MAYBELLINE Dream Urban Cover Foundation SPF50 

095 Fair Porcelain

This is exactly my type of foundation - light-medium coverage, very lightweight on the skin and with a natural, non-foundation look on the skin. I have to use powder with this one, since it can get shiny during the day despite my currently dry skin, but it's manageable. It wears nicely, it doesn't look bad over pores or uneven texture, so it reminds me of Fit Me Matte + Poreless, though there are differences. Despite the SPF 50 I wouldn't wear this on its own and consider myself properly protected, but as an extra layer and on days when I'm hardly outside, it's a nice one. For me this foundation actually wins because of the shade. 095 is a very pale neutral-pink that fits me perfectly. Maybelline has some of the best pale shades, as they are never overly yellow or too pink.

CLINIQUE Even Better Refresh Hydrating and Repairing Makeup Full-Coverage Foundation

0.75 Custard

I've never been a fan of high coverage foundations because they look so obvious, but this one I can get along with. Though based on the name you'd expect something heavy like It Cosmetic's CC, this is that perfect in between foundation, as it's good for dry skin, but with a satin finish and not the overly shiny one with a formula that transfers and creases. It's still natural looking on the skin, it doesn't slip into pores or lines and it's a hydrating foundation with the best staying power I've found. Shade 0.75 is very pale, though with a more intense undertone than Maybelline (yellow), but it fits my neutral skin well. I don't know why almost no one talks about this foundation (so far I've only seen Merit of Beauty), it's seriously good.

MAYBELLINE Fit Me Loose Finishing Powder

05 Fair

For several years now haven't worn powders, since most I tried make my foundation look weird, occasionally patchy and fake, but this I like. I got this after any intense research and I picked it based on high feedback and due to a lot of people mentioning it suits dry skin. It's not a natural looking powder, but it sort of perfects the skin and makes final finishes to the makeup. It's matte without being too much, it doesn't highlight dry patches or make them worse, it smooths the texture of the skin and blurs the lines and pores to a certain degree. I've tried the famous Laura Mercier powder and they perform the same on me. It's not amazing on very dry skin (currently under my eyes), not that I expected any powder to be, but most I tried are worse with exception of more finely milled Houglass. I was checking both Laura Mercier and Fit Me every hour in the mirror and both held up really well, it was like I was wearing the same thing on both sides. This needs to be sold on our stands too, I hope in the future it does.  

L'OREAL Infallible Blush Paint 

Pinks

If you read my last monthly favourites post and follow my IG, you would have seen I've spent most of the month with pink and pink-violet hair, so I had to change my blush choices, since my beloved L.O.V. ones are all warm shades. I needed cool pinks and this is the only ones I have. I don't know if this is still sold, maybe it's just online now, but I have the Amber palette to and these are so good - not L.O.V. good, but still really amazing blushes that apply and blend well, plus last on the cheeks. 

ETUDE HOUSE Proof 10 Eye Primer

There's not much to say here apart from that it's a great primer for the price that does the job. I read a ton of reviews when I was looking for a new primer, since all mine were ancient and I got this one as well as Artdeco one in the pot. Both are great and do the job, though I prefer this one because it has a doe foot applicator and it hasn't got any shimmer. 

PIXI Glow Mist

Though I didn't get the glow I expected with this, I've been using it a lot because it has great ingredients, it "melts" the makeup together and it refreshes nicely. The mist is fine enough, though I have to make sure I spray it from far away or it can feel wet for a while. I'm just happy I have something with propolis, niacinamide, hyaluronic acid, olive oil, argan oil and tons of extracts in a spray.

LANEIGE Lip Sleeping Mask

Berry

This really is as good as reviews say. It sticks on the lips until the morning and it leaves them properly nourished. The extra silicone spatula is a great help during application and the formula has a nice gentle berry scent. In a thick coat it also has a a glossy shine, which looks so good I sometimes wear it during the day too. I'm glad I believed the hype.

SUBRINA Colour Refresh

These are my favourite thing in this post, I've had so much fun trying these out, a new colour basically ever week and I'll continue to experiment with them. In the last monthly favourites I've showed you the result I got with Violet and two weeks ago I decided to go even bolder, increased the amount of colour vs. clear conditioner and went bright magenta pink. Currently I'm on my third colour and I'm a redhead. My natural hair colour is so dark that even those L'Oreal dark reddish-purple temporary shades of Casting Creme Gloss didn't properly show up - now that I'm a blonde I can finally play with colours and it's a blast. I'm not even very blonde, but these are so pigmented, I didn't have to use it straight from the tube for the colour on the box. With a mix of 1 part colour and 4 parts conditioner I achieved a vibrant pink shade using Magenta. It's easy to use these: I wash my hair, then simply mix the colour with a conditioner to dilute the pigment (I use a hair colour pot and an old spoon), apply it all over the hair (you get gloves, but I forgot them every time and it's fine, the colour doesn't stain for long), do something else for 10-15 minutes and wash it off. It doesn't take much longer than using a regular mask for me, except for the mixing bit and making sure I apply it all over the hair. It's not very messy and if you get any on the skin, it just washes off with a splash of water, but I wear a black shirt even though it doesn't drip. They don't damage the hair because they are just tinted hair masks, so I can use them as much as I want. They wash off  completely, how fast it depends on how much of the mask you used vs. the clear mask. I got the pastel off in three washes returning to my original colour, but with first wash most of the colour was gone. With the bright colour, I really tried to get it off fast, so I could try the next one. I shampooed three times with a anti-dandruff formula + had a mask on, so it was four rinses in total and I got a lovely pastel coral-pink (from Magenta) that I wore it a few more days, then washed it again, which didn't get all off yet, but I just went with red. So more intense the shade & the lighter your base colour, the more washes it takes to completely wash off. These obviously work best on bleached hair, while they don't tint my natural dark brown, so these are mostly for blondes, either coloured or natural, but those with undamaged, non-dyed hair might not get the same results as me despite being the same level. You can of course also use them for the original purpose to refresh your existing colour and delay having to colour again. So far I have nothing negative to say about these, maybe just that the tubes could be bigger, at least shade Clear because since all are so pigmented you end up using Clear a lot, but I just substitute it with any conditioner. I miss a lavender shade, though Diamond Blonde is such a shade from the tube, but it's a toning shade that's more one the blue/grey side, so I got one from a different brand that I'll talk about in the next new in if I happen to like it. I'll try Orange next, since it's the last bright shade in this collection and then I want to give Violet another go in a more bright version. 

