THEBALM Meet Matt(e) Hughes

Committed

I've just posted a review for these and though I bought two shades this month, Charming and Committed, it's the latter that was on my lips all the time and became one of my favourite ever shades. It's a difficult colour to describe, theBalm says it's a pinky nude, but it's so much more than that on me, as it definitely has a bit of peachiness to it. The formula is in my eyes outstanding - properly matte in minutes, it doesn't transfer or smudge, it lasts well on the lips, plus fades nicely and is comfortable to wear. So far these are my favourite matte liquid lipsticks.

MAX FACTOR Voluptuous False lash Effect Mascara 

I've been holding out on you because this could have been in my monthly favourites for several months now. The thing is that I ended up using it on most days. I use waterproof formulas on days that I need my lashes to look good and perfectly curled all day, but this is a mascara for lazy occasions. It still gives a fab amount of volume (well, now it's almost dry, but when it was new it was great), it defines and it lifts my lashes a bit. The more I think about it, the more I'm drawn to repurchase it, even though the price is steep for a drugstore mascara.

CATRICE Ultimate Nail Lacquer 

18 Bloody Mary To Go

This sort of a staple of mine. I haven't bought any new nail polish in a while and at such times I always go to my classic red or nude shades, this one is actually at the top of my list because it's "the" retro-glam red shade. It's a blue toned one, but more of a neutral version of the shade and looks amazing on the nails. The formula is a simple one that works great, I'd say almost a one coater, but I always apply two coats for better staying power.

BALEA Beautiful Long Wunder Serum

This is something that I have been searching for years, but no affordable brand available here apparently decided to either make one or sell it. It's the most simple heat protector in a serum formula. Why do I like the serum version? Well, milks, lotions and liquids leave your hair wet, which means you have to apply heat protectant way before you get to work if you want the hair style to hold and to avoid sizzling in contact with heat, but with this I can get straight to work. Tigi actually has something very similar called Catwalk Sleek Mystique, but it's more expensive and not as easy to get as Balea's, but it is thicker, which I actually like more, while those with thin hair will probably prefer Balea's. 

DOVE Advanced Hair Series Youthful Vitality Hair BB Cream 

Dove is just blowing my mind with their hair care range, well at least their leave-ins, which for some reason aren't sold in our drugstores (because Slovenes don't deserve the fancy stuff, like always).  Dove Quench Creme Serum is still my favourite, but this is amazing as well, just on damp hair. It has keratin and coconut oil high on the list, which is basically unheard of for the cheap stuff, so it's not surprising it's so good and it's another fantastic product for frizzy, dry hair. It helps my hair look more smooth, shiny and silky, it basically feels normal and moisturised. Great stuff.

L'OREAL Professionnel Série Expert Intense Repair Masque

I'm kicking myself for not picking this is sooner, even though it was on my wishlist for a few years now, but this is seriously so good. The effect of this on my hair is just fantastic and it does all that I expect - really nourish my hair, make it more manageable, smoother and easier to style. Drugstore conditioners like Aussie 3 Minute Miracle, which is actually really good, pales in comparison to this, so I will invest in a 500 ml pot and probably set aside all of my cheap stuff that made my hair just too dry with prolonged use. 

THE BODY SHOP Body Mist Vineyard Peach

I'm saving this obsessively and I just know it'll go bad because of my stupidity. It's one of my favourite scents ever and I had such a hard time getting it, that I treat it like it's some super special thing. It smells like vineyard peaches (not the peaches from shops, I mean the home-grown stuff) and peach yoghurt, so I adore it and it's an excellent fruity summer scent, but it's got a very weak staying power. I just like the idea of these TBS body sprays, since they look a more high-end due to the glass bottle and I'd like to get more scents.

The fact that my collection of TheBalm's Meet Matte Hughes is going to expand was a given the moment I tried my first shade called Adoring. I got that one as a birthday gift and it just blew me away with the quality, especially since it's a dark burgundy shade, which usually does not work that well in liquid lipstick form. Charming was first on my wishlist, even though Committed appears to be more popular, but I was sure it'd be a better fit for me because it's that muted rosy shade that I love wearing. I got Charming online, but when I finally swatched all the original shades in the shop, I grabbed Committed as well and it turned out to be one of my better decisions yet. Surprisingly the formulas of both my new shades are different than Adoring's, but all are excellent quality and deserve a place in my All-Time favourites.

