May Favourites


I did not expect this to be so good. I mean it looks like a toy for five-year-olds, but I seriously love this, especially since I wasted almost 30 € this year for crappy eyeliners available in Slovene drugstores (they really spoil us with a huge selection of good makeup here *sarcasm off*). It's not that far from that Kardashian Beauty one that I always talk about, particularly when it comes to the shape of the applicator, though admittedly the formula isn't quite as good, but it is still an excellent liner. It applies easily and is super precise, plus the panda design is so cute.  


There was a time when seeing me without this lipstick on my lips was considered strange because it used to be a part of my daily routine for about two years or so. I still adore it, but I switch my lip colour more often now (she says after wearing Nude-ist almost daily for the third month in a row), however, I got into a very peachy mood this month and I went back to my good old staple look: big eyelashes with peachy lips and cheeks (using Coralista, what else). Sugar Babe is one of those unsung heroes that no one seems to know about, though granted the texture is not the best, but this is such a gorgeous peachy-pink lip colour on pale skin tones, which doesn't looks strangely orange at all and if you're pale, then you know such shades are a rarity.
I wore it in this recent Instagram picture.  


There is little I enjoy more than a proper peach scent and this is quite possibly my favourite fragrance ever or at least it's somewhere at the top as I resent it's poor staying power, but it's a fruity body mist, so I knew what I was getting. The name says it all, it smells like vineyard peaches without any odd artificial or plastic notes. If you love peach scents and you can still find this somewhere, just get it.


BELLES SAISONS Eau de Cologne Lavande
I always wanted a proper lavender fragrance and even toyed with the idea about getting the L'Occitane version at one point, then I actually got a lavender water in Croatia which smelled foul like vinegar, so imagine my surprise when I found this 250 ml bottle for 1.5 € in E. Leclerc. I've pretty much been spraying this everywhere: on me, my clothes, bedding - just everywhere. Since it's an eau de cologne I expected a very faint scent that would dissipate quickly, but though it is light, I can smell it through the day, probably because I'm spraying this like it's no tomorrow, though in my defence the bottle is huge. Oh, and I had to put on a pump because it originally doesn't have it. 


The era of pastels hasn't concluded yet, but I did change direction to the more blue side instead of mint green. I used to have this pale blue T-shirt that made my eyes look the same colour, so I just wanted some pale blue again in my life and I absolutely feel in love with the colour of this nail polish. It's just the right kind of pale blue, a blue with a white base, so it ends up looking almost a bit grey. The formula isn't the typical pastel one and it needs three coats for full opacity, but it's still ok. 


Never underestimate the power of a good salon brand treatment. I've tried tons of cheap drugstore masks and conditioners and they don't come close to this Joico one. I always rave about that Kérastase mask - well this is the second treatment I treasure just as much and while Kérastase one does the whole deal, this is the product that excels primarily in nourishment. When my hair is super dry, coarse and drab, this works like magic and restores it. I had a bad hair moment after using just drugstore treatments for months and this was like salvation for my hair, so my hair finally felt normal.

In my collection of hair products, this is one of those that I keep for special occasions and hair emergencies because it's not cheap, but man is it amazing, Whenever I use this, my hair is so sleek, I don't even have to use a round brush to achieve smooth hair and my hair is usually a mess without a round brush. This is amazing for taming frizz, honestly nothing else I've tried works as well as this and it's also a very good hydrating leave-in conditioner.


First there was the Angelica cream and now this one that blew me away. Both are so similar in terms of texture, but Pivoine Sublime comes in the prettiest packaging known to mankind as well as it has the most amazing floral scent ever. I love this moisturiser especially for under foundation as it sinks in fast and leaves behind a nice, velvety smooth finish. I'm really enjoying this moisturiser.

By the way, I also wanted to tell you that I have found a very good, more affordable similar moisturiser. Katja gave me a sample of Yves Rocher Hydra Végétal 24h Intense Hydrating Gel Cream and I applied them on each side on my face. YR's takes a little longer to sink in and doesn't feel quite as high quality, but the finish is very similar, which makes it another fantastic moisturiser to use under foundation.


When you open the lid, the scent might make you wonder if someone accidentally put desert inside, as it truly is a dead on ringer for Monte, so a mix of hazelnut and chocolate. I usually don't notice my skin being dry, but currently my shins seem to be especially problematic, and this body butter is a great fixer for super dry, patchy skin. It's a very thick and heavy body butter that intensely moisturises the skin, but it's better if you apply it before going to bed as it takes some time to sink in. 

