Formula is creamy when swiped on the skin and has enough slip that it blends nicely when applied in a one swipe amount. The thing is this is a very pigmented formula and one swipe on my skin ends in clown cheeks. I can only apply a small dot of product and due to that blending isn't as easy. I've tried to mix it with a concealer and it was still too much, so I don't find this formula easy to work with, but when done properly it has nice results. Despite the small amount, it blends into the skin with diffused edges.

This can hold on surprisingly well considering it's a liquid formula. I wore Primark blush and Rare Beauty one side by side, one of each cheek and at the end of the day I found the Primark side looked more intense. Both still looked good.

Packaging is hexagonal with the rose gold cap. The doe foot applicator is large and holds a lot of product.

This was 4,5 €

My second shade, as I already got and reviewed shade 010 Pink Feelings. This one is a more unique colour. It appeared to me inspired by the famous Black Honey shade by Clinique, but given that Nivea's Blackberry Shine lip balm is the alleged dupe, Catrice's shade is quite different. 

It’s a cool deep plum colour that blends out into a shade that's somewhere between a cool purple and a pink - someone on my IG said the shade reminds her of a bruise, which I agree due to the coolness, but blended out it looks better. I only need the tinniest amount because this is a deep shade that also has a lot of pigmentation. The result on my cheeks kind of makes me look like I either came from an extreme cold or am already suffering from hypothermia, as that cool undertone make you look like you're very cold. Nivea's Blackberry Shine lip balm that I use as a blush on occasions ends up warmer.

I already reviewed shade 60 Lovely Lilac before and then I got four more shades, most recently 50 Pink Pop, which is pictured separately. Formulas differ in this line, with 40 Strawberry Flush being noticeably drier and less pigmented than the rest, but overall these are great for the price. Essence's blushes are usually good quality, no matter how many times they change their names and packaging.

10 Caramel Latte has such a lovely glow on the skin. It's not my shade because it's too warm and ends up yellow/orange on my skin, but if you have a deeper warm skin tone, this should look great on you.

Shade 20 Deep Rose is much less pink one me that's I've seen it look on others - not surprising to be honest. It's a deep, muted peach. Compared to the discontinued Befitting, which was the most popular shade, it's less pink and I don't think it's as universally flattering as that one was.

40 Strawberry Flush is my favourite in the bunch or sharing it's spot with 50 Pink Pop. I could call it a typical peachy-pink with golden shimmer a.k.a. the Nars Orgasm dupe (in a loose sense. We all know how many alleged "dupes" exist), but this one has the perfect balance between pink and peachy (orange) tones that really make someone with my skin tone look so fresh. Great shade. Pigmentation is medium and needs to be build up, but it has the same lovely glow as shade 10.

50 Pink Pop is a baby doll pink with the most intense glow out of my selection. The fine shimmer it has is silver, unlike in shades 10 and 40, which have gold. It has a creamy, nicely pigmented formula that's better quality than shade 40.

A couple of years ago I had this in the shade 401 Mauve-ment and I reviewed the formula then. It's not as good as Catrice's matte lipsticks (and nowhere near Revlon's), but for the price good enough. Pigmentation is rich and I don't find it drying, but I don't find many formulas drying anyway. Staying power is average, as these are more of a creamy matte formulas than proper dry-to-the-touch matte.

Shade 404 Virtu-Rose is the darker of the two, a medium pink shade that leans to red. 

411 Rock 'n' Rose is cooler on my lips that I imagined when I saw it in the tube. It's a about the natural depth of my lips, so quite light, pink and leans to cool.

I expected too much from these, mainly because I love Catrice's Glossin' Glows and Essence's Cranberry Lip Oil, but I think I'm more bothered by the applicator than the formula. The annoyingly small applicator applies so little at a time on the lips, so this feels nothing like my favourite, rich lip gloss formulas. But even so, this doesn't feel like a lip oil, it's still a classic gloss. It's not that much different from the tubes. If you want a proper lip oil, try either Catrice's version, since as great as Essence's Cranberry oil was, the discontinued it already - which is honestly so typical of Essence, am I right?

The scent of Strawberry Star is like those soft strawberry candy, very sweet. Several versions exist.

I reviewed shade 301 Romantic most recently, which is a concealer nude shade and that one is quite dry. There are the classic Soft & Precise formulas, so creamy, yet not overly soft like Essence's first lipliners were. Staying power is not the best.

202 My Mind is very close to my natural lip colour and a nice shade for a kind of no makeup makeup look and so shaping the lips. Compared to my lip colour it's a touch deeper and is pink based.

203 My Advice is about the same depth as 202, except it leans to peach.

204 My Way is the deepest of the four, sort of a flesh colour.

303 Delicate is a peach shade with some fine shimmer or frost, unusual for a lipliner.

I got this based on some recommendation and because I think it was heavily inspired by the Glow Recipe Niacinamide Drops. I've had this for a while and I find it quite a bland product. It's no different than any other hydrating gel moisturiser. It leaves the same glow as a cream or SPF and just like with those the shine eventually disappears from my dry skin. There's no shimmer than I can see in this and as far as being a good base for foundation goes, I find it's the same as most moisturisers. As a plus I can say it has niacinamide high on the list and it has a stable version of vitamin C. The scent is a very chemical watermelon one. I think products like Neutrogena's Bright Boost Serum and Body Boom Superstar Hydrating and Illuminating Face and Eye Cream are more impressive, since they have tiny shimmer.

