I was a fan of Benefit blushes long before their packaging and shades changes. While they reduced the amount of the product (uncool), the formula still remained great quality. Dandelion is the only old shade left, while Shellie is somewhat similar to Coralista, a shade a wore a lot in the past. Formulas are great. Willa and Shellie are so pigmented, they apply smoothly and last well. Dandelion needs more building up, but it's an interesting shade that kind of works with your skin tone and creates a shade that looks natural, even though it looks baby pink in the pan. Willa is a warm pink and Shellie is a coral that brightens up the face. Since they are so pigmented, you can easily just buy a mini version and it's going to last long.

 

I made this long list of blushes, but truthfully for the past six months or more, this is the only formula I wear because it's so quick and easy to apply. Though it's in stick form, which means you can just swipe it on the cheeks if you wish, I find it's better to use to brush or fingers, as the formula is more on the hard side and it can shift the foundation, but it blends into the skin beautifully, plus it smells like watermelon. 30 Rosé all Day is a great peachy pink shade and 01 Tickle me pink a good pink shade that doesn't pull too warm on my skin tone. I put a small dab of Rosé on my cheeks with fingers and blend - it's the easiest thing ever.

| video of 30 Rosé all Day |

 

Some of the cheapest blushes you can buy, but they don't lack in quality. I have several shades, but my two favourite are 40 Strawberry Flush and 50 Pink Pop. Both contain shimmer, so they are like a blush and highlighter in one and they add a great healthy glow to the cheeks. Strawberry Flush is one of the best peachy pink shades I've tried for pale skin and Pink Pop a classic baby doll pink. Some of the shades are matte, but all have a good medium-pigmented formula. Essence discontinues their products a lot, but their powder blushes are consistently good.

| video of 60 Lovely Lilac - 40 Strawberry Flush - 50 Pink Pop |

 

These have a creamy-liquid formula that can be blended with either fingers or a dense brush, though they are not quite as easy as Essence's Sticks. Pigmentation is intense, especially the deeper 050 Plum-tastic at which I need the smallest dot of product, so these are probably nice for deeper skin tones (Essence's sticks are a bit light). 010 Pink Feelings is a light pink, while 050 Plum-tastic is a cool deep plum colour that blends out into a shade that's somewhere between a cool purple and a pink.

| video 010 Pink Feeling - 050 Plum-tastic|

 

 

These are one of those good old classics. They are baked blushes, but the formula is harder than is usual and pigmentation is not the best, at least from the start. But a good dense brush makes all the difference and these create a lovely flush on the cheeks. This formula is one most long lasting blushes I've tried. I have 34 Rose D'or, which is one of the most popular shades and it has a nice glow on the skin. These are heavily fragranced when new with a gorgeous powdery violet scent, but eventually it fades.

|video |

 

A high quality formula. It's very smooth on the cheeks, has good pigmentation and it lasts well on the skin. The shade is a pretty basic peachy pink, but these types of shades are universal and suit so many skin tones. It has a slight glow to it with tiny shimmer. The packaging is pretty, a high-end looking rose gold and it comes with a velvet pouch and a brush.

| video |

 

These are some of the most praised drugstore blushes, but they are very loose from the start and it takes some time for them to become really good. Formula has a good pigmentation and a small shimmer that adds a glow. There are cheaper good baked blushes, but these are a gold standard. Shade Luminoso has been hyped to death, but it's pure orange on me, so I wear Petal Primavera instead.

 

A lovely, very pigmented creamy formula. These are easy to blend both with fingers or a brush and I get diffused edges at both methods. Formula is more "greasy" than Essence's, but I don't meant that in a bad way, just that's it's not a cream-to-powder formula like many cream blushes are. Bronzers exist in this formula too.

| video |

 

This is no different than the almost double the price Milani's blush (price here in Slovenia). It's a baked blush in a warm pink shade with tiny shimmer. It looks smooth on the cheeks, has nice pigmentation and a subtle glow. It has a hidden mini brush in the bottom, but it's not for serious use.

