New in #41

CATRICE Stylo Eyeshadow Pen

020 G'Old Mc Donald and 040 Brown to Earth

Before buying anything from the newest Essence/Catrice update, I swatched all the Catrice and Essence cream eyeshadow pens, compared them with my other ones I have at home (Kiko's, Golden Rose) and though they aren't as intense as Kiko's, I was very impressed by the staying power. I decided on two shades that I knew I'll use a lot, since I use such cream eyeshadow all the time as bases. I grabbed a simple beige gold G'Old Mc Donald and a bronze Brown to Earth, which is a cooler version of Kiko's Golden Bronze. These are lovely, especially Brown to Earth and work great as eyeshadow bases. I've worn them on their own once and they get slightly patchy with time due to a shimmery and creamy texture, but last all day with some creasing after several hours.

Müller, 4.29 €

ESSENCE 2 in 1 Eye Shadow & Liner

03 light me up and 06 she's got the mauve

Essence has a better shade range of cream eyeshadow than Catrice for my taste, but I picked up only two in colours I didn't have yet. Light me up is a light beige shade with a satin, slightly shimmery finish and She's got the Mauve is a taupe-violet shade with a satin finish. I find these better than Catrice's if you plan to wear them on their own (as a base both work fab). They are waxier and look smoother on the eyelids due to less shimmer. They also wear nicer, but can get a bit patchy with time. Like Catrice they crease at the end of the day when worn on their own, but are still there. Out of all the shades, so including Catrice's, She's got the Mauve lasts the longest. I'm really impressed by both versions of pen/stick cream eyeshadows and they are my favourite purchase out of the new Essence/Catrice things. 

Müller, 2.99 €

ESSENCE Stay All Day Translucent Fixing Powder

I've heard a lot of good things about the previous version of Essence loose powder and went to buy it a couple of years ago only to discover it had been discontinued. They finally released a new version and I bought it immediately because I have nothing like it. I'm not a fan of powders, so far I only like two (Bourjois Java and Physicians Formula Glowing Nude) and I have conflicting feelings about this one. It applies really nice, doesn't look too powdery, but mattifies, however, as at most powders, it's how it wears off, or maybe I should say how it affects the rest of the makeup to wear off that doesn't please me, but it's different with every foundation. At some it looks ok and at some it's awful. Still, I am glad I bought it because it'll come in handy.

4.39 €, Müller

CATRICE Illuminating Blush

040 La Vie En Rose

I'm still a huge fan of I'm Nuts About You, which is one of the original shades, though they've gone through a design revamp and I have to express my concerns that the shade doesn't look the same to me in the pan. La Vie En Rose is a new shade and it looked like a warmer version of Nuts to me in the shop, kind of a muted peachy shade with some mauve-brown parts. It is in fact the lightest out of all illuminating shades and it's almost like a mix between Nuts and Coral Me Maybe. On the cheeks it's muted peachy shade, I'd say it's a warmer peachier version of Nuts About You and a shade that will combine well with any look on warm skin tones. Unlike the other two I own, this one has a soft illuminating effect.

Müller, 4.29 €

ESSENCE Velvet Stick

02 Peony Star

I've seen swatches of these from German bloggers, who attended their event and this shade didn't really intrigue me because it looked too grey on everyone. However, when I saw it in person, I thought it looked a lot warmer and pinker (they don't have testers for these). It swatches lovely, a nice pinky-mauve shade, but on my lips it's different. Actually almost the exact shade of my lips, but cooler and greyish. The texture is waxy, not truly matte and not particularly long-lasting. I'm not sure about this one yet.

Müller, 2.19 €

ESSENCE Longlasting Lipliner

02 Sweetheart, 06 A Girl's Dream, 07 Plum Cake and 10 Berry on my Mind

I love these liners and I have two from before, Lovely Frappuccino and Yummy Berry. I've been saying that I'll buy more of these someday and that day finally arrived. I got the newest shade 10 Berry on my Mind, which I imagined being a lot darker based on the press release pictures, but it's a medium, muted plum shade. I also got the old shades: a medium warm Barbie pink 02 Sweetheart, a muted red 06 A Girl's Dream and medium greyish mauve shade 07 Plum Cake, which is another too grey and draining shade on me. I love A Girls Dream because it's great for pairing up with Golden Rose Velvet Matte in 12 and all other similar shades.   

1.59 €, Müller

ESSENCE The Gel Nail Polish

63 itsy bitsy blue bikini

A pastel blue shade in a gel formula, but for a gel one it is outstandingly annoying. It's the same pastel "regular"-like formula that I've grown to hate over the years. It's a brighter blue than Ocean Porcelain by L'Oreal.

Müller, 1.69 €

ESSENCE Jewellery Nail Stickers

I didn't even see these on the press release, but they immediately caught my eye on the stand. They are definitely too large for my nails and I have zero talent for nail art, but I'm hoping for the best with these.

Müller, 1.39 € 

*ESSENCE Soft Touch Mousse Concealer

10 Soft Beige

I was checking this one out several times in the shop, but the lightest shade looked so dark and then I read a very bad review about it, so I decided to stay away from it completely, but I was sent this one a few days ago. Actually, the match really isn't that bad. It just kind of works for my skin tone, so I was very happy to discover that. It's a mousse product, so soft and fluffy to the touch, but very matte on the skin and it hides pores like L'Oreal's Infallible Matte foundation. The coverage surprised me too, it's actually not that bad, about medium-full. This one should be great on oily skins, but on driers ones (including mine) it'll emphasize and possibly cause flakes. I expected a bad product based on reviews, but it's actually quite decent, just don't get it if you have flaky skin.

