Unboxing: My Beauty Box (December)

No, I didn't make a mistake in the title, even though December is gone, but I got this a couple of days before Christmas, so have an excuse why I'm showing you last month's box only now. My Beauty Box Slovenia surprised me with a Christmas gift, which is very kind of them (actually my only Christmas gift last year, apart from the Milani blush) and they even customized it a bit, so it would be more to my taste and now I have an opportunity to show you a product from a brand that is joining their selection soon. I already talked about the whole box system in Slovene in my previous post about them, but it's the same deal again, you pay a monthly subscription and you receive a combination of five samples and full sizes each month. The price of the December box was 15 € plus shipping.

I felt the previous box was missing that little bit extra and I think I got it in this one. Mine included three full size products: Weleda Buckhorn hand cream, Rimmel Moisture Renew Lipstick and Essie's nail polish, along with a sample/votive size Yankee Candle and a sample of Ginvera BB cream. Included was also a chocolate Lint Santa, which didn't survive long after I took the pictures. I was completely overjoyed about the nail polish because it's exactly what I've been looking for, but more about it in individual reviews. The box is the same as the first one, so a nice quality violet box that you'll want to keep for organizing your collection or anything else.

ESSIE Nail Polish 

Summit of Style

I already included this nail polish in my favourite products of 2015. You may find me rash for including it in my selection, but it truly was love at first sight and I've worn it for Christmas over a navy nail polish (picture below). Summit of Style is a part of the Luxeffects line and it's a bronze shimmer that is a mix of small glitter particles and larger hexagons. It's more of a top coat with medium dense shimmer, however, you can built it up, though making a perfect fully opaque layer is time consuming as well as difficult because you end up with too much of that clear base. It can be done, but some bald patches are bound to happen. The effect of it is stunning, it's way better in real life than in my pictures, so go check Pinterest for manicures with it for a better idea of how it looks. Of course, it is the type of nail polish that is excruciatingly hard to remove, as those hexagons stick to the nails like glue even if you use one of those pot removers, but I think it's worth.

Left picture: One or maybe two coats of  summit of Style on my middle finger and trying to get full opacity on my ring finger. The base nail polish is Deborah Gel Effect 01. On the right is my glitter ombre Christmas manicure with Misslyn Nail Polish 610 Night Club as a base. The original picture is twice the size, so just click on it if you want to see it closer.

RIMMEL Moisture Renew Lipstick

330 Sloane's Plum

I was told I'm the only one who got this lipstick, so I had the chance to test it before they official add the brand to their website. Rimmel is a lovely drugstore brand that someone appears to be hell-bent on it not to be sold in Slovenia (any more. We used to have it over 15 year ago), but My Beauty Box is bringing it on our market. I've decided to a separate review about this lipstick, which you can find in my next post, but just a quick recap: Sloane's Plum is a vampy plum shade with a very moisturising formula and good pigmentation.

GINVERA Green Tea Nude Cover BB Cream

I already received this BB in my previous box and I said I liked it, though the shade is quite dark. I'll save it for the summer, when I'll start self-tanning again. I just copied the review from my previous post:

I remember a British blogger raving about this, about how it's her HG base, but I don't know who it was. The box contains an 8 g sample, which is a decent size, however, the tube is not full - still it lasts quite a few applications. It comes in only one shade, which is just lazy, how could you possibly expect that it will fit everyone? It's quite a dark shade from my perspective. It's darker than my darkest foundation Catrice's Nude Illusion in 010, but at least it's a neutral shade and it didn't end up looking too off on me also because of the coverage. The latter is light, with additional layers it can be built up to light-medium, but you'll definitely need concealer for under the eyes, redness and spots. The texture is very light, it blends beautifully and sets fast, in fact it reminds me of a less greasy version of Missha's Signature BB Cream. It looks very natural on the skin, it just sort of melts into the skin and it has that Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum effect, where it's not obvious you're wearing anything. I really like how it looks on the skin, only it sometimes looks a bit weird on my pores, but I think this has to do with my skin condition and not this BB. It has a strong, but pleasant scent of green tea.

