Friday, December 28, 2018

Best Beauty Finds in 2018

7:33 AM 0

MAKEUP


I've had this formula for a couple of years now in a different shade (their original lightest) which unfortunately I couldn't use because it was so dark and yellow, but luckily Milani released additional shades. 00A is one of the lightest (they've released some extra shades after this one called 00AA and 00BB) and it's my perfect match. It's pale and close to neutral so it ticks all the boxes for me. The formula is so far my absolute favourite "high" coverage foundation, by that I mean it's high for my taste, but it's a standard medium coverage formula. It looks great on the skin, it doesn't get all cakey towards the end of the day like Nars Sheer Glow or Revlon Colorstay do on me (I've really started to dislike both of those), it doesn't slip into pores and blends in seamlessly. I really have no minuses for this one.

I have to credit the discovery of this one to Petra from Adjusting Beauty. It doesn't differ much from other high coverage formulas like Collection Lasting Perfection, but the shade of this one is perfect for me. It's so far the most neutral such shade I've found, though still leaning to pink, but it suits me better than Collection's cool undertone or Catrice Liquid Camouflage's very yellow tone. Coverage is high, but it's not super matte, so I can use it under eyes and not just on spots. Staying power is also equally impressive as at other similar formulas. I also need to mention The Saem Cover Perfection Tip Concealer which I discovered this year that has formula with the most coverage I've found, though unfortunately lightest shade is a bit too dark for me. 


I got this in a wearable shade for me this year after receiving several shades last year and falling in love with the formula. This is the best matte classic lipstick formula by far in our drugstores and it's very similar to Colourpop's Matte X, though not quite as richly pigmented. It's so far away from that typical dry matte formula, instead it's smooth like butter and once it sets it has one of the best matte finishes that is close to the matte liquid lipstick look. Shade 02 Flaming Rose is a light pink shade which on me looks cooler than the packaging and the colour in the tube indicate.

I've worn this probably most out of all lip product here (though it might have been Revlon's Embrace). It's the first gloss that I've bought in several years and I just love how comfortable the formula is. This is a pigmented lip gloss that has a semi-opaque coverage and a nice level of creamy shine. The packaging is of course gorgeous and another big plus at this gloss. Honey Nude is a pinky-brown shade - very simple and easy to wear.

The formula of these is fantastic and it's one of my most worn lip products as I just reach for it naturally in the morning. It's a fully opaque liquid lipstick with a creamy finish that very, very slowly sets/wears off to a matte finish. It's so comfortable on the lips and this shade is such a pretty muted peachy nude that's leaning to pink. It was expensive for drugstore, but it was so worth grabbing this shade.


This is pleasant surprise from Essence. It's a great-looking perfectly matte finish formula that's fully opaque and the only thing that I can say isn't quite as good as at its competition is the staying power, which is still a lot better than it's usual for Essence. But I'm especially loving the shade, which is one of the prettiest medium rosy shades that is neither too cool nor too warm on my neutral skin tone. So far this is my favourite lip product from Essence aside from their lip liners, but knowing Essence I know they probably won't be in their offering for a long time.

This is definitely one of the best, if not the best, matte liquid lipstick formula in our drugstores. Rimmel's is similarly good, but this one wins because of the larger shade selection here (in Slovenia). It's fully opaque, smooth, applies nicely with no patchiness, dries completely matte in a minute and is transfer proof. I have this formula in a wearable warm natural pink.

More than the design that sets it apart from other liquid lipsticks, I'm loving the shade and also the formula of this. This is very similar to one of my favourite shades ever Bourjois Nude-ist, it's in fact the only such similar shade I found and it's a muted peachy-pink shade that I think would suit so many. Formula is fantastic - so light, yet so pigmented and for me not drying. The whole concept is entertaining - you need to shake the bottle a lot, so the colour collects in the place where the applicator sits and then apply it with a big sponge applicator, which is a lot less clumsy than it looks. This is definitely not just some pretty product in a gimmicky packaging as the formula is truly impressive.

Though this is hardly a new formula for me and I've mentioned it as my favourite so many times, I'm including it here because I've found a new favourite shade this year. Sincere was added to the range after original launch and it's similar to Committed. It's a less pinky-peachy version of the latter and it's an even more muted a pink/rosy-brown combination, thought there is little of true pink in it. Formula is the same as that of Committed and Charming, meaning it dries perfectly matte in about 5 minutes, it lasts really well on the lips and it has the same After Eight scent.



