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!

Revlon Ultra Volume Mascara Waterproof

So Revlon did the unthinkable and discontinued ALL of their mascaras. I just hope you didn't have any of them as your ultimate favourite, though to be fair this was a considerably tamer move than Essence and Catrice  put us through every six months. They decided to simplify their mascara system, so no flashy names and tubes, just a basic selection of five mascaras, each with a different colour of cap, wand and formula. I like their approach of taking it all to the basics, mascara names have become ridiculous anyway (looking at you Too Faced),  but I'm wondering how long will they stick to it and not be tempted to do a the new launch of fancy mascara, which inevitably brings more money than boring tubes. I got to try Ultra Volume version with the pink cap and a waterproof formula (regular exists as well, of course), but I would actually name it Ultra Definition.  

Wand: The wand is a classic one, but thick and with very dense bristles. It's a standard wand shape for a mascara that promises volume, however, unlike most such mascaras I've tried this one excels at definition. The brush manages to catch every eyelash, but doesn't coat it with a ton of product. It behaves pretty much like a standard plastic wand mascaras. However, please note that the regular formula may perform differently as waterproof mascaras are drier than regular ones. 

Formula: As I said this is waterproof formula and therefore drier than regular mascaras which means you don't get tons of product on the lashes, but instead each lash is lengthened, defined and still enough natural looking to fool someone less makeup-savvy into thinking you're not wearing anything on your lashes. In terms of effect it reminds me of my old favourite, L'Oreal Million Lashes, except this one has a great waterproof formula that keeps my lashes perfectly curled all day. Normally I wear more volumising mascaras like Essence I Love Extreme that give me absolutely massive lashes, but I really like this one. It's got such a great defining effect that screams: "ofcourse my natural lashes look so great". The fact it holds a curl so well is another big plus in my books. It's also less difficult to remove than most waterproof formulas.

At 10.49 € per tube it's not the cheapest mascara, but if you're looking for a good waterproof formula that has a very natural, defining effect, this one is lovely to try. I actually started using it as a base coat, so I curl the lashes, apply a bit of this mascara first because it defines so well and then I add a more volumising mascara on top. It works brilliantly that way, but I also like wearing this one on its own. Mine is from Click2Chic, where is might be a bit cheaper than in the shops (I don't know, but Colorstay foundation is), but Revlon is sold in drugstores here too.

Have a great day!

New In #40

THEBALM Nude'Dude Eyeshadow Palette

My birthday gift. I tried this one time on their stand in Ljubljana and fell in love with it immediately. My friends of course picked up on all my hinting and got it for me (thank you). I have Nude'Tude from before and this is its more coppery-purple sister, a lot of the shades here are definitely less traditional neutrals, but it's again a very wearable neutral palette. Admittedly this one feels a bit less pigmented than Nude'Tude, a discovery that was a massive surprise to me, since the one I tested in the shop had amazing pigmentation and the eyeshadows were so incredibly creamy. Maybe I need to dig though the top layer at this one, I don't know. The shades are again very smooth and blend beautifully, they also last the longest out of all eyeshadows I've tried so far and fade the nicest.

Salma, 30.55 €

THEBALM Meet Matt(e) Hughes

Adoring

I wanted these so much and I'm so happy my friends got it for me. I love matte liquid lipsticks and these are some of the latest to come on market, in spite being new, they already received an overwhelming positive feedback. Trying this shade, I can definitely see why. My shade, Adoring, is a deep burgundy shade and if you check other liquid lipsticks in such dark shades, they mostly seem to be a bit patchy/uneven, but this one is perfect in one coat. The formula is a liquid cream that isn't too oily, nor too thick and it takes about five-ten minutes to set to a velvet matte finish. It still transfers a bit, but it's definitely one of the most comfortable matte liquid lipsticks I've tried. It also smells amazing, like After Eight. I'd like to get more shades of these. I already featured this shade in my monthly favourites.