| video |

Coverage: light-medium

Finish: glowy

My shade: Fair Porcelain

|Review|

This is one of the two foundations I wear most often. Many foundations turn matte on my skin, which isn't as flattering anymore as it was in the past - this one manages to feel hydrating for hours after application and I don't have combine it with a lot of skin care, which makes it lighter on my skin and removes the possibility of peeling. Formula is a typical liquid foundation and it feels lighter, less "rich moisturiser-like" than the original version of CC that's in the silver tube. I would include that one here as well, since I use it a lot, but since the lightest shade doesn't fit me, I mix it with Missha's Perfect Blanc BB, which is too light (that one is too matte on its own and not my favourite formula). Coverage of Nude Glow version is light-medium, so less than the original and it has a glowy finish, which is similar to the original CC. Ingredients are good - it has niacinamide high on the list, as it's meant to be a brightening formula. There's also snail mucin, adenosine and hyaluronic acid, plus there's the extra SPF 40. It's a formula that doesn't photograph well, but in person it looks fresh and it doesn't settle much into my smile lines. I wear shade Fair Porcelain, which is a great match for me.

|video|

Coverage: light-medium

Finish: glowy

My shade: Porcelain

|Review|

This is the other foundation I wear most often. The shade is one my best matches and this foundation always looks good on the skin. It blends so evenly into the skin, leaving it natural-looking. It's similar to how Bourjois Healthy Mix looks, so like there's no foundation on. Coverage is light to medium at most. Finish is glowy-dewy in the summer, while in the winter less shiny, more satin, but it's still very healthy looking. It's definitely a foundation most suited for dry skin. It has a little bit of SPF of 18.

Coverage: Medium

Finish: Glowy

My shade: 19 Ivory

|Review|

My discovery of last year. Missha had this great BB cream (RX), which they discontinued and it was my favourite - this is very similar and this is one of my best shade matches. Coverage is about medium with a thin layer of product and it blends with ease. Due to the shade match and this cushion format with a sponge this feels almost like an eraser to me. Finish is glowy and this feels nicely hydrating on my skin. The only minus is that the amount is quite small, so I'm sort of saving this one, but it's a great compact for a quick application. It has niacinamide high on the list, then centella asiatica, several extracts and oils, adenosine, and ceramides, plus SPF 50.

|video|

 

I recent got TIRTIR Mask Fit Aura Mini Cushion SPF30 PA++ in 15C Fair Porcelain, which is very similar to this and since I have a mini I carry it in my bag, so it quickly became one of my most used foundations as well. I wrote this post before I bought that foundation, but it belongs here too. I made a video here. Missha's is still better because of ingredients and a higher SPF. 

Coverage: light-medium

Finish: semi-matte

My shades: 100 Warm Vanilla and 110 Porcelain

|Review|

I've put this one on many of my favourites lists and it's still one of my favourites despite my skin becoming drier. It's a formula that makes the skin look its best, especially when I'm making videos. The formula is light and pretty much invisible on the face when you blend it and the finish isn't that mask-like matte, instead it's more of a semi-matte and unlike a lot of foundations, it looks nice over pores as it somewhat fills them up a bit, therefore provides a very smooth base. However, it doesn't suit me as much in the winter when my skin is drier, so I don't use it all year round. The name is deceptive, as this isn't a properly matte foundation that would hold back oils, so it's more suited for combination-normal to moderately dry skin. Coverage is light-medium, so those who love a lot of coverage, you won't like it as much, but for me it covers enough. They have so many shades since I first started buying it, but I wear 100 Warm Vanilla.

Coverage: light-medium

Finish: dewy

My shade: 50C

|Review|

While this isn't the same Healthy Mix formula I've loved for years, the new one still gets a mention. The previous version was perfect, except for the shade range that didn't suit me as the other ones on this list. The new formula is heavier, it never really sets to a dry-to-the-touch finis and, it's a lot shinier. While this suits my dry skin, I feel the previous version suited more skin types than just dry to very dry, plus it had the perfect level of glow. Level of coverage is light-medium and it's still one of those formulas that doesn't look like heavy makeup and blends into the skin seamlessly. It's a formula that doesn't emphasise uneven texture. Regardless of the condition of the skin, for example dry patches, big pores or lines, it never makes the skin look bad, it just evens it out and creates a nice finish. I own the new 2023 Serum version as well and its thin texture doesn't suit me as much as the foundation. The thicker formula helps the base look smoother on my skin. I wear shade 50C, which is a bit dark for me and certainly the wrong undertone - Bourjois tends to have strong undertones compared to others.

|video|

Coverage: Medium

Finish: matte

My shade: C40 Light Ivory

|Review|

This looks great on the skin - smooth, there's no foundation sinking into pores, it covers about a medium and the finish is a non-dry looking matte. But it's not brilliant for dry skin, so I have to combine it with a more hydrating base. It's a foundation that looks great on pictures, so it more than deserves its place here. Formula is thick and this needs a damp sponge for best application. Shade C40 Light Ivory matches me ok and it's a slightly deeper shade than Revlon's Colorstay 110 Ivory.

|video|

Coverage: Buildable from very light to about medium

Finish: matte

My shade: 002 Ivory

|Review|

I wear this almost exclusively in the summer, on hot days over SPFs that stay shiny. I get coverage like at a liquid foundation and a setting powder in one. So there's less layers of makeup on my face and the skin is dry-to-the-touch. Coverage is surprisingly good and buildable. It's capable of covering red blemish marks and under eye circles, but some of my darker freckles are visible. Shade 002 Ivory is a good match for me.

