ESSENCE 24 Ever Ink Liner Intense Black

This is a really nice eyeliner for the price. The applicator is small, smooth and very precise, so also perfect for beginners and those who struggle with applying eyeliner. Formula is a deep black and it lasts all day on my normal eyelids. I've been using it a lot since I got it and it's still not showing any signs of drying out. I remember one of their previous versions needed to be "revived" in between individual eye applications, but this is consistently saturated with colour. Also the tip is really holding on and it's not becoming scruffy at the ends. We'll see how long it ends up lasting, but so far I'm impressed.

ESSENCE Witch Side Eyeshadow Palette

This was a very pleasant surprise, I did not expect such a nice quality from Essence. Matte eyeshadows in this are lovely and satin ones are truly impressive, only the spotty glittery ones are not worthy of praise and can only be applied with a finger, but that's only four shades out of fifteen. Most eyeshadows have a great pigmentation, they blend with ease and last well on my lids without a base. I'm particularly in love with shades Haunted (I just adore these types of colours), Talisman and Charm. You know I'd never give it a second look in the shop, mostly because I didn't have trust in Essence eyeshadows, but I'd be such a shame if I'd missed it.  

REVLON Nail Enamel 

680 Revlon Red

I've finally decided to wear some colour on the nails - it's been ages. I went with a classic red and this is my choice for such a shade. I used to wear Catrice's Bloody Mary To Go all the time and since that one is so old, this is my replacement for it. It's one of very rare nail polishes that still has one of those thin brushes that every nail polish had up until about 10-15 years ago, before Bourjois launched their first wide brush which have then taken the world of nail polishes by storm. I'm sure most people will hate it precisely because of the brush, but I love it for it. My nails are too narrow for those wide brushes and I always end up with a messy application, while with this I have a lot more control, which at a red is important. The colour is gorgeous, just the type of red I love most, so a cool version of the shade that I find looks most glamorous. One coat is enough for full opacity, but like at all it's best to apply two.

ORIFLAME NovaAge Facial Cleansing Oil

I've already praised this when I first got it, so now I'm reporting back after a month or so of use. This is a great cleansing oil, just as good as Hada Labo. The texture is just perfect, I don't need much for one use so it's very economical, it emulsifies well and washes off completely. It's also working well with my skin. Well done Oriflame. 

NUXE Huile Prodigiuese 

Florale

I'll explain more about my skin bellow under disappointments, but I went back to my basic routine which is cleansing oil, Balea Waschgel, COSRX Galactomyces 95 Essence, Cezanne lotion and this one. Nuxe is actually the product I've been using the longest, many years by now and it's my never-fails-products that I can rely on. I use it for my daily face massage as my last step in my routine, since my skin is currently not so dry that I would need an extra moisturiser. Another big plus for me is the scent, I know most people don't like heavily fragranced stuff, but I love it. 

LANEIGE Lip Sleeping Mask

Berry

Still using this every day - well almost, I tend to forget sometimes and on those days I do notice a difference in the morning. This helps so much in keeping the lips nicely moisturised, not flaky or tight. Lately my lips have been dryer than pretty much ever before, so this is lovely, better than anything I've tried. 

BALEA Urea line

I kind of can't believe it's taken me so long to actually pick more products from this line. I was only using the shampoo before I found the hand cream and I like that one too. I use the hand cream several times a day, sometimes I grab the foot version too if it's closer and it's equality good for my hands, but I also use it on my feet every night before going to bed. This urea formula just leaves the skin so soft and smooth, almost like it was full of silicones, so I really like it. The face version is not as impressive as the other two, but it's a nice thick moisturiser for when my skin is very dry. Lotion is on my wishlist too for when my stash thins a bit.

L'OREAL Elseve Color-Vive Purple Shampoo

This is surprisingly strong, I did not expect it. It can tint very light hair blue-ish purple just like Inebrya Ice Cream No Yellow Shampoo which I was told is the strongest such product, but this is very similar and cheaper. It can do a lot for a purple shampoo, plus I like the formula which reminds me of their Clay version, the one in mint green packaging. It doesn't leave my hair dry or tangly, which makes in one in a minority. I'll be buying this one a lot I think, it was a pleasant drugstore discovery. 

NIVEA Curl Forming Spray

I did not appreciate or praise this one as much as I should. I mean I used it every time I curled my hair, which I do a lot and I liked it for the job, but it's only recently that I picked up my old favourite Lee Stafford Coco Loco hair spray after a long time that I realised how good Nivea's version is compared to it. Hold Tight left my hair a lot drier and for my already dry hair that's not good. Both don't leave the hair crunchy or sticky, but Nivea's isn't drying. I think that when I first got it I expected so much from it and that's Nivea's fault for being so braggy on the back of the bottle because if you dismiss those bold claims and ignore the whole use on damp hair, this is actually a very nice classic hair spray, perfect for after adding hold after curling the hair with a curling iron. Also another thing I started to greatly appreciate after using Lee Stafford again - Nivea isn't irritating for the lungs.   