Another product I'm currently using for my dry skin. Oils give such a pretty glow to the skin and this one also has very fine gold shimmer in it, so it's extra glowy, which I imagine looks great it you have a tan. It has quite a unique texture, almost like it's a gel-oil hybrid, so it's not as runny and thin as most oils. This version has a warm, sweet scent that is more suitable for winter months, but it's not overly heavy.


Have a great day!

I Heart Makeup Black Velvet Eyeshadow Palette


Makeup Revolution with their subsidiary brand I <3 Makeup has so many new beauty launches in short spans of time that I have trouble following them all, so this palette completely eluded me. Nonetheless, when I first opened it, I was greeted by a lovely sight on a nice collection of neutral eyeshadows. But when I started using it, it was exactly as I expected for a budget palette.


Black Velvet palette contains 16 eyeshadows, most of them are matte and three are satin-shimmery ones. Upon first inspection it looks like a lovely collection of neutrals, but when you start swatching them you realize how similar some shade are - certainly too similar to be in one palette. The quality varies from eyeshadow to eyeshadow, as is the standard for MR palettes, but much to my surprise the shimmery ones are some of the poorest in the palette. Mattes perform ok, again some better than the others, but mostly the shades are sheer and need a lot building up as well as some are a bit chalky. This is not a palette I'd pick up when in a hurry, especially since I'm quite inpatient and I don't want to slowly build up the colour on my lids. This sheerness also brings about another problem - a lot of the shades, even in varying intensities look alike on the lids if you don't apply a lot of them. Building up the colour is the main thing you need to know about this palette.


True - a cream shade with a matte-satin finish. A classic base colour.

Want - taupe with a slight rosy hue and a matte finish. Great shade for in the crease for pale people with a cool/neutral skin tone. Appears creamy in the pan, but needs building up.

Long - a shimmery light gold. Such a disappointing shade due to poor pigmentation. It's like a sheer wash of shimmer on the lids, unless you really build it up with fingers because it's almost impossible with a brush.

Feel - a medium brown-bronze shade. Less disappointing than Long, but you still need so many layers for decent opacity. I don't know why this shade performs bellow average, as a similar colour in the I Heart Sin palette is really good.


Black - classic matte black. 

Baby - light matte cool pink. Another base colour. I don't really understand why it was needed in the palette since there is already a double sized cream base shade True, but you could argue that this pink one is more brightening or better on cool tones. 

Please - a curry colour or a warm medium matte yellow-brown. This has a slight orange hue on my skin due to warmth of the shade, but I tend to use it in the crease or all over the lid. The pigmentation is not the best.

Sweet - warm matte brown-terra rossa shade. A nice shade to put in the crease for warm skin tones and I use it like that as well, but it also looks nice all over the lid. The pigmentation is much better than at Please. 


Sin - deep matte grey-taupe. This looks quite intense in the pan, but it's sheerer on the skin and also a touch warm, so it looks like a deep warm taupe on the eyes. Pigmentation is not the best.

Tender - a touch lighter cream shade than True. No need to have this in the palette as well.

Slow - medium matte grey. Pigmentation is ok.

Sweet (yes, another one. I'm as confused as you are) - medium vintage rose shade with a matte finish. It's a very interesting shade and I like it on the lids, but the pigmentation is just decent.


Bring - medium cool brown. One of the best pigmentations in the palette.

Wild - a warm purple. A pleasant surprise in the otherwise quite neutral palette. Pigmentation is nice for a matte eyeshadow in such a purple shade.

Cry - gunmetal  shimmery deep grey. Nice pigmentation, but to me it feels a bit out of place in this palette.

Velvet - another black eyeshadow, but of a slightly lesser quality than the other one. Not sure why the felt it necessary to have two black eyeshadows.


Due to the need of layering, the staying power is actually quite good. It doesn't last amazingly well, but it can survive a regular school/work day if you have normal or dry lids, while on greasy ones these will crease, so I suggest a primer. 

The packaging is made from velvet, which gathers dust like crazy (why would they think this is a good idea?) and it has a black (khm…gaudy…khm) crystal in the middle. The quality of the packaging is nice, it's sturdy and nothing is loose, plus it has a big mirror. 


This palette is a classic Makeup Revolution quality meaning it's far from amazing, but it's not at all bad. The pigmentation and quality varies from eyeshadow to eyeshadow and most need a lot of building up preferably with good quality brushes, but you can create a nice look with it if you have patience. My perhaps odd complaint would be that I just feel like I can't make a nice combination with these colours. Just like something is off in most looks I try to do. Perhaps it's just that this palette contains colours that are too warm for my skin tone. But if you like the colours and think that this will work for you, then give it a go. 

Black Velvet palette costs £7.99 on Makeup Revolution.