TIRTIR Mask Fit Aura Mini Cushion SPF30 PA++ 

I got this mini for my bag because cushion foundations are so quicky and easy to use. I managed to get a perfect shade match at this formula, so just like Missha's Radiance Cushion, it's kind of an eraser for me and I can apply it only on parts of the face, so where I need it and it just blends in, looking almost invisible.  The red version is far more popular, but I read that one is a high coverage matte formula, the type that usually doesn't look great on my dry skin, so I picked this silver one which has a glowy finish. Coverage is light-medium and finish is natural looking - like my skin, but better with a "moisturiser glow". It has come so handy in the last weeks since I got it. My only concern is that it will be empty soon, since this is quite small. 

|video|

This is one of unsung heroes of the past six or so months. I use this every day in the morning as my face moisturiser. It's light, it nicely hydrating for my dry skin and works as a base for makeup. For my body I prefer the Cream version, which is richer, but this is an excellent basic face moisturiser with ceramides and hyaluronic acid and a very handy pump. Some may also appreciate it's not scented and it's suitable for sensitive skin. 

This is a very likeable shampoo, although it's too expensive for drugstore, but despite it being sulphate-free, my hair feels properly clean with it. It foams very well on the first wash and doesn't feel drying at all on my very dry hair. As far as shine goes - this is a shampoo, it washes off and like most shampoos you shouldn't expect much from it. But the 5 minute treatment from this line is nice and better yet, for the shine, serum does the biggest part of the job, since it has shimmer in it. 

This is quite nice. I won't say I like it quite as much as Elizavecca's Cer-100, but for the affordable price this is quite good. I has decent frizz control and adds some shine to my bland hair. The texture is nicely thick and it's nourishing enough. It does have that minus that a lot of drugstore quality masks have and that is that my hair becomes dry quickly and the top layers of my hair coarse in about two days.  

I recently got Balea's shine spray in aerosol, which is decent, but this is better. It adds a good amount of glossy shine on the hair and it's a product for "faking healthy hair" for a while. This one has some hydrolised keratin and it's lighter than Schwarzkopf gotbB got Gloss version, so it's likely suitable for thin hair as well. I made a video with it here.

I hide this one away for special occasions, especially now that the price of it skyrocketed, but it's such a unique warm powdery, caramel-sweet scent. I've been trying to find a dupe, but nothing comes close from the stuff we have here. It's not too young, it's not too old, I also don't see it as an office scent, though it's not strong and I don't associated it with candy because this isn't sweet on me. It's not heavy, there's nothing sharp in this, it's just comforting, but not in a gourmand way. I can't describe it better, but it's one of my favourites. I treated myself to a backup in case someone comes to a horrible idea it's time to discontinue it.

MISSHA Radiance Perfect Fit Cushion SPF50 PA+++ | 19 Ivory | - a quick and easy foundation to apply. Medium coverage with a glowy finish. Aside from SPF if also has niacinamide high on the list, then centella asiatica, several extracts and oils, adenosine, and ceramides. |video|

ESSENCE Baby Got Blush Stick | 30 Rosé all Day | -  a peachy pink cream blush that I apply and blend with fingers in seconds. |video|

PUPA Vamp! Sexy Lashes Mascara | 011 Sexy Lashes | - I've been using this mascara for months. I didn't like it as much as Vamp! silver mascara, as when it was new it was too wet and messy, but when it dried it became almost as good as that one. It's very volumising and now defines ok. But it doesn't hold the lashes curled well. I still use regular formulas on most days to avoid the removal of waterproof formulas. |video|

MAX FACTOR Color Elixir Moisture Kiss Lipstick | 005 Simply Nude |  - my perfect nude shade. |video|

NYX PROFESSIONAL High Definition Finishing Powder | Transparent | - usually I use Hourglass Ambient powder because I have to use it up, but this is new and I'm trying it out. I only use powder on my eyelids and under my eyes, so my glasses don't remove the foundation. This one is ok, nothing special so far. 

