May Favourites, Updates and Wishlist
MAYBELLINE Fit Me Matte + Poreless Powder
90 Transparent
This is one of my unsung heroes that I use almost every day now that I'm using Lavozon sunscreen and my other shiny sunscreen products like Maybelline Dream Urban foundation SPF50. I bought this sometime in winter and I wrote a less favourable review about it because my skin was going through a rough patch and this looked terrible on occasions, but now I'm a fan. I still love the loose version more for when I want a more perfected look, but this is much more convenient for everyday use since it's a non-messy compact. Powder is very fine, it's not drying, yet it's nicely mattifying without looking too flat. I bought this because reviews mentioned it blurs pores, but it's not a noticeable difference on me and loose version is better in that respect. This comes in several shades, I picked transparent because I'm so pale and despite looking white in the pan it truly is transparent on me.
ORIFLAME Giordani Gold Kabuki Brush
This quickly became one of my favourite brushes. It's not just that it's very soft and dense, it's also got a short handle so there no hitting the mirror during application and I can get closer to it, which is a big plus if your sight is not the best. It's not large, which is great for my petite face, so I can use it for applying brush and powder, plus blends nicest out of all my powder blushes.
L'OREAL Color Riche Free the Nudes
06 No Hesitation
This is nice nude shade almost in the 90's lips style, but not as brown or grey. It's a good mix of rosy and brown tones that it looks wearable even on my pale skin tone. The formula is wonderful in my books and I think it might even be good for those with more dry lips despite being matte.
ORIFLAME The One IlluSkin Liquid Highlighter
I mentioned that I got two similar product this year, L'Oreal's and Wet n Wild's, so I wasn't very excited about receiving this, however, out of the three it's the nicest. It's a similar shade to L'Oreal's, so almost a skin tone champagne shade and they apply the same, plus have the same intensity of the glow with a fine shimmer that looks like natural radiance, but Oriflame wins because it sets. L'Oreal's stays greasy on the skin, so I've been avoiding using it and this one is a sort of a upgrade to that product for me.
CATRICE COSMETICS Sungasm Limited Edition Summer Glow Makeup Setting Mist
I like this a lot. Sadly it's a limited edition, which is a shame because Catrice discontinued their pink dewy mist and there's a nothing similar in our drugstores. This gives a nice glow to the skin that's similar to one Pixi spray creates. It also smells so good like summer fragrances such as Guerlain Teracotta and Estee Lauder Bronze Goddess. In terms of ingredients it's very decent too, so I think Catrice should make this permanent.
SCHAEBENS Cell Therapy Hydrogel Maske Anti-Age Booster
Usually when I get a sheet or hydrogel mask that's made by a non-Asian country all I get is some hydration, but this is definitely comparable with Asian brightening sheet masks. It evened out the skin and gave the appearance of a healthy skin just like for example My Beauty Diary Black Pearl and other similar formulas do, the only difference is that this is very light and I need some extra moisturiser after. Scent can be a bit annoying to some because it's chemical and strong, but I can deal with it. I'll be keeping a couple of these in my stash for days when I'm unhappy with my skin and for treat days.
CANTU Shea Butter for Natural Hair Hydrating Cream Conditioner
This is the best hydrating hair product I have found for very dry hair. It's the only one so far that has managed to keep my ends nourished for a week and that just never happens to me. I've since used a different mask, Gliss 4-in-1 that I was testing and it didn't last a day, so Cantu pretty amazing in my books, but it's also a heavy conditioner so I have my strong doubts about its suitability for any other hair type than thick, very dry hair. My hair was softer than usual, it was less brittle, tangy and just overall it behaved so much better. It's not great when it comes to leaving the hair silky with no frizz, but I'll try to deal with that by combining it with leave-ins. This also smells like Pina Colada and the packaging has 400 ml, which is a total win because I use so much conditioner at once.
BALEA PROFESSIONAL Kopfhaut-Balance Spülung and BALEA PROFESSIONAL Kopfhaut-Balance Ansatz-Balsam
(Scalp Balance Conditioner and Balm)
I used to complain about my dandruff and dry scalp problem a lot on the blog, but I've since almost given up, though I'm still using Balea's 5% Urea shampoo if it's going to make a difference. This immediately intrigued me because it's a conditioner and leave-in duo for dry scalp. I've had a similar conditioner from Head & Shoulders which didn't do anything for my dandruff, though it was a nice conditioner overall, but I never had a balm/cream for the scalp and I've been searching for something like it, because I've tried moisturising my scalp with oils with no success. The conditioner is meant for using all over the hair, but I use it only on my scalp with a more nourishing formula for my bottom half of the hair. These type of products are not easy to apply when you have such long hair like mine. It's not heavy, so it doesn't leave my scalp feeling oily or leave me with less volume. The balm has medium texture face moisturiser-like formula, so it's also not easy to spread, but at least it has a nozzle to get the product directly on the scalp. Together these two have helped the dandruff problem to a degree. There's much less of it and the scalp also feels cleaner, but it's still itchy at times, I think I'll have to find something separate for that. So far I'm happy with this duo and it's very reasonably priced.