I Heart Makeup paleta senčil Black Velvet stane 10,95 € na Ličila.si.

*I was sent this palette.

Essence Effect Nail Polish 32 The Black Cat


In the last years there has been an influx of different nail polish effects and finishes. I've tried the matt effects already, but I never had the chance to try the latex effect and I didn't expect it to be so close to the real thing. I actually got this nail polish to fix scuff marks on bags and purses, which might sound odd to you, but it worked.

Compared to their Black is Back nail polish, this has a thinner formula and yet just like at that one, two coats were enough for full opacity. For some reason it took a lot of coats on the nail wheel to reach full opacity, but I don't know what that is about because on the nails it performs ok. It takes a while to completely dry into a matte-latex finish and then it looks like medicinal gloves, but in a black version. 

The brush was nice to work with as with most Essence nail polishes and it general the nail polish performed above my expectations. I got it in Müller for  1.49 €


 Have a great day!

Sweet Pink Smooth Liquid Eye Liner (Born Pretty Eyeliner with a Panda Design)


Felt tip eyeliners are some of my favourite beauty products that I basically discovered just last year and I love trying out new ones. I'll shallowly admit that this one caught my eye because of the adorable panda packaging, but I didn't expect much from it mostly because of my personal prejudice against such gimmicky products. I was wrong. Very wrong. This turned to be the best eyeliner I got in this year and if you follow me regularly then you'll know that I've bought a few available in Slovenia recently, with two turning out to be massive and expensive disappointments.


First thing that caught my eye was an astonishing similarity with my beloved Kardashian Beauty eyeliner as well as the overpriced Artdeco's version in terms of the shape and material of the applicator. This is the best size and shape that I've found so far for my eye hooded shape. It's more on the small side and quite sharp, meaning you can do very precise designs. With it flick are easy to do, though I've actually stopped doing flicks as currently I prefer a rounder shape of the eye. 


The formula is nicely black and it reminds me most of the Artdeco one in a way that it also dries quite fast on the skin , but applying it over the dried part of the eyeliner, doesn't completely ruin it by flaking off as it happened at the Artdeco one. I love how the nib is still completely saturated after several weeks of use and that's including the tip. Basically it's still like new and I've very happy about that. It also doesn't dry out by the time you move on the next eye, which I greatly appreciate. My only concern is about the applicator becoming flimsy quickly as I can already see that the tip a bit frayed when I'm applying it.


Compared to other good liners I've tried, staying power is the only thing that isn't quite as good, but it's very close. I'm used to very black, long lasting liners that are as black at 11 P.M. as when I applied it in the morning, but this one fades to a more greyish shade. It will of course easily lasts through an average school/work hour day, but at the end of the day upon closer inspection the eyeliner won't be quite as black as when applied. The wings sometimes survive intact, then sometimes they don't, it probably has more to do with how often someone touches the face.

The panda packaging is so adorable and there is a spring inside the lid to make sure that the liner doesn't dry out. I've had it for about a month and it's still going strong.  


I am super happy with this liner. It's such a relief to be finally able to do a line with a product that works like it should and that I don't have to shake it furiously amidst application because the tip lost all its colour. I actually think that it's getting better with time, but I am aware that the time will come when I'll have to say goodbye to it, I'm just not sure when. Considering how well it's still performing, I'm hoping that won't happen so soon. This was really such a pleasant surprise and it's actually cheapest out of all my favourites. 


It's currently $5.99 on Born Pretty. I got a code to that gives you 10% off your order MKOH10, which is also in the sidebar (it's a direct link to the website). Born Pretty also has an app for iPhones.

*Product was sent to me.

L'Oreal Color Riche Les Blancs 858 Ocean Porcelain


I wanted a proper pastel blue nail polish for a while, but always forgot to check which ones we actually have here and as far as I knew most were too dark for my taste. Les Blanc collection isn't new, but it caught my eye quite a while ago and yet passed it by afterwards countless of times because my interest in nail polish is much lower than in most other makeup products. Les blancs is a collection of off-white shades, basically very light pastels and in it is the most perfect pastel blue nail polish I ever saw.  


Ocean Porcelaine is a white base with a touch of sky blue in it and it has that tiny bit of greyness to it, which makes it so special. It looks so pretty on the nails, I just can't stop looking at them. The formula is quite a sheer and light one for a pastel nail polish, so I need two-three coats for an even opaque finish, but it depends on the thickness of the application. I am very spoiled by the recent generation of "gel effect" nail polishes, which bought along much improved pastel formulas, so this one as the member of the "old nail polishes" isn't as good, especially when it comes to how even it looks on the nails, but it's not the worst application in the world. The brush is of medium width and works fine. 