HONOURABLE MENTIONS 
ORIFLAME Giordani Gold MasterCreation Foundation SPF 18 Rose Porcelain Cool - this could be a proper favourite, but in warmer months it's very shiny on me. Right now it's the best foundation I have for my dry skin and I'm wearing it every day.
ESSENCE Camouflage+ Healthy Glow Concealer - another very good drugstore high coverage concealer. Only minus is that it can be too matte on me.
THEBALM Instain Blush Houndstooth - a great mauve blush with good lasting power.
WET N WILD Megaglo Highlighting Powder Blossom Glow - a great metallic highlighter with very fine shimmer.
COLOURPOP Super Shock Cheek Highlighter Flexiterian - this would be a definite favourite because it looks so glowy with very fine shimmer, but it only works when my skin isn't dry, meaning I need a moisturising base and it also fell apart, so I had to "smoosh" it back in the pan.
MILANI Gilded Desires Eye & Face Palette - the best set of eyeshadows I've tried so far. Intense pigmentation and buttery formula.
RIMMEL Stay All Day Liquid Lipstick 500 Fire Starter - a great drugstore matte liquid lipstick formula.
CATRICE Dewy-ful Lips Conditioning Lip Butter - very similar to Max Factor's Honey Lacquers. Unfortunately only available in four shades.
ECOTOOLS Precision Blush Brush - soft, but firm enough brush for applying blush.

NAILS

The prettiest light blue nail polish that leans to grey which makes it less baby blue like. The formula is a gel one, but it's still somewhat of a classic pastel, so it needs two, sometimes three coats for full opacity. 

My most worn nail polish this year, well at least on my toes. It's a warm tones beige nude that is just perfect for a natural looking manicure. The formula is a bit too liquid, similar to Essie Fiji, so when I try to apply a thick coat, it spills around the nail. It's better to do thin coats with this, though it's pigmented enough and it's a standard two coater. 

Wearing glitter became so much easier for me when I discovered this. It just peels off the nail and most times in one piece. The base is somewhat rubbery, like a glue, so it can easily be taken off the nail. One coat of this acts more as a sparse topper, but it's best to apply more coats anyway because it's then easier to peel off and usually three coats make a decent glitter coat. Shade 03 is a proper gold that's not too yellow, instead it leans a lot to bronze. 

SKIN CARE


This has become one of my most treasured skin care products. It's hardly an exciting product that would make great changes quickly, but it's a fantastic hydrating product that contains ceramides, Job's Tears extract, 3 types of hyaluronic acid, collagen and amino acids. It comes in a massive 500 ml bottle, sadly unlike Kikumasamune it doesn't have a pump, but just a regular flip cap, but at least it's easy to control and you're not pouring too much of the stuff. My skin likes this a lot more than Kikumasamune (my skin is much clearer with it) and it's not scented, so it's also better for those with sensitive skin. I also use it to moisturise my hands because it absorbs so fast and as a body moisturiser when I don't want to wait for a moisturiser to sink in. 

Another one of my staples. It's the product that I noticed the biggest visible difference when I started using it, though by now it's just maintaining its good condition. Before my skin was just so blah and I was never happy with it, but this just improved it in general. There's a bit of brightening/evening the skin tone and the skin texture looks more refined, meaning the pores don't look as severe as they did before, so this really suits my skin so well. This year I barely had any spots and was rarely problematic. It probably wasn't just this, but it's definitely contributing. 


ETUDE HOUSE 0.2 Therapy Air Mask
This is a great formula that promotes healing, so it's a part of my emergency stash when I have an inflamed spot or a sun burn. It's also very hydrating, smoothing and so comforting because of the lovely lotion-like formula.
This one and The Face Shop version are pretty much identical in terms of results. Madecassoside is derived from Centella asiatica and research links it to promoting skin's healing, reduction of inflammation and it supposedly works anti-ageing as it stimulates the synthesis of collagen. It has a soothing effect and evens my skin (without a brightening effect, it just takes down any redness), so it makes my skin look better and looking healthy. 

Like I said this is very similar to EH version, in fact I find them being the same thing, just that this one is more expensive. The sheet is a bit better because EH has quite small eye cut outs, while TFS are my perfect fit. Aside from Madecassoside I also loved versions Ceramide, Pearl (brilliant brightening formula), Propolis and Vitamin C (nicely brightening, but it's very sticky).

HONOURABLE MENTION
SKINFOOD Black Sugar Honey Mask Wash Off  - a less harsh version of the original Black Sugar and with a fantastic proper honey scent. 


BODY CARE


THE BODY SHOP Body Butter
This has been my favourite body butter formula for years and this year I got Shea Butter version which is the most neutral scent in their selection. It's a bit bitter, nutty scent that develops a more creamy once on the skin and though it's not as nice as L'Occitane's Shea Butter scent, but it's still a good one. The Vanilla Pumpkin version is sadly a LE, but it so deserves a mention because it's such a delightful yummy scent. There's no pumpkin and also no spices like cinnamon, instead it's similar to their old almond scent which is mixed with a heavy dose of cookie vanilla, hazelnuts and maple syrup. If you can still get it, I highly recommend it for colder months. Formula is this thick, so these take longer to absorb than regular creams or lotions, which works for me, since always apply them before going to bed.

BATH & BODY WORKS Ultra Shea Body Cream 
These are a new discovery this year and I fell in love with the formula instantly.  It combines two of the most important things for me when it comes to body moisturisers - a rich texture and a heavenly fragrance. It's like a body butter in a tube, as the texture is thick and so nourishing, so just the way I like it. These come in a ton of scents and I will explore them further, but for now I have Twilight Woods (a fantastic warm, cosy woody scent ) and Country Apple (a musky apple scent).

