July Favourites

L'OREAL Infallible 24H Matte Foundation

10 Porcelain

All hype about this foundation is so justified. This hides pores like nothing I ever tried, not even primers did such a great job. Obvious it doesn't look completely smooth like the skin was photoshopped, but it still makes such a huge difference for me. I'm seriously impressed. It's a foundation with a matte finish and it sets quickly, so you don't have a lot of time to work with it, but it gives medium coverage and doesn't look flat on the skin. The downside of this foundation is that it can cling to dry patches, so it's not for dry skin and I'm a bit worried how this will work for me in colder months, but for now this gets an A+ from me. I haven't done a proper review yet because I like to test foundations a bit longer, plus I mostly wore in only hot summer weather (for which I declare this a perfect foundation to use), but it should be up sometime in August. 

MAYBELLINE Fit Me Concealer

15 Fair

Since I've been self-tanning this month, I can finally wear the lightest shade of the Fit Me concealer. The fact that the lightest shade is so dark still makes me angry because this is an excellent concealer and I want to wear it more often. It's not as thick as Nars' Radiant Creamy Concealer or Collection's one, so combines a bit better with the L'Oreal foundation because it's lighter and more moisturising, therefore I'm not applying a matte on matte texture that can look cakey. I use it for both under the eyes as well as for spots and though the coverage is about medium, it can be built-up.

CATRICE Absolute Nude Eyeshadow Palette

010 All Nude

Even though this palette has been out for quite a while, I don't recall ever even checking it out on the Catrice stand, so now I feel ridiculous because this is such a lovely palette that definitely deserves attention. It contains a collection of neutral shades that are actually quite diverse, so you have golden tones, bronze ones and some deep taupes. I find that two shades are quite similar to more famous colours - one is close to YDK from Urban Decay and one isn't that far from Mac's Patina. Quality-wise it's not as amazing as the Absolute Matte one, but it's nonetheless a really good palette, especially for the price.

ESSENCE Lash Mania False Lash Mascara Waterproof

All I went to purchase was a cheap waterproof mascara that will serve as a back-up, but this is seriously good. I probably shouldn't include this here as it's being discontinued and I hear it's gone in most places, but maybe Essence has this fantastic waterproof formula in other mascaras. It's truly waterproof, I even went swimming with it and it survived so well. It also holds curl all day which makes it a complete winner for me. The brush is a bit rubbish, but you get used to it. I really hope the new waterproof mascara I <3 Extremes will have the same formula.

MAX FACTOR Creme Puff Blush

05 Lovely Pink

These are quite hyped up in the beauty community and I'm sad that they don't give me that amazing glow I've seen on other people, but this does give me at least a little bit of a healthy sheen on cheeks. I like to combine it with a creamy highlighter and this creates those lovely, fresh glowy cheeks. I have two shades from this line, Lavish Mauve is the other one and it's has a lot less shimmer than this one, but I also prefer Lovely Pink because of the shade. It's a nice classic warm pink that makes the cheeks look nicely flushed.

JEMMA KIDD Dewy Glow Radiance Creme 

Ice Gold

Another discontinued item, I'm so sorry, but I just loved it so much this month and wore it every day. It's a champagne creamy highlighter that gives an amazing glow to the cheeks. I love the texture and colour of this, and I really want to find a decent dupe for this one day.

REVLON ColorBurst Matte Balm 

210 Unapologetic

I have a few variations of this shade and actually this one is very close to Impassioned by Mac, but I wore Unapologetic a lot in July because it's in pencil form, therefore it's so handy and you can apply it precisely. It's a bright pink coral that is a colour for the brave ones, but I think it's such a gorgeous summer shade. 

I also included this shade in my Summer Beauty post.

ESSENCE Guerilla Gardening TE Lip Cream

02 Floral Glam

Last month it was Mac's Dangerous, but that is just a sample size, so I remembered that I have this lip cream that is pretty much exactly the same shade. It was a part of an old limited edition, but I really wish that Essence released this colour again because it's an excellent summer colour as it's a bright orange toned red that is close to Lady Danger. It might be because it's quite old, but it doesn't dry to a matte finish anymore, so I have to blot it with a tissue. I should probably find an alternative new matte shade.