WELEDA Sanddorn Handcreme

Sea Buckthorn Hand Cream

I was never a fan of hand creams because I hate that greasy feeling and I so rarely use them. I expected this is be such a greasy, heavy cream because natural brands like Weleda tend to have such products, but even though it is a thick, intensely moisturising cream, this magically just sinks in under a minute. I don't think I've ever tried anything like it. I'm able to be behind the keyboard again in less than a minute. It leaves a sort of a film on the hands, but not a greasy one, rather almost powdery. It sound strange, I know, but it's nice. The second thing I was concerned about was the scent, since I really dislike the "natural/organic/bio stuff" as they mostly smell herbal or just strange, but this one surprised me with a pleasant scent of oranges, though there is that familiar herbal note in the background. The packaging is a metal tube. Uncommon words for me, but I quite like it, despite the fact it's a hand cream and a natural one. 

YANKEE CANDLE Red Apple Wreath

I already burned this for New Year's Eve. It had the most typical Christmas scent of apples with cinnamon, but mixed in was also a strong bubble-gum note. It filled the room(s) nicely and people kept asking what the lovely smell was. 

Stran My Beauty Box in Instagram My Beauty Box Slovenije. 

So what do you think about this box? Have a great day!

*Box was sent to me.

Best Products in 2015 Part 2

Best makeup products in 2015 and best buys under 5 € got their own posts and now for the rest of the stuff I got in this year that impressed me. If you'd like to read last year's such post, you can find it here.

DEBORAH Smalto Gel Effect

01 Pink Pulse

This is one of the best nude nail polishes ever, certainly as far as the formula is concerned. It's such a pretty nude shade with a cool undertone that makes my hands looks so polished. The formula is one of those new "imitating gel manicure" ones, a discovery of the year to me (pastels got like a million times better), which is so smooth and easy to apply, so there are no streaks even though it's an opaque cream finish nude and it also has a great glossy finish. It's no wonder everyone keeps stealing this one from me.

L'OREAL Les Blancs Nail Polish

858 Ocean Porcelaine

I love my mints that much is true, but this year I wanted to find the perfect light blue nail polish and after some exploring online, I found the one - L'Oreal's Ocean Porcelain. It's so gorgeous, just the right kind of pale blue as it has a white base so it ends up looking almost a bit grey. The formula isn't a typical pastel one because it's much thinner and it needs three coats for full opacity. The bottle only contains 5 ml, so it's not the best value and it's running out fast, but I love the shade so much.

ESSIE Nail Polish

Bahama Mama

Essies tend to land in these type of posts almost every year and it's not just because of the shades, but also because they have some great formulas (except Mint Candy Apple and Fiji. Those are nightmares coming to life). For years I admired Bahama Mama, it's definitely my type of shade, but I wondered if it will look the same on my nails than on Pinterest images and I only took the plunge after I had a 50 % off coupon. It is perfect, just as I imagined it, that perfect mix of warm purple and deep red and it looks so beautiful on the nails. It's my favourite shade out of all Essies.

ESSIE Nail Polish

Summit of Style

This is a very recent addition of mine, you would have only seen it on my Instagram if you follow me there, but I had to include it because this is what I wanted to find for years. I didn't know this nail polish even existed, but it's a part of luxeffects line (I think it's permanent, though I'm not sure) and I haven't seen it in our drugstores, but it was in a beauty box (My Beauty Box Slovenia) and it was love at first sight. It's a glitter nail polish with bronze small glitter particles and large hexagons. It's more of a top coat with medium dense shimmer, which you can built up. Of course, it is the type of nail polish that is excruciatingly hard to remove, but it's worth it.

How it looks on the nails here.

