LANCÔME Teint Idole Ultra 24h Wear & Comfort SPF 15 Foundation
008 Beige Opale
Before I got this I took a sample in Müller along with four other foundations and this impressed me so much I went to buy it as soon as I was finished testing all five (I actually got one more from that test, but later, after I gave it a second try). I posted before/after, close-up and extended wear time pictures on my
IG stories, along with first impressions and it's still highlighted if you're interested. It's definitely one of the most beautiful foundations I've tried. It's got good medium coverage without looking heavy. It doesn't emphasise texture, pores or lines, though it doesn't hide them - that's what I do actually miss at this foundation, since it was expensive, but the shade makes this foundation worth it for me. It sets to a satin-matte finish and one with a healthy look to it. Staying power is also very impressive and it's holding so well though the day, it doesn't go cakey, or slip into pores or lines, plus it lasts longer than my cheaper foundations and even when I don't use any powder or a setting spray. I can see why it's been so popular for many years. When I started getting into makeup this was all the rage on forums, but I couldn't find a match for me (008 is one of the more new shades), so I ended up getting the discontinued Color Ideal instead which I loved anyway. I was going to order this online since my local Müler has shade 005 as the lightest one, but as luck had it I ended up going to Ljubljana and discovered with that Müller Rudnik has 008 and 006. The first is a fair shade with a neutral to slightly pink undertone and 006 is the yellow version of it. With the help of a lovely sales assistant I picked shade 008 as the best match for me, which is the one I also predicted would fit me with the help of followers on IG (thank you!). Müller just happened to also have a -25% on one product that week and I ended up paying 37 €, which is cheaper than in online shops.
Müller, regular price 49.79 €, about 10 € less online.
CATRICE Dewy-ful Lips Conditioning Lip Butter
060 Don't Dream it, DEW it!
I have this in one of the original colours,
010 Yes, I DEW, which is super pale and makes me look dead, but I've always loved the formula. It only took me a year to get a wearable shade, but Catrice finally make me part from those 4 €. Formula of these is so comfy, it's pretty much the same as their old Beautifying Cushion lip glosses or the more well-known Clarins Instant Lip Perfectors. I use it instead of a lip balm. Shade 060 is a sheer medium rosy shade, super wearable and I know I'll use it all the time. These are really worth having if you haven't tried them yet and you should be quick about it if you want them because I heard they'll be discontinued.
Müller, 4.39 €
CATRICE Demi Matt Lipstick
100 Nude Crush Everyday
The initial launch of these completely passed me by, I mean I was aware of them, but you know how Catrice discontinues everything, so most of the time I just don't find it worth trying their stuff because it's gone so fast. However, one of my IG followers asked me if I tried these yet and when I swatched them in the shop I liked the look of this shade. This is so far Catrice's best formula they made in terms of comfort, pigmentation and how smooth it looks on the lips, gliding over dry patches, but it doesn't shine in the staying power department like their
Ultimate Colour did. Formula is very lightweight and comfortable, while the finish is the promised demi matte. It's somewhat similar to
Bourjois Rouge Velvet The Lipstick, but not properly matte. I like the packaging, it looks more interesting than their previous tubes. 100 Nude Crush Everyday is such a lovely nude shade, neither warm not cool, it just sits perfectly in the middle and it's also not too pale. Catrice likes to repeat themselves when it comes to shades, but I've not seen one like this one before.
Műller, 4.39 €
CATRICE Lip Coconut Balm
010 Coconut Kiss
I was going to take the pot version, which has some good reviews online, but the last second I changed my mind and got this one I've read zero reviews about. Yeah, maybe I shouldn't do that, though this one isn't terrible. I like super soft lip balms like
Palmer's Swivel Stick which is the only other lip balm I own and is one I've been using for many years, but this Catrice one is more like a very basic lip balm, so more on the waxy side, though not at all too hard to apply. The main minus is that this is white, so you get those lovely corpsy white lips with this and it's not a lip balm you'd carry around to apply in public, which is why I bought it because I have the huge "kid's stick glue like" Palmer's at home. As a plus I can say that it last nicely on the lips, it does nourish as it should and it smells lovely like coconut.