Texture: Compared to Adoring, Charming and Committed have a faster drying formula, meaning they set a lot quicker to a perfect matte finish (in a few minutes instead of almost ten) and once they are dry, you can't wipe them off with a finger, while Adoring smudges a tiny bit. It's like an improved formula of Milani's Amore which fades more evenly, is again perfectly matte, but doesn't feel quite as a layer on the lips and it doesn't budge or smudge. For me these are the best matte liquid lipsticks I've tried (though I hadn't had a chance to try those super popular ones like Sephora's, Stila's or Kat Von D's). When I was wiping off swatches from my arm, these are significantly more long-lasting and very difficult to get off with a makeup wipe, especially Adoring leaves a stain as well. These are all quite creamy and less thin/liquid than for example Sleek or Makeup Factory versions and all are very pigmented.

Sleek Matte Me Birthday Suit, Golden Rose Velvet Matte Lipstick 12, Makeup Factory Mat Lip Fluid 61 Velvet Rosewood, TheBalm Meet Matt(e) Hughes Adoring.

Charming  

First thing that surprised me was that the shade is darker than I imagined (I ordered online). It's still that classic muted natural rosy shade, but it's a shade darker than Makeup Factory's Velvet Rosewood, so against my pale skin it's already not a natural-looking shade. It's also a bit less warm than my other such similar shades, but it still manages to look rosy enough of my complexion without looking too draining or even violet, and I actually like the tone of it better than Velvet Rosewood. This is a shade that is better suited for more medium skin tones if you're searching for something natural looking, while on me it's a 90's grunge shade that is harder for me to pull off.

Committed

I was a bit worried about this shade despite swatching it in the shop, as I feared it'll look too peachy on me, so I actually grabbed it last minute before leaving the shop because I just said to myself screw it, let's risk it anyway. Boy, am I happy I made that choice because it's perfect in my eyes. It's similar to my natural lip colour, but a shade darker (my lips are very pale) and it's a very difficult colour for me to describe to you. It's a nude-natural shade that is a mix of everything from peach to muted pink and a tiny hint of mauve that keeps it from being too warm. I just love it so much. Closest shade I own is Sleek's Birthday Suit, but Committed is peachier and less brown looking (Birthday Suit oxidizes to a more brownish-mauve shade). I also want to point out that I gave this shade to try to someone with a slightly darker skin tone than mine and it looked like a different shade, as it was a bit more mauve.

Staying Power: Staying power of both is excellent, but not as good as Adoring, this is of course due to the shade. All nudes obviously fade faster than burgundies, but Committed still manages to cling on for several hours and just for example today I had a very greasy breakfast, and the colour survived almost intact. It wiped off in the inner corners, but the rest was still perfect and after 6 hours it still looks the same. Charming has a similar staying power than Adoring, since it's quite a dark shade on me, so it's very long-lasting. Neither get tight or uncomfortable on my lips, but I can't asses how they'll behave on people with more dry lips - given they they don't dry to a layer like Sleek's, I assume they are more comfortable.

Scent: Hughes all have an mint chocolate scent like After Eight and tingle at application for that alleged plumping effect, but I actually like it.

Packaging: These come in a simple tube with a doe foot applicator. They have a retro inspired picture, which is actually quite cute. Sometimes there is too much product on the applicator, but I don't think it's because the stopper is too wide, as since the excess product is always on the tip, I assume it's because it's a thicker lip cream than usual. 

Price and availability: I got two of the shades from Salma for 16.50 €, while I bought Committed in Müller where it costs 19 €. 

Getting more shades only cemented my belief that these are some of the best matte liquid lipsticks out there. They are not the cheapest, but if you get a shade that you know you'll wear a lot, they are completely worth investing in, especially if you're a fan of proper Instagram matte finish and want great staying power. Honestly compared to for example Sleek's, which were some of the first matte lip creams, these are noticeably a lot better, so if early attempts of liquid lipsticks put you off, these might change your mind.

Have a great day!

I get asked what my favourite mascara is a lot and I always answer immediately listing three mascaras that are just made of pure awesome. Before I start with listing I'll note my preferences when it comes to mascara. I have relatively long lashes that refuse to stay curled, mostly because they spent half of my life squished behind glasses (an actual split formed believe it or not) and that's actually the reason I started using a lash curler so early in my teens. So top priority for me is that the mascara holds a curl, which so far I've only found waterproof mascaras that do that, so this list is mostly made out of such formulas, but I did include a couple of regular formulas that impressed me at the end. I love big lashes, but I'd never replace definition for a clumpy look.

