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 €

Max Factor Facefinity All Day Flawless 3 in 1 Primer Concealer Foundation SPF20 10 Fair Porcelain

foundation max factor

Max Factor Facefinity All Day Flawless 3 in 1 Primer Concealer Foundation SPF20 10 Fair Porcelain

Admin   February 15, 2020   Comment  

This isn't a new foundation as far as I'm aware of, nor do I know if it was reformulated, but in our drugstores we currently have versions with a clear cap and this black one. I was sent a bottle recently and I got it in the palest shade I've seen so far. There is an impressive 40 shades in this line and in twist I've never expected from a drugstore foundation, it's actually too light for me. Max Factor really pulled all the stops when it comes to catering to even the palest of skin tones. The formula claims to be a three in one: a primer, a concealer and a foundation. As an extra plus it also has an SPF 20, though it's on the low side. I used to have a primer from this line and I liked it a lot, but it's since disappeared from our drugstores.

Texture: It doesn't appear to be a very thick foundation when you squeeze it out, but it feels thick when you try to blend it in. It's not an easy foundation to blend to me, maybe because my skin is on the dry side, but it lack some emollient feeling that would make it blend easier and not stick to one place too much.

Coverage and finish: It's got a light-medium coverage and it creates quite a nice even finish, but it can't cover redness from spots. Finish is very matte, too much for me. It looks nice freshly applied, but in time it becomes an obvious, flat looking foundation. Despite sticking in place like cemented, in an hour I get those white spots around my nose where the foundation slid into and stuck in the pores too much. Same also happens on the edges of my face, but you notice both of these are things only on close inspection.

Staying power: For something that is so matte and doesn't move, this is almost gone from my face after 7 hours. As a plus I can say it doesn't emphasise lines or make them worse at the end of the day. 

Shade: I'm not sure if any other affordable drugstore brand has such a pale shade, but it's lighter than Essence's #insta perfect 10 #cool porcelain which was previously lightest in my collection. If you're looking for something truly pale, Max Factor has got you covered and the shade 10 Fair Porcelain is neutral. I don't know which shade would match me perfectly in this line, maybe the next in line called Porcelain, though 10 matches my neck, it's just when I apply it all over the face it looks very pale. In any case this shade is very handy to me because I use it to mix with my darker foundations. By the way, shade 10 Fair is not available in Slovenia, the lightest here is 47 Nude and theres 4 more shades: 50, 55, 70 and 75.

Scent: It's not fragranced, but it has a slight "paint" scent. Nothing truly noticeable.

Packaging: It comes in a glass bottle with a pump. Everything works fine.

Price and availability: In Slovene drugstores it costs 14.69 €.

Honestly, I really want to love this because I'm so glad it exists in such pale shades and Max Factor Slovenia made such an effort to get this shade to me, but though it looks really great on pictures, I'm not happy with how it starts to look in while. Right after application it's great, but it slips into pores and I get those mini white spots and it looks obvious on the skin, also it's too matte for me. I was a much bigger fan of the primer which was my favourite. I haven't tried many Max Factor foundations because they have only medium shades here, but I liked Radiant Lift which is one of the nicest looking foundations I've tried, except I think it broke me out, which is a problem specific to me.

Have a great day!

*PR product.

New in #87

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New in #87

Admin   January 11, 2020   Comment  

*MAX FACTOR Facefinity All Day Flawless 3 in 1 Primer Concealer Foundation SPF20

10 Fair Porcelain

Max Factor became the second brand to send me a foundation that's actually pale. In fact they sent me the lightest shade I've ever tried and I can't believe I'm saying this, but it's a bit too light even for me, which is a totally new experience. Facefinity All Day Flawless has an impressive shade range 40 shades, sadly we only get a portion here since our stands are so narrow, but luckily there are online shops. I'm not sure if any other affordable drugstore brand has such a pale shade, but it's lighter than Essence's #insta perfect 10 #cool porcelain which was previously lightest in my collection. The shade matches my neck, but my face is darker, so my best match is closer to Essence and Maybelline Dream Cover 095 if I don't want to look a bit odd, but this will come so handy to mix with darker foundations. If you're looking for something truly pale, Max Factor has got you covered and the shade is neutral. The formula appears nice too. It's my type of foundation, so a feather-light formula with light-medium coverage. Sadly I haven't been able to wear foundation in months now (sucks so much), so can't give it a proper test because everything I put on my face now looks flaky, cakey and just in general awful (Bourjois Healthy Mix fares best, still I'm having the worst skin days of my life so I don't wear anything on most days or just Maybelline Eraser concealer). I hope it passes soon as I'll get to test this properly, as it looks very promising. I had the primer in the same packaging and I remember it was thicker. It's been a while since I used up my bottle, but it was (possibly still is?) my favourite. Max Factor also generously provided me with samples of other shades that I think are sold here (shade 10 very likely isn't), so I could do comparison swatches.