NIVEA Love Splash Care Shower

I've been loving the more fresh, zesty scents under a shower. I picked this one randomly, since I couldn't find that Fa one I said I'll repurchase, but this was a good buy. I smell mostly orange peel, so a bitter citrus scent and not the juicy sweet version. It's bitter fresh, unisex and I like it a lot because lately stronger scent are just putting me off. The formula is cool too, not drying, the gel is thicker than most and nice to use. 

SUBRINA Shower Gel

Fresh Elder

Another delightfully fresh choice, this is my third bottle I think. I finally figured out what the first note smells like to me - forest strawberries, which I adore." Officially" this smells like Hugo, that champagne based drink, but I don't know because I never drunk it. It's a mix of elder flower, mint and lime, meaning very fresh, uplifting and sweet. 

BATH & BODY WORKS Fine Fragrance Mist

Almond Blossom

I changed my mind about this one. Originally I wasn't too keen on it, though it's a pretty scent, it just didn't wow me as much as I expected based on reviews. It's similar to The Library of Fragrance a.k.a Demeter Fragrances Baby Powder. It smells like a grown up version of a baby powder, the almond note is predominant in this with some floral notes. It's a warm, cosy type of scent with a lot of sweetness, but it's not like a typical candy vanilla. I still don't find it's rave worthy like most reviewers described it, but sometimes I just have a craving for it and it also lasts well for a body mist. 

BATH & BODY WORKS Ultra Shea Body Creams

I've been more diligent with body moisturisers and dug out these. I've raved about them in the past, the formula is so nice, they are rich like a body butter, plus they come in a wide selection of scents. They moisturise my dry skin well, plus they make the whole bedroom smell so good and the scent lasts. County Apple is a musky apple scent and Twilight Woods a more fruity version of the body mist scent, so less woody, but more forest berries like with warm notes. 

UPDATES

 SUBRINA Colour Refresh Mask
Magenta
And I'm pink! This time a more pastel version than the bright one I've showed you once before. This time my hair is lighter, so I can play with more pastel shades, though at the back where I still have orange-golden tones, it also ended up looking a bit orange, so I could have used a bit more colour, but I went with quite a light mix with about 80-100 ml of conditioner and 2-3 cm of colour from the tube (I was eyeballing the whole thing like always). It's fine and it actually looks a lot prettier in person because like always my camera bumps up the contrast, while in reality it's a lot more nicely blended. I've talked a lot about these in my previous posts, you know I'm a fan. Here's pictures of red, orange and violet, and I use Diamond Blonde all the time.

DISAPPOINTMENTS

CATRICE Pure Nail Polish

02 Clarity

I've expressed my disappointment with this in my new in when it was still on my nails, but it only got worse from that point. This just peeled and chipped off so quickly, which is completely unexpected, since everything lasts so well on me. So aside from the colour not looking at all like in the bottle, the formula is not impressive either.

CATRICE Poreless Perfection Mousse Foundation

010 Warm Ivory

Another product I mentioned as being disappointing in the review. It's such an obnoxious formula to work with and impossible to mix with anything liquid like the lightening drops. I can't' apply anything damp over it because it clumps up on me, plus the shade is so dark for a second one in the lineup. It's nicely matte and would probably work great on oily skin, but it's such a fussy formula that didn't impress me.

CATRICE Disney LE Minnie & Daisy Eyeshadow Palette

C02 Daisy's Signature

What a disappointment. This is one of the worst palettes I've tried in a while. Most eyeshadows are difficult to swatch, I spent so long doing those swatches, plus I had to use a base otherwise I'd get nothing. The central shade Dazzling is shockingly useless. But the palette on a whole is not completely bad, it just needs a lot of layering, using fingers and patience. I don't get how Cosnova can release such fab quality as Essence's Witch Side, but fail so miserably at this Catrice palette. And it's not that cheap. 

 ESSENCE Stay 8h Matte Liquid Lipstick

05 Date Proof

This isn't a disappointment because of the formula because I can deal with it just fine despite it being one of the driest ones, but it's a disappointment because Essence lazily just put the previous formula in a new packaging, which isn't even better. I preferred the previous applicator and the paint-like tubes. Even this shade is the same as the previous 05. They could have tinkered with the formula a bit and make it less like a layer on the lips, because now I don't think a lot of people can wear it with ease, also staying power is still equally unimpressive.


