KIKO Rebel Romantic LE Intensely Lavish Lipstick
01 Lusty Peony and 04 Mild Sangria
So I died and went to heaven when I first visited Kiko Milano shop (for real this time) and saw a full Rebel Romantic collection.
Sara from Passing Fancy and
Ana from Beautysaur both talked about it weeks/months ago, so I had little hope I would get anything, but I got everything I wanted *cheers*. Lipsticks were the priority, I planned on getting 01 and 02, but 04 convinced me more in person. The packaging of these is unreal. Not only is it super pretty, but these actually feel like 30 € lipsticks. Heavy rose gold metal tubes with a magnet closing system - Kiko shows us you can make an absolutely fantastic lipstick for 7 €. The formula is outstanding as well, sooo creamy and lovely to apply. Honestly, these are probably the best lipsticks I've tried so far. They have a creamy finish from the start, but they do dry down a bit after a while to a more matte finish. If you get one product from this collection, get the lipstick. I have the shade 01, which is a medium powder pink shade with brown tones (apparently similar to Soar and it does have that 90's vibe on me), and 04 which is a dirty rose-red shade. I'll post swatches in my next post.
Kiko, 6.90 €
KIKO Rebel Romantic LE Rebel Bouncy Blush
03 Treasure Rose
Again I got a shade that I wasn't planning to, 01 was on the top of my list, but this one looked better in person, which is incidentally the same shade that Sara has. The texture is described as something new and unique, but it's the same dry-to-the-touch, play-doh-like texture that
E.l.f. Studio cream blushes have. It looked better in the shop, at home when I tried it on the cheeks I wasn't as impressed. It's very dry and it lacks a touch more slip, so it's a bit hard to blend, especially since I got a dark shade. The colour is a rose-retro red mix that translates into a pink-red flush on the cheeks. It's a colour I don't have yet, so that's a good thing, but I think the formula leaves something to be desired.
Kiko, 9.90 €
KIKO Midnight Siren LE Matte Muse Lipstick
03 Enthrall Pink
And another product I got a different shade that I originally intended too (this trip just proved to me that seeing things in person is everything). I actually liked all the colours, they really made a lovely selection of shades, but I went to the peachy-pink 03 and I'm really liking my choice. I assume that the applicator didn't escape your notice, but look who decided to
copy Essence. There were actually some of my favourite shapes of applicators, however this one isn't as soft as the old Essence's, it's also a bit smaller, but it still works ok. The lipstick is very pigmented and fully opaque, just as almost all such products and it dries to a matte finish after about 15 minutes. These aren't the best matte liquid lipsticks I've tried, but also not bad. It's a bit sticky on the lips and it can feel drying. I like the interesting packaging, but they should work a bit more on the formula.
Kiko, 6.90 €
KIKO Rebel Romantic LE Mirror
Apart from the lipsticks this is my absolute favourite item from RR collection. It's pure luxury for a fiver. The mirror is rose gold and it comes in a pouch, so it's protected from the evil sharp unidentified objects in your bag. It has two mirrors, a classic one and a magnifying one. Such a gorgeous item.
Kiko, 4.90 €
KIKO Long Lasting Stick Eyeshadow
06 Golden Brown
I already have the
shade 38, which made me fall in love with these. They are the most amazing cream eyeshadows I've tried. So smooth, so pigmented, they blend nicely and once they set they don't budge. I swatched them in the shop and didn't have a makeup wipe - they didn't budge a micrometre with a dry tissue. I had to use a remover when I got home. 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. I regret not getting shade 04 as well.
Kiko, 4.90 €
KIKO Nail Lacquer
375 Bois de Rose
I wanted another shade called Pink Sand, but was met with disappointment when I saw how little of the tons of shades they actually had in Palmanova's shop. I got the one I thought was closest, I just wanted a nice greyish powder pink, but this one is already darker and brighter. I still really like it and Kiko's nail polishes are so lovely that I'm sure I'll use it a lot.
Kiko, 1.90 €
MISSLYN Nail Polish
610 Night Club
I've been on quest to find a dupe for the discontinued
Essence's Deep Blue Sea for a while. Barry M's Navy was evading me for far too long, it just wasn't meant to be I guess, but I stumbled upon this shade that someone left away from its usual place, which was a real stroke of luck. I remember checking all the stands for a dupe, but the cheeky buggers hid this one really well (it's right at the back and barely noticeable). It's good dupe for it, a navy blue with blue shimmer, just as my old dried-up favourite. So glad I found this. The formula isn't terribly impressive though, as it's kind of on the dry side.