YUMMY Rhubarb and Orange Shower Gel

When it comes to shower gels, I'm a simple girl. The only thing that matters to me is that it smells nice. Yummy shower gels are nothing special when it comes to the formula (like Balea ones), but I adore the scent of this one. It's so refreshing, like a nice glass of tropical fizzy soda. Everyone I asked said it smells like Radenska Ace Tropik (one of those orange multivitamin drinks), so basically it's something like Escada summer edition fragrances.

L'OCCITANE Immortelle Oil Make-up Cleanser

I tried a few cleansers this year, but this one has the best effect on my skin and so far it's my favourite oil cleanser. It's the only one that didn't cause me problems after a longer use, in fact, it keeps my skin in a very decent condition plus it removes my heavy-duty waterproof mascara aside from all the rest of the makeup. I'm not a fan of how foggy it makes my vision, though that is a given at all oil cleansers and it's very expensive, but it's in my top three cleansers so far. I'll try their Shea Butter one next because it's cheaper that this one and I hope it works the same.

CREATEURS DE MONOI Face Cream

This has been my moisturiser for several months now. It's nothing special, just a basic face cream with a medium thick texture and a lovely Yves-Rocher-like scent, but it agrees with my skin and doesn't cause me any problems. It's a good moisturiser to use under foundation as well.

L'OREAL Elvive Extraordinary Oil Oil-in-Cream

This leave-in conditioner is quite unique in terms of texture because it actually feels like a hair oil in a cream form and coconut oil is on the second place among the ingredient, which is completely unexpected for a brand like L'Oreal. This fixes my dry ends without the high silicone content (though there are silicones in it) and without making my hair greasy or limp. It can be used on either dry or wet hair, which is just awesome, plus it smells lovely. I wish this was sold here, but so far I can only get this version on Boots, however, they have the version for normal hair already on Salma. The shampoo from this line is also amazing.

LE PETITE MARSEILLIAIS Huile Elixir Karité & Argan

This may just be one the best pre-wash treatments for super dry hair I've ever tried. It's a combination of soy oil, argan oil and shea butter oil, so it's super greasy and heavy, which is what makes it brilliant. I use this every time my hair feels really dry and I apply it generously all over. How long I leave it on depends on how much time I have, it can be just 10-15 minutes, but I get best result if I leave it overnight. This completely transforms my hair back into a normal state and it feels so nourished. So far I've only seen it in Leclerc, which is a bummer, but at least it lasts a while.

By the way, coconut oil works just fine before you go on a frantic chase to find this and you don't have a Leclerk around.

TANGLE TEEZER Compact Styler

Black & Gold

To be fair all such hair brushes are just fine, whether you get the original Tangle Teezer or a cheap knock-off for 5 €. They all do the same job, but the reason I like this one is because it's smaller than most. This won't matter to a majority of you, but if you have small hands like me, it's a big plus. The plastic cover is brilliant and it makes it actually travel friendly plus the gold/black design is very expensive looking. I also feel like it's better made than most such brushes I tried, so I know I'll have it forever considering how careful I'm with all my stuff. The prices for this brush really vary, so don't be one of those who buys it for 20 € because you can get it much cheaper.

SAPPHIRE 8 in 1 Complete Curling Wand

This is a very, very expensive curling iron, but I'm a big fan of it and use it all the time. The set includes eight barrels, so it's a very versatile hair tool. I used Remington's Pro Soft Curls for years, but now I prefer this one, even though I get same results if I use 2.5 cm barrel. Remington's is great if you're looking for something on a budget, but since I have both, it's the little things that make me use Sapphire. It doesn't have the annoying clamp, it's lighter, it heats up way faster, you can see it heating up, and of course there are eight different barrels to choose from, so it offers a ton of variety, though I tend to mostly use the 2.5 mm one. 