Salma, 15.59 €

PHYSICIANS FORMULA Nude Wear Glowing Nude Powder

Light

 Last year I fell in love with Physicians Formula. They have some amazing products that come in the cutest packaging, so I wanted to try some more of their products. I watched a review about the entire Nude Wear line as well as checked other reviews online and this powder has a very positive feedback, so it was at the top of my wishlist. It's a radiance boosting powder, something along the lines of Hourglass Ambient powders and Bourjois' Java powder, but it's multi-coloured, so it should also enhance natural skin tone, at least that's what they say. It's a mix of four warm shades and the shimmery writing is just an overspray. I've only worn it a couple of times, but so far I really like it. I hate powders because, even though they look nice when applied, when the makeup starts wearing off, it looks cakey. This one looks very light on the skin, like there is nothing on, but it reduces the oily shine and gives a bit of radiance back, so it's not flat looking. For now it has some larger chunks of shimmer, but it's just from the overspray. I need to test it with more foundations to see how well it performs and then I'll do a review when I make my mind about it, but so far I like it. The packaging is the same as at the blush, which I reviewed a while ago, so a faux leather design with a rose gold bow, which is just super adorable. 

iHerb, $13.63

I ordered this a few weeks before my birthday and I even paid more for shipping so that it will arrive on time. Of course it took five weeks, not two. A bit miffed at iHerb to me honest.

BOURJOIS Radiance Reveal Concealer 

01 Ivory 

The very sudden launch of Bourjois City Radiance foundation and this concealer caused quite a buzz in Slovene beauty community. I think it's safe to say most of us like at least one of their foundations and a lot, including me,  might say that Bourjois does some of the best foundations in the drugstores. They nailed it with Healthy Mix and subsequent Serum version in all aspects including the shades, but I was deeply disappointed with the colour range in their latest release. The foundation shades are way, way too dark for me and the concealer looked no better when I swatched it first. But I heard so many very positive reviews that I went back I got it despite my shade related concerns. The concealer does look a bit too peachy-orange when I apply it on the skin, but it blends out very well and matches me just fine. I freaking love this concealer! I think I love it as much as Maybelline's the Eraser. I've been wearing almost every day for about three weeks and because it's so beautiful on the skin, I started using it as a foundation. I think it looks better than all the foundations I currently own. It's quite a light consistency, most similar to Maybelline's Fit Me and it looks so natural on the skin, it just sort of melts in. It covers about medium with one coat, I do two on more problematic areas and it covers it well enough, not like Collections', but decently. I like any concealer that looks like skin, so this one gets two thumbs up from me. I would love to try the foundation too, but those darn dark shades!

Müller, 8.69 €

REVLON Colorstay Concealer

2 Light

I actually am still hooked on Bourjois Radiance Reveal, but Revlon had a 25% discount last week on all products and I've been thinking about trying this concealer because I really love the foundation (I think I might love it more than Sheer Glow). I got the lightest shade on our stand, 2 Light, which looked ok in the shop. I swatched it next to Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum 51 in the shop and it looked light enough for me so I took it. And it all looked fine, I mean it looked a bit more yellow than my other concealers, but when I was editing pictures for my before/after, half of my face looks like a bloody Simpson. This is crazy yellow for me. But I'll make it work, I'll just use it under foundation, maybe it will neutralize redness. It's quite thick, the texture is similar to Collection's, but almost like it's a bit more gel like (more silicones maybe) and the coverage is medium-full. The finish is more on the dewy side on me and it needs time to set. I like it, but I'm not a fan of the shade. 

