MISSHA Perfect Blanc BB SPF50+PA+++
19 Rosy
I haven't been able to buy another tube of my favourite BB, Missha's RX version, as it's been out of stock everywhere for ages. So I got this to try hoping it's as good. The ingredients list is not as impressive as at RX, but it still has niacinamide, a smidge of vitamin C, adenosine and some extracts, plus the SPF is 50 instead of 42. Shade 19 Rosy is lighter than #17 at RX and more pink. It makes me a bit too pale for my taste, which not something I say often, so I've been mixing it with It Cosmetics CC in Fair Ivory for a perfect match. Finish on me is dewy at first, eventually settling into a satin. There are some parts where it looks obvious (chin area), so I don't love it as much as RX. Coverage is low, light-medium at most - it's closer to light. It doesn't cover my under eye redness and most my freckles are visible. It doesn't cover spots well, so a separate concealer is needed. Together with It Cosmetics CC je coverage is much better and that's the way I've been using it since I tried that combination.
ALVERDE Swirly Rouge
15 Candy Pink
I very rarely buy anything from Alverde and their other blush testers felt so hard, but this one was so buttery. This is a drugstore gem! It's the most pigmented blush in this post, it even works without foundation, which might be a weird thing to say, but most powder blushes don't stick on the skin well without something under it. Colour is an intense pink, which is doesn't lean to peach like most shades in our drugstores and those light pink stripes add a nice level of glow.
ESSENCE The Blush
10 Befitting
This is highly praised and I can see why. It's got great pigmentation and the formula is smooth, so it blends evenly on the cheeks. The shade is difficult to describe, but something between a muted pink, peach and a bronzer. Finish is the most matte in the bunch I picked up (except the Lion King, which has the same finish), but it still has a tiny hint of a glow. For the price this is really good blush and the shade looks universally flattering.
DEBORAH MILANO Powdered Hi-Tech
64
This is no different than the almost double the price Milani's blush (price here in Slovenia). It's a baked blush in a warm pink shade with tiny shimmer. It looks smooth on the cheeks, has nice pigmentation and a subtle glow. It has a hidden mini brush in the bottom, but it's not for serious use.
BOURJOIS Little Round Pot Blusher
34 Rose D'or
As old and well known as these are, I've long had an aversion to these because one of my first blushes was from Bourjois (a shade that didn't even remotely suit me called Ambre d'Or) and it was simply terrible. Now I know why that was, it's because I didn't have any brushes yet and the brush that's added to the blush is utterly useless, especially with this baked formula. These swatch simply gorgeous, especially this shade and Rose Frisson because they have that shimmery glow I adore, but I was again disappointed by its pigmentation - initially. It's a strange little thing, I kept applying it in layers and I thought there was nothing on, but then suddenly when I moved a bit back from the mirror, there was this beautiful pink flush for that "English rose look". Glow actually isn't as strong as at my discontinued favourites (L.O.V.) , but it is there in a subtle way. What surprised me most in a pleasant way is that this is one of the most long lasting formulas on the cheeks, but it's a blush that need a dense brush and many layers. It has a gorgeous floral powdery scent and I wish Bourjois had such a fragrance.
NAJ OLEARI Lovely Cheek Blush
02 Petal Pink
I read a review that sold me on this blush, as it was described as the best ever and that it hides pores. It's not cheap at 22 €, but still far from what high end stuff costs today and you get the feel of a very premium product. It comes with a velvet pouch and mini brush that is, granted, better than the ones in drugstore blushes, but still not very useful. Pigmentation is good - by that I mean it's not so intensely pigmented that I'd need to be careful with it, but I get the desired intensity with two light layers. It does look smooth on the cheeks, but so do many others and it doesn't hide pores, however, it neither emphasizes them. There is a slight glow to it. Petal Pink is warm pink, the pinkest shade in their selection, the rest were peachy or brown when I swatched them.
CATRICE Cheek Flirt Face Stick
020 Techno Pink
There are three shades of these, both of the other two were peachy and such shades look orange-ish on me, so I got this one despite the fact it swatched a bit scary bright in the shop. It is quite an intense shade for my pale skin and I need to apply this one gradually with small swipes or better said dabs. Formula glides smoothly on the skin, but it is more on the thick side, so blending isn't as quick and easy as I'd like, but I can get a seamless blend by going over the edges with a sponge. It doesn't last as long as Catrice's powder blushes, which is not surprising, but it lasts well enough.