HAIR


This was love at first spray and it became my saviour for when my hair feels very dry. It's very similar to Orofluido Sahara that I loved and it was discontinued a while ago and I was looking for a replacement ever since. It's a shine spray without alcohol, which is very rare and instead it's more like a light silicone-oil in a spray. This makes it not only a regular shine spray, but it also tames my hair and nourishes it a bit so I'm really liking this a lot. It's got the typical Creatures de Monoi scent of Monoi oil, which is tiare flower soaked in coconut oil. 

Several weeks ago I dyed my hair which is the first major change I've done in a decade. It was my second attempt at home hair colours to go just a bit lighter and this is colour I've found after extensive research online that it works. It's not a big change, but I'm about two shades lighter, but if I continue to use this colour, I will go lighter each time. However, its effectiveness even on dark hair is not the only reason why it's my favourite - this formula made my hair feel amazing. It's never this soft and silky, unless I use my best hair mask (Moroccanoil Intense Hydrating Mask). It didn't damage my hair at all, it was shiny and it just felt so great. Inside the box is also a protective serum which you apply on the ends before colouring and it clearly worked a treat. The conditioner is also really good, waaay better than Olia's and it's actually similar to Moroccanoil mask. This really is such a great box dye. I've tried a few box dyes and they always made my hair feel like straw, but this is great for my dry hair.
  
I've found my new holy grail hair mask this year. Before I tried this my hair has been impossibly dry for months and nothing could fix it, not even my best hair care. This just did a total reset of my hair. It finally felt silky and even somewhat soft despite the thick texture of individual hairs. And it's not even heavy like Joico Balm which can make my hair feel heavy, while this makes my hair so light, but moisturised. I don't know what magic this is, but I'm on board with it. I just couldn't stop running my fingers through the hair, it hasn't been this silky in forever. Bad side - the price which makes my eyes water, but there's 50 ml more in the pot than in Kerastase. Also probably the Mending Fusion and the silicone oil from this brand contributed to how well my hair feels right now, but the mask is the biggest contributor. This just wins for me. 

I've been very loyal to my Ebelin ceramic brush which is just fine, but this Moroccanoil beats it in several ways. For one it makes the hair smoother and tames the frizz better. The other is that it also dries my hair much faster, but that got a lot to do with the larger size than Ebelin's. If only I'd known how good these brushes can be if you invest a bit more, I'd gotten it ages ago.

FRAGRANCE


I've raved about this extensively this year and it's become my favourite scent. The most distinguishable note is wood, but not that harsh fragrance that's in men's colognes, instead it's this unique warm and cosy fragrance that envelops you like a cosy, warm, fluffy cardigan. Aside from wood, it's also musky (but not in that harsh, clean way), a bit coconutty and vanillary fragrance. It's definitely not sweet or sugary, instead it's a more smooth and creamy mix of notes. It's a fragrance that's difficult to describe to me because I've never smelled anything like it, though I have found a similar fragrance later in our drugstores from Body Fantasies called Twilight Mist, but that one centres more on tonka bean. 
Top notes: juicy berry, sparkling mandarin, coconut
Middle notes: creamy frangipani, soft mimosa, wet honeysuckle, wild freesia, apricot nectar 
Base notes: oud wood, musk, orris, vanilla milk, warm woods

I just fell in love with this scent, which like all BBW mists, I got as a blind buy. It's starts with a brown sugar burst which is quickly followed by a very comforting milky, creamy scent that creates this sweet, but very comforting combination, like a warm glass of milk with sugar but mixed with a clean skin scent. It's such a delightfully fragrance and I'm very glad I picked it. I detect no fig in this or maybe just in some minor sweet traces at the start, but definitely not in leaves form as some mentioned that it smells sharpish green to them (it's very likely it's more noticeable in the moisturiser versions because I notice a difference in Twilight Woods mist and cream too in terms of fresh & fruity notes). It's just a well-rounded creamy, milky and clean scent. Great stuff, but unfortunately staying power is quite weak.
Top notes: passion fruit, california fig, white flowers, white peach and bergamot
Heart notes: vanilla orchid, jasmine, yellow freesia, lily-of-the-valley and coconut milk
Base notes: vanilla pod, amber, fig leaf, musk, maple and caramel.


This is by far the best apple scent I've smelled. It smells like proper apples and it's a great mix of tart and sweet notes, though I can't say I detect proper honey, but there's definitely some nice sweetness in it. It's also strong enough to be notices and doesn't fade in minutes, though I can't say it's a very long-lasting fragrance. Unfortunately it's a LE, but it tends to return every autumn and you can still get it in some places online.
Notes: pink lady apple, sparkling champagne, jasmine honey & autumn woods. 

