NARS Sheer Glow Foundation
Siberia
If you've seen my birthday wishlist post, you know that this was one of the things I really wanted to have. My awesome cousins surprised me with this for my birthday as well as some other über generous bits. Aren't they the best people ever? I've already done a review of this here based on a very generous sample that my follower Tamara sent. Basically what's most important to me is that the shade is super light as I am approximately the shade of a freshly painted white wall, though this is a very yellow foundation and my skin is neutral. The coverage is medium-full and this blends so well on the skin, leaving behind that similar luminous matte or maybe rather luminous satin effect that Catrice's Nude Illusion does, but it never sits ugly in my pores, which I greatly appreciate.
I already shared this on Instagram and Pinterest, but here is it for those who haven't seen it yet. Thanks to Tamara again, we came to a discovery that Bourjois Heathy Mix Serum's pump works just fine with Sheer Glow (oh, did I mention that a 40 € foundation comes without a pump? Only one of the most irritating things ever, but they do sell the pump separately for 4 € - their generosity is unsurpassable). Sheer Glow's neck is taller, but the circumference is the same, so it twists on tightly. The straw needs to be shortened and that's it. Plus the Bourjois' cap fits as well. I hope this helps to any of you hasn't got a pump on Sheer Glow/Matte.
€41.19 on HqHair
L'OREAL L'Extraordinaire Liquid Lipstick
101 Rose Melody
I'm a huge fan of these despite the hefty price tag for a drugstore gloss. I already have Rose Symphony, which is my favourite lip gloss ever and I wear it a lot. Considering I'm definitely not a lip gloss girl, this means something. The texture of these is amazing, it's so creamy and not at all sticky. They also smells divine, like peaches, which only like my favourite scent ever. Rose Melody is a natural nude shade with pink tones in it (a more beige version of this shade is Nude Vibrato) and it's semi-opaque.
About 14 € in our drugstores, but cheaper in Boots International at about 9 GBP (12 €).
ESSENCE I <3 Trends Nail Polish
The Nudes: 02 I Nude it
I've seen this on Taya's blog and liked it straight away, then my cousins surprised me with it because I had no idea this collection reached our little town (I swear I looked every day that week, but arrived at an empty stand yesterday). It's an opaque cream nude shade with what appears to be tiny duo chrome gold-green shimmer, but I can't really see it when it's on the nails. It's a lot lighter than my skin tone, but I'd still classify it as a nude. The formula is opaque with two coats, it could be just one if you apply thick coats, but the first one is usually streaky and needs fixing.
1.99 €
DOVE Purely Pampering Nourishing Body Oil with Shea Butter and Warm Vanilla
a.k.a. DOVE Verwöhnendes Körperöl mit Shea Butter und Vanilleduft
The last part of the gift I got for my birthday. I've heard a lot of good things about Dove oils, for one Kate (Gh0stparties) raves extensively about these. This version has very fine gold shimmer in it, so it gives that illusion of Victoria's Secret glowy legs, especially if you're tan. The texture of this oil surprised me a lot. It's actually not runny and super thin, instead it's so thick that the "blob" keeps shape on the skin, but it's not a heavy oil at all and most of it sinks in quite fast. Still I wouldn't be so confident to get dressed right away as it does leave a light, greasy layer on top. It think it's wonderful for basically any skin type and for any season, but it will look especially good on summer tanned kin. The scent of this is nice as well, it's a warm vanilla-cosmetic scent and not overly heavy. Oh, and I also tried using this as an illuminating base for makeup under a mix of Sheer Glow and Lasting Finish Nude - it looked sooo good, but my skin is dry/dehydrated at the moment.
Müller, 7.99 € (150 ml)
I've already mentioned this in my recent monthly favourites, I actually bought this for my birthday because I wanted to use my absolute favourite things and this is definitely one of those products. I just wholeheartedly adore this mascara because it actually keeps my lashes curled all day. It also lengthens the lashes significantly giving me that super lashy look. It's an amazing mascara and I hope they never change it.