3.29 €

*CATRICE HD Multi Talent Powder + Makeup

020 Natural Beige

The irony that when I buy two new face powders, I get another send. This one promises more coverage than a usual powder. You can use it as a light dusting with a fluffy blush to set the makeup and mattify or apply it with a sponge (not included) for adding more coverage. 020 looks very light, it feels smooth when I swatch it and mattifies well. I tried it with a sponge and it does add a touch more coverage, but this power really emphasizes flakes on my skin. I like that is has a big handy mirror, though. I'll hold back on reviewing this until the summer when my skin less dry.
5.29 €

*CATRICE Supreme Fusion Lipcolour + Care 

070 Remarry Berry

Whenever I hear dark berry plus moisturising in one sentence I get nervous and images of lipstick smudged all over the face flash before my eyes. But you know what - it's not nearly as soft as I imagined it to be. It still has shine, but you need to build it up and there is enough wax in it to stop it from migrating too much. At the same time, I don't think it's as moisturising as for example Revlon's Ultra HD. The shade is very much to my taste, a cute dark berry shade with a medium-full pay-off. I can easily apply it as a stain or build it up to a semi-opaque layer.  5.29 €

*ESSENCE Silky Touch Blush 

100 Indian Summer

I had no idea Essence even had this shade. Often products look so different on their press releases, I completely miss things, but I would pick up such a shade myself. It reminds me a lot of the old ,quite popular shade for us Snow Whites by Lancôme called Miel Glace, so it's sort of a very muted peachy shade. On me it's almost too peachy, but still nice. It's surprisingly nicely pigmented for such a shade, well at least as far as my pale skin tone is concerned and looks nice on the cheeks, however, staying power is very poor. 

 2.79 €

REVLON Parfumerie Nail Polish

Ginger Melon

I wanted this shade for such a long time and I finally snatched it because it was 50% off. It's from a collection of scented nail polishes, which actually intrigued me because of the gorgeous bottle design. I have Bordeaux from before, which doesn't have much of a scent, but the colour is beautiful. Ginger Melon is a bright coral-pink shade, the closest similar shade I have is Essie's Cute as a Button, but that one less pink. The scent at this one is a lot more intense than at Bordeaux and even as you're applying it, it smells like melon candy. The scent is strong and very noticeable for about a half a day, but by the next day it's almost gone.

Müller, 3.50 €

 *MAX FACTOR Voluptuous False lash Effect Mascara

Max Factor's False Lash Effect range of mascaras is known for their oversized brushes, but this one takes the cake. It is humongous and I seriously cannot imagine it fitting short lashes. The design is unique with a mix sort of plastic plates and normal bristles all twisted into a spiral shape and a spiky dome design on the top designed to reach small lashes. The design definitely works for achieving definition and depositing enough product on each lash, but I wish it were smaller. It's a mascara that surprisingly performs well from the start, which is uncommon for a mascara with a plastic wand and it manages to create a nice amount of volume. I think it's far better in that respect than their previous launch, Velvet Volume, but I again find the brush too harsh on my eyes. It of course doesn't hold a  curl, since it's a regular formula.

DM, 14.29 €

JOHN FRIEDA Frizz Ease Secret Agent Perfecting Creme 

Just like Dove's Quench Absolute Serum (which is now nowhere to be found in any drugstore) and got this purely because it was half off. I didn't read any reviews before buying it, but I trust John Frieda, so I gave it a shot. It's a cream that you use on dry hair and it contains avocado oil quite high on the list. It promises to tame frizz, hydrate the hair and hide split ends, so all the usual things. It's a proper cream texture, but smooth due to silicones and it applies nicely without leaving wet parts. I've had it for well over a month and I'm sure about it. It does smooth the hair and gives shine, but the problem is that the effects don't last. Maybe I'm too spoiled by Dove, but I expected more - more shine, more hydration and a stronger anti-frizz effect. It should suit well normal or slightly dry hair that requires some frizz taming. I think this may be in the process of discontinuing or repackaging as the rest of JF line, hence the discount.
Ingredients.

4.99 €, Müller 

NEUTROGENA T/Gel Total Shampooing

I asked in my previous New in for dandruff remedy recommendations and an anonymous reader recommended me this (thank you so much!). I ordered it the next day on Salma as I didn't feel like checking if we even have it here. I don't think I've seen it, but I'm not sure. It's an intensive anti-dandruff treatment, so it's only available in 125 ml bottle. I used it the same day it arrived and for the first time in years, since I've used the last drop of Phytopolleine, my scalp was finally pretty much completely clear of any dandruff build-up. It smells like burnt rubber (the same as PyhtoSquam) and foams well, it also isn't as drying as some other dandruff shampoos, but it also isn't nourishing. My scalp does still itch, I assume because of dryness and not dandruff, so I've been using oil to moisturise my scalp (Phytopolleine would come so handy now) and dandruff still reappears after a few days, but I'm very impressed by this and so happy it at least removed the dandruff, for the first time after so many fail product. I truly hope it lasts.

Ingredients.

Salma, 8.20 €

MATRIX Biolage ScalpSync Exfoliating Treatment

I had a severe dandruff build up on my scalp and I had no idea such products even existed, but I didn't hesitate to order it. Basically this is an scalp exfoliator that contains two doses of product, so the whole bottle should last you only two treatments. I used up about a quarter, then I thought it was already too much. You are supposed to apply it on damp scalp, really massage it in and then rinse off, following with an anti-dandruff shampoo. It worked. It rid me of that dandruff layer, which is a minor miracle in my books. It's hard to squeeze the bottle, even though it's soft, but because the product is so thick, it's not that easy to work with. It has a very handy nozzle design with which you can apply it on the scalp. It's expensive for the suggested amount you should use at once, but I really like it.

Ingredients.

Salma, 8.90 €

L'OREAL PROFESIONNEL Série Expert Absolut Repair Lipidium

I've had this mask on my wishlist for years and it's really not that expensive, despite being only 200 ml. It's very thick, so just the way I like it and has a very strong, kind of strange clean scent, but it's a type of scent a lot of people will like. It nourished my hair nicely, it's not as good as Joico's Hydrator, but I like it. This one goes on my recommendations for dry hair list.

Ingredients.