This is a similar scent than Champagne Apple Honey and another one I love. It's less sweet and fresher pear and apple scent with some musk, and it really reminds me of an orchard in autumn. It lasts surprisingly well for something fruity, though it's not exceptionally long-lasting. Again this is a LE.
Notes: autumn pear slices, cool air, fresh-picked apple & oak leaves


Admittedly I got this in part for the gorgeous bottle that you've seen many times in my pictures, but I fell in love with the scent as well. It's a fresh floral fruity fragrance with a cedar base that reminds me of Marc Jacobs Daisy and its flankers. First burst is sweet strawberry with the florals starting to make their appearance. Then the fresh, green florals take centre stage with lily-of-the-valley being the most apparent note. It's the latter than reminds me of the Daisy fragrance since they are both so green and fresh. The base reveals the cedar note, but it's still got that a fresh fruity-floral and green character. It definitely smells more like a designer fragrance that celebrity scents which tend to me more sugary vanilla. It's youthful, but still serious enough that you'd be comfortable wearing it to the office. It's about medium strong and lasts a few hours.
Top: strawberry, mirabelle, mandarin orange
Heart: lilies-of-the-valley, Lime (linden) Blossom, mandarin orange
Base: marshmallow, peach, white cedar extract

You can find last year's best buys here and a tag that leads you to all best buys. My all-time favourites are on a special page that's regularly updated here.

Have a great day!

Monday, December 24, 2018

L.O.V. The Rose X Copper Eyeshadow Palette

6:42 AM 0

L.O.V. disappeared from our drugstores, but we recently got the good news that two large online retailers, Click2Chic and Ličila.si, will carry this brand. L.O.V joined the by now a rather large club of brands that felt inspired by the success of very warm palettes in recent years and released their own with some reddish-copper shades. I look awful in such warm shades, so the colour selection isn't my favourite, but the quality is pretty good. 


There are 12 eyeshadows in the palette, 4 are metallics and the rest are satins. There are no matte shades in this palette which I sorely miss. Pigmentation varies from shade to shade, but overall this is a nice quality palette. None of the shades stand out for being poorly pigmented and all blend nicely. Four shades are too similar on the eyes, so I feel like they wasted space instead of adding some useful shades, such as a cool taupe crease shade. The shade Ambitious is the most impressive in the palette, as it's very creamy, super pigmented and very metallic looking on the eyes. It's too bad all four metallic shades aren't such quality.


Fearless - a satin medium taupe. It's more brown and warm on the skin than in the palette.
Courageous - a bronze that again looks much warmer on my skin than in the pan.
Bold - a satin burnt orange.
Smart - a metallic/shimmery champagne.
Confident - a satin light peachy pink.
Successful - a copper. 
Ambitious - a metallic burgundy. The most pigmented and impressive shade in the palette, it's fully opaque with a thick, very cream formula.
Powerful - a satin pale pink.
Passionate - a satin white gold.
Energetic - a satin cool deep brown.
Brave - a satin deep purple.
Daring - a satin/shimmery pale warm pink.


Staying power is good at this palette. Eyeshadows tend to last well on me because I don't have oily eyelids and these last like most eyeshadows do. They fade a bit toward the end of the day, but I got no creasing.

Packaging is cardboard with a mirror and magnetic closing system. It's quite heavy for such a material.


Price and availability: It costs 16.99 € and here it'll be sold on Click2Chic and Ličila.si.

If you want something in those modern red tones that my colouring just clashes with, this is a nice one. Pigmentation good at most shades and especially the red metallic shade Ambitious is super soft and crazy pigmented like a cream eyeshadow (similar to Milani's, but thicker, less smooth compared to those). What I miss at this palette are matte shades. It just doesn't have a selection of crease appropriate shades for me as everything is either a satin finish or metallic. 


Have a great day!

*PR product

Thursday, December 20, 2018

Milani Gilded Desires Eye & Face Palette

7:53 AM 0

So far I've only had great experience with Milani products and I'm especially a big fan of the Conceal + Perfect foundation, but this is my first time trying their eyeshadows and this has to be one of the most pigmented eyeshadow palettes in my collection. Only TheBalm Nude-tude is equally great and maybe Too Faced Chocolate Bar, but that one has more densely packed eyeshadows. Gilded Desires is a limited edition palette with 12 eyeshadows, 6 metallics plus 6 mattes, and two pearly highlighters. 


The texture of eyeshadows is so creamy and smooth, they are some of the creamiest classic eyeshadows I've tried. Only Colourpop Super Shock, Catrice's Metal Sensation and Essence Melted Chromes are softer, but they are not as pigmented as these. Metallics are super pigmented, though it differs from shade to shade, but all have a fully opaque look with very little effort and the effect is even better if you apply them wet (I haven't tried them that way, but I saw a review/tutorial with these and it looked like liquid metal). This softness does have a bad side at metallics, because you need to use light pressure on them to avoid denting them too much and there is some excess kick-off as well as some fall down. For metallics I prefer to use my fingers because I have a similar problem as at Catrice eyeshadows that a brush doesn't pick them up well, plus you use less if you use fingers. The mattes are a bit denser, less soft, but still super pigmented and very smooth. They blend a bit easier than metallics as you might expect, but it's not a big difference.  

