May Favourites and Wishlist
URBAN DECAY Naked Palette
The forgotten gem in many of our makeup stashes. I used it pretty much every day this month and almost every time in exactly the same combination: the pale shimmery pink Sin on the lids, a mix of matte medium browns Naked and Buck in my non-existent crease and the dark brown Darkhorse just in the outer corner which created the most basic neutral eye look. I still very much enjoy the shades and the quality of the palette, even though it's been ages since the hype and every company under the sun released their neutral palette.
I've been using two PR mascaras I got in the lasts months and though they are fine, I checked one day if there is some life in left this Maybelline one and my word it is a thousand times better that those two. It makes the prettiest lashes ever - perfectly defined, gives enough volume and creates a bit of a lift, which is something those two other mascaras (Catrice Lashes to Kill Pro and Max Factor Dark Magic) do not. I really need to repurchase this.
BOURJOIS Rouge Velvet the Lipstick
02 Flaming Rose
I finally got the shade I wanted, so I can wear this amazing formula in combination with the looks I tend to wear daily. These have great matte finish, don't feel drying, they are so light on the lips and they last well too. Flaming Rose looks like a neutral-to-cool pink on me, but I suspect on others it looks more warm. It's a simple light pink shade that is just easy to wear.
I use these almost every day, but rarely speak of them on the blog, though they are in many of my Instagram pictures. These are without a doubt the best brush investment I made. All are amazing quality and there are some great shapes of brushes for my eye shape that I could not get at other brands, especially 231 Luxe Petite Crease was just made for me.
The four brushes I use most and I would get individually if my set got lost or destroyed: 232 Luxe Classic Shader, 235 Contour Shader, 231 Luxe Petite Crease and 227 Luxe Soft Definer.
THE FACE SHOP The Solution Mask
Madecassoside
I've gone through almost all of these Solution masks so far, I only have Ceramide left to try and Madecassoside impressed me just as much as Pearl did. 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's definitely great at helping with inflammation and promoting healing. It helped heal an inflamed breakout I had and it just in general made the skin look so good. It reminded me a lot of how Etude House Snail masks works one me, so I really should stock up on this one and Pearl.
AVON Mesmerize Black
This has to be one of the most underrated fragrances ever. I'm so sure if this had some fancy brand name slapped on it, it'd be so much more popular, but since it's only Avon, most people tend to miss it. It's an incredible warm and cosy scent with a strong oriental vibe, but without boring vanilla or patchouli (that really started to annoy me by now and it's in almost every fragrance). Mesmerize Black is pretty much just smooth sandalwood that envelops you like a warm blanket. Other notes include jasmine and mandarin, but I can't detect them, especially the citrus note. Every time I wear this I get compliments. It's loud without being obnoxious by either being super a sugary girly concoction or vanilla-patchouli-sweet notes combo in the ranks of Angel. It's dirt cheap online, so you're really getting a great fragrance for an affordable price.
CREATURES DE MONOI Oil
My hair been insanely dry ever since I tried this one Vichy anti-dandruff shampoo and I'm desperately trying to fix the situation, but it's proving to be a challenge. Especially the top part of my hair feels like all life was sucked out of it. I was sent some of the Creatures products for a review I was writing for another blog (you might remember that I really enjoyed the moisturiser a couple of years ago) and this oil came at just the right time because my stash has thinned. I used it on most days this month before going to bed, and my hair absorbed this like a sponge by the morning. It definitely helped it be a lot less dry and since my hair is so parched, it didn't leave it greasy and lank. It contains a combination of jojoba and coconut oil, both fantastic for hair care as they can enter the centre of hair more effectively than other oils. This oil also smells great and strong, something I always like, but it's not a coconut type of scent, it's very floral. This oil is not easy to get if you're not from Slovenia or Croatia, but if your hair is very dry, you can create your own mix with coconut and jojoba oil, it just won't smell as pretty as this one.
SUBRINA Shower Gels
Perfume Drops & Cherry Blossom
I can't believe I've been keeping these two gems buried in my "work drawer". I've used up a few of these over the years and liked all so far (Rose Garden is amazing and I don't even like rose scents, Pina Colada is nice too and they unfortunately discontinued Cuba Libre, which I loved) and for the past year I've had all of these nicely kept in my work stuff so I don't ruin/damage/lose any them, plus I always had some other shower products to use up anyway, but I felt a bit bored this month with the stash I have, so I started exploring the scents of these I haven't tried properly yet, so in the shower where scents tend to be different than from the bottle. Perfume Drops is smells divine. It's like a proper high end fragrance, closest I can described it is an oriental type of scent with possibly some pepper and something warm, maybe amber. It's just such a great combination. Cherry Blossom (I bought this one myself) is a lot more neutral and to me smells just like baby powder, which makes it such a comforting scent. I actually like most of the scents, only Sensual Vanilla is a bit boring for me and Jasmine is basic too, but particularly Rose Garden and Mango Heaven are so nice.
WISHLIST
COLOURPOP Fame Pressed Powder Palette - Colourpop finally released something that isn't very warm, though this one still has some warmer shades, but at least they aren't orangey-reddish. It's the first palette I would consider buying, but I still feel they went overboard with the number of skintone shades and there aren't enough lid shades, that's the only thing holding me back so far. // COLOURPOP Super Shock Blush Between the Sheets - a neutral muted rosy-brown, so the type of shade I tend to wear. // MILANI Rose Blush Trio Palette 01 Flowers of Love - a new release by Milani. I have the single rose blushes and they are amazing, so I'm sure this is great too, plus it's so pretty. Swatches. // AVON Luck La Vie (notes)- I've been into woody fragrances lately and this is described as a strawberry cedar combination, which sounds intriguing. I like the original Luck too (notes), which is a red berries sandalwood combination and I wouldn't mind owning one of those pretty bottles too.
Have a great day!