Müller, 4.39 €
ARTDECO Eyeshadow Base
I watched this Youtube
video how to prevent foundation from slipping into smile lines, since so many foundations make mine look so much worse than they are without makeup and the main things used were an eyeshadow primer, a loose powder and a setting spray. Me being a beauty blogger, I of course had nothing in stock that would be younger than 3 years, so it was high time to renew my stash. Just like Lancome foundation this eyeshadow base was THE base to get back then alongside with the cult Urban Decay. Then I opted to buy the latter and it was great, but this time I wanted something easily accessible. I realised we still have basically nothing here apart from (judging by reviews) mediocre Essence and Catrice, so I got this one. It comes in a pot which is not ideal, but we'll see how long it will last before drying out. Artdeco has a sample in the shop and texture surprised me because it's not some thick formula, instead it's pleasantly creamy. This is much more balmy than I expected, I thought it's going to set to a matte finish and feel more silicone-y. Regardless, eyeshadows go over it nicely and nothing gets stuck on wet/sticky patches. With this my eye makeup lasts intact all day. I don't normally have much problems with my makeup on my eyes lasting well, but with this it truly was like freshly applied and blended 8-9 h later. I wanted to use it on my smile lines and I have a few times, but sadly I discovered this has shimmer. None of the reviews mentioned it and I didn't spot in in the shop because it's quite subtle.
Müller, 6.99 €
CATRICE Prime & Fine Multitalent Fixing Spray
I've gone through many setting sprays reviews and apparently Morphe is "the" stuff at the moment, but from brands we have in our drugstores, this was highest rated. The bottle is so small with only 50 ml and after three days of use about 2 cm were already gone, which I was not happy about. First few sprays shocked me how awful the mist is because it didn't resemble anything fine and I got big drops unevenly on my face. The second use was better, still I'm not completely sold on the atomiser, it should be better - I actually got three mists after this one and those have incomparably better sprays (I'll talk about two more in next New in). You really have to press it hard all the way and quickly, otherwise you get this useless spritzy fake mist. This is very wet for my taste and it takes long to dry, it actually smudged my mascara once. When it dries it sets to an invisible/natural finish and it's not matte at any point, nor is it glowy. While there's a lot I don't like at this spray, I'm impressed with its performance. My highlighter and blush were like freshly applied 7 hours later, though it was worn off on the side where I constantly touch my face. It's not outstanding, I'm guessing the high rating is more connected to the price than quality and I particularly bothered by the mist, but it really prolongs the staying power of makeup.
Müller, 4.69 €
PRIMARK My Perfect Colour Bake it Setting Powder
Nude
I got this on a whim because it was the cheapest and easily accessible powder I could find in Slovenia. I think I only saw this shade, which is a pale vanilla colour, but the might be more colours. I love the packaging of this, it's the best one for a powder because there's no need for shaking the product though a few holes that most powders have, instead it has one of those tension meshes, where you dip the brush into the pot and the elastic mesh helps you get the product out - this is kind of worth it for the packaging alone because it's an experience using a packaging you don't have to shake to get the powder out. Powder is very fine and it blurs pores as well as helps a bit with lines (it's no magic though), but when used it for baking it becomes cakey especially under the eyes. Applied just with a fluffy brush it performs much better, but any more than that it looks heavy and obvious. In terms of holding back oil - it's not super matte, it doesn't leave my skin looking flat and it isn't drying on me, however, after a few hours my forehead is shiny, so I don't think this is for oily skin. Shade is pretty much transparent, but it oxidises in a thick coat under my eyes and gets an a yellow hue.