AQUALINA Pink Sugar

I found this impossibly boring when I first got a sample of it and I chucked it in my purse where I keep emergency samples next to the coins. Then on some random day, which seems ages ago and just reminds me how bloody long this stupid year was, I was sitting in the office getting ready to go grab a bite and me being me, I can't go out without a fragrance "like a total savage", so I dug out my emergency stash and drenched myself with this. I was immediately transported into this fantasy candy land with candy canes, cotton candy and rivers of vanilla essence. This fragrance is seriously so impossibly sweet, but dammit I adore it. I don't know what made this shift, maybe I changed so much, but I got home and ordered this straight away. Unsurprisingly given the notes, it's a proper silage monster and lasts very long on the skin. If you want to smell like a candy store, this is for you.

HUGO BOSS Ma Vie

I used up a considerable chunk on my perfume stash this year. I set myself I goal before I purchased a new fragrance and I've done it. I was dreaming about this fragrance ever since it launched and I'm so chuffed I finally got it. It's such a beautiful, fresh and floral simple scent that just makes you smell nice and elegant. Boss fragrances aren't the most exciting scents, but I love most of them. I also love the bottle and I keep it displayed on my vanity.

BEST COLLECTIONS

KIKO Rebel Romantic 

(August  2015 with some bits still available)

I think this is the best limited edition collection in history made by a drugstore-priced brand. They really nailed it with the rose gold and the packaging feels seriously high end, especially the lipsticks. The latter are absolutely amazing in every respect and are the best creamy lipsticks I've ever tried. Kiko should really think about making at least the lipsticks and the mirror permanent.

ESSENCE Merry Berry 

(November - December 2015)

Hands down the best collection Essence ever made. It is truly outstanding and people went crazy for it, me included. I got two nail polishes, two lipsticks and a hair fragrance, but there was plenty more. The colour scheme was beautiful, though incorrect on the press release, especially as far as the Red Rocks shades was concerned since it's not at all a red, but a Mac's All Fired Up like magenta, which just made it even more awesome. However, for me the real winner was the 03 pink & perfect nail polish, which is one of my favourite shades ever. The bottles of the nails polishes are outstandingly beautiful and I wish Essence changed their packaging of The Gel Nail Polishes to these. The lipsticks were actually quite nice quality, much better than the regular ones. More of this and less of the average performing products please Essence.

CATRICE Lumination 

(July - August 2015)

I'm the person who just walks past limited editions, but this one made me pause. I only have the blush from this collection and it's a complete stunner. I often speak of Illuminating blush in I'm Nuts About You, my favourite blush, which isn't actually illuminating at all, but this one called Flushed-Fiction is about the same shade, yet actually glowy. How I wish they would make permanent! The collection also included some pretty highlighters, a bronzer and a few lipsticks, all in some very attractive shades.  

And that concludes my favourites of year 2015. You can find all such posts under the best buys label or at the end of the All-Time Favourites page.
What were the stand-out products for you this year?

Have a great day!

Unboxing: My Beauty Box

Slovenia got a new beauty box service, called My Beauty Box. I wanted to write the next part about the box in general in English because I don't like writing in Slovene, but that'd be rather pointless considering international readers can't get our box, however, the reviews of products are a different story, so scroll down over my incoherent babbling in Slovene to see what I think of the products. 

V Slovenijo je prišla nova lepotna škatla imenovana My Beauty Box. Kolikor vem, smo blogerke šele poskusni zajčki, trgovino pa bodo odprli kmalu in verjetno tudi takrat oznanili končno ceno, ampak naj bi bila okrog 14,90€ (po informacijah Sare iz Passing Fancy). Stran imajo že postavljeno, ampak za zdaj te tam čaka samo njihov kontakt, da jih lahko vprašaš kaj te zanima. Imajo tudi že Instagram in Facebook. 

