*ESSENCE Prime + Studio Mattifying + Pore Minimizing Primer
Mattifying primers tend to be all the same silicone smoothing type of formula, but this is not much like it. The first strange thing is that it's grey and that's because it contains black clay, which absorbs excess oil. They greyness disappears when you blend it in, so there's no worry of the skin looking ashy. If you ever had Alverde Heilerde mattifying toner (the old one had some powder or clay particles) this feels somewhat similar, just in a lotion form. As it dries it leaves kind of a powdery feeling, which is not smooth, but it is completely matte. It promises to minimize pores, but this is not the product to do that and for that job you'll need silicones. My skin is barely oily on my forehead, so I'm not the best to say how well it performs when a lot of shine is concerned, but it keeps my skin very matte all day. I wasn't a fan of it because I had trouble applying foundation as it didn't apply as smoothly as usual, which is to be expected on such a matte base. This has a very strong perfume-y scent that lingers.
3.89 €
*ESSENCE Camouflage+ Healthy Glow Concealer
10 light ivory
When I first used this I applied it over the primer mentioned above and I could barely blend the stuff, which should not happen with something called Healthy Glow. This is a high coverage concealer with a matte finish that's pretty much the same as Catrice Liquid Camouflage, Collection Lasting Perfection, Look Matte Camouflage and The Saem Cover Perfection. So the name for this is completely wrong. I have the lightest shade which fits me perfectly and it's lighter than Catrice Liquid Camouflage 005, so if you didn't find a match there, this is almost the same formula. Shade has a yellow undertone, but it's not strong. I've been wearing this on most days almost as a sort of a foundation because I'm feeling lazy with my makeup at the moment and over a moisturising base it looks ok and it doesn't slip into pores, but I need to be careful at blending the edges.
2.99 €
*ESSENCE I need a Miracle Volumising & Strenghtening Mascara
This mascara promises to tint the lashes and to strengthen them. It's a typical Essence mascara, meaning it creates impressive volume and it keeps the lashes defined well enough. This one also doesn't drop my lashes completely because the formula is light and not very messy, so I'm quite liking this one. It doesn't create as nice of an effect as my favourite Beyu Lash Queen that I'm currently using, but it's not that far off and the price point is much better. The brush is a classic one with a slight hourglass design.
3.89 €
*CATRICE Eyeshadow Stix
060 Freakin' GREENious, 070 I decide my vibe, 090 Beautista's Choice
Cosnova has made better stick cream eyeshadows in the past (like their amazing Essence 2 in 1), but these are still nice. The problem is that even though they swatched so pretty in the drugstore (fully opaque in one swipe), I can't get that when I'm applying them on the eyes. I need several swipes and building up the metallic effect, which isn't ideal, since I'm not very patient. They blend nicely with a brush or with fingers and staying power is great on my normal eyelids. They don't crease during the day and they lasted all day on my lids, but again I have normal, never oily eyelids.
070 I decide my vibe is an absolutely stunning golden bronze shade that somewhat reminds on shades like Mac's Patina and Too Faced Creme Brulee which are some of my favourite colours.
060 Freakin' GREENious is another my type of shade, it's an old gold mossy colour that's in the same colour family as Stash by Urban Decay. Unfortunately this it's not as good as other two because I'm always struggling to get an even application. It ends up looking patchy if I don't apply several layers.
090 Beautista's Choice is a classic mauve brown that's similar to shades like Mac's Satin Taupe.
3.99 €
*CATRICE Blush Box
020 Glistening Pink
I was a big fan of Catrice's Defining Blushes which I still believe were some of the best in drugstore. These are not as buttery soft, but they are still nicely pigmented, they blend well and have a good staying power. I like the formula, but I'm disappointed with the very generic shade range. They don't have anything like the amazing Rose Royce and the only stand-out is shade Berry, but that one looks possibly too dark for me. Glistening Pink is a basic peachy-pink shade with gold shimmer that's similar to their old Coral Me Maybe.
3.99 €
*ESSENCE Go for the Glow highlighter palette
02 the warms
A collection of three highlighter that despite being called "the warms" I can only describe the first shade as having a warm undertone. The formula of these is very soft, like some metallic eyeshadows and they have a strong glow that's not for those faint at heart. First shade is a rose gold and it's the only I consider truly wearable, but it's already quite dark for my pale skin tone. The glow is the strongest in the palette. Second shade is a sci-fi-looking medium violet shade with blue shimmer and it's just completely unwearable as far as I'm concerned. The third shade is a pale pink with violet shimmer which is again barely actually wearable as it has a that sci-fi look due to violet shimmer, but those with a cool undertone might pull it off. Overall I'm I like the formula and I wish they made an actual warm palette with a gold and champagne highlighter instead because now I can't really wear most of it.