SUN DANCE Selbst Bräunungs Tonik

Finally a drugstore brand launched an affordable and excellent self-tanning product for the face. This might be my all-time favourite such product as I find no fault in it. It's like a regular toner that you apply with a cotton pad, it's almost immediately dry to the touch, it's not sticky and I love that its effect is gradual because that means you easily get a very even tan (before and after is in my latest New In post). 

I have heard though from a few people that this burns on their skin. My skin isn't sensitive at all and I find this toner to be very gentle, but if your skin is sensitive, this might not work for you. I also hear that it's gone from most places, however, I still saw some bottles in my local DM, so maybe try checking more shops.

ESSENCE Arriba! TE Hair Chalk

02 Macarena Mint

Who though that hair chalks are so fun. I always thought that only blondes can use them, so as a dark brunette I had little hope colour would show on my hair until I got this one. It's a LE, so I'm again teasing you, I'm sorry, but you might still find one somewhere (danes sem videla obe barvi v Tuš drogeriji Kranj). I showed in my New In post as well as on Instagram how well this shows on my hair and I just love it. I also love the method of application, so I really hope that Essence does a whole line of these in such a packaging because those that are just in a pan are so hard to apply (I bought two, a red and a blue since they were just a euro).

LADY GAGA Fame

Granted I mostly wore Escada fragrances in this hot July, but even before it cooled down I had a hankering for this fragrance. Fame has one of the best honey notes I've ever smelled and I just love the fragrance as a whole. It's is a lovely blend of apricot, honey and flower notes, while the depth is created by the smokiness of the incense note.

Have a great day!

Catrice Absolute Nude and Rose Eyeshadow Palettes

You may have already heard the news (or even seen it among new things in the drugstore) that Catrice released a new chocolate inspired palette, which unsurprisingly is also very high on my wishlist. The news of that palette made me think of other such palettes by Catrice, namely the Absolute Nude and Absolute Rose versions, since I already have the Absolute Matt palette. I am a huge fan of the latter and I think it's probably the best such palette in the drugstores here. Absolute Nude was the one that started the whole line and I'm kicking myself for not picking it up earlier because it's such a lovely palette, while the Rose one is from the spring revamp and I heard mixed opinions about it, ranging from it's terrible to it's amazing. I find a bit repetitive, but worth the purchase. 

CATRICE Absolute Nude Eyeshadow Palette

010 All Nude

Absolute Nude contains a collection of neutral eyeshadows, ranging from light to dark and all are shimmery or with a satin finish (just the last one), but I love especially the medium shades, as they are great one-wash colours. I like that there is also a variety of hues - gold, rosy, bronze and deep taupe. 

The first shade is a very shimmery light gold-beige and its best use is as an inner corner highlight. The second is a neutral shimmery shade with a rosy hue and it might be similar to All that Glitters by Mac. Third is a classic medium brown shade, similar to YDK from Urban Decay, only a bit more rosy and it's my favourite in the palette. The forth is a old gold-brown shade that reminds me of Patina by Mac, except it's more brown. The last two are cool toned browns that look very similar on the eyes, but the fifth shade is a bit lighter and not as cool as the sixth.

CATRICE Absolute Rose Eyeshadow Palette

010 Frankie Rose to Hollywood

The rosy-purple theme is obvious in this palette and it definitely drew inspiration from the popular Urban Decay's Naked 3 palette. I don't own any such shades from before, as my collection mostly consists of warm bronze and taupe eyeshadows, so this was a great way to expand my shade range. The one thing I'm not too happy about is the variety of shades. Two pairs of colours look the same on my eyes, so the selection of available colours is reduced to four. 

