ESSENCE #insta perfect liquid make up

10 #cool porcelain

Essence finally came to their senses and started offering a foundation that comes in more than just a few light-medium shades (their usual ranges tend consist of a meagre four shades. They should expand concealer shades next). The new #insta perfect foundation somewhat "dupes" Mac's Face & Body in terms of packaging and is available in 9 shades that actually include a very pale shade and some deep ones as well. They finally have a colour that I can wear too, in fact I find 10 #cool porcelain perhaps a touch too light, though it matches my neck perfectly. It's a foundation that reminds me most of Mac's Face and Body, as well as Maybelline Fit Me Luminous, though the latter has more coverage. It's a light coverage foundation, light-medium at best, though it is buildable and doesn't get cakey at all, but still I haven't been able to build it up all the way to a proper medium-full. Finish is not as described "strong matte", instead it's a very natural looking foundation with a semi-matte finish and I still see my natural skin texture shining through. It's not a foundation that someone with an oily skin will want to wear without a powder as it stays tacky for a long time. It blends and applies with ease, so it's the type of foundation that's quick to apply, but it's not the most long-lasting one on its own. I liked it from the start, but as soon as I switched to my old favourites (Healthy Mix/Serum and Maybelline Fit Me Matte) I saw it's not as pretty on the skin as others.

Müller, 4.89 €

Swatches for the products mentioned here are on Instagram in highlighted story Beauty Updates.

ESSENCE Stay Cool Llama Highlighter

I got this without trying a tester because they didn't have any, but I hoped that it's perhaps a bit similar to the great Good to Glow palette in terms of texture, just in a lighter shade. Unfortunately this is very subtle highlighter, though you see the glow just fine in strong light, but it doesn't create that very luminous effect. There are three shades in this: a gold, a pink and a cool toned off-white, which all mix into a peachy looking shade with a glow. The texture is not chalky and it applies smoothly, but I wish it were softer. Honestly, Essence has done much better highlighters. It does look so cute, though.

Müller, 3.89 €

ESSENCE Metal Chrome Eyeshadow 

01 Zink About it and 02 Ironic

I heard raves about this, most notably from Adjusting Beauty who's already posted a review of these. I got Catrice's version first which is a very similar texture. These are very creamy powder eyeshadows with a metallic effect and I picked the two shades that look most wearable, a rosy bronze 01 Zink About it and an old gold shade 02 Ironic. They swatch beautifully - very opaque and creamy with a strong shiny finish, and similarly to Catrice the surface dents under pressure. But, as nice as these are and I'm glad Essence finally offered something like this in our drugstores, I'm not in love with these. There are a couple of reasons, number one is that unless I use a creamy eyeshadow base under it, I get a super shimmery look with visible chunks everywhere, but the colour itself is too sheer on the lids unless I use a base (maybe it's just me with this problem because I saw these look amazing on others). Second this is that they crease during the days, which doesn't happen often on my normal eyelids. I thought I was going to adore 02 Ironic, however, on my lids it looks too washed-out gold, so I prefer 01 Zink About you which is that basic Satin Taupe like colour. I like them as a topper, but they're not amazing without a base. Maybe I need to get through the top layer or something.

Műller, 3.39€

ESSENCE Soft Contouring Lipliner

08 big proposal

This is my third shade of these and I already have a review of the other two if you're interested in how they perform, but these are some of my favourites. This new version is less creamy than the previous, so they last longer and are a lot more precise, but  despite the waxier texture they are not drying. I got this shade after seeing it at Adjusting Beauty. Of course this shade looks completely different on my neutral pale skin tone than on her very warm one, but I expected that and it's still the type of shade I'll use a lot. It's a muted light-medium peachy-pink that leans more to peach on me and it's a great defining colour that looks natural, so it can be used to cheat the lip line.

Müller, 1.19 €

CATRICE Metal Sensation Ultra Creamy Eyeshadow

040 Mauve Browntown 

Both Catrice and Essence added these metallic cream-to-powder eyeshadows to their regular lines. This formula feels even creamier than Essence's and I've made a large dent in it by using it every day for a couple of weeks . Compared to Essence this shade is also a bit less shimmery and somewhat sheerer when I swatch it, but it's got about the same level of pigmentation once on the eyes, meaning it's semi-opaque/medium. Best way to apply this is with fingers as I find the brush just doesn't pick up well. I need to layer it for a metallic effect, but in a thick layer, this unfortunately creases fast. I love the texture, how nice it applies and blends, however it's already a bit too creamy, so it moves too much on the lids. 040 Mauve Browntown is a Mac Satin Taupe kind of shade, so as the name says a mauve brown.

