Favourite products from DM

nedelja, avgust 04, 2013


DM is my go-to shop for essentials and basic product that I use in everyday life. I've recently repurchased a ton of stuff that either ran out or are about to and I realised that most of these basic products I buy are DM's and not Müller's. I meant to do a post with Müller's products as well only to find out there are hardly any in our house. I don't even know why, as both have a comparable quality of products. Maybe it's because DM has more intriguing and fun LE's? Or maybe because they have a great website with all of their products, which I will admit I love checking out now and then, making a list of the things I might be interested in. Most of the products are so affordable and you can have some great guilt free shopping there, but it can be a trial and error experience. Since I have so many things at this moment, I decided to do a post of my favourites and things I repurchase again and again.
If you're not familiar with what DM is, in short it's a German version of Superdrug (and Műller is something like Boots or Ulta). Their shops are in most countries of central and south east Europe. They have several of their own brands, with loads of affordable products.
Blue text are links to individual reviews and you can try labels for Balea, Alverde and Sun Dance.
Balea shower gels
Just simple, generic shower gels, not particularly moisturising nor drying, but they have a great selection of scents and so many nice LE's. Most cost only 0.85€. Currently I have only LE's.
Fiji Passionfruit LE - a fresh passion fruit scent.
 Hawaii Pineaaple LE - a very authentic pina colada scent.
Brazil Mango LE - a sweet fruit candy scent.
Sweet Wonderland LE - an amazing cocoa scent.
Balea's Traum Geschöpft LE - best peach scented shower gel so far. Already discontinued.


Balea creme soap peach&nectarine
A peach and nectarine slightly soapy scented hand soap. I adore the scent and refuse to buy any other, much to annoyance of others. I've bough at least six refills so far.

Balea deosprays
Performance-wise they are as average as they can get, however, their scents are lovely and there are always new intriguing LE's. I layer deodorants anyway, use roll-on first and then top it with a deospray that I respray during the day to freshen up the scent. They cost less than a €.
Cocos & Nectarine deodorant - a soapy version of creamy coconut and nectarine scent.
Balea Hawaii deospray LE  - a candy papaya and frangipani scent. My second favourite and my second can so far.
Sweet Wonderland LE- cocoa scent. I have the full size and the travel version.
Balea's Traum Geschöpft LE - best peach scented deospray and my favourite. Sadly, I only have the travel version and it's already discontinued.

  It's an essential item in my bathroom and I use for so many things - body, hair, as a makeup remover and for shaving, because it leaves the skin crazy smooth and moisturised. It smells like a coconut creamy dessert or a coconut muffin, basically a mix of coconut and vanilla, but not too heavy or excessively sweet.  It comes in a glass bottle with a pump and costs 3.95€ for 100ml. I'm on my second bottle.

Balea shaving gel
 I've been buying these since forever, because they are really good and affordable. The Isana ones (Müller's brand) are so bad compared to these. Balea's are proper gel ones that transform into a really thick foam. My favourite LE was the Kiwi one.
Regular one has a floral-powdery scent.
 Caribbean Dream LE - an artificial coconut scent.
Milk n' Peach - (not in the picture) a sour pear scent.

A huge 500 ml tube of a light body moisturiser with a fantastic peach scent for less than 2€. There is also a coconut version in permanent assortment.


A light hair oil with no silicones, just argan, almond, soy and walnut oil with some vitamin E. The one in the picture is almost empty, but there are two more lying around the house. I use it every time my hair feels dry. A great product for about 3€.

The original name is Gespenster-Schreck spray and it claims to banish all the scary ghosts and monsters, which is just so adorable and is one of the coolest product for children. It's basically just a mini spray with a very calming scent of lavender and a bit of camomile. I have two actually. I spray my pillows with it and just enjoy the calming aroma before I fall asleep (and I've seen no ghosts or monsters when I used it. It must work then). It's very affordable for 100ml bottle, but I don't recall the exact price.

Ignoring the ingredients, which are basically a nightmare for anyone who is more into such stuff, it's the most comfortable sunscreen for face I've tried. It's light and doesn't leave my skin too tacky, works great under foundation, but the finish is still suncreen glowy, however, nothing like with regular sunscreens. 50ml costs only 2.95€

Admittedly, these are the oiliest pads I've used. However, I did get used to that, but I need to use a cleanser to get rid of the mess the oil leaves. They remove waterproof mascara completely, so if you need something effective, but really cheap, they're fine. Maybelline eye makup remover waterproof is much better, though. However, it costs twice as much.

