Autumn favorites **** Jesenski favoriti

It's been quite a while since I last wrote a post about my favorite products. I'll admit that some months, there simply aren't any that I would want to write about and I don't want the products to repeat themselves. But I've had quite a few favorites this fall and it's only right that I say a few words about them. 

Že kar nekaj časa je minilo, odkar sem napisala kakšno objavo o mojih najljubših izdelkih. Priznam, vsak mesec se jih pač ne nabere dovolj, da bi o njih želela pisati, prav tako pa ne želim, da bi se izdelki preveč ponavljali. Ampak to jesen se jih je nabralo kar nekaj, zato je edino prav, da o njih spregovorim nekaj besed.

Let me start with Melvita rose hip oil. I got to choose this oil at the Beautiful Bloggers conference (*click* to read more about that) and I've been using it for well over a month now. At night, I apply a couple of drops to a clean face and follow up with my night moisturizer. I must say that the effect has been amazing - the skin feel tighter, but even more importantly it feels softer and well nourished. Rose Hip oil is meant for the first lines, but Melvita offers a whole range of oils so you can surely find the one that will suit you the best.

Začela bom z Melvitinim šipkovim oljem. To olje sem si lahko izbrala na Beautiful Bloggers konferenci (*klik* če želiš prebrati kaj več) in ga zvesto uporabljam že več kot en mesec. Zvečer ga nekaj kapljic nanesem na očiščen obraz in potem uporabim svojo nočno vlažilno kremo. Moram reči, da je učinek prav neverjeten - koža se mi zdi bolj napeta, predvsem pa mehkejša in bolje nahranjena. Šipkovo olje je mišljeno za prve gubice, Melvita pa ponuja cel nabor drugih, tako da lahko gotovo najdeš najbolj primerno tudi zase.

I apply La Roche Posay Effaclar Duo Unifiant every morning after my morning routine. The cream has only slight coverage so it cannot act as a liquid foundation for me personally, but I feel it evens out my complexion nicely, covers up a bit of hyper-pigmentation I have remaining from my pregnancy and gives the skin a nice glow. It's definitely a product that makes me feel a bit more put together during everyday work and playing with my son.

La Roche Posay Effaclar Duo Unifiant vsak dan uporabim zjutraj po osnovni negi obraza. Gre za res rahlo prekriven izdelek, ki vsaj meni osebno ne more nadomestiti tekoče podlage, vendar pa se mi zdi, da prav lepo poenoti polt, malo zakrije hiperpigmentacijo, ki mi je ostala od nosečnosti in da koži zdrav sijaj. Vsekakor izdelek, zaradi katerega se počutim malo bolj urejena tudi med vsakdanjimi domačimi opravili in igro z mojim sinčkom.

Ebelin Gel Eyeliner brush turned out to be a really nice surprise. My previous brush lost all shape and I realized it's time to get a new one. Not being able to find an alternative at the drugstore, I settled for Ebelin (DM brand) and I must admit that I wasn't expecting a whole lot. I was in for a pleasant surprise - the brush does its job well being compact enough and at the same time not too stiff so it glides along the eye nicely. It's also thin enough to create a nice wing. I would definitely recommend it and I'll also have a closer look at other Ebelin brushes.

Ebelin čopič za gel eyeliner se je izkazal za prav prijetno presenečenje. Moj prejšnji čopič je izgubil vso obliko in ugotovila sem, da je čas za novega. Ker v drogeriji nisem našla alternative, sem se odločila za Ebelin, ki je DM znamka, pri čemer priznam, da nisem pričakovala preveč. Bila sem prijetno presenečena - čopič odlično opravi svojo nalogo, saj je dovolj kompakten, pa vseeno ne preveč čvrst, da lepo zdrsi ob očesnem loku in dovolj tanek za lepo krilce (wing) ob robu očesa. Vsekakor priporočam, sama si bom ogledala še druge Ebelin čopiče.

