Mateja's Beauty Blog

MAX FACTOR Masterpiece 2 in 1 Lash Wow Mascara

sreda, junij 11, 2025
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May Favourites and Wishlist

REVLON Illuminance Serum Tint SPF 15

My dry skin liked this immediately - it's hydrating, it looks fresh and glowy. It's described as a skin tint, but the coverage is actually quite good. It's more than just a tinted moisturiser with light coverage, as most of the redness on my face and even freckles are quite well covered. It's similar to my favourite BB/CC creams, like It Cosmetics CC+ Nude Glow, it's just missing a higher SPF, as this has just 15. Formula is light and I prefer to blend it with a sponge. This is one of those formulas that really take a long time to set and it's got a glowy finish that lasts for hours, so most will likely want to powder this. It tends to slip into lines, which is my only real minus at this formula, so I put some powder over those areas and keeps it in place better. I wear shade 117, which is a great match for me, a pale shade with a neutral undertone, while 113 also fits me ok, but the undertone is warm.
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ESSENCE Juicy Bomb Glossy Butter Balm
06 - Wake Me Up Before You Coco
My lip balm of choice at the moment. It's got a soft, buttery, moisturising texture and it gives the lips a glossy shine. Its coconut scent isn't my favourite, but it's not strong or long-lasting. I also have this in the shade 03 Time to Pitaya.

TREND !T UP Shine & Click Gloss in a Stick
030 Light Pink
Another glossy lip balm with a pleasant moisturising formula. It has a bit of a tingy feeling that doesn't last long and it has a fruity scent. The minus is that this doesn't really last long on the lips, which is hardly surprising, but currently I prefer more moisturising formulas in favour of staying power. 030 Light Pink is a very wearable warm pink shade.
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ESSENCE Extreme Gel Top Coat
A great, fast-drying top coat for an affordable price. It's similar to Catrice's and a good replacement for my long-time favourite Seche Vite.

ESSENCE Quick Wing! Stamp Eyeliner, REVLON Illuminance Serum Tint SPF 15, ALVERDE NATURKOSMETIK Creamy eyeshadow and highlighter 2-in-1 10, TREND !T UP Shine & Click Gloss in a Stick 030 Light Pink

ESSENCE Quick Wing! Stamp Eyeliner
01 black
I thought this will be just a gimmick, but that wing stamp is actually useful. It doesn't always stamp the sharpest tip, but the general shape is good and the tip can be fixed with the liner on the other side. The pen tip is quite large, I wish they used the one from their 24 Ever Ink Liner, but I can line my eyes ok with this one too. The liner is intensely black and for now saturated with colour, but it's not as fluid as their 24 Ever Ink version. Since staying power isn't as good as liquid eyeliners, I use the stamp as a guide and then put Catrice's Liquid Liner over it when I need my liner to last all day.
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CERAVE Skin Renewing Vitamin C Serum for Anti-Aging
A serum with 10% L-Ascorbic Acid and the ceramides Cerave is known for. I was using the Hada Labo Melano CC Vitamin C Essence before this one, which is fine, but the texture of it is oily, so not ideal to put anything on top, especially SPFs. This one is a light liquid lotion that absorbs fully into the skin, leaving an almost dry-to-the-touch base. Like all ascorbic acid products I've tried so far, it makes my hands smell something like self-tanner or like I held old metal, which I don't think I'll ever get used to and it makes me dislike ascorbic acid products, especially since I don't see results at any, but I use them together with SPFs, since apparently that's recommended. This has no scent at application. From ascorbic acid products this one is so far my favourite. It's light, absorbs fully, the packaging isn't small (like at Eucerin) and there's no irritation (which only happened to me at one so far anyway).