Feel Unique, 30.60 € (I always wait for some sort of a discount)
ESSENCE Eyeliner Pen Waterproof
01 Deep Black
Ou-em-gee Essence you can't use a smudgy formula for a waterproof liquid eyeliner. Okay? Otherwise, good job. Since I had no usable liner after the L'Oreal disaster (I still hate you. A lot.), I set upon finding any semi decent liner to do the job until I repurchase one of my favourites and I've discovered we actually have quite a few of them in our drugstores, but all with weird nibs, except surprisingly the Essence one. The formula is super black and nicely fluid making it easy to do a crisp, even line. The nib is about the size of L'Oreal's Super Slim, however, the design needs some improving to allow for super thin lines. It lasts a long time on my normal lids, but it smudges at only a sight of water and contact with fingers (you should have seen me once after I rubbed my eyes. I almost died laughing. Thankfully I was at home because I had to take of all my makeup). Overall I'm happy with it for the price, but it's not as good as more some expensive ones (though definitely a billion times better than L'Oreal's So Couture). I'll see how long it'll take for it to dry out.
DM, 2.79€
Montagne Jeunesse Sheet Mask with Tea Tree Oil
a.k.a.Tuchmaske mit teebaumöl
I got this after seeing it in Sanja's Empties. I've never tried a sheet mask before, so it was my first time looking like a deranged killer with a chainsaw. First thing that hit me was the strong hospital smell and I mean it genuinely smells like sitting in a ward waiting for a doctor's appointment. It's not a bad smell at all, but for me powerful memory inducing. The second little snag is that the sheet mask is too big for my baby face meaning it had to be folded and creased on some parts, but I still managed to make it work somehow. The sheet is super saturated with product, but it doesn't drip, so that's well executed on Montagne's part. As Sanja said there may be a bit of tingling, however, I must say that I haven't felt much of it apart from the cold wet cloth touching my face. I left it on for 10 minutes as per instructions and once I removed it, I rinsed the remains off my face. As far as instant result go, I can't report a miracle transformation. Perhaps my skin looked a bit brighter, but I think that's it. Also, I thought I'd just use the mask and be done with skincare for the day, but after 5 minutes my skin started to feel a bit too tight for my liking and I had to use Nuxe's oil.
Ingredients here.
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Müller, 1.49 €
IT'S A 10 Miracle Leave-in Product
This is super popular and highly-rated across the pond, so I really wanted to see what all the fuss was about. Much like the here more familiar Uniq one, it promises to do everything apart from iron your shirts (if only…) and I must admit I'm always very apprehensive about such products. The texture is quite unexpected. As you can see it's in spray form, so I presumed it's a liquid product, but it is in fact sort of a lotion/almost-mousse texture. I was most looking forward to the promise of reducing frizz, but I'm not too sure about it doing anything to the general look of my hair, however, my hair does feel silkier than without it, plus it's a nice light heat protectant. So far I like it.
eBay, 13.33 € (without shipping)
A repurchase, since I find my hair is a bit too damaged at the moment for my liking. I've used this for about a year before and it worked so absolutely brilliantly long term. It's a light lotion that doesn't weigh down the hair and I use it after washing when it's still damp. It contains protein that strengthen the hair, therefore helps prevent damage. This is especially good if you want your hair to grow long.
Feel Unique, 17.61 €
TIGI Bed Head Small Talk
Travel size
I've been considering trying this for at least a half a decade and I quite happy they finally started selling a travel size, though even this little bulb contains 125 ml of products. I used to use Tigi's Curls Rock Amplifier religiously (still the best natural curls definer I've tried) and this is like a sister product, but designed for volume. It promises to add volume, give life to limp hair as well as define, separate and control. It's a light cream, so similar to leave-in conditioners and in typical Tigi fashion, it smells strongly of blueberry candy. To be honest, in that one use I've done on damp hair, I haven't noticed much effect. Volume levels were the same as without and it didn't help control the hair much. I do, however, like this on dry hair. It smoothes and defines the strands and also masks the dryness, but without being heavy on the hair. I'll keep using it and report after a while.
Feel Unique, 5.93 €
A repurchase, I don't know which one in a row, but I don't recall being without this in the past few years. It's one of those treatments that just does its job brilliantly and I'm super picky when it comes to hair care products.
