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 :)

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.

SUNDAY SPECIAL: My top 10 make-up brushes

I often get asked which brushes are my favorites – do I prefer drugstore brands or is it worth investing into more expensive brushes. I also get asked about fake brushes that you can purchase from various websites – if you want to know about my experience with those, let me know in the comments below!

Anyway, I own both drugstore and high-end brushes – too many of both, to be quite honest with you, since I love buying and trying new ones. As you will see, my favorites consist of both. These are the brushes I use on a regular day when doing my go to make-up look. I listed some prices below, but to find the best deal, check out *this post* I wrote about my favorite online stores and their offers!

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 :)

WEDNESDAY SELECTION: Essence trend edition SUMMER FUN

For some reason, I get the most excited about the summer and Christmas special edition make-up. I find that I’m much more willing to experiment in the summer – more color, more shimmer, more everything! 

This is why I’m on my toes waiting for the Essence The Beach house collection (*click* to find out more about it) to finally hit the stores, and while waiting for that one, I’m already looking forward to the new line called Summer fun. Essence says it includes bright colors, exciting cooling textures and must-haves for hair.

I’m always most drawn to the nail polishes. This edition includes four of them, all with a wet look effect. I wonder how pigmented these will be, especially white and pink polish, but to tell the truth I’m most excited about the turquoise polish named “Meet me at the pool”. These will retail for 1,79€.

WEDNESDAY SELECTION: Essence The Beach house collection

Dear beauties,

we all love new and exciting make-up, right? Well, one of the brands that never fails the make-up junkies such as myself is Essence – a brand I’ve come to know and love especially because of their limited edition collections, particularly their summer and Christmas releases.

In about two weeks, a new collection called The beach house is hitting the shelves of drugstores all around Europe and Slovenia will be no exception. I seriously cannot wait to get my hands on these products!

The collection includes:

-          two duo eyeshadows (1,99 €)
-          two lipsticks (2,79 €) with a shiny finish
-          glow fluid (3,49 €)
-          duo blush (3,29 €)
-          kabuki brush (4,49 €)
-          tip guides (0,99 €)
-          four different shades of nail polishes (1,99€) and
-          a beach bag (2,99 €).

I am most definitely going to try to get my hands on the nail polishes since the pink and coral shade look perfect for summer and promise a water shine effect, white polish has a sea-salt effect which I’m curious about and the turquois polish has a matte finish and I don’t own a matte shade in that color – yet.

 I’m also getting the tip-guides that come in three different styles – straight (stripes), waves and zig-zag. Since I’m seriously lacking in the steady hand department, these are a must buy for me.

Lately, I’ve begun to use blush a lot more again and I’m looking forward to picking up this interesting duo-blush in pink-coral. And to be honest, I’ll probably walk away from the stand with the glow fluid as well, since I have a hard time saying no to any sort of illuminator. 

As I said, the collection will be available from mid June until mid July. I’ll keep you posted on what I think about the collection!

Until next time, stay beautiful!

3rd day of Christmas Giveaways!

Dear Beauties,

3rd of December is here which means it's time for gift number three! But you already know the drill - we will first take a look at who gave the best answer yesterday. I must say that the variety of your witty answers again made it very, very difficult for me to choose, but in the end, I need to say that Tara Hočevar made me laugh the most with her funny poem: 

"Če bi lahko izbirala okus,
To bi bil odličen poskus.
Izbrala bi okus maline,
Ker je tak, da me nikoli mine.
Čeprav je Božič čas brusnic
ki so najboljše iz sočnih ustnic,
Jaz prisegam na malino,
Ker je to tako zelo FINO! :)"

I will not butcher her artistry by translation, but to recap - she would choose the raspberry flavor, which coincidentally is one of my favorite flavors as well. Congratulations Tara, don't forget to send me your contacts, so I can send you your present. And again, thank you so much to every one who participated - I hope you understand that I would prefer to give a gift to each and every one of you!