Müller, 8.59 € 

*L'OREAL False Lash Superstar Mascara 

L'Oréal launched yet another mascara, I'm sure you're seen the heavy advertisement with J.Lo. It's nothing new actually, it's the same double mascara design they've had for at least a decade, but I've never had a mascara with a primer before. There is the white primer coat that gives volume and a black fibre mascara on the other side. I pretty much hated this the first couple of weeks. Not just that it's a regular formula, which never works for me, but it also made my lashes messy looking, not clumpy, but undefined. It definitely improved a lot since then. The white primer part gives a ton of volume and in combination with the black side, my lashes are huge. Mind you, they are completely straight, so no one can see them looking straight at me, but it's one of the best volumising mascaras I've tried. The lashes aren't as unruly as before, but it's still not the best at separating and defining the lashes. I do have a massive pet peeve at this mascara - since my lashes are straight and long they always hit my glasses and this mascara is almost like it's a bit oily because I need to clean my glasses constantly. I'm sure I'm the only one with this problem. Also it's a fibre mascara and they did fall into my eyes a couple of times which was uncomfortable.

15.65 €

*L'OREAL Superstar Super Slim Eyeliner

The eyeliner is a completely different story than the mascara. I've tried a lot of felt tip eyeliners, I have four at the moment (two I bought, two I got) but this one has definitely the most unique tip out of all I tried. It's like a spade or spear design and it's one of the largest of the slim ones I've seen. The clipped base makes the nib bendy, so it feels more comfortable to use than a regular stiff felt tip applicator. The line I get with this is thicker than I usually wear, but it's still fine. In terms of formula, it's the same as their Super Liner Perfect Slim, which remains one of my favourites. It's black, smooth and lasts nicely on my normal lids. It's a bit expensive, but this is the eyeliner I would pick in our drugstores, which has quite a limited selection of decent liners. 

10.19 €

ESSENCE The Gel Nail Polish

37 Serendipity 

I've had this on my wishlist for the longest time, which is just ridiculous considering it costs so little and I don't have anything like it. It's a mix of pastel violet and grey, but leaning more to violet on me. It's a gel formula that is quite thick and needs one-two coats for an even finish. On my nails here.

Müller, 1.69€

ESSENCE Thermo Nail Polish 

05 The Ice Is Melting 

This is another nail polish I wanted for ages, not for the colour changing thermo effect, but for the shade. It's a medium, slightly taupe grey and it's supposed to change colour to a darker or lighter shade of grey depending on the temperature. I tried it with cold and hot water, and surprise, surprise it doesn't work, but I don't care. Formula is thin, so at least three coats are needed for fully opaque finish, but I actually love this one more than Serendipity.

Müller, 1.49 € 

ESSENCE French Manicure Tip Guides

I got these just in case. I needed to do a french manicure recently and it's very hard to do when the only thing you have is sticky tape. There are 30 stickers in a pack.

Müller, 1.19 €

ESSECE Nail Art Duo Stylist

I wanted to create a polka dot design for a really long time and I could just do the whole pencil-plus-pin-hack, but I just decided to get a proper tool, since it might come in handy in the future. It has two sides: a rounder, larger dot maker and a thin, more precise side with which you can draw lines. I tried the polka dot thing and I still need more practice, but it makes nice dots. 

Müller, 2.29 € 

ESSENCE Studio Nails Nail Polish Corrector Pen

I used to have one of these when they first appeared in the Essence standard line-up almost ten years ago, but I wasn't too impressed since the tip gets dirty really fast. I do so many embarrassing messy nail polish swatches and cotton buds are just too large for me that I just decide to get it again. It does a really good job, they must have improved it and it comes with spare tips. It also smells like cherry candy. The price threw me off a bit, though.

Müller, 2.99 €

L'OREAL Elvital Tonerde Absolue Anti-Dandruff Shampoo

I don't even really know why I bought this, but it was partly because it was mint green and that's just a horrible reason to get a shampoo. My dandruff issues continue to plague me and I don't have any other anti-dandruff shampoo, so I thought, why not try something new, though to be fair, I had little faith it will work. This one is actually for oily hair with dry ends and I got it on purpose because I hoped it would work a bit more aggressively and at least for a short time rid me of that persistent layer of dandruff that sticks to my scalp like nobody's business. This performs like a really good shampoo for dry hair. I'm not kidding. There is none of the squeaky clean feeling, I am able to comb my hair with no problem and there aren't many tangles. My hair feels clean and light, but not dry. It removed dandruff like any other regular shampoo, so only a small portion and it did not help prevent it from forming again. It's not a fail, but it's not an anti-dandruff shampoo nor do I think it's nice for oily hair. I actually like it, L'Oréal does some pretty good shampoos.