Das gesunde plus tea tree oil
Basic tea tree oil that can be used for so many things. I use it as a spot treatment and adding it to shampoo to treat dandruff. 30 ml bottle costs 2.75€.

 Ebeline bobby pins/hair grips 6 cm wavy in black
You'd think you can find such basic stuff everywhere, but the last time was buying them, I nearly lost it. Müller has only some really weird ones and H&M was out of stock (but theirs are just like this ones, only slightly more expensive), I finally found exactly what I need and want in DM. They come in different colours and sizes. The fact that the plastic end doesn't fall off, which makes the pin super scratchy, is a sign of quality for me. They cost 1.85€.

Ebeline hair claw clips in black
Such a basic product, but I swear the Ebeline ones in a six pack for 3.29€ are the best around. I mean the ones with smooth sides and rounded square top, the other ones with a more rounded top which are smaller are not as good. I tried others from other brands (Y.e.s. from Müller, H&M) and they break after a few uses. I was literally tossing one per day away, it made me so angry. These are the best I've found so far, but it's so hard to get them sometimes because they are out of stock so often.

Ebeline round ionic ceramic brush 60 mm
This wasn't cheap, but it is really good. The orange strip turns yellow when it's too hot for your hair. I use this every time I blow-dry my hair for a sleek result. It was around 10€. They have some good hair brushes in general and they come in so many sizes and shapes. Müller's brand Body&Soul has a similar brush.


Ebeline cotton pads
Such an essential, but these are the best ones I've tried. I had a few other brands and they were just awful compared to these, I couldn't wait to use them up. I buy the biggest packaging.

Ebeline cosmetic cotton buds 
A staple for any makeup application. Müller's brand Duchesse has similar ones, but they didn't have them when I was buying them.

Balea foot file
The ones from Müller and this one are virtually identical. It's a basic foot file and I've bought over a dozen of them through the years.

Balea gel heel shields
There are not nearly as soft and comfortable than Scholl Party feet ones, but I have two pads on the back of each of my shoe because I have very narrow heels and most shoes without straps just slide off my feet. I have these cheap ones under the Scholl ones. 

Denk Mit disinfection line
A great line with several different products for disinfection. I buy the spray and wet wipes. I've bought so many over the years and there are several sprays of this disinfectant in our house.

Denk Mit screen wipes
Just your basic wet wipes for screens. Cheap and effective.

I like their cleaning wipes in general, there are so many versions, and I also buy the all-purpose wipes in blue packaging and their dust cloths, but I don't have any currently. When I was living alone in Ljubljana, I bought most of the cleaning supplies in DM, simply because their shop was so close to my then-home and they're brand is really affordable.

Of course, there have been some disappointments, I just bought one a few days ago (Sundance Getöntes Fluid mit Soforteffekt LE), but most of the products are really good for the price. I'm not a fan of their hair products, Alverde hair oil being a notable exception and also their Power volume mousse is quite nice, but the rest didn't leave a memorable impression. Their hair stuff is just too basic for my needs and doesn't do anything for my hair. I find their makeup line S-he boring and their Jessa line is pretty much rubbish, at least the stuff I tried (worst glue on pads ever). Skin care is also a bit of a hit and miss, I haven't really bonded with any of the products, but my mom likes the Q10 anti-aging daycream SPF 15 and has used up several pots. I'm also not a fan of the Ebeline nail polish remover because it is very drying.

Honestly, I've been shopping there since my early teens and I've probably tried less than half of their products as they are so many. I have found some fantastic affordable staples that I just keep repurchasing and there are so many things I have yet to try. I should also try more of the Müller product, I don't know why I haven't so far.

And some blog love:
Summer posted about her favourites from Balea on her blog here.
Posts about favourite Balea and Alverde product on Makeup&More here, here  and here (in Serbian).
Snow posted her Balea favourites here.
Also Erika from Fatalna.si and Taya speak highly of Balea Aqua Serum. Taya has tons of short reviews of DM's products. Just search for labels Balea, Alverde,...

