L.O.V. Eyetracttion Magnetic Loose Eyeshadow

510 Metalfusion, 520 Metalight, 530 Magnetize Me, 550 Positive Attraction and 530 Metalure

Obviously these were going to be in this post, I knew this the moment I got them. I mentioned in my New in that I got the shade 510 Metalfusion in December and it's been pretty much the only eyeshadow I've worn since then. Now I got five of these and I love every shade - something that never happens to me with any eyeshadow range, especially since in the last years it's all about warm tones, which don't suit me best. I love this formula, it's my favourite because it's so pigmented and so easy to use and blend. I just apply it with fingers, quickly blend and I'm done. I have used brushes with it (Nanshy ones) and they worked well too. The texture is somewhere between a loose and pressed eyeshadow, I know of nothing like it, but pigmentation is so great it's easy to get an opaque coat with these. If I had to pick one shade, I'd pick 530 Magnetize, an old gold-green shade, but I think 520 Metallight might suit me best, since it's the most neutral brown-bronze taupe. 530 Metalure is a pleasant surprise too. It doesn't look like much in the pot, but it's a lovely deep brown with antique gold tones. I'm really glad I have these. 

MAX FACTOR 2000 Calorie Mascara & ESSENCE I <3 Extreme Waterprooof

These two are my mascara favourites duo. Essence is my all-time favourite formula, while 2000 Calorie is my choice for most days when I don't want to torture my lashes with waterproof mascara and its removal. I posted this story on Instagram overviewing all of the mascaras I got in 2019 - 10 of them to be exact, of those 8 were PR products, which is just a crazy amount and a majority are regular formulas that drop my lashes. So I was busy for the last 8 months testing new mascaras and I didn't pick up I <3 Extremes for a while. Since Lash Princess WP and Catrice Eyeconista WP did not impress me with their curl holding powers, I picked this one again to compare it with those two and let me tell you this one blows all of those 10 mascaras out of the water. It has by far the nicest effect, it creates the biggest lashes, it has the best multiplying effect because it catches individual lashes and doesn't stick them together, and it holds the curl best of all. One minus that I can live with because this is regardless an absolutely outstanding mascara, is the massive brush which almost always touches my lids during application, but otherwise I have no complaints. 2000 Calorie is one of those 10 mascaras I got and it impressed me because it has this amazing ability of putting my dishevelled lashes into place and creating a lovely fanned out effect. It doesn’t create amazingly big lashes like Essence mascaras do, but it just makes the lashes look somewhat naturally pretty looking. It doesn't hold my lashes curled like a waterproof formula, however, since it's not a heavy, wet formula, it also doesn't weigh them down completely.  

OLAZ Regenerist Regenerist Micro-Sculpting Cream Face Moisturizer with SPF 30 Broad Spectrum

3-Zonen Tagescreme LSF 30

While I can't report back on any possible visible results from this, I very much like the idea of a sunscreen + care in one. I know some people don't like it and say that sunscreen should be applied separately, but I really don't see the reason for that provided you use the sufficient amount. This combines sunscreen with Olay/Olaz classic Regenerist red pot formula, so it has niacinamide, my favourite ingredient, high on the list and also some peptides. As an extra plus it comes in an airtight bottle with a pump. It's a moisturiser suited for dry skin, especially if you apply more than one pump, so it's not for everyone, but my skin seems to get on with it ok. I got it to use an SPF on days when I don't spend much time outside and I feel it's a waste using my separate SPF 50 sunscreen, as here I have two things in one: care & protection.

NEUTROGENA Norwegian Formula Anti-Ageing Hand Cream SPF 25

Neutrogena is the only brand I could find in our drugstores and supermarkets that has an SPF, actually Petra from Adjusting Beauty informed of existence of this cream, otherwise I'd never know about it. It's thicker than Nivea Q10 I'm currently using, but it doesn't take too long to absorb, though it leaves a noticeable moisturising film on the skin which is not slippery. I was afraid this is one of those creams that leaves the hands greasy for ages and I'm glad I was wrong. SPF could be higher, but it's the best we have here.

OLAPLEX No. 6 Bond Smoother Reparative Styling Creme

The reviews were right this is a true gem product. It's one of rare cream products that can be used both on damp and dry hair just like my discontinued all-time favourite Dove Super Quench Crème Serum. In fact they work about the same, both leave my hair nourished and more sleek, though granted Dove has a better taming effect when used on damp hair before blow-drying. In combination with Pantene Intensive Repair conditioner this makes hair so soft and silky (I said many times, my hair is rarely soft due to its coarse, thick texture), so it's one of the best leave-in products I've tried so far, plus it's got the Olaplex ingredient (bis-aminopropyl diglycol dimaleate), which fixes broken sulphide bonds. Two minuses: the god awful packaging, which is completely wrong for such a thick product and the price, which will sadly definitely have in impact on how often I use this because I'll want to save it too much.

PANTENE PRO-V Hair Superfood Conditioner

My love for the Repair version is well established, but I was not quite as impressed with version Sleek, though it's still good compared to 90% of drugstore stuff, still I was a bit apprehensive trying their other lines because I was almost sure Repair is their most nourishing line and the rest is more suited for less dry hair. Well, Superfood is even thicker than Repair, which is already thicker than a lot of hair masks and in terms of effect it is just as good as Repair. For now I can't tell the difference yet, but both work wonderfully for my very dry, thick bleached/coloured hair. It leaves my hair nourished and softer than most conditioners (that tend to fail in this category), so it's another fantastic conditioner in the drugstores that I will surely be buying more of these and check out the rest of the line.

BATH & BODY WORKS Champagne Apple & Honey and Twilight Woods

I saw that BBW released these two scent again in their autumn collection and if you missed them, you have another chance to try them - provided of course you like these type of fragrances. I adore both of these so much, in fact Twilight Woods is my most worn scent for the past year or so and I have a backup. It's this fantastic warm, cosy woody scent that always puts me in a good mood. Champagne Apple Honey is by far the best apple scent I've smelled. It smells like proper apples and it's a great mix of tart and sweet notes, though I can't say I detect proper honey, but there's definitely some nice sweetness in it. BBW released a lot of new scents and I'm interested in many of them, so I will be expanding my collection.

