MONDAY MADNESS: NBB (New Bits and Bobs) from July - review

It's that time of the month again. The day of verdict when I can tell you what I thought about the new products I bought or received in the month of July.

I must say that I really like the Biobaza make-up remover. I only need a single pump to remove the non waterproof make-up and another pump for the face. I also think this bottle will last me about a year, so the value is amazing. 

The Verde Vera hand cream is nothing special, to be honest. It's not very nourishing, it doesn't smell that great - basically, it's the kind of product you forget you own all the time. 

I have used the Avon Sun Light Spray during the vacation, but as my hair is currently going through some kind of hormonal meltdown, I can hardly be an honest judge of it. I can say that it smells wonderfully, though. 

I promised myself I would save this Victoria's Secret Exotic Fragrance Lotion until next summer, but I cracked under pressure. It's another great product, smells great, absorbs quickly and leaves my skin nice and soft. Not something I'd write home about, but a really good product nonetheless. 

The same can be said for the Bath&Bodyworks PocketBac sanitizers. They are now evenly distributed throughout my purses and I'm set for at least one year. I am partial to the Cool Coconut colada, simply because... coconut!

Avon Nailwear Pro+ in Minty is one of my favorite nail polishes of all times - and I feel quite certain in saying that. It's well pigmented, doesn't chip very quickly and I'm absolutely in love with the shade. I can't say the same for the Deborah Gel Effect polish which unfortunately doesn't agree with my skin tone. I am also on the fence about the Kiss Vita base coat since it doesn't seem to a) make my nails any stronger or b) prolong the lifespan of my manicure. I'll have to find something better - if you have a good suggestion for a base coat, please let me know in the comments!

Now for make-up. First, there is the famous Benefit Cheekathon palette - you can read the review *here*.

I also wrote individual reviews about the Nabla bronzer in Cameo (*click here* to read it - it's a great bronzer!), the Cover FX Custom Cover Drops (the review can be found *here* - it's one of my all time favorite products) and the Golden Rose Longstay Liquid lipstick (the review is *here* - I wasn't a fan). I also had a go at my Laura Mercier translucent powder which is quite OK, but the real test will come in the winter when the foundation and concealer get heavier and are more likely to crease. The Beautyblender is still waiting to be used, but I reviewed that so many times already that I probably won't do it again. Last but not least is the Nabla lip liner which I totally missed the color - it's much lighter than any of my nude lipsticks so I'm still thinking of ways to use it. 

And that concludes the short reviews of the products I bought or received last month. If you want more information about any of the products, let me know in the comments below. 

Until next time, stay beautiful!

SUNDAY SPECIAL: Benefit Cheekathon (review & swatches)

I have wanted this palette from the second I first laid my eyes on it at the Sephora website. So when opportunity arose (thanks, Urša!), I made sure to have it join my collection.

The packaging is quite sturdy and closes with a magnet. It’s also super pretty, if you’re into such girly things (sure you are, just admit it). When opened, you’re facing five full size Benefit face products and a brush with natural bristles. There are four blushes: Dandelion, Dallas, Coralista and Rockateur, and the Hoola bronzer.

MONDAY MADNESS: New Bits and Bobs for July 2016

It's the same story every month - I don't really feel like I'm shopping at all, but at the end of the month when I try to take a photo of all new products, I fail miserably. So yes, there are a few missing in the photo above. 

Let's start with some bigger things. I'm going to start using this Biobaza 3-1 cleanser this week since I just ran out of my previous one from L'Oreal yesterday. I got sent the Avon Sun Light spray - perfect timing as my vacation is quickly approaching. I bought the Verde Vera hand cream in Spar because I like the packaging and I also like having a cream in a jar for the kitchen.

WEDNESDAY SELECTION: Sephora shopping list

I am fortunate enough to do quite a bit of traveling, but since the long travels will have to be postponed for a year or so with the baby in the house, I’m also lucky enough to have friends that travel and are willing to indulge my obsessions (addictions, insanity – however you want to call them). 

Anyway, I have a very good girlfriend leaving for the States in a couple of weeks and this is my shopping list for her. Let me just say that June is also my birthday month so technically I will be getting some of these things as gifts, so it’s not as crazy as it looks. Really, it’s not. I promise. 

I’m a sucker for the value sets which really are great value for money in my opinion. This time, I have four  quite a few on my list.