Feel Unique, 17.34 €
TIGI Bed Head Urban Anti-dotes Conditioner
Sample size 50 ml
It's been a while since I tried a Tigi conditioner, but this one is the lightest in terms of texture I've tried. It's still thicker than an average cheap conditioner, but unlike Joico Hydrator, which is similarly light, this didn't wow me, though it is good. I still think a lot of people with moderately dry hair that isn't coarse would like it, it's just my hair that as usual needs more. The scent is super fruity, like children's multivitamin drinks, so to me quite pleasant.
Feel Unique, 5.93 €
Best mask in the world ever! Well, at least when it comes to my hair, of course. I expect a lot from hair treatments and conditioners, since my hair is so stubborn and this mask performs brilliantly. I'm always amazed at the results. I once said that this makes my hair "normal people's" hair, which is all I ever wanted - just average hair, nothing more. My hair feels a lot less coarse, actually it makes it feel silky and even a bit soft, which is a mini miracle when it comes to my hair.
Feel Unique, 31.01 €
But I feel like I have to emphasize something because I get so many of questions - if you have non-problematic or fine hair with only slightly dry ends, you obviously don't need such an expensive treatment. There are plenty in the drugstore. If you have hair like mine that is prone to drying out very fast, you'll notice a huge gap in the quality between salon brands and drugstore, otherwise I doubt it.
*KÉRASTASE Nutritive Bain Satin 1
Since I write a lot about Kérastase and people that handle this brand in Slovenia noticed that, they sent me a thanks in the form of this shampoo and Forme Fatale (great people, right), the latter I chose to give away to one of my Slovene readers (sorry to international readers, shipping cost are high here). It's no secret Oleo-Relax shampoo is my favourite, but when I was deciding which products to get when I was first researching the brand, Bain Satin 1 was a strong contender to try out. I'm a huge fan of the Nutritive line and I'm really looking forward to trying this shampoo. This one is designed for normal to slightly dry hair,
Na voljo v specializiranih salonih npr. v salonih Simple. Cena je verjetno odvisna od posameznega salona.
Look Fantastic, 18.36 €
GLISS Oil Nutritive Shampoo
An average shampoo. It's nice for the price, but definitely not as brilliant as L'Oreal's Elvive, which is about the same price. It smells fruity (I think tropical/mango, but not in a classic way), foams a lot, cleans well and that's it. It's not particularly moisturising and neither drying, actually it's very similar in effect to Aussie's Miracle Moist shampoo and just as that one it leaves the hair tangled and hard to comb through. A good enough shampoo for most hair types.
Ingredients here.
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DM, 2-3 €
GLISS Ultimate Repair Shampoo
I think this one is better than Oil Nutritive, though both perform similar enough. It left my hair less stripped, but all the other qualities are the same. The scent of this is similar to laundry detergent.
Ingredients here.
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DM, 2-3 €
BRITNEY SPEARS Fantasy the Naughty Remix
100 ml
I already mentioned all three fragrances I got in my Birthday post and I said that this version of Fantasy is very similar to the original, only fruitier. I think that most people won't notice the difference between the two, though this one is admittedly a bit lighter. It's another fruity-gourmand scent with juicy kiwi notes and sweet puffs of vanilla. Notes on Fragrantica.
All Beauty, 23.12 €
AQUALINA Pink Sugar
50 ml
This is growing on me more and more. I got a sample of this about a year ago and it left me very underwhelmed, but now I love with each spray more. My cousin says it smells like burnt sugar and I will admit that the first burst of cotton candy sugariness is like a punch in the face that some people won't be able to tolerate, but to me the tamer underlying vanilla note prevents it from being too over the top. It's a very popular fragrance for a reason and it is the sweetest fragrance I own. Notes on Fragrantica.
All Beauty, 17.70 €
KATY PERRY Royal Revolution
30 ml
Out of the three, this is the most office appropriate and least in your face. It's sweet, yet fresh, but still has that depth that also makes it a nice choice for a night out. It reminds me of a very nice smelling shampoo and I like such scents because I don't always want to smell like a bakery. The bottle is sheer perfection and I've seen a few days ago there'll be a spring inspired pink version as well. Notes on Fragrantica.