Subrina Colour Refresh Mask in Magenta, ratio 1:4. I didn't do strand tests like I did with Violet and I did it before going to bed with wet hair, so I woke up to a bright surprise. I really thought I'll get a lighter shade, but these are very strong. I ended up liking it a lot and it washes off to such a pretty shade of pastel pink.

My current shade: Red in a ratio 1:1. I haven't washed my hair yet, so I don't know how long this one will last. It's the strongest mix I made to date. 

GOT2B #Oh My Nude Tame it Softly Dry Lightweight Oil Mist 

I've mentioned this a few times before, so it's nothing new, but I have to give it another shout out because I can always rely on this making my hair look more polished and shiny in an instant. It's a silicone oil in spray form and it's like an instant perfector that creates that healthy shiny hair look. I use it as any time I'm a pinch to make my hair more presentable, especially since my hair gets drier the longer I don't wash my hair, so I need a shine spray that doesn't contain alcohol and one one that masks dryness. It's so lightweight that those with completely different hair than me might like it too.

 ORIFLAME Giordani Gold Essenza Sensuale

Eau de parfum

I knew the moment I tried this for the first time that this will be in this post and my yearly favourites too. I love this, it's one of the best scents I've smelled. Usually I don't fall in love with the scent instantly, not even in my beloved Twilight Woods, but this was different. It's a much, much nicer, but equally posh version of Elie Saab le parfum (at least to my nose), except it omits the jasmine note which my nose does not like at all, since it's such a headache inducing scent, so the orange floral stands out a lot more here. This is so warm and cosy, but a floral on a woody-vanilla base. It lasts well too, better than other Oriflame scent by a mile. I've tried their praised Amber Elixir, but that one has nothing on Gold Essenza Sensuale. It doesn’t have a classic spray, instead it has a applicator with which you dab the fragrance directly on the pulse points, which I quite like, as it gives me that vintage feel.

UPDATES 

HOURGLASS Ambient Lighting Powder

Diffused Light

I don't know if this belongs in this post at all, but I'm still putting here. It's definitely not a proper favourite and I still feel mostly indifferent to it because I don't get that ethereal glow/soft focus effect from it that other describe. However, I got several powders in the last month or two and apart from heavier Fit Me & Laura Mercier, this is the only one that keeps my foundation from slipping into my lines around the mouth. It's very finely milled, so it doesn't look like powder on the skin and it's a finishing powder, so it's best to use it over a setting powder. It's not as amazing on me despite the very high feedback this has, which bums me because it was so expensive and I actually have a very good dupe for it from Wet n Wild, but given that it can somewhat blur my lines, it wasn't a total waste and I use it every day instead of Wet n Wild, also because it was way too expensive to just sit in my drawer. I have the shade Diffused Light, which despite the yellow tint looks translucent on my very pale skin tone. 

Bath & Body Works Fine Fragrance Mist

Bright Autumn Blooms

I only have a very generous tester of this, so I should probably try to track down a full-size bottle. It's one of BBW's best scent, though most of the stuff I have smells so nice, but this is more grown up and more high-end smelling. It's a rich floral on a warm powdery base, but without any obnoxious sharp notes of for example patchouli, so it ends up a more creamy smelling floral. I know of nothing similar to compare it to.

Beautiful Day

This is a typical spring fragrance - fresh, airy floral-sweet scent with notes of apple and flowers. It's something along the lines of Marc Jacobs Daisy and Avon's Luck La Vie, but with an apple note that BBW knows how to do best. 

Cashmere Glow

For me a typical BBW fragrance, along the lines of Twilight Woods and Amber Blush, though completely different in terms of notes. It's a warm peachy cosy vanilla-cashmere musk-sandalwood scent, perfect for cold months.

There were more testers from my latest New in that I enjoyed trying: SKINTEGRA Atomic Cleansing Oil (so far the best I've tried, but expensive for my taste), CERAVE PM Facial Moisturising Lotion (great simple moisturiser with niacinamide, ceramides, hyaluronic acid and cholesterol), MISSHA Aqua Sun Gel SPF50 (lightweight and sets to a dry-to-the-touch finish), LAURA MERCIER Translucent Loose Setting Powder (it is as good as they say, but Fit Me performs the same on my skin) and ECOOKING Peeling Mask (acid mask that actually does something on my skin).

WISHLIST

A'PIEU Madecassoside Ampoule - when I first tried a mask with madecassoside (from The Face Shop), I've developed a liking for this ingredient because it suits my skin so well. I discovered A'Pieu has a whole line of products with Madecassoside (including a sunscreen), so this isn't the only product I'd love to try, but ampoules are the easiest to include into a routine. 

CATRICE Glow & Care Primer - I've been testing this on the back of my hand every time I'm in Müller. It's not the glowiest primer, but it feels  so nice on the skin. 

CLARINS Instant Smooth Perfecting Touch - based on reviews this sounds like promising pore minimizing and line blurring primer. I tried it yesterday and it looks more balmy compared to the Catrice Goodbye Pores primer that I bought recently and it sadly turns into a dry flakesfest on skin. 

COLOURPOP Going Coconuts Eyeshadow Palette - For years haven't seen any of Colourpop palettes as something worthy of my purchase, since they are mostly so warm, too colourful or plain boring, but this one looks very promising. I like a good collection of neutrals, as long as they are not too orange or reddish. I'll only get it if free shipping over comes along.

L'OCCITANE Honey Harvest Hugs & Kisses Hand & Lip Care - honey products are back at L'Occitane. I used to buy them when they were permanent many years ago, but in the last years I've mostly missed these limited editions. Maybe I'll get this gift version.