SEPHORA LASHSTASH TO GO (28 $, 57 $ value)

 

This set includes five deluxe samples of mascaras (Marc Jacobs O!Mega Lash, Milk Makeup Ubame, Too Faced Better then sex, Tarte Tarteist and Ciate London) and a voucher for a full size mascara of any of the above. I’m debating whether to go for a repeat of Too Faced mascara or try the Marc Jacobs one – I’m still undecided about this. 

SEPHORA PAINT IT PINK (40 $, 122 $ value)

  

I really hope this set will still be available by the time my friend hits the stores. It includes: Benefit Cosmetics Roller Lash (deluxe sample), Deborah Lippmann nail polish in Baby love, Laura Mercier Velour, Lovers lip color (full size - $28), MakeUp Forever Artist Plexi-Gloss (deluxe sample), Urban Decay eyeshadow in Scratch (full size - $19), Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector in Rose Gold (deluxe sample), a Beautyblender (regular - $20) and the Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-hour Blush in Blissful (deluxe sample). As you can see, the full size items alone are $67 so it really is great value. I haven’t used a single item from this except for the Beautyblender so I’m keeping my fingers crossed.

Alternative: BECCA SHIMMERING SKIN PERFECTOR (20 $) 

Since I really want to see what the fuss is all about with the Becca Shimmering Skin perfectors so if the option above fails, I would like to get my hands on the Glow On The Go set that includes deluxe samples of Shimmering Skin Perfector in Opal in both pressed and liquid version.

SEPHORA FAVORITES TIME TO PRIME (25 $, $51 value)

 I am a big sucker for primers and so far all of the best ones in my life were purchased at Sephora. But these are not just face primers – no, no – these are ALL the primers: Bite Beauty Line & Define (lip primer), Formula X Prime Base Coat (nail base coat), Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer with SPF 15 (face primer), Living Proof Prime Style Extender(hair primer), Smashbox 24hour Finish Shadow Primer (eye primer) and Urban Decay Subversion Lash primer. Let’s get primed!

BEAUTYBLENDER TWO BB CLEAN ($40,00, $58 value)

Ever since I tried the Beautyblender for the first time I’ve been hard pressed to find a sponge that would be just as good. This set includes two regular sized Beautyblenders as well as a Blendercleanser fluid that can be used on other sponges as well if I don’t use it up on my Beautyblenders alone. Since a single BB costs 24 € here (27 $), it’s a great value and I plan to stock up for some time.

BENEFIT COSMETICS CHEEKATON BLUSH & BRONZER PALETTE ($58, $145 value)

This palette seems almost too good to be true, but it isn’t. It includes  six full size bestselling blushes and a bronzer from Benefit: Dallas, Dandelion, Coralista, Rockateur and Hoola Bronzer. Check out the value – I’m getting five products for a third of the original price and they are all neatly stored in a lovely palette. What more could a girl ask for?

And that is it for my wish list. I’ll probably be adding some last minute items to it but these above are the ones I’m really looking forward to using and I can’t wait to get them. Let’s all say a big thank you to Urša who will be schlepping them around the world for me (but then again, she is flying business class so she’ll at least be well rested while doing so) :)

Do you have a MUST TRY from Sephora for me? Let me know in the coments!

Until next time, stay beautiful!

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All photos property of www.sephora.com or Pinterest

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Products I regret buying – 2014 recap

It was a bountiful make-up year for me, as I already mentioned in my first recap regarding the best products of 2014. But everyone makes mistakes and I'm no exception to the rule. So without further ado, here are the products that disappointed me the most in 2014. Again, I'm trying to keep this short, but I will include the link to my previous reviews regarding these products, if I already wrote them. 

Let's start with face products. 

 

The L'Oreal Mat Magique foundation I already talked about here. It is supposed to be a really mattifying foundation but it only lasted a couple of hours on my face before it started melting away and my face got oily again. I've tried it since with several different primers and fixing fluids, to no success. 

All-around concealer by Catrice seemed like a good, inexpensive option for the days when I actually take the time to color correct my face before I apply foundation. I chose this particular palette because I thought that it would be a good learning tool, but I find that the product is really difficult to blend (with fingers, beauty blender or with brush) and cakes on my face where I apply it. 

Bahama Mama was a big, big disappointment because I've heard so many bloggers go on and on about how it's a great contouring bronzer. I somehow managed to make it work when I had some tan from summer (read about that here) but now I just look like I've been rolling in the mud every time I attempt to use it. I am afraid that it is not meant for us fair-skinned folk, unless you are going for the Kardashian look on an everyday basis. 

