SUNDAY SPECIAL: Recent beauty disappointments

As you probably know from your own experience, not everything in sunshine and rainbows in beauty land - every once in a while we all encounter products we expected a lot from but didn't perform as we hoped for. And since I like to write honest reviews about the products I use, it's only fair that I also talk about the ones I didn't like. I will say that I love these brands, just not these products, and while the products did not work for me, you might like them - I am just stating my own personal experience.

MONDAY MADNESS: NBB (New bits and bobs) from June - review

It's that time of the month again - time to look back at the products I bought in June (*click* for the original post) and have been trying out for the past couple of weeks. I haven't had a chance to use all of them, but if I have an opinion, you'll find it below. As always, it's a long one - but by now you probably don't even need that warning, right? :)

I really like the Aussie Festival Fresh Dry Shampoo - you can read my review and comparison with Batiste dry shampoo *here*. I also tried and loved the Avon Senses Joyful tropics shower gel - the scent (papaya and peach) is a bit sweeter than I normally like, but this one somehow agreed with me. I'm still waiting to try the Artdeco Senses Asian Spa shower gel, as well as both Afrodita goodies. I did however give a go to the Biobaza deodorant and so far, I'm not too impressed. These sunny, hot and humid days are a real make-or-break test for any deodorant though, so I'll hold off on the final verdict. 

FRIDAY SUPERSTAR: Artdeco Long Lashes mascara

Over the years I've grown a bit cynical about mascaras that promise to give long lashes. It seems like 90 % of mascaras on the market give that claim and than fail to deliver, at least in my (or better said, on my) eyes. So I wasn't expecting much from this particular mascara, to be quite honest. I did however love the look of it the first time I took it out of the box - it's one of the prettiest things in my bathroom right now.

I however quickly changed my opinion about the performance the first time I used it. It gives me incredibly long and voluminous lashes in a single coat but without clumping. The color itself is one of the darkest black I've seen in a long time, if ever. The formula is quite thick which is another reason why a single coat does the job. It has no smell I could detect which means it's probably good for more sensitive eyes as well.

The wand is hourglass shaped, meaning you can really get your lashes from the inner corner to the outer lashes in a single swipe. It looks like nothing much, but it works wonders. The only thing I'm concerned is how this shape will perform when the formula goes even thicker - will it start to clump or will the color distribute normally? Stay tuned for that.

Anyway, so far I am really impressed with this mascara and it will probably become a staple in my collection. I like to have at least one mascara that I can rely on to perform wonderfully every time (while testing others that might not do the job as well) so I'm happy to have another go-to product that's easily available. 

You can buy this mascara in Muller drugstores or online *here*. It will set you back 14,95 € which almost half the price of my other favorite, the Lancome Hypnose mascara. I must admit that I've neglected the Artdeco brand for quite some time, but now I have a feeling that some more wonderful products might be hidden in the line and I'll continue on my search for them.

Until next time, stay beautiful!

MONDAY MADNESS: New Bits And Bobs (NBB) for June 2016

I must admit that it didn't exactly feel like I was shopping that much or received that many goodies as in the previous months. But when I hauled everything to the seaside and started taking photos, I realized that I might have a lot going on here. I already spoke briefly about some new products you'll see below, but generally, this is the overview of everything I bought or received this month.

Also, be prepared for a long one next month as well - June is my b-day month and I always go a little overboard when ordering new things, but most of them are yet to arrive :)

My monthly make-up basket - July 2016

Originally, I was planning on doing two make-up baskets per month, but let’s face it, even I don’t have that much make-up to constantly swap items, so I am afraid that it would become rather boring. Instead, I’ll be doing this once a month and doing some additional reviews on the Monday I now have free to post whatever I like :)

So here are some of the products that I’ll be using and hopefully loving for the next few weeks.

Starting with the face, I’ll still be using the L’Oreal Infallible primer, but I actually bought the foundation to go along with it – the L’Oreal Infallible 24h-matte (in shade Sand). I hear that the combination works well together so I’m excited to give it a go.  The shade of foundation is perhaps a tad too dark at the moment, but as I’m typing this from my seaside vacation, I’m sure that will probably change in a couple of days or so.

WEDNESDAY SELECTION: Artdeco Latest Trends in Makeup

The new products that I showcase in the Wednesday selection post are more often than not something that I receive a PR notification about, but today's post is a bit different, since I got some first hand information about this line. 

Yesterday, I was lucky enough to attend the launch of a new line hosted by Artdeco and Grazia Magazine. I brought baby M along and he had a blast, being one of the two men (the other one was a baby boy one day older than him, so he was in good company) in a crowd of adoring women, meaning I had my hands free to take some good pics for you :)

The new line is all about layering - contouring and strobing, to be more precise. It includes eleven new products:

FRIDAY SUPERSTAR: Grazia Beauty Award Winners 2016

This Thursday, the Slovenian issue of Grazia Magazine gave out the Beauty Awards for the first time in Slovenian history. Among 111 products, seven beauty experts chose winners in different categories. We also got to vote, but I haven’t gotten any feedback from Grazia if our votes counted in any way (will update if I find out).