L'OREAL Paris Glow Mon Amour Liquid Highlighting Drops in Champagne - I already got this yesterday. I do these posts a few days in advance and I didn't feel like changing the picture. This is a highlighter for fans of Colourpop's Flexiterian and other formulas with intense shine. A mini drop is needed for a strong glow, so this should last forever. I hate the packaging though, as it has no ring that would scrape the excess when you take the dropper out. 

MAX FACTOR Miracle Prep Illuminating & Hydrating Primer - numerous reviews say this is apparently quite good. I'm on a hunt for a nice primer and this is just one that interests me. As the name says it's a glow primer, but I've tried in the shop and I don't see any shimmer. I'd have to try it properly though. 

THE BODY SHOP Shea Butter Richly Replenishing Hair Mask - again something that interest me because of great reviews and also ingredients. It's got shea butter right after water, so I expect this should suit my very dry hair.

Have a great day!

When I first started getting into makeup and pale drugstore foundations just weren't available in our drugstores, I turned to Lancome and got the first foundation is a shade that fit me. Even then Teint Idole Ultra Wear was highly praised, but though it's now available in 40 shades, back then the lightest shade we had here was too dark for me, so I went for the less well-known (and by now discontinued) Color Ideal  (shade was 004). Years passed and despite numerous launches this is still a very praised foundation, so when I was looking for something new, I took a sample in Müller along with four other foundations. Teint Idole impressed me so much I went to buy it as soon as I was finished testing all five.

Texture and coverage: I liked this from the start. It's a light feeling foundation with a light-medium consistency that's easy to blend and it looks natural for a medium coverage formula. It doesn't hide pores or lines, but it doesn't make them worse. 

Finish: It's supposed to be matte, but it's not a heavy looking matte finish, it's more of a satin with still some natural radiance shoving through. The sample I tried had a more natural looking dewy finish, I'm guessing because it was old.

Shade: 008 Beige Opale is currently one of their lightest shades among an impressive 40. It's a very pale shade, one of the lightest in my collection and it's neutral to slightly pink. The warm equivalent of this shade is 006. I've tried both in the shop and 008 blended nicest into my neutral skin tone. I haven't experienced any oxidising at this formula, but when I asked for help with choosing the right shade for me on IG, some reported that this formula oxidises on them. 

Staying power and wear: This wears beautifully throughout the day. It never looks fake, overly shiny nor too flat matte, it just looks like good skin. It last longer than my cheaper foundations and even when I don't use any powder or setting spray.

Packaging: This comes in a heavy frosted glass bottle with a pump.

Price and availability: Regular price in Müller is 49.79 €, which is an insane price. I got it -25% off when they had a coupon, but you get it cheaper online anytime, as most shops sell it for about 10 € less. 

It's so expensive, but it's praised for a reason. It's more suited for oily-combination skin, but it's one of the nicest such foundation I've tried because it feels lighter, it's not as obvious on the skin and it wears well too. The abundance of shades means there's probably something for everyone (though I think there are paler people than me and those won't find a match).

Have a great day!

 IT COSMETICS Your Skin But Better CC+ Cream with SPF 50+ 

Fair

Travel Size 12 ml

As hyped up as this is, I'm not 100% sold on it. I got the travel version because this has snail secretion filtrate high on the list of ingredients and as great as it is, products with it tend to break me out. It's a heavy, moisturiser-like formula with a medium-high coverage and on me a very shiny/dewy finish, which takes time to tone down. Despite thickness it blends well into the skin and looks good freshly applied apart from creasing under the eyes and on the lids, but after a half an hour I just don't like this one very much. It looks obvious and sits strangely in some places, though it doesn't emphasise pores. When it comes to lines it mostly emphasised them at the end of the day, but there were some days when it didn't. With time as it's wearing off it starts to look good again, so I'd wear this one only in small quantities, otherwise it's a bit much for me. I had a brief period when my skin was very dry and flaky (the previous part of review was done on normal skin), so I picked this CC to see if it works on such skin. It did a good job, I have nothing more appropriate for dry skin, but it couldn't hide all the flakies. Shade Fair is not very pale, so fellow Snow Whites, this very expensive and popular foundation/CC left us out, though I still wear it, since it's just a shade too dark. It's about the same as Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum 51 or probably Mac NC 15 without a strong yellow undertone. Luckily It Cosmetics has small sizes, so I didn't spend a ton on a foundation that's not my best match. It's worth it if you're looking for high coverage, extra layer of spf and great ingredients, but I actually prefer Clinique's foundation I'll mention bellow.

Cult Beauty, £13.00

CHARLOTTE TILBURY Hollywood Flawless Filter Primer & Highlighter Hybrid

1 Fair

I'm still confused what this actually is, on some days it feels like a highlighter, but on gloomy days it's a foundation - in small quantities that is. I generally avoid the Charlotte Tilbury hype, but I was looking for a fantastic out-of-this-world primer that would blur pores, lines and illuminate at the same time and this is described to be just such a product, plus this has such a high feedback everywhere I looked that I caved despite the insane price. It's a primer-highlighter-light coverage foundation hybrid, so you can use it either on its own, under foundation, mixed with the foundation or on top of foundation. I've had primer-highlighter hybrids before and was missing one in my collection since I used up L'Oreal Magic Lumi, but this adds the coverage part to the mix too. There are two reviews I can write about this. I used this first on a nice sunny day on its own and I looked like the shiniest creature on earth, but with that greasy shine, not the illuminated "glow from within" shine. I didn't set it with powder, which would help make it more wearable on its own. Flash forward on a cloudy, rainy days we have now and that extra shine helps my skin look more glowy and less drab. I set it with powder to tone down the shine because this is a lot on its own, but with a powder it works as a standalone product on the skin. Applied over foundation on the high points of the face it is a bit underwhelming for me, but I am used to the visible from space Colourpop's Flexiterian and this is a lot more subtle that proper highlighters. Coverage is actually better that I though it will be, it's a low level, but good enough to wear on its own with some extra concealer where needed, though it definitely won't satisfy those who love medium to high coverage foundations. As a primer under foundations, I'm not impressed. Despite reading reviews from numerous people who said it smooths the skin, hides pores and lines, I didn't notice that at all. Like I kind of suspected, since it's glowy it behaves the same as any other liquid highlighter, so it emphasises, not hides. It's not successful at hiding pores and it slips into lines after a couple of hours, so it's not as amazing as I hoped. It can also look so terrible with a foundation on top, like a mask of heavy foundation with flakes around the edges of application. I'm not quite sure how I feel about it yet, it feels a bit underwhelming for the price and I think you can get similar products for the price without the coverage part (which you can add with a separate foundation anyway). I hate the packaging with the big applicator so much because you get hardly any product with one swipe, especially since the formula is very thick. A pump would be so much better.

