Maybelline Dream Touch Blushers in Peach and Berry

Dream Touch Blush in Peach is my go-to blush and one of my favourites. I much prefer cream blushes to powder forms, simply because it is much easier and quicker to apply them (I use fingers), plus they give a more natural and dewy look. From my recent trip to France came home with me another shade called Berry (although I'm pretty sure it said Mauve-something on the packaging, but I can't find it on their website, so I guess it's Berry. There's no name printed on the actual packaging, which is really weird). 

I've already reviewed the shade called Peach a long time ago and here is the link to the original review click. 

These have a very nice soft cream texture that is easy to apply and blend. It's very easy to control the amount of blush you put on your cheeks. Peach is, as the name suggests,  a peach shade, a great neutral everyday shade and perfect for those who are not that comfortable with bolder colours. Berry is a brighter shade, but still very neutral and wearable pink that gives a very nice fresh flush, like you just came from somewhere cold.  

These blushes are not available in Slovenia (nor have I seen them in Croatia) which is just frustrating. It seems like most of the actually good range of product by Maybelline just go by us (like their Instant Rewind Anti-Age concealer which is also brilliant). I think it was priced around 8€ in Carrefour. You can also get them on feelunique.com and if you have a chance I highly recommend you try them, especially if you like cream blushes. 

Thanks for reading!

May Favorites

So here are my May favourites. As always coloured text is a link to the original review.

In the past few months I've been mostly concentrating on my perfecting my skin and leaving out from my routine most of the other make up items. My favourite foundation still remains my beloved Bourjois Healthy Mix serum. I've raved so much about it already and usually I get a lot of compliments about how perfect my skin looks when I wear it. But mostly I wore skin79's BB cream because of the spf and it too makes my skin look pretty perfect. On my cheeks I wore Magic Lumi by L'Oreal (one of the best highlighters ever) and Dream Touch blush by Maybelline in either Peach or Berry. I recently purchased the shade Berry when I was in France, so swatches will follow (an old review of the shade Peach can be found here click). Still my absolute favourite concealer is Instant Anti-Age The Eraser Eye by Maybelline (I've already raved about it here click).

For my eye make up I kept it really simple with just some mascara and a fleshtone eyeliner by Max Factor. Maybelline Colossal Volum' Express in waterproof is my latest mascara and it compares very well to my favourite HR Lash Queen, just that Volum' Express does not perform that well when it comes to the claim of being waterproof. But the volume it gives is impressive, at least on my lashes (I always wear waterproof mascara as it holds the curl better).

On my lips I only wore some lipbalm. My favourite is Palmer's Cocoa Butter Formula Swivel Stick (the packaging is quite a chunky thing, it looks like you putting on glue but it moisturises so well), other favourites are Rosal in Milk and Honey, Labello in Rose and for a pop of colour Fruity Shine in Guava again by Labello. 

Thanks for reading!

L'Oreal Magic Lumi + My Current Make Up Routine

L'Oreal recently released a new line that contains foundation, concealer and a highlighting base. I got the latter, which I've only seen in Interspar supermarkets (here in Slovenia of course, I'm not sure about other countries) and not in our drugstores (a bit odd if you ask me). Anna from Vivianna Does Makeup describes it as a close dupe for Becca's Shimmering Skin Perfector (click for her review). It's certainly a fantastic product, I'd go as far as saying that it's one of my favourite purchases this year. Highlighters are one of my favourite products, but I much prefer liquid/cream forms that powder ones. They just give a much more natural glow.

I'll draw a comparison with a cheaper version of a similar product mybase by Essence. First the price: Essence costs around 3€ for 20ml and Magic Lumi costs 10€ for the same amount. Magic Lumi is much more liquidy and has a golden sheen to it, while Essence feels more thick and is more pink (swatches don't really paint the real picture, Essence is much pinker in real life). On the skin, Magic Lumi gives a touch more shine and that's why I prefer it, also it lasts longer. Both give that amazing ''lit from within'' glow that I absolutely adore. The packaging of Magic Lumi is a lot better, more sleek and sturdy. Also the pump is great because unlike with the Essence, you don't waste any product as it's really easy to get just a tiny drop of product. I use it on the top of my cheekbones, cheeks and sometimes I put a bit on the cupid's bow. You can also use both products as a base underneath the foundation or mix it with foundation.

Even though it's a lot more expensive than mybase by Essence I'd go for L'Oreal.  When I run out of Magic Lumi, I'll definitely repurchase. I've been wearing it every day for the past three weeks and I even got some compliments how great my skin looks. Highly recommended.

^These are my three favourite products right now. I've already written the review for Skin79 BB cream, I think mine's on it's last legs. When it runs out I'll get either the gold version or maybe I'll try the Missha M Signature one (I just want to try out some more of these Asian BB creams). Magic Lumi goes on my cheeks together with either Peach Dream Touch blush by Maybelline or Coralista. 