ESSENCE Bye Bye Panda Eyes Mascara and MAX FACTOR False Lash Effect
These two fall into the category of "not impressive". I've talked about the Essence one in the last New in post. While I love how easy it is to remove because it's a tubing mascara and it just crumbles off with only warm water, when it comes to effect it does very little on me, plus it has absolutely zero hold, so my lashes drop and I get nothing from it. About the same goes for the Max Factor one. While it's very nicely defining, catching every lash, it takes a lot of building up for some decent volume, still it doesn't compare to their 2000 Calorie for example, or the green-gold version of False Lash Effect, the Voluptious version. Maybe it's because it's still freshly opened, but the formula should be thicker. Of course it also doesn't hold my lashes up either, so it's useless for me. These two are like toddlers compared to L'Oreal's Paradise mascara I currently have opened too. 

THE ORDINARY

This will be a confusing one. I had perfect skin for years, actually since I discovered K-Beauty which was working wonderfully for me. But I got a bit concerned I'm not doing enough and I wanted to include some anti-ageing products and these are the cheapest, as well as have a great feedback. But ever since I focused more on the Ordinary products instead of my usual K-Beauty routine last autumn already in September, my skin has been crap. For a time it was insanely dry, flaky and just impossible to deal with and that came after I thought the retinol uglies are over. It was like a second wave of misfortune. Now it's consistently spotty, no matter what I do and it's healing so slow. Also my texture looks so bad, especially when I apply foundation. None of the products actually break me out, but it's like the combined routine is just messing with my skin. I don't dislike any of the products and I still use them, but with larger pauses and I've never just slapped on everything at once, I've always had a carefully considered routine. Still something about The Ordinary products just doesn't seem to agree with me which is a massive shame because I know they work for so many, they are really affordable and they have everything you might need. I don't know if I should just stop, but it's not like there are many cheap alternatives and I'd like to keep actives in my routine.

WISHLIST

Obviously nothing is currently a priority, to be fair I just find these things interesting for now and I'm not considering purchasing them, but I still created a wishlist because why not, right? And I made a crazy long one too, just like the rest of the post. (Looking a the post, I know I should have split the picture into two. Sorry.) 

L’OREAL Paris Elvive 8 Second Wonder Water Lamellar, Rinse out Moisturizing Hair Treatment for Silky, Shiny Looking Hair - this I'm actually really excited about. It's so far only in North America and from what I could find among IG comments, this wasn't planned to be launched in Europe before the end of 2020 and who knows what's the situation now. It's L'Oreal's new lamellar technology and reviews are very promising everywhere I checked. This is what L'Oreal says: "8 seconds to silkier, shinier, healthier-looking hair. Upon contact with wet hair, it works in just 8 seconds to visibly transform hair in a single use. Damaged hair feels healthy, shiny, and silky." Basically it's a liquid that you leave on the hair for a few seconds and rinse off. Kerastase has a similar product (obviously, it's a L'Oreal brand), but for some insane price. Ingredients-wise L'Oreal's looks bad, filled with alcohol that's high on the list, plus fragrance and some of the good stuff at the end, but what do I know what lamellar actually is and results matter way more. It's definitely something I'm very interested in, especially since L'Oreal owns Matrix, which has some of the most impressive products I've tried, specifically their Re-Bond line. 

MAYBELLINE Superstay Ink Crayon 15 Lead The Way - I have this in a shade 25 Stay Exceptional. I like the formula, especially since it can be used as a lip liner and an all-over colour, plus it's also matte, which is my jam. We don't have this shade in our drugstore, but I was sent some swatches on IG and this definitely looks like my shade. 

ESSENCE Blush Lighter 03 Cassis Sunburst - I'm a sucker for a highlighter blush hybrids. I went in search of these three weeks ago, but we only had one shade here, 01, which is this bronzy orange shade that would never fit me, however, the texture looked okay and it had a finely milled shimmer look.

CATRICE Demi Matt Lipstick 030 Coffee, Mattmoiselle - love this formula which I have in a gorgeous shade 100. This shade looked most similar to Essence's lipliner in 08 Big Proposal when I was swatching everything in sight in Müller, but it might actually be darker, so I'm still not sure about it. I'd have it for the formula alone, as well as the red 060 and maybe 070 and 010. 

MISSHA All Around Safe Block Aqua Sun Gel SPF50+ - I got a sample of this last year and it's one of the best sunscreen's I've tried. It's alcohol free unlike Biore, but feels similarly light and dries very fast on the skin, leaving none of the that annoying sunscreen feeling behind. I have A'Pieu Pure Block, so I'm in no hurry, but this will be my next one. 