Essence I Love Extremes Volume Mascara Waterproof

This is without a doubt my favourite budget mascara and there is very little that sets it apart from my other favourites. It's a mascara that starts performing perfectly the day you open. The brush is very big and bushy, so it's a classic volumising mascara, but since it's a waterproof formula, it's not messy, which means there is much less chance of clumping that at regular formulas with such a brush. It makes my lashes look massive, separates to a degree, it doesn't smudge or flake and best of all it hold my lashes curled all day. Like all the mascaras on this (waterproof) list, it looks pretty much just like applied at the end of the day. It's only minor minus is the Barbie packaging, but I can live with it.

LANCÔME Hypnôse Custom-Wear Volume Waterproof Mascara

Years ago Helena Rubinstein Lash Queen Feline Black mascara was the only one I found that managed to hold my stubborn lashes curled, but it wasn't the easiest to track down at the time, so I once decided to try Lancome's version instead and I found a dupe for my favourite. So far this is my top choice in mascara, though the formula is about the same as Essence's, so very volumising and lengthening, but the main difference is the brush, which is more manageable and separates a lot better. It is very expensive though, so it's more of a perk than something I'd repurchase regularly since I found cheaper mascara options that work so similar.

Maybelline Lash Sensational Waterproof Mascara

I despised this from the start because the formula was so thin that it didn't do anything other than stuck my lashes together, making it look I have just a half of them. But on a random 8th day, it just started performing like a proper HG mascara. It has a plastic comb which has longer bristles on the outside of the arch and shorter on the inside, and the idea is to use the shorter bristles first, however, I do it the opposite, so I define the lashes first with the outward bristles, only then use the shorter bristles to add volume. It gives me massive lashes, though despite the plastic brush not perfectly defined, but good enough and it holds the curls amazingly well. Now that it's drier I often use this one to define the lashes first and then apply Essence's mascara.

REVLON Ultra Volume waterproof mascara 

Over the last few months this mascara truly grew on me. Despite the name it's a very defining mascara that makes your lashes look like they are naturally perfect because it catches every individual lash, but doesn't coat them with too much product and doesn't clump them together. It holds the curl all day and it's another mascara I use first before adding a very volumising coat. The brush is the most classic one of all, so no flashy design and yet it works similarly to plastic ones.

Two honourable mentions:

MAX FACTOR Voluptuous False lash Effect Mascara 

While I use waterproof mascara on days when I need to look good, on down days, I use regular mascaras and so far this one is my absolute favourite. Many mascaras give plenty of volume and length (the budget of budget versions' Essence Princess mascara is excellent), but very rare ones are actually able to lift the lashes at least a bit and this one is one of them. The brush is absolutely massive, so this is not a mascara for those with short lashes and it's a plastic one, so naturally you'd expect a light, defining formula, but you'd be wrong because this is a super volumising and defining mascara. I never thought I'll truly love a regular formula mascara, but this one is pretty impressive.

PHYSICIANS FORMULA Sexy Booster Va Va Voom Mascara 

Max Factor's and this one works similarly, but more people might like it because the brush is smaller and less harsh. Again is a very volumising, lengthening formula and it also manages to lift my lashes about half-way, which is impressive for a regular mascara. The packaging is too die for pretty as well, but neither Max Factor's nor Physicians Formula's are cheap for drugstore mascaras.

Another question I get often is how I remove waterproof mascaras. It's no big deal, you just use an oil-based remover, but it of course takes more effort than regular mascara. Any of those two-phased ones (every skin care brand has them - Maybelline, L'Oreal, Clarins, Green Line, Afrodita…) or even a regular oil will work (I use coconut oil, but you can use any body oil you might have or olive oil). Oil cleansers are also an option, such as L'Occitane Immortelle or Shea cleansing oils, The Body Shop's, L'Oreal's, Balea's and many others.