Salma, 10.40 €

ORIFLAME Volare

Eau de Parfum

I've wanted this for ages, but mostly due to the bottle, since it's just stunningly gorgeous and everyone stops to take a look at it when they see it. It was a limited edition bottle for Valentine's two years ago, but I think they made it permanent, the fragrance itself is old. The scent is also often described as a dupe for Lancome's Tresor, which supposedly smells peachy and I love peaches. Well, this one doesn't and it's the most grandma-ish fragrance I've ever smelled. It's not a 90's or 80's like fragrance, it's just so old smelling with intense notes of roses and powder. There is some sweetness to it from the pralines and I get the more masculine cedar undertone, but roses are the dominant part of this fragrance. The bottle is actually hard to open due to such a design, but I don't really care. More reviews on Fragrantica.

Notes: 

Top: violet leaves, juicy pear and galbanum 

Heart: peony, gardenia and rose petals

Base: praline, leather and cedar

Salma, 15.30 €

 *BOMB COSMETICS Baths

I got a ton of these bath bombs and melts (cocoa butter based) to try out and take pictures how they look for Click2Chic. I haven't tried all yet, but so far my favourites are Diva Fever (has blue holographic shimmer) and All That Glitters (with purple shimmer). 

All That Glitters

As the name suggest it's a bath bomb that contains glitter. It smells sweet, warm and fruity, like berry and cherry candy, also like there is a hint of vanilla in it too. It fizzes like all bath bombs and turns the water into a cute pink shade. The core is white and together with the three balls on the top it represent the the moisturising butter part, which feels so creamy and fluffy to the touch. The oil disperses into small drops that glitter on the water and among them are scattered bigger chunks of magenta glitter (that bottom left picture is take with flash, so you can see oil, but the glitter chucks are more visible in person). The latter sticks to the skin because of the oil and it's a very nourishing bath so great for dry skin. 

Diva Fever Bath

Another bath with glitter which it's not visible on the exterior, but it actually has very cool blue holographic flakes plus shimmer scattered in the bath water and though my camera didn't manage to capture them, they were the most dazzling of all bath effects. It turns the water pink, much like All that Glitters and the heart is almost like paper, but it's not really and it's the last to dissolve. It's a classic bath, with no butter or oiliness, so it's easy to clean the tub. It smells really lovely, nothing that I can point out, it just smells like a fancy body lotion. Notes describe ylang ylang and sandalwood, so it's floral and woodsy. The scent lingers on the skin and in the bathroom. It was my favourite so far.

Urban Princess

Another glittery bath bomb, but least fascinating one. It's a standard bath bomb, so no added butter inside and it doesn't add any colour to the water, nor any foam, it just fizzes for a few minutes. Those gold glitters on the top are the only special effect in the bath, but they aren't that visible since the water is clear. The rainbow on the top doesn't melt, it quickly falls off in the water and the water doesn't affect it. It smells a bit coconuty, in a clean sense, so like a cosmetic product with a coconut scent - just a simple coconuty, creamy, softly clean scent.

Miss Fancypants

A cupcake shaped bath mallow or melt with a polka dot heart, which is just the cutest and it has the best scent out of all - a nice berry fragrance. I haven't used it yet, but I assume it's a simple milky white oily bath with cocoa butter that melt slowly, so great for dry skin. I'll have pictures of how it looks on the other blog.

Top Cat

This is seriously the most adorable bath ever! I just love the cat design and I think that the head part doesn't melt, so you can keep it. It's another mallow, so an cocoa butter based bath, but I haven't used it yet. It has a gentle sweet-floral scent of with neroli and sweet orange essential oils.

Click2Chic, 2.99 € each

*BOMB COSMETICS Three Little Birds Gift

I also got one of the gift packaging that has five products inside:

Apple & Raspberry Swirl Blaster - looks like a green-white ice cream scoop with hot pink cream and sprinkles. It smells like Šumi apple candy and turns the water spring green with green sprinkles. The hot pink cocoa butter part forms an moisturising oily layer on top and smells like Hubba Bubba Cherry bubble gums, but doesn't affect the colour of the water. 

Pink Rhubarb Encounted Mallow - a hot pink cupcake design with white cream. It's a cocoa butter based bath that doesn't fizz, just slowly dissolves, turns the water milky white and is very moisturising. It has a love it-hate it scent of rhubarb that is the strongest out of all scents, but sweet-bitter refreshing.

Flutterby Butterfly Blaster - a green bath bomb with the butterfly. I haven't used it yet, but it smells like green apples.

Springtime Fantasy Soap - this one has a strong, very fresh green scent of grass and to me it smells just like when you're harvesting grapes and throwing them in the grape crusher - that green scent that fills the room (those with vineyards will know that I'm talking about). It foams like a regular soap and it's not as drying, though it still leaves that squeaky clean feeling. I've been using it for about a month and there is still 90% of it left.

 Daisy Daisy Buttercup -  the cutest pink cupcake design. It's another mallow, so an oily bath and leaves no colour (just milky white). It smells like soap with roses.

Click2Chic, 14.99 €

 *GARNIER Neo Deodorants Intensive Antiperspirant

Garnier released a new addition to their pre-existing Neo line. They finally added aerosol versions, but this time played with the distribution system. The call it the soft flow circular diffuser which looks very futuristic and it's a bit gimmicky (not sure what's wrong with the regular system), but fun to use. These could not have come at a better time, since there seems to be an all-around drought of deodorants at this time among my friends and family (mine actually broke), meaning I had also other people testing these and reporting the results to me. I picked Fresh Blossom, the men picked Light Freshness, Shower Clean and Pure Cotton, so the unisex, clean scents and Floral Touch went to another female "participant". I'm not much of a sweater, I've never been and this one works fine for me, it doesn't stop sweating, but it smells nice. Male "participants" had very harsh words about this. It doesn't stop sweating one bit despite the anti-perspirant claim of 48h efficiency (they take the writing on the can a bit more seriously than me), so this was a big fail in their book. At least they smell nice, but don't get it if you need a proper anti-perpirant.

