New in #134

I’ve already spoken about these in one of the monthly favourites and I consider these my favourite lipsticks, beating Oriflame’s The One Unlimited Ultra Fix Lipstick formula, which is actually very similar, but Revlon’s lipsticks are more opaque and available in prettier shades. They are a one-swipe lip colour and once they set on the lips, which is quick, they don’t wipe off or smudge, they just stay in their place like a liquid matte lipstick. Formula is thin and matte, so don’t expect any nourishment from these. I can handle them fine and don’t find them drying, but some may want to use a lip balm under or over them. I admire not just their amazing staying power, but also the shades. I’m a big fan of 001 Gut Instinct, which is a colour similar to my natural lips. It looks more peachy in the tube, but on the lips it’s more neutral. I also really like 002 No Rules, which is a deeper nude and 008 That Girl, a light pink shade. 005 Hot Girl is also a nice shade, despite looking so warm in the tube. 014 Spit Fire feels more of a miss for me, as it’s quite a muted, dirty warm red. I’d pick one of the other reds in this collection. These need an oil remover to get off.  

This promises a lot and a Max Factor describes it as “a mattifying, long-lasting makeup primer that minimises the appearance of pores, giving your skin an airbrush finish. Imperfections are blurred & smoothed with the ultra-lightweight, silky-to-powder texture that blends effortlessly and keeps skin feeling hydrated”. At such a description, I expected a completely different primer, namely one of those thick, silicone primers that fill the pores and leaves a dry-to-the-touch velvety finish. But this is more like a smoothing hydrating primer. It’s not dry-to-the-touch, it doesn’t hide pores and even on my skin I don’t find it properly mattifying. Precisely because of that, this works on my dry skin and it helps prevent mat foundations be too draining on me. Aside from that the other effect I noticed is that it prolongs the staying power of makeup well – I tested it with one side of the face with a primer and the other without, the side with looked better at the end of the day. 

I know I’ve been living under a rock for not trying this by now, but to be fair I was perfectly happy with my cheaper Ebelin sponge and I stopped trying new things. I’m genuinely impressed by this one and I haven’t used anything else for foundation since I got it. It’s so soft and bouncy, even more than the Ebelin one. Unlike the latter, this one perform better when wet, something I’m a bit lazy to do before applying makeup, so I use this one dry as well and it works just fine. I like the big flat area for blending foundation, it’s much larger than at Ebelin one, and I use the tip just for concealer. It makes the foundation look so flawless and natural-looking, which I appreciate especially at more high coverage (matte) formulas. I always thought that this sponge surely can’t be that special compared to others, but it’s really good. 

This was finally in stock 6 months after the launch, but only this shade (out of two) and not the bronzers. Formula is not as soft and smooth as at Catrice’s version of a cream blush, Cheek Flirt Stick, so it doesn’t glide super smoothly. It can take off foundation, so it’s best to apply this with a brush, rather than swiping it on and blending with fingers – though you’ll get an ok result if you do that too, but with a brush it looks nicer. Pigmentation is about medium, so I apply two layers. This shade is a cute leaning-to-cool pink – it’s a rarity in my collection, since such shades always pull warm on me and this one creates a proper baby doll flush. It’s heavily scented with the aroma of watermelon. I’ve been wearing this pretty much exclusively since I got it, it’s really nice. It’s on my cheeks in the picture with the liquid lipstick.

I already have this in a gorgeous red shade and though I’m not super keen on the formula, as it’s not the best quality one compared to some, I wanted something pink and this looked like what I was looking for. It’s less vibrant than what I had in mind, but it’s a pretty shade nonetheless. Formula is thin, yet creamy. It sets matte quickly and it’s not a formula those with dry lips will love, but I can handle it well. After it sets it doesn’t transfer. Staying power is not impressive for such a product, though it still lasts many hours on the lips. 

I had my eye on these ever since they launched and I like all of the shades available here, so you can imagine the how delighted I was to get these in the mail. Bourjois had such pencils before, but I don’t know if they are the same just with a different writing/packaging or an improved formula. Claims mention them being waterproof, transfer-proof, matte, comfortable, easy to use and precise. These have a great pigmentation, are very creamy and don’t drag on the lips. They are matte, but not dry/fully matte, so they feel comfortable, but they aren’t nourishing/moisturising. I wouldn’t say they are transfer-proof, but they last on the lips well. 01 Nudifull, 02 Amou-Rose and 03 In Mauve Again are about the same depth, the difference is in the undertones: 01 is a warm beige, 02 a warm light pink and 03 a mauve light rose. I in particular love shade 03, as it end up most neutral on my lips. 06 Framboise Griffée is a surprise, as the tube shows a much more subdued rosy-red shade, but it packs a punch, as it’s a very vibrant warm magenta. It’s formula is also the most matte one. 07 Rouge Es-Carmin is a neutral, classic red. Though they are pencils, I can’t say they are so precise you could use them as a lip liner, unless you manage to wear them down to a finer tip. I miss a sharpener like at the Revlon’s Crayons for sharpening the tip. These have a wind up mechanism.  