As far as eye shadows go, I made two rather unsuccessful purchases this year, but the one that really left me down was the Maybelline Nudes palette. 

You can find the entire review over here, but if you don't feel like reading it, let me just say that half of the shadows in the palette are so bland and have such low pigmentation that they are useless and the other half are nothing special, really. You can find better palettes at Essence, Barry M or BH Cosmetics for half the price. 

Another fun chapter was my eyebrows and lashes. The biggest flop of the year regarding my high expectation and the high price of the product was undoubtedly the Benefit They're real mascara. This mascara is so wet that it's impossible to apply without getting those spidery lashes and what's even worse – it's absolutely impossible to get off. Apparently, it comes with a special remover for this particular formula but I did not bother buying that so I could spend as long as 5 minutes rubbing the stuff off and still wake up next day with panda eyes. 

I was really disappointed with the e.l.f. primer and sealer because it is so dry that it is impossible to distribute in a normal manner on the eyelid. I have tried the fluid version of the e.l.f. primer and love it, though, so I would definitely recommend it. 

Another e.l.f. product that was not up my alley was the Eyebrow kit in #D36. It comes with a darker cream formulation and a lighter powder but none of these two really worked for my eyebrows and had almost no staying power. The story was quite different with the Rimmel Brow this way (001 – blonde) which was very pigmented (I am sorry, I know the swatch below looks like something pooped on my hand, but oh well, you get the picture) but the spoolie was SO incredibly large that it was impossible to maneuver normally around the eyebrow and not go over the edges about 10 times. I could probably use it with a brush but I just cannot be bothered with the mess. 

Two brushes that I already had a rant about are the e.l.f. professional bronzing brush (which does nothing professionally other than leave the bristles all over the place) and the Essence Smokey eye brush (which also sheds and leaves color). Fortunately, they cost next to nothing so I won't feel bad when I toss them in the trash. 

For nail polishes, I had a hard time choosing the biggest disappointment since there were quite a few this year, but I must say that the ones that probably left me most frustrated were the Make-up Revolution polishes below – you can see the swatches here.

This formula really is nothing to write home about – it's bland and doesn't apply evenly, but what is most frustrating to me is that I need three coats to make it presentable which inevitably means that I can expect chipping in 3,2,1… I will not purchase more polishes from this line although the colors are very beautiful and unique. 

Last but not least are the lip products. Again, I tried to bring it down to the ones that were absolutely unsatisfactory and leave out those which are just… meh. 

I Heart Makeup lip combo named Yesterday's favorite is a beautiful red matte lipstick on one side but it’s so matte that it cannot be worn without a lip gloss. I love the idea of the gloss on the other side (sort of a 2 for 1 deal and very practical indeed), but it contains so much shimmer that it would only be manageable for some sort of photo shoot or something, not for everyday wear. 

I’m not sure what I was thinking when purchasing the Rimmel Apocalips in Nude eclipse, but obviously I didn’t take enough time to really check out the swatches on internet. This color may be nude on someone’s lips, but I could as well use it as a concealer because it’s more skin-toned than anything else. Toss. 

Last up we have the Catrice Ultimate shine in 270 (What’s AP-ricote). The formula itself is nice, very soft and quite long lasting, but the color was just off for me – not pigmented enough to be orange, not light enough to be coral with orange tones – just a very unflattering color in all. 

What were your biggest disappointments of 2014? Let me know below!

Until next time, stay beautiful, stay awesome!

 

No make-up shopping until 2015?

I tried my best with this resolution dating back to October, I really did. But with all the sales and great deals, I was destined to fail before I even really attempted to succeed and not buy any make-up until 2015. So over the course of the last month, I picked up (or was sent) quite a few of the products and I am only showing you the ones I already have an opinion on or I am really excited about. I hope you won't mind the pictures terribly - it's obvious now that since I will never be home in time to shoot the pics in daylight, I will need to do something about my camera, but for now, we are stuck with what we have. 

Let's start with face products. This Chanel Vita Lumiere foundation (in beige) is my first ever Chanel foundation. I will have to give it a few more tries but so far I am less than impressed. It's quite sheer and tends to stick to the dry areas of my face although I am using a primer. For the price, I was really hoping that it would be a full coverage foundation that would still somehow make it look like I am wearing nothing on my face. That is what I was promised and I must say, that not only does the product not deliver on the promises; it fades in comparison to some of the drugstore foundations. I will try it with another primer, but I am disappointed so far. 