Anyway, here are the winners. All the photos (which are gorgeous, are from the Grazia website, give them some love *here*).

Life changing product: Vichy Dermablend

I have not tried this product yet. It is supposed to cover minor to major imperfections, such as redness, dark circles and uneven skin surface).

I voted for: Vichy Dermablend, because Nika from Beautyfull Blog gave it a big thumbs up :)

Empties #2

I can't believe how time flies. It's less than 2 weeks until December and less than a week until my first ever Christmas giveaway :) Are you excited? I know I am. 

Anyhow, I've again gathered a whole bunch of empty products which I have more or less firm opinions on already. I think that these particular empties are much more random than the first ones, so I tried to put them into categories to make things easier on all of us. As usual, I will also answer the »would I repurchase« question with each of them, since it's what really counts in my opinion.  

First up, four random products that I really don't know where to put. First are the Dvorec Trebnik bath salt and Biodent mouthwash. 

I picked up this Dvorec Trebnik salt on a whim in Mercator one day. I don't really have the time to take long baths on a regular basis, but I must admit I've taken a lot more since I've bought this product. It gives the water a smell of a luxury spa. The granules are a bit slow to disintegrate so I usually put them in the bath before I start running the water. I've used up the bottle in about 2 months, but then again, I probably use way too much of the product, to be honest. I repurchased it in the Vanilla scent but I actually prefer the orange one. 

The Biodent mouthwash perhaps doesn't exactly fall in the beauty category, but I think that beauty is also hidden in a pretty smile. I think we have tried every mouthwash out there in our household and while I didn't mind most of them, my hubby hated all except for this Biodent brand (which, incidentally, is the cheapest one out there). So it's become a staple in our home and I will continue to repurchase it. 

Next up, we have my even favourite deodorant – Axe Anarchy for her. This is a budget alternative to buying a really luxury product that you match to your perfume – Axe Anarchy costs about 4 € (I've only seen in in Mercator and Müller). It's not an antiperspirant which is great and it really lasts for 12+ hours of furious pace, which is even better (or a must, to be honest). This was my fourth bottle and I will continue to purchase these in bulk because I'm scared they will stop producing it. It was already included in my first empties and I expect it to make another appearance soon :)

 

Nivea makes my all-time favourite cotton pads. I use these for a number of different things and it's the reason why I go through a pack every two weeks, if not more. They don't stick, they are reasonably thick, they soak up whichever product so that it's not running around on my fingers and the floor and – perhaps most important – they don't tear. I hate it when a piece of a cotton pad gets stuck on the lashes or on the fingernail. I think these are about the most expensive cotton pads out there, though, so if anyone knows a good alternative, let me know in the comments below. I do repurchase these all the time.

I've gone through another nail polish remover – the Uma cosmetics Acetone Free remover with the coconut smell. I wasn't too impressed with how it got rid of glitter, but then again, I am yet to find a polish remover that could really tackle that issue well. For the normal nail polishes, it was OK. I also quite liked the smell of it, to be honest. I will probably repurchase this eventually but there are many more out there I want to try before. 

Regarding the nail care, I am all done with the Artdeco intensive nail care stick, which dried up on me. It's good, but the Essence nail sticks are a complete dupe and much less expensive, so I would not repurchase this. I have however already repurchased the Essence nail polish corrector stick which was also included in my October favourites. 

In the hair department, we have a regular size product and two samples. I bought the Cristalli di Argan in DM for about 5 € with the 50% off coupon. I would expect a LOT from a 10 € bottle of shampoo, but, alas, this shampoo was nothing special. I especially did not like that it produced very little foam which meant that I used up even more than I would of the regular drugstore shampoos. I would not repurchase this, or anything else from this particular line. 

The Philip Kingsley products I already talked about in my September favourites and now I've finally gone through the deluxe samples – I had about 4 uses from each of them, which means that a little goes a long way. I will not repeat myself on how much I love this product – I will purchase the full size as a Christmas gift for myself.

Last but not least, there are the face products. I have raved back and forth about the Yes to (grapefruit) facial wipes in my review. I am using the blueberry ones at the moment and they are great as well, but I really think I will repurchase these grapefruit wipes again since I found them more refreshing. 

The Catrice All matt powder (sorry, the packaging is so busted on the top that you cannot see anything at all – I had to read a sticker in the back) was a great product for about 6 months and then it dried up completely. It is really inexpensive so I would probably buy this again for travel and not have to worry if something unpleasant happens to it or I lose it. But I have tried other pressed powders in the last few months and although they are more expensive, the price: quality ratio was in my opinion better as well. 

