the white base is barely noticeable and it's mostly just about the shimmer.

Bold - a mint green with silver shimmer. The mint green looks like a sheer wash on the eyes, but it is noticeable, while the main focus is on the shimmer.

Dazzle - a smoky grey with shimmer. Medium pigmentation of the grey base mixed with glitter. It can be built up.

Daring - a smoky purple with shimmer. It's opaque on the eyes, but unlike Fame has a glittery finish and not a metallic one.

Sparkle - a pale pink with a satin finish of the base and sparse glitter. I wish they made this one matte or just satin because it can't be used to blend out the other shades or as a base all over the lids due to glitter.

Staying power: I fully expected these to become a creased glittery mess, so I was very surprised at how well Bold looked after 10 h. It was still on my lids, barely faded despite being such a sheer shade and the glitter didn't gather in the crease or transfer. The others last similarly well, only Fame which I applied more on one lid and less on the other, creased on the side with less product.

Packaging: The comes in a cardboard packaging with a magnetic closing system and a glittery surface. The palette could be a lot smaller as there is plenty of unused space.

Price and availability: It costs 14.99 €. International customers can get it on Kozmetik4less.de 

This was a much more pleasant surprise than L.O.V. The Galaxy Eyeshadow and Liners, which are their other glittery formula. They are more pigmented, don't crease and last longer, so it's a superior formula and especially if you like coppery golds, Fame is a shade well worth having, but only if you like the rest of the shades in the palette. 

Have a great day!

*PR product

L.O.V. The Galaxy Eyeshadow & Liners

cream eyeshadow L.O.V.

L.O.V. The Galaxy Eyeshadow & Liners

Admin   May 28, 2019   Comment  

I'm a big fan of L.O.V.s Magnetic Eyeshadow formula, well the one shade I have, so when I saw these new ones on their website they peaked my interest, especially since the shades looked so pretty. Unfortunately these don't have that lovely texture Magnetic eyeshadows have, instead they are creamy eyeshadows. Six shades of these exist, I have five, while the extra shade is 550 Platinum Radiance. 

Texture: These are creamy eyeshadows with a glitter finish. In terms of texture they are like Maybelline's Colour Tattoos, so creamy with a firm formula. Pigmentation is a mixed bag at these.  The palest three 500, 510 and 520 have a sheer base and even if I try to build them up, I never get more than a gentle touch of colour. They are more about the glittery finish, so  I would classify them as toppers to add on top of other shades. Shade 530 Magenta Shimmer is by far the best performing shade in this bunch. It's very pigmented, applies nicely and has red shimmer that is less obvious than at other shades. 540 Dazzling Emerald is a nightmare shade. I love the colour, these type of shades are some of my favourite, but I can't apply this evenly. The more I try to build it up, the more sheer patches appear. I have exactly the same problem with their other formula in a similar shade THE Glacious Stylo Eyeshadow 910 Bronze Leaf, meaning L.O.V. does not know how to make such shades work. LOV named these eyeshadow and liner type of product, but I don't see these working as liners, except maybe Magenta Shimmer.

Shades:

500 Rosé exposed - a pale pink with silver glitter. Sheer pigmentation, but nice glittery finish.

510 Precious copper - a pale orange/copper with gold glitter. Sheer pigmentation, but nice glittery finish.

520 Champagne sparks - a champagne beige gold with gold shimmer. Sheer pigmentation, but again nice glittery finish. This shade is  very similar to Essence's Metal Chrome eyeshadow 02 Ironic.

530 Magenta shimmer - a deep reddish-purple-brown with purple shimmer. A top performer and the only shade I think is really worth getting.

540 Dazzling emerald - a shade between old gold and forest green with gold shimmer. Fully opaque, but impossible to apply evenly.

Staying power: These crease on me during the day, though the shimmer doesn't travel much. 500, 510 and 520 are sheer shades, so they perform ok in this department. 530 Magenta Shimmer fades to a tamer version through the day, while 540 is a lost cause all together, since the patchiness only worsens. 

Packaging: These come in glass pots with a pretty rose gold lid. These is not extra protection foil and because of that 540 arrived in a poor condition. The eyeshadow shrunk inside the pot and became detached, so it fell out and I had to press it back in. 

Price and availability: These cost 9.99 € and are available on Ličila.si (Pink Panda) and Kosmetic4less.de

As gorgeous as they are I wanted more from these. Only Magenta Shimmer is an impressive shade, while the lightest three should be more pigmented, but if you want a sheer shimmery shade, these will do fine. The 540 Dazzle Emerald is too hard to work with which is a shame because I like the shade. When it comes to glitter L.O.V.s Glitter Unexpected palette is better than these, but the shade range is not as nicely neutral.  

Have a great day!

*PR products.