My lash curlers also deserve a mention in this post. I use Shiseido's the Makeup Eyelash Curler and they've been my trusted companion for a few years now. I have small eyes that have big arch on the top, so most eyelash curlers miss the ends of my lashes, but these are excellent despite being a flatter shape than for example Tana's than  used before. The quality is outstanding, after years of regular use nothing is loose and I still have the same pad, while on Tana's they got cut after a few months. They are an investment, but are completely worth it. 

I'd love to hear about your favourite mascaras. Have a great day!

MAYBELLINE Fit Me foundation normal/dry skin 

110 Porcelain

I have been trying to get my hands on this foundation for years. The shade was my priority here and I didn't care that much for the formula because I often use foundations that aren't my favourite for mixing with darker shades to make them paler. I finally snatched a bottle on Salma after waiting for so long for it to be available someplace without paying 10$ for shipping from the US. The shade is amazing! It is pretty much my perfect shade, it's neither too pink like Rimmel's 010 and neither too yellow like Nars' Siberia, so I'm exhilarated to have found a foundation that matches me perfectly. Having said that, I'm not really happy about the formula. It's basically Rimmel's Match Perfection in a different bottle and we do not get along. The coverage is ok, I'd say light-medium, but buildable, however my main problem with this is that it never sets. It's constantly tacky on the skin, even after 5 hours and it's incredibly annoying to me because I despise that feeling. It transfers, it moves, it slides into lines and looks oily on the skin, not even powder helps that much against it wiping off easy. I really want to get my hand on the version for oily-combination skin called Matte + Poreless, but it's again probably going to take me years to get it. I wish Milan's Conceal+Perfect came in this shade, it would have been perfect.

By the way this shade is at least two tones lighter than the lightest Fit Me concealer in 15 Fair, which is completely illogical.
Salma, 9.55 €

THEBALM Meet Matt(e) Hughes

Charming and Committed

I wanted these two shades ever since I first saw MMHs and even more since I tried my first shade Adoring. I got Charming first because I thought it's going to be most like my colour, so that classic muted natural rosy shade like Velvet Rosewood, but even though it's very pretty, it's also a lot darker than I imagined (I ordered it online), so it's not really a natural shade on me anymore, especially after it oxidises. I then had the chance to finally swatch these in the shop and I grabbed Committed as well, despite my concerns it'll look too peachy on me. Well, it's perfect. Similar to my natural lip colour, but a hint darker and it's become one of my all-time favourites. It's a difficult colour to describe because it's a nude that's not nude and it's not properly peachy or pink or mauve, it's just like you'd throw all these colours in a blender. The formula is different than that of Adoring, in fact it's closer to that of Milani's Amore, in a sense that it dries matte a lot quicker, the finish is more of a perfect matte and it transfers very, very little, however, it fades nicer than Milani's Gorgeous (I have yet to try lighter shades of Amore). It again has that After Eight scent and it tingles a bit at application, which I actually like. I'd like to get more shades of these because they are so far my favourite matte lipsticks and from the ones I tried I like Loyal and one other shade I forgot the name of, but I think it was Sentimental (it was a berry-pinky shade).

Salma, 16.50 €; Müller, 19.90 €

BALEA Oil Repair Haaroil Spray

I hoped this was a cheaper version of got2b Oilicious spray, which is an aerosol hair oil and it's a great healthy shiny hair faker. It's not. This basically doesn't do anything on my hair and the shine is pretty pathetic. As far as taming the hair goes the effect is minimal as well. The scent is not my favourite either, since it's that very artificial vanilla scent, which is also strong. A miss buy.

Ingredients.

DM, 2.99 €

BALEA Beautiful Long Wunder Serum

I was in need of a very simple heat protectant that doesn't feel like anything on the hair, meaning it doesn't weight it down to affect the performance of my curling iron and neither make it wet so I don't have to wait for the hair to dry before I start doing anything to it. This is it. It's lighter than my old favourite Tigi Catwalk Sleek Mystique, so if you found that one too heavy, maybe this one will be more up your alley. In terms of texture it's similar to the original Balea such oil, as well as Kerastase Elixir Ultime and L'Oreal Extraordinary Oil. It's got a simple salon scent. Really happy with this.

Ingredients.

DM, 2.99 €

BALEA Rummelplatz 

Rasiergel Friche Kick Lemon Ice Cream

This is the best quality of Balea's shaving gel they've had in a while. Recent versions are quite thin and I was already considering switching, but this one is back to basics with the properly thick formula. The scent is quite bland though, a weak scent of lemon cakes.