Müller, 4.79 €

*BOURJOIS Lip Duo Sculpt

04 Plum'Set Beach and 06 Rouge Tango

Bourjois launched their version of ombre lipsticks which are available in 6 shades. They combine two shades in a 2:1 ratio with which you should easily be able to create an ombre effect. It does work, but due to weaker pigmentation it takes a few swipes to really build up a fully opaque layer and you need to be very careful at how you place the lipstick on the lips again for the second swipe. Formula is creamy and comfortable with a creamy shiny finish. The lipsticks are a bit small for my lips and while granted they should be slightly smaller anyway so you can create a mixed ombre layer in the middle and not just have a line there, I'd like to see them just a millimetre wider because they now I ruin the ombre if I want to apply it all over my lips. I got two of their brightest shades:

 04 Plum'Set Beach - to me a truly weird combination of shades, a plum and tomato red, which is supposed to look like a sunset. The plum is much less pigmented than the tomato red, so it ends up looking really strange.

06 Rouge Tango - combines a deep and light shade of neutral red. It's a better combination than 04, but still I think the ombre look just does not look good on me and I don't feel it optically makes my lips plumper. 

Drugstores, 13.49 €

*RIMMEL Maxi Blush

003 Wild Card

Rimmel released three shades of these Maxi Blushes in Slovenia recently, other two are #004 Sweet Cheeks, a peach, and #006 Exposed, which is a very interesting neutral beige-dusty rose looking shade. Wild Card is quite a deep shade and I need to be very careful with it because it's too much almost with one swipe, so if you have a deeper skin tone, this will work great on you. It's a muted deep peachy-pink shade which on my cheeks looks like a strong warm pink. Texture could be a bit silkier, but I have such a dark shade that any texture is very unforgiving if you don't spend extra time blending it. I loved the look of Exposed in the shop, so I might go get that one.

DM, 9.49 €

*RIMMEL Stay Satin Liquid Lip Colour

130 Yuppie and 400 Obsession

After the matte versions which I find are fantastic from the selection in our drugstores, Rimmel launched the Satin version which will please especially those who like liquid lipsticks, but find matte versions too drying. I can't compare these to anything else I own, Revlon's Ultra HD dry differently and Coulourpop's Satins are matte, so these are something new in my stash. Formula is a mix between a cream and a mousse, they are fully opaque, but need a more careful application because the pigment shifts on the lips. They don't have the super comfortable feel of Revlon's Ultra HD, but they aren't drying at all as they are setting. They set to a proper satin finish - these really are true to the name and I like it. My main complaint with these is that they remain sticky for quite a while and they never dry completely, meaning they transfer. Staying power is comparable to a long lasting regular matte-satin lipsticks. 130 Yuppie is a lovely muted light-medium peachy-pink, a perfect mix of the two tones and I already like it a lot, even though I'm not that happy with the formula compared to the Matte ones. 400 Obsession is my fifth thousandth warm hot pink that every PR seems to send me (forgive me for saying this). Four shades out of fourteen are sold in our drugstores: #130 Yuppie, #200 Sike, #210 It Girl in #400 Obsession.

DM, 6.19 €

NIVEA Shower Oil Natural

I got this instead of the Aveo one which I normally buy because I couldn't get to a drugstore and I think I actually like it more even though it's costs twice as much. The formula is thicker, so I end up using it a lot less and one bottle lasts much longer. It also works better for shaving and leaves my skin softer than it's ever been (I really like that about it). The scent is equally bland as at Aveo which I count as a minus, though it's not a bad scent, just like a natural oil.

Interspar, 3 €

SUBRINA Shower Gel

Cherry Blossom and Perfume Drops

A repurchase of these two. They are affordable, come in big bottles if you buy them in Spar and these two are some of my favourite scents among shower gels. Cherry Blossom is a baby powdery floral type of scent and Perfume Drops smells like a sweet oriental fragrance. 

