I decided to make a comparison of mascaras in different price ranges - from cheap drugstore (Essence), to a bit more expensive drugstore (L'Oreal), to ''omg it's expensive'' HE mascara (Helena Rubinstein).

And here are all of my mascaras: Essence Multi Action, L'Oreal Million Lashes Extra-Black and my recent addition Helena Rubinstein Lash Queen Feline Black Waterproof mascara.

First of a pic of my lashes with no mascara:

Starting with the cheapest in the bunch - Essence Multi Action mascara. For only about 3€ you actually get a very decent volumizing mascara. Sure it needs a few coats, but it doesn't clump. That's because the formula is not thick (and it doesn't thicken over the months of use). It does give some decent volume, but it's the definition where it fails. As you can see from the picture it's definition properties are very poor. It also doesn't hold the curl well. The brush is classic, very slim with thick bristles, the handle is very long. A great mascara if you're on a budget.

Next up is L'Oreal Million Lashes, which is one of my favourite mascaras ever. This one is around 12€ and it comes in normal, extra-black and waterproof version. It has a big, plastic brush which needs some getting used to. When I first used it, I poked myself in the eye quite bad (then again I am ridiculously clumsy). Its strong point is definition and length rather than volume, but a couple of coats takes care of volume too. It doesn't clump even though the formula is thicker than the Essence one's, but it's the brush that prevents it from getting clumpy. As you can see on the picture, two coats give you volume, length and definition:

And finally HR Lash Queen Feline Black wp mascara. This one has a very heavy price tag, it costs an obscene 30 €. Out of the three it gives the most length, definition and volume, even though it might not seem that different from Million Lashes on the pictures, but in person there is a difference. HR gives me almost fake lashes look. With two coats they look insanely long and thick. The brush is classic and slim, very easy to use. No matter how many coats you put on your lashes it never clumps, lashes always look defined. I tested it's waterproof ability under a shower and it doesn't run but it does flake. Maybe it was the running water that caused it to flake, I don't know, but it wasn't that bad anyway. It holds the curl very well (obviously since it's a waterproof mascara) and it's a pain to remove (Bioderma Sensibio works very well actually). I guess a lot of women love the packaging, to me it looks a bit tacky - it's a gold metal tube with a leopard print. One brilliant trait of this mascara is that it looks exactly the same as when applied 12+ hours later. You really get your money's worth with this mascara, but if you aren't ready to spurge on HR try Million Lashes instead, it works just fine for half the price.

And here are my April favorites:

And here is I my ''I need to use them up'' box. Most products are practically empty like that CadeaVera moisturizer and Clinique Pore Minimizer for example. I need to finish that ancient bottle of Lancome Ideal (review can be found here), some lipsticks and tinted balms (because I fell in love in Chanel Coco Shine Chance so I want to use up some of my stash before I buy it) and some other products that have been laying around for a while.
 

There's one product that just frustrates me and that is Clinique's Pore Minimizer Instant Perfector. It has the potential of making your skin look fantastic, almost retouched. It erases pores, leaves your skin mat and flawless, but only if your skin is hydrated and has no dry patches. It clings to every dry spot and patch and emphasizes it, therefore making your skin look horrible. So I suppose it's better suited for oily skins, it works fine on my cheeks and nose, but not my forehead. Also once, when I applied it, it initially looked great, but in a matter of hours several dry patches appeared around my mouth. However it's a great mattifier, one of the best I ever tried.

I got  a sample of Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua in B10 which is the lightest shade in beige category. (by got I mean brought my own little jar and filled my own sample, of course trying to avoid detection. Samples are just not for granted here in Slovenia, even if you spend a fortune). Unfortunately it's a bit to dark for me. I'm very upset about this, because it's a fantastic foundation. It just looks so natural and great. Still once it was blended on my skin it really wasn't that obvious that the shade is too dark (because similar as Color Ideal it sort of adapts, but I still didn't want to risk it). I  have some of the sample left, so I'll try it on again and decide how I feel about it, but for now I'm happy with Healthy Mix Serum.