DISAPPOINTMENTS

AFRODITA COSMETICS Clean Phase Sensitive Solution Cleansing Oil Fluid

I had high hopes for this. It's not often we get a new oil cleanser and the last one I tried from LVLY was not impressive, but this one is easily accessible here and reasonably priced, however, Afrodita's stuff just more often than not tends to disappoint me. I wish it wasn't so, it is after all a Slovene brand and it deserves the support, but this oil fluid didn't impress me. Despite its promises it performs poorly when it comes to removing makeup and it stings when it gets in my eyes. The texture is nice enough, not an oil fluid, but an oil gel that turns into a milky emulsion in contact with water and ingredients are lovely, but unfortunately this isn't a product that fits my needs, 

NIVEA Hyaluron Cellular Filler 10 Minute Sheet Mask

Why do western companies even bother with sheet masks if they all plan on using awful material for the sheet? Nivea did the same mistake as Balea and Schabens: they used a terribly thick and stiff material which makes this mask one of the least comfortable ones I've tried. And as nice as the ingredients of this one sound, I got no visible result, not even the basic hydrating, so it was a waste of time and money. For the price of these I get 4 Etude House masks with Madecassoside which are amazing for my skin.

BALEA Oil Repair Intensiv Thermo Turbanmaske

I think I've said enough in my latest New in, but the gist is not enough product for my long, thick hair and more importantly no warming effect. Now it's likely I was the one very unlucky girl who got the dud (luck truly has not been on my side this month. I must have pissed of some higher cosmic being), but for the price I'm not giving it another try. The turban is nice and holds well, but the rest is very underwhelming. I got only a moderate moisturising effect and this should be an intense treatment. 3 € is not cheap for a single use, so I'm quite disappointed by this. 

WISHLIST

CATRICE HD Liquid Coverage 002 Porcelain Beige - For years I was not the biggest fan of HD foundation because it looked so fake and strange on my skin, but that changed in the pasts months and this foundation started to look a lot better on me. I have the shade 010, the original lightest shade, which is too dark and they added a new lighter shade 002 not that long ago I think. It's not ideal from what I could tell in the shop, but it kind of looks passable, so I might give it a go.

MAX FACTOR 2000 Calorie Mascara Waterproof - by now I just naturally assume that waterproof versions of mascaras aren't sold in Slovenia (with exception of Essence and Catrice), but then the ad for the waterproof version of 2000 Calorie popped into my Instagram Stories and to my shock it was actually in Slovene. I really enjoy the regular version, so maybe the waterproof is worth a try too. 

OLAZ Eyes Firming Eye Serum or Illuminating Eye Cream - I was pretty much set on Innisfree Orchid Eye cream, but then I saw great reviews for these two on Amazon and my focus shifted to the more easily accessible Olaz instead of K-Beauty products. They are very expensive, but about the same price as Innisfree and I hear they work, so maybe one day I'll pick one and give it a try. 

INSTANATURAL Retinol Serum and Moisturiser or THE ORDINARY Retinol 0.2% in Squalene - I've had the first TO retinol which did nothing for me, but I'd like to give these another try. I found InstaNatural on iHerb and I'm drawn to the serum because it also contains a form of vitamin C, hyaluronic acid, niacinamide and Q10, so it looks like a great all in one, provided of course it does anything at all. There's also a moisturiser version, which I'm less interested in because I want something liquid, but iHerb has small sample sizes of both and it doesn't hurt to try the two, in fact I already ordered them. The new TO versions are also interesting, albeit very confusing to choose from, but I think Retinol 0.2% sounds like something so me, however I'll give InstaNatural a try first.

PALMER's Cocoa Butter Formula Skin Therapy Oil - this contains a ton of different oils (sweet almond, grapeseed, camelina, macadamia, sesame seed, coconut, argan and rosehip), plus some smaller amounts of retinol, a form of vitamin C and centella asiatica extract. I already ordered this on iHerb and I'm hoping I'll like it. 

OLAPLEX No.7 Bonding Oil - Of course I need this. Silicone oils are some of my favourite products, plus this has bis-aminopropyl diglycol dimaleate and I want as much of that in my hair as I can. Bad sides - super expensive, only 30 ml and the packaging looks awkward with the screw lid. It's probably also going to take a while before this reaches online shops in EU.

BATH & BODY WORKS Fine Fragrance Mist - I have several of these and I want more because these are some of my favourites ever.

In The Stars - Make every moment glow with an addictive fragrance that radiates from start to finish like the stars above. In The Stars is a warm, sparkling blend of starflower, sandalwood musk, sugared tangelo, white agarwood & radiant amber - notes sound great and I read a ton of reviews claiming this is one of their best scents they've made. I already ordered a bottle. 

Autumn Nights - A fresh-meets-cozy blend of toasted tonka bean, warm amber & vanilla orchid - sounds like a nice warm scent and even though the notes don't mention it, it's supposed to have leather too. I already ordered this too. 

Kaleidoscope - Effortless. Beautiful. You. Kaleidoscope mixes with your body chemistry for a fragrance that’s uniquely yours. With notes of iris, cedarwood & pink pepper - a very interesting concept, a fragrance that becomes your own, but we'll see how this works on me. I ordered this as well.

Midnight Peony - An enchanting blend of raspberry lychee, sparkling prosecco & toasted vanilla - apparently this one smells like a fancy perfume. It's not at the top of the list, but maybe I'll get it one day. 

Toasted Praline & Pear - A warm, nutty treat of poached pear, toasted praline, graham cracker & tonka bean - this one is not at the top of the list either, but I'm still interested. Sounds like a good warm fruity scent.