Interspar, 1.79 €

BATH AND BODY WORKS Fine Fragrance Mist 

Amber Blush

I'm a big fan of these, so I wanted to expand my collection and this was one I picked based on notes and reviews I read because I can't test these in person. It's similar to Paris Hilton's Can Can fragrance, which I used up a bottle of a couple of years back. It starts with a strong sweet raspberry syrup burst which mellows down in the first minutes and creates a smoother mix with the base notes. Amber is most prominent from the base, the rest which are suede, sandalwood and wood are weaker, but make the amber smoother. I detect no vanilla or star anise that are mentioned in the notes. It's a nice one, but not unique like Twilight Woods. 

Top notes: bergamot, mandarin orange, raspberry and champagne

Heart notes: jasmine, gardenia, star anise, apricot and magnolia

Base notes: vanilla, suede, crystal amber, sandalwood and musk.

Notino, 14.60 €

BATH AND BODY WORKS Fine Fragrance Mist 

Brown Sugar & Fig

I quickly feel in love with this scent and it's already been in my last favourites. It's starts with a brown sugar burst which is quickly followed by a very comforting milky, creamy scent which creates this sweet, but very comforting combination, like a warm milk with sugar but mixed with a clean skin scent. It's such a delightfully fragrance, I'm very glad I picked it. I detect no fig in this, not even in leaves form and some mentioned, so it's just a rounded creamy, milky scent. Great stuff! 

Top notes: passion fruit, california fig, white flowers, white peach and bergamot

Heart notes: vanilla orchid, jasmine, yellow freesia, lily-of-the-valley and coconut milk

Base notes: vanilla pod, amber, fig leaf, musk, maple and caramel.

 Notino, 12.90 € 

BATH AND BODY WORKS Fine Fragrance Mist 

Twilight Woods

I'm a huge fan of this one and I consider it my favourite scent since I got it, so I got a spare. It's a very feminine take on the wood notes which are the centre of attention here pretty much from the start. There's so berry notes just at the start, but they are actually a lot more noticeable in the Ultra Shea moisturiser than in the Mist. This fragrance makes me wish more women's fragrance focused on the comforting, smooth wood notes instead of generic vanilla, praline and patchouli combination (which is everything from La Vie est belle to Flowerbomb)

Notino, 12.90 €

BATH AND BODY WORKS Fine Fragrance Mist 

Chestnut & Argan

This was a last addition to my shopping basket because In the Sun was out of stock and I decided to skip Bali Blue Surf even though it's bloody amazing, but summer was at an end and that's a very fresh summery scent. Chestnut & Argan is absolutely nothing like its name, the combination is enigmatic anyway and the notes say "a feminine blend of chestnut, argan, sandalwood & musk". It starts with a strong sweet note, which could be chestnut, but it's not how real chestnuts smell, it's more candy-like. It settles to a sweet & creamy sandalwood scent and in time it's a more sandalwood-musk combination. It's a scent that's already been discontinued, but Amazon and Notino still have it.

Notino, 13.90 €

ESCENTRIC MOLECULES Molecule 01

2 ml

I had a "dupe" for this a couple of years ago from eBay (the "molecule" is the cheap ISO E Super) which I ended up not liking because it smelled like nothing (to me and anyone else smelling me), but I decided to give the original a go to see if it's as good as the hype says. I still find a full size bottle a rip off, so I got just a sample. It's the same as the ISO E Super I got from eBay, but stronger and much longer lasting. Still it's underwhelming, a basic water-like scent. I just don't get this stuff or at least my body chemistry doesn't.

Notino, 4.60 €

BODY FANTASIES Signature Twilight Mist Fragrance Body Spray 

I never thought I'd see these here in Slovenia. I've know them from Fragrantica because Coconut Fantasy was mentioned as a dupe for Bath & Body Works At the Beach. Well this Twilight version is a 95% dupe for BBW Twilight Woods. It's a bolder version of it, as it's a bit sharper at the start and it's not quite as cosy soft because of it, but it's close. So if you're interested in how Twilight Woods smells like or you'd like something very similar or you're just looking for something affordable and almost as good as a perfume, this is a nice one. 

Müller, 5.49 €

BALEA Rasiergel

Sweet Passion

I always like passion fruit in products and this is no exception. It's a classic candy-like passion fruit scent Balea usually makes. For some reason this version felt watered down when I used it (just once so far), I hope it was just because my skin was too wet. These are usually really good.

DM, 2.99 €

NIVEA Dry Comfort Anti-Perspirant

Dove stopped working on me, so I'm switching again. It's got a sharp-powdery clean fragrance and so far works great. Let's hope it stays that way.