Müller, 4.99 €
ESSENCE Lipliner
11 In the Nude
I got this because I heard it's a dupe for Velvet Teddy. I don't have the latter, so I can't make a comparison like I did at the
Wish Me a Rose shade, but
Andria did that admirably anyway. They changed the packaging, in case you haven't noticed yet. The silver caps are gone and I strongly suspect they tampered with the formula, just as one of my readers told me. It could just be this shade, but the formula isn't nearly as creamy as the other Essence lipliners I own. Personally, I don't mind, but there might be riots in the beauty community. In the nude is an unexpectedly flattering and lovely warm nude shade that actually doesn't look terrible on me.
Müller, 1.19 €
ESSENCE Eyeshadow Brush
So I go on this rant in my last
Wishlist post about how I need to buy more quality brushes and the next week I buy another cheap Essence one. I have no words for myself. Anyway, this one looked interesting to me because it looks similar to MAC 239 and I only have one such decent brush, which is not enough. The cute shade of peach also appealed to me, but i really just wanted to see if it's any good. It's a bit stiff, but picks up colour well and does its job. It's not the best though.
Müller, 1.39 €
MA PROVENCE Anti-Dandruff Shampoo
I've been largely avoiding buying this shampoo because of the price. 8 € for something I might not even like you isn't what I'm willing to pay that easily. Thankfully I spotted it in E. Leclerc for 2 € cheaper than in other places and it sounded much more reasonable.
Monika from the Sugarlove blog recommended this to me, saying it helped her with the dandruff issue and I'm always trying to find the miracle product that'll finally do what it promises.
This. Is. So. Weird.
I've never tried any Lush solid shampoos, but I'm guessing this is the same. It's so strange massaging a bar of soap on your hair, it truly is an experience (my code for: I'm not feeling it, man). It lathers well enough, I wish for more and it's not so easy to spread the product all over the hair. It's the damn hole in the middle that just makes it even harder to use. This says that you don't need a conditioner after, a claim to which I laughed for 15 minutes, those people clearly haven't met my hair. My hair does feel stripped after washing and it's very hard to comb though compared to when I use other shampoos. Dandruff-wise, I don't notice any improvement so far, if anything my scalp might even feel a bit itchier, which is just fab, but we'll see how it goes. You get this stick-on handle thing to keep on the soap on and it's crap because doesn't even stick to the surface. The positive sting is that it looks like the bar will last a while as you use up a small amount at a single wash.
I know Monika will feel bad now and will wish to apologize profusely - don't. Seriously. It's my scalp that's being a douche. Listen to her experience with the product, not mine. I'm super bitchy about hair products.
E.Leclerc, 5.99 €
BALEA Dusche & Creme
Hibiscus & Nectarine
I haven't quite got over the fact that Balea decided to discontinue their Coconut & Nectarine version, but I had high hopes that they'll make something similar. They went with the hibiscus and nectarine combo, an interesting choice, but when I smelled it in the shop, it did not resemble the old nectarine scent at all. I still grabbed one anyway because I wanted to see if that scent perhaps develops in the shower. It does not. It's a very different scent that is a lot more floral and not as fruity. It's mostly hibiscus at this scent and it also reminds me of their summer limited editions, mango maybe. It's ok, but not repurchase worthy.
DM, 0.79 €
BALEA Pflegecreme Best Wishes
Violet & Freesia scent, Orange & Grapefruit scent
I have quite a few of these because I really love them as hand creams. The texture is light for a universal cream, but very moisturizing and it sinks in super-fast, so no greasy hands touching the keyboard. These do go bad if you don't use them up in about 8 months. Best Wishes are a limited edition created to celebrate 20 years of Balea. Violet & Freesia has a similar scent to Golden Twenties one, but warmer and it reminds me a bit of a less intense version of La Vie est Belle from Lancome. The Orange & Grapefruit one smells really authentically of oranges, but at times it has a strange note to it. I really like these two editions and the packaging is divine.
DM, 1.09 €
BALEA Rasiergel
Pink Grapefruit
I had this version on my wishlist for months, but I could never find it. Balea has the best shaving gels for the price, that's the obviously part, so let's concentrate on the scent. I love it. It's citrusy, but a bit bitter - it's grapefruit, there is no better description. I think I may even love it more than the previous mango version.