Catrice Matt Lip Artist in the shade 020 - Best ROSEbuddies Forever is basically a jumbo lip pencil. It dries quite quickly, the finish really is matte and on my lips it lasts quite a long time (but not as long as some liquid matte lipsticks). It doesn't dry out my lips so that's why I'm giving it an A. My pink shade with red undertone is beautiful and there are quite a few other shades to choose from.

Catrice Matt Lip Artist v odtenku 020 - Best ROSEbuddies Forever je v bistvu jumbo svinčnik za ustnice. Ob nanosu se posuši dokaj hitro, zaključek je bolj kot ne res matiran in na mojih ustnicah zdrži kar nekaj časa (vendar ne toliko, kot kakšna mat tekoča šminka). Mojih ustnic ne izsuši in že zato dobi oceno odlično! Moj rožnat odtenek z rdečimi podtoni je čudovit, na izbiro pa je še kar nekaj drugih.

Last but not least autumn favorite is the Trend It Up Contour&Glide Lipliner in the shade 401. It's a classic lip liner but its main advantages are that it lasts a really long time and its creamy texture. There is a sharpener on one end so you don't have to worry about the tip losing its shape and becoming dull. Shade 401 is pink with a bit of orange undertone and I must say that I've been looking for a lip liner in this shade for quite a while now.

Zadnji, vendar nič manj pomemben jesenski favorit pa je Trend It Up Contour&Glide Lipliner v odtenku 401. Gre za klasično črtalo za ustnice, pri čemer je njegova prednost izjemna obstojnost in kremna tekstura. Na eni strani svinčnika je tudi šilček, tako da ne gre skrbeti, tudi če konica nekoliko izgubi obliko in postane topa. Barva 401 je roza z nekoliko oranžnega podtona in moram reči, da sem črtalo za ustnice v tej barvi iskala kar nekaj časa.

These are my fall favorites - do you have any that I should definitely try out? Let me know in the comments below!

To so moji jesenski favoriti - imaš tudi ti kakšnega, ki bi ga obvezno morala preizkusiti? Svoj namig mi sporoči v komentarju.

Until next time, stay beautiful! ***** Do naslednjič, ostani čudovita!

Make-up basket #1

As I've already mentioned in my blog post schedule, I'm planning on doing a bi-weekly make-up basket. I've decided on doing so because I think that I will switch between products a lot more this way and perhaps even rediscover some forgotten gems in my stash (but that naturally doesn't mean I won't use anything else besides the mentioned items). Besides that, it will also benefit my make-up collection since I've quickly learned that each item must be cleaned before photos are taken :) 

That being said, here are the products I'll be using more for the next two weeks. 

I pulled out one of my newer purchases, the L'Oreal Infallible Mattifying base to see if it will reduce some of the shine. For foundation, I'm going to go with Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua Foundation (30 - Beige). I know I've used this a couple of times in the Autumn when I got it but I think the formula was too thin so I stopped using it. 

I'll use the Maybelline Fit Me Concealer in shade 15 which is nice for my under eye area. For setting everything, I'm going with the Maybelline Fit me Compact Powder (250 - Sun Beige) to see how it will hold my foundation in place. 

As far as contouring goes, I've had the Collection Countour Kit Highlight&Sculpt for more than six months and maybe used it once. I think the highlight is beautiful and I hope the contour shade will be appropriate for my already slightly bronzed face. On days I don't want to bother with contour, I'll use the Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Powder.

I'm also going to be using my new Golden Rose Silky Touch Blush-On in shade 207. I think this nice peachy color is absolutely perfect for spring and I can't wait to start using this beautiful blush.

I'm going to try and use up the Too Faced Shadow Insurance Primer since it's a sample and I've had it since forever. I'm excited to start properly using the Catrice Chocolate Nudes which have been on some travels with me but don't get enough love at home. 

I'll stick to my new-found awesome eyebrow duo from Freedom Makeup (Soft brown) as it's perfect to match my eyebrows to my hair at the moment. Giordani Gold eye pencil is a great soft pencil for smudged eyeliner and waterline so I'm trading my Lord&Berry liner for this one. It's also almost time to say goodbye to my Lancome Hypnose Volume-a-porter mascara so these two weeks will be our last hooray. 