The collection of shades is overwhelmingly warm, which doesn't make it my favourite selection, but that's the trend nowadays and there are some nice neutrals that I will use often. For me what's missing is a less intense crease shade as the matte mid brown in the palette ends up quite strong. The black in this palette is exceptional, it's not often you see such a strong black. Highlighters are both warm, but they vary in intensity as the gold one is less strong.


1st row:
Naked Truth - a matte light yellow-toned cream shade. 
Champagne Wasted - a metallic champagne shade, contains largest shimmer particles of all shades.
Sweet As Honey - a warm matte pale peachy pink
Most Covet Rose - a metallic light rose gold peachy-pink base with gold shimmer. 

2nd row:
Love addict - a metallic tomato red. It looks less warm in the palette than on the skin.
Desire for Gold - a metallic yellow gold
Crazy for Cocoa - a matte mid brown. 
Time to Un-wine - a matte dark/wine red


3rd row:
Just Bronzing Around - a metallic copper. This shade has the strongest metallic finish and creamiest, most pigmented formula in the palette.
The Olive of my Life - a metallic olive-bronze shade. My favourite. 
Wood you Join me - a matte dark chocolate brown.
Black Tie Affair - an intense matte black.


Highlighters:
Brighten up my day - a white gold with a very strong glowy effect.
Highlight of the day - a peachy-gold.


Staying power is impressive. I half expected these to crease on me because of the creamy formula (like Essence and Catrice do), but this is a very long-lasting formula that stays put. They looked almost like freshly applied at the end of the day with no creasing, excessive fading or any extra fall down.

Packaging is gold and it's an absolute fingerprint magnet. Luckily they wipe of easily. You get a handy big mirror in the palette.

Price and availability: in Slovenia (and Croatia) you can get it on Click2chic for 24.49 €.


If you're a fan of metallic eyeshadows this is an excellent palette. It's super pigmented and the eyeshadows are great quality. I'd absolutely love it if Milani made a cool toned version too, something with a more green gold, bronzes and Mac satin-taupe like shades because now this is a very warm palette and I look so odd in red, yellow gold and copper shades, so I just stick to the light neutrals, sculpting mattes and that gorgeous bronze olive shade. 


Have a great day!

*PR product

Sunday, December 16, 2018

Rimmel Maxi Blush 003 Wild Card

8:46 AM 0

Sometime in the summer Rimmel launched a new line of blushes which are more than twice the size of their Lasting Finish ones and they are available in four shades, three are sold here in Slovenia. The other two are #004 Sweet Cheeks, a peach, and #006 Exposed, which is a very interesting neutral beige-dusty rose looking shade in the pan, but it swatches light pink on my skin tone.  


Texture: Compared to their old line of blushes, these are not as soft and are more tightly pressed. There is some kick-up and the texture could be a bit silkier, but I have such a dark shade that any texture is very unforgiving if you don't spend extra time blending it. My shade blends ok for such a deep shade, nothing out of the usual and the finish is matte.


Shade: Wild Card is a muted deep peachy-pink shade which on my cheeks looks like a strong warm pink. It's the deepest shade out of the three we have here and I need to be very careful with it because it's too much almost with one swipe. If you have a deeper skin tone than me, this will work great on you. I use my fluffiest brush with this, so I don't overdo it.


Staying power: The pigment in this blush is strong, meaning it can hold on longer than most blushes. It can last all day provided the base is good.

Packaging: The pan of this is larger than usual blushes and much larger than their Lasting Finish Soft Colour Blushes. It contains 9g, a big upgrade to the previous 4 g. The packaging is their classic plastics one that closes firmly.

Price and availability: These are sold in DM for 9.49 €.


I can't say they are as nice as Catrice's or L'Oreal's blushes, but they are still great for a drugstore offering. The shade range is rather small, but it contains interesting shades that aren't just your basic pinks and peachy-pinks. I'm interested in shade Exposed, so I might get it one day.

Have a great day!

*PR product

Thursday, December 13, 2018

183 Days by Trend it up Swing Liner Black

9:08 AM 0

A few months ago a completely new makeup stand almost magically appeared in DM. It's a sort of a spin-off of Trend it Up brand with interesting products and some K-Beauty inspired cutesy packaging. I only took a superficial look of the stand the first time and walked out of the shop, as I tend to first check reviews online if anything is worth checking out and this liner with an interesting design was quite praised, so even though I am a die-hard fan of Catrice's liquid eyeliner and have a back up always in stock, I gave this one a try. Two versions of black eyeliner exist, a glossy and matte one, mine is the latter. There are also a couple of chrome colours, but those are rated poorly.