  14.69 €

MAYBELLINE Fit Me Matte + Poreless Powder

090 Translucent

Since I'm a fan of foundation with the same name and I like their Fit Me Loose powder, I wanted to try this too, thought it wasn't my first choice, as a version for dry skin exists too, it's just not sold in Slovenia (this is the only Maybelline powder we have). Reviews for this are fantastic and I was most intrigued by the promise of blurring pores. Like I said above I'm currently really struggling testing and wearing makeup because my skin is alternating between ok-ish and very dry with flakes + spots. When my skin is normal it looks like a great powder, smooth, a tiny bit blurring (but not as good as Fit Me Loose version) and velvety matte. On dry days it, of course, creates the appearance of a thousand dry patches like everything I put on, but I won't hold this against it because it looks like a nice powder when used on normal skin with an oily forehead. I think this one might be a bit more effective than Rimmel's Stay Mat when it comes to holding back oil, but it's hard to say for me in winter. We have four shades here, I got translucent since I so pale and it leaves no white cast. There is a sponge and a mirror in the bottom compartment. 

Müller, 5.89 €

CATRICE Prime & Fine Poreless Blur Primer Goodbye Pores

I got this despite the more dry looking texture of the tester compared to Revlon's Photoready 002, which I wanted more, but it's very expensive for drugstore. I actually got it a few days before my skin became mega dry - I just can't believe my luck - so I've only used a couple of times "normal" skin. It's a whipped balm type of texture, which doesn't make much sense, but it's a typical high silicone content primer like Clinique's Pore Minimizer and the likes. On good skin days it glides smoothly on the skin, though to prevent it piling and shifting too much during application I find it's best to tap this one in. The finish is completely matte. On bad days it flakes like crazy, so if your skin is dehydrated, flaky and/or dry, stay away from this one. It's not terribly effective when it comes to its primary task, so hiding/blurring pores, at least when looking close up, while it tends to look better in the pictures. Pores don't look much different after application and it's not as good a Revlon's which I tried a couple of times, plus foundation over it looks more cakey on some areas like the sides of my nose. I'm just not impressed by this one.

Picture can be enlarged like all in this post. 

Müller, 5.39 €

*CATRICE Glow & Care Primer

I've been checking this one out in the drugstores for a while because I liked it has glycerine so high on the list, so I hoped it's nice for dry skin and because the texture looked so smooth when blended. I didn't see much glow in the shop, but it definitely has it. It's got the same level of glow as Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Flawless Filter and to me they are so similar, I don't want to say dupes, but on my skin they look almost the same side by side. CT has a bit of coverage and Catrice has a faint peachy tint, the textures are different since CT is annoyingly thick and Catrice is an easy to blend liquid, but the biggest difference is that the shimmer in CT is all equally super fine, invisible, but in Catrice's there are some larger shimmer particles visible under strong light. To some this is a difference worth 32 € and to some it won't be, but they are definitely very similar. I prefer Catrice's version now when my skin is very dry, as it doesn't make the makeup over it cakey unlike CT, but again my skin is so weird right now, I feel it's pointless to even write about these products right now.

 5.39 €

L'OREAL Glow Mon Amour Highlighting Drops

01 Sparkling Love

This is one of the strongest liquid highlighters I've tried and it's the reason I wanted it. We have three shades here, this pale champagne one and a coral-rosy one, I'm not sure if there are more shades of these. The glow is pretty strong and wet looking, but not full metallic, so it's not going overboard. You only need a tiny dot of the product on the cheekbone, while applying more tends to not layer well, it just spreads the product on a larger area. It wish this were more dry to the touch, but it's more oily, which makes it easy to blend, but it also shifts on the skin. It's not perfect, but I like it because the glow is lovely, not glittery, instead it has a fine shimmer. I hate the packaging, though. It's got a dropper which is ok, but there's no stopper/scraper, so there's always so much product on the dropper and it's easy to get the bottle very messy. 