6.49 €
*CATRICE Sugar Scrub & Balm
This is my first such product, so I can't compare it to anything, but it's not the strongest scrub. First swipes felt like a regular, but thick lip balm and then I got to the sugar scrub layer. Sugar is tightly packed in this, but still this isn't powerful enough for removing all the dead skin parts, yet it's not useless. Because it's a thick formula this stick on the lips really well and sugar stays on the lips too. The packaging of this is beautiful with the rose gold metal tube.
4.39 €
*CATRICE Dewy-ful Lips Conditioning Lip butter
010 Yes, I DEW
This is pretty much the same as Catrice's discontinued Beautifying Lip Smoother, meaning it's a lip balm/lip gloss formula that's very comfortable, like a cushion on the lips. It also surprisingly stayed on the lips for several hours, but that was merely the last lip balm layer while the colour and shine goes away rather quickly. My shade is a pale peachy-pink which is too light for my taste and I'm thinking about getting a more wearable shade 020.
4.39€
*ESSENCE Velvet Matte lipstick
06 Unredsistible
Why Essence messed with a perfectly good matte formula I'll never know. This are replacing those in black tubes called Mat! Mat! Mat!, which looked a lot more grown up than these and those had a great matte finish. The new formula feels more creamy and it doesn't have a matte finish, instead it's more of a creamy-satin. 06 Unredsistible is a hot pink shade that leans to red.
*CATRICE #peeloff Glam Easy to Remove Effect Nail Polish
03 When in Doubt, just add Glitter
I'm very impressed by this. Removing glitter nail polishes is such a chore and like most I try to avoid it, but it's so easy at this nail polish. 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. Once 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. 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. I'm thinking of getting more shades of these.
4.39 €
THEBALM Instain Blush
Houndstooth
Instains might not be as well-known as Hot Mama or Frat Boy, but they are a nice collection of interesting shades in a great formula. The idea is that the formula should stain the cheeks and therefore these should last really long on the cheeks. TheBalm in general has some of the most long-lasting shades and this is no exception, however, I did not notice any staining, which honestly is a good thing in my eyes. Formula is smooth and it both applies and blends with ease, plus the pigmentation is neither too light and neither way too strong like the blush below. I got Houndstooth because it looked like such a unique shade in the pan, a muted mauve pink shade, but on my skin it ends up looking a simple wearable warm pink.
Müller, regular price about 22 €
TREND IT UP Coco Bronze LE Golden Blush
010
Another shade I picked because it looked so unique and I indeed have nothing like it. The pigmentation is absolutely insane, I need to be so careful with it. It's a very soft, almost creamy type of formula that reminds me of some metallic eyeshadows. I use a very fluffy blush and even then I can only apply a layer of product. The shade looks a bit deceiving deep plummy pink, but it ends up a lot warmer on the cheeks. It's a rose gold almost coppery type of shade mixed with a pink base. The gold shimmer creates a strong highlighting glow, but since I need to use so little, it's not that obvious on me. Staying power is great as you might expect from the strong pigmentation and it's got a very strong coconut sunscreen scent (same as at Physician's Formula Butter Blush) that lingers on the face. It's too pigmented for me, but for darker skin tones, it's a nice buy.
DM, 3.79 €
CATRICE Liquid Eyeliner
010 Meeting Joe Black
I don't know how many in a row I already bought, but I use this every day and it lasts about three or four months before the formula gets too dry to create a super crisp line (it's still useful, but I like how smooth the freshly opened formula is). I love this super black, matte and long-lasting formula and I'll continue to use it.
Müller, 3.79€
*RIMMEL Oh My Gloss! Lip Gloss
500 Ooh La La
A very standard lip gloss with a sheer tint and a medium thick formula, which feels pleasant on the lips, but I'm still more in love with Max factor's brilliant Honey Lacquers. Scent is very plastic, but I like the applicator which reminds me of Revlon's Ultra HD Matte lipcolor with its spatula-like design. 500 Ohh La La is a pinky red shade even though it looks red in the tube.
BALEA Hydrogel Masks
Balea has a LE collection of hydrogel masks with lace patterns that come in black and white versions of all three masks/patches, so eye patches, lip mask and a face mask. I've always found Balea's masks disappointing, but these are already a lot better. I've already posted a review of the mask in the Empties along with the picture of how pretty this looks. It's good a decent moisturising effect that left my skin feeling refreshed, but it wasn't "bouncy", so I woke up with a deep crease. I love how these look, but I hope they keep it permanent plus introduce some extra formulas.
