New in #143

sobota, april 19, 2025


ESSENCE Foundation Stick
20
I bought this online and the only help I had was Essence's official swatches, since no one on blogs or socials does comparisons anymore and I ended up with a shade that's perhaps too light for me. Essence's swatches are little help, as all of the light shades looked about the same. Honestly I didn't really expect much from this foundation, though I hoped it would suit me because it looked like a nice foundation for quick on-a-go applications, but so far I've only found one good stick foundation (from Bourjois), as they usually don't blend well into the skin. The same thing is true for this one. It's a very creamy formula, but neither with fingers or a sponge have I had luck blending it nicely. It always ends up obvious and it's just sitting on the skin, especially on the sides of the nose. Essence describes the finish as natural matte, but this is more of a greasy formula that doesn't set, so the finish more on the glowy side. Coverage is lighter than I expected, maybe light-medium. Staying power is bad, as this just wipes off in contact hours after application. My skin doesn't like this at all and it’s a formula I’m a bit embarrassed to me seen with in public.
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A repurchase. This has been my favourite formula for many years because it looks natural on the skin, it blends seamlessly whether I'm wearing a foundation under it or not. It covers about a medium which is enough for me 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. It doesn't slip into lines or have that matte, ageing effect, so it looks much better on the skin than high coverage concealers. I wear 00 Ivory and Brightener.


REVUELE Glow Drops
Golden Hour
This is more of a glowy primer than a proper highlighter, so it ended up not what I was looking for. Compared to my favourite Oriflame The One IlluSkin liquid highlighter, this has a weaker glow. It reminds me more of Bourjois' Healthy Mix Primer, in fact I could call them dupes in a way, expect Bourjois has a more neutral tone to it (not that it show when blended). By the way, this is similar to products like Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Flawless Filter and its many dupes, the difference being in the texture not effect. CT is a thicker product that doesn't set, while Revuelle is light. Shimmer is very fine, so this looks like natural shine on the skin. It becomes dry-to-the-touch and feels lightweight. I tried my best to take a picture of it on the face, but it's very weak and my cameras don't pick it up - like I said this is more of an all-over glowy base. This has a dropper, which doesn't work due to the thicker texture, so you end up scrapping the product off. There's a pink shade available too.
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A repurchase. This basically replaced my old favourite I <3 Extreme Waterproof, thought they are essentially the same mascara, just with a different brush, which to me makes all the difference. It adds plenty of volume, even more length and defines the lashes, though when it was new, it was definition where it performed poorly. It holds my lashes curled well.
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A repurchase. This shade is close to my natural lip colour. It's a touch deeper and pinker, but a good shade for a "no makeup" look and for shaping the lips. Staying power isn't the best.
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NYX PROFESSIONAL High Definition Finishing Powder
Transparent
This was a gift with purchase and it's only a mini size that's about the size of an eyeshadow. It's an ok powder, very similar to the Maybelline Fit Me Matte + Poreless one I've had for years. It mattifies and sets the makeup, but it makes the foundation look less natural like most powders. This promises to blur fine lines and minimize pores - like almost all powders this just highlights texture on me, but I have dry skin and I dislike it when makeup looks like obvious makeup even from close up.


L’ORÉAL PARIS Revitalift Serum
I bought this online and the picture was different (still is), so I thought I was buying the new serum they also have in DM. That one has Bifida Ferment Lysate as the second ingredient on the list, so it should be somewhat similar to the famous Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair. Sadly this Peptides version has alcohol second on the list, so I feel cheated to be honest, but I didn't want to fuss and return it. It's a thick serum that leaves a velvet feeling on the skin. Ingredients of this version are much less impressive than the version I wanted (why they all look so similar, I have no idea), but it has Bifida Ferment Lysate still high on the list, Hyaluronic Acid and Adenoside. For something called with peptide on the box, I see none on the list, while the version I wanted has plenty. Their "pro-retinol" is just Retinyl Palmitate that weak version of retinol that's in many products. This is way too expensive for what it is.


SOL DE JANEIRO Delicia Drench
Travel Set
Top notes: velvet plum, sugar violets
Heart: vanilla orchid, whipped amber
Base: sheer sandalwood, fresh vetiver
A familiar scent, kind of like some of my favourite fragrances were mixed into one. It reminds me of BBW Twilight Woods, Pupa Vamp! PINK and Avon's Mesmerize Black, or something like if you mixed those together. It's an oriental powdery-floral-sandalwood scent, quite nice, but I still love the original Cheirosa 62 more. I tried two of their shower gels (original yellow Brazillian 4-Play and coral Bom Dia) and they really weren't anything special for the high price, but this shower oil is a delight. It's not an oil, but an oily gel and it feels richer than their other shower gels. If you ever had one of those gel-to-oil makeup removers, this shower oil has a similar texture. The scent also lasts quite a while on the skin. The body butter is very thick and rich - a butter in a proper sense of the word. It's like The Body Shop Body Butters that I love and takes some effort to massage it in. It leaves a velvety film on the skin that makes it feel soft. The mist is nicely strong, but I wish it lasted a bit longer.


A repurchase. I use this after every hair wash and it's so far the best leave-in conditioner I've found. It's true to the claim of long lasting hydration, it leaves my hair somewhat softer and it dries smoother.

I got this mini for free with purchase. I already have the full size, which is one of my favourite hair products. It doesn't create the glass hair effect on me - nothing does on my hair type, but it's still very effective. It's actually similar to the their Smoothing Lotion, but this one also protects the hair from getting frizzy when in contact with humidity. It's very light, but it hydrates and it makes my hair smoother. It needs to be activated by heat.


LATTAFA Khamrah eau de parfum
This is one of the current best sellers and it was picked as the unisex fragrance of 2024 (by Fragrantica). I got it as a gift for someone, but was able to give it a test. I believe this brand is from Dubai. I used to have an antibacterial gel from BBW called Spiced Apple Wood and this is very, very similar, I'd say it's over 90% similar. It's mostly woody, spicy and I smell something fresh, which must be bergamot, though it reminds me of green apple. It's soft and smooth, not sweet - honesty all those descriptions about apple pie I read on Fragrantica are completely off. But I get why it's popular, it's very lovely. While I agree it's unisex, to me this is a lot more of a male fragrance, albeit being quite different from typical male scents, which I mostly dislike. Women can pull it off, but it's not very feminine, cosy or sweet. It's something for those who love the male version of Rabanne One Million, but this is softer. They describe it as a powerful scent, a silage monster, which I disagree. While it's not subtle, it's not one of those Shiseido Ginza Night Eau de Parfum Intense like scents that fill the room and stay there for ages. It stays on the skin for a very long time and it's not fading quickly, after about 9 hours it's still present and well detectable, then it's in a more faded version for at least 3 hours.


MAISON MARGIELA Replica Afternoon Delight
This is described as "The madeleine accord blends with the woody notes of sandalwood, whipped vanilla, and musk " Some say these smell exactly like madeleines, there's a lot of vanilla and I smell whipped cream. I think sandalwood is keeping this from smelling completely like freshly baked goods. It's a cosy gourmand with a more "perfumey" base.

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