First two shades are light as well as sheer, so there isn't much difference between them on the eyes. The first one is a light pink with a satin finish and the second one is a bit darker pink again with a satin finish. The next two shades also appear almost identical when swatched, the only difference is that one is cooler medium rosy brown and the other a warmer version of this colour, but on the eyes there is no difference as far as I'm concerned. The fourth shade is a matte medium taupe shade, which has a slight purple hue, and it's brilliant. It's so soft, creamy and pigmented that it's almost like a cream eyeshadow. The last shade is a deep warm purple with red shimmer, which was probably inspired by Mac's Beauty Marked. It's nicely pigmented, but it doesn't actually look purple on the eyes, instead it's more like deep brown with red shimmer.

The quality of the eyeshadows is nice as far as I'm concerned. They of course don't feel as silky and aren't as pigmented as Urban Decay's for example, but they are nice enough, especially for the price. However, I think that the Matt version is far superior in terms of quality to both of these. Absolute Rose palette is less pigmented on a whole, but that taupe shade is such a pleasant surprise. It seems that Catrice knows how to make excellent matte eyeshadows, while the rest leave some room for improvement. I like the quality of the Rose palette, but I miss variety. I've been wearing Nude version a lot more because I find that such shades suit me more that rosy colours. I mostly wear that medium brown YDK-ish shade with the darkest cool brown, but I really miss a matte base shade, like the first one in the Rose palette. I can't report anything significant about the staying power of either of these. They last well enough for me and I don't expect them to last all day. These also don't crease on me.

These cost 5.29 € and I got both of them in Müller. I can't wait for the chocolate version.

Have a great day!

Essence Lipliner 12 Wish Me a Rose (Including a Comparison with MAC's Please Me)

Considering how often I say that I'm not a fan of Essence's lip liners, I sure have a lot of them. I justify my collection by saying that these are so affordable and therefore a great way to try colours for the first time. However, I got this one for a different reason and that is that I heard this is a good dupe for MAC's Please, which I own only in a sample form. You'll see a comparison of the two at the end of the post, but even though I'm very strict with the word dupe, this definitely meet my high criteria.

Wish me a Rose is a light-medium warm pink with a creamy matte finish. It depends of what your skin tone is, but depending on how tan I am, the shade looks either a bit darker or lighter on me. By the way on the pictures a bit tanned, especially on the last picture.

As usual the pencil is very soft and easy to apply. The formula actually reminds me of Mac's Please Me as that one is a very creamy matte. I actually like that this shade is so creamy because this means that it doesn't emphasize dry patches, since such colours are prone to do so. Due to softness the tip of the pencil becomes blunt very quickly, so frequent sharpening is required. Staying power is average for a lipstick and poor for a lip liner, but I lot of people claim this formula lasts well on them. I find it doesn't survive a meal.

My expanding collection also includes two already discontinued colours. Soft Rose is actually very similar to 150 Vintage Rose in the Longlasting Lip Pencils range by Catrice, while I know of nothing similar to the Nude Coral shade. Wish me a Rose is by far my favourite colour.

Reviews of the rest: Soft Rose, Satin Mauve, Cute Pink, Nude Coral, Femme Fatale and Honey Berry.

 ESSENCE Wish me a Rose vs. MAC Please Me

Please Me and Wish me a Rose are indeed very, very similar. I notice only a small difference between the two when swatched on the back of my hand, Please Me is a bit brighter and that's it (my camera sort of amplified the difference). Even the formulas look almost identical, though, of course Mac's lipstick has a better staying power. On the lips I notice no difference at all, I actually had a hard time distinguishing where the line is between them, as it all looked like a uniform lip colour. 

 

This is a great drugstore buy and I would call it a good dupe for the much more expensive Mac's lipstick. In case of this particular shade, I actually like that the formula is so creamy, though the staying power still isn't the best on my lips. I've been really enjoying wearing this liner since I got it and my cousin actually has four or five of these in different places because she loves it so much.

These cost 1.19 € in Slovenia and are available in almost every drugstore as well as some larger supermarkets.

Have a great day!