ALVERDE NATURKOSMETIK Creamy eyeshadow and highlighter 2-in-1 10 Champagner - I'm still searching for a new liquid or cream blush. I saw this is one of the best sold highlighters on DM and swatches look nice. Plus it's cheap. 

REVOLUTION Bubble Balm Creamy Highlighter Icy Rose - another creamy highlighter. I think this one is glowier than Alverde, but I'll have to check in person. I'd prefer something more natural looking. 

VT COSMETIC S Essence Sun Pact SPF50+ PA+++ - an SPF in a cushion form. I'd like it for reapplications during the day. 

NIVEA Protect & Moisture Invisible Finish SPF 50 - I hope this is as light as sunscreens for the face. I'm fed up with sticky sunscreens for the body, which makes me no want to use them. Plus this is a big bottle of potential decent lightweight face sunscreen. But why is this 17,45 € in Slovenia, while Germans can get it for 12 €? Unfair. I won't buy it without a significant discount.

APLB - Bifida Niacinamide Ampoule Serum - This is an intriguing brand. They have many versions of nice looking serums, this one contains bifida ferment lysate, niacinamide and cica water (that's the 37.2% mentioned on the bottle), and it also has Madecassic Acid, Asiaticoside, Asiatic Acid, Squalane,  Beta-Glucan, Sodium Hyaluronate, Allantoin and several extracts. 

APLB - Glutathione Niacinamide Sunscreen SPF50+ PA++++ - a sunscreen with plenty of nice ingredients. Glutathione supposedly brightens. 

BALEA Beauty Expert Triple Effect Booster - a very interesting product by Balea. It combines retinal in 0.1% strength (the same as Geek and Gorgeous A Game 10) with Tranexamic Acid (brightening, fading dark spots) and Acetyl Glucosamine (also for brightening). Other ingredients include niacinamide, squalane and almond oil. They probably should have made a version with less retinal for first time users, I don't know why they went straight only with 0.1%.  

COLOR WOW Xtra Large Bombshell Volumizer - I use Nivea which is my favourite, but I'd like to see how more expensive products work for me. 

SOME BY MI Galactomyces Glutathione Daily Mask - a pack of 30 sheet masks with impressive ingredients. 

NINE LESS B-Boost 1% Kojic Acid Serum - a brightening serum with Tranexamic Acid, Kojic Acid and Niacinamide, plus it has peptides.  

SKIN1004 Madagascar Centella Hyalu-cica Water Fit Sun Serum SPF50 - I hear this is a very pleasant sunscreen. 

IUNIK Propolis Vitamin Sleeping Mask - This has 16%  propolis extracts and centella asiatica leaf water. It's meant to boost skin's radiance. 

SUNDANCE invisible Protect Sun Spray SPF 50 - this can also be used over makeup. I'll give it try and I hope it's better than Garnier's one I tried a while back. 

Texture: thick, but very creamy.

Coverage: light-medium.

Finish: Moderately glowy, eventually more flat matte.

Staying power: This doesn’t set and it easily wipes off when you touch it. 

Shade: 20 is a very light cool toned shade. Too light for me. 

| video | 

This has a very creamy formula that glides easily on the skin, but it's a difficult formula to blend. Sponge just ruins it, while with fingers it's better, but it never looks particularly good up close. It just sit on the skin, looking obvious and especially on the area around the nose it looks bad. I don't know, maybe it looks better on oily skin, but it's quite a creamy foundation that doesn't set. Bourjois has a much better formula - if only they had the right shade. 

Essence describes the finish as natural matte, but this is more of a greasy formula that doesn't set, so the finish more on the glowy side when freshly applied and it time it just looks flat matte. 

Coverage is lighter than I expected, maybe light-medium, I can see my pale freckles still shine through. 

Staying power is bad, as this just wipes off in contact hours after application. I never tried setting this with powder, as it looks enough of a disaster on its own on my skin. Essentially, my dry skin doesn't like this at all and it’s a formula I’m a bit embarrassed to me seen with in public, but I saw plenty of people praise it on Tik Tok, so it works for some people.

I got shade 20, which is too light even for me, but based on Essence's swatches there are several such similar pale shades. 20 is even lighter than Catrice Invisible Cover 012C and is compared to that one more neutral/cool toned.   

Texture: creamy, medium thick for a concealer

Coverage: medium-high

Finish: Glowy at application, but turns very matte on dry skin.