I don't do anything to my eyebrows and I only got this so I have something in my stash to use on others. I got this shade because Adjusting Beauty says it's good. Formula is hard, there is light-medium colour pay-off, so great for a gradual application. Shade is cool, though not as cool as my eyebrows, but there's no reddish tone.

This formula is much creamier than Catrice's and the colour pay-off is medium. It glides easily on the skin and the micro tip is meant for drawing tiny strokes, so eyebrow hair. Shade is warmer than Catrice's 020 Date With Ash-ton. Compared to Revlon's Colorstay Micro brow pencil, Essence is creamier and because of that you have less control over the intensity of application than at Revlon.

I wasn't too keen on this formula when I first got it, but it grew on me. It has to do with the changes in my skin, as when I got it in winter, my skin was drier, so this ended up looking very flat and matte - something that surprised me given how nicely hydrating Healthy Mix formulas are. Now it's behaving much better and looks fresh on the skin. The finish is still not that I would describe as radiant, but it has a good level of coverage (medium, or medium/full with layering) and looks natural. Shade 49 Ivory fits me well. The applicator is unique, but I end up blending the concealer with a sponge or a brush, as the rolling metal applicator is only nicely cooling, but not effective at blending or spreading the concealer evenly.

I already have four of these and I wear 40 Strawberry Flush very often, since it's such an uplifting peachy pink. This one is a baby doll pink with lots of silver shimmer/frost, so it's a mix between a highlighter and blush - a blushlighter. It's the most glowy in the selection I got. Formula is creamier than 40 Strawberry Flush, which is the driest, least smooth in the bunch, but it the same as the matte shade 60 Lovely Lilac.

These are a new launch here and are Revlon's newest matte liquid lipsticks. As always Revlon delivers when it comes to lip products and I have yet to be disappointed. I've tried a lot of such liquid matte formulas and these feel great at application, almost buttery creamy. The applicator has a good shape and allows a lot of precision with its tip. It takes about a minute to dry and then I don't feel these on the lips (most of the time). They don't feel drying to me, are very lightweight and last well on the lips (like all such matte formulas do). Shade range is a bit meh to me, especially compared to the awesome Suede Ink, but I find myself reaching for Poster Child and Manifest most.

I got this a long time ago, just planning to try it out of curiosity and then pass it on to a family member with problematic skin. And yet, I'd almost at the end of the bottle. I use it when I have a breakout because it has a combination of (weak) AHAs and niacinamide (5% of the latter with a 6 % of combination of glycolic and mandelic acid). I don't do what the instructions say and wash it off, I use it as the first step after cleansing. If I use it regularly, I don't see results from it in terms of brighter, smoother skin, but when I have spots, this helps to heal them faster.

I've been using this for years and never saw an immediate difference in the condition of the hair, but my hair did get more prone to snapping/breaking when I didn't use it for a while, so I kept on using as type of ends maintainer until I switched to Redken's Acidic Bonding Leave in (which also does nothing visible apart from maybe also fight off potential damage). But I started using this again this month, really saturating the damaged, bleached part of my hair and it helps so much to make it look better. It's not like the combination of K-Pak Reconstructor and Hydrator, but my ends feel a lot less stiff with it.

I found the whole collection here and bought this after I saw it's a proper serum, not a water based leave-in. I already like the 5-Minute Shine Treatment and this was next on my list. It has shimmer in it, which is what I wanted. Plenty of shine sprays and silicone-oil serums make the hair shiny, but on my dry hair, the shine is gone quickly, since it absorbs so much. This adds a nice amount of glossy shine, plus it's a type of serum that can be used anytime, so on dry or damp hair.

This was bound to end up here, even though it's to me a winter/autumn scent. It reminds me of one of my favourite fragrances that was discontinued a long time ago, L'Occitane's Vanilla that combined vanilla with orchid. This has top notes of Chocolate Marshmallow, Candied Ginger and Sparkling Bergamot; middle notes are Madagascar Vanilla, Coconut Milk and Jasmine Petals; base notes are Chantilly Cream, Sugared Musks and Cashmere Wood. There's a lot of sugar in it, but there's also something that makes it smell a bit almost soapy and the candied ginger that gives it a bit of a spicy kick. There's lots of vanilla & marshmallow, I don't get much chocolate or coconut, but there is some noticeable jasmine that adds a floral aspect to it. If it weren't packaged in a pink chocolate bar, it may just pass as something a bit more mature, but as such it's destined to be a teen fragrance, though to me the woods and ginger add some depth to it.