Cult Beauty, £32.00

CLINIQUE Even Better Refresh Hydrating and Repairing Makeup Full-Coverage Foundation

0.75 Custard

Big fan on this one. This was one of the five foundations I tried in my test that I posted on Instagram Stories and I like it a lot straight away, but I was using Olay Regenerist under it in that test, which prevented this foundation from setting because it's meant for drier skin tones and it felt heavy for my taste because of it. I had some sample left and I wore it an extra day, that time less, so the way I wear foundations and with a lighter base under it. It wore so good I went online straight away, found Look Fantastic has it so much cheaper than my local drugstore, plus -20% at the time and I just ordered it. It's a high coverage foundation with a satin finish that for such a level of coverage looks so much better than other foundations. It's still natural looking on the skin, it doesn't slip into pores or lines and it's a hydrating foundation with the best staying power I've found. Usually you get a good staying power only at matte formulas, but this one just hangs on for hours without migrating on the face (even at the first test when it was tacky all day, it did not wipe off). Look Fantastic has the lightest shade in stock 0.75 custard, which is a very pale yellow toned shade that fits me well. This is without a doubt my favourite high coverage foundation so far.

Look Fantastic, £24.00

 MAYBELLINE Dream Urban Cover Foundation SPF50 

095 Fair Porcelain

I'll just say it first - people, this is the furthest thing away from being a dupe for It Cosmetics. Same SPF does not indicate a dupe. This is a very lightweight, runny liquid formula instead of the heavy, creamy one of CC and it doesn't cover as much, instead it has a light-medium coverage that can be build up to a proper medium. It applies beautifully on the skin, it's got that non-makeup look to it, plus it doesn't sink into pores, nor does it emphasise lines. Finish right after application is natural with some radiance and it sets to an almost dry to the touch finish. Sadly in a couple of hours on its own it get that "sunscreen shine", where it almost looks oily, so a powder is needed with this foundation and oily skin types might struggle keeping it matte. But in other aspects it wears beautiful - despite the extra dewiness it doesn't emphasise or slip into pores, it doesn't even look terrible on my smile lines  as time passes, which is a big plus when it comes to what I'm looking for at foundations. I get no patches that someone mentioned to me on IG and warned me to not get this foundation, but I appreciate any extra opinion I can share here too. I like it, but I have to use a mattifying powder with it despite having normal skin. 095 Fair Porcelain is one of the lightest shades in my collection and it's just a smidge darker than Essence's #insta perfect 10. Undertone is neutral pink so it fits me perfectly. This foundation doesn't have the best UVA protection (it's only against UVA short-waves), but hopefully none of you think you can just wear this and be protected, as for the protection on the label you can too apply a lot of it, but I won't get into the sunscreen debate, there are plenty other sunscreen obsessed bloggers to tell you everything you're doing is wrong.    

Feel Unique, €10.56

 ETUDE HOUSE Face Blur SPF33 PA++ 

My primer collection consisted of a single product that I don't even like that much, so I've spend some time researching primers. I've had this one noted somewhere for ages and now that they revamped it by increasing the SPF to 33, I ordered myself a bottle. Reviews for this are great and it's described as a brightening/radiant primer plus it promises to hide pores - so very similar to Hollywood Filter claims. First that hits you is the strong rose + powder scent, which is not my favourite and if you have sensitive skin, this very likely won't work for you (Hollywood is unscented by the way). It's much lighter than I imagined, I expected something thick that will fill the pores. It's also not a strong radiant primer, at least it's not a typical light liquid highlighter product like L'Oreal's Magic Lumi I had and it doesn't have visible shimmer. For something called Face Blur it doesn't blur, at least when it comes to pores and lines, while it has a touch of off-white pink colour which makes the skin a bit paler, but on my skin tone it's not noticeable much. It looks greasy glowy even with a matte foundation on top, so this is truly only suited for normal-dry skin, though those with an oily skin might make it work with a lot of powder. I'm underwhelmed by this one, just like with Charlotte's Hollywood Primer. It doesn't hide pores, the illumination is weak, it's not blurring, it doesn't prevent my foundation from slipping into lines, but at least it has a decent SPF protection and it does make help the makeup apply more smoothly, so as a basic primer it's nice, it's just not as good on my skin as some report it's on their's. But I think I'll end up wearing it a lot due to spf.

eBay (cosmeticmarket2012), $10.51 

ETUDE HOUSE Proof 10 Eye Primer

I actually ordered this before getting Artdeco which was in my last New in, but I knew I'll have to wait a month for it to arrive, so I grabbed that one as well to have something in the mean time. This is highly rated online and I can see why. The texture is more liquid than any other primer I've tried before and it takes a minute to dry. I did a test with one eye primed and the other not, and I used Essence's Metal Chrome eyeshadow which I'm not as impressed by than most it appears (they are poorly pigmented and crease). There was a big difference in intensity and in time this prevent it from creasing. I've been using it daily since then and it has never failed me. For the price this is great. 