So that's my selection. I'd love to hear your recommendations or if you already did a similar post you can link it (but no shameless excessive self-promotion).

Have a great day!

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25 comments

  1. Odličen post:) Si mi dala veliko novih idej za njihove izdelke. Tudi jaz najraje kupujem tiste "nujne" izdelke, ker so poceni pa še izgledajo lepše kot v Müllerju. Ta tea tree oil dejansko pomaga proti prhljaju? Koliko pa daš v šampon? In ne zmasti lasišča?

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    1. Hvala :) Že mora bit nek razlog zakaj grem čisto podzavestno mimo vseh stvari v Müllerju. Se tudi meni zdi da je DM cenejši in izdelki so res veliko lepši :)

      Jaz imam absolutno obupen prhljaj že od 11 leta in se ga nikakor ne more znebit. Najbolj mi pomaga, vsaj da ga odstranim tisto plast odmrle kože, če uporabim ogromno sode bikarbone zmešano s šamponom in potem dam še kapljico olja čajevca zraven. Piše na steklenički 7 kapljic za celo flaško šampona. Nič ne zmasti lasišča, ampak meni itak nič ne, ker imam tako suhe. Uporabim ga tudi v moji mešanici olj, ki jih uporabim za lase pred pranjem in jo dobro vmasiram v lasišče.

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    2. Hvala. Zelo zanimivo. Bom preizkusila to olje;)

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  2. You should definetly try the Balea aqua serum and the Balea Cell Energy serum a little bit expensive for a DM product, but amazing. My mom also loves the Q10 line. The dontodent sensitive floss is the only one on the market that doesn't make my gum bleed. This summer I bought the transparent spray Sundance 30 and I love it, and from your blog I discovered the mattyfing sun fluid, it is OK, but I would like to try this one Med Ultra Sensitive Sonnenfluid 50 http://www.dm.de/de_homepage/sundance/produkte/sundance_produkte_sonnenschutz/med-ultra-sensitive/59870/med-ultra-sensitive-fluid.html, but I coudn't find it in Slovenian DMs.

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    1. Thanks for recommendations :) I hear a lot of good things about Aqua Serum. I'll check it out.
      They had some sort of an offer on sunscreens the last time I was there and the shelves were so empty, but I don't recall seeing Med Ultra Sensitive Sonnefluid 50 either. Slovenian DM's don't get all the things that Austrians or Germans do unfortunately. For one I'd like to try the Ebeline beauty blender dupe, but I doubt they'll sell it here.

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  3. Res odličen post. Zdaj, če tao razmišljam, jaz tudi največ kupujem v DM-u, jer večinoma itak uporabljam Baleine izdelke. V Müllerju kupujem bolj kozmetiko pa tu in tam kake stalne izdelke (Aveo odstranjevalec, Dove tretma za lase ...). Jaz sem prej vedno uporabljala Duchesse blazinice, ampak sem zadnjič v DM-u kupila Ebelinove in se mi zdijo res boljše. Sploh pri odstranjevanju laka je to bolj očitno.

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    1. Hvala :) Jaz isto, Müller je za kozmetiko pa stvari, ki jih ni v DM-u (predvsem za lase in čokolado, edino najlonke imajo najboljše). Duchesse vatke se takoj scufajo, mi niso bile niti malo všeč.

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  4. Super post. Tudi jaz sem ljubiteljica Balea izdelkov. Posebaj losijoni in kreme za telo so super. Edino ta deodorant "čokoladni" me je do zdaj razočaral :)

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    1. Hvala :) Meni je pa deodorant všeč, ampak je res da vonj ni isti kot pri tuš gelu.

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  5. Pri meni su nakupi v Dmu in Mullerju tam-tam, ampak prav od lastne znamke imam pa tudi več iz DMa :D No, sploh nič nimam od Mullerjeve znamke trenutno. Včasih sem kupovala pene za britje, ampak ne več, ker mi je Balea boljša. Blazinice so mi pa najboljše une iz Hoferja - najbolj poceni za največje pakiranje, čeprav jih ponavadi ne kupim, ker nimam za kaj it v Hofer :D

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    1. Od Hoferja jih pa še nisem imela:) Za peno se pa totalno strinjam, Baleine so milje boljše.