MOROCCANOIL Smoothing Mask - I'm already a huge fan of Intense Hydrating Mask (which I recently repurchased) and Restorative Mask, so this is another I really want to try. Reviews online are overwhelmingly brilliant, which not a surprise, since Moroccanoil rarely disappoints. My hair naturally dries über frizzy (even before all the colouring) and lately I'm really struggling getting a smooth blow-out, so I'm always on a hunt for products that would give me that smooth effect. The lotion from this line is interesting too. 

L'OREAL Elvive Colour Protect Anti-Brassiness Purple Conditioner - I've tried the shampoo which I mentioned above and this will eventually get it's turn too. 

L.O.V. Perfectitude Aura Glow Powder - I adore L.O.V. blushes and this is their complexion toning/neutralising glowy all-over powder. Given that I know L.O.V. can do very fine shimmer, this is on my list to try. Maybe it'll impress me more than Hourglass and Wet n Wild, though to be fair those left the bar pretty low for me. Petra raves about it in her review, thought she uses it as a regular highlighter.  

MOROCCANOIL Dry Scalp Treatment - doing a recommendations story about Moroccanoil for the other IG account I manage was a dangerous job. It lengthened my wishlist quite a lot and this included. I never checked it properly, but I now read some reviews, get a look of the ingredients list and it sounds like a product made for my flaky, dry scalp. I'm kinda dropped the ball on the whole scalp situation because nothing ever worked and I gave up, but I'd love to give this a try. 

THE BODY SHOP Body Mist Grapefruit - I'm craving refreshing scents lately and this was always one of my favourites. I haven't had it in ages, but I used to have it I had it in body butter form. It's so sweet and fresh, like a refreshing fizzy drink. 

MOROCCANOIL Hydrating Styling Cream - this is from the same line as the amazing Intense Hydrating mask. It's a leave-in conditioner that I hope might delay the dryness for a day or two on me. I have to use a ton of leave-ins otherwise my hair get so dry and tangy, so I apply something pretty much every day. I'm not sure if this is ok to use on dry hair and not just right after a wash, but it's be nice if it was similar to the discontinued Dove Super Quench serum and Olaplex n.6. 

PANTENE Love Your Waves Leave In Cream 24H Frizz Control - as a big fan of Pantene, this of course made the list as soon as I saw it first on some hidden sad shelf in Interspar. It's since become available in DM too. The name says it all I think, so I hope it's good and there's a Sleek version available too, which might be more interesting, but I trust the gold label more than green at Pantene. I've seen no reviews anywhere.   

ESSENCE maximum DEFINITION waterproof volume mascara - it's waterproof and from Essence, so obviously on the list to try someday, but I'm in no hurry, since I have L'Oreal's Paradise.

MOROCCANOIL Blow Dry Concentrate - just another smoothing product from Moroccanoil. It's probably just like a classic silicone oil like their Moroccanoil Treatment or Orofluido, but I use a lot of that stuff, so it's always nice to have more and maybe it does help make the hair smoother than others, which I would really need at the moment.

SCHWARZKOPF PROFESSIONAL Blondme Instant Blush Ice - I expected being a blonde is going to be a struggle, but man, do those yellow tones appear fast. I have toning shampoos and masks, but sometimes you just need a quicker fix that doesn't require a hair wash and this looks kinda promising. I'm also interested in the shade Steel Blue. I've actually already gave Schwarzkopf a chance when I bought their Polly Palette spray, which was useless, so still have doubts about this one, but it might be worth a try. 

Pink Quartz Roller and Gua Sha - I do daily face massages and this would be nice to have too. It might be gimmicky though and fingers are probably enough, so I've been on a fence to get it for a half a year now. 

REVLON ColorStay Cream Eyeshadow 715 Espresso - it's shameful how long it took me check these out, since I should be familiar with all Revlon products, but I finally checked the reviews for this and they are overwhelmingly positive. Some say they are better than Mac's Paint Pots, which is high praise. These come in many shades and Expresso look most wearable, but not too light for me. 

TIGI Bed Head Blow-out Golden Illuminating Shine Cream - Tigi After Party was one of the first product I owned for fighting frizz, this brand was actually my first dip into salon hair care, so I've tried most of their product that had back then and I was using their Curl Amplifier cream for years. I saw this product in an After Party like packaging randomly while looking for a gift for someone and based on reviews this looks very promising. It's another product I have hopes work both on damp and dry hair and that it smooths the hair for a longer period. This contains gold shimmer unlike After Party.

Have a great day!