I'm keeping the lip situation simple with two of the Catrice Shine Appeal Fluid Lipsticks - the lighter one in What a Melon and the darker one in Marry Berry. I'll probably need a lip liner to go with them as they are quite runny but I'll think about that another day.

That are most of the products that I'll be using for the next two weeks. If you see anything in the mix that sparks your interest and would like to see a proper review on, let me know!

Until next time, stay beautiful!

SUNDAY SPECIAL: Best of the rest 2015

Last Sunday I wrote about the make-up products that impressed me the most in 2015. This week, I’d like to share the skincare, haircare and nail products that have been my absolute favorites in 2015 (and the months after).

Let’s start with skincare. My favorite moisturizer and face mist both come from the brand Melvita. I wrote an extensive review of both already and you can check it out in this post (click). In short, my face has been mainly clean of imperfection and my skin is feeling well hydrated ever since I’ve started using these products. They are not the cheapest, but I look at it as an investment!

I’ve tried many make-up removers in 2015 and yet I keep returning to the Decleor Aroma Cleanse. This gentle cleansing milk really removes both normal and waterproof make-up off my face and leaves it feeling smooth. The 200ml bottle costs about 20 € - I buy if from my beauty salon. This bottle lasted me about six months, so it’s not overly expensive for the amount you’re getting. 

I am so bad at moisturizing my body in the colder months! Once I get out of the shower, I just want to get dressed as quickly as possible and not stand there waiting for the lotion to soak in for the next 10 minutes. The L’Occitane Jasmin-Immortelle-Neroli body lotion from the Pierre Herme line is one of those lotions that takes no time at all to sink into the skin. It leaves my body feeling well hydrated and fresh. Since I used it throughout the pregnancy and escaped without a single stretch mark, I’m giving it a 5 out of 5 points for effectiveness as well!

I like smelling fresh even after I’ve been out and about all day, but applying perfume all the time would be overdoing it, and expensive to boot. The Le Couvent Des Minimes Eau Amiable cologne is a great alternative, since the smell is not overpowering and the spray really distributes the product evenly. I tend to spray it on my clothes to make it linger a bit longer. A bottle will set you back anywhere between 15 and 30 € depending on the size and you can usually find a good deal at Müller!

I don’t usually like sticky scrubs and prefer to use dry scrubs that can be mixed with water and applied, but I’ve completely fallen in love with the Afrodita sugar scrub with brown sugar and shea butter. I used this religiously during the summer to build up a healthy tan and keep my skin supple. It also worked great at removing dead cells after the summer when my skin started to dry up due to the heating. At about 5 € per jar (I think it would last you about a month if used at every showering session) it’s a bargain! After using this scrub, you won’t need any body lotion since it will leave your skin feeling soft I and well hydrated.

Nail polish is one of my weaknesses and I tend to stick to higher end brands that really deliver on the promise of true color and longevity. However, I’ve received a few polishes from the new Avon lines and I’ve really been loving both the Mineral Crush (from Magic Effects) and Gel finish polishes (so much so that I’ve ordered a whole bunch of them in different shades). The effect of  the Mineral crush line on the nails is especially fun and I’ve gotten a whole bunch of compliments on it!

Last but not least, let’s talk about hair. I rarely talk about anything that I receive in sample size (or a deluxe sample size) since I often cannot get a real feel of the product before it runs out. However I can firmly say that the Paul Mitchell Lavender Mint shampoo and conditioner from the Teatree line have been my absolute favorite hair products in the year 2015! Each time I used this combo, my hair felt really clean and amazingly soft. A 300ml bottle of each costs about 20 € which is a lot but used sparingly it can last you a long time. It’s also not much more expensive then the Joico products I’ve been using so far so I’m definitely going to treat myself to the full size in the future! You can buy them in several online stores or in hair salons around you.

I tried using less leave-in products in the past year since I’ve been instructed by my hairdresser to let them breathe as much as possible. With the exception of hair oil once in every blue moon, I’ve stuck to my Beauty Works 10in1 Miracle Spray. It promises a lot (nourishes, detangles, prevents split ends, enhances natural body etc.) but as for me, I’ve just found that it gives my hair a lot of volume and a nice smell while also keeping the frizz of baby hair in check to a certain extent. At 15 € per bottle it’s priced reasonably and I’ll definitely repurchase it after it runs out.

