I currently have two mascaras I use interchangeably, this one and the hyped-up Lash Extatic (European Lash Paradise) and I have to say I prefer Volume Stylist. There are several reasons why I like it more, but the most important one right now is that even though they were bought at about the same time just two months ago, Lash Extatic is running on fumes. I just can't believe it's so dry so fast. I also think that Essence mascara is more dramatic, more volumizing and creates bigger lashes. It's got a formula that behaves similar to a waterproof one, so it's more difficult to remove and that's the only thing why I still bother with L'Oreal's mascara, but Volume Stylist performs better at holding a curl (though nothing compared to a proper waterproof mascara). So far it's the cheapest regular mascara I like.
I wasn't a fan of the previous Essence lipliners though I'm a fan of their longlasting version and now they finally made decent regular liners too. They are more waxy, therefore less smudgy and finally precise. They remind me of Bourjois Contour Edition, except that these are cheap as chips. In particular I fell in love with the shade 06, a medium muted peachy-pink that fits a lot of my shades, but it looks fantastic all over the lips too. Staying power is still not the best, but improved from the original.
I can't believe this is in my favourites, but I have to put it here because I've been using it almost every day since I got it a couple of months ago. I admit I'm not a fan of this brand, there's just something about it that rubs me the wrong way and I'm still strongly opposed to the whole extra shiny look that's been polluting my social media feeds (mostly by American drugstore brands), so I can hardly believe I fell for it myself. This is the strongest highlighter than own - seriously Mary-Lou looks like a kindergartner compared to this, but it just looks so pretty on the cheeks and it's got finely milled shimmer, instead of glittery chunks. However, I only use the yellow and red stripe and with a very fluffy brush, otherwise it's just too much. I don't like it mixed all together, it just ends up looking too strong, cool and somewhat green tinted.
ESSENCE the Gel Nail Polish
98 pure beauty
The name fits it beautifully. Pure beauty is a beautiful nude, a simple and wearable shade for every occasion and it has a tendency to look either cool or warm on my nails depending on the light. It's been on my nails since the day I got it a couple of weeks ago. Formula is thick and not the easiest to apply, but it's an properly opaque nude.
I forgot to put this here three months in a row. I'd do my pictures and then realise I didn't include this, but its time in the spotlight finally arrived. I use this pretty much every day both as a base for a makeup and as a part of my skin care routine. It's a light gel-cream type of moisturiser, a classic texture for combination skin and I notice a difference when I don't use this before doing my makeup. My makeup applies nicely over it, the skin looks fresh and foundations fade nice with it, meaning it provides enough hydration though the day. It leaves kind of a soft velvet type of finish on the skin, which is why it works so well because it's almost like a hydrating primer (it's got silicones). It's meant as a sleeping pack, so you should be applying it liberally before going to bed, but I like to use it just as a regular moisturiser, since it's so light. This just really works so well for my skin, so I'm sure it's also a contributing factor in its general improvement and the packaging is just an extra plus. I saw this being sold in Sephora, but I ordered it online.
I didn't end up wearing this that much, since it's been rainy and miserable most of the month, so I stayed indoors, but I still included it here just to say that I like it as much as the Watery Essence and that they both feel the same on the skin. These dry fast and leave a dry-to-the-touch velvet primer like feeling, so they work great under makeup. The bottle has 90 ml, while Essence's tube has only 50 ml, so this is a much better deal, since they both cost about the same on eBay.
Baby Powder, Gingerbread and Sunshine
Such a shame we don't have these here. Library of Fragrance or Demeter Fragrances, as it's called in the US, have massive collection of unique scent and I have three of them, though I'd love to have more. Gingerbread is the perfect Christmas scent or just a scent you put on when you want people to think you've been baking all day because this genuinely smells like baked goods. It's mostly cinnamon, but overall it smells like cookies. Baby powder is just as you'd expect a baby cosmetic/powder scent, I recognise it as typical Baby Love by Balea scent. The last I own is Sunshine which smells like clean laundry, but warmer, like it has been drying in the sun. All have noticeable scents, but not particularly good staying power, however you can combine them with other scents, for example Gingerbread works really well with Soap & Glory Smoothie Star which is mostly vanilla based.
BALEA Duschschaum
Fresh & Fruity
I'll be first to admit I didn't have much faith Balea is capable of making a good shower foam in a can, but I'm glad I was proven wrong. The foam is thick and luxurious, it's actually similar to shaving creams and it's the same as at Bilou. There are several scents, mostly sweet, but I got the refreshing lime-smelling one.
L'OREAL Elvive Extraordinary Oil Curl Nourishement Cleansing Conditioner
This is surprisingly good. I'm a fan of L'Oreal hair care, but I was not so sure this would be as nice as I hoped, but I got the version that's marketed towards curly hair, more specifically for afro hair which tends to be much drier than other types of hair, so L'Oreal had to put a proper effort to create a truly nourishing product. My hair is very dry, especially the top layers have this thick, coarse texture, so I set my expectations very high when it comes to hair products and this definitely impressed me. It's like a normal conditioner that you apply on wet hair, gently massage all over and wash off. I tend to leave it on for a few minutes like a regular conditioner, but you don't have to do that. This is one of the rare drugstore products that leave my hair feeling silky when I'm rinsing it off. My hair is light and airy, but at the same time nourished enough. The only thing is that it doesn't tame the hair well enough, so I need to resort to my leave-ins, but I somewhat expected that. I bought the other gold version here in Slovenia (this one is from Boots), but it's less nourishing and my hair dried fast in the next days, otherwise it works about the same. I'm still surprised drugstores have such a great cleansing conditioner.
I have searched high and low, but nothing is a good as this. It's a silicone-oil in spray form that tames the hair and gives it amazing shine, so this it that final touch or a fixer when the hair looks too frizzy and bland. Other products make the hair wet because they don't have enough oil or silicones in it, so they can't help with frizz as much as this. Why did they have to pull this out of Müller?
Have a great day!
- sobota, september 30, 2017
- 8 Comments
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