Now, let's take a look at the present for today. It's a couple of things that are quite popular in the blogging community and I find them perfect for the season. The gift includes the Essence All About Greys eyeshadow palette, Nanshy blending brush and all four shades of nail polish from the new Essence Merry Berry collection. 

To win the gift, you will have to work hard today and answers 6 questions about me! Since you only know what I tell you about myself, it will also be a bit of a guessing game, but I can tell you that all of these information were posted on either Facebook, my blog or Instagram at some point in time. Ready? Let's go!

Question #1: What is my absolute favorite primer of all times?

Question #2: I have a very spoiled cat. Do you know her name?

Question #3: I am very biased when it comes to eyeliners. Can you name my favorite brand?

Question #4: Can you name some of the stores I like to shop at the most?

Question #5: I am opening an advent calendar this December. Which one is it?

Question #6: I love traveling but there's one country that holds no appeal for me. Which one is it?

I will give you a little tip: if you don't know the answers or if you're unsure about them, humour always helps :) 

The rules of the giveaway are still the same as they were yesterday, but you can refresh your memory below if you need to. Again, good luck to everyone!

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1. Every day, I will post a photo of the gift for the day on my Facebook (Low Maintenance Beauty Blog) and on my Instagram profile (@low_maintenance_beauty)

2. This giveaway is open to my subscribers only, so make sure you are subscribed to me on both of the channels mentioned (Facebook and Instagram)

3. Every day, I will ask you a question - all you need to do is answer it and I will pick the most original answer that will receive the gift of the day. 

4. You can only answer in the 24 hours until the next gift is posted! After that, your answers will no longer be taken into account. 

5. Each person can only win once. I think that's fair enough.

6. I will be very happy if you share the giveaway with your friends or tag them in the post, so they have a chance of winning as well (but this is not a condition).

7. If you win, don't forget to send me an e-mail to lowmaintenancebeautyblog[at]gmail.com, so I can send you the gift

7. All the gifts will be shipped out on Wednesday, 9th of December 2015.

8. All the giveaways are only open to my EU subscribers and subscribers from other countries in Europe.

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1st day of Christmas Giveaways!

Dear Beauties,

as promised, here is the first of five gifts I have to give away this December  - a lovely Sleek highlighting palette, Golden Rose Ultra Volume x4 mascara and Essence liquid lipstick in the shade Show off!

If you like this gift package, don't forget to participate by answering the following question in the comments: 

What is the best gift you ever received for Christmas?

Don't forget about the rules that apply to this giveaway which you can read below. I would be very grateful if you also share this post among your friends!With that being said, I wish you the best of luck!

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1. Every day, I will post a photo of the gift for the day on my Facebook (Low Maintenance Beauty Blog) and on my Instagram profile (@low_maintenance_beauty)

2. This giveaway is open to my subscribers only, so make sure you are subscribed to me on both of the channels mentioned (Facebook and Instagram)

3. Every day, I will ask you a question - all you need to do is answer it and I will pick the most original answer that will receive the gift of the day. 

4. You can only answer in the 24 hours until the next gift is posted! After that, your answers will no longer be taken into account. 

5. Each person can only win once. I think that's fair enough.

6. I will be very happy if you share the giveaway with your friends or tag them in the post, so they have a chance of winning as well (but this is not a condition).

7. If you win, don't forget to send me an e-mail to lowmaintenancebeautyblog[at]gmail.com, so I can send you the gift

7. All the gifts will be shipped out on Wednesday, 9th of December 2015.

8. All the giveaways are only open to my EU subscribers and subscribers from other countries in Europe.

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Pink October: Pretty in Pink

Most of you probably know that October stands for the breast cancer awareness month. Along with fellow Slovenian bloggers, we decided to join together and dedicate one of our posts to this issue. 

As with many other illnesses, prevention and early detection is the key factor. Remember to do regular check-ups and remind your loved ones to do that as well. If you need additional information, talk to your doctor or visit the website of Europa Donna which is a great foundation that fights breast cancer. 

For my post, I went through my products and selected those that I really love in the color pink, which is the official color of breast cancer awareness month. 