Essence Lash Mania False Lash Mascara Waterproof

Drugstore waterproof mascaras that are actually waterproof and hold a curl well are hard to find, especially if don't want to spend more than five euros, as almost all mascaras got so expensive in the past years (looking at you L'Oreal and Maybelline). But I found one and I'm really impressed at how well it holds a curl, however, it's just my luck that this is being discontinued as we speak, so you'll have to hurry if you still want it.

The formula is indeed waterproof in the truest sense of the word. It doesn't smudge one bit, instead it only crumbles under a hot shower. I wore this when I went swimming and it survived perfectly. Due to excellent waterproof characteristics, it holds curl very well, so all day. It's the best drugstore mascara I've tried in terms of holding a curl, so I will actually be sad to see this go, but I have hopes that Essence merely replaced the wand and kept the formula for its replacement. Like I<3 Extremes and Lash Princess the formula is nicely black. It is a very difficult mascara to remove and even with oil it takes some time for the formula to break down. 

The brush is plastic with long, but kind of sparse bristles and it's huge. To me it looks a bit rashly designed, I'd even call it clumsy, especially when it comes to lover lashes, but the drier the formula gets, the less of a chance of a mess it is. The brush deposits tons of product with one coat, just like Princess Lash and I <3 Extremes, so I wish the bristles were denser because now there is a danger of spidery and clumpy lashes if you apply it too fast particularly when it's new and the formula is still wet, however, the amount of volume it gives is huge. With my slow method of combing the lashes and rotating the brush, I can get some lovely results, however, I still keep an old mascara wand at hand if I need to comb the lashes for a more defined effect.

This mascara really grew on me in these three weeks since I have it and I noticed how it's getting better as the formula gets drier. I'm very impressed with the formula, especially how waterproof it is, its consequential great lasting power as well as how well it holds a curl. If it weren't discontinued I know I'd be buying this mascara a lot. If you have lashes that refuse to stay curled or just need a mascara you'd be comfortable going to the beach with, give this one a try.

I got mine in Müller for 3.29 €, but it's currently sold for much cheaper (probably 0.99 €) since it's being discontinued. 

Have a great day!

New in #32

CATRICE Absolute Nude Eyeshadow Palette

010 All Nude

This was the first such palette by Catrice and it has been out for quite a while, however, I was never really interested in it, until I saw that there is going to be a new chocolate version, which made me think of this one and the Rose one, so I just wanted to give them a try.  Nude version contains a collection of neutral eyeshadows, ranging from light to dark in different hues and all are shimmery, but I love especially the medium shades, as they are great one-wash colours. I'm very pleased with this palette and I've really been enjoying wearing it since I got it; I've been wearing it more than the Rose version, because it suits my colouring better. I'll have swatches of both palettes in a proper review.

Müller, 5.29 €

CATRICE Absolute Rose Eyeshadow Palette

010 Frankie Rose to Hollywood

A palette that clearly drew inspiration from the massively popular UD Naked 3 palette, so it has a collection of six rosy, taupe and purple shades.  I'm a huge fan of the Absolute Matt version, which inspired in me a lot of trust into these palettes by Catrice, but the day I bought it, someone told me that this is a terrible palette quality-wise, so I was concerned before I actually tried it that I made a huge miss buy. Well, it's a great palette. In respect to quality I really like it, especially that matte taupe shade is fantastic. However, two pairs of eyeshadows look almost identical on the lids, so it's not the most diverse palette in the world. But otherwise, I'm happy I got this.

Müller, 5.29 €

L'OREAL Infallible 24H Matte Foundation

10 Porcelain

There is a huge hype surrounding this foundation and I had my doubts whether it's really as amazing as everyone is claiming to be. Well, it is. I adore this foundation. This looks absolutely flawless over pores. I've never tried anything like it, not even a primer. In the past year almost every foundation started to emphasize my pores for some reason, but this kind of just camouflages them. It's so amazing to see how the pores look so diminished with this foundation, I'm a huge fan. Otherwise it's a medium coverage foundation with a matte finish, so it is an obvious foundation, but I don't mean that in a bad way, just that the matte finish and coverage makes it apparent you're wearing makeup. This will look weird over patches, just to warn you. I got the lightest shade 10 Porcelain which is not exactly porcelain-like, but it's similar to Healthy Mix Serum's 51 only it has a pink undertone. There will be a proper review of this. 