DM, 1.99 €

Deospray Luftig Leicht Peach Ice Tea

I'm not the biggest fan of Balea deodorants, not because they're bad, it's just that they are deodorants and not anti-perspirants, so basically fragrance in a can, but I did buy this one because it said it smells like peach ice tea and anything with peach makes me want to buy it immediately. It's actually quite a good ice tea scent and very close to the scent of Nestea. The scent isn't that strong and like most Balea deodorants it doesn't last long.

DM, 1.19 €

FARMONA Sun Face Cream SPF 50 

I like that Sundance's mattifying one and I recently got another bottle, however, I feel as though they may have messed with the formula or something because now it's shinier and it managed to slide into my eye after about an hour on my face, which was just an awful experience because it's so irritating that my eyes just couldn't stop watering and I had to remove all my makeup with a micellar water to make it stop. The exact same thing happened to my mom with a different SunDance cream a day later. So weird. Again I didn't want to spend much for sunscreen, so I found this one for 1.45 € on Salma. I haven't heard much about Farmona, it's a Polish brand and that's all I know (mine has Turkish text for some reason). This is a typical thick sunscreen, also one with not much silicones, so you need to work fast and it also is prone to leaving white marks. It sets on the skin better than Sundace's, almost to the point of being dry, but it is still slightly shiny. For the price it's very decent, but it has its faults. It protected my skin very well whilst at the seaside and it also smells quite pleasant, sort of floral.

Ingredients.

Salma, 1.45 €

L'OREAL Professionnel Série Expert Intense Repair Masque

I got this after being very pleased with the Absolut Repair Lipidum and I wanted to explore the brand further because it's very reasonably priced for a salon brand. This mask has been on my wishlist for ages actually, but I was scared to get it because I thought it can't be that good for this price. I was so wrong because it's just amazing and it's another winner by this brands. It's thinner than Absolut Repair, but works about the same on my hair, actually perhaps even a bit better and when I'm rinsing it off, my hair feels silky (it doesn't at cheap conditioners/masks). It nourishes my currently very dry hair and that's quite an achievement, but at the same time I don't feel it's a particularly heavy mask. This one has a more gentle, classic hair care scent compared to Absolut. This became one of my favourite hair masks ever and I highly recommend it.

Ingredients.

Salma, 10.30 €

HEALTHY SEXY HAIR Soy Tri-Wheat Leave-In Conditioner

Travel size 50 ml

I adore this leave-in wholeheartedly, so I got myself a mini that I can carry with me. I've said before that I believe this product is the one that has done most to my hair and it's since I've started using this that my hairdressers (I never go to the same one) started complimenting the quality of my hair. It's a light leave-in conditioner that adds an additional boost of moisture to my hair, it's helps it stay hydrated longer and makes it more manageable, even taming my annoying frizz a bit. I definitely notice when I don't use this in my routine, so I make sure I'm never without a bottle in my stash.

Salma, 3.90 € 

MACADAMIA Professional Weightless Moisture Leave In Conditioning Mist

I screwed up because I thought I was buying Nourishing Moisture Spray that's made for dry, thick hair, while this one is for thin, baby hair. Their brand became so confusing after the expansion and reviews are so sparse with wrong pictures and names that I accidentally thought this was it. But all is not lost as I've checked ingredients at home and it looked very promising. It's a leave-in conditioner that you apply on damp hair (I wanted a dry oil type of product to apply on dry hair, like Orofluido's Sahara) and it's very light, but it definitely added a nice boost of moisture to my hair. So far I like it. The scent is quite strong and kind of chocolatey-oriental, but I somehow have a feeling it's not going to be the favourite of many because it's a heavy one.

Ingredients.

Salma, 6.20 €

DOVE Advanced Hair Series Youthful Vitality Hair BB Cream 

I've talked in my previous New in that I'm searching for Dove Quench Creme Serum or at least a good replacement, so this is the next product I'm trying. I read fantastic reviews about this so I had high hopes and ingredients are brilliant for a drugstore product, as it contains keratin and coconut oil reasonably high on the list. How did I not know that Dove has such amazing hair stuff? It's another fantastic product for frizzy, dry hair that is on pair with Sebastian Professional Potion 9.  It's a lot lighter than Quench or maybe I should say more fluid and less of a serum feeling, so it's not as good applied on dry hair as Quench because it leaves that wet and not a silicone feeling, but it's not sticky and it definitely makes the hair more moisturised. On damp hair before blow drying it's spectacular. It helps my hair look more smooth, shiny and silky, it basically feels normal and moisturised. Very happy with this, though Quench is a little bit better. 