I love the Sleek blush trio in Pink lemonade which includes two powders (left and right) and one cream blush (middle). For highlighter, I can't go wrong with The Balm Mary-Lou Manizer. Both of these are available from Licila.si. 

The powder blushes are quite intense, so I usually tap away the excess from my brush before applying it. I particularly love the far right shade called Icing sugar for the autumn and winter months – it's a nice coral shade which I think would look great on any skin tone. 

The lip liners you need in your life!

Lip liners are another chapter of my life which I consistently more or less ignored up until a couple of months ago. I remember watching a YouTube video and this girl was filling her entire lip in with a lip liner, explaining the staying power and all that.

I will apologize in advance for the myriad of different photos in this post – I enlisted a help of a friend for the swatches at one occasion, did my own photos at another time etc. – it’s a bit messy (especially with the close-up shots, some are really weird - I couldn't even notice the mistakes around the edges with my eye, but OF COURSE they all show up on camera), but hopefully you’ll manage. Or maybe I shouldn’t have mentioned it at all and you wouldn’t even notice? Hmmmm....

Anyway, the liners I’m talking about are the Essence Longlasting Lipliners. 

They are pretty easy to find in stores, although they have the biggest range of colors in Müllers. The price is very user friendly as well – they cost about 1,5 € per liner, which is nothing, really. So on that note, I picked up four of them. The range is much larger though; looking at their webpage they have nine different shades available. I only selected those I felt would be most wearable for me.  

The liners themselves are automatic, so they unscrew from the tube and don’t need to be sharpened, which is an extra bonus. Also, they are extra soft so you don’t need to press hard to get them working, meaning there is less chance of breaking the point off. Because if you put too much pressure on it, or you put the tip out a bit too much, it will break. I learned that the hard way. 

First Empties of 2015!

This post is way overdue, especially due to the fact that my spare closet was starting too look like some hoarder's wet dream. A bunch of empties and no time to share my thoughts on them with you, my beauties. But this changes - right now!

Let's start with some haircare.

I used up the Schwarzkopf Gliss Hair Repair for dry and damaged hair - and for once, the shampoo and the conditioner both lasted the exact same amount of washes. I don't know why,  but usually I use up the conditioner way faster. Anyway, this came recommended by a friend and I loved the product. It really did make a difference in my hair, leaving it a bit shinier and I've also noticed less frizz and fewer flyaways. I also use the deep conditioning mask, but I've got a couple more uses in that one. 

As for this Essence Road Trip dry shampoo, I just don't know. It was a random purchase and I used it just as randomly. It didn't really convince me in making my hair any less greasy, so I mainly used it if my hair was clean but had a smell (e.g. if I was baking/cooking something with a heavy smell). So I wouldn't repurchase this. 

I have rambled about the Axe Anarchy deodorant so much in my empties, I'm not going to repeat myself. I was however slightly surprised by the Nivea Angel Star Invisible deodorant. I think they changed the formula on that one - when I used it in the past it really did the job, but for some reason this one just did not perform. It's not really empty, but I am throwing it away since it's useless. 

Alas, I also used up an entire bottle of Chloe by Chloe perfume in about 6 months. I purchased a double size of this a couple of months back so I hope it lasts me at least until 2016. I love this smell, but I would not recommend a certain perfume to anyone, since it's completely a personal preference. I will say, however, that it lasts beautifully on my skin - I get compliments on it even after 12 hours. 

For nails, I again used up an entire bottle of Afrodita Chamomile Sensitive polish remover - it's my go to remover whenever other products I'm trying out fail me. This Aveo (a Muller brand) was again just OK - it did the job on the nails, but I had to use up a lot if it every time around. I think the bottle lasted me only about 5-6 manicures. The Alessandro nail polish is not empty, but it dried up on me and it's impossible to use it anymore, so I'm throwing it away. 

