I don't know how this ended up in the back of my drawer because I've always used it a lot, but my stash got bigger in autumn and Maybelline's Dream SPF 50 is now my most worn one due to SPF. After I "rediscovered it" in my stash, I immediately started wearing it again. I like the natural look this creates, it's a low coverage formula, so it never looks too "done", plus this shade fits me well and I especially appreciate that it's cheap and easily accessible in our drugstores.

This has been my favourite formula for ages and after having to make do with two shades that didn't match me well for years, I've finally found my perfect match last year - and in my local drugstore no less. I don't wear a full face makeup often now and this is the only concealer than I can just apply where needed and it won't look like a patch of obvious makeup even without a foundation under it. With all other concealers I need a foundation as a base so they blend in better, but this can go straight on the skin (Bourjois Radiance Reveal is similar, but the shade doesn't match me perfectly). It'll will cover what needs to be covered and it blends seamlessly into my skin both due to the light, non-matte natural texture and the shade. The sponge is also really helpful because at most times I don't need anything else to blend (unless there is a lot of product on the sponge). 

I was not very happy with this from the start. For one the colour was completely different than I imagined after seeing it online, I felt it's not glowy much and the formula was dusty, however, this became a much better formula with use and also the shade grew on me. It's become one of my favourite cheek products, in fact, I've worn L.O.V. blushes interchangeably and honestly, this is pretty much the same on the cheeks. Essence's has such refined shimmer which gives a wonderful healthy glow on the cheeks just like at L.O.V.'s blushes. Any other shimmery blush in my collection tends to make the skin look textured, but not these two formulas and Essence is very easily accessible here, so it's great to see a decent replacement for L.O.V. which is not easy to get since they removed the stands. Let's just hope these last a while in Essence's product lines, we all know how the love to discontinue things. 03 Cassis Sunburst is a very basic peachy-pink shade, perhaps a bit boring, but also flattering on many skin tones. It might be too light for anything darker than medium skin tones, but the glow will still be visible. 

This is holding on strong, which is a not common feature of such felt tip liners. I think I got this in February and it's still very pigmented, it's actually not much different from when it was new, even the tip is still in great condition. Formula is a deep black and it lasts all day on my normal eyelids with no base - the only thing I will complain now that I wear Lavozon sunscreen daily: it can on occasion transfer in the crease, but I think that has more to do with Lavozon being a greasier formula. The applicator is small, smooth, very precise and it's also softer than some other ones I've tried, so it feels very comfortable to use. After all this time, I'm still impressed. 

I've been mostly wearing the Honey Lacquer version, but that one started to smell very plasticky, so I dug out this one from my collection. It's another fabulous formula from Max Factor. They make some of the most cushiony, comfortable formulas that are a pleasure to apply and wear. The formula is thinner than Honey Lacquer, so the shade is sheerer and I actually appreciate this as this shade. I want natural looking colours and this is a pretty pinky-peach that isn't too bright. 

I did not appreciate this shade fully as a dark brunette. I felt it looked too pink and I prefered Cami from the same brand, but as a blonde I like such a shades a lot more. I don't know if this shade is still sold, but the official description is very accurate: a matte dusty mauve pink. I think this is a Matte formula, which I don't love as much as Matte X, but it's still one of my favourites. It's one of the most pigmented ones I've ever tried, finish is nicely matte (but Matte X has a similar finish to a matte liquid lipstick) and it's comfortable on the lips

These are both discontinued, but there were several of these in the discontinued bin when I checked. They aren't the same shade, so wearing these together doesn't work best, so I either wear one or the other. The lipstick is a like a shade lighter Lumiere, so a dusty mauve pink. It's not matte, as it has a creamy shine and it doesn't last terribly long, which is a shame, but I paid 0.99 € for it, so I won't complain too much. The lipliner is a peachier version of the lipstick and it's got a matte finish. Formula is a bit heavy on the lips and it feels like a layer from the beginning, but it's not uncomfortable and it's creamy enough to be applied all over the lips without dragging. It also doesn't last long, but a bit better than the lipstick. 