Three new shades were added to the range, among them Chocolate. It's actually replacing shade Warm Brown and now that I've tried both I can say they are very similar reddish browns. I've tried most shades as you might know (Magenta, Red, Violet (on medium blonde hair), Violet again (on light blonde hair), Rex mixed with Warm Brown, Magenta as a pastel, Orange mixed with Red and Warm Brown and Orange on its own). These are tinted hair masks for either refreshing faded hair colour or creating a temporary new look. They eventually wash off. I still have about a third length bleached blonde hair, which I've been "hiding" with various tinted masks to avoid using a permanent colour over it. This shade isn't the best match for my naturally darker, much cooler hair colour, instead it's like a warmer, light brown ombre. If you're using dark blonde or light brown warm shades, this is a good match for refreshing the colour, as it's the lightest brown tinted mask I've tried (Wella Chocolate Touch, Moroccanoil Cocoa and especially Schwarzkopf Chocolate Brown are darker).

ESSENCE Correct & Conceal Under Eye Brightening Concealer Light - In my review of the brightening under eye stick I expressed my wish for a liquid version, as the stick is not natural looking under my eyes and it looks like this is it: a pale pink under eye brightener. I hope it's the same shade as the stick and not darker like other such products.

ESSENCE 16h Cover & Last Powder Foundation 10 - depending on how much coverage this has, it could be interesting. Something similar like my Gosh Mineral foundation, but in a compact form.

ESSENCE Flawless Skin Trio Loose Setting Powder - this contains three different loose powders: a pink and peach one for under eye brightening, and a lilac one for correcting yellow undertones. Sounds a bit like Guerlain Meteorites powder without the green.

ESSENCE Matte Liquid Eyeshadow 01 Bare Bliss - this pinky-mauve colour appeals to me, as they had a similar powder shades in one of the palettes and it suited me. Hopefully the creamy texture is smooth and not overly see-through when blended out.

CATRICE Invisible Cover Foundation 002N - a new foundation that promises medium coverage and a natural matte finish. Since they discontinued their Nude Illusion foundation, I haven't had much luck with Catrice foundations, but it's worth a try, especially since their 002N shade works for me.

CATRICE Blush Affair Cream and Powder 010 Stunning Strawberry - they discontinued their blush-highlighter duo palettes and they are launching the creamy-powder blush versions. There are four and this one is the classic peachy pink that appeal to me the most, but only if in RL it's as pink as the pictures show, not overly peachy.

CATRICE Loose Powder Bright & Blur 010 Soft Pink - the name says it all. It promises a soft matte finish with a balance of warm and cool tones.

CATRICE The Protector Hydrate & SPF Primer - I'm interested in this purely for the SPF 30. It just promises hydration, none of the blurring or mattifying.

CATRICE Caffeine Kick Under Eye Serum - this has three mini metal balls as the applicator. Ingredients are nice: ferments, caffeine, niacinamide, avocado oil, apricot oil, squalane and hyaluronic acid.

ALVERDE Naturkosmetik Sensitiv Reinigungsoel Bio Kamille Bio Traubenkernoel - an new inexpensive cleansing oil. I don't like the Balea nor CV (Müller) one. Maybe this one is better.

BALEA Toner Beauty Expert Calming - yet another new Beauty Expert product. This one has 2.5% aminoacids (arganine) and 0.3% ceramides. But those two are in so many other products, why don't they just make something that has a lot of things, like K Beauty stuff?

I found a cushion foundation with a shade that matches me. I've tried several Missha's BB cream, I particularly love their discontinued Perfect Cover BB RX formula and I tried their Magic Cushion foundation, which doesn't include Missha's lightest shades, so it's too dark for me. Radiance Perfect Fit is finally something I was looking for: Missha's light shade in a cushion compact. Coverage is about medium with a small amount on the sponge and it blends with ease. I can apply it anywhere I want and it blends into the skin - the shade match helps most, obviously. Finish is glowy in a non-greasy way. It doesn't slip into lines, but it also doesn't hide their appearance, nor of pores. Ingredients-wise it's not as impressive as their great discontinued Perfect Cover RX BB cream, still it has niacinamide high on the list, then centella asiatica, several extracts and oils, adenosine, and ceramides.

I already got two, possibly even three of these in the last years and I reviewed the formula already. I'll just copy here my shortened version of review: It's a mascara with an hourglass-shaped silicone brush that's good at definition. It's a top performer in terms of volume and length right out of the box, creating big lashes. It's surprisingly not that bad at holding the lashes curled for a regular formula, however, it can't lift the lashes itself like it promises. On one of my eyes that has extra stubborn lashes, when my lashes drop just a bit, they start hitting my glasses and this formula makes the lashes stiff, so it's not comfortable to me and I need to wear glasses lower on my nose. But I'm sure most of you don't have such problems and it's overall a great volumising & lengthening mascara with a decent hold for a regular formula.

Another product I already reviewed. I got shade 110 Nude Ivory that time, while this time I got two darker shades. Conceal + Perfect concealer is a medium-high coverage formula with a satin matte finish. Under my eyes it has a tendency to look dry and obvious on my dry skin, so I like to use thin coats of it to make it look more natural. I've worn it a few times for a non-makeup makeup look and it looks ok when I spread small amounts over the whole face, but it is matte, which doesn't look fresh on my skin. It covers a lot and it's one of my most covering concealers in the makeup drawer. It creases under my eyes, but I find it's best to wait for it to set, then blend the creases away with fingers, rather than powder over the concealer straight away, as that makes it even more obvious and too dry on my skin. But if your skin isn't dry, this is exactly the type of concealer that are most popular - high coverage in a liquid form and matte on the skin. Think something like Shape Tape, but not as thick. Shade 110 Nude Ivory is a good match for me.