Lancome Color Ideal is a great foundation. It has everything I'm looking for in a foundation - sheer to medium coverage, lasts through the day and most importantly it looks very natural. It doesn't give that retouched finish but it just makes your skin look amazing and very healthy looking (but only providing you don't have any dry patches, it just emphasizes them unfortunately). The shade I have is 004 and sadly I just can't find this shade anywhere any more  I have a neutral skin tone and this shade was the most neutral shade I ever found (however it was still a bit more yellow). The best part of this foundation is how amazingly it adapts to your skin. The minute after application it still looks quite obvious, but after a few minutes it just blends in with your skin tone. The formula is very runny. It comes in a glass bottle with a pump. I like the pump, it's makes it very easy to squeeze only a little amount. The price here in Slovenia is outrageous, it's even more expensive that Chanel foundations. I would image that most people wouldn't like it, just because it doesn't cover much, but I really don't need much coverage. I wouldn't recommend it to people with dry skin, it's not particularly moisturising.

I bought Stay All Day concealer for my mother, but naturally I had to try it out. It's actually a good concealer. It doesn't have that much coverage as Healthy Mix concealer (probably one of the best drugstore concealer in terms of coverage and of course light enough shades), but it does cover under eye circles quite well. I also used it on a blemish, it wasn't perfect but it looked ok. It has a doe foot applicator which is handy. The formula is quite thick. Shade 10 Natural beige is light enough even for me. The only issue I have is that it blends kind of odd. It's about 2-3€ which is a bargain, compared to HM which is around 7€. Here's a picture of how well it covers my redness under the eyesˇ:

I hope this was helpful. Have a great day!

Continuing with my reviews, next up is La Roche-Posay's sunscreen that I bought for my mother. I only used it a couple of times but I decided to write a review anyway. It's meant for sun intolerant skin and has a big shinny writing on the box that says Recommendation of 2011, so I guessed it must be good. The manufacturer claims it doesn't contain any parabens, it waterproof, has no fragrances and it's non comedogenic (it doesn't clog pores). It has a new filter system with UV filters caled Mexoryl SX and XL and it's suited for normal to dry skin.

The cream comes in a nice squeeze tube. The lid seemed a bit suspicious because I always had a feeling like I didn't close it properly. It's a slightly yellow, relatively thick cream with a faint classical sunscreen scent. I applied about a 1/4 tea spoon of cream on my face. You have to rub it in quickly because it sinks in fast.

Nadaljujem s svojimi ocenami in naslednja na vrsti je sončna krema od La Roche-Posay. Sicer sem jo kupila za mami in sem jo sama uporabila le nekajkrat, ampak sem se vseeno odločila napisati oceno. Namenjena je netoleratni koži in ljudem, ki trpijo za alergijo na sonce. Vsebuje nov filterni sistem, ki združuje UV filtra Mexoryl SX in XL. Proizvajalec pravi da je najprimernejša za suho in normalno kožo, ne vsebuje dišav, parabenov, je izjemno vodoodporna in ni komedogena (ne maši por).

Krema je pakirana v priročni tubi, pokrovček se mi je zdel sumljiv, ker sem vsakič imela občutek, da je nisem dobro zaprla. Sama krema je zelo svetlo rumene barve in kar gosta z rahlim klasični vonjem po sončnih kremah. Na obraz sem nanesla priporočeno količino 1/4 čajne žličke. Mazati jo je treba kar hitro, ker se hitro vpije in potem prsti kar malo bremzajo po koži. Ni pustila nobenih belih sledov, sem pa opazila rahel sijaj in pa prvih nekaj minut je koža bila malo lepljiva. Nato sem nadaljevala z mojo običajno rutino: Clinique-ov Pore Minimizer in Lancome Color Ideal tekočim pudrom. Ni sem mi zdelo, da rabim uporabiti puder v kamnu, čeprav ni izgledalo kompletno mat, ampak mene rahel sijaj sploh ne moti. Čez dan sploh nimaš občutka, da imaš sončno kremo (kot pri navadnih naprimer, pač tisti masten občutek). Ni mi mašila pore, ampak sem jo nosila le nekajkrat, pa tudi redkokateri izdelek mi maši pore. Cel dan je mejkap izgledal popolnoma ok.

Meni se zdi odlična sončna krema s super zaščito. Nazadnje ko sem imela sončno kremo s zaščito 50+ (se mi zdi da je bila od Müllerja) sem bila bela kot stena, tako da tole je velik korak naprej. Meni se zdi najbolj primerna za suho, normalno in mešano kožo, tistim z mastno kožo se bo morda zdela pretežka in da pusti preveč sijaja. Kupila sem jo v Lekarni Ljubljana (City Park) za nekaj čez 14€. 