There are several versions of these Twist Up mascaras, I saw 4 online, but not this precise version on Slovene’s DM website. I had a similar mascara before (from Deborah) and it’s one of those that have a changing brush. It’s a long, silicone brush with sparse bristles in step one and when you twist the top of the wand, it become shorter with the bristles closer together. Step one is designed to define the lashes and fan them out, and then the second for adding volume. I’ve tried it both ways, so trying step 1, then 2, and reverse and results are best the 1-2 method. Step one defines the lashes well, for now I think the formula is still too fresh to hold well, so lashes become “undefined” again quickly. Step two adds a good amount of volume. Using just step 2 straight away end up looking messy for my taste. It’s a mascara that doesn’t completely dry on the lashes, so touching my eyes quickly ends up a mess. It doesn’t flake, but it can smudge. It doesn’t hold the lashes curled, but that’s obvious since it’s a regular formula.

These are new in Slovenia, but they have been on the market for at least a year – longer than Suede Ink lipsticks. Honestly, since I tried Suede formula, it’s going to be hard to impress me and these aren’t quite as good, but it is more comfortable formula, as it’s not dry-to-the-touch matte. These are intense, creamy and they glide on the lips with ease. They are meant to be lip liners and lipsticks in one, but for absolute precision you need to sharpen it almost before every use – the sharpener is included in the back of the crayon. They are very similar to the Maybelline’s Ink Crayons and both are good. I’m not loving the shade range as much as at Suede Ink, thought this one has the best red from the Revlon lipsticks I own (which are many). 

100 Extra Black, 301 Electric Blue, 400 Amethyst Violet, 500 Emerald Green, 504 Military Green

A while ago I got sent a black, deep blue and a military green versions of these. I loved the one black so much, I bought the waterproof version later. This time I got a few brighter shades. 301 Electric blue is a bright blue shade that shows up on the lashes well. 400 Amethys Violet is already deeper and not as visible, but the way I clumsily apply mascara, so it ends up on my skin, you can see the pretty violet colour effect. Shade 500 is new in Slovenia and Croatia. You get the a vibrant turquoise colour on the lashes, intense just like at Electric blue. Military green is too dark and looks a classic black on the eyelashes. Vamp formula is one of the best, as it’s very volumising and lengthening. If you’re looking for good coloured mascaras that show up even on dark lashes without having to use a white primer/base, Pupa’s are great.  

This is a tubing mascara, which means it can be removed just with warm water. It’s interesting to see how the whole coat / tube comes off in a single piece of the lashes when removing it, but I like to follow up with a cleanser, even though water gets pretty much all of it off. This is a great mascara for adding length. As far as volume goes it’s ok, but it fails at definition, as it starts to stick lashes together. It’s best to keep a separate clean brush at hand, but I expect this mascara with become thicker and hopefully more defining in time. It’s a regular formula, so it doesn’t hold my lashes curled.

This is quite impressive. I was using a Maybelline Tattoo eyeliner before I got sent this and I’ve long consider it as my favourite, but Milani’s turned out to be even more intense. It’s such a deep black and it manages to stay in the waterline even at the end of the day, albeit somewhat faded. On the top lashline I wish it were a bit creamier, so it could glide smoother, but the line is very intense and stays put.

I have a LE version of this spray, Flora, which is scented. This one has no scent, but it’s otherwise the same. It does the job of prolonging the staying power of makeup and it can be used as a priming mist too. It’s not my favourites, as that honour goes to Revlon’s Colorstay Lock and in the second place is Urban Decay’s famous All Nighter Spray, but this one isn’t far behind those two and I like the ingredients of Milani’s most, as it has niacinamide. The spray pump is not the best, as I wish the mist were more fine. There are several large drops when I spray it and it takes some time to dry, but like I said, it does the job of keeping the makeup looking fresh for longer. 