Salma, 10.90 €

ESSENCE Lash Mania False Lash Mascara Waterproof

I love my Lancome Hypnose mascara, but it's very expensive, so I wear it only when I want to be a bit more made up, while the rest of the time I wear either Essence Princess Lash, which is unfortunately not waterproof but I love the effect, or Bourjois Volume 1 Seconde waterproof, which I'm not terribly fond of because it's very average. I decided to get a new cheap waterproof mascara, though I'd really love to get my hands on Maybelline's Lash Sensational in waterproof, but for now Essence's will suffice. I found this one on their website, checked online for reviews (which were all in German) and they reassured me it's worth a try. I've quickly became a fan of the formula. The brush is plastic and huge, so it's clumsy and it deposits tons of product with one coat, just like Princess Lash and I <3 Extremes. This means that definition isn't its forte from the start, but it gets better and better as the formula thickness over time. The amount of volume it gives is huge, it hold curls amazingly well for such a cheap mascara and it's very difficult to remove. I'll post a proper review very soon, as this is in the process of being discontinued.

Müller, 3.29 €

ESSENCE Lash & Brow Gel Mascara

This is very popular and highly rated on Makeup Alley, however, I won't be using it for its original purpose (I don't care about brows at all). You might remember that I spoke about John Frieda Full Repair Touch-Up Flyaway Tamer, which has been on my wishlist for ages, but it's out of stock on Boots International for a really long time, and while Ojon's Tamer Wand is only a bit more expensive, I am very reluctant to shell out 16 € for such a product plus the extortion that they call shipping (and the pound to euro rate has been abysmal in the past six months. Thank you economy!). So I had a brain wave to try this for that purpose. It's a gel with hold, which is quite possibly very similar to the JF or Ojon's formula. I can report that it works well enough, but it's not as good as the real deal. It also still leaves the hair soft and none of the gel residue is apparent. It's good for now, but I still want the John Frieda or at least the Ojon one.

 Műller, 2.19 €

ESSENCE Lipliner

12 Wish Me a Rose

You know how I often say that I don't like these? Well I have seven of them already. I have no words for myself *queue the meme "I'm not even mad that's amazing"*. Wish me a Rose was an Andrea's enabled purchase because she swatched Mac's Please me and Wish me a Rose side by side, and they are indeed very, very similar. Even I'd call them a dupe and I'm very strict with that word. It's a light-medium neutral pink that I think would suit so many people, either as a nice neutral shade like on me or a pinky nude on people with medium skin tones.   

DM, 1.19 €

BOURJOIS La Laque

7 Lycheers

Bourjois released their version of gel inspired formula and I think everyone saw that happening from a mile away. Their selection of shades is pretty basic and cute, but Lycheers grabbed my attention because I have nothing similar and I find it quite unique. When I came home I noticed how similar it is to my beloved Rouge Edition Velvet in 07 Nude-ist - no wonder I liked it straight away. It's a retro rose shade - a dirty medium pink that will fit perfectly into autumn. 

Müller, 7.19 €

ESSENCE Studio Nails 4 in 1 Profi File

I've been buying these for years. They are cheap and they do the job. There are four different textures ranging from a very harsh surface to a buffing smooth one.

Müller, 1.59 €

OROFLUIDO Beauty Elixir

Salma had it for a reasonable price with a discount, so I just got a backup and even so, my bottle is running very low anyway. I love this hair oil and I haven't been without a bottle of it for years. I find it one of the best on the market for dry hair as it doesn't just behave like a regular smoothing serum, but it also adds a bit of extra nourishment that my hair desperately needs. I'm also still in love with the gorgeous oriental scent it has. 

I've reviewed a lot of more expensive hair oils a while ago in my Hair Oil Series if you're interested. 