 Müller,  10.99 €

*WET N WILD Megaglo Hello Halo Liquid Highlighter

Halo, Goodbye

I got this sent after I bought L'Oreal and neither feel perfect to me. I prefer the champagne shade of L'Oreal, but the formula of this feels nicer. It's not as oily feeling, so it doesn't shift as much at application. The strength of the glow is comparable, yet L'Oreal's looks a bit better. Shimmer is fine, so it looks like a natural enough highlighter and the shade is somewhere between warm and cool, with a warm-ish base, but some cool looking particles among shimmer. It suits my skin tone just fine. The big applicator feels nice to use, but I don't like the packaging overall because it feels like tester and not a full size product.

 5.99 $

 

*CATRICE Glitterholic LE Eyeshadow Palette

C02 So Vain

There are two versions of these, both are a collection of different types of finishes, but the centre stage is the glitter. There's a few mattes and satin shimmers, all are more pigmented than is usual for Catrice and you can get a great colour payoff. The copper glitter shade is a cream texture with big shimmer particles suspended in a clear base. It swatches so intense, but it's very hard to apply it evenly and it does not stay put. It landed everywhere a couple of hours in, so it ended up looking absolutely abysmal both times I've worn it. The regular eyeshadows are nice, great even though the palette doesn't feel complete to me in terms of shades, but the glitter needs something to stick too and it's just very messy. 

Look with no glitter and the glitter look after a few hours. You can see it freshly applied in the L'Oreal Mon Amour picture above. On the left I'm also wearing Glitterholic LE Highlighter Palette, middle shade.

*CATRICE Glitterholic LE Highlighter Palette

By now I'm used to Catrice launching excellent highlighters. This is basically L.O.V. GLOWrious palette with the third shade that's actually useful. The first is a classic neutral-warm champagne shade, then the second is the rose gold and the last a peachy glow. All super wearable, all have fine shimmer and a good level of glow. Excellently done. I've been wearing this one instead of Colourpop Flexiterian, thought that one is still my all-time favourite.

BALEA Erfrishendes Waschgel

My standard gel cleanser that I've been using as a second cleanser for years. I took the last one and I haven't seen new stock in a while. I know there's a lot of complaints that this new version is way worse than before, which I disagree, but maybe they decided to bring those back? We'll see.

DM, 1.99 €

BALEA MED Ultra Sensitive Intensivcreme Urea

I recently read how underrated urea is for repairing the barrier and since I had none such products I got one from Balea to include in my routine which already features ceramides and other great things. 7% is maybe a bit high as urea in high concentrations also acts as an exfoliator and Balea has 5% version as well. It's nice moisturiser, I've been using it for the last month and though it's not as effective on dry skin as Mixa's 5% panthenol or Cerave Moisturising Cream, I appreciate that's it's not a thick balmy texture, instead it's a like a regular cream that sinks in eventually. 

DM, 3.95 €

YEAUTY Eye Pad Mask

Deep Hydration

There are two versions of these in my local Müller, aside from this one is a gold set of patches which I think are anti-ageing, but they were out of stock so I didn't check the ingredients. I got this because like liked it has glycerine, aloe vera, hyaluronic acid and vitamin E as the first ingredients after collagen. These are just like K-Beauty hydrogels. There's plenty of extra fluid that you can use all over the face and it smells faintly like cucumber. I can't say these did a miraculous job, but they feel nice under tired eyes.

Ingredients.

Müller, 0.99 €

 

PANTENE Hair Biology Grey & Glowing Illuminating Mask

This is my third out of three and I'll just say it - they are all exactly the same. Same texture, same scent and same effect. All of course brilliant for my dry hair, but no different than the cheaper Repair conditioner. Based on the description I expected a purple mask because it's meant for grey hair which tends to turn yellow, but this is a regular clear mask. So I just mixed some Subrina Colour Refresh Diamond Blonde and got the added toning effect. The last I have to try is the Reconstruct version, but I'm sure it won't be any different.

