The Shubhkamna: essence
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Showing posts with label essence. Show all posts
Showing posts with label essence. Show all posts

Monday, June 8, 2020

Essence Stay 8h Matte Liquid Lipstick 05 Date Proof


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.

Friday, May 22, 2020

New In #91



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!

Tuesday, May 5, 2020

Essence Witch Side Eyeshadow Palette


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.

Saturday, March 21, 2020

New in #90


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


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


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


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

9.09 €  


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


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


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


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

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


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


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


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


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

Have a great day!

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