I got mine in DM for 5.19 €. The bottle contains only 5 ml, which is very little for the price, but I adore the colour, so I allowed myself such luxury.

Have a great day!

Disappointing Products


Though I must say I sail the beauty products waters quite successfully and rarely purchase a product that performs poorly, I still have a few laying around. I'm a type person that extensively researches almost every product I buy and I rarely buy something impulsively, yet actually a lot of these product were bought either based on previous good experience with a similar product from the same brand or they just grabbed my attention and I bought them on the spot. To avoid making this post too negative, I'll put a link to a favourable review of each product, so you can more critically assess whether the product might still work for you.


How gorgeous is this to look at, am I right? This is without a doubt my favourite collection of colours in a palette out of the ones I own (which aren't that many to be honest) and I am gutted it turned out to be such a dud product. The pigmentation of this is so poor, especially of the prettiest matte shades. Those shimmery shades don't perform much better, they do show up, but they all look the same on the lids when blended. This palette completely turned me off cheap "dupe" palettes. I'd rather pay more for a high end one and have eyeshadows that are of actual good quality. I don't care if this was only 6 €, it was still precious pennies wasted on a rubbish product.
Positive review: Bean's Beauty Blog


I was sent this, but that doesn't inspire mercy from me. At the end of the day I'm still left with a liner that isn't performing the way it should and I hate having such products taking up my space in my makeup collection. The formula of this is simply too dry, so a nice even line is hard to do as mostly it turns out to be a diffused and soft type of line, the same I can achieve with an eyeshadow. Gel eyeliners should be fluid enough and not almost dried up when new.
Positive review: Temporary Secretary

I got not one, but two completely dry ones, which can only mean I have either the worst luck in the world (believable) or this is just a rubbish formula. I couldn't even do a proper review with pictures of this on the eyes because I couldn't even do a line. I think that the swatch picture says everything there is to know about this liner and I'm still pissed I paid 10 € for it.
Positive review: Meteo Beauty 

This liner is infuriating. The worst flip flopper I owned. If you've read my review, I've seen the problem with it - the formula is simply drying too fast for a decent application. Most of the time I get barely anything out of it and then on rare occasions it works almost perfectly. It was very expensive, so despite its occasional good behaviour, it deserves a place in this post.
Positive review: Anaviglam


For a time this was the only such product available in Slovenia, but now I've seen a few new interesting ones. When this first came out, I've heard some great reviews about it, later also a few bad ones and my experience falls into the latter group. It's a strange product that on my hair either does nothing when used in moderation and when I increase the amount, I get a very sticky, my-hair-hasn't-been-washed-in-ages result that doesn't terribly please me. This is like a very weak, sticky hair spray that just doesn't work for my hair. I much prefer the VO5's one as well as the Charles Worthington's.
Positive review: Katie's Beauty Blog.

When I discovered that my favourite hairspray apparently isn't sold in Slovenia any more, I decided to give this one a try because I love the mousse and the styling spray from this line. I hated this from the first spray. I was so spoiled from the Lee Stafford one, which feels like nothing on the hair that having a sticky, wet residue after application was a bit of a shock to me. It also didn't perform in the hold department, certainly not on the level of Lee Stafford's one. For me this felt just too noticeable on the hair and technology has come far enough to leave such 90's feeling hairsprays in the past. 
Positive review: Chérie 

I got this because I wanted something that would hold my natural/heatless curls that I love so much, but they drop within a half an hour (such a shame). It didn't perform as I expected. This has a very high rating on Makeup Alley and people said this holds like nobody's business. Apparently just not on my hair. I saw no difference in terms of hold between Lee Stafford's one, however, this is very sticky as well as heavy. I don't like noticeable hair sprays, so this isn't for me. That being said, when I do hair on other people, they almost always request this hair spray because they like to feel that there is something on the hair, I guess they are so used to the idea that the hairspray must be sticky to hold. I used this on a girl with very thin hair when I curled her hair for a special occasion and she said her hair drops really fast - as far as I'm concerned this hairspray  didn't perform all that well because she came home with her hair almost flat.
Positive Review: I Covet Thee


This was one of the biggest hair disappointment for me. Glowing reviews convinced me to shell out for a 75 ml size that I knew won't last many uses on my long hair. It's a pre-wash treatment that you apply either for 20 minutes or overnight on slightly damp hair. This didn't pretty much nothing, certainly nothing comparable to other expensive hair treatments like Masquintense or Intense Hydrator. Money down the drain this was, nothing else. 
Positive review: Amelia Liana 