L'OREAL Elvital Dream Length Steam Mask - I'm still pondering whether to spend that much money on a mask for a single use, but I heard both that it's good and that it's nothing special from you on my IG, although you all agreed this has the warming effect. There's only 20 ml of product which is waay to little for me, but it has the same ingredients as the mask in the pot.

Have a great day!

Catrice has several primers and they keep adding new ones (as well as discontinuing them), Ten!Sational is their latest and maybe the most ambitions one with the 10 claims boldly stated on the front of the packaging. It only attracted my attention when I went through the ingredients list on their website because I saw this has glycerine (3rd) and niacinamide (5th) on the list and I knew immediately this won't be a typical mattifying silicone-feeling primer, but something more like Max Factor's Facefinity All Day primer, which is my all-time favourite, but it's no longer sold in Slovene drugstores. It looked like a good combination of a primer for dry skin combining some skin care benefits.

Texture: It's like a moisturising tinted lotion with a medium thick consistency. Despite the silicones on the first places on the ingredients list, this doesn't feel at all like mattifying primers and instead of that matt dry-to-the-touch feeling, it leaves a slightly tacky finish. In that respect it reminds me of Max Factor's All Day primer.

In terms of individual claims:

1. Priming - Yes, it creates a good base and it looks like it's prolonging the staying power of makeup. It can pile if you apply it with rough circular motions.

2. Hydrating - yes, it's good for my normal-dry skin.

3. Anti-wrinkle - niacinamide might have the long-term skin care effect, but when it comes to immediate result, this doesn't hide lines, however, it also doesn't make them worse like I experienced with Catrice 1 Minute primer.

4. Natural Glow - yes, it has a very small amount of mini shimmer that looks like a subtle natural glow. Unlike most glowy primers I’ve tried which look just too much, I like this one, though you won’t be able to see it on before/after pictures because it’s too subtle.

5. Anti-pollution - I have no idea.

6. Anti-oxidation - I don't know, as I have no foundation that oxidises to test at the moment, but primers overall tend to fix the problem of oxidation because the prevent direct contact with natural oils.

7. Pore minimizing - no, it's not comparable to mattifying silicone primers. It helps a tiny bit, but I've had better products.

8. Evens out the skintone - a bit, due to the tint, but it's less than 1 Minute Primer. The added niacinamide high on the list might help even out the skin with regular use.

9. Blurs imperfections - no, again it's not like mattifying silicone primers. The tint helps a bit, but this is pretty sheer.

10. UV protection - it has an SPF 15 which is nothing when you apply this in a regular amount. Another SPF under it is a must.

Shade: This comes in only one shade that's light-medium, but the tint is very sheer, so in a thin coat I don't even see this on my skin. Still I have to be careful around the edges of application to blend it out well otherwise I end up with dark patches. The tint is lighter and the formula has less pigmentation than at 1 Minute Primer Catrice has in a pot. 

Packaging: A standard soft squeeze tube. 

Ingredients: stand out ingredients are glycerine for hydration (3.) and niacinamide (5.) for brightening, anti-aging and clear skin, there's even some ginger extract, also an anti-ageing ingredients, but it's way too low on the list.

The 10 claims are of course exaggerated, especially when it comes to minimizing pores and blurring effect, but one look at the ingredients and I knew that's not what I was getting here. Instead of the mattiying primer that would do those things, this is a hydrating primer suited for dry skin. I'm particularly happy with the fact they didn't make it too highlighter-y and that the glow is actually a lot more natural because they didn't go overboard with the shimmer, as that one tends to emphasise the texture of the skin. I like it combines a primer + a decent skin care item with niacinamide high enough on the list, but the SPF should be much higher, 50 would be perfect and if they made either more shades or just remove the tint, it'd be perfect. Occasional pilling can be an issue with this one if you're rough with the application of the primer or products over it. 

Have a great day!

Draw the Line Instant Colour lipliners have been around for a while and I actually already have a full review of the shade called 05 so un-grey-ful. I planned on getting more shades of these because I was impressed by the staying power of that shade, but it slipped my mind until recently when I fell in love with Essence's Soft Contouring lipliner in the shade 08 Big Proposal, which is an amazing natural colour for me, but the staying power isn't the best. I then remembered this line and I grabbed the shade that looked most natural and wearable.  

Texture: These are some of the thickest liners, with a slightly sticky texture that doesn't wipe of easily when applied on the lips. It applies ok on the lips due to the creamy texture, but it's not as smooth as Essence's Stay True Waterproof lipliners (which ironically are less long lasting). I wear this shade a lot instead of a lipstick, just on its own and it doesn't feel drying or uncomfortable. I was warned on my IG that these dry out quickly and I managed to dig out my old 05 shade, which really is not useful anymore, so you have to use it up in the first months.

Colour: I have the shade 07 Eternal Beauty which is a light-medium muted pink. It's definitely a colour for my skin tone and one of the prettiest in my collection. It's currently my no-brainer colour that just grab in the morning and wear on its own.

Staying power: These have the best staying power out of Essence's liners. However, though it can't be wiped off easily when fresh applied, it doesn't perform quite as outstanding on the lips, but for the price I'm not complaining.

 An attempt of removal of swatches with a wet wipe. The two visible ones are Essence's Stay True and Draw the Line formulas. 

Price and availability: I got mine in Müller for 1.59 €. Only one was unswatched out of four, since they don't have testers, so check every one before you buy one of these.