eBay (cosmeticmarket2012), $5.54

HOURGLASS Ambient Lighting Powder

Diffused Light

I'm a bit conflicted about this one because sometimes it's great and then on sometimes it does nothing much. I've been resisting the relentless hype for year, since this is insanely expensive for some makeup product, but I took my chance when Feel Unique had -20% of life brands. All over the face it's nothing special because it doesn't my blur pores nor does it make the makeup look smoother/more blended and there's no "ethereal elfish/Galandriel glow", at least I haven't noticed it yet and I need to learn to use it/find the right products that work with it. It mostly looks like nothing much on the skin, but at least it's so finely milled it doesn't look powdery and fake looking. There's some sparse small shimmer in it, but it's only visible up close under artificial light. However, as much as I don't get it when it comes to use all over the face, it does on most occasions keep the foundation and other makeup from creasing in my smile lines around my mouth. I've been looking for a foundation/primer/powder that wouldn't slip into my lines or make it worse during the day because when I'm not wearing makeup you can't even see them and this does just that. Not just right after I apply makeup, but also if I chose some other powder and after a few hours my makeup is creased in those line, it can almost erase those lines, blurring and filing them in, however, sometimes it does nothing and I have no idea yet what affects its performance. Some use this as a highlighter, but it's barely noticeable in a thick coat, like I said it's mostly just nothing and it doesn't hold back any oiliness, so a separate powder for that purpose it needed under it. Over a setting powder it works better and I find I get better results than when I just use it directly over a foundation. I had a hard time deciding which shade to get, since the popular Dim light is said to be too dark for pale skin and Illuminating Light is allegedly too shimmery, but I picked Diffused Light despite fearing it will be too yellow because I saw a Youtuber who uses the same shade of foundation of Lancome as me using this and it works, it's completely translucent. It was very expensive, but considering it's (at most times) capable of doing something other products can't, it was a good investment, but I'm not sure about it doing anything when I apply it all over the face. 

Feel Unique, €50.40

HOURGLASS Veil Translucent Setting Powder

I got the small size with the stingy 0.9 g of product, but it's actually not that little-looking though the price is so high for what you get (I got it -20 %). When I was researching for powders, this one interested me most because it's some said it's a powder for those who hate the look of powder and that it's supposed to be nice also on dry skin (my skin is currently shifting from normal to very dry). It's the finest powder in my small collection and it truly doesn't look like powder at all on the skin. It has a slight blurring effect on the skin, but nothing spectacular and it doesn't prevent foundation from slipping in my smile lines. I notice shine soon even when my skin is dry, so it's not just natural oil, but this sort of turns into something more glowy, so this is not for oily skin in my opinion. I still need to use it more, but so far while I like it's invisible and it doesn't get cakey in time, I don't think it's worth the price. Maybe I'll change my mind the more I use it.

Feel Unique, €19.20

WET N WILD Color Icon Bronzer SPF 15 

Reserve Your Cabana

While I was exploring Hourglass Ambient Powders I came across a claim that this is a dupe for them (or maybe just Diffused Light). So since I already ordered Hourglass, I had to buy this too because that makes sense in this crazy head of mine. Truthfully, I was just curious if the comparison stands because I'm allergic to people throwing the word dupe so freely. So is it? Well, it's indeed very close, but this looks more powdery on the skin compared to the more finely milled Ambient powder which on me in time becomes more like a creamy texture. This also means it doesn't layer as nicely over a setting powder as that one, but honestly from far away you wouldn't be able to tell the difference, though this one has more tiny shimmer and it's doesn't prevent foundation from creasing in my smile line as well as Hourglass. Both last the same amount of time on me too. This is marketed as a bronzer and though I have pale skin, this is translucent on me and it has a nice looking very, very subtle glow on the skin. Using it as a highlighter you have to be very heavy handed for some proper glow, but you can use it all over for a some subtle radiance, though it doesn't give you the same effect as a regular highlighter applied in a thin coat. Like Ambient Powder personally I don't see what the big deal is, as neither are life changing products and I really wanted to see that amazing lit from within glow, but at least it was affordable and hopefully in time I grow to love both products or finally find a way to make them work. 

Beauty Bay, €5.00

MAYBELLINE Fit Me Loose Finishing Powder

05 Fair

Now this impressed me more than the powders above. This is so highly rated and is compared to the more expensive powder, in particular the hyped up Laura Mercier. It's not a typical product I generally like, since it's not invisible on the face, but it is doing a lot more than other powders I tried. From the start it looks powdery, but it's also nicely mattifying, while not being too draining or clingy or emphasising patches, it fills out the lines quite well (not perfect, but from some angles they are invisible) and it does a semi-decent job on pores, but it's not like a pore filing primer. In some time it becomes less powdery looking, but it's still nicely matte, or better said it looks like velvet on the skin. It's not ideal over spots, but let's faces it everything looks awful over spots (either not covered or cakey), as at least I haven't found anything that wouldn't look worse with makeup than without. It's also not best under my eyes, since my skin is more on the dry side there currently and this can look uneven. It gives some extra coverage, but not much, still you have to be careful when picking a shade, so you don't get something too dark or too pale. The packaging is somewhat annoying, though it it just a regular powder packaging, but since I tried the Primark's version with a mesh, there classic ones are so cumbersome. You get a very generous amount of 20 g which should last me ages, especially since I don't bake. It's not as easy powder to find though, since sites like Notino, Feel Unique, Spletična and others that sell Maybelline in EU don't have it (they really should because it's great), so I had to order on Amazon from a US seller and you can get it from US sellers on eBay too.

Amazon.de, €11.01

PIXI Glow Mist

I got this mainly for the ingredients, since it has propolis and niacinamide which are two ingredients my skin loves. Based on the list I'd say the dark green part is olive oil, but I don't know if it's only that. The mist is very fine, so much better than Catrice's, but not as fine as aerosolised Artdeco. I can be wet on the face for a while (sometimes it is, sometimes it isn't), but that promised glow is not that apparent on my skin - that little that is, doesn't last. It could be because it's already colder and my skin is just absorbing anything in sight despite heavier layers of moisturiser. It melts the makeup best of all sprays I've tried so far and it helps the makeup last longer. The only mini minus for me is the natural/herbal scent, but I can get over it. I'm quite happy with this even if it's not glowy, I rate it high especially because of ingredients. 

Look Fantastic, £12.80

L'OREAL PARIS Makeup Lumi Shake & Glow Dew Mist

This has such a great atomizer. It's miles better than Catrice's and while it's not as amazingly fine as Artdeco's mist in a can, this has such a fine mist. Despite the glow in the name, just like at Pixi I don't notice much of it, but it helps get the powderiness away and it helps prolonging the makeup. It's nothing special overall, but it doesn't what it's supposed too and the mix is so fine, not that different that the aerosolised Artdeco.