Shower Clean (teal) - just as the name says, it smells like clean skin and bathroom after a shower. Great scent and unisex.

Pure Cotton (blue) - a classic clean laundry scent. Powdery and fresh. Again a unisex scent.

Light Freshness (light blue) - a light sweet powdery scent, clean inspired by ocean breeze. Love this one. 

Floral Touch (purple) - a stronger floral scent with note of peony, roses and freesia. Very feminine and quite perfumey. 

Fresh Blossom (peach) - the sweetest in the bunch. Lightly citrusy fruity-floral, sweet and uplifting. Most my type of scent and very girly.

*ESCADA Agua del Sol

Eau de Toilette

Sample

Escada has a new summer fragrance like every year and I've been a fan of these for so long, as they are so my style of fragrances. This is one of my absolute favourites so far. They usually have a fruity note that sticks out, but here it's such a nice blend of tropical fruits, and there is none of that usual fresh base, instead it's more warm. I wasn't that impressed with the ones they did in the last few years (from the Cherry one onwards), but this is worthy of a purchase. Interestingly Escada described the scent as icy, but I find it too warm for such a description. Reviews on Fragrantica.

Notes:

Top: mandarin, Asian pear ice cream, frozen raspberry sorbet, Italian citrus peel and pink pepper. 

Heart: rose petals, apricot and a fruity cocktail. 

Warm base: tonka bean, sandalwood and white musk. 

I got the bag as well and I assume they'll have it as a part of promotion. It's one of those cooling bags, which makes it stylish and useful. 

Fragrance Samples

Hillary Duff with Love

A very spicy scent. I knew it was spicy, but I didn't expect it to be so sharply spicy. The base is very warm and vanillary, but the spices take the spotlight. I notice very little of that mango that is described in the notes and it only provides the initial freshness. I think this fragrance is already discontinued, but there might be a few bottles left in some places. I wouldn't purchase it for myself. Reviews on Fragrantica.

Demeter Ocean

Too masculine for my taste. It pretty much smells like a fresh, but slightly woodsy mens cologne. It's aquatic, citrusy and with pine notes. I don't think it smells like the ocean, at least from the start. It then mellows into a more salty scent. Again something I wouldn't buy. Reviews on Fragrantica. By the way Demeter = Library of Fragrance.

Demeter Chocolate Mint

Burnt cookies and toothpaste. That's what I get at first. The chocolate note gets a lot better in a few minutes and gets more authentic, It's close to the After Eight scent that for example TheBalm Meet Matte Hughes copies so well, but I'm missing a stronger chocolate note. Reviews on Fragrantica.

Victoria's Secret Sexy Little Things Noir Tease

As far as I'm concerned this is a dupe for Viva La Juicy. They smell so similar. It's a lovely sweet scent, a basic gourmand vanilla in the best possible way. Very likeable. Reviews on Fragrantica.

YANKEE CANDLE Wedding Day Tart

I was actually just wondering how this smells. We don't have many Yankee Candles where I live, but I'd love to at least have more tarts, so I ordered it online. Wedding day is a simple soapy rose scent. Not that awful granny-ish rose scent like in their Fresh cut Roses, but a lot more toned down and more clean. It's nothing special, but nice.

Salma, 2.24 € 

Have a great day!

New In #38

TOO FACED Chocolate Bar Eyeshadow Palette

I never do anything as stupid as spending a load of money just because I feel like it in the moment, but I wanted to treat myself for my birthday and I decided to order this quite out of the blue one week before. I'm so glad I did because this is an awesome palette. I'm still exploring the colours, so every day I feel like a kid in a candy store. The colour selection in this palette is fantastic and believe it or not, I don't actually think have dupes for these, at least for a great majority of the colours. The pigmentation is superb at most shades, mattes included, though there are a few less pigmented exceptions, but luckily they are my least favourite colours. They do crease at the end of the day if I don't use a primer and I think that's because they are so buttery and creamy. The first couple of days I could not smell any chocolate, but now I do. It truly does smell faintly like chocolate and cocoa. Really, really glad I bought this. 

Beauty Bay, 54.70 € (£41.75)

STILA Stay All Day Waterproof Liquid Eye Liner 

Intense Black

 This has been on my wishlist for such a long time and I kept avoiding buying it because it so expensive. It's a classic felt tip eyeliner with a precise nib with which it's easy to draw very thin lines, but the tip feels almost like it's a bit old, as the end is a bit flimsy. The formula was very liquid and wet from the start, but now it's already much better. Once this sets on the skin, it's rub-proof. You can rub it as hard as you can and it won't come off. It's not completely waterproof though, but it doesn't smudge during the day. Actually at the end of the day, it's still perfect and that's including the flicks. So far, I'm impressed, but I'm really interested if it will last longer than the rest I've tried.  

Beauty Bay, 18.30 € (£14.04)

BEAUTY BLENDER Premier Blendercleanser Solid 

15 g

This was a gift with purchase and it's quite small, but the full size is only 28 g. It's meant to clean beauty blenders and other sponges as well as brushes. Honestly, I don't think it's worth it. I had to wash my foundation brush four times and it still wasn't spotless. It did clean eyeshadow brushes very effectively, though. It works like any other bar soap I've had on hand, from Fa to Palmolive and other cheap ones. It smells like lavender, but in a soapy way. I need to use it more to see if it impresses me in the future, but 18 € for a small bar soap - they must be joking.

Beauty Bay, €18.20 (£13.97; 28 g)

SLEEK Matte Me Lip Gloss

Birthday Suit

Birthday Suit was a shade I was always dubious about. I've seen it only on girls with a medium skin tone and on them such shades look amazing, but on a pale girl like me, there is always a risk it'll look ugly brown. But in the spirit of birthday splurging, I took a chance and just got it. It's turned out better than I expected. It's a brownish-pink shade which has enough of those rosy tones that it looks good on me. Considering how concerned I was, I truly am enjoying this shade. The formula is strange, different from what I'm used to. It start almost as an oil, a very light one at that, but after about 3-5 minutes it starts drying and it dries to a perfect, "Instagram-matte" finish. This probably has the best proper matte finish I've tried. However, it does feel like a film on the lips and it can feel a bit tight, so avoid this if you have dry lips. 