That’s it for the products that I’ve been loving the most in 2015. Did you find any of your favorites among them? Next Sunday, keep your eyes open for the disappointing ones! And don't forget - you've got two more days to enter the giveaway! Find the instructions here!

Until then, stay beautiful!

SUNDAY SPECIAL: Best of 2015: Make-up

Yes, I know, I know – doing 2015 favorites in May isn’t exactly current. But nevertheless, I wanted to share the make-up products that impressed me the most in 2015 with you. It was difficult to choose the best of the best, but here are the ones that I enjoyed the most. I suggest you get a cup of coffee and a snack, since it’s going to be a looooong post!

Let’s start with the face. As I mentioned in my Friday Superstarts post about Melvita, my skin has really been acting up during pregnancy, so I used a very heavy-duty foundation – the Estee Lauder Double wear in 1W2 (Sand). It’s not the easiest foundation to apply since it’s very heavy and you definitely feel it on the skin, but it conceals imperfections perfectly. It’s also not the cheapest foundation on the market but a definite must from now on in my make-up drawer. 

The problem with using such heavy foundation is that the fact ends up looking flat, two-dimensional. For that reason, I enjoyed using the Gerard Cosmetics BB Illumination Facial Cream and mixed a couple of drops in with the foundation on days when I wanted to give my face a bit more life. The cream comes in a tan shade so it doesn’t change your foundation color if used sparingly. At about 22 € per 50 ml, it’s not exactly a cheap product, but I think it will last me at least two years, so I think it’s a good purchase.

In 2015 I’ve been loving two concealers. The first is the Coleur Caramel concealer (n. 12) which is a creamy concealer in a salmon shade – I already wrote about it here. I use it to cover up my dark circles and it does the job beautifully. I bought mine in Muller. The second concealer I used all the time is the Maybelline Fit me concealer in n.10 – it is a good match for my skin so I use it to cover any imperfections. Since it’s a liquid concealer, I use a Beauty Blender to really blend it in and the results are more than satisfying. I am not sure if these are available in Slovenia yet since I bought mine in Austria, but you can order them from various online stores.

I am a big believer in setting the foundation and the product I used the most in 2015 and the months leading to this post is the Avon Ideal Flawless pressed powder in light medium.  It works really well with any brush I use and doesn’t produce a lot of kick-out which I’ve come to associate with many other pressed powders. I am also a big fan of the sturdy packaging with a large mirror. 

I won’t do a lot of talking about Mary-Lou Manizer from the Balm since it’s one of the most loved highlighters among beauty bloggers so you’ve surely read about it before. Since shooting these photos I’ve already hit pan on it and that’s saying something considering I own about 10 other highlighters as well. If you don’t own one, go ahead and buy it – you can get it at Licila.si for about 22 € and I guarantee you won’t regret it. 

The Kat Von D Shade & Light contour palette is my second attempt to buy a good contouring palette after I hated the Anastasia BH palette – you can read about that here. This palette gives me everything I need and more to give some real dimension for my face. I use the middle shade on the top, named lyric, for highlighting and the bottom left shade, named sombre, for contour, so those are the shades I use the most, but I also use others for different purposes – I sometimes do a light dusting of upper left shade (lucid) over my entire eye to cover the redness and veins on days I’m not wearing any eyeshadow, and I use the bottom far right shade (subconsciously) for my eyebrows when my hair color is a bit darker. I absolutely love this palette and I can’t wait to get my hands on some more Kat Von D products since I think they are absolutely gorgeous. If you want to see a more detailed review of this palette, let me know in the comments below!

Last but not least in the face category is the Urban Decay De-slick Makeup setting spray. This is my second bottle and I will probably keep repurchasing it although it’s again not the cheapest setting spray out there. I tend to use it more in the summer to prevent my face from shining like a lightbulb and to make sure my make-up doesn’t sweat off. 

