BEAUTIFUL PINK OCTOBER (Slovenian beauty bloggers collaboration)

Why pink, you might ask? Sure, there is nothing pink about it if you look at the nature – all golds and greens and yellows everywhere you look. But the color pink is tied to the month of October in a different way.

In the month of October, me and my fellow Slovenian beauty bloggers want to remind every girl, mother, woman, sister out there that none of us are safe from the danger of breast cancer that is commonly connected to the pink bow, like the one in the photo below. 

I want to remind you that self-checking is important. Early detection is key to successful treatments! Ideally, you would check your breasts every month, about 7-10 days into your monthly cycle. On this webpage (click!) you can read more about how to check yourself and can also download an app that will remind you to check your breasts and show you exactly how you do it.

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. 

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 :)

WEDNESDAY SELECTION: Nivea Sun Protect & Refresh line and DM goodies

Summer is coming and new launches of products we need for the summer are popping out at all corners. I am a summer baby and I get a lot of energy from sun and sea so I am very much excited for this moody weather to be gone – nothing under 30 degrees Celsius counts as summer in my book!

With new baby, I spend a lot of time outside which is something that’s new to me. I got a slight sunburn more than a month ago when I spend about 30 minutes in the noon sun and that’s one of the reasons that this Sunday, I’m doing a big post about sun protection, but today, I want to talk about a new launch from Nivea.

Best of 2014 - #1 Make-up

The end of the year is always the best time to look back at all the good and the bad that happened and the same goes for our beauty world. It's taken me ages to go through everything and really gather my thoughts, but I've picked out the best of the best and I'm ready to share them with you. To stay organized, I've picked only one product from each general category (well, I cheated in a couple of them, but I really TRIED, so don't hate me). Let's start with make-up. And let me just say in advance that I've tried to keep it short, so the reviews are really minor. If you want to read more about these products, check out my monthly favorites and the reviews by categories I've done in the past months.

First up are the basic tools. I've accumulated a bunch of new brushes and applicators this year (obviously, since I did not own any before) and I must say that considering my inexperience in the field, I've done quite well. 

A couple of my favorites are to be found on the picture above. We have the Real Techniques blush brush – an amazingly soft brush which is just large enough to hit the apples of my cheeks perfectly. I included two of my Ecotools blushes – the powder brush which I actually use for bronzing but is a great all-around brush, and the Ecotools large eye brush which I use for simple application all over the lid and is just big enough to make my job a lot quicker in the morning. I was considering including my Sigma e40 as a blending brush, but to be honest, this Essence blender does the job just as well – I just can't seem to find them anywhere anymore. Let me know if you know where I could get my hands on some more of these!

For face products, I've picked some I've loved recently as well as those I could not live without during the summer months. I won't go into a long rant about the face primer – I've talked about the Maybelline Baby Skin instant pore eraser so much already that if you've been reading my blog, you know that I absolutely adore it. For foundation, I'm going to go with the Rimmel Match Perfection which is not a heavy duty foundation but not exactly lightweight, either. It covers up most of the blemishes but does not look unnatural. 

For pressed powder, I was debating between two and ended up deciding for the Bourjois Silk Edition compact. It's a lightweight powder which offers reasonable amount of product for the price and I mainly love it because it matches my current skin tone perfectly. It does not cake on the dry spots which is another bonus. The choice for concealer was an easy one – my absolute favorite has to be the Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Eraser. Not only is it super easy to apply, it blends wonderfully and you will get a ton of product for your money's worth. I also included the Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge which is perfect for applying foundation and concealer. I just ordered a new one because this one is seriously dirty already.

Continuing on the face theme, I HAD to include my Sleek blush palette (left) which I have only owned for about 2 months now but I must say that it’s possibly not only my favorite in the blush category, but my favorite overall this year. Two powder blushes and one cream blush offer amazing pigmentation; they blend really well and come in an absolutely beautiful sleek palette.

The e.l.f. blush/bronzer palette above is the St. Lucia – apparently, the blush is a dupe for the NARS Orgasm and the bronzer a dupe for the the NARS Laguna. I don’t care much for the blush but the bronzer is a.ma.zing. It’s absolutely my new favorite, although by now I have hit pan on my Tarte bronzer that I bought in July. That one will be getting some well-deserved rest now since I have a new love in my life. The bronzer is not orange at all so it doesn’t leave you looking dirty, it blends like a dream and is also just dark enough for some minor contouring. 

Last but not least, we have my absolute favorite highlighter – the Mary Lou-manizer from The Balm. It’s lightweight, it’s pretty but not too in-your-face and although it’s a bit pricier, you will probably be using this product for years. 

The Urban Decay De-slick Make-up setting spray is probably my biggest regret also, but only because I’m wondering why, oh why I only bought a travel size. I am dreading the day when I run out of this and have to pay the EU price for another one. This product will keep your make-up in place like nothing you’ve ever seen before. I’ve given mine many different challenges and expected it to fail numerous times, but it never did. I. LOVE. IT. 

Now for the eyes. My favorite palette for this year shouldn't come as a surprise to those who follow my blog – it's the Too Faced Chocolate Bar Palette which I absolutely adore. I've had it since July and I'm just about to hit pan on two of my favorite shades in the palette. I would absolutely recommend this to anyone who just wants to own one single palette for (almost) every look imaginable. 

 I can’t possibly imagine leaving my house now without doing my eyebrows – it’s silly what a year of dabbling into make-up will do to a girl. A year ago I didn’t even give a second thought to my eyebrows other than just plucking them when I felt like it. Anyhow, my go-to product for brows is my well-loved and very dirty NYX Eyebrow Cake Powder in blonde. It also comes with a way which makes it perfect for easy traveling. 