BALEA Schönheits Geheimnisse Reichhaltiges Cocosöl
(Beauty Secrets Rich Coconut Oil)
A silicone-free oil that I use when my hair is very dry. This is of course heavier than silicone-oils/serum sand it doesn't leave the hair with the silky feeling, but it deals with dryness much more effectively. It's not a light product and I think than anyone with thin hair will not like this, maybe just as a pre-wash treatment, but otherwise it can quickly leave the hair too oily, though not on my thick, very dry hair. It's rich, yet not too heavy-oily like coconut oil can be, so it suits me well. The scent is the same as in their Langhaar Mädchen Haaröl, which is a vanilla-coconut scent, but it's quite bland.
SCWARZKOPF GOT2B Bye Bye Babyhaar Bändiger
(Babyhair Tamer)
Finally we have a product like this, I've been looking for such a tamer for ages, ever since John Frieda's one was discontinued. It's a mascara or better said a hair gel type of product in a mascara packaging that very effectively deals with flyaway and frizz. It's something for some small fixes/finally touches and it does the job so well without leaving the hair looking wet from gel or greasy, it also doesn't leave it crunchy. It creates such a smooth finish - on me actually better than using a hair straightener or better said it gives me that proper sleek look after straightening, since on its own it's not enough. It smells like peaches, which is always a plus as far as I'm concerned.
BATH AND BODY WORKS Fine Fragrance Mist
Kaleidoscope & Oahu Coconut Sunset
I took pictures before I checked if both of these are still on BBW and it looks like Kaleidoscope is gone, though I guess it could still be found on eBay (us from outside US rely on it anyway). Kaleidoscope is one of my favourite fragrances, a unique clean scent that BBW says smells different on every one and it earned its place here because it got me compliments. I was out for three or four hours and it was still so intense that people smelled it from a couple of meters away and I wasn't overly generous with spraying - that's quite a feat for a body spray. On me it smells soft and clean with a note that reminds me of pears. Oahu Coconut Sunset is my beachy-summery fragrance, though it's not a light scent, but people instantly recognise the coconut note when I pass them. It's a syrupy sweet tropical coconut scent that's what some would say is a night time summer scent.
BALEA Parfum Deodorant
Pure Blossom
This smells like La Vie est Belle from Lancome, which I'm actually not too fond of, however, this makes an absolutely brilliant room spray. It lasts hours in a room, which is amazing for a 1 € deodorant, only BBW room mists beat it. This became an essential in the house.
UPDATES
ESSENCE Blushlighter Gradient Powder Blush 03 Cassis Sunburst and THE BODY SHOP Coconut Bronze Glistening Glow Powder
I'm not completely in love in the shades of these two, though Essence's peachy-pink is slowly growing on me, but they deserve the praise for their textures. Essence's has such refined shimmer which gives a wonderful healthy glow on the cheeks that rivals L.O.V.'s blushes. But all four shades available are not to my taste and L.O.V. still wins when it comes to staying power. The Body Shop's Bronze powder has a smooth silky texture that applies and blends like a dream. I don't wear bronzers because I don't feel they suit me, but a blush with this texture would be amazing and I might end up using just the highlighter side for giving my skin some radiance.
ORIFLAME The One High Impact Eye Pencil
Pitch Black
While it's not quite impressive as my favourite Maybelline Tattoo eyeliner, this is one of the best such products I've tried. It's creamy, very black and it transfers into waterline immediately, so this is one great eyeliner which also has an added bonus that it's a twist up, meaning there's no need for sharpening. It's still manages to last 9-10h even in the waterline, which is so impressive, though Maybelline still wins by a few hours.
ORIFLAME Amber Elixir eau de parfum
I like this a lot more second time around. The annoying note that bothered me the first time is gone on me now and what's left is an amber-sandalwood-almond fragrance that to me smells a bit vintage, warm and cosy. Lasts well too and it smells wonderful on clothes and hair when it's worn off.