Müller, 2.69 €

I've tried the following anti-dandruff shampoos and treatments:  

- KÉRASTASE Specifique Bain Exfoliant Hydratant Anti-Dandruff Moisturising Shampoo

- FRUCTIS Anti-dandruff shampoo Sensitiv

- LA ROCHE POSAY Kerium for dry hair 

- PHYTO Phytosquam Intense

- PHYTO Phytheol Intense 

- VICHY Dercos Anti-Dandruff Sensitive Treatment Shampoo

- MA PROVENCE Anti-Dandruff Shampoo

- VICHY Dercos for dry dandruff

- LAVERA Cornflower

- ORONAZOL healing shampoo

- FITOVAL Dandruff and itchy scalp shampoo

- DUCRAY Selegel for dry dandruff

- PHILIP KINGSLEY Exfoliating Scalp Mask

- HEAD & SHOULDERS Classic Clean, Extra Volume and Ocean Lift

- Baking soda

- Coconut oil

So far nothing helped apart from Vichy, but only the first bottle and a combination of Phytheol Intense with Phytopolleine gave me a temporary relief. I've done the whole no sulphate &, silicones things too for a couple of years and it only got worse. I've been to the dermatologist and she didn't want to give me anything. If you have any recommendations for something that works, please let me know.

SAUBÄR Bubble Bath Honey and Almond

Schaumbad Honig und Mandeln

I loved the scent of this in the shop. I'm a nutter for proper honey scents and this one seemed so promising, but unfortunately outside the bottle it does not wow me. It not warm and sweet enough, it's just very generic. Texture is the same as at all of these SauBär bubble bath, which is very liquid and bare, but gentle. I only used it as a shower gel and it's very thin, so it doesn't foam all that well, but I have yet to try it in a bath and I don't know how much foam it produces.

DM, 1.99 €

*URIAGE Thermal Micellar Water Combination/Oily Skin

Termalna micelarna voda za čiščenje mešane do mastne kože

Uriage is a French pharmacy brand and as you know they take their skin care seriously, so you're bound to get a high quality product, but I've never actually tried anything from this brand yet, so these are my first pair of products that were selected for me to try by the Slovene online shop Mediforma. This is a micellar water for combination/oily skin, they have a version for sensitive as well, and it a standard feels-like-water texture. It takes me two, sometimes three cotton pads to remove all the makeup, but I wore regular mascara on those days, it of course won't touch waterproof one just like all micellar waters (only oil removes waterproof mascara). This one is scented with a lovely floral fragrance. The bottle is quite hard, which makes it harder to squeeze, but it does drip out fast.

Ingredients.

Mediforma, 5.20 € (100 ml)

*URIAGE Hyséac R Restructruing Skin-Care

Obnavljajoča in pomirjevalna emulzija

This is a moisturiser that was designed for skin that has undergone a medication treatment for acne (such as Accutane/ Roaccuane for example). I have a family member that was on Roaccutane for a while and I can say it's pretty brutal on the skin. It dries up like crazy and these effect do linger in a milder form for years, but you truly are left with completely clear skin. I wish this existed back then because we had the hardest time finding a suitable moisturiser (oil was the first choice). Cerasterol -2F helps rebuild and reinforce the cutaneous barrier, while TLR2-Regul acts on blemishes and reinforces the skin's protective barrier function. It's quite nourishing, but it doesn't sit on the skin, instead it sinks in very fast. It can be used under makeup because of that. I've been using it for a couple of weeks now and it's ok. I hoped it might help heal some of those pesky blemish marks that seem to last forever, but I haven't seen much improvement. It's a nice daily moisturiser.