By now you must be thinking – it’s easy to get a good face going on if you spend 20+ Euro on each product. True, I think that I spend the most money to make my skin look good, but I find that the most important part of my make-up routine so I really don’t think about money much when buying new items – I am much more stingy in other areas as make-up is concerned.

 Continuing with the eyes, I’ve been loving two mascaras, one high-end and one drugstore priced. The Lancome Hypnose Volume-a-porter mascara gives my lashes a nice length and the bristles are really designed in a way that they coat each individual lash. But if you’re looking for something that’s also kind to your wallet, I’d suggest you try the Giordani Gold Incredible Length Mascara! This mascara gave me both volume and length. The wand is the perfect size for my eye and the bristles are long and close together. The formula is a bit thicker as in the Lancome mascara so it did clump up faster, but I got a solid three months out of it which is more than enough in my opinion. 

I was curious to try  the Avon Eyeshadow Primer – Light Beige. I can now say that it easily compares to the more expensive eye primers I’ve used before and really does the job well. I have quite oily eyelids so I was worried about the thicker texture, but it doesn’t crease at all. I also sometimes use it to cancel out the veins in my eyes even when not using any eyeshadow and it works great. The amount of the product in the jar is impressive and I can barely tell I’ve been using mine after a solid two months so I think that it’s definitely worth a try if you’re on a hunt for a good primer!

As for eyeliners, I didn’t really have a favorite in the liquid category last year, but I’ve again been loving the Lord&Berry pencil eyeliner which I talked so much about already. I use it mainly in my waterline and it doesn’t transfer at all. I now have four of these so I expect them to last me quite some time. 

Last but not least I have been loving the Golden Rose eyebrow powder. They come in quite a few shades so I was able to match my eyebrows to my hair quite well. What I love about this powder is the fact that it works beautifully with all of my brushes so I don’t have to give a second thought to which one I’m going to grab. And as all Golden Rose products, it’s really inexpensive for the amount of product you’re getting!

Last but not least, let’s talk about lipsticks. 2015 wasn’t that good to me in that department (but that changed in 2016 dramatically with the matte and neutral trend) so I only have four lip products to share with you. 

The first one is again by Golden Rose and it’s their Golden Rose Matte Lipstick Crayon in color 04 which is a nice plumy red color. I’ve worn this a ton during autumn. I usually just dab a couple of spots on my lips and then smudge them out with my fingers since the color is quite deep and I often didn’t have the time to apply it properly, let alone reapply it when on the go. I’ve already purchased this crayon in another color since it’s an absolute must in any collection as far as I’m concerned.

I’ve been loving the liquid lipsticks that so many brands came out with in the past year. My absolute favorite were the Essence liquid lipsticks in 04 Show Off (above) and 06 – Make a statement (below). The price of these is a bargain and I love the way they easily apply with the doe foot wand. Although they are in liquid form, these liquid lipsticks are more than reasonably pigmented and you can apply them in no time at all!

Finally, I also enjoyed the Essence lipstick from the Merry Berry collection in shade Pink & Perfect. This lipstick is a nice, deep purple red with a nice shine to it. It’s a bit different from the shades and a bit too dark to wear to work, but I really enjoyed wearing it when out and about and got quite a few compliments on it. As all Essence products, this purchase didn’t really affect my bank balance at all.

And this is it for my make-up favorites in 2015. Let me know some of yours in the comments below so I can check them out!

Until next time, stay beautiful!

Midyear favorites 2015

You may have noticed that I stopped doing monthly favorites about 6 months ago. The reason is quite simple – I don't have many new favorites every month, so I prefer not to talk about products until I have a firm opinion about them. With that in mind, I give you my mid-year favorites for 2015 – the products I used and loved in the first six months of this year.

Let's start with body products. I've talked about both of these before. 

My first favorite is Nivea In-Shower Body Milk with shea butter. I love the idea of moisturizing while taking a shower and it really saves me a lot of time. I prefer this formula for dry skin to the one for normal skin – the shea butter really gives it the additional *umph*.