ARTIST Professional Colorcreme 

Yeeha Lila

My hate for this could not be deeper. Subrina Colour Refresh introduced me into the world of temporary colour, so I've been experimenting a lot in the last months which was so easy because those always washed off completely. Since Subrina sadly doesn't have a lavender shade, I picked up this one from a Müller brand. Had I known it's be such an obnoxious colour, I'd stay away from it, however, it has some good characteristics, it's just not what it claims to be - a temporary colour. It wasn't washing off, not even with my trusted & foolproof technique chelating, so I had to bleach it out (bleach bath with a mix of bleach 6% developer and shampoo) and it still didn't get it all out from a couple of strands, so if you're looking for temporary, this is not it, at least not on a bleached base. Now granted, maybe my hair is so porous that is took in the colour too well (a very likely explanation as I haven't done any protein treatments in a while before using this) and I suspect the result on natural blond hair would not be the same, but I'm still unhappy about it because so far I've only had great experience with temporary colours. If you're looking for something that won't wash off fast, which I think most people look for, this is it. Ironically when I first posted about it on IG, I got a message that the pink version of these washes off with one wash, so I guess it depends on the shade. Formula is not nice. It more liquid than regular colours and has no care capabilities at all. My hair was very dry after use and I had to use a lot of leave-ins + coconut oil to make it feel less coarse and dry, though I suppose most people won't have such problems, since my hair is just naturally so very dry. This stains like a MOFO. It immediately tints skin or furniture, so you have no time to wipe it off and get it off easy, instead I had to use bleach on my bathroom furniture (I had it protected with paper, but with this being such a messy product, I couldn't avoid smudges) and I could not get if off my skin for days. As expected the colour is a much darker purple than on the front of the box and to achieve that shade you have to mix it with a conditioner and the base hair colour should be much lighter than mine, however, it's also a lot warmer. It's not the cool purple shade I expected, instead it's a reddish purple, similar to Subrina's Violet, yet not quite as pink. I liked the overall result, even though I used it undiluted on my darkest parts and partly diluted on my ends. You can see it created a look of purple highlights, but also the rest of my hair got a mix of cool brown (it toned out some of the orange parts) and on some it just went more orange-red. The colour was pretty, even though I expected a much cooler result and also better coverage. This is supposed to be applied on dry hair, which makes the application less even and slower compared to Subrina, you also use more. I left it on for 15-20 minutes, I don't know exactly because I was freaking out about the staining of the bathroom and looking for a cleaning supply that would work, but it was around that time. Unlike Subrina's Colour Refresh which start washing off with water alone, this needs shampoo. Regardless of a lot of shampooing and chelating, like I said the colour just wasn't going off, which I actually kind of expected as soon as I saw the staining. This left me with a lot of work and fixing up. I'm sticking to Subrina.

Base colour was this one, so a medium-dark blonde. Obviously for a proper violet shade the hair need to be lighter, but I got much better colour result with red and magenta from Subrina and I used a weaker mix with conditioner. 

Müller, 3.49 €

L'OREAL Elseve Extraordinary Oil Nourishing Shampoo

My standard shampoo. It's not the only one I use, but this is my all-time favourite because it's the only one that leaves my hair like I just used some conditioner. It leaves that silicone smooth feeling that my tangy, dry hair really needs. It's only for thick, dry hair and not best on fine hair because it can weight it down (based on feedback I got from some), but I love it and have gone through many bottles. 

2-3 €

PANTENE PRO-V Intensive Repair Shampoo

A repurchase. It's doesn't leave my hair quite as smooth as L'Oreal, as it doesn't have silicones, but it's still very impressive and my second favourite in the drugstores.

2-3 €

SUBRINA Colour Refresh Mask

Diamond Blonde

My 4th tube. This is the most reliable quick, non-fussy toner (in a sense there's no need to mix it with a developer), so I use it a lot, even though it's not ideal for orange strands, but it's much stronger than Ice Cream No Yellow shampoo (which is already very strong as some pale blondes report) and Schwarzkopf Professional Blondme Tone Enhancing mask in Cool. On very pale blonde hair it can be tricky to use because it's very strong and it can quickly tint the hair blue-grey. I tend to use it straight from the tube on my darkest parts and mix it with a conditioner for my ends. 