Boots International, £4.99

BOURJOIS Rouge Edition Velvet lipstick

Happy Nude Year and Plum Plum Girl

My collection of Velvets is growing. I got two shades that as far as I know aren't sold here, Happy Nude Year and Plum Plum Girl, the latter was released recently along with two other shades. I've done reviews of four shades already (Grand Cru, Nude-ist, Frambourjoise and Olé Flamingo) and it's no secret how much I love these. Happy Nude Year is not what I imagined it to be and looks so much different than on my friend. On me HNY is a very peachy shade with very little pink. Plum Plum Girl is a great shade though. It's a deeper magenta-purple shade, a bit like mixing Mac's D for Danger and Rebel together. I have Plum Plum girl on my lips here. 

Boots International, £8.99

NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream

Cannes

It's been many years since I bought one of these. I have Tokyo, Istanbul and Addis Ababa, now I got one of the newer shades Cannes, though I was thinking about buying more of these, at least Copenhagen, but also Transylvania, Prague, Zurich and Ibiza. I remember when I first got these, I realized they are exact dupes for Manhattan's Soft Mat Lipcreams (now sadly discontinued) and loved them. Istanbul was actually my most worn shade in my first couple of years at university. But now I don't actually think these are the best liquid lipsticks. They are good, but there are better ones. They start off as very light, slightly greasy creams and it takes long for them to dry to a matte finish, maybe 10-15 minutes. The pigmentation isn't as intense as at the competition either, but in general these are still nice and very comfortable to wear considering they are matte. Cannes is a shade I would never expect I'd like. It's the type of shade that looks amazing on medium skin tones and brown on light ones, but I actually like this one on me. It again has enough rosy-peachy tones that I can pull it off, but it's a very 90's inspired shade.  

Boots International, £5.50

BOURJOIS ColorBoost Lip Crayon

Plum Russian

I got this is as gift with purchase and I didn't get to pick the shade nor did I know before putting it in the shopping cart what the gift actually is. I have Peach on a Beach, or had it, I can't find it anywhere. Anyway, I was not a fan of that one, but I'm really digging this one, especially when I wear it in combination with a chocolate smoky eye. Plum Russian is a sheer deep red-plum shade that's glossy and I'm not a massive fan of such finishes, but I can always just blot it. The pigmentation of these is the best out of all such products I've tried and it's closest to full opacity, though it's still see-through. 

Boots International, £7.99

SANCTUARY mini Foaming Bath Soak 

75ml

Boots had a 3 for 2 and since I had two items already in the cart, I just chucked this in (I'll show the rest of the Boots purchases in the next new in). It's a bubble bath that smells of nothing special, just a clean type of scent with a hint of citrus like a lot of 1l cheap baths. It foam well and the scent is noticeable when in the bath, also my skin wasn't dry after. It's ok, but I would prefer a more exciting, luxurious scent.

Boots International, £2.50

YANQUINA Waterproof Eyeliner 

I really needed a new eyeliner at the beginning of the year, so I "splurged" for an 80 cents one from AliExpress, which I actually mainly got because of its cute polka dot design. It caught my attention on one of Beautysaur's pictures and she later spoke about it here, it was her who actually gave me a link to it. I expected nothing for this price, but it's very decent. In the first few days it performs like a brilliant eyeliner that is super black, well saturated with product and very precise. However, it takes some time for the nib to get saturated with product again, so if you use it often, it gets dry. I would suggest getting two at once, they are cheap as chips anyway, and then swap them each day, keeping the other one stored upside down. The nib is stiffer than Sweet Pink panda shaped one's, actually it's more similar to Collection's and Essence's nibs, but smaller and therefore more precise. It's nice considering it's so cheap, but the Sweet Pink one and a majority of others are a lot more reliable. 

AliExpress,  $0.76

ESSENCE Big Bright Eyes Eyeliner

01 …Highlight it Nude

So Essence is breaking my heart again, they are experts at that. They decided to discontinue these amazing drugstore gems. If you check my Instagram, then you've probably seen this eyeliner a gazillion times, since it's the liner I use almost every day and it's on my waterline in pretty much all of my pictures on this blog. Naturally I stocked up before it's are gone, it's so cheap anyway. It's the perfect nude slightly pink eyeliner that makes my eyes look more awake and bigger. The formula is so creamy and it easily transfers to the waterline, but also manages to hang on quite well. I just can't believe they are discontinuing these.

Müller, 2.20 €

L'OCCITANE Shea Cleansing Oil 

I nearly finished the Immortelle version which is so far by far my favourite oil cleanser mostly because it keeps my skin in check, while other oils tend to make it less clear if I use them too long. The reason I got this one instead is not just because it's a bit cheaper, but also because Immortelle one doesn't smell the best to me, as it has a wildflower/hay scent. I gave it a try before I finished Immortelle, which I normally don't do, but I was curious. I like it more. It does the same job of removing makeup plus waterproof mascara and cleans the skin, but it smells nicer and it feels better, a bit more "soft" or comfortable. I haven't tried an oil like it and I've tried quite a few. It's my new favourite oil, although I should wait before I say that with confidence, as it could break me out and in that case I'll go back to Immortelle, but I'm also interested in Balea's one. 