I also already got this, in a regular and Flora version. It does the job of prolonging the staying power of makeup and it can be used as a priming mist too. My favourite mist is Revlon's Colorstay Lock and in the second place is Urban Decay's famous All Nighter Spray, but this one isn't far behind those two and I like the ingredients of Milani's most, as it has niacinamide. The spray pump isn't the best, I wish the mist were more fine. There are several large drops when I spray it and it takes some time to dry, but like I said, it does the job of keeping the makeup looking fresh for longer.

I've had my eye on this for a while, as it's constantly on the top of search results by popularity in DM's online shop. I tested in the shop a while ago and unsurprisingly the shade is too dark for me, so I never bought it myself. It's a BB cream/foundation that claims to also act as a smoothing primer. As far as skin care ingredients are concerned it has niacinamide, acetyl glucosamine, panthenol, allantoin, green tea extract and a peptide. Coverage is maybe about a light-medium - it's hard for me to say, as the depth of the shade provides a level of coverage on my pale skin. Texture is creamy, moisturiser-like and it blends easily. Finish is nicely glowy without looking greasy. If the shade fit me, I'd like this. It doesn't slip into lines, but it doesn't hide them, nor does it blur pores. Overall this looks quite fresh and it's great for those who want a little bit of coverage, but make it look like they arent's wearing anything. Too bad Pupa thinks two shades suffice.

I'm a fan of the Vamp! "original" regular and waterproof mascara in the silver tube. This version is similar in terms of how quickly it builds volume and creates big lashes, but the formula is more wet when freshly opened, so it's not as successful at fanning out the lashes and definition. It improves weeks after opening, but it's not quite as impressive as the silver Vamp! version and I still need a separate brush to comb through the lashes, making the application a little more neat.

I've had a few of full size Gilded palettes and I've always been impressed by Milani's eyeshadow quality. Mattes have a good colour payoff, they feel creamy and they blend beautifully, creating smooth transitions. The shimmer shades in the burgundy palette Wine Down are best applied with fingers, as using a brush doesn't pick it up best and needs to be built up, but using fingers gives an intense colour payoff and a good level of shine. Whiskey Business is a combination of six matte shades, mostly warm brown, but some are neutral. I thought I'll find it boring, but I prefer it to Wine Down because you can create a nice natural "sculpted" look with smooth transitions as all shades blend so well one into another. The Wine Down is a more classic combination of mattes (3) with shimmers (3) and allows more versatility than Whiskey palette. The third matte light mauve-pink shade is the poorest performer in the bunch, which is a shame because I like it most. Eyeshadows tend to last well on me and this is no exception. I get no creasing, but both of these have some fall down during application.

I had these on my wishlist, in particular shade Mocha, which I liked the look of online. I don't have the best experience with liquid eyeshadows as they often aren't even or opaque and they crease, so I prefer to use stick cream formulas. These are a big step up. Once they set, they don't move. If rub my finger over them, they don't smudge. It takes more time to blend them than creamy stick eyeshadows, but it also depends on the shade, the lighter they are, the easier it is. The matte Mocha ends up most even on the skin, while shimmers need more attention to avoid possible sheer patches, but they can be build up to nice shimmery finish that you can't achieve with a regular eyeshadow. If you're looking for a glamorous shimmery eyeshadow these are a good choice, but the matte shade is great too, on its own or as a base.

I already featured the blush shade in my monthly favourites post. Formula as very blendable both with fingers or a brush and I get diffused edges at both methods, but this bronzer is best applied and blended with a brush due to intensity. The blush is a standard peachy pink on the cheeks and I only need a small amount as it has a lot of pigment. The bronzer looks scary deep, but most of the colour blends out, so it's more forgiving than it looks. It's quite a warm shade that pulls a bit orange on me, so it's not a good shade for contouring, while for looking tan, this shade may look better on those with a deeper, warmer skin.

I got a shade 09 Spice years back, so I already reviewed this formula. It's a creamy pencil with good pigmentation that glides easily on the lips. 09 Spice is a deep caramel shade that I wasn't a fan off, so I wanted shade 05 Nude (light natural pink) which I never got, but I didn't take notice of 04 All Natural, though it's the same depth as 05 Nude, but more beige. All Natural is an accurate name, as this looks very close to my natural lip colour, it's just less pink.

Another thing I already tried and have a review of. I already had Raspberry Peach (candy berry scent) and Passion Fruit Coconut (warm, tropical scent) and now I got Lychee Nectar which unlike the other two has more pigment. It's a muted medium-deep rosy shade that adds a subtle tint to the lips. I use Passion Fruit Coconut often because of the nice scent and these lip oils are great for dry lips, because they last well. The formula is not as impressively glossy as Catrice's Glossin' Glow, nor long lasting as A'Pieu Honey & Milk Lip Oil, but that fact it's scented is a plus to me.