NIVEA Q10 Plus C Anti-wrinkle + Energy Skin Sleep Cream

Based on my limited (and possibly wrong) knowledge there are a few ingredients than have been scientifically proven to diminish signs of aging: vitamin A/retinol/retinoids, vitamin C, peptides, Coenzyme 10/ubiquinone and niacinamide/vitamin B3. I wanted to expand my routine by including some Q10 products and this one combines ubiquinone and ascorbic acid (vitamin C) in one product, so I got it as a possible cheaper alternative to Eucerin Hyaluron Filler Vitamin C or as an accompanying product, since I really love Eucerin's emulsion. It's got no alcohol which is a plus for me and shea butter high on the list, so it's suited for normal-dry skin, while the rest will find it heavy. It doesn't state the concentration of vitamin C, so I presume it's no more than a few percent (I hear 12-20% of ascorbic acid is most effective, but I had best success with Eucerin's 10%). I've been using it every day for three weeks and in this time my skin reverted to its "blah" state before the Eucerin vitamin C-Nuxe Huile Prodigieuse combo. I see no brightening effect or a general improvement of my skin's condition, I even got a couple of spots which are taking its time to heal, though this cream doesn't appear to be breaking me out, it just isn't capable of keeping my skin stable and clear. My main complaint about this is how heavy it is, actually everything I've tried from Nivea is so rich and best suited as a last step in the routine, but given that vitamin C products tend to be low pH, I apply them as the first or second step in my routine (after acids if I use them). It's not an ideal product for my type of routine where I do a lot of layering, but if you are a cleanser + one product type of person, this will work out better for you. The packaging is great, a metal tube with a very precise, small nozzle. Vitamin C often needs months to see results, but with Eucerin I saw improvements in three weeks, so it's hard for me to keep insisting with the use of this one, when I know there are better vitamin C products available. I don't know what I'll do with this one, since I still like the ingredients list. I might move on to another vitamin C and move this to the end of routine as a regular moisturiser or sleeping mask. 

Ingredients.

DM, 12.49 €

NIVEA Q10 Power Deep Wrinkle + Firming Treatment

Another Q10 product I picked up. Usually this is sold in a pack of two, but Müller has individual vials. I went through Nivea's entire product list, checking ingredients of each and though most stuff is very average, this has ubiquinone high enough on the list for me to be interested (by the way, Nivea has it in general higher on the list than the cheaper Balea or Cadea Vera Q10 products, otherwise I'd buy those). This is a very small vial with only 6.5 ml of product and it's supposed to last 10 days, but I've gone much longer and I'm not frugal with it. Like I mentioned above under the sleeping mask, Nivea products are so heavy and this takes quite some time to absorb. Due to thickness it's not easy to spread, but it's very nourishing. The treatment showed no result, I had a tiny speck of hope it will perhaps diminish my lines around the lips, but they are as bad as they were before the Eucerin + Nuxe combo at which I has a feeling there was a bit of improvement. The packaging is a soft vial that can be squeezed and the applicator is a very precise nozzle.

Ingredients.

Müller, 4.99 €

 NIVEA Q10 Power Replenishing Pearls

I was picking only products with Q10 highest on the list of ingredients and this has it on 6th place after water, which is not as high as I'd want, but it also contains hyaluronic acid and creatine right after. The pearls intrigued me, though it's not my first such product as I had a L.O.V. primer with pearls. The latter is a light serum product and this is unexpectedly completely different. The texture of the pearls resembles more a thick cream or almost a balm, meaning it's quite heavy stuff that needs time to absorb. I expected this is a light hydrating serum, but it's definitely something more suited for the last step in the night routine. I'm not sure about this one yet, I've decided to keep it for later use because you really can't use more than one Nivea product in the routine even with my dry skin. It had some promising brightening results in the first days, but I'm not sure this was the reason for it. I'll have to get back to you with this one, for now I haven't been using it long enough to say anything definitive apart from that's it's very heavy and pretty much only for dry skin. 

Ingredients.

DM, 12.79 €

 NIVEA Q10 Power Anti-Wrinkle + Firming Mask and Hyaluron Cellular Filler 10 Minute Sheet Masks

I finally found these in Müller and they weren't cheap. We only have two versions here, but a vitamin C and three other exist. I haven't tried the Q10 Power yet, but when I do I'll report back.

Ingredients of Q10.

Hyaluron Cellular Filler

Sheet: Terribly thick and stiff. It's not a comfortable mask to wear and very far away from the much lovelier, thin Asian masks. It's slightly too big for my face, but the eye cutouts fit nice.

Essence: it's like a serum that at first appears light, but as it dries it just sits on the skin in this slightly tacky layer at which I have a feeling that if I rub my skin it will pill, so again like at most Nivea stuff, it's not a product for layering, but I did apply Nuxe Huile Prodigieuse several hours after use and it worked fine. 

Scent: Strong and chemical. It could be better, but I can deal with it.

Effect: Absolutely nothing and I mean nothing, not even the basic moisturising because my skin felt tight after use. This was overall very disappointing despite the promising ingredients.

Ingredients

Worth it? The thick material runs it for me. You're supposed to enjoy these masks, not be scared to move you face because the thick material prevents it from adhering completely. Asian masks are much better. The effects were also underwhelming, I expected a temporary filled out lines from mask like this, but if anything they looked worse the next day because despite the hyaluronic acid, my skin didn't feel moisturised like with my usual routine (I only used this mask to properly test it and added Nuxe much latter because my skin felt tight)

Müller, over 3 € each.

 OLAY Regenerist Regenerist Micro-Sculpting Cream Face Moisturizer with SPF 30 Broad Spectrum

OLAZ 3-Zonen Tagescreme LSF 30

No one talks about Olay/Olaz on blogs, but on Amazon I've read great reviews, so I went to explore ingredients on their website and discovered they have a lot of products with niacinamide, my favourite ingredient, high on the list and some also have peptides. I believe their Regenerist line is popular in North America, especially their classic red pot moisturiser, while their serum with AHA's that has been discontinued was more well known to beauty enthusiast. I have a few things on my wishlist, but I picked this moisturiser first to start, since Olaz here isn't cheap. This is their classic Regenerist formula with an added SPF 30 and it comes in a packaging with a pump, which I prefer to pots. The moisturiser has a medium-thick cream consistency and it's definitely suited more for dry skin, especially if you apply it in thick coat when plan to use this as a sunscreen on its own. It sinks into my skin in about 3-5 minutes, but it leaves a moisturising layer of product with a velvety feel, which fits my dry skin. I can apply the recommended amount for a sunscreen with no problems, but it's heavy and there is some shine. It's got a freshly washed clothes scent. So far I like, as I got it to use an SPF on days when I don't spend much time outside or when I have time in the morning to only apply one thing and SPF 30 is quite a lot of a day cream, as most here apart from a couple Nivea ones have an SPF 15 at most. I like the idea moisturiser + sunscreen in one plus I really wanted to try the Regenerist line, since it has such a great feedback on Amazon. 