The last thing is a great concealer I recently found in Zagreb (yes, I've been cheating on my trusted Essence concealer and I'm not even sorry). It's Instant Anti-Age The Eraser Eye by Maybelline in Light (the second lightest shade, Fair is lighter). It has some peachy undertones, which are great for brightening under the eye. It even covers spots (as long as it's not a massive red one). The sponge is actually useful and applies and blends the product well. Another highly recommended product. I haven't seen it in Slovenian drugstores yet. What's the deal with that Maybelline?

The combination of these three products and some blush (Maybelline's Peach is my favourite for the moment) just make my skin look great plus even got me some compliments, which is always great. 

Thanks for reading!

YSL Rouge Volupte Perle 107

Rouge Volupte Perle is a more newish line of the famous Rouge Volupte lipsticks (review of two of the shades can be found here), this one, however, has more shimmery, frostly types of shades. 107 Impetuous Beige is a kind of pinky-peachy shade, very similar to Mac's Hue, but with a subtle frost finish. I've had this lipstick for ages now (got it for my birthday, actually), but I was to lazy to make swatches of it. I find that this one dries out my lips, despite being very creamy, which is odd because the original version doesn't. But all can be fixed with a bit of chapstick. It's definitely one of the prettiest shades I own, but it is very expensive for a lipstick (about 30 €). 

Thanks for reading!

Skin79 Pink Label BB Cream

 

I finally caved. After all the raves in the make up community about BB creams, I couldn't resist ordering one for me. I decided to get Skin79's Pink Label version, because it's rated high on MUA and because it was quite cheap on eBay. Also I wanted something with a high SPF and this one has an SPF 25. I ordered it from this seller (based in South Korea) and I paid a bit over 10€ plus it came with a lot of samples. It took forever to arrive (a little over three weeks), but I blame our postal service (I think they lost my package from feelunique, because it's been over two weeks since I ordered it. I'm just livid right now).

The packaging is just brilliant. The colour is a bit bright, but it looks so cool. I got the smaller version (15g), because it took me years to use up my previous foundation. The bigger version (40g) is actually not that much more expensive, but I just don't need that much product also this one is much more travel friendly. The pump works great, you can easily get the amount of product you need.  

A lot of reviewers pointed out how grey it looks on the skin for the first 10 minutes, however, I find it adapts to my skintone (NC15 or NC20 if I'm self tanning) in seconds. The coverage is a bit more that an average tinted moisturiser, it's similar to Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum, but the latter still has a touch more coverage. It looks incredibly natural on the skin, nobody will notice you're wearing anything. It has quite a matte finish, I find it perhaps a bit too matte for my liking (I'm a fan of much more dewy finishes, the likes that Healthy Mix serum gives), so I use highlighter where needed. I have combination skin, with normal/dry cheeks and normal/a bit oily T-zone and I find this BB cream controls oil very well, I don't need to use any powder with this BB cream. It lasts quite long on the skin, certainly longer than HM Serum.

Here is a comparison of HM Serum and Pink Label BB cream. HM foundations run quite yellow and as you can see BB cream looks quite grey, however, as I said before, it adapts very fast at least on my skin (I have neutral undertones). Also it matches my skintone perfectly and you can't actually tell that I'm wearing anything on my skin. The consistency is quite thick, a lot thicker than any foundation I ever owned. 

I received four samples with purchase: BB Cleanser which is just brilliant and I'm seriously considering buying it, a sample of White Reviving skin radiance solution (I haven't tried it yet), another sample of Pink Label BB cream and a  sample of Gold Label BB cream which is supposed to be more suited for drier skin. After trying the sample I didn't notice much difference between the two, Gold Label has just a touch more dewy finish, so next time I'll probably go for the Gold Label version instead of the Pink one.

I quite like this BB cream (it is my first though). I'd prefer a more dewy finish, if Bourjois HM serum had such a high SPF that it would be ideal. However, I love the idea of an high SPF and a light coverage foundation combined plus I can just use highlighter if I feel like I need a bit more glow. This will definitely be my choice for the spring/summer months, in fact I've been wearing it every day since I got it. Here are the ingredients:

 Thanks for reading!

Repurchases

I've made quite a few repurchases in the past couple of weeks and I just thought I might made a little post about it. These are either my favourite products (of the moment) or I just haven't find anything better yet. 

I managed to get one of the last bottles of LE Balea's Traum Geschöft shower gel and a small version of deodorant. I've been repurchasing it since it was released last summer as I simply adore the scent. It's such a lovely peach smell. Why does it have to LE? 

I got yet another bottle of L'Occitane's Amande shower oil. I've been repurchasing it since 2007, I stopped counting how many bottles I've actually gone through. Seriously the most awesome scent and product ever, too bad it's so expensive. I wish they made a fragrance with this exact scent.