All Beauty, 16.17 €
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AVON Advanced Techniques Moroccan Argan Oil
Petra from Adjusting Beauty made my jaw drop when she sent me a gift for my birthday (thank you again!) and this oil, which is she loves, was in it (her review here). In contrast to other cheaper oils I've tried, the texture of this in much thicker, but not as thick as Orofluido's or Macadamia Natural Oil's one, yet thicker than Kérastase Ultimate Oil. I've been using it a lot recently and I quite like it. It doesn't tame the hair as well as Orofluido when I use it on damp hair, but it's a nice quick fixer when my hair feels too dry or unruly (I really like it for my dry ends). It smells nice as well. It's like a mix of their "regular" green serum, which smells a bit like apples, but in a hair salon way, and some deep oriental note. For the price it's lovely and I like that it comes with a pump.
Ingredients here.
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Avon, regular price 6.50€.
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AVON Ultra Color Indulgence lipsticks
Red Tulip, Plum Verbena, Chocolate Rose
Samples
Petra also included these cute mini samples of the newly launched lipsticks (I LOVE samples). These are one of those moisturising lipsticks that usually have sheerer pigmentation and a very glossy finish. While these have more of a shiny finish, the pigmentation is quite impressive though it needs perhaps an extra layer for full opacity. These smell very summery like watermelons (the old Maybelline lipsticks had a similar scent).
Red Tulip is a classic red with an impressive pigmentation and Petra did wonderful swatches here.
Plum Verbena is a cool plum shade and I'm particularly happy to get this colour because recently I can't get this lip colour out of my mind and this is the closest thing I have at the moment. It's Chanel's Rouge Allure in 108 Determineé and I can't find it in my local Müller, so I can't at least test it and see if such a shade would suit me and I might find a cheaper dupe for it (if you know this shade and are aware of similar colours, please let me know. I will be forever grateful). A mix of Plum Verbena with Chocolate Rose looks similar if I wear it dabbed onto the lips, but it is cooler and lacks that rose tone.
Chocolate Rose is brown with red-plumy tones. I'm not a fan of this shade on me because it is straight up dark brown, but it looks great on Petra, who swatched it here (she swatched even more shades here).
Avon, full size regular price 8.50€
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E.L.F. HD Powder
Sample
Petra found on my Pinterest Wishlist board that I'm interested in trying this (you've got to admit that's dedication) and made me a sample. It's a silica based powder that is highly rated on Makeup Alley, with people claiming there are definite similarities with the more expensive MUFE HD powder and that this creates a "soft focus" effect, blurs the pores and imperfections. Petra informed me that she dislikes this powder as she finds it's not fine enough, so I wasn't expecting much, but surprisingly I like it, I like it a lot. I applied it over my "worst" foundation, Rimmel Lasting Finish Nude which settles into pores, lines and just looks weird on the skin, and this powder fixed it. All of it. It got rid of that fake foundation finish, hid those craters of pores that foundation sunk into and set the makeup in place without the powdery finish. Now, I wouldn't be so rash to say it's better than my Bourjois Java powder, mainly because doesn't have that illuminating pink tint, but they are very similar.
E.l.f. UK, £6.95
L'OREAL True Match foundation
N1
Sample
Petra also made me a sample of True Match that I've been dying to try out for ages, well at least this shade in particular. I'll start of by saying that I really like the texture of this. It's so light and super blendable, yet it covers well (medium) as well as it's buildable. It really is as good as they say. However N1 unfortunately looks orange on me. It's as light as Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum 51, but the orange tone in it appears to be amplified on my skin. Thankfully I got a sample before I bought the full size, otherwise it'd be a huge miss buy. Does anyone know if W1 is lighter?
15 € in our drugstores (which don't stock N1), 12 € on Feel Unique.