Ingredients.

Mediforma, 13.75 € (40 ml)

*PHYTO Phytovolume Volumising Shampoo

This is pretty much the exact opposite formula of what my hair needs, but I gave it a shot anyway. My hair is very dry and I don't need much help in the volume department, but I need a lot of nourishment, which this shampoo doesn't provide. As a volumising shampoo, it's of course very light, focusing mostly on getting the hair as clean as it can get and making it light and airy. Just as the rest of Phyto shampoos, it's very liquid, though it still foams decently on my hair, especially for a sulphate free shampoo, but the metal packaging with a big gaping hole as the dispenser mechanism, isn't the best. It left my hair stripped and feeling dry, so I wasn't a fan of it to be honest, but I do have good experience with their anti-dandruff shampoos. If your hair is thin and oily, you might like this.

Ingredients.

Mediforma, 15.00 € (200 ml)

*PHYTO Phytovolume Actif Volumising Spray 

Another volumising product. Phytovolume Actif supposedly envelops the hair with keratin and in this way expands the circumference of each hair. It's a very light spray with quite a lot of alcohol, which is noticeable at application. I used it on damp hair before hair drying and it worked like a classic volusing products by giving the hair texture, which on my hair means frizz and unmanageability, but I can see it working on fine hair. My hair also felt a bit sticky (could be from the shampoo), which I wasn't thrilled about, but I did get some extra volume, just not a manageable one, so this unfortunately wasn't a product for my type of hair. It has mixed reviews on Makeup Alley and Sephora, but I believe these was some sort of a hype about this. 

Ingredients.

Mediforma, 20.00 € (125 ml);  Set with 50 ml shampoo, 50 ml Phytobaume Volume mask and 50 ml spray, 14.18 € 

*PHYTO PhytoBaume Reparateur Express Conditioner 

Sample 

I had only a sample that contained 12 ml and since my hair is thick, not to mention very long, I use almost three times as much, hence why I can't give a valid review about this. I tried it, it's somewhat medium consistency and smells so lovely (creamy floral), but as I expected it felt like I haven't used anything because it was just not enough product for my hair. It doesn't contain any silicones. Reviews on Sephora here.

Ingredients.

Mediforma, 20 € (150 ml) 

*PHYTO Phyto 7  

Hydrating Day Cream for Dry Hair 

Sample 

I had Phyto 9, which I'm sorry to say was not my favourite hair product, but this is its lighter sister. It's more liquid, less face-moisturiser like and I prefer it to Phyto 9. It doesn't feel greasy, but it does make your hair look wet at application, though it dries soon and it just smooths the hair similarly to silicone serums or oils. It's silicone free and like 9, it smells like hay. This has rave reviews on Makeup Alley and Sephora. 

Ingredients.

Mediforma, 19.00 € 

 *WET'N WILD Max Volume Plus Mascara 

A regular formula mascara with a plastic wand that has a tapered design similar to L'Oreal's Intenza mascara. The formula is thin and at first use it only tinted my lashes, so I left it open for a few hours to speed up the thickening process, it then performed much better, giving me a defined, voluminous lashes with three coats. It doesn't keep my lashes curled.  

Click2Chic, 5.49 € 

*WET'N WILD Cover All Concealer Palette 

A palette that contains three colour correcting shades and a highlighter. The warm pink shade is for brightening, green for neutralizing redness, peachy-orange skin tone shade is for counteracting blue and violet circles, while the highlighter has a strong white-ish silver pearly sheen. The colour shades are creamy, but waxy, so thick like concealers in such forms usually are. The highlighter has more silicones, so it's smoother, but with an almost cream-to-powder effect. The brightening shade is actually already a concealer for me, since it's only slightly pinkish, but very light. The green has quite a bit of pigmentation as does the peachy orange skin tones shade, but the latter is so dark, it doesn't work on fair skin tones. I have a Slovene review with swatches on the other blog I write. 

