My NYX Glosses – quick review & swatches

About a month ago I treated myself to some NYX glosses. These glosses were so highly recommended by many beauty bloggers and YouTube beauty gurus that I was sure they will end up costing an arm and a leg. Imagine my surprise when I found them on Moja drogerija for less than 3 € each. I'm not a big fan of the design of the tube, but you really can't beat the price on that one. So yes, I did end up buying more than one and let me tell you, it was not an easy choice to make – there are more than 10 colors available and I would purchase each and every one of them given the money and the space to put them :)

Overall I can say I really like these glosses although I'm usually partial to lipsticks, simply because I don't love having my hair sticking to something sticky on my lips. But anyway, these glosses have a relatively nice smell and are reasonably pigmented, especially in the darker colors. 

The colors I got are Amethyst, Apricot and True red. I won't go on a lot about Amethyst, because I've talked about it already in my September favorites. But let's just repeat that it's a nice copper-ish color which in my opinion isn't very summery but will be perfect for autumn and winter time. 

The Apricot color is a nice subtle color which is not very pigmented and is the least long lasting out of all three. It is however nice to put over a brighter lipstick (I love wearing it over my Matte Lip Paint by Barry M lipstick in Sunset) but almost unnoticeable by itself. It's also the only one that won't leave stain on your lips. 

Last but not least, we have the gloss in True red. This is by far the most pigmented out of all three colors. It looks dark red, almost burgundy, in the tube, but has a pink undertone to it. I can't get away with wearing it by itself; I have to use a lip liner with this one. It's also the most difficult to apply in terms of not exaggerating with the color – I tend to put the want to the bottom lip first and then pick up the residue from the bottom lip to put on the top lip. The best result was however achieved when I actually made an effort to use a lip brush. 

All in all I love these glosses and will probably get some more. 

Do you have any shade that you only wear in the colder months? Let me know in the comments!

Until next time, stay beautiful, stay awesome!

The Balm products review

I admit I have been spending quite a lot of money lately. One of the brands that really caught my eye was The Balm, which is available throughout USA in most drugstores and in larger EU online stores, but guess what – you can also get most of the products in Slovenia through Licila.si. So I picked up three products, all of them for my face – Sexy Mama Anti-shine translucent powder, Bahama Mama bronzer, shadow & contour powder and Mary-Lou Manizer.

The first thing I can say is that the packaging of all three products is unlike anything I've ever seen before. Both Sexy Mama and Bahama Mama are in nice cardboard packages which I was quite anxious about, but it turns out they are very sturdy. There is a magnet in the lid, but I’m still not convinced it could take a lot of travel. But they will probably spend their lifetime in my bathroom so it's OK by me. The Mary-Lou Manizer comes in a plastic compact with a nice big mirror and it closes up really well, so I wouldn't worry about its lifespan. 

First up, let's talk about the product I have wanted to get for quite some time and also mentioned it in my Highlighters and illuminators post – the Mary-Lou Manizer. First let's just sit back for a moment and admire how beautiful it looks (don't mind the speck on the mirror though – it didn't really show up in real life but looks kind of horrible in the photo). 

When I first swatched it I was afraid it was going to be a bit too shimmery but in fact it's easy to put on (either tap it with your fingers along your cheekbone or use a brush) and even easier to blend in to the point where it's more or less invisible except for the slight illumination. 

This is definitely not a highlighter and can't be used all over the face (well, it can, but I wouldn't do that if I were you). I must say that I've gotten used to the liquid highlighters so much that it's quite different to use a powder – the Mary-Lou Manizer is so pigmented that you barely have to touch the brush to the pan to get enough for one side of the face. This means that this product will be with me for a long, long time. 

Next, let's take a look at the Bahama Mama bronzer. As said, the packaging is cardboard and I'm not too crazy about the orange color around the mirror to be quite honest. 

This definitely is a product which will be more appropriate for summer season because it's darker than any other bronzer I own and so pigmented it's not exactly simple to get it right. It did take me quite a few tries to get it perfect – in the end I opted for a smaller, less dense brush and it came out looking ok, whereas before I only looked like I was rolling in the mud. I don't think I could get away with using this as an everyday bronzer because my skin is quite fair, but it's a perfect contour as far as I'm concerned. 