MAX FACTOR Miracle Pure Blush
01 Radiant Rose
I did not like how this swatched in the shop and I walked away from it the first time, but DM had a decent makeup offer and I took the plunge. How it swatches on the hand has nothing to do with how it looks on the cheeks - it's such a strange thing. Straight from the tube it's this to me quite ugly reddish-orange shade, it is nothing what you'd expect from the that pink patch in the front of the tube. But on the cheeks it's surprisingly a lot more pink, though it more of a coral pink. It has a metallic glow when swatched, but I only need a small dot on my cheeks, so the glow isn't that strong on me. I see why this good some polarising reviews, as some praise it highly and some do not like it at all. For my pale skin I apply a small amount and it's enough colour, and that amount blends ok. I tap it on the skin with fingers, then use a sponge on the edges and it blends seamlessly into the foundation. I don't find it works well with brushes. When I was taking pictures (for which I need to apply a lot of blush for them to show up), this started to get problematic. It became patchy and uneven, which was not a good look. Those with a deeper skin tone, who need to apply more than me, many find this a challenging product to blend nicely.
L'OREAL PARIS Infallible 2 step Lipstick
213 Toujours Teaberry
One of those lipsticks in 2 steps where the second part is the sealer. It's similar to Max Factor's Lipfinity, as they both have a balm and not a liquid second step like Revlon and Rimmel. The liquid lipstick part has a medium-full pigmentation and it takes about a minute to set - it's dry to the touch, but when I press my lips together then, it's sticky. Lipstick is sort of matte, of at least it would be if it weren't for some frost shimmer. A balm coat adds a shine to the lips. It lasts really well on the lips after it sets and it wears off in a non-obvious way unlike Max Factor's Lipfinity, which flakes. Shade is a light mauve, cooler one me than what I see in the tube.
EVELINE Velvet Matt Lipstick
510
My Jordana Matte Lipstick in 48 Pink Passion, which is a dupe for Mac's Please Me is quite old by now (though actually still ok and useful), so I went to DM in search of a dupe or a similar shade. This is the shade I found in a limited selection of lipsticks my local DM had and it's very close to both Jordana's and Mac's shade. It's a pale warm pink, just a simple wearable every day shade for my pale skin. All three formulas are matte, but Eveline's is most creamy of the three and also has the poorest staying power. Pigmentation is good, but nothing special. Packaging is not the best quality. I've had this for a couple or few weeks and I use it a lot, but I started noticing that it's drying, becoming less creamy to apply.
CATRICE Shine Bomb
070 Mystic Lavender
I have this formula in a shade 040 and 050, so I reviewed the formula already (040 is currently one of my favourite shades). It's a creamy, moisturising formula with a satin shine, so it's not as intense as the name says, but I don't care about that. This is a strange shade for me to pick, but I actually planned to use it as a blush. Pretty much all pink blushes and of course peachy-pink blushes, end up so warm on my skin tone and I just wanted something that looks more cool toned, so I picked a purple lipstick, since there are no purple/lavender blushes around here. It's a touch too dark for it to work as well as I wanted, but it does look pink on my cheeks. This shade has some frost in it (the other two don't) and it's semi-opaque.
ESSENCE The Lion King Maxi Blush
02 Can You Feel The Love Tonight?
There are/were two blushes in this limited edition, the Simba one is a peachy pink kind of shade. This one looked way more interesting to me and I like how it look in the pan, but not on my cheeks. It's a very peachy looking bronzy shade that does not fit my skin tone. It has good pigmentation and it blends ok, but not as nicely as the Befitting blush.
CATRICE Hop Hop Hooray Reloaded Nail Lacquer
C02 Hopster Alert
This is from the limited edition that was on the stands in April, so already gone. They had these bunnies last year, but unlike before in this collection only full size nail polishes are available (last year I bought a mini lavender shade). This year's shades are more vibrant overall. C02 Hopster Alert is a tomato red, opaque with one coat.
CV Rose Cleansing Oil
Finally a new very affordable oil cleanser on the shelves of drugstores here. This one is almond oil based. The texture is very light, similar to Balea's version and I need four pumps for a proper cleanse. It removes makeup well, only when it comes to a heavy coat of waterproof mascara it fails (it can remove a light coat). It also leaves traces of a red matte liquid lipstick on dry parts of the lips, but otherwise this is a very solid drugstore offering. It leaves a layer, meaning it doesn't wash off fully and needs a second cleanse with a foamy cleanser. It doesn't irritate my eyes or make my vision foggy, it also doesn't have a scent. This is only 2,99 € and though I don't love it as much as Nuxe Very Rose and Hada Labo, it's very decent and the cheapest option around here. Sadly I suspect it's breaking me out (just like Balea one). I haven't had spots in a very long time and suddenly I got a couple and this was the only thing I changed. As soon as I stopped using it every day, my skin got better.
LIP SMACKER Disney Tangled
Another Disney lip smacker. It's the same as all of them, so it has a lovely soft formula that nourishes the lips well - Lip Smackers are some of my absolute favourites. It has a berry scent and it's tinted blue, which actually shows up on the lips a little, so it kind of look like you're suffering from hypoxia or hypothermia. Not the best colour choice.
PANTENE PRO-V Miracle Serum Hairfood
I thought I was repurchasing the conditioner, since they changed the packaging, but this is their conditioner/mask/leave-in product - it's the same thing as the conditioner, so whatever. It's another fantastic Pantene formula - very nourishing, works even on my super dry hair, it has those silicones I like that prevent my hair from being tangled instantly and add smoothness and silkiness to the hair. I haven't used it as a leave-in yet.