A very pigmented highlighter that looks a lot more beige-champagne in the pan than on my cheeks. It’s quite gold and I don’t find it suits my skin tone, but on warmer, deeper tones than mine, it should look great. It’s intense quickly on the cheeks and the shimmer is more on the larger side compared to my other highlighters, but it’s not chunky. 

If I remember correctly this is the most popular shade of these baked blushes – at least it was in the past. I’ve tested it in the shop when we got these and immediately knew this won’t be for me, so I picked Petal Primavera instead (and I still want the pink 01 Dolce Pink, since I find Primavera too warm for my liking.) It’s an apricot orange blush with not a hint of pink. On my very pale, neutral skin tone it looks orange, so it’s definitely not my colour, but as Milani shows in their pictures, on deeper skin tones it looks pinker or peachy-pink, as it happens with all such shades. It’s a very intense shade, so I need a light hand, but even with a small amount, the glow is visible, as it has very fine shimmer. Now that it’s new, the powder is very loose, but Petal Primavera was exactly like it and in time that layer got used up and it’s a nice smooth blush now. Staying power is excellent, as it lasts all day on my cheeks. 

I’ve tried a few lip oils by now and this is another nice, nourishing formula. They aren’t as impressively glossy or long lasting as the Catrice ones, though. Milani’s have a very lovely fragrance: the yellow passion fruit coconut version has a warm, tropical scent and the red raspberry peach has a sweet berry scent. They also have a sweet taste. Both shades are clear or in a thick coat have a gentle tint. 

I used to own Milani’s liquid lipstick in a square tube. I don’t know if these are repackaged or improved or a separate new line. They are full opaque with one swipe and start to set to a matte finish quickly. They can feel tight on the lips, especially if your lips are often dry – but that’s the deal with liquid matte lipsticks and I can manage just fine with these new Milani ones. I’m mostly not aware they are on. Staying power is great like at most matte liquid lipstick and they can survive drinking or eating (non-greasy foods), but I’ve tried some that were even more impressive. Shade 10/10 is a deep beige on my pale skin and it should be a nice nude shade on deeper skins. Snatched is a medium neutral pink. 

I noticed S-he stand has a nice selection of nail polish shades when I was looking for replacements for my aging stash. I picked a pink nude 245 and a Essies’s Bahama Mama & Sole Mate like shade 310. The nude 245 has a somewhat of an odd formula, as the first layer sort of separates, like I were applying it over an oily surface (I didn’t), but the second layer fixes all and it’s a nice opaque and even shade. The deep plum 310 is a jelly shade that’s even with the first coat, but isn’t opaque until the second coat. Staying power is average on me, meaning good.

I had this on my list to pick up since the launch, but they aren’t worth it. They are meant to be a replacement for hydrogel gel pads and can be combined with any (eye) cream/serum/lotion. They stick well even over a large amount of eye cream, however, they don’t feel at all refreshing like hydrogels. They feel hot and almost suffocating – maybe they are better if they were kept in the fridge, but I think they may warm up quickly and they don’t let the skin breathe. They are being discontinued anyway. 

I got this from the stand when they were discontinuing Essence products, so it’s likely already gone. But’s it’s a pretty medium warm-neutral pink and the formula is nicely smooth. Shame they are letting this one go. 

A repurchase. I got send the entire line a while back and this is my favourite product in the bunch and so far the one I’ve used up. It contains the highest amount of Neoglucosamine or Acetyl Glucosamine, the new potentially “it” ingredient that is a super hydrator, supposedly has an anti-ageing effect and fades hyperpigmentation. It’s more a lotion than a serum and it contains tiny shimmer. The latter creates an instant illuminating effect, so it’s like one of those glowy primers , but I actually never use it in my morning routine, just my night one. Does it make my skin more bright – I noticed nothing special, but my skin is in nice condition and I like using it. I noticed they reduced the price here since I was first reviewing these – almost unbelievable. 

My favourite remover for waterproof mascaras. Since I ran out of Neutrogena’s, which is similarly very effective, I’ve been using Nivea’s and Hofer’s removers and they are so weak, they barely get any waterproof mascara off, let alone the resilient Essence or Pupa ones. Maybelline’s just does the job. 

A repurchase. It’s quite unique, as it’s very light for an oil that contains just proper oils and no silicones, and it has an effect that resembles silicone oils. It’s got a dry oil texture and it’s the lightest such oil I’ve tried, so I can use more often than other regular oils before my hair starts feeling like it needs a wash. It also doesn’t it start smelling rancid on the hair in the following days like some other oils do (like coconut). I either use this as an overnight treatment or in the morning to tame nourish dry hair and tame the frizz. It’s so expensive, but I’ve grown to really love it in the years I’ve been using it and I use it several times a week.   