By the way, Olaz has another day cream with SPF 30 that's half cheaper, also with niacinamide, has a pump, but I decided to get Regenerist because of peptides (and yes I know there are probably cheaper options with better ingredients, but I'm not very fussy about those and I rely mostly on reviews).

Ingredients.

Müller, 19.90 €

 AFRODITA COSMETICS Clean Phase Sensitive Solution Cleansing Oil Fluid

Čistilni oljni fluid

I'm still looking for a cheaper replacement for Biobaza Micellar Cleansing Oil (13 €) and I found this randomly on Afrodita's website, otherwise I wouldn't know it even exists (I follow their IG, but this hasn't been posted yet I think). Afrodita calls it an oil fluid, but a much better name would be an oil gel. This is the type of texture that Clarins’ Pure Melt Cleansing Gel has. It promises to cleanse the impurities and makeup, nourish and protect the skin with the help of a probiotics extract. It’s a thick gel that in contact with water turns into a thin milky emulsion and in general it feels nice to use, but there are three problems with this that make me not love this stuff:

1. It’s the worst makeup remover I’ve tried so far. It fails to remove makeup well, especially eye makeup. I use about the same makeup items for all of my cleansing oil tests (check the one with Lvly for example), but never has one been so weak as this one.

2. It irritates my eyes, which was the last thing I expected from something meant for sensitive skin. It's not terrible, but still, Biobaza doesn't do that, nor do most of cleansing oils I've tried from around here (K-Beauty ones are a different story, those are mostly like molten lava in my eyes).

3. It leaves a film of product on the skin. When it comes to cleansers I want it to rinse off completely, otherwise I just feel I've still got some impurities trapped in that coat of product. A second cleanser is needed.

The ingredients look good and it's very affordable, so it’s truly a shame this isn’t better. If you don’t wear makeup and do the double cleanse, maybe you’ll like it, but this is not for me.

 Müller, something under 4 € for 150 ml.

 *EUCERIN Hyaluron Filler Night Peeling & Serum

I had this on my wishlist in my June favourites post and Eucerin Slovenia people saw it and sent me a bottle (thank you). It's a dual product with two chambers, in one is an AHA peeling with glycolic acid and glycin saponin, while in the other are high and low molecular weight hyaluronic acid. One looks like a clear gel and the other a milky yellow-ish lotion and both together feel like a medium consistency gel that applies nicely, but can take time to absorb and even after that you can feel a layer of product, so it's not ideal for layering, but I wait a long time between applications of products (my skin care routine stretches hours currently, allowing everything to absorb sufficiently before applying other products on top). It's very gentle on my skin and I get no tingling, still I had hoped to see some results by now (two weeks of use), but it's like my skin is immune to AHA's and like I said above under Nivea product, my skin just isn't as nice as it was before. To be fair I don't even get results with the much stronger The Ordinary 30% AHA (my skin is so weird when it comes to AHA's, I get no tingling, brightening or "renewal" effect even with the strong stuff, so I actually prefer Skinfood's mechanical scrub Black Sugar), but since I had such lovely experience with Eucerin's Vitamin C, I had hopes this will be nice too. I use this in combination with Nivea's Vitamin C because I read they can be very compatible as the exfoliation effect of AHA might assist a better absorption of Vitamin C. I use both in my night routine. I think I'll give this a go with the combination of their Vitamin C, maybe that will be a better combination. By the way I think that this is the type of product that can be used on its own, since it combines acids and a moisturiser. I know most don't want a complicated and long skin care routine and this does two in one, but I have dry skin and my skin needs some extra care otherwise it feels a bit tight.

Ingredients.
Pharmacies, 42 €

 DOVE Purely Pampering Shower Gel

Coconut milk & jasmine petals

A repurchase. I mentioned this one many times, including the last new in. It smells divine, creamy floral, but not coconuty despite the name. Formula is one of the best for dry skin.

Intespar, 2 €

NIVEA Body Milk Firming Q10 + Vitamin C

There are two versions of this lotion, the white one has alcohol high on the list, presumably so it absorbs faster. This contains Q10 and vitamin C in a form of sodium ascorbyl phosphate, a stable form of vitamin C that can potentially even out the skin tone. Both ingredients are more towards the middle of the ingredients like, but still high enough for me to be interested (Balea's version had it on the last places of a long list, plus no vitamin C). In terms of texture it's the lightest formula in my collection (I like my body moisturisers heavy and thick), however, it takes a long time to absorb, in fact I can still feel it's on my skin in the morning. In terms of formula it's not my favourite, but I still like it and the effects of it surprised me. It somehow managed to make my driers parts, such as my creepily sandpaper-rough elbows become a lot less coarse which never happened with a regular body moisturiser to me and I had to use Mixa Cica-Cream separately on those parts. It also made my skin somewhat softer - completely unheard of for my skin. I'm always reading other people's reviews about how a moisturiser made their skin baby soft and I never got that effect ever - I don't know why my skin is never soft, but it likely the reason I have so many ingrown hair if I wax/epilate despite using heaps of scrubs and moisturisers, but this Nivea lotion made a tiny bit of an improvement in that department, so I'm actually quite impressed by it even though the texture is not my favourite and I'm not looking forward to applying this at the end of the day. The scent is typical Nivea creamy, some describe it as very strong granny like, but I don't find it like that at all - it's just a nice neutral scent. The packaging will very likely start to bother me in time, especially when it be close to being empty because the plastic is hard for my weak arms. 