I love the classic Real Techniques sponge, as it creates quite a flawless finish with some foundations. This has a denser material on top and it's more like sponges for cushion foundations. The idea is good - a small sponge for precise work, but they are somewhat clumsily tiny or at least you have to get used to working with them. They blend well, but perform better with less matte formulas. Real Techniques says these are best used dry, but I find they work better damp with matte concealers and foundations. RT has a larger such sponge that has a soft, fuzzy side for powders, but I never tried it.

One of my favourite foundations years ago, but I never repurchased it because I'm swamped with other formulas and my skin got drier, so now tend to pick more hydrating and shiny foundations. But shade 00A is a perfect match for me - I got sent the same two samples I always do, 02 and 03 which I can't use. But I did swatch them a while ago. Conceal + Perfect is a medium coverage foundation with more of a matte finish, but it doesn't look heavy.

 

A repurchase. I've been using this for years every day and I credit it as the product that helped fix the texture of my skin. It's a rich toner-like product with 95% ferments (galactomyces) and rest are niacinamide, hyaluronic acid, panthenol, allantoin, adenosine and a handful of fillers. It has no scent.

A repurchase. I again bought a mini because this small bottle lasts a long time. It's a toner that contains 72.6% of Black bee Propolis extract and 10% Honey extract. The texture is thicker than toner, but not as thick as a serum. It just suits my skin.

A repurchase. This was my first vitamin C product and I basically used up the whole bottle applying it in a wrong way. I've since had many other serums and but few with ascorbic acid. I'm not big fan of any apart from the Eucerin Hyaluron-Filler Vitamin C Booster, but that one is 8 ml for too much money, so I'm giving this another chance, since I saw It's still a best seller among Asian skincare. There's only 20 ml in it, which isn't great, but then ascorbic acid products need to be used up fast, so maybe it's best it's small. It's an oily vitamin C serum with an dry oil feeling. A small amount doesn't spread to a large surface like oils do. There is the obnoxious kind of self-tan smell developing like at all ascorbic acid products (I always wash my hands straight away, but it still makes my hands smell like I held old metal). It has four forms of vitamin C, aside from ascorbic acid also ascorbyl tetraisopalmitate, ascorbyl glucoside and ethyl ascorbic acid. I get no stinging, but neither did I get at the (maybe stronger) Garnier Skinactive Vitamin C Glow Booster Night Serum with 10% of AA. I use it in the morning under SPF to boost protection, but I don't see much visible results from this in terms of brighter, clearer or more even skin after about a month of use, though my skin looks good.

A repurchase. I still didn't buy a new bottle the Geek & Gorgeous A Game 10, as I always miss it being in stock (and I don't like the shipping costs), but quite like this BoJ retinal serum, so I bought another. It has 2% liposome retinal (0.02% active), so it's weaker than Geek & Gorgeous with 0.1%. It also has ginseng extract (10%), niacinamide, adenosine, hyaluronic acid, cholesterol, ceramides, a peptide and a couple of oils/butters. Texture is a light lotion, but it feels like a moisturiser on the skin. It has a typical ginseng scent, like Sulwhasoo products. There was no irritations or dryness at this formula. It's an eye cream, but there is 30 ml of product, so like most retinol/retinal products.

I got this because it was on the best-sellers list on Stylevana. Though it's an eye cream I always planned to use it as a regular face serum. It promises a lot - to smooth out under eye wrinkles and minimize pores. It's a claim that's clearly too bold, but check its insanely long ingredients list that has everything you can imagine, though likely in trace amounts, but it has everything from hydrolysed collagen niacinamide, centella asiatica, a ton of extracts, allantoin, adenosine, ceramides, peptides, arganine…. It's a medium thick cream and it sits on the skin for a time. I've been using it daily for a month and I quite like it, though I don't see any important changes to my skin, but like I said above, my skin looks good at the moment.

I've been hearing about this SPF for years and it's praised for its lightweight feel and finish. It's not much different from Biore UV Aqua Rich or Oriflame's Novage+ UV-age Day Shield. The first day I felt that watery-feeling like at the old Biore Aqua Rich Essence formula, but now I don't anymore for some reason. It's feels very lightweight on the face, not greasy, it's comfortable and it doesn't move or irritate my eyes. Two finger amount can easily be applied on the face with zero white streaks. I had two types of experience with it . At application it's a shiny SPF, though it feels like a typical moisturiser and not like an SPF. If after application I avoid heat, it becomes completely natural/matte on my dry skin with zero shine. If I don't, it stays shiny. Eucerin Sun Oil Control Gel-Cream Dry Touch SPF50+ for comparison becomes natural/matte-ish regardless. La Roche Posay UVmune that I wear most currently stays shiny almost all day if I don't powder it. Compared to Biore it feels like a moisturiser meets SPF layer on the skin, while Biore its silicone primer meets SPF. It has a lovely creamy, comforting scent.