Müller, 4.99 €

 AliExpress knock-off of Revlon One Step Style

Honestly this is nothing revolutionary, simply a non-rotating hair brush with a dryer inside the barrel - I don't know if I saw a non-rotating version from other brands around here, but as much as I'm intrigued by the rotating ones, they kind of scare me too. This basically just eliminates the need of having to hold a hair dryer and a round brush because it does the same thing. It makes it so much easier and faster, especially since the brush is big enough that you can work with large sections of hair at once, but it won't dry the hair close to your scalp, so it's best you let you hair air dry or use a hair drier before until it's 80-90% dry and then just add volume and straighten the hair with this. It's also light and it doesn't feel heavy even when you use it for a long time. It's worth the purchase if you're looking for something easy to used and quick, however, my Moroccanoil round brush 55 mm and ancient Remington hair dryer do a far better job of making the hair sleek than this. I just don't get the same effect that I've seen so many girls get on YouTube - Lucky me. Like I read in reviews low and high are exactly the same speed and medium is lowest, the difference is the heat. On medium it doesn't feel too hot and it's also not terribly loud, but it's comparable to a regular hair dryer. I got the EU plug and so far it works ok, but we'll see how long it last. The box it came in was torn to shreds, but the product was without a scratch or fault, so I guess it can survive a beating even though it feel so light. 

AliExpress, 17.20 $

 *REVOLUTION Feed Your Face Toffee Apple Face Mask 

This is a moisturising mask which interestingly has glycerine on the first place among ingredients, while water is way down. However, I still haven't used it because I see nothing special in it and even though I don't mind fragrance, it's third on the list which is not good. I'll see if I ever try it, reviews look good, so I might give it a go. It smells nice, like caramel. 

Ingredients.

Ličila.si, 10.99 €

*O.W.N. CANDLES Happy Holidays Vegan Wax Melts

This made the whole parcel smell like cinnamon and they are shaped like roses, so they are cute, but when I used one it smelled terrible, like plastic and nothing at all like when solid. The fragrance was strong and it filled the place.

Ličila.si, 3.99 €

*NOELLE Brush

A nice, medium thick and soft brush for foundation. It could be a bit denser, so it would blend faster without having to fix the streaks, but it's decent one and I know I'll use it often.

Ličila.si, I can't find this brush, but they have plenty others.

*GLOV On-The-Go Hydro Cleanser & Quick Treat

This is a glove for removing makeup with no cleanser, just water. I had a similar microfibre cloth many years ago, so it's nothing new, though the material of this one feels better and softer. Cleansing glove is said to contain "refined, star-shaped fibres up to 30 times thinner than a cotton pad, which boast superior electrostatic properties to absorb makeup, dirt and excess oil like a magnet."  In practice its ok, but no magic. It removes most of the makeup while damp, but it fails to completely remove mascara, at least I don't want to be too rough around that area and with this I have to rub quite hard to get everything off. It's not a faster way for me, especially since you have to clean it after every use, so after the first week, I now rarely use it. The Quick Treat is a mini finger version for quick fixes when doing makeup. I also got bunny ears for holding back hair while cleansing and applying skin care. 

I could have taken pictures of removing makeup from one half of the face, but I didn't feel like it, so I made this mess on the arm using all the usual makeup: foundation and concealer as a base and then on top cream eyeshadow + powder eyeshadow over it, eyeliners, mascara, blush, highlighter and lipstick. Mascara was waterproof (Essence I <3 Extremes) & lipstick is Deborah Fluid Velvet 02, so one of those tough-to-remove ones. This took a lot of rubbing, the same as on the face, so it's not like using a cotton pad + a micellar, but for a simple, natural makeup it's enough.

Ličila.si, just the Cleansing glove 12.99 €. I can't find the same set, but a similar one is 19.99 €.

*ORIFLAME Women's Collection Delicate Cherry Blossom Gift Set

This smells so similar to L'Occitane's cherry fragrances, which just about every women I know loves or at least likes a lot. It's the same lovely spring floral that's so easy to wear in any season and is appropriate for almost any occasion. Though it's similar to light body mist that tend to disappear fast, it actually manages to last several hours. It's a really nice one. The body lotion has a more creamy scent, but again like cherry blossoms. 

Oriflame, just the fragrance regular price 22.90 €.

CATRICE Kaviar Gauche Mini Lipstick Set & ESSENCE spread the magic! brush set

I think neither of these are still available as they were both a part of LE (unless there are some leftovers in DMs). The lipsticks are super cute small ones that are perfect to throw in the bag and the formula is as is usual for Catrice great. I got two brushes from a set that might still be sold in some places. I don't use the eyebrow one because I don't touch my brows, but the blush brush is a nice one. It's super soft, a good small-ish size for my face and it picks up colour well for an Essence brush. It's become my primary brush for applying brush and highlighter for those few times I managed to wear makeup in the lasts weeks. 

I'll talk about all those hair products you might have seen on Instagram in my next new in, since I haven't had a chance to use them all. Have a great day!