I HEART MAKEUP Naked Chocolate Palette

I wanted this palette for the longest time, so I was very excited to try it. I'm not going to say it's like the palettes from Too Faced, theBalm, Urban Decay or even Wet n Wild, in fact the quality is the same as in the rest of these cheap palettes, so a very mixed quality of eyeshadows. Some are nicely pigmented, some (mostly matte ones) not that much, but just look at the shade range - all the shades are wearable and super pretty, so I can completely understand why so many people love and use it daily. If you're in need of a budget neutral palette with a great shade selection, this one is lovely, just use a primer or a cream eyeshadow under them for more staying power. 

ZOEVA Rose Golden Complete Eye Set Vol. 2

Another thing that was on my wishlist for a really long time and it was worth the splurge. Well, I still maintain that if I knew which brushes are the best, I could have gotten them cheaper if I bought those individually, as there are a few brushes that don't suit me or I have dupes, but at least I found some absolute gems in this set. All the brushes are fantastic quality, they feel well-made, they wash nicely with no shedding and just feel premium. Zoeva blending brushes just changed my routine - seriously I tried doing my makeup with my old brushes and it just wasn't good enough. I'm really impressed with 231 Luxe Petite Crease, 228 Luxe Crease, 235 Contour Shader and 227 Luxe Soft Definer. Now I understand why these are hailed as some of the best brushes out there, but they aren't cheap.

MILANI Powder Blush

Blossomtime Rose

If you read my latest New in post you might have seen that I got this because some describe it as a dupe for NARS Orgasm, not that I need a new dupe, I just wanted a shade that I would wear. I have Nars' version and I can just straight up tell you it's not true, however, I found it's a dupe for a far prettier shade - TheBalm Hot Mama and it's also very close to Benefit Coralista (I'll have comparisons in the review, but you can see it here as well). It's a coral blush with a proper golden glow that looks like you've mixed Mary-Lou Manizer in it. Naturally I love it. Milani's other shade called Romantic Rose is my favourite blush ever, so I want to own more of these, but Blossomtime has a slightly harder texture than that one and it needs some more swirling in the pan, but at least the pattern will last longer.

CATRICE Defining Blush

Rose Royce

I don't talk enough about this blush any more, but it's still one of those I reach for most. It's like I'm Nuts About You and Milani's Romantic Rose, so a shade that just looks good with everything because it's a mix of colours, but it's a bit brighter than those. The texture is amazing, so soft and pigmented, plus these really last on the cheeks.

FREEDOM MAKEUP Pro Studio Strobe Cream

I've never tried anything like this product. It's a highlighter, but not in a conventional sense because it's so weak, it's almost like when you apply a moisturizer and the skin just looks so fresh and dewy, but there is no visible shimmer. It just makes the skin look healthy and nice. You'll hate it if you want a proper glow, but if you like subtle effects, it might be up your alley. This has the effect that I expect those Guerlain Meterorites have, nothing obvious, just the skin looks better.

JORDANA Modern Matte lipstick

01 Matte Bare

This is one of those shades like Nude-ist, Kiko's Strawberry Pink and Golden Rose 12 that just work with everything. It's a rosy-brown nude shade with a semi-matte finish and a nice formula that doesn't feel drying, is opaque and lasts decently on the lips. I've heard reviews people call these terribly dry and chalky, however, I have the opposite experience, at least with shades 01 and 10. 

ESTEE LAUDER Advanced Night Repair Synchronised Recovery Complex II

It's been many years since I had this serum, but it was always on my mind because it's some of the best skin care I've tried in my life. It's a light serum in this unassuming medicinal-looking bottle and it somehow just helps the skin look better. Whatever might be wrong with the skin, be it dryness, dehydration, patches or spots, this just sorts out the skin. I won't say it makes the skin absolutely perfect because that's be a lie at any product review, but it's a serum you can rely on and it's a great helper at making the skin look its best. A combination of this Balance Me Face Balm and my trusted Nuxe Huile Prodigieuese has made my skin look better than it has in a really long time, especially after some recent testing of skin care that did not agree with me at all.

KIKO Nail Lacquer

Bois de Rose 

This is such an unusual pink and that's what makes it so special. It's a muted shade and not what I'd call a summery shade, but it's one of those that looks classy because it's unique, but not bright. The formula is a bit tricky since it's a classic one, but still manageable.