Feel Unique, €11.99

PIXI Skintreats Retinol Tonic

I loved the look of the entire Pixi Retinol line, especially the retinol oil, but I only got this (so far) because it's highly praised. It feels like a regular moisturising toner that absorbs quickly leaving nothing behind except for a smooth feeling. It smells so nice like lavender, though it has no fragrance. Retinol is low on the list, but the whole list looks good. I have the small 100 ml size, while larger ones exist too: a 250 ml and 500 ml with a pump. I've been using for a month now and I use too many things to be able to single out if this does anything special on its own, but I like having it in my routine.

Look Fantastic, £8.00

LANEIGE Lip Sleeping Mask

Berry

My lips aren't dry, in fact I almost never apply a lip balm during the day and only when I remember at night (I've been using my trusted Palmer's Swivel Stick for years, the rest feels rubbish compared to it). Still I was so temped to try this because of an overwhelming amount of positive reviews. It's a smooth vaseline/petroleum jelly type of consistency and it's easy to scoop out with the silicone spatula you get with the pot. On the lips it feels exactly like the old L'Occitane lip gloss formulas (like their 12-year old honey version, not the new pitiful excuse for a gloss Terre de Lumiere, but maybe other versions are different). It's a rich lip gloss formula with a nice amount of shine and the best staying power I've even encountered. On most days I wake up with a layers of this lip balm still on the lips and I mean where I applied it, not smeared all over the face. I can't say how effective it is on very dry lips, but reviews are rating it high and my lips look nicely nourished with no dry patches in the morning. Also the amount you get is huge, it's 25% more than Nuxe's famous lip balm and 4-times more than an regular stick balm, but you tend to use more on average if you use a spatula. I love this as much as Palmer's even though it's not as fast to apply.

eBay ( younfamily_kc), $11.87

A'PIEU Pure Block Natural Daily Sun Cream SPF45 PA +++

I ordered this a month ago when I couldn't find Nivea's Mattifying version (I've since found it) and I got the Q10 version instead which is terribly greasy, runs in my eyes and never sets. This was the cheapest one on eBay, it was only 6 € and I've had a sample a couple of years ago, so I knew what I was getting. I hoped it'd arrive sooner, but like most of the time parcels from Korea take a month to arrive, so it was already too late, now it's so cold that I barely spend any time outside, so this tube is staying closed until next spring (I have Olay's Regenerist SPF 30 in my local drugstore for daily use until then). I can just say what I wrote in my original review two years ago: it's a thicker sunscreen than my beloved Biore (which I now regret not getting instead), more of a classic sunscreen type of texture, it's also has that typical almost white cast finish when you're applying it in a thick coat like I'm used to apply Biore, but it blends in without leaving any white traces. It's greasier from the start, but it sets to a slightly velvety finish in about 5 minutes. That's longer than Biore, but it's still acceptable and it's a lot nicer in terms of elegance than 99% of European sunscreens.

 eBay ( younfamily_kc), $6.60

 THE ORDINARY 1% Retinol in Squalane

A month ago I finished Artnaturals 2.5% Retinol Serum which was like I was using nothing, meaning it was very light, it didn't dry out my skin nor make any type of change. So I got this 1% Retinol which is TO's harshest retinol and I was sure that since I was using 2.5% this won't have any effect on my skin, but I wanted it because it's in squalene, one of my favourite ingredient. I use it every other day, so averagely 3x a week and after second use my skin got dry and flaky, which I did not expect at all. So I guess Artnaturals is lying about the retinol content or the form they used in that serum - I don't know, I don't want to accuse anyone anything, but it's the only conclusion I can draw based on my limited knowledge. My skin was very dry (I applied a thick coat of Mixa Cica cream and it was absorbed and dry in an hour, so I kept reapplying it. By the way that cream is gold), but it only lasted two days, so it was nothing terrible and it fixed itself fast overall. My cheeks are more dry than before, but it's very manageable, though I wouldn't say my skin looks better now, but neither worse. It's only been a couple of weeks and I don't expect to see result for a few months. I'll report back when I finish the bottle, hopefully I see something. It's an light oil that I use as the last step in my routine. Skin stays greasy for a while and as they suggest, it best to use it in the night routine.

Beauty Bay, €6.50

THE ORDINARY Matrixyl 10% + HA 

I've recently used up Argireline Solution 10 % that also targets dynamic folds and it did absolutely nothing despite religious use. That one is like water, so I was surprised to see this is much heavier. It's a thick serum that dries sticky and it's harder to layer over, so I use it as one of the last steps. So far I haven't seen anything and I have doubts I will, since so far from all TO products I've tried apart from 2% salicylic acid, I've not been impressed by anything, not even their highly praised 30% AHA mask that feels like nothing on my skin. Well, see how it turns out, it can't hurt, plus it has hyaluronic acid.

Beauty Bay, €11.50

THE ORDINARY 100% Plant-Derived Hemi-Squalane

I got this because it felt better to get something for 3 € rather than pay for shipping (Beauty Bay has free shipping above 25 €). It wasn't easy finding something on their website that's so cheap and interesting, but I got this because a lot of reviews mentioned it's the best product for taming frizz. It's a like a very light silicone serum without silicones. It's too light for my hair, though it temporarily tames it, but for thin hair that gets easily weighted down by silicones, this looks like a good solution - I need some extra oily richness. However, I love it as a part of my skin care routine. It's an oil, but so light I can use it in the morning. This is actually my favourite product from the three I got and I have been regularly including it in the routine.