Another product I got based on highly praising reviews on Makeup Alley and one I disliked from the first use. My hair is very dry, especially in the days after washing, so I had hoped this would be a nice silicone-free nourishing leave-in to fix my hair. This is such an odd product, it's like applying a face moisturiser on the hair and it leaves these white dust-like dots on the hair, which is not attractive when you have dark hair like mine. But the greatest disappointment was the fact that it didn't even work. I noticed no significant nourishment, certainly nothing comparable to Orofluido Sahara, which is one of the best quick-fix products to treat dryness that I found. 
Positive review: Makeup and more


ARGAN OIL Hydrating Hair Mask
This is utter, total crap. By far the worst product in this selection. It ruined my hair by making it look and feel like straw, people genuinely couldn't believe that a masks could do this when they touched my hair. I saw this whilst exploring the never ending treasure that is Leclerc's beauty department. It caught my eye because it's very cheap and the ingredients looked decent (argan oil on 7th place plus even a bit of keratin). Though it's a thick mask, it has zero moisturising properties, my hair felt awful when I was rinsing it off and I couldn't even run my fingers through my hair when it was dry, that's how tangly it was. Horrible, horrible stuff. If you see this in Leclerc, just ignore it. 
I can't find a positive review about this and I'm not surprised.


Yeah.. this is basically liquid. You know when a shower gel or liquid soap is running out and you can't get the last bit out, so you pour water in the bottle to get it out. Well, this is like it. A diluted soap. It's impossible to wash with or least make foam without a mesh sponge. It smells nice, but that's it. 
Positive review: Parokeets


BALEA Fantastique 5-Klingen Rasierer
I bought a female razor after possibly 7 years or more. I used to have a Venus one, but I completely switched to male razors because if it's good for someone's face, it's good enough for me. Sweet lord are female razors rubbish compared to male ones! What's with the annoying, bulky strips that prevent you from reaching places. They make it so clumsy. I already have a good shaving gel and an oil, why do I need a moisturising strip as well? Also I think it kind of broke after first use because it bent 90°degrees and stayed like that. Odd little thing. In all years of shaving, I don't recall many occasions when I cut myself, but with this one, I was shocked to see bloody shins when I came out of the shower. And I don't mean on one single occasion, I mean every time I used it. Once I had four cuts on one leg alone. I'm sticking to my Gillette Fusion Proglide. Yes, the replacement blades are so expensive, but the razor does its job the way it's supposed to, plus it has an additional blade in the back. Male razors rule, people. Just saying.
Positive review: Julia's Beauty Blog 

Any big disappointments you encountered recently? Have a great day!

Kiko Velvet Mat Lipstick 612 Strawberry Pink


I placed my Kiko order not long after I found Bourjois's Nude-ist, which was an experimental shade for me and it turned out to be fantastic. I wanted to further expand my collection by get off the beaten tracks once again and in the immense amount of Kiko's lipsticks in different shades as well as formulas, I decided on a medium natural shade called Strawberry Pink from the Velvet Mat range. For the longest time I wasn't sure about this shade on me, but yesterday I put it on and though: "Hey, I think I finally actually like it".


Strawberry Pink is a warm medium natural pink-rose-brown shade that is several shades darker than my lips as well as a bit warmer, so I don't think I can pull it off as a my-lip-but-better-shade, instead it's more of a deeper version of a nude lipstick on me. It has a tiny bit of a gold shimmer, but it's not visible on the lips.


The formula is light and creamy, also not matte. The finish it gives is that of a classic creamy lipstick, so don't be fooled by the name. Because it's a light formula, there are occasions when I find this shade a bit tight on the lips, especially after a prolonged wear, but in the first hours after application it's very comfortable to wear.


I don't know why it looks like it settled into every line on all full face pictures I took, but in real life it does not look like that.

Staying power is average and I mean average for a creamy lipstick, not a matte one. It lasts perhaps four or so hours, it depends on how much you talk, eat, drink or touch your lips. When you eat it leaves a ring of colour, so it needs to be reapplied.


The packaging is just awesome to me. You need to press the bottom part, so the lipstick pops out, which is so cool. The peach outer layer has a holographic shine, while inside it's a mix of gold and silver colour, which obviously gather fingerprints like crazy as you can see from the pictures.

The lipstick has a sweet vanilla scent.

It took more than two months for this shade to grow on me, but I think I finally like it. I don't see myself wearing as often as Nude-ist, though. This would be a lovely nude on medium skin tones, especially if you have a warm skin tone. The description of the formula is very deceiving just to warn you and also if you tend to have dry lips, this might make them feel tight, despite the creamy texture.

Have a great day!