KIKO Nail Lacquer 

345 Jade Green

I've said a few times that this is the best formula of a mint green nail polish, which are notoriously difficult. It's more of a muted type of mint green, which to me makes it more special.

ESSIE Nail Lacquer

Spin the Bottle

I'm one of those horrible people who when I like the product I save it obsessively and use rubbish stuff instead because I want to use them up and only then I use the good stuff. It's a vicious cycle. This is my favourite nude nail polish and it suits my pale skin tone perfectly, and that's why I save it for special ocassions. The formula is manageable and even now that's old, it's still in good shape. Though it's a limited edition, I still saw they sell these on Fragrance Direct for a crazy low price.

Have a great day!

It's no secret I coveted this palette for ages. I've heard many positive reviews and I absolutely loved the shade selection in it, but despite the reassurances that this palette is better, I'll admit that due to my previous experience with Makeup Revolution/I Heart Makeup/Freedom Makeup eyeshadow palettes, all of which left me wanting more, I never came round to ordering it and also because I tend to wait so long before I clear something from my wishlist, since I'm a person that considers every purchase very carefully. Luckily, Ličila.si saw my wishlist and took pity on me by surprisingly me with this palette. I literally screamed from happiness when I opened the parcel and I will be eternally grateful for this, it's not often that a company takes your taste into account, but you have no idea how much easier it is to write about something that interests you. Much like their other palettes, the quality slightly varies between the shades, mostly as far as matte shades are concerned, but a majority of shades perform well for a budget palette.

Texture: I know everyone says this one is better than the rest of such palettes, but I'm going to be that one person that's going to say: it's the same. Again we have a selection of colours that vary in terms of quality. The shimmery shades are nice, creamy with a decent pay-off and they blend nicely. Matte eyeshadow are again the same as in other palettes - more on the dry side, though admittedly not chalky, but the pigmentation just isn't the same as in more high-end palettes. The colours do build up without a base, it just takes more layers and staying power isn't that good in that case, but with a primer or a creamy eyeshadow under it, these work a treat and last all day. I'm fully aware these palettes are well loved and if you're on a budget, it's certainly very lovely, but complete brutal honestly - try one of the Wet n Wild palettes and you'll see the massive difference in quality. You merely need to touch those and you have a ton of pay-off on your finger, while at these you need to try a bit more.

Colours: There are 16 colours in this palette, mostly chocolate inspired, but there are also two taupes and a more golden shade. This is definitely one of the prettiest neutral palettes I've seen in terms of colour selection and I like every single colour, since all are so easy to wear and all can be a "one wash wonder". However, though the colours may look different in the pans, a lot turn out to be very similar on my lids, mostly they look coppery. I've said in the New in post already that considering it's trying to be similar to Too Faced Chocolate palettes, there aren't really many similar shades, at least in the first one. Smoothly is, but that one doesn't really count and Choco-fest is similar to one shade, but that one in Too Faced vastly outperforms it. My point is that if you own the Too Faced version and still want to try this one, you won't end up with a ton of dupes.

Row 1

Smoothly - a classic, beige skin tone shade with a slightly satin finish. A simple base shade.

Divine - a coppery shade with a shimmery finish. It's much warmer on my lids than it appears in the palette. Feels creamy to the touch in the pan and has a decent colour pay-off, though it needs layering.

Mocha Lover - a bronze-looking shade with a shimmery finish. On my eyes it's very similar to Divine, as is the quality.

Dipped - Patina-ish (by MAC's) warm brown shade. My favourite lid shade in the palette and one of the most unique ones, though again very different on my eyes as it's quite a lot warmer and more brown looking.

Choc-fest - a matte burgundy shade. It's more on the dry side, so it need s sticky base and layering for an opaque colour pay-off, but it's a nice shade to deepen the outer corners. 

Row 2

Adorable - a light, beige-golden shimmery shade. A great inner corner highlight shade. It's soft and pigmented, but a touch chalky.

Buttons - taupe-bronze shimmery shade that again looks much warmer on my eyes, a bit more reddish. Quality is the same as Divine, so creamy, but it's more pigmented.