Applicator has an interesting shape of the handle, which I expected to sit comfortably in my hand, but unfortunately the stick with the felt tip is so long that it just doesn't balance nicely if I hold it low on the handle. I keep my finger close to the edge where it's thickest, so it's actually worse than Catrice's in that respect. But it might be good for some, I'm just used to shorter applicators. The felt tip is great, it's similar to Catrice's, perhaps even a bit better because so far it doesn't show sign of it splitting or becoming too soft with use. It's comfortable and firm just enough for me, so I can make a precise line with a flick.


Formula is very pigmented, very black, matte and completely smudge-proof when it dries (on my picture it's freshly applied, but trust me, it sets properly matte). It takes a bit longer than Catrice to dry, but it's not a big time difference. As much as I love how bullet-proof the formula is (it can survive rubbing and it doesn't fade during the day), one thing started to bother me so much - it's just too long-lasting and too hardcore. My usual double cleansing method with a cleansing oil and gel just can't remove this stuff. So I need an extra remover and a waterproof one as a micellar doesn't really do a great job. If you're looking for something super resistant and don't mind an extra strep in cleansing, this is a great formula, but I like my life to be a bit simpler in that respect, so I'll go back to my Catrice one when I use it up. One other thing that I noticed is that the formula gets thicker with age. For now it's still ok (I've had it for about a month), but I hope it doesn't thicken so much that it'll become useless soon.


It cost 2.99 € in DM. Apparently the name 183 Days means that this product will only be available for 183 days, then they'll swap the whole line of products for new ones. Pretty stupid if you ask me, but who am I to judge. So if you want it, you have about three more months to get it (I think it was launched in September or even August).


Have a great day!

Monday, December 10, 2018

New in #76: What's in my Mailbox

8:46 AM 0

*ESSENCE Colour Boost Mad About Matte Liquid Lipstick
05 Dangerously Yours
Unexpectedly I really love this. When these launched I didn't devote them a second of attention because I thought it's going to be some lame not-really-matte formula like L'Oreal's Lip Paint Mattes, but this is properly matte in a minute or two, it applies fully opaque and the colour is gorgeous. It's the shade I wanted Maybelline's Lover to be, as it's a similar mauve shade, but much pinker and warmer. It's on my lips in the picture with the Essence highlighter.
2.99 €


*MILANI Gilded Desires Eye & Face Palette
Review in Slovene (I'll have an English version here too)
Contains 12 matte & shimmering metallics eyeshadows, plus two highlighters.
This is a crazy pigmented palette and there are not many eyeshadows I've tried that would have such an intense colour pay-off so quickly. Formula is very soft and when I pushed a bit too hard with a brush when I was swatching it, the brush just sank in - luckily I could fix it because these are so creamy. You get a combination of metallics and mattes, both have great formulas. Metallics are very creamy and especially the copper shade has a dreamy metallic fully opaque formula. The mattes are some of the best I've tried and less creamy than metallic, so the brush picks them up better. The only slightly disappointing shade in the palette is the white highlighter which unlike other metallic shades in the palette doesn't feel smooth and has some big shimmer in it, so it doesn't look as pretty on the face. The other gold one is better, but too dark for me. If you're a fan of metallic eyeshadows this is an excellent palette, I just wish the colour selection was a bit more up to my taste, though I love that olive shade and neutral matte colours, so I can use this palette for my usual neutral eye.
Click2chic, 24.49 €


*L.O.V. The Rose X Copper Eyeshadow Palette
Contains 12 glittery and satins eyeshadows 
L.O.V. also released a reddish-warm palette - I feel like I'm seeing these everywhere. Pigmentation is good at most shades and especially the red metallic shade Ambitious is super soft and crazy pigmented like a cream eyeshadow (similar to Milani's, but thicker, less smooth compared to those). I'd like it, if the shade range were more to my taste, but I'm not a fan of these modern rosey-red palettes and what I really miss at this palette are matte shades. It just doesn't have a selection of crease appropriate colours, as everything is either a satin finish or metallic. The palette is quite heavy and has a magnetic closing system. 
€16.99, L.O.V. bo na voljo na Click2Chic in Ličila.si


*CATRICE Astrology LE Eye Palette
Full review here
Contains 12 matte, satin and glittery shades.
This is my least favourite palette out of the four I got. For one the colour selection is disappointing, as the whole first row looks the same on the eyes. All are a neutral blending out/base colours and who needs four such shades? The second row is a mixed quality, the first two are a lovely matte and satin shades with good pigmentation and they blend nicely, the next two orange ones are disappointing. The first orange is not the best, though useful, but the last shade is sheer and I just can't pick it up, plus it's chunky. The same goes for the first shade in the bottom row - only sparse chunky shimmer. The last three are great matte shade that are pigmented and blend well. Overall it's just too disappointing, though matte shades are good. I give it a 2.5/5.
13.49 €


*ESSENCE Ho! Ho! Ho! LE Iridescent Powder Highlighter
01 Twinkle Twinkle
I'm not thrilled about this either and Essence has done so much better. It's similar to Stay Cool Llama highlighter in terms of formula and level of glow. Formula feels softer than llama, but it's not like some other buttery highlighters. It's very subtle, unless I really layer it and the shade has a pinky glow, so it's better for cool skin tones. 