ORIFLAME Milk & Honey Gold Nourishing Hand & Body Cream
This doesn't get the proper favourite of the month status because ingredients are disappointing compared to other body lotions, at least what they could add is some cheap urea high on the list and not have honey as one of the last ingredient (that irks me), but I can't deny this is regardless a lovely moisturiser to use. It's rich, yet it absorbs fast and it leaves a silky feeling on the skin. It's heavily scented and that's precisely what I enjoy most because it's a like body moisturiser of a nice fragrance.
CANTU Shea Butter Leave-in Conditioning Repair Cream
After being so impressed with the conditioner, I had to get the leave-in too. I've only had it for a few days, but so far I like it. It's the type of texture I was hoping it's going to be, meaning that it can be used both on damp and dry hair. It's like a combination between a silicone leave-in cream like Olaplex n.6 or Tigi After Party and a regular leave-in creamy conditioner that provides nourishment instead of styling. It works so well on very dry, coarse hair, but sadly it doesn't add that silkiness I get from Tigi Blow-Out or Olaplex n.6 so it's not a perfect product, but as long as it can handle very dry hair, I'm good. It smells like coconuts and bananas to me.
CV Rose Quartz Facial Roller
I got myself one of these in Müller, even though the price was higher than I planned to spent, but convenience won. It feels well made. The rolling is smooth, there's no squeaking and nothing is loose, though I feel like if this falls there is a chance it will break, so it best to be careful with this one. CV added a guide how to do a massage in the back, though I'm used to is slightly differently myself. I'm not sure what, if any, results to expect from this, I'm never puffy too see a difference from a facial massage, but I do it for lymphatic drainage. I use mostly Nuxe oil with this and do a 10-15 minute massage. I'm very skinny, so honestly this doesn't feel as amazing as I thought, since I have such a bony face and it can be a bit uncomfortable to use for me.
WISHLIST
YVES Rocher Eau Des Vahines and Lagoon Body & Hair Wash - After trying the Catrice Sungasm face mist I'm craving a fragrance in a similar scent. I don't recall if Guerlain Terracotta or Estee Lauder Bronze Goddess are sold in my local Müller, but I can't get them online, so this is hopefully a cheaper and good enough alternative. It's already ordered.
CLARINS Lip Comfort Oil - I got Catrice's instead, but I still want one of these in my stash. I remember the formula being even thicker than Catrice's, though my memory could be wrong.
THE BODY SHOP Shea Butter Richly Replenishing Hair Mask - trying Cantu made me think that shea butter might work really well for my hair type and this has is high on the list. I think I already posted this on the wishlist once, but now I'm seriously considering purchasing it. Along with some fresh Pink Grapefruit product for summer.
REVLON Ultra HD Vinyl Lip Polish Birthday Suit - I'm a huge fan of the original edition of Ultra HD liquid lipstick, though none of the shades are 100% to my taste, while this looks like a great wearable nude-pink. First Date in interesting too.
OLAY Regenerist Micro-Sculpting Cream / OLAZ 3 Zonen Anti-Ageing Cream - my Beauty Of Joseon cream is slowly coming to an end and since I'm on the fence whether to order from Asia now as it can take months, I'm checking local drugstores. I already have this one in the version with SPF 30 and it suits me, so this would be my night moisturiser. It has niacinamide high on the list plus peptides.
NUXE Body Relaxing Fragrant Water - I have no idea how this really smells because I never saw it in person, but the notes and description sound like something I might like. Notes include coconut sorbet, white flowers and wild vanilla, so I'm guessing it's something summery.
SEBAMED Anti-Ageing Aufbau-Creme mit Q10 - another face moisturiser I'm considering. It contains a lot of almond oil, glycerine and avocado oil, plus some shea butter, vitamin A (Retinyl Acetate not Retinol), Q10 and hyaluronic acid.
BALEA Schimmer Spray Copacabana - another summery mist I'm interested in, though I'm concerned about the shimmer.
SHEA MOISTURE Jamaica Black Castor Oil Strengthen & Restore Treatment Masque - I think products for natural hair might be a good choice for my very dry hair, so this is another I found on Beauty Bay with a high feedback. It can be used as a mask or leave-in treatment.
AFRODITA Perfect Code Peptide Mist - I really like the idea of a (potentially) light spray with peptides, as I could incorporate easily in my routine. So far I've only seen this online, which is holding me back otherwise I'd already buy in if it were in drugstores.