I found this on some best sleeping masks list. It has niacinamide high on the list, but no percentage stated. There's also ascorbic acid, ceramides, retinol and a bunch of peptides at the end of the list, while in the middle there are some extracts (including citrus, which my skin doesn't find irritating). It's a light gel/jelly-like texture with some yellow particles suspended in it. It looks very similar to Shisiedo's Waso Yuzu-C Beauty Sleeping Mask. Due to the gel texture it has a refreshing feeling during application. It leaves the skin sticky, so the pillow sticks to the face and in the morning there’s still some of it on the face. There is a spoon added, so you can avoid touching the product in the pot with fingers. I use it every night as the last step and like the other products I got, I like it, my skin is behaving well, but they are not miracle products.

This boats some bold claims such as that it reduces fine lines and wrinkles, lifts the skin, clears small breakouts and acne, tightens enlarged pores, hydrates, exfoliates, balanced epidermis pH and brightens. If it also promised to do your laundry and make lunch it'd be the full package. I got it because of the good reviews, but I didn't have a lot of expectations. There are 8 masks in this set (I haven't seen individual ones) and it's in two parts: the power and a liquid activator. The main ingredient of the powder is albumin, an ingredient extracted from egg whites. The activator has niacinamide, centella asiatica, aloe vera, sea buckthorn, adenosine, panthenol, copper peptide and some extracts. They include a mini brush for application. The small pots have more than enough place to mix the mask there with a brush is added. The mask is clear and light, it starts to dry quickly and feels tight on the skin and it's dry to the touch. It took a long time to wash it off. I don't think I saw any significant results. My skin looked brighter/more even, but I saw no temporary reduction in lines. Skin 1004 warns about the scent that it's not "rosy", but I didn't find it bothersome.

I have my eye on the serum and eye cream from this line, but I got this mask first to see how I like it. It has niacinamide, tea tree extract, centella asiatica, hyaluronic acid (says 10 kinds of it), beta-glucan, trehalose, adenosine, squalane, panthenol and then at the end of the long list retinol, retinal and bakuchiol, as well as madecassoside, ceramides and peptides. I'll report back when I use it.

A repurchase. I used to always have one of these in my shower, but they've sneakily been raising their price since I started buying it and I resent them for it. So I only got it now because they had 23% off. It's still the best shower oil I've tried. SVR Topialyse comes close, but L'Occitane's is richer, it forms a thick, nourishing emulsion and it has a nice almond scent.

I've loved the Shea Butter 20% hand cream and the scent of it for years, but I never ventured into exploring their hand soaps. I expected a thick, rich texture akin to (the old original) Dove shower gel, so I was surprised when it spurted almost liquid from the pump. Texture is unique, as it feels light and doesn't really foam well, but it feels like a body lotion has seen watered down, so it nourishing on the skin, yet it washes off completely. I like it. The scent is also heavenly, their classic shea butter scent, the same as the hand cream. I plan to use this as a shower gel, it's too precious to use it as a regular hand soap since I wash my hands many times a day.

A repurchase. One of my favourite hand creams and if I hadn't found the cheaper Cerave, I'd probably be buying this regularly. It has a rich, thick texture, yet it absorbs quickly. It also smells great, a creamy-nutty scent. The metal tube become annoying when it's almost empty and the paint-tube-like lid is also not my favourite.

Such a massive let down. I've been buying from L'Occcitane for year, but never bought any of their bar soaps. I expected so much more, not just because of the high price, but L'Occitane usually makes great stuff. This is the most basic soap bar you can get. I at least hoped for a nice scent, which is praised in perfume form, but it just smells like any random Palmolive/Lidl/whatever cheap brand soap. It also leaves that same obnoxious squeaky clean feeling I hate, so this was a miss for me. I guess only Dove has bar soaps that don’t feel drying.

After the Herbae Iris disappointment I still had hope that at least this one is maybe a bit nourishing, since it's from the Shea line and meant for Sensitive Skin. But no, it's the same. Same scent, same texture. Overpriced and not worth it. Disappointed.

I mentioned I tested this fragrance in my last monthly favourites and I immediately liked it, put it on my wishlist and I planned to get it when the weather gets a bit cooler because this is more of autumn/winter type scent to me. I was so glad to get this in my mail. It's a lovely gourmand. Top notes are Chocolate Marshmallow, Candied Ginger and Sparkling Begamot; middle notes are Madagascar Vanilla, Coconut Milk and Jasmine Petals; base notes are Chantilly Cream, Sugared Musks and Cashmere Wood. I mentioned in my wishlist part of the monthly faves post that this reminds me of L'Occitane Vanilla perfume that was discontinued a long time ago. It's not as vanillary as that one and the woody-musky base makes it smells a bit "cleaner", but they are somewhat similar. I smell the candied ginger that gives it a bit of a spicy kick, but the rest is very sugary, something like Aqualina Pink Sugar was used as a base for this fragrance. So lots of vanilla & marshmallow, I don't get much chocolate or coconut, but there is some noticeable jasmine that adds a floral aspect to it. I wouldn't say it's ultra girly, as the woods and ginger add some depth to it and more character than Pink Sugar has, but it will suit mostly those that really enjoy sugary gourmand fragrances. Actually my mom loved this immediately on me and she's snobbish about perfumes. It's more long lasting than the Caramel Dream flanker, it lasts about a half a day. The body mist's staying power is kind of a disappointment to me, so get the perfume instead.