This is not how I remember it from, granted, a long time ago and it's not the coconuty-beachy scent I was looking for, but I like it, even though it's so unconventional to me. This is going to sound stupid, but it just smells so homely to me, like a walk in the forest in spring. It's the strong bergamot that makes it smell very unisex to me, but the base is somewhat warm. I said that it also smells like high end makeup or a mix of fragrance when you step into a drugstore - that's the base of this fragrance on me. I'm still looking for a perfect beachy scent, but I'll wear this a lot. It lasts reasonably well for such a scent, a few hours and even longer on clothes where I usually spray it, but obviously such scent can't last all day. For a beachy-ish scent I'm still sticking to BBW Oahu Coconut Sunset even though it's a bit too syrupy and heavy for summer days, while Yves Rocher's Eau de Vahines didn't not impress me than much, though it's the most "beachy" in the selection because it smells like tanning oil.   

I did not expect to like this much, but I think it'll end up as my permanent replacement for Balea Waschgel (though I still have one full bottle in stock and I will start using that one once this is finished). My skin got incredibly dry last autumn and though it's stabilised since then, I had this rough area around my nose that wasn't improving, so I had a brainwave that Waschgel might not be best for me at the moment and it looks like it was the reason, because that dry area is now under control. Such foams are not my favourite as they tend to be very watery, but this one is fluffier than a lot such formulas. 

While I'm not as impressed by this as with the conditioner, it's become my favourite leave-in moisturising conditioner when I use any other treatment apart from Cantu (together they leave my hair nourished, but tangled). I've mentioned several times before that no treatment or conditioner can keep my ends moisturised for longer than a couple of days, but this gives me the same effect as the regular conditioner when I use it on damp hair after washing so my hair doesn't get dry for a week. The only thing this doesn't do is make my hair silky, meaning I have to combine it with silicone product or my hair get very tangled. On dry hair I use it when my ends are very dry and it fixes it most effectively, but like I said this doesn't leave the hair smooth and it's hard to even run my fingers through the hair. As overnight treatment without washing it off like they recommend also doesn't work for me, so I stick to using this one as a leave-in conditioner mostly on damp hair and it limits the amount of oil/leave-ins I need to maintain my ends.

I rave about these two frequently, so I won't say anything new. Cantu is my moisturising treatment that intensely nourishes, so my hair isn't dry as fast as usual, but these two are my protein (+ moisturising) duo that fix the extra coarseness which appears after a while, especially when I'm trying to use up my cheap conditioners. I've been using Intense Hydrator on its own for years and it's one of my favourite treatments ever, but together with Reconstructor they are a power couple. I don't like to use Reconstuctor on its own because while it makes the hair stronger, due to being a protein rich treatment it can leave the hair hard to the touch, but Intense Hydrator provides the perfect balance in extra hydration, leaving the hair feeling smooth and softer than usual. For my coloured hair these are a must. 

While I have been using this every day for three weeks or maybe a month now, I won't place it among the "proper favourites" because it's still too early to say it's doing something in terms of brightening, but nonetheless I like this a lot. It appears it doesn't have such a fast brightening effect as my favourite vitamin C Eucerin 10% (that one worked in 2-3 weeks), but this has vitamin C in a less powerful form 3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid, so I'm going to have to report back on that, still my skin is looking pretty good. I love how light this is, so I can easily include it in my routine and I use this in the morning under sunscreen. This also has hyaluronic acid high on the list, which doesn't break me out, so I'm glad I found another such a product. Serum is tinted pink and contains tiny silver shimmer, which isn't as intense as in Catrice's Glow & Care Primer or Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Flawless Filter, but I noticed on my hands where I applied it to one that this has a had this very subtle, natural radiance to it with no shimmer particles. On my face I don't notice the glow as much, but it has more to do that my skin actually got its natural glow back with Lee Jiham Propolis Ampoule anyway, but I suspect this might have something to do with too (along with the niacinamide-rich Balea Vital Konzentract Gegen Pigment Flecken that I've been using in my night routine). One more big plus at this one - I can use it without the fear of the weird scent that develops on my hands after applying products with a lot of ascorbic acid. I've actually resorted to applying The Ordinary 23% vitamin C with gloves, but it's not a foolproof technique since I touch my face a lot and I really can't stand that weird smell - if I have to use weaker forms of vitamin C, so be it, I don't get results from TO anyway, not like with Eucerin. 

My favourite mascara for many years now. I actually had three empty tubes of this to throw out. It's one of rare mascaras that does what I want - first and foremost keeps my lashes curled all day, but also it's a mascara that has a multiplying effect because it can separate and catch every lash, it's lengthening and doesn't create a clumpy result even with several coats. Only minus is that it doesn't fan out the lashes as nicely as some other mascaras, so they look kinda dishevelled and I also always make a bit of a mess due to the big brush. 