Te škatle presenečenja, ki so dejansko samo kozmetična nadgradnja vrečk, ki smo jih kupovali kot otroci, me pravzaprav niso nikoli pritegnile, saj plačevati toliko za testerje, od katerih ti bo všeč morda eden ali dva ni po mojem okusu, ampak par let nazaj je bila prava norija za temi škatlami in mislim, da jih je večina zelo vesela. Sprejela sem eno škatlo za preizkušnjo, da vsaj enkrat v življenju vidim kako to izgleda in moram priznati, da tako lepe škatle kar nisem pričakovala. Kar se tiče embalaže jim dam 10 točk, saj je škatla tako lepa in kvalitetna, da jo bom zagotovo porabila za druge stvari. Ko škatlo odpreš te pričaka prikupna pentljica in lep papir z motivi ličil - to so mali detajli, ki res naredijo vtis. V škatli je bilo pet izdelkov: 

• Essijev lak v odtenku Merino Cool, 

• tester Ginvera Green Tea Nude Cover BB kreme (8g), 

• tester vrečica Macadamia Natural oil Deep Repair maske (15 ml), 

• Tattify začasni tatuji in 

• Tepigs čaj z okusom limone in ingverja. 

Če gledamo cene Essie stane 9,90 € (cena v DM-ih, ampak tega odtenka v novomeškem DM-u ni), 40 ml Ginvera BB kreme stane £24,95 (po mojem hitrem zanič izračunu je v testerju za približno 7 € izdelka), 30 ml tester vrečkica Macadamia Deep Repair maske stane 4,20 € (Beauty Bay), torej je ta vredna 2,10 €, Tattify Tattoja sta 5 $ in Teapigs čaji (2 vrečke) so £1,30. Vsebino zagotovo ne preplačaš, koliko vas je pa navdušila je pa čisto subjektivna zadeva. Sama sem mnenja, da so na dobri poti, sploh laka sem zelo vesela, ampak bi si želela samo kozmetične izdelke, sicer pa kot pravim, vsake oči imajo svojega malarja.

ESSIE Nail Lacquer

Merino Cool

Undoubtedly the most exciting product in the box. I immediately loved the colour as it's a proper autumnal shade and I already included it in my Autumn Picks. Merino Cool it's a mix of purple with grey and it's very likely that they decided to include it to match the box, which was pretty cool of them. The formula is an average one, it needs two coats, sometimes three coats for full opacity and it's fuss free to apply. I know many people find Essie's are just not worth it, but I really like them.

GINVERA Green Tea Nude Cover BB Cream

I remember a British blogger raving about this, about how it's her HG base, but I don't know who it was. The box contains an 8 g sample, which is a decent size, however, the tube is not full - still it lasts quite a few applications. It comes in only one shade, which is just lazy, how could you possibly expect that it will fit everyone? It's quite a dark shade from my perspective. It's darker than my darkest foundation Catrice's Nude Illusion in 010, but at least it's a neutral shade and it didn't end up looking too off on me also because of the coverage. The latter is light, with additional layers it can be built up to light-medium, but you'll definitely need concealer for under the eyes, redness and spots. The texture is very light, it blends beautifully and sets fast, in fact it reminds me of a less greasy version of Missha's Signature BB Cream. It looks very natural on the skin, it just sort of melts into the skin and it has that Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum effect, where it's not obvious you're wearing anything. I really like how it looks on the skin, only it sometimes looks a bit weird on my pores, but I think this has to do with my skin condition and not this BB. It has a strong, but pleasant scent of green tea.

It's nice, albeit expensive, but the texture of it is really lovely. If only they were sensible enough to create more shades, they might even get me as a customer.

TATTIFY Temporary Tattoos

The tattoo craze passed me by completely. In fact, I'm one of those grumpy people that does not like looking like a human doodle, but I digress. There are temporary tattoos, not unlike those we had as kids. I'll be brutally honest here, I'd probably get a better quality tattoo in one of the kids chewing gums than this. My picture doesn't lie, but the result I got bummed me out. It didn't transfer well and I followed the instructions to the letter, plus it was essentially falling apart after an hour. I didn't try the other one, to see if the one I tried was faulty, but might update you if that one is better. The design is pretty, though.