Frosted Choc - a copper shade that has less purple and more yellow tones than Divine, but looks very similar on my lids. The quality is the same as Divine, so creamy with an ok pigmentation.

Delight - a medium cool-taupe brown with red and red micro shimmer. One of the rare shades that doesn't look coppery on me. Nice pigmentation and it's creamy to the touch, but less that other such shades.

Sweet Choc - a medium, matte, warm brown. Best performing matte in the palette, but still dry to the touch.

Sugar - a warm, slightly reddish, but most classic brown. Pigmentation is a bit on the weak side as it's more of a dry eyeshadow rather than creamy like the rest shimmery shades.

Row 3

Double Dip - a shimmery, yellow gold shade. Too yellow for my taste, but I combined it with a taupe base once and it worked out nicely. Pigmented and creamy.

Tob-le-rone - a matte taupe and least pigmented shade in the palette. Very dry to the touch with not a lot of colour pay-off, despite that I use it in the crease. 

Wonka - a matte deep brown. My favourite shade for defining outer corners because it doesn't look reddish on me.

Milky - a matte rosy taupe and better quality than Tob-le-rone. I love this one on the lid and aside from Dipped, again a unique shade. A bit dry to the touch, but with an ok colour pay-off.

Way - a shimmery light yellow gold. I don't use this one to be honest. Too yellow for a highlight and lid. It looks like a duo chrome like eyeshadow because the shimmer changes colour from yellow to green.

Staying power: These last averagely on the lids. While there is plenty of colour at the end of the day, it's more about how they wear. They tend to wear off and crease on their own, but primer helps a lot, as does cream eyeshadow.

Scent: Just like Too Faced version, I've heard promises this has a faint scent of chocolate. It smells like regular MR/I <3 M /FM eyeshadows, so cheap, but with the tinniest hint of sweetness. It doesn't even begin to compare to the delightful scent of the Too Faced version.

Price and availability: Slovene readers can get it on Ličila.si for 10.95 €. For international readers it's sold on Makeup Revolution site.

 Have a great day!

*PR product, but no conditions were set.

I wanted these for the longest time, not just because they are pretty, but because Zoeva brushes have such a high rating everywhere and are often cited as some of the best brushes around. They are very expensive, though. Some might disagree with me, but 75 € for a set of brushes is an unreasonable price as far as I'm concerned. However, since most of my brushes are budget versions and a lot are not the best shape for my eyes, not to mention very old, I decided to take the plunge and invest in these. I'm very happy I got these and some of the brushes became an instant favourite, however, there are a few that aren't as good or the best shape for me. They started selling these individually, so I could have got them cheaper if I just got the brushes I now know are indispensable to me. There are twelve brushes in the set, the blending ones are simply outstanding and you basically have every brush you could wish for an eye makeup application, but I would switch some with my old ones. Included is also a rose gold bag that's well-made and soft.

Rose Gold is the centre of attention here, or the coppery shade of gold that the ferules are made of. The base of the brushes is a pale peachy colour and all the brushes have these two minor details that make them even more special - an oriental pattern engraving on the metal part and the name of the collection on the end of the brush. Every brush has a name printed on them, unfortunately placed exactly where you hold them, so they are bound to wipe off, just like off Mac's brushes.

You'll find everything you need for simple as well as more intricate eye makeups, but a big emphasis was made in the blending department and that is something I really appreciate. These are a mix of natural and  synthetic taklon hair (142 Concealer Buffer, 235 Contour Shader, 310 Spot Liner and 322 Brow Line).

By the way, the makeup bellow was created using I <3 Makeup Naked Chocolate palette, shades Dipped and Wonka.

142 Concealer Buffer

A large, dense, rounded brush that works great for blending concealer both under the eyes and on spots. Though it's dense, it's still soft enough not to merely shift the product, but actually buffing it into the skin. It's not unique as I found a dupe among my cheap Jessup brushes. Individual price 10.50 €

Jessup brush from the 5pc set and 142 Concealer Buffer. In my eyes, these are dupes. The material feels the same, they are equally dense and same in size as well as shape. You can get almost 10 of Jessup brushes for the price of one this one.

221 Luxe Soft Crease

A fluffy, relatively narrow blending brush. The bristles are longer than at 227 and it's overall wider because it's not flattened like that one. It does an excellent job at blending, even on my small eyes. None of my brushes are dupes for it, some are similar, but bigger. I have a picture with a comparisons with my other blending brushes bellow. Individual price 9.50 €.