This could be the most perfect mascara ever. It catches every single lash creating an effect of tons of lashes and it fans them out beautifully. However, for a waterproof mascara it's not good at holding up the lashes, which is such a shame. But since most don't have such problems like me, this might work great for you.

A very decent formula for a regular one because it didn't drop my lashes completely like most do. It also has a very volumising and dramatic effect, making it perfect for those who love big lashes. But it's such a pain to remove and needs a special remover just like the waterproof formulas, so this makes it not worth it for me - I put up with lengthy removal only if the mascara does what I want, so keep my lashes perfectly curled.  

This might just be the longest surviving product in Essence lines that has successfully evaded their discontinuing frenzies for years. I bought this ages ago and now I'm just throwing it out after not even using it a lot. I didn't get this for the original purpose (taming brows), instead I got it to tame the frizz on my hair and it wasn't averaged at that, so I rarely used it. I've recently found the Got2B Bye Bye Babyhaar frizz taming mascara, which was specifically designed for the job and it's really good.  

This is an amazing product for my skin and sadly it only exists in a 15 ml size, so I saved it a lot, which I really shouldn't have. You might remember that I wrote about how my skin has been impossible to handle since september last year when I started using more The Ordinary products, hoping I'll finally see results, which I didn't despite persisting until March. So I went back to my basic routine, which stabilised my skin and then decided to finally finish this bottle and the results were amazing. Within a few uses my skin got back it's glow it had before The Ordinary and it just looked so much better. It looks like propolis really works for me.

Repurchase: Yes, though it's difficult now. I might get Tosoowong instead because it's 100 ml, but I don't remember if that one broke me out or not. I'm exploring other brands too (Skinfood, It's Skin, iUNIK, Beauty of Joseon,...). 

I used this up on my hair. It has gold flakes inside that did nothing apart from look pretty in the bottle when you shook it. It's a light oil and I didn't particularly like it on the face as much as my other oils, though there was nothing wrong with it, but I just felt others leave my skin in better condition. I used it instead of a silicone-oil hair seruma because it's light and didn't leave my hair too greasy looking like coconut oil does, so it my "morning choice" for a hair care product when my ends were dry. Nuxe Huile Prodigeouse is a better version, this I merely tried to use up.

So far the best mask I was able to find in local drugstores. It has about the same effect as brightening Asian masks, meaning it evens out the skin tone and makes the skin look more healthy. Only minus is the chemical scent, which is noticeable the entire time it's on the face, but it's not terrible. 

INEBRYA Ice Cream No Yellow Shampoo 

This is one of the strongest purple shampoos I've tried and it works really well on light blonde hair of level 10-9. It's an intensely pigmented indigo (deep purple-blue) shampoo that neutralises yellow tones and creates an ice blonde shade. It's so strong that if you have very pale hair, you have to be careful because it can tint the hair violet, but my hair was never so light that that would happen to me. Formula was never drying on my hair, so I enjoyed using it, though it's not a nourishing formula. It smells like grape, which was pleasant enough. This is quite expensive in my local drugstore, over 10 € and though it took me a long time for finish the bottle, I found a cheaper dupe by L'Oreal. This is much cheaper online and it exists in a jumbo size, still L'Oreal wins for me because it's easily accessible. 

Repurchase: Yes, but only if I can't find L'Oreal's purple shampoo.

This is the richest, heaviest treatment I know in terms of texture. It's like a thick balm and for anyone who doesn't have very thick and dry hair, this is way too much. Even I had to be careful with it not to apply too much leave-in products or it would make my hair feel "heavy", though not greasy. However, it's not as effective as their K-Pack Intense Hydrator despite the thickness. This was second tube and I used it rarely, only when my hair was super dry and honestly, it never helped as much as I hoped it would. 

Repurchase: Maybe, but a lot less likely since I found Cantu conditioner, which is the best thing I found for extremely dry hair.

SCHWARZKOPF PROFESSIONAL BC Bonacure Fibre Force Fortifying Primer 

I have to say I don't see any really results from these types of leave-in protein treatments on their own. I got this because I read it's like a liquid Olaplex only better - I don't find it has such a visible result on my hair, but maybe on thinner it's more effective. I see a difference only with proper masks/treatments, while I use these as an extra product. This is very light, so suitable for all hair types. I bought Joico K-Pack instead. I feel the same about that one as this one, so it really doesn't matter to me which one I use. The packaging broke on this one, the pump simply stopped working when I had a 1/2 left, so I had to transfer into another spray. 