APLB Glutathione Niacinamide Sunscreen SPF50+ PA++++
This is a great, light sunscreen. It's similar to Canmake Mermaid Skin in terms of texture and I can apply a large amount of it without it feeling greasy or like a mask (which happens at Balea Beauty Expert one), it doesn't irritate my eyes and it doesn't peel. It’s shiny from the start, but it sinks in within a few minutes and leaves a subtle enough level of glow. I wore this under quite heavy makeup and it worked well. It has Niacinamide, Squalane, Centella Asiatica Extract, several other extracts, Adenosine, Hyaluronic Acid, Hydrolyzed Collagen, Glutathione, Beta-Glucan, Asiatic Acid, Asiaticoside, Madecassic Acid, Madecassoside and it's alcohol free plus it doesn't have a scent.

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WISHLIST

DEBORAH Instant Lift Concealer - I tested this quickly in DM and it looked good, possibly ok for dry skin. I wish I bought this one instead of L'Oreal's True Match Radiant Serum Concealer, which ended up not very hydrating or radiant.

APLB Glutathione Niacinamide Body Wash - this comes in a 300 ml bottle and given it has quite nice ingredients, it might just make a good face wash - provided it doesn't irritate the eyes or it's just a nice shower gel.

APLB Retinol Vitamin C Vitamin E Body Lotion and Tranexamic Acid Niacinamide Body Lotion - APLB has (at least) 4 such lotions in big bottles, which could be used all over. Since I'm a fan od their SPF, I'm interested in exploring the brand more, as they have plenty of interesting stuff.

sobota, maj 31, 2025
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Oriflame Giordani Gold Serum Infused Pearls

ponedeljek, maj 26, 2025
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Favourite Mascaras 2025

ESSENCE I <3 Extreme Volume Mascara Waterproof

One of my oldest, very affordable favourites. It gives me more of a dishevelled look of a lot of lashes compared to Pupa Vamp!, but it creates a lot of volume and it holds my lashes in place all day. But for me the minus is the big, clumsy brush.

ESSENCE Lash Like a Boss Mascara Waterproof

This is a better version of I <3 Extreme. It didn't impress me when it was freshly opened, but with time it became a top performer. Waterproof mascaras often have dry formulas that don't create much volume, but this one rivals regular formulas. 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. Formula is very similar to Essence's I <3 Extreme formula, but the brush is smaller and that makes all the difference. | video |

REVLON VOLUMazing Mascara Waterproof

Another great waterproof formula, similar to Essence one and it manages to stay fresh for a long time, which is a plus since waterproof formulas tend to be drier. It creates a good amount of volume for a waterproof formula, as well as adds length and it's defining enough. Only the price isn't as friendly as Essence's.

MAX FACTOR 2000 Calorie Volume Mascara

A gold standard. This creates a classic nice effect of enough volume, length and definition, it just makes the lashes look their best. Sadly that only goes for the regular formula that doesn't have hold for my lashes, while the waterproof one fell short of my expectations, since the formula isn't as thickening and is too dry. The packaging is a bit different now and I have the new version somewhere too. By the way, this is the mascara I keep in my bag (just for some quick framing of eyes without all the curling hassle, which mostly can't be done on the way. It's also afforfable if I accidentaly lose it).

PUPA Vamp! Mascara Regular and Waterproof

This one is more expensive, but the effect it creates is so beautiful. The regular formula is better, as it creates big lashes that are nicely fanned out and separated fast. The waterproof version is a touch less volumising because it's drier, but it's still creates a great effect and it keeps my lashes curled.

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REVLON ColorStay Xtensionnaire Mascara

A very impressive formula, even for a regular one when it comes to my lashes that don't hold a curl. It adds a lot of length with one coat, it's also nicely volumising and it's very decent at definition because it has good hold. It can make the lashes look big and "glamourous". It can even hold my stubborn lashes up a bit, which I appreciate given that it's a regular, washable formula.

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REVLON So Fierce! Big Bad Lash Mascara

This one is quite similar to Max Factor's 2000 Calorie and it's a mascara that's capable of defining my criss-cross lashes and fanning them out nicely. It doesn't hold my lashes curled, since it's a regular formula, but it's light enough to not drop them like a rock. It gives plenty of length and some volume, though this is more of a natural-effect mascara. This formula leaves the lashes still soft even with two-three coats, which is great if you have long lashes like me that hit the glasses. It also claims to tint the lashes black with frequent use, which might be interesting to blondes.