227 Luxe Soft Definer

A flat, fluffy blending brush. This is the one brush that is closest to Mac's 217. It's a bit less rounded at the top, but the size and fluffiness is about the same, though since my 217 is over six years old, it's hard to compare. Really love this one. Individual price 9.50 €.

228 Luxe Crease

A large, fluffy tapped blush. This is basically just a bigger version of the 231 Luxe Petite Crease brush, but it's a lot fluffier than that one. I really love this one for of this one for blending and softening colour. I have nothing similar among my other brushes. Individual price 9.50 €.

221 Luxe Soft Crease, 227 Luxe Soft Definer, 228 Luxe Crease and 231 Luxe Petite Crease.

230 Luxe Pencil

A simple pencil brush, so a stiff, small brush meant for applying and blending colour under the lower lash line and in the inner corner. Mac 219 is a perfect dupe for it and I see zero differences between the two. Individual price 9.50 €.

Essence Precision Brush (TE), Zoeva 230 Luxe Pencil and MAC 219. The last two are complete dupes.

231 Luxe Petite Crease

A medium, tapered, semi-fluffy brush. My word has changed with the discovery of this brush, it is outstanding. I've been using Coastal Scents Italian Round Crease brush for the job, but this is a gazillion times better. The tip picks up the colour, while the rest blends. It's available individually and I highly recommend you get one of these. I have nothing like it among my old brushes. Individual price 9.50 €.

Nanshy Tapered Crease, Nanshy Eye Crease, Zoeva 231 Luxe Petite Crease, Makeup Revolution Ultra Metallic Crease, Coastal Scents Italian blending brush, Ebeline Blender Pinsel, Zoeva 228 Luxe Crease, MAC 217, Zoeva 227 Luxe Soft Definer, Nashy Blending eyeshadow, eBay metallic crease brush and 221 Luxe soft crease.

232 Luxe Classic Shader

A flat, stiff shader blush. While it does the job well of packing on the colour, I'm not completely pleased with this one. It's quite big for the job and I much prefer the good old classic Mac's 239 because my eyes are small. I think 234 Luxe Smoky Shader would have probably been a much better choice for the set. Individual price of both is 9.50 €.

MAC 239, Zoeva 23 Luxe Classic Shader brush and Essence eyeshadow brush.

235 Contour Shader

A diagonally cut flat, stiff brush. This is another brush that rocked my word - it is so perfect. It's excellent for applying a dark shade in the outer V and can also be used in the crease. For years I've been using Ecotools eyeliner brush, which is way too stiff for the job and I had no idea such a brush even existed. Another brush I highly recommend. Individual price 9.50 €.

238 Luxe Precise Shader

A precise, flat, stiff shader brush. Its only use that I can think of it for the inner corner. I wouldn't miss it, since I use 230 Luxe Pencil for that. Individual price 9.50 €.

310 Spot Liner

A tiny, stiff, square cute brush. Not a fan of this one because it made my gel eyeliner look patchy (not the one of the picture, that's Stila Stay all Day). It's just too small for the job in my opinion, but I'm sure I'll find use for it. Individual price 8.50 €.

322 Brow Line

A diagonally cut, flat, stiff brush. I don't do brows, so I use it instead for defining my lower lash line. It doesn't pick up much colour that's my main complaint and I prefer my other such brushes. I tried it on the brows once and again I felt like it isn't applying enough colour. Individual price 8.50 €.

eBay metallic liner brush, Nanshy Angled Detailer Brush, Essence Liner brush (old), Zoeva 322 Brow Line, Ecotools Angled Eyeliner brush, Costal Scent Black on Black Taklon Angle Liner brush.

325 Luxe Brow Light

A large, flat, stiff shader brush. I don't see much purpose in this one, since I don't have enough space under my brows, but it's meant to apply highlighter under the brows. The only similar brush I own is Nanshy Large Shader brush, which I also don't use, but Zoeva's is even wider, slightly shorter and thinner. Individual price 9.50 €.

325 Luxe Brow Light and Nanshy Large Shader Brush.

The bag is soft and well-made, a love that so much attention was given to the details - the satin-like lining with an inscription and the metal zipper with an oriental design. Such a lovely bag.