Click2Chic, 4.99 €  

*WET'N WILD Eyeshadow Palette  

Comfort Zone 

Megalast lipsticks and this palette are top recommendations when it comes to this brand on all review sites or blogs and I totally get why. Comfort  Zone contains eight eyeshadows, so you get a lot for your money and they split into two colour schemes: a neutral brown one and a green one. I'm so blown away by the pigmentation of these. The eyeshadows are so smooth and blend nicely, I'm a huge eyeshadow snob and mostly use just my high-end palettes because I have little patience building up the colour, but these are comparable to Urban Decay, TheBalm and Too Faced. They are a bit more crumbly when you place the brush on the eyeshadows, but I haven't experienced any fall out. The shade range is more neutral that green, since the two shades on the right are only deceptively green. The green looking one at the bottom right is a dupe for MAC's Club, which is a duo chrome eyeshadow, so it actually blends out reddish brown and the top one is a classic highlight shade with zero green tones. I have a Slovene review with swatches on the other blog I write. 

Click2Chic, 5.99 € 

*WET'N WILD Eyeshadow Trio  

Silent Treatment 

This trio has a selection of shades that I reach for most. It's a pretty simple colour combination: a classic shimmery pale peachy-pink base shade, a gorgeous taupe shade with a satin finish and a dark shade that looks reddish brown in the pan, but it's almost smoky black on the skin. The quality is not quite as good as at Comfort Zone, but very, very close. The difference is only that this one isn't as creamy, but the pigmentation is nonetheless very impressive.  

I have a Slovene review with swatches on the other blog I write. 

Click2Chic, 3.99 € 

*WET'N WILD Megalast Lipsticks 

Bare it All, Just Peachy, Purty Persimmon, Sugar Plum Fairy, Ravin' Rasin and Cherry Bomb 

Megalast lipsticks are some of the most popular budget lip products and have been for many years now. I heard some find them dry and impossible to apply nicely, but I've had zero problems with these, in fact they apply evenly in one swipe, especially the lighter two shades. Maybe it's because they are stored in a warm room, I don't know, but they work perfectly for me. They are thick and have that slightly sticky texture on the lips, so you can feel them, but they wear off nicely, especially Sugar Plum Fairy wears off into such a gorgeous, even stain. The packaging is very cheap and I'm constantly afraid that I'll break them, since the cap is so tight and I have to use considerable force to open them and they get messy fast. The packaging get a minus from me. So on to shades: 

Bare it All is a beige nude shade that is a supposed dupe for Mac's Velvet Teddy. Very wearable and even I can pull it off, despite the brown tones. Comparison swatch with Velvet Teddy here

Just Peachy is a beautiful peachy pink shade. I was very worried about this one looking orange, but it's seriously so pretty. It's not too white based looking on me and it's my favourite in the bunch.

Purty Persimmon is an orange red and a very similar shade to Mac's Lady Danger. The pigmentation is a bit sheerer than at others and it has a more shiny finish, but it's easy to get a fully opaque coat of colour. I have a side by side comparison with Lady Danger in my review on the other blog.

Ravin' Rasin is a medium cool greyish purple shade. I'm not feeling this one on me, it's simply too purple, but I can see it looking more mauve on medium skin tones. 

Sugar Plum Fairy is a dark purple pink and similar to Mac's Rebel (side by side here). This one stains the lips, but in a very nice even way. 

Cherry Bomb is a dark vampy burgundy red and very similar to Mac's Diva, only even a bit darker. Side by side is here.  

I'll have a review here as well including full face pics.

Click2Chic, 2.99 € 

Have a great day!

*products were sent to me. Wet n Wild products are for my Click2Chic reviews and I'm not required to post them here as well.