Leclerc, 8 € (400 ml)

NIVEA Hand Cream Anti-age Q10

I got this not just because of Q10, but also because it has at least some UV protection, thought that very likely just a very low SPF because otherwise they'd clearly state it on the bottle. But it's better than nothing I suppose, as most hand creams have nothing. I expected I wouldn't like this because I'm very spoiled by L'Occitane's hand creams, however, this quite nice, in fact it's my favourite Nivea product I've tried recently. It's light, but moisturising enough and though it takes longer to absorb than L'Occitane, it's absorbs completely in a few minutes. Formula feels almost silky which I like a lot and the scent is a typical Nivea. It's nowhere near as nourishing as L'Occitane, but I'm enjoying using this and I've been using it every day since I got this - and I'm not one to use hand creams often.

DM, 2.99 €

 OLAPLEX No. 6 Bond Smoother Reparative Styling Creme

I'm on my second bottle of the more famous n.3 treatment, but this was released quite recently and it's their first leave-in product (they also just launched an oil, which is already on my wishlist). Reviews for this are fantastic and I was prepared to use it regularly even if it did nothing, as the fact it has bis-aminopropyl diglycol dimaleate is good enough for me. This ingredient can enter through the hair shaft and fix broken sulphide bonds. Though I must say that Olaplex n.3 doesn't have amazing results on me, not like keratin product such as Joico K-Pack do, I feel it's maintaining the condition of my hair especially since it's gone though some bleaching processes. This can be used on damp and dry hair, I've used it both ways. It reminds me of my all-time favourite Dove Super Quench Crème Serum, meaning it's not an overly wet formula of a leave-in conditioner, so on dry hair it tames frizz and it doesn't pop back up when the wet part of the conditioner dries. It also nourishes the hair and untangles. On damp hair after washing it's amazing. In combination with Pantene Intensive Repair conditioner it made my hair so soft and silky (I said many times, my hair is rarely soft due to its coarse, thick texture), I couldn't stop touching my hair. So far I'm really liking this a lot, it's like my favourite moisturising leave-in/ defrizzer/tamer/ Dove Super Quench got an upgrade with the Olaplex ingredient. However, I already hate the packaging. It the same as at n.3 and it's hard to get the last bits out, and it's going to be even harder at this one because the product is much thicker than n.3. This should come in a tube.

Cult Beauty, 24 GBP

PANTENE Intensive Repair Conditioner

A repurchase. This is my favourite drugstore hair care discovery and on top of being easily accessible, it's also got frequent good discounts. This time I got the 300 ml bottle that DM and Spar sell, while Müller has only 200 ml versions. This conditioner is like a hair mask and it manages to nourish my thick, very dry hair.

Interspar, 3.49 €

 BALEA Oil Repair Intensiv Thermo Turbanmaske

No, no, no, no - this was a waste of my time. It the first turban mask I tried and expected a lot because this is supposed to be an intense treatment. There are so many things wrong with this, I don't know where to start. For one there's only 35 ml of product, I usually use about 50-60 ml for my long hair, but that's a problem specific to me, so you can ignore that. Number two the cap has only a light-medium coat of product on the inside and when you put it on the head, 90 % of it ends at the top layers. I couldn't get the product on the lengths on my hair no matter how much I massaged it when it was on my head. Number three and the main reason I feel duped by this: there is NO warming effect. Nothing, nada, zilch, not a tiny bit of warmth this promises and this pisses me of the most because otherwise I'd just say: yeah, it's fine if you have short hair that isn't too dry, but this is called a thermo mask and that's the main thing I expected. If it worked like it promised, I'd simply use a separate conditioner before and reap the benefits of the warming effect, since heat helps the products absorb better. The mask itself is ok, it's big enough, the sticker holds it tight the entire time and it even has a cute polka dot design, but it's oddly shaped at the top so you look like a garden gnome. In terms of effect I really wasn't sure whether that gentle moisturising effect was from this or did Pantene shampoo + a few leave ins do the actual job, but by the next day my hair was dry again. This has a high rating on meindm.at so don't just focus on my review, but I'm was not happy with it at all.

Ingredients.

DM, 2.99 €

NIVEA Curl Forming Spray

This attracted my attention because it contains oil, so I presumed it's a like a mix between that got2b Oh my Nude Tame it Softly oil spray I love and a hair spray. It can be used on dry and wet hair. On dry hair it's closer to a light-medium flexible hold hair spray than the weightless oil in spray, so there isn't as much shine as at got2b, but it's not drying like regular hair sprays can be. I can apply tons and it never feels heavy, it holds the frizz down, but at one point it does becomes noticeable as the hair becomes a bit hard, but not sticky and running fingers though the hair breaks that apart. On damp hair it says it prolongs the amount of time required to dry the hair so you have more time to shape it - I find that so stupid, but it wasn't that much of a difference, still I want to dry my hair as fast as I can since I have so much of it and it takes ages to do it anyway. I did not like this on damp hair because it made my hair feel like there's too much product and like it's not properly washed, however, it definitely enhanced my curls that I achieve by tying freshly blow-dried hair in a tight bun overnight, though they didn't last as long as they do when I use a curling iron (picture of those no heat curls here. Hair colour looks lighter because the picture is washed out due to me wearing black). Unlike a lot of other hair sprays, this isn't an assault on my respiratory organs and it's got a sort of a fruity scent. It's not the best on damp hair, however, even though I wasn't very keen on it on my first try when I used it on dry hair (to be fair I was caught in the rain that time later on the same day I used it), it's been doing remarkably on my second try. I used only this and not the got2b wax + hair spray combo I usually use and yet it managed to hold my curls so well for two days so it looked like I just curled it and they still look good albeit more loose. It could have more of that oil they boasts with, thought it feels a lot less dry than my usual hair spray and though it's still not 100% love, I'll keep on using it for holding my curls, as it might prove to be a worthy replacement for Lee Stafford hair spray.  