L'Occitane, 19.30 €

L'OCCITANE Melting Honey Exfoliating Sugars

I think I just found my new all-time favourite scrub. I was sure I missed the entire Melting Honey collection due to my avoiding going to the shop (I'm a person who likes to be left alone and I need to mentally prepare myself before I got to such shops), but I was so delighted to find this scrub, as it was the item I most wanted to get my hands on. A few bloggers told me that this collection didn't smell like the old honey one, but this scrub smells very close to the original honey scent they had in 2006. The SA just opened the pot and I immediately knew it has to go home with me. It's a sugar based scrub that is closest to my old favourite Soap & Glory Flake Away, but it's much thicker and smells utterly divine. It does smell more like a flowery version of honey, but that flowery note is the same as in my favourite fragrance by L'Occitane Vanilla, which they discontinued years ago, I think it's orchid. Anyway it creates the most amazing scent and they should really think about creating a fragrance like it. As I said the texture is very thick, like a balm and it's not just sugar particles, but something dark as well (ground pits maybe), so it's an intense scrub, just the way I like it. It leaves a balmy-oil layer behind, so no lotion is needed afterwards. I really love this.

Ingredients.

L'Occitane, 23.40 €

*My Beauty Box Slovenia January

I was send another surprise Beauty Box, this time for January-February. It has five products inside: 

RIMMEL I <3 Lasting Finish Nail Polish in 170 Lively Lilac - a pastel violet shade. Needs three coats for full opacity.

KNEIPP Herbal Bath Pure Bliss Red Poppy and Hemp - A small size bath oil that looks like blood because of the thickness and colour. It's really strange pouring it in the bath, but it turns the water into a nice shade of pink-red. It smells nothing special, relaxingly floral, but it's not strong enough for me. There is not need for a lotion after this bath.

LAVERA Bio Almond and Bio Macadamia Oil Natural Shine Intensive Care - Haven't tried this yet and I doubt it'll be enough product for my hair, but I don't have the best experience with hair products from this brand, so I'm hoping for the best. 

LAVERA Basis Sensitiv Lip Balm - A classic lip balm that claims is for sensitive skin. It's waxy, but nourishing, pretty standard to be honest. I don't like the flour scent though. 

TEAPIGS. Tea Skinny Dessert and Bolly Good - the first is a rooibos tea with caramel pieces and Bolly Good is an assam tea with spices and cinnamon flavour.

My Beauty Box Slovenia, 15 € + shipping.

YANKEE CANDLE Tarts 

Soft Blanket, Vanilla Cupcake, Clean Cotton and Pink Sands

I realized Yankee Candles don't smell strong enough for my liking, but their tarts are great. So I picked up four that I liked most in our Müller. We don't have a big selection, but I got my old favourite Soft Blanket, which is a fantastic cosy-clean scent, Vanilla Cupcake, which is outstanding and smells like vanilla pudding, also it's the strongest in the bunch, Clean Cotton which smells like fabric softener and clean laundry (this one starts smelling like burnt wax after a while) and Pink Sands, which is a nice tropical fruity scent. I hate that I can't get my hands on my favourite Cranberry Pear here where I live, but I'm not paying for their shipping and I'm not going to the centre of Ljubljana just for that.

Müller, 1.79 €

I split the New in in two parts. I'll post the rest tomorrow or sometime soon.

Have a great day!

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.

New In #37

ESSENCE All About Nude and All About Bronze Palettes

I never thought much of Essence eyeshadows. The ones I tried were rubbish, so I avoided buying more, but I heard some good things about these palettes and after swatching them in the shop, I put them on my wishlist. To be fair, since I got theBalm Nude'Tude palette I didn't plan on getting any more cheap eyeshadows, but I bought these because I need them for my work and they were the only ones I could just go and buy in the drugstore - stupid reason, but whatever. When I first tried these, they got a double "hmm" from me. That's the sound I make when I'm feeling underwhelmed by the product, basically it's not a good sign when I do this. They are nice... ish. Well nice for drugstore eyeshadows, but based on those swatches I made in the shop I expected a lot more pigment. They are just sheerer than I expected, though the bronze shades are nice. I don't know.. .they're not bad, but  theBalm palette is miles better ( and 8-times more expensive). It could just be the top layer and I do have a feeling they are improving the more I use them. 

You can find a few looks I did with them here. My fellow bloggers already wrote a review about these, you can find them here: Adjusting Beauty and Chunky Cheeks.

Müller, 4.39 €

 GOLDEN ROSE Velvet Matte Lipstick

12

I got my first products from this brand. I've heard about it, but they only recently came to Slovenia. They remind me of Kiko in some ways, with the large selection of products and shades as well as very affordable prices. I was highly recommended to try Velvet Matte Lipsticks and I decided on shade 12 after checking Instagram pics and saw a comparison with Mac's Mehr (they're not dupes just to be clear). I like this. It's a nice matte lipstick, quite creamy once you get through the top slightly harder layer and it reminds me a bit of Maybelline's Matte lipstick. Shade 12 is a medium muted rose, a natural shade, but darker than my lips. It's like a darker Nude-ist and I'm quite liking it at the moment. I did a swatch on the lips bellow, but I hate winter for taking swatches, so it's not completely spot on, but close enough.

Golden Rose, 3.90 €

GOLDEN ROSE Matte Lipstick Crayon

02, 03 and 05

Another product I was recommended to try and heard raves about. I get quite a few e-mails and messages from readers and friends about really dark, plumy shades and the darkest shade I own is Mac's Diva, so I wanted to explore some more affordable and ever darker options. I choose two very deep shades, 02 and 03. The first is a deep red that is similar to Diva and 03 is a deep brownish plum, which I'm not so sure about, it's not terribly pretty, but it very close to some pictures I got sent (from Pinterest obviously, which are all so clearly photoshopped). My cousin also lend me shade 05 which is a deep red. The formula is a bit creamier than of Velvets and it's not that easy to get very precise edges with it, so a lip liner is still a must at such dark shades. I noticed that some shades in the Velvet Matte range and Matte Crayon are basically the same, 02 is 23 in Velvet, 03 is 29 and 07 is 12 (Ajda is wearing Velvet 23 here). These need to be sharpened which I'm not a fan of. 

Not the best swatches, but I wanted to post them now, since I have a feeling it will take me some time to do proper reviews.