Erdbeer or strawberry mask contains AHA, kiwi and (no surprises here) strawberry extracts. The manufacturer claims that it works in 3 phases - peeling both mechanical and chemical and it purifies. The mask itself is light pink with little beads. The consistency is very much like Neutrogena's 2 in 1 mask, but this one dries and tightens after about 5 minutes, so it's a bit hard to move your face (but this tightening can't be compared to Lush masks, when those dry you can't move a muscle). It scented with a very sweet fake strawberry scent (lol), it smells like Chuppa Chups Cremosa Strawberry and Cream lollipopˇ. 

It is divided into 2 sections, each containing 6 ml of product, I used about a half of section. I left it on for about 10 minutes, during which my skin didn't tingle so I presume that the amount of glycolic acid is fairly little. When I rinsed it off, my skin looked a bit brighter, more healthy. Basically the effect of this mask is very similar to Neutrogena 2 in 1 mask. Buy it if you like sweet strawberry candy scented products and you want to pamper yourself, but it's nothing special.Personally I prefer the Neutrogena one, just because of the packaging and the amount you get.


Erdbeer oziroma jagodna maska vsebuje AHA kisline in izvlečke kivija ter jagode. Proizvajalec pravi, da deluje v 3 fazah: mehanični in kemični pilig ter čiščenje. Je zelo svetlo roza barve z drobnimi zrnci. Meni se zdi še kar podobna Neutrogenini 2 v 1 maski, ampak s to razliko da ko se Schabensova posuši malenkost zateguje (seveda ne tako kot Lusheve pri katerih sploh ne moreš premikati obraza). Diši zelo sladko umetno jagodno, podobno kot Chuppa Chups Cremosa Strawberry & Cream lizike (slika zgoraj). Maska je razdeljena v 2 žepka, v vsakem je 6 ml maske. Jaz sem za eno uporabo porabila približno polovico enega žepka. Na obrazu sem jo pustla okrog 10 minut, vmes nisem čutila nobenega ščemenja, zato previdevam ga je količina glikolne kisline precej majhna. Ko sem jo sprala je koža izgledala bolj zdrava in čista, pravzaprav zelo podobno kot po uporabi Neutrogenine 2 v 1. Privoščite si jo, če so vam  všeč sladki, jagodni bonbončkasti vonji in se želite malo pocrkljati, ampak kar se efekta tiče ni pa nič posebnega. Meni osebno je Neutrogenina bolj všeč, že zaradi priročnejše embalaže in količine. Schabensova stane 99 centov.

I went a bit crazy with shopping this week, but who really cares :). I'll try to review most of the things as soon as I can. Today I'll just talk a bit about my skin care routine which I changed a bit.

I bought:

Incorporating baking soda in your skin care routine seems to be all the rage. Since I read Sam's post on makeupandbeautyblog.com I decided to try it out myself. I mixed about a quarter of a teaspoon with my regular cleanser (Nivea Baby Kopf bis Fuß wash lotion) and then gently rubbed the mixture on my face. I left it on just for a couple of minutes (leaving it too long can irritate your skin and for the same reason don't use it too often, about once a week). My skin felt amazingly soft and so polished. No face scrub that I tried can compare with the effect of baking soda. However, I will use it only a couple of times a month because using it too often can destroy your protective acid mantle.

I bought a micro peeling cloth, which feels very soft to the touch and really removes all make up. All you have to do is to use it damp in a gentle circular motion. After I used a cotton pad soaked with my favorite make up remover Bioderma Sensibio and it was completely clean, so no traces of foundation what so ever. Plus it leaves your skin so smooth. I guess the only problem is that you have to wash it often. On the box it says it's suitable for sensitive skin.

Sun Dance Aloe Vera gel is a light green very liquidy gel. It has quite a strong but pleasant scent (it smells sort of flowery). A few seconds after application it becomes very sticky but it dries in a couple of minutes and the stickiness disappears. I bought it to use it for my homemade aspirin toner. I used an old toner bottle, put about 50 ml of water in it, then crushed one aspirin and squirted some aloe in the mixture. I used it yesterday for the first time and those few blemished I have, diminished and some even disappeared.