DM, 1.99 €
BALEA Badesaltz
Kokos & Cassis
When it comes to coconut and peaches, no Balea's product can evade me and the only thing sure in this world is that it'll eventual tumble into my shopping basket. These new bath salts have a handy sniff sticker in the back, so you can check how it smells. This one has a mostly a clean coconut scent, I can't really make out cassis. I haven't used it in a bath yet, I just checked the colour of the salt - it's crystal lavender colour. I'll let you know how it turns out.
ESSENCE Happy Girls are Pretty TE Sheer Lip Balm
01 pretty you
You already have a full review of this
here. It's an unexpected surprise by Essence. I don't buy their limited editions because what's the point of buying something you can't get any more when it runs out, but in the spirit of expanding my autumnal lip colour collection, I got this rosy-brown shade (mostly because
Sanja made me). It's surprisingly lipstick-y for a "sheer lip balm" (someone get Essence a beauty dictionary stat) and it's actually more pigmented than a lot of their lipsticks, but it still has that comfortable and moisturizing feel of a lip balm. Nice product if you can still get this.
DM, 2.49 €
ESSENCE Happy Girls are Pretty TE Multi Colour Blush
01 you Sweeten my day
Oh, the disappointment. It's not terrible, but after trying their
matte blushes in the regular line, I expected they finally got a hang of creating nice blushes. Clearly I was wrong. I like the colour of this, but the pigmentation is extremely weak. Well, at least it looks pretty. Review with swatches
here.
DM, 3.29 €
You'll laugh at me, but I got a back-up even though there is no heart-stopping news of this being discontinued. But this is Essence we're talking about. They make you fall in love with the product and crush your dreams every autumn and spring (I will never get over the Stay Matte lip creams. Never!). I use this every day in my waterline and it creates that awake, big eyes effect. It's super soft and pigmented, it transfers to the waterline instantly and even sticks in it quite well. The slight pinky hue of it is just perfect for me. I love this. A yellow toned version exist as well.
Műller, 2.19 €
YANKEE CANDLE Soft Blanket
So I may have been going to Müller to check this candle embarrassingly often, yet I could never justify buying the big or medium candle because of the tear-inducing prices. But last week I confidently walked to the scented candles section and just grabbed myself a medium. Ok, there might have been a fair share of dawdling before, but the point is I finally have it. This is one of my favourite scents ever. I can't really describe it well, but it's like baby powder and fabric softener. It's soft, warm and cosy, it invites images of a warm home and snuggling under a freshly washed blanket. But it is a candle that doesn't give much of a scent when actually burning, their other scents as much more potent. Still, I shall treasure it.
20.99 €
YANKEE CANDLE Turquoise Sky
This was a new scent on the shelves of our Müller. It actually smells exactly the same as
Sunshine fragrance from The Library of Fragrance (Demetre Frangrance). It's a very clean scent, like fresh laundry, but also a bit warm. The scent is so powerful. Even wrapped in plastic it made the room smell of its scent.
2.99 €
*THEBALM Frat Body Shadow/Blush
You've probably heard already that TheBalm hit some of our Müllers in Slovenia (and Croatia). I got a few bits to try out, the blushes were a sent as a thanks for me helping them with some things and I'm so chuffed that they surprised me like that (so these are not really PR products to be fair). Frat Boy is a very popular blush from TheBalm and apparently it's THE universal blush that is flattering on almost everyone (check the reviews on Makeupalley). It's a matte peachy-pink matte shade on the cheeks and it has quite a brightening, cute effect .
Müller, 20 €
*THEBALM Hot Mama Shadow/Blush
Another super popular shade, just check the rating on
MUA. Again it's supposedly a universally flattering colour and it has that NARS Orgasm vibe to it. It is however, much more golden-peachy in the pan than NARS' version. On the cheeks it's a golden coral with a lovely glow. I actually like it more than Frat Boy because it reminds me of my favourite Benefit Coralista, but it's a touch pinker.
Müller, 19 €
*THEBALM Nude'tude Eyeshadow Palette
The review of this palette is already up if you're interested. It's such a lovely neutral palette with great quality eyeshadows that are in the same rank as Urban Decay's. They are very smooth, pigmented and blend so well, it's such a joy creating looks with this palette.