For skincare, I did a bit of experimentation with the Yes To cleaning wipes, trying out the Blueberry (age refresh) and the Cucumber (soothing) ones for the first time. We all know I'm a fan of the Grapefruit (correct and repair) ones and I must say that both other versions were just as good. I will however stick to the Grapefruit ones because of the lovely refreshing smell. I would only recommend the Cucumber tissues if you don't mind a strong cucumber smell - it was a bit disturbing for me at times. I get these on Asos for about 5-6 €, they often have promotions where you can get them even cheaper. I'm thinking of investing in a cleansing gel from this same brand, since I'm obviously a fan.

I used up two cleansers in the past months. The Decleor Eye Make-up remover with essential oils is one of my absolute favorite products of all time. It can remove almost any mascara under the face of the planet and although it's quite expensive, I think it's worth the money. The other empty from this category is the Nivea Pure&Natural cleansing milk. It doesn't have quite the power of Decleor, but for the price, I still find it a good product. Plus, I'm a sucker for the classic Nivea smell in the face products - it just makes me feel clean, if you know what I mean. 

I also got the final spritz out of the Urban Decay De-slick setting spray. It is amazing, that's all I can say about it. I've talked about it quite a lot before and considering my most recent haul, you'll be seeing this baby in my favorites quite a lot, probably. 

Last up is a mini sample of Paula's choice. I don't know why I included it here, since I'm going to do a Sample Empties soon. So, you know, just ignore it. 

I've replaced my Real Techniques old nasty blending sponge with a brand new one (which i already mentioned in the most recent haul). I also went through another of the Maybelline Baby Skin Instant pore erasers which I've talked and talked about before. I just have one left and then I'm going to have to live without them until the next USA trip. 

In the foundations, I've gone through two of them. First one is the L'Oreal Mat' Magique which I'm so happy I've finally gotten rid of. It featured in my Worst products of 2015 and I never, ever want to see it again in my bathrom. Read about it here. 

On the other hand, I've used up two lovely products I will miss very much. First is the Rimmel Match Perfection (201 - Classic Beige) foundation which was my favorite foundation of the past year. I'm definitely going to repurchase this at the first opportunity (meaning, the first Rimmel sale on Look Fantastic or Feelunique). It's an absolutely gorgeous foundation with just the right amount of coverage which does cover enough but doesn't leave my face feeling heavy. I can give similar praise to the Essence Stay All Day 16h Concealer. I've used this underneath my eyes for my ever-dark dark circles. It covered up the darkness beautifully and what I really loved about it is that it sank into the skin and didn't just sit on top, creasing and looking out of place. Will repurchase if I can find it. 

Last up, my beloved mascaras. If I knew how wonderful each and every one of these three mascaras is, I would have never opened them at the same time. I've talked about them before here - I think it's a good post with a decent comparison. Anyway, it's in the trash with these three and on with the hunt with a mascara that comes even close to these three. 

Anyway, that's it for the first empties of this year. I hope you pick up some good tips and learn from my successes and mistakes alike. Until next time, stay beautiful, stay awesome!

A very OLD Make-up Haul & Mini Reviews

So the thing is, my clients obviously ganged up and tried to see how much I can take before I crack under pressure. I'm still alive, though, so they've been doing a poor job so far. But the thing is that I spent every free second of my days sleeping and recovering and wasn't really up to blogging. It also explains why this post was originally supposed to be just a haul, but now it's going to be a haul with reviews, which is just as well or even better I guess. 

Because, let me be tell you one thing. I can be dead tired, but my make-up will be great nevertheless. Just so we're clear on that front. 

Anyway, this is what I picked up since end of December until the middle of January. 

As you can see, we've got a little bit of everything. Let's start with face and eyes, shall we? I picked up two Real Techniques sponges - one for me and one for my friend (and one of the very few people in my life who know about this blog). I've had the last sponge for about 6 months and it was really time to get rid of it. This costs about 8 € on Licila.si, but they always have special deals you can take advantage of. 