 

This is one one those products I'm not quite sure if I really need it. I does have an nice effect on my hair, but I don't find it worth 5€ per use plus putting up with the incredibly strong scent. First off something about my hair: I have very long (a bit over the half of the back), thick, curly, frizzy and very dry hair. I used a half of pot for the entire length of my hair (It's applied on dry hair as a pre-wash treatment) and I massaged some in my scalp and it was barely enough. I know it says to use the whole pot, but I'm sorry there only so much that my hair can absorb, I'm not wasting any product. Just an advice, hold your hair over the sink or tub when you're applying it because it's quite runny and slippery. So about the scent. It's really, really strong. I smell clove mixed with a bit of cinnamon and some other herbs. Personally I'm not particularity fond of the scent of clove and I found it a bit difficult to put up with the scent. I left it on for about an hour and a half. When I rinsed my hair it was basically a very tangled mess. I then used Nivea Pure Gloss Anti-Dandruff shampoo and my trusted Garnier Fructis Oil Repair mask and finished of with John Frieda Brilliant Brunette Shine Shock. I let my hair dry naturally (btw the scent gets on the pillow to). They are more shinny and definitely softer, the scent is still present but it's mild. They're not as tangled as usual but apart from the shine they just look like the same curly, frizzy mess as always. I still need to use some heating tools or tie them in a bun over the night to make them presentable. A pot costs 11€ which is way to expensive considering I get two uses from it. I do like the effect and I think it's a nice product, but I just can't put up with the smell and the price is too high. I'm sticking with my regular regime, anti-dandruff shampoo and Fructis Oil Repair mask or John Frieda Brilliant Brunette conditioner, it works just fine.

To je eden izmed tistih izdelkov za katerega ne vem če me je res prepričal. Ima zadovoljiv efekt na laseh ampak se mi enostavno ne zdi vreden 5 € na uporabo plus tega ima še neverjetno močen vonj. Moji lasje so zelo dolgi (do sredine hrbta), gosti, kodrati, frizzy in zelo suhi. Za celotno dolžino las sem porabila pol lončka, malo se jo še vmasirala v lasišče. Pol lončka je bilo skoraj premalo, čeprav piše, da naj bi porabila cel lonček ga dejansko nima smisla ker lasje pač ne morejo posrkat toliko maske in dejansko vržeš pol maske stran. Maska je zelo tekoča in nekako sluzasta, zato je bolje če jo nanašaš nad umivalnikom ali banjo. Kar se vonja tiče, kot sem že rekla je izjemno močan. Jaz voham klinčke (nageljnove žbice) zmešane z malo cimeta in drugimi zelišči. Meni osebno vonj klinčkov ne odgovarja in sem vonj kar malo težko prenašala. Na laseh sem jo pustila okrog ure in pol. Ko sem jo sprala so bili lasje zelo zavozlani. Nadaljevala sem z Nivejinim Pure Gloss šamponom proti prhljaju, Garnierjevo Oil Repair masko in John Frieda Brilliant Brunette Shine Shock. Lase sem pustila da so se posušili naravno (btw blazina na kateri spite se bo navzela vonja maske). Lasje so mehkejši in se bolj svetijo, vonj je še prisoten ampak je bolj mil. Lasje se mi ne zdijo tako zavozlani kot so ponavadi, ampak razen sijaja izgledajo tako kot ponavadi, zavozlana, frizzy zmešnjava. Še vedno rabim ravnalec ali kodralnik ali pa jih pustiti v figi čez noč da izgledajo ok. Lonček stane 11€ kar je predrago glede na to da ga bom imela le za dvakrat. Všeč mi je efekt in se mi zdi v redu maska, ampak jaz enostavno ne maram vonja in cena je veliko previsoka. Ostajam pri moji običajni rutini, šampon proti prhljaju in mojima dvema maskama Oil Repair in John Frieda Brilliant Brunette.

I've been to Lush last week. I don't usually go there even though I have one near me when I'm in Ljubljana. So I finally bought H'Suan Wen Hua hair treatment which I'll review in the next days and Charlotte Island (that perfume bottle is from Refan and it's D&G Light Blue).

Charlotte Island is a wash-off tan, a sort of instant tan but without the annoying self-tanning scent. It a relatively thick, chocolate brown cream with some red tones. The application is very easy and even, of course providing you have a relatively smooth skin (it applies uneven on parts with body hair). On the skin the colour is bronze with some red undertones, which in some lights can make you look a bit sunburned (however my cousin and mom say it looks fine and that I'm overreacting), it also contains a tinny bit of shimmer. With one application you get a faint but noticeable tan and you can layer it. It dries fast and it doesn't stain the clothes. There are two things that really bother me. First it's the bottle. I hate Lush bottles. The plastic is way to hard so the bottle is ridiculously hard to squeeze. Second it's the scent. The sales woman said it smells of chocolate and some reviewers on MUA said it has a tropical scent. Well I don't smell anything tropical. It kind of smells like old chocolate, I would describe it as a scent of an old stuffy room, sort of musky. It's very strong  and it lingers for hours. I just really dislike it. I like the idea of the wash-off tan, this is one of the rare ones (if not the only one) available in Slovenia, but I really doubt I'll repurchase it. A 100 ml bottle costs around 8€ here, there is also 250 ml bottle available.