I'm less thrilled about this Caramel Dream flanker and that's because my skin hates patchouli, it amplifies it and makes it the centre of every such fragrance I use, so they all end up smelling the same on me - luckily at this scent it fades away eventually. Under the earthy-herbal-spicy patchouli, the base is nice. It gives me Lush shop vibes, those who visited their shop will know what I mean. It's sweet, chocolatey, yet spicy due to the patchouli and there’s a warm amber base. I don’t notice caramel as much, nor the citrus opening notes. It's perhaps more mature than Sweet Tooth, as it’s less sugary. I think it might appeal to those that love Black Opium and similar scents. To me Caramel Dream and original Sweet Tooth are nothing alike.

A new summery, vibrant line from Oriflame. The scent is described as floral fruity, but it's almost pure passionfruit and I love it. It's so uplifting, tropical and sweet. The shower gel foams well and does the job as it should. The scent isn't overpowering.

A scented lotion with tropical (passion fruit) scent. It's light and absorbs within minutes, leaving a silky feeling behind. Oriflame's Milk & Honey cream leaves the skin velvety smooth in the same way, but that one has a thicker texture. Scent lingers for a while.

A solid soap with the same tropical scent as the other two. I haven't tried it yet.

This is essentially an AHA exfoliator for the skin, but it also promises to firm the skin. It has a combination of glycolic, mandelic and lactic acid in unknown concentrations, but my skin did feel a slight tingle after application, so it's not that mild. There's also hyaluronic acid, some type of green algea extract, Tasmanian Peppertree extract, taurine and a peptide. It's almost as light as water, so similar to the type of liquid exfoliators like The Ordinary Lactic Acid 10%, Face Boom Correcting and illuminating Face Serum and the likes. This is likely nice for preventing ingrown hair as well. It has no scent. This is made from 98% ingredients of natural origin and it's vegan.

A firming gel that promises to reduce cellulite. I'm not so naïve to believe such claims, though it's likely just caring for the skin and massage at application has some effect at making the skin look better, more hydrated. It has sunflower oil, camelia extract, caffeine & guarana extract (both should boost blood flow), coffee extract, algae extract, amino acids, centella asiatica and taurine. It's a liquid gel that needs some time to absorb. It has a sweet, bubble-gum scent. This is made from 98% ingredients of natural origin and it's vegan.

A natural mousse for self-tanning with Erythrulose and DHA plus added watermelon extract and hyaluronic acid. This boasts with the claim it has no self-tan scent and that it creates a natural tan. It's a clear mousse with no guide colour (which I miss), but even without a self-tan mitt (mine disintegrated after years of zero use), I managed to apply this quite evenly on my legs and without my hands ending up orange. In the first hours or in the first half of the day after application, there is almost no self-tan scent. It's unnoticeable, except when I put my nose close to the skin. Then the longer the tan is on the skin before showering, the stronger the scent. The skin stays tacky after application for hours, so I made sure I slept on a sheet I don't care if it gets dirty, but there was no marks on it in the morning. After one application the tan is medium strong when left for 24 hours to develop. Colour is natural-looking. At application the mousse smells like watermelon. The tan lasted well, maybe a week or so. It faded so evenly, I didn't even notice it going away.

A body highlighter with a mix of very fine golden shimmer and large glitter particles. It's a light lotion formula that's not greasy, so it's more like makeup liquid highlighters, it's dry to the touch when applied and it nicely enhances the tan. I feel it'd be a bit better if all the shimmer where very fine, but I'm sure some will love the sparkle. It has a watermelon scent and it has grapeseed oil, watermelon seed oil, soybean oil, squalane and vitamin C & E.

A cream for dry skin with sweet almond oil, shea butter, macadamia oil, coconut oil, soybean oil, gardenia flower, pitaya extract, red gromwell, pomegranate, squalane and vitamin C. It's thicker than the blue Cocktail version, but hydrates similarly. It takes a lot of massaging to get rid of white streaks, it's almost like some sunscreens. The skin stays tacky for a long time. This one has a more musty sweet-fruity scent.

A cream for dry, dehydrated skin with avocado oil, shea butter, Abyssinian (Crambe) Seed Oil, Bacuri oil, cocoa butter, Tasmanian pepper, kiwi extract, centella asiatica (Tiger grass), soybean oil, olive oil, squalane and vitamin C. It's a touch lighter than the pink cream version, but again takes a lot of massaging to remove white streaks. Just like the cream it stays on the skin for ages. It has a to me more pleasant sweet-fruity scent.

A sunscreen without Oxybenzone, Octinoxate and Octocrylene and with added Melastim Tech that stimulates melanin for a faster and more intense tan. This is only SPF 15, so I didn't use it a lot, but it's a pleasant light formula. It's a tiny bit greasy, as is to be expected, but nowhere near some DM's Sundance versions I've tried before. It's very easy to apply it because of the spray, I just don't know how much is enough at such products. It has a pleasant fruity floral scent.