Next, I really, really needed a new foundation. This L'Oreal Infallible was on sale in DM for about 9 €, so I picked it up since I remembered using a similar one from L'Oreal before and being satisfied with it. But, alas, I completely missed the mark on the shade - I got True Beige when I should have gotten Natural beige, a couple of shades darker. So now I basically look half dead before I apply my setting powder. It's an OK foundation, nothing special. What I really want to know, though, is about the primer from the same line - have any of you beauties tried it yet? What do you think about it?

Last thing in this package is the NYX Powder Blush in Taupe. Now I've been obsessing over my bronzers for the past few months ever since I hit pan on my beloved Tarte blush (which I'm now saving for special occasions - is this something you do as well with your beloved products?). I learned that this is supposedly a perfect contour color, since it's not too dark and not too brown and has grey undertones. As I understand, the bronzer used for contour is not supposed to be brown but rather grey-ish, since that's the color that the shade on your face produces. 

Now it's a nice color, but I'm slightly bothered at how unpigmented this thing is. I have to swirl my brush in the pan about 10 times before I can get enough product for one side of my face - and no, I don't contour that heavily. It seems like the whole pan has a thin layer of something over the top which prevents the brush to really get into the product. Perhaps it will wear out in time. 

Continuing with the other swatch in the photo above, it's from my first ELF Smudge pot in the shade Gotta Glow. I got this to wear around New Year as a base for other colors and I must say it works like a dream. I doubled this with some shades from my I heart makeup palette and it created an absolutely beautiful look that stayed in place all night long. It literally costs pennies, so I would recommend this highly.

I had to open some new mascaras since the old ones dried on me. Disclaimer: the word "had" is really not appropriate for this sentence. I actually COULD NOT WAIT to open some new mascaras. 

 
Above is my very first Essence mascara - Get big! lashes Triple Black mascara. This mascara felt kind of funny going on, since it was quite dry despite being brand new. But I've learned the trick - I let it sit for about a week and it became considerably more wet after that. I cannot phantom why this happens but I don't care. I must say I'm quite impressed, especially for the price. It gives a lot of length and a lot of definition to my lashes. The only thing is that it really does not hold the curl very well, so I usually have to touch up during the day. 

The other mascara I opened was the Clarins Wonder Waterproof Mascara. I tried it only once and then ran out of my good make-up remover, so I dare not put in on my lashes until I purchase a new one. I'll probably do a separate review for this one.

Nails... ah, this will require a story of its own, I believe. Let's just say that I had clip-on nails in this picture below. But the color starring on them is the Essie in Double Breasted jacket, which for some reason seems a wildly inappropriate name for this color. But I absolutely love it, it's the perfect color to brighten up the gloomy winter days.

And then lipsticks, or better said, one lipsticks and  three beautiful, fantastic lipglosses. 

I added another NYX Round Lipgloss to my collection, this time in Frozen Frosted Plum. I absolutely love the darker red or plum colors for winter and this one has a slight shimmer to it which makes it even more special. On lips, it's similar to Alverde Lipgloss Maximize Effect in Forest berry, but as said, the Alverde doesn't have the gold sparkles and is a bit less intense as well. I'll put it like this - I would dare to put the Alverde on without mirror, but I can't say the same for NYX gloss. 

I also picked up the Becca Glossy Lip Tint in shade Frisco a while back from eBay. I love this as a substitute for a regular lip balm as it gives me just a minimal amount of shimmer to look like I've made an effort. 

Last up was an attempted bravery on my part - I bought a Sleek lipstick in Raisin Razzle. Now... I got the package at work and put it on in my car while I was driving home. My hubby never, never notices anything about my make-up (except the sheer quantity of products in the bathroom), but he laughed so hard at me when I walked through the front door that I was just... OK, let's just say that I think I'm going to keep it for Haloween only. I know the swatch below doesn't do it justice but it's way too dark for my skin tone and I just look like a girl playing with her mom's make-up. 

Now, I think that I'll be able to actually get two more posts up this weekend - one of them my new empties since I've got nowhere else to put the empty packages and bottles. Keep your eyes open. 

Until next time, stay beautful, stay awesome!

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!