I like this combination a lot. Essence's pencil in 202 My Mind is close to my natural lip colour and it defines the lips, while Max Factor's 005 Simply Nude adds a (shiny) layer of a more beige natural hue. This combination looks like Revlon's Bare it All does on others (I have that shade and like most such colours it pulls peachy-orange on me, but it's otherwise universally loved).

A muted peachy-pink with enough uplifting brightness on my pale cheeks. Formula as very blendable both with fingers or a brush and at both methods I get nice diffused edges. I only need a small amount as it has a lot of pigment. 

I tried two other shades and I use the (yellow) Passion Fruit Coconut one with a warm, tropical scent often. Unlike the other two, this has some colour. It's a muted medium-deep rosy shade that adds a subtle tint to the lips. These are great for dry lips, nourishing and the last well. They have a good fruity scent and they are more impressive than Essence's Juicy Lip Oil I tried recently. 

I'm annoyed by SPFs this year, even the light ones. Usually I use Hourglass Ambient Powder to mattify/set the makeup because it's nothing special and I want to use it up, but in the summer I usually turn to Maybelline's Fit Me Matte + Poreless, which for some reason this year doesn't mattify well - odd, it's always been so reliable. So I tried my other powders and this came on top. It takes away the shine without looking flat, plus it's very finely milled, smooth and not very obvious on the skin. 

I wasn't a fan of the original Ginza because of patchouli, but this is much more my style. It starts with a sweet fruity burst (blackcurrant + mandarin) and then it becomes a powerful woody white floral. It's soft, comforting and very elegant. It's more of a fragrance for colder weather or nights as one spray can fill the room - something I appreciate. The bottle is a looker with the interesting black pump and ombre glass. Staying power is great, I can smell it all day and it lasts even longer on clothes.  

Top notes: mandarin orange, blackcurrant

Heart notes: gardenia, lily, jasmine

Base notes: vanilla, cedar wood

I got this out of curiosity, since my hair never gets oily and I feel it's really a step up from the classic dry shampoos. It's like a regular styling mousse with no hold. You apply it directly on the roots and give the hair/scalp a bit of a massage. Once it dries, there is a slight powdery feeling, but much less than at for example Batiste dry shampoos. Hair actually feels like it's been freshly washed and it has a very pleasant, gentle and fresh fragrance. I let it air dry, since the hair is not annoyingly wet, but you can use a hair dryer. It doesn't beat my favourite Moroccanoil one, but it's on second place for sure. It makes my hair like freshly washed, it's not drying, doesn't leave that gritty feeling that makes me want to wash my hair the next day and the fragrance is nice. 

MILANI COSMETICS Supercharged Brightening Undereye Tint 110 Pink Rose - I like Essence's Under Eye Brightener's shade, but I'm not a fan of the texture. I saw this online - hopefully the shade is similar. It appeals to me because it's in liquid form. 

GEEK & GORGEOUS Power Peptides Pro-Collagen Multi-Peptide Serum - I think this new and it's filled with different peptide complexes. It's on my list to buy.

HARUHARU WONDER Black Rice Hyaluronic Toner - I saw this among the voted best products of 2023 on Stylevana. It's a toner with a bunch of extracts and ferment, plus it has some hyaluronic acid and Beta-Glucan. It's supposed to be hydrating and promises a smoother skin. Their ads mention glass skin, which sounds overly ambitious for a toner, but if so many like, then it's worth a try. 

TREND !T UP Protect & Set Over Makeup Spray SPF 50 - this is interesting, hopefully we get it here. Catrice had a setting spray with SPF 20, but it didn't wow me.

SHISEIDO Fino Premium Touch Hair Mask - Since I'm so happy with Elizavecca Cer-100, I'm interested in more K-Beauty hair care. This is highly praised for dry and damaged hair.

CV (CADEA VERA) Melting Cleansing Balm - a new affordable cleansing balm in Múller. I haven't seen it here, but based on ingredients it's similar to Face Boom Makeup Removing Butter, as both use shea butter as the first ingredient

BENEFIT Plushtint Moisturising Matte Lip Tint - a new matte liquid lipstick with a pretty packaging. 

BONDI SANDS Face SPF 50+ Sunscreen Mist - spray sunscreen for the face that can be used over makeup. It claims to try to an invisible finish. I just hope it's not greasy, as Garnier's version I tried in the past that completely smudged my glasses.

BALEA Rasier Butter (Shaving Butter) - I'm suddenly drawn to this idea of a shaving butter. Though the butter may clog up the razor.

 

BALEA Ultra Sensitive Milky Toner - a nice simple toner with 5% panthenol and centella asiatica (cica).