A sunscreen Milk that also doesn't have Oxybenzone, Octinoxate and Octocrylene and has Melastim Tech. It's a light body milk that's only a little bit greasy and has a fruity floral scent. I gave this to mom to test at the seaside and she raved about it. Said it's worth every cent, which likely means it's the most pleasant SPF she tried in terms of how greasy it is and how easy it is to apply/blend in. Bottle made from 100% recycled post-consumer plastic, 20% of which was recovered from the ocean.

I waited for this to come here. People already call it a dupe for Color Wow Dream coat - I hate it when they do that, just like calling their Plex Care line a dupe for Olaplex when ingredients are nothing alike. This again isn't a dupe not in terms of ingredients nor in the texture. But I will say that is it better that Color Wow, which truth be told set the bar very low when it comes to effect on my hair. For me the better smoothing spray is Moroccaoil Frizz Shield, so I'd prefer to compare it to that. Balea's version is full of alcohol, but the basis is castor oil. They also added proteins and aminoacids. I sprayed a generous amount of this, just like you should of Color Wow and Moroccanoil on damp, towel-dried hair, making sure the hair is soaked with it. This is so much heavier than the other two and I was sure I'll have to wash my hair again, as it should have been a disaster. But it wasn't. My hair is very dry, thick and it absorbs loads, so it ended up well, but I suspect you have to be frugal with it if your hair is thin or gets oily quickly. My hair dried much smoother, including the bleached part of the hair. I got a very lovely blow-out, bouncy and the hair held shape (I also used Nivea's Care & Hold Soft Touch Caring Mousse like always). I always put my hair is foam rollers overnight after hair drying, to make sure my hair is smooth and doesn't get frizzy overnight. By the morning my hair completely absorbed everything and the hair felt even lighter. There was no extra shine, though. I'm a disappointed about that, but my natural cool hair colour is very bland in terms of shine. First day went very well, but the longer I went without washing my hair (I do it once I week), the less impressed I was. It was a very humid, hot week and this did nothing to protect the hair against humidity like Moroccanoil one does. My hair hasn't looked this frizzy in months since I started with the rollers routine (every night with the soft head band). It also got so dry, especially the ends, which led to breaking. It does what it says the first day, but it lacks the prolonged hydration power and it has no lasting anti-frizz effect for my thick, dry hair which is half natural and half bleached.

I haven't given this a proper test myself, but I gave it to mom to test it for me and it did nothing on her thick, dry, very frizzy hair. She uses one of those round drying hair brushes that help achieve a smooth blow out and says there was no difference. The spray feels light and has a bubble gum scent. They filled it with alcohol, just like Glow Perfect Shine Coat and it has hydrolysed collagen & hydrolysed keratin for temporary fixing broken spots in the hair plus panthenol as a hydrator. This likely works better for those with less unruly, thin hair, since it has a decent feedback on DM.

Not a dupe for Olaplex, I want to stress that. But it has proteins and aminoacids that temporary fix the damaged cuticle and hydrate. It's a light serum with no silicone feel, which my hair doesn't appreciate as this doesn't glide smoothly when I apply it and it doesn't detangle. For that reason I find it's better for use on damp hair. The scent is unlikeable as it smells like a cheap men's fragrance. I'm not very impressed by this in terms of how it helps the hair to look better immediately, but ingredients should theoretically benefit damaged hair.

A repurchase. I've used up two or three of these already and I have the Split Ends Miracle version that's in current use. This is such a brilliant product - it really works so fast, leaving the hair nourished and silky. The effect is of course more temporary than using a proper conditioner on my ultra dry hair, but I don't care much because it's so quick and easy to use, plus I smoother my hair with leave-ins and oils later for added hydration. It's a liquid that emulsifies between the palms of the hand with a bit of water or on damp hair and it creates this thick, conditioner-like texture - it's very similar to the L'Occitane shower oil, just for hair. These are great for when I'm too tired for the whole mask/treatment routine.

A silicone free combination of oils: sunflower oil as the base, then with added argan, coconut, babasu, jojoba, camelia oil and aminoacids. It's one of the heavier oils, heavier than Alverde's All in One I'm using currently as a pre-wash and similar to Palmer's Cocoa Butter oil. It claims to define the curls - there's no hold, it's just a combination of oils that smooth down the hair, add shine, but my very dry hair absorbs the oils quickly, so 24 hour claim of defined curls doesn't happen on me. It has the same scent as other of these Traum Locken products I've tried from Balea, it looks like they haven't changed the scent of the line in a decade, but it's a pleasant, non-descriptive salon/hair cosmetics scent. I use it as a pre-wash and on my dry ends when needed (thought for use of dry hair I use Lazartique dry oil), but given how dry my hair is currently, this just isn't cutting it for some reason.

A brightening lotion-serum with 12% niacinamide, Amino Sulfonic Acid and ferulic acid. It has alcohol high on the list, which is usually an instant no from me. The texture felt pleasant, I can't say much more based on one sample.

This is quite nice. Texture is liquid, though when you start applying it, it feels thicker and sticky. It has some shine at application, but less than a lot of sunscreens. After maybe 15 minutes it's almost dry to the touch and there's only a slight glow on the face that doesn't really look greasy. It again has alcohol high on the list, but I tend to be more forgiving about when it comes to sunscreens. I heard the Vitamin C version is nice too.