 Golden Rose, 3.90 €

GOLDEN ROSE Extreme Sparkle Eyeliner

103

I wanted a gold eyeliner for my holiday look and when I was checking the Golden Rose website before going to the actual shop, I chose Metallic Eyeliner in 02, but when I swatched them, this one looked more special, so I chose glitter over metallic. It looked a bit thin when I swatched it at home again and indeed it is a product that requires two layers, but I love the effect of it. It sparkles so nicely on the eyes, which looks so glamorous. The colour is a very yellow gold, which isn't the best, but I'm pleased with this and would love to get the silver version as well. You'll see it in action in my holiday inspired post (still working on it).

 Golden Rose, 4.50 €

 GOLDEN ROSE Eyeshadow Crayon

14

Since I discovered Kiko's Eyeshadow Sticks, I've been loving these type of creamy products as bases because they make even the cheap eyeshadows work perfectly, not to mention how quick they are to apply. I got the shade 14 which is  a warm hazelnut brown shade with a metallic finish. It's not as good as Kiko's, by that I mean it's not as intensely pigmented, it just means that the products need to be layered and when it comes to eyeshadows that's not the best thing as thick layers are prone to creasing, however, I do really like this. It blends nicely and works well as a base. The one thing I'm not a fan of is that it needs to be sharpened, which is a hassle and you essentially throw away some of product when you do it. 

Golden Rose, 3.30 €

 GOLDEN ROSE Jolly Jewels Nail Lacquer

103

Golden Rose has the most impressive nail polish collection I've ever seen. They truly have an astonishing range of colours and finishes. I wanted a dense gold glitter nail polish, which I actually searched for all over my home town. This one isn't quite it, but it caught my eye because it has an interesting combination of small gold glitter with large copper hexagons. It's not fully opaque even with several coats, instead it's more of a top coat. It sparkles under the artificial light, though when you look at it closely, it's a bit strange, since the base is warm gold and then the hexagonal flakes are copper. The removal process is understandably a nightmare, those copper hexagons stick to the nails so fast you need some ungodly power to get them off. Picture of it on my nails here.

Golden Rose, 3.10 €

 ESSENCE The Gel Nail Polish 

50 i feel good

I got this purely to do some nail art, which failed so miserably. I never owned a green nail polish, frankly it's a weird colour to wear on the nails to me (and the comments I got were hilarious). This one is a dark forest green. The formula is lovely, it's one of those gel formula ones, so it's excellent.  

Müeller, 1.69 €

 eBay Metallic Rose Gold Brushes

Blush brush and contour brush

These are beyond amazing for the price! I got then immediately after seeing them of Petra's Instagram and got only two to try, but I'm getting the whole set for sure or at least the powder one and another set of these two. These look expensive, though the handle is plastic, which is actually much better to me as I would hate to have a heavy brush to handle. The bristles are amazingly soft and these just feel well made. 

 The blush brush fits my cheeks well, some might find it a bit small, but I prefer more precise blush brushes. It's the type of brush I would use with more pigmented blushes as it's not very dense. By the way, the bristles are synthetic. 

The contour brush is dense, just the way I like it and it can work as a great foundation brush. I tried contouring with it which ended up very well. Great brush.

 Petra already wrote an awesome and comprehensive review, so I probably won't write any more than in this New In.

eBay, blusher brush (contour) £1.70, facial brush (blush) £1.66

YVES ROCHER Exfoliating Bubble for Bath 

Spicy Vanilla

Last year I won a shower gel in Yves Rocher's Christmas/December giveaway and I loved it. It was really good, so this year I decided to give their holiday collection a go. These bubbles looked the coolest and when I saw they have three version, all of which mention cinnamon in one way or another, I really wanted one. I checked all of them in the shop, the Orange-Cinnamon version, the Orange-Almond one and this one, Spicy Vanilla, and to be completely honest they all smelled the same, just like Jaffa Cakes. I'm not a fan of the latter, I mean jam with chocolate, where is this world going, but it's kind of a nice scent for Christmas I guess. The gel is thick, which I like and the exfoliating particles aren't just for show, though it's not a proper scrub. The one thing I hate about this bubble is that there is no proper "delivering system", it's just a gaping hole when you open it and it's hard to control the amount you want. Nice, but the packaging needs an update.

Yves Rocher, 5.90 €

YVES ROCHER Perfumed Bath Oil

Spicy Vanilla

This has an even more unfortunate packaging than the Bubble for Bath. It's seriously so stupid. There is a tiny hole through which the product should be delivered, but unless you shake this vigorously, nothing comes out. So you spend a better part of the shower shaking this like a moron for a few drops of the oil. The scent is more vanillary that the Exfoliating bubble, but it's still all about the Jaffa biscuits. It's light oil compared to L'Occitane's, but it emulsified to a thin foam and doesn't dry out the skin. The ingredients are cheap, main is mineral oil, then there is some maze oil plus fragrance. It's nice, but I need to figure out how to fix the packaging problem. It's also a very pretty decoration on the shelf. 

Yves Rocher, 7.5 €

MILANI Powder Blush 

01 Romantic Rose (borrowed)

This isn't mine, but I sure wish it was. These have been on my wishlist for absolutely ages and when my cousin came round enthusiastically waving the new Milani lipstick in Darling she got because of me, she also showed me this and asked me if I'd like to review it. I adore this. It's so good, like HG material. The shade is so lovely, a natural brownish-muted pink-mauve, complicated to describe but something along the lines of Catrice's I'm Nuts About You. It's very pigmented, blends nicely and looks superb on the cheeks. And the design is sooooo pretty! You shall hear a lot of gushing about it here in the future. Basically I want all of these, well the natural shades, I'm not sure I can pull off Coral Cove, it looks very intense.

Milani EU 9.16 €; Milani USA $7.99; Beauty Crowd, £7.20; Moja Drogerija, 14.41 €; Click2Chic, 10.46 €

YANKEE CANDLE Cranberry Pear

When it comes to Yankee Candle, I'm one of those that is mainly unimpressed, but constantly tempted especially at Christmas. I fell in love with this scent instantly. I won't write this poetic description of the scent, I'll just say what it actually smells like and that is wild strawberries and a bit of pine, which actually ends up smelling like picking strawberries in the forest (something I do every year and I just love that smell). I've actually never found any scent that would mimic wild berries, they smells so much nicer that garden ones and taste far better too, so I'm delighted to have found this. The scent it very intense and even unlit/melted it fills the room. But basically it doesn't smell like neither pear nor cranberry. 