Primark, 3.50 €
ARTDECO Anti Pollution Spray
I planned on getting Morphe's version, mostly because the mist is very praised for being fine and then I saw this in Müller. It's somewhat similar because it's got water + glycerine as the first two ingredients, but this one is much more bare in terms of nourishing ingredients and I'd still say go for Morphe instead if you have the chance. This promises to hydrate, protect and fix makeup in place. The mist is so unbelievably fine. I've had water sprays before, but this is so much finer. It's like a delicate cloud of fine moisture - Artdeco has a tester in the shops, so you can try it for yourself to see what I mean. I had doubts about this actually doing something for prolonging makeup since ingredients are nothing special and I was sure it's going to be just a basic refreshing mist, but it helps the makeup melt in better as well as stay fresh a lot longer. Just like at Catrice's spray my blush and highlighter, which are usually the first gone were still vibrant 6h later (I didn't check any more after that). My makeup also didn't slip into lines, but it it wipe off on the sides of my nose. Spray is scented, so not ideal for sensitive skin, but it's a nice, subtle scent that disappears quickly.
Müller, 12.99 €
GARNIER Ambre Solaire Sensitive Advanced Protecting and Hydrating Face Mist SPF50
I got this to top up my sunscreen protection, but I don't trust it 100% that's it's enough on its own. My experience with spray sunscreens has not been the best as those couple I had were very greasy, while this more lightweight. There's some wet feeling when you spray it on and I noticed this has powdery particles that catch on peach fuzz making it very apparent (before I tried this spray, I had no idea I even had that much of it), so this is not something to just spray on the face and be done with it, as you have to a least press it lightly with hands to blend in those powdery particles. It's got sunscreen shine, so a powder or matte foundation is needed and it's probably going to look bad on oily skin, though the feeling is very light and it doesn't feel very greasy to the touch. I apply two coats and it still feels light plus the makeup applies over it ok. It's also good over the makeup, but like I said you just have to press it into the skin a bit to get rid of the powdery particles caught on fuzz. It's got a sunscreen scent and it's not easy on the lungs when you apply it. So far I like this, though I have doubts it will last long. Maybe the body version is about the same that I could buy that one instead.
Müller, 6.99 €
LVLY Skin Toner
This toner has a glycolic acid second on the ingredients list, so it's one of still rare affordable AHA products in our drugstores, however, for some reason it's not stated neither on the front of the bottle, nor in the description. Why not shout it from the rooftops, since I'm fairly certain this would gain more attention with disclosed AHA content on the front instead of manuka honey, I have no idea. But it has caused small problem, as the reviews on meindm are very mixed with people reporting thing burns their skin, which is to be expected from an AHA product, though the actual percentage of glycolic acid is not stated. It shouldn't be used as a regular toner. There really should be a label explaining what this product is because not everyone reads the ingredients list. It's a regular liquid toner that doesn't leave any residue behind and it's not sticky, it smells clean like soap or shampoo. I've said many times that I don't even feel a 30% content of AHA's on my skin, why I don't know, so it's no wonder this feels like regular toner to me and I can use it as much as I want everywhere I want. I've had reports on my IG that it's a brilliant formula for problematic skin, but I actually broke out on my cheek while using this (not because of this), so it's not keeping my skin clear, though those spots healed to only a mark within a day or two (it wasn't the only thing I used of course). Straight after application when this dries, my skin feels soft almost like I used a velvet primer. I'll keep using this so I have my chemical exfoliation/AHA use covered in my skincare routine.
DM, 2.99 €
CADEA VERA Vital Day Q10 Anti-Falten Crème LFS20
Mini 5 ml
I got this because it's got SPF 20, ias n 99% of SPF day creams here there's an SPF 15 and this is the cheapest with a bit more. Nivea and Olay have expensive formulas with SPF 30. I don't like this. It's not super thick, but it's not a lightweight formula. It absorbs quickly, but leaves this annoying suffocating filter on the skin. I also felt my skin wasn't moisturised enough. But hey, I got a useful sample pot for 70 cents that will come handy.