Repurchase: I don't know, I'll get whatever is cheaper, though I don't want another spray that's going to break. 

I found this in some dark corner of my cupboard. It's a mini and I've never owned full size despite really liking it, but like always when I like something I start to obsessively save it and I forgot about it like any idiot. In the meantime I got a ton of similar products, however, this is one of the most effective products I've found for smoothing the hair when using a round brush and hair dryer. It's also very liquid and light, so suitable for all types.

Repurchase: It's really nice, but it has alcohol as the second ingredient, so no.

BALEA Fuss Maske 

This felt so promising when I started applying it. It’s very rich, thick and it’s actually like a mask, not just a thick moisturiser, so it stays in a thick layer on the skin. I did a pedicure before with my Balea machine and even used plastic bags to make socks just like in those more expensive masks. I left it on for about an hour, maybe two. Once it all absorbed, my skin wasn’t soft. It was nourished, but not as smooth as it was after a pedicure. It felt like those parts with thick skin (I can't reduce those completely despite using a machine) were even more pronounced now. My skin is very thick and often very dry, so I haven’t found a product that would make my feet soft (that includes those peeling AHA masks) and this sadly isn’t it either. However, I think for an average user it’s likely going to be more than enough. It smelled really nice, just a basic creamy cosmetic scent. 

Repurchase: Probably not, though I liked how thick it was and it did nourish well.

This was nice and it did the job. I like this one most out of the ones I've tried. 

I used to adore this wholeheartedly, but man am I glad it's gone. I just can't smell it any more, possibly because mine changed/has gone off, but all I could smell at the end is a sharp jasmine note and I really don't like jasmine because it gives me a headache. From the start it was a floral vanilla with a sea salt note, quite unique in my eyes. Now I much prefer the flankers, in particular the Intense version and Aqua Legere. 

GARNIER Color Naturals 

I got this a while ago when they changed the packaging of my usual L'Oreal Excellence and I couldn't find shade 9.1 for some time, so I grabbed this one in the same shade. I ended up not using it that time because I stumbled upon L'Oreal a few days later, but so it doesn't just sit in my closet I decided to finally use it up. I was very concerned this will be a drying, terrible formula because it's cheap and this is Garnier's budget range, however, it's actually very decent. It's not as nice as L'Oreal's, but it didn't leave my hair all dried up, stiff, coarse and fried, which is an achievement at my hair texture. As far as the colour goes, I've made a lot of mistakes before and during dyeing, so I didn't get the perfect result that I get with L'Oreal and I won't blame it on this colour, but like I said L'Oreal's performs better even with my screw ups. It neutralised strong yellow tones after bleaching, but despite leaving the bleach on for enough time I was left with orange this time and this obviously can't cover that, so this is a shade for very strong, canary yellow tones only, aside from the natural colours it's recommended for. 

SUBRINA Colour Refresh Mask 

One more tube used up. I talk about this mask a lot because it's the strongest such neutralising product I know, which means your need to be very careful with this, but also one rare products that is capable of toning on very intense warm tones. This isn't my picture, but you can see the results here. 

Like I said above this shade is discontinued too, but it can't have been long ago, since there were a few in the discontinued bins. Formula is smooth and creamy so it can be applied all over the lips with no problems, yet it's thick and waxy enough to be precise. It feels like a layer on the lips and it can't just be wiped off right after application. It sticks to the skin and needs a remover, however, for some reason staying power isn't quite as good as I would expect based on that and it doesn’t survive eating. Shade is something new in my collection and one of my new favourites. It's a great light-medium natural pinky- peachy shade. 

DM, 0.99 €

After buying 400 I went to check the permanent shade and this one looked intriguing. I saw it in some post compared to Charlotte Tilbury Pillow Talk, though it's not a dupe, just similar and that comparison was made on a darker skin tone than mine. On my lips it doesn't look as nice as it did on the back of my hand. It's a medium rosy-brown shade that's quite peachy on me. This might look a lot better on darker skin tones than mine. Formula is the same as at 400.   