Salma, 15.90 €

 BALEA Luxury Verwőhndusche

Red Love

Indulging Shower Gel

I was so excited about this range ever since I saw it on Facebook, mainly because it said it smells like peach and coconut. I already had the bath salt, which was lovely (it turned the water into an intense red-pink shade. I'll post pictures one day) and I was delighted when I saw that the shower gel arrived on our shelves as well. It's a very thick shower gel that is deep red with shimmer, so it looks very glamorous. It's very different from their regular shower gels and it's closer to Dove's formula, though it's even thicker and doesn't foam as well as those. The scent is the same as of bath salt, so peachy, but with a deeper, more sexy/sultry note, which actually makes it better suited for colder months than summer.

Ingredients here.

DM, 1.79 €

SUN DANCE Transparentes Sonnenspray 50

Transparent Sunscreen SPF 50

Last year I got the transparent sunscreen in a can, which ended up being a huge oily, schnapps-reeking disaster that lasted three days in total for four people. This year I got one in a classic spray pump, but again a transparent one as the regular sunscreens are just too greasy, which puts me off applying them all together. This one has tons of alcohol in it, but I don't care as I'm only planning to use it for those few days on the beach, also because at least I'll use it because it's light enough on the skin, though still a bit oily, and finally because the Garnier transparent one, which is without alcohol is over 10 € and is just too much (I mean seriously?!). It smells like classic sunscreen and I don't smell alcohol in it, but others do. The spray pump is very hard to press, which is very annoying

DM, 5.79 €

SUN DANCE Selbst Bräunungs Tonik

Self-tanning Toner

 This immediately caught my attention on their website, I mean a self-tanning toner in the drugstore is not something you see often. It is like a regular toner, so not like Clarins' one which feels like a lotion, instead this is like an actual water-like toner that would work even for greasy skin. It sinks in really fast, leaves the skin dry to the touch and doesn't feels sticky, so thumbs up for that. It has a warm vanilla scent that is ok as well. It says to exfoliate the skin first, which I do before the first application as I always do before tanning, then simply apply the toner with a cotton pad all over the face including ears and neck for an even effect. It says the colour should develop in 2-6 hours, but that is very optimistic. On my super pale skin it takes four days for me to I get a nice amount of colour and that's a good thing, because gradual tanning provides a lot more natural results and decreases the chance of streaks. It doesn't smell much of self-tanner, though the more days in a row you use it, the more you might notice it. I heard though that some people with sensitive skin find this product a bit irritating, but it works completely fine on my skin. 

Here is a side by side of me before tanning and after four days. The lipstick is Max Factor's Redefined Rose.

Ingredients here.

DM, 3.49 €

NIVEA Pearl & Beauty Anti-Perspirant

My old faithful. My last bottle was sent to me by Nivea when they saw I couldn't find it in Interspar (such a kind gesture), but now I got mine in DM. I love this deodorant because it actually works for a spray deodorant as it has powder particles in it, but it's not super white, though I still need to be careful with black clothes. It also smells fantastic, soft and so lady-like. 

DM, 2.89 €

OMBIA COSMETICS Express Nagellackentferner

Express nail polish remover

This reminds me a lot of the Ebeline version, meaning it's a basic nail polish remover in a pot, except that the foam inside hasn't got a round hole, but it's just cut in a form of a cross. It removes nail polish well enough, though not as easily as for example the Bourjois' one and it doesn't leave the fingers greasy, however, just like Ebeline's one, this means that it can dry out your nails and skin. The foam is harsher and feels of a lesser quality than both Ebeline's and Bourjois'. It has a sweet scent, possibly of almonds. I like it for the price, but it's nothing special.

Hofer, about 1.8 €

ESSENCE Arriba! TE Hair Chalk

02 Macarena Mint

I dreamt of having this ever since Ana from Beautysaur showed how well this works on her dark hair. It's a very silly thing to purchase, but you know it's also very fun. There were two versions, a pink and a green/teal one, and I grabbed the last one on the stand. This has an amazing colour payoff, especially if you use it on slightly damp hair or like I did it, over a sticky hair spray. With the sticky hair spray base, it lasted all day without fading and it didn't rub off on anything. I'm pleasantly surprised by this and I kind of a want my whole head in this colour. This was a LE, so it's quite possibly gone from most places, but Essence has four colours of hair chalk in their permanent line, though they are in the process of being discontinued. They have a colour just like it, so if you want it, you need to hurry. 