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  6. Tudi jaz imam raje DM kot Muller, verjetno tudi zaradi cene, ki je v Mullerju nelogično dražja (npr: Garnier beauty oil nekaj čez 6€ v Mullerju pa naj bi bila to kao znižana cena, v DM nekaj čez 5€ - ravno v četrtek sem ga kupila, zato vem :D ). Pri DM-u obožujem Baleine LE gelov za tuširanje tako kot ti in Alverde ima nekaj biserov med svojimi izdelki (npr. olje proti celulitu, ki ob vsakodnevni uporabi kožo res malce zategne, tako da je celulit manj viden). In še prehranska dopolnila Das gesunde plus imajo po dostopnih cenah. Kvaliteten je vitamin C v prahu, pa tudi z njihovimi Haar komplex kapsulami naredim dve kure letno za boljše lase.

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    1. Garnier olje je res dražje, sem tudi jaz to zadnjič opazila. Ampak na splošno se mi zdi da se izmenjavata, posamezne stvari so ali pri enem ali pri drugem cenejše. Pa pri Müllerju se mi res dopadejo ti 3%, ki ti jih dajo "nazaj", DM-ove točke so mi pa prav bedne. Hvala še za tvoja priporočila :)

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  7. Super post, si mi dala par novih idej kaj sprobat :) Zaenkrat so mi zelo všeč njihovi shower geli, mandljevo olje za lase in breskov bodycreme, z deodoranti imam pa bolj slabe izkušnje, čeprav dišijo lepo. Moram poskusiti še kaj s tvojega seznama, naslednjič ko bom tam :)

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  8. Itak se strinjam glede showr gelov, ki so super. Večkrat tudi kupim kakšen Balein šampon za lase, sploh ne opazim da bi bili "slabši". Ebelin vatke so moje najljubše ever, moram pa dodati Ebenin vijolično-črn odstranjevalec laka za nohte (s tisto pumpico za blazinico), ki mi je res res super (ostali Ebelin odstranjevalci niso).
    xx, moonchild beauty blog

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    1. Saj če imaš normalne/mastne lase, potem so Balea šamponi ok. Za moje res suhe pač niso.
      To misliš tega a ne: http://www.dm.de/de_homepage/ebelin_home/produkte/ebelin_produkte_manicure/ebelin_produkte_manicure_nagellackentferner/32126/ebelin-nagellackentferner-professional-acetonfrei.html? Iščem en dober odstranjevalec, trenutno imam Essence pa tudi malo izsušuje. Bom sprobala tega :)

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  9. Since I don't see any P2 products in your post, I understand P2 cosmetics are not sold in your country, but only in Germany. Am I right?
    I fell in love with the brand on a short visit to Berlin a couple of years ago.

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    1. Yes, you are correct. P2 isn't available here, only in Germany and I believe you could find it in some Austrian Palmer's shops. I'm not sure if it's still the case.
      Unfortunately, I haven't had the chance to try it yet, but I'd love to.

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  10. Great post and also very useful.:-)
    I finally saw that Alverde coconut oil in our DM stores, I really need to buy that, and some real coconut oil for my hair. I like Ebelin nail polish remover with coconut smell for sensitive nails, it really doesn`t dry nails like others from Ebeline.Sundance fluid and Balea peach body cream are my favorites too. Tnx for mentioning me and my post :-)

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    1. You're welcome, you wrote a very useful post and it deserves to be shared :)

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  11. Madonca to pa je veliko stvari, toliko izdelkov jaz verjetno v celem letu ne bi porabila :D.

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    1. Je namenjeno za celo družino, s tem da je pol stvari že praktično praznih :)

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  12. Super post, sem dodala kar nekaj stvari na wishlisto :) Se pa med drugim popolnoma strinjam za Balea milo, tudi mi po novem kupujemo samo še tega :D

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  13. thank you for this and im so glad its in english!

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    1. You're welcome, I know how hard it is to find reviews about Balea that aren't German. I have a lot of DM products in my New in posts, so of the best I found more recently are Balea Erfrishended washgel, Balea Beauty Effect Power maske, Balea Pflegecreme and Beautiful Long Wunder Serum.

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