Last, we have a mini sample of Paula's choice Skin Balancing Invisible Finish Moisture Gel – a big name for a small product. I can hardly believe that this small sample was enough for 4 days – you really only need a tiny amount of product for the entire face. I am really excited to get this daily moisturizer since I have a feeling that we will be good friends. 

Is there an empty in this post that you have other opinion on? I would love to hear from you – comment below!

Until next time, stay beautiful, stay awesome!

Nail Polish Graveyard - a very looong post!

Today, I went into DM and bought some new nail polishes. But while doing that, I honestly could not remember if I owned some particular colors already which was quite worrying. So when I came home I immediately went and opened the drawer with nail stuff. This is what I was looking at. 

No wonder I didn’t know what colors I owned and I was using three of the nail polishes around the clock, not really paying attention to any others. Anyhow, I dragged everything out in the open. 

I then organized them by color and split them into three basic groups – keep, give (to friends or my mum) or throw away. Let’s start with the first group – the white or pearl polishes.  Descriptions are always from left to right. If you are not a fan of nail polishes, this is the time to click out of this post because I can tell it’s going to be a really, really long one. Like, super long. Think War and Peace long. 

First up is the Catrice – The peach boys. This I got quite recently and love it – it’s a pearl color with a bit of a shimmer but still basic enough to make for a neutral nail. Keep. Next, the Maybelline Colorama – number 51. It’s a very milky white which looks almost translucent. I use this polish as a base for stronger colors – it tends to really bring out the color of the polish I put over it. Keep. Then we have Nivea Sea Extracts Manicure in Vanilla. This I have had for ages, it separated and looked gross. Throw away. Last up, the Maybelline Mini Colorama (51 French white). I use this for French manicure. It’s a bit old but until I find another good white polish for the tips, it will have to do. Keep.

 I was under the impression that I had a ton of pink polishes, but obviously that is not true. First, we have the Alessandro shimmer (I guess Alessandro polishes don’t have names?). It’s very soft pink with a lot of shimmer so it’s a bit too bright to look very natural. At the same time, it’s not too out there that I would not be able to wear it to work. A great polish and definitely a keeper. That is not true for the Maybelline Colorama in soft pink. This is such a bland color that I have no use for it. Donate. Last up, there’s the most recent addition to this color group – the Essie Muchi Muchi. It’s the perfect baby pink with minimal shimmer, but unfortunately it’s so translucent it requires three layers for me to be happy with the color. Still, it will remain with me until something better comes along. Keep. 

 On the other hand, I have more purple polishes than I thought I had. First one is the Essie Sittin’ pretty – it’s a beautiful autumn color and I will be wearing this a lot. Since it’s a pastel, you could rock this the entire year. Most Essie polishes also have great brushes that make your manicure super easy and fast. Keep. I am donating the Essence Color&Go in Purple Sugar – it’s much too bright and I never, ever reach for it. I have a particular friend in mind who will love it. Although I am not crazy about the color or the brush (very big and difficult to control), I am also keeping the Essence Colour&Go in Prom Berry. It’s a color I would not wear in everyday life because it’s too dark for me, but I would reach for it for some special occasion or nail art. It’s probably in the same category with the Maybelline white one – the “until a better one comes along” category, that is. Last up, there is my newest addition – the Essence Rock Out in Best Female which I picked up today. I thought it was a dark purple with shimmer but after trying it out I realized it’s more of a shimmer topcoat. Still loving it – I will get a lot of use out of it. Obviously, keeping that one. 

 This next category is kind of random, but still. There is the Alessandro mini in Bubble gum. Again, not a color I would wear every day but it would be nice for special occasion or nail art. Until it separates, I am keeping it. I am donating the Sally Hansen Insta-dri in Expresso. This color looked great to me in the bottle but looks like something from my cat’s litter box on my nails. I doubt that any of my friends will even want it, to be honest. I am keeping the Avon (Racy) – it’s nothing special, but I like the dark berry red with pink undertones – it’s quite unique and I’ve only had this for a couple of months. Also a keeper is my quite recent addition of Essie Bahama mama – I think that it was also featured in my October favorites. It’s a great autumn color and I will be rocking it this fall :)

 I love my reds. I really, really love my reds. If I was living in USA, I would probably be a republican only to justify wearing only red nail polish all the time. But jokes aside, these five polishes are all keepers  that I don’t even give a second thought to getting rid of. The Chanel Marilyn is absolutely flawless red with pink undertones and shimmer. I wear this throughout the year on my fingers and toes. In my opinion, Chanel polishes have the best brushes out there, followed closely by OPI. This particular OPI is the true red that every woman should own. It only has a tiny bit of shimmer and as said a great brush. It’s definitely one of my favorites. The Bourjois Anti-choc (again, no name?) is also a great red color, but on nails it has a slight orange undertone. Very unique and definitely worth buying. The brush is funny – shaped kind of like a brow brush so you can “fix the polish” more easily in those 10 days it promises to last. Next polish, the Alessandro on the far right, has been with me for quite some time now so we will soon have to part ways. But it’s a darker red with a touch of glitter, totally appropriate for work and my long-lasting love. For some reason, it chips more than other Alessandro polishes I own, but this could be due to its age. And finally the Maybelline Colorama (n. 75) which is a nice red, close to OPI, but demands more coats. Still very good value for money. 