DM, 2.29 € 

I have shade 100 and this is one of the best formulas I've ever tried, so I've been wanting to expand my collection for a while - one problem: most of the shades are not best for my skin tone. Still I was thinking about trying either 010 or 030 if they look wearable for me and I picked the first since it's lighter, though both are similar in depth. 010 is more brown on me than on swatches I've seen - to be fair I kind of expected that it won't look such a beautiful beige nude as on others. It's a light-medium natural brown-rosy shade, darker and leaning more to brown than my similar shades such as L'Oreal's No Hesitation. Trend it up 420 is most similar (ironically I bought them at the same time), but Demi Matte is more intense, more peachy and brown. I hope Catrice adds a lot more shades to this formula because it's so good and I'd love to have some more wearable shades.

DM, 4.19 €

I bought this after seeing it on DM's website and I imagined it completely differently. I thought this is going to be a product like Touche Eclat or L'Oreal Magic Lumi Highlighter pen (which I loved because it worked, yet I never repurchased), but it's something completely new. It's a sheer blue shade or better said a liquid highlighter with a transparent blue base and tiny blue shimmer. When I apply this under my eyes on its own, I look like a zombie because it turns my red circles into purple plus it’s shimmery, so this is a strange one, though on the area around the circles does kind of illuminated. I’ve tried this in a way where I wear it just under one eye to compare it with the one without and did it twice with each of the eyes because I have stronger redness under one. I felt it worked on the eye where I have less redness, but then I tried it on the other one and I saw that it was just the foundation doing its job, so this is not really doing a difference. It's also meant to work as a base, but it's not silicone based, so it doesn't assist the concealer to apply more smoothly nor does it hide any lines. Maybe it helps it last longer, but I wear glasses, so anything under my eyes is doomed to fail even with powder over it. I wonder why it’s blue, as circles tend to be purple, blue or red and I've seen more orange neutralizing concealers, though L'Oreal has their range of blue tinted products for brightening. 

DM, 3.99 €

I haven't bought a clear nail polish in so long. This one promises to do everything apart do your laundry. It works as a base coat, as a nail hardener, refresher of colour, colour sealer, fast dryer, ridge filler, anti-split coat, UV protection, top coat and shine coat - I mean a lot of these are such Captain Obvious things, just like any 10 in 1 lists companies try to make by stretching the truth. I just bought because it has 5 stars on meindm.at. It takes hours to properly dry. It's rubbery for a long time and if it weren't clear, this would look like a mess. So this is no fast drying polish and it bothers me. However, it took 11 days for it to chip and even then it wasn't bad. However, it got that yellow tint like all nail polishes do on me, which I hoped might not happen because it's slightly tinted blue.

DM, 2.29 €

Normally I'm not terribly excited when a regular mascara lands in my mail box, but since I loved the first Tremendous mascara, which is my of my all-time favourites, I was looking forward to trying this one. First impressions based on one use: same multiplying effect as the first Tremendous formula, so the larger and differently shaped brush brings nothing new to the table, but it creates exactly the result I like - the look of many lashes that look like your natural lashes have a lot of volume. However, unlike the first one this one drops my lashes more. It's not as tragic as it can be, but Tremendous is better in that respect. I hope it gets better when it dries a bit, I think it is improving day by day, but for now extra wetness compared to the original is dropping my lashes more. 

Oriflame, current catalogue 7.99 €, regular price 15.90 €

I was so happy to see this has niacinamide high on the list (ingredients here), plus it has hyaluronic acid quite high too. These are like the name says hydrogel patches for under the eyes (or elsewhere if you wish) and due to ingredients I rate these very high, but I also liked the hydrogel itself. It's a the perfect thickness, there's also enough formula, which it's not so slimy that the patches would slide down the face and there's no scent. I have never seen any visible result from any of these patches, but my circles are not puffy and that redness I have since forever is more due to how thin my skin is there, so it can't be fixed with such products, but they felt nicely refreshing under the eyes. These are very likeable. 