 Müller, 4.39 €

ESSENCE #secret party TE Drink Markers

01 Don't Drink and Dive

This is another silly purchase, but we always end up fighting whose glass was which, so this was a purchase to end all glass related disputes. I'll also put one in my bag as it should certainly come in handy. I don't know where you can get anything similar other than on eBay (I want the moustache ones)

Müller, 2.19 €

ESSENCE Nauti Girl Nail Stickers

01 Hey Sailor

I really liked the Nauty Girl collection. You might have noticed that I largely ignore TE's and LE's (I just genuinely dislike the idea of limited items), but this summer Essence did an excellent job. The sailor inspired nail stickers are super cute and will surely pair them up with a navy blue nail polish. Similar designs here.

ESSENCE Nauti Girl Cosmetic Bag

01 Anchors Aweigh

My cousin got this for me, so thank you. It a nice medium size bag with a zipper that is very basic, but I'll surely replace my mint green one with this one in these summer months. Such a cute design, right?

LANCOME O d´Azur edt

Sample

I am a very shallow person, I'm sure you've noticed by now, so I actually got this sample purely because I love the bottle of the full size parfume. Yeah, so you've learned something about my priorities, but I just love perfume bottles as decoration (this was the main reason I got Katy Perry's Royal Revolution). Anyway it's a nice summery fragrance that smells high-end and I like it, but I'm not completely I-must-have-it-right-now in love with it. It's fresh, floral, aquatic and a bit sharp from the pepper. This a scent I image someone wearing in the office, but the staying power is weak.

Notes on Fragrantica.

Salma, 0.77 €

LOLITA LEMPICKA Elle L'aime edp

Sample

This has been on my radar for quite a while because I loved the notes according to Fragrantica, then I forgot about it, later Živa wrote about it and rekindled my interest. I couldn't find it in our drugstores (not surprised), but they do have it on Salma and they have samples (yay!). Živa was spot on with her description, it is reminiscent of the über popular Bronze Goddess, but with a slight citrus twist. It's beachy, coconuty with neroli and jasmine plus some lime that keeps it from being too cloying. I'm a huge, huge fan, however, staying power is very weak. 

 Salma, 0.73 €

RIHANNA Nude edp 

Sample

I tried this in Müller once and I liked it, but I wanted a proper sample before deciding if it's the scent for me. It's tropical and sweet, but not in an Escada way, instead it's a deeper scent. I can definitely smell guava, which I normally don't like in fragrances, but I guess that combination with a pear note makes is more likeable to me. I swear I can smell vanilla in it, but there is none, so I guess the combination of other notes makes it so sweet and gourmand like. I'm not sold by it or maybe it just doesn't appeal to me in this heat as it's not exactly light. It's lovely, but I won't be buying a full size, I think.  

Notes on Fragrantica.

Salma, 0.63 €

DOLCE & GABBANA The One Desire edp

Sample

I got this as a gift with purchase on Salma. I'm not impressed by the original The One and this one isn't my favourite either. It's sweet with predominant notes of caramel and vanilla, but that lychee note from the start is so odd, almost like it's too sour or even rotten. It later disappears, but I don't like how this is working with my chemistry. In general it's a very generic and forgettable scent to me.

Notes on Fragrantica.

*PA DOLLY LOVE False Eyelashes HS-37
Born Pretty Store offered me to try some more of their false lashes after I posted a review of their Pa Dolly Love HS-43. HS-37 are much, much more dramatic as they are not only longer, but also thicker. I chose these because they have more of a rounded design, instead of tapered and I've never tried lashes like that, so I want to see what effect these have on my eyes. These again come in a box of ten and are on clear a string.
Born Pretty, 3.99 $ (my discount code for 10 % off is MKOH10).

Have a great day!