Staying power: Very long-lasting 

Shade: 002N isn't the lightest compared to some other brands. It's not neutral, but yellow. 

| video | 

They describe this as a hydrating formula with a glowy, natural finish and medium coverage. Formula is similar to their Liquid Camouflage one and though I expected this being a nice hydrating formula for dry skin that you have plenty of time to blend, you have to be quick if you're using fingers. It's best to blend it with a sponge to spread it more evenly before it sets. Coverage is quite high, I'd say medium-full, though it doesn't completely cover my darkest freckles.  

While this looks ok freshly applied, which is when I took my before/after pictures, by the end of the day this looks terrible. I don't remember a concealer ruining my day quite so much as this one, nor one that would make me run to buy a bunch of anti-ageing skin care, but this concealer makes me look so old. It emphasizes every small wrinkle I had no idea I had. It looks so dry under my eyes and it cracks. I don't love it freshly applied either, as it's an odd formula somehow looks glowy, but at the same time drying, flat and obvious under my eyes. It doesn't feel hydrating on my skin. 

Staying power is really good even without powder. Most of it was on my skin at the end of the day, just very dry, flat and unlikeable on my dry skin. 

Shade 002N looks yellow on me and obviously off, but it was the lightest shade on the stand.

This is just another formula from Catrice that doesn't suit me. Sadly my skin I just doesn't get along with their base products. 

|video|

This is meant to be a type of lipliner and Essence shows it in their pictures are applied on its own just on the edges of the lips, but I dislike this 90's trend and I got it as an all-over colour. They mention this shade being a muted pink tone, which on me is far from it and that it leaves a natural looking stain, which on me looks bright magenta. 

The colour of the packaging has nothing to do with the actual shade of this. It's much darker on the lips, a medium-deep berry on me. The formula is as they describe watery and it feels feather light on lips. Essentially it's like using a sharpie that's very pigmented and the tip allows you to be very precise. However, I never got an even application with this. It tints the dry parts of the lips darker, just like stains normally do. 

It sets very quickly and if you made a mistake, this can't be easily wiped off. Staying power is great and there is no transfer (except on paper straws). As the colour is wearing off, the lips and skin under it get stained with pH reacting tint that Essence puts in a lot of their products. That tint on me always looks the same, a strong cool magenta. The swatch I had on my hands did not come off for three days, but I think on the lips it lasted about a day, longer on dry parts, so you have to wear a lipstick the next day to cover the uneven lips. Since it's just a lightweight product, this isn't at all moisturising, but you can easily put a gloss or a lip balm over it.  

If you enjoy that pH reacting tint and don't mind this looking uneven, you might like it, especially since it's very long lasting, but bare in my that if you slip during application, this won't come off easy.

Just to warn you so you don't make the same mistake as me - this is not a retractable balm (due to the very soft formula). This is super glossy, close to a proper lip gloss. It's nicely nourishing and feels very comfortable.

 Shade Pitaya is very pigmented with one swipe, you get a semi-opaque look that doesn't need much building up. It's a medium neutral-cool pink, I think it doesn't suit my skin tone best. In typical Essence style I think they added their trademark pH reacting tint to it, as when the lip balm disappears from the lips, my lips are still tinted pink. I wish they stopped doing that so often, but at least the tint is far more even than at the line n'  stain, since it's so moisturising. I tried this on the cheeks too and it looks quite nice.

Catrice changed up the bottles and shade range (though Caught on the Red Carpet is still there. They always keep this shade).

 Shade 004 needs at least two coats to look even, but you may need three. It's a very pale off-white peach shade. 

031 is almost opaque with one coat with a smooth formula, but it's best to apply two. Electric Turquoise is a "Tiffany" green-blue and it stains the nails like crazy, so a base is needed. 

Catrice's Quick Dry Top Coat is quite good, so I tried the slightly cheaper Essence's to compare. Formula is lighter than Catrice's, but maybe it will thicken like such top coats normally do. I tested it after the promised 45 seconds over two coats of Catrice's Gel Affair and it's dry to the touch, but still very prone to dings or smudges. It takes a while for the nails to be completely dry. So far every time I used this I ruined my manicure, even if I waited for 5-10  after application, so I find it a frustrating top coat and I'm going to stick the better Catrice one. 

| video |

This is quite good. Thicker than Laneige lip mask, which sometimes I prefer because it sticks on the lips better and for longer. It’s nicely nourishing for very dry lips and it has the scent of Kiki candy (soft taffy candy scent). It’s tinted and gives the lips a nice light shade of pink. I use the silicone applicator from the Laneige mask, I think this product is missing such a tool, I don’t like dipping my fingers into lip balm pots.