I won’t go to much into mascaras. The Maybelline Colossal Volum’ Express – The Colossal Cat Eyes is my absolute favorite and that is saying something, since I’ve gone through about 15 different mascaras ranging from 2 € to 30 € this year. This mascara gives length, volume and definition and will not clump up until it is completely dried up. 

I had a hard time deciding between liners but in the end I think that the Maybelline Master Precise was the least disappointing one. I was not wowed by any of the liners very much, though. 

The lipstick always comes last in my beauty routine and I must say that I’m only slowly getting a bit braver when it comes to them. I still tend to stick to the nudes and light shades, though. 

 It was not particularly difficult to choose my favorite lipstick. It is L’Oreal Color Sensational in 740 – Sunset diamonds. These Color sensational lipsticks are super creamy and hydrating and I’m also partial to the packaging. The color itself is a bit darker than my natural lip color and it also has a tiny bit of shimmer in it. It’s been a statement lip until now but well... I will probably try to use this up and go for something bolder in 2015. 

For gloss, I have loved the NYX gloss in Apricot. It’s the your-lips-but-shinier almost nude color which is perfect when I just want to pop something on the lips and walk out the door. It’s so nude I also dare to apply it without mirror, which is a plus for a girl on the go. 

For lip liner, I haven’t had much luck with my purchases this year, but this UMA Automatic Lip Liner really stands out from the crowd. It’s a simple nude which I use when I don’t want any lipsticks to bleed over the edges. It really matches my lip color perfectly so I can get away with using it with all neutral or pink shades. 

I’ve also included the e.l.f. Lip Exfoliatior in my favorites, since this is the second one I’m using right now. It does a great job at keeping my lips looking decent – it’s a bit harsh compared to some others I tried, but it does the job and smells and tastes great as well. And I've included one of my e.o.s. balms, but I love all of them equally and have them distributed around the house, in my purses and office.

Last up, the nail polishes. I’ll do this really quickly since most of these products have already been included in my favorites during the year. Essie Mint Candy was on my nails and toes throughout the summer – it’s a perfect mint color and I absolutely love this particular Essie formula (yes, as I’ve already mentioned, I don’t think all Essie formulas are the same). The OPI in True Red has similarly replaced the Essie polish once it got a bit colder outside. It is the truest red color I own and I absolutely love it. 

I had a massive rant about Essie Good To Go top coat a couple of times already, so I won’t repeat myself. Let’s just say that you really will be good to go in about a minute after applying this. And last but not least, we have the Barry M 3-1 Base coat, nail haredner and top coat which is quite a recent addition but I must say it really makes a difference to my routine. Just make sure to shake it up well before using it – take my word for it. 

I would love to hear about your favorites! Let me know below or leave me a link to your blog post about the TOP 2014 make-up or other beauty products! Oh, and stay tuned for the biggest flops of 2014 as well. 

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!

(Very Pink) October Favorites

I'm not a big fan of these autumn months. They bring bad weather and I'm constantly cold, clients start burning budgets which means long hours and a lot of traveling, and the Christmas time seems a million of years away. But I am trying not to be too depressed by all this and search for happiness in little things. And here are five products that made me smile in October – a very pink month, obviously. 

As I already mentioned, I dyed my hair brown a couple of weeks ago and the hairdresser was furious with me because of the condition of my hair. She suggested that I use some natural oil on my hair, which I am doing, but I still cannot my paws off my Syoss Glossing Shine Sealing Finish Fluid. It's a big name for a great product. I take a drop or two of this, rub it into the bottom half and the tips of my hair and it gets an instant healthier and shinier look to them, while also taking some frizz away as an extra bonus. I will say that since it is oil based, it will make your hair feel greasier after a couple of days. Still, I think it's a great product. I've picked it up in E. Leclerc for about 9 € and it will probably last me more than a year, so it's great value for money as well. 

Fall makes me want to dig into my stash and pull out some darker nail colors, while also tempting me to buy new ones. This month’s favorite is Bahama Mama by Essie, which doesn't sound very autumnal, but I personally love it for this time of year. It's a deep, dark plum color and would probably look fantastic with some brighter nail art on it as well. 

Bourjois Happy Light matte serum primer has been my recent substitute for the Maybelline Baby Skin. Since I'm wearing more and more heavy moisturizers as the days grow cold and the air gets dry from the heating, I need a mattifying primer to take the shine away. This primer is great at doing that. It does feel somewhat heavy and it's difficult to apply in small quantities since it dries so fast, but my face stays matte for about 12 hours without having to reapply any mattifying powder or use oil sheets. I got this at Asos on sale for about €12. 

I bought the beautiful pink Essence Studio Nails nail corrector pen a while back and since I'm not too clumsy with my nail polish I've barely gotten through the first tip (I think there are 2 or 3 extra still waiting for me). At this rate, the nail polish remover will probably dry up before I am done with the tips, but for this price (I think it was about €2?), it's absolutely worth it. For extra bonus, it nourishes your nails with jojoba oils and does not smell, probably since it is infused with Acai berry aroma.

Last up is the Make-up Revolution Anti-bacterial brush shampoo. I've loved this since the first time I've used it but I wanted to go through the paces and see if my brushes love it as much as I do. Now that I'm sure of that I can definitely declare it my favorite. It has been about 10 washes of 30 brushes now and I'm not even half way through the bottle which was about €7 at Licila.si. 

What were your October favorites? Link them down below!

Until next time, stay beautiful, stay awesome!