 Makeup Revolution Fast Base Stick, Catrice Glitter Storm Eyeliner Eclectic Lilac, Essence Colour Boost Mad About Matt 05 Dangerously Yours // Uhani iz Fatalka.si
3.39 €


*ESSENCE Highlighter Brush
01 Santa's Little Helper
A very soft, synthetic brush that isn't the best when it comes to picking up a lot of product, so it's  better for very pigmented blushes and highlighters. It's a bit big for highlighters as far as I'm concerned, but for blush and maybe even contour it's nice.The handle has a fun glitter and candy cane in water design
3.39 €


*CATRICE Glitter Storm LE Liquid Eyeliner
C02 Eclectic Lilac
Full Review here.
This is duochrome shade with colour changing from navy blue to purple. I can't praise this formula because it's too sheer and too liquid so the pigment shifts and the applicator is a stiff stick that isn't comfortable. I can't draw a line with this, instead I need to dab the colour along the lash line. The colour is an off black on me with blue shimmer and it's just not as striking as in the tube. Staying power isn't impressive either as the wing wiped off and that doesn't happen at their regular liquid eyeliner. Catrice has done so much better (colour) liners before.
3.99 € 

*CATRICE Glitter Storm LE Liquid Glitter Lips
C03 Luster
Full Review here.
This is a metallic matte shade, which it's one of my least favourite finishes (I do not like metallics for the lips. Mattes are not supposed to be matte). It dries matte on the lips in a couple of minutes and this is a type of shade you need to take a lot of time to apply nicely, but luckily it layers with no problems. Shade Luster is a purple burgundy with cool purple shimmer which does give it a nice metallic effect, however, that shimmer ends up everywhere at the end of the day (surprisingly the colour stays put). The combination of a dark shade, glitter and matte finish makes is a nightmare to remove, so make sure you have an oil remover handy.
4.79 €


*REVOLUTION PRO Supreme Eyeshadow Palette
Allure
I've tried quite a few (Makeup) Revolution palettes and they don't excite me as much as apparently most, but I will admit this has some great quality eyeshadows. There are 8 shades in a rather inelegant looking palette, 5 are matte and 3 are shimmers. It's a mixed quality palette (something Revolution has yet to improve), but 4 mattes are excellent quality, super soft, pigmented and they blend really nicely. They somewhat remind me of Milani's matte shade in Gilded palette, but they are more loose, very crumbly and less buttery-creamy. The only disappointing matte is the purple-mauve one because it's quite sheer . Two shimmers are also excellent quality, very creamy, have a strong metallic finish and great pigmentation, again they remind me of poor man's Milani metallics, but the lilac shade is not quite as good, though it's still a useful duochrome shimmer on a lilac base. Shades are a matte buttercream, matte medium brown (it's meant to be the cool shade in the palette, but it's warm on me), a metallic beige-bronze (excellent quality), a reddish brown with green shimmer (somewhere in the ballpark of Mac's Club), a matte violet-mauve, a duchrome lilac (looks good applied over black, as it makes it a navy with star-like shimmer), a matte deep warm brown and a matte black which is not the best black. Four versions of these types of palettes exist.
Ličila.si, 8.99 €

*REVOLUTION PRO 4K Highlighter Palette
Rose Gold
As much as I'm not a fan of MR eyeshadows, I've been impressed with their highlighters before and this palette is another useful one for me. They name it rose gold, but only one shade is actually in that colour. Shades include a very intense pearly white (by far the strongest shade), a beige-gold (best normal level of glow), a rose gold with a pink, slightly purplish reflect (weakest) and a light copper (too dark for me). Pigmentation differs a lot, but it's good across the board, with the white one being incredibly intense, maybe even too much and the rest, though less strong, also create a nice glow. While formula feel soft, almost creamy, they aren't very fine and appear chalky in a thick swatch. Shimmer is mostly fine, but there are some medium sized chunks and those can land everywhere. It's not my favourite set of highlighters, but I like the nice shade range that (mostly) works on pale skin.
Ličila.si, 11.99 €


*REVOLUTION PRO Pore Primer
This scared me the first time I opened it because all that was coming out was that oily liquid and I was afraid it got separated, but luckily it was just a small part of the product. The texture is a simple standard mattifying primer that feels very silicone-y and coats the skin in a velvet layer that is nicely matte. It's tinted, but it doesn't have coverage and while it creates a smooth base for a foundation, I didn't notice that big of a change on pores. For example L'Oreal's Infallible matte foundation is far more effective at hiding pores and was an already discontinued Essence mousse concealer. However, if you're just looking for a mattifying, silicone-feeling primer, it's more than adequate.