Beauty Bay, €3.25

*RIMMEL Lasting Matte Full Coverage Mattifying Foundation

103 True Ivory

I tried this when my skin was normal and now when it's dry. When I first tried this on my hand I was fully prepared to hate because it looks like a thick, very matte formula that would surely be aging like Maybelline's Superstay and flaky on skin that isn't oily. I was partly right. It's very thick and hard to get out of the tube, but it's like a thick mousse consistency when you start blending it. You have to careful to blend out the edges well because it's not spreadable like liquid foundations, but surprisingly this looks nice on normal skin. It's nice, fresh matte finish that doesn't look heavy or cakey, though it looks terrible on lines, but it fills out the pores ok. I feared it might wear terribly, getting drier and patchier - luckily that was not the case. However, when my skin got drier, this was terrible. Patchy, it did not melt into the skin, it emphasised dry patches - I didn't ever try to wear it all day, I just took it off. So performance really depends on the skin type, it has the potential to look good and to look terrible. Coverage is not full, it's more medium, but I didn't wear a concealer with this and it's enough got me. I got the lightest shade here 103 True Ivory, which is the 5th darkest in the range, so obviously it's way too dark and considering it doesn't blend as nice as liquid foundations, you need a shade that matches you perfectly. 

DM, 7.50 €

*RIMMEL Stay Matte Liquid Lip Colour

600 Coral Sass

I have this in the shade 500 Fire Starter, review is here. I consider this formula one of the best in our drugstores. It's properly matte and thought it's not completely opaque with one coat, applying more doesn't make it crumbly. Coral Sass is a medium pinky coral shade, not my style (it'd prefer something more neutral like Blush), but pretty nonetheless.

*RIMMEL Stay Matte Powder

Translucent

This is such a staple, a cult favourite, I know several people who aren't even that much into makeup and have been using it for years. But me - well, I've never tried it. For the longest time we didn't have Rimmel and back when my skin was still oily-combination, I settled for the much more expensive Givenchy Matissime because the situation in our drugstores was dire (Essence was much poorer quality back then and no Catrice yet. Cheap powders were rare in general, let alone good ones). I was concerned using this, since my skin isn't very oily and I thought it could look flaky on me with time like a lot of powders, but this is very fine, it doesn't look too obvious (it's not completely invisible from close-up) and it keeps the skin matte all day. It's a golden standard for sure, at least when it comes to mattifying, but that's all it does and it doesn't help make the foundation less obvious or blend the edges any better like some powders do. It promises to blur pores, which it does a little bit, but it's not a big difference.

The brushes were added to my parcel, but I have no idea if they are sold on the stands. 

*ORIFLAME Giordani Gold Essenza Sensuale

Eau de parfum

This smells amazing! I've been wearing this every day since I got it, it's so good. Notes in the catalogue state gardenia, orange flower and bourbon vanilla, while there’s more notes on the Fragrantica site, including precious wood, sandalwood and tuberose. It’s similar to Elie Saab le parfum due to orange flower, but so much nicer because it doesn’t have that cloying jasmine note. It’s a great cosy, warm woody-vanilla white floral with a good staying power. I'm a big fan. It doesn’t have a classic spray, instead it has a applicator with which you dab the fragrance directly on the pulse points. 

Oriflame, regular price 24.90 €, currently 14.99 €

BATH & BODY WORKS Fine Fragrance Mist

My fellow blogger the lovely Sandra from Keep Calm, Wear Lipstick blog shares my love for Bath & Body Works mists, so we've been exchanging testers of our stashes every now and then. She again blew me away with her parcel, I didn't even know she has so many BBW mists and she got me generous skin care testers of products I was very interested in. Thanks again!
Beautiful Day

A day-dreamy blend of daisies, pink peonies & sun-kissed apples.

Such an airy floral-sweet apple fragrance. It's similar to Champagne, Apple & Honey scent, but less sweet. The daisy note also makes it similar to Avon's Luck La Vie. I like this one a lot.

Cashmere Glow

Cashmere Glow envelops you in the warmth of vanilla & golden peach layered with luxurious cashmere musk.

Sandra once send me a body peeling with this scent and I liked it. This is an even better version. It's a warm peachy sweet cosy scent. I think if you like Twilight Woods and Amber Love, this will be up your alley. I'm a fan.

Sugared Cranberry Cider

The name says it all, it's sweet cranberry scent, but the warm, fall-winter version. More suited to younger crowds, but likeable.

Sweater Weather

A cool, fall-perfect blend of sun crisp apple, autumn leaves & orchard woods.

This is crazy popular among BBW fans, but I don't get it. It's got some a nice apple note, but it's overshadowed by this musty note. It reminds me of cold autumn days, which are just about the worst for a summer girl like me, but I can see why it's so popular. It's fresh and crisp, but it lacks sweetness for me. This is a unisex scent.

Bright Autumn Blooms

The most grown up scent in the brunch and very up my street. I can't find the notes, but it's like a high-end fragrance. A delightful rich floral on a maybe sandalwood-precious wood-musk base (I can't say for sure, but leans more towards powdery, rather than classic vanilla). I love this one, it's one of BBW's best quality scents. Too bad it was a LE, they need to include this into their regular line up, or bring it back next autumn.

Winterberry wonder

A sweet snowfall of red frosted winterberry, sparkling cranberry & crystal vanilla.

A berry vanilla. Sweet, juicy and warm. Very likeable, but more suited for kids. I have this one full size from 2017 when it was also a LE.

SKINTEGRA Atomic Cleansing Oil

I wasn't familiar with this brand until recently, but it's Croatian brand and Sandra tells me this is the best oil she tried. It's 20 € for 200 ml, though it's nice, it won't replace Hada Labo which I got almost half cheaper and I really love, as when it comes to cleansers  price is a very important factor for me. Skintegra is the nicest cleansing oil I tried, I can see why it's so loved by some. It's got a nice thick texture, it's easy to massage in on dry skin and it emulsifies into a rich milky emulsion. It washes off completely and leaves nothing behind. I've been using it for the last two weeks and my skin loves it, however, it's not that much better than Hada Labo. 

CERAVE PM Facial Moisturising Lotion

This was on my wishlist due to the niacinamide high on the list, plus it has ceramides, hyaluronic acid and cholesterol, and it's a very praised product in reviews. It's a medium thick lotion and I used it when my skin was very dry, but this barely made a dent despite the thick coat. However, when my skin normalised it was a nice basic moisturiser that did it's job. It's a very likeable product. I still love my Beauty of Joseon more, but I'd consider getting this one day.