I got these for the eye-watering price 75 € + shipping which wasn't cheap either. I ordered from the official website and it arrived really fast, I believe it was three days, but it is from Germany, so not that far. These are also sold on Beauty Bay, but for some reason they don't ship these in Slovenia (because god forbid we'd get free shipping with these). They are also sold in Austrian Douglas shop, I'm just no sure it's sets as well because I hear they don't have palettes. I also hear that Zoeva keeps raising their prices which is very unjust to their customers and it almost made me not order from them.

Do I think this is the perfect set? No. But, it's close. The blending brushes are outstanding and that 235 Contour Shader  as well as 231 Luxe Petite Crease deserve all the praise, but I prefer Mac's 239 for a classic shader brush to Zoeva's 232 Luxe Classic Shader, my Alverde bent eyeliner brush to 310 Spot Eyeliner and my other cut eyeliner brushes to 322 Brow Line. I would build a different set from all the brushes they have available and though you could do that by buying brushes individually, it would exceed the price of the set by a large margin. I've found two dupes: Zoeva's 230 Luxe Pencil and MAC's 219 as well as Jessup's brush from the 5pc set and Zoeva's 142 Concealer Buffer. Some brushes I know I won't use much, but there are some that are absolutely fantastic and have already become my all-time favourites. If you plan to buy any of the individually, I highly recommend 231 Luxe Petite Crease brush, 228 Luxe Crease, 235 Contour Shader and 227 Luxe Soft Definer.

Have a great day!

There is little I like to try more than a new matte liquid lipstick and Jordana's are some of the most recent releases. I think they have been launched this spring and they come in 12 shades and in 8 sweet flavours. I have one of the brightest shades, but there are some nude shades that I have my eye on, since this one managed to impress me. I believe Jordana and Milani are sister brands like Catrice and Essence, so the formulas are understandably similar, but not the same.

Texture and finish: They call it a whipped cream texture in the official description and while they are a cream, I'm not that eager to call it whipped. The latter is more Bourjois' domain, but Jordana are actually much more like Milani's. The formula is a liquid cream texture, a bit heavier than most such products, but by no means actually heavy on the lips. Like Milani's it sets in under a minute to a perfect matte finish and after that is doesn't transfer one bit. It does feel like a layer, just like Milani's, so for some it will feel drying, but it's fine to me. The main difference with Milani's is that these are a bit sheerer, however, it's still completely opaque by using a bit more product. At this shade, that sheerness actually makes it looks like a different colour, since the first thin coat is a proper hot pink shade and the thicker the coat, the more red and warm it looks.

Jordana Made to Last Liquid Eyeshadow 04 Uphold Gold on the eyes and Jordana Blush Powder 45 Apple Cheeks. Necklace from the Happiness Boutique. 

Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvet 05 Olé Flamingo & Me Now Generation II Long Lasting Lip Gloss #36

Staying power: Staying power is impressive, but a lot of such fuchsia shades tend to last very long and stain, so it would be nice to see how nude shades survive, since they are usually the weak link in the lipstick ranges. I have a picture of how it looked after six hours and a couple of (greasy) meals, and though one patch feel off and it became uneven, it wasn't that bad. Actually at the end of the day I had serious difficulties getting it off and I had to resort to an oil-based remover.

Scent: It has a vanilla-plastic scent and it's only noticeable at application. 

Packaging: The packaging is a simple plastic one that perhaps looks cheap, but doesn't behave like that and doesn't leak. The applicator is cut sideways or curvy for an easier application.

Price and availability: Mine is from Click2Chic where it costs 5.00 €. They have four shades, aside from this one also: Mixed Berry Souffle, Raspberry Tart and Strawberry Cheesecake.

The quality for the price is really good and if you liked Milani's version, you'll like these are well, just bear in mind that they are very matte and form a layer on the lips, so those with dry lips don't say I didn't warn you. This wasn't a shade I picked up myself and though it's very pretty, it's very bright, which means I probably won't wear it that often, so I would love to pick up a lighter shade or two like Creme Brulee, Rose Macaron or a deeper Tiramisu for every day, but I also like Raspberry Tart and Strawberry Cheesecake.

Have a great day!