Secondly, I've really been enjoying my Stenders Salt Scrub in Rose and it's not long before I'll completely run out. It's a fine scrub with some rose petals in it – it gets rid of the old epidermis and also moisturizes, since it's oil based. The only downside is the amount of time you'll need to scrub your shower clean after using it. 

For hair, I haven't found my new favorite shampoo&conditioner combo just yet. The only thing I am including here is my Kerastase Elixir Ultime. I apply this to my roots and about 10 cm up after each wash and I feel I've had lot less split and dry hair in the past few months. This product is quite expensive, but the bottle will last you ages, since you need the smallest amount per day / per wash.

Too many open mascaras...

After a long night of dreaming about Nepal (and a quite dashing young gentleman (see my Instagram for more details on that one) - and not really getting much sleep, doing a post that requires close-up photos of my eyes probably isn't  the best idea, but still, here it goes. As you may already know, I have quite a hoarding problem when it comes to mascaras and I've gone through my pile to see what I need to talk about and discard and what I can keep using for a few more months.

This is what I came up with – six mascaras in total. Don’t judge.

Needless to say, not all of them are great, so let’s do it the same way we did the other time – from worst to best. By the way, all photos of lashes are one coat without any curling. 

I generally adore Maybelline mascaras, but the Great Lash mascara did absolutely nothing for me at all.

Maybelline Great Lash

It won several Allure’s “best of” titles and I was so sure that this really was the holy grail mascara I picked it up the second I saw it. Well, I wish that I would have checked the wand before I did that, because now that I know what to look for, it seems obvious that the bristles are set so far apart that they will each hug a bunch of lashes at the same time and just create these thick spidery lashes.

Now, some of you may enjoy this effect, but I really hate it. It’s also a very wet mascara which transfers like crazy on my eyelids and under my waterline. I would not recommend it, not at all. 

April Favorites

Another month rolled by and I almost can’t believe that it’s almost been a year since I started writing this blog :) Anyway, April brought some new, wonderful discoveries for me, and I also found some of my old friends lurking in the back of that closet that I keep mentioning all the time. 

Quite a few were already mentioned in my other posts, so let’s start with those. First is the Lord&Berry liner that I received in the LookFantastic beauty box about a month ago. It’s been well loved but I’m determined to use the very last inch of it. You can read more about it here – and thank me later when you go and buy it ;)

Essence Longlasting Lip Liner in Yummy Berry

Another favorite that I only recently became acquainted with is the Essence Longlasting lip liner. I love quite a few colors, but as I already mentioned in this post, the Yummy Berry is my favorite. I need to go out and buy a few back-up’s in case it makes a disappearing act from the shelves.

A – Z Favorites

I recently learned about this tag from a fellow blogger and I must say that it is quite a fun one, since it really will make you go through your collection and pick out the things you absolutely love the most. Basically, you choose your favorite cosmetics item for each of the letters in the alphabet, hence the A to Z name. Here are my favorites!

A – Avon Advanced Techniques leave-in conditioner. I have talked about it here already. It's my favorite conditioner and I will continue to use it on a daily basis. It gives my hair a little bit of nutrition and leaves it silky and shiny for the day, with the added bonus of a great scent. 

B – Benefit They're real! mascara. I didn't like this mascara at first but after I left it open for about a month, it quickly became my favorite. It gives a ton of volume and really holds the curl for the entire day. It's beginning to flake a bit so I'll probably have to let it go soon, but I will repurchase it as well. 

C – Catrice All matt plus foundation. Some of you suggested I try a Catrice foundation and although I was sceptical at first, I've already gone through half of the bottle in a month. It has great coverage without feeling heavy and leaves my skin matte for hours without any touch-ups. My absolute favorite foundation of 2015 so far. 

D – Dvorec Trebnik bath salts. I just happen to have the Marigold salts opened right now, but I've tried many different scents and have loved them all. I already wrote about it here. Honestly, I've never taken as many baths as I do now since I've discovered this brand!

E – Essence Longlasting lipliner. I've got a separate post about these lip liners coming up so I don't want to reveal too much, but since I'm putting them among my favorites, you can guess that I'm absolutely in love with them!