Oriflame, current catalogue 2.29 €, regular price 4.50 €

This is one of the newest CV products, which I have to praise for their improved new formulas, at least some of them. It caught my eye because it has vitamin C third on the list, though it's not ascorbic acid, it's 3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid and percentage is not stated. There also hyaluronic acid high on the list, which did concern me a bit, since products with a lot of it break me out - it sucks, since it's such an important ingredient, still took a risk anyway and it looks like it's not going to cause me much problems. It's also meant to work as a primer, but it's not a silicone-based one, instead it has glycerine as the main ingredient, so it's similar to Catrice's  Glow & Care Primer. Serum is tinted pink and contains tiny silver shimmer, so I assumed this is going to be very similar to Catrice's primer which is a passable dupe for Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Flawless Filter (in my opinion. The size of shimmer differs, so I expect some will disagree), however, shimmer is super subtle. I can't really say I notice any extra glow on my face, at least on me since my natural radiance returned to my skin after almost eliminating The Ordinary products from my routine, but when I was trying it on hands, I noticed that the one I applied this on had this very subtle, natural radiance to it with no shimmer particles, so maybe if you have a dull complexion, this effect might be more visible on you. Formula is light, but kind of slimmy-feeling when I’m applying it and it almost emulsifies, similar to Revolution Salicylic Acid 2%. It doesn't absorb completely and stays a bit tacky on the skin - this might assist the foundation and other makeup to stick on better, but I haven't spotted a difference, since makeup tends to last ok on me anyway. CV also recommends to mix this with a foundation for extra radiance, but like I said this is not very highlightery and if you want such a product try Catrice instead (or for more glow any of the liquid highlighters: Oriflame IlluSkin, L'Oreal Mon Amour and Wet n Wild MegaGlo Hello Halo). I got it because of vitamin C, even though it's not ascorbic acid, but at least at this one there's not obnoxious scent on my hands the other day like at strong L-AA formulas such as TO 23%. This is scented, but faintly and it's a bit of an odd one that I don't quite like, but it's not terrible. 

Ingredients.

Müller, 6.99 €

I got two more of these, since they were finally in stock. I've written a rave review, saying it's has the same results as Asian brightening mask, so it evens out the skin and just makes it look healthier. Ingredients are lovely since it has niacinamide high on the list, along with camelia extract, hyaluronic acid, glycolic and malic acid. 

Müller, 2.95 €

Getting one of these has been on my mind for a while, though I was perfectly content to do facial massages just with fingers and this is honestly just a luxury item for me. I was planning on getting one much cheaper online, but currently I'm not too keen ordering online outside EU since everything takes ages, so I was surprised to see one of these in Müller. It's was out of my designated budget, but convenience won this time. I've never held one of these to compare them, but I can say this one feels well made. The rolling is smooth, there's no squeaking and nothing is loose, though I feel like if this falls there is a chance it will break, so it best to be careful. CV added a guide how to do a massage in the back, though I'm used to is slightly differently myself. I'm not sure what if any results to expect from this, I'm never puffy too see a difference from a facial massage, but I do it for lymphatic drainage and honestly, whether I used this or not, I see nothing different in my skin, still I use it daily if I remember. I use mostly Nuxe oil with this and do a 10-15 minute massage. I'm very skinny, this doesn't feel amazing when it touches bones, which is almost everywhere for me and actually I like the basic massage with hands more. The box this comes in is great, nicely padded and easy to open, so I keep this in it. 

Müller, 15.99 €

I was never a fan of these types of mousses, but I got this to replace Balea's Waschgel. I love the latter and have been using for years now, but I had this dry, rough area on the sides of my nose that persisted despite my skin care oriented towards dry skin type, so I thought I might try replacing the cleanser with something suitable for such skin (this area also appeared only after they changed the Washchgel formula, which perhaps now might not be pH neutral, but I'm just speculating). The foam is surprisingly not crappy, I'm used to these being so watery, but this one is nicely fluffy and a bit more substantial than usual, though it's not as lovely as Balea's shower mousse from example. The smell is like Nivea and strong. I've been using this for a month and that area has now significantly improved. This might be my permanent replacement for Waschgel.

DM, 1.99 €

These are new and there are three versions, aside from this one a pink one with raspberry, blueberry & almond milk, and a green one with watermelon, mint & coconut milk. I was of course drawn to the apricot mango combination, since both of those are some of my favourite scents, but this is not exactly what I imagined. I mean maybe there is some in the mix, but this smells exactly like Multi Sola, the orange drink with different fruit, which is a Slovene thing or possibly partly in the Balkans too, but I think every country has something like it, it's that bright orange fruity sweet beverage. Formula is thin, which is strange for Nivea which tends to have more rich formulas. Still it does what it should. To me it's important that it smells nice and that's it, and if I'd known it smells like Multisola, I'd get Nivea's Apricot shower gel instead.  