1.79€ per mask
YUMMY Shower Gel
Rhubarb & Orange
This is one of my favourite shower gels, especially for summer because it smells so refreshing like a bitter orange fizzy drink. The texture is nothing special, just a regular gel, but the scent is amazing, I stocked up with two bottles when they had a discount.
Click2Chic, 4.95 €
BALEA Feel Well Fuss Horhaut Entferner Socken
Hard skin removing socks
Balea made their own chemical exfoliating treatment for feet. I've only tried such a product once before from Etude House and I found it too weak for my hard skin, though it did very effectively removed the dead skin. This is a powerful mix of acids (gycolic and lactic in unknown percentages), which you soak your feet in while wearing the plastic sock for an hour and it about a week the skin start to peel, which does not look pretty, but in one or two weeks all the dead skin is removed. I got these too late this summer, so trying it out will have to wait, but as soon as bare feet season is over, I'm giving these a go and I'll let you know how I like these.
DM, 2.99 €
*CHRISTINA AGUILERA Touch of Seduction Moisturising Body Lotion
A very powdery floral scent with the most obvious rose note mixed with iris, while the rest is more blended. I can smell the smooth sandalwood and musk base, while vanilla in this isn't that noticeable. Fruity notes of raspberry and litchi are not at the front at the lotion, but at the fragrance you can smell them in the first minutes. Texture of the lotion is a simple thin one that sinks in relatively fast and leaves a lasting fragrance on the skin.
GARNIER FRUCTIS Banana Hair Food
Fructis always had decent masks for the drugstore, so I was drawn to these new ones, even though I wasn't happy to hear they are silicone free (my hair gets so tangy without a decent dose of silicones). I honestly don't care about their "almost all natural" advertisement tactics, in fact based on my experience masks with mostly natural ingredients do nothing for my hair, so I avoid them, but I saw that apart from the lack of silicones, the ingredients list is very similar to what they usually do, so I trusted it more. I wanted the Macadamia version made for very dry hair which I heard people with my type of hair praising most, but because apparently people in Slovenia don't have very dry hair, they only had Banana, Papaya (damaged hair) and Goji (coloured hair) version. It's a to me an unique concept because it can be used both on dry and damp hair, usually the two are completely separate products because regular mask leave a sticky layer if you apply them on dry hair, but this surprisingly works like a nice leave-in conditioner too. The scent of this is like Haribo Bananas, which to me is quite obnoxious and find The Body Shops' version far superior. Applied as a leave-in conditioner this had a very temporary effect on my hair and as soon as my air absorbed everything in a few hours, it was dry again. I applied a very generous coat on damp hair after washing and I liked the results a lot more. It didn't behave like a mask without silicones and my hair dried (with a hair drier) surprisingly straight and with less frizz. It was nourishing enough, but like with most drugstore stuff it lasted about a day. It's very decent for the price and the pot contains a generous 390 ml, so it's a nice deal. It'll work for normal or less dry hair too because it's not one of those heavy treatments that might leave your hair lank. I might try the Macadamia too which I'll get online.
Müller, 6 €
*MOROCCANOIL Hair Care and Styling
Hydrating Shampoo, Intense Hydrating Mask, Mending Infusion, Hair Treatment (Oil), Perfect Defense and Dry Shampoo for Dark Hair
I'm testing/reviewing/taking pictures of these for Click2Chic where I'll have reviews and I got them fairly recently, so I've only used them once. I've already used up a sample of the shampoo, which is one of the best I've tried for very dry hair, but the product that just blew me away, even though I only used it once, is the hair mask. This is one of the best ones I've used in my life and it's up there sharing the throne with Kerastase Masquintense. I've been complaining about how my hair has been impossible since I've trialled an anti-dandruff shampoo - well this mask is the first one that's finally made my hair close to normal. It made my hair feel silky and somewhat soft (my hair is never soft because it's thick) and without making it feel heavy (like Joico Moisture Recovery Balm, which is my usual last resort). I'm sure the Mending Fusion did some of its job (it's like a creamy silicone serum for the ends. Doesn't feel heavy) and the oil which I had before and liked (one of the best for dry hair), but it's the mask that's done the biggest difference. The other two products are a heat protectant Perfect Defense in a spray which is light and I feel must have a bit of hold, and the last is the dry shampoo for dark hair which has a brown tint. It's light and doesn't leave that powdery feeling, so I don't feel the need to wash my hair at the end of the day. Full reviews will be on the other blog.
Click2Chic, 16.87-34.29 €
Have a great day!
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