MACADAMIA Deep Repair Masque

 

I've already got a review of this where you can read how unimpressed I was by this. It's incredibly popular and people rave about it, but it just doesn't work on my hair. Having said that, my mom loves it for some reason and I keep buying her pots of this. It's a thick hair treatment that I expected would be super nourishing, but it made my hair very frizzy that's why I didn't like it. But again, I hear it works for a majority of people judging from the rating on MUA. 

TEAPIGS Lazy Days Tea

Lemon and Ginger

They just had to include tea *sighs* Yes, I sound spoiled and I'm aware many people would be very happy to get it in their box, but I'm not one of them. I want beauty products in my box - what a shocking revelation. It's a British brand that uses whole leaf only and their tea bags are one of those pyramid ones. I didn't drink it, I doubt I ever will as I mostly drink only home-grown camomile tea, but it smells like lemon. Sara says these are supposedly really good and she's really into teas, so listen to her not silly little me.

So what do you think about the box? Have a great day!

Autumn Picks #2

THEBALM Nude'tude Eyeshadow Palette

Although it looks like a standard neutral eyeshadow palette, it does have a very autumnal vibe and the real stand out shade here is the deep burgundy called Sexy. I've never really worn red on my eyes, but this one just works without making you look like someone punched you in the face. Nude'Tude is a fantastic palette that really impressed me with its quality and it's just as good as Urban decay ones, except it's quite a lot cheaper. The eyeshadows are very smooth, pigmented and blend so well that it's truly a joy using it. 

CATRICE Absolute Nude Eyeshadow Palette

010 All Nude

I wanted to include a budget neutral palette, granted the Chocolate version one would fit here better, however, the quality of that one just isn't on pair with the rest, so I picked the original Absolute Nude because it has a basic arrange of shades for a nice bronzy-brown smoky eye that will fit nicely into autumn. These are still my favourite budget palettes, the eyeshadows are nicely pigmented, they blend ok and lasts decently on the lids.

MAX FACTOR Excess Shimmer 

25 Bronze

 I love the shade of this. It's such a beautiful warm almost coppery bronze brown that is quite dark and fits perfectly into autumn. However, it's not the best quality cream eyeshadow because it creases a lot and it's better use is as a base. The texture is so soft, almost like a cross between a mousse and liquid eyeshadow, plus it's very pigmented, so I only need to touch the surface very lightly or I end up with too much product.

KIKO Long Lasting Stick Eyeshadow

06 Golden Brown and 38 Golden Taupe

I adore these. They are seriously the best cream eyeshadows I found. These have an excellent pigmentation, they apply so smoothly with zero tugging on the lids, blend nicely and once they set, they don't budge. Golden Brown is a bronze shade that is very similar to Maybelline's On and on Bronze, but it's a bit darker and cooler and 38 Golden Taupe is a .neutral-warm taupe shade, which is in the same colour family as Satin Taupe, but it has quite a chunky green-gold shimmer in it. 

CATRICE Illuminating Blush 

010 I'm Nuts About You

I rave about this blush all the time. They changed the pattern since I got mine, but I think it's still the same shade. There's something about this natural shade that just compliments my pale neutral skintone so well, it's just a perfect every day, goes-with-everything blush. It's an interesting shade that kind of looks like someone mixed a red-toned bronzer with a warm pink blush.

CATRICE Prime and Fine Professional Contouring Palette 

010 Ashy Radiance

I always feel that brave dark shades like burgundies need a bit of contouring. This one fits us pale girls well as the contour powder is taupe brown, so it manages to fake a shadow well and it's pigmented enough to show up on my cheeks. The highlighter is subtle though, but in a nice champagne shade for a neutral skintone like mine.