DM, 4.49 €

All YR product were bought online, so these were blind scent purchases, though we have a shop. I fell in love with the scent of Catrice's Sungasm Face Mist, so I went on a hunt to find a fragrance just like it. A few years ago such scents were everywhere from Estee Lauder Bronze Goddess (now the brand was removed from my local Müller, plus BG fragrances tend to be LEs), Guerlain Terracotta (on my wishlist since forever and now I can't find it anywhere), Lolita Lempicka L'Aime (apparently also discontinued), The Body Shop Kahaia and Polynesian Island Tiara (both discontinued), but Yves Rocher is the only option that's available all year round and is not a LE (aside from Nuxe Huile Prodigieuse, which I already know is not the same scent as Catrice's mist, but I'll get it anyway because it's so good). I had the shimmery oil years ago, whose scent my friend described as grandma-ish. I forgot it wasn’t that amazing the first time round and I thought there was some coconut in this on me. First spray was a disappointment. It just reminded me of that dry oil that later struggled to use up. There's zero coconut in this, it's a floral fragrance with lots of tiare flower and the only other note I get is ylang-ylang, but zero vanilla or coconut which are mentioned among the notes. It's a very "oily" smelling scent, it instantly reminds me of a suntanning oil, while I'd prefer something more creamy, suntanning lotion-like with more coconut. It's quite synthetic at times and sharp, I feel it needs something to make it more creamy, because now it smells dated to me, memories of the scent of beaches from the past and not now. It's closest to the original Nuxe Huile Prodigieuse scent, yet that one is so much better than this, softer, more rounded and smells more modern to my nose. YR is still instantly recognizable as a beachy scent and they have a separate coconut fragrance which could be combined with this, though I found it synthetic smelling and BBW does much better coconut scents. Staying power is poor, it can last maybe a couple of hours on the skin, so I mist it on my hair and clothes.   

Yves Rocher, 17.59 €

This has about the same scent as the fragrance, it's a bit less sharp, but again no coconut, only tiare flower. Formula is thin and I use up a lot of it at once because it foams poorly, however, it's SLS/SLES free which is nice to see and due to it I forgive the foaming part - beside this part matters less and less to me anyway. It can be used as a shampoo as well and like I said is sulphate-free plus it's silicone-free, but I haven't tried it yet for that and I don't if I will before it runs out. I ordered a pump too because YR's packaging is just too hard for me to squeeze.

Yves Rocher, 3.50 €

I don't like the scent of this. It was a blind buy based on reviews on YR's French website and I simply should have known that like 90% of times YR's scent this likely won't be for me. I expected something nicely warm, since almond scents tend to smell great at other brands, but YR has this type of fragrances with a natural twist that my nose doesn't like. It's more orange blossom than almond, though the latter is noticeable, but this is overall a very green floral scent - like I said it has this natural, almost herbal vibe to it, it's all very French in a L'Occitane & Yves Rocher way. I'm a basic girl who likes her more chemical, powdery-clean based to the scents, so I hope someone uses this up instead of me. The formula is algain SLS/SLES free and also quite liquid plus poorly foaming.

Yves Rocher, 3.50 €

I got this as a gift with purchase. Honestly I didn't want any of their options, but it doesn't let you through checkout if you don't pick something - I'm probably the only one who is not a fan of getting GWP unless it's something I really want. This smell like Nestle Ice Tea. It's more fruity to me than floral, though Nestle never smelled like peaches to me, but this it's not a floral garden scent - maybe it's better to describe it as having ice tea in a blooming garden. Texture is on the light side, yet it doesn't absorb as fast as The Body Shop's Cool Cucumber which has a similar lotion-like formula. In terms of nourishment this is not Balea's Urea, L'Occitane's Shea or TBS Hemp cream, so for me more of a something to use if nothing else is around.  

Yves Rocher, 3.50 €

I tend to avoid Balea coconut scented stuff because it's all the same plastic smelling kind since forever. This one is exactly like that from the start, this soapy fake coconut scent, however, after you wash it off, a more pleasant smelling coconut remains. It’s not like Raffaello for example, it’s less sweet. Formula is typical for Balea, on the thin side, but it does the job. 