Müller, 3 €

ESSENCE I love my brushes cleansing tool

I finally remembered to buy this. It's rough texture helps the brushes to get clean more effectively. I've used it just once so far and while it's nothing special nor it doesn't make the brushes any more clean, it beats using the palm of my hand to wash brushes. 

Müller, 2.79 €

EBELIN Polierfile

I've been using this for years to polish my nails and mostly the tips. It's got three textures, two are very fine, non-harsh files and one side is just a smooth, final polish side. If I use it all over my nails, like for example when my nails look yellow because of the nail polish, I get a very smooth result that looks close to applying a clear nail polish. I don't do it often though, so I don't thin the nail too much, so I mostly use it on the tips to smooth them out.

DM, 1.59 €

ESSENCE Aww My Cuties Nail File

Just a classic nail-shortening rough nail file. It's got a cute raccoon design on one side and on the other it's mint green. Two other versions exist.

Müller, 1.19 €

*MOROCCANOIL Ceramic Round Hair Brush 55 mm

I got one more item to try from Moroccanoil and it's another winner. This brand is just blowing my mind, especially the mask, which after I washed my hair with the cheap stuff again a couple of times, I can definitely say is miles better than any drugstore stuff as well as most of the high-end stuff. I've been very loyal to my Ebelin ceramic brush which is just fine, but this Moroccanoil beats it in several ways. For one it makes the hair smoother and tames the frizz better. The other is that it also dries my hair much faster, but that got a lot to do with the larger size than Ebelin's. If only I'd known how good these brushes can be if you invest a bit more, I'd gotten it ages ago.

Click2Chic, 26 €

EBELIN Eyelash Curler

It's a rather pointless to put this here because I just saw they don't have them an more, but it could have just been a rose gold LE and the regular Ebelin Eyelash Curler has the same design. I'm not very happy with it, as compared to my trusted Shiseido it just doesn't create such a lift and it feels somewhat rigid. On a plus side it doesn't pinch or rip lashes like Manhattan's I had ages ago. When it comes to curlers I really suggest you invest in a good one and don't got for the cheap stuff. Mine is going to end up as a prop for pictures because it's useless.

DOVE Purely Pampering Shower Gel

Coconut Milk and Jasmine Petals

My standard repurchase. I just got it today because there's an 1+1 offer in DM. I love the creamy texture of these and this version of the scent is just divine. It doesn't smell anything like described - coconut milk or jasmine petals, so it's hard to describe the scent in any other way than it's clean, but comfortingly and even a bit elegantly sweet.

DM, 2.79 € for 2

CATRICE Liquid Eyeliner 

010 Meeting Joe Black

Another of my standard repurchases I got today. I still use it daily and it's the only liner I've used in about a year. It's very black, glides with ease on the lids and lasts all day. One thing I've noticed twice so far - some bottles have a less black, sheerer formula than others. So weird and it annoys me because originally this is the best formula ever.

Müller 3.79 €

I just got these today so I'll talk about them more in the next New in when I have a chance to use them. 

This is the other DOVE Shower Gel I got for that 1+1 offer and it's the new Micellar Water one. I only washed my hands with it and I don't like the sharp clean scent. The texture is a creamy gel instead of a creamy lotion like their usual pampering range. 

I got GARNIER Olia in 7.0 Mittelblond/Dark Blonde because I have this urge to lighten my hair just a bit, but I'm not sure if I'll really take the plunge or just chicken out and give this box to mom, who uses Olia in a deeper shade. My hair is dark brown and there weren't many lighter/lightening colours in Müller I could choose from (at least from the recommended colours I found online) but I know from mom's experience Olia lightens well. I'm already concerned I didn't get enough, but at L'Oreal's Casting Creme Gloss one box was more than enough. Anyway if I massively screw up I have a whole drawer of Subrina's hair colours, some in my natural shades to fix me up (I'd use one of those, but none lighten such dark hair as mine).

ECOTOOLS Precision Blush Brush is my second such brush from this brand. It's not tapered like my old one, but the sizes are about the same. I haven't used it yet, but it feels super soft.

I've only opened SKINFOOD Black Sugar Honey Mask Wash Off to smell it and my word does it smell divine! It's like proper honey, like that L'Occitane honey scent they discontinued years ago. The original Black Sugar is amazing, so I'm hoping I'll like this version too. Scent certainly wins already.

Have a great day