Edit: It definitely makes me look sunburned. The colour is just to red. I applied it all over my legs and the first comment I got from my mom was why do my legs look so red and that they look sunburned. If you're really pale don't buy it.

First off Vichy Aqualia Thermal serum. After reading quite a few positive reviews I got myself a bottle too (a review from Passing Fancy really prompted me to get it. You can find here review here.) I've been using it for a week now and I'm not going to be so generous with praises. Don't get me wrong, it is a great product, but it's not amazing. Let me begin with a description of my skin. I have a combination skin with some dry patches (mainly on the lower part of the forehead). I've had these dry patches for years now and no matter what moisturiser I used and how many times I exfoliated, they were still there. But with this serum they finally (!) started disappearing (there are still some left above one of my eyebrows), but the state is definitely improving. Another thing I noticed is how much better my foundation looks after application (Max Factor Liquid Illusion, just trying to use it up). Before I didn't even apply foundation on my forehead, simply because it really emphasized those dry areas (even with moisturiser underneath). However I don't find my skin being more dewy or looking more healthy. Maybe it just needs more time. The serum is very light so I like to apply my regular moisturiser on top (CadeaVera Young Fluid for normal to dry skin when I'm at home and Neutrogena Oil-free moisturiser when I'm in Ljubljana). It has a very light scent, which is difficult to describe, it's kind of typical chemist scent. I love the packaging, a nice glass bottle with a pump which dispenses the right amount of product (I use one pump for my face). Here it cost 18€ something for 30 ml of product.

If you remember my Isadora Fanciful post, I said I'd love to have their Glow Stick if I could find it a bit cheaper. In fact I did :). Limoni sells it for outrageous 18-19€, I got mine in Müller for 15,60 €. And I love it. It gives that gorgeous light flush and that great glow on the cheeks. I tried to get a picture of it on me but my camera hates me. I also saw the new collection Jungle Fever. The powder bronzer looked very nice, but the new Glow Stick looked very copper on me.

And the last thing is Wild rose oil from Müller. I ''borrowed'' it from my brother (btw bro you're not getting it back). He bought it in his Roaccutanne era when his skin was incredibly dry and he found oils to be the best to fight the dryness. He got it as a replacement for Dr. Hauschka Normalizing Oil (which he loved) and strangely enough the scent is identical. I personally don't love it, but I don't hate it either (I'm one of those people who dislike the smell of roses. Weird I know). I've been using it for a week now and I have to say that my skin feels a lot softer. Another thing I like is that it absorbs relatively quickly. There are more oils available in Müller (I know there's almond oil) and they cost about 5€ for 100 ml, but I'm not sure.

 So I hope this post was at least a bit helpful. Have a great day!

Pupa Luminys velvety baked blush 07 - I found these blushes in Limoni. Honestly, I had no idea Pupa has baked blushes that look similar to Mac's MSF. There are 6 shades available, 3 are bronze-golden shades, 06 was a pink with some purple (pink with a blue undertone), 07 is a pink and 08 is a bright coral but on my skin it looked very orange. These have a very luminous finish, however I actually didn't find them more luminous than Benefit's Coralista or NARS Orgasm. 07 looks like a mix of NARS Orgasm and Deep Throat on my skin tone, pink but with some peach, a fantastic shade for someone as pale as me. The packaging looks so cheap though. It's a mix of clear and milky plastic, honestly I would expect something like that from a blush for a couple of € and not for 20. However it's sturdy, you don't have the feeling that the lid might broke off at any moment. The little brush that comes with it (it's not in any of the pictures) is surprisingly useful. It lasted all day on me, it loses a bit of brightness, but still looks ok (as far as longevity goes Coralista wins hand down). All in all a great blush, but the packaging needs some upgrading.

Comparison of Benefit Coralista (the pretties blush ever), NARS Orgasm and Deep Throat and Pupa Luminys baked blush 07:

Replay is one of the new shades of Essence's Multi Dimension XXXL Shine nail polishes. It another turquoise/teal shade that I love. This one has more green in it than Essence You belong to me. I apologize for the shoddy application, the formula of the nail polish is very thick but that's not my main problem. The problem is in the top coat from the same brand which is horrible (but base coat is fine). It just doesn't dry like forever. I really miss my faithful Essie Good 2 Go.