DM, 0.99 €

I've been wondering about this scent ever since I saw that Sol de Janeiro-like pot of body cream. It's not described as a dupe scent by anyone, but reviews mostly praised the scent. I didn't want the either of the body lotions nor the scented shimmery mist (if a shimmer free version existed it's be nice), so I waited for them to launch either a shampoo or a shower gel. This came here first, but a shower gel exists too, though to use the shampoo as a shower gel anyway and I won't try this on my hair. Scent is not at all what I expected. I though it's going to be something coconuty, pina-colada-like or with any of the tropical fruits, however, this is not a summery tropical scent to my nose. It's smells like something from an autumn/winter collection to me and just smelling it from the bottle doesn’t reveal how it really smells - I get this almost chocolate-y hazelnut scent, but when showering it’s a warm, sweet, syrupy floral scent. It's smells like something from an autumn/winter collection to me - if they sold this in autumn and said in the description it smells like maple syrup and hazelnuts, I’d totally believe it, but now since it says it smells like exotic flowers, I think I notice them, though there’s no tiare flower or hibiscus. I truly get no beach/summer/cocktail vibe from this. Regardless, it’s nice and I can see why products from this line have such a positive feedback. Formula is thin and I don’t get a lot of foam from it. 

DM, 1.29 €

YR is so much like L'Occitane when it comes to ingredients, though some products have alcohol high on the list. I loved this - well based on one use. It's a serum with tiny shimmer, which doesn't do much, but the formula feels nicely hydrating even though it's light. Usually when the formula is light, my skin just screams for extra moisture in a matter of minutes. It's not sticky nor does it leave a layer. It has chamomile extract high on the list, so it should have some soothing abilities and it also has a form of vitamin C (sodium ascorbyl phosphate). I like it a lot, but it's too expensive at 46.99 €.

Ingredients.

This I like less, though it was still nice enough. It's very thick and takes a long time to absorb. Something for dry skin and to use at night, like the name says.

Ingredients.

After being so impressed with the conditioner, I had to get the leave-in too. The pot is just huge, there's 453 g inside, which is at least twice as much as you get usually. It's the type of texture I was hoping it's going to be, meaning that it can be used both on damp and dry hair. On latter it doesn't leave that wet feeling so there's no drying time and no possibility of frizz popping back up latter. Texture is a combination between a silicone leave-in cream like Olaplex n.6 or Tigi After Party and a regular leave-in creamy conditioner that provides nourishment instead of styling. It works so well on very dry, coarse hair, but sadly it doesn't add that silkiness I get from Tigi Blow-Out or Olaplex n.6 so it's not a perfect product, but as long as it can handle very dry hair, I'm good. This can also be used as a leave-in treatment overnight as for a more intense effect, but I had to wash my hair after it because though it absorbed during the night, I couldn't even run my fingers though the hair, it was so tangled with no smoothness - my hair just needs a ton of silicones if I don't want impossible tangles. I now mostly use it as a leave-in conditioner on damp hair after washing my hair and it helps just like the regular conditioner to keep my ends moisturised for much longer. However, using both regular conditioner and this in one washing doesn't work well for me, I need to combine both with something with silicones, otherwise I can barely run my fingers though my hair and it's just tangly. It doesn't smell like Pina Colada like the conditioner, but it's another more tropical coconuty-banana scent, so very pleasant.

Müller, 8.99 €

I only noticed now that I got the wrong one. I was planning on getting the new Schőner Főner spray which is in the same type of packaging and similar colour. I checked the ingredients of that one online, so I didn't read the back of this one in the shop and I didn't see it's filled with alcohol. Luckily I only got the mini because this is a fail product for me. For one it leaves the hair very wet and I need to wait for it to dry before curling or straightening. It leaves the hair dry, stuck in clumps and crunchy. My hair was a mess the next day. This is definitely not a product for my dry hair. 

DM, 0.99 €

Another set of these, you know I use these a lot for toning. This time I screwed up my roots because they didn't lift enough and they stayed orange-yellow (my mistake. I used an equal mix of 6% and 12% developer, which ended up too weak for my dark brown thick hair when left the longest recommended time. I think I used more of 12% last time and forgot. So lesson learned for next time hopefully). I decided to do a version of shadow roots with 8.1 to hide the warm roots that Garnier 9.1 wasn't able to cover instead of bleaching again and toning. My roots are now a bit darker, which helps a lot to hide my emerging dark roots or at least makes the transition a bit softer, so it's much better than the last time when I had light blonde hair all over. I praised the formula a lot already, it's a truly great one even for very dry hair.  

Interspar, 5 € on offer.

I've been buying these for years. It's a cheap, basic nail file that does the job. It has four sides with surfaces that vary in roughness. I always buy this one for shortening and polishing the tips, and Ebelin's Polishing file for polishing the entire nail.

DM, 1.59 €