 DM, 3.29 €

 L'OREAL Excellence Creme

8.1 Light Ash Blonde

They changed the packaging of these and they removed the protective serum, which I liked, and replaced it with a shampoo. The latter has sulphates, something that surprised me because why would you wash off a fresh colour with a sulphate shampoo unless you want it to fade faster, so I'm not happy with the change. I hope the formula is the same, they say it is, but you never know. This is my favourite hair colour because it makes my hair actually soft. I can always rely on L'Oreal for having ashy shades of various levels that are best for counteracting strong red, orange and yellow tones. I haven't used this one yet, but I have used this shade before as well as 9.1 and 7.1, all are also great for dark natural brunettes for lightening the hair to a light brown with no bleach involved.

Müller, 5.99 €

DOVE Nourishing Secrets Restoring Ritual 48h Anti-Perspirant

Coconut & jasmine flower

Every time I get something with coconut I regret it. Of course this smells lovely, like light coconut with more predominant creamy florals, but I'm this weird person who loves coconut scents for the first 10 minutes and then I just can't take it anymore. Luckily I don't notice this one that much and so far it works as it should and I hope it stays that way.  

Interspar, 3.19 €

 MAYBELLINE Instant Anti-age Eraser Multi-use Concealer

00 Ivory

This is one of my favourite ever concealers formulas and so far I had two shades: 01 Light, which is much too dark for me and 03 Fair, which is passable, but not the best match. I was thinking about getting shades Brightening or Neutralizing which looked lighter, but both have such strong undertones that I was postponing buying either and then I saw this new shade on the stand called 00 Ivory. People we have a winner! It's pale enough for me and plus the undertone is not strong, so it fits my neutral skin tone best out of all concealers in my collection. I've long been a fan of this formula because it's incredibly natural on the skin, it covers about a medium which is enough for me (for spots I have to pick up a full coverage formula instead) and the sponge is really helpful because at most times I don't need anything else to blend (unless there is a lot of product on the sponge). Using this really feels like an eraser due to the applicator. Discovering this shade just made my year, now all that needs to happen is for Bourjois to release the same shade as this of Radiance Reveal.

Müller, 9.99 €

 ESSENCE Stay True Lipliner 6h Waterproof

08 Thank you berry much 

I'm a fan of the Soft Contouring formula, especially the shade 08 Big proposal which I wear so much, but the staying power of those is not the best, though a big improvement on the previous Essence lip liners. This one has the waterproof and a reasonable 6h claim. Formula is very soft and glides with such ease on the lips, it's most like the old lipliner formula out of Essence liners available now. There were no testers on the stand, so I picked this one based on the colour of the back part, which made me believe this is a lighter colour than it actually is. 08 Thank you berry much is a medium warm pink and not really a berry despite the name. I was thinking about getting the other two shades I was interested in because I like the soft formula, but now I not so sure because staying power is no better than the Soft Contouring line.

Müller, 2.19 €

ESSENCE Draw the Line Instant Colour Lipliner

07 Eternal Beauty

I have the shade 05 un-grey-ful which looks very draining grey on me, but I remember liking the formula because it was very long-lasting, so I got one of these as well in a neutral shade that I can wear a lot. I prefer this shade to 08 thank you berry much and it's a real beauty that I know I'll wear a lot. 07 Eternal Beauty is a light-medium muted pink, definitely a colour for my skin tone. It's a lot more thick and waxy than Stay True as well as the Contouring versions, almost to the point of being slightly sticky, but it's still possible to apply it all over the lips with no significant problems. I was warned on my IG that these dry out quickly and I managed to dig out my old 05 shade, which really is not useful anymore, so you have to use it up in the first months. I already featured this in my monthly favourites.

Müller, 1.59 €

 *CATRICE Ten!Sational 10 in 1 Dream Primer

I wanted this because it has niacinamide 5th on the list after water and it doesn't sound like a typical silicone primer that be too dry and flakey on my dry skin (depending on how matte is the formula). I've been looking for a replacement for Max Factor's Facefinity All Day Primer, which they pulled from our drugstores, though it still exists. That one is unlike most primers also not a typical mattifying primer with that silicone feeling and Ten!Sational feels similar to it, but it doesn't beat Max Factor's for me. I suspected will be tinted based on the description and I was right. Luckily it's not as dark as their 1 Minute Face Perfector I got at the last update, but it's still not my match and I need to be careful to blend out the edges well. It doesn't leave a smooth dry-to-the-touch base, instead it's one of those moisturising primers that leave a slightly dewy-sticky feeling.

In terms of actually claims:

1. Priming - Yes, it looks like it's prolonging the staying power of makeup.

2. Hydrating - yes, it's good for my normal-dry skin.

3. Anti-wrinkle -  when it comes to immediate result this doesn't hide lines, however, it also doesn't make them worse like I experienced with 1 Minute primer. Niacinamide is considered an anti-ageing ingredient and it might have the long-term skin care effect with regular use.

4. Natural Glow - yes, it has a very small amount of mini shimmer that looks like a subtle natural glow. Unlike most glowy primers I tried which look just too much, this I like.

5. Anti-pollution - I have no idea.

6. Anti-oxidation - I don't know either as I have no foundation that oxidises to test at the moment, but primers overall tend to fix the problem of oxidation because they prevent direct contact with natural oils.

7. Pore minimizing - no, it's not comparable to mattifying silicone primers. It helps a tiny bit, but I've had better products, sadly all were very matte.

8. Evens out the skintone - a bit, due to the tint, but it's less than 1 Minute Primer. The added niacinamide high on the list might help even out the skin with regular use.

9. Blurs imperfections - no, again it's not like mattifying silicone primers. The tint helps a bit, but this is pretty sheer.

10. UV protection - it has an SPF 15, but with the quantity that gets applied, you don't get that much protection. Another higher SPF under it is a must.

The 10 claims are of course exaggerated, not that I believed them in the first place, I've been in the makeup world for too long to be that naïve. Regardless I'm not disappointed by that because based on the ingredients list I knew what to expect - a hydrating primer that won't feel like a coat of silicones and has niacinamide - one of my favourite skin care ingredients. The natural glow this gives is finally something that doesn't look over the top. Two things that could be improved: 1. they should have added an SPF 50 and 2. remove the tint or make several shades. One never ever fits all, I don't know why companies insist on doing that. For blurring pores and for oily skin in general I'd pick a mattifying primer instead because you'll hate this doesn't set.