 Than we have this last completely random category of various colors. The Essie Mint Candy has been with me since this summer and was also featured in my Favorites. A great color for spring and summer, not so much for colder months. The texture of this polish is for some reason the best out of all Essie polishes I own. Keep. Next, the Rimmel Rita Ora collection polish in Orgasm. I am a bit late jumping on the orange bandwagon, so this polish will have to wait its turn until the warmer months come again. I am not sure it will fit my complexion, but that remains to be seen. It’s a very new addition along with the Catrice Golden Plum from their most recent collection. It’s probably the most gorgeous packaging I’ve ever seen on a Catrice product and the color is an amazing brown/gray/brown shimmery mixture that I can’t wait to try out right now. Last in this miscellaneous group is the Alessandro black polish that is actually part of the Croco effect nails. I should probably do a post using these but it’s many times such a mess that I can’t bring myself to do it. Then again, I probably will and throw it away afterwards. 

 Shimmers make me happy when I’m putting them on but very unhappy when I’m removing them from my nails which is probably the reason I don’t use them all that often. I am keeping all of these since they are very different. Essence (Time for Romance) has larger pieces of shimmer which look great on the nails. The only downside is that they are a bit difficult to distribute evenly across all the nails. Zoya Pixie dust has much smaller specks and is easier to apply and remove as well. I have had this for some time now but it still seems completely full so I’ll probably never run out of it. Like, ever. Keeping it. The Alessandro silver shimmer is from the Croco effect nails as well – it’s a bit more pigmented so it could also be used individually but I will keep this either way because when used with a light hand, it gives a glow to a matte polish if you have something like that in mind. Also, great for nail art. Last but not least in this category is Mavala Sparkling bronze. I have used this again and again over the years, especially in the holiday season. Just a coat of this over a pearl polish creates the most simple festive nails which I will be recreating this year as well. 

 I have no idea where I got this Kiss Base and Top coat Multi-tasker. I’ve had it forever and got really got use out of it, but unfortunately, it is so old that I will be throwing it away. Two Essie Good-to-go top coats that I raved about in my summer favorites as well – I have no idea why I have two open bottles but I use this so much that it will not go to waste.  The only polish that I have ever found that really dries the nails in about a minute. Priceless in my book. The Sally Hansen Double Duty was raved about by several bloggers but I’m not too keen about it. Maybe it’s only this bottle that has gone bad in a couple of months, but it has some small particles inside that make my nails uneven and sticky instead of giving me a nice base coat to work with. I am throwing it away as soon as I but a new one. I am keeping the Essence pro white effect nail polish for clubbing (it shines in the dark which is probably tacky to the young generation but I get a kick out of it), but I am giving away this small Alessandro top coat which I never use anyway. 

In the care department, I am probably a bit malnourished, for a lack of a better word. I am throwing away this Essence love your nails! cuticle oil, simply because I’ve had it forever. It did its job very well, so I would probably repurchase it. But for now, I will continue using the LCN Nail Moisturizer – it can be used on the nails as well but I mainly use it for my cuticles. It makes any nail care much easier and makes sure that I can push back the cuticles painlessly. It is quite pricey though so there are surely better alternatives out there. This Beautytime Ridge Filler made my brains go ??? when I took it out of the container. I have no memory of buying it or ever using it, to be honest. In the trash it goes. Same is true for the Alessandro Express Nail Hardner. I have a vague recollection of buying this but I know I will never go through all the paces of actually giving it an honest go. So again, trash, along with my Artdeco nail care stick. There was nothing wrong with this product, but it has dried up completely. I am keeping the Essence Nail Cuticle Softner Pencil. It’s a great and inexpensive product which moisturizes the cuticles and the area around the nails to perfection. The cap is shaped perfectly to give yourself a quick manicure even if you are lacking the proper tools. 

Don’t get upset, I told you that it’s going to be long :) What I really want to know is which nail polish you would choose out of all my polishes, if you could? Is there one that you would never wear? Let me know in the comments (also – hint – the Christmas giveaway is coming up and I’d love to know what to include in the goody bag). 

Until next time, stay beautiful, stay awesome!