 Ličila.si, 9.99 €

*REVOLUTION PRO Pro Supreme Matte Lip Pigment
Visionary
This is the thickest matte lip cream I've tried and most like a mousse. Texture is similar to Rimmel's Stay Satin, but even thicker. It applies fully opaque and it has a satin finish from the start. It takes 10-15 minutes for it to set to a proper matte finish. I don't find it drying, but it could be too much for some. It's most similar to Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvets, so if you can handle those, these will be fine as well. Visionary is a nude beige shade that on my skin tone leans toward peach, but I think the darker and warmer your skin tone is, the more pinky nude it will look.
Ličila.si, 6.99 €


*REVLON Super Lustrous Lipstick 
Lady Boss, Fire & Ice and Black Cherry
These are a special edition of lipsticks that are a part of Revlon's Live Boldly collection which celebrates bold, independent and strong women. Two of the shades, Fire & Ice and Black Cherry are Revlon's classics that are a part of the permanent range, while Lady Boss is a new shade I believe. I don't think these will be sold here, but they are available in other countries and anyway some colours are not new. These are Revlon's classic lipstick with a comfortable, fully opaque formula. Fire & Ice is Revlon's iconic shade, one of their oldest and it's a warm red, Black Cherry is a deep burgundy and Lady Boss is a bright electric pink.
Trenutno potekata dve nagradni igri kjer lahko zadenete komplet šmink in torbico. Prvi je na instagramu @revlon.slovenija in drugi na Facebook strani Click2Chic-a.


Click2Chic has a released a new beauty box as they usually do in December. I write this in English because you can also get it in Croatia. It's 18.90 € and you get a pretty great deal looking at the total worth of the products. There are four full-sizes plus a mini bag and a sample size of a Moroccanoil product. Review in Slovene with swatches is here.


*WET N WILD Megaglo Highlighting Powder 
Blossom Glow
Precious Petals is the shade that started the hype of these. I was tempted by it too until I heard it's quite dark. Blossom Glow on the other hand, is perfect for very pale skin tones. It's an off-white pinky-peachy shade with a good level of glow. First application was quite a disappointment however, as my densest brush couldn't pick up much colour and it was only after I swatched it with a finger for pictures that the bottom softer, a lot more glowy layer was revealed. 
Click2Chic, 5.99 € 

*REVLON Super Lustrous Lipstick 
Revlon Red
This was actually my first red lipstick many years ago and now we are reunited. I wanted their famous Fire & Ice, but back in the day I think this was the red we had here (it was so long ago and I sent someone else to get it for me). It was never my favourite shade of red, but that's because I prefer those with cool undertones, while this ends up considerably warmer on me than it looks in the tube. On darker, warmer skin tones it might look more neutral or neutral-warm. It's got a classic/old-school creamy formula that is comfortable on the lips.
Clikc2Chic, 9.98 €

*REVLON Nail Enamel 
Revlon Red
Another classic red shade, though it looks more cool-neutral on my nails than the lipstick, so they don't completely match. Red nail polishes tend to all be great in terms of quality and I zero complaints about this one. It's opaque in one coat, but I always apply two just because I'm used to it and a thicker layer lasts longer on the nails. The brush is one of the thinnest and I actually like this because I have narrow nails and it's better for a more precise application.
Click2Chic, 6.98 €


*MOROCCANOIL Color Complete Protect & Prevent Spray
Moroccanoil launched a complete system of hair care designed for coloured hair and this spray is meant as a last step in the Color Complete regimen. It's applied on damp hair and it promises to help keep the colour from fading or becoming brassy. It has UV and thermal protection too. Spray is light, so appropriate for all hair types, I really don't think it would weigh down even the thinnest hair. It smells amazing like all Moroccanoil products and doesn't interfere with other hair care or styling products.

My second bottle of this one. It's one of the lightest ones, so more appropriate for those with thin hair than my thick type (I need to use a lot on my hair), but in combination with the mask from the same line and applied on damp hair before blow-drying it mages to tames it quite successfully plus as well as a nice level of shine. It of course also tames the hair and adds shine when used on dry hair, plus it smells like creamy coconut.
Click2Chic, 9.49 €


*ORIFLAME Possess the Secret
This is flanker of the original Possess and it's described as an oriental floral, but I don't get the oriental part, at least not in that traditional vanilla-amber-spicy/patchouli sense. It starts with very uplifting citrus and apple, so very fresh notes. After about a half an hour it settles into a floral (osmanthus-sunflower-orchid-jasmine mix) on a sandalwood base (no vanilla on me, despite being among the notes). Though it seems quite a tame fragrance from the start, it become quite a silage monster and I could smell one spray on another person for hours from 1-2m away. It's also one of the most long-lasting fragrances I own and it lasts much longer than my other Oriflame fragrance Miss Giordani Intense.
 Notes
Top: bergamot, jasmine, black currant
Heart: Osmanthus, apple and orchid
Base: sandalwood, vanilla and sunflower
Oriflame, regular price 37.90 €


*LABELLO Crayon Lipstick
Black Cherry
Labello came out with a new version of their tinted lip balm formulas, this time they released them in a crayon from. These come in three shades a coral, red and cherry. I haven't opened it yet, as it was a crazy month for PR products, but if I do, I'll let you know how I like it.

Have a great day!

*PR products. Obviously.