MAX FACTOR Creme Puff Blush 

20 Lavish Mauve

Out all Creme Puffs available here Lavish Mauve is the least shimmery and coolest. It's a coo pink-mauve-violet shade with tiny duo chrome violet-gold shimmer, which I can't see on the cheeks. The texture is soft, decently pigmented and on my cheeks it has more of a satin finish. 

KIKO Rebel Romantic LE Rebel Bouncy Blush

03 Treasure Rose

Tresure Rose is the darkest and most pigmented in my selection, it's also the only cream blush. It's a rose-retro red mix that translates into a pink-red flush on the cheeks and the texture reminds me of play-doh, which means it's quite dry to the touch. 

ESSENCE Longlasting Lipliner

05 Lovely Frappuccino

I've heard whispers that this is a dupe for Soar, but I don't have it to compare, it is nonetheless such a beautiful 90's inspired shade. The formula is creamy enough to be used as a replacement for a lipstick and it's cheap as chips. You can't go wrong with this one.

BOURJOIS Rouge Edition Velvet 

07 Nude-ist

This is my ultimate favourite everyday goes-with-every-thing and appropriate for every occasion lip colour. It's a beautiful muted rose-pink shade that is actually exactly the natural tone of my lips, but a shade or two darker, making it look quite natural on my lips, however, it still stands out. The staying power and the matte formula are winners as well.

KIKO Rebel Romantic LE Intensely Lavish Lipstick

01 Lusty Peony

01 Lusty Peony is a dark nude type of shade that's easy to wear and would suit many people. But what's even more important is that the formula is just fantastic. It's so creamy and comfortable to wear. I really hope that Kiko decides to make these permanent. The packaging is divine as well, the rose gold tube really is a looker. Love this.

KIKO Velvet Mat Lipstick 

612 Strawberry Pink

Strawberry Pink is a warm medium natural pink-rose-brown shade that is several shades darker than my lips as well as a bit warmer, but it might be a nice MLBB shade for medium skin tones The finish is creamy-satin and it's the type of lipsticks that at time can feel drying, though at first it's very comfortable to wear. 

L'OREAL Color Riché Pure Reds Collection Exclusive 

Laetitia

Well, of course this is going to be here, it's the best burgundy shade I found with a fantastic matte formula. It's a deep red with no brown undertones and very little purple undertones which I appreciate a lot. I adore this colour on me, it's just so striking. The texture is pleasantly creamy and more waxy or perhaps silicone-y than most lipsticks I tried, but it glides on the lips like a dream and isn't drying at all despite the semi-matte finish.

MAYBELLINE Color Drama Lipstick 

Berry Much 

Aside from Laetitia the other vampy shade. It's much more purple though. It's a deep purple with a bit of burgundy on my lips and it's super pigmented, creamy, applies without dragging - truly the formula is lovely. The lasting power impressed me as well and it wears off into this nice even stain.  

ESSIE Bahama Mama

A gorgeous deep berry purple that is a perfect mix between purple and pink-rose. The formula is great as at most Essie, meaning it's really smooth as well as easy to apply evenly and it's fully opaque with two coats. It's on my nails at the moment.

ESSIE Sole Mate

This is without a doubt one of my favourite shades ever in my entire nail polish stash. I love such dark vampy colours especially in colder months. Sole Mate is a beautiful plum-bordeaux shade (supposedly a dupe for Chanel's Rouge Noire) with an amazing quality formula and that fabulous Essie brush. 

BOURJOIS La Laque 

7 Lycheers

A retro rose shade or a dirty medium pink that fits perfectly into autumn. I hear Essence Love my Diary is a pretty close dupe for it and it's a third of the price. Both are gel inspired formulas.

MISSLYN Nail Polish

610 Night Club

A beautiful navy blue with blue frost. It's one of those shades that is almost black, but the reflect shows it's true nature. The formula is a bit on the dry side, so it's not the easiest to apply.