Ingredients.

Salma, 5.10 €

L'OREAL Magic Retouch

brown (ger. braun bis mittel braun)

Worry not I'm not going grey yet (or hopefully for the next 30 years), but I got this for my mom, who only has individual greys and I don't like that she needs to colour often just because of those, as hair colours are so aggressive and we both have very dry hair. These type of products for hiding grey hair and roots have become a big thing recently and I found a few products in out shops, but I grabbed this one because it looked most simple to use. I got the third shade, the one for brown hair (they have one for dark brown hair, but there are four shades sold here in general), however, I should have taken a lighter one as this one suits my hair more, while mom has a lighter shade of brown, so if you're planning to buy this, get a shade lighter than you think. It covers grey hair perfectly and if the colour is right, it's not even visible. My mom is really happy with this product. It's not a dry shampoo-powder kind of product, it's already more like a high coverage liquid colour. It's got a tinny nozzle, so it's easy enough to apply on small sections, but not ideal. I tried this on my arm for colour one and soap couldn't remove all of it, so I walked with a stained arm for a few days, so it should last long on the hair. The bottle is quite small for the price though, it's only got a 100 ml.

Müller, 8.95 €

*L'OREAL Elseve Extraordinary Oil

Shampoo, Conditioner, Mask and Oil

The fact that I'm a massive fan of the shampoo has been well established already - it's by far my favourite drugstore shampoo and one I use pretty much all the time, however, I've tried the mask before too and it didn't impress me, since my hair needs a lot of care (it should fit hair that has dry ends, but not overly so, however, for my hair I much prefer their Total Repair 5). The conditioner is not unlike the mask, so another thicker texture product, but it's not too heavy and neither very nourishing, still it should fit moderately dry hair. The oil is very, very light, in fact too light for proper care and it's not enough for my hair, however, similarly to Kerastase Elixir Ultime, it's nice for some simple hair taming because it doesn't weight down the hair at all. This one might just work for thin hair and you get all the benefits of an oil-silicone, so shine plus detangling. The scent of all products is oriental with a cinnamon note.

BATH & BODY WORKS PocketBac Antibacterial Hand Gel

Sweet Pea

Bath and Body Works is one of those unicorn brands like The Body Shop that aren't available in Slovenia, but I find them immensely appealing because I like these types of products they sell. I found a few bits on Salma and I decided to try at least one product to see what all the fuss is about. I really overpaid the bottle, I knew that and it even has a sticker on the back that it costs a dollar plus change, but I'm allowed to be so stupid occasionally. This is so adorably small, it's a 29 ml version, so it really fits into every pocket. I picked scent Sweet Pea because I believe it's one of the most popular scents form BBW, but it's nothing special - very freshly floral and quite pleasant. It's a very basic antibacterial gel, so it offers no care like Soap & Glory's (which is awesome), so I prefer that one, but the size of this one is so practical. 

Ingredients.

Salma, 4.90 €

REFAN Scents

Dupes of Angel and CK ONE

139

If someone told me ten years ago I'd be buying Angel, I'd say they're crazy, but then again I used to hate Fantasy too, so it just proves how much we change. I had a sample of Angel hidden somewhere and I've been trying to use up all the vials I have, so I just poured it somewhere and to my surprise I loved it so much. It's completely different than I remember. It's still a silage monster and a scent you have to commit to wearing all day because you can't cover it up, neither scrub it off. It's a fragrance that is so full of everything, it's difficult to love and easy to hate, so for me it's going to be something I wear on day when I won't be around too many people because I don't want to be the one with the heavy fragrance, even though it smells lovely to me - I smell chocolate, honey, cinnamon - it's definitely a gourmand scent, but there is that note of patchouli that I feel like people might have most problem with it because it's already makes it more masculine.

016

I was in need of a very simple, clean smelling fragrance that I could just spray liberally and have for occasions when it's not the most appropriate to wear a lot of fragrance. CK One is a crowd favourite from the late 90's, also labelled as an unisex fragrance, which I agree. It reminds me a bit of Emporio Armani Lei, but it's more citrusy. They call it an out-of-the-shower scent and that's what it is, a simple clean, citrusy scent, but it actually manages to last really long.