My fourth bottle of Bioderma Sensibio H2O in a row. A great and gentle make up remover that literally feels like water. It doesn't perform that well, when it comes to waterproof mascara though. For that I'm using Maybelline's remover for waterproof make up (another repurchase, but it's not in the picture).

I got another SauBär lavender spray, so I have one at home and one in Ljubljana. I'm still so in love with this scent. I'm not sure if this was LE or not, as I got the last bottle in my nearest DM (I sure hope it's not!).

I've raved a lot about Alverde's hair oil and I bought one more bottle for my mum. I still love it and I use it everyday (I have very dry hair though). It tames the frizz and makes my hair so shiny like from a Pantene commercial.

As I've already wrote in my previous post, I got another Stay All Day concealer by Essence, but this one in the darker shade (20 Soft Beige). It's still quite light, but it matches my skin perfectly now that I'm self tanning. 

I'm not a fan of make up wipes, but the only ones I like using are from Speedy Care. The are very gentle and soft, they contain camomile (quite high on the list of ingredients actually), vitamin E and other good stuff that I can't remember right now. Plus they're quite cheap.

Preven's Antiseptic wipes are always in bag. This is the large version, but they also have smaller packagings with different scents (these ones smell like mint).

And what do you find yourself repurchasing over and over again?
Thanks for reading!

My Favourites from Essence

Essence is probably the most affordable make-up brand available in Slovenia. They have a nice range of products in general and quite a few trend edition collections per year. Now, I obviously haven't tried all of their products, but here are my favourites so far. I only chose products that are available right now, so no TE (apart from nail polishes) or discontinued items. Coloured text are links to the original review and swatches.

1. Stay with Me lipglosses

I'm not a massive fan of lipglosses. I just don't like the look of them on me, especially the ones that are super shiny and glittery, but these are probably my favourite glosses. For a very affordable price you get a fantastic  gloss that is not too sticky, nicely pigmented (especially darker shades) and smells really lovely (kinda sweet-fruity). The shade range is fantastic, in my opinion, with two lovely nude shade and a really nice coral. I like to blot 03 Candy Bar and wear it more as a kind of a stain, I just find it suits me better than applying it straight from the tube. The wand is kinda odd, but it doesn't make the application any harder.

2. Stay All Day concealer

It's a really nice concealer for the price. I find the coverage sufficient enough for dark circles and even some minor spots. It is actually quite pigmented for a drugstore concealer. It has a doe foot applicator, which honestly I like a lot as it makes the application really easy. Also it blends really nicely. The only problem is that it comes in only two shades (10 Natural Beige and 20 Soft Beige) and both run very light. I own both, 10 is suited for very pale skins (Healty mix 51) and has yellow undertones, while 20 is just a tad darker (Healthy mix 52) and has pinker undertones. 20 suits me perfectly now that I'm self tanning.

3. my base illuminating make up base

This is a new product, I think it became a part of their standard range just about a month or two ago. It's basically a liquid highlighter that you can use by itself, or under/mixed with foundation. I like that the shine is actually quite subtle, there are no massive shimmer particles in it, so the glow it gives is really pretty. I tend to use it on my cheeks under blusher and then add my Jemma Kidd highlighter just on the tops of the cheekbones. The packaging is nice, with a pump, but it's a bit hard to squeeze just a small amount of product (it's quickly too much). You get 20 ml of product for 3-4€. There is also a peachier version available.

4. Stay All Day long lasting eyeshadow

These are my absolute favourite cream eyeshadows and I've raved loads about them (here is another review and comparison to Catrice cream eyeshadows). They apply and blend nicely, don't crease and last really long on the lids. 

5. Gel eyeliner

I bought this eyeliner just a couple of weeks ago and I'm already impressed. Before I used Mac's gel eyeliner and this one performs just as good. It lasted the entire day without smudging or fading, which is very impressive, especially since it costs about 1/5 of the price of Mac's and honestly I see no difference between the two.

6. Smokey eyes set in 02 Punky Vibe

This is one of my favourite shades for my eye colour. It's a warm dark brown with bronze tones that are really flattering for blue/grey/green eyes. I like both product, the eyeshadow and the gel liner/cream shadow, although I use gel liner/cream shadow as base and then the powder eyeshadow on top. It does fade quite fast, however, it fades evenly and I actually looks quite nice.

7. Colour & Go and TE nail polishes

Again probably my favourite nail polishes. They have a nice colour range, they apply nicely and last really long without chipping especially if I use a good top coat. Fantastic quality for the price. My favourite is You Belong to Me, which is a dupe for Essie's Mint Candy Apple. 

From TE's my favourites are BBC Pink Heat (a coral red shade, very pigmented, it needs only one coat) and from one of more recent TE's 04 Bright Alert! (a bright coral pink, needs 3 coats).

So these are my favourites so far. Hope this was useful. Thanks for reading!