MONDAY MADNESS: Empty that can!

I haven't emptied my trash can in a long while - too long, I might add, so I was presented with a pile of used products that you now get to view for your own pleasure :) I'll try to write short reviews, but you know how it is with me - short posts are definitely not my forte. 

Starting off with hair products, I am done with the Aussie Repair Miracle shampoo and conditioner for damage control. I found these two OK, but after using them for a long time I noticed they did make my hair a little bit heavier and they got greasier a bit quicker. I will not repurchase. 

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.

FRIDAY SUPERSTAR: Lancome Juicy Shaker

Usually, I don’t really care about how my make-up looks on the outside. Sure, I want the packaging to be sturdy and not leak, but “pretty” or “cute” are not words I use to describe the visuals very often.

But you know what? Lancome Juicy Shaker looks like a little tumbler that needs to be “shaken, not stirred” and is one of the cutest things I’ve seen in a long while!

Although I would normally associate the phrase “flavored lip gloss” with something I’d wear in high school, I was kind of intrigued what the hype is all about. This lip gloss pairs nourishing oils with pigments, meaning it gives a soft glow and tint to your lips while keeping them nourished.

Make-up basket #1

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Until next time, stay beautiful!

SUNDAY SPECIAL: Best of 2015: Make-up

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Until next time, stay beautiful!

Highlighters and illuminators

I’ve spent quite some time and money in the last few months looking for the perfect highlighter and/or illuminator. Somehow I know that when the dull, grey autumn and winter months come rolling in, I’ll need a bit of light in my life. Below, you’ll find some of the products I’ve tried out and whether or not I will get some use out of them. 

First up is my first purchase in this category, the NYX Born to glow liquid illuminator in 01 (Sunbeam) which I picked up at Moja drogerija for about 10 €. 

I'm sorry about this swatch being so different in lighting - my camera was obviously throwing a fit again.

It’s a beautiful product which is super easy to apply on the cheekbones and brow bone as well. It has some shimmer in it, but isn’t too glittery to use all over the face - I’ve actually mixed some of it into my foundation a couple times during the summer for clubbing nights and it looked perfect as well. This will probably end up in my empties pretty soon since I’ve almost used it up in about 2 months.  It’s a product I would definitely recommend for all seasons. 

Next up, we have the Essence Soo glow – cream to powder highlight (mine is in 20  - Bright up your life) which I got in one of the DM stores on sale for about 3 €. 

I must admit I was pleasantly surprised by this highlighter. I am normally not a big fan of most Essence products but this one does its job. It’s not exactly as heavily pigmented as the NYX highlighter but it’s really creamy and easy to apply and again, not too shimmery not to be appropriate for any season of the year. The only issue I have with this is the promise in the name – I don’t have the feeling of it transforming into a powder once it’s applied. However, you really can’t beat the price-quality ratio of this product – I think it will last me ages to use this up. It can also double as a base for your eyeshadow pretty well. 

I picked up the Bourjois Delice de Poudre duo Bronzing powder & highlighter on Look Fantastic. The price of this was again around 10 €, so similar to NYX. 

I must say I am not a big fan of this product as far as highlighting goes. It’s a bit too light to be a highlighter, I see it more as being an all-over illuminator, but as such it’s a pain to apply because it has the form of a powder and you’d need quite some time to get it just right in my opinion. When I want the highlighting effect from this product, I have to apply it so heavily it actually feels heavy on my skin and I'm also not sure it doesn't look a bit to grey for an overall use. So I will probably use the bronzer (which I must also review in the near future probably), but this highlighter will likely remain intact. 

The Me Me Me Beat the blues illuminator which I got at Licila.si reminded me somewhat of Benefit High Beam by the color and the form – it’s a liquid illuminator which you apply with a nail polish-like wand directly to your face.  It cost about 6 € if my memory serves me right, but they’re out of stock right now so there’s no way to check. 

 I have tried the Benefit High Beam in Sephora a couple of months ago and I must say that in my opinion the Beat the blues is a perfect dupe. The High Beam is perhaps a tiny bit more creamy and applies more evenly, whereas Beat the blues is a bit more watery and needs to be applied in smaller dots and blended in quickly, because it dries up almost instantly. I also like the fact that it can be layered for a stronger effect without looking like a Christmas tree. A thumbs up for this product as well, especially for the price. 

Last but not least is the most expensive of these products – the Lancome Ombre Hypnose (P102 – Sable Enchanté) which I picked up in Müller for about 25 €. 

Now to be honest, this is actually an eyeshadow, not a highlighter or illuminator. But I was really looking for a product without the pink tones – a really light (nearly white) highlighter for days when I’m really feeling down. After a long search and help of two nice ladies I ended up with this. I mean – it’s good, not too shimmery, smells all right for a Lancome product and everything, but at the end of the day, it’s still an eyeshadow. The packaging is very small which makes getting into it with a larger fan brush difficult and there’s also not much product for the price. Again, not a very clever purchase from my end, but I will of course use it up as a super pretty eyeshadow :)

Here’s a picture of all swatches, so you can compare them for yourself. 

 At the end of the day I must say that I’m quite happy with my purchases. I found some great products which I will mostly get a lot of use from. I’m still itching to try the Balm Mary Lou highlighter which they stock on Licila.si I’ve gotten two The Balm products from abroad in the last weeks and I think that it’s a beautiful brand which deserves more of my attention. 

Until next time, stay beautiful, stay awesome!