 I can only say completely the opposite about the Sleek blush palette (in Pink lemonade). This was sent to me by Licila.si and I absolutely love it. The packaging itself is beautiful (although I'll admit it's a bit hard to open with long nails) and the palette contains two powder blushes (Pink mint on far left and Icing sugar on far right – both have a very slight shimmer to them) and one cream blush (macaroon in the middle). Until this palette, I was sure that the only blush that would look good on me is light, almost neutral, pink, but I have been getting compliments from left and right wearing the darker Icing sugar. All three blushes are highly pigmented so they should last you forever. 

The only brush I recently picked up is the bhcosmetics duo fibre stippling brush. I was excited to try a new brush but the best I can say about this one is that it is very pretty. For me, the fibres are too long and it's difficult to get into every nook with them and besides that, it's already shedding on me after two weeks. Not impressed. 

Next, we have two palettes – one high end and one more reasonably priced. 

I've been wanting the Lorac palette probably since the first day I decided that I will learn to do make-up properly and I've finally picked it up. So far, I am pretty impressed. It's very pigmented and has a beautiful range of shimmery and matte shadows. The only downfall is the kick out, but that is perhaps also due to the brushes I use. 

I Hear Makeup – I Heart Passion palette I received a while back from Licila.si but at the first glance I immediately decided to keep it safe until the holiday season. I mean, just look at all these beautiful strong glitters. I am sure I will be creating many looks with this palette come December. And display the packaging proudly because it is absolutely stunning. Would you like a review of this palette? Comment below! By the way: is anyone else under the impression that the people at the branding department of I heart makeup did not think things through when naming the brand? I mean, the graphics with the heart are beautiful, but the name just seems wrong to me :)

Moving right along we again have two products that are priced very differently. I have heard so many bloggers rave about the Benefit They're real! push-up liner, how perfect and easy it's supposed to be and immediately decided I need it in my life. Well, I was in for a disappointment. I mean, it is easier to do a nice line that with a regular liquid liner, but it's far from easy and I still recorded some massive failures with this liner. For this price, it should jump out of the box and make a perfect winged line which would magically disappear at the end of the day by itself. Not impressed at all. 

The same goes for the I Heart Makeup lip combo named Yesterday's favourite. Well, it might have been someone’s favourite, but it's never been mine. On one side, we have a matte lipstick in a gorgeous red colour but it's so drying that I cannot wear it without  a gloss. The perfect solution would be the gloss on the other side, but it has so much shimmer in it that I was literally glowing like a Christmas tree. So the product was quite disappointing in my opinion. 

Last but not least, the nail polishes. I have quite recently cleaned out my polish collection and of course I needed to stock up on what I felt was missing from it. 

I have already talked about Zoya nail polishes and how much I love them. Yes, they are expensive, probably one of the most expensive brands out there (besides Chanel, Dior and all those premium brands), but I feel you really get a lot for your money. I picked up two colours – Noel, which is a sparkly blue colour and will be perfect for the holidays, and Yuna that is a silvery colour with glitter from their Fall Ignite collection. 

From Make-up Revolution line, I picked up the coppery No Good Waiting and the golden green Make Me. Both of these are fabulous colours and really inexpensive, but for some reason the glitter inside has already started to condense (I cannot find another word to describe it) and the chunks of glitter just sit on top of your nails, making the surface uneven. I am not sure of the reason why this is happening, does any of you have similar experiences with these polishes?

Last up, I knew I was in trouble yesterday when I spotted the Essence Christmas line in Müller. I managed to contain my excitement and only pick up one item, although it's technically three (but they are really small though) :) It's the Essence Come to Town (01 – Naughty or Nice?) polish collection. The polishes themselves don't have any names which I don't really like, but we have two regular polishes - one in red with bright pink undertones and the second one in a lovely plum shade which is a perfect dupe for the Essie Bahama Mama that I love. The set also contains one topper with smaller and larger pieces of gold glitter. I have not tested them out yet but I am expecting them to be reasonably good considering my past experience. Would anyone like to see them on my nails in all the combinations?

I hope you enjoyed reading this. Don't forget – my holiday giveaway is still up and running, so enter, if you haven’t yet!

Until next time, stay beautiful, stay awesome!