Last but not least, let's discuss the Sexy Mama Anti-shine translucent powder. For some reason, I thought this would also act as a loose powder and not be just a setting powder, but whatever. 

Again, the packaging is super cute and it's a product I would gladly bring along with me during the day to touch up whatever party is happening on my face. But guess what – I don't have to. I've had a few very stressful days and although I was running around like crazy this powder kept me looking like a sexy mama all day (well – except I don't really think of myself as sexy, and I'm not a mama, but still). So not a shiny spot in sight, which basically means the product does what it promises to do and that's good enough for me. At least I'll be able to reach for my e.l.f. HD powder less and consequently maintain my bathroom in better order, but that's a case for another day and time. 

You can get all of the products mentioned at Licila.si at very reasonable prices which are not much different as in the States. I would definitely recommend Sexy Mama and Mary-Lou Manizer to everyone, but if you're looking for a light everyday bronzer, perhaps Bahama Mama isn't the one for you. 

Have you tried any of these products or other ones from The Balm? Are there any you'd recommend to me?

Until next time, stay beautiful, stay awesome.

September favorites

September rolled by so fast that I was actually stopped dead in my tracks when I glanced at the calendar. Oh well, another month older, and only 2 months to go until December which is my absolute favorite month of the year. But anyway, here are my favorites for this month and you can tell from the background that I’m really going to miss the summer as well.

 First up, let’s talk about the Philip Kingsley products. I got these trial sizes from Look Fantastic website for a couple of € - the Body and Shine try me kit included 20ml of an elasticizer, 20ml of shampoo and 20ml of conditioner. Now supposedly this should be enough for only one use, but I was able two scrape out two from the bottles and there’s still some left. I didn’t care much for the elasticizer, but the shampoo and condition left my hair bouncy and silky the way they usually only look when I leave the hairdresser. The full size is very expensive, but I think they will be my Christmas gift to myself this year. 

Next up – again from Look Fantastic - I got the Ambiance Volumizing Dry Shampoo in Blonde, which is the color I dye my hair. I would normally never buy this because it regularly costs about 15 €, but it was on sale for about 5 € and it even came with a free refill. 

It claims to clean and refresh hair without water, and maybe it does, maybe it doesn’t, I can’t really tell. But I haven’t had the time to go to the hairdressers in over a month (don’t judge – it takes over 4 hours) and my roots are starting to show, so I’ve been using this dry shampoo as some sort of fake everyday color. It applies with a brush which is great for even application. The only downside with this is that it’s really difficult to stuff the brush back in when finished, but I can live with that.

For skincare favorite of the month, I cannot overlook my organic argan seed face oil from Primavera. I use this daily when I remove my make-up by just putting a couple of drops on my face and massaging them in. Although my skin is combination to oily, I don’t feel that my skin would be getting oilier and it’s been feeling incredibly smooth. So thumbs up for 100 % natural products.

We also have two lip products, first being the Maybelline Baby Lips in Strike a rose. It’s a slightly pigmented lip balm which is just perfect for going out and about without having to worry about reapplying lipstick. Lips feel soft and smell amazing after use, which is all that I need from a lip balm, really. 

Above: NYX in Amethyst, below: Maybelline Baby Lips in Strike a rose

Next to it is my NYX Gloss in Amethyst which I picked up from Moja drogerija. This color is to die for and will absolutely be my color for this Autumn – it’s slightly coppery and in my opinion looks great with my skin tone. It doesn’t exactly last forever but it’s very pigmented and stains lips enough that I can get away without reapplying it every couple of minutes. I also like the wand which makes the product super easy to apply. If you’re not a fan of stained lips stay away from this, though. 

Last but not least, there’s the Urban Decay Naked palette. I was actually thinking of reviewing this but I know that soooo many things have been written about it that I don’t need to pitch in. Fact is, I absolutely love it – still not as much as my Too Faced Chocolate bar palette, but it’s a close runner up for sure. Most of the colors in this palette are similar to those from other palettes I already own, but Creep and Gunmetal shades are completely unique and I’ve been using them quite a lot. I also like the brush that comes with the palette, so all in all, this was a great purchase.

I have left so many great products out this month that I’m actually feeling guilty. Guess I’ll do some individual reviews because they certainly deserve my attention and hopefully you’ll agree with me. 

What were your September favorites? Link them below!

Until next time, stay beautiful, stay awesome!

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!