This was a generous gift with purchase. Formula looks thin and light, but this is a very shiny SPF. Luckily I haven’t experienced it slipping into my eyes and it protects me well. It’s an SPF I’d only wear at home or on the beach, as it’s otherwise too shiny. It promises to prevent and correct brown spots. It contains Cx Complex that consists of Enoxolone, Pea Extract, Sucrose, Uriage Thermal Water and Vitamin C. It acts on different stages of the hyperpigmentation process and helps prevent the formation and reappearance of dark spots. Sunscreen filters used are Tinosorb S, Uvinul A Plus and Uvinul T 150.

I liked this the moment I tried it. I didn’t expect it to be an actual oil, as I’ve tried a few such shower gel oils and they are all regular gels, but this one is a lot more like an oil and turns into a milky emulsion with water. It’s not as rich as L’Occitane’s, but better than the thin Balea shower oil. It’s designed for sensitive, itchy, dry skin and can be used for anything. I love it for the body, it’s nice on the face too (but it doesn’t take off makeup and it’s not as kind to the eyes as I’d expect from a product like this), while for the hair I surprisingly find it makes my hair too squeaky clean. It’s nourishing on the skin, but for my hair it’s too stripping – odd. It’s fragranced with a gentle warm clean scent (I’m guessing the fragrance they used is hypoallergenic). I don’t know if it helps with itching, but the skin feels comfortable after washing.

I didn’t buy this for me, but for someone who has problems with itchy skin. I only gave it a quick try and I loved the texture of it. It’s nicely creamy and absorbs quickly enough. It felt soothing and it’s fragrance free. It contains shea butter, niancinamide and something called aqua posae filiformis, which rebalances the skin microbiome. Its designed for skin that suffers from eczema. 

I saw the tube is by now basically empty, so it looks like it helps. 

Another anti-itching product I bought for someone else. This one contains calamine. I borrowed it a few times to treat mosquito bites and its work ok, but it leaves white marks. 

I was looking for recommendations for caring for blonde hair and mostly they mentioned Redken Acidic Bond Care and K18. I got just the shampoo from Redken for now, but there’s also a conditioner and a leave-in. Shampoo is sulphate-free and contains citric acid, which Redken says reinforces weakened bonds within your hair. Formula is just lovely and it’s very similar to my other favourite shampoo from Olaplex. It’s a thick, rich formula that forms a dense foam. It lathers well, you don’t have a feeling you’re using a sulphate-free shampoo. It doesn’t leave the hair stripped and tangled, so the hair is easy to comb even without using a conditioner. It wouldn’t say it’s nourishing, just that it regardless suits my very dry hair, but as far as if it suits thin hair, I can’t say since I have a completely different hair type. Plenty reviews praise it, which probably means it suits other hair types. It has a nice citrus scent. I like this just as much as Olaplex and I’d like to try the conditioner and leave-in too. I don’t think, though, that you should see this as a stand-alone repairing product for hair, as it’s just a shampoo and (wash off or leave-in) treatment do most of the work, but it probably does help prevent some breakage (since the hair isn’t tangled after use), adjusts pH and leaves the hair somewhat conditioned. 

Try number two. I already had the 5 ml mini and I wasn’t impressed, but then I realised I wasn’t using it right after watching some videos. It wasn’t my fault, since there are no proper instructions on the bottle or the box and it’s a pretty big thing to omit from the instructions that this needs to be emulsified between the palms of the hands for several seconds, so you get a dense milky emulsion. I think I even heard it’s only activated after that, but I could have misheard. They also recommend to do 4-6 course treatments to see results. It contains a peptide that strengthens bonds. It’s supposed to be used on clean hair as a leave-in, left for 4 minutes and then you can use other leave-in care and styling, but no conditioner or mask. The latter part is a problem for me, as my hair is very dry and leave-ins can’t do the hydrating/nourishing job as well as masks, so my hair gets dry very fast after washing my hair and using this treatment, and dry hair means breakage. You need to use a small amount of this, as it can have an opposite effect otherwise. I use about 3 ml per use, that’s 9 pumps on this 15 ml version (50 ml version dispenses 1 ml per pump). 15 ml lasted me 6 treatments and I think there is still some left. After six uses, honestly, I’m still disappointed by this. It doesn’t compare to the Olaplex n.0 + n.3 + n.8 regime or Joico K-Pack or Moroccanoil. My hair isn’t smoother, I don’t think it looks healthier, it doesn’t break any less and during the treatments, I really missed nourishment and silkyness that I get from some masks, though I understand this is a repairing treatment. I know it’s hailed as a miracle for bleached hair, but it didn’t do the job on me. 