6.39 €

*CATRICE Eyeconista Lash Millionizer Volume Mascara Waterproof

This has the smallest brush from regular mascaras I've tried and strangely it works. The name Lash Millionizer is not far off because this can catch almost ever lash, separates them creating an effect on many lashes and at the same time, the formula is very volumising, so it's not just about definition, but also volume and length. I really like the effect of this one, but it has a minus - the formula is too wet for a waterproof formula and that means it drops the lashes when I'm applying it. It can later rectify the situation by gently curling the lashes again, but I've never been a fan of doing that. I'll see if this dries a bit in time and gets better at holding a curl, but for now my favourite waterproof mascara remains Essence's I <3 Extremes. 

5.39 €

*CATRICE Gold Effect Nail Polish

20 Fascinating Grace

This has a lovely effect on the nails. It's a ton of fine shimmer that is fully opaque with two-three coats and looks very glamorous. It applies with ease, like any normal nail polish and it doesn't feel gritty on the nails like glitter usually does. My shade is a pale pink metallic shade. 

4.79 €

 *CATRICE Luminice Highlight & Bronze Glow Palette

020 Feel Gold

Unlike the L.O.V. GLOWrious palette which is overall very similar to this, Luminice is a top performer from the start and there is no need to get through the top layer to reach the more pigmented stuff. All three shades great, unexpectedly if I'm honest because the first shade looks matte in the palette. The first shade is my favourite because despite its deceiving appearances it gives a good amount of glow and it's the most neutral "iced gold" shade in the palette which suits my neutral skin tone. It's also got the finest shimmer. Second shade is a gold champagne shade, another wearable one with a much stronger glow than the first. The last is very pigmented and not suitable for my skin tone. It's an orange toned bronze shade that looks more like an glowy orange blush on me than a bronzer.

7.29 €

*CATRICE Blush Box Glow + Multicolour

020 It's Wine O'Clock

This was the first thing that caught my attention among the new products because Catrice almost never disappoints when I comes to their blushes and this shade looked quite unique to me. This has such strong pigmentation, almost too much and I have to be careful with it. It's described as glowy and when I swatch it in a thick coat it has a healthy satin glow to it with very fine shimmer, but on my cheeks I can't get that and it looks matte. The shade is indeed unique in my collection and I like it a lot, it's a medium muted pink-berry, a slight deviation from the regular cutesy pinks, though it has a similar look on the cheeks.

4.39 €

 *L.O.V. Eyetracttion Magnetic Loose Eyeshadow

510 Metalfusion, 520 Metalight, 530 Magnetize Me, 550 Positive Attraction and 530 Metalure

In my last monthly favourites post I had these on my wishlist and the most amazing PR Natalija saw it and sent me the testers they had left. I have shade 510 Metalfusion from before and since I got it, it's pretty much the only eyeshadow I've been using, so in the entire 2019 so far. I love this formula, it's my favourite ever because it's so pigmented and so easy to use and blend. I just apply it with fingers, quickly blend and I'm done. The texture is somewhere between a loose and pressed eyeshadow, I know of nothing like it, but it's everything I want from an eyeshadow. Sadly these aren't sold in shops here anymore, so they are only available online, which is such a shame because these are great. 

510 Metalfusion is a purple taupe shade, similar to Satin Taupe and its dupes. 520 Metallight is similar to 510, but a more brown-bronze taupe - of course I loved it immediately. 530 Magnetize me is my dream shade, an old gold shade, so the type I've always loved. 550 Positive Attraction is a reddish copper and it wouldn't be my first choice until I tried it on my eyelids. It's a shade that compliments my eye colour and it's probably the most "on trend" shade, since all the popular palettes right now have a warm reddish theme. The last shade 530 Metalure is a deep taupe, again very much my style and more for a dark smokey eye. All are super pigmented and not much is needed for a fully opaque effect. I have a full review of shade 510 here.

€ 6.99

 *L.O.V. LIPaffair Color & Care Lipstick

501 Gesine's Rosewood, 521 Verena's Rose and 551 Christina's Red

This was a very generous extra in my PR parcel. I already have a review of this formula for another shade, where I described it as a very high-end-like. It's a super smooth and lightweight creamy lipstick with surprisingly good staying power for a creamy formula and the heavy, metallic packaging with the magnetic closing system gives it that premium feel. 

 501 Gesine's Rosewood is a medium rosy brown (very surprisingly to me, a lot of you loved this shade on me. It's not my favourite), 521 Verena's Rose, my favourite, is a lovely light warm pink and 551 Christina's Red is a classic neutral red.

€ 9.99

*ORIFLAME Giordani Gold Magnifying Metal Lash Volume Mascara

Something new on the mascara market – Oriflame made a metal brush. I had my predictions when I first saw this on Instagram and it turned out exactly like I expected. The brush only has small grooves that are supposed to comb the lashes, however, in practice this proved to be far from ideal. It very much feels like you’re just deposing the formula with a stick, while the grooves are simply not deep enough for defining my lashes. It deposits a lot of formula and you get the volume, it's just a very messy one, with lashes stuck together and my unruly lashes are all over the place with this mascara. We’ll see if it gets better as it dries, but I prefer regular brushes. For getting a lot of formula on it’s ok, but a separate brush is almost a must, at least at my lashes, however, if you have nicer lashes than me, don't be afraid to try this one if you're interested in the concept of a metal brush (my lashes are squashed behind the glasses most of the time and have splits, plus some are growing down). In Slovenia this is sold only online until the end of August, but I have no clue about other countries. 

Oriflame, regular price 16.90 €, currently 10.90 €

I'll have skin care and hair stuff in another new in post, as one wold be too long.

Have a great day!