MODELS OWN HyperGel Gel Effect Polish 

Midsummer Mauve

This is that one fantastic transition shade that can easily be worn from autumn though winter into spring because it's such a nice mix of styles. It's a mix of autumn-winter murky taupe and spring pastel lilac shade, so it looks very modern on the nails. Plus this formula has a very shiny finish.

ESSIE Nail Lacquer

Merino Cool 

A mix of violet and grey. It's in the same colour family as Midsummer Mauve, but darker and less grey. The formula is classic requiring two-three coats for full opacity.

BATISTE Dry Shampoo

Wild

The scent of this version is mighty powerful, in fact way too much for a majority of the year, but as soon as temperatures drop, you'll appreciate it more. I'd describe the scent as chocolate-vanilla-musk-woody one in a perfume version, so an oriental type of scent. But otherwise, it's a standard Batiste dry shampoo, which is one of my favourites.

BALEA Bodybutter Nuss

Balea knows what to offer for super dry skin. My legs, elbows and especially soles gets so dry in autumn and winter, so I resort to really heavy-duty stuff. Balea's body butters are thick and intensely moisturising, so it's better to apply them before going to bed. This version smells exactly like Monte (the dessert) so it's an intense chocolate hazelnut scent. If you like foody scents, this is definitely for you.

L'OREAL Elvive Extraordinary Oil-in-cream

Combination of central heating and the cold, foggy/rainy weather can make the hair drier - it certainly affects mine. Drugstore conditioners do nothing for me any more and I resort to many leave-in products to fend away dryness. This one is a cream leave-in conditioner or a version of it. It actually has a considerable amount of oil in it, but it doesn't make you hair all limp or greasy and it doesn't leave that silicone felling on the hair. It just helps with the dryness without screwing your hair style and it can be used on both dry and wet hair. It smells like the rest of the Extraordinary line, so a bit like cinnamon. 

YANKEE CANDLE Soft Blanket

It's the season of candles. There aren't many I like and most left me disappointed (though I recently found an amazing one with a peach scent in Eurospin for like a euro), but I adore the scent of this one. Truly it's one of the most amazing scents ever. it's like baby powder and fabric softener, so its soft, warm and cosy.

Have a great day!

Essie Fiji

Similarly to Mint Candy Apple, Fiji has a special status in the beauty community. I have to admit, I never got the hype. I mean it's an off-white pink, so what? But so many people adore it and highly recommend this shade. Actually, I didn't buy this myself, but my cousin got it and found that this colour doesn't suit her complexion, so she asked me if I want it and put it on my blog. Isn't she nice?

Fiji is a very pale milky pink with a creamy finish. That's it, a nude-pink nail polish. I still don't get what all the fuss is about to be honest. It's pretty, but rave worthy? Nah, not really. Apparently this looks great with a tan, but I wouldn't know that since I am very pale.  

The formula is a pastel from hell. There I said it. It's like Mint Candy Apple and Fiji are these evil pretty cousins that make you spend applying nail polish way longer than you planned to. It's a thick formula that is also runny, so when you go to apply it on the nails, it messes up everything around. At least three coats are needed for a decent even finish. The brush is lovely and fits my nails perfectly, but what does that help when the formula is behaving like a little disobedient child.

Ok, I might be thoroughly spoiled by gel formulas, but it's 2015 people. Essie you need to let go of these old school classic pastel formulas. Even Catrice, which is less than a third of the price has better behaving pastels. When I was swatching this for a review, I applied three pastels in a row and this one was a nightmare compared to Catrice's CC nail polish.

So tell me, any one of you a die hard fan of this shade? Do you also find the formula hard to work with?

Fiji, Spin the Bottle (LE), Cute as a Button, Watermelon, Really Red, Bahama Mama, Sole Mate, After School Boy Blazer (LE),  Turquoise & Caicos and Mint Candy Apple.

Essies cost 9.90 € in DM.

Have a great day!