WELLA PROFESSIONALS Color Fresh Mask
Chocolate Touch
I'm going to be cheating on Subrina Colour Refresh a bit, which I love, but for one I'm interested in what others are offering and this one has great reviews, plus the tube is bigger, not metal and it's affordable. I just used it two days ago, so I don't know how quickly and in what shades it washes off, but the colour is a slightly warm/golden dark brown. It matches my roots better than Subrina Colour Refresh Warm Brown, but it also looks more flat - I just liked how reddish CR makes my hair, but this is a better choice when I consider the colour of my roots (which are still much cooler than this shade). Still, I have a nagging suspicion that since it's so flat and only slightly warm, it may wash off grey on me like Cold Brown from Subrina. I hope it doesn't. It's silicone free, so just like at CR, I miss the silkiness, my hair is getting tangles, thereby snapping and my hair doesn't feel soft. It's making me want to wash it again and use a good mask, but then the colour will come off... Next time I'm combining it with Pantene. This has a lovely powdery scent, a great soft tube packaging and it looks like 150 ml will last me 3 to 4 uses (CR lasts me one). Overall these are very similar to Subrina, but I still need to see how well it washes off.
SCHWARZKOPF TAFT Overnight Wave Me Wonder
This is something new in the drugstores. Taft describes it as overnight heatless curls spray, so something you use before you use your preferred method for overnight curls, be it a simple bun, that silly satin big roller I have, socks (apparently now they use that too) or any of the other methods. I used this once and I don't really want to pick it back up. It made my hair so dry, I had to wash it again the next day. I expected a spray mousse or something with some moisture, like a leave-in conditioner with hold, but this is like a dry texturizing spray. The mist is so dry, drier than a hair spray. The curls didn't last any longer than if I didn't use this, nor were they more nicely shaped. I'll try this as a hair spray on dry hair or for adding texture, but I don't like how drying it is. Maybe it's good for thin and oily hair, since it's so light
NIVEA Pearl & beauty Anti Perspirant
I repurchased this is spray form and roll on many times since my teens, but it's been a long time since I've last seen their stick version, which used to be in a different packaging. I haven't used it yet because I still have enough of Bororalco, but it doesn't smell like the spray. I'm hoping that's just in the packaging and it will smell like that powdery-floral goodness I love when on the skin. And that it will work well.
SUBRINA Colour Refresh
Warm Brown
A bunch of these, since I don't use Cold Brown anymore. They are reddish browns and are designed to refresh brown coloured hair. I use them a different way, on my blonde hair, which I don't recommend you do, since they are not made for that - but they are nice to add some depth to shades like Red, Orange, Violet and Magenta if you find them too bright. Neither Cold Brown nor Warm Brown cover uncoloured natural dark brown hair, so my roots remain the original colour when I use these and they don't cover greys, but they stick really well to coloured hair, especially when the colour is faded.
NOVELLISTA Vanilla Club edp
Top notes: Tobacco, Dried Fruits and Cloves.
Middle notes: Vanilla, Tonka Bean and Cacao.
Base notes: Honey, Benzoin and Labdanum.
A strong hit of vanilla followed by a stronger hit of tobacco. I smell honey, cloves, that sweetness from dried plums/fruit. It's very comforting, but gives me that old room vibe. I'd say vintage is the word for this. It reminds me of the old L'Occitane Amber fragrance, Christmas scent and something from Lush, but I can't remember what.
PACO RABANNE Fame edp
Top notes: Mango and Bergamot
Middle notes: Jasmine and Olibanum
Base notes: Vanilla and Sandalwood.
Starts with a strong tropical vibe with sweet mango, very Escada summer editions-like. It quickly becomes a bland floral, very flat for my taste, but wearable, non-offensive.
CHLOÉ Nomade edp
Top notes: Mirabelle, Bergamot, Lemon and Orange
Middle notes: Freesia, Peach, Jasmine and Rose
Base notes: Oakmoss, Patchouli, Amberwood, White Musk and Sandalwood.
I never liked this. It's so manly for my taste. Too green and woody with not enough sweetness. It's fresh, citrusy, clean, woody and green. At the very least unisex.
NARCISO RODRIGUEZ For Her Msc Noir edp
Top: Plum
Middle: Musk, Heliotrope
Base: Suede
Strong, sweet-sour plum note from the start - very similar to the opening of Dior's Poison. Then it's musk and suede, but there's something off about it for my taste, I think it's that heliotrope or something else, but it makes it smell somewhat musty. It's different than most new fragrances and it reminds me of the 90's scents. I can see it being liked by many, especially those that like suede scents
I have this in full size - well, by now had because it went off. It's peaches and flowers and cocoa. Memories. It's feminine, fruity and clean, like a conditioner with an awesome scent. But staying power is poor.
- nedelja, junij 11, 2023
- 0 Comments
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