Yankee Candle, 1.99 €

YANKEE CANDLE Season of Peace

This one reminds me of my late grandmother, or at least the smell of her house. It's somewhat like Soft Blanket, so a clean and warm scent. It's like a fabric softener, I'm sure my grandma had a laundry detergent or a fabric softener with this scent, so it must be something that was sold here 15 years ago, but I haven't a clue which one she used (maybe Silan. I think I saw a bottle of it in her house). 

Yankee Candle, 2.60 €

YANKEE CANDLE Shea Butter

Another gorgeous scent. Shea butter doesn't smell as nice as this, but I can smell it mixed in the scent. It's warm, creamy and clean. It like a generic body cream in the scent that everyone likes. Love this. 

Yankee Candle, 2.60 €

YANKEE CANDLE Snowflake Cookie

This is pretty much the same as their Christmas Cookie. There's loads of gourmand vanilla and this baked note. It sounds strange I know, but when you bake cookies and you just take them out of the oven, there is this smell of baked. It's kind of a classic candle that you burn when you want to make it appear like you baked something, but were too lazy to do it and you just sneakily bought them in the supermarket.

Yankee Candle, 2.60 €

L'OREAL Elnett Heat Protect Spray - Straight 

Elnett Hitze Styling Sprays 3 Tage Glatt 

A couple of weeks ago I met the lovely Petra from Adjusting Beauty blog, whom I mention a lot on my blog and we even did my first (an only) collaboration a while ago. She surprised me with a set of samples when we were saying goodbye (thanks again <3) and this was among it. This has been on my wishlist for quite a while, but I always have other products to finish, so I'm been putting off purchasing it. It's a very basic heat protectant that is light and simple, so it fits many hair types and I've been enjoying using it precisely because of that. Actually it's no different to me from the Bumble and Bumble Hairdresser's Invisible Oil Heat UV Protective Primer, which is a lot more expensive. If you're looking for something similar, but for a lot cheaper, this is it. I will buy a full size one day. It has a simple, hair care scent.   

I think it's about 7 €

AVON Advance Techniques 360 Nourishment Moroccan Argan Oil Mask

I have this prejudice that Avon't stuff isn't all that impressive when it comes to dealing with very dry hair. I always imagine they have some diluted, super liquid hair masks, but his one is thick and feels like it will do something. It wasn't bad, but it also wasn't quite enough for my hair, however, I could see it working for moderately dry hair. Full size looks like this (also a pic of shampoo)

Avon, regular price 5.70 €

AVON Advanced Techniques Supreme Oils Shampoo

This was a pleasant surprise to me. It didn't leave my hair stripped and that is a sign of a good shampoo to me. If you have dry hair, this is worth trying out. 

Avon, regular price 4.60 €

AVON Planet Spa Sleepy Serenity Pillow Mist

Petra raved about this a while ago and remember being intrigued as I love such scents. It smells very calming, they describe it as a mix of lavender and camomile, but the latter is much more dominant. From the start this is a dead ringer for the Kamagel's scent to me (camomile based ointment made by Slovene pharmaceutical company Krka), but it then switches to a more lavender based scent. Very calming and very lovely. I can't find this in the catalogue, so I don't know how much it costs or if it still exists. Petra's review here. 

EBELINE Nagellack Entferner

Nail polish remover

I got this one because of the packaging. It's one of those where you press the cotton pad at the top and it pumps the product up, soaking the cotton pad. One pump delivers pretty much the perfect amount of product for me, others might be used to more, but it can start spraying/dripping if you're too greedy for the product. It's nothing special when it comes to removing. It's not particularly strong, so I probably won't repurchase.  

DM, 1.39 €

 ESSENCE Quick and easy Sponge Nail Polish Remover

This one is more expensive than the Ebeline one I usually buy, but that one gets dirty so fast, so I'm looking for something better (Bourjois' is excellent, but too expensive. Ombia's is total crap). So far I've only used it with light nail polishes because I don't want to ruin it straight away, but it's ok. It does the job.

Interspar, 2.99 €

ESSENCE Holo Stripes Nail Stickers

I got these to do that design that is on the nail wheel next to Golden Rose 103 above. It kind of failed which isn't a surprise. Anyway, there are three thin strips in the set: a silver one, a dark silver one and violet-pink one all with a metallic look, not really holographic. My picture isn't the best, but it's hard to photograph these with a camera phone. They tend to fall off fast without a good layer of top coat. 

 Interspar, 1.39 €

YUMMY Wild Things Shower Gels

Happy Boost and Sexy Boost 

There are new Yummy shower gels called Wild Things which all feature animal prints. I got the zebra Happy Boosts and the snake Sexy Boost, but there are more: the giraffe Classy Boost, leopard Energy Boost, tiger Power Boost, and peacock Vanity Boost. These are pretty basic shower gels that smell nice. They foam well, clean well and that's it. Happy Boost will appeal to many, at least that my experience when I gave these two to people to sniff. It's a classic girly scent, but a bit more sophisticated. It's candy-vanilla sweet, but a bit floral and woody, so it's gourmand without being properly gourmand.

Sexy Boost won't be for everybody though, at least not for those who like simpler scents. It's a proper unisex scent, almost more masculine than feminine. The best way that I can describe it is if I compare it to Axe (Lynx) scents, not the super douchey Dark Temptation, but those green ones. It smells a lot more masculine in the bottle, but in the shower it's more tame. The base is citrusy, I get lime, though its described as earthy. The sharper note that gives the scent defining character is spice, cardamom in particular. I actually like this scent a bit more than the Happy Boost and I'm not a girl for unisex scents. 

Click2Chic, 4.95 €

Have a great day!