Müller, 35.70 €
*SMOOTH SEXY HAIR Smooth and Shine
You may know that I'm a massive fan of
Healthy Sexy Hair Soy Three-Wheat Leave-In conditioner, which didn't go unnoticed, so I was kindly offered to try Smooth and Shine spray. I only have the travel size, which should come very handy. It's an anti-frizz spray that works in a similar way than
Lee Staffords Dehumidiffier. Basically it's a light oil in a spray, but it's lighter than
got2b Oillicious spray, so people with the type of hair that tends to get greasy fast might like it more. I've used it on dry and wet hair. On dry hair, it had a bit of effect, but not what I hoped for. The results on wet here were already better, but nothing in the rank of
Sebastian Professional Potion 9. It's nice and people with greasier hair might like it more, but I need something even stronger.
I was sent this unexpectedly, I guess they don't read my blog and therefore aren't aware I talk about this constantly and that I already have a bottle of it at home. This is the gold version of the "prodigious oil", which means it has tons of gold shimmer as well as a tiny bit of a bronzy tint I already did a review with pictures of it on the skin a while ago, you can read it
here. I use this version mostly for my hair because it's an oil that fixes my hair when it very dry, but it doesn't make my hair as greasy as coconut oil would, but it still means that I need to wash my hair the next day, it really is just a one day fix (I'm currently also mixing it with
L'Oreal's Extraordinary oil-in-cream). It also gives my hair some shine due to the shimmer. It's drier than the regular version meaning it sinks in faster, but the moisturizing effect is the same. The gold shimmer looks lovely on tanned skin, but it's a bit late for that this year.
50 ml 25.80 €, 100 ml 40.24 €
*NANSHY Eye Brush Set
That Zoeva Rose Gold set will have to wait for a bit because I have these babies to try out. There are seven brushes in this set: the large shader, eye crease, tapered crease, blending eyeshadow, flat definer, precise bent definer and angled detailer. I've given them a whirl yesterday, creating a classic smoky eye with Nude'tude palette and I liked the quality, but I did miss a couple of brushes. These are synthetic, vegan, cruelty free and antibacterial. The quality and general shape reminds me a bit of Jessup brushes, but these are much smaller and more precise.
*My Beauty Box
Slovenia got a new beauty box service and a few of us bloggers got the first box before they open shop. I already showed the contents on my Instagram and got a mixed response. Don't click if you want to be surprised >>
click.
I've written a review of all the products inside, I just need to press post, so expect that in the next days.
My Beauty Box ima za zdaj samo Instagram, kjer boste izvedeli več informacij o tem kdaj bo trgovina odprta.
*BELLE MARINE Soothing Serum
I got a new serum to test out. Belle Marine uses sea extracts from different algae and promises a lot from being anti-ageing to protecting against UVA/UVB. It's a light lotion consistency that sinks in fast and leaves a very velvet finish on the skin (it contains silicones), so it almost works as a primer as well. It has a strong scent of Nivea or baby cosmetics.
URBAN DECAY Naked Palette
I got another Naked palette as a gift for my cousin, so now all three of us own one. Some things have changed since I got mine years ago. Now you get a brush with it, before we got an eyeliner and a deluxe sample of the original Primer Potion (now you get smaller samples of four versions).
Feel Unique, €52.06
Ok, I need to vent. It's been almost a year, since I last ordered from FU because they seriously screwed up my last order, I waited for over two months I think and I wowed not to buy from them for a long time, but they had a discount of the Naked palette and it was a good opportunity to finally treat my cousin. I ordered two other things as well - repurchases of two absolute essentials that are on their lasts legs, Healthy Sexy Hair Leave-in and Palmer's Swivel Stick. I immediately found it odd that the order needed to be shipped in two parts with no explanation and then only Naked palette arrived, but not the other two things, even though they have supposedly been shipped the next day. And there is no sign of the package for almost a month now. And their stupid policy that they won't deal with you until a month has passed. So basically they screwed me twice in a row and I'm boiling mad. I don't think I'll be purchasing anything from them for a very, very long time.
PAJOMA Duft-Kerze
Roses & Berries
A cheap candle from Müller that I got just to try it out. It has a strong scent of berry candy, but I detect no rose scent, which a good thing.
Müller, 1.99 €
BOLSIUS Aromatic Candle
Baked Cookies
Another candle I got just because I found it interesting. It smells like Ggngerbread cookies, but our version because we don't put ginger in them here. It's basically just a mix of honey, cinnamon and vanilla, but it doesn't really smell of anything much when it burns.
Müller, 0.99 €
Have a great day!