Műller, 0.69 €
PANTENE Hair Biology
Full & Vibrant Rejuvenating Mask
Hair Biology is a new line by Pantene that's was apparently designed for mature women, which made me chuckle. They have this brochure next to it and apparently I'm not old enough yet to be using these masks and I should be using Cleanse & Reconstruct because every young person has oily roots and dry ends. Anyway, I don't buy into this age-appropriate hair care and got two hair masks, but they also have accompanying shampoos and conditioners. Full & Vibrant is designed for thin and coloured hair. The thin part has me worried that it might be too light, but I bought it because it might prevent the colour from fading fast, as mine is (I so wish I achieved a lighter shade of blonde that I'd actually be able to maintain with regular toners). They have a more appropriate one for me, one for grey hair, which I assume contains violet pigments to fight yellow tones. Even though this is meant for thin hair, in my opinion this is much better suited for hair like mine - thick, dry, coarse and coloured because the formula is thick and it might weigh down thin hair. It's another amazing Pantene hair mask, it did everything I need - intensely nourish, leave my hair somewhat softer and tamed.
De-Frizz & Illuminate Reconstructing Mask
This version is designed for dry hair damaged by colouring. I can't really tell a difference between this and their Repair mask or conditioner. It's a similar thick consistency, but the scent is different, it smells close to Fructis Hair Food Banana. It's another fantastic quality mask in our drugstores, just more expensive per ml (you only get 160 ml here) and in a prettier packaging. Both Hair Biology masks worked equally fantastically on me.
DM, 6.49 € for each
PANTENE PRO-V 3 Minute Miracle Intensive Repair Conditioner
The more of these Repair line products I buy, the more I'm impressed, yet I don't see much of a difference between them. While the
mask is indeed more nourishing and might be too heavy for some compared to the regular Repair conditioner, this 3 Minute version conditioner feels the same to me. Again it's a wonderful product for my very dry, coarse, many-times bleached & coloured hair. Any one of the products from the Repair line you get, it's great, this one is 50 cents more expensive than the conditioner in the same 200 ml version.
Interspar, 3.49 €
L'OREAL Excellence Crème
8.1 Light Ash Blonde & 9.1 Natural Light Ash Blonde
Interspar had a discount on these, like they do about every two months I noticed and I stocked up on these two shades that I've used up many boxes of. I use them for toning, so I mix them with a different, weaker 3% developer to avoid excess damage. They work better for me than regular purple toners because my hair is still too dark to be toned with those and blue-green ones don't really exist.
Interspar, 5.09 €
AUSSIE 3 Minute Miracle Reconstructor
Mini 75 ml
This was a GWP when I got Pantene, a bit random, but the size is a good one. I've already used up several of these and I currently have the
Colour version, which I haven't actually touched since I discovered Pantene. But before Pantene this was my favourite drugstore hair treatment. It smells like bubble gums and it's enough to nourish even my hair.
YVES SAINT LAURENT Touche Eclat Le Teint
I've always wondered what this foundation is like. I got a shade that's much too dark for me, B30, so I had to try it with
TBS Adjusting Drops and even with those it wasn't light enough to wear in public. I think the original lightest shade B10 is an equivalent of Mac's NC15, which is too dark for me, while the new BR05 shade looks more promising, but it's not accessible to me at the moment. This is one of the most beautiful foundations when freshly applied I've tried. It's got the dewy characteristics, but a dry-to-the-touch formula, which is what I look for. It's got a radiant finish without glitter, shimmer or greasiness. It can look a bit greasy towards the end of the day (I didn't wear powder or anything else with) and it creases, but it doesn't slip into pores. I think that with powder it would perform well. Coverage was hard to determine to me because the shade was so dark, but I'd say light-medium as it didn't cover spots on its own at all and I double-layered there. It lasted well on my skin, much better than I expected for a glowy foundation, as 6-7h after application it was still on my face, except it completely wiped off a spot I had and the sides of the nose.
YSL Touche Eclat B30 mixed with The Body Shop Adjusting Drops, which in my experience don't mess with the original formula of foundation.
BIOTHERM Skin Oxygen Cooling Gel
This has alcohol very high on the list, which I'd sort of expect in something that's called a cooling gel (alcohol or peppermint or both). I find that unacceptable for such an expensive moisturiser and for such a price I only expect the best things, which this has barely any of. There's a drop of hyaluronic acid and that's pretty much it. It's a basic moisturising gel-cream formula. It absorbed fast, left a silky finish, but it wasn't cooling as promised. It's scented with a typical fresh fragrance.
Have a great day!