IT'S A 10 Miracle Hair Mask
Sample
My 10 ml sample was way too small for my hair, so I can't really say much about it. It was a classic hair mask with a hair salon scent. I'm not sure whether it was due to not using enough or just the mask in general, but my hair didn't feel silky when I was rinsing it off and it didn't comb as easy as usually, but you have to keep in mind that I use heaps of conditioner/mask on my bellow mid back hair. Otherwise my hair felt quite nice when it was dry, but it could be because I used the corresponding leave-in treatment.
Ulta, full size 30 $
PHYTO Phytosquam Intense
Sample
A new dandruff treatment by Phyto that is quite unique as far as my experiences with anti-dandruff products go. I've tried all of Phyto treatments before and so far they were the best ones, however, didn't completely help me get rid of the problem, just alleviated it. This product is one that you apply on dry scalp, leave for 5-7 minutes, then add water to emulsify it and rinse off. Regular Phyto's shampoos are very runny, but this is closer to how average shampoos are like in terms of texture. It's a thick gel that I had a hard time distributing evenly on my hair, simply because I was working with a sample bag, but also because I have very thick, long hair, so it's not easy getting product on the scalp. I think the full size has a nozzle, so that should work a lot better. One bag had a lot of product inside, 12 ml, but I used up all and I still could have a few ml more to completely cover my scalp. When it was on my scalp, I didn't feel anything, so no tingling or anything similar. Once I added water it emulsified well, like a normal shampoo, which is surprising since Phyto's shampoos, don't foam well. Once I rinsed it off, my hair felt super squeaky clean, which is not something I'm terribly fond off, but that's just because I have dry hair. Where I managed to get a thick coat of the treatment, it did remove most of the dandruff that is stuck on my scalp (about 85 %), while where I only had a light coat, a lot of the dandruff was still left, which leads me to believe this is a product that would be empty very fast. But results are promising. It removed the persistent layer of dandruff and let my scalp breathe a bit. The itching was still a problem, but for the first day there was significantly less of it. I would buy this.
Feel Unique, full size 22.44 €
CAUDALIE Huile Divine
Sample
I'm a huge fan of Nuxe Huile Prodigeuse, which is a cult product in the beauty community for over 20 years. Caudalie released a similar product a few years back, and I've always wondered how it performs. I use Nuxe on my face, so I tested Caudalie's as a face moisturiser as well, but my skin didn't like it as much as Nuxe's. It's ok, but my skin didn't look as good as with my old favourite. The texture is very similar, so a light, dry oil that sinks in quite fast. The scent is more "green" or floral and a bit fresher, however, both are lovely and summery.
Feel Unique, 50 ml 23.80 €
KÉRASTASE Forme Fatale GIVEAWAY
SLOVENE ONLY
Kot sem napovedala že prej, imam za slovenske bralce kot presenečenje mini nagradno igro. Slovenski zastopniki za znamko Kérastase so mi kot zahvalo velikodušno poslali dva izdelka, Bain Satin 1 šampon in gel za feniranje Forme Fatale. Slednjega že imam v svoji kopalnici in sem o njem že spisala oceno, ki jo lahko najdete tukaj. Forme Fatale je gostejši gel za volumen, ki se ga nanese na mokre lase pred sušenjem s sušilcem, najbolje z veliko okroglo krtačo, da se izoblikuje ogromno volumna. Po mojih izkušnjah se najbolje odnese na tankih laseh brez volumna, medtem ko na mojih suhih povzroči friz, ker "dvigne" lase. Vse izkušnje z izdelkom, ki sem ga preizkusila tako na mojih gostih, suhih laseh kot na tankih laseh brez volumna so opisane v prej omenjeni objavi.
Vse bo potekalo kot vedno preko Rafflecopterja, samo izpolniš obrazec in že sodeluješ. Samo ena kategorija je nujna, ker hočem preprečiti neveljavne vnose, odgovor na preprosto vprašanje, ne sprašujem pa vas seveda za točen naslov, če bo slučajno kdo zmeden. Res si želim, da bi nagrado dobila ena zvesta bralka, ki si Forme Fatale res želi, zato ne pričakujem, da se giveaway povsod deli. Pa da še dodam, na sliki je moj Forme Fatale, vaš bo novi neodprt, ki stoji v beli škatli zadaj. Veliko sreče!