CERAVE Hydrating Cleanser

A simple, creamy cleanser that doesn't really foam, but it doesn't irritate my eyes and it washes of completely. I like this a lot as most similar cleanser either didn't completely wash off and left a filter or irritated my eyes. I can see why it's a cult favourite. I'd buy it occasionally, but I know I'd still be buying the much cheaper Balea Washgel instead which suits me just fine, though Cerave is definitely much better. 

ROC High Tolerance Comfort Fluid SPF50

This was ok, but nothing to rave about. It's not super light, but also not a heavy sunscreen. It white when you start applying it and I feared it might leave a cast, but it blended into the skin without any white patches. I took a while to sink in and the skin wasn't dry to the touch like Missha's version, so it didn't impress me that much. Also throughout the day my skin felt weird, almost like it's irritating it in some way, which is weird considering it's meant for sensitive skin. 

NEOSTRATA Targeted Treatment Sheer Physical Protection SPF50 

I don't know who started a hype for this (I can't keep up with stories on IG, just with posts), but for the price I'm not the target demographic (29 €), since you're supposed to apply a lot of sunscreen at once, one tube almost evaporates in a month or two, so I'm looking only for very affordable ones. It's tinted, which given that it's a mineral sunscreen is probably a must to avoid a white cast. I don't like it. Though it's light, it's so greasy - not heavy greasy, but slippery greasy and it's so shiny. It takes quite a while to set to something less shiny. The tint is ok even on my skin tone and it's not orange, like most lightly tinted products are, but this is not for me.

MISSHA Aqua Sun Gel SPF50

I liked this straight away. I didn't try to apply the actually recommended amount, since it would be a waste on a day I was barely outside, but I tried a thick enough coat. It's a light-medium consistency sunscreen with a nice orange scent and it dries completely to a velvet finish, so zero stickiness, tackiness or greasy feeling. It reminds me a lot of Biore. It has a sunscreen shine, but since the skin is dry to the touch, it's much more manageable. Now I regret buying A'Pieu even more, this is seriously good.

I got one more parcel packed with goodies, this one from the fab Ana from Antiage Anasan, who spoiled me with some great skin care and makeup. Thank you! 

LAURA MERCIER Translucent Loose Setting Powder

I was especially happy to see this powder, which I was seriously considering getting, but I picked a mini Hourglass' Veil and Fit Me instead, even though Ana almost convinced me to get this one when I was still deciding what to get. This is exactly the same as Maybelline's Fit me Loose powder - and I mean exactly the same on my skin. I wore them side by side, one on each side of the face, switching sides on the next day and I couldn't tell them apart. Both are wonderful powders that mattify and to a degree blur/smooth the skin, but this does have that makeup look, which at this product I don't mind. This one is translucent and Fit Me is tinted, but I didn't see a difference in coverage. Both Maybelline Fit Me and Laura Mercier powder are great products, whether you prefer to stick to high end or save pennies on drugstore variants. 

BELLAPIERRE Heat Wave Highlighting Palette

You get five light-medium "strength" highlighters in this palette, all warm toned, but all apart from the middle shade are wearable leaning more towards neutral/champagne side, so they are very wearable even for my pale skin tone. Shimmer is fine, it reminds me of that great Catrice first shade in the Luminice palette, so they are all natural looking highlighters. Surprisingly I like the last shade most because it's a rose gold that is most unique in this palette.

ECOOKING Peeling Mask

I don't expect much from this type of masks because I've tried a few and I get nothing from them. Applying The Ordinary's 30% AHA feels like a toner to me and though this has lactic acid as the top acid ingredient instead of gylcolic (which apparently doesn't do much for me, based on my experience), I assumed I won't get much from this. Imagine my surprise when this actually stung when I applied it on the face. Mind you it lasted about 30 seconds, but at least I had a feeling something is working. It's says right on the packaging that it can turn the skin red and indeed my skin did turn red - I'm still in shock I found an AHA product that has an effect on my skin, I thought I was a lost case for sure. I only needed the smallest amount, so even this generous sample pot should last me a while. Like I said my skin was red right after application and it had an intense "plastic glow" , I've never seen any product do anything like it. I kept on for 6 minutes, they recommend to slowly build your tolerance to 10-12 minutes. I'll keep using this once a week as suggested - hopefully I'll remember.    

SULWHASSO Clarifying Mask Ex

This is a peel off mask, so the name is a bit deceiving, as under a name clarifying I imagine a clay mask. I've tried two similar products in recent years: Elizaveca Miss Piggy and The Body Shop Tea Tree version, neither can hold a candle to this one. Those two felt like they didn't attach on the skin where it matters, so on the nose and pores on the sides of the cheeks, while at this one it was a lot more like a proper patch. It didn't get much from my pores though, but I never expect miracles at such products, since none ever worked as they should on me, despite having large pores especially on the sides of the nose. The texture is thick, like a glue, but despite that it's easy to spread. Instructions say to wait 20-30 minutes for it to dry, but it was drier faster on me. It didn't peel off in one piece and I struggled on the edges, but I got it all off eventually. It's got a strong herbal scent. If you're looking for a peel off product that actually feels like a peel off product, this is the only decent one I've tried so far, even if it didn't clear out my pores completely.

VERSO Super Eye Serum with Retinol 8

I haven't used this one, since I'm using TO's Retinol, but when I do, I'll update you. I've read some rave reviews about it, so I really look forward to try it, though I secretly hope I don't fall in love with this because it's soo expensive, but on the other hand I really want to see some results.  

THE INKEY LIST Q10 

This is so much nicer than Q10 products I had from Nivea. All of those were so thick and impossible to layer, but this is a medium thick lotion that needs some time to sink in, but not too long. I've only used it a few times so far, but I like it and it's so affordable.

IDUN Moisturising Face Mask

I used this when my skin was dry. It's a rich nourishing mask with great ingredients. I applied it in a thick coat as suggested and left it on overnight. In the morning a few dry patches I had on my nose and dryness around old spots were gone. 

Have a great day!