MOROCCANOIL Color Deposing Mask 

I’m still dyeing my blonde hair with temporary brown colours. I always use Subrina or Wella, but this time I treated myself to Moroccanoil because honestly, I really dislike how unnourished and hard those two formulas leave my hair (as much as everyone praise how soft they leave their hair, me and my thick hair texture are not so lucky). This was so worth the high price. My hair feels so soft and silky, it’s shiny and manageable – truly Moroccanoil is a brand I can rely on and is worth splurging on. Colour is somewhere between Wella’s dark brown and Subrina’s Warm Brown reddish brown, so warmer/more reddish than my natural hair colour, but the depth is close, meaning this is quite a deep brown and if you’re medium brown, you may need to mix it with shade Champagne to avoid it looking too dark. Again like at Wella the colour looks a bit flat because I apply it over blonde hair with removed underlying undertones. It washed off first purple and then grey. It took about 6 washes to get most of it off, but due to grey tones, I was itching to dye it again after a third wash. At my next use I mixed in Subrina’s Orange shade of Colour Refresh, so I might avoid it washing off grey again on blonde hair. 

A new product by Moroccanoil and I got just a mini to try first. It’s a similar thing as the Color Wow Dream Coat Supernatural spray, as it promises to tame frizz, help achieve a smooth blow out and protect against humidity (up to 90%). Color Wow does nothing on me, so that was a major disappointment despite the raves, but this Moroccanoil one is much more effective. It works best in combination with Moroccanoil products, but even with other hair care, I achieve a smoother hair style. Just like Color Wow, it’s supposed to be applied as the last step (I apply my usual leave-ins before) and it needs to be activated by heat. I spray a lot of it on towel dried hair and then blow dry. It significantly reduces frizz, however, I wouldn’t my hair is completely smooth, nor does it have that glass hair look and my hair still lacks natural bounce (due to the thick texture of my hair), but compared to almost everything at the moment, it’s brilliant (though their Smoothing Lotion is similar) and an extra oil or something after blow drying does the final smoothing touches. My hair feels so soft and it easy to manage. Lately I’ve been having trouble with my hair holding a curl, since they dropped in day, but with this they can last four or five days. I’ve also straightened the hair, but I don’t think it makes a massive difference compared to without, as the heat of the straightener does most of the work on its own. My hair feels less dry, is less brittle and less tangled when I use this. I’ve got caught the rain (drizzle) twice and and my hair didn’t go all frizzy, puffy and my curls didn’t drop. I’m impressed.  

I waited for this to appear in our drugstores, but for months we only had the conditioner. I only picked this out of 4 products, as it’s the most unique one, but buying all would be too expensive (it’s a shame they don’t have sample sizes). However, I realised at home, it’s not much different than the conditioner, as it need to be applied on damp hair and I need to wash it regardless, since I use a lot leave-ins between washings and I think this won’t be as effective if the hair isn’t somewhat clean, so I end up washing it twice. Results were underwhelming. It didn’t help the hair be less brittle for a while (Joico, Redken, Olaplex do have that effect) and on the second day my hair was already so dry, it was breaking and I had to wash my hair again. It didn’t look any sleeker, better or less damaged after use, so I’m not impressed.  

Aa very light mist, suitable for probably all hair types and it contains hydrolysed keratin. It adds such an amazing amount of non-greasy looking shine on my natural hair, though on my dyed lengths don’t look quite as glossy. It’s one of those products with which you can “fake” shiny healthy looking hair for a while, which comes especially handy when you’re taking pictures. 

Apricot is my frequent repurchase as it smells like the name says. The Protect and Dexpanthenol version is new to me and it contains panthenol. It’s  more heavily fragranced than the apricot one, so it won’t be every ones cup of tea, but it’s a nice cream scent. Formulas are the same, creamy, but not as much as Dove’s. 

A repurchase. I’ve long been a fan of the Pearl & Beauty scent, but the stick deodorant disappeared for a while. It’s nice to see it back in the shops. It’s different than the old one, as it feels somewhat wet at application. It protects me well and smells powdery. Like all such stick deodorants it leaves white marks.