By the way, Refan stopped offering 15 ml bottles, which makes me angry because I loved the concept of having many small sizes of fragrance, as I change my scent a lot.

Refan, 9-10 € (30 ml bottles).

YANKEE CANDLE Tarts

Cranberry Pear 

One of my favourite scents by Yankee that I discovered at Christmas. It's not a typical Christmas scent that's why I bought it again now and to me it smells like wild strawberries and a bit of pine, which actually ends up smelling like picking strawberries in the forest. 

Sea Salt & Sage

Now I get what all this fuss about the sea salt and sage combo - it is so lovely. Very clean smelling and it has a hint of that seaside feeling. Truly lovely.

Shea Butter

Another scent I repurchased, but before I had the votive candle and I love the waxes much more because they actually fill the room with the scent. It's such a lovely warm, cream and clean scent. 

Salma, 1.82 - 2.19 €

Fragrance Samples

Avon Luck for Her

A very generic type of celebrity scent, but nonetheless very likeable and easy to wear. It's the epitome of the fruity floral category - I smell sweet pineapple (notes mention berries and citrus) and a gentle white flower scent, it's basically a Fructis shampoo type of scent. I love the bottle of this and the scent is one of those that fits any occasion, so I might even buy it one day. Staying power and projection are average.

Viktor & Rolf Bonbon

Again nothing I haven't smelled a million times. It's a similar fruity-floral-vanilla like Viva La Juicy, Flowerbomb and Jimmy Choo, but already more candy-caramel sweet like Prada Candy. To me it's likeable and easy to wear, but it's a classic (albeit a more grown up) sugary scent.

John Galliano Parlez Moi d'Amour Encor

Fruity, woody and floral. It's a mix of sour-sweet fruit (blueberry and plum), flower notes (iris, gardenia and rose, though I don't smell the latter) and base notes are presented by patchouli (can't smell it) and sandalwood. It's quite a young fragrance to me, but not in a completely sugary sweet teenage-y way. I saw it costs about 20 € for 80 ml on Salma, so it's pretty cheap.

Salma, 0 - 1.30 €

Have a great day!

This is actually the second part of the empties, since as you can see on the first picture I had quite a few of them, so I decided to split the post into two. You can find the first part of empties here.

SKIN CARE

NIVEA  3 in 1 Micellar Cleansing Water

I don't know why I didn't give away this one ages ago because we just never clicked. It's my least favourite micellar water I've tried so far and I've used quite a few. It's weak and it breaks me out, so I used it to remove swatches, however Inell's was a lot more effective at that.

Repurchase: No.

INELL Eau Micellaire

Damn this one just lasted forever, I was so sick of it for the last year. It's not a bad micellar, it's actually pretty good for the price, however, it's not amazing and I hate having average products in my stash that I always commit to use up, while my favourites lie in the back of the cupboard waiting for their turn. It was a standard micellar, so one that feels like water and removes makeup ok. Now I prefer the new Garnier Micellar with oil to all micellar waters including Bioderma.

Repurchase: No.

L'OREAL Gentle Eyes and Lips Make-up Remover

One the better duo-phase removers. I use these to remove waterproof mascara and this one does the job well, but it doesn't work without rubbing. As far as removal goes, it's similar to the Maybelline one, which is cheaper. I'd say the only difference worthy of mentioning is that L'Oreal's version stays mixed longer. 

Repurchase: Yes.

NEUTROGENA Visibly Clear 2-in1 Wash Mask 

I had this tube for way too long. My skin's been behaving in the past years and I didn't use it that much, but this a part is my "omg I have a tiny zit -get it off!" emergency kit. I've been through a lot of tubes of this and have been loyal to it since my mid-teens. When I first started properly researching what I'm putting on my face, Neutrogena's mask was all the rage and came heavily recommended by average consumers. I remember when I first used it, I was astonished at how healthy a 10-minute session made my skin look, now that effect is long gone. It's just a simple clay mask with salicylic acid, but one that is not drying and comes in a huge tube for a pretty decent price. It can also be used as a cleanser and I used the last bit of the tube like that, but it's a pretty rubbish makeup remover, so don't use it like that and it feels a bit strange using it around the eyes.

Repurchase: Yes.